Maybe we can unlock the secrets of dolphins’ language using Google’s LLM technology. (Also, maybe not?) CC-licensed photo by Gordon Wrigley on Flickr.
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A selection of 9 links for you. Going swimmingly. I’m @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: https://newsie.social/@charlesarthur. On Bluesky: @charlesarthur.bsky.social. Observations and links welcome.
Zuckerberg’s 2012 email dubbed “smoking gun” at Meta monopoly trial • Ars Technica
Ashley Belanger:
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Starting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust trial Monday with a bang, Daniel Matheson, the FTC’s lead litigator, flagged a “smoking gun”—a 2012 email where Mark Zuckerberg suggested that Facebook could buy Instagram to “neutralize a potential competitor,” The New York Times reported.
And in “another banger of an email from Zuckerberg,” Brendan Benedict, an antitrust expert monitoring the trial for Big Tech on Trial, posted on X that the Meta CEO wrote, “Messenger isn’t beating WhatsApp. Instagram was growing so much faster than us that we had to buy them for $1 billion… that’s not exactly killing it.”
These messages and others, the FTC hopes to convince the court, provide evidence that Zuckerberg runs Meta by the mantra “it’s better to buy than compete”—seemingly for more than a decade intent on growing the Facebook empire by killing off rivals, allegedly in violation of antitrust law. Another message from Zuckerberg exhibited at trial, Benedict noted on X, suggests Facebook tried to buy yet another rival, Snapchat, for $6bn.
“We should probably prepare for a leak that we offered $6b… and all the negative [attention] that will come from that,” the Zuckerberg message said.
At the trial, Matheson suggested that “Meta broke the deal” that firms have in the US to compete to succeed, allegedly deciding “that competition was too hard, and it would be easier to buy out their rivals than to compete with them,” the NYT reported. Ultimately, it will be up to the FTC to prove that Meta couldn’t have achieved its dominance today without buying Instagram and WhatsApp (in 2012 and 2014, respectively), while legal experts told the NYT that it is “extremely rare” to unwind mergers approved so many years ago.
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Expect this one to run for a while.
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DolphinGemma: how AI can decipher dolphin communication • Google Blog
Denise Herzing (Wild Dolphin Project) and Thad Starner (Google DeepMind research scientist):
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For decades, understanding the clicks, whistles and burst pulses of dolphins has been a scientific frontier. What if we could not only listen to dolphins, but also understand the patterns of their complex communication well enough to generate realistic responses?
Today, on National Dolphin Day, Google, in collaboration with researchers at Georgia Tech and the field research of the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP), is announcing progress on DolphinGemma: a foundational AI model trained to learn the structure of dolphin vocalizations and generate novel dolphin-like sound sequences. This approach in the quest for interspecies communication pushes the boundaries of AI and our potential connection with the marine world.
Understanding any species requires deep context, and that’s one of the many things the WDP provides. Since 1985, WDP has conducted the world’s longest-running underwater dolphin research project, studying a specific community of wild Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas across generations. This non-invasive, “In Their World, on Their Terms” approach yields a rich, unique dataset: decades of underwater video and audio meticulously paired with individual dolphin identities, life histories and observed behaviors.
A primary focus for WDP is observing and analyzing the dolphins’ natural communication and social interactions. Working underwater allows researchers to directly link sounds to specific behaviors in ways surface observation cannot. For decades, they have correlated sound types with behavioral contexts. Here are some examples:
• Signature whistles (unique names) that can be used by mothers and calves to reunite
• Burst-pulse “squawks” often seen during fights
• Click “buzzes” often used during courtship or chasing sharksKnowing the individual dolphins involved is crucial for accurate interpretation. The ultimate goal of this observational work is to understand the structure and potential meaning within these natural sound sequences — seeking patterns and rules that might indicate language. This long-term analysis of natural communication forms the bedrock of WDP’s research and provides essential context for any AI analysis.
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“Understanding any species requires deep context”. Indeed. To quote Wittgenstein, “if a lion could talk, we could not understand him.” As in, the context that animals exist – and think – in is so different from our own that it’s a category error to believe we could “understand” them. We may be able to figure out the circumstances in which dolphins make particular sounds; but that’s not “understanding”.
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Will peak demand roil global oil markets? • Liberty Street Economics
Matthew Higgins and Thomas Klitgaard:
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The story is different in emerging market economies (EMEs). Oil consumption in China rose by almost 4 mb/d from 2012 to 2019, and by roughly another 2 mb/d from 2019 to 2024. Consumption in emerging economies outside China saw similar gains over the two periods, a large dip during the pandemic notwithstanding. But there are signs that EME demand growth is slowing. Chinese consumption grew at a 4.8% annual pace over 2012-19, but at only a 3.1% pace over 2019-24, with only a modest gain in 2024. Consumption in other EMEs grew at a 1.7% pace over 2012-19, but has grown at just a 1.0% pace since then.
How do we know that the slowing trend reflects weak demand growth rather than constraints on supply? Prices hold the key. Real oil prices today are lower than in 2019. They would be rising instead if supply were straining to keep up with demand. OPEC’s high spare capacity, estimated by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to be around 4 mb/d, indicates that more oil is available if the market wants it.
…The arrival of peak demand would turn global oil markets into a zero-sum game. Supply growth in one region or field would simply push down prices by enough to cause offsetting declines elsewhere, with the highest-cost producers being pushed out of the market. This is not to suggest that oil prices will simply trend lower going forward. Geopolitical developments, OPEC supply decisions, and business cycle dynamics will continue to generate price swings. There is also a limit to how far prices can fall. Liquid fuel consumption will remain substantial in the years ahead under all plausible scenarios, and prices will have to remain high enough to induce the needed supply. But the basic point remains: A shift from rising consumption to flat or declining demand would weigh on prices.
How might U.S. producers fare in such a market environment? According to the Dallas Fed Energy Survey, U.S. firms need an average WTI oil price of $61 to $70 a barrel to profitably drill a new well, depending on the location. This range is close to analyst estimates of breakeven costs for foreign locations outside the Middle East, but more than twice as high as estimated breakeven costs in that region. Producers outside the Middle East could be vulnerable given future price declines.
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Microsoft warns that anyone who deleted mysterious folder that appeared after latest Windows 11 update must take action to put it back • TechRadar
Darren Allan:
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Windows 11 24H2 users who were confused by a mysterious empty folder appearing on their system drive after applying the latest update for the OS should be aware that this is not a bug, but an intentional move – and that said folder shouldn’t be deleted.
In case you missed it, last week Windows 11 24H2 received its cumulative update for April 2025, and it created an ‘inetpub’ folder that was the source of some bewilderment or annoyance for those who noticed it.
You may also recall that some folks advised that it was fine to just delete the folder, not an unreasonable conclusion to reach seeing as it was empty, didn’t appear to do anything, and was related to Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) web server software for developers (and was appearing for those who didn’t have IIS installed).
Still, at the time, I advised that you removed it at your own risk and that it might be best left alone – seeing as it was empty and appeared harmless (and also just because you never quite know what’s going on with Windows). It seems I was right, as Microsoft has now warned against removing the folder, as noted at the outset.
Microsoft told Windows Latest that the folder is created as part of a security fix for a vulnerability that “can let local attackers trick the system into accessing or modifying unintended files or folders.”
In its advisory for this security patch, Microsoft notes: “After installing the updates listed in the Security Updates table for your operating system, a new [inetpub folder] will be created on your [system drive]. This folder should not be deleted, regardless of whether Internet Information Services (IIS) is active on the target device. This behavior is part of changes that increase protection and does not require any action from IT admins and end users.”
In short, it doesn’t matter whether you use IIS or not, you need to leave this folder alone. Without the folder being present, the mentioned security hole will remain present in Windows 11, offering attackers a potential opportunity to compromise your PC (at least if they are local to the device, meaning they have physical access).
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This feels like something out of Severance – feel the folder, let its identity wash over you, don’t delete it.
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Google hit with lawsuit over data collection on school kids •
Isaiah Poritz:
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Google LLC is unlawfully using its products—ubiquitous in K-12 education—to secretly gather information about school age children, substituting the consent of the school for that of parents, a proposed class action filed in California federal court said Monday.
The tech giant collects not only traditional education records “but thousands of data points that span a child’s life,” and “neither students nor their parents have agreed to this arrangement, according to the US District Court for the Northern District of California complaint.
Google’s “Workspace for Education,” a suite of cloud-based productivity apps marketed to schools, is used by nearly 70% of K-12 schools in the US, the complaint said.
The company doesn’t disclose that it embeds hidden tracking technology in its Chrome browser that creates a child’s unique digital “fingerprint,” the plaintiffs said. The fingerprint allows Google to “to track a child even when she or her school administrator has disabled cookies or is using technologies designed to block third-party cookies.”
The suit said Google has failed to obtain parental consent to take school childrens’ personal data. “Instead, Google relies on the consent of school personnel alone,” the complaint said. “But school personnel do not have authority to provide consent in lieu of parents.”
Google allegedly uses that data to fuel its own commercial products and sells it to third parties including other education technology companies.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement: “These accusations are false. Personal information from K-12 users is never used for personalized advertising, we have strong controls to protect student data, and require schools to obtain parental consent when needed.”
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It’s certainly wrong to say that Google sells data to third parties. But to say that information is never used for personalised advertising might be tricky if it’s used to build up a profile of a person who subsequently creates a Google account which is then mapped onto that data. This whole lawsuit feels familiar, and I don’t think the previous version won.
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Nvidia says it plans to manufacture some AI chips in the US • TechCrunch
Kyle Wiggers:
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Nvidia said on Monday that it has commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space to build and test AI chips in Arizona and Texas as part of an effort to move a portion of its production to the U.S.
The chipmaker said the production of its Blackwell chips has started at TSMC’s chip plants in Phoenix, Arizona, and that Nvidia is building “supercomputer” manufacturing plants in Texas — with Foxconn in Houston and with Wistron in Dallas. In Arizona, Nvidia is partnering with Amkor and SPIL for packaging and testing operations, the company added.
Mass production at the Houston and Dallas plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12-15 months, and within the next four years, the company aims to produce up to half-a-trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the U.S.
“The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in a statement. “Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain, and boosts our resiliency.”
The announcement comes days after Nvidia reportedly narrowly avoided export controls on its H20 chip after striking a domestic manufacturing deal with the Trump administration.
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Seems some things can be built in the US.
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Why it’s impossible for most small businesses to manufacture in the US • WIRED
Zeyi Yang:
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Dallas-based small business owner Allen Walton says he just sold out of one of his products, a surveillance camera used by law enforcement and private detectives. That would normally be great news for Walton’s electronics company, SpyGuy, which specializes in gadgets like GPS trackers and hidden camera detectors. But thanks to the Trump administration’s ever-shifting tariff policies, Walton says he doesn’t know if he should replenish his stock.
…WIRED spoke to over a dozen US business owners, including mom-and-pop shops, fashion brands that have over $100m in annual revenue, a tattoo supply vendor in Philadelphia, and a mattress maker in Ohio, who all said the same thing: Chinese manufacturing is still the gold standard of the world and moving production to a new region would be extremely difficult, regardless of how high tariffs are.
Walton can personally directly compare what it’s like to manufacture in China versus the US because his business takes orders from the US government, which is willing to pay a premium for goods produced locally. “Every consumer electronics manufacturer goes to China. I don’t even know how to feasibly make something like that at a price point that would make sense for me and my customers that aren’t the US government,” he says.
Tariffs alone won’t be enough to motivate companies to set up manufacturing in the US, says Kyle Chan, a Princeton University researcher who focuses on industrial policy. “But let’s say it does come back, I would really doubt whether it could be at the level of quality and price that American consumers have been enjoying for a long time,” he says. “Once an industry is gone, once you lose this broader ecosystem, then it’s really, really hard to bring back.”
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Unsurprising: it’s easier to break than to build.
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Trump signals tariffs are coming on computer chips and drugs • The New York Times
Ana Swanson and Tony Romm:
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President Trump signaled on Monday that he would soon announce additional tariffs targeting imported computer chips and pharmaceuticals, while suggesting he could also move to relax levies on imported cars and auto parts.
The shifting strategy served to underscore the complications and contradictions in the president’s trade agenda, which has roiled markets and spooked the businesses that Mr. Trump is trying to persuade to invest in the United States.
For a second day, Mr. Trump hinted that he would soon impose new tariffs on semiconductors, as he looks to shore up more domestic production of a vital component in electronics, cars, toys and other goods.
“The higher the tariff, the faster they come in,” Mr. Trump said on Monday, citing other import taxes he has imposed on steel, aluminum and cars.
The United States is heavily dependent on chips imported from Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia, a reliance that Democrats and Republicans alike have described as a major risk to national security.The president said he was also preparing new tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, arguing that too many vital medicines are imported from Ireland and other countries and not produced in the United States.
“We don’t make our own drugs anymore,” Mr. Trump said.
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Only drugs could help one make sense of the back-and-forth of tariffs.
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Einstein’s dream of a unified field theory: accomplished? • Phys.org
Jussi Lindgren:
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Since the early days of general relativity, leading physicists, like Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger, have tried to unify the theory of gravitation and electromagnetism. Many attempts were made during the 20th century, including by Hermann Weyl.
Finally, it seems that we have found a unified framework to accommodate the theory of electricity and magnetism within a purely geometric theory. This means that electromagnetic and gravitational forces are both manifestations of ripples and curvatures in spacetime geometry.
Einstein’s aim was to explain electromagnetism as a geometric property of four-dimensional spacetime. He continued this work until his death in 1955. The work was not completed. Arthur Eddington, Theodor Kaluza and others have also put forward their theories on how to unify gravity and electromagnetism, but none of these theories have been universally accepted.
Schrödinger, the father of quantum mechanics, put forward his unified field theory in the 1940s, but without complete success. Many different approaches have been proposed, including five-dimensional theories and theories based on asymmetric metrics.
In our approach, electric charge and electric currents, as well as electromagnetic forces, are seen as purely geometrical and immanent properties of spacetime itself, and not as some external objects. This approach was supported by the late physicist John Wheeler, in his vision of geometrodynamics. It turns out that the four-dimensional electromagnetic potential is really a building block of the metric tensor of spacetime.
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Lindgren is the lead author on a paper which aims to do this unification. There’s plenty more in the article (if it makes sense to you). Shout out to the use of “immanent” (which is nothing to do with “imminent”).
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| • Why do social networks drive us a little mad? • Why does angry content seem to dominate what we see? • How much of a role do algorithms play in affecting what we see and do online? • What can we do about it? • Did Facebook have any inkling of what was coming in Myanmar in 2016? Read Social Warming, my latest book, and find answers – and more. |
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The Overspill: when there's more that I want to say 