🐤 Cracking the code

Markets: It was a down day on Wall Street heading into the last trading day of October. All three major indexes finished lower on Wednesday, led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite’s decline of more than half a percent. Despite Google parent Alphabet’s gains on the strength of its latest earnings report, several prominent tech companies slid significantly yesterday — including Super Micro Computer, which posted a nearly 33% single-day drop.

Coin caper: The immensely popular children’s animated series “Bluey” is at the center of a criminal case in Australia. According to authorities in Sydney, a total of roughly 63,000 collectible coins were stolen earlier this year — most of which were minted with imagery from the popular cartoon. The official value of each coin is roughly the equivalent of an Australian dollar, though they can fetch much more from motivated collectors. The coins were finally located and three suspects … one of whom worked at the warehouse where the theft occurred.

Ciao, Oleato: Nearly a year ago, Starbucks locations across the U.S. began serving a line of drinks containing olive oil. The reviews were mixed at best and now the so-called Oleato options are slated to be pulled from the menu next month. Although the announcement comes just weeks after the company announced it had hired a new CEO, a Starbucks source indicated that the decision had already been made prior to Brian Niccol’s arrival. While not very popular in the States, Oleato will continue to be served in Italy, China, and Japan.

Messi situation: Since coming to play soccer in the U.S., Lionel Messi has single-handedly increased the attention his sport receives from American sports fans. But his most direct influence thus far appears to have been on his teammates. Not only has his performance (including an MLS season record of 74 points) helped Inter Miami win titles like the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield, but he has emerged as a respected leader within the club. Even when he’s sidelined by injuries, other players say they feel his encouragement.

Everybody’s a critic: A new Netflix documentary promises to tell the story of celebrity businesswoman Martha Stewart … but she’s apparently not a huge fan. Although the subject of the film had some kind words for the first half of “Martha,” she said the wheels started to come off the project as it moved toward a conclusion she described as “a bit lazy.” Stewart specifically critiqued the use of classical music to score the film, some of the unflattering camera angles, and the amount of time spent on her 2004 criminal conviction.

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There are countless careers that stand to be influenced, if not directly threatened, by the proliferation of artificial intelligence. But one of the first to show tangible evidence of widespread job loss is the once-auspicious profession of computer programming.

Leading the way

With an outsize impact on the tech industry, it stands to reason that Google often sets the trends followed by its business partners and rivals alike. That’s why it was so newsworthy when CEO Sundar Pichai told investors that AI has already taken on many of the tasks in this integral department.

“Today, more than a quarter of all new code at Google is generated by AI, then reviewed and accepted by engineers,” he said.

From Google’s perspective, this powerful technology “will free up the company’s engineers to do more and move faster,” but not everyone believes this move bodes well for the future.

Voicing concerns

Potential job loss isn’t the only concern when it comes to replacing human engineers with AI models. A common point of contention among many critics involves the risk of more bugs being found in the resulting code.

Juxtaposing the precise nature of coding with the often unreliable results of AI, those who oppose the current trend worry that it will backfire. In fact, researchers have found that code created by AI — even when reviewed by humans — contained a higher number of bugs on average than human-created code.

Accepting reality

Despite nagging concerns about the increasing prevalence of AI within the computer programming realm (among others), there’s no real sign of the current trajectory changing course.

According to a survey of developers, nearly two-thirds say they are already using AI to produce code … and more than three-fourths expect to begin implementing such tools this year.

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker who wants to stay connected even in the wilderness, a traveler who wants to document your trips around the world, or just someone who wants to have convenient access to portable internet service in case of an emergency, the Starlink Mini might be right for you.

Thomas’ take

Some of the early reviews have come in the form of media reports from writers who received access to SpaceX’s lightweight satellite internet device.

The Verge deputy editor Thomas Ricker wrote one such piece and had generally positive things to say about its portability and performance.

Some of his key takeaways include:

• Larger devices have higher speeds, but the Mini is fast enough for almost any use.
• It can be used in a variety of remote settings, such as while on the road or in the wilderness.
• The Mini’s 30W average energy consumption is less than half the larger models.

There were a few imperfections along the way, such as when trees caused connectivity to drop temporarily. Overall, however, Ricker concluded that it’s an “absolute game-changer for anyone who wants to stay fully connected in areas too remote for broadband providers to care about.”

Tips and tricks

According to Ricker’s experience, the Starlink Mini gets the best results when affixed onto the roof of a vehicle. Coverage was less reliable when his van was moving and the dish was inside.

You’ll need the right USB-C cable and portable battery to maximize its versatility, but the terminal and Wi-Fi router are combined in the device itself, which sells for $599. Monthly service options include a 50-gigabyte plan for $50 and an unlimited option for $165.

Better yet, Ricker noted that those monthly payments can be paused during any months you won’t be using it.

It’s easy to see the impact Hurricane Helene had on Western North Carolina just by taking a glance at the communities devastated by the powerful storm. But the true toll extends far beyond those directly in Helene’s path.

Katie’s story

Tired of living a life dominated by her persistent pelvic pain, Katie Adase agreed to exploratory surgery that would hopefully determine the root of her problem. Just days before she had been scheduled to go under the knife, however, the surgical team advised her that the procedure was called off because of an industry-wide shortage of IV fluids.

A factory in North Carolina that had been responsible for producing well over half of all domestic IV fluid was forced to halt its operations due to flooding caused by the storm.

Although Adase has received a new date for her postponed surgery, she said that doesn’t solve all her problems.

“So I’m racking up medical debt,” she said. “I’m racking up debt from traveling. I’m feeling guilty that, you know, my husband took off work for nothing.”

Common themes

Unfortunately, there are many others with similar tales in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

In some hospitals, patients are being instructed to drink Gatorade because IV fluids aren’t available.

In other cases, surgeries are being rescheduled or canceled indefinitely. Orthopedic, bladder, and heart procedures are among the most likely to be called off due to the shortage.

Although the impact can be felt in hospitals across the U.S., there is some evidence that things are starting to improve. The Defense Production Act gives the federal government the authority to implement measures aimed at restarting production and importing fluid from other countries until the flooded factory reaches full production — and that’s not likely to happen until next year.

Someone asked if I could name a country without an "r."

I said, "No way."