Picture Credit: David Merkel, with an assist from Bing Chat in Creative mode || Twitter bird is disappointed that he is short, like this post
Artificial Intelligence
- A computer science student has figured out how to get ChatGPT to respond to prompts it would normally rebuff https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-08/jailbreaking-chatgpt-how-ai-chatbot-safeguards-can-be-bypassed Where there are locks, there will be lockpicks. Apr 9
- The ChatGPT King Isn’t Worried, but He Knows You Might Be https://nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html A question not addressed: is AI a centralizing technology, or decentralizing? I think it is the latter. Apr 6
- The Contradictions of Sam Altman, the AI Crusader Behind ChatGPT https://wsj.com/articles/chatgpt-sam-altman-artificial-intelligence-openai-b0e1c8c9 I think people are too worried over AI. Really, it’s like any other technology. It comes down to how you use it. Apr 6
Around the US
- A decommissioned naval weapons station is being turned into 12,000 homes and a park https://bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-05/the-last-mission-for-a-california-military-base-becoming-housing Just abandon it to the municipality, and let them figure it out. Apr 6
- Want to elevate your landscaping without investing in a pricey redesign this spring? A single tree—the right tree—can transform a front yard quickly. A guide from experts. https://wsj.com/articles/how-to-transform-your-front-yard-forever-with-one-economical-move-6809a454 Just make sure it fits the climate you live in. Apr 5
- Bob Lee, the founder of money-transfer company Cash App, was killed in San Francisco on Tuesday, his father said. https://wsj.com/articles/cash-app-founder-bob-lee-fatally-stabbed-in-san-francisco-5c061716 Don’t live in San Francisco. Badly managed city. Apr 5
Israel
- Violence resumes at Jerusalem holy site for 2nd night https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-al-aqsa-fighting-ae1f960552300f6e7c72b3fdad4e3d73 A natural place for contention. Apr 5
- Understanding the shadow war between Israel and Iran https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-30/how-israel-and-iran-attack-each-other-while-avoiding-all-out-war We can be grateful they don’t have a shared border. Apr 5
Markets
- Why is so much cash flowing into money market funds? https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-06/what-are-money-market-funds-four-things-to-know-about-the-popular-investment Much higher returns than you can get at banks. Apr 9
- Chart of the Week – Services Prices Going Down, Down, Down https://disciplinefunds.com/2023/04/05/chart-of-the-week-services-prices-going-down-down-down/ Take note. Hard landing coming. Should not be a surprise if you have been following the leading indicators, but the Fed is a slave to current indicators. Apr 6
Other
- A mysterious gambler shocked casinos around the world by doing the impossible: beating roulette https://bloomberg.com/features/2023-how-to-beat-roulette-gambler-figures-it-out/ Long & weird story. Apr 9
- Russia has limited access to the parts, software and technical skills needed to carry out maintenance on hundreds of commercial jets https://wsj.com/articles/russias-aircraft-need-maintenance-they-can-no-longer-get-2e9800 Sanctions are a weak tool, but they have some effect. Apr 5
Concord and SF, CA. Left 30 years ago and thought I might be back to live there one day. Now very unlikely.
The Naval Weapons Station is prime real estate, and a very interesting place. I hope they can use it productively, but in CA, who knows?
SF- family goes back to the area almost every year. I haven’t been in SF for almost 10 years now, I think. Last time I was at the Wharf it was OK, but not great; some of the restaurants closed recently. I would have to work to hard to figure out where to avoid now, so I won’t be going.
Thanks for the post.