Tootfinder

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

Saddened that they will lose what must be a treasured piece of religious art; please to see that they will have good use for the money.
(And wouldn't it be nice if the wealthy buyer maintained it in the current location?)
https://www.

Saddened that they will lose what must be a treasured piece of religious art; please to see that they will have good use for the money.
(And wouldn't it be nice if the wealthy buyer maintained it in the current location?)
https://www.

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…

I’ve spoken with my boss (he’s a bit of a dickhead but his heart’s in the right place) and confirmed that I won’t be getting fired for opposing Israel’s ongoing genocide and supporting the human rights of the Palestinian people to live with freedom and dignity like the rest of us but not everyone is as lucky.

Pro-Palestinian influencer Dr. Nahla Al-Sarraj fired following Zionist smear campaign
Dr. Nahla Al-Sarraj gained hundreds of thousands of social media followers by discussing the Gaza genocide. She was fired after a pressure campaign from Israel lobby groups that she believes aimed to silence her. Despite this, she remains unbowed.

Precise Attribute Intensity Control in Large Language Models via Targeted Representation Editing
Rongzhi Zhang, Liqin Ye, Yuzhao Heng, Xiang Chen, Tong Yu, Lingkai Kong, Sudheer Chava, Chao Zhang
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.12121

Precise Attribute Intensity Control in Large Language Models via Targeted Representation Editing
Precise attribute intensity control--generating Large Language Model (LLM) outputs with specific, user-defined attribute intensities--is crucial for AI systems adaptable to diverse user expectations. Current LLM alignment methods, however, typically provide only directional or open-ended guidance, failing to reliably achieve exact attribute intensities. We address this limitation with three key designs: (1) reformulating precise attribute intensity control as a target-reaching problem, rather t…

Stefanik calls on feds to ramp up bid-rigging probe of Hochul homecare contract after 'bombshell' email emerges (Rich Calder/New York Post)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/13/us-news/stefanik-calls-on-doj-to-ramp-up-probe-of-hochuls-homecare-program-following-bombshell-email-revelation/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251213/p33#a251213p33

Influence of Platinum Thin Films on the Photophysical and Quantum Properties of Near-Surface NV Centers
Joachim P. Leibold (Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany), Lina M. Todenhagen (Walter Schottky Institute, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany), Matthias Althammer (Walther-Mei{\ss}ner-Institute, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Garching, Germany), Nikhita Khera (Department of Physics and Resea…

Influence of Platinum Thin Films on the Photophysical and Quantum Properties of Near-Surface NV Centers
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are optically addressable spin defects with great potential for nanoscale quantum sensing. A key application of NV centers is the detection of external spins at the diamond surface. Among metals, platinum thin films - widely used in spintronics, catalysis and electrochemistry - provide a particularly interesting system for such studies. However, the interaction between NV centers and metals is known to affect their quantum sensing capabilities. In this w…

Almost reached the top!
(A wonderfully wild path along the cliff edge and glorious evening light on the way to Teufelstättkopf, with a view of the Wetterstein massif and Zugspitze in the distance...)
#FootpathFriday #LandscapePhotography

“How did it feel for the man who built a home, only to watch it turn to the rubble? How does a farmer stand before the land he tended year after year, now lying barren—no scent of soil, no whisper of harvest? How does a father tell his son the school he loved is gone, that the garden where he played is now only a rumor in the rubble? How does a mother walk through the ghost of a playground, finding a small shoe, a torn notebook, a toy she once mended? How do neighbors look at one another, wo…

Help Sehwel family with their medical treatment
I'm Joe in the UK, I've been in touch with Aseel from the Sehwel family for over a year now and have been following their difficult struggle to afford medication, shelter and food in Gaza. I'm creating this Chuffed campaign for the family to help afford these things and hopefully help them get out of Gaza when the opportunity arises. Here's Aseel's writing: