Items I happen to view each day. Science, Technology, Management, Culture, and Writing
This is my day book for this week. It is a log of things I see on the Internet.
China makes actual advances in a space-based solar power system. America's top thinkers conceived of this decades ago. America's governors flopped again.
The price of a Bitcoin falls below $20,000. It is a risky investment.
We may have progress in sub-penny plastic processors. Maybe.
Looking back at life at 300 baud, acoustic hookup modems, and bulletin board services. I used these things mostly to connect to compilers on computers across campus and across town. But then again, I'm an old man with old-man stories.
Samsung has a new line of monitors that have high performance at substantially reduced prices.
It was a very small study (18 persons), but it showed that we aren't ready for the metaverse.
"just a one-sided witch hunt." Yes, pretty much describes it.
It was difficult but not impossible to work with other writers during the isolation of the pandemic.
Write and publish a book in less than six months. Writing a book in a few months is the easy part.
One writer's life of travel, food, and writing.
....Some progress on the "log off" movement. It is the type of reflection we have from time to time when we realize that we jumped into the pool without putting on a swim suit. New things are tempting. We grab first and then think consider what harm it might do us. For a counter example, see the Amish and their wait-and-see approach.
Does social media divide us or show that we are divided? Heavens to Betsy (I don't know what that means other than GOSH!). The idea that people disagree about some things bring great anguish to folks who otherwise qualify as being adults.
Bypassing those annoying CAPTCHAs is possible in iOS 16.
The governors of China are watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One thing they notices is the effectiveness of satellite Internet access. Now they are building their own systems.
Today is the solstice: more daylight than any other day of the year. For the next six months, "the days will be getting shorter."
First it was baby food, now it is mustard. Rush to the stores and buy mustard before it disappears.
US airlines cancel tens of thousands of flights. Why? Well, times are tough all over.
Someone took the computer chip from an Ikea lamp and was able to run Doom on it. Too much time on your hands? Also shows how the Russians are scrounging parts from appliances to run their weapons systems.
.....More evidence that China's governors are returning to the isolation from the world that they had for several generations. The outlook is bad for China and Russia.
Microsoft is removing several of its systems that are related to facial recognition.
Amazon shows Proteus: it is a "robot" that safely and autonomously moves goods around its warehouses. Good video in the article. The robot looks like a flat, low cart that slips under things and lifts them. Sorry, no humanoid anything.
Simply identify plants with an iPhone with no extra apps.
Apple updates its iWork suite of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. I have to wonder how many people care about this.
.....It appears that the Russians are using Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) in Ukraine. Some call these the first killer drones or killer robots. They loiter over an area, spot a target, and crash into the target to explode and destroy.
A detailed look at Apple's newest MacBook Pro. It doesn't impress the reviewer.
.....Several more states pass laws that state that part-time employees are not full-time employees. There are benefits to full-time employment and there are benefits to part-time employment. If you are in one category and want the benefits of the other, you have to change categories. Sorry.
Qualcomm announces its own AI Stack to gather all its various AI capabilities in one place.
This is a good example of persons using Facebook instead of Facebook using them.
Thoughts on the "smart city." It was yet another myth that never materialized.
To lure folks away from Google's Chrome browser, Microsoft adds games to its Edge browser.
Intel is about to build a semiconductor plant in Ohio. Congress, however, must first wake from its nap.
Layoffs continue at Netflix as subscribers start to walk away.
Someone discovers that poorly written job descriptions, a.k.a., help wanted ads are keeping employee seekers and job seekers from connecting. I trust that discovery didn't cost much money.
AWS releases CodeWhisperer. Like GitHub's CoPilot, CodeWhisperer will write computer programs.
.....Much strong reaction about the US Supreme Court this week. One line of shouting is that the court has overruled what the majority of Americans want. Let's recall the basis of the American system. In the Legislative branch, and much in the Executive branch, the majority rules. The Judicial branch exists to protect the minority from the majority. The Judicial branch overruled the American majority in Brown v. Board of Education and also in Miranda v. Arizona and on and on. In the old west, the townsfolk would shout, "String 'em up." The sheriff would stand and say, "No, the person gets a fair trial. I'll hold 'em in jail till the judge arrives." Hence we have the phrase, "This is a nation of laws, not people." The law applies to all, no matter how small a minority.
Walmart claims to have developed its own system that allows it to quickly and efficiently switch from local to any variety of cloud services. The folks in Bentonville are not hicks, but consistently sit at the leading edge of technology. There is much that most of us can learn from them.
Several tech companies say they will pay for travel for folks who want an abortion, but cannot obtain one in their home state. This is all legal. If the shareholders of these publicly traded companies feel it is a worthy expense, so be it. I like the idea of "put your money where your mouth is." Much social strife in America can be quieted by folks doing what they have the ability to do on their own and leaving others to do what they do.
And if abortion is outlawed in a state and the law enforcement and judges in that state subpoena data, companies will comply with the law. Then again, the companies can refuse to obey the law and suffer the legal consequences.
As I continue to view the Internet this morning, the ignorance is screaming. The SCOTUS did not ban abortions or outlaw abortions in America. SCOTUS said that abortion is not a right protected by the Constitution. State and local governments can pass their own laws concerning abortion. Abortion will be legal and openly practiced in many places in America.
Here is an in-depth piece on ransomware attacks on schools in America. Our reaction to a virus caused schools to close and go online. We knew what we were doing, right?
Here is an article about billionaires disagreeing with the SCOTUS abortion decision. Again, they have resources. Setup clinics wherein the resources to travel to states that allow abortion are given to those who want them. Do what is within your resources.
This could prove to be significant. A company in the Pacific northwest claims a new technique to build fusion reactors that could fit in a suburban garage and power entire cities forever.
Some evidence (only some) that sleeping better and longer at night deters dementia.
.....There is a lot in this little Slashdot post about hiring programmers. "Google programmers" are those who, when given an interview question or a task at work, find the code by Google-in (I find that admirable). If you are asking an employee to solve an already solved problem, you are not doing your job. Conclusion of most of this: hire untrained people and train them yourself.
Seeing Alzheimer's early with brain scans. No cure, but earlier detection. The pattern recognition software can find deep and complex problems that are extremely difficult for humans.
We didn't see this in the news, but...(1) the Russians launched unprecedented cyber attacks in Ukraine and (2) western governments worked closely with western companies to defeat most of those attacks. Of course our media was asleep, again.
More quick reaction from the SCOTUS rulings this week as Google tells employees they can move (among states) without justification. How about breathing a few moments before reacting?
Forward to the past. Folks discover how wonderful it is to have a leather mat on your desk.
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