Also on today’s menu:
Three Counties Qualify For Disaster Assistance
AI, Not EVs, Is Where The Action Is
Aaron Bushnell, 25, the cyber defense operations specialist with the US Air Force who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on February 25 as an act of protest against Israel’s war in Gaza, was an online student studying computer science and pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with Southern New Hampshire University.
Based in San Antonio, Texas, he had volunteered with the San Antonio Care Collective, supporting people living in encampments by providing blankets, sweaters, and snacks from a store on the base. Before killing himself, Bushnell created a will to ensure that everything he had, including his cat, would be cared for.
Bushnell livestreamed his self-immolation on the social media platform Twitch, saying he “will no longer be complicit in genocide”. As he burned in front of the Israeli Embassy, Bushnell yelled, “Free Palestine!”
Discussion: Self-immolation rarely if ever serves to bring about desired change. The act briefly focuses attention on an issue, but soon fades from the public consciousness, and if change comes, it comes from another direction. In the case of the Israeli-Hamas war, Bushnell’s sacrifice is lost among the global concern over the humanitarian crisis that borders on genocide in Gaza. Countries around the world are already pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take greater care in avoiding civilian deaths as he presses to eradicate Hamas.
Three Counties Qualify For Disaster Assistance
President Joe Biden Jr. has granted New Hampshire’s request to declare December’s severe flooding in Carroll, Coos, and Grafton counties as major disasters. “This disaster declaration provides the opportunity for those communities that experienced extensive damage from the severe storm to recuperate costs incurred while fixing damages,” Governor Chris Sununu said. “The state will continue to work with officials in all three counties to utilize relief funding as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
The preliminary damage assessment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) placed the statewide cost for response efforts at $2,642,481. The disaster declaration opens up federal support through the Public Assistance Program and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. FEMA provides as much as 75 percent of the eligible costs of approved projects through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The Public Assistance Program provides grants to state and local governments to assist with disaster recovery, including debris removal, emergency protective measures, and permanent restoration of infrastructure.
Local, county, and state agencies are eligible for assistance, as well as nonprofits that provide critical services.
Discussion: Governor Sununu’s request for assistance due to the severe storms and flooding that occurred between December 17 and 21 cited damage “that overwhelmed State and local resources requiring an immediate and urgent response” in the three counties receiving assistance, but also listed Belknap, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Sullivan, and Strafford counties as in need of assistance. Sununu did not get all that he asked for.
AI, Not EVs, Is Where The Action Is
Apple has never confirmed reports that it was working on a fully autonomous electric vehicle without a steering wheel and pedals, but a team of 2,000 people reportedly known as the Special Projects Group was part of Chief Executive Tim Cook’s Project Titan. Having spent billions of dollars on research and development over the past decade, the company now reportedly cancelled its EV plans and will move employees from the project to the company’s artificial intelligence division.
The BBC quoted Ray Wang, founder and chief executive of Constellation Research as saying, “This is a smart and long-awaited decision. The market demand for EVs is not there and AI is where all the action is.” Senior Analyst Ivan Lam of the research firm Counterpoint said, “Preliminary data suggests shipments of generative AI smartphones will exceed 100 million units in 2024.”
Demand for electric vehicles has slowed amidst high financing costs, and both Ford and General Motors have postponed plans to expand their EV production. Electric truck manufacturer Rivian announced it would reduce its workforce by 10 percent amidst expectations of no growth in the market this year. In January, Tesla warned that its sales growth would be weaker this year than in 2023. Tesla has been reducing prices in Europe and China as it faces tough competition from Chinese rivals such as BYD.
Discussion: There is a growing concern about the environmental impact of the mining necessary to harvest the metals used in today’s electric vehicle batteries, and consumers are hesitant about buying vehicles with long charging times. In the Northeast, drivers are concerned about how EVs will fare in cold weather and do not want to be stranded during snowstorms. Add to that the high interest rates the Federal Reserve has created and it dampens the appeal of high-cost vehicles. Scientists are working on more environmentally friendly batteries, but they are not here yet. Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is being widely embraced for its novelty. AI, however, has its own drawbacks — not only fears of displacing humans, but also because of its embarrassing performance. Eric Hoel devoted a column (which I strongly recommend) to the problems with AI-generated content that amounts to garbage, writing, “You can’t detect AI outputs reliably anyway (like that initial watermarking promise that OpenAI abandoned). The companies won’t self regulate, given their massive financial incentives. We need the equivalent of a Clean Air Act: a Clean Internet Act. We can’t just sit by and let human culture end up buried.”