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The Boys season 4 trailer reveals ties to Gen V and a battle for America’s soul ahead of hit Amazon show’s return

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Amazon has unveiled a new trailer for The Boys season 4 – and, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have superpowered, violent farm animals on my bingo card for the show’s next installment.

Revealed yesterday (May 3) during The Boys season 4 panel at Mexico Comic-Con – and released online immediately after its world premiere – the series’ latest trailer teases another blood-soaked entry on Prime Video. Not only that, though, it also confirms that key storylines from companion show Gen V will carry over into the main series. Oh, and that all-out war between the titular vigilantes and the Seven, the most-famous superhero team in The Boys universe, is about to erupt. And yes, those are Compound V-injected, Supe-d up farm animals – including an Alien-like, chest bursting flock of chickens and a group of flying sheep.



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how Einstein lost the battle to explain quantum reality

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Quantum mechanics is an extraordinarily successful scientific theory, on which much of our technology-obsessed lifestyles depend. It is also bewildering. Although the theory works, it leaves physicists chasing probabilities instead of certainties and breaks the link between cause and effect. It gives us particles that are waves and waves that are particles, cats that seem to be both alive and dead, and lots of spooky quantum weirdness around hard-to-explain phenomena, such as quantum entanglement.

Myths are also rife. For instance, in the early twentieth century, when the theory’s founders were arguing among themselves about what it all meant, the views of Danish physicist Niels Bohr came to dominate. Albert Einstein famously disagreed with him and, in the 1920s and 1930s, the two locked horns in debate. A persistent myth was created that suggests Bohr won the argument by browbeating the stubborn and increasingly isolated Einstein into submission. Acting like some fanatical priesthood, physicists of Bohr’s ‘church’ sought to shut down further debate. They established the ‘Copenhagen interpretation’, named after the location of Bohr’s institute, as a dogmatic orthodoxy.

My latest book Quantum Drama, co-written with science historian John Heilbron, explores the origins of this myth and its role in motivating the singular personalities that would go on to challenge it. Their persistence in the face of widespread indifference paid off, because they helped to lay the foundations for a quantum-computing industry expected to be worth tens of billions by 2040.

John died on 5 November 2023, so sadly did not see his last work through to publication. This essay is dedicated to his memory.

Foundational myth

A scientific myth is not produced by accident or error. It requires effort. “To qualify as a myth, a false claim should be persistent and widespread,” Heilbron said in a 2014 conference talk. “It should have a plausible and assignable reason for its endurance, and immediate cultural relevance,” he noted. “Although erroneous or fabulous, such myths are not entirely wrong, and their exaggerations bring out aspects of a situation, relationship or project that might otherwise be ignored.”

To see how these observations apply to the historical development of quantum mechanics, let’s look more closely at the Bohr–Einstein debate. The only way to make sense of the theory, Bohr argued in 1927, was to accept his principle of complementarity. Physicists have no choice but to describe quantum experiments and their results using wholly incompatible, yet complementary, concepts borrowed from classical physics.

In one kind of experiment, an electron, for example, behaves like a classical wave. In another, it behaves like a classical particle. Physicists can observe only one type of behaviour at a time, because there is no experiment that can be devised that could show both behaviours at once.

Bohr insisted that there is no contradiction in complementarity, because the use of these classical concepts is purely symbolic. This was not about whether electrons are really waves or particles. It was about accepting that physicists can never know what an electron really is and that they must reach for symbolic descriptions of waves and particles as appropriate. With these restrictions, Bohr regarded the theory to be complete — no further elaboration was necessary.

Such a pronouncement prompts an important question. What is the purpose of physics? Is its main goal to gain ever-more-detailed descriptions and control of phenomena, regardless of whether physicists can understand these descriptions? Or, rather, is it a continuing search for deeper and deeper insights into the nature of physical reality?

Einstein preferred the second answer, and refused to accept that complementarity could be the last word on the subject. In his debate with Bohr, he devised a series of elaborate thought experiments, in which he sought to demonstrate the theory’s inconsistencies and ambiguities, and its incompleteness. These were intended to highlight matters of principle; they were not meant to be taken literally.

Entangled probabilities

In 1935, Einstein’s criticisms found their focus in a paper1 published with his colleagues Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, New Jersey. In their thought experiment (known as EPR, the authors’ initials), a pair of particles (A and B) interact and move apart. Suppose each particle can possess, with equal probability, one of two quantum properties, which for simplicity I will call ‘up’ and ‘down’, measured in relation to some instrument setting. Assuming their properties are correlated by a physical law, if A is measured to be ‘up’, B must be ‘down’, and vice versa. The Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger invented the term entangled to describe this kind of situation.

If the entangled particles are allowed to move so far apart that they can no longer affect one another, physicists might say that they are no longer in ‘causal contact’. Quantum mechanics predicts that scientists should still be able to measure A and thereby — with certainty — infer the correlated property of B.

But the theory gives us only probabilities. We have no way of knowing in advance what result we will get for A. If A is found to be ‘down’, how does the distant, causally disconnected B ‘know’ how to correlate with its entangled partner and give the result ‘up’? The particles cannot break the correlation, because this would break the physical law that created it.

Physicists could simply assume that, when far enough apart, the particles are separate and distinct, or ‘locally real’, each possessing properties that were fixed at the moment of their interaction. Suppose A sets off towards a measuring instrument carrying the property ‘up’. A devious experimenter is perfectly at liberty to change the instrument setting so that when A arrives, it is now measured to be ‘down’. How, then, is the correlation established? Do the particles somehow remain in contact, sending messages to each other or exerting influences on each other over vast distances at speeds faster than light, in conflict with Einstein’s special theory of relativity?

The alternative possibility, equally discomforting to contemplate, is that the entangled particles do not actually exist independently of each other. They are ‘non-local’, implying that their properties are not fixed until a measurement is made on one of them.

Both these alternatives were unacceptable to Einstein, leading him to conclude that quantum mechanics cannot be complete.

Photograph taken during a debate between Bohr and Einstein

Niels Bohr (left) and Albert Einstein.Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty

The EPR thought experiment delivered a shock to Bohr’s camp, but it was quickly (if unconvincingly) rebuffed by Bohr. Einstein’s challenge was not enough; he was content to criticize the theory but there was no consensus on an alternative to Bohr’s complementarity. Bohr was judged by the wider scientific community to have won the debate and, by the early 1950s, Einstein’s star was waning.

Unlike Bohr, Einstein had established no school of his own. He had rather retreated into his own mind, in vain pursuit of a theory that would unify electromagnetism and gravity, and so eliminate the need for quantum mechanics altogether. He referred to himself as a “lone traveler”. In 1948, US theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer remarked to a reporter at Time magazine that the older Einstein had become “a landmark, but not a beacon”.

Prevailing view

Subsequent readings of this period in quantum history promoted a persistent and widespread suggestion that the Copenhagen interpretation had been established as the orthodox view. I offer two anecdotes as illustration. When learning quantum mechanics as a graduate student at Harvard University in the 1950s, US physicist N. David Mermin recalled vivid memories of the responses that his conceptual enquiries elicited from his professors, whom he viewed as ‘agents of Copenhagen’. “You’ll never get a PhD if you allow yourself to be distracted by such frivolities,” they advised him, “so get back to serious business and produce some results. Shut up, in other words, and calculate.”

It seemed that dissidents faced serious repercussions. When US physicist John Clauser — a pioneer of experimental tests of quantum mechanics in the early 1970s — struggled to find an academic position, he was clear in his own mind about the reasons. He thought he had fallen foul of the ‘religion’ fostered by Bohr and the Copenhagen church: “Any physicist who openly criticized or even seriously questioned these foundations … was immediately branded as a ‘quack’. Quacks naturally found it difficult to find decent jobs within the profession.”

But pulling on the historical threads suggests a different explanation for both Mermin’s and Clauser’s struggles. Because there was no viable alternative to complementarity, those writing the first post-war student textbooks on quantum mechanics in the late 1940s had little choice but to present (often garbled) versions of Bohr’s theory. Bohr was notoriously vague and more than occasionally incomprehensible. Awkward questions about the theory’s foundations were typically given short shrift. It was more important for students to learn how to apply the theory than to fret about what it meant.

One important exception is US physicist David Bohm’s 1951 book Quantum Theory, which contains an extensive discussion of the theory’s interpretation, including EPR’s challenge. But, at the time, Bohm stuck to Bohr’s mantra.

The Americanization of post-war physics meant that no value was placed on ‘philosophical’ debates that did not yield practical results. The task of ‘getting to the numbers’ meant that there was no time or inclination for the kind of pointless discussion in which Bohr and Einstein had indulged. Pragmatism prevailed. Physicists encouraged their students to choose research topics that were likely to provide them with a suitable grounding for an academic career, or ones that appealed to prospective employers. These did not include research on quantum foundations.

These developments conspired to produce a subtly different kind of orthodoxy. In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), US philosopher Thomas Kuhn describes ‘normal’ science as the everyday puzzle-solving activities of scientists in the context of a prevailing ‘paradigm’. This can be interpreted as the foundational framework on which scientific understanding is based. Kuhn argued that researchers pursuing normal science tend to accept foundational theories without question and seek to solve problems within the bounds of these concepts. Only when intractable problems accumulate and the situation becomes intolerable might the paradigm ‘shift’, in a process that Kuhn likened to a political revolution.

The prevailing view also defines what kinds of problem the community will accept as scientific and which problems researchers are encouraged (and funded) to investigate. As Kuhn acknowledged in his book: “Other problems, including many that had previously been standard, are rejected as metaphysical, as the concern of another discipline, or sometimes as just too problematic to be worth the time.”

What Kuhn says about normal science can be applied to ‘mainstream’ physics. By the 1950s, the physics community had become broadly indifferent to foundational questions that lay outside the mainstream. Such questions were judged to belong in a philosophy class, and there was no place for philosophy in physics. Mermin’s professors were not, as he had first thought, ‘agents of Copenhagen’. As he later told me, his professors “had no interest in understanding Bohr, and thought that Einstein’s distaste for [quantum mechanics] was just silly”. Instead, they were “just indifferent to philosophy. Full stop. Quantum mechanics worked. Why worry about what it meant?”

It is more likely that Clauser fell foul of the orthodoxy of mainstream physics. His experimental tests of quantum mechanics2 in 1972 were met with indifference or, more actively, dismissal as junk or fringe science. After all, as expected, quantum mechanics passed Clauser’s tests and arguably nothing new was discovered. Clauser failed to get an academic position not because he had had the audacity to challenge the Copenhagen interpretation; his audacity was in challenging the mainstream. As a colleague told Clauser later, physics faculty members at one university to which he had applied “thought that the whole field was controversial”.

Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger seated at a press conference.

Aspect, Clauser and Zeilinger won the 2022 physics Nobel for work on entangled photons.Credit: Claudio Bresciani/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty

However, it’s important to acknowledge that the enduring myth of the Copenhagen interpretation contains grains of truth, too. Bohr had a strong and domineering personality. He wanted to be associated with quantum theory in much the same way that Einstein is associated with theories of relativity. Complementarity was accepted as the last word on the subject by the physicists of Bohr’s school. Most vociferous were Bohr’s ‘bulldog’ Léon Rosenfeld, Wolfgang Pauli and Werner Heisenberg, although all came to hold distinct views about what the interpretation actually meant.

They did seek to shut down rivals. French physicist Louis de Broglie’s ‘pilot wave’ interpretation, which restores causality and determinism in a theory in which real particles are guided by a real wave, was shot down by Pauli in 1927. Some 30 years later, US physicist Hugh Everett’s relative state or many-worlds interpretation was dismissed, as Rosenfeld later described, as “hopelessly wrong ideas”. Rosenfeld added that Everett “was undescribably stupid and could not understand the simplest things in quantum mechanics”.

Unorthodox interpretations

But the myth of the Copenhagen interpretation served an important purpose. It motivated a project that might otherwise have been ignored. Einstein liked Bohm’s Quantum Theory and asked to see him in Princeton in the spring of 1951. Their discussion prompted Bohm to abandon Bohr’s views, and he went on to reinvent de Broglie’s pilot wave theory. He also developed an alternative to the EPR challenge that held the promise of translation into a real experiment.

Befuddled by Bohrian vagueness, finding no solace in student textbooks and inspired by Bohm, Irish physicist John Bell pushed back against the Copenhagen interpretation and, in 1964, built on Bohm’s version of EPR to develop a now-famous theorem3. The assumption that the entangled particles A and B are locally real leads to predictions that are incompatible with those of quantum mechanics. This was no longer a matter for philosophers alone: this was about real physics.

It took Clauser three attempts to pass his graduate course on advanced quantum mechanics at Columbia University because his brain “kind of refused to do it”. He blamed Bohr and Copenhagen, found Bohm and Bell, and in 1972 became the first to perform experimental tests of Bell’s theorem with entangled photons2.

French physicist Alain Aspect similarly struggled to discern a “physical world behind the mathematics”, was perplexed by complementarity (“Bohr is impossible to understand”) and found Bell. In 1982, he performed what would become an iconic test of Bell’s theorem4, changing the settings of the instruments used to measure the properties of pairs of entangled photons while the particles were mid-flight. This prevented the photons from somehow conspiring to correlate themselves through messages or influences passed between them, because the nature of the measurements to be made on them was not set until they were already too far apart. All these tests settled in favour of quantum mechanics and non-locality.

Although the wider physics community still considered testing quantum mechanics to be a fringe science and mostly a waste of time, exposing a hitherto unsuspected phenomenon — quantum entanglement and non-locality — was not. Aspect’s cause was aided by US physicist Richard Feynman, who in 1981 had published his own version of Bell’s theorem5 and had speculated on the possibility of building a quantum computer. In 1984, Charles Bennett at IBM and Giles Brassard at the University of Montreal in Canada proposed entanglement as the basis for an innovative system of quantum cryptography6.

It is tempting to think that these developments finally helped to bring work on quantum foundations into mainstream physics, making it respectable. Not so. According to Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger, who has helped to found the science of quantum information and its promise of a quantum technology, even those working in quantum information consider foundations to be “not the right thing”. “We don’t understand the reason why. Must be psychological reasons, something like that, something very deep,” Zeilinger says. The lack of any kind of physical mechanism to explain how entanglement works does not prevent the pragmatic physicist from getting to the numbers.

Similarly, by awarding the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics to Clauser, Aspect and Zeilinger, the Nobels as an institution have not necessarily become friendly to foundational research. Commenting on the award, the chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, Anders Irbäck, said: “It has become increasingly clear that a new kind of quantum technology is emerging. We can see that the laureates’ work with entangled states is of great importance, even beyond the fundamental questions about the interpretation of quantum mechanics.” Or, rather, their work is of great importance because of the efforts of those few dissidents, such as Bohm and Bell, who were prepared to resist the orthodoxy of mainstream physics, which they interpreted as the enduring myth of the Copenhagen interpretation.

The lesson from Bohr–Einstein and the riddle of entanglement is this. Even if we are prepared to acknowledge the myth, we still need to exercise care. Heilbron warned against wanton slaying: “The myth you slay today may contain a truth you need tomorrow.”

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Bisnis Industri

M3 Max MacBook Pro wins setup’s laptop battle

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Who doesn’t love a good MacBook? Or maybe two MacBooks, like in today’s setup. The guy has his own M2 MacBook Air, a formidable machine. But he’s lucky enough to add to it an absolutely screaming M3 Max MacBook Pro courtesy of his employer. Nice perk, that.

He can also thank work for his second 4K display. But it doesn’t top his own.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Dual-display setup boasts M2 and M3 MacBooks

Redditor chrisonhismac showcased the newly upgraded setup in a post entitled, “V3 of my setup.” He also shared his first version and his second version.

So now he runs two powerful Apple laptops. His personal one is a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. And his work provided him with a 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro with a whopping 95GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.

He uses the two slick laptops with two slick displays. First, his own is a big 40-inch Dell UltraSharp U4025QW curved 4K display he got after trying two other configurations. And second, his work provided him with a 27-inch LG UltraFine 4K monitor.

Then he rounds out his setup with a Logitech C920 webcam, a Keychron Q3 Pro custom mechanical keyboard, a Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse, a Blue Yeti USB microphone and an Elgato Stream Deck.

Powerful M3 Max MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air laptops

Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind if work handed me a nice laptop like an M3 Max MacBook Pro packed with memory and a nice 4K display. Not that Chris’ personal M2 MacBook Air is much of a slouch, but his work laptop must be blazing fast.

And with that much memory, it’s future-proofed for a good while. You can actually pack one with 128GB or memory to max it out.

A 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro hails from late 2023. Its M3 Max chip carries a 14-core CPU and a 30-core GPU. Loaded with 96GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD for storage, Chris’ model goes for a little over $4,100. It comes with 6.56-foot USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable and a USB-C power adapter.

M3 Max MacBook Pro features:

  • M3 Max chip with up to 16-core CPU and up to 40-core GPU
  • Up to 128GB of unified memory
  • Up to 8TB of super-fast SSD storage
  • 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with Extreme Dynamic Range, 1000 nits of sustained brightness (HDR content) and up to 600 nits of brightness for (SDR content)
  • Up to 22 hours of battery life

And if you like the desktop wallpaper showing on the big display, you can find it here.

Shop these items now:

Computers:

Displays and webcam:

Input devices:

Audio:

If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.


16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro

This version of Apple’s professional laptop comes with a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display and an M3 Max Chip with 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU, plus 96GB of unified memory and 1TB SSD storage.


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New Jackal battle drone is changing the battlefield forever

Jackal warfare battle drone

New drone technology is changing the face of warfare and how engagements will take place. Imagine a battlefield where the skies are dominated by a new kind of warrior, one that doesn’t tire, doesn’t fear, and operates with precision that is nearly impossible for human pilots. This isn’t a scene from a futuristic movie; it’s a reality that’s unfolding right now with the introduction of the Jackal drone. This advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is poised to redefine aerial combat with its cutting-edge features and capabilities.

Developed by Flyby Technology, in collaboration with Turkish and UK partners, the Jackal drone is a response to the changing landscape of warfare, as evidenced by recent conflicts such as those in Ukraine. It’s designed for quick deployment, and its ability to take off and land vertically means it can be used in a variety of environments without the need for a runway. This versatility is crucial for military operations in diverse and often difficult terrains.

New Jackal drone equipped with rockets is changing the battlefield forever

As someone with a semi-technical background, you’ll find the Jackal’s missile system particularly interesting. It can launch lightweight multi-role missiles, a capability that has already been successfully tested with the Royal Air Force. This feature allows the Jackal to potentially take over the roles traditionally filled by manned attack helicopters and fighter jets, especially in air-to-ground combat missions.

Rocket equipped Jackal drone

One of the standout features of the Jackal is its modular design. This means that as technology evolves and warfare tactics change, the drone can be updated to meet new operational requirements. This adaptability is essential for maintaining a cutting-edge fleet without the excessive costs of developing entirely new models.

Stealth is another key element of the Jackal’s design. It can operate beyond the line of sight, making it much harder for enemy forces to detect. This stealth capability, combined with its autonomous control for reconnaissance and surveillance, allows the Jackal to carry out covert operations with a high degree of effectiveness.

Here are some other articles you may find of interest on the subject of drone technology and projects :

Vertical takeoff and landing

The Jackal’s vertical takeoff and landing capability is especially useful in challenging terrains that are typical in war zones. This feature ensures that the drone can be quickly deployed to support military operations in areas that are otherwise inaccessible to traditional aircraft. The Jackal drone has garnered interest from countries with more limited defense budgets, such as Ukraine, Iraq, and Taiwan. Taiwan, in particular, has placed a significant order, seeing the Jackal as an affordable solution to their defense needs.

Features of the Jackal Drone built for warfare

  • Small, Lightweight Design: JACKAL is compact and designed for agility, facilitating operations in tight spaces and rapid maneuvering.
  • Modular VTOL Capabilities: It features vertical take-off and landing, eliminating the need for runways and enabling deployment from concealed or unprepared locations.
  • Multi-Role Attack Functionality: Capable of engaging targets over land, sea, and air, including air interdiction, close air support, and engaging helicopters and tanks.
  • Payload and Range: It has a 15kg payload capacity and can operate up to a range of 130km, with a maximum altitude of 4,000m.
  • Missile Launch Capability: Equipped to launch lightweight multi-role missiles (LMM), enhancing its combat versatility.
  • Plug-and-Play System: Allows for the easy integration of new equipment and technology, adapting to evolving mission requirements and standards.
  • Advanced Sensors and C2 Links: Features multi-spectral sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, and operates on secure command and control (C2) links with an operational range of up to 150km.
  • Engine and Propulsion: Utilizes twin contra-rotating propellers for VTOL and electric ducted fan (EDF) engines for forward flight, enabling high-speed maneuvers and cruising.
  • Speed: Can reach a maximum speed of 160km/h and cruise at 108km/h.
  • Autonomous Flight Capabilities: Advanced software and sensor technology enable autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance, enhancing its utility for reconnaissance and surveillance.
  • Future Compatibility: Designed with a modular approach to accommodate future technological upgrades and regulatory requirements.
  • Affordability and Accessibility: Provides an unmanned air combat solution for nations seeking cost-effective alternatives to traditional manned aircraft.

Advanced weaponry

The ongoing development and the move towards full-scale production of the Jackal drone signify an important development in aerial warfare. With its advanced weaponry, stealth features, and autonomous capabilities, the Jackal is indicative of a shift towards a future where unmanned systems play a crucial role in military strategy. It offers a cost-effective and flexible option for defense forces worldwide, ensuring that they can keep pace with the rapid advancements in military technology.

The Jackal drone is not just another UAV; it’s a sophisticated piece of technology that could very well become the backbone of air combat in the years to come. Its introduction into military arsenals around the world will likely have a significant impact on how conflicts are fought and won. With the Jackal in the sky, the dynamics of warfare could be altered in a way that prioritizes speed, stealth, and precision above all else.

Military Technology

As the world watches the evolution of military technology, the Jackal drone stands out as a prime example of how innovation can lead to more efficient and effective defense strategies. It’s a clear indication that the future of aerial warfare will be shaped by the capabilities of unmanned systems, and the Jackal is at the forefront of this transformation.

The implications of the Jackal’s deployment are far-reaching. Not only does it have the potential to save lives by reducing the need for manned missions in dangerous environments, but it also represents a shift in the balance of power. Smaller nations with tighter budgets now have access to technology that can level the playing field against larger, more established military forces.

The Jackal drone is a significant step forward in the realm of aerial warfare. Its combination of advanced technology, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness makes it a formidable tool for any nation’s defense. As the Jackal takes to the skies, it’s clear that the future of combat will be heavily influenced by the power and potential of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Image Credit : FlyBy

Filed Under: Technology News, Top News





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The battle to protect our children from social media

Families, neighborhoods, and real-life bonds can help fight against social media’s “false perfection.”
With the possible exception of facial plastic surgery and skincare, the world of medicine is not about trying to be perfect, but about dealing with flaws and keeping illness and death at bay for as long as possible, not about following a higher standard.

We doctors know too much about the human body to worship it. Our therapists call this worshipping of oneself “narcissism,” and they try to help their patients accept themselves as they are.

In this way, social media and apps on the internet are often our enemies.
It’s weird to think that individuals on dating sites are obsessed with rich people with beautiful bodies and looks. Relationships that are based on faith and a good sense of fun are at risk.

On social media, many young women talk badly about marriage to avoid the pitfalls of having a child and a partner. Putting off marriage and starting a family to focus on a job is one thing, but making fun of the “institution” is another.

And the way social media makes people disagree goes all the way into politics and hate. In 2017, at a high school in California, an Instagram account was full of racist, sexist, and inappropriately mocking jokes. This caused a lot of tension in the town and led to multiple cases.
Sadly, this is far from the only time this has happened. It was and still is too easy to attack, pick on, and ignore people who can’t hear or see you. The COVID pandemic made the problem much worse because people were stuck in their caves with only their cellphones and social media became their only way to talk to other people.

It wasn’t good for them, and the rate of worry showed that. Teenage girls were especially at risk. According to CDC data, almost two-thirds of teens felt very lonely and unhappy in 2021, and one-third of them actually thought about killing themselves as the number of teens who went to the emergency room for mental health problems went up.

It would be too easy to just blindly ask for more government oversight and rules, but this would probably lead to more stubborn refusal and not solve the problem at all. I agree with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who I have talked to several times and who says that beating loneliness and reconnecting with people is a good alternative to social media.
I also like what Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia is doing with his Right Help Right Now program. This program is trying to fight the growing feeling of isolation and the mental health problem that is getting worse because of the outbreak. In an interview I did with him last week for Fox News, he told me that social media’s presence in every part of so many Americans’ lives only makes them feel more alone.

Youngkin also said, “Children belong to their families, not to the government. So, it’s very important to make sure that parents are always given power and the right to make choices with their child. We need to save this age, which is in danger of dying out. And at the center of it all is the part parents play in the lives of their children.”

Families, communities, and in-person bonds where kids, teens, and young people learn to accept and love each other “warts and all” are the best ways to fight the fake perfection of the internet and social media, which is luring and hurting our most valuable prize.

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News

German military invests millions on an artificial intelligence “environment” for weapons testing that might completely alter battle.

The GhostPlay platform uses “third-wave” AI systems that make decisions that seem “human-like.”
Germany has put a lot of money into an artificial intelligence (AI) virtual training area that some people call a military “metaverse.” Officials say this will help them figure out how to fight in the future.

GhostPlay project head Gary Schaal, a professor at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, said in a news statement, “We compete with the big ones in the industry.” “Our unique Selling point is that we can move quickly and show results quickly.”

To create the virtual battlefield GhostPlay, developer 21strategies brought together a group of defense experts and start-ups. This lets developers try out different weapons and systems in a risk-free environment.
Defense News said that the German Defense Ministry paid for the project as part of a 500 million euro ($540 million) spending plan called COVID-19. The plan was meant to help the country’s high-tech defense business get back on its feet.
On the GhostPlay website, the tool is called a “simulation environment with AI-based decision-making at machine speed.”

“Complex military battle scenarios can be simulated to find new, better ways to act,” the company wrote. “As a result, flexibility and superiority can be achieved on the strategic, tactical, and operational levels.”

The creators said that the models can create “unpredictable” situations that make testing and planning for the military more detailed and thorough.
One of the things that makes this program stand out is that it uses “third-wave” algorithms, which, according to 21strategies CEO Yvonne Hofstetter, make the virtual units make more “human-like” decisions.

She said that the second-wave algorithms just improve or speed up the decision-making process, but that the third-wave algorithms will help make new situations and decide on new moves.

Hofstetter says that the platform also tries to recreate environments “down to the last leaf.” It does this by putting together satellite pictures and local files about everything from houses to plants.
“There is enough information… it’s kind of scary, really,” Hofstetter said.

The most interesting thing the platform has done recently is look into how to improve swarm tactics, especially lingering weapons. The Office of Army Development has worked with the tool because it can make thorough simulations of the locations where the weapons would be used.

Hensoldt, a multinational company that helps fund the GhostPlay platform, said in a press release, “To best enable highly complex defense systems, we need to master artificial intelligence in its entirety. To do this, we develop a lot of AI skills in-house and add to them in a very targeted way.”