Tuesday, October 27, 2026
312 Emperor Constantine the Great was said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross
1941 Chicago Daily Tribune editorialized that there would not be a war with Japan
2017 Catalan parliament met and unilaterally declared independence from Spain
2022 Elon Musk took ownership and control of Twitter, immediately firing 4 executives
2025 Fourteen people were killed, and one survived after three American airstrikes against four boats in the Pacific Ocean.
In bed at 9:15, up at 3:25; 0440 203.8 119/71/61 104; 51/43/60/51, cloudy
Morning meds at 6 a.m. Entresto at 6 a.m. and p.m.
Brewers 10, Rays 1. Here's hoping Andy and the kids get to see them win the Series tonight.
Brave New World: Microsoft announced yesterday that it is offering voluntary buyouts to approximately 60,000 employees—about 27% of its worldwide workforce.
Microsoft is not announcing that it will lay off 25% of its employees. It is offering about one-quarter of its workforce financial incentives to leave voluntarily. The actual number who depart could be substantially smaller.
Why is Microsoft doing this? The principal explanation is the enormous cost of expanding its artificial intelligence operations.
According to Reuters, Microsoft expects approximately $175 billion in capital expenditures during calendar year 2026, much of it associated with AI infrastructure, including data centers and computing equipment.
The company is attempting to control operating expenses while directing unprecedented amounts of capital toward AI.
That creates a striking situation: Microsoft is investing heavily in technologies that may transform employment while simultaneously reducing its own labor costs.
This move by Microsoft will not result in the 'decommissioning' of one-quarter of its workforce, but it will lead to a substantial reduction in its experienced workforce. It's a very significant move by a huge tech company affecting its own workers, reminding me of an animal eating its young. When its AI program becomes fully operational, we can expect even more substantial reductions in its workforce. If we imagine this situation multiplied by thousands, or perhaps a million, we have some idea of the threat that AI poses to America's working population.
Breakfast with CBG at Maxfield's this morning was lovely, as always. We chatted nonstop for more than an hour and a half, eating only half our dishes of oatmeal as we talked and talked about family, friends, politics, life and death, and the Abilene Paradox. We never even got to her long trip with Dan to Portugal. She's been such a good friend for so many years now, more than I can remember.
Text to Micaela:
Hi, Sweetie. I’m sitting on my recliner looking out my window at two beautiful bluebirds and of course thinking of you, wondering how you’re doing. I’m also thinking of you because I shared a long breakfast conversation with Caren Goldberg this morning and one of the matters we talked about was green funerals. I’m doing OK and hope the same is true for you. I flew out to Washington (and back in the same day) on an “Honor Flight” with a bunch of old veterans on 10/10.with Andy. It turned out to be a very emotional experience for me. Let me hear from you when you have a chance and let me know how you’re doing.❤️
The photo is of an oil portrait I painted of her from a photo of her taken during a ski trip she took with TSJ many years ago. She had a broken thumb or hand bone and was wearing a cast.
Text to LOA:
Hey, Pal! How ‘bout them Brewers?!?! Andy took all three of his kids down to Tampa for tonight’s game. It was less expensive to fly all of them to Tampa out of O’Hare than it would have been to buy tickets here in Milwaukee! The excitement up here is everywhere. It’ll be terrific if they win the Series with tonight’s game with 4 Clausen’s in the stands, but we’ll all be happy with a 4th win whenever it comes. I hope you and Jan are both doing OK. Geri and I are both holding up. S/f
T/C with Kali K. at the VA about switching from Trulicity to a GLP-1 (tirzepatide or Mounjaro).
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