🐤 Meet me at the mall

Markets: Wall Street was closed for Thanksgiving yesterday, locking in Wednesday’s losses until the market reopens this morning. But major index futures did tick up by a fraction of a percent on Thursday. Holiday hours continue today with the stock exchanges closing at 1 p.m. Eastern and the bond markets closing an hour later.

Flying high: Just in time for one of the biggest travel weeks of the year, airlines are posting some pretty encouraging revenue numbers. Two major carriers — United and Delta — posted all-time highs and even beleaguered budget airlines managed to record some gains over the course of the most recent quarter. Industry insiders say air travel in general is up, but a primary reason for the recent boost in profits lies in higher demand among passengers for additional features and upgrades, such as more leg room or refundable tickets.

No kids allowed: Concerns have risen in recent years about the toll that social media can take on the mental health of children. Although a number of laws have been proposed or passed in nations around the world as part of an effort to address the issue, Australia’s Senate just approved the most ambitious measure to date. Essentially, anyone under the age of 16 is prohibited from using most major social media platforms under the new law. Any company that does not take sufficient steps to ban underage users could be fined up to $33 million.

Top contenders: At this point in the college football season, the number of players seriously in the running for the Heisman Trophy has dwindled down to just three. At the front of the pack is Travis Hunter of Colorado, who has shown impressive aptitude in two positions — wide receiver and cornerback. Then there’s Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, whose stats include 27 touchdowns and 2,000 rushing yards. Rounding out the top three is Cam Ward of Miami, though the quarterback’s sagging performance in recent games could hurt his chances.

Let’s make a deal: It’s Black Friday, so big savings on home electronics is par for the course. But if you’re looking for a high-tech gift that will please just about anyone on your list, consider an Echo speaker from Amazon. The e-commerce giant is promoting deep discounts on items of all types, but its own smart devices are getting some of the biggest price cuts. The small Echo Pop is more than half off, selling for just $17. The popular Echo Dot can be yours for just $5 more, and the Echo Spot alarm clock offers a host of features for under $45.

It’s a Gen X wish come true. Many of today’s middle-aged Americans spent their formative years cruising the local shopping mall, but the generations since have witnessed the progressive decay of these once-vibrant retail destinations.

That trend might be reversing, but the mall experience of the future won’t be replicating the ‘80s and ‘90s heyday.

Where shopping meets recreation

In a sense, the current shift in focus among many mall developers is nothing news. They’re looking for new attractions and activities to include in these massive retail structures to both fill empty space and entice shoppers to stay longer.

Iconic malls like the Mall of America in Minneapolis have been pursuing this strategy for decades. This behemoth contains, among other things:

• Roller coasters
• Nickelodeon Universe
• An indoor zip line

The promise of something other than department stores and a food court might be enough to get people back into struggling malls, and projects are underway nationwide that take a page or two out of the Mall of America’s playbook.

Playing the hand they’re dealt

There’s no denying the fact that a spike in online shopping over the past couple of decades has been a central cause for countless brick-and-mortar retailers to either shut down underperforming locations or go out of business entirely.

Malls have been particularly hard hit, with many having long been abandoned or demolished due to declining business.

But adding in new elements — gyms, high-end restaurants, water parks, and more — alongside the traditional mall features might just breathe new life into the segment.

As Mall of America exec Jill Renslow explained: “The longer time that [people] spend in a space, typically they’re going to spend more money. But even if they don’t on that first visit, they’re going to come back because they had a great experience.”

Widespread layoffs can seem unfair and arbitrary, and many people in the tech industry have been directly impacted — either by losing their job or being forced to take on additional tasks due to the workforce reduction.

But one man in Brazil was determined to bounce back after he received his pink slip. And his strategy is gaining global attention.

Powered by AI

Ironically, one of the main reasons behind recent layoffs is also the resource 28-year-old Guilherme says he relied on to send out a whopping 1,300 job applications in the days after he was laid off. He credits an artificial intelligence tool called AIHawk with allowing him to automate the entire process, noting that less than a month after he began using it he’d already found another position.

Guilherme’s experience as an engineer likely came in handy, since AIHawk does require a bit of technical know-how. But he believes it paid off in the end by allowing him to save untold time and effort during the actual application process.

Strength in numbers

Simply flooding recruiters and hiring managers with applications might be beneficial for job-seekers on its own, but Guilherme believes it also triggered a flood of unsolicited messages from other prospective employers.

“I got several LinkedIn InMails a day, every single day, since mid-October, from recruiters, hiring managers, and C-suites of companies,” he explained. “This was something that never happened to me before.”

For its part, however, LinkedIn denies that sending out an increased number of applications results in higher visibility for a job-seeker’s profile. And experts warn that programs like AIHawk can produce errors.

But Guilherme is clearly sold. Basking in the success he has had using the tool, he concluded: “Imagine if I had to do this manually? I’d probably go insane.”

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Reclaim Your Calm

GPS navigation, cell service, and countless other modern conveniences are made possible thanks to satellites. But our increased reliance on these orbiting objects comes at a price.

From bad to much worse

As recently as 2010, there were about 1,000 satellites in orbit. Now, that number is about 10 times higher. And over the course of the next decade, companies and governments around the world are planning to launch tens of thousands more.

Environmental advocates are worried about what we know (and what we don’t know) about the impact of all that space debris.

Experts advise that the planned increase in satellite launches could result in up to 21 times more aluminum oxides being released into the atmosphere than the amount that is already there. Furthermore, potentially harmful metals could be released when aging satellites re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.

Worse yet, no one is quite sure what the long-term effects will be. That’s why dozens of scientists are pleading with the Federal Communications Commission to step in and curtail future launches until there’s enough research to address their concerns.

“We should look before we leap,” they wrote in a letter to federal regulators. “The environmental harms of launching and burning up so many satellites aren’t clear.”

Two sides to the story

Of course, those who support launching thousands of new satellites into orbit are singing a different tune.

Elon Musk has pushed back against calls to restrict launches of his SpaceX Starlink satellites — and it remains to be seen whether his close association with President-elect Donald Trump will allow him to help shape national policies on the matter.

And expert Michelle Hanlon argued that the U.S. can’t fix things on its own, adding: “We can shut down the American space industry and there’s still going to be launches.”