Thursday, May 23

2024 Budget

 


Exploring

 

Space Glass


Thanks to human ingenuity and zero gravity, we reap important benefits from science in space. Consider smart phones with built-in navigation systems and cameras.


Such transformational technologies seem to blend into the rhythm of our everyday lives overnight. But they emerged from years of discoveries and developments of materials that can withstand harsh environments outside our atmosphere. 


They evolve from decades of laying foundations in basic science to understand how atoms behave in different materials under different conditions.     READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 



In The NEWS


Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
In partnership with Public Rec

> NBA Western Conference Finals kick off tonight (8:30 pm ET, TNT) with the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves (More) | NHL Eastern Conference Finals begin tonight (8 pm ET, ESPN) with the New York Rangers hosting the Florida Panthers (More)

> Pixar lays off 14% of workforce—175 employees—as Disney reduces content output for streaming and prioritizes theatrical releases (More) | Comcast unveils $15 per month streaming bundle including Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+ for Xfinity TV and internet customers (More)

> Los Angeles police are investigating source of ketamine that contributed to "Friends" actor Matthew Perry's death (More) | Fred Roos, Oscar-winning producer and casting director known for work on "The Godfather" trilogy, dies at 89 (More)


Science & Technology
> Volvo debuts self-driving version of its heavy truck, designed for long-haul transport; production-ready vehicle is certified at the fourth level of autonomous safety standards (More) | What are the five levels of self-driving safety standards? (More)

> European Space Agency plans nuclear-powered Martian rover that uses radioactive americium to stay warm, the first time such technology has been used on a spacecraft (More)

> Paleontologists discover fossil of feathered dinosaur with scaly skin, shedding light on the evolutionary transition from scales to feathers roughly 130 million years ago (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.2%) with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching new records; Nvidia's stock rises 0.6% in advance of earnings report today (More)

> Energy Department says it will release 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve in 100,000 barrel increments to lower gas prices this summer (More)

> San Francisco-based Scale AI—which specializes in data labeling for large-language models—raises $1B at a $13.8B valuation; its AI-powered decision-making tool Donovan is being used by the US Department of Defense (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> California voters cast ballots in special election to replace outgoing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20); McCarthy resigned after being ousted from speaker role in October, see results (More) | Defense rests in hush money case against former President Donald Trump; Trump opts to not take stand, closing arguments set for next week (More)

> Trial begins in Germany over alleged far-right plot in 2022 to launch a coup; nine people on trial include German aristocrat accused of planning to storm the parliament and arrest lawmakers (More)

> Nigerian army rescues 350 hostages, many of them women and children, from extremist group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria (More)


SOURCE:  1440 News

TRUTH


We can argue about truth all day long but in the final analysis, truth is THAT WHICH CAN BE PROVEN IN A COURT OF LAW...


What do I mean by that?


Whoever or whatever controls perception controls the truth.

For example...

If you watch FOX News, you will be confronted with a version of the truth about Donald Trump that they believe.

However, if you watch CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, or NPR, you will be confronted with an entirely different version of the truth about Donald Trump that they believe.

WHO IS TELLING YOU THE TRUTH???


OJ Simpson was found non-guilty in his criminal trial but everyone knew that the truth was he was guilty.

Which version is the truth?


You read about the CIVIL WAR in the USA and are told that the South left the union because they believed in slavery and the north did not.

Historians of that time period will tell you that the south left the union because they did not want to pay taxes and the reason for the war was not due to slavery but because the north believe that the USA needed those taxes to grow strong and powerful.

Which version is the truth?


Those organizations that publish the NEWS perceives that a majority of the general public is not just ignorant (perhaps stupid) but that they do not really know the difference between fake truth and real truth.

The American public is easily manipulated into believing what a majority of people want them to believe.

Additionally, our Founding Fathers did not trust the integrity or the intelligence of the general public so they created The Electoral College to actually decide who the President was going to be.

Most people don't know that FACT of TRUTH even though it was taught to them sometime during their K-12 education.


Finally, the Democrats have a different version of the TRUTH than the Republicans and each party tries to get the general public to BELIEVE THEIR TRUTH instead of the other truth.

Which one is actually telling the truth?

Expanding


 

Chinese Robot can Learn, Think, Work like Humans


Sometimes, you have to see it to believe it.

And in rare cases, like this one, it freaks out observers watching. In the ever-expanding world of humanoid robots, a new star is rising, and its name is Astribot.

The Chinese company’s latest creation, the S1 model, is turning heads with its astonishing speed and precision.

Astribot S1: How it’s breaking speed records
Imagine a robot that can move at a blistering pace of approximately 32.8 feet per second and handle a payload of 22 pounds per arm. That’s Astribot’s S1 for you. It’s like watching a superhero in action. Only this one is made of wires and metal.

The S1’s capabilities are not just impressive; they’re record-setting. The robot’s dexterity is showcased in a video where it performs tasks with such finesse that it can delicately shave a cucumber.    READ MORE...

Water Reflection

 

Wednesday, May 22

Born to be Wild

 

A Hydrogen Airbus by 2026


Aviation giant Airbus successfully completed testing of its ‘iron pad’ hydrogen fuel cell system and plans to test it on an Airbus A380 by 2026.  The A380 is a ZEROe test bed, which is a part of the ZEROe project.

But, what does ZEROe even mean?  The project aims to develop a sustainable fuel system under the company’s zero-emission initiative.

Currently, the fuel cell system can achieve a total power output of 1.2 megawatts.  Since it’s in its early stages, the engine was tested under life-like conditions in a facility instead of being put on a plane.

That doesn’t mean it didn’t have all the required parts, though.  It included electric motors and a gearbox but compensated a jet propellor with artificial electromagnetic load.  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political





 

In The NEWS


Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Sean "Diddy" Combs' music catalog streaming drops 52% amid multiple allegations of sexual assault; Combs apologized over the weekend after 2016 surveillance video surfaced showing him attacking his ex-girlfriend (More)

> Jim Otto, Pro Football Hall of Fame center known as "Mr. Raider," dies at 86 (More) | World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler's arraignment set for June 3; Scheffler was arrested and released without bail Friday before playing the second round of the PGA Championship (More)

> NBA Conference Finals begin tonight with Eastern Conference top seed the Boston Celtics taking on the Indiana Pacers (8 pm ET, ESPN); Western Conference Finals begin tomorrow night, with the Minnesota Timberwolves facing the Dallas Mavericks (More)



Science & Technology
> Apple and OpenAI partner to incorporate ChatGPT into upcoming iPhone 16 and iOS18 platforms, reports suggest (More) | Heard about generative AI, but don't know how it works? (More, w/video)

> James Webb Space Telescope makes first measurement of the inside of an exoplanet; WASP-107 b, roughly 200 light-years away, has a core 12 times larger than Earth's (More)

> Cockroach genetic study reveals the most common species evolved in Southeast Asia roughly 2,100 years ago before spreading worldwide; bugs likely traveled with humans in two distinct periods around 1,200 and 270 years ago (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (Dow -0.5%, S&P 500 +0.1%, Nasdaq +0.7%); Nasdaq hits record high in intraday trading as Nvidia shares rise 2% (More) | JPMorgan shares drop 4.5% as CEO Jamie Dimon signals upcoming retirement may be sooner than believed (More)

> Ivan Boesky, former Wall Street titan convicted of insider trading, dies at age 87; Boesky is believed to have been the inspiration for "Wall Street" movie character Gordon Gekko, who delivered the famous line "greed is good" (More)

> New York attorney general announces $2B settlement with cryptocurrency lending firm Genesis over claims it defrauded investors; company filed for bankruptcy in the wake of the 2022 FTX collapse (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Prosecutors rest case in hush money trial against former President Donald Trump; closing arguments expected to begin next week (More) | Key witness Michael Cohen admits to stealing from Trump Organization during tenure (More)

> WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange wins right to appeal Britain's decision to extradite him to the US to face espionage charges (More) | Legal case has been ongoing for 13 years, see timeline (More)

> Crews refloat cargo ship that destroyed Baltimore's Key Bridge in March; ship reportedly suffered four power blackouts in the hours leading up to the collision (More) | Watch video of the vessel tugged back to port (More)


SOURCE:  1440 News

Live and Let Live

 

For those of you who have not been following this blog very long, let me share with you that I have had a blog up and running since before 2009 with a lifelong friend of mine who had since died of colon cancer.  It was called, We Were Just Wondering.  My poetry blog, Reflections:  White Scorpion was started in 2009 and this blog, My Writing Journal was started in 2020.


I am keenly aware that my readership is low because no everyone likes the topics that I post or appreciates the layout of my blog.  It is here that I would like to say that I DON'T WRITE OR POST OR DESIGN FOR YOU BUT FOR ME!!!


The year 2015 marked the year that my wife and I retired, and my blogs are attended to each day, so that I have something to do with my time.  I also watch FOX News, exclusive series on HULU, Netflix and Prime, write novels, exercise, pretend at being a chef, work outside, and travel.


My physical abilities are not like they used to be since I have had a heart attack, had 5 lower back disks fused, and have been treated for two different kinds of cancer for over 15 years.


My opinions are not accepted by many people - never have been.  In the 1960s with my hair below my shoulders, I was a liberal who did not give two shits about the law or any type of authority.  I experimented with drugs, never got addicted, and attended Woodstock.


Today, I am a LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE and am all about small government, a strong military, closed borders, and I am in favor of legalizing drugs and believe abortion is a right.  I don't want a lot of taxes.  I don't want the government telling me what to do.  I am NOT INTO WOKE - BLM - CRT and while I am against slavery, I am not responsible for what my relatives may or may not have done.


I think that anyone who needs to earn over $250,000 a year in salary is full of shit and is not worth that amount of money.  This includes athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and musicians.  There is nothing wrong with making a profit, but no one needs to have 100 million dollars or more.


Since my thoughts have not been adopted then I say, LIVE AND LET LIVE.

Underwater Curiosity


 

Chinese Launch Special EV


The electric vehicle market continues to excel as it addresses common anxieties about EV ranges. IM Motors is one of the latest companies introducing EVs with solid-state battery technology to increase their range and charging speeds.


Chinese automaker IM Motors — a joint venture of tech companies SAIC Motor and Alibaba — has just released a revolutionary new electric vehicle with a "semi-solid-state battery" that allows for better charging capabilities and a longer life cycle, according to Interesting Engineering.


The development of high-performance batteries is important because it can help reduce anxieties about EV ranges, proving that new technologies can eliminate drivers' fears about their EV batteries not lasting long enough.     READ  MORE...

Ten Years After

 

Tuesday, May 21

Black Sabbath

 

Unitree's New Robot

Popular Chinese robotics firm Unitree, known for its quadrupeds like Go2 and B2, entered the humanoid space last year by unveiling its H1 model.

Since then, it has rapidly advanced in the domain, with H1 showcasing remarkable agility after withstanding kicks, executing a backflip, and its ability to lift heavy items. In March, it also claimed to become the fastest humanoid robot, with its capacity to sprint at 7.38 mph.

The company has taken the game forward by introducing a new all-rounder general-purpose human
oid called G1 Humanoid Agent.

The $16,000 robot claims to offer remarkable flexibility, force-controlled dexterous hands, and an imitation and reinforcement learning-driven model that helps it blend into daily life.     READ MORE...

Somewhat Political