What's on Your Mind?

Recently, Chinese startup DeepSeek created state-of-the art AI models using far less computing power and capital than anyone thought possible. It then showed its work in published research papers and by allowing its models to explain the reasoning process that led to this answer or that. It also scored at or near the top in a range of benchmark tests, besting OpenAI models in several skill areas. The surprising work seems to have let some of the air out of the AI industry’s main assumption—that the best way to make models smarter is by giving them more computing power, so that the AI lab with the most Nvidia chips will have the best models and shortest route to artificial…

The Empire State Building is nobody’s idea of a hidden gem. The 1,472-foot Art Deco landmark of stone and steel dominates the streetscape and world view of New York City—and all of pop culture. From King Kong’s battle with biplanes to the annual ESB Run-Up to its iconic 86th Floor Observatory, the “World’s Most Famous Building” is both myth and monolith. This alone could not have explained what happened last June, though: The Empire State Building Observatory Experience was ranked the No. 1 attraction in the world in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do. At 93 years young, the skyscraper became ostensibly the top attraction on the…

On Jan. 29, Asian American communities around the U.S. will ring in the Year of the Snake with community carnivals, family gatherings, parades, traditional food, fireworks and other festivities. In many Asian countries, it is a festival that is celebrated for several days. In diaspora communities, particularly in cultural enclaves, Lunar New Year is visibly and joyfully celebrated. In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Different countries across Asia celebrate the new year in many ways and may follow a different zodiac. What is the Lunar New Year? The Lunar New Year — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — i…

Anyone well-versed in internet lore will be familiar with the image of a slightly deflated child’s ball pit on a hotel convention room floor. DashCon (originally called Tumblr-Con, although not officially affiliated with Tumblr) was a fan convention held in Schaumburg, Illinois, back in 2014. It was originally intended to bring the Tumblr community together and scheduled to feature vendors and special guests from fandoms like Doctor Who and Sherlock. After a string of disasters, the weekend culminated in the 17-year-old organizer, Nessie O’Neil, going around with a paper bag asking attendees for donations to make up the roughly $17,000 needed to keep the conventi…

Brothers Jake Paul and Logan Paul made social media announcements Tuesday that suggested their next fight will be against each other and aired on HBO Max. Calling it the “moment you’ve waited a decade for,” the posts featured a head-to-head shot of the brothers with a March 27 date and the HBO Max logo. Further details were not included in the posts. Jake Paul, 28, and Logan Paul, 29, are both YouTube stars who know how to create a buzz. Their exhibitions have drawn the interest of the biggest names in combat sports. Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson in November in an eight-round unanimous decision. Logan Paul went the distance in an exhibition against Floyd Mayweathe…

About 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) over the Mojave Desert, northwest of Los Angeles, Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 became the first privately funded airplane to break the sound barrier during a test flight on Tuesday. “She was real happy supersonic,” Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg said after landing, in a video posted by Boom Supersonic. “That’s the best she’s ever flown, was supersonic.” After getting to altitude, Brandenburg opened up the test plane’s throttles, accelerating to Mach 1.1, or about 845 mph (1,360 kph) — faster than the speed at which sound travels. In 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first human to break the sound barrier when he pu…

In an effort to monetize the social media platform, Elon Musk’s X announced Tuesday it would be partnering with Visa on a digital wallet and peer-to-peer payment services for its upcoming X Money Account. The product, which is likely to launch in the first quarter of this year, would enable users to move funds between their bank accounts and a digital wallet in real time, similar to Venmo or Zelle, with more deals on the horizon, CNBC reported. CEO Linda Yaccarino said on X it will launch later in 2025 and is just the “first of many big announcements about X Money this year.” Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, has struggled to make X profitable …

Oil and gas companies would be liable for damages caused by climate change -related disasters in California under legislation introduced Monday by two Democratic lawmakers. The proposal claims that the oil industry intentionally deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels on climate change that now have intensified storms and wildfires and caused billions of dollars in damage in California. Such disasters have also driven the state insurance market to a crisis where companies are raising rates, limiting coverage or pulling out completely from regions susceptible to wildfires and other natural disasters, supporters of the bill said. Under state law, utility…

How often do our workplace communications open with “I hope you are well” or “I trust you are doing fine”? These “wellness checks” reflect the fact that everybody has become more conscious of the need to be kind to others. That’s a good thing. Our workplace has become a setting where the best bosses and colleagues take pride in showing sensitivity to the emotional and physical well-being of others. And for these reasons, beginning a letter or a conversation with “I hope you are well” has some merit. But even if it reflects the best of intentions, this opening should be abandoned. Here’s why—and some suggested replacements. Why to stop saying “I hope you are w…

You’ve probably felt the thrill that comes with receiving a job offer. You read the congratulatory email, begin to imagine life in your new role, then quickly fill out all the required HR paperwork and receive the necessary equipment. And if all is well, you start preparing for your first day. But what if you find out that the job isn’t real? In the first three quarters of 2024, Americans lost $514 million due to business and job opportunity scams, and the Federal Trade Commission received over 93,000 complaints about this type of fraud. In the worst cases, people have already resigned from their jobs before they realize their new position isn’t real—and suddenl…

With its powerful camera, the French Navy surveillance plane scouring the Baltic Sea zoomed in on a cargo ship plowing the waters below—closer, closer, and closer still until the camera operator could make out details on the vessel’s front deck and smoke pouring from its chimney. The long-range Atlantique 2 aircraft on a new mission for NATO then shifted its high-tech gaze onto another target, and another after that until, after more than five hours on patrol, the plane’s array of sensors had scoped out the bulk of the Baltic—from Germany in the west to Estonia in the northeast, bordering Russia. The flight’s mere presence in the skies above the strategic sea last week,…

The Grammy Awards will look a little bit different this week. Each year, the Recording Academy hosts a multitude of events to welcome the music industry during Grammy week and record labels do the same. However, many institutions have canceled their plans—Universal Music Group, Sony, Spotify, BMG, and Warner Music Group among them—and instead are allocating resources to help those affected by the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires. The Grammys will still take place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles but now will focus its attention on helping wildfire victims. How will Grammy week differ in 2025? Within days of fires ravaging the Pacific Palisad…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert regarding Wegmans’s frozen fully cooked chicken breast nuggets. The alert, released on Monday, January 27, highlights concerns that the nuggets may be contaminated with extraneous material, specifically bone fragments, according to a notice on the USDA’s recall page. The FSIS says it became aware of the issue after multiple consumers reported finding such fragments in the chicken, although no injuries have been confirmed related to the product. A recall has not been issued since the product is no longer available for purchase. However, consumers …

Bird flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. And it appears there may be no relief in sight, given the surge in demand as Easter approaches. The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December. That’s not quite as high as the $4.82 record set two years ago, but the Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year. Shoppers in some parts of the country are already paying more than double the average price, or worse, finding empty shelves in their local grocery stores. Organic and cage-free varieties are even more expensive. Some …