President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is spending border wall funds, previously allocated by Congress to construct a wall along the United States-Mexico border, on addressing “life, safety, [and] environmental,” issues. In July 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the administration’s plans to spend American taxpayer money on a host of issues, including environmental restoration, rather than expanding on the border’s existing wall constructed during the Trump administration. On Friday, Mayorkas detailed plans to close some of the border wall’s gaps that have remained since Biden halted all construction of border wall in late January 2021. As part of that effort, Mayorkas said in a news release that DHS is moving “forward with projects in the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, El Paso, and Rio Grande Valley Sectors to address life, safety, environmental, or other remediation requirements in accordance with [DHS’s] plan for the use of border barrier … [Read more...] about Biden’s DHS Using Border Wall Funds to Conduct ‘Environmental Planning’
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Niantic moves beyond games with Lightship AR platform and a social network
Niantic made a name for itself in the mobile gaming industry through the enduring success of Pokémon Go . Now the company is hoping to become something else: a platform for other developers to build location-aware AR apps on top of. This plan has been in the works since at least 2018 , but it’s taking a big leap forward this week with the long-awaited release of Niantic’s location mapping software for AR, which it calls the Visual Positioning System, or VPS in a nod to GPS. The technology makes it so that AR experiences can be grounded to a physical location, like the front of a building or a park monument, rather than just floating aimlessly through a phone’s camera view. Developers can now use VPS as the tentpole feature of Niantic’s broader Lightship SDK , which also lets multiple devices access a shared AR experience — like a 3D multiplayer game — at the same time. VPS will be free during an initial public beta period and then switch later this year to a tiered billing … [Read more...] about Niantic moves beyond games with Lightship AR platform and a social network
Lawsuit: Musk manipulated Twitter stock price in attempt to renegotiate sale
Elon Musk was sued by a Twitter investor who alleges that he broke the law in a scheme to drive down Twitter's stock price. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday against Musk and Twitter in US District Court for the Northern District of California. It recounts much of Musk's behavior since he began investing in Twitter and since he agreed to buy the company for $44 billion. The lawsuit noted that "Tesla's stock is worth much less now than when Musk agreed to buy Twitter" as "Tesla's shares have declined by over 37 percent since the announcement of the Buyout." Musk, the CEO of Tesla, "pledged his Tesla stock as collateral for a $12.5 billion loan to finance the buyout of Twitter" and is thus "at risk of a margin call or a requirement to put up more cash," it says. "Musk quickly acted to attempt to mitigate these personal risks to himself by engaging in unlawful conduct that moved the price of Twitter's stock down," the complaint says. "Musk proceeded to make statements, send tweets, … [Read more...] about Lawsuit: Musk manipulated Twitter stock price in attempt to renegotiate sale
tech: Tech campuses play the 5G tone in indigenisation drive
Chennai: Premier technology campuses are testing indigenously developed technology stacks for 5G that are expected to transform into products and services in the real world. IIT-Madras , IISc , Bengaluru , IIT-Kanpur and a few other top-tier tech institutes are rapidly building the hardware and software for 5G technologies and using their campuses as testing facilities. They are expected to roll out pilots on superior broadband connectivity, internet-connected household devices, analytics on traffic, congestion, vehicle nature statistics and several other advancements that would figure in a ‘ Smart City ’. Recently, IIT-M displayed a video call on 5G networks built from scratch on campus. IISc, too, is purchasing commercial remote head equipment to enable 5G hotspots on campus. “Our campus will be 5G-enabled in another six to eight months,” V Kamakoti, director, IIT-Madras told ET. “With 5G, I can put many more high-speed monitoring … [Read more...] about tech: Tech campuses play the 5G tone in indigenisation drive
Report: workers delivering Amazon’s packages are injured at a ‘shocking rate’
Some workers delivering packages for Amazon were more than twice as likely to be injured on the job compared to non-Amazon delivery workers, according to a report from the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) advocacy group ( via CNBC ). The union coalition compiled data submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by Amazon and its contractors and discovered that an estimated 18.3 percent of Amazon’s subcontracted delivery workers were injured seriously enough to be reported. As the report notes, Amazon deliveries aren’t made entirely by workers that the company directly employs. The SOC says that a large portion of packages are delivered by people working for a Delivery Service Partner (DSP), or a company that contracts with Amazon to make deliveries in a certain area. Amazon also has workers that it directly contracts through its Flex system (where gig workers sign up to deliver packages) and has direct employees that work at its delivery stations and … [Read more...] about Report: workers delivering Amazon’s packages are injured at a ‘shocking rate’
F1 cars in 2026 will have less drag and no MGU-H, FIA says
The Formula 1 Commission met on Tuesday to decide the technical future of the sport, with some more potentially radical changes coming in 2026. Among the things we can look forward to are smaller cars that slip more easily through the air and less complicated hybrid engines, part of new engine rules designed to attract new manufacturers to the sport. Didn’t we just do this? The F1 cars that took to the track for preseason testing in Bahrain this year were built to take advantage of one of the sport's biggest technical rule changes in decades. As the importance of aerodynamics grew ever stronger throughout the '80s, '90s, and 2000s, the quality of racing declined due to the inability of one car to follow another through a corner at speed. This was due to how dependent an F1 car was on its front wing to generate downforce. If you reduce airflow over the front wing, like when following in the dirty wake of another car, downforce is reduced and you can't corner as quickly. So for … [Read more...] about F1 cars in 2026 will have less drag and no MGU-H, FIA says
Rocket Report: Meet the Gravity-1 rocket; will Starship really cut launch costs?
Welcome to Edition 4.44 of the Rocket Report! This week saw the successful completion of Boeing's Starliner test flight to the International Space Station, which is a promising step forward for assured US astronaut access to space. And wherever you find yourself this Memorial Day Weekend, I hope it is a happy and safe one. As always, we welcome reader submissions , and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar. Virgin Orbit targets August UK launch . The California small launch company expects to perform its first mission from England in late August, pending receipt of a launch license, Space News reports . In a speech at Space Tech Expo in Southern California, Jim Simpson, chief strategy officer of Virgin Orbit, said the UK … [Read more...] about Rocket Report: Meet the Gravity-1 rocket; will Starship really cut launch costs?
Drafting dynamics and good tactics: How to win the Indianapolis 500
On most IndyCar teams, Simon Pagenaud would play the role of mentor. But when the 38-year-old French driver joined Meyer Shank Racing for the 2022 season, he paired with 47-year-old Helio Castroneves—fresh off his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory—to form one of the most experienced duos on the grid. "I definitely feel like the young guy, that's for sure!" Pagenaud told us. In advance of this weekend's 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, we spoke with the Meyer Shank duo about drafting dynamics, sports car experience, and the quest to make history. Ars: You two had immediate success this year in the International Motor Sports Association, winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Helio, what does Simon bring to the table, and what is your dynamic like as teammates? Castroneves: They should roll out the red carpet every time Simon and I walk in the room since we're so experienced—we've earned the respect. [laughs] Everyone has strengths, and Simon's is looking at all … [Read more...] about Drafting dynamics and good tactics: How to win the Indianapolis 500
Ford Starts Shipping the F-150 Lightning Electric Truck
Ford revealed its F-150 Lightning electric truck last year, serving as another sign that legacy auto companies are shifting to electric vehicles. Now the truck has finally started shipping to buyers. The Ford F-150 Lightning was unveiled last year , with a traditional truck design on the outside and all-electric internals. It immediately drew comparisons to Tesla’s in-development Cybertruck , with a Ford representative saying at launch that its customers “did not want their truck to look like a doorstop or a spaceship” — a clear jab at the Cybertruck’s polygonal design. The truck also has a large front trunk (a “frunk”) for storage, in addition to the rear bed, and enough built-in outlets to power tents and small homes for a short time. The truck was originally intended to start at $52,974 and max out at around $90,000, but as our sister site ReviewGeek pointed out, many dealerships were pricing high-end models for as much as $145,000 . Bloomberg reports that Michigan … [Read more...] about Ford Starts Shipping the F-150 Lightning Electric Truck
NFL Rivals blockchain game will let players take over as their team’s GM and use NFTs somehow
While we still don’t know exactly what 2K will do with its “non-simulation” NFL license (its arcade-style game is delayed and won’t be released this year), the league is filling that void by announcing a partnership to build its first blockchain game, NFL Rivals . It’s hard to tell exactly what the game will be, but here’s the description: Delivering on the fantasy of being a team General Manager, this fun, easy to play game will allow NFL fans and gamers alike to compete against other GMs with their assembled player rosters and teams, building, leveling up and improving their lineup. In addition, fans will be able to own, collect and trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of their favorite players through this play-and-own game experience. There are no screenshots and no trailer available, but NFL Rivals has already announced “Rarity League” drops, which are 32 collections of “unique generative 3D NFL franchise-themed NFTs” that will be released before the game comes out. … [Read more...] about NFL Rivals blockchain game will let players take over as their team’s GM and use NFTs somehow