Heatin' up

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: Homes listed for sale by institutional investors have doubled; The best ways to reheat a pizza; and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber goes for $3.75 million…👀

But first, our weekly poll!

The problem many have with reheating leftover pizza is that the microwave option simply destroys nearly everything enjoyable about a slice of pizza.

“A microwave will have textural problems. The pizza will have no crisp whatsoever and be super chewy in places that used to be light and crispy,” Chris Ancona, former head pizzaiolo for Roberta’s in Brooklyn, told Food & Wine.

The solution, however, can be found in a couple places, the first of which is an air fryer at 350°F for two to four minutes.

“The air fryer provides consistent and even heat from all directions, maintaining the integrity of the taste, texture, and flavor of the pizza,” said Alan Rodriguez, regional operations director for Emmy Squared.

You can also use the oven; after all, whenever you go for a slice at a local pizzeria, they’ll just throw one from a premade pie back in their own wood fired, stone, or brick oven. Simply preheat your own oven to 475°F and cook for four to five minutes if it’s a square slice or two if it’s a traditional thin crust.

“The surface that’s preheating in your oven will crisp up and heat the bottom of the pizza, while the convection or broiler will re-melt the cheese, heat up the toppings, and bring your slice back to life,” said Frank Tuttolomondo, owner of Mama’s TOO!.

A settlement was approved in a major copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Anthropic, in which the company was accused of using pirated books by thousands of authors to train its Claude AI model.

District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved a $1.5 billion settlement, with each author that signed onto the suit expected to receive $3,000.

424,000 books were confirmed to have been used to train Claude, and 91% of the authors of those books have staked their claim.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued the original approval of the settlement before retiring, but his evaluation was that Anthropic owed the authors restitution because it acquired the books by pirating them, not because it trained Claude on them.

Anthropic is certainly seeing it that way, and it could have major implications for the future of AI companies’ use of the copyrighted works of artists and publishers everywhere.

“We are pleased that more than 91% of authors and publishers covered by the settlement have claimed their share of the payment, and we’re looking forward to bringing this matter to a close,” said Anthropic’s deputy general counsel, Aparna Sridhar

The lightsaber Mark Hamill used when Luke Skywalker had his epic duel with Darth Vader during The Empire Strikes Back hit the auction block last week, selling for $3.75 million and shattering records in the process.

Luke was using the saber as Vader revealed to him that he’s actually his father, after severing the young Jedi’s hand and creating a hell of a piece of memorabilia that now holds the record for most expensive on-screen prop in a Star Wars film.

“This is one of the most important surviving Star Wars artifacts in existence,” explained Heritage Auctions executive VP Joe Maddalena.

“It comes from the emotional climax of The Empire Strikes Back—the scene that forever changed the saga and produced one of the most unforgettable moments in movie history. Collectors understood that they were bidding on much more than a prop. They were competing for a genuine piece of modern mythology.”

Prior to the lightsaber, the record belonged to a 20-inch model of an original X-wing starfighter, which was used in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It sold in 2023 for $3.135 million.

Bob Seger is best known for early hits like Night Moves and Old Time Rock ‘n Roll, but the Detroit native has the uncanny ability to drop into any decade and dominate the charts.

In 2006, he returned after a hiatus that lasted over a decade, and released Face the Promise. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard album chart, and included duets with Patty Loveless and fellow Motor City musician, Kid Rock.

"I'd been doing it for 30 straight years, writing songs, making a record and touring and starting the process right over," he told CBS Sunday Morning about his time off between 1995’s It’s a Mystery and Face the Promise.

"Then I had the kids and [thought], you know, it might be a good time to slow down and watch them grow up—you're never gonna get another chance to see it."

In 2004 he rightfully took his place amongst the greats when inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame, and he figured he should probably get back to work.

"That was a big spike, I've got to admit," he told The New York Times. "I thought, 'If they're gonna put me in the Hall of Fame, I better at least make a decent record.' I wanted to make sure to leave some blood on the page."

Face the Promise: Expanded Edition will be released on Sept. 18, making its streaming and vinyl debut, and featuring four previously unreleased songs.

Quizmaster’s choice

Here we are at another Friday, and you know what that means. The questions are random, but they’re all relevant if you were born in the ’60s. It’s time for another round of à la carte with today’s trivia! 😎