Operation EPIC FURY -- This Is Starting To Get Serious -- For Saudi Arabia -- March 28, 2026

Locator: 50351SAUDI.

This could be incredibly serious for Saudi Arabia -- it's not as if Venezuela doesn't exist? 

For the US:

The original objective: help Israel take out Iran's nuclear program. 

The new objective: find the next off-ramp.   

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Long Term

AI prompt: 

Are Exxon, Chevron, others seriously considering Venezuela now with threat of Strait of Hormuz being controlled by Iran as the new normal?

Reply: 

And this is heavy oil, highly coveted by US refiners. 

 

You know, this is very, very interesting. Trump said today that going into the "war," he expected markets to fall much more than they have, and he expected the price of oil to surge much more than it has. That still may happen.

 

But presidents are change agents and think strategically. If one starts connecting the dots, it sure seems like Trump, Rubio, etc., are spending a a lot of time thinking about the Monroe Doctrine and acting.

 

Cuba.

Maduro / Venezuela.

 

The Panama Canal / kicking China out.

Stopping renewal energy growth -- is determined to end windmills in America. 

 

In the big scheme of things, it doesn't take oil companies to turn things around pretty quickly if they want.

Look at the time line for the Bakken revolution. Less than a decade to go from zero to a million bopd. 

 

And that was pretty much all "unproven" going in.

Venezuela: "they" already know what Venezuela has. 

 

Ticker: CVX -- 30-year horizon -- 

 

Windfall profits tax? Not under this administration, but in 2029? Certainly likely. 

 

LNG:
Cheniere: share price up 26% over six months;
Venture Global: share price up23% over same six months;

 

Reported yesterday: Cheniere's fifth train is now operational -- 
 

AI prompt:  

How does Cheneire's current LNG export capacity with 5th train now operational at Corpus Christi compare with VG's total export capacity?

Reply:  

Astounding! Is anyone paying attention? 

• Cheniere: by far and away, the largest at 50 mtpa;
• VG: seeks to be exporting twice that amount in less than four years (100+ mtpa) 

Clearing Out The In-Box -- The Jevons Paradox -- March 28, 2026

Locator: 50350COMPUTE.

Personal computers: entering the AI world. Link here. New AI apps on personal computers can now do in seconds compared to hours for supercomputers to do the same calculations. Tag: DIMON.

Gilding the lily: Jensen Huang was said to have recently said that his supercomputer in Plano, TX, is the fastest supercomputer in the world. What does a chatbot have to say?

Scientific supercomputers vs AI-computers. The next frontier. Link here.

Scientific computing and artificial intelligence were once separate worlds, using different kinds of calculations on distinctly different hardware. But the two fields are steadily merging, as shown by a massive new machine coming to Berkeley, Calif.

On Thursday, the Department of Energy’s laboratory near the University of California, Berkeley, said it had selected Dell Technologies to deliver its next flagship supercomputer in 2026. The system will use Nvidia chips tailored for A.I. calculations and the simulations common to energy research and other scientific fields.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory expects the new machine — to be named for Jennifer Doudna, a Berkeley biochemist who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize for chemistry — to offer more than a tenfold speed boost over the lab’s most powerful current system. If fully outfitted, the machine could be the Energy Department’s biggest resource for tasks like training A.I. models, said Jonathan Carter, associate laboratory director for computing sciences at the Berkeley center.

The supercomputer stands out for its technology choices, which indicate the growing desire for government labs to adopt more technologies from commercial A.I. systems. Nvidia chips, though widely used by big cloud companies as well as in supercomputers, were passed over by the Energy Department for three previous record-setting machines that were assembled by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Dell has hardly been a player in the highest end of the supercomputer market, but it has had success in large commercial A.I. installations.

Also: lines blurring between supercomputing and high-performance computers. Link here. February 27, 2025, Semiconductor Engineering. 

This is an incredibly good background article. Must-read if interested in this subject. Hopefully, the link doesn't break any time soon. The bottom line for me: Jensen Huang may be right -- the fastest supercomputer in the world is now sited in Plano, TX.  

Personal computers: market share -- 

• overall
• HP Inc: usually holds the lead, at 25%
• Dell: generally the "Avis" position at 23% to 25%
• Apple: rapid growth; premium market; 14% to 15%or
• Android: 
• HP Inc and Dell, almost the entire enchilada
• non-Android: 
• Apple

Bottom line: looking back at DIMON (above), a lot of folks have supercomputers sitting on their desks. 

 

Google: TurboQuant. Link here. One needs to read the entire story, not just the headline. Jevons Paradox, link here. This seems to be a no-brainer. Someone gets a wiki page for stating that as things get less expensive, folks buy more? Quick: was Jevons English or Scottish? By the way, I misread what he actually said and why what he said is important. He was English, by the way. Read the wiki link regarding the history and development of the Jevons Paradox.

Budget -- This Is Why I Always Lease From Enterprise -- March 28, 2026

Locator: 50349CARRENTAL.

Link to New York Times.

 

In this case, the customer lost, and long term, Budget lost a customer. 

I understand the "small print" and the "legalese" but I don't understand at all why Budget would put that in the small print in the first place? Except to significantly "screw" the customer, why would a rental company care if someone returns a car early. Where I live, Enterprise is often short vehicles, and seems to appreciate when I bring back my rental early. 

Also, it appears, Enterprise has one low rate all the time. I've not seen ads from Enterprise offering "budget" deals if one contracts for specified periods of time. Yes, they have weekend rates, etc., etc., but these rates are not subject to change if they bring the car back early. 

Now that customers know this Budget trick, I would assume the best course of action is to bring the car back to the rental location, but not check in at the office. Simply leave the keys in the car, leave, and complete the "return paperwork" online. The problem: at airports, it is not uncommon that as soon as you arrive at the rental agency, they scan the barcode on the car and that time-stamps the return date/time. I try very, very hard not to rent at an airport location, unless, off course, it's Enterprise. 

Where Does The Greenpeace Settlement Stand With Oil Companies In North Dakota? March 28, 2026

Locator: 50348GREENPEACE.

My hunch: George Soros will bankroll this appeal and the new lawsuit in the Netherlands. 

Alison's Quick Connects -- March 28, 2026

Locator: 50347ALISON. 

Quick connects:

• North Dakota oil production holds firm amid global turmoil -- McKenzie County Farmer

• Data center developer looks west, backs power upgrades near Fargo -- North Dakota Monitor

• Dunn County issues moratorium on various data and energy projects -- KFYR-TV

• Oil production flat in January; producers waiting to see where price lands -- Bismarck Tribune

• Oil is nearly $100 a barrel. Don't expect North Dakota activity to ramp up soon. -- North Dakota Monitor

• TigerSwan saga in ND ends with settlement of DAPL highway shutdown lawsuit -- Bismarck Tribune

• NDDEQ seeks comment on proposed permits for natural gas plants in Divide County -- Minot Daily News

• Storage options for waste key as North Dakota lawmakers study nuclear energy -- North Dakota Monitor

• State holds hearings on transmission project; PSC receives testimony from Basin, landowners -- The Journal

• Data center restrictions signed into South Dakota law after push for incentives failed -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota Industrial Commission approves $1 million in grants for renewable energy -- KX News

• North Dakota oil industry resists price surge; stark departure from bust and boom cycle -- Aberdeen News

• North Dakota governor plans to use $1M war chest to support candidates he trusts -- Bismarck Tribune

• How endorsements could play out at this weekend's North Dakota Republican Convention -- KFYR-TV

• Port: NDGOP convention attendance will fall far short of previous cycles and party chair estimates -- InForum

• Former State Legislator Ralph Metcalf passed away at the North Dakota Veteran's Home -- NewsDakota

• Bismarck teacher Jacobs-Fode enters District 47 legislative race with Dem-NPL backing -- Bismarck Tribune

• SAVE Act contains exemption for ND voters; questions remain as debate continues -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota government efficiency task force targets state building maintenance -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota lawmakers question oversight board after audit reveals failures -- Bismarck Tribune

• North Dakota moves forward with stablecoin as banks express interest in project -- North Dakota Monitor

• Basin, NextEra update county on River Run potential; open house to be held March 30 -- Hazen Star

• State is making its first moves in granting money from the Rural Health Transformation Program -- KFYR-TV

• FHA awards Dickinson Municpal Airport $2.4M through Airport Infrastructure Grant Program -- Kevin Cramer

• Dickinson airport to start construction on new terminal, groundbreaking set for early May -- KFYR-TV

• From boomtown to hometown: Watford City charts path for next generation -- McKenzie County Farmer

• Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, NDDOT present plow to Medora children -- Dickinson Press

• Minot property owners getting new assessment notices due to transparency requirements -- KX News

• Williston signs agreement with Sun Country for fall season direct flights to Las Vegas -- Williston Herald

• Crews to begin striping work on Highway 2 and 2nd Avenue West in Williston next week -- KFYR-TV

• North Dakota State University welcomes Marshall Stewart as first finalist for president -- Dickinson Press

• NDSU president finalist speaks about trust, research, balancing academics and athletics -- InForum

• 3rd finalist explains to students, faculty and staff why he wants to be the next NDSU president -- InForum

• More North Dakota universities sign up to provide bachelor's degrees at Williston State College -- KFYR-TV

• No applications yet as rules for charter schools go into effect in North Dakota on April 1st -- KFYR-TV

• Bismarck School Board of Education announces approval of $127 million bond referendum -- KFYR-TV

• Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states -- News From the States

• Temporarily banning data centers draws more interest from state and local officials -- North Dakota Monitor

• US Energy Secretary tells oil executives amid war in Iran to encourage production ramp up -- E&E News

• US-Iran war damaged oil markets more than Russia-Ukraine conflict, Chevron CEO says -- E&E News

• Middle Eastern and Asian investors express interest in potential crude oil pipeline in Canada -- Reuters

• Saudi Arabia officials see spike to $180 oil if energy shock persists past April -- Wall Street Journal

• Cuba's power grid collapses leaving the country without electricity for the third time this month -- AP News

• Trump administration will reimburse TotalEnergies for fossil fuel investment as it ditches wind -- The Hill

• How China's rare earth ban backfired and accidentally created its biggest competition -- Oil Price

• The US rise to becoming net petroleum exporter, reversing decades of reliance on imports -- Visual Capitalist

• As national average gas price nears $4 a gallon, here's how close prices are to 2022 records -- KX News

• Chevron said it is threatening to close its oil refineries in California due to overregulation -- The Hill

• EPA approves waiver for expanded nationwide E15 gasoline sale, aiming to lower gas prices -- KFYR-TV

• Former EPA staffers, now working for enviro groups, sue to block endangerment finding repeal -- Breitbart

• Iran's gift to the world: 10 oil tankers allowed to transit Strait of Hormuz in sign of easing tension -- Oil Price

• Venezuela oil production climbs to 1.1M barrels per day this month, up from 942K bpd in February -- Oil Price

• Slightly more than half the drilling executives surveyed don't plan to boost production this year -- E&E News

• David Blackmon: Why the climate alarmist lobby fears American citizens deciding elections -- Daily Caller

• Wind and solar power are a costly mistake, breaking the electric grid ? and your wallet -- RealClearEnergy

• Great news: Oil majors cut energy transition spending, done bankrolling "green" energy -- Climate Realism

 

CoreWeave -- Applied Digital -- Related Digital -- Another Rabbit Hole -- March 28, 2026

Locator: 50346STARGATE. 

This all started with trying to figure out exactly the relationship between CoreWeave and Related Digital at Startgate Michigan, and then stumbling onto Applied Digital when a chatbot was confused about what I was asking. After an hour or so of digging, this AI prompt: 

Is Stargate (OpenAI, Oracle) somewhat unique in that it is combining large language model / large data center with cloud capabilities under one roof?

Reply: 

Which led to this AI prompt:

n an earlier reply, you mentioned a Stargate "flagship" facility without mentioning the name or the location of that "flagship" facility. Stargate has five locations. Which is its "

Reply: 

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Still More Clarification

AI prompt: Stargate Michigan: exactly what is each company's role -- Oracle and Related Digital. Is Oracle playing the role that CoreWeave is playing at other large data centers?

Reply:   

Finally, I think I get it.

AI -- Progression -- Jargon -- March 28, 2026

Locator: 50345JARGON. 

AI prompt: AI. Is this the general progression: training --> inference --> AGI --> the singularity?

Reply: