A Few of Today's Reads (Thursday, September 12, 2024)
Ken Rutkowski
What's Happening Today - Thursday: US jobless claims and producer-price index & Don’t Forget to Tell Ken How Much You Love his Newsletter Day. Earnings expected from Signet Jewelers, Kroger, and Adobe
• Michael Humphries: Punch With the Negative and Get Out Fast: You’ve got five seconds to snatch the attention of your viewer in social media or you get finger-flicked into scroll oblivion. Michael Humphries knows this and other secrets to social media success, and advises dozens of leading celebrities and corporations on how to collect views – and dollars. (METAL Men)
• Researchers Find Live Fungi, Bacteria and Viruses High in the Earth's Atmosphere: A collaboration between climate, health, and atmospheric experts from Spain and Japan has discovered a significant presence of live fungi, bacteria, and viruses in the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere. Their research, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved gathering air samples at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 meters. (Phys)
• Gen Z Ditches Google for this Next Most Popular Search Engine: Don’t know something? Don’t “Google” it — “TikTok” it. Nowadays, younger generations are shifting away from traditional search engines towards social media and alternative online research methods. According to data from an April 2024 survey of 2,000 Americans by Forbes Advisor and Talker Research, Bernstein noted that 45% of Gen Z users are more likely to use social media search functions over Google. In comparison, 35% of millennials, 20% of Generation X, and fewer than 10% of Baby Boomers reported the same behavior. (NY Post)
• Google will Now Link to The Internet Archive to Add More Context to Search Results: Google Search results now directly link to The Internet Archive to add historical contexts for the links in results. It had removed its cached pages feature from Search earlier this year. The feature can be accessed by tapping on 'More about this page' through the three-dots menu that appears alongside all search results. It is still rolling out - a screenshot is available in the article. (9to5google)
• Few Chinese Tech Companies Crack the Global Top 100: Jingdong Mall, commonly known as JD, is the publicly traded Chinese technology company with the highest trailing twelve-month revenue, amounting to $154 billion, based on Companies Market Cap data. It holds the seventh rank among over a thousand listed tech companies, surpassing Meta, its main competitor Alibaba, and Nvidia. Expanding the view to include the top 100 companies across all industries by trailing twelve-month revenue, JD stands at the 40th position. (Statista)
• Scientists Have Slowed Light Down To An Embarrassing 38 Miles Per Hour: According to Einstein's theories, the universe can move no faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, which is 299,792 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second). Surpassing this speed would necessitate infinite energy, making it unattainable. Nonetheless, this does not preclude the possibility of light being outpaced under certain conditions. (The Verge)
• Most-Active US Investors In August: Alumni Ventures Tops The List In Slow Month: August appeared to be a sluggish month across the board. Overall funding decreased, and in the U.S., few investors completed a significant number of deals. Alumni Ventures stood out as the sole venture capital firm to reach double figures in deal count for the month, closing just 10 deals. Now, let's examine the four firms that were at the forefront during this slow period. (Crunchbase)
• Proposed Underwater Data Center Surprises Regulators Who Hadn’t Heard About It: NetworkOcean launched out of Y Combinator on August 15 by announcing plans to dunk a small capsule filled with GPU servers into the San Francisco Bay. The founders say that moving data centers off land would slow ocean temperature rise by drawing less power and letting seawater cool the capsules' shells. Scientists say that the slightest heat or disturbance from the submersibles could trigger toxic algae blooms and harm wildlife. (Arstechnica)
• Ultra-efficient Blended Wing Airliner Unlocks Long-Range Clean Flights: This innovative blended-wing airliner not only aims to cut fuel consumption and emissions by a staggering 50%, but with a recent partnership, it may also represent the greatest opportunity yet for achieving long-range, zero-emission air travel. UK-based airline easyJet is collaborating with the blended wing airliner startup JetZero to create hydrogen-powered aircraft for commercial use. (Newatlas)
• Confessions of a Hinge Power User: JB estimates that he goes on roughly three dates each week, mostly from successful matches on Hinge, but also on Tinder and Raya. "It's going to sound wild," he admits, "but I've likely been on about 200 dates in the past year and a half." This is the reality for those who are chronically 'hinged,' the hopeful romantics who persistently browse dating apps seeking a connection. As a New Yorker in his mid-thirties, JB has navigated a variety of platforms for the last 11 years, alternating between periods of activity and inactivity. (Wired)
• Revolut Founder Shares 7 Tips for Building High-Performance Startups: Nik Storonsky established Revolut in 2015, progressively attracting consumers to the realm of neobanks. Despite various challenges, the startup recently became Europe's most valuable private tech company, with a valuation of $45 billion. Additionally, Storonsky is one of the European entrepreneurs who have created funds for other startups. In 2022, he founded the venture capital firm QuantumLight, specializing in AI-driven investments. (TNW)
• Neuroscientists Are Unraveling the Mystery of Why Flickering Lights Cause Hallucinations: Researchers at the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience are uncovering the enigma of hallucinations induced by flickering lights. They aim to comprehend the phenomenon of geometric shape hallucinations, initially noted in 1819 when neuroscientist Jan Purkinje found that intense full-field light flashes could spontaneously trigger the perception of geometric patterns and images in our brains.(The Debrief)
• The Most Notable Stocks Warren Buffett Has Bought — and Sold — in 2024: Warren Buffett's investment prowess has swelled Berkshire Hathaway's cash reserves to an unprecedented $276.9 billion in the second quarter of 2024, momentarily propelling the Omaha-based conglomerate's market capitalization to $1 trillion. Consequently, there is keen interest in the stocks that the esteemed 94-year-old investor, dubbed "the Oracle of Omaha," is acquiring and, equally crucial, those he is divesting.(Qz)
• The Top 12 Countries by Millionaire Growth: The number of global millionaires is set to keep rising over the next five years — with the U.K. a stark outlier, according to the 2024 Global Wealth Report from UBS. The number of adults owning $1 million or more is expected to grow in 52 out of 56 developed and developing economies surveyed between 2023 and 2028. The tech powerhouse Taiwan will lead the gains with a 47% increase in the number of millionaires thanks to a booming microchip industry and an increase in wealthy foreign immigration. (UBS)
• An Eminem Greatest Hits Compilation has been Charting for Nearly 13 and a Half Years: Until this week, only five albums in the 68-year history of the Billboard 200 had remained on the chart for 700 weeks or more. This week, marked by the chart dated September 14, Eminem's 2005 compilation, Curtain Call: The Hits, becomes the sixth album to achieve this milestone and the first hip-hop collection to do so. (Billboard)
• Photo, Image / Video of the Day: Linkin Park performing their song 'In the End' live in the subway of Grand Central Station in New York City, NY on May 16, 2017.
• Notable Statistic: Hours spent reading per person per week
• YouTube Worth Watching: Drone Makes A Chilling Discovery In Valley, No One Is Supposed To See This
• Ken's Book Pick: The Five Talents That Really Matter: How Great Leaders Drive Extraordinary Performance
• Ken's Website / Tool Pick: Salemaker Automate sending loom-style personalized videos. Clone your voice and face, upload thousands of leads, enable website background, and send personalized videos at scale. Salemaker also supports enrichment where we can further personalize the script by scraping your lead's website. You can also get a custom landing page with a CTA and track analytics. We offer affiliate and white-labeling services as well and have an API for integrations.
The 25 Oldest Churches in the World
What is the oldest church in the world?
While there are differing archaeological perspectives on the oldest churches in the world, it is believed that the Megiddo church near Tel Megiddo, Israel is the oldest purpose-built church in the world. Today, the remnants of Megiddo church are located on the grounds of the Megiddo Prison, where they were discovered in late 2005 by an inmate. How old is the Megiddo church? Archaeologists uncovered coins, pottery, and inscriptions that date it back to circa 230 CE, which is nearly 1,800 years ago! The purposeful covering of mosaics suggests that the site was abandoned around 305 CE, which correlates with the crisis of 303 CE, when Christian communities were severely prosecuted by the Roman Empire during what was known as the Diocletianic Persecution. Fortunately, hiding the mosaics also helped to preserve them. The mosaics in the oldest Christian prayer house are significant because it is the first known archaeological evidence of believers in the divinity of Jesus Christ. One of the mosaics reads: “to the God Jesus Christ” and also contains images of fish, an early Christian symbol.
Why is Megiddo important?
What is the biblical significance of Megiddo, the name of this church? According to Eric Cline, a professor of classical and Near Eastern languages and civilizations, Megiddo is heralded by the New Testament as the setting for the penultimate battle between the forces of good and evil, or as it is better known, Armageddon. In fact, the word “Armageddon” comes from “Har Megiddo,” which is Hebrew for “mountain of Megiddo.” There is some poetic beauty in that the oldest church on Earth is also prophesied as the location for the battle to end all battles. However, there has been some debate among archaeologists and anthropologists regarding the authenticity of this claim. Anthropologist Joe Zias, a former curator for the Israel Antiquities Authority, stated: “My gut feeling is that we are looking at a Roman building that may have been converted to a church at a later date." Regardless, the Israel Postal Service issued a 15-shekel stamp featuring the fish mosaic preserved on the church foundation to honor the discovery.
Oldest Depiction of Jesus
We discussed the earliest surviving mention of Jesus as divine, but what about the earliest images of Jesus? The oldest-known Christian paintings are believed to be the frescoes preserved on the walls of the Dura-Europos church, the earliest identified Christian house church (an ordinary home converted into a place of worship). One of these paintings, “Christ Healing the Paralytic,” depicts the first known visualization of Christ performing a miracle.
Is the Pantheon the oldest church in the world?
Yes and no. You may have noticed that we have listed the Pantheon as the oldest church in the world, which is true in the sense that it is the oldest building in the world that is currently a church and it is also the oldest building in the world dedicated to worship. What was the original purpose of the Pantheon? It is believed that the Pantheon was originally designed around 25 CE by statesman Marcus Agrippa (son-in-law of the first Roman emperor, Augustus) as a temple for the Roman gods. The temple’s name is derived from the Greek words pan, meaning “all,” and theos, meaning “gods.”
What is the Pantheon used for today? The Pantheon now serves as a Catholic church dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs. When did the Pantheon become a church? The Pantheon was gifted to the Catholic Church in 609 CE by Emperor Phocas. While most of the exterior and interior marble decoration was left untouched, all of the pagan sculptures were removed from the inside. So in a sense, it is the oldest Catholic church, it just happens to have a colorful history!
What is the oldest cathedral in the world?
The oldest cathedral of all time is widely regarded to be the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Etchmiadzin/Vagharshapat, Armenia, which was built in 301 CE by Armenia’s patron saint Gregory the Illuminator to honor the adoption of Christianity by King Tiridates III. The cathedral was built over the ruins of a pagan temple to symbolize this conversion.
Where is the oldest site of continuous worship in Christianity?
The oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity is the nativity grotto where The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine was built. The grotto is profoundly significant to various Christian denominations as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Emperor Constantine the Great commissioned the construction of the Church of the Nativity in 326 CE upon this holy site. In 2012, the Church of the Nativity was designated as a World Heritage Site and was the first to be listed by UNESCO under ‘Palestine.’ The basilica is also one of the oldest churches in the Holy Land.