[ truter.org ] Let's stay in touch!

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Today's quotable quote: Dave Barry: To you taxpayers out there, let me say this: Make sure you file your tax return on time! And remember that, even though income taxes can be a “pain in the neck,” the folks at the IRS are regular people just like you, except that they can destroy your life.

This day in history: 26 April 2024: Tanganyika and Zanzibar Merge to Form Tanzania (1964). Located in central East Africa, Tanzania has been inhabited by humans or their ancestors perhaps longer than any other place on Earth, with hominid fossils discovered there dating back over two million years. The country of Tanzania is a more recent development, forming in 1964 with the merger of two newly independent republics—Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The former leaders of Tanganyika and Zanzibar then became Tanzania's first president and vice president.

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I Love Warships

These weren't just "oaks" - they were planted between larch and spruce so that they would grow tall and straight, which means the navy oak forests are rather unusual., 23 March 2024

These weren't just "oaks" - they were planted between larch and spruce so that they would grow tall and straight, which means the navy oak forests are rather unusual.

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The Script Lab

The struggle of sci-fi dialogue. This is hilarious. No idea what it means. Still gotta give it your all. Credit: Mielr #carriefisher #starwars #dialogue #screenwriting #acting #filmmaking #cinema #scifi #motivation, 13 March 2024

The struggle of sci-fi dialogue. This is hilarious. No idea what it means. Still gotta give it your all. Credit: Mielr #carriefisher #starwars #dialogue #screenwriting #acting #filmmaking #cinema #scifi #motivation

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History Unleashed

#AncientRome #Colosseum, 08 February 2024

#AncientRome #Colosseum

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Beautiful Places

Sagrada Família, Barcelona <3, 07 February 2024

Sagrada Família, Barcelona <3

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SA’s famous icebreaker gets second life ferrying tourists to Antarctica

timeslive.co.za, 04 February 2024

South Africa’s polar research vessel SA Agulhas 1 will soon host tourists hoping for a glimpse of Antarctica.

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UNILAD

It took him just 38 minutes to do what people have been trying for decades 🤯, 04 January 2024

It took him just 38 minutes to do what people have been trying for decades 🤯

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Gariepdam loop oor

graaffreinetadvertiser.com, 31 December 2023

OOS-KAAP NUUS EN VIDEO - Die Gariepdam het...

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Hendrik van der Bijl - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org, 21 December 2023

Hendrik Johannes van der Bijl FRS[1] (23 November 1887 – 2 December 1948) was a South African electrical engineer and industrialist and is regarded as one of the greatest South Africans for his contribution to the country's development.[2] He was the driving force behind the establishment of the S...

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Researchers Made an IQ Test for AI, Found They're All Pretty Stupid

gizmodo.com, 05 December 2023

Artificial intelligence programs still struggle with basic problem-solving skills that people excel at, new research claims.

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Daily Mail

This is one of those rare moments most humans never get to see 🥹, 24 November 2023

This is one of those rare moments most humans never get to see 🥹

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World Beauties and Wonders

Fort Bourtange in the Netherlands. Built in 1593 during the 80 years war., 24 November 2023

Fort Bourtange in the Netherlands. Built in 1593 during the 80 years war.

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The Music Man

During a sold out Taylor Swift concert in Los Angeles the audience had no idea that they were about to be treated to a very rare, and also very random, performance. Taylor said, "this singer, she's only ever played in coffee houses before" much to the confusion of the audience, but it all became clear when she introduced, "Miss Phoebe Buffay" (Lisa Kudrow). Lisa walked on stage in character as Phoebe and performed "Smelly Cat" alongside Taylor and much to the delight of Friends fans, Phoebe stopped the superstar singer halfway through and explained how you sing "Smelly Cat" properly. Watch video in comments below 👇, 23 November 2023

During a sold out Taylor Swift concert in Los Angeles the audience had no idea that they were about to be treated to a very rare, and also very random, performance. Taylor said, "this singer, she's only ever played in coffee houses before" much to the confusion of the audience, but it all became clear when she introduced, "Miss Phoebe Buffay" (Lisa Kudrow). Lisa walked on stage in character as Phoebe and performed "Smelly Cat" alongside Taylor and much to the delight of Friends fans, Phoebe stopped the superstar singer halfway through and explained how you sing "Smelly Cat" properly. Watch video in comments below 👇

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You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local

ourworldindata.org, 13 November 2023

'Eat local' is a common recommendation to reduce the carbon footprint of your diet. How does the impact of what you eat compare to where it's come from?

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In the news

Hybrid brain lets one species' neurons help out another's: Adding rat stem cells to a mouse embryo resulted in a ‘hybrid brain’ in which the rat cells stepped in to restore function when the mouse’s sense of smell was removed, new research has shown. Posted on 26 April 2024.

Toy-like music maker gets future producers in the groove: A portable music production studio previewed at NAMM 2022 is now crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Posted on 25 April 2024.

Flynn Family’s SLAPP Suit Against CNN Slapped Down By Judge: MAGA SLAPP suits apparently aren’t going out of style, but yet another one has been tossed out of court. Posted on 26 April 2024.

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Cape Town weather

News (continued)

LimeWire AI Studio Review 2023: Details, Pricing & Features:  In the rapidly advancing landscape of AI technology and innovation, LimeWire emerges as a unique platform in the realm of generative AI tools. Posted on 12 December 2023.

Celebrating ‘quiet greatness,’ Cornell Tech dedicates Feeney Way: Cornell celebrated the life of Charles F. Posted on 25 April 2024.

Space, The Boring Frontier: Suppose you randomly go 1 million miles somewhere away from our Sun. Posted on 28 December 2021.

Meta value falls $190bn as investors react to plan to increase spending on AI: Shares slumped 15% after Mark Zuckerberg said AI spending would have to grow before Meta could make much revenue from productsBusiness live – latest updatesShares in Meta slumped 15% when Wall Street opened on Thursday, wiping about $190bn off the value of the Facebook and Instagram parent company, as investors reacted to a pledge to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence. Posted on 26 April 2024.

‘An enigma’: scientists finally learn what giant prehistoric shark looked like: Full and part skeletons found in Mexico reveal body shape and anatomy of Ptychodus as well as its likely dietFossil experts say they have gained unprecedented insights into a type of enormous prehistoric shark, after finding complete skeletons of the creatures. Posted on 26 April 2024.

How to change your IP address, why you'd want to - and when you shouldn't: Looking for more privacy? Or easier access to a network device? Here are the steps for every operating system, and how to avoid address conflicts. Posted on 26 April 2024.

Conservation is saving species, global study says: A first-of-its-kind study shows conservation is worth investing in, researchers say. Posted on 25 April 2024.

Google Thinks It Can Cash In on Generative AI. Microsoft Already Has: While both Alphabet and Microsoft boasted strong earnings, only one tech giant showed that its generative AI bet is starting to pay off. Posted on 26 April 2024.

TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy: This week, President Biden signed a law that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells the media platform within a year. Posted on 26 April 2024.

China's Shenzhou-18 mission docks with space station: A spaceship carrying three astronauts from China's Shenzhou-18 mission safely docked at Tiangong space station Friday, state-run media reported, the latest step in Beijing's space program that aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030. Posted on 26 April 2024.

‘To the Future’: Saudi Arabia Spends Big to Become an A.I. Superpower: The oil-rich kingdom is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U. Posted on 26 April 2024.

Blinken says U.S. and China must avoid miscalculations as Beijing warns against 'red lines': US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Posted on 26 April 2024.

How do Cicadas Know When to Come Out?: Scientists are making computer models to better understand how the mysterious insects emerge collectively after more than a decade underground. Posted on 26 April 2024.

Animals get stressed during eclipses. But not for the reason you think: After studying various species earlier this month, some scientists now say they understand the origin of animal behavior during solar eclipses. Posted on 25 April 2024.

Southwest Airlines drops four airports and will cut hiring, citing Boeing delay woes: Southwest Airlines is cutting operations at four airports, including Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, after losing $231 million in the first quarter. Posted on 26 April 2024.

TSMC Unveils 1.6nm Process Technology With Backside Power Delivery: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Tom's Hardware: TSMC announced its leading-edge 1. Posted on 26 April 2024.

Georgia leads toward a nuclear future with its first operating reactor: Georgia Power Co. announced one of its two new reactors reached self-sustaining nuclear fission on Monday. Posted on 07 March 2023.

World's thinnest gold leaf, dubbed 'goldene,' is just 1 atom thick: Goldene is the latest 2D material to be made since graphene was first created in 2004. Posted on 25 April 2024.

Meet the scientist at the center of the covid lab leak controversy: On a foggy morning in early February last year, dozens of journalists from around the world gathered outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Posted on 09 February 2022.

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Some of the tech in my workday

Best programming language?

The PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language Index is created by analyzing how often language tutorials are searched on Google.

The TIOBE Programming Community index measures popularity based on the number of skilled engineers world-wide, courses, third party vendors and search engine activity.

w3techs analyses page content to determine the technology used, and also uses publicly available information from sources such as Alexa, Google, Microsoft and ipinfo.io.

While Java and Python top the popularity charts, more than 80% of all websites run on PHP.

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Longer term weather forecast