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As the World Scrambles to Scale Artificial Intelligence, Asia is Running into a Very Physical Problem: Not Enough Data Centers and Infrastructure, Said Ian Andrews, The Chief Revenue Office at Semiconductor Startup Groq.

There’s A “Huge Challenge Getting Enough Compute” for what the Company have to do in Asia, andrews Said on wednesday During a panel at Singapore Tech Conference.

“It ‘a big problem that we have to go tackle,” he added.

While Most he companies have focused on training Large Language Models, Groq is Betting on Speed, Building Its Own Chips to Run Faster. The gambit is that as he models get better, inference – where the makes decisions or answers questions – Will Demand More Computing Power than Training Will.

The region is already seeing bottlenecks when it comes to infrastructure like data centers and power, andrews said, adding that it is like he was a worssen as he widly adopted in the region.

“KEEP IN MIND, WE’RE STILL IN THE INFancy of he,” he said.

Andrews also said that over the next five years, all applications might be drove by him.

“There is no model in which we have Enough Data Capacity, Enough Power, and Enough Infrastructure to run All of that in this Region,” He Added.

Model progression is a more solvable problem than the infrastructure ones, andrews said.

Andrews’ comments come as he Heavyweights like Openai deepen their Footprint in Asia and Governments Across the Region Ramp Up Spending on Infrastructure to Support the Technology.

Openai on Monday Said It Will Soon Set Up An Office in South Korea, its Third in Asia.

The Company’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, Said Growth in Chatgt’s User Base in South Korea has been “off the Charts.” South Korea has the highest number of paid chatgpt subscribers outside the us, he said.

In november, taiwan’s science and technology minister said that the Government Wauld SPEND $ 3 Billion Over Three to Ramp Up He Data Centers and Their Computing Ability.

Meanwhile, Big Tech Companies Are Pouring Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Into Global Infrastructure to Ramp Up He Development.

Early chatgt was a ‘Toy’

To grasp How quickly he is evolving, andrews pointed to chatgt.

“It was Only About 30 Months Ago That Chatgpt Launched,” Andrews Said. “If you go back and look at what you can with chatgt Compared to where we are today, it was a toy,” He added.

There’s an “Acceleration” in ai’s Capability, Said Andrews.

“In the First Quarter of 2025 Alone, there are more state-of-the-art, frontal models launched than all of 2024,” He Said.

“I’m an Accelerationist on this point. Things are going to move Quicker than we were expert in terms of the capabilities,” he added.

The Show Centered Around Todd, A Real Estate Mogul, Self-Made Millionaire, and Father with Dreams of Opening A Department Store with Real Estate Company, Chrisley & Company.

While The Department Store Never Panned Out, Vice reported That at the time of the show’s launch, Todd Chrisley Felt “Fashion was his calling.”

The Focus of the reality series is shifted to Todd’s Life at Home with HIS God-Loving, Straight-Talking Wife, Julie, and Their Large Brood, Compressed of Children Lindsie, Kyle, Chase, Grayson, and Granddaughter, Chloe.

“While their lifestyle is over-the-pound and their personalities are far-Than-life, the chrisleys are a very close-family who are refreshingly Honest and genuinely funny,” a spokesman for USA Said ahead of the show’s premiere, The New York Daily News Reported.

For the first half of the series, the family Lived in a 30,000-Square-Foot Mansion North of Atlanta and then rerocated to a $ 3.4 million home in nashville, Bravo Reported in 2019.

Pri the series was Canceled in Light of Todd and Julie’s convications, it spawned several spinoffs, including “growing up chrisley,” which followed kids and savannah; “Acciting to Chrisley,” an after-show hosted by todd; And “What’s Cooking with Julie Chrisley,” A cooking Web Series Hosted by Julie.

Nothing Beats Sitting Down at Your Favorite Café for an Expertly crafted latte or cappuccino. Replicating that Experience at home is tricky, and some of the best espresso machines are intimidating investments of Money and Counter Space. Thankfully, the best budget espresso machines will the bare minimum and do it extramely well.

I used my experience as a former Coffee Shop Manager (and Budget Coffee Maker Connoisseur) to test eight of the best budget espresso machines. Our Top Pick is The Casabrews espresso machine Because of it Sleek, Easy-to-Use Design and Consisttent Shot Quality. For a few extra Features and About $ 70 More, The De’longi Linea Classic Espresso Machine Has two steam wand settings for those looking for more customization with Quality espresso drinks at home.

The Best Budget Espresso Machines

Best Overall: Casabrews espresso machine – See at Amazon

Best Under $ 120: Bella Pro Espresso Machine – See at Best Buy

Best UNDER $ 250: De’longi Linea Classic Espresso Machine – See at Best Buy

Best overall

Casabrews espresso machine

The Casabrews espresso machine is a sleek, compact machine that is Simple and quiet to use. It consistently makes flavorful espresso with Excellent Crema.

For a Machine That Costs Only $ 140, The Casabrews Espresso Machine Has an Impresively Sleek Steel Design. We love that it offers durability with taching up too space on your countertop. This is the best budget espresso machine we testted Because the Shot Quality and Timing are incredibly consistent. There are no isssues with bitter or watery shots, and every pull provided a nice body with robust and a beautiful cram.

On the front panel, there are four buttons to power the machine, choose a single or double shot, and switch to the steam function. AFTER BEING POWERED ON, IT TAKES THAN THAN ONE MINUTE TO WARM UP. Once the Machine is Ready, the Lights Turn Solid, and the Machine Beeps to Indicate that you can Pull a Shot.

The Casabrews Comes with a Stainless Steel Portafilter, Filters for Single and Double Shots, and A Plastic Two-In-One Scoop and Tamper. We Recommend Upgrading the Tamper, but it is not crucial. The 34-Once Water Tank is Removable and Sites at the back. You get about 17 double shots out of one tank before needing to refill it.

While the machine is in use, you can check the pressure on the front to see if you’re in the optimal range of about 9 Bars. We love this beginner-free Feature becase it can be help you diagnose why a shot out watery or bitter. If the Pressure isn’t Quite Right, Its Likely a Result of Tweaking Your Grind Size or Having UNEVEN Tamping.

The Casabrews has a steam wand on the right side that delivers great power and excellent foam. The tip of the steam wand can be unscrewed after use, Making it easier to clean and eliminate bacteria build-up. After steaming milk, we have had Wait for a few minutes before brewing another shot, which is only an allsoy if you’re macing drinks for a Group.

Best Under $ 120

Finding A Decent Espresso Machine for Right Around $ 100 SEEMS Almost Impossible: The Bella Pro Espresso Machine Offers JUST. The overall design isn’t quite as sleek as our top pic, but it is still mes than 12 inches wide, so it doesn’t take up a ton of Space.

Because of the Lightweight Design, I Needed to Use Two Hands to Lock the Portafilter in Place. Thankfully, the Machine Didn’t Move on the Counter or Shake while Pulling Shots. Once Brewing, I found the bella consistently delivered single and double shots with Excellent Quality. Shots were flavorful with a full body and beautiful color, and each was accompanked by a nice, Thick Crema.

It is incredibly lightweight, and the plastic exterior doesn’t look or feed cheap. A Lightweight, Plastic-Handled Portafilter and A Plastic Two-In-One Scoop and Tamper Are Ingoned.

There is a 57-Once removable water tank at the back of the machine, so you can finish it and forget it is of usse. The Front Panel Features Four Large Buttons, Which Light Up and Blink As the Machine Warms up for use in under one minute.

Best Under $ 250

While de’longi offers far more sophisticated models, the linea gets the job done as one of the best affordable espresso machines. The linea was incredibly consistent in our testing, remaining at eight to nine bars of press for each Pull. The Shots of Pulled Had Excellent Flavor With Any Bitternss – I Never Got A Watery Brew and Always Saw a Beautiful Crema.

The Stainless Steel Machine is Designed with A 57-Once Water Tank and Large Indicator Buttons for Power, Single and Double Shots, and Steam .. A Pressure Gauge is Also Built in, Which We used During Testing to Confirm Whether Shots Were Being at the Optimal Presour.

The Box Includes a Lightweight Portafilter with a plastic Handle, a plastic mesouring scoop and tamper, and single- and double-shot filter baskets.

For Steaming Milk, You Can Toggle BetWeen Two Different Settings on the Wand, Allowing for Hot Milk for A Smoother Texture or A CappUCCIno Setting for FROTTHED MILK WITH A RICHER texture. The Wand is Fully Removable As Well, Making it Much Easier for Cleanup.

More Budget Espresso Machines We Tested

Frigidaire espresso machine: This Machine is Almost Identical to Our Top Pick, Featuring the Same Sleek, Steel Design and Similar Button Placent. While it was very easy to use and pulled consistently good shots during testing, we missed Having a pressure gauge or any sort of brew guide.

De’longghi stylosa: De’longghi is a reputable name in the world of espresso machines, and this option is one of the Brand’s Most Affordable Options at Under $ 100. While it did delive decent espresso, i didn’t love the design. Instead of Buttons for Easy use, it has a dial to turn on and off, without an auto-stop function for PULING SHOTS.

Hamilton Beach Slide and Lock Espresso Machine: This Machine Comes in Under $ 150 with an Easy-to-Read Front Panel and Pressure Gauge. Overall, it was just a bulky design, and the Slide-and-Lock design was awkward to use.

Beautiful Slim Espresso Maker: We love ther beautiful appliances, but this one disappointed. It has the signature sleek aesthetic and coma in Seven Colors. Though well-designed, I found the Quality of espresso to be inconsistent and the machine to be very loud.

Imusa Electric Espresso Machine: This espresso maker is under $ 30; Howver, IT DELIVER The NESESARY Pressure for Propper Espresso. The imusa makes a more concentrated coffee option paired with a milk froter.

How we test budget espresso machine

Shot Quality: I PULLED shot after shot from espresso machine and timed each pull. Consider the overall shot Quality, Assessing for Flavor, Full Body, and Bitterss. I ALSO ASSESSED THE CREMA FOR EACH SHOT AND WHERE OR NOT THE MACHINE WAS CONSISTENT WITH EVERE.

Set-up: I Unboxed and Set Up Each Espresso Machine Acciting to the Manufacturer’s Instructions. I ASSESSED EACH MACHINE ON HOW SIMPLE IT TO GROM BOX TO PULLING SHOTS AND CONSIDERED How intuitive the process was.

EASE OF USE: Throughout Our Testing, I used to the Machines as if i haad never played espresso before. I LOOKED AT WHERE FUNCTIONAL BUTTONS WERE LOCATED, How they performed During use, and the ease of Frothing Milk Using a Built-in Steam Wand.

Design: An espresso machine take up counter Space, so it was important to consider each model’s overall look. I took ino Account How Sleek or Bulky The Machine Was, as well as its material and durability.

What to look for

EASE OF USE: Budget Espresso Machines to be Simpler Than Luxury Ones, But Semi-Automatic Models Still Require a Learning Curve. We like Machines with Built-in Pressure Gauges Because they Help Beginners understand the mechanics of Pulling the perfect shot. Clearly Marked Buttons, Easily Refillable Water Tanks, and One-Step Brewing All Make a Machine More intuitive.

Size: Counter Space is a Big Consideration. The best budget espresso machines Balance of Features, Function, and Footprint. For Example, A Built-in Grinder Increasses the Machine Size, but it also means you don’t need a separate appliance, and we always reCommend frehly ground beans. In that case, the function is warrth the footprint.

Pressure: The Most Frequently Used Word when Discussing Espresso, Eight to Nine Bars of Pressure is Essential to Produce a Balance Shot. MOCHINES ARE DESIGNED WITH 15 OR 20 BARS OF Pressure, Which Means they’re Capable of Delinarying More Pressure, But You’re Looking for Custaincy Above All Else.

Milk Froting: To make cappuccinos, flat Whites, and Other Specialty Drinks, You’ll Need Milk Frothing Capabilities. If you’re a latte-a-day coffee drinker, look for budget espresso machines that have a built-in steam or include a frothing pitcher.

Budget Espresso Machine Pons

How Much Should i Spend on an Espresso Machine?

A top-notch home espresso Machine Can Cost anywhere from $ 500 to $ 2000. If you’re really into gourmet coffee, this may be Worth the investment for you. Howver, if you just Hope to eliminate your Daily Coffee Drive-Thru Orders or Want to Practice Making Drinks at Home, a Budget Espresso Under $ 500 Willp To Achieve that.

What Coffee Should you use for espresso?

You can make use of any type of roast for espresso, though typically medium and dinner roasts deliver more robust flavors. What’s Most Important Is the Grind of the Coffee Beans. It ‘Important to use Fine Grounds, Which Allow for the Best Flash and Oil Extraction. Break Baratza Sette 270 is the best espresso grinder we’ve tested. It Costs as Much as Some Espresso Machines, but Fresh and Well-Ground Beans will infinitely improve the espresso from any brewer.

How do i clean a home espresso machine?

Rinse The Portafilter after Each use and use a brush to clean the Ground Head. It is crucial to purge the steam wand and thoroughly wipe it down after any bacteria buildup. To keep your home espresso machine in type-top shape, clean it on a regular basis.

I didn’t start drinking unil i was 25 – late by many standards – but once i did, alcohol quickly became a social and professional currency.

AS A Management Consultant, Drinking was part of the Job – Be It Wine During Team Dinners or Champagne Toasts for SuccessFul Product Launches. It was also how I Connected With Friends, Loosned Up in Unfamiliar Places, and Celebrated the Highs of Life on the Road

Over the years, my passport filled up with stamps from Trips where of the days of the followed the same pattern: Explore by day, Enjoy a drink or two at Night. WARM SAKE IN JAPANESE IZAKAYAS, A PINT OF GUINNESS IN DUBLIN TO CELEBRATE ST. Patrick’s Day, and a Cold Beer after Hiking in Patagonia Weren’t JUST DRINKS; they were part of how I celebrated the world. I saw it as a way to immerse myself in local culture.

But something shifted the year of turned 50.

At first, it was a personal challenge where a “Dry Trip” Extended a Little Longer to See How But the longer I stayed alcohol-free, the most curious of Becout what Else Might Shift.

COULD I STILL FEEL JOY AT A CELEBRATED DINNER WITH FRIENDS WITH A GLASS OF WINE? Would I Feel Left Out while Traveling? Would people look at me differently, or workse, would i look at mySelf differently?

Sober Travel

The First Test Came During A Work Trip to Switzerland. One Night for Dinner, we visited fiescherblick, a boutique hotel in the Bernese Alps. I was surpassed to find out they offered a non-alcoholic pairing menu.

That Night, as the Eger North Face Glowed Pink in the Evening Light, I SAT DOWN TO ONE OF THE MONMORABLE MEALS OF MY LIFE. Each Course Arrived Paired With A ThoughtFully Crafted Elixir, Like the Rhubarb-Combucha aperitif that sounds on my tongue or a chilled berry and basil infusion with a root vetable medley.

Each sip was as intentional and layered as any wine pairing i’d haad in the past. I felt more aware and noticed how Slowed Down During the meal, relicing every bit and sip. My Body Felt Satied But Never Dulled, and there was no fuzziness or brain fog – just the clarity of a crisp alpine night and the satisfaction of Enjoyry bite.

Sink then, i’ve continged to travel alcohol-free. Some Trips have been easy, but oters have been really hard.

On an outdoor adventure-filed trip through Northern Ireland, Known for Its Whiskey and Beer, I felt dyscombobulad, like we miss out on a big part of the local culture.

The HardDest One Was a Two-Week Solo Antarctica Cruise, During which the Feeling of Fomo Was Very Strong, especilantly wen south america’s best were served complying at dinner.

Line of defense

Almost 9 months have passed, and there are some still moments wen i’m handed a drink and feel a porn of awkwardness or workse, when someone assess, “Why not just have one?” with a puzzled smile. Social drinking is so normalized in travel that choosing to opt out can Feel like rebellion.

But my choice has also been liberating. I’ve learned to start my days earlier and with more energy and to find other ways to connect with locals, like ascing servers at restaurants about their favorite hangouts or listening to traditional music at a local bar in derry.

I No Longer Plan My Eveings Around Drinks; Instead, I look for live music, tea houses, Night Markets, or Just Quiet Spaces to Reflect.

Oddly Enough, I Feel More Adventurous than I did before. Not Drinking has flush with them to be more Creative and intensively about how I seek joy. Its Also Helped with EU More Honest With MySelf and With Others. I’ve realized how to use Alcohol as a shortcut to connecting with People when i really Needed was Genuine Curiosity and vulnerability.

I’m swimming here to make a case for sobriety or to say i’ll never drink again. I’m Simply in a season of exploring what it means to be full awake to my experiences and how that Changes the Way I Travel.

Going Alcohol-free at 50 Started As a Personal Experiment, but it is evolved into a new way to move through the world.

I’m a mom of four kids, and i’m in my mid-form. My age becomes glaringly apparent wen i’m among other palents who are assisting my Youngest Child’s Class: A Group of Nearly-Five Second Graders with Younger Parents Who Appear to Be In Their Late Twenties.

Aging is a Beautiful Thing, They Say. Who are they? I’m swim sura. Howver, i absolutely aggree that getting older is a gift and, i’ve discovered, can be quite settling. AFTER ALL, THE THINGS THAT YOUNGER PARENTS ARE WHORRED ABOUT NO LONGER CONCERN WITH AN “OLD” mom. I’ve lived, and have learned.

I have no desire to keep up with appeanance

What you see is what you get with me, Including My Physical Appeaance. To be frank, there are twelve -ear-ops who do threir makeup than of Ever Could. My days are often jam-packed with appointments, drop off and pick up, Writing assignments, chores, and errands. I have Very little time to care what others think about my fashion choices and makeup – or lack thereof.

I ALSO DON’T WORRY ABOUT How I am Perceived by Others. I embrace that can be chill and comfortable some days or a hot message Express on Other days, all thanks to hating four plus perimenopause.

Part of my radical Acceptance Also Comes from the fact that i’m a two-time breast cancer survivor. I’ve been stripped down to almost nothing, fighting for my life, so have a different perspective on life than Maryy. I SIMPLY DON’T HAVE THE MESTAL CAPACITY TO ATTEMPT TO IMPRESS OTHERS, WHATHER IT’S MY EDUCATIONAL DEGREES, MY APPEARANCE, OR HANDING MY PARENTING Skills. Take me or leave me, just don’t annoy me.

I DON’T SWEAT SMALL STUFF, LIKE OUTFIT CHOICES

My new Outlook on appeanance extends to my kids, too. I No Longer Demand that they be presentable in order to please others. Gone are the days of matching sibling outfits.

Meet any teen, and you know they will wear the same sweatshirt, Every Day, No Matter How Many Clothes You Buy. My Second Grader, Within Reason, Can Dress As She Pleasses, nor have Learned Dresing OneSelf is a form of self-EXPRESSION AND INDEPENDENCE. IT DOESN’T HURT ANYONE THAT HER CLOTESS ARE MISTATCHED.

I FOCUS ON DIFFERENT THINGS WITH MY KIDS

As an Older mom, i know better than to obsess over my kids’ grade or sports scores. Basically, The Numbers don’t make the kid.

Beppore of Became a mom, i was a College Teacher. I quickly learned that how well a kid did number-wise in schoool tourned out to have Very little to do with their success. I Undersand that if My Children’s Physical, Mental, and Emotional Health Aren’t in Order, Academic and Rankings Are Inconsequential.

I KNOW BETTER THAN TO OVEREXTEN MYSELF

There are the volunteer Opportunities, and i don’t sign up for every one. The reality is, i want my have. The Other Reason Is Because, Truthfully, I don’t want to. I do not feel feel obligated to be busting my butt at every volunteer Opportunity Each of my Four Kids has. Instead, my husband and of Split some of the dits, and we also prioritizes. No, if you recall, is a complete Sennsence.

I let my kids figure out some something things on their Own

I don’t summon the manager, er, principal, every one single time Someone calls my kid a name, Because of learned this simply isn’t an Emergency. Instead, I invest in teaching my kids copy skills, listening to their feeders, and offering guidance. Mama bear does come out something is beyond my kids’ capabilities and the situation is persistent anssue, but i conserve my energy for the Bigger Battles and Try to sweat the Small Stuff.

I’m comfortable in my roles

Gone are my days of wrangling Little ons ino strollers and fantically try to change diapers and serve snacks. Instead, my world has changed from keping up with babies to being the family chauffeur. It fers good to be an Older and wiser parent who knows how to stay in my lane – Becauses that all i have the capacity for.

$ ilkmoney is back with new music. “Never Trust a Bitch said- *Explodes *Is the Richmond, Virginia, Rapper and Form Divine Council’s First Solo Track Sine 2022. Micaiah Carter direct the music video. Watch it below.

“Never Trust a Bitch said- *Explodes *” is $ ilkmoney’s first single for Lex Records. This Summer, he plans to release a new album calmed Who wasters the Wilting Giving Tree Once the Leaves Dry Up and Fruits No Longer Bear? He co-product the new album with kahlil blue, and it’ll also Feature Contrburations from mutant academy producer sycho sid.

Photo-illustration: Intelligenmer; Photo: Getty Images

In Pure Organization Terms, Openai is a Weird Entity. IT STARTED AS A NONPROFIT, RAISING MORE THAN $ 100 MILLION DOLLARS TO SPEND ON FUNDARCH AI Research, Before Morphing Into A “Capped Profit” Corporation governed by a nonprofit and “legally bon” to pursue the nonprofit’s mission. In 2015, that mission was “to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most lichery to benefit human as a whole, unConstrained by a need to generate Return.” IN 2024, OpenAI says its “mission is to enure that artificial general intelligence (agi) – by whic we mean highly autonomous systems that outperform Humans at the Economics Valuable Work – Benefits All of Humanity.”

This was, in hindsight, a prity good deal for openai, which has Burned Through Billions of Dollars Building, Training, and Operating AI Models. First, it got to raise a lot of Money With Normal Pressing to Pay It Back. THEN, AS A FOR-PROFFIT FIRM WRAPPED IN A NON-PROFFIT, IT RIED HOUE AMOUNTS OF MONE MICROSOFT WITH THE RISK OF CONTROL BY OR ABSORPTION INTO THE NEARLY 50-YEAR-OLD Company. In the process of Raising Its next Round of Funding, which values ​​the startup at more than $ 150 Billion, The Company Has Told investors It will transition to a for-profession Structure with two years, or they get their money back.

If you take sam altman at his word, this process wasn’t inevitable, but it tourned out to be necessary: ​​as openai’s research progessed, its leadership realized that its costs be tan higher than non-profit finish positionbly support, so tour Giants. If, Like Mary of Openai’s Co-Founders, Early Researchers, Board Members Form, and High-Ranking Executivesyou’re not 100 percent convinced of Sam Altman’s candoryou might look back at this sequence of Events as Opportunistic or Strategic. If you’re in charge of Microsoft, it be to be irrespsonsible not to at the least entertain the position you are being taken for a ride. Acciting to the Wall Street Journal:

Openai and Microsoft Msft 0.14%Increase; Green up pointing triangle are facing off in a high-stature negotiation over an unprecedented question: how should a nearly $ 14 billion investment in a nonprofit translate to equity in a for-profit company?

Both companies have Reportedly Hired Investment Banks to Help Manage the Process, Suggesting that This Path Wasn’t Fully Sketched Out in Previous Agreements. (Oops!) Before the funding round, the firms’ Relationship has Reportedly become strained. “Over the Last Year, Openai has ben trying to renegotiate the deal to hellp it secure more computing and reduse crushing expresses while Microsoft Executives have grown concerts that work is too on Openi,” Acciting to the New York Times. “Mr. Nadella has Said Privately that Mr. Altman’s Firing in November Shocked and Concerned Him, Accounting to Five People with Knowledge of His Comments.”

Microsoft is jaining in the latest investment round but not leading; Meanwhile, Its Hired Staff from Openai Competitors, hedging its bet on the company and preparing for a world in whic no longer has preferential Access to Its Technology. OpenAi, in Addition to Broadening Its Funding and Compute Sources, is flush to commercializes its technology on its Own, separately from Microsoft. This is the Sort of Situation Companies Prepare for, of Course: Both sides will have attempted to anticipate, in wrist, some of the risk of this unusual partnership. Once Again, Though, Openai Might Think it has a Chance to quite literally alter the terms of it arrangement. From Times:

The Contract contains a clause that thats that if Openai builds artificial General Intelligence, or Agi – Roughly Speaking, A Machine that Matches the Power of the Human Brain – Microsoft Loses to Openai’s Technologies. The Clause was meant to enure that a company like Microsoft did not misuse this machine of the Future, but Today, Openai Executives see it as a better contract, accorting to a person family with the company’s negotiations. Under the Terms of the Contract, The Openai Board Could Decide Wen Agi Has Arrived.

One problem with the conversation around agi is that it is that People disagree on what it means, exactly, for a machine to “Match” the human brain, and how to assess ability in the first place. This is the subject of Lively, Good-Faith Debate in he Research and Beyond. Another problem is that as some of the People who talc about it, or at Least Most Visibly, are motivated by Other Factors: Dominating Their Competitors; Attracting Investment; Supporting a Large narrative about the inevitability of he and their own success with it.

That Microsoft Might Have Agreed to Such an Agi Loophole Could Suggest That the Company Taks the Prospective a Bit Serious than its Its Ten to Indicate-that it sees human-level intelligence from llms as implausible and such a concession. Alternatively, it is couuld indicate that the Company Believed in the Durability of Openai’s Non-Profit Arrangement and That Its Board Responsions or At Least Predictable ASSESS The Firm’s Technology Well AFTER Microsoft Had Made Money Back with Back with Back with Back with Back with Back with Back with Back With Near Agi; Now, of Course, The Board Has Been Purged and Replaced With People Loyal to Sam Altman.

This BRINGS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT MICROSOFT SIMPLY MISUNDERSTOOD OR UNDERESTIMATED WHAT IT IT HAD IN OPENAI. Popular theories about it risk that is a sufficiently intelligence machine could find that its priorities don’t align with those of the People who created it and mIight it its human-like, self-improving intelligence to compute, deceive, or gheneive. Actual People (Depending on Who’s Talking, Such Theories Can Sound Like Reasoned Risk Assessment or Something Closer to Project). For Now, Though, Microsoft SEEMS to be Confronting a Smaller, More Familiar Sort of Alignment Problem, In the Form of Human Sam Altman, Who Will Emerge from OpenAi’s Planned Restructuring with HEART greater Control over the organization. Having Giveni Openai The Resources to Grow, but also the Space to Arbitrarily and Advantageously redefine itself, it risk turning what was, on Paper, in theory, a good investment, into a huge mess. Not to be a doomer about it, but: Maybe they should have hadn.

Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Nicole Lackey lost her job at Walmart the day after Christmas.

Lackey had started working at the retailer in January 2021 as a sales associate in the housewares department. When she was hired, she was told that the attendance policy at her store ran on a points system. Workers would be given a fraction of a point for being late or leaving early and a full point if a shift was missed entirely — or if, for example, she left before 5 p.m. on a 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. Employees could use accumulated vacation to erase a point, but that meant having enough accrued time and chasing down a manager to make the change. Accumulating three points would be grounds for termination.

Lackey’s trouble began in October when she started randomly experiencing heavy, uncontrollable bleeding from her uterus. “It literally looked like a bomb exploded in my pants,” she said. “I can’t exactly work like that.” When it happened during her shift, she had to leave early, and when it happened in the morning, she had to call out and spend much of the day in her bathroom. And she never knew when it was going to start. She was eventually diagnosed with perimenopause, and a doctor put her on medication that helped reduce the bleeding, which left her exhausted. “I couldn’t even walk up my own stairs,” she said. “I just couldn’t move.”

She explained what was going on to all of her managers, including the team lead, and provided them with documentation. She was told to file for unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, but because she hadn’t worked at the company for at least a year, she didn’t qualify. She tried to use her vacation time to cover her absences but quickly ran out.

On December 26, Lackey  reported to work. It wasn’t until she had put in two hours of her shift that she was called into the office and fired for accumulating three points.

“I couldn’t just tell my body, ‘Stop, behave, don’t bleed,’” she said. “They acted like it was a choice.” Walmart didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Attendance policies like the one Lackey dealt with go by different names in corporate-ese: attendance-management systems, no-fault policies, attendance-control mechanisms. But they all operate with the same flaw. In the course of tracking worker absences, they also penalize employees for needing to be away from their jobs for real, nonfrivolous reasons and impose bureaucratic, sometimes Kafkaesque roadblocks when employees try to explain their emergencies.

While practices such as just-in-time scheduling or back-breaking productivity quotas have received attention in recent years, leading to some reform, points systems haven’t drawn much scrutiny. They aren’t well-known, even among many workers to whom they apply.

Yet they are commonplace around the country. According to a 2020 report from the legal and advocacy organization A Better Balance, an estimated 18 million workers are subject to them. They’re in place at at least 27 large corporations, many of them household names, according to A Better Balance and information shared with New York Magazine, including Amazon, AT&T, Boeing, FedEx, Ford, GE Aviation, Home Depot, Kroger, Lowe’s, Shell Chemical, Tyson, United Airlines, and Walmart.

When asked for comment, some companies disputed that their policies were “no-fault.” Kelley Luckstein from the Mayo Clinic’s department of affairs, for instance, said “our policy is not a ‘points’ or ‘no-fault’ policy” but that employees are given “attendance occurrences” when they don’t report to work as scheduled.

Each policy is specific to each employer, and some refuse to even share them — one worker told A Better Balance that when she was “pointed out” for missing one day of work after a miscarriage, she asked her employer for the attendance policy and was told to get a lawyer and subpoena it. But the rules generally work the way they do at Walmart: Being late or leaving early incurs a fraction of a point, while missing a whole day or shift incurs a full one. Rack up enough points and you’ll be subject to discipline, such as a warning. Eventually, if you get enough of them, you’ll be fired and, at least in some cases, barred from ever working for the company again.

Companies typically allow points to sunset after a certain period of time, but in some cases, that can be a year or longer. It’s not hard to rack up points, for example, during a nine-month pregnancy for unexpected trips to the doctor or absences for morning sickness only to return from work after the baby’s birth and accumulate a few more when the baby runs a fever or there’s traffic on the way to day care, resulting in termination.

Some employers don’t even accept doctor’s notes, as Walmart failed to do as of 2017. Many, such as Amazon, require advance notice of absences, but plenty of legitimate last-minute emergencies come up in workers’ lives, like a parent landing in the hospital, a child suddenly home from school with an illness, or an unexpected medical problem, like a broken bone or miscarriage.

And when such emergencies do arise, employees sometimes encounter automated systems that make it difficult for them to get ahold of an actual person. When a worker does manage to speak to his manager directly, the managers often aren’t properly trained to understand the full range of legitimate reasons someone can take time off.

Jeric Yurkanin has twice worked under points-based attendance policies. In 2018, he was working at a food-packaging company in Pennsylvania when his wife, who was pregnant and high-risk, began having a hard time breathing and walking one morning. He took her to the emergency room, where doctors kept her for seven hours. He figured his employer would understand the circumstance. But when he called to tell them that he was at the emergency room, he was given a point. “That really, really made me angry,” he said. “I felt helpless, I felt scared.” His wife was on his health insurance, and he feared he would lose his job and the benefit with it.

In September 2021, he started working for Canpack U.S., a packaging manufacturer. When the Omicron COVID wave hit in December, he stayed home after developing flu-like and other symptoms to try to protect his co-workers — only to be issued points. He watched as co-workers who took time off to get tested for COVID were penalized, too. Then in April, he developed a low-grade fever and started throwing up. When he called the attendance system, there was no opportunity to explain why he was missing his shifts. It “didn’t give me the opportunity to explain that it’s something called an emergency,” he said. Each time he missed work, he was given a point, and six meant termination. Within a few days, the company had fired him. A Canpack spokesperson declined to comment on “specific individuals or employment-related matters” but added, “We have not and do not take adverse job action against any persons based on COVID or COVID-related symptoms.”

“There’s an anxiety with these no-fault attendance policies,” Yurkanin said. “A couple points and you could be out the door.” Since he was fired in early April, he’s been trying to get on unemployment and working part time at a baseball stadium every other week. He and his wife are “just barely getting by” on their savings. But he never wants to work for another company with such an attendance policy again. “I don’t mind working, but they treat you like crap,” he said. “In your most vulnerable situation.”

Points policies also often conflict with workers’ legal rights to time away from their jobs. If the employer is large enough and the employee has been working there for at least a year, they are due unpaid leave through the Family and Medical Leave Act. That law covers serious illnesses, caring for family members, and the arrival of new children, even for short, intermittent periods of time. The Americans With Disabilities Act requires employers to accommodate disabilities, including by allowing workers to take time away from work. And in 14 states, 19 cities, and three counties, paid-sick-leave laws mandate that workers get a certain amount of time off for illness, while 30 states mandate accommodations for pregnant workers that can include time off for doctor’s visits and other needs.

Yet even if attendance policies might make clear somewhere in the fine print that workers can take legally mandated absences, this usually isn’t clearly communicated to them, and nor is the process of how to actually go about getting an excused absence. “What sits in break rooms and what they know is three strikes and you’re out,” Dina Bakst, co-president of A Better Balance, said. “These policies are written in a way to discourage workers from understanding and exercising their rights.” Employees are assigned points and often don’t know that they can challenge the point based on leave laws or how to do so. If they do want to challenge a point, it’s typically through another automated system rather than through an actual person. Few know their legal rights, and even fewer are in a position to enforce them.

When asked for comment, 3M, AT&T, Boeing, Cargill, ConAgra, GE Aviation, Froedtert, Lowe’s, Mayo, Mars, and United all told New York that their attendance policies complied with federal, state, and local laws, but few responded when asked how that’s made clear to employees or how they can claim such leaves without penalty. 3M said that employees must contact a third-party vendor to request legally protected time off, which makes a determination about approval that employees can’t dispute; last-minute and emergency needs are “handled locally” by supervisors and HR. Cargill similarly uses a third-party vendor, although it also allows employees to request leave from managers and HR. In the case of unexpected needs, employees are supposed to call supervisors or an attendance line “as soon as they are able” or have a family member or friend call. Mars employs “a network of nurse case managers” at every site to manage leaves, a spokesperson said.

For Lackey, trying to get her medical absences excused by Walmart meant calling an automated system, inputting her employee ID, and then feeding the system information about what had happened and when. All she could report was that it was health-related. No one at the company ever mentioned the ADA, which could have granted her an accommodation for her disabling condition.

Some employers suspended these rules at the beginning of the pandemic, tacitly admitting that their policies were unworkable in the middle of a health crisis. Walmart said at the beginning of the pandemic that it would waive its policy for workers who were on approved COVID leave. Yet many more companies continued on as usual. “We heard from workers who were fired or disciplined because they had COVID and didn’t go in, or because they were exposed to COVID, or because they were taking care of their family member who had COVID,” said Liz Morris, deputy director of the Center for WorkLife Law. And some companies who put the points system on hiatus reinstated it quickly. Tyson, for example, brought its policy back as early as June 2020. At a company like Walmart, which has dropped its policy of foregoing punishment for COVID absences, workers who get COVID or whose family members get it will have no choice but to go to work if they don’t want to incur a point.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued employers in the past for maintaining these policies in ways that denied workers their rights, particularly under the ADA. Recently it issued a determination letter in a case against AT&T Mobility Services, alleging that its points-based policy violated a worker’s rights when it gave her points for pregnancy-related absences and then fired her. The EEOC said it had found evidence suggesting that the company’s policy is violating all pregnant workers’ rights nationwide. The letter is “a huge boon,” said Gillian Thomas, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, who helped bring the case against AT&T. It indicates that the EEOC sees such policies as outright trampling on pregnant workers’ rights, and it gives the agency the power to force the company to change it.

And some lawmakers are starting to take notice, though none of their efforts have yet become law. Senator Elizabeth Warren has sent letters to 3M, Conagra, FedEx, Kroger, and Walmart raising questions about their attendance practices, and a letter she sent in March to Amazon was joined by Senators Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal, and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush.

A provision in a bill authored by Senator Booker to protect poultry workers would make it illegal for any employer — in poultry or elsewhere — to maintain a no-fault attendance policy that isn’t distributed to workers in writing and doesn’t state all the kinds of leaves workers can take. It also makes it illegal for companies to assess points for legally protected leave. It was introduced in November and has yet to come to a vote.

In June, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that would make it illegal to punish workers for protected absences. Workers who are illegally given points would have the right to be paid lost wages and reinstated to their jobs if they were fired. It’s the first of its kind in the country but still awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.

And California lawmakers have been working on a different kind of bill, which would prohibit discrimination against workers on the basis of their status as caregivers and require employers to offer them reasonable accommodations in the event of something like school closures. The legislation, which isn’t moving forward in the current session, explicitly states that employees couldn’t receive attendance points for such absences.

Lackey has been trying to find work since she was fired from Walmart, but she’s still unemployed, and her condition has only gotten worse. “It’s been tight,” she said. “We’ve been struggling.” She hopes that soon she’ll start to feel better and she can get another job, but she doesn’t want to go back into the same kind of environment. “In all honesty, I can’t go back to retail, that was just way too much stress,” she said. The company, she said, cared more about well-stocked shelves “than someone’s personal health.”

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I got my first pair of gold hops when i was 3 months old. A Family Tradition: JUST LIKE MY MOM AND HER MOM, AND ALL OF THE WOMEN BEFORE ME, “LA MOTH DE CASA” was to have two piercings. Some Decades Later – and Some Gold Necklaces, Gold Bracets, and Several More Pair of Gold Earrings late – I’m Still Maried to Gold Jewelry. That is, unil recently. Yes, at the risk of Having my Latina Card – Iykyk – Rescinded, i’ve Been Wearing Silver Earrings. A tear. And no, this is not gacause of that Silver Versus Gold Tiktok Filter.

I am now happy to report that i’m a silver advocate. Or at least i’m now mixing my metals more often. SO, if you are a fellow latina who have give your gold gold hoops a break or if you simply want to expand your Current Silver-Earrings repertoire, Below are a few options been loving.

➼ Our Top Picks
➼ More tried-and-true options
➼ Our Experts

I eased my way into Silver jewelry twen i purechased my first pair of justine clenquet earrings during the ssens sale.

Neither soon nor saw our shopping editor, hanna flanagan, wearing these mejuri earings, I knew to have to have. Flanagan loves their asymmetric look and organic Shape.

The Cut Shop’s Jewelry Collection is Slowly Being Taken Over by Jenny Bird, and We’re not Mad About It. These are the ons i’m wearing in the lede image, and i love how they have despite their sthematy.

I love the gold-palated ones i have from missoma so much i got say in silver, too. They are Very Lightweight, and they are Chunky but Small Enough to ADD the right amount of flare to an outfit.

Features Editor Catherine Thompson Swears by Monica Vinader. “I buy all my sterling Silver From Monica Vinader. Its current Silver that has lasted with years, swimming silver-palated brass, which is my pet peeve. ”

I love Ana Luisa Earrings to mix up my earscape. They are great for layering.

We love Madewell for its Clothing, but its Jewelry Selection is quite Good, Too, and Affordable.

You know and love pandora for its charms, but Might we also recommend some hoops for your stacks?

When in Doubt, i love scouring etsy for great vintage silver-earrings finds.

I love Visitting Mexico City During Spring to see the jacarandas in full bloom. If you’re like me, then you’ll love these silver jacaranda-saped earings from virginia jirah.

Juju vera is a brand Features Writer Chantal Fernandez recently put on my radar. I love how dramatic these earings are. Perfect to pair with all the summer dresses we can’t wait to wear.

Another pair i’m cover. While the price isn’t as steep as the bottega earrings, these are the priciest pair on this roundup. Howver, they are designated in collaboration with Brooklyn-Based Sculptor and Designer Simone Bodmer-Turner, and Are Handmade in Nyc, WHICH MAKES THE PRICES WORTH.

With it unique shape, these earrings from haus of jewelry can convert anybody into a silver enthusiast (or convince say they need in each color synce that good).

FIELDER’S HAT IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM MyPilotstore.com
Photo: CNN/Youtube

At the end of his 17-minute interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown on May 29, Nathan Fielder Specified He’s Heve Have Gone Somehre to Discuss SEASON Two of The Rehearsal but didn’t. “These days, a lot of People Will Go To Alternative-News Sources or Comedy Podcasters to Get the Word Out About Stuff, Like Joe Rogan or Theo von, but for me, IT’S STILL CNN ALL The Way,” He Told the Co-Host with a Little Smile. HIS SEEMINGLY EARNEST ADMINISTRATION Toward Traditional News Outlets followed an in-depth discussion of the theory Fielder explores in His HBO Series: that miscommunication between pilots is a Major Constribor to Commercial-Airline Crarases. The Comedian’s CNN Appeaance, Where he was joined by former National Transportation Safoy Member and Rehearsal Co-Star John Goglia, played in to all that make the show so single, Particularly the tenuous balancies fielder’s dry sensation (offen at the “intimidating” Blitzer’s and Sinceri (a plea for taking this series). And he did it while wearing a baseball hat that has “737” on it.

But the faa dosesn’t see to want to play with Fielder. In a staff Responding to The Rehearsal Shared by CNN, the Agency Said That IT IT “Mandate All Airline Pilots and Crew Members to Complete Personal-Communication Training” and that it is “not see that suports the show’s central that poor pilot communification is to blame for airline disasters.” Fielder’s Response? “That’s Dumb,” he Said, Adding, “They’re Dumb.” Fielder points out, as he did in the show’s season final, that the required “training” Basically amouned to a PowerPoint Presentation Encourage pilots to one another.

Fielder’s post-season talk-show circuit has ben leste of a victory lap and more of an impassioned plea with a handful of jokes here and there, shat of saying. On May 27, he dropped by Jimmy kimmel Live in full pilot regalia (that he bought on mypilotstore.com) to the again again emphasize that yes, he a pilot, and yes, he dies care about this communication issue in the Cockpit. “When I put on the uniform, i’m sort of reminded that I can be serious and that i can serious things gcause i don’t look Silly when wear this,” he explained, looking very silly. But for all that fielder has made Himself look fooolish – like dresing as baby sully – he’s clear to emphasize that the real clowns are the faa, calling the two more time horti interview.