Monthly Archives: June 2025

Watch the Latest Update from the Neuralink Team

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Watch the latest update from the Neuralink team. pic.twitter.com/mQzpTehqov
— Neuralink (@neuralink) June 27, 2025

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Neuralink has successfully implanted brain-computer interfaces in 7 human participants (4 with spinal cord injuries, 3 with ALS)
Participants are using the devices an average of 50 hours per week, with some exceeding 100 hours weekly
The device enables control of computers, phones, and gaming systems purely through thought
First participant broke the BCI world record for cursor control on day one, surpassing decades of prior research

Product Roadmap Near-term (2025-2028)
2025: Speech decoding capability – directly converting thoughts to words
2026: First “Blindsight” participant – restoring vision to blind individuals; tripling electrode count to 3,000
2027: Multiple implants per person; increasing to 10,000 channels
2028: 25,000+ channels per implant; treating psychiatric conditions and pain

Most Impactful Applications

Digital Independence: Paralyzed users can work full-time jobs, communicate, and control devices independently
Robotic Control: Users can control robotic arms and hands, with plans to enable full control of Tesla Optimus robots
Vision Restoration: Blindsight will initially provide low-resolution vision, eventually surpassing human capabilities (infrared, ultraviolet, radar)
Body Reanimation: Future capability to bridge damaged neurons, potentially allowing paralyzed individuals to walk again

Wild Turkeys are Back – with Babies!

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Video by R. Michael Brown – Lake Huntley, Lake Placid, FL

Our home has finally returned to Jurassic Park after the hurricane in the Summer of 2024.

Most of the birds disappeared for a long time. They’re finally coming back.

Driverless Cars Can Be Jerks Too

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So when your driverless car cuts someone off, will the road rage be directed at you… the passenger?

Today’s top story, from reporter Anabelle Nicoud, IBM Think Newsletter

If you’ve ridden in a Waymo recently and found your driverless taxi to be more assertive and, dare we say, more human on the road, you’re not imagining things. The Alphabet-owned company, which has been navigating passengers in San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and LA, is now exhibiting very human-like traits, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. No drunk driving or road rage, of course, but under the right circumstances, that white Jaguar might indulge in a honk or two. As it turns out, a more commanding Waymo yielded safer rides, the Chronicle reported. “Being an assertive driver means that you’re more predictable, that you blend into the environment, that you do things that you expect other humans on the road to do,” David Margines, Waymo’s Director of Product Management, said in an interview with the paper. “It’s a very interesting kind of paradox here: we need less perfection to really fit social norms,” said Kaoutar El Maghraoui, a Principal Research Scientist at IBM, in this week’s Mixture of Experts. According to the company’s data, Waymo is safer than human drivers. And yet, part of being so might just be by mimicking our bad, albeit predictable, habits, favoring social compatibility over algorithmic perfection. Uncanny valley, you say? Technically, Waymos could be enjoying more free-form decision-making, thinks Gabe Goodhart, Chief Architect of AI Open Innovation at IBM. He likened older, rule-based vehicles to the chatbots of yore—pre-generative AI systems beholden to clunky decision trees. But as autonomous vehicles adopt more human-like behavior—and choice—drivers may feel more comfortable because the cars better adhere to their expectations. “If we start applying this more flexible way of adapting [the car’s] behavior to the environment … it may make the vehicle fit in a whole lot better,” he said on the podcast. As more driverless cars hit the streets of American cities—from Zoox to Tesla’s newly launched robotaxis—it will be fascinating to watch how they adapt to robot driving. Could it pave the way to more collaboration between tech giants? “A lot of open-source consortiums have started because of similar problems,” noted Ann Funai, CIO and VP of Business Platform Transformation at IBM. “There’s this area where you need common understanding, common knowledge, common engagement. Maybe that means agreeing to use the same open-source component for training, so we’re not all crashing into each other.” Listen to the full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Bruce the Bat Dog made it to the Show

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Video ESPN

First, it was the “bat boy.” Then it became the “bat kid.” Now canines are taking over.

Florida Sheriff Warns Beachgoers to Ignore Bizarre Clumps of Manatees Near Shore

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The Pinellas Sheriff’s Office shared a warning on June 15 after receiving numerous calls about groups of manatees gathering together

By Kelli Bender Published on June 18, 2025 07:30PM EDT

If you see the manatees rocking through the waves, don’t come knocking on the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office’s door.

The Florida sheriff’s office shared an unusual warning about the animals on Instagram on June 15. The post includes a video showing a clump of manatees closely gathered together on the shore of a Florida beach. At least 10 manatees swim over and near each other in the footage.

According to the post, this type of bizarre-looking manatee gathering is common in the summer, and no cause for alarm. The marine mammals are getting together for an NSFW reason, per the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office.

“If you see this … no, you didn’t,” the sheriff’s office wrote on the manatee video. “Don’t call us. They are more than fine. It’s mating season.”

Pinellas Sheriff’s Office provided more context in the caption alongside the manatee footage.

“We get calls all the time from citizens when they see this, believing the manatees are in distress. We can assure you they are more than fine,” the agency wrote, adding, “Manatees actually mate in herds like these, and often they are near the shore. They mate all throughout the year, but generally, mating herds like these are seen in the summer months.”

SEE MORE with Videos, Photos [People Magazine]

Oliver Anthony Reveals How Much Money He Made on His First “Rich Men North of Richmond”

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Two years ago, an unknown artist named Oliver Anthony topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the viral country-folk tune “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

Whether you loved or hated it, the song was impossible to escape: I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay.

The polarizing working-class anthem made Anthony (born Christopher Lunsford) the first artist to hit No. 1 with no prior chart history.

Since then, the 32-year-old Virginian released his debut album, Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind, and then promptly quit the music industry—but apparently not before raking in some serious cash.

SEE MORE [American Songwriter]

Brownie Bytes: He even booked his first ever live performance, 2 months before launching his hit, and was paid $200 to play for 2.5 hours at a farmers market. His hit went viral and 12,000+ showed up at that first live performance.