Neil Gordon

Settings which say “Downloading support for Apple Intelligence … models are downloading”

I was happily testing iOS apps that made use of Foundation Models (on device LLM) on dev beta 1 of iOS26 on my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Then it stopped working, and in Settings it tells me models are being downloaded. I changed nothing. Apple must have updated the models? Now I’m waiting ….

The Weather & Climate Livestream Join us starting May 28th, as meteorologists and climate scientists from across the US share their research and answer your questions.

If you are interested to hear from some of the leading scientists and meteorologists in the US about the threats and implications of what is happening in the US, check out this live stream that runs from Wed. May 28th 1pm ET/10am PT to Sun. June 1st 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT.

wcstreamathon.netlify.app

Opinion | Larry David: My Dinner With Adolf (Gift Article) When a private meeting goes unexpectedly.

Brilliant. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/o...

Pete Hegseth: ‘There Are No State Secrets In A Healthy Relationship’ WASHINGTON—Staunchly defending his decision to share sensitive military data in messages to his wife, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Monday, “There are no state secrets in a healthy rel...

The Onion is the one thing that will survive this administration. They are the nuclear annihilation cockroach of political humor. They flourish best when the situation is worst. theonion.com/pete-hegseth...

The problem with most machine-based random number generators is that they’re not TRULY random, so if you need genuine randomness it is sometimes necessary to link your code to an external random process like a physical noise source or the current rate of US tariffs on a given country.

I was told there would be a handbasket for this stage of the journey

I am able to access web search for Claude in NZ, simply by using a VPN to pretend I am there. Doesn’t seem to be based on the account settings.

#Claude Pro has enabled web search only for users in the US so far. It works for me in NZ, if I use a VPN to pretend I am in the US.

Cartoon by patbyrnes.bsky.social.

A kite in the shape of a skeleton is flying in the sky. Behind it is a growing cumulus cloud tower, with a piles cloud on top, and blue sky to left and right

One of my photos from the annual kite festival in Ōtaki, NZ

More NOAA Employees May Be Let Go, Making 20% of Staff Cut (Gift Article) Together with recent firings and resignations, the new cuts could hamper the National Weather Service’s ability to produce lifesaving forecasts, scientists say.

When will the madness end? This will be bad for Americans and all the world given the international nature of meteorology

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/c...

Today, Right Now, is the Easiest Moment To Draw the Line Against Donald Trump There is no other cavalry coming.

Just found this blog. See previous posts as well.

www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/today-righ...

Today, Right Now, is the Easiest Moment To Draw the Line Against Donald Trump There is no other cavalry coming.

Just found this blog. See previous posts as well.

www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/today-righ...

Thank you for this statement, @ametsoc.org.

blog.ametsoc.org/2025/03/03/t...

I got laid off today, with the rest of 18F.

18F was an elite federal software shop. We made gov't websites work better, more efficiently for the American people. We saved taxpayers from getting screwed over by contractors. And were fired for it.

We made this website to tell our story:
18f.org

Part 2 and 3.

2027 to 2030: https://nosetgauge.substack.com/p/a-history-of-the-future-2027-2030

2030 to 2040: https://nosetgauge.substack.com/p/a-history-of-the-future-2030-2040

A fascinating series of three articles on the “History of the Future”, that outlines scenarios for how #AI might evolve and impact the world. Pure speculation and quite specific rather than vague. Worth a read.

2025 to 2027: https://nosetgauge.substack.com/p/a-history-of-the-future-2025-2027

For no particular reason, I learnt a new word today. “Praetorianism - excessive or abusive political influence of the armed forces in a country.”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetor...

Very dynamic weather on the Kāpiti Coast right now. Handheld 5x zoomed in timelapse of growing cumulus towers

@metservice.com

The USA is no longer considered a democracy and lies at the cusp of autocracy; it has experienced a Presidental Coup and an Adverse Regime Change event (8-point drop in its POLITY score).

The US is no longer considered a democracy by the Polity Project, and "lies at the cusp of autocracy". Considers current events a presidential coup and adverse regime change.

www.systemicpeace.org/index.html

What a great quote. “ It feels, at times, like watching policymakers on horseback, struggling to install seatbelts on a passing Lamborghini.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/technology/ai-summit-paris-technology.html?unlocked_article_code=1.w04.2HSo.J4HJbazu_IkL

What can I do to fight this coup? - Choose Democracy If you look, there are people resisting at every level. Blockades of freeways. American Bar Association urging an end to...

choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/

How to organize under authoritarian creep in a closing civil society With civil society under attack from a dehumanizing far-right government, it bears remembering: In crisis there is also opportunity.

wagingnonviolence.org/2025/01/how-...

Trump’s neofascism is here now. Here are 10 things you can do to resist | Robert Reich America has deep problems, which is why we can’t give up. Protect the vulnerable, organize boycotts and keep fighting

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Yeah, I thought it was a good article

How Could the Weather Service Change Under Trump? (Gift Article) President Trump tangled with its forecasters during his first term. As he slashes government spending, many wonder what that means for weather data.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/w...

“Four of seven NIWA scientists who contributed to the research - including Morgenstern- have left the institute after losing their jobs in cost-cutting, and now work overseas.” 💔

Pennsylvania flood museum temporarily closed due to flooding Cold weather causes leak at Johnstown Flood Museum, which commemorates 1889 catastrophe that killed 2,209

The irony. A museum about a flood closes due to flooding.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Stargate: Tech giants announce AI plan worth up to $500bn Trump has extolled the project as an important investment, but Elon Musk is throwing shade on it.

Both numbers exist. There is meant to be $100bn initial funding (which is what Musk was skeptical about) for an overall $500bn project. www.bbc.com/news/article...