Science/Techno Babble Random, Random

[ponchi101]

The USA needs some sort of home-based space launch technology. It is not only trying to go to the moon, it is also the huge number of satellites floating above. Almost all of the world's communications are based on this technology. Add to that maintenance of the GPS constellation (the USA's), and you have some real day-to-day things to be done up there.
I also think that, with the cluttering in low and mid Earth orbits, we will need eventually to start cleaning up some of these altitudes. GRAVITY (the movie) got something right: right now, if any satellite shatters, we can see a chain reaction of fragments that could take out other satellites. Again, we may eventually need some sort of maneuverable spaceship that can navigate at low/mid Earth orbit.
Is Elon the guy to do that? Surely debatable; I would side with you that he is not. Is this needed (even if it will be for space tourism)? I think it is.

[Suliso]

Who is this innovation for? A few wealthy folks to take a ride in space for a few minutes? The no chance of succeeding colonizing the moon or Mars? Satellite manufacturers? Manboys who like to see things explode?

You clearly don't care about space technology. Even if you probably use it every day. So I have no arguments for you.

[ti-amie]

I can't find the graphic I want but this gives you an idea of how much space junk there is.

https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/photo-gallery/

[ponchi101]

Txs. Impressive amount. We will need something powerful enough to send a few garbage trucks up there.

[Owendonovan]

Who is this innovation for? A few wealthy folks to take a ride in space for a few minutes? The no chance of succeeding colonizing the moon or Mars? Satellite manufacturers? Manboys who like to see things explode?

You clearly don't care about space technology. Even if you probably use it every day. So I have no arguments for you.

I care about some of it, but to be honest, it's an aesthetic pleasure for me. So in that sense I absolutely appreciate it.

[Owendonovan]

New York’s Transit Agency Quits Sharing Updates on Twitter

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would no longer provide service information on Twitter because the “reliability of the platform can no longer be guaranteed.”

Real-time train delays, bus route changes and other service information that would be vital to millions of New York City commuters will no longer be shared on Twitter because the “reliability of the platform can no longer be guaranteed,” a Metropolitan Transportation Authority official said on Thursday.

The M.T.A., the largest public transportation agency in North America, is the latest big-name account to make significant adjustments to how it uses the platform, after recent changes under its new owner, Elon Musk. In recent months, Twitter has eliminated the blue check mark, thrown out content moderation rules and tinkered with the algorithm that decides which posts are most visible. NPR and PBS suspended all of their Twitter use this month after they were designated “Government-funded Media” on the platform, a label that Twitter later removed.

“The M.T.A. has terminated posting service information to Twitter, effective immediately,” Shanifah Rieara, the agency’s acting chief customer officer, said in a news release.

The agency’s access to Twitter through its application programming interface was involuntarily interrupted on April 14 and again on Thursday, officials said.

The agency does not pay tech platforms to publish service information, which Ms. Rieara said could also be found through the MYmta and TrainTime apps, the M.T.A.’s website, email alerts and text messages.

“Service alerts are also available on thousands of screens in stations, on trains and in buses,” she said.

The M.T.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday.

On Twitter, the M.T.A. responded to dozens of concerned customers, some of whom questioned the decision. Still, the agency doubled down. “We’ve loved getting to know you On Here, but we don’t love not knowing if we can to communicate with you each day,” the agency said in a pinned tweet on its feed.

Ridership on the M.T.A., which oversees a complicated network of subways, buses and commuter rail lines that stitch the city together, is improving from the early days of the pandemic. In February, there were more than 84 million subway trips and more than 33 million bus trips, which were about two-thirds of the ridership rates in February 2019, according to the city’s comptroller’s office.

The M.T.A. said it was not abandoning Twitter altogether. Its account will remain active for branding and other messaging, and customers may continue to tweet at the M.T.A. accounts, including @mta and @nyctsubway for questions and requests.

The agency appears to be one of the only transportation networks around the world to have stopped using Twitter to communicate with its customers.

Subway operators in Madrid, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo were among those still providing regular service updates on Twitter as of Friday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/nyre ... itter.html

[ti-amie]

Am I reading this correctly? He's saying that if you won't pay for a blue check and want to click into an article posted by the Washington Post the Washington Post can charge you for doing that or is he going to charge you for doing that?

[ponchi101]

I gather you then will have to register in TWT and include a card number, so you can be charged.
And how can paying for something that used to be free be a win for the public is an interesting point of view.

[mmmm8]

Am I reading this correctly? He's saying that if you won't pay for a blue check and want to click into an article posted by the Washington Post the Washington Post can charge you for doing that or is he going to charge you for doing that?

The Washington Post can charge you but most likely Twitter will make them pay a commission.

[mmmm8]

New York’s Transit Agency Quits Sharing Updates on Twitter

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would no longer provide service information on Twitter because the “reliability of the platform can no longer be guaranteed.”

Real-time train delays, bus route changes and other service information that would be vital to millions of New York City commuters will no longer be shared on Twitter because the “reliability of the platform can no longer be guaranteed,” a Metropolitan Transportation Authority official said on Thursday.

The M.T.A., the largest public transportation agency in North America, is the latest big-name account to make significant adjustments to how it uses the platform, after recent changes under its new owner, Elon Musk. In recent months, Twitter has eliminated the blue check mark, thrown out content moderation rules and tinkered with the algorithm that decides which posts are most visible. NPR and PBS suspended all of their Twitter use this month after they were designated “Government-funded Media” on the platform, a label that Twitter later removed.

“The M.T.A. has terminated posting service information to Twitter, effective immediately,” Shanifah Rieara, the agency’s acting chief customer officer, said in a news release.

The agency’s access to Twitter through its application programming interface was involuntarily interrupted on April 14 and again on Thursday, officials said.

The agency does not pay tech platforms to publish service information, which Ms. Rieara said could also be found through the MYmta and TrainTime apps, the M.T.A.’s website, email alerts and text messages.

“Service alerts are also available on thousands of screens in stations, on trains and in buses,” she said.

The M.T.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday.

On Twitter, the M.T.A. responded to dozens of concerned customers, some of whom questioned the decision. Still, the agency doubled down. “We’ve loved getting to know you On Here, but we don’t love not knowing if we can to communicate with you each day,” the agency said in a pinned tweet on its feed.

Ridership on the M.T.A., which oversees a complicated network of subways, buses and commuter rail lines that stitch the city together, is improving from the early days of the pandemic. In February, there were more than 84 million subway trips and more than 33 million bus trips, which were about two-thirds of the ridership rates in February 2019, according to the city’s comptroller’s office.

The M.T.A. said it was not abandoning Twitter altogether. Its account will remain active for branding and other messaging, and customers may continue to tweet at the M.T.A. accounts, including @mta and @nyctsubway for questions and requests.

The agency appears to be one of the only transportation networks around the world to have stopped using Twitter to communicate with its customers.

Subway operators in Madrid, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo were among those still providing regular service updates on Twitter as of Friday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/nyre ... itter.html

They've reversed this and are now sharing updates again.

[ponchi101]

Today, in our news installment of "Ponchi's Paranoia", we get this one.
This one is rich:
IBM Plans To Replace Nearly 8,000 Jobs With AI — These Jobs Are First to Go

The meat of the article:
Quote
The transition will happen gradually over the next few years, with machines potentially taking over up to 30% of noncustomer-facing roles in the five years. This means that workers in finance, accounting, HR and other areas will likely find themselves facing stiff competition from robots and algorithms.

The decision highlights the increasing reliance on automation and artificial intelligence across various sectors and the potential impact on the workforce.
End quote

So. The people working on AI will lose their jobs to AI. Somewhere in there, there is a joke.

[Owendonovan]

Today, in our news installment of "Ponchi's Paranoia", we get this one.
This one is rich:
IBM Plans To Replace Nearly 8,000 Jobs With AI — These Jobs Are First to Go

The meat of the article:
Quote
The transition will happen gradually over the next few years, with machines potentially taking over up to 30% of noncustomer-facing roles in the five years. This means that workers in finance, accounting, HR and other areas will likely find themselves facing stiff competition from robots and algorithms.

The decision highlights the increasing reliance on automation and artificial intelligence across various sectors and the potential impact on the workforce.
End quote

So. The people working on AI will lose their jobs to AI. Somewhere in there, there is a joke.

As someone who has far too often had to citie labor laws to the HR dept at my school, I might be ok with with HR being replaced at my school.

[Suliso]

According to Wikipedia IBM employs ca 288,000 people worldwide. If losing jobs overall to AI is real this time in 5 years it will be down to 230,000 or less. IBM is a great indicator because this company most likely doesn't employ blue color workforce at all (catering, cleaning, security etc. is normally outsourced in corporate world).

[ponchi101]

Indicator for good, indictor for bad? You and I do not agree in this subject, but it seems to me that 55,000 people losing what it is certainly a good paying job is not trivial, especially when IBM will not be the only one.
That is an entire large town/small city going unemployed.
(And I am really only asking, I am not putting you onto anything).

[Suliso]

Indicator for bad of course. The question I'm asking is - will it result in total employement loss OR replacement of these employees with new ones elsewhere in the company. Not the same thing. Would have to be adjusted if IBM makes any major aquisitions or divestments.