It appears the full Israeli cabinet has not yet voted on the ceasefire and hostage deal as of 21:00 Israeli time on Friday

How bad or how acceptable is the deal for the Israeli government?

How much arm twisting by the senile, demented, and corrupt 46th President was involved to salvage his severely tarnished reputation in his final days of his presidency?

The 46th US President allowed about 7 American hostages (dead or alive) to be held by terrorists since October 7, 2023. What a total failure! 

Caveat: I am not familiar with the content or details of this agreement.

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, ceasefire and hostage deal reached | CNN

Trump confirms inauguration will take place indoors due to cold weather on an otherwise sunny day. Really!

What a wimpish old man (age 78)! Pardon my sarcasm! Not a good omen!

Just keep the speech very short and dress warmly! Unlike President William Henry Harrison in 1841, who spoke for more than 1.5 hours on a very cold day and died afterwards.

It is going to be sunny on Inauguration Day, but a little cold (-5 C) in Washington DC! According to the National Weather Service, the average day low temperature is -1.1 C on Inauguration Day.

Trump confirms inauguration will take place indoors | Blaze Media

English for trippers: Suspicious or auspicious

It is conspicuous what a difference one letter makes! Depends on who you ask! 😊

We Need a Fourth Asimov Law of Robotics for AI. Really!

This does not seem to be very convincing! Seems to please Big Government regulators!

The three original Asimov laws seem to cover the proposed fourth law already. Look also at the suggested implementation of this proposed law.

This proposed 4th law seems to be overly broad!

Such restrictions at this point are premature and most likely counterproductive!

"Fourth Law: A robot or AI must not deceive a human by impersonating a human being.

...

Implementation of this Fourth Law would require:

Mandatory AI disclosure in direct interactions,

Clear labeling of AI-generated content,

Technical standards for AI identification,

Legal frameworks for enforcement,

Educational initiatives to improve AI literacy. ..."

We Need a Fourth Law of Robotics for AI - IEEE Spectrum

Inder verdienen am meisten in Deutschland verglichen mit anderen Ausländern

Bemerkenswert! Dann gibt es ja wahrscheinlich jetzt auch mehr indische Restaurants in D.? 😋

"... Während die Zahl der deutschen sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten von Ende 2012 bis Ende 2023 um gut 8 Prozent stieg, betrug das Plus bei ausländischen Personen mehr als 141 Prozent. ..."

Berufstätige Ausländer: Wer verdient am meisten? - iwd.de "Vollzeitbeschäftigte Ausländer verdienen in Deutschland im Mittel zwar etwas weniger als Bundesbürger. Gleichwohl landen Beschäftigte mit indischer Staatsangehörigkeit ganz vorn im hiesigen Lohn-Ranking. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass überdurchschnittlich viele von ihnen in akademischen MINT-Berufen tätig sind."

The inspiring history of British freeports and self-governing cities

More classical liberalism please!

" ... consider Hong Kong or the financial hubs in Dubai and Qatar, which adopted English common law and became magnets for investment. ...

... the UK could and should create new self-governing cities like Hong Kong within its borders, to drive growth and prosperity. ...

examines examples from across the world where new private and self-governing cities, special economic zones (SEZs) and special administrative regions (SARs) have had huge success in delivering prosperity to their people and the areas in which they are situated. ...

Meanwhile, the global context has shifted. The next-generation of special jurisdictions are characterised by wider self-governing autonomy, enhanced role of the private sector and a mixed-use urban strategy that moves beyond the outdated model of single-industry focus.  ...

As of 2020, Hong Kong’s GDP per capita was above $45,000 – more than that of the UK, Canada or Japan, and more than four times as much as that of mainland China. Britain played a vital role in this economic success, so should be able to repeat the feat on its own soil. Its strong institutions of democracy, rule of law and property rights make it fertile ground. ...

While innovations in this field bring benefits across the world today, there are also plenty of historical precedents – including in the UK. The City of London, Canary Wharf, and industrial communities like Bournville have all exhibited aspects of private administrations and special economic zones to beneficial effect.

The success this approach is driving internationally is as widespread as Honduras and South Korea. SARs are used in developing nations to deliver in places the state cannot – there are 15 under development in Africa. However, others that have been founded through land expropriation undermine their own purpose. Special economic zones create prosperity through the respect for property rights and the rule of law, if this is undermined in their founding their success will be limited. ..."

Beyond Freeports - by Institute of Economic Affairs

Etwa 10 Millionen Bundesbürger arbeiten schwarz

Schwarzarbeit lohnt sich! Vielleicht sind die Steuern und Abgaben zu hoch?

Früher wurden Italien und andere südeuropäische Länder getadelt für viel Schwarzarbeit! Wie sich die Zeiten aendern!

"... Die gesamte Schattenwirtschaft – sie umfasst alle wirtschaftlichen Leistungen, die nicht ins Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) einfließen – geht zu zwei Dritteln auf Schwarzarbeit zurück und lag zwischen 2014 und 2024 im Schnitt bei etwa 10 Prozent des BIP. Das waren rund 4 Prozentpunkte weniger als im Jahrzehnt zuvor. ...

Aus der IW-Personenbefragung lässt sich eine Zahl von rund zehn Millionen Schwarzarbeitern in Deutschland ableiten.

Im Vergleich mit anderen OECD-Staaten liegt Deutschland im Mittelfeld: Während die USA, die Schweiz und Japan im Verhältnis zum BIP zuletzt eine kleinere Schattenwirtschaft aufwiesen, lag der Anteil in Portugal, Spanien, Italien und Griechenland zwischen rund 17 und mehr als 21 Prozent und war damit deutlich höher als in der Bundesrepublik ..."

Millionen Bundesbürger arbeiten schwarz - iwd.de "Schwarzarbeit verursacht jedes Jahr hohe Schäden für die deutsche Wirtschaft. Zwar geben nur etwa 5 Prozent der Bundesbürger an, im vergangenen Jahr selbst schwarzgearbeitet zu haben – die Dunkelziffer ist jedoch weitaus höher."

Model Legislation to Restrict Smartphone Use in K–12 Public Schools | Manhattan Institute. Really!

This is coming from a supposedly libertarian think tank! You have to wonder!

Should the Manhattan Institute not promote the integration of smartphones into daily teaching and learning?

Did we not have similar stupid discussions going on when TVs were introduced several decades ago! You bet!

"... Because of the detrimental impact on socialization and classroom learning and the potential harms to healthy childhood socialization, states, cities, and school districts should severely restrict the use of smartphones on school grounds for the entire school day and during other school-sponsored activities. This approach is aligned with the scientific and experiential evidence that the use of smartphones in schools distracts students from social interactions and academic responsibilities necessary for healthy development. It also accords with Haidt’s recommendation of a completely phone-free school day. ..."

Model Legislation to Restrict Smartphone Use in K–12 Public Schools | Manhattan Institute

China’s WeRide starts third European self-driving trial in Switzerland

What a sorry Europe! China is taking over!

"Chinese self-driving technology firm WeRide has revved up its international expansion with a pilot project testing fully autonomous cars in Switzerland through a partnership with the country’s national railway operator. ...

The vehicles have level 4 (L4) autonomous-driving capabilities. This means they do not require human intervention in most circumstances, according to SAE International, a standardisation body. L4 is seen as an important milestone on the way to L5 fully autonomous driving, which would, for example, enable manufacturers and freight companies to run driverless fleets. ...

the third that WeRide has launched in Europe in the last eight months. A week ago, the company said it had put Europe’s first commercial autonomous minibuses into operation at Zurich airport. In June, WeRide partnered with Renault to provide autonomous shuttle service at the French Open tennis event. ..."

China’s WeRide starts third European self-driving trial in Switzerland | South China Morning Post "Company is stepping up efforts in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Japan and South Korea, CEO Tony Han says"

Credits: WeRide's Swiss trial showcases SAE Level 4 AV tech

These Microreactors Could Bring Nuclear Power to Remote Areas

Good news! Nuclear power rocks! Wind power sucks! However, it seems to be early stage.

"Funding for two new microreactors could bring reliable nuclear power to remote locations. Westinghousesecured US $3 million for its eVinci microreactor, and Radiant Industries received $2 million for its Kaleidos microreactor, both in November from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The funding will help the companies ready the technology for testing at the DOE’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME)—the first microreactor testbed in the United States. DOME is currently under construction at Idaho National Laboratory’s Materials and Fuels Complex in Blackfoot, Idaho, and is expected to be completed in 2026. The companies must conduct an analysis, called detailed engineering and experiment planning (DEEP), before running fueled experiments at the testbed.

The eVinci and Kaleidos microreactors both run on uranium-based tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles, which the DOE calls the “most robust nuclear fuel on earth” because it cannot melt inside a high-temperature reactor. Each poppy-seed-size particle of uranium, carbon, and oxygen is encased in protective carbon and ceramic layers engineered to withstand extreme temperatures.

The microreactors differ in their cooling mechanisms, with El Segundo, Calif.–based Radiant choosing a helium gas coolant, and Cranberry Township, Pa.–based Westinghouse using a passive heat pipe system. ..."

These Microreactors Could Bring Nuclear Power to Remote Areas - IEEE Spectrum "Westinghouse and Radiant are developing some of the world’s smallest reactors"

Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor, a cross-section

Bout of the Day: Day 4 of the January 2025 GRAND SUMO Tournament

Why are Japanese people so fascinated with this sport? Their life expectancy is only about 60-65 according to Google search, which is about 20 years shorter than that of average Japanese men.

Reports of torture and sexual abuse in Iranian women's prisons

A brutal theocracy!

‘Something bigger going on’: Michelle Obama to skip Donald Trump’s inauguration

Maybe she is getting a divorce?

Steve Jobs' Wife Fulfills His Kumbh Mela Wish In Prayagraj; Handwritten Letter Sold For ₹4.32 Crore

Very recommendable! Amazing grace!

Report Reveals Harvard MBAs Struggling to Get Jobs With Palki Sharma

Recommendable! Bad news! These elite school MBAs have been overrated for many years!

Why Are More and More Indian Visas Being Rejected? With Palki Sharma

Concerning!

Netanyahu delays ceasefire vote as right-wing protest against deal mounts

It appears, the ceasefire and hostage release agreement is not yet a done deal!

This hastily agreement to please the outgoing senile, demented, and corrupt 46th President to embellish his otherwise severely tarnished legacy!

Caveat: I am not familiar with the content of this agreement.

"Facing opposition from some of his allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a planned Cabinet meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

Netanyahu said in a statement that Hamas was reneging on parts of the deal announced Wednesday ..."

Netanyahu delays ceasefire vote as right-wing protest against deal mounts - Jewish Telegraphic Agency "A crucial party in the Israeli prime minister’s coalition has demanded a resumption of fighting after six weeks."

New Technique Maps Hundreds of Proteins Simultaneously within Cell Nuclei

Amazing stuff! Could be a breakthrough!

"... Despite its importance, understanding gene regulation has been very challenging because previous methods to study regulatory proteins map them one at a time. ChIP–DIP now enables researchers to simultaneously map hundreds of DNA-associated regulatory proteins and take snapshots of how they change over time. ...

"We used ChIP–DIP to show how after an inflammatory event, cells of the immune system rapidly alter their histone proteins within a span of hours in order to activate inflammatory genes. We also used ChIP–DIP to identify combinations of proteins that regulate which genes are active or will become active in response to stress or during development. Previous consortium-based international projects have taken nearly a decade to conduct a few thousand experiments, but we have now done over 500 in the span of a few weeks." ..."

From the abstract:

"Gene expression is controlled by dynamic localization of thousands of regulatory proteins to precise genomic regions. Understanding this cell type-specific process has been a longstanding goal yet remains challenging because DNA–protein mapping methods generally study one protein at a time.

Here, to address this, we developed chromatin immunoprecipitation done in parallel (ChIP-DIP) to generate genome-wide maps of hundreds of diverse regulatory proteins in a single experiment. ChIP-DIP produces highly accurate maps within large pools (>160 proteins) for all classes of DNA-associated proteins, including modified histones, chromatin regulators and transcription factors and across multiple conditions simultaneously.

First, we used ChIP-DIP to measure temporal chromatin dynamics in primary dendritic cells following LPS stimulation.

Next, we explored quantitative combinations of histone modifications that define distinct classes of regulatory elements and characterized their functional activity in human and mouse cell lines.

Overall, ChIP-DIP generates context-specific protein localization maps at consortium scale within any molecular biology laboratory and experimental system."

New Technique Maps Hundreds of Proteins Simultaneously within Cell Nuclei - www.caltech.edu "Caltech researchers have developed a new method to map the positions of hundreds of DNA-associated proteins within cell nuclei all at the same time. The method, called ChIP–DIP (Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation Done In Parallel), is a versatile tool for understanding the inner workings of the nucleus during different contexts, such as disease or development."

ChIP-DIP maps binding of hundreds of proteins to DNA simultaneously and identifies diverse gene regulatory elements (no public access)

A schematic describing the ChIP-DIP process.

Climate Change’s Connection to Rising Obesity. Really!

What is not linked to climate change? 

I suspect, e.g. that most Vikings were also obese during the Medieval Warm Period!

This article refers to a research study, which most likely is also a piece of junk science (see below). Correlation is not causation!

"... A 1°C rise in temperature in developing countries has been associated with a 4% rise in the BMI of children and a 2% increase in the BMI of women, according to a 2021 Global Food Security analysis. ..."

From the abstract:

"Climate change and obesity are two major concerns for policy makers globally, but can climate change be a driver of obesity? This is what our analysis tries to establish. To this purpose, we exploit inter-annual variations of the Body Mass Index (BMI) for children and adults in 134 countries over 39 years, to study to what extent changes in air temperature and precipitations affect obesity. Using panel data econometrics and exploiting both within- and cross-country variations in BMI, we uncovered a robust U-shaped association between temperature and the BMI of girls, boys and women, but failed to detect any significant effect of precipitations. Our analysis also reveals that the impact of temperature on BMI, particularly for girls and women, is robust to the inclusion of other determinants of obesity stressed by the existing literature, such as GDP per capita, fertility, and agricultural productivity, suggesting that mean air temperature is directly associated with, and may have an independent effect on, BMI."

Global Health NOW: Climate Change’s Connection to Rising Obesity; Bye Bye Red Dye; and Laziness for Achievers

Climate change and obesity: A global analysis (open access)

A Unique Structure Discovered in the City of David – The Only One of Its Kind Found in Jerusalem, Used for Ritual Practices, During the Time of the First Temple

Amazing stuff! Religion and wine, what a combination made in heaven! 😊

From the abstract:

"This paper presents the finds retrieved from a unique series of rock-cut rooms found on the eastern slope of the City of David. These rock-cut rooms stand out in terms of their architectural features, as well as the artifacts discovered within them, all of which reflect on their function as a cultic complex, likely constructed in the Middle Bronze Age, with its final stage in Iron Age IIB. This complex offers profound evidence for the diversity of cultic practices in the capital of the Kingdom of Judah."

A New Study Determines: A Unique Structure Discovered in the City of David – The Only One of Its Kind Found in Jerusalem, Used for Ritual Practices, During the Time of the First Temple "A unique structure, uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority on the eastern slope of the City of David, within the Jerusalem Walls National Park, features eight rock-hewn rooms containing an altar, a standing stone (masseba), an oil press, and a winepress. In a new article published in the scientific journal ‘Atiqot, excavation director Eli Shukron suggests that the structure was used by the residents of Judah for cultic/religious practice."

Credits: Researchers Uncover Ancient Worship Site Near First Temple in Jerusalem

Evidence of Worship in the Rock-Cut Rooms on the Eastern Slope of the City of David, Jerusalem (open access)

An oil press and a winepress nearby: used for producing small quantities of oil and wine for ritual purposes.

Proposed reconstruction of the ritual structure

Die Wahlplakate der Die Grünen Partei

Extrem Inhaltsleer und krasser Personenkult, ähnlich wie die anderen Parteien!

Atomausstieg: Wie die Grünen bewusst getäuscht und das Land sabotiert haben

Der Rest der Welt hat sich köstlich amüsiert über die dusseligen und naiven Deutschen! Wann werden die tree hugger endlich aussterben!

Nicht zuletzt ist auch die SED Kanzlerin Merkel erheblich Schuld daran!

Hoffentlich, werden die deutschen Wähler bei der kommenden Bundestagswahl besser entscheiden! Aber wen oder welche Partei wählen? Merz ist ein Merkelianer und auch ansonsten eher dürftig!

Alice Weidel als Kanzlerin?

"Die Abläufe um den Ausstieg Deutschlands aus der Atomenergie könnten jetzt schon Bibliotheken füllen. Es müssten berücksichtigt werden die Hysterien um „Tschernobyl 1986“ und „Fukushima 2011“, ferner die nicht minder aufgeheizten Debatten um atomare Endlager, sodann die von Merkel veranlasste Laufzeitverlängerung von 2010 um bis zu 14 Jahre und dann der von ihr inszenierte Atomausstieg vom 14. März 2011 – drei (!) Tage nach dem „Fukushima“-Tsunami. Dass Deutschland hier einen einsamen Solisten gibt, müsste berücksichtigt werden; immerhin befinden sich weltweit derzeit fast hundert neue AKW im Bau, davon 14 in West- und Mitteleuropa. Deutschland wird eines Tages unter anderem auf diese 14 angewiesen sein. ..."

Atomausstieg: Wie die Grünen bewusst getäuscht und das Land sabotiert haben "Der Untersuchungsausschuss des Bundestags zur Atomkraft hat offengelegt, dass Wirtschafts- und Umweltministerium gezielt und bewusst Fehlinformationen verbreitet haben, um den Weiterbetrieb von Kernkraftwerken zu blockieren."

NHTSA Closes Safety Investigation of Cruise Robotaxis while GM closed down Cruise. Really!

Bad news! Waymo can use some competition!

This was just one accident!!! How much was the pedestrian actually at fault? Or had a human driver avoided the accident in the same situation?

Had the NHTSA already existed when Henry Ford invented his first Quadricycle in 1896, we would still be driving in horse carriages in 2025!!! (or other countries would have developed cars)

"U.S. auto safety regulators ended a federal investigation into Cruise robotaxis without taking action, removing an overhang weeks after General Motors Co. decided to shutter the struggling business.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had opened a preliminary evaluation in late 2023 to determine potential safety risks from Cruise’s driverless vehicles. The company drew heavy scrutiny following an incident in October of that year in which a car hit and dragged a pedestrian, causing serious injuries. ..."

NHTSA Closes Safety Investigation of Cruise Robotaxis | Transport Topics

Eine Rentnerin reisst im Coop in Zürich einer Muslimin den Schleier vom Gesicht

No sowas! Neueste Nachrichten aus der Schweiz!

"... Dies geschah «ohne Anlass», wie aus einem rechtskräftigen Strafbefehl der Staatsanwaltschaft Zürich-Sihl hervorgeht. ..."

Aggressive Übergriffe in Zürich: von Schleier-Attacke bis Sachbeschädigung "Wer seine Aggressionen nicht im Griff hat, lebt risikoreich. Mangelnde Impulskontrolle im Alltag kann teuer werden, wovon fünf Strafbefehle Zeugnis ablegen."

Computer simulation of carbonless DNA prompt researchers to consider alternative biochemistries

Amazing stuff! Just fooling around or eccentric research?

Can it be realized or is it just simulation?

Could other life in the universe be based on this?

Google AI generated: "In a single DNA nucleotide, there are five carbon atoms present in the deoxyribose sugar molecule, which is the sugar component of DNA"

Computer simulation of carbonless DNA prompt researchers to consider alternative biochemistries | Research | Chemistry World "Researchers swap nitrogen and boron into DNA to create analogues that are geometrically and electrostatically equivalent to conventional DNA"

Russian Clop ransomware gang names dozens of victims hit by Cleo mass-hack

One more good reason to get rid of the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible!

"The prolific Clop ransomware gang has named dozens of corporate victims it claims to have hacked in recent weeks after exploiting a vulnerability ​​in several popular enterprise file transfer products developed by U.S. software company Cleo. 

In a post on its dark web leak site, seen by TechCrunch, the Russia-linked Clop gang listed 59 organizations it claims to have breached by exploiting the high-risk bug in Cleo’s software tools. 

The flaw affects ​​Cleo’s LexiCom, VLTransfer, and Harmony products. Cleo first disclosed the vulnerability in an October 2024 security advisory before security researchers observed hackers mass exploiting the vulnerability months later in December. ..."

Clop ransomware gang names dozens of victims hit by Cleo mass-hack, but several firms dispute breaches | TechCrunch

Hindenburg Research, a short seller that targeted tech and EV companies, is closing up shop

Bad company name, bad omen! What comes around, goes around! 😊 Headline of the day!

"When Hindenburg Research posts a blog on its website, it often means a company’s final days are near.

Today, that company is Hindenburg Research.

Nate Anderson announced Wednesday he has shut down short-selling firm Hindenburg Research after a seven-year run issuing damning reports about high-profile companies, including many of the technology world’s giants and buzzy startups. ..."

Hindenburg Research, a short seller that targeted tech and EV companies, is closing up shop | TechCrunch

The Hindenburg disaster of 1937

Blue Origin successfully launches New Glenn rocket into space after a failed launch and rocket’s first stage exploded on the way back down to Earth

Bezos keeps trying! Competition is good, more competition is better!

"... While it was the rocket’s inaugural launch, a number of things went right, and the company had said that reaching orbit safely was its main objective. However, the rocket’s first stage exploded on the way back down to Earth as Blue Origin attempted to land that section on a drone ship at sea. The company hopes to launch again this spring, and plans as many as eight New Glenn launches this year. ..."

Blue Origin successfully launches New Glenn rocket into space | TechCrunch

Bezos claims his rockets are larger than those of Elon Musk

Annoyances: Google person search result often offers blurred images

Lately, I noticed  that when you search for a person and you want to review the pictures of this person associated with the search results,  a lot of them appear to be blurred now. It appears the blurring depends from which website they originated. The blurring occurs despite high resolution of the photo. 

Example: Ashley Moody (current AG of Florida, who will be replacing US Senator Marco Rubio). Supposedly, this is an photo of her family from Ashley Moody's Instagram account at 1440 by 1440 resolution.

Here is a screenshot of the Google search result

Grim Old Days: Anne-Marie Kilday’s History of Infanticide in Britain

This appears to be a new book review of a book that was published in 2013!

The book is a grim reminder that human civilization and human dignity are still very young that only began after the Industrial Revolution!

For thousands of years, children were often exploited and they were often dispensable despite high infant mortality.

"... Across many different cultures, “the enduring and persistent nature of the killing of newborns throughout history” is well-documented. “Certainly, infanticide can be traced back to prehistoric epochs and the very beginnings of recorded history, as archaeologists and anthropologists have offered strong evidence to suggest that Palaeolithic parents practised new-born child murder on a fairly regular basis.” Among the ancient Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, as well as the Vikings, Irish Celts, Gauls, and Phoenicians, practicing infanticide was “commonplace.” The same was true of Ancient Egypt, China, and India. In fact, infanticide was once almost universally accepted and is recorded in “nearly every civilisation, culture and continent across the globe.” The rationales varied: “In some cultures children were killed as an offering to the gods in order to secure an abundant harvest, or some other good fortune, as it was believed that their bodies could transfer growth and fertility. Other infants were slain for medicinal purposes as it was held that the blood and flesh of neonates could confer health, wellbeing and even youthfulness to the recipient. In various primitive societies twins were considered evil and condemned to be destroyed immediately after parturition.

Many societies eventually outlawed infanticide, which is forbidden in faiths such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But even where infanticide was illegal or violated the prevailing religious tradition, it was often nonetheless common and widely tolerated, with laws against the practice ignored or only sporadically enforced. ..."

Grim Old Days: Anne-Marie Kilday’s History of Infanticide in Britain "The history of infanticide exemplifies the brutality of the laws, beliefs, and social norms of humanity's not-so-distant past."

DeepSeek's latest large language model delivers outstanding performance at significantly reduced training costs.

Good news reported by Andrew Ng in his latest The Batch newsletter!

"... DeepSeek-V3 is a mixture-of-experts (MoE) transformer that comprises 671 billion parameters, of which 37 billion are active at any moment. The team trained the model in 2.79 million GPU hours — less than 1/10 the time required to train Llama 3.1 405B, which DeepSeek-V3 substantially outperforms — at an extraordinarily low cost of $5.6 million. ..."

From the abstract:

"We present DeepSeek-V3, a strong Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) language model with 671B total parameters with 37B activated for each token. To achieve efficient inference and cost-effective training, DeepSeek-V3 adopts Multi-head Latent Attention (MLA) and DeepSeekMoE architectures, which were thoroughly validated in DeepSeek-V2.

Furthermore, DeepSeek-V3 pioneers an auxiliary-loss-free strategy for load balancing and sets a multi-token prediction training objective for stronger performance. We pre-train DeepSeek-V3 on 14.8 trillion diverse and high-quality tokens, followed by Supervised Fine-Tuning and Reinforcement Learning stages to fully harness its capabilities. Comprehensive evaluations reveal that DeepSeek-V3 outperforms other open-source models and achieves performance comparable to leading closed-source models. Despite its excellent performance, DeepSeek-V3 requires only 2.788M H800 GPU hours for its full training. In addition, its training process is remarkably stable. Throughout the entire training process, we did not experience any irrecoverable loss spikes or perform any rollbacks. The model checkpoints are available at this https URL."

Tumbling Training Costs, Desktop AI Supercomputer, Tighter AI Export Restrictions, Improved Contrastive Loss

DeepSeek-V3 Technical Report (open access)

Soaring wealth inequality has remade the map of American prosperity. Really!

This seems to be the latest leftist obsession picked up by the Dimocratic Party!

This is bogus demagoguery! This garbage article is written by a professor!

What a lousy attempt to sow envy and ill will!

"One need only glance at headlines about Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and other super-wealthy individuals to understand that wealth in America is increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Inequality is sharply on the rise."

What about John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt and other, historic wealthy Americans often from humble backgrounds or self made?

"The overall picture is worrying. The wealthiest cities in the U.S. are now almost seven times richer than the poorest regions, a disparity that has almost doubled since 1960."

There is no limit to wealth, but there is a hard limit to poverty! The US is now also much larger economy and overall wealth has also multiplied since 1960.

What about the large majority of cities between wealthiest and poorest representing at least 80-90% of all cities?

Let's not forget the tens of millions of immigrants since 1960 of which most came without any wealth, but they quickly acquire wealth thanks to free markets, business opportunities and liberty.

This ideological cherry picking of the worst kind!

Caveat: I did not read the whole article! I did not think, I have to waste time.

Soaring wealth inequality has remade the map of American prosperity

China’s Looming Pensions Crisis Explained

Recommendable!

More than a dozen state attorney generals in a letter urge Walmart CEO to reconsider DEI rollbacks

Who are these arrogant and pretentious fools! They should be fired instantly!

Germany plans new 'takedown' legislation for unidentified drones as sightings increase, but only if they pose a serious threat or danger

Again half baked measures from the banana republik of Germany!

Despite strong suspicions they might be drones by Putin the Terrible!

In farewell address, 46th President warns of concentration of power and wealth. Really!

Good riddance! What a phony!

How much wealth has he, his long time accomplice and wife, and his clan amassed during his long career in public office? How much corruption was involved?

In my opinion, he ranks among the 3-5 worst US Presidents ever!

46tth President Final Move: Cuba Removed from State Sponsor of Terrorism List in return for Cuba to release 553 prisoners

Why does this happen only at the end of the term of the senile, demented and corrupt 46th President?

Who are these prisoners?

'I Can't Believe You're Asking Such A Question!': Pam Bondi And Adam Schiff

The moron Adam Schiff proved again that he is probably the member of the U.S. Congress afflicted with the worst Trump Derangement Syndrome. He is a pathological and serial liar!

However, Pam Bondi did not come across as very convincing in this exchange!

Why are India’s Camels Disappearing? with Palki Sharma

Wind and solar farms are among the reasons!

South Korea’s internationally leading Beauty Industry

Recommendable! I feel much older now! 😊

Why Walmart and Target are Making their Own Premium Products Now

Recommendable!

Why Phoenix Became A Hot Spot For Tech Companies

Very recommendable! My neighborhood!

Fusion-grade steel made on industrial scale in a UK first

Good news! Another important step to get closer to nuclear fusion power generation!

Invest in nuclear fusion instead of wasting money on wind power nonsense!

"According to a release from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the Neutron Irradiation of Advanced Steels (Neurone) consortium successfully produced 5.5 tonnes of fusion-grade reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel using a seven-tonne Electric Arc Furnace located at the Materials Processing Institute (MPI) in Middlesborough, UK.

David Bowden, group team leading for materials science and engineering at UKAEA and lead of the consortium, said one of the major challenges for delivering fusion energy was developing structural materials that could withstand temperatures of at least 650°C, as well as intense neutron radiation. ..."

Fusion-grade steel made on industrial scale in a UK first | News | Chemistry World "An expert group working to develop specialist high-temperature steels has demonstrated, for the first time in the UK, the large-scale production of fusion-grade steel."

China wants to restore the sea with high-tech marine ranches

Good news, but old news!

"A short ferry ride from the port city of Yantai, on the northeast coast of China, sits Genghai No. 1, a 12,000-metric-ton ring of oil-rig-style steel platforms, advertised as a hotel and entertainment complex.

Genghai is in fact an unusual tourist destination, one that breeds 200,000 “high-quality marine fish” each year. The vast majority are released into the ocean as part of a process known as marine ranching.

The Chinese government sees this work as an urgent and necessary response to the bleak reality that fisheries are collapsing both in China and worldwide. ..."

China wants to restore the sea with high-tech marine ranches

Genghai No 1 sets model for modern aquaculture (published 9/27/2023)

Genghai No 1 – AI-equipped marine ranch for Shandong Ocean Harvest Group (published 8/24/2022)

Israel, Hamas agree to ceasefire in Gaza: report. Really!

Let's wait and see how this plays out! I am a little skeptical!

How much can you trust unarmed civilian massacring terrorists, who cowardly hide in and operate out of hospitals?

Israel, Hamas agree to ceasefire in Gaza: report | Just The News

The next Attorney General of the US: Pam Bondi

 Will St. Bernard share the office with her? Speak softly, but bring a big dog! 😊

Compare that to the current moron AG Mayorkas!

Sarla Aviation's develops electric air taxis in India

Good news! Just guessing, city street traffic in India is too dense for Waymo! 😊

"... Sarla Aviation launched one year ago with a pitch built for India’s congested streets. The electric air taxi startup, named after India’s first woman pilot, Sarla Thukral ..."

Accel doubles down on Sarla Aviation's ambition to develop electric air taxis in India | TechCrunch

Sarla raises $10M Series A1 from Accel, Nikhil Kamath, and Pioneer Founders (original news release)

Sarla Thukral: Born in 1914, she earned an aviation pilot license in 1936 at the age of 21 and flew a Gypsy Moth solo.

Does Elon Musk actually work? He tweets so much, people bet over $1M weekly to guess how many posts

What distinguishes mere mortals from a multi talented genius? Or who is the greatest influencer? Or what is a transcontinental election campaigner? 😊

"Will Elon Musk post more than 400 tweets this week? More than 800? Estimate correctly and you could wind up with a nice chunk of cash if you were to back your opinion by buying “shares” on Polymarket. ..."

Elon Musk tweets so much, people bet over $1M weekly to guess how many posts | TechCrunch

Credits: Techcrunch newsletter

A new app called Explode, which focuses on disappearing messages on iMessage

A digital Houdini?  Puff, and It's Gone! Does it make noise? Can you change the sound of the explosion? 😊

"Nikita Bier, creator of popular apps like the anonymous polling app tbh (acquired by Facebook) and the anonymous compliments app Gas (acquired by Discord), has created a new app called Explode, which focuses on disappearing messages on iMessage.

Explode works as a mini app for Apple’s Messages app. It helps you send disappearing messages to other folks. Users can see the text or images once, and then it… explodes.  ..."

Creator of Gas and tbh makes an app for disappearing photos via iMessage | TechCrunch

Dementia Cases Destined to Double in U.S. by 2060. Really!

Seems to be a junk study by preeminent institutions like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, New York University and others! Alarmism and hysteria! Or a crass attempt to obtain more government funding!

Then we have the equity propaganda and demagoguery included! Plus the racist bigotry mixed in that Black Americans [black spelled with capital B] are systematically disadvantaged. 

Given the fact of accelerating progess in medical treatment such studies are obviously obsolescent and a waste of resources and money!

"... ~One million Americans a year are expected to develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia by 2060—up from half a million this year, per NYU Langone Health, one of several collaborating institutions on the study of 15,043 people from 1987 to 2020. ...

Risk-reducing route:

Address racial inequities in health care.  ..."

From the abstract:

"Understanding the lifetime risk of dementia can inform public health planning and improve patient engagement in prevention. Using data from a community-based, prospective cohort study (n = 15,043; 26.9% Black race, 55.1% women and 30.8% with at least one apolipoprotein E4 (APOE ε4) allele), we estimated the lifetime risk of dementia (from age 55 years to 95 years), with mortality treated as a competing event. We applied lifetime risk estimates to US Census projections to evaluate the annual number of incident dementia cases from 2020 to 2060. The lifetime risk of dementia after age 55 years was 42% (95% confidence interval: 41–43). Rates were substantially higher in women, Black adults and APOE ε4 carriers, with lifetime risks ranging from approximately 45% to 60% in these populations. The number of US adults who will develop dementia each year was projected to increase from approximately 514,000 in 2020 to approximately 1 million in 2060. The relative growth in new dementia cases was especially pronounced for Black adults. These results highlight the urgent need for policies that enhance healthy aging, with a focus on health equity."

Dementia Cases Destined to Double in U.S.; HIV’s Threat to Indigenous Panamanians; and a Ban on Illness = A ‘Cry for Help’

Lifetime risk and projected burden of dementia (no public access)

Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths and other extinct animals

Not bad for a colossal undertaking! A cause worth financing! 😊

Next, will we bring back the Neanderthal?

Company motto: "Consider the IUCN Red List of 42,108 species

across the world" 

Sounds like a lot of work!

"Colossal Biosciences, the company that’s famously on a mission to bring back the woolly mammoth and two other extinct species, has raised a $200 million Series C at a $10.2 billion valuation from TWG Global ...

The company claims it has made significant breakthroughs on all three of its main projects, which, in addition to the mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger (also known as the thylacine), include the dodo bird, and is on schedule or even ahead of it to resurrect these animals. ..."

Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths | TechCrunch

Colossal Chief Science Officer Beth Shapiro

Russians Tried to Force Ukrainian POW’s Wife to Carry Out Terrorist Attacks

Putin the Terrible is quite nasty! This is most likely illegal!

Russia takes military medics as prisoner of war?

"Svitlana, the 42-year-old wife of Dima, a Ukrainian army medic who had been a prisoner of war in Russia, had waited for news of her husband’s fate for more than two years.

Then, one morning out of the blue, she received a phone call from a Ukrainian number she didn’t recognize from someone calling himself Dmitry who promised her news of her husband.

She said she was immediately suspicious because the man had a Russian accent, and her fears were realized when Dmitry told her that he could arrange for her husband to receive better conditions while captive or even early release – if she did something for him. ..."

Russians Tried to Force Ukrainian POW’s Wife to Carry Out Terrorist Attacks "The BBC reported on Tuesday how the Kyiv housewife was promised her POW husband would be better treated if she committed acts of treason."

Mrs American

"Hannah Neeleman (née Wright) (born June 25, 1990) is a social media influencer and business owner [from Utah] recognized by the social media handle, Ballerina Farm. [She is raising eight children" (Source)

Credits: ‘Ballerina Farm’ family leaves Utah — temporarily — for Ireland

The baby is so cute!

Aristotle: Creating Foundations of philosophy

Very recommendable!

The Cousins with Taiwanese roots Running Rival Tech Empires AMD & NVIDIA

Very recommendable!

Both companies are in close proximity. They are less than 2 miles apart.

Michael Faraday: The Scientist Who Sucked at Math

Very recommendable!

How could Elon Musk's Neuralink help those with disabilities? Neuralink was just approved by Health Canada for clinical trials

Good news! Recommendable! Six Canadian patients will receive the Neuralink implant.

Nuclear weapons in Taiwan would spark a 'global crisis'. Really!

Recommendable! If the Taiwanese people choose to arm themselves with nuclear weapons to deter communist China, then this is legitimate!

Gaza Ceasefire "Very Close" After Trump Warns of "Hell" with Palki Sharma

Did Trump force Netanyahu to accept a deal?

The last men of the American Revolution and their photos

Recommendable!

Mali Seizes 3 Metric Tonnes of Gold from Canadian Mining Company Barrick

Bad news! I don't think this was a very smart move by the new military junta!

Arbitrary expropriation by a government usually does not end well!

Defense Secretary-designate Hegseth vows women can remain in combat roles, if standards 'remain high'

This seems to be a reasonable proposition!

I hope he means as high or nearly as high as for males and male standards are not watered down!

"Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth vowed that women would maintain access to combat roles, provided standards for those positions "remain high" and vowed a gender-neutral review of current practices should he be confirmed to lead the Pentagon. ..."

Hegseth vows women can remain in combat roles, if standards 'remain high' | Just The News

Discovery of MCJ protein's role in converting brown fat to heat could combat obesity

Good news!

"... have discovered one of the ways in which the body "burns" brown fat and converts it into heat. This mechanism protects against obesity and related metabolic diseases.

The mechanism now identified is controlled by the protein called MCJ, present in mitochondria ...

have discovered that, when the MCJ protein is removed from obese mice, these animals produce more heat and lose weight. The researchers have also managed to reduce the weight of obese mice just by having them transplanted with fat without that protein. ...

For a long time it was thought that brown fat used a single mechanism to generate heat, but today we know that this is not the case. There are several mechanisms involved. The research ... has discovered one of them, controlled by a mitochondrial protein called MCJ. ...

The researchers also observed that "animals without MCJ in brown fat are protected against health problems caused by obesity, such as diabetes or increased blood lipids," ... Therefore, they believe that the MCJ protein could be a new therapeutic target to correct diseases associated with obesity."

From the abstract:

"Obesity poses a global health challenge, demanding a deeper understanding of adipose tissue (AT) and its mitochondria.

This study describes the role of the mitochondrial protein Methylation-controlled J protein (MCJ/DnaJC15) in orchestrating brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Here we show how MCJ expression decreases during obesity, as evident in human and mouse adipose tissue samples. MCJKO mice, even without UCP1, a fundamental thermogenic protein, exhibit elevated BAT thermogenesis.

Electron microscopy unveils changes in mitochondrial morphology resembling BAT activation. Proteomic analysis confirms these findings and suggests involvement of the eIF2α mediated stress response. The pivotal role of eIF2α is scrutinized by in vivo CRISPR deletion of eIF2α in MCJKO mice, abrogating thermogenesis. These findings uncover the importance of MCJ as a regulator of BAT thermogenesis, presenting it as a promising target for obesity therapy."

Discovery of MCJ protein's role in converting brown fat to heat could combat obesity

Nature Communications. CNIO research identifies a key protein for ‘burning’ fat (original news release)

Absence of MCJ/DnaJC15 promotes brown adipose tissue thermogenesis (open access)

Fig. 1: The absence of MCJ protects against obesity increasing interscapular temperature while not affecting the metabolism on chow diet.

Fig. 2: BAT-specific MCJ deficiency increases BAT temperature protecting against obesity.

Some of the researchers involved in this study. From the left: Beatriz Cicuéndez, Guadalupe Sabio, Marta León and Cintia Folgueira. / Laura M. Lombardía. CNIO.