A giant iceberg, about twice the size of Chicago, broke off from Antartica’s Brunt Ice Shelf in late February 2021. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/giant-iceberg-breaks-off-antarctica-brunt-ice-shelf…
Tag: 2020
Facebook Lifts Political Ad Ban
Facebook will lift its ban on political ads on Thursday, ending a self-imposed prohibition that began immediately after the November 2020 general election and remained active for months. Politico reports: Facebook informed top political advertisers of its decision by phone and email on Wednesday, according to sources with knowledge of the announcement. The social media giant banned political and social issue-related…
How Worried Should You Be About Those Tom Cruise Deepfakes?
Are the TikTok deepfake videos of Tom Cruise doing magic and playing golf a threat to global democracy? Not exactly. “[T]he reality is that they took a lot of time, technical expertise, and the skilled performance of a real actor,” reports VICE News. “Rather than predicting a dark future of disinformation for the masses, they’re simply another example of what can…
Watch this giant iceberg break off from Antarctica
The iceberg broke off after a crack formed in November 2020. Source: https://www.livescience.com/giant-iceberg-breaks-off-antarctica-a-74-images
Disney CEO Suggests There’s No ‘Going Back’ To Pre-COVID Film Releases
As Disney prepares to release “Raya and the Last Dragon” in theaters and as a premium on-demand title this Friday, CEO Bob Chapek says that he thinks the experimentation his studio and others in Hollywood are doing with releasing movies during the pandemic will permanently change the movie business. From a report “The consumer is probably more impatient than they’ve ever…
Global CO2 emissions have already rebounded above pre-pandemic levels
Covid-19 lockdowns helped global emissions plummet by a record 5.6 per cent during 2020, but new data shows worldwide emissions are already back to levels seen before the pandemic Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269628-global-co2-emissions-have-already-rebounded-above-pre-pandemic-levels/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
How a 10-Second Video Clip Sold For $6.6 Million
In October 2020, Miami-based art collector Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile spent almost $67,000 on a 10-second video artwork that he could have watched for free online. Last week, he sold it for $6.6 million. Reuters reports: The video by digital artist Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, was authenticated by blockchain, which serves as a digital signature to certify who owns it…
Apple’s Powerful M1 MacBooks are Lowering The Resale Value of Older MacBooks
“The impressive performance and battery life gains of the new M1 MacBooks have created a historic discontinuity in the normally placid resale market,” reports ZDNet: Should you spend $800 for a one year old MacBook Air when for $200 more you could get a MacBook Air with several times the performance and 50 percent better battery life? That’s a question savvy…
Do Python Developers Want Static Typing?
Results were announced this week for the fourth “official annual Python Developers Survey” of over 28,000 developers (in nearly 200 countries) conducted by the Python Software Foundation and JetBrains. 85% of the survey respondents use Python as their main programming language, InfoWorld reports: Python developers cite simplicity and ease of use as principal reasons for using the language, but they still…
Jamaica’s JamCOVID Pulled Offline After Third Security Lapse Exposed Travelers’ Data
Jamaica’s JamCOVID app and website were taken offline late on Thursday following a third security lapse, which exposed quarantine orders on more than half a million travelers to the island. From a report: JamCOVID was set up last year to help the government process travelers arriving on the island. Quarantine orders are issued by the Jamaican Ministry of Health and instruct…