Chicken: It's the Other Other White Meat
Published on 08/08/2021Sanderson Farms, the nation’s third largest poultry producer, is being acquired for $4.53 billion as the price of chicken soars.
Interactive Chatbot
Published on 08/08/2021Microsoft filed a patent this year that would allow the company to digitally revive deceased loved ones as chatbots, using their data. This won’t just be a basic chatbot like what you see on social media; in fact the AI-based chatbot that would be built upon the whole profile of a person, including their images, voice data, social media posts, electronic message style and habits, to name a few.
Where the Wood At? Part Deux
Published on 08/03/2021As we talked about in our article “Where the Wood At?” wood costs have skyrocketed over the last year, leaving would-be home renovators to choose between waiting in price purgatory or moving forward and possibly overpaying.
Activision Sued for "Bro Culture"
Published on 07/27/2021California legislators sued video game developer Activision Blizzard recently, citing its “pervasive ‘frat boy’ culture” and mistreatment of women employees. Following a two-year investigation into the company, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) claims that female employees were routinely discriminated against.
$15 Wage is Norm? Employers Struggle to Fill Jobs
Published on 07/26/2021Businesses, particularly in the restaurant, retail and travel industries, have been offering a $15 wage to try to fill enough jobs to meet surging demand from consumers, millions of whom are now spending freely after a year in lockdown. And many of the unemployed, buoyed by stimulus checks and expanded jobless aid, feel able to hold out for higher pay.
Who Knew Gaming Could Be So Profitable?
Published on 07/25/2021Forget forex, deep-six stocks, find me a sealed copy of Super Mario 64! A sealed copy of the Nintendo 64 classic recently sold at auction for a whopping 1.56 million dollars. The distinguishing mark for this sale? Wata Games, a games grading firm, graded this particular copy of Super Mario 64 a rare 9.8, making it the highest-graded copy on record. Not bad for a 25-year-old game.
Tokyo Olympics Open With Controversy
Published on 07/21/2021Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics opened this week; yes that’s right 2020, because COVID. And man, has it been rocky for Japan during this time. Not only is Tokyo facing a six-month high in COVID-19 cases, but their Olympic Committee has seen a ton of controversy.
We Didn't Start the Fire (but the ATF blamed us anyway)
Published on 07/11/2021It comes as no surprise that every year on the 4th of July that fireworks are bought and set off in colorful displays in celebration. You may be more surprised to know that fireworks are legal in 46 states with varying restrictions depending on the state. By fireworks, we mean things that don’t require a permit, like bottle rockets, sparklers, and roman candles.
July 2021
Published on 06/30/2021Of course, when you think of July you think of the 4th of July (which is a bank holiday that will be observed on the 5th). The birthday of America aka party in the USA. But what else happens in July? Nathan Bedford Forrest Day (July 13th, observed in Tennessee), Bastille Day (July 14th), Rural Transit Day (July 16th), Pioneer Day (July 25th, observed in Utah), Parents’ Day (July 25th), National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (July 27th).
Lights! Camera! Matter?
Published on 06/21/2021Lights! Camera! Matter? Wait, what? Yes, that’s right- we can now get matter from light. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has the ability to transform matter into energy and then back into different forms of matter. Even cooler, on rare occasions, the Large Hadron Collider can skip the first step and collide pure energy.
June 2021
Published on 06/02/2021We are sure you’ve noticed all of the rainbow colored items show up in stores around June 1st. No, it is not rainbow unicorn appreciation month - June is Pride Month. There are some other important dates within the month of June. For example, World Environment Day (June 5th), World Oceans Day (June 8th), World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15th), Juneteenth (June 19th), Father’s Day (June 20th which is immediately followed by the first day of summer), and National Insurance Awareness Day (June 28th).
Leave Me A-Loan
Published on 05/30/2021If you are a student, then you know that time after time you’ve given your money to pay back student loans. Unfortunately, if you still owe on your student loans, the plan to forgive $10K of what you owe has been cut from the U.S. budget, at least for now. It would have been interesting to see how canceling the debt would impact the credit score of students, especially since the average student debt has risen from about $36K to $39K per student from 2019 to 2020.