I was planning to get back to blogging about healthcare and technology, but I cannot resist saying more about Nashville. We had a memorable four days there last week. I have some other travel coming up which I will write about, Paris later this month and Rome and Barcelona in late July. Feedback tells me readers enjoy occasional travel posts and especially photos. Now, back to Nashville.
Nashville, founded in 1779 along the banks of the Cumberland River, quickly became a regional hub due to its strategic location and access to river transport. The city was named after Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash. By the 19th century, Nashville had established itself as a center for education, earning the nickname “Athens of the South”, a legacy reflected in its full-scale Parthenon replica in Centennial Park. During the Civil War, Nashville was a key Union supply depot. Post-war, the city’s growth accelerated with the expansion of railroads and the rise of the music publishing industry.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Nashville’s population and economy boomed. We witnessed the growth as we saw an abundance of construction cranes. The city is now one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S., with a diverse economy and a vibrant cultural scene. Major investments in downtown, the rise of luxury hotels, and a surge in new residents have transformed the cityscape, making Nashville a magnet for both business and leisure travelers.
The industrial segments are diverse. In music and entertainment, Nashville is globally recognized as “Music City,” home to the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, and a thriving live music scene. We saw that along Broadway with all the bars blaring country music. The Grand Ole Opry variety night featured a half-dozen excellent performers. Amy Grant was not one of them as I had thought previously.
In the healthcare segment, the city is a national healthcare hub, with more than 500 healthcare companies headquartered in the region. In tourism and hospitality, tourism is a major economic driver, supporting thousands of jobs. In education, major institutions include Vanderbilt University and Tennessee State University. Vanderbilt is where our daughter received her DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice). Vanderbilt University founded in 1873 by Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate. He had never been to Nashville, but he believed a university there would help bring the North and South together. He provided the initial $1 million endowment which made the university’s creation possible. At the time it was the largest philanthropic gift of record.
Last but not least is the technology and startups segment. Nashville’s tech sector is expanding rapidly, attracting entrepreneurs and investment. Amazon operates a major operations center and employs thousands in the region. Oracle recently expanded its presence with a large campus, focusing on cloud and enterprise solutions. Dell Technologies maintains significant operations, particularly in IT services and support. Nashville has emerged as a vibrant hub for technology startups, with a rapidly expanding ecosystem and several notable companies making significant impacts across various tech sectors. For example, Soundstripe, specializing in stock music licensing, is revolutionizing how creators access and use music for their content, offering a subscription-based platform which simplifies the process for video producers and other creatives.
Nashville attracts over 15 million visitors annually, drawn by its legendary music venues, festivals, and Southern hospitality. The city’s downtown is packed with honky tonks, rooftop bars, and live music clubs, especially along Broadway. Family-friendly attractions like the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere and Centennial Park appeal to visitors of all ages. In case you are not familiar with honky tonks, they are a type of bar or nightclub which features live country music, especially for dancing and entertainment.
Nashville has a lot of good food. For our first night we ate at Barcelona Wine Bar enjoying tapas of all kinds. The second night we ate at Sinatra’s. The singer and pianist seemed to be having a great time performing. The food was excellent. Night three dinner was at Kayne Prime, one of the many steak houses. The last night was a special treat at Gaylord’s Hotel. Some pictures are here. Some of the other top rated restaurants include Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, famous for spicy fried chicken and Southern sides, The Hampton Social, a stylish spot for New American fare and cocktails, located near the Cumberland River, Rolf and Daughters, acclaimed for inventive, seasonal dishes and handmade pastas in a historic factory setting, Monell’s Dining & Catering, beloved for family-style Southern comfort food in a historic home, Puckett’s Restaurant, renowned for cherry wood-smoked meats, barbecue, and live music, with a heritage rooted in Tennessee tradition, The Twelve Thirty Club, a multi-level venue with great food, live music, and rooftop views, and Gannons Nashville, casual fine dining with fresh seafood, curated cocktails, and live jazz, located in the Marriott Courtyard downtown.
Some of the most popular tourist attractions include the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. You could spend a day there. I included some sample photos with the others here. Others include Grand Ole Opry, a legendary live radio show and concert venue, Ryman Auditorium, an historic music hall known as the “Mother Church of Country Music”, Broadway Honky Tonks, the iconic strip of live music venues, including Robert’s Western World, Centennial Park, home to the full-scale Parthenon replica and beautiful gardens, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, a family-friendly wildlife park with diverse animal habitats, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, an 11-acre park celebrating Tennessee’s history with monuments and fountains, and Walk of Fame Park, which honors Nashville’s music legends with star-studded pavement.
Driving through downtown, you can spot a lot of top notch hotels including JW Marriott Nashville, The Hermitage Hotel, an historic five-star property known for its opulence and Southern elegance, The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, an upscale hotel with refined décor, rooftop pool, and Italian restaurant, Thompson Nashville, a chic boutique hotel in The Gulch, featuring stylish rooms and a popular rooftop bar, and Omni Nashville Hotel, connected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, offering upscale amenities and multiple dining options. We stayed at a very nice AirBnB property.
Nashville’s enduring appeal lies in its rich history, explosive growth, and dynamic blend of music, culture, and Southern hospitality. Whether you’re savoring hot chicken, catching a show at the Opry, or relaxing in a luxury hotel, Music City offers something unforgettable for every visitor.
The Perplexity Pro AI chatbot helped me out quite a bit on this story. Not 100%, but more than normal. I hope the research is useful.
In this section, I share what I am up to, pictures of the week, what is new in AI and crypto, and more.
My next presentation will be at Heritage Hills in Somers, NY on June 10.
On June 17, I will be speaking at the Danbury, CT Library at 6 PM
On June 18, I will be speaking via Zoom to the Economic Round Table of San Francisco at 11 AM
This week’s C[I] Forecast featured Lenore and Manuel Blum whose topic was “Humans and Machines in the Age of AI: What is Consciousness and Can Machines Have It?” Lenore talked about her background and things she has worked on. Manuel had a lot of trouble turning on his screen share. Once there, he tried to show two slides. The two slides were in the wrong order and he could not figure out how to change it. The gentleman has BS, MS, and PhD in computer science from MIT, but he couldn’t show his content. After 15 minutes of attempts, I logged out. I don’t hold it against him because he was born in 1938, but I did not have the patience to endure his stumbling. If I get to the stumbling stage, I hope someone will take my keys and tell me to not do any presentations. Most all of the webinars from Collective Intelligence have been great. Not this one.
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www.ciforecast.com
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I love to read books. All the books I have written and the books I have read are in profile. Feel free to view it here.
I am still reading Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin: A Novel Will finish it this week.
The following link will show you a sample of some of the pictures from Nashville. The album includes downtown on Broadway where music was blaring from every bar, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Sinatra’s (restaurant), the School of Nursing at Vanderbilt graduation ceremony, Gaylord’s Hotel, and the Grand Ole Opry. It was a variety night, not Amy Grant as I had originally thought.
The album is here.
I finally got the MacBook Air with Apple’s M4 chip. It was made in Hanoi, Vietnam. It then shipped to Korea and then on to Anchorage, Alaska and then Louisville, Kentucky. For some unknown reason, the MacBook spent nine days in Louisville. I opened a case with UPS and finally the MacBook shipped to New Windsor, NY and then to Brookfield, CT. Later that day, Russ, our regular UPS driver handed it to me. Migrating my apps, data, and settings took awhile but it was easy to do. I traded the MacBook Pro 16″ in to Apple for $320. The MacBook Air is 15″ but more than adequate. The M4 chip gives it snappy performance. I think the MacBook Air is the best laptop choice.
Several significant developments have emerged in artificial intelligence this week:
OpenAI launched “Operator,” a new AI assistant designed to handle a variety of online tasks, such as ordering groceries and processing ticket purchases, signaling a move toward more capable, task-oriented AI agents[2].
Apple rolled out new AI-driven features across its devices, including advanced photo editing, improved predictive text, and intelligent health functions, emphasizing user convenience and productivity[2].
A team at the University of Maryland won the 2025 Invention of the Year Award for “rhythmic sharing,” a brain-inspired AI training method. This approach enables AI systems to mimic natural neural rhythms, making them more adaptive and intuitive, with potential applications in early warning systems for health and climate monitoring[6].
Google introduced AMIE, an AI-powered medical imaging assistant capable of interpreting X-rays and MRIs. AMIE can automatically highlight abnormalities, potentially speeding up diagnoses and improving patient outcomes[2].
DARPA announced a call for proposals for its Exponentiating Mathematics program, which aims to develop an AI “coauthor” to accelerate mathematical research and breakthroughs[1].
Recent research highlights a surge in AI adoption in manufacturing, where AI technologies are optimizing production, enhancing quality control, and improving supply chain management[2].
These updates reflect the accelerating pace of AI innovation, with new tools and research breakthroughs impacting industries ranging from healthcare and manufacturing to consumer technology.
This week in crypto, the market has seen notable volatility and several developments worth highlighting.
Bitcoin surged above $100,000, briefly testing the $105,700 level before retracing to around $102,900. Despite this pullback, Bitcoin remains just 3% off its all-time high, with bullish sentiment fueled by easing tariffs, expectations of US interest rate cuts, and increased institutional inflows. Over $2.2 billion in new capital has entered the market since the start of May, signaling strong investor confidence and growing participation from large players. Long-term holders have also accumulated significant amounts of Bitcoin since March, reversing the selling trend seen late last year.
Ethereum has outperformed recently, posting a 40% gain last week and helping to lift the broader altcoin market. The total market capitalization for altcoins outside the top 10 has risen sharply, now exceeding $290 billion. Bitcoin’s dominance has dropped from 65% to 62%, suggesting a possible shift toward an altcoin season, where gains spread beyond Bitcoin to other digital assets. Analysts predict this trend could accelerate in June, with many altcoins already outperforming Bitcoin in recent weeks.
On the regulatory front, the US and EU have both made moves that are seen as positive for the industry. The US has relaxed some reporting requirements for DeFi platforms and banks, while the EU’s MiCA regulation continues to set the global standard for crypto oversight. These changes are expected to further encourage institutional adoption and mainstream integration of digital assets.
Among new projects, Qubetics ($TICS) has drawn attention for its innovative approach to cross-border transactions, with a successful presale and growing adoption in Central Asia. Other established tokens like Chainlink, Litecoin, and Filecoin are also highlighted as strong contenders for investment due to recent upgrades and expanding use cases.
In decentralized finance (DeFi), total value locked has grown, with BNB Chain, Solana, and Tron gaining market share as users seek faster and cheaper transactions. In contrast, Ethereum and Arbitrum have seen declines in DeFi activity. The NFT market, however, continues to cool, with trading volumes and unique buyers at multi-year lows, even as some blue-chip collections buck the trend.
Overall, the crypto market is consolidating after a strong run, with bullish momentum supported by macroeconomic factors, regulatory progress, and renewed interest in both established and emerging projects. The stage is set for potential new highs and a broader altcoin rally in the coming weeks.
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