About half way into this, classic South Park, firing on all cylinders and just roasting the stupidity that is our existence.

AI, crap hollywood, forced diversity and the funniest part to me, lack of basic labor skills.

Quote:The White House will reportedly reveal a ‘sweeping’ AI executive order on October 30

The Biden Administration is reportedly set to unveil a broad executive order on artificial intelligence next week. According to The Washington Post, the White House’s “sweeping order” would use the federal government’s purchasing power to enforce requirements on AI models before government agencies can use them. The order is reportedly scheduled for Monday, October 30, two days before an international AI Safety Summit in the UK.

The order will allegedly require advanced AI models to undergo a series of assessments before federal agencies can adopt them. In addition, it would ease immigration for highly skilled workers, which was heavily restricted during the Trump administration. Federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Energy Department and intelligence branches, would also have to assess how they might incorporate AI into their work. The report notes that the analyses would emphasize strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses.

On Tuesday evening, the White House reportedly sent invitations for a “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” event for Monday, October 30, hosted by President Biden. The Washington Post indicates that the executive order isn’t finalized, and details could still change.

Meanwhile, European officials are working on AI regulations across the Atlantic, aiming for a finalized package by the end of the year. The US Congress is also in the earlier stages of drafting AI regulations. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) hosted AI leaders on Tuesday at the second AI Insights Forum.

AI regulation is currently one of the most buzzed-about topics in the tech world. Generative AI has rapidly advanced in the last two years as image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E 3 emerged, producing convincing photos that could be disseminated for disinformation and propaganda (as some political campaigns have already done). Meanwhile, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Bard and other advanced large language model (LLM) chatbots have arguably sparked even more concern, allowing anyone to compose fairly convincing text passages while answering questions that may or may not be truthful. There are even AI models for cloning celebrities’ voices.

In addition to misinformation and its potential impact on elections, generative AI also sparks worries about the job market, especially for artists, graphic designers, developers and writers. Several high-profile media outlets, most infamously CNET, have been caught using AI to compose entire error-ridden articles with only the thinnest of disclosures.

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-...rent-plant

This was interesting and I wanted to post it because I have found some pretty amazing benefits from the cannaboid world. CBD having some amazing medicinal properties to it.
Having run a hemp shop, I can tell you that it really does work for many different health issues. 

I believe the true science (as far as the medicinal side goes) has been hidden from us, thanks to big pharma.
__________From the article_________
"Scientists have discovered cannabidiol, a compound in cannabis known as CBD, in a common Brazilian plant, opening potential new avenues to produce the increasingly popular substance.

The team found CBD in the fruits and flowers of a plant known as Trema micrantha blume, a shrub which grows across much of the South American country and is often considered a weed, molecular biologist Rodrigo Moura Neto of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro told AFP in June.

CBD, increasingly used by some to treat conditions including epilepsy, chronic pain and anxiety, is one of the main active compounds in cannabis, along with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC – the substance that makes users feel high."

_____________end quote___________


That's pretty significant. To actually find cannaboids in another plant is pretty big in my opinion. Especially when the health benefits are considered, and the possibility of having a common weed in someone's backyard can help with something like epilepsy. 

Now I wonder, how many more plants carry cannaboid properties.

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Interestingly, Russia built its own version of B83 thermonuclear gravity bomb relatively recently - in the 2000s.



Translation:

"In Russia, for the same purpose, in the period from 2000 to 2010, the SPAB for naval aviation was modernized, its nuclear explosion safety and security in unregulated operating conditions was increased. In addition, a modern SpAP (a close analogue of the American Mk83) has been developed and put into service for arming long-range aircraft, and the development of the SpAP for arming fourth and fifth generation aircraft equipped with a multiplex information exchange channel has been completed, ensuring the expansion of tactical possibilities of combat use."

Source: ELECTRONIC LIBRARY HISTORY OF ROSATOM - USSR Atomic Project (Russian text)


Looking up the B83 just so happened to lead me to much more recent directly related news...The Biden administration plans to develop a new nuclear bomb. Yes, you heard it right. The plan appears to be intended to persuade Congressional hardliners to agree to retire the B83-1 Megaton bomb.

Quote:Biden Administration Decides To Build A New Nuclear Bomb

[UPDATED] The Biden administration has decided to add a new nuclear gravity bomb to the US arsenal. The bomb will be known as the B61-13.

The decision to add the B61-13 comes shortly after another new nuclear bomb – the B61-12 – began full-scale production last year and is currently entering the nuclear stockpile. The administration stated that it would not increase the number of weapons in the arsenal and that any B61-13s would come at the expense of the long-planned B61-12.

According to defense officials, the B61-13 will use the warhead from the B61-7 but will be modified with new safety and use-control features as well as a guided tail kit (like the B61-12) to increase the bomb’s accuracy compared with the B61-7.

Although officials assured us that the B61-13 plan is not due to new developments in the target set, the press material from the Pentagon is more direct: B61-13 will “provides us with additional flexibility” by “providing the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets.”

Like the B61-7, the B61-13 will be designed for delivery by strategic bombers: the future B-21 and, until it is retired, possibly also the B-2. It is not intended for delivery by dual-capable fighters. This decision to build the B61-13, however, appears to have less to do with a military need than striking a political deal to get rid of the last megaton-yield weapon in the US arsenal: the B83-1. This weapon was originally slated for retirement under President Obama until it was resurrected by the Trump administration; it has since become a focal point of the battle between the Biden administration, which wants to retire it, and congressional hardliners, who want to keep it.

Change Of Plan

The case for the B61-13 is strange. For the past 13 years, the sales pitch for the expensive B61-12 has been that it would replace all other nuclear gravity bombs. By re-using the B61-4 warhead, adding new safety and use-control features, and increasing accuracy with a guided tail kit, the agencies initially argued that it would be a consolidation of four existing types (B61-3/4/7/10) into a single type of gravity bomb.

Military officials have explained countless times that the B61-12 would be able to cover all gravity missions with less collateral damage than large-yield bombs. Increasing the bomb’s accuracy was the key reason why the tail kit was added, replacing the older drag parachute system of the older weapons.

By reducing the number of bomb types, the administration argued, it would be possible to reduce the total number of gravity bombs in the arsenal by 50 percent and save a substantial amount of money. Moreover, by using a warhead for the B61-12 with the least amount of fissile material, the proliferation risk from theft would be reduced, so the argument went. When the B61-10 was retired in 2016, the pitch obviously changed to consolidating three bomb types, rather than four, into one. But the Obama administration also wanted to use it to replace the ultra-high yield B83-1 and eventually the B61-11 earth-penetrator.

The Trump administration had different interests, however, and its Nuclear Posture Review decided to retain the B83-1 (for reasons that remain unclear, and appear to have as much to do with undoing any decisions from the previous administration and little to do with military requirements or target sets) and leave the fate of the B61-11 unanswered.

When the Biden administration took over, its Nuclear Posture Review decided to proceed with retirement of the B83-1 but did not say anything about the B61-11. The Republican-controlled House did not agree and have used the years since to solicit hardline views that the B83-1 is somehow still needed.

Privately, however, Air Force and NNSA official disagreed. A high-yield gravity bomb is no longer needed and maintaining the B83-1 would cost a lot of money that could be better used elsewhere. Moreover, the NNSA production schedule is packed and adding a B83-1 life-extension program could jeopardize much more important programs. Although the B61-13 will add stress to this backlog, it will not increase the NNSA’s planned plutonium pit production schedule.

B61-13 Characteristics

Confusingly, the name B61-13 has already been used for another nuclear weapon: the future bomb intended to replace the B61-12 in the late-2030s and 2040s. That weapon was first described in NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan in 2015 (see images below).

Quote:ROGERS, WICKER STATEMENT ON B61-13 GRAVITY BOMB

Oct 27, 2023
Press Release

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement following an announcement by the Department of Defense on the B61 gravity bomb.

“While we welcome the step of creating a variant of the B61, which will better allow the Air Force to reach hardened and deeply-buried targets, it is only a modest step in the right direction. The B61-13 is not a long-term solution, but it will provide our commanders, particularly in INDOPACOM and EUCOM, with more flexibility against these target sets. As the Strategic Posture Commission recently noted, China and Russia are in a full-on arms race, and the U.S. is running in place. Dramatic transformation of our deterrent posture – not incremental or piecemeal changes – is required to address this threat.”

Quote:Congressman Lamborn’s Statement on Development and Implementation of the B61-13 Gravity Bomb (October 27, 2023)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Doug Lamborn released the following statement on the Department of Defense’s announcement of the development and implementation of the B61-13 gravity bomb:

“Around the world, our enemies are digging deeper underground, and the U.S. Air Force needs the tools to hold these targets at risk,” said Congressman Lamborn. “As Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, I am pleased to learn that the Department of Defense and National Nuclear Security Administration are pursuing the development of B61-13, a new variant of the B61 gravity bomb that will enable the U.S. Air Force to strike hardened targets. While the B61-13 is a step in the right direction, it is not a long-term solution. We must continue to develop tools in our nuclear arsenal, like the SLCM-N, that provide the Commander-in-Chief maximum flexibility to deter our adversaries – particularly in the EUCOM and INCOPACOM theatres.”

Hi all. 

I've just tried something new to me. I bought an organic califlower and it felt wasteful to throw away the green leaves around the end? So I cut those up and cooked them seperately. I ate them with some butter and black pepper , it was perfectly fine. Not delicious, but certainly edible.  So from now on, I'll be eating those . My son would surely complain if I served them to him though 

Any similar tries ?

The image shows a Galactic dance of three Galaxies captured by old faithful , the Hubble Space telescope , we see a pair of Galaxies known collectively as Arp-Madore 2339-661 , they are individually known as NGC 7734 , the larger one at the top and NGC 7733 at the bottom as it reaches out to its partner with an exchange of Cosmic stuff.
The Galactic dance is happening 500 Million Light Years from Earth.

But where's the third Galaxy I hear you ask , well that is the small red knot like structure on the right side of the bottom Galaxy , originally it was thought to be a part of NGC 7733 but it's different colour gives it away as a separate Galaxy , as they dance all three move ever closer with the three destined at some point to merge and become one , a Cosmic threesome if you like.

Quote:This striking image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures the interacting galaxy pair known as Arp-Madore 2339-661. The Arp-Madore catalog is a collection of peculiar galaxies, and this group’s particular peculiarity might be odder than first meets the eye, as there are three galaxies interacting here, not just two. 

The two clearly defined galaxies are NGC 7733 (smaller, lower right) and NGC 7734 (larger, upper left). The third galaxy is currently referred to as NGC 7733N and is visible if you look carefully at the upper arm of NGC 7733. There you can spot knot-like structure, glowing with a different color than the arm and obscured by dark dust. This could easily pass as part of NGC 7733, but analysis of the velocities (speed and direction) involved reveals that this knot has a considerable additional redshift. This means it is very likely its own entity and not part of NGC 7733. This galaxy group presents one of the many challenges that observational astronomers face: working out whether an astronomical object really is just one, or multiple objects, one lying in front of another as seen from Earth’s perspective!
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble...c-dance-2/

This happened yesterday 28th October at home.

For those that don't know I live in the bush, hilly,  on a reasonable selection of 109 acres,  We just had a severe fire rip though the area and me and 'true love' did our best to keep the flames away from the house.  As I type, all is good now.  Last time this happened over 80 houses  were lost in 2019.

The fire lasted a couple of days and came at us from two fronts.  'truey' took some days off. but after everything had settled, coupled with some rain, she went off to work early at 0430 yesterday.  I made her lunch and saw her off.  I was home alone (?) .  No comms.  Telecommunication tower was knocked out but I said I would be fine like last time (2019).

So, after she left safely, I lay down on the lounge in the 3rd lower level of the home.  Had my 3 dogs and 2 cats with me.  One dog (Rusty the toy poodle) and 1 cat on the lounge with me. The cat slept on the lounge head above my shoulders. Girlie (dog) on the other lounge and Charlie (dog) lay on the floor.  I pulled a blanket over me and not long after I fell asleep.  It was dark. 

During this sojourn I was constantly woken by my right foot being pulled.  I thought it was the dog and checked but the dog wasn't near my feet.  Being very tired I dismissed it each time and nodded off but it happened again.

I don't remember how many times it happened but I woke at one stage after feeling it.  Twilight (dawning) was showing through the window above my head so I said to myself "Fuck it".   I got up and went and made a coffee.  After that I then turned on the water pump and had a shower.  Cleaned up and dressed for another fire day I made another coffee.  Gave the dogs their respective breakfast cookies where they lay.

Sat down with the coffee, rolled a smoke and was sitting peacefully in the early morning quietness on the lounge with the animals.  This is what spooked me.  Mind you, all communications here had been knocked out by the fire.  So it was silent.

The cat jumped off the head of the lounge, I plainly heard laughter from the upper level but it sounded like two people laughing at each other.  Distinct laughter sounds like people laughing in your face.  Dogs jumped as I did.  Dogs low growling looking up the stairs. 'Girlie let out a few muffled barks but I could see the hackles along her spine raised.  She eased off her lounge slowly and hopped on her 3 legs to the base of the stairs looking upwards.  The 2 smaller dogs followed suit.  

Because we had fire brigade trucks (several) dropping though at all hours each previous day I figured it was firemen.  I got up and walked outside followed by the diligent doggy wogs who stood by my side and behind.  (Which is unusual in these circumstances).  Normally they would be running out at full tilt before me. I just said, "C'mon on." and we did a circuit of the house.  The area around the house is cleared for a considerable distance and you can hear approaching vehicles.  Nothing.  Not a sound.  No choppers or planes, no cars or brigade trucks.  The dogs were different in that they stayed by my side instead of their normal running out in front.  They were growling but it was low.  I was getting really spooked.  

Did another circuit of the house, checked the sheds.  (This is daylight now mind you).  Nothing, no one about.  I went back inside.

Thinking that it was my imagination (but he dogs heard it too).  Shook my head and went to the stairs.  Now 'girlie' has only 3 legs and can't mount the polished timber steps.  The 2 smaller ones can easily.  But they would not follow.  All the dogs stood at the base while I walked upstairs, looking back at time thinking what is going on.  Checked the 2 upstairs room.  All was fine.  came back down met by wagging tails.  Checked the other rooms around down further.  Nup!

House was clear.  

Yeah,,Long winded story I know but the laughter was audible to all and lengthy, I kept checking everywhere in the house during the rest of the day.  It might be my imagination but the laughing was also mocking, in your face.  I needed to put this down now while it was fresh in my memory.  I started to relate it soon after it occurred but lost power and connection due to circumstances.  So here it is now.

Anyone had a similar experience?

Kind regards,

Bally

Quote:This video discusses how ancient cultures were capable of moving huge blocks of stone without modern technology, using modern examples and experiments to help visualise how scaling these methods up to 100's or 1000's of people could make moving the large blocks of stone that they did extremely feasible. Logistics and technique make things possible, as well as man power, coordination, and eventually as for us, technological advancement.

During the month of October I like to indulge in horror films. I usually watch one a night during the month. Sort of my own tradition. 
I got really into old black and whites a while back, and sat down and watched this film last year. This became my new favorite horror film of all time, for one simple reason.

The "monster" of the film ended up not being the monster at all.

Frankenstein's monster was actually gentle and kind. Almost childlike, as was depicted in the scene where he stumbles upon a little girl and shows gentleness towards her. The true monsters of the film were the people. Incited by fear they are all driven to violence against a something they didn't understand. 

It seems silly, but I actually identified with that.

I'm about to sit down and watch it, and in the spirit of the season I thought I'd share that thought with you all, and highly recommend you watch this film. Especially if you've never watched it, and are a fan of the horror genre.

Frankenstein (1931) is almostb100 years old now, and is still considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time. 
It's neat to me to see the start of it all in movies like this.

Enjoy