Investing can be a complex and confusing process, especially for those just starting out. This is evident in a recent exchange between two individuals discussing their experience with investing through a bank. The first individual expresses concern about their investment returns, questioning whether they may have been taken advantage of or whether they have the knowledge to manage their investments themselves. The response highlights the fact that investment returns are often based on averages over a period of time and that some years may see lower returns. The advice given is that for those uncomfortable with their investment situation, they should consider transferring their investments to a financial institution that suits their needs.

StabilityAI, a company that specializes in language modelling, has recently released a new open-source model called stablelm-base-alpha-3b. However, there are concerns over the lack of benchmark results and performance evaluations of the model. The company has focused on marketing the model as transparent, accessible, and supportive, rather than on its actual performance. The StableLM model has been benchmarked against other open-source models using the MMLU benchmark, and the results were found to be underwhelming. Unfortunately, the company has not released any information about the benchmarks or details of the model. The fine-tuned model also does not seem to be working very well, and there are doubts about whether the license restrictions on training data affect the model itself.

The Toronto housing market has been a hot topic of discussion for years now, with prices skyrocketing to staggering heights that are not sustainable in the long run. A recent post on the Toronto Real Estate subreddit highlights this issue, as a user expresses concern over the detachment of housing prices from the economy and local salaries. The post also notes Toronto’s deteriorating healthcare, education, infrastructure maintenance, and public safety, which will only be further impacted by unsustainable population growth.

New tax law wreaks havoc on small tech businesses, demonstrating dysfunction in US Senate Small software development companies across the United States are facing an existential threat due to a recent change in tax law. Previously, these companies could deduct the salaries of their software developers from their revenue, effectively paying no taxes on their income. However, a new law has changed the game, now making it mandatory for these companies to amortize (spread out over five years) R&D salaries, which significantly increases their taxable income. For many of them, this means an insurmountable tax bill that could force them out of business.

The recent release of Windows 11 has brought up concerns about the direction Microsoft is taking with their operating system. While some users appreciate the practicality, versatility, customizability, and reliability of Windows, others are increasingly frustrated with the adware/spyware and performance issues they are experiencing. Some users have pointed out that Microsoft needs to ask themselves some deep questions about what they want Windows to be. Is it an OS or an advertisement platform? Currently, Windows is trying to be both, and this is causing frustration and concern among users.