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☆ An engineer who lived in NASA's Mars simulation for 378 days went through extreme isolation — but still said he'd go to the red planet for real if he could
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Not just anyone can live on MarsThe CHAPEA crew celebrates the birthday for Ross Brockwell, left, inside the habitat. Luckily for the CHAPEA crew, everyone got along well and became close even before they set foot in the habitat, Brockwell said, which helped reduce the sense of isolation. Homesickness is realThe 1,700-square-foot CHAPEA habitat contains individual living quarters for four volunteer crew members. But you might fall in love with itA CHAPEA crew member participates in a simulated "Marswalk" inside a 1,200-square-foot sandbox to mimic the Martian landscape. Despite the challenges he faced during the simulation, Brockwell would love to visit Mars for real someday.

Persons: —, Ross Brockwell, he'd, Brockwell, Patience, it's, Bill Stafford, wasn't, Gene Kranz's, Scott Kelly, James M Organizations: Service, NASA, Business Locations: Houston

☆ Apple's AI chief gave this warning to the Siri team when he started working with them
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewWhen Apple's head of AI strategy and machine learning, John Giannandrea, joined the company in 2018, the company's voice assistant, Siri, was struggling to live up to its promise. Looking for a turnaround, Giannandrea says his first instruction to the Siri team was inspired by legendary NASA Chief Flight Director Gene Kranz: "Failure is not an option." Related stories"A lot of people use Siri a lot of the time," Giannandrea said in an interview with John Gruber after Apple's WWDC last week. Now 14 years after Apple launched Siri, the voice assistant's growing popularity has made it an exceptional proving ground for AI, raising the stakes still further. He has long argued that on-device AI models are critical to the technology being practical for everyday users.

Persons: —, John Giannandrea, Siri, Giannandrea, Gene Kranz, John Gruber, Apple's WWDC, OpenAI, We've, Apple Organizations: Service, NASA, Business, Apple, Apple Intelligence

Yet after back-to-back atmospheric rivers walloped California in less than a week, it wouldn’t take much for water, mud and boulders to sluice down fragile hillsides, experts warned. Some 400 trees had fallen in the Los Angeles area alone, the city said. At least 6 billion gallons (22.7 billion liters) of storm water in Los Angeles alone were captured for groundwater and local supplies, the mayor’s office said. Just two years ago, nearly all of California was plagued by a devastating drought that strained resources and forced water cutbacks. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber, John Antczak and Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed.

Persons: Tyler Kranz, Dion Peronneau, Mud, ”, “, ” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ” Bass, Lou Quismorio, “ I’ve, Sabrina Biddle, ___ Watson, Christopher Weber, John Antczak, Damian Dovarganes, Scott Sonner Organizations: ANGELES, Hollywood, Weather Service, ” Los Angeles Mayor, California Highway Patrol, National Weather Service, Associated Press Locations: Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, LA, Baldwin, ” Los, Pasadena, San Diego, Northern California, Tijuana, Mexico, Yucaipa, Arizona, New Mexico, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Reno , Nevada

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoCompanies Canoo Inc FollowNikola Corp FollowAug 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined electric vehicle company Canoo Inc $1.5 million on Friday for what the regulator alleges were reporting failures related to hundreds of millions of dollars of unreasonable revenue projections. In the run-up to the deal, Canoo (GOEV.O) had projected revenue of $120 million in 2021 and $250 million in 2022 based on deals to provide engineering services to other companies. In March 2021, the carmaker's stock tumbled 21% after it announced it would not achieve the anticipated revenue, the SEC said in court papers. The SEC said Kranz and Balciunas knew before the merger that the projects were unlikely to generate revenue. Canoo said in May it had tentatively agreed to pay a $1.5 million penalty to settle with the SEC.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Canoo, Ulrich Kranz, Paul Balciunas, Kranz, Balciunas, Daniel Wachtell, Nikola, Jody Godoy, Jonathan Oatis, Nick Macfie, Deepa Babington, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, REUTERS, Nikola, Exchange Commission, DraftKings Inc, Thomson Locations: Washington, Texas, New York

☆ Police search Cologne archdiocese in abuse perjury investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The doorbell of Cologne's Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki is pictured in Cologne, Germany June 27, 2023. REUTERS/Andreas KranzBERLIN, June 27 (Reuters) - German police searched properties belonging to the Archdiocese of Cologne on Tuesday as part of a perjury investigation against Cologne Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki linked to his handling of historic abuse cases, prosecutors said. The archbisopric said at the time the attempt to accuse Woelki of perjury was unfounded. Prosecutors in Cologne said some 30 police officers were involved in searches in six locations, four of which were in Cologne and included rooms in the archbishop's residence. The allegations concern abuse by priest Winfried Pilz who had run a Catholic children's charity and died in 2019.

Persons: Rainer Maria Woelki, Andreas Kranz BERLIN, perjured, Woelki, Cardinal Woelki, Ralf Hoecker, Winfried Pilz, Pope, Friederike Heine, Madeline Chambers, Maria Sheahan, Ed Osmond, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Archdiocese, Cologne, Germany's Catholic, Catholic Church, Prosecutors, Catholic, WDR, Reuters Television, Thomson Locations: Cologne, Germany, Germany's, Rome

[1/5] Chess prodigy Hussain Besou, 11, of Syrian origin plays chess with Andreas Kuehler, his former coach of LSV Turm Lippstadt chess club, at his home in Lippstadt, Germany, April 4, 2023. Hussain and his family immigrated as refugees in 2016 and now he will play for the German national team at the Mitropa Cup in Croatia as the youngest national player in the history of the German Chess Federation. Now 11, Besou will play for the German national chess team at the Mitropa Cup in Croatia later this month, making him the youngest German national player in the history of the German Chess Federation. German national youth trainer Bernd Voelker says Besou is an exceptional player. Despite not yet having full German citizenship, Besou will play with the German team as the youngest player in their history.

Trump will make a speech at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, his gilded getaway. Palm Beach, Florida, his gilded getaway. Here's a look inside the exclusive resort that the public doesn't get to see. He is due to give a speech to supporters addressing the charges at Mar-a-Lago after his arraignment on Tuesday evening. During Trump's presidency, the exclusive resort was often referred to as "the winter White House."

☆ Children hit by train in Germany, one killed, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Police officers work in the area near the scene of a train crash in Recklinghausen, Germany, February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Thilo SchmuelgenBERLIN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A child was killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after they were hit by a train along a railway line in the western German town of Recklinghausen, local authorities said. Bild newspaper said the victims were dragged by a freight train for several hundred meters (yards). "Why, how come, these are all questions that no one can yet answer and wouldn't solve anything," Reul said. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Andreas Kranz and Erol Dogrudogan; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thunberg joins march on German village in protest against coal mine expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins the activists protesting against the expansion of the Garzweiler open-cast lignite mine of Germany's utility RWE to Luetzerath, in Keyenberg, Germany, January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Thilo SchmuelgenLUTZERATH, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Around 6,000 protesters - including climate activist Greta Thunberg - marched through mud and rain to the German village of Luetzerath on Saturday, according to a police estimate, demonstrating against the expansion of an opencast lignite mine. As the protesters neared the village, they were confronted by police in riot gear, and some used batons to push the protesters back. "It is the last place where brown coal will be mined - not a symbol for more-of-the-same, but for the final frontier." But activists have said Germany should not be mining any more lignite and focus on expanding renewable energy instead.

☆ German police clash with activists in showdown over coal mine expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many Greens oppose the mine's expansion, but Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens party has fronted the government's decision. Some activists dumped 250 kg (551 lb) worth of coal blocks in front of a local Greens party headquarters, German media reported. Some of the activists have built treehouses in Luetzerath, believing these would make it harder for police to force them to leave. The move echoes a similar protest in 2013 in the Hambach forest, which delayed an RWE coal mining project for years and became a symbol of anti-coal demonstrations. Those include firing up mothballed coal power plants and extending the lifespan of nuclear power stations after Russia cut gas deliveries to Europe in an energy standoff that sent prices soaring.

[1/3] TV cameras are set up in front of a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody, suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an "Islamist-motivated" attack, in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane NitschkeCASTROP-RAUXEL, Germany, Jan 8 (Reuters) - German police have taken into custody a 32-year-old Iranian citizen suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an "Islamist-motivated" attack, authorities in western Germany said on Sunday. Police said the Iranian was suspected of having planned a "serious act of violence endangering the state" by allegedly procuring cyanide and ricin to commit an Islamist-motivated attack. Islamist-motivated lone perpetrators are another considerable danger," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said following news of the investigation. "Our security authorities therefore expect preparations for an attack at any time," she said, adding that since 2000 German security authorities had prevented 21 Islamist attacks in Germany.

The 90 kilotonne Hoegh Esperanza, a shipborne regasification terminal, will in future be able to supply enough gas for 50,000 households for a year. Further floating liquid natural gas terminals will follow. Germany hopes to have 30 billion cubic metres of import capacity by the end of next year. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February left Germany, which for decades prospered from plentiful piped Russian gas, looking for alternative sources of energy once it had decided it did not wish to help finance Moscow's war. "The speed with which we built this should be a model for future infrastructure build-outs," Scholz said.

☆ It's been a decade since the Sandy Hook shooting. Here are the names and pictures of the 27 victims, including 20 children, who were murdered that day.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Michal Kranz | Rebecca Harrington | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twenty children and six staff members were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. It was the deadliest mass shooting at an elementary school in US history. The 20-year-old gunman also killed his mother that day and shot himself after the massacre. "Sad for the searing loss, that hurts like hell every Dec 14th for those parents, my friends. Here are all 27 people killed in the deadliest elementary school shooting in US history.

Former President Donald Trump made official his plan to run for president again. Here's a look inside the exclusive resort that the public doesn't get to see. Former President Donald Trump announced his intent to run for a second presidential term at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. During Trump's presidency, the exclusive resort was often referred to as "the winter White House." Following the end of his presidential term, Trump decamped to the ornate resort.

☆ The life of Jared Kushner: How a rich kid from New Jersey went from buying buildings with his dad and owning a newspaper to advising the president of the United States
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-22 | by ( Michal Kranz | James Pasley | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jared Kushner this week broke his silence about the FBI raid at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. After studying at Harvard, Kushner made a name for himself as a publisher and young real estate mogul. But just like Trump, he comes from a wealthy and influential New York family that made its money in real estate. After studying at Harvard and New York University, Kushner made a name for himself as young real estate magnate and a publisher of the New York Observer. The former first-son-in-law this weekend broke his silence on the FBI raid at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month.

☆ The wild life of Ksenia Sobchak, Putin's rumored god-daughter and former presidential candidate who dramatically fled Russia
▼ + stars: | 2018-03-18 | by ( Michal Kranz | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

TV host, actress, socialite , and former presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak — who is rumored to be the goddaughter of President Vladimir Putin — has fled Russia for Lithuania. Her family ties with Putin go back to before she was born, when her father helped him enter national politics. And when she transformed herself from glamorous socialite and TV star to progressive politician, Putin made no attempt to stop her. "She has always got away with stuff, and it's always been understood that Putin's presidential administration made sure she didn't get into too much trouble," Dr Jade McGlynn, a Russia-focused researcher at the University of Oxford told Insider. Here's how Sobchak went from pop culture darling, to liberal opposition figure, to a fugitive of Putin's Russia.

☆ The 25th Amendment has been used 3 times to relieve presidents deemed unfit to govern — each case involving physical health
▼ + stars: | 2017-10-12 | by ( Michal Kranz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The amendment has been invoked in this way only three times before, and coincidentally, each time has involved presidential colons. The 25th Amendment of the Constitution was passed in 1967 after fears about presidential succession after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. The first time this happened was on July 13, 1985, when President Ronald Reagan sent a letter directing then-Vice President George H.W. The first case occurred on June 29, 2002 when he invoked the 25th Amendment and allowed Vice President Dick Cheney to act as president on his behalf for two hours and five minutes. In both cases, Bush, like Reagan, had undergone colon-related procedures, but his were of a much more benign nature — they were routine colonoscopies.

Persons: Trump, Justin Merriman, Stringer, Donald Trump's, John F, Gerald, Ford, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, Reagan, George W, Dick Cheney, Cheney Organizations: Getty, Trump, Senate

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