DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Rare lunar event may reveal Stonehenge’s link with the moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The lunar standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are farthest apart. Stonehenge's station stones are thought by some to be aligned with the lunar standstill. Ruggles said that Stonehenge’s station stones, which form a rectangle around the circle, roughly align with the moon’s extreme positions during the lunar standstill. However, it’s much more difficult to say whether Stonehenge really has a connection to the lunar standstill. Amanda Bosh/Stephen LevineOther monuments with possible lunar linkStonehenge isn’t the only megalithic monument potentially linked to the lunar standstill.

Persons: Clive Ruggles, ”, Fabio Silva, ” Ruggles, Ruggles, Andre Pattenden, Silva, ” Silva, Amanda Bosh, Stephen Levine, Erica Ellingson, Ellington, Bradley Schaefer Organizations: CNN, archaeoastronomy, University of Leicester, Bournemouth University, University of Oxford, English Heritage, University of Colorado, Sun, Louisiana State University Locations: Salisbury, England, Rock , Colorado, United States, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado, Pueblo, Lewis, Scotland

The ruling left Mr. Trump with the opportunity to raise different objections to Mr. Vance’s subpoena. AUTUMN 2020Prosecutors interviewed employees of the main bank and insurance company that serve Mr. Trump and issued several new subpoenas. The brief unsigned order was a decisive defeat for Mr. Trump and a turning point in Mr. Vance’s investigation. Just hours later, eight years of financial records were handed over to Mr. Vance’s office. After Mr. Bragg expressed reservations about the case, Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne suspended the presentation of evidence about Mr. Trump to a grand jury.

Persons: Donald J, Michael D, Cohen, Trump, “, Cyrus R, Vance Jr, Vance’s, Stefani Reynolds, Trump’s, Allen H, Weisselberg, Vance, Alvin L, Bragg, Mark F, Carey Dunne, Pomerantz, Dunne, Bragg’s, Allen Weisselberg, Stormy Daniels, Mr, Midwinter Organizations: Mr, New, Trump Organization, The New York Times, Trump Locations: Manhattan, New York State, U.S

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring Friday at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania, the scene of the country’s largest and best known Groundhog Day celebration in the United States. Just after sunrise Friday, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced Phil did not see his shadow, which will usher in early springlike weather. A bundled-up crowd, some wearing groundhog-themed hats, watched musical performances and fireworks as they waited for sunrise and the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil. Phil predicts more winter far more often than he sees an early spring, not a bad bet for February and March in western Pennsylvania. The 1993 blockbuster film “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray, fueled interest in Punxsutawney Phil and inspired informal observations far and wide.

Persons: —, Phil, Tom Dunkel, ese, ”, Dan McGinley, “, Punxsutawney Phil, Josh Shapiro, Punxsutawney, Shapiro, “ Punxsutawney, ” Shapiro, Bill Murray, he's, wasn’t Organizations: Groundhog Locations: Pa, Pennsylvania, United States, Punxsutawney, U.S, Canadian

“We know this is silly; we know this is fun,” said Marcy Galando, executive director of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Members of Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, organized in 1899, care for Phil at a customized space beside Punxsutawney Memorial Library — where there's a window with a view into the creature's burrow. The Punxsutawney groundhog makes predictions but he's not always predictable. In 1998, a groundhog club leader wearing a $4,000 groundhog suit reported being assaulted by a half-dozen young men. Intended to preserve Pennsylvania German culture and traditions, clubs would sometimes fine those who were caught speaking anything but their Pennsylvania Dutch language at meetings.

Persons: Phil, there'll, Bill Murray, ”, there's, Marcy Galando, Joseph, Jesus, Don Yoder, Yoder, he's, didn't, PHIL, Charlie Hart, Hart, Orphie, “ Octoraro Orphie, It's, Travis Lau, ” Lau, groundhogs, William W, Donner, ” Donner Organizations: Historians, University of Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, University, National Centers for Environmental, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S Locations: Pa, Pennsylvania, U.S, Canadian, Europe, Jerusalem, United States, Morgantown , Pennsylvania, —, Pittsburgh, Punxsutawney, Quarryville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's

☆ SoftBank-backed Improbable slashes losses by 85%, says pivot to the metaverse has paid off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Herman Narula, co-founder and CEO at Improbable, speaks during a session at the Web Summit in Lisbon. Virtual reality startup Improbable said Wednesday that it reduced losses by 85% in 2022, a year that saw the company pivot its focus to powering new "metaverse" experiences. Improbable CEO Herman Narula said the company had reported its "best financial year" on record which reflected how its bet on the metaverse had paid off. Improbable said that part of the reason behind the company's reduction in losses was a dramatic reduction in the cost of running mass-scale virtual events. The year also saw Improbable divest two of its games studios, Inflexion Games and Midwinter Entertainment, and sell off a business unit focused on servicing defense clients.

Persons: Herman Narula, Critics, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Inflexion, Midwinter Entertainment, Companies House Locations: Lisbon, British

Over decades of presidential campaigns, the Iowa way has been to hop from town to town, taking questions from all comers and genuflecting to the local culinary traditions. Going everywhere and meeting everyone has been the gospel of how to win over voters in the low-turnout midwinter caucuses that kick off the American presidential cycle. Now former President Donald J. Trump is delivering what could be a death blow to the old way. Five months from the 2024 caucuses, Mr. Trump holds a comfortable polling lead in a state he has rarely set foot in. A commanding victory by Mr. Trump could create a sense of inevitability around his candidacy that would be difficult to overcome.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: Trump, Fair Locations: Iowa

☆ Analysis: What's behind bitcoin's latest surge?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Tom Wilson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The original and biggest cryptocurrency has been here before, its 15-year history peppered with dramatic price increases and equally vertiginous drops. Driving bitcoin's gains have been its core user base of retail investors, analysts said. In the past, too, dramatic price swings for bitcoin have been closely tied to shifts in monetary policy globally. In 2022, bitcoin plummeted over 65% as higher rates triggered the fall of a major crypto token, precipitating the closure of major hedge funds and crypto lenders. To be sure, some investors say developments to bitcoin's intrinsic characteristics are now capable of supporting its price.

☆ The Stirring Sound of Hot Chocolate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Helen Czerski | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Physicist Helen Czerski explores the complex science behind familiar phenomena. Read more columns here. As the midwinter gloom settles over the last dregs of the festive holidays, I’m finding that the cold and the darkness are offset by one compensating factor: It’s hot-chocolate season. I’m an unashamed enthusiast, particularly since I don’t drink much coffee or tea, and so I’ve spent a lot of time over the years stirring chocolate chips or powder into hot milk or water. You would think that the version with melted chips would easily be superior in every way, but even the cheapest chocolate powder has a little trick up its sleeve: the ability to tell you when the drink is ready just by the sound it makes.

☆ Amid California's stormy weather, it feels like El Niño and La Niña have switched roles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SAN DIEGO — In a La Niña year, usually associated with dry and warm weather, California has been displaying elements of El Niño: big waves, snowcapped mountains and flooded coastal streets. La Niña this year looks like the El Niño he used to know. "This storm pattern in Southern California is not what we typically expect for a La Niña year," Yu said. "It is more like a winter rainfall pattern we would expect in Southern California during an El Niño year." That's La Niña.

☆ 11 ancient sites that are mysteriously aligned with the sun on the winter solstice, in photos.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Archaeologists have found many ancient sites that line up with the winter solstice sun. Here are 11 sites that line up with the winter solstice, and what experts think about them. Newgrange, County Meath, IrelandPeople celebrating the sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice in 2018. ShutterstockOne of the most famous examples of ancient architecture lining up with the winter solstice is in Machu Picchu, Peru. "From the winter solstice the days are longer, which was a metaphor of the rebirth of the deceased," he said.

☆ Parts of the West have double the normal snowpack. Experts say it’s too early to get excited
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

With back-to-back-to-back winter storms across the West, the snowpack is thriving. Parts of the Sierra and the Pacific Northwest are seeing above-average snowpack for this time of year. The drought monitor released some of the numbers Thursday, which showed some of the driest areas in the West with decent snow. They are counting on a good snowpack. More snow expected this weekBoth the Sierra and the Rockies will get hit with more snow this week as multiple storm systems traverse the West.

Search resuls for: "Midwinter"

11 mentions found