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Saturday, October 10, 2026
Starbase, TX -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51909STARBASE.
Is Elon Musk / SpaceX partnering with Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Californiia Institute Of Technology?
SpaceX Vs NASA -- launch pads and launch facilities only -- how does SpaceX compare with NASA with regard to their footprints in square feet and number of personnel.
YouTube, Terafab, link here.
***************************
Starship
YouTube, Starship - Critical Path -- August, 2026, link here.
Anticipation: Devon Energy's Clifford Bakke Well
Locator: 51906CLIFFORDBAKKE.
From November 1, 2010 -- almost sixteen years ago.
The parent well:
- 18896, 5,061, BEXP/Devon Energy, Clifford Bakke 26-35 1-H, Alger oil field, 38-stage fracture, second highest IP in the Williston Basin, Ross Project Area; Alger oil field; t10/10; cum 672K 8/26.
Map of today's activity:
Top Ten Business / Investing Stories -- Gemini's List -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51904INVESTING.
Query:
There is simply so much news coming out of the business/investing sector each week, I cannot keep up. I may have to start asking you to list the top ten business/investing stories each week. So, for the past week, ending October 10, 2026, what do you see as the top ten business/investing stories?
Reply: for full discussion, see this link. Link: https://share.google/aimode/R3tckRtwYVepl55gy.
The top ten:
- Wall Street closes out a record-breaking week. Wall Street will celebrate four years of the current bull market next week;
- SpaceX shakes up telecom with an $8 billion deal;
- OpenAI revenue report sparks AI jitters
- energy stocks surge amid Iran conflict
- consumer sentiment plunges to historic lows (Wall Street closes out a record-breaking week)
- hawkish Fed minus pushed bond yields higher
- Wall Street gears up for a pivotal earnings season
- Human soars on upgraded Medicare star ratings
- India enacts drastic currency interventions (Indians want US dollars; don't want their own rupees)
- Apple cuts iPhone 18 component orders
Top Ten AI Stories This Past Week -- Gemini's List -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51903AI.
Query:
There is simply so much news coming out of the AI sector each week, I cannot keep up. I may have to start asking you to list the top ten AI stories each week. So, for the past week, ending October 10, 2026, what do you see as the top ten tech stories?
Reply: for full discussion, see this link. Link: https://share.google/aimode/sOnyF0gFnj49ggF5x.
Briefly:
- President Trump launches the "Super Intelligence Force" (oxymoron?)
- Tech titans sign the "White House Accord on Super Intelligence" (short title: "Trust Us")
- Claude AI disclosed for submitting a fake homicide tip to police (well, the tip had to come from somewhere)
- OpenAI fires three top safety researchers over leaks (see the "Paperclip Maximizer")
- Meta's AI agent "Muse" triggers marketplace privacy scares (dog bits man)
- Amazon eyes $8 billion off-balance-sheet shift for Nvidia Blackwell chips (okay, we bought them, but can't afford them right now so we'll lease back the chips -- circular financing on steroids)
- FTC launches wide-ranging "Rogue AI Agent" investigation (at least we're not crashing airplanes yet)
- if this is anything like the NTSB, we won't know results for at least a year
- Google debuts "Playground" for no-code generative video games (this seems noteworthy)
- peer-reviewd study warns 10 minutes of AI use erodes deep focus (I can attest to that)
"This Is Not A Drill" -- Google Paid $2.7 Billioin To Bring Back A Former Employee To Work On Cutting-Edge Projects -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51902AI.
I mentioned this the other day: one of my pet peeves is having to listen all day to CNBC talking heads having little understanding of the sixth industrial revolution (AI) as Jensen Huang, Sam Altman others see it.
Almost every CNBC talking head seems to think the AI tsunami can't last much longer, that it's nothing more than a bubble, similar / identical to the 2000 dot.com debacle.
Two articles caught my attention yesterday.
First article, link here: from Shay Boloor -- AMD CEO Lisa Su is heading for South Korea to secure HBM4 supply from SKHY and Samsung as MI450 ramps with 432GB of memory per GPU.
Second article, link here:
Google really wanted pioneering AI researcher Noam Shazeer back.
The longtime employee left to start his own company but in 2024, Google paid $2.7 billion for him to return to work on cutting-edge projects, including its most powerful AI technology, Gemini.
Even that, though, couldn’t ensure that Shazeer got the computing resources he wanted.
Less than two years later, he sent a note to one of his teams saying that Google had cut what was allocated to them in favor of another project. Shortly thereafter, Shazeer left for rival OpenAI.
Compute, the industry shorthand for computing power, is the lifeblood of the AI boom, and it’s in short supply. Now fights over how to get more of it—and what projects to give priority to—are sending a powerful industry scrambling. Bitter rivals are forming new alliances, such as Elon Musk and Dario Amodei, whose companies worked together to secure computing power. Venture-capital firms are touting access to AI chips to woo startups. And power struggles are more frequent as companies compete in a worldwide treasure hunt for the tech industry’s most coveted resource.
“There’s a big gold rush happening at the moment,” said Evan Conrad, chief executive officer of San Francisco Compute. “It’s hard to fully comprehend the scale.”
Conrad’s company vets data centers and then rents their computing power to AI companies that range from the largest players like Nvidia to small startups like Standard Intelligence. Its chief technology officer, Eric Park, travels the globe in search of computing resources hiding where few else think to look.
In the spring, it was far-flung corners of rural America, where one promising new data center turned out to be AI servers humming inside what appeared to be a converted chicken coop. Then Manila in monsoon season, where Park’s car stalled in floodwater and he and his colleagues waded to safety, bags held over their heads. Eventually, a passing truck shuttled him to the airport, where he bought a new pair of shoes and boarded a flight to Taipei—to meet with a company building servers for the AI boom.
For the record: I love Gemini -- I use Gemini almost exclusively among the many chatbots which I have tried. Free version.
Back to the blog: Google doesn't pay $2.7 billion to entice one worker back to the company if this were a six-week project. Do the math, but if the $2.7 billion is one million dollars / year this equates to 2,700 years -- and that doesn't include cost of deploying that $2.7 billion -- and that's for one employee.
I honestly cannot get my mind around the dollars being spent in this sector.
Maybe The WSJ made a typographical error.
******************************
The Book Page
It's hard to wait for the arrival of this book which will arrive today from Amazon. Gemini recommended it based on my reading history and our discussions.
Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World by Cade Metz | Feb 15, 2022. 384 pages.
Initial Production Data For Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51901B.
These have been previously posted. I was getting a little ahead of myself (an idiom which makes no sense to me) so I won't be adding any new wells to the list this week.
The wells:
- 42564, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia Federal 44X-10F-N, Grinnell, npd,
- 42563, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia Federal 44X-10BN, Grinnell, npd,
- 42230, conf, Whiting, Cliffside Federal 5103 41-7 3B, Assiniboine,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 13609 | 8330 |
| 7-2026 | 16613 | 10891 |
| 6-2026 | 20723 | 20944 |
| 5-2026 | 22011 | 19104 |
- 41913, conf, Devon, Scha 33-34 5H, Alger,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 13363 | 13085 |
| 7-2026 | 19426 | 18409 |
| 6-2026 | 26325 | 21492 |
| 5-2026 | 27505 | 19754 |
| 4-2026 | 12122 | 8012 |
- 41768, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 6BX, Tioga,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 29263 | 35051 |
| 7-2026 | 14570 | 17652 |
| 6-2026 | 3858 | 4407 |
| 5-2026 | 43435 | 51137 |
| 4-2026 | 3397 | 4012 |
- 41767, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 5B, Tioga,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 16843 | 12486 |
| 7-2026 | 21739 | 14062 |
| 6-2026 | 22873 | 14001 |
| 5-2026 | 22512 | 14918 |
- 42562, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia 44X-103E-N, Grinnell, npd,
- 42226, conf, Whiting, Paulson 5104 44-13 3B, Assiniboine,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 16843 | 12486 |
| 7-2026 | 21739 | 14062 |
| 6-2026 | 22873 | 14001 |
| 5-2026 | 22512 | 14918 |
- 41766, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 4B, Tioga,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 21173 | 32676 |
| 7-2026 | 25490 | 32914 |
| 6-2026 | 26377 | 31542 |
| 5-2026 | 23500 | 27337 |
| 4-2026 | 14777 | 16445 |
- 42561, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia 44X-10A-N, Grinnell, npd,
- 42231, conf, Whiting, Cliffside Federal 5103 41-7 3B, Assiniboine,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 21401 | 15060 |
| 7-2026 | 14656 | 9393 |
| 6-2026 | 18607 | 17873 |
| 5-2026 | 18826 | 17661 |
- 41765, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 3B, Tioga,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 21824 | 37194 |
| 7-2026 | 25429 | 35124 |
| 6-2026 | 23942 | 28007 |
| 5-2026 | 23397 | 27951 |
| 4-2026 | 15259 | 17191 |
- 41764, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 2B, Tioga,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 20360 | 31559 |
| 7-2026 | 25908 | 35154 |
| 6-2026 | 28774 | 33739 |
| 5-2026 | 26945 | 31022 |
| 4-2026 | 15477 | 15964 |
- 36548, conf, Oasis, Thelen 5297 11-6 4B, Banks,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 2038 | 24401 |
| 7-2026 | 2702 | 31854 |
| 6-2026 | 3319 | 26182 |
| 5-2026 | 3113 | 21584 |
- 34479, conf, Whiting, Moen 41-2-5H, Stockyard Creek,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 1125 | 7141 |
| 7-2026 | 2086 | 9761 |
| 6-2026 | 2402 | 10722 |
| 5-2026 | 941 | 3933 |
| 4-2026 | 1068 | 4251 |
- 33509, conf, Whiting, Vance 44-9THF, Truax,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 420 | 8945 |
| 7-2026 | 750 | 14151 |
| 6-2026 | 877 | 14240 |
| 5-2026 | 541 | 6468 |
| 4-2026 | 148 | 1568 |
- 32932, conf, Whiting, Koala 31-2H, Poe,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 388 | 3859 |
| 7-2026 | 325 | 3436 |
| 6-2026 | 139 | 2819 |
| 5-2026 | 128 | 2000 |
| 4-2026 | 254 | 3173 |
- 32075, conf, Whiting, Koala 14-32HU, Poe,
| ate | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 1130 | 6177 |
| 7-2026 | 1214 | 5861 |
| 6-2026 | 477 | 3373 |
| 5-2026 | 28 | 0 |
| 4-2026 | 252 | 1818 |
- 24197, conf, Whiting, P Evans 154-99-2-24-18-1H, Epping,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 362 | 3808 |
| 7-2026 | 391 | 4117 |
| 6-2026 | 379 | 4091 |
| 5-2026 | 455 | 4270 |
| 4-2026 | 456 | 3329 |
- 42232, conf, Whiting, Cliffside Federal 5103 41-7 4B, Assiniboine,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 15930 | 11618 |
| 7-2026 | 24025 | 14908 |
| 6-2026 | 26411 | 15865 |
| 5-2026 | 24627 | 16462 |
- 41974, conf, KODA Resources, Amber 2133-1BH, Fertile Valley,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 21144 | 9994 |
| 7-2026 | 15567 | 6535 |
| 6-2026 | 22896 | 8033 |
| 5-2026 | 24112 | 10065 |
| 4-2026 | 11127 | 3894 |
- 42225, conf, Whiting, Paulson 5104 44-13 2B, Assiniboine,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 18104 | 13825 |
| 7-2026 | 15229 | 9597 |
| 6-2026 | 22533 | 13694 |
| 5-2026 | 16549 | 11460 |
- 41922, conf, Hess, GO-Lemire-157-973613H-2, Ray,
| Date | Oil Runs | MCF Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 8-2026 | 14715 | 37347 |
| 7-2026 | 16310 | 34301 |
| 6-2026 | 14353 | 26555 |
| 5-2026 | 4186 | 34700 |
| 4-2026 | 27159 | 45988 |
Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51900B.
These have been previously posted. I was getting a little ahead of myself (an idiom which makes no sense to me) so I won't be adding any new wells to the list this week.
Friday, October 16, 2026: 37 for the month, 37 for the quarter, 536 for the year,
42564, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia Federal 44X-10F-N,
Thursday, October 15, 2026: 36 for the month, 36 for the quarter, 535 for the year,
42563, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia Federal 44X-10BN,
42230, conf, Whiting, Cliffside Federal 5103 41-7 3B,
41913, conf, Devon, Scha 33-34 5H,
41768, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 6BX,
41767, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 5B,
Wednesday, October 14, 2026: 31 for the month, 31 for the quarter, 530 for the year,
42562, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia 44X-103E-N
42226, conf, Whiting, Paulson 5104 44-13 3B,
41766, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 4B,
Tuesday, October 13, 2026: 28 for the month, 28 for the quarter, 527 for the year,
42561, conf, XTO, GBU Sophia 44X-10A-N,
42231, conf, Whiting, Cliffside Federal 5103 41-7 3B,
41765, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 3B,
41764, conf, Oasis, Davidson 5795 31-33 2B,
36548, conf, Oasis, Thelen 5297 11-6 4B,
34479, conf, Whiting, Moen 41-2-5H,
33509, conf, Whiting, Vance 44-9THF,
32932, conf, Whiting, Koala 31-2H
32075, conf, Whiting, Koala 14-32HU,
24197, conf, Whiting, P Evans 154-99-2-24-18-1H,
Monday, October 12, 2026: 18 for the month, 18 for the quarter, 517 for the year,
42232, conf, Whiting, Cliffside Federal 5103 41-7 4B,
Sun day, October 11, 2026: 17 for the month, 17 for the quarter, 516 for the year,
41974, conf, KODA Resources, Amber 2133-1BH,
Saturday, October 10, 2026: 16 for the month, 16 for the quarter, 515 for the year,
42225, conf, Whiting, Paulson 5104 44-13 2B,
41922, conf, Hess, GO-Lemire-157-973613H-2,
Money Market Fund Assets Just Shy Of New Record Despite Massive Inflow Of New Funds -- October 10, 2026
Locator: 51899MMF.
Tag: MMF MMFs
Total MMF assets are just shy of a new record despite massive inflow of new funds.
Friday, October 9, 2026
One New Permit -- October 9, 2026
Locator: 51898B.
Dallas Cowboys: local radio fans didn't want to talk about last night's game today. I watched the whole game. It was awful. Jerry Jones got up to leave before the game was over. My hunch: he wasn't headed for the dressing room.
OpenAI mis-reporting yesterday. Apparently journalist confused between "gross" and "net." Accurate data:
- gross revenue reported last month: $70 billion;
- net revenue reported this month: $50 billion.
Anticipation: next week -- ASML and TSMC both report mid- to late-week.
What the market really got wrong today: the telecoms.
What the market also got wrong: enthusiasm over the diesel deal with Russia.
The Nobel Peace Price: from Elisha Wiesel in The Free Press. This (the headline below) was my first thought. I suppose there's more to the story. We'll see if anything can change my mind.
Elisha Wiesel: The death of the Nobel Peace Prize.
My father, Elie Wiesel, received the Nobel Peace Prize for ensuring the Holocaust wouldn’t be forgotten. By honoring Navi Pillay, who accused Israel of genocide, the committee has betrayed his legacy.
As regards the "death of the Nobel Peace Prize," I think that happened long ago.
********************************
Back to the Bakken
WTI: $91.85.
Active rigs: 34.
One new oil & gas permit, #43396
- 43395, Dakota Fluid Solutions, Cougar 2 SWD, Little Knife,
- 43396, CLR, Billings 7-16H, East Fork, NENE 21-156-99, 460 FNL and 770 FEL.
Alison's Top Bakken Stories -- October 9, 2026
Locator: 51897B.
Alison's quick connects:
• ND Supreme Court hears arguments over oil royalty deductions -- North Dakota Monitor
• ND's US House candidates discuss AI regulation, data centers -- North Dakota Monitor
• Casselton residents question data center location on prime farmland -- North Dakota Monitor
• Cracking the code: extending life of one of America's most important oil plays -- UND Today
• Chevron to take charge and divest Hess ownership; restructuring Bakken contracts -- Morningstar
• Public Service Commission hears extensive testimony regarding Homestead Wind Project -- Williston Herald
• Commentary: long-standing contention underlies data center debate in the state -- North Dakota Monitor
• Mandan voters will decide whether to ban large-scale data centers in a special election -- Bismarck Tribune
• Julie Fedorchak still has the favor of North Dakota voters; reelect her to the US House -- Grand Forks Herald
• Arguments set in court case challenging four North Dakota legislative candidates -- North Dakota Monitor
• Seven coffins, unknown wooden box removed from governor's residence property -- North Dakota Monitor
• Stephanie Bates announced as executive director for state HHS Medical Services division -- Dickinson Press
• Bank of North Dakota announces stablecoin pilot program launch with local partners -- North Dakota Monitor
• North Dakota farmers to receive an estimated $721 million this month in federal payments -- KFYR-TV
• Concept for new $152 million legislative wing at North Dakota Capitol unveiled to lawmakers -- KFYR-TV
• North Dakota boasts nation's second-lowest unemployment rate; 12,000 jobs currently open -- InForum
• North Dakota's longstanding dispute over Missouri River water usage has new front -- Bismarck Tribune
• Special legislative session last month cost about $220,000 according to staff agency -- North Dakota Monitor
• North Dakota governor's campaign donations total $430K to GOP candidates -- North Dakota Monitor
• North Dakota measure campaigns pull in millions from national and in-state groups -- North Dakota Monitor
• Bonuses proposed for North Dakota teachers to improve recruitment, retention -- North Dakota Monitor
• Getting to Know: Minot native Alyssa Cool excels in her teaching, receives unique award -- Minot Daily News
• $1 million in high-tech gear rotates through rural western North Dakota classrooms -- KFYR-TV
• ND author, storyteller and entertainer DesLauriers visits John Hoeven Elementary -- Minot Daily News
• 12 reports of motorists illegally passing stopped school buses in Watford City -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Superintendent candidate Foss supports teacher bonuses as a temporary fix -- North Dakota Monitor
• North Dakota Children's Cabinet visited Minot to discuss regional needs and problems -- Minot Daily News
• Bismarck Public Schools shares details of revised $116.5M bond proposal at community forum -- KFYR-TV
• Dickinson Public Schools board discusses reading goals and student mobility in district -- Dickinson Press
• As state social studies standards change, so do fourth grade North Dakota history books -- KFYR-TV
• The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation holds grand opening for its new community center -- KX News
• Missing Indigenous numbers drop in North Dakota with work still needed on alert systems -- InForum
• David Hume Kennerly displays his 60-year photography career at the Presidential Library -- Dickinson Press
• Rural North Dakota communities under 20,000 invited to apply for AgTech program -- Williston Herald
• Economic Development Association of North Dakota will hold fall conference in Williston -- Minot Daily News
• Compliance with Minot's public comment rules will be strictly enforced going forward -- Minot Daily News
• Grenora alumna hired as assistant state's attorney in Mountrail and Burke counties -- The Journal
• District 7 state House candidates debate child care, school meals and affordability -- Bismarck Tribune
• Senator Kevin Cramer says it wears down energy firms, but courts are pushing back -- Washington Times
• District 7 state Senate candidates debate oversight, tribal relations and child care -- Bismarck Tribune
• Rebuilding Readiness: McKenzie County revamps emergency management -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Section of the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota once again fully open -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Tioga City Commission unanimously voted to approve its 2027 budget and levy -- Williston Herald
• Dickinson City Commission introduces public works director, oks purchase agreement -- Dickinson Press
• 2027 Mercer County budget is now (narrowly) within the allowed levy limits and 6% cap -- Hazen Star
• US natural gas production hits all-time high in July 2026, driven by Permian Basin -- Pipeline & Gas Journal
• G7 nations agree to release 100 million barrels of oil, including diesel, in a boost for Trump -- KMPH
• President Trump claims that refinery disruptions, not Hormuz closure, are driving gas prices -- The Hill
• Seven of the world's largest oil exporters agree to continue consistent production in November -- The Hill
• With an energy executive order, Trump could solve 'affordability' once and for all -- RealClearEnergy
• US to announce $150 million for Alaska power lines as Vance campaigns in Senate battleground -- Reuters
• Baker Hughes signs two Venezuela agreements targeting oil, gas and LNG development -- World Oil
• With election pressure mounting, more states moving to suspend fuel taxes -- North Dakota Monitor
• President Trump announces executive order allowing anyone to use red-dyed diesel -- North Dakota Monitor
• Trump will propose to loosen restrictions that rein in methane from oil and gas production -- The Hill
• International Energy Agency to accelerate oil reserve release, says 100 million barrels still to come -- Reuters
• China accelerates efforts to produce more oil from ultra-deep formations to boost domestic supply -- Oil Price
• Trump exempts oil exploration in Arctic petroleum reserve from environmental reviews -- The Hill
• World's top crude trader isn't ruling out $200 if ship-to-ship transfers near Hormuz are disrupted -- Oil Price
• Climate activists want the Supreme Court to impose Green New Deal that voters rejected -- The Federalist
• U.S. Supreme Court weighs fate of hotly-contested climate lawsuits against oil companies -- Free Beacon
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