NFC Payments Are About To Become Faster, Easier, and Truly Contactless

Wireless charging over NFC could also be improved.

==yjc
Humpback whale ‘Poptart’ returns to Salish Sea with new baby

Humpback BCY1404 earned the nicknamed “Poptart” for the way she pops out of the water.

== well, “smart” may yet be an exaggeration
Liquid metal could turn everyday things like paper into smart objects

This futuristic new liquid-metal coating can make ordinary objects extraordinary.

Quality of New Vehicles In US Declining On More Tech Use, Study Shows

Quality of new vehicles sold in the United States is declining as factors such as growing use of technology and lower build quality of certain parts are making the models more problematic,…

Canada appears to be losing the equivalent of 3 farms a day

It’s a practice that could introduce further errors into already error-prone models.

What’s happening to Canada’s farmland?

Canada appears to be losing the equivalent of 3 farms a day

Why is it so rare to hear about Western cyber-attacks?

A cyber-attack that took over iPhones at a Russian technology company is being blamed on US government hackers.

Meta test will limit news posts for Facebook and Instagram users in Canada

It’s a response to the company’s objection to the proposed Bill C-18 legislation.

Wind Power Seen Growing Ninefold as Canada Cuts Carbon Emissions

…it projects electricity use will more than double in Canada from now until mid-century.

Heatwaves Are Stressing Out Power Grids All Over the World

From North America to Asia, power grids are struggling to keep people cool.

== I used to fish with my uncle and cousin in the Oldman near Brocket
Water flow in Alberta is ’exceptionally low’ this year and could pose challenges for fish

Snowpacks melted earlier than normal, says Alberta Environment biologist.

== yjc
The Amazing Aerial Photos From the Drone Photo Awards 2023

The Siena Awards has revealed the winners of its Drone Photo Awards 2023.

== yjc
On the trail of the UK’s ancient stones

No longer just for solstice, a new type of tourism means these mysterious formations are being visited year round.

== lengthy, but likely worth at least a partial read
Saildrones are getting data where people can’t

They can monitor the Antarctic year round and sail straight into hurricanes.

Yes, you can run a farm inside a big city

Many aim to share their produce with those who can’t afford fresh food.

== wonder how the rest of the world is doing
US Reading and Math Scores Drop To Lowest Level In Decades

The average test scores for U.S. 13-year-olds have dipped in reading and dropped sharply in math since 2020

US Approves Chicken Made From Cultivated Cells, the Nation’s First ‘Lab-Grown’ Meat

For the first time, U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells

Texas Power Use To Break Records In Heat Wave, Prices Soar To $2,500 Per Megawatt Hour

The Texas power grid operator and some utilities on Tuesday called on residents to voluntarily cut back on air conditioning and appliance use as a record-setting heat wave stressed the grid.

OpenAI Considers Creating an App Store for AI Software

It is yet unclear whether OpenAI will charge a sales commission

Suzuki and SkyDrive To Jointly Start Producing ‘Flying Cars’ in 2024

Suzuki said Tuesday it has agreed to jointly start producing flying cars with Japanese start-up SkyDrive around the spring of 2024 as it aims to take the lead in the growing industry.

== yjc
Millions of Mormon crickets are blanketing a Nevada town

Charles Carmichael estimates the plump critters outnumber the town’s human population ‘75 to 1’.

== ?$, and lengthy
How climate vulnerability and the digital divide are linked

Monica Sanders’s Undivide Project is documenting overlapping issues in underserved communities in the US.

‘Unheard of’ Marine Heatwave Off UK and Irish Coasts Poses Serious Threat

Sustained high temperatures over summer could trigger mass mortality of fish and oysters, say scientists.

Trumpington burial: Teenage Anglo-Saxon girl’s face revealed

The face of a girl who died more than 1,300 years ago has been revealed through facial reconstruction.

A daytime nap is good for the brain

Regularly finding time for a little snooze is good for our brain and helps keep it bigger for longer, say University College London researchers.

Japan To Open Up Apple and Google App Stores To Competition

The two companies dominating the smartphone operating system market will be obliged to allow their users to download apps by using services other than their own app stores.

Scientists Hope Euclid Telescope Will Reveal Mysteries of Dark Matter

European space probe will capture images that will provide insights about what the universe is made of.

Scientists Conduct First Test of a Wireless Cosmic Ray Navigation System

System could be used to guide underwater or underground robots.

== the world is definitely going nuts
Apple Is Taking On Apples in a Truly Weird Trademark Battle

Apple, the company, wants rights to the image of apples, the fruit, in Switzerland—one of dozens of countries where it’s flexing its legal muscles.

== yjc, the things the world’s cultures do/developed/engage in absolutely amazes me
Japanese calligraphy ink can cost over $1,000

But it lower quality ink, with lots of extra water, can be as cheap as $10 or less.

== yup more Alexa and AI
Hey Alexa, What Should Students Learn About AI?

The same day’s events – one encouraging work in artificial intelligence and the other warning against rushing to deploy the technology – reflected the broader debate currently raging in the United States about the promise and potential danger of AI.

== followup on an article below
Plan To Save Downtown San Francisco From Doom Loop Approved by Lawmakers

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved legislation that aims to shore up the city’s beleaguered Downtown by filling empty storefronts and expediting the conversion of underused office buildings into housing.

How The JWST Could Detect Signs of Life on Exoplanets

JWST is Powerful Enough to See a Variety of Biosignatures in Exoplanets

California’s First Solar-Powered Microgrid Neighborhood Has a Giant Community Battery

One couple’s starter home in a connected community in California shows how smart energy powered by smart home technology could be the future of affordable, energy-independent living.

== ?$
A Finnish Firm Thinks It Can Cut Industrial Carbon Emissions By a Third

Running a turbine backwards can produce green heat.

Researchers Argue Earth Formed Much Faster Than Believed, Suggest More Planets Could Have Water

Scientists have a controversial theory for how — and how fast — Earth formed == alt
(https://phys.org/news/2023-06-earth-faster-thought.html)

== yjc
Cringely Predicts Moore’s Law Will Continue – Because of AI

If you are reading this I’ll bet you are smarter than your lawyer.

== yjc
Working-from-Home May Start an Office Real Estate Crisis - But Banks May Adapt

“If office and retail owners are having trouble generating rental income because people just aren’t going into the office and shopping, then it increases the odds that they aren’t going to be able to pay back those loans in timely way.”

What Happens When You Ask Alexa if Amazon is a Monopoly?

Ask Amazon.com Inc.’s digital assistant, “Hey, Alexa, is Amazon a monopoly?” and it will profess ignorance.

== ?$
A New Approach to Computation Reimagines Artificial Intelligence: Hyperdimensional Computing

By imbuing enormous vectors with semantic meaning, we can get machines to reason more abstractly — and efficiently — than before. == alt
(https://www.wired.com/story/hyperdimensional-computing-reimagines-artificial-intelligence/)