Tech Trends in 2024

Once again, we’ve reached the time of year when we look ahead at what technology has in store for us in 2024. Digital transformation doesn’t end – it’s an ongoing process, and the breakthrough trends that have made 2023 one of the most exciting years for innovation will continue to reshape our world in many exciting ways.

Machine intelligence, the blurring of the boundaries between the real and the virtual, and shaping the ongoing evolution of the internet will all radically impact our lives. But perhaps most important of all will be the search for ways to continue to grow and prosper while minimizing the damage we do to the environment – and perhaps even reversing some of the damage that’s been done in the past.

So here’s my overview of these game-changing trends, along with my predictions for how each of them will impact life, society and the planet.

Generative AI – Everyday Automation
2023 was the year that generative AI burst into the mainstream. 2024 will be the year that the world gets to grips with how truly powerful and useful it can be. Today, if you’re not a techie, just the phrase artificial intelligence (AI) can cause a shiver of fear – if you’re not worried about it taking over the world or destroying the human race, you might be nervously waiting for it to steal your job and make you redundant.  TO READ ABOUT THE OTHERS, CLICK HERE...

Historical Photographs

Some early American history as seen via historical photos:
The following photos are rare! Enjoy a bit of lost history
evidenced here by some vintage ' Kodak Moments '!


Cowboys around the hoodlum wagon, Spur Ranch, Texas, 1910


Judging by the saddle style, this unidentified cowboy was working in the late 1870s or 1880s. In his holster, he carries a Colt model 1873 single action revolver with hard rubber grips, and he has looped his left arm around a Winchester model 1873 carbine in a saddle scabbard. On the back of the photo is the light pencil inscription 'Indian fighter'.

Snow Tunnel ~ On the Ouray and Silverton Toll Rd ~ Colorado ~ 1888


1899 Concord, Michigan Buggy & Wagon Shop


Thankful someone took the time to photograph this type of beauty
April 1937. Buttermilk Junction, Martin County, Indiana.

1887 - West Center Street, Anaheim, California.
Now we have Disneyland here!

Moser's, Guns, Banjo's, and Mules at the livery stable
in East Tennessee around 1890




In 1906, a massive magnitude 7.9 earthquake ruptured the entire San Andreas Fault in Northern California. That is a huge running crack in the ground. Now they are building houses right on the line as fast as the boards can be delivered. Hmmmm...

This is what real cowboys looked like in 1887.
Not as fancy as on TV, huh!


Some of the toughest, bravest people we know of. They gave it their all to go west and start a new life. This wagon train is in eastern Colorado in 1880.


This moose team belonged to W.R. (Billy/Buffalo Bill) Day. They were found by a Métis near Baptiste Lake, Alberta in 1910 and were reared by bottle and broken to drive by Mr. Day at Athabasca Landing during the winter of 1910. Mr. Day and the moose team hauled mail and supplies.


In the American Civil War, soldiers were required to have at least four opposing front teeth, so that they could open a gunpowder  pouch.  Some draftees had their front teeth removed to avoid service. In our day they just jumped the border into Canada.

Here we have a tired old prospector during the Klondike Gold Rush.


Lulu Parr - Her skill with the gun caught the attention of Pawnee Bill, who signed her to his show in 1903. Pawnee Bill later joined Buffalo Bill's show, and she was given his gun inscribed 'Buffalo Bill Cody to Lulu Parr - 1911.'


From the driver's seat of a 40-horse team. These rigs were used to haul Borax out of Boron California and then loaded onto railroad cars.
All this so people could do their laundry!


Hoops had to be removed before taking a seat in a carriage...
they were then hooked onto the back of the carriage.


A deer hunter living in a log, 1893. Tough guys live in tough places.
Home is where you make it!


Omaha Board of Trade in mountains near Deadwood, April 26, 1889. It was created in 1889 by John C. H. Grabill, photographer. The picture presents a procession of stagecoaches loaded with passengers coming down a mountain road.

This is a stunning photograph from 1862. The image shows a Civil War ambulance crew removing the wounded from a battlefield. It shows a horse-drawn ambulance,and the Zouave uniforms of this unit.

Blame Someone Else

 Ever since 2016, the Democrats have blamed DONALD TRUMP for everything that is wrong with the United States.

• Inflation is because of Trump
• Illegal immigration is because of Trump
• Our weak economy is because of Trump
• Crime and Violence is because of Trump
• Russia invading Ukraine is because of Trump
• Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan was because of Trump
• The political division in the USA is because of Trump
• The increase in illegal drugs in the USA is because of Trump
• All Trump supporters are anti-American and anti-Democracy

And...  this goes on and on and on...

Why is this happening?

It is the new strategy of the Democrats to portray their opposition as either Trump supporters or anti-American, anti-Democracy...  by creating this diversion, the general public will no longer focus on how they are destroying our country.

Democrats want to move towards SOCIALISM but want Capitalism to pay for that transition...  In so doing, capitalism will be damaged, maybe destroyed so who will maintain their socialistic government?

The Democrats do not want Americans to answer that question...  therefore, they blame Trump, and a diversion is created.

The Democrats want to SILENCE the Republicans and SILENCE all opposition to their philosophy and promises...  that direction alone will kill democracy because our Constitutional form of government is predicated on a two party system...  a two party system must have the voices and beliefs of both parties presented so that the general public can make intelligent decisions.  If your opposition has been silenced, then how can anyone make an intelligent decision?

But, let's blame Trump and the general public will not see that TRUTH...

Somewhat Political

 

New Language Evolving in USA

A distinct new dialect has been emerging in certain pockets of Miami in recent times as a result of cultural intermingling between Spanish and English speakers.


The new parlance is a Spanish-influenced dialect of English being spoken in Southern Florida, a lingo-infusion born out of decades of immigration from Spanish-speaking countries, most notably Cuba since the end of the revolution in 1959.


With its majority Hispanic and Latino population, Miami is considered one of the most bilingual cities in the US and it’s also arguably the most dialectally diverse Spanish-speaking city in the world. 

Over recent decades, the rich influence of the Spanish language has intermingled with more established American English dialects, giving rise to its own expressions and phrases.


Linguists at Florida International University in Miami have been keeping an eye on this linguistic development over the past 10 years or so and believe it shows a beautiful example of how human languages are constantly shape-shifting in the face of historical and social conditions.


“All words, dialects, and languages have a history,” Professor Phillip M. Carter, Director of the Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment at the Florida International University, told IFLScience.


“In Miami, there are many ways of speaking English. The variety we have been studying for the past 10 years or so is the main language variety of people born in South Florida in Latinx-majority communities. 

The variety is characterized by some unique but ultimately minor pronunciations, some minor grammatical differences, and word differences, which are influenced by the longstanding presence of Spanish in South Florida,” added Carter.  READ MORE...

Getting Back to Sleep

 

Time Paradox

 

Scientist Left Out Truth About Climate Change

A California scientist admitted that he "left out the full truth" about climate change, blaming it primarily on human causes, to get his study published in a prestigious science journal.

Patrick T. Brown, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and doctor of earth and climate sciences, admitted in an online article in The Free Press, a blog post and a series of social media posts that he distorted the findings of his studies to appeal to the editors at Nature and Science magazines, which are prestigious online science journals.

"And the editors of these journals have made it abundantly clear, both by what they publish and what they reject, that they want climate papers that support certain preapproved narratives—even when those narratives come at the expense of broader knowledge for society," Brown wrote in The Free Press.

Brown's study published in Nature on Aug. 30 stated that climate change affected extreme wildfire behavior like the devastating fires in California and Maui. The established scientist now admits that he "focused narrowly" only on the human influence of wildfires, instead of focusing broadly on the complexities of other "obviously relevant factors."

He blamed his angle on the pressure scientists face to get their studies published in prestigious articles and the need to create catchy abstracts that can be turned into headlines.

Brown said in The Free Press he is not "disowning" his paper by criticizing how he chose to approach the piece, but admitting it is less "useful than it could have been."

"You might be wondering at this point if I’m disowning my own paper. I’m not," Brown wrote. "On the contrary, I think it advances our understanding of climate change’s role in day-to-day wildfire behavior. It’s just that the process of customizing the research for an eminent journal caused it to be less useful than it could have been."  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

USA Politics

 The spokesperson for the Biden Administration said the impeachment of Biden pursuit by the House (controlled by Republicans) is baseless.

The spokesperson for the Trump Administration said the impeachment of Trump by the House (controlled by the Democrats) was baseless.

SO...  what is going on here?

Each party who has controlled of the House uses that power to start impeachment proceedings of the sitting President.

Why would they do this?

Despite what the media wants to report they cannot ignore the House opening up an impeachment investigation of the sitting President.

Political?

Absolutely...

Another issue...

Ever action that President Trump took while he was President was UNDONE by President Biden when he became President right after Trump.

AND...

If the next President is a Republican, then that President will UNDO everything that Biden put into place.

What does that mean?

America makes no progress...  and, the people gets frustrated not really understanding what the hell is going on.

PLUS...

Americans are divided evenly which is rather amazing.

• 50% of Americans support Republicans
• 50% of Americans support Democrats

Question:  How does the USA make any progress?

Answer:  It doesn't

So...  again...  another issue...

What do our enemies think of the USA?

• Does Russia fear us?
• Does China fear us?
• Does North Korea and/or Iran fear us?

Perhaps a better question is:  Does any global country respect the USA?

The answer to that question will definitely impact our future on both the short run and the long run...

Skateboarder

 

Secret Role in Origin of Life

Researchers have developed a new method to observe chemical reactions in liquids, shedding light on reactions involving molecules like urea that may have contributed to the emergence of life on Earth. The technique involves a special apparatus that produces a fine liquid jet and X-ray spectroscopy, allowing scientists to study reactions taking place in mere femtoseconds.




Scientists from ETH Zurich and the University of Geneva have developed a new technique that allows them to observe chemical reactions taking place in liquids at extremely high temporal resolution. This innovation enables them to track how molecules change within in mere femtoseconds – in other words, within a few quadrillionths of a second.

This breakthrough builds upon prior research by the same team, led by Hans Jakob Wörner, Professor of Physical Chemistry at ETH Zurich. That work yielded similar results for reactions that take place in gas environments.

To expand their X-ray spectroscopy observations to liquids, the researchers had to design an apparatus capable of producing a liquid jet with a diameter of less than one micrometer in a vacuum. This was essential because if the jet were any wider, it would absorb some of the X-rays used to measure it.

Molecular pioneer in biochemistry
Using the new method, the researchers were able to gain insights into the processes that led to the emergence of life on Earth. Many scientists assume that urea played a pivotal role here. It is one of the simplest molecules containing both carbon and nitrogen.

What’s more, it’s highly likely that urea was present even when the Earth was very young, something that was also suggested by a famous experiment done in the 1950s: American scientist Stanley Miller concocted a mixture of those gases believed to have made up the planet’s primordial atmosphere and exposed it to the conditions of a thunderstorm. This produced a series of molecules, one of which was urea.  READ MORE...

Consciousness

 

Gravity is not a Force

 

Eradicating Plaques and Cavities

Scientists have discovered that the molecule DIM reduces biofilms causing dental plaque by 90%. Its addition to toothpaste and mouthwash could revolutionize dental hygiene.

3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) decreased the Streptococcus mutans biofilm, a leading contributor to plaque and cavities, by 90%.

A significant portion of the global population experiences persistent issues with dental plaque and cavities or will face them at some time. While toothpaste, mouthwash, and routine dental visits help in prevention, there’s always room for improvement.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in collaboration with teams from Sichuan University and the National University of Singapore, have identified that 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) – a naturally occurring molecule also referred to as bisindole – can reduce biofilms responsible for plaque and cavities by a remarkable 90%.

The molecule is also found to have anti-carcinogenic properties.  Their findings were recently published in the journal Antibiotics.

Your mouth is a great reservoir for bacteria such as S. mutans, which is believed to be one of the primary actors in dental cavities. S. mutans grows in the moist and sugary atmosphere of your mouth after food in a biofilm that coats your teeth. 

Biofilm generates plaque, attacks enamel, and causes cavities. The scientists found that the bisindole (DIM) disrupted that biofilm by 90% and therefore the bacterium was not given a chance to grow.  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

Global View Of USA

What do you believe that the rest of the world thinks about the US of A?

• Are we seen as the global leader?
• Are we seen as the divided country we are?
• Are we seen as having a weak economy?
• Are we seen as having a weak military?

President Biden is seen as a weak president and therefore the US of A is losing respect among the other nations of the world.

While we are living the domestic nightmare of Biden, the rest of the world sees us as a SHIP OF FOOLS with no clear cut direction.  They are seeing that our JUSTICE SYSTEM no longer applies equally to all citizens of the US of A.  They are seeing a relentless attack of Donald Trump during the four years he was President that has continued for the 3 years that Biden has been President.  The rest of the world no longer VALUES OUR DEMOCRACY.

Recently, there have been reports that many of the illegal immigrants that have entered the country from Mexico into Texas, are finding that the US of A is not the same country that they were expecting.  Although, this writer is not really sure that he understands what they were expecting.

One thing is FOR SURE...  Most Americans DO NOT WANT all these illegal immigrants here and that animosity is going to create friction, the likes of which we have never seen before.  It will get much worse before it gets better.

The rest of the world sees that friction as well, which negatively taints our brand of Democracy.

Those countries that do not have Democracies are seeing the antics of the Biden administration, no differently than what is happening in their countries.  That is to say that the US of A is acting as if it is not a Democracy at all.

I believe this change in America happened when the Supreme Court ruled against Government sponsored abortions and gave that right back to the states.  The liberals and the liberal media SPUN the news as if the Supreme Court had done away with abortion altogether...  which they had not.

The rest of the world sees a declining America in so many ways, the least of which is our public education system.  We used to be #1 in the world and now we are #15.

The US of A may have more nuclear weapons than any other country in the but the rest of the world NO LONGER ADMIRES US...

It saddens me to know we have fallen that far down.

Wild Cats and Ball

 

An Unexpected Structure Wraps Up the Earth

The most high-resolution map yet of the underlying geology beneath Earth's Southern Hemisphere reveals something we previously never knew about: an ancient ocean floor that may wrap around the core.


This thin but dense layer exists around 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) below the surface, according to a study published in April. That depth is where the molten, metallic outer core meets the rocky mantle above it. This is the core-mantle boundary (CMB).


"Seismic investigations, such as ours, provide the highest resolution imaging of the interior structure of our planet, and we are finding that this structure is vastly more complicated than once thought," said geologist Samantha Hansen from the University of Alabama when the findings were announced.


Understanding exactly what's beneath our feet – in as much detail as possible – is vital for studying everything from volcanic eruptions to the variations in Earth's magnetic field, which protects us from the solar radiation in space.


Hansen and her colleagues used 15 monitoring stations buried in the ice of Antarctica to map seismic waves from earthquakes over three years. The way those waves move and bounce reveals the composition of the material inside Earth. Because the sound waves move slower in these areas, they're called ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs).  READ MORE...

A Look into Our Future