Mid-way through 2023, Swift, Musk, Nvidia, Zelda and Johannes Vermeer are all big winners. The slasher flick Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and Texans, laboring under a record-breaking summer scorcher, are among those who definitely are not.

Why wait until December to consider where we are and where we’re going? Six months into 2023, a clear picture has emerged of artificial intelligence creating killer stocks and stalking jobs, an armada of clean-energy vehicles zipping along while wildfire smog descends upon us, and of Elon Musk, Spare and a $3,500 virtual reality headset sparking constant chatter. It’s been a thrilling year that has been, at times, undeniably unsettling. Let’s pause amid the fireworks and take a look.