July 22, 2023

what we've been watching...

empowering you with insights and information from the edge of today’s headlines

Business

Toxic Cables: We’ve all heard of the dangers of lead paint and lead pipes (note the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis), but now we have one more potential hazard to put on the list: decaying telecommunications cables. The Wall Street Journal reports that more than 2,000 underwater, lead-covered cables have been contaminating the soil, streams and waterways of the US. At one spot, the lead levels tested were “14.5 times the EPA threshold for areas where children play.” As a result of this investigative reporting, the telecom giants, including AT&T, are under pressure due to the potential for the cost of remediation or litigation. AT&T contests the testing methods and the company doing the testing due to conflict of interest, although it did halt plans to remove cables around the Lake Tahoe area. Regardless, AT&T owns the bulk of the cables due to its legacy Bell systems which cover 40% of US homes (AT&T said that the lead cables represent only 10% of their footprint). We’re hoping to see some regulation or answers soon. Although we are not sure how the recent Supreme Court ruling limiting the power of the EPA to regulate the waterways of the US will impact this new finding.

Meme stocks: We’ve heard of the Teslaratti (Tesla’s insane online fanbase), and the online trading in AMC and Gamestop, but one stock with a very online following we hadn’t imagined is Palantir Technologies. Palantir, founded by Peter Thiel (which might be one reason for the initial drama) specializes in data processing and AI, but it has been controversial in selling its analytics to ICE and other military and defense contractors. Palantir’s CEO, Alex Karp, is idolized on Reddit (his followers call him “Daddy Karp”), and is known for dressing almost exclusively in Norwegian ski gear. The stock has been buoyed this year due to its AI potential, but that has only caused online drama with its fanbase, including battles between Reddit, Twitter and Substack posters. We are not sure what to make of a CEO who says “making big tendies,” but then again, we aren’t on WallStreet Bets.

CHO’s: Looking for a new job? Why not apply to be your city’s next Chief Heat Officer? Many cities in the middle of the heat dome are setting up new offices to respond to the heatwave outside of the traditional Emergency Management Response. Phoenix has a Chief Heat Officer and Miami has an unofficial one funded privately.

Technology

Brain dead: A new study by researchers at Stanford and UC Berkeley claims that ChatGPT is getting dumber. Researchers weren’t sure if the model was being overtaxed by usage, slowed down on purpose by its creators, degraded by updates, or just suffering senioritis. In actuality, the creators really don’t know how the AI is working to begin with, so we are not surprised that we don’t know why its “personality” has changed. OpenAI has been working to combat this news by first stating that is was user error, and then releasing custom instructions for its paid user base (saving users time from rewriting the same prompt over and over again). These instructions will be used to further train the model, so we hope it gets an IQ bump soon.

AI Regulation: The White House made a first step toward regulating artificial intelligence with a handshake deal with 7 major tech companies. The companies (including Google, Microsoft, Apple, OpenAI and Anthropic) have agreed to watermark AI-generated content, thoroughly test systems before implementation, and share information regarding cybersecurity. Most of the companies publicly echoed their commitments to the deal, but didn’t release specifics, and the administration didn’t share plans about enforcement. This week, we also heard news that Apple has entered the market potentially with its own version of ChatGPT, and Meta released an open source AI model. AI keeps on evolving, and we’re not sure if it is a petulant toddler or Skynet.

Smart Homes: We’ve all worried at some point that our phones are listening to us, but our are toasters? Now that many of our home appliances are connected to the internet (for no good reason) they can be hacked, and the US government wants to protect us from digital intruders. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has created a US Cyber Trust Mark (similar to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval), so that consumers will know how secure their data might be if they chose to purchase a device.

Chip Delay: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world’s largest manufacturer of chips which power pretty much all electronics, warned of tough roads ahead: postponing the start of production at its planned Arizona facility and forecasting poor revenue projections. The Arizona plan was tabled due to a lack of skilled labor and high costs, and TSMC’s revenue is expected to decline due to the weak global economy, despite the demand for chips from AI. Samsung also expects a 96% profit plunge in the second quarter, and in April, Intel reported the largest quarterly loss in company history with a 133% annual reduction in earnings per share, reflecting pressure on the global chip market.

Green Bubbles: If the UK regulators have their way, Apple will be pulling iMessage from the UK. The government is seeking to have tech companies clear security features with the administration before releasing them to the public, and the Home Office would have the ability to disable certain features. The Online Safety Bill would also negate end-to-end encryption in an effort to scan for child abuse, but if this law passes, Apple and WhatsApp may also depart the UK. Apple is a stickler for privacy and security, and opposes making changes to security features for one country that would “weaken the product” globally.

Zoom Makeover: Have you ever been envious of your Instagram filters when you are forced to logon to a Zoom meeting during one of your not-so-great days? Now, you don’t have to, as Microsoft Teams and Maybelline have collaborated on a virtual make-up tool. (Supposedly, Zoom already has a lipstick filter 🤦🏻‍♀️. )While the filters are meant to help you feel good about yourself, personally, we’d go with camera off.

Culture

Anti-weddings: Anti-weddings are not divorce parties (although those are a trend as well). They are actually trimmed down, simpler versions of a wedding — a fight against the wedding industry. One way to pull off an anti-wedding, wear Crocs. Take it even further, wear your engagement ring on your Crocs. Yes, a bespoke jeweler has created a ring charm that includes a green sapphire that safely attaches to your footwear for only £1800.

Relationship advice: Feeling like you just don’t understand why your relationships don’t work? Now you can get insights about your communication and relationship style from an AI algorithm using the Texts from My Ex app. Maybe at least this will stop us from drunken texting.

Snack mashup: Hostess wants to indulge our inner sweet tooth (or inner child) by launching the mashup of Ding Dongs and Twinkies. The Frankenstein snack has the “delicious Twinkie cake…covered in DingDong fudge,” and will be a permanent add to the Hostess collection, so don’t worry, you won’t miss it.

Girl Dinner: The New York Times ran an article last week about “Girl Dinner,” which they termed “an aesthetically pleasing Lunchable.” We saw the photo, and thought it looked delicious, and we weren’t sure why the NYT was making fun of single women who eat alone at home. And then GQ responded with the “Husband Meal,” where a husband reverts “to total bachelorhood” for a meal while his wife is out of town. And then, we were floored to learn that Chinese social media has a hashtag referring to #whitepeoplefood, where we are dumped on for eating minimalistic meals (although some Chinese are choosing to eat the simpler meals due to their heavy work loads). I guess we’ll just have to console ourselves with a can of Claussen’s Pickle Spritz (a sparkling wine cocktail with pickle flavor) while munching on cottage cheese and mustard.

Our Worst Nightmare: Cocaine Sharks. It might be Shark Week, but this is no prank. Scientists are working to determine whether sharks are eating bundles of cocaine dumped off the Florida coast. Marine biologists conducted experiments which tested if sharks would choose fake bundles of cocaine over a dead bird….and alas, they did.

Princess of Pop: Britney Spears is relishing her freedom, dropping a new single with Will.i.am (their second collaboration), and announcing her memoir: The Woman in Me. While we can do without the auto-tune in Britney’s recent singles, if her book is anything like her Instagram, we can’t wait until October to read the story behind her family drama.

Graduation Gowns: The University of Kyoto allows students to wear anything they want for their graduation. And at first, we were thinking that meant, any type of suit or formal attire, but no, we mean anything — from Darth Vader costumes to alien invasions. The tradition began in the ‘70s as a form of protest, and has morphed into the “spirit of being against authority.” We guess as long as you have the dexterity to grab the paperwork and walk the stage, why not.

— Lauren Eve Cantor

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