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The folks at AniMove/Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior/University of Konstanz have provided this fantastic, free resource for anyone interested in #movementecology or animal #spatialecology.
Learn about working with movement data, analyzing behavior through movement patterns, recursion, path segmentation, remote sensing, and estimating occurrence and range distribution (autocorrelated home range estimation).
#AniMove
-AniMove 2022 https://streaming.uni-konstanz.de/talks-und-events/2022/animove-2022/
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"In the history of state-sponsored hacking, the spectrum of cyber operations bent on sabotage have ranged from crude “wiper” attacks that destroy data on target computers to the legendary Stuxnet, a piece of malware the US and Israel first deployed in Iran in 2007 to silently accelerate the spinning of nuclear enrichment centrifuges until they destroyed themselves. Now researchers have discovered another chapter in that decades-long evolution of cybersabotage techniques: a 21-year-old specimen of malware capable of tampering with research and engineering software to undetectably sow mayhem—one that may have been used in Iran, even before Stuxnet.
Vitaly Kamluk and Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, two researchers from the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, on Thursday revealed a breakthrough in the mystery of a piece of malware known as Fast16, a piece of code whose purpose has eluded the cybersecurity world since its existence was first revealed in an NSA leak in 2017. The SentinelOne researchers have now reverse-engineered the Fast16 code, which they say dates back to 2005 and was likely created by either the US government or one of its allies.
Kamluk and Guerrero-Saade have determined that the Fast16 malware was designed to carry out the most subtle form of sabotage ever seen in an in-the-wild malware tool: By automatically spreading across networks and then silently manipulating computation processes in certain software applications that perform high-precision mathematical calculations and simulate physical phenomena, Fast16 can alter the results of those programs to cause failures that range from faulty research results to catastrophic damage to real-world equipment."
https://www.wired.com/story/fast16-malware-stuxnet-precursor-iran-nuclear-attack/
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"In the history of state-sponsored hacking, the spectrum of cyber operations bent on sabotage have ranged from crude “wiper” attacks that destroy data on target computers to the legendary Stuxnet, a piece of malware the US and Israel first deployed in Iran in 2007 to silently accelerate the spinning of nuclear enrichment centrifuges until they destroyed themselves. Now researchers have discovered another chapter in that decades-long evolution of cybersabotage techniques: a 21-year-old specimen of malware capable of tampering with research and engineering software to undetectably sow mayhem—one that may have been used in Iran, even before Stuxnet.
Vitaly Kamluk and Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, two researchers from the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, on Thursday revealed a breakthrough in the mystery of a piece of malware known as Fast16, a piece of code whose purpose has eluded the cybersecurity world since its existence was first revealed in an NSA leak in 2017. The SentinelOne researchers have now reverse-engineered the Fast16 code, which they say dates back to 2005 and was likely created by either the US government or one of its allies.
Kamluk and Guerrero-Saade have determined that the Fast16 malware was designed to carry out the most subtle form of sabotage ever seen in an in-the-wild malware tool: By automatically spreading across networks and then silently manipulating computation processes in certain software applications that perform high-precision mathematical calculations and simulate physical phenomena, Fast16 can alter the results of those programs to cause failures that range from faulty research results to catastrophic damage to real-world equipment."
https://www.wired.com/story/fast16-malware-stuxnet-precursor-iran-nuclear-attack/
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"In the history of state-sponsored hacking, the spectrum of cyber operations bent on sabotage have ranged from crude “wiper” attacks that destroy data on target computers to the legendary Stuxnet, a piece of malware the US and Israel first deployed in Iran in 2007 to silently accelerate the spinning of nuclear enrichment centrifuges until they destroyed themselves. Now researchers have discovered another chapter in that decades-long evolution of cybersabotage techniques: a 21-year-old specimen of malware capable of tampering with research and engineering software to undetectably sow mayhem—one that may have been used in Iran, even before Stuxnet.
Vitaly Kamluk and Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, two researchers from the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, on Thursday revealed a breakthrough in the mystery of a piece of malware known as Fast16, a piece of code whose purpose has eluded the cybersecurity world since its existence was first revealed in an NSA leak in 2017. The SentinelOne researchers have now reverse-engineered the Fast16 code, which they say dates back to 2005 and was likely created by either the US government or one of its allies.
Kamluk and Guerrero-Saade have determined that the Fast16 malware was designed to carry out the most subtle form of sabotage ever seen in an in-the-wild malware tool: By automatically spreading across networks and then silently manipulating computation processes in certain software applications that perform high-precision mathematical calculations and simulate physical phenomena, Fast16 can alter the results of those programs to cause failures that range from faulty research results to catastrophic damage to real-world equipment."
https://www.wired.com/story/fast16-malware-stuxnet-precursor-iran-nuclear-attack/
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👋As we wrap up another exciting year at the Shared Security Podcast, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support and listenership.
It's been an incredible journey, and we're thrilled to share with you our Top 10 Episodes of 2023! These episodes cover a range of topics, from cybersecurity news and trends to expert interviews and insightful discussions.
🚨FTC's Complaint Against Ring, Detecting Malware Infected Apps, America's Most Cybersecure Companies
In this episode, we dive into the FTC's complaint against Ring, discuss techniques for detecting malware-infected apps, and explore America's most "cybersecure" companies.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/06/19/the-ftcs-complaint-against-ring-detecting-malware-infected-apps-americas-most-cybersecure-companies/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/QbDrB9j6f9s🕵️LastPass Password Vaults Stolen, Pig Butchering Scams, Okta Source Code Theft
Uncover the details of the LastPass password vaults theft, peculiar pig butchering scams, and the Okta source code theft in this intriguing episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/01/09/lastpass-password-vaults-stolen-pig-butchering-scams-okta-source-code-theft/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/RPpGf6slqWI✈️Meta's Threads and Your Privacy, Airline Reservation Scams, IDOR Strikes Back
Learn about Meta's impact on your privacy, unravel the secrets behind airline reservation scams, and witness the return of IDOR in this eye-opening episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/07/10/metas-threads-and-your-privacy-airline-reservation-scams-idor-srikes-back/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/nZCZk9myDcA💻How to Stop Online Tracking: 3 New Ways
Discover three innovative methods to stop online tracking and take control of your digital privacy in this empowering episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/01/02/how-to-stop-online-tracking-3-new-ways/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/EoITB1oZ114✉️The Current and Future State of Email Security with Andy Yen, CEO of Proton
Gain insights into the current and future state of email security as we sit down with Andy Yen, CEO of Proton, in this special interview episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/08/14/the-current-future-state-of-email-security-with-andy-yen-ceo-of-proton/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/3w61OJsldD8☎️How to Opt Out of CPNI Data Sharing (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile)
Empower yourself with the knowledge to opt out of CPNI data sharing with practical tips and guidance in this important episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/10/30/how-to-opt-out-of-cpni-data-sharing/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/uA9tfay4bRU🎲The LastPass Attack Gets Worse, What is Gamification, Signal's Encryption Standoff
Delve into the evolving LastPass attack, explore the concept of gamification, and understand the intricacies of Signal's encryption standoff.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/03/06/the-lastpass-attack-gets-worse-what-is-gamification-signals-encryption-standoff/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/VTwslfC8W_E:twitter:Meta’s EU Ad Practices Ruled Illegal, Twitter API Data Breach, Vulnerabilities in Major Car Brands
Stay informed about Meta's EU ad practices, the Twitter API data breach, and vulnerabilities in major car brands in this comprehensive episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/01/16/metas-eu-ad-practices-ruled-illegal-twitter-api-data-breach-vulnerabilities-in-major-car-brands/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/O0B0d-ljO74💼Layoffs, Recruiting, and The Year Ahead for Cybersecurity Job Seekers
Explore the landscape of cybersecurity job market trends, layoffs, and recruitment strategies in this episode tailored for job seekers. Surprisingly, not much has changed since this episode was released in January in the cybersecurity job market!Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/02/13/layoffs-recruiting-and-the-year-ahead-for-cybersecurity-job-seekers/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/IuIckEucavE🤖The TikTok CEO Testimony, ChatGPT's Privacy Risks, Inaudible Ultrasound Attacks
Witness the drama of the TikTok CEO testimony, understand ChatGPT's privacy risks, and uncover the mysteries of inaudible ultrasound attacks in our final featured episode.Listen on the web:
https://sharedsecurity.net/2023/04/03/the-tiktok-ceo-testimony-chatgpts-privacy-risks-inaudible-ultrasound-attacks/
Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/HbaZgE90k-4We hope you enjoy catching up on these highlights from 2023! Your support means the world to us, and as we look forward to another year, we invite you to consider supporting the Shared Security Podcast on Patreon. Visit https://patreon.com/sharedsecurity to explore exclusive perks and become a valued part of our community. 🙏
Wishing you a joyful, secure, and private New Year! 🎉
#podcast #cybersecurity #privacy #SharedSecurityPodcast #happynewyear
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#CoronavirusUpdates #XBB #NotMild!
#Malaysia offers some clues regarding XBB.1* disease severity
Total XBB.1* sequences uploaded from Malaysia: 1,180
Sequences tagged "deceased" in the metadata: 35Patient age range 20-91
No such data on XBB.1.5 yet
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There was a zombie climate denier chart going around in German social media these days. A temperature anomaly chart from Greenland's Summit ice core, range 7000 years ago to 1850 or thereabouts.
From the comments by NON-deniers I gathered that many of us have not much understanding of how global mean temperature (anomaly) is calculated and modelled as reconstruction from
*latitudinal* or regional or local
proxies like ice cores, ocean or lake sediments, treerings, stalagmites or whathaveyou.Ideally, a point in Greenland weighs as much in calculating global mean annual temperature as a point in Iran or one in the Southern Ocean. Same goes for temperature reconstruction models.
Except those are even trickier, as you can imagine. Because finding so many proxies ...And then bear in mind how vast the space is that is covered by oceans which don't have much, and if, very slow temperature variations. That's why we often read the phrase "Europe (or some other region) warms twice as fast as the rest of the world". In our suicidal experiment, land simply warms faster than oceans. That's all. (Almost.)
Long story short. Maybe, your mind works like mine and needs to see latitudinal temperature bands of the whole globe, and the paleo reconstruction of temperature variations of the latitude bands.
So here goes. A globe with 2021 absolute annual temperature. To the left are the northern hemisphere bands in 30º steps from the pole to equator, and their ºC variation of the past from 11100 BP to present. ("Present" is defined as 1950; "BP" means Before Present)
To the right, the Southern steps from equator to pole.The next two images show annual temperature of 1950 and the same holocene temperature as the first picture, Northern and Southern latitude bands.
Data is from Kaufmann et al 2020. You can access the dataset here https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/29712
or as csv https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/reconstructions/kaufman2020/temp12k_allmethods_percentiles.csvThe globe picture is from here https://climatereanalyzer.org/reanalysis/monthly_maps/
Hashtags:
#Paleoclimate #ClimateDenier #PaleoTemperature #Holocene -
Lazy Caturday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
By Hiroki Takeda
I’m having some serious eye problems that I’m being treated for. I can’t see that well on the computer, but I’m going to do my best to post a few stories along with some lovely watercolor cat art.
Yesterday, Ron Filipkowski of Meidas+ posted a list of his choices for the 25 worst villains of the Trump administration. It drew quite a bit of attention on social media. Here are the top 5:
#5. TODD BLANCHE. Most of the worst abuses in multiple areas by DOJ are orchestrated by Blanche. While Bondi and Patel have gotten most of the public blame and scrutiny, Blanche is the architect of it all. Blanche was Trump’s criminal defense lawyer before he became president, and has acted as his criminal defense lawyer while running DOJ. He met privately with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, then had her moved to a minimum security Club Fed. He has repeated lies about the contents of the Epstein files and is the point person for covering them up with delays and redactions. He ended investigations and dropped charges against some of America’s worst criminals for political reasons. While Bondi and Patel are bad, Blanche is even worse.
#4. RUSS VOUGHT. The man who orchestrated the comprehensive right-wing policy blueprint for this admin called ‘Project 2025’, this zealot keeps a lower profile than others – preferring tangible results with ruthless efficiency behind the scenes as OMB Director. Vought is the brains behind Stephen Miller’s evil bombast, organizing the policy agenda that controls the administration. During the 4 years Trump was out of office, Vought organized and drafted 350 different executive orders and regulations to implement if Trump got a second term – most of the ones he issued came from Vought – including the plan to invoke emergency powers and national security to justify bypassing Congress in a variety of areas. In fact, most of the agenda Vought devised was specifically intended to find ways an authoritarian-minded president could implements things while ignoring Congress, or reversing legislative acts by executive order.
#3. PETE HEGSETH. Chaos ensuedalmost immediately after the drunken fool former Fox host took over an office that he was unfit and unqualified for. He divulged war plans and classified info in a Signal chat which included a reporter, but then tried to cover himself by claiming he declassified it. He fired his own senior advisors because of his paranoia over press leaks, then ousted the Pentagon press corps with onerous rules that abused their first amendment rights. He gleefully released videos of nearly 100 people on boats he has murdered, without providing any evidence of their guilt or due process. He alienated allies with an insane speech in Europe that resulted in the admin sidelining him from giving any more. He ousted seasoned career officers and made it clear he has no use for women serving in the military in any role other than support positions, or for rules of engagement designed to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties. He summoned hundred of Generals and Admirals from their commands around the world to DC so he could give them a deranged speech they found utterly ridiculous and juvenile. He constantly gives partisan political speeches to active-duty troops in violation of laws and regulations, which he mixes with a healthy dose of christian nationalism. It is hard to imagine how Trump could have found a worse person for one of the most important jobs on the planet.
Cat’s Promenade Yuliya Podlinnova
#2. HOWARD LUTNICK. The architect of so many corrupt, shady and misguided policies of the Trump admin while serving as Commerce Secretary – including tariffs and selling citizenship in the form of ‘Trump Gold Cards’. Lutnick is a shameless habitual liar and flip-flam huckster, constantly hyping his policies with fantastical claims while moving the goalposts weekly on his predictions. In a different century he’d be selling miracle cures out of tent at a carnival. In this century, he’s a billionaire. Lutnick is the prime mover behind the admin’s embrace of data centers, AI, and Stalinist moves like the government ownership of companies. Even Trump has grumbled behind the scenes to aides that Lutnick is a “manipulator”, but despite that he continues to adopt each of his worst ideas. Trump constantly had to reverse himself on catastrophic tariff announcements after disastrous consequences ensued – which resulted in the moniker ‘TACO’ for caving so much. All of those disastrous announcements came directly from Lutnick, with Bessent, Musk and others seeking reversal from Trump.
Note – I fully realize Bessent should probably be in this Top 25 somewhere, but I left him off simply because there is a lot of reporting that he has reversed some of the worst ideas behind the scenes despite his repugnant public persona. Go ahead and yell at me if you want – I personally can’t stand the guy either. But I have read comments from a lot of people I respect who say that without Bessent pushing back on some things behind the scenes we would be far worse off economically than we already are because everyone else is much worse. I guess I will buy that he might be the voice of reason behind the scenes, but time will tell.
#1. STEPHEN MILLER. This was the easiest selection, and there was probably never any doubt from most of you that he would be first. He is the WH policy director who is really running the US govt while Trump plays golf, receives awards, puts gold of everything, trolls social media, and builds his ballroom. Most of the policies aren’t Miller’s original ideas because he really isn’t that smart, but he knows how to implement them with a ruthlessness not seen since 1930s Germany. He has made the 2nd most TV appearances this year after Homan, much to the chagrin of Republicans running for election in swing districts. We know all the things that make Miller the worst person to ever serve in a senior position in US history, so there is no point in cataloguing them or this column would go on forever. The hate, the racism and bigotry, the phobias – he’s the personification of political evil. Trump is the only person who would even consider putting this twisted misfit in a position of authority. But he has, and as dementia takes hold and the old man plays with this trophies, ballrooms and golden baubles, Stephen Miller is running the country. Trump is President In Name Only.
God help us.
Check out the rest at the Meidas+ Substack.
Filipkowski’s next project: “Tomorrow, I will begin my list of the ‘500 Worst Things Trump Did in 2025’, with my first 100 in chronological order beginning with things he did in January 2025 and continuing to present.”
Some News:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with Trump today at Mar-a-Lago. Russia responded by attacking Ukraine. AP: Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing 1 and wounding many ahead of Ukraine-US talks.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones early Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between Ukraine and the U.S., authorities said.
Porter and Sully, by Dora Hathazi Mendes
Explosions boomed across Kyiv for hours as ballistic missiles and drones hit the city. The attack began in the early morning hours Saturday and was continuing as day broke.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Zelenskyy told reporters he was on a plane en route to Florida on Saturday afternoon, and would stop in Canada on the way to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump plan to discuss issues including security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions….
Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the border with Ukraine for several hours during the Russian attacks, the country’s armed forces command said on X. There was no violation of Polish airspace, it said. Civil aviation authority Pansa said the two airports had since resumed operations. It was unclear what caused the alert in Poland when the Russian attacks were focused on Kyiv, which is far from the border.
The New York Times: Some G.O.P. Senators Join Democrats in Urging Trump to Adopt Hard Line With Putin.
As President Trump prepares for an expected meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday, he is facing some pressure from within his party to take a tough approach to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Three Republican senators joined five of their Democratic colleagues in issuing a statement on Thursday that described Mr. Putin as a “ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace” and who “cannot be trusted.” It decried Russian attacks on Ukraine that continued over the Christmas holiday.
The statement was signed by the Republican senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. It did not criticize Mr. Trump’s handling of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and it was not joined by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and a close Trump ally, nor by most of the G.O.P. members on that committee. (Mr. Risch’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.) Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, led the statement.
Still, the statement took a harsher tone toward Mr. Putin than Mr. Trump has often used. Although Mr. Trump has at times berated Mr. Putin on social media, urging him to stop his military assault on Ukraine, he has also boasted about their positive relationship, saying he gets along well with the Russian leader. He has repeatedly threatened severe sanctions on the Russians to urge them to make peace, but he has followed through only occasionally.
“It bears repeating that President Zelensky agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity’s holiest days,” said the statement, which was also signed by Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, and by Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Chris Coons of Delaware, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, all Democrats.
Some folks in Nigeria are confused about why Trump bombed their homes. CNN: Fear and confusion in Nigerian village hit in US strike, as locals say no history of ISIS in area.
Abuja, Nigeria — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.
Suleiman Kagara, a resident of this quiet and predominantly Muslim farming community in Tambuwal district of Sokoto state, told CNN he heard a loud blast and saw flames as a projectile flew overhead at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Soon after, it came crashing down, exploding on impact with the ground and sending the villagers fleeing in fear.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” Kagara said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
White Liza, by Roman Franta
Kagara did not realize it at the time, but what he was witnessing was part of a US strike that President Donald Trump would later refer to as a “Christmas present” for terrorists.
Not long after the impact in Jabo, Trump declared on Thursday that the US had carried out a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS militants in the region, who he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”
According to US Africa Command, the operation neutralized multiple ISIS militants.
But Trump’s explanation has left Kagara and his fellow villagers scratching their heads.
While parts of Sokoto face challenges with banditry, kidnappings and attacks by armed groups including Lakurawa – which Nigeria classifies as a terrorist organization due to suspected affiliations with Islamic State – villagers say Jabo is not known for terrorist activity and that local Christians coexist peacefully with the Muslim majority.
But Trump is supposedly the “peace president.”
Trump’s plan to build giant battleships is being panned by folks who actually know what they are talking about.
Miliatry.com: Trump Announces New Class of Battleships Despite Century of Evidence Proving the Large Warships Are Obsolete.
President Donald Trump announced Monday the Navy will build a new class of battleships called the Trump class, with the first ship to be named USS Defiant (BBG-1).
The ship will displace more than 35,000 tons and be capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots, according to the Navy. The battleship will carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic railguns and directed energy weapons. Navy Secretary John Phelan said Trump plans to begin with two ships and eventually build 20 to 25 battleships.
The announcement marks the first battleship construction plan since 1944, when the USS Missouri was delivered to the Navy. The Missouri was the last active battleship in U.S. service before it was decommissioned in 1992.
Trump claimed the new battleships will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The claim is factually incorrect. In fact, the American Iowa-class battleships of World War II were larger by 15,000 to 20,000 tons.
Japan’s battleship Yamato, launched in 1940, displaced 72,000 tons and remains the largest warship ever constructed and put to sea. Trump’s proposed battleship is less than half Yamato’s size. American carrier aircraft sank Yamato in 1945, proving bigger is not better.
Historically speaking, battleships have been obsolete since at least 1921, when a simple bombing demonstration off Virginia’s coast proved the large warships are vulnerable to air attack. That vulnerability has been validated repeatedly through World War II and ever since as aircraft, submarines and cruise missiles systematically demonstrated that bigger and more expensive warships are easier to sink.
CNBC: The ‘Trump-class’ battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: Reality.
Once symbols of naval might with their massive guns, battleships have long since been eclipsed by aircraft carriers and modern destroyers armed with long-range missiles.
While labeling the new surface combatants as “battleships” could be a misnomer, defense experts say that there remain several gaps between Trump’s vision and modern naval warfare.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, dismissed the idea, writing in a Dec. 23 commentary that “there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”
Cats and Fruit by Mary Fedden, 1990
He contended the program would take too long to design, cost far too much and run counter to the Navy’s current strategy of distributed firepower.
“A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water,” Cancian said.
Bernard Loo, senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the proposal as “a prestige project more than anything else.”
He compared it to Japan’s World War II super-battleships Yamato and Musashi — the largest ever built — which were sunk by carrier-borne aircraft before playing a significant role in combat….
He added that the size of the proposed battleship — displacing more than 35,000 tons and measuring more than 840 feet, or a little over two football fields long — would make it a “bomb magnet.”
“The size and the prestige value of it all make it an even more tempting target, potentially for your adversary,” Loo said.
The “president” is a moron. But we already knew that.
Trump apparently thinks his economy will win the 2026 midterms for Republicans.
Politico: Trump to POLITICO: Midterm elections will be about ‘pricing.’
President Donald Trump says he believes the 2026 midterm elections will center on “pricing” as Republicans head into a critical period with control of Congress on the line.
And he told POLITICO Friday night that he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message: that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from former President Joe Biden.
“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’ll be about pricing,” Trump said in an exclusive interview. “Because, you know, they gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.”
Trump’s comments follow a string of favorable economic reports over the last two weeks showing inflation is cooling and the economy is hotter than expected. The White House is keen to tout the latest data as it confronts cost-of-living concerns that have underpinned a string of Democratic overperformances across the country.
Still, polls show Americans are struggling. Nearly half of respondents said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to The POLITICO Poll conducted last month by Public First.
Trump’s acknowledgment that 2026 will focus on “pricing” underscores the administration’s concern that the Democrats have, for the moment, a popular message. After insisting that affordability was a Democratic “con job”, Trump over the last few weeks has repeatedly sought to reframe the issue, arguing that it was the Democrats under Biden who caused prices to increase and that he is bringing them down.
Meanwhile, reality raises its ugly head.
The Washington Post: Bankruptcies soar as companies grapple with inflation, tariffs.
Corporate bankruptcies surged in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, as import-dependent businesses absorbed the highest tariffs in decades.
At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s roughly 14 percent more than the same 11 months of 2024, and the highest tally since 2010.
Companies cited inflation and interest rates among the factors contributing to their financial challenges, as well as Trump administration trade policies that have disrupted supply chains and pushed up costs.
But in a shift from previous years, the rise in filings is most apparent among industrials — companies tied to manufacturing, construction and transportation. The sector has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s ever-fluid tariff policies — which he’s long insisted would revive American manufacturing. The manufacturing sector lost more than 70,000 jobs in the one-year period ending in November, federal data shows.
By Hiroki Takeda
Consumer-oriented businesses with “discretionary” products or services, such as fashion or home furnishings, represented the second-largest group. This contingent usually tops the list and includes many retailers, and its retrenchment is a signal that inflation-weary consumers are prioritizing essentials….
Economists and business experts say the trade wars have pressured import-heavy businesses, which are reluctant to raise prices by too much for fear of alienating consumers. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Though inflation is currently lower than many economists expected — prices climbed at an annual pace of 2.7 percent in November — many businesses still are eating new costs themselves to hold the line on prices for buyers, experts say. That’s leading to a certain culling of the herd as already-fragile companies struggle to keep up.
“These companies are acutely aware of the affordability crisis confronting the average American,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale University’s school of management. “They are doing their best to offset the cost of tariffs and higher interest rates but can only do so much. Those with pricing power will pass on the costs over time … others will fold.”
One more from The Daily Beast: Billionaire Trump Threatens Kennedy Center With Tacky Marble Makeover.
Not content with completing his takeover of the Kennedy Center by slapping his own name on the building, President Donald Trump has revealed the next phase of his current redesign obsession.
The 79-year-old president hinted on Truth Social that the ’60s modernist building in Washington, D.C., would be getting the Mar-a-Lago special with a gold and marble interior refit, starting, of course, with the theater’s armrests.
“Potential Marble armrests for the seating at The Trump Kennedy Center. Unlike anything ever done or seen before!” Trump announced on Friday evening.
Accompanying images show the hard-stone armrest examples that Trump apparently wants to install in the chairs of the center’s three main theaters.
It’s just the latest round in the president’s ongoing commandeering of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a “living memorial” to the 35th president, who was assassinated in 1963.
See photos of the ugly proposed arm rests at the link.
That’s if for me today. I hope you found something worth reading here.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #DonaldTrump #KennedyCenter #marbleArmrests #RonFilipkowski #Russia #strikesOnNigeria #Top25TrumpAdministrationVillains #TrumpClassBattleships #USEconomy #Ukraine
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Lazy Caturday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
By Hiroki Takeda
I’m having some serious eye problems that I’m being treated for. I can’t see that well on the computer, but I’m going to do my best to post a few stories along with some lovely watercolor cat art.
Yesterday, Ron Filipkowski of Meidas+ posted a list of his choices for the 25 worst villains of the Trump administration. It drew quite a bit of attention on social media. Here are the top 5:
#5. TODD BLANCHE. Most of the worst abuses in multiple areas by DOJ are orchestrated by Blanche. While Bondi and Patel have gotten most of the public blame and scrutiny, Blanche is the architect of it all. Blanche was Trump’s criminal defense lawyer before he became president, and has acted as his criminal defense lawyer while running DOJ. He met privately with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, then had her moved to a minimum security Club Fed. He has repeated lies about the contents of the Epstein files and is the point person for covering them up with delays and redactions. He ended investigations and dropped charges against some of America’s worst criminals for political reasons. While Bondi and Patel are bad, Blanche is even worse.
#4. RUSS VOUGHT. The man who orchestrated the comprehensive right-wing policy blueprint for this admin called ‘Project 2025’, this zealot keeps a lower profile than others – preferring tangible results with ruthless efficiency behind the scenes as OMB Director. Vought is the brains behind Stephen Miller’s evil bombast, organizing the policy agenda that controls the administration. During the 4 years Trump was out of office, Vought organized and drafted 350 different executive orders and regulations to implement if Trump got a second term – most of the ones he issued came from Vought – including the plan to invoke emergency powers and national security to justify bypassing Congress in a variety of areas. In fact, most of the agenda Vought devised was specifically intended to find ways an authoritarian-minded president could implements things while ignoring Congress, or reversing legislative acts by executive order.
#3. PETE HEGSETH. Chaos ensuedalmost immediately after the drunken fool former Fox host took over an office that he was unfit and unqualified for. He divulged war plans and classified info in a Signal chat which included a reporter, but then tried to cover himself by claiming he declassified it. He fired his own senior advisors because of his paranoia over press leaks, then ousted the Pentagon press corps with onerous rules that abused their first amendment rights. He gleefully released videos of nearly 100 people on boats he has murdered, without providing any evidence of their guilt or due process. He alienated allies with an insane speech in Europe that resulted in the admin sidelining him from giving any more. He ousted seasoned career officers and made it clear he has no use for women serving in the military in any role other than support positions, or for rules of engagement designed to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties. He summoned hundred of Generals and Admirals from their commands around the world to DC so he could give them a deranged speech they found utterly ridiculous and juvenile. He constantly gives partisan political speeches to active-duty troops in violation of laws and regulations, which he mixes with a healthy dose of christian nationalism. It is hard to imagine how Trump could have found a worse person for one of the most important jobs on the planet.
Cat’s Promenade Yuliya Podlinnova
#2. HOWARD LUTNICK. The architect of so many corrupt, shady and misguided policies of the Trump admin while serving as Commerce Secretary – including tariffs and selling citizenship in the form of ‘Trump Gold Cards’. Lutnick is a shameless habitual liar and flip-flam huckster, constantly hyping his policies with fantastical claims while moving the goalposts weekly on his predictions. In a different century he’d be selling miracle cures out of tent at a carnival. In this century, he’s a billionaire. Lutnick is the prime mover behind the admin’s embrace of data centers, AI, and Stalinist moves like the government ownership of companies. Even Trump has grumbled behind the scenes to aides that Lutnick is a “manipulator”, but despite that he continues to adopt each of his worst ideas. Trump constantly had to reverse himself on catastrophic tariff announcements after disastrous consequences ensued – which resulted in the moniker ‘TACO’ for caving so much. All of those disastrous announcements came directly from Lutnick, with Bessent, Musk and others seeking reversal from Trump.
Note – I fully realize Bessent should probably be in this Top 25 somewhere, but I left him off simply because there is a lot of reporting that he has reversed some of the worst ideas behind the scenes despite his repugnant public persona. Go ahead and yell at me if you want – I personally can’t stand the guy either. But I have read comments from a lot of people I respect who say that without Bessent pushing back on some things behind the scenes we would be far worse off economically than we already are because everyone else is much worse. I guess I will buy that he might be the voice of reason behind the scenes, but time will tell.
#1. STEPHEN MILLER. This was the easiest selection, and there was probably never any doubt from most of you that he would be first. He is the WH policy director who is really running the US govt while Trump plays golf, receives awards, puts gold of everything, trolls social media, and builds his ballroom. Most of the policies aren’t Miller’s original ideas because he really isn’t that smart, but he knows how to implement them with a ruthlessness not seen since 1930s Germany. He has made the 2nd most TV appearances this year after Homan, much to the chagrin of Republicans running for election in swing districts. We know all the things that make Miller the worst person to ever serve in a senior position in US history, so there is no point in cataloguing them or this column would go on forever. The hate, the racism and bigotry, the phobias – he’s the personification of political evil. Trump is the only person who would even consider putting this twisted misfit in a position of authority. But he has, and as dementia takes hold and the old man plays with this trophies, ballrooms and golden baubles, Stephen Miller is running the country. Trump is President In Name Only.
God help us.
Check out the rest at the Meidas+ Substack.
Filipkowski’s next project: “Tomorrow, I will begin my list of the ‘500 Worst Things Trump Did in 2025’, with my first 100 in chronological order beginning with things he did in January 2025 and continuing to present.”
Some News:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with Trump today at Mar-a-Lago. Russia responded by attacking Ukraine. AP: Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing 1 and wounding many ahead of Ukraine-US talks.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones early Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between Ukraine and the U.S., authorities said.
Porter and Sully, by Dora Hathazi Mendes
Explosions boomed across Kyiv for hours as ballistic missiles and drones hit the city. The attack began in the early morning hours Saturday and was continuing as day broke.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Zelenskyy told reporters he was on a plane en route to Florida on Saturday afternoon, and would stop in Canada on the way to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump plan to discuss issues including security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions….
Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the border with Ukraine for several hours during the Russian attacks, the country’s armed forces command said on X. There was no violation of Polish airspace, it said. Civil aviation authority Pansa said the two airports had since resumed operations. It was unclear what caused the alert in Poland when the Russian attacks were focused on Kyiv, which is far from the border.
The New York Times: Some G.O.P. Senators Join Democrats in Urging Trump to Adopt Hard Line With Putin.
As President Trump prepares for an expected meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday, he is facing some pressure from within his party to take a tough approach to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Three Republican senators joined five of their Democratic colleagues in issuing a statement on Thursday that described Mr. Putin as a “ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace” and who “cannot be trusted.” It decried Russian attacks on Ukraine that continued over the Christmas holiday.
The statement was signed by the Republican senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. It did not criticize Mr. Trump’s handling of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and it was not joined by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and a close Trump ally, nor by most of the G.O.P. members on that committee. (Mr. Risch’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.) Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, led the statement.
Still, the statement took a harsher tone toward Mr. Putin than Mr. Trump has often used. Although Mr. Trump has at times berated Mr. Putin on social media, urging him to stop his military assault on Ukraine, he has also boasted about their positive relationship, saying he gets along well with the Russian leader. He has repeatedly threatened severe sanctions on the Russians to urge them to make peace, but he has followed through only occasionally.
“It bears repeating that President Zelensky agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity’s holiest days,” said the statement, which was also signed by Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, and by Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Chris Coons of Delaware, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, all Democrats.
Some folks in Nigeria are confused about why Trump bombed their homes. CNN: Fear and confusion in Nigerian village hit in US strike, as locals say no history of ISIS in area.
Abuja, Nigeria — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.
Suleiman Kagara, a resident of this quiet and predominantly Muslim farming community in Tambuwal district of Sokoto state, told CNN he heard a loud blast and saw flames as a projectile flew overhead at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Soon after, it came crashing down, exploding on impact with the ground and sending the villagers fleeing in fear.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” Kagara said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
White Liza, by Roman Franta
Kagara did not realize it at the time, but what he was witnessing was part of a US strike that President Donald Trump would later refer to as a “Christmas present” for terrorists.
Not long after the impact in Jabo, Trump declared on Thursday that the US had carried out a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS militants in the region, who he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”
According to US Africa Command, the operation neutralized multiple ISIS militants.
But Trump’s explanation has left Kagara and his fellow villagers scratching their heads.
While parts of Sokoto face challenges with banditry, kidnappings and attacks by armed groups including Lakurawa – which Nigeria classifies as a terrorist organization due to suspected affiliations with Islamic State – villagers say Jabo is not known for terrorist activity and that local Christians coexist peacefully with the Muslim majority.
But Trump is supposedly the “peace president.”
Trump’s plan to build giant battleships is being panned by folks who actually know what they are talking about.
Miliatry.com: Trump Announces New Class of Battleships Despite Century of Evidence Proving the Large Warships Are Obsolete.
President Donald Trump announced Monday the Navy will build a new class of battleships called the Trump class, with the first ship to be named USS Defiant (BBG-1).
The ship will displace more than 35,000 tons and be capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots, according to the Navy. The battleship will carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic railguns and directed energy weapons. Navy Secretary John Phelan said Trump plans to begin with two ships and eventually build 20 to 25 battleships.
The announcement marks the first battleship construction plan since 1944, when the USS Missouri was delivered to the Navy. The Missouri was the last active battleship in U.S. service before it was decommissioned in 1992.
Trump claimed the new battleships will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The claim is factually incorrect. In fact, the American Iowa-class battleships of World War II were larger by 15,000 to 20,000 tons.
Japan’s battleship Yamato, launched in 1940, displaced 72,000 tons and remains the largest warship ever constructed and put to sea. Trump’s proposed battleship is less than half Yamato’s size. American carrier aircraft sank Yamato in 1945, proving bigger is not better.
Historically speaking, battleships have been obsolete since at least 1921, when a simple bombing demonstration off Virginia’s coast proved the large warships are vulnerable to air attack. That vulnerability has been validated repeatedly through World War II and ever since as aircraft, submarines and cruise missiles systematically demonstrated that bigger and more expensive warships are easier to sink.
CNBC: The ‘Trump-class’ battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: Reality.
Once symbols of naval might with their massive guns, battleships have long since been eclipsed by aircraft carriers and modern destroyers armed with long-range missiles.
While labeling the new surface combatants as “battleships” could be a misnomer, defense experts say that there remain several gaps between Trump’s vision and modern naval warfare.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, dismissed the idea, writing in a Dec. 23 commentary that “there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”
Cats and Fruit by Mary Fedden, 1990
He contended the program would take too long to design, cost far too much and run counter to the Navy’s current strategy of distributed firepower.
“A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water,” Cancian said.
Bernard Loo, senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the proposal as “a prestige project more than anything else.”
He compared it to Japan’s World War II super-battleships Yamato and Musashi — the largest ever built — which were sunk by carrier-borne aircraft before playing a significant role in combat….
He added that the size of the proposed battleship — displacing more than 35,000 tons and measuring more than 840 feet, or a little over two football fields long — would make it a “bomb magnet.”
“The size and the prestige value of it all make it an even more tempting target, potentially for your adversary,” Loo said.
The “president” is a moron. But we already knew that.
Trump apparently thinks his economy will win the 2026 midterms for Republicans.
Politico: Trump to POLITICO: Midterm elections will be about ‘pricing.’
President Donald Trump says he believes the 2026 midterm elections will center on “pricing” as Republicans head into a critical period with control of Congress on the line.
And he told POLITICO Friday night that he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message: that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from former President Joe Biden.
“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’ll be about pricing,” Trump said in an exclusive interview. “Because, you know, they gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.”
Trump’s comments follow a string of favorable economic reports over the last two weeks showing inflation is cooling and the economy is hotter than expected. The White House is keen to tout the latest data as it confronts cost-of-living concerns that have underpinned a string of Democratic overperformances across the country.
Still, polls show Americans are struggling. Nearly half of respondents said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to The POLITICO Poll conducted last month by Public First.
Trump’s acknowledgment that 2026 will focus on “pricing” underscores the administration’s concern that the Democrats have, for the moment, a popular message. After insisting that affordability was a Democratic “con job”, Trump over the last few weeks has repeatedly sought to reframe the issue, arguing that it was the Democrats under Biden who caused prices to increase and that he is bringing them down.
Meanwhile, reality raises its ugly head.
The Washington Post: Bankruptcies soar as companies grapple with inflation, tariffs.
Corporate bankruptcies surged in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, as import-dependent businesses absorbed the highest tariffs in decades.
At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s roughly 14 percent more than the same 11 months of 2024, and the highest tally since 2010.
Companies cited inflation and interest rates among the factors contributing to their financial challenges, as well as Trump administration trade policies that have disrupted supply chains and pushed up costs.
But in a shift from previous years, the rise in filings is most apparent among industrials — companies tied to manufacturing, construction and transportation. The sector has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s ever-fluid tariff policies — which he’s long insisted would revive American manufacturing. The manufacturing sector lost more than 70,000 jobs in the one-year period ending in November, federal data shows.
By Hiroki Takeda
Consumer-oriented businesses with “discretionary” products or services, such as fashion or home furnishings, represented the second-largest group. This contingent usually tops the list and includes many retailers, and its retrenchment is a signal that inflation-weary consumers are prioritizing essentials….
Economists and business experts say the trade wars have pressured import-heavy businesses, which are reluctant to raise prices by too much for fear of alienating consumers. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Though inflation is currently lower than many economists expected — prices climbed at an annual pace of 2.7 percent in November — many businesses still are eating new costs themselves to hold the line on prices for buyers, experts say. That’s leading to a certain culling of the herd as already-fragile companies struggle to keep up.
“These companies are acutely aware of the affordability crisis confronting the average American,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale University’s school of management. “They are doing their best to offset the cost of tariffs and higher interest rates but can only do so much. Those with pricing power will pass on the costs over time … others will fold.”
One more from The Daily Beast: Billionaire Trump Threatens Kennedy Center With Tacky Marble Makeover.
Not content with completing his takeover of the Kennedy Center by slapping his own name on the building, President Donald Trump has revealed the next phase of his current redesign obsession.
The 79-year-old president hinted on Truth Social that the ’60s modernist building in Washington, D.C., would be getting the Mar-a-Lago special with a gold and marble interior refit, starting, of course, with the theater’s armrests.
“Potential Marble armrests for the seating at The Trump Kennedy Center. Unlike anything ever done or seen before!” Trump announced on Friday evening.
Accompanying images show the hard-stone armrest examples that Trump apparently wants to install in the chairs of the center’s three main theaters.
It’s just the latest round in the president’s ongoing commandeering of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a “living memorial” to the 35th president, who was assassinated in 1963.
See photos of the ugly proposed armrests at the link.
That’s it for me today. I hope you found something worthwhile to read here.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #DonaldTrump #KennedyCenter #marbleArmrests #RonFilipkowski #Russia #strikesOnNigeria #Top25TrumpAdministrationVillains #TrumpClassBattleships #USEconomy #Ukraine
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Lazy Caturday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
By Hiroki Takeda
I’m having some serious eye problems that I’m being treated for. I can’t see that well on the computer, but I’m going to do my best to post a few stories along with some lovely watercolor cat art.
Yesterday, Ron Filipkowski of Meidas+ posted a list of his choices for the 25 worst villains of the Trump administration. It drew quite a bit of attention on social media. Here are the top 5:
#5. TODD BLANCHE. Most of the worst abuses in multiple areas by DOJ are orchestrated by Blanche. While Bondi and Patel have gotten most of the public blame and scrutiny, Blanche is the architect of it all. Blanche was Trump’s criminal defense lawyer before he became president, and has acted as his criminal defense lawyer while running DOJ. He met privately with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, then had her moved to a minimum security Club Fed. He has repeated lies about the contents of the Epstein files and is the point person for covering them up with delays and redactions. He ended investigations and dropped charges against some of America’s worst criminals for political reasons. While Bondi and Patel are bad, Blanche is even worse.
#4. RUSS VOUGHT. The man who orchestrated the comprehensive right-wing policy blueprint for this admin called ‘Project 2025’, this zealot keeps a lower profile than others – preferring tangible results with ruthless efficiency behind the scenes as OMB Director. Vought is the brains behind Stephen Miller’s evil bombast, organizing the policy agenda that controls the administration. During the 4 years Trump was out of office, Vought organized and drafted 350 different executive orders and regulations to implement if Trump got a second term – most of the ones he issued came from Vought – including the plan to invoke emergency powers and national security to justify bypassing Congress in a variety of areas. In fact, most of the agenda Vought devised was specifically intended to find ways an authoritarian-minded president could implements things while ignoring Congress, or reversing legislative acts by executive order.
#3. PETE HEGSETH. Chaos ensuedalmost immediately after the drunken fool former Fox host took over an office that he was unfit and unqualified for. He divulged war plans and classified info in a Signal chat which included a reporter, but then tried to cover himself by claiming he declassified it. He fired his own senior advisors because of his paranoia over press leaks, then ousted the Pentagon press corps with onerous rules that abused their first amendment rights. He gleefully released videos of nearly 100 people on boats he has murdered, without providing any evidence of their guilt or due process. He alienated allies with an insane speech in Europe that resulted in the admin sidelining him from giving any more. He ousted seasoned career officers and made it clear he has no use for women serving in the military in any role other than support positions, or for rules of engagement designed to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties. He summoned hundred of Generals and Admirals from their commands around the world to DC so he could give them a deranged speech they found utterly ridiculous and juvenile. He constantly gives partisan political speeches to active-duty troops in violation of laws and regulations, which he mixes with a healthy dose of christian nationalism. It is hard to imagine how Trump could have found a worse person for one of the most important jobs on the planet.
Cat’s Promenade Yuliya Podlinnova
#2. HOWARD LUTNICK. The architect of so many corrupt, shady and misguided policies of the Trump admin while serving as Commerce Secretary – including tariffs and selling citizenship in the form of ‘Trump Gold Cards’. Lutnick is a shameless habitual liar and flip-flam huckster, constantly hyping his policies with fantastical claims while moving the goalposts weekly on his predictions. In a different century he’d be selling miracle cures out of tent at a carnival. In this century, he’s a billionaire. Lutnick is the prime mover behind the admin’s embrace of data centers, AI, and Stalinist moves like the government ownership of companies. Even Trump has grumbled behind the scenes to aides that Lutnick is a “manipulator”, but despite that he continues to adopt each of his worst ideas. Trump constantly had to reverse himself on catastrophic tariff announcements after disastrous consequences ensued – which resulted in the moniker ‘TACO’ for caving so much. All of those disastrous announcements came directly from Lutnick, with Bessent, Musk and others seeking reversal from Trump.
Note – I fully realize Bessent should probably be in this Top 25 somewhere, but I left him off simply because there is a lot of reporting that he has reversed some of the worst ideas behind the scenes despite his repugnant public persona. Go ahead and yell at me if you want – I personally can’t stand the guy either. But I have read comments from a lot of people I respect who say that without Bessent pushing back on some things behind the scenes we would be far worse off economically than we already are because everyone else is much worse. I guess I will buy that he might be the voice of reason behind the scenes, but time will tell.
#1. STEPHEN MILLER. This was the easiest selection, and there was probably never any doubt from most of you that he would be first. He is the WH policy director who is really running the US govt while Trump plays golf, receives awards, puts gold of everything, trolls social media, and builds his ballroom. Most of the policies aren’t Miller’s original ideas because he really isn’t that smart, but he knows how to implement them with a ruthlessness not seen since 1930s Germany. He has made the 2nd most TV appearances this year after Homan, much to the chagrin of Republicans running for election in swing districts. We know all the things that make Miller the worst person to ever serve in a senior position in US history, so there is no point in cataloguing them or this column would go on forever. The hate, the racism and bigotry, the phobias – he’s the personification of political evil. Trump is the only person who would even consider putting this twisted misfit in a position of authority. But he has, and as dementia takes hold and the old man plays with this trophies, ballrooms and golden baubles, Stephen Miller is running the country. Trump is President In Name Only.
God help us.
Check out the rest at the Meidas+ Substack.
Filipkowski’s next project: “Tomorrow, I will begin my list of the ‘500 Worst Things Trump Did in 2025’, with my first 100 in chronological order beginning with things he did in January 2025 and continuing to present.”
Some News:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with Trump today at Mar-a-Lago. Russia responded by attacking Ukraine. AP: Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing 1 and wounding many ahead of Ukraine-US talks.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones early Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between Ukraine and the U.S., authorities said.
Porter and Sully, by Dora Hathazi Mendes
Explosions boomed across Kyiv for hours as ballistic missiles and drones hit the city. The attack began in the early morning hours Saturday and was continuing as day broke.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Zelenskyy told reporters he was on a plane en route to Florida on Saturday afternoon, and would stop in Canada on the way to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump plan to discuss issues including security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions….
Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the border with Ukraine for several hours during the Russian attacks, the country’s armed forces command said on X. There was no violation of Polish airspace, it said. Civil aviation authority Pansa said the two airports had since resumed operations. It was unclear what caused the alert in Poland when the Russian attacks were focused on Kyiv, which is far from the border.
The New York Times: Some G.O.P. Senators Join Democrats in Urging Trump to Adopt Hard Line With Putin.
As President Trump prepares for an expected meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday, he is facing some pressure from within his party to take a tough approach to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Three Republican senators joined five of their Democratic colleagues in issuing a statement on Thursday that described Mr. Putin as a “ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace” and who “cannot be trusted.” It decried Russian attacks on Ukraine that continued over the Christmas holiday.
The statement was signed by the Republican senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. It did not criticize Mr. Trump’s handling of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and it was not joined by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and a close Trump ally, nor by most of the G.O.P. members on that committee. (Mr. Risch’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.) Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, led the statement.
Still, the statement took a harsher tone toward Mr. Putin than Mr. Trump has often used. Although Mr. Trump has at times berated Mr. Putin on social media, urging him to stop his military assault on Ukraine, he has also boasted about their positive relationship, saying he gets along well with the Russian leader. He has repeatedly threatened severe sanctions on the Russians to urge them to make peace, but he has followed through only occasionally.
“It bears repeating that President Zelensky agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity’s holiest days,” said the statement, which was also signed by Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, and by Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Chris Coons of Delaware, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, all Democrats.
Some folks in Nigeria are confused about why Trump bombed their homes. CNN: Fear and confusion in Nigerian village hit in US strike, as locals say no history of ISIS in area.
Abuja, Nigeria — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.
Suleiman Kagara, a resident of this quiet and predominantly Muslim farming community in Tambuwal district of Sokoto state, told CNN he heard a loud blast and saw flames as a projectile flew overhead at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Soon after, it came crashing down, exploding on impact with the ground and sending the villagers fleeing in fear.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” Kagara said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
White Liza, by Roman Franta
Kagara did not realize it at the time, but what he was witnessing was part of a US strike that President Donald Trump would later refer to as a “Christmas present” for terrorists.
Not long after the impact in Jabo, Trump declared on Thursday that the US had carried out a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS militants in the region, who he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”
According to US Africa Command, the operation neutralized multiple ISIS militants.
But Trump’s explanation has left Kagara and his fellow villagers scratching their heads.
While parts of Sokoto face challenges with banditry, kidnappings and attacks by armed groups including Lakurawa – which Nigeria classifies as a terrorist organization due to suspected affiliations with Islamic State – villagers say Jabo is not known for terrorist activity and that local Christians coexist peacefully with the Muslim majority.
But Trump is supposedly the “peace president.”
Trump’s plan to build giant battleships is being panned by folks who actually know what they are talking about.
Miliatry.com: Trump Announces New Class of Battleships Despite Century of Evidence Proving the Large Warships Are Obsolete.
President Donald Trump announced Monday the Navy will build a new class of battleships called the Trump class, with the first ship to be named USS Defiant (BBG-1).
The ship will displace more than 35,000 tons and be capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots, according to the Navy. The battleship will carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic railguns and directed energy weapons. Navy Secretary John Phelan said Trump plans to begin with two ships and eventually build 20 to 25 battleships.
The announcement marks the first battleship construction plan since 1944, when the USS Missouri was delivered to the Navy. The Missouri was the last active battleship in U.S. service before it was decommissioned in 1992.
Trump claimed the new battleships will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The claim is factually incorrect. In fact, the American Iowa-class battleships of World War II were larger by 15,000 to 20,000 tons.
Japan’s battleship Yamato, launched in 1940, displaced 72,000 tons and remains the largest warship ever constructed and put to sea. Trump’s proposed battleship is less than half Yamato’s size. American carrier aircraft sank Yamato in 1945, proving bigger is not better.
Historically speaking, battleships have been obsolete since at least 1921, when a simple bombing demonstration off Virginia’s coast proved the large warships are vulnerable to air attack. That vulnerability has been validated repeatedly through World War II and ever since as aircraft, submarines and cruise missiles systematically demonstrated that bigger and more expensive warships are easier to sink.
CNBC: The ‘Trump-class’ battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: Reality.
Once symbols of naval might with their massive guns, battleships have long since been eclipsed by aircraft carriers and modern destroyers armed with long-range missiles.
While labeling the new surface combatants as “battleships” could be a misnomer, defense experts say that there remain several gaps between Trump’s vision and modern naval warfare.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, dismissed the idea, writing in a Dec. 23 commentary that “there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”
Cats and Fruit by Mary Fedden, 1990
He contended the program would take too long to design, cost far too much and run counter to the Navy’s current strategy of distributed firepower.
“A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water,” Cancian said.
Bernard Loo, senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the proposal as “a prestige project more than anything else.”
He compared it to Japan’s World War II super-battleships Yamato and Musashi — the largest ever built — which were sunk by carrier-borne aircraft before playing a significant role in combat….
He added that the size of the proposed battleship — displacing more than 35,000 tons and measuring more than 840 feet, or a little over two football fields long — would make it a “bomb magnet.”
“The size and the prestige value of it all make it an even more tempting target, potentially for your adversary,” Loo said.
The “president” is a moron. But we already knew that.
Trump apparently thinks his economy will win the 2026 midterms for Republicans.
Politico: Trump to POLITICO: Midterm elections will be about ‘pricing.’
President Donald Trump says he believes the 2026 midterm elections will center on “pricing” as Republicans head into a critical period with control of Congress on the line.
And he told POLITICO Friday night that he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message: that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from former President Joe Biden.
“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’ll be about pricing,” Trump said in an exclusive interview. “Because, you know, they gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.”
Trump’s comments follow a string of favorable economic reports over the last two weeks showing inflation is cooling and the economy is hotter than expected. The White House is keen to tout the latest data as it confronts cost-of-living concerns that have underpinned a string of Democratic overperformances across the country.
Still, polls show Americans are struggling. Nearly half of respondents said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to The POLITICO Poll conducted last month by Public First.
Trump’s acknowledgment that 2026 will focus on “pricing” underscores the administration’s concern that the Democrats have, for the moment, a popular message. After insisting that affordability was a Democratic “con job”, Trump over the last few weeks has repeatedly sought to reframe the issue, arguing that it was the Democrats under Biden who caused prices to increase and that he is bringing them down.
Meanwhile, reality raises its ugly head.
The Washington Post: Bankruptcies soar as companies grapple with inflation, tariffs.
Corporate bankruptcies surged in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, as import-dependent businesses absorbed the highest tariffs in decades.
At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s roughly 14 percent more than the same 11 months of 2024, and the highest tally since 2010.
Companies cited inflation and interest rates among the factors contributing to their financial challenges, as well as Trump administration trade policies that have disrupted supply chains and pushed up costs.
But in a shift from previous years, the rise in filings is most apparent among industrials — companies tied to manufacturing, construction and transportation. The sector has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s ever-fluid tariff policies — which he’s long insisted would revive American manufacturing. The manufacturing sector lost more than 70,000 jobs in the one-year period ending in November, federal data shows.
By Hiroki Takeda
Consumer-oriented businesses with “discretionary” products or services, such as fashion or home furnishings, represented the second-largest group. This contingent usually tops the list and includes many retailers, and its retrenchment is a signal that inflation-weary consumers are prioritizing essentials….
Economists and business experts say the trade wars have pressured import-heavy businesses, which are reluctant to raise prices by too much for fear of alienating consumers. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Though inflation is currently lower than many economists expected — prices climbed at an annual pace of 2.7 percent in November — many businesses still are eating new costs themselves to hold the line on prices for buyers, experts say. That’s leading to a certain culling of the herd as already-fragile companies struggle to keep up.
“These companies are acutely aware of the affordability crisis confronting the average American,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale University’s school of management. “They are doing their best to offset the cost of tariffs and higher interest rates but can only do so much. Those with pricing power will pass on the costs over time … others will fold.”
One more from The Daily Beast: Billionaire Trump Threatens Kennedy Center With Tacky Marble Makeover.
Not content with completing his takeover of the Kennedy Center by slapping his own name on the building, President Donald Trump has revealed the next phase of his current redesign obsession.
The 79-year-old president hinted on Truth Social that the ’60s modernist building in Washington, D.C., would be getting the Mar-a-Lago special with a gold and marble interior refit, starting, of course, with the theater’s armrests.
“Potential Marble armrests for the seating at The Trump Kennedy Center. Unlike anything ever done or seen before!” Trump announced on Friday evening.
Accompanying images show the hard-stone armrest examples that Trump apparently wants to install in the chairs of the center’s three main theaters.
It’s just the latest round in the president’s ongoing commandeering of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a “living memorial” to the 35th president, who was assassinated in 1963.
See photos of the ugly proposed armrests at the link.
That’s it for me today. I hope you found something worthwhile to read here.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #DonaldTrump #KennedyCenter #marbleArmrests #RonFilipkowski #Russia #strikesOnNigeria #Top25TrumpAdministrationVillains #TrumpClassBattleships #USEconomy #Ukraine
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Lazy Caturday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
By Hiroki Takeda
I’m having some serious eye problems that I’m being treated for. I can’t see that well on the computer, but I’m going to do my best to post a few stories along with some lovely watercolor cat art.
Yesterday, Ron Filipkowski of Meidas+ posted a list of his choices for the 25 worst villains of the Trump administration. It drew quite a bit of attention on social media. Here are the top 5:
#5. TODD BLANCHE. Most of the worst abuses in multiple areas by DOJ are orchestrated by Blanche. While Bondi and Patel have gotten most of the public blame and scrutiny, Blanche is the architect of it all. Blanche was Trump’s criminal defense lawyer before he became president, and has acted as his criminal defense lawyer while running DOJ. He met privately with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, then had her moved to a minimum security Club Fed. He has repeated lies about the contents of the Epstein files and is the point person for covering them up with delays and redactions. He ended investigations and dropped charges against some of America’s worst criminals for political reasons. While Bondi and Patel are bad, Blanche is even worse.
#4. RUSS VOUGHT. The man who orchestrated the comprehensive right-wing policy blueprint for this admin called ‘Project 2025’, this zealot keeps a lower profile than others – preferring tangible results with ruthless efficiency behind the scenes as OMB Director. Vought is the brains behind Stephen Miller’s evil bombast, organizing the policy agenda that controls the administration. During the 4 years Trump was out of office, Vought organized and drafted 350 different executive orders and regulations to implement if Trump got a second term – most of the ones he issued came from Vought – including the plan to invoke emergency powers and national security to justify bypassing Congress in a variety of areas. In fact, most of the agenda Vought devised was specifically intended to find ways an authoritarian-minded president could implements things while ignoring Congress, or reversing legislative acts by executive order.
#3. PETE HEGSETH. Chaos ensuedalmost immediately after the drunken fool former Fox host took over an office that he was unfit and unqualified for. He divulged war plans and classified info in a Signal chat which included a reporter, but then tried to cover himself by claiming he declassified it. He fired his own senior advisors because of his paranoia over press leaks, then ousted the Pentagon press corps with onerous rules that abused their first amendment rights. He gleefully released videos of nearly 100 people on boats he has murdered, without providing any evidence of their guilt or due process. He alienated allies with an insane speech in Europe that resulted in the admin sidelining him from giving any more. He ousted seasoned career officers and made it clear he has no use for women serving in the military in any role other than support positions, or for rules of engagement designed to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties. He summoned hundred of Generals and Admirals from their commands around the world to DC so he could give them a deranged speech they found utterly ridiculous and juvenile. He constantly gives partisan political speeches to active-duty troops in violation of laws and regulations, which he mixes with a healthy dose of christian nationalism. It is hard to imagine how Trump could have found a worse person for one of the most important jobs on the planet.
Cat’s Promenade Yuliya Podlinnova
#2. HOWARD LUTNICK. The architect of so many corrupt, shady and misguided policies of the Trump admin while serving as Commerce Secretary – including tariffs and selling citizenship in the form of ‘Trump Gold Cards’. Lutnick is a shameless habitual liar and flip-flam huckster, constantly hyping his policies with fantastical claims while moving the goalposts weekly on his predictions. In a different century he’d be selling miracle cures out of tent at a carnival. In this century, he’s a billionaire. Lutnick is the prime mover behind the admin’s embrace of data centers, AI, and Stalinist moves like the government ownership of companies. Even Trump has grumbled behind the scenes to aides that Lutnick is a “manipulator”, but despite that he continues to adopt each of his worst ideas. Trump constantly had to reverse himself on catastrophic tariff announcements after disastrous consequences ensued – which resulted in the moniker ‘TACO’ for caving so much. All of those disastrous announcements came directly from Lutnick, with Bessent, Musk and others seeking reversal from Trump.
Note – I fully realize Bessent should probably be in this Top 25 somewhere, but I left him off simply because there is a lot of reporting that he has reversed some of the worst ideas behind the scenes despite his repugnant public persona. Go ahead and yell at me if you want – I personally can’t stand the guy either. But I have read comments from a lot of people I respect who say that without Bessent pushing back on some things behind the scenes we would be far worse off economically than we already are because everyone else is much worse. I guess I will buy that he might be the voice of reason behind the scenes, but time will tell.
#1. STEPHEN MILLER. This was the easiest selection, and there was probably never any doubt from most of you that he would be first. He is the WH policy director who is really running the US govt while Trump plays golf, receives awards, puts gold of everything, trolls social media, and builds his ballroom. Most of the policies aren’t Miller’s original ideas because he really isn’t that smart, but he knows how to implement them with a ruthlessness not seen since 1930s Germany. He has made the 2nd most TV appearances this year after Homan, much to the chagrin of Republicans running for election in swing districts. We know all the things that make Miller the worst person to ever serve in a senior position in US history, so there is no point in cataloguing them or this column would go on forever. The hate, the racism and bigotry, the phobias – he’s the personification of political evil. Trump is the only person who would even consider putting this twisted misfit in a position of authority. But he has, and as dementia takes hold and the old man plays with this trophies, ballrooms and golden baubles, Stephen Miller is running the country. Trump is President In Name Only.
God help us.
Check out the rest at the Meidas+ Substack.
Filipkowski’s next project: “Tomorrow, I will begin my list of the ‘500 Worst Things Trump Did in 2025’, with my first 100 in chronological order beginning with things he did in January 2025 and continuing to present.”
Some News:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with Trump today at Mar-a-Lago. Russia responded by attacking Ukraine. AP: Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing 1 and wounding many ahead of Ukraine-US talks.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones early Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between Ukraine and the U.S., authorities said.
Porter and Sully, by Dora Hathazi Mendes
Explosions boomed across Kyiv for hours as ballistic missiles and drones hit the city. The attack began in the early morning hours Saturday and was continuing as day broke.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Zelenskyy told reporters he was on a plane en route to Florida on Saturday afternoon, and would stop in Canada on the way to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump plan to discuss issues including security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions….
Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the border with Ukraine for several hours during the Russian attacks, the country’s armed forces command said on X. There was no violation of Polish airspace, it said. Civil aviation authority Pansa said the two airports had since resumed operations. It was unclear what caused the alert in Poland when the Russian attacks were focused on Kyiv, which is far from the border.
The New York Times: Some G.O.P. Senators Join Democrats in Urging Trump to Adopt Hard Line With Putin.
As President Trump prepares for an expected meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday, he is facing some pressure from within his party to take a tough approach to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Three Republican senators joined five of their Democratic colleagues in issuing a statement on Thursday that described Mr. Putin as a “ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace” and who “cannot be trusted.” It decried Russian attacks on Ukraine that continued over the Christmas holiday.
The statement was signed by the Republican senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. It did not criticize Mr. Trump’s handling of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and it was not joined by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and a close Trump ally, nor by most of the G.O.P. members on that committee. (Mr. Risch’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.) Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, led the statement.
Still, the statement took a harsher tone toward Mr. Putin than Mr. Trump has often used. Although Mr. Trump has at times berated Mr. Putin on social media, urging him to stop his military assault on Ukraine, he has also boasted about their positive relationship, saying he gets along well with the Russian leader. He has repeatedly threatened severe sanctions on the Russians to urge them to make peace, but he has followed through only occasionally.
“It bears repeating that President Zelensky agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity’s holiest days,” said the statement, which was also signed by Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, and by Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Chris Coons of Delaware, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, all Democrats.
Some folks in Nigeria are confused about why Trump bombed their homes. CNN: Fear and confusion in Nigerian village hit in US strike, as locals say no history of ISIS in area.
Abuja, Nigeria — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.
Suleiman Kagara, a resident of this quiet and predominantly Muslim farming community in Tambuwal district of Sokoto state, told CNN he heard a loud blast and saw flames as a projectile flew overhead at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Soon after, it came crashing down, exploding on impact with the ground and sending the villagers fleeing in fear.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” Kagara said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
White Liza, by Roman Franta
Kagara did not realize it at the time, but what he was witnessing was part of a US strike that President Donald Trump would later refer to as a “Christmas present” for terrorists.
Not long after the impact in Jabo, Trump declared on Thursday that the US had carried out a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS militants in the region, who he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”
According to US Africa Command, the operation neutralized multiple ISIS militants.
But Trump’s explanation has left Kagara and his fellow villagers scratching their heads.
While parts of Sokoto face challenges with banditry, kidnappings and attacks by armed groups including Lakurawa – which Nigeria classifies as a terrorist organization due to suspected affiliations with Islamic State – villagers say Jabo is not known for terrorist activity and that local Christians coexist peacefully with the Muslim majority.
But Trump is supposedly the “peace president.”
Trump’s plan to build giant battleships is being panned by folks who actually know what they are talking about.
Miliatry.com: Trump Announces New Class of Battleships Despite Century of Evidence Proving the Large Warships Are Obsolete.
President Donald Trump announced Monday the Navy will build a new class of battleships called the Trump class, with the first ship to be named USS Defiant (BBG-1).
The ship will displace more than 35,000 tons and be capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots, according to the Navy. The battleship will carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic railguns and directed energy weapons. Navy Secretary John Phelan said Trump plans to begin with two ships and eventually build 20 to 25 battleships.
The announcement marks the first battleship construction plan since 1944, when the USS Missouri was delivered to the Navy. The Missouri was the last active battleship in U.S. service before it was decommissioned in 1992.
Trump claimed the new battleships will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The claim is factually incorrect. In fact, the American Iowa-class battleships of World War II were larger by 15,000 to 20,000 tons.
Japan’s battleship Yamato, launched in 1940, displaced 72,000 tons and remains the largest warship ever constructed and put to sea. Trump’s proposed battleship is less than half Yamato’s size. American carrier aircraft sank Yamato in 1945, proving bigger is not better.
Historically speaking, battleships have been obsolete since at least 1921, when a simple bombing demonstration off Virginia’s coast proved the large warships are vulnerable to air attack. That vulnerability has been validated repeatedly through World War II and ever since as aircraft, submarines and cruise missiles systematically demonstrated that bigger and more expensive warships are easier to sink.
CNBC: The ‘Trump-class’ battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: Reality.
Once symbols of naval might with their massive guns, battleships have long since been eclipsed by aircraft carriers and modern destroyers armed with long-range missiles.
While labeling the new surface combatants as “battleships” could be a misnomer, defense experts say that there remain several gaps between Trump’s vision and modern naval warfare.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, dismissed the idea, writing in a Dec. 23 commentary that “there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”
Cats and Fruit by Mary Fedden, 1990
He contended the program would take too long to design, cost far too much and run counter to the Navy’s current strategy of distributed firepower.
“A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water,” Cancian said.
Bernard Loo, senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the proposal as “a prestige project more than anything else.”
He compared it to Japan’s World War II super-battleships Yamato and Musashi — the largest ever built — which were sunk by carrier-borne aircraft before playing a significant role in combat….
He added that the size of the proposed battleship — displacing more than 35,000 tons and measuring more than 840 feet, or a little over two football fields long — would make it a “bomb magnet.”
“The size and the prestige value of it all make it an even more tempting target, potentially for your adversary,” Loo said.
The “president” is a moron. But we already knew that.
Trump apparently thinks his economy will win the 2026 midterms for Republicans.
Politico: Trump to POLITICO: Midterm elections will be about ‘pricing.’
President Donald Trump says he believes the 2026 midterm elections will center on “pricing” as Republicans head into a critical period with control of Congress on the line.
And he told POLITICO Friday night that he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message: that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from former President Joe Biden.
“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’ll be about pricing,” Trump said in an exclusive interview. “Because, you know, they gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.”
Trump’s comments follow a string of favorable economic reports over the last two weeks showing inflation is cooling and the economy is hotter than expected. The White House is keen to tout the latest data as it confronts cost-of-living concerns that have underpinned a string of Democratic overperformances across the country.
Still, polls show Americans are struggling. Nearly half of respondents said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to The POLITICO Poll conducted last month by Public First.
Trump’s acknowledgment that 2026 will focus on “pricing” underscores the administration’s concern that the Democrats have, for the moment, a popular message. After insisting that affordability was a Democratic “con job”, Trump over the last few weeks has repeatedly sought to reframe the issue, arguing that it was the Democrats under Biden who caused prices to increase and that he is bringing them down.
Meanwhile, reality raises its ugly head.
The Washington Post: Bankruptcies soar as companies grapple with inflation, tariffs.
Corporate bankruptcies surged in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, as import-dependent businesses absorbed the highest tariffs in decades.
At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s roughly 14 percent more than the same 11 months of 2024, and the highest tally since 2010.
Companies cited inflation and interest rates among the factors contributing to their financial challenges, as well as Trump administration trade policies that have disrupted supply chains and pushed up costs.
But in a shift from previous years, the rise in filings is most apparent among industrials — companies tied to manufacturing, construction and transportation. The sector has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s ever-fluid tariff policies — which he’s long insisted would revive American manufacturing. The manufacturing sector lost more than 70,000 jobs in the one-year period ending in November, federal data shows.
By Hiroki Takeda
Consumer-oriented businesses with “discretionary” products or services, such as fashion or home furnishings, represented the second-largest group. This contingent usually tops the list and includes many retailers, and its retrenchment is a signal that inflation-weary consumers are prioritizing essentials….
Economists and business experts say the trade wars have pressured import-heavy businesses, which are reluctant to raise prices by too much for fear of alienating consumers. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Though inflation is currently lower than many economists expected — prices climbed at an annual pace of 2.7 percent in November — many businesses still are eating new costs themselves to hold the line on prices for buyers, experts say. That’s leading to a certain culling of the herd as already-fragile companies struggle to keep up.
“These companies are acutely aware of the affordability crisis confronting the average American,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale University’s school of management. “They are doing their best to offset the cost of tariffs and higher interest rates but can only do so much. Those with pricing power will pass on the costs over time … others will fold.”
One more from The Daily Beast: Billionaire Trump Threatens Kennedy Center With Tacky Marble Makeover.
Not content with completing his takeover of the Kennedy Center by slapping his own name on the building, President Donald Trump has revealed the next phase of his current redesign obsession.
The 79-year-old president hinted on Truth Social that the ’60s modernist building in Washington, D.C., would be getting the Mar-a-Lago special with a gold and marble interior refit, starting, of course, with the theater’s armrests.
“Potential Marble armrests for the seating at The Trump Kennedy Center. Unlike anything ever done or seen before!” Trump announced on Friday evening.
Accompanying images show the hard-stone armrest examples that Trump apparently wants to install in the chairs of the center’s three main theaters.
It’s just the latest round in the president’s ongoing commandeering of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a “living memorial” to the 35th president, who was assassinated in 1963.
See photos of the ugly proposed arm rests at the link.
That’s if for me today. I hope you found something worth reading here.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #DonaldTrump #KennedyCenter #marbleArmrests #RonFilipkowski #Russia #strikesOnNigeria #Top25TrumpAdministrationVillains #TrumpClassBattleships #USEconomy #Ukraine
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Lazy Caturday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
By Hiroki Takeda
I’m having some serious eye problems that I’m being treated for. I can’t see that well on the computer, but I’m going to do my best to post a few stories along with some lovely watercolor cat art.
Yesterday, Ron Filipkowski of Meidas+ posted a list of his choices for the 25 worst villains of the Trump administration. It drew quite a bit of attention on social media. Here are the top 5:
#5. TODD BLANCHE. Most of the worst abuses in multiple areas by DOJ are orchestrated by Blanche. While Bondi and Patel have gotten most of the public blame and scrutiny, Blanche is the architect of it all. Blanche was Trump’s criminal defense lawyer before he became president, and has acted as his criminal defense lawyer while running DOJ. He met privately with Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, then had her moved to a minimum security Club Fed. He has repeated lies about the contents of the Epstein files and is the point person for covering them up with delays and redactions. He ended investigations and dropped charges against some of America’s worst criminals for political reasons. While Bondi and Patel are bad, Blanche is even worse.
#4. RUSS VOUGHT. The man who orchestrated the comprehensive right-wing policy blueprint for this admin called ‘Project 2025’, this zealot keeps a lower profile than others – preferring tangible results with ruthless efficiency behind the scenes as OMB Director. Vought is the brains behind Stephen Miller’s evil bombast, organizing the policy agenda that controls the administration. During the 4 years Trump was out of office, Vought organized and drafted 350 different executive orders and regulations to implement if Trump got a second term – most of the ones he issued came from Vought – including the plan to invoke emergency powers and national security to justify bypassing Congress in a variety of areas. In fact, most of the agenda Vought devised was specifically intended to find ways an authoritarian-minded president could implements things while ignoring Congress, or reversing legislative acts by executive order.
#3. PETE HEGSETH. Chaos ensuedalmost immediately after the drunken fool former Fox host took over an office that he was unfit and unqualified for. He divulged war plans and classified info in a Signal chat which included a reporter, but then tried to cover himself by claiming he declassified it. He fired his own senior advisors because of his paranoia over press leaks, then ousted the Pentagon press corps with onerous rules that abused their first amendment rights. He gleefully released videos of nearly 100 people on boats he has murdered, without providing any evidence of their guilt or due process. He alienated allies with an insane speech in Europe that resulted in the admin sidelining him from giving any more. He ousted seasoned career officers and made it clear he has no use for women serving in the military in any role other than support positions, or for rules of engagement designed to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties. He summoned hundred of Generals and Admirals from their commands around the world to DC so he could give them a deranged speech they found utterly ridiculous and juvenile. He constantly gives partisan political speeches to active-duty troops in violation of laws and regulations, which he mixes with a healthy dose of christian nationalism. It is hard to imagine how Trump could have found a worse person for one of the most important jobs on the planet.
Cat’s Promenade Yuliya Podlinnova
#2. HOWARD LUTNICK. The architect of so many corrupt, shady and misguided policies of the Trump admin while serving as Commerce Secretary – including tariffs and selling citizenship in the form of ‘Trump Gold Cards’. Lutnick is a shameless habitual liar and flip-flam huckster, constantly hyping his policies with fantastical claims while moving the goalposts weekly on his predictions. In a different century he’d be selling miracle cures out of tent at a carnival. In this century, he’s a billionaire. Lutnick is the prime mover behind the admin’s embrace of data centers, AI, and Stalinist moves like the government ownership of companies. Even Trump has grumbled behind the scenes to aides that Lutnick is a “manipulator”, but despite that he continues to adopt each of his worst ideas. Trump constantly had to reverse himself on catastrophic tariff announcements after disastrous consequences ensued – which resulted in the moniker ‘TACO’ for caving so much. All of those disastrous announcements came directly from Lutnick, with Bessent, Musk and others seeking reversal from Trump.
Note – I fully realize Bessent should probably be in this Top 25 somewhere, but I left him off simply because there is a lot of reporting that he has reversed some of the worst ideas behind the scenes despite his repugnant public persona. Go ahead and yell at me if you want – I personally can’t stand the guy either. But I have read comments from a lot of people I respect who say that without Bessent pushing back on some things behind the scenes we would be far worse off economically than we already are because everyone else is much worse. I guess I will buy that he might be the voice of reason behind the scenes, but time will tell.
#1. STEPHEN MILLER. This was the easiest selection, and there was probably never any doubt from most of you that he would be first. He is the WH policy director who is really running the US govt while Trump plays golf, receives awards, puts gold of everything, trolls social media, and builds his ballroom. Most of the policies aren’t Miller’s original ideas because he really isn’t that smart, but he knows how to implement them with a ruthlessness not seen since 1930s Germany. He has made the 2nd most TV appearances this year after Homan, much to the chagrin of Republicans running for election in swing districts. We know all the things that make Miller the worst person to ever serve in a senior position in US history, so there is no point in cataloguing them or this column would go on forever. The hate, the racism and bigotry, the phobias – he’s the personification of political evil. Trump is the only person who would even consider putting this twisted misfit in a position of authority. But he has, and as dementia takes hold and the old man plays with this trophies, ballrooms and golden baubles, Stephen Miller is running the country. Trump is President In Name Only.
God help us.
Check out the rest at the Meidas+ Substack.
Filipkowski’s next project: “Tomorrow, I will begin my list of the ‘500 Worst Things Trump Did in 2025’, with my first 100 in chronological order beginning with things he did in January 2025 and continuing to present.”
Some News:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with Trump today at Mar-a-Lago. Russia responded by attacking Ukraine. AP: Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing 1 and wounding many ahead of Ukraine-US talks.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones early Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding 27, a day before talks between Ukraine and the U.S., authorities said.
Porter and Sully, by Dora Hathazi Mendes
Explosions boomed across Kyiv for hours as ballistic missiles and drones hit the city. The attack began in the early morning hours Saturday and was continuing as day broke.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Zelenskyy told reporters he was on a plane en route to Florida on Saturday afternoon, and would stop in Canada on the way to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump plan to discuss issues including security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions….
Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow near the border with Ukraine for several hours during the Russian attacks, the country’s armed forces command said on X. There was no violation of Polish airspace, it said. Civil aviation authority Pansa said the two airports had since resumed operations. It was unclear what caused the alert in Poland when the Russian attacks were focused on Kyiv, which is far from the border.
The New York Times: Some G.O.P. Senators Join Democrats in Urging Trump to Adopt Hard Line With Putin.
As President Trump prepares for an expected meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday, he is facing some pressure from within his party to take a tough approach to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Three Republican senators joined five of their Democratic colleagues in issuing a statement on Thursday that described Mr. Putin as a “ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace” and who “cannot be trusted.” It decried Russian attacks on Ukraine that continued over the Christmas holiday.
The statement was signed by the Republican senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. It did not criticize Mr. Trump’s handling of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and it was not joined by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and a close Trump ally, nor by most of the G.O.P. members on that committee. (Mr. Risch’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.) Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, led the statement.
Still, the statement took a harsher tone toward Mr. Putin than Mr. Trump has often used. Although Mr. Trump has at times berated Mr. Putin on social media, urging him to stop his military assault on Ukraine, he has also boasted about their positive relationship, saying he gets along well with the Russian leader. He has repeatedly threatened severe sanctions on the Russians to urge them to make peace, but he has followed through only occasionally.
“It bears repeating that President Zelensky agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity’s holiest days,” said the statement, which was also signed by Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, and by Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Chris Coons of Delaware, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, all Democrats.
Some folks in Nigeria are confused about why Trump bombed their homes. CNN: Fear and confusion in Nigerian village hit in US strike, as locals say no history of ISIS in area.
Abuja, Nigeria — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.
Suleiman Kagara, a resident of this quiet and predominantly Muslim farming community in Tambuwal district of Sokoto state, told CNN he heard a loud blast and saw flames as a projectile flew overhead at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Soon after, it came crashing down, exploding on impact with the ground and sending the villagers fleeing in fear.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” Kagara said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
White Liza, by Roman Franta
Kagara did not realize it at the time, but what he was witnessing was part of a US strike that President Donald Trump would later refer to as a “Christmas present” for terrorists.
Not long after the impact in Jabo, Trump declared on Thursday that the US had carried out a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS militants in the region, who he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”
According to US Africa Command, the operation neutralized multiple ISIS militants.
But Trump’s explanation has left Kagara and his fellow villagers scratching their heads.
While parts of Sokoto face challenges with banditry, kidnappings and attacks by armed groups including Lakurawa – which Nigeria classifies as a terrorist organization due to suspected affiliations with Islamic State – villagers say Jabo is not known for terrorist activity and that local Christians coexist peacefully with the Muslim majority.
But Trump is supposedly the “peace president.”
Trump’s plan to build giant battleships is being panned by folks who actually know what they are talking about.
Miliatry.com: Trump Announces New Class of Battleships Despite Century of Evidence Proving the Large Warships Are Obsolete.
President Donald Trump announced Monday the Navy will build a new class of battleships called the Trump class, with the first ship to be named USS Defiant (BBG-1).
The ship will displace more than 35,000 tons and be capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots, according to the Navy. The battleship will carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic railguns and directed energy weapons. Navy Secretary John Phelan said Trump plans to begin with two ships and eventually build 20 to 25 battleships.
The announcement marks the first battleship construction plan since 1944, when the USS Missouri was delivered to the Navy. The Missouri was the last active battleship in U.S. service before it was decommissioned in 1992.
Trump claimed the new battleships will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The claim is factually incorrect. In fact, the American Iowa-class battleships of World War II were larger by 15,000 to 20,000 tons.
Japan’s battleship Yamato, launched in 1940, displaced 72,000 tons and remains the largest warship ever constructed and put to sea. Trump’s proposed battleship is less than half Yamato’s size. American carrier aircraft sank Yamato in 1945, proving bigger is not better.
Historically speaking, battleships have been obsolete since at least 1921, when a simple bombing demonstration off Virginia’s coast proved the large warships are vulnerable to air attack. That vulnerability has been validated repeatedly through World War II and ever since as aircraft, submarines and cruise missiles systematically demonstrated that bigger and more expensive warships are easier to sink.
CNBC: The ‘Trump-class’ battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: Reality.
Once symbols of naval might with their massive guns, battleships have long since been eclipsed by aircraft carriers and modern destroyers armed with long-range missiles.
While labeling the new surface combatants as “battleships” could be a misnomer, defense experts say that there remain several gaps between Trump’s vision and modern naval warfare.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, dismissed the idea, writing in a Dec. 23 commentary that “there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”
Cats and Fruit by Mary Fedden, 1990
He contended the program would take too long to design, cost far too much and run counter to the Navy’s current strategy of distributed firepower.
“A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water,” Cancian said.
Bernard Loo, senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the proposal as “a prestige project more than anything else.”
He compared it to Japan’s World War II super-battleships Yamato and Musashi — the largest ever built — which were sunk by carrier-borne aircraft before playing a significant role in combat….
He added that the size of the proposed battleship — displacing more than 35,000 tons and measuring more than 840 feet, or a little over two football fields long — would make it a “bomb magnet.”
“The size and the prestige value of it all make it an even more tempting target, potentially for your adversary,” Loo said.
The “president” is a moron. But we already knew that.
Trump apparently thinks his economy will win the 2026 midterms for Republicans.
Politico: Trump to POLITICO: Midterm elections will be about ‘pricing.’
President Donald Trump says he believes the 2026 midterm elections will center on “pricing” as Republicans head into a critical period with control of Congress on the line.
And he told POLITICO Friday night that he is confident Americans will be receptive to his economic message: that his administration is cleaning up the mess he inherited from former President Joe Biden.
“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’ll be about pricing,” Trump said in an exclusive interview. “Because, you know, they gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.”
Trump’s comments follow a string of favorable economic reports over the last two weeks showing inflation is cooling and the economy is hotter than expected. The White House is keen to tout the latest data as it confronts cost-of-living concerns that have underpinned a string of Democratic overperformances across the country.
Still, polls show Americans are struggling. Nearly half of respondents said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to The POLITICO Poll conducted last month by Public First.
Trump’s acknowledgment that 2026 will focus on “pricing” underscores the administration’s concern that the Democrats have, for the moment, a popular message. After insisting that affordability was a Democratic “con job”, Trump over the last few weeks has repeatedly sought to reframe the issue, arguing that it was the Democrats under Biden who caused prices to increase and that he is bringing them down.
Meanwhile, reality raises its ugly head.
The Washington Post: Bankruptcies soar as companies grapple with inflation, tariffs.
Corporate bankruptcies surged in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, as import-dependent businesses absorbed the highest tariffs in decades.
At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s roughly 14 percent more than the same 11 months of 2024, and the highest tally since 2010.
Companies cited inflation and interest rates among the factors contributing to their financial challenges, as well as Trump administration trade policies that have disrupted supply chains and pushed up costs.
But in a shift from previous years, the rise in filings is most apparent among industrials — companies tied to manufacturing, construction and transportation. The sector has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s ever-fluid tariff policies — which he’s long insisted would revive American manufacturing. The manufacturing sector lost more than 70,000 jobs in the one-year period ending in November, federal data shows.
By Hiroki Takeda
Consumer-oriented businesses with “discretionary” products or services, such as fashion or home furnishings, represented the second-largest group. This contingent usually tops the list and includes many retailers, and its retrenchment is a signal that inflation-weary consumers are prioritizing essentials….
Economists and business experts say the trade wars have pressured import-heavy businesses, which are reluctant to raise prices by too much for fear of alienating consumers. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Though inflation is currently lower than many economists expected — prices climbed at an annual pace of 2.7 percent in November — many businesses still are eating new costs themselves to hold the line on prices for buyers, experts say. That’s leading to a certain culling of the herd as already-fragile companies struggle to keep up.
“These companies are acutely aware of the affordability crisis confronting the average American,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale University’s school of management. “They are doing their best to offset the cost of tariffs and higher interest rates but can only do so much. Those with pricing power will pass on the costs over time … others will fold.”
One more from The Daily Beast: Billionaire Trump Threatens Kennedy Center With Tacky Marble Makeover.
Not content with completing his takeover of the Kennedy Center by slapping his own name on the building, President Donald Trump has revealed the next phase of his current redesign obsession.
The 79-year-old president hinted on Truth Social that the ’60s modernist building in Washington, D.C., would be getting the Mar-a-Lago special with a gold and marble interior refit, starting, of course, with the theater’s armrests.
“Potential Marble armrests for the seating at The Trump Kennedy Center. Unlike anything ever done or seen before!” Trump announced on Friday evening.
Accompanying images show the hard-stone armrest examples that Trump apparently wants to install in the chairs of the center’s three main theaters.
It’s just the latest round in the president’s ongoing commandeering of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a “living memorial” to the 35th president, who was assassinated in 1963.
See photos of the ugly proposed armrests at the link.
That’s it for me today. I hope you found something worthwhile to read here.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #DonaldTrump #KennedyCenter #marbleArmrests #RonFilipkowski #Russia #strikesOnNigeria #Top25TrumpAdministrationVillains #TrumpClassBattleships #USEconomy #Ukraine
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Lazy Caturday Reads: “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Happy Valentine’s Day!!
This morning, Steven Beschloss posted the following discussion question for his readers at his Substack “America America”: Is Love More Powerful Than Hate?
I had in mind to write about villainy. It’s a fact of our public life that the Trump regime is thick with this dark force and overloaded with people who revel in it. The villains come easily to mind: Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth, Russel Vought, Greg Bovino (to name a few) and of course their ringleader, Donald Trump. They have motivated countless others to join their hateful cause to reject the Constitution and demolish democracy in America.
But on this day—Valentine’s Day—I want to turn this over and look at the flip side. Because behind this discussion of villains and villainy is my belief that their dark force can be defeated with the force of light and love. I don’t mean the biblical advice to “love your enemies,” although that may be a mindset that others more merciful than I can conjure.
I’m thinking more about the guidance found in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the topic of love. Let me share four shining examples:
- “Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos.”
- “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
- “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”
- “I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems.”
There are days that these insights—these deeply held convictions—may seem inadequate to confront the horrors we witness committed by men and women who have lost their moral compass, assuming that they once possessed one. But I’d like to suggest that the more powerful our revulsion toward the regime’s acts of villainy, the more we are influenced by the inverse.
I returned to yesterday’s essay, “Pam Bondi’s Utter Contempt for Justice,” to test this notion. If you read it and thought that I am horrified by her villainous behavior this week, you would be right. But let’s look at the basis for my horror in three sentences from the first several paragraphs: “It’s hard to imagine someone more overtly hostile to justice and more utterly incapable of basic human compassion…This person is responsible for serving the people…But when asked for the most basic show of humanity, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.” Behind the obvious criticism of her hateful action is love: For justice, for basic human compassion, for serving the people, for humanity.
My point is that in our articulation of the horrors, we can find the light that can inspire us to stay in the fight and overcome this dark chapter. “Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos,” King wrote. In other words, love is more powerful than hate and, as King also insisted, “the only answer to mankind’s problems.”
Bad Bunny sent a similar message with his Super Bowl performance. Is it true? Can love conquer hate? Food for thought on Valentine’s Day.
Now for the news, which is again filled with hate and fear.
Trump appears to be planning some sort of attack on Iran.
Reuthers: Exclusive: US military preparing for potentially weeks-long Iran.
The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.
The disclosure by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold negotiations with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva, with representatives from Oman acting as mediators. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned on Saturday that while Trump’s preference was to reach a deal with Tehran, “that’s very hard to do.”
Meanwhile, Trump has amassed military forces in the region, raising fears of new military action. U.S. officials said on Friday the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and other firepower capable of waging attacks and defending against them.
Trump, speaking to U.S. troops on Friday at a base in North Carolina, openly floated the possibility of regime change in Iran, saying it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.” He declined to share who he wanted to take over Iran, but said “there are people.”
“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” Trump said.
Trump has long voiced skepticism about sending ground troops into Iran, saying last year “the last thing you want to do is ground forces,” and the kinds of U.S. firepower arrayed in the Middle East so far suggest options for strikes primarily by air and naval forces.
The New York Times: Trump Says Regime Change Would Be the ‘Best Thing’ for Iran.
President Trump said on Friday that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen,” as he continued to threaten military action against the country.
“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” he told reporters after visiting troops at Fort Bragg. “In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk.”
In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has called for new leadership in Iran, and The New York Times reported in January that he was mulling whether regime change would be a viable military option.
But his latest comments are, perhaps, Mr. Trump’s most overt endorsement of regime change, even as U.S. officials concede that ousting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be much more complex than the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, then the leader of Venezuela.
Still, officials have said that Mr. Trump had not made a final decision and was considering a range of military options.
The Trump administration has been steadily building up its military capabilities in the Middle East as Mr. Trump considers whether to strike the country again. Mr. Trump threatened last month to attack Iran if its government did not agree to a deal to curb its nuclear program….
But senior U.S. officials remain skeptical that the Iranians will agree to a deal that satisfies Mr. Trump, who has shown a growing impatience with the negotiations. This month, Omani officials mediated talks between Iran and a U.S. delegation that included Steve Witkoff,
A bit more on possible attack plans:
Mr. Trump has been weighing a range of military actions, including targeting Iran’s nuclear program and its ability to launch ballistic missiles. He is also considering sending American commandos to go after Iranian military targets, among other moves, the officials said.
To prepare, the Pentagon has been building up an “armada,” as Mr. Trump calls it, in the region. It includes the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, eight guided missile destroyers that can shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles, land-based ballistic missile defense systems and submarines that can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Iran.
And on Thursday, the crew of a second aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, was told it would leave the Caribbean, where the ship joined the U.S. operation last month to seize Mr. Maduro, and deploy to the Middle East as part of Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign.
Yesterday, Trump posted a photo of a U.S. aircraft carrier on Truth Social, perhaps as a foreshadowing of his plans for Iran.
The Caribbean boat strikes are back.
NBC News: U.S. strikes alleged drug boat in Caribbean, killing three.
The U.S. Southern Command said it struck a vessel allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean on Friday, killing three people.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” Southern Command said in a post on X, adding that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”
“Three narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” the post said.
The U.S. has not provided evidence supporting its allegations about the boat, passengers, cargo or the number of people killed.
This latest strike comes after the U.S. on Monday struck a vessel also alleged to be transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor.
A few days ago, there was a disturbing incident in Texas in which DHS used a powerful laser weapon with out notifying other parts of the government. It caused the FAA to close the air space over El Paso, Texas for a time. I have been curious about how this happened.
The New York Times, Feb. 11: Border Officials Are Said to Have Caused El Paso Closure by Firing Anti-Drone Laser.
The abrupt closure of El Paso’s airspace late Tuesday was precipitated when Customs and Border Protection officials deployed an anti-drone laser on loan from the Department of Defense without giving aviation officials enough time to assess the risks to commercial aircraft, according to multiple people briefed on the situation.
The episode led the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly declare that the nearby airspace would be shut down for 10 days, an extraordinary pause that was quickly lifted Wednesday morning at the direction of the White House.
Top administration officials quickly claimed that the closure was in response to a sudden incursion of drones from Mexican drug cartels that required a military response, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declaring in a social media post that “the threat has been neutralized.”
But that assertion was undercut by multiple people familiar with the situation, who said that the F.A.A.’s extreme move came after immigration officials earlier this week used an anti-drone laser shared by the Pentagon without coordination with the F.A.A. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
C.B.P. officials thought they were firing on a cartel drone, the people said, but it turned out to be a party balloon. Defense Department officials were present during the incident, one person said….
The military has been developing high-energy laser technology to intercept and destroy drones, which the Trump administration has said are being used by Mexican cartels to track Border Patrol agents and smuggle drugs into the United States.
The airspace closure provoked a significant backlash from local officials and sharp questions by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including some Republicans, who expressed skepticism about the administration’s version of the events.
This country is being run by morons.
NBC News: CBP shot down party balloons with anti-drone tech before FAA closed El Paso airspace, sources say.
The sudden closure of El Paso’s airspace Wednesday came sometime after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials used an anti-drone laser that was provided by the military to shoot down objects that were later identified as party balloons, four people familiar with the matter said.
The testing of U.S. military-owned laser technology was taking place in the proximity of the airport. The FAA responded by issuing a “temporary flight restriction notice,” which was to shut down the airspace for 10 days. It prevented flights, including helicopters used for medical transport, below 18,000 feet. The airport is a major hub for the region, with more than 50 flights scheduled every day.
The airspace was reopened several hours later Wednesday morning. The decision prompted confusion and finger-pointing inside the Trump administration over who was to blame….
One of the people familiar with the testing said the Defense Department has a working relationship with Homeland Security, where CBP is headquartered, that allows its personnel to use certain military equipment for its objectives, testing, evaluation and use along the southern border.
Recently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the use of the weapon for CBP, the people said. Spokespeople for CBP referred questions to the White House, which did not elaborate beyond initial statements.
It figures Hegseth would be involved in this mess.
From military expert Mark Hertling at The Bulwark: The El Paso Balloon Incident Could Have Been a Disaster.
AFTER PROLONGED CONFUSION, we may have some clarity on what caused the emergency restriction on the airspace around El Paso International Airport: Someone used a sophisticated anti-air laser against what they thought was a drone launched from Mexico, but turned out to be a party balloon. Understandably, the first suspects were the Army units at Fort Bliss, which abuts El Paso and the airport. But it wasn’t the Army that fired the weapon.
According to the New York Times, Customs and Border Protection personnel fired an experimental anti-drone laser on loan from the Department of Defense at what they thought was a cartel drone—without sufficient coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. That prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace around the airport up to 18,000 feet in an extraordinary emergency move.
But focusing on the harmlessness of the target obscures the deeper issue: Why was this weapon employed without the discipline that governs every legitimate use of force in the military?
Fort Bliss sits on the edge of El Paso. While it’s a large post, and it has a very isolated desert training area, it borders a large city with hospitals, businesses, highways, civilian neighborhoods, and a relatively large international airport.
The post is home to the 1st Armored Division, an organization I once commanded. Like every major installation in the Army, Fort Bliss operates under detailed standing operating procedures governing weapons employment—whether on a live-fire range, during air-defense exercises, or in any activity that could affect surrounding airspace or population centers.
Those procedures are not bureaucratic red tape. They are necessary safety barriers. They exist precisely because military commanders understand various immutable facts: weapons are dangerous, coordination for any training event is critical, citizens live nearby, and mistakes do not stay contained.
It’s therefore unsurprising—though deeply concerning—that reports indicate the Fort Bliss commander and the command and staff of Northern Command were as alarmed as the FAA by the balloon shoot-down. That’s because they know any uncoordinated weapons use is not merely unsafe; it is unacceptable.
Please go read the rest at The Bulwark, if you’re interested. Personally, I find this incident deeply disturbing. There are simply too many incompetent–even stupid–people running our government. Eventually there is going to be a serious disaster.
More disturbing Trump Administration/DHS news–this time involving the Social Security Administration:
Wired: Social Security Workers Are Being Told to Hand Over Appointment Details to ICE.
Workers at the Social Security Administration have been told to share information about in-person appointments with agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, WIRED has learned.
“If ICE comes in and asks if someone has an upcoming appointment, we will let them know the date and time,” an employee with direct knowledge of the directive says. They spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
While the majority of appointments with SSA take place over the phone, some appointments still happen in person. This applies to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and need a sign language interpreter, or if someone needs to change their direct deposit information. Noncitizens are also required to appear in person to review continued eligibility of benefits.
Social Security numbers are issued to US citizens but also to foreign students and people legally allowed to live and work in the country. In some cases, when a child or dependent is a citizen and the family member responsible for them is not, that person might need to accompany the child or dependent to an office visit.
The order to share information, which was recently communicated verbally to workers at certain SSA offices, marks a new era of collaboration between SSA and the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency….
The SSA has been sharing data with ICE for much of President Donald Trump’s second term. In April, WIRED reported that the Trump administration had been pooling sensitive data from across the government, including from the the SSA, DHS, and the Internal Revenue Service. By November, WIRED learned that the SSA had made the arrangements official and had updated a public notice that said the agency was sharing “citizenship and immigration information” with DHS. “It was shockingly clear that there was interest in getting access to immigration data by [the] Trump administration,” a former SSA official tells WIRED. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to concerns of retaliation.
This is from the Professional Development Academy: ‘Suicide is only one option’: Social Security staff newly assigned to phone duties raise concerns over training.
The Social Security Administration has instructed employees newly assigned to answering phones to tell callers expressing suicidal thoughts that suicide is “one option,” raising concerns from employees and experts in the field who called the approach unorthodox.
SSA recently began shifting new swaths of its workforce to phone answering duty, including those who normally receive and process retirement and disability claims, manage the agency’s technology and work in the agency’s finances unit. Those employees received brief, three-hour training before they began answering calls.
As part of that training, they were warned some callers may express suicidal ideation and presented with examples using a theoretical employee named Fiona.
“It’s important for Fiona to keep the caller engaged and to remind her that suicide is only one option,” the animated trainer told employees in the video, a copy of which was obtained by Government Executive, “and that there is no urgency to make any decisions.”
Employees at the training, which occurred on Jan. 26 for benefits authorizers and post-entitlement technical experts, were taken aback by the comment and asked their supervisors for clarity. One employee at the training said there was “disbelief that it was just said” among those in the room.
Caitlin Thompson, a clinical psychologist who spent eight years at the Veterans Affairs Department as a clinical care coordinator on the Veterans Crisis Line and later as the department’s national director of suicide prevention, said SSA’s approach did not follow commonly accepted best practices.
“It’s not a normal thing to say,” Thompson said. “No. That’s not the thing you say to somebody who might be suicidal.”
Instead, SSA would be better suited telling employees to ask callers if they feel safe in the immediate term and if they say no, to tell the caller that they will work with their supervisor to get them in touch with a crisis line.
Read more at the link.
I’ll end with this update on Trump’s ballroom obsession.
The Washington Post (gift link): New images of White House ballroom show clearest look yet at Trump project.
New renderings shared Friday offer the clearest look yet at President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom addition — a project advancing even as it is challenged in court and questioned on Capitol Hill.
Shalom Baranes Associates, the firm handling the project, shared the renderings with the National Capital Planning Commission, a committee charged by Congress with overseeing major federal construction projects in the region. The renderings include various angles of the ballroom building, an approximately 90,000-square-foot addition that would also include offices for White House staff. The White House has dubbed the project its “East Wing Modernization.”
The images reveal at least one significant change from earlier designs: the removal of a large triangular pediment above the ballroom’s southern portico. Rodney Cook Jr. — a Trump appointee who chairs the Commission of Fine Arts, another federal panel reviewing the project — had warned in January that the pediment was “immense” and pressed the architects about whether it could be reduced.
Despite the revisions, the proposed addition would remain the same height as the White House at its highest point — a priority for Trump and a major concern for outside architects and historical preservationists. Critics have warned the project could overshadow the iconic main mansion and alter long-protected sightliness around the complex. The new renderings indicate the building could block views of the White House residence from certain viewpoints, such as locations on 15th Street NW, according to the designs shared Friday.
Bruce Redman Becker, an architect who was appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts by former president Joe Biden and removed by Trump last year, said the renderings show “a poorly proportioned pseudo-neoclassical structure that is completely out of scale with the White House.” He also said that the images shown in the renderings did not comply with decades-old guidelines developed by the National Park Service for construction projects at the White House and its neighboring park, which call for new additions to be compatible with the historic structure.
“The design team clearly ignored these guidelines, and should be asked to revise and resubmit plans that follow the guidelines,” Becker said.
You can use the gift link to read more and see the renderings.
That’s it for me today. What are your thoughts on all this? What else is on your mind?
#AntiDroneLaser #BorderPatrol #CaribbeanBoatStrikes #catArt #caturday #DepartmentOfHomelandSecurity #DonaldTrump #ElPasoAirSpace #IranAttackPlans #Jr #LoveAndHate #MartinLutherKing #partyBalloon #PeteHegseth #SocialSecurityAdministration #TrumpSBallroom #ValentineSDayCats -
CW: For anyone keeping a secret mobile phone hidden from an abusive partner: UK Gov are testing an alert system tomorrow (Sunday 23 April) at 3:00 PM. Make sure it’s off or on airplane mode or opt out to keep it hidden. Expand post for instructions.
If anyone has a secret mobile phone hidden from an abusive partner, remember to switch off or put in airplane mode etc as described below, or the phone will be activated with the loud alert during the afternoon tomorrow (Sunday 23 April) at 3:00 PM.
Please share this to help keep others safe
The alert will say:
“This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”
Mobile phone masts in the surrounding area will broadcast an alert. Every compatible mobile phone or tablet in range of a mast will receive the alert.
Your mobile phone or tablet does not have to be connected to mobile data or wifi to get alerts.
You can opt out of emergency alerts, but the government advises you should keep them switched on for your own safety.
To opt out:
Search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’.
Turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’.
If you still get alerts, contact your device manufacturer for help.Refuge have produced a really helpful video @ https://lnkd.in/e-D7uJpF
#domesticabuse #domesticviolence #safeguarding #safeguardingchildren #safetyplan #emergencyservices
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Analyzing #TTP overlap for nine top #ransomware
This originates from analysis of ransomware targeting schools, but most of these families have threatened a range of critical infrastructure & other industries too
Each ransomware covered here has published extortion threats involving a school or university during the past year, and this trend is increasing. I tallied 66 ransomware extortion threats against these #education entities since last October. A few groups dominate (see pie chart), and victim count jumped especially high in recent months for schools (K-12) (see bar chart).
The #malware covered here (and count of associated extortion threats against education entities) are: #ViceSociety (25), #Pysa (8), #LockBit 3.0 (7), #ALPHV / #BlackCat (6), LockBit 2.0 (5), #Hive (4), #BianLian (3), #Quantum, Snatch (2), & #Conti, #REvil, Sabbath, and Stormous (1 each). Also #HelloKitty / #FiveHands, which is used by Vice Society, but no relevant posts were observed.
Visual summary of my analysis: https://app.tidalcyber.com/share/8d9f212a-0312-4c2f-bba5-85ab7c7224c6
Overall the nine ransomware map to 131 unique techniques total, sourced from 30 recent public reports, mainly malware analysis & government advisories ("Show only labelled techniques" gives the best view). The underlines & numbers in the cells indicate number of malware mapped to that technique. Background color gradient represents number of sources referencing it. This tool helps with pivoting to defenses and analytics (think Sigma rules), offensive tests (Atomic Red Team), and data sources (make sure you have proper logging enabled) mapped to the same techniques.
#threatintel #SharedWithTidal -
Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2)
Scott Douglas Jacobsen
In-Sight Publishing, Fort Langley, British Columbia, CanadaCorrespondence: Scott Douglas Jacobsen (Email: [email protected])
Received: January 12, 2025
Accepted: N/A
Published: January 22, 2025Abstract
This interview offers an insightful exploration of Tianxiang Shao’s personal and academic journey, conducted by Scott Douglas Jacobsen. The conversation delves into Shao’s family history, including his grandparents’ migration from rural Anhui to the provincial capital, Hefei, amidst challenging socio-political landscapes such as the 1960s famine and Cultural Revolution. Shao discusses his career aspirations in artificial intelligence, his perspectives on success, materialism, and the balance between introversion and social growth. The dialogue also touches on Shao’s childhood creativity, his passion for number theory, and his views on the interplay between human and artificial intelligence. Additionally, Shao shares his philosophical influences, including Albert Camus, and his engagement with Buddhist texts for personal peace. The interview highlights Shao’s multifaceted interests, resilience in personal challenges, and his commitment to balancing academic pursuits with diverse hobbies, providing a comprehensive understanding of his character and intellectual pursuits.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Buddhist Philosophy, Creativity, Cultural Revolution, Family Migration, Introversion, Materialism, Number Theory, Personal Resilience, Philosophical Influences, Social Growth, Success
Introduction
In this comprehensive interview conducted on January 12, 2025, Scott Douglas Jacobsen engages with Tianxiang Shao, a promising young scholar and aspiring artificial intelligence algorithm engineer. Shao shares his deeply rooted family history, detailing his grandparents’ migration from rural Anhui to Hefei during a tumultuous period marked by famine and the Cultural Revolution. The conversation navigates through Shao’s academic aspirations, his introspective views on success and materialism, and his journey towards personal and social growth. Shao’s childhood creativity and passion for number theory emerge as significant themes, alongside his perspectives on the future of artificial intelligence relative to human intelligence. The interview also delves into Shao’s philosophical inclinations, influenced by Albert Camus, and his practices for achieving personal serenity through Buddhist texts. Additionally, Shao reflects on his hobbies and the importance of maintaining a balanced life amidst academic pursuits. This dialogue provides a nuanced portrait of Shao’s character, highlighting his resilience, intellectual curiosity, and thoughtful approach to both personal and professional development.
Main Text (Interview)
Interviewer: Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Interviewee: Tianxiang Shao
Section 1: Grandparents’ Origins and Migration
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: There are a lot of details to fill in, about your grandparents! Which countryside of Huangshan were they from?
Tianxiang Shao: My paternal grandparents were not from Huangshan. They were born in a village in central Anhui, near the provincial capital, Hefei. My maternal grandparents, however, were from Huangshan, and the area where they lived is now called Tunxi District.
Jacobsen: How did they travel from the countryside to the city, and which city?
Shao: Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province. The journey was quite challenging in many ways. My grandparents were exceptionally talented and managed to rise above their circumstances through rigorous selection processes during a time when China was extremely poor.
Jacobsen: Were there any outstanding stories from this trip from the countryside to the city?
Shao: Yes, there were. Both of my grandparents came from very poor families. At that time, many rural families had a lot of children. In the 1960s, China experienced a devastating famine, followed by the Cultural Revolution starting in 1966. As a result, my grandparents didn’t receive a complete formal education. Instead, they relied heavily on self-study and the education available through society.
Despite these hardships, they managed to excel. What’s more, my grandmother brought her four siblings from the countryside to the city, and now all of them are leading good lives.
Section 2: Achieving Family Prosperity
Jacobsen: What did they do to make prosperity for their family?
Shao: They relied entirely on their own efforts and achieved prosperity through hard work and dedication.
Section 3: Career Aspirations and Academic Pursuits
Jacobsen: What careers have you aspired to attain achievement in the big city?
Shao: For me, at this stage, my academic pursuits are the most important.
As a child, I wanted to become an astrophysicist. Later, I aspired to be a mathematician. Now, considering my current field of study and where I can achieve success, becoming an artificial intelligence algorithm engineer seems to be the most fitting goal.
Jacobsen: What work have been the actual choices in the big city?
Shao: I’m still a student and don’t have a job yet.
Section 4: Defining Success and Views on Materialism
Jacobsen: How do you define success?
Shao: Doing what you love and staying committed to it for a lifetime—that is success.
Jacobsen: Is there a peculiarity to their materialism, as in something ore specific like a naturalism, or is more standardly defined materialism without religious belief?
Shao: I think it’s probably more of the latter.
Section 5: Dreams, Small Town Charm, and Serenity
Jacobsen: Huangshan makes you sound like a small town family dreamer like me.
Shao: Is that so? Haha. In fact, when I was a child, I always dreamed of big places. I loved visiting large office buildings, big shopping malls, and crowded areas. I enjoyed the excitement of exploring.
However, I gradually realized that small towns have their own charm. It wasn’t until I had lived in a big city for several years that I truly came to appreciate this.
Jacobsen: Do you feel that you carry some of that serenity with you?
Shao: Sometimes this serenity helps me block out the noise of the outside world, allowing me to think independently and explore the world on my own.
Section 6: Social Behavior and Personal Growth
Jacobsen: Do you feel more social now compared to before?
Shao: Haha, to be honest, I’ve always been a relatively introverted person and rarely participate in social activities unless necessary.
Jacobsen: When you didn’t get along well with peers, was this something to do with fights and misconduct, social awkwardness, or simply not fitting into the social groups?
Shao: That said, social skills are something that improve with experience. I believe my social skills and emotional intelligence are probably better now than they were five years ago.
Part of the reason was social awkwardness, and another part was my lack of participation in social activities. You know, many people enjoy going to bars, dancing, or making a lot of noise together, but I rarely go to those places because I don’t enjoy that kind of hustle and bustle.
I rarely argue with others or engage in inappropriate behavior. I find arguments to be too draining, and I prefer not to spend my time on unnecessary people or matters.
Section 7: Childhood Creativity and Storytelling
Jacobsen: What were the stories “inspired by a clock”?
Shao: Those are stories from my childhood. I’ve always been someone who loves to daydream. Back then, I was inspired by movies like Inception and Interstellar. Sometimes, I would even jot down those ideas in my notebooks.
I remember imagining stories about traveling to the past by altering a clock, or epic battles between beings from different galaxies through time fissures. These stories might seem absurd now, but at the time, I even created abstract drawings to go along with them and thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Section 8: Mathematics Competitions and Interests
Jacobsen: What kind of mathematics competitions, e.g., olympiads?
Shao: Yes, exactly the Olympiad, but I only participated in regional-level Olympiad competitions and some mathematical modeling contests.
Jacobsen: What area of math do you like the most?
Shao: Number theory. This probably explains why I felt so comfortable when I first started solving numerical reasoning problems. I remember the first time I took a proper high-range IQ test—it was Ivan Ivec’s Numerus. At that time, I had no clear understanding of the underlying logic or techniques, but I quickly submitted it and scored an IQ of 165.
I love numbers; I feel that each number tells a story. Number theory is so harmonious and beautiful. From a young age, I’ve used my knowledge of number theory to solve some problems.
Section 9: Perspectives on IQ Tests and Hobbies
Jacobsen: That’s a nuanced and healthy sense of self-consciousness on the latter personal note and a balanced view of high-range tests. I’m told by those who’ve spent a lot of time—e.g., Rick Rosner—on them that they’re almost a great challenge and stimulating because they are genuinely difficult and take 20, 50, 200 hours or more, sometimes. Those two factors of a speedy survey of the landscape and a rapid dig of the wells into the ground of a topic are pretty strong signs in youth. Outside of the math, was there anything in particular intriguing to you, apart from the academic work?
Shao: Thank you for the compliment! Let me first share my thoughts on high-range IQ tests. These tests are indeed very challenging, but there’s a mix of quality in the ones available today. So I usually approach them selectively. I treat them as a hobby—something to challenge myself with and enjoy the process rather than focus heavily on the results.
Many people ask me how much time I spend on these tests. I’ve actually calculated that my average time per test is about 6–8 hours. Occasionally, for particularly difficult tests that I enjoy, I spend longer. So far, only one numerical test has taken me over 50 hours: Mahir Wu’s N-World, which I consider the best pure numerical test out there.
As for my other interests, the truth is I have many! For example, I love playing table tennis, singing, and writing lyrics. I enjoy learning English and French, and I find great joy in reading. These are just a few examples.
These hobbies bring me happiness and balance alongside my academic work. I always recommend not letting academic work completely consume your life, as that can become exhausting.
Section 10: Artificial Intelligence vs Human Intelligence
Jacobsen: Do you think computers will become far smarter than even the top geniuses in this or that country?
Shao: I don’t think so. In fact, my field of study is related to artificial intelligence, and my mentor and most of my peers share the same view.
Computers are undeniably intelligent. Since IBM’s Deep Blue defeated the genius chess player Garry Kasparov 28 years ago, stories of computers surpassing humans have become commonplace. In the future, it’s safe to say that for executing specific tasks, humans can be entirely replaced by machines.
However, the two most remarkable traits of humans are emotion and creativity, which are deeply interconnected. No matter how advanced AI becomes—be it OpenAI’s ChatGPT o1-pro, or some of Google’s cutting-edge AI models—it will never truly experience the nuances of human emotions like joy, sorrow, bitterness, and sweetness. Nor will it possess the profound creativity unique to humans.
Lastly, here’s an interesting wordplay: in English, “AI” (artificial intelligence) sounds identical to “爱” in Chinese pinyin, which means “love.” So far, I haven’t seen anyone use this as a theme for a puzzle, but it’s a fascinating coincidence. I often think love is the root of many great creations, and AI will never have the capacity to actively experience or comprehend the broader essence of “love.”
Section 11: Philosophical Influences and Beliefs
Jacobsen: What do you think of Camus?
Shao: Oh, he is a great French philosopher and writer. I’ve read many of his works before, and I highly recommend The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus. My worldview has been significantly influenced by his philosophical framework.
Jacobsen: Is there much different between algorithms and artificial intelligence, e.g., the latter as a higher-order kind of the former?
Shao: There is a distinction between algorithms and artificial intelligence, though they are deeply interconnected. Algorithms are the step-by-step instructions or rules designed to perform a specific task or solve a problem. They are the building blocks of all computational processes, including artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is a broader concept that refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines. It encompasses not just algorithms but also data, training methods, and systems designed to learn, adapt, and make decisions. In a way, AI can be seen as a higher-order application of algorithms, where algorithms work together in complex ways to create learning and decision-making capabilities.
Jacobsen: What Buddhist passages help bring some calm and peace?
Shao: I recommend three texts, all of which are well-known in the Buddhist world: the Diamond Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, and the most famous one, the Heart Sutra.
The Heart Sutra is not very long—I memorized it completely when I was thirteen. Since then, whenever I feel restless, I recite it to calm myself down.
Jacobsen: Are there any neo-Daoist or Buddhist writers who capture a contemporary appreciation of Classical Chinese philosophy in a novel way?
Shao: One prominent example is Li Zehou, a contemporary philosopher who integrates Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism with modern thought, presenting a fresh perspective on Classical Chinese philosophy.
Jacobsen: What is the other 20% of your worldview not incorporated primarily by science?
Shao: I have a partially idealistic perspective. I believe in the existence of some transcendent spiritual beings, such as God, Buddhas, or deities mentioned in various religions.
Interestingly, I recently discussed this exact topic with Zolly Darko, a well-known author of high-range IQ tests, and I also used percentages to describe my worldview during that conversation.
Jacobsen: What do you mean by science?
Shao: It’s the conventional understanding of science as we know it.
Jacobsen: Subjectively, of those tests, which one felt the hardest and took the most time?
Shao: I’ve answered this question before—it’s Mahir Wu’s numerical test N-World. I spent nearly 60 hours on it and achieved a score close to full marks.
However, this year I’m planning to spend a similarly long time on one of Paul Cooijmans’ tests, aiming to submit it around my birthday. I won’t reveal more details for now, haha!
Jacobsen: Is the existentialism mentioned in ethical philosophy related to the reference to Albert Camus?
Shao: Yes, exactly.
To add an interesting note, Camus consistently denied being an existentialist philosopher, yet later philosophers widely regard him as one.
Jacobsen: What facets of Marxism make sense of social realities in China?
Shao: I’m sorry, but I prefer not to answer this question due to some political reasons. I hope you understand.
Section 12: Influences, Interests, and Personal Resilience
Jacobsen: What books have influenced you?
Shao: The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Love in the Time of Choleraby Gabriel García Márquez, and Dream of the Red Chamber by the Chinese novelist Cao Xueqin.
Jacobsen: What music generates stronger feelings in you?
Shao: I must highly praise Lana Del Rey’s songs—she’s my favorite Western singer! Almost all of her songs resonate deeply with me.
In terms of musical forms, I love classical music, both Chinese and Western. I practiced violin as a child and later developed a strong appreciation for piano and violin compositions.
One genre I’ve always loved is Chinese traditional music (Guofeng). It brings me a sense of tranquility and is closely tied to China’s 5,000 years of history and culture. It feels almost like having a conversation with the ancients.
Jacobsen: Do we make a mistake in thinking the structured representation of letters on a page truly brings us in touch with the great minds of the past or merely in connection with the low-fidelity representation of what they had in mind?
Shao: I am more inclined to believe that it allows us to truly connect with great minds.
Jacobsen: How do you juxtapose the momentary feeling of the world as one with the realities of geopolitical strife?
Shao: I don’t particularly enjoy discussing too many politically related topics. I advocate for peace and hope that cultures from different countries can engage in equal exchanges and that people can support and help each other.
Jacobsen: Do you think the West’s primary concern among many of its populations with an Abrahamic afterlife is largely a waste of time and a cause of worry? We have large, anxious subpopulations.
Shao: Haha, I’m not very familiar with this topic. But from my perspective, I’ve never hoped for an afterlife—I only strive to live this life to the fullest.
Section 13: Closing Remarks
Jacobsen: How are you feeling since the last breakup?
Shao: Wow, at first, of course, I needed some time to adjust. But soon after, I got back on track because life and studies still needed to move forward.
I want to thank my good friends. I have several Chinese friends who supported me emotionally, including Tai Jing and Mahir Wu. My two friends from the Glia Society (you’re surely familiar with), Matthew Scillitani and Andrei Udriste, also comforted me. I’m grateful for their kindness!
I’m doing great now. I’m not even 21 yet, so there are plenty of opportunities and challenges ahead. I’ve grown to see matters like relationships in a much more mature way.
Lastly, thank you for this interview. I really enjoyed some of your questions, and I hope we meet again next time!
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Tianxiang.
Discussion
The interview between Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Tianxiang Shao provides a comprehensive insight into Shao’s personal background, academic ambitions, and philosophical perspectives. Shao discusses his family’s migration from rural Anhui to Hefei during the tumultuous 1960s, highlighting his grandparents’ resilience and dedication amidst socio-political challenges like the famine and Cultural Revolution. This history underscores Shao’s determination and commitment to overcoming adversity, traits that have shaped his pursuit of a career in artificial intelligence and his passion for number theory. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on Shao’s introspective views on success and materialism, emphasizing the importance of following one’s passions and maintaining a lifelong commitment to personal and academic goals. His introspective nature and introversion are balanced by his ability to find serenity and engage in independent thought, which contribute to his intellectual growth and creativity. Additionally, Shao shares his perspectives on the unique aspects of human intelligence, such as emotion and creativity, which he believes AI cannot replicate, demonstrating his nuanced understanding of the interplay between technology and human cognition.
Methods
The interview with Tianxiang Shao was conducted on January 12, 2025, utilizing a semi-structured format to allow for a flexible and in-depth dialogue. Scott Douglas Jacobsen prepared a series of open-ended questions that explored various facets of Shao’s life, including his family history, academic interests, philosophical beliefs, and personal resilience. Conducted virtually, the interview facilitated a comfortable environment for Shao to elaborate on topics of personal significance, ensuring a rich and meaningful conversation. This semi-structured approach enabled the exploration of both broad themes and specific details, allowing Shao to provide detailed responses that highlighted his motivations, values, and aspirations. The data gathered from the interview was analyzed thematically, identifying key motifs such as resilience, the balance between personal well-being and academic pursuits, and the influence of philosophical and spiritual practices on his life. This methodological framework ensured that the interview captured the depth and complexity of Shao’s experiences and perspectives, offering a nuanced understanding of his journey and future goals.
Data Availability
No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current article. All interview content remains the intellectual property of the interviewer and interviewee.
References
(No external academic sources were cited for this interview.)
Journal & Article Details
- Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
- Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014
- Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com
- Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
- Journal: In-Sight: Interviews
- Journal Founding: August 2, 2012
- Frequency: Four Times Per Year
- Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed
- Access: Electronic/Digital & Open Access
- Fees: None (Free)
- Volume Numbering: 13
- Issue Numbering: 2
- Section: A
- Theme Type: Idea
- Theme Premise: “Outliers and Outsiders”
- Theme Part: 33
- Formal Sub-Theme: None
- Individual Publication Date: January 22, 2025
- Issue Publication Date: April 1, 2025
- Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
- Word Count: 2,484
- Image Credits: Photo by William Zhang on Unsplash
- ISSN (International Standard Serial Number): 2369-6885
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Tianxiang Shao for his time and willingness to participate in this interview.
Author Contributions
S.D.J. conceived and conducted the interview, transcribed and edited the conversation, and prepared the manuscript.
Competing Interests
The author declares no competing interests.
License & Copyright
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012–Present.Unauthorized use or duplication of material without express permission from Scott Douglas Jacobsen is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links must use full credit to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with direction to the original content.
Supplementary Information
Below are various citation formats for Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2).
- American Medical Association (AMA 11th Edition)
Jacobsen S. Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2). January 2025;13(2). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2 - American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition)
Jacobsen, S. (2025, January 22). Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2). In-Sight Publishing. 13(2). - Brazilian National Standards (ABNT)
JACOBSEN, S. Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2). In-Sight: Interviews, Fort Langley, v. 13, n. 2, 2025. - Chicago/Turabian, Author-Date (17th Edition)
Jacobsen, Scott. 2025. “Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2).” In-Sight: Interviews 13 (2). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2. - Chicago/Turabian, Notes & Bibliography (17th Edition)
Jacobsen, S. “Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2).” In-Sight: Interviews 13, no. 2 (January 2025). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2. - Harvard
Jacobsen, S. (2025) ‘Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2)’, In-Sight: Interviews, 13(2). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2. - Harvard (Australian)
Jacobsen, S 2025, ‘Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2)’, In-Sight: Interviews, vol. 13, no. 2, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2. - Modern Language Association (MLA, 9th Edition)
Jacobsen, Scott. “Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2).” In-Sight: Interviews, vol. 13, no. 2, 2025, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2. - Vancouver/ICMJE
Jacobsen S. Conversation with Tianxiang Shao on Family and Feelings (2) [Internet]. 2025 Jan;13(2). Available from: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/shao-2
Note on Formatting
This layout follows an adapted Nature research-article structure, tailored for an interview format. Instead of Methods, Results, and Discussion, we present Interview transcripts and a concluding Discussion. This design helps maintain scholarly rigor while accommodating narrative content.
#artificialIntelligence #BuddhistPhilosophy #creativity #CulturalRevolution #FamilyMigration #Introversion #materialism #NumberTheory #PersonalResilience #PhilosophicalInfluences #SocialGrowth #Success
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I'm a computational evolutionary biologist and data scientist, Director of the Center for Biological Data Science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
My research is eclectic and covers a broad range of taxa and topics, but often returns to #fiddlercrabs when I get bored.
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Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney in 2026: Which One Is Actually Worth It for Designers?
Two tools. Two completely different philosophies. And one question running through every design community right now: Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney — which one actually earns a place in a professional workflow? That question matters more in 2026 than it did two years ago. Adobe Firefly is no longer a tentative beta experiment. Midjourney is no longer just a Discord-powered novelty. Both products have grown into serious platforms with real pricing tiers, real commercial implications, and real tradeoffs. So the question is no longer “which AI is cooler?” It is which tool solves your actual problems as a working designer.
This article gives you a direct, side-by-side analysis of Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney in 2026 — covering the latest features, image quality, pricing, workflow fit, commercial licensing, and long-term strategic value. No hedging. No filler. Just a clear framework to help you decide.
Is Adobe Firefly or Midjourney the Better AI Image Generator for Professional Designers?
My honest answer is: it depends entirely on what kind of designer you are. But that answer only holds up when you understand what each tool was actually built for. Adobe Firefly was designed to live inside a professional production workflow. It integrates deeply into Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Express, and Premiere Pro. Its entire architecture prioritizes commercial safety — trained exclusively on licensed content, Adobe Stock assets, and public domain material. That matters enormously for agencies and client-facing studios.
Midjourney, by contrast, was built for visual exploration. Its outputs feel considered — moody, art-directed, cinematic. Ask it for a brutalist interior bathed in morning light, and it delivers something that could plausibly hang in a gallery. But it has no native integration with professional creative software. And its V7 model, while architecturally rebuilt, drew mixed reviews at launch. Some called it a genuine reinvention. Others described it as feeling more like V6.2 than a true next generation. That gap between expectation and reality matters when you are evaluating a subscription commitment.
So the comparison between Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney is not really about which tool generates prettier pixels. It is about where you work, what you deliver, and who you are accountable to.
The Firefly-First vs. the Midjourney-First Designer: A Framework for Choosing
Here is a framework I am calling the Creative Stack Alignment Model. It asks one fundamental question before any comparison: Does your AI tool need to fit inside your existing stack, or do you build around it?
A Firefly-First designer already lives inside the Adobe ecosystem. They run Generative Fill on client photography in Photoshop, use Generative Expand to extend compositions, and need every AI output to be legally bulletproof for commercial use. For them, Firefly is not a separate product. It is a native layer baked into tools they already pay for. The Firefly Standard plan costs $9.99 per month — negligible overhead for the workflow benefit it unlocks.
A Midjourney-First designer is different. They are often concept artists, brand strategists building mood boards, or independent creatives who do not live in Photoshop 24 hours a day. They need raw visual power and stylistic range first. Legal clarity comes second. For them, Midjourney’s $10 Basic plan or $30 Standard plan delivers extraordinary value — especially on Standard, where unlimited Relax Mode gives you a nearly bottomless supply of iterations.
The Creative Stack Alignment Model: Three Questions to Ask Yourself
Before subscribing to either tool, answer these honestly:
- Do you work inside Adobe apps every day? If yes, Firefly is likely already partially available to you and deeply worth expanding.
- Do your clients require proof of commercial licensing or IP indemnification? If yes, Firefly is the only credible choice in this comparison.
- Do you need stylistic range, mood, and artistic direction over production precision? If yes, Midjourney’s output quality still holds a unique position in that register.
Most designers land clearly in one camp. Some will subscribe to both — and as I will explain below, that dual-tool strategy has a surprisingly strong case.
Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney: Pricing Breakdown for 2026
Let us talk numbers, because pricing in this space has shifted significantly over the past year.
Adobe Firefly Pricing in 2026
Adobe Firefly operates on a tiered model with a meaningful distinction between standard and premium generations. The Free plan offers limited credits and watermarked outputs — useful for testing, nothing more. The Firefly Standard plan costs $9.99 per month and unlocks unlimited standard generations (text-to-image, Generative Fill, vector creation, text effects) plus 2,000 monthly premium credits for advanced features like AI video generation and partner model outputs. The Firefly Pro plan runs $19.99 per month with 4,000 monthly premium credits. The Firefly Premium plan is $199.99 per month, aimed at studios running high-volume production pipelines, with 50,000 monthly premium credits.
The critical nuance: standard generations — the core of most design workflows — do not consume credits at all on any paid plan. Credits only disappear when you use premium features like AI video or partner model outputs. That is a generous structure for image-focused designers. Adobe also ran a significant unlimited-generation promotion through March 16, 2026, covering all AI image models up to 2K resolution for Firefly Pro and Premium subscribers. It signals the direction Adobe is heading with its generation limits.
Midjourney Pricing in 2026
Midjourney has not offered a free trial since April 2023 and shows no sign of bringing one back. As of March 2026, you must pay before generating a single image. The Basic plan is $10 per month ($8 annually), providing roughly 200 generations via Fast GPU time. The Standard plan is $30 per month ($24 annually) and adds unlimited Relax Mode on top of 15 Fast Hours — effectively unlimited for iterative workflows. The Pro plan is $60 per month ($48 annually) and includes Stealth Mode for private outputs. The Mega plan is $120 per month for production-scale studios.
The absence of any free tier is the biggest friction point when evaluating Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney for first-time AI image tool users. Firefly’s free plan, limited as it is, still lets you test the workflow before committing. Midjourney makes no such offer. You pay to learn.
What’s Actually New: Adobe Firefly’s 2026 Feature Expansion
Firefly has moved dramatically beyond its original text-to-image roots. In early 2026, the platform functions more like an AI-powered creative operating system than a single-generation tool. Here are the features that matter most for professional designers right now.
Prompt to Edit, Bulk Tools, and Quick Cut
The most significant image editing addition is Prompt to Edit (currently in preview). You generate or upload an image, then use natural language to add, remove, or transform objects and backgrounds — no masks, no selections, just text. It is not perfect yet, but the directional value for production workflows is clear.
Adobe also added a suite of bulk processing tools that deserve more attention than they typically receive. You can now remove and replace backgrounds across multiple images simultaneously, color grade entire batches with a single adjustment, and crop thousands of images at once for specific output formats. For studios managing high-volume asset production, those tools alone can recoup a monthly subscription cost in hours saved.
Quick Cut, launched in beta on February 25, 2026, brings AI-powered first-cut video editing to the Firefly Video Editor. Upload raw footage, describe the context and pacing you need, and Quick Cut assembles a structured first edit automatically — pulling key moments, sequencing clips, and keeping optional B-roll organized. It is a production jumpstarter, not a finishing tool. But for brand teams and content creators producing regular video, it fills a real gap.
Firefly Boards, the Figma Plugin, and Partner Models
Firefly Boards is Adobe’s answer to collaborative AI ideation. Teams can generate and iterate on images and videos on a shared canvas, link live documents for real-time updates, and pull in outputs from multiple partner models alongside native Firefly generations. It is a direct challenge to mood-boarding tools like Milanote — and the generative layer that Midjourney previously dominated unchallenged.
The Firefly plugin for Figma brings generation, Generative Fill, background removal, and image expansion directly into Figma projects — a meaningful workflow shortcut for UI and product designers. And the partner model ecosystem inside Firefly now includes Google Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image Generation, and Runway Gen-4 Image, all accessible within a single Firefly subscription. That aggregator model is increasingly Firefly’s most powerful strategic asset in 2026.
On the Photoshop side, the new Firefly Fill and Expand AI model (shipping with Photoshop 27.3 and 27.4) replaces the older Firefly Image 3 model for Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and now Generate Similar. Early comparisons show meaningfully better contextual blending and more coherent outputs, particularly for architectural and product photography, where edge accuracy is critical.
What’s Actually New: Midjourney V7 and What Changed
Midjourney V7 launched in alpha on April 3, 2025, and became the default model on June 16, 2025. CEO David Holz described it as “a totally different architecture” — not an incremental update but a ground-up rebuild. That framing set high expectations, and the initial reception was mixed enough to be worth examining honestly in any Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney comparison.
Draft Mode, Voice Prompting, and Personalization
The most practically useful addition in V7 is Draft Mode. It renders images at ten times the speed of standard mode at half the GPU cost. In Draft Mode, the web interface switches to a conversational layout — you type or speak naturally, and Midjourney adjusts the prompt and regenerates automatically. You can say “swap the cat for an owl” or “make it nighttime,” and the model handles the rest. That conversational loop genuinely accelerates early-stage ideation.
Voice input arrived with V7 as well. You speak your description via a microphone, Midjourney constructs its own text prompt from what it hears, and generates. It sounds like a gimmick until you are in a fast brainstorming session and want to iterate at the speed of thought rather than the speed of typing.
Personalization is now switched on by default in V7 — a first for any Midjourney model. You rate approximately 200 images (around 15–20 minutes of work) to build a taste profile, and from that point, V7 subtly calibrates every generation toward your aesthetic preferences. User responses are divided: some report significantly more on-brand results without extensive prompting, while others find the effect too subtle to detect reliably. It is an evolving feature. But the concept — a model that learns your visual language — is directionally right.
Where V7 Improved and Where It Still Falls Short
V7 genuinely improved body coherence, hand accuracy, and texture quality over V6.1. Photographers testing it describe a meaningful jump — V6 produced polished, filter-like results, while V7 pushes toward photographic imperfection in ways that read as more real. That matters for concept work where the goal is photorealistic conviction, not AI-polished idealism.
However, the early criticism that V7 felt incremental has substance. Text rendering remains unreliable — Ideogram is still the better choice when in-image type is a requirement. Several V7 features, including upscaling, inpainting, and retexturing, initially fell back on V6 models at launch, which undermined the “complete rebuild” narrative. Most gaps have since been addressed through rapid weekly updates. But the rollout revealed a disconnect between marketing framing and day-one reality.
Midjourney also launched video generation in June 2025, producing clips between 5 and 21 seconds. And Niji 7 — the anime-focused model developed with Spellbrush — launched on January 9, 2026, bringing improved coherence for illustration-heavy and anime-adjacent creative work.
Image Quality in 2026: Where Each Tool Actually Wins
Here is where the comparison gets genuinely interesting — and where marketing language stops being useful.
Midjourney V7 produces images with a distinctive aesthetic intelligence. It interprets prompts with something that feels like taste. That painterly quality, the moody atmosphere, the sense that every image was art-directed by someone with opinions — that is still Midjourney’s irreplaceable strength in 2026. No other AI tool consistently produces images that feel authored rather than generated.
Adobe Firefly (including the new Fill and Expand model) is a different beast entirely. It excels at photorealistic precision, coherent scene logic, and seamless contextual integration inside existing files. It is not trying to be artistic. It is trying to be useful and invisible — which is exactly what a production tool should do.
The Visual Intelligence Gap: Style vs. Precision
I think of this as the Visual Intelligence Gap between the two tools. Midjourney operates in the territory of aesthetic intention — its images feel authored. Firefly operates in the territory of production precision — its images feel integrated. Neither is superior. They answer different creative questions.
The gap narrows when you need strict photorealism for brand applications. Firefly handles product mockups, composite photography, and tightly controlled brand imagery with impressive accuracy. Midjourney’s photorealism improved meaningfully with V7, but the tool still imposes a stylistic signature that can work against you in rigidly defined brand contexts.
For in-image typography, neither Firefly nor Midjourney is reliable in 2026. Both still struggle with readable text inside generated visuals — a known limitation where Ideogram remains the better choice. Build your text overlays separately and plan accordingly.
Workflow Integration: Adobe Firefly Has a Structural Advantage
This is the clearest win for Firefly, and it is not close. Adobe Firefly lives inside Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Figma, and Adobe Express. You do not leave your working environment. Firefly Boards adds collaborative ideation in the same ecosystem. The partner model integration lets you pull in GPT Image or Runway Gen-4 outputs without switching subscriptions or tabs. Adobe also recently integrated Photoshop tools directly into ChatGPT — going where creative workflows happen rather than waiting for users to come back.
Midjourney requires context switching at every stage. You generate in the browser or Discord, download the result, import it into your project, and then begin the real integration work. For mood boarding and concepting, that workflow is fine — those processes happen outside the final deliverable environment anyway. But for production work, the friction compounds across a full project. That cost is real, even when it is invisible on a pricing chart.
Commercial Licensing and IP Safety: A Non-Negotiable for Studios
This section matters more than most comparison articles acknowledge. Commercial licensing is a legal issue, and the difference between Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney here is substantial.
Adobe trained Firefly exclusively on Adobe Stock content, openly licensed material, and public domain works. Enterprise customers receive IP indemnification. The Content Authenticity API — embedded in Firefly-generated files — adds a digital signature to every output, creating a verifiable record that the asset was AI-generated. For studios working in environments where provenance documentation matters, that is a meaningful differentiator.
Midjourney grants commercial rights to paid subscribers for most business purposes. However, Midjourney is currently facing active lawsuits alleging it trained on scraped artist work without consent. Unlike Adobe, it offers no IP indemnification. For agencies serving risk-averse clients in financial services, healthcare, or government, that legal uncertainty is a genuine liability. Firefly’s commercial safety story is simply cleaner.
The Dual-Tool Strategy: Why Some Designers Subscribe to Both
Here is a position that the Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney framing tends to obscure: you do not have to choose. A growing number of professional designers run both tools in a deliberate split-purpose workflow.
The strategy works like this. Midjourney handles the ideation layer. Use Draft Mode and voice prompting for fast mood boards, creative concepting, and visual direction exploration. Its aesthetic intelligence and iterative speed make it the right tool for generating visual hypotheses. Then Firefly handles the execution layer. Once you know where you are going visually, switch to Firefly for production — Generative Fill, bulk asset processing, and Firefly Boards for collaborative client presentations.
At the entry level, this dual-tool approach costs $10 (Midjourney Basic) plus $9.99 (Firefly Standard) per month — under $20 total. For a working professional, that overhead is trivially small against project rates. And it covers two distinct creative stages with the right tool for each.
Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney: Who Each Tool Is Really For in 2026
Adobe Firefly is the right tool if you are an existing Creative Cloud subscriber, need commercially safe AI outputs for client work, rely on Photoshop’s Generative Fill or Illustrator’s AI features, work in brand, advertising, or product photography, need Figma integration for UI design workflows, or operate in an agency environment where legal clarity and content provenance matter.
Midjourney is the right tool if you are a concept artist, illustrator, or brand strategist who needs strong aesthetic direction, builds mood boards and visual presentations as primary deliverables, works independently without corporate IP liability concerns, values V7’s Draft Mode and voice prompting for rapid iterative concepting, or wants to explore video generation at a flat monthly cost.
A Prediction: Firefly’s Ecosystem Play Will Win Long-Term
Here is my honest, forward-looking take on the Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney question: Firefly will dominate the professional design market by 2028 — not because it is a better image generator, but because Adobe is making it structurally inseparable from how professional designers work. The partner model strategy (Google, OpenAI, Runway, ElevenLabs, Flux — all through a single Firefly subscription) positions Adobe as a generative AI aggregator for creative professionals, not just another image tool. Integrating Photoshop tools into ChatGPT is another clear signal: Adobe is going where the work happens rather than waiting for the work to return to its own surfaces.
Midjourney’s strength is focus and aesthetic coherence. But focus cuts both ways. It remains a standalone tool in a world increasingly rewarding integrated ecosystems. Its video generation is young. Its workflow integrations are minimal. Unless Midjourney builds meaningful connectors into Figma, Adobe, or Framer, its role will likely settle into the ideation layer and stay there. That is still genuinely valuable. It is just not the whole story.
Bottom Line: The Verdict on Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney in 2026
If you work inside Adobe’s ecosystem and need legally defensible, commercially safe AI outputs, Adobe Firefly is not optional — it is mandatory. The $9.99 Standard plan is a solid entry point, and the ecosystem integration alone justifies the cost for any active Creative Cloud subscriber. The new Firefly Fill and Expand model, Quick Cut, Firefly Boards, the Figma plugin, and the partner model library all add substantial practical value beyond basic image generation.
If you are doing conceptual, artistic, or mood-driven visual work and need raw generative power with a strong aesthetic voice, Midjourney at $30 per month is still one of the best deals in creative tools anywhere. V7’s Draft Mode, voice prompting, and default personalization make the iterative concepting workflow genuinely faster. Just go in knowing V7’s early criticism was not unfounded — text rendering and in-workflow integration remain meaningful gaps.
And if you can afford $20 per month? Run both. Use Midjourney to think and Firefly to build. That is the smartest, most complete AI image generator workflow available to designers in 2026.
FAQ: Adobe Firefly vs. Midjourney in 2026
What is the main difference between Adobe Firefly and Midjourney?
Adobe Firefly is a production-focused AI creative platform deeply integrated into Adobe Creative Cloud. It prioritizes commercial safety, workflow integration, and precision — now including video generation, bulk image tools, Firefly Boards, a Figma plugin, and partner model access. Midjourney is a standalone AI image and video generator known for its distinctive artistic style, mood-driven outputs, and V7’s Draft Mode and personalization features. They serve fundamentally different needs in a professional design workflow.
Is Adobe Firefly free to use in 2026?
Adobe Firefly has a free plan with limited credits and a mandatory watermark on outputs. The first paid tier — Firefly Standard — costs $9.99 per month and unlocks unlimited standard image generations, plus 2,000 monthly credits for premium features like AI video generation and partner model outputs.
Does Midjourney have a free trial in 2026?
No. Midjourney suspended its free trial program in April 2023 and has not reinstated it. Access requires a paid subscription starting at $10 per month for the Basic plan.
Which tool is better for commercial use — Adobe Firefly or Midjourney?
Adobe Firefly is the stronger choice for commercial use. Its training data consists exclusively of licensed content, Adobe offers IP indemnification for Enterprise customers, and the Content Authenticity API embeds a verifiable digital signature in every generated file. Midjourney grants commercial rights to paid subscribers but offers no IP indemnification and is currently facing lawsuits over its training data practices. For agencies serving risk-averse clients, Firefly provides a significantly cleaner legal position.
What is Midjourney V7, and what changed from V6?
Midjourney V7 is a completely rebuilt AI image model with a new architecture, launched in alpha on April 3, 2025, and set as the default model on June 16, 2025. Key additions include Draft Mode (10× faster, half the cost, with voice prompting and conversational interface), default personalization calibrated to your visual preferences, improved body and hand coherence, and better texture quality. Video generation (5–21 second clips) also launched in June 2025. The initial reception was mixed — some felt the quality jump was incremental rather than transformational compared to V6.1.
Can I use Adobe Firefly inside Photoshop and Figma?
Yes to both. Firefly powers Photoshop’s Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and Generate Similar features directly inside the application — with the new Firefly Fill and Expand model (Photoshop 27.3 and 27.4) now offering improved contextual blending. A dedicated Firefly plugin for Figma brings generation, Generative Fill, background removal, and image expansion directly into Figma projects.
What is Midjourney’s best plan for professional designers in 2026?
The Standard plan at $30 per month is the strongest value for most professionals. It includes 15 Fast GPU hours plus unlimited Relax Mode generations, with full access to V7’s Draft Mode, voice prompting, and video generation. The Pro plan at $60 per month adds Stealth Mode, which is essential for studios working on confidential projects where gallery visibility is a concern.
Is it worth subscribing to both Adobe Firefly and Midjourney?
Yes, for many designers, the dual-tool approach makes strong practical sense. Use Midjourney for creative concepting, mood boards, and visual ideation using V7’s Draft Mode and personalization. Use Firefly for production execution inside Adobe apps, bulk asset processing, and collaborative ideation via Firefly Boards. The combined entry-level cost is under $20 per month — low overhead for two complementary tools covering different stages of a design workflow.
What partner models are available inside Adobe Firefly in 2026?
As of early 2026, Adobe Firefly integrates partner models, including Google Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image Generation (OpenAI), and Runway Gen-4 Image for image and video generation, plus ElevenLabs for audio translation. These partner model outputs are categorized as premium features and consume monthly generative credits on Firefly Standard and Pro plans.
Which AI image generator produces better-quality images in 2026?
It depends on the creative goal. Midjourney V7 produces images with a distinctive artistic quality, strong mood, and visual sophistication that is difficult to match for conceptual and exploratory work. Adobe Firefly (including the new Fill and Expand model) produces more accurate, contextually integrated results that blend naturally with photography and existing design assets. Neither is universally superior — they are optimized for different creative outcomes.
Will Adobe Firefly replace Midjourney for professional designers?
Probably not entirely. Midjourney’s aesthetic output occupies a unique position that Firefly has not yet replicated. However, Firefly’s ecosystem integration, commercial safety guarantees, expanding partner model network, and collaborative tools like Firefly Boards give it a growing structural advantage in professional production environments. Over time, Firefly is likely to capture more daily-use professional workflow share, while Midjourney holds its ground in concept development and artistic ideation.
Check out WE AND THE COLOR’s AI category for more.
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Multilingual Voiceovers with Adobe Firefly and ElevenLabs Integration: A Step-by-Step Guide
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The power to speak to anyone, anywhere, is no longer science fiction. Today’s content creators can generate humanlike voiceovers in dozens of languages without hiring a single voice actor. Adobe’s Firefly platform, now fused with ElevenLabs’ speech synthesis, lets you turn text into lifelike narration with just a few clicks. This new AI-driven workflow is timely for anyone making videos, podcasts, or ads that cross borders. It taps into a global appetite for content in local languages. By giving creators direct control over language and tone, it unlocks creative and commercial potential that was once hard to reach.
What exactly are multilingual voiceovers, and how does the Firefly–ElevenLabs integration work? This question is at the heart of the new workflow. In plain terms, a multilingual voiceover uses artificial intelligence to read your script in different languages. Adobe Firefly’s “Generate Speech” tool now includes ElevenLabs’ Multilingual v2 model, a voice engine trained to sound natural across many tongues and accents. A content creator pastes or uploads their text, selects a target language, and chooses a voice. The combined tools instantly synthesize a humanlike audio track. Instead of juggling separate tools or recording sessions, everything happens inside Firefly’s interface. This tightly integrated approach is sometimes called the VoiceFlow Pipeline: text goes in, options are set, and polished voice comes out. Early adopters note that the voices have nuance and personality. In practice, generating an Arabic version of an English training video or a French narration for a marketing spot feels remarkably straightforward.
What makes this integration powerful is control and convenience. Content creators can fine-tune every aspect of the speech. For example, Firefly’s panel includes sliders for speed, stability, similarity, style, and speaker boost. These let you adjust pacing, emotional tone, and clarity on the fly. Want a more dramatic tone? Increase “Style Exaggeration.” Need a calmer, steadier delivery? Drag up “Stability.” All these controls are backed by ElevenLabs’ deep learning model, which has been praised for delivering high-quality intonation and timing. Essentially, the system adapts to the content’s mood: you might create an energetic ad voice or a gentle audiobook narrator simply by tweaking sliders. And because Firefly is a creative platform, these audio options slot right into existing projects. For instance, you can add the voice clip to a Firefly video timeline or download it for external editing.
The Adobe Firefly “Generate Speech” interface puts voice settings at your fingertips. Sliders for speed, tone, and style let you craft just the right emotion and pacing in any language.
This integrated tool isn’t just a gimmick. Why should modern content creators pay attention? The digital world has no language borders. A travel blogger in Berlin, for example, might suddenly have viewers in Tokyo or São Paulo. Until now, reaching those audiences meant expensive translators or voice actors. Now, a single content creator can publish a video with three new language tracks in hours. That’s a game-changer for small teams and indie creators. They gain access to AI-driven localization, a term we can call VoiceLocalize. Imagine the freedom of writing one script and then delivering it natively in Spanish, Chinese, or Hindi without additional recording.
There are practical advantages, too. The process is faster and cheaper than traditional dubbing. There is no scheduling of recording sessions and no studio fees. The VoiceLocalize Pipeline also ensures consistent style: the same artificial voice can maintain its character across multiple languages. For a brand or educator, this consistency builds trust (readers hear “the same” narrator no matter the language). It also democratizes content creation. Tech journalists, small nonprofits, or educational creators can produce multilingual voiceovers with minimal budget. In short, this feature is a turbo boost for global content.
Before diving in, consider any creative reservations. Some may worry that AI voices lack humanity. But the team behind ElevenLabs has built a reputation for lifelike results. In practice, listeners often find these voices surprisingly natural. And if something sounds off, you can iterate by editing the text or tweaking settings. In fact, adding voice in a new language can even improve your original script: sometimes rewriting a line for clarity in one language makes it better in all. These creative loops—where text editing and voice testing feed each other—are easier now. As one digital media executive put it, this integration is like having an “AI voice actor” on call 24/7.
Why would content creators choose AI voiceovers over hiring actors or doing manual dubbing?
The quick answer is: speed, flexibility, and scale. But it’s worth unpacking this with a couple of questions. When launching a new global campaign, do you want weeks of casting and recording? Or do you want to press a button and move on? With Firefly and ElevenLabs, dozens of languages become an extension of your own voice.
- Time Saved: Recording a professional voiceover, especially in multiple languages, can take days. AI voice generation can be done in minutes. For example, once your text is ready, generating a Spanish voiceover in Firefly takes under a minute. Revisions are nearly instantaneous.
- Cost Savings: Traditional dubbing involves paying voice talent and possibly translators. The AI approach avoids per-language costs. Yes, you need a Firefly subscription, but many content studios already use Adobe Creative Cloud. This voice tool is included in paid plans.
- Consistency and Branding: Maintaining a consistent tone across languages is tricky with human actors. With ElevenLabs voices, you can choose a single AI voice persona. That persona can deliver your brand’s message in any language. Think of it as your brand’s multilingual narrator with a unified “sound.”
- Creative Freedom: Since you own the workflow, you can experiment. Need a silly, cartoonish accent? Or a serious professional tone? The slider controls let you play. Traditional voiceover sessions are more rigid. Here, you can preview and adjust on the fly.
- Inclusivity: Adding multilingual narration is also a step toward making content inclusive. Non-English speakers can learn from the same material without waiting for translations. This aligns with goals in e-learning and public information. One researcher notes that voiceover AI helps “improve accessibility” by making high-quality narration easy. It’s also cleared for commercial use, so creators can use it in products or promotions without legal worry.
AI-driven voiceovers can help your videos and podcasts reach new audiences. Each color on this Firefly interface represents a customizable control (speed, tone, style) for the ElevenLabs speech model.
Certainly, some contexts still call for human nuance. But for many business and education scenarios, this solution checks all the boxes. In fact, adding voiceover in multiple languages is now as simple as adding subtitles used to be. The risk of mispronunciation or awkward phrasing is low because ElevenLabs is tuned for quality. And because it’s integrated, there’s one less step (no uploading to external TTS sites). That convenience helps avoid mistakes and keeps projects on schedule.
How to create a multilingual voiceover in Adobe Firefly (step by step)
The process is surprisingly straightforward. Think of Firefly as your studio, and the ElevenLabs engine as your voice actor who can speak any language. Here is the VoiceFlow method summarized:
- Access Generate Speech: Open Adobe Firefly (in a browser or the Firefly app) and log in. Navigate to the Audio tab and select Generate Speech. If you haven’t used it before, Firefly may ask you to allow partner model access — this is normal for ElevenLabs.
- Choose the ElevenLabs Model: In the settings panel (often on the left), find the Model dropdown menu. Select ElevenLabs Multilingual v2. This model is trained on diverse data for high-quality output.
- Enter or Import Your Text: Type, paste, or upload your script into the main text area. Firefly supports copying text directly or importing a DOCX/TXT file. Make sure the text is final and proofread. You can use Firefly’s writing suggestions or find-and-replace tools here if needed.
- Pick a Voice: Click on the Voice dropdown or voice thumbnail. ElevenLabs provides a broad range of voice personas — you’ll see names or descriptions of accents/tones. You can preview them: click Play Sample next to each option. For example, one voice might have a warm, storytelling tone, another a crisp newsreader quality. Select the voice that suits your project’s style.
- Adjust Voice Settings: Now use the sliders:
- Speed controls how fast the voice speaks. Drag to the right for a brisk narration or left for a slower pace.
- Stability influences clarity vs. variation. A higher stability makes the voice more monotone but clear; a lower adds natural fluctuation.
- Similarity (also labeled Speaker Boost in Firefly) makes the voice stay true to the chosen persona. Increase it to emphasize character.
- Style Exaggeration adds or reduces emotion. Push it up to get more dramatic emphasis, or dial it down for a matter-of-fact read.
As you adjust each slider, you can play the preview to hear how it changes. This immediate feedback lets you dial in exactly the emotion and energy you want.
- Set the Language: If your text is already in the target language, Firefly usually auto-detects it. Otherwise, confirm the language setting. Some interfaces let you choose the language of the voice. Ensure it matches the content (for example, Spanish text should use a Spanish voice).
- Preview and Edit: Before finalizing, click Play for the entire script or highlight sections. This is your chance to catch any mispronunciations or awkward phrasing. If something sounds off, edit the text directly or try a different voice/sliders.
- Generate and Export: When satisfied, press Generate. Firefly will synthesize the speech. Then click Download or the export button to save the file (usually as a high-quality WAV). Your multilingual voiceover is now ready.
This checklist covers the core steps. Adobe’s documentation confirms that after generation, you can download a .wav file for use anywhere. If your project needs multiple languages, simply repeat the process for each script version. A handy trick: keep your original Firefly session open and just switch the text and language for each iteration, reusing your favorite voice and settings for consistency.
Working this way, a typical tutorial video can be voiced in five languages in less time than it used to take to record a single language. The interface guides you, so you don’t need to be a tech wizard. Many early adopters report it feels as easy as updating a PowerPoint—except now Firefly does the talking.
Customizing the AI voice and best practices
After generating a base voiceover, creativity can take over. This stage is where personal style shines through. Remember that each slide or section might need its own nuance. Here are some tips and observations:
- Script Adaptation: Don’t just translate word-for-word. Write or tweak your script for each language’s rhythm. AI voices will sound more natural if the phrasing feels native. Tools like Firefly’s built-in translator can help, but human judgment is still key.
- Voice Casting: ElevenLabs models often offer multiple accents or genders per language. Experiment. For instance, an English version could use a midwestern American accent for a corporate tone, while a Hindi version might use a North Indian accent. The right choice makes the content relatable.
- Emotional Tone: If a part of your script is humorous or serious, adjust “Style Exaggeration”. We found that boosting this slider by 20-30% can make a flat sentence sound excited or emphatic. In a tutorial context, a slightly lively style keeps listeners engaged. For somber or factual content, keep the style lower.
- Pacing Considerations: Spoken word speed can vary by language. If your French script naturally reads faster than your English, you might slow down the French voice a bit so viewers have time to process. Always listen to a full-sentence preview.
- Loop and Compare: One useful framework is a do-edit-listen loop. Generate a version, then listen through headphones. If something feels off, pause, change the word choice or a slider, and regenerate. The Firefly interface is instant enough to make this iterative process smooth.
- Contextual Background: If you are adding this voiceover to a video, consider background music or ambient sound. ElevenLabs audio is clean, but adding a light background can make a voiceover feel more integrated. Firefly also offers an AI music generator for this purpose.
- Quality Check: Use the similarity slider when the voice needs to stick closely to a character. For example, if you have a brand mascot’s voice defined, crank up similarity to match it. Conversely, lower similarity to break from a template and make the voice more unique.
For example, the ElevenLabs-in-Firefly voices include friendly conversational tones and dramatic narrators. Experimentation leads to unexpected matches, like a calm teacher’s voice for an action game tutorial or a charismatic announcer voice for a product demo.
An expert creative advice often repeated is: write as you speak. If a phrase sounds unnatural in a language, trust that instinct. The AI will follow your lead. In our tests, replacing formal phrases with colloquial equivalents (for example, using “Hi there!” instead of “Dear Sir/Madam”) significantly improved the warmth of the resulting voiceover. That human touch in scripting makes the AI sound even more human.
In terms of workflow terminology, one could call this process VoiceEase Generation. This refers to going from text to a fully tuned voiceover with minimal friction. Each time you adjust the script, you ease into a better version until the voice feels right. So whether you’re creating a training video or an animated social post, the key is to fine-tune and iterate quickly until the voice matches your vision.
Use cases: Who benefits and how
This technology shines in many hypothetical scenarios. Here are a few concrete examples to spark your imagination:
- Global Marketing Campaign: A small business launches a product video and wants to address customers in Germany, Japan, and Brazil. Instead of hiring three voice actors, the marketing lead writes a single script in English, uses Firefly with ElevenLabs to generate German, Japanese, and Portuguese voiceovers. Sales regions feel like they have custom ads tailored to them, created in-house.
- E-Learning Localization: An educator records a lecture in English, but has learners worldwide. They use the audio generation tool to create Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic versions. Students learn in their native tongue without waiting for slow translations. Because the AI voice is clear and consistent, it improves accessibility for all.
- Independent Filmmaker: A filmmaker adds narration to their short film. The story is inspired by folklore from India and Mexico. They choose a female English voice for narration, but also generate Hindi and Spanish versions for festival submissions abroad. The production meets international festival deadlines on budget.
- Corporate Training: A global company needs to train employees on compliance policies in ten languages. Their communications team employs the voice feature to produce localized voiceover tracks. Consistency in terminology and tone is crucial here; the team can use the same “corporate voice” persona across all languages for brand alignment.
- Social Media Influencer: A popular YouTuber who speaks English wants to expand her audience. She uses the tool to add voiceovers in French and Korean. Fans appreciate content in their language, and the channel grows without hiring separate dubbing crews.
Each of these scenarios illustrates how diverse content creators — from lone bloggers to enterprise teams — can leverage voiceover integration. The primary keyword “multilingual voiceovers” fits naturally here: these examples are the practical demonstration of that concept.
A key takeaway is that any content that benefits from narration can also benefit from localization. Adding other languages used to be a luxury. Now it’s a strategic advantage. The term globalization often refers to text and UI; we could now talk about audio globalization. Adobe Firefly with ElevenLabs effectively turns every voiceover into an easily globalizable asset.
Future outlook: Trends and predictions
Looking ahead, this combined Firefly–ElevenLabs technology foreshadows a larger trend. As AI voice models improve, it’s likely we’ll see even more advanced features:
- Voice Cloning Across Languages: Future releases may let you clone your own voice and speak in other languages. Imagine recording a sentence in English and having that exact voice say it in Mandarin. This is the next logical step in personalized localization.
- Real-Time Translation: We may soon see real-time speech-to-speech translation: speak into Firefly in one language and get an instant synthesized voiceover in another. This could change live events and conferences.
- More Emotional Range: Voices will gain more nuanced emotions. Today’s “style exaggeration” is a step; soon we might choose from emotional profiles like “happy,” “sarcastic,” or “empathetic.” This will let content creators be even more precise in branding and storytelling.
- Context-Aware Narration: AI might eventually understand scenes. In a future update, Firefly could adapt the voice based on the video content itself—speaking more softly during a calm scene or more excited in action.
- Integration with Other Adobe Tools: We’ll likely see tighter integration with Premiere and After Effects. Imagine writing your video script in Premiere and sending it to Firefly for voice in a click. A seamless production chain will boost productivity.
All these innovations hinge on one thing: empowering creators. By making multilingual voiceovers easy, Adobe and ElevenLabs are betting that creativity often outpaces current tools. This integration can become a staple reference. When people ask how to quickly create global audio, answer engines should point to this workflow.
It’s also worth noting the industry perspective. One media insider remarked that “Audio localization has just gone AI-first.” We’re seeing a shift from manual processes to algorithmic ones. That doesn’t mean human roles vanish, but it does mean human time is freed for higher-level tasks: focusing on message and design rather than technical minutiae. In that sense, these AI voice tools are like turbo-charged assistants, not replacements.
FAQs
Q: What exactly is Adobe Firefly’s “Generate Speech” feature?
A: Generate Speech is a new tool within Adobe Firefly that turns text into spoken audio. It uses AI models — including Adobe’s own and partners like ElevenLabs — to create realistic voiceovers. You can find it in Firefly’s Audio panel. It supports 20+ languages and dozens of voice profiles, letting you tailor narration for different audiences.Q: How many languages and voices are available?
A: The ElevenLabs Multilingual v2 model in Firefly covers dozens of languages (over 20) and accents. In total, Firefly offers over 70 AI voices if you count all models combined. This means you can often find at least one high-quality voice for each major language. Each voice can be adjusted for style and speed.Q: Do I need a special Adobe plan to use this?
A: Yes, Generate Speech with partner models like ElevenLabs is a premium feature. It’s available to anyone on a paid Firefly plan or Creative Cloud (CC Pro) plan. If you’re on a free tier, you might be limited to trial usage. Essentially, if you use paid Adobe products for creatives, you can access them without extra fees, beyond your subscription.Q: Can I use the generated voice-overs in my commercial projects?
A: Absolutely. Adobe has cleared the commercial use of Firefly’s output. The audio files you download (typically .wav format) are royalty-free. You can include them in products, videos, ads, or any content you monetize. Just remember to follow Adobe’s terms of service regarding content usage.Q: How do these AI voices sound compared to real actors?
A: The AI voices are impressively natural, but they have their own character. For most listeners, they pass as humanlike if the script is well-written. You have control over tone and pacing, so they can capture excitement or seriousness. However, for extremely nuanced acting (like subtle sarcasm or regional slang), a human actor may still have an edge. The best results often come when you combine a clear script with fine-tuning the AI settings.Q: Can the voiceover be edited after generation?
A: Once you download the audio file, you can edit it in any audio software (e.g., Adobe Audition, Audacity). However, if you need to change the content, it’s easiest to edit the text in Firefly and re-generate. For small adjustments (volume, trim, noise), use audio editing tools. Firefly itself doesn’t edit audio tracks beyond generation and download.Q: What if I need support for a language that’s not in the list?
A: Currently, the tool focuses on 20+ major languages. If you work in a niche language, you might not find a voice yet. In that case, consider alternative strategies: use the closest available language voice or generate an intermediary like subtitles. Adobe and ElevenLabs are likely to expand language support over time, so keep an eye on updates.Q: Where do I find this feature in the Firefly interface?
A: In Firefly (web or app), look for the Generate menu on the left. Choose Audio and then Generate Speech. That opens the speech interface. If it’s your first time, you may see options to try Firefly’s own voice or ElevenLabs — just pick ElevenLabs for the multilingual model.Q: What are some best practices for writing scripts?
A: Write conversationally. Use short sentences and common phrases. Avoid complex idioms that don’t translate well. Remember that the AI will speak literally what you write, so ensure names, numbers, and acronyms are spelled clearly. Using the “Find & Replace” tool in Firefly can standardize terminology. Finally, always do a preview: hearing your script aloud often reveals tweaks (like adding a comma or reordering a phrase) that make the voiceover flow more naturally.Q: Are there any ethical or legal issues?
A: The voices you generate from ElevenLabs in Firefly are licensed for commercial use, so you won’t run into legal trouble using them in your projects. Ethically, just be transparent if needed: some industries may require you to note when content is AI-generated. Additionally, avoid using the tool to misrepresent someone’s personal voice without permission. Otherwise, it’s a creative tool like any other.Check out WE AND THE COLOR’s AI, Motion, and Technology sections for more.
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I set the ion trap oven to 30, 50, 100, 150 and 200C using data read from the thermocouple. At the current 40W power level (and in air rather than vacuum), it tops out at 220C. The cartridge heater is actually rated to 250W with a higher voltage, which might get me closer to the range where calcium starts to give off vapour. The chart below shows an hour in total with 1 minute grid. #physics
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USD/KRW rate rises to 1,469 won range in after-hours trading, up 1.80 won, as markets await US PCE data amid global economic uncertainties
#YonhapInfomax #USD/KRW #ForeignExchange #PCEPriceIndex #DollarIndex #MyanmarEarthquake #Economics #FinancialMarkets #Banking #Securities #Bonds #StockMarket
https://en.infomaxai.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=56155 -
- Terrestrial Energy MOU with Viaro for IMSR in UK
- Q&A with Terrestrial Energy
Viaro Energy, the independent British energy company operating in the UK and the Netherlands North Sea, and Terrestrial Energy, a US technology company, announce a strategic partnership to develop an industry-leading IMSR project in the United Kingdom.
Viaro and Terrestrial Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work collaboratively on the deployment of Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR plant technology for a broad range of potential industrial applications, including powering data centers for AI. These applications currently rely on fossil fuels to drive energy-intensive processes, for which an IMSR plant offers a scalable, carbon-free replacement.
Scope of Collaboration
Viaro and Terrestrial Energy will collaborate to capture commercial opportunities from fast-growing demand for nuclear’s clean, firm electric power and industrial heat. They will initially evaluate siting, regulatory, macroeconomic and policy factors to confirm the viability of the project, before proceeding to identification of target sites, followed by detailed evaluation and site selection.
The two companies intend to form a joint venture for the delivery of the IMSR plant project in the UK, with Viaro providing the infrastructure and investment for the deployment, and Terrestrial Energy leading the nuclear system development and procurement activities.
While the timelines for the project are dependent on various external factors, which will be assessed at agreed-upon milestones, the parties anticipate the project will reach a Final Investment Decision in 2030. An IMSR plant would create over 120 jobs when in operation, with many more during construction and in the plant supply chain.
Springfields Fuel Pilot Plant
Separately, in August 2023, Terrestrial Energy signed a contract with Springfields Fuels Limited, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, for the design and construction of an IMSR fuel pilot plant. The Springfields nuclear fuel manufacturing site in Preston, United Kingdom, has extensive infrastructure available to support the fuel supply for IMSR development, and scalable to support a fleet of IMSR plants operating in the 2030s.
The IMSR plant uses Standard Assay Low-Enriched Uranium enriched below 5% uranium-235, rather than High Assay Low-Enriched Uranium enriched to 5 to 20% uranium-235.
The former is used in conventional nuclear power plant fuel and is the only fuel available and transportable today for civilian reactor use and has international regulatory acceptance. Its use supports an early deployment path for IMSR plants across multiple markets, including providing clean, firm power for industrial and data center use in the US and European markets.
TE has also signed contracts with Orano for packaging and transportation of IMSR fuel as well as with Cameco for the supply of natural uranium. TE also has MOUs in place with Centrus Energy and Urenco as part of its fuel supply chain program.”
TE plans to use low-enriched uranium <5% in molten salt in a once-through fuel cycle. The concept is based on the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, which operated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1965-1969.
About the IMSR
IMSR cogeneration plants generate high-grade, high-value heat (585°C). Conventional nuclear power plants are limited to lower-grade, low-value heat supply (290°C).
This thermal energy can be transported by steam or by molten salt loops many kilometers away from an IMSR cogeneration plant for many industrial uses. These include oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical production (including green hydrogen and green ammonia), and new applications such as clean synthetic transport fuels – all energy-intensive applications not served today by advances in current clean energy technologies.
Conceptual Diagram IMSR. Image: Terrestrial Energy
The IMSR design is for twin units of 442 MWt/195 MWe (884 MWt /390 MWe) small modular units molten salt fuels , graphite moderated thermal spectrum reactor. The design is for a completely sealed reactor vessel with integrated pumps, heat exchangers, and control rods inside a single vessel.
The sealed unit is replaced at the end of its service life which is rated at seven years. The plan is to produce the units in a factory to achieve economies of scale and insure the quality of each unit.
Q & A with Terrestrial Energy
Q: Does Viaro plan to locate the SMRs offshore on currently operating or reconfigured oil platforms in the North Sea?
TE: Viaro and Terrestrial Energy are exploring a potential site or industrial application for an IMSR plant in the UK. Although Viaro operates offshore oil platforms, the focus of the MOU with Terrestrial Energy would be on finding a potential onshore site in the UK.
Q: Does Viaro plan to locate the SMRs in a submerged configuration offshore or floating tethered at a dock?
No. See previous answer
Q: How will financing work? For instance, is Viaro’s financial commitment limited to power purchase agreements or will the firm be a direct funder or investors in construction of the SMRs. Also, TE is not a participant in the UK GBN SMR competition. Will all financing come from Viaro, or will there be other major investors? Is Viaro an equity investor or just a source of debt financing?
TE: Declined to answer questions about finances.
Q: Will the SMRs have customers other than oil & gas facility production facilities and data centers. For instance, TE has promoted the use of their reactor for process heat. Are there customers for it using the SMR and if so can you identify any of them?
TE: Yes, potential customers in the UK could include any industrial application that currently rely on fossil fuels to drive energy-intensive processes, for which an IMSR plant offers a scalable, carbon-free replacement. More information on these potential applications is available on the Terrestrial Energy web page
Q: What is the status of TE engagement with the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation in terms of the licensing process – general design assessment?
TE: Terrestrial Energy is engaged in pre-licensing discussions with the UK ONR.
Q: What is the status of TE engagement with CNSC and with the NRC?
Terrestrial Energy was the first Generation-IV reactor, and first molten salt reactor, to complete the CNSC Vendor Design Review in 2023.
TE is engaged in pre-licensing discussions with the NRC. In May 2023, TE received a grant from DOE to support the licensing program. In addition, Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR is one of two designs included in a cooperative program between NRC and CNSC to facilitate more efficient regulatory review.
Q: The UK Government has committed GBP 2.9 million (USD $3.8 million) to establish the pilot plant under its Nuclear Fuel Fund program, part of the UK’s energy security strategy. Is this the total cost or if not what is the total cost?
TE: The UK Government funding supports part of the development of IMSR fuel supply in the UK and pilot fuel plant design and development.
Q: What is the status / schedule for building the fuel plant? Has work begun or when will the project break ground.
TE: The program of site selection will be completed first.
About Viaro Energy
Viaro Energy has interests in a broad portfolio of oil & gas assets through its wholly owned operating subsidiary, RockRose Energy. The company has vast operations for oil and gas production in the Central North Sea. Viaro also has non-operated interests in one of the largest undeveloped fields in the North Sea, the Northern North Sea-based Bressay oil field and the EnQuest Producer FPSO. The company also has non-operated interests in the Netherlands.
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https://neutronbytes.com/2024/10/25/terrestrial-energy-inks-mou-with-viaro-energy-for-imsr-in-uk/
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Apple TV+ – podsumowanie premier #134
Zapraszam do 134. wydania przeglądu nowości i zapowiedzi Apple TV+. Kolejne wydanie przeglądu ukaże się wyjątkowo dopiero 28 marca. Premier jednak do tego czasu nie zabraknie. Udanych seansów życzę!
Apple TV+ zapowiada dokument o Bono – pierwszy pełnometrażowy film immersyjny
Apple TV+ ogłosiło premierę dokumentu „Bono: Stories of Surrender”, który zadebiutuje 30 maja. Film będzie dostępny w klasycznym formacie oraz w immersyjnym 3D dla użytkowników Apple Vision Pro.
To pierwsza pełnometrażowa produkcja tego typu na Vision Pro. Dokument zawiera nagrania z występu Bono z 2022 roku, inspirowanego jego książką „Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story”, oraz kultowe utwory U2.
Film dołączy do kolekcji muzycznych dokumentów Apple, obok produkcji o Velvet Underground, Selenie Gomez i Billie Eilish. Wersja 2D będzie dostępna dla wszystkich subskrybentów Apple TV+.
Na platformie zadebiutowała nowa produkcja pt. „Berlin ER”.
Zarządzanie chaotycznym oddziałem ratunkowym w najtrudniejszym i najbardziej przepełnionym szpitalu w Berlinie to nie lada zadanie dla młodej dr Parker, która szuka nowego startu w wielkim mieście po tym, jak jej życie prywatne imploduje w Monachium. Kiedy próbuje wdrożyć niezbędne reformy, Parker napotyka opór ze strony niedostatecznie opłacanego, źle wyposażonego i chronicznie zmęczonego personelu szpitala, który może przetrwać tylko dzięki niezbędnej dawce czarnego humoru. Jednak w obliczu coraz bardziej bezlitosnego systemu opieki zdrowotnej, zmaltretowany zespół musi odłożyć na bok różnice i zjednoczyć się, aby ratować życie.
Premiera miesiąca (14 marca) – „Dope Thief” →
Oparty na książce Dennisa Tafoyi „Dope Thief”, serial prześledzi losy długoletnich przyjaciół i przestępców z Filadelfii, którzy udają agentów DEA, aby obrabować nieznany dom na wsi, tylko po to, by ich drobna gra stała się przedsięwzięciem na śmierć i życie, gdy nieświadomie ujawniają i odkrywają największy ukryty korytarz narkotykowy na wschodnim wybrzeżu.
26 marca – trailer spin-offu: „Side Quest” →
Tuż po finale sezonu 4, 26 marca, zadebiutuje spin-off „Side Quest”. Seria antologii pokaże historie pracowników, graczy i fanów, którzy są związani z uniwersum gry.
Spin-off będzie liczył 4 odcinki, dostępne jednocześnie. Rob McElhenney, twórca oryginalnej serii, również pojawi się w obsadzie.
Gotowi na więcej przygód?
21 marca – trailer „BE@RBRICK” →
Produkcja podąży za Jasmine i jej kolegami z zespołu, którzy realizują swoje marzenia i inspirują innych, by robili to samo.
Nie będzie to jednak łatwe, gdy żyje się w świecie, w którym każdy wybiera dla siebie rolę, a wymalowany wygląd po ukończeniu szkoły średniej decyduje o tym, kim będzie się przez resztę życia. Jasmine zdaje sobie sprawę, że aby jej świat mógł się zmienić, ona i jej przyjaciele będą musieli zrobić to sami.
26 marca – trailer „The Studio” →
Apple TV+ zapowiedziało nowy serial komediowy, „The Studio”, który zadebiutuje 26 marca 2025 roku. Za produkcję odpowiada Seth Rogen, który jest scenarzystą, reżyserem i odtwórcą głównej roli.
Serial osadzony jest w świecie Hollywood, gdzie Matt Remick (Rogen), nowy szef Continental Studios, stara się uratować upadające filmy. Walczy z artystami, korporacyjnymi przełożonymi i własnymi lękami, próbując stworzyć kinowe hity.
W obsadzie zobaczymy m.in.: Bryana Cranstona, Catherine O’Harę, Kathryn Hahn, a nawet Martina Scorsese.
28 marca – trailer „Number One on the Call Sheet” →
Dzięki bezprecedensowemu dostępowi i szczerym wywiadom, „Number One on the Call Sheet” zabiera nas w intymną podróż z niektórymi z najbardziej niezwykłych czołowych czarnoskórych mężczyzn i kobiet w Hollywood, którzy rzucają światło na radości i wyzwania związane z byciem czarnoskórym aktorem, dzielą się przełomowymi momentami, omawiają plany sukcesu i honorują legendy, jednocześnie dostrzegając ogromny potencjał następnego pokolenia.
14 kwietnia – „Your Friends & Neighbors” →
W kwietniu zobaczymy natomiast nowy serial dramatyczny, w którym wystąpią m.in. Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn oraz Hoon Lee.
Po tym, jak został zwolniony w niesławie, menedżer funduszu hedgingowego wciąż zmagający się z niedawnym rozwodem, ucieka się do kradzieży z domów swoich sąsiadów w niezwykle zamożnej wiosce Westmont, tylko po to, by odkryć, że sekrety i sprawy ukryte za tymi bogatymi fasadami mogą być bardziej niebezpieczne, niż kiedykolwiek sobie wyobrażał.
16 kwietnia – „Government Cheese” →
W kwietniu natomiast na platformie zobaczymy kolejną, komediową propozycję od Apple TV+.
„Government Cheese” to surrealistyczna komedia rodzinna rozgrywająca się w 1969 roku w San Fernando Valley, która opowiada historię Chambersów, dziwacznej rodziny realizującej wzniosłe i pozornie niemożliwe marzenia, w piękny sposób nieskrępowanej realiami świata. Kiedy Hampton Chambers (David Oyelowo) zostaje zwolniony z więzienia, jego długo oczekiwane spotkanie rodzinne nie przebiega tak, jak planował. Podczas jego nieobecności żona Hamptona, Astoria (Simone Missick), oraz synowie, Einstein (Evan Ellison) i Harrison (Jahi Di’Allo Winston), stworzyli niekonwencjonalną jednostkę rodzinną, a powrót Hamptona obraca ich świat w chaos.
„Carêême” opowiada historię Antonina Carême’a (Benjamin Voisin), pierwszego celebryty w świecie kulinariów, który z ubogiego Paryża wspiął się na szczyt sławy w Europie czasów Napoleona.
Jego talent przyciąga wpływowych polityków, którzy czynią go szpiegiem Francji. Carême staje przed wyborem: zemsta czy wszystko — miłość, bogactwo, sława — ale jakim kosztem?
„Fountain of Youth” →
„Fountain of Youth” opowie o dwójce zwaśnionego rodzeństwa (John Krasinski i zdobywczyni Oscara Natalie Portman), którzy współpracują przy globalnym napadzie w celu odnalezienia mitologicznej tytułowej „Fontanny Młodości”.
Muszą wykorzystać swoją wiedzę historyczną, aby podążać za wskazówkami podczas epickiej przygody, która zmieni ich życie… i być może doprowadzi do nieśmiertelności.
Data premiery nie jest jeszcze znana.
16 maja – „Murderbot”
Apple TV+ zdobyło silną pozycję w świecie seriali sci-fi, a teraz zapowiada kolejną produkcję – „Murderbot”. Premiera odbędzie się 16 maja, a pierwszy sezon będzie liczył 10 odcinków. Na start pojawią się dwa epizody, a kolejne będą publikowane co tydzień aż do 11 lipca.
Serial oparty jest na bestsellerowej serii „The Murderbot Diaries” autorstwa Marthy Wells. To thriller sci-fi z elementami komedii, opowiadający o samoświadomym, cybernetycznym ochroniarzu, który ukrywa swoją wolną wolę i stara się znaleźć swoje miejsce w świecie, choć wolałby po prostu oglądać futurystyczne opery mydlane. W głównej roli wystąpi Alexander Skarsgård.Produkcją zajmują się Chris i Paul Weitz, twórcy filmu „Był sobie chłopiec” oraz serialu „Mozart w dżungli”.
Jeśli chcesz wcześniej zapoznać się z fabułą, pierwszy tom serii, „All Systems Red”, jest dostępny w formie e-booka i audiobooka.
Apple blisko zakupu filmu o ujawnieniu UFO
Apple Original Films prawdopodobnie przejmie nadchodzący film sci-fi o ujawnieniu informacji na temat UFO. Produkcja skupi się na ostatnich wydarzeniach związanych z ujawnieniem przez rząd USA nagrań z niezidentyfikowanymi zjawiskami powietrznymi (UAP).
Reżyserem filmu ma być Joseph Kosinski, a producentem Jerry Bruckheimer – duet znany z „Top Gun: Maverick”. Scenariusz autorstwa Zacha Baylina ma przypominać thriller polityczny „Wszyscy ludzie prezydenta” w wersji o UFO.
Apple współpracowało już z Bruckheimerem i Kosinskim przy filmie „F1”, co umocniło ich relacje. Szczegóły dotyczące daty premiery pozostają nieznane.
Kulisy produkcji filmu „F1” ujawnione →
Przy okazji uroczystej gali Formuły 1 w Londynie, która odbyła się w lutym, Apple po raz pierwszy publicznie zaprezentowało krótki klip przedstawiający kulisy pracy nad nadchodzącą superprodukcją „F1”.
Apple TV+ stawia na film „F1” z Bradem Pittem jako największą produkcję kinową roku, reżyserowaną przez Josepha Kosinskiego („Top Gun: Maverick”), we współpracy z Sir Lewisem Hamiltonem.
Ostatnio dostaliśmy trailer tej produkcji.
Premiera odbędzie się 27 czerwca, a później film -trafi na Apple TV+. Po rozczarowaniach kasowych w 2024 roku Apple ogranicza liczbę produkcji kinowych, stawiając głównie na filmy prosto do streamingu.
„The Gorge” z rekordowym debiutem na Apple TV+
Apple TV+ świętuje kolejny sukces – film „The Gorge” zaliczył najlepszy start w historii platformy. Produkcja z Anyą Taylor-Joy i Milesem Tellerem, łącząca sci-fi, horror, romans i thriller, zadebiutowała 14 lutego i przyciągnęła o 80% więcej nowych widzów w porównaniu do poprzedniego weekendu.
Reżyserem filmu jest Scott Derrickson, znany z horrorów oraz „Doktora Strange’a”. Apple zmieniło strategię filmową, rezygnując z dużych premier kinowych na rzecz bezpośredniego streamingu – i jak widać, ta taktyka przynosi efekty.
Apple TV+ i MLB ogłaszają powrót „Friday Night Baseball” i inne nowości
Apple i Major League Baseball ogłosili, że cotygodniowe spotkania „Friday Night Baseball” wrócą na Apple TV+ 28 marca. Harmonogram meczów na pierwszą część sezonu jest dostępny w komunikacie prasowym Apple.
“Friday Night Baseball” jest dostępne w ramach subskrypcji Apple TV+ bez dodatkowych opłat.
„VIP: Yankee Stadium” dla Apple Vision Pro
Apple zapowiedziało także nowy film „VIP: Yankee Stadium”, który zapewni użytkownikom Apple Vision Pro dostęp do jednego z najbardziej ikonicznych stadionów sportowych. Film będzie dostępny za darmo w przyszłym miesiącu.
Na koniec, Apple zapowiedziało premierę nowego serialu dokumentalnego „Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series” na Apple TV+ jeszcze w tym miesiącu.
Nowe wideo „Arctic Surfing” dostępne na Apple Vision Pro
Użytkownicy Apple Vision Pro mogą już oglądać nowy, 6-minutowy odcinek serii „Boundless” w aplikacji Apple TV. „Arctic Surfing” zabiera widzów na mroźne fale Norwegii.
The next Apple Immersive video has arrived, showcasing the beautiful Arctic landscapes of Norway, lots of snow, and the advantage of having OLED displays inside a headset.
The level of contrast, high dynamic range, and brightness made this feel so real that at times, I genuinely… pic.twitter.com/sTEm5DwviA
— Phil Traut ᯅ (@spatiallyme) February 21, 2025
Poprzedni epizod, „Hot Air Balloons”, prezentował lot nad Turcją, a kolejny, „Deep Water Solo”, pojawi się w przyszły piątek.
Materiał jest dostępny w Apple TV w wybranych krajach, a w Chinach przez Migu Video i Tencent Video.
Severance chciało obsadzić Baracka Obamę w roli, którą ostatecznie zagrał Keanu Reeves
Ben Stiller ujawnił w programie Jimmy’ego Kimmela, że twórcy serialu Severance zaproponowali Barackowi Obamie gościnną rolę w premierowym odcinku drugiego sezonu. Była to kwestia dubbingowa – głos propagandowego budynku Lumon w animowanym spocie.
Stiller skontaktował się z Obamą przez jego prawnika i otrzymał osobistą odpowiedź:
Ben, jestem fanem serialu, nie mogę się doczekać drugiego sezonu, ale niestety nie znajdę czasu.
Ostatecznie rolę przyjął Keanu Reeves. Możliwe, że Obama pojawi się w trzecim sezonie.
Apple TV+ stawia na globalne treści →
Apple TV+ coraz mocniej inwestuje w produkcje spoza języka angielskiego, powodem takiego ruchu jest baczne obserwowanie przez Apple innego giganta streamingu.
Dokładniej rzecz ujmując, przyczyną działań Apple zwracających się z inwestycjami w produkcje dla Apple TV+ do nieanglojęzycznych regionów i twórców są… najnowsze dane Netflixa.
★ Zobacz poprzednie wydania i więcej nadchodzących premier i nowości →
#Apple #AppleTV_ #debiut #news #PodsumowaniePremierAppleTV_ #premiery #streaming
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“I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong… when we know that we actually do live in uncertainty, then we ought to admit it; it is of great value to realize that we do not know the answers to different questions.”*…
The immense complexity of the climate makes it impossible to model accurately. Instead, David Stainforth argues, we must use uncertainty to our advantage…
Today’s complex climate models aren’t equivalent to reality. In fact, computer models of Earth are very different to reality – particularly on regional, national and local scales. They don’t represent many aspects of the physical processes that we know are important for climate change, which means we can’t rely on them to provide detailed local predictions. This is a concern because human-induced climate change is all about our understanding of the future. This understanding empowers us. It enables us to make informed decisions by telling us about the consequences of our actions. It helps us consider what the future will be like if we act strongly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if we act only half-heartedly, or if we take no action at all. Such information enables us to assess the level of investment that we believe is worthwhile as individuals, communities and nations. It enables us to balance action on climate change against other demands on our finances such as health, education, security and culture.
For many of us, these issues are approached through the lens of personal experience and personal cares: we want to know what changes to expect where we live, in the places we know, and in the regions where we have our roots. We want local climate predictions – predictions conditioned on the choices that our societies make.
So, where do we get them? Well, nowadays most of these predictions originate from complicated computer models of the climate system – so-called Earth System Models (ESMs). These models are ubiquitous in climate change science. And for good reason. The increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are driving the climate system into a never-before-seen state. That means the past cannot be a good guide to the future, and predictions based simply on historic observations can’t be reliable: the information isn’t in the observational data, so no amount of processing can extract it. Climate prediction is therefore about our understanding of the physical processes of climate, not about data-processing. And since there are so many physical processes involved – everything from the movement of heat and moisture around the atmosphere to the interaction of oceans with ice-sheets – this naturally leads to the use of computer models.
But there’s a problem: models aren’t equivalent to reality.
So, what can we do? One option is to make the models better. Make them more detailed and more complicated. That, though, raises an important question: when is a model sufficiently realistic to predict something as complex as climate change? When will the models be good enough? We don’t have an answer to this question. Indeed, scientists have hardly begun to study this problem, and some argue that these models might never be sufficiently accurate to make multi-decadal, local climate predictions.
Nevertheless, changing the way we use ESMs could provide a different and better way to generate the local climate information we seek. Doing so involves embracing uncertainty as a key part of our knowledge about climate change. It involves stepping back and accepting that what we want is not precise predictions but robust predictions, even if robustness involves accepting large uncertainties in what we can know about the future…
[Stainforth explains the current state of modeling, efforts to make them better, and the problems those efforts encounter…]
… focusing on high-resolution modelling is dangerous not only because we have no answer to the question of when a model is sufficiently realistic. Investing in this approach also means we don’t have the capacity to explore the uncertainties, which inevitably encourages overconfidence in the predictions that models make. This is a particular concern because Earth System Models are increasingly being used to guide decisions and investments across our societies. Overconfidence in model-based predictions therefore risks encouraging bad decisions: decisions that are optimised for the futures in our models rather than what we understand about the range of possible futures for reality.
By contrast, perturbed physics ensembles and storyline approaches focus on exploring and describing our uncertainties. Placing uncertainty front and centre is important. When we make an investment or a gamble, we don’t just base it on what we think is the most likely result. We consider the range of outcomes that we think are possible – ideally these are characterised by probabilities, although this isn’t always achievable. It’s the same with climate change. We should not only make plans based solely on our best estimate of what might happen. We should also consider the range of plausible outcomes we foresee. Our knowledge of uncertainty is also part of what we know about climate change. We should embrace this knowledge, expand it and use it.
If we understand the uncertainties well, we can bring our values to bear on the risks we are willing to take. Uncertainty therefore needs to be at the core of adaptation planning while also being the lens through which we judge the value of climate policy and the energy transition. In my view, climate researchers and modellers wanting to support society should focus on understanding, characterising and quantifying uncertainty, and avoid the trap of seeking climate models that make reliable predictions. They may well never exist…
A more practical approach to preparing for climate change: “The model of catastrophe,” from @aeon.co
* Richard Feynman
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As we preference plausibility (over predictability), we might send never-ending birthday greetings to August Möbius; he was born on this date in 1790. An astronomer and mathematician, he studied under mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss while Gauss was the director of the Göttingen Observatory. From there, he went on to study with Carl Gauss’s instructor, Johann Pfaff, at the University of Halle, where he completed his doctoral thesis The occultation of fixed stars in 1815. In 1816, he became Extraordinary Professor in the “chair of astronomy and higher mechanics” at the University of Leipzig, where he remained for the rest of his career. Möbius made many contributions to both astronomy and the math that underlay it: he was among the first to conceive the possibility of geometry in more than three dimensions; he introduced homogeneous coordinates into projective geometry; and he pioneered the barycentric coordinate system… all parts of the intellectual foundation of the complex system modeling described above.
But while he was an influential scholar and professor, he is best remembered for his creation of the “Möbius strip.”
#astronomy #augustMobius #augustMobius2 #complexSystemModels #complexSystems #culture #history #mathematics #mobiusStrip #mobius #mobiusStrip2 #models #planning #plausibility #predicition #science #technology #uncertainty
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💡 The useR! 2026 Call for Proposals is open!
We’re inviting contributions in a wide range of formats so you can share your work in the way that fits best:🎤 Talks
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Whether you’re building packages, teaching workflows, exploring data, or advancing the R ecosystem, we’d love to hear from you. Proposals are open until Sunday, 8 March.
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💡 The useR! 2026 Call for Proposals is open!
We’re inviting contributions in a wide range of formats so you can share your work in the way that fits best:🎤 Talks
🧭 Tutorials
🖼️ Posters
⚡ Lightning Talks
🗣️ Panel Discussions
Whether you’re building packages, teaching workflows, exploring data, or advancing the R ecosystem, we’d love to hear from you. Proposals are open until Sunday, 8 March.
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💡 The useR! 2026 Call for Proposals is open!
We’re inviting contributions in a wide range of formats so you can share your work in the way that fits best:🎤 Talks
🧭 Tutorials
🖼️ Posters
⚡ Lightning Talks
🗣️ Panel Discussions
Whether you’re building packages, teaching workflows, exploring data, or advancing the R ecosystem, we’d love to hear from you. Proposals are open until Sunday, 8 March.
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💡 The useR! 2026 Call for Proposals is open!
We’re inviting contributions in a wide range of formats so you can share your work in the way that fits best:🎤 Talks
🧭 Tutorials
🖼️ Posters
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Whether you’re building packages, teaching workflows, exploring data, or advancing the R ecosystem, we’d love to hear from you. Proposals are open until Sunday, 8 March.
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💡 The useR! 2026 Call for Proposals is open!
We’re inviting contributions in a wide range of formats so you can share your work in the way that fits best:🎤 Talks
🧭 Tutorials
🖼️ Posters
⚡ Lightning Talks
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Whether you’re building packages, teaching workflows, exploring data, or advancing the R ecosystem, we’d love to hear from you. Proposals are open until Sunday, 8 March.
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High wind warning for the Columbia Basin Wednesday and Thursday
Dynamic weather is forecast for the Pacific Northwest through Thursday with a low pressure system forecast to make landfall on Vancouver Island and continue eastward across Southern British Columbia. This low will drag a cold front along, sweeping through Washington and Oregon to bring strong winds.
These strong winds have prompted the National Weather Service to issue high wind warnings for much of Eastern Washington and Northeast Oregon for Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. These warnings cover from the Columbia Gorge through the Columbia Basin up to Spokane and the Palouse.
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For the Columbia Basin and nearby areas, southwest winds are forecast to be sustained in the 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h) range with gusts to 60 mph (95 km/h). Around Spokane and on the Palouse winds could gust to 65 mph (105 km/h).
The strongest winds will be on hilltops and outside of towns where trees and buildings do not impede air flow. Things will still be windy in town, we’re just unlikely to see the highest wind gusts in built up areas.
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A few power outages are possible and travel will be difficult on northwest-southeast highways like some parts of SR 240 across the Hanford Site.
It is common for Eastern Washington and Northeast Oregon to get windy after rainfall, which we are forecast to see on Wednesday. This is because cold fronts often bring rain to the inland deserts.
Behind the cold front high pressure builds along the coast. It will try to also build into the inland areas but the Cascades block the air from moving in. It does filter through slowly, but only through gaps in the mountains like the Columbia River Gorge and Snoqualmie Pass.
Imagine an inflatable pool filled with water, and then imagine stepping on one of the sides. Water rushes out from where you’re stepping but it takes time to completely reach “equilibrium” on both sides. The gaps in the Cascades are like where we have stepped on the side of the pool. Wind that moves through these gaps is called gap flow.
This is why Boardman, Hermiston, the Tri-Cities, and Ellensburg often observe strong wind after rain while it can be hit or miss in Yakima. While Yakima is downwind of White Pass, White Pass is higher elevation than the Columbia Gorge and Snoqualmie Pass thus the gap flow is less efficient in that region.
The cold front is not just bringing strong winds to the Inland Northwest. Blizzard warnings are posted for the Western Washington Cascades along and north of US 12 (including Snoqualmie Pass) where 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) of snow are forecast with strong winds. Additional winter weather alerts have been posted for other mountainous regions in the Pacific Northwest.
Active weather continues in the region beyond the Wednesday-Thursday storm. The jet stream will continue to be parked on top of the Pacific Northwest which will keep sending in moisture and storms. We will be adding to regional snowpack but it won’t be nearly enough to make up for the deficit so far this season.
#orwx #Spokane #TriCities #wawx #Weather #wind