The Super Aircraft Carrier Russia Could Never Have

Scrapped in the '90s...

A concept of the Ulyanovsk, the supercarrier Russia wanted to build.

Had she ever sailed, the Soviet supercarrier Ulyanovsk would have been a naval behemoth more than 1,000 feet long, with an 85,000-ton displacement and enough storage to carry an air group of up to 70 fixed and rotary winged aircraft, Paul Richard Huard reports on nationalinterest.org.

With a nuclear-powered engine -- and working in conjunction with other Soviet surface warfare vessels and submarines -- the supercarrier would have steamed through the oceans with a purpose, Huard wrote.

Namely, to keep the U.S. Navy away from the Motherland.

But the Ulyanovsk is an "almost" of history.  Moscow never finished the project because it ran out of money, Huard added.

For more of a fascinating report: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-navys-greatest-fear-russia-wanted-build-super-aircraft-26025

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Darien's Weekly Home Market Closes on an Active Note.

How Close Are We to a Quantum Computer?

Taming a new computing technology...

An IBM researcher working on an advanced quantum computer.

The race is on to build the world's first meaningful quantum computer -- one that can deliver the technology's long-promised ability to help scientists do things like develop miraculous new materials, encrypt data with near-perfect security and accurately predict how Earth's climate will change, Larry Greenemeir reports on scientificamerican.com.

Such a machine is likely more than a decade away, but IBM, Microsoft, Google, Intel and other tech heavyweights breathlessly tout each tiny, incremental step along the way, Greenemeir wrote.

For more, including an interview with Jim Clark, director of quantum hardware at Intel Labs: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-close-are-we-really-to-building-a-quantum-computer/

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Super Aircraft Carrier Russia Could Never Have.

Connecticut's Ongoing Economic Dilemma, Part II

Spending by cities and towns...

Bridgeport.

When Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin appealed for help to save his municipality from bankruptcy, one response he faced was that the capital city's big-spending ways had come home to roost, Keith Phaneuf and Clarice Silber report on ctmirror.org.

The perception that Connecticut's cities, facing struggling schools, poverty, crime and heavily traveled roads, easily outspend their suburban and rural neighbors can be found both around the capital city and elsewhere in the state, Phaneuf and Silber wrote.

But when municipal spending is examined on a per capita basis, it's Connecticut's suburbs -- and particularly those in Fairfield County -- that lead the way in spending, they add.

For more of their report: https://ctmirror.org/2018/05/30/among-connecticut-cities-towns-wealthiest-big-spenders/

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

How Close Are We to a Quantum Computer?

Update: Connecticut's Ongoing Economic Dilemma

The haves vs. the have nots and more...

Watch out for those trains, Senator.

Even within a nation racing dangerously toward unprecedented levels of income and wealth inequality, Connecticut stands apart, Keith Phaneuf reports on ctmirrior.org.

The gap between its richest and poorest citizens -- and that between the top and the middle class -- outstrips those in most other states, and many other corners of the globe, Phaneuf wrote.

Since the last recession, inequality in Connecticut has not been a simple case of hedge fund principals reaping rewards that dwarf a still-prosperous middle class. Rather, only the richest of Connecticut's most affluent households, on average, have improved their standing, he added.

For more on an important issue: https://ctmirror.org/2018/05/29/already-deep-debt-connecticut-struggles-extremes-wealth-income/amp/

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Connecticut's Ongoing Economic Dilemma, Part II.

IBM's Head of Watson Likes Elon Musk but "Hates" A.I. Scaremongering

Plus an IBM update with Ginni Rometty...

Warnings of artificial intelligence (AI) posing a threat to humanity are "not helpful," a top IBM executive has said, according to Ryan Browne on cnbc.com.

While critics like Tesla CEO Elon Musk have warned about the risks of developing AI, David Kenny, IBM's senior vice president of Watson and Cloud, said the technology is already proving beneficial, Browne wrote.

For more, including a video with an IBM update by Chairman and CEO Ginni Rometty: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/05/28/ibms-head-of-watson-likes-elon-musk-but-hates-ai-scaremongering.html

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Update: Connecticut's Ongoing Economic Dilemma.

How Student Debt is Killing Homeownership

Heavy load...

Apartment for sale, close to train.

As you've probably heard, Millennial just aren't buying houses like young people used to, Sarah Holder reports on citylab.com

This story has been told many ways: Living with roommates, renting rather than buying and spending on other things besides apartments and bungalows, Holder wrote.

Partly to blame is the fact that housing prices have rapidly outpaced incomes since 1980.  But there's another trend that magnified the effects of this:  An increase in college attendance and mounting student debt due to a spike in tuition costs, she added.

For more of a timely report: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/01/student-loans-are-killing-homeownership/551300/

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
IBM's Head of Watson Likes Elon Musk but "Hates" A.I. Scaremongering.

Amazon's Echo Blabs Out of Turn

Spying and snitching...

"I can't trust it," a woman says of her Amazon Echo device.

As secret recordings go, the Portland couple's conversation was pretty mundane: They were talking about hardwood floors, Laurel Wamsley reports on npr.org.

But their Amazon Echo was listening and recording their discussion.  The device then sent the recording to someone in their contacts -- without the couple's knowledge, Wamsley wrote.

For more about Echo's spying and snitching: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/25/614470096/amazon-echo-recorded-and-sent-couples-conversation-all-without-their-knowledge

For a cbs.com report: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-alexa-echo-device-recorded-conversation-sent-to-contact/

For a quartz.com report: https://qz.com/1288743/amazon-alexa-echo-spying-on-users-raises-a-data-privacy-problem/

Photos: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report:

How Student Debt is Killing Homeownership.

Smile: There's a Fun Week Ahead

Enjoy...

This is ridiculous.

-- Ally Bank: Seriously Anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpuZoDS57TI

-- On Star: Accidents Happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO745fc2yxo

-- IBM: Let's Put Smart to Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh8n2dCDHVk

-- Domino's: Timber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtI58OJMBaU

-- GEICO: Lost in the Couch: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dYIL/geico-lost-in-the-couch

--Progressive: The Safeys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7aK0bXqJI

-- GEICO: The GEICO Airshow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMcvcPLQwr8

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Amazon's Echo Blabs Out of Turn.

Musical Moments: Taps

Honoring all who serve...

An airman salutes as Taps is played.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is Taps in honor all who have served and are serving on this Memorial Day weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfe4TxvUOiw

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Smile: There's a Fun Week Ahead.

Darien Posts an Uptick in Real Estate Activity

Weekly update...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Darien posted an uptick in residential real estate activity for the week ending today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 20 new listings of property for sale;

-- 17 price changes;

-- Nine accepted offers;

--Two properties going under contract, and

-- Eight closings.

For more: 

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Taps.

Frogs and Rosbifs

A common language...

Snoopy, the World War I flying ace, enjoying an evening out in a French village.

The mutual fascination of the British and the French — or, more accurately, the English and the French — is hardly a surprise, economist.com reports.

To mock the “frogs” as posturing, self-interested intellectuals is a staple of the English press, and not just the tabloids. Their French counterparts find it easy to caricature les rosbifs as pink-faced philistines. 

For more, including reviews on two books that point out how English and French have influenced each other in England and France's long love-hate history: https://www.economist.com/node/690898

Can there be exceptions to the rules? You bet.

Photos: Facebook, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

A New White House Problem: A Growing Sinkhole

Cover up...

There's a growing sinkhole at the White House.  Blame the swamp, really. 

Construction on the U.S. White House began in 1792, Heather Timmons reports on qz.com.

It has been almost continuously occupied by U.S. presidents since 1800, barring a few years after the British set it on fire in 1814, Timmons wrote.

But that doesn't mean that the present-day building is free of hazards -- there are mice, cockroaches and ants.

And as of this past weekend, a sinkhole has been growing on the north lawn, Voice of America reporter Steve Herman observed, near the press briefing room, Timmons added.

For more: https://qz.com/1284955/donald-trumps-white-house-has-a-growing-sinkhole-on-the-north-lawn/amp/

For how the Internet is responding with Cover Up, Deep State at Work, Drain the Swamp and more: http://www.iflscience.com/environment/a-sinkhole-appeared-on-the-white-house-lawn-and-the-internet-is-responding-appropriately/

For a CNN report: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/05/22/politics/white-house-sinkhole/index.html

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Frogs and Rosbifs.

Putin's New Wonder Weapon Flunks Tests

Nuclear-powered missile crashes -- four times...

Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin bragged earlier this year that his country had a new nuclear-powered missile with unlimited range -- but it has yet to perform a successful test over multiple attempts, according to sources with direct knowledge of a U.S. intelligence report on the weapons program, Amanda Marcus reports on cbnc.com.

The cruise missile was tested four times between November and February, each resulting in a crash, according to sources who spoke to CNBC on condition of anonymity, Marcus wrote.

The U.S. assessed that the longest test flight lasted just more than two minutes, with the missile flying 22 miles before losing control and crashing.  The shortest test lasted four seconds and flew for five miles, she added.

For more: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/05/21/russian-missile-with-unlimited-range-crashed-after-only-22-miles.html

For another report on the new missile: https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/j5kp5x/russias-new-unlimited-range-nuclear-cruise-missile-can-fly-just-22-miles?utm_source=vicenewsfb

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
A New White House Problem: A Growing Sinkhole.

Changes Killing the Funeral Business

A shift to event planning...

Every minute more than 100 people die, economist.com reports.

Most of these deaths bring not just grief to some, but also profit to others, the news service wrote.

America's 2.7m-odd deaths a year underpin an industry worth $16bn in 2017, encompassing over 19,000 funeral homes and over 120,000 employees.

But in some of the world a profound shift is under way in what people want from funerals, the service noted.

In North America, the modern undertaker's job is increasingly one of event-planning, economist wrote.

For more on changes like tiki huts, margaritas and pizza: https://www.economist.com/news/international/21740399-bereaved-better-informed-no-longer-always-do-what-they-are-told-or-pay-whatever-they?fsrc=scn/fb/te/bl/ed/whyundertakersareworriedmakingthereapercheaper

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Putin's Wonder Weapon Flunks Tests.

Predictions: What Robert Mueller Will Do Next

A former prosecutor's insights...

Robert Mueller.

Robert Mueller's investigation is now one year old, Nelson W. Cunningham, a former federal prosecutor, reports on politico.com.

Watching the slow reveal of witnesses, search warrants, and subpoenas, the president's supporters and his opponents may despair that it will never come to an end, Cunningham wrote.

But buckle your seat belts and grab the oxygen masks.  It's about to get interesting Cunningham added.

For three predictions about what's coming in the Mueller investigation: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/21/3-predictions-for-what-mueller-will-do-next-218410?cid=apn

Photo: Politico.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Changes Killing the Funeral Business.

Russia's Foxbat vs. the U.S. SR-71 and XB-70

The Soviets produced almost 1,200 MiG-25s...

The Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat was the only fighter that had a chance of catching the SR-71.

When the SR-71 Blackbird was revealed to the public by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, the Soviets were caught be surprise, Harold C. Hutchinson reports on wearethemighty.com.

The fact was, the SR-71 couldn't be caught by any air defense, rendered nearly invulnerable due to its blazing speed and high altitude, Hutchison wrote.

The Soviets, though, had a plane that could give it a close chase.  That plane was the MiG-25 Foxbat, and it was originally designed to catch another deadly airframe, the B-70 Valkyrie bomber.

For more of a fascinating article: https://www.wearethemighty.com/mig-25-foxbat-blackbird-killer/amp

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

The North American XB-70 on takeoff from Edwards AFB, California.

The supersonic XB-70 and SR-71 on the ramp at Edwards AFB, California.

Photos: Pinterest, wearethemighty.com

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Predictions: What Mueller Will Do Next.

Smile: Your New Week's About to Begin

Enjoy...

Wow.

For fun videos to start your new week:

-- IBM: Bobby Jones' Golf Swing: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7mGf/ibm-how-data-helped-bobby-jones-golf-swing#

-- IBM: Bakery: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7VBe/ibm-bakery

-- GEICO: Presentation: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w97W/geico-evil-villain-reveals-plans-again

-- AT&T: Break Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH2xhmgfUgs

-- Priceline: Anniversary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gio6a5o3ADc

-- Heinz: At Last: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dkWx/heinz-ketchup-at-last

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Russia's Foxbat vs. the U.S. SR-71 and XB-70

Musical Moments: The Air Force Hymn

Congratulations...

A graduation day at the Air Force Academy.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection, the Air Force Hymn, is in honor of graduating seniors at the Air Force Academy this coming week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQffNVPpXs0

An Air Force Thunderbird.

Photos: Giphy, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Your New Week's About to Begin.

Darien Finishes an Active Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Spring in the forest.

Darien finished an active residential real estate week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 14 new listings of property for sale;

-- 25 price changes;

-- Seven accepted offers;

-- No properties going under contract, and

-- Seven closings.

For more: 

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: The Air Force Hymn.

U.S. Navy's Poseidon on Guard Against Lurking Subs

High-tech sub hunter...

A P-8A Poseidon over the USS Zumwalt, as the ship

 heads for its new home port of San Diego, Calif.

The U.S. Navy announced this month that its restarting the 2nd Fleet to oversee the western Atlantic Ocean, including the North Atlantic and U.S. East Coast, Christopher Wood reports on businessinsider.com.

The decision comes after several years of tensions between NATO members and Russia -- and several warnings from Western officials about growing Russian naval activity, including more sophisticated and more active submarines, Wood wrote.

For NATO members and other countries, augmenting antisubmarine abilities means not only adding ships but also advanced maritime-patrol aircraft to scour the sea, he added.

A number of aircraft on the market fill this role, but the U.S.-made P-8A Poseidon is among the most sophisticated.

For more of an intriguing report: https://amp.businessinsider.com/us-navy-p8a-poseidon-sub-hunting-aircraft-features-sales-2018-5

U.S. Navy Poseidon crew members on a search mission.

A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon on patrol.

Photos: businessinsider.com

Next time on The Allen Report:
The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

How Much Money Makes You Wealthy in America?

What is "wealth"?

To be financially comfortable in America today requires an average of $1.4 million, up from $1.2 million a year ago, Suzanne Woolley reports on bloomberg.com.

The net worth needed to be "wealthy"?

That's an average $2.4 million, the same as last year in an online survey of 1,000 Americans between age 21 and 75, Woolley wrote.

For more on wealth in America: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-15/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-wealthy-in-america

Photo: bloomberg.com

Next time on The Allen Report: 

U.S. Navy's Poseidon on Guard Against Lurking Subs.

See Which Facebook Ads Russians Aimed at People Like You

Russian election meddling...

One of thousands of Russian-linked, targeted ads on Facebook.

Congress last week released thousands of Facebook ads linked to Russia that ran through the 2016 presidential election, the most comprehensive look to date at the misinformation campaign mounted on the social network, Keith Collins reports on nytimes.com.

Want to see which ads were targeted to people like you or those you know?

Click here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/14/technology/facebook-ads-congress.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

How Much Money Makes You Wealthy?

IBM, NC State Partner in New Quantum Computing Hub

New center for North America...

North Carolina State University will be the first in North America to establish a university-based IBM Quantum Computing hub as part of the global IBM Q Network, Allan Maurer reports on wraltechwire.com.

The hub is expected to be operational on Raleigh's Centennial Campus by October, he added.

The network is a collaboration of Fortune 500 companies, academic institutions and national research labs working directly with IBM to advance quantum computing, Maurer wrote.

NC State joins three other already established university hubs worldwide: The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom; Kejo University, Japan, and the University of Melbourne, Australia, he noted.

For more: https://www.wraltechwire.com/2018/05/10/ibm-chooses-nc-state-as-partner-for-first-ibm-quantum-computing-hub-in-north-america/

IBM's quantum computer.

Photos: IBM.

Next time on The Allen Report:

See Which Facebook Ads Russians Aimed at People Like You

Exercise: C'mon -- You Know it's Good for You

Even a little helps...

Have some fun.  Mix it up.

Regular exercise is probably the best prescription for healthy aging, Janet Lee reports on consumerreports.org.

But fewer than one in five adults age 65 and older gets the minimum recommended amount: 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (such as walking briskly or cycling at a level where you can talk but not sing) and at least two full-body strength workouts per week, Lee wrote.

For more: https://www.consumerreports.org/exercise-fitness/how-much-exercise-do-you-need-to-see-health-benefits/

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
IBM, NC State Partner in New Quantum Computing Hub.