Philanthropy, Now Yielding Financial Returns

Hey, look at that! Another year has flown by, and I suspect many people would say "good riddance" to 2024. The 2020s have been quite the decade so far. No matter what insanity has transpired by a particular December 31, the following year has shown up and promptly said, "Hold my beer." The biggest news at Ars in 2024 was our first site redesign in nearly a decade.

Each child had already undergone at least three open-heart surgeries. They’d endured countless hours in doctors’ offices and hospitals after being born with a serious heart condition. But this fall the kids tried a new, very different tactic to boost their wellness: They joined a choir. Fourteen children from ages 8 to 16 with a condition called single ventricle circulation, or “Fontan” circulation, met once a week for two months to learn singing and breathing techniques and practice songs for a winter concert at Northwestern University.

Get ready for another round of Red Light, Green Light.

Watch a lot without spending a dime, courtesy of Tubi, Roku TV, Xumo TV, and other great options. Was YouTube TV’s recent price increase the straw that broke the camel’s back for you? When does the cost of streaming TV stop going up? When?!!

The new year could usher in new AI iterations, far beyond generative artificial intelligence. Over the past two years, generative AI has dominated tech conversations and media headlines. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, and Sora captured imaginations with their ability to create text, images, and videos, sparking both excitement and ethical debates.

AP Photo/G-Jun YamThe Mega Millions jackpot climbed to $1 billion ahead of a Christmas Eve drawing. If someone wins on Tuesday, they will score the seventh-largest prize in the game's history. The lump sum cash option is about $448.8 million, according to the Mega Millions website. One lucky lotto player could wake up to a billion-dollar Christmas morning this year.