What I Wrote
Thoughts On Visa-Mastercard Settlement
Two Tests To Learn Your Strengths And Weaknesses
Business
How a Niche Technology Became a Choke Point for A.I. It’s remarkable that every analyst and expert agrees that packaging is a choke point and a priority in the AI industry, but the Trump administration doesn’t share that opinion. No matter who will occupy the White House in 2028, they need to implement policies and investments that reduce the dependence on Taiwan, China and other countries for Rare Earths, packaging, etc..
The Laser Bottleneck: Mesh, Marvell, and the CW DFB Supply Chain That’s About to Get Very Expensive. Intellectually, what is happening with the AI servers and chips is fascinating. I am grateful to those that have the technical knowledge and willingness to share what they know with the rest of us.
Microsoft Disclosure Provides Rare Glimpse of Tax Haven Tactics. I am of the opinion that as long as no laws are broken and no crimes committed, there is nothing wrong with what Microsoft and other big corporations are doing to avoid paying taxes. Distasteful? Yes. Illegal? No. If the US really wants to tax every dollar of profit that US-based companies make, they only need to pass laws to tax everything that a company headquartered in the US makes globally. That might incentivize the biggest companies to shift HQs to other countries, but then again, the rewards would be much higher tax revenue and perhaps a more balanced budget.
Why American data centers can’t plug in. “The primary bottleneck to this growth is the availability of electricity. But this doesn’t mean there is an energy shortage. Instead, the constraint is connecting the flood of new data centers and the plants to power them to the electric grid. Before any new piece of infrastructure can be connected, grid operators must study how it will change power flows around the grid and determine whether upgrades to the system are required. That process is significantly backlogged. Though the median power plant in 2005 waited less than 20 months for interconnection, this had jumped to 55 months by 2023.”
Other Stuff I Find Interesting
Screen time can damage under-twos’ development, landmark study suggests. “Screen time for babies and toddlers under the age of two has been linked with long-term negative effects on health and quality of life and should be avoided“. Norway knew they made a mistake and already took actions to limit screens and encourage the use of physical books again. My child is not even two years old and I can see why parents want to use iPads. It’s already hard enough for us to keep him entertained and away from screens. Once he is a bit older, I imagine it is going to be tougher. But we’ll strive to delay the presence of screens in his life as long as we can.
Why were Covid vaccine trials so fast? The farther we get from Covid, the more I believe it’s such a miraculous event designed as a wake-up call for our society that would change us in the years to come. It was unfortunate that thousands of people died, but things have been barely the same since Covid. Equally miraculous was how fast we got multiple vaccines working in such a period of time. The chips had to fall into the right places for that to happen and I think this article did a nice job explaining how we did the unthinkable 6 years ago.
A Mayor Is Taking Maternity Leave in Japan. Some Men Are Furious. I admire Japan for a lot of things such as its culture, industrial crafts, food, social etiquette, public transporation and history. But gender discrimination is so backward and cringeworthy that I find it hard to believe it is still happening. Anyone who has a baby knows it’s the most important thing in our life and every mother risks her life to some extent in a labor room. Yet, some men in Japan still have the audacity to criticize a female mayor to take time off to deliver her child. Appalling!
How Climate Change Get Under The Skin. This article touches on how climate change affects our health in major different ways. As climate change is not going away soon or in our lifetime, the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay as fit as possible becomes increasingly important. It won’t guarantee anything, but what other choice do we have?
This Simple White Line Is America’s Greatest Unsung Innovation. John V. N. Dorr invented the white line that tells drivers where the edge of a road is, but few people remember that name. Hence, I appreciate pieces like the one that WSJ did here, as a tribute to the simple, but important invention.
Stats
Only 16% of shoppers bought groceries on Prime Day this year, down from 22% in 2025
Minh Quang Duong 
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