Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#616

Post by Suliso »

Starship has performed the first ever full (31 out of 33 engines) static fire test. Visually looks like full success. Getting closer to the first orbital test flight!

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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#617

Post by ti-amie »

Elmo is denying Ukraine access to his Starlink system.
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#618

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SpaceX says it blocked Ukraine from using Starlink with military drones
Shotwell: Ukraine's "offensive" use of Starlink "not part of any agreement."
JON BRODKIN - 2/10/2023, 12:59 PM

Image
Enlarge / A Starlink terminal used by Ukrainian servicemen in Bakhmut on February 1, 2023.
Enlarge / A Starlink terminal used by Ukrainian servicemen in Bakhmut on February 1, 2023.
Getty Images | Yasuyoshi Chiba

SpaceX took steps to prevent Ukraine's military from using Starlink satellite Internet with drones because the service was never intended to be "weaponized," SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said at an FAA space transportation conference Wednesday.

"Using Starlink with drones went beyond the scope of an agreement SpaceX has with the Ukrainian government, Shotwell said, adding that the contract was intended for humanitarian purposes such as providing broadband Internet to hospitals, banks, and families affected by Russia's invasion," Reuters reported.

Shotwell said, "We were really pleased to be able to provide Ukraine connectivity and help them in their fight for freedom. It was never intended to be weaponized. However, Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement," according to the Associated Press.

Starlink's terms of service specifically address this, saying it is "not designed or intended for use with or in offensive or defensive weaponry or other comparable end-uses." SpaceX knows "the military is using them for comms, and that's OK," Shotwell reportedly said. "But our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes."

Shotwell declined to say exactly how SpaceX prevented Ukraine from using Starlink with drones. "There are things that we can do to limit their ability to do that... there are things that we can do and have done," she said, according to Reuters.

Ukraine officials express anger, puzzlement
SpaceX came to Ukraine's aid after Russia invaded the country in February 2022. Reports in March said Starlink broadband connections helped the Ukraine military's elite drone unit target and destroy Russian tanks and other "priority targets."

Shotwell's comments expanded on a recent statement by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. In a tweet on January 31, Musk wrote that "SpaceX Starlink has become the connectivity backbone of Ukraine all the way up to the front lines... However, we are not allowing Starlink to be used for long-range drone strikes." Musk's comment came after a TV host on a Russian state-controlled channel called Musk "a war criminal."

After Shotwell's comments, a Ukraine official criticized SpaceX for restricting Starlink's use by the military. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote in a tweet yesterday that companies are either on the side of Ukraine and "the right to freedom and don't seek ways to do harm" or on the side of Russia "and its 'right' to kill and seize territories. SpaceX (Starlink) and Mrs. Shotwell should choose a specific option."

One "Ukrainian military official called Shotwell's statements 'strange' given the well-established fact of the country's use of Starlink as a combat tool," the AP wrote.

Starlink has been useful to Ukraine in multiple ways, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, said in a statement quoted by news outlets. There are "no problems with the operation of Starlink uplink terminals in Ukraine," and Musk is "one of the biggest private donors of our future victory," he said.

"Starlinks help save thousands of lives daily," Fedorov also said. "The energy infrastructure continues to work due to Starlinks. Doctors perform complex surgeries thanks to the connection that Starlinks provide."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/202 ... ry-drones/
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#619

Post by ti-amie »

“Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born.” Albert Einstein
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#620

Post by JazzNU »

This is one of the replies to the above tweet and makes a great point. Elon is super desperate about advertisers so an even more bizarre move.


Justin Gurski
@JustinGurski
Replying to
@MattBinder

'Other than the 200k paid subscribers, everyone is a bot' doesn't sound like a great pitch to advertisers.

https://twitter.com/JustinGurski/status ... 7245598720
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#621

Post by ti-amie »

“Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born.” Albert Einstein
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#622

Post by ponchi101 »

I always like this sort of news:
"Something like really, really weird just happened TO THE SUN, and we don't understand it much, but DON'T WORRY. If anything really bad happens, we will turn on SUN II and ..."
Wait...
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#623

Post by JazzNU »

Anti-Tesla software commercial ran in select markets during the Super Bowl. I wasn't in one of them, so I didn't see it. The Tesla fanatics have brought more attention to it than it otherwise would've gotten honestly. The commercial that is posted on Twitter has, by far, the most disclaimers I've ever seen on a Tweet, far more from than I've seen for hate speech post or dangerous and misleading comments, i.e. Jan. 6 or covid.


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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#624

Post by ponchi101 »

About why does the NHTSA allow it.
The real thing about FSD is that it would wipe out almost all jobs for commercial drivers, i.e. truckers. It would cut down on a huge portion of transportation costs, because a self driving truck, in theory, would only stop to re-fuel. You would need some support personnel, but it would be minimal in comparison to the numbers of drivers around the world. I am not sure if the EU and the USA would accept FSD for human transport vehicles (buses) but for cargo, it would be a panacea.
FOR ALL THE TRANSPORT COMPANIES. FSD would wipe out millions of jobs around the world. And that translates into billions saved, and bottom line getting fatter.
No big analysis needed.
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#625

Post by ti-amie »

Speaking of Elmo:

KagroX@mstdn.party
Grudgie The Whale
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Twitter is down like a kid crossing the street in front of a Tesla

This happened after a hashtag #blockelon was trending. It might be fixed now.
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#626

Post by Suliso »

I have a feeling that full self driving is not coming anytime soon. It works 95% of the time or even 99%, but this is one of those rare applications where that is not good enough.
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#627

Post by ti-amie »

Then there's this Elmo meltdown...

Elon Musk asked engineers to boost his tweets after Joe Biden's Super Bowl post got more engagement than his, report says
Hannah Getahun and Erin Snodgrass Feb 14, 2023, 9:33 PM

Musk asked engineers to find ways to promote his tweets after the Super Bowl, Platformer reported.

Musk made the request after President Joe Biden received more engagement for an Eagles tweet.

Engineers worked under the threat of being fired to create a system that would boost his tweets.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk apparently did not like that a Super Bowl tweet of his was getting fewer impressions than President Joe Biden's — and had Twitter engineers work tirelessly after the big game to fix it, according to a new report from Platformer.

During the game, in which the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs, Biden retweeted a video of his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, showing support for the Eagles. Musk also tweeted in support of the Eagles, but deleted his tweet four hours later.

Biden's tweet gained nearly 29 million impressions, while Musk's tweet got over 9 million impressions, Platformer's Zoë Schiffer and Casey Newton reported.

As a result, Musk asked 80 engineers on Sunday night to begin working on a project that would ensure his tweets would also get significant engagement — and if they didn't they would lose their jobs. Musk reportedly also flew his private jet to the Bay Area — where Twitter's San Francisco office is located — after the game to speak to his team face-to-face, Platformer reported.

In an early morning Slack message on Monday, Musk's cousin, James Musk, requested any and all engineers respond to address the discrepancy in engagement, which he described as "high urgency," according to the Platformer report.

According to the report, Twitter engineers worked through the night to create a system that allowed Musk to receive increased promotion on his tweets above other users "by a factor of 1,000," Platformer reported. Engineers created new code that automatically "greenlights" all of Musk's tweets, allowing them to bypass Twitter filters that would traditionally keep one particular account from flooding the entire feed, the outlet reported.

Engineers also spoke about reasons why Musk's tweets may be performing less, including that multiple people on the site may have blocked or muted his content, though they also found technical reasons that resulted in less promotion of his tweets while fixing the issue, Platformer reported.


Musk's boost comes as he publicly obsesses over his engagement on the app; the CEO fired one of his top engineers last week after the employee suggested that Musk's waning engagement was due to declining public interest in Musk himself, Platformer reported.

In a Tuesday tweet, Musk appeared to acknowledge his newfound visibility on the site, posting a meme about his tweets, and later said the company would be making further adjustments to the algorithm.

Platformer reported Tuesday that the boost factor for Musk's tweets is now lower than 1,000.

A representative for Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

This is Elmo's tweet referenced above.




https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter ... er=twitter
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#628

Post by ti-amie »

Mark Ruffalo
@MarkRuffalo@mastodon.social
Tesla has received a lot of taxpayer dollars. They should have to open these chargers to the public. Right now, they enjoy a dominance of virtually private chargers at the taxpayer’s expense.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-envir ... -chargers/


Biden to require EV chargers to be universal for federal funds, expects Tesla to open some chargers
The Hill
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#629

Post by ponchi101 »

Suliso wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 8:39 pm I have a feeling that full self driving is not coming anytime soon. It works 95% of the time or even 99%, but this is one of those rare applications where that is not good enough.
What would be the proper metric? Accidents are measured as fatalities/100 million VMT (vehicle miles traveled). Vehicles are already very safe: for 2022, the fatality rate was around 1.3 100MM VMT (USA). So, if you can produce FSD that cuts that by half, do you approve it? If so, where are the liabilities assigned? How do you measure progress if you do not accept FSD to test it in real life? If, after you approve, you still get accidents, do the manufacturers get sued? The software engineers? The sensors' designers?
It is very complicated.
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Re: Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

#630

Post by JazzNU »

Suliso wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 8:39 pm I have a feeling that full self driving is not coming anytime soon. It works 95% of the time or even 99%, but this is one of those rare applications where that is not good enough.
That's exactly right. It probably needs to be in the 99.5-99.9% range most likely before it's given true consideration on a grander scale. But I have a feeling that more metrics will be used than just that.


I follow a tech reviewer that did a FSD with his Tesla a few months ago and it was super stressful just watching it, let alone being in the car. I was so happy he took it out where he did. I've said this many times before when talking to people IRL about this. It's cute to put a FSD Tesla on the road in a distant suburb, rural setting, or empty back road. But can it navigate densely populated areas with fast, reckless, and unpredictable drivers in the Northeast? That's the real test to me, and that's where he lives, so it's where he did the test drive. It was interesting to watch for sure, but shows how far away FSD is as well from being ready for primetime. Like, it technically does a good job and he's still alive. But smooth is the very last word you would use to describe that drive.

And "full self drive" is quite the misnomer.
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