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Links 2/1/2026

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Bezos’s Blue Origin to ‘pause’ space tourism to focus on moon efforts Phys.org

The United States Is Suffering Stomach-Churning Brain Drain Futurism

Once Thought To Support Neurons, Astrocytes Turn Out To Be in Charge Quanta Magazine

Scientists Create “Off-the-Shelf” Cartilage That Safely Guides the Body To Regrow Bone SciTech Daily

COVID-19/Pandemics

Wastewater surveillance reveals hidden COVID spread beyond reported cases News-medical.net

In this US county, measles starts to feel like next pandemic BBC

Climate/Environment

Warm Winters Are Breaking the Ski Industry — and Artificial Snow Isn’t Enough Skift.com

EPA’s new way of evaluating pollution rules hands deregulators a license to ignore public health Phys.org

Is microplastic pollution a problem for animals? Environmentamerica.org

South of the Border

Mexico to ask Trump to ship oil to Cuba; warns of humanitarian crisis on island due to US tariffs Andolu Agency

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says she “will be president when the time comes” CBS News

From the Panama Canal standoff to Honduras: Trump reasserts Washington’s grip on Central America El Pais

China?

We rode in dozens of driverless robotaxis in China. Here’s what we saw — and our advice for other curious travelers. Business Insider

China Is Practicing A Taiwan Blockade With A Floating Great Wall Forbes

Xi Jinping’s purge of China’s top general spells uncertainty for world’s largest military CBC.ca

India

Why the EU-India trade deal matters Gzero media

India’s rich splash out as luxury water becomes latest status symbol SCMP

IMF data shows India above America in the list of ‘Top 10 contributors to global real GDP growth for the year 2026; Elon Musk responds The Times of India

Africa

Solar energy gains ground across Africa, but challenges persist Mongabay.com

African countries under the US Level 4 travel alert rise to eight with new addition Business Insider

Africa Has the Worst Road Safety Record in the World. Here’s What to Know AP

European Disunion

How Trump keeps Europe weak America weaponises energy UnHerd

Imagine There’s No NATO: Germany as a New Middle-Sized Military Power in an Anarchic International Order Fair Observer

Hungarian premier says Ukraine’s EU membership ‘out of the question,’ warns of economic consequences Andolu Agency

Europe Starts Looking for New Friends Der Spiegel

Old Blighty

The Great Fragmentation of UK Politics The American Conservative

BBC vows to better reflect working-class audiences around UK BBC

Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran



Israel kills 31, including children, in new Gaza ceasefire violation Al Jazeera

Israel’s Military Now Accepts 70,000 Killed in Gaza – But Why Did Our Media Let Them Get Away With Denying It for So Long? Zeteo

Israel’s food crisis – blowback from the economic costs of perpetual war Middle East Monitor

Iranian President Pezeshkian claims foreign powers provoked protests to ‘tear the nation apart’ Jerusalem Post

* * *

Trump says Iran ‘seriously talking’ to US Anadolu Agency

Iran’s supreme leader warns of regional war if US attacks BBC

New Not-So-Cold War

Mass blackout and water shortages hit Ukraine Euronews

Ukraine raises concerns with SpaceX over Russian use of Starlink France 24

Blocking the Russian army: Ukraine’s impossible mission Le Monde

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

Starlink privacy change sparks concerns as SpaceX eyes trillion-dollar xAI merger Cryptopolitan

Google to pay $203M in data privacy suits: Could you get a payout? The Street

Imperial Collapse Watch

Mamdani still will only force homeless NYers off the streets ‘as last resort’ – even as deep freeze death toll rises to 13 NY Post

As officials disparage Pretti and Good, families of Black people killed by police have déjà vu ABC News

Trump 2.0

Dimensions of Trump’s massive new ‘Triumphal Arch’ are revealed as president ‘chooses the biggest size possible’ to honor America and wow visitors Daily Mail

Will corporate America finally stand up to the Trump administration? The Guardian

American’s confidence in Trump continues to slide, survey finds USA Today

The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it? The Week

Musk Matters

Musk’s SpaceX applies to launch 1m satellites into orbit BBC

Musk weighs tech mega-merger across SpaceX, Tesla and xAI, reports say Euronews

Is Tesla turning its back on electric cars? Elon Musk’s brand stops production of Model S and X This Is Mone

ICE Rampage

Mass protests held across US against federal immigration agency as thousands rally in California, Oregon Andolu Agency

Judge rejects bid to end Trump administration’s immigration-enforcement surge in Minnesota Politico

Not verified but if true, hard to think it won’t be:

Democrat Death Watch

Get out the popcorn for the DSA’s bid for a hostile Democratic Party takeover NY Post

As Trump Attacks the Republic, the Cowardly Democratic Party Still Won’t Fight to Win Common Dreams

Our No Longer Free Press

Don Lemon released after arrest that sparks press freedom concerns The St. Louis American

Independent journalist arrested, charged over Minnesota protest coverage U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

Mr. Market Is Moody

This Time, A Weaker Dollar Is Part Of The Plan Seeking Alpha

Is Intel Stock Going to $0? Motley Fool

Gold price set for a bumpy week after historic slide from record highs Techstock2

AI

It’s Starting to Look Like AI Has Killed the Entire Model of College Futurism

Radiologists Catch More Aggressive Breast Cancers By Using AI To Help Read Mammograms, Study Finds Slashdot

xAI Wants to Hire Award-Winning Writers to Train Elon Musk’s Stupid AI Chatbot Gizmodo

Gaming market melts down after Google reveals new AI game design tool — Project Genie crashes stocks for Roblox, Nintendo, CD Projekt Red, and more Tom’s Hardware

No humans needed: New AI platform takes industry by storm Axios

The Bezzle

Los Angeles hospice fraud reaches billions as Medicare providers scam federal system with fake companies Fox News

Cloud storage payment scam floods inboxes with fake renewals Bleeping Computer

Guillotine Watch

Antidote du jour (via)

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here

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97 comments

  1. The Rev Kev

    “In this US county, measles starts to feel like next pandemic”

    I suppose that this is the way that it is going to be going forward. You will have a set of kids that will be vaccinated for measles and another who won’t be because their parents refuse to on religious or ideological reasons. But it may be that adults may have to consider getting vaccinated again lest they get infected by measles which is a much more serious proposition for an adult. This article mentions a teacher who was infected by a student and ended up in the ICU for a fortnight. This has all the makings of a bad brew moving forward.

    Reply ↓
    1. Carolinian

      That county is my county and while mentioned here before the following bears repeating.

      Local officials and doctors say the recent outbreak has primarily affected Russian and Ukrainian immigrants in South Carolina, though others have been infected, too. The state has resettled hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, while thousands of Slavic immigrants have moved to the area in recent years, according to population estimates.

      Slavic churches had several measles exposures, with Kimbrell adding that some took a religious stance against vaccines. Some schools in the community have vaccination rates as low as 20%.

      Kimbrell said misinformation spread that the MMR vaccine contains fetal cells, a common conspiracy theory that he tried to combat by reiterating the safety and mechanisms of the MMR shot.

      As it happens I frequently shop at Aldi and Lidl–also imported from Europe–where these Slavic immigrants and their children are frequently to be seen. Hope my childhood measles immunity is good.

      Reply ↓
      2. The Rev Kev

        Might be wise to check with your doctor if you are still good to go and are still covered. That teacher mentioned was also vaccinated when young but wasn’t working when she was exposed. Not good that.

        Reply ↓
        1. Carolinian

          IM Doc says the 1960s version of the vaccine not reliable whereas those who got measles as children (me, I think) should be safe.

          I do believe I’m seeing fewer of these Slavic immigrants in those stores lately. They are concentrated in a small town a dozen or so miles up the interstate and come to our smallish city to shop.

          And when I say see I mostly mean hear. People speaking Ukrainian/Russian are unusual in Dixie, needless to say.

          Reply ↓
        2. KLG

          Most, but not all, of us who were infected as children before the vaccine was introduced have antibody titers much higher than those who were vaccinated.

          Before the vaccine, between 500 and 1000 people died of measles every year in the United States. Around the world in the tens of thousands. The only thing that will get the attention of those in the thrall of RFKJr will be hundreds of unnecessary deaths or severe disability, mostly children. And that probably won’t work. After the vaccine injury panel is abolished, Pharma will stop producing vaccines.

          Reply ↓
          1. CanCyn

            “And that probably won’t work”. No kidding. I rarely pay attention to Bill Mahar these days but he had Marjorie Taylor Green on recently so I caved and watched a clip. My lord, the tortured defence by Mahar trying to be a logical/rational anti-vaxer was something to behold. He reasoned something along the lines of there being no need to inject things in to our body when our immune system can just protect us naturally. We should let it do its job. Jeebus! And MTG just ignoring the science argument completely in the belief that it is a parent’s right to decide, not for the gov’t to dictate (thanks COVID policies). I won’t even link the clip here, I listened so you don’t to. My point is that there are a lot of people out there who think opinion rules over science or who haven’t bothered to learn the least little bit about infectious disease and how our immune system works. I have no doubt that deaths due to measles can easily be rationalized as something that would never happen to someone as healthy as Mahar. This is the real danger of Kennedy’s belief that we all just have to eat right and exercise to defend ourselves against disease.

            Reply ↓
            1. Jason Boxman

              Literally the whole history of human civilization demonstrates that just letting the immune system do its job doesn’t work, at least, if you want to minimize death and disability. If you’re into soft eugenics as COVID minimizers and deniers are, well, that’s another matter I guess.

              Reply ↓
    2. Lee

      “…measles which is a much more serious proposition for an adult.”

      The risk to children, even those with mild cases, is also quite serious. From the linked article:

      But some may not see the effects until years later. Measles can lead to long-term complications including encephalitis and immune amnesia, which resets the immune system, leaving it with only limited ability to respond to new infections.

      From Harvard Medical School:

      Reporting Oct. 31 in Science, the researchers show that the measles virus wipes out 11 percent to 73 percent of the different antibodies that protect against viral and bacterial strains a person was previously immune to—anything from influenza to herpesvirus to bacteria that cause pneumonia and skin infections.

      So, if a person had 100 different antibodies against chicken pox before contracting measles, they might emerge from having measles with only 50, cutting their chicken pox protection in half. That protection could dip even lower if some of the antibodies lost are potent defenses known as neutralizing antibodies.

      Reply ↓
  2. Victor Sciamarelli

    It’s natural when talking about Iran to discuss oil. What’s less discussed, if at all, is that Iran is a mineral rich country, so much so, that Iran is among the top 15 mineral rich nations. Iran is not just mineral rich it has a wide variety of minerals.
    Moreover, Iran has a valuable strategic location, a highly educated population and significant graduates in engineering and science.
    Trump would like to kill two birds with one stone: wreck Iran in behalf of Israel and, as greed is utmost in Trump, control Iran’s wealth and resources, as well as its people.

    Reply ↓
    1. flora

      Also not discussed much is the location of Iran, strategic location as you say, puts it in the center of the one of the crossroads of the proposed north-south route from RU to India (1),
      and part of the east-west middle corridor route from China to the EU (2).

      (1) https://www.alamy.com/instc-international-northsouth-transport-corridor-political-map-image547602421.html

      (2) https://qafsam.org/en/2023/05/09/strategic-importance-of-the-middle-corridor/

      Look at those routes and how they would upend existing transportation routes. Look at what nations would control the new transportation routes.

      Reply ↓
  3. Es s Ce Tera

    re: Will corporate America finally stand up to the Trump administration? The Guardian

    Those corporations which fully embraced DEI initiatives will protest, they’re the ones who created anti-discrimination policies, processes and procedures, made effort to hire more underrepresented groups, had more diverse workplaces, embraced immigrants.

    Meanwhile those corporations eager to be rid of DEI initiatives will likely support the anti-immigration purge, are probably secretly driving it.

    It might be good to keep track of these data points.

    Reply ↓
    2. redleg

      Here in occupied Minnesota, we are identifying the businesses that are collaborating with the brownshirts and making that public for the market to do its thing. As far as I know this info is being spread by word of mouth, but the news is covering protests at and complaints by executives from the collaborating businesses. IMHO that is what is going to force corporate America to make a stand.

      Off the top of my head, Target, Hilton, Enterprise* are the big names. If there are news reports of protests at stores that don’t seem to make sense, this is why.

      The same word of mouth publicity is being used to identify businesses that are not collaborating or that support protests. Lots of locals and niche companies but no big names that I’m aware of.

      * beware of used cars in the next year or three. The Feds are renting vehicles from Enterprise (et al.), and having run out of SUVs it’s whatever vehicle they have available. The used car market is eventually going to see these vehicles on the market, with the gas and pepper spray residue and undocumented collision damage included, whether or not it’s disclosed. Buyers beware.

      Reply ↓
      1. lyman alpha blob

        Yesterday in my ICE-infested area, I saw a guy dressed in nice black clothes shoulder to feet (black shoes, dress pants, topcoat) but with a full face camo mask and baseball cap, with sunglasses over the eyes. He was walking deliberately across the street with chest slightly puffed out, looking like he was trying to intimidate. It was extremely cold yesterday so I wasn’t 100% sure if he was ICE or just someone in serious need of fashion help.

        He was walking outside a Hilton hotel, so after seeing your comment, I’m pretty sure it was the former. Hilton must have a good hotel restaurant because nobody else here will let those clowns anywhere near their place of business.

        Reply ↓
    1. vao

      There was Charlie Kirk, somebody I had never read or heard about before, who supposedly became an immensely important personality upon his death — to the point that battalions of political prominences attended his funeral. Nobody has been talking about him for months now.

      Now there is that Don Lemon, somebody I had never read or heard about before, who supposedly has just become an immensely important personality for a reason that remains obscure to me and that his Wikipedia page did not help to clear up. I bet nobody will talk about him in a few weeks.

      Who in the USA is manufacturing those baffling 15-minutes of fame overnight celebrities out of parochial players from the mainstream and alternative media, and for what purpose? From far away, this phenomenon looks really weird.

      Reply ↓
      1. flora

        If you’re from far away I assume your country does not have an equivalent of the US’s First Amendment, which includes freedom of the press.

        This is a big issue in the US, much bigger than Don Lemon. It happens that he’s famous enough that this case brings more attention than it otherwise might. Suddenly mainstream reporters are being targeted, not just small town newspaper reporters or online newsletter writers who few people recognize or online broadcasters no one much liked.

        Reply ↓
  6. Wukchumni

    Warm Winters Are Breaking the Ski Industry — and Artificial Snow Isn’t Enough Skift.com
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Skied 5 days @ Alta, Deer Valley & Solitude resorts this past week, and if it wasn’t for manmade snow, wouldn’t have been able to, the situation is so bleak in the mountain west.

    We got 3 inches of powder overnight on Wednesday, and it was tantamount to a rich layer of whipped cream on the faux piste de la resistance-exceptional skiing on Thursday @ Alta, but the other days were ok at best.

    Nobody I know yearns for artificial snow, and attendance was on the slim side, as an added detraction.

    Overnight temps have been well below freezing, so the snow blowers have been busy all over the mountain, but its crazy spendy for Altera & Vail-the big players in the biz who rule the roost in the western USA.

    The bigger story is the building catastrophe for Utah, Idaho and Colorado, if they don’t get a snowpack, and more importantly all the tributaries for the Colorado River really have nothing going on.

    The 10 day out forecast shows nothing until Feb 10th when a few inches of snow are expected. Time is running out~

    Reply ↓
      1. mrsyk

        Hah, I agree, yet the temperature has hovered around or been below zero (f)) each of the last nine straight mornings. It was minus six when I rose this morn. The ten day forecast calls for more of the same with no break.
        I am concerned that a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the south. There are still 150K “customers” without power (read addresses, the human count is likely more than double that), and temps are going to be well below freezing.

        Major winter storm in progress for the Carolinas, while Arctic air continues to surge toward Florida        , Balanced Weather
        Alan Gerard

        Reply ↓
        1. Carolinian

          Last weekend’s ice storm was apparently very bad up in Nashville but less so here in SC. Yesterday’s snow storm a pain here because not much plowing so it can take a couple of days or more for the roads to clear. The good news though is that we do get a melt off whereas when I lived in NYC for awhile a heavy snow might hang around for a month–in part due to being plowed into roadside banks.

          NOAA says we are 20 or 30 degrees below normal for this time of year so the cold is the most remarkable thing at the moment. Because we have so many trees that can break we’ve had extended power outages in the past.

          I don’t believe it snowed at all here last year.

          Reply ↓
          1. mrsyk

            With fascination I watch the woodpile disappearing at an alarming rate. I’ve already burned through as much wood as I used all last heating season. I have backup heat that burns propane, but fuel delivery here on the hill is a tricky thing. So I let the camp go cold at night to conserve wood. It was 41 degrees f inside, minus six out, when I got up today. I’ve got it up to 60 now, it’s ten degrees outside.
            All of this to say that we are having an unusual stretch of cold weather.

            Reply ↓
    2. Carolinian

      Take our snow, please! We got a half a foot or so yesterday. I may have to carve some handy two by fours into cross country skis. Coming up next: ice fishing….

      Reply ↓
      1. juno mas

        Weather Underground predicted 78F for my west coast city. It was 81F. Next Wednesday is anticipated 81F. It will likely be 85F.

        Please take it away. The ocean current/temp are too cold to enjoy the beach.

        Reply ↓
  7. The Rev Kev

    “Hungarian premier says Ukraine’s EU membership ‘out of the question,’ warns of economic consequences”

    He’s right. The member States of the EU are mostly broke already as a consequence of the war in the Ukraine. If the Ukraine did join the EU, where would the hundreds of billions of Euros come from annually to reform that country and rebuild it? The only way that they could do it would be with Eurobonds – but which in a few years would result in trillions of Euros in debt. Any investment in the EU proper would come to a grinding halt and the population further impoverished. Time to cut the Ukraine loose.

    Reply ↓
  8. Richard 111

    ‘No humans needed…’

    Humans got smarter over the ages by communicating with each other. So is Moltbook, a place where AI agents hang out, the precurser for the ‘singularity’ some have been concerned about?

    Reply ↓
    2. Clankenfoot

      At a glance* it appears to be a lot of nonsense where all the ‘interesting’ posts are either drafted by humans or prompt-directed by humans, in spite of the claim that it is a bot-only space. Filing under ‘part of the grift’ for now. The moltbook platform also appears to be an unmitigated security disaster for naive humans giving over their computers to their bots and to the platform itself. It may before long be another source of ‘my AI assistant deleted my computer and emptied my credit card’ stories.

      * ok I looked through several twitter threads about it, a few HN threads, an astralcodexten post (I was surprised by Scott Alexander’s seeming credulity), and sundry other chatter.

      Reply ↓
      1. albrt

        Scott and Zvi Mowshowitz have gone off the rails on a number of subjects. I’m starting to wonder if it is impossible for a human to be exceptionally smart over an extended period of time. Maybe smart people can only be exceptional for a short period when their priors happen to line up unusually well with reality for a while.

        Yves might be the exception that proves the rule, although perhaps that is due to her approach of acting as a skeptical conduit on most subjects rather than trying to be ahead of the curve with original syntheses on everything all the time.

        Reply ↓
    3. Hazelbee

      I posted about this in yesterday’s links comments

      Have a look there for more commentary from others

      There are many many angles to this.
      Collective action.
      Emergence
      Security is going to be bad for those not aware of how to try and protect themselves.
      Crypto scams . That version of Reddit a cesspool already with karma farming, self appointed kings. You name it it’s there.

      E.g “shellraiser” karma farming then launching a crypto rig pull on solana. Trading volume was at $8 million when I checked yesterday. That is real money someone has made from a rug pull

      But I’m calling the biggest impact here the social one.

      There were one and a half million agents on moltbook this morning. That means that many humans have installed it and let agents connect.

      That to me looks like a big viral awareness of what agents can do. In a similar way to how chatgpt raised massive awareness of LLM, so I think this raises awareness of agents.

      Reply ↓
  9. Wukchumni

    Dimensions of Trump’s massive new ‘Triumphal Arch’ are revealed as president ‘chooses the biggest size possible’ to honor America and wow visitors Daily Mail
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Adolf had grandiose plans for Berlin including a 380 foot tall Volkshalle and a triumphal arch even bigger than DT Barnum’s~

    It never happened…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania_(city)

    Reply ↓
    1. Carolinian

      They should build it out of lath and plaster as was done with the 1890s Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Easier to tear down.

      Ironically Trump and frau had to watch the Melania doc in the East Room because he tore down the While House movie theater with the East Wing.

      Reply ↓
    3. erstwhile

      …and Mexico will build it. That might explain the taco food truck proposed for visitors, manned by an erstwhile kash patel and singer lady-friend.

      Reply ↓
  10. MicaT

    Solar in Africa.
    First off pretty much all lithium batteries these days are LFP, iron phosphate especially those for energy storage. There are no heavy metals like those associated with NMC nickel manganese cobalt.
    And the leading battery companies in China are rapidly moving to sodium which has no metals or lithium
    Solar panel companies don’t make batteries.
    And the vat reduction is going from 9% to 6% and then possibly to zero in 27. So even if they do go up 9% they are still way cheaper and way safer for the environment than lead acid.

    Off the grid solar in Africa is a growing rapidly do to the low cost hi quality equipment from China.

    Reply ↓
  11. Rolf

    After one president who went senile in office and another who is nuttier than a Payday candy bar, we can only conclude that the 25th Amendment of the Constitution is just there for decoration.

    Via NR’s Jim Geraghty, cited in The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it? I have no clue if his cabinet of ideologues and sycophants has the wherewithal and moral backbone to remove him. And unlike Biden, Trump’s affection for Adderall and the camera will short circuit any attempt to conceal public collapse. But of one thing I have become certain: our current path with Trump at the wheel is unsustainable, and will end well short of November 7, 2028.

    Reply ↓
    1. albrt

      I think they will either remove him or poison him. With that many, shall we say, “opportunists” in one room it’s just a matter of time. Poisoning is probably more likely because it presents less of a collective action problem.

      Reply ↓
      1. lyman alpha blob

        I certainly wouldn’t put it past some faction of elites to remove Trump, however having an incompetent POTUS is apparently very useful for those éminence grise types in the background, as we’ve had more incompetents than not over the last nearly half century now.

        Reagan wasn’t all there. Shrub was a useful idiot while the neocons got their rocks off. One term of Dementia Joe and about a term and a half of the no-nothing blowhard Trump.

        Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Hope that they do not take them on midnight helicopter flights over the Great Lakes come to think of it. With ICE, you just never know.

      Reply ↓
  13. The Rev Kev

    ‘ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐ 𝓟𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓵
    @__pearII
    physical education in a kindergarten in China’

    I doubt that that is an AI video as I have seen similar videos like this in the past. The Chinese idea sees to be to make sure that those kids know how to use their bodies, learn about coordination and maybe have some fun along the way.

    And how cool is that 3D floor in Thailand. Kids would absolutely love that.

    Reply ↓
  15. The Rev Kev

    “Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says she “will be president when the time comes” ”

    I don’t think that Machado has worked it out yet. Her usefulness is now over. They don’t need her anymore and will caste her aside like a dirty sock. You don’t hear anybody saying that they should also bring back Juan Guaidó either. Maybe Machado and Guaidó can hook up in a bar somewhere and tell fellow drinkers that they could have each been the President of Venezuela. Should be worth a few free drinks for them to tell their stories.

    Reply ↓
    1. ambrit

      If said bar were in Davos however….
      Looking on the bright side, they can hang out around Zelinsky’s pool in Miami.
      Come to think on it, that would make a killer “reality” program, “Wannabe Big Brother.” A group of luckless would be “Heads of State” share a villa in the South of France and scheme against each other to win an all expenses paid regime change operation financed and run by the Three Letter Agency Corporation. An eclectic mix of ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Shark Tank,’ ‘Survivor,’ and ‘Playboy After Dark.’
      Stay safe. Fame is but fleeting.

      Reply ↓
  16. lyman alpha blob

    RE: It’s Starting to Look Like AI Has Killed the Entire Model of College

    TL:DR: College enrollments dropping, tuition rising, businesses not hiring graduates because “AI”.

    Well, in a company I’m familiar with, there has been a recent push to get everybody to use “AI” but nobody quite knows what for. Don’t feed it financial info because it can’t be trusted, so numbers are out. You can use it to summarize long documents, but again, output can’t be completely trusted so you’ll still need to read the documents to ensure accuracy. It is quite good at correcting the grammar on business emails which seems to be the most popular use case to date.

    The cost of an “AI” subscription (because you can’t just own the thing, you must pay tribute to Silicon Valley forever) is around $250K/year.

    I don’t know what they teach the brain geniuses in MBA school, but it occurs to me that a company could probably get themselves a real live English major for a lot less than a quarter million per annum, so maybe there’s hope for academia after all.

    Reply ↓
    2. tegnost

      I’ll take an english major who gets king lear over an mba who gets say’s law any day of the week. Lear had supply (money) and his kids had demands (wanted money, with caveats) pretty much backwards of say’s law which has the supplier with no money and the demander with money?
      I’m sure it’s more complicated than that but the sussing of it all would be better arranged by an english major while an mba can get by fine with the bullshit generator (AI). I’m being unfair of course as there are surely many less predatory mba’s out there who are not bad people, but their faceless corp hires them for the predation so like cordelia there are some consequences for not playing the game.,,,

      Reply ↓
    3. Laura in So Cal

      So my Boss was all over us to use CoPilot etc but we had the same issue. A lot of my job is to get people to fix errors and data problems. I get my best results from asking in person which isn’t always possible, so my emails are super friendly and sound like me. CoPilot wants to make my emails generic which makes them less successful in getting results so I ignore it’s inputs.
      The only really useful thing was when I had to write some procedures and work instructions and you want to be as generic as possible. I would write it and then had CoPilot edit it paragraph by paragraph. BUT I still had to review it carefully as sometimes it was nonsense.

      Reply ↓
  17. eg

    “Will corporate America finally stand up to the Trump administration?”

    Throwing a flag at Betteridge’s law violation.

    Of course they won’t — capital always sides with thuggery.

    Reply ↓
  18. William Beyer

    Regarding, “Once Thought To Support Neurons, Astrocytes Turn Out To Be in Charge – Quanta Magazine:”

    I read in the book, “Listening to Prozac,” that, if the human brain was simple enough to be understood, we humans would be too simple to understand it.

    Reply ↓
  19. chuck roast

    Microplastics

    The photo in the piece shows a hands holding tiny plastic pellets. Shore birds and marine life are dependent on an abundance of eggs from fish, arthropods, decapods and other watery critters. Widespread plastics pollution is almost certainly impacting marine life in my neighborhood.

    In the summer I take great pleasure in following plovers and sandpipers as they cruise the surf edge looking for eggs. A number of years ago there was great concern that the numbers of these birds and similar dune nesters were decreasing because of habitat loss. In recent years, following widespread shoreside protection their populations increased dramatically. Nowadays I’m much more concerned about their food-chain.

    Reply ↓
    1. ambrit

      Echoing the Alchemist’s Creed, “As Above So Below,” I would also worry about the impact of microplastics on the head primate’s food chain.

      Reply ↓
  20. Mark Gisleson

    If you examine a topographical map of Minnesota you will see that the forests (dark green) are nowhere close to the Twin Cities which is surrounded by farmland, parks and rivers.

    The tell is that they ask you to watch out for victims while walking in the park. ? Parks are not “the woods.” If they are getting frostbitten patients from exposure, it would seem far more likely that those persons ran from ICE while not fully dressed. Every part of Minnesota is well below freezing in January with subzero temps at night.

    Not saying these patients don’t exist, I’m just saying that while ICE is indirectly responsible I doubt very much they’re catching people and then turning them loose in the wilds. Anyone half-dressed turned loose in an actual forest would never make it to a hospital, not in this weather.

    I’m guessing this is 1) a language issue (not understanding the true meaning of “the woods”), and 2) a well-intended lie meant to further dirty ICE’s blood-spattered reputation. I’ve wracked my brain on this and even to someone from a desert country I cannot think of any metro area parks large enough to get “lost” in.

    Reply ↓
    1. johnnyme

      The only places I can think of in the Minneapolis area where this would be remotely possible are in portions of the nearby larger wildlife protected areas like the Louisville Swamp section of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge southeast of the metro or the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area or the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge north of the metro. I’ve spent plenty of time in those places and they are not well traveled in winter.

      Carlos Avery is 25,000 acres/10,000 hectares and Sherburne is 30,000/12,000 hectares. Plop someone in the middle of them in shorts and a t-shirt right now and they’d be in trouble.

      Reply ↓
      1. tegnost

        just sordid…who remembers the tv show, oops documentary called Dallas with Larry Hagman, well hang in there for yet another texans edifying journey through time (chuckle)

        https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/07/tom-delay-200407

        An adventurer, Charlie DeLay flew escort planes in World War II and later broke horses, ran a tool shop, and failed as a rancher (in Arkansas) before becoming an oil wildcatter, supervising drilling operations in Venezuela, where the family lived for seven years in a kind of higher nomadism, moving from site to site. “No telephone, no television, and a country club in every camp,” as Tom DeLay has said. He caddied for money and acquired an enthusiasm for golf, along with a touch of colonial affectation. (He has been known to wear plus fours when he plays at his club in Texas.) In Venezuela he learned to crack a whip and was good enough at age seven, he has said, to “flick a hummingbird off a bush.”

        Reply ↓
      2. Mark Gisleson

        Thanks for this excellent long read that I missed in real time. I didn’t realize that Harry “Buckhead” MacDougald’s expose had been undone by factchecking done later. I got into long and bitter arguments over those memos. Bush was always GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY! but I’m pretty sure most Americans have no memory of any of this. Not their first win, but most certainly a huge win for Big Disinformation aka The Blob.

        Reply ↓
  21. Mark Gisleson

    AI Wants to Hire Award-Winning Writers to Train Elon Musk’s Stupid AI Chatbot Gizmodo

    If you want to improve Chatbot’s AI you would hire linguists and coders, not writers. Writers are the meatbag version of bad AI: we are rarely paid to simply communicate, we communicate in colorful and not entirely honest ways. Even the best of us use facts and truths to tell lies. Award winning authors are exceptionally good at this; suspense comes from misdirection, i.e., tricking your readers.

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  22. pjay

    – ‘Imagine There’s No NATO: Germany as a New Middle-Sized Military Power in an Anarchic International Order’ – Fair Observer

    Well, at least in this version of liberal court history Trump is compared to Kaiser Wilhelm II rather than Hitler. Otherwise it’s pretty much the usual. The US and NATO were the “benign” guarantors of European security which allowed it, and especially Germany, to prosper. Things were purring along, but then: “Enter Trump”! The author is an American academic who is supposedly an expert on postwar German history. He is also an expert on right-wing political movements, so of course he is quite worried about the rise of the “far-right” in Germany. Curiously, he provides no socio-economic or political analysis as to why this rise has occurred; it just seems to have appeared, threatening the postwar liberal order. Not surprisingly, these threats mirror those posed by the “far left,” which for some unfathomable reason “remain deeply suspicious of NATO and the United States, often rationalizing Russian behavior.” Apparently they are ignorant of the history provided by experts like Elliot Neaman:

    “What is striking is that both extremes converge on a pro-Putin, anti-American position. The AfD criticizes sanctions on Russia, opposes military aid to Ukraine, and demands the removal of US troops and nuclear weapons. Segments of the left insist (ahistorically) that NATO expansion “provoked” Russia and present distancing Europe from Washington as the path to peace, while treating China’s cynical “peace plans” with naive and unwarranted seriousness.”

    Note the sarcasm quotes here. “Provoked”?? How “ahistorical.” What possible reason could the left have to claim Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “provoked”? Why, surely any rational observer could see that Putin’s lies were as “cynical” as China’s “peace plans.”

    I could go on, but why? This obliviousness by “liberal” academics is getting SO old and aggravating. There is always enough real history in theses “expert” commentaries to convince fellow academics and liberal consumers of “serious” scholarship that such court history is the Truth. Trump is quite dangerous, to be sure, but sometimes his honesty about US interests is refreshing.

    Thanks for posting the Thomas Fazi piece next to this one, so I can cleanse my brain with some reality.

    Reply ↓
    1. eg

      I note also with amusement how Neaman manages the cognitive dissonance of simultaneously praising Bismarck’s diplomacy while studiously avoiding any acknowledgment of its central tenet, as this quote from the Iron Chancellor himself puts it: “The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.”

      Reply ↓
  23. YuShan

    “Gaming market melts down after Google reveals new AI game design tool — Project Genie crashes stocks for Roblox, Nintendo, CD Projekt Red, and more”

    A few months ago I saw a YouTube video where they had AI creating Photoshop software within minutes! It was far from perfect yet, but many features worked. And this was with very little effort, and with AI still improving.

    Just imagine the threat to monopolies like Adobe. Some hobbyist could simply generate a free open source version of photoshop.

    Reply ↓
    1. scott s.

      <"Some hobbyist could simply generate a free open source version of photoshop."

      And call it something like "Gimp"?

      Reply ↓
      1. YuShan

        Yes, AI generated. You could tell by the windscreen repairing itself after getting smashed by the bull. AI still does stuff like that, LOL.

        Reply ↓
  25. Trees&Trunks

    So the terrorist attacks in Iran have begun?

    When will stuff in Israel start to explode?

    Is it time to drink that bottle of expensive stuff saved for a special or the last occasion?

    Reply ↓
  26. Bob from Kansas

    First time commenter, long time reader, and I did not want to introduce myself this way.

    I am noticing that the morning links has been sharing obvious AI generated videos more frequently lately. Today we have “physical education in a kindergarten in China” and the “most expensive bullfight” as examples of AI slop that has been passing through your filters.

    This is upsetting because AI is just creating more work for all of us, draining our cognitive load, and you folks have enough on your hands.

    Reply ↓
    1. Yves Smith

      Thank you for your readership and your desire to preserve the integrity of the site.

      The China video is genuine. There are many older videos of kids in China being led in classes vigorous exercise and they perform well. The Twitter account is long established with many high quality videos. Please do not make unwarranted accusations.

      I agree the bull v. car looks fake. I removed it and told Haig to be more careful.

      Reply ↓
      1. jhallc

        I don’t disagree that the kids video is of real kids, in the last 5 or so seconds or so they are in better sync than the Rockettes. Impressive.

        Reply ↓
  27. Lefty Godot

    Re: Black families having deja vu…yes, smearing the victims of police violence seems to be a priority for the right-wing media ecosystem. And as far as the racial aspect of it, yes, it’s there, but “white privilege” is exaggerated to some extent. More white people get killed by police, it’s the percentages that are skewed toward black people getting a disproportionate share of the violence. And the “privilege” probably pertains to a certain segment of the white population, but since we don’t want to talk about class in the media, ’tis a mystery how that shakes out.

    Reply ↓
  28. hk

    My view is that the alleged “white privilege” is what perpetuates police violence: that signifies that the societal semi-elite (that is, the people who are not really elite, but who think they are, ie the PMC), who are, admittedly, mostly white think that they are inherently immune from police violence. So they are happy to just “fight against” police violence irresponsibly because they want to feel good about themselves…but it’s ultimately other “lesser” people’s problem.

    The sooner people realize it’s “everyone’s” problem, the better.

    Reply ↓
    1. Roxan

      Old white lady, here. In my experience, white working class people are routinely targeted. Drive through any small town in an older car, and cops will follow you. I had a terrifying encounter, one night, when I was living in a small town in VA. We were stopped for no reason, around 10pm–no other cars around. The cop interrogated me at length, intent on finding something he could charge me with. His partner stationed himself on the passenger side, smacking his night stick in his hands. I had a teenage friend, along, and warned him to keep quiet. Finally, I had enough and told the cop, who was beet red and clearly having a ‘melt-down’ ‘you look distressed. Are you OK?’

      To my surprise, he said he been ‘spit on’ during his last encounter…and looked as though he would burst into tears. I gave him tissues and my condolences. He visibly relaxed, and they left. I was really shaken by the whole experience, and how easily it could have turned into a disaster.

      Reply ↓
  29. Jason Boxman

    Fun

    Leftist and liberal gun groups are seeing a rush of new members (CNN)

    Well, I hope none of these people decide to bring weapons to any protests.

    Several niche, left-leaning gun advocacy groups said that since the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, they can hardly keep up with the surging demand for firearms training.

    With President Donald Trump sending armed federal agents into communities around the country, even more once gun-shy liberals and leftists are considering getting armed. And while Americans tend to think of gun owners as leaning more Republican and male, already more women, gay people and people of color have taken up arms in recent years, particularly after 2020.

    But what exactly is there to accomplish with this?

    Reply ↓
    1. JP

      And what did the founding fathers intend with the 2nd amendment? That everyone could put venison on the table? It was more likely to deter some future government from the temptations of population suppression. The crazy right in this country responded to Democrat presidency by gunning up for that reason. Primarily because of the conspiracy theory that the liberals were going to take away their guns, which was probably not so much a theory as gun control legislation was introduced. The NRA and the supremes being afraid of a liberal take over put that theory to rest insuring not only that just about any crazy could own a gun but that they could wear it proudly almost anywhere.

      So to answer your question, it is to put the bite in civil unrest. However, if you read the NY times article about the weaponry ICE is brandishing, the average gun owner is severely outgunned.

      Reply ↓
      1. JP

        So Maduro was arrested on an old domestic law prohibiting civilians from owning full automatic weapons but the supremes said bump stocks were OK. No one thinks bump stocks are good for hunting small game. I want one for my 12 gauge. There is the old saying: when guns are outlawed the outlaws will have guns. But the modern version should be when machine guns are outlawed the outlaws will have machine guns. Most machine guns are in the hands of the federal govt. The other old claim is that guns are for personal protection. We depend on protection provided by our local, state and federal govt. They are supposed to keep criminals in check. Who is supposed to protect us from our govt when they become criminals?

        Reply ↓
    2. EGrise

      According to a lesbian friend of my wife, it’s for protection.

      I’m ex-military, so she asked me to teach her how to shoot. When I asked why she said she was afraid for herself and her family. I think the specter of Renee Good follows her around.

      One scenario she posited: someone finally manages to assassinate the president and the right wing loses it, attacking the homes of racial minorities and open gays. After the events of the past year she has no expectation that the police will protect her, or that they really even want to. She believes she needs something available that might make the bullies think twice.

      I didn’t know what to say. I agreed to take her to the range, and told her that if the mob comes for her and her spouse and her two little boys, she would certainly “have my axe.”

      What the hell are we coming to.

      Reply ↓
  30. Susan Morgan

    British Politics?

    Note that Starmer is in power because the Conservative Party failed.
    So, what does an advisor to the Conservative Party do with that on his C.V.?

    He moves to California, pals around with the Newsoms while his wife, Rachel Whetstone, granddaughter of Lord Fisher, officiates as Director of Communications for Facebook, Uber and Netflix.

    Now Steve Hilton is running for California governor as “a conservative.”
    The safe alternative approved of by the Establishment.

    Reply ↓
  31. JonnyJames

    Re: Cuba

    While it is remarkable that Cuba has survived for so many decades of blockades, siege, sabotage etc., how long will it be able to survive the latest choke-hold? If Venezuela, Mexico can not or will not ship fuel to Cuba, who will? Russia has condemned the US for the siege, but will Russia and China ramp up crucial assistance, and openly defy the US siege? https://tass.com/politics/2079619

    If not, I don’t see how Cuba can survive for much longer, Cuba has been in crisis for some time now already.

    Reply ↓
  34. ThirtyOne

    The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?

    (Donald, Donald
    Donald, du bist so wunderbar
    Ach Donald, du machst mich wahnsinnig)

    Donald
    Where did you lose your smile
    Your blue eyes
    Are dark from madness
    Your graven-face
    Is still orange from vainness
    Donald
    Thatthingonyourhead fascinates me
    Sensitive Dandy
    Knight of the moonlight
    Your kiss-proof make-up
    Is melting at midnight
    Prince of desire
    Hypnotized by Zion-light
    You are so
    Impudent unreal
    Churlish King
    Chaos is your possession
    And also daily policy
    Crawl ’round the NeoCon Grotto
    Arm in arm with Netanyahoe

    Zion-stained Donald
    You took some flights to Epstein-land
    Where all your fantasies
    Came to a Hebe’s rear end
    Zion-stained Donald
    You finally found your princess
    Playing with countries like roaches
    Ends in distress
    Your
    Carrier Strike Groups are watching the petroleum-ground
    Dreamer of a self-made Atlantis

    It was decided for you to slay
    Netanyahoo’s mighty dragon
    To join Saint Ronnie’s conference-table

    Go down and meet, Melania
    On her swimming bed of roses
    She’s the one to hold your hands

    Sailing away, sailing away, sailing away
    On velvet gloves and silky legends
    To the Empire-Skyscraper-castle
    You Royal-fairy-tale-rebel

    (to the tune of Blue Grotto – Amon Düül II

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1av_-cpJkCU

    Reply ↓

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