"Hurricane Dorian was getting stronger as it set its sights on the U.S. mainland early Thursday, churning over open waters. 'Strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and Dorian is expected to become a major hurricane on Friday,' the National Hurricane Center said." Hit the Virgin Island (US and UK) and grazed Puerto Rico, and now Florida is just smack dab in the middle of the projected path.
"Ed Sheeran announced to his audience Tuesday at Chantry Park in Ipswich, England, that he would be taking a break from music after two years of touring." Legal troubles are catching up with him.
The world is weirder than you think. "Stanford researchers report Aug. 26 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that microscopic droplets of water spontaneously produce hydrogen peroxide." Water, or H2O, was considered a "stable" molecule. I guess not so much. Of course a "strong electrical field" was used, so there's that as well. (Grokked from Dan)
"Astronomers have discovered an unlikely exoplanet with the strangest orbit they've ever witnessed more than 100 light-years away, according to a new study."
Here come old flat top, he come grooving up slowly… "The next-generation James Webb telescope has had a rough time coming into existence, but NASA was able to celebrate a big step forward this week when engineers joined the two halves of the observatory."
"How well can a vehicle fly in the Mars atmosphere? NASA just got a step closer to finding out, announcing Wednesday that its Mars Helicopter has been attached to the Mars Rover it intends to send to the Red Planet next year. The 2020 Mars Rover should arrive on the planet in February 2021, and if all goes to plan, the helicopter will then become the first aircraft to fly on a planet other than Earth."
"A SpaceX Dragon capsule that set down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday after having been docked at the International Space Station since late July became the first such vehicle to do three of those trips."
"But while the robots appear to be autonomous, the San Francisco Chronicle reports they’re actually operated by remote workers in Colombia who make $2 an hour." When AI is someone over a internet link. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"There’s a 'reasonable chance' that the US will soon lose its status as a country that has eliminated measles. That’s according to Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." Then tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699. (Grokked from John)
"When vaping became mainstream a little over a decade ago, it was initially marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes, or a way to help wean yourself off nicotine gradually. But in reality, it’s a lot more complicated than that."
"The federal government says the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vt., violated federal law by forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion despite her objections. The hospital issued a statement saying that the allegation is 'not supported by the facts,' as Vermont Public Radio reported." Here we go.
"A former employee in Google’s legal department released new details and allegations Wednesday related to her relationship with her former boss and current Alphabet Chief Legal Officer David Drummond." As they used to say, never dip your pen in the company ink.
"The company has relied on ads and in-app purchases to earn revenue from CamScanner. However, according to researchers at Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky, recent versions of the app included a new advertising library that contained a Trojan designed to deliver malware to Android devices." When you take someone else's code, you take their problems with you.
"Men who kill their partners follow a 'homicide timeline' that could be tracked by police to help prevent deaths, new research suggests." But, the police and politicos will exclaim, it's so hard to understand. Yes, for a codependent based culture which hides violence against women it can seem all so perplexing when the real problem the confused are fighting against is the people shouting, "this is wrong!" (Grokked from Justine Larbalestier)
"The Department of Justice said today that a federal grand jury has indicted software engineer Paige Thompson on two counts related to the Capital One data breach that affected over 100 million customers. The charges in the indictment carry penalties of up to 25 years in prison. Thompson will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Sept. 5." Cryptojacking, that's a new way to Burn Chrome.
"'The issue of race is still the undercurrent about the discussion of Emmett Till,' according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, an African American Democrat who has represented the Mississippi Delta region in the U.S. House since 1993." Sometimes the past ain't even past.
How go the Trade Wars? "'We think China is neither aiming to quickly reach a trade deal, nor trying to hit back at the U.S. as hard as it can,' says Yi Xiong, China economist at Deutsche Bank." China is running out the clock on the Trump administration.
"Trump argues his escalating trade war will force China to the table for a deal. But his ever-rising tariffs — and his market-rattling tweets — are increasingly alarming the GOP." Uh oh, somebody started their Xmas shopping for the grandkids.
How goes Brexit? "Thousands of anti-Brexit protesters, some carrying signs that read "Stop the Coup," gathered Wednesday night in Parliament Square. There were smaller demonstrations in Manchester, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Durham, according to the Evening Standard." And Pro-Brexitiers are taunting the opposition to either do something or shut up.
"The Federal Election Commission (FEC) — intended to be a group of no more than three Democrats and no more than three Republicans overseeing the federal campaign finance system — has been operating with just a bare quorum of four for the past 18 months. With the resignation of Vice Chairman Matthew Petersen, at the end of the week, the commission will be virtually paralyzed." Looks at watch, ah, just in time. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"A 19-year-old from Boston allegedly told police that he was plotting a school shooting at High Point University in North Carolina. Freshman Paul A. Steber is charged with two felony counts of having weapons on campus and communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property." But the one (of two) guns they show a photo of is a muzzle-loader. Um… we need to talk. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
"But under the new policy, as of October 29, certain parents serving overseas in the U.S. armed forces and with other branches of the federal government will be required to formally apply for U.S. citizenship on their children's behalf before their kids turn 18." Gee, I wonder what those "certain" couples have in common? Oh sure, conservatives love those veterans. Unless they don't match up to their ideal of what a service man, or veteran, should be like.
"The rotation of fresh Chinese military troops to the Hong Kong garrison sparked widespread concern Thursday, demonstrating how on edge the city is ahead of a thirteenth consecutive weekend of anti-government protests." Totally normal, totally routine.
"The (Indian) government has repeatedly assured the world that life (in Kashmir) is getting back to normal and any unrest has been minor… But scraps of information trickling out of the region tell a different story."
"The deadline passed at midnight Wednesday for candidates to qualify for the next Democratic presidential debate and only 10 made it, narrowing the largest field in history to a more manageable size." To those candidates dropping out (and those who will be winnowed in the coming months), don't go anywhere. We still need you in this fight. But yes, it's the end of August. It's time to face up to the fact that if you're failing at the midterms, the possibility of you scoring an A on the comprehensive final is below single digits. But we need everyone pulling at the oars. Also, 10 people in a "debate" is still unwieldy. When it's 4 and below, that's when the real politicking begins.
"New York state’s top prosecutor Wednesday night issued a blistering rebuke of a 'deeply disturbing' video posted on the Rockland County Republican Party’s Facebook page that portrays proposed housing development for the Hasidic Jewish community as a 'threat.'" And while we can all focus on, "it was a mistake" versus "it was wrong" let me just say, this isn't the first time the Rockland County GOP has come under fire for anti-semitic posts on their Facebook page. (Grokked in a roundabout way from Mary Robinette Kowal)
"Former FBI Director James Comey violated official policy in the way he handled his memos describing his exchanges with President Trump, an investigation concluded — but Comey won't be charged." Naughty naughty. But note they don't dispute the content of the memos, just how they were handled.
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