Wednesday, January 15
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2025 Grammy Awards to proceed as planned Feb. 2, with the telecast serving as a fundraiser for wildfire relief efforts (More) | Country music star Carrie Underwood tapped to perform at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration (More)
> English author Neil Gaiman faces new allegations of sexual assault by four women (More) | Sean "Diddy" Combs accused in lawsuit of 2000 rape of a 16-year-old (More)
> Academy Awards nominations announcement pushed to Jan. 23 as voting process delayed due to wildfires (More) | ... and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delays premiere of her Netflix lifestyle show (More)
Science & Technology
> Biden administration proposes rules on exports for advanced AI computer chips; select group of nations will have full access while countries like China, Iran, and Russia will face heavy restrictions (More)
> New NASA study suggests roughly one-third of supermassive black holes—those up to billions of times the mass of the sun—are hidden from view by gas and dust (More) | All the best resources on black holes from 1440 Topics (More)
> Bioengineered male mosquitoes deliver toxic venom proteins during mating, shortening the life span of disease-spreading female counterparts; only female mosquitoes bite and transmit pathogens (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.9%, Nasdaq -0.4%) as investors rotate out of tech stocks (More) | Moderna shares close down nearly 17% after company slashes 2025 sales forecast by $1B, partly due to declining demand for its COVID-19 vaccine (More)
> Robinhood to pay $45M to settle charges with the US Securities and Exchange Commission over data breach, record-keeping, and other violations (More)
> Johnson & Johnson to acquire psychiatric drug developer Intra-Cellular Therapies in roughly $15B deal; if completed, deal would be largest biotech merger since 2023 (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Judge allows partial release of special counsel Jack Smith's investigative report related to President-elect Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case; report could be released as soon as today (More)
> National Weather Service issues "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning for Los Angeles area, advising high winds could cause fires to intensify through tomorrow (More) | Palisades Fire has burned over 23,000 acres and is 14% contained as of this writing; see map of fires burning in Southern California (More)
> Israel and Hamas reportedly nearing deal for ceasefire in Gaza and release of hostages following a breakthrough in Qatar-led negotiations; both sides reviewing details of the plan, which haven't been made public (More) | See war updates (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
The Limits of Nostalgia & Being Nostalgic - continued
...Continued from yesterday...
I had great parents who were well educated and would do anything (within reason) for my happiness or for my education or for my career.
But, when I was in 3rd grade, my father told me these statement as to how he felt about me:
Given my impressionable age, neither of those two comments should have ever been made... so, my
memories of childhood are clouded and distorted because of that one memory.
While I was in College (mid 1960's) in the South, I wore my hair long along with jeans, T-shirts, leather
jackets, and boots while attending classes... and, was told by most of my professors that they were giving me low grades because of the way I was dressed.
At the same time, I met a lot of people, and we did have fun playing cards, drinking beer and alcohols, and chasing women at night at the local bars... we were free spirits... had few boundaries and even fewer limitations... and, we laughed all the time... but, what the professors did to me stayed with me more
Being in the military was like being in prison, especially if you were aboard a US Naval Vessel out of Norfolk, VA and was deployed at sea more than you were in port with a vehicle. When deployed, the only thing to do in port was to drink and whore around or sightsee... guess which one got our attention?
Because of the caliber of the enlisted man, you could trust your fellow sailors from stealing from you or setting you up to be blamed for something they did. For the first time in my life, I was provided with room and board but was completely alone, away from family and friends, and without any kind of network of support, except those people I did not like or trust... because we had little in common and came from different sides of the tracks.
I did manage to stay alive and because I was able to stay alive, the GI Bill paid for all my college education including both undergraduate as well as graduate school... and, that is extremely
- “You are not worth the powder and shells it would cost me to blow your ass to hell.”
- “The best part of you ran down my leg.”
Given my impressionable age, neither of those two comments should have ever been made... so, my
memories of childhood are clouded and distorted because of that one memory.
While I was in College (mid 1960's) in the South, I wore my hair long along with jeans, T-shirts, leather
jackets, and boots while attending classes... and, was told by most of my professors that they were giving me low grades because of the way I was dressed.
At the same time, I met a lot of people, and we did have fun playing cards, drinking beer and alcohols, and chasing women at night at the local bars... we were free spirits... had few boundaries and even fewer limitations... and, we laughed all the time... but, what the professors did to me stayed with me more
Being in the military was like being in prison, especially if you were aboard a US Naval Vessel out of Norfolk, VA and was deployed at sea more than you were in port with a vehicle. When deployed, the only thing to do in port was to drink and whore around or sightsee... guess which one got our attention?
Because of the caliber of the enlisted man, you could trust your fellow sailors from stealing from you or setting you up to be blamed for something they did. For the first time in my life, I was provided with room and board but was completely alone, away from family and friends, and without any kind of network of support, except those people I did not like or trust... because we had little in common and came from different sides of the tracks.
I did manage to stay alive and because I was able to stay alive, the GI Bill paid for all my college education including both undergraduate as well as graduate school... and, that is extremely
positive, but not really a memory on which to become nostalgic.
As far as my career is concerned, let me explain it this way... as a result of my integrity and not willing
to do anything that violated my integrity, I was subsequently fired/terminated 10 times during a 45-year period or every 4.5 years... so, what is positive about that? The only thing that could be nostalgic is my desire to remain in the South where Employee At Will States were commonplace, which means your employer can fire you anytime they so desire without giving you a reason and you have no legal recourse.
As far as my career is concerned, let me explain it this way... as a result of my integrity and not willing
to do anything that violated my integrity, I was subsequently fired/terminated 10 times during a 45-year period or every 4.5 years... so, what is positive about that? The only thing that could be nostalgic is my desire to remain in the South where Employee At Will States were commonplace, which means your employer can fire you anytime they so desire without giving you a reason and you have no legal recourse.
So.......... my thoughts are......... do not look back at all... instead, look forward because that is the only
direction in which you are heading at the present time or moment or whatever.
Time is linear and may be curved with ups and downs but it does, in fact, move forward. And, what
happened a moment ago, may or may not have any bearing on what will happen a moment into the future, yet to be experienced.
While it is true that all we are today is predicated upon all that we were in the past, but to give the past anymore credence than that is somewhat foolish, I would think. My days fly by un-fettered and do so quickly giving a relative peace-of-mind in that they seem not to last too long but that is attributed to age more than it is to the actual day being shorter in time... which may or may not seem obvious to you.
Negative days are quickly replaced by new days and new opportunities to experience whatever... since no one can ever really predict what whatever might be. So, we adjust as the day progresses. If, when we awake, it is raining outside, then we do stuff inside whether the inside stuff be as enjoyable or not. The day itself is not good or bad... it just is...
That is the way it is with Nostalgia... it just was...
direction in which you are heading at the present time or moment or whatever.
Time is linear and may be curved with ups and downs but it does, in fact, move forward. And, what
happened a moment ago, may or may not have any bearing on what will happen a moment into the future, yet to be experienced.
While it is true that all we are today is predicated upon all that we were in the past, but to give the past anymore credence than that is somewhat foolish, I would think. My days fly by un-fettered and do so quickly giving a relative peace-of-mind in that they seem not to last too long but that is attributed to age more than it is to the actual day being shorter in time... which may or may not seem obvious to you.
Negative days are quickly replaced by new days and new opportunities to experience whatever... since no one can ever really predict what whatever might be. So, we adjust as the day progresses. If, when we awake, it is raining outside, then we do stuff inside whether the inside stuff be as enjoyable or not. The day itself is not good or bad... it just is...
That is the way it is with Nostalgia... it just was...
Human Robot Interaction
We’ve come a long way from viewing robots merely as tools. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-enabled robots play increasing roles in human lives – from assisting us in mundane everyday tasks to aiding in complex scientific research.
They’re becoming our partners and social entities, blurring the boundaries between human and machine.
And this transition is not without its pitfalls. This transformation challenges existing legal and ethical frameworks, raising pressing concerns about privacy, safety, and regulation.
A new publication, The Cambridge Handbook of the Law, Policy, and Regulation for Human-Robot Interaction, addresses these issues. The book provides a roadmap for navigating this rapidly evolving landscape.
Complexities of human-robot interactions
Edited by Woodrow Barfield, Yueh-Hsuan Weng, and Ugo Pagallo, the handbook gathers insights from social sciences, computer science, and engineering.
It stands as the first book to focus on the legal, policy, and regulatory aspects of human-robot interaction.
“Humanities are crucial to AI development,” said Yueh-Hsuan Weng, an associate professor at Kyushu University and Tohoku University. READ MORE...
Edited by Woodrow Barfield, Yueh-Hsuan Weng, and Ugo Pagallo, the handbook gathers insights from social sciences, computer science, and engineering.
It stands as the first book to focus on the legal, policy, and regulatory aspects of human-robot interaction.
“Humanities are crucial to AI development,” said Yueh-Hsuan Weng, an associate professor at Kyushu University and Tohoku University. READ MORE...
Tuesday, January 14
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2025 Grammy Awards (Feb. 2) face possible postponement due to Los Angeles wildfires (More) | Jeff Bridges, Paris Hilton, and Billy Crystal among Hollywood stars who have lost homes to wildfires (More)
> Sam Moore, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and one-half of soul duo Sam & Dave, dies at age 89 (More) | Leslie Charleson, actress best known for starring on "General Hospital" for 46 years, dies at age 79 (More)
> Ohio State tops Texas 28-14 in College Football Playoff semifinal, will take on Notre Dame in national championship (Jan. 20) (More) | NFL Wild Card round wraps up tonight; see latest playoff bracket and schedule (More)
Science & Technology
> Blue Origin attempts delays first full launch of New Glenn rocket due to vehicle issues; date of next launch attempt to be determined (More)
> Researchers discover new type of cell in cartilage that acts as "bubble wrap," providing cushioning and structure to surrounding tissue, including making the human nose flexible (More)
> New theory suggests Pluto may have captured its largest moon after a collision billions of years ago; how Charon, almost half the size of Pluto, became trapped in orbit has been a longstanding mystery (More)
Business & Markets
> Markets tumble Friday (S&P 500 -1.5%, Dow -1.6%, Nasdaq -1.6%) as strong jobs report lowers expectations of interest rate cuts (More) | How stock markets work (More)
> Apple antitrust lawsuit begins in the UK today; tech giant faces claims it charges excessive fees on App Store downloads, faces up to $1.8B in fines (More)
> Federal judge rules American Airlines violated federal law by emphasizing environmental, social, and governance principles in investment decisions for employee 401(k) plans (More) | See 1440's overview of 401(k) plans, how they work, and much more (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Special counsel Jack Smith resigns from the Department of Justice; Smith led separate probes into President-elect Donald Trump over alleged election interference and mishandling of classified documents (More) | Senate confirmation hearings for Trump nominees begin this week; see schedule (More)
> Israel sends David Barnea, director of the country's Mossad intelligence service, to Qatar to join Gaza ceasefire talks (More) | See updates on war in maps and charts (More)
> Winter storm brings freezing temperatures, multiple inches of snow across the US South from Texas to Georgia; more than 10,000 flights canceled or delayed over the weekend (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
The Limits of Nostalgia & Being Nostalgic
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word nostalgia is learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος (nóstos), meaning "homecoming", a Homeric word, and ἄλγος (álgos), meaning "pain, ache", and was coined by a 17th-century medical student to describe the anxieties displayed by Swiss mercenaries fighting away from home. Described as a medical condition—a form of melancholy—in the Early Modern period, it became an important trope in Romanticism.
Nostalgia can refer to a general interest in the past, its personalities, and events, especially the "good old days" from earlier in one's life. The scientific literature on nostalgia usually refers to nostalgia regarding the personal life and has mainly studied the effects of nostalgia induced during the studies. Smell and touch are strong evokers of nostalgia due to the processing of these stimuli first passing through the amygdala, the emotional seat of the brain. These recollections of one's past are usually important events, people one cares about, and places where one has spent time. Music and weather can also be strong triggers of nostalgia. Nostalgic preferences, the belief that the past was better than is the present, has been linked to biases in memory.
So, if we are nostalgic or being nostalgic then we are expressing a sentimentality for the past...
But is this a good thing?
At 77 years old, I oftentimes (since I am retired) reflect upon previous years and sometimes those
reflections are received fondly and sometimes they are not.
1. My childhood was not a fond reflection
2. My high school years were a fond reflection
3. My college years were not a fond reflection
4. My time in the military was not a fond reflections
5. My first marriage was not a fond reflection
6. Various aspects of my career employment were not fond reflections
So, if we are nostalgic or being nostalgic then we are expressing a sentimentality for the past...
But is this a good thing?
At 77 years old, I oftentimes (since I am retired) reflect upon previous years and sometimes those
reflections are received fondly and sometimes they are not.
1. My childhood was not a fond reflection
2. My high school years were a fond reflection
3. My college years were not a fond reflection
4. My time in the military was not a fond reflections
5. My first marriage was not a fond reflection
6. Various aspects of my career employment were not fond reflections
What this little analysis tells me that there is only one area of my life with which being nostalgic
would not be a problem for me... but, if I were to spend too much time reflecting upon that period of my life that was never replicated... would I feel good about those reflections or bad?
Perhaps being nostalgic is not the way to go for me or for others who are like me... and perhaps nostalgic journeys to my negative past might help me better appreciate what I have now?
While this may seem that I am being a little too critical of not having an enjoyable life, let me say that there were many events in my life that were extremely happy, productive, and fulfilling but if I look back on them in a general way, they were more negative than positive.
...Continued Tomorrow...
Entangle Light and Sound
The quantum entanglement of particles is now an established art. You take two or more unmeasured particles and correlate them in such a way that their properties blur and mirror each other. Measure one and the other's corresponding properties lock into place, instantaneously, even when separated by a wide distance.
In new research, physicists have theorized a bold way to change it up by entangling two particles of very different kinds – a unit of light, or a photon, with a phonon, the quantum equivalent of a wave of sound.
Physicists Changlong Zhu, Claudiu Genes, and Birgit Stiller of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Germany have called their proposed new system optoacoustic entanglement. READ MORE...
Monday, January 13
Plan for the FUTURE
I have often wondered why people who are not wealthy want to spend money on items that makes them feel like they are wealthy, causing them typically to sink deeper into debt?
Most of us realize, early on in our lives, if we are going to be in the top 10-1% of those Americans that are or that will be or become wealthy. We just know it or feel it in our bones.
Wealthy people have expensive homes, cars, and clothes but they do not become asshole deep in debt to own these assets. They have the money to pay them off whenever they feel the urge they need to do this.
However, those of us who pretend to be wealthy, hardly ever pay off these debts; instead, they just keep increasing their debt.
Why does making it appear to your neighbors that you are wealthy make so much difference to Americans?
There is a desire among Americans to live your life better than your parents lived their life, I understand that, but it is not the same thing as going into debt that you will never pay off to achieve that. WHO CARES???
My wife and I paid off our debt 20 years ago and have been living debt free ever since. Two years ago, we downsized to a smaller house to further cut expenses and the physical strain on our bodies to take care of a larger house and yard.
We put as much of our money into savings so that we will always have more money to pay our expenses as they increase but to also take care of unexpected expenses.
We are happy and content and want for nothing although, we have also accepted a simple lifestyle which makes a difference as well.
You should give serious thought to what you want your future to look like and start planning for that as young as you can...
Negative Time
Negative time is a peculiar quirk of quantum mechanics, like the possibility of an object being in two places at one time (think: Schrodinger’s cat) or two particles existing in the same state when far apart (aka quantum entanglement). Quantum mechanics is the world of atoms, electrons, and photons and at times, can appear to be at odds with what we see in the world around us. As for negative time, it refers to a period of time that is less than zero.
The concept was explored earlier this year by scientists at the University of Toronto. As IFLScience reported at the time, researchers released a study on the preprint server arXiv (meaning it is yet to be peer-reviewed) that demonstrates how objects can emit light in so-called negative time. The piece of research involved looking at how long it takes a pulse of light to travel through a cloud of atoms.
As light passes through the cloud, the atoms temporarily absorb the photons, triggering an “excited” state before releasing the photons. The team measured the amount of time atoms remained in this excited state. Curiously, there were instances where the time was negative, i.e. less than zero. READ MORE...
Sunday, January 12
In The NEWS
US hiring in December surges past economists' expectations.
The US labor market ended 2024 with robust job growth, adding 256,000 jobs in December and surpassing forecasts of 155,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% month-over-month and 3.9% year-over-year. Analysts say the data suggest continued economic strength and may provide the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year. See all data here.
Constellation Energy agrees to buy Calpine for roughly $16B.
The cash-and-stock transaction values Calpine at nearly $27B when including debt and creates the largest clean energy provider in the US. The acquisition combines Constellation's nuclear expertise with Calpine's natural gas and geothermal assets while expanding Constellation's presence in markets like Texas and California—America's two most populous, energy-consuming states.
US Supreme Court appears likely to uphold federal TikTok law.
Supreme Court justices on Friday appeared to lean toward upholding a federal law ordering TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to either divest the video-sharing app or face a national ban. Justices signaled the primary concern was national security issues related to the app's Chinese ownership and said because the law targets its foreign owner, TikTok may not be able to claim First Amendment protections.
US announces $25M reward for arrest of Venezuela's president.
The US imposed new sanctions on high-ranking Venezuelan officials and increased the reward for information leading to President Nicolás Maduro's arrest to $25M, coinciding with Maduro's third-term inauguration following a disputed election. The sanctions include visa restrictions. The Biden administration also extended temporary protected status for certain Venezuelan migrants in the US.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to attempt first orbital flight tomorrow.
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, is set to launch its New Glenn rocket tomorrow from Cape Canaveral, Florida, marking its long-awaited debut after more than a decade of development. The launch, initially intended for 2020, will carry a test version of Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft platform and aims to validate its communications and tracking capabilities during a six-hour mission.
Global temperature rise breached 1.5 degrees Celsius for first time in 2024.
Last year was Earth's hottest year on record since preindustrial times, with global temperatures temporarily surpassing a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold set in a 2015 internationally agreed-upon pact. See an overview of the benchmark here. See data from scientists here.
Traits of Successful eople
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Successful people have a variety of traits, including:
- Persistence: They don't give up easily and use setbacks as motivation to keep going.
- Resilience: They can get back up when they fall and are able to overcome challenges.
- Positive attitude: They maintain an optimistic outlook and view obstacles as opportunities for growth.
- Goal setting: They set specific, challenging, and achievable goals.
- Discipline: They are highly disciplined and dedicated to their craft.
- Creativity: They are imaginative and can see the potential in something others would pass by.
- Adaptability: They can excel in adapting to changing circumstances.
- Patience: They are able to deal with delays and obstacles without becoming stressed or frustrated.
- Curiosity: They have a desire to learn and understand new things.
- Confidence: They believe in themselves and their abilities.
- Passion: They are motivated by their work.
- Focus: They have a clear plan and concise objectives.
- Integrity: They have integrity.
- Willingness to learn: They are willing to learn.
- Responsibility: They are responsible.
- Self-reliance: They are self-reliant.
Effort
Talent
A bit of luck
I remember someone telling me that they do not believe in LUCK because of the following statement:
LUCK FAVORS THE PREPARED
However, you can plan all you want but sometimes you are simply in the right place at the right time.
Regardless of all of philosophical mumbo jumbo, it will not hurt anyone, who wants to be successful, to pay attention to the above 16 points and incorporate them into your personality and behavior plans for the future...
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