WEEKLY REPORT 25-30

  • NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS EFFECTIVE JULY 1:  (1) Unwanted subscriptions many now be cancelled before automatic renewals by the same method first enrolled, with online companies now required to provide a click-to-cancel button; (2) Owners, Airbnb, VRBO and other short-term rental platforms must now disclose required cleaning duties in advance to avoid fees or penalties; (3) Alcoholic drinks must now be served with a lid, upon request, to reduce the chance of someone ‘spiking’ another’s drink.
  • IT’S LIKELY THAT MANY COMPANIES ARE EXCITEDLY JUMPING INTO THE WORLD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
    WITHOUT CONTEXT of how this tool fits into present workflows and business functions it would reshape or rewire, or the degree to which training and reshuffling could bog down currently effective operating systems.  “Without strategic direction – like what’s the problem or opportunity really being addressed? What context (market forces, timing, internal readiness) makes AI urgent or valuable? And What risks may emerge without clear context – AI might generate plausible answers to irrelevant questions, flawed assumptions or even be solving the wrong problems.” Jumping in before clarifying vision and correlation with Goals and Objectives may cause A.I. to become a tactic which wastes time and actually accelerates the wrong outcomes.  DCG can help avoid that risk.
  • LATEST COMPUTER SCAM is “so convincing that it’s raked in millions from unsuspecting residents across Washington State, including one victim who lost a jaw-dropping $870,000. … Con artists posing as government agents are using high-pressure, fear-fueled tactics to trick victims into handing over huge sums…  It begins with an ominous email, text, or computer pop-up that appears to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) or a related agency that claims your identity has been stolen or your accounts hacked. … Victims are told to act fast and click on a link or call a number to connect with an official — when in fact they’re directed to a live con artist.”  [SECURE THE VILLAGE]
  • WHILE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF CURRENTLY AROUND 73 YEARS WORLDWIDE has grown pretty much everywhere  since start of the 20th century, the rate of increase in America (and other high-income countries) has substantially sunk over the past 30 years. Latest stats show Hawaii the highest state at 80.7 years, California is tenth at 78.3 years, with only 3% of U.S. women and 1% of U.S. men now expected to reach age 100. Nonetheless, there are a few evidence-backed ways to boost or at least maintain health as we age: (1) Any form of regular exercise; (2) Avoidance of smoking, heavy drinking and sedentary behavior; (3) The so-called Mediterranean diet of vegetables/fruits/whole grains/ legumes/nuts/olive oil/ fish/poultry, with ‘limited intake’ of red & processed meats, refined sugars, or saturated fats. “Evidence is also beginning to indicate that ‘optimism’ seems to help living longer & healthier, from a ‘mindset’ of people who look at life and stresses in a positive manner, which helps develop somewhat of an anti-inflammatory state allowing the immune system ability to fend of infections.”  [GIZMODO.com]
  • THE NEWEST LEGITIMATE CRAPSHOOT GAMBLING OPTION, SOARING IN POPULARITY, ARE ‘PREDICTION MARKETS.’ Over a billion dollars were wagered on just one Market last month. Gamblers recently bet $3.7 billion on our presidential election, and placed substantial bets on Israel’s Iran strikes, the NYC mayoral primary outcome, levels that Bitcoin would hit, Federal Funds inflation, and interest rate levels. Some platforms are now lobbying to put sports betting and event contracts on an equal legal basis. But “credibility suffers when contracts about future interest rate cuts sit alongside such wagers as ‘Will Christ return in 2025?’ or ‘Will the Smurfs’ Rotten Tomatoes score be above 60?… If you could invent something to fulfill an economist’s dream it would look an awful lot like a Prediction Market.”  [ECONOMIST]

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

  • ‘Nice guys finish last,’ the idea and viewpoint expounded by influencers in various online subcultures, is “one of the greatest scientific misconceptions in our society. Quite to the contrary, niceness and building connections gives social support and allies to prevent being trodden on, while empirical data has shown that people who do more altruistic things get more attention & attraction from the opposite sex and have more sexual partners.” https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2025/06/nice-guys-dont-finish-last-altruism-has-been-a-key-driver-in-our-social-evolution/
  • China hosted a world-first soccer match last month between teams of fully autonomous humanoid child-size robots, powered by artificial intelligence and equipped with visual sensors.  Four universities separately installed its own algorithms for 3-player team formations & passing strategies. Several robots were taken off the field on stretchers, but one team did win and will compete in Beijing’s ‘World Humanoid Robot Games’ next month. China projects having over 300 million robots in use by 2050, compared to U.S. projected 77 million.  [DAILY DIGEST]
  • George Carlin’s take on the 10 Commandments.  Brilliant!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk81tUUhRig