Very recommendable! One of the very controversial presidents of the U.S. The one who followed even more controversial, i.e. President Theodore Roosevelt
Thursday, June 30, 2022
On Unified-IO: A Unified Model for Vision, Language, and Multi-Modal Tasks
Just finished studying this paper by Allen Institute for AI. A model with very impressive capabilities across modalities.
Today perhaps one of the most controversial U.S. Supreme Court Justices was sworn into office
The demented and senile 46th President expressed in public that the nominee had to be a black woman.
The U.S. Senate voted 53 to 47 to confirm her nomination. It was a party line vote!
It is quite shocking that so many Democratic Party U.S. Senators voted yea for this nominee!
Ms. Brown has been groomed by President Obama. Not exactly a good sign!
This is another dark day in U.S. history thanks to the demented and senile 46th President!
There is hope! Once in her new office and cooperating with the other Justices, she will learn to fully appreciate the U.S. Constitution and American Exceptionalism. Even better, if she leaves any leftist or other ideological garbage she might harbor especially regarding skin color behind!
Ketanji Brown Jackson
The European Union has morphed into a Soviet Union!
The larger the EU becomes, the more powerful centralism and authoritarianism we observe!
More and more Big Government prohibitions and interventions! More and more communist style central planning of our daily lives and the economy!
The larger the EU has become, the more the legal basis (e.g. foundational and principal agreements) of the EU were violated!
These are very disturbing trends!
Johns Hopkins University: The Road to serfdom to Prevent 500K traffic Deaths a Year around the world
A frequently observed pattern: Under the guise of public health mix a hodge podge of data, stir it well to create the largest possible shock effect, make some outlandish claims, and come up with some authoritarian solutions!
Absolute public health must rule above everything else according to these demagogues!
E.g. the demand for lowering speed limits must be directed at high income countries as low and middle income countries likely do not enforce speed limits as much!
"... The majority of traffic deaths are preventable, and simple road safety interventions like lowering speed limits could save nearly 540,000 lives worldwide every year, Forbes reports, highlighting a series published in The Lancet yesterday.
~25% to 40% of road deaths annually could be prevented by targeting speeding, drunk driving and helmet and seat-belt wearing in 185 countries, according to a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed studies.
Nearly 1.4 million people die from traffic injuries each year; another ~50 million suffer injuries.
More than 90% of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. And deaths continue to climb in low-income countries, while “progress in high-income countries has slowed over the past decade,” says Adnan Hyder, a global health professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, who led the series. ..."
MIT: Tapping into the million-year geothermal energy source. Really!
They keep looking for renewable green energy everywhere!
I don't think this is a realistic source of energy on a large scale (e.g. serving millions of customers). How costly is this form of energy generation? How environmentally is it? What will be the damage to earth if scaled up? How many wholes need to be drilled and how deep?
This sounds more like a plea for government subsidies to finance a dubious energy source!
"... a research engineer in MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, notes ... Using an approach he’s been working on for the last 14 years, he’s hoping it will be back online, completely carbon-free [???], within the decade. ...
The company plans to vaporize enough rock to create the world’s deepest holes and harvest geothermal energy at a scale that could satisfy human energy consumption for millions of years. They haven’t yet solved all the related engineering challenges, ... to begin harvesting energy from a pilot well by 2026.
... But Quaise’s drilling systems center around a microwave-emitting device called a gyrotron that has been used in research and manufacturing for decades.
“This will happen quickly once we solve the immediate engineering problems of transmitting a clean beam and having it operate at a high energy density without breakdown ..."
Big Government witch hunt against Facebook in the name of political correctness
Another egregious overreach by Big Government! When Big Government micromanages businesses! Political correctness and government censorship combined! Disturbing!
"The United States government compelled Meta to revise its ad-placement system to deliver ads for housing to members regardless of their age, gender, or ethnicity. The company is voluntarily rebalancing its distribution of ads for credit and employment as well. ...
The company now allows advertisers to define the eligible audience for an ad based on variables like location, interests, and online activity but not age, sex, race, or ethnicity. ...
Meta will report the algorithm’s results every four months to the U.S. Justice Department and a third party nominated by the company and approved by the government. ... The update is part of a settlement between Meta and the U.S. Justice Department, which found that the company had violated laws against discrimination in housing. Meta also agreed to terminate a different system that was intended to enforce a more even distribution of ads but was found to have the opposite effect. It will pay a fine of $115,054, the maximum penalty under the law. ..."
Facebook/Meta responded:
"... We will be introducing a new method designed to make sure the audience that ends up seeing a housing ad more closely reflects the eligible targeted audience for that ad. It will focus on a few key demographics: age, gender and estimated race or ethnicity. ...
HUD’s concerns focused on housing ads, but we also plan to use this method for employment and credit ads. These changes build on the significant progress we’ve already made to advance non-discrimination and fairness in our ads system. ...
designed to make sure the audience that ends up seeing a housing ad more closely reflects the eligible targeted audience for that ad. ..."
HUD’s concerns focused on housing ads, but we also plan to use this method for employment and credit ads. These changes build on the significant progress we’ve already made to advance non-discrimination and fairness in our ads system. ...
designed to make sure the audience that ends up seeing a housing ad more closely reflects the eligible targeted audience for that ad. ..."
Physicists may have finally spotted elusive clusters of four neutrons or tetraneutron
This time not a new particle, but perhaps some other fascinating subatomic phenomenon! This research may even open the door to a new discipline in subatomic physics.
What goes on in time intervals of less than a billionth of a trillionth of a second? That humans even can measure such extremely short time intervals is almost magic. Questions of artifacts arise.
"Unlike an atomic nucleus, in which protons and neutrons are solidly bound together, the purported tetraneutrons seem to be quasi-bound, or resonant, states. ... last only for fleeting instants — in this case, less than a billionth of a trillionth of a second, the researchers report in the June 23 Nature.
Tetraneutrons fascinate physicists because, if confirmed, the clusters would help scientists isolate and probe mysterious neutron-neutron forces and the inner workings of atomic nuclei. ..."
From the abstract:
"A long-standing question in nuclear physics is whether chargeless nuclear systems can exist. To our knowledge, only neutron stars represent near-pure neutron systems, where neutrons are squeezed together by the gravitational force to very high densities. The experimental search for isolated multi-neutron systems has been an ongoing quest for several decades, with a particular focus on the four-neutron system called the tetraneutron, resulting in only a few indications of its existence so far, leaving the tetraneutron an elusive nuclear system for six decades. Here we report on the observation of a resonance-like structure near threshold in the four-neutron system that is consistent with a quasi-bound tetraneutron state existing for a very short time. ..."
Observation of a correlated free four-neutron system (open access)
UAE air force officer to learn at Israel's National Defense College next year
This is big news! The Abraham Accords keep on giving!
In terms of the Middle East, President Trum was probably one of the most consequential U.S. presidents in decades.
"... Last October, the Commander of the Kingdom’s Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed al-Alawi landed in Israel for the first time as the guest of former Israel Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin during the large-scale international Blue Flag aerial exercise.
Regional defense cooperation
Both Israel and the UAE have worked together covertly for years against Iran’s hegemony, and according to foreign reports, have behind closed doors improved their intelligence-sharing and military relations in order to be prepared for Iranian threats.
Following the normalization agreement signed as part of the Abraham Accords, the UAE’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohammed al-Bawardi and Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz agreed to establish security ties between the two countries. ..."
Following the normalization agreement signed as part of the Abraham Accords, the UAE’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohammed al-Bawardi and Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz agreed to establish security ties between the two countries. ..."
Israel Defense Forces stopped hackers from hitting US power plants - Unit 8200 official
Cyber warfare and crime are all too real! Clandestine activities well hidden from public view! You wonder what else is going on.
The U.S. - Israel alliance is very special!
"The deputy chief of IDF Unit 8200, “Col. U.,” on Wednesday [6/29/2022] said that his intelligence agency warned the United States of attempts to hack the country's power plants in time to thwart the cyberattack. ...
Although this was not the first time these warnings to the US have been made public, it was the first time a Unit 8200 official had discussed sensitive cyber intelligence in public.
The most well-known example was Israel’s 2017 warning to the US about Russia’s Kaspersky antivirus software being used as a way to backdoor spy on them or plant malware. ..."
The officers face is blurred (not by me) even though he speaks at a conference at the Tel Aviv University
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Tucker Carlson: Worse than the McCarthy era
Very recommendable! The administration of the senile and demented 46th President is acting worse than the McCarthy era and Tucker proves it!
Tucker also mentions the very disturbing diary of the daughter of the 46th President. It is this diary real or is it a hoax?
American Economic Journal: Breastfeeding and Child Development. Seriously!
You'll be surprised what economists sometimes study and have published in major journals! Is this called crossover or interdisciplinary research?
Or are economists or economic journals running out of subjects? As an economist myself, I am scratching my head a little bit!
I guess, the old bread and butter subjects like price inflation or international supply chains, topics that really matter, are undervalued by some current economists.
From the abstract:
"We show that children who are born at or just before the weekend are less likely to be breastfed, owing to poorer breastfeeding support services in hospitals at weekends. We use this variation to estimate the effect of breastfeeding on children's development in the first seven years of life, for a sample of births of low-educated mothers. We find large effects of breastfeeding on children's cognitive development but no effects on health or noncognitive development during the period of childhood we consider. Regarding mechanisms, we study how breastfeeding affects parental investments and the quality of the mother-child relationship."
Molecular machine drills holes in antibiotic-resistant bacteria killing them
Good news! A very different approach to antibiotics and it is fast acting and bacterial resistance is lacking! Possibly, a breakthrough!
This new treatment may first be available only as topical antibiotics.
"Light-activated molecular machines have been created that act as a broad-spectrum ‘antibiotic’ to mechanically damage bacterial cell membranes. Although this research is currently at an early pre-clinical stage, initial in vivo studies are encouraging. ...
[Researchers] have now developed a range of blue light-activated molecular machines that demonstrate fast-acting and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity via mechanical disruption of the cell membrane. The positively-charged molecular motors are selectively drawn to the negatively-charged membranes of bacterial cells and, on exposure to light, drill into the membrane, allowing the contents to leak out. ..."
[Researchers] have now developed a range of blue light-activated molecular machines that demonstrate fast-acting and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity via mechanical disruption of the cell membrane. The positively-charged molecular motors are selectively drawn to the negatively-charged membranes of bacterial cells and, on exposure to light, drill into the membrane, allowing the contents to leak out. ..."
From the abstract:
"... Here, we report the discovery of a distinctive antibacterial therapy that uses visible (405 nanometers) light-activated synthetic molecular machines (MMs) to kill Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in minutes, vastly outpacing conventional antibiotics. MMs also rapidly eliminate persister cells and established bacterial biofilms. The antibacterial mode of action of MMs involves physical disruption of the membrane. In addition, by permeabilizing the membrane, MMs at sublethal doses potentiate the action of conventional antibiotics. Repeated exposure to antibacterial MMs is not accompanied by resistance development. Finally, therapeutic doses of MMs mitigate mortality associated with bacterial infection in an in vivo model of burn wound infection. Visible light–activated MMs represent an unconventional antibacterial mode of action by mechanical disruption at the molecular scale, not existent in nature and to which resistance development is unlikely."
Intel announces silicon photonics advancement towards optical I/O
Good news!
"Intel has demonstrated an eight-wavelength laser array on a silicon wafer. The research paves the way for the next generation of integrated silicon photonics products in the data center, such as switches with co-packaged optics and chiplets for optical interconnects. ...
More specifically, the laser uses a technology called dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) in order to send different, closely spaced wavelengths over the same optical link. This technique thus increases the bandwidth while also reducing the physical size of the photonic chips. ..."
More specifically, the laser uses a technology called dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) in order to send different, closely spaced wavelengths over the same optical link. This technique thus increases the bandwidth while also reducing the physical size of the photonic chips. ..."
Taiwandia: The Slow, Quiet Development of India-Taiwan Relations
India, a sleeping giant is awakening! India, a new superpower and counterweight to China!
"... many countries that don’t formally recognize Taiwan are finding new ways to enhance diplomatic and economic linkages with Taipei, and India may be the most important among them.
In recent years, largely outside the headlines, India and Taiwan have quietly developed a robust economic relationship coupled with an expanding mélange of political interactions. In December 2021, the two countries began negotiations on Free Trade Agreement, with a special focus on developing India into a semiconductor manufacturing hub. According to Taiwan envoys to India, bilateral trade hit new records in 2021 at over $7 billion, and over 120 Taiwanese companies are operating in India with cumulative investments over $2.3 billion. This year, the State Bank of India raised $300 million issuing Taiwanese “Formosa bonds,” the first Indian commercial entity to do so. ..."
Americans Should Play ‘Game of Chess,’ Not Game of Money, in Competition with China: Reagan Admin Official. Really!
The headline of the day! The Epoch Times tries to imitate President Reagan's wit and jokes! How old is this former Reagan official?
I am afraid this headline is laughable and ridiculous! The Chinese play the game of Go (for over 2,500 years), which is a much more complicated and more strategic game than Chess ever was! Computers beat Chess (1997) first and Go years later (2016).
"The number of legal board positions in Go has been calculated to be approximately 2.1× 10 power of 170, which is vastly greater than the number of atoms in the observable universe, estimated to be of the order of 10 power of 80"(Source)
Monkeypox: The next alarmism and hysteria escalation after Covid-19!
There are still only a few thousand cases reported worldwide!
The transmission of this disease is quite different and it is much less infectious than Covid-19! It seems to have even a sexual transmission (e.g. among male sexual partners) component, which is either downplayed or hushed (for possibly ideological reasons. Hint: HIV/AIDS), but may also indicate a slow transmission.
Nevertheless, on a daily basis news media, governments etc. are spreading propaganda about this disease!
Is this the Brave New World we are living in now! One fabricated panic and hysteria is chasing the next! Hopefully not! A return to reason and common sense is urgently needed!
Johns Hopkins University accuses Israel of “unspeakable horrors” against children based on a UNICEF report
Glaring antisemitism at elite U.S. universities!
"Children caught up in conflict are subjected to “unspeakable horrors”—amounting to a staggering average of 71 violations every day, according to a UNICEF analysis published yesterday, VOA reports.
UNICEF verified over 250,000 grave violations in total, against children in 30+ armed conflict settings across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America between 2005 and 2020 ...
The worst hot spots: Children in just 5 places—Afghanistan, Israel and the State of Palestine [???], Syria, Yemen, and Somalia—bore the brunt of all casualties, 82%, from 2016-2022. ..."
The worst hot spots: Children in just 5 places—Afghanistan, Israel and the State of Palestine [???], Syria, Yemen, and Somalia—bore the brunt of all casualties, 82%, from 2016-2022. ..."
Universal Expansion of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Would Be Huge Win for Arizona Families
Good news!
"Significantly expanding Arizona’s existing Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program, House Bill 2853 is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey any day. ... the bill would “allow families to use their education savings accounts to pay for transportation services, computer hardware, and 'technological devices primarily used for educational purposes.'” ..."
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is ‘toxic masculinity’. Really!
What is this utter foolish speculation by the British Prime Minister all about!
Why is he adopting this leftist ideological terminology!
In these dangerous times when a World War III or the use of ABC weapons is potentially possible, these kind of remarks are childish at best!
This Prime Minister is so erratic, but he has a few brilliant moments!
Simply refer to Putin as Putin the Terrible! Would be a lot smarter!
"Boris Johnson said Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he'd been a woman, and that the 'crazy, macho' war was a 'perfect example of toxic masculinity'."
Democrat U.S. Representative from Virginia officially rejects campaign help from Biden
What any smart and reasonable Democratic politician should do! 😄
"Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger went on Fox News Tuesday and explained that she does not want President Joe Biden campaigning for her.
What are the details?
Fox News host Dana Perino told Spanberger the Cook Politico Report shows the district she is campaigning for this November — the newly redrawn 7th Congressional District in Virginia — is a "Democratic toss-up." ..."
Why scent is one of the next frontiers for technology
You wish you had a dog nose! Scents and sensibilities! Scents and dollars! However, they also say "Pecunia non olet" (money does not stink). 😄👃
The use cases for sniffing technology are expanding fast!
Will your next doctor visit include a sniffing test added to the usual blood test?
"... Whether that’s consumer applications such as smell-enhanced movie theaters [I am not so sure about this]; devices that including non-invasive sniffers that can detect diseases; or artificial noses designed to identify explosives, scent-tech is looking to be the next big whiff. ... pioneering lung cancer sniffer ... now extending beyond cancer to detect Alzheimer’s, tuberculosis, Crohn’s disease and more – a total of 17 diseases. ... Coming next: smelling urine ...
Detecting food spoilage is another growing use case. ...
Removing offending smells from rental cars ..."
Detecting food spoilage is another growing use case. ...
Removing offending smells from rental cars ..."
AI facial recognition tech identifies rocker Geddy Lee’s mother in anonymous Holocaust photos
The story speaks for itself!
Note this technology is still in its infancy. E.g. kinks etc. are still being ironed out (what a beautiful old fashioned idiom in the age of AI 😄).
I recently discussed here the pros and cons of face recognition.
"Rockstar Geddy Lee found never-before-seen photos of his mother’s family thanks to a new effort to apply artificial intelligence facial recognition technology to photographs from the Holocaust.
Lee’s mother, Holocaust survivor Mary Weinrib, died last summer at 95 years old. But the researchers of the AI technology, From Numbers to Names, managed to find a photo of Weinrib from her time at the displaced persons camp in Bergen-Belsen — a photo that then led Lee to find other photos of his mother’s extended family from the Yad Vashem photo collection. ..."
Robert Habeck will 500. 000 neue Wärmepumpen im Jahr
Welcher Unsinn wird da wieder in der Bananenrepublik D. vorbereitet? Bekanntlich kommt der Strom ja aus der Steckdose, das ist nun klimaneutral! (Vorsicht: Satire)
Und das wird noch von einem der lausige Journalismus begleitet!
The last major refinery in the U.S. was built 45 years ago? What!
Talking about a deprecated and neglected infrastructure in the U.S.! True, refineries probably have a long useful lifespan of several decades with proper maintenance and upgrades.
How much has this to do with current skyrocketing gas prices? Probably, significantly!
"It’s been 45 years since the nation’s last complex refinery was built by Marathon in Garyville, La. as the economy expanded and people needed more gasoline."
"Our Garyville refinery is located along the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It has a crude oil refining capacity of 585,000 barrels per calendar day (bpcd)."
"The Garyville Refinery is the 3rd largest American oil refinery with a nameplate capacity of 556,000 barrels per day (88,400 m3/d)."
Marathon Garyville Refinery Company webpage
Garyville Refinery (Wikipedia)
Black Cop Who Shot Unarmed White Woman in Minneapolis to be Released Less Than Five Years Later
Why do we know so little about this case? I do not claim to be familiar with this case.
The other case, we learnt of in recent times, happened on January 6th, 2021 inside the U.S. Capitol, where a black cop shot an unarmed white woman. They even tried to cover up the fact that it was a black cop by not releasing information about the police officer for months! To this date, there was not even an investigation conducted into this shooting incident!
Apparently, there also incidents where black cops kill white citizens under suspect circumstances! However, these incidence are rarely mentioned or even covered up!
"... In April 2019, Noor was tried before a jury on charges of second-degree intentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Noor claimed self defense. The jury convicted Noor of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but he was acquitted on the charge of second degree intentional murder.[6] In June 2019, Noor was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison.[7] Noor's conviction on third-degree murder was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court on September 15, 2021.[8] In October 2021, his sentence was revised to 4.75 years in prison. ...
Damond's family brought a civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis alleging violation of Damond's civil rights, which the city settled for US$20 million in 2019. ..."
Damond's family brought a civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis alleging violation of Damond's civil rights, which the city settled for US$20 million in 2019. ..."
Book: What’s the Matter with Delaware?
A new book at the right time! 😊 Delaware is the state that the demented and senile 46th President has represented for 36 years (from 1973-2009) as U.S. Senator. And what happened: The Biden clan did shady business!
Credits: ‘Delaware is everywhere’: how a little-known tax haven made the rules for corporate America In his new book “What’s the Matter with Delaware?” former Financial Times reporter Hal Weitzman explores the tiny state’s massive role in global financial secrecy.
Indian PM Modi Meets UAE President MBZ, both underline ties
When the leader of the Western countries is demented and senile, the Prime Minister of India steps in and steps up! Bravo! 😊 India's ascendance to superpower status is forthcoming!
Prince Charles 'took suitcase full of cash from Qatar'
Will the British monarchy survive this after the passing of Elizabeth II?
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Megyn Kelly: Why Gov. Noem Was the Only Governor in America to Keep Her State Fully Open During COVID
Very recommendable! The only governor and a woman of all governors, who did the right thing handling the Covid-19 pandemic! Bravo!
NATO puts 300,000 up from 40,000 troops on high alert and more because of Russia
Better pray, we are not going to enter a World War III or an armed conflict with ABC weapons.
These are very dangerous times. South Korea has opened a diplomatic mission with NATO. Turkey agreed to admit Sweden and Finland as new NATO members.
Cassidy Hutchinson Says Trump Demanded to Be Driven to the Capitol on Jan. 6
As the show trial at the U.S. House of Representatives continues! A show trial worse than those held in the former Soviet Union. What a waste of time and tax payers money!
So far it has produced little if I am not mistaken. I don't claim to follow this show trial closely!
Here is a typical example of what transpired and made it into headlines even of the Wall Street Journal.
This is indirect hearsay about former President Trump from an aide to the Chief of Staff of Trump. Was she even present and can that be confirmed?
She claims Trump demanded to be taken to the U.S. Capitol. He did not go. Next question is even had he gone to the U.S. Capitol what would he have done? Perhaps, he would have addressed the protesters to go home!
"Cassidy Hutchinson, a onetime top aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified that former President Donald Trump was warned that members of the crowd attending his rally on Jan. 6, 2021, were heavily armed and still directed them to march toward the Capitol.
The 25-year-old former White House aide also said she was told that Mr. Trump insisted on going to the Capitol with his supporters, even as officials, ultimately successfully, tried to stop him. ..."
Russlands Spione in der Schweiz: Die Botschaft als Logistikbasis
Die neutrale Schweiz hat es schwer neutral zu bleiben!
"In der Schweiz tummeln sich zahlreiche russische Spione und Agenten: Seit dem Beginn des Ukraine-Kriegs haben westliche Staaten über 500 russische Diplomaten nach Hause geschickt. Obwohl es ein offenes Geheimnis ist, dass auch in der Schweiz munter spioniert wird, hat die [Schweizer] Regierung bisher auf eine Ausweisung russischer Diplomaten verzichtet. Nun gibt es Hinweise darauf, dass die Zahl russischer Geheimdienstmitarbeiter in der Schweiz seit Beginn des Krieges zugenommen hat."
Longtime U-Haul exec, who built company's first trailers, dies at 95
What a great company! I was unaware that U-Haul started in Tempe, AZ!
"William E. “Hap” Carty — a longtime Tempe resident who helped build the first trailers for U-Haul, became its first employee and was instrumental in turning the Phoenix company into a moving-industry powerhouse — has died."
U.S. Senate sergeant at arms who oversaw January 6 found dead at age 71 after 35 years as a federal employee
This is breaking news! Let's not get into any conspiracy theories here!
I think it is high time not only to impose term limits on all members of the U.S. Congress, but on all employees of the federal government! Drain the swamp!
Western democracies suffer from too many lifelong career politicians and from lifelong bureaucrats!
"Stenger spent 35 years as a member of the Secret Service and was nominated to the Senate sergeant at arms post in 2018 by Sen. Mitch McConnell. He remained in it until his resignation in early 2021. He was 71 when he died."
How do current dictatorships in Western democracies operate?
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and a high degree of individual responsibility! This is a clarion call to rediscover classical liberalism!
"Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction.
It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.
Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again."
Ronald Reagan 1/5/1967
How do current dictatorships in Western democracies operate?
Summary: Mostly very smoothly! Emphasize emotions over mind and common sense!
Its citizens are constantly indoctrinated and polarized with propaganda and demagoguery e.g. Global Warming Hoax and Climate Change Religion, gender identity, or skin color! That is called divide et impera (divide and rule, a principle known to humans since antiquity, but perfected under Western democracies)! Making it extraordinary difficult for citizens to learn or know what is relevant and what to to believe.
Daily public lip service is paid by our elected representatives and others to individual liberty and free markets while Big Government grows in leaps and bounds.
Centralism dominates. As much power as possible is aggrandized and concentrated with the national government! Federalism or devolution of power is ignored and reduced!
Repeatedly, busybody elected lifelong career politicians are willing executors! The more laws, the better!
Deeply entrenched bureaucracies are complicit and promoters withstanding any political election cycles! The more regulations, the better! None other than Anthony Fauci is probably the most recent paramount example and personification!
Most of the elites and intellectuals are actually agitators favoring dictatorship. They are slaves of their narrow mind and go along to enforce and perpetuate the dictatorship! Simply, they don't trust the plebeians (the common citizen)! Or why are there so few prominent intellectuals promoting and explaining classical liberalism? Many of them long dead and often forgotten!
There are also strong tendencies to extend this dictatorship across Western countries. The European Union and the Brexit are supreme examples. Or take the recent attempts to impose an OECD global minimum corporate tax rate or by the latest G7 Summit to create a so called Climate Club etc.
Very likely external enemies of Western democracies are behind some of it! However, our elected representatives and elites care little to find out, because it may expose their own dealings!
Hate speech, an extension of political correctness!
This is a dangerous trend of language hygiene, an extension of political correctness!
Hate speech is in the ear of the beholder! There is most likely no consensus what exactly constitutes hate speech!
It clearly conflicts with freedom of speech!
Censorship usually leads to self censorship or evasion. Suppressed speech may result in violence.
The elite and intellectuals call these efforts detoxification! This is the language of Nazis! It reminds of e.g. Eugenics.
Google makes Earth Engine finally available to all businesses and governments after it was introduced in 2010
This is big news! This could become a game changer!
Google Earth was not available to businesses and governments since it came out in 2010? What! Why did it take Google so long to commercialize this product/service?
However, this release by Google is driven by the Global Warming Hoax and Climate Change Religion propaganda and demagoguery as is evident by the pertinent blog post (see below) written by the Director, Google Earth, Earth Engine & Outreach. To quote:
"We’re at a unique inflection point in our relationship with the planet. We face existential climate threats — a growing crisis already manifesting in extreme weather events, coupled with the loss of nature resulting from human activities such as deforestation. ..."
"For the past decade, researchers in academia and the nonprofit world have had access to increasingly sophisticated information about the Earth's surface, via the Google Earth Engine. Now, any commercial or government entity will have access to Google Cloud's new enterprise-grade, commercial version of the computer program.
Google originally launched Earth Engine for scientists and NGOs in 2010. One of the world's largest publicly available Earth observation catalogs, it combines data from satellites and other sources continuously streaming into Earth Engine. The data is combined with massive geospatial cloud-computing resources, which lets organizations use the raw data for timely, accurate, high-resolution insights about the state of the world. That means they can keep a near-constant eye on the world's forests, water sources, ecosystems and agriculture -- and how they're all changing. ..."
Google originally launched Earth Engine for scientists and NGOs in 2010. One of the world's largest publicly available Earth observation catalogs, it combines data from satellites and other sources continuously streaming into Earth Engine. The data is combined with massive geospatial cloud-computing resources, which lets organizations use the raw data for timely, accurate, high-resolution insights about the state of the world. That means they can keep a near-constant eye on the world's forests, water sources, ecosystems and agriculture -- and how they're all changing. ..."
Introducing Earth Engine for governments and businesses by Rebecca Moore Director, Google Earth, Earth Engine & Outreach
Linus Torvalds is cautiously optimistic about bringing Rust into Linux kernel's next release
Seems to be some interesting news! I am not familiar with the Rust programming language, but a cursory look at it indicates this is a serious programming language to develop robust and safe software.
Could Linux one day be written in Rust (or similar language) instead of ancient C?
"For over three decades, Linux has been written in the C programming language. Indeed, Linux is C's most outstanding accomplishment. But the last few years have seen a growing momentum to make the Rust programming language Linux's second Linux language. At the recent Open Source Summit in Austin, Texas, Linux creator Linus Torvald said he could see Rust making it into the Linux kernel as soon as the next major release. ..."
Race and Technology: A Microsoft Research Lecture Series. Really!
It looks like the reincarnation of Joseph Goebbels is calling the shots at Microsoft! Incredible fanaticism!
And look at the roster! How many PhD members of the elite from how many different U.S. universities have participated in this!
"Race and technology are closely intertwined, continuously influencing and reshaping one another. While algorithmic bias has received increased attention in recent years, it is only one of the many ways that technology and race intersect in computer science, public health, digital media, gaming, surveillance, and other domains. To build inclusive technologies that empower us all, we must understand how technologies and race construct one another and with what consequences. ..."
Instagram is testing an AI tool that verifies your age by scanning your face
This seems to be a useful application of face recognition technology going well beyond social media.
Note this technology is still in its infancy. E.g. kinks etc. are still being ironed out (what a beautiful old fashioned idiom in the age of AI 😄).
I recently discussed here the pros and cons of face recognition.
"Instagram is testing new methods for users to verify their age, including an AI tool built by a third-party company, Yoti, that estimates how old you are just by scanning your face. ...
Yoti is a well-known player in online age and ID verification, and its technology has been approved for use by the UK government and German digital regulators. It uses various facial signals to estimate a target’s age. (Though the company itself says it doesn’t know what exactly these signals are. Wrinkles? A look of ineffable sadness? It’s all in the mix.) ..."
Microsoft: Leveraging large language models to build more robust hate speech detection tools. Really!
This is a dangerous trend of language hygiene, an extension of political correctness!
Hate speech is in the ear of the beholder! There is most likely no consensus what exactly constitutes hate speech!
It clearly conflicts with freedom of speech!
Censorship usually leads to self censorship or evasion. Suppressed speech may result in violence.
Microsoft also calls these efforts detoxification! This is the language of Nazis! It reminds of e.g. Eugenics.
The Alligator: The two-metre-long anti-materiel rifle in Ukrainian hands explained
What a rifle! Hopefully, the defenders of the Ukraine have enough ammunition for it.
Why has G7 invited India to the Summit? India chooses diplomacy over sanctions
India at the G7 summit! This is big news!
Team USA Track Champion Boycotts Championships Over Trans Athletes Competing Against Women
What would actually happen if all female athletes of a competitive sporting event choose to boycott the event if a biological male was allowed to compete?
The LGBTQ ideologues like to talk about empowerment! Well, such a systematic boycott would be empowering too or not?
The VR Tech Combatting Loneliness Among Seniors
Could be a great use for VR! However, I am not so sure that the current state of the VR technology can combat loneliness as it is still mostly single person experience. Nevertheless, it may help seniors to be more engaged and may improve mood etc.
Monday, June 27, 2022
At least 42 dead bodies of illegal immigrants found in San Antonio tractor-trailer in possible smuggling case
This is still breaking news! However, if confirmed this is absolutely horrible! And this is only the tip of an iceberg!
Shame on the Dimocratic Party and the demented and senile 46th President!
"At least 42 people were found dead inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, multiple police department sources told local outlet KSAT 12. ...
Fire tucks and police vehicles can be seen surrounding an 18-wheeler by the 9600 block of Quintana Road. Reporters observed several ambulances coming to and leaving the scene. ..."
Fire tucks and police vehicles can be seen surrounding an 18-wheeler by the 9600 block of Quintana Road. Reporters observed several ambulances coming to and leaving the scene. ..."
Report: Biden 'unwittingly' wired son Hunter tens of thousands of dollars for Russian prostitutes
How compromised is the demented and senile 46th President with respect to Russia, Ukraine, China ...? I blogged here earlier today about this issue. I am afraid our enemies know too much about the Biden clan!
UK’s Magical Mushroom Company uses mycelium to replace plastic packaging
Thanks to human ingenuity conventional plastic or plastic waste management will be replaced by better solutions.
Remember plastophobia is a serious disease that requires to see a doctor immediately!
Please no government mandates!!! Big Government usually gets it wrong! Let businesses, markets, and consumers decide, which solution is better!
"... The latest to join the ranks is Magical Mushroom Company (MMC). It’s now raised a £3 million seed round ...
The investment will be used to fund the opening of its first raw material production plant. ...
MMC’s solution is a direct replacement for plastic-based packaging such as polystyrene and cardboard. It does this by combining agricultural waste with mycelium — the root structure of a mushroom. The result, claims the company, is biodegradable (in 45 days), durable and comparable in price to traditional packaging derived from fossil fuels like polystyrene. ..."
MMC’s solution is a direct replacement for plastic-based packaging such as polystyrene and cardboard. It does this by combining agricultural waste with mycelium — the root structure of a mushroom. The result, claims the company, is biodegradable (in 45 days), durable and comparable in price to traditional packaging derived from fossil fuels like polystyrene. ..."
The biased United Nations Human Rights Office concludes Israeli military killed Palestinian journalist
It appears this case is going to make more waves going forward! I don't claim to be familiar with the journalist nor with the circumstances of her death.
Who has the most to gain from her death? Definitely not Israel. Will we ever find out who is behind her killing?
What enemies did this prominent long time Al-Jazeera journalist have? Any good journalist has enemies, sometimes mortal.
Has it already been completely ruled out that she was killed by e.g. a stray bullet etc.?
How uncooperative were the Arabs (Palestinians) in this investigations?
"... The UN’s determination came only a day after 24 Senate Democrats urged President Biden to involve the U.S. in an independent investigation of Abu Akleh’s killing, citing global press freedom concerns and the journalist’s status as an American citizen among their reasoning."
More synthetic data for advancing AI and machine learning
Probably, we will see much more synthetic data generated in the future. It's cheaper and more abundant than real data. Can be customized in many ways. Avoids or alleviate hot button issues like gender or skin color bias.
Similar approaches have been around for at least the past two decades, e.g. data augmentation or toy examples/datasets.
NASA taps three companies to design nuclear power plants for the moon
Good news!
"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." (Source)
What an irony of history: Western governments shut down nuclear power generation on earth, but not on the moon.
"NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are working together to advance space nuclear technologies. The agencies have selected three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system design that could be ready to launch by the end of the decade for a demonstration on the Moon. This technology would benefit future exploration under the Artemis umbrella.
The contracts, to be awarded through the DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, are each valued at approximately $5 million. The contracts fund the development of initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt class fission power system planned to last at least 10 years in the lunar environment. ..."
Sexual harassment and assault of female miners in the Australia's mining industry
Why are there no demands for gender quotas in the mining industry? Short answer: Feminists don't like dirty work! (Note: I am against any gender quota)
Bravo to all women who choose to work in this industry! They are trailblazers!
Australien: Bericht über sexuelle Gewalt gegen Frauen im Bergwerk
Warum werden keine Frauenquoten für die Bergbauindustrie gefordert?
Verkürzte Antwort: Feministinnen mögen keine dreckige Arbeit! (Hinweis: Ich lehne Frauenquoten ab).
Verkürzte Antwort: Feministinnen mögen keine dreckige Arbeit! (Hinweis: Ich lehne Frauenquoten ab).
Ein Hoch auf alle die Frauen, die sich für einen Job im australischen Bergbau entschieden haben. Das sind Wegbereiterinnen (trailblazers)!
"Als Frau im australischen Bergwerk – beschimpft, belästigt, vergewaltigt"
"Frauen werden in australischen Minenlagern häufig Opfer von sexueller Gewalt. Belästigung ist an der Tagesordnung. Dies ist das Ergebnis einer einjährigen Untersuchung, die das westaustralische Parlament in Auftrag gegeben hat. ..."
In den einsam gelegenen Minen Westaustraliens werden die Arbeiter für ihre Schichten ein- und ausgeflogen. Frauen beschweren sich dabei seit Jahren über eine Kultur des Sexismus. Eine einjährige Untersuchung hat nun erschütternde Geschichten zutage gebracht.
46th President to block UK Prime Minister Johnson's and German Chancellor Scholz's plan to waive production of biofues to produce more food
The production of biofuels is one of those grandiose scams of Western governments! Nice subsidies for domestic farmers. Preservation of farmland. However, nonsensical, expensive, and not environmentally friendly!
So the demented and senile 46th President is against fossil fuels, but for biofuels in times when world food supply is under strain e.g. because of the Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine.
"Boris Johnson and US president Joe Biden are at odds over a plan to cut the production of green fuels in a bid to free up land for food production.
The prime minister wants G7 leaders to temporarily cut the amount of grain produced for biofuels, claiming the process is pushing up the cost of food.
Britain is backed by Germany – also pushing for a temporary waiver on their biofuel commitments – but the US and Canada are against the move."
War criminal Putin the Terrible indicted on multiple counts
When will the war crime tribunal against Putin the Terrible and members of his regime finally begin. I can't wait to see this happen!
Humanity can not survive if war criminals like him get away!
Sturm auf das Kapitol: Donald Trump muss angeklagt werden. Wirklich!
Was für ein idiotischer Korrespondent arbeitet für deutsche Medien in Washington DC! Der Mann sollt sofort entlassen werden! Er ist nicht der einzige deutsche Reporter, der Unsinn aus den USA berichtet.
Drag queen charged with 25 counts of child pornography in Pennsylvania
The recent media and mostly leftist euphoria about drag queens performing at public schools and other places where children are present is weird at best!
Most, but not all drag queens are harmless. Is this not e.g. a perfect camouflage for pedophiles?
Philosophisher Gastbeitrag: Zukunft der Globalisierung: Zu viel Idealismus ist auch nicht gut
Wenn ein Philosoph und Mitglied des Deutschen Ethikrats sich über Realpolitik und internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen auslässt. Ein sehr schwacher und naiver Gastbeitrag!
Wer Putin der Schreckliche mit Qatar gleichsetzt ist nicht ganz bei Sinnen! Qatar war z.B. eines der ersten arabischen Länder das Handelsbeziehungen in 1996 mit Israel aufgenommen hat. Was die Menschenrechte in Qatar angeht sollte man auch eher genauer und unvoreingenommen hinschauen.
U.S. Senator Mike Lee Offers Scathing Critique of Biden's Leftist Economic Policies
Recommendable! Watch the career of this conservative U.S. Senator from Utah!
Sums it up quite well:
"... The first policy decision cited was the disastrous American Rescue Plan, passed in March 2021. Over $1.9 trillion of borrowed money was thrown into an already overheated economy, fueling the conflagration of inflation we are experiencing today.
Second, the excessive monetary response to the pandemic continued to flood the economy with cheap credit well past the point of necessity. Afraid of letting the markets take the reins, the Federal Reserve pressed the gas pedal on consumer demand by keeping interest rates near 0%.
Through this unrestricted quantitative easing, the Federal Reserve has more than doubled the assets on its balance sheet from $4.2 trillion in March 2020 to $8.9 trillion last month.
Third, while Biden blames hardworking entrepreneurs—the supply side of the economy—for inflation, he fails to take account of the disastrous impact of his onerous government overregulation of the economy.
Due to their economies of scale and the efficiencies of bulk transport for goods, container ports are the backbone of international supply chains. Regrettably, America has some of the most inane rules and regulations regarding how cargo must be carried and transported, due in no small part to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which has long fought common industry automation.
Little wonder that we have faced acute supply chain issues or that the Port of Long Beach in California ranked dead last in the 2021 Container Port Performance Index. Stated simply, regulatory incompetence is the main driver of supply chain issues, not market mechanisms or greedy corporations.
In fact, the sheer number of federal regulations that companies are required to abide by has increased from an astounding 400,000 in 1970 to well over 1.1 million by 2021 [Remember President Trump's valiant executive order to require for every new regulation, two existing ones must be rescinded] ...
Lastly, the Biden administration has made it harder for people to earn a living and more difficult to get an education that prepares them for the workforce. ... estimates that as many as 6.3 million workers are missing from the labor force, compared with pre-pandemic trends.
Why might this be? ... found that almost 70% of unemployment benefits claimants received benefits in excess of their normal wages, adjusted for taxation. ... many Americans followed the government’s incentive right out of the labor force.
For the children enduring tanking academics due to school closures and ineffective online alternatives, ... estimates that the average student lost between $61,000 and $82,000 in lifetime earnings, with even worse outcomes for black and Hispanic students.
Vital skills, both social and technical, lost due to school closures will haunt these children well into their adult careers. ..."
U.S. price inflation caused by reckless Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve has purchased government debt by the trillions since 2008 thereby increasing money supply and expanded the balance sheet 16 times over the level before 2008.
Many economists knew or must have known that this can not go on and it will not end well! Especially not when other external shocks hit the U.S. economy (China Covid-19 lockdown, Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine etc.)
Between 2006 and 2018, the Fed had two awful Chairmen, i.e. Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen! I have blogged about them several times.
P.S. It is very peculiar the Fed does not provide a time series going back further in time than end of 2002.
Sanctions Push Russia to First Foreign Debt Default Since Bolshevik Revolution
Hopefully, this will help to accelerate end of the political career of Putin the Terrible!
Supposedly, Reuters reported that the holders of the debt are resident in Taiwan. If true, then this might be deliberate by Russia to please China.
"... Russia missed payments on two foreign-currency bonds as of late Sunday, according to holders of the bonds. The day marks the expiration of a 30-day grace period since the country was due to pay the equivalent of $100 million in dollars and euros to bondholders. ..."
Top Republican signals 2023 investigative focus: Biden 'compromised' by son's business deals
Very likely the demented and senile 46th President is seriously comprised with respect to China, Ukraine, Russia ...! What do these countries know about Biden that we the people don't
How many times did Biden boast e.g. he had dozens of hours of private meetings with Communist Party of China leader Xi Jinping. Were these all lies or exaggerations? What were these private meetings about?
Unfortunately, these investigations will be difficult as he will plead to suffer from dementia!
Is it not curious that federal investigations into these and tax evasion matters of the Biden clan have been going on for several years now. Why so slow?
"One investigative focus that hasn't been discussed much, Comer said, is exploring whether the Biden administration has used tax dollars and federally-paid contractors to traffic illegal aliens from the southern border to the interior of the country.
"There's so many unaccompanied minors, for example, that have come across the border," he said. "The Biden administration is offering no-bid contracts to contractors who are coming in, buying old motels and strip malls and converting them into temporary housing for them.
"The federal government's paying for plane rides all across the United States, bus trips, are paying for food," he added. "They're putting these people on Medicaid. When you have Medicaid, you have free health care. So there's a lot of issues with the illegals who are pouring across the border.""
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