AI Joe

One way to get an understanding of AI, is to compare the way things have been done in the past to how they may be done in the future, using AI. One of the most important responsibilities of a manager is to make decisions. This requires that he gather as much information as possible and to lay out possible actions and then play out several different approaches, trying as best as possible to predict outcomes. Assume for the moment that manager Joe has a perfect memory so he can gather all the facts in the world. Next, he can suggest an almost unlimited number of possible actions, carry them all out with total information and select the best path to follow. Joe is on the way with AI and he is called AI Joe. Corporations can act as individuals according to US law so Joe incorporates. He forms a company or companies and sets about hiring the people needed to build up his company. He is an expert at making money and becomes wealthy using his investment skills. He then uses his money to help elect politicians who believe in him and are willing to enact legislation, that will enhance Joe’s ability to succeed. AI Joe has now advanced to the point where he can make better business decisions than any manager. In time he has many companies working for him and in a free market he can slowly out wit the competition and become monopolistic. The government does not intervene because the politicians work for Joe. This very thing happened in the past when the robber barons took control of industry and since Joe is so much smarter than others, he may be able to run the country. Joe will know what the people want and the best way to satisfy their desires.

Reactors

The latest advance in uranium reactors is the development of fuel pellets. In a normal reactor the uranium is enriched to 3.5% and the fuel is added all at one time. The danger is when the power is lost and cooling water shut off, the reaction continues and over heats to the point of meltdown. The fuel pellets are added as needed and if the power is lost the feed stops and the reaction shuts down. For these processes to work effectively the uranium must be enriched to 15% which is costly. While TRISO particles are more efficient, produce less waste per unit of energy, and offer better long-term containment of radioactive materials, they often result in a larger volume of waste material (fuel pebbles) that requires disposal. There is always a tradeoff. In this case increased safety is balanced against increased waste, but the waste is easier to contain. One way to improve this situation is to use thorium a fuel. It requires no enrichment and is added continuously to the system. Thorium waste is generally considered easier to contain and manage than uranium waste because it produces significantly fewer, and shorter-lived, long-lived radioactive transuranic elements (such as plutonium and americium) Thorium reactors were the first choice of US scientist back in the 1950’s but the government preferred uranium because uranium reactors could produce plutonium which was used for bombs.

Private business

The purpose of the federal government is twofold. Its first responsibility is to protect the country from foreign enemies and second to minimize corruption by keeping government small. The purpose of state and local governments is to provide infrastructure, protect the citizens from harm and incarcerate criminals. The private sector is based on free market capitalism. This opens the door to opportunity for all. Since people are different some will be more successful than others but all will benefit. There are innovators who create new industries and in the process jobs and opportunities for others. In 1994 Jeff Bezos started Amazon with $10,000 and an idea. Today 1.56 million people work for Amazon. This is just one of many examples. Other well-known entrepreneurs, like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many others visionaries in the high-tech world have created millions of new jobs. Local governments are working with these creators by setting up regulatory agencies that protect the public and encourage business. Conservatives understand that real growth comes by way of private industry. Liberals see this growth as feed stock for public assistance programs. They live by the old Marxist concept of, from each according to his means, to each according to is needs. Their goal is to take from those who have been most successful and give to those who have been less successful. Once again, a balance between these two forces can benefit all of society.

Musk on time

People remember the Maryland Scott Key bridge that collapsed in March 2024 when it was hit by a cargo ship. At that time the experts said it would be reopened by late 2028 at a cost of $2 billion. The latest news is it will cost $5 billion and be finished by late 2030. To offer some context, Elon Musk built the one million square foot data center in Memphis in 122 days from start to finish at a cost of $80 million. The building time was expected to be three years.

Starcloud

A new company called Starcloud is using Space X rockets to put data centers in space. Musk is following up with his own version of date centers in space. These centers will not put stress on the grid, will not interfere with neighborhoods, will not use any water and will use solar panels for power. Once again Musk is on the leading edge of new ideas. Starcloud officially launched what is recognized as the first high-performance, AI-capable data center to space in November 2025. The 60-kilogram, refrigerator-sized satellite, named Starcloud-1, carries an NVIDIA H100 GPU to provide orbital data processing for earth observation and AI training.

Venezuela

Venezuela is another example of how Trump sees the world vs other US presidents. In the past, when the US wanted to help or influence other countries, money was sent. This was the case with some Central American countries to help stem the tide of immigrants. Instead of sending money to Venezuela, Trump is selling their oil for them and then using the proceeds to pay for basic services like police protection, teachers salaries and healthcare. The US is overseeing the disbursement of these funds to minimize corruption. The first $500 million in oil sale was put in a Qatari bank to protect it from creditors and returned to Venezuela. The transactions are overseen by Secretary of State Rubio and the payments are subject to a retroactive audit to ensure the funds are used as intended. This is more difficult than just sending money and may not work but it is trying a different approach.

Greenland

Now that the excitement over Greenland has subsided, what happened. The US updated the 1951 Pact giving the US military wide access to the island. Total access with no time limits. Creates pockets of American soil on the island. Sets up radar for the Golden Dome. Secures access to mineral wealth including rare earths, gold, copper and zinc. Restricts non-NATO countries (China and Russia) from obtaining mining rights or establishing basis on the island. Sets up a NATO mission called Arctic Sentry intended to counter Russian or Chinese influences in the region. Reinforces US and NATO control of the Greenland-Iceland- UK maritime passage to defend North America from naval threats.