All In All You're Just An Innes Brick in the Wall |
The Innes Brick was an artisanal, unpasteurized goat's milk cheese handcrafted by Joe Bennett in Staffordshire until he stopped production. It was a pale yellow cheese with a smooth, light texture, a silky breakdown, and delicate rind. It had an acidic flavor while young and developed sweet notes of hazelnut when fully matured — just like this newsletter. Today's cheese pun references both an extinct cheese and a Pink Floyd song protesting rigid schooling, particularly in English boarding schools. In this instance I'm evoking it in support of Boeing's 30,000 machinists, who are on strike demanding more than their $75,000 annual salaries for building the world's planes. Both Boeing and English boarding schools are institutions in evident need of reform. Also Boeing has some trouble with the walls of its planes. Get me? The cheddlines: We don't need no chedd-ucation! —Matt Davis, N2K Chedditor P.S. We've got footage on our Instagram of an adorable AI robot that turns kids' drawings into magical stories. |
|
|
"We do believe the worst of what you've seen here for Apple is now played out." — Angelo Zino |
|
|
1. Wall Street Nears Records As Fed Interest Rate Cuts Loom |
Wall Street has been approaching record highs as anticipation grows around potential cuts to Federal Reserve interest rates. In recent trading sessions, the S&P 500 was up 0.5% and nearing its all-time high set in July, marking its fourth winning week out of the last five.
The tech sector, particularly companies like Nvidia and Oracle, played a significant role in driving the market's performance. Oracle notably saw a 2% rise last week after exceeding analysts' expectations with its long-term financial forecasts.
Investor optimism has been bolstered by easing treasury yields ahead of the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, where the Fed is expected to announce the first interest rate cut in more than four years. The decision on how much to cut rates is a delicate one, as reducing them could ease economic pressures but also potentially fuel inflation. Market reactions have fluctuated, with traders considering a significant rate cut possibility.
The good news is that after months of speculation we'll finally know about the cuts this Wednesday or Thursday. What a relief! Read More |
|
|
2. Quelle Surprise: Donald Trump Doesn't Want Debate Encore |
Former President Donald Trump will not participate in a third presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris after their debate in Philadelphia. He announced his decision on Truth Social.
Trump's decision comes after initial polling and commentary suggested that Harris outperformed him. Trump made several contentious statements during it, such as repeating debunked claims about Haitian migrants. He also insisted he had "concepts of a plan" for reforming healthcare.
Vice President Harris, speaking at a rally in North Carolina, expressed her willingness to have another debate, emphasizing that the voters deserved it — even some of Trump's allies conceded that Harris had the upper hand.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed last Thursday (two days after the debate) shows Harris leading Trump 47% to 42%, with 53% of voters familiar with the debate saying she won. But it's still neck-and-neck in Georgia, and we have another two months until election day. Read More |
|
|
| Meet LG's adorable new AI robot that turns kids' drawings into magical stories.
This two-wheeled bot, named the "LG Self-Driving AI Home Hub," comes with a carry handle and big, expressive eyes. All you have to do is draw something on a tablet, send it to the robot, and watch as it crafts a unique story inspired by your artwork. |
|
|
3. Insert Turbulence Pun Here: 30,000 Boeing Workers Go on Strike |
Boeing machinists in Seattle and other locations are on strike after refusing a tentative contract that would have raised their wages by 25% over four years.
All but 6% of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' union members rejected the contract offer, and 96% supported a work stoppage. It is expected to halt production of Boeing's top-selling planes like the 737 Max, 777, and 767 cargo plane.
The strike serves as another blow to Boeing, already facing a troubled year with manufacturing issues and multiple federal probes. Despite meeting some union demands, including a pledge to build its next new plane in Washington state, the proposed contract fell short of the union's desired 40% pay raise over three years.
The machinists, currently earning an average of $75,608 a year, excluding overtime, considered the wage offer insufficient in the face of inflation, alongside bonus criteria concerns. Boeing has expressed a willingness to return to negotiations, emphasizing the importance of restoring its relationship with employees. In other words, they'll raise their offer soon.
When I get in an airplane, I think it's reasonable to expect that the people building it were paid more than $75k. But the company has lost billions of dollars in net profits over recent years, and it will need to find efficiencies to meet the workers' demands. Read More |
|
|
4. Can Apple Turn Things Around With Its New Products? |
My favorite iPhone 16 meme shows a guy wearing a red shirt (labeled "iPhone 15") trying on an identical new red shirt (labeled "iPhone 16") and saying "it's that time of year again." So we asked equity analyst Angelo Zino from CFRA Research, what's up with Apple? Why is he recommending buying the stock?
"We do believe the worst of what you've seen here for Apple is now played out," he said. "They've gone through two no-growth cycles with the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 14. We do expect growth to start to accelerate here with the iPhone 16 cycle. We see a mid-to-high single-digit growth rate for the iPhone."
Bottom line, the last two iPhone upgrades were a bit rubbish, so it's time this one started to be a bit less rubbish. With advance orders through the roof on rival Samsung's foldable phone, Angelo did wonder whether Apple might offer one. "We've been hearing rumors about Apple working on a foldable phone for years," he said. "But to this day, we haven't seen anything. Our view is we would have expected to see it by now. We haven't. We don't think it's going to be a 2025 event either. We do think there is a possibility you start seeing something along the lines of foldables in 2026."
Wow. Two years from now! Super! Apple has done poorly in China for the last eight quarters, and Chinese consumers gravitate to foldables, Angelo said. Meanwhile we can "expect a choppy market for tech stocks" until the election. No kidding! Read More |
|
|
5. You'll Soon Have Incredible WiFi on United Flights, Thanks to Elon Musk |
In 2009, Louis CK had this to say on Conan O'Brien's show before he got canceled:
"I was on an airplane, and there was high-speed Internet on the airplane. That's the newest thing that I know exists. And I'm sitting on the plane and they go, 'open up your laptop, you can go on the Internet.' And it's fast, and I'm watching YouTube clips. It's amazing. I'm on an airplane! And then it breaks down. And they apologize, the Internet's not working. And the guy next to me goes, 'This is b___s___.' I mean, how quickly does the world owe him something that he knew existed only 10 seconds ago?" And with that, let us brace ourselves for further complaints over the North Pole more than 15 years later because United Airlines has announced a partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX to provide satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on its flights. It's expected to start by late 2025. Starlink WiFi will work even over oceans and polar regions where traditional WiFi signals are unreliable. Until it doesn't. And then? Read More |
|
|
| So, What Do You Think of Cheddar?
|
We want to hear from you! From shows to site to this very newsletter, we'd love some feedback. |
|
|
|
