The Irony Of Trump’s New ‘War On Drugs’: Recalling The History Of CIA Narco Trafficking
October 18th, 2025Via: ZeroHedge:
For those who are aware of the CIA’s 20th century decades-long legacy in Latin America, the idea that the United States government and its intelligence agencies are fundamentally and on principle stand against drug trafficking is laughable.
There was a time, not too far back in history, where the CIA itself was the biggest narco-trafficker in United States and perhaps the entire Western hemisphere (if not the world). This was to fund regime change and covert operations in Latin America after a belated Congressional crackdown on taxpayer funding for black ops.
‘Wetware’: Scientists Use Human Mini-Brains to Power Computers
October 17th, 2025Via: AFP:
Inside a lab in the picturesque Swiss town of Vevey, a scientist gives tiny clumps of human brain cells the nutrient-rich fluid they need to stay alive.
It is vital these mini-brains remain healthy, because they are serving as rudimentary computer processors — and unlike your laptop, once they die, they cannot be rebooted.
This new field of research, called biocomputing or “wetware”, aims to harness the evolutionarily honed yet still mysterious computing power of the human brain.
During a tour of Swiss start-up FinalSpark’s lab, co-founder Fred Jordan told AFP he believes that processors using brain cells will one day replace the chips powering the artificial intelligence boom.
The supercomputers behind AI tools like ChatGPT currently use silicon semiconductors to simulate the neurons and networks of the human brain.
“Instead of trying to mimic, let’s use the real thing,” Jordan said.
AI Has a Cargo Cult Problem
October 17th, 2025Via: Financial Times:
Is it just a Ponzi scheme? That is the question that currently haunts American tech — and wider markets — as the valuation of artificial intelligence-linked groups soars to evermore eye-popping heights.
Indeed, calculations by the FT suggests that ten lossmaking AI start-ups — such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI — now command a collective valuation of close to $1tn, while venture capital has poured $161bn into AI overall this year.
More startling still, few of these entities expect to turn a profit anytime soon — and these valuations are being boosted by variants of cross-cutting vendor financing, like recent deals between OpenAI, Nvidia, Oracle, AMD and Broadcom.
The net result is a pattern of circular flows that echo some of the hairball of interconnections that emerged between banks and insurance companies via credit derivatives before 2008. And those, remember, resulted in unseen concentrations of risk — and subsequent contagion when the bubble burst.
Starshield: Classified Network of SpaceX Satellites Emitting Mysterious Signal
October 17th, 2025Via: NPR:
A constellation of classified defense satellites built by the commercial company SpaceX is emitting a mysterious signal that may violate international standards, NPR has learned.
Satellites associated with the Starshield satellite network appear to be transmitting to the Earth’s surface on frequencies normally used for doing the exact opposite: sending commands from Earth to satellites in space. The use of those frequencies to “downlink” data runs counter to standards set by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency that seeks to coordinate the use of radio spectrum globally.
…
The band of the radio spectrum he found himself looking at, between 2025-2110 MHz, is reserved for “uplinking” data to orbiting satellites. That means there shouldn’t be any signals coming from space in that range.
But Tilley’s experienced eye noticed there appeared to be a signal coming down from the sky. It was in a part of the band “that should have nothing there,” he said. “I got a hold of my mouse and hit the record button and let it record for a few minutes.”
…
It’s unclear what the satellite constellation is up to. Starlink, SpaceX’s public satellite internet network, operates at much higher frequencies to enable the transmission of broadband data. Starshield, by contrast, is using a much lower frequency range that probably only allows for the transmission of data at rates closer to 3G cellular, Tilley says.
Tilley says he believes the decision to downlink in a band typically reserved for uplinking data could also be designed to hide Starshield’s operations. The frequent shift in specific frequencies used could prevent outsiders from finding the signal.
Gifford says another possibility is that SpaceX was just taking advantage of a quiet part of the radio spectrum. Uplink transmissions from Earth to satellites are usually rare and brief, so these frequencies probably remain dark most of the time.
“SpaceX is smart and savvy,” he says. It’s possible they decided to just “do it and ask forgiveness later.”
To Those Enjoying the Ride on the Gold and Silver Rocket Ship…
October 16th, 2025Warning: Not financial advice.
If your investment time horizon with gold and/or silver is years or decades, it’s probably safe to ignore this.
But…
If your outlook is shorter term, or you FOMOed in recently, familiarize yourself with the Bump and Run Reversal as the metals keep squeezing higher:
As the name implies, the Bump and Run Reversal (BARR) is a reversal pattern that forms after excessive speculation drives prices up too far, too fast. Developed by Thomas Bulkowski, the pattern was introduced in the June-97 issue of Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities and included in his book, the Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns.
The pattern was originally named the Bump and Run Formation, or BARF. Bulkowski decided that Wall Street was not ready for such an acronym and changed the name to Bump and Run Reversal. Bulkowski identified three main phases to the pattern: lead-in, bump, and run. We will examine these phases and also look at volume and pattern validation.
Consider paring down long positions, or buying protective put options.
Trump Authorizes Covert CIA Operations in Venezuela
October 16th, 2025Via: CBC:
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in U.S. efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
The New York Times first reported the classified directive, citing U.S. officials familiar with the decision, saying the Trump administration’s Venezuela strategy aims to remove Maduro from power. The administration has offered $50 million US for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.
Trump said he authorized the action because large amounts of drugs were entering the United States from Venezuela, much of it trafficked by sea.
“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said.
Mass Production of CATL’s New ‘Naxtra’ Sodium Battery Begins in December
October 16th, 2025Via: Ben Alexxander:
More: CATL’s Naxtra Battery Sets New Safety and Performance Standards
New Zealand: Secret Notes Related to Five Eyes Countries Preparations for War with China Found at Op Shop
October 16th, 2025Even more hilarious than the circumstances related to this story is the fact that New Zealand plays any role at all in planning for a military conflict with China.
Anyway, enjoy the Comedy Gold…
Via: Newsroom:
Last year, on May 13-16, New Zealand military staff attended a “Five Eyes community Combined Digital Leaders Forum” at Britain’s Royal Navy Warfighting Centre in Portsmouth.
…
After the four-day meeting the neat-handwriting defence officer returned to Wellington. But instead of putting the SECRET-level notes and documents in a safe at Defence Headquarters, it appears they were left at a home.
Nothing happened for a year. Then in August 2025 a shopper browsing through a pile of op shop goods made a most surprising discovery. The trove of secret documents from the Portsmouth meetings had been accidentally donated to a Hutt Valley Salvation Army store.
Research Credit: RB
Generals and Chatbots
October 15th, 2025
Via: Business Insider:
It’s not just the civilian corporate executives and white-collar workers who are leaning into the generative AI boom at work. Military leaders are diving in too.
The top US Army commander in South Korea shared that he is experimenting with generative AI chatbots to sharpen his decision-making, not in the field, but in command and daily work.
He said “Chat and I” have become “really close lately.”
“I’m asking to build, trying to build models to help all of us,” said Maj. Gen. William ‘Hank’ Taylor, commanding general of the 8th Army, told reporters during a media roundtable at the annual Association of the United States Army conference in Washington, DC, on Monday.
Taylor said he’s using the tech to explore how he makes military and personal decisions that affect not just him but the thousands of soldiers he oversees. While the tech is useful, though he acknowledged that keeping up with the pace of such rapidly developing technology is an enduring challenge.
“As a commander, I want to make better decisions,” the general shared. “I want to make sure that I make decisions at the right time to give me the advantage.”
Related: AI Hallucinations Are Getting Worse, Not Better
Gavin de Becker on The Highwire
October 14th, 2025Via: The Highwire:
