Month: June 2025

New federal employees must praise Trump EOs, submit to continuous vetting

Trump will continuously monitor all federal workers for “trustworthiness.”

With the federal hiring freeze lifting in mid-July, the Trump administration has rolled out a controversial federal hiring plan that critics warn will politicize and likely slow down the process rather than increase government efficiency.

De-emphasizing degree requirements and banning DEI initiatives—as well as any census tracking of gender, race, ethnicity, or religion to assess the composition of government—the plan requires every new hire to submit essays explaining which executive orders or policy initiatives they will help advance.

These essays must be limited to 200 words and cannot be generated by a chatbot, the guidance noted. While some applicants may point to policies enacted by prior presidents under their guidance, the president appears to be seeking to ensure that only Trump supporters are hired and that anyone who becomes disillusioned with Trump is weeded out over time. In addition to asking for a show of loyalty during the interview process, all federal workers will also be continuously vetted and must agree to submit to "checks for post-appointment conduct that may impact their continued trustworthiness," the guidance noted, referencing required patriotism repeatedly.

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Anzeige: Produktiv arbeiten mit ChatGPT im E-Learning-Format

Texte erstellen, Projekte planen, Bewerbungen optimieren: Mit ChatGPT lassen sich viele Aufgaben besser erledigen. Dieser Kurs lehrt in zweieinhalb Stunden das richtige Promptengineering. (Golem Karrierewelt, KI)

Texte erstellen, Projekte planen, Bewerbungen optimieren: Mit ChatGPT lassen sich viele Aufgaben besser erledigen. Dieser Kurs lehrt in zweieinhalb Stunden das richtige Promptengineering. (Golem Karrierewelt, KI)

Icepi Zero is an open source FPGA board in a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized form factor

Nearly a decade ago, Raspberry Pi showed that it’s possible to cram a fully functional computer into a tiny package that’s about the size of a stick of chewing gum or about the size of a USB flash drive. In time since the first Raspberry Pi…

Nearly a decade ago, Raspberry Pi showed that it’s possible to cram a fully functional computer into a tiny package that’s about the size of a stick of chewing gum or about the size of a USB flash drive. In time since the first Raspberry Pi Zero launched we’ve seen a bunch of updates as […]

The post Icepi Zero is an open source FPGA board in a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized form factor appeared first on Liliputing.

Could floating solar panels on a reservoir help the Colorado River?

Floating solar panels appear to conserve water while generating green electricity.

GILA RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz.—About 33 miles south of Phoenix, Interstate 10 bisects a line of solar panels traversing the desert like an iridescent snake. The solar farm’s shape follows the path of a canal, with panels serving as awnings to shade the gently flowing water from the unforgiving heat and wind of the Sonoran Desert.

The panels began generating power last November for the Akimel O’otham and Pee Posh tribes—known together as the Gila River Indian Community, or GRIC—on their reservation in south-central Arizona, and they are the first of their kind in the US. The community is studying the effects of these panels on the water in the canal, hopeful that they will protect a precious resource from the desert’s unflinching sun and wind.

In September, GRIC is planning to break ground on another experimental effort to conserve water while generating electricity: floating solar. Between its canal canopies and the new project that would float photovoltaic panels on a reservoir it is building, GRIC hopes to one day power all of its canal and irrigation operations with solar electricity, transforming itself into one of the most innovative and closely watched water users in the West in the process.

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F1 in Spain: Now that was a lapse in judgment

The cars got new front wings, but there’s only one story that matters.

Formula 1 held its annual Spanish Grand Prix this past weekend at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona. It's a good place to test a modern F1 car, as you need great aerodynamics to be fast around here, especially now that the awkward chicanes are gone. You also need good mechanical grip. Races used to be processional here, but the re-profiled turn 10 and the flat-out nature of the last turn have changed all that.

This was to be the weekend of new front wings, the result of a "technical directive" meant to stop excessive flexing as part of the sport's ongoing antipathy toward creatively movable aerodynamics outside a tightly described domain. The competitive order would be reset, some hoped, as their rivals would be forced to give up unfair advantages. In fact, the new wings turned out to be a nothingburger. McLaren's advantage remains, and that was clear on a circuit that tests every aspect of a racing car.

But there's only one story that anyone really cares about after Spain, and it's the one about Red Bull's Max Verstappen. For much of the race, Verstappen held onto third place, behind the too-fast McLarens. This required using one more set of tires than they did, and for his last stint, all that was left for the Red Bull driver was a set of the too-hard compound, giving him little in the way of grip.

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