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☆ Advice from pilots, flight attendants, and frequent travelers on what you should always pack when you travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A flight attendant suggested asking yourself whether you need an item or just want to bring it. To help make the process less stressful, I asked a handful of experts, including pilots and frequent fliers, how they pack and which items they can't travel without. Tifsit Teferra, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, said to be strategic with your carry-on luggage. Bring your own water bottleSarah Guerra, a former Delta flight attendant, suggests packing an empty portable water bottle if you get extra thirsty when you fly. "As a flight attendant, so many people would ask me for water because they ran through the airport or had to take a pill.

☆ Mark Zuckerberg's big reveal of his legs in the metaverse was actually 'animations created from motion capture,' Meta says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta revealed legs for its avatars in its metaverse, Horizon World, at the annual Connect event. A Meta spokesperson clarified the legs were a preview made of "animations created from motion capture." It's not clear if Meta has a working demo of the feature and a release date wasn't specified. Zuckerberg said "legs are hard," because it's hard to accurately position body parts like legs in virtual reality, "which is why other virtual reality systems don't have them either." The event did include more concrete news: Zuckerberg announced the new $1499 Quest Pro virtual reality headset is launching October 25.

☆ Facebook's 'desperate' metaverse push to build features like avatar legs has Wall Street questioning the company's future
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Zuckerberg made another pitch for his metaverse this week, failing to placate investors. One analyst called it a "desperate" and likely doomed attempt by the company to reinvent itself. But Neil Campling, an analyst and head of research at Mirabaud, summed it up in one word: "desperate." And the Quest Pro, while much more expensive than Quest 2, is "a very fine piece of engineering," he said. Some on Wall Street are also willing to give Facebook more of a chance to prove itself, despite the costs.

☆ Meta's 'desperate' metaverse push to build features like avatar legs has Wall Street questioning the company's future
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Zuckerberg made another pitch for his metaverse this week, failing to placate investors. One analyst called it a "desperate" and likely doomed attempt by the company to reinvent itself. But Neil Campling, an analyst who is the head of research at Mirabaud, summed it up in one word: "desperate." And he said the Quest Pro, while much more expensive than Quest 2, was "a very fine piece of engineering." Some on Wall Street are also willing to give Meta more of a chance to prove itself, despite the costs.

☆ NASA astronauts returning from space station on SpaceX capsule delayed by weather
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The astronauts — NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, as well as Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti with the European Space Agency — were scheduled to depart from the space station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Thursday morning. Aerospace company SpaceX developed the Crew Dragon spacecraft under a $2.6 billion contract with NASA as part of the Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX renewed orbital human spaceflight capabilities from US soil in 2020 with the launch of its Demo-2 mission, which carried two NASA astronauts to the space station. The Crew-4 astronauts’ return to Earth comes less than a week after the Crew-5 astronauts arrived on a separate SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Since SpaceX developed the Crew Dragon under a fixed-price commercial contract, however, it retains ownership over the vehicle.

☆ Meta’s newest VR headset is impressive. Here’s why you probably won’t buy it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN Business —Meta’s newest virtual-reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro, is a slick, powerful device. Buyers can pre-order the Quest Pro as of Tuesday, and it will ship out on October 25. Meta's latest VR headset, the Quest Pro, is aimed at business users and costs $1500. Updated hand controllersThe headset is also more of a mixed-reality headset than a VR headset, as it isn’t meant to block out all ambient light all the time. The Quest Pro headset has sensors that can track your eyes and facial expressions.

☆ 'The devices would have gotten us killed.' Microsoft's military smart goggles failed four of six elements during a recent test, internal Army report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft won a contract worth as much as $22 billion to build smart goggles for the US military. The device received a poor reception from soldiers in a recent test, according to an Army report. Microsoft's smart goggles for the US military failed most elements of a recent Army test and one tester remarked the device would be dangerous for soldiers to wear, according to excerpts from an Army report dictated to Insider. The device failed in four out of six evaluation events in a recent "operational demo," according to a Microsoft employee briefed about the event. The Army contract was considered a major milestone for Microsoft in particular and the augmented reality field in general.

☆ Elon Musk touts big plans for Tesla's Optimus robot, but some experts doubt it's the next big thing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Eight experts told Insider they have doubts about Elon Musk's promises for Tesla's Optimus bot. Several experts said Tesla's AI Day demonstration doesn't stand out from other companies' projects. This year, at Tesla's second annual AI Day a prototype of the Optimus bot walked slowly onto the stage and waved to the audience. The Optimus bot did stand out in one way, according to several experts — its hands. Animesh Garg, a professor of AI Robotics at the University of Toronto, called the bot's hands "impressive."

School-age kids added violent lyrics to the “Barney & Friends” theme song. “Parents admit to a cordial dislike of the saccharine saurian, and no self-respecting second-grader will admit to liking Barney.”Barney on "Barney And Friends" in 1992. In a phone interview last week, West (who appears in the docuseries) reflected on the success of “Barney & Friends” and offered a few theories on why Barney proved to be such a lightning rod. My agent recommended me to Dennis DeShazer, who was one of the producers of “Barney & Friends.” I auditioned with a lot of other folks. Barney voice actor Bob West.

☆ The era of Big Tech moonshots is over. Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are pulling back on ambitious, risky long-term projects after many of them failed.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Hugh Langley | Eugene Kim | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have scaled back their ambitious "moonshot" projects. Moonshots like Google X and Amazon Grand Challenge allowed tech firms to build innovative projects. Before Amazon, Parviz led a similar team at Google called Google X. Page and Brin championed X projects they loved, helping them gain funding and headcount within the unit. Parviz, who created the once-hyped-up Google Glass, left Google X in 2014 to start Amazon's Grand Challenge.

☆ Meta is using AI to generate videos from just a few words
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Now, Meta researchers are taking AI a step further: they’re using it to concoct videos from a text prompt. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on Facebook on Thursday about the research, called Make-A-Video, with a 20-second clip that compiled several text prompts that Meta researchers used and the resulting (very short) videos. Even so, it demonstrates a fresh direction AI research is taking as systems become increasingly good at generating images from words. If the technology is eventually released widely, though, it will raise many of the same concerns sparked by text-to-image systems, such as that it could be used to spread misinformation via video. As with massive, popular AI systems that generate images from text, the researchers pointed out that their text-to-image AI model was trained on internet data — which means it learned “and likely exaggerated social biases, including harmful ones,” the researches wrote.

Perkins loans that aren't held by the US government do not qualify for Biden's new student-loan forgiveness. To qualify for up to $20,000 in forgiveness, you must consolidate your loans into Direct loans. This may not be the best option for everyone, since some Perkins loans are forgiven after five years. Unlike federal student loans, some Perkins loans are serviced by the school you attended, but the federal government pays for interest accrued while you're still in school. studentaid.govOnly consolidate loans that are not Direct loans.

Some FFEL loans are federally-backed student loans held by private student loan servicers, and others are held by the US government. Student loan expert Sonia Lewis of the Student Loan Doctor explains, "FFEL loans are federally-backed loans that were funded by a private company." Those loans already qualify for student-loan forgiveness; if your FFEL loans have been on pause during the pandemic, they're eligible for forgiveness. If your FFEL loans are privately held, you'll need to consolidate them into Direct loans that are owned by the government to qualify for forgiveness. How to fill out a Direct loan consolidation applicationThe first step is to fill out a Direct loan consolidation application at studentaid.gov.

☆ NASA tries fueling moon rocket in test, but leak reoccurs
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s new moon rocket sprouted another fuel leak Wednesday as engineers tested the plumbing ahead of a launch attempt as early as next week. Engineers halted the flow and warmed the lines in hopes of plugging the leak, and proceeded with the test. Wednesday’s leak came close to the limit, but the launch team managed to get the leak down to acceptable levels as the test continued. Besides replacing seals, NASA altered the fueling process, easing more slowly into the loading of the super-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen. NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

☆ Elon Musk's Starlink is planning to install its satellite internet service on some US school buses as part of a pilot program
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX is piloting a program to provide Starlink to school buses in some rural communities. On Tuesday, SpaceX sent a letter to the FCC urging it to approve funding for WiFi on school buses. In August, the FCC denied SpaceX a $866 million subsidy to provide its service in remote areas. Musk's company only just received approval from the FCC to use the Starlink for vehicles in motion in June. The service is designed to deliver high-speed internet of up to 200 Mbps to customers in rural areas and higher latitudes.

☆ NASA astronaut, Russian cosmonauts launch to space
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The spacecraft took off from the famed Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts — Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev.— on what is expected to be a six-month stay on the International Space Station. When Rubio and his Russian counterparts make it to the space station, they’ll be tag-teaming with astronauts from the United States, Russia and Europe. The fact that Rubio is traveling to space on a Russian Soyuz capsule is notable. That was answered in July when NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, confirmed that sharing seats on rocket rides to the space station would continue. Russian cosmonauts are now expected to fly on SpaceX capsules in addition to NASA astronauts sharing seats on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

☆ Elon Musk's Starlink held an in-flight WiFi demo on a private jet after Delta passed on a deal with SpaceX
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

SpaceX hosted a demo of its Starlink satellite internet service on a JSX jet last week. The event was held on a JSX jet, a regional carrier that describes itself as a "hop-on jet service." Since SpaceX entered the satellite internet market it has been vying with more established providers, including Viasat and Intelsat. What's more, regulators have expressed doubt in SpaceX's satellite internet service. Last month, Royal Caribbean announced it had launched the satellite internet service across its fleet of ships.

☆ Instacart rolls out high-tech shopping carts aimed at helping grocery stores compete with Amazon Go. Here are the strategies the company is investing in ahead of a reported IPO.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

One analyst described the goal as being a "one-stop shop" for grocery technology. Instacart is getting ready to go public, making new sources of revenue more important than ever for the grocery delivery startup. On Monday, the company rolled out an upgraded version of its smart shopping carts, Caper Cart. InstacartSubscriptionsNow called Instacart+, Instacart's subscription service costs about $10 per month or $99 per year. The startup makes checkout technology for both online and in-store use, including a smart shopping cart with scanning technology.

☆ Bose launches QuietComfort II earbuds with better fit and noise cancellation
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Morgan Greenwald | Morgan Greenwald Is A Senior Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Amid Apple’s Sept. 7 launch event, Bose announced its new QuietComfort II earbuds, an upgraded version of the original QuietComforts with improved active noise cancellation, a more personalized fit and a sleeker design. Another major Custom Tune upgrade is that QuietComfort II comes with three pairs of eartips and stability bands to help you adjust the earbuds’ fit to your ears. Courtesy Morgan GreenwaldThe QuietComfort II headphones have two active noise cancellation modes: Aware Mode and Noise Cancellation Mode. Part of the demo involved testing the noise cancellation while a Bose employee read a passage from “The Wizard of Oz” — I could not hear a word he was saying. The QuietComfort II earbuds, which are available now, cost $299 and come in Triple Black (a Soapstone option is coming soon).

☆ Why your car's speedometer goes up to 160 mph
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-10 | by ( Matt Mcfarland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It displayed a classically-styled speedometer that reached 160 mph, an auto industry norm. As early as the 1920s, cars could be purchased with speedometers going as high as 120 mph, according to Bruce Woolsey, president of Michigan-based auto parts supplier Bob’s Speedometer. The first 160 mph speedometer he’s aware of was in the Cunningham C-3 from the 1950s. Apple Carplay's speedometer includes a 160 mph speed limit in one version. AppleFollowing Claybrook, auto safety leaders have turned to other tactics to address speeding.

☆ The CEO of a plant-science startup that's raised $27 million shares the biggest lessons he learned about pitching investors while at Y Combinator
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-08 | by ( Sasha Weilbaker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He was accepted into Y Combinator and adjusted his pitch to focus on a quick business sell. Since Y Combinator, the company has secured $27 million from three funding rounds. This led to the founding of The Supplant Company. Companies like Airbnb, Instacart, Dropbox, and more have gotten their starts through Y Combinator. "One of the hard things I learned at Y Combinator is the difference between doing what's right for the business versus doing what you want to do," Simmons said.

OLED TVs consistently deliver some of the most impressive picture quality on the market, making OLED displays top contenders for the best TV year after year. Sony's OLED models, in particular, continue to impress me with their accurate images and advanced processing. The "QD'' stands for quantum dot, which is a color technology that's usually only found on LCD TVs. By combining quantum dot tech's superior color capabilities with OLED's infinite contrast, Sony hopes to bring a new level of performance to its TV lineup. I'll need to spend more time with the display to offer a full verdict, but the A95K delivers on its promise of expanded color performance, even if those improvements can be subtle.

Persons: OLEDs, Sony's Organizations: Sony Locations: New York

☆ Публичное обращение к Совету по телевидению и радио: Призываем орган публичной власти добросовестно исполнить свое обязательство по обеспечению общественного интереса в области телевидения и радио
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-06 | by ( ) media-azi.md time to read: +6 min

В контексте некорректных административных практик Совета по телевидению и радио, возникших в период осуществления функциональных полномочий Совета в ходе избирательного периода досрочных парламентских выборов от 11 июля 2021 года, Гражданская коалиция за свободные и честные выборы, Национальная платформа Форума гражданского общества Восточного партнерства и медийные НПО, подписавшие настоящее обращение:Подчеркивают первоочередную роль Совета по телевидению и радио (СТР) в продвижении и защите общественного интереса для обеспечения корректного и объективного информирования населения – данный интерес выше по отношению к политическим, экономическим, коммерческим, идеологическим или другого рода интересам;Напоминают, что в силу положений закона, СТР является гарантом общественных интересов в области телевидения и радио;Отмечают, что действующее законодательство предоставляет государственному органу СТР широкие правовые механизмы для осуществления полномочий по надзору и контролю за соблюдением законодательства поставщиками медиауслуг;Сообщают о недопустимости снисходительного отношения к поведению поставщиков, грубо нарушающих положения Кодекса аудиовизуальных медиауслуг, Положения об аудиовизуальном содержании, Избирательного кодекса и Положения об освещении избирательной кампании на досрочных парламентских выборах от 11 июля 2021 г.;Подчеркивают предвзятый характер поступков определенных поставщиков аудиовизуальных медиауслуг и отмечают, что они серьезно нарушают конституционное право на корректное информирование, гарантированное законом всем гражданам;Считают достойной сожаления практику СТР, который необоснованно ссылается на свободу выражения мнения, используя её как предлог для защиты некоторых поставщиков от санкций. Как у человеческой ценности, у свободы слова есть границы для того, чтобы оставаться ценностью;Выражают глубокое сожаление в связи с произвольными отказами СТР осуществлять мониторинг поведения поставщиков в течение всего избирательного периода и сопротивлением, оказанным при рассмотрении петиций граждан и членов гражданского общества, сообщавших о серьезных нарушениях;Выражают свое недоумение по поводу необоснованного и необъяснимого терпимого отношения власти к поставщикам, которые освещали избирательную кампанию на досрочных парламентских выборах, явно и несомненно нарушая положения действующего законодательства;Призывают Совет по телевидению и радио, в силу своих полномочий, предусмотренных законом:Исполнять свои полномочия по надзору и контролю с максимальным усердием и добросовестностью;Распорядиться о проведении мониторинга поставщиков аудиовизуальных медиауслуг в течение всего избирательного периода;Оперативно и эффективно реагировать на выявленные случаи отступлений от положений законодательства об аудиовизуальных медиауслугах;Не допускать пренебрежения по отношению к усилиям собственного Отдела по мониторингу, игнорируя серьезные нарушения, совершенные некоторыми поставщиками и отраженные в итогах отчетов Совета по мониторингу;Обеспечить приоритетность общественного интереса для обеспечения корректного и объективного информирования общественности и исправить несущую вред административную практику, сложившуюся в ходе избирательного периода досрочных парламентских выборов от 11 июля 2021 года. Члены Гражданской коалиции за свободные и честные выборы:Ассоциация демократического участия «ADEPT»Центр «CONTACT»Ассоциация Promo-LEXНациональный совет молодежи Молдовы (НСММ)Национальный центр исследований и информирования по проблемам женщин «Партнерство для развития»Центр юридических ресурсов Молдовы (ЦЮРМ)Институт европейских политик и реформ (IPRE)Национальное агентство регионального развития «HABITAT», РезинаНовостное агентство «DECA-Press»ОО «Pro-Tineret», с. Борогань, ЛеоваОО «Vatra Satului», г. КахулОО «Generatia Mea», КишинэуОО «Tezaurul», КахулОО «Soarta», СорокаОО «Tinerele Femei Cernoleuca», ДондушеньОО «Ecologie si Sanatate Publica», СорокаОО «Народное Согласие», Чадыр-ЛунгаОО «Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association», КишинэуАссоциация «ECOU – XXI», ТараклияРегиональное общественное объединение многодетных матерей и женщин-предпринимателей Гагаузии «VESTA»Альянс общественных центров доступа к информации и подготовке кадров в Молдове (Альянс INFONET)Центр международного общения и прав человека (CCIDO), ЯловеньЦентр регионального развития «Stabilitate», КомратМолодежный центр «Piligrim-Demo» из Гагаузии, КомратЦентр структурных политик и реформ Республики Молдова (CPR), КишинэуIDIS «Viitorul», КишинэуИнститут демократии, КомратИнститут по правам человека (IDOM), КишинэуЛаборатория инициатив развития («LID Moldova»), КишинэуАссоциация «RADIOVISION», КишинэуАссоциация по борьбе с информационной изоляцией «ECOU», КахулЦентр предпринимательства и экономической политики (CAPE)Члены Национальной платформы Форума гражданского общества Восточного партнерства:Ассоциация «Experts for Security and Global Affairs Moldova»Ассоциация журналистов по окружающей среде и экологич

Persons: ценностьюВыражают, нарушенияхВыражают, медиауслугахНе, КомратЦентр, Кишинэу Organizations: DECA, Human Services International, Association, Security, Global Affairs, Amnesty, Media, Совет по телевидению и радио, Совет, Гражданская коалиция за свободные и, Национальная платформа Форума гражданское общество, Восточное партнерство и медийные НПО, Совет по телевидению и радио (СТР), СТР, медиауслугСообщают, Отдел по мониторингу, Совет по мониторингуОбеспечить, Гражданская коалиция, Ассоциация Национальный совет молодежи Молдовы (НСММ), Национальный центр исследований и информирование по проблемам женщин «Партнерство для развития», Центр юридические ресурсы Молдова (ЦЮРМ), Институт европейских политик и реформы (), Национальное агентство региональное развитие, РезинаНовостное агентство «»ОО «», Народное Согласие, Национальная платформа, Форум гражданское общество Восточного партнерстваАссоциация «, туризмуНациональный центр молодежи Молдова (НЦММ)Региональный центр «», БэлцьНациональная конфедерация профсоюзы, Европейский институт политических исследований Молдовы ()Институт общественных политик (), Институт европейские политик и реформы (), журналистикиКомитет Locations: Moldova, Global Affairs Moldova, Balti, LDA, СТР, Гагаузия, Молдова, Республика Молдова

☆ CJI a lansat a doua ediție online a Hackathonului media „Puterea a cincea” și încurajează redacțiile să creeze instrumente prin care să interacționeze cu consumatorii de media
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-27 | by ( Alte Articole | ) www.civic.md time to read: +4 min

Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent (CJI) a lansat vineri, 25 iunie 2021, cea de-a șaptea ediţie a Hackathonului media „Puterea a cincea”, care se va desfăşura în perioada 25 - 27 iunie 2021 în format online. Timp de trei zile, opt echipe înscrise în concurs îşi vor testa creativitatea pentru a dezvolta instrumente online, prin care să interacționeze eficient cu consumatorii de media. La evenimentul de lansare, transmis live de la MediaHub, au participat reprezentanţi ai Centrului pentru Jurnalism Independent, Internews Moldova, membrii echipelor înscrise în concurs, jurnalişti şi mentori conectaţi online la eveniment. Aplicaţiile şi instrumentele create în cadrul hackathonului vor fi oferite gratuit pentru utilizare. A șaptea ediţie a hackathonului media Puterea a cincea este organizată de Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent în cadrul proiectului „Presa în sprijinul democraţiei, incluziunii și responsabilităţii în Moldova (MEDIA-M)”, finanţat de USAID şi UK şi implementat de Internews în Moldova.

Persons: îşi, Nadine Gogu, Chris Perkins, Alex, Vitalie, participanţii îşi Organizations: Jurnalism Independent, Jurnalism Locations: Moldova, Republica Moldova, Marii Britanii, Chișinău, Kazahstan, Elnara, Sankt - Petersburg, Rusia, România, UK

☆ Как с пользой провести лето? Молодые люди из Гагаузии приглашаются в Школу гражданского участия JUST ACT
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-17 | by ( ) nokta.md time to read: 1 min

Юноши и девушки из Гагаузии приглашаются подать свои заявки в Школу гражданского участия JUST ACT. Школа пройдет в Вадул-луй-Водэ с 1 по 6 июля. Как сообщают организаторы, общественное объединение Piligrim-Demo, в школу гражданского участия JUST ACT приглашаются молодые люди в возрасте от 18 до 25 лет, желающие активно участвовать в жизни своего населенного пункта. Также Piligrim-Demo поможет подготовить проект и профинансирует 5 проектов участников школы, направленных на решение проблем в местных сообществах. Заявку можно подать по ссылке: https://forms.gle/RnX83yxuXYAshPUQ6.

Organizations: ACT, Школа гражданское участие Locations: Гагаузия, ВадуллуйВодэ

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