He is one letter away from being a household name. Now Josh Wardle, the inventor of Wordle, has launched a new online game, and in doing so, provided an interesting insight into ambition. For some, creating a global smash hit puzzle so zeitgeisty and popular it becomes part of millions of strangers’ daily routines and is bought by the New York Times for seven figures would have been sufficient for...
He is one letter away from being a household name. Now Josh Wardle, the inventor of Wordle, has launched a new online game, and in doing so, provided an interesting insight into ambition. For some, creating a global smash hit puzzle so zeitgeisty and popular it becomes part of millions of strangers’ daily routines and is bought by the New York Times for seven figures would have been sufficient for a lifetime. Rather than face inevitable comparison and potential disappointment by attempting That Difficult Second Album, they would have just kicked back on their yacht and called it a day. Instead, Wardle is back to try his luck again. The jury is out on whether this is admirable or greedy, brave or foolish. It does seem to suggest that there are two types of people in this realm: the haves and the have-yachts, if you will. The latter are thoroughly satisfied with their success, financial reward and validation. The former, no matter how much they have, are always hungry for more. Yeah, my mansion is great, but what if I had two mansions? What if I was twice as validated? With uncanny timing, Wardle’s new game, Parseword, made its debut the same week that a poster boy for ambition turned cautionary tale – Timothée Chalamet – crashed and burned. The actor had previously been so open regarding intentions most never name that a magical about-face occurred, and a naked desire for success became cool and aspirational. It probably didn’t hurt that he announced his plan for world domination while accepting the trophy for best male actor in a leading role at the 2025 Sag awards, ie when he was pretty much already there. “The truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats,” he said, while everybody watching looked at everybody else to see if this was OK. The general consensus seemed to be that yes, it was. Chalamet had the talent to back up this level of self-belief, so it was allowed. He took that ball...
In the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. “Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes – there will not be another opportunity,” it read. The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy,...
In the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. “Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes – there will not be another opportunity,” it read. The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, was subsequently removed. But its tone has defined a campaign dominated by inflammatory rhetoric rather than meaningful debate. At a demonstration against the proposals, Chiara Antonini, from Rome, said: “It is shameful of Meloni to use such threatening language and to intervene on sensitive issues such as the protection of women, especially given the hypocrisy after the government backtracked on a law that would have defined sex without consent as rape. The government just seems to have it in for the judiciary.” After more than three years in power, Meloni is leading one of the most stable governments in the history of the Italian republic and burnishing her image abroad. Now she is putting that hard-won credibility to the test with this high-stakes referendum on Sunday and Monday. Italy’s electorate will vote yes or no to approving amendments to the country’s post-fascism constitution that would shake up the organisation of the justice system. But what is in essence a ballot on a technical and complex change has morphed into a de facto confidence vote on Meloni’s government before a general election in 2027. Mattia Diletti, a politics professor at Sapienza University in Rome, said: “It has become a political referendum and is a power issue for her. It is essentially a choice between Giorgia Meloni or the judges.” View image in fullscreen Giorgia Meloni says the changes are needed to ensure impartiality, but critics believe they will have the opposite effect. Photograph: Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse/Shutterstock A victory for the yes campaign wo...
A decade after he suffered life-changing injuries in the terrorist attacks that hit Brussels airport and a metro station, Walter Benjamin has been having sleepless nights. Not only because of the hellish time he lived through on 22 March 2016. Last year, he says, his monthly pension was drastically cut to recoup “overpaid” survivors’ compensation. Benjamin, now 56, was standing three metres away f...
A decade after he suffered life-changing injuries in the terrorist attacks that hit Brussels airport and a metro station, Walter Benjamin has been having sleepless nights. Not only because of the hellish time he lived through on 22 March 2016. Last year, he says, his monthly pension was drastically cut to recoup “overpaid” survivors’ compensation. Benjamin, now 56, was standing three metres away from the second attacker at Zaventem airport when the bomb detonated. Three suicide bombers killed 32 people that day and left more than 320 people with the kinds of injuries doctors usually find in war zones. double quotation mark Sometimes I can be in the street or anywhere and I have a panic attack. It comes very fast Walter Benjamin One moment Benjamin was standing in the check-in area preparing to catch a flight to Tel Aviv. The next, he was thrown in the air and found himself lying on the ground in a pool of blood, among the dead and maimed. He lost his right leg and had 17 operations to save the left. His doctor told him it would take him three or four years to walk again. But three months after the attack, he was standing up and starting exercises, he says, “because I didn’t want to be a burden on society … I didn’t want my daughter [then 16 years old] to have a father she would have to support.” Physically, he is doing OK, he says. He walks 30-40 minutes every day on a treadmill to keep up his strength and morale. But he cannot leave the house without medication: “Sometimes I can be in the street or anywhere and I have a panic attack. It comes very fast.” He is prone to depression. View image in fullscreen Benjamin at his home. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters Despite all his efforts to rebuild his life, he is also battling administrative problems. Last July he was informed he had received too much state compensation: his monthly pension, awarded to him as a victim of a terrorist attack, was cut by 70%, he says. According to his calculation, his pension income will f...
Intel could be set to make a strategic shift in its future desktop platforms—a change enthusiasts have been calling for for years. Instead of forcing users to buy a new motherboard with nearly every new CPU generation, there are now initial indications that upcoming desktop sockets could be supported across multiple CPU generations, bringing Intel much closer to what AMD has already demonstrated w...
Intel could be set to make a strategic shift in its future desktop platforms—a change enthusiasts have been calling for for years. Instead of forcing users to buy a new motherboard with nearly every new CPU generation, there are now initial indications that upcoming desktop sockets could be supported across multiple CPU generations, bringing Intel much closer to what AMD has already demonstrated with AM4 and AM5. The catalyst isn’t an official launch briefing, but a remarkably clear statement by Robert Hallock in an interview with Club386. While Hallock didn’t drop any specific socket names or offer a firm guarantee in terms of years, the message between the lines is clear: Intel has finally grasped the concept of platform longevity—not just as a marketing buzzword, but as a genuine pain point in the enthusiast and gaming segments. Intel finally recognizes an old problem If one had to name an area where AMD has visibly outperformed Intel in the DIY desktop market over the years, it would not only be the number of cores or cache, but above all platform continuity. Since the launch of Ryzen in 2017, AMD has effectively established only two major mainstream sockets in the desktop segment: AM4 and AM5. Intel, on the other hand, has implemented several platform changes during the same period, including LGA 1151, LGA 1200, LGA 1700, LGA 1851, and likely LGA 1954 as the next step for Nova Lake. The problem here isn’t just the extra cost of a new motherboard. It’s the message behind it. Anyone investing in a platform in the enthusiast market expects not just a functional foundation, but an upgrade path. This is precisely where AMD has delivered an almost uncomfortably effective blueprint with AM4: one socket, many CPU generations, several architectural leaps, new models even years later, including technological surprises like 3D V-Cache. That was no small feat, but a structural competitive advantage. In the interview, Hallock emphasizes one thing above all: Today’s Intel is...
Italians head to the polls this weekend in a referendum on judicial reform that has turned into a litmus test for the premiership of Giorgia Meloni . The outcome of the vote will shape the mood ahead of a general election next year, potentially destabilizing Meloni, who has led one of Italy’s longest-serving governments and evolved into one of Europe’s most influential leaders. Voters will cast th...
Italians head to the polls this weekend in a referendum on judicial reform that has turned into a litmus test for the premiership of Giorgia Meloni . The outcome of the vote will shape the mood ahead of a general election next year, potentially destabilizing Meloni, who has led one of Italy’s longest-serving governments and evolved into one of Europe’s most influential leaders. Voters will cast their ballots in a controversial overhaul of Italy’s judicial system that would separate the professional tracks of judges and prosecutors, restructure governing bodies and change how magistrates are disciplined. Meloni herself has campaigned vigorously in favor of a yes vote in recent weeks, with her government arguing that the proposed changes will make courts fairer and less politicized. The opposition says the overhaul would hurt the independence of the judiciary without delivering the reforms it needs and weaken the country’s checks and balances. It has called on voters to say no and use the ballot to channel their broader dissatisfaction with the government amid stagnating standards of living. At stake is more than the future of Italy’s judiciary. It introduces a separation in the career path to become a judge, or a prosecutor It splits the body that oversees magistrates, or CSM, into two bodies It introduces a disciplinary court to oversee actions of both categories A quorum is not required Referendums have traditionally carried grave risks for leaders, often turning into a broader verdict on their tenure. The Brexit referendum in 2016 cost the UK’s David Cameron his premiership, while Italy’s constitutional vote that same year led then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to resign hours after polling stations closed. In this case, a victory would help Meloni consolidate her dominance and strengthen her hand as she gears up for a general election in 2027. A defeat would deal a major blow to the governing coalition, casting clouds over its electoral prospects next year and weak...
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) has been one of the hottest stocks over the past three years, as the company has seen its revenue growth accelerate for 10 straight quarters. The question on many investors' minds is whether this momentum can continue over the next several years for the company to grow into and beyond its current high valuation. Palantir has become one of the most important com...
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) has been one of the hottest stocks over the past three years, as the company has seen its revenue growth accelerate for 10 straight quarters. The question on many investors' minds is whether this momentum can continue over the next several years for the company to grow into and beyond its current high valuation. Palantir has become one of the most important companies in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and the premier AI software-as-a-service (SaaS) stock. The key to the company's success has been its Foundry Artificial Intelligence (AIP) platform, which can gather data from various sources and structure it into an ontology that it then links to physical assets and real-world concepts. This helps significantly reduce the potential for costly AI hallucinations (giving wrong info) and sets up the platform to act as an AI operating system for whichever third-party large language model (LLM) a customer chooses to deploy. AIP can be used to help solve a multitude of problems across industries, and this breadth has been driving tremendous growth with U.S. commercial customers. At the same time, the company's unique bootcamp go-to-market strategy, where it can help a potential customer solve an actual problem with AIP in about five days, has significantly lowered its sales cycle. Continue reading
Elon Musk said his Terafab project — a grand plan to eventually manufacture his own chips for robotics, artificial intelligence and space data centers — will be built in Austin and jointly run by Tesla and SpaceX. Musk, the chief executive officer of both companies, said he will start off with an “advanced technology fab” in Austin that will have all of the equipment necessary to make chips of any...
Elon Musk said his Terafab project — a grand plan to eventually manufacture his own chips for robotics, artificial intelligence and space data centers — will be built in Austin and jointly run by Tesla and SpaceX. Musk, the chief executive officer of both companies, said he will start off with an “advanced technology fab” in Austin that will have all of the equipment necessary to make chips of any kind, and test them. Musk, who has no background in semiconductor production and a history of over-promising on goals and timelines, had said before that the company will start with a smaller scale fab before moving to a bigger one. Most Read from Bloomberg Musk has said the semiconductor industry is moving too slow to keep up with the supply of chips he expects to need, even as the industry increases output. “That rate is much less than we’d like,” Musk said. “We either build the Terafab or we don’t have the chips, and we need the chips, so we build the Terafab.” Musk’s project would call for one day supporting a terawatt of computing power per year, the amount he expects the companies to eventually use as he ramps up his investments in AI and robotics. Musk detailed some specific plans, including producing chips that can support 100 to 200 gigawatts a year of computing power on Earth, and chips that can support a terawatt in space, but gave no timelines for the facility or its output. Musk has said previously that the facility would produce 2 nanometer chips. The project appears to be planned for an area near Tesla’s existing Austin headquarters and gigafactory, based on a photo shown during the presentation. Many executives have expressed anxiety about a shortage of chips — particularly memory chips — during the race to build computing power for AI. But it’s rare to try building them. Bringing semiconductor facilities online typically takes tens of billions dollars and requires the purchase of complex machines from multiple providers. Factories can take years to become ...
Elon Musk said his Terafab project — a grand plan to eventually manufacture his own chips for robotics, artificial intelligence and space data centers — will be built in Austin and jointly run by Tesla and SpaceX . Musk, the chief executive officer of both companies, said he will start off with an “advanced technology fab” in Austin that will have all of the equipment necessary to make chips of an...
Elon Musk said his Terafab project — a grand plan to eventually manufacture his own chips for robotics, artificial intelligence and space data centers — will be built in Austin and jointly run by Tesla and SpaceX . Musk, the chief executive officer of both companies, said he will start off with an “advanced technology fab” in Austin that will have all of the equipment necessary to make chips of any kind, and test them. Musk, who has no background in semiconductor production and a history of over-promising on goals and timelines, had said before that the company will start with a smaller scale fab before moving to a bigger one. Musk has said the semiconductor industry is moving too slow to keep up with the supply of chips he expects to need, even as the industry increases output. “That rate is much less than we’d like,” Musk said. “We either build the Terafab or we don’t have the chips, and we need the chips, so we build the Terafab.” Musk’s project would call for one day supporting a terawatt of computing power per year, the amount he expects the companies to eventually use as he ramps up his investments in AI and robotics. Musk detailed some specific plans, including producing chips that can support 100 to 200 gigawatts a year of computing power on Earth, and chips that can support a terawatt in space, but gave no timelines for the facility or its output. Musk has said previously that the facility would produce 2 nanometer chips. The project appears to be planned for an area near Tesla’s existing Austin headquarters and gigafactory, based on a photo shown during the presentation. Read More: Why the AI Boom Will Make Phones, Cars, Devices More Expensive Many executives have expressed anxiety about a shortage of chips — particularly memory chips — during the race to build computing power for AI. But it’s rare to try building them. Bringing semiconductor facilities online typically takes tens of billions dollars and requires the purchase of complex machines from multi...
The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD 3.06%) exchange-traded fund (ETF) is up by 60% in the last 12 months, putting most other major assets to shame. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC 1.85%), the asset that some call "digital gold," is down by 12% in the same period, causing many investors to question whether the coin actually deserves the moniker. But what are these assets going to do over the next three years? And wh...
The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD 3.06%) exchange-traded fund (ETF) is up by 60% in the last 12 months, putting most other major assets to shame. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC 1.85%), the asset that some call "digital gold," is down by 12% in the same period, causing many investors to question whether the coin actually deserves the moniker. But what are these assets going to do over the next three years? And which is worth buying with $500 right now? Let's unpack the investment thesis for each and figure it out. Gold's case is the strongest it's been in a generation The appeal of gold, whether held via a gold ETF or any other way, is that it'll retain its value during those interesting and often quite turbulent times because it's widely accepted as a scarce store of monetary value. Recently, central banks have been buying gold at a record pace, with ongoing purchases running far above the average between 2015-2019. Widespread concerns about fiscal deficits in the U.S., the dollar's weakness, and geopolitical instability that might further threaten the petrodollar have all pushed sovereign institutions toward acquiring a metal that simply doesn't carry counterparty risk. Expand NYSEMKT : GLD SPDR Gold Shares Today's Change ( -3.06 %) $ -13.03 Current Price $ 413.38 Key Data Points Day's Range $ 411.23 - $ 428.59 52wk Range $ 272.58 - $ 509.70 Volume 27M What's more, gold's price isn't usually volatile at all, even if its price has gone on an upward tear over the last couple of years. In fact, in the bear market of 2022, when nearly every asset fell hard, gold held steady. Thus, gold's investment thesis is fairly evergreen, and most portfolios could stand to hold some. Bitcoin's upsides have downsides, too Much like with gold, most portfolios could stand to allocate $500 to Bitcoin. But while its investment thesis also centers around its status as a scarce store of value, it doesn't have the same history of use as gold does, which means that it has a bit more upside from investors ...
Key Points Gold is probably going to continue to hold its value over time. Bitcoin is probably going to continue growing in value over time. But if you might need your investment dollars soon, Bitcoin is a risky pick. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD) exchange-traded fund (ETF) is up by 60% in the last 12 months, putting most other major assets to shame. M...
Key Points Gold is probably going to continue to hold its value over time. Bitcoin is probably going to continue growing in value over time. But if you might need your investment dollars soon, Bitcoin is a risky pick. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD) exchange-traded fund (ETF) is up by 60% in the last 12 months, putting most other major assets to shame. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), the asset that some call "digital gold," is down by 12% in the same period, causing many investors to question whether the coin actually deserves the moniker. But what are these assets going to do over the next three years? And which is worth buying with $500 right now? Let's unpack the investment thesis for each and figure it out. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Gold's case is the strongest it's been in a generation The appeal of gold, whether held via a gold ETF or any other way, is that it'll retain its value during those interesting and often quite turbulent times because it's widely accepted as a scarce store of monetary value. Recently, central banks have been buying gold at a record pace, with ongoing purchases running far above the average between 2015-2019. Widespread concerns about fiscal deficits in the U.S., the dollar's weakness, and geopolitical instability that might further threaten the petrodollar have all pushed sovereign institutions toward acquiring a metal that simply doesn't carry counterparty risk. What's more, gold's price isn't usually volatile at all, even if its price has gone on an upward tear over the last couple of years. In fact, in the bear market of 2022, when nearly every asset fell hard, gold held steady. Thus, gold's investment thesis is fairly evergreen, and most portfolios could stand to hold some. Bitcoin's upsides hav...
Key Points Dividend, value, and defensive stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 in 2026. I see a "buy low" opportunity for large-caps that could close when the Iran conflict settles. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF › Despite the volatility we've seen in the equity markets this year, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has mostly traded sideways. Its year-to-date return has only varied ...
Key Points Dividend, value, and defensive stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 in 2026. I see a "buy low" opportunity for large-caps that could close when the Iran conflict settles. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF › Despite the volatility we've seen in the equity markets this year, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has mostly traded sideways. Its year-to-date return has only varied between up 2% to 3% and down roughly 3%, but not much beyond that. Even after a rough last week, it's down about 5% year-to-date. Of course, many other areas of the market have done better. Dividend, value, and defensive stocks have all outperformed thanks to a big rotation out of megacaps and tech stocks. Overall, market breadth has improved, and the S&P 500 still hasn't seen the big correction that many investors fear. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » The way that conditions have changed over the past few weeks bodes well for the S&P 500 in the short-term. There are two reasons specifically why I think the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) could be one of the best opportunities in the market right now. Tech is leading the market again For better or worse, the S&P 500 is driven by megacap tech stocks. From 2023 to 2025, they almost single-handedly pulled the major averages higher. In 2026, their underperformance masked strength in a lot of other areas of the market. But the added volatility over the past few weeks has, somewhat surprisingly, triggered a return to tech. Perhaps investors view large-cap tech as something of an equity safe haven in times of turmoil. Either way, it's helping make the S&P 500 a leader once again. When tech is leading, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF becomes one of the best options in the market. Its top-heaviness helps ensure that it will outperform other more diver...