Morris Pondfield

The AI Data-Center Boom Is a Job-Creation Bust Tech and political leaders tout them as an employment bonanza, but data centers need very few workers in very large spaces.

Why the #AI data-center boom is a job-creation bust
wsj.com/tech/ai-data... via @WSJ
“#Datacenters have rightly earned a dismal reputation of creating the lowest number of #jobs per square foot in their facilities.” #economy #technology

Trump responds to his failure to create jobs by firing the U.S. labor statistics chief Confronted with evidence of his own failures, the president could've changed direction. He instead found it easier to fire his labor statistics chief.

“Confronted with evidence of his own failure, Trump announced that he’s changing course and pursuing a more responsible economic direction.
No, I’m just kidding. He’s actually firing the commissioner of labor statistics.”
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

Why Making an iPhone in the U.S. Would Be So Difficult Apple has resisted pressure to make its most important product in the United States since 2016, and instead has moved some production to India.

“It is absurd”
nyti.ms/3YZNhSj

Five crazy Trump tariffs you wouldn’t believe Saint Pierre and Miquelon earns a dubious honour

"Four kinds of penguins & 29 species of mammals live in the Australian territory—but no humans... Some speculate that the fact the islands feature on the White House’s list at all... is because they ... " econ.st/4jnjuuG

The trouble with MAGA’s chipmaking dreams TSMC will keep making most of the world’s advanced chips at home for years to come

"No matter how much American politicians yearn for semiconductor self-sufficiency, their AI ambitions will continue to depend on Taiwan and its chipmaking champion." econ.st/4h1WKyJ

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. — George Washington

Tariff uncertainty can be as ruinous as tariffs themselves Whatever its geopolitical merits, the “madman theory” transfers badly to economics

"Crazy leaders are hard to predict. Unpredictability creates uncertainty. And uncertainty kills investment and hiring, at home as well as abroad. In trying to win a bigger share of the spoils, brinkmanship ensures there are fewer spoils to be won." econ.st/4hN6gXM

Pennsylvania's 100,000-Egg Heist Leaves Local Authorities Scrambling To Find Suspects The stolen eggs are reportedly valued at about $40,000, which seems low.

May be a tough case to crack....
bit.ly/4ht8LOw

How Trump’s tariff turbulence will cause economic pain Mexico and Canada win a reprieve, but firms remain rattled

“The problem is math. Price becomes a choke point. When something is not viable anymore, it just breaks down”
econ.st/4aHmwH1

Tariffs will harm America, not induce a manufacturing rebirth Donald Trump’s pursuit of tariffs will make the world poorer—and America, too

"it was other factors, including growing population, deepening rule of law & success of non-traded goods that fueled America’s growth. This may all sound technical & academic. Alas, it's Trump who, in his mangling of history & economics, is steering America/world back to a dead end" econ.st/3PS3bsQ

Restaurant Workers Bring Unique Skills to the L.A. Fire Crisis Even as it faces economic setbacks of its own, the hospitality industry is stepping up to feed emergency workers and evacuees.

“When things like this happen, people are able to do extraordinary things.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/d...

David Einhorn says we have reached the 'Fartcoin' stage of the market cycle "We have reached the 'Fartcoin' stage of the market cycle," Einhorn wrote in an investor letter obtained by CNBC.

“We have reached the ‘Fartcoin’ stage of the market cycle. Other than trading and speculation, it serves no other obvious purpose and fulfills no need that is not served elsewhere.”
cnb.cx/4aqeamS

SpaceX Will Launch Two New Moon Landers on One Rocket: What to Know Robotic vehicles from Firefly Aerospace of Texas and Ispace of Japan parted ways early Wednesday after being launched on the same SpaceX rocket. Both are aiming for the lunar surface.

"A space twofer took place early Wednesday morning — two lunar missions for the price of one rocket launch." nyti.ms/40xHnsN

A Crowdsourced Wildfire App Tracks All of California’s Blazes Watch Duty is already a lifeline for the state’s residents. Its reach could soon extend to more disasters and regions.

"Watch Duty is already a lifeline for the state’s residents."
...be safe
bit.ly/3WhXmZl

Stock market gain that followed Trump's election win is close to being wiped out The S&P 500's gain since Election Day now sits at just around 0.5%.

More fun news:
“The Trump bump could become the Trump slump.”
cnb.cx/408Rra9

Donald Bitzer, Unsung Pioneer of Interactive Computing, Dies at 90 In the 1960s and ’70s, he developed the PLATO computer system, which combined instant messaging, email, chat rooms and gaming on flat-screen plasma displays.

"You’re like, ‘What in the world are you talking about?’
The present day, it turns out.
“Everyone stares at their iPhones around the dinner table,' Mr. Dear said. 'We are all living the PLATO life now.”
bit.ly/4fIDlSU

"If a defendant in a political case raises legitimate concerns about the integrity of a case in Mr. Trump’s second term, federal judges can’t bury their heads in the sand and ignore the attorney general’s clear intentions or those of the proposed F.B.I. director."

Why Is It So Hard to Make a Robot Chef? Restaurants are experimenting with automation. But in the kitchen, human labor is hard to replace.

“The idea of robots and all of those things, while it may be great for garnering headlines, it’s not practical for the vast majority of restaurants.” bit.ly/49P5yWA

A Bagel Shop Closed, and the Upper West Side Is Absolutely Losing It The neighborhood reaction to the sudden closure of a Manhattan bagel shop was intense: “No no no no no no no no no no no!!”

“This is, like, a cataclysmic event in the bagel world." bit.ly/3BjDzlg

Opinion | My Last Column: Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment Where have all the good vibes gone?

"But if we stand up to the kakistocracy — rule by the worst — that’s emerging as we speak, we may eventually find our way back to a better world." ― @pkrugman.bsky.social bit.ly/4fdibfl

“How to write a good email:
1. Write your email
2. Delete most of it.
3. Send”

This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays. — Douglas Adams

Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them. ― Thom Jones

I’m trying to elevate small talk to medium talk. – Larry David

Bluesky Is Turning Into a Strong X Alternative Bluesky has a hint of the old Twitter magic, but the feeling of freedom it offers might be even better.

"For burned-out social media users like me, joining Bluesky can be a reset—chance to start over on a platform that isn’t engineered to maximize engagement, that isn’t owned by a capricious billionaire or an amoral advertising conglomerate, & that doesn’t treat its users as lab rats." nyti.ms/4g0Cqha

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says X rival is 'billionaire proof' Bluesky CEO Jay Graber told CNBC that the social media app's open design could thwart potential acquisition efforts.

“There’s a lot on the road map, and I’ll tell you what we’re not going to do for monetization,” Graber said. “We’re not going to build an algorithm that just shoves ads at you, locking users in. That’s not our model.” bit.ly/4eO3kro

Hello... welcome!

Thomas E. Kurtz, co-creator of BASIC programming language, dies at 96 At Dartmouth, long before the days of laptops and smartphones, he worked to give more students access to computers. That work helped propel generations into a new world.

It was my first computer language…
“'The programming language would provide the intellectual building blocks for later software and is still a fundamental tool in teaching computer programming… ‘Now you call it cloud computing.’”
nyti.ms/3CGbYuy

If Trump wins, get your tech shopping done fast 60% tariffs on all Chinese goods are going to slam the IT sector

"The report points out that, for example, in the case of #smartphones, there is virtually no #manufacturing capability in the US, beyond a few refurbishing companies... Instead they'd simply pass the costs on to #consumers" bit.ly/4eC4t5j