Extra, Extra
The Other War: One big question about the widening of the war on Iran is how it will impact the defense of Ukraine. On one hand, Iran has been supplying Russia with a lot of drones and that could be interrupted. On the other hand, America, NATO, and the rest of the world are distracted at a moment when Zelensky needs their attention. Russian attacks on Ukraine kill at least 14 people.
+ Data Center Centralization: “Last month, Sam Altman, the chief executive of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, donned a helmet, work boots and a luminescent high-visibility vest to visit the construction site of the company’s new data center project in Texas. Bigger than New York’s Central Park, the estimated $60 billion project, which has its own natural gas plant, will be one of the most powerful computing hubs ever created when completed as soon as next year. Around the same time as Mr. Altman’s visit to Texas, Nicolás Wolovick, a computer science professor at the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, was running what counts as one of his country’s most advanced A.I. computing hubs. It was in a converted room at the university, where wires snaked between aging A.I. chips and server computers.” NYT (Gift Article): The Global A.I. Divide.
+ Imitator Tots: “Words like ‘prowess’ and ‘tapestry,’ which are favored by ChatGPT, are creeping into our vocabulary, while words like ‘bolster,’ ‘unearth,’ and ‘nuance,’ words less favored by ChatGPT, have declined in use. Researchers are already documenting shifts in the way we speak and communicate as a result of ChatGPT — and they see this linguistic influence accelerating into something much larger.” The Verge: You sound like ChatGPT.
+ Meatpacking Byproducts: “For decades, this old railroad hub was stuck. Some employers departed, Union Pacific cut rail-yard positions and young people fled. Now, officials are pinning their hopes on a slaughterhouse, which promises an economic jolt but represents a risky bet and a crucial question: Will Americans work there?” WSJ (Gift Article): A New Meatpacking Plant’s Novel Pitch to Attract American Workers.
+ He Delivered: “Smith once told The Associated Press that he came up with the name Federal Express because he wanted the company to sound big and important when in fact it was a start-up operation with a future far from assured.” His company definitely grew into its name. FedEx founder Fred Smith, who revolutionized package delivery, dies at 80.
+ Moby Slick: “Killer whales have been observed mutually grooming each other with a type of seaweed, the first known instance of a marine animal using tools in a way that was previously thought to be the preserve of primates such as humans.”
