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Microsoft Ends Weekend of OpenAI Drama With Coup of Its Own

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

Ashlee Vance, Emily Chang, Ed Ludlow and Dina Bass(Bloomberg) — After three days of high drama at the world’s most closely watched startup, which many compared to a coup, Microsoft Corp. capped the weekend with one of its own: The software giant hired ousted OpenAI chief Sam Altman.The moves reshape the world of artificial intelligence given that OpenAI is behind the hugely popular ChatGPT app that took generative AI into the mainstream, and Altman was its figurehead.He was unexpectedly fired by OpenAI’s board on Friday, setting off a frenzied weekend campaign to reinstate him, led by OpenAI executives and key investors — including Satya Nadella, the chief executive officer of Microsoft, which had pledged more than $10 billion for the startup.Instead, OpenAI’s board replaced Altman with Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, in a stinging rebuke to its investors. Nadella then announced that he had recruited Altman and Greg Brockman, another OpenAI co-f...

Traveling for Thanksgiving? Prices at the pump might surprise you

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

If you’re planning to pack up your car for a road trip this Thanksgiving, you might want to add Denver’s most recent drop in gas prices to your list of things to be grateful for.Over the past month, gas prices in Colorado have dropped 55 cents per gallon — 14 cents over the last week alone — for an average of $3.10 per gallon, according to data from GasBuddy.In the Denver Metro area, prices at the pump have fallen 15 cents in the last week, 61 cents since Oct. 20, for an average of $2.96 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.However, if you aren’t planning to do a lot of driving before you travel for the holiday, you might want to fill up sooner rather than later.According to GasBuddy, the average price per gallon slowly increased overnight Sunday into Monday, until Monday morning prices were 1.5 cents more expensive than the day before, and that price may keep going up for holiday travelers.Colorado gas prices, for regular fuel, hover about 16 cents below the na...

Strong winds topple trees, prompt power outage warnings across Southern California

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

Powerful winds continued to blow Monday, toppling trees in Mission Hills and overturning a big rig trailer in Jurupa Valley.Video from Mission Hills showed two trees down on the roadway in the 10400 block of Marklein Avenue after gusts blew through the area overnight. No damage was reported and there did not appear to be any power outages. Trees topple during gusty winds in Mission Hills on Nov. 20, 2023. (KTLA)In Jurupa Valley, a tractor-trailer separated from a semi-truck and overturned due to the windy weather. The incident slowed traffic near the eastbound 60 Freeway to the northbound 15 Freeway transition.Officials are urging people to drive carefully on the roads as strong gusty winds are expected to continue until Tuesday. High wind warnings are in place for portions of the Inland Empire through 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. 10 Freeway open for Monday commute but there’s still work to be done Southern California Edison has warned about 30,000 ...

Snoop Dogg clarifies the smoke he's giving up

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

Just last week Snoop Dogg announced he's giving up smoke.“I’m giving up smoke,” he posted to Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.“After much consideration and conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke," he explained.However, it isn't in the way we all thought.The Long Beach native, who is synonymous with indulging in cannabis, clarified exactly what he meant.On Monday morning, Snoop revealed the smoke he was referencing had to do with a fire pit. Turns out the Doggfather enjoys sitting next to an open fire without “coughing and his clothes smelling all sticky icky.”He explained it all in a video posted to Instagram.Solo StoveThe announcement was all to promote the Solo Stove, a smokeless fire pit brand.Snoop is the brand's official "smokesman."“I love a good fire outside but the smoke was too much," he said in a statement. "Solo Stove fixed fire and took out the smoke. They changed the game and now I’m excited to spread the love and stay warm w...

Meet Analog Immersion Painter Laurie Shapiro

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

In this age of ubiquitous so-called immersive art experiences, painter Laurie Shapiro wages a campaign for something more analog, deeply embodied, and quietly psychedelic (in a meditative sense). Through an inventive combination technique involving painting, screen-printing, sewing, and sculpture, Shapiro’s walk-in wonderlands rival the optical spectacle created by technology with their kaleidoscopic, jewel-like, and organic radiance—but hum with the promise of something more profound. Born with a condition that causes progressive hearing loss, Shapiro turned to amplified visual and energetic experiences, using paint, light, and color to manifest pure emotion and a comforting sense of wonderment. Often the site of music, dance, and other performance actions and activations, Shapiro’s environments are also the counterparts to more traditional paintings that narrate more direct encounters with the sublime and deepening connectivity with nature and one another.Laurie Shapiro: Alchemy T...

Jill On Money: The Fed’s last mile

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

Are we still talking about inflation? Yes, we are.When the government released the November Consumer Price Index (CPI), it showed progress. The headline CPI tumbled to an annualized pace of 3.2 percent, from 3.7% the month prior.Related ArticlesBusiness | Adult children discuss the trials of caring for their aging parents Business | More bars in top vacation spots serving up nonalcoholic drinks Business | Why some Gen Z savers and financial experts say to put down the apps and budget by hand Business | 6 ideas for a Wonka dream vacation this winter Business | The best airlines for 2023 holiday travel on points The core rate, which strips out food and energy, edged down to 4%, the smallest increase since September 2021. While those numbers are markedly better than the high print from June 2022 (9.1%), the rate of inflation has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.As a refresher, it was just about two y...

As holiday season gets underway, here’s how to protect yourself and your family from respiratory viruses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

By Amanda Musa | CNNWith Thanksgiving just days away, people across the United States are finalizing travel plans or racing through grocery stores in search of the perfect turkey, but there’s another plan to consider ahead of the holiday season: how to stay healthy and avoid the mix of seasonal viruses in circulation.Flu cases continue to pick up in most parts of the country, particularly the South and the West, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.RELATED: Thanksgiving travel is back: Californians to see record-breaking traffic on freeways, at airportsCovid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus are also spreading as many Americans hit the road and take to the skies this week, noted Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California at San Francisco — and they’ll be touching common surfaces that may be contaminated and sharing air with infected people.“A lot of people are going to be traveling at record numbers for ...

San Jose performer makes a ‘Bee’ line to TheatreWorks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

While Mai Abe has always embraced the musical side of musical theater, it took a while for the San Jose resident to get comfortable with the theatrical portion. Once she did, she surprised herself by turning pro.Abe is making her regional debut as Marcy in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” running Nov. 29-Dec. 24 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. She auditioned with James Monroe Iglehart, a Tony Award-winning actor who made his Broadway debut in “Bee” and is acting as creative producer for TheatreWorks’ production.“I never thought TheatreWorks was in the cards for me,” Abe says. “I only started doing theater recently.“I’ve always been involved in music in some way,” says the music therapist. “I grew up playing piano and got an undergraduate degree in clarinet.”Abe’s passion for theater was muted early on by a lack of opportunity.“In the early 2000s, the demographics of Broadway weren’t the demographics you se...

Bay Area businessman arrested in Venezuela just days after Biden administration eases oil sanctions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

An East Bay man’s family is pleading for his release after they say he was wrongfully arrested in Venezuela and held for tens of thousands of dollars in ransom just days after the Biden administration eased crippling oil sanctions on the socialist-run government.Savoi Wright’s Oct. 24 arrest, which had not been previously reported, has become the latest flashpoint in the tenuous relationship between the U.S. and Nicolás Maduro’s government that critics say should lead to a return to sanctions.But all Wright’s family wants is for the 38-year-old businessman to be returned home. They know precious little about the circumstances of his arrest. No criminal charges have been filed, he has not been allowed to see a lawyer and the Venezuelan government hasn’t said where he is being held.“It’s a nightmare. It’s like you’re watching a horror movie but you’re in it,” his mother, Erin Stewart, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from her Oakland home.Wright joins at least ...

The five living former U.S. presidents and four former first ladies, and their ages

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

With the death Sunday of Rosalynn Carter at age 96, four former first ladies are living, as well as five former presidents.They are:• Donald Trump (77), Melania Trump (53)• Barack Obama (62), Michelle Obama (59)• George W. Bush (77), Laura Bush (77)• Bill Clinton (77), Hillary Rodham Clinton (76)• Jimmy Carter (99)Those who have died in recent years are:• George H.W. Bush, died in November 2018 at age 94, and Barbara Bush, died in April 2018 at age 92• Ronald Reagan, died in 2004 at age 93, and Nancy Reagan, died in 2016 at age 94• Gerald Ford, died in 2006 at age 93, and Betty Ford, died in 2011 at age 93