Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 3/7/25. The goal is to make this a technology "reddit".
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 3/7/25. The goal is to make this a technology "reddit".
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
The Best Back to School Laptops - 2024 Edition
When selecting a laptop for back to school, it's essential to consider factors such as RAM, storage, CPU, and battery life. Avoid laptops with 8 GB or less RAM and opt for at least 52 GB of storage. The Dell Inspiron 16, Lenovo Slim 7i, and Asus Vivobook 16 are recommended options, offering a balance of performance, battery life, and affordability.
For gaming laptops, the Asus Zephyrus G14 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are top picks, providing excellent performance, portability, and battery life. Additionally, consider the Apple MacBook Air, but be aware of the limited RAM and storage options.
Longer Summary ->
Dumpster Diving an E-Waste Centre
The video showcases a thrilling experience of dumpster diving at an e-waste center, where many usable or easily repairable items are thrown away. The host explores the center, searching for valuable devices to rescue, and shares his findings, including laptops, phones, and other electronic devices. He purchases several devices, including a Lenovo ThinkPad, a MacBook Air, and several iPhones, and attempts to repair and revive them.
The video also highlights the host's application, iTest, which allows users to test hardware functions of phones and tablets.
Longer Summary ->
The EVO X1 With Bazzite OS Is A TOTAL Gaming Powerhouse!
The EVO X1 mini PC, powered by AMD Ryzen AI HX 370, showcases impressive gaming performance on Bazzite OS. It features 12 cores, 24 threads, and Radeon 890M GPU, handling most games at 1080p and older ones at 1440p. The video demonstrates performance on games like God of War Ragnarok, The Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077, with 60-100 FPS frame rates.
The EVO X1 also offers a full desktop mode for installing applications like emulators, photo editing software, and web browsers. Bazzite OS provides an easy-to-use interface with customization options, including theme changes and additional software installation.
Longer Summary ->
DeepSeek R2: Revolutionizing AI
The DeepSeek research team has been making significant advancements in AI, recently hosting an Open-Source Week where they released five open-source repositories, including the FlatMLA, DeepEP, and DeepGEM tools.
These tools aim to improve the development of AI products and performance while making them more scalable and efficient. The team is working on the new DeepSeek R2 model, which is an upgrade from their previous DeepSeek R1 model. The R2 model is expected to be extremely cheap and potentially outperform other models in almost every category.
Longer Summary ->
Investigation Updates and Community Call to Action
Safe{Wallet}, in collaboration with Mandiant, has confirmed that the February 21 security breach was a state-sponsored attack by TraderTraitor, a DPRK-linked threat group. The team has since implemented extensive security upgrades, restored systems, and is calling on the Web3 community to enhance security measures industry-wide.
#technology #crypto #safe #wallet #hack
Seismic: The Encrypted Blockchain
Seismic is an upcoming blockchain focused on protocol-level encryption rather than wallet-level privacy, aiming to enable encrypted transactions between multiple parties. The chain achieves this by restructuring the chain stack around secure hardware and cloning EVM memory segments into transparent and encrypted regions, maintaining encryption throughout state replication. Three initial protocols have already been developed – NIBBLE for restaurant revenue sharing, RIFF for music-based bonding curves, and FOLIO for global pay-it-forward chains.
#technology #blockchain #crypto #seismic #encryption
Indian town moves all property records to blockchain
The Dantewada District Administration has migrated its land records to the Avalanche blockchain, allowing for transparent and persistent record-keeping. The records include ownership forms, maps, and plot registers, and allow owners to instantly prove ownership.
#technology #crypto #blockchain #india #land
Japan’s ruling party proposes capping crypto tax rate at 20%, matching stocks
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed to reclassify crypto under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act to cap crypto tax rates at 20% (matching the tax rate for securities) instead of the current maximum of 55%. The proposal aims to encourage market growth, protect investors, and pave the way for innovations like spot crypto ETFs.
#technology #japan #crypto #tax
Trump signs executive order to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve
President Trump has signed an Executive Order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which will be capitalized with forfeited federal Bitcoin holdings at no cost to taxpayers, along with a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile for other forfeited digital assets. The order aims to preserve these assets as a store of value and maximize their worth.
#technology #trump #bitcoin
Meta is targeting 'hundreds of millions' of businesses in agentic AI deployment
Meta's business AIs will be able to automate redundant tasks, help businesses communicate and find more customers, and provide an almost concierge-like service to customers.
#technology #meta #ai #agents
Sam Altman's World Network Unveils New Chat Feature to Connect Real Humans
World Chat will help people to discern bots from humans by giving World Network digital passport holders - people who have proof-of-personhood-verified accounts - blue chat bubbles and a unique World ID gem displayed in chats.
#technology #ai #samlaltman #worldchat
Alibaba shares soar after Chinese tech giant unveils new DeepSeek rival
Alibaba's QwQ-32B operates with 32 billion parameters compared to DeepSeek R1's 671 billion parameters - while rivaling its performance.
#technology #ai #alibaba #deepseek
The Hottest AI Companies Right Now Are ‘Apps’
AI wrappers are all the rage today - startups are offering AI chatbots, research tools, and other software applications for coding, clinicians, and customer service, all built at least in part on large language models. Investors are eager to put money into these services. However, some have started to question the wisdom of AI companies powering billions into developing models as companies like DeepSeek have proven competitive options can be created for much less. One of the biggest concerns with AI app companies is that a large language model developer may decide to compete directly with them, but it is unlikely that AI developers will build verticalized apps for every single possible use case.
#technology #ai #bloomberg #apps
A quarter of startups in YC’s current cohort have codebases that are almost entirely AI-generated
While each of the founders that Y Combinator funded in its current cohort is highly technical and completely capable of building their own products from scratch, a quarter of the startups have 95% of their code bases generated by AI. Product builders who rely heavily on AI will need to be good at reading code and finding bugs. VCs and developers have been excited about AI-powered coding, with multiple startups raising hundreds of millions of dollars in funding in the last 12 months.
#technology #yc #startup #ai #code
https://inleo.io/threads/view/mightpossibly/re-leothreads-24xqrgwbs?referral=mightpossibly
Mistral adds a new API that turns any PDF document into an AI-ready Markdown file
Mistral OCR is an optical character recognition API that can turn any PDF into a text file. It is multimodal and can detect when there are illustrations or photos intertwined with blocks of text. The output is formatted into Markdown. Mistral OCR is available on Mistral's own platform and through its cloud partners - Mistral offers on-premise deployment for companies working with classified or sensitive data.
#technology #ai #pdf #markdown #Mistral
Intuitive Machines Is Set For Lunar Landing – With Hopping Drone, Ice Drill, And 4G
Intuitive Machines' Athena moon lander didn't crash, but it may not be upright. The lander was set to descend at Mons Mouton, a plateau near the lunar South Pole, at no earlier than 12:32 PM ET on Thursday. It contains a drill to search for ice, a 4G network test, three rovers, and a first-of-its-kind hopping drone. It is unclear how the imperfect landing may impact the mission. Athena launched last Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
#technology #space #intuitivemachines #moon
Scientists Discover Thousands of New Microbial Species Thriving in the Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench Environment and Ecology Research Project has added over 6,000 new microbes to the number of species found at the deepest regions of the ocean. Its investigations have revealed two adaptations that allow the microbes to thrive under intense pressure and a mutated gene that could boost their ability to survive. The study of these organisms could yield new medications and information that could be useful for engineering pressure- or radiation-resistant proteins.
#technology #science #life #mariana #trench
SpaceX Starship spirals out of control in second straight test flight failure
SpaceX's Starship spiraled out of control while in space during a test on Thursday - this is the second launch in a row that the vehicle has run into a fatal problem on its way to orbit. Flights into major Florida airports were briefly halted. The booster was successfully caught for the third time by the launch tower. SpaceX had made improvements to the lines that send fuel to Starship's engines, changed the temperature of the propellent, and added extra vents and a purge system ahead of the recent test flight.
#technology #space #spacex
Google co-founder Larry Page reportedly has a new AI startup
Dynatomics is a new company by Google co-founder Larry Page that is focused on applying AI to product manufacturing. The company aims to create highly optimized designs for objects and then have a factory build them. The effort is being run by Chris Anderson, the previous CTO of electric airplane startup Kittyhawk. Other companies exploring the ways AI could be used to improve manufacturing processes include Orbital Materials, PhysicsX, and Instrumental.
#technology #ai #google #larrypage
Bigme HiBreak E-Ink Phone: A Game-Changer or Just for Niche Users?
The Bigme HiBreak E-Ink Phone combines e-reader benefits with smartphone functionality, featuring a Kaleido 3 color e-paper display. It has a 5.84-inch screen, customizable button, and long-lasting 4,000mAh battery.
Designed for digital minimalists and readers, it handles reading, light browsing, and basic apps well, but performance can be sluggish. Affordable at under $220, it's perfect for those who want a compact device for reading and basic tasks.
Longer Summary ->
REVOLUTIONIZING ROBOTICS WITH DATA-EFFICIENT LEARNING
DEMO³ is changing the game in robotics! This framework boosts data efficiency in long-horizon tasks by combining multi-stage dense reward learning with world model training. It’s all about making robots smarter faster, saving time and data while they learn complex tasks. Imagine teaching a robot to clean your house in stages—DEMO³ makes it possible without drowning in data! This breakthrough shows how efficiency and innovation can accelerate the future of robotics.
#robotics #AI #machinelearning #technology
> S👁️URCE <
Revolutionizing 3D Reconstruction with MUSt3R
MUSt3R takes stereo 3D reconstruction to the next level. This powerful framework, built as a multi-view extension of DUSt3R, creates accurate 3D models from random image collections. By using a memory-augmented architecture, it predicts global 3D structures without needing prior calibration or viewpoint details. Think of it like putting together a puzzle without having to know the picture on the box. It's efficient, scalable, and opens new doors for advanced 3D modeling.
#3Dmodeling #AI #innovation #technology
> S👁️URCE <
THUNDER MLA: STANFORD'S GAME-CHANGER IN MACHINE LEARNING
Stanford's Hazy Research team just dropped a major update: their ThunderKittens-enabled Multiheaded Latent Attention (MLA) is here! The new implementation outperforms the official DeepSeek by about 30%. That’s a huge leap forward for speed and efficiency in machine learning models. Whether you're a researcher or just into tech, this boost is the kind of progress that can change the game.
#machinelearning #stanford #innovation #deeplearning #technology
> S👁️URCE <
LARRY PAGE'S NEW AI VENTURE: DYNATOMICS
Larry Page, the Google co-founder, is diving into AI again with his new project, Dynatomics. This startup aims to revolutionize manufacturing by using AI to generate optimized designs and automate production. It’s a game-changer for factories looking to ramp up efficiency and reduce costs. Page’s track record with Google’s innovation shows this could be the next big leap in tech. Stay tuned for more from this visionary!
#larrypage #ai #startup #technology
> S👁️URCE <
ANTHROPIC'S BIG CONSOLE UPDATE
Anthropic's new console is a game-changer for deploying AI. The upgrade makes it easier to use Claude models with shareable prompts, expanded thinking for Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and better tools to fine-tune AI responses. This move could save businesses time and resources by simplifying how AI outputs are tested and refined. With Claude's tools, fine-tuning just got a lot more efficient.
#AI #Claude3 #Anthropic #technology
> S👁️URCE <
GOOGLE'S AI MODE: A NEW ERA FOR SEARCH
Google just teased its new AI-powered search system! While the name’s a bit tricky, the preview clearly reveals a big shift. This move signals Google’s vision for a future where AI not only helps you search but also guides you in deeper ways. Think of it like your personal guide to the vast world of the internet, making your searches smarter and more intuitive. It’s a glimpse into what’s next in tech!
#googleai #technews #searchinnovation #ai #technology
> S👁️URCE <
Apple's New MacBook Air Colors: The End of Space Grey
Apple just dropped its M4 MacBook Air with upgraded performance and a lower price starting at $999. But in a surprising twist, they’ve ditched the Space Grey color without replacing it with a true black option. Now, the available colors are Sky Blue, Silver, Starlight, and Midnight – the last being a dark navy instead of black. Fans are feeling the loss of that classic Space Grey vibe.
#macbookair #apple #technology #newcolors
> S👁️URCE <
ChatGPT Now Edits Code Directly in macOS IDEs
OpenAI's ChatGPT for macOS just leveled up! Now, it can directly edit code in popular IDEs like Xcode, VS Code, and JetBrains. This means no more tedious copy-pasting—ChatGPT can make changes right where you code. Plus, there's an "auto-apply" mode for seamless edits. Currently, this feature is available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users, with a broader rollout coming next week. Windows users, sit tight; support is on the way! This update positions ChatGPT as a strong competitor to tools like GitHub Copilot.
#coding #developers #macos #ai #technology
> S👁️URCE <
Intuitive Machines’ Moon Lander Might Be Tipped Over
Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander made it to the Moon, but it might not be standing upright. It touched down near the lunar South Pole on Thursday at 12:32 PM ET. Packed with high-tech gear—a drill for ice, a 4G test, three rovers, and even a hopping drone—Athena launched last Wednesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Now, scientists are figuring out how the wonky landing affects the mission.
#moon #spacex #lunarmission #science #technology
> S👁️URCE <
The Agentic Future: AI Agent Weekly Analysis (3.4.25)
AI agent tokens have been dragged down 12% to $5.2 billion by tariff fears and amid a broader market slump.
#technology #crypto #ai #agents
Argentine prosecutor seeks to freeze $110 million in proceeds tied to Libra memecoin scandal: report
Argentine federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano hopes to freeze over $110M in assets tied to the Libra memecoin scandal, which gained attention because of its alleged connection to President Javier Milei.
#technology #crypto #argentina #libra #milei
THE HOTTEST AI COMPANIES RIGHT NOW ARE WRAPPERS
ai startups are going all-in on wrapping large language models into chatbots, research tools, and customer service apps. investors love it, but some wonder if big ai firms like deepseek, which built a competitive model on a budget, are making massive ai spending unnecessary. the big risk? if ai developers start making their own niche apps, many startups could be in trouble—but there are way too many use cases for them to cover everything.
#ai #startups #investment #languagemodels #technology
> S👁️URCE <
Mistral’s New API Turns PDFs into AI-Ready Markdown
Mistral just launched an OCR API that converts any PDF into neatly formatted Markdown. It’s multimodal, so it recognizes both text and images, keeping everything structured. You can access it via Mistral’s platform, cloud partners, or even deploy it on-premise if you're handling sensitive data. Basically, it’s like giving your PDFs a second life—no more messy copy-pasting.
#ai #ocr #markdown #pdf #technology
> S👁️URCE <
SPACEX STARSHIP FAILS AGAIN—WHAT WENT WRONG?
SpaceX's Starship test on Thursday ended in failure—again. The spacecraft spiraled out of control in space, marking the second straight launch with a fatal issue. Flights to major Florida airports were briefly halted. On the bright side, the booster was safely caught by the launch tower for the third time. SpaceX had upgraded fuel lines, tweaked propellant temperatures, and added vents, but clearly, more fixes are needed before Starship reaches orbit.
#spacex #starship #spaceflight #elonmusk #technology
> S👁️URCE <
Larry Page's New AI Bet: Dynatomics
Google co-founder Larry Page is back with a new AI startup, Dynatomics, aimed at revolutionizing manufacturing. The idea? Use AI to design ultra-optimized products and let factories bring them to life. Running the show is Chris Anderson, former CTO of electric aircraft startup Kittyhawk. Dynatomics joins a growing field of AI-driven manufacturing startups like Orbital Materials, PhysicsX, and Instrumental—all racing to reshape how things are made.
#ai #manufacturing #startup #innovation #technology
> S👁️URCE <
Mt. Gox moves over $1 billion worth of bitcoin to unmarked address: Arkham
Bankrupt crypto exchange Mt. Gox moved over $1 billion in bitcoin (11.8K BTC) to an unmarked address and roughly 167 BTC to its cold wallet in its first large transfer since January, while creditors continue to await repayment from the platform's 2014 collapse.
#technology #crypto #mtgox
NYC bill targeting crypto scams
New York's Assembly is considering legislation that would criminalize various forms of crypto fraud, like rug pulls, private key fraud, and undisclosed token interests.
#technology #crypto #scams
I Support 228 Because I Want Solana to Win.
SIMD 228, a proposal to reduce Solana's token emissions, argues that the current system creates significant economic inefficiencies by recycling value from SOL holders back to stakers while exposing participants to substantial tax liabilities and middleman fees. With Solana currently emitting approximately 28 million SOL annually (worth $4.7 billion), reducing these emissions could save the ecosystem $100-400 million per year that otherwise leaks to governments through unfavorable tax treatment where staking rewards face ordinary income rates instead of capital gains.
#technology #crypto #solana #simd228
The Internet You Can Own
Ethereum has underperformed Bitcoin and the ETH/BTC ratio falling to levels not seen since 2018, prompting a grassroots "Brand Hack" initiative to address Ethereum's marketing shortcomings. While Ethereum prioritized decentralization over scalability—a technically sound decision evidenced by its dominance in stablecoin TVL—it has failed to effectively communicate its value proposition or cultivate the cultural relevance enjoyed by competitors like Solana. One remedy is to position Ethereum as "The Internet You Can Own" and implement an Intel Inside-inspired marketing program, where applications built on Ethereum would display a certification logo in exchange for financial and ecosystem support.
#technology #crypto #blockchain #ethereum
Paragraphs
The stockpile of other coins will include "digital assets other than bitcoin forfeited in criminal or civil proceedings." Sacks said the government will not acquire additional assets for it "beyond those obtained through forfeiture proceedings." Arkham data shows the U.S. government owns about 56 ether tokens worth almost $119 million. The data does not list XRP or the Solana or Cardano tokens.
Investors initially dumped their coins at the notion of the U.S. having no immediate planned purchases of bitcoin, against the backdrop of major weakness in equities.
"It is good news, but not what the market wanted in the short term," Steven Lubka, head of private clients and family offices at Swan Bitcoin, said of the initial sell-off. "People were hoping for near-term buy pressure."
He also noted Treasury has 60 days to determine if legislation is required to operationalize any part of the order.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the need to stop selling U.S. bitcoin holdings before exploring potential accumulation plans, speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Friday.
"I am a big proponent of the US taking the worldwide lead in crypto," Bessent said. "The first step is to stop selling, and then we're going to put a plan in place from there. So we're having this Crypto Summit … this afternoon, and then we'll talk about the way forward."
Oracle is carrying out an investigation to determine what caused the outage, the VA said. Oracle did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
The outage marks Oracle's latest stumble in a thorny, yearslong EHR rollout with the VA, which has been marred by patient safety concerns. The agency launched a strategic review of Cerner in 2021, before Oracle's acquisition, and it temporarily paused deployment of the software in 2023.
Four VA facilities in Michigan are slated to deploy Oracle's federal EHR in 2026.
Broadcom said it recorded $4.1 billion in AI revenue during the first quarter, which is 77% higher on a year-over-year basis. Those sales are reported as part of Broadcom's semiconductor solutions business, which grew 11% on an annual basis to $8.21 billion during the quarter.
Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said in a statement that the company expects "continued strength in AI semiconductor revenue," reaching a projected $4.4 billion in the second quarter.
In December, Broadcom said it was developing custom AI chips with three large cloud customers. Tan said on Thursday that in addition to those customers, the company had "deeply engaged" with two other hyperscalers, and is working with four other potential customers to develop their own custom AI chips.
Treasury Secretary Bessent says economy could be 'starting to roll a little bit'
President Trump's Treasury Secretary discussed the U.S. economy and tariffs on "Squawk Box."
"Could we be seeing that this economy that we inherited starting to roll a bit? Sure. And look, there's going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending," Bessent said on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
"The market and the economy have just become hooked. We've become addicted to this government spending, and there's going to be a detox period," he added.
Describing the economy as inherited is a reference to the administration under then-President Joe Biden. Current President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Chipmakers are finding that good earnings aren't enough to please Wall Street
After investors poured into semiconductor stocks last year, expectations are high, and companies are having trouble making Wall Street happy.
More than two years into the generative artificial intelligence boom, Wall Street is setting an increasingly high bar for chipmakers.
When it comes to earnings reports — most recently from Marvell Technology — good isn't good enough. That's because investors previously poured into the companies making the infrastructure and devices at the heart of the AI economy, bidding the stocks up to historically high levels.
They're demanding results.
Optical supplier Credo Technology plummeted 14% after earnings on Wednesday and another 10% during Thursday's session despite triple-digit revenue growth and upbeat guidance.
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF is down nearly 6% this week following last week's 7% decline. The ETF, whose leading components are Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Broadcom, soared 72% in 2023 and nearly 39% last year.
The challenge on Wall Street for chipmakers underscores the pressure they're under as the AI buildout stretches into its fourth calendar year. Tariffs from the Trump administration and chip export controls have added to investor concerns.
Walgreens said the total value of the transaction would be up to $23.7 billion when including debt and possible payouts down the line.
Walgreens and Sycamore expect to close the take-private deal in the fourth quarter of this year. Shares of Walgreens jumped more than 5% in after-hours trading on Thursday before being halted.
The historic deal ends Walgreens' tumultuous run as a public company, which began in 1927. As of Thursday morning, shares of the company were up more than 15% for 2025, but the stock was still down more than 48% for the last year and had fallen 70% for the past three years.
U.S. will collapse Iran's economy by shutting down its oil industry, Treasury secretary says
Trump has launched a maximum pressure campaign on Iran but has also said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
President Donald Trump's sanctions against Iran are designed to shut down the country's oil industry and "collapse its already buckling economy," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday.
The U.S. is deploying sanctions against Iran aggressively for "immediate maximum impact," Bessent told the Economic Club of New York. Trump's goal is to slash Iran's oil exports of 1.5 million barrels per day to a trickle, the Treasury secretary said.
"We are going to shut down Iran's oil sector and drone manufacturing capabilities," Bessent said. The administration also intends to cut off Tehran's access to the international financial system, he said.
Oil prices fell to multiyear lows on Wednesday as Trump's tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China raised fears among investors that economic growth will slow and crude demand will falter. OPEC+ also confirmed this week that it will gradually bring 2.2 million barrels per day back to the market starting in April.
The oil market right now sees a drop in Iranian supply as the only bullish catalyst for prices, JPMorgan analysts led by Natasha Kaneva told clients in a Thursday note.
Trump, after launching his maximum pressure campaign, has said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. The president said he hoped maximum pressure is "not going to have to be used in any great measure at all."
Costco reports mixed second-quarter earnings, comparable sales growth
Costco on Thursday reported mixed earnings for the fourth quarter.
Costco on Thursday reported an earnings miss, but beat expectations for revenue for the second quarter as quarterly comparable sales rose.
Shares ticked down over 1% in extended trading on Thursday evening.
Here's how the wholesale company did compared with what Wall Street was expecting for the quarter ended Feb. 16, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
Earnings per share: $4.02 vs. $4.11 expected
Revenue: $63.72 billion vs. $63.13 billion expected
Costco CEO Ron Vachris said although it's difficult to forecast the impact of tariffs, the company aims to minimize cost increases for members. A third of its U.S. sales are from imports, he said, and less than half of those come from China, Mexico and Canada.
Costco's second-quarter revenue increased 9% to $63.72 billion, from $58.44 billion during the same quarter in fiscal 2024. Net sales for the quarter rose 9.1% to $62.53 billion, compared to $57.33 billion in the year-ago period.
Membership fees for the quarter totaled $1.19 billion, up from $1.11 billion in the second quarter of 2024, with the company reporting 78.4 million paid memberships and 140.6 million total cardholders. Worldwide, Costco's membership renewal rate came in at 90.5%, an increase of 0.1% from last quarter.
The retailer raised its annual membership fees for the U.S. and Canada in September for the first time since 2017, though CFO Gary Millerchip said the impact of the increase on this quarter's fee total was only 3%.
Costco reported a net income for the second quarter of $1.79 billion, or $4.02 per share, compared with a net income of $1.74 billion, or $3.92 per share, during the second quarter of fiscal 2024.
Quarterly comparable sales, which Costco defines as sales from warehouses and e-commerce sites open for more than a year, rose 6.8% year over year, compared with the StreetAccount estimate of 6.4%, and were up 8.3% in the U.S. Comparable sales for e-commerce rose 20.9% year over year.
On a monthly basis, comparable sales growth did fall from 7.5% in January to 6.5% in February. Extreme weather last month caused "some hits here and there," Vachris said, but the company recovered most of that lost business.
Costco's fresh foods category experienced growth in the high single digits, Millerchip said. Continuing a trend from last quarter, sales of meat increased by double digits, Millerchip said, as consumers shifted toward lower-cost proteins like ground beef. Customers continued to spend more on food at home, he added.
The meat and bakery sections drove the fresh foods category to lead Costco's categories in inflation, though overall inflation was in the low single digits, he added.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise shares slid 19% in extended trading on Thursday as the data center equipment maker issued quarterly and full-year guidance that came in below consensus.
Here's how the company did in the fiscal first quarter in comparison with LSEG consensus:
Earnings per share: 49 cents adjusted vs. 49 cents expected
Revenue: $7.85 billion vs. $7.82 billion expected
HPE's revenue rose 16% year over year in the quarter ending on Jan. 31, according to a statement. The company was left with profit of $598 million, or 44 cents per share, up from $387 million, or 29 cents per share, in the same quarter a year earlier. The adjusted earnings per share excludes stock-based compensation.
The company said it would implement a cost-cutting program involving layoffs over the next 18 months that will lead to $350 million in gross savings by the 2027 fiscal year. Around 2,500 employees will be affected, a spokesperson said, representing about 5% of the workforce when also factoring in expected attrition. At the end of October, HPE employed 61,000 people, according to its most recent annual report.
In January, the U.S. Justice Department filed in a federal district court to stop HPE from acquiring Juniper Networks. HPE announced the proposed $14 billion deal in January 2024. The court expects a trial to begin in July, according to the statement. The deal should close by October 2025, HPE said. In December, the company had said the transaction would be done in early 2025.
Analysis: US Butterflies Disappearing at 'Catastrophic' Rate
First National Analysis Finds America's Butterflies Are Disappearing at 'catastrophic' Rate
America's butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds.
The first countrywide systematic analysis of butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the Lower 48 states has been falling on average 1.3% a year since the turn of the century, with 114 species showing significant declines and only nine increasing, according to a study in Thursday's journal Science.
"Butterflies have been declining the last 20 years," said study co-author Nick Haddad, an entomologist at Michigan State University. "And we don't see any sign that that's going to end."
A team of scientists combined 76,957 surveys from 35 monitoring programs and blended them for an apples-to-apples comparison and ended up counting 12.6 million butterflies over the decades. Last month an annual survey that looked just at monarch butterflies, which federal officials plan to put on the threatened species list, counted a nearly all-time low of fewer than 10,000, down from 1.2 million in 1997.
Many of the species in decline fell by 40% or more.
David Wagner, a University of Connecticut entomologist who wasn't part of the study, praised its scope. And he said while the annual rate of decline may not sound significant, it is "catastrophic and saddening" when compounded over time.
"In just 30 or 40 years we are talking about losing half the butterflies (and other insect life) over a continent!" Wagner said in an email. "The tree of life is being denuded at unprecedented rates."
Some well-known species had large drops. The red admiral, which is so calm it lands on people, is down 44% and the American lady butterfly, with two large eyespots on its back wings, decreased by 58%, Edwards said.
Even the invasive white cabbage butterfly, "a species that is well adapted to invade the world," according to Haddad, fell by 50%.
"How can that be?", Haddad wondered.
Cornell University butterfly expert Anurag Agrawal said he worries most about the future of a different species: Humans.
"The loss of butterflies, parrots and porpoises is undoubtedly a bad sign for us, the ecosystems we need and the nature we enjoy," Agrawal, who wasn't part of the study, said in an email. "They are telling us that our continent's health is not doing so well ... Butterflies are an ambassador for nature's beauty, fragility and the interdependence of species. They have something to teach us."
Taiwan Fears China Cracking Down Overseas
Taiwan is considering warning citizens about risks of traveling to countries with strong ties to China, such as Laos and Cambodia, as they could be caught up in Beijing's campaign against Taiwan independence supporters, according to a senior Taiwan official and an internal memo.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own despite the island's rejection, issued guidelines last year to punish "diehard" Taiwan independence activists, including with the death penalty, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the island.
Taiwan security agencies have been looking at whether to raise the alert level for travel to certain countries for its citizens, the official said. Reuters was not able to establish whether any decision had been made on the alert or the countries for which that review was underway.
Taiwanese in Cambodia, Laos and some unspecified African nations could risk being taken in for investigation on suspicion of backing independence, the official said, citing Taiwan's assessment of the development and speaking on condition of anonymity.
"They might be taken for questioning by the local or Chinese police there, at least to psychologically intimidate them," the official told Reuters.
Beijing's guidelines issued in June instructed China's courts, prosecutors and state security agents to "severely punish Taiwan independence diehards" for what it called "secession."
The instruction was given during a two-day meeting on Taiwan that began February 25, the memo said, citing Taiwan's intelligence. The meeting was led by Wang Huning, who is part of the Communist Party's elite Politburo Standing Committee and one of President Xi Jinping's closest advisers, the memo said.
In the meeting, Beijing's embassies and overseas police stations in countries with "a high degree of trust" with China were asked to implement the guidelines by targeting Taiwanese tourists, students and residents, the Taiwan government memo said.
China's government has previously denied maintaining overseas police stations but has said there are volunteer-run centers outside China that help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy Calls for Air, Sea Truce
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a truce in the air and at sea, as well as additional pressure on Russia, after a massive attack overnight that hit Ukrainian gas infrastructure.
"The first steps to establishing real peace should be forcing the sole source of this war, Russia, to stop such attacks," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram app.
Military Deployed to Southern Border Amid Rising Cartel Threats
The U.S. military has deployed additional forces to the southern border to counter escalating cartel threats, including drone attacks.
The U.S. military has deployed additional forces to the southern border in response to escalating threats from Mexican drug cartels, including the potential use of explosive-laden drones against Border Patrol agents.
The deployment, which includes elements of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 4th Infantry Division, marks a significant escalation in border security operations.
Complaints to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker show a surge in recent months of unsolicited packages arriving with instructions to scan a code to find out who sent them or how to initiate a return. The codes can lead to phishing websites or download malware that charges customers a recurring fee, creating access to their bank accounts.
In one Feb. 28 report to BBB Scam Tracker, a customer received an unmarked package that looked as if it came from Amazon. He said it was addressed to his home address and included items he “would have never ordered” such as “baby burping clothes” and two eye makeup products.
“There are QR codes on the outside of the box and on the products, which I did not attempt to scan,” the customer said.
The BBB, a nonprofit consumer protection agency, called the scams “a serious problem for victims.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and authorities in Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado have also flagged the issue in recent months.
In more benign cases, fake QR codes install software that floods a phone with spam and posts fake product reviews under the victim’s name.
“I’ve personally seen a small bamboo cutting board, a small bag of plaster, and more,” said Mike Martel, a postal inspector and spokesman at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which investigates mail crimes. “The goal is to boost sales through embellished reviews. If that is achieved, the increase in purchases could outweigh the cost of the unsolicited item.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends that people who receive unwanted packages monitor their finances for signs of compromised information and change their passwords for online retailers such as eBay, Amazon and Etsy. They can return, toss or keep the items but should never scan the QR codes.
Victims should also report fake codes to the retailer, the Federal Trade Commission and the Postal Inspection Service for any mailed items.
An Amazon spokesperson said the online retailer prohibits unsolicited deliveries and acts swiftly to suspend and report third-party sellers who violate the policy.
“Scammers are exploiting that enthusiasm,” Ms. Gianchandani said. “Don’t scan the code. Report it to the retailer and monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.”
Nobody's buying Hunter Biden's art anymore, and he even lost his home
Hunter Biden has fallen on tough financial times amid his legal woes and his father's departure from the White House.
Hunter Biden has fallen on tough financial times amid his legal woes and his father’s departure from the White House.
The former president’s son, in a filing with a federal court this week, said he’s struggling to sell his artwork and his book sales have plummeted as well. He also lost his rental home in the California wildfires and can’t find a place to live.
He told the judge he’s in such financial straits that he has to drop a lawsuit he’d filed against a former Trump aide, and he hinted some other civil lawsuits he’s filed may also have to end.
“Since late 2023 and through today, my income has decreased significantly,” Mr. Biden told the court.
Mr. Biden’s art dealer had praised him as a major talent in the art world.
His critics said his buyers were paying for access to the Biden family, not for the artwork.
In his court filing, Mr. Biden said he has “significant debt,” nodding at press reports that put it at “several million dollars.” He said he’s unable to get new loans.
He also said his rental home was rendered unlivable by the Palisades fire in January. “I am having difficulty in finding a new permanent place to live,” he said.
Mr. Biden’s 2024 also saw him convicted of federal gun and tax evasion charges. His father, Joseph R. Biden, gave him a pardon in December when he was still president.
Hampton Dellinger, special counsel, resigns, removing roadblock to Donald Trump firings
Special counsel Hampton Dellinger resigned his post on Thursday, removing himself as a hurdle to President Trump's plans to fire thousands of federal employees.
His departure marks a major legal victory for Mr. Trump, removing someone who had emerged as a major impediment to the president’s agenda.
Mr. Dellinger led the Office of Special Counsel, which acts as a watchdog for federal employees who face adverse personnel decisions. This week alone, he secured a delay in firing more than 5,000 Agriculture Department employees.
After an appeals court loss Wednesday, he said he was “ending my legal battle.”
“My fight to stay on the job was not for me, but rather for the ideal that OSC should be as Congress intended: an independent watchdog,” he said.
A federal district court had sided with Mr. Dellinger.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, ruled last weekend that the special counsel occupied a unique role in government, with duties to report to the president, Congress and the public.
She said Mr. Trump’s attempt to fire him was “unlawful” and issued an injunction to keep him in office while the legal battle developed.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stayed that decision in an order Wednesday night.
That meant Mr. Dellinger could have continued the challenge to his firing but could not hold the office as the case proceeded.
“I strongly disagree with the circuit court’s decision, but I accept and will abide by it. That’s what Americans do,” he said.
Federal judges have blocked both of those firings.
On Thursday, Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that Mr. Trump exceeded his powers by trying to fire Gwynne A. Wilcox, a member of the NLRB. She accused the president of “a power grab.”
“A president who touts an image of himself as a ‘king’ or a ‘dictator,’ perhaps as his vision of effective leadership, fundamentally misapprehends the role under Article II of the U.S. Constitution,” the judge said.
The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal hours after the ruling. It has also appealed the MSPB ruling.
Donald Trump yanks security clearances at Perkins Coie where Michael Sussmann spread Russia rumors
For the second time in as many weeks, President Trump on Thursday revoked the security clearances for a high-powered Washington law firm with deep ties to the Democratic Party.
For the second time in as many weeks, President Trump on Thursday revoked the security clearances for a high-powered Washington law firm with deep ties to the Democratic Party.
Mr. Trump signed an executive order stripping security clearances for attorneys at Perkins Coie, where one of its top lawyers went to the FBI with false allegations tying Mr. Trump to Russia in 2016.
Perkins Coie at one time was the counsel of record for the Democratic National Committee, represents nearly every Democratic member of Congress and has served as legal counsel for the presidential campaigns of John Kerry, Barack Obama, Clinton and Joe Biden.
After the 2020 presidential election, Perkins Coie responded to scores of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign seeking to overturn Mr. Biden’s election win.
Much of that work was because former Marc Elias, a prominent elections lawyer who served as general counsel for Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 campaign was at the firm. After Mr. Elias left in 2021, the firm dialed back much of its consulting work for Democrats but still did legal work for the DNC.
Most notably, the firm is best known for the role one of its lawyers, Michael Sussmann, played in spreading a false theory tying the Trump Organization to Russia’s Alfa Bank.
Mr. Sussman, who represented the Clinton campaign, faced criminal charges of lying to the FBI when, at a September 2016 meeting, he told a bureau official that he was not representing a client while encouraging the bureau to probe what turned out to be a false story about Mr. Trump’s link to Alfa Bank.
Mr. Siegel, an Israeli-American released last month as part of the ceasefire deal, said the eight decided to come to the White House to thank Mr. Trump and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and urge “them to continue their enormous efforts.”
“They have done so much,” Mr. Siegel said in a statement. “We trust them and we know they will get the job done to get all the rest of the 59 remaining hostages held in Gaza back to their families.”
In a Truth Social post, the president ordered Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye — You can choose. Release all of the Hostage now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” he wrote.
Building a greener future: timber’s role in sustainable construction
Robert Hairstans explains how offsite timber building can cut carbon, boost efficiency, and transform the industry.
In our latest episode of Lexicon, we sat down with Professor Robert Hairstans, a leader in offsite timber construction and sustainable building practices. Hairstans is pioneering new approaches to construction that prioritize environmental responsibility without sacrificing efficiency or durability.
As the 2024 Offsite Awards Pioneer of the Year, Hairstans is leading an industry-wide movement toward sustainable, efficient, and high-tech construction.
During our talk, we explored why timber is emerging (well re-emerging) as the future material, how offsite manufacturing solves critical challenges in the sector, and what must happen for sustainable building methods to become the global norm.
He also sees blockchain technology playing a role in material traceability. “Blockchain can help track materials from cradle to grave, ensuring every component meets sustainability and quality standards. This becomes even more critical as we push for circular economy principles in construction,” he explained.
Education is key
Hairstans is passionate about ensuring that future generations of engineers, architects, and builders have the skills to drive sustainable construction. “We need to attract more young people to construction, but the sector isn’t always presented as a high-status career path,” he explained.
“Careers advisors rarely suggest construction to top students—but this industry is filled with opportunities and innovation,” he added.
While in orbit, Mission 7 also focused on testing space domain awareness technologies.
These experiments aim to enhance the U.S. Space Force’s understanding of the increasingly congested and contested space environment.
Such advancements are critical not only to the mission of the Space Force but also to all entities relying on the shared domain of space.
Lands after record 434-day secret mission
Following its successful aerobraking to a Low Earth Orbit and the completion of its experimental objectives, the X-37B executed its deorbit and landing procedures flawlessly.
The seventh mission was notable for its duration, remaining in orbit for more than 434 days, an impressive feat that further established the X-37B’s robust capabilities.
Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart, the X-37B Program Director, remarked on the implications of Mission 7.
Sentinel ICBM: Future US nuclear missile moves closer to reality, 3,400-miles range
This test is crucial in validating the motor’s design, moving the program closer to production and deployment.
On March 6, 2023, the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation reached a significant milestone in developing the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
A full-scale qualification static fire test of the missile’s stage-one solid rocket motor was successfully conducted at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah.
This test is crucial in validating the motor’s design, moving the program closer to production and deployment.
!summarize #postmonetary #ai #trillions #robots
Trump's first White House Crypto Summit has VIPs pushing for favorable laws
Trump's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve order has reshaped the agenda for the White House Crypto Summit, shifting the conversation to topics like regulation.
Now that President Trump has announced plans for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, crypto industry leaders can focus on what else they want to hear from the new administration on Friday.
Just over six weeks into his second White House term, Trump is hosting his first Crypto Summit, a nod to an industry that played a major role in his election victory in November. No executive was more central to that effort than Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.
#trump #whitehouse #cryptosummit #laws #coinbase
Once a Silicon Valley entrepreneur focused on onboarding the world to digital assets, Armstrong has spent the last year transforming himself into crypto's ambassador in Washington, D.C., funneling millions into elections, building alliances, and ensuring the digital currencies market has a seat at the table.
"My goal in attending this is really just, first of all, to thank President Trump for helping make the United States the crypto capital of the world," Armstrong told CNBC ahead of the meeting. "I think he's lived up to that campaign promise so far, and we've seen a lot of work getting done here in a positive way."
!summarize #openau #agents #ai
Bitcoin is flat even after Trump officially establishes U.S. bitcoin reserve
Cryptocurrencies held steady early Friday following a decline the previous day on news of a strategic bitcoin reserve and "digital asset stockpile" in the U.S.
Cryptocurrencies were little changed on Friday even after President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a strategic bitcoin reserve for the United States.
The reserve will include coins already owned by the government, and the order did not specify a buying schedule or strategy for bitcoin, disappointing some in the market who'd hoped for a more aggressive plan.
The price of bitcoin was last hovering flat at $88,949.16, according to Coin Metrics. Shortly after the news of the bitcoin reserve broke Thursday night, it dropped about 5%.
#bitcoin #trump #bitcoinreserve #markets
Ether, XRP, Solana's SOL and Cardano's ADA, were also trading off their lows. Trump had previously named these tokens in a social media post teasing details of the "crypto reserve" on Sunday, but they were not specifically named in Thursday's executive order.
Bitcoin (BTC)
White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks detailed in a post on X that the bitcoin reserve will include coins already owned by the U.S. government that it seized from past law enforcement actions – a move, he emphasized, that will "not cost taxpayers a dime." The U.S. currently owns more than 198,000 bitcoins worth about $17 billion, according to Arkham.
Oracle's federal electronic health record experienced a nationwide outage
Oracle's federal electronic health record experienced a nationwide outage on Tuesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed to CNBC.
The agency said "all users" of the company's Federal EHR, including the VA, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were impacted. Six VA medical centers, 26 community clinics and remote VA sites experienced disruptions, the agency said.
"Affected VA medical facilities followed standard contingency procedures during the outage to ensure continuity of care for Veterans," a VA spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.
#oracle #electronic #healthrecord #technology
An electronic health record, or an EHR, is a digital version of a patient's medical history that's updated by doctors and nurses. It's crucial software within the U.S. health-care system, and outages can cause serious disruptions to patient care.
Oracle is one of the largest EHR vendors thanks to it's $28 billion acquisition of medical records giant Cerner in 2022.
The company's federal EHR initially started experiencing issues at around 8:37 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, the VA said. Users reported that the software froze and they were unable to access applications. Access was restored and cleared by 2:0
Broadcom shares soar 16% as earnings top estimates on demand for custom AI chips
Broadom reported earnings and revenue that topped analysts' expectations.
Broadcom reported first-quarter earnings on Thursday that topped analysts' expectations, and the chipmaker offered strong guidance for the current quarter. The stock jumped 16% in extended trading.
Here's how the company did versus LSEG consensus estimates:
Earnings per share: $1.60 adjusted vs. $1.49 expected
Revenue: $14.92 billion vs. $14.61 billion expected
Broadcom said it expects about $14.9 billion in second-quarter revenue, higher than the $14.76 billion forecast by Wall Street analysts. Revenue in the last quarter rose 25% from $11.96 billion a year earlier.
#broadcom #earnings #shares #market
The company said net income increased to $5.5 billion, or $1.14 per share, from $1.33 billion, or 28 cents per share, in the same period last year.
Broadcom's artificial intelligence business is at the center of the company's recent boom, which saw its stock price more than double last year. The company is one of the primary data center infrastructure vendors for AI, working both on Google's custom AI chips as well as providing essential components for networking thousands of other chips together to develop advanced AI software.
Prior to the after-hours pop, the stock was down about 23% so far in 2025, as investors rotate out of risk partly due to concern about President Donald Trump's tariffs.
ChatGPT on macOS can now directly edit code
The newest version of OpenAI's ChatGPT app for macOS can edit code in supported developer tools, including Xcode, VS Code, and JetBrains. Users can turn on an 'auto-apply' mode to allow ChatGPT to make edits without the need for additional clicks. The feature is available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers. It will roll out to Enterprise, Edu, and free users next week. The ChatGPT app for Windows will get direct editing soon.
#technology #chatgpt #macos #coding