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Midweek greetings to all, as we unveil the 275th chapter of Weekly Olio—a delightful concoction of laughter, insight, and a sprinkle of mystery. Within these pages, you'll discover a handpicked selection of fascinating finds from the vast realms of the internet.
Keep your eyes peeled for this week’s Publisher’s Parmesan, arriving this Sunday!
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The Quote 💭
“Set the standard. Hold the standard.”
The Tweet 🐦
Harry Stebbings defends betting on outliers like Fireworks AI, which hit $1B ARR in 3.5 years with exceptional revenue per employee. He shares key insights from his interview with founder Lin Qiao on fast chip cycles, sovereign AI models, specialized models, AI co-workers, cost deflation driving usage, platform focus, and leadership lessons.
The Infographic 💹
Still hung over from Spain’s decisive victory over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final? Here is how the top countries rank post the tournament.
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The Short Read 📝
Why do animals have spots and stripes? - by Laura Baisas
In 1952, Alan Turing proposed that chemical agents diffusing through developing tissue activate or inhibit pigment-producing cells, generating spots and stripes. However, computer simulations based on his model produced patterns that were blurrier than those seen in nature. In 2023, University of Colorado engineer Ankur Gupta refined the theory by incorporating diffusiophoresis — a mechanism where diffusing particles drag other particles along — producing sharper pattern outlines, though still too uniform.
In a new study published in the journal Matter, Gupta's team introduced a further improvement: assigning individual cells defined sizes. Larger cells create broader markings, while collisions between cells of varying sizes produce the breaks and irregularities found in real animal patterns, much like differently sized balls clogging a tube. The research could eventually help engineers develop colour-changing materials and more targeted drug-delivery systems inspired by nature's imperfect beauty. Read more…
The Long Read 📜
The century-old device choking the world’s AI push - by The Financial Times
Electrical transformers — the century-old devices that step voltage up and down as electricity moves from generation to consumption — have become a critical bottleneck in the AI boom. As hyperscalers like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet spend a projected $725bn on AI infrastructure in 2026, demand for transformers is outstripping supply: lead times have stretched from months to years, prices have nearly doubled since the pandemic, and almost 40 per cent of US data-centre projects risk delays.
Bottlenecks stem from shortages of electrical steel, copper and, above all, skilled workers, since transformers remain largely hand-built to order in up to 80,000 designs. Manufacturers such as Hitachi Energy, Siemens Energy and GE Vernova are expanding capacity, while the US leans on imports and the Defense Production Act. Meanwhile, an ageing US grid and innovations like Heron Power's solid-state transformers point to a needed industry reset. Analysts expect the crunch to persist until at least 2030. Read more…
The toughest room in advertising. Ad Studio just cleared it.
Major brands just took over a Times Square billboard, and every ad was built in Hightouch Ad Studio. Sweetgreen, HelloFresh, and Tripadvisor cleared the toughest room in advertising. Create, edit, and launch on-brand ads in a few clicks.
That’s all for this week. If you enjoyed this edition, we’d really appreciate if you shared it with a friend, family member or colleague.
We’ll be back in your inbox 2 PM IST next Wednesday. Till then, have a productive week!
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.