Yes, Reddit's a great example of this - complete echo chamber.

IronstoneOpal’s core sensor appears to be an opticallypumped atomic magnetometer (OPM). OPM run at (roughly) room temperature and needs only a tiny heater and a pair of diode lasers—no cryostat, no liquid helium, as opposed to SQUIDs (super conducting interference devices), which I used to work on. OPM's are already flying on geomagnetic survey drones and even inside soldiers’ backpacks. The main geomagnetic field from Earth’s core is smooth (2565T), but crustal rocks add local anomalies of a few to hundredsof nT that stay fixed for millions of years. Those anomalies create a global, passive, alwayson pattern—a magnetic “street map.” Unlike radio beacons, the map cannot be jammed or spoofed; it penetrates water, clouds, and foliage. That’s why militaries have studied “MagNav” since the 1970s and why quantum magnetometers are now reviving it for autonomous drones and vehicles. The University of Strathclyde have been working on this. OPM's use cesium / rubidium vapor heated and are really light and low power.

The main hurdles with this or other magnetic geolocation systems are heading ambiguity - scalar magnetometers can’t distinguish forward/back along same contour; this can be mitigated with tri-axis OPMs or gyroscopes, space-weather storms - yup, 1000's of nTs potentially, iron noise from your vehicle, Tesla-deserts - literally deserts or oceans where the magnetic changes are minimal, old data - survey, survey, survey!

Although there are hurdles, chip-scale OPM are headed into swarming micro-UAVs, and of course, they are a good fallback when GPS is jammed, or unavailable.

I'm just going to say it, loud and clear: it is not worth going to Mars. There is no real benefit - none -for humans to set foot on that planet. The entire idea is built more on fantasy than on logic. Mars is a barren, hostile rock with virtually no atmosphere, no breathable air, and no magnetic field to shield us from cosmic radiation. We romanticize it like it’s some kind of bold frontier, but the reality is that Mars is a place that doesn’t want us there, and we’re spending billions trying to pretend otherwise.

Radiation levels alone should be enough to stop the conversation. NASA’s own research confirms that a round trip to Mars would expose astronauts to dangerous levels of radiation, well beyond what’s considered safe. And that’s just the journey. On the surface, there’s nowhere to hide. Add to that the extreme cold - averaging around minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the paper-thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide, and it becomes clear that the whole notion of colonizing Mars is more of a survivalist hallucination than a serious strategy for the future.

There’s also this myth that we’ll “learn things” by going there. But we’ve already sent rovers, orbiters, and landers that have returned far more valuable data than any human could in that environment. If it’s science we’re after, robots can do it safer, cheaper, and better. The real motivation behind Mars is ideological - a desperate belief that we can abandon Earth and start fresh. But that’s not going to happen. Mars isn’t a backup plan. It’s a diversion.

We are a one-planet species. That’s not pessimism: it’s reality. The idea that we’re destined to become interplanetary is a comforting illusion in the face of real planetary crises. If we can’t manage to maintain a functioning biosphere on a planet already perfectly suited for life, how exactly do we expect to build one from scratch on a dead world?

Meanwhile, there are other, smarter ways to invest in space. Asteroid mining, for example, could actually yield something useful - vast quantities of rare metals and minerals that we need here on Earth. That’s not science fiction; it’s economically and technologically feasible within a couple of decades, and it wouldn’t involve risking lives or building impossible habitats. Orbital manufacturing is another promising avenue. In microgravity, we can make materials that are impossible to produce on Earth - like ultra-pure fiber optics or advanced pharmaceuticals. These things have real, near-term commercial value and could revolutionize industries down here where it matters. My opinion of Elmo has severely dropped recently, but I'd be more impressed if SpaceX were focusing on these than a retarded Mars mission.

Even solar power satellites, beaming clean energy back to Earth from orbit, offer a potential solution to our climate crisis, while staying grounded in reality. And let’s not forget planetary defense - actually protecting Earth from asteroid impacts, which is a very real and existential threat. That’s space investment that could literally save humanity.

So no, Mars is not the answer. It’s a distraction. It's a tech billionaire's fever dream sold to us as progress. If we’re going to dream big, let’s dream wisely. Let’s invest in ideas that serve this planet - because it’s the only one we’ve got. But, hey, it's his money, right? Right?

This is true for almost all entertainment, which apps kind of fall into mostly. Music, acting, film, games, Youtube, TikTok, etc., etc. for the vast majority of creators, there is no money in it *at all* from the actual creative part. There is money if (a) you become famous (b) you make money through some other means, like subscriptions, (c) you invest a whole load of money and use connections to float your product to the top, e.g., advertising, pay for reviews, radio play, commercials, etc. etc.

This last one is basically how music has been productized and sold for decades. Virtually anyone can play an instrument, and although writing a catchy song/tune is harder, it is quite possible. What transforms someone into a successful pop star is 95% the record company. This is why a lot of producers end up broke even thoguh they sold millions of copies. Why are geriatric bands still touring?

Life in the entertainment business is exemplified by huge disparities and luck. It is unfortunately, a commodity fighting for the core limited resource - people's time.

Wow! This exact thing happened about 30 billion years ago when Yark proposed a universe simulator based on Plank's Constant and e. How recursive!

This post wasnâ(TM)t written by AI, I promise, but the first disruption on my list is AI commenting. If Slashdot stories are more interesting with astute or funny comments, then while not have AI make them? Indeed, the article posters could preview the probable comments in advance to see how much engagement their post will make. Further, that too could be tweaked iteratively until the post generates the best level of commentary that will meet the goals of the site. If the goal is to get first posts, then donâ(TM)t make any comments, but if the goal is to get humans to engage, then a mixture of comments works well, including some that state facts completely wrongly so that humans jump in and correct them. If you think this is wrong, then complain to newspapers who have been printing curated letters to the editor for a very long time.
The next personal AI engine is the one mentioned in the article- music. Already today services like Spotify and saturated with AI music (good and bad) but do the services need to exist? A decentralized (so you can share the good ones) personal on-the-fly music generator could work well. It could stash any music you like (or donâ(TM)t hate) to replay. Replaying of music is a critical part of learning to like a tune or track. With a âoeyou gotta hear thisâ button, some tracks may become shared, but the days of mass music where many people like the same new tune are pretty much over. Only big money is keeping them going. Note that I wrote âoenew tuneâ. Old tunes will continue to exist. Live music will still survive too.
Another one will be PPE. Whatâ(TM)s that? N-95 masks? No, itâ(TM)s a Personal Porn Engine. PPEâ(TM)s are starting the gain steam, but are only with early adopters right now. The point of PPEâ(TM)s is that they are *personal* and not for distributing their output. Of course, some people will do that, and pay the consequences for it, but in normal use, what is shown by the PPE, stays in the PPE, or to be more accurate, nothing is stored or saved; everything is ephemeral and generated on the fly. Take a machine learning algorithm to work out what you like to see, along with options to spice up the selection, and feedback cues taken from when you stop, etc, and the PPE will be a highly personalized and thoughtful tool to bring you satisfaction. At think point authorities will in certain jurisdictions make them illegal to possess or use because of reasons.
The next engine is an AI-powered sense augmentation tool. Meta and others are already working on this, but the key is going to be speed and accuracy of feedback to the user. For sight, you wear some kind of camera. It could be on glasses, or a body cam or whatever. The input is continuously analyzed and prompts are fed back to the user via sight, sound, or potential other methods, eg, a pain literally in the butt to indicate someone you donâ(TM)t wish to engage with. Again the point of the AI is to go beyond machine vision, and instead provide interpretation or enhancement. Navigation, a personal assistant whispering in your ear, etc. are all options.
Traffic management - this is an oldie, but goodie. Everyone should be familiar with timed/sequenced traffic lights. In Germany they have dynamic signs thatâ(TM)ll tell you how fast you need to go to get through the next light on green. The US doesnâ(TM)t. In the UK, home of computing, Manchester had the city traffic lights controlled to change based on the time of day to manage inflows and outflows. Take this to the AI extreme â" so now, instead of Waze or Apple/Google Maps just routing traffic for you, there is a centralized system for say the city of New York, that will facilitate traffic control citywide totally dynamically. I think weâ(TM)ll see this in China first if it isnâ(TM)t there already.
Last one, for now, the Personal Responder. This one is imminent and does the job of tracking and suggesting all communications going to you. Straight off, it will reduce your email folder spam to zero and remove you from any subscriptions. But itâ(TM)ll monitor all your social media, Slack, email, both personal and work related. Itâ(TM)ll curate a personality that will appear to be you (a good version of you) for responses. It will have ready to go responses to every input, or, and this is crucial, know what it doesnâ(TM)t know and escalate those to you. Further, it will check everything you plan to send out checking for accuracy, tone, deceit (itâ(TM)ll check and learn if that is actually what you are trying to do), and give you insight into what kind of impact it will have - what will your audience/recipient think/feel/do? When you start work in the morning, itâ(TM)ll have a time reserved on your calendar to go through the correspondence from the night before. Essentially, this one is a Personal Assistant and everyone can afford to have one.

I get where you're coming from - it can feel like utilities are just grabbing control of your thermostat when the grid gets overloaded. That’s essentially what traditional Demand Response (DR) is: when there’s a risk of a brownout or blackout, the utility sends out a signal to participating devices (like your thermostat) to cut back on power usage. It’s a straightforward mechanism to prevent the grid from failing, and it’s valuable enough that it’s traded on the energy markets, both for the promise to reduce demand if needed and for the actual reduction itself.

But this new approach goes beyond just nudging the thermostat up when demand peaks. It’s about leveraging predictive algorithms and machine learning to intelligently manage energy consumption. Instead of a simple override, the system can now learn the thermal profile of each home. By monitoring how fast the house heats or cools, considering outside temperature, insulation, and the efficiency of the HVAC system, it builds a unique thermal model for your home. It’s like the system gets to know your house’s behavior, including how long it can coast without needing active heating or cooling.

Armed with this information, the system can make smarter decisions. Instead of just cranking up the thermostat when things get tight, it might pre-cool your home when energy is cheap or demand is low. By doing this, it takes advantage of the house’s thermal inertia, letting the temperature drift up naturally when demand spikes later in the day. It’s not simply raising the set point; it’s anticipating the demand curve and optimizing your energy use in advance. This way, you stay comfortable while the system reduces the overall load during peak hours.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach either. The machine learning aspect comes into play as the system continuously learns from new data. It tracks how your home responds to changes, how quickly temperatures shift, and even how you react to different temperature settings. Over time, it adjusts its strategy based on this feedback, getting better at finding the sweet spot between energy savings and comfort. It’s a dynamic process that adapts to your preferences, rather than imposing a blanket rule.

It’s also worth mentioning that modern DR programs are typically opt-in, with incentives for participation. You get to choose whether you want to take part, and in exchange, you often receive rebates or lower rates. It’s less about taking away control and more about offering a smarter, more flexible way to manage energy that benefits both you and the grid. If you’re open to the idea, these systems can help save money, reduce strain on the infrastructure, and even prevent outages.

So, while the term "AI" might seem like buzzword marketing, there’s actually substance behind it. This isn’t just a utility flipping a switch on your thermostat. It’s about using predictive algorithms and adaptive learning to orchestrate energy use in a way that balances comfort, cost, and grid stability. It’s a step up from the old DR methods, aiming to optimize rather than simply cut back.

Source: I design DR systems for smart thermostats

Okay, rant activated! Writing and publishing the news—much like writing and publishing music—is on life support. These days, only the big players or national entities have any chance of making it commercially viable. For the other 99%, there’s simply no money in it anymore. This hits local news especially hard. Imagine there’s a power outage in your town, and you want to know what caused it. Was it vandalism? Seismic activity? Or maybe the local council cut corners on infrastructure maintenance? This is the sort of thing your local paper or radio station would have covered a decade ago. Now? Good luck. You’ll likely never know—and that means no one will ever be held accountable.

Think about the issues that actually affect your life: sewage, local corruption, crime, school problems, who’s running the council, dangerous situations. These matter more to you than national elections or the latest foreign conflict, yet finding reliable info on them is becoming impossible. If local journalism isn’t already gone in your area, it’s probably on its way out. Say goodbye to staying informed. Sa-yo-na-ra!

The *only* solution is finding a way to fund news gathering and journalism—somehow. No one wants to pay for it, yet...

The tragedy here is that local journalism is critical for holding power in check at the community level. National outlets handle the big-ticket items, sure, but local reporters are the ones investigating why your neighborhood floods every year, why your school isn't getting enough funding, and where public money is going. These journalists are the watchdogs who keep local governments and councilors under scrutiny. When decisions about selling public land or cutting emergency services are made, they’re often the only ones telling you what’s at stake.

Without local journalism, local leaders get a free pass to operate in the shadows. There's no one to investigate backroom deals or expose mismanagement of public funds. The direct impact on your community and daily life is immense, but without journalists to uncover the truth, you're left in the dark.

Local journalism is more than just a watchdog, though. It builds community, connects people, and highlights the achievements of your neighbors. It amplifies the voices of local businesses and artists. Without it, towns lose their sense of identity and become isolated from their own stories. It’s not just a loss of accountability—it’s a loss of community cohesion.

So when we talk about funding journalism, it’s not just about keeping national outlets alive. It’s about ensuring your town stays informed, your leaders are held accountable, and your community retains its character. Sure, no one wants to pay for it, but the cost of losing it is far greater. And this isn’t some abstract problem—it’s already real. I live in a local news desert. There is literally *no* information available about what’s happening in my town. The closest coverage I can get comes from a city an hour away. It’s isolating.

So, how do we fix this? The only real solution might be community-supported journalism funded through taxes—something like a local PBS/BBC/NHK model. Alternatively, maybe charities could step in. Either way, we as a society need this, right? Or are we just going to sit back and assume everything will be fine? (Insert that meme of the dog sitting in a burning house drinking coffee here).

This is really the point. I'm in the IoT industry and more specifically Smart Home because that is where the money is. A few years ago, the promise of IoT (Internet Of Everything - woohoo!) was that you'd be able to hook up everything to the Internet and get data from it. "Data is the new oil!" was the mantra. All you needed was to come up with a radio technology to enable it. Semtec had LoRa and built an alliance and org around it and vendors dutifully brought out radios, receivers, dev boards, all to support it. The mobile wireless guys came out with Narrow Band LTE - user the gard band of LTE and make it cheap! But.... yeah, you've guessed it, technology in search of a business model. It all _sounds_ like it should be able to make money, right? Just think of all those farmers wanting rainfall data on their crops, or pipeline makers wanting acoustic readings of their pipes crossing the tundra, or um, home owners wanting sensors all over their house, or electricity meters, and, er., well, all of these are good applications, but they are onesie-twosies and super low volume. Compare it to light bulbs. Tens of thousands of lights are sold every week in the US. For some of those applications, you'd be lucky to get a few hundred deployed, and yet, the effort and cost to do so, would run into the $100k's just in labor alone. I'm not surprised that Cisco is dropping out. I bet they sold, phew, maybe hundreds of their gateways! Perhaps they were really good at sales and sold thousands! You get the idea.
The radio tech does still live on, and is used as one of the sub-gig radios of choice, but the whole LoraWAN thing is dead IMO. No money in it.

That would be copyright, or potentially trademarks, and not design patents. It's easy to see all the design patents that Nintendo has (at least US ones) - https://patents.google.com/?q=.... They are mainly for the physical design of objects, like chargers, or cables, etc. Nintendo has some for the design of a charger that looks like a Pokeball, etc.

IANAL, but I would expect Nintendo would only be able to claim infringement based on trademark or copyright, not patents. I'll be interested to see what they claim have been infringed!

They are bright and disturb sleep and the driver boxes take up legroom. They also are a tempting channel for ads, which I hate. If you're offering power and wifi, I can get everything I need on my laptop/phone/tablet.

When was the last time you truly learned something new? How did you go about it? Was it by sitting in a classroom, staring at a chalkboard while someone lectured? I'm willing to bet that wasn't the case. More likely, you took an online course, sped through a YouTube video at 2x speed, or maybe even turned to ChatGPT for a quick overview before diving into Wikipedia and other resources. And let's be honest—you were probably checking your phone or texting while doing it.

If you've been lost in the endless scroll of TikTok and YouTube Shorts lately, your attention span might be razor-thin (did you even make it this far?). But if those bite-sized videos contained nuggets of knowledge, all the better—you'd be learning at lightning speed!

Now, let's talk about home schooling. Sure, it's valid, but the bigger conversation is about how the way we learn has evolved. Recently, I had to quickly master a complex topic involving standards, government regulations, commerce—you name it. I managed to crash-learn the essentials in about a week using every tool at my disposal. My boss, referencing the 10,000-hour rule from Freakonomics, joked about my rapid progress. But here’s the thing: I probably spent only 40 hours, not 10,000. Yes, the Dunning-Kruger effect might be in play, and sure, I might need those extra hours of experience. But I’m not so convinced.

To illustrate, I recently watched an MIT course online (for free!). Thank goodness the videos were on YouTube, so I could speed them up to 2x, because, let's face it—lectures can be painfully slow. If I were actually sitting in that lecture hall, I’d go nuts!

To me it's clear that schools need to seriously reconsider their teaching methods—and fast. The traditional model of education, with its one-size-fits-all approach, is becoming increasingly outdated. Students today are digital natives, accustomed to accessing information in seconds, engaging with interactive content, and learning at their own pace. Schools must adapt by integrating technology, personalized learning pathways, and more flexible structures into their curriculums. However, this shift is not without challenges. The biggest hurdle might be the resistance to change from both educators and institutions rooted in decades of tradition. And let's not forget the challenge of training teachers to effectively use new technologies and teaching strategies, which can be both time-consuming and expensive. When I was in high-school none of the teachers came close to having my skills in computers and openly gave me the keys to the computer room and let me run everything. It's the same now, but different. Time to evolve!

I make art and music. I'll purposely watermark *everything* and ideally, and mark it with keys that make it appear like it was generated by North Korea or other evil empires. That'd be sooooo coool!

Every phone is foldable (once). Credit https://xkcd.com/1809/

Just a shout out to the engineers who worked to make this happen - you've earned your pay. Working around patents is something that has to be done sometimes, and in this case they cracked it. I haven't studied the '941 Patent, but there's a rule of thumb that if your claim is more that 3 fingers deep (when printed in the usual patent format), you can probably find a way around it. It's the short, succinct claims that scare the &%^$ out of you. I'm sure the attorneys did a lot too - getting this ruling is just magical.