Day: May 31, 2026💾

🖼️ Photos
Map: Hawkins Pond State Forest And County Park

NPR

Why open-weight models without guardrails are a AI safety risk : NPR

How do you make explosives using household items? How do you make meth? How do you plan a school shooting? If you ask the popular AI chatbots most people are familiar with, chances are they will say that it's illegal, harmful or that answering would be a policy violation.

But another type of AI model will never refuse to provide what the user asks for. In recent months, these models have become more accessible and popular.

"Everybody can download and operate their own state-of-the-art model and use it for great things and terrible things," said Noam Schwartz, CEO of Alice, an AI security company that has conducted red-teaming and safety evaluation for AI model developers.

Who owns Data Centers?

The majority of data center capacity is divided between Big Tech “hyperscalers” and specialized real estate/private equity firms

1. Cloud & Tech Giants (Hyperscalers)

These companies build and own massive, customized campuses to support their own cloud services and AI workloads. Just four companies account for the majority of global hyperscale capacity.

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Operates the largest portfolio of data centers globally.
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud
  • Meta Platforms 

2. Commercial Real Estate & Private Equity

These are wholesale colocation companies that buy, build, and lease data center space to enterprises and the tech giants mentioned above. The leaders in this space include: 

  • Blackstone: The largest owner of data centers globally (through holdings like QTS and AirTrunk).
  • Equinix: The largest retail colocation and interconnection provider.
  • Digital Realty: A massive global real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in carrier-neutral data centers. 

Check out the Dgtl Infra Top 250 Providers to explore the detailed portfolios of the largest operators, or view the Bloomberg Analysis of AI Data Centers for a breakdown of how ownership is shifting between tech and finance. 

Thematic Map: Cedar River Flow Campsites
Thematic Map: Stillwater Reservior Campsites

Imperial Mills Dam and Ruger Woods

Now state forest, I used to enjoy wandering back on the trails and fishing 🎣 the Saranac River behind the dam back when I was a student at Plattsburgh State.

Map: Morrow Mountain State Forest

Trimmed Mean Personal Consumption Expenditures

The U.S. Trimmed Mean PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) inflation rate over the 12 months ending in April 2026 was 2.3%. Calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, this measure excludes extreme price fluctuations to provide a clearer signal of underlying inflation trends. [1, 2, 3]

Key Inflation Measures Compared

When evaluating U.S. inflation trends, the trimmed mean often provides a different picture than traditional headline numbers:

  • Trimmed Mean PCE (12-Month): 2.3%
  • Headline PCE (12-Month): 3.8%
  • PCE Excluding Food & Energy (12-Month): 3.3% [1]

How Trimmed Mean Works

Unlike standard “core” inflation—which entirely removes food and energy prices—the trimmed mean removes the most extreme price changes of all items in the consumption basket each month.

  1. Sort: Price changes for all individual components are sorted in ascending order.
  2. Trim: A specific fraction of the highest and lowest outliers are dropped from the calculation (e.g., the Dallas Fed drops components in the bottom 24% or top 31% of the distribution).
  3. Average: A weighted average of the remaining items is computed to reflect the baseline inflation trend. [2, 3, 5]

Current Data and Tools

  • For monthly breakdowns and historical charts, visit the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Trimmed Mean PCE Database.
  • To track this series alongside other economic indicators, you can view the FRED Economic Data Trimmed Mean PCE Inflation Rate. [2, 3]
Thematic Map: Percantage of Population with a Disability
Terrain Map: North-South Lake Campground