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Urban Sky, a Colorado-based company focused on collecting images and data of the Earth using small stratospheric balloons, says it is officially entering commercial operations after three years of operating partly in stealth and raising funding . The company says it is ready to start serving customers with its balloons, which can be deployed from the back of a pickup truck and ascend into the sky in just minutes. Specifically, the company offers what it calls “microballoons, ” high-altitude balloons that can float to the stratosphere carrying a small payload and maintain a constant position over an area. About the size of a Volkswagen bus at launch, these balloons ultimately inflate to be the size of a small car garage in the air. That’s much smaller than a typical stratospheric balloon, which could engulf an entire football stadium when fully inflated. Urban Sky envisions its technology being used for things like real-time wildfire monitoring, environmental changes, … [Read more...] about Urban Sky’s Earth-imaging stratospheric ‘microballoons’ are ready for a close-up

Former NFL player Tim Tebow could be an NFL player once again after earning a tryout with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Fox Sports Radio host Rob Parker thought the whole deal smelled of “white privilege.” “It’s the ultimate white privilege.” Parker said on The Odd Couple radio program. “This guy has failed in the NFL, he can’t play. I know he played for [Jaguars head coach] Urban Meyer in college, I get that, but so have a lot of other people.” Parker went on to insist that Tebow does not deserve another chance at joining the NFL. “I have nothing against his religious beliefs; he’s a devout Christian, that’s all great and nice. I have no issues with that. He’s NO GOOD. How ’bout that? Why do people keep giving this guy chances when he doesn’t deserve it?” Parker continued. “Tim Tebow is a FAILURE on the pro level! Tim Tebow is a LOSER.” Tebow, of course, was an NFL quarterback from 2010 to 2015. He then attempted to transition to pro baseball by joining several minor … [Read more...] about Fox Sports Host Calls Tim Tebow NFL Tryout ‘Ultimate White Privilege’

In a document that flew under the radar, the Joe Biden Department of Treasury has issued a plan that doubles down on the racial justice movement by declaring the agency in charge of the nation’s fiscal infrastructure must now consider race when crafting federal policies. The declaration came in the form of response to Executive Order 13985, issued on January 20, 2021, titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” The announcement said: The Department of the Treasury’s mission is to maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) is a $1.9 trillion package of which more than $1 trillion is managed by Treasury … [Read more...] about Biden’s Treasury: Race Must Be Considered for All Fiscal Policies

When Zachary Cohn and his wife bought a house in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, they didn't expect any trouble getting home Internet service. It was only after closing on the house in July 2019 that they learned the bad news. "All six neighbors I share a property line with are wired for Comcast, but our house never was," Cohn told Ars. Comcast had wired up the neighborhood with cable decades earlier and provides high-speed broadband to the abutting properties. But the cable TV and Internet service provider never extended a line to the house purchased by Cohn and his wife, Lauryl Zenobi. Cohn spent many months trying to get answers from Comcast on how he and Zenobi could get Internet service. Eventually, he contacted his City Councillor's office, which was able to get a real response from Comcast. Comcast ultimately said it would require installing 181 feet of underground cable to connect the house and that the couple would have to pay Comcast over $27,000 to … [Read more...] about Couple bought home in Seattle, then learned Comcast Internet would cost $27,000

The headquarters of battery giant CATL tower over the coastal Chinese city of Ningde. To the untrained eye, the building resembles a huge slide rising out of the urban sprawl. It is, in fact, a giant monument to the company’s raison d'être: the lithium-ion battery pack. You may have never heard of CATL, but you’ve definitely heard of the brands that rely on its batteries. The company supplies more than 30 percent of the world’s EV batteries and counts Tesla, Kia, and BMW among its clients. Its founder and chairman, 54-year-old Zeng Yuqun, also known as Robin Zeng, has rapidly emerged as the industry’s kingmaker. Insiders describe Zeng as savvy, direct, and even abrasive. Under his leadership, CATL’s valuation has ballooned to 1.2 trillion Chinese yuan ($179 billion), more than General Motors and Ford combined. Part of that fortune is built on owning stakes in mining projects in China , the Democratic Republic of Congo , and Indonesia , giving CATL a tighter grip on an … [Read more...] about The rise and precarious reign of China’s battery king

Shopping for internet plans gets confusing fast -- especially if you aren't familiar with the different technologies being used to deliver the connection to your home. Between fiber , fixed wireless, cable , DSL , satellite and 5G home internet plans, there's an awful lot to keep straight and if you don't understand the differences, you risk getting stuck with a connection that isn't as fast or reliable as you had wanted , or as affordable as you need. That's no good when there are long-term contracts potentially at play. This guide will walk you through the different types of internet connections that may be available in your area, how they work and what, if any, limitations you can expect from them. Fiber-optic internet: Fast and reliable, but availability is limited Fiber-optic internet is arguably the best connection type, so we'll start there. Like the name suggests, fiber refers to an internet connection that comes to your home via fiber-optic cable, which … [Read more...] about Cable, fiber, 5G and more: The different internet connection types and how they work

5.7 HughesNet satellite internet Edit See at HughesNet See All Providers Like Reliability; consistent broadband speeds in all service areas HughesNet Bonus Zone is an extra 50GB of data a month during off hours No hard data caps Don't Like Two-year contract, early termination fees if you cancel "Unlimited" data is misleading -- HughesNet will impose severe speed reductions once you hit your data plan's threshold High equipment costs In this article HughesNet satellite internet plans and prices ​ Other fees and details to know about HughesNet ​ Customer satisfaction numbers ​ The bottom line ​ HughesNet satellite internet FAQs ​ Hughes Network Systems was the first satellite internet service to offer broadband speeds of 25 megabits per second in 2017. Since then, a lot has changed, and I'm not just talking about Elon Musk's efforts to disrupt … [Read more...] about HughesNet Satellite Internet Review: Targets Dependability Over Speed

In brief: Thoughts of data centers often elicit visions of sprawling server farms situated in rural areas where electricity is more affordable and tax breaks are aplenty. It's an accurate mental image in many cases but increasingly, companies are electing to move their operations to the hearts of large cities to be closer to the customers they serve. Our progressively digital lifestyle has only fueled the desire for instant gratification. Streaming providers, app operators and other digital service providers are increasingly aware that consumers' patience for latency is razor thin. Simply put, if service isn't snappy enough, customers will take their business elsewhere. Tech companies on the leading edge are thinking long and hard about how they can offer the same level of service regardless of where a user lives or works, and in many instances the solution is to build nodes in urban areas that seamlessly blend in with the environment as part of a concept known as edge computing. … [Read more...] about Companies are quietly moving data centers into cities to reduce latency

The Biden administration announced a $1 billion effort to rectify racist infrastructure decisions of the past, such as highways that were built by bulldozing Black communities. The program, which the Department of Transportation is calling “Reconnecting Communities,” will in some cases tear down highways that were built with the expressed purpose of creating physical barriers between mostly Black and minority communities. Other projects will focus on building new infrastructure, like greenways to promote cycling and walking or transit programs, like rapid bus lines to reconnect communities to urban cores. “Our focus isn’t about assigning blame. It isn’t about getting caught up in guilt or regret. It is about fixing a problem,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a briefing with reporters. “It is about mending what has been broken, especially when the damage was done through taxpayer dollars.” Buttigieg traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday to announce that the … [Read more...] about Biden administration launches $1 billion effort to correct racist highway designs of the past

Bharti Airtel has opted for the four-year moratorium on adjusted gross revenue ( AGR ) related dues for FY18 and FY19 amounting to around Rs 3,000 crore, a senior company official said. The Sunil Mittal-led telco, though, has decided against availing the option to convert accrued interest on such statutory dues into government equity, the official added. “Airtel has informed DoT that it will exercise the option of deferring its AGR related dues (for FY18 and FY19) by a period of four years but not opt for the equity conversion,'' a company executive told ET. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had recently offered the two options to all telcos in addition to its support package for the industry announced last September. Airtel ’s decision comes just under a week after Vodafone Idea (Vi) had opted for the moratorium and decided to pay its AGR-related dues of Rs 8,837 crore for FY18 and FY19 in six equal annual installments, starting March 31, … [Read more...] about airtel agr dues: Airtel opts to defer around Rs 3,000 crore AGR dues for FY18, FY19 by 4 years