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Monday, May 19, 2025

Florida real estate prices are in decline again -- and this time, real estate experts say, the costs of living with climate change may deepen the down phase of the usual boom-and-bust cycle.


U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced Thursday he is asking Congress to reimburse Texas $11.1 billion for border security costs.


Science fiction author Neal Stephenson has suggested AIs should be allowed to fight other AIs, because evolution brings balance to ecosystems, but also thinks humans should stop using AI before it dumbs down our species. read more


A simple question --- what benefits to Americans have the DOGE cuts provided?


Uncle Sam's consumer watchdog has scrapped plans to implement Biden-era rules that would've treated certain data brokers as credit bureaus, forcing them to follow stricter laws when flogging Americans' sensitive data. read more


Comments

@#13 ... $170 Billion so far. ...

www.theregister.com (April 20, 2025)

... That number is roughly echoed by a DOGE savings tracker, updated weekly, that purports to show "estimated savings" of $155 billion so far at time of writing - supposedly with receipts.

But those receipts seem to be a bit, well, questionable. As numerous outlets have reported, the data shared on DOGE's website has been riddled with mistakes, with inflated cuts, credit claimed for contracts terminated years ago, and claims of contract cancellations that appeared to be incorrect. ...


@#8 ... This is your brain on dementia. ...

I disagree.

For example, here's another performer that hits it out of the park ...

Renaissance - At The Harbour (1973)
www.youtube.com

Lyrics excerpt ...

genius.com

...
Out at daybreak to the sun
Seas are drifting glass
The tides were turning to the storm
Winds were moving fast

Women waiting at the harbour
Silent stand around
Weather storms another day
For men the sea had found

Fishermen were laying nets
The barrels spread the bait
The seagulls warning echoed round
Winds that wouldn't wait

People gathered at the harbour
Waiting for the tide
Eyes half closed against the spray
And tears they cannot hide

Shadows falling at the harbour
Women stand around
Weather storms another way
For men the sea have drowned

Hulls were creaking crashing sails
Rains were slating down
The oilskins flapping, decks awash
Slanting turning round

Thunder roaring at the harbour
Women drawn in fear
Huddle up to wait the time
And pray the sky will clear
Howling winds and the raging waves
Cracked upon the boats
And torn from safety, torn from life

Men with little hope
Ghostly echoes at the harbour
Whispering of death
Women weeping holding hands
Of those they still have left

Shadows falling at the harbour
Women stand around
Weather storms another way
For men the sea have drowned
...


Yeah, they don't write lyrics like that anymore.


@#13

Hey, you commented on a Country Dick Montana (Beat Farmers) tune I posted recently.

Here's another...

Country Dick Montana - Little Balls of Yarn (1987)
www.youtube.com

Not surprisingly, I cannot find lyrics for this tune. Too obscure.


And, yes, R.I.P. Country Dick Montana.

A writer and performer of interesting songs.



@#3

More info ...

Gartner hype cycle
en.wikipedia.org

... The Gartner hype cycle is a graphical presentation developed, used and branded by the American research and advisory firm Gartner to represent the maturity, adoption, and social application of specific technologies.

The hype cycle framework was introduced in 1995 by Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn[1] to provide a graphical and conceptual presentation of the maturity of emerging technologies through five phases.[2] ...

Five phases
General hype cycle for technology

Each hype cycle drills down into the five key phases of a technology's life cycle.

1. Technology trigger
A potential technology breakthrough kicks things off. Early proof-of-concept stories and media interest trigger significant publicity. Often no usable products exist and commercial viability is unproven.

2. Peak of inflated expectations
Early publicity produces a number of success stories"often accompanied by scores of failures. Some companies take action; most do not.

3. Trough of disillusionment
Interest wanes as experiments and implementations fail to deliver. Producers of the technology shake out or fail. Investment continues only if the surviving providers improve their products to the satisfaction of early adopters.

4. Slope of enlightenment
More instances of the technology's benefits start to crystallize and become more widely understood. Second- and third-generation products appear from technology providers. More enterprises fund pilots; conservative companies remain cautious.

5. Plateau of productivity
Mainstream adoption starts to take off. Criteria for assessing provider viability are more clearly defined. The technology's broad market applicability and relevance are clearly paying off. If the technology has more than a niche market, then it will continue to grow.[5]

The term "hype cycle" and each of the associated phases are now used more broadly in the marketing of new technologies. ...



Yeah, we currently seem to be in Phase 2 regarding AI.

OK, put into a simple graphic, the Gartner Hype cycle for new technology ...

[image]
hmestrum.blogs.com

My guess is that, regarding AI, we are currently residing in the peak of inflated expectations in that chart.


The technology adoption life cycle attractor: Understanding the dynamics of high-tech markets (2004)
www.sciencedirect.com

... Abstract
Unlike more stable industries, high-tech firms must constantly be in a strategy development phase. These companies are in desperate need of assistance in strategy formulation. This paper introduces a quantitative (rather than subjective) approach to help high-tech firms to understand their position in the technology adoption life cycle using some of the principles and tools of Chaos and Complexity theories. ...

The technology adoption life cycle

The technology adoption life cycle is a means for classifying the market and its reaction to a high-tech product. ...

Defining the technology adoption life cycle
To address this problem, it is necessary to first provide a clear definition of the technology adoption life cycle and its phases. For the purposes of this work, the technology adoption life cycle was defined as consisting of six discrete phases roughly corresponding to the phases described by Moore [1]. These phases are as follows:

1. Innovation
2. Chasm
3. Tornado
4. Main Street
5. Decline
6. Obsolescence



OK, this one just popped up on a playlist here.

imo, a beautiful, yet obscure, song by the artist behind American Pie...

Don McLean - Winterwood (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE-hE-2xh8o

Lyrics excerpt ...

genius.com

...
[Verse 1]
No one can take your place with me
And time has proven that I'm right
There's no place I'd rather be, mm-hmm
Than at your place for the night
No time can pass your sight unseen
No moment steals away unfound
Lifetime lived in such a dream
Floats like a feather to the ground

[Chorus]
And for the first time I've been seeing
The things I'd never noticed without you
And for the first time I'm discovering
The things I used to treasure about you

[Verse 2]
The birds like leaves on Winterwood
Sing hopeful songs on dismal days
They've learned to live life as they should
They are at peace with nature's ways

You are as natural as the night
And all that springs from you is good
And the children born beneath your light
Are like the birds on Winterwood
...


Yeah, they don't write lyrics like that anymore ...

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