2024-01-03

Worthy

• Tragic: Hamas Loses Two Leaders In One Day | Babylon Bee

  • Perfection. I Bow Before the Bee.

etc

• JAL A359 at Tokyo Collided with Coast Guard DH8C

• Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way | The Free Press

• The Porsche Taycan Just Smoked Tesla Model S Plaid's Nurburgring EV Lap Record

• Millennials Are Delaying Marriage Because They Can't Afford It

• Death Toll from New Year’s Day Earthquake in Western Japan Rises to 62

Horseshit

• Super-rich pick flats with private security as sales rise of £15M London homes

• US fusion energy dreams edge closer to reality, Congress permitting

• When should you give up on a book?

• The Myth of Meritocracy Runs Deep in American History

  • HN comments

• Andrew Scott halted Hamlet soliloquy after theatregoer used laptop to email

• Suicide Rates Are Up for Gen Z Across the Anglosphere, Especially for Girls

  • HN comments

• Toward a shallower future - by Noah Smith - Noahpinion

  The modern world of push-button marvels has lost something, but it has gained more than it has lost. By celebrating it, we honor the countless millennia of heroes who worked in some small way to bring it about, even as we dedicate ourselves to continuing their great work. Our legacy is to fill the Universe with children who laugh more than we were allowed to.

• Driverless cars swerve traffic tickets in California even if they break the law

  • HN comments

• Kim Davis must pay $260,000 legal fees over same-sex marriage license refusal

  • Former Kentucky clerk faces $360,000 in payments in marriage license case

• Where $1M in retirement savings will last the longest around the U.S.

celebrity gossip

• Bill Clinton to be unmasked as ‘Doe 36’ and identified more than 50 times in Jeffrey Epstein doc dump.

  • ABC News covers Epstein, Clinton ties years after Amy Robach hot mic ‘we had everything’ scandal

  • Jimmy Kimmel Fires Back at Aaron Rodgers for Baseless Epstein List Swipe

  • Names linked to Jeffrey Epstein set to be made public: All you need to know

  • A judge is set to unseal the names of over 170 Jeffrey Epstein associates. Many of them are his victims.

• ‘Black Panther’ actor seriously injured in New Year’s hit-and-run at New York restaurant

• Nobel laureate Yunus sentenced to jail in Bangladesh

Obit

• Frank Ryan, NFL Champion QB, Math Prof, Pioneer of Electronic Voting, Has Died

• Man Dead After Climbing Into Delta Jet Engine at Airport

  • Man found dead inside plane engine in Salt Lake City

Musk

• Fidelity marks down X valuation by 71.5%

  • Elon Musk's X Is Worth 71% Less Than He Bought It For, Says Fidelity

  • Value of X has fallen 71% since purchase by Musk and name change from Twitter

  • Since Elon Musk's Twitter purchase, firm reportedly lost 72% of its value

• X Kicked Off 2024 by Screwing Up During Japan's Earthquake Emergency

• X Pro API – $5k per month

• Elon Musk is not understood – Casey Handmer's blog

  I make no secret of my admiration for the achievements of Elon’s companies. I first met Elon in about 2011, and found him thoughtful and interesting, though of course I know many people who’ve been on the receiving end of quite severe criticism (as well as praise) in the context of their work. Nevertheless I was sufficiently impressed by what I saw SpaceX doing in 2011 (it had only launched Falcon 9 twice at that point – it launched Falcon twice the evening I wrote this post!) that I diverted a meaningful fraction of my meager grad student savings into Tesla stock, which have appreciated approximately 120x since then, enabling me to fund the process of getting a Green Card and ultimately becoming a US citizen.

Trump / War against the Right / Jan6

• Trump faces $250M penalty, ban from doing business in NY when judge issues verdict this month.

• Destroying Democracy to Save It: Maine Shows the Danger of Zealots in our Legal System – JONATHAN TURLEY

• Trump appeals decision to bar him from Maine 2024 primary ballot

  • Trump Appeals Ruling That Bars Him From Maine's Ballot

• 'View' host says Trump ballot ban creates 'visual' of 'a rigged election'

• Maine secretary of state denies politics played role in decision to kick Trump off ballot

• Group That Sued To Boot Trump From Colorado Ballot Wants Supreme Court Input

• Judge Drops Most—but Not All—Counts in Trump’s Jan. 6 Civil Case

  • Judge dismisses Trump wrongful death claim

  • Judge dismisses three civil counts against Trump, others over death of Brian Sicknick

• Lawsuit aims to keep Pennsylvania congressman off ballot over Constitution's insurrection clause

  • Notorious House Jan. 6 Plotter Could Be Next to Be Kicked Off 2024 Ballot

  • GOP Rep. Scott Perry Faces Lawsuit To Ban Him From 2024 Election Over 14th Amendment

Pox / COVID / BioTerror AgitProp

• Experimental drug that alters gut microbiome shows promise for long COVID relief.

Religion / Tribal / Culture War and Re-Segregation

• ‘Death to America, Death to Israel’: Anti-Israel NYC Protesters Cheer for Houthis in Yemen.

• Trustlessness and the left

  In a largely overlooked 1888 essay, Peter Kropotkin went against the sentiment of many anarchist theorists of the time and argued that it could very well be the case that most individuals are not fundamentally kind and compassionate; are not searching for broad equality and do not have the interests of others at heart

• The political left and right is a figment of your imagination. – Mark Greville

  • HN comments

• Making Discrimination OK Again

  • HN comments

• Prediction: Wokeness will recede significantly in 2024

• Why do you care about Palestine?

• Tech for Palestine

• Amazon Internal Communications Reveal Anti-Israel Sentiments Among Employees

Edumacationalizing / Acedemia Nuts

• For Harvard’s Sake, It’s Time to Let Claudine Gay Go.

  • Harvard President Claudine Gay Hit With Six New Charges Of Plagiarism

  • Harvard University President Claudine Gay Is Resigning

  • Claudine Gay to resign Harvard presidency

    • HN comments

  • Claudine Gay resigns as Harvard University president

  • Fire Gay for the right reasons.

  • Harvard President Claudine Gay Resigns, Shortest Tenure In University History

  • Harvard's Gay Resigns Following New Allegations Of Plagiarism, Shortest Presidential Tenure In History

  • Harvard President Gay resigns after rocky testimony, plagiarism allegations

    • HN comments

  • Claudine Gay Resigns As Harvard President, Claims ‘Racial Animus’ Fueled Criticism.

  • Harvard President Resigns After Mounting Plagiarism Accusations

  • Harvard president resigns amid claims of plagiarism and antisemitism backlash

  • Why has Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard?

  • Departure of Harvard's Claudine Gay plays into campus culture wars

  • What Claudine Gay’s Resignation From Harvard Means For the Rest Of Us

  • An Old-Fashioned Scandal Fells a New Harvard President

  • Claudine Gay's 6-month stint as Harvard president was the shortest in school history

  • Read Claudine Gay’s Resignation Letter

  • Student Newspaper: Harvard President Gay Resigns

  • Harvard President Claudine Gay Announces She Will Resign

  • Embattled Harvard President Announces ‘Difficult’ Decision to Step Down

• Republicans claim victory for Harvard president's resignation - POLITICO

  • Conservatives See Harvard President Claudine Gay’s Resignation as a Victory

  • Harvard President Claudine Gay’s Resignation Is a Win for Right-Wing Chaos Agents

  • Harvard President Resigns Thanks to Far-Right Attacks Elevated by Media

• Universities Are Prioritizing Their Health Systems over Teaching

• Bill Ackman asks if MIT president Sally Kornbluth is next

Info Rental / ShowBiz / Advertising

• Muppet Babies Will Never Be Available on Streaming Due to Studio Copyright Claim

  • HN comments

• Is 2024 the Year When Writers Fight Back? (Substack Paywall)

• (2023) Video game company layoffs are creating an industry crisis

• Cox Distances Itself from Claim It Spies on Users via Phones, Cable Box Mics

• Americans are canceling more of their streaming services

  • HN comments

• After 34 years, someone beat Tetris | Hacker News

• Mickey Mouse horror film unveiled as copyright ends

• Young men face high risk for gambling addiction as sports betting surges

  • HN comments

• Digital master tapes of the 3D series 'Reboot' found, but a playback device is lacking - NotebookCheck.net News

  However, these digital D1 tapes (Wikipedia article) are not playable. This is because the studio does not have the necessary playback equipment. An appeal has been made on the Facebook page to try find a Bosch BTS-D1 device. T

• Meet 'Link History,' Facebook's New Way to Track the Websites You Visit

TechSuck / Geek Bait

• HN Jobs:

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (January 2024)

  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (January 2024)

  • Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (January 2024)

• A* tricks for videogame path finding

  • HN comments

• Arm conquered the chip market without making a single chip

• SSD Prices To Skyrocket By 50% In 2024

• AMD budget GPU listed with twice memory of RTX 4060, RX 7600 XT with 16GB GDDR6

• In surprise move, Gentoo Linux starts offering binaries

AI Will (Save | Destroy) The World

• Japan Goes All In: Copyright Doesn't Apply to AI Training

  • HN1 comments

• Nobel Prize Winner Cautions on Rush into Stem After Rise of AI

• UN AI Advisory Body's Interim Governing AI for Humanity

• Texas Is Exploring Role of AI in Government

Space / Boomy Zoomers / UFO

• Bezos' Rocket Startup and Cerberus Compete to Buy SpaceX Rival

• Space shuttle Endeavour's giant orange external tank begins final journey

Crypto con games

• SBF Charges Dropped Proves System Is Rigged.

• AI versus copyright: why you shouldn't count your NFT chickens before they hatch

• Fidelity sets Bitcoin ETF fee at 0.39% ahead of expected SEC approvals

Economicon / Business / Finance

• US office buildings face $117BN debt time bomb: Mortgages due this year threaten to sink US economy as thousands of workplaces remain empty.

• 2023 ends with gas prices still much higher than when Trump was president.

• Apple shares slip nearly 3% after Barclays downgrade

  • Apple Stock Downgraded as Barclays Warns on Cooling iPhone Demand

  • Apple shed $100 billion of market value in a single day. That's more than Ford and GM are worth combined.

• Wayfair's CEO Wants Staff to Work Harder. Your Boss Probably Agrees

• Apps will be reporting your earnings to tax authorities from this week

• Fake Surgeries Are Securities Fraud - Bloomberg

• Dollar Kicks Off 2024 with Best Day Since March on Fed Doubt

• SoftBank’s Gen Z social media bust: was IRL the next Facebook or a fraud?

Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making

• Biden has to be reminded by Jill that ice cream is his favorite food during rare interview.

• Americans could lose internet aid months before the 2024 election

• Running radio ads in TN today: About Robert Quigley For President

  • I assume he's an aspirant John Bell: 1860 United States presidential election - Wikipedia

• Ex-CIA analyst says intel agencies to be politically active again in 2024 election

• You can now easily search through every executive in federal government

• Bob Menendez: US senator accused of accepting gifts from Qatar

• DeSantis and Haley will appear at next week's CNN debate at the same time as Trump's Fox town hall

  • Trump to Skip CNN Debate in Iowa to Attend Fox News Town Hall

  • DeSantis, Haley qualify for CNN Iowa debate; Trump set for town hall counterprogramming

• Pro-Haley super PAC in new ad says DeSantis 'tried to court China' as governor

• Disgraced former Iowa Rep. Steve King endorses Ramaswamy

• Vivek Ramaswamy Drops Out of CNN Debate He Didn’t Qualify For

  • Vivek Ramaswamy Mad About Likely Not Qualifying For CNN's Iowa Debate

  • Vivek Ramaswamy blasts CNN debate over exclusion, says only ‘establishment insiders’ will be on stage

• White House turns to US Supreme Court in Texas razor-wire border dispute

• Biden re-election campaign to put emphasis on fight for democracy | First Thing

  • Biden campaign aides reportedly joke about going 'full Hitler' on Trump

• US National Debt Hits Record $34 Trillion as Congress Gears up for Funding Fight

  • US national debt hits record $34 trillion as Congress gears up for funding fight

  • US Debt Hits A Record $34.001 Trillion

• Steve Scalise endorses Trump for president

• RFK Jr. Hires Leading Anti-Vaxxer as New Comms Director

• Congressman And Senator's Son Jump Into Senate Race To Succeed Mitt Romney In Utah

• Biden losing support among Black and Hispanic voters, poll finds

  • Biden continues bleeding support from key voter groups as Dems sound alarm over 2024: poll

Law Breaking / Police / Internal Security

• In L.A., a new vision of incarceration proves rehabilitation works

• Man breaks into Colorado Supreme Court overnight and opens fire, police say | KSL.com

  The preliminary investigation "confirmed a high probability" that the incident is not connected to "recent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court justices," the Colorado State Patrol said. In an afternoon news release, the Denver Police Department identified the suspect as 44-year-old Brandon Olson. He is being held for investigation of robbery, burglary and arson while the Denver District Attorney's Office makes charging decisions, the release said.

  • Police arrest man they say held guard at gunpoint at Colorado supreme court

  • Man Arrested After Breaking Into Colorado Supreme Court

  • Armed man breaks into Denver building housing Colorado Supreme Court

  • Shots Fired Overnight in Colorado Supreme Court Building

• FBI Says There’s ‘No Evidence’ Deliberate Rochester Crash Was Terror Plot

  • FBI investigating deadly New Year's Day collision in Rochester, New York

External Security / Militaria / Diplomania

• US Pressured Netherlands to Block China-Bound Chip Machinery

• U.S. condemns 'inflammatory,' 'irresponsible' comments by far-right Israeli ministers

  • US Condemns Israeli Ministers' Call for Palestinians to Emigrate

  • Biden under pressure to act amid new fears of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza

World

• Britons increasingly turning to food black market, experts say

• US Overtakes China as South Korea’s Top Export Market

• China Is Pressing Women to Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No

  • HN comments

• Turkey arrests 33 suspected of spying for Israel

  • Turkey Arrests 34 Suspected Mossad Spies Over Abduction Plot Aimed At Hamas Leaders

• China Ramps Up Intimidation Campaign Ahead of Taiwan Election

• China's Balloons Are Back. This Time They Are Over Taiwan.

• Sister of North Korean Leader Derides South Korea's President but Praises Predecessor

• South Korean police raid house of suspect who stabbed opposition leader

Iran / Houthi / Red Sea / Mediterranean

• Shipping firms split on return to Red Sea as Houthi attacks continue.

• Maersk's Red Sea shipping pause highlights challenges for U.S.-led efforts to protect trade

• Global Shipping Firms Continue to Pause Red Sea Shipments

• Maersk halts Red Sea shipping until further notice

• Maersk Pauses Transit Through Red Sea Until Further Notice

Israel

• Israel kills Hamas commander who helped lead Oct. 7 attacks.

• NYT's "Investigation": Weaponizing Sexual Violence Against Women for Propaganda

• Since Oct 7, Israelis use TikTok more than all other social networks combined

• Hezbollah has built a tunnel network far more sophisticated than Hamas's

• Israel Assassinates Deputy Head Of Hamas In Drone Attack On Beirut Suburb

• Israel-Hamas War Reached Beirut, Lebanon

• Killing of senior Hamas leader in Lebanon stokes fears of Gaza war spreading beyond enclave

• Can South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel stop war in Gaza?

  • You’ll Never Guess Who Bibi Wants at Hague Genocide Hearing. Actually, You Will.

  • Israel promises to fight South Africa genocide accusation at ICJ

Russia Bad / Ukraine War

• "No Stomach" In US To Keep Funding Ukraine As 'War Is Over': Ex-Pentagon Official | ZeroHedge

• Russia Pounds Kiev With 100 Missiles As Air War Escalates In Deadly Tit-For-Tat

• Ukraine's Drone Boats Are Now Firing Rockets at Russian Ships

• Ukrainian missiles target Russian border regions in retaliatory strikes

• Ukraine's dwindling supply of Leopard 2 tanks aren't being repaired because Europe doesn't have the parts

Health / Medicine

• 'Good cholesterol' and dementia: Researchers chart a correlation

• Meat intake is positively correlated with life expectancies

• Venomous snake bites kill thousands every year. A doctor may have a solution

• More Americans can now get insulin for $35

• The Freedom to Choose Medicine Is a Civil Right

  Our country’s founding documents declare that it’s better to risk erring on the side of too much individual liberty rather than risk drifting into unchecked authoritarianism. During the pandemic, regulations that denied my friends and family access to safe, authorized, widely available, potentially effective, non-psychoactive, and non-addictive medicines drifted into death-by-inaction paternalism. It’s time to recognize the individual freedom to choose medicines as a basic civil right.

• Singing The Blues - by Scott Alexander - Astral Codex Ten

  In predictive coding, the equivalent of control theory’s “set point” is the “prior”. This suggests an elegant equivalence: an incorrectly fixed set point, like those in anorexia and depression, are the same thing as a trapped prior.

• As abortion access shrinks, people are stockpiling pills. But it's not always those who need it most

  • More nonpregnant women are requesting abortion pills to have on hand

  • US Women Stock Up on Abortion Pills, Especially When Restrictions in News

  • Threats to abortion access drive demand for abortion pills, analysis suggests

  • More Women Who Are Not Pregnant Are Ordering Abortion Pills Just in Case

• Valley Meats recalls raw beef due to E. Coli concerns

  • Nearly 7,000 pounds of ground beef products have been recalled over possible E. Coli ...

• Reckitt Benckiser unit recalls possibly contaminated baby formula powder, FDA says

Environment / Climate / Green Propaganda

• Ominous Rumblings From The Climate Change Cult | ZeroHedge

• Evolution might stop humans from solving climate change

• Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly.

• Will hotter heat pumps win over homeowners?

• Ants recognise infected wounds and treat them with antibiotics

• Cities on the East Coast are sinking

  Major cities on the U.S. Atlantic coast are sinking, in some cases as much as 5 millimeters per year – a decline at the ocean’s edge that well outpaces global sea level rise, confirms new research from Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey.

• 'Snow drought' grips California and western United States, despite recent storms