Rare books are being systematically destroyed for Amazon’s AI training
Miami now costs more than New York yet smart money still flees Mamdani
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Analysts just piled into Scribe with up to 183% upside targets
Rare books are being systematically destroyed for Amazon’s AI training
House sellers outnumber buyers 51% but the American dream stays out of reach
Miami now costs more than New York yet smart money still flees Mamdani
Clark Gable’s Duesenberg wins as auctions hit $747.9 million
Buc-ee’s just dropped a 74,000-square-foot beast in Arkansas
Palmer Luckey calls ex-Taco Bell CEO a “bitter, used-up old man”
Sponsored by AMERICAN HARTFORD GOLD
Rare books are being systematically destroyed for Amazon’s AI training
Amazon is buying rare books, cutting off their spines and scanning them for artificial intelligence training at a Las Vegas facility, after 404 Media tracked a shipment there.
Tracking device arrives: 404 Media placed a tracking device in a rare book that ultimately arrived at Amazon’s VGT3 facility in Las Vegas featuring a dinosaur holding a book.
Amazon issues statement: The company said it purchases books through commercial channels to improve the products and services customers use in response to the report.
Valuable rare texts: Out-of-print or hard-to-find rare books provide training data not available online and free of any AI-generated content from before 2022.
Avoiding model collapse: LLMs risk model collapse and degraded output quality when trained on too much AI-generated text already ingested from the internet.
Capitalist Insider: Analysts just piled into Scribe with up to 183% upside targets
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House sellers outnumber buyers 51% but the American dream stays out of reach
Redfin data shows 966,752 active homebuyers in July, the lowest on record, while 1,462,921 homes for sale left sellers outnumbering buyers by 51.3% in a frozen market.
Metros tip toward buyers: Thirty-nine of 49 major metropolitan areas qualified as buyer’s markets with sellers outnumbering buyers by more than 10%, led by Miami at 154% more sellers.
Mortgage rates stay elevated: The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate stood at 6.67% on August 13, nearly matching last year’s 6.58% and keeping monthly payments high.
New home prices ease: Newly built houses averaged $502,700 in the second quarter, down from a $541,300 record late last year, yet still costly with rates near 7%.
Leverage exists for some: Redfin economist Asad Khan noted buyers who remain have options and motivated sellers may negotiate before any early-fall rush brings activity back.
Miami now costs more than New York yet smart money still flees Mamdani
Bloomberg data shows Miami’s overall cost of living now exceeds New York’s, yet top developers argue zero state income tax, cheaper building and quality of life still favor South Florida.
Housing costs climb higher: South Florida housing costs are roughly 5% higher than New York while home prices jumped 79% since the pandemic and insurance averages $8292, four times New York levels.
Building remains more affordable: Constructing high-rises stays significantly less expensive in Florida than New York according to PMG’s Ryan Shear, with debt costs comparable nationally.
Tax math drives decisions: Florida has no state or city income tax while New York top earners face nearly 14.8% combined rates and effective brackets of 50 to 55%.
Companies plant permanent roots: Major employers now relocate headquarters to Miami rather than satellite offices, marking a tipping point as PMG itself shifted its primary base from New York.
Kraken launches debit card with up to 2% cash back
Crypto exchange Kraken is rolling out the Krak Card, a U.S. debit card offering up to 2% cash or bitcoin back paid as money, as it competes with fintech apps to capture more of customers’ everyday spending and deposits.
Rewards scale with holdings: The Krak Card provides up to 2% cash or bitcoin back that increases based on the value of assets a customer holds on the platform, paid directly rather than in points.
Spend across 600 assets: Users can spend directly from more than 600 currencies and crypto assets with automatic conversion to dollars at purchase, customizable order and split options across balances.
Targets fintech competition: The launch puts Kraken in direct competition with Block’s CashApp, PayPal’s Venmo, SoFi, Robinhood and Chime as crypto embeds deeper into mainstream finance.
Addresses consumer distrust: Co-CEO Arjun Sethi cited a survey of more than 2,000 adults showing 63% feel financially behind and 60% would switch for meaningful rewards without taking on debt.
Monterey auctions hit record $747.9 million sales
Classic car auctions during Monterey Car Week generated a record $747.9 million through Saturday while a 1935 Duesenberg once owned by Clark Gable took Best of Show at Pebble Beach.
Record sales surge: Total sales reached $747.9 million, a 73% jump from $432.8 million in 2025 and surpassing the prior record of $471 million set in 2022.
Average prices climb: Sell-through rate held at 75% with 844 of 1,124 lots sold as the average sale price rose 64% to $866,107 from $529,034 a year earlier.
Top auction results: A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe sold for $42.9 million, a record for an American car, while a 1996 McLaren F1 fetched $34.7 million.
Duesenberg wins show: The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Special Speedster, one of only two made and once owned by Clark Gable, won Best of Show shown by collector Harry Yeaggy.
Buc-ee’s just dropped a 74,000-square-foot beast in Arkansas
Buc-ee’s opened its first Arkansas travel center in Benton on Monday, a 74,000-square-foot facility with 120 fueling positions that will create more than 200 jobs as the Texas chain expands.
Benton location details emerge: The store at 1400 Highway 229 features Texas barbecue, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky, fresh pastries and the chain’s famously clean restrooms that attract travelers.
Nationwide total hits 58: Founded in 1982 with 37 Texas stores, Buc-ee’s now operates across Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Recent openings fuel pace: The Arkansas debut came five days after a San Marcos, Texas, opening on August 12, following first Ohio location in April and Arizona debut in June.
Expansion pipeline continues: Next is Murfreesboro, Tennessee on November 16, then six sites in 2027 including Ruston, Louisiana and Kansas City, Kansas, with more planned through 2031.
Palmer Luckey calls ex-Taco Bell CEO a “bitter, used-up old man”
Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey fired back at former Yum Brands CEO Greg Creed after the latter criticized McDonald’s new Refreshers beverage line and Red Bull collaboration on LinkedIn.
Bitter response draws views: Luckey called Creed a bitter used-up old man who takes pot shots, noting the former neighbor was mad about him hosting the President, as the post hit 1.2 million views.
Creed questions brand fit: The ex-Taco Bell CEO said the 6-8 new drinks add operational complexity and lack anything distinctively McDonald’s, suggesting a name like McEnergizer instead.
Luckey defends strategy: He argued McDonald’s aims to ride the existing fruit-plus-caffeine Refresher fad already successful at Starbucks, Taco Bell and others rather than invent a new brand descriptor.
Real world eater claims: Luckey admitted he is no expert but lives in the real world and regularly eats at all these places, challenging defenders of Creed’s reasoning.