David Benson

Assistant Prof of #Strategy & Entrep @UVU studying venture capital, #innovation, & entrepreneurial clusters. Strategy PhD @UMICH @MichiganRoss #goblue

[Richard Hanania @RichardHanania]

Absolutely insane revelations about Tulsi Gabbard.

Throughout her public life, she's been a puppet for a Hindu cult.

Washington Post got access to 25,000 pages of documents including directives from Tulsi Gabbard's cult leader telling her which policy positions to take and how to present herself throughout her career.

It matches her record in Congress. At one point, she was instructed to say "It’s not a ‘boohoo, I don’t get to go to the party’ situation, Wolf" during a CNN interview, and used that exact phrase. This is one of several examples of her taking direct orders about what to say on TV. They told her what to tweet about too.

The cult set up fake accounts to boost her on social media. Gabbard was aware, at one point telling them to add a photo to a profile.

An email records a phone call where she was yelled at, but Tulsi is reminded at the end that "we still love you."

This woman was always a freak, which is why she ended up in the MAGA coalition. Anti-vaxxers, criminals, racist, and a woman in a weird cult all end up as allies. Trumpism is Kakistocracy.

[Morgan Barrett @MorganBarrettX]

Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm show on Amazon is the most radicalizing piece of mainstream media I’ve ever seen

Just one example (bear with me):

Badgers became a protected species in Britain 40+ years ago.

The population has exploded and now frequently transmits tuberculosis to cows

But farmers can’t cull the badger population to protect their cattle because the government still considers them to be endangered

Instead of addressing the root cause, the UK has the most batshit testing regime for cattle

There’s no TB vaccine. So the cattle have to get tested. The vets administering the test have to measure welts on the cows neck. Whether a cow lives or dies comes down to a vet trying to discern 1mm on a caliper (reactive vs non reactive).

If a cow tests positive, the farm (already running on super thin margins) is quarantined and starts hemorrhaging money.

Jeremy Clarkson’s cow (pregnant with twins) has an inconclusive test so it’s separated from the herd. It receives a second inconclusive test so they have to kill it (before it can give birth to the twins).

Now here’s the kicker: the autopsy reveals no sign of TB. It was a healthy cow needlessly killed

So - silver lining the farm should be removed from quarantine, right? WRONG - it’s still under quarantine and has to keep testing and can’t sell its beef

Kafkaesque doesn’t even begin to describe how f’d up it is for British farmers

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

Exclusive: A Post reporter obtained hundreds of confidential memos detailing politics and policy guidance for Tulsi Gabbard from her years in Congress, then embarked on a quest to identify who was behind them. https://t.co/44O9KCdUhE

[Rob Henderson @robkhenderson]

"You may not realize it, but no honest plumber would ever agree to fix your pipes, no grocery store would sell you meat, and no doctor would give you a checkup...unless they had insurance. The value of the transaction is simply too low relative to the damage that might occur"

[Ethan Mollick @emollick]

A fundamental problem with extending Codex/Cowork/Code to all knowledge work is that they remain very "software-brained" where the end result (the software) is what is important & that code serves as a source of truth.

For a lot of other knowledge work, the process is at least as important as the outcome. This includes researching what is known, an exploration of alternatives, failed efforts, prototype branches, experiments, etc. All of those things are valuable, so you cannot use the PowerPoint at the end the way you can use a codebase, nor is progress on a to-do list sufficient context post compaction. You work in learning loops, refining your perspectives as you go.

In some ways, this makes long-running models like Fable hard to use for deep knowledge work, since they are designed to deliver product to you in the end. You can prompt your way around this problem, but everything about the Codex and Code harnesses want you to be a software developer and you have to fight them. There is a real disconnect between how a manager or analyst thinks about problems and how the agentic software tools approach solving them. Addressing this is critical to breaking out of the coding niche for these tools.

[Best Movie Moments 🍿 @BestMovieMom]

What's funny about Days of Thunder (1990) is that critics were fairly mixed on it when it came out. Today, it's become one of Tom Cruise's most rewatchable films and a cult favorite among racing fans.

[Heidi Hatch KUTV @tvheidihatch]

UPDATE: Fire crews continue to battle the Bonneville Fire in Salt Lake City and are expected to remain on scene through the evening.

Officials say a unified command has been established between the Salt Lake City Fire Department and Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands, with support from University Police and the Salt Lake City Police Department.

At this time, there are no evacuation orders in place for nearby neighborhoods.

Authorities said if conditions change and evacuations become necessary, affected residents will be notified through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.

Officials are also reminding the public not to fly drones near the wildfire.

"Doing so is illegal and creates a serious safety hazard for firefighters and aviation crews working to suppress the fire," officials said.

Unauthorized drones can force firefighting helicopters and aircraft to suspend operations, delaying suppression efforts and increasing risks to both first responders and the community.

This remains a developing situation. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Families in the hospital are sending me photos- there is smoke filtering into the hospital adding to the stress for families and caregivers. @KUTV2News

WATCH THE MORNING SHOW FOR UPDATES

[Chase Thomason @ChaseThomason]

Not only is the smoke coming from the new wildfire in Juab/Utah/Tooele County, but also from large fires burning in southern Nevada. 💨

[Ethan Mollick @emollick]

AI is generally a weak fiction writer except for one particular kind of fiction (metaphor-rich, staccato sentences, short & plot light, etc.) which it writes excellently. This happens to be a style that can sometimes do quite well in modern literary fiction short story contests.

[Fibonacci 🥷 @Fibonacci69]

Terry Crews shares the heartbreaking moment he was cut from the NFL Washington Redskins after being told he made the team.

"Right after camp they said 'Congratulations, you made the team.' I tell my wife, we celebrate...I go to practice, I practice all day. My wife, while I'm in practice, she checking my kids into school."

"I come home and they say 'Hey man, come back up to the Redskins park and bring your playbook.' They said "we have to let you go man". On that Tuesday, which is the NFL day off, they brought another linebacker from another team."

"I sat the whole year didn't get picked up. I tried to find ways to make it work but nothing"

"That level of pain... is never really talked about, that so many players go through."

[Utah Fire Info @UtahWildfire]

#IronFire update: Highway 6 is closed at Elberta. Please avoid the area and allow residents the ability to evacuate safely.

[Heidi Hatch KUTV @tvheidihatch]

EVACUATION ORDER UNDERWAY: A look at what families are seeing as they leave their homes behind in Eureka tonight.

Heavy smoke and a heavy police presence ensuring the safety of families as they leave.

An evacuation center has been established at the LDS Church in Elberta, 11201 W 8400 South St., Elberta, UT.

#IronFire @KUTV2News

Video: Claudio Gamino 🙏🏼

[History With Jacob @HistoryWJacob]

In 1884, Ulysses S. Grant was dying of throat cancer and was dead broke.

His money was wiped out by a swindler who stole his fortune.

Desperate to leave something for his wife, he agreed to write his Civil War memoirs and was close to signing a contract for a meager 10% royalty.

Mark Twain stepped in, called the deal robbery and offered Grant 70% of the profits through his own publishing company.

Grant raced death to finish the book, completing it just days before he died in July 1885.

It became one of the greatest memoirs ever written.

The royalties left his widow nearly half a million dollars, about $16 million today, and the book has never gone out of print.

[KSL 5 TV @KSL5TV]

BREAKING: Salt Lake County Fire Department has requested an immediate shelter in place for The University of Utah.

University of Utah media staff says no evacuations but there are some concerns for smoke inhalation so avoid the area if possible.

[ABC4 News @abc4utah]

#BREAKING: The town of Eureka is evacuating as the Iron fire exceeds 13,000 acres in the past 24 hours.

📷Jake White

https://t.co/XYvp0i16FU

[Governor Cox @GovCox]

Utah is facing multiple wildfires across the state today, and we are using every available resource to support response efforts.

I’m grateful for the firefighters, first responders, emergency managers, law enforcement officers, and volunteers working around the clock to protect lives, homes, and communities.

Conditions remain dry and dangerous. Please use extreme caution, follow evacuation notices, and do your part to prevent new fires. We are monitoring the situation closely.

[Robert Patrick 🇺🇸 @robertpatrickT2]

A lot of folks have asked why I jumped into the #SaveStargate campaign.

Truth is, this was never about how many episodes I appeared in.

It was about supporting friends, standing behind a cast and crew I respect and recognizing one of the most passionate fan communities out there. The Stargate universe has meant a great deal to a lot of people for a very long time.

When people care that deeply about something and work that hard to keep it alive, I’m happy to lend my voice.

Some things are worth getting loud about.

LFG #SaveStargate @rachel_luttrell @JoeFlanigan

https://t.co/z5KiNikIJ2

[KUTV2news @KUTV2News]

🚨 EVACUATION ALERT 🚨
According to officials, residents in Eureka are being evacuated.

🏠 An evacuation center is open at:
📍 11201 W. 8400 South St.
📍 Elberta

READ MORE: https://t.co/Ds8VAwkKHN

[Christoffer Baustad Nilsen 🐈‍ @ChristofferBN]

Some of the most important quantities in physiology can't be seen directly. You can't watch an LDL particle slip into an artery wall and stay there.

But you can trace it in a so-called kinetic tracer study. Scientists have done exactly this. In humans! 🧵 1/9

[Joachim Schork @JoachimSchork]

While Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a powerful tool for simplifying complex data, it's important to recognize its limitations. Awareness of these boundaries can help us use PCA more effectively and avoid potential pitfalls. Here's what to keep in mind:

Sensitivity to Scaling:

🔹 Issue: PCA is sensitive to the scale of your variables. Differences in variance due to scale can skew the analysis, giving undue weight to variables with larger scales.
🔹 Solution: Standardize data before applying PCA to ensure each variable contributes equally to the analysis.

Linear Assumptions:

🔹 Challenge: PCA assumes linearity, meaning it looks for linear relationships between variables. It might not capture complex, non-linear interactions well.
🔹 Consideration: Explore other dimensionality reduction techniques like t-SNE or UMAP for non-linear data structures.

Interpretation Difficulties:

🔹 Obstacle: The principal components generated by PCA are linear combinations of original variables and may not have a direct, interpretable meaning.
🔹 Approach: Careful examination and domain knowledge are necessary to interpret the components meaningfully.

Loss of Information:

🔹 Reality: Reducing dimensions means some information is inevitably lost. The discarded components, although less significant, might still contain valuable insights.
🔹 Balance: Decide on the number of components to retain by considering the trade-off between simplicity and information loss.

Making the Most of PCA:
Recognizing these limitations doesn't diminish PCA's value but rather enhances its utility by guiding its application. It's about using the right tool for the job, with a clear understanding of its capabilities and constraints.

Looking to deepen your understanding of PCA, including how to navigate its limitations in practice? Explore our comprehensive course on PCA in R programming. More information: https://t.co/DUfoAHuxxD

#datastructure #DataAnalytics #RStats #DataAnalytics #datasciencetraining #R4DS