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☆ Is There a Crisis in Cosmology? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Adam Frank | Marcelo Gleiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A potent mix of hard-won data and rarefied abstract mathematical physics, the standard model of cosmology is rightfully understood as a triumph of human ingenuity. It has its origins in Edwin Hubble’s discovery in the 1920s that the universe was expanding — the first piece of evidence for the Big Bang. Over the past 60 years, cosmology has become ever more precise in its ability to account for the best available data about the universe. Cosmic inflation is an example of yet another exotic adjustment made to the standard model. There is nothing inherently fishy about these features of the standard model.

Persons: Edwin Hubble’s, can’t

☆ Clarence Avant, Quiet Force in Black Entertainment, Dies at 92
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Neil Genzlinger | More About Neil Genzlinger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Avant, born in a segregated hospital in North Carolina and educated only through the ninth grade, moved easily in the high-powered world of entertainment, helping to establish the idea that Black culture and consumers were forces to be reckoned with. He started out managing a nightclub in Newark in the late 1950s and moved on to representing some of the artists he met there. Joe Glaser, a high-powered agent who handled Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and many other top acts, took Mr. Avant under his wing; perhaps, the documentary suggested, Mr. Glaser, who was white, thought it would be advantageous to have a Black man representing some of his Black clients. In any case, Mr. Avant was soon handling artists including the jazz organist Jimmy Smith and traveling in rarefied circles. Though he knew nothing about the movie business, Mr. Avant worked his brand of magic on the West Coast: Mr. Schifrin has to date been nominated for six Oscars.

Persons: Clarence Avant, Bill Withers, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, ” —, Avant, Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glaser, Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Dizzy Gillespie, Schifrin Locations: Los Angeles, North Carolina, Newark, Argentine, West

☆ David Tepper’s Appaloosa hedge fund piles into host of A.I.-related stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Appaloosa Management's David Tepper doubled down on several stocks tied to the artificial intelligence boom in the last quarter, a new regulatory filing revealed. The hedge fund manager hiked his stake in Nvidia drastically, making it his biggest holding at the end of June, worth $432 million. Appaloosa's top holdings also included big-tech names Meta , Microsoft , Amazon and Alphabet , which have all recently highlighted their AI capabilities. Meta recently unveiled its own AI computer chips . Tepper remains one of the most successful and richest hedge fund managers in the world, known for his skillful maneuvers through market crises.

Persons: David Tepper, Meta, Tepper Organizations: Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, Marvell, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor

☆ Caviar Gets Even More Refined
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

So it’s perhaps no surprise that chefs are turning their attention to something more rarefied than your everyday osetra: albino caviar, which ranges in color from alabaster to golden, and is the result of uncommon mutations. The most sought after is that of the beluga sturgeon but, says Hermes Gehnen, the founder of N25 Caviar, an international purveyor, “restaurants generally can’t afford it. Although white caviar stock is limited, they aren’t the only pale orbs worth chasing. Snail eggs, which have a mushroomlike flavor, have the same visual appeal despite their earthy taste. “Sometimes,” says Munk, “you’ll pay even more money for snail eggs than you do for caviar.” — Lauren JosephThe Thing: Jewel-Toned Glass Lamps From Hermès

Persons: Hermes Gehnen, ”, Angie Mar, Rasmus Munk, Araki, Marty Lau, Munk, “, ” — Lauren Joseph The Organizations: Trois, Alchemist Locations: New York, Copenhagen, London

☆ After a Long and Painful Absence, Writing Her Way Home Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Leah Greenblatt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By her early 30s she had earned a law degree from Harvard, an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a PEN/Hemingway Award for her lauded debut novel, “The Grass Dancer.” Then Mona Susan Power’s world went dark. But depression, anxiety, and what she would later learn to identify as complex P.T.S.D. led her to withdraw almost completely from a life she felt increasingly ill-equipped to handle in the wake of “The Grass Dancer’s” success. If you’re not prepared for it, if you don’t really believe that you deserve it … the whole impostor syndrome thing, it just got worse.

Persons: Martin Luther King Jr, tugged, Hemingway, ”, Mona Susan Power’s, Nellie, Bear Gates, Susan Kelly Power Organizations: Academy, Harvard, Iowa, ’, PEN, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Minn, “, of Dolls Locations: Chicago, St, Paul, “

☆ Opinion | Justices Ignoring the ‘Scent of Impropriety’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “What Smells Off at the Court?,” by Michael Ponsor (Opinion guest essay, July 16):Judge Ponsor’s bewilderment at the loss of olfaction on the Supreme Court is spot on. As he explained, it isn’t that hard for a judge to catch even a faint whiff of the scent of impropriety. And you don’t have to be a federal judge to smell it. Another time, a company hoping to build a development on a Superfund site hosted a presentation for federal and municipal officials. The company’s spokesperson presented each city official with a goodie bag filled with stuff like baseball caps bearing the project’s name.

Persons: Michael Ponsor, Ponsor’s bewilderment Organizations: Justice Department

We also see knock-on benefits for rival Club name Meta Platforms (META), which unveiled its latest headset last week. Overall, Vision Pro, which debuted at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, should prove to be a net win for the Club portfolio. The stock market appears to be less impressed, with Apple stock under pressure since CEO Tim Cook presented the new devic e in a pre-recorded presentation Monday. Implications for Meta Vision Pro shouldn't be seen as a detriment to Meta's products , which currently dominant the AR/VR headset market. Apple CEO Tim Cook stands next to the new Apple Vision Pro headset is displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 05, 2023 in Cupertino, California.

Persons: Tim Cook, it's, We're, Goldman Sachs, Davidson, That's, Jim Cramer, Morgan Stanley, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Apple, holding's, Apple Watch, Club, Meta, Vision, Developers, Pro, D.A, Bank of America, IDC, Meta Vision, Unity Software, CNBC, Apple Vision, Apple Worldwide Locations: Cupertino , California

☆ Friday's kind of broad rally has eluded Wall Street for quite some time. We hope it has legs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Club name and Dow stock Caterpillar (CAT) was one of the leaders, soaring more than 8% and accounting for over 100 points of the 30-stock average's 700-point surge. Meanwhile, the tech darlings that have recently propelled the market higher — including top-performing Club stocks Nvidia (NVDA) and Meta Platforms (META) — took a relative backseat Friday. For that reason, it's a hopeful sign to see other sectors walk the runway in the Wall Street fashion show Friday. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Jim Cramer, —, industrials, Jim, haven't, Meta, OpenAI, it's, Dow, Jim Cramer's, Luke Sharrett Organizations: Dow, Caterpillar, Nvidia, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, fellow Club, Halliburton, HAL, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Big Tech, FactSet, industrials Honeywell, Emerson Electric, Natural Resources, Linde, LIN, CNBC, Whayne, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: U.S, Louisville , Kentucky

One is about the possibility that we’re going to have this super intelligent AI that’s capable of great destruction. casey newtonI think that’s right. But it’s just like — I don’t think — I don’t think about to do these things in the moment like Dan. I don’t think that there’s an ethical issue with doing what he wants to do. And yeah, I just think it’s going into an area that’s going to be uncomfortable for the friend.

Persons: kevin roose, casey newton, we’re, ” casey newton I’ve, kevin roose It’s, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, clowned, New York Times ’, Kate Conger, Casey, Ajeya Cotra, kevin roose Totally, Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, They’re, Kevin, Dan Hendricks who’s, “, “ I’m, don’t, you’re, I’m, — casey newton, it’s, ChatGPT, casey newton I’m, I’ve, Martinez, Varghese, kevin roose Tyler, —, Steven A, Schwartz, ”, they’re, it’ll, there’s, Mr, Bean, We’ve, James Vincent, It’s, Jensen Huang, Harry Potter, Harry Potter of, kevin roose —, casey newton Parallelelizable, Parallelizable, — casey newton Let’s, that’s, who’s, NVIDIA —, casey newton Well, doesn’t, katie cogner, Kate Conger who’s, katie cogner Hi, katie cogner I’m, Dan, what’s, Getty, casey newton Kate, let’s, John, Here’s John, john, kevin roose That’s, Kate, he’s, He’s, he’ll, casey newton That’s, There’s, we’ve, “ I’ve, ” Kate, cogner, Prince Harry, katie cogner Doesn’t, Harry, casey newton We’re, We’re, kevin roose Kate, they’ve, Joni Mitchell, Chris Vecchio, Chris, kevin roose I’m, You’d, casey newton “, you’ll, casey newton Oh, ” kevin roose Organizations: The New York Times, NVIDIA, New York Times, Safety, Google, AI, ChatGPT, Avianca Airlines, Delta Airlines, China Southern Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Royal Dutch Airlines, “, Bar Association, Texas, M University Commerce, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Harry Potter of Kentucky Christian, Facebook, eBay, “ New York Times, Boston, Garden, MetLife, TED, AIs Locations: British, Avianca, Durden, ChatGPT, Taiwan, Kentucky, Hogwarts, Harry Potter of Kentucky, California, Madison, —

☆ Opinion | It’s the End of Computer Programming As We Know It. (And I Feel Fine.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Farhad Manjoo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

could transform computer programming from a rarefied, highly-compensated occupation into a widely accessible skill that people can easily pick up and use as part of their jobs across a wide variety of fields. In situations where one needs a “simple” program … those programs will, themselves, be generated by an A.I. Welsh’s argument, which ran earlier this year in the house organ of the Association for Computing Machinery, carried the headline, “The End of Programming,” but there’s also a way in which A.I. could mark the beginning of a new kind of programming — one that doesn’t require us to learn code but instead transforms human-language instructions into software. Everyone is a programmer now — you just have to say something to the computer.”

Persons: —, DeepMind, ” Matt Welsh, there’s, “, ” Jensen Huang Organizations: Google, Apple, Association for Computing Machinery, Nvidia Locations: Google’s, Taiwan

☆ Beyoncé and Jay-Z Join the $100 Million Home Club
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Beyoncé and Jay-Z, no strangers to flashy real estate deals, reportedly upgraded from their $88 million mansion in Bel Air, Calif., to a $200 million Malibu property last month, officially erasing the line between going big and going home. The sale marks the most expensive residential real estate deal in California history — but not the most expensive in American history. That would be the $238 million sale in January 2019 of an unfinished penthouse on Central Park South, in Manhattan, to the billionaire hedge fund tycoon Kenneth C. Griffin. Still, California can claim 10 of the 20 most expensive property sales ever in the United States, according to data compiled by Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel appraisals. Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who have bought and sold multimillion-dollar homes in Miami, New Orleans and the Hamptons, are now in a rarefied club of celebrities who own properties worth $100 million or more.

Persons: Beyoncé, Tadao Ando, William Bell Jr, Kurt Rappaport, Rappaport, Kenneth C, Griffin, Jonathan Miller, Miller Samuel Organizations: Calif, Malibu, TMZ, Westside Estate Agency, Park, Hamptons Locations: Bel Air, California, Manhattan, , California, United States, New York, Florida, Connecticut, Miami , New Orleans

☆ In ‘Succession,’ the Very Rich Are Very, Very Different
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Meanwhile, the smaller TV audiences of the cable and streaming age have allowed “Succession” to thrive as a more specific and more niche entertainment. “Succession” can afford to be a rarefied, decadent pleasure, like an ortolan, the deep-fried songbird, eaten whole, that was featured in a memorable Season 1 meal. “Dallas,” like its followers from “Dynasty” through “Empire,” was in the populist soap-opera tradition of letting the audience delight in the woes of rich people. “Succession” has its crowd-pleasing and universal elements too. At root, the series’s family themes are talk-show simple: Hurt people hurt people.

☆ Buffett says people would rather give up a second car than an iPhone. Here's why Apple's business is so stellar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"If they had to give up a second car or give up their iPhone, they'd give up their second car. AAPL .SPX mountain 2016-05-16 Apple's stock performance versus the S & P 500 since May 16, 2016, the day Berkshire's stake in the iPhone maker was first disclosed. Buffett's comments Saturday were "very bullish on Apple," Jim said Monday during the Club's "Morning Meeting." Free cash flow is generally defined as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures or cash spent on purchases of plant, property and equipment (PP & E). Berkshire currently owns about 5.66% of the 15.82 billion Apple shares outstanding, according to FactSet.

☆ In the Footsteps of Charles III
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

No royal heir in British history has waited longer than Charles III, the king formerly known as the Prince of Wales, to ascend the throne. By contrast, Charles — the oldest Prince of Wales in British history to become king — was born a monarch-in-waiting and has had a lifetime to prepare. The public in turn has had a lifetime to get to know Charles, starting from his rarefied childhood in the public eye. But Charles was an unusually outspoken Prince of Wales. He has often waded into debates on unexpected topics like alternative medicine and organic farming (pro) and modernist architecture (against).

☆ Analysis: French pension standoff causing cracks in Macron's camp, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

With no sign of the protests abating, insiders question whether Borne's government has lost control of the political messaging necessary to appease the street. The situation has deteriorated considerably since Macron decided on March 16 to adopt the reform using special constitutional powers to bypass parliament. When asked about the divisions, the president's office said the majority of Macron's camp remained strong and united. "There are still ministers who are saying 'we should have done this or that', No!," the source lamented. An official in Borne's office said the prime minister had made efforts to preserve unity among ministers and lawmakers.

☆ Investing in Space: The latecomer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. A small group of Virgin Orbit employees are rolling back into the company's Long Beach, California, headquarters today. Virgin Orbit this week announced a partial resumption of operations, potentially bolstered by a surprising new backer: private investor Matthew Brown. A person close to the Virgin Orbit deal described Brown as a "latecomer" and said company leadership initially considered his bid "super fringe." From another investor's perspective, Virgin Orbit was "the most likely to succeed after Rocket Lab " in the small satellite launch market.

☆ ‘Tár,’ a Breath of Fresh Air, Deserves the Oscar for Best Picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Jason L. Riley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Few will be shocked if “Tár,” a psychological drama about a famous symphony orchestra conductor, wins Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday, and even fewer will be surprised if Cate Blanchett picks up the Best Actress award for playing the title character. She deserves it. “Tár” is much too long (2 hours and 38 minutes) and probably too self-consciously highbrow for mass appeal. This is a film that was made to win critical praise and prestigious prizes, not to draw the large crowds that turned out for other Best Picture nominees this year, such as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of the Water.” What recommends the film to people who might otherwise care little about the rarefied world of orchestral music is its timely and sober treatment of the #MeToo era, cancel culture and identity politics.

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, is thought to have a net worth of about $106 billion. Gates' own father was a high-powered attorney who became a name partner at the law firm K&L Gates. He's cultivated his brand of philanthropy with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, his endeavor with Melinda French Gates, now his ex-wife. (Brock Adams, who went on to become the transportation secretary in the Carter administration, is said to have introduced Gates' parents.) Bill Gates' mother, Mary Gates, came from a line of successful bankers and sat on the boards of important financial and social institutions including the nonprofit United Way.

☆ YouTube Made Emma Chamberlain a Star. Now She’s Leaving it Behind.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk YouTube Made Emma Chamberlain a Star. When it comes to YouTube videos or videos that are not podcasts, I don’t think I’ll ever be done with that. Has it become harder over time to move the cultural needle with a YouTube video? I don’t focus too heavily on the future for the reason you just explained: We don’t know what is next. I don’t know.

☆ Caterpillar, General Motors and more – Earnings season may present a buying opportunity for stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Portfolio managers are looking at earnings season and seeing opportunities to buy up more of their favorite stocks either at a discount or as they gain. The construction equipment manufacturer reported adjusted earnings per share of $4.27, excluding an unfavorable foreign currency impact of $0.41 per share. She said she added to the stock, noting China's reopening as a tailwind for Caterpillar in the next year. For Sarat Sethi, managing partner and portfolio manager at Douglas C. Lane & Associates, earnings has also given one of his picks, General Motors , a boost. GM 5D line gm "This was kind of a perfect earnings report that we've been hoping for for a long time," Sethi said.

☆ Prince Harry’s memoir opens at a record-setting sales pace
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK — No, the public has not tired of hearing about Prince Harry. Sales for “Spare” have placed the Duke of Sussex in some rarefied company. The sales figures for “Spare” include hardcover, audiobook and e-book editions sold in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Angela Weiss / AFP - Getty ImagesOne of the most highly anticipated memoirs in recent times, “Spare” is Harry’s highly personal and intimate account of his life in the royal family and his relationship with the American actor Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Michelle Obama’s memoir has since sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, its sales holding up over time in part because of highly favorable reviews.

☆ Shoppers lined up outside Aldi stores to buy Logan Paul and KSI's coveted Prime drink. The retailer used a clever strategy to lure customers in.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aldi confirmed it had sold out of Prime just one day after the drink hit its shelves. Aldi used clever strategy to create a notion of scarcity and lure customers in, experts told Insider. Experts say Aldi used a clever strategy to lure in shoppers by create a feeling of exclusivity and notion of scarcity. Logan Paul has 24.6 million Instagram followers and 23.6 million YouTube subscribers, while for KSI those numbers are 12.4 million and 16.1 million respectively. Aldi sold the drink at £1.99 a bottle, and Prime sold 12-packs for £24.99 ($29.60) on its UK website before they sold out.

Why did Field create Tár as a lesbian rather than a straight woman, or one of the great men themselves? The decision by director and screenwriter Todd Field to make Tár a lesbian unsettled me. The film’s core is not so much about a lesbian predator but about the more general use and abuse of power, including sexual power, that Lydia wields at will. So why did Field create Tár as a lesbian rather than a straight woman, or one of the great men themselves? — “Tár on Tár,” and is soon to conduct a landmark live recording of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No.

☆ Venture capitalists in New York City are ditching Patagonia vests for statement jackets and designer sneakers. Here's how 7 VCs are making personal style part of the job.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New York's venture capital scene is rapidly growing as more West Coast firms move in. Several of New York's venture capitalists said they draw their style from the city's vibrant arts scene. But now, some venture capitalists don't necessarily see the merit in dressing like one another. Whether it's a leather skirt, a pair of sneakers, or a fleece vest, most venture capitalists told Insider that their work style boils down to one thing: personal power. Here are seven venture capitalists who take their style as seriously as their investments.

☆ ‘Vermeer’s Secrets’ Review: A Master Under the Microscope
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Mary Tompkins Lewis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

WashingtonThe disparate realms of art and science have often converged in attempts to explicate the rarefied and indescribably beautiful paintings of Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). Revered by his fellow painters in Delft, the Dutch artist fell into obscurity after his death, in part because of the scarcity of his output. Vermeer’s rediscovery by 19th-century scholars, connoisseurs, and especially the French art critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger spurred a crucial reassessment of his art, his stature in Holland’s Golden Age likened to that of Rembrandt. While only about 35 works can now be ascribed with certainty to the artist, a smattering of others—including likely copies, outright counterfeits, and paintings inspired by his own—have been considered over the years as candidates for inclusion in his prestigious oeuvre. “Vermeer’s Secrets,” a small exhibition at the National Gallery of Art that is drawn exclusively from its own holdings, navigates this contested territory with the aid of new research and imaging technology, and the results are as riveting as they are convincing (the show is a prelude to the Vermeer retrospective to be held in 2023 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam).

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