The 256 Foundation released its November 2025 newsletter, spotlighting rapid advances in open-source Bitcoin mining hardware and software designed for individual sovereignty. Key developments include the Ember One v5 hashboard nearing production with upgraded voltage regulators, I2C monitoring, and modular daughter-board support; the public launch of Hydra Pool, a Rust-based, non-custodial mining pool enabling anyone to run solo or community PPLNS pools with direct coinbase payouts; and Mujina firmware’s upcoming developer preview, promising hot-swappable boards and flexible work distribution. Projects emphasize heat reuse, solar integration via Home Assistant, and Stratum v2 adoption to reduce centralization risks. “Open source spurs innovation even for commoditized products by accelerating adoption and preventing centralization,” the project leader Econoalchemist states, aspiring to permissionless mining and user freedom through fully editable designs and community contributions.
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President Donald Trump has issued an executive order launching the “Genesis Mission,” a bold national initiative to harness artificial intelligence for accelerating scientific breakthroughs amid intensifying global tech competition. Drawing parallels to the Manhattan Project, the order directs the Department of Energy to build the American Science and Security Platform, integrating vast federal datasets, supercomputers, and AI agents to automate research and test hypotheses across domains like advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and quantum science. “This order launches the ‘Genesis Mission’ as a dedicated, coordinated national effort to unleash a new age of AI-accelerated innovation and discovery,” Trump stated, emphasizing a goal of strengthened national security and economic prosperity. Coordinated by the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, the mission fosters public-private partnerships and interagency collaboration to multiply taxpayer returns on R&D. By empowering American innovators with tools, it aims for rapid progress, unlocking solutions to century-defining challenges and affirming U.S. leadership in a technologically driven future.
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In a fresh episode of the “Undecided with Matt Ferrell,” host Matt Ferrell unpacks magnetocaloric cooling, a refrigerant-free innovation poised to overhaul refrigeration and heat pumps. Researchers at Ames National Laboratory unveiled a prototype magnetocaloric heat pump in December 2024, matching vapor-compression systems in weight, cost, and performance using gadolinium particles and LaFeSi alloys in rotating magnetic beds. “The future of more sustainable cooling and heating technology could be just around the corner,” the lab announced. European firms like Germany’s Magnotherm offer commercial chillers for €6,500, while French-German startup Magnoric debuted a prototype at the 2024 Chillventa fair, dispensing cold drinks to prove viability. This solid-state shift promises efficiency gains and slashes HFC emissions, empowering households with cleaner, compact devices. As prototypes scale for homes and data centers, magnetocalorics herald a freer, greener era of climate control.
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A sobering report from UC San Diego, highlighted by Rose Horowitch, reveals a stark collapse in basic mathematics readiness among America’s college freshmen. Over 900 incoming students now test below high-school level, many unable even to divide fractions or interpret slopes, forcing the elite campus to offer remedial courses covering elementary and middle-school concepts. Similar surges in unpreparedness have hit every University of California campus, George Mason, and beyond. National data show eighth-grade math proficiency has plunged a full year since 2013, erasing decades of progress. Faculty blame relaxed standards, pandemic-era “no zeros” policies, grade inflation, and the 2020 decision to drop SAT/ACT requirements, the strongest predictor of math ability. “Admitting large numbers of students who are profoundly underprepared risks harming the very students we hope to support,” the UC San Diego report warns. With quantitative literacy in free fall, educators fear long-term damage to innovation, security, and economic competitiveness unless rigorous expectations are swiftly restored.
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RE #4, I submit that while a decline in academic rigor is partly to blame for academic deficiencies of college students, that trend is more of a symptom than a cause.
We need to be asking, "Should these young people even be in college? If not, why are they there?" About years ago
A few years into their career, an experienced machinist, boat mechanic, electrician, or plumber can earn up to $100K per year. Yet 10 years after graduation, the average college graduate's earnings are just 2/3 of that (between $60-70K). The median is higher, which means that most people earn less than that (and a lot of them earn nothing).
In my opinion, the cause is big government & institutional greed. Government subsidies and guarantees tend to create bubbles, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a college or university looking to "downsize" their enrollment or budget in the name of academic excellence.
In 2021, total college enrollment peaked at around 21 million. The US population was about 1/3 of its current size 100 years ago, but in 1920, college enrollment was about 600K. Total K-12 enrollment in 1920 was 21.5M.
Why do we have a K-shaped economy? Where are all of our tradespeople and factory workers? Why has federal student loan debt exploded from about $230 billion in 2000 to $1.65 TRILLION today? Why can't college graduates with good jobs afford starter homes?
For decades, the US government has been systematically impoverishing its citizens to the benefit of politicians and private interests. When are we going to start fighting back?