Happening Now -- Holy Mackerel -- 20+ Refueling USAF A/C Heading For The Mideast

Locator: 48755ISRAEL.

WTI: $73.90. Up $0.92; up 1.26%.  

Minnesota: suspected assassin captured. Posted Sunday night, 10:20 p.m. CT, June 15, 2025

Qom / nuclear site: 2.5 magnitude earthquake. Bunker buster?

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US Build-Up

US Navy: second a/c carrier en-route -- USS Nimitz.

USAF refueling assets: at least 28 KC-135s and KC-46As. Link here. The Pegasus.

It might be a good time to re-read the history of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Link here.

This guy is "never wrong." Always a first time.

This guy is entirely credible.

Rambling -- ChatGPT -- Investing -- June 15, 2025

Locator: 48754TECH.

The one -- somewhat surprising -- name that keeps coming up when talking AI / ChatGPT? Amazon (AMS).

None of this is ever ready for prime time. I do this for myself and my extended family members who might be interested in the subject and/or investing. No one should be reading this for investing purposes. See disclaimer at the bottom.

AI is an energy story. AI will "save" the Bakken.

CNBC is doing it's investors a huge disservice by concentrating on large, legacy companies, and spending inconsequential time on the sixth industrial revolution.

CNBC is doing a lousy job explaining to investors what ChatGPT is all about.

I spent much of the weekend with extended family members, both in their sophomore years at college, one at Texas A&M -- perhaps the best university in Texas -- and the other, majoring in STEM, at Stanford -- perhaps the best university in the known universe.

Our conversation, no matter how hard we tried to avoid it, seemed always to come back full circle to ChatGPT. 

We are using ChatGPT as a metonym.

I was curious, so I asked ChatGPT just now: how fast is ChatGPT growing?

• ChatGPT’s growth has been astronomical since its debut in November 2022, making it one of the fastest-growing consumer apps in history.
• 1 million users in five days after launch—the fastest for any consumer app at the time
• 100 million monthly active users by January 2023—just two months after debut
• By April 2025, it reached approximately 500 million weekly active users, doubling from around 250 million in late 2024 
• Some sources even report 800 million weekly active users as of June 2025, a 4× growth year-over-year 
• explosive revenue growth

I have spent most of the weekend studying the history of semiconductors and transistors, and then studying investment opportunities. The name that never, never, never shows up: Apple.

Zuckerberg (META) appears to have recognized how far his company was behind and has taken drastic steps to change that.

OpenAI’s Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR):

• soared from $5.5 billion at the end of 2024 to around $10 billion by mid-2025 
• in 2024 alone, the company grew 3×, from about $1 billion in 2023 to $3.7 billion in 2024
• OpenAI anticipates growth to $11 billion (2025 forecast) and aims for $125 billion by 2029, with projected profitability that same year 

What's driving the surge? 

• consumer subscriptions (“ChatGPT Plus”) and enterprise/API sales—now serving ~3 million business/education clients
• cloud and mobile usage skyrocketing, with monthly web visits hitting 4–5 billion by March 2025 
• frequent feature rollouts—image generation, new GPT agents, mobile apps—fueling continuous adoption 

Bottom line: 

• ChatGPT is growing at a rate unprecedented in the digital age—doubling user base in months, doubling revenue in six months, and carving out a commanding position in both consumer and enterprise AI.

High school students and college freshmen in the Palo Alto area have already learned how to monetize AI to their advantage. It is the wild, wild west out there with a gold rush mentality unseen since the California gold rush's peak year of 1852.

High school students and college freshman in the ChatpGPT arena will make more money in five years than I made in twenty and they're getting the raw materials practically for free, and working from their bedrooms and/or dorm rooms.

Using ChatGTP as a metonym has fast is ChatGPT growing:

• 80% of fortune 500 companies are now using chatGPT or similar models;
• Microsoft has embedded GPT into nevearly ever product (Copilot, Office, Azure, Windows)
• Google Gemini is integrated into Workspace. AWS, META, Salesforce, Adope -- all fully integrating GenAI. 

Has Apple misallocated resources? 

From Evan, June 15, 2025: Amazon just announced plans to invest ~$12 Billion in Australia. to upgrade its AI data center infrastructure in the region - WSJ

Disclaimer
Brief Reminder 

 Briefly:

• I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.
  
• I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 
• Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.
  
• If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 
• Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, US economy, and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution.
• I've now added Broadcom to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom.
• I've now added Oracle to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Oracle.
  
• Longer version here.  

Sports Today -- June 15, 2025

Locator: 48753PGA.

PGA:

• Maybe it's just me, but this has to be among the most boring US Opens ever. McIlroy is +9 with the leader Burns (?) at -4.  Later: holy mackerel -- the 64-foot putt. Holy mackerel! What a finish!
  

Top five, early going:

• Burns, Scott, Hovland, Hatton, Spaun, C. Ortiz.

Top five, late afternoon, after rain delay:

• at 4:44 p.m. CT -- they won't finish the tournament today
  
• Burns -- only one shooting below par after 3.5 days;
  
• Scott, T. Hatton, V. Hovland, JJ Spaun (spread: -2 to +2); 7th / 8th holes
• Scott started the day -3; even after the 8th hole
  
• Scotty Scheffler at +4 on the 13th.
  

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The Book Page

Red Brick Black Mountain White Clay, Christopher Benfey, c. 2012/Penguin, 2013.

Chrisopher Benfey's recent essay in The New York Review of Books resulted in me ordering this book sight unseen. Ordered yesterday or two days ago, I forget; arrived today. Excellent, excellent book.

From an earlier post:

Three works:

• The Hare With Amber Eyes, Edmund De Waal, c. 2010, the link;
• The White Road: Journey Into An Obsession, Edmund de Waal, c. 2015, the link;
• Portrait of a Lady, Henry James, serial published in 1880 - 1881, and then as a book, 1881.

From a recent issue of The New York Review of Books, June 12, 2025, p. 21, "Anecdote of the Teapot," Christopher Benfey. Link here.

EVs - A Random Note -- June 15, 2025

Locator: 48752EVS.

US EV sales slowed for the first time in fourteen months. Link here.

After years of rapid growth and consecutive quarters of record EV sales in the U.S., demand seems to have cooled in April for the first time since February 2024. April EV registrations reached 97,833 units, a 4.4% year-over-year decline

America’s EV market share also dropped from 7.4% to 6.6%. While the trend is concerning, it’s not necessarily surprising or alarming. The Trump administration, despite once having Tesla CEO Elon Musk on its team, is attacking EVs in all ways possible, ambushing the industry and stalling its growth.

EVs becoming more expensive. The 2026 Rivian R1S and R1T will be "slightly" more expensive. Link here. 

Tesla: has raised prices on its Model S and Model X vehicles in the US by $5,000. The starting price for the Model S is now $84,990, while the Model X starts at $89,990. The price increase "is linked to recent upgrades and potentially rising costs." No mention of the end of Federal incentives to buy an EV in the US.

Geoff Simon's Quick Connects -- June 15, 2025

Locator: 48751SIMON.

Geoff Simon's quick connects:

• After twenty-five years, E&Ps sustain Bakken oil's long plateau -- Hart Energy

• No drinking water impact from 3 million gallon wastewater spill -- Bismarck Tribune

• Rep. Fedorchak says utility regulations hurt North Dakota -- Wahpeton Daily News

• CoreWeave signs 15-year mega-lease with Applied Digital data center -- The Register

• Armstrong challenges new study ranking state among worst in the US in economic climate -- WZFG

• Governor says state government growth needs to slow at WDEA-hosted oil event -- Bismarck Tribune

• Need for special session of legislature unclear with legal research underway -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakotans will see new income limits for state housing assistance programs -- Dickinson Press

• Eastern North Dakota landowners, townships file challenge to power line project -- Bismarck Tribune

• In sweeping tour, Fedorchak touts reforms, faces scrutiny on immigration, Medicaid -- Dickinson Press

• Sen. Cramer cautiously optimistic about revitalizing U.S.-Canada relations -- McKenzie County Farmer

• MHA Nation, Minot Air Force Base strengthen community ties with partnership event -- Minot Daily News

• State's total measles cases up to 34 between Williams, Cass, Grand Forks Burke Counties -- KFYR - TV

• Roise, Jantzer, Pitner, and Fuller qualify for ballot for special election for Minot mayor -- KFYR - TV

• "Unapologetically conservative" Freedom League organization forms in North Dakota -- Dickinson Press

• Northwest Area Water Supply project in Minot is facing a six-month delay in its completion -- KFYR - TV

• Minot voters narrowly reject city park district's sales tax proposal by 25 of 1,933 voters -- KX News

• Federal appeals court voids deal blocking bridge on historic Billings County ranch -- Dickinson Press

• Bakken BBQ brings food, fun and fundraising back to Dickinson; set for June 13 -- Dickinson Press

• Minot Job Corps shutting down; officials hope 'pause' doesn't mean finished -- North Dakota Monitor

• Extreme drought still a major problem for parts of western North Dakota -- Bowman County Pioneer

• Williston City Commission votes to name Steven Gutknecht the new Chief of Police -- KFYR - TV

• Armstrong appoints Minot attorney to judgeship in North Central Judicial District -- North Dakota Monitor

• Newcomers Gunlock, Sparks, and Wehrman on the ballot for Divide school board seats -- The Journal

• Beulah Public Schools will host its board elections June 10; three vying for two open seats -- The Beacon

• Superintendent Baesler's nomination as U.S. Assistant Secretary advances to full Senate -- The Beacon

• Governor signs bill requiring state's schools to have Emergency Cardiac Response Plan -- KFYR - TV

• Sloulin Elementary School is on track to be ready for occupancy in about a year -- Williston Herald

• Reconnecting to grassroots: US Congresswoman Fedorchak visits Killdeer High School -- The Beacon

• Minot Public Schools auctioning off seven portable classrooms units beginning June 9 -- KFYR - TV

• Williston Basin School District's free meal program underway; breakfast, lunch served -- KFYR - TV

• Three candidates being interviewed for Center-Stanton elementary principal -- The Center Republican

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vows to fast-track country's major energy projects -- Oil Price

• Department of Energy unveils AI supercomputer aimed at transforming energy sector -- E&E News

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledges climate changing, doesn't believe it is a crisis -- NPR

• Trump signs 5 executive orders he believes will usher in a US nuclear renaissance -- RealClearEnergy

• Wildfires burning in Alberta have reduced Canada's daily crude production by about 7% -- Reuters

• Energy industry not quite sure how to interpret Trump's nomination of Laura Swett to FERC -- E&E News

• Trump to use emergency powers to boost US critical minerals production and processing -- Oil Price

• Trump administration walks back Biden administration rule "smothering" Alaskan oil -- Daily Caller

• China's coal power plant approvals rebound after first annual decline since 2021 last year -- Oil Price

• New York's green mandates leaving state exposed to blackouts, grid operator warns -- Daily Caller

• House panel probes climate change crackdown on businesses by Biden DOJ, EPA -- Washington Times

• Global revolt: Over 1,000 "green energy" projects have been rejected worldwide -- Issues & Insights

• Native Alaskans praise Trump's push to reverse Biden admin's sweeping drilling ban -- Free Beacon

• The Inflation Reduction Act is a $2 trillion lie that's crushing America's energy and growth -- Townhall

• China-linked non-profit caught bankrolling the push for New York's radical climate law -- Daily Caller

• Study finds urbanization behind rising temps, torching media's climate claims -- Just The News

• The Hurricane Hoax: Climatologists reveal what the IPCC doesn't want you to know -- Irrational Fear

Initial Production For Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- June 15, 2025

Locator: 48750WELLS.

The wells:

• 40896, conf, Hess, EN-McKenna-157-93-3328H-3, Big Butte,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	11364	18880
3-2025	13936	16628
2-2025	9731	9311
1-2025	16553	20372
12-2024	5385	5705

• 41260, conf, CLR, Putnam 3-25H, East Fork,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	8103	7493

• 40659, conf, Enerplus, Rod 149-95-36D-25H, Eagle Nest,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	22665	36999
3-2025	28165	50981
2-2025	38588	57346

• 41049, conf, Hunt, Sioux Trail 160-101-36-24H-2, Sioux Trail,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	12490	2046
3-2025	19287	713
2-2025	15580	2119
1-2025	12265	1848
12-2024	2263	181

• 41048, conf, Hunt, Sioux Trail 160-101-36-24H-1, Sioux Trail,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	15542	3445
3-2025	20915	1084
2-2025	18745	2706
1-2025	15609	2172
12-2024	1322	104

• 40508, conf, Hess, EN-McKenna-157-93-3328H-5, Big Butte,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	17182	22319
3-2025	16033	21299
2-2025	12524	14652
1-2025	25697	27440
12-2024	9481	8174

• 41286, conf, CLR, Peterson 8-29H, East Fork, npd,
• 41287, conf, CLR, Peterson 9-29H, East Fork, npd,
• 41285, conf, CLR, Chloe 66-20H, East Fork, npd,
• 40603, conf, Enerplus Resources, Danielle 145-97-12-1-8H, Little Knife,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2025	15987	19638
3-2025	20324	22991
2-2025	20108	22118

Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- June 15, 2025

Locator: 48749WELLS.

The wells:

Wednesday, June 25 2025: 54 for the month, 207 for the quarter, 421 for the year,
40896, conf, Hess, EN-McKenna-157-93-3328H-3,

Tuesday, June 24, 2025: 53 for the month, 206 for the quarter, 420 for the year,
41260, conf, CLR, Putnam 3-25H,
40659, conf, Enerplus, Rod 149-95-36D-25H,

Monday, June 23, 2025: 51 for the month, 204 for the quarter, 418 for the year,
41049, conf, Hunt, Sioux Trail 160-101-36-24H-2,
41048, conf, Hunt, Sioux Trail 160-101-36-24H-1,

Sunday, June 22, 2025: 49 for the month, 202 for the quarter, 416 for the year,
40508, conf, Hess, EN-McKenna-157-93-3328H-5,

Saturday, June 21, 2025: 48 for the month, 201 for the quarter, 415 for the year,
41286, conf, CLR, Peterson 8-29H,

Friday, June 20, 2025: 47 for the month, 200 for the quarter, 414 for the year,
None.

Thursday, June 19, 2025: 47 for the month, 200 for the quarter, 414 for the year,
None.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025: 47 for the month, 200 for the quarter, 414 for the year,
41287, conf, CLR, Peterson 9-29H,

Tuesday, June 17, 202: 46 for the month, 199 for the quarter, 413 for the year,
None.

Monday, June 16, 2025: 46 for the month, 199 for the quarter, 413 for the year,
41285, conf, CLR, Chloe 66-20H,

Sunday, June 15, 2025: 45 for the month, 198 for the quarter, 412 for the year,
40603, conf, Enerplus Resources, Danielle 145-97-12-1-8H,

Saturday, June 14, 2025: 44 for the month, 197 for the quarter, 411 for the year,
None.