Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 2/16/25. 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 2/16/25. 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.
https://inleo.io/threads/view/carephree/re-leothreads-96mvj6ew
AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships
read on, link in comment ⬇️
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ai-companions-promise-combat-loneliness-151041504.html
Amazon workers reject union in vote at North Carolina warehouse
Organizers had been campaigning at the warehouse since 2022, hoping to secure higher wages and longer breaks.
Amazon workers at a facility near Raleigh, North Carolina, overwhelmingly voted against unionizing on Saturday.
Of the 3,276 ballots cast, there were 2,447 votes opposing the union and 829 in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Board. There were 77 challenged ballots, a gap that's too narrow to change the outcome of the election. The results still need to be certified by the NLRB.
#amazon #union #vote #northcarolina
The election at the facility, named RDU1 and located in the suburb of Garner, came after organizers with the upstart Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE) campaigned at the warehouse for the past three years. The facility employs roughly 4,700 workers.
CAUSE said in a statement that the election results were a "result of Amazon's willingness to break the law."
"Amazon's relentless and illegal efforts to intimidate us prove that this company is afraid of workers coming together to claim our power," the group said. "Amazon may think it is above the law, but we will not accept a system that allows billionaires and corporations to play by a different set of rules."
Paragraphs
Amazon responded to the Garner union drive with a barrage of anti-union messages in the warehouse, on a website, and sent through its AtoZ app to employees. A leader of the warehouse urged employees to "vote no," saying a union "can get in the way of how we work together." The company described CAUSE as an "outside party" that's "claiming to be a union."
Amazon has previously said its employees can choose whether or not to join a union, and that it speaks "openly, candidly and respectfully about these topics" so that they can "make an informed decision."
To create this report, Perplexity said Deep Research “iteratively searches, reads documents, and reasons about what to do next, refining its research plan as it learns more about the subject areas,” supposedly “similar to how a human might research a new topic.”
The company also highlighted its performance on Humanity’s Last Exam, an AI benchmarking test with expert-level questions in a variety of academic fields. Perplexity said its Deep Research tool scored 21.1% on the test, easily beating most other models, such as Gemini Thinking (6.2%), Grok-2 (3.8%), and OpenAI’s GPT-4o (3.3%) — but not quite matching OpenAI’s Deep Research (26.6%).
!summarize #assets #bubble #gold
The partnership model can be lucrative. A16z’s billions under management generates sizable money management fees for the firm, in addition to profits made when its investments succeed.
However, Andreessen said he constantly reminds internal staff and limited partners that the company isn’t raising money just to harvest the fees. It’s to give the company the cash to invest in growing companies.
“When we go for scale, it’s because we think it’s necessary to support the kinds of companies we want to help our founders build,” he said.
The consortium, including Musk’s AI startup xAI, would withdraw its bid for OpenAI’s non-profit arm if it drops plans to become a for-profit entity, the billionaire’s lawyers said in a court filing on Wednesday.
“Two days ago, you filed a pleading in court adding new material conditions to the proposal. As a result of that filing, it is now apparent that your clients’ much publicized ‘bid’ is in fact not a bid at all,” the OpenAI board said, according to a letter signed by William Savitt, a lawyer representing the company, sent to Toberoff on Friday.
Other investors in the consortium include Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital and Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel.
!summarize #johnmearsheimer #ukraine #peace #russua
Many employees believe these cuts are strategically targeting those who oppose the company’s political and policy shifts, the report said.
Meta declined to comment.
The company has a years-long policy of removing posts from its Workplace internal messaging platform that violate “Community Engagement Expectations” — which aim to minimize workplace disruptions by restricting discussions on sensitive topics such as politics, health issues, and weapons.
!summarize #joepiscopo #eddiemurphy #billoreilly #comedy
!summarize #ford #ceo #tariffs #Trump #automotive #lucid
When The Third Punic War ended in 146 B.C. Carthage was eliminated as a rival to Rome, and the Mediterranean Sea became Mare Nostrum. By then Greece was a client state, the Germans were behaving, and except for some problems in Spain the provinces seemed stable. All was not well at home, however, because class problems were about to serve as the spark which would burn down the Republic.
In the paragraphs following I will lay out a chronology showing how the collapse of the Republic became the inevitable outcome of a series of events which undermined the old system and created opportunities for those who wanted power for themselves.
!summarize #blackrock #larryfink #future #wallstreet
Impact: A shortage of recruits at a time when Rome was expanding.
Impact: By murdering tribunes of the people the Senate showed an inclination to circumvent the law when necessary even to the point of having legitimately elected officials murdered. They also showed themselves to be against the people and unable to govern a society where the powers were balanced.
The update restricted Meta’s ability to track users across the internet — a key mechanism that enables the company to better tailor targeted ads, a major driver of revenue.
Apple’s maneuver is viewed by Meta employees as having ushered in what they call “the Tim Cook recession” — a reference to the Apple chief executive officer.
Over the years, Zuckerberg has been vocal about Apple’s restrictive ecosystem, and recent reports suggest his criticisms are partly aimed at deflecting antitrust scrutiny away from Meta.
Impact: The interests of the people as expressed through the assembly were now determined to overcome the will of the Senate.
Impact: The people’s assembly used its power to manage foreign policy, an invasion the rights previously held exclusively by the Senate.
In March 2024, the Department of Justice, along with 15 states, filed a lawsuit accusing Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple’s practices make it difficult for consumers to switch smartphones, undermine innovation and impose significant costs on developers and consumers.
In 2020, Epic Games, the video gaming company, sued Apple over the removal of Fortnite from the App Store.
The lawsuit centered on Apple’s App Store policies, particularly the 30% commission fee and restrictions on alternative payment methods, which Epic argued were anti-competitive.
Zuckerberg has publicly criticized the 30% commission fee and restrictions on alternative payment methods, arguing that they hinder innovation and unfairly disadvantage developers.
The competition between Meta and Apple has extended into hardware, particularly in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) innovation.
Meta has poured significant resources into its Reality Labs division, creating Quest VR headsets and partnering with Ray-Ban to develop smart glasses.
!summarize #china #selfdriving #xiaomi #economy #financialcrisis #unicorn
!summarize #unitedstates #Economy #tariffs #trump #canada #mexico
The US Army is also increasing its Arctic operations to improve readiness in extreme conditions. Training exercises like Arctic Forge 25 will involve 330 US Soldiers from the 11th Airborne and 10th Mountain Divisions, along with 40 Canadian soldiers and 500 Finnish personnel. Additionally, 110 Soldiers from the 41st Field Artillery Brigade will be deployed to Norway to test long-range precision fire in Arctic conditions.
New challenges and opportunities in Arctic military operations
The Arctic region’s extreme cold, low precipitation, and widespread permafrost pose operational challenges, requiring specialized equipment and training. Hence, the US military’s focus on Arctic operations also boosts homeland defense by improving early warning systems and rapid response capabilities against potential northern hemisphere threats.
The M10 Booker is powered by an MTU 8V199 TE23 diesel engine, delivering 800 horsepower, marking the first use of an MTU serial production engine in a US Army land system in over 40 years. The engine is part of the PowerPack system, which includes transmission, cooling, and filtration components designed to support performance in various terrains, including Arctic conditions.
The people, through their advocates, resisted the Senate until the watershed event of Marius’ elimination of the property qualification. That event turned the army into a force engine for any commander who wanted control of Rome. Back and forth the struggle went until the stars were aligned for Caesar. Ironic that Caesar would be assassinated by a group of Republicans trying to hang on to the old system. They were too late.
On January 11, Geely introduced the Xingrui AI model, which was described as the world’s first fully self-developed, full-scenario AI big model in the automotive industry.
Cloud computing and AI are increasingly being used in China’s automotive industry to enhance the performance of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and provide more personalized driving experiences.
Furthermore, Geely’s ‘Smart Geely 2025’ strategy aims to accelerate the adoption of advanced AI technologies, including voice interaction models, AI digital chassis, and intelligent driving systems.
It has the potential to provide Cosmic Explorer with all the laser power needed to dive deep into the universe’s unsolved mysteries.
Apart from allowing us to detect gravitational waves, the “research promises to answer some of the deepest questions in physics and cosmology, such as how fast the universe is expanding and the true nature of black holes,” the study authors added.
Herodotus says something about him – “Homer and Hesiod were the two poets who composed Theogonies and described the gods of the Greeks giving them all their appropriate titles, offices, and powers, and they lived, I believe not more than 400 years ago.” It is believed that Hesiod lived some time during the eighth century B.C.
Hesiod, like Homer, is known primarily for two long poems, his titles being Theogony and Works and Days. Theogony is one of the primary sources of Greek mythology, successful because it pulls many of the mythical stories together in a single narrative. One of the hallmarks of the work is that it asserts the authority of Zeus over all the Greek people rather than trying to establish a connection to a specific living dynastic line.
But you, Perses, listen to right and do not foster violence; for violence is bad for a poor man. [215] Even the prosperous cannot easily bear its burden, but is weighed down under it when he has fallen into delusion. The better path is to go by on the other side towards Justice; for Justice beats Outrage when she comes at length to the end of the race. But only when he has suffered does the fool learn this.
But for those who practice violence and cruel deeds far-seeing Zeus, the son of Cronos, ordains a punishment.
!summarize #gm #ev #wuling #hongguang #china
Perplexity launches its own freemium ‘deep research’ product
Perplexity has become the latest AI company to release an in-depth research tool, with a new feature announced Friday.
Google unveiled a similar feature for its Gemini AI platform in December. Then OpenAI launched its own research agent earlier this month. All three companies even have given the feature the same name: Deep Research.
#perplexity #deepresearch #ai #technology
The goal is to provide more in-depth answers with real citations for more professional use cases, compared to what you’d get from a consumer chatbot. In a blog post announcing Deep Research, Perplexity wrote that the feature “excels at a range of expert-level tasks—from finance and marketing to product research.”
Perplexity Deep Research is currently available on the web, and the company said it will soon be added to its Mac, iOS, and Android apps. To use it, you just select “Deep Research” from a drop-down menu when you submit your query in Perplexity, which will then create a detailed report that can be exported as a PDF or shared as a Perplexity Page.
Marc Andreessen dreams of making a16z a lasting company, beyond partnerships
Many venture industry observers have wondered whether Andreessen Horowitz, a firm that manages $45 billion, has its sights on eventually becoming a publicly traded company.
Co-founder Marc Andreessen said he isn’t “chomping at the bit to take the firm public,” on this week’s Invest Like the Best podcast. But he discussed his goal of building a16z into an enduring company, drawing inspiration from JP Morgan and publicly traded private equity firms.
Historically, venture capital firms have been partnerships consisting of a “small tribe of people sitting in a room together, trying to bounce ideas off of each other when they make investments,” Andreessen said on the podcast.
#marcandreeson #a16z #vc #investing #Technology
The problem with the partnership model, he said, is that it’s highly dependent on the ideas and expertise of those people at the table with “no underlying asset value,” as he described it. Once the original partners retire, the firm loses a lot of its value, even if a new generation of investors takes over.
“But even if they can keep it going, there’s no underlying asset value. That next generation is just going to have to hand it off to the third generation,” he said. “That’s probably going to fail on the third generation. It’s going to be on Wikipedia someday: that firm existed, and then it went away.”
!summarize #Tesla #stock #doge #elonmusk
OpenAI board unanimously rejects Elon Musk's $97.4B offer: 'Not for sale'
“Any potential reorganization of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity,” Chairman Bret Taylor said, on behalf of its board.
OpenAI on Friday rejected a $97.4 billion bid from a consortium led by billionaire Elon Musk for the ChatGPT maker, saying the startup is not for sale and that any future bid would be disingenuous.
The unsolicited approach is Musk’s latest attempt to block the startup he co-founded with CEO Sam Altman — but later left — from becoming a for-profit firm, as it looks to secure more capital and stay ahead in the AI race.
#openai #elonmusk #offer #board #chatgpt
“OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition. Any potential reorganization of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity,” Chairman Bret Taylor said, on behalf of its board.
Musk’s lawyer Marc Toberoff did not respond to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, Altman told news website Axios that OpenAI was not for sale. He had rebuffed the offer on Monday with a “no thank you” on X, prompting Musk to retort: “swindler.”
!summarize #jobs #ai #disruption #workers
Meta censors internal dissent over Mark Zuckerberg cozying up to Trump: report
Meta is reportedly cracking down on internal dissent over CEO Mark Zuckerberg's overtures to President Donald Trump.
Meta is cracking down on internal dissent over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s overtures to President Donald Trump — telling staffers that criticizing the billionaire or the company could harm their performance evaluations, according to a report.
The Facebook and Instagram parent, which has sought Trump’s help in getting European authorities to ease its regulation of American companies, has been restricting dissent over Zuckerberg’s right-ward shift on its internal Workplace platform, sources told the financial news network CNBC.
#metea #markzuckerberg #trump #ceo #censorship
Employees who posted comments perceived as negative by management were warned that their remarks could be factored into performance evaluations, potentially impacting their job security, according to the report.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s overtures to President Donald Trump has reportedly rankled employees. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Meta workers who are disillusioned by Zuckerberg’s pivot toward Trump are hesitant to quit due to concerns that prospective employers may perceive their departures as part of the tech company’s efforts to cull “low performers,” according to CNBC.
!summarize #robots #2025 #robotics #automation
!summarize #space #technology
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta to invest in AI-powered humanoid robots to compete with Tesla, others
A new division will be created within Meta’s Reality Labs unit.
Meta Platforms is establishing a new division within its Reality Labs unit to develop AI-powered humanoid robots that can assist with physical tasks, according to an internal company memo viewed by Reuters on Friday.
The Facebook parent is entering the competitive field of humanoid robotics, joining rivals such as Nvidia-backed Figure AI and Tesla, as the emergence of advanced AI models drives innovation in robotics and automation.
#markzuckerberg #meta #ai #humanoid #tesla #robots
In the memo, Meta Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, said the robotics product group would focus on research and development involving “consumer humanoid robots with a goal of maximizing Llama’s platform capabilities.”
Llama is the name of Meta’s main series of AI foundation models, which power a growing suite of generative AI products on its social media platforms.
The group will be led by Marc Whitten, the former CEO of self-driving car company Cruise, whom Meta has hired for the role, Bosworth said in the memo, which was first reported by Bloomberg News.
!summarize #fusion #nuclear #datacenters #physics #energy
!summarize #energy #chip #nearzero #technology #science
New mass-producible space-grade solar cell promises 10x cost reduction
Developed by Sydney-based Extraterrestrial Power, these thinner solar cells could also be remotely manufactured in space in the future.
Extraterrestrial Power, a Sydney-based private Space Tech company, has unveiled its new space-grade solar cell thin enough to be mass-produced like terrestrial solar cells. Estimated to be up to ten times cheaper than current solar cells, this innovation could make waves in the space solar cell industry.
Supported by the Australian Space Agency, the federal government’s satellite agency headquartered in Adelaide, this new technology is timely given the current rapid growth in satellite production.
#solar #energy #space #cell
Space organizations are looking for innovative ways to achieve their missions with improved sustainability and lower costs, so cheaper, lighter solar cells would be appealing. According to the company, its new solar cells are thin enough to benefit from mass production alongside terrestrial ones, while retaining the efficiency, stability, and robustness to survive in space.
Backed by Australian Space Agency
The company explains that the main barrier to making solar cells thinner so far has been the need for them to survive the extreme atmospheric conditions in the orbit. This includes hazards like radiation, temperature fluctuations, and vacuum environments.
To this end, Extraterrestrial Power set out to develop solar cells that meet the high standards demanded for the technology. Backed, in part, by the Australian Space Agency’s moon to Mars supply chain program, the company has now achieved what was once thought impossible.
China’s Geely smart hybrid EV offers 770-mile range, 80% charge in 20 minutes
The newly launched Geely Galaxy L7 EM-i offers a 770 miles range with Geely’s latest NordThor hybrid system.
China-based automobile giant Geely is pushing the boundaries of automotive AI with the launch of its Galaxy L7 EM-i.
The Geely Galaxy L7 EM-i builds on the design of the Galaxy L7, featuring a through-type LED headlight group and a closed front panel.
As per the company, it delivers a WLTC comprehensive fuel consumption of 1.05 to 1.3 liters per 100 km (62 miles) and a total cruising range of 1,240 km (770 miles).
#china #geely #ev
Besides, the car’s battery can be charged from 30% to 80% in just 20 minutes using fast charging, while a full charge with a standard charger takes between 2.7 and 3 hours.
New Geely Galaxy L7 EM-i offers two hybrid powertrain options
The Geely Galaxy L7 EM-i is powered by Geely’s latest NordThor EM-i hybrid technology, available in two configurations.
The first option is a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine producing 82 kW (110 hp) and 136 Nm of torque, paired with a 160 kW (215 hp) electric motor and an E-DHT transmission. It is equipped with an 18.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, delivering a CLTC pure electric range of 115 km.
LIGO to detect gravitational waves from 13 million light-years further with new device
While LIGO’s laser can currently reach 750 kilowatts, it needs to surpass one megawatt to achieve its full potential.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, is one of the most powerful scientific equipment for detecting gravitational waves. Covering an area of 16 square kilometers, it also happens to be among the world’s largest scientific facilities.
However, there’s something that prevents this giant instrument from realizing its full potential.
Currently, LIGO’s laser power starts at 200 Watts, and with maximum amplification, it can go up to 750 kilowatts — but this is not enough. According to scientists, the LIGO laser must cross the one-megawatt level to accomplish desirable results.
#ligo #graviation #space #laser #science #Technology
“Achieving greater quantum-noise-limited sensitivity to spacetime strain hinges on achieving higher circulating laser power, in excess of 1 MW, in conjunction with highly squeezed quantum states of light,” authors of a study note.
Until now, there has been no way to make this happen, but a new study presents a prototype optical device that promises to boost LIGO’s laser power to levels never achieved before. “We demonstrate the potential of new adaptive optical technology to expand the detection horizon of gravitational-wave observatories,” the researchers said.
!summarize #facebook #books #data #illegal #copyright
!summarize #google #ai #weapons