Numlock News: August 24, 2023 • Pumpkin Spice, Octopus, Tornado
By Walt HickeyPumpkin SpiceStarbucks Corporation has announced that summer is over and that the season once previously known as autumn, Pumpkin Spice Season, is now in effect as of today. Yes, Pumpkin Spice Season — those crisp months that separate Negroni Season and The Holiday Season — is here, and it’s a massive business. On August 30, 2022, when Starbucks brought back its fall menu last year, foot traffic popped 25.7 percent, and when Dunkin rolled out its fall pumpkin spice menu on August 17, 2022, foot traffic jumped 9.5 percent. The spice must flow, and it’s also vastly more expensive than it was upon introduction: A Pumpkin Spice Latte cost $3.35 in 2005, whereas today you won’t get it for less than $5.75. Brooke DiPalma, Yahoo! Finance LaundromatThe founders of Tornado Cash, a privacy service designed to obscure the ownership of cryptocurrency, were charged with three conspiracy counts in the Southern District of New York, with the U.S. Attorney alleging they helped launder $1 billion in criminal proceeds and violated U.S. sanctions. Tornado Cash was allegedly used by none other than the North Koreans to launder $615 million in tokens that were stolen from the Ronin Network. The very concept of Tornado Cash is illegal, the indictment alleges, arguing that by design it operated without know-your-customer laws, anti-money laundering programs, and never registered with FinCEN as a money transmitting business. MoonshotIn a massive national win, India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission was a success, landing the Vikram lander very near to the southern polar region of the moon. The 6-foot-tall lander is now at 69 degrees south latitude, which is closer to the south pole of the moon than ever before, though not far south enough to study craters that are permanently in shadow and where water ice is thought to be potentially present. The lander will function for around 12 days, which is how much daylight the lander’s got at the landing site, at which point power levels and temperature will dip below sustainable levels. FishApproximately 2,100 New Jersey power customers lost electricity for a little under two hours last week, but the cause has been found to be, in a new one, a fish on a power transformer. Fish rarely cause power outages, but in this case it’s thought that one of the many ospreys in the area is responsible for dropping the fish onto a transformer. Let’s be real, this is a lose-lose-lose situation all around: The osprey lost a meal, Sayreville lost power, and the fish had easily one of the top five weirdest experiences ever endured by a fish. TheftThe Justice Department has announced 718 law enforcement actions connected to $836 million stolen through fraudulent use of coronavirus aid programs, a huge swathe of criminal charges and sanctions that are the result of a three-month federal sweep. In 2020, approximately $5 trillion in coronavirus aid was distributed, primarily to workers unable to work as a result of the pandemic. The speedy rollout, while necessary to confront the extent and immediacy of the pandemic, did open it up to potential abuse, and these 718 actions are only the latest efforts from the federal government to chase down bad actors; to date, the Justice Department has launched investigations into a total of $8.6 billion in alleged fraud. Tony Romm, The Washington Post Octopus GardenA new study investigated recently described nesting sites used by octopuses, which are normally solitary creatures with little in the way of community. That’s why it was weird when, in 2018, researchers found 6,000 octopus nesting at a site some 2 miles down, which they’ve since discovered is a place where heat from an extinct underwater volcano helps the eggs hatch faster. Typically, an octopus egg takes around four years to hatch. At the site, eggs hatch in about 21 months. Christina Larson, The Associated Press HVACThe Renew America’s Schools program came about thanks to the infrastructure bill passed in 2021, and seeks to direct money to schools to improve their HVAC systems, upgrade insulation and more. In June, the Department of Energy allocated their first $178 million from the program, considerably more than the $80 million originally planned for the first tranche, owing to higher than expected demand, with over 1,000 places requesting $5.5 billion in funding. Of those funding requests, 90 percent were for HVAC upgrades. According to the Government Accountability Office, 36,000 buildings across 41 percent of public school districts are in need of HVAC upgrades. Thanks to the paid subscribers to Numlock News who make this possible. Subscribers guarantee this stays ad-free, and get a special Sunday edition. Consider becoming a full subscriber today. Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. Send corrections or typos to the copy desk at copy@numlock.news. Check out the Numlock Book Club and Numlock award season supplement. 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Numlock News: August 23, 2023 • K-Pop, Ranked Choice, Bees
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
By Walt Hickey Ranked Choice Ranked choice voting has made a splash in a number of cities and states, with 51 different jurisdictions encompassing 13 million Americans — from New York City to Alaska —
Numlock News: August 22, 2023 • Xylem, Loch Ness Monster, Mirage
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
By Walt Hickey Mirage The Mitsubishi Mirage is the last model of automobile in the United States that is still selling on average for less than $20000, with last month the vehicle averaging $19205 at
Numlock News: August 21, 2023 • Sushi, Toys, Lunar Lander
Monday, August 21, 2023
By Walt Hickey Welcome back! Tragic Comedy It was a rough week for the fate of the studio commentary at the American box office, with Strays starring Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx opening to a muted $8.3
Numlock News: August 18, 2023 • White Noise, Draft Beer, Grown Diamonds
Friday, August 18, 2023
By Walt Hickey Have a great weekend! Diamonds Lab-grown diamonds were a $12 billion business last year, up a whopping 38 percent year over year, and this year diamond jewelry that is produced from
Numlock News: August 17, 2023 • Margaritaville, Tattoos, The Macarena
Thursday, August 17, 2023
By Walt Hickey 70mm Imax Movie nerds are feasting right now, as the 70mm Imax format — considered to be the best way to watch a film — is having its moment with the release of the Christopher Nolan
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