A record deadly week for US avalanches in early February

2021 has brought a deadly avalanche season. “We’re only halfway through the season and we’re 3/4 of the way to the number of fatalities we’d see in a typical year. The dangerous, record-breaking year keeps avalanche forecasters up at night,” one expert said. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/avalanches-2021-united-states-how-to-survive…

Intel Talks With TSMC, Samsung To Outsource Some Chip Production

Intel has talked with TSMC and Samsung about the Asian companies making some of its best chips, but the Silicon Valley pioneer is still holding out hope for last-minute improvements in its own production capabilities. Bloomberg reports: After successive delays in its chip fabrication processes, Santa Clara, California-based Intel has yet to make a final decision less than two weeks ahead…

Intel Contemplates Outsourcing Advanced Production, Upending Oregon’s Central Role

According to The Oregonian, Intel is “openly flirting with the notion of moving leading-edge production from Oregon to Asia and hiring one of its top rivals to make Intel’s most advanced chips.” The decision is likely in January. From the report: It’s a momentous choice that follows a string of manufacturing setbacks at the Ronler Acres campus near Hillsboro Stadium, failures…

At the edge of the blast

Read more: Hubble Space Telescope Sees Outer Edge of Cygnus Loop Bottom line: A detailed look at a small portion of the Cygnus Loop Nebula – a supernova remnant – followed by two images that show the nebula from more and more distant perspectives. Via Hubble Space Telescope Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/hubble-image-detailed-section-cygnus-loop…

Image: Hubble views edge of stellar blast

While appearing as a delicate and light veil draped across the sky, this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope actually depicts a small section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, located around 2,400 light-years away. The name of the supernova remnant comes from its position in the northern constellation of Cygnus (the Swan), where it covers an area 36 times…

Intel Slips, and a High-Profile Supercomputer Is Delayed

The chip maker was selected for an Energy Department project meant to show American tech independence. But problems at Intel have thrown a wrench into the effort. From a report: When it selected Intel to help build a $500 million supercomputer last year, the Energy Department bet that computer chips made in the United States could help counter a technology challenge…

Deneb is distant and very luminous

When you gaze at the bright star Deneb, you’re gazing across thousands of light-years of space. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/deneb-among-the-farthest-stars-to-be-seen…

Earth’s magnetic field may change faster than we thought

A long-standing question has been how fast Earth’s magnetic field can change. The authors of a new study say they’ve uncovered some answers. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/earths-magnetic-field-change-faster-thought…

Intel Reorganizes In Wake of 7nm Woes; Chief Engineering Officer To Depart

FallOutBoyTonto shares a report from AnandTech: Coming in the wake of last week’s disclosure that their 7nm yields are roughly a full year behind schedule, Intel this afternoon has announced that they are reorganizing the technology side of the company. Key to this change is that Intel is breaking up its monolithic Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group (TSCG) into several…

Northern Cross: Backbone of Milky Way

On summer evenings, look for this star pattern in the east, sideways to the horizon. Source: https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/the-northern-cross-backbone-of-the-milky-way…