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Noah Winter brags he’s been to way more Super Bowls than Tom Brady.Brady competed in 10 more than any other player. But Winter will be part of the Super Bowl spectacle for his 30th straight year this year, not in uniform but as the guy in charge of the celebratory confetti after the game ends.Winter’s company, Artistry in Motion, also makes confetti for rock concerts, movies, political conventions and the Olympics. But the annual blizzard of color falling onto the field at the end of each Super Bowl is probably what he’s best known for.It certainly is what he’s most likely to get asked about at dinner parties. “It’s become an iconic moment,” Winter marvels, sitting in his Northridge, California, office and confetti factory.Jane Gershovich, a photographer who worked for the Seattle Seahawks when they won the Super Bowl in 2014, said that when the confetti falls, everyone wants to play in it. The players and their families have been known to toss it in the air and make confetti angels.“Just seeing the players and their kids engage with it at such a wholesome level, it brings a lot of joy to everyone on the field,” she said.So, what goes into planning and executing a giant confetti drop? Winter fields some questions: What happens to the losing team’s confetti? Artistry in Motion trucks 300 pounds (135 kilograms) of two-colored confetti for each of the teams to the Super Bowl. They bring confetti cannons onto the field with about 4 minutes remaining, and line them up around the stadium walls.Even if the teams stream onto the field before the clock runs out, the confetti waits until the timer shows the game is officially over. And the winners’ colors get the go-ahead.“It’s always better to be late then early,” Winter explained. “Sometimes players go out and shake hands. We don’t launch until triple zero on the clock. Over the 30 years, we never have launched the wrong color or launched too early.”The color mix is not 50-50, because some colors dominate on video, so the company has to experiment to find the correct mix.Massachusetts company Seaman Paper has for 25 years manufactured the tissue paper that Artistry in Motion turns into confetti, said Jamie Jones, one of Seaman’s owners. A lot of New England Patriots fans who work there are particularly excited about their part in this year’s Super Bowl.The company makes about 150,000 pounds (68,000 kilograms) of tissue paper a day mostly for gift wrapping and food service.“It’s a very prestigious but not big order,” Jones said of the Super Bowl paper. How do you get the best flutter? Winter has found that a rectangular shape is best for confetti because it turns on its axis and hangs in the air.But TV viewers might not realize that there are actually two confetti drops at the Super Bowl one at game’s end, and the other when the Vince Lombardi Trophy is presented to the winning team. That second round of confetti is cut in the silhouette of the trophy.Messages can be printed on the tiny rectangles too. For a handful of Super Bowls, Artistry in Motion printed social media messages on each tiny flag at the request of event sponsor Twitter.Some people ask whether the confetti is cut by hand (it isn’t), and Winter jokes that his hands get tired. Is the confetti biodegradable? The tiny rectangular flags of tissue paper are made from U.S.-sourced, 98% postconsumer recycled material, Winter says. The paper is biodegradable.The company makes confetti in the colors of the four final NFL playoff teams. All that isn’t used is recycled.The confetti makes a beautiful mess in the stadium, but cleanup isn’t Winter’s job. Every stadium uses a different approach, depending in part on the field’s makeup. Some use rakes. Others employ leaf blowers, taking care not to degrade the artificial turf. How do you get into the confetti business? Winter studied lighting design in college and did pyrotechnic work at venues including the Hollywood Bowl before Disney asked his team to recreate leaves falling and twirling for a live “Pocahontas” show in the mid-1980s. Soon, he was creating confetti for Disney’s daily parade at Disneyland.In 1986, Mick Jagger saw the confetti at Disney and asked Artistry in Motion to make some for a Rolling Stones’ concert at Dodgers Stadium. Then, he brought the fledgling confetti company on tour. Other artists, including Bono from U2, asked that confetti be made for their shows as well.Stadium concerts led to sporting events. The company’s first Super Bowl was in 1997, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Patriots (pre-Brady) at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The year before that, Winter had been a pyrotechnician at the Super Bowl, making this year’s game his 30th.In 2025, an estimated 127.7 million people watched the game on TV or streaming.Winter wouldn’t admit to having a favorite team, but he did say he has two brothers who are New York Jets fans, and he has promised to bring them to the Super Bowl to work a confetti cannon if their team ever returns. Quarterback Joe Namath led the Jets to their last Super Bowl, in 1969. Donna Gordon Blankinship, Associated Press
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When Savannah Guthrie made a heart-wrenching plea to the kidnapper of her 84-year-old mother to send “proof of life,” she addressed the possibility of people creating deepfakes.“We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” she said.Before artificial intelligence tools proliferated making it possible to realistically impersonate someone, in photos, sound and video “proof of life” could simply mean sending a grainy image of a person who’s been abducted.That’s no longer true.“With AI these days you can make videos that appear to be very real. So we can’t just take a video and trust that that’s proof of life because of advancements in AI,” Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said at a news conference Thursday.Hoaxes whether high or low-tech have long challenged law enforcement, especially when it comes to high-profile cases such as Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance last weekend from her home in the Tucson area.As technology has advanced, criminals have grown savvy and used it to their benefit, confusing police and the public and masking their identities. The FBI in December warned that people posing as kidnappers can provide what appears to be a real photo or video of a loved one, along with demands for money.Police have not said that they have received any deepfake images of Guthrie. At least three news organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they have given to investigators, who said they are taking them seriously.Investigators said they believe she’s “still out there,” but they have not identified any suspects.Separately, a California man was charged Thursday with sending text messages to the Guthrie family seeking bitcoin after following the case on television. There’s no indication that he’s suspected of having a role in the disappearance, according to a court filing.She appeared in an emotional video on Instagram Wednesday, sitting in between her sister and brother. Her voice cracked as she spoke directly to the kidnapper, saying the family is “ready to talk” and “ready to listen” but also wanted to know that their mother is alive.Images of Nancy Guthrie, publicly shared by family, could be used to create deepfakes, said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit.She said ransom demands over history have evolved from phone calls and handwritten notes to email, texts and other digital tools. A century ago, ransom notes were analog. For example, when the toddler son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, a piece of paper demanding $50,000 was found on a windowsill.“Investigative techniques accumulate over time,” Schweit said. “There’s never less to do as years go by; there’s more to do. Digital and forensic work is a perfect example. It just adds to the other shoe-leather work we would have done in years past. Nothing can be dismissed. Everything has to be run to ground.”Schweit said directly addressing a kidnapper, like Savannah Guthrie did in her video, is a tactical move.“The goal is to have the family or law enforcement speak directly to the victim and the perpetrator, and ask the perpetrator: What do you need? How can we solve this? Let’s move this forward,” she said.Janke suggested to reporters that the FBI may have had some influence on Guthrie’s decision to release a video message.“We have an expertise when it comes to kidnappings, and when families want advice, consultation, expertise, we will provide that,” he said. “But the ultimate decisions on what they say and how they put that out rests with the family itself.”Barbara Ortutay and Ed White, Associated Press
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Friday is the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics. But, if youve spent any time on TikTok over the past week, you might have already got a sneak peek at some behind-the-scenes content courtesy of the athletes themselves. In 2024, the International Olympic Committee loosened its rules governing what athletes can capture and share on social media. The shift helped spark viral moments during the Paris Games, when Team USA rugby star Ilona Maher and Norways swimmer Henrik Christiansen, whose chocolate muffin reviews became an unlikely hit, took over TikTok feeds. This year, Olympians have already been posting vlogs of their journeys to the Olympic Village from all over the world. The Team USA ice dancer Emilea Zingas shared a snippet into what makeup she packed for the Olympics, as well as a get-ready-with-me video before her first practice. Dutch speed skater Jutta Leederman, who’s dating American boxer Jake Paul, documented her journey to Milan via private jet. @zingaskolesnik33 Makeup is packed all my extras/other tools and things I packed yesterday:) #roadtomilanocortina2026 #icedance #iceskatingtiktok @Team USA original sound – Emi and Vadym Once inside the Village, room tours have become a major draw. Sleeping arrangements, in particular, have drawn attention in recent years, following the Tokyo and Paris Games, where athletes slept on beds made from reinforced cardboard, reportedly designed to discourage intimacy. This time around, a Team GB athlete revealed that the beds are made from sturdier materials. @nathanpare_ The details everyone wants to know!! Follow along to see the inside scoop of this Winter Olympics. #olympics #winterolympics #roomtour #fyp #teamusa original sound – nathanpare_ If youve ever wondered what Olympians eat in the run up to the games, look no further. South African snowboarder Matt Smith has been rating the food inside the athletes canteen, tucking into Italian staples like lasagna and pizza. The Olympic village gnocchi is my chocolate muffin, American snowboarder Hahna Norman said in a TikTok video of her own. @thesnowbok Couldnt help but start my canteen exploration in the Italian section. #crosscountryskiing #xcskiing #athlete #milanocortina2026 #nordicskiing @Milano Cortina 2026 Get Lucky – Stay Groove Band Olympic hauls are no longer limited to medals. Videos of athletes unboxing sponsored gear are going viral, too. Team USAs kit this year comes from Ralph Lauren, along with additional swag from Skims. Team South Korea ice dancer Hannah Lim modeled a North Face puffer jacket and matching luggage, while Canadian speed skater Brooklyn McDougall shared her Lululemon haul. @brooklyn_mcdougall Come be overstimulated with me thank you @lululemon original sound – brooklyn_mcdougall Between competitions and training sessions, athletes are also documenting how they spend their downtime. Coca-Cola has outfitted a recreational area with foosball tables, air hockey, and gaming systems, which American ice-dancing duo Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik toured for their nearly 36,000 followers. British ice dancer Phebe Bekker filmed herself attending a sound bath meditation session before being interrupted by media obligations. Speed skater Casey Dawson even treated followers to ice ASMR during a practice at the Milan arena. @phebebekker Sound bath class in the Olympic village?! #olympics #milanocortina2026 #olympicvillage #coronacero Carefree Days – Peaceful Reveries In between events, many Olympians are hoping to capitalize on this brief window of hyperattention. The hashtag #winterolympics has already been used in more than 37,000 TikTok posts, while #milancortina2026 has surpassed 900 tagged videos. As the Games get started, even more content will be coming out of the Olympic Village. After all, competing may be the top priority, but posting about it has become a close second.
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President Trump and the Republican party have worked hard over the years to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA), leaving fewer people with access to health insurance. Now, the current administration is launching TrumpRx, a site that offers discounted prices on medications bought out-of-pocket. A note claims that the days of Big-Pharma price gouging are over and that the President has ensured every American gets the lowest prices on prescription medications in the developed world. How does TrumpRx work? TrumpRx currently offers 43 brand name drugs, including weight-loss medication like Ozempic and Wegovy alongside things like Premarin and Cortef. It claims that more options are on the way. Customers can download a coupondisplaying a golden eagleand bring it to participating pharmacies. If it sounds a lot like GoodRx, there’s a reason. The long-standing discount prescription company is a key integration partner for TrumpRx, connecting pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer. Transparent direct-to-consumer prescription pricing helps to ensure millions of Americans have access to the healthcare they deserve, Wendy Barnes, president and CEO of GoodRx, said in a statement. “GoodRx gives manufacturers a proven way to launch discounted cash pricing at scale and extend it directly into TrumpRx. Together, were turning the promise of prescription drug affordability into a reality for millions of Americans. TrumpRx and GoodRx even have similar disclaimers on their respective websites. Is TrumpRx really helping with healthcare affordability? At present, TrumpRx has limited options and in some cases less affordable ones than GoodRx. One Bluesky user noted that GoodRx offers generic versions of medications, allowing for much cheaper options. TrumpRx only carries brand names. Some health experts have openly criticized the effort. TrumpRx is a side show, Sean D. Sullivan, a health economist at the University of Washington, told The New York Times. I consider it not a real, serious effort in service to lowering prescription drug prices for Americans. Fast Company has reached out to GoodRx to ask about whether TrumpRx will offer any unique discounts or generic medications. We will update this post if we hear back.
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Amazon sales surged 14% during the fourth quarter, helped by strong holiday spending and a better-than-expected growth in its prominent cloud computing unit.But shares fell 11% in after hours trading on Thursday as investors appeared to be spooked by the Seattle-based tech company’s plans to increase capital spending by nearly 60% to $200 billion from last year’s $128 billion as it sees opportunities in artificial intelligence, robots, semiconductors and satellites. The company’s fourth-quarter profits also were slightly below analysts’ projections.Wall Street analysts were expecting capital spending to rise to around $147 billion this year, according to FactSet.Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy told investors on the call following the earnings release that it anticipates strong long-term return on the invested capital.“We are continuing to see as fast as we install this capacity, this AI capacity, we are monetizing it,” Jassy said. “So it’s just a very unusual opportunity. I passionately believe that every customer experience that we know of today is going to be reinvented.”The results come as Amazon is slashing about 16,000 corporate jobs in the second round of mass layoffs for the e-commerce company in three months. Amazon said in an emailed statement last week that AI was “not the reason behind the vast majority of these reductions.” Rather, the cuts had more to do with eliminating layers to drive speed.Separately, Amazon said last week it would cut about 5,000 retail workers, according to notices it sent to state workforce agencies in California, Maryland and Washington, resulting from its decision to close almost all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores.That’s on top of a round of 14,000 job cuts in October, bringing the total to well over 30,000 since Amazon’s Jassy first signaled a push for AI-driven organizational changes.Analysts are analyzing retailers’ performances for insight into how shoppers spent during the holidays and what’s in store for 2026.Amazon is also under pressure to shore up confidence that its computing arm Amazon Web Services is just as powerful as Microsoft’s Azure and Google’s Google Cloud platform.Amazon delivered 24% growth for AWS in the fourth quarter, the fastest in 13 quarters, the company said. That followed a 20% growth in the third quarter and a 17.5% increase in the second quarter. In comparison, Google parent Alphabet said Wednesday that its cloud business registered a 48% increase, or nearly $18 billion in revenue.Meta, Apple and other Big Tech firms are expected to ramp up their spending on artificial intelligence this year. After investing $91 billion into capital expenditures devoted mostly to AI, Alphabet said Wednesday that it expects to double down by spending another $175 billion to $185 billion this year.Amazon also continues to invest in its speedy fulfillment network, through a combination of robotics, AI technology and more efficient warehousing.Amazon’s new service called Amazon Now, an ultra-fast delivery that offers delivery on thousands of items in 30 minutes or less, is now available in various cities in India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates and is being tested in several communities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the company said.Amazon is also expanding its same-day grocery delivery to more than 2,300 cities and towns across the U.S.Jassy told investors the company continues to see strong customer response to everyday essentials and groceries.Meanwhile, Amazon is closing almost all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh locations as it narrows its focus on food delivery and its grocery chain, Whole Foods Market.Some of the shuttered stores will be converted into Whole Foods locations, the company said in a blog post last week.Amazon reported net income of $21.2 billion, or $1.95 per share, for the three-month period ended Dec. 31. That compares with $20 billion, or $1.86 per share, in the year-ago quarter.Revenue rose to $213.4 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $187.8 billion in the year-ago period.Analysts were expecting $1.97 per share on sales of $211.4 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.Revenue from Amazon Web Services reached $35.6 billion. Analysts were expecting $34.9 billion.Product sales during the holiday period rose 9.4%, the company said.The company said that it expects sales to be between $173.5 billion and $178.5 billion for current quarter.Analysts are projecting $175.6 billion. Anne D’Innocenzio, AP Retail writer
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