Jun 22
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg Convicted On 2 Impeachment Charges
Posted in: Today's ChiliRavnsborg was immediately removed from office and is barred from serving in public office ever again.
Jun 22
While you might think it’s difficult to take a road trip with a Tesla, there are a number ways to make it much easier.
Jun 22
Located in the mountains outside Tucson, Arizona, the Kitt Peak National Observatory was threatened last week by the ongoing Contreras Fire. While the blaze has affected more than 20,000 acres and disrupted work at the facility, the major scientific equipment seems to be thus far unscathed.
Update on #Contrerasfire at @KittPeakNatObs: NOIRLab leadership viewed all scientific structures from a distance today. They report that all physical scientific observatory structures are still standing, but several non-science buildings were lost. https://t.co/BtOZYTX92h (1/7) pic.twitter.com/BGhfILNisA
— Kitt Peak National Observatory (@KittPeakNatObs) June 19, 2022
The scientific community feared the worst, but over the weekend, the National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), the organization that operates the site, had good news to share. “All physical scientific observatory structures are still standing,” NOIRLab said in a tweet spotted by Gizmodo. However, in a later press release, the organization said the fire destroyed four support buildings on June 17th.
The facility’s official Twitter account said NOIRLab staff would have to conduct a thorough assessment of the observatory grounds to determine the extent of the full damage caused by the inferno. “This process will likely take weeks,” the account tweeted. “Restoration of services (power, etc) may take even longer.”
The telescopes aren’t safe just yet. The Contreras Fire continues to blaze in and around the area of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. As of Monday, 350 firefighters were working to contain the fire, according to the Arizona Emergency Information Network.
The potential destruction of Kitt Peak comes a little more than a year after the Arecibo Observatory’s receiver platform collapsed into its iconic 1,000-foot wide antenna. Puerto Rico has pledged $8 million to rebuild the telescope, but the future of the facility is unclear. Kitt Peak may be less famous than Arecibo but it’s no less important. The facility’s Mayall telescope is the seventh-largest optical telescope in the US and was used to discover methane ice on Pluto back when it was considered a planet.
Jun 22
Scientists have finally unraveled the genetic secrets of humanity’s coziest roommates: Demodex folliculorum, also known as the skin mite. Among other things, the findings confirm that these mites actually do have anuses, contrary to previous speculation. They also indicate that the microscopic animals may not be as…
Jun 22
Georgia Election Workers On Trump-Fueled Nightmare: ‘There Is Nowhere I Feel Safe’
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe Trump team’s lies about the 2020 election resulted in racist attacks and lasting trauma, Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman told the Jan. 6 committee.
Jun 22
The original 1958 Plymouth Fury from the movie “Christine” is being held at auction, valued between $400,000 and $500,000.
Jun 22
GMC’s Hummer EV is a beastly vehicle packing a variety of tech and features, not the least of which is one that uses body heat for energy efficiency.
Jun 22
Microsoft’s turning its back on its scientifically suspect and ethically dubious emotion recognition technology. For now, at least.
Jun 22
Are you trying to maintain your Wordle success streak? If so, we’ve got some hints to help you figure out the solution for June 22, as well as the answer.
Jun 22
After a seven-year hiatus, Twitter is once again hosting an in-person developer conference. The company is bringing back Chirp, which will take place in San Francisco on November 16th. Chirp was the name of Twitter’s first-ever developer conference back in 2010, though the event was canceled in subsequent years. The last time the company hosted a live developer conference was Twitter Flight in 2015.
Since then, Twitter has had a somewhat rocky relationship with developers. The company made a series of API changes in 2018 that were deeply unpopular and poorly communicated. Makers of third-party Twitter clients were particularly affected, and they accused the company of “breaking” their apps.
More recently, Twitter has tried to (once again) improve its relationship with developers. The company launched an all-new version of its API in 2020, and has also introduced new tools to make it easier for researchers to study the platform. It’s also tested out new developer-friendly features like recommending some third-party services in its own app.
It’s not clear exactly what will be on the agenda at Chirp. The company says in a blog post that there will be a “keynote, technical sessions, [and] opportunities to meet the Twitter Developer Platform team to get your questions answered and connect with other developers in our global community.” The keynote will also be streamed live on Twitter for those not attending in person.
It’s also notable that Twitter is going ahead with the conference despite uncertainty about the company’s future as Elon Musk works to take over the company. Company executives have noted that they are very much in the dark when it comes to Musk’s plans for Twitter, and current CEO Parag Agrawal may not remain in his position for long after the deal closes (whenever that may happen). On the other hand, Twitter’s developer tools could be an important source of revenue for the company — something Musk has also made a top priority.
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