Bookmarks 2026-02-21T01:44:46.678Z
by Owen Kibel
23 min read
Bookmarks for 2026-02-21T01:44:46.678Z
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'Proof by intimidation': AI is confidently solving 'impossible' math problems. But can it convince the world's top mathematicians? | Live Science Added: Feb 20, 2026
'Proof by intimidation': AI is confidently solving 'impossible' math problems. But can it convince the world's top mathematicians?
Site: Live Science
AI could soon spew out hundreds of mathematical proofs that look "right" but contain hidden flaws, or proofs so complex we can't verify them. How will we know if they're right?
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Avi Loeb on Trump’s Release of Secret UAP Files | by Avi Loeb | Feb, 2026 | Medium Added: Feb 20, 2026
Avi Loeb on Trump’s Release of Secret UAP Files
Site: Medium
A couple of hours after I posted my latest video, President Trump released the following statement:
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Avi Loeb Reacting to President Trump’s Comments on Aliens
Site: Medium
Below is the transcript of a new short video that I just released on my YouTube Channel here.
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Can AI Agents Solve the Publication Crisis in Academia?
Site: Medium
Below is an illuminating exchange that I had before my jog this morning about the publication crisis in academia. The exchange was…
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New Analysis of the Periodic Wobbles of the 3 Jets Around 3I/ATLAS
Site: Medium
In a new paper (accessible here) that I co-authored with the Italian observer Toni Scarmato, we use images from the Hubble Space Telescope…
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First Question For an Alien Scientist
Site: Medium
In an early-morning research discussion with my colleague, Liam Connor, I noted that I have 11 interviews today. Liam wondered: “you have…
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Missing Elements in the Cosmic Jigsaw Puzzle
Site: Medium
In June 2023, I led a Pacific Ocean expedition and brought back molten droplets of meteoritic residue retrieved from the site of the first…
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Lara Trump: the one trait that makes the Trumps unbreakable and the advice she gave the President - YouTube Added: Feb 20, 2026
Lara Trump: the one trait that makes the Trumps unbreakable and the advice she gave the President
Site: YouTube
Lara Trump tells Miranda Devine the secrets of life inside America's First Family and how nonstop attacks forged them into an unbreakable unit. The former RN...
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Wisconsin Lawfare Turns Ugly - WSJ Added: Feb 20, 2026
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3 handy Linux apps to try this weekend (February 20 - 22)
Added: Feb 20, 20263 handy Linux apps to try this weekend (February 20 - 22)
Site: How-To Geek
Good Linux software is hard to find, so check this out.
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When California's next atmospheric river is coming Added: Feb 20, 2026
Atmospheric river headed to California will bring surge of subtropical moisture
Site: San Francisco Chronicle
After a brief reprieve from storms, the atmosphere is beginning to stir again. Here’s what you should expect for the next few days.
Latest forecast: Western U.S. is about to see historic winter weather — with 90-degree temps in forecast After a brief reprieve from storms, the atmosphere is beginning to stir again. Saturday will stay dry for most of the Bay Area, but it won’t be calm. Gusty winds ramp up through the day, and by Sunday, rain and drizzle chances start to creep back into the forecast — with a relatively warm atmospheric river arriving Monday. A very cold air mass will remain over the Bay Area through Sunday. Upper air observations continue to show below-freezing temperatures only a few thousand feet above the surface, well below the average for late February. We won’t see any temperature records, but it does mean cold mornings and cool afternoons. High temperatures Saturday will be running a good 10 degrees below normal. Most places will be stuck in the mid- to upper 50s, save for maybe a few 60 degree readings on the bayside parts of the Peninsula and East Bay. Strong southerly winds will develop early Saturday morning and persist through much of the day as the pressure gradient tightens ahead of a storm system coming into the Pacific Northwest. Gusts of 20 to 35 mph are likely in San Francisco, along the Peninsula and across the North Bay and East Bay. At elevations above 500 feet, gusts could reach 40 to 45 mph. Over the coastal waters, conditions will be rough. A small craft advisory remains in effect through the weekend, with choppy seas and hazardous boating conditions expected. Winds should ease somewhat Saturday night, but the overall pattern does not quiet down for long. By Sunday morning, clouds will thicken across the North Bay as the first of two storm systems comes in from the Pacific Northwest and brushes Northern California. Light rain is likely to develop north of the Golden Gate by late morning, with drizzle or spotty showers possible farther south into San Francisco and the East Bay through the afternoon. Rainfall totals Sunday look modest, and most locations won’t see any significant accumulation. The storm system to watch enters the picture Monday. Forecast models show a developing low-pressure system off the Pacific Northwest tapping into a deeper plume of Pacific moisture Monday. A moderate atmospheric river is likely to develop late Monday into Tuesday, sending a surge of subtropical moisture toward the California coast. Given the southwest orientation of the moisture, this would be a warm storm system, potentially dropping rain at high elevations of the Sierra. Rain on top of freshly fallen snow can compound flooding danger. In the Bay Area, the coastal ranges would see the highest rainfall totals, potentially 2 to 3 inches. San Francisco and the rest of the region would see rainfall totals in the 1 to 1.5 inch range. The rain is expected to be widespread late Monday and persist episodically through Tuesday, accompanied by breezy conditions.
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ChatGPT Ratings on Kirk and Floyd Stir AI Bias Claims / X Added: Feb 20, 2026
Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Brendan Carr vs. Stephen Colbert: Does the FCC have any teeth? – Deseret News
Added: Feb 20, 2026Who's afraid of the FCC?
Site: Deseret News
From Stephen Colbert to Bad Bunny — does the agency have any teeth?
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Justice Kavanaugh calls Trump tariff ruling 'illogical' in dissent | Fox News Added: Feb 20, 2026
Justice Kavanaugh calls Trump tariff ruling 'illogical' in dissent | Fox News
Justice Brett Kavanaugh warned of "serious practical consequences" from the Supreme Court's tariff ruling Friday, saying the government may need to refund billions to importers.
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RFK Jr.’s days of going wild on health may be over - POLITICO Added: Feb 21, 2026
RFK Jr.’s days of going wild on health may be over
Site: POLITICO
After letting the health secretary have his way in 2025, Trump is reining him in now that it’s an election year.
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HE GOT DEPORTED ft. Drew Pavlou
Site: YouTube
BUY CAST BREW COFFEE TO SUPPORT THE SHOW - https://castbrew.com/Become A Member And Protect Our Work at http://www.timcast.comHost:Tate Brown @realTateBrown ...
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Taliban LEGALIZES Domestic Violence, Makes Men Into ‘SLAVE MASTERS’
Site: YouTube
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Tommy Robinson RETURNS To The US, The FIGHT Against Islamization of Europe | Timcast IRL #1454
Site: YouTube
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Walter Kirn: What the Elites Are Really Hiding from Us
Site: YouTube
🔵 A conversation between Renaud Beauchard and American writer Walter Kirn about the rise of artificial intelligence, the corruption of the elites, and the d...
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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AMERICA IS BEING EXTRACTED
Site: YouTube
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Trump's new tariffs plan: How Section 122 and the 10% shift works Added: Feb 21, 2026
Trump signals new tariffs plan. Here's how Section 122 works
Site: Axios
The global break from President Trump's tariffs will only be temporary.
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Torah Study with Dr. Judith Rosenbaum - Event - Congregation Shir Hadash Added: Feb 21, 2026
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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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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Trump’s New Trade Agenda Is on a Collision Course With Midterms - WSJ Added: Feb 21, 2026
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Aristotle Quote: Quote of the Day by Aristotle: "It is not the handsomest or strongest men who are..." | - The Times of India Added: Feb 21, 2026
Quote of the Day by Aristotle: "It is not the handsomest or strongest men who are..." - The Times of India
Site: The Times of India
The Times of India brings the Latest & Top Breaking News on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Cricket, Sports, Business, Bollywood News and Entertainment, Science, Technology, Health & Fitness news & opinions from leading columnists.
He is one of the greatest thinkers of all times. Aristotle, who is often called the father of Western philosophy, was more than just a thinker. He was a constant observer of the world, a teacher to kings, and a walking encyclopedia who influenced everything from science to ethics. He was born in Stagira, a small town in northern Greece, in 384 BCE. His father was the doctor to the Macedonian king, so he grew up in a family that was very interested in medicine. When he was 17, Aristotle moved to Athens to attend Plato's Academy. There, he spent 20 years learning new things and eventually questioning his teacher's beliefs. Plato thought that the world was made up of perfect Forms, which were eternal blueprints that were better than our messy reality. Aristotle? He rolled up his sleeves and said, 'No, let's look at the real world.'After Plato died in 347 BCE, Aristotle traveled around a lot. He went to Asia Minor for a short time, then to Lesbos to study biology, and finally to Macedonia to teach 13-year-old Alexander the Great. Think about how Aristotle shaped the mind of a future conqueror: he taught him to love Homer, ethics, and nature. Alexander later sent him strange things he had found during his campaigns, which helped Aristotle's research. In 335 BCE, Aristotle went back to Athens and started the Lyceum, his own school. There, students 'perambulated' while debating, which is why the philosophy is called 'peripatetic.' He taught there until 323 BCE, when feelings against the Macedonians grew stronger after Alexander's death. He had to leave with the quip, 'I won't let Athens sin twice against philosophy.' A year later, at the age of 62, he died in Chalcis.Aristotle wrote a lot, more than 200 works, but only about 30 of them are still around. Most of them are lecture notes from students. He wrote about a wide range of topics, including logic, metaphysics, biology, politics, poetry, rhetoric, and ethics. Aristotle's writing was thick and systematic, like blueprints for reality, which was different from Plato's dialogues. He divided knowledge into three categories: theoretical (what is?), practical (how to live?), and productive (how to make?). This framework lasts; modern universities still use it. 128753825Aristotle's philosophyHis theory of causation was at the center of Aristotle's worldview. There are four reasons why something exists: material (what it's made of), formal (its structure), efficient (what makes it), and final (its purpose). A statue made of bronze? The sculptor's design is formal, the chisel is effective, and the final product is a tribute to a hero. This teleology—purpose driving existence—pervades his thought. Nature isn't random; acorns want to grow into oaks.Aristotle wrestled with 'being qua being' in metaphysics. He rejected Plato's separate Forms and instead suggested that substance is the most important thing. For example, 'this horse' is a combination of form (horsiness) and matter (flesh and bone). His 'prime mover,' which is an eternal, unchanging mind thinking itself, is pure actuality that starts motion without moving. It's God as a cosmic battery, affecting theology from Aquinas to Einstein's 'Spinoza's God.'Aristotle was the first person to come up with logic. In the Organon, he made syllogisms official: All men are mortal (major premise), Socrates is a man (minor premise), and Socrates is mortal (conclusion). This deductive tool gave rise to formal logic, which is the basis of science and law.Biology demonstrated his empirical approach. He cut up sea animals on Lesbos and made a list of 500 species, noting how embryos grew, which was the start of embryology. He wrote, 'Nature does nothing in vain,' and he saw purpose in everything, from fish gills to human thumbs.Ethics The Nicomachean Ethics, which is named after his son Nicomachus, is where Aristotle's ethics really shine. Happiness (eudaimonia) is not transient pleasure but thriving through virtue. There are two types of virtues: moral (courage, temperance) and intellectual (wisdom, understanding). Moral virtues develop through habitual practice, akin to muscle development. The 'doctrine of the mean' is very important: virtue is the middle ground between two extremes. Courage is in the middle of being cowardly and being too brave. Generosity is in the middle of being too stingy and too generous. It's not strict math; it's calibrated judgment that comes from phronesis (practical wisdom).Ethics led to politics. People are 'political animals' who do well in the polis (city-state). The best government? A mixed constitution that combines monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, which is similar to how modern republics work. Justice requires that equals be treated equally and unequals be treated unequally based on merit. Slavery? He defended it as natural for 'barbarians,' which is a flaw by today's standards, but it came from his hierarchical view of the universe. He was well-rounded because of rhetoric and poetics. Logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (character) all work together in good speech. In the Poetics, tragedy cleanses pity and fear through catharsis, enhancing art. What did Aristotle have to do with it? Very big. Medieval scholastics, such as Aquinas, Christianized him; Renaissance humanists revived him; and scientists from Galileo to Darwin expanded upon his methodologies. Today, his ethics guide business schools, his logic guides computers, and his biology guides ecology.Quote of the dayOne of the most popular quotes of Aristotle is, 'Just as at the Olympic games it is not the handsomest or strongest men who are crowned with victory but the successful competitors, so in life it is those who act rightly who carry off all the prizes and rewards.' This quote has a deep, abiding meaning. Imagine the old Olympics, when athletes from all over Greece came together every four years at Olympia. People scream as wrestlers fight, chariots race, and runners run. People in the crowd might swoon over the handsome Adonis lookalike or the strong man with shoulders like an ox. But winners get olive wreaths. These are the people who trained hard, made plans, and put up with cramps and dust. Just beauty or just strength? Not useful unless you do something.Aristotle applies this to life. Looks (kalos, handsome) and strength (ischuros) are not the end of innate gifts; they are the beginning. To win, you need praxis, which means doing good things on purpose.Successful competitors (nikaiousin hoi agonizontes) aren't just good at wandering around; they compete (agonizomai, struggle). In the polis, the true rewards of life are prizes (stephanoi, crowns) like honor, wealth, and friendship.This quote sums up Aristotle's ideas about morality: eudaimonia crowns the active soul. Potential (dunamis) becomes real through habit (hexis). The strongman who skips training loses, but the virtuous actor, even if he isn't very good at acting, wins by being consistent. It's against Plato: don't wait for divine Forms; just jump in and practice.A deep, lasting meaning? A meritocracy based on character. In a world that loves the glamor of influencers and the luck of billionaires, Aristotle reminds us that good deeds bring good things. Success isn't a lottery; it's the result of hard work. During Athens' golden age, when there were wars and plagues, this made people think carefully and fight bravely.Aristotle's legacy lives on because he made philosophy more accessible to people. It wasn't just abstract ideas; it was practical advice for how to live well. In a time when we are all so busy, his call to do the right thing feels very important. Crown yourself with good deeds.
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MAGA Minute, February 20 2026
Site: YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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IT DOESN’T WORK
Site: YouTube
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Trump raises global tariffs to 15% one day after Supreme Court decision
Site: Axios
The president is upping the ante by raising the tariffs to the highest limit allowed under a separate trade law.
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Consciousness researchers need Spinoza | Jordi Galiano-Landeira » IAI TV Added: Feb 21, 2026
Consciousness researchers need Spinoza | Jordi Galiano-Landeira » IAI TV
Consciousness everywhere all at once
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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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Developer's Honest Assessment of AI at Work Rattles the Official Narrative
Added: Feb 21, 2026Developer's Honest Assessment of AI at Work Rattles the Official Narrative
Site: Futurism
A veteran programmer was praised after sharing his brutally honest thoughts about AI's impact on work and productivity.
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Archaeology Students Dug Up a Mass Viking Grave—With a Giant Inside Added: Feb 21, 2026
Archaeology Students Dug Up a Mass Viking Grave—With a Literal Giant Inside
Site: Popular Mechanics
Dated to the ninth century C.E., a time when the Vikings ruled the area, the grave held the remains of at least 10 different young men.
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Starfleet Academy Rewrites 60-Year Rule About Star Trek Dialogue
Added: Feb 21, 2026
Star Trek's New Show Rewrites Gene Roddenberry’s 60-Year Rule About How Trek Characters Speak
Site: CBR
Gene Roddenberry laid down a rule for Star Trek dialogue that Starfleet Academy breaks right away, but it's done for a good reason.
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What is happening to writing? - by Benjamin Breen Added: Feb 21, 2026
**What is happening to writing? **
"Cognitive debt," Claude Code, and the negative space around AI
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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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The President and First Lady Participate in a Governors Dinner
Site: YouTube
The White House
