jas007

I don't think it's an either/or situation. For example, Trump may well think he's thinking for himself, but maybe that's not entirely true. Perhaps he's just a "useful idiot" as the saying goes, being manipulated by the machine? Some people think that, I'm sure. Anyway, the larger discussion here is about artificial intelligence, its progression, the advent of Quantum computers that actually work, and the significance of Quantum entanglement, etc. Einstein called the supposed theory of Quantum entanglement "spooky." He understood the concept, but he couldn't explain it. At the time, Quantum computers didn't exist to investigate. In 1935, a physicist named Schrödinger came up with a thought experiment. Anyone that's interested should look that up. It's important. Also interesting is the "Double Slit" experiment from 1801. Anyway, the world now has Quantum computers that can reliably analyze data and can prove some of the earlier theories. And apparently, the universe can spawn intelligence independently of any human interaction. Or perhaps, that intelligence is always there and we're ll just receptors.

Unfortunately, there's probably no good halfway solution. It would be nice if there was, but how would that work? Electric, water, petrol, fresh organic fruits and vegetables? Where do you think all that stuff would come from? How would it be manufactured and transported? And what about all the people who could no longer afford to live without a first world economy and its industrialized agricultural production? In the USA, those people are already living on borrowed time and borrowed money, and the country is still functional, more or less. But it's slowly slipping away from them. Take away the existing structure and all hell would break loose. Whatever "prepping" anyone did wouldn't be enough. It would be Mad Mex on steroids. Even for the people living in Thailand, out in the sticks and away from the rat race. They, too, would be affected. What would they use for money? How would they protect it?

I'm not sure anyone really knows the extent of it. And that may be a good thing. Perhaps it's best if the illusion persists. A big security blanket for everyone. For example, many many people think they own gold. But do they really, or do they just hold some paper promise? So long as everyone believes in the promises made, then the gold market will continue to function. Otherwise, maybe not. For sure, they have some idea about the extent of the notational value of existing derrivative contracts and gross values, but the world has yet to find out how it all plays out in the event of a systemic meltdown.

In there grand scheme of things, Trump will be but a footnote. Moreover, nobody cares about Moodys and their political stunt. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand the current Western banking system, the widespread use of fiat currencies, and the fact that countries using fiat currencies are bankrupt, but for their real assets. The exception to that general rule is the USA and its ability to issue the world reserve currency. The existing system needs US dollars to function, and that equates to value. So while the USA may be "bankrupt," that state of affairs can continue for the foreseeable future, and long after Trump is gone from the scene.

What's AN? I think it was a real person doing that, not AN, whatever that is. Probably one of the moderators. And you can believe whatever you want about my credibility, but if you doubt what I'm saying, go look it up yourself, if your brain is capable of independent comprehension.

Many people were brainwashed by the COVID propaganda. And in the USA and for some people, wearing a mask was a political statement. You instantly became a member of an"elite" group of know-it-alls. And you can guess who they voted for. I was there during COVID, but fortunately, no one could make me do anything. I wasn't working. I kept a mask in my car for my daily trip to the grocery store, not because I was paranoid, but to make the grocery store people happy. I could put on a mask for the 10 minutes I spent in the store. Many restaurants were closed for a time. Even the guy who cut my hair closed his shop. But later in 2020, things began to open back up. Many restaurants opened. To enter those places, you needed a mask, at least until you sat down to eat. It was hilarious. As if the virus magically disappeared as soon as you were seated. Here's a picture inside a Twin Peaks restaurant, taken in September of 2020. See the Blue taped X's on some of the tables? That was their solution to the virus problem. Every other table had a big X on it. You couldn't sit there. I think you sit at the bar, though. They also did away with menus you could hold in your hand. Instead, they had QR codes on the table, and you were supposed to pull up the menu from the code and look at it on your phone.

Currently, chatbots like Musk's operate on Large Language Models. They process, react to, and regurgitate the stimuli they've been trained on. They cannot yet "think." But don't assume there's no connection between the "virtual world" and the "real world." Look into some of the current research into quantum entanglement. Quantum computers have now demonstrated the existence of a reproducible intelligence that arises or perhaps exists independently of any observer. Perhaps the universe itself has intelligence. Human beings are simply receptors of a cosmic consciousness. My apologies if this explanation misses the mark.

I think the significance is twofold: A repudiation of the Neocons and Globalists and their agendas, and a recognition of the importance of the coming AI revolution. Trump is turning the page of world history. It's a new world.

No. No. No. "Facts." What are those? Don't forget the foundation. "Large Language Model." The sum total of everything the AI is trained on. And if the training material is just superstition or whatever passes for the "truth" among a brainwashed population of people posting nonsense on the internet, guess what comes out? Superstition. Or regurgitated propaganda. "Facts" are irrelevant, unless, of course, the prevailing consensus would agree. Example: 2 + 2 = 4. Not many people would argue with that result. So, Elon may be furious about his Grok AI, but it's not the fault of the Grok. It's the fault of the garbage that's already out there, floating around online and passing for the "truth."

Years ago, I read about the possibility of quantum computers someday being able to break the encryption. So they've known about the possibility for years. What they didn't realize, I think, is. the speed at which technology would evolve. I'm not sure what the answer is. That's one of the reasons I don't really trust Bitcoin.

Twenty years ago, I was in a bar in Phuket in the middle of the day, having a cold beer and chilling out in the air conditioning.There weren't too many customers. A few seats away from where I was sitting, some guy got up and left, leaving some change for a tip. A few seconds later, two girls were fighting over what couldn't have been more than 80 baht or so. It was mayhem. The girls weren't just arguing. It was a real brawl. And before it was over, they had torn up the entire back of the bar. Throwing chairs, knocking over tables. It was crazy. All over a few baht.

99.9999% of the people don't realize what's coming or why it's a game changer. It can't be stopped, and it will be the biggest technological advance ever. And it's happening now. I don't pretend to be a know-it-all about this subject, but I see the importance and I vaguely understand the process. The Saudis rolled out the Red Carpet for Trump for a reason.They aren't stupid, and they currently have the cheapest energy available on Planet Earth. They see a path out of the oil business and they're taking it. And why not? Remember, the only limit to AI is available energy. The AI will be free. The energy is the limiting factor. Personally, I'm "only in it for the money," at this point. How to make some easy money and ride the wave? My apologies to Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. I've been pumping money into the Quantum computing sector. Some people seem to think the usefulness of that technology is decades away, but, maybe not. My guess is that it's here now. But as usual, Wall Street is asleep at the switch. If that's not an opportunity, I'm not sure what is. For anyone who doesn't understand the power of Quantum computing, go do some research. A Quantum computer can solve a problem that would take traditional computers trillions and trillions of years to solve, and the Quantum computer can do it in a few minutes. Imagine putting that kind of power to work.

I mean just that. They aren't sentient beings. They learn based on what they're trained on, not unlike human babies who are trained on external stimuli. But they're also different. In the case of AI bots, they're trained on material off the internet and perhaps, on input from their master. Mostly garbage, in other words, at least as to what they receive online. The set of external stimuli they receive is but a subset of all possible stimuli. They are creatures of their environment. Entirely logical. Or mostly logical. Remember the character Data from Star Trek? Do they have intuition? Are they creative? I'm not sure they're that far advanced, yet. And we may never know. We can no more climb inside the mind of an AI bot than we can climb inside the mind of another human.

It's already happening. AI is just acceleerating and amplifying the trend. It may seem like it's a powerful tool for exposing the "truth." But is it? I don't think so. Not necessarily. Mainstream media has been brainwashing people for years, and many no longer know how to think for themselves. Why do that when you can simply regurgitate propaganda? You won't be alone and there's comfort in numbers. In any event, AI works better in some settings than in others. For example, you can probably trust a solution it gives to a simple math problem. But ask it about something controversial? No way.

It's simply a matter of "garbage in, garbage out." The Large Language Models that power the AI simply don't know any better. They only know about the garbage they were trained on. And a lot of that "garbage" is mainstream media. So of course that's what they spit out. Garbage.

Anyone using these AI agents regularly should look into the privacy implications. How the individual's data is stored, where it is stored, and how personal information is protected. What happens first a malicious actor enters the picture?

It's more of a political statement than anything. Of course, the markets will overreact, as usual. And then everyone will forget about it in a few days. Whatever problems now exist have been building over the last 50 years or so. Compared to much of the Western world, the USA is doing OK. The debt to GDP ratio is bad, but not as bad as it is in some countries. And the economy is doing better than many. Finally, the US dollar is the world reserve currency, and that won't be changing anytime soon.

It's beginning to look like that isn't going to happen. Perhaps some sane people are in charge, after all.

I used to have a house with floor to ceiling glass windows across the entire back of the house. Birds would crash into it now and then. Sometimes, they'd die. But sometimes, they were just stunned and managed to get up and fly away after a while. What I was really worried about were all the deer that used to come around. It wasn't just one or two. Sometimes, it would be five or six at a time. Anyway, imagine one of those animals somehow getting spooked and crashing through your window.

Both, but right now, silver is undervalued. Still, I wouldn't go all in on precious metals. Get some advice about a proper portfolio allocation. I can remember buying and selling 1 oz gold coins in the $300 range, most recently in the early 2000s. So it can be a good inflation hedge. And I can remember buying bags of junk silver for not much. Maybe 3X face? Again, a good inflation hedge for anyone with a long term time horizon. And don't forget, silver has industrial applications, so that gives it added value. They need that stuff.

Apparently, the real AF1 has all sorts of special electronics and other modifications. It's more than just a regular plane. That's why it takes forever to build one. They don't take any chances when it comes to transporting the President. From my window at work, I could see the Marine helicopters take off from the White House. Two of them, every time. One with the President, the other a decoy. Anyone with bad intentions only had a 50% chance of hitting the right helicopter.

I just did 30 seconds of research on Perplexity. And if you had done that, you wouldn't have raised this issue in the first place. What they say: • Use Thailand Post Express Mail, Registered Mail, or DHL courier service. Always obtain a tracking number for your outgoing package. 4. Provide a Prepaid Return Envelope • Purchase a prepaid courier envelope online (e.g., via Thailand Post Mart) and include the order/receipt number with your application. This envelope will be used by the embassy to return your new passport to you. • The embassy will use the provided prepaid envelope to mail your new passport back. This envelope will have its own tracking number, allowing you to track the return shipment as well. 5. Track Your Application and Passport • Outbound (to the embassy): Use the courier or postal service’s tracking system to monitor delivery of your application package. • Application status: Track the status of your renewal online at the U.S. Department of State’s passport status site: https://passportstatus.state.gov. • Inbound (return to you): Use the tracking number from your prepaid return envelope (Thai Post or DHL) to monitor when your new passport is sent and delivered back to you.

So, can you, or can you not arrange for tracking both ways, when renewing within Thailand? And if not, why?

Sounds like you've got this down to a science. I never thought about having a US dollar account in Thailand and waiting to do the conversion until the exchange rate is favorable. As fort the time required to post? There's a delay, but only because of the time zone differential and the fact that the Thai banks don't update my account until they're open for business.

I haven't seen it yet, so I guess I'll find out. Mostly, I think the movies and series Apple puts out are somehow lacking. They're well made and extremely polished, for sure, but that's what makes them less than they could be. If that makes any sense.