#University Southern Denmark

[archaeographer]

Update: December 2022 - slow archaeology

Update: December 2022 – slow archaeology

“Our brains aren’t designed for multitasking”, my dear friend Cliff Nass, mathematician, cognitive scientist and psychologist, warned me a good long while ago. “It will slow you down and cloud your reasoning.” OK — I’m still working on the same big three projects as back then. But I am quite sure that my research and thinking have evolved most significantly and in ways I could not have…

View On WordPress

#Aisin #Bard Graduate Center #Biprogy #Cliff Nass #Gary Devore #Ladby #Larry Leifer #Mike Pearson #Ng Humanities House #Nissan #Roskilde University #Sophia Colello #Stanford Continuing Studies #Stanford H-Star #Stanford Humanities Lab #Stanford Learning Lab #Stanford mediaX #University Southern Denmark #Valley Breeze Consulting

[xtruss]

The Rich, the Poor and Bulgaria! Money Really Can Buy You Happiness

— Published: December 16th, 2010 | Wednesday 16th August, 2023 | Christmas Specials | Comparing Countries

THE notion that money can't buy happiness is popular, especially among Europeans who believe that growth-oriented free-market economies have got it wrong. They drew comfort from the work of Richard Easterlin, Professor of Economics at the University of Southern California, who trawled through the data in the 1970s and observed only a loose correlation between money and happiness. Although income and well-being were closely correlated within countries, there seemed to be little relationship between the two when measured over time or between countries. This became known as the “Easterlin paradox”. Mr Easterlin suggested that well-being depended not on absolute, but on relative, income: people feel miserable not because they are poor, but because they are at the bottom of the particular pile in which they find themselves.

But more recent work—especially by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers of the University of Pennsylvania—suggests that while the evidence for a correlation between income and happiness over time remains weak, that for a correlation between countries is strong. According to Mr Wolfers, the correlation was unclear in the past because of a paucity of data. There is, he says, “a tendency to confuse absence of evidence for a proposition as evidence of its absence”.

There are now data on the effect of income on well-being almost everywhere in the world. In some countries (South Africa and Russia, for instance) the correlation is closer than in others (like Britain and Japan) but it is visible everywhere.

The variation in life satisfaction between countries is huge (see chart). Countries at the top of the league (all of them developed) score up to eight out of ten; countries at the bottom (mostly African, but with Haiti and Iraq putting in a sad, but not surprising, appearance) score as low as three.

Although richer countries are clearly happier, the correlation is not perfect, which suggests that other, presumably cultural, factors are at work. Western Europeans and North Americans bunch pretty closely together, though there are some anomalies, such as the surprisingly gloomy Portuguese. Asians tend to be somewhat less happy than their income would suggest, and Scandinavians a little more so. Hong Kong and Denmark, for instance, have similar income per person, at purchasing-power parity; but Hong Kong's average life satisfaction is 5.5 on a 10-point scale, and Denmark's is 8. Latin Americans are cheerful, the ex-Soviet Union spectacularly miserable, and the saddest place in the world, relative to its income per person, is Bulgaria.

— This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline "The Rich, the Poor and Bulgaria"

#The Economist #The Rich | The Poor and Bulgaria #Money | Happiness #Europeans #Richard Easterlin #Professor of Economics | University of Southern California #Easterlin Paradox #Betsey Stevenson | Justin Wolfers | University of Pennsylvania #South Africa 🇿🇦 and Russia 🇷🇺 #Britain 🇬🇧 | Japan 🇯🇵 #Haiti 🇭🇹 Iraq 🇮🇶 #Portugal 🇵🇹 #Hong Kong 🇭🇰 | Denmark 🇩🇰 #Ex-Soviet Union #Christmas Specials | Comparing Countries #Bulgaria 🇧🇬

[internationaldayoflight]

Raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists.

Are you a scout leader, an amateur astronomer, a schoolteacher, a night owl or a camper?

Or are you just interested in taking care of our night sky? University Library of Southern Denmark invites you to support the Citizen Science project Globe at Night. The Globe at Night project is an international citizen-science campaign that seeks to raise public awareness of the night sky and the impact of light pollution by inviting citizens to measure and submit observations of the brightness of the night sky.  Observations of the night sky from all over the world provide the possibility to carry out research about wildlife, health energy consumption and much more.

It is easy to get involved

#light pollution #campaign #citizen-scientists #Globe at Night #international day of light #night sky #University Library of Southern Denmark

[danieleneandermancini]

ANALISI ARCHEOMETRICHE PER I MOSAICI DELLA CASA DI CHARIDEMOS, ALICARNASSO, TURCHIA

ANALISI ARCHEOMETRICHE PER I MOSAICI DELLA CASA DI CHARIDEMOS, ALICARNASSO, TURCHIA

Diciannove tessere di mosaici rinvenuti tra la fine del XIX e l’inizio del XX secolo ad Alicarnasso, nel distretto di Bodrun, in Turchia, sono state sottoposte ad analisi archeometriche e possono far luce sul tardo periodo romano del centro urbano. Lo scavo archeologico realizzato nel 1856 da Charles T. Newton e quello recente, tra il 1990 e il 1993 da parte di un team congiunto danese-turco,…

View On WordPress

#Alicarnasso #analisi archeometriche #Casa di Charidemos #Charles T. Newton #University of Southern Denmark

[blueiskewl]

A 4000-Year-Old Stone Box Grave Discovered in Norway

Archaeologists report an extremely important 4,000-year-old stone box grave has been unearthed in Western Norway, describing it as the most unique Stone Age find in Norway in the last 100 years.

This significant find, which archaeologists believe will provide information about how agriculture came to Western Norway, was discovered south of Vestkapp in Selje, Vestland. The grave is four meters long and over two meters wide.

It’s a sensational discovery and the most unique Stone Age finds in Norway in the last 100 years, says Morten Ramstad at the antiquities section at the University of Bergen.

The grave is a ‘hellekistegrave’, or stone box grave, a type of burial site that has previously only been found in Buskerud, Østfold, and Denmark, but never in Western Norway. Such a grave’s finding here is noteworthy and may help explain when agriculture, which first appeared in Norway circa 3950 BC, made its way to Western Norway.

The fact that this type of grave has not been previously found in Western Norway adds to the significance of the discovery.

Researchers may be able to ascertain the individuals’ ages, places of origin, and methods of transportation to Western Norway thanks to the exceptionally well-preserved human bone material discovered at the site.

Following the retreat of the great ice sheets, the first inhabitants migrated north into what is now Norway around 10,000 years ago. They were hunter-gatherers who lived off of seafood and game, particularly reindeer. The first agricultural settlements appeared around the Oslofjord between 5,000 and 4,000 BC. Between 1500 BC and 500 BC, agricultural settlements gradually spread throughout southern Norway, while residents north of Trndelag continued to hunt and fish.

The Neolithic period, beginning in 4000 BC, marked the beginning of agriculture in Norway. The Migration Period saw the establishment of the first chieftains and the construction of hilltop forts. Norwegians began to spread across the seas to the British Isles in the eighth century, and later to Iceland and Greenland. The Viking Age also saw the country’s unification.

The discovery of the 4,000-year-old grave in Western Norway adds to our understanding of the region’s agricultural history. The grave’s exceptionally well-preserved condition, as well as the human bone material discovered within it, could provide valuable data for researchers.

By Oğuz Büyükyıldırım.

#A 4000-Year-Old Stone Box Grave Discovered in Norway #ancient grave #ancient tomb #ancient artifacts #archeology #archeolgst #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #stone age

[materialsscienceandengineering]

New details about the strongest spider silk in the world

Many researchers dream of deciphering the amazing ability of spiders to create super strong, super light, and super flexible silk threads—but so far, no one has been able to replicate the spiders' work. Should it one day become possible to produce a synthetic material with the same properties, a whole new world of possibilities may open: Artificial spider silk could replace materials like Kevlar, polyester, and carbon fiber in industries and be used, for example, to make lightweight and flexible bulletproof vests. Postdoc and biophysicist Irina Iachina from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), is involved in this race to uncover the recipe for super silk. She has been fascinated by spider silk since her time as a master's student at SDU, and currently, she is researching the topic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston with support from the Villum Foundation. As part of her research, she is collaborating with associate professor and biophysicist Jonathan Brewer at SDU, who is an expert in using various types of microscopes to peer into biological structures.

Read more.

#Materials Science #Science #Spider silk #Biomaterials #Biomimicry #Materials characterization #Microscopy

[caixxa]

(The header picture is misleading. That's just assorted sweet licorice. This is salmiak:)

Scientists have just caught up with something that Scandinavians have suspected strongly for over a century: Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) may be a basic taste, joining sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.

Denizens of Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands gobble up the compound in “salmiak,” a salt licorice candy. But don’t be fooled by the “candy” label. As Andrew Richdale wrote for Saveur back in 2017, salmiak tastes nothing like any other candy you have ever tried.

“The first time I sampled salmiak… I spit it out on a Copenhagen street corner. It wasn’t that this powerful little pastille was bad. It’s just that my taste buds had never quite been lit up that way: smacked with a layer of sharp and sour salt dust, then soothed by something bitter and caramel-sweet. It felt simultaneously fascinating and… abusive? Or at least odd, like a knocked funny bone.”

In a paper published last week in the journal Nature Communications, a team of researchers based out of the University of Southern California and the University of Colorado attempted to explain the flavor sensation that Richdale and so many others have experienced. They found that ammonium chloride triggers a specific proton channel called OTOP1 in sour taste receptor cells. This sates a key requirement for a flavor to qualify as a primary taste.

Almost all vertebrates, including humans, have OTOP1 on their taste receptors, with varying degrees of sensitivity. Ammonium is commonly found in waste products and decaying organic matter and is slightly toxic.

In 2012, when the European Union (EU) proposed placing a limit of three grams of the compound per kilogram of food product, there was an outcry in Nordic countries. The move would have effectively banned salmiak, as it contains 70 grams per kilogram. EU regulators quickly backed off.

(Big Think, Ross Pomeroy)

#salmiakki #candy #science #link #we love the toxic taste of decay in finland

[walrusmagazine]

Taking It Slow: What Turtles Can Teach Us about Living Longer

A conservation demographer explains how the secret to a long life might be found under a hard shell

The average life expectancy of Canadians today is roughly eighty years. Turtles and tortoises can live far longer. Just last year, a tortoise named Jonathan, who holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest ever chelonian, turned 190 years old. We asked Rita da Silva, a conservation demographer who conducted a study at the University of Southern Denmark on aging rates in turtles, what secrets these shelled seniors hold to living a long life.

Read more at thewalrus.ca.

Illustration by Irma Kniivila (irmaillustration.com)

#Health #Aging #Turtles #Tortoise #Birthday #Ask an Expert #March/April 2023 #Illustration #Rita Da Silva #Irma Kniivila

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New 1.5-billion-pixel ESO image shows Running Chicken Nebula in unprecedented detail

While many holiday traditions involve feasts of turkey, soba noodles, latkes or Pan de Pascua, this year, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is bringing you a holiday chicken. The so-called Running Chicken Nebula, home to young stars in the making, is revealed in spectacular detail in this 1.5-billion-pixel image captured by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), hosted at ESO’s Paranal site in Chile.

This vast stellar nursery is located in the constellation Centaurus (the Centaur), at about 6500 light-years from Earth. Young stars within this nebula emit intense radiation that makes the surrounding hydrogen gas glow in shades of pink.

The Running Chicken Nebula actually comprises several regions, all of which we can see in this vast image that spans an area in the sky of about 25 full Moons [1]. The brightest region within the nebula is called IC 2948, where some people see the chicken’s head and others its rear end. The wispy pastel contours are ethereal plumes of gas and dust. Towards the centre of the image, marked by the bright, vertical, almost pillar-like, structure, is IC 2944. The brightest twinkle in this particular region is Lambda Centauri, a star visible to the naked eye that is much closer to us than the nebula itself.

There are, however, many young stars within IC 2948 and IC 2944 themselves — and while they might be bright, they’re most certainly not merry. As they spit out vast amounts of radiation, they carve up their environment much like, well, a chicken. Some regions of the nebula, known as Bok globules, can withstand the fierce bombardment from the ultraviolet radiation pervading this region. If you zoom in to the image, you might see them: small, dark, and dense pockets of dust and gas dotted across the nebula.

Other regions pictured here include, to the upper right, Gum 39 and 40, and to the lower right, Gum 41. Aside from nebulae, there are countless orange, white and blue stars, like fireworks in the sky. Overall in this image, there are more wonders than can be described — zoom in and pan across, and you’ll have a feast for the eyes.

This image is a large mosaic comprising hundreds of separate frames carefully stitched together. The individual images were taken through filters that let through light of different colours, which were then combined into the final result presented here. The observations were conducted with the wide-field camera OmegaCAM on the VST, a telescope owned by the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy (INAF) and hosted by ESO at its Paranal site in Chile’s Atacama Desert that is ideally suited for mapping the southern sky in visible light. The data that went into making this mosaic were taken as part of the VST Photometric Hα Survey of the Southern Galactic Plane and Bulge (VPHAS+), a project aimed at better understanding the life cycle of stars.

Notes

[1] This image, edge to edge, is 270 light-years wide. It would take an average chicken almost 21 billion years to run across it. That’s much longer than our Universe has been around for.

More information

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground — which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy — and promote international collaboration for astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organisation in 1962, today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO’s headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvellous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. ESO operates three observing sites: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its Very Large Telescope Interferometer, as well as survey telescopes such as VISTA. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world’s largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. Together with international partners, ESO operates ALMA on Chajnantor, a facility that observes the skies in the millimetre and submillimetre range. At Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, we are building “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” — ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. From our offices in Santiago, Chile we support our operations in the country and engage with Chilean partners and society. 

TOP IMAGE....The Running Chicken Nebula comprises several clouds, all of which we can see in this vast image from the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), hosted at ESO’s Paranal site. This 1.5-billion pixel image spans an area in the sky of about 25 full Moons. The clouds shown in wispy pink plumes are full of gas and dust, illuminated by the young and hot stars within them. Credit ESO/VPHAS+ team. Acknowledgement: CASU

CENTRE IMAGE....This chart shows the location of the Running Chicken Nebula (IC2944) in the large southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur). This map shows most of the stars visible to the unaided eye under good conditions and the location of the nebula itself is marked with a red circle. Although the star cluster IC 2948, associated with this nebula, is easily seen in a small telescope, the nebula is very faint and was only discovered photographically early in the 20th century.Credit: ESO, IAU and Sky & Telescope

LOWER IMAGE....The Running Chicken Nebula comprises several clouds, the most prominent of which are labelled in this vast image from the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), hosted at ESO’s Paranal site.The bright star labelled Lambda Centauri is actually much closer to us than the nebula itself, and can be seen with the naked eye. The clouds shown in wispy pink plumes are full of gas and dust, illuminated by the young and hot stars within them. Overall, this image spans an area in the sky of about 25 full Moons, one of which is shown to scale for reference.Credit: ESO/VPHAS+ team. Acknowledgement: CASU

While many holiday traditions involve feasts of turkey, soba noodles, latkes or Pan de Pascua, this year, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is bringing you a holiday chicken. The so-called Running Chicken Nebula, home to young stars in the making, is revealed in spectacular detail in this 1.5-billion-pixel image captured by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), hosted at ESO’s Paranal site in Chile. Credit: ESO

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #astrophysics #ESO #Youtube

[sexuallyfrustratedpineapples]

Hetalia Roleplay Information Area

Welcome! This is a place that I’ve made to allow you to read all of my information in one place without any of the bullshit of having to search my tumblr.

You can find starters, shipping lists, plot ideas, my favorite tropes and more!

**Please note, if you are under 20 years of age I ask that you disconnect with me. I am 27 and I do not roleplay with minors and would prefer not to roleplay with anyone under 20. If you roleplay with me or interact and you lie about your age, I will immediately block you. I take this very seriously.**

**All characters that I play are at least 18 years of age. I do not roleplay as characters under that limit unless it is a child/parent relationship.**

Ship List

Nyo! Northern Italy: GerIta, PruIta, EngIta, SpaIta, 2p! Germany x Nyo! Italy, DenIta, 2p! Denmark x Nyo! Italy

Nyo! Southern Italy and 1p! Southern Italy: SpaMano, GerMano, AmeriMano, EngMano, PruMano, and PortMano

Nyo! Prussia and 1p! Prussia: PruIta, PruMano, PrUk, Nyo! PruHun, PruAus, PruAme, PruScott, PruCan, 2p!Can x Pru and PrAnce

Nyo! Seborga and 1p! Seborga: PortBorga, SeyBorga, SpaBorga, and GerBorga

Nyo! America and 1p! America: USUK, AmeriMano, PruAme, DenAme, RusAme

Nyo! Canada and 1p! Canada: PruCan, RusCan, and GerCan

AU/Trope List List

Plot Ideas, Universes, Tropes

Soulmates

Flower shop/coffee shop/shop au

Omegaverse

And they were roommates

Fake dating

Unrequited love

Medieval

Prompt List

1. Why are you helping me?

2. We could get arrested for this.

3. Was that supposed to hurt

4. We have to be quiet.

5. You're trembling.

6. Tell me again.

7. I can't keep kissing strangers and pretending that they're you.

8. Do you regret it.

9. I still remember the way you taste.

10. We still need to talk about what happened last night.

11. Do you trust me?

12. What happens if I do this?

13. You're making me want things that I cannot have.

14. People are starting to stare.

15. Is this what you want?

16. Can't you see that I love you?

17. I cannot believe you!

18. Why would you do this to me?

19. Why now? You had all of these years to do it, but you picked now?

20. Where do you think you're going?

I am always open to new ideas and such! This being said, feel free to ask for other ideas or AUs!

#hetalia #hetalia rp #hetalia roleplay #hws #hws rp #hws roleplay #hetalia world stars #Hetalia world stars rp #hetalia world stars roleplay #hetalia axis powers #hetalia axis powers rp #hetalia axis powers roleplay #hetalia aph #hetalia aph rp #hetalia aph roleplay #roleplay

[eretzyisrael]

Israeli and European archaeologists provide new insight into the mystery of ancient Gaza wine

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

Published: APRIL 27, 2023 15:22

Grape pips (seeds) that were excavated from a Byzantine monastery in the Negev hint at the origins of the ‘mysterious’ Gaza wine and the history of grapevine cultivation in desert conditions. One of the seeds – probably from a white grape – has been dated to the 8th century and may be the earliest of its kind documented anywhere in the world. 

It is thought it could be linked to the sweet white wine - the Gaza wine - that archaeologists have seen references to in historical records, but a lack of evidence of white varieties from the period has until now left uncertainty over its true origins. The wine was produced in the Negev and shipped across the Byzantine Empire, as well as to Germany, France, and Britain, where it is thought to have been enjoyed by royal households. 

Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) including Dr. Meirav Meiri of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies; the University of York (England); and the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) used genetic analyses to identify several different grape cultivars that were grown in Negev vineyards including both white and black grapes. Colleagues at the University of Haifa, Bar-Ilan University and the Israel Antiquities Authority collaborated in the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the [US] National Academy of Sciences under the title “New insight into the mystery of ancient Gaza wine.” 

Identifying characteristics of ancient grape seeds

Dr. Nathan Wales from the University of York’s archaeology department commented that “this is the first time that genetics has been used to identify the color of an ancient grape and gives us a glimpse into the internationally famous Gaza wine during the period.  It also gave us the opportunity to link ancient seeds with modern varieties that are still grown around the Mediterranean today.”

“The modern winemaking industry is heavily reliant on a limited number of European grape cultivars that are best suited for cultivation in temperate climates. Global warming emphasizes the need for diversity in this high-impact agricultural crop. Grapevine lineages bred in hot and arid regions, often preserved over centuries, may present an alternative to the classic winemaking grape cultivars,” the team wrote.

“Our study of a legacy grapevine variety from the Negev Highlands desert of southern Israel sheds light on its genetics, biological properties, and lasting impact.”

Since the domestication of the wild vine in Southwest Asia over 6,000 years ago, it is been primarily grown for wine. Viticulture (grape growing) and viniculture (winemaking) evolved along multiple historical pathways in diverse wine regions and produced a myriad of legacy cultivars, the team wrote. 

Wales added that identifying the grape varieties that grew in the Negev during the Byzantine period and the genetic characteristics that were nurtured in these dry, desert conditions, could provide valuable insights into how plant varieties could be developed to resist the extremes of climate conditions today.”

The grapevines made some of the largest profits of any crop in Byzantine times and trade from Negev with Lebanon and Crete, for example, have sprung modern varieties of red wine that are still produced in these areas today. “Despite the Early Islamic (seventh to tenth centuries) and the Mamluk (13th century) enforcement of Muslim law that forbids wine production and consumption, vines continued to be cultivated for the local consumption of table grapes, raisins and, in limited amounts, ceremonial wine among Jews and Christians,” the team wrote. “However, knowledge of the specific grapevine cultivated in the Negev was lost.”

#Israel #Archaelology #Israel Antiquities Authority #Byzantine

[mariacallous]

Wearing a baseball cap and thick, black-rimmed glasses, Cameron Chell is part defense contractor, part tech executive. His company, Draganfly, used to mainly work with emergency services in North America, selling drones and the accompanying software that could deliver medical equipment, or film traffic accidents from above. But since last February, the Canadian has pivoted his business to cater to a market more than 8,000 miles away: Ukraine.

Now, there are 40 Draganfly drones in Ukraine, repurposed for search-and-rescue missions in bombed-out buildings, landmine detection, and other military tasks that Chell declines to detail. The company has demonstrated its tech to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Ministry of Defence, as well as President Volodomyr Zelenskyy’s fundraising initiative, United24. “There isn't a branch of the government we haven’t worked with or interacted with in some way.” Sometimes he gets texts from Ukrainian contacts, saying a friend of a friend needs a drone for their unit, can he help? Draganfly obliges, of course, for a discounted fee.

Since Russia invaded, military aid has been flowing into Ukraine. The US has committed $39 billion since the war started, the UK $37.3 billion, and the EU $12 billion. Chell and his company are part of a scramble of international tech companies rushing into the country to try and benefit. Business has been so good, he’s set up a field office in Ukraine with four full-time employees. But Draganfly is operating in Ukraine not just to support the cause or to collect the cash. It’s also come for the data.

The war in Ukraine presents an unprecedented opportunity for military tech companies. The scale of the fighting and the sheer number of weapons systems and high-tech sensors deployed have created a vast amount of data about how battles are fought and how people and machines behave under fire. For businesses that want to build the next generation of weapons, or train systems that will be useful in future conflicts, that is a resource of incalculable value.

“Everybody could have the same AI engine. The only differentiator now is how good are the data inputs that you have,” says Chell. “Making sure that it's your sensors collecting that data, and feeding it into your software, is absolutely important. It’s more important than ever to be present.”

There is an old, much derided, cliché that data is the “new oil”—not only because of its cash value, but because of how it will fuel so much of the future economy. Just as large language models, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, are trained on hundreds of billions of words, AI products in the defense world also have to be fed vast amounts of data. A company selling drones that can autonomously identify tanks, for example, needs to train its software on huge numbers of images: tanks covered in camouflage, tanks obscured by bushes, tanks deep in mud. It needs to be able to recognize the difference between a military tank and a civilian tractor, as well as what type of tank it’s looking at, so it knows friend from foe. For a company like Draganfly, which is selling drones with landmine-detection software, staff need to train their AI on thousands of images, so their system can tell the difference between a rock formation and a modern mine.

“Ukraine is the only place in the world where you can get that data at the moment,” says Ingvild Bode, associate professor at the Center for War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark.

Draganfly is far from the only company to have noticed the potential of Ukraine to gather data. Chell is among a wave of international AI executives traveling to and from the conflict to test and train their products. German AI company Helsing says it has staff regularly traveling to the country. Data analytics company Palantir has opened an office in Kyiv and is offering its services pro bono. “You have to ask yourself, why are they doing that?” says Bode. “There are a number of reasons, and the value of the data will absolutely be one of them.”

Some international companies working in the conflict zone are using their experiences in Ukraine to refine the products they are selling back home. Seattle-based BRINC has designed “Lemur” drones, which are designed to be able to break through windows to access buildings. In the US, they’ve been marketed to police to use in active shooter scenarios. But in Ukraine, they’re being used to help search for survivors after missile attacks, according to the company’s founder, Blake Resnick. The company recently released its Lemur 2 model, which “does utilize some feedback that we've gotten from Ukraine,” he says. The new model can make floor plans of a building as it flies around and can maintain its position in the air, even when the pilot takes their hands off the controller. These ideas might have grown out of BRINC’s work in Ukraine, but according to the company’s YouTube advert, they’re now being marketed to police forces back in the US.

The “data is the new oil” cliché might illustrate data’s value. But it also speaks to the way data can be extracted from a country without benefiting the people who live there. In the first year after the invasion, Ukraine was so welcoming to American tech companies that even startups whose pitches had been rejected at home by the Pentagon got the green light to be trialed by Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines. But that warm welcome is starting to chill, as Ukrainian government officials recognize how valuable their battlefield data would be if it remained in Ukrainian hands.

“You can’t even imagine how many foreign companies are already using Ukraine as a testing ground for their products: AI companies like Clearview, Palantir; anti-jamming systems; everything that has a software component is in Ukraine right now,” says Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine's deputy minister for digital transformation.

Ukraine is very aware of the value of its data, Bornyakov says, cautioning that companies shouldn’t expect to arrive in the country and get access to data for nothing. “This experience we’re in right now—how to manage troops, how to manage them smarter and automatically—nobody has that,” he says. “This data certainly is not for sale. It’s only available if you offer some sort of mutually beneficial cooperation.”

Instead, Ukraine wants to use the data that’s being gathered for its own defense sector. “After the war has finished, Ukraine companies will go to the market and offer solutions that probably nobody else has,” Bornyakov says.

Over the past few months, Ukraine has been talking up its ambitions to leverage its battlefield innovations to build a military-tech industry of its own.

“We want to build a very strong defense tech industry,” says Nataliia Kushnerska, project lead for Brave1, a Ukrainian state platform designed to make it easier for defense-tech companies to pitch their products to the military. The country still wants to partner and cooperate with international companies, she says, but there is a growing emphasis on homegrown solutions.

Building a domestic industry would help protect the country from future Russian aggression, Kushnerska says. And Ukrainians have a better understanding of the dynamics of the battlefield than their international counterparts. “Technologies that cost a huge amount of money, made in [overseas] laboratories, are coming to the front line, and they're not working,” she says.

Brave1—which was exclusively open to Ukrainian companies for its first two months of existence—is not the country’s only attempt to build a homegrown industry. Kushnerska describes secret tech conferences, attended by Ukrainian tech executives and Ministry of Defense officials, where discussions can take place about what the militaries need and how companies can help. In May, Ukraine’s parliament voted through a series of tax breaks for drone makers, in an attempt to encourage the industry. Those government efforts, combined with the huge demand for drones and the motivation to win the war, is creating entire new industries, says Bornyakov. He claims the country now has more than 300 companies making drones.

One of those 300 companies is AeroDrone, which started out as a crop-spraying system based in Germany. By the time of the full-scale invasion, the company’s Ukrainian founder, Yuri Pederi, had already moved back to his home country. But the war inspired him to pivot the business. Now the drones, which can carry heavy loads of up to 300 kilograms, are being used by the Ukrainian military.

“We don’t know what the military are carrying,” says Dmytro Shymkiv, a partner at the company, who used to be deputy chief of staff for Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president who preceded Zelenskyy. He might plead ignorance to what AeroDrone drones are transporting, but the company is collecting vast amounts of data—up to 3,000 parameters—on each flight. “We are very much aware of what's going on with every piece of equipment on board,” he says, adding that information about flying while being jammed, or in different weather conditions, can be repurposed in other industries or even other conflicts.

Aerodrone offers a glimpse of the future companies Bornyakov is describing. Armed with that data, the company sees a wide range of options for its future once the war is over, both military and civilian. If you can fly in a war zone, Shymkiv says, you can fly anywhere.

[aiphilosophy]

Scotland.

The question of Scottish independence has been a contentious one for centuries. Scotland has a long and complex history of self-rule and autonomy, but also of political union and integration with its southern neighbor, England. The topic of Scottish independence is multifaceted, involving issues of national identity, politics, and economics.

The Wars of Independence in the 13th and 14th centuries were a significant step towards Scotland's autonomy. Led by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, the Scots fought against the English and won their independence in the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1328. This treaty recognized Scotland as a separate kingdom, with its own monarchy and government.

However, in 1707, Scotland and England entered into a political union, known as the Act of Union. This act united the two countries under one parliament and one monarch, and Scotland lost its separate status as a kingdom. This union was driven by economic and political considerations and was not universally popular in Scotland.

In recent years, the Scottish National Party (SNP) has been a strong advocate for Scottish independence. The SNP has argued that Scotland should have the right to self-determination, and that it is in the best interests of the Scottish people to govern themselves. They point to Scotland's distinct culture and identity, as well as its vast natural resources and potential for economic growth, as reasons why it should be an independent country.

Critics of Scottish independence argue that it would be economically detrimental for Scotland. They argue that as a small country, Scotland would not be able to sustain itself financially without the support of the rest of the United Kingdom. They also point to the potential loss of trade and financial ties with the rest of the UK as a major drawback. Additionally, some argue that Scotland's reliance on North Sea oil and gas reserves as an economic driver is uncertain and may not be sustainable in the long term.

On the other hand, supporters of Scottish independence argue that an independent Scotland would have greater control over its own resources and be able to make better decisions to benefit its citizens. They also point to the success of other small independent countries, such as Denmark and Norway, as evidence that Scotland could thrive as an independent nation. Additionally, some argue that Scotland's distinct culture and identity justify independence and that Scotland should have the right to self-determination.

The 2014 Scottish independence referendum saw a majority of Scottish citizens voting against independence, however, the topic has been reignited with the Brexit vote where Scotland voted to remain in the EU while the UK as a whole voted to leave. The SNP and other pro-independence groups argue that Scotland's decision to remain in the EU should be respected and that independence is the best way to secure Scotland's place in Europe.

The question of Scottish independence is a complex and nuanced one, with valid arguments on both sides. Ultimately, it is a decision for the Scottish people to make through democratic means. What is clear is that Scotland has a rich history and culture, and that its people have the right to determine their own future.

#scotland #british politics #ayeforscotland #uk politics #scottish independence

[blueiskewl]

Silver Coin Featuring Famous Viking King Discovered in Hungary

A metal detectorist in Hungary has unearthed a tiny silver coin marked with the name of a famous Viking king that was lost almost 1,000 years ago.

A metal detectorist has discovered a small silver coin marked with the name of a famous Viking king.  However, it was unearthed not in Scandinavia, but in southern Hungary, where it was lost almost 1,000 years ago.

The find has baffled archaeologists, who have struggled to explain how the coin might have ended up there — it's even possible that it arrived with the traveling court of a medieval Hungarian king.

The early Norwegian coin, denominated as a "penning," was not especially valuable at the time, even though it's made from silver, and was worth the equivalent of around $20 in today's money.

"This penning was equivalent to the denar used in Hungary at the time," Máté Varga, an archaeologist at the Rippl-Rónai Museum in the southern Hungarian city of Kaposvár and a doctoral student at Hungary's University of Szeged, told Live Science in an email. "It was not worth much — perhaps enough to feed a family for a day."

Metal detectorist Zoltán Csikós found the silver coin earlier this year at an archaeological site on the outskirts of the village of Várdomb, and handed it over to archaeologist András Németh at the Wosinsky Mór County Museum in the nearby city of Szekszárd.

The Várdomb site holds the remains of the medieval settlement of Kesztölc, one of the most important trading towns in the region at that time. Archaeologists have made hundreds of finds there, including dress ornaments and coins, Varga said.

There is considerable evidence of contact between medieval Hungary and Scandinavia, including Scandinavian artifacts found in Hungary and Hungarian artifacts found in Scandinavia that could have been brought there by trade or traveling craftsmen, Varga said.

But this is the first time a Scandinavian coin has been found in Hungary, he said.

Who was Harald Hardrada?

The coin found at the Várdomb site is in poor condition, but it's recognizable as a Norwegian penning minted between 1046 and 1066 for King Harald Sigurdsson III — also known as Harald Hardrada — at Nidarnes or Nidaros (opens in new tab), a medieval mint at Trondheim in central Norway.

The description of a similar coin (opens in new tab) notes that the front features the name of the king "HARALD REX NO" — meaning Harald, king of Norway — and is decorated with a "triquetra," a three-sided symbol representing Christianity's Holy Trinity.

The other side is marked with a Christian cross in double lines, two ornamental sets of dots, and another inscription naming the master of the mint at Nidarnes.

Harald Hardrada ("Hardrada" translates as "hard ruler" in Norwegian) was the son of a Norwegian chief and half-brother to the Norwegian king Olaf II, according to Britannica (opens in new tab). He lived at the end of the Viking Age, and is sometimes considered the last of the great Viking warrior-kings.

Traditional stories record that Harald fought alongside his half-brother at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, where Olaf was defeated and killed by the forces of an alliance between Norwegian rebels and the Danish; Harald fled in exile after that, first to Russia and then to the Byzantine Empire, where he became a prominent military leader.

He returned to Norway in 1045 and became its joint king with his nephew, Magnus I Olafsson; and he became the sole king when Magnus died in battle against Denmark in 1047.

Harald then spent many years trying to obtain the Danish throne, and in 1066 he attempted to conquer England by allying with the rebel forces of Tostig Godwinson, who was trying to take the kingdom from his brother, King Harold Godwinson.

But both Harald and Tostig were killed by Harold Godwinson's forces at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in northern England in 1066; whereupon the victor and his armies had to cross the country in just a few weeks before the Battle of Hastings against William of Normandy — which Harold Godwinson lost, and with it the kingdom of England.

Medieval travels

Advertisement

The penning found at Várdomb could have been lost more than 100 years after it was minted, but it's more likely that it was in circulation for between 10 and 20 years, Varga and Németh said.

That dating gives rise to a possible connection with a medieval Hungarian king named Solomon, who ruled from 1063 to 1087.

According to a medieval Hungarian illuminated manuscript known as the "Képes Krónika" (or "Chronicon Pictum" in Latin), Solomon and his retinue (a group of advisors and important people) encamped in 1074 "above the place called Kesztölc" — and so the archaeologists think one of Solomon's courtiers at that time may have carried, and then lost, the exotic coin.

"The king's court could have included people from all over the world, whether diplomatic or military leaders, who could have had such coins," Varga and Németh said in a statement.

Another possibility is that the silver coin was brought to medieval Kesztölc by a common traveler: the trading town "was crossed by a major road with international traffic, the predecessor of which was a road built in Roman times along the Danube," the researchers said in the statement.

"This road was used not only by kings, but also by merchants, pilgrims, and soldiers from far away, any of whom could have lost the rare silver coin," they wrote.

Further research could clarify the origins of the coin and its connection with the site; while no excavations are planned, Varga said, field surveys and further metal detection will be carried out at the site in the future.

By Tom Metcalfe.

#Silver Coin Featuring Famous Viking King Discovered in Hungary #King Harald Sigurdsson III #Harald Hardrada #archeology #archeolgst #metal detector #coin #silver #silver coin #ancient artifacts #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #penning #viking history #viking culture

[clover-mittens]

ALL ABOUT PEDRO

Pedro Pascal x f!OC

Credits to gif maker!

Summary: Shane Andrews, a young woman from Georgia now living on her own in the center of the universe -- New York. Being on her own Shane suddenly feels more lonely than ever; that slowly starts to change, as she realizes she was never as alone as she had thought.

Words: 1.1k

next chapter ⎸ master list

All About Pedro

part one: The actor and the waitress.

"Good morning, Greg.", Shane chimes as she walks through the employee's entrance at the back of the small diner she works at. The diner is family owned and has been running for almost a hundred years, yet it still sits somewhat quietly at the very same corner it was built on.

Greg looks behind him, towards the sweet voice of the young woman he'd hired just a few months back, yet she had already made such a huge impact on his family's little diner. "Morning, Shane.", a smile spreads on his lips as his eyes land on the woman, putting on her apron.

After putting on her apron Shane walks out into the diner, quickly picking up a pot filled with newly brewed coffee, and making her way around the counter. Like every other day her first stop is at table four, where the same mustached man sits, just like yesterday and the day before that... without asking Shane refills his half-empty mug with new, warm coffee. "Thanks.", he nods at the gesture not looking up from the papers in front of him.

"What are we reading today?", she asks, making small talk, keeping her eyes and attention on the man as she walks a few tables away to pick up an empty and dirty plate.

The man lifts his head, focusing on Shane as he rests his head on his hand. "Script; just this thing I'm working on.", the diner is quiet, except for the older man there are just a couple of teenagers looking all lovey-dovey at the other end of the room.

Though this man sits here for at least a few hours every morning Shane still doesn't know his name; she has never had the nerve to even ask him. "Exciting. Something you wrote... or?", she presses for more information. Exchanges like this, with random people, is partly why Shane loves working at Joana's, she enjoys conversations with strangers from all sorts of different places and backgrounds. Working at a small diner like this gives her time to sit down and just chat for a while.

He shakes his head, before taking a big gulp of his black coffee. "Definitely not. It's for a movie I'll be working on; we start training next week."

"Training? Like choreography and such?"

"Yeah, kind of -- like stage fighting."

Shane's eyes must be glowing with envy at this point, her mother grew up acting, and so did Shane for a few years of her life when she was younger, but when her mother got into a horrible life-changing accident Shane's dad decided that acting wasn't for his daughter. If it wasn't for the fact that it would disappoint her family she would have gone back into acting again, on her own terms this time. "Well, ain't you just the coolest person ever.", though her southern accent may sound sarcastic to some, she means every word. She can only dream of being a movie star, even if the role is small.

The man sits up fully just to lean back in the comfy booth, leaving a red mark on his cheek from resting it on his hand. Shane chuckles lightly. "So," the man double-checks Shane's name tag, even though he's known her name from the first time she filled up his mug. "Shane, where do you come from? With an accent like that I know it ain't from here.", he tries to impersonate her southern accent.

"Georgia -- born in California, but I grew up in Georgia.", she specifies, making the man nod, now understanding the rather strong accent.

Shane nods lightly toward the man, motioning for him to take his turn telling about his upbringing. "A bit messy. I was born in Chile, lived in Denmark for a bit while in political asylum, but then ultimately moved to Texas where I grew up.", the woman's eyes widen. "Now I'm here.", he announces proudly.

"That you are. Are you filming the movie here?", Shane's voice indicates that she's assuming it's just a small role in a minor movie.

"No, I'll actually be flying out to England in a few days. Depending on the movie I sometimes get to travel quite a bit while filming.", this has Shane absolutely starstruck, she is completely in love with whatever life it is that this man lives. "I'll come back though; New York is my home and I've fallen slightly in love with this place.", he says, this place being Joana's. He takes a quick look at his watch, realizing how long he's been at the diner already. "I should go now, but I'll see you tomorrow.", with that he stands up, taking his script with him as he walks towards the exit. "I'm Pedro by the way."

The young woman is left swooning in the booth, almost forgetting that she's here to work. Shane just got a whole lot more dream material and she finds herself excited for tomorrow when she'll see Pedro again, ready to hear more about him and his life as an actor. She's so in her own world that the sound of her boss calling out for her makes her jump slightly. She looks dumbfounded at Greg, he rolls his eyes at her. "Table eight.", he says, slightly annoyed, motioning towards the dirty table the two teenagers had been sitting at.

---

Shane's standing outside her apartment, unlocking the door when someone calls out her name from down the hallway. "Shane, hi. Sorry if I frightened you.", it's her sweet old neighbor, Mrs. Williams.

"That's quite alright. What's up?", Shane asks, having already noticed the foil cover plate in her wrinkly hands.

Mrs. Williams hands Shane the lukewarm plate, it's not the first time the elderly neighbor has brought food for Shane since she moved in next door. "Made a bit too much food; sometimes I forget it's just Darren and myself.", the old lady says as if she doesn't do it on purpose to make sure that the young southern woman is eating well.

A smile spreads on Shane's lips. "Thank you.", a genuine one at that. Shane knows she doesn't feel like making dinner herself when she gets home from work late, so she's beyond grateful to have such lovely neighbors. Mrs. Williams nods at Shane before walking off to her own apartment. Shane keeps an eye on the old woman before she too gets inside her home.

Inside, it only takes a few seconds before she's practically tackled by Tucker, her golden retriever. "Hi, buddy, did ya miss me?", Shane puts the plate of food down on the small table standing in her entranceway before throwing herself to the floor to greet her excited dog. "I have a lot to fill you in on. Come on.", she boops the dog's nose, making him sneeze before she gets up from the floor and takes her food from the table, bringing it into the living room, Tucker quickly following behind her.

#pedro pascal #fanfic #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal fanfiction #female oc #original character #all about pedro #fanfiction

[prose2passion]

Bats use distinct structures in the larynx to produce high-frequency echolocation calls and lower-frequency social calls, according to a study by Coen Elemans at the University of Southern Denmark and colleagues, publishing November 29th in the open access journal PLOS Biology. The structures used to make the low-pitched calls are analogous to those used by death metal vocalists in their growls.

^^^^^^^^^^

Not surprisingly, this has already been widely reported in the press today.

#science #bats #death metal #soundscape ecology #bioacoustics