Heron Systems AI Defeats Elite U.S. Air Force Pilot in Simulated Dogfight
August 20th, 2020Final round:
Via: Defense Daily:
Heron Systems Inc. took first place in the third and final competition in DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials (ADT) on Aug 20 between artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled F-16 simulators and U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots.
Founded in 1993, Heron is a small AI firm located near Patuxent Naval Air Station, Md.
To win the final round, Heron’s AI agent, “Falco,” took out in five separate dogfights an F-16 simulator helmed by “Banger,” an elite F-16 pilot, a graduate of the Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev.
Heron also beat out Lockheed Martin [LMT], which took second place, and six other companies. Heron’s performance was dominant, as it frequently was able to gain first shot, high aspect basic fighter maneuver (HABFM) gun kills at 3,000 feet or less against rivals.
Bill Gates Caught Off Guard When Questioned About Vaccines
August 20th, 2020Uhhh, uhhh, uhhh.
Via: John Lovell:
Scotiabank to Pay $127M in Fines for Traders’ Price Fixing of Precious Metals
August 20th, 2020Via: CBC:
The Bank of Nova Scotia has agreed to pay more than $127 million US in fines to settle criminal investigations into a price manipulation scheme in the price of precious metals that some of its traders were engaged in.
The bank has agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to settle separate probes by the Department of Justice and the U.S. commodities regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
According to an agreed upon statement of facts, between January 2008 and July 2016, four precious metals traders employed by Scotia in New York, London and Hong Kong made bogus trades to try to manipulate the price of gold, silver, platinum and palladium futures contracts.
The traders “attempted to rig precious metals futures prices in their favour by placing thousands of orders they knew they would cancel before the trades were executed,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said, describing a financial practice known as “spoofing.”
“In this way, they sought to illegally manipulate the market to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of other traders.”
Alexei Navalny: Russian Opposition Leader Poisoned
August 20th, 2020The Kremlin said that it wished Mr Navalny a “speedy recovery”.
Via: BBC:
Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is unconscious in hospital suffering from suspected poisoning, his spokeswoman has said.
The anti-corruption campaigner fell ill during a flight and the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, Kira Yarmysh said, adding that they suspected something had been mixed into his tea.
The Kremlin said that it wished Mr Navalny a “speedy recovery”.
Mr Navalny, 44, has been a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin.
In June he described a vote on constitutional reforms as a “coup” and a “violation of the constitution”. The reforms allow Mr Putin to serve another two terms in office.
Live French Air-to-Air Missile Sent to Florida Company
August 20th, 2020There are many stories about this incident that don’t mention anything at all about how this could have happened. The Popular Mechanics piece below offers:
The Matra Super 530 is an older, obsolete radar-guided missile. Draken flies the French-made Mirage F1M multi-role fighter, which was equipped with the Matra Super 530 during its military service. It’s possible a live 530 was accidentally slipped into a shipment of parts purchased by Draken.
Hmm.
Via: Popular Mechanics:
A Florida airport called in the U.S. Air Force last week after discovering a live air-to-air missile. Officials at Lakeland Linder International Airport found the Matra 530 missile in a shipment to a defense contractor that uses the airport to house its fleet of fighter jets. The weapon was transferred to MacDill Air Force Base for disposal.
Authorities found the live missile in a shipment to Draken International, which specializes in providing pilots and fighter jets to fly against U.S. military pilots and air defense systems in realistic, real-world training. Draken has a fleet of 150 older jets retired from military services around the world, including the U.S., Czech Republic, South Africa, and France.
Study: Everyone Develops Long-Term Coronavirus Immunity After Infection
August 20th, 2020Via: Business Insider:
A study published Friday in the journal Cell suggests that everyone who gets COVID-19 – even people with mild or asymptomatic cases – develops T cells that can hunt down the coronavirus if they get exposed again later.
“Memory T cells will likely prove critical for long-term immune protection against COVID-19,” the study authors wrote, adding that they “may prevent recurrent episodes of severe COVID-19.”
That’s because memory T cells can stick around for years, while antibody levels drop following an infection.
Study: Robust T cell immunity in convalescent individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19
Doctors Write Open Letter to Fauci Regarding Use of Hydroxychloroquine for Treating COVID-19
August 20th, 2020Via: The Desert Review:
Dear Dr. Fauci:
You were placed into the most high-profile role regarding America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Americans have relied on your medical expertise concerning the wearing of masks, resuming employment, returning to school, and of course medical treatment.
You are largely unchallenged in terms of your medical opinions. You are the de facto “COVID-19 Czar.” This is unusual in the medical profession in which doctors’ opinions are challenged by other physicians in the form of exchanges between doctors at hospitals, medical conferences, as well as debate in medical journals. You render your opinions unchallenged, without formal public opposition from physicians who passionately disagree with you. It is incontestable that the public is best served when opinions and policy are based on the prevailing evidence and science, and able to withstand the scrutiny of medical professionals.
What’s Behind the Fed’s Manufactured Coin Shortage?
August 20th, 2020Via: BestEvidence:
Big Pharma’s Covid-19 Profiteers
August 20th, 2020Via: Rolling Stone:
The business model for Big Pharma is brilliant. A substantial portion of research and development for new drugs is funded by the state, which then punts its intellectual work to private companies, who are then allowed to extract maximum profits back from the same government, which has over decades formalized an elaborate process of negotiating against itself in these matters.
“National Debt To Surpass $78 Trillion By 2028: What It Means For Americans”
August 20th, 2020So it goes…
Via: Forbes:
The coronavirus pandemic pushed the government into the proverbial corner, prompting it to borrow heavily from the future to ward off a serious threat today. Without this intervention, the U.S. economy would be in a much worse recession or possibly even a depression. Even though borrowing excessively may have been the lesser of two evils, the burgeoning debt will have ramifications in the future. With the debt approaching $27 trillion, and projected to rise to $78 trillion by 2028, it will present significant challenges.
…
…with an already burgeoning debt, which is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, additional debt will create systemic problems which, at some point, may be impossible to escape.
