Comment on The Internet

This New York Times article discusses the instance where Charlotte Cowles, a columnist for New York magazine, became a victim of a $50,000 scam. The scammers impersonated Amazon and government agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They fabricated a story of identity theft, leading Cowles to withdraw $50,000 from her bank under the guise of safeguarding her assets. The article attempts to clarify what each of these entities would do in case of actual identity theft by reaching out to each one. Amazon confirmed they would not transfer customers to any government agency, and if customers receive a suspicious call, they should disconnect and contact Amazon directly through the app or website. The FTC affirmed that their staff would never provide badge numbers or ask for personal financial details. A CIA spokesperson stated that their organization does not handle such matters, as they are not a law enforcement agency. The article also touches on the role of banks in such situations, with the author noting that the Bank of America allowed Cowles to withdraw a large amount of cash without hindrance, though they provided a warning about scams. The bank declined to comment further on their policy regarding large cash withdrawals. The piece concludes by talking about the psychological manipulation scammers employ and the need for people to trust their instincts in suspicious situations.

This webpage from Lucidchart Blog provides an in-depth guide on how to create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and discusses its importance in project management. The WBS is a tool used to break down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks, focusing on deliverables rather than individual actions. The benefits of a WBS include better cost estimation, establishing dependencies, scheduling, role clarification, progress tracking, and risk identification. The steps to create a WBS include defining the project's scope and objectives, breaking these down into key phases and deliverables, and further organizing these deliverables into work packages or tasks. It is crucial to ensure that the WBS includes 100% of the work necessary to complete the goal, that tasks are not duplicated, and that the focus remains on outcomes rather than actions. The article also provides an example of a WBS for building a house, discusses different formats for creating a WBS (like hierarchical table, outline, tabular view, or tree diagram), and introduces the concept of a WBS dictionary, which provides descriptions of each work package. Lucidchart offers several templates for creating a WBS, and the article describes how to create a WBS using Microsoft Office with Lucidchart's free integrations. The page concludes with a brief description of Lucidchart, a cloud-based diagramming application used by various top businesses worldwide, which can also be used to create a WBS.

The webpage is Figure's 'Master Plan' which outlines the vision and strategy of the company. Founded by Brett Adcock, Figure aims to revolutionize the labor market with advanced AI and humanoid robots. The company's mission is to expand human capabilities and alleviate the current labor shortage crisis by automating undesirable and unsafe jobs, thus improving the standard of living for humanity. Figure envisions its humanoids working in various sectors such as manufacturing, shipping, warehousing, and retail where labor shortages are severe. The company is committed to avoiding the use of their humanoids in military or defense roles. Figure recognizes the challenges ahead, including the need for billions of dollars of investment, engineering innovation, and a dedicated team. The company is also aware of the need for significant technological advancements and is focused on improving system hardware, reducing unit costs through high-volume manufacturing, ensuring safety, and developing advanced AI systems for autonomous operation. The first phase of Figure's Master Plan includes building a feature-complete electromechanical humanoid, achieving human-like manipulation, and integrating humanoids into the labor force.