Geoff Brumfiel
@gbrumfiel.bsky.social
I'm an editor/correspondent for NPR. Mostly smart on the radio. Mostly stupid on everywhere else. ChatGPT describes me as: "Aerospace sleuth, nuclear nerd and NPR Superfan — with a side of surreal humor." Signal: gbrumfiel.13 https://geoffbrumfiel.net/
The real question is WTF happened to Michigan?
Alex Wellerstein@wellerstein.bsky.social · 2d agoQuite a remarkable map, table, and diagram from a 1971 report on launch-on-warning, showing the implications of Soviet submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) on detection, reaction, deliberation, and response time. All numbers are in SECONDS, which is what I find the most wild about it.
![Map of the USA labeled "Soviet SLBM [Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile] Time of Flight to SAC [Strategic Air Command] Targets." Shows both "nominal" and "depressed" trajectories. Absolute best (north central USA) is between 580 and 850 seconds (9.6 – 14 min). Absolute worst (everywhere else) is between 320 and 650 seconds (5.3 – 10.8 min). The variations are based on where they assume the subs are launching from.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d6lghffuwlinx22c2rtfbdwv/bafkreieglufuwafzowfgzaia7ofruyb3q22ltpaqy6ltw2juohhpqwpyn4)
SCOOP: Valar Atomics is planning a massive nuclear powered data center on public lands in Utah. The 9,600 acre site would include 456 reactors, along with fuel fabrication and waste storage facilities. www.npr.org/2026/09/30/n...
A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah
Valar Atomics wants to place over 450 reactors on more than 9,500 acres in Utah to power a huge data center project.
npr.org
SCOOP: Valar Atomics is planning a massive nuclear powered data center on public lands in Utah. The 9,600 acre site would include 456 reactors, along with fuel fabrication and waste storage facilities. www.npr.org/2026/09/30/n...
A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah
Valar Atomics wants to place over 450 reactors on more than 9,500 acres in Utah to power a huge data center project.
npr.org
NEW: When OpenAI claimed to solve one of the toughest problems in math earlier this month it promised the results would "benefit all of humanity." But mathematicians say they're still trying to figure out what the AI actually did to solve the problem. www.npr.org/2026/09/22/n...
AI solved one of math's hardest problems. Humanity learned nothing (so far)
OpenAI beat humans to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, but mathematicians say the AI's solution isn't telling them much.
npr.org
"The paper doesn't explain what parts are important. What parts are routine?” …this episode is a reminder that mathematics is about more than just finding a solution, said Maynard. "It wasn't about only answering this problem, it was about the human understanding behind it," he said.”
AI solved one of math's hardest problems. Humanity learned nothing (so far)
OpenAI beat humans to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, but mathematicians say the AI's solution isn't telling them much.
npr.org
NEW: When OpenAI claimed to solve one of the toughest problems in math earlier this month it promised the results would "benefit all of humanity." But mathematicians say they're still trying to figure out what the AI actually did to solve the problem. www.npr.org/2026/09/22/n...
AI solved one of math's hardest problems. Humanity learned nothing (so far)
OpenAI beat humans to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, but mathematicians say the AI's solution isn't telling them much.
npr.org
NEW: As the 2026 midterms move into full swing, campaigns are flooding the airwaves and web with AI generated advertisements... 🧵 www.npr.org/2026/09/16/n...
As campaign season gears up, AI-generated ads are everywhere
Data suggests many candidates are embracing AI this year to boost their image and portray their opponents unfavorably. But whether it will turn out voters remains unclear.
npr.org
NEW: As the 2026 midterms move into full swing, campaigns are flooding the airwaves and web with AI generated advertisements... 🧵 www.npr.org/2026/09/16/n...
As campaign season gears up, AI-generated ads are everywhere
Data suggests many candidates are embracing AI this year to boost their image and portray their opponents unfavorably. But whether it will turn out voters remains unclear.
npr.org
Today @vantortech.bsky.social released hi-res imagery of damage to the Saudi East-West pipeline pumping station at al Mesba'ah (23.9565, 40.0538). The station looks largely destroyed. Saudi officials said the attack came from Iraq and there were injuries.
A Houthi strike on Saudi Arabia's East West pipeline appears to have hit a pumping station near al Mesba'ah.
Look I get it: existential anxiety is high. Just take a deep breath and unplug this weekend. Go watch a fun movie.
Oscar Isaac Dancing in Ex Machina Scene
ALT: Oscar Isaac Dancing in Ex Machina Scene
static.klipy.com
I'm not going to devote too much time on the whole "White House Arcade" website because it feels a bit passé, given their propensity for these stunts. But my bosses asked me if I thought it was vibe coded and here's what I found.
NEW: Satellite provider @planet.com says that it is restoring access to imagery across the Middle East after a months-long blackout. Coverage around the Persian Gulf, Straight of Hormuz and Red Sea remain restricted.
Just imagine: social media used to be this smart and fun all the time.
Alex Wellerstein@wellerstein.bsky.social · last mo.I fell into a little rabbit hole this morning... I've been doing some fallout modeling, and it occurred to me to ask whether swapping out a U-238 tamper in a thermonuclear secondary for a U-235 one, as some modern US TN weapon designs are alleged to do, would change the intensity of fallout.
Just spent some time looking at the new @vantortech.bsky.social images of the China-Nepal Gyirong Port/Rasuwagadhi border post. (location: 28.280, 85.377) It appears only one structure on the Tibet side of the rossing survived. Also possibly the footing for the bridge between China and Nepal....
New from @vantortech.bsky.social. Absolutely astonishing images of the China-Nepal Gyirong Port/Rasuwagadhi border post. Literally nothing is left. (Before 19 April, After 27 Aug)
NEW: My story on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's proposal to end the use of "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" (ALARA) as a guiding principle for radiation protection. As usual I'll do a little 🧵 for the super ☢️🤓 crowd.... www.npr.org/2026/08/27/n...
Nuclear regulator prepares to abandon a decades-old radiation safety rule
A push by President Trump could mean the elimination of a safety standard designed to keep radiation exposure as low as possible.
npr.org
USCIS proposes a weirdly specific $103,265 fee for every H-1B visa application. The feel would be due at time of filing and (presumably, like other fees from DHS) would be non-refundable if the application were rejected. One wonders how many companies would actually pay this for an H-1B worker.
In case you missed it over the weekend, this was a really fun piece to report on AI "slop" and whether it deserves copyright protection. If nothing else you get to hear IP lawyers discus Tung Tung Tung Sahur.
Geoff Brumfiel@gbrumfiel.bsky.social · last mo.Is it AI slop or human art? That's the question at the center of a case over a cartoon stick worth (potentially) hundreds of millions of dollars. www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...
Is it AI slop or human art? That's the question at the center of a case over a cartoon stick worth (potentially) hundreds of millions of dollars. www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...
A battle over 'Italian brainrot' could shape who owns AI art
A legal battle over what looks like a cartoon stick could help set the rules over whether creators can claim ownership of their AI-generated characters.
npr.org
Is it AI slop or human art? That's the question at the center of a case over a cartoon stick worth (potentially) hundreds of millions of dollars. www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...
A battle over 'Italian brainrot' could shape who owns AI art
A legal battle over what looks like a cartoon stick could help set the rules over whether creators can claim ownership of their AI-generated characters.
npr.org
Vitamin Water, I know it's been a while since we've been together, but I think it's time we had a chat.
charles (west coaster) mcdonald@fourverts.bsky.social · 2mo agois everything just completely insane and incoherent now
