Bookmarks 2025-12-26T17:04:15.324Z
by Owen Kibel
28 min read
Bookmarks for 2025-12-26T17:04:15.324Z
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Zelensky hails talks with US envoys on peace deal: Russia reports "steady progress" Added: Dec 26, 2025
Zelensky says he had "very good" Christmas Day call with U.S. envoys on ending war
Site: Axios
He said he discussed "new ideas" with Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
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Trump's White House ballroom project heads to first public hearing
Site: Axios
The commission will not review the demolition of the East Wing in its first look at the ballroom plans.
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Forget the Chatbots. AI's True Potential Is Cheap, Fast and on Your Devices
Added: Dec 26, 2025Forget the Chatbots. AI's True Potential Is Cheap, Fast and on Your Devices
Site: CNET
Distant cloud data centers are too slow for the kinds of tasks where AI could be truly useful.
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Reiner Son's Alarming Court Appearance, “Burn Cage” Found in D4vd’s Home, and Hope for JonBenét Case - YouTube Added: Dec 26, 2025
Reiner Son's Alarming Court Appearance, “Burn Cage” Found in D4vd’s Home, and Hope for JonBenét Case
Site: YouTube
Start 2026 right by subscribing to MK True Crime:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MKTrueCrime?sub_confirmation=1Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
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Trump launches US airstrikes in Nigeria on Christmas night | Fox News Added: Dec 26, 2025
Trump launches Christmas night airstrikes on ISIS 'Terrorist Scum' in Nigeria after killings of Christians
Site: Fox News
Trump said the United States launched Christmas night airstrikes in Nigeria targeting ISIS militants he accused of killing Christians in recent attacks.
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Exclusive: Zelensky "ready" to call referendum on Trump plan if ceasefire reached
Site: Axios
Zelensky spoke to Axios by phone two days before heading to Mar-a-Lago.
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10 Linux apps I tried in 2025 that I'm still using daily
Added: Dec 26, 2025I tried dozens of Linux apps in 2025, but these are the ones I still use
Site: How-To Geek
From the utilitarian to just the plain cute and fun, I've found several apps that I refuse to uninstall.
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DiRobot | National Review Added: Dec 26, 2025
DiRobot | National Review
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‘The Tree of Life’ by Max Telford | Book Review - WSJ Added: Dec 26, 2025
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Ludicrous Lemon-Shaped World Is Like Nothing We've Ever Seen : ScienceAlert
Added: Dec 26, 2025Ludicrous Lemon-Shaped World Is Like Nothing We've Ever Seen
Site: ScienceAlert
A newly discovered exoplanet has to take the crown for the weirdest world we've ever spotted out there in the Milky Way galaxy.
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Treating Functions As Vectors In Hilbert Space | Hackaday Added: Dec 26, 2025
Treating Functions As Vectors In Hilbert Space
Site: Hackaday
Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of mathematics is that it applies to literally everything, even things that do not exist in this Universe. In addition to this there are a number of alternative wa…
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Is Your Model Time-Blind? The Case for Cyclical Feature Encoding | Towards Data Science
Added: Dec 26, 2025Is Your Model Time-Blind? The Case for Cyclical Feature Encoding | Towards Data Science
Site: Towards Data Science
How cyclical encoding improves machine learning prediction
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Brace for a chilly start to 2026: Polar Vortex split to bring prolonged cold to North America and Europe » Severe Weather Europe
Added: Dec 26, 2025Brace for a chilly start to 2026: Polar Vortex split to bring prolonged cold to North America and Europe
Site: Severe Weather Europe
Weather in the United States, Canada and Europe is forecast to turn colder, following the recent Stratospheric Warming and Polar Vortex split
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Has America Lost Its Melody? - WSJ Added: Dec 26, 2025
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The King of AGI - Brownstone Research
Added: Dec 26, 2025The King of AGI - Brownstone Research
Site: Brownstone Research
When Elon Musk launched his newest company, xAI, in January 2024, most didn’t take him seriously…
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Grok 5 AI Release in 2026: Next-Gen AI Approaches AGI, Business Implications and Trends | AI News Detail | Blockchain.News Added: Dec 26, 2025
Grok 5 AI Release in 2026: Next-Gen AI Approaches AGI, Business Implications and Trends | AI News Detail
According to @ai_darpa, Grok 5, a next-generation AI system, is scheduled for early 2026 and is anticipated to approach AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) levels, marking a significant milestone
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Elon Musk says xAI will have more AI compute than everyone else combined within five years — Macrohard-branded Colossus 2 data center a nod to Musk's AI project to challenge Microsoft
Site: Tom's Hardware
How much will this feat cost and can he really pay for it all?
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Report: Somaliland president made secret Israel visit two months before state recognition | The Times of Israel
Added: Dec 26, 2025Report: Somaliland president made secret Israel visit two months before state recognition
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Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Christmas 1941: Faith and Fantasy at War | National Review
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More Than 50 People Became AI Billionaires in 2025 Added: Dec 26, 2025
More Than 50 People Became AI Billionaires in 2025
Site: Gizmodo
AI hype has lost its luster, but a lot of AI people are super rich now.
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"Dark photon" theory, if correct, would completely upend physics - Earth.com Added: Dec 26, 2025
New 'dark photon' theory would completely upend quantum physics
Site: Earth.com
"Dark photon" theory says light's interference patterns may emerge from quantum particles, not waves, upending centuries of physics.
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The great unchurching of America
Site: Axios
A seismic shift in religion is upon U.S.
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Scientists Made Glue So Strong, It Can Tow An Entire Car Added: Dec 26, 2025
Scientists Made Glue So Strong, It Can Tow An Entire Car
Site: Popular Mechanics
This glue is made from leftover cooking oil, which contains fatty acids that are ideal for making flexible, durable, and moisture resistant polymers.
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Most normal matter in the universe isn't found in planets, stars or galaxies – an astronomer explains where it's distributed | Space Added: Dec 26, 2025
Most normal matter in the universe isn't found in planets, stars or galaxies – an astronomer explains where it's distributed
Site: Space
While space is often referred to as a vacuum, it isn't completely empty.
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ADHD’s Wandering Mind May Be the Hidden Engine of Creativity Added: Dec 26, 2025
ADHD’s Wandering Mind May Be the Hidden Engine of Creativity
Site: SciTechDaily
ADHD’s wandering mind may be the very thing that fuels creative thinking.
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MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.1 · Hugging Face Added: Dec 26, 2025
MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.1 · Hugging Face
We’re on a journey to advance and democratize artificial intelligence through open source and open science.
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Deal on ObamaCare subsidies faces uphill battle despite GOP optimism Added: Dec 26, 2025
Deal to extend ObamaCare subsidies faces uphill battle despite GOP optimism
Site: The Hill
A key GOP senator is expressing optimism that Republicans and Democrats will agree to a deal that would extend expiring health care subsidies, but the effort faces an uphill climb in winning the ba…
A key GOP senator is expressing optimism that Republicans and Democrats will agree to a deal that would extend expiring health care subsidies, but the effort faces an uphill climb in winning the backing of leaders in both parties. Without a deal, health insurance premiums are projected to spike by double digits next month, yet Senate leaders John Thune (R-S.D.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) each have reasons to shy away from backing a bipartisan deal. At the same time, failure to pass a bipartisan deal to rein in rising premiums could set the stage for another government shutdown in February if liberals on Capitol Hill seize the initiative and demand concessions on health in exchange for funding the government. “I actually think there’s the outline of a deal there,” said Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (La.), a lead Republican negotiator in the bipartisan health care talks. “The outline of the deal would be to extend the enhanced premium tax credits for a period of time and to put in health savings accounts and give the enrollee the choice of which to take,” he told The Hill. He cautioned, however, that specifics of a deal still need to be negotiated. “Now, that’s high-level, because [there are] details we’ve got to work out,” Cassidy said. “I do think there’s potential for a deal there.” “I think we can do it,” he added. A Republican senator who requested anonymity to discuss the negotiations said Thune has appeared to shift on the issue of extending enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits after four House Republicans signed a discharge petition to force a House vote on a Democratic proposal to extend the subsidies for three years. The Democratic proposal, which Senate Republicans defeated last month, now appears likely to pass the lower chamber and come back to the Senate. Thune says a straight three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies isn’t going anywhere in the Senate but he offered that a House-passed bill could be used as a “vehicle” to pass a bipartisan compromise to address rising health insurance premiums in 2026. “I think a straight-up extension is a waste of money,” Thune said before the recess. “But if there are reforms and both sides sit down and agree on what that looks like and then there’s a transition that gives people the option of putting money into a [health savings account] … then there could be a path forward.” He said a House-passed bill would be a revenue vehicle to carry a compromise on health insurance premium subsidies and savings accounts if Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is willing to schedule a vote on it and President Trump is open to signing it. The GOP senator who requested anonymity to comment on internal conference discussions said Thune had previously expressed staunch opposition to extending the enhanced subsidies in any way. “That’s a significant change of position because he’s been in the camp of no deal on subsidies at all,” the source said. “He’s been very adamant against that.” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats and helped lead negotiations to end the government shutdown this fall, said he’s working on a potential deal with Cassidy, though he declined to comment on the emerging details. Other senators involved include Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and centrist Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.). Shaheen said the proposal to merge an extension of the enhanced health insurance premium tax credits with health savings accounts is on the table but added “there are a lot of details that still need to be worked out.” She said there’s a “50-50” chance of reaching a deal next month. Senators in both parties say it will be difficult to persuade Schumer to agree to a compromise that combines an extension of the expiring tax credits with the GOP proposal to set up health savings accounts for people on the ObamaCare marketplace. The Democratic leader initially dismissed the idea of setting up savings accounts to help people who by insurance through the ACA pay for out-of-pocket expenses. More recently, Schumer has argued that higher health insurance premiums are largely set for 2026 and that Congress has little ability to change next year’s rates. “After Jan. 1, the toothpaste is out of the tube. Millions of people will have lost their health care. Many more will have changed their policies and signed policies,” he said before the Christmas recess, downplaying the chances of a health care deal next month. “The bottom line is we always want to work with people who will lower health care costs, but if the Republicans want to do something, they have until Jan. 1 to pass the one bill that can get it done — our bill,” he said, referring to the three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies. Schumer said Republicans would get the political blame next year for premiums that are projected to be 26 percent higher for people on the ACA marketplace. “This is on the Republicans,” he said. A Democratic senator who requested anonymity said Schumer doesn’t want to give Republicans a political escape from rising health insurance premiums, which Democrats plan to campaign on extensively ahead of the midterm election. “He’d much rather have the issue,” the lawmaker said, downplaying the likelihood of Schumer agreeing to a compromise with Republicans that would phase out enhanced ObamaCare subsidies. Schumer said last month that he would not support a deal to replace enhanced ACA subsidies with health savings accounts. “We insist that the ACA tax credits be renewed and extended, period. If Cassidy’s proposal replaces [the subsidies], it looks like it’s privatizing health insurance and it looks like it’s really problematic and particularly problematic to do very quickly,” he said. Yet, Schumer is coming under pressure from Democratic colleagues to reach some kind of a deal with Republicans to spare millions of Americans from higher costs, which will force an estimated 2 million to 4 million people to drop their health insurance. On the other hand, a deal could give political cover to vulnerable moderate Republicans whom Democrats are trying to defeat in the 2026 election, such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “I’m just glad that we have some momentum to enact a bipartisan bill that includes reforms,” Collins said of a prospective Senate deal. She met with Democratic and Republican colleagues for more than two hours before the Christmas break to put together a deal to address rising premiums. “We’re now working on drafting a specific bill to incorporate those conversations that will include reforms as well as a two-year extension” of the subsidies, she said.
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How 2026 will finally kill photorealism | Creative Bloq Added: Dec 26, 2025
Why artists are abandoning photorealism in 2026
Site: Creative Bloq
When AI masters realism, meaning becomes the real challenge.
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New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm Added: Dec 26, 2025
New materials, old physics – the science behind how your winter jacket keeps you warm
Site: The Conversation
Winter jackets may seem simple, but sophisticated engineering allows them to keep body heat locked in, while staying breathable enough to let out sweat.
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Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 208 "Grosso Mogul": I. Allegro - YouTube Music Added: Dec 26, 2025
Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 208 "Grosso Mogul": I. Allegro - YouTube Music
Site: YouTube Music
Provided to YouTube by Warner Classics Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 208 "Grosso Mogul": I. Allegro · Jaap Schröder Vivaldi: Concerti ℗ A Warner Classics...
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Aaron Burnett on X: "The people that created the red lines are blaming the people that created the blue lines… https://t.co/El4ae8sXUw" / X Added: Dec 26, 2025
Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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15-year-old has a PhD in quantum physics and plans to 'create superhumans'
Site: Earth.com
Laurent Simons, a 15-year-old Belgian researcher, has earned a PhD in quantum physics and says his work in ultracold systems could one day help extend healthy human lifespans.
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Canon and Gigue, P. 37: I. Canon - YouTube Music
Site: YouTube Music
Provided to YouTube by 芮河音樂有限公司 Canon and Gigue, P. 37: I. Canon · Simon Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker The Music of the Night in Berliner Philharmoniker...
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Are Comets Intruders or Messengers of Cosmic Freedom? | by Liena Dreams | Dec, 2025 | Medium Added: Dec 26, 2025
Are Comets Intruders or Messengers of Cosmic Freedom?
Site: Medium
24P/Schaumasse & 3I/ATLAS Update + Fresh Images
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Trump to POLITICO: Zelenskyy ‘doesn’t have anything until I approve it’ - POLITICO Added: Dec 26, 2025
Trump to POLITICO: Zelenskyy ‘doesn’t have anything until I approve it’
Site: POLITICO
Trump’s comments come ahead of his Sunday meeting with Zelenskyy, who will bring with him a new 20-point plan to end the war.
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Israel becomes first country to recognize Somaliland as independent state Added: Dec 26, 2025
Israel becomes first country to recognize Somaliland as independent state
Site: The Hill
Israel on Friday became the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state — an unprecedented move regarding the breakaway region above Somalia. “The State of Israel plans to immedi…
Israel on Friday became the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state — an unprecedented move regarding the breakaway region above Somalia. “The State of Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through extensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and economy,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement on the social platform X. The prime minister said the move was in line with the Abraham Accords brokered by President Trump during his first administration to establish diplomatic and security ties between Israel and Arab nations. Somaliland leaders have been pushing for sovereignty since 1991, when it broke away from Somalia but failed to gain recognition from United Nations members. Netanyahu has said the recognition will aid Israel in “fighting terrorism and advancing regional peace” by providing a space to monitor the Houthis, a militant group active in Yemen. Yemen and Somaliland are separated by the Gulf of Aden, which provides an accessible waterway for refugees fleeing attacks in the North. While Israel’s new ties to the African leaders was lauded by Netanyahu, foreign leaders in Turkey and Egypt decried the independent state recognition. “This initiative by Israel, which aligns with its expansionist policy and its efforts to do everything to prevent the recognition of a Palestinian state, constitutes overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs,” officials from Turkey and Egypt said in a statement obtained by The Guardian. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Israel’s decision was a “grave breach of Somalia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity, in flagrant violation of the principles of international law.” “Somalia's unity, sovereignty, and internationally recognized borders are non-negotiable. Any act or arrangement that undermines these principles constitutes a direct threat to national cohesion and regional stability and will only deepen division,” he added in a statement posted to X. “We categorically reject any action or any country that attempts to undermine the unity, sovereignty, and internationally recognized borders of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” he added.
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Atmospheric Rivers Have Shifted Toward Earth’s Poles Over The Past 40 Years, Bringing Big Weather Changes | IFLScience
Added: Dec 26, 2025Atmospheric Rivers Have Shifted Toward Earth’s Poles Over The Past 40 Years, Bringing Big Weather Changes
Site: IFLScience
Atmospheric rivers have shifted about 6° to 10° closer to the poles over the past 40 years.
In recent decades, atmospheric rivers that carry water vapor high above Earth’s surface have shifted position, a change that could affect weather patterns and rainfall worldwide. Scientists at UC Santa Barbara found that atmospheric rivers in both hemispheres have moved approximately 6° to 10° closer to the poles over the past 40 years. This means that the areas affected by atmospheric rivers are farther north in the Northern Hemisphere and farther south in the Southern Hemisphere than they used to be. The researchers explain that an underlying cause of the shift is cooling in the eastern tropical Pacific over the past four decades, although they note that the chain of events “remains to be fully explored.” Atmospheric rivers are flowing streams of water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere that have a major impact on levels of rain and snow. They can vary widely in size and intensity, but the average one can convey the same amount of water vapor as the water flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River. One of the famous is known as the " Pineapple Express ", a strong atmospheric river that delivers moisture from the tropical Pacific around Hawai'i towards the west coast of the US and Canada. When this band of balmy, moist air reaches the West Coast, it can cause significant downpours across California, as well as Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. It’s estimated that around 50 percent of the rain and snow on the US West Coast is delivered by atmospheric rivers. However, they aren’t just a North American phenomenon; atmospheric rivers influence the weather and distribute precipitation all over the world. The recent research indicates that the recent poleward shifts of atmospheric rivers could have a profound effect on the world’s weather systems in the years ahead. Regions that used to rely on atmospheric rivers for their precipitation could face increased droughts and heatwaves, while regions in higher latitudes are likely to see heavier rainfall, stronger storms, and an increased risk of floods. For a region like southern California, the northward movement of atmospheric rivers could reduce rainfall even further, leading to more problems with water scarcity, droughts, and wildfires. Meanwhile, regions like the Pacific Northwest might see even wetter weather, unleashing issues like flooding. However, there are still many unknowns about the wider knock-on effects of the atmospheric rivers moving polewards. For one, it’s likely to bring unforeseen consequences for the world’s oceans. “Considering the prominent shifts of ARs [atmospheric rivers] over the extratropical ocean, how the ocean responds to these AR-induced changes requires further attention,” the study authors note. The study was published in the journal Science Advances. An earlier version of this article was published in 2024.
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Betting on climate failure, these investors could earn billions
Site: POLITICO
Investment firms have put over $100 million into developing risky technologies that could cool the planet with unknown side effects.
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Australian prime minister announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack
Site: POLITICO
“This Christmas is a different one because of the anti-terror and the terrorist attack motivated by ISIS and antisemitism,” Anthony Albanese said.
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A Traveling Rabbi’s Plea to Anthony Albanese - WSJ Added: Dec 26, 2025
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Bay Area braces for 'last hurrah' of powerful winter storm Added: Dec 26, 2025
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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What to know about Donald Trump's strike on ISIS in Nigeria Added: Dec 26, 2025
What to know about US strike on ISIS in Nigeria
Site: The Hill
The U.S. launched strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria on Thursday, a Christmas Day attack amid tensions between the West African nation and the U.S. “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in …
The U.S. launched strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria on Thursday, a Christmas Day attack amid tensions between the West African nation and the U.S. “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” President Trump wrote Thursday in a post on Truth Social. Details are still emerging about the strikes, which come after Trump threatened military action in Nigeria last month over violence against Christians in the region. Though Nigeria has said it coordinated with the U.S. on the attacks, its officials have resisted the characterization of a religious conflict. Here’s what to know about the strikes: U.S. Africa Command (Africom) announced Thursday that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed by the strikes against ISIS camps in Sokoto State, a predominantly Muslim area that borders Niger to the north. The Department of Defense (DOD) released a video on social media that appeared to show a missile launch, but specific details about the strike targets and impacts remain unclear. Africom “will continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate,” according to a release, but “specific details about the operation will not be released in order to ensure operational security.” Trump in November had labeled the African nation a “country of particular concern” (CPC) because of religious violence, threatening to take military action. “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday. “The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come.” Though the Trump administration has stressed concerns about violence against Christians, both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks in Nigeria, according to experts in multiple reports. According to Pew Research data as of 2020, Muslims make up 56 percent of Nigeria's population, or about 120 million people, while Christians make up roughly 43 percent. Nigeria has stressed that it is working in cooperation with its international partners to address the threat of terrorism and violent extremism in the region. “Nigeria’s focus remains the protection of innocent lives and the defeat of terrorism through coordinated action with partners who respect sovereignty and regional stability. This challenge goes beyond borders, and so must the response,” Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, wrote in a post on X. “Our approach is firm, collaborative and grounded in the understanding that security in Nigeria is inseparable from security across the wider region.” Tuggar also stressed that “terrorism in Nigeria is not a religious conflict; it is a regional security threat,” cautioning against “simplistic labels” in the conflict as Trump raises concerns about the targeting of Christians in the region. In a release confirming the strikes, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thursday that terrorist violence “whether directed at Christians, Muslims, or other communities remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security.” After Trump issued the CPC designation last month, Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris said leaders were working to address terrorism and welcomed help from the U.S. As of November, more than 13,500 militants had been killed, 17,000 suspects arrested, and more than 11,200 hostages rescued, Idris said, as reported by Reuters. “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump wrote Thursday, touting the execution of "numerous perfect strikes." The president called the strikes Friday a “Christmas present” to ISIS after his warnings last month. “I said yesterday, ‘Hit them on Christmas Day. It will be a Christmas present.’ We hit ISIS, who are terrible. They are butchers. We really hit them hard in different locations. They really got hit hard yesterday. They got a very bad Christmas present,” Trump told John Catsimatidis on WABC. Several Republican lawmakers weighed in Thursday to praise Trump for carrying out the strikes. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) both called the strikes “decisive.” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) accused ISIS of “conducting genocide against Christians in Nigeria and nearby area.”
