Archive for December, 2018
Space X: Same First Stage Successfully Used for Third Launch
December 3rd, 2018Via: CBS: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket using a first stage making a record third flight vaulted away from the California coast Monday, boosting 64 small satellites into orbit for a wide variety of government, academic and private-sector users — including artists — in a commercial launch chartered by Seattle-based Spaceflight. The Falcon 9’s well-traveled […]
Robot Janitors Are Coming to Mop Floors at a Walmart Near You
December 3rd, 2018Via: MSN: Robots are coming to a Walmart Inc. near you, and not just as a gimmick. The world’s largest retailer is rolling out 360 autonomous floor-scrubbing robots in some of its stores in the U.S. by the end of the January, it said in a joint statement with Brain Corp., which makes the machines. […]
The US Military Is Genetically Engineering New Life Forms To Detect Enemy Subs
December 3rd, 2018Via: Defense One: How do you detect submarines in an expanse as large as the ocean? The U.S. military hopes that common marine microorganisms might be genetically engineered into living tripwires to signal the passage of enemy subs, underwater vessels, or even divers. It’s one of many potential military applications for so-called engineered organisms, a […]
Old Coal Mines Can be ‘Perfect’ Underground Food Farms
December 3rd, 2018Via: BBC: Abandoned coal mines across the UK could be brought back to life as huge underground farms, according to academics. Mine shafts and tunnels are seen as “the perfect environment” for growing food such as vegetables and herbs. The initiative is seen as a way of providing large-scale crop production for a growing global […]
Huge Unexplored Cave in British Columbia
December 3rd, 2018Via: Canadian Geographic: A massive pit that was spotted in a remote high alpine valley in British Columbia’s Wells Gray Provincial Park earlier this year is the entrance to a previously unexplored cave of “national significance,” say two members of a Canadian team that helped conduct a preliminary exploration of the site in September.
China ‘Is the Only One in the Race’ to Make Electric Buses, Taxis and Trucks
December 3rd, 2018“Chinese makers produced 99% of electric buses deployed globally from 2014 to 2017.” Via: Wall Street Journal: A national project to replace millions of gasoline-fueled taxis, buses and trucks with new electric models is boosting China’s ambitions to lead the global shift to battery-powered transportation. Signs of progress can already be found on American, as […]
U.S. Navy Admiral Scott Stearney Found Dead in Apparent Suicide
December 2nd, 2018Via: CBS: Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, who oversaw U.S. naval forces in the Middle East, was found dead Saturday in his residence in Bahrain, officials said. Defense officials told CBS News they are calling it an “apparent suicide.” Stearney was the commander of the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, the deputy […]
France: “State of Insurrection” as Fuel Tax Riots Engulf Central Paris
December 1st, 2018There are many images at Daily Mail. Via: Reuters: Rioters ran amok across central Paris on Saturday, torching cars and buildings, looting shops, smashing windows and clashing with police in the worst unrest in more than a decade, posing a dire challenge to Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. The authorities were caught off guard by the escalation […]
Open Thread: Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush Dead at 94
December 1st, 2018Where does one even start? I was going to write, “Christmas comes early to the world,” and leave it at that, but when I saw what the Washington Post had up on the front page, I almost couldn’t believe it. Most people have absolutely no idea what the Bush criminal dynasty has been up to […]
