US Department of Labor investigations have uncovered severe violations of child labor laws committed by the Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), which employed 102 children aged 13 to 17 to operate hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat-processing equipment, including back saws, brisket saws, and head splitters at 13 major meatpacking facilities. The company was fined $1.5 million for the violations, the maximum amount allowed by federal law, and has since been accused of deleting and manipulating records and intimidating minors from sharing information with investigators. The violations have been linked to a tight labor market and shifts in the enforcement of child labor laws, leading to proposals from state legislatures to modify child labor protections. The company and other implicated businessmen have not publically apologized or addressed the incident.

SPACE FLIGHT TESTING 

Space X has been conducting static testing of their 33 engine Starship, as part of their preparations for an orbital launch within the next month. 2022 was a record year for Space X with 180 successful rocket launches. The contracts from NASA alone provide funds for cargo transportation, crewed moon landings, Starlink broadband constellation, and more. In 2021, Elon Musk announced a human-crewed Moon voyage with a team of hand-picked artists. Though ambitious, I have concerns that Elon's attention is too divided to ensure safety at Space X.

U.S. and Canadian intelligence officials have been investigating four separate incidents of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), one of which was identified as a Chinese surveillance balloon. The other three UAPs were shot down by F-22 jets, one off the coast of North Carolina, another in Alaska, and a third over Canada's Yukon. The balloons have been found to be equipped with sophisticated electronic surveillance technology and the NORAD radar system has been powered up to detect future objects. The FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are further examining the debris in an effort to discover their origin and purpose.

Microsoft and Google are competing to provide better search experiences using AI technology. Microsoft has taken exclusive license of GPT-3 for $10 billion and created the new Bing search engine with features such as side-by-side AI annotations, speaking directly to the Bing chatbot, and an intuitive AI-powered summarization process. Google has released Bard, which is built on their Language Model for Dialogue Applications, though have had a minor setback due to a public ad featuring Bard giving factual errors. Google has also introduced improved image recognition, 360 degree stitching, AI enhanced maps, expanded augmented reality functions, and more. Both companies are vying for accuracy and user preference, but Google has the edge due to its longer history with AI.

This article discusses how two software developers, Artur and Filipe, are developing a forensic program that uses the OpenAI DALL-E 2 image generation model for creating police sketches of suspects. It also examines previous attempts to use DNA technology to identify suspects, such as the Edmonton Police Service's experiment with Parabon NanoLabs, which led to the creation of a generic Sims character. The article also discusses the ethical considerations of using AI for forensic purposes, and warns that there could be potential backlash from minority communities if the project were to gain traction.

ADANI'S 50 BILLION LOSS 

Hundreds from India's Youth Congress took to the streets to protest for press investigation just days after accusations from Hindenburg research alleging brazen accounting fraud, stock manipulation and money laundering at Adani.

...following last year's ban on AI generated art including images produced by OpenAI’s DALL-E and Meta AI’s Make-A-Scene from its platform. US district court of Delaware filings reveal major complaints from Getty Images citing  Stability AI’s brazen infringement of Getty Images’ intellectual property on a staggering scale.

AUSTRALIA APPROVES MDMA & PSILOCYBIN 

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration made an announcement stating that on July 1st 2023 psychiatrists would be authorized to prescribe MDMA as a valid treatment for PTSD and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.

Berlin-based company Vay's teledriver startup becomes the first company to receive a permit on select European public roads to test and operate their remote vehicles.  Vays driverless mobility solution will be an intermediary but necessary stage for the public to embrace fully autonomous vehicles on the roadways.

ChatGPT IN COURT

A Vice article released Feb 3rd states Judge Juan Manuel Padilla Garcia in the First Circuit Court of Cartagena Colombia used ChatGPT to make a court ruling, marking the first time a legal decision (that we know of) was made with the help of Ai.

In March 2022 as a response to a subscriber drop, Netflix attempted to enforce its "household" policy for small markets in Latin America. More recently Netflix Claims It Errantly Posted Password Sharing Rules that would Block Devices Outside of Subscribers’ Homes in U.S. stating The new rules would require subscribers to verify their home devices every month and devices outside of the home could get blocked.

CEO Shou Zi Chew first appearance with the US Energy and Commerce Committee hearing scheduled March 23rd where he will face questioning about TikToks data collection practices. US officials are concerned the Chinese-owned parent company Byte Dance may be forced to share its user data with the Chinese government. In response, Senator Hawley’s No TikTok on Government Devices Act was signed into law last year.

Dyson engineers wasted 6 years of their life testing 500 prototypes resulting in an air purification unit neatly shoved inside a set of headphones. Audiophiles can now ditch their outdated analog masks in favor of experiencing urban life through this new $949 headset...

Meet Bryan Johnson - the man holding the world record for 5.1 yrs epigenetic age reversal.

Canoo is a revolutionary electric vehicle (EV) designed to be modular and customizable for the consumer. It features a "skateboard" platform with a battery pack, motors, and other components enclosed in a sleek and compact structure. Different "tops," or bodies, can be affixed to the skateboard, giving the truck various use cases. Despite encountering financial and legal issues, Canoo is fighting for its life with orders from Zeeba, Walmart, Kinbee, NASA and the U.S Army contracts ramping up in 2023, and the inevitable stock dilution sits on the horizon. BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH?!? 

Googles Departed Disaster

The start of 2023 has seen mass layoffs in the tech sector, with Google the latest company to announce 12,000 job cuts in its biggest cull in 25 years. Former employees have expressed shock at the abruptness of the layoffs, which many found out about via email or when their corporate access expired. Redditors have speculated about the causes of the layoffs, noting employers appeasing investors, inflating markets and engineer hoarding, while others have argued it won't trigger a recession. Those laid off have received varying severance packages, depending on the company. The article concludes with a warning to employees to take control of their career by staying informed and not getting complacent on the job.

Chris Williams is the owner of a podcast production studio providing turnkey podcast production services. On this episode, you'll learn everything there is to know with how to get your first clients, to running a full blown podcast production company + you'll learn where the future is going with this rapidly growing industry! CoTalk provides key takeaways and insider knowledge that can only happen when you ask the right questions with the right people. We put microphones in front of mentors so you can extract value from every episode we do.  

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