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Jun 29, 2020

Planetary Researchers Explore Habitability of Europa’s Ocean

Posted by in category: space

A duo of U.S. planetary scientists has calculated that water in the subsurface ocean of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa could have been formed by breakdown of water-containing minerals due to either tidal forces or radioactive decay.

Jun 29, 2020

Awesome Idea: Turn Rikers Island Into A Solar Farm

Posted by in categories: law enforcement, solar power, sustainability

Kate Aronoff wrote about a great idea recently: turn Rikers Island into a solar farm. Transforming a prison that was built on heaps of trash into a solar farm does have many benefits.

Her article dives into the past as well as the present of Rikers Island and she points out that both share the story of the United States itself. The island’s ownership has roots traced to slaveowners since the 1660s and played a huge role in the kidnapping ring that sold black people in the North back to slavery in the South under the Fugitive Slave Act. The island was sold in 1884 and it became a penal colony. The island was redesigned into a massive jail complex.

Today, 80% of the island’s landmass is landfill. Aronoff, with her words, painted a picture of an island that is filled with decomposing garbage and prisoners — with 90% of them being people of color. “Heat in the summer can be unbearable, which has lent to its ominous nickname: The Oven,” she wrote. She referenced another account from Raven Rakia who spoke about the island’s “environmental justice horror show.” Rakia noted that 6 of the island’s 10 facilities don’t have any air conditioning.

Jun 29, 2020

Automating Incident Response and Forensics

Posted by in category: futurism

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Jun 29, 2020

This robot quickly disinfects spaces using UV-C light

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food, robotics/AI

Disinfecting spaces such as warehouses is especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, but doing so while keeping workers safe can be challenging. So MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory came up with a solution: use a robot that employs UV-C light to disinfect surfaces and neutralize aerosolized forms of coronavirus.

Through a collaboration with Ava Robotics and the Greater Boston Food Bank, CSAIL mounted a custom UV-C lamp on an Ava Robotics mobile robot base. The lamp neutralizes around 90% of surface microorganisms, according to CSAIL. The robot is initially operated by a remote user and subsequently works autonomously, and can disinfect 4,000 square feet of warehouse space in half an hour.

Jun 29, 2020

Flu virus with ‘pandemic potential’ found in China

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The new strain, scientists say, is carried by pigs but can infect humans and requires close monitoring.

Jun 29, 2020

Cynet raises $18 million for AI safeguards against cyberthreats

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, finance, robotics/AI

Cynet, a cybersecurity startup that leverages AI and machine learning to detect threats, has raised $18 million in venture capital.

Jun 29, 2020

Austal USA delivers US Navy’s future USS Oakland LCS

Posted by in categories: futurism, military

Austal USA has delivered the US Navy’s 12th Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Oakland (LCS 24).

The vessel was accepted by the service during a ceremony in Mobile, Alabama. It is the 22nd LCS to join the fleet and the third LCS delivered to the US Navy this year.

LCS programme manager captain Mike Taylor said: “This is a great day for the navy and our country with the delivery of the future USS Oakland. This ship will play an essential role in in carrying out our nation’s future maritime strategy.”

Jun 29, 2020

Geely Reveals Terrafugia TF-2A eVTOL

Posted by in category: transportation

The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group recently unveiled the prototype design of the Terrafugia TF-2A eVTOL aircraft, and announced that they have already begun flight tests as well. The newer design is a clear upgrade over the previous demonstrator that was revealed in December 2019.

Based on the aesthetics of a tiger shark, the TF-2A features a large upper wing, H-shaped tail, eight lift propellers for vertical takeoff or landing (VTOL) as well as one rear propeller for horizontal flight. According to Geely, the design should make certification easier to obtain as opposed to the more common tilt-rotor designs in the industry. For example, the New Hampshire Senate recently motioned to pass a number of bills, one of which pertained to the topic of aerial mobility. HB-1517, “An Act Relative to Roadable Aircraft,” adds the words “roadable aircraft” to existing laws for vehicles concerning things like inspections and crashes, requiring the roadable aircraft to be “required to take off and land from a suitable airstrip and shall be prohibited from taking off and landing from any public roadway, unless under conditions of an emergency”. Currently, only Terrafugia’s TF-2A and PAL-V’s eVTOL meet these standards.

Continue reading “Geely Reveals Terrafugia TF-2A eVTOL” »

Jun 29, 2020

Hot and muggy week ahead with daily chances for scattered storms

Posted by in category: climatology

Seems odd o.,o probably something there o.o


Strong thunderstorms are possible throughout the evening hours.

Jun 29, 2020

‘Photon crystals’ could be made using Rydberg atoms

Posted by in category: particle physics

Repulsive interaction between photons is created in ultracold gas.