Tuesday☕️

Earth Intelligence

03 Dec 2024 — 6 min read

Trending:

Total U.S. credit card debt hit a record $1.17 trillion in the third quarter of 2024, increasing by $24 billion from the previous quarter, according to Federal Reserve data. Revolving credit, which includes credit cards, grew at an annual rate of 2.8%, while non-revolving credit, like auto and student loans, rose by 3.4%.
The average credit card interest rate reached 23.37%, making borrowing more expensive for consumers. At the same time, 9.1% of credit card balances became delinquent, the highest rate in over a decade.

Economics & Markets:

Yesterday’s U.S. stock market:

Yesterday’s commodity market:

Yesterday’s crypto market:

Geopolitics & Conflicts:

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a $725 million security assistance package for Ukraine. The package includes artillery, rockets, and air defense systems to bolster Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression. This assistance is part of a broader surge in security support unveiled by President Joe Biden on September 26, designed to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

Between November 30 and December 1, U.S. Navy destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS O’Kane (DDG 77) successfully intercepted and neutralized multiple weapons launched by Iran-backed Houthi forces while transiting the Gulf of Aden. The destroyers were escorting three U.S.-owned, operated, and flagged merchant vessels, ensuring their safety despite attacks.
No injuries or damages occurred to either the military or civilian vessels. The destroyers effectively countered three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), three one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAS), and one anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), showcasing the Navy’s readiness and operational capability.

Since October 7, the Houthis have been targeting ships—primarily American, Israeli, and European-owned vessels—traveling through the Suez Canal and surrounding areas. These attacks are being carried out in solidarity with the people of Gaza, with the Houthis stating that they will continue their assaults until Israel ceases its military actions in Gaza.
In response, the United States initiated Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect merchant ships transiting the region, which were increasingly being targeted by missiles and drones. The presence of U.S. Navy vessels under this operation has significantly enhanced the safety and security of ships passing through the area, demonstrating a strong deterrent against these attacks.

Environment & Weather:

Yesterday, December 3, 2024, Taal Volcano had a small eruption that lasted about four minutes. It sent ash and smoke 600 meters into the air, which rose to 2,800 meters before drifting west. Light ashfall was reported in nearby towns like Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas. Over the past month, the volcano has been releasing more gas and showing signs of activity. Experts believe the eruption happened because water touched magma near the surface.

Taal Volcano, in the Philippines, is one of the country’s most active volcanoes. It has a history of both small and big eruptions. A deadly eruption in 1911 killed over 1,300 people, and another in 1965 caused deadly flows of hot gas and ash, killing around 200. In January 2020, Taal erupted again, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing widespread damage. Even small eruptions from Taal can be dangerous because it is highly explosive. The volcano is currently under Alert Level 1, and people are warned to stay away from the danger zone. Authorities are closely monitoring it for any changes.

Space:

Today, December 3, 2024, several notable rocket launches are planned across the globe, showcasing diverse objectives in space exploration and satellite technology. The day starts at 12:55 AM EST with China’s Long March 3B/E rocket, launched by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, carrying an undisclosed payload.
At 11:00 AM EST, Russia will launch a Soyuz 2.1b rocket with a classified payload, referred to as “Cosmos,” from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, likely for national security or research purposes. Later, at 7:29 PM EST, SpaceX will launch its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, sending Starlink Group 9-14 satellites into orbit to expand its global internet network.

Finally, at 11:50 PM EST, ExPace, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), will launch a Kuaizhou 1A rocket from Xichang with another unspecified payload. These missions highlight a wide array of goals, from military and scientific research to commercial satellite deployment, reflecting the ongoing global advancements in space capabilities.

Science & Technology:

INTELLECT-1, created by San Francisco-based Prime Intellect in 2023 and released on November 29, is a 10-billion-parameter AI model trained on 1 trillion tokens using hardware spread across five countries. Despite challenges like slow connections and hardware differences, it achieved over 30% efficiency during training, a significant accomplishment for decentralized AI. It performs well in tasks like text generation, language understanding, summarization, and coding assistance.
While it’s not fully open-source, parts of its framework are available to encourage collaboration, making it an important step forward in training AI efficiently across global networks and increasing accessibility to advanced AI. Smaller models like INTELLECT-1 and larger models like ChatGPT are built for different purposes. ChatGPT is ideal for general tasks, like powering chatbots or answering questions, because it has broad, pre-trained knowledge. However, it’s less customizable and not always the best fit for specific systems. Smaller models, like INTELLECT-1, excel at specialized tasks.
For example, if you’re building an AI to manage a database, a smaller model can directly connect to the database and focus only on the relevant data instead of relying on pre-trained knowledge. Smaller models are also more efficient, easier to train, and allow precise control over their functions. In short, larger models are great for general use and flexibility, while smaller models are ideal for custom, focused tasks that integrate with specific systems.

Platform Update:

The Earth Intelligence System is live! The current version features Countries & Islands, which provides basic profiles on every country, and Conflict Overwatch, which helps you explore global conflicts through interactive data points and explanations. While it’s a simple version for now, we’re upgrading and adding new features daily. Every week, we’ll be adding more data sources, systems, and tools to expand what the platform can do.

Clickable image: Earth Intelligence System (EIS)

Our ultimate vision is to create an all-knowing, visual system that brings together every area of human knowledge. Right now, we’re starting with two topics, but in the future, the system will include millions, visualizing all data in ways that help you see the big picture. Will keep you updated on progress as the system continues to evolve.