Month: August 2017

Carl Icahn Raid

Icahn eventually succeeded in gaining control of the Trump Taj Mahal casino. In 2014, a bankruptcy-court judge expressed concern that Icahn Enterprises would just close the place, and insisted that company executives testify that they had no plans to shut the casino down. Initially, Icahn promised to invest $100M in the ailing facility. But he ended up embroiled in yet another bitter union fight, and refused to yield on demands from casino employees for better pay and health benefits. Eventually, Icahn shuttered the casino. The casino’s demise put 3000 people out of work. In March, 2017, Icahn found a buyer: Hard Rock International. 1 day earlier this summer, former employees queued up alongside treasure hunters and curious passersby on the boardwalk outside the beleaguered casino. A liquidator had arranged a fire sale of the items inside. People carted home used bed linens and scuffed armchairs and statuary of fake gold. They looked for souvenirs bearing the Trump name, but there weren’t any.

RRAM

Resistive random access memory (RRAM), could be a better kind of nonvolatile memory. Nonvolatile memory is the basis for flash memory in thumb drives, but flash technology has reached its size and performance limits. For several years, the industry has been hunting for a replacement. RRAM could surpass flash in many key respects: It is potentially faster and less energy-intensive. It also could pack 1TB into a postage stamp. But RRAM has yet to be broadly commercialized because of technical hurdles.

Other Half new look

Late last year, we hinted that Brooklyn’s Other Half would have a new, expanded taproom soon. Soon is now, as they opened their more spacious space in the adjoining building at 191 Centre Street in Gowanus. No more cramped dark rooms – the new space is well-lit, has tables, a long bar, and 20(!) draft lines.

Developing World AI

The relation between AI and the developing world is thus a subtle one, with multiple intertwined dimensions that will change as technology and society unfold. There are manifold ways in which AI can benefit the developing world, and some of these have been reviewed above. There are also numerous ways in which the developing world can and will contribute powerfully to the advancement of AI and associated technologies – including obvious ones such as the brainpower of young scientists emerging from developing-world universities and startup incubators, and less obvious ones such as the contribution of the developing-world spirit of mutual aid to the psyches of powerful AGIs as they emerge.

The Uber Dilemma

Understanding that Benchmark is focused on achieving liquidity on its all-time greatest investment suggests 2 potential outcomes: The most straightforward is that Benchmark hopes to push Uber to an IPO sooner-rather-than-later; clearly Kalanick was an obstacle as CEO, and according to reports, has sought to reestablish control of the company via his control of the board, driving away Meg Whitman, who was reportedly Benchmark’s choice for CEO. This also explains the urgency of this suit: Benchmark is trying to prevent Kalanick from naming 2 more members to the board, further complicating the CEO selection process. The other potential outcome is that Benchmark is looking for an exit. Softbank, which is looking to dominate car-sharing globally, has reportedly had discussions with Benchmark and other investors about buying their shares; reports have been mixed as to who wants to make a deal — Kalanick or Benchmark — but if it is the latter a lawsuit is an excellent way of getting the former to agree to a sale.

Extremely aged wine

i’m not an expert, but this one might have gone bad?

The Römerwein, or Speyer wine bottle—so called after the German region where it was discovered in the excavation of a 4th century AD Roman nobleman’s tomb—dates “back to between 325 and 359 AD,” and has the distinction of being “the oldest known wine bottle which remains unopened.”