Fior di Latte is a type of Italian cheese whose name translates to "milk flower" in English, which is quite fitting since the cheese is made from fresh cow's milk. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles fires have now consumed the homes of countless celebrities including Billy Crystal, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Paris Hilton, Eugene Levy, and James Woods. This thing is really serious. Here's the Cheddlines you Need2Know today: Stay safe out there, people. —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor P.S. We've got a robot party at CES on our 'gram. |
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"I think eventually Bitcoin flips gold and that's what everybody should be excited about." — JP Richardson |
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1. Fire Tracking App Watch Duty Is a Tech Lifeline During Fires |
The devastating Palisades Fire has ravaged Los Angeles County, scorching an area larger than Manhattan. Amidst the chaos and destruction, a tech lifeline has emerged for California residents: the fire tracking app Watch Duty.
Watch Duty's founder and CEO, John Mills, shared his personal motivation for creating the app: "Similar to what's going on in Southern California, I've experienced a lot of destruction. I live in West County, Sonoma, in the woods. So, unfortunately, my area has been ravaged by fire multiple times. And I almost lost my ranch twice. And so after not knowing where the information was, I decided to dig into it myself and try and solve this problem."
The app provides real-time, granular information about wildfires by aggregating data from various official sources and a network of active and retired first responders, dispatchers, and volunteers who listen to fire service radio chatter.
"So, we hear how they're fighting the fire and what they're doing in real time," Mills explained. "And that's how we give you such granular information about what's actually happening on the fireground."
With the influx of critical information, ensuring accuracy is paramount. Mills assured that the information is carefully vetted. "The news feed, the story comes from those vetted reporters, so they are background checked. They're not crowd sourced. They're actually people who we worked with for years," he said. Behind the scenes, a team of dozens coordinates in real time using Slack, ensuring that timely and accurate notifications are sent out to millions of users.
As the Watch Duty app tops Apple's App Store, Mills had a crucial message for California residents: "The number one thing is get out of harm's way and make sure to let the authorities get in there and get you out and be able to move trucks and men and women down the road."
With the fire season seemingly extending year-round and the app's user base rapidly growing, Mills envisions expanding Watch Duty's scope. "Right now, we're in 22 states ... The thing that we're really focused on here, obviously, is fire, but it is about evacuation and problems that make us run and migrate from something that is catastrophic. And so, we're not stopping at fire," he said.
As a nonprofit, Watch Duty relies on donations and memberships. Mills encouraged people to support their mission. "If you go to watchduty.org/donate, you can become a member, or you can write checks. We have more ways to donate there, and any bit helps. It really makes a huge difference." Read More |
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2. Historic LA County Fire Continues Raging |
Severe wildfires are still blazing uncontrolled in the greater Los Angeles area. At least five fatalities have been reported, and nearly 180,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. The exact death toll is currently unknown.
You can bet on when the fire will be fully contained on the website, Polymarket. People have so far bet $20,000 on it being contained in ten days time, even though there's a bigger chance of it taking until January 26 according to the odds. Polymarket has posted a disclaimer on the site saying "there are no fees on this market" to clarify that they're not profiting from the tragedy because that would be in bad taste.
At least five separate fires are burning across more than 45 square miles, triggered by dry conditions and forceful winds. The Palisades Fire has become the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles. Over 350,000 energy customers are without power, including 200,000 in Los Angeles County alone.
A 175-pound tortoise named TipToe was part of an evacuation and chronicled on TikTok. Victims of the fires may face lengthy insurance claim resolutions, with some claims from previous fires stretching into multiple years.
The wildfires have also prompted contingency plans for the upcoming Los Angeles Rams playoff game in the NFL, with a possible relocation to Arizona if the situation at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is deemed too risky. Read More |
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| It's a robot party! 🤖🎉
Check out Unitree's latest robots at @ces 2025—the G1 humanoid and Go2 robot dog, doing everything from handstands to making breakfast. |
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3. National Day of Mourning Observed for President Carter |
Thursday was a National Day of Mourning for Jimmy Carter to honor the passing of the 39th President of the United States. Carter, who passed away at the age of 100, was honored with a state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
Twitter enjoyed the gathering of the five remaining living Presidents. Notable moments included George W. Bush tapping Barack Obama on the belly to greet him, and Obama chuckling in conversation with Donald Trump. Kamala Harris turned around and watched the two men chatting, and didn't look happy about it. Mike Pence's wife refused to acknowledge Trump or his wife Melania. It was probably something about the whole "threatening her husband with death" thing a few years ago. Jill Biden and Kamala Harris completely ignored each other after being forced to sit next to each other. "You didn't see a typically warm greeting between the first couple and second couple," said CNN, in an understatement worthy of note.
Basically, the whole event was reduced to a "living presidents soap opera" on social media. Somebody died, people. You can do better. Oh, you can't? Well, okay then. Read More |
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4. Crypto Boss: "Bitcoin Could Flip Gold" |
Exodus, a cryptocurrency wallet company, rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. CEO JP Richardson spoke with us about the company's success and the future of Bitcoin.
For those who are new to the crypto world, Richardson explained that a crypto wallet "allows consumers to hold custody of their assets." Unlike platforms like Coinbase, which have complete control over users' funds, Exodus gives users full control over their money. "We don't touch anybody's money. We can't control anybody's money. The consumer has complete control of their money," Richardson said.
When it comes to building trust in the crypto industry, Richardson believes that security is paramount. "If you read stories of people losing assets because of hacks, you just can't have that," he said. "We want to see this technology go mainstream. We want cryptocurrency to power everything."
Bitcoin has surged in recent months, and Richardson believes that the Trump administration's pro-crypto stance has played a role. "This administration has been very pro crypto and they've they've made some bold promises," he said. "Trump went down to Nashville at a Bitcoin conference. We've never seen a presidential candidate do such a thing, and he made bold promises like creating a strategic national Bitcoin reserve. So naturally, that's going to make a lot of people really excited."
Richardson believes that Trump will follow through on his promise to create a Bitcoin reserve, and that this will lead to more people and institutions investing in crypto. When asked about the future value of Bitcoin, Richardson said that he believes it could eventually "flip gold," which would put its price over $800,000. "I think eventually Bitcoin flips gold, and that's what everybody should be excited about," he said.
For those who are crypto-curious but don't know where to start, Richardson's advice is to do your own research and find a wallet that you feel safe using. "I think it all really comes down to doing your own research, right? That's the first part. You got to get out there. You got to start doing your own research. And then you look at what software is out there and what wallets are out there and what makes you feel safe as a customer."
I would be amazed if you didn't stumble across Exodus during your research. Read More |
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5. Meta Allows eBay Listings on Facebook Marketplace |
eBay shares saw a significant increase of 9% yesterday after an announcement that Meta will begin allowing eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace in the U.S. and Europe. The new initiative — starting with a test in Germany, France, and the United States — will enable buyers to view eBay listings directly on Facebook Marketplace and proceed to eBay for the transaction completion.
eBay has been experiencing challenges competing with e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Walmart. In response, eBay has been focusing on niche markets such as collectibles and luxury goods, a strategy to attract consumers looking for deals in economically turbulent times. For example, if you go on there and look for "swastikas," you'll find a whole ton of items of…historic interest. I just checked.
The move is partly a response to a fine of 797 million Euros imposed on Meta by the European Commission for being anti-competitive. Although Meta is appealing the ruling, it's also working on addressing the commission's concerns. It's almost as though it felt it may well agree with the commission's ruling after all and wants to hedge its bets. Best of luck with your searches, history buffs! Read More |
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