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Scaling Microreactor Production Could Slash Energy Costs
Microreactors produce very expensive power today but if we can manufacture them at a rate of 100 a year you could see the costs come way down.
Create Worthwhile Content, Not Just Subscriber Numbers
The point isn’t to “generate subscribers.” The point is to write things worth subscribing to.

India’s Tanker Move May Pave Way for Iran’s Dominance
FEDWATCH: “.. If [India’s tanker] passage is successful, other countries may follow the Indian example. .. “.. the only way crude price volatility cools off is if there is a decisive winner, which is increasingly looking to be Iran.” [Emons]...
Sewage Surveillance Detects Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers Early
Wastewater Detects Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers What if your city's sewage could detect cancer before your doctor does? As a medical school professor, I find this remarkable. Researchers tested neighborhood wastewater in Kentucky for colorectal cancer biomarkers using droplet digital PCR. They detected CDH1...

Ethanol Blending Fuels Jobs, Revenue, Not Just Cost
It’s not really that simple… Ethanol prices depending on the cost of production… At 5% blending, the ethanol component is 5.5 cents…. Should we stop blending? Not really… that ethanol value chain creates jobs for thousands of people… it creates opportunities...
$101 Million Contest Aims to Extend Human Healthspan
There's a $101 million competition happening right now to extend human healthspan. Not in mice. Not in worms. In people. https://x.com/robertlufkinmd/status/2035318955821375489

Culture War Ignites Over AI in Crimson Desert
I mentioned the anti-woke fault lines in the Crimson Desert discourse and some people were like what the hell are you talking about, but now there is a culture war freakout about sites reporting on AI in the game that's...

Farmers Fear Fertilizer Shortages Over Prices
This was a good chat on @CNBC Friday about fertilizer supply. The issue for farmers isn’t about high prices for this year’s planting season — they’ve already ordered. The issue is whether they’ll get delivery on their order at all. @moneymoverscnbc https://t.co/uaoLjqU0Vc https://t.co/pBZlY83EA0
Iran's 2000 Km Range Is Political, Not Technical
This is misguided. Iran’s 2000 km “ceiling” was a voluntary political limit, not a technical one. Many of us spent the past several years explaining that Iran could quickly build IRBMs if it chose to do so. It’s not my...
Weak Enemy, Stronger Foes: A Flawed Strategy
Fighting a second-rate military power while vicariously and indirectly militarily and economically strengthening two first-order ones, which you may have to confront at a later stage, through your actions, and the sequencing problems it creates, may perhaps not be sound...
Escorts May Favor National Flags Over Convenience Registries
One question for the shipping experts out there. Historically, a lot of the tankers globally have carried flags of convenience (Liberia etc) Given the escort debate, who will escort those? Or, will escorts only be provided to ships with traditional national flags (Japan,...
Droptec Unveils Advanced Net Gun for Drone Defense
#Drone Defense Reinvented: Droptec GmbH Introduces Advanced Net Gun System by @IntEngineering #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/esLArXYr8f
Single? Buy a Duplex, Let Rent Cover Your Mortgage
Unpopular opinion: You don’t have to be married to buy a house. You can buy one all by yourself… even if you're a single girl. And instead of just buying a regular house, think about buying something that makes you...
Niantic's CIA Ties Spark Data Privacy Concerns
Should Niantic's background with the CIA make us nervous about what it's going to do with the virtual world created from 30 billion data points accumulated by Pokemon Go?

Axios AM Breaks AI Streak in Newsletter
I think the real news here is that Axios AM did *not* lead the newsletter with yet another item on AI, amirite? https://t.co/TwNgXZBPoX
AI Speeds up Therapeutic Drug Discovery and Design
3 Questions: Using AI to accelerate the discovery and design of therapeutic drugs | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology https://t.co/CZ4waA5IGg
Expensive New Car Repeatedly Fails to Start, Manufacturer Denies Defect
Man bought a ₹33 lakh car, but it soon developed a starting problem. - The man purchased a new diesel car worth around ₹33 lakh in 2019. - Soon after buying it, the car started having a starting issue. - He took the...
Free Online Access to Laws Solves the Mess
what if i told you there’s a relatively simple fix to this mess and it involves ensuring the law is easily available and free to all citizens on the internet?
Biotech IPOs Show Strong Avg Gains, Weak Median
Quick Biotech IPO stats for 2026, with six offerings: $AKTS $AGMD $EIKN $SGP $MANE $GENB - Average post-IPO stock performance (offer price to 3/20/26 close): +38%. Without $MANE, avg is negative. - Median post-IPO stock performance: -24% - Total IPO gross proceeds:...

Iran's Pre‑War Oil Output Peaks, Boosting Condensates for Asia
CHART OF THE DAY: Despite sanctions, ahead of the war, Iran's total oil production had hit a 46-year high. Although most of the attention is on crude, Iran has focused in expanding its output of condensates and natural gas liquids —...

Middle East War Triggers Unprecedented Global Oil Supply Disruption
The International Energy Agency in Paris reports “the war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.” TRUMP & NETANYAHU'S WAR PLANNERS -- NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER --...
USCG Licensing Halt Highlights Need for War Department Shift
Sadly it’s not just TSA The USCG licensing office is closed and can’t issue US Merchant Marine licenses while 5 🇺🇸 ships remain in the Persian Gulf. Is it time to move USCG and USMM to the Department of War?

Brent's 54% Surge Signals Supply Shock Over Fed
Brent crude: $110/barrel. Up 54% in a month. Let that sink in. Fifty-four percent. In thirty days. This isn't a price move. This is a supply shock. And supply shocks don't negotiate with Fed dot plots. Everything you think you know about 2026...
US Lifts Sanctions, France Cracks Down—Energy Politics Murky
The US is removing sanctions from shadow fleet ships to ease energy prices while France increases seizures. Hard to tell how much of this is politically motivated.
Morning Full Charge, Cheap Cost: EVs Win
Having a full “tank of gas” every morning, for just a few bucks, and never having to stop at a gas station…I’ll never not drive an EV now.

Half of Twitter Impressions Appear to Be Bots
I'm convinced that something like 50%+ of all Twitter impressions are bots. Here's some data on two different articles I posted (one back in 2020 and one last week). The 2020 one had 15k clicks on 400k impressions The 2026 one had...
Sanctions Waiver Undermines “Maximum Pressure” On Iran
Why on earth aren't major media outlets asking this obvious question? The Trump administration just issued a sanctions waiver allowing 140 million barrels of Iranian oil currently at sea to be sold. Meanwhile, Iran's oil exports have surged before the...
Japanese Team Sets 12.28% Record for CuGaSe₂ Solar Cell
Japanese researchers achieve world record efficiency of 12.28% for copper gallium selenide solar cell #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/KwOEhHMbDK
Limited Wars Prove Containment Can Prevent Escalation
Heard on Bloomberg podcast: “Wars spiral out of control even if they are meant to be contained. This is a historical fact.” WOW. This is the most dangerous statement I’ve seen from any media. And it’s false. Do NOT believe the media when...

Prolonged High Oil Prices Harm Economy Over Time
A look at #Oil prices, post 2010 we have been able to handle elevated prices, but elevated prices and rates aren't a positive when duration is applied #energy #Economics #Chartdaddy

Meta Lets AI Plant Scams Profit From Ads
Feels insane that @facebook allows companies to buy ads to sell a plant that doesn’t even exist, using fake AI video of said imaginary plant. Literally scamming people out of money using AI, but @meta is completely fine with it...

Trump Likely Erupts as Allies Negotiate Hormuz Peacefully
Trump’s reaction if countries like Japan and India peaceably negotiate Hormuz passage with Iran — while he’s spending $200 billion to send in Marines — is going to be wild. @business https://t.co/94n5eKo1sC

Data Centers' Power Surge Outpaces AI Chip Hype
Everyone talks about AI chips. But the real bottleneck may be electricity. Data centers now consume ~7% of US power demand - up more than 10x in two decades. https://t.co/wQARGxiefq
ChatGPT Ad Pilot Surges 600% Yet Rollout Lags
Interested in ChatGPT ads? Seems that ad ramp-up we saw might have been since the pilot is ending at the end of March -> ChatGPT’s ad pilot has the industry excited, but some insiders are frustrated with the slow rollout "With...

NYT Metropolitan Shines with Quirky Bronx, Police History
Hey folks, I make fun of the NYT Metropolitan section each week, but kudos to this particular edition which features a John Slattery 'Routine,' and stories about a Bronx Golden Corral and the history of a single NYPD shield. The...
Freight Forward Highlights Rising Rates and Surcharges
If you missed this week's Freight Forward, here you go. A new one goes out on Monday. Freight Forward: Rising Rates and Surcharges https://t.co/STgoACMPfw

Meta AI Streamlines Facebook Marketplace Listings
Facebook has rolled out new Meta AI–powered features on Marketplace. 📦 Sellers can now upload images and have Meta AI generate draft listings with recommended descriptions, as well as draft automatic replies to initial messages. These tools simplify the listing process,...
Escape Algorithm Tyranny with the Human‑Centred Marginalian Newsletter
For an act of resistance to the tyranny of algorithms, try the Marginalian newsletter—undistracted notes on the search for meaning, free, ad-free, AI-free, fully human since 2006, made of feeling and time: https://t.co/8ApDA5YPF6
UANI and FDD Back Unconditional Iranian Oil Sanctions Lift
So now @UANI and @FDD are strongly in favour of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil sales without conditionality
Treasury Grants Temporary Permit to Sell Stranded Iranian Oil
“…the Department of the Treasury is issuing a narrowly tailored, short-term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil currently stranded at sea.”
GeForce Now Delivers Lag‑Free Path Tracing on Steam Deck
just joined geforce now. game changing experience on the steam deck. re9 with path tracing and no noticeable latency. https://t.co/VMIWAF8Bna
US LNG Seizes Market as Competitor Corridor Fails
“Just enough damage to knock competing infrastructure offline. U.S. LNG steps into the gap. The competing corridor is gone before it opens.” US LNG stocks are outperforming as LNG glut is removed & US restructuring plans in GCC are quietly negotiated. #IranWar

Norway Central Bank Accelerates Transparency of Policy Decisions
Norway’s central bank will boost transparency of its monetary policy decisions from next week, expediting the plan after a year of close scrutiny into the credibility of its communications https://t.co/CJDFluoCJ1 via @ottummelas https://t.co/pdSQh8A1U6
Iran's Energy War Fuels Stalemate, Unites Its Adversaries
Depressing but important analysis from the @TheEconomist: The Iran war in a nutshell: America can’t reopen Hormuz, Iran can’t stop the airstrikes, & every escalation option is bad, explaining why there’s no clear path to a durable political solution —...
Direct Medicare Advantage Enrollment Sparks ACO Competition Debate
Great review of the idea of potential enrollment right into Medicare Advantage (though doesn’t consider Chris’ added twist of competition between Traditional Medicare ACOs and MA) https://t.co/rcquVZ8zxn it would be fun to compete head-head (but would need level playing field)
Treasury's “Stranded” Claim Exaggerated; Most Iranian Oil Headed to China
US Treasury says there are 140 million barrels of Iranian oil "stranded" on the water. That's misleading -- if not false. There're about 100 million barrels of Iranian oil on their way to China, and probably another 40 million on...
Nobel Laureate Simon Shaped G7 Russia Price Cap
This @ProSyn column by @baselinescene is a must-read. Before he won the Nobel for economics in 2024, Simon was deeply involved in design and execution of the G7 price cap on Russia. Few other voices carry as much authority now...
Judge Upholds Press Freedom, Rejects Pentagon Limits
"The New York Times filed suit in the name of one of its national security reporters, Julian E. Barnes. Strikingly, multiple large news outlets declined to risk joining the litigation" Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism https://t.co/fj4ySd7jXy

United Airlines Prepares for Worst, Hopes for Best
United Airlines plans for the worst and no doubt hopes for the best. Source: https://t.co/aZdWvhb1R5 https://t.co/vYd0VS4sw7