The Athenian relationship with Sparta was ruined when the Spartans asked Athens not to re-build its walls and they were ignored. Sparta reasoned that Athens would be less willing to fight if it felt protected. Then, the Spartan earthquake of 464 B.C. led to the Messenian revolt which threatened the entire Spartan culture. Athens sent an army under Cimon, but the Spartans became suspicious of Athenian motives and sent the hoplites home. Next, Athens attempted to expand its empire by land, but failed when the territory became greater than the Athenian army could manage. When Athens was defeated in a land battle with Boetia in 447 B.C, it gave up imperialism by land and signed a thirty year treaty with Sparta.
New pressure was put on the members of the Delian League. Member fees were raised and members forced to use Athenian coinage. Athens further ignored the autonomy of the members by influencing their political systems. When the opportunity arose, democracies were pushed. Pericles took 5,000 talents from the Delian League treasury and earmarked it for the beautification of Athens. Another 200 talents per year were allocated to Athens for its management of the treasury and league members were forced to subsidize payment for the 10,000 Athenian rowers who were part of their navy.
Music is the exact kind of content creator that Substack is trying to lure to its platform as TikTok's future in the U.S. remains in limbo.
San Francisco-based Substack launched in 2017 as a tool for newsletter writers to charge readers a monthly fee to read their content. The platform allows creators to connect to their followers directly without having to navigate algorithmic models that control when their content is shown, as is the case on TikTok, Google's YouTube and other social platforms. Substack has raised about $100 million, most recently at a post-money valuation of more than $650 million, the company told CNBC.
This year, Substack has broadened its focus beyond newsletters, and on Thursday, it announced that creators can now post video content directly through the Substack app and monetize these videos.
"There's going to be a world of people who are much more focused on videos," Substack Co-founder Hamish McKenzie told CNBC. "That is a huge world that Substack is only starting to penetrate."
Substack began this push after the social media landscape was thrown into flux as a result of the effective ban of TikTok in January that caused the popular Chinese-owned service to go offline for a few hours. TikTok was also removed from Apple and Google's app stores for nearly a month.
On the whole, the lower classes supported this imperialistic philosophy. Many of the members of the 500 were merchants and saw their own interests advanced with the expanding Athenian influence. But there were protests also. In 443 B.C, Pericles almost lost his power when a vote was taken to ostracize him. He survived the vote and continued to advance his own program. Protests against government policies eventually died out but there remained an undercurrent of complaints against the immoral imperialism.
The disruption to TikTok in January happened as a result of a law signed by former President Joe Biden to force a sale of the Chinese-owned app or have it effectively banned in the U.S. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending TikTok's ability to operate in the U.S., but that order expires on April 5.
Days after TikTok went offline, Substack launched a $20 million fund to court creators to its platform.
By the time of the Peloponnesian War, Athens had ceded the moral high ground to Sparta. She had violated the notion of the Polis as a self-contained unit when she adopted an imperialist philosophy. Her hands were full keeping the empire in order when she needed to spend all her energy fighting the Spartans.
The first factor is the non-destructive behavior of the tyrants who ruled from 561 B.C. to 510. Despite the cruel reign of Hippias (514 B.C.-510), the tyrants did not slow down democratization. They did not make significant changes to the governmental structure and ruled in a way that was satisfying to the Athenian people. Herodotus remarked,
“Not having disturbed the existing magistrates nor changed the ancient laws… they administered the State under that constitution of things which was already established, ordering it fairly and well”
Aristotle wrote, of Peisistratus, that “his administration was temperate…and more like constitutional government than a tyranny.”
The Athenian Polis did not go backward under the tyrants, so it did not have to regain ground before it could advance.
"If TikTok gets banned for political reasons, there's nothing to do with the work you've done, but it really affects your life," McKenzie said. "The only and surefire guard against that is if you don't place your audience in the hands of some other volatile system who doesn't care about what happens to your livelihood."
Moving beyond newsletters
McKenzie says that they are going after creators on competing social media platforms to start sharing their video content on Substack.
"Video-first creators, people who are mobile oriented, there's a whole lot of new possibility waiting to be unlocked once they meet this model in the right place," McKenzie said.
Already, Substack has more than 4 million paid subscriptions with over 50,000 creators who make money on the platform, the company said. Substack says that 82% of its top 250 revenue-generating creators have already integrated audio or video into their content, reflecting a growing emphasis on multimedia content.
Prior to the video announcements, Substack allowed creators to post videos on the app to Notes, which is the platform's front-facing feed format. But the feature did not allow creators to publish video content behind Substack's paywalls.
The second factor was the political reforms of Clisthenes in 508 B.C. After the fall of the tyrants, Isagoras, a noble, tried to reverse the rising independence of the lower classes. This effort was blocked in 508 by Clisthenes, a member of the Alcmeonid family, who assumed the leadership position. Clisthenes intended to permanently break the power of local social units in favor of the state, and to make sure power was permanently placed in the hands of the people. He organized the populace into demes or political units numbering about 170. Clisthenes required that each tribe contain demes located in the country, the city, and the coast so that self-interest was equally distributed.
He also established a council of 500, consisting of 50 men from each tribe. The 500 were chosen by lot to make sure the elected asemblymen were independent. The council had responsibility for preparing bills for the assembly and supervising public business.
These reforms were tested immediately when Athens was attacked by Boetia and Chalcis in 506 B.C. Both were defeated and balance between the classes held.
The third factor strengthening the polis was the war with Persia. Even though Athens was attacked and occupied in 480 B.C, the unity created to fight a common enemy strengthened the bond between all the Athenian people.
The fourth and final factor was the reforms of Pericles after 461 B.C. Pericles, an aristocrat, had the gifts of intelligence and leadership. He became the leader of the council of ten generals and served as the de facto leader of Athens until his death in 429 B.C. During his tenure, he passed laws allowing poor citizens to attend plays for free, and began a system of compensation for magistrates and jurors. This allowed a broader spectrum of the populace to participate in their government. He also lowered the property qualification for the archonship to help breakup the monopoly of the aristocratic class. The time of Pericles has been labeled the Golden Age of Athens because the stable, open democracy provided the fuel for Athenian intellectual devlopment.
The update enables creators to put video content behind a paywall and it provides data on estimated revenue impact. It also allows them to track viewership and new subscribers.
Carla Lalli Music is a cookbook writer and food creator.
The push by Substack into video is a welcomed development for creators like Music, who was losing money from making videos for YouTube.
Music said each video costs her $3,500 to produce despite filming at home. If she published four videos a month on YouTube, she'd earn about $4,000 in revenue. Music was losing about $10,000 a month, she said.
Two qualifications need to be put on that label, however. In the first place, the intellectual advancement of Athens did not start with Pericles, but was in full bloom one hundred years before him. This suggests that a sense of freedom and the support of free thought were in place during the time of the tyrants.
Secondly, the reign of Pericles signals the beginning of the end for Athens. After the Persian War, it became more imperialistic and sought to extend its power around the Aegean. That eventually caused a confrontation with Sparta setting up the Peloponnesian War and the defeat of the Athenians. Sadly, the “Golden Age” was both the pinnacle and the beginning of the end for Athens. Greed and the desire for power had corrupted once again.
"It's really depressing to operate at a loss," said Music.
Even with brand deals, which is an agreement where brands pay creators to post content that promotes their products, the earnings were barely enough to recoup the costs of posting on YouTube, Music said.
More than half of the $290 billion creator economy comes from direct-to-fan value. That includes ticket sales, courses, livestreams and paid memberships, according to a survey conducted by Patreon, a Substack competitor.
With her shift to Substack, Music said she's now focused on writing another book, posting recipes behind the platform's paywall and sprinkling in occasional videos.
"I have a lot more to benefit from focused attention on a smaller group of people than I ever did on throwing stuff and seeing what was going to stick with billions of potential audience members," Music said. "It's more sustainable."
"We believe that our Proposal provides compelling value and immediate liquidity to the Company's public stockholders," Wojcicki and Matthew Holt, managing director and president of private equity at New Mountain, wrote in a letter to the special committee on Thursday.
Wojcicki previously submitted a proposal to take the company private for 40 cents per share in July, but it was rejected by the special committee, in part because the members said it lacked committed financing and did not provide a premium to the closing price at the time.
Analysts at Elliptic later linked the attack to North Korea's Lazarus Group, a state-sponsored hacking collective notorious for siphoning billions of dollars from the cryptocurrency industry. The group is known for exploiting security vulnerabilities to finance North Korea's regime, often using sophisticated laundering methods to obscure the flow of funds.
"We've labelled the thief's addresses in our software, to help to prevent these funds from being cashed-out through any other exchanges," said Tom Robinson, chief scientist at Elliptic, in an email.
Symposium was an ancient Greek drinking party (sympotein means "to drink together”) typically held by men of means to celebrate special occasions, such as the coming of age of their sons. They also served an important social function in the Polis because they brought groups of men together for debate, argument, and political strategizing.
Symposia were held in the part of a Greek house that was for men only. Guests would enter, recline on couches, and talk while they were served food and wine. After the meal was finished, wine continued to be served as the participants were entertained by singers, musicians, slaves, or hired performers.
The breach immediately triggered a rush of withdrawals from Bybit as users feared potential insolvency. Zhou said outflows had stabilized. To reassure customers, he announced that Bybit had secured a bridge loan from undisclosed partners to cover any unrecoverable losses and maintain operations.
The Lazarus Group's history of targeting crypto platforms dates back to 2017, when the group infiltrated four South Korean exchanges and stole $200 million worth of bitcoin. As law enforcement agencies and crypto tracking firms work to trace the stolen assets, industry experts warn that large-scale thefts remain a fundamental risk.
One person, designated as the Symposiarch, was responsible for keeping the revelry under control. He managed the servants and the dilution of the wine. Greeks never drank wine full strength because they thought only drunkards and people of low quality would do so. The typical dilution was 1:3 wine to water.
The Kylix was a drinking vessel used to drink water or wine. When the Greeks copied drinking vessels from the orient, they added handles and a base. The handles were held when drinking, the base when toasting. The Kylix had an image painted in the bottom (often erotic) so as the drinker empted the vessel, the image would be revealed. It was also used in a game called kottabos where the wine residue was tossed from it to a target.
Shares of Hims & Hers tumble 26% after FDA says semaglutide is no longer in shortage
Shares of Hims & Hers Health closed down around 26% on Friday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the shortage of semaglutide injection products has been resolved.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic. Those medications are part of a class of drugs called GLP-1s, and demand for the treatments has exploded in recent years. As a result, digital health companies such as Hims & Hers have been prescribing compounded semaglutide as an alternative for patients who are navigating volatile supply hurdles and insurance obstacles.
The Psykter was used to hold wine during the festivities. It was placed inside a Krater filled with ice or snow to keep the wine cool. Servants would ladle wine out of the Psykter and pour it into a Kylix.
The Greek playwright Euboulos listed Dionysus’ rules for proper drinking at a Symposium:
For sensible men I prepare three Kraters: one for health, one for love
and pleasure, and the third for sleep.
After the third one is drained, wise men go home.
The fourth Krater is not mine because it belongs to bad behavior.
The fifth is for shouting, the sixth for rudeness and insults, the seventh
for fights,
Compounded drugs are custom-made alternatives to brand-name drugs designed to meet a specific patient's needs, and compounders are allowed to produce them when brand-name treatments are in shortage. The FDA doesn't review the safety and efficacy of compounded products.
Hims & Hers began offering compounded semaglutide to patients in May, and it owns compounding pharmacies that produce the medications.
Compounded medications are typically much cheaper than their branded counterparts. Hims & Hers sells compounded semaglutide for less than $200 per month, while Ozempic and Wegovy both cost around $1,000 per month without insurance.
The FDA said Friday that it will start taking action against compounders for violations in the next 60 to 90 days, depending on the type of facility, in order to "avoid unnecessary disruption to patient treatment."
"Now that the FDA has determined the drug shortage for semaglutide has been resolved, we will continue to offer access to personalized treatments as allowed by law to meet patient needs," Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum posted Friday on X. "We're also closely monitoring potential future shortages, as Novo Nordisk stated two weeks ago that it would continue to have 'capacity limitations' and 'expected continued periodic supply constraints and related drug shortage notifications.'"
Him & Hers' weight loss offerings have been a massive hit with investors. Shares of the company climbed more than 200% last year, and the stock is already up more than 100% this year despite Friday's move.
Even before it added compounded GLP-1s to its portfolio, the company said in its 2023 fourth-quarter earnings call that it expects its weight loss program to bring in more than $100 million in revenue by the end of 2025.
Despite the turbulent regulatory landscape, Hims & Hers has showed no signs of slowing down.
On Friday, the company announced it has acquired a U.S.-based peptide facility that will "further verticalize the company's long-term ability to deliver personalized medications." Hims & Hers will explore advances across metabolic optimization, recovery science, biological resistances, cognitive performance and preventative health through the acquisition, the company said.
That move comes just days after Hims & Hers also bought Trybe Labs, the New Jersey-based at-home lab testing facility. Trybe Labs will allow Hims & Hers to perform at-home blood draws and more comprehensive pretreatment testing.
Hims & Hers did not disclose the terms of either deal.
Why is GaN important?
GaN is a third-generation semiconductor material commonly used in 5G base stations, radar, military communications, aerospace, and electronic warfare. It is better than silicon in specific applications due to its ability to operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures.
At present, major world powers, like the United States, rely heavily on GaN for advanced chips. This makes it strategically important in the ongoing U.S.-China tech rivalry.
China controls around 98% of global gallium production and has recently banned exports to the U.S. This has driven up the cost of GaN-based semiconductors, making it harder for the U.S. (especially the Pentagon) to source affordable chips.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warns that the economic impact will be significant, affecting industries that rely on GaN-based chips.
The team made their discovery thanks to a clever use of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Using this technology, they observed atomic-scale dislocations for the first time.
They discovered that “tuning the Fermi level” (adjusting the energy levels of electrons) can control the climbing process and reduce defects. This “Fermi energy level” can be likened to the “water level” of the electronic world.
Review of the novel The Lost Throne
I was given a copy of The Lost Throne by Chris Kuzneski and asked to review it by the publisher. I don’t usually take time to read fiction (reality is more interesting), but I thought I’d give it a try. Turns out the book is a real page turner even at 500 pages and 70 chapters.
In the beginning of the book two pal ex-special forces guys get a mysterious phone call from St. Petersburg, Russia. A strange man asks for help but before they can respond, he is killed. They find out the dead man was accompanied by a young woman who is trapped in Russia and in fear of her life. They know immediately they will have to go get her.
A big deal for China
It marks the highest stable energy electrons can have. It determines whether and how easily a semiconductor conducts electricity. By introducing specific impurities and increasing gate voltage, they minimized dislocations in GaN fabrication.
“Traditional strategies to avoid defects include using different substrates and adjusting crystallization temperatures, but these approaches only address the symptoms, not the cause,” said Professor Huang Bing with the Beijing Computational Science Research Centre on Tuesday.
If China can perfect low-cost, high-quality GaN manufacturing, it could widen the semiconductor price gap, making Chinese chips more competitive. Since the U.S. depends on GaN for military applications, these developments could increase China’s strategic advantage in electronics and defense.
If reports on the findings are accurate, it marks a significant step toward improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of GaN-based semiconductors. If China can mass-produce high-quality GaN chips, it could increase its lead in semiconductor technology, especially in military and 5G applications.
Meanwhile, a senior Interpol agent is sent to Meteora Greece to investigate the murder of seven monks at one of its rock-top monasteries. He arrives at the scene and tries to unravel the evidence. Seven bodies are found: all headless. Where are the heads and why were the monks killed in this way?
The two plots alternated with each new chapter as I wondered when they would intersect. Greece is at the center of it as we spend time in Meteora, Mt. Athos (the holy site of 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries), and Sparta. With regard to the latter, we discover in the mountains above the modern city an ancient sect of Spartans who are still trained by the agoge and wear the Spartan armor.
Mitsubishi is actually an awesome brand. They were ALWAYS behind in sales volume after Honda, Toyota Subaru and Nissan,so no surprises there. Mitsubishi gives you strong warranty and handsome cars. They are not 0-60 oriented but definitely good on value. Mitsubishi has no reason to go extinct besides they do much more than sell cars worldwide.
Also pops was right to point out that Fiat and Maserati sell strong in Europe-specially Fiat so the stock of Stellantis appears to welcome the cuts and is up.
Everything has a shelf life, companies included! There are several brands that aren't doing so hot in today's car market, and Ray and Zach are here to highlight FIVE of them, as well as some honorable mentions that aren't faring quite as badly. Will any of these companies bite the dust per Ray and Zach, or will they be saved somehow??
China’s new hypersonic missile-capable submarine challenges US in Philippines: Report
A new Chinese submarine under construction in Wuhan may be equipped with advanced hypersonic Typhon missiles, potentially shifting the regional security balance.
A recently revealed Chinese submarine, speculated to carry hypersonic missiles, signals a significant shift in naval deterrence strategy amid escalating regional military activity.
While the PLA has not confirmed the development of this larger submarine class, a report in Naval & Merchant Ships, a publication owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, describes its design and capabilities, indirectly confirming its existence and purpose.
New Chinese submarine could respond to US missile threat
A report published earlier this month suggests the submarine is meant to strengthen China’s naval power in response to the increasing foreign military presence in the region. It highlights the US deployment of Typhon missile launchers on Luzon Island in the Philippines during a joint exercise last April. These launchers can fire long-range multipurpose missiles capable of striking targets in China, Russia, and North Korea, the South China Morning Post reported.
According to the report, the new submarine is capable of carrying advanced hypersonic missiles, allowing for covert strikes beyond enemy defenses and the option to deploy nuclear warheads if needed. Working with other military forces, it will help deter enemy carrier groups and bases within the first island chain.
Beijing criticizes US Typhon missile systems in the Philippines
During wartime, the submarine could perform some roles of nuclear submarines, including saturation attacks on surface ships and long-range precision strikes on land targets, such as US missile defense systems in the northern Philippines.
Beijing has consistently criticized the US deployment of Typhon launchers on Luzon Island, calling for their removal and labeling the system as “a strategic asset and an offensive weapon.”
The US is also negotiating the deployment of Typhon systems in Japan, Germany, and Denmark as part of a broader strategy to “deter by denial” – aiming to block key passages into and out of the western Pacific to counter China when necessary.
The two sub-plots finally came together in an exciting climax which made the read thoroughly enjoyable. A little spy stuff, some intrigue, murder, and a lot of history make for an interesting stew.
My only criticism of the novel is the number of cliff-hanger chapter endings. I felt frustrated by having the story line cut off as the author did his tease. A few times I wanted to skip ahead and find out how the chapter ending was resolved but held myself back. The chapters aren’t long enough to make the wait intolerable.
To counter military actions near its borders, the Chinese navy has significantly expanded its strategic and tactical weapons, emphasizing long-range, covert, and precise strikes against enemy homelands and overseas bases.
The air-independent propulsion system could prove especially useful in the disputed South China Sea, which has an average depth of over 3,900 feet and complex underwater features like islands, reefs, and deep trenches, creating a challenging but strategically valuable environment for stealth operations.
Solon the Reformer and his Republic
In 632 B.C, the opportunist Cylon tried to establish himself as tyrant of Athens, and failed.
By 600, Athens was in disarray. The last decades had seen the Athenian pottery trade fall behind their Corinthian competition, and its aristocratic class become more ruthless. Poor farmers were becoming serfs of the rich when they could not pay their debts, and the landless were enslaved and sold abroad. Territorial groups could not be controlled by the weak central government so the Polis split into factions.
The time was right, once again, for a tyrant to emerge. A man was put forward by his followers in their quest for a tyrant leader, but he defied them instead. That man took it upon himself to try to fix the polis single-handed -- to create a republic instead of a democracy. That man was Solon.
To understand this phenomenon in detail, the UC San Diego team developed a technique called time-resolved vortex electron diffraction.
Unlike conventional methods that involve using ordinary electron beams, this approach uses vortex electrons—special electrons that spin as they travel, similar to how a tornado spirals. This spiral motion allows scientists to detect even tiny changes in electron behavior.
“The key idea behind this approach is the use of a specialized electron beam that spirals as it travels, enabling precise tracking of electron motion in both space and time,” the researchers note.
As the electrons move, scientists can take multiple snapshots (detect signals) of the vortex electron movement at different moments in time. Then, by analyzing these diffraction patterns, they can reconstruct how electrons behave inside molecules over time.
!summarize #uber #tesla #cybercab
The Athenian relationship with Sparta was ruined when the Spartans asked Athens not to re-build its walls and they were ignored. Sparta reasoned that Athens would be less willing to fight if it felt protected. Then, the Spartan earthquake of 464 B.C. led to the Messenian revolt which threatened the entire Spartan culture. Athens sent an army under Cimon, but the Spartans became suspicious of Athenian motives and sent the hoplites home. Next, Athens attempted to expand its empire by land, but failed when the territory became greater than the Athenian army could manage. When Athens was defeated in a land battle with Boetia in 447 B.C, it gave up imperialism by land and signed a thirty year treaty with Sparta.
New pressure was put on the members of the Delian League. Member fees were raised and members forced to use Athenian coinage. Athens further ignored the autonomy of the members by influencing their political systems. When the opportunity arose, democracies were pushed. Pericles took 5,000 talents from the Delian League treasury and earmarked it for the beautification of Athens. Another 200 talents per year were allocated to Athens for its management of the treasury and league members were forced to subsidize payment for the 10,000 Athenian rowers who were part of their navy.
Music is the exact kind of content creator that Substack is trying to lure to its platform as TikTok's future in the U.S. remains in limbo.
San Francisco-based Substack launched in 2017 as a tool for newsletter writers to charge readers a monthly fee to read their content. The platform allows creators to connect to their followers directly without having to navigate algorithmic models that control when their content is shown, as is the case on TikTok, Google's YouTube and other social platforms. Substack has raised about $100 million, most recently at a post-money valuation of more than $650 million, the company told CNBC.
This year, Substack has broadened its focus beyond newsletters, and on Thursday, it announced that creators can now post video content directly through the Substack app and monetize these videos.
"There's going to be a world of people who are much more focused on videos," Substack Co-founder Hamish McKenzie told CNBC. "That is a huge world that Substack is only starting to penetrate."
Substack began this push after the social media landscape was thrown into flux as a result of the effective ban of TikTok in January that caused the popular Chinese-owned service to go offline for a few hours. TikTok was also removed from Apple and Google's app stores for nearly a month.
On the whole, the lower classes supported this imperialistic philosophy. Many of the members of the 500 were merchants and saw their own interests advanced with the expanding Athenian influence. But there were protests also. In 443 B.C, Pericles almost lost his power when a vote was taken to ostracize him. He survived the vote and continued to advance his own program. Protests against government policies eventually died out but there remained an undercurrent of complaints against the immoral imperialism.
The disruption to TikTok in January happened as a result of a law signed by former President Joe Biden to force a sale of the Chinese-owned app or have it effectively banned in the U.S. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending TikTok's ability to operate in the U.S., but that order expires on April 5.
Days after TikTok went offline, Substack launched a $20 million fund to court creators to its platform.
By the time of the Peloponnesian War, Athens had ceded the moral high ground to Sparta. She had violated the notion of the Polis as a self-contained unit when she adopted an imperialist philosophy. Her hands were full keeping the empire in order when she needed to spend all her energy fighting the Spartans.
The first factor is the non-destructive behavior of the tyrants who ruled from 561 B.C. to 510. Despite the cruel reign of Hippias (514 B.C.-510), the tyrants did not slow down democratization. They did not make significant changes to the governmental structure and ruled in a way that was satisfying to the Athenian people. Herodotus remarked,
“Not having disturbed the existing magistrates nor changed the ancient laws… they administered the State under that constitution of things which was already established, ordering it fairly and well”
Aristotle wrote, of Peisistratus, that “his administration was temperate…and more like constitutional government than a tyranny.”
The Athenian Polis did not go backward under the tyrants, so it did not have to regain ground before it could advance.
"If TikTok gets banned for political reasons, there's nothing to do with the work you've done, but it really affects your life," McKenzie said. "The only and surefire guard against that is if you don't place your audience in the hands of some other volatile system who doesn't care about what happens to your livelihood."
Moving beyond newsletters
McKenzie says that they are going after creators on competing social media platforms to start sharing their video content on Substack.
"Video-first creators, people who are mobile oriented, there's a whole lot of new possibility waiting to be unlocked once they meet this model in the right place," McKenzie said.
Already, Substack has more than 4 million paid subscriptions with over 50,000 creators who make money on the platform, the company said. Substack says that 82% of its top 250 revenue-generating creators have already integrated audio or video into their content, reflecting a growing emphasis on multimedia content.
Prior to the video announcements, Substack allowed creators to post videos on the app to Notes, which is the platform's front-facing feed format. But the feature did not allow creators to publish video content behind Substack's paywalls.
The second factor was the political reforms of Clisthenes in 508 B.C. After the fall of the tyrants, Isagoras, a noble, tried to reverse the rising independence of the lower classes. This effort was blocked in 508 by Clisthenes, a member of the Alcmeonid family, who assumed the leadership position. Clisthenes intended to permanently break the power of local social units in favor of the state, and to make sure power was permanently placed in the hands of the people. He organized the populace into demes or political units numbering about 170. Clisthenes required that each tribe contain demes located in the country, the city, and the coast so that self-interest was equally distributed.
He also established a council of 500, consisting of 50 men from each tribe. The 500 were chosen by lot to make sure the elected asemblymen were independent. The council had responsibility for preparing bills for the assembly and supervising public business.
These reforms were tested immediately when Athens was attacked by Boetia and Chalcis in 506 B.C. Both were defeated and balance between the classes held.
The third factor strengthening the polis was the war with Persia. Even though Athens was attacked and occupied in 480 B.C, the unity created to fight a common enemy strengthened the bond between all the Athenian people.
The fourth and final factor was the reforms of Pericles after 461 B.C. Pericles, an aristocrat, had the gifts of intelligence and leadership. He became the leader of the council of ten generals and served as the de facto leader of Athens until his death in 429 B.C. During his tenure, he passed laws allowing poor citizens to attend plays for free, and began a system of compensation for magistrates and jurors. This allowed a broader spectrum of the populace to participate in their government. He also lowered the property qualification for the archonship to help breakup the monopoly of the aristocratic class. The time of Pericles has been labeled the Golden Age of Athens because the stable, open democracy provided the fuel for Athenian intellectual devlopment.
The update enables creators to put video content behind a paywall and it provides data on estimated revenue impact. It also allows them to track viewership and new subscribers.
Carla Lalli Music is a cookbook writer and food creator.
The push by Substack into video is a welcomed development for creators like Music, who was losing money from making videos for YouTube.
Music said each video costs her $3,500 to produce despite filming at home. If she published four videos a month on YouTube, she'd earn about $4,000 in revenue. Music was losing about $10,000 a month, she said.
Two qualifications need to be put on that label, however. In the first place, the intellectual advancement of Athens did not start with Pericles, but was in full bloom one hundred years before him. This suggests that a sense of freedom and the support of free thought were in place during the time of the tyrants.
Secondly, the reign of Pericles signals the beginning of the end for Athens. After the Persian War, it became more imperialistic and sought to extend its power around the Aegean. That eventually caused a confrontation with Sparta setting up the Peloponnesian War and the defeat of the Athenians. Sadly, the “Golden Age” was both the pinnacle and the beginning of the end for Athens. Greed and the desire for power had corrupted once again.
"It's really depressing to operate at a loss," said Music.
Even with brand deals, which is an agreement where brands pay creators to post content that promotes their products, the earnings were barely enough to recoup the costs of posting on YouTube, Music said.
More than half of the $290 billion creator economy comes from direct-to-fan value. That includes ticket sales, courses, livestreams and paid memberships, according to a survey conducted by Patreon, a Substack competitor.
With her shift to Substack, Music said she's now focused on writing another book, posting recipes behind the platform's paywall and sprinkling in occasional videos.
"I have a lot more to benefit from focused attention on a smaller group of people than I ever did on throwing stuff and seeing what was going to stick with billions of potential audience members," Music said. "It's more sustainable."
"We believe that our Proposal provides compelling value and immediate liquidity to the Company's public stockholders," Wojcicki and Matthew Holt, managing director and president of private equity at New Mountain, wrote in a letter to the special committee on Thursday.
Wojcicki previously submitted a proposal to take the company private for 40 cents per share in July, but it was rejected by the special committee, in part because the members said it lacked committed financing and did not provide a premium to the closing price at the time.
Analysts at Elliptic later linked the attack to North Korea's Lazarus Group, a state-sponsored hacking collective notorious for siphoning billions of dollars from the cryptocurrency industry. The group is known for exploiting security vulnerabilities to finance North Korea's regime, often using sophisticated laundering methods to obscure the flow of funds.
"We've labelled the thief's addresses in our software, to help to prevent these funds from being cashed-out through any other exchanges," said Tom Robinson, chief scientist at Elliptic, in an email.
Symposium was an ancient Greek drinking party (sympotein means "to drink together”) typically held by men of means to celebrate special occasions, such as the coming of age of their sons. They also served an important social function in the Polis because they brought groups of men together for debate, argument, and political strategizing.
Symposia were held in the part of a Greek house that was for men only. Guests would enter, recline on couches, and talk while they were served food and wine. After the meal was finished, wine continued to be served as the participants were entertained by singers, musicians, slaves, or hired performers.
!summarize #doge #vanjones #cnn
The breach immediately triggered a rush of withdrawals from Bybit as users feared potential insolvency. Zhou said outflows had stabilized. To reassure customers, he announced that Bybit had secured a bridge loan from undisclosed partners to cover any unrecoverable losses and maintain operations.
The Lazarus Group's history of targeting crypto platforms dates back to 2017, when the group infiltrated four South Korean exchanges and stole $200 million worth of bitcoin. As law enforcement agencies and crypto tracking firms work to trace the stolen assets, industry experts warn that large-scale thefts remain a fundamental risk.
One person, designated as the Symposiarch, was responsible for keeping the revelry under control. He managed the servants and the dilution of the wine. Greeks never drank wine full strength because they thought only drunkards and people of low quality would do so. The typical dilution was 1:3 wine to water.
The Kylix was a drinking vessel used to drink water or wine. When the Greeks copied drinking vessels from the orient, they added handles and a base. The handles were held when drinking, the base when toasting. The Kylix had an image painted in the bottom (often erotic) so as the drinker empted the vessel, the image would be revealed. It was also used in a game called kottabos where the wine residue was tossed from it to a target.
Shares of Hims & Hers tumble 26% after FDA says semaglutide is no longer in shortage
Shares of Hims & Hers Health closed down around 26% on Friday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the shortage of semaglutide injection products has been resolved.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic. Those medications are part of a class of drugs called GLP-1s, and demand for the treatments has exploded in recent years. As a result, digital health companies such as Hims & Hers have been prescribing compounded semaglutide as an alternative for patients who are navigating volatile supply hurdles and insurance obstacles.
The Psykter was used to hold wine during the festivities. It was placed inside a Krater filled with ice or snow to keep the wine cool. Servants would ladle wine out of the Psykter and pour it into a Kylix.
The Greek playwright Euboulos listed Dionysus’ rules for proper drinking at a Symposium:
For sensible men I prepare three Kraters: one for health, one for love
and pleasure, and the third for sleep.
After the third one is drained, wise men go home.
The fourth Krater is not mine because it belongs to bad behavior.
The fifth is for shouting, the sixth for rudeness and insults, the seventh
for fights,
The eighth is for breaking the furniture, the ninth for depression,
And the tenth for madness and unconsciousness.
Compounded drugs are custom-made alternatives to brand-name drugs designed to meet a specific patient's needs, and compounders are allowed to produce them when brand-name treatments are in shortage. The FDA doesn't review the safety and efficacy of compounded products.
Hims & Hers began offering compounded semaglutide to patients in May, and it owns compounding pharmacies that produce the medications.
Compounded medications are typically much cheaper than their branded counterparts. Hims & Hers sells compounded semaglutide for less than $200 per month, while Ozempic and Wegovy both cost around $1,000 per month without insurance.
The FDA said Friday that it will start taking action against compounders for violations in the next 60 to 90 days, depending on the type of facility, in order to "avoid unnecessary disruption to patient treatment."
"Now that the FDA has determined the drug shortage for semaglutide has been resolved, we will continue to offer access to personalized treatments as allowed by law to meet patient needs," Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum posted Friday on X. "We're also closely monitoring potential future shortages, as Novo Nordisk stated two weeks ago that it would continue to have 'capacity limitations' and 'expected continued periodic supply constraints and related drug shortage notifications.'"
Him & Hers' weight loss offerings have been a massive hit with investors. Shares of the company climbed more than 200% last year, and the stock is already up more than 100% this year despite Friday's move.
Even before it added compounded GLP-1s to its portfolio, the company said in its 2023 fourth-quarter earnings call that it expects its weight loss program to bring in more than $100 million in revenue by the end of 2025.
Despite the turbulent regulatory landscape, Hims & Hers has showed no signs of slowing down.
!summarize #captainamerica4 #marvel #hollywood #entertainment
On Friday, the company announced it has acquired a U.S.-based peptide facility that will "further verticalize the company's long-term ability to deliver personalized medications." Hims & Hers will explore advances across metabolic optimization, recovery science, biological resistances, cognitive performance and preventative health through the acquisition, the company said.
That move comes just days after Hims & Hers also bought Trybe Labs, the New Jersey-based at-home lab testing facility. Trybe Labs will allow Hims & Hers to perform at-home blood draws and more comprehensive pretreatment testing.
Hims & Hers did not disclose the terms of either deal.
Why is GaN important?
GaN is a third-generation semiconductor material commonly used in 5G base stations, radar, military communications, aerospace, and electronic warfare. It is better than silicon in specific applications due to its ability to operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures.
At present, major world powers, like the United States, rely heavily on GaN for advanced chips. This makes it strategically important in the ongoing U.S.-China tech rivalry.
China controls around 98% of global gallium production and has recently banned exports to the U.S. This has driven up the cost of GaN-based semiconductors, making it harder for the U.S. (especially the Pentagon) to source affordable chips.
!summarize #galliumnitride #silicon
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warns that the economic impact will be significant, affecting industries that rely on GaN-based chips.
The team made their discovery thanks to a clever use of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Using this technology, they observed atomic-scale dislocations for the first time.
They discovered that “tuning the Fermi level” (adjusting the energy levels of electrons) can control the climbing process and reduce defects. This “Fermi energy level” can be likened to the “water level” of the electronic world.
Review of the novel The Lost Throne
I was given a copy of The Lost Throne by Chris Kuzneski and asked to review it by the publisher. I don’t usually take time to read fiction (reality is more interesting), but I thought I’d give it a try. Turns out the book is a real page turner even at 500 pages and 70 chapters.
In the beginning of the book two pal ex-special forces guys get a mysterious phone call from St. Petersburg, Russia. A strange man asks for help but before they can respond, he is killed. They find out the dead man was accompanied by a young woman who is trapped in Russia and in fear of her life. They know immediately they will have to go get her.
A big deal for China
It marks the highest stable energy electrons can have. It determines whether and how easily a semiconductor conducts electricity. By introducing specific impurities and increasing gate voltage, they minimized dislocations in GaN fabrication.
“Traditional strategies to avoid defects include using different substrates and adjusting crystallization temperatures, but these approaches only address the symptoms, not the cause,” said Professor Huang Bing with the Beijing Computational Science Research Centre on Tuesday.
If China can perfect low-cost, high-quality GaN manufacturing, it could widen the semiconductor price gap, making Chinese chips more competitive. Since the U.S. depends on GaN for military applications, these developments could increase China’s strategic advantage in electronics and defense.
If reports on the findings are accurate, it marks a significant step toward improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of GaN-based semiconductors. If China can mass-produce high-quality GaN chips, it could increase its lead in semiconductor technology, especially in military and 5G applications.
Meanwhile, a senior Interpol agent is sent to Meteora Greece to investigate the murder of seven monks at one of its rock-top monasteries. He arrives at the scene and tries to unravel the evidence. Seven bodies are found: all headless. Where are the heads and why were the monks killed in this way?
The two plots alternated with each new chapter as I wondered when they would intersect. Greece is at the center of it as we spend time in Meteora, Mt. Athos (the holy site of 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries), and Sparta. With regard to the latter, we discover in the mountains above the modern city an ancient sect of Spartans who are still trained by the agoge and wear the Spartan armor.
Mitsubishi is actually an awesome brand. They were ALWAYS behind in sales volume after Honda, Toyota Subaru and Nissan,so no surprises there. Mitsubishi gives you strong warranty and handsome cars. They are not 0-60 oriented but definitely good on value. Mitsubishi has no reason to go extinct besides they do much more than sell cars worldwide.
Also pops was right to point out that Fiat and Maserati sell strong in Europe-specially Fiat so the stock of Stellantis appears to welcome the cuts and is up.
Everything has a shelf life, companies included! There are several brands that aren't doing so hot in today's car market, and Ray and Zach are here to highlight FIVE of them, as well as some honorable mentions that aren't faring quite as badly. Will any of these companies bite the dust per Ray and Zach, or will they be saved somehow??
China’s new hypersonic missile-capable submarine challenges US in Philippines: Report
A new Chinese submarine under construction in Wuhan may be equipped with advanced hypersonic Typhon missiles, potentially shifting the regional security balance.
A recently revealed Chinese submarine, speculated to carry hypersonic missiles, signals a significant shift in naval deterrence strategy amid escalating regional military activity.
While the PLA has not confirmed the development of this larger submarine class, a report in Naval & Merchant Ships, a publication owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, describes its design and capabilities, indirectly confirming its existence and purpose.
New Chinese submarine could respond to US missile threat
A report published earlier this month suggests the submarine is meant to strengthen China’s naval power in response to the increasing foreign military presence in the region. It highlights the US deployment of Typhon missile launchers on Luzon Island in the Philippines during a joint exercise last April. These launchers can fire long-range multipurpose missiles capable of striking targets in China, Russia, and North Korea, the South China Morning Post reported.
According to the report, the new submarine is capable of carrying advanced hypersonic missiles, allowing for covert strikes beyond enemy defenses and the option to deploy nuclear warheads if needed. Working with other military forces, it will help deter enemy carrier groups and bases within the first island chain.
Beijing criticizes US Typhon missile systems in the Philippines
During wartime, the submarine could perform some roles of nuclear submarines, including saturation attacks on surface ships and long-range precision strikes on land targets, such as US missile defense systems in the northern Philippines.
Beijing has consistently criticized the US deployment of Typhon launchers on Luzon Island, calling for their removal and labeling the system as “a strategic asset and an offensive weapon.”
The US is also negotiating the deployment of Typhon systems in Japan, Germany, and Denmark as part of a broader strategy to “deter by denial” – aiming to block key passages into and out of the western Pacific to counter China when necessary.
The two sub-plots finally came together in an exciting climax which made the read thoroughly enjoyable. A little spy stuff, some intrigue, murder, and a lot of history make for an interesting stew.
My only criticism of the novel is the number of cliff-hanger chapter endings. I felt frustrated by having the story line cut off as the author did his tease. A few times I wanted to skip ahead and find out how the chapter ending was resolved but held myself back. The chapters aren’t long enough to make the wait intolerable.
To counter military actions near its borders, the Chinese navy has significantly expanded its strategic and tactical weapons, emphasizing long-range, covert, and precise strikes against enemy homelands and overseas bases.
The air-independent propulsion system could prove especially useful in the disputed South China Sea, which has an average depth of over 3,900 feet and complex underwater features like islands, reefs, and deep trenches, creating a challenging but strategically valuable environment for stealth operations.
Solon the Reformer and his Republic
In 632 B.C, the opportunist Cylon tried to establish himself as tyrant of Athens, and failed.
By 600, Athens was in disarray. The last decades had seen the Athenian pottery trade fall behind their Corinthian competition, and its aristocratic class become more ruthless. Poor farmers were becoming serfs of the rich when they could not pay their debts, and the landless were enslaved and sold abroad. Territorial groups could not be controlled by the weak central government so the Polis split into factions.
The time was right, once again, for a tyrant to emerge. A man was put forward by his followers in their quest for a tyrant leader, but he defied them instead. That man took it upon himself to try to fix the polis single-handed -- to create a republic instead of a democracy. That man was Solon.
To understand this phenomenon in detail, the UC San Diego team developed a technique called time-resolved vortex electron diffraction.
Unlike conventional methods that involve using ordinary electron beams, this approach uses vortex electrons—special electrons that spin as they travel, similar to how a tornado spirals. This spiral motion allows scientists to detect even tiny changes in electron behavior.
“The key idea behind this approach is the use of a specialized electron beam that spirals as it travels, enabling precise tracking of electron motion in both space and time,” the researchers note.
As the electrons move, scientists can take multiple snapshots (detect signals) of the vortex electron movement at different moments in time. Then, by analyzing these diffraction patterns, they can reconstruct how electrons behave inside molecules over time.
Fuel cell generator offers reliable backup
Meanwhile, the company has also introduced the Honda Fuel Cell Generator.
It has been introduced as a reliable and eco-friendly emergency backup power source for large facilities such as factories and offices.
Each unit can generate up to 250 kW of power, and multiple units can be connected to achieve a total capacity of 1,000 kW or more.
Besides, the generator offers zero-emission output by eliminating both CO2 and NOx emissions.