CrimeReads: “At the heart of every mystery is a puzzle to be solved and therein lies much of the appeal. People love puzzles and a good murder mystery serves up plenty of them as readers try to figure out who the culprit is, what they did, and how and why they did it, picking up subtle clues along the way. It requires keeping track of numerous characters, plot twists, red herrings, and hints. It’s a complex, multifaceted mental challenge. Studies have shown that solving puzzles alters one’s brain chemistry by increasing the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure, reward, and motivation. Murder mysteries engage our brains, train our powers of observation, enhance memory, stimulate thought, and hone our critical thinking, skills that translate well into real-life situations.”
FT: “For airlines, loyalty schemes — and in particular air miles programmes — do more than drive repeat custom. They have grown into multibillion-dollar businesses that can be more profitable than the flights themselves. By selling points or air miles to third parties, such as banks or credit card companies, airlines forged a hugely valuable source of revenue. The loyalty programmes of the big three US airlines alone were worth $73.8bn in 2023, according to calculations from On Point Loyalty, a consultancy. But as many airlines report record demand for flights, there are signs a model built over the past 40 years is under strain.”
WSJ: “[Carlo] Cipolla divides people into four categories: helpless, bandit, intelligent and stupid. In any normal interaction between two people, he contends, the helpless person suffers a loss while the other gains. The bandit exacts a benefit while levying a loss on the other. The intelligent person gains while enabling the other person also to gain. The defining trait of the stupid person is that he gains nothing while obliging the other to take a loss.”
Amar Bhide: “In my book The Venturesome Economy, I argued that seeing transformational advances abroad as a threat to domestic well-being is misguided. Blindly pursuing technological or scientific leadership is a foolish enterprise. What matters most is the willingness and ability of businesses and consumers to develop and use products and technologies stemming from cutting-edge research, wherever it might come from. This is true of DeepSeek’s open-source AI models as well.”
Matt Kaufman: “If I told you a company was on track for $500M in sales in 2024 — up from $200M in 2023 and $70M in 2022 — and thriving thanks to massive secular tailwinds, what kind of business would you imagine? A cutting-edge AI company? What if I told you it was a soda company founded just five years ago in Oakland, California?” The answer: OLIPOP, not OpenAI. “Then there’s OLIPOP – a soda company. But not just any soda. OLIPOP makes a healthier alternative with gut-friendly prebiotics and plant fiber. Its nostalgic flavors, like Classic Root Beer and Vintage Cola, feel indulgent but deliver a BFY experience. It’s also delicious. Simple as that…While OpenAI is revolutionizing industries, OLIPOP is quietly dominating its category, proving that exceptional returns don’t always come from the highest-profile companies. For investors, the takeaway is clear – entry price and timing are critical, but so is recognizing opportunity in unexpected places.”
