April 19 2024
Robotic overlord
1 Boston Dynamics releases new humanoid robot
2 AI to consume more power than India by 2030
3 Water supply hacked in TX town
4 House Select Committee on China releases report on CCP involvement in fentanyl trade
5 Iran oil exports hit 6-year high
4/19/1775 American Revolution begins at Battle of Lexington
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1 Boston Dynamics releases new humanoid robot
This week we announced the retirement of our hydraulic Atlas and unveiled what comes next—a fully electric Atlas robot designed for real-world applications. The next generation of the Atlas program builds on decades of research and furthers our commitment to delivering the most capable, useful mobile robots solving the toughest challenges in industry today: with Spot, with Stretch, and now with Atlas. A decade ago, we were one of the only companies putting real R&D effort into humanoid robots. Now the landscape in the robotics industry is very different. Our customers have seen success with Spot and Stretch and they are eager to tackle the next challenge with Atlas. Given our track record of successful commercialization, we are confident in our plan to not just create an impressive R&D project, but to deliver a valuable solution.
2 AI to consume more power than India by 2030
AI’s voracious need for computing power is threatening to overwhelm energy sources, requiring the industry to change its approach to the technology, according to Arm Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Rene Haas. By 2030, the world’s data centers are on course to use more electricity than India, the world’s most populous country, Haas said. Finding ways to head off that projected tripling of energy use is paramount if artificial intelligence is going to achieve its promise, he said.
3 Water supply hacked in TX town
In January, an alert citizen in Muleshoe, Tex., was driving by a park and noticed that a water tower was overflowing. Authorities soon determined the system that controlled the city’s water supply had been hacked. In two hours, tens of thousands of gallons of water had flowed into the street and drain pipes. The hackers posted a video online of the town’s water-control systems and a nearby town being manipulated, showing how they reset the controls. In the video on the messaging platform Telegram, they called themselves Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR). “We’re starting another raid on the USA,” the video caption reads in Russian, with the hackers saying they would show how they exploited “a couple critical infrastructure facilities, namely water supply systems.” It was followed by a smiley face emoji. If confirmed, analysts say it would mark a worrisome escalation by Moscow in its attempts to disrupt critical U.S. infrastructure by targeting one of its weakest sectors: water utilities. The hacking group, which private sector analysts once dubbed Sandworm, has achieved notoriety for briefly turning out the lights in parts of Ukraine at least three different times; hacking the Olympics Opening Games in South Korea in 2018; and launching NotPetya, one of the most damaging cyberattacks ever that cost businesses worldwide tens of billions of dollars.
4 House Select Committee on China releases report on CCP involvement in fentanyl trade
Following a months-long investigation, Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party revealed their findings of the Chinese Communist Party’s role in the deadly fentanyl epidemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
The Select Committee's investigation has established that the PRC government, under the control of the CCP:
Directly subsidizes the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics through tax rebates.
Gave monetary grants and awards to companies openly trafficking illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics.
Holds ownership interest in several PRC companies tied to drug trafficking.
Fails to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers.
Allows the open sale of fentanyl precursors and other illicit materials on the extensively monitored and controlled PRC internet.
Censors content about domestic drug sales, but leaves export-focused narcotics content untouched.
Strategically and economically benefits from the fentanyl crisis.
House Select Committee on China
5 Iran oil exports hit 6-year high
Iran is exporting more oil than at any time for the past six years, giving its economy a $35bn-a-year boost even as western countries discuss stepping up sanctions in response to its attack on Israel. Tehran sold an average of 1.56mn barrels a day during the first three months of the year, almost all of it to China and its highest level since the third quarter of 2018, according to data company Vortexa.
But analysts say Washington is disinclined to strictly enforce the “maximum pressure” sanctions regime introduced in 2018 by then-president Donald Trump, citing a reluctance by President Joe Biden’s administration to introduce an inflationary choke on global oil supply in a US election year.
4/19/1775 American Revolution begins at Battle of Lexington
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