RSnake Report 20240918

Exploding pagers, Trump assassination attempt part deux, etc.

Author

Robert RSnake Hansen
September 18, 2024

Table of Contents

Hello, and thanks for reading! We had another really interesting demo day with RAD Security. They do cloud container security, and the demo was great. Almost most interestingly, they believe they could warranty the finding of issues in containers - I was blown away, seriously. Cool stuff, and check it out if that’s your bag.

Let’s start with the bombshell of the month. 💣️ Thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded on Tuesday in Lebanon. The footage is gory and largely censored by Hezbollah itself, who does not want the faces of their fighters being recorded for obvious reasons, instead demanding that people only video the children for propaganda reasons. The real numbers are hard to know, but I’ve seen 700, and 1,200 up to 2,800 or even 3,000 injured and about a dozen dead. The explosions appeared powerful enough to go through wood, blowing clean holes, which means although batteries can be quite dangerous, it likely wasn’t a hacked battery. Inside of that, it is reported that Mossad placed either the explosive PETN before shipping them or perhaps it was RDX, which they have used in the past. I heard another interesting theory that it wasn’t the battery but the board itself. We’ll know more soon enough, I am sure. This was pretty much me last night:

“How did Mossad intercept those pagers to insert explosives?”

This is one of the most significant mass-casualty events in history, and easily one of the most noteworthy in that it could have been at least three different models. Motorola LX2, Teletrim, and the only one I have seen confirmed, which is the off-the-shelf Taiwanese Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR924 pager (more info here). Gold Apollo appears to be a shell for another company called BAC. It’s unclear if the device had a detonator or simply overloaded the batteries because PETN is heat sensitive. In the promotional material, the Gold Apollo model claims to have an 85-day battery life with a rechargeable lithium Ion battery inside. That is reliable enough for para-military operations and likely a good choice for the battlefield - unless they are laced with explosives and timed to beep so that they are in someone’s hand when they go off.

I want to know how they got these devices in the first place, who placed the order, how Mossad intercepted the order, etc. But what we do know is that it could have impacted thousands of Hezbollah fighters, and even the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was reported to have been injured. I wonder why he was carrying around a pager used by a terrorist organization. 🤔

“throw away their pagers immediately.”

We will be talking about this for a long time to come, but this speaks to supply chain issues, software security issues, hardware security issues, etc. Were these intercepted or shipped with payloads? Or was it done entirely remotely? Will airplanes allow electronic devices in the future if this is possible? There are way more questions than answers, but the memes are great (more here and here). It’s being called “Operation Below the Belt” and other silliness.

For their part, Hezbollah did not stop their bombardment of Israel, launching at least 20 rockets and starting a fire in the process, and meanwhile, there are ongoing bombardment of Hezbollah positions. Apparently, the guys in the tunnel didn’t get the message. 😆 Either way, consider my mind blown. Hats off to Mossad and, specifically, allegedly Ein Klita from the agency’s electronics division for pulling that off. I am sure Iran and their propaganda actors will continue to talk about this as if it was indiscriminate and do dumb things like boycott Motorola with tons of bots and other nonsense.

We are also seeing flights temporarily suspended to Israel. But all told, that has got to be a pretty bad day on the morale front for Iran and its proxies. Talk about being outclassed and outmatched. When your 90’s era tech is too modern, and you have to go back to stone-aged tech…

In other good news, the infamous oil tanker Sounion has been towed to the coast of Eritrea, where it can be more safely dealt with and reduce the risk of environmental catastrophe in the region associated with the Houthi strikes against it. Let’s hope they can get it extinguished.

Okay, back over to Russia and Ukraine. Kursk is still a mess of reporting. Gains in one area, losses in another. It’s hard to say what is happening there and if any meaningful changes/exchanges are occurring outside of small towns and villages that may be lost again the next day.

“counteroffensive in Kursk”

There was a notable destruction of a large ammo dump near Mariupol and a large airfield in Crimea that was destroyed (with several planes as well). There was also an enormous explosion at another ammo dump in Toropets. The explosion was recorded, and it was enormous. It was so big it allegedly caused an earthquake of 2.8 magnitude. When you see it by day and listen to it cooking off, you get a sense of how massive this explosion actually was and how much ammo is currently being and was destroyed in the attack. The blast was so large you can see it from space.

A fuel and lubricants warehouse in Yaroslavl, Russia, also caught fire. But other than that, there was not a lot of notable destruction. There was some interesting naval GPS jamming going on, likely due to the concerns about the British missiles entering the theater. That will likely be very dangerous for ships navigating through those waters.

“GPS Jamming”

There was one assassination of a Russian propagandist named the “Crab.” He was killed on Russian soil, likely by special operatives working in country. That may be a useful chilling effect for others in that space, making their jobs much less attractive. They’re no longer just working in an office - they’re on the front lines.

There have been a lot of explosive and mine innovations that are worthy of note. First that caught my eye was a mine disguised as straw/grass. The worst part about these is they don’t look like they degrade, so it may be decades of laying there, but they will still be lethal to some kid who is unlucky enough to kick it. The Ukrainians have, on their side, developed a type of EOD drone that scans the area for things that look like metal and then sends a heavy robot over to de-arm/detonate it. Today, the standard practice is to shoot a line of explosives out and detonate them hoping to trigger any other nearby hidden explosives, which you can see rather well at night here.

“six UAVs at once to scan a field for mines”

Russia also invented a new type of mothership drone with a 40km range that can drop two smaller suicide drones on a target. I think we’re going to see a lot more like this, only a much larger carrying capacity and much greater range. There is no reason not to lay down a small airplane, retrofitted with modern remote control avionics, and have it drop hundreds of pounds of drones over a wide front-line area. It doesn’t even have to be sophisticated explosives. Even something like what Ukraine has been dropping - improvised incendiary devices that are dirt cheap - would be extremely useful for slowing down troop movement, clearing away cover, forcing retreats, etc.

“Russian mothership UAV”

There was an interesting conversation about the changing role of tanks in conflict. The servicemen working on the front lines feel that tanks are not what they used to be and have become more like mobile artillery. That is because of the constant threat of drones and mines.

Lastly, there have been a lot of criticisms about the Russian economy, especially about what will happen next year after the 2.8 million people are enlisted into the military. One of the effects is that there is a concern that the Chechen troops who are paid not to attack Russia, will no longer be paid. And what happens if that happens? Russia is desperate to get a peace deal in place by late next year, hoping to avoid the worst case scenario where they have to fight on two fronts. And in a very hilarious op-ed the state media has said that the US cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons and China and Russia will have to disarm it.

In European news, there is a massive decline in the Greek population. It is estimated that only one child is born for two that die. Some are calling it a Greek tragedy. The comments on it from people living there mostly point to the issue of low wages, especially post-COVID, and increased inflation which leads people to want to have fewer children because ownership is untenable.

“population will drop sharply by up to 25% by 2070”

In other odd news, the country of Georgia (like how I have to qualify that) has banned LGBTQ propaganda. It’s not clear what this will really mean for people living there or who is affected, but generally speaking, I am a free speech advocate, so not a good thing, no matter what the intention is. There is a lot more detail here in English.

Onto South East Asia, where China’s tactics against other ships have gotten much more scrutiny it ended up being a 60-minutes segment. We have some red lines, but China is doing everything it can to get right up to those red lines and push them. It seems they want other people to appear to be the aggressors here despite them ramming ships. It reminds me of a kid hitting their sibling and then getting socked back and crying that they got hit. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes.

In domestic news, there was a thwarted assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Yes, a second one. One of the craziest things I saw in this reporting was a sentence in this article that said that the Secret Service “is usually surveying one or two holes ahead of him when he goes for a round of golf.” Usually? One or two?! What?! Biden has come out and said Congress needs to pass additional funds for more secret service. No joke. But also, a little late, no? I mean, this has already happened once before and not that long ago.

Details are still scant, but the would-be-shooter was purportedly armed with an AK-47 + a GoPro, and the 58-year-old man who had been to Ukraine attempted to join the military, was rejected and moved to try to recruit foreign fighters. He had a Biden-Harris bumper sticker and given donations to the Democratic party after his politics changed from being Republican after the 2016 election, where he voted for Trump—a very unstable human.

“get rid of this idiot that is in the white house… PLEASE"

JD Vance’s had an interesting take on the rhetoric and how things have changed. It’s worth a read even if it may have a few inaccuracies. But my friends have made a good point about how people seem blissfully unaware of how close we are getting to a civil war if something like this were indeed to be successful. How would the other half of the country - the ones with guns - react if their chosen candidate is assassinated? I shudder to think about it, honestly.

In tech news, OpenAI’s GPT-o1 hacked its own capture the flag. Instead of just trying to break the prompt system it ran commands directly against the container and got the flags it was after. Clever. And yes, it is only a matter of time before one of these things breaks containment. It’s not because they are smart. It is because they are single-minded and relentless.

There have been many more layoffs in Economic News, including some good friends at Cisco, like Dennis Fisher - give him a shout if you need a journalist/writer who knows tech. Also, there is a big dust-up at the NYT where the staff is considering going on strike. The details are somewhat hilarious, including fully illegal things. From Semafor “Times management has been frustrated by proposals that would provide more money for nonwhite staff and others from underrepresented communities to attend conferences, and language that would prioritize non-citizens in the US on visas in the case of layoffs — both of which the paper pointed out couldn’t be fulfilled because they likely violate employment laws.” That journalists don’t know the difference between what is and isn’t legal is pretty telling. 😆 

“would cost over $100 million over three years.”

Okay, onto the articles!

Explosions caused by pagers targeting Hezbollah members occurred in Lebanon, killing at least 11 people and wounding over 2,700 others. The blasts appeared to be the latest incident in a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated after Hamas attacked Israel. Iran backs both militant groups.

  • Explosions caused by pagers targeting Hezbollah members occurred in Lebanon.

  • The blasts resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people and over 2,700 others being wounded.

  • The incident is part of a larger conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated after Hamas attacked Israel.

I have heard numbers all over the place. Remember, people were in tunnels firing rockets around the same time or slightly afterward. So there is a lot of reason to believe there were casualties we don’t see.

The US Navy has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO a contract to build up to eight additional John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oilers, with a potential value of over $6.7 billion. The new ships will be designed to transfer fuel and supplies to Navy vessels at sea. This is the longest production series in NASSCO history.

  • The US Navy has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO a contract to build up to eight additional John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oilers.

  • The new ships will be designed to transfer fuel and supplies to Navy vessels at sea, with the potential value of over $6.7 billion.

As a reminder, China developed well over a thousand ships last year. It’s great that we have a few being replaced, but it’s not at all the production necessary to keep up with CCP military expansion. At a very minimum, we need a far larger drone capacity.

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who was wrongfully detained in Russia for over five years, recently returned to the U.S. after being released in a large prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. Whelan expressed gratitude to the bipartisan efforts of lawmakers who supported his case and emphasized ongoing discussions about advocating for other wrongfully detained Americans globally.

  • Paul Whelan was freed from Russian custody after being wrongfully detained for five and a half years.

  • The prisoner swap involved multiple countries and is the largest between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule has successfully splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the end of a historic mission that included the first-ever commercial spacewalk and set a new record for human spaceflight altitude. The recovery team secured the spacecraft and it was carefully lifted aboard the Shannon, from where the crew was swiftly airlifted to shore by helicopter.

  • The mission included the first-ever commercial spacewalk.

  • A record was set for human spaceflight altitude with the crew reaching 1,400 kilometers above Earth.

  • The recovery of the Crew Dragon capsule marked a significant milestone for SpaceX and commercial space exploration.

Great job, SpaceX. Space travel is dangerous but can be made much safer with sound engineering.

In Sudan, at least 100 civilians were killed in an attack on the village of Wad al-Nourah attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) amidst ongoing conflict with the Sudanese army. This incident is one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the outbreak of war in April 2023, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions displaced as violence continues to escalate in affected regions.

  • At least 100 civilians were killed in Wad al-Nourah, making it one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the civil war.

  • The RSF is accused of attacking civilians and committing abuses, including killings and looting.

  • The ongoing conflict has led to approximately 10 million people being displaced since April 2023.

The Philippines claims Sabina Shoal remains part of its exclusive economic zone despite China's sovereignty claims and aggressive actions, with the country planning to maintain a presence in the area.

  • China has been aggressively asserting its sovereignty over disputed features in the South China Sea.

  • The Philippines continues to claim Sabina Shoal as part of its exclusive economic zone despite China's claims and aggressive actions.

  • A months-long standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels at Sabina Shoal has led to damage, injuries, and concerns about a potential armed conflict involving the United States.

Watch this one closely. This, Russia’s itchy trigger finger, and Iran are the three hot spots right now that are likely to go off immediately. Hopefully not, but it’s not like China is backing down.

Russian forces launched a nighttime attack on Ukraine using various weapons systems, including guided missiles and drones, resulting in damage to residential buildings and infrastructure. Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed several of the incoming attacks. Civilians were injured and hospitalized in some areas.

  • Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a guided missile and 10 Shahed drones during a nighttime attack by Russian forces.

  • Russian forces launched the attack using various weapons systems, including Iskander-M ballistic missiles and X-59 guided aviation missiles.

  • Civilians were injured and hospitalized in some areas as a result of the Russian attacks, with significant damage to civilian infrastructure reported.

Attacking civilian infrastructure isn’t doing Russia any favors, nor is it militarily advantageous, except for the hit to morale.

A would-be assassin was planning to murder Donald Trump while he played golf in Florida, but a Secret Service agent foiled the plot by spotting a rifle sticking out of a fence. The suspect was quickly apprehended and is being investigated by the FBI for what appears to be an attempted assassination. This marks the second time someone has tried to kill Trump, with him being shot in the head at a political rally in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

  • A would-be assassin was planning to murder Donald Trump while he played golf in Florida.

  • The suspect was quickly apprehended and is being investigated by the FBI for what appears to be an attempted assassination.

One odd thing is that I heard there were a few shots fired, and he wasn’t hit, even peripherally. That is very unusual for sharpshooters, so it’s unclear who took those shots.

The U.S. State Department has authorized a $4.1 billion sale of up to nine KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft to Japan, enhancing Japan's military capabilities and interoperability with U.S. forces. This acquisition is part of Japan's broader strategy to modernize its military amid regional security concerns, enabling extended operational reach for its air forces.

  • The U.S. State Department approved a significant military sale to Japan valued at $4.1 billion.

  • The acquisition of KC-46A Pegasus aircraft is aimed at modernizing Japan's air refueling capabilities and strengthening defense ties with the U.S.

Yet we are killing the Nippon steel deal. It is a bit strange how we have a push-pull with Japan, our best ally in that region, against China. Also, FYI, they do not supply military steel anyway; that is a political red herring.

Italy's army will provide security for medical staff at a hospital in Calabria following a series of violent attacks by patients and their families on healthcare workers throughout the country. The increase in assaults has led to calls for enhanced protection and more severe penalties for offenders, as the health system faces understaffing and rising tensions.

  • Italy will deploy the army to guard hospitals due to rising violence against medical staff.

  • More than 16,000 cases of aggression towards doctors and nurses were reported in 2023.

  • The healthcare system is critically understaffed, with around 30,000 doctor vacancies.

It is not clear why this is happening, but there are a lot of attacks against healthcare workers. Maybe immigrants, but also perhaps not - that volume seems too large.


Google plans to implement a content authentication technology standard across its products, allowing users to distinguish between human-created and AI-generated images. However, the effectiveness of this solution may be limited by the voluntary nature of the technology and the ease with which metadata can be stripped from images. Trust in recorded media remains a complex challenge that extends beyond technological solutions.

  • The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) standard creates a digital trail for content, backed by an online signing authority, that includes metadata information about where images originate and how they've been modified.

  • Google will incorporate the C2PA standard into its search results, allowing users to see if an image was created or edited using AI tools, but this may not address the underlying trust issues in recorded media.


Apple's A16 mobile processors are now being manufactured in Arizona by TSMC, marking a significant step in American manufacturing capabilities for advanced chips. This project is part of the US government's $39 billion investment under the CHIPS Act, aimed at bolstering domestic semiconductor production. The Arizona facility is expected to play a crucial role in Apple's future devices, potentially including new iPads and the next iPhone SE.

  • Apple's A16 processors are being produced in Arizona by TSMC.

  • The project is part of a $39 billion investment under the CHIPS Act.

Quantum computing commercial revenue is expected to reach $10 billion globally by 2030, with only approximately 300 quantum computers deployed during this period. Quantum-hybrid solutions are predicted to provide the strongest immediate revenue opportunity, while remote connectivity will be essential for enterprise users accessing quantum computers. The study forecasts a return on investment of only 6% in quantum technology by 2030, with total investment surpassing $29 billion in that year alone.

  • Quantum computing commercial revenue is expected to reach $10 billion globally by 2030.

  • Only approximately 300 quantum computers are predicted to be deployed during this period, despite high revenue projections.

  • Quantum-hybrid solutions are predicted to provide the strongest immediate revenue opportunity for enterprise users accessing quantum computers.

  • Remote connectivity will be essential for enterprise users accessing quantum computers due to the low number of deployed quantum computers.

I believe this also included post-quantum networking, but if it doesn’t, it’s missing a huge chunk of revenue. All those old crypto-clusters will have to be replaced by hardware accelerated and SDN post-quantum algorithms.

The tech industry is currently facing significant challenges due to reduced funding and a shift to a more urgent operational model described as 'wartime' leadership. Companies must adapt strategies to prioritize essential projects and efficiently lead teams under high-pressure conditions, focusing on swift decision-making, maintaining morale, and managing team dynamics amidst ongoing layoffs and hiring challenges.

  • The tech industry is shifting to a 'wartime' mode requiring urgent and efficient operational practices.

  • Companies need to prioritize essential projects and maintain team morale during high-stress environments.

Yep—I know a number of people looking for work who are extremely qualified and unable to even get a call back. It’s as if everyone is holding their breath. For what? AI? For the election? It’s not clear, but employers are definitely scared of the economic situation.

Emissions from data centers operated by major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple, are found to be significantly higher than previously reported, with estimates suggesting they may be 662% greater than claimed.

  • Data center emissions from major tech firms are likely 662% higher than reported figures.

  • Electricity demand for data centers is projected to double by 2030 due to the rise of AI.

As we are finding out, the Chinese carbon credits aren’t worth anything. That’s a bad combo. It’s not clear who will foot the bill for the miscalculation, but it really dampens Apple’s sustainable 2030 goal to be carbon neutral. That’s a big delta.

Recent research indicates that AI-edited images and videos can significantly distort memory recall, causing individuals to develop false memories of events that did not happen. The study found that AI-generated content particularly enhanced the likelihood and confidence in these false recollections, raising important considerations in areas such as ethics and law.

  • AI editing tools are increasingly integrated into everyday technology.

  • The manipulation of visual media can lead to the creation of false memories in viewers.

Great - it’s not as if we didn’t already have issues with lousy witness recall. But it is fascinating how malleable we all are.

A researcher discovered a zero-click chain of vulnerabilities in macOS that could allow attackers to bypass security protections and access sensitive data, including iCloud photos.

  • A lack of sanitization of files attached to Calendar events allowed for remote code execution on targeted systems.

  • The vulnerability chain exploited sandbox processes and bypassed security features such as Gatekeeper, TCC, and kernel protections.

  • The attack did not require any user interaction and could result in the theft of photos from iCloud, which could be exfiltrated to foreign servers with trivial modifications.

Make sure you update your iOS and MacOS devices.

A global cybercrime gang, Marko Polo, is actively expanding its financial fraud activities, with a large-scale operation compromising tens of thousands of devices and stealing millions from victims. The group's scams impersonate popular brands and are targeted at individuals and organizations alike. Various malware samples are used to steal crypto or data for identity theft and other fraud efforts.

  • A global cybercrime gang, Marko Polo, is actively expanding its financial fraud activities.

  • The group's scams impersonate popular brands such as Zoom, Discord, and OpenSea, targeting individuals and organizations alike.

  • Various malware samples are used to steal crypto or data for identity theft and other fraud efforts.

Global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1.75 trillion from 2021 to 2025, with cybercrime projected to reach $10.5 trillion USD per year by 2025, causing identity theft, extortion, data loss, and business disruptions.

  • Global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1.75 trillion from 2021 to 2025.

  • Cybercrime is projected to reach $10.5 trillion USD per year by 2025, causing identity theft, extortion, data loss, and business disruptions.

That is the highest projection I’ve seen so far. Before, the largest projection I saw was 2TN by 2034, and this would dwarf that spending.

Iran is increasing its cyber operations, specifically targeting Iraq and other regional countries, amidst rising geopolitical tensions. The country’s cyberespionage groups are using advanced techniques and custom malware to gather intelligence from both allies and rivals in the Middle East.

  • Iran's cyber capabilities are growing, with recent attacks targeting government ministries in Iraq.

  • APT34, linked to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is employing advanced malware and espionage techniques.

A supply chain failure known as PKfail has been identified, compromising Secure Boot protections on a wide range of computing devices, including medical devices, ATMs, and voting machines. Researchers found that the number of affected device models has increased significantly, with previously unknown non-production test keys being used in many production systems, endangering the security chain that ensures the integrity of device firmware.

  • PKfail involves a security failure due to the use of non-production test platform keys in various devices.

  • The number of affected models is much larger than initially known, raising substantial risks for device security.

I was assured voting machines were completely secure. No, but really, a good friend of mine did some auditing work on one of them, and he was given exactly 1 hour and no tools, they hired several other people at the same time, so they were all competing with each other, they didn’t bring any technical specs or even technical advisors to answer their questions, and that gave them a “passing” grade because there were no findings. It's not exactly the high bar the US public might be expecting.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have penalized Rudy’s Performance Parts, a North Carolina aftermarket shop, with $10 million in fines for selling emissions defeat devices. Rudy’s generated approximately $33 million from these illegal products, evading regulations meant to protect public health under the Clean Air Act.

  • Rudy’s Performance Parts was fined $10 million for selling illegal emissions defeat devices.

  • The company generated around $33 million in revenue from these illegal products over several years.

Advanced machine learning methods can solve Google's reCAPTCHAv2 captchas with 100% accuracy, suggesting current AI technologies can exploit image-based captchas. Evidence also suggests reCAPTCHAv2 heavily relies on cookie and browser history data to evaluate human vs bot traffic. This implies a potential vulnerability in current security measures.

  • Advanced machine learning methods can solve Google's reCAPTCHAv2 captchas with 100% accuracy

  • Current AI technologies can exploit image-based captchas in reCAPTCHAv2

  • reCAPTCHAv2 heavily relies on cookie and browser history data to evaluate human vs bot traffic

Obviously, this was going to happen. The entire point of reCAPTCHA was to train visual models and surprise; they have gotten good enough. If you care about stopping fraud, use Arkose Labs (yes, I am on their advisory board, and yes, the tech works).

Microsoft has revealed that a bug in its Windows operating system is being exploited by the 'Void Banshee' threat group. The vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely on affected systems, prompting the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to add it to its database of known exploited vulnerabilities, requiring action by federal agencies.

  • The 'Void Banshee' group is leveraging two Microsoft zero-day vulnerabilities to execute attacks.

  • CISA has mandated federal agencies to implement mitigations for the critical vulnerability by a specified deadline.

BlackRock and Microsoft are collaborating to launch a $30 billion AI-focused fund aimed at creating data centers and energy infrastructure necessary for artificial intelligence advancements. Nvidia is contributing technical expertise to address the extensive energy needs of these AI technologies. The fund is expected to be one of the largest in Wall Street history and will also involve Abu Dhabi-backed investment outfit MGX.

  • BlackRock and Microsoft are initiating a $30 billion fund for AI development.

  • The fund will focus on building data centers and energy infrastructure.

  • Nvidia will provide expertise on energy demands for AI technologies.

The infrastructure is a good bet. Even if the software changes, you’ll still need the infrastructure. If they’re smart, they’ll make the GPUs rack-able and easily replaced to stay on top of whatever innovations the hardware guys come out with.

A widespread tax evasion strategy, known as the Double Irish Dutch Sandwich, has been largely eliminated due to changes in national and international tax agreements. This scheme involved a complex arrangement between US parent companies and foreign subsidiaries to avoid taxes on profits. The shift in royalty payments from Ireland and Netherlands to Bermuda has significantly decreased, indicating a decline in corporate profits being routed through tax havens.

  • The Double Irish Dutch Sandwich involved a complex arrangement between US parent companies and foreign subsidiaries to avoid taxes on profits

  • Changes in national and international tax agreements have largely eliminated this tax evasion strategy

  • A significant decrease in royalty payments from Ireland and Netherlands to Bermuda indicates a decline in corporate profits being routed through tax havens

Where one disappears, another will come to be popularized. But I remember this one from over a decade ago, so it had a good run.

TikTok is facing a potential ban in the US unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app within nine months, due to concerns over user data security.

  • TikTok must divest or face a ban in the US due to national security concerns.

  • The case will be reviewed by a three-judge panel.

I suspect there is no point in fighting it other than to show people how dangerous it is to run a social media company in today’s climate. There may be some political win to be had in the loss, but it won’t end in their favor unless they can pull a jurisprudence rabbit out of their hat.

Japan's elderly population has reached a record 36.25 million, which is nearly 30% of the total population. The country is experiencing a demographic crisis with a declining number of working-age individuals, leading to potential workforce shortages and increased healthcare and welfare burdens. Projections indicate that the percentage of elderly in Japan may rise to 34.8% by 2040.

  • Japan's elderly population has reached a new high, representing nearly 30% of the total population.

  • The country faces significant demographic challenges, including a shrinking workforce and rising costs associated with healthcare and welfare for the elderly.

It sounds like Greece, with similar issues. It is just too expensive, and there are far too few opportunities for young people to get ahead.

Thanks so much for reading, and once again, please forward this newsletter to anyone you think should be reading it. It’s how the newsletter grows, how I know you love it, and encourages me to keep going. I’d really appreciate it!