Chickens gotta roost

Trump revokes Biden executive order on addressing AI risks

The order also directed agencies to set standards for that testing and address related chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and cybersecurity risks. Biden's order came as U.S. lawmakers have failed to pass legislation setting guardrails for AI development.…

The 2024 Republican Party platform vowed to repeal the order that it said hinders AI innovation and added "Republicans support AI development rooted in free speech and human flourishing."

Wait until these come home,

AI doesn't worry me, but people who believe in it do.

I don't know about this.

Can the US trust AI in nuclear command, control and communications?

It sounds pretty scary.

But maybe artificial intelligence would be better than no intelligence at all.

Just a thought.

Welcome to the Doomsday Ritz

Luxury 'Doomsday Bunker' for Ultrarich Unveiled by US Firm

Each facility features AI-powered medical suites, gourmet dining, and wellness programs, which will blend protection and luxury."

A mere $25 million could set you up for life.

Or whatever. 

An exercise in AI (Surprise!)

I've been pretty reluctant to entertain the idea AI could do a satisfactory job at English composition. But when I recently read a post on X (Twitter) by Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski complaining about a Trumpian plan to re-re-rename a certain mountain in her home state I decided maybe AI deserved a chance, after all.

This is Murkowski's tweet (xeet?):

I strongly disagree with the President’s decision on Denali. Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial.

And this is how Apple's AI rewrote it:

I vehemently oppose the President’s decision to rename Denali. Our nation’s tallest mountain, revered by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans for millennia, must retain its rightful name, bestowed upon it by these indigenous people who have been the land’s guardians for countless generations.

I think the AI said it best. 

Saying goodbye to celebrity food

Trump announces purge of over 1,000 Biden appointees: ‘YOU’RE FIRED!’

President Trump started purging more than 1,000 appointees from former President Joe Biden’s administration overnight – starting with celebrity chef Jose Andres…

Will Ronald McDonald return? 

A rose by any other name

The Gulf of Whatnow? Mapmakers grapple with Trump’s geographic renaming plans

In discussion on social media, one thread noted that the Sears Tower in Chicago was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, though it’s still commonly known by its original moniker. Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg, renamed its Market Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard and then switched back to Market Street several years later — with loud complaints both times. In 2017, New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge was renamed for the late Gov. Mario Cuomo to great controversy. The new name appears on maps, but “no one calls it that,” noted another user.

And then there's the Rio Grande…

Trump's dream

Trump’s dream TikTok deal could set a blueprint for doing business with China

With President Donald Trump back in office, his idea for a TikTok joint venture could set a precedent for how he expects all Chinese companies to operate in the US.

On Sunday evening, he posted on Truth Social: “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up.”

Whatever it is, it's OK as long as he or one of his pals gets a piece of the action.

A footnote on. the Trumps' meme coins

According to Perplexity AI…

The highest price ever paid for a bubble-gum baseball card is $12.6 million for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. This sale occurred in August 2022 and set a new record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.

I'm betting that was a far better investment than either $TRUMP or $MELANIA will ever be. Especially since the Mickey Mantle card came free with a stick of bubble gum. And in the 50's. even the gum didn't cost much.

In other words, they're souvenirs

$TRUMP Is Already Worth Billions. What to Know About the Meme Coin.

In the case of the president’s token, the meme is a picture of him holding his fist in the air with the words “fight, fight, fight” in the background, a phrase he mouthed after being shot in the upper right ear during a rally in Butler, Pa., last summer. The first lady’s meme is an image of her smiling while clasping her hands in a prayer.

"Dubbed $TRUMP and $MELANIA, the tokens are a type of cryptocurrency that doesn’t serve any economic purpose and whose value is based largely on the popularity of internet memes."

Getting right in on the pardon action

Trump pardons Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht for online drug scheme

His [Ulbricht's] arrest brought to an end what prosecutors described as a global, black market bazaar that for two years starting in 2011 was used by more than 100,000 people to buy and sell $214 million worth of illegal drugs and other illicit services.

OK, so the guy was actually convicted of something, unlike so many others.

Also something about cryptocurrency.  

 

The last word in cubicle attire

Twelve Dudes and a Hype Tunnel: Scenes from the ‘Super Bowl for Excel Nerds’

The championship — which has several corporate sponsors, including Microsoft — was held in person for the first time last year. [It featured] shortened rounds, eliminations, commentators and pregame “hype tunnel”…to raise tension and lure spectators.

The winner was awarded a wrestling-style world championship belt.

Amazon has a base in Davos

Davos climate activists paint Amazon base green, disrupt helicopters

No mention of what this base is for, but it's temporary and on the main street, according to this Reuters story, 

Davos, Switzerland, is the site of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, which begins about now.

And…

"So far we have blocked 10-20 helicopters in one and a half hours. Over the course of the day we are expecting around a hundred helicopters arriving here," Greenpeace activist Clara Thompson told Reuters.

One of the meeting's main concerns — its theme this year is "Safeguarding the Planet" — is burning too to much helicopter fuel.

Gotta do better than this

Trump administration canceling flights for nearly 1,660 Afghan refugees, say U.S official, advocate

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S., including family members of active duty U.S. military personnel, are having their flights canceled under President Donald Trump's order suspending U.S. refugee programs, a U.S. official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate said on Monday.

A whole lot better.

We're not even one whole day in and already… 

Only two months until spring

 It wasn't as much as they predicted. I take that as a good thing.

Saving money is not encouraged

China's frugal young adults accelerate saving, raising economic risks

BEIJING, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The frugal trend that began in China during the economic disruption of the pandemic and deepened amid the crisis in the property market is intensifying as Gen Z shuns government calls to spend, spend, spend and doubles down on saving.

This, I guess, is something like Georgie W's urging Americans to keep shopping after 9/11.

I would point out that I, myself, have heroically supported a growing economy at every turn. 

They're gonna just have to be content with Greenland

Indiana would like to redraw border with Illinois

Huston, R-Fishers, said he decided to draft the bill after he learned that in November seven Illinois counties — Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Madison and Perry counties — voted to secede from the state. Each of those counties besides Iroquois County either border Indiana or are near Missouri.

–Chicago Tribune 

Is there something acquisitional in the air?