CNBC and Bloomberg both report on a new Google connectivity spinoff dubbed “Aalyria,” which appears to be taking the scrapped Project Loon technology, rebranding it under a new name, and spinning it out from Alphabet as an independent firm, where it will hopefully survive. There’s a brand new website and everything, so that must be the day the company goes public. Over the course of eight years, Project Loon (which
The event will take place in Munich from September 12th to the 16th. The company will be showcasing its main product, the Talog, which is a tamper evident cap made of aluminium and a plastic tamper evident band that snaps in half on the first time the top is opened. This cap is used by water manufacturers. Another form of closure called the Alu-Star, this one is made out of
Vice reported on Wednesday, citing a viral tweet, that a synthetic media artist called Jason Allen had won first prize in the Digital Arts/Digitally Manipulated Photography category in the Colorado State Fair fine arts competition for AI-generated artwork. In order to make a trio of pictures, Allen consulted Midjourney, a commercial image synthesis model accessible via a Discord server. Then, in early August, he blew them up, had them printed
For some time now, Google Maps has highlighted “green” driving options. The “smoothest” journey, meaning one with the fewest starts and stops, will be the most fuel efficient if your automobile runs on gasoline. However, what if you don’t drive a gas guzzler? In low-speed, stop-and-go traffic, however, electric vehicles utilise the least amount of power. The newest addition to Google Maps allows you to select the fuel type of
On Saturday, the American space agency attempted to launch a rocket constructed mostly out of parts from the space shuttle, which was developed and constructed almost four decades ago. The inaugural flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket was scrubbed a few hours before its launch window opened, which came as little surprise given the frequency with which technical issues delayed the space shuttle. A line of 8-inch diameter that
In a historic move this week, California became the first state to outlaw the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by the year 2035. By the middle of the next decade, all new cars and light trucks sold in California will have to be electric vehicles (EV) or other zero-emissions models, thanks to an ambitious phase-out plan adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). It’s safe to say that other
Salami and bacon, for example, are preserved using nitrite or nitrate salts so that they last longer after being cured and processed. In the body, nitrate can be broken down into more reactive nitrite. Once combined with ammonia, nitrite can generate carcinogenic nitrosamines. Methods now used to assess nitrite content in food aren’t always user-friendly, requiring specialised equipment and time-consuming manual effort. An easy-to-use method for quantifying nitrite has been
Once upon a time, dugongs swam without disturbance throughout the seas of southern China. However, a report published this week in the journal Royal Society Open Science claims that hunting, habitat loss, collisions with ships, and other human interventions have rendered these once-abundant marine animals “functionally extinct” in China. Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are huge mammals that spend most of their time feeding on underwater seagrass, where they can weigh up
The Q2 2022 data for the North American smartphone market share were released by Canalys, and once again, Google was the most notable shifter, with enormous growth numbers thanks to the Pixel 6. According to Canalys, Google increased by 230 percent from the previous quarter and by 380 percent from the year before. It may sound like a huge accomplishment, but keep in mind that we’re talking about Google’s very
A group of US chemists converted scientific charts and graphics into tactile materials. This could aid low-vision students and scientists. The team lead by Baylor University biochemist Bryan Shaw used 3D printing to turn scientific images into thin 3D constructs called lithophanes. Shaw’s endeavour began as a personal outreach effort. My baby was born with eye tumours, so I became a doctor. Despite losing an eye and having tumours in
