Google Deep Mind - Demis Hassabis (Noble Prize Winner) - Lex Fridman Podcast

Keeping up with the world is hard .. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HzgcbRXUK8

Lex Fridman seemed genuinely in awe of this guy!

The Singularity is Near (2005) and The Singularity Is Nearer (2024)

There is someone shouting a message. "The Singularity is Nearer" (2024). he being - an old [Strong] AI proponent and technology futurist called Ray Kurzwell and he is shouting louder than ever. Seeing as the book was only available in hardback I decided Audible was the best way to get my hands on it and also head round it. I was intrigued that this is a follow on book from his (2005) The Singularity is Near, so at the same time I picked it up cheap in a paperback format (see below, the new - a message of hope, ambition in the technology convergence of AI and perhaps a naïve sense "That it will all right on the night" - something that Geoff Hinton would totally disagree with): 

The old (The Singularity is Near) is a very chunky book too - so reading it in 2025 to see how close he was to getting predictions right in 2025 will be interesting (see below - shiny black and with clichéd graphics, but packed with information and speculations):

You will only appreciate it's size/thickness when you see it end on (see below, one thing a book gives that Audible cannot, is lovely diagrams - so sigh, sometimes you need both, well that's my excuse): 

Part II of my study is to be  time travelling back and forth to 2005 and 2025. Watch this space! I suspect a but of confusion and wry humour .. be careful what you wish for.

Grok 4?

Hmmm ... Elon seems to be rather busy of late!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQ_KrlHgfg

I am still thinking!

Other comments ... and it did WHAT?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkVfG-dtURY

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g8r34nxeno

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/07/10/musk-grok-hitler-ai-00447055

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/groks-praise-for-hitler-wasnt-a-glitch/

https://techinformed.com/xai-removes-offensive-hitler-posts/

What is your name?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44564941

What next .. HLE .. Humanity's Last Exam!

With the idea that only the super intelligent machines can answer all the questions in it!

As Hinton put it, then we will know what a chicken feels living on a farm! 

Nueralink Summer Update 2025 - Elon Musk (Wow)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FASMejN_5gs

These seemed a natural progression from "The Singularity is Nearer". These advancements seem nearly incredible. Direct mind interfaces seem to be teh way forwards.

So true .. Hobbies should be FUN .. good video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHAqhP8EeYQ

• Game and have fun!
• Model and paint to have fun!
• Retain the JOY!
• The doing counts ..
• Experience it for the fun of it - fearless and relaxing.
• Laugh and smile, enjoy .. and say I did this!
• Hobbies can be frivolous.
• The best hobbies are frivolous fun!

I LIKE that message ;) 

WW2 US Infantry Painting Guides from around the Internet (20mm)

The crazy "Project" a 1:1, US, WWII, ETO (Normandy/Germany), Infantry Company (minus the 60mm Mortar supports - that is a small follow on mini-project) painted in 1/72 from an assorted plastic figure collection of Revell (Ardennes), Italieri, Caesar and Plastic Soldier Company [PSC] (see below, the sunlight lit painting tray) :  

I have adopted the finish a small pilot (squad) batch then go into "death before glory" full factory production mode. It seems to be working but I have a tight deadline!

Painting Guides: 

First of all the one I ended up using (see below, designed for 15mm FoW figures but I used it for my 1/72 plastic miniatures): 

Vallejo Model Colour (majority): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-odbmMyyOeo

Gathered from my Internet searching a wealth of riches from other web-sites: 

Contrast Paints (an alternative I considered, but not for 20mm):

• https://www.wargaming3d.com/blog/speed-painting-wwii-infantry-with-citadel-contrast-paints
• https://www.reddit.com/r/flamesofwar/comments/o9eoxh/a_us_rifle_platoon_some_contrast_paint_and_an/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eai34eU6nA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOTnNmGZY7Y

Normal Paints: 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2fdVyyudwc
• https://www.warlordgames.com/step-by-step-american-gis-by-sascha-herm/
• https://www.flamesofwar.com/default.aspx?tabid=110&art_id=444
• https://cracdeschevaliers.blogspot.com/2010/03/painting-by-layers.html
• https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235148918-a-paint-colour-list-for-british-german-and-us-uniforms-and-kit-by-nation-and-theatre-and-vallejo-shadow-highlight-mixes/
• https://launch.battlefront.co.nz/1247/

German (FoW) but a good painting Flesh Description: 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dauzu7kc2u8