India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft has settled into lunar orbit, ahead of its scheduled moon landing on September 7. If it succeeds India will join a very select club, now comprising the former Soviet Union, the United States and China. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-08-india-nations-aim-moon-left.html…
Tag: Economy
Cookies and slime in orbit: What’s the point of PR stunts in space?
Companies that run hotels, build cars and make TV are beginning to operate in space. This in-orbit economy could finance deeper space exploration Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332444-700-cookies-and-slime-in-orbit-whats-the-point-of-pr-stunts-in-space/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Watch Out Google, YouTubers Are Unionizing
IG Metall, Europe’s largest trade union with 2.3 million members, has joined forces with a German YouTuber who set up a Facebook group called The YouTubers Union after his videos started getting “de-monetized.” The German metalworkers union is throwing itself in the battle between Google and the millions of people whose income derives from uploading videos to the site. It’s inviting…
‘Global Economy is Probably in Recession’
An anonymous reader shares a report: The global economy is probably in recession, with most cyclical indicators showing business activity is flat or falling. Recessions become obvious only once they are well established given the lagging nature of most economic data. And end-of-cycle recessions are usually impossible to distinguish from mid-cycle slowdowns until well after the slowdown has started. The arrival…
US Dept. of Transportation Rules Airlines Must Allow Miniature Horses to Fly as Service Animals
An anonymous reader shares a report: For all its indignities, air travel is also surprisingly democratic — people of all stripes and shades crammed together into a small metal tube and lofted into the sky. Some of them have service animals, some of which are a hair more exotic than a vested dog. This has caused some spirited debates. But on…
The Fed Is Getting Into the Real-Time Payments Business
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: The Fed announced Monday that it will develop a real-time payment service called “FedNow” to help move money around the economy more quickly. It’s the kind of government service that companies and consumers have been requesting for years — one that already exists in other countries. The service could also compete with solutions…
Marty the Grocery Store Robot Called ‘Ominous’, ‘Mostly Useless’
By the end of the year, Stop & Shop will have installed 500 “giant, gray, aisle-patrolling robots” in its chains of stores, reports Mashable, starting in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. “Attention shoppers: I’ve seen the future of grocery store technology, and let me tell you, we can do better.” Each of the robots weighs a massive 140-pounds and…
The global economy is broken, it must work for people, not vice versa
Three new books reveal the same picture: the global economy is shattered. They suggest how a more people-focused approach than capitalism might alleviate poverty and encourage jobs Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332412-900-the-global-economy-is-broken-it-must-work-for-people-not-vice-versa/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Could light and noise from Earth attract attention from outer space?
Since the first use of electric lamps in the 19th century, society hasn’t looked back. Homes and streets are lit at all hours so that people can go about their business when they’d once have been asleep. Besides the obvious benefits to societies and the economy, there’s growing awareness of the negative impact of artificial light. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-noise-earth-attention-outer-space.html…
Sony Warns PlayStation Consoles Might Get More Expensive if the Trade War Continues
If the US-China trade war continues to escalate, consumers could soon find themselves paying more for PlayStations. From a report: As with other electronics giants, Sony manufacturers most of its consoles in China, with the company warning that if a new round of higher tariffs goes into effect the price for its game console may go up. “We believe, and therefore…