1.8 billion divided by 10 000 units = 180 000 dollars each

They're bonking mad.

Side note: I built a set of FPV glasses for approximately 150 euros last summer. Sure, they don't have integrated communications or night vision, but they still work, even if they aren't perfect, and only cost a thousand times less.

As a coder / engineer who occasionally uses AI but also likes countercultural zines, I would add a few thoughts.

Using generative AI for art, music or essays is a foreign concept to me. The things that I make aren't intended to look nice, and essays aren't given any weight in this field.

1. I use AI to locate texts to read.

A language model has read millions of books and articles. More than I can possibly browse. If I need to locate literature about a subject, I sometimes ask a language model to propose works on a certain subject. If it hallucinates and a text does not exist, I will find out when attempting to access the text. So far, I have not yet personally encountered this situation, but I have seen others stumble into this pit because they only wanted to reference a text, not read it.

Check everything that you get from a language model.

2. I use AI to locate software by functionality.

A language model has trained on great amounts of source code. More than I possibly can. It can also quickly bypass the confounding factors of non-intuitive project naming or project obscurity. If I need to locate free software which can already do something so I won't reinvent the wheel - I sometimes query a language model.

I have got several false or poor leads, but I have also located algorithms and implementations which avoided me considerable labour.

3. I use AI to translate between languages (natural and artificial)

I know only a few human languages (Estonian, English, Finnish, Russian, some amount of Ukrainian, French and German). If I need to read stuff in Spanish, Czech or Chinese, language models can make it much easier. Double-checking seems advisable.

Similarly, I only read and write C, C++, Java, Pascal and Basic. If someone has written a piece of code in Rust, Python or LISP, using a language model seems very appropriate instead of head-banging at language barriers. Sometimes it won't compile or run. I've seen a case where Chat never used the arguments for a function, and a case where Claude invented a lookup table out of thin air instead of the other project's sources. Double-checking is advisable.

4. I don't pay.

To ensure that I'm not causing an excessive burden on resources, I only limit myself to what is offered freely. My average usage is about 5 sessions (each maybe 10 queries) per month, during an intensive period of research. Typically less.

I wish I knew how many liters of water this would boil, but sadly they don't tell.

For me, the title link does not seem to lead directly to a readable article.

If the same effect happens for others too, here is another link:

https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/49/6/901/164764/Misguided-Brushes-of-a-Pen-Continue-to-Dismantle

They tried it, saw that it worked, and took a step back.

These days, drones with neural network based machine vision (ability to recognize targets) phone home to an operator and request a permission to attack.

The interesting bit: it is within the capability of one well-informed and well-motivated engineer or coder to create such systems. It doesn't require a megacorps.

Then again, nothing new: mine-laying was previously within the capability of one person too. Now the mines just fly, swim or drive, and may consider on their own.

Countermeasures - blinding the device, shooting it down with an interceptor which is a bit more agile but is allowed to be considerably more dumb (in air defense, you typically have a clear target), possibly also bricking it with an electromagnetic pulse (at short range, so less than optimal). Installing nets over anything and everything. Painting false targets on random stuff and confusing patterns on real targets.

Well, Ukraine does launch interceptor drones from An-28 airplanes. Small cargo planes that fly at reasonable altitude.

This does two things:

• almost doubles interceptor range
• increases control distance

But this practise occurs far in the rear, out of range for Russian fighters and air defense, which would shoot down an An-28 without trying twice.

China did it somewhat differently: they're building dedicated jet-powered drone carrier UAVs. Sized like a small cargo plane, but no crew.

Personally, I think the Chinese approach is the most sensible.

Oops, sorry - reading in a hurry is a great way to make mistakes.

What is wrong with those police officers?

In this case, I would venture to guess: lack of critical thinking.

Um, what part of the word "Sikh" made you think of sharia?

Now, as for the killer, he got the highest punishment a reasonable country gives: life in prison.

Beyond that, it regularly starts happening that people who aren't guilty get executed. It's very hard to write a law describing when a murder is "clear enough". Nobody has managed so far. All the countries which sentence people to death sometimes execute people who aren't guilty.

Can you name 3 alive Chinese people right now?

I can, but I do not expose my AliBaba contacts. :)

Besides, Chinese salespeople and even some engineers have the silly habit of adopting Western-sounding first names for business communication, so you don't get a real name in casual talk.

It's a bit like Xi Jinping naming himself Timmy Jinping for easier diplomacy. I wonder why. :D

Another silly bit... I'm from Estonia. Back a few years ago, some Chinese gal decided that advancing business relations would be well served by sending me Ramadan greetings (note the cultural dissonance in a country where a Muslim celebrating Ramadan would experience difficulties).

I happily explained to her that we don't celebrate Ramadan here, except for very few people. What I found out: Estonia in Chinese is "Àishāníyǎ", which strongly suggests a place with lots of sand, so she guessed I was probably Arab. The language barrier is pretty high both ways. :)

How? There is nothing that prevents a woman from using fuel and matches.