Ralph Cerchione

Gifted people dealing with others' insanity in interesting and frequently funny ways. The story is also releasing for free on Royal Road, but doesn't have the uploaded art showing for free on my Patreon. royalroad.com/fiction/143611…

Civilization was built by people like this, and there is a stunning lack of gratitude in our culture for their work. In this specific case, at least half of the apple varieties in Brown’s collection were considered “lost” until he personally tracked them down and saved them. He literally went on quests where he did things like, tracking a lost variety back to a stump of a long-ago-cut-down tree near an abandoned homestead in remote Appalachia, took cuttings from the green shoots coming out of the stump, brought them back and planted them. Absolute legend.

Tom Brown, a retired engineer, dedicated 25 years to preserving approximately 1,200 apple varieties from extinction.

We've reached a point where drones have irrevocably changed the face of modern war. Used for surveillance, directing artillery fire, or strike roles, and networked with other effectors, low-cost, attritable UAS are an essential capability for any and every army. This was obvious in 2022, but what Ukraine has now demonstrated is how to reorganise ground forces around UAS, making them an organic component for all unit types, and how to sustain them. But what we have been much slower to comprehend is the corresponding need for low cost air defence capabilities, including counter-drone drones, to defeat UAS of all types.

This is big. Really big. Scientists have just created a molecule that can store sunlight like a rechargeable battery. In a new study published in Science, researchers designed a pyrimidone based system that captures solar energy and locks it into a high energy form called Dewar pyrimidone. When exposed to UV light (~300 nm), the molecule undergoes photoisomerization, transforming into a strained structure that stores energy in its chemical bonds. What makes this powerful is that the energy can be stored for years and then released on demand as heat, simply by triggering the molecule with heat or an acid catalyst 👀 The system achieves an energy density of ~1.6 MJ/kg, which is nearly 2× higher than lithium-ion batteries. In experiments, the stored energy was strong enough to boil water in seconds, proving it’s not just theoretical. The molecule is also inspired by DNA chemistry, designed to be compact, stable, and even work in water-based environments. This is part of a growing field called Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) energy storage, where the material itself acts as a solar battery. Instead of converting sunlight into electricity, it stores it directly as chemical energy. We’re starting to move toward a world where sunlight isn’t just used instantly.. but saved, transported, and released whenever we need it. Welcome to fastest accelerating SciTech Era ♥️

In the middle of a historic mission back to the Moon, this Administration is proposing to a 47% cut to NASA science and a 23% cut to NASA’s budget overall. Last week’s launch showed our country and world what we’re capable of when we work together toward a common goal. None of that can happen without support for science and research.

This level of hacking is going to become as common as dirt as powerful models like Anthropic's Mythos propagate. Using AI, post-quantum encryption, air gapping and other tools to secure critical data will only become more vital.

10 petabytes of China’s most sensitive national security data was just exfiltrated. On the latest episode of the President’s Tech Brief, the team broke down the massive "Flaming China" cyber breach at the Chinese National Supercomputing Center and what it means for global security. This wasn't just a minor leak. Hackers extracted years of high-end research, simulations, and sensitive modeling related to aerospace, missiles, and nuclear fusion. The stolen files are directly linked to major state-owned enterprises like the Aviation Corporation of China and the National University of Defense Technology. #china #cyberattack #technews

The fact that Beijing is planning to supply Iran with strategic weapons systems to kill U.S. troops in Iran surprises even me. China was much more careful about how it supported Russia in Ukraine; it supplied many drones and parts but was more careful about sending full weapons systems—and American troops weren’t even involved in that conflict. @POTUS is right to say that this is unacceptable and cannot happen. But it also shows how dominant Beijing believes its position is right now.

The disclosure sequence here is what courts care about. DOGE gets access to Social Security data. Court blocks it. Supreme Court allows it to resume. Then DOJ admits it gave the court incorrect information during those proceedings. Then discloses: unauthorized server used for the data, and a secret agreement with a political group to analyze voter data tied to overturning election results. The conduct was happening while the court was deciding whether to allow the conduct. The incorrect information was provided while the court was making that decision. The Fourth Circuit sent it back down for a fresh look with the newly disclosed facts included. It flagged "even more alarming" developments it didn't detail. The case now goes to discovery - meaning the full scope of the agreement, who the political group was, and what they did with the data, will be subject to legal compulsion. Social Security numbers. Medical records. Financial records. Millions of Americans. A secret political operation. Courts told something incorrect during the proceedings. The Fourth Circuit called it alarming. It said so twice.

And therefore those obsolete arsenals overstocked with aging Brownings, etc could be put to better use.

I've been pointing out for a very long time that you could train a machine gun to shoot down drones with a GAN and automated targeting. Ukraine has been using the Sky Sentinel since 2025, but militaries will realize machine guns have little use besides shooting incoming drones.

❗️The 🇺🇦Ukrainian company Carmine Sky has deployed Sky Sentinel remotely controlled turrets across Ukraine as part of a private air defense initiative. The automatic turrets, based on the M2 Browning heavy machine gun, are operated using a gaming controller. Video feed is provided by a camera with machine vision capabilities. The turrets autonomously detect and track targets, while the operator — who can be located hundreds of kilometers away — only confirms the decision to open fire. According to Carmine Sky, the current effectiveness of the Sky Sentinel systems stands at 85%.

I think that Putin understands he can't fully occupy Ukraine. It’s just that sometimes he shares messages with our partners that are not what he truly thinks. He suffers tremendous losses and doesn't have enough well-trained people on the battlefield. He is trying to find an off-ramp that looks like a victory. That's why he is trying to push us out of Donbas via diplomacy, through dialogue with the United States. Because to fully occupy Donbas he would need to sacrifice between 300,000 and 1 million people, depending on how many years they would plan the operation for. This is a huge price to pay even for Putin. From an interview on The Rest Is Politics podcast (2/5).

Yes, should be noted that when Vance joins Kushner and Witkoff he is not joining a team of negotiators but a pair of war profiteers.

What the Artemis II astronauts did over the last 10 days was a testament to their bravery. And the fact that they traveled farther from Earth than anyone ever has, re-entered our atmosphere at more than 24,000 mph, and splashed down safely was a testament to human ingenuity. Thanks to everyone at @NASA for making this mission possible, and for taking us along for the ride.

Great news! Fossil fuel corruption can’t stop cheaper, cleaner, more reliable renewables, even with Trump’s little orange thumb pressing down on the scales to pay off his big fossil fuel donors. newsweek.com/americas-power…

You know what would be amazing if Vance and his team can negotiate an agreement where Iran doesn't enrich above 3.67% (far below weapons grade); gets rid of 98% of its stockpile of enriched uranium; has weekly inspections by the IAEA; keeps the straits open without charging anyone; and commits to all of this for at least ten years. Oh, yeah, that was the Obama Iran deal.

A+

It looks like an evil Weeble

Trump hasn't changed, except for his physical decline. He's the same evil shitbag we told you he was back in 2015. You just have low standards, and he finally crossed even those.