On November 15, 1988, the Buran Space Shuttle lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome atop the Energia rocket, orbited Earth twice, and returned for a completely autonomous landing, which was the first fully automated landing of a spacecraft in history.
A Thought on GenAI by Caitlin Johnstone
Generative AI stuff only looks impressive to mediocre people for the same reason a chess novice couldn't tell you whether they were playing against a Grandmaster or just someone who's pretty good at chess. We can only appreciate something up to the level of our own adeptness. To someone who's not very bright, an AI's imitation of reasoning looks sharp. Someone with no aptitude for writing or appreciation for great literature will think its prose reads brilliantly. Its poetry looks good to those who don't understand poetry. Its "art" looks great to those with no artistic sensibility. It's music sounds awesome to those with no musical depth. Only those who are emotionally stunted and incapable of meaningful human connection will find them to be stimulating conversationalists and companions. Like so much else capitalism produces, it's a product that's designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. For everyone else it looks vapid and gross, just like daytime talk shows, Hollywood blockbusters, and trashy tabloids always have. That's just how it works in a society which only elevates that which can generate profits. The food is designed to induce craving rather than facilitate health. The entertainment is designed to distract and sedate rather than to edify. The social media is designed to be addictive rather than to help people connect with each other. It's all geared to appeal to our baser instincts rather than to improve and inform us. Anyone who is interested in actually growing as a person will have less and less use for anything GenAI has to offer. Past a certain point of personal development, it simply cannot satisfy.
Jan Ernst Matzeliger and His Lasting Machine
In 1880, a pair of shoes cost more than most families earned in a week. Not because leather was rare. Not because cobblers were greedy. But because of one impossible step in shoemaking that no one—not a single inventor in the world—could figure out how to mechanize. It was called "lasting"—attaching the upper part of a shoe to its sole. It required such extraordinary precision that only master craftsmen could do it. They made about 50 pairs a day, working sunrise to sunset. And they knew they were irreplaceable. Dozens of brilliant inventors had tried to build a machine for this. All failed. The work was too delicate, too complex, too... human. On March 20, 1883, the United States Patent Office issued Patent No. 274,207 to Jan Ernst Matzeliger. His lasting machine worked. It wasn't just a little better than human hands—it was revolutionary. Where the finest craftsmen made 50 pairs a day, Matzeliger's machine could produce 150 to 700 pairs, depending on the model. It worked faster, more consistently, and never got tired. Within years, shoe prices dropped by half. For the first time in human history, working families could afford well-made, durable footwear. Children's feet could finally be protected. Workers could have shoes that actually lasted. One man's invention changed daily life for millions.
From endless lavender fields in Huocheng County to the pastel-painted streets of Yining City, "lavender purple" breathes romance and vitality into the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. These photos capture the season when lavender blossoms paint the land in sweeping shades of purple, drawing visitors to wander, pose and lose themselves in the fragrance of summer. Beyond the fields, lavender tones appear in Yining's Liuxing Street and the intricate details of Uygur courtyards in Kazanqi – where tradition meets a splash of modern vibrance.
Printing presses kept their letters in cases. Capital letters went in the upper case. Smaller letters went in the lower case. This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’ Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press? MAJUSCULE and minuscule. [source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary Facebook page]
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Lake Natron
Where does water feel like fire but flamingos thrive?
In northern Tanzania, at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, lies Lake Natron. This shallow salt-and-soda lake is fed mainly by the Southern Ewaso Ng’iro River and mineral-rich hot springs, and it is dominated by the nearby active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai. The lake is known for its extreme conditions. Water temperatures can reach up to 60°C, and high evaporation rates concentrate salts and minerals, leaving behind a caustic mix of sodium carbonate and other compounds. These conditions give the lake its striking red and orange hues, created by salt-loving microorganisms that thrive in the alkaline water. Despite its harsh chemistry, Lake Natron sustains life. It is the only regular breeding ground for the lesser flamingo in East Africa, with the birds nesting on salt flats that form during the dry season. The algae and cyanobacteria that flourish in the lake are a crucial food source for them. For most other animals, however, the lake is often deadly. Its highly saline waters can be fatal, and carcasses of birds and other creatures that perish there often become preserved in a calcified state along the shores. Lake Natron is both a refuge and a trap – a place where flamingos thrive, but where the same waters can entomb the unlucky, preserving them as reminders of the lake’s unique, sometimes hostile environment.