Number 294
G5 Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Issued For First Time Since 2003
The solar storm could potentially disrupt communications, the electric power grid, and navigation, radio and satellite operations.
Canada among countries with pandemic plans, as scientists warn vaccine rollouts would be complex.
Bike Brands Start To Adopt C-V2X To Warn Cyclists About Cars
More automakers will need to adopt C-V2X to see a real benefit, though.
‘Tungsten Wall’ Leads To Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
A fusion device ensconced in highly durable tungsten sustained a more energetic, denser plasma than previously recorded.
Tornadoes Are Coming in Bunches. Scientists Are Trying To Figure Out Why.
The number of tornadoes so far in the United States this year is just above average. But their distribution is changing.
Scientists watching wastewater for signs of H5N1 as U.S. bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle grows
U.S. officials launching wastewater dashboard, monitoring for influenza A increases.
== yjc
Tunnel of love? Cautious adders get a helping hand
Researchers found two different populations of adders lived either side of the road.
The Most Detailed 3D Reconstruction of Human Brain Tissue
Half grain-sized brain tissue with 1400 TB data mapped by Harvard, Google.
NASA’s Proposed Plasma Rocket Would Get Us to Mars in 2 Months
The space agency is investing in the development of a propulsion system that uses nuclear power to create plasma bursts.
Chemicals In Car Interiors May Cause Cancer, and They’re Required By US Law
A study from 2017 found that the average U.S. child has lost up to 5 IQ points from exposure to flame retardants in cars and furniture.
The fight to save the African penguin
Every year there are fewer African penguins and soon there may be none at all. Scientists say that the species is declining by around 8% every year.
Apple apologizes for its tone-deaf ad that crushed human creativity to make an iPad
The company says its ‘Crush’ spot fell short of its goal of empowering and celebrating creatives.
World is On Edge of Climate Abyss, UN Warns
Top climate figures respond to Guardian survey of scientists who expect temperatures to soar, saying leaders must act radically
Venezuela may be first nation to lose all its glaciers
The South American nation’s only remaining glacier - the Humboldt, or La Corona, in the Andes - had become “too small to be classed as a glacier”.
Robot dogs armed with AI-aimed rifles undergo US Marines Special Ops evaluation
Quadrupeds being reviewed have automatic targeting systems but require human oversight to fire.
A UK girl born deaf can now hear unaided, after a groundbreaking gene-therapy treatment.
Drones and AI are rewriting the rulebook on naval warfare — with uncertain consequences
Ukraine showed the world how drones could humble a naval power — but is the technology ready for the field?
== home to many of us
Drought signs raise fears of another fish die-off in B.C. rivers
Range of species across province struggled with warm water, low stream flows in 2023. Biologists fear a repeat.
Raspberry Pis Get a Built-in Remote-Access Tool: Raspberry Pi Connect
Reach your little Pis from nearly any browser—and free up your RealVNC slots.
Google DeepMind’s latest medical breakthrough borrows a trick from AI image generators
The AlphaFold software that revolutionized the study of proteins has received a significant upgrade that will advance drug development.
== yjc, an older article, but first time I’ve seen it
The History Behind 8 Famous Tongue Twisters
Tongue twisters have had people tripping over words for centuries.
== paywall??
The way whales communicate is closer to human language than we realized
A wave of new projects are taking us closer to understanding what whales are communicating to each other.
Heat Waves In North Pacific May Be Due To China Reducing Aerosols
Computer models have found that recent heat waves in the north Pacific may be due to a large reduction in aerosols emitted by factories in China.
Study Suggests Genetics as a Cause, Not Just a Risk, for Some Alzheimer’s
Study suggests almost everyone with two copies of genetic variant ApoE4 goes on to develop disease.
Minor Car Crashes Mean High Tech Repairs
The recent addition of a plethora of high tech sensors and warnings comes with increased costs. And, not just at purchase.
World’s oceans suffer from record-breaking 11 straight months of heat
Fuelled by climate change, the world’s oceans have broken temperature records every single day over the past year, a BBC analysis finds.
== yjc
They’re cute, citrussy and completely different: try growing a cucamelon
Cucurbits such as courgettes, cucumbers and squash produce fruits all season long – including one that makes a perfect summer drink garnish.
Russia Planning Europe-Wide Sabotage Campaign
Citing three separate intelligence agencies, the FT has assessed that Kremlin proxies are preparing to carry out violent sabotage attacks in Europe as part of a broader strategy to confront the West.
== paywall??
U.S. Military Is Using Laser Weapons In Battle
Prototype laser air defense systems deployed by the U.S. Army have taken out enemy drones in the Middle East.
Novel Attack Against Virtually All VPN Apps Neuters Their Entire Purpose
TunnelVision vulnerability has existed since 2002 and may already be known to attackers.
For cities and towns trying to cut out plastic, here’s what’s worked and what hasn’t
Banff, Montreal have ambitious policies; some rules repealed in Calgary, Vancouver
== yjc
The Good Enough Trap
How Technology Can Get Us Stuck In Place
Scientists Discover a Missing Link Between Diet And Cancer Risk
A team of researchers found that changes in glucose metabolism could help cancer grow by temporarily disabling a gene that protects us from tumors.
Researchers develop malicious AI ‘worm’ targeting generative AI systems
The researchers used what’s called an “adversarial self-replicating prompt” to create the worm.
Breakthrough Achieved In Nanometer-Resolution Imaging of 3D Chemistry
First high-resolution 3D nanoscale chemical imaging achieved with multi-modal tomography.
NASA’s Moon Capsule Suffered Extensive Damage During 2022’s Test Flight
Rhe test flight revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution that pose significant risks to the safety of the crew.
== and elsewhere
Finding Land for US Wind Farms Might Be Easier Than We Thought
Wind turbines “only take up five percent of the land where they’ve been built
== yjc
When a Politician Sues a Blog to Unmask Its Anonymous Commenter
In 2021, future third-party presidential candidate RFK Jr. had sued their web site.
The Highest Observatory On Earth Is Now Open
The world’s highest astronomical site is officially open for business after being in the works for 26 years.
And, just cuz, have added a sample of the images generated by the conditional GAN I coded this past week. Unlike the previous GANs which generated images at random, a cGAN allows me to specify conditions for the images I want it to print. In this case, the condition is one of 10 types of clothing. But still, a step forward.
Images not the best, but I only trained for 20 epochs, approximately 7 minutes using the GPU. Footwear seems to be the toughest for the GAN to sort out. The sandals all look a lot like bad images of ankle boots. Perhaps I will try training it for a longer period of time. Perhaps also play with some of the model hyperparameters.
However, for each specified condition, the images are different, even if only by a small amount. So seems to be a reasonable model definition.
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.