An ex-Google engineer is scraping YouTube to pop our filter bubbles

He’s built a website that lets you see how often YouTube’s algorithm recommends videos, so you can find out where it wants to take you.
If you’ve ever used YouTube, you’ve probably noticed that it’s easy to fall into a sort of viewing trance: you start out watching a funny cat video, and suddenly it’s an hour later and you’ve blown through a bunch more-each one recommended to you on the right side of the screen, served up helpfully by the site’s algorithm.
As we’re increasingly learning from social networks like Facebook and Twitter, algorithms can be used to manipulate people in all kinds of ways by showing us more of one thing and less of another. This might be fine (and fun!) when you’re looking for cute kitten videos, but it can lead you down a path of fear, conspiracy theories, and one-sided thinking if you find yourself watching videos about some other subjects, such as vaccines, recent school shootings, or climate change.

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Comfort Systems USA Announces Acquisition

Business Wire | February 01, 2024

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. today announced that it has closed its previously announced transaction to acquire Summit Industrial Construction, LLC (“Summit”) headquartered in Houston, Texas. As previously disclosed, Summit is a specialty industrial mechanical contractor offering engineering, design-assist and turnkey, direct hire construction services of modular systems serving the advanced technology, power, and industrial sectors. Summit’s capabilities encompass a wide range of modular and site-based construction, including process piping, equipment setting, large pipe rack trestles, and related steel erection and specialty concrete work. Summit is a trusted supplier to some of the world’s largest advanced technology, power and industrial companies and is currently deployed on several major chip fabrication projects. Initially, Summit is expected to contribute annualized revenues of approximately $375 million to $400 million, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of $35 million to $40 million. In light of the amortization expense, Summit is expected to make a neutral to slightly accretive contribution to earnings per share in 2024 and 2025. Brian Lane, Comfort Systems USA’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to announce the closing of our agreement to acquire Summit, an extremely capable provider of modular and other complex mechanical services. Summit brings a stellar reputation as a modular technology leader in growing end markets, including multiple ongoing and large semiconductor projects. We are happy to welcome Summit’s wonderful leadership team and excellent production and craft workers across many states, and we are confident Summit will continue to innovate and grow as a part of our network of world-class contracting companies. We are grateful that Summit has chosen to become part of Comfort Systems USA.”

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