2021-08-26

Cool

• Discovery of fastest ever magnetic wave propagation

  Like light waves, magnetic waves move through materials at a fixed maximum velocity. However, at the smallest possible length scale (nanometres) and the shortest possible time scale (femtoseconds), magnetism behaves differently. Physicists at Radboud University have discovered that magnetic waves with very short wavelengths can propagate up to 40% faster than previously thought.

Worthy

• Visualizing Observed Deaths

• We need a new philosophy of progress - LessWrong

  We need a new philosophy of progress for the 21st century. One that teaches people not to take the modern world for granted. One that acknowledges the problems of progress, confronts them directly, and offers solutions. And one that holds up a positive vision of the future.

etc

• Full-Size Lego Toyota GR Supra Revealed

• Operational T-90 Tank Found Curiously Abandoned at Russian Trash Dump - The Debrief

• Florida kite surfer killed after high winds slam him into a house

• Tennessee area storms are once-in-a-thousand-years event

• Final victim found in Tennessee flooding disaster search

• Evidence of extensive corrosion in collapsed condo

• International Space Station will soon be retired. Replacement not from NASA

Horseshit

• Belgian Woman Banned from Zoo After 4-Year 'Affair' with Chimpanzee | PEOPLE.com

• Food claiming to have 'wild mushrooms' rarely does, study finds

• Cortana is AWOL in the war against COVID-19 disinfo | Computerworld

  The fight against COVID-19 has become as much a war against misinformation as it is against the virus itself. Microsoft’s digital assistant doesn’t provide even the barebones basics about protecting against COVID-19.

celebrity gossip

• Public Statement from Bob Ross Inc.

  Bob Ross Inc. takes strong issue with the inaccurate and heavily slanted portrayal of our company in the Netflix film, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed.

Culture War / Re segregation / Identdoctrination

• Time partners with Fortnite to celebrate Martin Luther King, March on Washington

• US psychologist justifies quote “whites should commit suicide as an ethical act”

• 1,200 first responders will file lawsuit against Covid vaccine mandate

• The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist

• NY, LA and SF Just Committed Suicide; Is Vegas Next? | Frontpagemag

• University bioethicists: Vaccine mandates ‘promote freedom’ | The College Fix

• Campus Reform | Stanford prof says 'Whiteness' explains parents' opposition to school mask mandates

• Why Some White Evangelical Republicans Are So Opposed to the Covid-19 Vaccine

  most white evangelical Republicans, and Republicans in general, disagreed with our question about the Golden Rule, that “because getting vaccinated against COVID-19 helps protect everyone, it is a way to live out the religious principle of loving my neighbors” (57 percent and 58 percent, respectively). This may be because for some white evangelicals and Republicans, politics and religion are inseparable — and God’s will, or their interpretation of it, controls everything.

• How a once-obscure government database turned into a weapon for anti-vaxxers

• COVID parenting with delta: I have no idea what risks are OK for my kids anymore.

  A few minutes later, another head popped into the room. It was my husband, asking if I really said it was OK to have this new kid over without a mask. “Ugh, yes, that’s what I told him,” I replied. “But I have no idea! Do whatever you think is best! I don’t know! Up to you!” And then I turned back to my laptop.

Media / Many Ministries of Truths / Censorship

• OnlyFans: How it handles illegal sex videos - BBC investigation - BBC News

• Why are 'nah he tweakin' comments being posted all over Instagram? - ABC News

• Perspective: Tackling Misinformation on YouTube

• Axel Springer to Acquire Politico

  • Politico sells to German publishing giant Axel Springer for $1B

• Reddit rejects moderators' call for harsh measures against Covid misinformation

  Spreading anti-mask, anti-vaccination rhetoric actively encourages harm, especially considering COVID-19 is still killing thousands of people every day in the U.S. alone. But it seems Reddit believes this harm isn't serious enough to warrant harsher action. Reddit's empty platitudes and clear abdication of responsibility are disappointing, but not all that surprising. After all, it's much easier to step back and pretend you and your $10 billion company have absolutely no culpability in the 625,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19 to date.

TechSuck

• Facebook Said to Consider Forming an Election Commission

• Google, Microsoft plan to spend billions on cybersecurity after meeting Biden

• Intel wins US Government project to develop leading-edge foundry ecosystem

• Coinbase customers up in arms after hackers drain crypto wallets

Economicon

• UK car production plummets to lowest level since 1956 amid chip shortage

• U.S. Economy Likely to Outgrow China’s Due to Contrast in Pandemic Responses

• Trump's Medical Pricing Transparency Policies Vindicated in Stunning New York Times Report – RedState

  As an example, NYT went on to list the comparative costs of a standard colonoscopy at the Mississippi Medical Center: $1463 with a Cigna plan, $2144 with Aetna, and a stunning $782 with no insurance at all.

• TSMC hikes chip prices up to 20% amid supply shortage

  • HN thread

  I believe they could double (100%) prices and companies would pay it. There's chips that I'm sourcing from obscure places in China just to get the part and paying whatever price they ask.

  We are currently paying a chip broker $6.30 for an Infineon chip we typically buy by the 100,000s for $0.47. Cuz without them, our customers cannot sell their $10,000,000 product.

• (Aug 19) "with Total Permanent Disability" 323k Federal Student Loan Borrowers to Receive $5.8B in Automatic Discharges

Poilitcks

• Biden Taps K-12 Nonprofits Code.org, Girls Who Code to Improve US Cybersecurity - Slashdot

• White House to media: We want our props on Afghanistan - POLITICO

• Biden Smirks, Makes Snide Remarks When Asked About Afghanistan as White House Cuts Audio Feed

• Federal government to expand use of facial recognition despite growing concerns

• Rep. Ilhan Omar Asks Biden to Pardon Daniel Hale for Drone Leak

Crime / Police

• Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump, Roger Stone, Proud Boys over Jan. 6 Invasion

• Exclusive: Police Lieutenant Who Killed January 6 Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt Finally Identified.

  After not naming Byrd publicly for months, Babbitt’s lawyer said he became skeptical when he learned Wednesday that the officer was set to appear with Lester Holt in an NBC News broadcast the following day—and that NBC had already taped the interview.

• US Judge Sanctions Trump-Allied Lawyers

  A U.S. federal judge imposed financial penalties and other sanctions Wednesday against nine lawyers with ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump after ruling that their lawsuit challenging 2020 election results in the state of Michigan was a “historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.”

• One Of The Men Charged In The Mich. Governor Kidnap Plot Gets 6 Years In Prison

• Trump makes executive privilege threat as Capitol riot committee seeks documents

• Palantir glitch granted FBI staff unauthorized access to a crypto hacker’s data

Security / Militaria

• COVID Origin Report Is 'Inconclusive' After China Refuses To Cooperate

• Biden's intelligence agencies bow to Beijing, claim no conclusion on COVID

Afghanistan

• Biden Delivers Surreal Press Conference, Vows To Hunt Down Isis, Blames Trump | ZeroHedge

  In a surreal press conference that included bible quotes, a moment of silence, and blaming President Trump, Biden said he was open to sending US forces back into Afghanistan to assist with the withdrawal. "Whatever they need, if they need additional force, I will grant it," he said, adding that the US military can target ISIS-K without "large scale military operations."

  Of note, after reading his speech on the teleprompter, Biden said out loud "The first person I was instructed to call upon..." before taking questions.

• ‘We Will Not Forgive,’ Biden Says, Vowing Retaliation for Airport Attack

• ISIS Afghanistan airport attacks: 60 civilians and 12 US service members killed

• Biden To Abandon Americans Stranded In Afghanistan Following ISIS Bombings, Continued Threats: Source | ZeroHedge

  "Military continues to retrograde and depart [the] airport," said the source, adding "Almost a certainty that Americans will be left behind."

• The Simple Steps You Can Take to Help Afghan Refugees

• American Troops Confirmed Killed In Kabul Airport Terror Bombing (Updated)

  The CENTCOM head said that, at least at present, evacuation operations are continuing, despite today's attacks. He also said that the U.S. military is still actively engaging with the Taliban about the security situation in Kabul, as well, and that the group's members may have thwarted other ISIS-K attacks. He added there were no indications that the Taliban were involved in today's attack.

• U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate - POLITICO

  “Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,” said one defense official.

• Music will be banned in Afghanistan and women will need a male chaperone if they travel alone | Daily Mail Online

• UK Defense Secretary Tells Afghans To Flee Across Borders Instead Of Going To Airport | ZeroHedge

• Let’s Not Pretend That the Way We Withdrew from Afghanistan Was the Problem

• Second Explosion at Kabul Airport Kills Dozens of Americans

• U.S. Marines injured as explosions near Kabul airport: multiple casualties

• BREAKING: Chaos and Confusion at the Kabul Airport After Second Explosion – PJ Media

  According to Glenn Beck, this is the British gate and there are preliminary reports of a dozen injured British citizens. Beck reports that three U.S. Marines have been injured in the blast and one infant has been killed. He is live on air from the region and stated that the 82nd Airborne is beginning to evacuate as we speak. Private planes from his non-profit, assisting in the evacuation, are still at the airport, and confusion and chaos abound.

• Apparent suicide attack rocks Afghanistan evacuation as Biden's deadline looms

• Pentagon confirms multiple US and civilian casualties in explosions around Kabul

• BREAKING: Chaos and Confusion at the Kabul Airport After Second Explosion – PJ Media

• ZH:

  Update (1102ET): According to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, there have been multiple US and civilian casualties. Kirby also confirmed the second explosion:

  "We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update."

• U.S. Leaving Behind 75,000 Vehicles, 600,000 Weapons, 208 Aircraft In Afghanistan, Watchdog Says | The Daily Wire

• "Nightmare Scenario" - Explosion Hits Kabul Airport; US Marines Injured, Americans Told To "Leave Immediately" | ZeroHedge

  Update (1022ET): Bloomberg reports that at least three US troops have been injured, per US officials.

• Italian evacuation plane comes under fire as it takes off from Kabul – reports

• Military planes at Kabul airport have been performing corkscrew landings and sending out flares to avoid potential missile attacks

• Afghanistan is ‘weeks to months’ from economic collapse

• US Allies Halt Evacuations From Kabul Airport Over Another "Imminent" ISIS Threat

• I Commanded Afghan Troops This Year. We Were Betrayed.

• Dozens of CA students, parents stranded in Afghanistan after summer trip abroad

  • Twenty Four Students from San Diego Stranded in Afghanistan

• America's $800 Million Kabul Embassy To Be Abandoned - No Troops Will Guard It | ZeroHedge

• A Private Network Is Using a Messaging App to Rescue Afghans

• U.S. is still trying to get in touch with about 1,000 Americans who may be trying to leave Afghanistan

World

• The hard men removing squatters in Spain

• Hackers are trying to topple Belarus’s dictator, with help from the inside

• China's Microsoft Hack May Have Had a Bigger Purpose Than Just Spying

• Does hate crime no longer matter? - spiked

• China cuts trade ties with EU country Lithuania over Taiwan

Health / Medicine / COVID

• New Study Confirms It's Much Safer to Get Vaccinated Than to Catch Covid-19

• How Immunity Generated from COVID-19 Vaccines Differs from an Infection – NIH Director's Blog

  These results add to evidence that people with acquired immunity may have differing levels of protection to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. More importantly, the data provide further documentation that those who’ve had and recovered from a COVID-19 infection still stand to benefit from getting vaccinated.

• Unvaccinated pregnant women face a high risk of severe COVID-19

• Unraveling the Mystery of Why Children Are Better Protected from Covid

• Tokyo medical association chairman holds press conference, recommends ivermectin

• Lisa Shaw: Presenter's death due to complications of Covid vaccine

  "Lisa died due to complications of an AstraZeneca Covid vaccination."

• Second Aussie journalist hospitalised with pericarditis after Pfizer vaccine

• Hospitalizations hit 100k in United States for first time since January

• The Rockefeller University » Natural infection versus vaccination: Differences in COVID antibody responses emerge

  Vaccination produces greater amounts of circulating antibodies than natural infection. But a new study suggests that not all memory B cells are created equal. While vaccination gives rise to memory B cells that evolve over a few weeks, natural infection births memory B cells that continue to evolve over several months, producing highly potent antibodies adept at eliminating even viral variants.

• Sense of smell may be the key to a balanced diet

• Alzheimer's Inc: When a Hypothesis Becomes Too Big to Fail

• mRNA vaccine trial for Lyme disease

  • Paid trolls very active on this topic.

Environment / Climate / Green Propaganda

• The dream of carbon air capture edges toward reality

• Big oil coined ‘carbon footprints’ to blame us for their greed

• To combat climate change, we should build nuclear power plants

• Climate Deniers Shift Tactics to ‘Inactivism’, trying to blame individuals