In each of its annual budget requests, the Trump administration made deep funding cuts to federal research spending, in spite of Congress’ consistent refusals. However, the administration’s 2021 proposal actually sought to promote AI and quantum comp…
Source: Engadget – How Biden and Harris could refocus the White House on science
Monthly Archives: January 2021
How to Change Open File Limit in Linux
In Linux, there are limits defined by the system for anything that consumes resources.
Source: Linux Today – How to Change Open File Limit in Linux
Good Grief, Apple TV+'s New Snoopy Show Looks Adorable
As the title suggests, the imaginative adventures of Snoopy—and Woodstock, of course—are the focus of Peanuts and WildBrain’s new series for Apple TV+. But as you can see by the fun new trailer for The Snoopy Show, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the rest of Charles M. Schulz’s kids are also still part of the action.
Source: io9 – Good Grief, Apple TV+’s New Snoopy Show Looks Adorable
Threat-Spewing UFC President Proclaims Victory Over Definitely Real Illegal Fight Streamer
If, in pre-covid times, you wandered into your local bar and found it packed to the brim with sweaty, feral UFC viewers, there were a couple reasons why: 1) comradery, but mainly 2) watching UFC events is expensive as hell. This weekend’s Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier card weighed in at a whopping $70, the highest…
Source: Kotaku – Threat-Spewing UFC President Proclaims Victory Over Definitely Real Illegal Fight Streamer
Make Better Cocktails With Cracked Ice From a Vintage Tray
Cocktail people love to talk about the importance of clear ice, but not nearly as much is said about cracked ice, which is too bad, because cracked ice is the best ice for chilling your drink.
Source: LifeHacker – Make Better Cocktails With Cracked Ice From a Vintage Tray
Zeal – simple offline documentation browser
Zeal is billed as a simple offline documentation browser. It offers easy access to a huge database of documentation, API manuals, and code snippets.
Source: LXer – Zeal – simple offline documentation browser
SpaceX set to launch its next Starship prototype on Monday
Enlarge / SN8 very nearly made a safe landing in South Texas in December. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)
It’s finally time to find out whether Starship prototype Serial No. 9 will become SN Fine or SN Nein.
After a series of static fire tests on its latest Starship prototype, SpaceX appears set to launch the full-scale vehicle as early as Monday afternoon from its rocket facility in South Texas. The nominal plan is for the prototype to ascend to an altitude as high as 12.5km, perform a “belly flop” maneuver to simulate bleeding off energy during a return through Earth’s atmosphere, reorient itself, and land near the launch pad.
Only a little more than six weeks have passed since SpaceX conducted a similar test of the SN8 vehicle in South Texas. That flight test went splendidly up until near the end of its flight. However, due to a pressure failure in a fuel tank at the top of the vehicle, the vehicle’s Raptor engines were deprived of the fuel needed to make a soft landing.
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Source: Ars Technica – SpaceX set to launch its next Starship prototype on Monday
“I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have,” new CDC head says
Enlarge / A registered nurse practitioner holds up a sign and a flag asking for another patient to dose with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine as well as a more vaccine doses at a vaccination site in Seattle, Washington on January 24, 2021. (credit: Getty | Grant Hendsley)
With the country’s vaccine rollout in utter disorder, health officials in the Biden administration are cautiously trying to both manage expectations and express optimism.
In a series of interviews over the weekend, officials warned that states could face vaccine shortages in the short term, with some states’ supplies already running low—or completely running out. On the other hand, the officials remained convinced that they would be able to achieve the administration’s goal of getting 100 million doses in arms in their first 100 days in office—a goal that has been criticized as being both too ambitious and not ambitious enough.
With 95 days to go until their goal’s deadline, the officials have made clear just how much work they face in getting vaccinations on track.
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Source: Ars Technica – “I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have,” new CDC head says
Mozilla Announces "Open Web Docs" Following Last Year's Layoffs
Last year during the big round of layoffs at Mozilla the entire Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) writers team was laid off. That was a particularly sad blow considering how valuable the MDN documentation has been to web developers as a very useful resource. Today the Mozilla folks are announced Open Web Docs in seemingly looking to have the community take over…
Source: Phoronix – Mozilla Announces “Open Web Docs” Following Last Year’s Layoffs
[$] The endless browser wars
The term “browser wars” typically refers to Microsoft’s attempts to
dominate the World Wide Web with its Internet Explorer browser in the
1990s. That effort was thwarted by antitrust efforts and the rise of the
free browser now known as Firefox;
ever since, the web has been defined by free software. Or so some may have
thought. In the 2020s, the browser wars continue with the growing
dominance of Chrome and, it would seem, the imminent removal of Chromium
from many Linux distributions.
Source: LWN.net – [$] The endless browser wars
How to Use YouTube's 'Stats for Nerds'
Despite its name, YouTube’s “Stats for Nerds” feature isn’t just for nerds. The option is turned off by default in all YouTube videos, but when enabled, a small window appears over your video with information like current video quality, buffering information, and more.
Source: LifeHacker – How to Use YouTube’s ‘Stats for Nerds’
Netflix Delivers Game-Changing Audio Upgrades To The Android Listening Experience
When watching movies and television shows, bad audio can take viewers out of the moment in an epic battle scene or the final romantic moment between Romeo and Juliet. When it comes to TVs and sound systems, there is a certain level of hardware quality to be expected. However, when it comes to Android devices, your listening environment can
Source: Hot Hardware – Netflix Delivers Game-Changing Audio Upgrades To The Android Listening Experience
Google Workers To Form Global Union Alliance
Google employees from across the globe are forming a union alliance, weeks after more than 200 workers at the search engine giant and other units of parent company Alphabet formed a labor union for U.S. and Canadian offices. From a report: Alpha Global was formed in coordination with UNI Global Union, a union federation that represents about 20 million workers globally, and includes unions from countries such as the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and the UK, UNI Global Union said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Google Workers To Form Global Union Alliance
CDPR Suggests This Workaround For Cyberpunk 2077 v1.1 Game-Breaking Takemura Glitch
Over the weekend, we reported that CD Projekt Red issued its first major patch for Cyberpunk 2077 to address a truckload of bugs and performance issues that have plagued all versions of the game. The Cyberpunk 2077 v1.1 patch brought better memory management, which addressed many crashing and performance issues, along with fixes for glitches
Source: Hot Hardware – CDPR Suggests This Workaround For Cyberpunk 2077 v1.1 Game-Breaking Takemura Glitch
The secret to this $5,000 electric motorcycle is a cast aluminum frame
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Electric motorcycles, like electric cars, have been more expensive than their gasoline-powered cousins. Sondors hopes to change that with its new Metacycle. [credit:
Sondors ]
It’s unavoidably clear that staving off the worst extremes of climate change will require a wide-scale electrification of our vehicle fleet. There’s a hitch, though—it’s not cheap. We have the technology to make electric vehicles, and it’s getting better all the time. But as of right now, the bill of materials for an electric car is still higher than for an equivalent vehicle with an internal combustion engine, even with impressive reductions in the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
The problem doesn’t just affect passenger cars. It’s more expensive to buy an electric garbage truck or school bus than one with a diesel engine, although after four to five years of operation, it balances out thanks to the cost of fuel. It’s even true for motorcycles; Harley Davidson’s new electric LiveWire costs an eye-watering $30,000—only slightly less than a Nissan Leaf. All of which makes the price of the Sondors Metacycle so notable. When it goes into production later this year, you should be able to pick one up for just $5,000.
Until now, Sondors was a brand people associated with electric bicycles. It’s the brainchild of company founder Storm Sondors, who decided the time was right to expand the company’s range with a highly affordable electric motorbike that’s meant not for enthusiasts but for everyday transport. And the key wasn’t perfecting a new type of motor or battery. “Oh, the hard part was done by people who are 1000 times smarter than any one of us,” Sondors told me by phone.
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Source: Ars Technica – The secret to this ,000 electric motorcycle is a cast aluminum frame
This Screen Protector Hides an Image You Can Only See When the Phone Turns Off
A screen protector that does its job well is also a screen protector that you never see. It’s a product you want to be completely invisible, or maybe you don’t? A smartphone case is no longer the only way to personalize your device as a company has come up with a way to infuse glass screen protectors with images and…
Source: Gizmodo – This Screen Protector Hides an Image You Can Only See When the Phone Turns Off
Moderna Says Its Vaccine Should Work Against UK and South Africa Coronavirus Variants
The covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna can likely fend off worrying variants of the coronavirus first found in the UK and South Africa, the company announced Monday. Moderna’s preliminary data appears to show that its covid-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response to these variants. However, the company still…
Source: Gizmodo – Moderna Says Its Vaccine Should Work Against UK and South Africa Coronavirus Variants
Monday's Best Deals: AirPods Pro, LEGO International Space Station, Ulta Beauty Sale, Aukey Electric Standing Desk, Nintendo Plush, Cuisinart Milk Frother, and More
Apple Hit With Another European Class Action Over Throttled iPhones
A third class action lawsuit has been filed in Europe against Apple seeking compensation — for what Italy’s Altroconsumo consumer protection agency dubs “planned obsolescence” of a number of iPhone 6 models. From a report: The action relates to performance throttling Apple applied several years ago to affected iPhones when the health of the device’s battery had deteriorated — doing so without clearly informing users. It later apologized. The class action suit in Italy is seeking $72.8 million in compensation — based on at least $72.8 in average compensation per iPhone owner. Affected devices named in the suit are the iPhone 6, 6S, 6 Plus and 6S Plus, per a press release put out by the umbrella consumer organization, Euroconsumers, which counts Altroconsumo a a member. The suit is the third to be filed in the region over the issue — following suits filed in Belgium and Spain last month. A fourth — in Portugal — is slated to be filed shortly.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Apple Hit With Another European Class Action Over Throttled iPhones
Important Issues Not Entertained in the Community, Especially Critics of the Status Quo
There’s corporate infiltration inside communities (for oligarchy hunts volunteer, unpaid labour) and those who speak about that as a threat to our cause and objectives are painted as misguided outcasts who must be ignored
Source: LXer – Important Issues Not Entertained in the Community, Especially Critics of the Status Quo