Walter

in search for the truth...

[Rand Paul @RandPaul]

For years, I raised alarms about dangerous gain-of-function research being farmed out to foreign countries, and I was told it was a conspiracy theory. Now, declassified documents show that the U.S. funded over 120 biolabs across more than 30 countries. Some of this research was conducted overseas precisely because scientists knew it would face scrutiny on American soil.

I'm calling for a presidential commission of scientists to review all gain-of-function research going forward. We're going lab by lab and pathogen by pathogen until the American people know the full truth.

https://t.co/gtv6sZ7viR

[DNI Tulsi Gabbard @DNIGabbard]

Today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr. Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicized elements within the Intelligence Community to suppress the truth about his actions and hide the virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024. It’s time you know the truth.

https://t.co/3YJSstB7d4

[Eric Topol @EricTopol]

The recent impressive drug (daraxonrasib) success vs pancreatic cancer may presage a much broader set of wins.
gift link @TheEconomist
https://t.co/8bxGbwz6We

[Henri @AlpinaB3SHenri]

Goedemorgen allemaal🤣

[Pushmeet Kohli @pushmeet]

AI agents are advancing research-level math. 🚀

I’m thrilled to share @GoogleDeepMind’s AlphaProof Nexus - an agentic framework for formal proof search powered by Gemini.

When applied to a set of open formal math problems, our agent autonomously solved:
✅ 9 open Erdős problems (including two open for 56 years!)
✅ 44 Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS) problems
✅ A 15-year-old open problem in algebraic geometry ✅ A 7-year-old open question in min-max optimization

We are collaborating with mathematicians across disciplines - from combinatorics and graph theory to quantum optics. Ultimately, these results show the massive potential of even simple agentic loops powered by Gemini.

Read the paper here: https://t.co/c5M9ZjRXU1

[Esigbond @EsigbondNL]

Zeer vooringenomen EU-TPD consultatie. De vragen zijn zo opgesteld dat de uitkomst altijd negatief uitvalt voor minder schadelijke alternatieven.
Ex-rokers die mbv een rookvrij alternatief zijn gestopt worden bij voorbaat niet gehoord.

[Maarten Boudry @mboudry]

Even recapituleren.

De VRT bestelde een studie over diversiteit en intolerantie. Ze hanteerde daarbij het containercategorie “buitenlandse origine”, dat ze vervolgens volpropt met Nederlanders en andere Europeanen omdat ze kennelijk te weinig Marokkanen en Turken vonden, wat die categorie waardeloos maakt. Maar toen nog stééds bleek dat die groep gemiddeld intoleranter was dan de Belgen, gaven ze instructies aan hun journalisten om die balkjes maar helemaal weg te moffelen.

Ik heb voor de uitzending alle data opgevraagd bij de VRT, wat toch normaal is als je een expert uitnodigt om over een studie te spreken. Maar ik kreeg ze niet, alleen een simpele PowerPoint met een verdwaalde opmerking die journalisten instrueerde om NIET over herkomst te berichten. En nog steeds vertikt de VRT het om de ruwe data vrij te geven. (Komt hopelijk nog)

Nochtans weten we uit onderzoek dat homohaat zeer sterk samenhangt met de islam — hoe religieuzer, hoe intoleranter (dit geldt overigens ook voor andere religies). Een kwart van de moslimjongeren in België vindt geweld tegen homo’s gerechtvaardigd (JOP Monitor). De helft van de Turken in Duitsland vindt homoseksualiteit een “ziekte”. De helft van de Europese moslims wil geen homo’s als vrienden (Koopmans). Idem wat betreft reactionaire denkbeelden over vrouwen.

Dat was allemaal al lang vóór de opkomst van de — inderdaad verwerpelijke — “manosfeer” waarover de VRT vol op het orgel ging, terwijl hun onderzoek daar geen enkele conclusie over toelaat. Het is pure speculatie, maar het past wel in het "woke" narratief dat het allemaal de schuld is van Andrew Tate, influencers, toxische masculiniteit, sociale media etc. Want hebben we allemaal Adolescence niet gezien op Netflix (pure fictie en nog ongeloofwaardig ook), dat nu zelfs aan het onderwijspakket wordt toegevoegd?

Maar de culturele factor wilden ze bij de VRT kennelijk niet onderzoeken, of ze wilden de vis verdrinken in die containercategorie van "buitenlanders". Nergens in het onderzoek wordt gepeild naar de impact van religie of cultuur. Nergens wordt gevraagd welke religie de jongeren aanhangen. Er zit niks in over het verband tussen islam en LGBT-intolerantie, niets over religieuze rechtvaardiging van geweld, niets ernstigs over niet-Europese migratie (alleen die waardeloze container “buitenlandse origine”).

Het is dus nog erger: 𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐠𝐦𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐳𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐳𝐨𝐞𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐳𝐞𝐭, 𝐧𝐨𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞 “𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧” 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧.

Nu we toch bezig zijn: de studie bulkt van andere typische woke assumpties:
- Het gaat bijna uitsluitend over de typische vooroordelen van blanke autochtone burgers, zoals angst voor moskeeën en omvolking; zelfs die idiote “wintermarkten” achten ze een vraag waard. (Ironisch genoeg zien ze islamitische Vlamingen blijkbaar niet als “echte” Vlamingen.)
- De term “islam” komt alleen voor in de context van “bezorgdheid over de islam”, “weerstand tegen moskeeën”, angst voor islamisering en omvolking. Allemaal hoogst “problematisch”.
- De stelling “Er zijn maar twee geslachten” wordt geproblematiseerd en voorgesteld als een vorm van intolerantie, iets waar mensen het “lastig mee hebben”. Nieuwsflits uit de biologie: er zijn maar twee geslachten. ER ZIJN MAAR TWEE GESLACHTEN.
Sorry voor de hoofdletters, wellicht speelt mijn toxische mannelijke agressie op. 😉

https://t.co/w8RJgeqD9D

[John Stossel @JohnStossel]

Thousands of smokers don't quit cigarettes because of high taxes on vapes.

“The more expensive you make the safer product," @gbentley1 of @reason explains, "the more of the most dangerous product will be sold.”

But politicians don't learn.

Now they impose HUGE taxes on Zyn:

[World Vapers' Alliance @vapers_alliance]

The EU just revealed what's really driving nicotine tax policy, and it isn't public health.

The latest TED draft cuts taxes on cigars and heated tobacco to keep member states happy, then raises e-liquid rates to balance the books. No scientific justification. Just political deal-making. Less harmful products are used as bargaining chips, and vapers pay the price.

Full statement: https://t.co/TUt2aG6JGW

[Demis Hassabis @demishassabis]

I’ve always believed the No.1 application of AI should be to improve human health.

That work started with AlphaFold, and now at @IsomorphicLabs with the mission to reimagine drug discovery and one day solve all disease!

We are turbocharging that goal with $2.1B in new funding.

[Walter @walter_vaper]

@BM_Visser Een warmtepomp als hernieuwbaar rekenen is toch wel vreemd

[Walter @walter_vaper]

@Kees1617748 @AlpinaB3SHenri Voor nul zal je bedoelen 😂

[Peter Engelmann @EngelmannPeter]

Belgien beschliesst ein Aromenverbot bei E-Zigaretten analog der Niederlande.

Offensichtlich hat man sich die Entwicklung des Nachbars seit Einführung des Aromenverbotes, nicht genau angeschaut.

Vizepremierminister Frank Vandenbrocke sagt: „ man will mit dieser Maßnahme besser die Kinder und Jugendlichen schützen“.

Sorry Belgien!!!!

Die Niederlande zeigt ganz klar das Gegenteil.

87% Schwarzmarkt!!!!

Das Verbot wirkte ganz klar kontraproduktiv und durch den Schwarzmarkt hat man den Zugang für Jugendliche eher erleichtert.

Ergebnis: die Prävalenz unter Jugendlichen beim Konsum von E-Zigaretten und Tabakzigaretten ist angestiegen.

Wann kommt der Tag, dass Politiker keine dummen Entscheidungen treffen? Wann?

[Sébastien Béziau @SebastienBZ]

🇧🇪 Belgique : interdiction des arômes 🇧🇪
Supprimer les arômes dans la vape, je dis souvent que c’est faire du vélo sans pédale. Mais y a encore plus sadique, pour arrêter de fumer la cigarette, ça sera goût cigarette et rien d’autre !
👏 Et c’est pas une blague ☹️

[John Stossel @JohnStossel]

Politicians scream "think of the children!" when they impose high taxes on Zyn.

But only 0.6% of high schoolers frequently use nicotine pouches.

"It's adults who are buying this stuff," explains @gbentley1 of @reason, "And that's a good thing, not a bad thing."

Here's why:

[Ihtesham Ali @ihtesham2005]

An MIT professor taught the same math course for 62 years, and the day he retired, students from every country on earth showed up online to watch him give his final lecture.

I opened the playlist at 2am and ended up watching three of them back to back.

His name is Gilbert Strang. The course is MIT 18.06 Linear Algebra.

Every machine learning engineer, every data scientist, every quant, every self-taught programmer who actually understands how AI works learned the math from this one man. Most of them never set foot on MIT's campus. They just opened a free playlist on YouTube and let him teach.

Here's the story almost nobody tells you.

Strang joined the MIT math faculty in 1962. He retired in 2023. That is 61 years of standing at the same chalkboard teaching the same subject to 18-year-olds.

The interesting part is what he did when MIT launched OpenCourseWare in 2002. Most professors were skeptical. They worried that putting their lectures online would make their classrooms irrelevant. Strang did not hesitate. He said his life's mission was to open mathematics to students everywhere. He filmed every lecture and gave it away.

The decision quietly changed how the world learns math.

For decades linear algebra was taught the wrong way. Professors started with abstract vector spaces and proofs about field axioms. Students drowned in the abstraction. Most never recovered. They walked out believing they were bad at math when they had simply been taught in an order that nobody's brain is built to absorb.

Strang inverted the entire curriculum.

He started with matrix multiplication. Something you can write down on paper. Something you can compute by hand. Something you can see. Then he showed his students that everything else in linear algebra eigenvectors, singular value decomposition, orthogonality, the four fundamental subspaces was just a different lens for understanding what the matrix was actually doing under the hood.

His rule was strict. If a student could not explain a concept using a concrete 3 by 3 example, that student did not actually understand the concept yet. The abstraction was supposed to come last, not first. The intuition was the foundation. The proofs were just confirmation that the intuition was correct.

The second thing Strang changed was the classroom itself. He said please and thank you to his students. Every single lecture. He paused mid-derivation to ask "am I OK?" to check if anyone was lost. He never used the word "obviously" or "trivially" because he knew exactly what those words do to a student who is one step behind. He treated 19-year-olds learning math for the first time the way he treated his own colleagues. With patience. With respect. With the assumption that they belonged in the room.

For 62 years.

The result is something that has never happened in the history of education. A single math professor became the default teacher of his subject for the entire planet.

Universities in India, China, Brazil, Nigeria, every country with a computer science department, started telling their own students to just watch Strang's lectures. The University of Illinois revised its linear algebra course to do almost no in-person lecturing. The reason was honest. The professor said they could not compete with the videos.

His final lecture was in May 2023.

The auditorium was packed with students who had never met him before. He walked to the chalkboard, taught for an hour, and at the end the entire room stood and applauded. He looked confused for a moment, like he genuinely did not understand why they were cheering. Then he smiled and waved them off and walked out.

His written comment under the YouTube video of that final lecture was four sentences long. He said teaching had been a wonderful life. He said he was grateful to everyone who saw the importance of linear algebra. He said the movement of teaching it well would continue because it was right.

That was it. No book promotion. No farewell speech. No legacy management.

The man whose teaching is the foundation of modern AI just thanked the audience and went home.

20 million views. Zero ego. The entire engine of the AI revolution sits on top of math that millions of people learned for free from one quiet professor in Cambridge.

The course is still on MIT OpenCourseWare. Every lecture, every problem set, every exam, every solution. Free.

The most important math course of the 21st century is sitting one click away from you. Most people will never open it.

[Walter @walter_vaper]

@janmodaal420 Is dat niet gevaarlijk voor stabiliteit van het net?

[Walter @walter_vaper]

@AlpinaB3SHenri Mijn dag is weeral goed begonnen Henri 😂

[Walter @walter_vaper]

@ChaunceyGardner @PantherNoster I had the same experience in 2013 . Tried vaping out of curiosity and stopped smoking after 35 years while I had no intention of doing so. #vapingsaveslives