Weekend Briefing No. 609
Google’s Greatest Paradox -- Screens: Friend or Foe? -- The Antibiotic Scalpel
Welcome to the weekend.
Here’s my October playlist. Enjoy!
Prime Numbers
50.1 — Taylor Swift’s 89-minute “Life of a Showgirl” album release event earned $50.1 million globally in just three days, setting records for a promotional “cinematic experience” that bypassed Hollywood studios and cost only $12 per ticket while dominating premium large-format screens.
54 — South Fork Wind, America’s first commercial offshore wind farm, operated at 54% capacity during winter months (December-March), outperforming summer’s 34-41% and contradicting Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s claim that “you don’t get wind power” during winter high-pressure systems.
200 — Hikers battling a shock blizzard near Mount Everest’s eastern slopes waded through snow one meter deep during their retreat, with over 200 people still stranded at altitudes above 4,900m as the unexpected October storm struck during China’s peak Golden Week holiday.
Google’s Greatest Paradox
What if the company that invented the technology powering every AI system is now scrambling to catch up to competitors using its own breakthrough? Google created the transformer in 2017, employed nearly every top AI researcher, and built the infrastructure that would define modern AI—yet ChatGPT’s 2022 launch caught them completely unprepared. The innovator’s dilemma crystallized: how do you disrupt a $140 billion annual profit machine in search when AI answers eliminate the ads that fund everything? Now Google faces an existential choice between their mission to organize the world’s information and the margins that make them one of history’s most profitable companies, attempting to thread an impossible needle while competitors built on Google’s own inventions circle closer. Acquired Briefing (35 minutes)
Screens: Friend or Foe?
The panic over classroom iPads misses the entire point—it’s not whether screens are used, but what they’re replacing. Well-designed educational technology shows moderate learning gains comparable to preschool programs, with particularly strong evidence for adaptive math apps that match problems to individual student levels. The secret lies in understanding opportunity cost: screens enabling small-group teacher instruction while a third of students practice skills independently is vastly different from unsupervised tablet time replacing direct teaching. Ask your child’s teacher one specific question: “What educational technologies are you using and how are they being used?”—because the answer reveals whether those screens are creating learning opportunities or wasting precious instructional time. Parent Data (7 minutes)
Navigating Crypto Taxation
Cryptocurrency taxation is complex, ever-evolving, and filled with opportunities—if you know how to navigate it properly. The IRS classifies crypto as property, meaning every transaction—selling, exchanging, gifting, trading, receiving, or making purchases—can trigger capital gains or losses. Without a strategic approach, you risk leaving money on the table or facing unexpected tax liabilities. A significant advantage? Cryptocurrency isn’t subject to the wash sale rule, making tax loss harvesting a powerful strategy to offset gains and minimize tax burden. However, various crypto activities—mining, staking, airdrops, NFTs, DAOs, and dividend tokens—each carry distinct tax implications. Incorrect reporting can result in penalties or overlooked deductions. TaxFrame doesn’t just ensure compliance—they optimize tax strategies to help clients retain more of their hard-earned crypto. Whether you’re an investor, trader, or business accepting cryptocurrency, their experienced tax professionals ensure you leverage every available tax-saving opportunity. Schedule a consultation today and take control of your crypto taxes! TaxFrame (Sponsored)
The Antibiotic Scalpel
Broad-spectrum antibiotics treating gut inflammation are like using a sledgehammer when you need a scalpel—they obliterate helpful bacteria along with harmful ones, often making patients worse. MIT and McMaster researchers deployed a generative AI model called DiffDock to crack a problem that typically takes years: mapping exactly how a new compound called enterololin targets only the disease-causing bacteria in Crohn’s patients while preserving the rest of the microbiome. The AI compressed what would normally be 18-24 months of mechanistic studies into six months, predicting the drug’s binding site so accurately that every subsequent lab experiment confirmed its hypothesis. This isn’t just about one compound—it’s proof that AI can accelerate the bottleneck in precision medicine, potentially unleashing a generation of targeted antimicrobials that fight infection without collateral damage. MIT News (7 minutes)
Unconscious Decisions
Spiders don’t know why they weave webs, and you don’t know why you bought that car—both are following unconscious scripts written by evolution long before conscious thought existed. Our emotions, from anger to blushing to crying, evolved as involuntary signals precisely because they’re more convincing than anything we could consciously orchestrate, operating as automatic negotiation tools that recalibrate how others treat us without burning the calories required for deliberate planning. Self-deception evolved to make us better liars—if you genuinely believe your selfish actions are noble, your body language won’t betray you—while our political views on drugs and abortion may be unconscious strategies to shape sexual norms rather than principled moral stances. The paradox: we can bring some of this hidden machinery into awareness, gaining freedom to act with clarity rather than as puppets of impulses we can’t explain, though understanding why a behavior works has never been necessary for it to be effective. Rob Henderson’s Letter (15 minutes)
Coffee Crisis Survival Guide
The most addictive legal substance in America is now testing the limits of consumer loyalty as grocery store coffee prices have jumped 22% in a year—more than any other tracked item. Unlike discretionary purchases, coffee withdrawal causes actual physical symptoms like headaches and mood changes, creating inelastic demand that keeps people buying despite sticker shock. Social media has become a venting ground for furious caffeine addicts documenting premium prices, yet consumption patterns show people are paying up rather than going without their daily ritual. The addiction economics are simple: when the alternative to expensive coffee is physical discomfort and reduced productivity, most consumers consider the inflated price a non-negotiable tax on functionality. WSJ (5 minutes)
80 Great Guitar Intros
This is just a fun 14-minute video stringing together 80 of the greatest guitar riffs. It’s super fun and highly likely to put a smile on your face. Youtube (15 minutes)
Should We Work Together?
Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.
Weekend Wisdom
If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less. - General Eric Shinseki
Absolutely loved The Guitar Rif!!!
Thank you! Your thoughts were a great way to kick start my brain. And thank you for the Guitar Intros video.