Tag Archives: invitation

Kim Kardashian Secures Invitation to NASA Headquarters – Should We Follow Suit?

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Feedback is New Scientist A popular figure who keeps up with the latest in science and technology. To provide feedback on topics you think may interest our readers, please reach out via email at feedback@newscientist.com.

NASA Surveillance

Some stories elude my interest in feedback. With over 8 billion people on the planet, many hold on to misguided beliefs, and countless individuals have internet access, phones, and mailboxes. I simply cannot engage with the flood of unrefined ideas that arise. Feedback— I refuse to become the person depicted in the XKCD comic who loses sleep over the phrase, “someone on the internet is wrong.”

Recently, it barely grazed the news that Kim Kardashian seems to think NASA staged the moon landing in 1969. She mentioned the same on her reality TV show The Kardashian Family, which features her mother and sisters.

Kardashian allegedly misinterpreted her chat with Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon. At one point, Aldrin remarked: “That never happened.” He meant there was no frightening incident during the mission, but Kardashian seemed to conclude that it implied the entire mission was faked. This is a quite audacious assertion, especially given Aldrin’s previous criticisms of moon landing conspiracy theories.

Instead of spouting mockery at the Kardashians’ misunderstanding, let’s focus on what lies ahead. According to the BBC, NASA’s Acting Administrator Sean Duffy has “invited Ms. Kardashian to the Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis moon mission launch.”

Duffy might soon wish he hadn’t set that precedent—publicizing nonsensical conspiracy theories through mainstream media appears to yield exclusive tours of NASA. Feedback has desired to visit Mission Control for ages, and we think we could propose better theories than “faking the moon landing.”

Do you know why it took 9 years for the New Horizons spacecraft to reach Pluto? Because NASA was secretly moving the planet further away from Earth to make it seem smaller, enabling the downgrade from planet status to dwarf planet.

Similarly, have you pondered the realism of Martian? Deep NASA (akin to the Deep State, but more effective) would have you believe it’s due to author Andy Weir’s research. In truth, they clandestinely left astronauts stranded on Mars during the ’90s. The premise is based on a video diary he recorded before being terminated by a robot with a heat ray.

We eagerly await the invitation from NASA.

Middle of Saturday

Previously, we delved into the concept of Scunthorpe problems. Harmless words may encompass strings that seemingly offend automated moderation systems lacking context (October 11). We thought we had concluded this matter, but Peter Lloyd has informed us about an earlier iteration of this issue.

On a Saturday afternoon in the ’70s, he recounts: Grandstand begins. ” For younger audiences and those outside the UK, Grandstand was a sports show aired every Saturday afternoon. Depending on your stance on televised sports, it was either a delight or a nuisance in an era with limited television options.

“Suddenly, one word flashed across the screen,” Peter recalls. “I was taken aback! Why would the BBC display TURD on my television? After a brief delay, the image zoomed out to reveal ‘SATURDAY ON BBC1’.”

Just Imagine!

If you haven’t heard yet, submit your work for the upcoming issue by Friday, December 5th. Check out the Imagination Research Journal.

Feedback was previously unaware of this publication, but we’ve taken some time to discover its essence. “We publish imaginary research abstracts, which are short fictive pieces that mimic the format of traditional academic work,” the editors express. An abstract serves as a synopsis of scholarly articles, offering a brief overview of prior research.

If we understand this correctly, the aim is to craft short fiction that is formatted as a mock summary of a research paper. We reviewed the ten most recent volumes. Some of the summaries/stories are quite amusing and effectively parody academic literature.

We particularly enjoyed Edward Loveman’s piece, “Being In-Between: A Sensory Autoethnography of Otherworldly Life,” which recounts “scholars capable of traversing dimensions (hyperdimensionality).” Unfortunately, Loveman notes, “Such research is often met with skepticism, cruelty, and disdain within both academia and the wider public.”

However, he argues that it symbolizes a “unique, ever-evolving, fluid connection to existence that surpasses temporality.”

Similarly, Soyoung Park’s submission queries: “Can research succeed without a research question?” in which a “group of doctoral students” engages in “an intensive coffee session,” disclosing that “their challenge was not the questions themselves, but the essence of questioning, a process that fundamentally implies and necessitates an answer.”

Feedback suspects that Imagination Research Journal could become a staple feature here. It’s a pity it’s only published once a year.

Have a story for Feedback?

You can submit your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week’s and past feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Is This the Most Offensive Meeting Invitation Ever?

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Feedback delivers the latest updates in science and technology from New Scientist, covering trending topics in the field. If you have stories that might captivate our readers, feel free to email Feedback@newscientist.com.

The Dream of Electricity

Recently, Feedback was intrigued by a plethora of intriguing conference invitations we’ve received. Many come from organizers who operate under the pretense of contributing to science journalism, often resulting in underwhelming proposals about advancing G protein signaling, new discoveries related to mollusk biology, and so forth. However, one invitation stood out among the rest—an event taking place in Shaoxing, China.

Its opening line reads: “Love and Sex with a Robot”. This is the 12th International Edition of Landmarks slated for June 2026.

Before you conjure visions of a cybernetic utopia or dystopia, remember this is an academic conference, albeit one with TED Talk-level hype. They profess to be “preparing for an extraordinary convergence of visionary scientists, renowned researchers, and innovative thinkers who are redefining human intimacy with pioneering robotics and AI.” Participants can expect “incredible revelations, ground-breaking demonstrations, and provocative discussions exploring the future of love, relationships, and technology.”

Elsewhere, the invitation touts this gathering as an “inspirational event.” Not literally, and while I might remain skeptical, I also find myself intrigued. There will also be a practical demonstration addressing functional robotics, software, or innovative interactions. Who knows what surprises lie ahead?

While researching the conference online, I discovered that there is a “Supreme Council” guiding its vision and direction, composed entirely of male members. The “Supreme Leader”—and no, we did not make this title up—is David Levy, who might be recognizable to New Scientist readers as the author of the 2007 book Love and Sex with a Robot. Our reviewer pointed out that Levy’s tendency to focus on physical aspects of robotics sometimes leads him to ludicrous conclusions, making his arguments hard to take seriously.

Regardless, the organizers know what they’re doing. The invitation confidently states, “This is a meeting that the entire world is buzzing about,” and indeed, Feedback is discussing it.

Drone Defense

Recently, New Scientist contributor David Hambling posed an interesting question (June 21st, p. 8). He examined ways to combat drones by utilizing “movement measurements that can neutralize drones,” building physical barriers like nets, and employing electronic measures to disable threats. Ultimately, he found the situation somewhat complex.

While this approach could be effective, reader Robert Bull highlighted that the source and solution had already been mentioned by Robert Bunker, an expert in security and counter-terrorism.

I Squealed Cheese

US news editor Sophie Bushwick shared an eye-catching press release with Feedback. Scientists have discovered that cheese may actually trigger nightmares. “For the love of dairy, let’s hope this isn’t true—life would lose some joy without cheese!”

The press release encouraged exploration into the journal Frontiers of Psychology, featuring a study titled: More Dreams of the Rarebit Devil: The Correlation of Food Sensitivity and Sleep and Dreams. If you’re puzzled over the mention of rarebit, you might not be familiar with Welsh cuisine, as the PhD candidate describes it as “spicy melted cheese on toast.”

The authors were interested in whether specific foods genuinely impact sleep, as folklore suggests. They surveyed 1,082 individuals online and found that around one in five participants believed certain foods influenced their sleep quality, with some claiming they affected dreams as well. At this juncture, Feedback was less than impressed, finding it hard to emphasize the value of self-reported beliefs.

However, the paper dives deeper—perhaps too deep. Researchers found a notable link between reports of vivid nightmares and instances of lactose intolerance, suggesting that individuals with lactose intolerance may experience more nightmares due to aftereffects of consuming cheese.

This revelation certainly caught Feedback’s interest. Of course, lactose is the sugar inherent in milk, which until relatively recently could only be digested by infants. Over centuries, certain populations developed the ability to digest lactose as adults. Those lacking this trait tend to suffer from lactose intolerance when consuming dairy.

Interestingly, most cheeses have minimal lactose content, as the cheese-making process effectively removes it—this could have contributed to its early popularity among livestock communities. Thus, it’s doubtful that lactose-intolerant individuals would suffer greatly from cheese-induced nocturnal troubles.

What a twist this journey took! I initially thought this would be a whimsical tale about cheese, but instead, we’ve uncovered a nuanced discussion around dietary impacts on sleep. Feedback will continue to keep an eye on these small yet significant concerns that tender our passions. Be warned!

Have you shared your feedback?

You can send your stories to Feedback through email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. You can also find this week’s and past feedback on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Review: World of Warcraft: The War Within – An Invitation to Explore Azeroth Once More | Gaming

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The world of Warcraft has a persistent identity problem: Once one of the biggest games in the world, it’s now approaching its 20th anniversary, and with each passing year, developer Blizzard faces the daunting task of proving that WoW still has a place in today’s gaming world.

This goes some way to explaining why Blizzard has tried to reinvent WoW multiple times. Six years after its initial release, the developers attempted to radically remake the game world with 2010’s Cataclysm expansion, in which ancient dragons ravaged and reshaped the realm of Azeroth (an experience you can relive in the recently re-released Cataclysm Classic). Since then, Blizzard has tried a variety of gimmicks to keep WoW fresh, including the now-rather infamous mechanic that saw players increase their power level for two years before losing that power at the end of each expansion cycle.

These gimmicks, combined with an antiquated approach to gameplay updates, created a sense of unease among WoW fans, as players felt unloved and taken for granted. Two years ago, the Dragonflight expansion felt like a make-or-break moment. But what was meant to be WoW’s final installment turned out to be a much-needed breath of fresh air. Dragonflight scraped away the chaff and pared WoW’s gameplay down to a tightness that harkened back to its glory days. After a gimmick-filled experiment, it seemed Blizzard had decided on the most radical of game design approaches: making a better game.

I’ll be honest, I was skeptical that this latest expansion, The War Within, could maintain its momentum. Delving into dank, dark depths in search of adventure, treasure, and intrigue is one of fantasy’s enduring tropes, and with good reason. But after soaring through the skies in Dragonflight, “Awesome… But Underground!” felt like a thematic nosedive.

But War Within tells us something great why We’re exploring the bowels of the Earth. Historically, the quality of WoW’s writing hasn’t been a strong point, but here, a fantastic cast of voice actors and surprisingly compelling in-game cinematics tell a more compelling story than ever before. The expansion also introduces a charismatic villain who, while still a bit hackneyed, is a refreshing contrast to the beefy baritone baddies WoW tends to default to.

But while a compelling story is important, an MMORPG is only as good as how you feel when you play it every day. So far, The War Within has excelled in this regard. Over the past two years, Blizzard has been steadily experimenting with a variety of new features to make players’ lives easier. These include long-awaited improvements to WoW’s antiquated menus and on-screen information, the ability to run with an AI companion as you learn new dungeons, and the new “Warbands” feature that lets you progress towards all of the in-game objectives with any character without mindlessly repeating hours of play every time you want to try out a druid instead of a rogue. All of this is smoothly integrated into the leveling experience, resulting in the most satisfying start to a WoW expansion pack I’ve experienced.




Gorgeous…World of Warcraft: The War Within. Photo: Blizzard

The flashy new “Hero Talents” tweak WoW’s complicated talent trees by adding a little stylistic flair and class fantasy. For example, my dueling giant sword-toting Fury Warrior can be transformed into a lightning-powered stomping machine under the Mountain Thane hero tree. But sadly, these options don’t have much consistency, and I’m often forced to choose what’s most powerful in combat, rather than the flashier, more exciting options. Depending on how your particular class, spec, and hero tree perform, the choice can be either an intense delight or an intense frustration. I ended up regretting demoting my Warrior from Mountain Thane to the much less exciting but higher-damage Slayer tree.

The War Within also introduces “Deeps” – shorter dungeons scattered throughout the landscape that can be tackled alone or with a group of up to five people. The game badly needed a flexible alternative to raids, which still require you to spend one evening each week with a group of 10-25 other players. Deeps are suited to players who only have an hour of freedom every once in a while, but want to feel like they’re making progress towards their character and gear goals. If the Deeps are properly maintained over the coming months and years, I can see myself spending a lot of time there.

Sure, The War Within is only just beginning its two-year lifecycle, but this is WoW’s best achievement in years, and while Blizzard will continue to grapple with Warcraft’s place in the modern gaming landscape, especially with WoW’s 20th anniversary approaching, the game still feels relevant in a way it hasn’t felt in a long time.

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK declines invitation to join European ITER fusion project

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Inside the structure of the ITER reactor

The UK government has declined an offer to rejoin the ITER fusion experiment as a full member, following its exclusion from the project after leaving the EU. Instead, the UK will concentrate on domestic fusion initiatives in both the public and private sectors.

ITER, the world’s largest nuclear fusion experiment, is currently being built in France and is expected to be finished by 2025 after facing significant delays. It is funded by an extensive international collaboration involving countries such as China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United States, and the European Union.

Previously, the UK had access to ITER through its EU membership. However, post-Brexit, the UK is no longer part of the EU. Negotiations with the EU have disclosed that the UK will rejoin Horizon Europe, a joint scientific research effort, but not Euratom, which is focused on nuclear energy.

The Head of Euratom Research, Elena Righi, has advocated for the UK’s formal return to the ITER experiment. However, the UK government supports its decision to opt-out, believing that private sector investment in fusion research is a more efficient and cost-effective approach than utilizing commercial reactors.

Righi made these remarks during an event in Oxfordshire, England, celebrating the accomplishments of the JET fusion reactor, which was permanently shut down last year and is now slated for decommissioning.

“The European Commission and the Council of the EU express regret in their joint statement over the UK’s decision not to participate in the Euratom project and the Fusion for Energy joint venture,” stated Righi. “The EU institutions have strongly advocated for the UK’s participation in all four programs starting in 2028, including ITER and the European Commission’s three other large-scale fusion research projects,” he added.

“This move will facilitate a unified European fusion community to continue its collaborative efforts and resolve the existing disconnection between UKAEA participation and eurofusion [the European fusion research group], ultimately enabling more substantial UK integration in ITER’s construction and operation. “

New Scientist reached out to the European Commission for clarification on Righi’s comments, but did not receive a response.

During the same event, Andrew Bowie, the British Atomic Energy Minister, highlighted the UK’s support for refraining from rejoining the ITER project and reiterated the allocation of £650m for UK alternatives to Euratom. This funding will be utilized for a blend of private and public research endeavors.

“The ultimate goal of all the experiments, all the research, and the significant work at JET is to integrate into the power grid and supply electricity to homes and businesses,” Bowie emphasized. “Substantial private sector involvement will also be crucial to make fusion power commercially viable and introduce solar energy into households.”

“The decision not to rejoin was the right one. We believe that the UK has progressed to a stage where rejoining would divert resources, time, and funds away from advancing the fusion project. It wasn’t an ideological choice but a pragmatic one,” he stated.

Mr. Bowie mentioned that the UK is open to exploring new collaboration methods with ITER, including personnel exchanges, but explicitly ruled out re-entering the project officially, affirming the government’s support for this decision.

The UK is also developing plans for a fusion power plant, known as the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), which is projected to generate net energy gain by 2035, surpassing input electricity production within five years.

Juan Matthews, a researcher at Britain’s Dalton Institute for Nuclear Research at the University of Manchester, has expressed optimism over the potential of spherical reactors like STEP to offer smaller and more cost-effective fusion power compared to larger designs like ITER.

“We’ve faced ongoing delays. We seem stuck in the ‘big project syndrome,’ where plans go awry and costs escalate. Improved communication between the STEP initiative and ITER could pave the way for power generation achievements ahead of Europe. I am very hopeful about the utilization of spherical tokamaks,” Matthews elaborated.

topic:

  • nuclear fusion technology

Source: www.newscientist.com