Spotify Expands To 80 New Markets, Targeting 1 Billion Customers

Spotify is introducing its audio service in 80 markets across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean in coming days, expanding the company’s potential market by some 1 billion people. From a report: The steps announced Monday will nearly double Spotify’s geographic footprint and add regions where streaming music is in its infancy. The company already operates in 93 countries or territories. Spotify…

China Accused of Spying On Americans Via Caribbean Phone Networks

“A mobile security expert has accused China of exploiting cellphone networks in the Caribbean to conduct ‘mass surveillance’ on Americans,” reports Newsweek: Gary Miller, a former vice president of network security at California-based analytics company Mobileum, told The Guardian he had amassed evidence of espionage conducted via “decades-old vulnerabilities” in the global telecommunications system. While not explicitly mentioned in the report,…

What are coronal mass ejections?

Coronal mass ejections – CMEs for short – are powerful eruptions near the surface of the sun that can ripple through our solar system and can interrupt satellites and power grids on Earth. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/what-are-coronal-mass-ejections…

Phew! Record-smashing 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is officially over

November 30 marked the official end of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, although more storms are still possible. Why did 2020 have so many storms? And what does climate change have to do with it? Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/record-smashing-2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-official-end…

The Digital Nomads Did Not Prepare for This

They moved to exotic locales to work through the pandemic in style. But now tax trouble, breakups and Covid guilt are setting in. From a report: For a certain kind of worker, the pandemic presented a rupture in the space-time-career continuum. Many Americans were stuck, tied down by children or lost income or obligations to take care of the sick. But…

How to see anticrepuscular rays

Next time you see crepuscular rays – sunrays – at sunrise or sunset, turn around. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/how-to-see-anticrepuscular-rays…

Northern Hemisphere just had its hottest summer on record

Not only was August 2020 the 2nd-warmest August on record, but the Northern Hemisphere had its warmest summer on record, and the globe as a whole had its 3rd-hottest 3-month season. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/northern-hemisphere-2020-hottest-summer-on-record…

Wildlife In ‘Catastrophic Decline’ Due To Human Destruction, Scientists Warn

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Wildlife populations have fallen by more than two-thirds in less than 50 years, according to a major report (PDF) by the conservation group WWF. The report says this “catastrophic decline” shows no sign of slowing. And it warns that nature is being destroyed by humans at a rate never seen before. The…

Arecibo Observatory damaged by broken lashing cable

The new damage to Arecibo, caused by the heavy cable, happened while repairs from 2017’s Hurricane Maria were still ongoing. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/arecibo-observatory-damaged-by-broken-lashing-cable…