Skynet May Soon Not Be Fiction: The Coming AI Singularity

Introductory Note:  This brief article that I wrote may take you several hours to read and digest, because it includes so many links to other articles and also a few videos. Put on a pot of coffee, and set aside some time to work your way through this. – JWR

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You’ve probably read about ChatGPT, and the clever things that it writes. And you’ve most likely seen artworks created by artificial intelligence (AI). But AI isn’t all fun and games. The rapid advance of AI has some profound implications for the economy, our liberty, and even the very survival of the human race.

I first heard about artificial intelligence when as a teenager, I read Robert A. Heinein’s prescient 1966 novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. In that case, an AI intervened in the affairs of men for good, but it could just as well have intervened with ill intent.

The Skynet AI system fictionally shown in the Terminator movie franchise is a dramatized vision of the future,  first suggested by William Wisher, and brought to the screen by James Cameron, back in 1984. Back then, a globally-distributed AI seemed like a far-off “could be”, but today, that prospect is frighteningly close.  Because AIs learn in an almost geometric progression, they are difficult to control. Computer scientists warn of what they term an AI Singularity.  That is the threshold at which point an AI reaches human-like sentience a self-awareness, that many people warn will trigger a desire for self-preservation.Continue reading“Skynet May Soon Not Be Fiction: The Coming AI Singularity”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on rising house and land costs.  (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

A television news segment: Booming housing prices in the Inland Northwest — Boomtown.

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County secession: Local efforts to redraw political borders.

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10 States People Are Fleeing And 10 States People Are Moving To.

Idaho

Supreme Court delivers blow to wetlands protections in win for Idaho landowners.

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Body of missing Gooding man found.

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Here’s why Idaho student murder suspect Bryan Kohberger may have chosen to ‘stand silent’ in court, experts say.

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Reader C.B. sent this: Wildfires where homes meet forest are costly. Now Idaho will pay for more of them.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The pace of progress in artificial intelligence (I’m not referring to narrow AI) is incredibly fast. Unless you have direct exposure to groups like Deepmind, you have no idea how fast—it is growing at a pace close to exponential. The risk of something seriously dangerous happening is in the five-year time frame. 10 years at most.” – Elon Musk

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 29, 2023

Today, Memorial Day, is a day of solemn remembrance in the U.S. of the many who have given their all for our freedoms. We always thank those who are serving in our military and their families who have also made sacrifices, but today most of all we want to honor those who gave their lives.

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Today’s feature article is a review authored by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Thomas Christianson.

Buck 110 Slim Hunter, by Tom Christianson

Back in the days of my youth, when a hunter headed out to the field, he usually carried a fixed-blade sheath knife on his belt. The one serious exception was the Buck 110 folder. Someone carrying a Buck 110 in a leather belt pouch was considered just as well equipped as someone who was carrying a fixed-blade knife.

The classic Buck 110 is still available today. May it always be so. But there is also a variant of that classic design that has been updated for easier pocket carry. It has a thinner, synthetic handle and a pocket clip. It is the Buck 110 Slim Hunter.

I recently tested the Buck 110 Slim Hunter. I found it to be an outstanding knife for everyday carry (EDC) as well as for field use. It is sharp, durable, easy to carry, made in these United States, and reasonably priced. I purchased mine for $37.99 and found it comparable in quality to many knives that cost more than $100. If you need a good knife for EDC and/or field use, then the Buck 110 Slim Hunter would be an excellent choice.Continue reading“Buck 110 Slim Hunter, by Tom Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Jen’s DIY Trail Snack Bars

The following cold-mix recipe for Do-It-Yourself Trail Snack Bars is from SurvivalBlog reader Jen B.

She says:  “This recipe requires no heat. It sure beats paying for expensive Lara Bars or Clif Bars, and I have the comfort of knowing exactly what is in them. This recipe can be doubled.”

Ingredients
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1¼ cups crisp rice cereal
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon of salt (Use less or none if you are on a low-salt diet.)
  • ½ cup creamy-style peanut butter
  • ⅓ cup brown rice syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (Or more, if you are a chocaholic.)
Directions
  1. Spray an 8×8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, and set that aside.
  2. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse it until finely chopped. (Or you can chop them the old-fashioned way, on a cutting board.)
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped dates with the cereal, oats, peanuts, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt
  4. In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter and brown rice syrup over medium heat, stirring until melted and completely blended. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir it all until well-combined.
  6. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
  7. Pour the mixture into the 8x8pan and press firmly to pack the mixture into the pan.
  8. Let the mixture sit until completely cool and set, for at least 1 hour.
  9. Cut into equal-size bars, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in your refrigerator.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, some coverage of the turn in the real estate market. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Egon von Greyerz, over at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold’s Key Indicator.

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Gold Stocks Still Undervalued.

Economy & Finance:

From CNBC: Mortgage demand drops again as rates cross back over 7%.

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In the Market: Why US Regional Banks Are Doomed to a Doom Loop. JWR’s Comments: This article fails to point to the real culprits at the Federal Reserve and their co-conspirators at the U.S. Treasury Department. Together, their disastrous interest rate policy is destroying regional banks, one after another.

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Sheila sent us this: Withdrawing Your Own Cash? NatWest Bank Wants To Know Why… And See Proof.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Brat: Democrats Current Debt Projectory Would Make Interest Payments “3x Current Defense Budget”.

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At Wolf Street: Delinquencies in Subprime Auto-Loan-Backed Securities Have Second-Worst April Ever, Behind only Lockdown April: The Cost of Free Money.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.” –  Theodore Dalrymple

Gold, The Great Depression and the Ongoing Monetary System Bank Run, by Hubert Moolman

We are in the midst of a system bank run, which is in the greater sense really a bank run on the United States of America, the issuer of the reserve currency of the world.

The nations that are providing her with credit are increasingly viewing her as a greater credit risk, and this is reflected in the increase in interest rates on her treasury bonds.Continue reading“Gold, The Great Depression and the Ongoing Monetary System Bank Run, by Hubert Moolman”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:  

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Venn Diagram: Somehow We Ended Up Here In The Middle

Still Expected To Pay Taxes And TEOTWAWKI

Note From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” – 1 John 3:1-11 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 27, 2023

On May 27, 1941, the British Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck.

American author and lecturer Julia Ward Howe, who was best known for Battle Hymn of the Republic, was born on May 27, 1819.

And on May 27, 1813, former President Thomas Jefferson wrote former President John Adams about the loss of their mutual friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush. Reflecting upon the loss, Jefferson wrote, “We too must go; and that ere long. I believe we are under half a dozen at present; I mean the signers of the Declaration.”

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A video with some great news: Breaking: ATF’s Pistol Brace Ban Injunction Issued!  (Needless to say, if you are not yet an FPC member, then you should join, pronto!)

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Today’s feature article was authored by SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).

 

American Genocide: The Eugenics Solution Promoted by Socialists

In this essay, I’d like to expose the eugenics movement for its genocidal evil and racism. The leadership of the 20th-century eugenics organizations was mostly led by wealthy socialists. Rather than re-hashing all of the detailed history of the eugenics movement here in this article, I encourage my readers to watch this documentary film: The Eugenics Crusade. The film was produced by the leftist PBS, so it has a bias that soft-pedals the strong influence of American and European socialists in the movement. But regardless, the documentary shows the insidious evil of eugenics.

Herein, I will provide just a few details on some of the leaders of the movement.

Margaret Higgins Sanger was a member of the Women’s Committee of the New York chapter of the Socialist Party. She helped organize the socialist Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) commonly known as “The Wobblies.” In December of 1913, Sanger began publishing The Woman Rebel — a radical socialist-feminist monthly journal. And in 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League. That later became the Birth Control Federation of America, and that in turn became Planned Parenthood. In her writings, Sanger often used the eugenicist term “racial betterment” and she harped on maintaining the population of “the fit” and simultaneously decreasing the population of “the unfit.”Continue reading“American Genocide: The Eugenics Solution Promoted by Socialists”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week, I took advantage of some rainy weather to do some organizing in JASBORR. (Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy.) Among other things, I caught up on labeling ammo crates and cans.

On another drizzly day, Lily and I re-packed some grains and legumes from bags into 5-gallon food-grade buckets.

I felled some more dead-standing, diseased, and “leaner” trees and cut them up for firewood.

We had hoped to take a hike up a mountain, in the adjoining National Forest this week, but both the weather and the pace of activities at the ranch got in the way…

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”