Thursday, September 17, 2026

Is the book Project Maven worth reading--

AI Overview
Yes, Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare by journalist Katrina Manson is widely considered worth reading for anyone interested in technology, national security, and modern warfare.
What the Book CoversThe Origins: It tells the story of Marine Colonel Drew Cukor and a small team trying to bring artificial intelligence into the Pentagon.
Big Tech Tensions: It details the friction between the military and tech giants, including the famous employee revolt at Google.Bureaucracy and Reality: Instead of focusing purely on sci-fi "killer robots," the book dives into real-world software, defense contractors like Palantir, and the grinding pace of military bureaucracy.
Why You Should Read ItEngaging Writing: Reviewers praise Manson’s reporting as a fast-paced, gripping page-turner that reads like a thriller.
Deep Research: The book is built on more than 200 interviews with insiders, tech workers, and military critics.
Balanced View: It explores both the drive for operational efficiency and the deep ethical anxieties around automated warfare.
If you want to decide whether to pick it up, let me know:Are you more interested in the tech/coding side or the geopolitics/ethics of AI?Do you usually prefer audiobooks or physical reads for non-fiction?
The New York TimesBook Review: ‘Project Maven,’ by Katrina Manson - The New York TimesApr 28, 2026 — *Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare* is a book by Katrina Manson, a Bloomberg News tech and nat...The New YorkerHow Project Maven Put A.I. Into the Kill Chain | The New YorkerApr 15, 2026 — What We're Reading. Discover notable new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
The veteran journalist Katrina Manson, who now covers de...Foreign AffairsBook Review: “Project Maven” by Katrina MansonAug 18, 2026 — Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare. ... Manson tells the story of one of Washington's first mil...

NY City Council on AI.

https://council.nyc.gov/press/2026/09/16/3240/

Many Beekeeper books, besides the movie--

https://www.ndbooks.com/book/the-beekeeper/

Clothing line Shein goes down--

https://slate.com/technology/2026/09/shein-stock-fast-fashion-trends-tiktok.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Mozart--The Kathleen Battle version--youtube--PBS--Masterpiece Theater.

Mozart the magic flute youtube

Jascha Heifetz--Tchaikovsky--violin concerto--

jascha heifetz violin--Youtube.

Planet Earth--my favorite--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-1pBFCX8cM

Tom Cruise looks good at 64. Or maybe it's photo-shopped.

https://www.aol.com/articles/mission-tom-cruise-improve-interviews-102401000.html

Fed raises interest rates--Kennedy Center--Patel hearing on bestiality.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-fed-interest-rate-2026-election-congress-iran-live-updates-rcna598011?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

All the people fired by or resigned from Trump

https://people.com/second-trump-administration-departures-11955079

AI search results--prostheses for Gaza Victims etc--

AI Overview
The "best" prosthetic design for amputees in Gaza is dictated by severe supply blockades, a high ratio of pediatric amputees, and destroyed healthcare infrastructure.
Rather than high-tech bionics, the most successful and practical designs rely on highly customizable, low-cost, 3D-printed modular systems and adjustable-socket technologies. [1] (https://www.fabbaloo.com/news/gaza-rebuilding-buildings-and-bodies-with-3d-printing), [2] (https://www.weforum.org/stories/health-and-healthcare-systems/3d-printed-prostheses-conflict-zones/), [3] (https://scgv.org/wired-as-gazas-child-amputees-grow-this-prosthetic-can-change-with-them/)
A direct comparison of the leading prosthetic design strategies deployed for Gaza victims highlight how organizations navigate these constraints:Design Type / InitiativeKey Technological FeatureMain Benefit for Gaza ContextPrimary ConstraintsAdjustable Socket Designs(e.g., Amparo Sockets)Thermoplastic materials that can be reheated and reshaped locally.Perfect for growing children; the socket grows with the patient without needing a new limb.Requires basic localized heat sources/tools to reshape.Remote 3D-Printed Prosthetics(e.g., Bioniks / Victoria Hand Project)Photogrammetry (generating 3D models from smartphone photos).Allows for custom engineering externally, dodging the lack of in-strip clinics.
Shifting border blockades make physical shipping of the final limbs highly unpredictable.Solar-Powered Local Printing(In-strip medical initiatives)3D printers run entirely on solar power using recycled plastics.Total manufacturing sovereignty inside Gaza, bypassing border blockades entirely.Limited to mechanically simpler components (like external fixators and simple passive hands).Easy-Fit Mechanical Limbs(UK / International Aid Designs)Purely mechanical, highly durable modular components requiring zero electricity.Heavy-duty durability; requires very little maintenance in harsh refugee camp environments.Lacks the aesthetic customization and fine motor function of electronic alternatives.Core Design Requirements for Conflict ZonesTo be effective in the current Gaza crisis, any prosthetic design must prioritize three factors:Pediatric Adaptability: Children grow rapidly and outgrow static sockets within months. The best designs utilize modular shafts or re-formable sockets so families can extend the prosthetic’s lifespan. [1] (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MIk7GVZZpno), [2] (https://scgv.org/wired-as-gazas-child-amputees-grow-this-prosthetic-can-change-with-them/)Energy Independence: Because electricity is scarce, designs that can be locally adjusted using manual tools, or printed via solar-powered 3D setups, outperform advanced electronic limbs. [1] (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/posts/gaza-doctors-use-3d-tech-to-save-limbs-shattered-by-israel-from-amputation/1315484810625870/)Simplified Biomechanics: Heavy reliance on body-powered cables or simple passive grips ensures the device doesn't fail due to electronic damage from dust, debris, or moisture.Are you asking from an engineering standpoint to help develop a blueprint, or are you looking to connect with a specific humanitarian organization (like MSF, UNICEF, or the Victoria Hand Project) to donate or volunteer? [1] (https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/gaza-healing-facial-scars-3d), [2] (https://www.unicef.org.nz/media-releases/unicef-to-launch-3d-print-prosthetics-for-war-injured-gaza-children), [3] (https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7012938)Save the Children Global VenturesWIRED: As Gaza’s Child Amputees Grow, this Prosthetic Can ...Aug 19, 2026 — WIRED: As Gaza's Child Amputees Grow, this Prosthetic Can Change with Them. ... A new prosthetic socket from Amparo, backed by SCG...The World Economic ForumMeeting the need for 3D-printed prostheses in conflict zonesDec 8, 2025 — Alice Hawamleh * 3D-printing allows for faster, lighter, more affordable and highly customized prosthetic production. * This techn...BBCEasy-fit prosthetics offer hope to thousands of Gaza amputeesNov 8, 2024 — Gaza's amputees offered easy-to-fit prosthetics using UK technology.

Eroding Coastlines--disturbing images--Outer Banks

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ocean-at-the-front-door-coastal-communities-battle-erosion?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Part 2--Fiber Spider Granny Square Pineapple Shawl--quite tricky.

fiber spider granny pineappleshawl part 2 youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkwGAsGPRWI

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

USA Today: Republican Thomas Massie starts Impeachment actions against Pete Hegseth

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Massie argued that the 60- to 90-day legal deadline for the U.S. military to withdraw forces from Iran would've been May 1 – or June 1 at the latest. The Trump administration's rationale for not getting legislative approval for the war has fluctuated as, officials have argued, the waxing and waning of hostilities has altered the timeline of their legal obligations.
Massie also criticized the U.S. military's actions in Venezuela, including the capture of the country's former president. And he accused Hegseth of undermining "effective journalist oversight" after shrinking the Pentagon press corps.
He took particular issue with a U.S. strike on an Iranian primary school that killed more than 100 children at the start of the Middle Eastern conflict. The strike "exposed systemic failures in the Department of Defense targeting process," he said.
The Pentagon has yet to release the findings of an investigation into the Feb. 28 airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school. At least 168 people died in the attack, most of them children, according to Iranian state media.

Supreme Court rules against Trump voter registrations, attempts to interfere with mail in ballots.

NPR.
Bloomberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqGhp0Rqq8
NBC:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-pushes-back-trump-gop-ahead-midterm-elections-rcna595375?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Aligator Alcatraz--I did not know it was closed.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-alligator-alcatraz-small-metal-enclosures-dhs-ice-watchdog/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Curry pumpkin soup--

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/curry-pumpkin-soup?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

How to restore dry bread--

https://www.delish.com/kitchen-tools/kitchen-secrets/a73608363/stale-bread-revival-tips/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us