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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

AI model speeds up high-resolution computer vision

An autonomous vehicle must rapidly and accurately recognize objects that it encounters, from an idling delivery truck parked at the corner to a cyclist whizzing toward an approaching intersection. To do this, the vehicle might use a powerful computer vision model to categorize every pixel in a high-resolution image of this scene, so it doesn’t lose sight of objects that might be obscured in a lower-quality image. But this task, known as semantic segmentation, is complex and requires a……

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Joined by his top military officials handling his nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday before an expected meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim boarded his personal train Sunday afternoon accompanied by unspecified members of the country’s ruling party, government and military. South…

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Cedric Mullins hits grand slam in 5th...

BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins helped Baltimore to another big offensive night — as the Orioles began perhaps their most important week of the regular season. Mullins hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, and the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-5 to start a crucial homestand Monday night. Baltimore remained three games ahead of Tampa Bay atop the AL East, and the Orioles host the Rays for a four-game series after St. Louis leaves. No matter…

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Cooking a Microwave Feast, 1980s-Style

THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE. Recently, my friend Rachel found a pile of 1980s cookbooks on a curb and gave them to me as a housewarming present. The one that caught my eye was The JCPenney Microwave Cookbook, with its colorful cover showing a rack of lamb, roast beef, and a ham, all presumably cooked in a microwave. The whole book is a……

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Expanding higher education for incarcerated students

Since its inception in 2018, The Educational Justice Institute (TEJI) has been a trailblazer in implementing innovative and transformative educational experiences for incarcerated students as well as students at universities, including MIT. Now, TEJI has played a formative role in efforts to expand access to higher education in New England prisons through a partnership with the New England Board of Higher Education. That partnership resulted in the formation of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education……

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Internships fabricate a microelectronics future

Nestled among the diverse labs and prototyping facilities at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the Microelectronics Laboratory (ML) whirs away. Technicians in the ML fabricate advanced integrated circuits, which end up in systems that peer into the cosmos, observe weather from space, and power quantum computers — to name just a few uses. The ML is one of several facilities within Lincoln Laboratory’s Microsystems Prototyping Foundry (MPF) operations. This summer, 12 students had a hand in MPF operations as part of……

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In new French class, MIT students serve...

MIT’s French+ Initiative was recently designated as a “Center of Excellence in French Studies” by the Embassy of France, during a 2022 campus visit by Philippe Etienne, then-ambassador of France to the United States. The French+ Initiative gathers scholars working across the humanities and social sciences at MIT whose research and teaching center on the French and francophone cultures and societies. It also serves as a hub appreciated by students, who can find numerous French-related activities under the same……

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Music Review: A little too much beauty...

Chrissie Hynde ‘s talent is a musical gift from heaven, a one-of-a-kind voice that powered her band, the Pretenders, into creating some of rock’s most memorable songs in the 1970s and ’80s. Drawing out words into more syllables than they came with (like the way “back on the train” becomes “back on the trai-hayne” in the 1982 hit “Back on the Chain Gang,”) her performance can be smooth and beautiful, and it can be raw and rocking. On the…

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In Wisconsin, the Menominee Tribe's Sustainable Forestry...

This piece was originally published in Yale Environment 360 and appears here as part of our Climate Desk collaboration. Mike Lohrengel looks up in awe at trees he has known for 30 years. “This is one of the most beautiful places I know. This forest has it all: the most species, the most diversity. Many trees I know individually. Look at this one behind us. It’s got a split way up there. I’ll never forget that tree till I……

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System combines light and electrons to unlock...

Computing is at an inflection point. Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on an electronic chip will double each year, is slowing down due to the physical limits of fitting more transistors on affordable microchips. These increases in computer power are slowing down as the demand grows for high-performance computers that can support increasingly complex artificial intelligence models. This inconvenience has led engineers to explore new methods for expanding the computational capabilities of their machines, but……

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Podcast: Fenway Victory Gardens

Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit Fenway Victory Gardens, one of the last remaining World War II “victory gardens” in the United States. The luscious garden quietly grows across from Boston’s historic Fenway Park and was used during the war to help supplement dwindling food supplies. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15……

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Monday Crossword: Climate, Changed

This Atlas Obscura–themed crossword comes from independent crossword constructor Brendan Emmett Quigley. He has been a professional puzzlemaker since 1996, and his pieces have appeared in dozens of publications. He’s also a member of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra. You can solve the puzzle below, or download it in .pdf or .puz. Note that the links in the clues will take you to Atlas Obscura pages that contain the answer. Happy solving!…

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What Tech Trends Are Impacting Revenue and...

Question for Our Revenue Management Expert Panel: What Tech Trends Are Impacting Revenue and Guest Experiences In 2023? Our Revenue Management Expert Panel Chaya Kowal – Cluster Director Of Revenue Management, Potato Head Family Diego Fernández Pérez De Ponga – Director of Revenue Management, Palladium Hotel Group Pablo The post What Tech Trends Are Impacting Revenue and Guest Experiences In 2023? appeared first on Revfine.com….

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Unique Direct Booking Perks: The Power of...

Today, as travelers seek a blend of convenience, security, and added value, hoteliers can distinguish themselves by providing incentives that resonate deeply with potential guests. Travel assistance insurance has emerged as a powerful tool that not only sets hotel’s direct channel offerings apart but also empowers guests with peace of mind and solidifies a brand’s The post Unique Direct Booking Perks: The Power of Travel Assistance Insurance appeared first on Revfine.com….

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Sharp’s late goal helps Galaxy rally for...

CARSON CITY, Calif. (AP) — Billy Sharp scored in the 82nd minute and the Los Angeles Galaxy rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with St. Louis City on Sunday night. St. Louis City (15-10-3) jumped in front early when Samuel Adeniran took a pass from Jared Stroud in the 4th minute and scored his seventh goal of the season. João Klauss found the net for a sixth time this season, using an assist from Aziel…

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