Non-IT News Thread
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Climate change: Science failed to predict flood and heat intensity
Top climate scientists have admitted they failed to predict the intensity of the German floods and the North American heat dome.
They've correctly warned over decades that a fast-warming climate would bring worse bursts of rain and more damaging heatwaves. But they say their computers are not powerful enough to accurately project the severity of those extremes. They want governments to spend big on a shared climate super-computer. Computers are fundamental to weather forecasting and climate change, and computing will underpin the new climate science “Bible”, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) next month. -
Mystery 19th Century botanist tracked down following appeal
A mystery 19th-Century botanist has been found, thanks to sleuthing work by the public.
Isabella Anne Allen had been known only by the secrets she left behind, tucked between the pages of an old book. But following an appeal for information, on the BBC News website, she has now been traced to the village of Madresfield, Worcestershire. Her story came to light when clues such as pressed flowers, poems and doodles were found inside The English Flora. Donated to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) decades ago, the botanical text was rediscovered by staff sorting through boxes ahead of a move to a new library. -
Hubble space telescope's function is restored
Engineers have restored the science instruments aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, after a glitch took them offline.
Astronomers can now begin collecting data for the first time since 13 June, when a computer stopped working. Last week, engineers began switching over to backup hardware, in a bid to get one of the most important research tools in history up and running again. It's the worst malfunction in years to hit the venerated observatory. "Hubble is an icon, giving us incredible insight into the cosmos over the past three decades," said Nasa's administrator Bill Nelson. "I'm proud of the Hubble team, from current members to Hubble alumni who stepped in to lend their support and expertise. Thanks to their dedication and thoughtful work, Hubble will continue to build on its 31-year legacy, broadening our horizons with its view of the Universe." -
Oregon Bootleg Fire: Evacuations as largest US fire burns 300,000 acres
In the US state of Oregon, the nation's largest active wildfire has burned through more than 300,000 acres, prompting thousands of evacuations.
The Bootleg Fire, already among the biggest in the state's recent history, is one of more than 80 major blazes raging across 11 western states. Fed by hot temperatures and intense winds, the Bootleg has been burning since 6 July. In neighbouring Canada, heat waves have also fuelled hundreds of fires. Wildfires have torn through more than 1.1m acres in the US - mainly in western states - according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. -
Jeff Bezos launches to space aboard New Shepard rocket ship
Billionaire Jeff Bezos blasted into space on Tuesday, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard.
He was accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student. They travelled in a capsule with the biggest windows flown in space, offering stunning views of the Earth. All four passengers have now parachuted safely back to Earth after their 10-minute, 10-second trip. New Shepard, built by Bezos' company Blue Origin, is designed to serve the burgeoning market for space tourism. On this flight was the oldest person who has been to space - Ms Funk - and the youngest, student Oliver Daemen. The spacecraft lifted off at 14:12 BST (09:12 EDT) from a private launch site near Van Horn, Texas. -
China floods: 12 dead in Zhengzhou train and thousands evacuated in Henan
Twelve people have died after record-breaking rainfall flooded underground railway tunnels in China, leaving passengers trapped in rising waters.
Video shared on social media shows evening commuters just managing to keep their heads above water. Water is seen rushing onto platforms. More than 500 people were eventually rescued from the tunnels in Henan province, officials said. Days of rain have caused widespread damage and led to 200,000 evacuations. Above ground, roads have been turned into rivers, with cars and debris swept along in fast moving currents. A number of pedestrians have had to be rescued. More than a dozen cities in Henan province are affected. President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that there had been "significant loss of life and damage to property". Several dams and reservoirs have breached warning levels, and soldiers have been mobilised to divert rivers which have burst their banks. Flights and trains in many parts of Henan have also been suspended. -
Covid: China rejects WHO plan for second phase of virus origin probe
China has rejected the next stage of a World Health Organization (WHO) plan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
The WHO wants to audit laboratories in the area the virus was first identified. But Zeng Yixin, deputy health minister, said this showed "disrespect for common sense and arrogance toward science". WHO experts said it was very unlikely the virus escaped from a Chinese lab, but the theory has endured. Investigators were able to visit Wuhan - the city where the virus was first detected in December 2019 - in January this year. But earlier this month WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus outlined the terms of the inquiry's next phase. This included looking at certain science research institutions. -
Tokyo Olympics: 2020 Games begin as Naomi Osaka lights Olympic flame in poignant ceremony
The honour fell to Naomi Osaka to light the flame, the beacon of hope the Olympics attempts to be.
It marked the official opening of Tokyo 2020, a year later than planned, and in the midst of a global pandemic. Perhaps as expected, Friday's opening ceremony was not of the usual ilk. No carnival like Rio, no skydiving monarchs like London, but a more sombre tone, a sobering reminder that this is a Games taking place in a world still facing its toughest challenge. "Today is a moment of hope," said Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "Yes, it is very different from what all of us had imagined. But let us cherish this moment because finally we are all here together." This Games is going to be different, dampened by masks, positive tests and the absence of fans. But it is still the Olympics; still the greatest show on Earth, still faster, higher, stronger and now together. -
Over-60s with only virtual contact 'more lonely'
Over-60s who relied on only telephone and online contact felt more lonely during the pandemic, a study suggests.
"Virtual contact on its own is not beneficial to older adults' mental health," researcher Dr Yang Hu of Lancaster University told the BBC. However, when used to supplement face-to-face contact, it was associated with "enhanced mental wellbeing". But researchers stress their findings reveal an association, not causation - and more research is needed. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Sociology, was conducted by Dr Yang Hu and Dr Yue Qian, at the University of British Columbia in Canada. The researchers used data collected from 5,148 older people aged 60 or over in the UK and 1,391 in the US, surveyed both before and during the pandemic. -
New WireGuardNT shatters throughput ceilings on Windows
Adventurous users can try the new implementation now by adding a registry key.
The WireGuard VPN project announced a major milestone for its Windows users today—an all-new, kernel-mode implementation of the VPN protocol called WireGuardNT. The new implementation allows for massively improved throughput on 10Gbps LAN connections—and on many WI-Fi connections, as well. The original implementation of WireGuard on Windows uses wireguard-go—a userspace implementation of WireGuard written in Google's Go programming language. Wireguard-go is then tied to a virtual network device, the majority of which also lives in userspace. Donenfeld didn't like tap-windows, the virtual network interface provided by the OpenVPN project—so he implemented his own replacement from scratch, called Wintun. -
Boeing set for re-run of Starliner space capsule test
The American Boeing company is about to run another demonstration mission of its new astronaut capsule.
The CST-100 Starliner is set to launch from Florida to showcase how it can ferry crews to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It will be the second test flight, and conducted with no people aboard. A similar demonstration run in 2019, encountered software problems that very nearly resulted in the loss of the capsule. The Starliner will ride to orbit on an Atlas-5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Lift-off is timed for 13:20 local time (17:20 GMT; 18:20 BST). -
Boeing delays rerun of Starliner space capsule test
The American Boeing company is attempting this week to run another test flight of its new astronaut capsule.
The CST-100 Starliner will launch from Florida at some point to showcase how it can ferry crews to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It will be the second test flight, and conducted with no people aboard. The previous demonstration in 2019 encountered software problems that very nearly caused the loss of the capsule. The Starliner will ride to orbit on an Atlas-5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Controllers had been targeting Tuesday for the launch but scrubbed the countdown with two-and-a-half hours left on the clock, to allow for investigation of technical issues related to the capsule's propulsion system. -
Blizzard Entertainment president steps down
Blizzard Entertainment president J Allen Brack has "stepped down", the World of Warcraft and Call of Duty game-maker says.
Parent company Activision Blizzard said Mr Brack was "leaving the company to pursue new opportunities". California is suing the company, alleging a workplace culture of sexism and harassment. Activision Blizzard denies this allegation and has called the legal action "disgraceful and unacceptable". Many Activision Blizzard staff walked out in protest against the company's culture and response to the allegations. -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Blizzard Entertainment president steps down
Blizzard Entertainment president J Allen Brack has "stepped down", the World of Warcraft and Call of Duty game-maker says.
Parent company Activision Blizzard said Mr Brack was "leaving the company to pursue new opportunities". California is suing the company, alleging a workplace culture of sexism and harassment. Activision Blizzard denies this allegation and has called the legal action "disgraceful and unacceptable". Many Activision Blizzard staff walked out in protest against the company's culture and response to the allegations.The fact that staff are walking out based on the allegation, must bear some truth to the allegations. . .
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@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Boeing delays rerun of Starliner space capsule test
The American Boeing company is attempting this week to run another test flight of its new astronaut capsule.
The CST-100 Starliner will launch from Florida at some point to showcase how it can ferry crews to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It will be the second test flight, and conducted with no people aboard. The previous demonstration in 2019 encountered software problems that very nearly caused the loss of the capsule. The Starliner will ride to orbit on an Atlas-5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Controllers had been targeting Tuesday for the launch but scrubbed the countdown with two-and-a-half hours left on the clock, to allow for investigation of technical issues related to the capsule's propulsion system.Starliner has been rolled back to the Assembly Building for additional check, and it is unknown when they will attempt again.
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Floods: Research shows millions more at risk of flooding
A new study shows that the percentage of the global population at risk from flooding has risen by almost a quarter since the year 2000.
Satellite images were used to document the rise, which is far greater than had been predicted by computer models. The analysis shows that migration and a growing number of flood events are behind the rapid increase. By 2030, millions more will experience increased flooding due to climate and demographic change, the authors say. Flooding is the environmental disaster that impacts more people than any other, say researchers. That view has echoed around the world in recent weeks, with huge inundations destroying lives and property. -
@gjacobse said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Boeing delays rerun of Starliner space capsule test
The American Boeing company is attempting this week to run another test flight of its new astronaut capsule.
The CST-100 Starliner will launch from Florida at some point to showcase how it can ferry crews to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It will be the second test flight, and conducted with no people aboard. The previous demonstration in 2019 encountered software problems that very nearly caused the loss of the capsule. The Starliner will ride to orbit on an Atlas-5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Controllers had been targeting Tuesday for the launch but scrubbed the countdown with two-and-a-half hours left on the clock, to allow for investigation of technical issues related to the capsule's propulsion system.Starliner has been rolled back to the Assembly Building for additional check, and it is unknown when they will attempt again.
If it is anything like the 737 Max, let's hope they table this forever.
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Climate change: New report will highlight 'stark reality' of warming
UN researchers are set to publish their strongest statement yet on the science of climate change.
The report will likely detail significant changes to the world's oceans, ice caps and land in the coming decades. Due out on Monday, the report has been compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It will be their first global assessment on the science of global heating since 2013. It is expected the forthcoming Summary for Policymakers will be a key document for global leaders when they meet in November. The politicians are due to gather for a climate summit, known as COP26, in Glasgow. -
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Greece fires: PM apologises as blazes rage on Evia island
Greece's prime minister has apologised for failures in tackling the wildfires tearing across the country.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling huge blazes that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes and destroyed dozens of properties. "We may have done what was humanly possible, but in many cases it was not enough," Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. Thick smoke is still pouring off the island of Evia, north-east of Athens, which has been ablaze for a week. Dozens of homes and acres of forest have already been scorched to the ground in Evia, on the outskirts of the capital, and in other parts of Greece. Hundreds of residents have been ordered to leave the island to escape the fires, though some were determined to stay to defend their properties.
