Full moon comes on November 12, 2019, as the moon is sweeping through the constellation Taurus the Bull. This full moon comes on the peak night of the North Taurid meteor shower. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/full-moon-subdues-north-taurid-meteors…
Tag: Middle East
Transit of Mercury on November 11, 2019
Our solar system’s innermost planet, Mercury passes directly in front of the sun on November 11, 2019. Who will see it, how to watch, equipment needed, transit times. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/transit-of-mercury-on-november-11-2019…
Earth Just Experienced Its Hottest-Ever October
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: Last month was the hottest ever October on record globally, according to data released Friday by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, an organization that tracks global temperatures. The month, which was reportedly 1.24 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average October from 1981-2010, narrowly beat October 2015 for the top spot. According to…
RIPE NIC: ‘In Five Weeks We’ll Run Out of IPv4 Internet Addresses’
An anonymous reader quotes ISP Review: The RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC), which manages regional distribution of internet addresses for the UK, Europe, Middle East and parts of Central Asia, has confirmed that their final reserve pool of Internet Protocol v4 (IPv4) addresses will completely run out in November 2019. Strictly speaking the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) started running out…
Twitter Executive Is Also A British Army ‘Psyops’ Solider
“The senior Twitter executive with editorial responsibility for the Middle East is also a part-time officer in the British Army’s psychological warfare unit,” reports Middle East Eye: The 77th Brigade uses social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as podcasts, data analysis and audience research to wage what the head of the UK military, General Nick Carter,…
Facebook Removes Hundreds of Propaganda Accounts Targeting Iran and Qatar
According to BuzzFeed News, a network of websites and accounts have been using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social platforms to sow propaganda targeting Iran and Qatar. “The accounts, which have now been taken down, appear to have been professionally run by PR firms based in the Middle East and Africa,” the report says. From the report: In August, Facebook announced…
CRISPR Might Be the Banana’s Only Hope Against a Deadly Fungus
An anonymous reader quotes Nature:
The race to engineer the next-generation banana is on. The Colombian government confirmed last month that a banana-killing fungus has invaded the Americas — the source of much of the world’s banana supply. The invasion has given new urgency to efforts to create fruit that can withstand the scourge. Scientists are using a mix of approaches to…
The Air Force Is Deploying Its First Drone-Killing Microwave Weapon
An anonymous reader writes: Drone attacks, including the recent swarm strike in Saudi Arabia, are increasing, and so is the Pentagon’s interest in killing them. This week, the Pentagon notified Congress of its purchase of a microwave weapon system designed to knock down swarms of enemy drones with pulses of energy. The purchase comes with an intent to deploy the PHASER…
Trump Launches Space Command
President Donald Trump announced Thursday the official establishment of the U.S. military’s Space Command. CNN reports: Space Command will become the 11th combatant command, joining the ranks of U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, and U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees Special Operations Forces. The command will initially consist of just 287 personnel and its final location…
Terrorists Turn To Bitcoin For Funding, and They’re Learning Fast
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, has been designated a terrorist organization by Western governments and some others and has been locked out of the traditional financial system. But this year its military wing has developed an increasingly sophisticated campaign to raise money using Bitcoin. In the latest version of the…