MLB

Whether you like the Phillies, hate 'em, or don't care about 'em, if you missed Game 2 of their wildcard playoff game against Atlanta, you missed a game that will go down in the baseball annals as a game for the ages. After Harper did this (which astoundingly was not called an error) to give Atlanta the lead in the 8th, Harper followed Schwarber's home run in the ninth with his own home run to tie Atlanta in the ninth. And then the Phillies (the visiting team) won in the 10th by taking the a 1-run lead with a Bohm home run followed by a walk-off strikeout on an ABS challenge in the bottom of the 10th.  

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Simple Way to Cash In on Higher Yields

The yield curve has yet to invert, i.e., where short term rates are higher than long term, but the gap has been getting increasingly smaller. As a result, as Telos Delos explains, if you don't need the cash, 2Y treasuries pay you almost as much dividend-wise as 5Y or 10Y, so it's a nice place to park cash with a no-premium risk and no interest rate risk (except the opportunity risk). 

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Another Guess re Bust of the AI Boom

No one knows what the stock market holds for AI, i.e., will the boom continue or might there be a blow up. Everyone is making their guess, either explicitly or by default. Asa Fitch's take is interesting, suggesting that "memory stocks remain as good a proxy as there is for investors’ belief in the boom’s staying power. Right now, the conviction isn’t especially strong."

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The Gap Between Rich and Super Rich Widens

It's not your imagination. As the WSJ reports, the ultrawealthy aren’t just pulling away from average Americans. Buoyed by a stock market boom that has added trillions of dollars to their net worth, now the extremely rich are even pulling away from other rich Americans. The top 0.1% wealthiest Americans have seen their total wealth more than double since the end of 2019, according to new data from the Federal Reserve. The 0.1% now control about $28 trillion, or about 15% of the nation’s total wealth, which amounts to nearly $186 trillion. The average wealth for a household in this group is over $200 million. As of 2022 you had to have at least $45.8 million to be in the top 0.1%, according to the most detailed data available from the Fed. With wealth among the group up by about 50% since then, that threshold is much higher now. Our democracy is under attack by Trump and his MAGA cult for sure, but the new robber barons of our New Gilded Age do not make for healthy democracy either.

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Urban Fraiche (North Central Phoenix Restaurant)

The Urban Fraiche website has almost no pictures of its servings, which is a shame, because they are beautifully presented. It's a Moroccan-style Mediterranean restaurant which we haven't tried yet, and while it's a bit pricey they next time I have a craving for goat or lamb and don't care how much the meal cost, we'll be trying it. Per the website, it would be a great place to try for restaurant week, but that ended 2 weeks ago. We've informed them as such.

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Lanterns (2026 Series on Hulu and HBO/MAX)

Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. Okay, it sounds weird and it might not be for everyone. But, it was recommended by someone who is not a sci-fi guy, who said this: "The first episode is sooooooo good. It's sci fi, but good characters, well acted, and an interesting plot." We agree. Kyle Chandler is always a delight and the woman sheriff (Kelly Macdonald) was the therapist in Department Q. There are many out-loud laugh funny scenes, and the quote that has now gone viral is spot on: "There's nothing better than eating off another man's grill." Finally, Laura Linney appears at some point in the series.

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Better Solution Than Wi-Fi Extenders

This engadget article explains why wi-fi extenders might do the job of extending coverage in certain cases, they cannot make a weak signal stronger. So, as the article goes on to explain, in looking to have better and stronger blanket coverage, the more effective way is to improve and broaden the network's signal strength.

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GLP-1 for Conditions Other Than Weight Loss

As the WSJ reports, certain GLP-1s are approved or being explored for uses beyond weight loss and diabetes, including sleep apnea, kidney disease, endometriosis, Crohn’s disease, and alcohol and other addictive disorders. Relatedly, as this News Medical Science Reports article explains, research makes a strong case for broader use of GLP1 drugs to protect hearts. As encouraging as it is to see the medical breakthroughs, one can only wonder how many lives will be lost waiting to get the MAHA cultists out of the government and sent off to wherever they came from with Dark Ages dystopian view of the world.

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Home vs Lab Testing for Sleep Apnea

As this Acibadem article explains, most adults with classic obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, loud snoring, witnessed breathing pauses, and daytime sleepiness, can start with a physician-ordered at-home sleep apnea test. An in-lab sleep study is the better choice if you have significant heart or lung disease, suspected central sleep apnea, another sleep disorder, or a negative home test despite ongoing symptoms. Both tests require a clinician's order and professional interpretation.

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Trump Stops Short for the First Time

Trump signed an Executive Order to replace the term “Artificial Intelligence” (“AI”) with “Super Intelligence” (“SI”). The Order directs all departments and agencies to use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in all official correspondence, public communications, policy documents, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch and to no longer acknowledge the terms “Artificial Intelligence” or “AI." I'm not surprised Trump felt the need to do a rebranding of something I don't really understand and I know he doesn't. But I am surprised he didn't call for AI to be called ASI (American Super Intelligence) or TSI (Trump Super Intelligence). That said, I just wonder how long it will take his New Gilded Age kiss-ups to him (from Bezos to Musk to Zuckerberg to the Nvidia guy to Ellison and on and on) to adopt the SI nomenclature. I'm sticking with AI both in my work, my writing, and in every other way.

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