AI voice synth is pretty solidly-useful in comparison to, say, video generation from scratch. I think that there are good uses for voice synth — e.g. filling in for an aging actor/actress who can’t do a voice any more, video game mods, procedurally-generated speech, etc — but audiobooks don’t really play to those strengths. I’m a little skeptical that in 2025, it’s at the point where it’s a good drop-in replacement for audiobooks. What I’ve heard still doesn’t have emphasis on par with a human.

I don’t know what it costs to have a human read an audiobook, but I can’t imagine that it’s that expensive; I doubt that there’s all that much editing involved.

kagis

https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1426xav/whats_the_average_narrator_cost/

So I produced my own audiobooks for my Nova Roma series so I know the exact numbers for you:

$250 per finished hour for the narrator. Books ranged from about 200k words-270k words, which came out to 22 hours, 20 hours, and 25 hours.

So books 1-3 cost me $5,500, $5,000, and $6,250. I’m contracted for two more books with my narrator, so I expect to spend another 5k-6k for each of those.

So for a five book series, each one 200k+ words, the total cost out of pocket for me will be about $27,000 give or take to make the series into audiobooks.

That’s actually lower than I expected. Like, if a book sells at any kind of volume, it can’t be that hard to make that back.

EDIT: I can believe that it’s possible to build a speech synth system that does do better, mind — I certainly don’t think that there are any fundamental limitations on this. It’d guess that there’s also room for human-assisted stuff, where you have some system that annotates the text with emphasis markers, and the annotated text gets fed into a speech synth engine trained to convert annotated text to voice. There, someone listens to the output and just tweaks the annotated text where the annotation system doesn’t get it quite right. But I don’t think that we’re really there today yet.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat who is leading the litigation, called the move a “blatantly illegal” threat by Trump to yank funds used to improve roads and prepare for emergencies if states do not use their resources to support immigration enforcement.

Yeah, I suspect that this is going to be shot down in the Supreme Court. The power of the purse in the form of the federal government withholding funds has some case law, and I don’t think that it supports this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_of_the_purse

South Dakota v. Dole upheld the ability of the federal government to withhold highway funds over state drinking age laws, but one of the necessary elements the Supreme Court identified there was that it had to directly relate to the federal interest in the project, and this doesn’t do that.

National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius had SCOTUS shoot down the federal government withholding Medicaid funds unless the states expanded their coverage as being coercive, and I expect that this will probably fall into the same camp.

The article says that they outperformed expectations, and that they’d decided that they didn’t need some layers of management. I don’t think that that’s intrinsically crazy; there are tech companies that have emphasized having a relatively flat structure, like Google.

Initially, stores tried to manage demand by blocking tax-free purchases, hoping to discourage tourists, mainly from China, from buying cards.

For many, it still makes financial sense to fly to Japan, pick up a 5090, and either resell it or use it for.

Chinese board partners have long been suspected of selling GPUs directly to cryptocurrency miners, bypassing the consumer market entirely. Now, with the AI boom, these companies are shifting even more stock to AI server manufacturers, who are willing to pay a premium. That leaves even fewer GPUs available for regular gamers, making GPU-buying tourism a surprisingly viable option.

It does kind of illustrate how hard it is to restrict the flow of goods.

having children

Not having children produces a long-term negative economic impact on the country, as the economic potential is tied to the size of the labor force.

Even if the Democrats had a majority, Congress doesn’t get say over the Presidential pardon.

All my teachers look like north korea concentration camp guard

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/27/i-thought-it-was-fake-news-secrecy-around-north-koreans-fighting-in-kursk

Even in elite units such as the Storm Corps, North Korean soldiers are systematically underfed and malnourished, according to accounts from defectors shared with the BBC.

Emaciated?

The plane will initially be transferred to the United States Air Force, which will modify the 13-year-old aircraft to meet the U.S. military specifications required for any aircraft used to transport the president of the United States, multiple sources familiar with the proposed arrangement said.

Setting aside intelligence and influence concerns mentioned by others in the thread already, I can’t really see how this is faster than modifying planes already in the US. I mean, it’s a plane with luxury stuff. Surely the issue isn’t putting luxury stuff in the thing, but putting security stuff in.

Hell, if the USAF has to start over from scratch, I’d think that it’d take longer, if anything.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5156686-trump-boeing-air-force-one-delays-frustration/

Trump vents frustration with Boeing over Air Force One delays

President Trump is airing grievances with Boeing over delays in delivering new Air Force One jets, telling Republican governors on Thursday he was “getting a little tired” of the hold up.

“I bought a plane. It’s really two planes, Air Force One. Now if Boeing would build the damn thing it would be nice, too. We don’t build like we used to. We don’t build too fast,” Trump said at a reception for the Republican Governors Association.

Like, I assume that time is Trump’s beef here.

EDIT:

Yeah, this seems to agree with that:

https://www.popsci.com/technology/why-does-air-force-one-take-so-long-to-replace/

Why a private plane isn’t a viable option

President Trump, realizing the pair of new 747-8 planes might not be completed by the time he leaves office, has suggested sidestepping Boeing altogether and modifying a used private jet instead. The suggestion to sidestep Boeing entirely and “convert” a used aircraft could face several challenges, experts said. The extensive modifications required to make such an aircraft capable of functioning as the president’s plane would essentially mean starting from scratch—a process Boeing has already been working through for years. As a result, a converted used jet could potentially take even longer to become airworthy than the two 747-8 models currently in production.

“Honestly, at this point, any changes you make are likely to make it take longer and cost more even if you’re reducing capabilities,” Harrison said.

“It [a converted plane] just wouldn’t be anywhere near as capable as the Air Force Ones we have today,” Aboulafia added.

Not to mention that I kind of wonder what it is that makes the existing, older, aircraft such a problem. Whatever it is has to be something that the Qatari royal plane does. Maybe the existing ones don’t have some sort of fancy convenience? It used to be the norm for leaders to travel on warships, and I suspect that considerably more tradeoffs were made there.

then write a new book and throw that at him as well.

No, the Constitution prohibits ex post facto laws. A law you are punished for must be on the books before the crime you commit that it prohibits is committed.

The federal government is prohibited from doing so:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Section_9:_Limits_on_Federal_power

No Bill of attainder or Ex post facto law shall be passed.

And state governments:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Section_10:_Limits_on_the_States

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

This isn’t for re-election for her existing seat, but whether she should run for representing all of Georgia rather than just one district. My understanding is that she had to move to the congressional district that she was in to get sufficient support to win a House seat.

checks Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Taylor_Greene

Having originally announced her intention to run in Georgia’s 7th congressional district,[47] Greene instead began her campaign in the 6th district, where she resided, on June 4, 2019.[58][b] She stated her commitment to balance the federal budget and restrain Congress from using its constitutional power to spend new money into existence, adding: “If we look at our country as our household, we’re going to go under foreclosure because we’re overspending.”[58] Greene also criticized her expected primary opponent, former U.S. representative Karen Handel, for supporting large omnibus spending bills and a series of electoral losses: “She’s lost seven races in her entire political career… She steps down from seats that she does win so she can campaign for something else. Basically I would call her [a] professional campaigner, but she loses.”[58]

On December 13, 2019, Greene announced that she was shifting her campaign to the 14th district after incumbent Tom Graves announced he would not run for reelection there.[59] The district includes much of Northwest Georgia, stretching from the Georgia side of the Chattanooga metropolitan area to the exurbs of Atlanta. Members of the House are constitutionally required to live in the state they represent, but not necessarily in the same congressional district.

Greene was considered an overwhelming favorite to win the seat in the general election, as the 14th district typically votes heavily Republican.[86] In 2017, the Cook Political Report ranked the district the 10th-most Republican in the country.[87]

I mean, everyone is entitled to their vote, and my guess is that they’re probably going to take an economic hit, so I have a hard time dogpiling on top of that, but I don’t think that it was a move that was in their interests.

Six months back:

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/18/teamsters-favor-trump-harris-endorsement-00179879

Teamsters members heavily favor Trump over Harris ahead of union endorsement decision

Now:

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-05-03/trumps-tariffs-hit-truckers-and-port-workers

Tariffs bring shipping slowdown, threatening trucking jobs at L.A. ports

A 2023 report found that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach contributed $21.8 billion in direct revenue to local service providers, generating $2.7 billion in state and local taxes and creating 165,462 jobs, directly and indirectly.

A decline of just 1% in cargo to the ports would wipe away 2,769 jobs and endanger as many as 4,000 others, the study found.

Last week, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said arrivals could drop by 35% over the next 14 days.

This threat looms large for members of ILWU Local 13, a union representing longshoremen who unload cargo and support port operations.

“They’re just wondering what’s going to happen,” ILWU Local 13 President Gary Herrera said of his members. “Some of the workforce will not be getting their full 40 hours a week based on the loss of cargo. Job loss is definitely a concern.”

According to Herrera and port officials, there will be more than 30 “blank sailings” in May at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, which occur when cargo ships cancel planned trips. That will mean 400,000 fewer containers will be shipped through the ports, officials said.

The impending downturn at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles comes not long after the twin facilities reported booming activity, tied to a labor dispute that shut down major ports on the East and Gulf coasts. Nearly one-third of all cargo containers delivered to the U.S. travel through Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Navdeep Gill, who owns the Northern California trucking company Ocean Rail Logistics, said his business is already moving 60% to 70% less cargo as a result of the tariffs.

Gill’s truckers, who haul goods from the Port of Oakland, typically move 50 containers a week. Recently, they have been moving 10 to 15, Gill said.

“When we are not doing anything and the trucks are not working, then we lose money,” he said. His company hauls industrial goods, paper and food products.

“We have fixed expenses like insurance that we cannot bypass, so we’re losing money,” Gill said.

Over the three-day period ending Sunday, 10 container ships are expected at the Port of Los Angeles. That’s a decline from the 17 container ships that typically arrive every three days at this time of year, according to a memo from a trade group that represents shippers.

“That is going to have an effect on the work opportunities for not just us, but for truck drivers, warehouse workers and logistics teams,” said Herrera, the union president. “This is the ripple effect of not having work at the waterfront.”

The article says it is paid…

Well, yes and no. I mean, they get a paycheck if they use paid time off, but they’d need to use some of their supply of that, which is going to compete with things like time off for being sick, going on vacation, etc.

I’d think that they already have that due to the TSA.

Tesla told Austin workers on its Model Y and Cybertruck lines to stay home for the week of Memorial Day, three workers told Business Insider.

Setting aside the Musk/Trump shennanigans and their impact on the Tesla brand as a whole, though…they’re also talking about the Cybertruck.

I can believe that maybe they keep demand for the Model Y at a sustained long-term level, but I have a hard time believing that the Cybertruck is going to take off. I mean, if there’s enough commonality across lines, then maybe they can use the Cybertruck workers elsewhere, but I just don’t think that the Cybertruck is going to become a big success.

Like, at some point, they gotta cut their losses on that thing.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/tesla-cybertruck-sales-musk-b2746688.html

Tesla Cybertruck sales underperformed in Q1, dropping more than 50 percent compared to sales in Q4 of 2024, reflecting a larger theme for the electric vehicle maker, which has faced market volatility and decreasing sales as its CEO has taken a role in the Trump administration.

In the last quarter, Tesla sold roughly 6,400 Cybertrucks – more than double the number from the same time last year but significantly fewer than the 12,900 sold in the final quarter of 2024, according to research firm Cox Automotive.

It’s the second consecutive quarter Tesla has seen a dip in Cybertruck sales. Sales peaked during Q3 of 2024 with roughly 16,600 sold.

The Cybertruck was introduced to the electric vehicle market in 2023, and at the time, Musk touted that more than one million people had paid a $100 refundable deposit to reserve one.

It also dropped production targets for several Cybertruck lines over the last few months, workers familiar with the matter told Business Insider. Production lines have reportedly also been thinned out; now, some are said to be working at a fraction of their previous capacity.

Roughly 40% of U.S. households — and more than 70% of California households — use a natural gas cooking appliance, according to a 2023 estimate from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Growing concern over health and environmental impacts has prompted action in several states. In California, lawmakers passed AB2513 last year, which would have required warning labels on gas stoves sold in stores starting in 2026. Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, vetoed the bill.

California’s electricity rates are about twice those of most other US states.

I think that California would have more luck getting people to use electricity instead of natural gas if they’d work on getting California electricity prices down to something comparable to most of the other 48 states.

Probably also have more luck getting people to use electric vehicles instead of ICE vehicles.

The pole is just an ordinary pole. In 1977, after measuring land subsidence over time, they put the signs up on it to illustrate how far the land had sunk. They could have put the signs on anything tall enough to provide enough space.

The nation’s fastest-sinking city is Houston, with more than 40% of its area dropping more than 5 millimeters (about 1/5 inch) per year, and 12% sinking at twice that rate.

kagis

https://texaslivingwaters.org/groundwater/subsidence-houston-galveston-region/

Understanding subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region

Since 1836, groundwater withdrawals have caused about 3,200 square miles of the Houston-Galveston area to subside (or sink) more than a foot, with some areas subsiding as much as 12 to 13 feet.

Noob-tier numbers, Texas. Here’s a photo from 1977 in California showing land subsidence on a telephone pole from 1925 to 1977.

https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/pubs/fs00165/Images/fig2.jpg

From one of my comments in a thread three days ago when discussing Meta’s new glasses:

https://lemmy.today/post/28724654/16057604

I don’t totally get the use case for cameras plus single screen on lens. I guess maybe you could take a picture of someone’s face, upload the photo to Meta, do facial recognition on it, and then have personal details sent back to the screen at the bottom of your right eye. Like, maybe that’d be useful for people who don’t want to be in a position of awkwardly forgetting names or security personnel or something.

From the article:

This time, Lee attempted a viral launch with a $140,000 scripted advertisement in which a young software engineer, played by Lee, uses Cluely installed on his glasses to lie his way through a first date with an older woman. When the date starts going south, Cluely suggests Lee “reference her art” and provides a script for him to follow. “I saw your profile and the painting with the tulips. You are the most gorgeous girl ever,” Lee reads off his glasses, which rescues his chances with her.

Ah.

Last month, Trump claimed to have already struck 200 trade agreements with foreign countries, a remark so outlandish it sent members of his administration scrambling to make it make sense. (There are also only 195 countries in the world.)

The vile foreigner swine must have pulled out of all of them over the past month.