Thursday, January 9
Wednesday, January 8
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Auburn University student Abbie Stockard crowned Miss America 2025; Miss Texas Annette Addo-Yobo named runner-up (More)
> Actors Zendaya and Tom Holland reportedly engaged (More) | 2025 Golden Globes ceremony brings in 10.1 million viewers, a 7% increase over 2024 (More)
> Tech-infused golf league TGL, founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, launches tonight (9 pm ET, ESPN) (More) | Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson, New England Patriots' Jerod Mayo among NFL head coach firings on NFL's "Black Monday" (More)
Science & Technology
> First fatal case of the H5N1 bird flu in humans recorded in the US; Louisiana patient had underlying medical conditions, officials say transmission between humans is rare, and broader risk remains low (More) | What are zoonotic diseases? (More, w/video)
> Lead pollution from mining and smelting operations likely caused an IQ decline in the population of ancient Rome; may be the first known example of widespread industrial pollution (More) | History, maps, regicide, and more—everything you need to know about ancient Rome (More)
> Researchers discover protein that gives energy-storing white fat cells the calorie-burning ability of brown fat cells when suppressed (More) | The different types of fat cells explained (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +1.2%), with S&P 500 and Nasdaq led by chip stocks; Nvidia closes at record high, peer Micron Technology closes up 10% after electronics manufacturer Foxconn reports record Q4 revenue (More)
> US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel sue Biden administration over decision to block Nippon's nearly $15B proposed acquisition of US Steel; President Joe Biden struck down the deal last week on national security grounds (More)
> Michael Barr, Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision, to resign from role Feb. 28 or sooner if President-elect Donald Trump appoints a successor; Barr to continue to serve on central bank's board of governors until 2032 (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Congress formally certifies President-elect Donald Trump's electoral win in the 2024 presidential election (More) | Rudy Giuliani held in contempt of court in $148M election workers' defamation judgment case (More)
> At least four people dead, including from road accidents, after winter storm brings heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures to US Midwest and East Coast (More) | See photos (More) | See previous write-up (More)
> Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy begins trial over allegedly accepting illegal campaign funds in 2007 from then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (More)
Cleaning House
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Winter in the south lasts about 2-3 months, depending upon how deep you are living in the south. In East TN, our winter is typically from January until the middle of March.
One good thing about winter is that it keeps you inside most of the time, where you can get projects done that you put off because you were enjoying the outside weather. like organizing the closets and removing items that you have not used in several years.
We moved into our downsized home about two years ago and when we did, we eliminated about 50% of what we had accumulated over the twenty-year period we lived in that house. What made it worse for us is that we had a basement and much of our stuff was located there.
I had been holding onto about 20 file boxes of training materials that I had collected over my 45-year career. Not sure why I was saving them especially since most of those materials had been replaced with new approaches.
The other items that we gave to charity, like clothes. I had numerous suits that I had purchased over the years for work and my consulting business, that I no longer needed being retired. I kept one suit and a sports jacket just in case, I needed them but after 10 years, I have yet to wear either one.
I still have more clothes than I really need but I suppose I am hanging on to them just in case... You would be surprised what you can eliminate if you focus on what you really need and not what you want.
Quantum Teleportation Achieved
A quantum state of light has been successfully teleported through more than 30 kilometers (around 18 miles) of fiber optic cable amid a torrent of internet traffic – a feat of engineering once considered impossible.
The impressive demonstration by researchers in the US may not help you beam to work to beat the morning traffic, or download your favorite cat videos faster.
However, the ability to teleport quantum states through existing infrastructure represents a monumental step towards achieving a quantum-connected computing network, enhanced encryption, or powerful new methods of sensing.
"This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible," says Prem Kumar, a Northwestern University computing engineer who led the study. READ MORE...
Tuesday, January 7
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Jeff Baena, indie filmmaker and husband of Aubrey Plaza, dies by suicide at age 47 (More) | Gwen Van Dam, supporting character actress whose career spanned 70 years, dies at age 96 (More)
> The 2024 NFL regular season wraps; see playoff bracket and schedule (More) | Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson becomes first NFL player with 4,000 passing and 900 rushing yards in a season (More)
> Michael J. Fox, Hillary Clinton, Magic Johnson, and Bono among 19 awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden (More)
Science & Technology
> CES 2025, the world's largest consumer technology conference, gets underway this week in Las Vegas; see anticipated announcements (More)
> Study suggests sleep may play a key role in strengthening the brain's ability to block out unwanted or unpleasant memories during waking hours (More)
> Scientists develop artificial blood vessel system to study how snake venom causes internal bleeding; around 100,000 people die from snake bites each year worldwide (More) | Ever wonder what's in our blood? Start here (More, w/video)
Business & Markets
> Stocks close up Friday (S&P 500 +1.3%, Dow +0.8%, Nasdaq +1.8%); gains snap five-day losing streak for S&P and Nasdaq (More) | Average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate hits six-month high at 6.9% (More)
> Microsoft to invest $80B in expanding its AI infrastructure in fiscal year 2025; half of expected spending to be in the US (More)
> Meta's Nick Clegg, longtime vice president for global affairs and former UK deputy prime minister, to step down; Joel Kaplan, who was deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, to assume role (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Standoff between suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's security forces and police continues as arrest warrant for Yoon is set to expire; Yoon was impeached following a botched attempt to declare martial law in December (More)
> Funeral services for former President Jimmy Carter begin in home state of Georgia; Carter to head to the US Capitol to lie in state tomorrow and Wednesday (More) | Congress to certify President-elect Donald Trump's presidential victory in Congress today (More)
> Ukraine launches offensive in the Russian region of Kursk; Ukraine captured significant chunks of the Russian territory in August but has ceded gains since (More) | See update on war (More)
Dell Computers
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A few years ago, I purchased a Dell Inspiron and while I cannot remember the problems I was having, Dell sent a technician to the house to replace something inside the computer THREE TIMES.
I had a Geek Squad protection plan at Best Buy and they reloaded the OS and all my problems went away.
Two years ago, I purchased a Dell Vostro 7620 from Dell, and a technician has come out to the house three times again, this time replacing the keyboard and touchpad.
Today, I just got my Dell Vostro back from the Geek Squad at Best Buy, who again reloaded the OS and my computer is operating perfectly again.
Most of my sites, I joined via GOOGLE, so once I logged back into one site using my Google email and password, all the other sites were automatically logged onto and I was able to import all my bookmarks through Google even though I forgot to back them up myself.
I had no idea I could do that until today.
My plans are to keep this computer for another 2-3 years or a total of 4-5 before buying a new one, but you can bet that I will not purchase another DELL.
First Flying Taxi
By the end of 2025, visitors to the United Arab Emirates capital could be able to travel around the city in a fleet of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircrafts.
Four passengers would be able to fit in each vehicle, which would fly between “vertiports” around Abu Dhabi - in a move estimated to cut journey times by up to 80% - and could travel at speeds of 150 mph.
Journeys between the city’s airport and Emirates palace could be shaved down to between 5 and 8 minutes - a drastic improvement on the 45-minute car ride currently on offer. READ MORE...