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Oracle has unveiled exciting updates to its Oracle Database@AWS, aiming to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in optimizing their cloud-based operations. As the shift toward cloud computing accelerates, new features in Oracle Database@AWS promise to enhance data management, boost security, and facilitate innovation—all crucial for small businesses competing in a digital landscape. Karan Batta, senior vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, spoke about the strong demand for these offerings, particularly from larger enterprises. However, these enhanced capabilities also offer significant advantages for smaller operations. “The newly added Oracle AI Database capabilities deliver advanced security features, intelligent data protection and resiliency with near-instantaneous data recovery,” he noted. For small business owners, the flexibility offered by Oracle’s partner program is particularly noteworthy. They can now access Oracle Database@AWS through trusted AWS and Oracle partners, enabling a smoother transition to cloud solutions. This option simplifies procurement processes, allowing companies to benefit from a streamlined approach to purchasing enterprise software while continuing to innovate. Several benefits stand out for small businesses considering this database solution. First, Oracle Database@AWS supports seamless migration of existing Oracle applications with minimal disruption, providing a straightforward pathway to the cloud. Businesses gain access to zero-ETL integrations, which unify data from various sources—CRMs, operational databases, etc.—making it increasingly easy to perform advanced analytics, machine learning, and build intelligent applications. “Data is really the key to unlocking the value of AI and agents,” Ruba Borno, vice president at AWS, explained. With the shift to cloud services, small businesses can develop AI applications that drive innovation and improve customer experiences, leveraging data in ways previously reserved for larger organizations. Current enhancements provide robust features aimed at minimizing downtime and securing critical business data. The Oracle Database Zero Data Loss Autonomous Recovery Service is one example, allowing businesses to recover transactions almost instantaneously—less than one second—after an outage. This level of resilience can be critical for small businesses that cannot afford significant downtime. Moreover, improvements in database management are noteworthy. With the use of Terraform tools, DevOps teams at small businesses can incorporate Oracle Database@AWS into existing workflows easily. This flexibility is vital for teams looking to maximize efficiency without straying too far from their accustomed processes. However, there are challenges to consider. Transitioning to a more complex cloud infrastructure may require training staff and adjusting operational procedures. Small businesses must evaluate the costs associated with utilizing advanced capabilities effectively, including potential ongoing expenses related to AI features and integrations. Additionally, while Oracle’s partner program offers great benefits, selecting the right partner is crucial to ensure that the support aligns with a business’s specific needs. Several enterprises, including Zema Global, have already begun harnessing these offerings. Chad Ellison, CTO of Zema Global, noted, “Oracle Database@AWS has provided Zema Global with a simplified migration path…dramatically improving uptime and resiliency.” As similar businesses witness the benefits firsthand, many may feel encouraged to make the leap. As Oracle expands its offerings globally—currently available in regions like U.S. East (N. Virginia) and U.S. West (Oregon) with plans for availability in 20 more locations—small businesses should stay informed about developments. With the growing dependence on data-driven strategies, those who embrace cloud solutions may find themselves better positioned in a competitive market. By leveraging these advanced features and the flexibility offered by Oracle Database@AWS, small business owners can harness the power of data innovation while enhancing operational efficiency. As the landscape of business continues to evolve, these tools may serve as key enablers of success. For more details about Oracle’s latest database offerings, visit the original press release at Oracle’s announcement. Image via Envanto This article, "Oracle Enhances Cloud Database with New AI Features and Partner Flexibility" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Oracle has unveiled exciting updates to its Oracle Database@AWS, aiming to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in optimizing their cloud-based operations. As the shift toward cloud computing accelerates, new features in Oracle Database@AWS promise to enhance data management, boost security, and facilitate innovation—all crucial for small businesses competing in a digital landscape. Karan Batta, senior vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, spoke about the strong demand for these offerings, particularly from larger enterprises. However, these enhanced capabilities also offer significant advantages for smaller operations. “The newly added Oracle AI Database capabilities deliver advanced security features, intelligent data protection and resiliency with near-instantaneous data recovery,” he noted. For small business owners, the flexibility offered by Oracle’s partner program is particularly noteworthy. They can now access Oracle Database@AWS through trusted AWS and Oracle partners, enabling a smoother transition to cloud solutions. This option simplifies procurement processes, allowing companies to benefit from a streamlined approach to purchasing enterprise software while continuing to innovate. Several benefits stand out for small businesses considering this database solution. First, Oracle Database@AWS supports seamless migration of existing Oracle applications with minimal disruption, providing a straightforward pathway to the cloud. Businesses gain access to zero-ETL integrations, which unify data from various sources—CRMs, operational databases, etc.—making it increasingly easy to perform advanced analytics, machine learning, and build intelligent applications. “Data is really the key to unlocking the value of AI and agents,” Ruba Borno, vice president at AWS, explained. With the shift to cloud services, small businesses can develop AI applications that drive innovation and improve customer experiences, leveraging data in ways previously reserved for larger organizations. Current enhancements provide robust features aimed at minimizing downtime and securing critical business data. The Oracle Database Zero Data Loss Autonomous Recovery Service is one example, allowing businesses to recover transactions almost instantaneously—less than one second—after an outage. This level of resilience can be critical for small businesses that cannot afford significant downtime. Moreover, improvements in database management are noteworthy. With the use of Terraform tools, DevOps teams at small businesses can incorporate Oracle Database@AWS into existing workflows easily. This flexibility is vital for teams looking to maximize efficiency without straying too far from their accustomed processes. However, there are challenges to consider. Transitioning to a more complex cloud infrastructure may require training staff and adjusting operational procedures. Small businesses must evaluate the costs associated with utilizing advanced capabilities effectively, including potential ongoing expenses related to AI features and integrations. Additionally, while Oracle’s partner program offers great benefits, selecting the right partner is crucial to ensure that the support aligns with a business’s specific needs. Several enterprises, including Zema Global, have already begun harnessing these offerings. Chad Ellison, CTO of Zema Global, noted, “Oracle Database@AWS has provided Zema Global with a simplified migration path…dramatically improving uptime and resiliency.” As similar businesses witness the benefits firsthand, many may feel encouraged to make the leap. As Oracle expands its offerings globally—currently available in regions like U.S. East (N. Virginia) and U.S. West (Oregon) with plans for availability in 20 more locations—small businesses should stay informed about developments. With the growing dependence on data-driven strategies, those who embrace cloud solutions may find themselves better positioned in a competitive market. By leveraging these advanced features and the flexibility offered by Oracle Database@AWS, small business owners can harness the power of data innovation while enhancing operational efficiency. As the landscape of business continues to evolve, these tools may serve as key enablers of success. For more details about Oracle’s latest database offerings, visit the original press release at Oracle’s announcement. Image via Envanto This article, "Oracle Enhances Cloud Database with New AI Features and Partner Flexibility" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Gen Z won't fix your firm culture problem - they'll leave it. Accounting Influencers With Rob Brown Go PRO for members-only access to more Rob Brown. View the full article

Gen Z won't fix your firm culture problem - they'll leave it. Accounting Influencers With Rob Brown Go PRO for members-only access to more Rob Brown. View the full article

Protests against President The President’s decision to send the National Guard into American cities have no shortage of whimsy, but the empire struck back against one demonstrator. A lawsuit filed on October 23 accuses police officers and a National Guard member of violating a protester’s constitutional right to play the “Imperial March” theme from Star Wars. The D.C. resident, Sam O’Hara, was “tightly handcuffed” and detained for 20 minutes after ignoring a warning from a National Guard member to stop playing the song. In the complaint, O’Hara alleges that four Washington, D.C., police officers, an Ohio National Guard sergeant, and the District of Columbia violated his First Amendment rights. “Government conduct of this sort might have received legal sanction a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the suit on O’Hara’s behalf, stated. “But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from restraining individuals from recording law enforcement or peacefully protesting, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District’s prohibition on false arrest) bars groundless seizures.” O’Hara began filming the National Guard deployment in D.C. over the summer, often following behind Guard members while playing the song and then posting the videos to a TikTok account that has more than a million likes across 24 videos. “Armed National Guard should not be policing D.C. residents as we walk around our neighborhoods,” O’Hara said. “It was important to me not to normalize this dystopian occupation. The “Imperial March” theme is associated with the fictional fascist empire from Star Wars; its main villain, Darth Vader; and the empire’s foot soldiers, the Stormtroopers. The Galactic Empire, long a fixture of pop culture, intentionally echoes the aesthetics and policies of Nazi Germany. “The government doesn’t get to decide if your protest is funny, and government officials can’t punish you for making them the punch line,” ACLU-DC senior staff attorney Michael Perloff said in a press release. “That’s really the whole point of the First Amendment.” Clashes over National Guard deployment The lawsuit is the latest clash in courts over the The President administration’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to a handful of U.S. cities with Democratic leadership. The National Guard has already been activated in Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and Memphis, though those deployments are the subject of ongoing court battles between state and local leaders and the federal government. The President has also threatened deployments in New York City, Baltimore, the Bay Area, St. Louis, and New Orleans. The National Guard is historically called in by state governors to help with emergencies and natural disasters, but guard members can also be mobilized by the federal government for national emergencies. Last year, National Guard members deployed in 17 states conducted search and rescue missions and delivered food and water to victims of Hurricane Helene. Since first deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles in June against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom, The President has escalated his unprecedented use of the state military force in U.S. cities. The President claims that the National Guard is necessary to quell urban crime, but violent crime has already dropped dramatically in many of the cities targeted for the unusual deployments. Homicide rates dropped by 50% in the first half of 2025 in Portland, Oregon, and in Memphis, robbery, burglary, and larceny hit 25-year lows this year. “As I have said from the beginning, the number of federal troops we need in Portland is zero,” Mayor Keith Wilson said of the deployment earlier this month. “Not from Oregon. Not from California. Not from Texas. And not from anywhere else.” On October 23, The President appeared to back down from a threat to send the National Guard to San Francisco after a persuasive phone call with the CEOs of Nvidia and Salesforce. “Great people like Jensen Huang, Marc Benioff, and others have called saying that the future of San Francisco is great,” The President wrote on Truth Social. “They want to give it a ‘shot.’ Therefore, we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday.” Chicken suits and Star Wars As the courts decide the legality of The President’s unilateral use of National Guard troops, protesters are weaponizing absurdism and humor against the presence of federal law enforcement. In Portland, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has famously attracted a growing crowd of peaceful protesters wearing inflatable animal costumes. The trend was inspired by the early appearance of a frog-suit-clad activist who has since been pepper sprayed directly into his air-intake vent. Another Portland protest regular famous for wearing a chicken suit explained the use of humor in a recent interview with the city’s alt-weekly: “What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it [says] that we’re actually not that afraid,” Jack Dickinson, 26, told the Willamette Week. “When they try to describe this situation as ‘war-torn,’ it becomes much harder to take them seriously,” Dickinson added. “Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.” View the full article

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced a significant extension of the disbursement period for wildfire survivors in Los Angeles County who hold approved SBA disaster loans. This decision, effective immediately, grants an additional twelve months for homeowners and business owners to access their approved funds. The urgency for this extension stems from ongoing permitting delays imposed by state and local offices, which have hampered the rebuilding efforts for thousands affected by the devastating wildfires of January 2025. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler emphasized the need for immediate relief, stating, “No city in America has been approved for more federal disaster relief under the The President Administration than Los Angeles – and yet that record relief can’t reach survivors nearly a year later because local bureaucracy is impeding recovery.” The SBA’s latest move aims to ensure that those impacted have the necessary time to secure their loans and initiate the rebuilding process once local permissions are granted. As of now, Los Angeles stands out as the largest beneficiary of SBA disaster relief, representing over two-thirds of federal aid related to the wildfires. The SBA has already approved over 12,000 loans totaling $3.2 billion. However, only about 22% of those funds have been disbursed, leaving many survivors in a precarious situation as they await local approvals. Reports indicate a staggering shortfall in reconstruction efforts, with just approximately 1,200 rebuilding permits issued in a city where an estimated 16,000 structures were lost. For small business owners and homeowners navigating this situation, the challenges remain evident. The typical timeline for disaster survivors to disburse approved loan funds hovers around six months. But with the unprecedented delays plaguing Los Angeles’ recovery efforts, the SBA’s extension can provide some breathing room. A small business owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, shared their frustrations: “I have the loan approval but can’t start my rebuilding because the permits are stuck in the system. This extension is helpful, but I need action from the local authorities to access my loans.” The SBA encourages affected borrowers to reach out with questions regarding their loan status or the disbursement process. Those needing assistance can contact the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or via email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. While this extension is a much-needed lifeline for those impacted, potential challenges persist. Small business owners must still contend with the slow pace of local permitting and the complexities that accompany it. The bureaucratic hurdles may continue to prolong recovery timelines, and planning for additional delays could prove crucial for business sustainability during this uncertain period. Being aware of local government processes is vital. Owners should consider collaborating with local planning or community development departments to gain insight into potential timelines and expedite their applications where feasible. Understanding this landscape could mitigate some of the frustrations faced during the recovery journey. As the SBA continues to advocate for swift action, business owners should stay informed about any further announcements or changes that may impact their recovery efforts. The interplay between federal support and local bureaucracy will be a defining factor in how quickly and effectively Los Angeles can rebuild its economy and community. For further details, small business owners can refer to the SBA’s official announcement. This extension marks a crucial step forward, but the road to recovery remains a collective effort demanding cooperation between survivors and local officials. Image via Envato This article, "SBA Extends Disaster Loan Disbursement for L.A. Wildfire Survivors" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced a significant extension of the disbursement period for wildfire survivors in Los Angeles County who hold approved SBA disaster loans. This decision, effective immediately, grants an additional twelve months for homeowners and business owners to access their approved funds. The urgency for this extension stems from ongoing permitting delays imposed by state and local offices, which have hampered the rebuilding efforts for thousands affected by the devastating wildfires of January 2025. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler emphasized the need for immediate relief, stating, “No city in America has been approved for more federal disaster relief under the The President Administration than Los Angeles – and yet that record relief can’t reach survivors nearly a year later because local bureaucracy is impeding recovery.” The SBA’s latest move aims to ensure that those impacted have the necessary time to secure their loans and initiate the rebuilding process once local permissions are granted. As of now, Los Angeles stands out as the largest beneficiary of SBA disaster relief, representing over two-thirds of federal aid related to the wildfires. The SBA has already approved over 12,000 loans totaling $3.2 billion. However, only about 22% of those funds have been disbursed, leaving many survivors in a precarious situation as they await local approvals. Reports indicate a staggering shortfall in reconstruction efforts, with just approximately 1,200 rebuilding permits issued in a city where an estimated 16,000 structures were lost. For small business owners and homeowners navigating this situation, the challenges remain evident. The typical timeline for disaster survivors to disburse approved loan funds hovers around six months. But with the unprecedented delays plaguing Los Angeles’ recovery efforts, the SBA’s extension can provide some breathing room. A small business owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, shared their frustrations: “I have the loan approval but can’t start my rebuilding because the permits are stuck in the system. This extension is helpful, but I need action from the local authorities to access my loans.” The SBA encourages affected borrowers to reach out with questions regarding their loan status or the disbursement process. Those needing assistance can contact the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or via email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. While this extension is a much-needed lifeline for those impacted, potential challenges persist. Small business owners must still contend with the slow pace of local permitting and the complexities that accompany it. The bureaucratic hurdles may continue to prolong recovery timelines, and planning for additional delays could prove crucial for business sustainability during this uncertain period. Being aware of local government processes is vital. Owners should consider collaborating with local planning or community development departments to gain insight into potential timelines and expedite their applications where feasible. Understanding this landscape could mitigate some of the frustrations faced during the recovery journey. As the SBA continues to advocate for swift action, business owners should stay informed about any further announcements or changes that may impact their recovery efforts. The interplay between federal support and local bureaucracy will be a defining factor in how quickly and effectively Los Angeles can rebuild its economy and community. For further details, small business owners can refer to the SBA’s official announcement. This extension marks a crucial step forward, but the road to recovery remains a collective effort demanding cooperation between survivors and local officials. Image via Envato This article, "SBA Extends Disaster Loan Disbursement for L.A. Wildfire Survivors" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

This week, tech companies were either melting down in real time or promising a future where computers are smarter than we are. Investors panicked, calmed down, panicked again, and then bought T-shirts for sea otters. We saw a giant internet outage that reminded everyone just how dependent the modern world is on one company. We also saw a stock that most people had basically pronounced dead suddenly rip higher like it was 2021 again. There was drama in Washington, too. The White House leaned even harder into AI content as a political weapon, raising a question that has been building all year, which is: Are we entering the AI misinformation era for real, or are we already in it and pretending we aren’t? At the same time, Meta cut jobs in the name of moving faster on artificial intelligence, and Apple gave Wall Street something to cheer about by proving that, yes, people will still buy a new iPhone if you make it fast, thin, and expensive. But the biggest optimism play of the week came from someplace totally different. Taylor Swift wore a vintage aquarium T-shirt, and her fans turned that into millions of dollars for sea otter rescue in a matter of hours. There are very few forces on Earth that can move money that fast. Central banks. Oil markets. Taylor Swift. AWS outage hits much of the internet An overnight outage at Amazon Web Services took down big parts of the internet, including apps and sites like Reddit, Lyft, and McDonald’s. The problem was tied to AWS systems in one U.S. region, but because so many companies run through that same infrastructure, the impact went global. Amazon said the root issue was a DNS problem that it has mostly fixed, but a lot of users still saw slowdowns and random errors long after the first alert. The outage was another reminder that a huge amount of the modern economy sits on top of someone else’s server. Beyond Meat stock suddenly rips higher Beyond Meat’s stock shot up more than 60 percent after spending the past few weeks in penny stock territory. The spike does not mean the business is suddenly healthy. Demand for plant-based meat has cooled, sales have dropped, and the company is still deep in trouble. What actually happened is a classic short squeeze in which traders who were betting against the stock got forced to buy shares back fast, which pushed the price higher. The President responds to protests with AI video After the nationwide “No Kings” protests, President The President posted an AI-generated video of himself in a fighter jet dumping sewage on protesters. He also dismissed the nearly 7 million people who showed up, saying they do not represent the country. Vice President JD Vance boosted a matching AI-style meme of The President in a crown. Critics say this kind of content is basically making the protesters’ point for them and also shows how comfortable the administration is with pushing AI-altered media at scale. Meta cuts 600 jobs from its AI lab Meta said it is cutting about 600 jobs in the new AI superintelligence lab that it launched this year. Leadership says the smaller team will be able to move faster and make decisions with less internal debate. The company has been pouring tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence and high-end infrastructure, including new data centers and ad tools. The layoff news barely moved the stock, which suggests investors see this as normal cost control for a company that is still planning to spend heavily on AI. Quantum computing stocks pop on takeover rumors Shares of several U.S. quantum computing companies jumped after reports that the Commerce Department is talking to them about possible government investments. The basic idea is that Washington may want a financial stake in these firms in exchange for federal funding. Traders read that as a sign that quantum is getting treated like strategic tech, similar to chips and rare earth minerals. The result was a fast rebound for names like IonQ and Rigetti after a rough day in the broader market. Gold and silver prices fall hard Gold and silver both dropped sharply after hitting record levels earlier in the week. Prices for gold fell back toward the low $4,100 range per ounce, and silver slid under $50. The pullback suggests investors are feeling slightly less panicked about things like tariffs, inflation, and the government shutdown. In plain terms, money moved out of crisis mode and back toward risk. Iceland finds mosquitoes for the first time Scientists confirmed that mosquitoes have now shown up in Iceland, a country that’s basically never had them in human history. Warmer average temperatures are making the island friendlier to insects that could not survive there before. The specific species they found is cold-tolerant, which means it might be able to last through Icelandic winters and stick around. It is a small discovery with big implications because mosquitoes carry disease, and climate change is helping them expand north. Egg recalls keep growing More than 6 million eggs have now been pulled over salmonella concerns tied to Black Sheep Egg Company and others. The FDA escalated the recall to its highest risk tier and keeps adding new affected lots and brands. Experts say the spike in recalls is not only about farms doing something wrong. It is also about better, faster testing that can spot contamination earlier and force products off shelves before people get sick. Apple hits a record high on iPhone 17 Apple stock hit an all-time high, at around $264 a share, after early data suggested the iPhone 17 lineup is selling faster than last year’s iPhone 16 launch. The standout this cycle is the new iPhone Air, which is thinner, lighter, and still priced as a flagship. Strong demand in both the U.S. and China helped fuel the rally and gave investors fresh confidence heading into Apple’s next earnings report. Taylor Swift raises millions for sea otters Taylor Swift wore a vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium T-shirt in her latest concert film, and her fans did the rest. The aquarium brought the shirt back, priced it at $65.13, and raised more than $2.3 million for sea otter rescue and rehab. The campaign ran on Tiltify, which let the aquarium process tens of thousands of orders almost instantly. It was a case study in what happens when fandom, nostalgia, and e-commerce all hit at once. View the full article

Donald The President’s US economy chief is bringing the Maga movement to the Treasury departmentView the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. National home prices rose 0.01% year over year from September 2024 to September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index reading published on October 16—decelerated from the 2.4% year-over-year rate from September 2023 to September 2024. This year, the number of major metro-area housing markets seeing year-over-year declines has climbed. —> 31 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (10% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading from January 2024 to January 2025. —> 42 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (14%) had a falling year-over-year reading from February 2024 to February 2025. —> 60 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (20%) had a falling year-over-year reading from March 2024 to March 2025. —> 80 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (27%) had a falling year-over-year reading from April 2024 to April 2025. —> 96 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (32%) had a falling year-over-year reading from May 2024 to May 2025. —> 110 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (36%) had a falling year-over-year reading from June 2024 to June 2025. —> 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (36%) had a falling year-over-year reading from July 2024 to July 2025. —> 109 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (35%) had a falling year-over-year reading from August 2024 to August 2025. —> 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (35%) had a falling year-over-year reading from September 2024 to September 2025. Earlier this year, an increasing number of housing markets slipped into year-over-year price declines as the supply-demand balance gradually tilted more toward buyers. But in recent months, the list of declining markets has begun to stabilize as inventory growth has stalled. Home prices are still climbing in many regions where active inventory remains well below pre-pandemic 2019 levels, such as pockets of the Northeast and Midwest. In contrast, some pockets in states like Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Colorado—where active inventory exceeds pre-pandemic 2019 levels—are seeing modest home price pullbacks. Many of the housing markets seeing the most softness, where homebuyers have gained the most leverage, are primarily located in Sunbelt regions, particularly the Gulf Coast and Mountain West. Many of these areas saw major price surges during the Pandemic Housing Boom, with home price growth outpacing local income levels. As pandemic-driven domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices. This softening trend is further compounded by an abundance of new-home supply in the Sunbelt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers who would have previously considered existing homes are now opting for new homes with more favorable homebuilder deals. Of course, while 105 of the nation’s 300 largest metro-area housing markets are seeing year-over-year home price declines, another 195 are still seeing year-over-year home price increases. Where are home prices still up on a year-over-year basis? See the map below. View the full article

Like many ambitious tech companies before it, OpenAI introduced itself to the culture at large with big claims about how its technology would improve the world—from boosting productivity to enabling scientific discovery. Even the caveats and warnings were de facto advertisements for the existential potential of artificial intelligence: We had to be careful with this stuff, or it might literally wipe out humanity. Fast-forward to the present day, and OpenAI is still driving culture-wide conversations, but its attention-grabbing offerings aren’t quite so lofty. Its Sora 2 video platform—which makes it easy to generate and share AI-derived fictions—was greeted as a TikTok for deepfakes. That is, a mash-up of two of the most heavily criticized developments in recent memory: addictive algorithms and misinformation. As that launch was settling in (and being tweaked to address intellectual property complaints), OpenAI promised a forthcoming change to its flagship ChatGPT product, enabling “erotica for verified adults.” These products are not exactly curing cancer, as CEO Sam Altman has suggested artificial intelligence may someday do. To the contrary, the moves have struck many as weirdly off-key: Why is a company that took its mission (and itself) so seriously doing . . . this? An obvious risk here is that OpenAI is watering down a previously high-minded brand. There are multiple major players in AI at this point, including Anthropic, the maker of ChatGPT rival Claude, as well as Meta, Microsoft, Elon Musk’s Grok, and more. As they seek to attract an audience, they will have to differentiate themselves through how their technologies are deployed and what they make possible, or easy. In short, what the technology stands for. This is why slop, memes, and sex seem like such a comedown from OpenAI’s carefully cultivated reputation as an ambitious but responsible pioneer. To underscore the point, rival Anthropic recently enjoyed a surprising amount of positive attention—an estimated 5,000 visitors and 10 million social media impressions—for a pop-up event in New York’s West Village, dubbed a “no slop zone,” that emphasized analog creativity tools. This is part of a “Keep Thinking” branding campaign aimed at burnishing the reputation of its Claude chatbot. The company has positioned itself as taking a cautious approach to developing and deploying the technology (one that’s attracted some criticism from the The President administration). It has also made Anthropic stand out in what can be a move-fast-and-break-things competitive field. AI is a field that’s spending—and losing—vast sums, and lately casting about for revenue streams in the here and now while working toward that promised lofty future. According to The Information, OpenAI lost $7.8 billion on revenue of $4.5 billion in the first half of 2025, and expects to spend $115 billion by 2029. ChatGPT has 800 million monthly users, but paid accounts are closer to 20 million, and these recent moves suggest that it needs to build and leverage engagement. As Digiday recently noted, OpenAI increasingly seems to be at least considering ad-driven models (once dubbed a “last resort” by Altman). Writer and podcaster Cal Newport has made the case that developments like viral-video tools and erotica chat are emblematic of a deeper shift away from grandiose economic impacts and toward “betting [the] company on its ability to sell ads against AI slop and computer-generated pornography.” It’s almost like a sped-up version of Cory Doctorow’s infamous enshittification process, pivoting from a quality user experience to an increasingly degraded one designed for near-term profit. This is not entirely fair to OpenAI, whose every move is scrutinized partly because it’s the best-known brand in a singularly hyped category. All its competitors will also have to deliver real value in exchange for their massive costs to investors and society at large. But precisely because it’s a leading brand, it’s particularly susceptible to dilution if it’s seen as straying from its idealistic promise, and rhetoric. A cutting-edge AI pioneer doesn’t want to be perceived as an existential threat—but it also doesn’t want to be branded as just another source of crass distraction. View the full article

You don’t have to be an avid reader of restaurant industry trade publications—though I can attest that they are oddly fascinating—to realize that everything’s getting more expensive. The good news is that there’s an easy way to counteract those rising menu prices. By purchasing discounted gift cards, you can defray the cost of fast-food, fast-casual, and sit-down chains, and maybe even some other retailers that have nothing to do with stuffing your face. All you need is a place to find authentic, cheap gift cards and a little foresight on when to buy them. This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures! Gift cards for less? Yes, please! To buy gift cards for less than their actual cash value, head to ​CardCash.com​. It presently only handles orders from within the United States. ➜ CardCash​ connects people who want to sell their unused gift cards with those who want to buy them. ⌚ It takes just a few seconds to see what gift cards are available, though you’ll need an account to make a purchase. ✅ Most of CardCash’s gift cards are digital and arrive via email, so you can start using them instantly. When you search for a retailer on CardCash, you’ll see a list of available gift cards, with the biggest percentage discounts appearing at the top. You can also sort the list by value and cost. If you’re not looking for anything specific, you can also check out CardCash’s Epic 20% Discounts​ and Deals​ pages. There you’ll find cards with greater-than-usual percentage discounts. When looking at discount percentages, keep in mind any cash-back offers you’d normally get at the store by paying with your credit card. If your card offers 3% back at restaurants, for instance, a gift card with a 3.5% discount probably isn’t worth the trouble. After buying a gift card, you’ll get a couple of emails from CardCash: One is your order receipt, while the other contains your digital gift card as a PDF attachment. The PDF will show the gift card number, PIN (if necessary), and barcode to scan in-store. Wait—is CardCash actually legit? I’ve used CardCash on four occasions over the past few weeks, and on three out of those four occasions, everything went smoothly. A problem arose, though, after purchasing a Five Guys gift card immediately before eating there. The card, which cost $57.65, had an advertised value of $65.29—but when I tried to pay, it only showed a value of $11.57. Using that amount drew the balance down to $0. After getting home, I contacted CardCash’s customer service and did not identify myself as a journalist so as to avoid getting special treatment. I received a response and a refund for the difference in balance the next day. As CardCash notes on its website, this is an inherent risk with buying gift cards on its platform, which merely serves as a marketplace between buyers and sellers. There’s nothing to inherently stop a seller from using a gift card after selling it, or from selling a stolen gift card that later gets deactivated. For these kinds of situations, CardCash says it guarantees the value of gift cards for 45 days, so you can contact them and get a refund. But it also suggests confirming gift card balances yourself immediately after the purchase, which I’ll absolutely be doing in the future. Either way, my experience underscores an important caveat with CardCash: Don’t spend more on gift cards than you expect to spend in a 45-day period. For one thing, you might end up accruing so many cards that it’ll be hard to keep track of them all—but more importantly, you’ll be out of luck if something happens to the card’s value. While I’ll keep using CardCash personally, I’ll be sure not to stockpile more gift card credit than I need. CardCash is completely web-based​. It’ll work in any browser, on any device—no downloads or installations required. It’s free to use as a buyer, with the only cost being whatever price you pay for a card. The person doing the selling pays the site’s fees. You do have to create an account in order to make a purchase. You can either sign in with your Google account or with any valid email address. The site’s privacy policy​ is clear that no personal info is ever sold or shared in any shady-seeming way. Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletter—starting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app that’ll tune up your days in truly delightful ways. View the full article

MP for Manchester Central beats education secretary Bridget Phillipson View the full article

Google Flights is one of the most popular flight aggregators on the web. The site lets users search millions of flights to find the best routes and prices that meet their needs. Unsurprisingly, millions of people use Google Flights to find the best deals on holiday tickets. And the search for cheap flights has also led to many nuggets of so-called conventional wisdom that, if followed, will supposedly help you find the cheapest fares. But with the holidays rapidly approaching and finding the best deals on flights at the top of mind for millions of Americans, I wanted to find out if these bits of conventional wisdom were actually true—particularly when it comes to Google Flights. So, I went straight to the source and asked James Byers, group product manager at Google Search, who leads the Google Flights team and the development of the company’s other travel products in search. Claim #1: Clearing cookies or using incognito mode will help you find cheaper fares The idea behind this claim is that airlines and flight aggregators use cookies on your computer to track how many times you’ve visited a site to search for tickets. Frequent returns by the same user to a site suggest they may be preparing to buy tickets, so airlines or site operators raise prices. To get around this supposed tactic, conventional wisdom says to clear your browser’s cookies or just use incognito mode when shopping for tickets. But Byers says that, when it comes to Google Flights, this is a myth. “Whether you have cookies set or incognito, it doesn’t make any difference on Google Flights. You see the same results as anyone else,” says Byers. But he also understands why people believe this one. He notes that due to the networked nature of the flight ecosystem—there are trillions (yes, with a “T”) of possible flight combinations a person could take, and a price change in just one flight, say, departing from Paris, can result in price changes in seemingly unrelated flights. These price changes can happen “stunningly rapidly,” Byers says—within seconds—and the rapid nature of these price changes can make people believe the price changes they see when returning to a ticketing site even a few minutes after their first visit are being done to purposely target them, when, in fact, it isn’t. Claim #2: Using a VPN will help you find cheaper fares Another bit of conventional wisdom is that, depending on your actual location, you should use a VPN when shopping for flights. This is because airlines sometimes offer the same flight at different prices depending on where in the world you are located. If you are in a country with a relatively high GDP, the flight you want may be listed at $1,000. But those in countries with lower GDPs may see cheaper fares for the same flight. In short, airlines think people in wealthier countries will be able to pay more for the same flight than people in developing countries. Byers says this isn’t exactly a myth—but a VPN may do little good in the end. He notes that airlines do tend to offer different prices based on the country you’re purchasing the ticket from, so setting your VPN to show you’re in a different country may help you see lower fares initially. However, this tactic often fails because “usually, when you go to book that flight, you also need a billing address and a payment instrument, a credit card, or some other means of payment in that country.” If you don’t use a payment method native to that country, you’re unlikely to get the local fare. In the end, Byers says the VPN hack is “not a strategy we recommend.” Claim #3: Book your flight tickets on a Tuesday to get the cheapest fares This is probably the oldest bit of conventional wisdom. The idea is that airlines generally have the lowest fares on Tuesdays, so if you buy your tickets on that day of the week, they will be cheaper than if you buy them on any of the other six days. Surprisingly, Byers says Google’s data backs this up. But there’s a catch. “Tuesdays are a little bit cheaper,” Byers says, “but it’s 1.3% [less], compared to Sunday, which is the most expensive day.” What that means is that if you find the perfect flight on a Sunday, you can wait until Tuesday to see if the price declines—but even if it does, expect to see savings of only around 1.3%, at most. That’s less than seven bucks on a $500 ticket. And if you do wait until Tuesday to get that possible discount, the ticket you want could be gone by then. “The difference is so small that we recommend that once you see a price [you like] . . . you should [grab] it regardless of what day you happen to book on,” advises Byers. When you can actually find the best prices on holiday flights, according to Google Flights Conventional wisdom examined, I asked Byers if he had any tips for finding cheap holiday fares, based on Google Flights’ rich trove of data. Surprisingly, he told me that despite the holidays being little more than just two months away, now is a good time to buy your tickets. “We’ve got about 40 days until Thanksgiving,” Byers noted when I interviewed him on October 17. “I think we have about something like 70 days until Christmas. Believe it or not, we’re just about at the point where prices historically are the lowest.” Byers says that, for Thanksgiving, the sweet spot for finding the lowest fares is 35 days before the holiday, which puts the prime buying date at October 24 this year. But he notes that there is some latitude there, which includes “between about 24 to 59 days” before Thanksgiving. “Once you get past that window, prices can go up quickly,” he says. As for Christmas and the end-of-year holidays, Byers says the peak time to buy your tickets is “about 50 days before. That’s the lowest, based on our data.” Google’s head of flights had two other suggestions for finding great flight prices throughout the year. The first is to set Google Flight price alerts. “When we tell you it’s a great price,” he says, grab it. “We have some pretty great data and AI behind that to give you confidence that it’s time to book.” The second: be flexible. The more wiggle room you have with your dates, times, and destinations, the better deals you’ll likely find. “Flexibility is always the name of the game, if you have it.” View the full article

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng aim to ease tensions over tariffsView the full article

Introducing my latest travel website, Rail Vietnam. This guide covers every train line in Vietnam, station information, and how to buy tickets. About Rail Vietnam I write about train travel in Vietnam here at Nomadic Notes, but I figured it would be better to have a dedicated site to post more detailed information. A Vietnam rail site is the ideal subject for a niche site. It’s a topic I am very familiar with, and it is a small niche that won’t require too much time once it is set up. I also found a great domain (railvietnam.com) that is easy to brand. The official website is not the most user-friendly experience, and there are many Vietnamese travel agent websites that try to look like the official website. My site is clear that it is an independent guide. I will be publishing guides for the passenger lines, and I am open to accepting trip reports from other writers. I may also publish destination guides for every place with a train station if I decide to expand the site. Future railways While there is not a great variety of train lines in Vietnam, there are many new lines that are planned for the future. Some of the future lines include: – The North-South High-Speed Railway (replacing the current North-South Railway) – Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong Railway (replacing the current Lao Cai-Hanoi, Hanoi-Hai Phong lines) – Hanoi-Ha Long Railway (possibly high-speed replacing the defunct line) – Hanoi-Dong Dang Railway (upgrading current line that runs to Nanning in China) – Ho Chi Minh City-Can Tho-Ca Mau Railway – Central Highlands Railway Some possible new international lines include: – Vientiane-Vung Ang – Hai Phong-Ha Long-Mong Cai (connecting to Dongxing in China) – Ho Chi Minh City-Phnom Penh I write about future rail development at Future Southeast Asia, which covers construction and development issues. Rail Vietnam will cover the new railways from the perspective of future travellers. The average traveller doesn’t need to know about a steel plant that is being built to manufacture rail tracks, so Rail Vietnam will cover topics such as stations and tickets. These news lines are years away from being a reality, but you will find out about them on Rail Vietnam when they are ready. Follow Rail Vietnam on social media Facebook Instagram Bluesky Subscribe to posts by email I’m not setting up a newsletter for this site, but you can subscribe to blog posts by email (look for the subscribe by email box in the right column). I may start a newsletter if the site evolves into something else, in which case you will be notified about a newsletter if you subscribe by email. [Somewhere between Da Nang and Hue.] View the full article

By noon on a recent Tuesday, my calendar had already decided what kind of manager I would be. Back-to-back 1:1 meetings until the end of the day. Nothing was on fire, yet nothing was moving either. That might be fine in a slow cycle. It is not fine when you are releasing new features in real time and your best engineer has three recruiters in her inbox. In this market, teams don’t just compete on comp alone. They compete on how much freedom they have to actually create and build. We ran a simple test at my company. We canceled the standing 1:1. We kept space for new hires and anything sensitive, like a performance review. Everything else moved to an as needed basis. The first worry was trust. Would people feel like they lost access to their manager? They did not. Access improved because help arrived at the right moment: in the middle of a decision, during a roadblock, or on a draft that needed real feedback. Not next Tuesday at 2:30. Leaders I admire do this already. Jensen Huang. Marc Andreessen. Doug Leone. The weekly 1:1 is a relic of calendar-driven management The weekly check-in is a habit from an office-first, synchronous work environment. In a remote, product-driven organization, the cost of context switching is high, and most collaboration starts in writing. Recurring 1:1s often slide into status updates or meandering chats. This can be useful at times, yes, but it’s a poor default. I want conversations that are tied to goals, decisions, and growth, within the project timeline. What replaced the weekly 1:1 We switched to a shared doc and a few well-named Slack channels. Now we use short notes that say what changed, what is blocked, what needs a decision, and tag the right people. Because it is written, we skip the catch-up meeting and we have a record of how and why choices were made. When we need to make a decision in the moment we jump into a quick huddle. These are small and focused. We leave with one owner and one date. If the topic is fuzzy, we pause and write a brief doc or build a tiny prototype first. Better to spend five minutes getting clear than 30 minutes wandering. We show work instead of describing it. Rough prototypes carry more information than long explanations. A two-minute screen recording usually gets sharper feedback than a half hour of narration. I hold open office hours every week for growth, feedback, and sticky problems. People come when they need it instead of me trying to guess who might benefit from the time. It works like a help desk for humans. Some topics do need group discussion, so we have small group sessions for things like what to prioritize or writing cleaner product requirement documents. We record them so the advice becomes reusable, and people can learn from one another instead of hearing me repeat the same paragraph 10 times. We also created a simple rubric so everyone knows what kind of communication to use: async for status updates and FYIs, huddle for a decision, office hours for coaching, immediate 1:1 for anything sensitive. What actually improved Focus came back first. With fewer standing meetings people had real blocks of time to build. Writing forced clarity and huddles only happened when a live discussion would change the outcome, which meant we got faster at making decisions. Coaching got better. Instead of delivering the same guidance across 10 separate 1:1s I deliver it once at higher quality and make it accessible to all. Documentation improved because conversations start in writing and end with visible decisions. You can feel these gains. The calendar is lighter. The work moves. There is a talent angle, too. People choose environments where progress beats ceremony. Protect attention and show up at the right moments, and you keep great teammates. Waste it, and you teach them to take recruiter calls. Guardrails that keep it human This only works if it’s humane. New hires keep a weekly 1:1 for the first month or two, then we taper as they find their footing. Anything personal goes straight to a private conversation: performance, compensation, and hard sensitive feedback. The cadence is variable because the work is variable. Sometimes I need to meet someone three times in two days. Other times, we are on separate tracks, and a check-in every few months is enough, or we cover it in a larger group. We rotate huddle times across time zones and publish response expectations so access is not personality-based. And the manager’s job does not shrink. You still watch for quiet voices, stuck work, and moments to recognize people. If you miss hallway moments, create them on purpose. Light coffee chats. Demo open houses. The occasional in-person day. Serendipity scales better with a little planning. This isn’t about being contrarian or cutting meetings for sport. It’s about building a system that gives people time to do meaningful work and gives managers better ways to support them. Run the 30-day test with your team. Protect the obvious exceptions. Hold yourself to the same standards you set for others. If your calendar feels lighter, your writing is sharper, and decisions aren’t stalling, keep going. If not, bring the weekly 1:1 back. The point isn’t the ritual. The point is building a way of working where smart people can do their best work and feel supported while they do it. View the full article

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This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: Everything Here Is Under Control, by Emily Adrian. Two estranged friends reunite when one is breaking under the strain of new motherhood. (Amazon, Bookshop) * I earn a commission if you use those links. The post weekend open thread – October 25-26, 2025 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article