Month: August 2024
Hands-on: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Makes Getting Medieval Easier
The period action RPG is bigger and better than Kingdom Come: Deliverance, with smoother entry to combat.
The period action RPG is bigger and better than Kingdom Come: Deliverance, with smoother entry to combat.
SpaceX’s historic Polaris Dawn mission: how to watch the launch
The Crew Dragon capsule will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. | Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
SpaceX is getting ready to set out on its historic Polaris Dawn mission, which will send four astronauts into orbit aboard its Crew Dragon capsule. The five-day journey through the Van Allen radiation belts will include the first spacewalk done by private astronauts.
If you’re curious about the mission, here’s what you should know and how to watch it live.
What is the Polaris Dawn mission?
First announced in 2022, Polaris Dawn is a mission funded by billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman. In addition to Isaacman, three other privately-trained astronauts will embark on the mission, including retired US Air Force fighter pilot Scott Poteet, as well as SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. Only Isaacman and Gillis will perform the spacewalk, which will take place around 430 miles above Earth.
Image: SpaceX
The Polaris Dawn crew.
Once launched into orbit, the four crew members will eventually reach a maximum altitude of around 870 miles, making it the furthest astronauts have traveled since the Apollo missions more than 50 years ago. They’ll also fly through the Van Allen belts, two bands of radiation NASA says consist of high-energy particles that come from the Sun and the atmosphere’s interaction with cosmic rays.
Why is Polaris Dawn so important?
The spacewalk isn’t the only objective of the Polaris Dawn mission. The astronauts will also test SpaceX’s extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, which are made with new materials for improved mobility. These suits are paired with a 3D-printed helmet with a heads-up display and a visor designed to mitigate glare.
All four astronauts will wear the upgraded suits when the spacewalk takes place, as the Crew Dragon doesn’t have an airlock, leaving the crew members inside the capsule “exposed to the vacuum of space,” according to SpaceX. During the spacewalk, Isaacman and Gillis will perform tests with the new spacesuits.
Since the capsule will pass through the Van Allen radiation belts, the mission will also contribute to research about the effects of space radiation on the human body. Additionally, the Polaris Dawn crew will test Starlink’s satellite internet technology to communicate with Earth, as well as conduct research on decompression sickness and Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome.
When is Polaris Dawn?
Polaris Dawn will take flight on Tuesday, August 27th, with SpaceX targeting a 3:38AM ET launch time. If there happens to be a delay, SpaceX has set two additional launch times for 5:23AM ET and 7:09AM ET.
The Crew Dragon capsule will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
How to watch the Polaris Dawn launch
You can watch a livestream of the mission from SpaceX’s website and its X page. Coverage will begin at around 12:05AM ET.
The spacewalk, which will take place on the third day of the mission, will also be livestreamed. It will likely be available from SpaceX’s website and on X.
The Crew Dragon capsule will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. | Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
SpaceX is getting ready to set out on its historic Polaris Dawn mission, which will send four astronauts into orbit aboard its Crew Dragon capsule. The five-day journey through the Van Allen radiation belts will include the first spacewalk done by private astronauts.
If you’re curious about the mission, here’s what you should know and how to watch it live.
What is the Polaris Dawn mission?
First announced in 2022, Polaris Dawn is a mission funded by billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman. In addition to Isaacman, three other privately-trained astronauts will embark on the mission, including retired US Air Force fighter pilot Scott Poteet, as well as SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. Only Isaacman and Gillis will perform the spacewalk, which will take place around 430 miles above Earth.
Image: SpaceX
The Polaris Dawn crew.
Once launched into orbit, the four crew members will eventually reach a maximum altitude of around 870 miles, making it the furthest astronauts have traveled since the Apollo missions more than 50 years ago. They’ll also fly through the Van Allen belts, two bands of radiation NASA says consist of high-energy particles that come from the Sun and the atmosphere’s interaction with cosmic rays.
Why is Polaris Dawn so important?
The spacewalk isn’t the only objective of the Polaris Dawn mission. The astronauts will also test SpaceX’s extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, which are made with new materials for improved mobility. These suits are paired with a 3D-printed helmet with a heads-up display and a visor designed to mitigate glare.
All four astronauts will wear the upgraded suits when the spacewalk takes place, as the Crew Dragon doesn’t have an airlock, leaving the crew members inside the capsule “exposed to the vacuum of space,” according to SpaceX. During the spacewalk, Isaacman and Gillis will perform tests with the new spacesuits.
Since the capsule will pass through the Van Allen radiation belts, the mission will also contribute to research about the effects of space radiation on the human body. Additionally, the Polaris Dawn crew will test Starlink’s satellite internet technology to communicate with Earth, as well as conduct research on decompression sickness and Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome.
When is Polaris Dawn?
Polaris Dawn will take flight on Tuesday, August 27th, with SpaceX targeting a 3:38AM ET launch time. If there happens to be a delay, SpaceX has set two additional launch times for 5:23AM ET and 7:09AM ET.
The Crew Dragon capsule will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
How to watch the Polaris Dawn launch
You can watch a livestream of the mission from SpaceX’s website and its X page. Coverage will begin at around 12:05AM ET.
The spacewalk, which will take place on the third day of the mission, will also be livestreamed. It will likely be available from SpaceX’s website and on X.
Missouri AG’s legal war against Media Matters shot down by federal judge
Judge: Missouri AG’s actions chill speech about extremist content on Musk’s X.
Enlarge / Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey arrives to testify at House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. (credit: Getty Images | Bill Clark)
A federal judge ordered Missouri’s attorney general to halt an investigation into Media Matters for America, a nonprofit journalism organization that earned Elon Musk’s wrath when it published an article showing that Musk’s X platform placed advertisements next to pro-Nazi posts.
In March, Missouri AG Andrew Bailey issued an investigative demand seeking names and addresses of all Media Matters donors who live in Missouri and a range of internal communications and documents regarding the group’s research on Musk and X. Bailey also filed a lawsuit asking Cole County Circuit Court for an order to enforce the investigative demand.
Media Matters countered by suing Bailey in US District Court for the District of Columbia. Last week, US District Judge Amit Mehta granted a preliminary injunction that prohibits Bailey from enforcing the civil investigative demand and from pursuing the related lawsuit.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Is one of them really worth its significantly higher annual fee?
Is one of them really worth its significantly higher annual fee?
Ikea Takes On Craigslist With Classifieds Site For Its Used Furniture
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Financial Times: Ikea is taking on the likes of eBay, Craigslist, and Gumtree with a peer-to-peer marketplace for customers to sell secondhand furniture to each other. Ikea Preowned will be tested in Madrid and Oslo until the end of the year with the aim of rolling out the buying and selling platform globally, according to Jesper Brodin, chief executive of Ingka, the main operator of Ikea stores. […] Ikea has had a small offering under which it buys used furniture from customers and resells it in store. But the new platform is more ambitious, aiming to tackle the secondhand market for customers selling directly to each other — an area where Brodin estimates Ikea has a higher market share than in new furniture sales. Customers enter their product, their own pictures, and a selling price, while Ikea’s own artificial intelligence-enabled database brings in its own promotional images and measurements. The buyer collects the furniture directly from the seller, who has the option of receiving money or a voucher from Ikea with a 15 percent bonus.
“Very often there is a monopoly or oligopoly on platforms that operate,” said Brodin, talking about eBay or digital classified ad services such as Gumtree in the UK and Finn in Norway. Finn has 8,700 items from Ikea listed in Oslo alone. Early offerings on Ikea Preowned include large items such as sofas for up to $670 (600 euros) and wardrobes for $500 (450 euros) as well as smaller items such as a toilet roll holder for $4.50 (4 euros). Listings are free, but Brodin said Ikea could eventually charge “a symbolic fee, a humble fee.” He added: “We’re going to verify the full scope including the economics. If a lot of people use the offer to get a discount with Ikea — it’s a good way to reconnect with customers. I am very curious. I think it makes business sense.” Ikea has previously tested selling its new furniture on third-party platforms such as Alibaba’s Tmall in China, but the Preowned platform marks its first foray into secondhand marketplaces. It also dovetails with the retailer’s wish to become “circular and climate positive” by 2030.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Financial Times: Ikea is taking on the likes of eBay, Craigslist, and Gumtree with a peer-to-peer marketplace for customers to sell secondhand furniture to each other. Ikea Preowned will be tested in Madrid and Oslo until the end of the year with the aim of rolling out the buying and selling platform globally, according to Jesper Brodin, chief executive of Ingka, the main operator of Ikea stores. […] Ikea has had a small offering under which it buys used furniture from customers and resells it in store. But the new platform is more ambitious, aiming to tackle the secondhand market for customers selling directly to each other — an area where Brodin estimates Ikea has a higher market share than in new furniture sales. Customers enter their product, their own pictures, and a selling price, while Ikea’s own artificial intelligence-enabled database brings in its own promotional images and measurements. The buyer collects the furniture directly from the seller, who has the option of receiving money or a voucher from Ikea with a 15 percent bonus.
“Very often there is a monopoly or oligopoly on platforms that operate,” said Brodin, talking about eBay or digital classified ad services such as Gumtree in the UK and Finn in Norway. Finn has 8,700 items from Ikea listed in Oslo alone. Early offerings on Ikea Preowned include large items such as sofas for up to $670 (600 euros) and wardrobes for $500 (450 euros) as well as smaller items such as a toilet roll holder for $4.50 (4 euros). Listings are free, but Brodin said Ikea could eventually charge “a symbolic fee, a humble fee.” He added: “We’re going to verify the full scope including the economics. If a lot of people use the offer to get a discount with Ikea — it’s a good way to reconnect with customers. I am very curious. I think it makes business sense.” Ikea has previously tested selling its new furniture on third-party platforms such as Alibaba’s Tmall in China, but the Preowned platform marks its first foray into secondhand marketplaces. It also dovetails with the retailer’s wish to become “circular and climate positive” by 2030.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Meet will stay onscreen when you switch tabs
Illustration: The Verge
Google is making it easier to keep track of Google Meet calls — which can easily get buried in your tabs — while you’re using desktop Chrome. The company is now rolling out a feature that automatically opens a Google Meet call in picture-in-picture mode when you switch tabs in Chrome, according to a blog post.
As shown by Google in a GIF, when you click away from the Google Meet call, a new Meet window pops up elsewhere on the screen so that you can keep an eye on who’s speaking. Might be handy when you’re definitely looking at the document somebody shared around and definitely not checking your Threads feed.
GIF: Google
The automatic picture-in-picture feature isn’t gated to paid accounts; Google says that it’s available to “all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.”
You can manually turn on picture-in-picture during a call if you need, too.
Illustration: The Verge
Google is making it easier to keep track of Google Meet calls — which can easily get buried in your tabs — while you’re using desktop Chrome. The company is now rolling out a feature that automatically opens a Google Meet call in picture-in-picture mode when you switch tabs in Chrome, according to a blog post.
As shown by Google in a GIF, when you click away from the Google Meet call, a new Meet window pops up elsewhere on the screen so that you can keep an eye on who’s speaking. Might be handy when you’re definitely looking at the document somebody shared around and definitely not checking your Threads feed.
GIF: Google
The automatic picture-in-picture feature isn’t gated to paid accounts; Google says that it’s available to “all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.”
You can manually turn on picture-in-picture during a call if you need, too.
Best Labor Day Tablet Deals 2024: Massive Savings on iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Fire Tablets and More
When laptops are too cumbersome to carry around, a tablet is just the ticket and these sales make it easy to score one on any budget.
When laptops are too cumbersome to carry around, a tablet is just the ticket and these sales make it easy to score one on any budget.