December 27, 2024 • 58 mins
🎄 This week, we're unwrapping the hottest tech stories shaping the season! From holiday disruptions to groundbreaking innovations, join us as we break down the trends impacting your world. Don’t miss out on insightful discussions and game-changing updates!
🕒 Watch the episode within 24 hours on The JMOR Tech Talk Show and explore exclusive content at BelieveMeAchieve.com.
📡 Stay ahead in the tech game—stream now!
Detailed Highlights1️⃣ Amazon Workers Strike 🎄💼 Amazon employees across seven U.S. facilities walked out during the busiest shopping season, raising concerns about wages and workplace safety during the holiday rush.
2️⃣ TSMC Chip Plant in Arizona 🏭🇺🇸 The cutting-edge U.S.-based facility from TSMC is on track for completion, paving the way for advanced semiconductor production in America.
3️⃣ WhatsApp Hacking Case 📱⚖️ A U.S. court ruled against NSO Group, holding them accountable for allegedly using spyware to hack WhatsApp, marking a significant victory for cybersecurity.
4️⃣ U.S. Targets Chinese Firm Sophgo 🛰️🇨🇳 The Biden administration has imposed new restrictions on Sophgo, citing its connections to Huawei and potential risks to national security.
5️⃣ OpenAI’s "o3" AI Model 🤖🌟 OpenAI has unveiled its latest reasoning AI model, promising smarter, more intuitive machine-learning capabilities.
6️⃣ Data-Center Power Demand Tripling ⚡🌐 By 2028, the U.S. is expected to see a threefold increase in energy demands from data centers, driven by AI and cloud computing growth.
7️⃣ United Airlines & Apple AirTags ✈️🛄 United now supports Apple AirTag integration, letting passengers track their luggage in real time for added travel convenience.
8️⃣ Holiday Innovations 🎉🔑 From virtual holiday cards to smart home tech improving security, technology is revolutionizing how we celebrate the festive season.
9️⃣ The Oregon Trail Turns 50 🎮🕰️ Marking five decades, the iconic game sparks conversations about its cultural impact and how it represents historical events.
🔟 Amazon's OSHA Settlement 🏗️📜 Amazon agrees to safety reforms after facing scrutiny for high injury rates at its warehouses.
1️⃣1️⃣ Australia's Social Media Ban for Kids 🇦🇺📵 Australia enforces a ban on social media for children under 16, aiming to protect their mental health.
1️⃣2️⃣ TikTok Sale Delay Request 🎥⏳ U.S. senators urge a pause on ByteDance’s required sale of TikTok, keeping the app’s fate in limbo.
1️⃣3️⃣ Italy Fines OpenAI 🇮🇹⚖️ OpenAI faces penalties in Italy over ChatGPT’s privacy violations, underscoring the growing challenges for AI governance.
1️⃣4️⃣ Google’s Antitrust Proposal 🔍⚖️ Google proposes significant changes to its search algorithms to address concerns of monopoly and maintain compliance.
#TechTalks 🚀 #AIInnovation 🤖 #CyberSecurity 🔒 #FutureTech 🌐 #TechNews 📰 #SmartHomes 🏡 #AITrends 📈 #PodcastLife 🎙️ #Innovation 🌟 #TechUpdates 🔧 #DigitalFuture 💻 #HolidayTech 🎄
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Hi everyone, I'm John C. Morley, the host of
The JMOR Tech Talk Show and Inspirations
Well, hey
(01:01):
guys, good evening.
It is John C. Morley here, serial entrepreneur.
You're tuned into The JMOR Tech Talk
Show, incidentally, and this is the last episode
of series three for 2024.
That means our next show that we have,
actually a week from today will be January
(01:23):
3rd, 2025, and we'll be in series four.
I cannot believe that we are going to
be in series four in just a week
from today.
That is like really, really amazing.
All right, guys, well, welcome to The
JMOR Tech Talk Show.
If you guys are wondering what the topic
(01:44):
today is, a special title, which I think
you guys want to know, well, I'll be
happy to share that with you.
Our title for this Friday's show, December 27,
2024, is a really, really good one.
Are you ready?
All right.
Tech tidings, holiday strikes, AI advances, and festive
(02:04):
innovation, series three, show 53, and the last
show for series three and the last show
for 2024.
So a lot of last, but there's gonna
be a lot of good firsts coming up.
Welcome, everyone.
It is great to have you with me.
I hope you have been enjoying the holidays
with your families, friends, and all your wonderful
(02:27):
people that you gather with around the holidays.
So it is great, great, when I say
really great, to be with everyone around this
holiday time.
Really a great thing.
So hopefully you're enjoying them.
And if you want to go grab yourself
a snack or something, well, go ahead and
do it.
Why not?
Or a drink or something and hurry on
back.
Well, are you guys ready with me to
(02:49):
level up your tech knowledge?
I'm John C.
Morley.
I'm a serial entrepreneur.
I'm also a podcast coach and a podcast
host.
I invite you to tune in to the
latest episode of The JMOR Tech Talk
show every Friday night.
But if you can't make that, well, you
can just visit BelieveMeAchieved.com and either catch
The JMOR Tech Talk podcast, which is
(03:12):
the audio-only version, or you can catch
the full show on the YouTube channel or
Facebook or LinkedIn, etc.
So welcome, everyone.
This week, we're shaping the tech world from
holiday strikes to groundbreaking AI advancements and festive
innovations.
(03:33):
Again, you can always catch the show within
24 hours of The JMOR Tech Talk
show airing and explore more great exclusive content
that only we provide at BelieveMeAchieved.com, which
is on my hat.
So don't miss all the tech-packed discussions
that we're having on The JMOR Tech
(03:54):
Talk show this year and the upcoming year
and years in the past.
You know, one of the interesting things I
want to talk about was the Amazon worker
strike.
I think this is a really interesting thing.
So Amazon workers strike across seven facilities during
the holiday shopping rush.
(04:16):
Amazon workers at seven facilities across New York,
Georgia, California, and Illinois went on strike just
not too long ago, actually.
It was last week, which would have been
the 18th and the 19th that they started
going on.
Demanding better wages, improved benefits, and safer working
(04:37):
conditions.
The strike was led by Teamsters Union in
the aim to push Amazon into negotiations with
the union, criticizing the company's insatiable need for
greed and for delays during the busy holiday
season.
Amazon responded by denying the claims, accusing the
(04:59):
union of misleading the public and bringing in
outsiders to support the protest.
This strike is being called the largest against
Amazon in U.S. history, with nearly 10
,000 workers joining the Teamsters.
Despite the opposition, the union is determined to
continue its campaign for workers' rights.
(05:20):
Now, you guys know that Amazon always does
things for money, right?
But, you know, even getting through to their
customer support is like a joke.
You know, even when you try to use
their chat system, that becomes annoying because they
still try to not give you a live
person.
(05:41):
So striking workers picket outside of Amazon warehouse
in the city of the industry, California, on
December 19th, and thousands of workers have ended
their days-long strike against the company now.
But did they really get what they want?
And I guess that's really the question.
Did Amazon, did the strike do anything for
(06:07):
Amazon?
And, you know, that's a tough thing.
People are saying, you know, are they still
striking?
Well, many people are back to work.
And so, you know, a lot of workers
just basically yesterday, December 26th, basically thousands of
(06:29):
workers have ended their strike with Amazon.
So the question is, did it work?
But the tension persists, with the union saying
its efforts aren't over yet.
Quote, unquote, make no mistake, the Teamsters will
never let up and workers will never stop
fighting for their Amazon rights while working there.
(06:54):
So I think that's very, very important.
Quote, a union representative had said this, and
thousands of Amazon delivery drivers across a handful
of states went on strike late last week
in the thick of the holiday package season,
with the strike ending on Christmas Eve.
The Teamsters held protests outside at least 200
(07:16):
facilities nationwide, but workers were on strike at
only nine separate locations from Queens, New York
to San Francisco.
Amazon insisted that none of its operations or
deliveries were affected by the stoppage.
The union claims to represent 7,000 Amazon
workers nationwide, or less than 1% of
the company's U.S. workforce.
(07:37):
Amazon is the nation's second largest private employer
with a headcount of 740,000 workers across
1,000 warehouses and distribution centers.
The protesting workers demanded higher wages and better
benefits, pointing to the online shopping behemoth, massive
profits in recent years.
Amazon posted solid profit growth in the third
(08:00):
quarter, in part driven by strong e-commerce
sales.
Striking workers have also complained of tough working
conditions.
And we'll get to some of those stories
a little bit later.
They say the pay needs to be better.
But it's more than just the money, ladies
and gentlemen.
It's actually about how they're being treated while
(08:23):
they're at these facilities.
So it's really something.
And again, it was called the largest strike
against Amazon in U.S. history, with nearly
10,000 workers joined the Teamsters.
And I think most people didn't want the
(08:44):
strike.
But, you know, they did it because they
felt they had to.
They were part of a group.
They were part of that family, right?
So I don't know.
I just know that, you know, reaching them
last week when I had to get them
on the phone for something, because I had
gotten a part that was defective, I actually
tried to do the return process online, but
(09:06):
it was declined.
So then I went to Amazon because it
was sold by a third-party seller.
And so when I called the 1-800
number for Amazon, I just kept hitting zero
and zero, just coming around.
I was like, I can't help you.
I didn't understand.
I was like, I'm like, don't you get
it?
After like four or five times, like 10
times, like when are you going to transfer
me?
Finally, after like, I think it was like
10 or 12 times, they finally transferred me.
(09:28):
Then the guy said, well, you know, you
should use the online chat.
But the chat was a disaster too, because
the chat didn't give me a live person
either.
Now, what he said, which was very interesting,
is that they're doing this because, you know,
they just have such a demand.
We'll have to see if I can get
through to a live person easier, but Amazon's
system is terrible with getting live people, you
(09:50):
know, on the phone or even on chat.
So I don't buy that it's just, you
know, use chat and it'll be better, because
it's not, it wasn't any better than being
on the phone.
It was just the same runaround.
And ladies and gentlemen, TSMC, you guys remember
TSMC?
Well, TSMC, they're making quite a bit of
headway here.
(10:10):
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited.
They started their first foundry in 1987 in
Taiwan.
So TSMC's first advanced U.S. chip plant,
nearly it's on track.
The TSMC's first advanced U.S. chip plant
in Arizona, the company's most advanced fabrication facility
(10:33):
on U.S. soil, is nearing its original
schedule after overcoming early construction operational challenges.
Originally projected to cost $12 billion and produce
five nanometer chips by the end of 2024,
the project is seeing costs rise to $20
billion, with full production now expected in 2025.
And the facility, which is currently in pilot
(10:55):
production, will produce four nanometer chips.
And TSMC plans further expansion with a total
investment of $65 billion for additional fabrication plants.
Now, despite delays, the fab will play a
crucial role in addressing ship changes and chip
supply chain risks, offering greater resilience in the
United States semiconductor industry, which currently relies heavily
(11:19):
on Taiwan for advanced chip production.
Is having this facility here in the United
States going to make it easier for us?
One thing, it's probably going to cut the
tariff because everything's being made right here.
It's also going to create more jobs.
They're even having a TSMC day they have
at Arizona State.
So they're trying different things, but I'm just
not sure if this is going to be
(11:41):
like the best thing yet.
It might be.
I'm just a little concerned about what they're
doing and what it's actually going to do
for the American people.
All right.
And a U.S. judge rules against Israel's
NSO group in the WhatsApp hacking case.
What is this all about?
Yes, a U.S. judge ruled that Israel's
(12:02):
NSO group maker of Pegasus spyware violated state
and federal hacking laws in a lawsuit filed
by WhatsApp, part of Meta, in case you're
wondering.
The case stems from allegations that NSO used
Pegasus to infect and surveil 1,400 phones
in May of 2019, targeting journalists, human rights
(12:24):
activists, and diplomats.
The judge found NSO responsible for installing and
extracting data, rejecting claims that its government clients
controlled the spyware.
WhatsApp celebrated the ruling as a win for
accountability while NSO faces a jury trial in
March 2025 to determine damages.
This decision follows years of litigation and sanctions
(12:46):
for NSO compliance with implications for global spyware
practices.
This is really a mess about, what's going
on.
And I think it just really got way
out of hand with this NSO, Israeli cyber
(13:07):
intelligence company.
And I think a lot of people think
that they can just do whatever they want,
but people are quickly learning that they can't,
especially these big companies.
So I don't know, ladies and gentlemen, I
think they're starting to learn because they're getting
hit with these huge, huge fines and it's
(13:29):
going to continue.
This is not going to end any time
soon.
So we'll have to keep an eye on
that, ladies and gentlemen, and let you know
what's happening and where it's going.
But there is a court case on the
books for March of 2025 to determine the
actual damages.
More will follow about that.
(13:51):
And ladies and gentlemen, an exclusive on the
U.S. targets firm behind the TSMC, Taiwan
Semiconductor Chip Company.
Pretty interesting what's happening there.
TSMC is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
(14:14):
It's kind of entering this very unique partnership
with the U.S. And this is all
about the U.S. targeting firms behind the
TSMC chip.
It's found in the Hawaii processor.
The Biden administration plans to blacklist Chinese firm
Sofco for allegedly using a TSMC-made chip
(14:35):
in Hawaii's HI processor without authorization, escalating action
against company's operations.
Sofco, affiliated with Bitcoin mining supplier Bitmain, faces
inclusion on the entity list, which restricts access
to U.S. technology and goods.
(14:56):
The move follows investigations revealing the chip found
in Hawaii's Ascend 910B system that was designed
by Sofco.
TSMC immediately hauled the chip to Sofco after
discovering the match.
And they had previously stopped supplying Hawaii in
2020.
(15:16):
Sofco denies ties to Hawaii, but its AI
chips have been produced by Chinese state entities
for surveillance and AI tools.
So I have to say one thing about
the TSMC company.
Even though they are in Taiwan, it looks
like they are trying to do the greatest
thing for, let's say, the greater good of
(15:39):
mankind.
They stopped shipping, and they are all about
serious security.
So I think they are in a partnership
that we kind of can trust.
I mean, it's going to be hard because
you really don't know them too well.
And so just seeing how they've operated demonstrates
(16:00):
that they definitely are about more than profits.
They are about security, all right?
I think that's important to understand.
So OpenAI launches the O3 reasoning AI models
for testing.
The OpenAI has introduced its latest reasoning AI
models, O3 and O3 mini, which excel in
(16:20):
breaking down complex tasks for better results.
Currently, in safety testing with researchers, these models
outshine predecessors in coding, math, and science benchmarks,
solving advanced problems, and scoring highly on expert
challenges.
OpenAI, you might notice, actually skipped O2, and
(16:40):
they did this to avoid confusion with a
telecom brand.
The company also announced progress in deliberative alignment,
assuring AI evaluates safety decisions step-by-step,
improving adherence to guidelines.
Public release dates are yet to be announced,
but these advancements mark a leap forward in
AI reasoning and safety protocols.
(17:02):
So you probably might be asking me, and
it's a very good question, what is in
the O3 AI change?
Well, there's a lot of things in there.
So the OpenAI O3 builds on its predecessor
O1 with enhanced reasoning and adaptability, which happened
(17:25):
around the September 1st of 2024.
The O3 models are showing notable performance improvements,
including ARC-HEI benchmark visual reasoning with an
87.5% accuracy rating, and O3 showcases
significant visual reasoning gains.
So what this means to me is we're
probably going to see that they're going to
(17:48):
be a lot more suitable for, let's say,
manufacturing environments and many other environments.
But the question is, is this going to
help the country?
The O3 model scores, as I said, much
higher on several measures, but the thing is,
Google is also pursuing a similar line of
research.
Oh no.
(18:09):
Yes, Noam Shazir, a Google researcher, revealed in
a post on a couple of days ago
that the company has developed a new model
called Gemini 2.0 Flash.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai called a very interesting
thing, and I want to quote exactly what
he said.
He actually called it, according to his thing,
(18:32):
our most thoughtful model yet, quote.
And so Google's new model achieved a high
score on the SWE bench, a test that
measures a model's agentic abilities.
However, OpenAI's new O3 model is 20%
better than O1, and the O3 blew it
out of the water.
(18:52):
And this comes from the Ophira Press and
a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University who helped
develop the SWE bench, quote unquote.
He said, very surprising increase, not sure how
they did it, close quote.
The two dueling models show competition between OpenAI
and Google to be fiercer than ever.
(19:13):
It's crucial for OpenAI to demonstrate that it
can keep making advances as it seeks to
attract more investment and build a profitable business.
Google is meanwhile desperate to show that it
remains at the forefront of AI research.
I mean, we know how much Google's been
getting taken down, and they're figuring that this
is going to hopefully change the world for
(19:34):
them.
Is it?
I don't know.
I think right now, we just want to
see a Google that's going to operate ethically,
right?
Not one that's going to just play games
because Google has not been truthful.
We know Google has not been truthful for
years, and that's not hearsay.
(20:00):
They've been accused of not being truthful for
years, criticism including manipulating search results, misrepresenting how
user data is collected, and denying the use
of certain ranking factors in their search algorithm,
being concerns about the accuracy and transparency of
information presented to users.
Everybody wants to get up to be the
best like Google, but my question is, why?
(20:21):
Why do you want to be?
Why do you care about Google?
I mean, there's other great search engines out
there, but I think we were all concerned
that if Google didn't index us, then we
wouldn't be at the party, but Google's not
it.
Google was a company that was the first
to show up, but they're not the be
(20:42):
-all end-all.
They give conflicting advice.
The people that you get on the phone
are nothing but abusive.
They're arrogant, and they don't know what they're
doing, and then when you tell them that
you don't like something, they get even more
arrogant at you, and they threaten to not
help you.
So, do we really want to empower a
company like Google?
(21:02):
Absolutely not, and I think Google is finally
getting what it deserves, which is the fact
that they are monopolizing the competition with their,
let's say, very bad and misleading search results.
I've stopped using Google for searching.
There are many other great engines out there,
(21:24):
and you should definitely look at those too,
and those don't actually track you.
So, Google tracks and sells everything about you,
and ladies and gentlemen, a U.S. data
center power demand may triple by 2028.
Well, we got a few years, right?
U.S. data center power demand fueled by
the rapid adoption of AI, artificial intelligence, could
(21:46):
nearly triple by 2028, consuming up to 12
percent of the country's electricity, according to the
Department of Energy's back study.
The surge in energy use stems from GPU,
graphic processor units, accelerated servers, and the cooling
systems requiring for the API operations to take
(22:10):
place, with data centers already more than doubling
their power usage since 2017.
They've doubled since 2017.
18, 19, 20, one, two, three, four.
In seven years, they've doubled.
So, this growth alongside rising energy needs from
manufacturing and electrification highlights the strain on the
grid.
This is inevitable.
(22:31):
To address this, the report suggests innovations like
long duration battery storage, advanced geothermal systems, and
small nuclear reactors to ensure grid resilience.
I'm not a big fan of nuclear reactors.
We all know that there's been lots of
challenges and problems with them because people are
not maintaining safety properly.
I think everyone is in a rush, just
(22:53):
like they're in a rush to get these
electric cars out, but we're not ready for
this.
There's so much more that we have to
go through.
People always say you got to run, but
you got to walk before you can run.
You first got to get up, right?
If you don't get up, you can't even
walk.
So, you got to get up, then you
got to walk, then you got to walk
quicker, and then maybe you're going to jog,
(23:14):
and then maybe you're going to run.
You can't just go from walking to run
like that quick.
You really got to first get up, right?
So, I think that's going to be a
big thing that's going to hit a lot
of people, and I'm curious about where this
is going to go with a lot of
people because there are so many people that
are concerned about where we're going with our
(23:34):
technology.
Is that going to keep our environment sustainable,
or is it going to cause more fossil
fuel problems or a larger carbon footprint?
I don't know, but these are definitely interesting
things to talk about.
So, United Airlines becomes the first airline to
use air tag tracking luggage.
(23:57):
United Airlines has become the first major airlines
to incorporate Apple's air tag tracking system for
checked baggage.
So, this new feature launched just ahead of
the holiday season allows customers to use Apple's
Find My Network to share the location of
their luggage with United's customer service agents, improving
recovery times for delayed bags.
(24:18):
If a bag is lost, passengers can report
it via the United app and share their
air tags location, enabling agents to track it
on the interactive map.
The system was built on Bluetooth technology and
privacy secured through end-to-end encryption, and
it's designed to enhance customer service and minimize
the inconvenience of lost luggage.
(24:39):
So, people have lots of questions, and this
is a great thing.
So, this is a question.
Does United give you a free air tag
for your luggage?
So, this has been a little bit of
a, I'd say a little bit of a
confusion for some people, you know, how this
(24:59):
works.
No, United does not provide free air tags
for luggage, but it allows customers to share
the location of their air tags with the
airline to help locate the luggage.
So, you still have to go get an
air tag.
You still have to go purchase one.
So, people say to me, John, well, how
much is, you know, how much is an
Apple air tag?
(25:21):
So, Apple air tags right now, depending on,
you know, where you get them and things
like that, I think the biggest thing right
now to buy a one pack, I think
is like $29.
You can buy a four pack from Apple
right now, which is going to be a
little bit less money.
(25:42):
So, the thing about, you know, with getting
one at $29, you know, and they come
in lots of different flavors, right?
You can get them for, you can get
them like on a key chain.
You can get them, so there's lots of
different ways that they, there's a couple of
like ways that you can get them.
So, now that you know that United does
(26:03):
not provide the actual, they don't provide this
at all.
All they do is they basically allow you
to use their network to, let's say, you
know, let's say be able to facilitate a
(26:25):
lost piece of luggage.
And I think that's a pretty cool thing,
but I want to make sure everyone knows
here that it does not mean that you
are getting a free air tag.
In fact, you are definitely not getting a
free air tag.
So, again, it is just a system that's
allowing you to basically utilize what's there and,
(26:50):
you know, be able to take that information
and be able to help you, you know,
let's say, you know, find your luggage.
So, you know, these are very interesting things,
but I want to be very clear with
(27:11):
you is that United doesn't give you a
free air tag.
A lot of people thought you were going
to get a free air tag.
Well, you don't.
It allows the customers to share the location
of their air tags with the airline to
help find lost luggage.
So, customers can use the share item location
(27:31):
feature in the Find My app on their
iPhone, iPad, or Mac to generate a link
that can be shared with United's customer service.
That's it.
To use the feature, customers need an iPhone
running iOS 18.2 or later and the
United app.
So, basically, you're able to link those back
(27:52):
and forth.
So, you know, that's pretty cool.
So, what happens if you don't have the
United app?
So, customers without the United app will receive
a text notification information about tracking delayed luggage
and adding air tag location details that way.
The shared location will be disabled after a
customer has a bag and the link will
automatically expire after seven days.
(28:13):
So, I think this is a great thing,
but a lot of people just think that
United is going to give you the tag.
They're not.
No.
So, I just want to make sure everybody
is clear about this and how it works.
You can buy a four pack set of
(28:36):
air tags for $69.99. So, the thing
about air tags is that, you know, they're
pretty cool.
And then you can also buy air tag
cases, which are like 10 bucks.
So, the air tag itself basically is a
little disc and then the disc still needs
(28:57):
to go into a tag.
So, you still got to buy the tag
and then, because you can't just like pop
it in, right?
I mean, if you put it in your
luggage, you could do that, but that's going
to kind of be annoying.
So, you're supposed to just put it on
the outside, but then the question is, if
you put it on the outside of the
luggage, will people be able to just remove
it?
So, I might want to put it inside
the luggage because I'm thinking that somebody, you
(29:20):
know, might see this air tag and like
might decide to just grab it.
I don't know.
So, it's great what they're doing, but again,
I have concerns, ladies and gentlemen, about, you
know, what's going on, what they're doing, and
is this going to be something that's going
to help people or is it going to
cause more of a frustration?
I think it's a great idea to help
(29:42):
people find their luggage, but my only question
is, if they do this, they're going to
have to provide a lot of support with
how to use it because I bet you
a lot of people do not know how
to use air tags.
All right.
And so, moving on through the holidays, there's
been a lot going on this holidays.
I'm sure there are every holidays, but did
(30:02):
you know, ladies and gentlemen, technology has changed
over the holidays?
You might say, well, how has technology changed
over the holidays?
Well, no matter where you're from, technology is
playing a key role in helping people celebrate
the holidays with their loved ones.
Many are opting for e-cards and video
greetings instead of traditional cards and stamps, which
(30:25):
is the way it's been done.
And I think it's not just because of
technology's age and how it's evolving, but now
a stamp, if you have to mail, like
people ask this all the time, John, how
much is a stamp right now?
Well, stamp prices keep going up, right?
So, how much is a stamp in the
(30:45):
US?
So, right now, a stamp in the US
has gone up, okay?
As of July 14, 2024, it now costs
73 cents for a standard size rectangular envelope.
That's a lot.
(31:07):
And so, when we think about that, you
know, you might think other technology is cheaper.
And yeah.
So, one ounce of first-class mail forever
stamp covers up to one ounce, which is
about the size of a business size envelope
and about four sheets of printer paper to
give you, you know, a rough idea.
(31:28):
Additional ounces after the first ounce cost 28
cents up to 3.5 ounces.
Larger envelopes, postage for a large envelope or
flat, start at $1.50 for the first
ounce.
Wow.
So, you can understand why things are changing,
(31:49):
right?
And just to let you know, postcard rates
have changed too.
Yes.
So, I'm just talking about regular mailing, right?
Not a bulk mailing.
So, how much are our postcard stamps?
Well, it is a couple factors, right?
But postcard stamps, a standard size rectangular postcard
stamp starts at 56 cents.
(32:11):
Oversized postcards need letter stamps, which start 73
cents.
So, to mail a four by six, let's
say, postcard, which is, you know, a pretty
standard postcard, it's going to cost you 40
cents.
So, I think a lot of people don't
(32:35):
realize, you know, what's going on.
And a two ounce letter, okay, ladies and
gentlemen, is going to basically cost you the
73 cents.
So, then one domestic forever stamp, okay, an
additional ounce stamp, you can basically, in some
(32:55):
places, overpay by 45 cents.
So, you know, that's crazy if you use
two domestic forevers, right?
So, if everybody understands how this works, I
just want to make sure you get it
clear, how much is the second ounce after
the first, let's say, the first forever stamp.
(33:17):
And it's really simple to understand.
So, don't waste putting two forevers on your
letter because it's going to waste money.
So, you also have a fee, by the
way, of something called non-machinable.
So, if you put a pen in the
envelope, and let's say the machine can't get
through that, well, that's considered non-machinable.
And it will bounce back if you don't
have the non-machinable on there.
(33:39):
So, a non-machinable two ounce is $1
.47. So, a forever stamp is 73 cents,
okay?
The first ounce after that is going to
be 28 cents.
So, again, like I said, if you were
to take two stamps, obviously, I'll just throw
(33:59):
two forever stamps on there, right?
So, 73 cents, which is pretty easy, 73
cents times two comes up to be $1
.46, right?
And so, you know, overpaying by that 40
cents, 45 cents, that's a lot.
And so, this is what's making people want
to be able to use technology now instead
(34:22):
of mailing things, not just because it's easier
and more convenient, but because of costs.
I think that's a really big one.
Even people that are not technically proficient are
starting to want to do this.
So, e-cards, a lot of them you
can get for free.
There are lots of e-card sites up
(34:44):
there.
But, you know, there's one that I know
I had been using for years.
And so, they have a lot of free
greetings on their sites.
It's actually called American Greetings.
And there are lots of others out there
just to let you know.
They have a trial you can sign up
for.
So, you can get a lot of the
free cards.
(35:06):
But then if there's one, let's say, that
you want, and let's say, you know, that's
the one you want, but you can't get
it for whatever reason, it's because you are
not able to get the premium cards.
So, basically, you can access over 1,000
(35:27):
greetings for $1.99 a month.
You can mail a lot of letters that
way.
If you had to mail 1,000 greetings
by mail, I mean, it doesn't take a
lot of rocket science to figure this out.
But if you're just mailing just regular old
cards, 73 cents, ladies and gentlemen, times 1
(35:48):
,000.
That's $730.
Of course, you can tag on things like
either an Amazon card or other gift card,
and they'll be securely sent.
You can even customize the cards.
So, these are just some of the things
that you can do.
But more people are choosing these because, again,
(36:09):
they're a lot more economical, costly-wise.
And the other thing that's neat about them
is that you can personalize them in some
very unique ways that you can't with a
regular card.
You can add videos to some of them.
You can add music to some of them.
So, there's a lot of cool things that
you can do.
And so, when you think about sending somebody
(36:31):
a card, right, you don't know if they've
gotten it.
If you send an e-card, well, you
know when it went out.
You also get a notification when they've opened
it.
So, many are opting for e-cards and,
like I said, video greetings.
Some people are taking their phone, whether it's
Facebook, whether it's other social media, and they're
recording a video greeting and either SMSing it
through, let's say, a social media platform or
(36:55):
maybe they're SMS texting it through their cellular
provider.
So, these are just some things that you
can do.
But, again, you can see the prices on
mailings have gone through the roof.
So, the next question you're probably going to
ask, and I think it's a great question
to ask is, when, and this is a
(37:17):
great question, everyone, when will stamps go up
again?
Well, the good news is they're not going
up in January.
That is the good news, okay?
They are scheduled to go up again in
July of 2025.
So, you know, the latest price took effect
(37:41):
on July 14, 2024, and it looks like
we're now going to be 78 cents.
They don't change anything in July 2025.
That's what it's going to be.
So, that's why it makes sense to buy
a roll of Forever stamps.
It's like $73, you know, so that's important
(38:04):
to do that.
It's crazy how much stamps are costing.
It's unbelievable.
In many areas, the tax rate imposed on
documents, it's 70 cents per hundred.
So, like in New Jersey, it's, you know,
(38:26):
for 6.625. So, it's not a huge
amount, and people always say to me, John,
is there tax on stamps?
So, gross receipts from sale of US postal
stamps sold for the purposes of postage are
not subject to tax.
The folders or wrappers containing the stamps are
(38:48):
taxable.
So, the stamp vehicle, if you will, is
not taxed, but everything else you need, unfortunately,
gentlemen, yep, that's going to be taxed.
But the stamps are not taxed.
So, I'm happy to hear that they're not,
and it's definitely changing the way people send
holiday greetings.
(39:08):
So, those who can't be with family in
person, maybe you want to do something like
a virtual video call, allowing them to join
in on gift exchanges, maybe on Christmas Day,
or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or wherever.
The way it works is you can sign
up for a free account with either Zoom
or many of the other providers, and Zoom,
I believe, gives you, if they haven't changed
(39:29):
it, I mean, I know they keep changing
it, I think Zoom gives you, what is
it, just because, I mean, they change this,
like, they change this all the time, but
Zoom free limit, basically, it's the Zoom free
limit.
They do allow you 40 minutes, okay, to
(39:51):
be on.
There's no limit to the number of meetings
you can host.
So, you know, it works out pretty well,
and up to 100 participants per meeting.
So, 40 minutes, they have paid plans, but
again, if you're just trying to do, like,
(40:12):
some opening gifts and whatnot, or being around
for the holiday dinner, even if you, let's
say, knock off at 40 minutes, when it
knocks you off, you can reconnect again with
the same information, and you could be on
for another 40 minutes.
You can keep doing that right now.
There's no limit.
So, if it's the holiday time, and let's
say you have your, let's say, you have
(40:34):
your big screen TV with the camera, or
maybe you don't, maybe you just have your
iPhone, and you just have your Zoom app
downloaded, and you can literally be the camera
person, and be just, like, you know, shooting
everyone, and then they can see you, and
you can see them, so again, it's a
great way to be somewhere when you can't
(40:54):
be somewhere.
So, this is a great technology that is
changing the way people are staying connected over
the holidays.
I think it's a really cool thing.
So, whether you're doing it for virtual gift
-wrapped opening, maybe you sent some gifts, and
you want to see their faces when they
(41:16):
open them.
That's a great thing, right?
Maybe it's for dinner.
Maybe you do a virtual dinner where you're
making the same things, but each person sends,
let's say, their part of the meal to
everyone else.
So, you send your piece to whoever is
(41:36):
going to be there.
Maybe it's three or four of the families,
and then each of them send theirs to
the other three or four families as well,
and so then you can do a virtual
toast.
There's lots of things you can do, and
so this makes it fun, and you both
get to take part in a home-cooked
holiday meal.
Additionally, you know, modern security systems and video
(41:58):
surveillance are ensuring homes are staying safe.
Maybe you're traveling to grandma's, grandpa's, or some
other relatives, and unfortunately, when you do, you're
somehow thinking in the back of your mind,
oh my gosh, what am I going to
do?
Like, is my house safe?
(42:18):
And so, with many of the home surveillance
systems, you can actually, you know, look at
the camera right on your iPhone.
There are some doorbells out there that when
people ring your doorbell, or even come near
your door, will even capture some video footage.
There are some of them that even allow
(42:39):
you not only to ring the doorbell, but
this one client I visited, when they're not
home, and they don't answer, it says press
the button again to leave a message, and
typically what it does is it records the
message and puts it onto their cell phone
where they can watch it.
So, this is a great way to know
if loved ones or friends stop by to
say hello.
(42:59):
Otherwise, you would never know who stopped by,
right?
But I think the most important thing is
letting the bad actors know that even though
you might not physically be there, you're still
watching your premise, and if they go to
do something, well, not only are you going
to be able to know who did it,
you're going to take action against them for
(43:20):
any damages they may have caused.
So, I think that's a good thing, and
hopefully deters many of the bad actors to
not act.
Keeping your home safe, giving travelers peace of
mind, and I think there's so many things
that we can do over the holidays, but
knowing that we're safe, or knowing that even
(43:41):
things like, you know, your hot water heater
is okay, or everything else is okay in
your home, and you can get alerts.
So, I think these are really good things,
and so as technology is evolving, I think
what we're starting to see is that we're
able to get communication about these things in
one place, like our cell phone.
(44:03):
They'll come into an app.
Many of these systems have a free app
you download, and you'll get a limited amount
of storage so you can have the information
for, it might be a few gigs, depending
on what it is.
Then after that, you have to pay, and
it's usually a small amount of money, but
if you're just looking to check what's going
on, you can easily get that footage, and
(44:24):
you can even download that footage on a
lot of them.
So, I think that's a really cool thing.
So, use technology to connect your loved ones
together, and also use it so that you
get peace of mind, and you can keep
your property safer.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I was in grammar
school, I got the privilege of playing the
(44:44):
Oregon Trail.
So, 50 years of the Oregon Trail, uncovering
the controversies.
The Oregon Trail is a groundbreaking educational video
game launched in 1974.
It became a staple in the U.S.
classrooms, shaping the understanding of history for generations.
I got to play mine on an Apple
IIe.
I believe I was in fifth grade, and
still had floppy disks back then.
(45:04):
At that time, it was a five and
a quarter floppy disk.
Yes.
The game, which simulated the western journey of
19th century settlers, was a hit due to
its engaging gameplay and historical content, sparking interest
in the American frontier.
However, the game's portrayal of westward expansion has
(45:25):
been criticized for its colonist perspective, neglecting the
stories of native Americans and marginalized groups.
While later versions of the game have worked
to address these issues, the debate continues over
the ethics of turning such a violent historical
event into a game.
Despite this, the Oregon Trail's legacy remains influential,
with its innovation still evident in modern gaming.
(45:48):
So, I think these are really cool things.
And I know when I was playing that
game, you know, you were, you had to
answer, like, questions and stuff like that.
And so, it wasn't a game where you'd
use a joystick.
You had to make decisions.
Like, you know, you're on this trail.
You know, you, would you like to eat?
(46:08):
Yes or no?
Okay.
You now just spent $50 for food.
You have $500 left.
What do you need to do?
Oh, you just got robbed by a roaming
stagecoach thief.
Lose $200.
Or you have to fix a broken axle
on your carriage.
(46:30):
You know, they're all different things.
And I think what was interesting about it
is that it wasn't like a typical game
where it was using your insights.
Okay.
And I think that was something that I
believe was really cool.
The first time I played it, I didn't
really get what was going on or why
they were doing certain things.
But I will tell you one thing, ladies
(46:50):
and gentlemen, it was amazingly cool.
When I say amazingly cool, it was amazingly
cool.
So, definitely something that I believe teaches some
great information.
And ladies and gentlemen, I don't know if
you know this, but Amazon, yes, more news
(47:10):
about Amazon.
Amazon and OSHA settle over injury rates and
warehouse conditions.
Amazon and OSHA reached a broader settlement regarding
hazardous work conditions in Amazon's warehouses.
The agreement addresses ergonomic complaints, mandates biannual meetings
to review injury data, and includes a penalty
of $145,000.
Amazon praised the settlement as a recognition of
(47:33):
its progress, citing a 28% improvement in
incident rates and a 27% drop in
ergonomic injuries.
However, the strategic organizing center criticized Amazon, alleging
that the company has not done enough to
prevent worker injuries.
The settlement follows recent allegations, including a Senate
report claiming Amazon manipulated injury data and ignored
(47:55):
safety recommendations.
Well, we all know that they haven't been,
let's say, the most honest people in the
shed, right?
How about those people that were found on
the floor and they were almost dead?
Luckily, several hours later, a person found them
on the floor, but nobody ever reported or
did anything.
And luckily, they're still alive.
(48:16):
So, really some interesting things.
And ladies and gentlemen, lessons from Australia's new
social media ban for kids.
Australia has passed a groundbreaking law banning children
under 16 from using social media platforms like
Instagram X and Snapchat.
Starting in late 2025, this move aims to
protect minors from harmful mental health effects of
(48:38):
social media, including bullying and self-harm.
Let me hear your thoughts about that.
I think that's a great thing that they're
doing.
And while the ban has received support from
many parents and the public, child rights groups
argue it could limit vulnerable youth from accessing
essential support networks.
So, there's some things they still got to
work out there.
And US senators call on Biden to delay
(49:01):
the bike dance sale requirement for 90 days.
Now, Biden may or may not be able
to do anything, but we know that Trump
is coming in soon.
And we've already heard from him speculating that
he'd like to keep these guys around for
a little while.
I think because he gained like a 33
% increase from some of the, let's say,
(49:23):
lower demographic age.
And he wants to keep that around.
So, this request comes amid ongoing debates about
potential risks posed by the Chinese-owned app,
with some lawmakers exposing concerns over data privacy
and foreign influence.
So, we're going to have to sit tight
and see what's going to happen there.
(49:43):
But I know it's not going to be
easy.
And ladies and gentlemen, Italy fines OpenAI for
chat GPT privacy violations.
Italy's data protection watchdog fined OpenAI 15 million
pounds for violating user privacy laws with its
AI chatbot chat GPT.
The investigation revealed improper handling of personal data,
(50:06):
insufficient transparency, and inadequate age verification to shield
minors from harmful content.
I bet that was no shock to you.
OpenAI plans to appeal labeling the penalty as
excessive.
Additionally, OpenAI must run a public awareness campaign
about data practices in Italy.
The ruling highlights growing regulatory scrutiny over AI
(50:27):
systems globally, with the EU leading efforts through
its forthcoming AI Act.
Definitely, definitely something.
We have to keep an eye on what's
going on with AI, but I think it's
not just the European Union.
I think the United States of America needs
to wake up and be just as proactive
as the European Union is.
Google offers a solution to address the search
(50:49):
monopoly.
Google has proposed changes to address its alleged
search monopoly as scrutiny from regulators continues to
mount.
The company suggests allowing rival search engines to
get more visibility by giving users clear options
(51:09):
to select their preferred provider during device setup
and expanding access to its advertising tools.
This comes amid ongoing legal battles and antitrust
investigations in the US and Europe over claims
that Google unfairly dominates the search market, stifling
competition, they said.
The proposal aims to ease regulatory concerns while
(51:30):
maintaining its competitive edge in the digital landscape.
Ooh, that is something.
Amazon and Starbucks workers strike Trump's possible role.
Amazon and Starbucks workers are striking in several
US cities, demanding recognition of their unions and
better labor contracts.
The strikes, which began in December of 2024,
(51:51):
follow previous labor unrest and aim to push
for meaningful changes before President-elect Trump appoints
a Republican majority to the National Labor Relations
Board.
Workers are seeking high wages, improved benefits, and
safer working conditions.
While Amazon and Starbucks have resisted unionization, both
companies face increased pressure from workers and unions
(52:14):
like the Teamsters, with some strikes timed to
coincide with the busy holiday season.
The outcome of these strikes may influence future
labor relations under Trump administration.
We'll have to see what's going to happen,
ladies and gentlemen, but that's definitely a serious
thing.
And I'm glad that they're trying to do
some stuff with that because it's really a
(52:38):
problem, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a big problem.
And our last topic for tonight, I think
you guys are going to find very interesting.
Apple complains.
Yes, they complain.
With Meta's request risks privacy in the European
Union tech dispute.
Apple has expressed concerns that Meta's platform's request
(53:00):
for access to its operating software could jeopardize
user privacy.
This dispute comes as the European Union intensifies
efforts to enforce its Digital Markets Act, the
DMA, which aims to ensure fair competition in
the tech industry.
The European Union proposed guidelines would require Apple
to make its products more compatible with those
(53:20):
of rivals like Meta, which owns Facebook and
Instagram.
Apple, of course, has argued that Meta's request
could allow access to sensitive user data, such
as messages, emails, photos, and app usage.
Meta, on the other hand, accused Apple of
using privacy concerns as a shield against interoperability.
The European Union Commission is gathering public feedback
(53:43):
on these proposals until January 9th of the
coming year of 2025.
So we're going to have to see what's
going on with this.
And there's a lot happening in the news.
I mean, there is a lot happening.
And I think, you know, as we get
(54:04):
ready to move into 2025, this is the
last show for 2024, as you guys know.
It's been a very interesting year.
We've had some ups.
We've had some downs.
We've had lots of major stores closing, and
some still on the precipice of closing.
(54:24):
We just learned about Party City and some
major ones, and even parts of other big
chains.
And Pizza Hut's due to close so many
stores.
And there's so many others.
Is this because of all the competition overseas?
Is this because of Amazon?
Like, what is it?
And I think, you know, the big issue
(54:46):
is that we are buying everything overseas.
So Trump hopes to, you know, put these
tariffs in place so that we only buy
things from our own country, which is nice,
but there's got to be a ramp-up
period, right?
And this ramp-up period is going to
take some time.
We can't do all this overnight.
And so, if we understand that everything we
(55:07):
do has to evolve for the greater good
of all concerned, and I think when we
start to, you know, sit down, whether it's
Google, you know, whether it's Amazon, whether it's
Walmart, I don't think it really matters who.
I think at the end of the day,
it comes down to, are we doing the
right thing for the greater good of all
(55:28):
concerned?
Everyone always looks at it from point of
view, how much money are we going to
make?
But they don't really look at how is
this going to affect the American people, right?
They look at how much money can we
put in our pocket.
And although that seems like a great idea
for most businesses, it's not the plan for
(55:49):
longevity.
It might seem like it's going to help
us, but in the end, you know, we
may not get that consistent profit that we're
expecting.
Look at what's happening with stores like Party
City.
You know, when you sell a product, you've
got to make some money, right?
But I think when there's too much competition
(56:11):
and when it's too easily available to just
go online and go to Amazon and stuff
like that, I think that's a big problem.
And I think, you know, with Amazon putting
its claws into everything, I think they might
be one of the worst things in the
United States, unfortunately, Dylan, because, you know, they
just get their hands and everything.
(56:33):
But if something goes wrong, what does Amazon
do?
They flip it and they blame somebody else.
Meta is no hero either.
I can't really say too much about Apple
because every time Apple's had an issue, Apple
has always come behind to resolve it.
We did have some issues with Apple with
their commercial, which nobody really liked, how they
were starting to show that, you know, people's
(56:56):
original ideas and using tools was kind of
something that wasn't going to be done anymore,
but it is still going to be done.
So I think that's an important thing, ladies
and gentlemen.
Well, you know who I am by now.
I'm John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
It is always such a privilege, a pleasure
and honor to be with you guys here
on The JMOR Tech Talk Show.
Do check out BelieveMeAchieve.com for more of
(57:19):
my amazing, inspiring, courageous legend, and guess what?
I'm going to see you guys real soon.
In the meantime, happy, healthy, prosperous, abundant, joyful,
and a wonderful new year to all of
you.
(57:51):
you
Hi everyone, I'm John C. Morley, the host of
The JMOR Tech Talk Show and Inspirations
Well, hey
(01:01):
guys, good evening.
It is John C. Morley here, serial entrepreneur.
You're tuned into The JMOR Tech Talk
Show, incidentally, and this is the last episode
of series three for 2024.
That means our next show that we have,
actually a week from today will be January
(01:23):
3rd, 2025, and we'll be in series four.
I cannot believe that we are going to
be in series four in just a week
from today.
That is like really, really amazing.
All right, guys, well, welcome to The
JMOR Tech Talk Show.
If you guys are wondering what the topic
(01:44):
today is, a special title, which I think
you guys want to know, well, I'll be
happy to share that with you.
Our title for this Friday's show, December 27,
2024, is a really, really good one.
Are you ready?
All right.
Tech tidings, holiday strikes, AI advances, and festive
(02:04):
innovation, series three, show 53, and the last
show for series three and the last show
for 2024.
So a lot of last, but there's gonna
be a lot of good firsts coming up.
Welcome, everyone.
It is great to have you with me.
I hope you have been enjoying the holidays
with your families, friends, and all your wonderful
(02:27):
people that you gather with around the holidays.
So it is great, great, when I say
really great, to be with everyone around this
holiday time.
Really a great thing.
So hopefully you're enjoying them.
And if you want to go grab yourself
a snack or something, well, go ahead and
do it.
Why not?
Or a drink or something and hurry on
back.
Well, are you guys ready with me to
(02:49):
level up your tech knowledge?
I'm John C.
Morley.
I'm a serial entrepreneur.
I'm also a podcast coach and a podcast
host.
I invite you to tune in to the
latest episode of The JMOR Tech Talk
show every Friday night.
But if you can't make that, well, you
can just visit BelieveMeAchieved.com and either catch
The JMOR Tech Talk podcast, which is
(03:12):
the audio-only version, or you can catch
the full show on the YouTube channel or
Facebook or LinkedIn, etc.
So welcome, everyone.
This week, we're shaping the tech world from
holiday strikes to groundbreaking AI advancements and festive
innovations.
(03:33):
Again, you can always catch the show within
24 hours of The JMOR Tech Talk
show airing and explore more great exclusive content
that only we provide at BelieveMeAchieved.com, which
is on my hat.
So don't miss all the tech-packed discussions
that we're having on The JMOR Tech
(03:54):
Talk show this year and the upcoming year
and years in the past.
You know, one of the interesting things I
want to talk about was the Amazon worker
strike.
I think this is a really interesting thing.
So Amazon workers strike across seven facilities during
the holiday shopping rush.
(04:16):
Amazon workers at seven facilities across New York,
Georgia, California, and Illinois went on strike just
not too long ago, actually.
It was last week, which would have been
the 18th and the 19th that they started
going on.
Demanding better wages, improved benefits, and safer working
(04:37):
conditions.
The strike was led by Teamsters Union in
the aim to push Amazon into negotiations with
the union, criticizing the company's insatiable need for
greed and for delays during the busy holiday
season.
Amazon responded by denying the claims, accusing the
(04:59):
union of misleading the public and bringing in
outsiders to support the protest.
This strike is being called the largest against
Amazon in U.S. history, with nearly 10
,000 workers joining the Teamsters.
Despite the opposition, the union is determined to
continue its campaign for workers' rights.
(05:20):
Now, you guys know that Amazon always does
things for money, right?
But, you know, even getting through to their
customer support is like a joke.
You know, even when you try to use
their chat system, that becomes annoying because they
still try to not give you a live
person.
(05:41):
So striking workers picket outside of Amazon warehouse
in the city of the industry, California, on
December 19th, and thousands of workers have ended
their days-long strike against the company now.
But did they really get what they want?
And I guess that's really the question.
Did Amazon, did the strike do anything for
(06:07):
Amazon?
And, you know, that's a tough thing.
People are saying, you know, are they still
striking?
Well, many people are back to work.
And so, you know, a lot of workers
just basically yesterday, December 26th, basically thousands of
(06:29):
workers have ended their strike with Amazon.
So the question is, did it work?
But the tension persists, with the union saying
its efforts aren't over yet.
Quote, unquote, make no mistake, the Teamsters will
never let up and workers will never stop
fighting for their Amazon rights while working there.
(06:54):
So I think that's very, very important.
Quote, a union representative had said this, and
thousands of Amazon delivery drivers across a handful
of states went on strike late last week
in the thick of the holiday package season,
with the strike ending on Christmas Eve.
The Teamsters held protests outside at least 200
(07:16):
facilities nationwide, but workers were on strike at
only nine separate locations from Queens, New York
to San Francisco.
Amazon insisted that none of its operations or
deliveries were affected by the stoppage.
The union claims to represent 7,000 Amazon
workers nationwide, or less than 1% of
the company's U.S. workforce.
(07:37):
Amazon is the nation's second largest private employer
with a headcount of 740,000 workers across
1,000 warehouses and distribution centers.
The protesting workers demanded higher wages and better
benefits, pointing to the online shopping behemoth, massive
profits in recent years.
Amazon posted solid profit growth in the third
(08:00):
quarter, in part driven by strong e-commerce
sales.
Striking workers have also complained of tough working
conditions.
And we'll get to some of those stories
a little bit later.
They say the pay needs to be better.
But it's more than just the money, ladies
and gentlemen.
It's actually about how they're being treated while
(08:23):
they're at these facilities.
So it's really something.
And again, it was called the largest strike
against Amazon in U.S. history, with nearly
10,000 workers joined the Teamsters.
And I think most people didn't want the
(08:44):
strike.
But, you know, they did it because they
felt they had to.
They were part of a group.
They were part of that family, right?
So I don't know.
I just know that, you know, reaching them
last week when I had to get them
on the phone for something, because I had
gotten a part that was defective, I actually
tried to do the return process online, but
(09:06):
it was declined.
So then I went to Amazon because it
was sold by a third-party seller.
And so when I called the 1-800
number for Amazon, I just kept hitting zero
and zero, just coming around.
I was like, I can't help you.
I didn't understand.
I was like, I'm like, don't you get
it?
After like four or five times, like 10
times, like when are you going to transfer
me?
Finally, after like, I think it was like
10 or 12 times, they finally transferred me.
(09:28):
Then the guy said, well, you know, you
should use the online chat.
But the chat was a disaster too, because
the chat didn't give me a live person
either.
Now, what he said, which was very interesting,
is that they're doing this because, you know,
they just have such a demand.
We'll have to see if I can get
through to a live person easier, but Amazon's
system is terrible with getting live people, you
(09:50):
know, on the phone or even on chat.
So I don't buy that it's just, you
know, use chat and it'll be better, because
it's not, it wasn't any better than being
on the phone.
It was just the same runaround.
And ladies and gentlemen, TSMC, you guys remember
TSMC?
Well, TSMC, they're making quite a bit of
headway here.
(10:10):
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited.
They started their first foundry in 1987 in
Taiwan.
So TSMC's first advanced U.S. chip plant,
nearly it's on track.
The TSMC's first advanced U.S. chip plant
in Arizona, the company's most advanced fabrication facility
(10:33):
on U.S. soil, is nearing its original
schedule after overcoming early construction operational challenges.
Originally projected to cost $12 billion and produce
five nanometer chips by the end of 2024,
the project is seeing costs rise to $20
billion, with full production now expected in 2025.
And the facility, which is currently in pilot
(10:55):
production, will produce four nanometer chips.
And TSMC plans further expansion with a total
investment of $65 billion for additional fabrication plants.
Now, despite delays, the fab will play a
crucial role in addressing ship changes and chip
supply chain risks, offering greater resilience in the
United States semiconductor industry, which currently relies heavily
(11:19):
on Taiwan for advanced chip production.
Is having this facility here in the United
States going to make it easier for us?
One thing, it's probably going to cut the
tariff because everything's being made right here.
It's also going to create more jobs.
They're even having a TSMC day they have
at Arizona State.
So they're trying different things, but I'm just
not sure if this is going to be
(11:41):
like the best thing yet.
It might be.
I'm just a little concerned about what they're
doing and what it's actually going to do
for the American people.
All right.
And a U.S. judge rules against Israel's
NSO group in the WhatsApp hacking case.
What is this all about?
Yes, a U.S. judge ruled that Israel's
(12:02):
NSO group maker of Pegasus spyware violated state
and federal hacking laws in a lawsuit filed
by WhatsApp, part of Meta, in case you're
wondering.
The case stems from allegations that NSO used
Pegasus to infect and surveil 1,400 phones
in May of 2019, targeting journalists, human rights
(12:24):
activists, and diplomats.
The judge found NSO responsible for installing and
extracting data, rejecting claims that its government clients
controlled the spyware.
WhatsApp celebrated the ruling as a win for
accountability while NSO faces a jury trial in
March 2025 to determine damages.
This decision follows years of litigation and sanctions
(12:46):
for NSO compliance with implications for global spyware
practices.
This is really a mess about, what's going
on.
And I think it just really got way
out of hand with this NSO, Israeli cyber
(13:07):
intelligence company.
And I think a lot of people think
that they can just do whatever they want,
but people are quickly learning that they can't,
especially these big companies.
So I don't know, ladies and gentlemen, I
think they're starting to learn because they're getting
hit with these huge, huge fines and it's
(13:29):
going to continue.
This is not going to end any time
soon.
So we'll have to keep an eye on
that, ladies and gentlemen, and let you know
what's happening and where it's going.
But there is a court case on the
books for March of 2025 to determine the
actual damages.
More will follow about that.
(13:51):
And ladies and gentlemen, an exclusive on the
U.S. targets firm behind the TSMC, Taiwan
Semiconductor Chip Company.
Pretty interesting what's happening there.
TSMC is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
(14:14):
It's kind of entering this very unique partnership
with the U.S. And this is all
about the U.S. targeting firms behind the
TSMC chip.
It's found in the Hawaii processor.
The Biden administration plans to blacklist Chinese firm
Sofco for allegedly using a TSMC-made chip
(14:35):
in Hawaii's HI processor without authorization, escalating action
against company's operations.
Sofco, affiliated with Bitcoin mining supplier Bitmain, faces
inclusion on the entity list, which restricts access
to U.S. technology and goods.
(14:56):
The move follows investigations revealing the chip found
in Hawaii's Ascend 910B system that was designed
by Sofco.
TSMC immediately hauled the chip to Sofco after
discovering the match.
And they had previously stopped supplying Hawaii in
2020.
(15:16):
Sofco denies ties to Hawaii, but its AI
chips have been produced by Chinese state entities
for surveillance and AI tools.
So I have to say one thing about
the TSMC company.
Even though they are in Taiwan, it looks
like they are trying to do the greatest
thing for, let's say, the greater good of
(15:39):
mankind.
They stopped shipping, and they are all about
serious security.
So I think they are in a partnership
that we kind of can trust.
I mean, it's going to be hard because
you really don't know them too well.
And so just seeing how they've operated demonstrates
(16:00):
that they definitely are about more than profits.
They are about security, all right?
I think that's important to understand.
So OpenAI launches the O3 reasoning AI models
for testing.
The OpenAI has introduced its latest reasoning AI
models, O3 and O3 mini, which excel in
(16:20):
breaking down complex tasks for better results.
Currently, in safety testing with researchers, these models
outshine predecessors in coding, math, and science benchmarks,
solving advanced problems, and scoring highly on expert
challenges.
OpenAI, you might notice, actually skipped O2, and
(16:40):
they did this to avoid confusion with a
telecom brand.
The company also announced progress in deliberative alignment,
assuring AI evaluates safety decisions step-by-step,
improving adherence to guidelines.
Public release dates are yet to be announced,
but these advancements mark a leap forward in
AI reasoning and safety protocols.
(17:02):
So you probably might be asking me, and
it's a very good question, what is in
the O3 AI change?
Well, there's a lot of things in there.
So the OpenAI O3 builds on its predecessor
O1 with enhanced reasoning and adaptability, which happened
(17:25):
around the September 1st of 2024.
The O3 models are showing notable performance improvements,
including ARC-HEI benchmark visual reasoning with an
87.5% accuracy rating, and O3 showcases
significant visual reasoning gains.
So what this means to me is we're
probably going to see that they're going to
(17:48):
be a lot more suitable for, let's say,
manufacturing environments and many other environments.
But the question is, is this going to
help the country?
The O3 model scores, as I said, much
higher on several measures, but the thing is,
Google is also pursuing a similar line of
research.
Oh no.
(18:09):
Yes, Noam Shazir, a Google researcher, revealed in
a post on a couple of days ago
that the company has developed a new model
called Gemini 2.0 Flash.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai called a very interesting
thing, and I want to quote exactly what
he said.
He actually called it, according to his thing,
(18:32):
our most thoughtful model yet, quote.
And so Google's new model achieved a high
score on the SWE bench, a test that
measures a model's agentic abilities.
However, OpenAI's new O3 model is 20%
better than O1, and the O3 blew it
out of the water.
(18:52):
And this comes from the Ophira Press and
a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University who helped
develop the SWE bench, quote unquote.
He said, very surprising increase, not sure how
they did it, close quote.
The two dueling models show competition between OpenAI
and Google to be fiercer than ever.
(19:13):
It's crucial for OpenAI to demonstrate that it
can keep making advances as it seeks to
attract more investment and build a profitable business.
Google is meanwhile desperate to show that it
remains at the forefront of AI research.
I mean, we know how much Google's been
getting taken down, and they're figuring that this
is going to hopefully change the world for
(19:34):
them.
Is it?
I don't know.
I think right now, we just want to
see a Google that's going to operate ethically,
right?
Not one that's going to just play games
because Google has not been truthful.
We know Google has not been truthful for
years, and that's not hearsay.
(20:00):
They've been accused of not being truthful for
years, criticism including manipulating search results, misrepresenting how
user data is collected, and denying the use
of certain ranking factors in their search algorithm,
being concerns about the accuracy and transparency of
information presented to users.
Everybody wants to get up to be the
best like Google, but my question is, why?
(20:21):
Why do you want to be?
Why do you care about Google?
I mean, there's other great search engines out
there, but I think we were all concerned
that if Google didn't index us, then we
wouldn't be at the party, but Google's not
it.
Google was a company that was the first
to show up, but they're not the be
(20:42):
-all end-all.
They give conflicting advice.
The people that you get on the phone
are nothing but abusive.
They're arrogant, and they don't know what they're
doing, and then when you tell them that
you don't like something, they get even more
arrogant at you, and they threaten to not
help you.
So, do we really want to empower a
company like Google?
(21:02):
Absolutely not, and I think Google is finally
getting what it deserves, which is the fact
that they are monopolizing the competition with their,
let's say, very bad and misleading search results.
I've stopped using Google for searching.
There are many other great engines out there,
(21:24):
and you should definitely look at those too,
and those don't actually track you.
So, Google tracks and sells everything about you,
and ladies and gentlemen, a U.S. data
center power demand may triple by 2028.
Well, we got a few years, right?
U.S. data center power demand fueled by
the rapid adoption of AI, artificial intelligence, could
(21:46):
nearly triple by 2028, consuming up to 12
percent of the country's electricity, according to the
Department of Energy's back study.
The surge in energy use stems from GPU,
graphic processor units, accelerated servers, and the cooling
systems requiring for the API operations to take
(22:10):
place, with data centers already more than doubling
their power usage since 2017.
They've doubled since 2017.
18, 19, 20, one, two, three, four.
In seven years, they've doubled.
So, this growth alongside rising energy needs from
manufacturing and electrification highlights the strain on the
grid.
This is inevitable.
(22:31):
To address this, the report suggests innovations like
long duration battery storage, advanced geothermal systems, and
small nuclear reactors to ensure grid resilience.
I'm not a big fan of nuclear reactors.
We all know that there's been lots of
challenges and problems with them because people are
not maintaining safety properly.
I think everyone is in a rush, just
(22:53):
like they're in a rush to get these
electric cars out, but we're not ready for
this.
There's so much more that we have to
go through.
People always say you got to run, but
you got to walk before you can run.
You first got to get up, right?
If you don't get up, you can't even
walk.
So, you got to get up, then you
got to walk, then you got to walk
quicker, and then maybe you're going to jog,
(23:14):
and then maybe you're going to run.
You can't just go from walking to run
like that quick.
You really got to first get up, right?
So, I think that's going to be a
big thing that's going to hit a lot
of people, and I'm curious about where this
is going to go with a lot of
people because there are so many people that
are concerned about where we're going with our
(23:34):
technology.
Is that going to keep our environment sustainable,
or is it going to cause more fossil
fuel problems or a larger carbon footprint?
I don't know, but these are definitely interesting
things to talk about.
So, United Airlines becomes the first airline to
use air tag tracking luggage.
(23:57):
United Airlines has become the first major airlines
to incorporate Apple's air tag tracking system for
checked baggage.
So, this new feature launched just ahead of
the holiday season allows customers to use Apple's
Find My Network to share the location of
their luggage with United's customer service agents, improving
recovery times for delayed bags.
(24:18):
If a bag is lost, passengers can report
it via the United app and share their
air tags location, enabling agents to track it
on the interactive map.
The system was built on Bluetooth technology and
privacy secured through end-to-end encryption, and
it's designed to enhance customer service and minimize
the inconvenience of lost luggage.
(24:39):
So, people have lots of questions, and this
is a great thing.
So, this is a question.
Does United give you a free air tag
for your luggage?
So, this has been a little bit of
a, I'd say a little bit of a
confusion for some people, you know, how this
(24:59):
works.
No, United does not provide free air tags
for luggage, but it allows customers to share
the location of their air tags with the
airline to help locate the luggage.
So, you still have to go get an
air tag.
You still have to go purchase one.
So, people say to me, John, well, how
much is, you know, how much is an
Apple air tag?
(25:21):
So, Apple air tags right now, depending on,
you know, where you get them and things
like that, I think the biggest thing right
now to buy a one pack, I think
is like $29.
You can buy a four pack from Apple
right now, which is going to be a
little bit less money.
(25:42):
So, the thing about, you know, with getting
one at $29, you know, and they come
in lots of different flavors, right?
You can get them for, you can get
them like on a key chain.
You can get them, so there's lots of
different ways that they, there's a couple of
like ways that you can get them.
So, now that you know that United does
(26:03):
not provide the actual, they don't provide this
at all.
All they do is they basically allow you
to use their network to, let's say, you
know, let's say be able to facilitate a
(26:25):
lost piece of luggage.
And I think that's a pretty cool thing,
but I want to make sure everyone knows
here that it does not mean that you
are getting a free air tag.
In fact, you are definitely not getting a
free air tag.
So, again, it is just a system that's
allowing you to basically utilize what's there and,
(26:50):
you know, be able to take that information
and be able to help you, you know,
let's say, you know, find your luggage.
So, you know, these are very interesting things,
but I want to be very clear with
(27:11):
you is that United doesn't give you a
free air tag.
A lot of people thought you were going
to get a free air tag.
Well, you don't.
It allows the customers to share the location
of their air tags with the airline to
help find lost luggage.
So, customers can use the share item location
(27:31):
feature in the Find My app on their
iPhone, iPad, or Mac to generate a link
that can be shared with United's customer service.
That's it.
To use the feature, customers need an iPhone
running iOS 18.2 or later and the
United app.
So, basically, you're able to link those back
(27:52):
and forth.
So, you know, that's pretty cool.
So, what happens if you don't have the
United app?
So, customers without the United app will receive
a text notification information about tracking delayed luggage
and adding air tag location details that way.
The shared location will be disabled after a
customer has a bag and the link will
automatically expire after seven days.
(28:13):
So, I think this is a great thing,
but a lot of people just think that
United is going to give you the tag.
They're not.
No.
So, I just want to make sure everybody
is clear about this and how it works.
You can buy a four pack set of
(28:36):
air tags for $69.99. So, the thing
about air tags is that, you know, they're
pretty cool.
And then you can also buy air tag
cases, which are like 10 bucks.
So, the air tag itself basically is a
little disc and then the disc still needs
(28:57):
to go into a tag.
So, you still got to buy the tag
and then, because you can't just like pop
it in, right?
I mean, if you put it in your
luggage, you could do that, but that's going
to kind of be annoying.
So, you're supposed to just put it on
the outside, but then the question is, if
you put it on the outside of the
luggage, will people be able to just remove
it?
So, I might want to put it inside
the luggage because I'm thinking that somebody, you
(29:20):
know, might see this air tag and like
might decide to just grab it.
I don't know.
So, it's great what they're doing, but again,
I have concerns, ladies and gentlemen, about, you
know, what's going on, what they're doing, and
is this going to be something that's going
to help people or is it going to
cause more of a frustration?
I think it's a great idea to help
(29:42):
people find their luggage, but my only question
is, if they do this, they're going to
have to provide a lot of support with
how to use it because I bet you
a lot of people do not know how
to use air tags.
All right.
And so, moving on through the holidays, there's
been a lot going on this holidays.
I'm sure there are every holidays, but did
(30:02):
you know, ladies and gentlemen, technology has changed
over the holidays?
You might say, well, how has technology changed
over the holidays?
Well, no matter where you're from, technology is
playing a key role in helping people celebrate
the holidays with their loved ones.
Many are opting for e-cards and video
greetings instead of traditional cards and stamps, which
(30:25):
is the way it's been done.
And I think it's not just because of
technology's age and how it's evolving, but now
a stamp, if you have to mail, like
people ask this all the time, John, how
much is a stamp right now?
Well, stamp prices keep going up, right?
So, how much is a stamp in the
(30:45):
US?
So, right now, a stamp in the US
has gone up, okay?
As of July 14, 2024, it now costs
73 cents for a standard size rectangular envelope.
That's a lot.
(31:07):
And so, when we think about that, you
know, you might think other technology is cheaper.
And yeah.
So, one ounce of first-class mail forever
stamp covers up to one ounce, which is
about the size of a business size envelope
and about four sheets of printer paper to
give you, you know, a rough idea.
(31:28):
Additional ounces after the first ounce cost 28
cents up to 3.5 ounces.
Larger envelopes, postage for a large envelope or
flat, start at $1.50 for the first
ounce.
Wow.
So, you can understand why things are changing,
(31:49):
right?
And just to let you know, postcard rates
have changed too.
Yes.
So, I'm just talking about regular mailing, right?
Not a bulk mailing.
So, how much are our postcard stamps?
Well, it is a couple factors, right?
But postcard stamps, a standard size rectangular postcard
stamp starts at 56 cents.
(32:11):
Oversized postcards need letter stamps, which start 73
cents.
So, to mail a four by six, let's
say, postcard, which is, you know, a pretty
standard postcard, it's going to cost you 40
cents.
So, I think a lot of people don't
(32:35):
realize, you know, what's going on.
And a two ounce letter, okay, ladies and
gentlemen, is going to basically cost you the
73 cents.
So, then one domestic forever stamp, okay, an
additional ounce stamp, you can basically, in some
(32:55):
places, overpay by 45 cents.
So, you know, that's crazy if you use
two domestic forevers, right?
So, if everybody understands how this works, I
just want to make sure you get it
clear, how much is the second ounce after
the first, let's say, the first forever stamp.
(33:17):
And it's really simple to understand.
So, don't waste putting two forevers on your
letter because it's going to waste money.
So, you also have a fee, by the
way, of something called non-machinable.
So, if you put a pen in the
envelope, and let's say the machine can't get
through that, well, that's considered non-machinable.
And it will bounce back if you don't
have the non-machinable on there.
(33:39):
So, a non-machinable two ounce is $1
.47. So, a forever stamp is 73 cents,
okay?
The first ounce after that is going to
be 28 cents.
So, again, like I said, if you were
to take two stamps, obviously, I'll just throw
(33:59):
two forever stamps on there, right?
So, 73 cents, which is pretty easy, 73
cents times two comes up to be $1
.46, right?
And so, you know, overpaying by that 40
cents, 45 cents, that's a lot.
And so, this is what's making people want
to be able to use technology now instead
(34:22):
of mailing things, not just because it's easier
and more convenient, but because of costs.
I think that's a really big one.
Even people that are not technically proficient are
starting to want to do this.
So, e-cards, a lot of them you
can get for free.
There are lots of e-card sites up
(34:44):
there.
But, you know, there's one that I know
I had been using for years.
And so, they have a lot of free
greetings on their sites.
It's actually called American Greetings.
And there are lots of others out there
just to let you know.
They have a trial you can sign up
for.
So, you can get a lot of the
free cards.
(35:06):
But then if there's one, let's say, that
you want, and let's say, you know, that's
the one you want, but you can't get
it for whatever reason, it's because you are
not able to get the premium cards.
So, basically, you can access over 1,000
(35:27):
greetings for $1.99 a month.
You can mail a lot of letters that
way.
If you had to mail 1,000 greetings
by mail, I mean, it doesn't take a
lot of rocket science to figure this out.
But if you're just mailing just regular old
cards, 73 cents, ladies and gentlemen, times 1
(35:48):
,000.
That's $730.
Of course, you can tag on things like
either an Amazon card or other gift card,
and they'll be securely sent.
You can even customize the cards.
So, these are just some of the things
that you can do.
But more people are choosing these because, again,
(36:09):
they're a lot more economical, costly-wise.
And the other thing that's neat about them
is that you can personalize them in some
very unique ways that you can't with a
regular card.
You can add videos to some of them.
You can add music to some of them.
So, there's a lot of cool things that
you can do.
And so, when you think about sending somebody
(36:31):
a card, right, you don't know if they've
gotten it.
If you send an e-card, well, you
know when it went out.
You also get a notification when they've opened
it.
So, many are opting for e-cards and,
like I said, video greetings.
Some people are taking their phone, whether it's
Facebook, whether it's other social media, and they're
recording a video greeting and either SMSing it
through, let's say, a social media platform or
(36:55):
maybe they're SMS texting it through their cellular
provider.
So, these are just some things that you
can do.
But, again, you can see the prices on
mailings have gone through the roof.
So, the next question you're probably going to
ask, and I think it's a great question
to ask is, when, and this is a
(37:17):
great question, everyone, when will stamps go up
again?
Well, the good news is they're not going
up in January.
That is the good news, okay?
They are scheduled to go up again in
July of 2025.
So, you know, the latest price took effect
(37:41):
on July 14, 2024, and it looks like
we're now going to be 78 cents.
They don't change anything in July 2025.
That's what it's going to be.
So, that's why it makes sense to buy
a roll of Forever stamps.
It's like $73, you know, so that's important
(38:04):
to do that.
It's crazy how much stamps are costing.
It's unbelievable.
In many areas, the tax rate imposed on
documents, it's 70 cents per hundred.
So, like in New Jersey, it's, you know,
(38:26):
for 6.625. So, it's not a huge
amount, and people always say to me, John,
is there tax on stamps?
So, gross receipts from sale of US postal
stamps sold for the purposes of postage are
not subject to tax.
The folders or wrappers containing the stamps are
(38:48):
taxable.
So, the stamp vehicle, if you will, is
not taxed, but everything else you need, unfortunately,
gentlemen, yep, that's going to be taxed.
But the stamps are not taxed.
So, I'm happy to hear that they're not,
and it's definitely changing the way people send
holiday greetings.
(39:08):
So, those who can't be with family in
person, maybe you want to do something like
a virtual video call, allowing them to join
in on gift exchanges, maybe on Christmas Day,
or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or wherever.
The way it works is you can sign
up for a free account with either Zoom
or many of the other providers, and Zoom,
I believe, gives you, if they haven't changed
(39:29):
it, I mean, I know they keep changing
it, I think Zoom gives you, what is
it, just because, I mean, they change this,
like, they change this all the time, but
Zoom free limit, basically, it's the Zoom free
limit.
They do allow you 40 minutes, okay, to
(39:51):
be on.
There's no limit to the number of meetings
you can host.
So, you know, it works out pretty well,
and up to 100 participants per meeting.
So, 40 minutes, they have paid plans, but
again, if you're just trying to do, like,
(40:12):
some opening gifts and whatnot, or being around
for the holiday dinner, even if you, let's
say, knock off at 40 minutes, when it
knocks you off, you can reconnect again with
the same information, and you could be on
for another 40 minutes.
You can keep doing that right now.
There's no limit.
So, if it's the holiday time, and let's
say you have your, let's say, you have
(40:34):
your big screen TV with the camera, or
maybe you don't, maybe you just have your
iPhone, and you just have your Zoom app
downloaded, and you can literally be the camera
person, and be just, like, you know, shooting
everyone, and then they can see you, and
you can see them, so again, it's a
great way to be somewhere when you can't
(40:54):
be somewhere.
So, this is a great technology that is
changing the way people are staying connected over
the holidays.
I think it's a really cool thing.
So, whether you're doing it for virtual gift
-wrapped opening, maybe you sent some gifts, and
you want to see their faces when they
(41:16):
open them.
That's a great thing, right?
Maybe it's for dinner.
Maybe you do a virtual dinner where you're
making the same things, but each person sends,
let's say, their part of the meal to
everyone else.
So, you send your piece to whoever is
(41:36):
going to be there.
Maybe it's three or four of the families,
and then each of them send theirs to
the other three or four families as well,
and so then you can do a virtual
toast.
There's lots of things you can do, and
so this makes it fun, and you both
get to take part in a home-cooked
holiday meal.
Additionally, you know, modern security systems and video
(41:58):
surveillance are ensuring homes are staying safe.
Maybe you're traveling to grandma's, grandpa's, or some
other relatives, and unfortunately, when you do, you're
somehow thinking in the back of your mind,
oh my gosh, what am I going to
do?
Like, is my house safe?
(42:18):
And so, with many of the home surveillance
systems, you can actually, you know, look at
the camera right on your iPhone.
There are some doorbells out there that when
people ring your doorbell, or even come near
your door, will even capture some video footage.
There are some of them that even allow
(42:39):
you not only to ring the doorbell, but
this one client I visited, when they're not
home, and they don't answer, it says press
the button again to leave a message, and
typically what it does is it records the
message and puts it onto their cell phone
where they can watch it.
So, this is a great way to know
if loved ones or friends stop by to
say hello.
(42:59):
Otherwise, you would never know who stopped by,
right?
But I think the most important thing is
letting the bad actors know that even though
you might not physically be there, you're still
watching your premise, and if they go to
do something, well, not only are you going
to be able to know who did it,
you're going to take action against them for
(43:20):
any damages they may have caused.
So, I think that's a good thing, and
hopefully deters many of the bad actors to
not act.
Keeping your home safe, giving travelers peace of
mind, and I think there's so many things
that we can do over the holidays, but
knowing that we're safe, or knowing that even
(43:41):
things like, you know, your hot water heater
is okay, or everything else is okay in
your home, and you can get alerts.
So, I think these are really good things,
and so as technology is evolving, I think
what we're starting to see is that we're
able to get communication about these things in
one place, like our cell phone.
(44:03):
They'll come into an app.
Many of these systems have a free app
you download, and you'll get a limited amount
of storage so you can have the information
for, it might be a few gigs, depending
on what it is.
Then after that, you have to pay, and
it's usually a small amount of money, but
if you're just looking to check what's going
on, you can easily get that footage, and
(44:24):
you can even download that footage on a
lot of them.
So, I think that's a really cool thing.
So, use technology to connect your loved ones
together, and also use it so that you
get peace of mind, and you can keep
your property safer.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I was in grammar
school, I got the privilege of playing the
(44:44):
Oregon Trail.
So, 50 years of the Oregon Trail, uncovering
the controversies.
The Oregon Trail is a groundbreaking educational video
game launched in 1974.
It became a staple in the U.S.
classrooms, shaping the understanding of history for generations.
I got to play mine on an Apple
IIe.
I believe I was in fifth grade, and
still had floppy disks back then.
(45:04):
At that time, it was a five and
a quarter floppy disk.
Yes.
The game, which simulated the western journey of
19th century settlers, was a hit due to
its engaging gameplay and historical content, sparking interest
in the American frontier.
However, the game's portrayal of westward expansion has
(45:25):
been criticized for its colonist perspective, neglecting the
stories of native Americans and marginalized groups.
While later versions of the game have worked
to address these issues, the debate continues over
the ethics of turning such a violent historical
event into a game.
Despite this, the Oregon Trail's legacy remains influential,
with its innovation still evident in modern gaming.
(45:48):
So, I think these are really cool things.
And I know when I was playing that
game, you know, you were, you had to
answer, like, questions and stuff like that.
And so, it wasn't a game where you'd
use a joystick.
You had to make decisions.
Like, you know, you're on this trail.
You know, you, would you like to eat?
(46:08):
Yes or no?
Okay.
You now just spent $50 for food.
You have $500 left.
What do you need to do?
Oh, you just got robbed by a roaming
stagecoach thief.
Lose $200.
Or you have to fix a broken axle
on your carriage.
(46:30):
You know, they're all different things.
And I think what was interesting about it
is that it wasn't like a typical game
where it was using your insights.
Okay.
And I think that was something that I
believe was really cool.
The first time I played it, I didn't
really get what was going on or why
they were doing certain things.
But I will tell you one thing, ladies
(46:50):
and gentlemen, it was amazingly cool.
When I say amazingly cool, it was amazingly
cool.
So, definitely something that I believe teaches some
great information.
And ladies and gentlemen, I don't know if
you know this, but Amazon, yes, more news
(47:10):
about Amazon.
Amazon and OSHA settle over injury rates and
warehouse conditions.
Amazon and OSHA reached a broader settlement regarding
hazardous work conditions in Amazon's warehouses.
The agreement addresses ergonomic complaints, mandates biannual meetings
to review injury data, and includes a penalty
of $145,000.
Amazon praised the settlement as a recognition of
(47:33):
its progress, citing a 28% improvement in
incident rates and a 27% drop in
ergonomic injuries.
However, the strategic organizing center criticized Amazon, alleging
that the company has not done enough to
prevent worker injuries.
The settlement follows recent allegations, including a Senate
report claiming Amazon manipulated injury data and ignored
(47:55):
safety recommendations.
Well, we all know that they haven't been,
let's say, the most honest people in the
shed, right?
How about those people that were found on
the floor and they were almost dead?
Luckily, several hours later, a person found them
on the floor, but nobody ever reported or
did anything.
And luckily, they're still alive.
(48:16):
So, really some interesting things.
And ladies and gentlemen, lessons from Australia's new
social media ban for kids.
Australia has passed a groundbreaking law banning children
under 16 from using social media platforms like
Instagram X and Snapchat.
Starting in late 2025, this move aims to
protect minors from harmful mental health effects of
(48:38):
social media, including bullying and self-harm.
Let me hear your thoughts about that.
I think that's a great thing that they're
doing.
And while the ban has received support from
many parents and the public, child rights groups
argue it could limit vulnerable youth from accessing
essential support networks.
So, there's some things they still got to
work out there.
And US senators call on Biden to delay
(49:01):
the bike dance sale requirement for 90 days.
Now, Biden may or may not be able
to do anything, but we know that Trump
is coming in soon.
And we've already heard from him speculating that
he'd like to keep these guys around for
a little while.
I think because he gained like a 33
% increase from some of the, let's say,
(49:23):
lower demographic age.
And he wants to keep that around.
So, this request comes amid ongoing debates about
potential risks posed by the Chinese-owned app,
with some lawmakers exposing concerns over data privacy
and foreign influence.
So, we're going to have to sit tight
and see what's going to happen there.
(49:43):
But I know it's not going to be
easy.
And ladies and gentlemen, Italy fines OpenAI for
chat GPT privacy violations.
Italy's data protection watchdog fined OpenAI 15 million
pounds for violating user privacy laws with its
AI chatbot chat GPT.
The investigation revealed improper handling of personal data,
(50:06):
insufficient transparency, and inadequate age verification to shield
minors from harmful content.
I bet that was no shock to you.
OpenAI plans to appeal labeling the penalty as
excessive.
Additionally, OpenAI must run a public awareness campaign
about data practices in Italy.
The ruling highlights growing regulatory scrutiny over AI
(50:27):
systems globally, with the EU leading efforts through
its forthcoming AI Act.
Definitely, definitely something.
We have to keep an eye on what's
going on with AI, but I think it's
not just the European Union.
I think the United States of America needs
to wake up and be just as proactive
as the European Union is.
Google offers a solution to address the search
(50:49):
monopoly.
Google has proposed changes to address its alleged
search monopoly as scrutiny from regulators continues to
mount.
The company suggests allowing rival search engines to
get more visibility by giving users clear options
(51:09):
to select their preferred provider during device setup
and expanding access to its advertising tools.
This comes amid ongoing legal battles and antitrust
investigations in the US and Europe over claims
that Google unfairly dominates the search market, stifling
competition, they said.
The proposal aims to ease regulatory concerns while
(51:30):
maintaining its competitive edge in the digital landscape.
Ooh, that is something.
Amazon and Starbucks workers strike Trump's possible role.
Amazon and Starbucks workers are striking in several
US cities, demanding recognition of their unions and
better labor contracts.
The strikes, which began in December of 2024,
(51:51):
follow previous labor unrest and aim to push
for meaningful changes before President-elect Trump appoints
a Republican majority to the National Labor Relations
Board.
Workers are seeking high wages, improved benefits, and
safer working conditions.
While Amazon and Starbucks have resisted unionization, both
companies face increased pressure from workers and unions
(52:14):
like the Teamsters, with some strikes timed to
coincide with the busy holiday season.
The outcome of these strikes may influence future
labor relations under Trump administration.
We'll have to see what's going to happen,
ladies and gentlemen, but that's definitely a serious
thing.
And I'm glad that they're trying to do
some stuff with that because it's really a
(52:38):
problem, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a big problem.
And our last topic for tonight, I think
you guys are going to find very interesting.
Apple complains.
Yes, they complain.
With Meta's request risks privacy in the European
Union tech dispute.
Apple has expressed concerns that Meta's platform's request
(53:00):
for access to its operating software could jeopardize
user privacy.
This dispute comes as the European Union intensifies
efforts to enforce its Digital Markets Act, the
DMA, which aims to ensure fair competition in
the tech industry.
The European Union proposed guidelines would require Apple
to make its products more compatible with those
(53:20):
of rivals like Meta, which owns Facebook and
Instagram.
Apple, of course, has argued that Meta's request
could allow access to sensitive user data, such
as messages, emails, photos, and app usage.
Meta, on the other hand, accused Apple of
using privacy concerns as a shield against interoperability.
The European Union Commission is gathering public feedback
(53:43):
on these proposals until January 9th of the
coming year of 2025.
So we're going to have to see what's
going on with this.
And there's a lot happening in the news.
I mean, there is a lot happening.
And I think, you know, as we get
(54:04):
ready to move into 2025, this is the
last show for 2024, as you guys know.
It's been a very interesting year.
We've had some ups.
We've had some downs.
We've had lots of major stores closing, and
some still on the precipice of closing.
(54:24):
We just learned about Party City and some
major ones, and even parts of other big
chains.
And Pizza Hut's due to close so many
stores.
And there's so many others.
Is this because of all the competition overseas?
Is this because of Amazon?
Like, what is it?
And I think, you know, the big issue
(54:46):
is that we are buying everything overseas.
So Trump hopes to, you know, put these
tariffs in place so that we only buy
things from our own country, which is nice,
but there's got to be a ramp-up
period, right?
And this ramp-up period is going to
take some time.
We can't do all this overnight.
And so, if we understand that everything we
(55:07):
do has to evolve for the greater good
of all concerned, and I think when we
start to, you know, sit down, whether it's
Google, you know, whether it's Amazon, whether it's
Walmart, I don't think it really matters who.
I think at the end of the day,
it comes down to, are we doing the
right thing for the greater good of all
(55:28):
concerned?
Everyone always looks at it from point of
view, how much money are we going to
make?
But they don't really look at how is
this going to affect the American people, right?
They look at how much money can we
put in our pocket.
And although that seems like a great idea
for most businesses, it's not the plan for
(55:49):
longevity.
It might seem like it's going to help
us, but in the end, you know, we
may not get that consistent profit that we're
expecting.
Look at what's happening with stores like Party
City.
You know, when you sell a product, you've
got to make some money, right?
But I think when there's too much competition
(56:11):
and when it's too easily available to just
go online and go to Amazon and stuff
like that, I think that's a big problem.
And I think, you know, with Amazon putting
its claws into everything, I think they might
be one of the worst things in the
United States, unfortunately, Dylan, because, you know, they
just get their hands and everything.
(56:33):
But if something goes wrong, what does Amazon
do?
They flip it and they blame somebody else.
Meta is no hero either.
I can't really say too much about Apple
because every time Apple's had an issue, Apple
has always come behind to resolve it.
We did have some issues with Apple with
their commercial, which nobody really liked, how they
were starting to show that, you know, people's
(56:56):
original ideas and using tools was kind of
something that wasn't going to be done anymore,
but it is still going to be done.
So I think that's an important thing, ladies
and gentlemen.
Well, you know who I am by now.
I'm John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
It is always such a privilege, a pleasure
and honor to be with you guys here
on The JMOR Tech Talk Show.
Do check out BelieveMeAchieve.com for more of
(57:19):
my amazing, inspiring, courageous legend, and guess what?
I'm going to see you guys real soon.
In the meantime, happy, healthy, prosperous, abundant, joyful,
and a wonderful new year to all of
you.
(57:51):
you
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