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Geoff Brumfiel

@gbrumfiel.bsky.social
16K followers 758 following 2.1K posts

I'm an editor/correspondent for NPR. Mostly smart on the radio. Mostly stupid on everywhere else. ChatGPT describes me as: "Aerospace sleuth, nuclear nerd and NPR Superfan — with a side of surreal humor." Signal: gbrumfiel.13 geoffbrumfiel.net

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Reposted by Geoff Brumfiel
Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW: When OpenAI claimed to solve one of the toughest problems in math earlier this month it promised the results would "benefit all of humanity." But mathematicians say they're still trying to figure out what the AI actually did to solve the problem. www.npr.org/2026/09/22/n...
npr.org
AI solved one of math's hardest problems. Humanity learned nothing (so far)
OpenAI beat humans to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, but mathematicians say the AI's solution isn't telling them much.
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Reposted by Geoff Brumfiel
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"The paper doesn't explain what parts are important. What parts are routine?” …this episode is a reminder that mathematics is about more than just finding a solution, said Maynard. "It wasn't about only answering this problem, it was about the human understanding behind it," he said.”
npr.org
AI solved one of math's hardest problems. Humanity learned nothing (so far)
OpenAI beat humans to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, but mathematicians say the AI's solution isn't telling them much.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW: When OpenAI claimed to solve one of the toughest problems in math earlier this month it promised the results would "benefit all of humanity." But mathematicians say they're still trying to figure out what the AI actually did to solve the problem. www.npr.org/2026/09/22/n...
npr.org
AI solved one of math's hardest problems. Humanity learned nothing (so far)
OpenAI beat humans to solving the Navier-Stokes problem, but mathematicians say the AI's solution isn't telling them much.
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Reposted by Geoff Brumfiel
Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW: As the 2026 midterms move into full swing, campaigns are flooding the airwaves and web with AI generated advertisements... 🧵 www.npr.org/2026/09/16/n...
npr.org
As campaign season gears up, AI-generated ads are everywhere
Data suggests many candidates are embracing AI this year to boost their image and portray their opponents unfavorably. But whether it will turn out voters remains unclear.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW: As the 2026 midterms move into full swing, campaigns are flooding the airwaves and web with AI generated advertisements... 🧵 www.npr.org/2026/09/16/n...
npr.org
As campaign season gears up, AI-generated ads are everywhere
Data suggests many candidates are embracing AI this year to boost their image and portray their opponents unfavorably. But whether it will turn out voters remains unclear.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Today @vantortech.bsky.social released hi-res imagery of damage to the Saudi East-West pipeline pumping station at al Mesba'ah (23.9565, 40.0538). The station looks largely destroyed. Saudi officials said the attack came from Iraq and there were injuries.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A Houthi strike on Saudi Arabia's East West pipeline appears to have hit a pumping station near al Mesba'ah.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Look I get it: existential anxiety is high. Just take a deep breath and unplug this weekend. Go watch a fun movie.
static.klipy.com
Oscar Isaac Dancing in Ex Machina Scene
ALT: Oscar Isaac Dancing in Ex Machina Scene
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I'm not going to devote too much time on the whole "White House Arcade" website because it feels a bit passé, given their propensity for these stunts. But my bosses asked me if I thought it was vibe coded and here's what I found.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
NEW: Satellite provider @planet.com says that it is restoring access to imagery across the Middle East after a months-long blackout. Coverage around the Persian Gulf, Straight of Hormuz and Red Sea remain restricted.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Just imagine: social media used to be this smart and fun all the time.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Airports too, I guess.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Posting this screenshot for later reference.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Just spent some time looking at the new @vantortech.bsky.social images of the China-Nepal Gyirong Port/Rasuwagadhi border post. (location: 28.280, 85.377) It appears only one structure on the Tibet side of the rossing survived. Also possibly the footing for the bridge between China and Nepal....
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New from @vantortech.bsky.social. Absolutely astonishing images of the China-Nepal Gyirong Port/Rasuwagadhi border post. Literally nothing is left. (Before 19 April, After 27 Aug)
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Insane.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NEW: My story on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's proposal to end the use of "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" (ALARA) as a guiding principle for radiation protection. As usual I'll do a little 🧵 for the super ☢️🤓 crowd.... www.npr.org/2026/08/27/n...
npr.org
Nuclear regulator prepares to abandon a decades-old radiation safety rule
A push by President Trump could mean the elimination of a safety standard designed to keep radiation exposure as low as possible.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
USCIS proposes a weirdly specific $103,265 fee for every H-1B visa application. The feel would be due at time of filing and (presumably, like other fees from DHS) would be non-refundable if the application were rejected. One wonders how many companies would actually pay this for an H-1B worker.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
In case you missed it over the weekend, this was a really fun piece to report on AI "slop" and whether it deserves copyright protection. If nothing else you get to hear IP lawyers discus Tung Tung Tung Sahur.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Spotted yesterday over DC: the trifecta.
3 types of bombers
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Same! Reporting it made me feel like a dinosaur. 🦕
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Reposted by Geoff Brumfiel
Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Is it AI slop or human art? That's the question at the center of a case over a cartoon stick worth (potentially) hundreds of millions of dollars. www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...
npr.org
A battle over 'Italian brainrot' could shape who owns AI art
A legal battle over what looks like a cartoon stick could help set the rules over whether creators can claim ownership of their AI-generated characters.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Is it AI slop or human art? That's the question at the center of a case over a cartoon stick worth (potentially) hundreds of millions of dollars. www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...
npr.org
A battle over 'Italian brainrot' could shape who owns AI art
A legal battle over what looks like a cartoon stick could help set the rules over whether creators can claim ownership of their AI-generated characters.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
static.klipy.com
Sungwon Cho Says That's Incredibly Specific
ALT: Sungwon Cho Says That's Incredibly Specific
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Look Rainbolt is called an OSINT god for a reason….
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Vitamin Water, I know it's been a while since we've been together, but I think it's time we had a chat.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This warning form the manual of ICE's new shock gloves is wild.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
What happens when you put an air tag in a large shipment of old books? You end up at an AI-training facility where such books are destructively scanned. www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...
404media.co
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The Ecuadorian boat plot thickens. New reporting from the WaPo suggests that the CIA is behind a "covert action" that left 8 Ecuadorian fishermen missing. Great work by @imogenpiper.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social and others. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats
A surveillance plane flew from El Salvador toward the fishing boats before drones attacked, flight data shows.
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Reposted by Geoff Brumfiel
Marco Langbroek @marcolangbroek.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Very happy with this result. Combination of #eclipse images (time lapse) with 35 mm lens, one image per 5 minutes, from #Leiden, the Netherlands. Old Leiden Observatory bottom right.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Hoboy.... earlier this year the U.S. and Ukraine squared off in a big exercise called "Combined Resolve." And the Ukranians kiiinda kicked our butt.... www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
wsj.com
Exclusive | U.S. and Ukrainian Forces Went Head-to-Head in an Exercise. Ukraine’s Drones Won.
A battlefield drill this spring showed that the U.S. military hasn’t fully absorbed the lessons of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This is some great OSINT reporting by @trbrtc.bsky.social and the NYT team on an ongoing mystery. Who are the "gringos" in military uniforms that attacked Ecuadorian fishing vessels in the Eastern Pacific earlier this year? www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/w...
nytimes.com
Ecuadorean Fishing Boats Hit by Mystery Attackers (Gift Article)
Ecuadorean crews plying the waters of the Pacific have been targeted by a mysterious outfit equipped with drones. Some sailors appear to have lost their lives.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Guys, I'm doing a story on changing radiation standards and I am SO FED UP with radiation units. I'd like to propose a new system of measurement that ALL NATIONS will conform to: 1 DEAD (abrv: ded symb: ☠️) = 700 mSv/70 rem/.7 Gray All other health effects are described in fractions of a DEAD...
static.klipy.com
Tired Zombie Man with Red Eyes
ALT: Tired Zombie Man with Red Eyes
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Just finished watching The War Game (1965). Did not have “scurvy” on my post nuclear-war radar until now….
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The White House is getting Monday off to a sloppy start with this Game-of-Thrones inspired (IP violating?) depiction of DC. TL;DR Most of the fountains are working now.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
OK, look, I'm not out here puffing up the Pentagon's UAP file release, but you gotta admit, this one from the South China Sea in 2024 is kind of weird. #DefinitelyNotBirds #TheTruthIsOutThere #HappyBirthdayMulder
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
NEW: Valar Atomics announces its raised $1 Billion in funding from numerous companies including Sequoia Capital.
Valar Atomics Raises $1 Billion Series B Led by Sequoia and Secures $200 Million Credit Facility to Build the World’s First Vertically Integrated Industrial Nuclear Power Company

Financing accelerates manufacturing of standardized nuclear power plants to meet the rapidly growing energy demands of artificial intelligence, industry, and national security

LOS ANGELES, August 3, 2026 — Valar Atomics today announced the closing of a $1 billion Series B financing led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Apandion, Atreides Management, Conviction, Dream Ventures, HOF Capital, Point72, Riot Ventures, Snowpoint Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, and other undisclosed new and existing investors. Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire will join Valar’s board of directors. The company also announced the closing of a $200 million credit facility led by Erebor Bank, as administrative agent, and J.P. Morgan, alongside Crescent Cove and Hercules Capital.

Together, the equity financing and credit facility fund the shift from demonstrating an integrated reactor system to manufacturing fleets of them. The financing will accelerate reactor manufacturing, advance domestic nuclear fuel production, grow engineering and manufacturing operations required to deliver at scale, and support commercial deployment of Valar’s standardized reactor platform for AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, defense applications, and other energy-intensive industries.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
UPDATED STORY: Google has paused a tool that allowed users to briefly create deepfake AI satellite images with the click of a button. www.npr.org/2026/07/31/n...
npr.org
Google pauses AI satellite images, after fears of deepfakes in the sky
Journalists, human rights advocates and open source analysts recoiled in horror at the initial decision: "The opportunities for abuse and disinfo are literally boundless," said one.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: Google adds AI to satellite images, raising fears of deepfakes in the sky. Full story here: www.npr.org/2026/07/31/n...
An AI-generated image of fires burning on Iran's Kharg Island.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Incredible story: With the help of AI, U.S. officials created a map that mislabeled every country in Africa. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
reuters.com
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at ‌a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screen...
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/w...
nytimes.com
What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East
Video footage and satellite images reveal new details about Iranian strikes on U.S. targets during the latest flare-up in fighting.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Wow. Somebody actually said it. #IranWar #HuntForRedOctober
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
GUYS! I'm going on vacation for a little bit, but I didn't want to leave you without quality content. So please enjoy this THERMONUCLEAR RAGEBAIT! 😘✈️🌴
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Valar Atomic's nuclear powered website has been down since their demonstration event last week. That means the reactor isn't running at the moment...
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Evergreen. youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY?...
youtu.be
The Day Today - WAR!
YouTube video by Jmagunda
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
NEW: After Valar Atomics produced the first electricity last week, I got a brief interview with Isaiah Taylor, their founder and CEO. I learned some interesting stuff that's probably a bit niche for NPR's audience, but #nukesky, you're going to love it.... Here we go! 😀☢️🧵
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
😂
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Reposted by Geoff Brumfiel
National Association of Science Writers (NASW) @sciencewriters.org · 01/07/2026
Proposed rule revisions of federal grant guidelines by the OMB will limit transparency and the communication of scientific findings. Learn more: www.nasw.org/article... Honor America's 250th by letting your voice be heard. Log your opposition by July 13: www.regulations.gov/...
nasw.org
Proposed OMB changes would gut science communication — Comment by July 13
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget recently proposed extensive changes to [federal grant guidelines](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-10817/regulation-for-federal-financial-assistance) that would severely restrict how scientists communicate their research findings to the public and American taxpayers.
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Sayonara ALARA. The NRC is proposing removing the "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" standard from their rules for radiation exposure. The DOE removed the standard about six months ago. www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2618/...
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