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☆ Christopher Nolan created a nuclear explosion for ‘Oppenheimer’ without CGI
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Director Christopher Nolan created the look of a nuclear explosion for “Oppenheimer” without using CGI. Nolan explained in a new interview with Total Film how he recreated the devastation of the first atomic bomb. “I think recreating the Trinity test without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on,” he told the outlet. He calls “Oppenheimer” a challenge but had help from an “extraordinary” crew. “There were big, logistical challenges, big practical challenges.

CNN —The body of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda, a fighter recruited by the mercenary group Wagner for combat operations in Ukraine, was returned to Zambia on Sunday. The body was received by Nyirenda’s family and foreign ministry officials, the ministry stated in a series of tweets Sunday. A relative of Lemekani Nyirenda, who died in the conflict in Ukraine in September, is consoled as his coffin arrives at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on Sunday. A hearse carrying the remains of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda at Lusaka's Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. Salim Dawood/AFP/Getty ImagesFlorence Nyirenda, Lemekani Nyirenda's mother, is comforted by family members at the airport in Lusaka, on December 11.

☆ NASA's Artemis moon mission ends with splashdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Artemis I mission — a 25½-day uncrewed test flight around the moon meant to pave the way for future astronaut missions — came to a momentous end as NASA’s Orion spacecraft made a successful ocean splashdown Sunday. That process, much like the rest of the mission, aims to ensure the Orion spacecraft is ready to fly astronauts. Lockheed is NASA’s primary contractor for the Orion spacecraft. The space agency’s plans are to parlay the Artemis moon missions into a program that will send astronauts to Mars, a journey that will have a much faster and more daring reentry process. Artemis II will aim to send astronauts on a similar trajectory as Artemis I, flying around the moon but not landing on its surface.

☆ Larry Page, Sergey Brin Post-Google Lives: Investments, Yachts, Islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +33 min

Even before their retirement from Google, Page and Brin relied heavily on their respective family offices to bring order to their worlds. The Bay Area headquarters of Koop, Larry Page's family office, is nondescript and gives little indication of the billionaire's empire. Insider; Marianne Ayala/Insider Show less Bayshore Global Management, Sergey Brin's family office, is based in Palo Alto and has a bit more of a public face. Insider; Marianne Ayala/Insider Show lessThe difference in styles holds true for Brin's family office, Bayshore Global Management. The CEO of Page's family office is Wayne Osborne, a former elder in the Presbyterian Church who attended Princeton Theological Seminary.

☆ 7 of the most iconic photos of Earth taken from space
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The first photo of Earth from space, taken just 65 miles above our planetThe first shot of Earth from space captured by a camera at an altitude of 65 miles, just above the edge of space U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range/Johns Hopkins Applied Physics LaboratoryOn October 24, 1946, 11 years before the launch of Sputnik I, a 35-mm motion picture camera onboard a V-2 rocket captured a grainy black and white photo of Earth. It's the first image of our planet from space. The image was taken at an altitude of 65 miles, just above the Karman Line, which is the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. No astronauts were onboard the rocket — the camera automatically took a picture every 1.5 seconds. The film miraculously survived the missile's planned crash landing.

☆ NASA's Artemis mission concludes with Orion splashdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Artemis I mission — a 25½-day uncrewed test flight around the moon meant to pave the way for future astronaut missions — is coming to an end as NASA’s Orion spacecraft is expected to make an ocean splashdown Sunday. Lockheed is NASA’s primary contractor for the Orion spacecraft. The space agency’s plans are to parlay the Artemis moon missions into a program that will send astronauts to Mars, a journey that will have a much faster and more daring reentry process. The Orion capsule captures a view of the lunar surface, with Earth in the background lit in the shape of a crescent by the sun. Artemis II will aim to send astronauts on a similar trajectory as Artemis I, flying around the moon but not landing on its surface.

☆ Rare cosmic collision acted like one of the ‘factories of gold’ in the universe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The gamma-ray burst, called GRB 211211A, lasted about a minute. Gamma-ray bursts are considered among the strongest and brightest explosions in the universe, and they can range from a few milliseconds to several hours in length. An artist's illustration of GRB 211211A shows the kilonova and gamma-ray burst (right) and ejected material from the explosion (left). After determining that a kilonova created the infrared light, astronomers grew even more puzzled by the gamma-ray burst’s duration. Gamma-ray bursts caused by these rare explosions have only ever been observed to last less than two seconds, but this signal lasted for at least one minute.

☆ This startup is creating realistic sound experiences in virtual reality. Check out the pitch deck Treble used to raise a $5.7 million seed round.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An Icelandic sound startup just closed a 5.5 million euros (around $5.7 million) seed round. Treble Technologies helps architects and game designers design better sound experiences using simulations. His company, Treble Technologies, has nabbed 5.5 million euros (around $5.7 million) to improve the way sound is designed. The company has also secured a 2.5 million euros (around $2.6 million) European Innovation Council grant. Check out the 22-slide redacted pitch deck Treble Used to raise the Seed round below.

☆ Japan reaches World Cup knockout stages with hotly debated goal after ball appeared to go out of play
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Japan reached the World Cup knockout stages for the fourth time on Thursday – by what appeared to be a matter of millimeters. But it’s Japan’s second goal that has been a topic of fierce debate in the aftermath of the game, specifically regarding whether the ball crossed the goal line before Kaoru Mitoma’s cutback pass to Ao Tanaka. Tanaka’s bundled goal was initially ruled out after the linesman flagged that the ball had gone out of play. 🧐 pic.twitter.com/cVXur9vMJ1 — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 1, 2022“That Japan goal almost defied physics. pic.twitter.com/mzF7YXnQiX — Nick Levett (@nlevett) December 1, 2022The goal means Japan will play Croatia in the knockout stages on Monday, while Spain plays Morocco on Tuesday.

☆ Peter Thiel thinks Elon Musk is a ‘fraud,’ and 6 other unexpected details about the billionaires' love-hate relationship
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Dorothy Cucci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Thiel and his allies conspired against Musk and replaced him as PayPal CEO while Musk was on his honeymoon. In a new biography, Max Chafkin shares surprising details about Thiel and Musk's relationship, through all of its ups and downs. Here are seven surprising details about Musk and Thiel that provide a glimpse into their long and often-fraught relationship. A source who spoke to both men said that Musk thinks Thiel is "a sociopath," and Thiel considers Musk "a fraud." Musk and Thiel, while longtime collaborators, are fundamentally opposites: Musk is considered an outgoing, eccentric risk-taker, and Thiel is known as a cautious introvert.

☆ The electric Hummer isn't as great for the environment as you might think — and it proves not all EVs are created equal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

If you think driving a pint-sized Nissan Leaf is as good for the planet as driving a huge electric Hummer, think again. The GMC Hummer EV uses significantly more electricity than other EVs, meaning it produces more pollution upstream. Moreover, the GMC Hummer EV is in many ways a supersized gas guzzler for a new era. EVs can be energy guzzlers tooOn the whole, electric cars use less energy than gas-powered ones. The 4.5-ton elephant in the roomThe Hummer EV is a full 4,000 pounds heavier than a well-optioned, gas-powered Ford F-150.

☆ Analysis: As economy stutters, China's youth seek safety of civil service
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The wishes of Lau's parents that she had a "safe" civil service career suddenly made more sense. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, says the preference for civil servant jobs has surged. On social media, young Chinese refer to the civil service as "the end of the universe," meaning the safest place around in such an environment. "Being a civil servant gives you a lot of stability," she said. “The present state of the job market has definitely increased my desire to become a civil servant," she said.

☆ Scientists build 'baby' wormhole as sci-fi moves closer to fact
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists have long pursued a deeper understanding of wormholes and now appear to be making progress. It was a "baby wormhole," according to Caltech physicist Maria Spiropulu, a co-author of the research published in the journal Nature. But scientists are a long way from being able to send people or other living beings through such a portal, she said. The researchers observed the wormhole dynamics on a quantum device at Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) called the Sycamore quantum processor. A wormhole - a rupture in space and time - is considered a bridge between two remote regions in the universe.

☆ New space observatory helps solve mystery involving enormous black holes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Most galaxies are built around humongous black holes. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). They have the biggest, scariest black holes. IXPE, launched last December as a collaboration between the U.S. space agency NASA and the Italian Space Agency, measures the brightness and polarization — a property of light involving the orientation of the electromagnetic waves — of X-ray light from cosmic sources. “Black holes are unique laboratories to study fundamental physics in extreme conditions we cannot replicate on Earth,” Liodakis said.

Summary Shenzhou-15 marks last of 11 missions since April 2021 in building of space stationShenzhou-15 crew to take over from Shenzhou-14 astronauts on space stationChinese space station to be second permanently inhabited outpost after NASA-led ISSBEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Three Chinese astronauts arrived on Wednesday at China's space station for the first in-orbit crew rotation in Chinese space history, launching operation of the second inhabited outpost in low-Earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station. Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three previous crewed missions, needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. The astronauts will live and work on the T-shaped space outpost for six months. The next batch of "taikonauts", coined from the Chinese word for space, to board the station, in 2023, will be picked from the third generation of astronauts with scientific backgrounds.

Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three prior crewed missions, that began in April 2021 needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The space outpost took on its current "T" shape in November with the arrival of the last of three cylindrical modules. The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. FUTURE 'TAIKONAUTS'Leading the Shenzhou-15 mission was Fei Junlong, 57, who hailed from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. During the space station's operation over the next decade, China is expected to launch two crewed missions to the orbiting outpost each year.

☆ Meet the Netflix exec who's leading its disruptive new ads business strategy — and could be CEO one day
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Lucia Moses | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Peters is a longtime Netflix exec who's quietly led its expansion overseas and into gaming. And the executive tapped to lead the charge is chief operating officer Greg Peters, who's long been the company's go-to for new business ventures. Joining Netflix in 2008 as chief streaming and partnerships officer, Peters quickly stood out as a rising star. The ads tier could also help Netflix with its expansion overseas, where its results have been uneven so far, Mahaney said. Peters played a key role in getting Netflix's creative execs on board with the ads business, one Hollywood insider noted.

☆ Russian university officials pressured African students to join the war, threatening them with axed scholarships and tuition hikes: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

African students in Russia told The Daily Beast that they were pressured to fight in Ukraine. Students said they were told they could lose their scholarships or see fee hikes, per the Beast. This pressure included warnings that the government could cancel their scholarships and raise tuition fees, the students told the outlet. Students have also been approached by police and the military, a second Nigerian student told the Beast. Even so, students with financial difficulties are considering the offer to sign up, the students told the Beast.

☆ The only thing Elon Musk understands about Twitter is how to kill it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Biologists, anthropologists, and information theorists do think that social networks, like Musk's bird app, show at least some signs of being flocks. "Elon's tweet is basically espousing the invisible hand of social behavior," Bak-Coleman says. In this construction, a social network might have become a collective superintelligence, had capitalists left it to its — our? Under Musk, Twitter has entered the dance-off phase. I'll be sad if the Twitter superintelligence starts singing a Kubrickian cover of "Daisy" and implodes into a pile of melting isolinear chips.

☆ New measures for size, as world’s people surpass 8 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

And one British scientist led the push Friday to incorporate bold new, tongue-twisting prefixes on the gigantic and even the minuscule scale. There’s the gargantuan “ronna” (that’s 27 zeros after the one) and its big brother the “quetta” — (that’s 30 zeros). Their ant-sized counterparts are the “ronto” (27 zeros after the decimal point), and the “quecto” (with 30 zeros after the decimal point) -- representing the smaller numbers needed for quantum science and particle physics. The conference, which takes place every four years in France, is the supreme authority of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. (We) need new words as things expand,” Brown said.

☆ Accounting for a Wrinkle in Time
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Frank Wilczek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Frank Wilczek explores the secrets of the cosmos. Since the dawn of recognizably modern physics in the late 17th century, our understanding of nature’s basic operating system has undergone major expansions and renovations. We brought in electromagnetic fields, space-time curvature and the quantum revolution. Through all that growth and tumult, a simple and weirdly beautiful, yet enigmatic and seemingly gratuitous, feature of the laws remained intact. Time reversal symmetry—or T for short—says that if you take a movie of events in the physical world and run it backward, what you see will obey the same basic laws.

The worst-kept secret in U.S. politics is finally out: Donald Trump is running for president. But, of course, the GOP itself crashed, with many of Trump’s hand-picked candidates headlining the disaster. He was the political black hole from which so few GOP candidates escaped. “The question is: What happens when he goes head-to-head with the guy he’s imitating?”Well, with Trump’s official 2024 bid, we are one step closer to seeing what will happen. A Trump party in all but name.

☆ Special Report: FTX's Bankman-Fried begged for a rescue even as he revealed huge holes in firm's books
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Angus Berwick Anirban Sen Elizabeth Howcroft Lawrence Delevingne | Angus Berwick | Anirban Sen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +22 min

Sequoia was shocked at the amount of money Bankman-Fried needed to save FTX, according to the sources, while Apollo first asked for more information, only to later decline. The booklet flagged the risks of crypto trading, particularly how sudden sales of tokens could trigger a "domino effect" that would lead to a "cascading set of liquidity failures." Using profits from Alameda, Bankman-Fried launched FTX in 2019. From almost nothing in 2019, FTX handled about 10% of global crypto trading this year, a September document shows. At one point, he lived in a penthouse overlooking the Caribbean, valued at almost $40 million, according to two people who worked with FTX.

☆ A Zambian student sent to prison in Russia wound up dead in Ukraine, suggesting Russia is conscripting prisoners from other nations to fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Zambian student serving a prison sentence in Russia wound up dead after fighting in the war in Ukraine. The Zambian government said they don't know how a foreign prisoner ended up fighting in Russia's military. He was being held at Tyler Medium Security Prison on the outskirts of Moscow, the statement said. On November 9, the Zambian Foreign Ministry was made aware that Nyirenda died "at the battlefront of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine." According to the statement, Nyirenda died on September 22 and his remains have since been taken to a Russian border town to be transported back to Zambia.

CNN —A Zambian student, jailed in Russia was killed during a battle in Ukraine, Zambia’s foreign ministry said Monday. The student was a 23-year-old student the Zambian government had sponsored to study nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. Nyirenda was convicted in 2020 of unspecified crimes in Russia and sent to prison for nine years and six months. CNN has contacted the Zambian foreign ministry for more information. However many foreign students reported facing segregation and racism at borders.

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