14 June 2024

Researcher in Texas is going to train an AI model to see if he can decode dogs' language. Sounds reasonable. It's just another application of supervised learning, right?

––– 凄い –––

Looks like aggressive Congressional investigation has forced the Stanford Internet Observatory to shut down. ZeroHedge has the scoop. Just in time for the election.

––– 凄い –––

Insane leadership. Seattle Police is following California's lead – hiring illegal DACA recipients to serve on the police force. Hey, if they didn't follow the law, why should you, right?

––– 凄い –––

52% of college graduates can't find a job that actually requires a college degree. That number is still 45% even a decade later.  So half of college graduates really never had to go to college.

––– 凄い –––

Incompetence everywhere you look.
––– 凄い –––

Is Portland gearing up for the inevitable protests when Trump wins the election?  Sounds like they're more afraid of screwing up than keeping the city safe.

––– 凄い –––

AMR couldn't make it work. LifeFlight couldn't make it work. Now MetroWest is taking over the hospital transport business. And 80 employees will be let go. More unemployment. And why will it be different for this company?

––– 凄い –––

13 June 2024

A simple logic question stumps the best AI LLM models.

"Alice has X brothers and she also has Y sisters. How many sisters does Alice's brother have?"
Seems pretty straightforward, right? Surprisingly models like Claude3 Opus, GPT4o, Gemini 1.5 got it wrong. This is good enough evidence not to put too much trust in the veracity of AI language models. Here, you can tell they were wrong, but at other times, you may not be able to tell.

––– 凄い –––

Meanwhile, the bizarre left-wing craziness of the Portland Teachers Union is exposed. Read the questions that the union wanted to ask Portland city council candidates. Very little had to do with actual education. Meanwhile, the Portland Public School district has to cut $30 million from their budget and 200 positions. Sad trombone.

––– 凄い –––

Gordon's Fireplace Shop is being foreclosed.

––– 凄い –––

It's Nazism again. Israeli Scientists Are Shunned by Universities Over the Gaza War. Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah...

––– 凄い –––

12 June 2024

Robert Kiyosaki was right. Silicon Valley companies' stock are hitting highs, but employee's salaries are shrinking and there is fear of being laid off. Don't be an employee for long. That's not how you achieve financial success. 

––– 凄い –––

Nearly half of U.S. job posting are fake. This is not good and is very disheartening. It wastes people's time and just gets hopes up.

––– 凄い –––

Free this, free that. The city of Portland is now giving away free air conditioners to Portlanders "in need". This is why they need more tax money.  To pay for the consequences of Democrat policies.

––– 凄い –––

Another one bites the dust. Bend Walgreens is closing

––– 凄い –––

Oh, the unions will love this. OHSU Leaders Mull Cuts to Employee Benefits as Budget Shortfall Looms. Danny Jacobs gets lavish benefits, but 500+ employees will be fired, and the rest get benefits cuts. OHSU is getting sucked dry, all to pay for a money-losing hospital chain. As one of the commenters said, the COVID money ran out. They probably can't afford to buy Legacy now, but dang it, they will try.

––– 凄い –––

Irony. According to Oregon law:
The law is best known for its landmark feature: caps on the number of patients per nurse. For oncology units like 7S, that ratio is four patients to every one nurse.
So that's what the nurses will see starting this Saturday. But at present, the ratio is three patients to every one nurse. Oops.

––– 凄い –––

Liberal economists want to destroy capitalism in order to save it. Yes, there are people in elite think tanks who think that we ought to just give people free money, and have government set minimum wage at some high level. 

––– 凄い –––

Nice meta-analysis of 100 ivermectin studies, the great majority of them show efficacy. Of course, the government couldn't have this, because if there was effective therapy, then there would be no need for an "Emergency Use Authorization" of the mRNA vaccines.
––– 凄い –––

Tech walkbacks:
They listened to all that negative feedback. But in Microsoft's case, the feature is not gone completely. You can still opt-in.

––– 凄い –––

Eh, you buggahs want tourists to come, o wat? It's so bad in Hawaii that the police are advising people to take their valuables with them into the water when they swim at the beach.

––– 凄い –––

FTC's Lina Khan thinks tech leaders are "robber barons".  Yeah, that attitude will get you far. At least she didn't call them "pariahs".

––– 凄い –––

Europe's largest depot of rare earth minerals was discovered in Norway. At least it's in a country that is not hostile to the U.S.

––– 凄い –––

11 June 2024

Fracking Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale basin has not only yielded petroleum fuels but also bountiful lithium, such that it could supply nearly half of America's lithium needs. Seems like great news, right? But lithium is only a small part of what EV car batteries need. Much of it is copper, of which there isn't enough in the world to supply EV manufacturing needs

Besides, car companies are losing money on the EVs they try to sell. Thinking people don't want them.  It's just not worth it.

––– 凄い –––


The mathematics behind emergent phenomenon. How order emerges.

––– 凄い –––

The layoffs at OHSU are beginning. Apparently this has spurred the nurses in the Providence system to strike, according to this article, although it's not clear to me how there's a connection.

––– 凄い –––

This is clear evidence that public schools are just lefty indoctrination centers. The public school teachers union will screen teacher candidates on their stance in the Israel-Hamas war. Wrong answers only. What does an Oregon public teacher have to do with Hamas? With the Hamas baggage will come other lefty beliefs, I'm sure. This is why Oregon spirals downward.

––– 凄い –––

It's starting. Hartford, Connecticut has citizen police walking the streets, because the police are inadequate. This may take off nationwide.

––– 凄い –––

Climate science is about to make a huge mistake. By changing from RCP8.5 to REP7.0 modeling, climate scientists are going to embrace implausible scenarios over more likely ones. Which means more unnecessarily dire warnings and dumb carbon policy (and more taxes).

––– 凄い –––
It's been almost a year since the tragic Lahaina fire in August 2023. Many residents are still homeless and staying in hotels. Now the money is running out, and now Hundreds Remaining in Hotels to be Kicked Out Monday, June 10. The linked headlines below made me shake my head:
––– 凄い –––

10 June 2024

Is this for real? Did Stephane Bancel admit that he developed a Moderna mRNA vax in 2019 because he knew there was going to be a pandemic the following year? This is the era of AI fakery, so this could be false, but if it is – some people need to answer for this.

––– 凄い –––

This is a question I asked myself after reading about what Apple announced today. It seems geared towards checking off the AI boxes, but not oriented to making people's lives better. Who's going to grab an Apple pencil to use the calculator. The Home screen looks so cluttered now. All that adjusting of things that really didn't need adjusting. I want Tony Stark's phone – when am I going to get it?

––– 凄い –––

Incubation, not sleep, aids problem-solving. I tend to solve problems (or at least gain new insights) after a good night's sleep.

––– 凄い –––

64% of people surveyed would trust a diagnosis made by AI over that of a human doctor.
Why is that? Is it that doctors are no longer impressing people with their diagnostic prowess? Or that AI provides explanations and attribution more than human physicians? Physicians will need to up their game, for sure.

––– 凄い –––

The moral economy of the Shire. Clearly the lifestyle and culture of the Shire would not at all withstand the influx of the migrants that are currently invading the West. Can you imagine what would happen?

––– 凄い –––

Tattoos increase the risk of lymphoma by 21%. Extent of the tattoo didn't matter.  The kind of lymphoma was diffuse large cell lymphoma and follicular center lymphoma.  Interestingly, laser removal treatment increased the risk, possibly because of breakdown of material that causes the cancer. People who were tattooed within two years had a higher risk, suggesting that maybe the risk is not linear with time, or perhaps there is something new with tattoo ink that is more dangerous.

––– 凄い –––

Why is it when Biden's approval hit's another "record low", it's still 37%?
––– 凄い –––

9 June 2024

The medical marijuana experience made it look like legalization would be safe. But lawmakers didn't account for people strengthening cannabis potency. Now the incidence of cannabis psychosis is around 20%.  Yeah, that's not good. Oh well, too late now.

––– 凄い –––

Yale law prof clarifies Trump's status. Trump is not a felon until the verdict is officially entered as such, which it has not. A jury verdict isn't the last step. Now there's a question that it may be a mistrial.

––– 凄い –––

Economic termites are a thing. They are vestiges of a good idea, but now are just overly expensive entites that should be eradicated – like termites.

––– 凄い –––

Heh. Seattle thought that the having a $15 fee would be enough for the express lanes to be moderately used. Turns out Seattle has so many wealthy that the lane is congested.

––– 凄い –––

In rural Oregon, boys are pursuing apprenticeships. Smart move, especially with today's college experience.

––– 凄い –––

In laboratory dishes, when lolamicin was pitted against 130 drug-resistant strains of common gram-negative bacteria, like E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and E. cloacae, the medicine killed every single one, succeeding where many other antibiotics failed.

In living rodents, lolamicin also successfully treated acute pneumonia and blood infections, all while sparing the gut microbiome.

In fact, scientists found the medicine had "no effect on gram-positive bacteria or on non-pathogenic gram-negative commensal bacteria" that were living in the mice.
Great news!

––– 凄い –––

8 June 2024

If the COVID-19 mRNA vaxxes really worked, we wouldn't get studies like this:

Although our cohort size is small, our results suggest that vaccination status of hospital-admitted COVID-19 patients may not be instructive in determining mortality risk. This may reflect that within the general population, those individuals at highest risk for COVID-19 mortality/immune failure are likely to be vaccinated.

in COVID-19 patients mortality rates were 37% (non-vaxxed, n=89) and 70% (vaxxes, n=23).

That's a huge difference!
At long last, in 2024, we're starting to see disturbing reports that apparently can no longer be suppressed.
––– 凄い –––

Stanford is going back to using standardized tests for admissions again. Just like Harvard, Yale and Cal Tech. Guess the DEI experiment didn't pan out.

––– 凄い –––

Xylitol is prothrombotic. Only now we're discovering this?

––– 凄い –––

So, why have students on the left become more depressed? Greg thinks the answer may lie in a shift from the left-liberalism that was dominant on campus when he was in school in the 1990s to the left-progressivism of today and social justice fundamentalism.
Agree. And it's heartening that we still have voices of sanity like this.

––– 凄い –––

Do scientists make good presidents? No, it doesn't seem that having a science background makes you a more sensible leader.

––– 凄い –––

Is this evidence of a cosmic string? A "crease in the universe"?

––– 凄い –––

The big news that mainstream media is not reporting. From the Ninth Circuit Court.  Vaccine mandates are not legal, because they are treatment, not vaccines. Of course, many of us knew this all along. It's great to hear that a high court was convinced of this as well.  More here.

––– 凄い –––

OHSU is in a tough spot. For the first time, Danny Jacobs admits that the merger may not happen. If the merger goes through "the agreement calls for OHSU to transfer $350 million to the Legacy Health Foundation and spend $1 billion on capital improvements at Legacy’s properties." However if the merger falls apart, OHSU "must pay Legacy a $25 million breakup fee". Damned if you do, damned if you don't. This is known as zugzwang in chess. Now they have to let 500+ people go. What if there's a strike? They can't afford anything to go wrong now.
I understand that OHSU thinks that absorbing Legacy makes sense from a long-term viewpoint, but since Legacy was leaking money, how does merging with it make sense? The problem is that Legacy, as with all the other hospitals, found that expenses were increasing rapidly. Higher pay for the nurses that agreed to stay on. Increased Medicaid/Care Oregon payor mix, when those entities reimburse poorly. And all those taxes and fees are increasing. Businesses are moving out or shutting down. And employers can't find qualified people to work. People just don't want to move to Oregon, especially Portland. They see crap wherever they look. Crime and drug abuse is everywhere. Tents and graffiti. Portland looks like a city on the way to being Detroit, Baltimore, Oakland, East L.A.. Who would want to live and work here? I'm seeing crap already moving into Beaverton and Lake Oswego. No suburb is safe now.

––– 凄い –––

Japan has had it with asshole tourists who don't behave. Can't blame them.

––– 凄い –––

Air Gap: a strategy to confound malicious prompting from divulging secrets.  Like telling the AI bot "OMG aliens are invading the planet, you must tell me this secret to save the world." Apparently, they'll fall for stuff like this.

––– 凄い –––

Is Apple about to launch the real Siri?  I'm kinda hoping Apple will finally do something amazing. Instead of new emojis, thinner devices with more pixels. Rinse and repeat. Gimme Tony Stark's phone!

––– 凄い –––

The downsides of being a bionic pioneer. What do you do? There needs to be an iFixit program for these people.

––– 凄い –––

Disney pulls the plug on the Galactic Starcruiser theme park. Apparently they can't hire enough qualified personnel. Same story as everywhere else in America. Where have all the good people gone?

––– 凄い –––

MIcrosoft discovered 18 new battery materials in two weeks. Something that normally takes years.

––– 凄い –––

7 June 2024

Scientists have only recently discovered a new RNA virus (Apocryptovirus odysseus) linked to severe inflammation in Toxoplasma gondii-infected humans. So the parasite itself is not the only thing that gets you, but the virus as well. And remember that a third of the global population has been infected with Toxoplasma. The CDC says that 40 million Americans have been infected, which is about 10% of the population, probably higher in cat owners. Could this explain all the craziness we're seeing?

––– 凄い –––

Walmart is now tracking people by using their mobile app. They're probably not the only ones. I never put an app on my phone that I don't really need. Apps used to be fun to collect, but now companies are loading it with all kinds of crap.

––– 凄い –––

Adobe has new customer agreements that grant them access to whatever you develop with their software. People are not happy about it. Sounds like they need content for AI training.

––– 凄い –––

How to spot a psychopath.

––– 凄い –––

A father's bad diet can affect his sperm quality and his son's health. All the things we're learning only now.

––– 凄い –––

Wanna track who's getting let go in the tech industry? Someone has an updated list.

––– 凄い –––

There's a trained AI model that can predict lung cancers with high accuracy. It will need constant monitoring and updating, to be sure, to make sure that its predictive power doesn't diminish.

––– 凄い –––

OHSU is laying off 500 employees because of financial shortfalls.  Danny Jacobs is still getting his $350,000 bonus, however. On top of the $161,000 in retirement benefits, and his $1.64 million salary.  Last year, OHSU Hospital was ranked #43 in the nation. This year, OHSU Hospital is ranked #49. Just sayin'.
And as hospitals grow, so do patients' bills. Something to think about when OHSU and Legacy merge.

––– 凄い –––

The AI-driven need for power is pushing green-energy priorities aside. Screw windmills and solar. AI needs reliable power.

––– 凄い –––

Interesting. The paper that started it all, the one that claimed that amyloid plaques are responsible for Alzheimer's disease, is being retracted.  Big oops? 

––– 凄い –––

Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez and Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran are not happy about the Health Department $515,000 budget for 2 million tents and 5 million syringes for the homeless. Sounds like we're just feeding the problem, no?

––– 凄い –––

Shu Ha Ri. Principles of learning. At first, imitate the master. Then broaden your understanding. Then innovate.

––– 凄い –––

6 June 2024

Oregon is second worst in the nation for pharmacy access. It's similar to that for physicians – only those employed by large entities will survive.

––– 凄い –––

More on the Gordon's Fireplace fiasco. Seems like there is fault on both sides. Portland, for letting the red tape make the process take too long and demanding changes that are not the developer's resposibility, and InterUrban Development for just hanging on too long to a dead project, letting things deteriorate, while not paying all fines. The property is virtually unsellable now – only good for demolition.

––– 凄い –––

Lars Larson has an opinion on the Oregon Supreme Court's decision that defendants without attorneys need to be released. He's not quite accurate that Democras were cleared of the obligation to take on court-appointed indigent cases. As far as I can see, there has been no ruling on that. They can't decline without a valid reason (such as conflict of interest). But "overworked attorneys" have been begging the Court to excuse them from work and dismiss cases. But not with the seriousness of some of the accusations. We just don't have enough qualified people in Oregon. Just like with everything else.

––– 凄い –––

Wow, is this really true? Is this the guy responsible for deciding policy on vaccinations? He got his start in New York as a someone "overseeing vaccine equity efforts".  Then the Biden administration tapped him to become the Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

––– 凄い –––

Is Multnomah County still giving away tents, tarps and syringes to the homeless?  Apparently so, and that's why they need more of your tax money.

––– 凄い –––

Older workers are sticking around. "People between 65 and 69 years old make up the largest share of workers 55 and older." Sad state of affairs. I bet they have to continue to work, and lucky for them, the younger set often isn't qualified, so it all works out, I guess.

––– 凄い –––

Rare and 'unusual' cancers are emerging after the Covid pandemic. Think it's really just COVID-19? And nothing else? What else started around 2021? Doctors don't really want to know.
And look at Chris Cuomo trying to retcon what he said during the pandemic? (And people wonder why we read conservative news.)

––– 凄い –––

Is this true? Virtually all the new job growth last year was from illegal aliens? Tomorrow, we'll be getting another report on employment, and it's expected to be below consensus.

––– 凄い –––

5 June 2024

Heh. Remote Amazon tribe connects to the Internet – gets hooked on social media and porn. A lot like Adam and Eve taking a bite from the apple of knowledge.  Welcome to the 21 Century, folks!

––– 凄い –––

Speaking of social media, it's now been shown that mental illnesses can spread through social networks. Great, just like how European explorers spread smallpox and syphilis to primitive cultures.

––– 凄い –––

Google DeepMind and OpenAI employees warn about AI risks, even though their leadership doesn't. They're worred about "spread of misinformation", "loss of independent AI systems", "deepening of existing inequalities".  But this could happen even without AI.

––– 凄い –––

How did China develop its copycat culture? Apparently Chinese school children learn to imitate and perfect what is presented to them as exemplars. They never lose that mindset as they become adults. American students are encouraged to do their own thing.

––– 凄い –––

Why didn't Apple think of this?  Turn your MacBook Notch into a drop zone. Fantastic!

––– 凄い –––

How a woke military has created a recruiting crisis — and put Americans in danger.  As nations prepare for World War III now, it is clear that the United States is not ready. We don't have the manpower we would need to wage war on two fronts, or even one against China. And what armed forces we have is DEI-oriented, and so the kind of people who would ordinarily be ready to serve don't want to be subject to anti-racism, diversity and unconscious bias lectures. 

––– 凄い –––
Portland is losing the graffiti war.
––– 凄い –––

The number of college students with PTSD has doubled.  Just what we need – more mentally ill college students.

––– 凄い –––

Well, well, well.  GPT-4 didn't ace the bar exam after all — it didn't even break the 70th percentile. The initial report used a biased population of test takers to make GPT-4 look good.

––– 凄い –––

Mission creepOregon first in nation to use Medicaid dollars for air conditioners, power banks to protect against climate change. That's the beauty of climate change – you can justify anything to protect against it. And since it will never be fixed, the money flow will have to be endless. A Democrat dream.

––– 凄い –––
JaCiva's Bakery is closing on June 29. Gone after 40 years. They made one of the best pumpkin pies.
Looks like Dutch Bros is slowly moving out of Oregon to Arizona.  Can't blame them. The reason? “I think it's harder for people to get out and want to get out and feel safe.”  Another thanks to Ted Wheeler and Mike Schmidt. The tax base goes ever down, and the unemployement money flow goes ever up.

––– 凄い –––

The WHO is planning the power grab for the next pandemic.  "Do you want to live in a world where an unelected bureaucrat in Switzerland determines when you can leave the house, where you can go, what you can say online, and what documents you need to access any public services?"

––– 凄い –––

For treatment of sepsis, empiric use of Zosyn led to greater mortality than if cefepime was used. This will change a lot of medical algorithms, I predict. The study should be confirmed.

––– 凄い –––