The Sunday Overflow - August 25, 2024

Love it or hate it, Starbucks has officially cut the ribbon on the PSL this year – the earliest in the drink's history.

You may have seen Paul's hot take on Halloween costumes at the end of July, so what will the Automotive Troublemakers think of this? Listen in on Friday's podcast to find out.

For the first time ever, a standard 400oz gold bar has crossed the $1M mark.

• Why It Matters – In uncertain times, gold is proving its worth—literally. Over the past three months, gold has outperformed Bitcoin. It’s clear that while investors are still in a “risk-on” mode, they’re steering clear of the riskiest assets.
• Inflation Protection – With inflation running high, gold is once again the go-to asset for those looking to shield themselves from rising prices and volatile markets. While gold’s reputation as a safe haven is well-deserved, it’s important to remember that it’s more about protection than profit.

It’s been nearly two years since ChatGPT hit the scene. Now that the hype has settled, who’s still chatting with the bot?

• Global Usage Snapshot – According to Boston Consulting Group, ChatGPT usage varies widely across the globe, but India leads the pack with 45% of its population embracing the Large Language Model (LLM).
• Young and Restless – The data shows a clear trend—countries with younger populations are more likely to use ChatGPT. In places like India and the Philippines, people are using AI to get things done, whether it’s for research or as a virtual assistant. Meanwhile, in the U.S. and Germany, folks are more likely to be “just playing around” with it.

Nationwide, office foot traffic hit its highest point since July 2019 last month, but the return to the office isn’t exactly happening at the same pace everywhere.

• Office Buzz – New data shows that U.S. office visits rose to 72.2% of pre-pandemic levels in July 2024. That’s a solid climb, but it’s clear the days of packed offices may be a thing of the past.
• City Split – The numbers vary widely depending on where you live. Miami and New York are leading the charge with office visits hitting or nearing 90% of their 2019 levels. On the flip side, San Francisco is lagging behind, barely scratching the 50% mark.

We'll end with a a little BTS for ya.

As you might imagine, the ASOTU crew exchanges quite a few memes and gifs every week. Finding the perfect one is so satisfying, and we love to make each other laugh.

Here are a couple of our favorites from this week:

Remember: No matter how hard you try, you can't please everyone.

But, you can turn anyone's shade into merch. 😎

💬👇 Drop the stand-out memes from your week in the comments, and we'll feature them in next week's edition! 👇💬

Thanks for sharing a little bit of your Sunday with us, friends. Hope you got all the R & R you needed this weekend to be your best self all week.

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