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LA Rams Expected to Make Telling Decision on Myles Garrett
The Los Angeles Rams are set to make a telling decision regarding reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. The post LA Rams Expected to Make Telling Decision on Myles Garrett appeared first on HEAVY.
Teladoc Health (TDOC) Stock Looks Reasonable As Shares Stay Down 96%
Teladoc Health has seen its share price grind lower over the years, even as it pushes new telehealth tools into hospitals and clinics. This raises a straightforward question for you as an investor: Is the current US$5.77 price properly anchored to the cash flows the business can realistically produce? Over the past 5 years the stock has fallen 95.7%, so the market has already repriced a huge amount of optimism and that reset now frames any discussion of what its future cash flows are...
Global Experts Identify 17 “Catastrophic” Threats To Human Health This Century – Including 2 With “Extinction Potential”
The commission outlines a 75-year outlook for the threats, taking us the year 2100.
Adéla brings 'Nicole Kidman' and Chappell Roan to the Fonda Theatre
The 22-year-old pop singer flamed out on a YouTube competition series. Now she's one of the year's viral breakouts.
Community Science Takes Centre Stage on World Migratory Bird Day
World Migratory Bird Day marks its second peak day of the year by celebrating the people whose observations help understand bird migration,
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies
Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Zara Larsson Named Mental Health Champion of the Year
The Trevor Project has named Zara Larsson its 2026 Mental Health Champion of the Year.
The Trevor Project Honors Zara Larsson with 2026 Mental Health Champion of the Year Award
The Grammy-nominated global pop star is recognized for her longstanding LGBTQ+ advocacy, allyship, and commitment to championing mental health, joy, belonging, and unapologetic self-expression.
The Public Health Cost of FDA’s Tobacco Review Delays
When avoidable delays in reviewing cigarette alternatives prolong smoking, they cost lives. Quitting reduces the risk of premature death, while continuing to smoke sustains exposure to the hazards responsible for smoking-related disease. Because cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke cause more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States, the years-long delay documented in a September...
Every Big Official Announcement at the Triple-i Gaming Showcase
Indie games take the spotlight at the second Triple-i showcase of the year
Eagles’ Pass Rusher Emerges as Potential Trade Candidate Before Deadline
The Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman have never shied away from being active in NFL trade discussions. Over the years, Roseman has had one of the more aggressive mindsets in the trade market. With the 2026 NFL trade deadline coming up after Week 9, it would not be surprising to hear the Eagles […] The post Eagles’ Pass Rusher Emerges as Potential Trade Candidate Before Deadline appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.
Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Could Be 40% Undervalued As Oz Demand Worries Hit Sentiment
Craig-Hallum’s downgrade of Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) after concerns about softening demand for its The Wizard of Oz show has put fresh focus on how this experiential model supports the current valuation. Sphere Entertainment’s latest downgrade comes after a sharp pullback, with the 7-day share price return down 20.98% and the 30-day return down 25.40%. Even though the year-to-date share price return is 12.66% and the 1-year total shareholder return is 79.19%, recent momentum is clearly...
ROI-NJ to Host Inaugural Family Business of the Year Awards, Oct. 15
ROI-NJ's will be celebrating New Jersey's outstanding family-owned businesses at its inaugural Family Business of the Year Awards luncheon on Thursday,
Is Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Cheap As Leadership Changes Test Its 44% Undervalued View?
Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT) is back in focus after chief legal officer Don Liu resigned at the end of September, with group company secretary Edward Traynor stepping in as interim legal head from October 1. Amid that leadership change, Flutter Entertainment’s US$75.85 share price has had a difficult period, with the 30 day share price return down 24.23% and the year to date share price return down 65.25%. Over the past year, the total shareholder return has fallen 69.17%, indicating...
Wisconsin, Ohio State top USCHO rankings ahead of championship rematch
Just four games into the year, the Wisconsin Badgers women's hockey program is set for a national championship rematch with Ohio State.
Cybersecurity firm, also North Augusta Small Business of the Year, marks 25 years in the CSRA
Founder Russell Wyatt started PC Techware in 2001, fixing home computers across Augusta. Today, the company serves businesses throughout the CSRA as an all-commercial cybersecurity and IT provider.
Green Bluff growers rely on fall festival profits
For the dozens of independent growers of Green Bluff, October isn't just pumpkin season — it's the four-week stretch that determines whether farms turn a profit or end the year in the red. Following a summer marked by wildfire smoke, high well-water pumping costs, and rising inflation, farmers are…
Person dies from West Nile virus in DuPage County: health officials
Health officials are reporting the first West Nile virus death of the year in DuPage County.
Security improvements made at mental health unit after student's death
Security improvements have been made at the mental health unit in the years since Anthony Whittle's death.
Spartz Named Health Care Legislator of the Year
MUNCIE, IN — Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (IN-05) was named Legislator of the Year by the Indiana Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) at its annual conference in Muncie.
Flutter Entertainment (FLUT), Why Is It Back In The Spotlight?
Executive Change Puts Flutter’s Governance In Focus Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT) has announced a senior legal transition, with Chief Legal Officer Don Liu resigning on September 30, 2026, and Group Company Secretary Edward Traynor stepping in as interim CLO from October 1. Flutter Entertainment’s share price has shown only a modest 0.7% move over the past day and a 2.4% gain over the week, yet the 30 day share price return is down 23.8% and the year to date share price return has fallen...
What to do with Aaron Glenn?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jets fans and fans across the country. This season has taken a difficult turn for the New York Jets and their fans. A year that began with a promising win over the Tennessee […]
Dual North America names head of earthquake
Howden-owned Dual North America on Wednesday named Stephanie Calmeyn executive vice president, head of earthquake, succeeding Ian Fitt, who plans to retire at the end of the year.
Prime Day Offers Best TV Prices of the Year From Samsung, Sony, and More
Prime Big Deal Days is in full swing this week, offering massive savings on everything from AirPods to MacBook Pro and much more. We've been keeping an eye on these Apple-related Prime Day discounts all week, but now we're also tracking great sales on other categories, including TVs. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
One Foot Down Reacts: Notre Dame’s Top Need Against Stanford
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Notre Dame fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys: This week for One Foot Down Reacts, we’re asking: What do you, as a Notre […]
Carlos Alcaraz Wins Japan Open, Sets Sights on Shanghai
Carlos Alcaraz won his third title of the year, and his first since returning from a right wrist injury that sidelined him for five months. He defeated #16 Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (4) 6-4. The victory was Alcaraz's 10th ATP title, moving him past Andy Murray's nine. Only the Big 3 now sit ahead of him: …
Bush-Wells Sporting Goods to close its doors at the end of the year
CASPER, Wyo. — After 63 years in business, Bush-Wells Sporting Goods will close at the end of this year. Changing business models in the industry,
PS5 Metroidvania Game Gets Perfect Reviews, New PlayStation GOTY Contender
An upcoming PS5 Metroidvania game has already won over critics while emerging as a Game of the Year contender.
Students Use Forensic Science Skills in Escape Room
Hundreds of students from across the region put their problem-solving skills to the test this week during the Regional Science Consortium’s annual Forensic Science Escape Room. Elementary school students had just a few hours to figure out how someone died as part of a forensic science escape room activity. The Regional Science Consortium partnered with Mercyhurst University for the 10th year of the event, which is taking place at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. It began Monday and runs through Thursday.Throughout the week, more than 250 students are working to solve murder mysteries using real forensic science techniques. Students must analyze the evidence, piece together clues and solve the crime before time runs out.Organizers said the event gives students interested in pursuing forensic science in college a firsthand look at what a career in the field could entail.Sarah Skelton, Special Gifts Coordinator at Iroquois, said the activity provides students with an opportunity to develop skills that can sometimes be difficult to practice in a traditional classroom. "It really helps them to work in teams and on critical thinking skills. Which, not that they don't get these opportunities, but it's hard sometimes in the classroom to develop those higher-level thinking skills”, said Skelton.Students also get a chance to learn how forensic science is used in real-life investigations. As Skelton explained, "What are the real-life applications? What would you actually see in a crime scene? How would you handle these types of forensic investigations? So it's really cool our kids get to see what opportunities are out there and possibly a career field one day."The popular event has grown over the years, with some students returning year after year. Organizers said watching those students grow and develop their interests is one of the highlights of the program.Jeanette Schnars, the Executive Director of the Regional Science Consortium said it's rewarding to see how students' interests evolve as they get older. According to Schnars, "How they have grown and matured and where their interests are going and maybe they aren't going into forensics, but if they are going into sciences or different disciplines, so it's really fulfilling to see how they have matured."One student who continues to enjoy the event is sixth-grader Mia Harvey of Iroquois. Harvey hopes to pursue a career in medicine and says the forensic science activities are helping her explore her interests, "One day I want to become a neurologist, and learning about the bones is probably going to help me."Harvey said her favorite part of the event is the real-life application of what she's learning. "While you are trying to find the clues, they teach real stuff that you would need to know”, said Harvey.Event organizers said if students are learning while having fun, then the program is accomplishing its goal. "Not only are they learning the science, but they are having fun with it too”, said Schnars.Adults will also have a chance to take part in the experience this Saturday during an adult version of the escape room, which will feature food, drinks and entertainment. For more information, click here.The Forensic Science Escape Room has become one of the Regional Science Consortium’s most popular events, with teachers signing up their students as soon as registration opens in August.
F1 Stock Watch: Who Gained and Lost More After Malaysia?
Max Verstappen's breakthrough victory in Malaysia is one of the most unforgettable wins of the year.
8 Players Withdraw from ATP Shanghai
Shanghai, the penultimate Masters 1000 of the year has, in recent years, been one of the most unpredictable. Several withdrawals are already contributing to the narrative of the tournament as it’s set to get underway soon. Which Players Have Withdrawn from Shanghai? Jannik Sinner has once again pushed back his return to the court, withdrawing …
FT and Standard Chartered Book of the Year Award 2026
Contenders include titles on weight-loss drugs, AI weaponry and forecasting
FT and Standard Chartered Book of the Year Award 2026
Contenders include titles on weight-loss drugs, AI weaponry and forecasting
Downtown Boston business owners seek more police presence after survey finds people feel unsafe
The survey by the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Alliance finds that 56% of locals feel less safe in downtown than they did at the start of the year, marking a considerable increase from last year.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: 9 Must-Adds for Week 5
Week 4 on the 2026 NFL schedule is nearly in the books, and fantasy football managers can start pivoting toward Week 5. It also marks the start of a particular bane of fantasy managers' existence for the year: bye weeks. Just two teams, the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs, are idle in Week 5, …
Final Family Health Festival of the year comes to Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center Pavilion
The final Family Health Festival of the year takes place Thursday, Oct. 8.
Unfinished Business: Dean Rajan Appointed to Historic Third Term
Madhav Rajan reflects on nine years of leading Chicago Booth and what he wants to accomplish in the years ahead.
Physician Assistant Brandon Guth Earns Reid Health’s Advanced Practice Provider of the Year Award
Brandon Guth, PA-C, a physician assistant with Reid Medical Associates, is the second recipient of Reid Health’s Advanced Practice Provider (APP) of the Year Award for his commitment to clinical …
Providence Opens New Rural Health Clinic in Polson
Just over a year after breaking ground on a rural health clinic in Polson, community members, donors and hospital staff gathered Sept. 30 in front of the new building just behind Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. “Over the years we’ve heard about this need over and over again,” Chief Executive for Providence Montana Krissy Petersen […]
NBA 2K25 is being delisted later this month, servers (including single-player story mode) shut down at the end of the year
MyCareer, MyTeam and all other online game modes will end in December…
‘An agenda of…’ – Joe Burrow’s ex-teammate drops a ‘politics’ accusation on Chargers’ Mike McDaniel
Mike McDaniel is being blamed for the Los Angeles Chargers’ terrible start to the 2026-27 NFL season. Week 4 of the NFL season didn’t go as planned for the Los Angeles Chargers, as the organization was handed its fourth defeat of the year.
Dartmouth High marine science students go fishing for field day
Dartmouth High marine science students head out for their first field day of the year to catch fish off of Apponagansett Point in Padanaram village.
Amazon Launches Early Prime Day Discounts on AirPods, iPad, MacBook Air, and More
Earlier this week, we began tracking early Prime Day deals on Apple-related accessories, and today Amazon has introduced major early deals on Apple products as well. This includes AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and more, all available at some of the lowest prices of the year so far. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
NLDS Game 1 notes: Tarik Skubal, Teoscar Hernández, Max Muncy
The Dodgers secured their first postseason game of the year on Saturday, powering three home runs to back a strong start from Tarik Skubal in a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was the first time that Skubal was able to pitch at home in a postseason starts, as all of his four playoff […]
GOTY 2026’s Final Nomination Is a Battleground of 8/10 Games
The year of 'good, not great' rages on
Colorado’s 2027 Teacher of the Year is Strasburg science teacher Merci Ames
Melanie Ames is a science teacher at Strasburg High School and has been teaching for 35 years.
Government Business Review names Whiteside County’s Camarano Economic Development Director of the Year
Whiteside County Economic Development Director Gary Camarano, who is also the executive director of the Northwest Illinois Film Office, has been named Economic Development Director of the Year 2026 by Government Business Review.
Former Browns defender part of NFL's biggest disappointments
This former Cleveland Browns defender was named among the leagues biggest disappointments to start the year.
A $28B hemp THC industry is fighting to save itself from a looming federal ban
America’s multibillion-dollar market for impairing hemp products faces potential elimination before the end of the year.
Ace Combat 8 Secretly Has the Best Video Game Music of the Year
Give it up for Purple Magic
29 businesses honored at Bowling Green Chamber’s Targeted Business Awards, AKFA named Business of the Year
The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated 29 businesses Thursday during its annual Targeted Business Awards, presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners, at the Knicely Conference Center.
A $28B hemp THC industry is fighting to save itself from a looming federal ban
America’s multibillion-dollar market for impairing hemp products faces potential elimination before the end of the year.
$28B hemp THC industry fights to save itself from looming federal ban
America’s multibillion-dollar market for impairing hemp products faces potential elimination before the end of the year
Pat Murphy identifies Brewers’ biggest challenge before Padres NLDS
The Milwaukee Brewers will meet the San Diego Padres in the NLDS after Milwaukee posted the best overall record in MLB during the regular season. San Diego enters the series after finishing the year on a strong note and knocking out the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round. A major part of the Padres’ [...]
Upper Dauphin dominates Camp Hill
(WHTM) — Camp Hill is looking to get their first win of the year as they take on Upper Dauphin in week six. Well, Camp Hill will have to try next week to get their first win as they lost 41-6. Meanwhile, Upper Dauphin improves to 3-3.
Enter the Video Crypt, an art installation that brings the video store back from the dead
2014 was the year Blockbuster officially closed the doors of its last corporate-owned location, marking the end of an era for many who frequented video stores.
Bishop’s computer science chair says AI is eliminating ‘grunt work’ and reshaping digital jobs
Dr. Russell Butler, chair of Bishop’s University’s Department of Computer Science, says artificial intelligence is increasingly taking over routine digital “grunt work,” changing the skills students and workers may need in the years ahead. Photo courtesy of Bishop’s University. Click here to read our platform! Get local news like this every morning. Subscribe free below. Subscribe Pulse Newsroom Artificial intelligence is already taking over some of the routine digital work once performed by entry-level employees, according to Bishop’s University Computer Science chair Dr. Russell Butler — a shift he believes will make expertise, judgement and the ability to evaluate AI-generated work increasingly important. Butler described the change as automation reaching what he calls the “bottom of the cognitive pyramid” during an interview with The Pulse about AI, university education and the future of digital work. His argument is not that humans are disappearing from the workplace. Instead, he sees their role changing as AI becomes capable of handling more of the repetitive tasks involved in computer-based work. “Everything’s converging on just AI basically doing all the grunt work,” Butler said. The bottom of the cognitive pyramid Butler is from Lennoxville, completed his undergraduate studies at Bishop’s and later earned his PhD at the Université de Sherbrooke. He joined Bishop’s in 2019 and now chairs its Department of Computer Science. He uses AI in research, teaching and other creative work, and said the technology is increasingly capable of handling routine digital tasks that once required substantial human time. “You’ve got the grunt work, like moving things around in Excel, doing basic programming tasks,” Butler said. “That’s like the bottom grunt work that the entry-level worker would have done two or three years ago.” Butler went further, saying in his view that much of this type of work has already been absorbed by AI tools. He connected that change to a shift he sees taking place in computer science, where entry-level roles have declined while experienced workers can use AI to increase what they can produce. “A senior developer now has access to essentially an unlimited amount of junior developers on demand,” Butler said. He was describing AI systems metaphorically, not literal employees. His point was that one experienced developer can now ask AI tools to produce code or other technical work that might previously have been assigned to more junior workers. That raises a broader question for universities and employers. If some of the simpler work traditionally given to newcomers can now be done by machines, how do people gain the experience needed to become senior workers themselves? Students doing work that once required years of programming Butler said he is already seeing the change inside his classroom. He created a Bishop’s course called CS208, Coding in Plain English, to show students — including those without traditional programming backgrounds — what they can accomplish using AI. Some come from disciplines such as psychology or neuroscience with no previous programming experience. “What I’m finding is that students who have zero programming experience, they come in from another discipline like psychology or neuroscience or something, they are now able to get up and running with real data sets,” Butler said. Butler’s own doctoral work involved neuroimaging, and he said he has assigned students work he considers comparable to the kinds of analysis he performed during his PhD. He described giving students a real dataset, an expected result and instructions to use AI to complete the analysis. Butler said those students have been able to carry out work at a level he associates with tasks he once performed after years of programming experience. That does not mean a student using AI instantly acquires the same knowledge as an experienced computer scientist. But Butler sees it as evidence that AI can dramatically lower the technical barrier between having a problem to solve and producing a working result. The role of the person using the system then changes. They need to know what to ask for, understand enough about the subject to judge the answer and take responsibility for what is ultimately produced. What about AI hallucinations? One persistent concern surrounding generative AI is hallucination — when a system produces information that sounds convincing but is false or unsupported. Butler said that problem has improved substantially in newer systems and is not as severe as it was with earlier models. He pointed in particular to newer AI systems’ ability to search the web, consult scientific databases and return source links rather than simply generating a citation from their internal model. Butler nevertheless said users should verify what AI produces. “You should verify,” he said while discussing citations generated with AI. His position is that hallucinations have become less common in the systems he uses, not that incorrect AI output is impossible. Human checking remains part of the process. Hours of work compressed Butler offered another example from his administrative work at Bishop’s. The university has been comparing CEGEP courses with first-year Bishop’s courses to determine where students may qualify for advanced standing. Traditionally, Butler said, that means reviewing two sets of course descriptions and manually matching one institution’s courses with another’s. As department chair, that could require hours of reading and comparison. He said AI can now be given both sets of material and asked to generate an initial mapping automatically. “It saves me hours and hours of work,” Butler said. Butler said the AI-generated mapping can also produce a better result than he would produce himself. He sees similar opportunities in businesses. A company may receive specifications, drawings, emails or other digital material from customers and then have employees convert that information into an internal format before anything can be manufactured or delivered. AI can increasingly perform parts of that intermediate processing. In Butler’s view, the employee does not necessarily disappear. Instead, the job becomes more about checking the result. “The human is still there,” he said. Judgement could become more valuable That change is central to Butler’s view of where digital work may be headed. If AI can produce a first draft, write basic code, compare documents or process large amounts of information, he argues that knowledge and judgement become increasingly important. “The real scarce resource going forward is going to be domain knowledge, expertise, and… credentials, authority, the ability to work with other people,” Butler said. He is therefore encouraging students not only to learn AI tools but also to broaden their education. He mentioned acting, fine art and photography as examples of courses that can help develop what he described as taste and intuition — the ability to recognize what is good, what is not and what should be changed. “And that’s the skill that they need now because the grunt work has been automated and now it’s about evaluating what the AI produces and telling it how to improve or expand the output,” Butler said. That does not remove the need for technical knowledge. Butler’s argument is that the emphasis may shift away from manually completing every step of a task and toward directing, checking and improving work produced with AI assistance. He also stressed that humans remain responsible for final decisions. “At the end of the day, the human has to make the final call,” Butler said, pointing to the question of accountability. Physical work may be different Butler draws a distinction between digital work and jobs requiring people to manipulate the physical world. He expects AI to continue advancing quickly in tasks performed almost entirely on computers. He is more cautious about claims that humanoid robots will soon be able to replace workers such as plumbers or electricians. Butler said those trades would not be replaced “anytime soon” in his view and described some current robotics demonstrations as overhyped. He described the situation as counterintuitive. “It’s almost like we solved the highest level first,” he said, contrasting advances in digital AI with the harder problem of building robots capable of operating reliably in the physical world. Butler’s argument is that some digital occupations could face automation sooner than trades requiring complex physical work. The wider AI shift in the Townships Butler’s comments come as local institutions are increasingly grappling with how AI should be used. The federal government recently announced up to $162 million over five years for 10,000 AI-related placements through Mitacs. The Université de Sherbrooke told The Pulse that the number of its collaborative research and innovation projects supported through Mitacs has approximately doubled since 2018-19, while the number of placements has approximately tripled. UdeS also said it already has projects involving both AI adoption and the application of AI to other fields. At Bishop’s, Butler said part of his role involves building the Computer Science department’s local presence, connecting students with regional partners and strengthening relationships with the Sherbrooke technology ecosystem. Those developments put universities in a difficult position. They have to prepare students to use the tools employers increasingly have available while also making sure graduates understand enough to recognize when those tools are wrong, incomplete or being applied to the wrong problem. The risk of losing human skills Butler does not see AI as risk-free. Later in the interview, he raised a separate concern: as AI becomes better at reading, writing, programming and other cognitive tasks, people could lose some of the underlying skills that historically helped produce new ideas. “The other danger is that we’re going to lose the human skills,” Butler said. He specifically mentioned reading and writing and argued that people could lose some of the lower-level understanding that contributes to breakthroughs. Butler said AI systems are based on existing human knowledge and argued that they become much more powerful when paired with a capable person. That tension runs through his view of the technology. AI can remove hours of routine work. It can allow beginners to perform tasks that once required substantial technical training. It can give experienced workers significant leverage. But the more capable the technology becomes, the more important it may be for people to develop the judgement needed to decide what should be done in the first place. For Butler, that is where education may have to change. Students still need to understand their field. They still need to know when something is wrong. And they still need to be able to make the final decision. But if AI increasingly handles the bottom of the cognitive pyramid, the value of a worker may depend less on how quickly they can perform the grunt work and more on whether they understand what the work is supposed to accomplish. Don’t miss the next story that affects your community. Join thousands of readers getting The Pulse every morning—plus breaking news alerts when it matters most. If you value this kind of local journalism, consider supporting it. Subscribe, share and like! Subscribe Share
Klick Health Named MM+M Market Access Gold Agency of the Year
NEW YORK & TORONTO, October 02, 2026--Klick Health took center stage throughout the evening at last night’s Medical Marketing + Media (MM+M) Awards, receiving the Market Access Gold Agency of the Year title plus nine campaign accolades, including five Gold trophies for "867-5309" (Cancer Support Community), "Project Inchstone" (Nestlé Compleat), and "MODDEN 26" (The Derek Sheely Foundation).
Steam's 2026 Autumn Sale 2026 Is Live With Up to 90% Off AAA and Indie Favorites, Plus Even More Major Price Drops for the Biggest Games of the Year So Far
The Steam Autumn Sale 2026 is officially live. What games are you picking up?
Phantom Blade Zero, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Final Fantasy Resonance, and 5 More Big October Games We've Already Played and Can Tell You About
October is here, which means the Fall is in full swing, which means some of the biggest games of the year drop this month. We've already played some of the biggest ones, so check out our previews of Phantom Blade Zero, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Final Fantasy Resonance, and more below.
Victor Wembanyama sounds off on NBA players promoting gambling
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year says he has turned down far more endorsement money than he has earned to protect his values.
Coastal forces shape building sciences practice
When Built Environments relocated to Wilmington, the firm’s partners weren’t looking for the lazy tranquility one hopes for when on vacation. Instead, they sought sultry heat. They wanted to understand whipping coastal winds and punishing precipitation – the kind that tropical storms produce. That’s because how materials degrade can reveal a lot about how they can be improved. “We specifically chose the Wilmington market because it does fall within Climate Zone 3A, which is a coastal warm-humid climate,” said Jarrett Davis, who joined Built Environments in 2023 to lead the company’s building science practice. “There’s not a lot of product research in that climate zone, but there are a lot of structures here that get weatherized pretty severely.” Built Environments has provided building science, material testing and code compliance consulting for 25 years, ever since principal materials scientist Steve Doggett founded the company in Minnesota. “There are very few manufacturers that understand fully how their own materials and products work, whereas we know their shortfalls and their benefits out in the real world on jobsites,” Doggett said. “That’s why the original Built Environments was formed, to make buildings better.” He said the 15-employee company is just as comfortable on a jobsite, retrofitting a high-end beachside property, for example, as it is recreating some of the coast’s most intense weather conditions in the great indoors. The company operates an A2LA-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 mechanical testing laboratory on Wright Street. The year-old facility has expanded Built Environments’ in-house capabilities, Doggett said. “We’re able to simulate that hurricane wind (and) rain and perform structural and impact testing on wall assemblies, roof assemblies and glazing assemblies,” he said. “There are certain requirements that those windows and doors need to meet as far as wind ratings and pressure ratings and things of that nature.” Standard Glass Co.-Glass Depots, of Wilmington, is currently testing a new glazing system using Built Environments’ stress testing, the partners said. One method involves what’s called a “large missile cannon.” “We take 8-foot two-by-fours, and we shoot them at assemblies, so they have to withstand that impact,” Davis said. “It’s pretty cool to see, I’m not going to lie.” In many cases, the lab can run a full, wall-scale test of a product in a matter of weeks or months, whereas “it might take midrange manufacturers years,” Doggett said. “We’re nimble. We can cut that time in half.” The lab also develops intellectual property. Doggett, for example, shares a patent with Sustant LLC, of Minnesota, on a fastener patch to increase the air and water tightness within building envelopes. “We have too many ideas and not enough time,” he said. But the partners noted that they or their fellow principals – of which the company has four total, including a principal engineer and a principal codes and standards expert – could be anywhere on a given day, including in the courtroom providing expert testimony in contentious insurance cases. “Let’s say there is a fire on a structure,” Davis said. “We can analyze all the specific materials within that assembly – an exterior wall or something like that – because there are loads that require certain heat release. And so, we can measure each one of those materials, if need be, to say if this was likely or not a code-approved assembly.” Despite what can be inferred in a lab, the partners said nothing beats learning from how materials change over time under real-world strain. Take, for instance, the curious case of the creaking condo. “We recently had a customer that came to us trying to assess a sound issue of a roof. It was making noises that no one could explain or account for. How do you tackle something like that?” Doggett asked rhetorically. “There’s really no generally agreed-upon methodologies.” The problem turned out to be a faulty installation of a commercial roof system. “The building in this particular case was not local,” he said. “In the initial installation, the commercial roofing contractor installed the wrong fasteners in the wrong locations into the deck, and essentially the solar radiation was causing the building to move quite substantially early in the morning when the sun initially hit that assembly after a quite cool evening, causing the threads on the fasteners to kind of jump within the material, within the metal.” Built Environments designed an effective repair methodology that was within budget, the partners said. “We get the bizarre,” Doggett said. “I will say that’s something that has stayed the same over 25 years.” The partners said they are hiring, and that Cape Fear Community College is one of their main recruiting grounds. Davis and Doggett look for talented people who can understand traditional methodologies yet are open to on-the-job training and new understandings, they said. After all, it’s not just weather that can ruin a building. “My favorite saying is,” Davis said, “‘What are the eight most expensive words in construction? That’s how my daddy used to do it.’”
Coastal forces shape building sciences practice
When Built Environments relocated to Wilmington, the firm’s partners weren’t looking for the lazy tranquility one hopes for when on vacation. Instead, they sought sultry heat. They wanted to understand whipping coastal winds and punishing precipitation – the kind that tropical storms produce. That’s because how materials degrade can reveal a lot about how they can be improved. “We specifically chose the Wilmington market because it does fall within Climate Zone 3A, which is a coastal warm-humid climate,” said Jarrett Davis, who joined Built Environments in 2023 to lead the company’s building science practice. “There’s not a lot of product research in that climate zone, but there are a lot of structures here that get weatherized pretty severely.” Built Environments has provided building science, material testing and code compliance consulting for 25 years, ever since principal materials scientist Steve Doggett founded the company in Minnesota. “There are very few manufacturers that understand fully how their own materials and products work, whereas we know their shortfalls and their benefits out in the real world on jobsites,” Doggett said. “That’s why the original Built Environments was formed, to make buildings better.” He said the 15-employee company is just as comfortable on a jobsite, retrofitting a high-end beachside property, for example, as it is recreating some of the coast’s most intense weather conditions in the great indoors. The company operates an A2LA-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 mechanical testing laboratory on Wright Street. The year-old facility has expanded Built Environments’ in-house capabilities, Doggett said. “We’re able to simulate that hurricane wind (and) rain and perform structural and impact testing on wall assemblies, roof assemblies and glazing assemblies,” he said. “There are certain requirements that those windows and doors need to meet as far as wind ratings and pressure ratings and things of that nature.” Standard Glass Co.-Glass Depots, of Wilmington, is currently testing a new glazing system using Built Environments’ stress testing, the partners said. One method involves what’s called a “large missile cannon.” “We take 8-foot two-by-fours, and we shoot them at assemblies, so they have to withstand that impact,” Davis said. “It’s pretty cool to see, I’m not going to lie.” In many cases, the lab can run a full, wall-scale test of a product in a matter of weeks or months, whereas “it might take midrange manufacturers years,” Doggett said. “We’re nimble. We can cut that time in half.” The lab also develops intellectual property. Doggett, for example, shares a patent with Sustant LLC, of Minnesota, on a fastener patch to increase the air and water tightness within building envelopes. “We have too many ideas and not enough time,” he said. But the partners noted that they or their fellow principals – of which the company has four total, including a principal engineer and a principal codes and standards expert – could be anywhere on a given day, including in the courtroom providing expert testimony in contentious insurance cases. “Let’s say there is a fire on a structure,” Davis said. “We can analyze all the specific materials within that assembly – an exterior wall or something like that – because there are loads that require certain heat release. And so, we can measure each one of those materials, if need be, to say if this was likely or not a code-approved assembly.” Despite what can be inferred in a lab, the partners said nothing beats learning from how materials change over time under real-world strain. Take, for instance, the curious case of the creaking condo. “We recently had a customer that came to us trying to assess a sound issue of a roof. It was making noises that no one could explain or account for. How do you tackle something like that?” Doggett asked rhetorically. “There’s really no generally agreed-upon methodologies.” The problem turned out to be a faulty installation of a commercial roof system. “The building in this particular case was not local,” he said. “In the initial installation, the commercial roofing contractor installed the wrong fasteners in the wrong locations into the deck, and essentially the solar radiation was causing the building to move quite substantially early in the morning when the sun initially hit that assembly after a quite cool evening, causing the threads on the fasteners to kind of jump within the material, within the metal.” Built Environments designed an effective repair methodology that was within budget, the partners said. “We get the bizarre,” Doggett said. “I will say that’s something that has stayed the same over 25 years.” The partners said they are hiring, and that Cape Fear Community College is one of their main recruiting grounds. Davis and Doggett look for talented people who can understand traditional methodologies yet are open to on-the-job training and new understandings, they said. After all, it’s not just weather that can ruin a building. “My favorite saying is,” Davis said, “‘What are the eight most expensive words in construction? That’s how my daddy used to do it.’”
The funniest man you know is directing the twistiest, darkest movie of the year
"Verity" director Michael Showalter’s career began on MTV’s early '90s cult sketch-comedy show “The State.” Thirty years later, he’s helming big Hollywood films.
Nottingham honors Dorsey Levens by naming athletic field after him
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – Dorsey Levens football career began the playing fields at Sherman Park in Syracuse. On Thursday, Nottingham honored Levens by naming its athletic field Herbert Dorsey Levens Field. In 1988, Levens was named the New York State player of the year. He finished his high school career with over 3,100 yards rushing, […]
‘Biggest day of the year;’ downtown St. Petersburg businesses rejoice ahead of ALDS
Ahead of playoff baseball's return to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field, downtown businesses are bracing for at least a weekend of packed crowds.
Minnesota Twins Announce Organization's Minor League Players of the Year
The Twins honored the organization's top minor league hitter and pitcher in 2026.
18 Sports earns Sportscast of The Year at NYSBA Awards
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WETM) – 18 Sports is proud to share and showcase a special honor for the year. Thursday, at the 2026 New York State Broadcasters Association Awards (NYSBA) in Binghamton, 18 Sports was awarded Sportscast of The Year for our region of the state. WETM-TV Sports Director Andy Malnoske, along with Sports Reporter Nick […]
NC Chamber Announces ‘Coolest Things’ for the Year
Coinciding with National Manufacturing Day, the NC Chamber announced winners of this year’s “Coolest Thing Made in NC” competition.
The 5 absolute best space images of 2026 (so far)
A dark, shark-shaped nebula 650 light-years away has won Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2026. See the overall winner and the best category images.
Colorado’s 2027 Teacher of the Year is Strasburg science teacher Merci Ames
“Mrs. Ames stands out because she consistently does the right thing, the right way, and gives of herself without expectation, and all for the benefit of her students,” the superintendent said.
Packers turn to Skyy Moore after Jayden Reed’s season ending injury
The Green Bay Packers will have to move forward without Jayden Reed for the rest of the season, but they already have a short term plan in place. If that approach fails to provide enough production, Green Bay still has other options it can explore later in the year. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur addressed [...]
September Monthly Review: Health MCP Guy?
For all the time I spend talking about APIs and data exchange, this newsletter has had embarrassingly little interoperability of its own. It’s old-school SaaS, baby - UI or bust. Not all of that is my fault! Substack, for all its popularity, is (as mentioned before) really frustrating as my system of record. The primary user it optimizes towards is the reader, whose attention feeds the app, the Notes feed, and the recommendation network that Substack is actually selling. Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe They’re falling into the same trap that Medium once sprinted into, albeit at a much more glacial speed. Younger generations may not remember (or never knew) it, but Medium once lured publications like The Ringer and Signal v. Noise onto its platform, only to lose them as it rebuilt itself around a paywall and an algorithmic feed. Substack’s original pitch circa 2020 was the antidote (you own your list), but every new feed feature chips away at it. I get it: writers are generic supply in the eyes of the Substack product team. Generic supply follows demand, so the consistent pressure on the PMs is to generate demand, which leads to every product cycle going toward discovery (Notes, recommendations, the app, live video). The end result lackluster author tools (laggy and broken analytics are truly crippling) all despite the premium price point. The archive is where it crosses from authorial gripes to actual reader impact, though. Across Substack and LinkedIn, I’ve published 1,218 posts and nearly 900,000 words since 2018. Substack’s native search can see only the 464 posts that live on Substack, and even there it’s woefully inadequate at surfacing relevant content (even for the guy who wrote it)! Readers have the same problem, writ large. Ask the Archive Fixing search (for both my readers and my own use) turned out to be extremely non-trivial, unfortunately: There’s no public API for readers to access content RSS exists for new content notification, but it only carries the 20 most recent posts and cuts paid ones off at the preview The only Substack MCP is an admin tool for analytics The export exists for authors, but it’s painfully awkward and slow. So I built something to work around that: the Health API Guy MCP. It’s a private MCP server holding the full text of everything I’ve written across Substack and LinkedIn. Add it to Claude or ChatGPT as a connector and you can ask things like: It pairs keyword search (for acronyms and case names, of which we have many) with semantic search. Every post is also labeled by topic, form, and court case, so you can pull a lawsuit’s (or multiple cases’) entire docket across Substack and LinkedIn in one query: Hail, Healthapiguyhydra This is also a bit of me eating my own cooking. I’ve spent the year arguing that headless healthcare is arriving and that developers want primitives over abstractions. Last week in Hail, Benihydra, I watched Salesforce plug its platform into Claude and bet that the records underneath outlive whatever interface sits on top: Salesforce must believe that the Hydra’s immortal head is the records, permissions, and business logic (in that they will survive whatever happens to the interface). It felt a bit hypocritical to keep my own archive behind a Substack search bar. The archive is the body. Substack is one head, and now whatever tool you might use is another. Will the EHRs follow my lead? Probably not imminently, but one can hope! Why Founding Members Only The MCP is available to Founding Member subscribers. A few reasons: It costs money and time to run. Hosting, the database, Clerk usage and AI compute for search and labeling are significant operational costs (that increase with usage). Substack gives me no way to automate access. There’s no API to check whether someone is a paid subscriber, so every user is manual operations for now. It’s a beta. We’ll need to improve things and parts will break. I’d rather they break for a small group of dedicated readers who will tell me about it. The Founding tier deserved a real benefit. Until now it was mostly a generous tip. Now it comes with something. If you’re already a Founding Member, reply to this email with the address you’d like provisioned. If you’re not and want in, upgrade here. Larger teams (such as companies) can get access too: group subscriptions at the Founding tier come with the group discount. The admin for the subscription can reply with the list of addresses to provision. Get 20% off a group subscription Pricing Founding membership is now a flat $200 a year, replacing the old suggested $150 that readers could adjust. Existing Founding Members will have access grandfathered in at their previous rate. Month in Review Articles Published Make Networks Dumb Again (Sep 11): AI is making old analog networks cheaper to use and flooding them with machine traffic in the process. A plea for agent-native rails with the intelligence at the endpoints, and for Washington to drag them to ubiquity. Interoperability, Unbuttoned (Sep 29): Interoperability is a series of workflows in a trenchcoat, and this post finally takes the trenchcoat off. A color-coded map shows which provider workflows went digital, which are fragmented, and which still run on fax. Video Content Antitrust’s System of Record Problem (Sep 3): The FTC’s investigation into Epic prompted a ninety-minute webinar, now posted with chapters and a smoothed transcript. We get into why market definition, missing B2B share data, and the SSNIP test leave antitrust poorly suited to systems of record, plus why information blocking may be doing more than any pending lawsuit. The Information Exchange: Cerner Milking Edition (Sep 18): This was so fucking fun. Ryan Tucker, Ryan Brickner, Brad Thorson, and I try an Around the Horn format, complete with points, penalties, and a mute button. We debate whether Oracle Health is dead, who would actually buy Cerner (IBM enters the chat), p(Doom), and why the front desk still hands you a clipboard. Regulatory Ask Not What Your Network Can Do (Sep 23): CDC’s RFI on public health data intermediaries lists use cases already served, unevenly, by eCR, lab reporting, IZ Gateway, and syndromic surveillance. The real opportunity sits in one question about AI: a network that can handle the next emergency without another interface project. Court cases Particle v. Epic: The Naughty Schoolteacher (Sep 4): After a summer-long vigil, the answer on Epic’s early summary judgment bid is two paragraphs and a remedial assignment. Particle advances to the next grade, and market definition gets another year of discovery. The Epic Discovery Files (Sep 8): Texas’s motions to compel arrive with a 251-page appendix of requests, objections, and meet-and-confer letters with Cravath. Inside: Epic using generative AI for document review, denied interoperability requests in scope, and Noerr-Pennington raised against lobbying discovery. Epic v. Health Gorilla: “Working as Designed” (Sep 9): Epic wants nothing to do with the data breach MDL, and explaining why puts fresh discovery on the public docket. The spiciest allegation: Health Gorilla told GuardDog to scrub its law firm business from its website instead of cutting off access. Veeva v. Epic: Legal Bypass Surgery (Sep 15): Veeva asks the Wisconsin Supreme Court to skip the Court of Appeals, while law professors and three policy groups line up as amici. Meanwhile, Epic’s lawyers apologize for another round of citation errors, including a quote that never existed. Texas v. Epic: Behind the Black Bars (Sep 17): The court portal served up Epic’s unredacted filings, revealing a $5 million document review budget and the AI workflow behind it. Also inside: the 200-plus company names Texas wants searched, and one very expensive Zoom invitation. OpenEvidence v. Doximity: Consequences Will Follow (Sep 25): OpenEvidence tells the court it will not comply with a discovery order, and its own lawyers at Quinn Emanuel say they won’t defend the choice. Add years of Slack reported unrecoverable, and Rule 37 sanctions come into view. Health Tech Keeps Choosing Violence (Sep 28): Doximity moves to end OpenEvidence’s case, Epic asks Texas to show its work, and a sleepy Audacious Inquiry patent fight sprouts antitrust and information blocking counterclaims. The main event is a long-sealed Cognizant v. Infosys ruling that hints where system of record antitrust claims can survive. EHRs One Verb for Oracle Health (Sep 14): Oracle’s earnings call quantifies every data center to the decimal point, while Oracle Health gets a single verb: “accelerate.” Panning the few healthcare mentions turns up an agentic care management system, a research-to-care ledger play, and the question of whether healthcare gets Larry’s patience. Epic’s Forretress Under Siege (Sep 30): Judy Faulkner tells a panel Epic paused hundreds of projects to harden its software and calls it a “shame,” while a spokesperson insists the roadmap hasn’t changed. Project Glasswing, a Pokémon-branded QAN sprint, and a trove of Jodel grievances reconcile the two Epics and preview the Jevons paradox coming for all software. Industry Analysis Scanning for a Network (Sep 1): Scan.com raises $220M to build the imaging network labs never got, speedrunning Zocdoc’s consumer-to-B2B pivot. Its wedge to network density may be the most American one available: personal injury litigation. The Front Desk Wants the Damn Whole Building (Sep 16): Hello Patient buys Converse Health, pushing its AI front desk into referrals, chart work, and prior auth. The copilot categories keep blurring, and your distribution partner is still your final boss. Cross-industry Comparisons A Different Patchwork Quilt (Sep 10): Healthcare loves to envy open banking, but the US version has no mandate, a toll booth at Chase, and data quality problems of its own. The grass isn’t greener; it’s another American patchwork quilt, and perhaps a worse one. Hail, Benihydra (Sep 21): Salesforce brings its platform into Claude, Slack, and its own agent, inviting the interfaces that might replace it. Cut off one head and more grow back, so long as the records underneath stay put. Living on A Trade Secret Prayer (Sep 22): Six credit unions are suing Fiserv, the Epic of core banking, by claiming their own member records as trade secrets. Banking has no Cures Act, so its lawyers reach for legal alchemy that healthcare has already tried. Other News None this month External Media Nabla Accelerate NYC: I kicked off fall conference season at Nabla’s Accelerate event in New York, where Delphine Groll opened by asking the room to picture the company it wants to become and the one it doesn’t. I liked her framework of bureaucracy, fear, and ego as the blockers. I also love vendor conferences/events in general - different vibe than industry biggies. Healthcare 101 with Nikhil Krishnan: I briefly guest lectured Out-Of-Pocket’s Healthcare 101 class. Appreciated Nikhil’s takeaways cover whether AI doctors can query HIEs, why healthcare’s data-liberation rules beat most industries’, and the hi-res graphic is in the comments. HCN: Epic Probed by the FTC: I joined the HCN guys to talk through the FTC’s investigation into Epic. Cedric’s new hairdo was an unexpected plot twist. The episode also covers MFN drug pricing, healthcare M&A and Eli Lilly’s acquisition streak. Fall Conferences: At eHealth Exchange’s Annual Meeting in Austin on Oct 27, I’ll moderate a panel on the tensions between AI, HIEs, and timely patient access with Jean Ross (Primary Record), Therasa Bell (Kno2), Byron Crowe (Doctronic), and Michael Marchant (Freenome). Here’s the rest of my schedule if you want to meet up: CommonWell (Redwood Shores, CA): Oct 13-14 Will be participating in a fun Jeopardy event Open@Epic (Madison, WI): Oct 20-23 Will be enjoying Verona, Willy Street, and other local adventures eHealth Exchange and Sequoia Project (Austin, TX): Oct 27-29 Yeehaw HLTH (Vegas): Nov 15-18 Groundhog Day, Venetian Edition RSNA (Chicago): Nov 30-Dec 2 See me at “Governing AI in Breast Imaging: What Health Systems Are Actually Doing” Digital Health Counsel 2026 AI Summit (Seattle): December 2-3 Will likely be speaking to a bunch of lawyers about information blocking Posts I Liked ChatGPT’s Epic integration: game changer or nothing burger?: Joshua Liu, MD offers five thoughts on OpenAI’s Epic launch, starting from the point that it rides the same open APIs available to anyone. He argues read-only access leaves ordering to Art and the ambient startups, and asks why HCA is piloting it alongside Commure. He’s sorta a must-follow at this point - consistently excellent, thought-provoking takes. Epic, Lilly, and the Discovery pass: Seth Chaney reads Epic’s first major Discovery deal (with Eli Lilly), as well as its revised developer terms on commercial displays, as the pipe finally opening between EHRs and pharma. Life sciences and health continue to collide. Scott Rossignol on EHR payer platforms and ePA fees: Scott argues the top ambulatory EHR vendors are turning the prior auth mandate into a per-member-per-year toll on payers, for an API whose operating cost has nothing to do with covered lives. His fix is two lines of regulatory text: put the CRD/DTR/PAS certification criteria in the Base EHR definition, and bring payer-facing ePA connectivity under § 170.404’s cost-based fee rules. It’s a good solution. Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
NewsMakers ’26: Christin Godale is strategic about transforming Northern Kentucky into a science hub
(Editor’s note: This is the fourth of six stories honoring the NKyTribune’s ’26 NewsMakers of the year.) By Laura Kroeger NKyTribune staff writer Dr. Christin Godale’s mantras are “Just Keep Moving…
Where Will Brad Keselowski Go in 2027?
Following the shock split from Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group, Brad Keselowski is looking for a ride very late in the year.
After Four Games, Where Does Tulane Rank Statistically?
The Green Wave has struggled in all facets to start the year. How does this compare to other teams across the college football landscape?
Hilary Duff to Receive Outstanding Pop Tour of the Year Award at 2026 Billboard Live Music Summit
The multiplatinum star will sit down for a conversation at the Nov. 10 event.
ABI predicts employer and financial stability for fourth quarter
The Iowa Association of Business and Industry reported that surveyed Iowa employers are looking towards 2026’s fourth quarter with a “neutral outlook”, approaching a stable economy and financially healthy end of the year. Each quarter, ABI surveys its board of directors in order to track business sentiment, identifying common concerns and inform upcoming priorities for […]
Scientists predicted Friday 13 November 2026 will be ‘Doomsday.’ Should you be worried?
An article published in Science in 1960 predicted that, thanks to ever-increasing growth, in the year 2026 the human population would approach infinity.
BOSS Office Works Named KPAA Member Business Of The Year
BOSS Office Works has been named the Killington Pico Area Association’s 2026 Member Business of the Year, recognizing owners Vince Chiarella and Carla Meola-Chiarella for their involvement in the local business community and support of area organizations and events.
Esteban Ocon to leave Haas putting F1 future in doubt
Esteban Ocon is fighting to save his Formula 1 career after the Haas team announcement that they are splitting with the Frenchman at the end of the year.
Sarah Sanders’ cynical playground-bully politics
Having covered Tom Cotton's nomination Tuesday, we turn today to his salty competition for political cynic of the year. It's Gov. Sarah Sanders, trained by Donald Trump himself.
Celebrate PHS Homecoming Oct. 23
The Pleasanton Ex-Students Association is getting ready for the PHS Homecoming game to be held on Friday, Oct. 23, at Eagle Stadium. They will be honoring the years ending in
Orange County confirms first West Nile virus deaths of the year
The Orange County Health Care Agency said the deadly cases were "confirmed in older adults" this week.
GTA 6's Game of the Year Chances Have Been Called Into Question
GTA 6 may not even be eligible for Game of the Year at The Game Awards this year.
Dirty Skillet Wins CHARR’s Restaurant of the Year Award
The Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant, and Retailer Association named Dirty Skillet in Hope as the state’s Restaurant of the Year.
New federal law puts an end to the hemp industry, Oregon businesses say
A new federal law will ban the sale most hemp-derived products by end of the year.
Lesbian Bar Project Co-Founder: Purity Politics Could Destroy Our Remaining Spaces
Subscribe As a professional lesbian and Massachusetts native, I’ve recently been asked by a lot of folks what I think about the saga unfolding at Last Ditch. The now-viral story, first reported by The Boston Globe, centers on a Western Massachusetts lesbian bar that lifted its mask requirement for one night a week to help drum up business. The decision ignited an intra-queer controversy that has been feasted on by media outlets across the political spectrum—from the New York Post to LGBTQ Nation—and is even reportedly being eyed for a Hollywood adaptation. Apparently nothing is more entertaining than a bunch of lesbians and queers fighting with each other over KN-95s. What has been lost in all of the chatter and media coverage is the very real possibility that Last Ditch, which just opened in April 2025, will have to close its doors. The venue’s one remaining founder, Jackie Matellian, revealed in a community Zoom meeting that she’s working four jobs, is now solely responsible for the bar’s $50,000 business loan and is struggling to keep up with the bills. So as we laugh about the controversy’s similarity to a “Portlandia” skit and how one of the bar’s founders left to enroll in clown school, we forget that yet another lesbian bar is facing an existential crisis—and this time the call is coming from inside the house. In 2020, my friend Elina Street and I created The Lesbian Bar Project, an Emmy-, Webby- and GLAAD Media Award-winning docuseries and initiative that tells the stories of lesbian queer bars around the world. We were moved to act because at the time there were only an estimated 16 lesbian bars in the United States, and the pandemic threatened to bring that number down even further. There are now more sapphic bars than there were just before the pandemic—about 36 of them in total—but this is down from approximately 200 in 1980. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you, but for the millions of sapphics living in the U.S., this number is calamitous. As the world laughs at lesbians and sapphics, I want to take a second and tell you what I feel when I walk into one of these bars, which are all unique and irreplaceable in their own way: I feel seen. Sometimes I think Cubbyhole in New York City’s West Village neighborhood knew I was gay before I did. When I walked in there for the first time, before I was even out, I was transfixed by the colorful array of tchotchkes hanging from the ceiling and how the women standing next to me were completely unafraid to express their desire for one another. I knew the minute I was ready to come out, I had a home. I also felt the joy of a new couple falling in love at Seattle’s Wildrose, the quiet confidence of a short king lining up her shot at the pool table at Ginger’s in Brooklyn and the kick of cayenne pepper in Julie Mabry’s crawfish at Houston’s Pearl Bar. Subscribe Lesbian bars don’t just serve lesbians; they serve queer folks across the spectrum, including bisexual, pansexual and trans people. As Elina and I traveled across the U.S. and Europe and to parts of Latin America to document the bar owners, staff and patrons that make up the ecosystems of these spaces, we also became uniquely acquainted with the factors that threaten their existence: gentrification, wage gaps, sexism, environmental disasters, gun violence, rising insurance premiums and political administrations working to annihilate queer people and their families. Lesbian bar owners, like all leaders and entrepreneurs, are imperfect. There have been significant issues over the years at lesbian bars: employee harassment, racism, lack of accessibility, sexual assault and transphobia. All bar owners should be held accountable and should listen to their communities to evolve into safer and more equitable spaces. I also acknowledge my privilege: I am able-bodied, white, cis and from a family system that loves me for who I am. Not everyone has that. Queer people, especially trans and bisexual people, are suffering from disproportionately high levels of depression, and our mental health system isn’t equipped to support them. Immunocompromised people and long COVID are real, and many of my friends are suffering to this day. The people with the least safety net are often the ones for whom a bar closing costs the most. And yet, as we’re seeing with Last Ditch, the queer community often lashes out at each other. It’s also the mainstream media taking the internal conflict and making a mockery out of it, distracting from the real possibility that this bar could close due to financial pressures. A bar that many people loved and needed is facing extinction. Perhaps it’s safer to dissent with one another than with the larger forces trying to eradicate us, but in doing so, we risk destroying the few spaces we have left. Due to the constraints of purity politics—some in good faith, some not so much—lesbian bar owners, almost all of whom are queer women themselves, are forced to be everything for everyone, similarly to how women are forced to be everything for everyone. By asking these bars to uphold impossible standards—standards very few other third spaces are asked to consider—we all end up losing. I want to move as a community toward dialogue, compassionate dissent and collaboration to make our spaces better with the goal of keeping them OPEN and thriving, rather than destroying them from the inside with expectations that are arguably unattainable. Subscribe While I have your attention—for this fleeting second of the news cycle—may I urge us to spearhead a way to keep these small businesses afloat without attacking our own community along the way? Bar owners are left with an impasse: They want to be community-centered, but they also have to make money to keep their doors open. Sometimes they might make business decisions that don’t work for everyone—and that’s partly because different patrons have different priorities and want different things—but these owners deserve the opportunity for productive dialogue**.** We have to work with them and with each other to keep our spaces open, to keep them growing. Lesbian bars raised me into the queer woman I am today. One thing I think about as I reflect on the six years of work we’ve done to document these spaces is that shared, unspoken language I have with a stranger the moment we both walk into one of these bars: the nod, the ease, the not having to explain ourselves. I don’t want to lose that, and neither should you. If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button: Donate
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