SCRAMBLE: Blackstone to invest $5 billion in AI infrastructure venture with Google

Summary

Garage Logic: Weekly Scramble

Episode Theme: Blackstone, Google & the $5 Billion AI Infrastructure Bet

Date: May 19, 2026
Hosts: Chris Reivers & Mike Fratelloni
Podcast Network: Gamut Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

This episode of Garage Logic's "Weekly Scramble" blends everyday observations, humor, and serious reflection on technology, aging, and culture. The key discussion centers on Blackstone's $5 billion investment in a joint AI infrastructure venture with Google, exploring both the awe and anxiety around artificial intelligence’s rapid expansion and energy consumption. Interspersed are comedic reflections on aging, classic movie lines, and life’s simple joys—true to the "Garage Logic" spirit.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will Ferrell on SNL & the Enduring Power of Comedy

• [01:45 - 07:51]
  • Chris and Mike kick off by reviewing Will Ferrell’s recent hosting of Saturday Night Live, recalling an especially memorable hospital skit:
    • Chris: “I have not laughed at a Saturday Night Live skit that hard in a long time." (04:09)
    • Mike: "It's okay to laugh. If someone on the other side of your fence makes a joke, you can laugh at that and they can laugh at us. It's okay. Life doesn't have to be as serious as we make it.” (06:08)
  • Discussion on how comedy has changed and how SNL now competes with social media for attention.
  • Will Ferrell's drum-off with Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and music trivia nostalgia.

2. Reflections on Aging & Generational Shifts

• [07:51 - 10:12, 13:37 - 16:11]
  • Mike shares a self-deprecating story of seeing himself on a security camera, comparing his own aging to Will Ferrell's.
    • Mike: "Nothing's more depressing than seeing yourself when you least expect it in a video and think, that's now what I look like." (09:16)
  • Both hosts admit the emotional impact of physical aging, feeling out-of-place or "retiring in reverse."
  • Generational movie nostalgia: films like Old School (2003) are now as old to today’s teens as Ben Hur (1960) was to Mike.

3. Alaska’s Midnight Sun: Adaptation & Perspective

• [16:11 - 19:35]
  • Chris tells of Alaska’s three-month period of continuous daylight and the corresponding psychological impact.
    • Chris: "I can't imagine how depressing that is... it was really hard to get used to not really being able to sleep as well because it's still light out." (17:35)
  • The hosts consider how people adapt to extreme daylight/darkness and riff on how people elsewhere must view living in Minnesota winters.

4. Main Event: Blackstone, Google & the AI Infrastructure Surge

Introduction

• [21:54 - 26:11]
  • Blackstone, the world's largest private data center owner, is investing $5B with Google in a new US-based artificial intelligence infrastructure company.
  • Google supplies its custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), providing 500 megawatts of compute capacity by 2027.
    • Chris: “Blackstone...are the world's largest private owner of data centers...going to invest $5 billion in equity capital in a new artificial intelligence infrastructure company with Google. What could go wrong?” (21:56)
    • Mike: "But 500 megawatts...it's like, oh, that doesn't sound like much...what 500 megawatts is, is shocking." (22:49)

Scale of the Project—Staggering Energy Use

• [24:08 - 25:03]
  • Mike translates 500 megawatts into homes powered: “That services today 500,000 homes. So they are taking this $5 billion and investing in power plants...to create 500 megawatts of power. That could also electrify 500,000 homes—the city of St. Paul, the city of Minneapolis.” (24:39)
  • Both hosts voice concerns about the environmental and societal implications.

AI’s Economic Impact, Job Anxiety & Societal Consequences

• [25:17 - 26:51]
  • Mike highlights how Microsoft bought Three Mile Island's remaining nuclear plants, comparing the AI "power arms race" to other major shifts.
  • Chris and Mike reflect on career prospects for the next generation—many technical jobs may be automated away.
    • Mike: “Something is creepy about this...we are at the precipice of something really weird.” (25:31)
    • Chris: “All of these kids that are learning this technology...at some point, that coding and that thing is not going to be done by a human being.” (26:11)

Cultural & Ethical Concerns—What is Real in the Age of AI?

• [26:51 - 29:37]
  • AI-generated OnlyFans performers: Chris describes how lifelike AI avatars, managed by regular people, are blurring the line between real and artificial.
    • Chris: "I just thought...there is just so much going on out there that I have no idea what's happening." (28:12)
  • The hosts debate authenticity and technology’s power to manufacture reality, especially with deepfakes.
  • The famous old viral football/baseball videos are cited: many believed they were real—now the fakes are everywhere: “That’s not real. That is completely fake.” (29:02)

Existential Musings—Are We in a Simulation?

• [29:37 - 31:04]
  • Mike references Elon Musk’s simulation hypothesis as a means of expressing AI-induced existential dread:
    • Mike: “That's why when Elon Musk says, maybe we're living in a simulation right now, he is maybe 100% right...maybe we're in a terrarium right now on some guy's desk.” (29:37)
  • The upshot: stay grounded, find joy, choose happiness.

5. The Value of Simple Joys (and Not Overthinking Life)

• [31:04 - 32:01]
  • The hosts conclude that, in a world of technological change, genuine laughter and contentment are essential.
    • Mike: “You, too, Reivers, could choose happiness. Do I sound like a guru?...Why pick that crappy one? Why don't you pick the positive one and...just lie to yourself.” (31:04 & 31:12)
  • Celebrate the familiar: eating pie, playing basketball, camaraderie in the garage.

6. Closing Segments: Movie Quotes, Trivia, and Listener Interaction

• [32:55 - 37:21]
  • Movie lines and trivia: "You can't handle the truth!" from A Few Good Men; "Hooah!" from Scent of a Woman.
  • Reflecting on how iconic lines linger and become “family language” even when younger generations might miss the reference.
  • Lighthearted speculation on Tom Cruise and Pamela Anderson's dating rumors.
  • Spirited encouragement for listeners to play along and enjoy the banter.

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Memorable Quotes by Timestamp

• “It is okay to laugh. Life doesn’t have to be as serious as we make it... Sometimes you can just have Will Ferrell talk about cutting a guy’s wiener off and saying, that was an unfortunate accident.”
  — Mike Fratelloni (06:08)

• “500 megawatts...services today 500,000 homes. That could also electrify...the city of St. Paul, the city of Minneapolis. We need so much power to have AI run efficiently. Something is creepy about this, Reivers.”
  — Mike Fratelloni (24:39)

• “All of these kids...that coding and that thing is not going to be done by a human being.”
  — Chris Reivers (26:11)

• “Maybe we’re living in a simulation right now, he is maybe 100% right. Maybe you and I aren't even here... It’s so scary.”
  — Mike Fratelloni (29:37)

• “You, too, Reivers, could choose happiness. Do I sound like a guru?”
  — Mike Fratelloni (31:04)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Will Ferrell/SNL Skit & Comedy — 01:45–07:51
• Aging & Generational Movie/Pop-Culture References — 07:51–10:12, 13:37–16:11
• Alaska’s Midnight Sun & Life Perspective — 16:11–19:35
• Blackstone & Google’s $5B AI Venture — 21:54–31:04
  • Explanation of Power Usage: 24:08–25:03
  • Societal Anxiety about AI: 25:17–26:51
  • Deepfakes and the Nature of Reality: 26:51–29:37
• Choosing Laughter & Positivity — 31:04–32:01
• Movies, Quotes & Trivia Games — 32:55–37:21

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Tone & Style

• Relaxed, genuine banter balanced with sharp, sometimes poignant insight
• Unfiltered humor laced with nostalgia and self-aware reflection
• Accessible explanations of complex topics (e.g., megawatts → homes equivalence)

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For New Listeners

If you care about how major tech trends impact everyday life, enjoy irreverent humor, or just want to feel like you’re in a Minnesota garage with friends, this episode provides an engaging look at the intersection of AI, pop-culture, and “common sense” skepticism. The hosts’ blend of levity and sincerity makes for an hour that’s as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

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Listen if:

• You want to understand why Blackstone and Google’s AI play really matters
• You appreciate candid, relatable podcasting about tech, aging, and culture
• You get the joke when someone asks if KFC is still open after streaking through the quad

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Summary by: Podcast Summarizer AI for Garage Logic, May 2026

Transcript

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[Mishke]

It's a world of artificial intelligence, of limited character tweets, of mini clips on TikTok. My name's Mishke, and the Mishke Podcast offers something wholly different. The lost art of simple human storytelling. Whether humorous tales, absurd narratives, or real drama, telling stories is my stock in trade. So escape to the very human Mishki Podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts,

[Mike Fratelloni]

This is the weekly Scramble, a place where we chat about life over a cold one or two. It's time to belly up to the pod with Mike Frattaloni and your host, Chris Reivers.

[Chris Reivers]

That's right, it's time for the weekly Scramble podcast. My name is Chris Reivers. With me as always, his name is Mike Fratelloni. Hello, Michael.

[Mike Fratelloni]

How you doing, Reivers?

[Chris Reivers]

I'm doing well. I'm doing well. And you know, one of the things I'm trying to. Trying to keep in mind what you said me maybe a week or two ago about let's try to find some silver lining, some positive things to talk about from time to time. Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, we'll get to the doom and gloom later in the podcast.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Stay tuned.

[Chris Reivers]

But I got to tell you, because Joe and I argue about this all of the time on Garage Logic. Joe Sushri, for those of you that don't listen to that show, which I don't think there's many of you, but Will Ferrell hosted Saturday Night Live last Saturday and I'm assuming, I think it was the season finale because it's about that time of the year where we go into reruns for most of network programming. And I gotta tell you, I don't know what it is about Will Ferrell, but no matter what he does, chances are I'm gonna laugh at it. Chances are I'm gonna find it funny. Even though he's had some stinkers. Film related.

[Mike Fratelloni]

We occasionally have had bad podcasts, but

[Chris Reivers]

every time, I mean, some of my Talladega nights. Old school. Old school. I mean, there's all step brothers. All of those movies are iconic and. Well, careful.

[Mike Fratelloni]

See now, iconic lines.

[Chris Reivers]

I know, but now I can say

[Mike Fratelloni]

iconic when it comes to comedy.

[Chris Reivers]

All right, speaking of quick aside, did you see the NFL schedule release stuff?

[Mike Fratelloni]

No.

[Chris Reivers]

Okay, I'll get to that in a moment. I'm going to write that down because I do want to bring that up. Anyway, so Will Ferrell hosted Saturday Night Live, and there's a skit on there in which. And I'll admit I rarely watch that show live anymore. It's like way too late, 100%. I'm in bed way before that. But what I will do is when I see something funny on social media, I'll click on it and then I'll go back and try to find the whole entire. Either the episode or the segment or whatever. There's a skit. And ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to. And yes, it's fifth grade potty humor, perfect. But he plays a doctor in a hospital in which he removes a patient's gallbladder and he has some unfortunate news in which he informs the patient whose wife is standing next to him as he delivers the. As he calls it, unfortunate news that we mistakenly. Some wires were crossed and we removed your penis. I gotta tell you, I have not. Excuse me, I have not laughed at a Saturday Night Live skit that hard in a long time.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I watched the skit. Remind me how. He said he had his wires crossed.

[Chris Reivers]

So the patient was in there, we removed the gallbladder, and he said. The nurse said, remember to clean and remove this in reference to a medical supply tray. Remember to clean and remove this. And he said, I thought she meant remember to remove his penis. I'm thinking. But the casual nature with which Will Ferrell delivers the line and the traumatic response from the patient, because, yeah, I'd probably be pretty upset too. And he said, well, can it be reattached? He said, yes, it could. However, it was thrown in the incinerator, the biohazard contaminate. What do you call it? Contamination container. And then it was. Then it was set ablaze, basically turned into. And the thing is, that's why Joe and I argue. It hasn't been funny in 50 years. No, you're wrong. I mean, granted, is it a home run from Beginning to end. No, but there are so many times where there's so many funny skits. And the thing is, I thought about this as I watched that skit. Whether it was Saturday Night Live from when did it debut? 1975. Right. 51 years ago, something like that. Whether it debuted way back when, even to 25 years ago, that show never had the competition that it has right now. You know, whether it's social media, TikTok, I mean, all these comedians are putting out so much material right now. YouTube. Right. So there's so much more it has to compete with from just a content production standpoint.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And audiences want 30 seconds, not five minutes. Not a five minute skit. Right.

[Chris Reivers]

Go ahead.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It is a. It is okay to laugh.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, man. Especially right now.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And it's okay to laugh. If someone on the other side of your fence makes a joke, you can laugh at that and they can laugh at us. It's okay. Life doesn't have to be as serious as we make it. Right. Sometimes you can just have Will Ferrell talk about cutting a guy's wiener off and saying, that was an unfortunate accident.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, but it's Kenny's.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Like, the patient was like, wait, wait, what did you say?

[Chris Reivers]

Yeah, and you would think. I mean, the guy was sitting pretty calmly before he discovered the news. You'd think that he might have been in a little bit more discomfort or maybe the drugs were just that good, or.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Or he's like, I'm married. I don't even use the damn thing. What does it matter?

[Chris Reivers]

Not even necessary.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I just need a little bucket to pee, and that's all I need.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, man. But it was. It was really, really funny. So I encourage anybody out there to. To find the skit because, man, I got to tell you, I have not laughed that hard at a Saturday night skin.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Did he play drums with Sir Paul McCartney?

[Chris Reivers]

No, but there was. So, you know, the whole Chad Smith.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Right.

[Chris Reivers]

Okay, so Chad Smith, drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He does look like a brother from another mother. Yeah, they look. He almost looks like an older brother of Will Ferrell. And they had a skit. Was it. Was it the Tonight Show? Who did they do? It might have been Jimmy Fallon.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, Fallon.

[Chris Reivers]

Well, obviously it might have been. Yeah. Since Saturday Night Live, but he was on with Fallon, and they came out and kind of did a drum off where they were dressed up as each other, and it was kind of funn.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And Ferrell's quite the drummer.

[Chris Reivers]

Is he really?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, yeah. He's just competing with Chad Smith. I Mean, he's not Chad Smith quality, but he's a very good drummer.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, okay. I guess I did not know that, but it was pretty funny. So I encourage you to, man. Like I said, I laugh really, really hard on that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So I looked this up. Will Ferrell is 58 years old.

[Chris Reivers]

Okay? He looked old.

[Mike Fratelloni]

He looked like an old, old guy. You know how I know that he looked old? Because yesterday I was in my garage during the storms, right? The garage that's not connected to my house.

[Chris Reivers]

We're all so old, by the way, because I did the same thing.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, you were just out in the

[Chris Reivers]

garage watching the storm?

[Mike Fratelloni]

I was watching the storm. But then I see a basketball up on the shelf. So I get the basketball down and it's deflated a little bit. So I get my compressor started up. I lick the tip of the little thing, the needle that I have to put in there. I get it up to like £17. Feels about right. And then I proceed to bounce the ball around, talking to myself during the storm, saying things like, whoa, that was a big one, right? Saying this kind of stuff to myself, chris, I looked like a special needs old retiree.

[Chris Reivers]

How do you know what you looked like?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Because my ring camera caught it. And my wife said, the hell are you doing in the garage? Oh, my God, I'm talking to myself. I can barely dribble a ball. I mean, actually, I was dribbling just fine, but I'm trying to, like, go through my legs. I'm feeling like I'm Taye Diggs pretending I'm a NBA star, right? Because I look as good as Taye Diggs playing ball, pretending to shoot hoops up into the rafters of my garage. I looked like I was Benjamin frickin Button the wrong direction. I was like, what is that? Is that me? Is that old babbling man that's playing basketball by himself in the garage? Me? Nothing's more depressing than seeing yourself when you least expect it in a video and think, that's now what I look like. So I was making fun of Will Ferrell for looking old until I saw my video. And I thought, oh, you really? And Will's three years older than me, so who knows what I'm going to look like in three years?

[Chris Reivers]

And it is. You constantly get these reminders and just being active with both my son's baseball teams, and I'm still a part of my hometown Faribault Lakers town baseball team. It is a reminder, too, where you're like, oh, I can do that. And then you Realize, no, no, no. You can't do that anymore. It's still fun to feel a part of a sport and a game that you grew up playing as a kid. And then it's also equally as saddening knowing you can't do that anymore.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay. I was a marathon runner. I was a good run. I was a good athlete. I was a crossfitter for years. Ran multiple marathons. I felt like I'm. I'm still thin, right? My corporate headquarters is across the street from the bank. Sometimes I have to cross the street to get to the bank to deposit something. Sometimes traffic is two blocks away, and I think I better kind of hustle. So I gotta make it across the first few steps of me running, like, getting my body moving again. It feels like I could just crumble. Like I'm built of glass. Like I'm like, oh. And I'm like, I'm gonna fall in the middle of this road. And I felt like I was an athlete. Like, you feel like you were an athlete, right?

[Chris Reivers]

Sure, sure.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You were an athlete. You were a collegiate athlete. And I felt like I was always in fairly good shape. It is unbelievable how old I feel when I wake up in the morning. I feel like I need to go to the. Get an oil can like the Tin man and, you know, squirt some oil into my knee joints. It is a sad thing. That's why. That's why. Reavers, full circle. You need to laugh today.

[Chris Reivers]

Yes, you do.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You need to watch Saturday live. You need to see the skit where he wears the outfit that has no back to it, and he just bends over and he's wearing, like, women's underwear or leather pants, right? Yeah. Or leather underpants.

[Chris Reivers]

You know what will make you feel young?

[Mike Fratelloni]

What?

[Mishke]

Golf.

[Chris Reivers]

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[Mike Fratelloni]

You know what's weird?

[Chris Reivers]

Reverse Talk to me.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So I was thinking about Will Ferrell again. I thought when was old school and that was 2003.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh my God, 35 years old.

[Mike Fratelloni]

2003. Then I said, well what movies in the early 80s? What movies were 23 years old when I was in my early 80s? Like you know, 12, 13, 14. So I went back. Well, old school is as far back for a 12 year old today as Ben Hur was for me because that was 1960. I was like, oh my God, does that make you feel old? That when I was 12 years old if I wanted to watch a 23 year old movie, it was Ben Frickin her from 1960.

[Chris Reivers]

There are lines that come up from movies like that I'll use as a reference point. And then my kids who probably haven't seen the movie yet, although I did discover that my two boys have now seen Happy Gilmore 2 before I've had the chance to see Happy Gilmore 2.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh really?

[Chris Reivers]

Okay, so I'm excited to see that. But the line I use from that movie all the time that we kind of joke about is when you're being an idiot. And I'll say, hey, hon, do you think KFC's still open? Cause that's the scene after he goes streaking through the quads, and then the wife picks him up as he's naked running through the street. And he's kind of backs into the car butt first, and he's like, hey, do you think KFC is still open? Meaning, read the room, dude. But yeah, that's one of those lines I've stolen from that movie that I've used with my kids.

[Mike Fratelloni]

There are some great lines. 1960, Academy Awards, Gigi, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the Defiant Ones and Separate table. Those were all. That would be a fun game. Reverse.

[Chris Reivers]

Yeah, you should.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Instead of Johnny Hight talking about who's going to go into the Music hall of Fame, you should quiz these guys on what movies. That's not a bad idea because it's not that long ago, but they 100% remember what was 20 years before when you're on the beautiful show that you produce.

[Chris Reivers]

So I have a question for you. One of the things I wanted to bring up, and I actually meant to get to this last week, and I'm gonna see if I can find it. But you travel. I do both personally and for work, and I do once in a while. I mean, grant that I have kids that are severely active as you do. So it's. It's a little bit more difficult. And right now everything's so damn expensive. But one of the things I saw, I believe it took place shortly longer than a week ago today.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Shortly, longer than a week ago.

[Chris Reivers]

I'm trying to find. I'm trying to.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, talk me through it.

[Chris Reivers]

As you can see, I just found it. I just found it. Okay, we're gonna head to Alaska.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay.

[Chris Reivers]

All right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

North and west.

[Chris Reivers]

The city is called. It's spelled U, T, Q IAGV I K. I'm just gonna call it Utikik. Is that what it's called?

[Mike Fratelloni]

No idea. I totally made it up.

[Chris Reivers]

So Utikik, Alaska. So this was May 11th. What was that? Yeah, shortly longer than a week ago. See, I nailed it 12 days ago, but I wanted it. So I'm bringing this up because I had a friend stationed there. I have a friend who was stationed there maybe two years ago.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Stationed in Alaska or in this town?

[Chris Reivers]

Yeah, stationed there. So he works for the Coast Guard and he does it Related systems work for the Coast Guard. So he's been all over the place.

[Mike Fratelloni]

He's not even on a boat.

[Chris Reivers]

No. Well, he's on shore. But that's basically his job. So he was in Alaska, he's telling

[Mike Fratelloni]

everybody their WI FI passwords, thank you for your service sir.

[Chris Reivers]

But he sent me a photo of him stationed wherever he was stationed at with his little Coast Guard related military vehicle. And he was around this area. So on May 11, Utakik, Alaska experienced its final sunset for roughly three months on May 11, welcoming in its summer midnight sun period of continuous daylight. And with this particular post, there's the accompanying video in which the sun almost goes underneath the surface of the earth. It pops right back up. So it's light out all day now. Six months from now, it's the exact opposite.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It'd be dark.

[Chris Reivers]

It never gets light out. And I can't imagine how depressing that is.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Could you imagine living there?

[Chris Reivers]

That's exactly why I wanted to bring it up.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I just can't imagine.

[Chris Reivers]

Because my buddy Joel said and he knew his time there was going to be short lived, but he and a couple of his buddies were golfing at midnight. Oh, that's kind of fun just to say they did right. And he goes, the thing is, he goes, it was really hard to get used to not really being able to sleep as well because it's still light out. So your body's still thinking, well it's

[Mike Fratelloni]

daytime, let's get going, let's go do something.

[Chris Reivers]

And conversely, it must be harder than hell to get out of bed when it's still dark out at 11 o' clock in the morning or whatever the case may be.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I used to hate when it was so dark at 4:30 here till I started drinking. And then when I get off of work I'm like, yeah, let's go. It is nighttime, we can start drinking now when it's light till 9 o'. Clock. I gotta do stuff around the house. I'm still in work mode a little bit, I gotta get some stuff done. But in the winter when it's cold, I can go have a beer at 4:21.

[Chris Reivers]

It is almost, you know, this time of the year, as you know, unless you know, like we've had storms the last couple of nights. But when it is still light out at 8:45, 9pm you're kind of church going. Well, we still, oh my God, it is already 9 o'. Clock. Holy crap. You guys gotta get to bed, we gotta get to school in the morning.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I love that there's one weird thing about Florida. Cause it's roughly six to six every day, right? It's a little closer to the equator. It's roughly six. Six. It's not quite, but it's like. Well, six o' clock is. I like having more hours of nice daylight in the summertime. Right.

[Chris Reivers]

But I don't know if I could handle continuous daylight. Just like I know I couldn't handle continuous darkness. No, that would be. But I meant to look up the population of this area. But, you know, Alaska's got people living there, so obviously they're cool with it. Either that or they don't really have a choice. One of the other.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, let me ask you something.

[Chris Reivers]

All right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You and I are talking about who could live there, right?

[Chris Reivers]

Sure.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Who could live there? Do you think there's someone down in Florida right now thinking, how could people live in Minneapolis?

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, I'm sure, Right?

[Mike Fratelloni]

How could they do it? Just not the politics, just the weather. Like, how could they. And why could they live there?

[Chris Reivers]

Well, it's funny you mentioned the politics because you know your guy, moron Zamdami, is again begging people, hey, just kidding.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Just kidding. We actually need you. Did you hear how he said, hey, we balanced the budget, we did all this stuff. Congratulations, it's been done. And it was just his proposal to do it and had no reality, but he was celebrating his proposal. That's not real. That's not how that works, buddy.

[Chris Reivers]

There are people too that are saying this would be like your mechanic fixing everything about your car. And then you put in gas and say, hey, I took care of it. I got it done. Everybody, we're good to go here.

[Mike Fratelloni]

We're good to go. I did it.

[Chris Reivers]

But it's comical.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It is comical.

[Chris Reivers]

All right, here's the thing. Speaking of money, let's talk about our friends at North American Banking Company. It's banking done differently. And that's been taking place since 1999. And you know what? Way back then, in 1998, they made a promise to deliver a better banking experience for you, for your customers, for your family, and also for you business owners out there. And they've been delivering on that promise each and every single day. But you have to see it for yourself. Check them out online today. It's nabankco.com to learn more. It's banking done differently. And you know what? They offer the same updated online and mobile banking tools as all of those other big national banks. Whether you're looking to buy a home, perhaps finance a new home renovation project, or get that new car that you've been thinking about, my friends at North American Banking Company are going to make that happen. So see it for yourself today. It's nabankco.com to learn more. North American banking company member FDIC is an equal housing lender. The Weekly Scramble. We will be right back. I was interviewing Mr. MoneyTalk earlier today and he brought up a story that I want to bring up to you because you are going to have a strong opinion on this. And it's interesting because I am very, very intrigued in this story and terrified of it at the same time. Are you ready for this? You're familiar with the company Blackstone?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yup. I know them.

[Chris Reivers]

Blackstone has just announced, and this was, I think this broke late yesterday. Earlier today, Blackstone has just announced, Michael, they are the world's largest private owner of data centers, that they're going to invest $5 billion in equity capital in a new artificial intelligence infrastructure company with Google. What could go wrong?

[Mike Fratelloni]

What could.

[Chris Reivers]

The New York based asset management firm announced yesterday. Google will supply the new US Based company with its oh boy Tensor processing Units chips purpose built for processing artificial intelligence computations, bringing the first 500 megawatts of compute capacity online by 2027 with plans to scale significantly over time, blackstone said in a statement.

[Mike Fratelloni]

But 500 megawatts, right? It's like, oh, that doesn't sound like much. Right? Are you getting to that point in that story?

[Chris Reivers]

I think so.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Bear with me because what 500 megawatts is, is shocking.

[Chris Reivers]

This new company has enormous potential as it helps to meet the unprecedented demand for compute, john Gray, president and COO of Blackstone, said in a statement. The unnamed company will be helmed by Benjamin Traynor Sloss, who most recently served as Google's chief programs officer. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on whether Google would retain a direct leadership role in it. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the joint venture before Blackstone's official statement, said the private equity giant would hold a majority stake, citing sources familiar with the matter. Blackstone did not disclose the venture's ownership structure in its statement and did not respond to CNBC's request for comment by publication time. Okay. Blackstone, which manages more than 1.3 trillion in assets, has invested aggressively across the AI ecosystem and earlier this month established a similar venture with anthropic. I don't.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, let me quiz you.

[Chris Reivers]

Go ahead.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, so I thought that was a fascinating story, but more importantly, 500 megawatts, right?

[Chris Reivers]

Yes.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It sounds like, okay, megawatt, like my house maybe uses a megawatt. I don't know, like I'm trying to figure this out. Maybe. I just don't know and everyone else does. How many houses do you think, oh, my God, 500 megawatts of a standard house would use?

[Chris Reivers]

I honestly don't even. One mega. I don't know.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, see that? Okay, they're trying to bring on 500 megawatts of power that services today 500,000 homes.

[Chris Reivers]

Holy crap.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So they are taking this $5 billion and investing in power plants, nuclear, natural gas, whatever they have to do to create 500 megawatts of power. That could also electrify 500,000 homes. The city of St. Paul, the city of Minneapolis. It could do.

[Chris Reivers]

You know, wouldn't that be the entire state of Minnesota?

[Mike Fratelloni]

No. Yeah, probably. If it's 500,000 homes. I doubt we have 500,000 homes in this entire state. So their whole thing is we need so much power to tell us to have AI run efficiently. Something is creepy about this reverse.

[Chris Reivers]

Well, that's where I was going with this because again, I use AI on occasion, either for this job or making a dumb song with one of my kids or whatever. I use AI a lot. But this should terrify all of us.

[Mike Fratelloni]

When BlackRock says we need to invest as much as we can to build power plants. When Microsoft bought Three Mile island, they bought Three Mile island so they could turn on the other two nuclear power plants that didn't melt down. That's scary because they need to generate so much power for AI. We are at the precipice of something really weird. I'm sure you've seen some of these commencement speeches where the commencement speaker says, well, we're in this transitional world of AI and every kid in the room boos, something's wrong. Right? Because the kids know, crap, I'm not going to be able to get a job if this continues the way it's going to continue.

[Chris Reivers]

That's kind of where I was leaning as well. All of these kids that are learning this technology, I've got my older son, he loves to code. He loves to do all that stuff. He loves the nerd crap. And I'm thinking, well, that's great, dude, but at some point, that coding and that thing is not going to be done by a human being.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It's not done by a human being right now. Right? I mean, you don't need to know how to do it. What I do think is interesting, though, maybe in 15 years, everyone will work two hours a week. They'll still get paid the same that they're getting paid today. But their total capacity, because they'll be so incredibly efficient because of AI that those Two hours will be good enough so mankind can just get fatter and lazier and dumber.

[Chris Reivers]

I was watching a video and it was one of those what you call it. It's not pornos. Not a document. Well, I'm getting. It was not a doc, but it was one of these behind the scenes look of it was probably like a four or five minute video clip of this person who was creating AI content. Basically. OnlyFans AI content. All right, all right. And I was watching this and it's picture the absolute stunning blonde haired, blue eyed. Shut up. I know. Blonde haired, blue eyed. OnlyFans person that's like. There wasn't even nudity. Right. It was just. Oh, you know, I'm just sitting here and basically it was responding to someone who was asking about their day. Right. Well, I knew right away this person was fake. You can just tell, right?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Was it a computer fake or a robot? A gynoid?

[Chris Reivers]

It was computer fake.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, so it wasn't an Android.

[Chris Reivers]

But then it pans to the creator of said thing and it's some 50 year old dude in a torn T shirt who's probably making God knows how much creating this content that is being put online because there's obviously a demand for it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Sure.

[Chris Reivers]

And I just thought there is. So I finally felt like, Joe, there is just so much going on out there that I have no idea what's happening.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm gonna draw a line in the sand right now.

[Chris Reivers]

Okay.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I want my porn to be real.

[Chris Reivers]

You want it authentic?

[Mike Fratelloni]

I want to be. I want it verified somehow. Like I need to have it a certificate when I download it.

[Chris Reivers]

Sure.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yes. Because I can't have some AI pornography.

[Chris Reivers]

No point.

[Mike Fratelloni]

My wife. No wonder my wife hates this show because I say jokes like that. Jokes like that. Jokes, honey.

[Chris Reivers]

But I guess the part that really makes me nervous is what is gonna happen five years from now, five minutes from now? You can't tell what's anything where you know, because I've even had to explain to young men in my life like hey buddy, that's. That's fake.

[Mike Fratelloni]

No girl has boobs that great.

[Chris Reivers]

Well, that and it's like I always say this to people. I have an 11 year old, I have a 14 year old and I have a 70 year old where I have to say that's not real. Yeah, that's not real. That is completely fake. You're. It started, by the way, do you remember the viral video of Michael Vick throwing the football out of the stadium way back when he was. Or the Evan Longoria where he catches the ball and that almost hits the reporter in the face.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Sure. Yeah.

[Chris Reivers]

He thought both of those were real. Yeah. And that's 15 years ago.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And they're easily so. I mean, right. Fifteen years ago, we didn't do that as well.

[Chris Reivers]

Where are we headed with this? That's what I think is truly, truly the most frightening.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That's why when Elon Musk says, maybe we're living in a simulation right now, he is maybe 100% right. Maybe you and I aren't even here. No, our actual AI creations. How do we know we're not? And the AI creator said, well, we'll give them a little bit of food, and they need some sunlight, and they need some water. Oh, my gosh. Look at. They invented cars. Oh, good God. They're so fun. Maybe we're in a terrarium right now on some guy's desk. I mean, it's so scary. It's so scary. And our kids. But let me get back to this. All we have to do is put on a smile. I read something the other day. Reverse. And I know we can't bring it up because I can't say this word. It's the R word for someone who's special. Someone who's maybe categorized as an idiot. They use an R word for that person, and it's called R word maxing. Okay, I've heard about. So it's that R word and then the word maxing. And the concept is, is don't overthink things. Go ahead, bounce the basketball in your driveway for a while as you have a bourbon and a cigar. Don't overthink life. Get off the Internet, go to work, put a smile on your face when someone says, how was that pie? And the pie was crappy. Say, the pie was fantastic, because what does it matter? You might as well just be happy about stuff. And I think there's something that you and I could learn from that. And our listeners and viewers, all in

[Chris Reivers]

all, we're just another brick in the wall.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Really?

[Chris Reivers]

Yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

We might as well be happy. You can choose happiness. You, too, Reverse could choose happiness. Do I sound like a guru?

[Chris Reivers]

I was gonna say you sound like you should be a motivational.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You can pick sadness.

[Chris Reivers]

That's true.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Why? Why pick that crappy one?

[Chris Reivers]

Why don't you pick that one? When you pick the positive one and

[Mike Fratelloni]

just lie to yourself. And when someone says, was that that cheeseburger I made you great. You say, it was the best cheeseburger I ever had. Who cares? Who cares? You might as well. Say it and smile on your face. That's what I'm getting to in life. I'm just gonna keep smiling.

[Chris Reivers]

There you go.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah. And then they're gonna be, look at that old man bouncing the basketball, smiling the doofus.

[Chris Reivers]

That's what I'll get masters maples and mastersmaples.com. no, you have not. That's what I love about you. You know what? Our buddy Ben, he is the creator, the brains behind masters maples and mastersmaples.com and it's a wonderful product. And you know what? But right now, I have spoiled my kids to such a degree that if we go anywhere, if we're at a hotel, or if we're at Astromaster's Maple. Well, what's this slopper putting on my waffles? I don't want this crap. I want the real stuff. That's the part that's the best about you do taste the difference.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And it is real. It's not just high fructose corn syrup.

[Chris Reivers]

It's 100% pure maple syrup and the best that Minnesota has to offer. You can get all of their products at frat alumni's hardware and garden stores. You can also order it [e-mail] and you know what you can find. The syrup is great in and of itself, but you can also get the pure maple sugar for the bakers in your life. And I've got a father that loves oatmeal every single morning. Got him some Masters Maples pure maple sugar. And he won't have any other way. So now guess what? Now I've got to deliver that stuff each and every single time. But it's grilling season. So go into your Fratelloni's hardware and garden stores and get the sweet and savory seasonings and rubs. It's great on everything. And I mean everything. Fish, chicken, beef, it doesn't matter. It's the best. But order [e-mail] and you too can taste the difference. And we will be right back. Go ahead.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Michael Reivers, I really want you to play this game with the boys tomorrow on Garagelogic. So garage logic started in 1993?

[Chris Reivers]

Yep.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Can you name. You're not gonna be able to because this is an impossible thing. See if they can name any of the Academy Award winners from that year.

[Chris Reivers]

93.

[Mike Fratelloni]

93.

[Chris Reivers]

Was that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You won't get on.

[Chris Reivers]

Let me get something else. Is that. That's not Silence of the Lambs, is it?

[Mike Fratelloni]

No, but I don't know what year that Was. But you're good guessing it's. The winner was Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood.

[Chris Reivers]

I have a good Unforgiven story, but go ahead.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Nominees were the Crying Game. Do you remember that one?

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That was a shocker.

[Chris Reivers]

Yes, it was.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Spoiler alert. The girl's a boy. You see him naked. That was like.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, that was.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That was a. I started crying after that game.

[Chris Reivers]

Now, you could see that in Minneapolis every day. Yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

A Few Good Men.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You can't handle the truth.

[Chris Reivers]

In fact, I just watched a couple clips of that movie not that long ago.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I got another one that's for you. Howard's End. I remember that, but I don't remember. But give me the line. This is another game you can play with him. You can say, what's the most famous line from Scent of a Woman?

[Chris Reivers]

That's Al Pacino.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Maybe it wasn't even a line. It was a noise.

[Chris Reivers]

Go ahead.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Didn't go, ooh, ah. Didn't he have that?

[Chris Reivers]

Was that scent of a woman?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Was it?

[Chris Reivers]

Maybe I was like, that was Casino.

[Mike Fratelloni]

No, wasn't it famous lines from Scent? Because a woman would come in and he'd make that noise. Scent.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, okay.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Of a woman.

[Chris Reivers]

And he would just say, who? Well, I know the line, but I thought that was Casino. I didn't think that was.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I totally made that up. Okay, there are two kinds of people in the world. One who stands up the face of music and the one who runs for cover. Maybe I totally am totally making it. Maybe that was a totally different movie. That would be a fun game, though. But you'd have to know the answers.

[Chris Reivers]

In fact, the line, the reason I. I looked up. Or no, you guys know how YouTube will start to develop algorithms. And I remember I clicked on the scene that led up to the famous line that you can't handle the truth.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yes.

[Chris Reivers]

That entire scene between Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, the by play between the two of them, is some of the most brilliant acting I've ever seen in my life. Because the way in which Nicholson delivers that line in almost a condescending tone to a lawyer who he doesn't realize is about to hang him in front of everybody and not realizing what I just did is gonna send me off to that entire couple minute scene of those two going back and forth. It's just. It's brilliant acting. And you could say whatever you want to about Tom Cruise, but it's brilliant. You hear the hot rumor about Tom Cruise? No. Do you know who he's dating now?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Allegedly that Gisele Bungeon? No.

[Chris Reivers]

Who? Take another guess. Very famous.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And a 24 year old girl that's dating Belichick.

[Chris Reivers]

No. Pamela Anderson.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I thought. I thought she was dating Liam Neeson.

[Chris Reivers]

Well, that was the. That was the rumor.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I saw Sir Anderson and Tom Cruise, apparently.

[Chris Reivers]

That's the thing. I don't know, because wasn't she just in a movie or some.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Some crap with Liam Neeson?

[Chris Reivers]

Okay, well, the rumor is he apparently reached out to her. I don't know where I heard this or where I read this, but I saw it somewhere.

[Mike Fratelloni]

She seems nice. Actually, I'm gonna tell you. Oh, she has a story about. She has a television show where she's gardening at her house. She has this beautiful cottage looking home. The gardens are beautiful and she's out gardening all day long. That's what she likes to do. And her gardens are beautiful. It's like. Oh, are you gonna say something about planting something?

[Chris Reivers]

No. Okay.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So I was gonna say. I don't know if that would be appropriate.

[Chris Reivers]

No, I was not gonna say anything about it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Hua is the most iconic explanation. X Clamation from Scent of a Woman. That was his big thing. That would be a fun game. I might try to develop that and then we could play it. I can come and host it and you guys can all be. Because you'd remember that. You'd remember those lines.

[Chris Reivers]

Here. I tell you what, here's what we can do. You propose that segment idea to Joe and I'll say, hey, Mike's got a new bid idea. But just make sure I'm within earshot of you asking him.

[Mike Fratelloni]

He won't love that.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, no, no, he wouldn't.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Would he know some of those?

[Chris Reivers]

Sure, maybe.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay.

[Chris Reivers]

I mean, he is. He is a movie guy. Because he and Pat will talk about movies all the time on Monday night Sports Talk.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Maybe we do with Pat. You should do it on Monday night Sports Talk. Plus, the next nice part about it. As we struggle to think of it, all of our listeners are saying, it's hooah, fool. Of course, the one like they'll all know it and we're just struggling to do it. Reavers, you are the best.

[Chris Reivers]

Also, don't forget of our friends at We Are Nuts and we are nuts, mn.com, a really great promotion going on right now throughout the month of May at all participating Quick Trip locations where if you buy yourself a jar of We Are Nuts at Quick Trip, you are going to get 5 cents off a future fuel purchase. But you do have to be a Quick Rewards member. So all of those participating Quick Trip locations, it doesn't matter if you get the hot nuts, the original toffee peanuts, the maple bourbon, toffee almonds. It's all there for you and you are going to save money because gas is getting out of hand. So you can save money right now at all of your Quick Trip locations and you can also stock up of We Are Nuts at all of your Fratellonis, Mac's Hardware, Lunds and Barleys, Kowalski's Markets, Cub Foods, County Market, Coburn's and so many more. But you can see it for yourself [e-mail] and place your order and let them know you heard about them on the Weekly Scramble Podcast. My thanks to everybody. And you know what, but thank you so much for listening to the show. And also please don't forget to do us a favor and rate and review the show wherever you happen to be listening to the Weekly Scramble Podcast. We appreciate each and every single one of you. His name is Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Rivers. Thank you so very much. We'll talk to you again next time. Until then, cheers.

[American Afterlife Narrator]

Everybody talked about it since I first moved to Oregon. The big one. The earthquake that trashed the whole West Coast. Total destruction.

[Chris Reivers]

Officially calling it the largest natural disaster in American history.

[American Afterlife Narrator]

It just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all. Even the gun.

[Chris Reivers]

It was time cello see why American Afterlife is the number one fiction and drama podcast in America. Presented by Pair of Thieves. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows available now.