You’ve Never Seen Ants Like This Before

The Antscan database captures the tiny insects’ diversity and shows how the world’s living things could be rendered in three dimensions.

The New York Times
Georgia says Elon Musk’s America PAC violated election law

Georgia’s State Election Board reprimanded Elon Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, for sending partially pre-filled absentee ballot applications.

The Verge

System Upgrade – The New York Times (free article)

System Upgrade

We explore the new vibe in Silicon Valley.

A Twitter sign being removed in San Francisco in 2023. Credit…Jim Wilson / The New York Times

By Adam B. Kushner

I’m the editor of this newsletter.

Aug. 4, 2025, 7:03 a.m. ET

You’re reading The Morning newsletter.  Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.

Silicon Valley has transformed. No surprise there — change is its business, after all. But just as artificial intelligence will upend the economy, it has already upended the culture of the place that makes it.

America’s tech corridor holds immense influence over our future. So it’s worth understanding life there — and the people who power it. Today’s newsletter is about the new vibe in Silicon Valley. That’s the focus of several stories our tech journalists have recently reported from the world’s tech capital.

‘Shut up and grind’

Silicon Valley behemoths like Google, Apple and Facebook became famous a generation ago for pitching great lifestyle jobs: Forget the cubicles and neckties of the old economy. Come enjoy free sushi and workout classes; take breaks for Ping-Pong. Let’s change the world!

Then, around 2022, they decided they had become bloated. Meta eliminated a third of its work force. Elon Musk bought Twitter and fired three-quarters of its staff.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: System Upgrade – The New York Times

#2025 #AIImpact #America #California #DonaldTrump #FreeArticle #History #Politics #Science #SiliconValley #Technology #TechnologyJobs #TheNewYorkTimes #Trump #UnitedStates #WorkEnvironment

I am speechless.

"As far as Mr. Trump is concerned, Russia is not responsible for the war that has devastated its neighbor. Instead, he suggests that Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s invasion of it. To listen to Mr. Trump talk with reporters on Tuesday about the conflict was to hear a version of reality that would be unrecognizable on the ground in Ukraine and certainly would never have been heard from any other American president of either party.

In Mr. Trump’s telling, Ukrainian leaders were at fault for the war for not agreeing to surrender territory and therefore, he suggested, they do not deserve a seat at the table for the peace talks that he has just initiated with Mr. Putin. “You should have never started it,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Ukrainian leaders who, in fact, did not start it. “You could have made a deal.”

nytimes.com/2025/02/18/us/poli…

#USPolitcs #Trump #Ukraine #FreeArticle

Trump’s Pivot Toward Putin’s Russia Upends Generations of U.S. Policy

As peace talks opened in Saudi Arabia, President Trump made clear that the days of isolating Russia are over and suggested that Ukraine was to blame for being invaded.

The New York Times
Biden Officials Prepare for Potential Bird Flu Outbreak With Added Money

The administration is committing an additional $306 million toward battling the virus, and will distribute the money before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office.

The New York Times
The Most Revealing Moment of a Trump Rally

A close reading of the prayers delivered before the former president speaks

The Atlantic

Godspeed.

“‘The Onion is just an institution,’ Mr. Lawson said, adding: ‘It should be preserved and it should be great.’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/media/the-onion-sold.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nU0.p33b.yZxeGILP1kfr&smid=url-share

#freearticle

The Onion Sold by G/O Media

The satirical news website was bought by a new firm in Chicago that took inspiration for its name, Global Tetrahedron, from a book written by The Onion’s staff.

The New York Times
Opinion | What if Dario Amodei Is Right About A.I.?

Anthropic’s co-founder and C.E.O. explains why he thinks artificial intelligence is on an “exponential curve.”

The New York Times

This is analogous to the free speech problem. The best speech is free speech, tempered by wisdom. If only wisdom came as freely.

“Most of all, I think the choice we’ve been offered in the past year — between lawless A.I. homewreckers and censorious A.I. drones — is a false one. We can, and should, look for ways to harness the full capabilities and intelligence of A.I. systems without removing the guardrails that protect us from their worst harms.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/technology/chatbots-sydney-tamed.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Vk0.yC7T.D7xQm7rRUKjJ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

#freearticle

The Year Chatbots Were Tamed

A year ago, a rogue A.I. tried to break up my marriage. Did the backlash help make chatbots too boring?

The New York Times

"Alan Filion is accused of running a swatting service since 2022, targeting high schools, historically Black colleges and universities as well as FBI agents’ homes. For $35 to $75, Filion allegedly offered to report mass shootings, bomb threats and gas leaks among other emergencies to spark massive responses from law enforcement."

#MotherFucker

"If convicted, Filion faces 65 years in prison."

#FuckYeah!

https://wapo.st/42rs83K

#GiftLink #GiftArticile #freelink #FreeArticle

Teen accused of making hundreds of swatting calls around the country

A 17-year-old is accused of making hundreds of swatting calls targeting high schools, historically Black colleges and universities and mosques.

The Washington Post