Meta’s neurotech breakthrough reads minds without surgery. We should probably worry. | Vox

Meta's neurotech breakthrough reads minds without surgery. We should probably worry. | Vox
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/400146/meta-brain-reading-neurotech-privacy

Global 3D rocket launch and re-entry air pollutant and CO2 emissions at the onset of the megaconstellation era | Scientific Data

Global 3D rocket launch and re-entry air pollutant and CO2 emissions at the onset of the megaconstellation era | Scientific Data: 

Excerpt: ″The already frequent re-entry rates of satellites from megaconstellation missions, intentional design of megaconstellation satellites to undergo complete ablation (burn-up) on re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere (https://www.spacex.com/updates/#sustainability), and an increase in the cadence of rocket launches2 will increase the release of potentially harmful chemical byproducts into all layers of the atmosphere″

Source: nature.com

Averting Environmental Risks in the New Space Age - Federation of American Scientists

Averting Environmental Risks in the New Space Age - Federation of American Scientists: 

Excerpt: ″Mega-constellations are designed so their defunct satellites reenter the atmosphere and vaporize, releasing chemical compounds, including aluminum oxides. The Aerospace Corporation (an advisor to the U.S. Space Force) reports that this massive increase in the number of satellites reentering the atmosphere and releasing chemical compounds and particles could contribute to climate change through radiative forcing and ozone depletion.1 ″

Source: fas.org

DOGE Exposes Once-Secret Government Networks, Making Cyber-Espionage Easier than Ever

DOGE Exposes Once-Secret Government Networks, Making Cyber-Espionage Easier than Ever: 

Excerpt: ″Essentially, whatever is causing once-private government networks to suddenly be publicly observable is making the lives of Chinese and Russian hackers much easier–we’re doing the first stage of hacking campaigns, network reconnaissance, for them. With such easy insights into once-secret U.S. networks, the likelihood of data breaches impacting millions of Americans becomes that much higher.″

Source: cyberintel.substack.com

ISC2 Code of Ethics

1. ISC2 Code of Ethics: Excerpt: 

″Code of Ethics Preamble: The safety and welfare of society and the common good, duty to our principals, and duty to each other, require that we adhere, and be seen to adhere, to the highest ethical standards of behavior. Therefore, strict adherence to this Code is a condition of certification. 

 Code of Ethics Canons: 

1. Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure. 
2. Act honorably, honestly, justly, responsibly, and legally. 
3. Provide diligent and competent service to principals.
4.  Advance and protect the profession.″

Source: isc2.org

The Truth About Musk, From His Biographer

The Truth About Musk, From His Biographer: 

Excerpt: ″“With no Whites here [in South Africa], the Blacks will go back to the trees.” —Errol Musk in a 2022 letter to his son Elon Given who Elon and Kimbal’s father Errol Musk is, and what he believes about racial hierarchies, and how he made much of his money in apartheid-era South Africa, it’s no surprise that Elon and Kimbal didn’t want anyone to know that not only were they living in America off daddy’s money in the 1990s but they never would have made it in business without him and his cash. Both Musk boys knew their father was a contemptible figure the likes of which no one in Silicon Valley would ever condone, so they lied about everything: their immigration status; the source of their startup money; their ability to conduct themselves in an office setting as professionals; even their personal politics, which were far right (Elon a bit more so than Kimbal), a fact they knew would never be accepted in California.″

Source: sethabramson.substack.com

Purine in fish

Handy chart:
https://www.purine-direkt.de/index.php?r=food-purin%2Findex2&catid=4&sort=-portion

Hake recipe

Give it a try:
https://www.bordbia.ie/recipes/fish-recipes/pan-fried-hake-with-lemon-and-herb-butter-sauce/

Would be nice

Should be done - pour down economics:
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/24936776.hmrc-income-tax-personal-allowance-rise-12-570/

HMRC Income tax personal allowance could increase from £12,570 to £20,000

Go for it - trickle across: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/24936776.hmrc-income-tax-personal-allowance-rise-12-570/?ref=yahoo#:~:text=HMRC%20Income%20tax%20personal%20allowance%20could%20increase%20from%20%C2%A312%2C570%20to%20%C2%A320%2C000,-Jade%20Wright&text=A%20petition%20to%20raise%20the,now%20be%20debated%20by%20MPs. 

GTR housing

Great to realise 
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/new-homes-bringing-joy-gypsy-30996866

Trump Desperately Tries to Blame Anyone but Himself for Inflation | The New Republic

Trump Desperately Tries to Blame Anyone but Himself for Inflation | The New Republic: 

Excerpt: ″“I think we’re going to become a rich—look, we’re not that rich right now,” Trump said. “We owe $36 trillion. That’s because we let all these nations take advantage of us. Same thing, like $200 billion with Canada. We owe $300—we have a deficit with Mexico of $350 billion. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to let that happen.” Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the Trump administration doesn’t “have a timeline” for alleviating the nation’s critically high cost of living.″

Source: newrepublic.com

‘Headed for technofascism’: the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley | The Guardian

‘Headed for technofascism’: the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley | The Guardian: 

Excerpt: ″An influential Silicon Valley publication runs a cover story lamenting the “pussification” of tech. A major tech CEO lambasts a Black civil rights leader’s calls for diversifying the tech workforce. Technologists rage against the “PC police”. No, this isn’t Silicon Valley in the age of Maga. It’s the tech industry of the 1990s, when observers first raised concerns about the rightwing bend of Silicon Valley and the potential for “technofascism”. Despite the industry’s (often undeserved) reputation for liberalism, its reactionary foundations were baked in almost from the beginning. As Silicon Valley enters a second Trump administration, the gendered roots of its original reactionary movement offer insight into today’s rightward turn.″

Source: theguardian.com

Of bitcoin, the South Sea Bubble and the madness of crowds

Of bitcoin, the South Sea Bubble and the madness of crowds: 

Excerpt: ″Furthermore, what on earth does the idea of a strategic bitcoin reserve mean? The US has a strategic oil reserve which it can use, in the case of a sudden surge in price or an interruption to supply. But when would US citizens suddenly need access to a lot of Bitcoin? If there were some national crisis, say a cyberattack that cut off the internet, you would need to use notes and coins. Bitcoin, to quote Blackadder, would be as much use as a chocolate teapot. ″

Source: philipcoggan.substack.com

The US State Department says humanitarian assistance can continue. Foreign aid workers say that’s not happening | CNN

The US State Department says humanitarian assistance can continue. Foreign aid workers say that’s not happening | CNN: 

Excerpt: ″one USAID employee told CNN. “The entire humanitarian architecture across the world has literally just collapsed because they have decided to stop allowing folks to work.” “Our payment systems have been taken over. We no longer can pay. We don’t have staff,” the USAID employee said, adding that has caused even supposedly exempt work to stop, in dire places like Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Ethiopia.″

Source: edition.cnn.com

Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI - GOV.UK

Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI - GOV.UK: 

Excerpt: ″Backing AI to the hilt can also lead to more money in the pockets of working people...Today’s plan mainlines AI into the veins of this enterprising nation...for too long we have allowed blockers to control the public discourse and get in the way of growth in this sector.″

Source: gov.uk

AI Opportunities Action Plan - GOV.UK

AI Opportunities Action Plan - GOV.UK: 

Excerpt: ″Establish a copyright-cleared British media asset training data set, which can be licensed internationally at scale. This could be done through partnering with bodies that hold valuable cultural data like the National Archives, Natural History Museum, British Library and the BBC to develop a commercial proposition for sharing their data to advance AI.″

Source: gov.uk

Yes, Musk said Americans will suffer 'temporary hardship' due to govt cost-cutting measures | Snopes.com

Yes, Musk said Americans will suffer 'temporary hardship' due to govt cost-cutting measures | Snopes.com: 

Excerpt: ″Musk did indeed say that Americans would suffer "temporary hardship" as a result of the spending curbs he and Trump planned to implement in the federal government. ″

Source: snopes.com

Comment: A vote for Musk/Trump was a vote for "temporary hardship [to] ensure long term prosperity." The voters are getting what they voted for, or failed to vote against.

Elon is now delivering that hardship. Will it be temporary like he promised? Will it ensure long term prosperity like he promised? 

Birthright citizenship lawsuit: Pro-life Republican states target babies.

Birthright citizenship lawsuit: Pro-life Republican states target babies.: 

Excerpt: ″The guarantee of birthright citizenship ensures that such children are not punished for the alleged sins of their parents, operating as a great equalizer: Here, every citizen has the same freedoms, no matter the circumstances under which they came into the world. Monday’s brief, however, reveals that many Republican AGs reject this principle: They want to divide the citizenry into two classes—true citizens, who were born to American parents, and interlopers, who were not. These states hold a grudge against the latter group and resent the fact that they must treat these children with equal dignity.″

Source: slate.com

Gaza Largo

Hamas numbers
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/middleeast/netanyahu-endorses-trump-gaza-plan-intl-hnk/index.html

Email Checker: Verify Any Email Address for Free

Email Checker: Verify Any Email Address for Free: 

Excerpt: ″Verify anyone's email address thanks to our free email checker tool.″

Source: mailmeteor.com

Substantial chance that rocket debris will fall into busy flight path, researchers say | The Independent

https://www.independent.co.uk/space/rocket-launch-spacex-planes-danger-debris-b2692856.html 

We do not want an American-style healthcare system the UK

We do not want an American-style healthcare system in the UK. It would be catastrophic for millions: 

Excerpt: ″“Americans spend more money on health care on a per capita basis than people in any other developed nation, yet almost half say they've struggled recently to pay for medical treatment or prescription drugs, according to a new study from Gallup and West Health … About 45% of those polled by the organizations said they'd recently had to skip treatment or medicine either because of cost or lack of easy access.”″

Source: jujuliagrace.substack.com

As Trump Attacks Diversity, a Racist Undercurrent Surfaces - The New York Times

As Trump Attacks Diversity, a Racist Undercurrent Surfaces - The New York Times

"His attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion aren't about a particular program or some acronym — they're just a sanitized substitute for the racist comments that can no longer be spoken openly," Margaret Huang, the Southern Poverty Law Center's president and chief executive"

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/trump-diversity-racism.html

Celebrities get new right to fight against AI piracy

Celebrities get new right to fight against AI piracy: 

Excerpt: ″Senior figures in the creative sector are scathing about the government’s plans, accusing the technology secretary Peter Kyle of having drunk “big tech’s Kool-Aid” and selling out an industry that is worth £126 billion to the economy″

Source: thetimes.com

BPI says AI proposals risk 'destroying the UK's status as a creative superpower' | Labels | Music Week

BPI says AI proposals risk 'destroying the UK's status as a creative superpower' | Labels | Music Week:

Excerpt: ″While there is much to welcome in the ambitions of the AI Action Plan to improve public services and ways of working, this publication does nothing to explain why upending our gold standard copyright system is required to achieve these goals,” said BPI (British Phonographic Industry) CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE.″

Source: musicweek.com

Celebrities get new right to fight against AI piracy

Celebrities get new right to fight against AI piracy: Excerpt: ″Musicians, artists and authors would be given the right to opt out from allowing companies to train AI models on their material under a system to be called “rights reservation”.″

Source: thetimes.com

Big cars are going global. I hope other countries don't make these mistakes.

Big cars are going global. I hope other countries don't make these mistakes.: Excerpt: ″Like a disease, car bloat is spreading. The United States is patient zero: 4 out of 5 new cars in the U.S. are now SUVs or pickups, a sharp increase from a few decades ago. Now, oversized cars are becoming almost as common in Berlin and Beijing as they are in Baltimore. SUVs alone comprised nearly half of car sales worldwide in 2023, up from 20 percent 15 years ago. The global ascent of giant cars is an ominous trend for climate change, as well as for road safety in the rich and developing worlds alike.″

Source: slate.com

‘Mainlined into UK’s veins’: Labour announces huge public rollout of AI

‘Mainlined into UK’s veins’: Labour announces huge public rollout of AI | Politics | The Guardian: Excerpt: ″Susie Alegre, a barrister specialising in technology and human rights, cited the Post Office scandal “as a reminder of the dangers of putting too much faith in technology without the resources for effective accountability”. She said: “Any plan for Britain’s future with AI needs to look at real-world consequences for people and the planet and cannot afford to look away from uncomfortable truths.”″

Source: theguardian.com

A Woman With a Rare Gene Mutation Fights to Avoid Her Mother’s Fate

A Woman With a Rare Gene Mutation Fights to Avoid Her Mother’s Fate - The New York Times: Excerpt: ″Will Linde receive a useful treatment before her mind begins to slip away? Of the 10 tau experts interviewed for this article, nine said they were optimistic that it would happen, whether with a drug like Biogen’s that suppresses tau or, in the longer term, a gene-editing cure.″

Source: nytimes.com

Teams Solve Problems Faster When They’re More Cognitively Diverse

Teams Solve Problems Faster When They’re More Cognitively Diverse: Excerpt: ″Functional bias is a problem for teams facing new uncertain and complex situations because, with little cognitive diversity, the team will have limited ability to see things differently, engage in different ways (e.g., experiment versus analyzing), or create new options. Similarly, when organizations initiate change programs, they often seek out and identify advocates or change agents to support activities. Those selected often have a similar approach to change. This lack of cognitive diversity has two impacts. First, it reduces the opportunity to strengthen the proposition with input from people who think differently. Second, it fails to represent the cognitive diversity of the employee population, reducing the impact of the initiatives.″

Source: hbr.org

How a Mole Infiltrated the Highest Ranks of American Militias — ProPublica

Check out: https://www.propublica.org/article/ap3-oath-keepers-militia-mole 

Dr. Strangelove - Wikipedia

Dr. Strangelove - Wikipedia: Excerpt: ″The film is considered one of the best comedy films and one of the greatest films of all time. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it 26th in its list of the best American films (in the 2007 edition, the film ranked 39th), and in 2000, it was listed as number three on its list of the funniest American films. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress included Dr. Strangelove as one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8]″

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Gods in the machine? The rise of artificial intelligence may result in new religions

Gods in the machine? The rise of artificial intelligence may result in new religions: Excerpt: ″We are about to witness the birth of a new kind of religion. In the next few years, or perhaps even months, we will see the emergence of sects devoted to the worship of artificial intelligence (AI).″

Source: Gods in the machine? The rise of artificial intelligence may result in new religions

New research explores hidden health risks of hereditary hemochromatosis

New research explores hidden health risks of hereditary hemochromatosis: Excerpt: ″To summarize, the study reported that individuals who were homozygous for the C282Y mutation in the HFE genes had a higher risk of diabetes and liver disease, even if their iron levels were normal. Furthermore, the mutation was found to significantly increase the mortality risk among individuals with diabetes, emphasizing the need for broader diagnostic criteria and targeted management.″

Source: news-medical.net

Activate Windows - Microsoft Support

Activate Windows - Microsoft Support: Excerpt: ″You'll first want to find out if your Windows 11 is activated and linked to your Microsoft account.″

Source: Activate Windows - Microsoft Support

What Is The National Device Bank | Reusing Devices For Digital Inclusion | Good Things Foundation

Excerpt: ″The National Device Bank is powered by Good Things Foundation. It provides refurbished laptops, mobile phones and tablets to individuals who may not have access to a device. ″

Source: What Is The National Device Bank | Reusing Devices For Digital Inclusion | Good Things Foundation

Meditation Diminishes Bias Toward Negative Information - Neuroscience News

Excerpt: ″A new study reveals that daily mindfulness meditation can help reduce individuals’ tendency to avoid negative information. The practice of regular mindfulness meditation allows people to better process uncomfortable emotions, thus enabling them to handle negative information more objectively.″

Source: Meditation Diminishes Bias Toward Negative Information - Neuroscience News

2023 Landscape - AI Now Institute

Excerpt: ″This report highlights a set of approaches that, in concert, will collectively enable us to confront tech power. Some of these are bold policy reforms that underscore the need for bright-line rules and structural curbs. ″

Source: 2023 Landscape - AI Now Institute

Cybersecurity is a public health crisis, so why don’t we treat it that way? | Infosec

Excerpt: ″The past year of dealing with the Coronavirus has made one thing clear: Institutions have a variety of  processes and tools that use data to measure and inform public health across the globe. Cybersecurity, like public health, has a similar worldwide scope, so why is our cyber public health so lacking in guidance?″

Source: Cybersecurity is a public health crisis, so why don’t we treat it that way? | Infosec

From Small Scheme to Pilot Scheme

Excerpt: ″Coventry based charity, Carers Trust Heart of England are celebrating their historic 50th anniversary this October with a celebratory ball at the Windmill Village Hotel in Coventry.″

From Small Scheme to Pilot Scheme

Can computers think? No. They can’t actually do anything | Aeon Essays

Can computers think? No. They can’t actually do anything | Aeon Essays: ″the tendency of some scientists to take for granted what can only be described as a wildly simplistic picture of human and animal cognitive life. They rely unchecked on one-sided, indeed, milquetoast conceptions of human activity, skill and cognitive accomplishment. The surreptitious substitution (to use a phrase of Edmund Husserl’s) of this thin gruel version of the mind at work – a substitution that I hope to convince you traces back to Alan Turing and the very origins of AI – is the decisive move in the conjuring trick.″

Travellers denied entry to UK as new eVisa system falters

Travellers denied entry to UK as new eVisa system falters: ″Biometric residence permits held by foreign nationals to prove their immigration status have expired but the electronic visas that replaced them are not working″

What is limitarianism? Professor Ingrid Robeyns explains - In the media - Utrecht University

What is limitarianism? Professor Ingrid Robeyns explains - In the media - Utrecht University: ″It is absurd to have people sitting on millions and billions that only serve to further accumulate more and more. All the money that people don't need for their own well-being we could use to drive the climate transition.″

A Day in the Life of a Prolific Voice Phishing Crew – Krebs on Security

A Day in the Life of a Prolific Voice Phishing Crew – Krebs on Security: ″new details about the internal operations of a prolific voice phishing gang show the group routinely abuses legitimate services at Apple and Google to force a variety of outbound communications to their users, including emails, automated phone calls and system-level messages sent to all signed-in devices.″

What Happens When US Hospitals Binge on Nurse Practitioners - Bloomberg

What Happens When US Hospitals Binge on Nurse Practitioners - Bloomberg: ″Faster to train and cheaper to employ than doctors, NPs help American health-care companies’ bottom line—but can risk patient safety.″

The world’s next big environmental problem could come from space

The world’s next big environmental problem could come from space | MIT Technology Review: ″The amount of space debris vaporizing in Earth’s atmosphere has more than doubled in the past few years, says Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who has built a second career as a leading space debris tracker..″

Sam Altman's World now wants to link AI agents to your digital identity | TechCrunch

Sam Altman's World now wants to link AI agents to your digital identity | TechCrunch: ″Instead, online businesses now seem to be preparing for a future in which some of their user interactions will be facilitated by AI agents. “If an agent comes in with a blue check mark and says, ‘Yes, I’m a bot. Don’t worry, don’t freak out. I’m actually here to buy a hot dog for Tiago,’ then those businesses can let that [agent] in,” said Sada. The problem with letting in every AI agent, or every bot on the internet, is that it could open your website up to DDOS attacks, scams, or other bad actors. By only allowing in a couple AI agents per person, Sada says, businesses can access new users through these agents without risking the integrity of their site.″