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Jul 26, 2022

Chinese scientists invent laser so powerful it can write words in mid-air

Posted by in category: futurism

Scientists in China have invented a powerful laser which can essentially scorch the air to create patterns. Lasers have already been used to create optical illusions, but they needed dust or clouds as a medium.

The Wuhan-based team demonstrated the laser by writing Chinese characters in the air, which can be viewed and even touched.

Jul 26, 2022

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Lego-Powered Submarine Makes a Splash

Posted by in categories: drones, electronics

BEC was kind enough to share a parts list of everything used to create this project. It’s operated primarily by a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, with most components housed neatly inside an acrylic cylinder. It’s driven by a drone propeller alongside a couple of Pololu 2,130 DRV8833 Dual H-bridge motor drivers. The sensors include both a pressure sensor and a distance sensor, while a Lego Rechargeable 9V Battery Box supplies the power with the assistance of a Pololu 2,123 S7V8F5 5V voltage regulator.

The Raspberry Pi runs Raspberry Pi OS, while the code used to operate the submarine functions is handled using a custom Python script. BEC explains that Thonny was used to run the Python code, which is open-source and available for anyone to explore.

Continue reading “Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Lego-Powered Submarine Makes a Splash” »

Jul 26, 2022

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince maps out Neom project to house 9 million people

Posted by in category: mapping

RIYADH (BLOOMBERG) — Saudi Arabia wants to build a gigantic megastructure that contains a city for 9 million people, its crown prince announced on Monday (July 25).

The design takes the shape of two parallel buildings with mirrored surfaces, rising 500m above sea level — taller than the Empire State Building — and stretching horizontally for more than 100km.

They’re part of the prince’s US$500 billion (S$693 billion) Neom project, a plan to turn an expanse of desert the size of Belgium into a high-tech region.

Jul 26, 2022

L3Harris, Northrop picked for $1.3 billion hypersonics tracking satellite project

Posted by in categories: military, satellites

WASHINGTON — L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman Strategic Space Systems won a U.S. Department of Defense contract to furnish multimillion-dollar satellites that help detect, identify and target missiles and other cutting-edge threats, including hypersonics.

The Space Development Agency on July 18 said the companies will each produce 14 prototype satellites for the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer, a key component of the National Defense Space Architecture, which will consist of hundreds of satellites operating primarily in low-Earth orbit.

Together, the agreements are valued at more than $1.3 billion. The L3Harris deal came in at $700 million, making each satellite and related service package worth roughly $50 million. The Northrop Grumman deal came in at $617 million.

Jul 26, 2022

Spaceflight experiment Recurve launches in support of warfighter comms

Posted by in categories: military, space travel

The launch of Recurve reveals the latest technological advancements in radio frequencies and information transmission in the increasingly contested environment of space.

Jul 26, 2022

Computer simulations aid scientists in gauging battery performance

Posted by in category: computing

A crucial but poorly-studied parameter that dictates battery performance is the migration barrier. It determines the rate at which ions move through an electrode inside the battery, and ultimately the rate at which it charges or discharges. Because it is hard to measure the migration barrier in the…

Jul 26, 2022

Microsoft Adds Default Protection Against RDP Brute-Force Attacks in Windows 11

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, policy

Microsoft is now taking steps to prevent Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) brute-force attacks as part of the latest builds for the Windows 11 operating system in an attempt to raise the security baseline to meet the evolving threat landscape.

To that end, the default policy for Windows 11 builds – particularly, Insider Preview builds 22528.1000 and newer – will automatically lock accounts for 10 minutes after 10 invalid sign-in attempts.

“Win11 builds now have a DEFAULT account lockout policy to mitigate RDP and other brute-force password vectors,” David Weston, Microsoft’s vice president for OS security and enterprise, said in a series of tweets last week. “This technique is very commonly used in Human Operated Ransomware and other attacks — this control will make brute forcing much harder which is awesome!”

Jul 26, 2022

SARS-CoV-2 accelerated clearance using a novel nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) treatment: A randomized trial

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Additional outpatient therapies which are readily accessible will be essential to reduce COVID-19 illness progression in high risk individuals. Especially as the virus continues to mutate with greater transmissibility despite increased global vaccination.


Use of NONS in patients recently infected with SARS-CoV-2 accelerates nasal virus clearance.

Funding provided by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited. Study medication provided by SaNOtize.

Continue reading “SARS-CoV-2 accelerated clearance using a novel nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) treatment: A randomized trial” »

Jul 26, 2022

IIT-Bombay Duo Builds ‘RO Hand Pump’ That Purifies Water Without Electricity

Posted by in categories: innovation, sustainability

IIT-Bombay Duo Build ‘RO Hand Pump’ That Purifies Water Without Electricity


Aiming to “revolutionise an already existing principle”, the duo say their innovation can provide clean drinking water to 8–10 people at once.

Jul 26, 2022

Eric Schmidt Thinks AI Is as Powerful as Nukes

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

An AI deterrence regime would necessitate an AI Hiroshima.