Spyke

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How the AIDS crisis helped create a multibillion-dollar death-speculation market

The post was about a deal where you don't have to actually die to get some of your life insurance money. It's called a life settlement.

Here's how it works: You sell your life insurance policy to an investor for a fraction of the face value of the policy, maybe 20 to 30 cents on the dollar. The company pays the premiums to keep it in force, and when you die, they get the full payout instead of your beneficiaries.

world

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China follows Europe in switching to Linux with Windows being shown the door earlier than planned

The China Government Edition of Windows 10 was not developed by Microsoft; C&M Information Technologies (CMIT) developed it. CMIT itself is the product of a 2016 joint venture between Microsoft and the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group. This custom Windows build is designed to comply with Chinese government requirements and includes localized activation and update measures. It also removes certain customer services and adds support for Chinese cryptographic standards.

Fascinating.

news

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Trump Suggests He Can Use the Military on Bond Markets: ‘If We Have To Use That, We Will’

No," the president replied. "Not at all. No, he's a very capable man. He wanted to do it. He's very good at it. He is a good touch. Very good natural touch for the bonds and interest. And he did that? Yeah."

The reporter followed up, noting that "yields have come back up since then."

She then asked: "Have you talked to him about another type of intervention? Is that something he will be doing?"

"We have many types of intervention. That's one," Trump said, adding: "The ultimate intervention is our military. And if we have to use that, we will."

world

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Study finds three midlife health factors that could delay dementia for 13 years

Participants were assessed for three risk factors: high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking. They were then followed for about three decades, with an average follow-up of 26 years.

Those who had none of the three risk factors lived without developing dementia almost 13 years longer than those who had all three.

Those with no diabetes, no high blood pressure and who did not smoke at the start of the study had an average of 30.1 more years free of dementia, the study found.

Meanwhile, those with one risk factor had an extra 26.3 years, those with two had 21 years, and those with three had just over 17 years.

xkcd

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xkcd #2948: Electric vs Gas

The motors have never been the problem, it's always been the battery. See train engines, they are a diesel generator with electric motors.

This is where history pisses me off. We should have been headlong into battery research after the oil embargoes. Could have been 40 years faster.