Links - 17th August 2020 (3)

<p><a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/sex-robots-coding-errors-prone-18992240">Sex robots with 'coding errors' prone to 'violence and could strangle humans'</a> - "He believes a simple "coding error" could turn AI girlfriends against their owners if they are equipped with free will... "It's not going to be something you can hit with a pipe and it's going to fall apart."I've always said, when a synthetic can support itself, that synthetic is going to be much stronger than a normal human."It's going to be more durable, instead of having bones it's going to have high impact, plastic or aluminium frame, it's going to be very strong, and it won't get tired, it won't stop unless it runs out of an energy supply"

<p><a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/astonomers-have-serious-concerns-about-satellite-constellations-like-starlink/amp">Astronomers Have Aired Concerns About Musk's Starlink in a Paper, And It's Intense</a> - "Picture the space around Earth filled with tens of thousands of communications satellites. That scenario is slowly coming into being, and it has astronomers concerned.Now a group of astronomers have written a paper outlining their detailed concerns, and how all of these satellites could have a severe, negative impact on ground-based astronomy. SpaceX and other companies are casting their keen capitalist eyes on the space around Earth... The authors of the report claim that all of these satellites will inevitably damage astronomical observing... Back in May 2019, Elon Musk tried to dismiss any astronomical concerns about Starlink. Among his rather brusque dismissal of criticisms was his statement that "We need to move telelscopes (sic) to orbit anyway. Atmospheric attenuation is terrible."Musk has a huge profile in the space community, so his words might have convinced some that there are no problems between Starlink and astronomy. But Musk is an entrepreneur, not a scientist... It's safe to say that the authors don't agree with Musk's glib assertion that "We need to move telelscopes (sic) to orbit anyway. Atmospheric attenuation is terrible."Maybe Musk has never heard of adaptive optics. Adaptive optics allow modern ground-based telescopes to overcome the effect of the atmosphere on observations. Upcoming telescopes like the European Extremely Large Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope feature adaptive optics at the heart of their designs.The authors also point out what should be clear to anyone who thinks about it for very long: compared to ground-based astronomy, space-based telescopes are enormously expensive. And risky... "A major limitation of space based telescopes is that they can not be maintained, refurbished or repaired after launch." The Hubble is an exception, and other space telescopes have not been maintained. Once they're done, they're done... since the FCC and other bodies in the United States have given approval to Starlink, they may be able to halt Starlink, too. They may even be obligated to under international law."
<Br><i>Doubtless the Elon Musk fanboys will refuse to believe this and continue to believe he knows more than professionals</i>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/lazerwalker/status/1260219984137068544">Em Lazer-Walker on Twitter</a> - "I'm still reeling today at learning that Elon Musk didn't actually "found" Tesla, he was an early investor and post-Series A employee who retroactively strong-armed his way into a "founder" title through politics, money, and multiple legal battles."

<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-promises-that-havent-worked-out-yet-2019-4#in-2013-musk-said-that-all-of-teslas-supercharger-stations-would-be-equipped-with-solar-panelswithin-a-few-years-that-hasnt-happened-1">Elon Musk promises about Tesla that haven't worked out yet.</a> - "In 2013, Musk said that all of Tesla's Supercharger stations would be equipped with solar panels within a few years. That hasn't happened...
Musk in 2016 said Tesla would produce 500,000 vehicles in 2018. Tesla made 254,530 vehicles during 2018...
<br>In June 2018, Musk said that Tesla was cutting 9% of its workforce so that "we never have to do this again." In January 2019, Tesla cut another 7%.
<br>In August 2018, Musk famously tweeted he has "Funding secured" to take Tesla private. The SEC later charged Musk with fraud.
<br>In January 2019, Musk said the company would be "profitable in Q1 and all quarters going forward." The company reported a loss in the first quarter."

<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130371965">Kimchi Crisis Leaves South Koreans In A Pickle</a> - "An unusually long stretch of bad weather nearly halved the latest cabbage crop, causing prices to soar. At markets in Seoul, shoppers were up before dawn fighting to buy heads of napa cabbage that once cost about $4 but now go for as much as $14... Kimchi, made of cabbage fermented in white radish, garlic and chili paste seasoning, is low in calories and rich in vitamins. It is so ubiquitous in South Korea that it is provided as a free side dish in all local restaurants from steakhouses and Chinese restaurants to pizzerias... market attendant Kim Soo-ok says other people are buying it -- and fast -- because they can't live without kimchi... One man was arrested Sunday for allegedly stealing 10 heads of cabbage from a field in South Korea's northeastern Gangwon province... "I could see why he did it," Kim Chang-wan, a Seoul businessman, said Monday of the alleged theft. "I have to get my kimchi fix with every meal or I'm not completely satiated."Concerned market sellers and produce distributors are hoping that Koreans can ride out the kimchi crisis by eating other varieties of kimchi, like the radish or green onion kind, as a substitute for the most common and popular napa cabbage kimchi... Though the mouth-scorching dish can be readily bought in stores, many people make it on their own at home -- a laborious process that requires it to be stored and fermented during the winter months. Many homes have special kimchi refrigerators that regulate temperatures to maintain the preferred level of fermentation."I don't know how long I can keep ignoring my grandkids' and my husband's demands for kimchi every meal," said Kim Hyung-sook, who lives in northern Seoul. "You're not Korean if you don't eat kimchi three times a day.""

<p><a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/2020/02/17/039i-loved-it039-korean-news-presenter-goes-bra-free-for-a-day-for-documentary">'I loved it': Korean news presenter goes bra-free for a day for documentary</a> - "News presenter Lim Hyun-ju has reignited debate on going braless after appearing on an MBC documentary on Thursday.In the program Series M: Do We Need to Wear Bras (unofficial translation), Lim went bra-free for a day. She prepared for and did a live television show without wearing a bra, and shared how she felt about it afterward.On Sunday, Lim said people had left hateful comments on her Instagram account after she shared more information and her feelings about the experiment via the social media platform.In a post on Friday, Lim said that going bra-free felt awkward at first. She found herself covering her chest with a long white scarf, even when she was alone at a photo studio.“But as I get used to shooting, I naturally took off the scarf. Fitted dress, no-bra and my smiling face. I loved it, ” she said.Going braless is a controversial issue in Korea. Some claim that wearing bras might be ultimately unhealthy, while others argue that going braless in public is radical and inappropriate... This is not the first time that Lim has brought up issues related to women’s right to choose what they wear. In 2018, Lim became the first Korean news presenter to appear on a live news program wearing glasses"

<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/04/23/satellites-track-chinese-aircraft-carrier-in-south-china-sea/#3b95a1ce2f07">Satellites Track Chinese Aircraft Carrier In South China Sea</a> - "today a revolution is happening in open-source intelligence, meaning that you do not have to have a navy to do it. This has been amply demonstrated by analysts who have been tracking a Chinese aircraft carrier as it maneuvers far out to sea. And they did it via commercially available satellite imagery.The satellite images are reminiscent of the photographs taken by scout planes in World War II."
<br><i>Of course China shills will say that the CIA has fabricated the satellite data to make China look bad</i>

<p><a href="https://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/coronavirus-plunges-canadas-economy-into-the-abyss/">Coronavirus plunges Canada's economy into the abyss</a> - "while other countries, notably the U.S., are also grappling with these same uncertainties, Canada faces a set of circumstances that leaves the economy here particularly exposed. Before most Canadians had even heard of Wuhan or the emergence of a new coronavirus, Canada’s economy was flashing warning signs. Households were buckling under their debt loads, exports were weakening and businesses were retrenching—in the fourth quarter of 2019, the last before the novel coronavirus began to spread, Canada’s economy eked out growth of just 0.3 per cent. “Canada’s economy was running at stall speed even before this,” says Rosenberg, who adds the recent collapse in oil prices alone would have tipped Canada into a mini-recession. That is going to put Canada’s eventual recovery even more at risk, and it raises a spectre that’s loomed over Canada’s economy for years—an end to the wealth-creation machine known as the Canadian housing market. “For a long time we’ve talked about what could pop a housing bubble,” says Donald. “You could pull back on the amount of people who want to buy a home, you could pull back on the amount of people who are able to buy a home, or you could see job losses.“What we’re seeing now is that almost every element that could pop a housing bubble is now in place in Canada.” Early in the crisis Larry Summers, who served as director of Obama’s National Economic Council, captured the surreal nature of this economic shock when he observed that “economic time has been stopped but financial time has not been stopped.” By that, he meant measures to slow COVID-19’s spread, like self-isolation and forced business closures, have stopped people from working and earning paycheques while decimating revenues for companies, but have not stopped the bills from piling up... even if the economy reopens for business in relatively short order, there will still be a significant lag, says Stephen Brown, senior Canada economist at Capital Economics. He points to those parts of China where isolation orders have been lifted and people allowed to return to work. His firm’s daily activity gauge for China, which tracks things like freight traffic, property sales and electricity consumption, is running at 80 per cent of capacity. “People are still worried about going outside,” he says. “Everyone is well aware there could be another outbreak and you might have to repeat the whole process again.”... a lot depends on how long these measures are in place. “It probably will be a V-shaped recovery if the shutdown is weeks or a month because people are very resilient,” says Livio Di Matteo, a professor of economics at Lakehead University. “If it stays shut down for six months—well, that’s a different ball game.” It’s a scenario economists are struggling to model and understand. “The reopening of the economy will not depend on traditional economic drivers like demand and supply, but on the evolution of the health crisis,” says Donald. “As long as COVID-19 case counts are rising, this economy is not going to reopen and people will not be rehired. For the first time we are running economic analysis based off of health forecasts, of which we have very limited visibility and experience.” Layered onto the COVID-19 crisis is the devastating impact of the collapse in oil prices... “If you bank with someone you owe money to, you need to change banks,” he says, pointing to a bank’s right to seize funds to cover debts, which could also put business and joint accounts at risk. “When times get tough people get desperate,” he says. “So do banks.” One of the things that makes this moment so confounding is that we’re stranded between two economic worlds. Because of the standard delays in reporting statistics, upcoming economic data will relate to an old world that no longer exists. At the same time, we have no idea what the new world will look like.  “As much as the next three months will be incredibly impactful, we need to monitor how many structural elements of our economy are about to change,” says Donald. “This is a short-term shock with extremely long-term repercussions.”"

<p><a href="https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2020/03/31/chinese-daily-lianhe-zaobao-removes-its-poll-of-public-views-on-holding-an-election-during-the-ongoing-coronavirus-pandemic/">Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao removes its poll of public views on holding an election during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic</a> - "In a separate poll by Yahoo Singapore, with the question, “Should Singapore hold a general election amid the COVID-19 pandemic?”, more than 1,100 voters (85%) of the voters answered “NO”, with only 11% answered “YES”, and another 4% said that it doesn’t matter to them.However, the recent poll on Lianhe Zaobao is no longer on the website as seen by TOC earlier today (31 March), raising doubts on whether the site removed the poll as the results contradicted the government’s hint that an early election might be called... Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned that the election can still be conducted with social media and the Internet as long as the proper measures are in place, although it might not be the most ideal solution."

<p><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/88735/why-arizona-iced-tea-cheaper-water">Why Is AriZona Iced Tea Cheaper Than Water?</a> - "The fact that AriZona has been able to resist inflation for nearly a quarter-century is impressive. The fact that the cans usually wind up being cheaper than smaller soft drinks is also impressive, until you begin to realize how strange it is that a vat of iced tea and its accompanying ingredients somehow manages to be less expensive than plain water... Unlike water titans Coke (which distributes Dasani), Evian, or Fiji, AriZona has virtually no advertising dollars invested in their teas. "We feel like it's more important to spend money on something that our customer really cares about, instead of buying billboards or putting our cans in the hands of some celebrity for a few minutes""

<p><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/flamingos-mumbai-india-coronavirus-lockdown_n_5eaae1bfc5b634687cb46397?ri18n=true&ncid=engmodushpmg00000004">Thousands Of Flamingos Take Over India's Largest City Amid Coronavirus Lockdown</a> - "Mumbai, India — under lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 — finds itself suddenly playing host to a massive influx of flamingos."