"Offloading their thinking"

 Week 49

Kids' Weekend... again!

I think C. has been with us for 9 years now - he always had to "wait until he is old enough" to drive the tractor - now he's getting OK with it and is quite keen to do some work.  I tried to get him interested in the workshed, but he is already preparing at school for some sort of outside work. His brother had his last day with us yesterday and as with all of them, we hope that we get to see something in the future.  Our very first boy is now married with kids - but as I think about it, we don't hear that much...

One of our leaders also had her (their???) last day. I think she is on her way to become a Doctor - very cluey. They are happy to use us as a stepping stone - they get a week's pay for the weekend and still have time for study during the week. It has been a very good system for us as well. 

Cold, but surprisingly good for outside work...

Tackling the tree that fell down a couple of months ago...

...and another load of firewood.

In my workshed

Slowly getting back in order...

I repainted the main work surface...

...and had another look at my Snow Houses...it's been 12 months but I was pleased to find that I had made jigs for all the various processes and a written list...saves me having to re-think it all :-)

Pliny the Liberator

I listen to too many podcasts, so the workshed and reading up on the Netherlands are more worthwhile pastimes...

A weekly podcast on AI and it's various forms is on TWIT.tv. This week's episode had an interview with "Pliny the Liberator" - 

“Pliny the Liberator” is an anonymous internet personality with a penchant for poking holes in billion-dollar AI systems. Despite a lack of prior coding experience, Pliny has built a reputation for finding techniques to make models misbehave—or, in the hacker’s terms, to “liberate them”—mere hours after their release.

Now, it sounded like a woman, but the voice may have been disguised - and "they" is used instead of he or she these days (sigh)...

But anyway he she or they referred to people "offloading their thinking" with AI and so called "Social" media - needless to say, it struck a nerve with me.

Infrastructure

The province of Zeeland is once again without a contractor to renovate the iconic Zeeland Bridge. Today it was announced that the province has terminated the contract with the BAM/Spie consortium for the bridge renovation.

The renovation would cost "a lot" more than the €5.5 million budget, says Provincial Executive Harry van der Maas on Omroep Zeeland . He wants to present a new plan for the renovation early next year.

The bascule bridge in the Zeeland Bridge, the section that opens and closes for shipping, is in dire need of renovation. The movable bridge, opened in 1965, is suffering from metal fatigue. Due to the increased number of heavy vehicles, cracks have developed in the steel deck. The Zeeland Bridge also needs to be resurfaced with asphalt along its entire length.

From a Canadian...

Almost daily someone wants to tell me that I should mind my own business and stay out of US "politics". So almost daily I have to remind them that Trumpism affects global economics, environment and peace. I'll do what every concerned global citizen should do. I'll express my opinion. Loudly.

Ukraine

The Netherlands "found" another €700,000,000 of budgetted but unspent money to give to Ukraine.

All getting more seriouse as the US (Trump Regime) throws Europe under the bus in their latest Strategic Report.

An Extreme Report (weather)

It could have gone this way. But it didn't. These are the opening sentences of the nine weather extremes published by the KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) in its "An Extreme Report." Weather extremes that can have a major impact on society. Wildfires and the deployment of firefighters, severe cold and the consequences for gas demand, or darkness and the impact on the electricity supply.

This is a summary (Right click translate)

https://www.knmi.nl/over-het-knmi/nieuws/een-extreem-rapport/

It links to the report which is pdf in Dutch - it is easy to use Google to translate pdf to English for anyone interested.

This part interested me because of the downstream consequences for inland shipping (and our little boat) i.e. the drying up of the Rhine. I also get a weekly update on what's happening - I can't believe the detail that this chap puts into his work...

https://www.waterpeilen.nl/

(Water Levels)

Another place I look at is the Klimaateffectatlas...it's also in English

https://www.klimaateffectatlas.nl

this is a snapshot of expected temperature rises comparing NOW with 2050...

The green circle is Dronten in the reclaimed land - about the geographical centre of the Netherlands

Ben was in Egypt last week... Hoping that he comes home to Wijnjewoude next week...

This will be our last week for the year - we're having lunch with the clients on Thursday and then we have 2 full weeks off...Janny is planning to do "absolutely nothing"! Jigsaw puzzles, binge TV, fire on, walking in the forest. 

I'm trying to figure out if I can watch the cricket without destroying the little sleep that I get normally...maybe a blanket on the couch and sleep during the day :-)