Today’s topics

• Universe expanding faster than we thought

• Turns out Fitbit tracks way more than steps

• TikTok says no to beauty filters for teens

• Chaos and panic as Bitcoin drops $5,000

• TikTok Fights Back Against U.S. Ban

  and more…

Wall Street tiptoed through Tuesday as investors braced for the all-important inflation report, the latest clue in the interest rate guessing game.

The Dow managed to hover slightly above the flatline, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, adding to Monday’s minor losses. The Nasdaq, always the drama queen, flipped from gains to a 0.2% drop. Looks like everyone’s just holding their breath for Wednesday’s numbers.

Free Sparkling Water in Restaurants: It’s About Time

More restaurants are finally giving away sparkling water for free, and honestly, it’s what we deserve. Places like San Francisco’s Osito, Brooklyn’s Ilis, and Seattle’s Macrina are now offering filtered, bubbly water on the house. Sure, it costs the restaurants — about $300 a month per location, according to some owners. But instead of charging $9 for a Perrier, chefs see it as a way to make guests feel valued.

Bitcoin tanks, traders panic, and whales dive in. Bitcoin just dropped $5,000, sparking chaos and endless Twitter theories. Over 514,000 traders got wiped out, losing $1.5 billion in a day. Ethereum took the biggest beating, while altcoins like XRP and DOGE aren’t looking much better. And while everyone else panics, whales like Michael Saylor are throwing billions at Bitcoin. Institutions are piling in too, betting big during the dip. 

Google wants green AI. Google is throwing cash—over $800 million—into clean energy developer Intersect Power, teaming up with TPG Rise Climate. All in order to power up its U.S. data centers and keep up with AI’s cloud-hungry demands. The goal is to build industrial parks where data centers and clean energy plants share the same backyard. Google says this will speed up projects and ease strain on the power grid. Translation: they’re trying to look green while feeding AI’s endless appetite.

TikTok fights back against U.S. ban. TikTok is asking the Supreme Court to block a law that could ban the app in the U.S. if parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell it by January 2025. A federal court upheld the legislation, and now TikTok’s making a last-ditch effort to fight it. Creators are scrambling, telling followers to find them on other platforms just in case. 

Google’s New Quantum Chip

Google just revealed its latest quantum computing chip, Willow, and it’s a big deal. This chip solved a problem in less than five minutes that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10 septillion years. That’s longer than the universe has been around.

Quantum computers use qubits instead of regular bits. Qubits are powerful because they can handle more information at once, but they’re also error-prone. And Google found a way to fix errors in real time by adding more qubits to the system. This is called going “below threshold” and has been a tough challenge for scientists since 1995.

Willow has 105 qubits and is now considered the best in its class. It builds on Google’s earlier milestone in 2019, when the company claimed its quantum processor solved a problem in three minutes that would’ve taken a supercomputer 10,000 years. Back then, not everyone believed it, especially IBM.

Other tech giants like IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft are working on their own quantum systems, but Google’s latest achievement, published in Nature, puts it ahead in the race. 

Universe expanding faster than we thought. The Webb telescope has confirmed Hubble’s findings: the universe is expanding 8% faster than expected. This "Hubble Tension" challenges what scientists know about dark energy, dark matter, and the cosmos’ evolution. Space just got a little more mysterious.

Turns out Fitbit tracks way more than steps. Fitbit data is now helping researchers predict mood swings in bipolar disorder. Using everyday activity data, a machine learning algorithm was trained to detect mood episodes with surprising accuracy. This breakthrough could lead to personalized treatment for a challenging condition.

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China’s New Gig: Hot Hiking Buddies for Hire

In China, “climbing buddies” are the latest trend, and the better-looking they are, the higher the price. These young, athletic companions join clients on mountain hikes for a fee, charging around $30 to $85 per trip. Often university students or even ex-military, they market their height, fitness, and hiking skills on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin. But it’s not just about looks—they’ll sing, joke, carry your bag, hold your hand, and even pull you up the trail if needed.

EPA bans two toxic chemical used in everyday products. The EPA has banned TCE and PCE, two cancer-causing chemicals found in products like dry cleaning supplies and car repair tools. These toxic substances also had a habit of polluting soil and water. EPA’s Michal Freedhoff says this will protect everyone from workers to neighbors. It’s part of Biden’s last-minute push to tackle harmful chemicals. Better late than never, right?

TikTok says no to beauty filters for teens. TikTok is banning beauty filters for minors in Europe. Soon, teens won’t be able to tweak their eyes, lips, or skin tone. This decision comes as part of a broader effort to address concerns about the effects of such filters on young users’ mental health and self-esteem. Social media platforms have faced growing criticism for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, and TikTok’s move is seen as a step toward creating a healthier online environment for teens.

TikTok of the day: watch here

This Smart Home Company Has Already Hit $10 Million in Revenue—and It’s Just Getting Started

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