Don't be a worry wart! Worry no more! War worries go away!
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Cross-Embodiment Robot Foundation World Models with Latent Actions
This could be an interesting new paper by Li Fei-Fei and her team!
From the abstract:
"The diversity of robot embodiments and action spaces makes it challenging to build robot world models that generalize across different embodiments.
We introduce the Latent Action-Conditioned Robot World Model (LAC-WM), which operates within a learned unified latent action space shared across diverse embodiments.
This unified action space improves the world model’s performance when adapted to previously unseen robot embodiments.
We compare LAC-WM with an Explicit Action-Conditioned World Model (EAC-WM), which conditions on explicit motion labels.
Our results shows that explicit action conditioning leads to disjoint action representations across embodiments, limiting downstream performance when adapting to new robots.
We evaluate both models on dexterous manipulation tasks and a modified LIBERO benchmark. LAC-WM improves downstream performance over EAC-WM by up to 46.7% on dexterous manipulation and 11.7% on LIBERO.
Crucially, the unified latent action space allows LAC-WM’s downstream performance to scale positively with the number of embodiments used during pretraining.
In contrast, the disjoint action space in EAC-WM leads to decreased performance as the number of pretraining embodiments increases.
These results highlights the importance of a unified action space for efficient cross-embodiment learning, addressing a key challenge in robotics."
Inside India's largest transgender festival Koovagam in April-May 2026 and 18 days long
What about transgender men?
Is this a silly season article by Nikkei Asia?
"Koovagam is a small village in Tamil Nadu, India, famous for hosting the annual 18-day Koothandavar Festival. Centered around the transgender community, it commemorates a Mahabharata legend where the deity Krishna assumes female form to marry Lord Aravan before his sacrifice.
The Festival & Rituals
The festival, usually held in April or May (the Tamil month of Chitrai), draws over 100,000 attendees, making it one of the largest gatherings of transgender women in Asia. ..." (Google search)
"The exact year or date of the very first Koovagam festival is not historically documented. The festival's traditions are deeply rooted in the ancient Mahabharata epic. It has been practiced informally for centuries by local communities before evolving into the massive, formal gathering it is today. ..." (Google search)
Arab leaders tell Trump that Netanyahu is an 'obstacle' to the president's Mideast plans - report
Bad news for PM Netanyahu! Is Netanyahu a road block to President Trump with respect to advancing the Abraham Accords?
"Several Arab leaders have privately urged US President Donald Trump to reconsider his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli public broadcaster KAN News reported on Wednesday. ...
Trump has suggested that he has not yet decided how to approach the Israeli election and is examining the broader field of candidates. ..."
EU, Ukraine sign drone deal to fast-track unmanned systems production
Good news!
"... Under the drone deal, joint ventures will be established between selected Ukrainian and European defense companies to fast-track the development and manufacturing of unmanned technologies. ...
While most of the listed companies focus on aerial drones, two in particular — Fincantieri and UForce — will leverage their expertise in naval drones and serve as systems integrators in the maritime domain. ...
In addition, the Commission has pledged to spend €1 billion ($1.14 billion) to support Kyiv’s drone capabilities as part of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan."
It must be silly season
Hard to find interesting topics to blog about these days!
Hopefully, the silly season will end this weekend!
Religious Liberty in the States 2026: 50-State Rankings
Recommendable!
"All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”
George Washington (August 18, 1790)
Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island
"Here are the top five states:
Arkansas (89%)
Tennessee (85%)
Florida (77%)
Montana (71%)
Illinois (70%)
On the flip side, the five states with the lowest scores are:
California (30%)
West Virginia (30%)
Michigan (27%)
Vermont (27%)
New York (26%)
..."
Homeland Security found over 250,000 illegal aliens registered to vote in just four states plus 400,000 deceased registrants
Good news!
Voter registration is made far to easy in many states, I suspect!
Sometimes only a difference of a few 10,000 votes by state determine the outcome of an election.
"... The agency reviewed voter registrations as part of a Trump administration priority to address concerns about illegal voting in the U.S. using the SAVE system, a controversial citizenship database that includes Social Security numbers. The administration is offering the centralized records to states to identify non-citizens on voter rolls across the country.
The four states opted not to utilize the SAVE system, prompting the agency to conduct a separate review using publicly available voter records. ...
In addition, the agency pointed out that several states have “successfully utilized” the federal records to review and clean their voter rolls. To date, those reviews have identified “400,000 deceased registrants” and “over 28,000 non-citizens illegally registered to vote.” ...
According to the outlet, DHS estimated as many as 190,832 non-citizens registered in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada and 14,576 in Pennsylvania. ..."
Biocells as batteries
Amazing stuff!
However, overall the article is disappointing for lack of pertinent details possibly to protect intellectual property.
"... We’ve found a way to tap into a natural process in algae, and use it to generate continuous electricity 24/7 without harming the plant at all,” ...
The algae live within a sealed casing, and their photosynthesis produces a low-power electrical current that keeps flowing even in the dark. ...
The power output of the biocells is low, so the technology can’t be used for devices that need lots of power. The team’s idea is to use it to power large numbers of devices that would normally be powered using small, disposable batteries – for example remote controls or smoke alarms. ..."
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) releases guidelines to avoid 'sexualization' of female athletes on camera
Is this part of the Islamization of Europe? Just kidding!
"... The European Broadcasting Union put out a 23-page report recently that demanded broadcasters cease using camera angles that they say contribute to the "sexualization" of women. ..."
"... With a focus on raising editorial standards, the publication features clear, visual examples of camera work and broadcast direction that demonstrate how to prioritize technical skill while upholding the professionalism and dignity of women in sport. ..."
New EBU guidelines tackle harmful stereotypes in women’s athletics coverage (official news release)
Small-scale turbulences in the ocean interior operate on short time-scales and at all depths
Amazing stuff! We still know so little about our oceans!
Unfortunately, the primary focus of this study was climate effects!
The news release contains the term "butterfly effect". However, the abstract of respective research article does not mention it.
This research again confirms that climate models are junk!
"An international research team ... found that deep ocean turbulence – the process that distributes heat, nutrients and carbon from the surface to the seafloor and back – affects our lives not on a scale of thousands of years as was previously thought, but within the span of a human lifetime. ...
Using a combination of previously collected physical and chemical measurements, the researchers identified several fast-moving climatic processes affected by small-scale turbulence, including the distribution of heat, nutrients, and carbon. When compared with how climate models predict how turbulence in the deep ocean will affect life on land, the researchers found these models require significant improvements. ...
“There is a microphysics of the ocean, similar to cloud physics, that is extremely difficult and expensive to observe ...
The researchers tracked how far and how fast CFCs [chlorofluorocarbon] have travelled over the past six decades by measuring their concentration at depth. They found some deep waters have carried CFCs all the way from Antarctica to the mid-Pacific and north Indian Ocean in just 40 years. The same waters also carry carbon, oxygen, and heat. As they travel, they mix with other waters, and so turbulence is key to how much tracers, heat, and carbon remain trapped in the deep ocean and on what time scales. ...
Another experiment involved injecting dye into the deep ocean at known locations and depths and tracking its movement. In a deep canyon in the Rockall Trough, not far from UK waters, the dye rose as much as 100 metres per day: roughly 10,000 times faster than models predicted. ...
However, when comparing the CFC, dye, and other observational data with climate models, the team found that the models’ output often deviated significantly from the observational data. ..."
From the abstract:
"Small-scale turbulent mixing in the ocean interior is vital in governing ocean circulation and tracer distributions, and hence global climate. However, the planetary extent of this role and its dependence on the microphysics of mixing remain inadequately understood.
Here, we emphasize the variety of spatio-temporal scales on which such interior turbulent mixing can shape the climate system. In addition to its well-established role in facilitating the equilibration of deep branches of ocean circulation on centennial-to-millennial timescales, interior turbulent mixing is a leading determinant of oceanic tracer budgets on timescales as short as sub-annual.
We highlight the importance of the co-dependence of vertical (diapycnal) mixing and lateral (isopycnal) stirring in establishing the large-scale impacts of oceanic turbulence.
We conclude with a summary of theoretical, observational and computational bottlenecks in the way of a sufficiently accurate representation of mixing in Earth System Models, and discuss emerging opportunities for making progress in these areas."
Fig. 1: Turbulent mixing is ubiquitous at all depths and diverse in nature.
Fig. 2: Turbulence spans a wide range of scales and is difficult to observe in the deep ocean.
Taiwan's No. 2 chipmaker UMC starts photonic chip production in Singapore
TSMC is not alone! UMC = United Microelectronics Corporation
Like TSMC, UMC also expands production in foreign countries.
Friday, July 17, 2026
CHINA: Weltpremiere im Kampfring! Hightech-Roboter treten im Freestyle-Turnier an!
Ziemlich erstaunlich was diese Kampfroboter können, aber wohl noch etwas in den Anfängen!
Putin’s Russia declares Strategic Fleet Of Nuclear Warships/submarines in 'full combat readiness mode.' (about 900 nuclear warheads)
Concerning! What is this sable rattling by Putin the Terrible all about at this time?
What is this megalomaniac and warmonger up to?
As Iran Strikes Gulf With Missiles, Drones, Could UAE Join Trump’s War?
Recommendable! A critical discussion of the pros and cons of the Arab gulf states and their relation with the US.
Uber's $14.8B Delivery Hero deal would nearly double its global footprint
Just wildly speculating: Does it e.g. mean that someone will not have to hail an Uber anymore to drive to the someone's favorite restaurant to have a meal? 😊
"After weeks of speculation, Uber officially agreed to acquire Delivery Hero, a purchase that will take the ride-hailing and delivery giant’s status to new heights, and to nearly 100 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. ..."
&
Inside An Elite University’s Campaign To Bring Conservatives to Campus
Headline of the day!
"The story details efforts by Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels to promote pluralism across the university" (Source)
President Trump: China Accessed 220 Million US Voter Files, Deep State Hid Evidence
Recommendable! Serious stuff! How much were the US media complicit to suppress this information and how it failed to investigate?
A nice summary of President Trump's allegations against China regarding interference in US elections.
New efforts by the US Congress to end penny coin circulation and production
Good news!
"House Sets Cash-Rounding Rules for Stores
The House passed what it called “the Common Cents Act” by voice vote, setting national rules for rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel and legally ending penny production in the U.S.
Under the new bill, if an amount has 1, 2, 6, or 7 as the last cent digit, it can generally be rounded down to the nearest nickel. On the other hand, if an amount ends with 3, 4, 8, or 9 as the last cent digit, it can be rounded up.
The legislation also authorizes the Treasury to test a redesigned, lower-cost nickel made with zinc instead of the current copper-heavy alloy. Currently, every 5-cent nickel cost nearly 14 cents to produce last year, and the U.S. Mint lost roughly $18 million on nickel production alone."
EU Ökodesign-Richtlinie 2026: Was sich ab dem 24. Juli für Ventilatoren ändert. Wirklich!
War das notwendig? Welche Regulierungswut in der EU und in der Bananenrepublik D! Welcher Wahnsinn!
Das erinnert irgendwie an das berühmte Zitat von Präsident Ronald Reagan: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
"Die neue Ökodesign-Verordnung für Energy-related Products (EU) 2024/1834 (ErP 2026) hebt die Mindestwirkungsgrade für Ventilatoren spürbar an und bewertet die Effizienz weiterhin über den Fan Efficiency Grade (FEG), jedoch auf Basis aktualisierter Messbedingungen. Darauf weist der Hersteller ebm-papst hin. ..."
Democrats took Hispanic voters for granted — and paid for it
Good news! On average, Hispanics in the US are probably more conservative than progressive.
"... One of the most significant political developments of the past decade has been the steady movement of Hispanic voters toward conservative principles. Across the country, Hispanic Americans are rejecting the assumption that they belong permanently to one political party. Instead, many are embracing values centered on faith, family, entrepreneurship, and individual liberty. ...
For conservatives, however, demographic movement alone is not enough. If the conservative movement hopes to build a lasting coalition, it must stop treating Hispanic voters as a constituency that receives attention only during election season.
For too long, political outreach to Hispanics has consisted of translated advertisements, a few campaign appearances, and promises made in the final weeks before Election Day. ..."
Undersea lava flows named after Game of Thrones dragon may reveal a new type of volcanism
Amazing stuff!
Unfortunately, it appears neither the King Abdullah University nor the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research posted any news release on this discovery!
"The Atlantic Ocean’s Balerion Lava Field doesn’t fit any established model of volcanic eruptions"
"A glassy swath of lava discovered on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean doesn’t fit any existing explanation for how volcanoes form. Named the Balerion Lava Field after the gargantuan black dragon from the TV series Game of Thrones, it may represent a previously unrecognized form of volcanism lurking across Earth’s still mostly unexplored sea floor. ...
But the Balerion Lava Field—located in the northwestern Atlantic far from any subduction zone, midocean ridge, or known hot spot—fits none of these categories. ..."
From the abstract:
"The abyssal plains cover more than half of Earth’s surface and are generally regarded as volcanically and hydrothermally inactive environments that progressively accumulate pelagic sediments with age. This assumption is the basis for models on e.g., oceanic crust evolution, chemical budgets of the deep ocean floor, and the distribution of hard-substrate benthic habitats.
Here, we present high-resolution acoustic data, seafloor observations, and sample characteristics from the NW Atlantic abyssal seafloor that reveal 360 km2 of young (<50 ka) volcanism on 20 Ma oceanic crust.
These Balerion Lava Fields do not display a significant bathymetric expression and are only detectable from the surface by a stronger acoustic backscatter, pointing to limited sedimentation.
Geochemistry of the lavas reveals that the lavas are Si-saturated basaltic andesites with low Ca and Fe at relatively high Mg contents. Whole rock trace element and elevated Ni, low Ca/Fe olivine chemistry signatures resemble those of Hawaiian samples from Koʻolau and Mauna Loa that have been linked to pyroxenite-bearing mantle sources.
Isotopic compositions are close to the PREMA mantle domain. Small (<1 mm), skeletal phenocrysts suggest rapid crystal growth and ascent of low-viscosity, possibly superheated melts with little or no crustal storage.
Regional bathymetry and tectonic structure are consistent with normal 20 Ma seafloor subsidence and deformation, providing no evidence for anomalous lithospheric thinning, intraplate extension, or a mantle thermal anomaly.
Instead, the geochemical characteristics point to magma generation at >2 GPa from a pyroxenite-rich source within the asthenosphere [cf. 4].
We propose that the Balerion volcanism reflects melting of anomalous volumes of recycled oceanic crust, rising in the convecting upper mantle. Such processes may occur widely beneath oceanic plates, representing a form of intraplate magmatism independent of both plate tectonics and mantle plumes."
Hidden, young lavas on the 20 Ma old abyssal plain: A new form of oceanic intraplate volcanism
A crystal of olivine in a sample of seafloor lava that resembled a dragon prompted researchers to name the eruptive flow Balerion, after a Game of Thrones dragon
Nokia’s 14 Years of Mobile-Phone Supremacy Ended in an Afternoon
Recommendable! A chronicle of fast moving technological change!
What about Motorola?
"In 2005, Nokia sold its billionth mobile phone, a budget-friendly device that went to a customer in Nigeria. By then, the company, based in Espoo, Finland, was making one of every three cellphones globally.
But just nine years later, the mobile-device maker offloaded its entire handset division to Microsoft for pennies on the dollar, compared to what it had been worth at its peak. ...
On 9 January 2007, at the Macworld conference in San Francisco, Steve Jobs made a characteristically bold claim. “Today, Apple is reinventing the phone,” he said, soon pulling one of the first iPhones out of his pocket. ...
multitouch [screen] technology ..
And yet it took Nokia years to develop a phone that used multitouch. “Remember, Nokia is based in Finland,” he says. “It’s very cold in Finland. They wear gloves for six months of the year, including the executives. They didn’t think a device like that would work.” ...
That similar product ended up being the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, known as the Tube, released in 2008. “The idea was to focus on streaming videos and television,” Partanen says. “So we made a phone with a similar form factor to the iPhone [that was] optimized for streaming content.” But the 5800 was “delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed,” he says. “It didn’t materialize in the way it was planned. It was released as a watered-down version.” ...
The 1200 kept the 1100’s dust-proofing, flashlight, and long-lasting battery, and added features aimed squarely at the developing world. ...
In September 2008, the first Android phone went on sale—the HTC Dream, which was also sold as the T-Mobile G1. ...
Released in 2009, the Nokia 5230 attempted to be a low-priced, touchscreen (though not multitouch) competitor to both the iPhone and Android. It sold an impressive 150 million units, doing especially well in developing countries.
But the 5230 didn’t have Wi-Fi—one of the biggest complaints at the time. In the developing world, Wi-Fi connections were still rare, so the lack of Wi-Fi made some sense. ..."
A step toward lab‑grown sperm: Scientists turn stem cells into early sperm cells in a mini‑testis
Good news!
"... In a recent study published in Cell Stem Cell, scientists presented a recipe for transforming human blood-derived cells into immature primate sperm precursor cells in a mini-testis-like environment.
The researchers started with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from humans and rhesus macaques, which are blank-slate cells that can be programmed to become almost any cell type. By exposing them to specific chemical signals, the researchers transformed them into primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs), which are lab-grown versions of the earliest embryonic cells that eventually develop into germline cells, in this case sperm cells. ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Human and macaque iPSCs generate spermatogonia after testis reconstitution
• Induced germ cells form xenogeneic reconstituted testes with mouse somatic cells
• Differentiated germ cells recapitulate in vivo phenotypes and transcriptomes
• iPSC-derived spermatogonia express prepachytene piRNAs
Summary
Failures in germline development drive male infertility, but the lack of model systems that recapitulate human spermatogenesis hampers therapeutic development.
Here, we develop a system to differentiate human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into primordial germ cell-like cells that self-organize with mouse fetal testicular cells into seminiferous tubule-like structures within a xenogeneic reconstituted testis (xrTestis).
Subsequent transplantation of xrTestes into immunodeficient mice results in efficient generation of male germ cells up to meiotic onset, including spermatogonia with evidence of prepachytene PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) biogenesis, as well as differentiating spermatogonia and rare preleptotene spermatocytes exhibiting transcriptomic and phenotypic similarities to their in vivo counterparts.
As future clinical applications will require testing in non-human primates, we apply a similar strategy to differentiate rhesus iPSCs through fetal germ cell stages into spermatogonia and differentiating spermatogonia.
Together, these platforms provide a foundation for studying primate germ cell lineages and represent a step toward in vitro gametogenesis."
Graphical abstract
Zu laut: Windräder in Uhingen müssen nachts abgeschaltet werden
Neues von den Schildbürgern der Bananenrepublik D! Der Artikel ist etwas älter, aber immer noch relevant
Nur zwei Windräder?
"... Die Anlagen auf dem Schurwald oberhalb des Nassachtals waren erst im Dezember 2024 in Betrieb gegangen. Seitdem klagen Anwohner über Wisch- und Brummgeräusche. Nach der DEKRA-Kurzzusammenfassung wurde nicht an der Anlage, sondern im Ort gemessen, also dort, wo der Schall ankommt. Mit Tonzuschlag werden bis zu 45 dB(A) erreicht, mit weiteren Zuschlägen bis zu 50 dB(A). Für allgemeine Wohngebiete gilt nachts ein Richtwert von 40 dB(A). ..."
Fracking in Deutschland: Ein Viertel des Gasbedarfs aus eigener Erde – und die Politik schaut weg
Dies ist ein etwas älterer Artikel, aber immer noch sehr relevant!
Wie die Bananenrepublik D im Klimawahn die notwendige Energieversorgung mutwillig sabotiert hat (z.B. durch Abschalten von Kohle- und Atomkraftwerken).
"Während Deutschland sich weiterhin in energiepolitischer Selbstkasteiung übt, legt ein renommierter Experte Fakten auf den Tisch, die der ideologisch vernebelten Debatte den Boden entziehen könnten. Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Kümpel, ehemaliger Präsident der Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), kommt in einem Gutachten für die Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung zu einem klaren Ergebnis:
Mit moderner Schiefergas-Förderung (Fracking) ließen sich unter konservativen Annahmen jährlich rund 20 Milliarden Kubikmeter Erdgas gewinnen – über mehrere Jahrzehnte hinweg. Das entspricht etwa einem Viertel des deutschen Gasbedarfs. ..."
"...
- Langfristig könnten rund 20 Milliarden Kubikmeter Erdgas pro Jahr gefördert werden
- Studie sieht Potenzial zur Verringerung von Importabhängigkeit und Energiepreisdruck (≈ ein Viertel des heutigen deutschen Gasbedarfs)
- Bis zu 18 Millionen Tonnen CO₂-Äquivalente könnten jährlich vermieden werden
...
Die Studie schätzt die förderbaren Vorkommen auf rund 1.000 Milliarden Kubikmeter Erdgas. Selbst unter vorsichtigen Annahmen könnten rund 20 Milliarden Kubikmeter Erdgas pro Jahr gefördert werden. Dies entspricht etwa einem Viertel des heutigen deutschen Gasbedarfs. ..."
Neue Studie: Heimisches Schiefergas könnte Deutschlands energiepolitische Resilienz stärken "Studie legt nüchterne und wissenschaftsbasierte Neubewertung nahe"
Anti-social: Social media's fads/ads/vids, not friends, which now dominate our feeds
Food for thought! Besides social media addiction ... Or when algorithms define your life and activities.
Caveat: I am not an expert on social media since I barely use it.
"... There are ads too – although they look just like the other posts – for a robot-vacuum cleaner, a diet and bed linen (with Morris-inspired designs). But no friends. She has 198 on Instagram but she says "it's completely changed. I practically don’t see any friends' posts anymore." She’s pretty much given up posting herself. ...
In France, annual official Barometre du numerique 2026 shows 49% of social media users are "active only occasionally".
In the UK, an Ofcom report published in April showed a year-on-year drop of users who actively post from 61% to 49%.
In the US, a Morning Consult survey of June last year found 28% reported posting less often than the previous year. Just 33% now post daily compared to 57% who use it for entertainment daily. The gap is a lot wider still for Gen Z – 18% active for 74% passive. ...
It was TikTok that helped to pioneer an algorithm that figures out from the moment you start scrolling what you like, and then fills your feed with material calculated to keep you on the app for the longest possible time. ..."
The Pentagon is blocking more than 150 wind projects over drone fears and interference with radar surveillance
Wind turbines are not only ugly in the landscape!
"Wind turbines can confuse radar systems on ships and aircraft. Their massive rotating blades create a “blade flash” on radar screens, while their steel bases reflect electromagnetic waves, making it difficult to distinguish the turbines from aircraft or other objects. ..."
Kind trotz Leihmutterschaftsverbot: Jens Spahn ist als Unionsfraktionschef nicht mehr haltbar
Regeln für dich, aber nicht für mich! So lebt es sich als Bundestagsabgeordneter in der Bananenrepublik D!
Der Mann war mir nie sympathisch!
"Moral endet, wo man sie doppelt in Anspruch nimmt. Es mag sein, dass Unionsfraktionschef Jens Spahn (CDU) im Laufe seines politischen Lebens seine ursprünglich konservativ-ablehnende private Haltung zur Leihmutterschaft geändert hat.
Die Rechtslage in Deutschland, die er selbst noch als Bundesgesundheitsminister vertrat, hat sich nicht geändert. Leihmutterschaft, die Spahn jetzt mit seinem Lebenspartner in den USA in Anspruch genommen hat, ist in Deutschland verboten. Als mächtigster Unionspolitiker der Legislative ist Spahn mit diesem Winkelzug in seinem Amt untragbar geworden. ..."
Daniel Funke und Jens Spahn (Quelle)
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Andy Burnham Set To Become UK Prime Minister As Labour Leadership Race Ends
How long will this new PM last? When will the severe leadership crisis in the UK end?
Keir Starmer was in office for less than 2 years!
The world is better off when the UK leads!
India Launches First Hydrogen-Powered Train | PM Modi Flags Off Green Rail Revolution
Good news! India is only the fifth country in the world with a hydrogen powered train!
Trump Is Making Three Times As Much In White House As He Did In Business with at least $2.2 billion in 2025
Recommendable! The Art of the Deal with crypto currencies and meme coins!
White House teleprompter operator bet on Trump's speeches?
What a story! He is reported to have pulled some bets mid speech when Trump deviated from script! 😊
TOP FIVE moments from Trump's bombshell address
Recommendable! President Trump made some very serious allegations of massive election interference by China!
Ukraine Senior Air Force Commander Quits, Calls Defense Minister Fedorov’s Dismissal ‘Great Evil’
Did Prime Minister Zelensky make huge mistake to dismiss the effective Defense Minister Fedorov?
Sodium-ion batteries are entering mass production in China
Good news! Will China corner the global battery market?
"China has over 36.9 million ... passenger ... EVs and more than 420 million electric two-wheelers (motorcycles, scooters, and e-bikes) currently in use." (Google search)
"China’s CATL set to begin large-scale output this year in a push that researchers say could offer a cheaper, safer, and more abundant alternative to lithium for EVs and grid storage."
Beyond lithium: how sodium-ion batteries could change the world "Batteries based on sodium ions are entering mass production. Some researchers say they could ultimately be a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium in electric cars and other energy applications."
Sodium-ion batteries made by CATL in China are used in electric cars (left) and energy-storage banks for electricity grids (right).
The number of unvaccinated children worldwide declines further
Good news! The comprehensive vaccination of children is a huge humanitarian success story!
Given "There are approximately 2.4 billion children (people under the age of 18) worldwide" (Google search) this is a great success!
"... Key takeaways: ~13.5 million children remained “zero-dose” in 2025, meaning they missed all routine vaccinations. That number is down ~750,000 from the previous year, but still well above pre-pandemic levels. ..."
"... In 2025, 90 per cent of infants globally – or nearly 116 million – received at least one dose of a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, and 85 per cent – or 110 million – completed the full three-dose series ..."
Global childhood immunization coverage inches forward despite conflict and hesitancy – UNICEF, WHO "Zero-dose children fell by nearly 750,000 in the past year, but drop-out numbers high and stagnant, increasing risk of disease outbreaks"
France’s parliament adopted an intensely debated right-to-die bill yesterday
Good news! Food for thought!
What e.g. the next day a cure is published for a previously incurable disease?
"France’s parliament adopted an intensely debated right-to-die bill yesterday, supporting assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses; the bill is slated to undergo review by France’s Constitutional Council before it can take effect."
"... The legislation will, under strict conditions, allow a person to request a lethal substance. The substance could be self-administered or, if the person is physically unable to do so, administered by a doctor or nurse. ..."
France’s lower house of parliament adopts final text of landmark right-to-die law "France's National Assembly on Wednesday adopted a bill that will create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, capping years of intense ethical and political debate. French President Emmanuel Macron, who promised such a law during his re-election campaign, hailed lawmakers' "respectful debate" on the issue following the vote."
Violent attacks by Israeli extremists in West Bank fall 25% since March
News that many Western media will not report!
"... In addition, the Judea and Samaria District Police have carried out arrests in several cases, including the detention of six Israelis accused of setting fire to a Palestinian home and the arrest of four Israelis who attacked a CNN news crew last week in the village of Sinjil, in the Binyamin region of the West Bank. ..."
PrismML — Announcing Bonsai 27B: The First 27B-Class Model to Run on a Phone
Bonsai, not a bad name! How did they compress the large Qwen model?
Is it really necessary to have such models run on a phone? Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?
"Today, we're announcing Bonsai 27B, based on Qwen3.6 27B, the new multimodal flagship of the Bonsai family and the first model of its capability class to run on a phone. ..."
A Top Mamdani NYC Official Tried to Meet with Islamic Republic’s ambassador to the U.N.
The NYC mayor has ambitions beyond the city limits! 😊 What was Zamdani thinking?
It was not reported whether the female top official would have worn a Burka or head scarf at the meeting.
"The top official in the Zohran Mamdani administration’s Office for International Affairs made plans to meet with Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations.
Commissioner Ana María Archila was scheduled to meet with Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, at 2 United Nations Plaza, alongside two other senior officials in the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs on July 7 at 11 a.m ...
The meeting between Archila and Iravani was called off after the State Department—which was not informed ahead of time—met with the Mamdani administration to clarify acceptable conduct, according to the State Department official."
Ana Maria Archila, Commissioner (Source)
Pentagon launches low testosterone screening program for male troops
What hormone will the DoD test female soldiers for? Is testerone testing in the military necessary? Is it obscure?
Is this potentially a violation of gender equality?
"The Pentagon will begin annually screening service members for testosterone deficiency, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday, citing the need to ensure troops maintain the “biological foundation” to fight.
Under the new program, the secretary said service members aged 30 and older will be tested yearly for testosterone deficiency as part of routine health assessments. Troops under 30, meanwhile, will have the option to be tested, he said. ...
The decision to receive testosterone replacement therapy — if recommended by a medical professional — will remain up to the individual service member. ..."
Bangladesh to build 108-km fence along Myanmar border
Not only the US is building fences at its southern border.
"DHAKA -- Bangladesh has decided to fence off parts of its 271-kilometer border with Myanmar to combat transnational crime as the volatile situation in Rakhine state of the neighboring country deepens security concerns for Dhaka. ..."
Treating Taipei’s Homeless with a Policy of Compassion
Taiwan is not all technology and business!
"Taipei Main Station is a destination that wears many hats. Aside from being the largest land and rail transport hub for Northern Taiwan, it is also a critical space for the city’s unhoused population – where many gather, keep their belongings, and settle down.
Official statistics show there are about 3,000 homeless people, also known as “street friends” (街友), across Taiwan: 620 of them are said to be living in Taipei, a similar number may be found in neighboring New Taipei City, and the rest can be found dispersed in urban centers across the country. Social workers say most of the unhoused are male, with an average age of 60. Many, but certainly not all, are single and unmarried.
Despite this, Taipei’s aid workers believe the actual figure is much higher, since the official statistics only cover those who fit the government’s definition of a homeless person: someone who “sleep(s) on the streets or in any public area.” Additionally, non-government groups like Homeless Taiwan state that the number does not consider “rough sleepers,” or persons who have a permanent address but sleep in shelters, institutions, internet cafes, or couch-surf in the homes of friends or relatives.
Non-government groups like Salt Collectiv, which runs feeding programs around Taipei Main Station, say the homeless are mostly concentrated in three areas: in and around Taipei Main Station, at Bangka Park (艋舺公園) near Taipei’s Longshan Temple (龍山寺), and in the neighboring Wanhua district (萬華區). The areas are so well known they attract recruiters who often go to designated spots to find people willing to undertake low-paid, casual work.
Allowing homeless people to settle in high-traffic, high-visibility areas confounds both tourists and commuters ..."
More than Just Trade: Taiwan’s Investment Boom in the United States
Good news! This is mind boggling!
"... an investment agreement signed in January between the United States and Taiwan. The deal promises $250 billion in Taiwanese private-sector investment and up to $250 billion in government-backed credit guarantees in the United States. ...
Taiwan was the United States fourth-largest trading partner in 2025, with bilateral trade totaling approximately USD 256 billion. Four years prior, Taiwan was America’s eleventh-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade barely exceeding USD 100 billion.
Now, Taiwan is the United States fourth-largest source of imports (USD 201 billion), and the tenth-largest export market (USD 55 billion). This large volume of trade has led the United States to become Taiwan’s second-largest trading partner for over a decade. ...
While discussion of Taiwanese investment understandably focuses on TSMC, there are also a growing number of companies across a wide range of industries trying to expand into the American market. ..."
TSMC plans further $100bn US investment to feed AI demand (latest news) "Taiwanese chipmaker raises full-year capex to $64bn, revenue growth forecast to 40%"
In game theory, generalists sometimes win out over specialists in reinforcement learning
This could be an interesting new paper by Zico Kolter.
"... it does offer new insights into so-called imperfect-information games that involve two contestants facing off in a “zero-sum” competition, where one player’s gain means the other player’s loss. ...
The focus of the new work is on algorithms that could be used to train neural networks to participate in imperfect-information games. The assumption, long-held in the field, was that algorithms grounded in principles of game theory would, in this setting, clearly outcompete a general-purpose variety of algorithms called policy gradient methods, which came into use for decision-making in the 1990s. The term “policy” in this context basically means strategy, whereas “gradient” refers to a path that leads in the direction of greatest change — to the top (or bottom) of a hill, for example. Policy gradient methods are being used to train neural networks to make decisions that move — in small, sequential steps — toward a particular goal (like reaching a summit, metaphorically speaking), with continual adjustments and course corrections made along the way to bring the agent closer to the intended destination. ..."
From the abstract:
"In the past decade, motivated by the putative failure of naive self-play deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in adversarial imperfect-information games, researchers have developed numerous DRL algorithms based on fictitious play (FP), double oracle (DO), and counterfactual regret minimization (CFR).
In light of recent results of the magnetic mirror descent algorithm, we hypothesize that simpler generic policy gradient methods like PPO are competitive with or superior to these FP-, DO-, and CFR-based DRL approaches. To facilitate the resolution of this hypothesis, we implement and release the first broadly accessible exact exploitability computations for five large games.
Using these games, we conduct the largest-ever exploitability comparison of DRL algorithms for imperfect-information games. Over 7000 training runs, we find that FP-, DO-, and CFR-based approaches fail to outperform generic policy gradient methods."
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