The Amped Journal

2/2 Second, on the messaging around AI. I do not agree that my messaging has been disproportionately negative. In fact it has been about equally balanced between risks and benefits: I’ve written one major essay about each, and even in interviews where I discuss the risks, I

1/2 Thanks Gavin for an especially thoughtful exchange. I don't usually spend much time on social media but I wanted to engage here because it really brings out the heart of an important conversation. First, on regulation, I think that “either concentrate it in the hands of a

I bumped up the context limit and let it have another go and it sure did produce a beautiful (animated) circle https://t.co/8FCB1hPTMS

Qwen 3.8 27B in its default reasoning settings in LM Studio of "extra high" is a chronic over-thinker and I kind of love it

... disaster! I forgot to bump up the context length from the default and the server rejected it before it could draw its no-doubt beautiful circle

in case you’re not living in the tech bubble, as a general rule i’ve been surprised by how infrequently top tier folks actually meet/know each other. as an outsider i might have assumed that everyone is in secret illuminati group chats. those exist, but are very much short lived

I’m interested in finding and funding the next Disney. True to its original values, focused on the American spirit. Merit, family, overcoming of adversity, optimism, the pursuit of happiness. AI makes everyone able to create. What will define our next generation is *what* we

I think people don’t realize how much of the success of React is actually @shadcn. I once referred to React as the actual “LEGO brick for adults.” But in reality it was more the description of the geometry of the bricks. The spec. Shadcn is what people actually wanted from

The American College of Cardiology just confirmed this: Even normal weight people with belly fat (aka the famous "padel body") now have a significantly higher risk at developing heart disease Modern day food almost guarantees you'll have belly fat by age 40 for most men and https://t.co/QSQ2mEwOGR

Impressive

Can I do Litestream on 170GB Photo AI's SQLite DB? Cause AI says it might be bit too big for it?

True 💯

Using immigrants as scapegoats worked for Trump. Maybe scapegoats will work for us too. But who should we attack? I suppose rich people are the default on the left. Ok, rich people.

Some founders I talked to today were surprised that I spent 80% of the time reassuring them. They asked if all I did in office hours was tell people not to worry. I told them it was only because they were doing well. Otherwise I'd be telling them what to worry about.

Someone I've known for a long time asked if I really wrote essays in vim. I was surprised that he was surprised. So it must be a strange thing to do. But I don't see why it should be. Essays are just text. What else do you need?

I never consciously realized this before, but the fact that something has a cult following doesn't mean that it's cultish. Wodehouse for example. His fans are fanatics, but no one could have been more matter of fact.

It's obvious that one needs to tell startups when they're making mistakes. But, strange as it may sound, it's also important to tell them when they're not. Investors will judge them partly by their confidence. So if they have reason to be confident, they should be.

Since several people asked why I don't use emacs, here's why:

A shooting involving multiple suspects and five people shot at Virginia State University prompted a campus lockdown early Saturday.

Mount Etna erupted in a fiery display in Sicily this week, spewing molten lava and ash into the sky. See more on the Reuters World News podcast https://t.co/FTPiTLeMQ4

The White House is pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to openly condemn a settler-led siege of a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank. Find out why on the Reuters World News podcast https://t.co/OwKAyaz1fr

Lala, formerly a tropical storm, strengthened into a hurricane as it approached the Big Island of Hawaii, US weather officials said https://t.co/rsszDGYh9e

Tropical Storm Lala is already whipping and soaking Hawaii's Big Island and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Saturday.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, killing at least 38 people and collapsing buildings.

More photos from yesterday's Falcon 9 launches

Teams complete back-to-back Falcon 9 launches from Florida and California

Deployment of all @Globalstar 2-R satellites confirmed

Deployment of @Globalstar 2-R satellites has started

Liftoff!

Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on Landing Zone 40

NCDOT Announces Public Hearings On Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Replacement. The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on Friday announced plans to hold public hearings on the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge next month and released an environmental assessment of the project. The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge was originally constructed in 1969 and currently carries over 65,000 vehicles per day between New Hanover and Brunswick counties, exceeding its design capacity. The estimated cost…

Wrightsville Beach Bridge Project Could Finish 2 Years Earlier Than Expected. Wrightsville Beach’s three-bridge replacement project could finish two years earlier than originally expected because of a different construction delivery approach. During a press conference on Friday, Trevor Carroll, the Division 3 Engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT), announced that the department's decision to use a construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) method could expedite project …

GE Vernova Hitachi To Support Development Of Texas Gas-plus-nuclear Power Plant. GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy's facility in Wilmington is set to play a key role in the development of a new gas-plus-nuclear power plant in Texas. GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy announced this week the signing of an agreement with Blue Energy, a vertically integrated deployment platform for financeable, prefabricated nuclear power plants. The agreement launches the next phase of collaboration to deploy a 2.…

A Sneak Peek At Cape Fear Museum's New Location. Visitors to the Cape Fear Museum of History & Science will notice a huge difference the moment they enter the museum's new facility at 230 Grace St. “We’re basically doubling our exhibit space ... and we are tripling our education space," said Kate Baillon, museum director, during a media tour Thursday of the new location. The new museum is scheduled to officially open to the public Tuesday, Aug. 18. "This is so much bigger, so much more than our…

Area Companies Land On 2026 National List Of Fastest-growing Firms. Several firms headquartered in the Wilmington area have ranked on the Inc. 5000 annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Those that make the list are ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over three years, from 2022 to 2025, according to business publication Inc. Magazine, which publishes the list each year. To qualify, firms must be privately held, for-profit, based in the U.S. and indepen…

Tech Wilmington: Upcoming Events Calendar. Here is a look at upcoming events of interest to the region’s tech and startup industry. To share an event, email newsroom@wilmingtonbiz.com. Aug. 12 Every week, UNCW’s CIE hosts 1 Million Cups Wilmington, a forum for entrepreneurs to pitch to and learn from their peers. This week's presentation is from Bennett Motorsports Support. Click for more. Aug. 27 The Network for Entrepreneurs (NEW) is hosting its next AI Roundtable discussion from 5:30 p.m. to…

OPINION: Wilmington's Economy Depends On Getting The Bridge Right. Every generation inherits decisions that will shape its economic future for decades. The replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is one of those decisions. The debate has too often been framed as a choice between economic growth and historic preservation. That is the wrong question. The real question is this: Which bridge alternative delivers the transportation improvements our region needs while protecting one of Wilmingto…

UNC Health, Wilmington Health Move Forward With Cancer Center Plans. UNC Health and Wilmington Health are taking steps to bring a potential comprehensive oncology program to Wilmington, with state regulators granting an exemption for the project's medical office building as another part of the project is under review. The two healthcare providers applied in June for the ability to establish a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner in Wilmington, which goes along with plans for a freestandin…