Skip to content

🐕 Philly’s top dog names | Morning Newsletter

And Penn’s AI powerhouse

Maria Tina Beddia
    by Paola PĂ©rez
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

This is Sunday. There’s a chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Philly, the city of “neigh-paw-hoods,” adores its furry friends. We also love giving them unique names. Is your dog’s name popular or common? Our tool can tell you, right down to the breed they are likely to be, and which neighborhoods you might see one.

Further on, learn about Betty, a new supercomputer boosting Penn’s computing capacity and position in the AI arms race.

— Paola PĂ©rez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

From Hoagie to Rocky

Whether they’re named after local celebrities (Bryce Harper), our favorite foods (Pretzel), or landmarks (Schuylkill), one thing is for sure: all Philadelphia dogs are good dogs.

And while each dog may be one-of-a-kind, we wanted to find out what names are most common in the city. So, we analyzed the city’s database of registered names, and created a way for you to find out if your pupper is popular.

🧀 I plugged in “Cheesesteak” for fun. To my surprise, not a single dog in Philly has that name. Then I tried “Pepper.” I learned that dogs with this name are probably going to be a Labrador retriever, and that they’re likely to be found around Kingsessing or Rhawnhurst.

đŸ¶ Some of the most popular names here are Bella, Franklin, and Lucy. Can you guess the top two?

🐕 We also looked into breeds. You’re more likely to find a Chihuahua in Philly compared to the rest of the country, but it’s not the most common breed here.

Use our tool to see how your dog’s name ranks, and see which neighborhood is home to the most creative names.

(P.S. We want to meet your Philly-named pups. Be sure to stick around for the form at the end.)

Penn’s AI powerhouse

Meet Betty. It’s the University of Pennsylvania’s new supercomputer, named for pioneering Penn programmer Frances “Betty” Holberton.

It’s an AI-driven system built by Nvidia that is enhancing Penn’s cutting-edge research capabilities.

đŸ–„ïž What Betty does: Run AI models that search, analyze, and report findings from videos, images, texts, and databanks. The models are designed to improve with each query, per researchers’ ever-more-specialized instructions.

đŸ–„ïž Where Betty is located: 30 miles from the main campus in Montgomery County, which ensures power resiliency with backup generators.

đŸ–„ïž Why Betty’s development matters: It’s just one element in the high-stakes academic “arms race” for resources to attract grants and students. It also burns a lot of electricity, something Pennsylvania is going to need more of in order to support larger AI-serving data centers.

Business reporter Joseph DiStefano has the story.

What you should know today

  1. Philly’s top DEI officer says she lost her job after accusing the mayor of fostering a toxic work climate. A top LGBTQ+ affairs official was also cut. It all started with a “semi-nude” photograph neither of them sent.

  2. A family sued a North Philadelphia funeral home, accusing the establishment of negligence after allegedly finding brain matter in the box of their son’s possessions.

  3. A former Drexel doctor is inviting support from female peers as she heads to federal court, claiming she was punished by the university for speaking out against gender discrimination.

  4. P&F Giordano Fruit & Produce, a fixture in South Philadelphia’s Italian Market for a century, has closed pending a sale of the property at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue.

  5. The University of Pennsylvania is suing three leading insulin makers and companies that negotiate drug price deals for insurance plans, accusing them of a scheme to drive up prices of a medication that people with diabetes rely on to control blood sugar levels.

  6. A beloved Lehigh Valley radio station fears going silent due to $111,000 in federal funding cuts. It’s already a bare-bones operation run mostly by volunteers.

  7. Dick Allen never liked special attention in his hometown. Now his friends in Wampum, Pa., are celebrating his Hall of Fame induction.

  8. The subject of lawsuits and a target of critics from both political parties, Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins of Pemberton Township in Burlington County remains in office despite repeated calls for him to quit from constituents, township officials, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

  9. The Eagles are surveying fans about a potential new stadium. Here’s what we know — and what they’re asking.

❓Pop quiz

In order to review or remove materials on race in America, the Trump administration has asked national park visitors to report displays that paint the United States in a “negative” light.

How many comments were collected at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park?

A) none

B) 222

C) 13

D) 54

Think you know? Check your answer.

đŸ§© Unscramble the anagram

Hint: This “concert event” at the Mann featured cinematic highlights of the Birds’ Super Bowl run

AMNESIA SPINACH HOOPS

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Sadie Kenyon-Dean who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Diplo. The superstar DJ, who spent years running along the Schuylkill, led a 5K run in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Photo of the day

đŸŽ¶ Today’s track goes like this: “Scoop the pearls up from the sea / Tried to take control of the love, love took control of me.”

One more musical thing: Teddy Pendergrass is back on Broad Street.

đŸ‘‹đŸœ A piping hot cafecito is calling my name. I hope you get to enjoy the rest of your weekend.