Chinese Mission to Pluck Samples from Moon's Far Side Just Got More Interesting

Two years ago, China’s Chang’e 5 mission made history by returning lunar samples to Earth for the first time in more than 40 years. The mission’s successor, Chang’e 6, is not only designed to return a second batch of samples from the far side of the Moon—a feat never attempted before—it will also be bringing four…

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Bankman-Fried Could Be Extradited to the U.S. as Soon as Wednesday

Santa-Fried should soon be bringing crypto winter cheer to the U.S. His sleigh will be a federal jet flying from the Bahamas to New York. The only workshop door he’ll be ducking his large mop of hair through is a New York court where there’s a question of whether he’ll be granted bail. His gift, addressed from Sam…

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Tesla reportedly plans more layoffs as the company’s stock tanks

Tesla is reportedly planning more layoffs and another hiring freeze. According to an Electrek source, the company has halted hiring for the time being and teams will need to lay some people off in the first quarter of 2023.

The extent of the layoffs and hiring freeze are not yet clear. However, Tesla is trying to increase headcount at its manufacturing plants. Reports have suggested the company will announce plans to build another Gigafactory in Mexico in the coming days. Tesla does not have a communications department that can be reached for comment.

The automaker’s CEO Elon Musk said in June that Tesla would see a 3.5 percent net reduction in headcount over the subsequent few months. A round of layoffs around that time reportedly focused on salaried employees, including hundreds of workers from the Autopilot team.

Even though Tesla delivered a record number of its electric vehicles last quarter, the company’s stock price has nosedived by around 65 percent this year and 22 percent this month alone. Musk has blamed the tanking stock on Federal Reserve rate hikes.

Like other businesses, Tesla has been dealing with an economic slowdown over the last several months. However, it has had to contend with the added wrinkle of Musk’s protracted takeover of Twitter, then his chaotic day-to-day management of that company (which included mass layoffs). 

Some Tesla investors have been concerned by Musk getting preoccupied by Twitter and pulling his attention further away from the automaker, leading them to sell off their stock. He said on Tuesday evening he’ll step down as Twitter CEO once he can find someone to replace him.

There are suggestions that demand for Tesla vehicles has slowed, with some people canceling preorders and leases amid Musk’s calamitous Twitter reign. As Electrek notes, Tesla has even taken the rare step of offering discounts on its EVs in some markets.

Many other tech and automotive companies have carried out layoffs and/or frozen or slowed hiring this year due to a broader market downturn and fears of a recession. Among them are Rivian, Stellantis, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Snap, Roku and Peloton.

Mike Hodges, Director Of ‘Flash Gordon’ And ‘Get Carter,’ Dies At 90

“For a part of his career, he was underappreciated, and he is not anymore,” wrote friend and producer Mike Kaplan.

Settings On Your PS5 That Are Ruining Your Experience

There’s a lot to love about the PS5, but your setup might need a few tweaks. These are the settings on your PS5 that might be ruining your experience.

33 Years Later, There's Finally a Capture Card for Recording Game Boy Gameplay

If you needed any more proof that the 33-year-old Nintendo Game Boy still has a devoted fan base, Sebastian Staacks has created a simple plug-and-play device that allows gameplay from the handheld to be streamed to a computer over USB and recorded, without requiring any modifications to the console.

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Ukraine strikes deal with SpaceX to receive thousands more Starlink antennas

Ukraine will receive an additional 10,000-plus Starlink satellite dishes from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help provide internet amid Russian attacks on communications infrastructure, Bloomberg has reported. Financial issues around the terminals have reportedly been resolved, with several European countries stepping up to share the costs, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Mykhailo Federov. 

“SpaceX and Musk quickly react to problems and help us,” Federov told Bloomberg. “Musk assured us he will continue to support Ukraine. When we had a powerful blackout, I messaged him on that day and he momentarily reacted and has already delivered some steps. He understands the situation.” However, Ukraine will need to find additional funds by spring of next year.

The 10,000 new terminals add to the 22,000 already received, and will be used to “stabilize connections for critical situations,” according to Federov. “There is no alternative to satellite connections,” he added. 

Earlier in the fall, SpaceX asked the US Department of Defense to take over payments related to Starlink. “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time,” the company said. Elon Musk backtracked on that decision, however, writing on Twitter that SpaceX would “keep funding [the] Ukraine [government] for free” even though Starlink is still losing money. It was reported in November that the price of a Starlink terminal had doubled in Ukraine, from around $385 to $700. However, the monthly rate for data has dropped from $100 since the war started in February down to $75. 

Charles Barkley Is Even Funnier In Whiteout Conditions

“I hate y’all,” the “Inside the NBA” analyst told his crew after the surprise in-studio storm.

In-Flight Wifi May Soon Cost Nothing on Delta Flights

Delta Airlines is gearing up to make in-flight wifi completely free for most passengers beginning within the next year, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal which cites multiple unnamed sources.

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Mark Zuckerberg and Meta Appear to Have Very Different Views About Deep Fakes

Meta appears to have suspended an Instagram parody account attempting to post this Zuckerberg deep fake just weeks after Zuckerberg himself expounded on the importance of making that same type of content available on his platforms. The deep fake, which shows a digitally altered Zuckerberg gloating over Congress’

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