SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, another look at the threats posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI Poses Extinction-Level Threat to Humans

CBS reports: AI poses extinction-level threat to humans, study suggests. The article’s intro:

“A new study published by Stanford University’s Existential Risks Initiative has identified five major threats to humanity by the year 2075. Runaway artificial intelligence is considered one of them. “

Yellow-Legged Hornets Detected in Georgia

Reader D.S.V. sent this news from The Blaze: Live yellow-legged hornet said to have been detected in the open U.S. for the first time.

Those Flaming E-Bikes!

B.G. sent this: Exploding E-Bikes: Lithium Battery Fires Spread In New York And California. Here is an excerpt:

“Lithium-ion batteries have sparked hundreds of fires across New York and San Francisco this year, injuring dozens and resulting in the death of a few individuals, triggering worries about ongoing public safety.

In New York, “fires caused by Lithium-ion batteries have grown exponentially every year since 2021,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said on Friday during a public safety briefing. “We are now, unfortunately, seeing more and more of these kinds of extremely fast-moving, very powerful fires with some regularity in the city. As of this week, there have been 131 fires, 76 injuries, and 13 deaths caused by these Lithium-ion batteries.”

This is a significant jump from 2021 when there were 79 injuries and four deaths from such fires. In 2022, there were 142 injuries and six deaths. The 2023 death toll has already exceeded the past two years combined with roughly five months remaining in the year.”

Oregon and Utah Want GPS Trackers in EVs

Reader C.B. sent us this: Oregon and Utah Announce Mandated GPS Trackers in Electric Vehicles To Tax Drivers per Mile Driven. Here is a quote:

“The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

The landscape of road taxation is shifting as Oregon and Utah take innovative steps to address the unique challenge posed by electric vehicles (EVs). In an effort to fairly fund road maintenance, these states are introducing GPS trackers for EVs, aiming to track miles driven and consequently impose a per-mile tax.

It is no surprise that this move has sparked debates about privacy concerns and the expanding role of technology in governance.”

The Hole in the Ozone Layer Is Opening Early This Year

Over at Popular Mechanics: The Hole in the Ozone Layer Is Opening Early This Year. That Shouldn’t Happen.

Canada Making Contingency Plans for “Far-Right” U.S.

Reader M.J. sent this news of the Canadian Foreign Minister stated that Canada is working on contingency plans: Canada has ‘game plan’ if U.S. takes far-right, authoritarian shift, Joly says.  M.J.s Comment: “Apparently, to the Canadians, there’s no such thing as a takeover by left-wing authoritarians.”

Masks, and Mask Mandates, Were Never About Safety

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Masks, and mask mandates, were never about anybody’s safety. A pericope from the article:

“From Fauci’s “noble lies,” to the nonsensical restaurant requirements, and the eventual political polarization that developed concerning them, there was deliberately stoked controversy from the very beginning.

For every other medico-scientific aspect of this pandemic – from the vaccines, to Remdesivir and Paxlovid, to actually useful treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine – the scientific fraud machine worked overtime to produce a multitude of bogus, falsified, yet superficially convincing studies that media, influencers, officials and politicians could use to convince you.

When it comes to masks, “The Science” is still awfully light, and the studies that have been published either clearly show they have no effect, or are unconvincing statistical misrepresentations.”

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