Good news! Impressive!
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Juice Jacking: Why Charging Your Phone at the Airport Might Not be Safe with Palki Sharma
I am not sure how serious this issue is, but caution and avoidance as best as possible is probably not a bad idea!
Do we need large language models to translate a language spoken by not more than 500 individuals worldwide?
There seems to be an obsession going on in the field of computational linguistics: How many neglected and rare languages an LLM can translate!
It maybe exciting, but this pursuit seems to be kind of silly! Do we not have more important tasks to solve?
Here is just one recent example mentioned by Andrew Ng:
"[Google Gemini Pro 1.5] ... Given 500 pages of documentation that describes Kalamang, a language spoken by fewer than 200 people in West Papua, it translated English text into Kalamang as well as a human who had learned from the same materials. ..."
Ukraine seeks more war support from southeast Europe as Zelenskyy visits Saudi Arabia
The young king of Saudi Arabia is getting more involved in international politics!
Alberta introduces strict and limiting new rules for future renewable energy projects to protect e.g. agricultural land
Bravo! Wind power is the greatest scam of the last 30 years or more!
Laura Ingraham: Trump disqualified from Illinois ballot
The Dimocratic Party is insane! What a ridiculous black female judge!
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
6 ADF personnel to be deployed to the Red Sea to assist fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen
Six soldiers is better than nothing! Perhaps, they are highly trained and can make a difference.
Germany Reportedly Eyes Indian Ammo for Ukraine with Palki Sharma
And North Korea supplies Russia with ammunition ...
South Korea Shatters Its Record for World's Lowest Fertility Rate with Palki Sharma
The population outlook is not very good for some countries!
Drastic numbers!
Poised to be first widely consumed gene-edited animals, virus-resistant pigs are about to be marketed
Good news! When will humans receive virus resistant genetic editing!
"UK biotechnology company Genus plc is closer to bringing gene-edited meat to the dinner table. The firm has used CRISPR-based gene editing to produce and scale up four lines of commercial pigs that are resistant to a virus which causes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and costs the pork industry an estimated US$2.7 billion annually. The edit did not introduce DNA from another organism, but modified the pig’s existing DNA, creating changes that could happen naturally, says animal geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam. Genus plc hopes that the US Food and Drug Administration will approve the animals for human consumption by the end of the year."
New measurement captures clearer picture of our galaxy and beyond
Amazing stuff!
"With unique capabilities to track microwave energy fluctuations, a small observatory in the Andes mountains of northern Chile produced maps of 75% of the sky as part of an effort to more accurately measure the universe's origin and evolution.
The U.S. National Science Foundation's Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor, or CLASS, a collaboration led by Johns Hopkins University astrophysicists, created the maps. By measuring microwave polarization, or how these energy waves wiggle in particular directions, the team is probing the history and physics of the universe—from the very first moments to when galaxies, stars, and planets formed. ..."
"The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) project aims to make a unique measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) that will transform our understanding of the universe and fundamental physics. This measurement will leave a far-reaching impact on the scientific community, the next generation of scientists, and the public. As electromagnetic radiation, the CMB has both an intensity and a polarization: It is the polarization of the CMB that CLASS will use to map over 70% of the sky. ..."
New CLASS polarization sky maps have less noise than the corresponding satellite maps. The direction of polarization is depicted by red and blue while the polarization strength is captured by the depth of color. Gray sections depict parts of the sky that the CLASS telescopes cannot observe due to their geographical location.
Mitch McConnell (age 82) to Step down as Senate Republican Leader in November. Finally! Too late!
This fool should have retired a long time ago for age reasons!
Why GOP has failed here so incredibly regarding the senile McConnell is beyond believe! It is bad enough to have a lifetime, pathological, serial liar and senile, demented and corrupt 46th President.
The first-ever mission to pull a dead rocket out of space has just begun
Good news! Amazing stuff!
"More than 9,000 metric tons of human-made metal and machinery are orbiting Earth, including satellites, shrapnel, and the International Space Station. But a significant bulk of that mass comes from one source: the nearly a thousand dead rockets that have been discarded in space since the space age began.
Now, for the first time, a mission has begun to remove one of those dead rockets. Funded by the Japanese space agency JAXA, a spacecraft from the Japanese company Astroscale was launched on Sunday, February 18, by the New Zealand firm Rocket Lab and is currently on its way to rendezvous with such a rocket in the coming weeks. It’ll inspect it and then work out how a follow-up mission might be able to pull the dead rocket back into the atmosphere. If it succeeds, it could demonstrate how we could remove large, dangerous, and uncontrolled pieces of space junk from orbit—objects that could cause a monumental disaster if they collided with satellites or spacecraft. ..."
"After an excellent start to on-orbit operations, Astroscale Japan has begun the rendezvous operations phase of its ADRAS-J mission today, February 22 at approximately 11:00 am UTC. In this phase, the operations team based in Japan and the UK will use ADRAS-J’s propulsion system to start maneuvering towards the client orbit. This initial rendezvous phase requires careful planning of several orbit raising maneuvers to ensure accurate, precise and safe approach to the client.
Rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) are fundamental for any future on-orbit servicing, ensuring the safe and secure approach of servicer spacecraft to client spacecraft and other objects such as space debris. ADRAS-J is the world’s first attempt to safely approach and characterize an existing piece of large debris through RPO. Specifically, ADRAS-J is designed to rendezvous with an unprepared Japanese H2A upper stage rocket body, measuring approximately 11 meters in length, 4 meters in diameter, and weighing approximately 3 tons. ..."
WTO-Chefin Okonjo-Iweala: Rockstar des Welthandels
Schlagzeile des Tages!
Where does lightning strike in the U.S.? New maps pinpoint 36.8 million yearly ground strike points in unprecedented detail
Amazing stuff! Remember Benjamin Franklin and his kite!
"A new study shows how often lightning strikes and how it behaves, often hitting the ground with multiple strikes from the same flash."
"... Lightning flashes in thunderstorms at least 60 times per second somewhere around the planet, sometimes even near the North Pole. ...
Lightning kills or injures about 250,000 people around the world every year, most frequently in developing countries, where many people work outside without lightning-safe shelters nearby. In the United States, an average of 28 people were killed by lightning every year between 2006 and 2023. Each year, insurance pays about US$1 billion in claims for lightning damage, and around 4 million acres of land burn in lightning-caused wildfires. ..."
Lightning kills or injures about 250,000 people around the world every year, most frequently in developing countries, where many people work outside without lightning-safe shelters nearby. In the United States, an average of 28 people were killed by lightning every year between 2006 and 2023. Each year, insurance pays about US$1 billion in claims for lightning damage, and around 4 million acres of land burn in lightning-caused wildfires. ..."
From the abstract:
"The number of cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes over the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) has been estimated to be from as small as 25 million per year to as many as 40 million. In addition, many CG flashes contact the ground in more than one place. To clarify these values, recent data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) have been examined since the network is performing well enough to make precise updates to the number of CG flashes and their associated ground contact points. The average number of CG flashes is calculated to be about 23.4 million per year over CONUS, and the average number of ground contact points is calculated as 36.8 million per year. Knowledge of these two parameters is critical to lightning protection standards, as well as better understanding of the effects of lightning on forest fire initiation, geophysical interactions, human safety, and applications that benefit from knowing that a single flash may transfer charge to ground in multiple, widely-spaced locations. Sensitivity tests to assess the effects of misclassification of CG and in-cloud (IC) lightning are also made to place bounds on these estimates; and the likely uncertainty is a few percent."
Palestinian Authority’s Government Resigns, Yielding to International Pressure, Abbas hangs on
I don't think this is enough!
The Palestinian Authority ought to be dissolved or be entirely ignored! It is an organisation with a long history of corruption and dubious activities.
Thomas Jefferson and slavery
Is it just me or why is the question how the Founding Fathers and Mothers treated slaves rarely asked nor answered? Owning slaves is one thing, but how they were treated is another.
As the long Wikipedia article below exemplifies, the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and slavery is complicated and complex.
Low-level blasts from heavy weapons can cause traumatic brain injury − 2 engineers explain the physics of invisible cell death
War causes many injuries! This one is difficult one to diagnose.
"When the force of a blast shoots a round out of a large-caliber rifle, howitzer or M1 Abrams tank gun, the teams of people operating these weapons are exposed to low-level blasts that can cause traumatic brain injuries.
Low-level blasts do not cause visible trauma, such as bleeding from ruptured eardrums, and they don’t cause injury through violent head motion, such as a concussion. Yet, these blasts can cause physical changes in the brain that lead to a host of neuropsychiatric symptoms. ..."
Is Japanese ‘onigiri’ better than sushi?
Looks similar to me according to this video! Sounds like origami to me! 😊
Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov jailed over Ukraine war opposition
Putin the Terrible at work again!
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Young Chinese Rent Out "Friendship" to Earn Extra Cash with Palki Sharma
Oh well! Apparently, something similar goes on in Japan as well.
MIT engineers 3D print the electromagnets at the heart of many electronics
Good news! Amazing stuff!
"Imagine being able to build an entire dialysis machine using nothing more than a 3D printer. ...
Solenoids, electromagnets formed by a coil of wire wrapped around a magnetic core, are a fundamental building block of many electronics, from dialysis machines and respirators to washing machines and dishwashers. ...
The researchers modified a multimaterial 3D printer so it could print compact, magnetic-cored solenoids in one step. This eliminates defects that might be introduced during post-assembly processes.
This customized printer, which could utilize higher-performing materials than typical commercial printers, enabled the researchers to produce solenoids that could withstand twice as much electric current and generate a magnetic field that was three times larger than other 3D-printed devices. ..."
From the abstract:
"This study reports fully 3D-printed, three-dimensional, soft magnetic-cored solenoids that generate three times the largest magnetic fields previously reported from 3D-printed solenoids. The devices are fabricated on a customised, multi-material 3D printer that can extrude both filaments and pellets. Three different kinds of materials are employed to manufacture the reported soft magnetic-cored solenoids: pure PLA (dielectric portions), PLA doped with copper particles (electrically conductive structures), and nylon or PLA doped with metallic particles (soft magnetic cores). Via manufacturing optimisation, the reported devices are 33% smaller and can withstand about twice the current, generating three times more magnetic field. The 3D-printed solenoids generate Gauss-level magnetic fields while drawing tens-of-milliamps currents and can be readily used to implement fully 3D-printed induction sensors. The results of this work extend the state of the art in 3D-printed electronics, enabling the creation of more complex and capable solenoids for in-situ manufactured and in-space manufactured electromagnetic systems."
Three-dimensional, soft magnetic-cored solenoids via multi-material extrusion (open access)
MIT researchers modified a multi-material 3D printer so it could produce three-dimensional solenoids in one step by layering ultrathin coils of three different materials. It prints a U.S. quarter-sized solenoid as a spiral by layering material around the soft magnetic core, with thicker conductive layers separated by thin insulating layers.
Billionaires Bankrolled the Campaign that Halted Natural Gas Projects
Unfortunately, most of these articles forget or omit to report how other billionaires support fossil fuels!
And very few, if any investigators report the balance or imbalance of these activities.
How much was spent over which time to whom is also not reported!
"American billionaires bankrolled an activist campaign targeting liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals that influenced the White House’s decision to pause new and pending approvals for the projects, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The philanthropic organizations of the Rockefeller family and Democratic megadonor Michael Bloomberg cumulatively provided millions of dollars to activists who pressured Biden administration officials to crack down on LNG export hubs over the past several years, according to the WSJ. ...
The activists that received funding from charities controlled by Bloomberg and the Rockefellers were able to access White House and federal officials in places including Washington, Houston, and Dubai, according to the WSJ. ..."
How the Rockefellers and Billionaire Donors Pressured Biden on LNG Exports President’s decision to halt new export terminals follows an intense campaign by environmental groups funded by wealthy contributors
Bloomberg, Rockefeller
Image of the day
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen does not know how to wear a mask. It covers her glasses as well. (Source)
'Obelisks': Entirely New Class of Life Has Been Found in The Human Digestive System
Amazing stuff!
"... Named after the highly-symmetrical, rod-like structures formed by its twisted lengths of RNA, the Obelisks' genetic sequences are only around 1,000 characters (nucleotides) in size. In fact, this brevity is likely one of the reasons we've failed to notice them previously. ...
In a study that has yet to be peer reviewed, ... team searched 5.4 million datasets of published genetic sequences and identified almost 30,000 different Obelisks. They appeared in about 10 percent of the human microbiomes the team examined.
In one set of data, Obelisks turned up in 50 percent of the patients' oral samples. What's more, different types of Obelisks appear to be present in different areas of our bodies. ..."
"The human microbiome just gained a new dimension: scientists have discovered tiny bits of RNA — even smaller than viruses — that colonize the bacteria inside human guts and mouths. Too minimal to be considered a standard life form, these scraps of genetic material are among the smallest known elements to transfer information that can be read by a cell, and the sequences that they encode are new to science. ..."
From the abstract:
"Here, we describe the “Obelisks,” a previously unrecognised class of viroid-like elements that we first identified in human gut metatranscriptomic data. “Obelisks” share several properties:
(i) apparently circular RNA ∼1kb genome assemblies,
(ii) predicted rod-like secondary structures encompassing the entire genome, and (iii) open reading frames coding for a novel protein superfamily, which we call the “Oblins”.
We find that Obelisks form their own distinct phylogenetic group with no detectable sequence or structural similarity to known biological agents. Further, Obelisks are prevalent in tested human microbiome metatranscriptomes with representatives detected in ∼7% of analysed stool metatranscriptomes (29/440) and in ∼50% of analysed oral metatranscriptomes (17/32). Obelisk compositions appear to differ between the anatomic sites and are capable of persisting in individuals, with continued presence over >300 days observed in one case. Large scale searches identified 29,959 Obelisks (clustered at 90% nucleotide identity), with examples from all seven continents and in diverse ecological niches. From this search, a subset of Obelisks are identified to code for Obelisk-specific variants of the hammerhead type-III self-cleaving ribozyme. Lastly, we identified one case of a bacterial species (Streptococcus sanguinis) in which a subset of defined laboratory strains harboured a specific Obelisk RNA population. As such, Obelisks comprise a class of diverse RNAs that have colonised, and gone unnoticed in, human, and global microbiomes."
‘Wildly weird’ RNA bits discovered infesting the microbes in our guts Rod-shaped structures named ‘obelisks’ are even smaller than viruses but can still transmit instructions to cells.
Viroid-like colonists of human microbiomes (open access)
Figure 1. Obelisk alpha has a predicted extensive secondary structure and appears to colonise and speciate within the human gut
GM’s Cruise Prepares to Resume Autonomous Robotaxi Testing After Suspension
Good news! Waymo needs competition! 😊
"Company is focusing on bringing service to Houston and Dallas
Cruise’s license was suspended in California after accident"
Credits: Last Week in AI
Magnetic effects at the origin of life? It's the spin that makes the difference
Amazing stuff!
"The so-called homochirality of life – the fact that all biomolecules in living organisms only ever occur in one of two mirror-image forms – has puzzled a number of scientific luminaries, from the discoverer of molecular chirality, Louis Pasteur, to William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) and Nobel Prize winner Pierre Curie. A conclusive explanation is still lacking, as both forms have, for instance, the same chemical stability and do not differ from each other in their physico-chemical properties. The hypothesis, however, that the interplay between electric and magnetic fields could explain the preference for one or the other mirror-image form of a molecule – so-called enantiomers – emerged early on. ..."
From the abstract:
"From the beginning of molecular theory, the interplay of chirality and magnetism has intrigued scientists. There is still the question if enantiospecific adsorption of chiral molecules occurs on magnetic surfaces. Enantiomer discrimination was conjectured to arise from chirality-induced spin separation within the molecules and exchange interaction with the substrate's magnetization. Here, it is shown that single helical aromatic hydrocarbons undergo enantioselective adsorption on ferromagnetic cobalt surfaces. Spin and chirality sensitive scanning tunneling microscopy reveals that molecules of opposite handedness prefer adsorption onto cobalt islands with opposite out-of-plane magnetization. As mobility ceases in the final chemisorbed state, it is concluded that enantioselection must occur in a physisorbed transient precursor state. State-of-the-art spin-resolved ab initio simulations support this scenario by refuting enantio-dependent chemisorption energies. These findings demonstrate that van der Waals interaction should also include spin-fluctuations which are crucial for molecular magnetochiral processes."
Magnetic effects at the origin of life? It's the spin that makes the difference (EMPA) Biomolecules such as amino acids and sugars occur in two mirror-image forms – in all living organisms, however, only one is ever found. Why this is the case is still unclear. Researchers at Empa and Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany have now found evidence that the interplay between electric and magnetic fields could be at the origin of this phenomenon.
Enantioselective Adsorption on Magnetic Surfaces (open access)
Fig. 1 Principles of spin-polarized and enantio-resolved STM
Avoiding fusion plasma tearing instability with deep reinforcement learning
Good news! Will AI help to make nuclear fusion the energy source of the future? You bet!
"AI is used to develop a tearing-avoidance controller for fusion plasma in a tokamak reactor, allowing for stable and efficient fusion energy production by maintaining high-pressure hydrogenic plasma without disruption."
From the abstract:
"For stable and efficient fusion energy production using a tokamak reactor, it is essential to maintain a high-pressure hydrogenic plasma without plasma disruption. Therefore, it is necessary to actively control the tokamak based on the observed plasma state, to manoeuvre high-pressure plasma while avoiding tearing instability, the leading cause of disruptions. This presents an obstacle-avoidance problem for which artificial intelligence based on reinforcement learning has recently shown remarkable performance. However, the obstacle here, the tearing instability, is difficult to forecast and is highly prone to terminating plasma operations, especially in the ITER baseline scenario. Previously, we developed a multimodal dynamic model that estimates the likelihood of future tearing instability based on signals from multiple diagnostics and actuators. Here we harness this dynamic model as a training environment for reinforcement-learning artificial intelligence, facilitating automated instability prevention. We demonstrate artificial intelligence control to lower the possibility of disruptive tearing instabilities in DIII-D6, the largest magnetic fusion facility in the United States. The controller maintained the tearing likelihood under a given threshold, even under relatively unfavourable conditions of low safety factor and low torque. In particular, it allowed the plasma to actively track the stable path within the time-varying operational space while maintaining H-mode performance, which was challenging with traditional preprogrammed control. This controller paves the path to developing stable high-performance operational scenarios for future use in ITER."
Fig. 1: The overall architecture of the tearing-avoidance system in the DIII-D tokamak.
How much electricity does AI consume?
One of those big questions! How many windmill farms does it take or is it time for more nuclear power? 😊
"AI's energy consumption, particularly during training, is difficult to quantify due to lack of transparency from companies, but estimates suggest it could reach significant levels, potentially comprising a substantial portion of global electricity consumption by 2027."
"... One important factor we can identify is the difference between training a model for the first time and deploying it to users. Training, in particular, is extremely energy intensive, consuming much more electricity than traditional data center activities. Training a large language model like GPT-3, for example, is estimated to use just under 1,300 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity; about as much power as consumed annually by 130 US homes. To put that in context, streaming an hour of Netflix requires around 0.8 kWh (0.0008 MWh) of electricity. That means you’d have to watch 1,625,000 hours to consume the same amount of power it takes to train GPT-3. ...
ran tests on 88 different models spanning a range of use cases, from answering questions to identifying objects and generating images. In each case, they ran the task 1,000 times and estimated the energy cost. Most tasks they tested use a small amount of energy, like 0.002 kWh to classify written samples and 0.047 kWh to generate text. If we use our hour of Netflix streaming as a comparison, these are equivalent to the energy consumed watching nine seconds or 3.5 minutes, respectively. (Remember: that’s the cost to perform each task 1,000 times.) The figures were notably larger for image-generation models, which used on average 2.907 kWh per 1,000 inferences. As the paper notes, the average smartphone uses 0.012 kWh to charge — so generating one image using AI can use almost as much energy as charging your smartphone. ...
By combining this data, ... calculates that by 2027 the AI sector could consume between 85 to 134 terawatt hours each year. That’s about the same as the annual energy demand of ... country, the Netherlands. ..."
How much electricity does AI consume? It’s not easy to calculate the watts and joules that go into a single Balenciaga pope. But we’re not completely in the dark about the true energy cost of AI.
Ukraine Downs Another Russian Fighter-Bomber SU-34, 8th in Ten Days
Putin the Terrible is loosing it left and right! How long will the Russian people put up with this megalomaniac and war criminal!
"... With a price tag of around $36 million each, the Su-34 is one of the Russian military’s most expensive aircraft. ..."
UK: 74 Prozent der Trans-Häftlinge wegen Gewalt- oder Sexualdelikten inhaftiert
Warum nicht wie in Dänemark? Geschlechtsumwandlung per einfachen Antrag mit oder ohne körperlicher Anpassung!
Es steht schlecht um das Geschlecht! Wieviele Geschlechter gibt es?
Wäre ich ein verurteilter Straftäter würde ich mich auch in ein Frauengefängnis verlegen lassen. 😊
"... In Dänemark können Bürger, die das wollen, ihren Geschlechtseintrag schon seit 2014 durch einfachen Antrag ändern. Nach einer Bearbeitungszeit von sechs Monaten tritt die Änderung in Kraft. Eine medizinische Untersuchung oder Beratung ist seitdem nicht mehr erforderlich. Aber auch in Dänemark muss eine 62-jährige Transfrau ihre Strafe wegen schwerer Vergewaltigung im Männergefängnis absitzen. Anderenfalls wäre die Gefangene „ein nicht unwesentliches Sicherheitsrisiko für die weiblichen Insassen“, so ein dänisches Gericht. Seinen Geschlechtseintrag hatte der biologische Mann erst 2015 nach Antritt seiner Haftstrafe ändern lassen. Auch die Durchführung von Leibesvisitationen durch männliche Justizangestellte hieß das Gericht gut.
Und auch im Vereinigten Königreich geht die Debatte über das britische Selbstbestimmungsgesetz weiter, das es auch einsitzenden Straftätern erlaubt, ihren Geschlechtseintrag durch bloße Erklärung zu ändern und damit eventuell eine Verbesserung ihrer Haftbedingungen durch Verlegung in ein Frauengefängnis zu erlangen. ..."
Und auch im Vereinigten Königreich geht die Debatte über das britische Selbstbestimmungsgesetz weiter, das es auch einsitzenden Straftätern erlaubt, ihren Geschlechtseintrag durch bloße Erklärung zu ändern und damit eventuell eine Verbesserung ihrer Haftbedingungen durch Verlegung in ein Frauengefängnis zu erlangen. ..."
Warum tausende deutsche Unternehmen ihre Standorte nach Polen verlagern
Einst wurde über die "polnische Wirtschaft" gelächelt oder es war sogar abwertend gemeint!
"... „Polen bietet attraktive Investitionsbedingungen, vor allem durch die Nähe zum Standort Deutschland, eine hervorragende Infrastruktur, ein hochklassiges Lieferantennetzwerk und gut ausgebildete, motivierte Mitarbeiter“, freut sich Lars Gutheil, geschäftsführendes Vorstandsmitglied der Deutsch-Polnischen Industrie- und Handelskammer (AHK Polen) in Warschau.
Polen ist längst kein Billiglohnland mehr
Die Polen haben längst mit dem Klischee der ewigen Erntehelfer gebrochen. Wo früher die Spargelstecher nach Franken, Lauenburg oder Rheinhessen reisten, um gutes Geld zu verdienen, sind es heute deutsche Fachkräfte, die zunehmend nach Polen ziehen. Das Angebot kann sich sehen lassen. Während die Lebenshaltungskosten geringer sind, steigen die Löhne von Jahr zu Jahr. ..."About the suffering of Ukrainian children in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Children suffer the most from war!
Monday, February 26, 2024
Taiwan chipmaker TSMC opens first plant in Japan
Good news! Given how much the Korean people suffered under Japanese occupation (e.g. forced labor, sexual slavery), this is quite remarkable!
German Chancellor Scholz vetoes delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Disappointing! The German chancellor is a coward!
Algeria Inaugurates Controversial Build-by-China Mosque with Palki Sharma
While the Chinese communists prohibit building and destroying mosques in China and persecute Muslim Chinese people!
Second, Russian $350 million AWACS like air force plane downed in about four weeks in the Russo-Ukrainian War
This is a bizarre war story! Who shot it down? Ukraine? Russia? Third party?
What is for sure it is a huge loss for Russia!
Habecks Speicherplan: Ab in die Nordsee mit dem CO2
Mehr Schildbürgerstreiche (z.B. auch die Wärmepumpe), in der Bananenrepublik D! Wie schön!
Pflanzt doch bitter mehr Bäume!
Hoffentlich, werden dann weniger Windmühlen(-turbinen) gebaut!
"Die Bundesregierung will im Klimaschutz den Weg freimachen, damit Kohlendioxid im großen Maßstab technisch abgeschieden werden darf. Damit soll die CCS genannte Verpressung und Speicherung ebenso ermöglicht werden wie die Nutzung des CO2, etwa in synthetischen Kraftstoffen (CCU). Bisher sind die Möglichkeiten hierzulande sehr begrenzt. So können CO2-Speicher weder beantragt noch genehmigt werden, zudem verbietet das so genannte Londoner Protokoll gegen Meeresverschmutzung den Export des Gases. Der Transport im Inland ist zwar möglich, findet aber bisher nur sehr begrenzt auf Straße und Schiene statt. Wegen der fehlenden Rechtssicherheit existiert keine Transportinfrastruktur über Rohrsysteme. All diese Hemmnisse will die Koalition jetzt abbauen. ..."
Female wrestler (no transgender) wins second Maine championship against boys
Men watch out in the battle of the sexes! When was the last time you wrestled with a female? 😊
She was encouraged by her stepfather and coach!
Have we not encouraged females for a long time with slogans like "Girl go for it!" 😊
"Afemale high school senior won her second straight state wrestling title, defeating multiple opponents on her way to the Maine championship.
Maddie Ripley, a 17-year-old from Oceanside High School in Rockland, Maine, beat three opponents en route to another state wrestling championship against male competitors.
The feat was even more impressive when considering that she won the inaugural women's title just days earlier at a different weight class. Ripley won the 107-pound girl's state championship, then, just days later, defeated males in their 113-pound division. ...
Ripley's coach and stepfather ...
"Why not?" Jimenez said about her decision to first wrestle boys. The 18-year-old actually needed special permission from the state athletic body to compete against males and capitalized on the decision. ..."
Houthis knock out underwater cables linking Europe, Gulf States to Asia, India - report
The Wests and the Rest of the Worlds inability to effectively deal with a bunch of terrorists operating out of Yemen is shocking!
"Four underwater communications cables between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti have been struck out of commission in recent months, presumably as a result of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, according to an exclusive report in the Israeli news site Globes.
The successful targeting of the four cables, which are believed to belong to the AAE-1, Seacom, EIG, and TGN systems, marks a serious disruption of communications between Europe and Asia.
Most of the immediate harm will be absorbed by the Gulf states and India, Globes said. ..."
Increase in Deadly Distracted Driving while using phone
We need autonomous vehicles earlier than soon!
Humans driving a car is so 20th century and what a waste of time!
"Phone use while driving is on the rise in the U.S.—with deadly consequences.
Researchers are gaining new insights into the phenomenon, thanks to insurance companies’ apps used by 10 million drivers.
A recent report on driver behavior using that data found:
Both phone motion and screen interaction while driving went up ~20% between 2020-2022.
Drivers used their phones during nearly 58% of trips in 2022.
More than a third of that phone motion distraction happens at over 50 mph.
Fatal repercussions: The most distracted drivers are over 240% more likely to crash than the safest drivers."
The Rise of Untraceable Firearms made from kits
How serious is this issue?
"One in five crime-related guns on Baltimore’s streets are now “ghost guns”—firearms that don’t have serial numbers and are built from parts.
Guns made of parts from Polymer80—one of the largest makers of ghost gun parts nationwide—are recovered more than brands like Glock and Taurus, per a Baltimore Banner analysis.
This week, Baltimore officials announced they reached a $1.2 million settlement with Polymer80 that effectively ended the company’s business in Maryland. But keeping such guns off the streets remains an uphill battle. ..."
Study finds youth-onset diabetes is a genetically distinct form of the disorder
Good news!
"... Researchers ... analyzed DNA from more than 3,000 T2D [type 2 diabetes] participants between 12 and 18-years-old and nearly 9,800 adult controls, more than three-quarters of whom were of African American or Hispanic ancestry. They found that youth-onset T2D is a genetically intermediate form of the disorder that lies on a spectrum between adult-onset T2D and rare forms of the disorder caused by a single gene. ..."
From the abstract:
"The prevalence of youth-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) and childhood obesity has been rising steadily, producing a growing public health concern1 that disproportionately affects minority groups. The genetic basis of youth-onset T2D and its relationship to other forms of diabetes are unclear. Here we report a detailed genetic characterization of youth-onset T2D by analysing exome sequences and common variant associations for 3,005 individuals with youth-onset T2D and 9,777 adult control participants matched for ancestry, including both males and females. We identify monogenic diabetes variants in 2.4% of individuals and three exome-wide significant (P < 2.6 × 10−6) gene-level associations (HNF1A, MC4R, ATXN2L). Furthermore, we report rare variant association enrichments within 25 gene sets related to obesity, monogenic diabetes and β-cell function. Many youth-onset T2D associations are shared with adult-onset T2D, but genetic risk factors of all frequencies—and rare variants in particular—are enriched within youth-onset T2D cases (5.0-fold increase in the rare variant and 3.4-fold increase in common variant genetic liability relative to adult-onset cases). The clinical presentation of participants with youth-onset T2D is influenced in part by the frequency of genetic risk factors within each individual. These findings portray youth-onset T2D as a heterogeneous disease situated on a spectrum between monogenic diabetes and adult-onset T2D."
Fig. 1: Scheme of the study and genetic discovery.
Climate coach: Why You Should Buy Everything Used instead of new
So that you loose your job! The supply of human follies is endless!
If you believe in apocalypse, then go right ahead! Medieval superstition is alive and well at elite universities!
"Why You Should Buy Everything Used, Sandra Goldmark, senior assistant dean at Columbia Climate School, was quoted in The Washington Post on the benefits of buying everything used (except shoes, socks, and underwear)."
Sandra Goldmark. Associate Professor of Professional Practice. She is such a smart cookie!
Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh resigns from position
Does it matter? How corrupt and discredited is the Palestinian Authority anyway?
How senile is Abbas (age 88)?
Any Western politician, who still believes in a solution that gives the PA a leading role, is obviously delusional!
"Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh submitted his resignation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, amid growing US pressure on Abbas to shake up the PA as international efforts have intensified to stop the fighting in Gaza and begin work on a political structure to govern the enclave after the war.
Abbas accepted Shtayyeh’s resignation and asked him to stay on as caretaker until a permanent replacement is appointed. ..."
Czech Republic Proposes 800,000 Artillery Rounds for Ukraine in a matter of weeks
Good news! Bravo! Some hurdles remain.
"The Czech Republic could deliver up to 800,000 artillery shells to Ukraine from abroad if partner nations secure financing, President Petr Pavel said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Delivery could start in a “matter of weeks” and include 500,000 155mm and 300,000 120mm rounds.
“We identified half a million pieces of 155-millimeter ammunition and 300,000 pieces of 122-millimeter ammunition,” Seznam Zpravy quoted the president as saying.
Pavel did not reveal the potential supplier, as this is one of the procurement conditions. ..."
Air Canada has to honor a refund policy its chatbot made up
Growing up in the age of AI!
Lesson learnt: Don't let AI get near your money! 😊
Remember: AI is being developed by a large number of leftist researchers!
"The airline was forced to offer a customer a partial refund after its customer service chatbot inaccurately explained the company’s bereavement travel policy. Expect more cases like this as long as the tech sector sells chatbots that still make things up and have security flaws. (Wired)"
The Poison Ivy League: How Taxpayers Subsidize Wealthy Universities
Food for thought! Nice business!
"The federal government provides enormous subsidies to the wealthiest universities in the country. During fiscal year 2022, Ivy League universities received $1.8 billion for overhead on government-funded research grants. That represents 84 percent of the total amount of government subsidy those universities received. For every dollar Ivy League universities receive for research, they charge the government an additional 64 cents, on average, for overhead. This funding is clearly a subsidy, because it is almost entirely fungible and unaccountable. The government can curtail nonsense, save taxpayers money, and reallocate research subsidies more evenly throughout the country by eliminating and capping research overhead funding for the wealthiest universities.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The federal government provides enormous subsidies to the wealthiest universities by paying “overhead” on research grants.
- During FY 2022, Ivy League universities received $1.8 billion for overhead on government-funded research grants despite having $192 billion in endowment funds.
- Taxpayers should not pay for building the research infrastructure at wealthy universities that already have sufficient private funds for that purpose.
... "
Putin’s ‘Greatest Hits’
Greetings from Putin the Terrible! Extrajudicial killings are part of his legacy!
Exclusive: Biden Admin Planted Operative in Fani Willis Office, Sources Say
If confirmed, depending on the circumstances, activities etc. this could be a bombshell!
From the Jeff DiSantis job webpage:
"... Jeff has also worked for candidates in 30 states running for a variety of offices, including President of the United States, United States Senator, Governor, United States Representative, Attorney General, District Attorney, and Mayor, as well as for a national political party committee. He has served as a campaign manager, media consultant, pollster, press spokesman, research director, and policy advisor. He also served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia. ..."
"... Breitbart News granted the sources anonymity to discuss the attorney’s office for fear of retribution. The sources have direct knowledge of the environment at the District Attorney’s Office, which they characterized as “corrupt.” ...
Jeff DiSantis — the county’s Deputy District Attorney [Media Relations Division] with professional experience far greater than the average county employee. DiSantis worked on Willis’s 2020 campaign, sources told Breitbart News, and was the former Executive Director of the Democrat Party of Georgia with extensive knowledge of campaign finance law. He was also the Deputy Director of Compliance for the DNC, according to his official bio ..."
P.S. Try Google or Bing to find pictures of this guy. You are out of luck! Google even confuses him with the current Florida governor.
'Blood Money': The Secret Chinese Military 'Disintegration Warfare' Manifesto to Rip America Apart Using Drugs, Social Chaos, and More
Food for thought! Probably, Schweitzer's book is too drastic and exaggerating!
Similar claims were also made multiple times about the former Soviet Union.
There is probably little doubt that the enemies of open societies try many subversive activities to destabilize Western societies. The real question is how much of those activities and how successful are they?
How resilient are Western societies to resist these activities of subversion by foreign enemies of open societies?
Take the Global Warming hoax and Climate Change religion or how about racism. How much of this nonsense propaganda and demagoguery can be attributed to the enemies of open societies?
"... “It is a complex strategy, a hydra of drugs, disease, propaganda, and illicit pistol parts, each contributing to social chaos and killing Americans,” he writes. ...
Today, Beijing’s hand can be found in every stage of the deadly spread of fentanyl in North America, Schweizer finds. ...
Another part is fueling social chaos using radical proxy groups within the U.S., Schweizer writes. ... Schweizer reveals that in order to stoke further social and division in America, China utilizes, supports, and funds multiple far-left groups within the U.S. who stoke violence and racial tensions. ...
“Some of our leaders, who are named in the chapters that follow, have financial ties to the Chinese state and don’t want to see the flow of money disrupted,” he states. ... Schweizer names some of those who are aware of China’s illicit activities, but do nothing — including President Joe Biden, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), former President Barack Obama, and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). ..."
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Hamas were used as pawns when they committed their mass massacre on October 7 against Israel
Was it Russia that told Iran to distract from the Russo-Ukrainian War? Russia is most likely behind the October 7th attack or, as a minimum, it did not oppose it.
Was it Iran alone that told Hamas to strike?
Which Arab/Muslim country could have had an interest to exploit the situation of a very weak 46th U.S. President and the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War?
Whoever it was, they did possibly not anticipate that the coward Hamas killers would commit such a horrific mass massacre, taking babies as hostages, and rape shocking the world!
Most decent Arabs/Muslims are probably disgusted as well!
Your fingerprints can be recreated from the sounds made when you swipe on a touchscreen — Chinese and US researchers show new side channel can reproduce fingerprints to enable attacks
Bad news! Well it is not actually fingerprints, but sounds from swiping!
"An interesting new attack on biometric security has been outlined by a group of researchers from China and the US. PrintListener: Uncovering the Vulnerability of Fingerprint Authentication via the Finger Friction Sound [PDF] proposes a side-channel attack on the sophisticated Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). The attack leverages the sound characteristics of a user’s finger swiping on a touchscreen to extract fingerprint pattern features. Following tests, the researchers assert that they can successfully attack “up to 27.9% of partial fingerprints and 9.3% of complete fingerprints within five attempts at the highest security FAR [False Acceptance Rate] setting of 0.01%.” This is claimed to be the first work that leverages swiping sounds to infer fingerprint information. ..."
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