Mortgage Rates Update: Cooling Trends for Homebuyers and Refinancing

April 21, 2025, 6:20 am more...

Home loan seekers received a double dose of market relief on April 21, 2025, as both standard mortgage rates and refinance rates showed noticeable dips. The trend suggests that borrowers might benefit from lower financing costs while traditional lenders try to decipher whether these decreases are a fleeting anomaly or a sustainable shift. As potential buyers revel in the temporary break from high rates, industry experts inject a wry observation on whether the market’s ‘cool down’ is a calm before the storm or just another twist in the ongoing rate rollercoaster.

zerohedge.com / Miami Housing Market Hit By "Breathtaking" Collapse In Demand

cnet.com / ARMs Were Risky During the Housing Crisis. Will They Become Popular Again?

cnet.com / Mortgages Cool Off for Homeseekers: Mortgage Rates on April 21, 2025

permalink / 4 stories from 2 sources in 8 days ago #bigdata #automation #fintech #analytics #digitaltransformation +

Northern Lights Expected Across Northern US Due to Solar Eruption

April 15, 2025, 5:20 pm more...

Two separate reports confirm that the aurora borealis is expected to light up the northern skies in the United States. A recent solar wind eruption is reportedly triggering a natural light display that will be visible across several northern states. Experts suggest that clear skies and favorable conditions could allow skywatchers to witness vivid, rippling curtains of light, a phenomenon more commonly seen in polar regions. This celestial event is drawing attention both for its rarity and its broad geographical visibility.

cnet.com / The Aurora Borealis Might Be Visible in the Northern US Tonight

bgr.com / These US states could see the northern lights this week

permalink / 2 stories from 2 sources in 14 days ago #climate #bigdata #cloud #dataviz #analytics +

Zuckerberg defends Meta in FTC antitrust trial testimony

April 15, 2025, 9:20 am more...

In a US District Court proceeding related to the FTC’s antitrust case against Meta, Mark Zuckerberg testified about the company’s strategic shifts amid claims that its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions harmed competition. During his testimony, he referenced internal debates—including a past consideration to delete everyone’s Facebook friends—as part of a broader effort to counter allegations of anti-competitive behavior. His detailed remarks underscore the legal and regulatory challenges facing Meta, a case that could have far‐reaching implications for tech industry practices.

Bluesky: @jeriellsworth.bsky.social, @chriskeall.bsky.social, @laurenfeiner.bsky.social, @alexeheath.com, @sarahp.bsky.social

theverge.com / Zuckerberg’s antitrust testimony aired his wildest ideas in Meta’s history

appleinsider.com / Meta says its not a monopoly, claims iMessage is more popular than Facebook Messenger

wsj.com / Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case

theverge.com / Meta’s antitrust trial slide redactions aren’t actually hiding anything

wsj.com / Zuckerberg, on Witness Stand, Rebuffs Claims Meta Monopolizes Social Media Market

cnet.com / Is Meta a Monopoly? What to Know About the FTC's Antitrust Case

permalink / 18 stories from 10 sources in 14 days ago #dataprivacy #techpolicy #meta #digitaltransformation #cybersecurity +

IRS Tax Day Guidance and Record Refunds Announced

April 15, 2025, 8:20 am more...

As the 2025 tax filing deadline arrives, the IRS has issued over $211 billion in tax refunds on Tax Day, marking a historic milestone in the season’s efforts. Alongside this, the agency is providing critical support and resources for taxpayers who have yet to file, ensuring access to help for pending tax questions. These measures underline the agency’s commitment to facilitating a smooth filing process and addressing widespread taxpayer concerns at a pivotal moment in the fiscal calendar.

cnet.com / Tax Day 2025: Who Is Eligible for the Child Tax Credit and What It's Worth

cnet.com / Tax Day 2025: How to File Jointly and What It Means For You

zerohedge.com / On Tax Day, Never Forget IRS Culture Bingo

permalink / 9 stories from 2 sources in 14 days ago #bigdata #analytics #dataprivacy #dataviz #cybersecurity +

US faces supply shock as China’s rare earth controls tighten global dependency

April 15, 2025, 7:58 am more...

New export controls imposed by China on critical rare earth elements have raised alarm bells in the United States, spotlighting a strategic vulnerability in its defense and technology sectors. Analysts warn that the struggle to secure alternative sources could undermine crucial military and industrial production capabilities. This scenario underscores the risks associated with heavy reliance on Chinese imports and fuels calls for boosted domestic production.

Reddit: r/NoShitSherlock

theregister.com / Pentagon needs China's rare earths, Beijing just put them behind a permit wall. Oops

cnbc.com / U.S.' inability to replace rare earths supply from China poses a threat to its defense, warns CSIS

zerohedge.com / The US Relies Heavily On Rare Earth Imports From China

permalink / 4 stories from 4 sources in 14 days ago #semiconductors #dataviz #china #defensetech #techpolicy +

Trump’s Tariffs Disrupt Chip Markets, Prompt Industry Impact Assessment

April 15, 2025, 4:20 am more...

Two news reports detail how President Trump’s imposed tariffs are disrupting specific segments of the semiconductor industry. One report highlights that Chinese chip traders have reportedly halted price quotes due to the uncertainty generated by these tariffs, while the other explains that Taiwanese officials are assessing the potential impacts on their chip industry. Both narratives reveal immediate concerns within the chip market as industry players reevaluate competitive strategies and pricing structures in response to stringent trade measures.

theregister.com / Team Trump readies national security card to justify taxing Americans for foreign chips

zerohedge.com / Liberation Day Fallout: China's Port Volumes Sink After Trump's Tariff Blitz

androidheadlines.com / Apple Flew in $2 Billion Worth of iPhones to Dodge Trump’s Tariffs

permalink / 9 stories from 6 sources in 15 days ago #techpolicy #chips #semiconductors #china #hardware +

Canva Launches New AI Tools for Design, Coding, and Productivity

April 10, 2025, 3:20 pm more...

Two reports on Canva’s product update reveal the company’s rollout of a suite of generative AI tools that integrate design, coding, and productivity features into one streamlined interface. These tools are designed to simplify creative tasks and data management, positioning Canva as a competitor to tech giants by merging design with STEM functionalities. The announcements emphasize how these innovations will make traditionally complex processes more accessible to a broader range of users.

techinasia.com / Canva unveils new AI tools to attract enterprise clients

theverge.com / Canva is now in the coding and spreadsheet business

cnet.com / Canva's New AI Tools Want You to Embrace Your STEM Side

permalink / 3 stories from 3 sources in 19 days ago #ai #cloud #automation #software #innovation +

Google Maps Unveils AI-Powered Infrastructure & Traffic Analysis Tools

April 9, 2025, 10:20 am more...

Google is rolling out new features that leverage artificial intelligence to analyze city infrastructure, address traffic congestion, and improve utility monitoring. The enhanced Maps Platform integrates fresh datasets into BigQuery to empower cities, developers, and businesses with actionable insights into road conditions and urban planning challenges. This update is designed to optimize infrastructure management and streamline decision-making for smarter urban mobility.

cnet.com / This New Google Maps AI Tool Could Fix Congestion and Improve Roads Near You

theverge.com / Google Maps is launching tools to help cities analyze infrastructure and traffic

permalink / 2 stories from 2 sources in 20 days ago #ai #iot #automation #ml #smartcities +

Google Cloud Next ’25 Announces Breakthrough AI Chips and Agent Tools

April 9, 2025, 9:20 am more...

At Google Cloud Next ’25, Google unveiled a comprehensive suite of AI and cloud service innovations. The event showcased the new Ironwood TPU chip, delivering unprecedented compute power, alongside Gemini 2.5 thinking models. Additionally, Google introduced an Agent Development Kit, an AI-enhanced SQL engine, a unified security platform, and the Agent2Agent interoperability protocol. These announcements are set to redefine enterprise operations and cross-platform communications, positioning Google to more fiercely compete in the dynamic cloud technology arena.

theregister.com / Google offers 7th-gen Ironwood TPUs for AI, with AI-inspired comparisons

techinasia.com / Google unveils new Gemini AI model for real-time tasks

techcrunch.com / Google says it’ll embrace Anthropic’s standard for connecting AI models to data

bleepingcomputer.com / Google takes on Cursor with Firebase Studio, its AI builder for vibe coding

arstechnica.com / Google announces faster, more efficient Gemini 2.5 AI model

theverge.com / Gemini can now turn your Google Docs into podcasts

techcrunch.com / Ilya Sutskever taps Google Cloud to power his AI startup’s research

bgr.com / Google adds even more Gemini features to Workspace

permalink / 24 stories from 12 sources in 20 days ago #ai #hardware #innovation #semiconductors #ml +