November 12 Safe Tech International News and Notes
UK: “It’s Ok To Be Off Grid If You’re A Kid,” Ed Tech, How to Reach People, Baby Monitors and Sleep, Space, Cellphones and Schools
We still have a while to go before the inauguration, and a lot will unfold between now and January. There are many articles being written about the implications of a Trump presidency not posted here, but see https://www.benton.org/newsletter/daily-digest-11122024-veterans-and-digital-equity Here is a reboot of a video from May 7, 2017 "Ode to First Lady Melania Trump" from the first Trump presidency. “We want Wired Internet Instead, for our kids.”
David Charalambous, of Reaching People, and The World Foundation for Health, is producing profound work about how to discuss polarizing issues. “According to David, the adaptive unconscious, what I’m calling the back seat driver, has an enormously powerful impact on our choices and opinions. This decision-making ‘process’ is occurring unconsciously without us being aware of it, and mostly, without us being aware of the foundations laid by past traumas, propaganda, marketing and ‘nudging’.” - Tess Lowrie
Read to the bottom for a little fun example of AI talks smart meters.
FEATURED: David Charalambous ‘Reaching People’
10 Obstacles to People Listening Creating a psychological space where people can be receptive to new ideas involves understanding the dynamics of force and resistance. Traditional approaches to change often rely on increasing force and seeking to persuade people by providing more information, stronger arguments, or more compelling reasons. However, the very act of pushing creates the resistance we are trying to overcome. This instinctive pushback is known as reactance. Below is a short guide to help you ask questions as to why people are not listening to your message, and to better craft your communication so that it takes hidden motivations into account including steps to mitigate them. [] To find out more about how you can use proven behavioral psychology to get your message across in a potentially hostile environment, please go to www.reaching people.net© David Charalambous, Joanne Henderson Reaching People.net https://reachingpeople.net/dos-and-donts-in-conversation-copy/
See also: It has never been more important to acknowledge "the elephant in the room" An article by David Charalambous to support our conversation on MIND CONTROL A Better Way with Dr Tess Lawrie SUBSTACK
See also: MIND CONTROL: Who makes your decisions? It is easy to spot other people's biases, but can you spot your own? A Better Way with Dr Tess Lawrie SUBSTACK
FEATURED: Keith Cutter EMF Assessments
Learn EMF Assessment by Performing Mentored Assessments Strategic Initiative #2 Keith Cutter My strategic initiatives are designed to change the world. Strategic Initiative #1 introduced EMF Challenge Facilities to replace waning results from EMF advocacy and legal efforts. Strategic Initiative #2 aims to help communities by replacing opportunistic EMF businesses with a legion of Independent EMF Consultants committed to genuine service. [] Consider lead poisoning as an analogy to electromagnetic poisoning. With chronic lead exposure, the approach is straightforward: remove the lead and avoid further intake. Effective treatment focuses solely on eliminating the toxin so the body can recover. No supplement, wellness routine, or weird health hack can compensate for the continued presence of lead. True recovery relies on stopping the intake of poison. Would you continue consuming more lead during treatment? The answer is clear: absolutely not. The same principle applies to electromagnetic poisoning—no product or health hack can replace the need for reducing exposure. True recovery depends on accurate assessment and actionable strategies that minimize exposure.
FEATURED The Power Couple Asheville Hurricane of Radiation
REPOST: Asheville's Hurricane of Radiation Verizon's Wireless Arsenal | Technocrats | Quartz The telecom industry has always had to adapt to harsh weather conditions, and maintain coverage in the event of an outage. The difference with recent disasters like Helene is the fact that crews and networks are becoming mobile. Rather than focus on restoring infrastructure and repairing fiber, companies are focused on expanding their coverage area. Note: increased coverage equals more potential users, which results in greater amounts of data being harvested.
During the attacks on the World Trade Center, many cellular networks went down. Verizon swept in to save the day, and loaned out more than 6,000 devices to first responders. Across Washington and New York, coin-operated pay phones turned into a vital link to loved ones. During the 2022 Wildfire season alone, Verizon loaned more than 1,700 Verizon devices, including tablets, hotspots, repeaters, smartphones, and routers to first responders across the West. In 2021, Verizon unveiled THOR - a mobile, private rapid-response command center vehicle. The Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (THOR) vehicle was first shown at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, continuing an ongoing partnership between the Verizon Public Sector and the Department of Defense. With capabilities ranging from mobile, private 5G UWB to satellite, to commercial and onboard drone options, to the ability to be operated remotely from a tablet, THOR could be considered the Swiss-Army Knife of Frontline operations. Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders, developed over the last three decades in a corporate-government partnership. [] When Helene hit, telecommunications companies like AT&T were given access to FirstNet®, a communications band traditionally reserved for only emergency responders. The need for a first responder network with a dedicated spectrum was recognized in the wake of September 11th 2001, after first responders found it difficult to communicate over the congested cellphone network. In 2012, Congress passed the Spectrum Act. This act set aside part of the highly desirable spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band, known as Band 14, which was to be reserved exclusively for emergency communications. Low-band spectrum like the 700 MHz band provides several advantages, including the ability to better penetrate walls and other obstacles. In the decade since the Spectrum Act was passed, the FirstNet® network has expanded and can be accessed by 99% of the U.S. population. This rapid expansion in coverage can be attributed to AT&T’s strategy to give FirstNet users access to all bands on the AT&T network with priority over non-FirstNet users. This means that if there is a signal, FirstNet users will have coverage, even in remote areas where Band 14 may not be deployed yet. The greater implications of this network are that in the event of an emergency, AT&T will give FirstNet® users priority over non-FirstNet users and, if necessary, drop all commercial traffic and dedicate the network exclusively to first responders, along with the extended primary group as bandwidth allows. For this reason, a normal cellphone might stop working during a crisis, but a FirstNet® enabled device will continue to work. How will business owners, or anyone who does not choose to be on this cellular network communicate? Who is the privileged “extended primary group?” Asheville's Hurricane of Radiation - by Roman S Shapoval
NEWS AND NOTES
AI, 5G AND DATA CENTERS: Inside the data center boom: Building the future of AI, 5G and beyond Thanks to emerging technology, the United States — and even the world — is on the cusp of a data center building boom. Construction of these mission-critical facilities is expected to multiply sixfold by 2027, according to AFCOM. Case in point: 807.5 MW of new data center facilities were brought online in the first three months of 2024 alone, representing a 24.4% year-over-year growth, says CBRE. Inside the data center boom: Building the future of AI, 5G and beyond | Construction Dive
AI: 11/12 TO 11/17 NATIONAL ACADEMIES WORKSHOPS (2 DAYS) Implications of Artificial Intelligence-Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions: A Workshop https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/43750_11-2024_implications-of-artificial-intelligence-related-data-center-electricity-use-and-emissions-a-workshop
AI: Meta to let US national security agencies and defense contractors use Llama AI Company typically prohibits its use for ‘military, warfare, nuclear industries or applications, [and] espionage’ GUARDIAN
AI: AI companies are seeing limitations with training larger models
AI POLITICS: AI companies are psyched for less red tape. Case in point: the man in charge of tech policy on Trump’s transition team works at an artificial intelligence startup worth $14bn, giving the impression that we won’t see any restrictive regulation of AI from the new administration. GUARDIAN TECHSCAPE
AI: OpenAI and rivals seek new path to smarter AI as current methods hit limitations [] some of the most prominent AI scientists are speaking out on the limitations of this “bigger is better” philosophy. Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of AI labs Safe Superintelligence (SSI) and OpenAI, told Reuters recently that results from scaling up pre-training - the phase of training an AI model that uses a vast amount of unlabeled data to understand language patterns and structures - have plateaued. []The so-called ‘training runs’ for large models can cost tens of millions of dollars by simultaneously running hundreds of chips. They are more likely to have hardware-induced failure given how complicated the system is; researchers may not know the eventual performance of the models until the end of the run, which can take months. Another problem is large language models gobble up huge amounts of data, and AI models have exhausted all the easily accessible data in the world. Power shortages have also hindered the training runs, as the process requires vast amounts of energy. To overcome these challenges, researchers are exploring “test-time compute,” a technique that enhances existing AI models during the so-called “inference” phase, or when the model is being used. For example, instead of immediately choosing a single answer, a model could generate and evaluate multiple possibilities in real-time, ultimately choosing the best path forward. REUTERS ON MSN
AI: Woman Furious When Tattoo Artist Admits Her Half-Finished Tattoo Is AI-Generated "It doesn't have a soul." FUTURISM
BROADBAND: The New Administration and BEAD
CHILDREN ED TECH SCHOOLS JOHN HAIDT: The EdTech Revolution Has Failed The Case Against Student Use of Computers, Tablets, and Smartphones in the Classroom Introduction from Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch: When smartphones and social media platforms swept into teens' lives in the early 2010s, schools experienced their own digital revolution, with 1-to-1 laptops, tablets, and iPads becoming staples in classrooms across the Western world. (1-to-1 means one device for every student.) A decade later, the revolutionary optimism is fading. A recent OECD review found that most educational technology (EdTech) has not delivered the academic benefits once promised. Meanwhile, global test scores in math, science, and reading have been plummeting, as you can see in Figure 1 below. These trends were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they began in the early 2010s, just as digital devices were being placed on students’ desks. []In the first post in our series, Everyschool co-founder Amy Tyson addressed five major myths about screens in school. In this post, neuroscientist and educator Jared Cooney Horvath goes further, arguing that the EdTech revolution has been a failure. He explains why schools across Europe and Southeast Asia are moving away from student-facing digital technology, favoring more traditional methods—and why American schools would benefit from considering a similar shift.
CHILDREN ED TECH SCHOOLS The False Promise of Device-Based Education A reevaluation of screens in schools. Amy is a co-founder of Everyschool, an organization dedicated to making schools smarter, happier, and healthier through digital wellness. Amy offers a comprehensive analysis of the current landscape of screens in schools, addressing five major myths that fuel some of the device misuse and overuse in classrooms today. She also provides a clear, actionable roadmap for schools to adopt smarter, more effective technology practices that empower students to thrive in the 21st century. Myth #1: EdTech Is, On Average, Making Kids Smarter Myth #2: The Delivery Method Doesn’t Matter Myth #3: EdTech is Necessary to Teach 21st Century Skills Myth #4: Kids (These Days) Need Fun and Engaging Devices To LearnMyth #5: Technology is Connecting The False Promise of Device-Based Education
CHILDREN SOCIAL MEDIA AUSTRALIA: Australia to ban under-16s from social media – but can’t say how TikTok, Instagram and others will enforce it GUARDIAN
CHILDREN SCHOOLS NORWAY EINAR: The Screen Use Committee failed on the main factor [] I am looking in vain for a paragraph or two that deals with the fact that virtually all screen use in schools today is based on wireless use, and that exposure to microwave radiation from the screen and Wi-Fi router and mobile phones and cell towers has purely physical effects on children and young people's biology and on their ability to learn. energy and a good night's sleep. And so has line-bound voltage noise – dirty electricity – in the building's wiring harness – with a direct impact on health, mood and learning ability, as several studies discussed here on the blog have shown. Not a single one of the usual search terms for such a thing is successful in the new NoU. The topic has simply been omitted despite the fact that it is covered in the mandate. For 60 years, researchers in medicine and biology have known that electromagnetic fields such as those to which we are exposed from the antennas of an iPad, a mobile phone, and a wireless laptop – and for that matter also from energy-saving light bulbs and other digital equipment connected to the power grid – open up a wide range of harmful health effects by creating low-frequency energy that interferes with the functioning of the ion channels through overproduction of oxidants (ROS/reactive oxygene species: reactive oxidant species/free radicals). Screen usage committee failed on the main factor | I have something on my mind...
CHILDREN SCHOOLS: Schools Are Taking on Smartphones. What About Smartwatches? According to a summer survey by the EdWeek Research Center, 11 percent of district leaders reported a complete ban on smartwatches in their schools, while 34 percent said they're permissible under specific conditions.
CHILDREN SCHOOLS CELLPHONES: Phone Restrictions Make 'Immense Difference' at Boston Schools More than 30 Boston-area public schools are in the process of restricting student phone use on campus. Students and parents said there were "growing pains," but many are happy with the results. Phone Restrictions Make 'Immense Difference' at Boston Schools
CHILDREN SCHOOLS CELLPHONES: Enforcing Phone Restrictions a 'Nonissue' at Spokane Schools Spokane Public Schools this year barred cellphone use in class at its 57 schools. Teachers are seeing more engagement, and students report feeling more focused and social, with more talking and playing games at lunch. GOV TECH
CHILDREN SOCIAL MEDIA: Calif. AG Proposes Warning Labels for Social Media Sites State Attorney General Rob Bonta said he will work with a lawmaker during the next legislative session to introduce a bill requiring the labels. Asked whether he’d be open to similar disclosures for artificial intelligence programs, he said it was too early to say for certain. GOV TECH
CHILDREN SCHOOLS CELLPHONES: Folsom School Nixes Yondr Pouches in Favor of Phones-Off Policy Staff at Sutter Middle School in Folsom found that Yondr pouches created extra headaches when it came to monitoring them, but a policy of requiring phones to be powered off during school hours has been a success. GOV TECH
FCC; Sen. Cruz Tells FCC to Hit Pause on Regulation Rosenworcel made the same request in 2020 after Biden won. https://broadbandbreakfast.com/sen-cruz-tells-fcc-to-hit-pause-on-regulation/
5G UK Stephen Fry, Chrissie Hynde and Sophie Winkleman sign letter protesting 5G advertising on the Tube “As parents and health professionals campaign worldwide to protect their children from the numerous harms associated with smartphone apps, your administration is normalising the pervasive technology they’re fighting against,” it says. “As these parents work tirelessly, without resources for large-scale media campaigns, to preserve their children’s right to develop without the constant distraction of digital connectivity, London’s Underground stations now send an implicit message to children — and parents — that smartphone use is the default, leaving little room for alternatives.” The letter goes on to suggest an alternative poster in the style of TfL’s ‘Be Kind’ and ‘Be Considerate To Others’ campaigns with illustrator Toby Triumph. The new poster bears the slogan “It’s Ok To Be Off Grid If You’re A Kid.” Arnold argues that “children want to [switch off], but are scared to step outside these digital norms, pressured into smartphone use or bullied if they choose otherwise.” https://www.aol.co.uk/news/stephen-fry-chrissie-hynde-sophie-085127543.html
5G INDUSTRY: Consumer Groups Support EchoStar’s 5G Construction Extension EchoStar’s commitments will advance public interest goals, OTI and Public Knowledge said.
HEALTH EMR AUSTRALIA: Baby monitors affect sleep How does the radiation from wireless baby monitors affect sleep?Australian researchers have the answer.In a pilot study, published in late October, Dr Nicole Bijlsma and colleagues reported on the effects of radiation from a baby monitor on sleep - not the sleep of babies, but the sleep of adults.The researchers, from RMIT University and the Australian College of Environmental Studies, exposed 12 healthy adults to baby monitor radiation of 2.45 GHz over a four-week period. The results revealed some interesting effects on sleep.
Participants reported poorer sleep when exposed to radiation from the baby monitor than when sham exposed.
27.3% of participants had insomnia during the exposure.
During exposure, participants showed changes in brain wave patterns in the theta, beta, and gamma frequencies.
Some people reported more effects of exposure on sleep than others, particularly older women.
Repeated nightly exposure may have cumulative effects on sleep quality.
Baby monitors affect sleep – EMR Australia
HEALTH: LIGHT DR STILLMAN From Shoulder Surgery to Pain-Free A 70-Year-Old's Unexpected Recovery Story Ready to explore natural healing options? Register for our next meeting Contact us to learn more The future of healing might be as simple as the right kind of light. Your journey to renewed vitality could start at our meeting this week. Join Team Quantum Wellness LIVE @ 8:30 PM EST | 7:30 PM CST | 5:30 PM CST Every Wednesday This Month (11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27) Leland Stillman, MD
HEALTH/RESEARCH/SPACE: Stem cells grown in space show ‘super powers’ — but there’s a catch While Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk race to send tourists to space, scientists have found a more practical use for the final frontier: growing better medicines. It turns out that the International Space Station, orbiting 250 miles above Earth, might be the perfect laboratory for cultivating human stem cells. []One of the biggest challenges in stem cell therapy on Earth is growing enough cells for treatment. Adult stem cells, found in bone marrow and fat tissue, don’t readily divide and transform into specialized cells. This limitation means that obtaining sufficient quantities for research or patient treatment requires a costly and time-consuming process that often yields inconsistent results. []Space offers a unique solution to this problem. In the microgravity environment of the ISS, cells can grow in three dimensions more naturally, similar to how they develop in the human body. This is a significant advantage over traditional two-dimensional cell cultures used in Earth-bound laboratories, which less accurately represent human tissue. The immediate value of this interstellar research may be in growing tissue for disease modeling. Space-cultured stem cells could be used to create lifelike models of cancer and other diseases in laboratory dishes, allowing researchers to track disease progression and test new therapies. However, significant challenges remain. Scientists must ensure that cells maintain their strength and function after long-term exposure to microgravity. There are concerns about potential DNA damage from space radiation and whether cells might become cancerous. Encouragingly, Dr. Zubair’s team found no evidence of chromosomal damage that could trigger cancer in mesenchymal stem cells cultured in space. Through research on the ISS, scientists have gained a new understanding of how cells multiply, function, and transform into specialized cells. Importantly, they’ve discovered that microgravity fosters better cell growth and function compared to Earth-based laboratory settings. However, stem cell research in space remains in its early stages, and more scientific data, research, and funding are needed to fully understand the clinical potential of space-expanded cells. MSN
INPOWER ACTIVISM UPDATE: InPower's Notice of Liability (NoL) buffet expands this month, with new NoLs being finalised for the Wireless Radiation (5G) agenda and Smart Meters (Trespassing Technology) marking a first ever NoL for Japan. Another fruitful Worldwide Wave endeavour comes to a close, Scotland sees success with a head official stepping down, and billing by InPower Members reaches a whopping $14 billion Earth-wide. INPOWER NEWSLETTER
INSURANCE Norman Lambe from Norman’s Substack: The Insure Act will be coming to Congress Part 1 Since Adam Schiff has now been elected as the new United States Senator from California, the bill that he introduced to Congress, when he was in the House of Representatives, is expected to be reviewed as soon as possible and put before Congress for a vote. The bill in question is known as the Incorporating National Support for Unprecedented Risks and Emergencies Act, otherwise known as the INSURE ACT. WHAT SENATOR-ELECT SCHIFF WANTS THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT TO DO: On the very first page of the bill, the following is stated as to what the requirements are for the Treasury Department: “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a catastrophic property loss reinsurance program, and for other purposes.”
PLATFORMS APPLE VS. PATREON: The War Against Indie Creators Is Now Getting Dirty An arts and culture briefing from the trenches What Apple is now doing to indie creators is pure evil—but this story has received very little coverage. Journalists should pay attention, because they are under threat themselves. Apple is now putting the squeeze on Patreon, a platform that supports more than a quarter of a million creators—artists, writers, musicians, podcasters, videographers, etc. These freelancers rely on the support of more than 8 million patrons through Patreon, which charges a small 8-12% fee. Many of these supporters pay via Patreon’s iPhone app.Earlier this year, Apple insisted that Patreon must pay them a 30% commission on all new subscriptions made with the app. In other words, Apple wants to take away close to a third of the income for indie creators—almost quadrupling their transaction fees. This is the new business model from Cupertino, and it feels like a Mafia shakedown. Apple will make more from Patreon than Patreon does itself.The only way for indies to avoid this surcharge is by convincing supporters to pay in some other way, and not use an iPhone or Apple tablet.This is what happens when Apple decides to treat a transaction as an “in app payment”—as if an artist’s entire vocation is no different than a make-believe token in a fantasy video game.But you can easily imagine how almost anything you do with your phone could be subject to similar demands. Not long ago, this website attracted 20 million visitors per month. But Google changed its algorithm—and now only a few thousand visitors show up. “No one can find our site,” admits web publisher Joshua Taylor. But somebody else is benefiting. “Most entertainment keywords have now been given to one big company,” Taylor explains, “whose numerous sites own the top slots for nearly every entertainment-related query of any substance.” Taylor traveled to Silicon Valley to try to save his company, but “it turned into a funeral.” A group of twenty shadowbanned websites were granted a few minutes with a Google exec. It didn’t go well.
PLATFORMS POLITICS CANADA TIKTOCK: Canada orders TikTok to close offices over ‘security risks’ Chinese-owned firm’s operation falls foul of official review, though Canadian users will be able to use video app as usual GUARDIAN
POLITICS: Axios AM: Trump-Musk fusion President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, two billionaires with strikingly similar DNAs, are fusing into a new, powerful governing-media paradigm, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. Why it matters: This Trump-Musk fusion seems to grow stronger by the day. The two are working together to shape the new White House, the new Senate and the new Cabinet, plus future foreign relations and governing blueprints. Between the lines: The 78-year-old Trump and 53-year-old Musk might seem like an odd couple at first blush. But, they have striking similarities, according to Republicans close to both men.
Both had tough, dominating dads.
Both are rich and have their tentacles in numerous businesses.
Both revel in stirring the pot — and spreading fact and fiction at scale.
Both lack the empathy that holds others back.
Both believe the country and government need a massive shock to be saved.
Both view themselves as immune to rules and norms that hold other people back. AXIOS
POLITICS ECONOMICS: Elon Musk leads Fortune's first list of the 100 most powerful people in business, out this morning. Why it matters: Leaders on the list "share one defining trait: their actions and words influence what others think and do," Fortune executive editor Lee Clifford said.
The top 10, all CEOs:
Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX
Jensen Huang, Nvidia
Satya Nadella, Microsoft
Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase
Tim Cook, Apple
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta
Sam Altman, Open AI
Mary Barra, GM
Sundar Pichai, Alphabet
Between the lines: The list includes leaders from 70 American companies, 15 from Asia, 14 in Europe and one from the Middle East. 18 are women. AXIOS
POLITICS: Many links here about Trump, Musk, Tech https://www.benton.org/newsletter/daily-digest-11122024-veterans-and-digital-equity
PRIVACY GREEN MED EVENT: Your Phone is Spying on You (Here's How to Stop It) our friend Glenn Meder, an online Privacy and Security Expert to prove that in his webinar, Free Online Training… “TOP 5 STEPS TO EXIT THE SURVEILLANCE STATE & PROTECT YOURSELF ONLINE!” + Our Free eBook! GreenMedInfo – Privacy Academy on Thursday, November 14th at 7pm CT/8pm ET.
RIGHT TO REPAIR: Veterans Call For Right To Repair Military Equipment The military's inability to repair is costing soldiers their lives. Now vets are pushing for a fix. Also: young UK engineer designs an electric kettle just about anyone can fix.
SMART METERS: POLICIES FOR THE PEOPLE: SMART METERS Search for and engage with the policies that matter most to you. Smart Meters - Energy & Infrastructure - Policies for the People
SPACE HEALTH: NASA Still Trying to Figure Out Why Astronaut Was Hospitalized After Return to Earth "Everyone’s different, and that’s the part you can’t predict." Last month, three NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut were diverted to a hospital in Florida upon returning to Earth from the International Space Station — and the cause of the debacle has still not been made public. [] "Space flight is still something we don’t fully understand. We’re finding things that we don’t expect sometimes — this was one of those times," Barratt said over the weekend at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We're still piecing things together."[] Dominick went on to provide his own anecdote about his difficulty re-adjusting to being back on Earth after spending seven months in space — which, notably, was weeks longer than expected after the one-two punch of Boeing's disastrous Starliner launch and Hurricanes Milton and Helene pushed the astronauts' return back repeatedly. "The big things you expect, being disoriented, being dizzy," Dominick said, per The Guardian's reporting. "But the little things, like just sitting in a hard chair, my backside has not really sat in a hard thing for 235 days... It’s rather uncomfortable, right? I did not expect that. "FUTURISM
SPACE Amazon to FCC: Satellite ISPs Are The Real Deal New 706 Report shouldn’t exclude satellite internet technology, tech giant says
SPACE: Right now, the sun is far more active than predicted—and small satellites are paying the price Last week, three tiny Australian satellites from Curtin University's Binar Space Program burned up in Earth's atmosphere. That was always going to happen. In fact, Binar means "fireball" in the Noongar language of the First Nations people of Perth. When a satellite is in low Earth orbit (2,000km or less), it experiences orbital decay as it drags closer and closer to the surface, eventually burning up. Our sun has kicked into high gear, and the Binar satellites are far from the only casualty. Recent high solar activity has been causing an unexpected headache for satellite operators in the last few years, and it's only increasing. Higher solar activity means more solar flares and stronger solar wind—resulting in a higher flux of charged particles that can damage or disrupt electrical components on satellites. It also means an increase in ionizing radiation, resulting in a higher dose for astronauts and pilots, and potential disruptions to long-distance radio communications. But for satellites in low Earth orbit, the most consistent effect of solar activity is that the extra energy gets absorbed into the outer atmosphere, causing it to balloon outward. As a result, all satellites less than 1,000km from Earth experience a significant increase in atmospheric drag. This is a force that disrupts their orbit and causes them to fall towards the planet's surface. Notable satellites in this region include the International Space Station and the Starlink constellation. These satellites have thrusters to counteract this effect, but these corrections can be expensive. Low Earth orbit also contains many university satellites, such as the Binar CubeSats. Cube satellites are rarely equipped with tools that can adjust their altitude, so they're entirely at the mercy of space weather. THE CONVERSATION
SURVEILLANCE: 'FYI. A Warrant Isn’t Needed': Secret Service Says You Agreed To Be Tracked With Location Data The Secret Service has used a technology called Locate X which uses location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on phones. Because users agreed to an opaque terms of service page, the Secret Service believes it doesn't need a warrant. 404 MEDIA
WARFARE: Defense tech startups are thrilled. Now what? Many venture capitalists and defense tech entrepreneurs bet early on Trump’s campaign, convinced he could reform the Pentagon’s arcane budgeting system in ways that will push it to adopt their cutting-edge innovations faster. Defense tech startups have long struggled to persuade the DOD to buy from them. Venture-backed defense tech companies took less than 1 percent of the $411 billion in federal defense contracts awarded last fiscal year. That’s even as the department increasingly seeks out AI-enabled systems, defense venture funding continues to pour in and new global conflicts have stoked calls to modernize military arsenals. POLITICO
WARFARE: The AI Machine Gun of the Future Is Already Here The Pentagon is pursuing every available option to keep US troops safe from the rising tide of adversary drones, including a robotic twist on its standard-issue small arms. The AI Machine Gun of the Future Is Already Here | WIRED
WARFARE: Gavin Mounsey Always Remember, War Is A Racketeering Operation (always has been and always will be) On this day when we have been conditioned to glorify war as "necessary and honorable" let us take an honest look at the true nature and profiteers of Modern Warfare
EVENTS:
11/13 Webinar: Why & How to Create Phone-Free Schools! You needn't read The Anxious Generation in advance, all are welcome for an interactive discussion!
Register: Wednesday, Nov. 13 12 Noon ET/9 a.m. PT, Join Mary Anne Tierney, RN, MPH, EMRS, and Cece Doucette, MTPW
ENDNOTE:
A number of writers are reporting that the internet is being ‘scrubbed,’ for example, this article from the Brownstone Institute: They Are Scrubbing the Internet Right Now.
I have been working on a synopsis of smart meter health issues, as Massachusetts investor-owned utilities will soon be deploying AMI meters. When I did a search for Massachusetts Smart Meters, this is what I received, without prompting AI’s assist:
(#3 LINKS TO the FOIA re Muckrock MA Department of Public Health: Smart Meters and Health • MuckRock - and the infamous tobacco scientist for smart meters
Gotta love it when AI scrapes the internet and finds these treasures, or a truth that you reported, while no one is looking at what AI is saying.
The wireless arsenal in Asheville is truly astounding. Thank you Patricia - most of the links on that story I got from a previous post of yours!