🐤 Bottoms up

Markets: Monday’s gains were wiped out yesterday with all three major indexes posting significant losses as of Tuesday’s closing bell. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was particularly hard hit in response to a sell-off in the semiconductor sector triggered by the earlier-than-expected release of ASML Holding’s earnings report. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 fell by about 0.8% yesterday.

More power to you: The search for cleaner, more renewable sources of power continues, but one major project in southwest Utah just achieved a major victory for the cause. According to reports, Cape Station is a project resulting from a deal between Fervo Energy and Southern California Edison to capture underground heat as the source of power. Essentially, Cape Station aims to generate enough steam by pumping cold water along hot rock to produce enough electricity for 350,000 homes. The project is expected to tip the scales at $2 billion.

A dozen skeletons: Archaeologists digging in Jordan reportedly found the skeletal remains of 12 humans and other signs of an ancient burial site near the Treasury (or Al Khazneh) monument in Petra. The location is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and geophysicist Richard Bates reacted to the significance of finding such a well-preserved grave there. “The hope was to find a tomb that was intact,” he said, but there was no expectation of finding human skeletons. The site was integral in the plot of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

Closing time: The latest retail chain to announce widespread store closures is Walgreens, which has long been hinting at plans to shutter many of its least profitable locations. This week, however, the company provided its first estimates regarding how many stores will close and when. About 500 pharmacies are expected to shut down over the next 12 months and a total of roughly 1,200 stores are likely to be closed within three years. CEO Tim Wentworth expressed confidence that the strategy would “yield significant financial and consumer benefits.”

Setting the pace: Christian Miller attracted a lot of attention in high school, becoming one of the quickest track and field runners ever recorded in his age group. He recorded a lighting-fast 100 meter time of 9.93 seconds and discussions began to swirl regarding his college prospects. But Miller decided to take a different path, opting to become a professional straight out of high school and sign a contract with Puma. He said he’s eager to become a pro and record his name “as one of the most dominant track and field sprinters out there.”

All the cheese-lovers out there probably have their favorite way to enjoy the dairy concoction — from piled on top of a pizza to breaded and deep fried — and perhaps nowhere on Earth knows how to enjoy those curds in more ways than Wisconsin.

Getting into the spirit

One Badger State distillery wasn’t satisfied with creating standard bottles of liquor and decided to embrace the region’s cheesy reputation. In celebration of Curd Fest, the punny pub Drink Wisconsibly developed something that fans and critics alike would probably describe as “interesting.”

According to pub manager Andy Braun, the resulting drink is a combination of vodka and cheese curds, which he said come together for a “uniquely Wisconsin” brew.

And if you thought Drink Wisconsibly couldn’t get any more Midwestern than that, you can order a ranch chaser for your cheesy shot.

While it might sound unusual, the concept of infusing alcohol with seemingly incongruent food flavors isn’t exactly a novel one. There have been a number of niche products (like mustard beer, for example) that have been introduced for a small but hopefully faithful group of customers.

Likewise, Wisconsin has proven that it’s willing to combine cheese with just about any other food or beverage imaginable.

Everybody say cheese

Much to the chagrin of adventurous cheese fans across Wisconsin and beyond, Buzzfeed published an article in 2018 that ranked the state’s “endless variety of ‘creative’ cheese flavors” at the top of its list of Midwestern foods that are “actually gross.”

Among the “horrifying flavors” that made it into the article were:

• Chocolate cheese
• Pineapple cheese
• Cinnamon cheese

But despite the disapproval of naysayers online, we bet there are more than a few Wisconsin locals and tourists who will knock back a shot of cheese vodka with and chase it with some ranch.

We’ve seen countless reimaginings and reboots of comic book narratives in recent years, but throughout it all the comic book itself has remained largely unchanged since Superman’s earliest days of fighting crime in Metropolis.

But it seems that is about to change.

A sign of the times

While old-school comic books might still be printed in that familiar format, the broader industry has embraced technology. From social media apps to online comic forums like GlobalComix, a new generation of fans have become accustomed to vertical, scrollable panels instead of traditional pages.

And DC Entertainment seems to be abiding by the old adage: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

The comic book giant, with a host of iconic characters like Batman to the aforementioned Superman in its archives, is reportedly now teaming up with GlobalComix. Hundreds of titles released under the DC umbrella can now be found alongside the many webcomics already hosted on the GlobalComix platform.

As industry insiders like Milton Griepp explained, it was probably the most logical move on the part of DC Entertainment.

“The legacy American comic publishers seem to have reached the limits of new customer acquisition through media,” Griepp said, noting that vertically scrollable comics “are bringing in tens of millions of new, mostly younger readers worldwide.”

Gen Z outreach

For older comic fans, nothing compares to flipping through the pages of a crisp new comic book. But that concept would understandably seem anachronistic to a younger generation raised on smartphones and social media.

DC hopes to capitalize on that shift — and like other comic book trends over the years, DC is preparing to go head to head with its longtime rival. Marvel is also reportedly looking into ways to make its content more appealing to the scrolling generation.

At this point in the proliferation of artificial intelligence, there seems to be no limit to the potential — whether good, bad, or indifferent — that this powerful technology will soon possess. In the meantime, a number of intriguing AI applications are fighting for the public’s attention, such as a research project that resulted in a program now known as Future You.

A distinguished team

At first glance, it might be easy to dismiss the concept as just the latest AI fad, but there were some intellectual heavy-hitters responsible for this project’s success. Researchers from universities including Harvard, MIT, and UCLA, worked alongside Thai tech firm KBTG on the interface, which allows users to create a digital version of themselves as older adults.

Proponents say platforms like Future You could provide the benefits of analyzing and discussing your life while receiving feedback from your AI-powered “future self.”

Of course, there are always concerns about the reliability and/or biases of AI platforms, so Future You users should take all appropriate precautions before changing their lives in response to a chatbot’s advice. But it could prove to be one way technology can provide humans with new ways to resolve complex issues.

Future self-continuity

The researchers behind Future You cited a desire to use AI as a conduit for people to achieve greater “future self-continuity,” which is a reflection of a person’s perceived relationship with his or her future self.

They also cited evidence suggesting that thinking about your life from the perspective of your future self can result in more positive “long-term thinking, academic performance, financial savings, and mental health and wellbeing.”

Instead of seeking advice from elders a generation or more removed from your own, AI might soon allow you to ask an older, wiser (albeit not real) version of yourself.