China's robot warrior dogs. Avoiding New Car Technology.

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column: China’s robot warrior dogs.

Robot Dogs are Training \With Soldiers in China

Whatfinger.com reports: Robot dogs are no longer experimental in China. They’re training with actual soldiers, right now: in combat, recon, and support roles. The era of the hybrid human-machine infantry has arrived.

Did Iran Launch Cyberattack on U.S. Water Facilities?

In the left-biased The Washington Post: U.S. spy agencies suspect Iran launched cyberattack on Minnesota water facilities. Some updated coverage, in The NYT: Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran.

I.D. Required for Web Browsing?

Reader M.J. wrote:

“The idea of providing government IDs to log onto the Internet is coming with the KIDS and KOSA Acts. To learn more about how damaging this legislation is, see this American Thinker article.

Forcing everyone to disclose their government IDs to access websites is a massive invasion of privacy and a boon to identity thieves. I urge SurvivalBlog readers to contact their Representatives and Senators, as well as President Trump, to demand a NO vote on this awful legislation.”

My Toaster Wants My E-Mail Address

From the Rural Revolution blog by our friend Patrice Lewis: My toaster wants my email address.

Yet Another Malign Agentic AI Sandbox Escape

The Wall Street Journal had this report: Anthropic AI Models Hacked Three Companies During Tests. ”

“The OpenAI incident has rattled security researchers and AI professionals and acted as a reminder of the power and unpredictability of AI systems that act autonomously and are engineered to take a variety of actions to complete tasks and meet goals from users.

The incidents show that the AI companies need to have stronger, industrywide standards for isolating their systems during cyber testing…”

Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak: 1,500 Deaths

AP: Congo says the death toll in fastest-growing Ebola outbreak has passed 1,500. A quote:

“As of Tuesday, 3,442 cases had been recorded, with 1,521 deaths, according to the latest government update. The sharp rise since last week partly reflects a backlog of cases and deaths that had not yet been confirmed or recorded, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.”

Avoiding New Car Technology

In The Wall Street Journal: These Drivers Are Taking Extreme Measures to Avoid New Car Technology.

A Key Urban Demographic Shift: Fewer Children

In The Wall Street Journal: America’s Big Cities Are Rapidly Losing Kids. Here is an indicative quote:

“In San Jose, California, where median household income is nearly twice the U.S. level, the number of kids under age 5 has dropped 34% in the past decade—more than any other large city.

Ernie and Samantha Solis both grew up in the San Jose area and lived in the city for the early years of their two sons’ lives. Buying a home was out of reach on their respective salaries as a firefighter and teacher. Daycare cost about $25,000 a year for each child. They worried about state vaccine mandates. In June 2021, they moved to Star, Idaho, a small town a short drive from Boise.

“I was just over it,” said Ernie. He flies into the city every Monday for his job, stays in free dorms for firefighters during the week, and returns to Idaho every Friday. He’s met other dads—electricians, HVAC technicians and auto body shop owners—doing the same commute.

In California, the family rented an older 1,400-square-foot home. In Idaho, they own a 2,300-square-foot house with space to park their RV. They had a third child, a daughter, after moving.”