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☆ Disney star turned space CEO: Bridgit Mendler launches satellite data startup backed by major VCs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bridgit Mendler is no stranger to reaching millions of people — now she wants to change how satellite data reaches the ground. "The vision is a data highway between Earth and space," Mendler told CNBC. "Space is getting easier along so many different dimensions but still the actual exercise of sending data to and from space is difficult. Rather than build rockets or satellites, Northwood aims to mass produce ground stations. Also known as teleports, ground stations are the typically large and often circular antennas that connect to satellites in space.

Persons: Bridgit Mendler, The Beverly Hilton, Bridgit, —, Charlie, Mendler, Andreessen Horowitz, Griffin, Luthra, Lockheed Martin Organizations: The Beverly, Disney Channel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Law School, Federal Communications, Space Bureau, CNBC, Northwood, Founders Fund, Lockheed, Mitre Corporation, Space Locations: Beverly Hills , California, Waverly, El Segundo , California

☆ Will the Boom in Luxury and Wellness Travel Fizzle?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After the travel frenzy of 2023, all signs point to increasing interest in far-flung destinations, villa rentals, private jet bookings and personal pilgrimages in 2024. “The lust for luxury is real,” said Jack Ezon, the founder of the high-end travel agency Embark Beyond. “Travel provides the glue that pulls the family close together and unites it around a shared passion,” said Tom Marchant, a co-founder of Black Tomato, which plans pricey bespoke trips. This year, travelers are expected to choose faraway places and board small ships, according to Virtuoso, the consortium of luxury travel agencies. Black Tomato is planning private group treks to untrammeled destinations like the Mitre Peninsula in Argentina’s Patagonia region, priced at more than $60,000 per person.

Persons: ”, Jack Ezon, Tom Marchant Organizations: Consumers, “ Locations: Kimberley, Western Australia, Mitre, Patagonia

☆ Falling Domestic Fares and an A.I. Arms Race: What Travelers Can Expect in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

Arms Race: What Travelers Can Expect in 2024 At the start of what promises to be a very busy year, we look ahead at what you’re likely to encounter. With 2023 in the rearview mirror, we look ahead at what travelers will face in 2024. At United Airlines, for example, smarter software can offer rebooking options and issue food and lodging vouchers when a flight is canceled, rather than just rebooking a flight. United Airlines has suspended its flights indefinitely, said Josh Freed, a United spokesman. This year, travelers are expected to choose faraway places and board small ships, according to Virtuoso, the consortium of luxury travel agencies.

Persons: Chanelle, Hayley Berg, ” Ms, Berg, “, Robert W, Mann Jr, ”, Chad Burt, Oren Etzioni, Gilbert Ott, Hopper, Greg Forbes, Delta’s, Neville Pattinson, Mr, Pattinson, biometrics, Laura Lindsay, Joshua Smith, Smith, Laurel Brunvoll, Michael Zeiler, Airbnb, We’ve, Jamie Lane, ‘, ’ ”, Jan Freitag, “ We’ve, David Whiteside, Brian Kelly, Guy, Leigh Rowan, “ There’s, Kelly, Rowan, ” Mr, James Thornton, Sharm el Sheikh, Khaled Ibrahim, Harry Rubenstein, Rubenstein, Eyal Carlin, Josh Freed, Jack Ezon, Tom Marchant, Beth McGroarty Organizations: World Tourism Organization, International Air Transport Association, Analysts, Express Global, ”, airfare, University of Washington, United Airlines, Transportation, Administration, Salt Lake, International Airport, Denver International Airport, Delta Air Lines, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, La Guardia Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, biometrics, Thales, Air, American Airlines, Global, “, —, MidX Studios, LivSmart Studios, Hilton, Hyatt Studios, Accor Hotels, Boston University, Visa, Mastercard, Walmart, Target, Savanti, Chase, Intrepid Travel, Amisol Travel, East Travel Alliance, United, Consumers, Ki’ama, Wellness, Global Wellness Institute Locations: United States, Point.me, Salt, North America, London, Rome, Tokyo, Cancún, Las Vegas, Cayman Islands, Polynesia, Europe, Norway, Denmark, Air Canada, Bergen, Flam, Scandinavia, Italy, France, Malta, Slovenia, Maryland, Spain, Portugal, Britain, Egypt, India, Mexico ; Cape Girardeau, Mo, Niagara Falls, N.Y . Texas, Burnet, Sulphur Springs, New York, Vienna, Marriott, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Oman —, Tunisia, Northern Africa, Sharm, Cairo, Amisol Travel Egypt, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramle, Kimberley, Western Australia, Mitre, Patagonia, Ki’ama Bahamas, Bahamas, South Africa, Hudson, Tuxedo Park, N.Y, Malibu , Calif, Mexico

A large depreciation didn’t fully materialize; rather, the dollar’s value in the parallel retail market – popularly known as the “blue dollar” – increased some 13%. Milei, an outsider and right-wing populist, has also accused the Central Bank of recklessly printing money in order to fund public spending. The government has made access to foreign currency increasingly more stringent, which has caused the parallel market to flourish. “It isn’t exactly full, but there’s a lot in there,” she said, declining to provide her last name because trading foreign currency under the table is illegal. “Listening to the radio and looking on the internet, there isn’t any craziness about dollar, dollar, dollar,” he said.

Persons: Leandro Francisco Diana, Javier Milei, “, ”, Diana, Villa Crespo, Milei, Javier, Giselle, Argentina isn't, Maria Castiglioni, ” Castiglioni, Alexi Hoyos, Hoyos, ” Diana, videojournalist Mauricio Cuevas Organizations: U.S ., U.S, Central Bank, Radio Mitre Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Buenos Aires, New York, Miami, Florida

Populist Javier Milei, a libertarian economist and self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” won a presidential runoff election on Sunday with 55.7% of the vote. He said Monday that he would move quickly to privatize the country's state-owned media outlets and look to do the same with other public companies. “Everything that can be in the hands of the private sector will be in the hands of the private sector,” Milei told Bueno Aires station Radio Mitre. Experts immediately questioned how far Milei would get in fulfilling that vision without the support of Argentina's National Congress, where his party holds a relatively small share of seats. Monday was a public holiday in Argentina so financial markets weren’t open, but the stocks of Argentine companies that trade in New York soared.

Persons: —, privatizations, Javier Milei, ”, ” Milei, Bueno, Mariano Machado, Milei, Diana Mondino, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, YPF, Andrés Gil Domínguez, Mariel Fornoni, Gustavo Arballo, ” Arballo Organizations: Bueno Aires, Radio Mitre, Argentina's National, Americas, Verisk, Central Bank of, U.S, Central Bank, Argentine, Liberty, University of Buenos, Management, La Pampa National University Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Argentina's, Central Bank of Argentina, New York, Argentine, University of Buenos Aires

☆ Google and the Department of Defense are building an AI-powered microscope to help doctors spot cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Zafar turned to his microscope – a canonically beloved tool in pathology that the doctors rely on to help make their diagnoses. It's an artificial intelligence-powered microscope built by Google and the U.S. Department of Defense. The AI-powered tool is called an Augmented Reality Microscope, or ARM, and Google and the Department of Defense have been quietly working on it for years. When a glass slide is prepared and fixed under the microscope, the AI is able to outline where cancer is located. For many smaller health systems, digitization is not yet worth the hassle.

Persons: Niels Olson, Nadeem Zafar, Zafar, Zafar's, Mitre Ashley Capoot, Mitre, it's, Ashley Capoot, CNBC Patrick Minot, Minot, Olson, It's, Aashima Gupta, Gupta Organizations: Microscope, U.S . Department of Defense, Google, CNBC, ARM, Department of Defense, Mitre, Minot, Defense Innovation Unit, U.S . Navy, Naval, Naval Medical Center Locations: Seattle, Mitre, Washington ,, DIU, Guam, U.S, Micronesia, San Diego, Mountain View , California

ROME (AP) — “Poor Things,” a film about Victorian-era female empowerment, won the Golden Lion on Saturday at a Venice Film Festival largely deprived of Hollywood glamour because of the writers and actors strikes. The film, starring Emma Stone, won the top prize at the 80th edition of the festival, which is often a predictor of Oscar glory. The film tells the story of two young boys’ odyssey from Dakar, Senegal, to the detention camps in Libya and finally across the Mediterranean to Europe. Peter Sarsgaard won best actor for “Memory,” in which he co-stars with Jessica Chastain in a film about high schoolers reuniting. Cailee Spaeny won best actress for “Priscilla,” Sofia Coppola's portrait of the private side of Priscilla and Elvis Presley.

Persons: Emma Stone, Yorgos Lanthimos, Stone, ” Lanthimos, Alasdair Gray’s, Bella Baxter, Matteo Garrone, Seydou Sarr, Agnieszka Holland’s “, Peter Sarsgaard, Jessica Chastain, Sarsgaard, Cailee Spaeny, “ Priscilla, ” Sofia, Priscilla, Elvis Presley, Damien Chazelle, Saleh Bakri, Jane Campion, Mia Hansen, Løve, Gabriele Mainetti, Martin McDonagh, Santiago Mitre, Laura Poitras, Shu Qi Organizations: ROME, Lion, Venice Film Locations: Venice, Europe, Dakar, Senegal, Libya, Polish, Belarus, Shu

☆ Israeli-Iranian movie filmed undercover to avoid suspicion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Premiere for the film "Maestro" in competition - Red Carpet - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2023. "Tatami", a tense thriller centred on a world judo championship, got its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival at the weekend, receiving a standing ovation. Amir Ebrahimi and Nattiv shot the movie in Georgia, a country Iranians can easily visit. Nattiv revealed he had helped Amir Ebrahimi pay a clandestine visit to Israel, something that Tehran absolutely forbids for its citizens. We could be from the same nation, the same family, we are the same," said Amir Ebrahimi.

Persons: Damien Chazelle, Gabriele Mainetti, Jane Campion, Laura Poitras, Saleh Bakri, Martin McDonagh, Mia Hansen, Santiago Mitre, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Guy Nattiv, Arienne Mandi, Amir Ebrahimi, Nattiv, Golda, Israel, Crispian Balmer, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, International Judo Federation, Cannes, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, VENICE, Tehran, Iranian, Georgia, Iran, Israel

☆ Some U.S. government agencies are testing out A.I. to help fulfill public records requests
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Lewis Kamb | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Still, some open government and civil rights advocates are already raising concerns that the government's move toward using AI to help address FOIA problems may create new ones. So far, government agencies haven't widely disclosed to the public what kinds of AI tools are being used, and in what fashion, Marshall said. But experts widely agree the FOIA process must be modernized and fixed, as requests can sometimes take months, even years, to fulfill. An increasing number of requesters have turned to the courts for help in prying records loose in a timely manner. The state department is now testing two AI models to help process FOIA requests, Stein said.

Persons: —, Jason R, Adam Marshall, Marshall, they're, Michael Sarich, Eric F, Stein, that's, There's, Bradford Brown, Brown, Mitre, Baron, Clinton, Brett Max Kaufman Organizations: State Department, Justice Department, Centers for Disease Control, NBC News, University of Maryland, Freedom, Press, Justice Department's, Information, Department of Veterans Affairs, Justice, CDC, NBC, Mitre Corp, National Archives, Records Administration, Mitre Locations: —

☆ Central bankers lay out digital currency cyber threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - The central bankers' central bank, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), has laid out a seven-point plan designed to help countries prevent cyber hacks on the new wave of digital national currencies under development. The BIS acts as an umbrella body for the U.S. Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England and other central banks around the world and has been co-ordinating a lot of work on CBDC development. Hackers have struck a number of central banks in recent years from Denmark to Bangladesh. Specifically, it calls on central banks to:• Recognise the complexity and new threat landscape brought by CBDC systems. It also called for central banks to use the global "MITRE ATT&CK" database of past cyber attacks, and for an "official extension" of the MITRE ATT&CK framework to help central banks beef up their security measures.

Persons: MITRE, Marc Jones, Susan Fenton Organizations: Bank for International Settlements, BIS, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Polaris, Thomson Locations: Denmark, Bangladesh

Those weaknesses were previously verified by federal cybersecurity officials, who urged election officials across the country to update their systems. Georgia election officials insist it is highly unlikely that the vulnerabilities will be exploited in real attacks. Georgia officials have dismissed the potential for these weaknesses to be exploited. But Georgia has not implemented the recommended security patch and state officials said they are waiting to do so until after 2024. The report was placed under seal by a judge “given the serious election security concerns” raised by its potential release, according to court records.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, Mike Hassinger, ” Gabriel Sterling, Alex Halderman, ”, Halderman, Mitre Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican, CNN, Dominion, Systems, University of Michigan, Mitre Corp Locations: Georgia

☆ Commerce Dept. Outlines Plans to Fund Cutting-Edge Chip Research
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ana Swanson | Don Clark | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The plans are part of the Biden administration’s effort to reinvigorate semiconductor manufacturing and ensure that the United States has a steady supply of chips necessary to feed its factories and support its national defense. The Commerce Department has been charged with doling out $50 billion to revitalize the industry, including $11 billion devoted to research and development. “It should be on areas that no one company can solve alone,” she said. Companies, universities, lawmakers and local governments have been lobbying the administration to set up an outpost of the new organization in their area. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader and an author of the legislation that funded the semiconductor investment, said in a statement Tuesday that he was pushing to make Albany, N.Y., a site for the new organization.

Ana de Armas garnered an Academy Award nomination for best actress in a leading role for her performance as Marilyn Monroe in Netflix's "Blonde" — amid controversy over the movie. De Armas, 34, was nominated for the Oscar a day after “Blonde” got eight Razzie Award nominations, including worst picture and screenplay, further underscoring how polarizing the film has been. This is the Cuban-born actor's first Oscar nomination. Her performance in the movie also earned de Armas her second Golden Globe nomination last year. “Argentina, 1985” won a Golden Globe last month for best non-English language motion picture.

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