Why were so many snails clustered together on a Sunnyvale park fence post?
DR. JOAN: I came across a virtual snail convention with dozens of snails clustered together on a fence post while hiking in Sunnyvale’s Baylands Park. Have you ever seen or heard of anything similar? If so, what is the cause of this occurrence? Sunnyvale resident Doug Sheaffer DR. DOUG: You happened upon a gathering of…
Can AI help prevent wildfires from spreading across the Bay Area?
Officials in Oakland and Santa Clara County are testing high-tech sensors to reduce fire risk Artificial intelligence can do everything from create websites to write grocery lists, but can it prevent catastrophic wildfires? More than 7 million acres have been burned by wildfires in California over the last three years, and officials across the state…
Robotaxis wreak havoc in San Francisco. Don’t want them in your Bay Area city? Tough luck
San Jose, Oakland closely watching as service grows Driverless, traffic-clogging robot taxis, which have only recently begun transporting paying passengers in San Francisco, are expected to spread to other Bay Area cities, whether local officials and residents want them or not. On Aug. 10, just one day after state regulators approved Cruise and Waymo to…
Bay Area home prices fall as mortgage rates spike. Could it last?
The typical home price in the region dropped 5.2% last month to $1.26 million As mortgage rates reach their highest levels in more than two decades, Bay Area home prices are falling, pricing many buyers out of the market and putting potential sellers on the fence. The median price of existing single-family homes in the…
Amazon’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ is winning over advertisers after a bumpy launch year, and a top exec says it will be ‘aggressive’ in pursuing more live sports
Amazon says its NFL advertising offering is benefiting from the Hollywood strikes. The tech giant is gearing up for a big ‘Thursday Night Football’ season with key matchups and new ad offerings. It’s also gotten more competitive in ad prices and is seeking more live sports deals. After some hiccups with its inaugural NFL “Thursday…
Major brands are mostly ignoring Elon Musk’s new X logo: ‘How many people really know what “Follow us on X” means?’
Twitter became X last month, but major brands have been slow to adopt the new logo. Of the top 25 advertisers in the US, just one had switched to the X symbol on its website This highlights the confusion around the rebrand, branding experts said. Although Twitter has been rebranded to X for nearly a…
Fighting future ‘red tides’ in San Francisco Bay
Reductions in nutrient pollution are already underway — but a real cure could cost up to $15 billion. Is it worth it? The San Francisco Bay’s largest sources of nutrient pollution and algae blooms, 37 different sewage treatment plants, are cleaning up their act. Faced with two blooms known as “red tides,” which are deadly…
A 33-year-old who built up a 6-figure net worth through ‘lazy investing’ says even though 2022 was a ‘a decidedly bad year for investors,’ he didn’t change his investment strategy. Here’s what his portfolio looks like, including the single stock he owns.
Jesse Cramer built up a six-figure net worth through what he calls “lazy investing.” His strategy is simple: He buys diversified index funds and holds onto them, regardless of market conditions. He also owns one individual stock: Berkshire Hathaway. According to Jesse Cramer, “2022 as a whole was a decidedly bad year for investors.” The…
The many faces of Scooter Braun
The mega-manager who represents Bieber and Grande claims to be the nice guy in a bad business. But Taylor Swift isn’t the only one who has witnessed his dark side. Scooter Braun and Kanye West’s relationship ended for a variety of reasons, as with many celebrity breakups. West called Braun, his on-again, off-again manager, in…