Tag Archives: progress

The Re-examination of Light and Magnetism: Nearly Two Centuries of Progress

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SEI 274892023

Illustration of Faraday’s experiment demonstrating the polarization of light by a magnetic field

Enrique Sahagun

In 1845, physicist Michael Faraday presented the first direct evidence linking electromagnetism and light. This connection has proven to be even more substantial than Faraday anticipated.

During his experiment, Faraday directed light through a glass containing a boric acid and lead oxide mixture placed within a magnetic field. He observed that this altered the light, resetting its polarization direction upon exiting the glass.

For the last 180 years, it has been widely accepted that light acts as an electromagnetic wave, with the “Faraday effect” illustrating how interactions between the magnetic field, charges in the glass, and the light’s electric component result in the rotation and alteration of the light waves as they enter the material.

Interestingly, it has long been assumed that the magnetic component of light has minimal involvement in the Faraday effect. However, Amir Capua and Benjamin Assulin, a research team from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, has demonstrated otherwise.

“We now comprehend that the secondary component of light interacts with matter,” Capua states.

Capua explains that two main reasons deterred researchers from exploring the magnetic component of light’s involvement in the Faraday effect. First, magnetic forces within materials such as Faraday glass seem relatively weak compared to electrical forces. Second, when a material like Faraday glass is magnetized—aligning the quantum spins of its components with the magnetic field—these spins typically do not synchronize with the light wave’s magnetic component, indicating a weak interaction.

However, Capua and Assulin discovered that if the magnetic component of the light is circularly polarized (spiral-shaped), it may interact more strongly with the magnetic spins within the glass. They concluded that this is due to the magnetic component of light consisting of several corkscrew waves, even without deliberate manipulation.

Calculations by the two researchers revealed that if Faraday’s experiment were replicated using a magnetic material called terbium gallium garnet (TGG) instead of glass, this magnetic interaction could account for 17 percent of the Faraday effect when visible light passes through. Moreover, if infrared light were used with TGG, magnetic interactions might contribute up to 70 percent of the observed Faraday effect.

Igor Rozhansky, a researcher at the University of Manchester, UK, states that the new calculations are compelling and suggest promising experimental evaluations in the future. The previously overlooked magnetic component of the Faraday effect could provide researchers with innovative approaches to manipulate spin in materials, Rozhansky notes. He further mentioned that it remains an open question whether this effect may surpass the conventional Faraday effect in certain materials.

Future experiments could reveal discoveries extending from fundamental physics to practical applications. Capua envisions potential uses for the interaction between the magnetic spin of some materials and the magnetic component of light, which could lead to advancements in spin-based sensors and data storage technologies.

Science of the Renaissance: Italy

From Brunelleschi and Botticelli to polymaths like Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei, delve into the remarkable scientific minds and discoveries of the Renaissance that solidified Italy’s position at the forefront of scientific innovation.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Skip the Wait: Progress in Women’s Healthcare is Here

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When contraceptives were first introduced in the United States, women were not cautioned about potential side effects such as heart attacks or blood clots. It wasn’t until about a decade later that significant action was taken. In her 1969 book Physician’s Case of Medication, journalist and activist Barbara Seaman compiled testimonials from women who had suffered these symptoms for years. Her advocacy led to a Senate hearing on drug safety, which resulted in the inclusion of critical information regarding lower dosage and side effects.

This was not an isolated delay in addressing women’s voices, particularly regarding medications. Despite substantial anecdotal evidence from users, large trials connecting drugs to another side effect—depression—did not emerge until the 2010s linking studies began to surface.

The same can be said for individuals suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, where 80% of those affected are women. Despite overwhelming testimony regarding debilitating consequences, research on this condition has been limited over the years in similar contexts (long-standing community) – leading to loss of funding.

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When thousands of individuals express similar concerns regarding their health, we must heed their voices.
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This week’s 36-page feature article highlights recent developments. For decades, women suffering from endometriosis—a painful gynecological disorder—have also reported issues resembling autoimmune diseases. Significant correlations have only been explored in research over the last few years after thorough investigations. Just this year, a comprehensive analysis revealed a shared genetic pathway between these two conditions, paving the way for potential new therapies.

Why has progress been so slow? Insufficient funding for women’s health and the stigma surrounding women’s anatomy play significant roles. However, it’s crucial to recognize the attention given to women’s concerns and the lack of validation they often receive. When countless individuals articulate similar experiences regarding their health, we must proceed with caution. While robust data is required for specific medical recommendations and safe treatments, we could make faster strides by listening to experiential accounts, especially those of women.

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  • Women’s Health/
  • Healthcare

Source: www.newscientist.com

Apple Eases Wall Street Concerns Amid Delays in AI Progress and China’s Challenges

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Apple is facing significant challenges this year. While striving to keep pace with other tech giants in the realm of artificial intelligence, it has seen its stock prices decline by double digits since the year began. The recent closure of a Chinese store marks a troubling point, as increasing US tariffs on Beijing pose a threat to its supply chain. On Thursday, the company reported third-quarter fiscal year revenues, inviting scrutiny into its operational improvements.

Despite a bleak forecast, Apple remains valued at over $300 million and exceeded Wall Street’s expectations regarding profit and revenue for this quarter. The tech giant posted a notable 10% year-on-year revenue increase to $94.04 billion, translating to $1.57 per share. This is the most substantial revenue growth Apple has experienced since 2021, surpassing analyst forecasts of over $89.3 billion and more than $1.43 per share.

Revenue from iPhones has also surpassed Wall Street predictions, rising 13% compared to the same quarter last year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed pride in announcing a “June quarter revenue record,” highlighting the growth across its iPhone, Mac, and services sectors. During a revenue call on Thursday, he remarked that the quarterly results were “better than anticipated.”

According to Dipanjan Chatterjee, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester, the growth of services is boosting the company’s revenue streams. “Apple has grown accustomed to enhancing revenue through this service-centric margin business,” he noted.

However, he pointed out some factors contributing to underwhelming product performance, suggesting Apple is trailing in hardware innovation, leading to “consumer indifference,” with its AI rollout experiencing glitches. The AI initiative, dubbed Apple Intelligence, is introducing only incremental features rather than transformative enhancements.

It has been over a year since Apple revealed plans for the AI-enhanced version of Voice Assistant Siri, yet many features remain unreleased.

“This work [on Siri] was discussed during the company’s developer meeting in June,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s Vice President of Software Engineering.

The imposition of Donald Trump’s tariffs has also complicated matters for the company, as the US president pushes for revitalizing domestic manufacturing. A significant portion of Apple’s products are produced in China, with 90% of iPhones assembled there, despite recent efforts to shift production elsewhere. Cook warned that China’s tariffs could impact revenue by $900 million during the quarterly call.

Apple is actively working to relocate more manufacturing to countries like India and Vietnam. However, this week, Trump announced an increase in tariffs in India set to reach 25% starting August 1st.

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During the revenue call on Thursday, Cook reminded analysts that Apple has committed $500 million in the US over the upcoming four years and added, “eventually we’ll do more in the US.” He mentioned that Apple has “made significant progress” with a more personalized Siri, scheduled for release next year.

Both external and internal pressures have significantly impacted Apple this year. Once celebrated as part of the “magnificent 7” industry titans—comprised of the most valuable public tech companies in the US—Apple’s stock is now the second weakest performer, declining seven spots behind Tesla. Since January, Apple’s stock has dropped approximately 15%. Nevertheless, there was a slight uptick in the stock price following Thursday’s after-hours trading, recovering 25%.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Nvidia CEO: US Chip Export Controls Misfire by Boosting China’s Progress

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Jensen Huang, head of Nvidia, stated that US chip export controls are a “fail” during his remarks at the High-Tech Forum on Wednesday.

In an effort to limit China’s military advancements and maintain US dominance in the AI sector, successive US administrations have placed restrictions on the sale of advanced AI chips to China. However, Huang indicated at the Computex Tech forum in Taipei that these controls have inadvertently motivated Chinese developers.

“The local companies are exceptionally skilled and highly motivated, and export control has provided them with the momentum, energy, and governmental backing to speed up their progress,” Huang shared at the Computex Tech Show in Taipei.

“On the whole, I believe export control has been a failure.”



“It’s crucial to acknowledge that China boasts a dynamic technological ecosystem, with 50% of the world’s AI researchers, and excels in software development,” Huang emphasized.

Nvidia, known for its high-performance GPUs, faces challenges due to US chip export regulations. Huang mentioned on Wednesday that the company has incurred “billions of dollars” in losses, with its share of the AI chip market in China plummeting from nearly 95% to 50% since the Biden administration took office.

According to the Financial Times, Huang made an unannounced trip to Beijing last month.

This visit took place shortly after new US restrictions prohibited the shipment of Nvidia’s H20 Datacentre GPU to China.

The US government informed NVIDIA that the new regulations aim to mitigate the risk of the product being “used in Chinese supercomputers.”

Huang’s Beijing conference reportedly focused on the AI company’s latest chip design, as per the FT report.

Last week, the Trump administration rolled back certain existing controls on chip sales to China after several countries expressed that they were being excluded from the essential technologies required for AI development.

Nonetheless, they issued new guidelines for other nations, warning that utilizing high-tech AI semiconductors produced in China, especially chips from Huawei, could breach existing US export regulations.

In retaliation, China accused the United States of “misusing export controls to suppress and restrict China.” The Commerce Department stated on Wednesday that the warning exemplifies “unilateral bullying and protectionism, significantly jeopardizing the stability of the global semiconductor industry and supply chains.”

Moreover, it cautioned that organizations or individuals enforcing or supporting such actions might be violating Chinese law.

Source: www.theguardian.com

FDA Scientists Make Progress at Food Safety Laboratory

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Officials from federal health agencies have decided to reverse the ruling that led to the dismissal of numerous scientists at the Food Safety Labs. They are also reviewing whether other critical positions have been affected.

A representative from the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the reinstatement of these employees and mentioned that several individuals will also be returned to the office responsible for handling freedom of information requests.

In recent months, approximately 20% of FDA positions have been cut, marking one of the most significant workforce reductions among all agencies impacted by the Trump administration.

An HHS spokesperson stated that the departures were misleading due to erroneous employment codes.

In light of contradictory statements from FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty McCurry during a recent media interview, the decision to rehire scientists researching food-related illnesses and product safety—such as infant milk powder—will follow shortly.

“You could argue that no cuts were made to scientists and inspectors,” Dr. McCurry stated during Wednesday’s CNN broadcast.

Contrarily, many scientists were laid off from food and drug safety labs nationwide, including Puerto Rico, and from the veterinary unit working on avian flu safety. Employees on leave indicated that scientists in the tobacco sector, who were let go in February, including those examining the health implications of vaping, have not been considered for paid leave and reinstatement.

It remains uncertain how many dismissed employees will be permitted to return.

According to a department spokesperson, about 40 employees from Chicago’s Moffett Lab and a lab in the San Francisco area are being offered positions. Researchers in these facilities investigate various facets of food safety, including how chemicals and bacteria permeate food packaging and methods to ensure safety for infant formula. Some scientists in Chicago have also analyzed the findings of other labs to ensure the safety of milk and seafood.

Dr. Robert Caliph, the FDA commissioner under President Joseph R. Biden, described the term “decapitation and visceral withdrawal” as fitting for the abrupt loss of agency expertise. He noted that the FDA is already behind in meetings designed to assist businesses in developing safe products.

“Much of that involves routine daily tasks that significantly affect overall safety, though they’re not particularly controversial,” he commented. “It just requires effort, and they need personnel present to carry out their duties.”

Dr. McCurry also mentioned that the layoffs do not impact product reviewers or inspectors. However, their responsibilities are being hindered by voluntary departures, the reduction of support staff, and widespread disruptions at agencies, as many are looking to exit, according to former employees.

Hundreds of drug and medical device reviewers, representing about a quarter of the agency’s workforce, have opted out of major projects. As discussed on CNBC. Under FDA Ethics Rules, staff participating in employment interviews are prohibited from conducting agency reviews on products from firms seeking employment.

Dr. Gottlieb characterized the job cuts as “deep,” impacting the Bureau of Policy’s ability to process which drug brands can be offered as low-cost generics. Approvals for generic drugs could potentially save consumers billions.

The reduction in support staff overseeing inspections at food and drug facilities abroad has raised security concerns. Many of those who lost their positions were responsible for surveillance, ensuring inspectors’ safety, especially in hostile regions.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Trump makes significant progress in advancing submarine mining in global waters

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President Trump has ordered the US government to take a major step towards mining vast areas below the sea. This is a move opposed by almost every other country, taking into account international waters from international waters for this type of industrial activity.

The executive order, signed Thursday, will circumvent a decades-old treaty ratified by all major coastal states except the United States. This is the latest example of the Trump administration’s willingness to ignore international institutions, and is likely to spark protests from American rivals and allies.

The order “establishes the United States as a global leader in submarine mineral exploration and development within and outside the national jurisdiction.” Text released by the White House.

Trump’s order directs the promotion of mining permits in both the National Maritime and Atmospheric Administration’s international waters and US territory.

Part of the seabed is covered with potato-sized nodules containing valuable minerals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese. These are essential to advanced technologies that the United States considers to be important to economic and military security, but its supply chain is increasingly controlled by China.

No commercial scale submarine mining has been carried out to date. The technical hurdles were high and there were serious concerns about the environmental impact.

As a result, in the 1990s, most countries agreed to join independent international submarine authorities that dominate the seabed mining of international waters. The Trump administration is relying on the US as it is not a signator The vague 1980 law This allows the federal government to issue submarine mining permits in international waters.

Many countries want to see undersea mining become a reality. But so far, it has been that economic orders should not take priority over the risk that mining could damage fisheries and marine food chains, or that it could affect the essential role of the ocean in absorbing carbon dioxide that warms the planet from the atmosphere.

Trump’s order comes after years of delays at the ISA in setting up a regulatory framework for undersea mining. Authorities have not yet agreed to the set of rules.

The executive order paves the way for metal companies, a well-known undersea mining company, to receive the first permission from NOAA to actively mine. A public company based in Vancouver, British Columbia It was disclosed in March It would ask the Trump administration to approve it through a US subsidiary to mine in international waters. The company has already spent more than $500 million on exploratory work.

“We have production-ready boats,” Gerald Baron, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview Thursday. “We have the means to process materials in friendly partner nations of the Alliance. We are missing out on permission to allow us to start.”

In anticipation of mining as a final allowance, companies like him have invested heavily in developing technologies to mine the seabed. They include a ship with huge claws that stretch to the seabed, and a self-driving vehicle mounted on a giant vacuum cleaner that scrutinizes the bottom of the ocean.

Some analysts have questioned the need to rush towards submarine mining, given the current excess of nickel and cobalt from traditional mining. Furthermore, manufacturers of electric vehicle batteries, one of the main markets in metals, are heading towards battery designs that rely on other factors.

Nevertheless, the projection of future demand for metals generally remains high. And Trump’s escalating trade war with China threatens to limit America’s access to some of these important minerals. These include rare earth elements that can also be found in trace amounts of submarine nodules.

US Geological Survey It is estimated Nodules in a single belt of the Eastern Pacific, known as the Clarion Kriparton Zone, contain more nickel, cobalt and manganese than all ground reserves combined. The area in the open ocean between Mexico and Hawaii is about half the size of the continent of the United States.

The Metals Company’s contract site is located in the Clarion-Clipperton zone, with the oceans averaged around 2.5 miles deep. The company will first apply for exploitation permission under the 1980 law.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Digital ID cards in Poland: A valuable tool or a barrier to progress in e-Government?

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There has been much talk about the potential for Poland’s economy to surpass that of the UK by 2030, but in some aspects, Poland is already ahead.

One such area is the digital ID card and driving license created by Poles, allowing them to access various public services through the mobile app mObywatel. Users must verify their identity through e-banking login, a digitally enabled physical ID card, or a special “trusted profile” online upon initial access.

With 8 million users, the mObywatel app enables Poles to create a digital ID, check demerit points on their driver’s license, review their car history, monitor local air quality, and find their polling place.

Rafał Sionkowski, a senior government official overseeing the app, emphasized the importance of keeping the core developer team within the public institution to ensure immediate public access to the digitized database.

As more EU countries develop similar apps in anticipation of the EU’s eIDAS 2.0 regulation on electronic identification, authentication, and trust services, significant progress is expected.

The regulation, set to be fully implemented by 2026 or 2027, establishes the legal framework for electronic identification systems that can be used across EU borders. Sionkowski noted that digital driving licenses can be presented in Germany and digital IDs in Spain for verification.

A digital version of your Polish driving license can be stored on your smartphone via an app. Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Sionkowski mentioned plans to enhance the app with new features like notifying insurance companies of accidents and exploring its potential in verifying age online and assisting vulnerable groups in accessing public services.

He stressed the importance of focusing on services that people use, highlighting the value added through features like air quality monitors for local readings.

Privacy lawyer Wojciech Kulikki advocated for adhering to strict privacy principles while adding service features to the app. He cautioned against intrusive features like unauthorized location tracking.

Citizens could have more control over their data either through open-source app development for independent oversight or by checking data accessed by other government departments.

Janusz Ciezynski, a former digital minister, noted the smoother rollout of the app in Poland compared to the UK due to the presence of physical ID cards, quelling concerns about privacy infringements.

Ciezynski expressed enthusiasm for incorporating more public services into a single app, envisioning benefits for disaster-affected areas with quick access to funds through virtual payment cards.

Source: www.theguardian.com

My latest iPhone symbolizes stagnation, not progress. Artificial intelligence faces a similar future | John Norton

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I Recently, I bought an iPhone 15 to replace my 5-year-old iPhone 11. The phone has the new A17 Pro chip, a terabyte of data storage, and is accordingly eye-poppingly expensive. Of course, I have carefully considered my reasons for sparing money on such a scale. For example, I have always had a policy of only writing about devices I bought with my own money (no freebies from tech companies). The fancy A17 processor is necessary to run the new “AI” features that Apple promises to launch soon. The phone also has a significantly better camera than my old phone, which is important (to me).
My Substack Blog It comes out three times a week and I post new photos in each issue. Finally, a friend whose old iPhone is nearing the end of its lifespan might be happy to have an iPhone 11 in good condition.

But these are more rationalizations than evidence. In fact, my old iPhone was fine for what it did. Sure, it would eventually need a new battery, but otherwise it lasted for years. And if you look objectively at the evolution of the iPhone line, it’s just been a steady series of incremental improvements since the iPhone 4 in 2010. What was so special about that model? Mainly this.
Front cameraThe iPhone 11 opened up a world of selfies, video chat, social media, and all the other accoutrements of a networked world. But what followed was only incremental change and rising prices.

This doesn’t just apply to the iPhone, but to smartphones in general; manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, and Google have all followed the same path. The advent of smartphones, which began with the release of the first iPhone in 2007, marked a major break in the evolution of mobile phone technology (just ask Nokia or BlackBerry if you doubt that). A decade of significant growth followed, but the technology (and market) matured and incremental changes became the norm.

Mathematicians have a name for this process: they call it a sigmoid function, and they depict it as an S-shaped curve. If you apply this to consumer electronics, the curve looks like a slightly flattened “S,” with slow progress on the bottom, then a steep upward curve, and finally a flat line on the top. And smartphones are on that part of the curve right now.

If we look at the history of the technology industry over the past 50 years or so, we see a pattern: first there’s a technological breakthrough: silicon chips, the Internet, the Web, mobile phones, cloud computing, smartphones. Each breakthrough is followed by a period of intense development (often accompanied by an investment bubble) that pushes the technology towards the middle of the “S”. Then, eventually, things settle down as the market becomes saturated and it becomes increasingly difficult to fundamentally improve the technology.

You can probably see where this is going.
So-called “AI” Early breakthroughs have already occurred: first, the emergence of “big data” generated by the web, social media and surveillance capitalism, then the rediscovery of powerful algorithms (neural networks), followed in 2017 by the invention of the “Transformer” deep learning architecture, followed by the development of large-scale language models (LLMs) and other generative AI, of which ChatGPT is a prime example.

Now that we’ve passed the period of frenzy of development and huge amounts of corporate investment (with unclear returns on that investment) that has pushed the technology up into the middle of the sigmoid curve, an interesting question arises: how far up the sigmoid curve has the industry climbed, and when will smartphone technology reach the plateau where it is currently stagnating?

In recent weeks, we are starting to see signs that this moment is approaching. The technology is becoming commoditized. AI companies are starting to release smaller and (allegedly) cheaper LLMs. Of course, they won’t admit this, but it’s because the energy costs of the technology are increasing.
Swelling Irrational promotion of the industry
It’s not much talked about among economists. Millions of people have tried ChatGPT and its ilk, but most of them never showed up.
Lasting Interest Nearly every large company on the planet has run an AI “pilot” project or two, but very few have made any real deployments.
Today’s Sensation Is it starting to get boring? In fact, it’s a bit like the latest shiny smartphone.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elon Musk’s Trip to China leads to Rapid Progress, a Turning Point for Tesla and the Auto Industry

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Reports suggest that Elon Musk’s visit to China led to an immediate benefit with a deal for Tesla to utilize mapping data from Baidu, a major web search company, to introduce driver-assistance technology to the largest car market globally. This marks a significant advancement.

Over the weekend, Musk made a surprise visit to China. He shared a photo of his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the social network X, which he acquired in 2022.

According to sources referenced by Bloomberg News, Baidu, a dominant force in Chinese web search, will offer mapping and navigation services to aid Tesla in implementing driver-assistance technology labeled as “Full Self-Driving” (FSD). The provision of mapping services, crucial for driver-assistance technology, is strictly regulated by the Chinese government.

Despite its name, FSD does not enable autonomous driving. It necessitates a driver who is prepared to take control at any moment. Launching in China could enhance Tesla’s position in the competitive market there and boost revenue. The service costs $8,000 or $99 (£80) per month, but is not accessible in many countries.

Musk has had confrontational interactions with politicians in the past, criticizing U.S. President Joe Biden and entering a dispute in Brazil over censorship issues on X, formerly Twitter. However, his approach towards China’s second-ranking official, Li, was more conciliatory, expressing being “honored” to meet him.

Musk’s interactions with China have been complex due to various business ties. X is blocked by the Chinese government due to strict censorship policies. Additionally, there were concerns from the Chinese government regarding an incident involving a satellite launched by SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, coming close to their space station.

However, Tesla operates a factory in Shanghai, and its Model Y was the third best-selling electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle in China in March 2024, according to CleanTechnica. BYD, a Chinese competitor to Tesla in electric car sales, has two top-selling models.

The news of Musk’s visit and the partnership with Baidu were met with enthusiasm by Tesla investors, who view potential self-driving capabilities as crucial for Tesla’s position as the most valuable automaker globally. Tesla’s stock price rose by 6% in premarket trading in New York.

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Dan Ives, a technology analyst at Wedbush investment bank, mentioned in a client note that Tesla’s future standing relies heavily on FSD and autonomous driving. He emphasized the significance of making FSD accessible in China, a step that appears to be imminent.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Will other US companies follow Starbucks’ lead in making major progress in union negotiations?

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Starbucks has been actively resisting unionization efforts for over two years, but now they seem willing to engage in negotiations.

In a surprising move, Starbucks and its union released a joint announcement at the end of February, expressing a willingness to make progress on organizing and collective bargaining.

The union representing Starbucks employees announced plans to resume direct negotiations with the company in late April to establish a basic framework agreement involving over 400 unionized stores.

This development has brought hope not only to Starbucks employees but also to workers at companies like Amazon, Trader Joe’s, and REI, who have been struggling to move contract negotiations forward.

The possibility of Starbucks potentially unionizing after years of aggressive anti-union tactics has sparked curiosity about which company may follow suit in the future.

Claire Chan, an REI employee, expressed excitement about the progress, highlighting the persistence required to bring a company like Starbucks to the negotiating table. She described it as a significant step forward.

John Logan, a labor studies professor, remains cautious about Starbucks’ intentions and whether they will truly commit to ending anti-union practices and reaching an initial contract.

The union representative for Starbucks, Michelle Eisen, remains optimistic about the future collaboration between Starbucks and the union, emphasizing the importance of valuing employee input for business success.

Starbucks has offered a settlement to the union following backlash over union-busting allegations, stock price declines, and disruptive strikes, showing a potential shift towards supporting unions.

Legal experts and union representatives see Starbucks’ possible unionization as a significant step that could inspire other companies to consider similar actions.

Overall, the announcement from Starbucks has far-reaching implications for workers’ rights and the future of unionization in major corporations.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Preparing Dragon for the Launch and Progress of Space Exploration

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This photo from the International Space Station orbiting 462 miles above cloudy Central Asia shows the jagged Moon waning just above Earth’s horizon. Credit: NASA The crew of Expedition 70 is picking up the pace as they load cargo onto a U.S. cargo ship for its upcoming departure.Seven people international space station (ISS) residents also continue to focus on a range of microgravity sciences to improve human health and commercialize low Earth orbit. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is nearing the end of its docked stay at the forward port of the Harmony module. Over the next few days, the four astronauts will pack more than 3,500 pounds of scientific materials and hardware into Dragon for removal and analysis back on Earth. NASA ESA aeronautical engineer Jasmine Moghberg and Commander Andreas Mogensen (european space agency) removed the scientific cargo freezer containing the research samples from the station’s EXPRESS rack and stowed it inside the Dragon for return to Earth. Astronaut Loral O’Hara and astronaut Satoshi Furukawa transported a cargo bag filled with hardware and trash and strapped it inside Dragon in preparation for its descent into Earth’s gravity. Japan’s tallest mountain, Mount Fuji, was photographed as part of the International Space Station orbiting 420 miles above the sky. The active stratovolcano’s peak reaches more than 12,000 feet (approximately 3,700 meters) above sea level and is covered in snow for five months of the year. Credit: NASA Ongoing research and crew activities The crew continued to load hardware and science onto the ship. space x The Dragon cargo spacecraft’s managers and operations team today are assessing weather conditions at various possible landing sites for its return to Earth, in preparation for its scheduled undocking Thursday afternoon. Despite the hectic cargo traffic, microgravity research continued apace, as the crew continued to explore how weightlessness affects biology and physics. NASA’s O’Hara will process the cell samples for culture, which researchers will analyze to investigate the senescence-like properties of immune cells and the regenerative capacity of liver cells.of space age Health research may provide deeper insight into the biology of aging and its impact on disease mechanisms. A nighttime view of Mexico City, Mexico’s capital and largest city with a population of 9.2 million people, was captured from the International Space Station, which orbits 460 miles above Central America. On the far left is the bright Felipe Angeles International Airport, easily observed from low Earth orbit. The large, dark area in the upper center is the Lake Texcoco Ecological Park. The dark area directly below is the Guadalupe Mountains. Credit: NASA From Mr. Furukawa JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has replaced components in a microgravity science glovebox that supports physics experiments to produce optical fibers better than those produced on Earth.of Optical fiber manufacturing-2 This experiment has the potential to advance optical transmission capabilities that will benefit the Earth and space industries. Mogensen previously worked in the Harmony module, shaking mixing tubes containing different organisms for a variety of health-promoting biological and botany studies. These tubes are part of a NanoRacks-sponsored program that allows educational institutions and private organizations to conduct research on the space station. Contribution of Russian cosmonauts Today, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chubb took turns wearing sensor-equipped hats and continuing to operate a computer. Roscosmos Research exploring future spacecraft and robot control technology. Researchers will use the data to train future crews and plan potential manned planetary missions. Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov spent most of the day maintaining life support equipment, then synchronizing his camera with the station’s clock, which is set to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). (function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

Source: scitechdaily.com

Owner and CEO of Automattic, Matt Mullenweg, says that Tumblr’s integration with the Fediverse is still in progress.

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Despite delays, plans to connect Tumblr’s blog site to the wider world of decentralized social media, also known as the “Fediverse,” appear to still be in the works. More than a year ago, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg (who acquired Tumblr from Verizon in 2019) announced that the site is the protocol that powers Twitter/X rival Mastodon and other decentralized social apps. It posted on Twitter that support for ActivityPub will be added “soon.” However, as time passed since the announcement, it wasn’t clear whether Tumblr was still moving in that direction.

To further complicate matters, Tumblr has recently cut a number of jobs, reassigning many of them to other projects within the parent company. automatic, which operates WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Pocket Casts, and more, including the recently acquired Texts.com. The reorganization was intended to relieve financial pressure on Tumblr as it continued to make losses. But at the same time, many Federation supporters began to wonder if Tumblr’s plans to join the world of decentralized social media were also scrapped.

In addition, Posted by Tumblr Employees They said that the Fediverse project had been moved to Tumblr Labs, Tumblr’s testing ground, which seemed to indicate that the project is currently on the back burner.

Now, CEO Matt Mullenweg is laying out the current state of Tumblr’s various ambitions in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) shared on his Tumblr blog.in response In response to a question from TechCrunch, Mullenweg said that despite the reorganization, which will see many Tumblr employees move on to other projects at the end of the year, Automattic is moving someone to Tumblr to work on the Fediverse integration. He explained that he had done so. new Year.

Still, Mullenweg cautioned that so far, Automattic has yet to see significant user demand for federated social media.

” activity pub and friend Both plugins for WordPress are provided by Automatticians, which has allowed us to work in this space, understand the community and protocols, and assess user demand. ” he writes Mullenweg. “We have less than 10,000 users on either side at the moment, so there hasn’t been a big user push for this yet,” he said.

But he said people will “dig into Tumblr’s codebase” to see what they can do to move forward with federation.

Reading between the lines, it appears that while Mullenweg supports a more open internet in general, the company isn’t ready to go all-in on ActivityPub.

“While I continue to be a strong believer in open standards and user freedom, I do not claim that any particular standard holds the truth about which is better or best, but in order to serve our customers. “We sincerely support doing everything we can to give our users more freedom, choice, and avoid lock-in,” he also said in the AMA. (Mullenweg said earlier this year that the company is also evaluating the value of other protocols such as his AT protocol for Bluesky and nostr).

Only one lap of Mastodon today. 1.5 million monthly active usersActivityPub has been going from strength to strength lately. Especially since his other Twitter/X competitor, Instagram Threads, is promising integration with Fediverse. Many in the community expect it to happen in early 2024. In the meantime, Threads users can take the first step by checking their profile on Mastodon. Other startups have also launched to make Fediverse more approachable for beginners, including Mozilla-backed app Mammoth and indie apps like Ivory, and companies like Flipboard and Medium have also embraced his Mastodon. Masu. This gives Tumblr the tools he needs in 2024 to determine whether ActivityPub is worth his time and whether it technically makes sense to bring his Tumblr blog to Mastodon. You might get a boost.

In other words, work is being done to integrate Tumblr into the Fediverse, but no agreement has been reached at this time.

In another AMA responseMullunweg also said the company is considering a large-scale effort to migrate Tumblr’s 500 million blogs to WordPress backend in the new year.

“We’re going to work on it, but we don’t know when,” the executive said.

Source: techcrunch.com