TO SOLVE ITS HARDEST PROBLEMS SILICON VALLEY TURNS TO PHYSICISTS

TOP OF THE NEWS:

- To Solve Its Hardest Problems, Silicon Valley Turns to Physicists (Wired) "But this is a particularly ripe moment for physicists in computer tech, thanks to the rise of machine learning, where machines learn tasks by analyzing vast amounts of data. This new wave of data science and AI is something that suits physicists right down to their socks. In other words, all the physicists pushing into the realm of the Silicon Valley engineer is a sign of a much bigger change to come. Soon, all the Silicon Valley engineers will push into the realm of the physicist."

ECONOMY:

- The economy under Trump: Plan for the worst (WaPo)

EDUCATION:

- Tech’s Favorite School Faces Its Biggest Test: the Real World (Wired) "Last year, according to Summit administrators, 74 percent of Summit students met or exceeded Common Core standards for English Language Arts on California’s state tests, compared to 49 percent of students statewide, and 51 percent of Summit students met or exceeded the standards for math, compared to 37 percent statewide. The college acceptance rate for Summit graduates perennially pushes 100 percent."

HEALTHCARE:

- Health Law Repeal Could Cost 18 Million Their Insurance, Study Finds (NYT) "The repeal legislation analyzed by the budget office would have eliminated tax penalties for people who go without insurance. It would also have eliminated spending for the expansion of Medicaid and subsidies that help lower-income people buy private insurance. But the bill preserved requirements for insurers to provide coverage, at standard rates, to any applicant, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions."

- Why the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare is so extraordinary (WaPo)

- Physician Aid in Dying Gains Acceptance in the U.S. (NYT)

NEWS:

- The director of the CIA just went off on Donald Trump. It was a long time coming. (WaPo) "'Tell the families of those 117 CIA officers who are forever memorialized on our wall of honor that their loved ones who gave their lives were akin to Nazis. Tell the CIA officers who are serving in harm’s way right now and their families who are worried about them that they are akin to Nazi Germany. I found that to be very repugnant, and I will forever stand up for the integrity and patriotism of my officers who have done much over the years to sacrifice for their fellow citizens.'"

- Trump’s presidency is doomed (WaPo) "By the end of the week, Trump will be the president. I wish him the best; I wish him the worst. The dilemma is how to separate loathing for him from love of country. I am leaving it to time to work that out. Meanwhile, Trump will have his moment, that’s for sure, but when things go wrong he will be chased from office — just like [Lyndon] Johnson once was. The ancient Greeks knew why: A man’s character is his fate. In that case, Trump’s presidency is doomed. "

- Just when you thought the Trump ethics disaster couldn’t get worse, it did (WaPo) "Both of us, former ethics counsels for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, respectively, have worked with Shaub, a career public servant who, in our experience, provided nonpartisan and wise advice. Now, Shaub is being pilloried — and may be at risk of losing his job — for doing just that, and asserting correctly that Trump’s approach 'doesn’t meet the standards . . . that every president in the last four decades has met.'"

SCIENCE:

- How You Perceive Intelligence Could Affect Your Confidence (Ozy) "And remember: 'No. 1: We can learn quite a bit over time. There are few fields that remain static,' Ehrlinger says. 'No. 2: You might not know as much as you think you do.'"

- The Stem-Cell Revolution Is Coming — Slowly (NYT)

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:

- The Man Who DJs for Obama, Stevie Wonder and Madonna (Ozy) "'In the Valley,' he [Adam Bravin — stage name Adam 12] recalls, 'you had hip-hop kids, punk-rock kids, skateboard kids, new-wave kids, goth kids, cool kids like the jocks and shit, so … I learned really early on to be able to handle a room full of people that wanted to hear a bunch of different things.'"

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