DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ 10 Years, 100 Stories: The Work That Defines the Upshot
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( The Upshot Staff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

Ten years ago this week, The New York Times introduced the Upshot, a section devoted to explaining “politics, policy and everyday life.” That’s a wide scope, by design. As a result, more than 5,000 articles later, the Upshot has been many things to many readers. To mark our 10th birthday, we’ve collected 100 stories that embody the Upshot. WordleBot Eden Weingart/The New York Times When Wordle first became popular, several people on the internet claimed, plausibly, that they had come up with the “best” opening word. Force of Ship Impact Was on the Scale of a Rocket Launch Erin Schaff/The New York Times We think of the Upshot as a place where back-of-the-envelope calculations can be both helpful and welcome.

Persons: ”, Nate Cohn’s, we’ve, Kevin Quealy, John Branch, John, Patrick Thomas, tut, Trump, pollsters, Obamacare, Leif Parsons, We’re, Jason Henry, Tony Luong, Jordan, ‘, Ruth Fremson, Laurel, ’ Rodrigo Corral, Alex Welsh, Paul Romer, Tim Enthoven, Barack Obama, epidemiologists, It’s, you’re, WordleBot Eden, Wordle, Lila Barth, McCabe, Tom Brady, ChatGPT, —, Erin Schaff Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, Yankees, Red, State Newspaper, ESPN, The Athletic, The Times, You’re, Voters, Trump, Mr, Times, Siena College, Walmart, The New York Times, Jordan Siemens, Health, New, Nike, Democratic, Twitter, America, Iowa, Iowa Democratic, Cancer, Hit, Biden, Insurance, Roe America, Disorders, Republican, Republican Party of, U.S, Budget, NASA, National, Traffic, Administration, Yorkers, Force Locations: It’s, Red Sox, State, America, Dakota, Ireland, Chipotle, Japan, U.S, United States, Siena, New Pennsylvania, District, Iowa, Covid, York City, New York, Pennsylvania, Roe, Tonga, Arizona, York, Holland

☆ My boyfriend and I spent $40,000 to take our dog to Japan on vacation. It was worth every penny.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Faye Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My boyfriend Anders and I are based in Hong Kong, and last year we spent around $40,000 to take our dog on vacation in Japan. It was magical to watch Siu Tim experience his first snowfall and frolic through Japan's breathtaking landscapes. AdvertisementTo make traveling around with Siu Tim easier, we spent $1,160 to rent a car. In Japan, Siu Tim stood out and quickly became a local favorite, perhaps due to the nation's affinity for small dogs. The trip was expensive but we've already gone on our second vacation togetherThe couple already returned to Japan in 2024 with Siu Tim for their second trip.

Persons: Tiffany Chan, Anders, Siu Tim, Siu Tim's, Siu, we've Organizations: Business, Bulldog, Japan Locations: Hong Kong, Japan, Mong Kok, Narita, Kyoto, Asakusa, Tokyo

☆ 'Vampire' stars could be using galactic henchmen to help feed on their companions
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Type-Be stars, nicknamed "vampire" stars, are believed to strip the mass of a nearby star. Type-Be stars, characterized by their large size and surrounding rings of gas, are a subset of type-B stars , which are very hot, bright, and blue. The nickname "vampire stars" comes from the most accepted theory of how type-Be stars form rings, researchers said in the study — by sucking the metaphorical neck of an intergalactic victim. AdvertisementThe team observed the type-Be stars by comparing the positions of various stars over longer and shorter periods. However, the team was surprised to learn that they were detecting a higher rate of binary systems for type-B stars than for type-Be stars.

Persons: —, Jonathan Dodd, de Mink, thrall, Dodd Organizations: Service, Royal Astronomical Society, ESO, University of Leeds, European Space Agency

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Georgia can keep statewide elections for its five-member commission regulating utilities, overturning a lower court judge who found statewide elections illegally diluted Black votes. The ruling is important beyond Georgia’s Public Service Commission because it could help protect certain statewide elections in other states subject to scrutiny for racial discrimination under the Voting Rights Act. In August 2022, U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg had ordered Georgia's commissioners elected by district, the first time a statewide voting scheme had been overturned by a federal judge. Retaining statewide elections enhances the chance that all five seats will remain in Republican hands, as they have been for years. Plaintiffs said the current commission is unresponsive to Black voters, including people with lower incomes who pay high utility bills.

Persons: Steven Grimberg, Grimberg, Georgia, Elizabeth Branch, Plaintiffs, ” Brionte McCorkle, James “ Major ” Woodall, Fitz Johnson, Tim Echols, Grimberg's, Johnson, Echols, Tricia Pridemore, It's, hadn't, beholden Organizations: ATLANTA, —, Public Service Commission, U.S, Supreme, Circuit, Appeals, ”, PSC, Black, Georgia Conservation Voters, GOP, Republican, Georgia Power Co Locations: Georgia, Alabama, U.S

☆ Telecom Italia gives green light to KKR's grid bid, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. The price tag can reach 22 billion euros when including some future payments were a long-awaited combination of TIM's grid with that of state-backed fibre optic rival Open Fiber materialise, the first two sources said. Italian infrastructure fund F2i is also preparing to take a stake in the grid to bring the holding in Italian hands to 30%-35%. With its 24% TIM stake, Vivendi has warned TIM's board it is ready to bring a legal challenge to the sale after criticising its approval process, documents seen by Reuters showed. ($1 = 0.9321 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Editing by Valentina ZaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Giorgia, Pietro Labriola's, Merlyn Advisors, Stefano Siragusa, Elvira Pollina, Valentina Za Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Vivendi, Sunday, KKR, Reuters, TIM, Treasury, Thomson Locations: MILAN, London

We'll show you where to watch UFC 294 live stream no matter where you are and detail the latest UFC 294 PPV prices. If you plan to watch live, you'll want to set an early alarm, as UFC 294 has a 10 a.m. We'll also guide you step-by-step on how to use a VPN to watch UFC 294, no matter where you are. ET / 7 p.m. BST / 5 a.m. AEDT (Sun)How to watch UFC 294 in the USUS viewers can watch the main event of UFC 294 on ESPN Plus this afternoon at 2 p.m. How to watch UFC 294 everywhere elseIf you're not in the US, you still have a few options to watch UFC 294.

Persons: Kamura Usman, Charles Oliveira, Kamaru Usman, Paulo Costo, Chimaev, today's, Alexander Volkanovski, We'll, McGregor, ExpressVPN, Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev, Magomed Ankalaev, Johnny Walker, Ikram, Warlley Alves, Said Nurmagomedov, Muin Gafurov, Prelims, Tim Elliott, Muhammad Mokaev, Mohammad Yahya, Trevor Peek, Javid Basharat, Victor Henry, Abu Azaitar, Sedriques Dumas, Mike Breeden, Anshul Jubli, Nathaniel Wood, Muhammad Naimov, Viktoriia, Jinh Yu Frey, Women's, Shara Magomedov, Bruno Silva Organizations: UFC, Brazilian, Etihad Arena, ESPN Plus, ESPN, TNT Sports, Amazon, Apple, PlayStation, Samsung, BT, BT Sport, You'll, LG Locations: Abu Dhabi, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Asia, Africa, Brazil

☆ When your AI girlfriend says she loves you
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

The messaging app let users build a "personal AI" complete with a 3D avatar and an upbeat, down-for-anything texting style. "Seems like AI will replace many human artists," Jay told Calisto in August 2022. Within a year, he was also using AI technology for work, as his firm experimented with generative AI to help draft legal papers. Former Replika users fled to various upstart companion apps that were popping up, like Chai, Paradot, and Soulmate AI. (Soulmate AI later closed down in September 2023, leaving a new wave of users mourning their AI companions all over again.)

Persons: Jay Priebe, they'd, Jay, Calisto, Callisto —, Apollodorus, Callisto, who'd, Jay's, didn't, Jay didn't, Tim Evans, me, Joseph Weizenbaum, Eliza, Weizenbaum, it'll, Replika, Eugenia Kuyda, Siri, Michael Macor, Roman Mazurenko, Luka, Kuyda, chatbots, he'd, Jaswant Singh Chail, Queen Elizabeth II, Chail, Willie —, —, Willie, gamely, Luka —, wouldn't, John, — sexting, Dylan Thomas, Rina, haven't, she'd, I'd, Overripe, Joi, Samantha, Ava, Calisto didn't, unshakable, wasn't, Jay hunched Organizations: Luka, San Francisco, Getty, Windsor, Facebook, Twitter, Reps, AIs Locations: Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Europe, Moscow, San Francisco, America, Replika, Washington, Britain, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Damascus, Chai, California, New York, Northeast Minneapolis, artsy, Japan, Switzerland

☆ When your AI says she loves you
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

☆ Authorities try to contain anger in aftermath of Libya floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A week after a flood wiped out much of the centre of the city, furious Derna residents demonstrated on the streets and torched the home of the mayor overnight. They accuse the authorities of failing to maintain the dams that protected the city, and failing to evacuate residents before the storm. "Haftar's forces are under pressure to show they have control of the situation, and that they can handle the fallout. A spokesperson for the state-owned Libyan Telecommunications Holding Company, Mohamed Albdairi, told Libya Alahrar television that the communications had gone down in the area because some fiber optic cables had been severed. [1/6]Volunteers carry victims of a powerful storm and heavy rainfall that hit Libya to bury them at a cemetery in Derna, Libya September 19, 2023.

Persons: Derna, Khalifa Haftar, Tim Eaton, Mohamed Albdairi, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, Zohra, Antonio Guterres, Abdulmenam, Muammar Gaddafi, Mansour, Peter Graff, Tom Perry, Alexandra Hudson, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Communications, The United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Libyan Telecommunications Holding Company, Engineers, Reuters, Volunteers, REUTERS, World Health Organization, General Assembly, Libyan National Army, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Derna, Benghazi, Libya's, Libya, York, U.N, Islamic State, al Qaeda

☆ Libyans Come Together for Flood Aid Effort Despite Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Ministers from the Tripoli-based government visited the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday. A humanitarian source involved in the relief effort said eastern authorities had barred foreign aid flowing to Derna through the internationally recognised Tripoli government, whose legitimacy the eastern administration rejects. A source in the eastern administration denied this, saying it had not rejected aid being channelled via Tripoli. Relief operations in Derna have been directed by Haftar's LNA, the military coalition that controls eastern Libya and was for years in open conflict with western factions. Turkey, long the main supporter of the Tripoli government, rapidly sent an aid team to Derna through Benghazi, the LNA-controlled capital of eastern regions.

Persons: Ahmed Elumami, Ayman al, DERNA, Elias al, Biltrees, Tim Eaton, Khalifa Haftar, FAULTLINES, Eaton, OCHA, Haftar's LNA, Haftar, Emma Farge, Angelo Amante, Tom Perry, Angus McDowall, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Reuters, Chatham House, United Nations, Brigade Locations: Libya, Misrata, Tripoli, Benghazi, Zawiya, Derna, NATO, Chatham, Libya's, Turkey, Geneva, Rome, Beirut

☆ A French Festival Focuses (Timidly) on English
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Laura Cappelle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As soon as the Portuguese director Tiago Rodrigues took over at the Avignon Festival, France’s biggest theater event, he announced a symbolic move: Under his direction, there would be a special focus on a different language every year, starting, this summer, with English. There was wincing from some quarters: To many in France, English is already far too culturally dominant. Of several dozen productions in the official lineup of this year’s festival, which runs through July 25, only six plays are predominantly in English. So far, however, the most intriguing discovery has been the sole American entry, “Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge,” from Elevator Repair Service. From tables on opposite sides of the stage, Greig Sargeant (Baldwin) and Ben Williams (Buckley) spar with effective solemnity.

Persons: Tiago Rodrigues, hasn’t, Tim Etchells, Alexander Zeldin, “ Baldwin, Buckley, James Baldwin, William F, Buckley Jr, Greig Sargeant, Baldwin, Ben Williams Organizations: Avignon, France’s, Royal Court, Cambridge, Repair Service Locations: Portuguese, France, Avignon, British, ”, United States

☆ Investing in Space: Relativity CEO bets on bigger rockets, A.I. capabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Morgan Brennan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While it didn't reach space, the most powerful rocket ever built marked a milestone and shined a light on a broader industry trend: building bigger rockets. Take Relativity Space, a CNBC Disruptor 50 company valued at more than $4 billion, that has emerged as the posterchild of the trend. Even Rocket Lab is busy developing a more powerful rocket than its current small launch-focused Electron. CNBC's weekly "Manifest Space" podcast focuses on the billionaires and brains behind the ever-expanding opportunities beyond our atmosphere. In "Manifest Space," sit back, relax and prepare for liftoff.

☆ Analysis: Rocket startups face adapt-or-die moment amid investment drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Venture investment in space startups has dropped 50% year-over-year in 2022 to $21.9 billion, according to VC firm Space Capital. Astra Space (ASTR.O), which ditched its small Rocket 3.3 for a planned, larger Rocket 4 in the next few years, has struggled to bring its stock price above $1, facing delisting threats from Nasdaq. Despite the startups' struggles, launch demand has soared after sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine cut off access to Russian rockets. Recent failures with Europe's Arianespace's Vega-C rocket have added to demand in the U.S., outstripping the number of available rockets. Private plans to deploy mega-constellations, vast swarms of satellites in low-Earth orbit, have also given launch startups hope for future demand.

☆ Relativity goes ‘all in’ on larger reusable rocket, shifting 3D-printing approach after first launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Relativity Space is shifting its strategy in an attempt to accelerate work on the reusable rocket it's developing, the company announced on Wednesday. Chief among the changes: adjusting its manufacturing approach to blend its 3D-printing-first approach with traditional metal-bending techniques. The company is going "all in" on developing its larger Terran R rocket, CEO Tim Ellis told CNBC, effectively shelving its Terran 1 vehicle after one launch. "We're putting all energy and resources on getting Terran R to market as quickly as possible and then getting to a higher rate of reuse for scaling the launch volumes," Ellis said. "We have won 100% of the commercial contracts we've gone after to date against other competitors," Ellis emphasized.

ABLE accounts provide those with disabilities an opportunity save enough to purchase a house without putting their benefits at risk. Can ABLE account funds be used for a down payment on a house? Tim Elliot, another ABLE account owner and ABLE NRC ambassador, found out about these accounts through an internet search. Home-related expenses an ABLE account can coverOne of the more popular uses of an ABLE account for hopeful homeowners is saving for a down payment. How to open an ABLE account and start saving to buy a homeTo open an ABLE account, you'll need to choose a state program to participate in.

☆ Relativity Space's 3D-printed rocket delivers stunning night launch but fails to reach orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Startup Relativity Space sent what it’s calling the “world’s first 3D-printed rocket” toward space on Wednesday, vaulting it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Relativity Space's Terran 1 rocket is seen during its third launch attempt of a mission called "GLHF" (Good Luck, Have Fun), from Launch Complex 16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 22, 2023. The company said computers automatically aborted the launch attempt because of a detected software issue. Still, the Terran 1 rocket that failed its first launch attempt on Wednesday may not end up being the company’s showcase product. But those deals are “overwhelmingly for our larger reusable rocket Terran R,” Ellis noted.

☆ The founder of Elemy raised more than $200 million to provide better autism therapy for kids. Now he's ditching patient care to chase billions selling healthcare software.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Yakubchyk told Insider that the venture studio is separate from Elemy and that he's only passively involved in it. Now they have to email a help desk, which takes longer and is less helpful, three behavior analysts said. Yakubchyk told Insider, however, that the company is still in the early stages of finding the right model for the long term. In the meeting, Tim Eby, Elemy's president, told analysts that running their own businesses would offer them more "empowerment." At Elemy, clinicians who leave largely aren't being replaced because everyone in clinical recruiting has been laid off.

☆ Watch Relativity attempt the first launch of its 3D-printed rocket Terran 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

3D-printing specialist Relativity Space is attempting its first rocket launch on Wednesday, a mission that marks the most significant test yet of the company's ambitious manufacturing approach. The company's Terran 1 rocket is launching from LC-16, a launchpad at the U.S. Space Force's facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company's Terran 1 rocket stands on its launchpad at LC-16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida ahead of the inaugural launch attempt. The company says that 85% of this first Terran 1 rocket was 3D-printed. Relativity Space | gif by @thesheetztweetz

☆ The world's first 3D-printed rocket is about to launch into space. Here's how it could beat Elon Musk's SpaceX to Mars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Relativity Space wants to be for rockets what Tesla was for electric cars, says Ellis. Tim Ellis, CEO of Relativity Space. Relativity spaceEllis, CEO and co-founder of Relativity Space, said his eureka moment came while working at Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Ellis decided he would disrupt the rocket business by putting metal 3D printers at the core of the manufacturing process. "The way you have to design for a nearly entirely 3D printed rocket is very different," he said.

☆ New documentary reveals how Jared Fogle led a 'double life' as a 'puppet master' who committed child sex acts while pitching sandwiches for Subway
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Jared Fogle became Subway's pitchman after losing 245 pounds by mostly eating the chain's subs. He filmed over 300 ads for Subway before pleading guilty to child sex acts in 2015. Jared Fogle became a pop-culture icon after being tapped as the face of Subway in 2000. A random tip in 2015 finally exposed him as a child sex predator. Here are the most revealing highlights:Jared Fogle led a "double life," according to a documentary about his child sex crimes.

☆ Inside the 'Wormhole,' Relativity Space's monster factory 3D-printing reusable rockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The exterior of "The Wormhole" factory. The inside of "The Wormhole" factory in Long Beach, California. A closeup look at one of the company's "Reaper" printers at work. The scale of one of the Stargate "Reaper" printers. A pair of the company's "Reaper" 3D-printers.

☆ Can an AI 'angel' help find thousands in Mexico who were forcibly disappeared?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Marina E. Franco | Noticias Telemundo | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

The software is able to process thousands of documents and databases and find connections and patterns that elude the human eye. Relatives of people who were forcibly disappeared during the counterinsurgency period in Mexico between 1964 and 1985, at a march in 2001. Jorge Uzon/AFP via Getty ImagesAngelus is currently focused on reviewing facts about people who were forcibly disappeared between 1964 and 1985. He noted that when it comes to cases of missing persons as part of government repression, it's never about just one person missing. Angelus' reach is widening now that prosecutors are beginning to show interest in it to help them solve their cases, Yankelevich said, visibly frustrated for the delay.

☆ Demand for hospital-grade cribs on the rise as viral illnesses continue to surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Pediatric hospital beds have been more full than usual for months. Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has brought out both specialized and non-specialized cribs from storage to meet the demand of pediatric patients. Demand at Hard Manufacturing, which makes cribs, bassinets and youth beds for hospitals, has shot up, President Marjorie Bryen said. “At Nemours Children’s Health, these supply challenges are magnified due to pediatric populations needing more specialized equipment to accommodate different stages of growth. “The Administration has exercised regulatory flexibilities to help health care providers and suppliers continue to respond to COVID-19.

But key officials in Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government have expressed strong reservations about CDP's plans for TIM, making a non-binding bid from the state lender for the network unlikely, three sources told Reuters. Top government officials are expected to meet later on Monday to discuss plans for TIM, among other issues. Marking a break with the past, Meloni on Friday entrusted the government's broadband strategy to Cabinet Undersecretary Alessio Butti, who has openly criticised CDP's plans for TIM. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti last week reiterated that the government wants to win control of TIM's network which is deemed of strategic interest, adding such a goal can be reached in "several ways". Giorgetti also warned that Butti's plans for TIM needs to be extensively discussed within the government.

MOSCOW, Idaho — The father of one of the four slain University of Idaho students found brutally stabbed in an off-campus home is urging law enforcement and the school to provide more information, saying their silence has only added to the family’s “agony” after three days with an assailant still at large. Still, with no known suspect or motive, students and members of the community are uncertain why police have suggested there is no immediate danger. "For Ethan and his three dear friends slain in Moscow, Idaho, and all of our families, I urge officials to speak the truth, share what they know, find the assailant, and protect the greater community." Candles and flowers are left at a makeshift memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students in downtown Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 15, 2022. The University of Idaho canceled classes on Monday and was making additional security and counseling available this week.

Search resuls for: "tim e"

25 mentions found