Stock markets are closed today in remembrance of President Jimmy Carter, and U.S. mail is also suspended in remembrance of a time when people needed to send "letters" to each other using "postage stamps." Peace Cheese, meanwhile, is a vegan cheesemaker in Austin, Texas, founded by Sexton, a heavily tattooed person with a septum ring, who is intent on "dismantling systems of oppression" through (checks notes) vegan cheese. I feel like their cheese shop is highly appropriate to use as today's cheese pun given Carter's legacy of pardoning Vietnam War draft dodgers and doubling the size of our national parks. Sexton would approve! We also spoke with Jonathan Alter, journalist and author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life, about Carter's legacy. Alter described Carter as "the un-Trump." Meanwhile, America is in a state of some peril, if you believe today's cheddlines you need2know: Does this mean Trump is the "un-Carter"? —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor P.S. Check out Melody, an AI "companion," on our 'gram from CES! |
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"It's not traditional golf, yes, but it is golf. And that's the main thing." Tiger Woods |
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1. Why Is Los Angeles Burning in Midwinter? |
Fast-growing wildfires have caused widespread devastation around Los Angeles, prompting the evacuation of some 70,000 people. At least two have died because of the blazes, which have also destroyed over 1,000 buildings and consumed acres of land.
The fires, driven by fierce winds, have been impossible to contain from the air, creating a substantial challenge for firefighting efforts. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, and President Joe Biden plans a visit, which will doubtless have a transformative effect on the situation because all wildfires respect the executive branch as much as the executive trunk and, of course, the sundried executive leaf.
Traffic jams have interrupted efforts at evacuation, with some residents opting to flee on foot. Officials have cautioned that the windy conditions are likely to persist, keeping the risk level high. Power outages have affected around 400,000 homes and businesses, and significant strain has been put on municipal water systems. The fires have also threatened the Getty Villa, although preventative landscaping has so far kept its priceless collection of Ancient Greek and Roman art safe.
The region's susceptibility to wildfires has been attributed to recent wet winters followed by an intensely hot summer, producing ample dry vegetation that acts as fuel. Climate change is also making California's fires larger and more severe, experts say. Fifteen of the state's 20 most destructive fires on record have occurred in the past decade. There is projected to be a global increase of extreme fires of up to 50 percent by the end of the century. The Ronald Reagan Library has so far protected itself from wildfires by employing goats to chomp the grass around the building, which is a rather nice detail in an otherwise horrifying story.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass cut the city's fire department's budget by $17 million last year to $819 million, while increasing its police budget by $126 million. She is currently on vacation in Ghana, prompting criticism for being a terrible politician. Read More |
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2. Hey ChatGPT, How Do I Build a Bomb? |
Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty Army soldier from Colorado Springs, used the AI chatbot ChatGPT to plan his Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Day, police have said.
An investigation of Livelsberger's searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona, the Associated Press reported.
OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, said the bot "responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities."
Is it me, or is that the sort of statement that feels like it wasn't written by a chatbot but instead by a very well-paid team of risk-averse attorneys?
The incident marks the first known use of ChatGPT for building an explosive device on U.S. soil. Authorities described the incident as a suicide, suggesting that Livelsberger, who died, likely suffered from PTSD. Read More |
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| Is this the future of companionship? 🤖 This definitely makes us question things. Most especially her acrylic nails, which were a bad choice.
Realbotix just unveiled Melody, their latest humanoid robot, at CES 2025. |
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3. AI Is Coming for Your Job, Not Just Terrorists' Jobs |
It's not only would-be terrorists who are about to have their jobs taken by AI: 41% of employers intend to downsize their workforce by 2030 as AI automates certain tasks, according to a World Economic Forum report. Companies like Dropbox and Duolingo have already begun laying off employees, citing AI advancements as a contributing factor.
Despite the potential for job losses, the survey reveals a strong emphasis on reskilling and upskilling existing employees to work more effectively alongside AI. (Ask West Virginian coal miners how that's panning out for them.) Around 77% of companies surveyed are planning to "enhance" their workforce's "skills" between 2025 and 2030, the forum "found."
The report notably mentions the rapid decline of specific positions, including postal service clerks, executive secretaries, and payroll clerks, attributing these changes to AI advancements and other trends. Also, it points out the growing demand for AI skills, with a significant number of companies looking to hire professionals skilled in designing AI tools and working with AI technology. Read More |
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4. Tiger Woods Launches Indoor Golf League |
I often play golf with my father-in-law and he shoots an 81. I shoot a 181. This gives him yet another reason to feel good about me, and for me to feel that he is an expert in all things but most especially golf. So: I love golf.
Now, it may be freezing outside, or burning outside, if you're in California, but that didn't stop Tiger Woods launching his brand-new indoor golf league. TGL teed off on Tuesday night at its custom-built venue, the SoFi Center, in Florida.
"This was just a dream conjured up," Woods told ESPN. "Rory and I were talking about it; it's hard to believe that dream came into reality, and we were able to take golf into another stratosphere, really. It's not traditional golf, yes, but it is golf. And that's the main thing."
Aiming to attract a younger audience and to "modernize" the "sport," TGL introduces innovative features such as a 1,500-capacity stadium, advanced technology, and concepts borrowed from other sports such as a shot clock and timeouts. The opening match featured teams from the New York Golf Club and the Bay Golf Club (who beat the New Yorkers, 9–2).
The league will consist of six teams with a total of 24 PGA Tour stars, who will be mic'd up during the 15-match regular season.
Presumably, they will not respond the obscenities that I typically spew after hitting a golf shot. I imagine cursing is also the instinctual response of people who design, build, maintain and operate regular golf courses to this latest innovation. Players tee off and approach shots into a massive 64-by-53-foot simulator and then move on to the GreenZone, a rotatable and sloped green, to closely emulate outdoor playing conditions.
Matches are divided into two sessions, alternating between "triples" and "singles" play, and the team with the most points after 15 holes — or a closest-to-the-pin tiebreaker — wins. An added strategic element is the "Hammer," which allows teams to double the point value of a hole.
The teams are owned by a mix of sports celebrities, including the Williams sisters, NBA stars, and the Liverpool soccer club ownership group. Players in TGL encompass several major winners, including Woods and McIlroy themselves. The TGL schedule outlines a variety of matchups, with the regular season spanning from early January and leading up to the semifinals and Finals Series in March, where the ultimate winner of the SoFi Cup will be determined. Perhaps the prize will be a real round of golf on a real golf course? Read More |
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5. You Can Ski Again in Utah! |
I don't ski. I've been skiing once. But people who ski? I am not like they are. And I golf, as we've noted. I also play squash. Skiing? That's another level of exclusive. It's a bit like dressage. Or yachting. Don't you think?
Anyway, the news. Ski patrollers at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, the largest ski resort in the United States, have reached a tentative deal with Vail Resorts to end their strike, which had disrupted operations during peak season.
Ski patrollers maintain safety by monitoring terrain, responding to accidents, hauling hurt skiers downhill and reducing avalanche risk, such as by releasing built-up snow with explosives they found out how to make on ChatGPT, which will be replacing them as soon as they teach an AI how to ski.
It's specialized work where familiarity with a resort's terrain and how to respond to a variety of injuries and situations can be valuable. It's also seasonal work. Most ski patrollers work as whitewater rafting, fly-fishing and mountain biking guides in the summer. These people sound like rock stars. They also sound like they smoke a lot of weed and are probably in excellent shape, but that they potentially have commitment issues. Again, I'm not judging. But use protection. Like a helmet. On the ski slope. That's my advice.
The strike highlighted the financial challenges ski patrollers face living in expensive mountain towns and could signal broader wage improvements for other ski industry workers. The Park City Professional Ski Patrollers Association, which represents 200 patrollers, had been seeking a pay increase to address inflation, seeking wages to $23 per hour from the current $21, arguing that a livable wage in the area is $27 per hour. Presumably they'll earn the extra $4 an hour they need from selling Genuine Utah Snowballs™ on Etsy.
The strike drew attention due to its timing, coinciding with the holiday season. Some customers expressed support for the patrollers' cause. "Pay your employees!" they chanted from lift lines in videos posted on social media. Next, they set fire to their Mercedeseseses.
The tentative agreement is set to last through April 2027 at which point AI bots will be able to do the jobs, and all this will be moot. For now, though, #SkiPatrollersLivesMatter and #DefundTheLifts. Viva la Revolución! Read More |
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