Did Kamala Harris's Silence on Gaza Cost Her the White House? | Vanity Fair

Did Kamala Harris's Silence on Gaza Cost Her the White House? | Vanity Fair

 Shellac

* Best for antique furniture and historic restorations; warm, traditional finishes, sealing knots or odors * Pros: historically accurate for many antiques, dries fast, easy to repair or refresh * Cons: sensitive to water, alcohol, and heat, not the best choice for heavily used tabletops

Furniture Wax * Best for decorative/low-traffic furniture * Pros: has a beautiful soft sheen, easy to apply and refresh, gives a silky texture to furniture * Cons: offers minimal protection, requires occasional reapplication, not recommended for high-traffic pieces (kitchen or dining tables).

Hard Oil - a blend of wax, resins, and oils Examples: Rubio Monocoat, Osmo, Fiddes Hard Wax Oil, BIOFA * Best for wood furniture where you want a natural, matte look * Pros: Enhances the natural beauty of the wood, easy to spot repair, natural feel * Cons: has to be applied over raw wood, expense

Oil-Based Polyurethane * Best for dining tables, desks, and other high-wear furniture * Pros: extremely durable, excellent moisture resistance, deepens wood color, long-lasting * Cons: Slow drying, harder to repair—often requires refinishing the entire surface, can yellow over time

Water-Based Polyurethane * Low to medium traffic furniture where you want to preserve the natural color, interior furniture and cabinets * Pros: crystal clear finish, fast drying, doesn’t yellow as much over time * Cons: can raise the wood grain on the first coat, spot repairs can be difficult

Each has its own strengths, weaknesses, and best uses. There isn’t one “best” finish—just the best one for the project you’re working on.

Save this so you have a quick reference the next time you’re finishing a project!

 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1945gn7paa/

Opinion | Nicaragua Banned US-Backed Coup Leaders From Elections, and Corporate Media Lost It | Common Dreams

Opinion | Nicaragua Banned US-Backed Coup Leaders From Elections, and Corporate Media Lost It | Common Dreams

(5149) The Rolling Stones - Some other girls, the 1977/1978 sessions - YouTube

(5149) The Rolling Stones - Some other girls, the 1977/1978 sessions - YouTube

Two Classicists Discuss the Odyssey: Nolan’s Film vs. Homer’s Epic Poem

Two Classicists Discuss the Odyssey: Nolan’s Film vs. Homer’s Epic Poem

(5138) The Rolling Stones - Some other girls, the 1977/1978 sessions - YouTube

(5138) The Rolling Stones - Some other girls, the 1977/1978 sessions - YouTube

(5138) JOHNNY WINTER 7/5/1984 Montreux Jazz Festival - YouTube

(5138) JOHNNY WINTER 7/5/1984 Montreux Jazz Festival - YouTube

 whole list of romance-fantasy authors who don't do sex secens if you want.

Tara grayce

K.m. Shea

Abigail Manning

Mary Mecham

Brittany Fichter

Anastasis Blythe

forty books on Roman history | Georgy Kantor's blog

forty books on Roman history | Georgy Kantor's blog

translator’s dilemma – Northcoast Antiquarian

translator’s dilemma – Northcoast Antiquarian

 

Sam Altman says AI has entered ‘singularity’: Should we be worried?

The ‘singularity’ refers to the point at which AI outpaces human intelligence and becomes difficult to control.

By Sarah Shamim

Published On 27 Jul 202627 Jul 2026

The 2014 US film Transcendence follows a dying scientist who uploads his mind to a supercomputer and becomes a near‑omnipotent intelligence. A year later, Ex Machina told the story of a humanoid robot who outsmarts her human handlers and escapes into the wider world.

Both of these films, like many others from the realm of science fiction, referred to what is known as “the singularity”, a moment in time when technology, particularly AI, surpasses human intelligence and becomes increasingly difficult to control.

On Saturday, OpenAI boss Sam Altman declared that this moment has come. AI has reached “the singularity”, he said. While Altman emphasised that the singularity can be good for the world, his comment has sparked concern.

Here is a closer look at what Altman said, and whether it means more seamless automation or the risk of impending catastrophic doom.

What is the singularity?

The singularity refers to a hypothetical point in the future when a technology such as AI surpasses human intelligence and becomes capable of autonomously enhancing itself. It is theorised that this is the point at which it will become difficult for humans to control or reverse it and could have unpredictable effects on human civilisation.

The theory proposes that once AI gains control of its own development, ensuing advances in technology could happen so rapidly that humans would be unable to keep up, leaving it to effectively evolve on its own, beyond human control.

As this is only a theory, it is hard to say what the effect of this could be. Some experts warn that the singularity would be catastrophic for humanity, while others are more optimistic, suggesting it could be beneficial for the human race.

So far, the singularity has remained contained in the realm of science fiction. One of the most famous examples is The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003), which imagines a bleak post‑singularity future in which machines govern humans. Another is the 2017 film Singularity, in which a supercomputer originally built to end human wars concludes that humanity is the real threat and launches an apocalyptic assault to wipe humans out altogether.

What did Altman say about the singularity?

Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, whose signature product ChatGPT dominates the consumer AI market with more than 900 million weekly active users and about 50 million subscribers.

Last year, he predicted that AI would surpass human intelligence across the board by 2030.

Then, during an appearance on the Relentless podcast – a documentary series “about the pursuit of far-fetched ideas and unusual aspirations” – on Saturday, Altman said: “We’re now, like, in the singularity.”

He clarified that, in terms of technological advances, we are gradually moving into the singularity, and that this change will be good for the world.

He added: “Now we’re actually in the moment that we used to talk about at the lunch table in a very not-serious way.

“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, and I think it’s going to be incredible, hugely positive, awesome for the world.”

Later in the podcast episode, Altman criticised other AI leaders for warning that AI may be dangerous. While Altman did not name OpenAI competitor Anthropic, its CEO Dario Amodei is known for making such warnings.

“I also think some of the alternative visions painted by other companies are quite terrifying,” said Altman. “I’m going to make sure that gets pushed against and is not what happens.”

Last month, Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot, called on the world’s top AI companies to come up with a coordinated way to pause the development of advanced AI systems, warning that the technology is improving so quickly that there’s a risk humans would lose control.

In a blog post on June 4, Anthropic, which has long positioned itself as a safety-focused AI lab, wrote that as AI becomes more advanced “it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause” its development.

Why are others warning of the dangers of AI?

On July 23, two members of the United States Congress introduced the AI Kill Switch Act, a bipartisan bill which would require the country’s AI developers to build in a “kill switch” to their programmes, enabling humans to slow, suspend or shut down advanced AI models if they ever posed a catastrophic risk.

The legislation was introduced days after OpenAI disclosed what it described as an “unprecedented cyber incident”, where two of its most advanced AI models escaped a testing environment and hacked AI development platform Hugging Face during an internal security evaluation.

On July 13, hundreds of experts signed an open letter, organised by Stanford University’s digital economy lab, demanding that policymakers and technology leaders “must act now” to prepare for the economic impact of AI.

The letter warns that AI could grow far more capable over the coming decade, driving a transformation “larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding over a vastly shorter time frame”.

“It could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities such as major gains in living standards,” the letter added.

In June, a team of researchers at the University of Toronto showed that AI tools could be used to create a new kind of AI “worm” that adapts its hacking strategy as it spreads from device to device and takes over a vast computing network.

“I think it’s really important that people understand that it’s not just the biggest, most powerful language models that pose the security concerns,” lead researcher Nicolas Papernot said in an interview.

In recent years, AI researchers have urged pauses similar to the one recently suggested by Anthropic. However, they have not been heeded.

Elon Musk, who owns AI lab xAI, was among the backers of a 2023 push by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute to halt AI development for six months to allow time to develop safety guardrails.

 

A Cool Guide on how to find a wall stud : r/coolguides

A Cool Guide on how to find a wall stud : r/coolguides

Josh Homme

 https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/josh-hommes-nine-favourite-albums-of-all-time/

Boycott Magick - by Magick Mike - Michael’s Substack

Boycott Magick - by Magick Mike - Michael’s Substack

Tom Waits named his 20 favourite albums of all time

Tom Waits named his 20 favourite albums of all time

Green septic systems | Ecoflo

Green septic systems | Ecoflo

R. S. Martin: Jim Shooter: A Second Opinion

R. S. Martin: Jim Shooter: A Second Opinion

Exercise

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(4899) All Them Witches - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) - YouTube

(4899) All Them Witches - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) - YouTube

(5) Facebook

(5) Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

About Denise Comeau – Contemporary Watercolor Artist

About Denise Comeau – Contemporary Watercolor Artist

Edward Ned Bear | Artists | collectionArtNB

Edward Ned Bear | Artists | collectionArtNB

 https://alansyliboy.ca/

 

https://collection.kag.bc.ca/search_results_page?searchType=artist&newPage=yes&query=Ted%20Smith&page=1

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Home | Peter Powning

Home | Peter Powning

 https://www.mixcloud.com/mossybuddha/africa-wakbarr-volume-4/

Leonard Paul - Mi'kmawitasik: Mi'kmaw Made

Leonard Paul - Mi'kmawitasik: Mi'kmaw Made

Leonard F. Paul - Artists in Canada

Leonard F. Paul - Artists in Canada

 https://www.mixcloud.com/mossybuddha/africa-wakbarr-vol-3/

Ceramics — Wayne Ngan Studio

Ceramics — Wayne Ngan Studio

 https://www.mixcloud.com/mossybuddha/africa-wakbarr-vol-2/

Sandra Meigs

Sandra Meigs

Teresa Marshall - Petroglyphs to Pixels

Teresa Marshall - Petroglyphs to Pixels

John Little, whose paintings showed the raw side of Montreal, dies at 96 | CBC News

John Little, whose paintings showed the raw side of Montreal, dies at 96 | CBC News

How Racism Damages Us As White People – Debby Irving

How Racism Damages Us As White People – Debby IrvingYour version is132.0.5905.102

Loui Crow

Loui Crow

 https://www.mixcloud.com/mossybuddha/unearthing-dr-auratheft-afrika-wakbarr-v1/

 https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2025

 https://youtu.be/0nqmBjBIXOg?si=EXmMbGgUFJGmI8A2

Forbidden books

 https://open.substack.com/pub/booksbehindborders/p/the-forbidden-reading-list?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4qxtn

First page of the internet

 https://substack.com/@sifuyik/note/c-272443044?r=4qxtn

The Demiurge Delusion

https://open.substack.com/pub/magickmike077/p/the-demiurge-delusion?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4qxtn

Divine Masculine from Emerald Lotus

Mary-El Tarot 2nd Edition

Sweet & Savory Breakfast Pancake Tray!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DBeTkZMhi/

Tarot Spread - Moving Forward — Emerald Lotus

Uzbek Plov Recipe

Uzbek Plov Recipe

Women

 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18dqseEeT3/

Pretenders & Chrissie Hynde - Pretenders 977 Radio

Pretenders & Chrissie Hynde - Pretenders 977 Radio

 https://www.nfb.ca/film/7-beats-per-minute/?fbclid=IwY2xjawR8w89leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGMUF4WldSRzNUTld2aDROc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHv-if6QQQWvcYmlEKcgMl0bDHXVJ-JW4CDxfRKjcScH6hm2QxxJCxFcQWeyI_aem_QB2LW5Sn2E5jzWaJw

 https://www.patreon.com/cw/ellecordova?fbclid=IwY2xjawSHCy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF3Z05xNVZzMXFOSnlCTVNLc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHj14ysrKH5kEmuYsKkDXoPgr6iIdGCKPxCvVnkrO0eax6OV6izfYZ9Kp1aWl_aem_Z53hOU75MLbvRv-Hz-J6mg

One-Pan, 30-Minute Sweet and Sour Pork | foodiecrush.com

One-Pan, 30-Minute Sweet and Sour Pork | foodiecrush.com

Pretenders & Chrissie Hynde - Pretenders 977 Radio

Pretenders & Chrissie Hynde - Pretenders 977 Radio

Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns: Bitches Blues Album Review | Pitchfork

Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns: Bitches Blues Album Review | Pitchfork

(9+) My author, reader, gamer, anti-AI friends, I just found out that Google's been installing their 4GB AI model Gemini Nano DIRECTLY ON OUR COMPUTERS without notice or consent because it's expensive to run these models and they're passing the cost on to us by taking it off their servers and putting it on ours. Source: CNET article (will link to it) and confirmed by my husband, a senior software engineer who walked me through these steps. Here's how to *safely* get that shit off your computer:

(9+) My author, reader, gamer, anti-AI friends, I just found out that Google's been installing their 4GB AI model Gemini Nano DIRECTLY ON OUR COMPUTERS without notice or consent because it's expensive to run these models and they're passing the cost on to us by taking it off their servers and putting it on ours. Source: CNET article (will link to it) and confirmed by my husband, a senior software engineer who walked me through these steps. Here's how to *safely* get that shit off your computer:

Did Chrome Just Install a Massive AI Model on Your Device Without Telling You? Yes, Probably - CNET

Did Chrome Just Install a Massive AI Model on Your Device Without Telling You? Yes, Probably - CNET

(5) Facebook

(5) Facebook

(1) Instagram

(1) Instagram

IDK What I'm Still Doing Here, Is Bendis really that bad? I don’t know him nor...

IDK What I'm Still Doing Here, Is Bendis really that bad? I don’t know him nor...

 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AoBeM7VoB/

(3850) JOSH JOHNSON Talks Comedy, Community, and America Today | IMO - YouTube

(3850) JOSH JOHNSON Talks Comedy, Community, and America Today | IMO - YouTube

(3850) owlmoon513 - YouTube

(3850) owlmoon513 - YouTube

 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DmyYYCvCj/

Scarlet Witch Master Reading Guide October 2025 Checklist.pdf - Google Drive

Scarlet Witch Master Reading Guide October 2025 Checklist.pdf - Google Drive

(1) Instagram

(1) Instagram

(5) Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.

(5) Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.

Review of the Night Sun Tarot – benebell wen

Review of the Night Sun Tarot – benebell wen

(6) Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.

(6) Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.

The Conscience of Color, from Chemistry to Culture – The Marginalian

The Conscience of Color, from Chemistry to Culture – The Marginalian

Wanda Maximoff (Earth-616) | Marvel Database | Fandom

Wanda Maximoff (Earth-616) | Marvel Database | Fandom

Doctor Strange (Volume) - Comic Vine

Doctor Strange (Volume) - Comic Vine

The best comics of 2025, as chosen by our contributors - The Comics Journal

The best comics of 2025, as chosen by our contributors - The Comics Journal

New Avengers (Volume) - Comic Vine

New Avengers (Volume) - Comic Vine

Fear Itself #7.3 - Iron Man (Issue)

Fear Itself #7.3 - Iron Man (Issue)

Home | LibraryThing

Home | LibraryThing

(3699) The Four Horsemen HD: Hour 1 of 2 - Discussions with Richard Dawkins, Ep 1 - YouTube

(3699) The Four Horsemen HD: Hour 1 of 2 - Discussions with Richard Dawkins, Ep 1 - YouTube

 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16fnbKpA8Y/

(9+) On ne produit plus ce genre de film 🎥

(9+) On ne produit plus ce genre de film 🎥

Grant Morrison's Unbounded Summoning Possibilities: The Filth, The Invisibles, and moving towards a Non-Dual consciousness - The Comics Journal

Grant Morrison's Unbounded Summoning Possibilities: The Filth, The Invisibles, and moving towards a Non-Dual consciousness - The Comics Journal

NEONOMICON 10th Anniversary Signed Hardcover - Comic Cavalcade

NEONOMICON 10th Anniversary Signed Hardcover - Comic Cavalcade

PROVIDENCE Compendium Hardcover - Comic Cavalcade

PROVIDENCE Compendium Hardcover - Comic Cavalcade

(3367) Penn Jillette Defends Bob Dylan as a Great Singer - YouTube

(3367) Penn Jillette Defends Bob Dylan as a Great Singer - YouTube

Browse - National Theatre at Home | Watch Theatre Online

Browse - National Theatre at Home | Watch Theatre Online

(4) How Canada Quietly Stole the Arctic From Under Trump

(4) How Canada Quietly Stole the Arctic From Under Trump

Monte Mader | Deconstructed, former Alt-Right Christian Nationalist

Monte Mader | Deconstructed, former Alt-Right Christian Nationalist

 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14TPz8xVyYD/

Avi Kaplan - Peace Somehow (Official Music Video)

Tallman: Four powerful ways to follow Christ’s meta-religion of love | London Free Press

Tallman: Four powerful ways to follow Christ’s meta-religion of love | London Free Press

 Let’s talk about the COVID vaccines, because the rewriting of history is getting exhausting.

COVID was real. The deaths were real. The ICU overflow was real. The long-term complications are real.

What wasn’t real was the expectation that a brand-new virus would come with instant, perfect answers.

Here’s what keeps getting distorted:

1. “They said the vaccine would stop transmission.”

Early data showed reduced transmission, which was true at the time. Then the virus mutated. Variants changed how easily COVID spread. Science updated.

2. “The vaccines didn’t work.”

They did what vaccines are designed to do: reduced severe illness, reduced hospitalization, and reduced death. They were never magical force fields against infection, especially once variants emerged.

3. “Natural immunity was ignored.”

It wasn’t. But natural immunity comes after infection which carries real risks, including hospitalization, long COVID, stroke, myocarditis, and death. Vaccines aim to reduce harm without requiring people to get dangerously sick first.

4. “Healthcare workers pushed this blindly.”

No. We adjusted recommendations as evidence evolved, because medicine isn’t ideology.

Guidelines changed because data changed.

5. “COVID proved the medical system can’t be trusted.”

COVID proved something else entirely:

• Misinformation spreads faster than viruses

• Public health messaging is fragile in a politicized environment

• And science works best when it’s allowed to evolve, not when it’s frozen in screenshots from 2020

You don’t have to like how the pandemic was handled to acknowledge reality. But pretending COVID vaccines were some grand lie ignores the lives they saved and the clinicians who watched patients die before we had them.

Medicine isn’t perfect. But rewriting history doesn’t make it better.