October 14, 2025 • 20 mins
(October 14, 2025)
ABC News tech reporter joins the show for ‘Tech Tuesday.’ Today, Mike talks IBM’s quantum computer. He won the $2BIL Powerball… now he’s buying up lots burned in the L.A. fires. Electric shelf labels let stores update prices instantly … could your grocery bill rise?
ABC News tech reporter joins the show for ‘Tech Tuesday.’ Today, Mike talks IBM’s quantum computer. He won the $2BIL Powerball… now he’s buying up lots burned in the L.A. fires. Electric shelf labels let stores update prices instantly … could your grocery bill rise?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM
six fortyfi AM.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Six forty Bill Handle Here it is a talk goold Tuesday,
October fourteen. Some of the big stories we're looking at
the ceasefire in Gaza. Well, it's now being reported that
Israeli soldiers have killed several palest Indians in northern Gaza
today there are ten hours ahead of US, a day
(00:29):
after the President talked about the end of the two
year war. Also, it's being reported that six people were
killed with Israeli drones and they were inspecting their homes
in a neighborhood east of Gaza City. So I don't
know if that's true or not, but if that is true,
they've got some.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Splaining to do. Lucy, to say the least.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Mike Dubuski is ABC News reporter out of New York
and a tech expert. Is time for a Tech Tuesday, Mike,
thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Hey
in Ai, of course, is the big story that we
have been following now for probably a couple of years.
(01:16):
How it's going to change everything how we deal with
the Internet and how we deal with research and computers.
But there's also something called quantum computing, and that may
have just as big an influence. So, Mike, if you
would explain what quantum computing is, so we have an
idea of.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Where we're going.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, definitely, nothing like a little quantum physics to start
your morning, guys. But to answer the question of what
quantum computing is, we first have to understand what normal
computing is, what traditional computers and how they work do.
So you've all seen the matrix, presumably right where the
green numbers come cascading down the screen at the beginning
of the movie, all the ones and zeros. That's binary code,
(02:00):
or to put it in computer terms, that's a bit. Right,
Each of those numbers is a bit, that one or
a zero. And if you arrange enough bits in a
line next to each other to make a very complicated
process very simple, that is the building blocks of computer technology.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
If you arrange you know, five ones and six zeros
next to each other, that means that the background on
your phone is read, or if you have it in
a different configuration, it might be blue. Again, an oversimplification
of how computers work, but it all basically comes back
to those ones and zeros, those bits quantum computing uses
an entirely different set of building blocks. They use what
(02:36):
are known as quantum bits or cubits as some of
the companies call them. These are not ones or zeros.
They're kind of both at the same time until you
run a program, at which point they become one or
the other. They become one or zero. They exist in
this quantum state. And this all it's worth mentioning requires
(02:56):
like one more quantum physics degree than I have in
order to properly wrap your mind around and fully explain.
But the takeaway what you really need to know about
quantum computers is that they're able to solve problems that
are way more complex than what our current computers can handle,
and that opens up a lot of opportunities in plenty
(03:16):
of different sectors, among them medicine, drug development, artificial intelligence,
the existing technology sector, and the financial services industry. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Now, when you talk about wrapping your mind around quantum,
the quantum theory, I think a lot of people. Most
of us understand the bits zero ones. Most of us
have grown up with that as the basis for computing. Now,
the thought of zero ones existing at the same time
(03:50):
in the same place that one's a little tough to
wrap your mind around that I don't get.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah, it's kind of mind bending, the right idea that
until you observe it, it is kind of both states. Right,
And this is what quantum physics is all about, is
when you get down to this infintesimally small sort of
subatom level, things start to behave differently right, things like
cause and effect is flipped, and things can exist in
(04:17):
two different places at exactly the same time but take
up exactly the same amount of space.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
It's stuff that like our brains don't normally go to. Yeah,
it requires some unlearning, but that's basically the type of
thing that we're dealing with here.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
For example, it's raining outside at the same time it's sunny.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Yeah, exactly, you know up is up is the same
time it's down. Right sighting Here's cat is a classic
example here where you know, if there's a cat in
the trunk of your car, it is both dead and
alive until you open the trunk and discover what it is.
That's basically what we're dealing with here is it is
both one end zero until you hit enter, until you
(04:57):
hit execute on your computer and run a program. It's
just up until that moment, it is some probability, some
you know, intermediary state between those two states of being.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, now I'll think about that while moment.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Next commercial in a couple of minutes, Tech Tuesday with
Mike Dubuski, who is the ABC News reporter, and he
is either in New York or he's not. And he
went to the IBM's Thomas Watson Research Center in New.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
York and he either walked in the door or he didn't.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
At the same time as he explained quantum physics to
us and did a pretty good job. In the first segment,
Now you went to a quantum research center that's run
by IBM. What you see in how did it look?
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yeah, so we saw a quantum computer. I think this
is really helpful in just demonstrating exactly what this technology is, like,
what is it? What can I touch? What can I hold? Well?
These actually kind of harkened back to sort of older
cool computers. They take up full rooms. The unit that
we were looking at was taller than I am by
almost a factor of two. It had this sort of
(06:08):
aluminum finish on it, and it was shaped like a
giant X that had been placed into the ground, and
interestingly enough, the actual computer part of it, the chips,
what IBM calls their heron processors, are actually pretty small.
They're like a tiny little box, you know, approximately the
size of like a shoe box or a tissue box
or something like that. That's where the actual computing gets done.
(06:30):
So much of the rest of it, the stuff that
takes up the entire room, is cooling. Keeping these chips
cool because they generate so much heat because they work
so hard, is really difficult, and IBM says that in
order for this chip to function, they actually have to
get the temperature inside this computer down to almost absolute
zero zero kelvin, as it's known, and that's a really
(06:53):
tough process. And the sort of cooling systems that are
able to do that they call it the chandelier. It
actually looks like a giant shandalier, but it's actually all
these different brass and gold components that are able to
slip cooling material and coolant near this computer to make
sure that it operates at the proper temperature. In addition
to that, quantum computers don't have like a user interface
(07:16):
or an operating system. They don't run Windows for example,
So that means that we need traditional computers nearby in
order to translate what it's giving us. Right, if we
give a quantum computer a problem to solve, we can't
really understand it in its normal state. We need another
computer there to sort of understand what it's giving us
and translated into something that we would understand. So that's
(07:38):
what they're working on at this facility, the Thomas J.
Watson Research Center in upstate New York. You might remember Watson,
which won Jeopardy many years ago. Yes, the same Watson.
It's an IBM computer that is where they developed this
particular artificial intelligence technology. Now it seems like they are
moving into the quantum realm, and that's kind of what
they're focused on right now at this research center. But
(08:00):
it's this is kind of like somewhere between a factory
and a lab, right, this is where they figure out
how to build these things. These computers are already up
and running in Europe and in Japan. In fact, this
morning they just announced that they're launching a new quantum
computer in Spain that is largely similar to the one
that I got to look at.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So now these are pelling grating are they selling these.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
The idea is, if you're a company, for example, if
you're like a shipping company, right, and you have to
deal with these really complex logistics of moving your product
around the world, you can go to a quantum computing
facility and have it answer some of your questions. So
up until recently, a lot of the demonstrations of these
things were really theoretical and kind of high minded. For example,
(08:42):
last year, Google made a big announcement in the quantum
computing world where they said that their quantum computer was
able to solve a problem, a math problem that would
have taken a traditional computer ten septillion years to solve. Right,
That is sort of their demonstration of how this technology works.
But like people aren't throwing those equations around on their
day to day basis, right, That's not something that is
(09:05):
really practically applicable to most people now, though IBM says
they're starting to move into the real world in a
more substantial way. Logistics is a big one, obviously, dealing
with really complex problems and a huge amount of variables
in that industry. Another one is the financial services sector.
Last month, HSBC announced that they used IBM's quantum computer
(09:27):
the same kind of one that runs in New York
to help predict bond trading far more accurately and far
more quickly than they had been able to before. This
was a pretty limited test. It happened in Europe. But
if IBM is to be believed pretty soon, that is
going to be your money that is going to be
traded back and forth using these quantum computers that run
(09:47):
these specific algorithms that go alongside.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
It is sounding.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm assuming that when you ask the question, you have
to ask an old school or a computer that we
know that then translates the question into the quantum computer.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Do I have that right? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Okay, that's pretty interesting stuff, say the East Mike, then
thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
No, I'm just saying thank you. I'm kicking you off
the air.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Thank you. Okay, you're done, goodbye. Do something with yourself.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Yeah yeah, all right, make myself useful, take care.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, okay. You don't know the name Edwin Castro.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
A matter of fact, the only one who probably would
know the name would be Amy.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Do you know where Castro is?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
One?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Two billion dollars in power Ball? That's the guy. He
won two billion dollars.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
He took home after took the lump sum payment and
after taxes, about seven hundred and fifty million dollars okay.
And he bought the ticket at a local gas station
a couple of years ago. And he's buying lots in Altadina,
lots of lots. He's one of the biggest buyers of
(10:58):
lots in Altadina. Why Alta Dina? Now we know Altadena,
of course is one of the burden areas. It had
I think six thousand structures burned, and number one was
the Palisades. Number two was Altadena Palisades. There's plenty of money.
Altadena We've talked about this before is a very interesting
community in that a huge number of African Americans lived there.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
And the reason that happened is because there was redlining.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
African Americans were not allowed to buy in certain areas
in most areas and virtually all areas of southern California,
and so they congregated in Altadena where they were able
to buy. And so there's some there's legacy property there.
There's third generation property homes there, which is why there
(11:48):
were so many homeowners, even those who didn't have money,
because they were second and third generation owners. So Why
is Edwin Castro buying lots in Alta because he came
from Alta Dina. He grew up in Alta Dina And
(12:09):
clearly he is connected to Alta Dina. Matter of fact,
a couple of lots he has bought he is thinking
of putting another home on there. Now he has a
bunch of homes. I think he's spent forty four million
dollars for a home in Malibu. He's living pretty large.
He's thirty three years old and has spent ten million
(12:31):
dollars to buy up to fifteen lots. And he's one
of the biggest wave of investors that snapping up these
scorched properties, and often from displaced residents who have opted
to cash out rather than build a property. And for
(12:52):
those of you, and there aren't very many those of us.
Because I built the Persian Palace, it is multi year,
multi year project. My place took two years, actually two
years three months to build. And because La is a
lot of permitting, and so Altadeen there's a lot of permitting.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
It is not easy.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
But are you prepared if you happen to have a
piece of land, which now is what a lot of
these people own.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Because of course the structures are gone.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Even if you have the money and you had insurance
and it's not costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars
out of pocket. So, all things being equal, if you
have the facilities and the mechanism and you have the
path to build a home, are you going to spend
(13:44):
two years building your house or are you going to
move on? And that is the question. So you have
developers coming in. There's a San Diego guy, there's an
Arizona fund. There is a hospice executive who is La
(14:04):
based who has also made purchases of the land. Now
you saw that debris from the fire, an insane amount
of debris that's all gone. The government has in fact
remove the debris, and there was a whole issue there.
But these purchases have raised all kinds of alarm in Altadena.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Those that are still living there.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
There were about forty two thousand residents before the fires,
now far far fewer, and the residents that are staying
there are saying, these developers are going to build properties
that are going to sell houses, and Altadena is going
to lose the small town feel that was created by
(14:53):
those craftsmen bungalows and Spanish revival homes that once dotted
all the streets. Yeah, it's going to happen. Yeah, developers
are going to come in. And by the way, don't
think for a moment that they're going to build those homes,
assuming that they're not going to sell those homes as
(15:15):
quickly or as much money as homes that do not
look like that. Now, can the city pass an ordinance
saying that those burn areas, you must build homes that
approximate those areas. Maybe, but imagine the lawsuits that will
hit the purchase of Alta Dina lots by Edwin Castro,
(15:40):
who came from Alta Dina and he won the two
billion dollar powerball jackpot a couple of years ago, and
he opted for the lump sum after taxes, it was
in the seven hundred million range, so he can do
whatever the hell he wants. Well, he's buying up to
fifteen lots in Altadena and he is going to be
(16:06):
building homes now. Hasn't decided what kind of homes, but
a couple of things he has decided. He does not
want to sell lots to developers. He plans on developing,
but he plans on developing the way Alta Dina was.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
He's he's not doing this as a charity. He says
he's gonna make money on this.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
He's going to sell the homes at market value, but
he wants to keep it limited to the number of
people who lived and will live in Altadena. And I mean,
how do you do that? I mean, you can say no,
But all I have to tell you is, or I
have to tell him, is I want to buy the house,
(16:47):
and I happen to live someplace else and I want
to move. I'm buying it to move there. So who
knows the way it's going to turn out. But as usual,
there are the detractors, and there are people that are
trying to block the investors from buying and arguing, Look,
what's happening to Altadena. It's not going to have the
(17:07):
same small town feel. It's going to be gentrified. We
don't want to give up that small town field. Well
feel Well, let me tell you your small town feel is
now empty lots. How small town is that the homes
are gone? How small town is that? Well, we used
(17:30):
to have hardware stores. Well, there's a Walmart a mile
and a half away. How small town is that that's
the problem, you know, they're arguing, and what is the alternative?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
By the way, I.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Mean, we've come up with some crackpot.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Ideas they have.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
We'll have the city by the lots and have the
city subsidize the building of these homes the way they
used to look like and limited to folks that lived
in Altadena.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Come on, really, it's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
It's going to happen, now, will it be the craftsman
bungalows and Spanish revival homes? Who knows a lot of locals,
by the way, appreciate his goals. One of them, a
contractor who grew up in Altadena, says I feel better
about him than anybody else because he's from the area.
There's one lady who says he's just another person trying
(18:23):
to get some profit. Yeah, that's what builders and developers do.
Does she want him to give away the land? Well,
he's got plenty of money, he should give it away,
she said from her office, under a poster of Carl
Marx So and he's thinking of even building a house
(18:46):
for himself over two lots with secret corridors and underground
tunnels and very willy Wonka like by the way, he
was born into in Alta.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Dino was a boy.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
He was a pokey man, devote and he still spends long,
long nights with friends playing dungeons and dragons the way
he has forever. Except the difference is they look at
him a small town guy. He had a business in Altadena.
(19:22):
I think he was some kind of a contractor. He was,
actually he was a private architecture consultant. When he hit
the jackpot. He is no longer a private architecture consultant.
He's just a very, very very wealthy guy, is what
he is. All Right, we're done. Guys coming up, it's
Gary and Shannon.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
We get to enjoy the rain all day today and
probably tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Matter of fact, there's some flash flood warning, so maybe
you won't enjoy the rain and starts again tomorrow. It's
Amy and Will Coleschreiber. That's from that's with wake Up
Call from five to six and you and I jump
Aboard from six to just about nine nine o'clock. And
of course Kno and and are an integral but mediocre
(20:08):
part of the.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Show as part Big Big. Yeah. I'm not saying it's
not big, I'm just.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Saying important, important, essential, essentially, No, I guess essential is
good that works. This is kf I am six forty.
You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show. Catch my
Show Monday through Friday six am to nine am, and
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM
six fortyfi AM.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Six forty Bill Handle Here it is a talk goold Tuesday,
October fourteen. Some of the big stories we're looking at
the ceasefire in Gaza. Well, it's now being reported that
Israeli soldiers have killed several palest Indians in northern Gaza
today there are ten hours ahead of US, a day
(00:29):
after the President talked about the end of the two
year war. Also, it's being reported that six people were
killed with Israeli drones and they were inspecting their homes
in a neighborhood east of Gaza City. So I don't
know if that's true or not, but if that is true,
they've got some.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Splaining to do. Lucy, to say the least.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Mike Dubuski is ABC News reporter out of New York
and a tech expert. Is time for a Tech Tuesday, Mike,
thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Hey
in Ai, of course, is the big story that we
have been following now for probably a couple of years.
(01:16):
How it's going to change everything how we deal with
the Internet and how we deal with research and computers.
But there's also something called quantum computing, and that may
have just as big an influence. So, Mike, if you
would explain what quantum computing is, so we have an
idea of.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Where we're going.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, definitely, nothing like a little quantum physics to start
your morning, guys. But to answer the question of what
quantum computing is, we first have to understand what normal
computing is, what traditional computers and how they work do.
So you've all seen the matrix, presumably right where the
green numbers come cascading down the screen at the beginning
of the movie, all the ones and zeros. That's binary code,
(02:00):
or to put it in computer terms, that's a bit. Right,
Each of those numbers is a bit, that one or
a zero. And if you arrange enough bits in a
line next to each other to make a very complicated
process very simple, that is the building blocks of computer technology.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
If you arrange you know, five ones and six zeros
next to each other, that means that the background on
your phone is read, or if you have it in
a different configuration, it might be blue. Again, an oversimplification
of how computers work, but it all basically comes back
to those ones and zeros, those bits quantum computing uses
an entirely different set of building blocks. They use what
(02:36):
are known as quantum bits or cubits as some of
the companies call them. These are not ones or zeros.
They're kind of both at the same time until you
run a program, at which point they become one or
the other. They become one or zero. They exist in
this quantum state. And this all it's worth mentioning requires
(02:56):
like one more quantum physics degree than I have in
order to properly wrap your mind around and fully explain.
But the takeaway what you really need to know about
quantum computers is that they're able to solve problems that
are way more complex than what our current computers can handle,
and that opens up a lot of opportunities in plenty
(03:16):
of different sectors, among them medicine, drug development, artificial intelligence,
the existing technology sector, and the financial services industry. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Now, when you talk about wrapping your mind around quantum,
the quantum theory, I think a lot of people. Most
of us understand the bits zero ones. Most of us
have grown up with that as the basis for computing. Now,
the thought of zero ones existing at the same time
(03:50):
in the same place that one's a little tough to
wrap your mind around that I don't get.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah, it's kind of mind bending, the right idea that
until you observe it, it is kind of both states. Right,
And this is what quantum physics is all about, is
when you get down to this infintesimally small sort of
subatom level, things start to behave differently right, things like
cause and effect is flipped, and things can exist in
(04:17):
two different places at exactly the same time but take
up exactly the same amount of space.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
It's stuff that like our brains don't normally go to. Yeah,
it requires some unlearning, but that's basically the type of
thing that we're dealing with here.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
For example, it's raining outside at the same time it's sunny.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Yeah, exactly, you know up is up is the same
time it's down. Right sighting Here's cat is a classic
example here where you know, if there's a cat in
the trunk of your car, it is both dead and
alive until you open the trunk and discover what it is.
That's basically what we're dealing with here is it is
both one end zero until you hit enter, until you
(04:57):
hit execute on your computer and run a program. It's
just up until that moment, it is some probability, some
you know, intermediary state between those two states of being.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, now I'll think about that while moment.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Next commercial in a couple of minutes, Tech Tuesday with
Mike Dubuski, who is the ABC News reporter, and he
is either in New York or he's not. And he
went to the IBM's Thomas Watson Research Center in New.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
York and he either walked in the door or he didn't.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
At the same time as he explained quantum physics to
us and did a pretty good job. In the first segment,
Now you went to a quantum research center that's run
by IBM. What you see in how did it look?
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yeah, so we saw a quantum computer. I think this
is really helpful in just demonstrating exactly what this technology is, like,
what is it? What can I touch? What can I hold? Well?
These actually kind of harkened back to sort of older
cool computers. They take up full rooms. The unit that
we were looking at was taller than I am by
almost a factor of two. It had this sort of
(06:08):
aluminum finish on it, and it was shaped like a
giant X that had been placed into the ground, and
interestingly enough, the actual computer part of it, the chips,
what IBM calls their heron processors, are actually pretty small.
They're like a tiny little box, you know, approximately the
size of like a shoe box or a tissue box
or something like that. That's where the actual computing gets done.
(06:30):
So much of the rest of it, the stuff that
takes up the entire room, is cooling. Keeping these chips
cool because they generate so much heat because they work
so hard, is really difficult, and IBM says that in
order for this chip to function, they actually have to
get the temperature inside this computer down to almost absolute
zero zero kelvin, as it's known, and that's a really
(06:53):
tough process. And the sort of cooling systems that are
able to do that they call it the chandelier. It
actually looks like a giant shandalier, but it's actually all
these different brass and gold components that are able to
slip cooling material and coolant near this computer to make
sure that it operates at the proper temperature. In addition
to that, quantum computers don't have like a user interface
(07:16):
or an operating system. They don't run Windows for example,
So that means that we need traditional computers nearby in
order to translate what it's giving us. Right, if we
give a quantum computer a problem to solve, we can't
really understand it in its normal state. We need another
computer there to sort of understand what it's giving us
and translated into something that we would understand. So that's
(07:38):
what they're working on at this facility, the Thomas J.
Watson Research Center in upstate New York. You might remember Watson,
which won Jeopardy many years ago. Yes, the same Watson.
It's an IBM computer that is where they developed this
particular artificial intelligence technology. Now it seems like they are
moving into the quantum realm, and that's kind of what
they're focused on right now at this research center. But
(08:00):
it's this is kind of like somewhere between a factory
and a lab, right, this is where they figure out
how to build these things. These computers are already up
and running in Europe and in Japan. In fact, this
morning they just announced that they're launching a new quantum
computer in Spain that is largely similar to the one
that I got to look at.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So now these are pelling grating are they selling these.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
The idea is, if you're a company, for example, if
you're like a shipping company, right, and you have to
deal with these really complex logistics of moving your product
around the world, you can go to a quantum computing
facility and have it answer some of your questions. So
up until recently, a lot of the demonstrations of these
things were really theoretical and kind of high minded. For example,
(08:42):
last year, Google made a big announcement in the quantum
computing world where they said that their quantum computer was
able to solve a problem, a math problem that would
have taken a traditional computer ten septillion years to solve. Right,
That is sort of their demonstration of how this technology works.
But like people aren't throwing those equations around on their
day to day basis, right, That's not something that is
(09:05):
really practically applicable to most people now, though IBM says
they're starting to move into the real world in a
more substantial way. Logistics is a big one, obviously, dealing
with really complex problems and a huge amount of variables
in that industry. Another one is the financial services sector.
Last month, HSBC announced that they used IBM's quantum computer
(09:27):
the same kind of one that runs in New York
to help predict bond trading far more accurately and far
more quickly than they had been able to before. This
was a pretty limited test. It happened in Europe. But
if IBM is to be believed pretty soon, that is
going to be your money that is going to be
traded back and forth using these quantum computers that run
(09:47):
these specific algorithms that go alongside.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
It is sounding.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm assuming that when you ask the question, you have
to ask an old school or a computer that we
know that then translates the question into the quantum computer.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Do I have that right? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Okay, that's pretty interesting stuff, say the East Mike, then
thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
No, I'm just saying thank you. I'm kicking you off
the air.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Thank you. Okay, you're done, goodbye. Do something with yourself.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Yeah yeah, all right, make myself useful, take care.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, okay. You don't know the name Edwin Castro.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
A matter of fact, the only one who probably would
know the name would be Amy.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Do you know where Castro is?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
One?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Two billion dollars in power Ball? That's the guy. He
won two billion dollars.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
He took home after took the lump sum payment and
after taxes, about seven hundred and fifty million dollars okay.
And he bought the ticket at a local gas station
a couple of years ago. And he's buying lots in Altadina,
lots of lots. He's one of the biggest buyers of
(10:58):
lots in Altadina. Why Alta Dina? Now we know Altadena,
of course is one of the burden areas. It had
I think six thousand structures burned, and number one was
the Palisades. Number two was Altadena Palisades. There's plenty of money.
Altadena We've talked about this before is a very interesting
community in that a huge number of African Americans lived there.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
And the reason that happened is because there was redlining.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
African Americans were not allowed to buy in certain areas
in most areas and virtually all areas of southern California,
and so they congregated in Altadena where they were able
to buy. And so there's some there's legacy property there.
There's third generation property homes there, which is why there
(11:48):
were so many homeowners, even those who didn't have money,
because they were second and third generation owners. So Why
is Edwin Castro buying lots in Alta because he came
from Alta Dina. He grew up in Alta Dina And
(12:09):
clearly he is connected to Alta Dina. Matter of fact,
a couple of lots he has bought he is thinking
of putting another home on there. Now he has a
bunch of homes. I think he's spent forty four million
dollars for a home in Malibu. He's living pretty large.
He's thirty three years old and has spent ten million
(12:31):
dollars to buy up to fifteen lots. And he's one
of the biggest wave of investors that snapping up these
scorched properties, and often from displaced residents who have opted
to cash out rather than build a property. And for
(12:52):
those of you, and there aren't very many those of us.
Because I built the Persian Palace, it is multi year,
multi year project. My place took two years, actually two
years three months to build. And because La is a
lot of permitting, and so Altadeen there's a lot of permitting.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
It is not easy.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
But are you prepared if you happen to have a
piece of land, which now is what a lot of
these people own.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Because of course the structures are gone.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Even if you have the money and you had insurance
and it's not costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars
out of pocket. So, all things being equal, if you
have the facilities and the mechanism and you have the
path to build a home, are you going to spend
(13:44):
two years building your house or are you going to
move on? And that is the question. So you have
developers coming in. There's a San Diego guy, there's an
Arizona fund. There is a hospice executive who is La
(14:04):
based who has also made purchases of the land. Now
you saw that debris from the fire, an insane amount
of debris that's all gone. The government has in fact
remove the debris, and there was a whole issue there.
But these purchases have raised all kinds of alarm in Altadena.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Those that are still living there.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
There were about forty two thousand residents before the fires,
now far far fewer, and the residents that are staying
there are saying, these developers are going to build properties
that are going to sell houses, and Altadena is going
to lose the small town feel that was created by
(14:53):
those craftsmen bungalows and Spanish revival homes that once dotted
all the streets. Yeah, it's going to happen. Yeah, developers
are going to come in. And by the way, don't
think for a moment that they're going to build those homes,
assuming that they're not going to sell those homes as
(15:15):
quickly or as much money as homes that do not
look like that. Now, can the city pass an ordinance
saying that those burn areas, you must build homes that
approximate those areas. Maybe, but imagine the lawsuits that will
hit the purchase of Alta Dina lots by Edwin Castro,
(15:40):
who came from Alta Dina and he won the two
billion dollar powerball jackpot a couple of years ago, and
he opted for the lump sum after taxes, it was
in the seven hundred million range, so he can do
whatever the hell he wants. Well, he's buying up to
fifteen lots in Altadena and he is going to be
(16:06):
building homes now. Hasn't decided what kind of homes, but
a couple of things he has decided. He does not
want to sell lots to developers. He plans on developing,
but he plans on developing the way Alta Dina was.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
He's he's not doing this as a charity. He says
he's gonna make money on this.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
He's going to sell the homes at market value, but
he wants to keep it limited to the number of
people who lived and will live in Altadena. And I mean,
how do you do that? I mean, you can say no,
But all I have to tell you is, or I
have to tell him, is I want to buy the house,
(16:47):
and I happen to live someplace else and I want
to move. I'm buying it to move there. So who
knows the way it's going to turn out. But as usual,
there are the detractors, and there are people that are
trying to block the investors from buying and arguing, Look,
what's happening to Altadena. It's not going to have the
(17:07):
same small town feel. It's going to be gentrified. We
don't want to give up that small town field. Well
feel Well, let me tell you your small town feel is
now empty lots. How small town is that the homes
are gone? How small town is that? Well, we used
(17:30):
to have hardware stores. Well, there's a Walmart a mile
and a half away. How small town is that that's
the problem, you know, they're arguing, and what is the alternative?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
By the way, I.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Mean, we've come up with some crackpot.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Ideas they have.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
We'll have the city by the lots and have the
city subsidize the building of these homes the way they
used to look like and limited to folks that lived
in Altadena.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Come on, really, it's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
It's going to happen, now, will it be the craftsman
bungalows and Spanish revival homes? Who knows a lot of locals,
by the way, appreciate his goals. One of them, a
contractor who grew up in Altadena, says I feel better
about him than anybody else because he's from the area.
There's one lady who says he's just another person trying
(18:23):
to get some profit. Yeah, that's what builders and developers do.
Does she want him to give away the land? Well,
he's got plenty of money, he should give it away,
she said from her office, under a poster of Carl
Marx So and he's thinking of even building a house
(18:46):
for himself over two lots with secret corridors and underground
tunnels and very willy Wonka like by the way, he
was born into in Alta.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Dino was a boy.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
He was a pokey man, devote and he still spends long,
long nights with friends playing dungeons and dragons the way
he has forever. Except the difference is they look at
him a small town guy. He had a business in Altadena.
(19:22):
I think he was some kind of a contractor. He was,
actually he was a private architecture consultant. When he hit
the jackpot. He is no longer a private architecture consultant.
He's just a very, very very wealthy guy, is what
he is. All Right, we're done. Guys coming up, it's
Gary and Shannon.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
We get to enjoy the rain all day today and
probably tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Matter of fact, there's some flash flood warning, so maybe
you won't enjoy the rain and starts again tomorrow. It's
Amy and Will Coleschreiber. That's from that's with wake Up
Call from five to six and you and I jump
Aboard from six to just about nine nine o'clock. And
of course Kno and and are an integral but mediocre
(20:08):
part of the.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Show as part Big Big. Yeah. I'm not saying it's
not big, I'm just.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Saying important, important, essential, essentially, No, I guess essential is
good that works. This is kf I am six forty.
You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show. Catch my
Show Monday through Friday six am to nine am, and
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
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