Menu
In 2020, NASA placed a robotic rover, Perseverance, on Mars to explore the planet’s surface and atmosphere. Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, carrying a small helicopter, Ingenuity, in its belly. The mission aims to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples for future return to Earth. Ingenuity’s role was to demonstrate powered flight in Mars’ thin atmosphere, completing 72 flights over nearly three years and paving the way for future aerial exploration on Mars. The mission was an incredible engineering feat. Mars is more than 100 million miles from Earth.
Meanwhile, it took California 38 days to count the votes of its citizens and certify the results of the November election. There are reasons it took so long.
1. Mail-In Ballots:
Every registered voter in California receives a mail-in ballot, which requires more time to process than in-person votes. Election officials must verify signatures on ballot envelopes, ensuring they match records, and resolve any issues through a process called “ballot curing” [1][2][4]. California also accepts mail-in ballots that arrive up to a week after Election Day, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. This extended deadline delays the final count [3][4].
2. High Voter Participation:
As the most populous state, California processes millions of ballots. In recent elections, a significant number of voters submitted their mail-in ballots on or close to Election Day, creating a bottleneck for processing [1][3][4].
3. Labor-Intensive Process:
California prioritizes accuracy and voter participation over speed. Election workers manually verify and process ballots, which takes longer but ensures that every valid vote is counted [1][6].
4. Policy Decisions:
California law allows counties up to 30 days to certify election results, giving local officials flexibility in their counting schedules. Some counties operate during regular business hours and take breaks during weekends or holidays, further slowing the process [1][2][6].
In comparison with other states, California would say its policies prioritize inclusivity and accessibility, which inherently extend the timeline [3][4]. States like Florida finish counting faster because they have stricter deadlines for receiving mail-in ballots and begin processing them earlier.
In addition to the reasons for the long lead time to count the votes, there are other factors to consider about the election in California. More than 16 million Californians voted. However, 29% of registered voters and 40% of eligible voters did not vote. Why? There are many reasons, which I wrote about in Election Attitude – How Internet Voting Leads to a Stronger Democracy. The top ten reasons include dislike of candidates, belief voting doesn’t matter, lack of time, logistical barriers, not registered to vote, health issues or disabilities, lack of information, distrust in the electoral system, voting access laws, and apathy toward politics. Can technology address some of the obstacles to voting? I have no doubt. If we can put a robotic rover with a helicopter in its belly on Mars, 100 million miles away, can’t we use technology to make voting easier, more convenient, simpler, secure, private, and verifiable? Again, I have no doubt.
Voting by Internet is not widely adopted globally due to concerns about security, privacy, and reliability, all of which are addressable issues. Countries and municipalities around the world have experimented with or implemented Internet voting for specific populations such as overseas voters or military personnel. The idea is catching on.
Estonia is the most notable example, offering nationwide Internet voting since 2005. It allows citizens to vote online securely using a national ID card and has been widely accepted by the public. In the United States, Internet voting is not widely used, though some states allow limited online voting for overseas or military voters. A few countries, such as Switzerland and Canada, have piloted Internet voting in certain regions or elections, but it is not yet a standard practice.
In the 2024 Mexican general elections, approximately 122,497 Mexicans voted online using Voatz mobile blockchain technology. This was part of the first-time implementation of Internet voting for Mexicans living abroad in a federal election. Additionally, 22,243 voters used in-person kiosks at embassies or consulates, bringing the total number of overseas voters to 144,740.
In Halifax, Internet voting was implemented successfully during the 2024 Halifax Regional Municipality Election. The innovative approach allowed voters to cast their ballots online during the advance voting period (October 8–16, 2024), using a unique personal identification number. 62% of voters (76,386 individuals) chose to vote online, demonstrating a strong preference for digital voting methods. The system, provided by Simply Voting in collaboration with Intelivote Systems, also included kiosk and telephone voting options to ensure accessibility. The process was praised for its security and efficiency, with encrypted and auditable systems ensuring vote integrity. This marked a significant step toward modernizing elections in Halifax while prioritizing accessibility and voter convenience.
Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer and Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google wrote a short blurb for the back cover of Election Attitude. He said, “John Patrick makes a very strong case for serious development of an online voting system for the US. He makes it clear that naysayers are comparing the risks of online voting to perfection rather than the existing unreliable systems. We can do this.”
Sources
[1] Why California Is Still Counting Ballots – The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/us/california-ballot-count-house-election.html
[2] Why Does it Take California so Long to Count Votes? – Nevada County https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=7930
[3] Why California takes weeks to count votes, while Florida is faster https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/why-california-takes-weeks-count-votes-lorida-fasters/
[4] Why California takes weeks to count votes | AP News https://apnews.com/article/california-vote-count-house-f2fc180be874fe88d3944956ea929bc5
[5] Why California’s vote count will take days – California Voter Foundation https://www.calvoter.org/content/why-california%E2%80%99s-vote-count-will-take-days
[6] Why does California’s vote count take so long? Secretary … – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjdR4X0PEpg
[7] California is still counting votes from the 2024 election. Here’s what’s … https://www.npr.org/2024/12/01/nx-s1-5206666/california-is-still-counting-votes-from-the-2024-election-heres-whats-left
[8] Perplexity Elections https://www.perplexity.ai/elections/2024-11-05/us/president
In this section, I share what I am up to, pictures of the week, what is new in AI and crypto, and more.
The Collective [i] Forecast this week featured Hod Lipson, professor of Engineering and Data Science at Columbia University in New York. Hod is also author, and award-winning researcher. The live session included 100% Q&A about his predictions for the near future, what threats and opportunities breakthrough technologies pose for humanity, and recommendations to ensure AI becomes a force for good. He was very bullish on humanoid robots. I learned a lot.
Monday, December 16, was Joanne’s birthday. Despite the cold raining weather, we walked around Rockefeller Plaza in New York to see the Christmas tree and skaters.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
74-feet-tall
Skaters in the cold rain
Dinner at Lusardi’s at 79th and 2nd Avenue. What a treat to celebrate Joanne’s birthday.
Brunello Grappa after dinner at Lusardi’s
In 2024, it is estimated approximately 500,000 to 1 million books were published through traditional publishing. When including self-published titles, the total number rises significantly, with estimates suggesting close to 4 million new book titles published worldwide this year. The trend is great for readers, not so much for authors. The graphic below shows some of the books I read this year on Kindle. The graphic does not show hardcover books I read.
Siri is still lame, despite an infusion of Apple Intelligence. The good part is you can now use Siri to take you to chatGPT. I think the new camera button will be the hit for iPhone 16. I took a picture in my office to try it out. It told me the potted plant in the corner was a Snake plant. Amazing. You can point it at a restaurant and it will show the menu. Point it at a sign in Japanese and it will translate it.
I invested in Voatz in 2021 and was a pro bono adviser from time to time in the early days before that. Voatz reflects what I wrote about in Election Attitude – How Internet Voting Leads to a Stronger Democracy.
Voatz has announced the successful completion of historic elections in Mexico. Not only was this arguably the most advanced online election ever conducted anywhere, it also created a unique piece of history with Mexico electing its first woman president. It was also Voatz’s first million-dollar election contract. Voatz now holds the unique distinction of pioneering blockchain-backed digital voting for public elections in all three major countries of North America.
Voatz also announced a new win in the State of Wisconsin with an expected revenue of $250k over 5 years. Nearly 60k new voters will become eligible to use the Voatz system for the first time starting this November.
The US Commercial Service (a part of the Dept. of Commerce) has selected Voatz for the official USA Pavilion at the 2024 Africa Tech Festival. This partnership may help provide a boost to its international expansion efforts and add credibility for larger procurement opportunities.
Here are the latest developments in artificial intelligence this week:
Amazon has invested an additional $4 billion in Anthropic, bringing its total investment in the AI company to $8 billion. This funding will support the development of next-generation AI-optimized chips and expand the use of Anthropic’s Claude models through Amazon’s Bedrock service, which is widely used by companies like Pfizer and Intuit.
The European Commission’s AI Office has conducted consultations on the scope and definitions under the EU AI Act and published a draft General-Purpose AI Code of Practice. These efforts aim to clarify the Act’s application and address risks from manipulative or deceptive AI practices, with final guidelines expected in early 2025.
OpenAI is facing legal challenges in Canada and India over alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted materials for training its models. These cases raise questions about ethical AI training practices and compliance with intellectual property laws.
At the University at Buffalo, advancements include plans for a new academic department focused on AI’s societal impact and research on safeguarding medical data during cloud transfers. These initiatives align with broader efforts to responsibly leverage AI for social good.
The UN Security Council is holding a high-level briefing on artificial intelligence, chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The meeting will explore global challenges posed by AI, featuring input from experts like Yann LeCun and Fei-Fei Li.
These updates highlight significant investments, regulatory actions, and scientific advancements shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
Sources
[1] Neural Network – December 2024 https://www.shlegal.com/insights/neural-network—december-2024
[2] The top technology stories from 2024 https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/12/top-technology-stories-from-2024/
[3] 2024: The year of AI at UB https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2024/12/year-of-ai.html
[4] 9 ways AI is advancing science – The Keyword https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-ai-big-scientific-breakthroughs-2024/
[5] 2024 Look Back: How AI Shaped a Year of Impact – CZI Blog https://chanzuckerberg.com/blog/2024-look-back/
[6] Study: Robotic automation, AI will speed up scientific progress in … https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-robotic-automation-ai-scientific-science.html
[7] 54 NEW Artificial Intelligence Statistics (Dec 2024) – Exploding Topics https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ai-statistics
[8] Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (12 December 2024) https://pam.int/daily-digest-on-ai-and-emerging-technologies-12-december-2024/
[9] 9 of the Most Remarkable Scientific Discoveries of 2024 https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/9-of-the-most-remarkable-scientific-discoveries-of-2024
[10] The Data and AI Agenda: Key Conferences in December 2024 https://www.bigdatawire.com/2024/11/28/the-data-and-ai-agenda-key-conferences-in-december-2024/
[11] 6 Game-Changing AI Breakthroughs That Defined 2024 https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2024/12/16/6-game-changing-ai-breakthroughs-that-defined-2024/
[12] Reimagining Scientific Discovery with AI at PubSci | BNL Newsroom https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=222189
[13] International Conference on AI in Work, Innovation, Productivity and … https://www.oecd-events.org/ai-wips2024
[14] Artificial Intelligence: High-level Briefing : What’s In Blue https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2024/12/artificial-intelligence-high-level-briefing.php
[15] November 2024 Developments Under President Biden’s AI Executive Order https://www.insideglobaltech.com/2024/12/17/november-2024-developments-under-president-bidens-ai-executive-order/
The cryptocurrency market has seen significant developments this week:
Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $108,300 but has since retraced to $101,600. This pullback reflects ongoing market volatility, with traders closely watching key support levels around $100,000. Analysts suggest that holding above this level could pave the way for a rally toward $150,000. Ethereum also experienced fluctuations, peaking at $4,111 before dropping to $3,700 due to sell signals and concerns over Federal Reserve policies. The broader market remains influenced by the Fed’s anticipated 25-basis-point rate cut and projections for 2025, which could impact liquidity and risk asset performance.
Institutional interest continues to drive momentum, with Bitcoin ETFs accumulating over $100 billion in assets. Ethereum-based ETFs have also seen record inflows, signaling strong demand from institutional investors. Meanwhile, altcoins like Solana and Ripple are gaining traction amid increasing adoption and innovation in the blockchain space.
The launch of the PENGU token generated initial excitement but faced a sharp 50% correction due to heavy selling pressure from airdrop participants. This highlights the speculative nature of some new projects in the market.
Looking ahead, the crypto market’s trajectory will depend on macroeconomic factors, regulatory developments under the incoming U.S. administration, and continued institutional adoption. While Bitcoin and Ethereum remain dominant, altcoins are poised to play a larger role as innovation accelerates.
Sources
[1] Will Santa Bring Bitcoin? Tracking Crypto Trends Each December https://www.tradingview.com/chart/BTCUSD/cfk90j8r-Will-Santa-Bring-Bitcoin-Tracking-Crypto-Trends-Each-December/
[2] 10 Best Cryptos to Join in December 2024 as Investors Eye a Record-Smashing 2025 https://bravenewcoin.com/insights/10-best-cryptos-to-join-in-december-2024-as-investors-eye-a-record-smashing-2025
[3] Crypto to Buy for Beginners For The December 2024 | Bitcoinist.com https://bitcoinist.com/crypto-to-buy-for-beginners-for-the-december-2024/
[4] BTC, ETH, XRP Price Analysis: Fed Rate Scare is Threatening … https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/btc-eth-xrp-price-analysis-fed-rate-scare-is-threatening-crypto-momentum-1484750
[5] Crypto Market Analysis | 18 December 2024 – CoinSwitch https://coinswitch.co/switch/market-analysis/18-december-2024/
[6] Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction For December 19: Sell Signals … https://coingape.com/ethereum-eth-price-prediction-for-december-19-sell-signals-emerge/
[7] Ethtrader Market Update (19 December 2024): Crypto and Risk … https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/1hhuz6s/ethtrader_market_update_19_december_2024_crypto/
[8] Why Is Bitcoin Down Today? BTC Price Sees Sharpest Drop in 135 … https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/why-is-bitcoin-down-today-btc-price-sees-sharpest-drop-in-135-days/
[9] Dec 19 2024 Fed Rate Cut: What To Expect For Crypto | Mudrex Learn https://mudrex.com/learn/fed-rate-cut-impact-on-bitcoin-and-crypto-market/
[10] Here’s Dogecoin Price If Bitcoin Hits $325K and Ethereum $22K as … https://thecryptobasic.com/2024/12/19/heres-dogecoin-price-if-bitcoin-hits-325k-and-ethereum-22k-as-predicted-by-vaneck/
[11] December 2024 Newsletter: The Rise of Digital Assets https://www.lynalden.com/december-2024-newsletter/
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.
