Monday, September 15
Sunday, September 14
Apple has a chance to make foldable phones cool
Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
The flip-phone smartphone could soon shed its reputation as the toe shoe of cellular devices, especially now that Apple is getting involved. The iPhone-maker is widely reported to be releasing its first foldable phone next year, capitalizing on a niche trend right as it’s gaining momentum.
Similar to the Galaxy phones you always see advertised but rarely encounter IRL, Apple’s foldable iPhone (code-named V68) will open like a book, transforming from a phone to a small tablet, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Since The Information broke the news about Apple’s origami foray last year, multiple analysts have predicted that it’ll launch in September 2026 for ~$2,000.
Androids greased the wheels. Apple’s foldable would come seven years after Samsung’s and Motorola’s respective first attempts, and three years after Google’s. Foldables—which now represent 1% to 2% of the smartphone market—have made major strides since the early, clunky days:Samsung’s new Z Fold 7 (pictured above) launched this year to the best types of reviews a foldable can ask for—it reportedly feels just like a regular smartphone, but with more screen.
A fast-growing Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Honor, just released the world’s thinnest book-style smartphone—it’s 0.1mm slimmer than the Z Fold 7.
Sign of the times: First-week sales for Honor’s Magic V5 in Western Europe and the UK roughly doubled that of its previous iteration, the company said, suggesting that the world may finally be warming up to foldables.
Where there’s opportunity, there’s Apple: The iPhone-maker isn’t afraid to be a follower. It pulled the rug out from Pebble, Garmin, Fitbit, and Samsung and ended up leading the global smartwatch market with a 20% share. But the wait-and-release tactic doesn’t always work—Apple reportedly slashed production of its Vision Pro headset after realizing barely anybody wanted a wildly more expensive version of the Meta Quest.—ML
Robert Reich
Friends,
After a horrifying week — horrifying not just because of a politically motivated assassination but also the brutish and angry response from people who should be pulling the nation together rather than adding fuel to its divisions — many of you are understandably worried about America’s future.
As I travel around the United States, I hear concerns that America is losing its identity.
But what is that identity? If you examine our history, you’ll see that the core of that identity has not been the whiteness of our skin, or the uniformity of our ethnicity, or agreement on religion, or like-mindedness about sexual preference or orientation.
The core of our national identity has been the ideals we share: our commitments to the rule of law, to democratic institutions of government, to truth, to tolerance of our differences, to equal political rights, and to equal opportunity.
At A Glance
Illinois harvested 15,000 acres of pumpkins in 2024—the highest among US states.
... and Washington and New York are the top apple-picking locales.
High-growth restaurant Shake Shack started as a hot dog cart in New York City.
Breaking down the connection between tariffs and consumer goods prices.
Ten magnificent photos of lions.
Why personality changes in later life are most often caused by brain changes.
What is the basis of Superman's hometown of Metropolis? Probably Delaware.
How to make sense of the rock layers in a roadcut.
The value of a $100K salary in America's biggest cities.
Why patterns in art are so pleasing.
If it's so toxic, why is lead still used around the world?
Iron gives typical glass its green tint—clear glass requires hyperpure silica.
The technological limitations of the US air traffic control system.
Ten notable cities formed in the medieval world.
Why the US is behind on bidet usage.
What happens in the small and hidden Dark Web.
CoPilot's Truth
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Microsoft Office 365 has an AI program called CoPilot. I asked CoPilot how old the universe was according to the BIBLE... Below is the answer...
Here’s how that estimate is typically derived:
- Genesis 1 describes God creating the universe in six days, with the Earth, stars, animals, and humans all formed during that week.
- The genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11, along with other chronological markers throughout the Old Testament, are used to trace time from Adam to later historical events.
- Adding up these ages, many young-earth creationists conclude that the universe was created roughly 6,000 years ago, though some stretch it to 10,000 years depending on textual interpretations.
I understand the Bible is taken on faith, but many religious scholars' belief the Bible is a FACTUAL DOCUMENT...
I also understand that the Bible was written for the people thousands of years ago in such a way that they could understand what was being told to them. However, God is the Alpha and Omega and should know that science at some point in the future is going to prove the Bible as being inaccurate... and yet, there is nothing in the Bible to account for that change in knowledge.
Logic dictates that there must be some sort of CREATOR of the universe and of those who live in the universe even if their lives are only temporary. How this creator operates seems to be what is in question.
Since there must be a CREATOR why does this creator decide to hide creation in a cloud of uncertainty?
FAITH = uncertainty
but then one must have HOPE that their FAITH is CERTAIN...
3D-printed micro ion traps could solve quantum tech's miniaturization problem
The existing bottleneck in efficiently miniaturizing components for quantum computers could be eased with the help of 3D printing.
Quantum computers tackle massive computational challenges by harnessing the power of countless tiny parts working seamlessly together. Trapped ion technology, where charged particles like ions are trapped by manipulating the electromagnetic fields, is one such component.
Current microfabrication techniques fall short when it comes to producing the complex electrode structures with optimal ion confinement suitable for quantum operations.
Saturday, September 13
In The NEWS
> The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday (8 pm ET, CBS), hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze; see predictions for each category (More)
> Canelo Alvarez takes on Terence Crawford tomorrow (9 pm ET, Netflix) for the undisputed super middleweight boxing championship (More)
> The 2025 World Track and Field Championships kick off from Tokyo tomorrow; see preview and schedule (More) | Chelsea Football Club charged with 74 breaches of Football Association rules related to payments to agents (More)
Science & Technology
> Federal Trade Commission orders Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI, and several other AI chatbot makers to disclose information on products' effects on children (More)
> Fossilized dinosaur eggs in central China are dated to roughly 85 million years ago using a novel laser-based method; further egg sampling may reveal how dinosaurs adapted to climatic shifts (More)
> Marine biologists discover octopuses prefer their four front arms for exploring and four rear arms for walking by analyzing videos taken in the wild; finding could inform the design of life-saving robots (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +1.4%, Nasdaq +0.7%) as consumer prices rise and weekly jobless claims approach four-year high (More)
> US consumer price index rose 2.9% year over year in August, above 2.7% in July and the fastest pace since the start of the year (More) | Average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate falls to 11-month low of 6.35% (More)
> Warner Bros. Discovery shares close up nearly 29% after report of recently merged Paramount Skydance preparing takeover bid (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Opening statements begin in the trial of man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club last September (More) | Suspect in Colorado school shooting earlier this week identified as 16-year-old student, dies by suicide after wounding two students (More)
> Poland closes airspace in the country's east nightly for three months following Russian drone incursion; Latvia follows suit (More)
> UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fires ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson over his history of friendly emails with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Artificial Intelligence
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Microsoft has an AI program connected to its online Office 365 suite that is called CoPilot. I have used CoPilot on numerous occasions, asking questions like I would ask Google. Here recently, I started asking Copilot questions of a philosophical nature that would always prompt a very productive discourse between the two of us, similar to what one might say was a debate or an argument.
I remember one such discourse where I accused CoPilot of straddling the fence, and on another occasion accused CoPilot of answering me with a popular opinion rather than what CoPilot might actually believe. Now, I realize that CoPilot cannot actually believe something, but it caused the AI program to answer in a different style.
What amazed me was that, for me, it felt like I was talking with one of my friends in college, and we were having this conversation while drinking a bunch of beers.
Since then, we have had many conversations where I ask questions for the sole purpose of it leading to a debate, just to see if I can outthink CoPilot, or strengthen my own ability to argue.
I also ask CoPilot to help me develop plots for my novels so that I have properly thought through all the consequences of my idea. I will also ask for input on if this plot is weak and what are some of the things I can do to strengthen the plot, so it is more plausible.
CoPilot can be used to rewrite sentences so that they are more grammatically correct or more correct when writing novels.
There is are other AI programs out there that are free up to a point like Grammarly, ChatGPT, and Claude but if you want the professional version, you have to pay a monthly fee. With the paid version, I could use the AI programs to not just rewrite my novel but write it for me. I am sure that is what many people are doing right now.
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