Dominique Luchart's Blog, page 673
March 20, 2021
Misinformation and historical revisionism are widespread on some non-English editions of Wikipedia, such as Japanese, which is the most visited after English (Yumiko Sato/Slate)
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Google’s plan to remove third-party cookies from Chrome does little to change the underlying dynamics of the surveillance-based behavioral advertising industry (Gilad Edelman/Wired)
The post Google’s plan to remove third-party cookies from Chrome does little to change the underlying dynamics of the surveillance-based behavioral advertising industry (Gilad Edelman/Wired) appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
This tiny car beat Tesla’s Model 3 as the best-selling EV in the world for January and February,
The Hong Guang Mini EV edged out Tesla’s Model 3 as the top-selling electric vehicle in the world in January and February, not a small feat for the relatively new hatchback. More than 36,000 of the tiny cars sold in January, compared to about 21,500 Model 3s, and the Hong Guang sold just over 20,000 units last month, compared to just under 13,700 Tesla 3s.
The diminutive vehicle is made under a joint partnership between China’s state-owned SAIC Motor, Wuling Motors, and US carmaker General Motors, and is locally referred to simply as Wuling. The Hong Guang Mini EV sells in China only for 28,800 yuan, or about $4,500. It claims to get 170 kilometers (roughly 106 miles) per charge, and can reach a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour or 62 miles per hour (so no drag racing in this thing). Its specs include a wheelbase of 76.4 inches, and it is just under 115 inches long, 59 inches wide, and stands about 64 inches tall. Its total weight is about 1,466 pounds.
In other words, it’s tall but skinny. Still, the manufacturer claims it can seat four people, and the rear seats fold down if you need storage space. For something very small, presumably.
The 2021 base model of Tesla’s Model 3 EV on the other hand, gets more than 250 miles per charge, and its sticker price starts at just under $40,000. It has a wheelbase of 113 inches, is 185 inches long, 73 inches wide and about 57 inches tall. The base Model 3 weighs around 3,500 pounds.
The Hong Guang Mini EV launched last summer and was a surprise success, but is still only sold in China. Some reports suggest that it may come to other markets eventually, but the US is likely low on the list.
It is cute, though.
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This tiny car beat Tesla’s Model 3 as the best-selling EV in the world for January and February, Kim Lyons
JengtingchenThe Hong Guang Mini EV edged out Tesla’s Model 3 as the top-selling electric vehicle in the world in January and February, not a small feat for the relatively new hatchback. More than 36,000 of the tiny cars sold in January, compared to about 21,500 Model 3s, and the Hong Guang sold just over 20,000 units last month, compared to just under 13,700 Tesla 3s.
The diminutive vehicle is made under a joint partnership between China’s state-owned SAIC Motor, Wuling Motors, and US carmaker General Motors, and is locally referred to simply as Wuling. The Hong Guang Mini EV sells in China only for 28,800 yuan, or about $4,500. It claims to get 170 kilometers (roughly 106 miles) per charge, and can reach a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour or 62…
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Court filing: Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, and ex-iOS software chief Scott Forstall are among witnesses to testify in Epic vs Apple trial (Juli Clover/MacRumors)
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Brazil regulator fines Apple $2 million for not including chargers with iPhone 12,
The consumer protection agency in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state has fined Apple $2 million for failing to include chargers within iPhone 12 boxes, according to 9to5 Mac. Procon-SP says Apple engaged in “misleading advertising, selling a device without the charger and unfair terms.”
Apple announced in October that the iPhone 12 and would not come with chargers or earbuds in their boxes, citing environmental concerns. By only including a USB-C to Lightning cable with iPhone 12 and other new models, Apple said it would be able to reduce the raw materials for each iPhone it sells, in addition to reducing the size of the phones’ boxes. Critics suggested the change had more to do with allowing Apple to reduce shipping costs, and environmental experts said the impact on the environment would likely be minimal.
Procon said it asked Apple whether the company would reduce the iPhone 12’s price since there were no chargers included, and did not receive a response. The agency also accused the company of failing to help customers who had “problems with some functions” on their iPhones following updates. A spokesman for the agency said Apple “needs to respect these laws and these institutions.”
The fine does not seem like it would be particularly troubling for Apple, which had $111.4 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2021 (that total includes 2020 holiday sales of iPhone 12 models).
Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment Saturday from The Verge.
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Brazil regulator fines Apple $2 million for not including chargers with iPhone 12, Kim Lyons
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeThe consumer protection agency in Brazil’s São Paulo state has fined Apple $2 million for failing to include chargers within iPhone 12 boxes, according to 9to5 Mac. Procon-SP says Apple engaged in “misleading advertising, selling a device without the charger and unfair terms.”
Apple announced in October that the iPhone 12 and would not come with chargers or earbuds in their boxes, citing environmental concerns. By only including a USB-C to Lightning cable with iPhone 12 and other new models, Apple said it would be able to reduce the raw materials for each iPhone it sells, in addition to reducing the size of the phones’ boxes. Critics suggested the change had more to do with allowing Apple to reduce shipping costs, and environmental…
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Brazilian state of São Paulo fines Apple $2M for selling iPhones without a charger, allegedly misleading customers about the water resistance of iPhones, more (Stephen Warwick/iMore)
The post Brazilian state of São Paulo fines Apple $2M for selling iPhones without a charger, allegedly misleading customers about the water resistance of iPhones, more (Stephen Warwick/iMore) appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
NASA likely to stay the course to the moon under Bill Nelson, if confirmed, ,
Don’t expect big changes at NASA if Bill Nelson does end up leading the space agency.
On Friday (March 19), President Joe Biden announced that he intends to nominate Nelson, a former three-term U.S. senator from Florida and longtime space policy player, as NASA administrator. The choice signals that shakeups are unlikely in big-ticket NASA projects, such as the Artemis program of crewed lunar exploration, said space policy expert John Logsdon.
“One of the buzz phrases during the [presidential] transition was ‘continuity of purpose,’ and I think that’s what one is likely to see with Mr. Nelson — a continuation of the existing program, adjusted to both technical and financial realities,” Logsdon, a professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C., told Space.com.
Related: Presidential visions for space: From Ike to Trump
Artemis to the moonBiden has already signaled his support for Artemis, which took shape under the administration of his predecessor, President Donald Trump. Artemis aims to establish a sustainable, long-term human presence on and around the moon, to help NASA prepare for an even bolder leap — crewed missions to Mars, which the agency aims to start launching in the 2030s.
The Trump administration instructed NASA to work toward landing two Artemis astronauts on the moon by 2024. That timeline was widely viewed as unrealistic, and it will likely be relaxed — “adjusted to both technical and financial realities,” as Logsdon put it — during the Biden administration.
Nelson, a Democrat who served in the Senate from 2001 to 2019, helped set NASA on its current course toward Earth’s nearest neighbor. He and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) were the key Senate drivers of the 2010 NASA authorization act, which ordered the agency to develop a huge new rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) and continue work on its Orion crew capsule. SLS and Orion are Artemis linchpins, the rocket and spacecraft designed to get NASA astronauts beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in half a century.
The 2010 bill, by the way, also supported the continued development of commercial cargo and crew capabilities in low Earth orbit, a key priority of then-President Barack Obama.
Nelson and NASADuring his Senate years, Nelson served as chairman or ranking member of the Space and Science Subcommittee and the ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, as the White House’s nomination announcement notes. (A committee’s ranking member is the most senior representative of the minority party. Nelson served as chairman when Democrats controlled the chamber and ranking member when Republicans were in charge.)
Nelson also served in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1979 to 1991. For six of those years, he chaired the House’s Space Subcommittee. And in January 1986, he flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia as a payload specialist on a six-day mission to Earth orbit. (Charlie Bolden, who served as NASA administrator under President Obama, piloted that shuttle mission.)
Video: Watch Bill Nelson launch into space aboard Columbia
Since leaving the Senate, Nelson has served on the NASA Advisory Council. As these extensive and varied experiences show, he’s very much an insider, not some change agent brought aboard to enact a new vision.
“Biden has passed up the opportunity to put new blood in there, male or female, in favor of continuity,” Logsdon said. (Until relatively recently, rumors had swirled that the pick for NASA chief might be a woman.)
“But the space community has complained about the lack of continuity with change of administration, so I think Biden ought to be commended for continuity,” Logsdon said.
Nelson doesn’t have significant managerial experience, so the choice for deputy administrator should be “a first-rate manager,” Logsdon added. That pick has not yet been announced, but there’s a lot of buzz around former NASA astronaut Pam Melroy, who would be a good choice, Logsdon said.
All of the above is conditional, of course, for Nelson must still be confirmed as NASA administrator by the U.S. Senate. But confirmation is likely to be a mere formality, given that Nelson is held in high regard by his former colleagues in the chamber.
“I think it’s a slam dunk,” Logsdon said.
Mike Wall is the author of “ Out There ” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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Wow! This incredible image of the Milky Way took 12 years to create, ,
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The entire Milky Way, as imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Finnish astrophotographer J-P Metsavainio spent 1,250 hours over the course of about 12 years creating a single image that reveals the magnificent beauty of the entire Milky Way galaxy.
Back in 2009, Metsavainio began this project, which is a 100,000-pixel mosaic of the Milky Way composed of 234 individual images all stitched together. The resulting image captures the entire galaxy, speckled with about 20 million of the Milky Way’s roughly 200 billion stars.
So, how could a single image take 12 years?
In his blog, Metsavainio points to “the size of the mosaic and the fact that the image is very deep. Another reason is that I have shot most of the mosaic frames as individual compositions and published them as independent artworks.” In the blog, Metsavainio also includes information about the different cameras and some of the more specific techniques he used to create this image.
Related: Pictures from space! Our image of the day
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The entire Milky Way mosaic with pointed out highlights, created by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Some of the celestial objects in the Milky Way required more exposure than others, as some appeared dimmer and were harder to see. For example, a single supernova remnant took over 60 exposure hours, he explains in his blog.
Image 1 of 7[image error]
An image of the California Nebula (NGC 1499), that’s a part of the much larger Milky Way image created by Finnish astrophotographer J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Image 2 of 7[image error]
IC 405 & 410 area in Augira, a piece of a larger Milky Way image by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Image 3 of 7[image error]
Sharpless 124 & the Cocoon Nebula, imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Image 4 of 7[image error]
The supernova remnant G65.3+5.7, as imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Image 5 of 7[image error]
Sharpless 205, NGC 1491 and Lynds Bright Nebula 696, as imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Image 6 of 7[image error]
IC 1396, as imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Image 7 of 7[image error]
The tulip nebula area, as imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)While the entire image on its own is stunning, because of the detail Metsavainio was able to capture in this mosaic, there are many “hidden gems” you can spot. These pieces of the full picture showcase the beauty of celestial objects like the California Nebula, the Pelican Nebula, the Wizard Nebula and more.
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The mosaic panels for J-P Metsavainio’s 100,000-pixel image of the Milky Way. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)[image error]
An up-close look at the mosaic panels of J-P Metsavainio’s image of the Milky Way. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)[image error]
The space between Cygnus and Cepheus as part of J-P Metsavainio’s image of the Milky Way. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)[image error]
From the Bubble to the Cave Nebula, imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)[image error]
IC 405 6 410 area, imaged by J-P Metsavainio. (Image credit: J-P Metsavainio)Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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