Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 2/25/25. The goal is to make this a technology "reddit".
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 2/25/25. The goal is to make this a technology "reddit".
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
Good Day Mr Task
https://inleo.io/threads/view/milaan/re-leothreads-2m5aqi6yc
In the US they already were.
Oh
Bitcoin drops to a 3-month low below $90,000 in risk-off move
Bitcoin fell through the $90,000 level overnight, weakened by sell pressure in equities as the crypto market awaits its next market catalyst.
Bitcoin fell through the $90,000 level overnight, weakened by sell pressure in equities as the crypto market awaits its next catalyst.
The price of bitcoin was last lower by 8% to $86,730.81, according to Coin Metrics. Earlier, it slid as low as $86,128.21, its lowest level since November.
Tuesday's decline puts the blue chip coin almost 20% off its all-time high reached on President Donald Trump's inauguration day.
#bitcoin #crypto #markets
Some crypto investors acting like it’s the end of the world, but give it a week, and they'll be calling for $200K again. I'll just say it's the same movie, just different year
Anyone who is in this industry more than 3 weeks should understand volatility. It is amazing how so many lose their crap when things crash.
Hell right now everything is crashing. Stocks. Gold. Commodities.
wait 🤣🤣🤣👀👀👀👀👀 I didn't even check the stocks woah it's a blood bath in finances everywhere, who did this to the world 🤣🤣🤣 ... I think it was Bound to happen. From your opinion do you think bull run is over
For this season or year
"Equities have faced a few difficult sessions over the last week, with top-performing stocks down many times the index, as markets grapple with increased uncertainty under the new administration," said Steven Lubka, head of private clients and family offices at Swan Bitcoin. "This pressure has spilled over into bitcoin and crypto markets."
The S&P 500 on Monday posted a three-day losing streak as it failed to recover from last week's sell-off, driven by concern over a slowing economy and sticky inflation.
"Ultimately, the lack of visible short-term catalysts and pressure from equities creates an environment for profit-taking and pressure from shorts," Lubka added.
PayPal lays out strategy for Venmo to reach $2 billion in revenue in 2027
Facing competitors like Cash App, Zelle, and Apple Pay, PayPal is focused on expanding Venmo’s role in digital commerce.
At PayPal's first investor day in four years, CEO Alex Chriss will deliver a clear message to shareholders: Venmo isn't just an easy way to split the dinner tab.
Chriss, who took the helm in September 2023, is trying to spur a turnaround at the payments company, and Venmo is a key part of his effort. The company told investors in New York on Tuesday that Venmo can top $2 billion in revenue by 2027. The last time PayPal provided an annual revenue figure for Venmo was 2021, when it was about $900 million.
#paypal #venmo #payments #applications
Venmo hitting $2B by 2027 👀🤔👀 it's official, I'm sure they’re done being the who still owes for pizza app 🤣 and wanna be a real player in online payments. I'm only hoping they don’t start charging fees for everything
For Chriss, Venmo expansion is all part of a broader push to restore consistent, profitable growth after years of turbulence that saw the company's market cap dwindle by more than 80% from mid-2021 through late 2023.
With 90 million U.S. users, Venmo has been a cultural staple for years and has become a verb that's synonymous with sending money to a friend or family member. But monetization has remained a challenge because those transactions generate little revenue.
The shocking science behind staticky hair
!summarize
When and how to see seven planets align in night sky in rare ‘planetary parade’ | BBC News
!summarize
‘Most powerful’ space magnet could lead to superconducting thrusters for deep space
The magnet demonstrator is so powerful, scientists had to work hard to prevent it from interfering with other instruments aboard the ISS.
A team of scientists from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, aims to reduce the space industry’s reliance on traditional chemical rocket propulsion.
The team is developing a new type of electric propulsion magnet. It is set to test the technology aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in the coming months.
To be precise, scientists from the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University are developing applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic (AF-MPD) thrusters. These use an applied magnetic field to accelerate ions to very high speeds.
#space #magnet #superconductor #space
China begins building nuclear reactor with 52 billion kWh annual output
The Lufeng nuclear power plant will significantly reduce the country’s reliance on coal for power.
China has officially begun construction on its first nuclear reactor unit of the year with the pouring of first concrete at the Lufeng Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province.
The milestone, completed on Monday, marks the official start of the plant’s No. 1 reactor, which utilizes the CAP1000 third-generation pressurized water reactor (PWR) design.
According to China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), the CAP1000 design incorporates modular construction, digital building technologies, and automated welding to improve safety and efficiency.
#china #nuclear #reactor #energy
As reported by China Daily, the plant will eventually house six reactors, with Units 5 and 6 already under construction since 2022 and 2023, respectively. These latter units employ Hualong One, China’s domestically designed third-generation nuclear technology.
Nuclear reactors and power plants: A large-scale clean energy project
Once fully operational, the Lufeng nuclear power plant is expected to generate approximately 52 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually. This output will help reduce China’s reliance on coal, saving an estimated 15.77 million metric tons of standard coal per year and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by around 42.69 million tons.
Nvidia to report earnings amid infrastructure spending, DeepSeek concerns
Nvidia is scheduled to report fourth-quarter financial results on Wednesday after the bell.
It's expected to put the finishing touches on one of the most remarkable years from a large company ever. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $38 billion in sales for the quarter ended in January, which would be a 72% increase on an annual basis.
#nvidia #deepseek #earnings
woah man Nvidia is just out here printing money at this point. A 72% jump, yeah that’s not growth, that’s an actual cheat code. Anyone who didn’t invest in Nvidia last year, probably missed a golden ticket. Is it ok to invest now
The January quarter will cap off the second fiscal year where Nvidia's sales more than doubled. It's a breathtaking streak driven by the fact that Nvidia's data center graphics processing units, or GPUs, are essential hardware for building and deploying artificial intelligence services like OpenAI's ChatGPT. In the past two years, Nvidia stock has risen 478%, making it the most valuable U.S. company at times with a market cap over $3 trillion.
But Nvidia's stock has slowed in recent months as investors question where the chip company can go from here.
Athenahealth to offer Abridge's AI scribe to its network of thousands of doctors
Athenahealth will offer Abridge's artificial intelligence scribing tool to its network of more than 160,000 clinicians.
Health-care software vendor Athenahealth on Tuesday said it will offer Abridge's artificial intelligence scribing tool to its network of more than 160,000 clinicians.
Athenahealth has developed an electronic health record, revenue cycle management tools and patient engagement tools for ambulatory care providers, which include outpatient facilities like independent practices. The company introduced a solution called Ambient Notes in October that allows doctors to choose between various AI-powered documentation tools, and Abridge is the latest addition.
#ai #healthcare #athenahealth
AI scribes 🤔🤔 that's one hell of a medical upgrade are for the doctors. Less time typing, more time actually listening to patients. Now if only AI could fix those crazy hospital bills too 🤣🥹🥹
Abridge uses AI to draft clinical notes in real time as doctors consensually record their visits with patients. The startup is part of a red-hot market that has exploded as health-care executives search for solutions to help reduce staff burnout and daunting administrative workloads.
"The market is going to evolve rather rapidly, there are going to be winners and losers over time," Athenahealth CEO Bob Segert told CNBC. "Different physicians will prefer different ways that notes are taken and that the information is delivered, and we want to be able to provide that flexibility."
Athenahealth and Abridge declined to share the financial details of the partnership.
Paragraph
Morgan Stanley analysts estimated this month that Microsoft will account for nearly 35% of spending in 2025 on Blackwell, Nvidia's latest AI chip. Google is at 32.2%, Oracle at 7.4% and Amazon at 6.2%.
This is why any sign that Microsoft or its rivals might pull back spending plans can shake Nvidia stock.
Last week, TD Cowen analysts said that they'd learned that Microsoft had canceled leases with private data center operators, slowed its process of negotiating to enter into new leases and adjusted plans to spend on international data centers in favor of U.S. facilities.
What we're doing in America is psychological slavery – equivalent to the physical slavery of ancient times. We are subtly getting people to adopt attitudes that negatively influence their self-esteem and, in the end, their behavior. You can’t be expect to do A, that’s not your job. You got hurt? It must be someone else’s fault. You killed someone? Oh, you must have been abused as a child. It’s your parents fault. You’re a drunk? You couldn’t help it, there was just too much pressure at work. Why try? The system is against me.
Maybe after a few decades of this we’ll progress to the barbarian stage.
My question is, “When will Americans take back responsibility for their own lives?” Isn’t it the individual’s responsibility to make sure his TV works, like it’s his responsibility to make sure his electricity works by paying his bill? For those old or poor people who don’t know what to do, where is their family and why aren’t they taking care of them?
Unfortunately, we have two forces in our society who want to take responsibility for us because they’ve made a decision we’re incompetent. These forces are liberal politicians and trial lawyers. Liberal politicians feel guilty about the world for reasons I can’t explain. I think its because they have money and don’t want to give it up, so they push government to give away money so they can feel better about themselves. One problem with that idea is that the government is very bad at doing anything, so the “help” is ineffective.
Over the last month, most of Nvidia's key customers touted large investments. Alphabet is targeting $75 billion in capital expenditures this year, Meta will spend as much as $65 billion and Amazon is aiming to spend $100 billion.
Analysts say about half of AI infrastructure capital expenditures ends up with Nvidia. Many hyperscalers dabble in AMD's GPUs and are developing their own AI chips to lessen their dependence on Nvidia, but the company holds the majority of the market for cutting-edge AI chips.
The second group, the trial lawyers, is much more sinister. They make no bones about robbing others (mostly companies) to enrich themselves, under the guise of caring for people. We are now in a time where an enormous amounts of money is wasted avoiding lawsuits: swing sets have to have rubber carpets in case a kid falls off, lawnmowers need to shut off automatically, and packing materials have to display the label “don’t eat.” Why is the mower manufacturer responsible for some idiot who sticks his hand into a spinning blade. Duh, shut it off first. Trial lawyers research new ways to sue and for those which show promise, they push the envelope. How about suing McDonalds because its customers ate cheeseburgers and got fat? Sounds like a good way to make money!
So far, these chips have been used primarily to train cutting-edge AI models, a process that can cost hundreds of millions dollars. After the AI is developed by companies like OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, warehouses full of Nvidia GPUs are required to serve those models to customers. That's why Nvidia projects its revenue to continue growing.
Another challenge for Nvidia is last month's emergence of Chinese startup DeepSeek, which released an efficient and "distilled" AI model. It had high enough performance that suggested billions of dollars of Nvidia GPUs aren't needed to train and use cutting-edge AI. That temporarily sunk Nvidia's stock, causing the company to lose almost $600 billion in market cap.
The Greeks and Romans would have had a simple solution to our legal mess -- eliminate the lawyers. If I were a philosopher king for one day, my first act would be to disbar half the lawyers. The remainder would then be forced to do real law.
As far as liberal politics goes, there are two truisms in the history of government. One -- when a political system is efficient it raises the quality of people’s lives. Two – people do best when they have the opportunity to succeed on their own without the help of government. Liberal politics is the negation of these two concepts. In the latter period of the Roman Republic, a battle went on for thirty years between liberal and conservative politicians. The liberals won and they got a dictator.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will have an opportunity on Wednesday to explain why AI will continue to need even more GPU capacity even after last year's massive build-out.
Recently, Huang has spoken about the "scaling law," an observation from OpenAI in 2020 that AI models get better the more data and compute are used when creating them.
Huang said that DeepSeek's R1 model points to a new wrinkle in the scaling law that Nvidia calls "Test Time Scaling." Huang has contended that the next major path to AI improvement is by applying more GPUs to the process of deploying AI, or inference. That allows chatbots to "reason," or generate a lot of data in the process of thinking through a problem.
AI models are trained only a few times to create and fine-tune them. But AI models can be called millions of times per month, so using more compute at inference will require more Nvidia chips deployed to customers.
"The market responded to R1 as in, 'oh my gosh, AI is finished,' that AI doesn't need to do any more computing anymore," Huang said in a pretaped interview last week. "It's exactly the opposite."
Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., during the opening ceremony of the Siliconware Precision Industries Co. (SPIL) Tan Ke Plant in Taichung, Taiwan, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
Bitcoin falls below the key $90,000 level Tuesday
Bitcoin's descent triggered a wave of long liquidations, which forces traders to sell their assets at market price to settle their debts. Centralized exchanged have seen $614.5 million in long liquidations in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass.
Bitcoin kicked off the year in rally mode, fueled by optimism about the positive changes the new Trump administration was expected to make for the crypto industry. However, since the President issued his widely anticipated executive order on crypto at the end of January – the contents of which were well received by the industry despite its tamer than hoped for language on a strategic bitcoin reserve – the market has had little to look forward to.
Tesla China to start new Model Y deliveries on February 26
BySimon AlvarezPosted on February 25, 2025
Deliveries of the new Tesla Model Y in China are expected to begin tomorrow, February 26, 2025.
The impending deliveries of the new Model Y were announced in a post on Tesla China’s official Weibo account.
When the new Model Y was announced in China, Tesla noted that the first deliveries of the revamped all-electric crossover were expected to start around March 2025, pending regulatory approval.
Earlier this February, the new Model Y was included in a catalog of vehicles that qualify for purchase tax deductions, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
This suggested that the new Model Y had completed the full regulatory process for domestic sales in China.
On February 18, Tesla’s official social media accounts announced that the mass production of the new Model Y was starting at Gigafactory Shanghai.
Tesla watchers observed then that the estimated first deliveries of some new Model Y orders were showing February 2025 instead.
While optimism about the long-term positive impact Trump's policies could have for crypto remains high, its movements have been and may continue to be dictated by macroeconomic trends.
"From November through January, the market was very enthusiastic about pricing in a crypto-friendly U.S. administration," said Joel Kruger, market strategist at LMAX Group. "Now it's a question of waiting for that next catalyst. We know that all of this is in place, and the market is in a bit of a sell-the-fact consolidation sell as it kind of waits."
The $90,000 level marks the bottom of the narrow range bitcoin has been trading in since the end of November. Analysts have warned that if bitcoin were to meaningfully break below the level, it could see a deeper pullback toward $80,000.
A Spartan told a man who was angry at being exiled, “Good friend, it is exile from justice, not from your city, you should dread.”
A man asked, “How can Spartans confidently face danger in war?” The rely, “Because we practice proper respect for life, not fear of it like the rest of mankind.”
An Athenian called a Spartan uneducated. The reply was, “At least we are the only ones who have learned nothing wicked from you.”
An Athenian was giving a funeral eulogy in praise of some men killed by Spartans. A Spartan noticing this said, “What, then, do you think was the quality of the men that defeated them?”
When the sophist Hecataeus was invited to the Spartan mess and said nothing, he came under criticism. The King Archidamidas, who was present, said, “Evidently you don’t understand that an expert at speaking also knows when to speak.”
Someone asked Demaratus, a Spartan King, how he could be exiled. His reply, “Because Spartan laws are more powerful than I am.”
The ambassador from Elis stated that he had been dispatched to Sparta for the specific reason that he emulated the Spartan way of life. King Theopompus said, “So which of the two ways is better, yours or that of your fellow citizens. The ambassador declared that his was, causing the king to remark, “How then could this city of yours keep itself safe when among the population there is only one brave man?”
Someone asked why Spartans drink so sparingly. The reply, “So that others may not make decisions on our behalf, but we may for others.”
A foreigner asked a Spartan, “You people adhere strongly to having no occupation. The Spartan replied, “You are correct. Our aim is that, unlike you, we shouldn’t be concerned with every random pastime.”
Tesla Automation acquires insolvent German supplier Manz AG’s assets
Tesla Automation GmbH, a subsidiary of U.S. electric vehicle giant Tesla Inc., has signed a deal to acquire key assets of insolvent German automation systems supplier Manz AG.
The Local Court of Stuttgart opened insolvency proceedings about the assets of Manz AG on Monday.
As per the purchase agreement, Tesla Automation will be taking over more than 300 Manz employees and movable assets at the German supplier’s Reutlingen site.
Tesla Automation will also be using the Manz company property in Reutlingen, as noted in a press release.
The completion of the purchase is still subject to the approval of the German Federal Cartel Office under merger control law.
It should also be noted that neither Tesla Automation nor Manz has disclosed the price of the agreement.
Oh my... I don't care about modern players 'skill level increased', basketball 'evolution', 'analytics'... I just don't care. You know why? Because it's boring. Just boring. You can call old players whatever you want - plumbers, firefighters... - they were fun to watch. End of discussion))))))) And thanks to all of the plumbers in this world - they help us to get rid of sh...t like espn. And thanks to all of the firefighters - they are real heroes
Chegg sues Google for hurting traffic with AI as it considers strategic alternatives
The online education company has tapped Goldman Sachs as it studies options such as going private or getting acquired.
Chegg on Monday filed suit in federal district court against Google, claiming that artificial intelligence summaries of search results have hurt the online education company's traffic and revenue.
The legal move comes nearly two years after former CEO Dan Rosensweig said students engaging with OpenAI's ChatGPT assistant were cutting into Chegg's new customer growth.
In Book I, the Athenian complains that the Spartan system is too heavily tilted toward enduring and overcoming pain when in fact courage is only one component of virtue. He asserts that virtue is also learning to avoid excessive pleasure, so, because the Spartan system does not provide pleasure avoidance training, it is deficient.
In Book III, the Athenian laments the collapsed ancient alliance between Sparta, Argos, and Messene, as the cause of disunity in the Peloponnese and the inability to repel the Persian invasion. This disunity, he contends, led directly to the adoption of the quirky Spartan political system with its Ephors and Gerousia.
Google forces companies like Chegg to "supply our proprietary content in order to be included in Google's search function," said Schultz, adding that the search company uses its monopoly power, "reaping the financial benefits of Chegg's content without having to spend a dime."
Despite the suit, Chegg has its own AI strategy. It has drawn on Meta's open-source Llama, as well as models from privately held Anthropic and Mistral, Schultz said. Chegg has also partnered with OpenAI, which the education company views as a competitor, alongside Google. The company reported that 3.6 million students had subscriptions in the fourth quarter, down 21%. Subscriptions include access to AI-powered learning assistance. Chegg also rents and sells textbooks.
In Book VI, they discuss population groups and the issue of slaves is discussed. The Athenian points out how troublesome the Helots are because they revolt. He claims a government will be better off if it treats its slaves with as much respect as equals receive.
He also agrees with the Spartans that a city should not have walls, because their presence, “is also apt to produce a certain effeminacy in the minds of the inhabitants, inviting men to run thither instead of repelling their enemies, and leading them to imagine that their safety is due not to their keeping guard day and night.”
Plato is critical of the Cretans and the Spartans for having no Mess for women, because women need to be subject to laws just like men are.
These are the opinions of Sparta as expressed in Laws.
I was into some Wayne dyer , my first new age teacher. I received a You Can Do it brochure because we’d gone to see Wayne dyer that had all these speakers for the conference and I looked up some of them on internet … got into Abraham Hicks and had really weird experience when listening to Esther … at that point her voice sounded like a strange fake Russian countess I thought, but listening I started tearing up with emotion. I didn’t understand why, I was very attracted to Abraham’s messages and wanted to buy a CD … but my skeptical side talked me out of it. I went to a party and was talking about my experience listening to Abraham and didn’t know what to think. My friend was skeptical, but his friend who I’ve just met said I love them, I have one of their CDs in my car, I’ll give it to you! That’s some LOA for LOA! 😂 Thanks for video, I needed a reminder and saw the clock had turned to 11:11 as I was listening. I need to get back in alignment .
Chegg claimed that Google drew on Chegg's collection of 135 million questions and answers on a variety of subjects in its model training data sets.
After training its models, Google can generate content that competes with information that publishers have on offer in search results, Chegg argued in its complaint. The online learning company included a screenshot of a Google AI Overview that borrows details from Chegg's website but does not attribute the information. However, the relevant Chegg page does show up lower down in search results.
The contractors' proposal included the use of "processing camps" on military bases, a private fleet of 100 planes, and a "small army" of private citizens empowered to make arrests, the outlet added.
Politico reported that White House officials were in talks with military contractors, particularly as Congress works to agree on a budget and secure funding for the border and immigration.
Nearly 500,000 illegal aliens per month would need to be deported to achieve the contractors' goal of 12 million deportees before the 2026 midterms.
"To keep pace with the Trump deportations, it would require a 600% increase in activity. It is unlikely that the government could swell its internal ranks to keep pace with this demand … in order to process this enormous number of deportations, the government should enlist outside assistance," the plan said.
Sayings of the Spartans
The militaristic Spartan culture touched every aspect of the lives of its people – even the use of language and speaking style. A “laconic” person is a man of few words; a characteristic of the Spartans well known to all the Greek people. The word is derived from Laconia, the district where Sparta can be found.
Those of you who saw “300” heard a few Spartan sayings including, “Spartans lay down your arms. Come and get them” and "If the Persian arrows block the sun, then we will fight in the shade.” These are actual historical quotes. Now for some you may not have heard.
A Spartan was asked, “How far do Sparta’s boundaries reach?” The Spartan answered, holding out his spear “As far as this can reach.”
Someone asked why Sparta had no walls or fortifications and the Spartan said pointing to a group of soldiers, “These are our walls.”
Trump named Tom Homan to be his border czar, and Homan has been overseeing the mass deportations of aliens, especially those with criminal backgrounds.
The contractors' proposal said deputized private citizens, including military veterans, former law enforcement officials and retired ICE and CBP officers, would be under Homan's command.
White House spokesman Kush Desai said the administration "remains aligned on and committed to a whole-of-government approach to securing our borders, mass deporting criminal illegal migrants, and enforcing our immigration laws."
Sometime after Thermopylae, the Spartan kings began to utilize an imperial guard of three hundred. Selection gave great prestige to the Spartan warrior and all Spartiates competed for a place in the unit. One soldier, upon hearing of his rejection, got a bright smile on his face. The commander asked why he was so cheerful and the man said, “I am happy knowing there are 300 citizens better than I.”
And a couple from Leonidas at Thermopylae.
Someone remarked, “The Persians are close to us.” Leonidas said, “Then we are also close to them.”
Someone asked him, “Leonidas, why are you here taking such a risk with so few men against so many?” The king replied, “If you think I should rely on numbers, then not even the whole of Greece is enough, since this is only a fraction of the Persian horde: but if I am to rely on courage, then this number is quite adequate.”
When you study the writings, it quickly becomes apparent there are factors influencing the writing that have to be considered before any definitive interpretation can begin. These factors relate to their biases as Athenians, the condition of Sparta when they wrote, and their knowledge of Sparta during its most influential period.
In 2023, the Paihau-Robinson installed its first superconducting electromagnet prototype onto an ion thruster at Nagoya University in Japan. During tests, they successfully fired the thruster more than a hundred times. Their electromagnet generated magnetic fields of 1 tesla with less than 1 watt of magnet power. Compared to traditional copper electromagnets, this was a 99 percent reduction of input power. At the same time, it generated a magnetic field three times as strong.
The Kōkako thruster
To further test their electromagnet, the Paihau-Robinson team is developing its own thruster, called Kōkako, at their lab in Wellington.
“The Kōkako thruster offers several advantages over existing electric propulsion systems,” a post on Victoria University’s website explains. “It can operate with various propellants, enhancing its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.”
Hēki is set to undergo final tests at Voyager Space’s facilities. If all goes to plan, it will fly to space later this summer. When operating, it will generate a magnetic field of up to 0.5 T.
As Hēki is so powerful, the scientists have to be careful it won’t damage instruments on the ISS, Pollock told IEEE Spectrum. “It took a lot of design work to meet the very stringent stray magnetic field requirements of the ISS,” he concluded.
Plato was born during the Peloponnesian War and was twenty-three years old when it ended. Aristotle was thirteen when the Spartans lost the battle of Leuctra, ending their role as the superior military power of Greece. I contend that both Philosophers were biased against Sparta for several reasons. In the first place, as Athenians, they would naturally think their own political system was the best. Secondly, both of them (particularly Plato) would have reason to resent Sparta for the Peloponnesian War and its occupation of Athens. Thirdly, they both had reason to reject the Spartan political system as too radical because it stifled the kind of independent thought they believed was important to mankind. The Spartan system did not fit their concept of the ideal political system – it wasn’t a monarchy, oligarchy, or democracy.
“Lying at table on expensive couches, being waited upon by confectioners and chefs, fattened up in the dark like gluttonous animals, and ruining themselves physically as well as morally, and by giving free rein to every craving and excess which demanded lengthy slumbers, warm baths plenty of rest, in a sense, daily nursing.”
Plutarch says the groups at Mess were fifteen, but most likely they were much larger – either Pentecostys (144) or Lochos (288). Each man was required to contribute monthly barley-meal, wine, cheese, figs, and some money for meat. Often the Spartiates would make their contribution by going on hunts and bringing the meat to the Mess.
CGN emphasized that the project aligns with China’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and expanding its clean energy infrastructure. “The official start of the main project of Unit 1 marks the full start of the construction of the dual third-generation nuclear power units of the Guangdong Lufeng Nuclear Power Project,” CGN stated, as reported by World Nuclear News.
The Lufeng site was originally approved for four CAP1000 reactors by China’s National Development and Reform Commission in 2014. However, state approval for Units 1 and 2 was delayed until August 2023, while Units 3 and 4 are still awaiting final clearance.
Lycurgus – The Spartan Monetary System and Wealth
Lycurgus began with a decree that all gold and silver coinage was outlawed and all Spartan coins must be made of iron. He made the coin units low value and heavy so they were difficult to store and transport. He had the hot iron doused with vinegar to make the metal weak and fragile.
This caused crime to disappear from Sparta, because who would steal, rob, or plunder something that could not be hidden, envied, or melted down into anything? All useless alien crafts disappeared because there was no sale for their products, since the iron money could not be used anywhere else in Greece.
Meanwhile, Units 5 and 6 at Lufeng, which utilize the Hualong One reactor design, are scheduled for completion in 2026 and 2027. Hualong One, also known as HPR1000, was developed jointly by CGN and China National Nuclear Corporation, further strengthening China’s independent nuclear technology capabilities.
The Lufeng project is one of several major nuclear initiatives underway in China. The Guangdong Lianjiang Nuclear Power Plant, which began construction in July 2023, also features CAP1000 reactors, further reinforcing the country’s commitment to nuclear energy expansion.
With ongoing investments in advanced nuclear technologies, China is solidifying its role as a leader in clean energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and meeting its carbon neutrality goals.
Precise robotic hands from MagicLab
MagicLab, formally known as Magic Atom Robotics Technology, was established in December 2023 to use its humanoid robots to revolutionize manufacturing, logistics, and search and rescue.
The business unveiled MagicBot, a third-generation humanoid robot that competes with Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, in January 2024. The robot’s abilities were showcased in a video demonstration the following month, which included dancing, magic acts, and marshmallow toasting.
With 11 degrees of freedom and cutting-edge hybrid force/position control technology, the S01 is a nimble robotic hand. The gadget can carry out intricate and precise movements, such as grasping, gripping, two-finger operations, and other item handling activities, by fusing electrical current with tactile feedback.
The firm also claims that S01 is engineered for reliability. It includes proprietary components like a six-axis electric actuator, encoder, and tactile sensors, enhancing stability while lowering production costs, which supports large-scale manufacturing. The design includes extra redundancy, such as actuators with a 30 percent safety margin, to increase parts durability.
When combined with the MagicBot, the S01’s communication interface allows for real-time synchronization at up to 100 Hz, guaranteeing accurate control and seamless coordination between the robot’s body and control system. Task execution and operational efficiency are improved by this sophisticated integration, claims the firm.
China testing world’s fastest high-speed train prototype at 280 mph pace
China will solidify its lead in high-speed rail with the top three fastest trains globally.
CChina is moving closer to operating what may become the world’s fastest high-speed train. According to the Ministry of Transport, the CR450 prototypes have achieved test speeds of 450 kilometers per hour (281 miles per hour) and are expected to run at an operational speed of around 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) per hour.
Once commercial service begins, the CR450 could surpass China’s CR400 model, which debuted in 2017 and currently runs at 350 kilometers (217 miles) per hour.
In a recent CCTV video, the CR450 is shown undergoing comprehensive tests and evaluations. Engineers at the Locomotive and Vehicle Research Institute of the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS) have been particularly focused on “weight control,” ensuring that any reductions in mass do not compromise structural integrity.
As Plutarch puts it,
“It was now impossible to buy foreign goods and no cargo of merchandise would enter a Spartan harbor, no teacher of rhetoric trod Laconian soil, no begging seer, no pimp, no maker of gold and silver ornaments – because there was no coined money. Thus gradually cut off from the things that animate and feed it, luxury atrophied of its own accord.”
The wealthy had no outlet to show off their wealth and were resigned to keep it in storage.
Craftsman, now released from useless jobs, began to work in the manufacture of essential goods such as tables and chairs, so the competition among them was fierce and the resulting quality of these products first rate.
Lycurgus – Founder of the Spartan System
One can’t discuss the Spartan system without talking about Lycurgus, who designed and implemented this historic militaristic culture. He is a shadowy figure in that we don’t know when he lived, and there are many aspects of his life that are unknown. Indeed, some believe he was a myth, but to me the evidence is too strong in favor of a real human being.
Fascination with the Greeks
I find the Spartans and the Athenians equally fascinating. How is it that two cultures like these could exist at the same time in history -- and in the same region of the world? If we drop the Spartans out of the picture for a few moments and look at the golden age of Athens (460-430 B.C), there was perhaps no greater culture in the history of the world. Between science, art, architecture, mathematics, drama, and philosophy the Athenians did it all. Why then and why not since then? One doubts that the ancient Greeks were smarter than every culture since then, but then we’re forced to conclude it was the environment – geography, culture, political system, etc., that was responsible.
I was born and educated in Germany for 23 years. Immigrated to the US 1963 but working for a German company until retirement. I think I can make some observations about Germany. My German family and coworkers all are very liberal and pacifist. All are well educated men and women and have few children. The German GDP PPP is about 1/3 lower than the US. The expenditure for defense is less than 1/2 of the US. Germany depends on exports and imports of energy. The government leans heavy to socialism. I left Germany because my income went toward taxes and housing. Not much left for savings. I find Germany less desirable to visit because of change to multi culti takeover in many cities.
There is no doubt the political structure was supportive. Greek democracies promoted free thought and equality among the people. Still, there had to exist the intellectual capacity and curiosity to produce advanced thinking. There is no question that the Greek art, architecture, and philosophy still have great influence.
Separately, mathematics and science continue to advance today as they have continuously over two thousand years – how could they not given the number of thinkers, perhaps more in one American university today than all of Greece in 450 B.C.
In his histories, Herodotus describes how the Spartans sought to gain control of Arcadia in their quest for control of the Peloponnese. They consulted the Oracle at Delphi who said,
“Archady? Great is the thing you ask. I will not grant it.
In Archady are many men. Acorn eaters,
And they will keep you out. Yet, For I am not grunging,
I will give you Tegea to dance with its stamping feet
And her fair plain to measure out with the line.”
Human sperm-like tiny robots could help in fertility care and drug delivery
These robots, with sizes between 10 and 20 centimeters, will be put to the test in fluids that replicate human body fluids, such as blood.
Tiny robotic swimmers, modeled after bacterial and sperm cells, could revolutionize medicine by enabling targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive procedures, and even fertility treatments.
However, for these Smart Artificial Microswimmers (SAMs) to be effective, scientists need to understand how they behave in complex biological fluids, especially when moving in groups.
A Lehigh University assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, Ebru Demir uses AI-assisted robotic microswimmers to answer questions about the physics of propulsion that these devices need to achieve in order to be effectively used in medicine.
As the SAMs travel autonomously, their AI brains will continuously analyze their motion, optimizing their posture to increase speed and power. If a swimmer comes closer to a mate and increases his speed, he may keep on getting closer and closer – up to the point where he has to slow down, which in turn triggers a retreat to the optimal position.
This allows the robots to autonomously change their locomotion strategy while swimming, either individually or in a cooperative function.
“As the SAMs swim, they are constantly interacting with the environment, running that algorithm, and recalculating where they are in that formation and how fast or how efficiently they are moving. The goal is to find the best strategy for the cluster to swim together in a manner that’s both fast and efficient,” says Demir.
History of Sparta – The Myth
According to Spartan myth, Taugete bore Lacedaimon who wed Sparta. Sparta was a daughter of Eurotas by Cleta. These two provided the names for the region, Sparta for the capital and Lacedaemon for the region. The son of Sparta and Lacedaemon, Amyclas, founded Amyclae, a town near Sparta. Diomede married Amyclas and they had several children. Their son Argulas ruled Sparta for a short while but since he died before his mother, his brother Cynortas ruled after him. Cynortas was the father of Oebalus. Oebalus married Gorgophone. When Oebalus died his son, Tyndareus, was scheduled to rule Sparta but his half-brother Hippocoon ursurped power. But he offended Herakles and perished with his ten sons when later attacked by Herakles and Tyndereus. In exile in Atolia at the palace of Thestius, Tyndereus met Leda and fell in love with her.
Demir has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for her research on AI microswimmers. Demir says it’s been gratifying to receive the CAREER award and learn that her work has earned approval from her peers.
“As cliche as it sounds,” she says, “I want to use engineering to help humanity.”
Some years later, Paris, a Trojan prince came to Sparta to marry Helen, whom he had been promised by Aphrodite. Helen left with him--either willingly because she had fallen in love with him, or because he kidnapped her, depending on the source--leaving behind Menelaus and Hermione, their nine-year-old daughter. Menelaus attempted to retrieve Helen by calling on all her former suitors to fulfil their oaths, leading to the Trojan War and her eventual return to Sparta.
The Spartan Character
As W.G. Forrest astutely points out in his book, The History of Sparta 950-192 B.C, the three great Spartan characteristics were equality, military fitness and efficiency, and austerity.
The 9,000 or so Spartiates were equals -- equal to each other and superior to all other men. They got there by passing through the Agoge: twenty three years of military training starting at age seven. The years before age twenty were brutal and made up of long and increasing difficult military training. Beaten by their elders, the young would train in teams with a watchful eye of an elder looking to identify the best of them. Then from age twenty to thirty the victims became the punishers, as they achieved senior cadet status. They learned to read and write; to sing and dance, but all of this was window dressing around the fine tuning their ability to fight. Everywhere there was rivalry -- boy against boy within a team, and team against team. Admission to the sussition (mess) was the end point, but not without a unanimous vote in favor – a single no vote and a man became an outcast.
After the Battle of Salamis, the Athenians came to Sparta to ask the Spartans to join in a military campaign to drive the Persians out of Attica. The Ephors took a several days deciding what to do. Herodotus speculates they wanted to make sure the wall across the Isthmus was complete before proceeding, because they suspected the Athenians would surrender to the Persians if the opportunity arose. The Ephors finally consented and sent a full contingent of five thousand Spartan warriors and thirty five thousand Helots. This army, along with the rest of the Greeks, went on to win the Battle of Platea.
I have not been able to find a second source describing the construction of this Peloponnesian Wall and specifically where it was located. Later, 450 A.D, a Byzantine Wall was built across the Isthmus. There are excavated ruins for this later wall.
Thermopylae Postscript
Simultaneous with the land battle at Thermopylae, a sea battle took place near Artemisium at the Northwest corner of Euboea. The Greek allies were attempting to block the Persian Fleet using the same tactic as Leonidas’ attempt to block Xerxes’ Army at Thermopylae. The Greeks saw their army and navy as coordinated elements that would communicate to each other about the success of each mission, so they designated a fast ship to carry messages between them. Greek fleet was commanded by the Spartan Eurybiades and the future Athenian hero Thermistocles.
Xerxes invited his sailors and commanders to visit Thermopylae to witness the victory of his army, but not before he had twenty thousand dead Persians buried to make the losses look more even.
Later the Spartans sent an envoy to Xerxes asking for payment as compensation for the way Leonidas body was desecrated after his death. Xerxes laughed, stating that his general Mardonius would deliver the Persian reply to the request when he destroyed Greece during the next year’s campaign. Of course, the next year Mardonius was killed at the Battle of Platea, which ended Persian attempts to conquer Greece.
In 480 B.C, when the Persians began their march onto the Greek peninsula, the allies argued about how to defend their homeland. Many thought resistance was futile, but ultimately, the patriots won out and the discussion turned to a strategy for stopping the Persians. The loyalist Greeks decided to defend the Tempe Line, a vale between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa in Thessaly. Unsure of the loyalty of the Thessalians, the allies did not include them in the plan.
Sparta had two kings -- hereditary kings, one from each of two families. The kings were the sole military commanders and religious leaders but nothing more. When it came to governance, they could only act as advisors to the oligarchy. Sparta had a governing council called the Gerusia consisting of twenty-eight men plus the two kings. This body advised the assembly, could veto legislation if it disapproved, and also presided over trials for capital offences. Members had to be sixty years of age and served for life. The assembly consisted of all adult Spartiates over twenty years of age – a number on the order of 5000. The assembly had limited power but was allowed to debate the merits of legislation to try and influence its passage.
The Carneia – Nothing, even war, could release the Spartans from their most important festival
If you’ve seen the movie “300”, you’re familiar with the dispute at the beginning regarding the Carneia. In the year 480 B.C, Leonidas, King of Sparta, decided to take the Spartan Army north to block a Persian invasion of Greece, but his plan was vetoed by the Ephors who demanded that he “Honor the Carneia”.
In the ancient world people knew they had to be responsible for themselves or life would be nasty, brutish, and short, as Hobbs said. Government had only a limited role, including the maintenance of an army to repel foreign invasions and enforcing the laws written to protect the people.
The report raised fears about the sustainability of AI infrastructure growth. That could mean less demand for Nvidia's chips. TD Cowen's Michael Elias said his team's finding points to "a potential oversupply position" for Microsoft. Shares of Nvidia fell 4% on Friday.
Microsoft pushed back Monday, saying it still planned to spend $80 billion on infrastructure in 2025.
"While we may strategically pace or adjust our infrastructure in some areas, we will continue to grow strongly in all regions. This allows us to invest and allocate resources to growth areas for our future," a spokesperson told CNBC.
It's trading at the same price as it did last October, and investors are wary of any signs that Nvidia's most important customers might be tightening their belts after years of big capital expenditures. This is particularly concerning in the wake of recent breakthroughs in AI out of China.
Much of Nvidia's sales go to a handful of companies building massive server farms, usually to rent out to other companies. These cloud companies are typically called "hyperscalers." Last February, Nvidia said a single customer accounted for 19% of its total revenue in fiscal 2024.
Athenahealth's Ambient Notes solution is currently available in a limited capacity, but the company said it plans to widen availability for clinicians through 2025.
"The more they try it, the more they like it, and I think we're going to see a pretty steep adoption curve as this continues to move forward," Segert said.
The archaic period refers to the time when fact and myth run together and cannot be easily differentiated, making it difficult to identify the “real” history. The Golden Age occurred when the Lycurgian reforms took hold and Spartan people embraced the military discipline we think of as “Spartan”. The False Victory period ends with the Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War. The victory was “false”, because it appeared to establish Sparta has the leading power of Greece, when in fact it was never able to control its conquests. At the end of the fourth period, Sparta collapsed as a military power when it was defeated at Leuctra in 371 B.C.
I want to use the next two posts to discuss the reasons why Sparta collapsed as a military power. How could this happen in a mere thirty years time? It took the Roman Republic one hundred years to collapse, and the Roman Empire perhaps two hundred years -- so why thirty in the case of the Spartans?
"It'll be incumbent upon us to make sure that we're able to demonstrate differentiation," Abridge CEO Dr. Shiv Rao told CNBC. "So far, we've had good luck these last few years doing that."
Abridge has deployed its technology across more than 100 health systems in the U.S., including organizations like the Mayo Clinic, Duke Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The company announced a $250 million funding round earlier this month. It also unveiled a new Contextual Reasoning Engine that can pull information that's relevant to a specific clinician and their clinic's best practices. Abridge's Rao said that technology will be available to Athenahealth clinicians.
Clinicians spend nearly nine hours a week on documentation, according to an October study from Google Cloud. And more than 90% of physicians report feeling burned out on a "regular basis," according to a survey commissioned by Athenahealth last February.
Companies including Abridge, Microsoft's Nuance Communications, Suki and others say their AI scribing tools can help. Suki and iScribeHealth already offer their tools through Athenahealth's Ambient Notes solution.