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The First and Second amendments are the rock stars of the Bill of Rights. Everybody knows about them, even if theyre not always big fans, and they frequently pop up in national discourse. The Third Amendment, on the other hand, is more like the Yngwie Malmsteen of the Bill of Rights. Much like that Swedish neoclassical metal guitarist, relatively few people know about the Third Amendment, but those who do tend to be effusive about it. Now, though, thanks to President Trumps deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests against a recent immigration crackdown in the downtown area, the esoteric cult of Third-heads is celebrating on social media this week. Their enthusiasmand the memes fueled by itare lending this obscure amendment some rock star swagger. For the uninitiated, the Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. In other words, it protects citizens from ever having to prepare blow-up mattresses and fresh towels for heavily armed houseguests at the behest of the federal government. X and Bluesky users started invoking the Third Amendment as National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles, uninvited by California Governor Gavin Newsom. (It was the first time in 60 years that a president deployed troops in the U.S. without a request from a states governor.) Once news spread that troops had entered the cityat a taxpayer cost of $134 millionwith only minimal preparation and supplies, forcing them to sleep on floors, social media went berserk. You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep.Here they are being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/4i8VIiYZLr pic.twitter.com/sUYD2KHu6O— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025 One strain of posting focuses on the deep-cut nature of this amendment and the rarity of its usage. Some social media users are noting the foresight of the founding fathers, and resurfacing an old John Mulaney bit that succinctly summarizes the Third Amendment as The army cant stay at ya house. Others are noting the celestial-event-like power of the amendments fresh relevance, and how it has transformed those rare Third Amendment scholars into in-demand experts at the moment. (Clear your schedule, professor Leonard Niehoff!) Not only will that expertise shed light on how the amendment applied in the past, it could also come in handy during any potential SCOTUS cases about how the amendment should be used in the futurea prospect some observers seem perhaps a little too giddy about. Me to the 3rd Amendment:— probablyRob (@probably-rob.bsky.social) 2025-06-09T19:55:07.019Z The vast majority of this wave of Third-posting comes from users on Bluesky and X who find it hysterical both that soldiers would even want to stay at their apartment, and that there is a law expressly prohibiting it. Theyre celebrating the Third Amendments newfound relevance by either imagining politely declining a soldiers request to commandeer their bedroom, or by offering a tongue-in-cheek plea for proud patriots to bring in a stray soldier today. A lot of these posts tend to rely on classic macro formats, like the Undertaker standing behind AJ Styles, with the amendment itself embodying some aspect of the meme. pic.twitter.com/69DuAMAbpv— Jim Amendments III (@jimamendments) June 10, 2025 — Luke Knox (@lukeknox.me) 2025-06-09T19:34:22.819Z Coincidentally, an unrelated Third Amendment meme about not letting ones military boyfriend stay overnight had been circulating on TikTok since last fall, when the initial video scored 9 million views. There is an earlier and more relevant precedent to the current crop of memes, though. Back in 2020, governors across America requested troops to help contain the protests around George Floyds murder at the hands of police. Users of X, then called Twitter, quickly started cracking jokes about the long-awaited utility of the Third Amendment finally coming into play. The Onions Twitter account even took the occasion as a chance to revive a headline originally shared in 2007: Third Amendment Rights Group Celebrates Another Successful Year. Considering that Trump has promised to use very heavy force against protesters during the upcoming military parade on June 14 to celebrate his birthday, these memes will likely continue having a place to stay on social media in the near future.
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E-Commerce
The look of the NBA Finals basketball court is being reconsidered, and we could have the fans to thank. At Game 2 last Friday, the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder played on the Thunder’s home court. The Thunder Blue court shows the team logo at half court and also features logos for Paycom Center, the arena. What it didn’t have was any indication this was a championship game. No NBA Finals logo, no Larry O’Brien Trophy. Unlike the in-season NBA Cup, which got 30 all-new, fully painted courts designed by artist Victor Solomon last fall, the Pacers and Thunder are playing the NBA Finals on their regular courts. It’s a matter of logistics and the quick turnaround of the games, but fans say it robs the games of a special design detail. Friday’s game was broadcast with virtual Finals logos shown on the court for fans watching at home, but viewers complained about technical glitches and compared the look of the virtual trophy decal to an emoji. One social media user likened the busy floor design packed with virtual decals for corporate sponsorships to a NASCAR hood. Mid-game, the broadcast swapped out the emoji-like virtual trophy logo for a script “Finals” logo. The poorly received court had fans wishing for an elevated design for the Finals. Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers attempts a shot against Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [Photo: Kyle Terada/Getty Images] One reason the NBA Finals doesn’t have any physical on-court branding for the series is because the NBA doesn’t use decals on its courts to maintain the integrity of the playing surface. That’s not just in the Finals, but all season long, and it’s been that way since 2014. Instead, team logos and other elements like sponsor logos are painted on, or virtual logos can be added. One of the reasons we moved away from the logos on the courts iswhether it was perception or realitythere was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 2. Digital Larry OBrien Trophies have been placed on the court to appease people (like me) who complained about no Finals logos or signage on the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. You can see them magically appear just before tip-off. pic.twitter.com/Jp6Oc5mU99— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 9, 2025 But painting takes time. Making a custom court involves building, sanding, painting, and drying, which would take too long for the NBA’s quick-turn Finals schedule. There was less than a week between this year’s semifinals and Game 1. Since 2021, the NBA has added virtual Finals logos on the court for viewers at home as a workaround, and it’s found other ways to bring in NBA Finals branding into the game, including logos on uniform jerseys, warmups, basket stanchions, courtside signage, and game balls. Still, Silver said he understood the fans’ disappointment. I think for a media-driven culture, whether its people watching live or seeing those images on social media, its nice when youre looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that its a special event, he said recently at an event. So, well look at it. The time commitment involved in making basketball courts presents a challenge, but Silver suggested there still might be a solution. Maybe theres a way around it, he said.
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E-Commerce
In 2020, Lainy Hedaya Hoffstein was assembling an Ikea table in her driveway when it dawned on her: tools in her hands didnt reflect her identity as a designer. I felt like the tools I was using from these very big brands were very clunky, she recalls, likening them to old machismo tools that belong in a workshop. Five years later, the designer-turned-entrepreneur has transformed that eureka moment into a new tool brand called Tinkr. Launching today, online and in Target nationwide, Tinkr bills itself as a brand for the average DIY-er. There’s a hanging kit, a wall patch kit, and a painting kit, all priced around the $20 mark. But the real star is a stylish $80 toolbox that comes in navy and the now-obligatory sage, and wouldn’t look out of place in your living spacenext to your sexy dumbbells and your sexy broom. [Photo: Tinkr] Inside, Hoffstein has outfitted every tool with the kind of soft-grip thermoplastic rubber (TPR) you would find on a smart phone case, and tweaked some tools so they fit more comfortably in smaller hands. The hammer, for example, has a divet to guide the placement of your thumb, while the shaft grows thicker towards the end of the handle for better control. There’s even a rest for your phone or tablet inside the box, because lets be honest, most people follow DIY tutorials on a screen these days, says Hoffstein. Skeptics might write off Tinkr as aesthetics posturingthe level comes with a blue mineral spirit instead of a yellow one because it didn’t really vibe. But for Hoffstein, the design upgrades were necessary to make DIY projects seem more approachable. Her message: If you can cook, you can DIY. [Photo: Tinkr] A booming market with a gap The DIY movement has come a long way over the past decade. Fueled by the global pandemic and lockdowns that kept us stuck at home, staring at the imperfections on our walls, the global market for DIY home improvement today is worth about $861 billion. The trend is expected to keep growing, with the market reaching $1.2 trillion by 2031. Hoffstein declined to share projected revenue, but she has done market research and surveyed enough DIY influencers to know there is a gaping hole waiting to be filled. The problem, it seems, is rooted in both design and marketing mistakes. She says the tools that populate home improvement stores today are overly engineered, aggressively masculine, and uncomfortably bulky in ways that can drive people away from DIY projects. Historically, these tools have been geared towards contractors and professionals, alienating the home DIY persona that was born during the pandemic. [Photo: Tinkr] She might be onto something. According to a survey by AtomRadar for Fast Company, 35% of the 500-plus people surveyed said they have felt uncomfortable, intimidated, or excluded while shopping for DIY tools. Men were as likely to feel intimidated as women. Overall, a lack of approachable information was the biggest contributor to feelings of exclusion or discomfort, with 54% of people identifying this as a factor. But 30% of participants said that product design specifically contributed to a feeling of exclusion, while while 29% chalked it up to marketing or branding. (Tinkr is launching with a library of how-to videos on its socials, as well as on Target’s website. All you have to do is scan the QR code that comes on the paper sleeve the toolbox comes in.) [Photo: Tinkr] Of course, the team runs the risk that a new DIYer, who has no idea where to start, would look to established brands that have already built trust with consumers. Some, like Dremel, recently began catering to the home DIYer, too. But Hoffstein believes that people would choose Tinkr instead becauseestablished or notthese brands are still making tools that look inaccessible. “[DYI] is a lot easier than people think and because of the way the tool industry has presented itself, it makes everything look intimidating,” says Hoffstein. “I want to break that.”
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E-Commerce
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