takyon writes:On February 28, SpaceX's SN01 Starship prototype imploded and exploded during a pressurization test (Mk1 failed in November). A day later, Eric Berger from Ars Technica visited SpaceX's facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Some highlights from the story include:
canopic jug writes:Dustin Kirkland has written a blog post about telecommuting for over two decades. He goes into a lot of detail about his particular setup. He closes asking what other people's remote offices look like and what, if anything, he missed.
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:Scientists monitor brains replaying memories in real time: Our brains use distinct firing patterns to store and replay memories:
edIII writes:Max Von Sydow has passed away on 8 March 2020 at the age of 90 at his home in Provence, France.A film icon, versatile actor, Max Von Sydow was part of many sci-fi movies now cult classics. Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Strange Brew, Dune, The Minority Report, and The Exorcist to name just a few. Some may also remember him as the voice of Vigo the Carpathian, in Ghost Busters II.I will always remember him as Ming the Merciless.R.I.P.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
An Anonymous Coward writes:Led Zeppelin have triumphed in a long-running copyright dispute after a US appeals court ruled they did not steal the opening riff in Stairway To Heaven.The British rock legends were accused in 2014 of ripping off a song called Taurus by the US band Spirit.Taurus was written in 1968, three years before Stairway To Heaven.Now, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has upheld a 2016 trial verdict that found Led Zeppelin did not copy it.https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51805905Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
An Anonymous Coward writes:What does it mean to "promote child exploitation"? When it's figurines that have been sold for years but now violate Amazon's statutes about promoting child exploitation which resulted in listings being removed. Chuck Gaffney has run a successful Amazon store for years selling anime-related products, up until recently when Amazon started cracking down on anything that could be perceived as "promoting child exploitation".While it can be difficult for online retailers to represent themselves as selling genuine merchandise — meaning reputation means a lot — this type of behavior from the market owner is very discouraging. In response, the seller blames a "neopuritan crusade" against anime figures.The characters at the center of this disagreement are: Hatsune Miku and KaitŠTenshi Twin Angel.It's a wonder that anything anime-related survives importation to the US from Japan.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
An Anonymous Coward writes:OPEC tried to keep prices high by cutting output but Russia instead started a price war which could see petrol drop to AU$1. With Saudi Arabia and Russia battling it out for market share to get past the US it could be consumers who come out on top. This change could affect many markets from agriculture to shipping having impacts across the world.
An Anonymous Coward writes:https://www.economist.com/prospero/2020/03/06/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-turns-42EVERY YEAR the world celebrates the anniversaries of masterworks and maestros. In 2020 there will be a host of events and publications commemorating the lives of Ludwig van Beethoven, Raphael, Charles Dickens, Anne Brontë and William Wordsworth. Such milestones usually come in neat multiples of 50. The 42nd anniversary of anything is rarely observed.Yet on March 8th fans of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" ("HHGTTG") will pay tribute to the comedy science-fiction series, which had its radio premiere on that day in 1978 and was subsequently adapted into novels, TV series, video games and a film. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan has reprinted the scripts and novels in colourful new editions ("HHGTTG" was the first book published under their "Pan Original" imprint to sell more than 1m copies). The British Library will host a day of "celebrations, conversation and performance". BBC Radio 4 has aired the original episodes; Radio 4 Extra will put on a "five-hour Hitchhiker's spectacular" including archival material and specially commissioned programmes. Such is the enduring interest in Douglas Adams's story that it is due to be adapted into a new television series by Hulu, a streaming service.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:New sleep method strengthens brain's ability to retain memories: Process that uses smell can strengthen memories stored in one side of the brain: