Jul 30, 2024

Telemea It's Tuesday, Cheese-brains!

Telemea, of course, is a Romanian cheese like Greek feta, ideal for making cheese puns, which according to one reader, Amy, who kindly wrote to me yesterday, are "embarrassing to you as well as condescending to your readers."

So they're like a two-for one, Amy? Is that what you're saying?

Markets were choppy yesterday with Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft all due to report quarterly earnings this week. Analysts' lofty expectations are for AI to supercharge the companies' profits, but we'll see how realistic those are (IMHO, they're not), and possible downward movements in the stocks could send the broader markets reeling, as they did last week on Alphabet and Tesla's similarly meh numbers. On the other hand, you never know! If I could predict the future, I'd be making a killing in Hollywood, as a psychic slash conman, just like my grandma's cousin did back in the 1960s. He drove a gold Rolls Royce!

The Fed is likely to hold steady on interest rates on Wednesday, with a cut still more likely in September. Meanwhile McDonald's revenue fell for the first time since 2020 in Q2, according to results released yesterday, although the firm's shares rose 4% after announcing the news. Some analysts say cash-strapped consumers are reining in their spending, but it's also possible people are just sick of eating McDonald's and would prefer to watch a Marvel movie. Kamala Harris also raised $200 million for her campaign last week (apparently by producing the popular new movie "Deadpool & Wolverine"?), but people do seem more interested in the fact that Elon Musk posted a fake AI video of the candidate on the media platform he owns.

Telemea the cheddlines, please!

Maybe this is a good place to point out, to Amy and others, that the name of our company is, in fact, a cheese pun.

—Matt Davis, N2K Chedditor

P.S. We have video of a creepy robot with human-like muscles on our Instagram!

1. That Kamala Harris Video That Elon Musk Shared on X? It's an AI Fake

Imagine this: You're Elon Musk. It's Sunday, you're cruising X, the social media platform you happen to own, and you spot a video of Kamala Harris spouting provocative lines, even declaring her the Democratic nominee due to Biden's alleged "senility." So, of course, you share it to your 191 million followers—omitting the "parody" label that the video, an AI-generated fake, originally came with.

Outrage naturally ensues.

Despite Musk later clarifying the video's satirical intent, the incident underscores the broader implications of unchecked AI technology. Experts say the integrity of political discourse (such as it is, right now, in America) is at stake when deepfake technologies are leveraged without clear boundaries. As technology evolves, so too must our vigilance against its potential to mislead. Read More

2. Trump Wants to Be the Crypto President

In 2012 a mate of mine bought two huge computer servers to "mine bitcoin" at our business, when a bitcoin was worth about $2. I thought he was nuts, I quit, and now, I'm editing this newsletter. Meanwhile, a bitcoin is worth about $70,000, which shows that when I tell you somebody is crazy, you should do what they say, and ignore me. Because that guy may be a jerk, but he's now a rich jerk.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is eyeing the White House again, and he just gave the keynote address to a 20,000-strong audience of blockchain true believers and tech moguls at the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville over the weekend. He's dreaming big with ideas like a "strategic national bitcoin stockpile," mirroring America's gold reserves to add legitimacy and stabilize the crypto market.

He also wants a presidential advisory council dedicated to bitcoin, and he wants to fire the chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission. As Trump bonds over blockchain with the Winklevoss twins and fires up his social platforms with crypto chatter, one must wonder: Will Kamala Harris respond to this high-stakes tech tango? Her campaign has told the Financial Times her campaign seeks a reset with crypto firms, following criticism by the Biden administration. Read More

From @cheddar

Clone Robotics, a company in Poland, has developed an incredible artificial hand that looks and functions just like a real human hand.

The biomimetic creation can accurately grasp objects, from tennis balls to active drill machines, with a realistic humanlike grip.

Shudder.

Follow @cheddar on Instagram!

3. Apple Reaches Union Contract With Retail Employees

Apple is taking a juicy bite out of labor history by crafting a tentative agreement with its store employees in Maryland. The folks behind the Genius Bars, represented by the International Association of Machinists, are on the brink of a game-changing win. On August 6, about 85 Apple retail members in Maryland will cast their votes to finalize a labor deal that promises to supercharge their paychecks with an average bump of 10%. How 'bout them apples, Apple?!

Along with fatter wallets, these employees are looking at some solid ground rules that aim to keep the workplace fair and square, such as firm policies on scheduling and subcontracting, plus a big "no-no" to any discipline that reeks of unfairness. Will this landmark deal inspire a ripple effect across Silicon Valley? Eyes are, like the apples your mom prepared for you, peeled. Read More

You Need 2 Know About This Box!

Meet the Sunset Box, a quarterly subscription service sending home, wellness, and travel goodies straight to your doorstep, curated by editors at mag Sunset, the Western-lifestyle magazine that just so happens to be a sister company of ours.

Since you clearly have good taste (you're an N2K subscriber, after all), we think you'll love this box. Use code CHEDDAR15 for 15% off your subscription.

Gimme the Box!

Note: Sadly does not contain any cheese.

4. 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Earns Over $200M in Opening Weekend

"Deadpool & Wolverine" just scored a colossal $205 million in its domestic debut, and a whopping $438.3 million globally, making it the biggest R-rated opening weekend ever. Disney's dynamic Marvel mashup leapt over previous bars set by the two previous Deadpool movies, sitting proudly in the top 10 movie openings of all time, close to superhero heavyweights like "The Avengers" and "Black Panther."

Six of those ten record-breaking debuts belong to Marvel, whose films now boast a staggering collective worth of over $30 billion. Box office experts are calling the film a revitalizing jolt for Marvel's cinematic universe—a fresh direction that's pulling in casual fans and die-hards alike. Call me cynical, but if you just put Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in a room together for 90 minutes and live-streamed it, you could probably draw in a bunch of viewers with a lot less money to spend on CGI. (Don't forget to give them swords and razor-sharp claws.) Still. They're charming fellows. And well done to them. Read More

5. Does Anyone Still Work Out at Home?

I've been going to Regymen classes at the YMCA in Norfolk, Virginia, this summer, and I've not only made a bunch of friends, but I've also got jacked. Compare that to gaining the "Covid 20" at home during the pandemic, and I'm not sure I'm sold on the value of home exercise routines. Are you?

We spoke with FlexIt CEO Austin Cohen, who is bullish on the home wellness trend. "Gym attendance numbers are off the charts," he said. "They're back to and above pre-pandemic numbers. But at the same time, people are using some of what they adopted during Covid. So, they're integrating experiences now."

The hybrid fitness model—going to the gym most days, but also working out at home—is the future, Cohen said. The firm has also partnered with Talkspace to offer access to therapists online.

"You can work from home, you can see a therapist, you can see your physician virtually, and you can also see your trainer, your physical therapist, and your nutritionist, remotely, too," he said. "It's about integrating experiences on the wellness spectrum"

The firm no longer uses "the F-word, which is fitness," either. "It's about living an interconnected lifestyle that includes training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutrition and health coaching, and then low-impact wellness like yoga, stretching, recovery and meditation," he said. "If we can bring all those together, then we're helping people to link together the things that they need to do to live a more well-rounded, healthy life."

True story, I'm also a yoga teacher. So this guy sounds like he's onto something. Namaste! Read More