Africa's martyred Christians

"If you are a praying type, please pray for these people in Africa. They do not deserve this. If you are the letter writing type and would like to write to our government condemning these acts - don't bother. Why? Ever since Obama, our government does not care about these matters."   

Going to church this morning? We are. A nicely remodeled safe to be in church building. Many in this country will have a similar experience. But not so much in Africa. Just like when the Coptic Christians were being hunted down and killed in the Middle East by Muslims, it is so today in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. In fact, a story which is a non-story with our lap dog media is this - over Christmas week, 141 Christians were martyred by Muslims. Churches burned; villages trashed. What is our State Department doing about this? Nada. In fact, they do not blame the Muslims for the butchery. They blame - climate change.

I am reminded of my days working within a large Lutheran Church. One of the youth pastors wanted to take his family to a Muslim country and do some mission work. This was not a safe thing to do, as in that country, should you be found to be proselytizing for Christianity, it could be a death sentence. We had to scrub our church website and intentionally misspell this person's name. Why? Just in case, somebody nefarious was checking up on him or his family when he was deployed. Can you imagine us doing that to any of the Muslims who have taken up residence in south Minneapolis? Threaten them with death for just being Muslims? No - we broadcast their call to prayer five times a day.

To save these poor people in Africa, who are guilty of nothing more than practicing their faith, who can help them? The United Nations? Nope. They have been relegated to climate cops. The United States? Nope. The secularists who run our government don't care. If they do care, they hide it well. The government of Nigeria? Not yet. Maybe never. This is not only a crime against humanity, but also a crime against the Kingdom of God.

And by the way, what is it with Muslims killing Christians and Jews? Whatever happened to our "Coexist" bumper sticker campaign? Where are our peaceniks, who could protest in support of these martyred Christians? Nowhere to be found. 

Some wonder if these travesties are signs of the end times. I wonder if they are signs of the end times. With Muslims butchering Jews on October 7th, or Muslims butchering Christians over Christmas week, all these acts are horrible. Were the Muslims condemned for the massacre in Israel on October 7th? Of course not. Demonstrations were held against the State of Israel. What does this say? We not only ignore the victims of Muslim violence, in Israel's case, we blamed the victim.

If you are a praying type, please pray for these people in Africa. They do not deserve this. If you are the letter writing type and would like to write to our government condemning these acts - don't bother. Why? Ever since Obama, our government does not care about these matters.   

   

Looking over the horizon

"Time to settle in and put our seat belts on folks. 2024 is now here, and it is going to be a wild ride. If you hate change, better hide in your basement. However, if you embrace change, keeping looking over the horizon. Change is coming and coming fast."   

Saw an interesting YouTube report yesterday. It was about the hot jobs to be had in 2024. Not 2030. Not 2025. These were the hot jobs to have right now. Some I was familiar with - a couple I never heard of before (like, Datafication Manager). Anyhow, this is the trend which will carry us through the rest of the decade (and beyond). Old jobs going away, new jobs being created. 

It gave me pause to wonder about something. Joe Biden is very proud of the "14 million jobs" he has brought back into the country. Okay, I will bite. Let's assume that number is correct. What kind of jobs are they? The "new" type of jobs, or the standard jobs which are slated to go away this decade. Jobs which will be eliminated by technology are only temp jobs. Biden should at least have enough class to tell people that fact.

In Drudge this morning was a story about driverless trucks. Yes, they have been out there for a while now. But they have always had a human "co-pilot", just in case of a problem. The program has been going so well, this year they are going to ditch the human co-pilots. What does that mean? If you are a CDL truck driver, it might be time to look for a different occupation. Drivers are needed right now, but soon truck driving jobs will have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. Trucks will be the first to be autonomic, and then cars. 

I wrote an article earlier that we are teaching our kids the wrong stuff. We are preparing our kids for yesterday's jobs, yesterday's decades. We need to prepare them for tomorrow's jobs. How do we do that, when many of tomorrow's jobs have not even been invented? First off, we need to keep looking over the horizon. Watch for trends. Then we need to teach our kids critical thinking. Intuitive thinking. Teach them how to be nimble and flexible in their planning. I have said this before, this decade, as well as the ones which will follow, will be like nothing we have ever seen before.

Back in the 70's, the first company I worked for employed a "futurist". I first thought this was kind of goofy - to employ someone with such an odd title. However, every time he gave a presentation, it was spellbinding for many (including me). One time, he predicted that every home would have some kind of a home computer. And - maybe later on in the future, we will all have small computers we could carry with us. Like - say what? And now look at us. Computers, tablets, readers and cellphones in just about every house.

By the way, it was just a few years ago, if someone had told you that rockets will be sent up into space to deliver a satellite, and then the booster would return and land itself for reuse, you would suggest that person get a drug test. And now look at companies like SpaceX. This practice is becoming common. 

Speaking of SpaceX, Elon Musk wants to send hundreds, maybe a thousand rocket ships to Mars to deliver supplies for near term settlement. Is this crazy man thinking, or is this today's futurist, telling us what will happen. Stay tuned on this one!

Time to settle in and put our seat belts on folks. 2024 is now here, and it is going to be a wild ride. If you hate change, better hide in your basement. However, if you embrace change, keeping looking over the horizon. Change is coming and coming fast.   

   

Tales from the Red Sea

"The bottom line is this - if we are not going to use our assets, we need to deploy them elsewhere. Like by Taiwan. But hold on a minute - if they will be there just for show, and never to be used in anger, might as well just home port these ships."

This is the story about a bunch of goat herders, who got some high-tech weaponry from Iran, and managed to literally close down the Red Sea. The Red Sea, which is part of the Suez Canal, is no longer open for business (except for the brave or fool hearty). Most sane shipping companies who value their cargo and the wellbeing of their crews, have departed the area, and are going around the entire continent of Africa instead. That adds sea days and millions of dollars to each voyage.

Is there some kind of maritime rule which allows these goat herders to either fire rockets or drones at these ships, or try and board them? Nope. Just like when the Somali pirates try and illegally board merchant shipping by the Horn of Africa. Well holy cats! We should send our Navy over there to restore order! Done that. We have plenty of assets in the area to put an end to this nonsense. General Jack Keane said this morning we could solve this issue using our Armed Forces in one day, maybe three if we took our time.

Then what the heck is the problem? Is it fair to the shipping companies (and ultimately the consumers) to pay extra just because Iran knows how to play these goat herders from Yemen? I tell my wife all the time, just let me be in charge of our Armed Forces for one day - please! I would have our boys and girls over in that area use Yemen as target practice. I would let the bad buys see what the US Navy can do when they act out of anger. If Iran decided to get involved? Too bad for them. The Red Sea would be open for business by week's end, and the goat herders would never again mess with US.

So, what is the problem then? I am not a war hawk, just a problem solver. The problem is we have Blinken type appeasers in the White House. Walk softly and carry a little stick. Or maybe no stick what-so-ever. Try and buy off Iran with billions of undeserved dollars, rather than showing them the back of our hand. I can honestly say that as an American, I am embarrassed by how these sand bullies are kicking dirt in our faces. This is not the America who helped win World War II.

The bottom line is this - if we are not going to use our assets, we need to deploy them elsewhere. Like by Taiwan. But hold on a minute - if they will be there just for show, and never to be used in anger, might as well just home port these ships. And then some wonder why our recruiting goals were missed by such a wide margin. Why retention is in trouble. Most of our young men and women wanted to join the armed forces - not the peace corps. Just saying...

  

  

 

The enemy of US

 

"Fixing the border will not be easy. Democrats will fight us tooth and nail. The cartels will also fight us tooth and nail. The fight starting in 2025 will be divisive and ugly. And this unnecessary fight will only be due to Joe Biden his sidekick Mayorkas." 

January 10, 2024. The day a hard rain hopefully will fall. That is the day of the impeachment proceedings for Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of DHS. This is the man, whom under his leadership and direction, has eviscerated our southern border. He has allowed over six million undocumented and illegal aliens into our country. He is an enemy to our people. He is an enemy of the state. He not only deserves to be impeached, but also some hefty jail time as well.

That is thing one. Guess what else is happening next week? The wheels to our government might come off the track. Many Republicans in the House have had it. They will not vote for any additional monies for anything, unless the border issue is addressed first. And not just with platitudes - these Republicans want solid results. Period. Full stop.

No more appearing in front of the House nor the Senate, with that smug look on his face. Mayorkas has played his game. When even some mayors of large blue cities have had it, when some governors of southern border states have had it, Mayorkas has played his game. There is nothing left to play. Every beating heart in this country had known what the endgame has been since the get-go. Let in millions of impoverished illegals, grant them amnesty, and make Democrat voters out of them. Like DUH! Do we have stupid tattooed on our foreheads?

After Donald Trump gets sworn in next year, the real mess will start. Rounding up all who should not be here. It will be the biggest game of "who's who" every played on our country. But it needs to be done. And sooner rather than later. Some will be allowed to stay, who have a straight back story, and meet the criteria of someone seeking amnesty from a dangerous homeland. But some of those folks will have to do it in Mexico. Rules are rules. Mexico was the first "safe" country they journeyed across.

Fixing the border will not be easy. Democrats will fight us tooth and nail. The cartels will also fight us tooth and nail. The fight starting in 2025 will be divisive and ugly. And this unnecessary fight will only be due to Joe Biden his sidekick Mayorkas. 

I have wondered many times whose side that Biden and Mayorkas are on. Our side? Don't think so. I would like their punishment to fit the crime, but it won't. For doing what they have done to this country, their punishment should be life in a Supermax. But it won't be. Why not? The Deep State will protect them. Count on it.    

  

Is the new formula, education ≠ knowledge?

"We can continue to fail our kids, where they either drop out of a rotten school system, or graduate not knowing much. Or we can completely change our system of how kids can obtain knowledge. We can do it better and cheaper, where kids will thrive, and not just wither away."     

Question: What is a huge waste of money? Maybe education? Do you know that in 2022, the graduation rate in Minneapolis was only 77%? And that persistent "gap" is still there. With 37% of all students in Minneapolis being minorities, that means that 37% of the students have a graduation rate of less than 77%. Here is the kicker. The taxpayers spend (according to Alpha News) around $26K/year to educate students in the Minneapolis School District. That is about twice as high as the statewide average.

Right about now, some reading this article might have steam coming out of their ears. "What is the problem, Bird? Hate kids? Want them to be dumb all their lives?" Absolutely not. I want all to be knowledgeable. Many just cannot get knowledgeable sitting in the Minneapolis failure factories. But then, if not in the public school system, where in the world can young ones obtain knowledge? To that I answer, look around. Knowledge, real knowledge, is everywhere. Especially today, with our technology.

School is a waste of time and money for thousands of kids. It wastes their time, and our money. If a kid decides he or she does not want to learn, there is no way to force them. And if I may be truthful, many schools are prepping students to thrive in yesterday's world. We need to teach them how to thrive in tomorrow's world. And tomorrow's world is not a long way off - it will be here literally tomorrow. 

Years ago, when I worked at the Control Data Corporation, they developed an education system called Plato. It was their belief at the time, that all education could eventually be obtained by computer-based learning. In fact, they used the employees as kind of "Guinee pigs" - we had to take all our employee development training on Plato. That type of a system could still work today. 

Here is the bottom line, and I have beat this drum before. The way I was educated in the fifties and sixties does not work well anymore. The reasons are too numerous to go into right now but suffice it to say the paradigm has changed. We need a complete reclama of our education system. Make it voluntary instead of mandatory - only mandatory through the 8th grade. In those first eight years of schooling, kids will learn how to learn using technology. After 8th grade, these kids will have the skills necessary to self-educate. 

But what about knowledge? When these kids sit down at a computer, they literally have the world at their fingertips. And now with the advent of AI, knowledge comes in faster and in a better format. No more going to the library and using the Dewy Decimal system - now everything they need to know is right there, on their computer, coming to them at the speed of light.

One final thought. Six years from now, in 2030, our world will look and act much differently. Our young folks need to know how to use critical thinking skills and how to be nimble - how to accept change. Most importantly, they need to be curious. With that curiosity, should come a hungry mind. With a hungry mind, comes knowledge. 

We can continue to fail our kids, where they either drop out of a rotten school system, or graduate not knowing much. Or we can completely change our system of how kids can obtain knowledge. We can do it better and cheaper, where kids will thrive, and not just wither away.     

  

   

What is this "Deep South" thing?

"Where does all this lead? Between the dash to turn ANI into AGI, the neuromorphic supercomputers, and quantum computing, science fiction from just a few years ago has turned into science."

"Away, away, away down South in Dixie" - wait - wrong one? Not that song? Then what the heck is this Deep South thing I keep hearing about? First off, when I am talking south, I really mean south! Like in south to Sydney, Australia. Yes, that island nation, which was founded by criminals (allegedly), now seems to have developed into a techno-center also. They have developed a new type of computer which will be coming online THIS YEAR! And the name of this new computer is - Deep South.

Specifically, this new computer will be called the DeepSouth neuromorphic supercomputer - (now that is a mouthful)! And what makes this new computer so special? The trick is in the name - neuromorphic. It is built to think like a human. As such (now this is a showstopper), it will be able to do 228 trillion synaptic operations per second. It will be able to emulate spiking neurons - like in a human brain. Could this be game changing in how computers process information (think)? 

Meanwhile, back in the good old USA, things are also moving. IBM (my old stomping grounds) made a significant breakthrough in quantum computing last year. And that means 2024 is going to be a big year for Big Blue. The new breakthrough is called the IBM Quantum Eagle. It will demonstrate that quantum computing can do large, entangled states which can simulate the computations of a supercomputer. Soon, the quantum computers will leave today's supercomputers "in the dust". But explaining how quantum computing works? To me, it still sounds like something out of Harry Potter!

Where does all this lead? Between the dash to turn ANI into AGI, the advent of neuromorphic supercomputers, and quantum computing, science fiction from just a few years ago has turned into science. What machines will be able to do by 2030 (six years from now) is anybody's guess. I do know this however - what was the "norm" during the last decade, will soon look like ancient history. 

Tomorrow, I will be back into politics, since the Iowa caucus is coming up soon. But I always have my ear to the tracks on technology. If I hear of something exciting and new, I will publish a snippet about it. 2024 is already taking off like a rocket, and it is only January 2nd!   

And so it starts...

"Welcome 2024. Come the end of December, may we have fond memories of you. The record is a blank sheet of paper right now, just waiting to recite the good things which will happen this year. But that is the optimist in me speaking. The pessimist in me would say that 2024 will probably only be 2023 warmed over." 

I can't even begin to say how many things I have heard or read as of late, which have the same theme. 2024 is going to be a year like we have never seen before. This is the year we start climbing the AI latter of learning and development. Some say this might be the year we start crossing the Rubicon, and AI will go from being a fantastic tool for us, to eventually our undoing. But I guess time will tell, as that issue does not have consensus of many of the developers.

What is this golden fleece of AI, which just about every developed country in the world is chasing right now? Don't we already have AI? Sure do. But it is considered to be rudimentary. In fact, many refer to the type of AI we have today as ANI - Artificial Narrow Intelligence. Some also refer to the AI we have today as "dumb" AI. The AI which the world is chasing right now, is the next iteration of AI - AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).

AGI is the goal for this decade. This will make our machines so smart, so self-aware, they will be able to think like humans. And they will not be narrow in scope - AGI's capabilities will be broad based. What is this going to look like? I guess we will all find out as the development continues this decade. Many think this is a "doable -do" and we are on the right path to develop AGI. But is this the rose at the end of the path? Maybe. Or it could be something which is just an idea right now. The final stage of AI.

ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) is where machines will not only think like people, but they will also be smarter than people. Is that even possible? Maybe - but that is where our development is headed. Once we get to AGI, we might find the next leap to ASI would be a bridge too far. Or - we might have the magic recipe to continue on. This is the stage which many futurists are concerned about. Where (hypothetically), our machines might find humans to be unnecessary. And then how do we unplug something which cannot be unplugged? 

AI is the bright shiny penny right now, which everyone is chasing. But it is not the only technology which will rocket through the remaining years of this decade. Jobs not yet invented - will come. Jobs we have had for many, many decades - will go. The Internet of Things (IoT) will go from being a fad to reality in most households. Latency will continue to be the big thing that telecommunication companies will be stiving to reduce. 6G should be replacing 5G by the end of the decade. The name of the game with most of our technology will be cheaper, faster, and more capable. The list goes on and on.

Welcome 2024. Come the end of December, may we have fond memories of you. The record is a blank sheet of paper right now, just waiting to recite the good things which will happen this year. But that is the optimist in me speaking. The pessimist in me would say that 2024 will probably only be 2023 warmed over.