Good morning. If you’re reading this, we’re assuming you’ve already meditated, hydrated, and reached full cosmic alignment with the universe. If not, no judgment—but seriously, go sip some water right now.

We hope you enjoy today’s stories. They’re here to make you sharper, maybe even make you smile. Most importantly, they’re here to set the tone for a fabulous week ahead.

Today’s topics:

• George R.R. Martin just dropped a physics research paper

• US home sales are the worst since 1995

• TP-Link routers are under fire. U.S.

• Swiftie Betting Craze Fades Fast

• Nvidia’s stock could slip

  and more…

The S&P 500 stumbled after brushing up against new records, as investors decided to cash in on a winning week fueled by Trump’s White House comeback. The index dipped 0.3%, turning red after flirting with fresh highs earlier. The Nasdaq dropped 0.5%, and the Dow said goodbye to 140.82 points, sliding 0.3%. After a four-day joyride, the major indexes hit the brakes—guess profits were just too tempting to pass up.

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Taylor Swift’s Betting Boom

Taylor Swift turned Chiefs games into a betting circus, sparking millions in wagers just by showing up to watch Travis Kelce. Fans bet on her outfits, screen time, and touchdown reactions. At its peak, bets on the Chiefs jumped 247%, and sportsbooks even made "Swiftie" betting bundles. But now she’s barely showing up, and the hype is dying fast. 

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US home sales: worst since 1995, but there’s hope. 2024 was a rough year for home sales, hitting a depressing 4.06 million—the lowest since 1995. Sky-high prices and mortgage rates hovering around 7% didn’t help. The median home price? A record-breaking $407,500. Yikes. But December brought a spark of hope, with sales up 2.2%—the fastest pace all year. Buyers are still diving in, proving that even with insane prices and rates, homeownership dreams aren’t dead.

Nvidia’s stock could slip. Congrats, Nvidia—you played yourself. By cutting off China from your best AI chips, you accidentally helped DeepSeek build an AI model that’s faster, cheaper, and making U.S. rivals look overpaid and overhyped. If this trend keeps up, Nvidia’s chip sales could take a hit. 

Tesla's New Model Y

Tesla’s new Model Y “Juniper” is here. The Long Range AWD Launch series is packed with features—and a hefty price tag. Thankfully, the current Model Y isn’t going anywhere and is now more affordable than ever. Choose your vibe: fancy or frugal.

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After TikTok, your WiFi router could be next. First TikTok, now TP-Link routers are under fire. U.S. officials think China might use them to spy or mess with infrastructure. TP-Link controls 65% of the U.S. router market, and Congress isn’t happy about it. TP-Link claims their routers are made in Vietnam and sold by the U.S.-based company, but no one’s buying it. At this rate, we should maybe start practicing life without WiFi. 

China’s DeepSeek AI Shakes Silicon Valley. A low-profile Chinese AI lab, DeepSeek, just sent Silicon Valley into panic mode. With just $6 million and less-powerful Nvidia H800 chips, they built an AI model in two months that outperformed big hitters like Meta’s Llama, OpenAI’s GPT-4, and Anthropic’s Claude. Oh, and it’s open-source. DeepSeek’s r1 reasoning model, released this week, is also crushing benchmarks in problem-solving, math, and coding. Even Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella called it “super impressive” and warned the world to take China’s AI seriously. The wild part is that DeepSeek pulled this off despite U.S. chip restrictions aimed at stalling China’s AI progress. Either they’ve found a way around those rules, or those restrictions aren’t the power move Washington thought they were. Big Tech’s massive AI budgets suddenly don’t look so invincible anymore.

66M Views & 6-Figure Sales: How Ubiquitous Made Litter Robot Huge

Want to see high-quality influencer marketing in action? Ubiquitous helped Litter-Robot hit 66M views, drive 93K+ site visits, and land 6 figures in sales with our influencer marketing campaign—all at a CPM that will raise your eyebrows (in a good way). With Ubiquitous, you get an expert team that handles your campaign from end to end and delivers results you can’t help but brag about. Is your brand next?

Read the case study

Balenciaga’s Barefoot Shoe… Just No

Balenciaga has done it again, and by “it,” we mean releasing something that has everyone asking, “But why?” We’ve learned to tolerate Crocs and Tevas, but this feels like a social experiment. No word yet on the price, but pre-orders are coming soon.

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George R.R. Martin trades dragons for math. Still waiting for “Winds of Winter”? Too bad. George R.R. Martin just dropped… a physics research paper. Yep, instead of writing about dragons and thrones, he’s busy modeling a fictional alien virus from his “Wild Cards” series.

The paper, co-written with physicist Ian Tregillis, breaks down the “Wild Card” virus, which mutates DNA and turns some people into deformed “jokers” and others into superpowered “aces.” They used math models and big words like “ergodic trajectory” to explain it. Martin claims it’s about using superhero stories to teach physics. 

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TikTok of the day: watch here