Spy cockroaches; Germany plots the future of warfare.

al-Reuters (July 2025): Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare.  

Some of the ideas under development feel akin to science fiction – like Swarm Biotactics' cyborg cockroaches that are equipped with specialised [sic] miniature backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras for example.

Electrical stimuli should allow humans to control the insects' movements remotely. The aim is for them to provide surveillance information in hostile environments - for example information about enemy positions.

"Our bio-robots - based on living insects - are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules," said CEO Stefan Wilhelm. "They can be steered individually or operate autonomously in swarms.

How'd I miss this story in July? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Scientists to deliver a warning about nuclear war with Doomsday Clock 2024 announcement.

USA MacPaper (MSN/Yahoo): Scientists to deliver a warning about nuclear war with Doomsday Clock 2024 announcement.

What time is the clock set at now?

The clock is at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest the clock has been to midnight in its history. Midnight is the moment that symbolizes Doomsday.

Who decides the time on the Doomsday Clock?

The Doomsday Clock is set each year by the 22 members of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 11 Nobel laureates.

I disagree with those selected in making this decision. 

I think the setting of the clock should be decided by me, Zack, Pappy, Jess, Mike, Phil,  Odysseus, The GBBL and Paul who, if he chooses, can work via remote from his Caribbean hideaway. This is a good Brain Trust! I like it! 👍

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Corona Virus.

Can we panic and frenzy just a little bit more?

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street:

"Maple Street, U.S.A., late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, barbecues, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice cream vendor. At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, it will be precisely 6:43 P.M. on Maple Street...This is Maple Street on a late Saturday afternoon. Maple Street in the last calm and reflective moment - before the monsters came."
[.]
[Aliens] comment on how simply fiddling with consistency leads people to descend into paranoia and panic, and that this is a pattern that can be exploited. They also discuss their intention to use this strategy to conquer Earth, one neighborhood at a time.
[.]
Closing narration:
"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices...to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill...and suspicion can destroy...and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own – for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone."

Security Magazine (January 31, 2020): Coronavirus: Are We Overreacting?

Let’s put this into perspective. In 2019, the Centre for Disease Control reports that 61,200 people died from the common flu virus. That’s 168 deaths per day! Compared to Coronavirus that was first reported on December 31, with 213 deaths in total until January 31. Based on last years statistics, 5,208 people have died of the common flu in that same time period.

9/23/2017: The World Isn't Ending Today...

...but in case it does...(which it won't)......

 Clip from: "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"

Song: "We'll Meet Again," sung by Vera Lynn.
 

We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Keep smiling through,
Just like you always do,
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.

So will you please say hello,
To the folks that I know,
Tell them I won't be long,
They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go
I was singing this song.

We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Don't cancel your plans for Sunday, the 24th.