Generative AI: Speeding Up Amazon Package Delivery

CNBC (September 17, 2024): For decades, Amazon has set the standard for fast package delivery. When Prime launched in 2005, two-day shipping was virtually unheard of. By March 2024, 60% of Prime items were delivered same or next day. Now Amazon wants to push that number even higher, using generative AI, despite concerns about energy and cost.

Chapters: 2:14 Two-day to same-day 5:51 Robot revolution 9:18 Predicting orders 12:11 Routes and personalization

CNBC got an exclusive look at Amazon’s use of generative AI to optimize delivery routes, make more intelligent warehouse robots, and better predict where to stock new items.

Country Life Magazine – September 18, 2024 Issue

Country Life Magazine (September 17, 2024): The latest issue features

The legacy

Amie Elizabeth White hails king of cutlery Harry Brearley, whose stainless-steel invention was —  like himself — ‘made in Sheffield’

Country Life’s little-known gems of the Cotswolds

Jane Wheatley swerves the honeypots to share some of the region’s lesser-known places to eat, shop, stay or unwind

Dem bones, dem bones

The world’s first named dinosaur was found in the beautiful Oxfordshire village of Stonesfield. Ben Lerwill meets the Megalosaurus

A taste of the exotic

From coatimundis in Cumbria to scorpions in Kent, Victoria Marston introduces some of Britain’s most exotic residents

One bray at a time

The stoic and devoted donkey is often misunderstood, but it is capable of melting the hardest of hearts, as Katy Birchall learns

Marking time in the Cotswolds

Penny Churchill showcases the best country houses for sale in this sought-after region

Out of the ordinary

Annunciata Elwes scours the Cotswolds property market for something a little different

Geraldine Collinge’s favourite painting

The art-gallery director chooses a spectacular, nightmarish work

Revealing the Roman Cotswolds

Clive Aslet investigates the role of antiquarian Samuel Lysons in recording the excavation of Roman villas in the Cotswolds      

Love in an elevator

Country house lifts have been going up in the world ever since Queen Victoria’s day, as Melanie Cable-Alexander discovers

Interiors

Ideas and inspiration for your kitchen, with Amelia Thorpe

Where the north wind doth blow

Tiffany Daneff is blown away by panoramic views and weatherproof planting in the garden at Coates Barn in Warwickshire

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson pairs pears with both sweet and savoury

Foraging

Oyster mushrooms are a woodland delicacy, but vegans might be put off by their carnivorous tendencies, reveals John Wright

The good stuff

Hetty Lintell is on the prowl for luxurious leopard-print pieces

Travel

Steven King heads to Hungary to discover how autumn mists make Tokaji wine irresistible

We band of brothers

Octavia Pollock marvels at the medals of yesteryear, finding that many of their mottos and motifs are works of art in their own right

Right as rain

Michael Prodger dodges the showers to examine drizzle, downpour and deluge in art

The spy who came onto the stage

The first stage adaptation of a Le Carré novel is compelling viewing, says Michael Billington

News: Israel Casts Doubt On Hezbollah Diplomacy, Russia To Expand Its Army

Monocle Radio Podcast (September 17, 2024): We discuss the latest from the Middle East as Israel says that time is running out for a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Also on the programme: Putin’s latest ambitions to expand Russia’s army and Greece’s dwindling birthrate. Then: what does the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump say about the safety processes for presidential candidates? Plus: we hear about New Zealand’s bird of the year.

The New York Times — Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

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Trump, Outrage and the Modern Era of Political Violence

The latest apparent assassination attempt against the former president indicates how much the American political landscape has been shaped by anger stirred by him and against him.

Suspect Never Took a Shot at Trump but Hid Undetected for 12 Hours

Ryan W. Routh was charged with two federal gun crimes a day after Secret Service agents fired on him as he pointed a rifle toward the golf course where former President Donald Trump was playing.

Despite Relentless Russian Attack, Life in Kharkiv Endures Underground

Kharkiv, Ukraine, has adjusted to life amid the threat of bombings. Its resilience is manifested in a curious blend of life above and below ground.

Tim Walz, a ‘Snowman Melting,’ Tests His Appeal in the Sun Belt

The Minnesota governor was picked for his appeal to the white working-class. The Harris campaign hopes he can reach other demographics, too.

Ideas: Scientific American Magazine – October 2024

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Scientific American (September 16, 2024): The October 2024 issue features ‘How To Go Back To The Moon’ – Inside NASA’s ambitious, controversial Artemis mission; The science of Empathy and Hope for Sickle Cell Disease…

Culture/Politics: Harper’s Magazine – October 2024

HARPER’S MAGAZINE – September 16, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Antitrust Revolution’ – Liberal Democracy’s last stand against Big Tech and Election 2024 – The Secret of Republican Political Power…

The Antitrust Revolution  

Liberal democracy’s last stand against Big Tech by Barry C. Lynn

In 1609, James I lectured the English people on his rights and responsibilities as king. It was his duty to “make and unmake” them, he said. Kings have the “power of raising and casting down, of life and of death; judges over all their subjects, and in all causes.”

The Fever Called Living

On the plight of environmental-­illness refugees

The Hindutva Lobby

How Hindu nationalism spreads in America

Michelin Guide: How To Spend Two Days In Rome

MICHELIN Guide (September 16, 2024): Discover the ‘Eternal City’ together with The MICHELIN Guide, in this 48-hour tour of Rome’s timeless monuments and gastronomic delights!

Day 1 – Enjoy an espresso at Caffè Sant’Eustachio. Take a walk around Campo de’ Fiori, Piazza Navona and Via del Governo Vecchio. Have lunch at SupplizioVisit the Monti district, the Roman Forum and the Piazza del Campidoglio. Enjoy an aperitif at The St. Regis Rome hotel’s Lumen Bar. Have dinner at Orma di Roy CaceresStay at Hotel Locarno.

Day 2 – Take a walk around Trastevere and Janiculum Hill. Visit the Vatican Museums. Have lunch at Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro. Walk the Coppedè district. Enjoy an aperitif the Hotel de Russie’s Stravinsky Bar. Have dinner at Arcangelo. Stay at Hotel Hassler


#GuideMICHELINFR
#Travel

Preview: The New Yorker Magazine – Sept. 23, 2024

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The New Yorker (September 16, 2024): The latest issue features Christoph Niemann’s “Smoke and Mirrors” – The latest trends are often derived from unexpected places…

The Presidential Campaign, After Philadelphia

Part of the intrigue has been which movement would run out of steam first: Trump’s MAGA, through its failures, or Obama’s liberalism, through its successes. By Benjamin Wallace-Wells

The Art of Taking It Slow

Contemporary cycling is all about spandex and personal bests. The bicycle designer Grant Petersen has amassed an ardent following by urging people to get comfortable bikes, and go easy. By Anna Wiener

The Anguish of Looking at a Monet

More than beauty, more than color, the artist reveals the doubts that bind us. By Jackson Arn

News: New Assassination Attempt On Trump, Houthi Missile Lands In Israel

Monocle Radio Podcast (September 16, 2024): The latest from the US as the FBI investigates a second attempt on Donald Trump’s life.

Then: a missile fired by Houthi rebels lands in Israel, and Armenia and Azerbaijan’s fragile peace deal ahead of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s one-year anniversary. Plus: we have an exclusive interview with Marina Abramovic ahead of the opening of her ‘Healing Frequency’ exhibition, recap the 2024 Emmy Awards and pop by the Pure experiential-travel show.

The New York Times — Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

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Trump Safe After What F.B.I. Describes as an Assassination Attempt

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was investigating what appeared to be a second assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump.

3 Georgia Women, Caught Up in a Flood of Suspicion About Voting

An election skeptic challenged hundreds of voter registrations, including one for a voting rights activist. A county official is dealing with the mess.

Shoes Off. Laptops Out. Airport Tray Photo Shoot?

A new social media trend involves creatively arranging your T.S.A. bins, and showing them off.

What a Mayor in Crisis Means for New York City

As federal investigations swirl around Mayor Eric Adams, his political influence, his agenda and his re-election effort are at risk.

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious