Your Bag of Nothing for Wednesday, February 26, 2025

  • A news program surprised me with the news that 5o% of the world’s coffee comes from Brazil and Vietnam. I always knew Brazil was a big producer, but I was surprised to hear about my mother’s homeland. Some cursory research tells me Brazil accounts for 39% of the world’s coffee, and Vietnam has 16% as the second largest coffee exporter in the world, with a larger market share in Europe and Asia.
  • Over 1,000 musicians release silent album to protest AI copyright changes
    • More than 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Tori Amos, and the Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox, have released a silent album in protest against proposed changes to Britain’s copyright laws. The new rules could allow companies to use artists’ work to train their AI models without permission.
  • An armed SWAT team burst in the wrong door — but this North Texas family can’t sue
  • Time to get use to a new way of logging into GMail
    • Google is making a significant change to its two-factor authentication (2FA) system by discontinuing SMS-based verification cards for Gmail logins. Instead, the tech giant will be implementing QR-based logins, requiring customers to scan a QR code with their devices to confirm access.
  • This article about a new Google product, a state of the art video generation model, that charges by the second got my attention – Google’s New Veo 2 AI Video Model Will Cost 50 Cents per Second
    • Google has quietly announced the pricing for its AI-powered video creation platform, Veo 2. According to the company’s price page, generating a video with Veo 2 will cost only 50 cents per second, which equates to around $30 per minute or $1,800 per hour.To put this in context, Google DeepMind researcher Jon Barron compares this to Hollywood blockbuster budgets. Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, for example, had a reported $356 million production budget, which equates to around $32,000 per second—far beyond Veo 2’s pricing. While Veo 2 is unlikely to produce feature-length films any time soon, Google has emphasized its ability to create clips of two minutes or more, making it a useful tool for short content creators.
  • I’m guessing if you are eating bat it’s because the food source is scarce, it’s a local delicacy, or you last a bet – Mystery illness in Congo kills more than 50 people, including children who ate a bat
  • I’ve mentioned using the AI model Perplexity a few times. I don’t like it as much as ChatGPT, but I certainly see why it would sometimes be preferred because of the way it cites its answers. They are now launching a browser, which is an interesting step.
  • DOGE Is Working on Software That Automates the Firing of Government Workers  – Operatives working for Elon Musk’s DOGE appear to be editing the code of AutoRIF—software designed by the Defense Department that could assist in mass firings of federal workers, sources tell WIRED.
    • The software, called AutoRIF, which stands for Automated Reduction in Force, was first developed by the Department of Defense more than two decades ago. Since then, it’s been updated several times and used by a variety of agencies to expedite reductions in workforce. Screenshots of internal databases reviewed by WIRED show that DOGE operatives have accessed AutoRIF and appear to be editing its code. 
  • I love the new format an anchor change, but I’m in the minority – CBS News Ratings Collapse After Norah O’Donnell Exit
    • CBS Evening News saw a 24 percent drop in the 25-54 demographic when compared to the same period last year, per Nielsen ratings. In comparison, David Muir‘s World News Tonight on ABC has seen an 8 percent annual gain in the 25-54 demographic, while Lester Holt‘s Nightly News on NBC has seen an 8 percent gain in that same demo.
  • This isn’t timely, but I still thought Pat McAfee’s insight on what it’s like to kick off the Super Bowl was pretty unique. He points out all the camera flashes, but it used to be more grand before everyone defaulted to using smartphones.
  • Anti-vaccine movement falsely blames measles shots for Texas outbreak  – The disproven claims about the Texas measles cases echo misinformation spread by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about a 2019 outbreak in Samoa

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