FT: “An international research team has for the first time imaged and controlled a type of magnetic flow called altermagnetism, which physicists say could be used to develop faster and more reliable electronic devices. A groundbreaking experiment at a powerful X-ray microscope in Sweden provides direct proof of the existence of altermagnetism, according to a paper published in Nature [recently]. Altermagnetic materials can sustain magnetic activity without themselves being magnetic. The team from the UK’s Nottingham university that led the research said the discovery has revolutionary potential for the electronics industry. “Altermagnets have the potential to lead to a thousand-fold increase in the speed of microelectronic components and digital memory, while being more robust and energy-efficient,” said senior author Peter Wadley.”
The Guardian: “Scientists believe activity is not just a good idea for improving the day ahead – physical activity could be associated with small increase in memory scores the next, too. A study from University College London has shown that 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity and sleeping for at least six hours at night, could contribute to improved cognitive performance the following day. “The takeaway is just [that] physical activity is good for your brain and good sleep helps that,” said Dr Mikaela Bloomberg, first author of the study.”
WSJ: “In 1940, faced with an America unprepared and unequipped for modern warfare, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to give American industrial leaders the lead in key decisions and strategic planning for mobilization. The man Roosevelt recruited to lead the effort, General Motors President William Knudsen, asked for 18 months and promised to mobilize enough of American industry to produce the greatest outpouring of modern weaponry the world had ever seen—from planes, tanks and machine guns to ships, submarines and aircraft carriers. The result was that by December 1941, when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, the U.S. was already poised to outproduce Nazi Germany in war materiel…Two-thirds of all the war materiel used by all the Allies in World War II came from America—as did the most powerful innovative weapon in history, the atomic bomb. The World War II model can help revive and restore America’s ailing defense industrial base. It can also serve as a model for the Trump revolution in government as a whole, by following three rules that governed the creation of what Knudsen and Roosevelt called “the arsenal of democracy. First, seek out the most productive…Second, focus on results, not process…Third, establish incentives for innovation.”
Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi: “The spectacular improvement [that began with the Industrial Revolution] in the material condition of ordinary people resulted not from any great benefactor or goodwill or solidarity among the masses. Far from relying on some Revolution of Good Intentions, this particular engine of human improvement relies on self-interest and the spontaneous orders it creates. It requires not even an awareness that good is being done.” [via Cafe Hayek]
Business Standard: “Nine Indian states with ongoing or proposed cash transfer schemes for women have collectively allocated $18 billion in their 2024-25 Budget Estimates, amounting to 0.5 per cent of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the same financial year, according to research by Goldman Sachs. Cash transfer schemes have emerged as a powerful strategy for ruling state governments to attract women voters, often influencing election outcomes.”
