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Letters: ‘Oppenheimer’ parallels | Height of elitism | Unlikely effects | Creeping authoritarianism

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.‘Oppenheimer’ offersparallels with AI threatHere’s an interesting exercise as you watch the new movie “Oppenheimer.” The looming AI crisis has a lot in common with the rush to weaponize atomic energy during WW II. The latter quickly and profoundly altered history, while the former promises to do the same.Think about the cast of characters: Robert Oppenheimer, Louis Strauss, Leslie Groves, Albert Einstein, Hans Bethe, Niels Bohr, Ernest O. Lawrence, Werner Heisenberg, Klaus Fuchs, Vannevar Bush, Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, Harry Truman and Henry Stimson, the roles they played, their conflicts and tensions, their hopes and fears. Has history proven them right or wrong? Tragic or foolish?One wonders if the same will be true of our new Masters of the Universe.Jim WolpmanWalnut CreekColumn attacking courtis the height of elitism“Affirmative action decision is height of judicial activi...

Homes become ‘air fryers’ in brutal Phoenix heat

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

By Isabella O’Malley | Associated PressTemperatures have peaked at or above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) the entire month of July in Phoenix. Air conditioning, which made modern Phoenix even possible, is a lifeline.When a cloudless sky combines with outdoor temperatures over 100 F, your house turns into an “air fryer” or “broiler,” as the roof absorbs powerful heat and radiates it downward, said Jonathan Bean, co-director of the Institute for Energy Solutions at the University of Arizona. Bean knows this not only from his research, he also experienced it firsthand this weekend when his air conditioner broke.“This level of heat that we are having in Phoenix right now is enormously dangerous, particularly for people who either don’t have air conditioning or cannot afford to operate their air conditioner,” said Evan Mallen, a senior analyst for Georgia Institute of Technology’s Urban Climate Lab.Yet some are cutting...

Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters swarmed with protesters amid film and TV strikes

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

Hollywood’s strike came to Los Gatos Thursday afternoon as a group of more than a hundred actors, writers and allies picketed in front of Netflix headquarters.The Northern California chapter of SAG-AFTRA, which organized the strike, is protesting the streaming model’s impact on actors’ income and uncertainty around artificial intelligence’s role in TV and films.“More people are watching more programming for longer today than ever before, and we’re making less on residuals. It’s not fair,” said Michael X. Sommers, an Oakland-based actor known for roles in the film “Sorry to Bother You,” and the TV show “Sense8.”Actor Michael X. Sommers, from Oakland, strikes with SAG-AFTRA supporters outside of the Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) This is the first time the organization has picketed in front of Netflix’s Los Gatos headquarters on 101 Albright Way, and comes a...

Are self-driving cars a menace to San Francisco streets?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Driving around San Francisco can feel a little spooky these days, especially when the car next to you is driving without a human behind the wheel. Driverless cars, also known as Autonomous Vehicles or AVs, are becoming more common in the tech-centric city. Two local tech companies, Cruise and Waymo, received a green light from the California Public Utilities Commission to deploy AVs on the streets for testing and training. San Francisco became a test city for California's driverless pilot program.Troubling traffic incidents, however, have ensued. San Francisco drivers encountered and recorded many bizarre scenes in recent months when Cruise and Waymo cars stalled out.There were 91 AV-related traffic incidents in April alone, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency reported.SFMTA spokesperson Stephen Chun wrote to KRON4 Thursday, "This technology is still in development and is simply not ready to operate 24/7 in the city.  AVs are creating hazards in...

Suspect exits car on freeway, hit by vehicle on I-80 near Berkeley: sheriff

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

(KRON) -- Heavy traffic was reported Wednesday night on I-80 near Berkeley, KRON4 reported. There were closures in both the eastbound and westbound lanes. Traffic ensued after a deputy sheriff spotted a stolen vehicle around 7:48 p.m. in San Pablo, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said. Two individuals were inside the car when the deputy initiated a car chase. Officers make discovery in trunk of suspect vehicle after car chase on Pleasanton freeway The deputy ended the chase early once the car began to drive recklessly, authorities said. Another deputy then began to chase the suspect vehicle after seeing it on I-80 westbound. The car stopped on the freeway near the Powell Street exit due to mechanical problems.The driver and passenger got out of the suspect vehicle and began to run away. However, the driver ran across the I-80 eastbound lanes and was hit by a separate vehicle. The driver of the suspect vehicle was taken to the hospital. Their condition is unknown at this t...

Santa Rosa police search for missing man

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

(KRON) -- The Santa Rosa Police Department is searching for a missing man.Yohan Tewelde, 30, of Santa Rosa, has not been seen since he walked away from his home on Fairfax Place. He has autism, but he is verbal and will respond to his name, police said.Police described him as a Black man who stands 6 feet tall with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt and white shorts. Tewelde is known to spend time around the Target located at 1980 Santa Rosa Ave. Anyone who sees him is asked to call (707) 528-5222.

George Kirby matches career high with 10 Ks as Mariners shut out Twins 5-0

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The few times George Kirby has stumbled through a subpar start this season, his rebound efforts have been superb. Chalk it up to Kirby’s talent and his belief. “I think it’s just hard to get me twice,” Kirby said. “I’m always going to come stay on the attack and be competitive.”Kirby matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 5-0 on Thursday.Teoscar Hernández and Mike Ford homered as Seattle earned a split of the four-game set, but the afternoon belonged to Seattle’s All-Star pitcher.“That’s the way he is. He goes and attacks every hitter,” Hernández said. “He’s not afraid to back-to-back fastball, just throw fastball to anybody on the other team.”Kirby was terrific on a day when the Mariners needed a morale boost after they learned starting outfielder Jarred Kelenic will be out for an extended period after breaking a bone in his left foot. Kirby retir...

Jets send wide receiver Denzel Mims to the Lions in a trade that includes 2025 draft picks

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets traded wide receiver Denzel Mims to the Detroit Lions on Thursday, parting ways with the disappointing 2020 second-round draft pick who requested to be dealt last summer.The Jets, who announced the teams agreed to terms on the trade, also sent a 2025 conditional seventh-round pick to the Lions for a conditional sixth-rounder in 2025.New York told Mims it would release him if the Jets couldn’t find a trade partner, two people with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce its intentions.Mims was excused from joining the team when rookies and veterans reported for training camp Wednesday. The team’s first camp practice with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback was Thursday.“I wish him luck,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said shortly before the trade was announced. “I appreciate Denzel, appreciate what he did. And sometimes a change of scenery is always go...

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips says he never condoned misconduct toward athletes as Northwestern AD

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips says he never “condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct” against athletes as Northwestern’s athletics director in the wake of that school’s hazing scandal, which has led to at least three lawsuits and the firing of football coach Pat Fitzgerald.Phillips has been named as a defendant for two of the lawsuits along with other university leaders in their oversight roles. The first complaint came Wednesday from a former football player identified as “John Doe 2,” followed by another as “John Doe 3” on Thursday.“This has been a difficult time for the Northwestern University community, a place that my entire family called home,” Phillips said in a statement Thursday. “Over my 30-year career in intercollegiate athletics, my highest priority has always been the health and safety of all student-athletes. “Hazing is completely unacceptable anywhere, and my heart goes out to anyone who carries the burden of hav...

Top-seeded Daria Kasatkina advances to quarterfinals in Palermo

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:30:36 GMT

PALERMO, Sicily (AP) — Top-seeded Daria Kasatkina eased into the quarterfinals of the Palermo Open with a comfortable victory over Russian compatriot Tatiana Prozorova on Thursday.It was only Prozorova’s third WTA tour main-draw match and Kasatkina prevailed 6-3, 6-1.Kasatkina will likely face a sterner test against fifth-seeded Jasmine Paolini, who she meets in the quarterfinals after the Italian rallied to beat Dayana Yastremska 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.Also advancing on the red clay courts of the Country Time Club was third-seeded Mayar Sherif of Egypt. She eliminated lucky loser Sofya Lansere 6-3, 6-3.Sherif will play Camila Osorio in the last eight after the Colombian player recovered from a tough opening set to see off Erika Andreeva 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-2.In the other quarterfinals, it’s second-seeded Zheng Qinwen vs. seventh-seeded Emma Navarro, and Sara Sorribes Tormo vs. Clara Burel.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource