dWeb News
dWeb News |
- Google is about to start automatically enrolling users in 2FA
- SpaceX won’t tolerate piracy on its Starlink internet service
- dWeb.News Daily Round-Up From Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy
- Samsung’s OLED laptops have another key advantage over the competition
- Weekly Tech Awesomeness from Around the World
- Epic v. Apple trial reveals how Microsoft has never made money off Xbox hardware
- If you trade a lot of cryptocurrency, the IRS might be looking for you
- Massive Flare Seen Close to Our Solar System: What It Means for Chances of Alien Neighbors
- The Great Chicken Freak-Out of 2021 — Chicken Prices Go Through the Roof
- Expedia Group CEO says he’s ‘rooting for revenge travel’ as revenue sinks 44% in Q1
| Google is about to start automatically enrolling users in 2FA Posted: 06 May 2021 07:39 PM PDT  In recent months, vulnerable apps, hacked websites, and zero-day exploits have accounted for an increasing amount of the reporting that we do here at BGR. There is risk in everything we do online, but there are many ways to mitigate that risk, such as turning on two-factor authentication (2FA) for any apps, services, or accounts that offer it. Speaking of 2FA, Google decided to take matters into its own hands on that front, as the company announced Thursday that it will soon enable 2FA by default for anyone with an "appropriately configured" Google account. Today’s Top DealAmazon shoppers are obsessed with these Wi-Fi smart plugs – get them for just $3.57 each!Price: $14.27
"Today we ask people who have enrolled in two-step verification (2SV) to confirm it's really them with a simple tap via a Google prompt on their phone whenever they sign in," Google's Director of Product Management, Identity and User Security, Mark Risher, said in a blog post. "Soon we'll start automatically enrolling users in 2SV if their accounts are appropriately configured. (You can check the status of your account in our Security Checkup). Using their mobile device to sign in gives people a safer and more secure authentication experience than passwords alone." Basically, your account is "appropriately configured" if you have provided Google with recovery information, which could be a secondary email address, a phone number, or an authenticator app. You should already be using Google's two-step verification, but if you're not, at least make sure to visit the Security Checkup site. As Google notes earlier in the blog post, searches for the phrase "how strong is my password" increased by 300% in 2020. Meanwhile, millions of you are still using passwords like "123456" or "password" or "qwerty," so the resounding answer to that search query is an unequivocal "NO." Make your passwords strong and difficult to guess, use different passwords for all of your accounts, and take advantage of Google's Password Manager, which not only stores all of your passwords, but also lets you know when and if they have been compromised. Google's dream of killing passwords once and for all is still just that — a dream — but as we slowly work our way toward that glorious day, do what you can to keep your accounts and your personal data safe. Today’s Top DealAmazon has real diamond stud earrings for under $60 — and the reviews are off the charts!Price: $59.90 “Today we ask people who have enrolled in two-step verification (2SV) to confirm it's really them with a simple tap via a Google prompt on their phone whenever they sign in,” Google’s Director of Product Management, Identity and User Security, Mark Risher, said in a blog post. “Soon we'll start automatically enrolling users in 2SV if their accounts are appropriately configured. (You can check the status of your account in our Security Checkup). Using their mobile device to sign in gives people a safer and more secure authentication experience than passwords alone.” Basically, your account is “appropriately configured” if you have provided Google with recovery information, which could be a secondary email address, a phone number, or an authenticator app. You should already be using Google’s two-step verification, but if you’re not, at least make sure to visit the Security Checkup site. As Google notes earlier in the blog post, searches for the phrase “how strong is my password” increased by 300% in 2020. Meanwhile, millions of you are still using passwords like “123456” or “password” or “qwerty,” so the resounding answer to that search query is an unequivocal “NO.” Make your passwords strong and difficult to guess, use different passwords for all of your accounts, and take advantage of Google’s Password Manager, which not only stores all of your passwords, but also lets you know when and if they have been compromised. Google’s dream of killing passwords once and for all is still just that — a dream — but as we slowly work our way toward that glorious day, do what you can to keep your accounts and your personal data safe.2FA, google  |
| SpaceX won’t tolerate piracy on its Starlink internet service Posted: 06 May 2021 06:40 PM PDT  SpaceX's Starlink is the newest kid on the ISP block. SpaceX only has a fraction of the planned number of Starlink satellites in orbit and is still in its beta test phase, but it's expecting the service to grow fast. But creating an internet service provider isn't as simple as just throwing up some satellites and sending (arguably) obnoxious radar dishes to your customers. You have to be able to do all the things that ISPs do, like bend over backward anytime the government or other entity with a lot of money comes calling. To test one aspect of this — the company's willingness to monitor and warn customers that they may be downloading movies illegally — one bold Reddit user decided to disable his VPN and download some Hollywood flicks. As you might expect, it didn't take long for Starlink to do exactly what every other ISP does and send out a strongly-worded letter about breaking the law. Today’s Top DealAirPods Pro are finally back in stock at Amazon… at the lowest price of 2021!Price: $197.00
Copyright holders — and this goes for movies, TV shows, music, games, and everything else — have a right to get paid for their content. Laws in the U.S. support this by allowing content owners to contact ISPs and inform them when content is being obtained illegally. There are many, many problems with the way copyright law in the U.S. works, but this part, at least, makes sense. It's then up to the ISP to decide how to proceed. The vast majority take a firm approach, send out an email or paper letter to the customer, and warn them that they could end up getting sued if they keep up the risky behavior. Some ISPs will go a step further and use a strike system. Once a customer receives a certain number of strikes, they may have their service terminated. The ISPs do this to cover their own butts, since copyright holders could sue the providers for failing to cut off a person who is using their service for illegal downloading. In the case of Starlink, it appears as though they're taking a firm stance as well. The notice the customer received after downloading pirated material reads as follows: We received the attached notice from a content owner claiming that your Starlink internet service was used to download copyrighted material without the right to do so. To the extent that you believe the notification from the content owner was inaccurate, please contact the content owner directly. Note that downloading copyrighted content without a license or other right to do so is a violation of the Starlink Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). We must insist that you and/or others using your Starlink service refrain from illegal downloads of copyrighted materials. Downloading copyrighted materials without a license may lead to suspension or termination of your service, and put you at risk of legal action by the content owner. Please review the AUP to better understand what activities are prohibited. So, if you thought Starlink would be a Wild West-style lawless land, you were sadly mistaken. Today’s Top DealHow did you ever live without this brilliant accessory set in your kitchen — now 6% off!Price: $29.99 To test one aspect of this — the company’s willingness to monitor and warn customers that they may be downloading movies illegally — one bold Reddit user decided to disable his VPN and download some Hollywood flicks. As you might expect, it didn’t take long for Starlink to do exactly what every other ISP does and send out a strongly-worded letter about breaking the law. Copyright holders — and this goes for movies, TV shows, music, games, and everything else — have a right to get paid for their content. Laws in the U.S. support this by allowing content owners to contact ISPs and inform them when content is being obtained illegally. There are many, many problems with the way copyright law in the U.S. works, but this part, at least, makes sense. It’s then up to the ISP to decide how to proceed. The vast majority take a firm approach, send out an email or paper letter to the customer, and warn them that they could end up getting sued if they keep up the risky behavior. Some ISPs will go a step further and use a strike system. Once a customer receives a certain number of strikes, they may have their service terminated. The ISPs do this to cover their own butts, since copyright holders could sue the providers for failing to cut off a person who is using their service for illegal downloading. In the case of Starlink, it appears as though they’re taking a firm stance as well. The notice the customer received after downloading pirated material reads as follows:  |
| dWeb.News Daily Round-Up From Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy Posted: 06 May 2021 05:44 PM PDT  HECK, YEAH: SpaceX Nails Landing of SN15 Video The Great Chicken Freak-Out of 2021 — Chicken Prices Go Through the Roof Wildfires are contaminating drinking water systems, and it's more widespread than people realize STOP THE STALKING: It's easier than it should be to stalk someone with an AirTag SHHHH: They're listening – inside the coming voice-profiling revolution COOL AG TECH: Why these successful software founders are planting seeds for new ag tech ventures EAT YOUR VEGGIES: One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart disease AI consumes a lot of energy. Hackers could make it consume more. Massive Flare Seen Close to Our Solar System: What It Means for Chances of Alien Neighbors If you trade a lot of cryptocurrency, the IRS might be looking for you Apple just issued this urgent warning to iPhone users and you need to read it Weekly Tech Awesomeness from Around the World For These stories, plus more worldwide and technology news go to http://dWeb.News  |
| Samsung’s OLED laptops have another key advantage over the competition Posted: 06 May 2021 05:40 PM PDT  Samsung teased its new OLED screens for laptops early in January, revealing the components it will equip various notebooks with this year. It took Samsung a few extra months to launch the new Galaxy Book Pro laptops and 2-in-1s that come with built-in OLED screens. We've seen laptops with OLED screens before, but Samsung is looking to make this feature go mainstream. OLED displays can be an expensive upgrade, but a warranted one. They offer better performance than LED screens, whether they're used in TVs, smartphones, or laptops. But it's not just the screen performance that gets a significant boost from OLED tech. Samsung has another excellent reason for buyers to consider OLED laptops: Battery life. Today’s Top DealAmazon shoppers are obsessed with these Wi-Fi smart plugs – get them for just $3.57 each!Price: $14.27
The difference between OLED and LED is that the former do not consume energy to display black. We've seen comparisons that showed OLED displays can improve battery life on smartphones, especially if dark mode is employed. Samsung has performed a similar comparison between OLED and LCD laptops, finding that Samsung OLED laptops can save up to 25% more display energy when used in dark mode. Samsung tested its notebooks using the MobileMark 2018 test, finding that OLED laptops lasted 11 hours in dark mode compared to 9.9 hours in light mode. That's an extra hour of battery use, which could prove to be life-saving in specific scenarios where a charger isn't available. However, the pandemic still forces many people to work from home, so charging a laptop isn't a problem. Also, most modern laptops have decent battery life as it is, so using dark mode to stretch it out isn't a must-have feature. You would also have to use the laptop in dark mode at all times to benefit from the maximum power savings. But the fact that OLED screens can be more efficient than LCDs is still an excellent side effect. The main reasons to choose OLED screens over LED concern the image quality. OLED supports better brightness, better blacks, and better contrast ratio than LCD screens. Samsung does say in its announcement that more companies are implementing dark mode in their laptops, including key players in the industry — Apple, Microsoft, and Google: In addition to Samsung Electronics, which on Wednesday unveiled its new Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops that automatically turn on dark mode in Windows setting, global companies including Apple, Microsoft, Google and Adobe are rushing to implement dark mode in their products. This seems to imply that companies like Apple and Microsoft might use OLED screens in future notebooks, but Samsung doesn't go as far as to say that. Apple has been rumored to bring mini-LED and OLED screens to its laptops in the coming years. Interestingly enough, Samsung made no mention of battery life improvements related to dark mode use on OLED laptops in its Galaxy Book Pro announcement last week. Samsung also said that it will expand its OLED lineup for laptops to more than 10 products, supporting screen sizes from 13.3-inch to 16-inch. Today’s Top DealShoppers are swarming Amazon to get the Roomba 675 robot vacuum while it’s only $199!Price: $199.00 OLED displays can be an expensive upgrade, but a warranted one. They offer better performance than LED screens, whether they're used in TVs, smartphones, or laptops. But it's not just the screen performance that gets a significant boost from OLED tech. Samsung has another excellent reason for buyers to consider OLED laptops: Battery life. The difference between OLED and LED is that the former do not consume energy to display black. We've seen comparisons that showed OLED displays can improve battery life on smartphones, especially if dark mode is employed. Samsung has performed a similar comparison between OLED and LCD laptops, finding that Samsung OLED laptops can save up to 25% more display energy when used in dark mode. Samsung tested its notebooks using the MobileMark 2018 test, finding that OLED laptops lasted 11 hours in dark mode compared to 9.9 hours in light mode. That's an extra hour of battery use, which could prove to be life-saving in specific scenarios where a charger isn't available. However, the pandemic still forces many people to work from home, so charging a laptop isn't a problem. Also, most modern laptops have decent battery life as it is, so using dark mode to stretch it out isn't a must-have feature. You would also have to use the laptop in dark mode at all times to benefit from the maximum power savings. But the fact that OLED screens can be more efficient than LCDs is still an excellent side effect. The main reasons to choose OLED screens over LED concern the image quality. OLED supports better brightness, better blacks, and better contrast ratio than LCD screens. Samsung does say in its announcement that more companies are implementing dark mode in their laptops, including key players in the industry — Apple, Microsoft, and Google: Interestingly enough, Samsung made no mention of battery life improvements related to dark mode use on OLED laptops in its Galaxy Book Pro announcement last week. Samsung also said that it will expand its OLED lineup for laptops to more than 10 products, supporting screen sizes from 13.3-inch to 16-inch.Galaxy Book Pro, Galaxy Book Pro 360, OLED, Samsung  |
| Weekly Tech Awesomeness from Around the World Posted: 06 May 2021 05:05 PM PDT   ROBOTICSThe Robot Surgeon Will See You Now FUTUREThis Tech Was Science Fiction 20 Years Ago. Now It's Reality LONGEVITYHow Long Can We Live? 3D PRINTINGForget Digging for Fossils. This Museum Printed a Full T-Rex Skeleton Instead HEALTHOne Vaccine to Rule Them All TECHNOLOGYThese Materials Could Make Science Fiction a Reality DRONESWingcopter Debuts a Triple-Drop Drone to Create 'Logistical Highways in the Sky' SPACEThe Asteroid Impact Simulation Has Ended in Disaster  |
| Epic v. Apple trial reveals how Microsoft has never made money off Xbox hardware Posted: 06 May 2021 04:40 PM PDT  The Xbox One, left, with the Xbox Series X and S, right. Microsoft revealed in a court appearance this week that it does not, and has never, earned money on the per-unit sales for the Xbox. Each console is sold at a loss, and the profit from the project for Microsoft comes entirely from software sales. This was disclosed during a Microsoft executive's testimony in the Epic v. Apple bench trial, which began on Monday in Oakland, Calif. The trial is not televised, but the proceedings have been broadcast to the public via a teleconference call; that call, in turn, has been hosted and rebroadcast via several other platforms, such as Twitch and Discord. Epic is suing Apple over its rules for third-party apps on the iOS store, where Apple takes a cut of both game and in-game sales. Epic, the publisher of Fortnite, is accusing Apple of employing anticompetitive business practices, and hopes to force Apple to let developers use their own in-app payment methods for games sold on iOS. Microsoft's Lori Wright, vice president of business development for Gaming, Media & Entertainment, was called to the stand as an expert witness on Wednesday, to give testimony related to Microsoft's well-publicized attempts to work around Apple to get its Project xCloud service on the iOS store. Despite Xbox shortages, Microsoft reports $3.6B in Q3 gaming revenue, 232% growth in hardware salesMuch of the discussion in the Epic v. Apple trial has come down to the amount of sales revenue that a digital storefront owner should be entitled to collect. As part of that, Wright was asked how much the profit margin is on Xbox consoles. "We sell the consoles at a loss," Wright said. One of Epic Games' lawyers then asked, "Does Microsoft ever earn a profit on the sale of an Xbox console?" Wright said, "No." For people who follow the business side of the games industry, this may initially sound like old news. It's long been understood that Microsoft and Sony sell their video game consoles on a "razor and blades" model, where the company subsidizes its hardware and sells it at a loss in order to make the money back on software and services. (Nintendo, on the other hand, makes a slight profit on every Switch it sells.) Like a lot of the hard data in the video game industry, there's a certain amount of analyst speculation involved here. Neither Sony nor Microsoft are inclined to reveal their internal math, so we're left with tests like various third-party "tear-downs" that estimate each console's per-unit costs. As per those independent estimates, both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were sold at a slight loss when you consider shipping and marketing costs. However, as a console ages, its components become cheaper, which would theoretically translate to a per-unit profit near the end of the console's life cycle. What's interesting about Wright's testimony, if you take it at face value, is that Microsoft has never gotten to that point. It's coming up on the Xbox's 20th anniversary in November, and in that time, every individual console that it's ever shipped was being sold at a loss. Microsoft has made up the difference via taking a 30% cut of revenue from developers who ship games for the Xbox. While it recently announced that it will reduce that cut to 12% for publishers who ship games for the Windows 10 store, the Xbox remains at a 70/30 split. That, in turn, explains a lot about Microsoft's recent moves to decouple the Xbox experience from the physical Xbox unit. While its gaming division is posting billions in quarterly revenue, its actual hardware seems to have traditionally been its weakest link. Wright's testimony is one of many small revelations that have kept the games industry glued to Epic v. Apple all week. One of the trial's side effects, as it pits two of the most influential and connected companies in the field against one another, is a slow drip of interesting pieces of information. Given how secretive the games industry traditionally is, various disclosures that were made for the sake of the trial have effectively amounted to a cavalcade of unplanned leaks. This has included what Epic has paid various third-party developers to secure their titles as weekly free downloads on the Epic Games Store; Epic's low-key battle with Sony to enable cross-platform play for Fortnite; and some of the "guest characters" that Epic may bring to Fortnite in the future, including Metroid's Samus Aran. Microsoft revealed in a court appearance this week that it does not, and has never, earned money on the per-unit sales for the Xbox. Each console is sold at a loss, and the profit from the project for Microsoft comes entirely from software sales. This was disclosed during a Microsoft executive's testimony in the Epic v. Apple bench trial, which began on Monday in Oakland, Calif. The trial is not televised, but the proceedings have been broadcast to the public via a teleconference call; that call, in turn, has been hosted and rebroadcast via several other platforms, such as Twitch… Read MoreApple, Games, Microsoft, epic, Xbox  |
| If you trade a lot of cryptocurrency, the IRS might be looking for you Posted: 06 May 2021 04:40 PM PDT  Cryptocurrency has been on an upward trajectory for years, but the pandemic really seemed to kick things into high gear for the virtual currency boom. Bitcoin recently eclipsed $60,000 for the first time, while Dogecoin is up more than 12,000% from where it was this time last year. There is more money in crypto than ever before, and so it should come as no surprise that the Internal Revenue Service wants its cut from those who are cashing in. This week, a federal court in the Northern District of California authorized the IRS to serve a John Doe summons on cryptocurrency exchange Kraken as it seeks information about "U.S. taxpayers who conducted at least the equivalent of $20,000 in transactions in cryptocurrency during the years 2016 to 2020." Today’s Top DealAmazon shoppers are obsessed with these Wi-Fi smart plugs – get them for just $3.57 each!Price: $14.27
"Gathering the information in the summons approved today is an important step to ensure cryptocurrency owners are following the tax laws," said the Justice Department Tax Division Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert. "Those who transact with cryptocurrency must meet their tax obligations like any other taxpayer." "There is no excuse for taxpayers continuing to fail to report the income earned and taxes due from virtual currency transactions," added IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "This John Doe summons is part of our effort to uncover those who are trying to skirt reporting and avoid paying their fair share." The news release from Justice Department regarding the summons makes it clear that Kraken has not engaged in any wrongdoing when it comes to exchanging digital currency. The goal of the summons is just to find people that the IRS believes "may have failed to comply with internal revenue laws." As a result, Kraken will have to produce records identifying the taxpayers that may fall into this category as well as other documents related to crypto. If you have any questions about whether or not you should be paying taxes on your digital coins, the IRS has published a notice that you might want to take a look at. Here are some of the highlights: Q: How is virtual currency treated for federal tax purposes? A: For federal tax purposes, virtual currency is treated as property. General tax principles applicable to property transactions apply to transactions using virtual currency. Q: How is the fair market value of virtual currency determined? A: For U.S. tax purposes, transactions using virtual currency must be reported in U.S. dollars. Therefore, taxpayers will be required to determine the fair market value of virtual currency in U.S. dollars as of the date of payment or receipt. If a virtual currency is listed on an exchange and the exchange rate is established by market supply and demand, the fair market value of the virtual currency is determined by converting the virtual currency into U.S. dollars (or into another real currency which in turn can be converted into U.S. dollars) at the exchange rate, in a reasonable manner that is consistently applied. Q: Is a payment made using virtual currency subject to information reporting? A: A payment made using virtual currency is subject to information reporting to the same extent as any other payment made in property. For example, a person who in the course of a trade or business makes a payment of fixed and determinable income using virtual currency with a value of $600 or more to a U.S. non-exempt recipient in a taxable year is required to report the payment to the IRS and to the payee. Examples of payments of fixed and determinable income include rent, salaries, wages, premiums, annuities, and compensation. Today’s Top DealShoppers are swarming Amazon to get the Roomba 675 robot vacuum while it’s only $199!Price: $199.00 This week, a federal court in the Northern District of California authorized the IRS to serve a John Doe summons on cryptocurrency exchange Kraken as it seeks information about “U.S. taxpayers who conducted at least the equivalent of $20,000 in transactions in cryptocurrency during the years 2016 to 2020.” "Gathering the information in the summons approved today is an important step to ensure cryptocurrency owners are following the tax laws," said the Justice Department Tax Division Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert. "Those who transact with cryptocurrency must meet their tax obligations like any other taxpayer." "There is no excuse for taxpayers continuing to fail to report the income earned and taxes due from virtual currency transactions," added IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "This John Doe summons is part of our effort to uncover those who are trying to skirt reporting and avoid paying their fair share." The news release from Justice Department regarding the summons makes it clear that Kraken has not engaged in any wrongdoing when it comes to exchanging digital currency. The goal of the summons is just to find people that the IRS believes "may have failed to comply with internal revenue laws." As a result, Kraken will have to produce records identifying the taxpayers that may fall into this category as well as other documents related to crypto. If you have any questions about whether or not you should be paying taxes on your digital coins, the IRS has published a notice that you might want to take a look at. Here are some of the highlights: A: For federal tax purposes, virtual currency is treated as property. General tax principles applicable to property transactions apply to transactions using virtual currency. Q: How is the fair market value of virtual currency determined? A: For U.S. tax purposes, transactions using virtual currency must be reported in U.S. dollars. Therefore, taxpayers will be required to determine the fair market value of virtual currency in U.S. dollars as of the date of payment or receipt. If a virtual currency is listed on an exchange and the exchange rate is established by market supply and demand, the fair market value of the virtual currency is determined by converting the virtual currency into U.S. dollars (or into another real currency which in turn can be converted into U.S. dollars) at the exchange rate, in a reasonable manner that is consistently applied. Q: Is a payment made using virtual currency subject to information reporting? A: A payment made using virtual currency is subject to information reporting to the same extent as any other payment made in property. For example, a person who in the course of a trade or business makes a payment of fixed and determinable income using virtual currency with a value of $600 or more to a U.S. non-exempt recipient in a taxable year is required to report the payment to the IRS and to the payee. Examples of payments of fixed and determinable income include rent, salaries, wages, premiums, annuities, and compensation.cryptocurrency, IRS  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Massive Flare Seen Close to Our Solar System: What It Means for Chances of Alien Neighbors Posted: 06 May 2021 04:37 PM PDT  By R. O. Parke Loyd The sun isn't the only star to produce stellar flares. On April 21, 2021, a team of astronomers published new research describing the brightest flare ever measured from Proxima Centauri in ultraviolet light. To learn about this extraordinary event, and what it might mean for any life on the planets orbiting Earth's closest neighboring star, The Conversation spoke with Parke Loyd, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University and co-author of the paper. Excerpts from the conversation are below and have been edited for length and clarity.  Why Were You Looking at Proxima Centauri?Proxima Centauri is the closest star to this solar system. A couple of years ago, a team discovered that there is a planet called Proxima b orbiting the star. It's just a little bit bigger than Earth, it's probably rocky, and it is in what is called the habitable zone, or the Goldilocks zone. This means that Proxima b is about the right distance from the star so that it could have liquid water on its surface. But this star system differs from the sun in a pretty key way. Proxima Centauri is a small star called a red dwarf—it's around 15 percent of the radius of our sun, and it's substantially cooler. So Proxima b, in order for it to be in that Goldilocks zone, actually is a lot closer to Proxima Centauri than Earth is to the sun. You might think that a smaller star would be a tamer star, but that's actually not the case at all—red dwarfs produce stellar flares a lot more frequently than the sun does. So Proxima b, the closest planet in another solar system with a chance for having life, is subject to space weather that is a lot more violent than the space weather in Earth's solar system. What Did You Find?In 2018, my colleague Meredith MacGregor discovered flashes of light coming from Proxima Centauri that looked very different from solar flares. She was using a telescope that detects light at millimeter wavelengths to monitor Proxima Centauri and saw a big of flash of light in this wavelength. Astronomers had never seen a stellar flare in millimeter wavelengths of light. My colleagues and I wanted to learn more about these unusual brightenings in the millimeter light coming from the star and see whether they were actually flares or some other phenomenon. We used nine telescopes on Earth, as well as a satellite observatory, to get the longest set of observations—about two days' worth—of Proxima Centauri with the most wavelength coverage that had ever been obtained. Immediately we discovered a really strong flare. The ultraviolet light of the star increased by over 10,000 times in just a fraction of a second. If humans could see ultraviolet light, it would be like being blinded by the flash of a camera. Proxima Centauri got bright really fast. This increase lasted for only a couple of seconds, and then there was a gradual decline. This discovery confirmed that indeed, these weird millimeter emissions are flares. What Does That Mean for Chances of Life on the Planet?Astronomers are actively exploring this question at the moment because it can kind of go in either direction. When you hear ultraviolet radiation, you're probably thinking about the fact that people wear sunscreen to try to protect ourselves from ultraviolet radiation here on Earth. Ultraviolet radiation can damage proteins and DNA in human cells, and this results in sunburns and can cause cancer. That would potentially be true for life on another planet as well. On the flip side, messing with the chemistry of biological molecules can have its advantages; it could help spark life on another planet. Even though it might be a more challenging environment for life to sustain itself, it might be a better environment for life to be generated to begin with. But the thing that astronomers and astrobiologists are most concerned about is that every time one of these huge flares occurs, it basically erodes away a bit of the atmosphere of any planets orbiting that star, including this potentially Earth-like planet. And if you don't have an atmosphere left on your planet, then you definitely have a pretty hostile environment to life; there would be huge amounts of radiation, massive temperature fluctuations, and little or no air to breathe. It's not that life would be impossible, but having the surface of a planet basically directly exposed to space would be an environment totally different than anything on Earth. Is There Any Atmosphere Left on Proxima B?That's anybody's guess at the moment. The fact that these flares are happening doesn't bode well for that atmosphere being intact, especially if they're associated with explosions of plasma like what happens on the sun. But that's why we're doing this work. We hope the folks who build models of planetary atmospheres can take what our team has learned about these flares and try to figure out the odds for an atmosphere being sustained on this planet. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Image Credit: Hubble/European Space Agency/WikimediaCommons, CC BY-SA R. O. PARKE LOYD I'm an astrophysicist currently working with Evgenya Shkolnik’s group at Arizona State University. I research planetary systems with stars smaller than the Sun, focusing on the space environment these stars provide to their planets. Yearly, I co-instruct a class called Wilderness Astronomy that I created with fellow astro-outdoorsperson Melodie Kao.  |
| The Great Chicken Freak-Out of 2021 — Chicken Prices Go Through the Roof Posted: 06 May 2021 04:16 PM PDT  By Daniel Webster Chickens don’t fly. Trust me on that one. When it’s time to flap and soar, they’ve got a problem. We have a chicken freak-out going on across the country, and we can’t blame the chickens, because they can’t fly. First, we had the Great Chicken Sandwich War, between Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A. The southerners’ hankering for chicken took the nation by storm. Second, we actually had a storm. The deep freeze in Texas and parts in the south wiped out a massive quantity of the popular non-flying birds. Add to these storms and wars, the great pandemic of 2020 hit. Stay at home orders sent chicken meal deliveries through the roof, especially for those with a burning desire for spicy chicken wings.  Complicate all of this with a dramatic increase in fuel prices, which makes the delivery of food products far more expensive. When all’s said and done, there’s a shortage of chicken and the prices are going so high, the non-flyers can’t soar to keep up. Have you bought a chicken wing lately? If you can find one, you probably can only afford one, not a full basket. The current chicken calamity is putting a strain especially on restaurants, who must raise their prices to provide for the mix of circumstances. "Demand for wings is really strong right now," Isaac Olvera, lead food and agricultural economist for the company ArrowStream, told North Jersey. ArrowStream specializes in the foodservice supply chain. Wholesale wings are currently about $3 per pound in the northeast, Olvera told northjersey.com. A year ago, prices hovered around $1.50 to $1.70 per pound. Chicken tenders are now $2.10 a pound, which is twice as expensive as they were last year. Breast meat is hitting a multi-year high at almost $2 a pound, according to Olvera. Chicken wing orders typically spike around Super Bowl and March Madness. Not this year, as previously. Restaurant owners are having to reportedly raise their prices 50 percent or more. All grocery and consumer goods are currently seeing a dramatic increase in price right now.  |
| Expedia Group CEO says he’s ‘rooting for revenge travel’ as revenue sinks 44% in Q1 Posted: 06 May 2021 03:41 PM PDT  Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern. (Expedia Group Photo) Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern said the travel industry remains a "study in contrasts" — citing a rebounding U.S. travel market and strong vacation rentals in beach and other outdoor destinations. But at the same time, Kern, speaking on the Seattle company's first quarter earnings call, pointed to rough patches in business travel, traditional lodging and international travel. And he specifically noted the worsening COVID-19 situation in India, where Expedia maintains a large presence. "As the dire situation in India reminds us, in some markets, things may get worse before they get better," he said. Such is life as the CEO of a publicly-traded online travel company. It's just hard to tell where the market is headed. The company's mixed message and reliance on all forms of travel hasn't dampened investor appetite for Expedia Group. Its stock is up 148% in the past year, and shares gained more than 6% in after hours trading after posting first quarter results. Some investors are betting that when travel comes back — it will return with a vengeance and companies like Expedia could be well positioned to benefit. That's the concept of "revenge travel," the idea that travelers who've been sidelined for the past year will travel and spend more once the virus is under control. "I am rooting for revenge travel, whatever that is," said Kern, in response to a question about the return to travel. "Whatever type of travel people want to do, we are happy to accommodate whether revenge or otherwise." Kern said people are staying at vacation destinations longer, and starting to spend more money as a result. "Revenge, or otherwise, places like Miami demonstrate that there is huge pent up demand to go to places where people can experience a relatively normal travel experience," said Kern. "And I don't know if you have been to Miami recently, but it is packed. Hotels are full. People are out everywhere. Restaurants are full. And their booking levels are well above two years ago." But with the uncertainty of COVID plaguing the travel industry, especially in some international destinations, it's far too early to say travel is back. Expedia, which now boasts a market value of $24 billion, reported revenue of $1.24 billion in the first quarter. That was down 44% compared to the same period last year. Lodging revenue decreased 41%. Expedia's cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $4.3 billion at the end of the first quarter, up from $3.4 billion at the end of 2020. The company's adjustable net loss grew to $294 million. Full earnings report here. Expedia's Vrbo division remains a bright spot, as travelers book lodging through the online vacation rental marketplace. Kern noted that Vrbo hosts make more money than Airbnb hosts, which he said is a great story and one they need to spend more money on to tell. But Kern was a bit reluctant to claim that travel habits — including a shift to services like Vrbo — have permanently changed as a result of COVID. Even still, he said that it's too early to tell whether the flexibility that comes with the work from home trend — which has sparked more demand for Vrbo — will stick long term. Here's more of his analysis: "We haven't seen a ton to suggest that things are changing, and as you have heard me say many times, I am loathe to extrapolate too much from this COVID period. But, for sure, there are a lot of new users of the Vrbo experience and in general I think the data suggests they are going back to it more frequently. But, again, we are in COVID…. Now, is that sustainable and will people go back to resorts and other things? I've said publicly that I believe, in general, that the trends of the past will continue. But one of the trends of the past was that people were getting more into the use case of vacation rentals, so I think we have accelerated and exposed more people to the product and that is a good long-term trend for that category … and it will make people consider vacation rental as part of their choices where maybe before they had not. But I don't think we are necessarily going to be seeing a huge shift that sustains itself long term, so much as maybe a reset at a higher level for vacation rentals and then growing off of that." Expedia's results come two days after the company announced that it plans to sell its corporate travel business Egencia to American Express Global Business Travel. In Thursday's conference call with analysts, Kern said that they've found a "great new home" for Egencia, and the sale will allow Expedia to focus and simplify and move with agility and speed into other core areas. Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern said the travel industry remains a "study in contrasts" — citing a rebounding U.S. travel market and strong vacation rentals in beach and other outdoor destinations. But at the same time, Kern, speaking on the Seattle company's first quarter earnings call, pointed to rough patches in business travel, traditional lodging and international travel. And he specifically noted the worsening COVID-19 situation in India, where Expedia maintains a large presence. "As the dire situation in India reminds us, in some markets, things may get worse before they get better," he said. Such is life as the… Read MoreTech, Expedia Group, Travel  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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