Saturday, February 20
Saturday: Before Noon
Once the cats have been given their treat and their bowls filled up with food, I make myself a cup of coffee with a coffee pod and sit in my recliner to watch FOX NEWS... It is typically around 8:00/8:30 am... Prior to 2015, I was keyed into watching CNN or CBS News in the morning, but after going to the local gym where FOX NEWS was being televised, I quickly realized that CNN and/or CBS was NOT REPORTING all the news.
After watching FOX NEWS at home and switching back and forth between CNN, CBS, and Fox, I came to the realization that the conservative points-of-view were not just being overlooked but they were being distorted in favor of the liberal points-of-view.
I was a DIEHARD liberal until I went to Graduate School and earned an MBA... then, I became a conservative liberal with a focus on eliminating debt and balancing the budget.
Unfortunately and beginning with the Trump Administration, mainstream media simply did not publish news that they DETERMINED they did not want to general public to know... and, that mentality bothered me more than the bullshit that Trump was doing.
Being retired... one day is no more different than any other day... unless, there is a doctor's appointment scheduled and then I have to shower/shave and leave the house. If there is no appointment, then my days are typically spent inside the house unless I take a notion to get in the hot tub outside.
BUT... this is Saturday and I know that I am going nowhere today... so, I will drink coffee for 2-3 hours before deciding that there is something else I need/want to do. However, I will turn the channel once CAVUTO comes on... as I just don't like to listen to him nor do I like his personality in general.
Typically, I start watching the HISTORY channel or the FOOD channel for the rest of the morning as I continue drink a few more cups of coffee. It bothers me that I have to also watch STUPID COMMERCIALS that target Americans with an 8th grade mentality... but, this is how America sells its products... and, I guess is a NECESSARY EVIL.
Once my morning comes to a close, I eat a modest lunch and then begin preparing my blogs by first preparing a list of potential topics that I want to research... I also take a looksee at previous lists that I prepared as well. Daily Journals that I have been keeping for over ten years is where I write these lists and keep my notes for other topics that have been previously researched. These journals are stored in a filing cabinet in the garage.
What's interesting about this Saturday is that the sun is out and this weekends represents the being of a 30 warming trend according to the weather channel forecasts. Cold weather in the Valley is all but OVER...
Friday, February 19
Artificial Intelligence Omnipresent
THE FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial intelligence is impacting the future of virtually every industry and every human being. Artificial intelligence has acted as the main driver of emerging technologies like big data, robotics and IoT, and it will continue to act as a technological innovator for the foreseeable future.
Some sectors are at the start of their AI journey, others are veteran travelers. Both have a long way to go. Regardless, the impact artificial intelligence is having on our present day lives is hard to ignore:
Artificial intelligence is impacting the future of virtually every industry and every human being. Artificial intelligence has acted as the main driver of emerging technologies like big data, robotics and IoT, and it will continue to act as a technological innovator for the foreseeable future.
Some sectors are at the start of their AI journey, others are veteran travelers. Both have a long way to go. Regardless, the impact artificial intelligence is having on our present day lives is hard to ignore:
- Transportation: Although it could take a decade or more to perfect them, autonomous cars will one day ferry us from place to place.
- Manufacturing: AI powered robots work alongside humans to perform a limited range of tasks like assembly and stacking, and predictive analysis sensors keep equipment running smoothly.
- Healthcare: In the comparatively AI-nascent field of healthcare, diseases are more quickly and accurately diagnosed, drug discovery is sped up and streamlined, virtual nursing assistants monitor patients and big data analysis helps to create a more personalized patient experience.
- Education: Textbooks are digitized with the help of AI, early-stage virtual tutors assist human instructors and facial analysis gauges the emotions of students to help determine who’s struggling or bored and better tailor the experience to their individual needs.
- Media: Journalism is harnessing AI, too, and will continue to benefit from it. Bloomberg uses Cyborg technology to help make quick sense of complex financial reports. The Associated Press employs the natural language abilities of Automated Insights to produce 3,700 earning reports stories per year — nearly four times more than in the recent past.
- Customer Service: Last but hardly least, Google is working on an AI assistant that can place human-like calls to make appointments at, say, your neighborhood hair salon. In addition to words, the system understands context and nuance.
Thursday, February 18
Limbaugh Dead @ 70
Rush is a victim of what most Americans do, ESPECIALLY MALES, and that is not to admit that they are sick in any way until it is is too late. Steve Jobs did that very same thing...
What is it about our culture that males do not want to admit that they are weak and vulnerable?
When I was 40 years old, I stopped smoking cigarettes and gave up all forms of alcohol except the once or twice obligatory glass of wine at Christmas Dinners...
WHY?
Because I wanted to intentionally AVOID any and all cancers associated with tobacco and alcohol and whenever I would get together with males who were drinking and/or smoking, I was referred to as not being MACHO.
I really didn't give a crap what they thought... my main concern was my future health. AND... while I am not wealthy nor do I have nothing of valuable to contribute to society and no reason to live except to experience God's Creation... I do want to live as long as I can...
ETHICS: Deepfakes
While there are interesting and creative applications of deepfakes, they are also likely to be weaponized. We were among the early responders to this phenomenon, and developed the first deepfake detection method based on the lack of realistic eye-blinking in the early generations of deepfake videos in early 2018. Subsequently, there is a surge of interest in developing deepfake detection methods.
A climax of these efforts is this year’s Deepfake Detection Challenge. Overall, the winning solutions are a tour de force of advanced DNNs (an average precision of 82.56 percent by the top performer). These provide us effective tools to expose deepfakes that are automated and mass-produced by AI algorithms. However, we need to be cautious in reading these results. Although the organizers have made their best effort to simulate situations where deepfake videos are deployed in real life, there is still a significant discrepancy between the performance on the evaluation data set and a more real data set; when tested on unseen videos, the top performer’s accuracy reduced to 65.18 percent. TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE BY SIWEI LYU
Wednesday, February 17
Deepfake Technology
Deepfakes (a portmanteau of "deep learning" and "fake") are synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness. While the act of faking content is not new, deepfakes leverage powerful techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate visual and audio content with a high potential to deceive. The main machine learning methods used to create deepfakes are based on deep learning and involve training generative neural network architectures, such as autoencoders or generative adversarial networks (GANs).
Deepfakes have garnered widespread attention for their uses in celebrity pornographic videos, revenge porn, fake news, hoaxes, and financial fraud. This has elicited responses from both industry and government to detect and limit their use.
Photo manipulation was developed in the 19th century and soon applied to motion pictures. Technology steadily improved during the 20th century, and more quickly with digital video.
Deepfake technology has been developed by researchers at academic institutions beginning in the 1990s, and later by amateurs in online communities. More recently the methods have been adopted by industry. SOURCE: Wikipedia
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| An example of deepfake technology: in a scene from Man of Steel, actress Amy Adams in the original (left) is modified to have the face of actor Nicolas Cage (right) |
Deepfakes have garnered widespread attention for their uses in celebrity pornographic videos, revenge porn, fake news, hoaxes, and financial fraud. This has elicited responses from both industry and government to detect and limit their use.
Photo manipulation was developed in the 19th century and soon applied to motion pictures. Technology steadily improved during the 20th century, and more quickly with digital video.
Deepfake technology has been developed by researchers at academic institutions beginning in the 1990s, and later by amateurs in online communities. More recently the methods have been adopted by industry. SOURCE: Wikipedia
Tuesday, February 16
NEW ZEALAND: Cows and Cars
The changes are among a raft of recommendations presented to the government by the Climate Change Commission on steps New Zealand must take to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.
Commission chairman Rod Carr acknowledged the advice was ambitious but said it was realistic and made a clear case for “immediate and decisive” action.
“As a country, we need transformational and lasting change to meet our targets,” he said.
“There are a few actions that are critical to meeting our targets: electric vehicles, accelerated renewable energy generation, climate-friendly farming practices and more permanent forests, predominantly natives.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the document, which will now go out for public consultation, showed the impact of the reforms would not be an economic burden.
“The cost of action on the economy is not as great as many have previously thought. In fact, action on climate change is an economic opportunity for New Zealand,” she said.
“Action on climate change is critical to our ongoing economic success. New Zealand exporters rely on our clean, green brand and there will be new opportunities for Kiwi businesses as we adapt to a zero-carbon economy.”
The commission found New Zealand’s current climate commitments were not compatible with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but said change was achievable at little cost.
A switch from fossil fuels would see hundreds lose their jobs in the coal, oil and gas industries but the commission expected many workers to be re-employed “in the circular economy, development of biofuels and hydrogen, and in deploying and supporting new technologies”.
The commission wants to end imports of petrol-powered cars by 2032 and projects that more than half of all light vehicle travel would be in electric vehicles by 2035.
To reduce methane gas levels, the report said farmers needed to improve animal performance while reducing stock numbers by around 15 per cent from 2018 levels by 2030.
“If farmers can continue to achieve productivity improvements in line with historic trends, these outcomes could be achieved while maintaining total production at a similar level to today,” the report said.
Following the public consultation, the government is due to make a final decision by the end of 2021 on whether to adopt the measures.
Monday, February 15
New York City EXODUS
On East 60th street, patrons at the once buzzy Le Bilboquet were huddled in outdoor cubbies, wearing hats and scarves while nibbling on Cajun chicken and sipping Bordeaux. One block up, 10 tables at clubby La Goulue struggled to share four heaters while diners gripped bowls of onion soup for extra warmth.
CORONAVIRUS MASS EXODUS PUTS NYC IN 'VERY FRAGILE SITUATION': HOME DEPOT'S LANGONE
But just a short flight away — in tony Palm Beach, Fla., where La Goulue recently opened an outpost that’s a mirror image of its Manhattan mother ship — all inside tables and seats at the bar are full. Patrons are laughing and living it up, seemingly oblivious to the perils of fraternizing during a pandemic.
“I have escaped New York!’’ declared the bistro’s owner, Jean Denoyer. “We take everyone’s temperature when they arrive and keep the doors and windows open so fresh air circulates.’’
Le Bilboquet’s owner, Philippe Delgrange, is also in Palm Beach, where he premiered his famous boîte’s Southern sister this week.
“[Palm Beach] is really working with you, not trying to put wood in your wheels,’’ he said, no doubt referencing how New York City restaurants are just now, after two months of closure, allowed to seat indoor diners at 25 percent capacity. “I have seen so many friends of mine, I can’t believe it. And all our New York staff is asking to come work here.’’
Denoyer and Delgrange are among the hordes of New Yorkers now enjoying life in Palm Beach County, where the influx of energy is palpable. Although masks are required inside commercial establishments throughout the county, people are, of course, allowed to remove them while eating or drinking, and there are no specific spacing rules — so it’s not unusual to see bars full of closely packed mask-less patrons.
Some northerners feel as if they have landed in a parallel universe, with old friends and favorite gathering spots transported to a sunnier setting.
Upper East Sider Joe Wagner, 63, arrived in South Florida in late January with plans to stay for two weeks, but decided to remain through March. He’s been enjoying dinner indoors at La Goulue. “Sometimes I feel a little unsafe. In New York, I was housebound. But it seems that so many people here are more relaxed because they already had COVID,’’ the real-estate developer told The Post. “They say, ‘Don’t worry, I have the antibodies,’ and I say, ‘That’s great, but could you back up a little?’ ” To Read Entire Article, Click Here...
SWEDEN: Falling Crime
Police in the multicultural southern Swedish city of Malmö say that the murder rate has fallen since 2018 because many gang leaders are behind bars.
In 2020, the city saw five murders, a major drop from the 13 that took place in 2018 and eight in 2019.
Mattias Sigfridsson, deputy police area manager in Malmö, told broadcaster SVT that the hacking of an encrypted app used by criminals called EncroChat has helped police prevent murders and violent crimes.
“[W]e believe we have prevented murder and serious violent crimes. That has been our goal all along – to lock up those who are responsible for the violence. We have also received valuable information from EncroChat, the encrypted chat we have taken part in. This has, of course, affected our ability to prevent crime,” Sigfridsson said.
EncroChat was breached last year by investigators and led to the arrest of more than 700 organised criminals linked to drug trafficking, gun smuggling, and money laundering in the United Kingdom alone. As of December 2020, more than a thousand criminals who used the service had been arrested.
While Malmö has seen a reduction in murders last year, just one of the five cases has actually been solved. Two others await trial and the remaining two cases have no suspects at all. Several murders from previous years also remain unsolved.
2020 was also a high year for fatal shootings across Sweden, with 47 people killed in shootings compared to 42 in 2019 and 45 in 2018. The number of overall shootings also increased from 2019.
In Stockholm, 2020 saw a record number of explosions and bombings despite the Wuhan virus pandemic, but explosions and bombings across the entire country were down to 107 from 133 in 2019.
Robert Karlsson, deputy regional police chief in Stockholm, said that while he was not satisfied with the number of explosions last year, police had managed to develop tools to better investigate bombing cases. TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...
Sunday, February 14
Saturday, February 13
Pelosi Calls Republicans COWARDS
She said these Republicans were more concerned about their political survival than protecting the constitution.
"What we saw in that Senate today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend their job, respect the institution in which they serve," Pelosi said of the majority of the Senate GOP who found Trump "not guilty" of incitement of insurrection. SOURCE: Fox News
However, Pelosi said absolutely nothing regarding the constitutionality of the impeachment process after a President leaves office...
Just a minor detail intentionally overlooked by the Democrats and the Media...
Instead of trying to get our children back in the classroom, and our restaurants and businesses open, Capital Hill Democrats perceived that the TRUMP NARRATIVE was of paramount importance.
Personally, I don't give a rat's ass about what the Democrats think of Trump... I did not vote for him in 2016 nor did I vote for him in 2020.
At 73 years of age, I don't really care about the technology changes that will take place in 2030, nor do I care if China's economy becomes larger than ours by 2028... My future is pretty much fixed in terms of what I can or cannot do...
The rest of you who are apathetic regarding what our country does or does not do will have to live the the FALLOUT from making bad decisions... Oil and Gas are not going away in the next 10 years, even though more and more electric cars will be on the highways...
How much will it cost to build charging stations across the USA to accommodate the electric cars?
But, think about this...
Would you want to fly in an electric airplane?
How will AMERICANS travel outside the USA?
Airplanes
Cruise Ships
How will the military function if they cannot fly electric airplanes fast enough to destroy enemy aircraft who have not gone GREEN... and, have no plans to go GREEN...
FREEDOM... of speech...
Conservative Views are being suppressed on College Campuses...
Mainstream Media is censoring conservative views from the public...
Congress is trying to destroy conservative views forever...
According to the US Constitution and our Bill of Rights, the First Amendment protects our FREEDOM of SPEECH and FREEDOM of RELIGION... and, while that is true, there are still people and institutions that do not want to listen to opposing points-of-view especially when they do not agree with their point-of-view... and, that attitude defeats the original purpose of not just our First Amendment, but the FREEDOMS on which our country was founded...
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According to our online dictionary, freedom is defined as: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Yes... I can say whatever I want to my next door neighbor and to some stranger at WalMart without fear of being shot by a handgun or put in jail or losing my job... but, that is not true for SOCIAL MEDIA... I have been told by several people that they were KICKED OFF OF FACEBOOK because of their conservative views and claims that they were inciting violence.
Yes... I agree that violence should never be incited... even though the history of the United States is based entirely upon inciting violence against Great Britain.
Throughout my entire lifetime up until the Presidency of Donald Trump, I was allowed to voice my opinion... but, now conservatives are being censored and their voice suppressed and this is not the kind of freedom for which I stood when I was in the military.
Rugby Australia
The Lions are due to visit South Africa in July and August with a three-Test series against the world champ. But issues around Covid-19, including the emergence of a new variant in South Africa, has led to uncertainty over the viability of the tour.
"We're here to help," Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"What we learnt from the Tri Nations last year and the tennis that's happening now is that Australia can successfully stage global tournaments in a Covid world.
"It's particularly tough in the UK and South Africa at the moment and I believe the more international rugby that gets played here, the better."
McLennan says profits from the tour would be split between the Lions and South Africa, with Rugby Australia covering their costs.
The Lions board have been discussing contingency plans in the event the trip has to be abandoned, including the possibility of hosting games in the UK and Ireland.
Crowds have returned to watch live sport in Australia, with up to 30,000 fans allowed to watch next month's Australian Open in Melbourne.
Friday, February 12
East TN Snow
Starting early in 2021, we have had several snows so far and it is only half way through February, but these snows melted away the very next day... and in 1 or 2 cases, it was warm enough not to stick at all while it was falling, not on the road, ground, or trees which is rather unusual to say the least.
I cannot imagine any longer living in an area where the snow falls 1-2 feet deep or 3-5 feet deep and remains on the ground several days or even all winter. As a child, I faintly recall LOVING the snow and can still imagine going outside (all bundled up) to play all day with my friends in the neighborhood.
Keystone Pipeline OUT -- Trucks, Boats, and Trains IN
Running nearly 1,200 miles from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska, the KXL (Keystone Pipeline) would be a sizable structure. But it would account for under 0.8 percent of the 150,000 miles of oil pipelines already spread throughout the country. In addition, there are 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines, along with more than 100 major refineries, further supporting the distribution of the nation’s various petroleum products.
A Web of Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines Already Crisscross America Linking Up Customers and Refineries
U.S. Shale Production Currently Dwarfs What the Keystone XL Could Ultimately Carry
A Web of Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines Already Crisscross America Linking Up Customers and Refineries
Railroads, in Particular, Are Increasingly Filling the Gap for Oil Movement
SOURCE: Brookings.Edu (2014 Data)
Never underestimate the power of old data to rear its ugly head and bite you in the ass because it was ignored... Also, look at all the byproducts of Petroleum Crude Oil. And, do you really think that Americans are willing to give up their cars and airplanes and plastic containers?
SOURCE: Brookings.Edu (2014 Data)
Never underestimate the power of old data to rear its ugly head and bite you in the ass because it was ignored... Also, look at all the byproducts of Petroleum Crude Oil. And, do you really think that Americans are willing to give up their cars and airplanes and plastic containers?
IRAN: Tehran's Nuclear Deal
Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected any new negotiations or changes to the participants of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, after French President Emmanuel Macron said any new talks should include Saudi Arabia.
“The nuclear accord is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which is non-negotiable and parties to it are clear and unchangeable,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted by state media as saying on Saturday.
President Joe Biden’s new administration has said it will rejoin the deal but only after Tehran resumes full compliance with its terms.
But Iran has rejected US demands to reverse its acceleration of the nuclear program before Washington lifts sanctions on Tehran.
Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates have said that Gulf Arab states should be involved this time in any talks, which they say should also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for proxies around the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, which is locked in several proxy wars in the region with Tehran including in Yemen, supported Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
Thursday, February 11
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