July 25 Safe Tech International News and Notes
July 25 Safe Tech International News and Notes
AI, Olympics, Outage, Bitcoin Mining, Economics, Smart Meters Technical Data
Note; I expect Olympics/Tech to dominate the news for a short time. I kept the Olympics news together under AI, - although the games are showcasing many other risks posed by tech, including massive surveillance. (Read carefully)
I recommend Melanie Hempe’s article on waiting beyond 8th grade for a good overview) on kids and phones)
FEATURED: SMART METERS: BURDENS OF THE MODERN GRID
How harmonics, differing measurement practices, poor device performance, lax calibration standards and residential load imbalances are driving inflation from electrical overhead Assembled By Sean Polacik 7/16/2024, Instrumentation & Electrical Technician from 2004-2021 Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical industries https://drive.google.com/file/d/18EQxI2p5sF-1x0TcpHCUU-1rEBLC0elo/view?usp=sharing (32 packed pages of an excellent reference and evolving document)
News and Notes
Note: Recently I emailed Doug Dawson from CCG Consulting and Pots and Pans, (who I frequently reference, as does industry). To him, I was a complete stranger. I asked if my broadband usage was increasing, because more AI had been automatically added to my search function capabilities, without my intention or consent. I was surprised and grateful when we exchanged a few emails back and forth. He posted a blog about his thoughts on the topic - below. Although I don’t agree with him, my respect for him grew immensely)
For many of my specific searches I receive links to the exact opposite of what I am looking for, with wild goose chases. bad links, etc. and it’s getting worse, not better. I am not saving any time.
My interaction with Doug contrasted with my experience when I contacted a well-known eye doctor about children reading on school buses. He sent back an AI-generated, poorly constructed response. Most likely he was quite pleased with how new tech served his needs.
How many companies would foster loyalty, and not need to spend so much money on advertising, if they treated their customer’s time and needs with respect?
This has made me think about the currency of presence and respect, and the joy of simple of direct, personal transactions like supporting small businesses in person with cash. To me, these transactions are always an expression of exchange and mutual gratitude. The more impersonal commerce becomes, the more it mimics junk food. AI and frivolous tech use is a vote for lack of human consciousness, and lack of presence and attention.
I think pushback, which is in its infancy regarding children and smart phones, will continue to grow. (I am thrilled that more students are opting for trade schools)
AI INDUSTRY: AI Impact on Power and Broadband The big question that nobody seems to be able to answer is if AI will change the amount of broadband the average household uses. It’s not an easy question to answer. It’s a reasonable question to ask because I seem to read weekly how AI is going to affect the way we communicate, and that seems likely something that will involve broadband. An easier question to answer is AI’s impact on U.S. power consumption. It’s clear, at least for now, that AI and cryptocurrencies are fueling the construction of a lot of new data centers. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report for 2024 predicts a big uptick in worldwide power demand coming from data centers. IEA estimates that worldwide data centers in 2022 used about 460 Terawatt Hours (TWh) of power and predicts that by 2026 demand from data centers will grow to between 620 and 1,050 TWh. That would be the equivalent of adding as much energy used annually by Sweden at the low end of the estimate or Germany at the top end. IEA says that data centers in the U.S. will grow from using 4% of generated power in 2022 to 6% in 2026. The impact on broadband usage is harder to pin down. AI will impact broadband usage is several ways. [] The impact on broadband usage is harder to pin down. There is the middle-mile impact of supporting the many new AI data centers. There are two types of data going to and from data centers. There is traffic sent to and from users asking AI to respond to queries. That means a public-facing AI data center should be equally as busy as a data center that responds to Google searches today. The second big use of broadband comes from feeding the public-facing data centers with the massive amount of data needed to ’train’ the AI. A public AI data center imports piles of data scraped from websites and other sources. An AI data center will create a busy node on the Internet that will draw a lot of traffic. [] It’s possible that AI will decrease the amount of bandwidth used at home. If I research a topic today to write a blog, I do a Google search and perhaps visit a half dozen websites looking for background information. If I instead ask an AI search engine to find what I need, I’m going to look at fewer web sites if I’m satisfied with the AI answer to my questions. A recent article in Scientific American suggests that Google might use 30 times more energy to answer my question using AI instead of its traditional search engine. But at my home computer, I will likely use less bandwidth to get the condensed response from the Google AI. Most of my interfaces with AI involve transmitting short questions to the AI cloud, and receiving relatively short responses. This doesn’t mean that there won’t eventually be more data-intensive uses for AI in the home. It may be possible to use AI to create a truly smart home that takes care of our needs automatically. [] But for now, for most users, it’s hard to think that AI will increase bandwidth usage at home. AI Impact on Power and Broadband | POTs and PANs (potsandpansbyccg.com) (I disagree)
AI: The AI Hype Machine is Running on Empty. [] after dumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI startups, investors are discovering that the payoff to date has been extremely underwhelming. In a column in January I noted that in the practical world of business, where real results matter rather than hype and bragging rights, the smart players were starting to back away from their substantial commitments and investments in generative AI tools and projects. Especially the guys who write the checks and keep score. Yeah, they were all still talking a good game, but fewer and fewer of them were putting their money where their mouths were. The AI Hype Machine Is Running on Empty | Inc.com
AI AND DATA: California Is Awash In Misleading Data — And The Consequences Have Been Devastating California is awash in incomplete and misleading publicly-collected data, and experts say it’s letting policymakers and politicians get away with running the state into the ground. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao touted in recent months a massive decrease in crime, but it was later revealed that Oakland published misleading non-violent crime data by comparing incomplete 2024 figures with complete figures from previous years, giving the false impression of improving crime to policymakers and the public. The crime statistics in Oakland are indicative of a larger issue in the whole state, which has routinely used misleading and incomplete data to hide the magnitude of serious issues like homelessness, the COVID-19 pandemic and crime that have ultimately harmed average citizens, according to experts who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation. HERE
AI ECONOMICS: Why OpenAI may well be completely Zuck’d Let’s start with profits. I have long suspected that OpenAI was losing money, and lots of it, but never seen an analysis, until this morning. The Information just dropped a (tentative) analysis, and it’s not pretty: HERE
AI AND OLYMPICS: Google and NBC are using AI to try and stick the landing at the Paris Olympics The most public aspect of the deal will have NBC commentators demonstrating Google Search’s AI Overviews feature during their coverage. They’ll share quick hits and more detailed information about various sports, athletes, and Olympic rules. Google hopes to highlight how AI Overviews can answer questions in a single search (though presumably without the suggestions to eat the discus). In particular, SNL alumna and NBC’s “chief superfan commentator,” Leslie Jones, will be using Google’s Gemini AI to look into the Games and learn about new sports in real-time. The AI Overviews will also be accessible on NBC’s social media channels. NBC wants AI to improve the accessibility and engagement for Olympics viewers who might otherwise find some aspects of the events incomprehensible. Google’s AI plans can be seen as the flip side of the coin from how Intel is embedding AI tools in the experience for the athletes with an Olympic chatbot to help them get around the Olympic Village and surroundings. For those attending in person, Intel and Samsung have teamed up to produce an AI-powered identification tool to spot and tag athletes on the field. Intel has its own broadcast initiative, too, with Intel AI producing highlights for every event. HERE
AI; AI and Tech Innovations Revolutionize Paris 2024: A Game-Changer in Sport With applications ranging from athlete safeguarding to enhanced broadcast experiences and efficient energy management, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology innovations are set to transform some aspects of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, paving the way for future editions. These include safeguarding against cyber abuse, creating highlight videos in multiple formats and languages, and implementing a sophisticated data capture and energy management system to enhance sustainability. The IOC also plans to use AI for talent identification, with a global project set to launch in 2025 to ensure that AI in sport is accessible to everyone. HERE
AND Olympic athletes all given same special phone when they arrive in Paris The Samsung Wallet app will be pre-loaded with an in-app pass to allow for free drinks at vending machines around the Olympic and Paralympic Villages. The phones are also AI-enabled, following the launch of Samsung’s first on-device AI experience earlier this year with Galaxy AI. This allows for athletes to enjoy live translation of calls and the interpretation of in-person translations of live conversations. AI Composer will help athletes compose emails, text messages, and social media posts. With 10,500 Olympic and 4350 Paralympic Athletes competing in Paris this summer, this remarkable commitment from Samsung is valued at over $26 million. As a result, the victory ceremony and gold medal presentations will never be the same with traditions set to be altered ahead of the arrival of Olympic selfies. Olympic athletes all given same special phone when they arrive in Paris (msn.com)
AND: 1,000 people suspected of spying have been blocked from Olympics, French official says PARIS (AP) — Three days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, France’s interior minister said about 1,000 people suspected of possibly meddling for a foreign power have been blocked from attending the Olympics — one of the security challenges that Paris is cracking down on in its goal to keep Games safe for athletes and fans. About 1 million background checks have scrutinized Olympic volunteers, workers and others involved in the Games as well as those applying for passes to enter the most tightly controlled security zone in Paris — along the banks of the Seine — ahead of the opening ceremony on the river Friday. 1,000 people suspected of spying are blocked from the Olympics | AP News
OLYMPICS and GAMING: Olympics to Hold Its First Esports Games Starting in 2025, Amid Concerns the games industry may be surging, having recently generated more money than movies and North American sports combined, but enthusiasm for esports has ebbed and flowed. Now, though, competitive gaming will get a jolt of recognition: The International Olympic Committee has just formalized the Olympic Esports Games, with the first scheduled for 2025 in Saudi Arabia. Olympics to Hold Its First Esports Games Starting in 2025, Amid Concerns (msn.com)
AI and POLITICS: What voters want on AI from Trump But what would voters actually want, if Trump won? The Artificial Intelligence Polling Institute asked nearly 1,000 respondents last week, sharing the results exclusively with Digital Future Daily. The online poll asked them to rate the sometimes conflicting views that Trump allies and the man himself have expressed on AI. What they found might give pause to open-source acolytes and out-there accelerationists alike — and, perhaps unexpectedly, to the Republicans who are ready to line up behind Trump’s desire to repeal President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI agenda. Those who responded to the poll, while often conflicted, have serious concerns about the safety of the technology itself. That’s a top Biden-Harris priority that Trump has been downplaying. They’re also majorly worried about keeping the most advanced forms of AI out of the Chinese government’s hands, which seems like a more potentially bipartisan political project. []The poll also tackled an AI-adjacent issue that has become a key GOP talking point: AI’s thirst for energy. Trump recently suggested that Biden-era environmental regulations would stymie the technology’s development. A mere 33 percent of Trump voters agreed that “regulations should be eased on power generation” for AI, with 37 percent opposing such a move and 30 percent saying they weren’t sure. (They also showed lackluster support for Vance’s beliefs about open source as a solution to alleged political bias, with only 31 percent agreeing with him.) Asked whether Trump in a second term should prioritize keeping the U.S. ahead of China on AI or keeping Americans safe from it, they prioritized safety by a margin of 15 points. HERE
AUTOMOBILES: GM’s Cruise Origin Robotaxi Is Officially Dead he Cruise Origin autonomous pod that was supposed to be deployed on American streets “in the tens of thousands” is officially dead. The purpose-built autonomous vehicle didn’t have a steering wheel or pedals and featured campfire seating, which led to regulatory hurdles, General Motors, the parent company of Cruise, said. “The Cruise team will also simplify their path to scale by focusing their next autonomous vehicle on the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt, instead of the Origin,” said GM CEO Mary Barra in the company’s letter to shareholders for the second quarter financial results. “This addresses the regulatory uncertainty we faced with the Origin because of its unique design. In addition, per-unit costs will be much lower, which will help Cruise optimize its resources,” she added. After it had its permits revoked in California and voluntarily pulled its entire fleet from the streets, Cruise returned to Houston, Phoenix and Dallas for testing purposes but without the autonomous tech enabled. Money-wise, GM’s autonomous taxi venture is doing better than last year, cutting expenses by $200 million in the second quarter compared to last year. However, the subsidiary still reported an operating loss of $1.14 billion, including a $605 million impairment charge. Since 2018, Cruise lost well over $5 billion. Last year, following an incident where a Cruise robotaxi dragged a pedestrian who had initially been hit by a human-driven car, the company’s CEO, Kyle Vogt, resigned, and roughly 24% of the workforce was laid off. Marc Whitten was hired as the new CEO, the position of chief safety officer was created and GM asserted more control over the AV startup. HERE
AUTOMOBILES: General Motors is taking a massive write-off on its Origin robotaxi. GM’s Cruise abandons Origin robotaxi, takes $583 million charge
CELLPHONES: Will Thomas -- CELL PHONES OUT OF THE BOX: Radical Reflections On The Wireless Revolution 59:45 VIDEO HERE (COURTESY VICKI)
CELLPHONES INDUSTRY VERIZON EARNINGS: Verizon sounds the alarm on a trend that is hurting its pockets Verizon (VZ) has just revealed that it is facing a dip in its earnings, and one of the main culprits is an unexpected change in consumer behavior. In its second-quarter earnings report for 2024, Verizon revealed that it generated a total operating revenue of $32.8 billion during the quarter. Even though this is a 0.6% increase from the same time period last year, it falls short of the $33.06 billion analysts estimated, according to LSEG data. Wireless customers aren't upgrading to new devices as often Verizon stated in the report that the revenue growth was “offset by a decrease in wireless equipment revenue due to lower upgrade volumes,” which means that fewer customers are switching out their old phones for newer ones. During an earnings call that discussed the report, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Tony Skiadas revealed that total upgrades during the second quarter declined by roughly 13% year-over-year. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg claimed during the call that the amount of customers upgrading phones has been “a bit low for a while,” and that the increased quality of phones is partially to blame. “We are going to see what's going to happen in this cycle, I don't feel very worried about it,” said Vestberg during the call. “I feel that we are in a great position to handle it.” Even though the company is experiencing historically low phone upgrades, Apple's upcoming iPhones, which will include new artificial intelligence features, may help reverse the startling trend. HERE
CELLPHONES: Maine parents call for cellphone bans in schools, citing concerns about mental health and social skill development courtesy Ed
CELLULAR PHONES, ECONOMICS: Warren sounds alarm on T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular deal with Justice Department, FCC Six senators are asking the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission to consider challenging a deal that would allow T-Mobile to use part U.S. Cellular's wireless spectrum. New letter from lawmakers says consumers could be charged billions more from higher-priced carriers with lower-prices carriers combining. Lawmakers also ask the Justice Department to consider unwinding the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. HERE
CELLPHONES CHILDREN: How Phones Are Making Parents the Anxious Generation Smartphones are trust blockers for parents TikTok Video Showing a Mom using a new GPS tracker in her daughter's ponytail. Source: MummaJules. HERE
CELLPHONES CHILDREN Be ScreenStrong Substack: Why You Need To Wait Longer Than 8th Let’s talk about the best age for a smartphone, based on science. MELANIE HEMPE
CHILDREN The EM Radiation Research Trust calls for full investigation into the deaths of the two young children at Millstead Primary School The EM Radiation Research Trust calls for a full investigation into the deaths of the two young children at Millstead Primary School. We are concerned because there have been zero health tests on 5G before the rollout in Liverpool and because two children from the same school have died. We call on the Government and local authorities to prove to us this technology is safe. Thousands of peer reviewed studies show biological harm from 2G, 3G, and 4G at levels BELOW the allowable guidelines, so tell us why this more powerful 5G is being allowed to roll out without objection. Who is responsible for this profound oversight? Letter sent to public officials here: https://www.radiationresearch.org/uncategorised/the-em-radiation-research-trust-call-for-immediate-investigation-into-phone-mast-near-millstead-primary-school-following-the-deaths-of-two-children/
CHILDREN SCHOOLS: Many in Gen Z ditch colleges for trade schools. Meet the 'toolbelt generation' HERE
CHILDREN INSPIRATION: The Engagement Tax The Analog Family The cost of active play KATHERINE JOHNSON MARTINKO I have always maintained that you cannot take screens away from kids without giving them other things to do. Something has to fill the void that is left when screens are removed from the equation, and that thing should be an increase in independent, free-range-style play, where parents step back, subtract themselves, and refrain from saying “be careful” too often. Parents must understand that their child’s engagement with the real world could result in some injury or damage, either to themselves or to the things they’re engaging with, but that it is fundamentally a beneficial thing. The engagement tax is proof that the child is growing up and into the real world. The child is forging a path, finding their way, and will ultimately be safer for having tested their limits in a low-stakes environment than if they spend their childhood bubble-wrapped in the physical and virtual “safety” of the home, conditioned to fear the outside world. HERE
CHILDREN: NTIA Releases Best Practices For Children Online It included recommendations to federal agencies, online platforms and parents. The report urged social media companies to design their platforms to protect youth well-being. Recommendations include creating age-appropriate content for young users, reducing or removing features that encourage excessive or problematic use, ensuring privacy protections for youth by default, limiting “likes” and other social comparison features, and providing age-appropriate parental control tools. HERE
CHD CHILDREN’S HEALTH DEFENSE UPDATES: This quarter, the EMR & Wireless team is focusing on privacy & surveillance, with lots of new assets and info to view and share! Check out the newest social media graphics here: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/emr/share-information/ And 2 new educational flyers here: 5 Reasons Why 5G Threatens Your Privacy
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/EMR-Q3-Flyer1-5Reasons5GThreatensPrivacy-071124.pdf 10 Ways To Protect Your Privacy In The Digital Age
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/EMR-Q3-Flyer2-10WaysToProtectYourPrivacy-070824.pdf AND Watch Scott McCollough discuss the issues surrounding privacy and surveillance on CHD TV here: July 22: Vaxxed 3 + EMR Update Scott is now on social media, so please like and follow him! On X: https://x.com/McCollough_Law On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccollough_law?igsh=MTN5ZWRlYmxpc2h5ZA== FYI, the search is still on for plaintiffs for our smart meter line of cases - help us spread the word! Injured by Your Smart Meter? CHD Is Seeking Plaintiffs for a Lawsuit
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/community/injured-smart-meter-chd-seeking-plaintiffs-lawsuit/ Or on X at: Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) on X:
https://x.com/ChildrensHD/status/1813167192361607282
DATA: Poisoning Your Data – “Solutions Watch” with James Corbett 15 MINUTES
ECONOMICS: Amazon bleeding billions of dollars from money-losing Alexa speakers: report mazon’s Echo smart speakers – home to the virtual personal assistant Alexa – have sparked billions of dollars in losses for the company despite strong sales and household name recognition around the world, according to a report. CEO Andy Jassy – who took the helm of the Settle-based e-tailing giant in 2021 after billionaire founder Jeff Bezos stepped down – has set his sights on cutting costs, and the smart device business is reportedly on the chopping block. Amazon has sold more than 500 million Alexa devices as of 2023. But between 2017 and 2021, the company lost more than $25 billion from its devices business, according to internal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. HERE
ECONOMICS: Nvidia sent profit warning amid uncertainty of AI boom hipmaker giant Nvidia is generating vast sums from the sale of its advanced semiconductors, but the company has been fired a warning on the need for profit to provide stable foundations for the future. As reported by The Korea Times, SK Group CEO and chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Chey Tae-Won sounded a reminder of the precarious nature of supply and demand, required to underpin any successful business. “Without making money, the AI boom could vanish, just as the gold rush disappeared," said Chey, as he harked back to the California gold rush period in the mid-19th century. When the gold became scarce, the pickaxe sellers no longer had a market. Nvidia is currently soaring from the insatiable demand for its AI-focused chips from companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and Google-owner, Alphabet. It was recently named the world’s most valuable company before some market adjustments but it currently boasts a market cap of $2.9 trillion. HERE
ECONOMICS: US FTC looking into targeted pricing based on personal data (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched a study of products that could allow companies to set different prices for consumers based on their locations, past purchases, and other personal data. The agency said on Tuesday it had ordered Mastercard, JPMorgan Chase, and six other companies to provide information about targeted pricing products, the data they use, who uses them and the effect on prices. HERE
ECONOMICS: NUMBER OF THE DAY 3.6% Disappointing earnings from Google and Tesla triggered a Big Tech selloff Wednesday, dragging the broader market lower. Both the Nasdaq Composite (which fell 3.6%), and the S&P 500 (down 2.3%) notched their worst declines since 2022. The Dow lost 504 points, or 1.3%. Tesla shares fell more than 12% after warning that its vehicle volume growth rate this year could be substantially lower than that of 2023. And Alphabet shares tumbled 5% after the company reported a slowdown in ad revenue. - CNN Business Nightcap
5G; 5G from AT&T and Verizon turns out to be Europe-level bad US telcos have spent billions of dollars on frequency licenses and networks, and yet 5G connections are hardly ever available, according to new Opensignal data. The hot-off-the-press US mobile network experience report from Opensignal, which keeps an attentive eye on the nation's telcos, contains what renowned analyst Craig Moffett described in one of his own reports as a "shocking revelation." Among all the various metrics showing average speeds and coverage was a crucial detail about a massive 5G lead one of the "big three" telcos enjoys over the other two. On "5G availability," T-Mobile resembles an Usain Bolt alongside the decrepit fun runners of AT&T and Verizon, scoring 67.9%. AT&T limps over the line below 12%, while Verizon collapses on it at 7.7%. The problem with C-band, in Moffett's view, is simply that "it isn't very good spectrum." Under the rules of physics, the telecom industry faces a trade-off when deciding which frequencies to use for mobile services. The lower bands, especially those beneath the 1GHz threshold, are excellent long-distance runners and infiltrators of buildings. But they are also relatively slow, purely because they come with thinner reserves. At the other end of the scale is the millimeter wave spectrum around 26GHz. It supports lightning-quick connections over short distances but is a flop on longer journeys. It is also a weakling, unable to punch through the flimsiest barrier. With lowband good for coverage and highband prized for capacity, the C-band seemed like a happy compromise. So much, in fact, that the entire global equipment industry has positioned 3.5GHz and surrounding "midband" spectrum as the 5G sweet spot. Yet the real sweet spot, judging by Opensignal's research, is at least 1GHz lower. Unlike AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile has deployed its 5G network partly on 2.5GHz spectrum acquired with its $26 billion takeover of Sprint in 2020. Referenced in Moffett's latest report, a simulation that year carried out by Crown Castle, an owner of passive infrastructure, appeared to show much better propagation characteristics for a 2.5GHz compared with a 3.5GHz deployment. 5G from AT&T and Verizon turns out to be Europe-level bad (lightreading.com)
HAVANA SYNDROME Could mass hysteria explain these mysterious outbreaks, from Havana syndrome to hiccups? Dan Taburski's new podcast 'Hysterical' dives into unexplained outbreaks, including one among teen girls in Danvers. [] He’s at it again in “Hysterical,” a podcast examining bizarre cases that may — or may not — be examples of conversion disorder, better known as mass hysteria. That you can listen to all seven episodes and be unsure what Taberksi himself believes is testament to his insistence on asking questions rather than answering them. “There’s something about podcasting that allows for time to explore possibilities and to really embrace complexity,” he said in an interview. At the center of “Hysterical” — produced by Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios and available everywhere today — is the outbreak in 2011 of a mysterious illness among a group of mostly high-school girls in upstate New York. The girls (as well as one boy and a middle-age woman) in Le Roy, N.Y., all experienced Tourette-like symptoms, including vocal tics and spasms. Despite the best efforts of doctors, state health officials, and scientists who examined the soil and water around the high school in Le Roy, the cause of the endemic, which eventually became national news, couldn’t be explained. Even Erin Brockovich, the paralegal famous for linking a widespread illness in one California town to contaminated groundwater, was stumped. Mass hysteria, or mass psychogenic disorder, generally refers to a condition with symptoms that have no clear medical cause and spreads among members of a defined group or community of people. (Most of the girls in Le Roy were cheerleaders.) The commonly cited example of mass hysteria is the odd behavior of several girls and young women in 17th century Salem. “Hysterical” posits that the phenomenon in Le Roy could be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials.Taberski isn’t the first person to suggest that what happened in Le Roy may have been mass hysteria. But his podcast takes the possibility more seriously than most, including the parents of the affected teens, who, it’s clear, don’t believe the illness could have been all in their child’s head.“It’s delicate,” Taberski says. “You’re basically implying that this might not be what you think it is, and that’s a hard thing to do. But it’s also interesting and valuable to talk to these people and present other possibilities and see how they deal with it.” He isn’t surprised that some of the girls and their parents don’t want even to acknowledge the possibility that mass psychogenic illness might be the culprit. “It’s hard to live with the idea that some of what you experienced might be in your head,” Taberski says. “Especially if you’re a woman and there’s a long history of people telling you it’s all in your head when it’s not.” “Hysterical” examines other unexplained cases, including so-called Havana syndrome, the perplexing illness that’s affected dozens of US intelligence, diplomatic, and military personnel. The subject of multiple news stories and “60 Minutes” segments over the past few years, the mystery illness has debilitating symptoms — chronic headaches, dizziness, general cognitive dysfunction — that appear suddenly. Some speculate that the condition could be the result of a brain injury caused by microwaves or ultrasound. Taberski entertains that idea, but he also wonders if mass psychogenic illness could explain why so many people in similar lines of work, confronting many of the same concerns and stresses, developed similar symptoms. He suggests that conversion disorder is a plausible explanation, or at least as plausible as high-power microwaves. I’m inclined to agree. The podcast briefly touches on another not-so-well-publicized outbreak — chronic hiccups among a group of teenagers in Danvers in 2012. Much like what happened in Le Roy, two dozen teens, mostly girls, developed a case of hiccups that they couldn’t shake. Environmental factors were investigated but ultimately ruled out, and no obvious explanation emerged. State officials finally concluded that conversion disorder could be the cause, but their findings were never made public. Could mass hysteria explain these mysterious outbreaks, from Havana syndrome to hiccups? (msn.com) (how do certain podcasters receive so much attention?)
HEALTH: TECH WELLNESS: Do AirPods Have EMF Radiation? What You Need To Know And Wave Block Review 2024 (article includes products sales)
LAND GRAB FOR TECH: VIRGINIA TAKES FARM LAND | Local Government Condemns Farm Land for BIG TECH. 29 MINUTE VIDEO HERE
MINING: What is Bitcoin mining and how does it work? Bitcoin mining statistics A miner currently earns 3.125 Bitcoin (about $196,875 as of April 2024) for successfully validating a new block on the Bitcoin blockchain; Creating Bitcoin consumes 176 terawatt-hours of electricity each year, more than is used by the Netherlands or the Philippines, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index; It would take nine years of household-equivalent electricity to mine a single bitcoin as of August 2021; The price of Bitcoin has been extremely volatile over time. In 2020, it traded as low as $4,107 and reached an all-time high of $73,750 in March 2024. As of April 2024, it traded for about $63,000; While it depends on your computing power and that of other miners, the odds of a modestly powered solo miner solving a Bitcoin hash were about 1 in 26.9 million in January 2023; The United States (37.8 percent), Mainland China (21.1 percent) and Kazakhstan (13.2 percent) were the largest bitcoin miners as of January 2022, according to the Cambridge Electricity Consumption Index. Bottom line While Bitcoin mining sounds appealing, the reality is that it’s difficult and expensive to actually do profitably. The extreme volatility of Bitcoin’s price adds more uncertainty to the equation. Keep in mind that Bitcoin itself is a speculative asset with no intrinsic value, which means it won’t produce anything for its owner and isn’t pegged to something like gold. Your return is based on selling it to someone else for a higher price, and that price may not be high enough for you to turn a profit. HERE
OUTAGES: February AT&T Outage Blocked 92 Million Calls FCC Says The outage also blocked 25 million 911 calls and affected the nationwide first responder network. The agency released on Monday a report on the incident. It comes just over a week after AT&T made public a massive data breach in which call logs and numbers of millions of subscribers were leaked, which the FCC is also investigating. -Broadband Breakfast
OUTAGE TOM VALOVIC COMMON DREAMS; The Great Global Computer Outage Is a Warning We Ignore at Our Peril If we cannot control the effects of our own technological invention then in what sense can those creations be said to serve human interests and needs in this already overly complex global environment? For some of us who have worked in the tech field for many years, such an event was entirely predictable. This is simply because of three factors: 1) the inherent fragility of computer code, 2) the always present possibility of human error, and 3) the fact that when you build interconnected systems, a vulnerability in one part of the system can easily spread like a contagion to other parts.[] Scope, Scale, and Wisdom [] humanity’s ability to continue to build these kinds of systems runs into the limitations of our conceptual ability to embrace their vastness and complexity. So, the question becomes: Is there a limit in the natural order of things to the amount of technological complexity that’s sustainable? If so, it seems reasonable to assume that this limit is determined by the ability of human intelligence to encompass and manage that complexity. To put it more simply: At what point in pushing the envelope of technology advancement do we get in over our heads and to what degree is a kind of Promethean hubris involved? Opinion | The Great Global Computer Outage Is a Warning We Ignore at Our Peril | Common Dreams
OUTAGE: We finally know what caused the global tech outage - and how much it cost What’s been described as the largest IT outage in history will cost Fortune 500 companies alone more than $5 billion in direct losses, according to one insurer’s analysis of the incident published Wednesday. On Wednesday, CrowdStrike released a report outlining the initial results of its investigation into the incident, which involved a file that helps CrowdStrike’s security platform look for signs of malicious hacking on customer devices. The company routinely tests its software updates before pushing them out to customers, CrowdStrike said in the report. But on July 19, a bug in CrowdStrike’s cloud-based testing system — specifically, the part that runs validation checks on new updates prior to release — ended up allowing the software to be pushed out “despite containing problematic content data.” HERE
POLITICS TECH FINANCES POLITICO When the government funds high-tech research, should it be for true moonshots? That’s the new question surfacing about the Biden administration’s biggest, most lavishly financed tech policy. The debate is centered on a new entity called the National Semiconductor Technology Center, an R&D project hatched in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act — which Congress made the centerpiece of its $11 billion longer-term strategy to make the U.S. more competitive in the future trillion-dollar microchip industry. [] Today, the semiconductor industry faces a whole new set of societal grand challenges — questions around sustainability, energy use, and workforce shortages — that are relevant for not only chipmakers but the future of computing-intensive technologies like AI. Central to Schneider’s argument is the funding strategy behind the NSTC. The law will provide it with money for five years. Then, unless Congress intervenes, it will have to transition to a self-sustaining organization paid for by semiconductor companies themselves. Schneider argues that the clock is already ticking: the NSTC should pursue bold, concentrated bets now, while it is still being subsidized by the government. Its largest potential corporate funders may be less excited about a risky research agenda. HERE
POLITICS: Tech Influence Felt at GOP Convention in Milwaukee With JD Vance potentially beside Trump in the White House, and with pro crypto and pro AI policies in the GOP platform, it’s not a stretch to imagine a Trump administration looking kindly toward emerging technologies. [] In the 2024 platform, the GOP promised to end the Democratic Party's “unlawful and unamerican crypto crackdown,” and to protect the right to mine crypto and keep transactions surveillance free. Judging by the enthusiastic nods received whenever it was mentioned in the sessions, the platform's most popular crypto promise was the commitment to prevent the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency. Within the industry, there has been debate about whether Trump is genuinely committed to a new regulatory framework designed to unlock innovation, or the GOP’s current leadership has been merely flirting with the industry in order to receive financial support. - BROADBAND BREAKFAST
SMART METERS - WATER METER OPT OUT, MADISON WISCONSIN: https://www.cityofmadison.com/water/billing-rates/water-meter/standard-water-meter-opt-out
SPACE: SpaceX just stomped the competition for a new contract—that’s not great NASA wants a "robust" commercial space community. But it has a long way to go. There is an emerging truth about NASA's push toward commercial contracts that is increasingly difficult to escape: Companies not named SpaceX are struggling with NASA's approach of awarding firm, fixed-price contracts for space services. This belief is underscored by the recent award of an $843 million contract to SpaceX for a heavily modified Dragon spacecraft that will be used to deorbit the International Space Station by 2030. HERE
SPACE: We’re building nuclear spaceships again—this time for real The military and NASA seem serious about building demonstration hardware. HERE
WATER: It's A Hot Sewage Summer The Brockovich Report Two Los Angeles-area beaches shut down for 48 hours earlier this week when an estimated 15,000 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into a nearby creek. The cause of the sewage discharge was a broken water main that pushed sand into the sewer causing the blockage, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a news release. Just last week, we were talking about infrastructure… and how a water main breaks in the U.S. every 2 minutes or so, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card. This gross spill is just another example of what happens from those incidents. HERE (because we put money into surveillance meters instead of infrastructure maintenance?)
Signs of Hope:
