Stephan

[Stephan @korebejah]

"a huge softie for animals, especially cats. He adopted strays, fed them at the dinner table to the horror of guests... is remembered for supposedly saying his cat was smarter than his entire cabinet, a cabinet famously stuffed with men who each thought they should be President"

[Echoes of War @EchoesofWarYT]

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was a genuinely terrifying wrestler who reportedly won more than 300 matches and lost only once in his life. He was so good he's actually in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Standing 6 foot 4 with freakishly long arms, young Lincoln would throw grown men around for sport on the Illinois frontier. There's a famous story where he beat the local tough guy so decisively that the man's entire gang backed down, and a well-known line has Lincoln taunting a crowd after a win, offering to fight anyone brave enough to step up. This is the guy on the five dollar bill.

In his free time he was also the funniest man in most rooms he walked into. Lincoln was a compulsive storyteller and joke-teller, filthy jokes included, and he used humor to survive the darkest days of the Civil War. He once told his cabinet, "With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die." Multiple Lincoln joke books were actually published while he was alive because his humor was that famous.

He was also a legit inventor, and to this day he is the only President in American history to hold a patent. He designed a system of inflatable bladders to lift riverboats over sandbars and shoals, filed it in 1849, and got Patent Number 6,469. It was never built, but the man literally holds a US patent.

And he was a huge softie for animals, especially cats. He adopted strays, fed them at the dinner table to the horror of guests, and is remembered for supposedly saying his cat was smarter than his entire cabinet, a cabinet famously stuffed with men who each thought they should be President instead of him.

So the real Abraham Lincoln: a Hall of Fame wrestler who lost once in 300 fights, the best joke-teller in the country, the only President ever to hold a patent, and a man who fed stray cats at his own table.

That's a President.

[Mengye Ren @mengyer]

Classic tech bro being tech bro. Recruits from academia, builds on academia's innovation, outbids academia for every GPU on earth, publishes nothing peer-reviewed, gives back pennies, then declares academia "mainly fraud." That's pulling up the ladder and spitting down it.

[NO1ennn @N01ennn]

MICROSOFT QUIETLY BUILT ONE MEMORY MODULE THAT PLUGS INTO ANY AI AGENT AND CUTS ITS CONTEXT BY UP TO 100X

no retraining. no task-specific redesign. you just plug it in

Microsoft's insight: agents don't need to remember what happened. they need the knowledge pulled from it - the facts and the reusable skills, not the raw logs

so PlugMem stops storing history. it compiles experience into a knowledge graph, then feeds the agent only what matters

the result:
> up to 1-2 orders of magnitude fewer tokens
> highest decision-utility per token of any system tested
> one unchanged module beats task-specific memory on chat QA, multi-hop search, and web agents

more memory was never the answer. better memory is - and Microsoft just shipped it as a plug-in

bookmark this. the agents that win won't remember more, they'll remember smarter.

[Vishal Misra @vishalmisra]

The bottleneck for AI progress was never compute, it was always the verifier. Recursive self-improvement is limited by verification, not computation. Compute buys proposals - verifiers buy knowledge. My second post on the recent OpenAI math results

https://t.co/EfE3xJxbtw

[Jaco Kleynhans @JacoKleynhans]

Een zeer goed artikel van een Vlaamse journalistenvriend over het geweld tegen immigranten in Zuid-Afrika en de schade die het blijft toebrengen aan de reputatie van ons land. Ongecontroleerde immigratie door een incompetente regering heeft ons in deze positie gebracht! Weer een smet op Zuid-Afrika.

HOMMELES BINNEN DE AFRIKAANSE UNIE
Jan Van Aerschot
De recente betogingen in Zuid-Afrika tegen illegale immigranten hadden ook hun negatief gevolg op buitenlands vlak. Voldoende voor president Ramaphosa om een speciale gezant naar Afrika’s grootste natie, Nigeria, te sturen.
Niet enkel vandaag
Zuid-Afrika kende reeds in het verleden anti-vreemdelingengeweld. Bij hevige onlusten in 2008 vielen er zelfs 62 doden. En tijdens rellen in Johannesburg en Pretoria in 2019 werdenondernemingen behorend aan buitenlanders aangevallen, waarbij opnieuw 12 mensen omkwamen. De jongste golf begon vorig jaar toen illegale buitenlanders toegang tot hospitalen werd ontzegd. Naarmate 30 juni naderde, de datum waarop volgens March&March, de anti-migratiebeweging, alle illegalen het land moesten hebben verlaten, ging het naar een climax. Aangekondigd werd trouwens dat de betogingen tot 4 november, de datum van de lokale verkiezingen, zouden aanhouden. Intussen zouden sinds mei volgens het persagentschap AFP, op basis van cijfers verstrekt door de diverse regeringen, zo’n 160.000 buitenlanders het land hebben verlaten. Het ging voornamelijk om inwoners van Zimbabwe en Malawi, maar ook uit andere Afrikaanse staten als Nigeria of Ghana. Dit op een totaal aantal dat op basis van de volkstelling van 2022 op 3 miljoen wordt gesteld, een cijfer dat uiteraard geen rekening hield met de illegalen. Bij dit alles zouden volgens AFP 4 doden zijn gevallen maar volgens Afrikaanse regeringen gaat het om meer.
Kwaad bloed
Hoe dan ook, de zaak zette in diverse Afrikaanse landen, waarvan de burgers belaagd werden, kwaad bloed. Er was sprake van de gebeurtenissen aan de organisatie van Afrikaanse staten, de Afrikaanse Unie, voor te leggen. Reden te meer voor president Ramaphosa om zijn buitenlandminister Ronald Lamola naar Afrika’s grote reus, Nigeria, te sturen om de plooien glad te strijken. Waarnemers zijn inderdaad van mening dat weliswaar vooral sociaal-economische problemen in Zuid-Afrika – zoals de werkloosheid die 30 % bedraagt – tot de betogingenhebben geleid, maar er zijn ook andere oorzaken. Zo verwees Lamola naar de rellen in maart ll. in KuGompo (Oos-Londen) waarbij voertuigen en gebouwen van Nigerianen zwaar werden beschadigd. Aanleiding was de kroning aldaar van de koning der Igbo’s (een volk in het zuidoosten van Nigeria, vroeger bekend als Ibo’s), een kroning die zowel door de traditionele leiders in de provincie Oost-Kaap als door March&March werd veroordeeld. Die kroning zou een aantasting zijn én van de grondwetén van het traditioneel leiderschap in Zuid-Afrika zelf. Het geeft immers de indruk van een soort parallel bestuur en de vorming van een eigen (Nigeriaans)thuisland. Komt nog bij dat Nigerianen meermaals betrokken waren bij de georganiseerde misdaad -zoals drughandel - terwijl ze zich ook een slechte naam hebben bezorgd door illegale bezetting van eigendommen, ook particuliere, in bepaaldewijken van zowel Johannesburg als Pretoria. Intussen hebben de besprekingen althans verzoenende taal opgeleverd.

[Jaco Kleynhans @JacoKleynhans]

What we need in South Africa…

[Stephan @korebejah]

Interesting reading on the impact of coherence, interaction, and complexity as contributors to the sense of "reality".

[The Elemental Reason @ElementalReason]

What if science has been measuring the structure of reality for 400 years - without naming it?

Discover the full argumentWhat if science has been measuring the structure of reality for 400 years - without naming it?

Discover the full argument.

[Stephan @korebejah]

@DavidAnsara Mark is a great lawyer/advocate. One can deduce that from his "Brain in the Vat" talks from his thought processes, though he, understandably, guards that very well by not sharing all. I'm amazed he still is in SA. He would had been highly successful in the USA or elsewhere.

[Stephan @korebejah]

@JacoKleynhans Listened myself to some of their reasoning. The lack in critical thought + cognitive depth is shocking. Sadly, one can derive similar from many Lawyers/Advocates in the SA Commissions/Inquiries, and then one 💡 that the SA Judiciary is absolutely broken, apart from few exceptions

[Stephan @korebejah]

https://t.co/eCRovQdsYB

[Stephan @korebejah]

"The Horrible Consequences of AI Flattery"

https://t.co/7BjAnpFQIO

[Stephan @korebejah]

"The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition" is a two-part book series on the history of Western civilization. Sounds like a must-have set. Great coversation with one of the authors by A. Mohler, who himself is highly well versed on many topics, including history

[Albert Mohler @albertmohler]

I am pleased to announce the release of a new Thinking in Public episode today, "The Battle for Western Civilization," with esteemed historian, Professor Allen C. Guelzo. We discuss his recent book, "The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition." https://t.co/eRoFCa6DBk

[Stephan @korebejah]

Albert Mohler's "In the Library" series a breath of fresh air. Parallels of USA & South Africa's cultural Westernised history the past 100 years, are astonishing. One 💡 why 1960's-80's in SA was the way it was, and what was believed as "conservative" in 1970's, was far from it

[Albert Mohler @albertmohler]

I'm pleased to announce the release of a new In the Library episode today with Chancellor/CEO of @ReformTheoSem and my friend of over 40 years, @LigonDuncan. We discuss theology, higher education, ministry, friendship and doctrinal disagreements, and more. https://t.co/yMXxqGF9VQ

[David Pogue @Pogue]

76 years ago, Ray Bradbury published "There Will Come Soft Rains," an apocalyptic short story about a time when we have wiped ourselves out—but our AI obliviously continues automating our empty smart homes.

Bradbury set the story on August 4, 2026.

https://t.co/0jBNbjt4Ng

[Stephan @korebejah]

Indeed.

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

Joshua 2: "Rahab the prostitute"

Matthew 1: "Rahab, the grandmother of the Messiah."

God has the redemptive capability to change labels and rewrite stories for his purposes and our better.

[Stephan @korebejah]

Interesting read.
The impact of AI, I think, on society and all its levels, is highly underestimated.

[Karl Mehta @karlmehta]

Meta's chief AI officer says a swarm of agents out-produced a team of 100 engineers, and the machinery behind it is markdown files and cron jobs:

"Like I think we've seen internally in Meta cases where if you can develop the right agentic loop and you have the right eval or the right metric for the agents to optimize, you can have a swarm of agents accomplish more than like a team of 100 engineers."

"Very, very handily. Actually, very, very easily."

"And so I think figuring out what the world looks like with lots of these agentic coordination problems, I think that is one of the most interesting problems today."

"It just comes down to skills, markdown files, cron jobs."

"I think it's always funny how mundane everything is once you really dig into it."

If he is right, writing the metric now matters more than writing the code, and one judgment call about that metric stands in for 100 engineers' worth of output.

Wang says Meta has already run this internally.

- Alexandr Wang (@alexandr_wang), Chief AI Officer at Meta, with Garry Tan (@garrytan) at Y Combinator (@ycombinator) Startup School 2026.

[Stephan @korebejah]

@JacoKleynhans Many underestimate Pres. Trump & his team, even influential economists etc, and critisize all his actions, yet News is silent of massive failures of Biden/Harris & a highly 'Social-Marxist Democratic' sphere which had invited highly dangerous ideas/ideologies into USA for years.

[Donald Brown @iamDonaldBrown]

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Security couldn't even write down my name and contact details because they couldn't find a pen. No one was available to direct visitors or answer basic questions.

The first bathroom I used had broken locks on every stall and no toilet paper. The second had toilet paper available...lying in pieces on the floor, broken locks, and damaged toilet seats.

After interviewing Ernst van Zyl outside, I tried to re-enter the building. Security told me I couldn't enter with my camera. I said I'd put it away and enter simply as a member of the public, but I was still refused.

Unsure who to speak to, I asked an advocate for guidance, who suggested I contact the registrar's office.

Instead of receiving any helpful assistance, the person who answered immediately shouted at me after I explained my situation, demanded to know who I was, and questioned why I was calling that number. I eventually ended the call.

This was an extremely unprofessional experience from a public institution funded by taxpayers...including me.

Expect more!

[Stephan @korebejah]

@JacoKleynhans Congratulations. Michigan on my mind for such a long time. One hopes USA public will not revert back to the immense immigration problems pre Jan2025, exposing USA citizens to rape, the immense drug trafficking, people trafficking, etc. USA surely does not want to become a 2nd UK

[Stephan @korebejah]

@JacoKleynhans In Biblical times, leaders asked the Creator Guidance on wars/strategies/advice. It was evident who obeyed & who not. The dilemma is, the Creator has been 'canonised' post that & He only speak now to ancient times & not modern times, at least, that's both USA's🏛️&⛪️view. Sadly.