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The final frontier has rarely seemed closer than this — at least virtually. Researchers at one of Switzerland’s top universities are releasing open-source beta software this week that allows for virtual visits through the cosmos including up to the International Space Station, past the Moon, Saturn or exoplanets, over galaxies and well beyond. The program — called Virtual Reality Universe Project, or VIRUP — pulls together what the researchers call the largest data set of the universe to create three-dimensional, panoramic visualizations of space. Software engineers, astrophysicists and experimental museology experts at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, or EPFL, have come together to concoct the virtual map that can be viewed through individual VR gear, immersion systems like panoramic cinema with 3D glasses, planetarium-like dome screens, or just on…

LG Electronics has reached a deal with General Motors to pay $1.9 billion to $2 billion to reimburse the automaker for the cost of recalling Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles due to the risk of battery fires. The automaker, which announced the deal in a statement, says it will show the estimated recovery in its third-quarter earnings that will offset charges for the recalls. In August GM expanded a previous recall to more than 140,000 Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide since 2016 because a battery manufacturing defect could cause the vehicles to catch fire. The company said at the time that in rare cases, batteries that have two manufacturing defects can cause fires. General Motors said in September that production has resumed for battery modules used in recalled Bolt hatchbacks and…

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is best when it’s not trying to be a comic book movie. That fact may not bode especially well for future spinoffs and integrations within the so-called “Spider-Verse,” but one senses that director Andy Serkis, screenwriter Kelly Marcel and star/ producer Tom Hardy are aware of this weakness. And they made the smart choice to lean into the oddball relationship between Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote Venom. There is nothing remotely necessary about this sequel, which is itself a fruitless line of judgment to get into when it comes to any movie let alone franchise building blocks. But that also seems to free “Venom 2” to get weirder and more irreverent than the first movie, when it seemed like no one could decide how…

Top science advisers to President Joe Biden are calling for a new“bill of rights”to guard against powerful new artificial intelligence technology. The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy launched a fact-finding mission to look at facial recognition and other biometric tools used to identify people or assess their emotional or mental states and character. Biden’s chief science adviser, Eric Lander, and the deputy director for science and society, Alondra Nelson, also published an opinion piece in Wired magazine detailing the need to develop new safeguards against faulty and harmful uses of AI that can unfairly discriminate against people or violate their privacy. “Enumerating the rights is just a first step,”they wrote.“What might we do to protect them? Possibilities include the federal government refusing to buy software or technology…

Blue Bayou Antonio LeBlanc (Justin Chon, who also writes and directs), a Korean adoptee raised in the Louisiana bayou, is married to Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and has become a stepfather to her daughter Jessie (Sydney Kowalske). However, he is distraught to discover that he is set to be deported from America. FIVE FACTS: 1. Chon asked five adoptees for their feedback on drafts of this film. 2. To play Antonio LeBlanc, Chon worked closely with a speech coach, as the character’s voice is based on three real-life people. 3. Shooting for this film took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the story itself also takes place. 4. Once he had an edit of the film, Chon screened it for some adoptees and, at the post-production stage, changed the edit to…

Amazon said it will allow many tech and corporate workers to continue working remotely indefinitely, as long as they can commute to the office when necessary. The new policy was announced in a blog post and is a change from Amazon’s previous expectation that most employees would need to be in the office at least three days a week when offices reopen from the COVID-19 pandemic in January. The Seattle Times reported the message was signed by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and said company directors will have discretion to allow teams that they manage to continue working remotely. “We expect that there will be teams that continue working mostly remotely, others that will work some combination of remotely and in the office, and still others that will decide customers are…

Californians could have higher cellphone bills after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws aimed at giving the state more money to build high-speed internet connections in unserved areas. California is one of 41 states that collect a tax on phone bills and uses the money to build high-speed internet connections. The laws Newsom signed make sure the state will keep collecting that tax — and collect more of it. The laws don’t increase the tax, but it extends the tax, which was scheduled to expire at the end of next year. The laws make it easier for state regulators to change how the tax is collected, which will likely lead to people paying more on their cellphone bills. And the laws let the state collect more of the tax than…

A group studying the economics of offshore wind energy in the U.S. says building and operating the nascent industry will be worth $109 billion to businesses in its supply chain over the next 10 years. The report by the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind comes as states on both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico are moving to enter or expand their role in the industry, and are making crucial decisions on what to spend and where to spend it. Multiple states, including New Jersey, want to become the hub of the supply chain that will support offshore wind energy in the U.S., planning and building onshore support sites for manufacturing turbine blades and other components of wind power. The group, affiliated with the University of Delaware, estimated the market…

It wouldn’t be an iPhone update without at least an incremental update to the camera system on the world’s most powerful smartphone, and this year was no exception. The introduction of the iPhone 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max unlocks significant new powers for consumers and professionals to capture incredible photography and for the first time, cinema-quality videos. PUTTING THE EYE INTO iPHONE In recent years, Apple’s leaned on its camera systems to sell more iPhones, particularly in ‘lull’ years where there are fewer significant changes and tweaks. Many might consider this year to be one of those - last year’s iPhone 12 range broke records after introducing 5G and an all-new design, and so naturally this year’s release was always going to be a quieter state of affairs.…

Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, blasted into space Wednesday in a convergence of science fiction and science reality, reaching the final frontier aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company. The “Star Trek” hero became the oldest person to ride a rocket, eclipsing the previous record — set by a passenger on a similar jaunt on a Bezos spaceship in July — by eight years. Dressed in a royal blue flight suit, Shatner joined three fellow passengers, four to five decades younger, aboard the fully automated capsule that took off from remote West Texas for an up-and-down flight scheduled to last just 10 minutes or so. The spaceship aimed for an altitude of 66 miles (106 kilometers), at the fringes of space, after which the capsule was…

When the pandemic hit the U.S. last year, grocery delivery company Instacart suddenly became a lifeline for millions of consumers. Sales volumes skyrocketed; in one month, the company added 300,000 drivers to keep up with its orders. “We saw five years of growth packed into one year,” Instacart CEO Fidji Simo said. Demand has waned this year but remains above pre-pandemic levels. San Francisco-based Instacart __ which is a private company __ expects to see double-digit transaction growth this year. But the company __ which offers delivery from 55,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada through its 500,000 contract workers __ is also trying to expand in other ways, like offering advertising services and non-grocery delivery from stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods. An initial public offering is likely in its…

Friends That Break Your Heart James Blake Summary: “It’s the most direct songwriting of anything I’ve done,” James Blake told Apple Music about his fifth studio album, adding: “Whether it’s a sad song or an uplifting song, each emotion I’ve gone for is a more raw version of that version on at least the last two records.” FIVE FACTS: 1. Although born in North London, Blake is now based in Los Angeles. 2. Blake has called the new album “very sure of itself” and a reflection of his own current mindset. 3. Blake started dating the British actress Jameela Jamil in 2015 . 4. Jamil is credited as a producer on Friends That Break Your Heart. 5. According to Blake, Jamil suggested that he include the singer Monica Martin on the…

FaceTime calls seemed to be working in the United Arab Emirates, an apparent loosening of long-standing restrictions on the Apple program in the federation of seven sheikhdoms. There was no official announcement on the matter. The UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple also did not respond to a request for comment. Journalists could make FaceTime voice and video calls with good sound quality to people inside and outside the country. The UAE, home to the oil-rich capital of Abu Dhabi and the freewheeling financial hub of Dubai, long has blocked internet calling apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime, presumably due to security concerns and to protect the revenues of its monopoly state-run telecommunication companies. However, authorities have not publicly explained…

More than 130 countries have forged a deal on sweeping changes in how big global companies are taxed. The goal: deterring multinational companies from stashing profits in countries where they pay little or now taxes — better known as tax havens. The sweeping agreement was struck among 136 countries after talks overseen by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It would update a century’s worth of international taxation rules to cope with changes brought by digitalization and globalization. The most important feature: a global minimum tax of at least 15%, a key initiative pushed by U.S. President Joe Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Yellen said the minimum tax will end a decadeslong “race to the bottom” that has seen corporate tax rates fall as tax havens sought to…

There are a number of new models on the horizon that promise big improvements. Buyers may find that holding out until they arrive nets them a forward-looking vehicle that leaves today’s models in the dust. Here are five of them coming out in the next three to six months that Edmunds’ experts believe will be worth the wait. HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 Quite a few electric vehicles are set to debut in the coming months, and among this group the Ioniq 5 looks to be a standout. Unlike Hyundai’s Ioniq compact hatchback that’s currently on sale, the Ioniq 5 is built on a dedicated EV structure that’s suited to the specific needs of an electric vehicle. It’s about the same size as a typical small SUV and boasts impressive interior space…

Facebook, in the aftermath of damning testimony that its platforms harm children, will be introducing several features including prompting teens to take a break using its photo sharing app Instagram, and“nudging”teens if they are repeatedly looking at the same content that’s not conducive to their well-being. The Menlo Park, California-based Facebook is also planning to introduce new controls for adults of teens on an optional basis so that parents or guardians can supervise what their teens are doing online. These initiatives come after Facebook announced late last month that it was pausing work on its Instagram for Kids project. But critics say the plan lacks details and they are skeptical that the new features would be effective. The new controls were outlined last weekend by Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president…

Delta Air Lines posted a $1.2 billion profit for the third quarter, helped by the latest installment of federal pandemic aid for the airline industry, but warned that rising fuel prices will lead to a “modest”loss in the fourth quarter. The airline also expects higher labor costs as it hires thousands of employees to replace some of those who left the company last year, when the pandemic’s impact on travel was most brutal. Delta shares fell more than 4% in morning trading. The airline said that travel demand is improving after hitting a flat spot when COVID-19 infections in the U.S. jumped over the summer, fueled by the rise of the so-called delta variant. “We are seeing bookings pick up materially over the past four or five weeks,”CEO Ed Bastian…

Factoring holiday expenses into your budget all year long is effective for avoiding debt, but it’s not always feasible with a limited budget or unforeseen expenses. When that’s the case, lacking a strategy for holiday spending can leave you vulnerable to debt and overspending that delays financial goals. But it’s not too late to come up with a last-minute plan to save money for the holidays. The small end-of-the-year window can offer some time to make money moves that help prevent a holiday debt hangover. ALIGN YOUR HOLIDAY BUDGET WITH FINANCIAL GOALS When determining how much to spend over the holidays, begin with your budget, suggests Jason Speciner, a certified financial planner at the firm Financial Planning Fort Collins. “Start with how much money you’re willing to spend — and…

The outcome is right there in the title. And yet the new documentary “ The Rescue,” about the harrowing 18-day ordeal in which 12 young soccer players and their coach were saved from a flooded cave in Thailand, is still a stressful, suspenseful experience. It’s other things, too — affirming, truthful, funny, macabre and unembellished — but it achieves something extraordinarily difficult for a global news story that ended three years ago: It makes you feel like you’re there. From the “Free Solo” Oscar-winning filmmaking team E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who took audiences sweaty-palmed up the vertical slope of Yosemite’s El Capitan, “The Rescue” is perhaps an even more accomplished piece. It’s assuredly focused for a story with so many components and characters. Instead of trying to make…

After water levels at a California dam fell to historic lows this summer, the main hydropower plant it feeds was shut down. At the Hoover Dam in Nevada — one of the country’s biggest hydropower generators — production is down by 25%. If extreme drought persists, federal officials say a dam in Arizona could stop producing electricity in coming years. Severe drought across the West drained reservoirs this year, slashing hydropower production and further stressing the region’s power grids. And as extreme weather becomes more common with climate change, grid operators are adapting to swings in hydropower generation. “The challenge is finding the right resource, or mix of resources, that can provide the same energy and power outputs as hydro,” said Lindsay Buckley, a spokesperson for the California Energy Commission.…

The International Energy Agency is urging governments to make stronger commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions at an upcoming U.N. climate summit, warning the world is not on track to meet environmental goals and that new investment in clean energy was needed to “jolt the energy system onto a new set of rails.” The Paris-based international organization said this week in its annual world energy outlook that great strides have been made to move away from fossil fuels by relying on more wind and solar energy, while electric vehicles are setting sales records. But the economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic also has seen an increase in the use of coal and oil, the report said, as well as a leap in emissions. Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, the…