Tag Archives: AI

Nov 1 2023

Iran Demands the Removal of Starlink – Could Governments Repel These Satellites? Re-Posted Nov 1, 2023 By Martin Armstrong



We know why Israel is upset with Elon Musk for sending Starlink services to Palestine, but now Iran is also demanding that he remove the satellites. Truth is always the first casualty in war. Governments are censoring absolutely everything to prevent the truth from spreading. Iranian journalism is non-existent and people rely on social media to receive their information through the use of VPNs. Iran has previously shutdown internet access for its own people and disabled VPN servers to prevent people from seeking the truth.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) believes the Islamic Republic “enslaved Iran’s internet.” “The Islamic Republic’s strategy is cruel – locking its people into an empty information space and blocking all escape routes,” said Vincent Berthier, the head of RSF’s Tech Desk. “Internet shutdowns form the main barrier to information, and when the network comes back online, the government obstructs access in another way, by preventing access to VPNs. We call on the Iranian authorities to lift these oppressive constraints. Iranians have the right to access news and information freely.”

Iran has blocked the Apple App Store and Google Play to deter people from downloading a VPN to bypass censorship. WhatsApp and Signal have been blocked as they do not allow people to communicate. Internet shutdowns often occur regionally as the Iranian government will simply revoke all internet communications at whim. A company called Arvan Cloud has assisted Iran’s Information and Communications Technology Ministry in developing the National Information Network (NIN) to block the people from free communication. Ironically, the US placed sanctions on the company in June 2023. The US government prefers to discreetly block information rather than turning off the internet entirely.

2022_12_03_Musk_Says_Twitter_Orderd_by_Government 300x285

Now in comes Elon Musk. He recently said he plans to make X (formerly Twitter) an all-purpose app that allows calls and messaging. He is permitting everyone to post to his social media channel and it has become the top spot for government officials to send the public instant alerts. His Starlink technology will ensure that people can access X and the internet. Starlink satellites operate at an altitude of 340 miles and would be extremely costly to shoot down and only a few countries have anti-satellite technology. It’s also not like Musk is sending one satellite as they launch a stack of them at once.

There is a reason Putin did not attempt to shoot down Starlink over Ukraine. First of all, it is extremely costly and a waste of resources. Secondly, these devices are technically American assets and attempting to remove them could be seen as an act of war. Third, they could not shoot these down without causing orbital debris and angering the international community. Russia or China could spend countless resources on anti-satellite technology, but Musk could simply send more. The only way to close them would be to attack the ground station, a move that could only be done by the West.

Oct 23 2023

Russia Invests Heavily in Egypt – Sun City – Nuclear Power


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 23, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Russia poured $7 billion into Egypt in 2021 to create the Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ), the nation’s first industrial zone outside of Russia. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi developed a relationship with Russia in 2014 amid the Crimea crisis and the Ukrainian Revolution. Russia has been investing heavily in Egypt ever since and is currently pouring $4.6 billion into Egypt’s Suez Canal zone to create “Sun City,” an industrial zone covering 2,000 hectares.

Around 20% of all world trade moves through the Suez Canal. This is extremely strategic for Russian manufacturing and trade, and also explains Egypt’s refusal to support the West in its mission to escalate the Israel-Palestine war. Sun City is expected to bring 35,000 jobs to the Egyptian economy.

Egypt has become Africa’s leading destination for investment. It dethroned South Africa in 2017 to claim the title. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) stated that Egypt “supported by a large increase in Chinese investment across light manufacturing industries and wide-ranging economic reforms, such as financial liberalisation, which is basically the establishment of higher interest rates that equate the demand for, and the supply of savings.” China’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) spiked 75% in 2017, providing Egypt with a large boost. The UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have also invested heavily in Egypt, especially in real estate and development.

There is nothing that the West can provide to Egypt to surpass what Arab and Eastern nations have done for its economy. The Egypt-Russia Trade and Investment Summary (YTD) 2022 indicates that Moscow and Cairo will continue to strengthen its relationship. A key to this report is that Russia is helping Egypt produce its first nuclear power plant, financing 85% of the project. El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant will be positioned 320 kilometers from Cairo. But this deal initially began in 2015 when Russia promised to finance the project, and signed preliminary contracts in December 2017. The total project is set to cost $28.7 billion. Egypt will repay Russia the remaining 15% in installments with a repayment period of 22 years and an interest rate of 3%.

So basically, the plant will become Russia’s nuclear power in Africa and among the Arab world. They are anticipating completion in 2026 and it is safe to say that the West is going to do everything in its power to prevent this from happening. Look at the map above to see how strategic the positioning of this plant will be for Russia in not just Africa and the Arab nations but a stone’s throw away from Europe as well.

Oct 4 2023

A Strong Possibility Twitter Will IPO and Go Public Again, Here’s Why


Posted originally on the CTH on October 3, 2023 | Sundance 

I wasn’t going to write about this, but so many requests and contacts have come in, and considering that my background conversations with people are leading to actionable positioning, that I feel it is only fair to share publicly what I am analyzing privately.

The predicate for all assumptions is several fold: {Go Deep One} and {Go Deep Two}. Most of the financial groundwork for analysis already exists. In summary, Elon paid $44 billion for the platform. Current valuations are around $15 billion.  Current debt service is $1.5 billion/yr (roughly $100m/mo).  Current expenses include $100m/yr AWS, $100m/yr Goog cloud (both contracts), +payroll and misc.

Approximately 9 months ago, Musk had $1 billion in cash reserve for Twitter.  The burn rate deficit was roughly $100m/month. That put timeline estimates for an inflection point on/around October 2023.  It is now October 2023.

Approximately a week ago, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino made a bold statement.  Yaccarino stated that from her review of the current status, Twitter would start to turn a profit in the first quarter of 2024 {link}.  However, with $100 million per month in debt service alone, this statement seemed too far of a stretch.  At pre-musk levels of revenue, maybe; but that $1.5 billion debt service is a heavy nut to carry.

Timing – Remember, it’s October.  Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gave special regulatory approval to Bill Ackman’s firm, Pershing Square (hedge fund), for a new investment vessel called SPARC, whose purpose is to invest in private companies in order to take them public.  As noted by CNBC, “In a SPARC, investors will know what company the financing vehicle would be used to merge with before they have to pledge their investments.”  The financial mechanism avoids some of the issues with typical IPO’s.

•It’s October, inflection time.  •Yaccarino says a strategy is underway for profitability in Q1 2024.  •Ackman gets SPARC approval, and then suddenly:

[…] “The answer is I have a lot of respect for Musk. I think Twitter is a really important platform,” Ackman told CNBC. “I think he’s made tremendous improvements to the platform, and I think it’s a unique, very difficult-to-disrupt, kind of asset and one that could grow.” 

[…] Though Musk hasn’t expressed any interest in working with Ackman to take X public, and despite the $13 billion in debt tacked to the company, Ackman has worked out a loose plan to make it happen, if Musk were interested. 

“What’s interesting here is we could commit $2 billion to a transaction, set the rights price to $121 million, set it at $100 a share and announce a transaction,” he said. 

“And then we tell the story and then the rights holders have a chance to decide whether to invest. As long as the rights have positive value, they’re all going to get exercised, and the IPO raises $13 billion.” (read more)

The heavy nut disappears.

Investors roll the debt into discounted shares of stock.  If Ackman can generate a $17-$20 billion outcome for Twitter, Musk nets $5b and retains 20-25% of shares.  Yaccarino gets well compensated.  It’s a win/win/win.

Critics would say the IPO would mean Musk compromising on the free speech commitment.  However, in reality Musk has already reinstalled many of the control mechanisms of the previous “safety council,” along with the “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach” outlook.  Musk and Yaccarino have also partnered with the Global Disinformation Index.

The compromises are already baked into the platform, and seemingly have been since Yaccarino became CEO.  The 2024 election is next year, and influence is a lucrative business.

Sep 30 2023

Frances Fox Piven vs. Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell (Video 1980)


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized R-Posted Sep 30, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Sep 25 2023

Sunday Trivia – Did You Ever Notice The Lyrics


Posted originally on the CTH on September 24, 2023 | Sundance 

R.E.M is a band from Georgia.  This song was written in 1987.  Did you ever notice the lyrics?

That’s great, it starts with an earthquake,
Birds and snakes, an aeroplane
Lenny Bruce is not afraid.

Eye of a hurricane,
Listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs,
Regardless of your own needs.
Feed it up a knock, speed,
Grunt no, strength no.
Ladder structure clatter with fear of height, down height.
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
In a government for hire
And a combat site.
Left her, wasn’t coming in a hurry with the furries
Breathing down your neck.
Team by team reporters baffled, Trump, tethered crop.
Look at that low plane!
Fine then.
Uh oh, overflow, population, common group, but it’ll do.
Save yourself,
Serve yourself.
World serves its own needs,
Listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the
Reverent in the right
Right.
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright
Light, feeling pretty psyched.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Sep 21 2023

Neuralink Brain Implant Trials Begin


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease RE-Posted Sep 21, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Elon Musk’s Neuralink received approval to begin a six-year trial to study the effects of brain-computer interface (BCI). A specialized surgical robot will be used to implant the devices into participants’ brains. The company’s mission: “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.” Participants in the first trial must have a disability such as blindness, quadriplegia, paraplegia, deafness, or major limb amputation. Permitting those with disabilities to live a normal life seems noble, but Musk has stated he dreams of expanding the Neuralink’s availability to everyone.

The non-human trials failed miserably, resulting in 1,500 dead animals since 2018. Some past employees have criticized Musk for rushing his research, but not illegal acts were committed as it is common, if not expected, for at least some animal test subjects to die. Numerous errors could have been avoided if not for human error, according to those familiar with the studies.

“The PRIME Study (short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) – a groundbreaking investigational medical device trial for our fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) – aims to evaluate the safety of our implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1) and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for enabling people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts,” Neuralink states on its website. It would be an unbelievable feat if this device gave someone the ability to walk or see for the first time. It would make all the testing worthwhile. Musk stated himself that the chip will work. “As miraculous as it may sound, we’re confident that it is possible to restore full body functionality to someone who has a severed spinal cord.”

However, Musk has loftier goals and said that the Neuralink will be for everyone. Musk stated that he personally plans to have a brain chip installed once available. Neralink is not beholden to shareholders as Musk owns the company outright. The company claims it will not sell data to third parties. However, Neuralink’s third-party affiliates, regulatory boards, and research partners will have access. Time will tell how this six-year trial goes, as I expect we will hear much more about the new technology once the trial begins.

Sep 17 2023

The Birth of the US Dollar


Armstrong Economics Blog/USD $ Re-Posted Sep 17, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Thomas Jefferson Act of Congress Signed as Secretary of State, January 14th, 1793,

Second Congress of the United States (1743-1826)

As Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson amended a previous Act, “establishing a Mint and regulating the Coins of the United States,” establishing the copper weight specifications for the first US coins issued in 1793 – the Cent and Half Cent. This is a document from our collection on the Monetary System of the World, establishes the birth of the US dollar authorizing the first issue of the coinage of the United States. It is unique and of tremendous historical importance.

The first copper coins created by the new United States of America were introduced into circulation in March of 1793. This document is signed “Th’ Jefferson” as Secretary of State and countersigned (in type) by George Washington as President, John Adams as Vice President and President of the Senate, and Jonathan Trumbull as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“Second Congress of the United States: At the Second Session, begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania, on Monday, the fifth of November, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two. An act establishing a Mint, and regulating the coins of the United States, so far as respects the Coinage of Copper.”

“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That every cent shall contain two hundred and eight grains of copper, and every half cent shall contain one hundred and four grains of copper; and that so much of the act ‘An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States,’ as respects the weight of cents and half cents, shall be, and the same is hereby repealed…. Approved January fourteenth 1793…”

Sep 15 2023

Biometrics to Track Malaria?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Great Reset re-Posted Sep 15, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

“For the first time in history, a biometric solution will be applied to track and trace the delivery of malaria vaccines, helping to save lives,” the World Economic Forum stated. The globalists want our individual biometric data in order to program each individual into a centralized database. Again, they begin all testing on the most vulnerable and desperate countries that do not have the resources to object to aid. The WEF is now stating that it must begin collecting individual biometric data to defeat malaria.

The WEF mentions that one in four children are unregistered at birth, a big problem for governments who need to track and tax everyone. Yet the WEF is framing this as a health risk, stating that health workers need access to medical records. They claim that a mere birth certificate is not enough since it is a manual process that is prone to errors. “Moreover, there is a need to bring these biometric solutions to remote areas in global health contexts, often lacking connectivity and electricity. But this is starting to change,” the website states.

Simprints, a UK social enterprise; NEC, a Japanese technology company; and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have all come together to develop the WEF’s “first scalable child biometric system.” The WEF has locked in on Ghana as its first target. The malaria vaccine requires four doses, and those wishing to have their children vaccinated must submit that child’s biometric data.

“Like all sensitive data, using biometrics requires robust technical and legal protections. Privacy-by-design must be baked in from the ground up through data siloing, encryption and strict consent protocols,” the website states. Who will have access to this data? How can we ensure it will be encrypted? We know their plans for the Great Reset – they will be using any data available for the coming global database. This is the first step toward eliminating birth certificates and forcing all new lives to submit their individual biometrics to the system.

Sep 2 2023

AI – The Reality of Complexity


Armstrong Economics Blog/AI Computers

Posted Sep 2, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

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COMMENT: You are always ahead of the curve. Today AI is the buzzword – with most of the AI being machine learning, where you were developing Socrates with real AI in the 70s and 80s.

Lynne

REPLY: I fooled around with neural nets when they first began. The problem with this approach is that you expect a machine to develop a human instinct as if you are playing a poker game. It is a gut feeling you might have about a person to alert you if he is bluffing or real. That cannot be coded, nor will a computer with machine learning be able to acquire such a “gut feeling,” which is an entirely different game than chess.

Socrates is NOT a neutral net. I had to teach it how to trade. I put my instincts into the system. Creating a neural net, throwing in all the data, and praying it will learn how to trade is more or less like a monkey throwing darts at the Wall Street Journal regarding what stock to buy in a bull market. Raven, a six-year-old chimpanzee, became the 22nd most successful money manager in the USA after choosing her stocks by throwing darts at a list of 133 internet companies. The chimp created her own index, dubbed MonkeyDex, and in 1999 delivered a 213 percent gain, outperforming more than 6,000 professional brokers on Wall Street.

Attempts to use a neutral net with machine learning have not beaten Raven in funds management. The level of complexity is monumental. On top of all of that, it will never discover the nonlinear structure of the world by dumping in a chunk of data and praying for the best.