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Homeowners in these 20 states have the lowest property tax rates in the US. See how the states rank.

Suburban houses in California
Homeowners in the US pay annual real estate taxes on their properties, varying by state.
  • Property taxes are among the many factors to consider when buying a home in the US.
  • New Jersey has the highest property tax rate, which is nearly eight times the country’s lowest.
  • Hawaii has the lowest real estate taxes in the country, despite having the highest-valued homes.

Owning a home is increasingly feeling more out of reach for many Americans.

One of the many factors that add to the pressures and challenges of homeownership is the ongoing cost of property taxes, which persists even after a property is paid off.

For some, property taxes are little more than an afterthought, while for others, they can be a significant financial setback on top of mortgage or insurance payments.

A recent WalletHub study looked at the tax burden of owning real estate across the US and ranked all 50 states by the effective tax rate paid by homeowners in the state. The study used data from the US Census Bureau.

“Property taxes represent a recurring cost that can significantly affect financial planning, savings capacity, and long-term affordability,” Mitchell Franklin, an accounting professor at Le Moyne College in New York, said in the study. “Even if a home’s purchase price appears manageable, high property taxes can dramatically increase the overall cost of ownership and strain household budgets.”

Across the country, states like New Jersey and Illinois top the charts with the highest tax rates of 2.11% and 2.01% respectively.

In New Jersey, the owners of a home priced at the state’s median home value, which in the state is $454,400, pay an annual $9,590.

Meanwhile, in states like Alabama, which has the second-lowest real estate tax rate in the country, the owners of a home at the state’s median home value, which in this case is $209,900, pay about $788 each year.

These 20 US states have the lowest real estate tax rates. See how they rank.

20. Virginia
Northern Virginia Suburbs, Virginia, USA - Aerial view of Town homes, houses man-made ponds and gated communities in the suburbs of Northern Virginia near Leesburg

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.73%

State median home value: $383,700

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,790

18. (tie) Montana
Aerial view of Willow Creek, Montana

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.72%

State median home value: $375,800

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,693

18. (tie) Mississippi
New development single family houses near row of manufactured, modular, and mobile homes in Richland, Rankin County, Mississippi suburb Jackson, USA lush green trees. Aerial view affordable housing

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.72%

State median home value: $169,800

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,215

16. (tie) New Mexico
Albuquerque New Mexico Homes Aerial view

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.70%

State median home value: $248,100

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,731

16. (tie) California
Aerial View of Napa, California during Summer

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.70%

State median home value: $734,700

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $5,124

15. North Carolina
Aerial view of new homes in a housing development with tree lined streets in Raleigh North Carolina

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.66%

State median home value: $288,900

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,896

14. Wyoming
Aerial View of Downtown Casper, Wyoming at Dusk on Christmas Day

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.57%

State median home value: $309,700

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,767

12. (tie) Louisiana
aerial shot of homes and marshland with water and lush green trees in Chalmette Louisiana USA

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.55%

State median home value: $216,500

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,180

12. (tie) Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas - November 12th, 2023: Aerial view of Judge Parker's Courthouse and the Fort Smith National Historic Site

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.55%

State median home value: $188,000

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,040

11. West Virginia
Aerial View of the Main Street With Shops in Harpers Ferry West Virginia

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.53%

State median home value: $162,600

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $865

10. Utah
Aerial Suburban Neighborhoods and Desert Mountains in Hurricane Utah Fly Over

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.52%

State median home value: $489,400

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,525

8. (tie) Delaware
Aerial photo residential upscale homes in Brookside Delaware USA

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.50%

State median home value: $352,000

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,768

8. (tie) Tennessee
Beautiful Homes in Tennessee.

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.50%

State median home value: $286,700

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,442

7. Idaho
Panoramic of Boise City and residential aerial view of homes with fall colors

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.49%

State median home value: $418,600

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,038

4. (tie) Arizona
a neighborhood in northern arizona

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.48%

State median home value: $394,500

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,879

4. (tie) Colorado
a neighborhood in northern arizona

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.48%

State median home value: $539,400

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,602

4. (tie) South Carolina
Golden sunrise light bathes downtown Charleston, South Carolina, with historic buildings and streets visible from an aerial view.

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.48%

State median home value: $259,000

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $1,251

3. Nevada
Aerial Residential Neighborhood and Community Park in Las Vegas Nevada

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.47%

State median home value: $435,400

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,027

2. Alabama
Beautiful aerial photo Downtown Birmingham Alabama USA

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.38%

State median home value: $209,900

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $788

1. Hawaii
Panoramic Aerial view of condo resorts along Wailea beach path in Maui, Hawaii green landscape and coastal areas in Wailea-Makena during golden hour sunset

Effective real estate tax rate: 0.27%

State median home value: $839,100

Annual taxes on a home with a state median value: $2,239

Read the original article on Business Insider

Bryan Johnson says he wants an AI agent between himself and his social media: ‘I never want to see the raw feed’

Bryan Johnson relaxing
Bryan Johnson described social media as “toxic” and suggested AI could filter it.
  • Longevity guru Bryan Johnson likened social media’s impact on mental health to air pollution.
  • Johnson said he’s now doing social media “fasts” for his health.
  • A solution he proposes: using AI to filter harmful content from social media feeds.

Bryan Johnson, fresh off a 40- and 70-hour social media fast, says he’s ready to put an AI buffer between him and his social feed.

In a post on X, the 48-year-old entrepreneur and biohacker compared social media to pollution and water toxins.

“Like other toxins, it accumulates,” he wrote. “You can’t unsee or unfeel what you’ve consumed. It settles into mental tissue like heavy metals, producing chronic low-grade inflammation.”

Eliminating social media entirely isn’t realistic, he wrote.

“‘Just put the phone down’ is as practical as telling someone in 19th-century London to stop breathing coal smoke,” he wrote.

Johnson said time away from the apps is the “only remedy,” but he also suggested that AI agents could serve as an antidote to social media.

“An AI layer between you and the feed. Filtering rage, removing vanity metrics and translating sensationalism into calm, factual language. Preserving signal and eliminating noise,” he wrote.

“I never want to see the raw feed. I want an AI agent to read it for me, strip the engagement metrics that hijack my judgment, filter the rage, and return only what I actually came for,” he added.

In a world where AI agents are already proving to be expert hackers, agreeable coworkers, and custom-built board members — as well as potential security risks — Johnson’s push for an AI layer between himself and his feed doesn’t seem all that far off.

Johnson has made it his life’s focus to try to reverse his biological age to avoid death. He spends around $2 million a year to do so, focusing on extreme treatments such as plasma therapy alongside his strict diet and exercise routine.

His wish for an AI social media buffer also ties into his quest for a longer life, he says: “I want social media to become a longevity intervention, not a longevity threat.”

Read the original article on Business Insider

The lesson from the viral AI post: ‘AI is amazing’ and ‘AI is our doom’ sound like the same thing.

AI apps on a phone
AI is going to change the economy. That’s the point, right?
  • AI could change everything.
  • Of course, “everything” could mean your job. Or if you even have a job.
  • That’s why a new post about AI’s future is so important: It’s the doomsday argument and the pro-AI argument, all at the same time.

You know all that money and effort everyone’s putting into AI because they’re convinced it’s a technology that will change everything? What if they’re right?

That’s a kind of fair summary of a Substack post that went viral over the weekend, and then turned into a Wall Street phenomenon Monday, when lots of tech stocks lost value because of AI fears.

I say “kind of fair” because the “what if” post, published by Citrini Research, isn’t just a “what if” post, but a “if it happens, we’re in big trouble” post.

And now the blowback: AI boosters are calling the Citrini post “AI doomerism” and are poking at some of its doomsday scenarios.

I’m not here to argue whether any of Citrini’s individual points are reasonable — I have no idea how AI will affect the likes of, say, DoorDash.

But this also seems like a forest/trees issue. Maybe the details are wrong, but the big picture should be a sobering one: If the AI future we are being promised comes to pass, it could have a massive effect on our economy, and part of that effect could be meaningful unemployment.

Because that’s not just a wild-eyed anti-AI thesis, but one that’s core to the pro-AI thesis, too. It’s what accounts for the enormous investments tech companies are making in AI, and the crazy valuations we’re seeing for the likes of Anthropic ($380 billion) and OpenAI ($850 billion).

In short: The only way those companies are going to be worth anything close to those numbers* is if they end up having a massive impact. Yes, some of the value may be justified by amazing innovation AI could unlock, like wonder-drugs that get discovered in a fraction of the time. But a lot of the value will come from the fact that AI will let computers do lots of work humans do now.

You can’t have the upside without the downside. Full stop.

It’s easy to imagine all the ways this ripples through our economy. And every couple weeks or so, we get a new impetus to fire up our imaginations. Right now, for instance, the market is trying to get its head around the notion that AI might dramatically cut into the enterprise software industry, which is why we saw companies like IBM plummet on Monday. But you can do the same exercise for all kinds of work, in all kinds of industries: Lawyers. Consultants. Screenwriters. Truckers. Etc.

Nor do you have to be an AI “doomer” to think this way — it’s baked into the pitch of the biggest AI companies. “There are cases where entire classes of jobs will go away,” OpenAI’s Sam Altman said last year. His rival, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, is blunter and more pessimistic, predicting that AI will wipe out half of entry-level white collar jobs and send unemployment skyrocketing.

It is a little weird to see Wall Street whip-sawing as it thinks through how all of this might go. On Tuesday, tech stocks gained again, presumably because investors have now decided they overreacted on Monday. But I won’t be surprised to see the markets lurch again down the line when someone else makes a convincing case that computers will disrupt a different industry.

Maybe Citrini is wrong about DoorDash and right about lawyers. Maybe it’s the other way around. But the general shape of the problem stays the same: The more AI lives up to the hype, the more it will affect the way people work — or if they work at all. You can be optimistic about that prospect, or terrified. But you can’t ignore it.

*Bear in mind these are private companies, which someday expect to be worth much more when they go public.

Read the original article on Business Insider

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’: All the details you might have missed in season one

Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”
  • The season one finale of HBO’s “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” aired on Sunday.
  • The “Game of Thrones” prequel series features references to the original show and to Westerosi lore.
  • We compiled all the major book references, thematic parallels, and other Easter eggs in season one.

Spoilers ahead for “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” season one and the book “The World of Ice & Fire.”

Although HBO’s newest “Game of Thrones” prequel series features fewer characters and shorter episodes, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” packs plenty of subtle details into its first season.

Fans of George R. R. Martin’s original novella “The Hedge Knight” may have caught some book references in the six-episode arc — but the show also includes loaded winks and moments of foreshadowing that tie into Martin’s other works about Westeros.

The “Game of Thrones” theme music is meant to represent Dunk’s inner fantasy.
Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode one, "The Hedge Knight."
Peter Claffey as Dunk in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” episode one, “The Hedge Knight.”

Season one of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” opens with the protagonist, Dunk, reeling from the death of his mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree.

As Dunk debates his next move, he decides to enter a nearby jousting tournament. It could be an opportunity to make a name for himself — or at least to make some pocket money.

The iconic theme music from “Game of Thrones” swells as Dunk gazes into the distance, contemplating his future. Then, the music abruptly cuts off, and Dunk is shown having diarrhea.

In an interview with Business Insider, showrunner Ira Parker explained how the “Game of Thrones” theme is used to evoke illusions of chivalry, destiny, and a higher calling — and how the sudden interruption evokes a reality check.

“[It’s] the hero music that we all hear in our heads. That call to, ‘I want to go off and do something else… I want to be greater,'” Parker said. “But then you’re hit with the realities of it, how hard that is, how scary that is, how daunting that is. And that’s what turns his guts to water. And he’s just like one of us. He’s not a hero.”

The innkeeper says, “I never knew a joust to change the price of eggs,” recalling a quote from “Game of Thrones.”
Jenna Boyd as the innkeeper in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Jenna Boyd as the innkeeper in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

On his way to Ashford Meadow, Dunk stops at a tavern to eat. There, he meets Egg, whom he mistakes for a stable boy, and the kindly innkeeper.

The innkeeper scoffs at the hype for the local jousting tourney. She says knights are no different than other men, and their pageantry does nothing to change the lives of smallfolk.

In “A Game of Thrones,” the first book in Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, Ser Jorah Mormont says something very similar to Daenerys Targaryen. At this point in the story, Daenerys still believes the common people in Westeros are “sewing dragon banners” and are praying for her brother to reclaim the Iron Throne.

“The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends,” Jorah tells her. “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.”

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” drives this point home. While “Game of Thrones” focused largely on fancy Westerosi lords and political schemes, this spinoff is more concerned with the struggles of ordinary, low-born people like Dunk.

“The only promise I made to George was that we would never be in the POV of the lords and ladies, kings and queens, the upper echelon,” Parker said.

Egg’s eldest brother is known to history as Daeron the Drunken.
Henry Ashton as Daeron in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode one, "The Hedge Knight."
Henry Ashton as Daeron in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” episode one, “The Hedge Knight.”

Egg’s eldest brother, Prince Daeron Targaryen, is first introduced in the series premiere as a sloppy drunkard.

After Dunk arrives at Ashford, he chats with Raymun Fossoway about Daeron, unaware that Daeron was the same man he saw passed out in a tavern. Raymun explains that Daeron was meant to compete in the tourney but went missing en route, along with his youngest brother, Prince Aegon.

“There’s rumors going about that the boys are dead,” Raymun tells Dunk. “But most like Daeron, he’s probably just drunk again.”

Some book readers speculate that Daeron drinks heavily to cope with his dragon dreams — prophetic visions that have plagued Targaryens throughout their family’s history.

“I dreamed of you,” Daeron tells Dunk in the tavern. “Stay the fuck away from me.”

Dunk doesn’t realize that Daeron is a Targaryen because he doesn’t have the family’s signature silver-gold hair. As Egg explains in the book, “It was him shaved my head. He knew my father would send men hunting us. Daeron has common hair, sort of a pale brown, nothing special, but mine is like Aerion’s and my father’s.”

Tanselle’s puppet show mirrors Dunk’s own story.
Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

When Dunk first meets Tanselle, a puppeteer from Dorne, she’s performing a poem about Serwyn of the Mirror Shield, a mythological figure who slayed a dragon.

“Our brave hero forges on, leaving all he knows behind,” Tanselle recites. “Fate has set his lonely path through corridors of chance. A boy from nothing risks it all, ignoring looks askance.”

The story echoes Dunk’s own. After the unexpected death of his mentor, he’s left to forge his own path with only his bravery and nerves to guide him. Dunk is definitionally lonely; there’s no one else in the world who even knows his name. He’s also forced to ignore “looks askance” due to his run-down appearance. Multiple characters in the show make fun of Dunk’s clothing, calling him more of a farmer than a knight.

Tanselle’s story also foreshadows Dunk’s conflict with Prince Aerion Targaryen, who nearly kills Dunk in a trial by combat: “If his humble shape is bared, a foul and fiery demise, should the dragon discover none but a man in great disguise.”

In order to beat Aerion and survive the trial, Dunk must wear the “great disguise” of knighthood, even though he has no real training — and in fact, Dunk may never have been knighted at all.

Raymun calls Dunk “halfman,” a callback to Tyrion Lannister’s nickname.
Dunk and Raymun in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Dunk and Raymun in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Raymun uses “halfman” as an affectionate term for Dunk’s height, meaning “half man, half giant.”

In “Game of Thrones,” however, people call Tyrion Lannister “halfman” to mock his short stature.

Tyrion is well-practiced at brushing off these insults and even using them to his advantage. Early in the series, he advises Jon Snow to brandish his identity with pride.

“Never forget what you are,” Tyrion says in the show. “The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.”

In the “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” series premiere, Dunk receives similar advice from Lyonel Baratheon: “The Seven above gave you tallness. So be tall.”

Dunk says of Lyonel Baratheon, “I thought he’d be taller.”
Peter Claffey as Dunk and Daniel Ings as Lyonel in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode one, "The Hedge Knight."
Peter Claffey as Dunk and Daniel Ings as Lyonel in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” episode one, “The Hedge Knight.”

Dunk’s remark about Lyonel’s height is a cheeky reference to the books, in which Lyonel is described as “a swaggering giant of a man” and nearly as tall as Dunk himself.

Both actors who play Dunk and Lyonel — Peter Claffley and Daniel Ings, respectively — are shorter than their characters are supposed to be. Ings told Vulture that they both wore heels in their first scene together.

“We were both in heels, which, what was the point, we canceled each other out,” Ings said.

Ser Manfred is an ancestor of Beric from “Game of Thrones.”
Richard Dormer in "Game of Thrones" and Daniel Monks in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Richard Dormer in “Game of Thrones” and Daniel Monks in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Dunk asks Ser Manfred Dondarrion to vouch for him as a knight, since Ser Arlan served in the Dondarrion army a few years back.

About a century later, in the “Game of Thrones” timeline, Manfred’s descendant, Beric Dondarrion, plays a major role in the Great War against the white walkers.

Leo Tyrell is an ancestor of Margaery and Loras.
Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell in "Game of Thrones" and Steve Wall as Leo Tyrell in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell in “Game of Thrones” and Steve Wall as Leo Tyrell in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Dunk also pleads his case with Leo “Longthorn” Tyrell, the Lord of Highgarden.

“Game of Thrones” fans will recognize the golden rose of House Tyrell on his flags and armor, worn later by characters like Lady Olenna, Queen Margaery, and Ser Loras.

Medgar Tully bites the head off of a dead fish, the sigil of his house.
Russell Simpson as Lord Medgar Tully in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Russell Simpson as Lord Medgar Tully in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Medgar Tully — the Lord of Riverrun and an ancestor of Catelyn Stark, Lisa Arryn, and Edmure Tully from “Game of Thrones” — competes in the tourney’s first round. To get the crowd riled up, or perhaps as a show of strength, he chomps down on a dead fish and rips off the head.

The episode’s director, Owen Harris, revealed that the actor Russell Simpson bit into several real fish while filming the scene.

“He might’ve thrown up at one point, but he was just totally up for it,” Harris said.

Baelor mentions his brothers, Aerys and Rhaegal.
Bertie Carvel plays Baelor Targaryen in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Bertie Carvel plays Baelor Targaryen in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

As a last-ditch attempt to enter the tourney, Dunk decides to ask Prince Baelor Targaryen for help, since he jousted with Arlan long ago. (Baelor says they broke four spears before he unhorsed Arlan. In the books, the prince is aptly known as Baelor Breakspear.)

Just before he enters the room, Dunk overhears a conversation between the royal brothers, Baelor and Maekar.

Baelor says that Maekar’s eldest son belongs on a tourney field “no more than Aerys or Rhaegel.”

At this point in history, King Daeron II Targaryen sits on the Iron Throne. He has four sons: Baelor is the eldest and heir, followed by Aerys, Rhaegel, and Maekar.

Only Baelor and Maekar appear in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” In Martin’s fictional history book, “The World of Ice & Fire,” Aerys is described as bookish, weak, and obsessed with ancient prophecies.

Because Baelor dies protecting Dunk in the Trial of Seven, Aerys becomes the next king of Westeros. (Baelor’s son and heir, Valarr, dies in a plague.)

“Daeron’s second son, Aerys, had never imagined he would be king, and was singularly ill-suited to sit the Iron Throne,” the history book reads.

Episode two, “Hard Salt Beef,” repeatedly foreshadows Dunk and Egg’s future.
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

“The World of Ice & Fire” reveals that Egg grows up to become King Aegon V Targaryen. Since he was born the fourth son of a fourth son, far down in the line of succession, he’s known to history as Aegon the Unlikely.

In episode two of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Dunk calls Egg a “likely lad” in a sneaky bit of foreshadowing.

There’s also a moment where Egg is captivated by Tanselle’s fire tricks. Not only is this an Easter egg for his secret Targaryen identity, but it also hints at his fiery death.

Meanwhile, Dunk has a telling conversation with Ser Donnel of Duskendale. Dunk seems inspired by Donnel, since he wasn’t born a nobleman but still managed to become a member of the Kingsguard. Eventually, Dunk will follow the same path, rising through the ranks to become Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

Egg sings a song about the Blackfyre Rebellion.
Dexter Sol-Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Dexter Sol-Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in episode three, “The Squire.”

In episode three, titled “The Squire,” Egg sings a profane rhyme about his family’s victory in the Blackfyre Rebellion, a recent war in Westerosi history.

The war began when Daemon Waters, a bastard son of the previous king, was legitimized by his father on his deathbed. Daemon adopted the new surname Blackfyre and attempted to overthrow his half-brother, King Daeron II.

The rebellion ended when Daemon died during the Battle of the Redgrass Field, about 13 years before Dunk and Egg meet. Egg’s uncle and father, Baelor and Maekar, were instrumental in his defeat.

Thousands of men died during the uprising. The flashback scene in episode five, “In the Name of the Mother,” shows a young Dunk scavenging for leather and scraps of metal among the fallen soldiers.

The prophecy about Egg’s future comes true in the books.
Dunk and Egg meet a fortune teller in episode three, "The Squire."
Dunk and Egg meet a fortune teller in episode three, “The Squire.”

Dunk and Egg cross paths with a fortune teller at Ashford Meadow.

She tells Dunk: “You shall know great success and be richer than a Lannister.”

She tells Egg: “You shall be king and die in a hot fire, and worms shall feed upon your ashes, and all who know you shall rejoice in your dying.”

The books don’t offer much insight into Dunk’s finances, though he does become a member of the Kingsguard — an unlikely outcome for a low-born hedge knight — so it’s certainly possible he stumbles into vast wealth as well as great success. The prophecy could also mean “rich” in a non-literal sense, as in fulfilled or esteemed.

We do know from the books that Egg’s prophecy is spot-on. He becomes king of Westeros, though his reign is strongly opposed by the great houses.

“Some lords distrusted him,” according to the history book, “for his wanderings with his hedge knight had left him ‘half a peasant,’ according to many. Enough hated him.”

Egg ultimately dies in a massive fire at Summerhall, a small castle belonging to House Targaryen, after a presumed attempt to hatch dragon eggs. Book readers have long assumed that Dunk dies at Summerhall, too.

The inkeeper and the fortune teller are played by the same actor.
Jenna Boyd plays two roles in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Jenna Boyd plays two roles in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

According to IMDb, both the inkeeper from episode one and the fortune teller from episode three are portrayed by Jenna Boyd. Is she a real witch using magic to keep a watchful eye on Dunk?

Raymun mentions Egg’s third brother, who appears later in “Game of Thrones.”
75 maester aemon

While chatting in House Fossoway’s tent, Raymun tells Dunk that Maekar’s “misbegats” are widely disliked.

“Daeron’s a sot. Aerion’s just vain and cruel. The third’s so useless, they were gonna ship him off to a citadel to make a maester of him,” Raymun says.

We meet Daeron and Aerion in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” but Maekar’s third son, Aemon, doesn’t attend the tourney. Viewers meet him as an old man in “Game of Thrones,” when he’s serving as a maester to the Night’s Watch.

In the show, Aemon even calls out for his brother on his deathbed. His last words are, “Egg, I dreamed that I was old.”

When Baelor volunteers to fight for Dunk, the “Game of Thrones” theme music is mixed with Dunk’s own theme.
Bertie Carvel as Baelor in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode five, "In the Name of the Mother."
Bertie Carvel as Baelor in episode five, “In the Name of the Mother.”

At the end of episode four, titled “Seven,” Baelor’s arrival on the battlefield is marked by the familiar “Game of Thrones” theme song by Ramin Djawadi — but this time, if you listen closely, it’s mixed with a new score created by “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” composer Dan Romer.

“There’s a little bit of the revisitation of the main theme that we all love so much, and then we tie it into Dunk’s new theme, and in the most beautiful way I’ve ever heard,” Parker told Business Insider. “It’s one of my favorite songs.”

Dunk hesitates to knight Raymun because he may not know the vows.
Shaun Thomas as Raymun and Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode four, "Seven."
Shaun Thomas as Raymun and Peter Claffey as Dunk in episode four, “Seven.”

In episode four, Raymun asks Dunk to knight him, so that he can take his cousin’s place in the Trial of Seven. Dunk hesitates — possibly out of fear or compassion, but possibly because he doesn’t know how.

There are several hints that Dunk is lying about being a real knight. He tells people that Arlan performed the ceremony just before he died, but there were no witnesses. If Dunk never actually took the vows, he likely wouldn’t be able to recite them for Raymun.

This scene also includes a shot of Dunk looking up, as if he’s on his knee being knighted, immediately followed by a clip of Arlan, who looks down at the camera and shrugs.

The question of Dunk’s knighthood remains ambiguous by the season’s end, which Parker said is “100% the way George would like it.”

“A lot of the exposition around whether or not Dunk was knighted is internal thoughts in his head. And we get pretty, pretty close to him coming out and just saying it. It’s just like, what else could he be thinking of? What else could he mean by this?” Parker said of the source material. “But it’s not said in black and white.”

Lyonel foreshadows that Maekar and Dunk are the biggest threats on the battlefield.
Sam Spruell as Maekar and Bertie Carvel as Baelor in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Sam Spruell as Maekar and Bertie Carvel as Baelor in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Baelor and Maekar are known together as the Hammer and the Anvil, thanks to their victory in the Blackfyre Rebellion. They’re both renowned as war heroes.

Still, Lyonel seems less than impressed with Baelor. Just before the Trial of Seven begins, he says to the prince, “Mother loved you best, huh? Shame. No man fights so fierce as one neglected by his mother.”

This comment foreshadows Maekar’s threat in battle. In fact, it was most likely Maekar who dealt the deadly blow to Baelor, whether or not he intended to.

If Lyonel’s theory is correct, the brothers’ power imbalance makes sense. Little is known about their mother, but Baelor is indeed beloved — hand-selected as his father’s Hand of the King — whereas Maekar is the fourth son in their family. He’s characterized in the books as harsh, bitter, and eternally overlooked. Parker described his portrayal in the show as a “curmudgeon” with “many, many flaws and jealousies.”

Lyonel’s comment also foreshadows Dunk’s victory. In the same episode, we learn via flashback that Dunk was abandoned by his mother at a young age. She probably died, but Dunk’s friend Rafe tells him, “If your mother was alive, she’s not coming back for you.” Perhaps a mother’s neglect really does produce fierce warriors in Westeros.

The green accessory on Daeron’s armor is taken straight from the novella.
Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Henry Ashton as Daeron in episode five, “In the Name of the Mother.”

In Martin’s “The Hedge Knight,” it says, “A green silk plume trailed from Daeron’s helm.”

In a flashback, Dunk and Rafe walk down the same path as Brienne and Podrick.
Bamber Todd and Chloe Lea as young Dunk and Rafe in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Bamber Todd and Chloe Lea as young Dunk and Rafe in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

In episode five’s flashback scene, young Dunk and his friend Rafe return to King’s Landing by walking down a wooded path.

In “Game of Thrones,” Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne travel down the same path while riding away from King’s Landing.

Parker confirmed that both scenes were filmed on “the exact same road in Belfast,” as a nod to the fact that Dunk and Brienne are related.

Rafe accurately predicts that King’s Landing is “tinder waiting to catch.”
Chloe Lea as Rafe in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys in "Game of Thrones."
Chloe Lea as Rafe in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys in “Game of Thrones.”

In the flashback, Rafe tells Dunk that they’re stuck in a cycle of violence and desperation. She wants to escape King’s Landing because “No one forgets shit. You hurt someone, they hurt you back… Flea Bottom is full up on people hurting. It’s tinder waiting to catch.”

Rafe uses fire as a metaphor for fear and danger, but she’s also correct in a literal sense. The capital city of Westeros is under near-constant threat in the century that follows, and in “Game of Thrones,” Daenerys burns King’s Landing with her dragon.

Dunk beats Aerion with the fighting style he learned in Flea Bottom.
Bamber Todd as young Dunk, left, in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Episode five, “In the Name of the Mother,” explores Dunk’s childhood in Flea Bottom.

During the Trial of Seven, Dunk quickly realizes that he’s out of his depth. Aerion is a well-trained and skillful swordsman, whereas Dunk has little to no battle experience.

He eventually overpowers Aerion using his raw strength, perseverance, and the scrappy fighting style he learned as a child.

In the book, Dunk realizes that Aerion “could vanquish Ser Duncan the Tall, but not Dunk of Flea Bottom.”

Daeron’s prophecy is likely fulfilled by Baelor’s death.
Baelor's funeral in episode six, "The Morrow."
Baelor’s funeral in episode six, “The Morrow.”

Before the Trial of Seven, Daeron explains why he recognized Dunk when they first met.

“My dreams are not like yours. Mine come true,” Daeron tells Dunk in the show. “I have seen you, ser. And a fire. And a dead dragon. A great beast with wings so large they could cover this meadow. It had fallen on top of you. But you were alive, and the dragon was dead.”

In the “Game of Thrones” universe, dragons often symbolize the Targaryens in visions and prophecies.

Daeron fears the dead dragon is an omen of his own death. In the book, he tells Dunk, “I don’t care to die today. The gods alone know why, but I don’t. So do me a kindness if you would, and make certain it is my brother Aerion you slay.”

In reality, the dragon who dies is Baelor, the heir to the Iron Throne.

However, Daeron also mentions a fire — suggesting that his vision might have actually been about Summerhall. Although this tragedy is decades away, it wouldn’t be the first time a Targaryen dreamt about an event in the distant future.

If this were the case, the dead dragon in Daeron’s dream would be Egg.

Lyonel asks Dunk if he’s ever been to Tarth, another nod to Brienne.
Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon and Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
Daniel Ings as Lyonel and Peter Claffey as Dunk in episode six, “The Morrow.”

“You could come with me. We’ll hunt and hawk and sail. Make merry. I’ll sharpen that iron of yours so you don’t make such a grand fool of yourself next time,” Lyonel tells Dunk in the season one finale, in the aftermath of the Trial of Seven. He adds, almost as an afterthought, “Have you ever been to Tarth?”

At this point in history, Lyonel is the Lord of Storm’s End and the head of House Baratheon. His sworn bannermen include House Tarth, who rule the Isle of Tarth in the Stormlands.

Dunk doesn’t take Lyonel up on his offer. Nonetheless, in the main book series, Brienne recalls seeing a shield with Dunk’s personal sigil in her father’s armory — so it stands to reason that Dunk does make it to Tarth eventually.

Dunk’s conversation with Lyonel in episode six, titled “The Morrow,” doesn’t happen in the original novella. It does, however, foreshadow a major event in their future.

“The World & Ice and Fire” reveals that Lyonel is a great friend and ally to Egg during his reign as king. Egg’s eldest son, Duncan, is even promised in marriage to Lyonel’s daughter.

Instead, Egg’s son decides to renounce his royal title and marry a commoner. Infuriated, Lyonel leads Storm’s End into a bloody rebellion against the crown.

To settle the dispute, Egg sends Dunk to defeat Lyonel in single combat.

The set is drained of warmth after Baelor dies.
"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode four, top, versus episode six.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” episode four, top, versus episode six.

When Dunk has a private meeting with Baelor in episode four, the castle is lit with candles and warm flickers of light. But when he returns to the same room in episode six to speak with Maekar, the lighting is cold and harsh.

In a behind-the-scenes interview with HBO, director of photography Federico Cesca said the contrast was intentional.

“It was very deliberate [to] make it feel like the castle is colder,” Casca said. “There’s something about mutating the way a place feels, depending on, where is your character?”

The season’s final scene answers a pressing question from the books.
Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" episode six, "The Morrow."
Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen in episode six, “The Morrow.”

In Martin’s “The Hedge Knight,” Dunk offers to take Egg under his wing while traveling across the realm.

Egg’s father, Maekar, is offended by the very suggestion. Egg is a crown prince, after all; he can’t wander around Westeros, bald and vulnerable, trailing after a hedge knight he met less than a week ago. After Dunk delivers his final pitch, Maekar takes a long pause, then walks away without saying a word.

In the next scene, Egg suddenly materializes and says that he’s gotten his father’s blessing to squire for Dunk.

The novella is told from Dunk’s perspective, so the reader is left to speculate about why Maekar changed his mind.

In the show, however, it’s made explicit that Egg lied. He defied his father’s wishes, choosing to follow Dunk rather than return with his family to their comfy royal life.

“He’s failed with his eldest two sons. Aegon is his last chance to create a legacy that is fit for the throne,” Sam Spruell, who plays Maekar, said of the change. “[Egg] leaving is a kind of rejection of that.”

Parker also said it was a natural extension of Maekar’s character. Thus far, Maekar has proven incapable of raising his children, but he’s still a prideful man who can’t bear to cede control.

“I actually do think he really does love his children. I do think he cares about them, even though he’s not able to raise them well, he still wants to,” Parker said of Maekar. “The idea of letting Egg go off with someone else just felt like too much for me. It felt like he could reasonably say no in this moment, even though he knows it would be better for Egg.”

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Uber employees have an AI clone of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi — and use ‘Dara AI’ before talking to the big boss himself

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi speaks while wearing a grey suit, watch, and light-blue dress shirt while gesticulating with his hands.
Some Uber employees use an AI clone of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, he said on a recent podcast.
  • Dara Khosrowshahi said some Uber employees use an AI clone of the CEO.
  • “Dara AI” helps employees fine-tune presentations before they make them to Khosrowshahi himself.
  • Khosrowshahi added that AI has to make more progress before it can fully replace what executives do.

AI isn’t just arranging rides or driving cars at Uber — it’s also imitating CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

Some Uber employees have created an AI version of their company’s top executive, Khosrowshahi said on an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett.

“One of my team members told me that some teams have built a ‘Dara AI,'” Khosrowshahi said. “They basically make the presentation to the Dara AI as a prep for making a presentation to me.”

The AI clone helps employees then make changes to their slides and other aspects of their presentation, he said. “They have Dara AI to tune their prep,” Khosrowshahi said.

While it’s not clear how widespread the use of the CEO bot is within Uber’s corporate offices, it’s the latest example of employees using AI in new ways to help prepare for high-pressure moments in the workplace.

It also raises a question about how high up the organizational chart AI will be able to move as its use expands at major companies. Even some CEOs, such as Google’s Sundar Pichai, have said that AI could replace them eventually.

“Are you concerned that they’re going to show Dara AI to the board?” Bartlett asked on the podcast, eliciting laughter from both men.

While AI models can process large amounts of data, Khosrowshahi said that they still struggle to process and make choices based on new information — something that executives like him have to do.

“When the models can learn in real-time, that is the point at which I’m going to think that, yeah, we are all replaceable,” he said.

Uber relies on AI for much of its business, including helping run its mainstay ride-hailing business. It’s also expanding new use cases, such as its AI Solutions division, which pays independent contractors to train AI for clients.

For Uber’s rank-and-file workers, AI could lead to more jobs. About 30% of Uber’s coders, for example, are “power users” of AI, Khosrowshahi said.

If AI makes Uber’s engineers each 25% more efficient, the CEO said he’d want “to hire more engineers, because I want to go faster.”

AI could also limit head count, he added.

“I may not decide to add engineering headcount,” Khosrowshahi said. “At that point, instead of adding an engineer, I should add agents and buy some more GPUs from Nvidia.”

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I was laid off last year and have only managed to get 1 job interview. I have 20 years of experience and am worried about my future.

Shaun Chavis headshot
Shaun Chavis has applied for tons of jobs since getting laid off.
  • Shaun Chavis has 20 years of experience in journalism and communications.
  • She has been ghosted by dozens of employers after applying for jobs.
  • Rather than continue to be demoralized, she’s set up her own Substack consultancy.

This as-told-to-essay is based on a conversation with Shaun Chavis, 58, who is based in Baltimore. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Since being laid off last June, I’ve applied for over 100 jobs, and I’m completely boggled by the responses I’ve received — or rather, the lack of them.

With nearly 20 years of experience across journalism, communications, and marketing, I really did not expect to be out of work this long. But the reality is that I’ve only had one interview — I’m not even getting screening calls.

Because I’m not the kind of person to just “spray and pray” dozens of applications out into the world, I only apply when I genuinely feel I can do the job and would enjoy it.

It’s been mentally difficult to get rejected so many times

I thought I’d be a valuable asset. I was very proud of what I did in my previous company. But it hasn’t been easy to just hop over to another company and pick up a new opportunity.

I’ve actually been ghosted by companies I thought I was having promising conversations with. It’s been so mentally difficult to keep putting applications out there and getting rejected with no feedback. It’s hard to know the real reason, but I have some theories.

It could be ageism. I have heard from peers that my experience could actually be intimidating to younger hiring managers. Or it could be companies feeling like they can’t afford me, given my experience.

I’ve since moved from Atlanta to Baltimore to be closer to family. I’ve had to rely on them and dip into my life savings to make ends meet.

Shaun Chavis headshot
Shaun Chavis has had to cut services like Netflix to save money.

I’ve had to cut out Netflix and luxuries like going to the hairdresser. Not having a disposable income to spend on clothes has also been challenging, as I’ve lost so much weight, I’ve been gradually rebuilding my wardrobe. And with Baltimore having a colder winter than Atlanta, I’ve needed new clothing for the climate.

I want to put my energy into things I can have control over

Participating in the job market right now just feels like I’m hurting my mental health by continuing, as it’s just so terrible. There have been so many roles I’ve been rejected from that I felt like I was a really strong fit, and I just can’t keep doing that to myself.

So at this point, I really want to lean into consulting. It’s better to put my energy into something that I can have more control over.

I love Substack, so I’ve been building a business called BraveEvelyn that helps companies with their content strategy on Substack. So far, my clients are a concierge medicine company, a femtech client, and a healthtech client. I have some other prospects in the healthtech space, so I’m feeling positive.

Long term, I plan to move to Mexico. I’m hoping to get a digital nomad visa. This is partly driven by the current sociopolitical climate here in the US and by the cost of healthcare. But I also feel I can get a comparable apartment for almost half of what I’m paying now and cut my cost of living while continuing to do my Substack work remotely.

I’ll be moving on my own, so I’ve been intentionally looking for like-minded people already there. For example, I’ve met a couple of people who travel back and forth between Baltimore and Mexico City, and through WhatsApp groups, I’ve connected with other Black Americans living in Mexico City.

I think it’s going to be really huge for me, as it’s just been so hard feeling uncertain about your finances. Being able to turn the tables so that you feel like you’re giving yourself space to succeed is so important.

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