Tootfinder

Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
The polar vortex has caused a cold snap here, and the Great Lakes are rapidly forming ice. Under this thick ice, algae are growing. These are normal diatom phytoplankton, which change to form thick chains, attaching to the underside of the ice where light is optimal. We clearly see this brown ice and water in the wake of our icebreakers. This occurs near the pole…

Water levels across the Great Lakes are falling – just as US data centers move in #GreatLakes

Filing: Oracle signed ~$150B of data center leases in the three months ending November 30, raising its total data center and cloud capacity commitments to $248B (Martin Peers/The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/o

Oracle Strikes $150 Billion of Data Center Leases in November Quarter
Oracle struck about $150 billion worth of lease commitments on data centers in the three months ending November, it revealed in securities filing late last week, a sign it is preparing for the cloud deals that customers such as OpenAI have struck with Oracle. The filing showed that as of Nov. 30, Oracle had $248 billion of lease commitments “substantially all related to data centers and cloud

Opinion | The Health Care Debate We Really Need - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/opinion/health-care-aca-cost-insurance.html ""...decades’ worth of research shows that, even though employers pay most of workers’ premiums, t…

Opinion | The Health Care Debate We Really Need
The high cost of health care in America is suppressing wages, driving job losses and fueling inequality.

It should be easy to see how state escalation across the US (especially MLPS) is a strong indicator of a failing counter-insurgency effort.
Force escalations in other areas are, likewise, a strong counter-indicator of success. Given that Trump only know how to escalate, you can assess for yourself the direction of the next few years.

My plans to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing were derailed by two days of rain and high winds, so we made a plan B: the Tama lakes track, which has somewhat less exposure but still gets up over 1400m. We’re lucky we didn’t try Tongariro given how tough the conditions were at Tama lakes – driving snow and winds on the ridge. But we were rewarded with good views and improving weather on the return trip. #hiking

2026 is being celebrated by Toho as Mothra Year, as this year marks both 65 years since Mothra first appeared on screen, and also 30 years since the Heisei-era Mothra trilogy.
Mothra's my girl (my wife knows, and she's okay with it). 😍
https://godzilla.com/blogs/news…

As Trump threatens Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Greenland and more,
renowned historian Alfred McCoy says the United States is
“an empire in decline,”
following a predictable pattern
of militarism abroad and political instability at home
as it loses power and influence on the world stage.
“American politics become increasingly contorted and irrational,”
says McCoy.
“I think the thing to do is to realize that we are an empire in decline, …
…

“Empire in Decline”: Historian Alfred McCoy on U.S. Aggression in Venezuela, Iran & Beyond
As President Trump threatens Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Greenland and more, renowned historian Alfred McCoy says the United States is “an empire in decline,” following a predictable pattern of militarism abroad and political instability at home as it loses power and influence on the world stage. “American politics become increasingly contorted and irrational,” says McCoy. “I think the thing to do is to realize that we are an empire in decline, … and it will continue for another decade…

‘Dit drukmiddel van importheffingen wordt misschien komende week al uit Trumps handen geslagen’ | de Volkskrant
https://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/dit-drukmiddel-van-importheffingen-wordt-misschien-komende-week-al-uit-trumps-handen-geslagen~be3533ba/#Echobox=1768713483
Leuke analyse van de Volkskrant.
Wat ik alleen volledig mis is de 'logische keus' om Groenland in bezit te willen hebben.
The devil is waarschijnlijk in de details van de bijzondere aardmetalen. Een Amerikaans bedrijf heeft daar al een flinke vinger in de pap bij een van de bedrijven die zich er mee bezig houdt. Maar Groenland heeft een paar problemen:
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Interviews with copywriters on generative AI's impact: job losses to AI, work used for training, falling wages and rates, freelancers losing clients, and more (Brian Merchant/Blood in the Machine)
https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/i-was-forced-to-use-ai-until-the

"I was forced to use AI until the day I was laid off." Copywriters reveal how AI has decimated their industry
Copywriters were one of the first to have their jobs targeted by AI firms. These are their stories, three years into the AI era.