THREAD: stock market soars tech giants shine

MYSTERIOUS DEATH of British Tech Entrepreneur’s Co-Defendant Before Yacht Sinks

21 August 2024 — Stephen Chamberlain, a former Autonomy Corp. executive, was fatally struck by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday. His death happened just days before his co-defendant Mike Lynch and five others went missing after their yacht sank off the coast of Italy.

Authorities confirmed that divers recovered a body from the sunken yacht near Palermo, Italy. The identity of the body has not been announced yet. NBC and Reuters reported another body was found inside the vessel.

Chamberlain had recently been acquitted alongside Lynch in a multibillion-dollar fraud case involving Hewlett Packard’s $11 billion takeover of Autonomy Corp. His lawyer praised him as "a courageous man with unparalleled integrity.

BRITISH Tech Magnate MISSING After Superyacht Tragedy

19 August 2024 — British tech magnate Mike Lynch and five others are missing after their luxury superyacht sank during a freak storm off Sicily. Lynch’s wife and 14 others survived the incident. Authorities confirmed that one body has been recovered, and police divers are attempting to reach the hull of the ship at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet).

The yacht, named Bayesian, was anchored near Porticello when a waterspout struck overnight. The sudden storm battered the area precisely where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged vessel was moored. Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency stated, “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The Bayesian had a crew of 10 and 12 passengers on board. Another nearby superyacht assisted in rescuing some of the survivors, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares. The yacht was notable for its single 75-meter (246-feet) mast made of aluminum, which was lit up just hours before it sank.

SENIOR CITIZEN Soars Skyward: Security Shutter in Wales Store Lifts Woman Off Ground

06 March 2024 — In an unusual turn of events, Anne Hughes, a 71-year-old woman, found herself lifted off the ground when her coat became entangled with a security shutter outside a store in Wales.

Hughes, who works as a cleaner at the Best One shop near Cardiff, was caught off guard when her coat snagged and she was hoisted into the air. “I thought “flipping heck!”” said Hughes. A quick-thinking colleague came to her aid and helped her down after she spent 12 seconds suspended mid-air.

Despite the odd incident, Hughes managed to retain her sense of humor about it all. She expressed relief that she hadn’t landed face-first and even joked that such an event could only happen to her.

The store seized this unexpected opportunity by using the footage for online promotion with a humorous caption about their deals and staff members’ antics. The video clip was shared on social media platform X with this playful tagline: "Don’t hang about like Ann, come down to Best One for unbeatable deals! The only thing going up in our shop is our staff — not our prices!

FRONTIER AI: A Ticking Time Bomb? World Leaders and Tech Titans Convene to Discuss Risks

01 November 2023 — The latest buzzword in the realm of artificial intelligence, Frontier AI, has been causing a stir due to its potential threats to human existence. Advanced chatbots like ChatGPT have dazzled with their capabilities, but fears about the risks associated with such technology are escalating. Top researchers, leading AI companies, and governments are advocating for protective measures against these looming dangers.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is orchestrating a two-day summit on frontier AI at Bletchley Park. The event is set to draw around 100 officials from 28 nations including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Executives from prominent U.S. artificial intelligence firms such as OpenAI, Google’s Deepmind and Anthropic will also be in attendance.

Sunak asserts that only governments can shield people from the hazards posed by this technology. However, he stressed that the U.K.'s strategy is not to hastily impose regulation despite identifying potential threats like using AI for crafting chemical or biological weapons.

Jeff Clune, an associate computer science professor at the University of British Columbia who specializes in AI and machine learning was among those urging for more government intervention in mitigating risks from AI last week — echoing warnings issued by tech tycoons like Elon Musk and Open

TECH TYCOON’S Angel Slain: Hamas Turns Israeli Music Festival into Nightmare

13 October 2023 — In a shocking turn of events, Danielle Waldman, the 24-year-old daughter of tech industry titan Eyal Waldman, was brutally killed in a Hamas attack on an Israeli music festival. The young Californian had journeyed to Israel specifically to attend the Supernova music festival. Her father confirmed to CNN that she and her boyfriend Noam were tragically caught in the crossfire during the rave near Kibbutz Re’im on the Gaza border.

The intended peaceful celebration morphed into a bloodbath as over 260 people lost their lives. Countless others were either injured or abducted by the terrorist group. A grief-stricken Eyal Waldman expressed his initial hope to reporters that his daughter might have been taken hostage and would eventually be returned.

Eyal Waldman is renowned for establishing Mellanox in 1999, a firm specializing in high-speed servers and storage-switching solutions. In 2020, US gaming and computer graphics behemoth Nvidia acquired Mellanox for $7 billion. Interestingly, Waldman stirred both tech circles and Arab world by setting up research centers employing Palestinian developers within West Bank and Gaza Strip.

UK Immigration Policy DISCONTENT Soars to RECORD High: Britons Demand Change

13 September 2023 — A recent study conducted by Ipsos and British Future has unveiled a significant rise in public dissatisfaction with the UK government’s immigration policy. The survey reveals that a staggering 66% of Britons are dissatisfied with the current policy, marking the highest level of discontent since 2015. Conversely, a mere 12% expressed satisfaction with how things stand.

The discontent is widespread, cutting through party lines but for varying reasons. Among Conservative voters, only 22% were satisfied with their party’s performance on immigration issues. A majority of 56% expressed dissatisfaction, while an additional 26% were “extremely unhappy”. In contrast, about three-quarters (73%) of Labour supporters disapproved of the government’s handling of immigration.

Labour supporters primarily voiced concerns about creating a “negative or fearful environment for migrants” (46%) and “poor treatment towards asylum-seekers” (45%). On the other hand, an overwhelming majority (82%) of Conservatives criticized the government for its inability to curb illegal Channel crossings. Both parties identified this failure as a top reason for their dissatisfaction.

Despite assurances from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration that their policies have made an impact, migrant crossings have seen only slight reduction from last year’s record-setting pace. Over one weekend alone witnessed more than 800 individuals making this dangerous journey

Twitter User @x LOSES Handle After Twitter Rename; Offered Tour and Merchandise as Compensation

31 July 2023 — Gene X Hwang, known as @x on Twitter since 2007, knew his username’s days were numbered after Elon Musk’s recent renaming of the platform to “X.” Upon landing from a pinball tournament in Canada, Hwang found messages notifying him that the company had taken over his handle.

Twitter explained that Hwang’s account data would be preserved and that he would receive a new username. The company offered Hwang merchandise, a tour of its offices, and a meeting with management as compensation.

The change in his account is one of the latest disruptions since Musk’s takeover and the replacement of Twitter’s blue bird logo with the letter “X.”

BULLISH on Bitcoin: Crypto Market ERUPTS in January as FEAR Turns to GREED

30 January 2023 — Bitcoin (BTC) is on track to have the best January in the last decade as investors turn bullish on crypto after a disastrous 2022. Bitcoin leads the way as it approaches $24,000, up a massive 44% from the beginning of the month, where it hovered around $16,500 a coin.

The broader cryptocurrency market has also turned bullish, with other top coins such as Ethereum (ETH) and Binance Coin (BNB) seeing substantial monthly returns of 37% and 30%, respectively.

The upturn comes after last year saw the crypto market plunge, fueled by fears of regulation and the FTX scandal. The year shredded $600 billion (-66%) from Bitcoin’s market cap, ending the year worth only a third of its 2022 peak value.

Despite the ongoing concerns of regulation, the fear in the market looks to be shifting to greed as investors take advantage of bargain prices. The rise may continue, but savvy investors will be wary of another bear market rally where a sharp sell-off will send prices back to Earth.