Just in Case it Matters to You
Weekly Report 21-39
- ‘LUCK’ – GOOD OR BAD – IS AN ESOTERIC CONCEPT; there really is no such thing. ‘Success,’ in all facets of life and particularly Business, is often attributed to Good Luck, but it’s more a matter of good Timing. And combined with reality-based strategic Goals & Objectives, sensible prioritization and utilization of available resources, entrepreneurs have optimal chance for ‘success.’ DCG have decades of experience & expertise in guiding our clients to that end. Call us for courtesy consultation.
- THE ‘BARNEY BAR’ IS A ROBOT BARTENDER, which can mix dozens of different cocktails, prosecco, beer & sodas, 24 hours daily, for customers who place orders via mobile phones. The Swiss-made robot is already operating at shopping malls in China & Oman, can disinfect his own robotic arm, and is soon destined for European & Asian hotel bars “looking to reduce human contact during and after the pandemic.” [IMPACT LAB – 5/4/21]
- “PEOPLE THRIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA in a way they couldn’t in person, sustained by algorithms that fake society, friendship, prestige and other things that are kind of basic to our cognition… Artificial interaction causes Twitter tweets to suddenly go viral with people literally driven temporarily insane; Scrolling through a ‘timeline’ is engaging with an algorithm where computer updates show a constructed reality… The influence that a person’s social circle exerts on one’s more likeliness to do something or buy a product is what marketers call ‘the phenomenon of social proof’ …and the latest development of artificial intelligence combines a realistic-sounding language generator and deep-flake video clips with the capacity to get people emotionally attached to an algorithm which can be designed to manipulate & influence personal, financial or political decisions like a garden-variety scammer or grifter.” A fascinating article: https://futurism.com/professor-nightmare-bots?mc_cid=49824b5317&mc_eid=6e202251 [5/5/21]
- MAJOR NEW INSIGHT INTO RADIATION EFFECTS: 35 years after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster, among the largest in history resulting in a still-abandoned swatch of Russia encased in steel & concrete, decades of comprehensive research & study of residents, clean-up workers and their families (just published in Science magazine) is good news. “Radiation exposure did not genetically harm future generations. While radioactive iodine had mutated genes of nearby people (generating thyroid cancer), and also nearby grazing cow’s milk which subsequently transmitted to drinkers, the study found no more mutation in children of survivors than in kids whose parents had not been exposed to radiation.” [WIRED – 4/26/21]
- PRISONERS IN CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING VIOLENT & REPEAT FELONS, JUST GOT A GIFT from ‘emergency regulation’ by the Governor which does not require vote of elected representatives, nor request or allow public comments. Over 63,000 inmates, including a third serving ‘life without possibility of parole,’ can now have sentences shortened by a third; another 13,000 convicted of serious but non-violent offenses can also be shortened by half. The theoretical goal is to “incentivize safer prisons through Good Behavior and participation in rehabilitative & educational programs.” [ASSOCIATED PRESS – 5/1/21]
- THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:
A solar spacecraft the size of a small car just circled the ‘outer layer’ of the Sun, 6.5 million miles away from earth, after travelling 33 months and reaching the fastest human-made-object speed of 330,000mph – fast enough to circle the earth 13 times every hour – reports CNET.
Modern definitions: FLABBERGASTED – appalled over how much weight you’ve gained; ABDICATE – to give up all hope of ever again having a flat stomach; FRISBEETARIANISM: The belief that when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.