October 11 2024

Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Japanese Atomic-Bomb Survivors Group

1. IV Fluid Shortages Across U.S. Hospitals
2. Iran Secretly Warns Arab States: Don't Aid Israel in Any Attack
3.  Q Day is Coming: Quantum Computers to Break Encryption by 2035
4. Elon Musk is a Busy Fellow
5. Spy vs. Spy: U.S. Races to Uncover Scope of China-Linked Hack, Salt Typhoon
6. Friday Ukraine Update
October 11 1975: “Saturday Night Live” debuts

See the new Ad Astra Podcast! Released on Apple and Spotify around 10a CST.

Editors note: We’re still waiting on Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran. It will come and when it does, we’ll cover it.

Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Japanese Atomic-Bomb Survivors Group

Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots group, was recognized for its efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons

Article Source: WSJ

1. IV Fluid Shortages Across U.S. Hospitals

Hospitals across the U.S. are postponing elective surgeries due to an IV fluid shortage caused by Hurricane Helene and the anticipated impact of Hurricane Milton. Baxter International, the largest U.S. IV fluid manufacturer, temporarily shut down its North Carolina facility due to flooding, while B. Braun Medical closed two Florida facilities in preparation for Milton. A recent survey found that 86% of U.S. healthcare providers are facing shortages, with 54% reporting less than ten days of supply. To conserve fluids, over 81% of providers have implemented protocols, and some have begun canceling procedures. In response, some hospitals are giving patients Gatorade instead of IVs and warning of delays in elective procedures. IV fluids are sterile solutions administered into a vein to deliver essential fluids, electrolytes, and sometimes glucose directly into the bloodstream.  

Editors note: my view on how to fix

Article Source: The Flyover

2. Iran Secretly Warns Arab States: Don't Aid Israel in Any Attack

Tehran is threatening in secret diplomatic backchannels to target the oil-rich Arab Gulf states and other American allies in the Middle East if their territories or airspace are used for an attack on Iran, said Arab officials. Israel has threatened Tehran with a severe reprisal after Iran fired about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel earlier this month, with some Israeli officials and commentators pushing for damaging strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities or oil infrastructure. In that event, Iran has warned it would respond with devastating hits on Israel’s civilian infrastructure, and would retaliate against any Arab state that facilitated the attack, the officials said. The Arab officials said the countries that Iran has threatened include Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all of which host U.S. troops. These states have told the Biden administration that they don’t want their military infrastructure or airspace to be used by the U.S. or Israel for any offensive operations against Iran, the officials said.

Article Source: WSJ

3.  Q Day is Coming: Quantum Computers to Break Encryption by 2035

It isn’t certain when quantum computers will be able to break the encryption used to protect the world’s most sensitive data, but corporate technology leaders need to assess the risks of this scenario now. Quantum physics, famously regarded by Albert Einstein as “spooky,” has always fed the imagination with the promise of unimaginable future technological prowess. (See: “Quantum Leap.”) While time travel remains science fiction, quantum computing is very real and holds the potential to take computing power to another level entirely. Even the most powerful traditional computers use binary digits, or bits, which can either be 0s or 1s. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which represent and store information in both 0s and 1s simultaneously, known as superposition. Such machines have the potential to sort through a vast number of possible solutions to a problem within a fraction of a second to come up with a likely answer. IBM is on track to deliver a fault-tolerant, error-corrected system by 2029, according to IBM Director of Research Dario Gil, and expects to achieve “quantum advantage” with its systems even before that point. That means solving some problems faster or more accurately than traditional computers by providing precise solutions to problems whose answers can only be estimated today. A fault tolerant quantum computer will be able to hammer away at problems indefinitely, giving them wherewithal to break encryption algorithms that companies and governments use to protect their most price-sensitive and important information, Gil said. That moment might reasonably occur by around 2035, he estimated, but regardless of the timing, he is convinced it will happen. Quantum computing has already progressed enough that companies can begin strategizing now for Q Day, the point at which quantum computers can break classic encryption, according to Pflitsch.

Article Source: WSJ

4. Elon Musk is a Busy Fellow

A. Musk goes full MAGA  

In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, the richest man in the world has involved himself in the U.S. election in a manner unparalleled in modern history. Elon Musk, seen over the weekend jumping for joy alongside former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa., is now talking to the Republican candidate multiple times a week. He has effectively moved his base of operations to Pennsylvania, the place that he has recently told confidants he believes is the linchpin to Mr. Trump’s re-election. He has relentlessly promoted Mr. Trump’s candidacy to his 201 million followers on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter that he bought for $44 billion and has used to spread conspiracy theories about the Democratic Party and to insult its candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Above all, he is personally steering the actions of a super PAC that he has funded with tens of millions of dollars to turn out the vote for Mr. Trump, not just in Pennsylvania but across the country. He has even proposed taking a campaign bus tour across Pennsylvania and knocking on doors himself, in part to see how his money is being used. Taken together, a clear picture has emerged of Mr. Musk’s battle plan as he directs his efforts to elect Mr. Trump with the same frenetic energy and exacting demands that he has honed at his companies SpaceX, Tesla and X. As early as February, Mr. Musk was speaking apocalyptically, in private, about what he considered the crucial need to defeat President Biden. But even as he was meeting with advisers in Austin, Texas, in April to plot his super PAC, Mr. Musk sounded as if he considered Mr. Trump merely the lesser of two evils. He told friends in the spring that he wasn’t sure he even wanted to explicitly endorse Mr. Trump. These days, in private conversations, Mr. Musk is obsessive, almost manic, about the stakes of the election and the need for Mr. Trump to win. He praises Mr. Trump’s courage under fire — he endorsed him on the night of the assassination attempt in Butler — and talks about how funny he is. One person who spoke recently to Mr. Musk recalled him saying, without any hint of irony, “I love Trump.”  

B. The Robotaxi  

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has for years teased plans for a fully autonomous robotaxi that can shuttle paying customers around town. On Thursday night, he finally showed the world what he had in mind, unveiling two new vehicles: an almond-shaped Cybercab with no steering wheel or pedals, and a Robovan, which can transport up to 20 people at a time or move cargo.  Musk said the Cybercab, a two-seater car designed to operate as a robotaxi, could cost less than $30,000 and customers would be able to buy one.  Before it hits the road, Tesla plans to deploy a fully autonomous version of its so-called “Full Self-Driving” software, a feature that now needs driver supervision, in Texas and California next year. This would run on two of its existing vehicles, the Model 3 and Model Y, though it wasn’t clear whether customers would be able to download it or ride in those cars.  He added that Tesla plans to start producing the Cybercab before 2027. “I tend to be optimistic with time frames,” he said.   

C. Also at the Tesla event, this conversation with a robot

Editor’s Note: Regardless of how you feel about Elon Musk, which probably varies based on your politics, there’s no denying that he will be remembered as an extraordinary innovator in American history—perhaps even surpassing Henry Ford.

Article Source: NYT, WSJ, @DogeDesigner

5. Spy vs. Spy: U.S. Races to Uncover Scope of China-Linked Hack, Salt Typhoon

U.S. officials are racing to understand the full scope of a China-linked hack of major U.S. broadband providers, as concerns mount from members of Congress that the breach could amount to a devastating counterintelligence failure. Federal authorities and cybersecurity investigators are probing the breaches of Verizon Communications, AT&T and Lumen Technologies. A stealthy hacking group known as Salt Typhoon tied to Chinese intelligence is believed to be responsible. The compromises may have allowed hackers to access information from systems the federal government uses for court-authorized network wiretapping requests, The Wall Street Journal reported last week. Among the concerns are that the hackers may have essentially been able to spy on the U.S. government’s efforts to surveil Chinese threats, including the FBI’s investigations.

Article Source: WSJ

6. Friday Ukraine Update

Ukraine’s Parliament Approves Biggest Tax Increase of War to Support the Army

After Key Town Falls in Ukraine’s East, Russian Forces Push Into Another

Russia’s new budget is a blueprint for war

Article Source: NYT, FT

October 11 1975: “Saturday Night Live” debuts

Sources

1. https://www.wsj.com/world/nobel-peace-prize-nihon-hidankyo-f6e4176d

2. newsletter

3. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/irans-secret-warning-to-u-s-allies-dont-help-israel-or-youre-next-ccfa5fa0

4. https://www.wsj.com/articles/q-day-is-coming-its-time-to-worry-about-quantum-security-ca88c576

5. A https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/11/us/politics/elon-musk-donald-trump-pennsylvania.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
B https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/elon-musk-tesla-robotaxi-acfc5e3b
C https://x.com/cb_doge/status/1844610934670590184

6. https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-officials-race-to-understand-severity-of-chinas-salt-typhoon-hacks-6e7c3951