Tag: news

GeopoliticsLeave a comment

Morning Briefing — Tuesday, 17 March 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,340 words

Colin Henderson

Today is Day 18 of the US-Israel war on Iran, and the dominant tone is escalation on multiple simultaneous fronts. Three crises are now compounding each other: a Middle East war that is reshaping global energy markets and European security doctrine simultaneously; a Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict that has crossed a threshold few anticipated; and a Canada-US trade relationship drifting back toward friction after a brief March thaw. The news environment today is notably darker than yesterday — two senior Iranian figures reportedly killed this morning, oil prices pushing through $100 again, and 400 bodies still being pulled from a Kabul hospital. … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Tuesday, 17 March 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,340 words

GeopoliticsLeave a comment

Morning Briefing — Monday, 9 March 2026

Colin Henderson

Anchored to America/Toronto time | Format: delta-focused 1. What Changed 🔴 INFLECTION POINT FLAG — Iran Names Hardline Successor: Mojtaba Khamenei Appointed Supreme Leader Oil Smashes Through $100/bbl; G7 Finance Ministers Convene Oslo: U.S. Embassy Struck by Incendiary Device — Iran Link Probed Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Resume After Five-Month Freeze 🔴 INFLECTION POINT FLAG — France Expands Nuclear Arsenal, Extends Deterrence to European Allies EU Digital Omnibus Advances — GDPR Weakened for AI Training Markets: Oil Shock Compresses Rate-Cut Expectations 2. New & Emerging Norway: Ayatollah Video Posted to Google Maps at Time of BlastA social media and open-source thread … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Monday, 9 March 2026

AI, Canada

The Canada AI Strategy Task Force was officially launched in September 2025

Colin Henderson

The Canada AI Strategy Task Force was officially launched in September 2025 by Minister Evan Solomon, marking a renewed effort to update and advance the country’s National AI Strategy. This initiative comes at a critical juncture as technological transformation and geopolitical forces reshape national priorities. Government of Canada launches AI Strategy Task Force and public engagement on the development of the next AI strategy From: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Key facts about the AI Strategy Task Force Source perplexity.ai In summary: The Task Force represents Canada’s commitment to leading in responsible and ambitious AI deployment, with emphasis on broad … Continue reading The Canada AI Strategy Task Force was officially launched in September 2025

AI

AI helped recover £500m lost to fraud -UK government

Colin Henderson

A theme is developing in business that AI contributes business value by eliminating one of the moost pervasive data issues, one which Banks reallly suffer but all businesses do a large extent: that issue is co-relating customer data from disparate sources and producing a novel profile which can be used to create value through customer activity, inadvertent or deliberate, by identifying items such as missed opportunities, fraudulent activity or customer ignorance which resulted in losses or missed new business. The UK givernment has develpoed an AI tool to create a picture of citizen activity related to government payments, much of … Continue reading AI helped recover £500m lost to fraud -UK government

AI

What is behind the staggering ascent of Palantir?

Colin Henderson

The unorthodox firm is profiting from the AI and Trumpian revolutions Source The Economist May 8th 2025|PALO ALTO|5 min readListen to this story ALEX KARP acts like everyone hates him. As the boss of Palantir strutted the stage at a recent gathering of clients, he got a kick out of sounding perverse, in his tousle-haired, punk-professor way. He used words like “masturbation” and “self-pleasuring”. He berated Silicon Valley, though he was speaking in Palo Alto, its heartland. At the last minute, he cancelled an interview with The Economist, though he used to sit on its parent company’s board; he did not like … Continue reading What is behind the staggering ascent of Palantir?

Geopolitics, Military

Inside China’s dangerous nuclear game

Colin Henderson

This article is part of Engelsberg Ideas’ latest series, ‘The Nuclear World Transformed’, in which our writers explore the history and current state of the global nuclear landscape, and how it is being reshaped by a new age of great-power competition.  Between 1990 and 2001 something happened in China that is unthinkable in today’s tense world. In short, an American wandered through the Chinese nuclear archipelago and came out to tell the tale. It sounds like a novel but it is a lesson in game theory and it is pure fact. The American was the director of the Technical Intelligence Division … Continue reading Inside China’s dangerous nuclear game

AI_factories, AI_research

Thoughts on The AI Infrastructure Landscape of 2050

Colin Henderson

The AI Infrastructure Landscape of 2050: Access Models, Architecture, and Future Scenarios Executive Summary By 2050, artificial intelligence (AI) will underpin global infrastructure, establishing a multi-tiered ecosystem where businesses of all sizes access AI through diverse models. The convergence of hyperscale computing, distributed edge networks, and autonomous AI systems will define a new paradigm of intelligent, adaptive infrastructure (IPFA, 2024)[1]. AI Factories: The Industrialization of Intelligence Definition and Role NVIDIA’s “AI Factory” concept marks a shift from general-purpose data centers to specialized facilities dedicated to the AI lifecycle: ingesting raw data, training and refining models, and delivering high-volume inference. These … Continue reading Thoughts on The AI Infrastructure Landscape of 2050

Business Models

The US and UK are both cutting red tape – but will this help consumers?

Colin Henderson

Attributed to Monica Eaton, Founder and CEO of Chargebacks911: “The recent executive order granting the White House direct control over independent regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a concerning shift that could reshape financial oversight, consumer protections, and technology regulation. This move, mirrored by developments in the U.K., signals a broader global shift in regulatory control—one that threatens to stifle competition and innovation, not enhance them.” “With the shuttering of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the launch of innovative new systems like Open Banking now hangs in … Continue reading The US and UK are both cutting red tape – but will this help consumers?

AI

Shifts in world order- includes review “The Technological Republic-Karp”

Colin Henderson

When I began this review I was focussed on Karps useful and relevant new book. He reflects on the last 30 year silicon valley dominance of technology world which reflects a clear consumer focus reflected in web clicks, marketing, user growth and consumer attraction. Karp reflects much from history before WWII and the engineering focus of Roosevelt and his congressional colleagues. The primary focus was to maintain and improve on the strength and power of America following success during the war but seeing the alternative enemies  that ultimately resulted in the Cold War. This produced inventions we rely on today, … Continue reading Shifts in world order- includes review “The Technological Republic-Karp”

AI

“The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West” by “Alexander C. Karp, Nicholas W. Zamiska”).

Colin Henderson

First Draft book review – Colin Henderson March 7th, 25 My first draft notes on this important new book.  “The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West” by “Alexander C. Karp, Nicholas W. Zamiska”). 1 First Draft book review – Colin Henderson March 7th, 25 1 Conclusion 6 Preface The Author reflects on his philosophy broadly and more specifically what is wrong and missing in the American approach to invention and use of technology. It is a powerful message that in simple terms could be viewed as a direct reflection from the 60’s and Rand … Continue reading “The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West” by “Alexander C. Karp, Nicholas W. Zamiska”).