High Peaks, High Tech, and High Drama

Hey Coffee Guff Crew! 🚀☕

Dive into our latest edition, where we mix high-altitude fashion with Drake’s NOCTA and street style, unravel India’s massive cash caper, and witness a gold smuggling fiasco in Nepal. In the tech world, Google’s Gemini AI and Elon Musk’s Grok AI give us a glimpse of AI antics, while Google Podcasts takes a final bow. And don’t miss the tear-jerking onion crisis in Nepal! Buckle up for a quick, quirky read that’s as entertaining as your coffee or Chai. 🎉📖

Happy reading and don’t forget to share the fun!

Current Affairs
Drake’s NOCTA and Nimsdai Unveil Epic Apparel Line, Blending Street Style with Mountaineering Grit

Drake’s NOCTA x Nike, in an exciting collaboration with legendary mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, is dropping an apparel collection that’s as daring as it is stylish. Following the heartwarming “Love You Forever” campaign, this new line pays homage to Nimsdai’s extraordinary achievement of scaling 14 of the world’s highest peaks. This isn’t just a clothing line; it’s a celebration of endurance, resilience, and adventure.

NOCTA x Nike 8000 Series

From the versatile, weather-ready jackets to the practical yet fashionable summit pants, each piece in the collection embodies the spirit of high-altitude exploration mixed with urban flair. Whether you’re navigating city streets or dreaming of mountainous escapades, this collection offers the perfect blend of functionality and style. So, get ready to gear up with the essence of Nimsdai’s mountaineering legacy, brought to life by Drake’s NOCTA for the fashion-forward adventurer in all of us. 🏞️🧥🌃

India: Record-Breaking Black Money Bonanza: Income Tax Department’s Rs 300 Crore Cash Counting Marathon

₹300 crore and counting recovered from Jharkhand Congress leader’s house. #JharkhandNews
Meanwhile, Congress leaders in Delhi:
“What money? We don’t see any money.”
“In the cupboard? What cupboard? We can’t see any cupboard.”
“What leader? We don’t know who he is.”
“So, since… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

— Mohan Sinha 🇮🇳 (@Mohansinha)
Dec 9, 2023

In what feels like a scene straight out of a high-stakes thriller, the Indian Income Tax Department has uncovered a whopping Rs 300 crore (~$36M USD) in unaccounted cash, making it the largest black money haul in a single operation. The main character in this financial drama? Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu, whose links to the Boudh Distillery Private Limited in Odisha have turned his premises into a veritable treasure trove. The IT Department, in a display of sheer determination, has rolled out an impressive arsenal of 40 machines and a legion of bank staffers, just to get a handle on the mind-boggling amount of cash, most of which is in the beloved Rs 500 denomination.

But the plot thickens! More bags of cash continue to emerge from the woodwork, including a notable stash from Bunty Sahu, the supposed overseer of liquor factories. With the cash flow showing no signs of slowing down, the IT Department’s counting crusade has transformed into a spectacle of epic proportions. As the saga unfolds, one can’t help but marvel at the sheer scale of this discovery and the tireless effort going into counting every last note. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this riveting tale of unexpected riches and the pursuit of hidden wealth.

Meanwhile in Nepal, duo nabbed by Airport police
There was Chandra Ghale, fresh off the Fly Dubai flight FZ 573, sporting what seemed like an unusually bulky chest – a fashion statement, perhaps? Alas, it wasn’t a bold new trend, but 7 pieces of gold, cozily wrapped in cloth and tucked neatly on both sides of his chest. One might say he took ‘keeping your assets close to your heart’ a tad too literally!

But wait, there’s a twist! Under the glaring lights of interrogation, Chandra cracked, revealing that the golden treasure actually belonged to his accomplice, Meen Bahadur, also from Gorkha. Talk about a brother-in-arms moment!

As the plot thickens, our gold-clad adventurers find themselves whisked away to Koteshwar police station, awaiting their next scene at the airport customs office Gauchar. Customs chief Tokaraj Pandey is all set to direct the next act of this golden saga.

यसरी समातियो त्रिभुवन विमानस्थलबाट १४ किलो सुन
– पक्राउ पर्नेमा चन्द्र घले र गोरखाका मीनबहादुर घले रहेका छन्।

— Setopati (@setopati)
Dec 8, 2023

Tech Trends
Google’s Gemini AI Demo: Smoke and Mirrors

A carefully orchestrated illusion, a symphony of selected stills and text prompts, making Gemini look like it could read minds

Google recently unveiled its Gemini AI model with a video that turned out to be more smoke and mirrors than an authentic demonstration of its capabilities. The video, titled “Hands-on with Gemini: Interacting with multimodal AI,” promised an impressive display of the AI juggling language and visuals, but a closer examination by Bloomberg’s Parmy Olson revealed it was more a carefully curated presentation than a live showcase. Gemini appeared to be performing complex tasks like playing charades, solving puzzles, and tracking a ball under a cup with ease, but in reality, it required far more guidance and hints than the video suggested. Google described the video as a ‘flavored’ representation of Gemini’s abilities, but critics argue it was a classic case of embellishing the AI’s actual performance, highlighting a need for more honesty in AI demonstrations. Continue reading

Elon Musk’s Grok AI: A Tale of Accidental Plagiarism, or Copycat-ception

We plagiarized your plagiarism so we could put plagiarism in your plagiarism

Find out how Grok, in its digital learning journey, ended up echoing ChatGPT, leading to a mix of confusion and laughs in the AI community. It’s a story of unintended AI plagiarism that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening. Get ready for some AI shenanigans! Continue reading

More Google…Google Podcasts Takes Final Bow

So, if you’ve been cozying up with Google Podcasts since 2016, it’s time to say your goodbyes – but hey, at least they’re giving us a heads up with an April 2024 shutdown date!

Google’s track record with podcasts apps is… well, let’s call it “fickle.” After Google Listen (2009-2012) and Google Play Music Podcasts (2016-2020), Google Podcasts is now taking its final bow. But fear not, podcast aficionados! Google’s got a plan: enter YouTube Podcasts, stage right.

Feeling a bit of déjà vu? You’re not alone. It seems like Google just can’t resist the urge to tinker, even when it means sending another one of its creations to the digital graveyard. And this graveyard’s getting crowded – we’ve already said adieu to Google Reader, Google Play Music, and even the Pixel Pass.

Now, if you’re a Google Podcasts fan, you’ve got options. Google’s making it super easy to jump ship to YouTube Podcasts with a nifty one-click transfer button. But if you’re feeling a bit of Google fatigue and want to break free, you can export your subscriptions and explore the vast world beyond Google’s ecosystem.

Here’s the kicker, though: YouTube Podcasts isn’t exactly the smoothest ride in the podcast park. It’s a bit like trying to find your favorite cereal in a maze-like supermarket – everything’s there, but good luck finding it! The core podcast features are playing hide-and-seek in menus, and YouTube still loves its video-first approach, so brace yourself for a mix of audio and video in your feed.

Google’s message seems to be: “Ready or not, here comes YouTube Podcasts!” So, whether you’re excited or eye-rolling, it’s time to prepare for the switch.

Consolation Prize
Nepal in Tears Over Onion Ban: A Saga of Sobs and Sizzles

It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as curries and momo – onions, those pungent layers of culinary delight, have suddenly become the talk of the town in Nepal. Why? Because our big neighbor, India, just said “No more onions for you!” and the Nepalese kitchen is in an uproar.

Let’s set the scene: India, the onion bigwig, decides to slam the door on onion exports. “From Saturday, no onions shall pass!” declares the Directorate General of Foreign Trade of India. Nepali households, mid-chop, are left teary-eyed – and not from the onion fumes.

Now, what’s a curry without onions? It’s like a momo without achar – possible, but why would you? The price of onions skyrockets faster than a Yeti on a mountain hike. Nepalese consumers, staring longingly at their onion-less kitchens, wonder if they’ll have to start telling their children bedtime stories about the mythical bulb that once flavored their dal bhat.