A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was charged Thursday with hiding work he did for the Chinese government while he was also collecting U.S. dollars for his nanotechnology research. The Associate Press reports: Gang Chen, 56, was arrested by federal agents at his home in Cambridge on charges including wire fraud, officials said. While working for MIT, Chen entered into undisclosed…
Tag: United States
House Votes To Impeach President Trump a Historic Second Time
A House majority, including several Republicans, on Wednesday voted to impeach President Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” The New York Times reports: The House had enough votes on Wednesday to impeach President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as more than a half-dozen members of the president’s party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes…
The Impractical but Indisputable Rise of Retrocomputing
For all the personal technology introduced and popularized in 2020 — upscale fitness bikes, at-home Covid tests, game consoles new and old — the personal computer lands on the list with a bit of a thud. PCs lack the novelty of other gadgets, but they’re practical, essential even, in a year when work, school and social life have come to rely…
Amazon and Facebook Staff Warned of Threats To Safety
Amazon and Facebook have warned staff about threats to their safety amid fears of a backlash against “big tech.” From a report: Amazon Web Services (AWS) employees were told to “be vigilant” after the firm removed Parler from its web-hosting service. The app is popular with some supporters of President Donald Trump. Facebook staff were also instructed not to wear company-branded…
Record number of billion-dollar disasters in U.S. in 2020
Last year, the U.S. experienced a record-smashing 22 weather and climate disasters that killed at least 262 people and injured scores more. Damages exceeded $1 billion each and totaled approximately $95 billion for all 22 events. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/record-number-billion-dollar-disasters-us-2020…
How will the U.S. space program fare under Joe Biden?
Joe Biden is the United States presidential election winner, but his plans for NASA remain unclear. And while citizens digest the election results, the space industry is left wondering what comes next. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/how-will-the-u-s-space-program-fare-under-joe-biden…
Discord Bans Pro-Trump Server From Its Platform
Mashable reports:
We’re all judged by the company we keep. With that adage seemingly in mind, Discord moved Friday to ban a pro-Donald Trump server from its platform. TheDonald, as the server was titled, allowed likeminded individuals to digitally gather and was directly linked to the recently banned r/DonaldTrump subreddit and a separate discussion forum… “While there is no evidence of that…
The Case Against Section 230: ‘The 1996 Law That Ruined the Internet’
Writing in the Atlantic, programmer/economics commentator Steve Randy Waldman explains “Why I changed my mind” about the Communication Decency Act’s Section 230: In the United States, you are free to speak, but you are not free of responsibility for what you say. If your speech is defamatory, you can be sued. If you are a publisher, you can be sued for…
When will the Age of Aquarius begin?
Astronomers and astrologers may agree that the Age of Aquarius starts when the vernal equinox point moves out of constellation Pisces and into Aquarius. But when will that be? There’s no definitive answer. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/when-will-the-age-of-aquarius-begin…
Planetary trio – Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury – low in west at dusk
For the first time since October 2015, sky watchers will have the chance to view a planetary trio, or 3 planets all bunched up together on the sky’s dome. Two are Jupiter and Saturn, fresh from their much-viewed December conjunction. The 3rd planet is elusive Mercury. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/planetary-trio-low-in-west-at-dusk…