Sci-Tech

Hoax pa more!

QUEZON City, Philippines (October 24) – Many Facebook privacy hoaxes have circulated the internet for the past few years and this “new” hoax ain’t nothing really new. Yet, people still believe these messages. The message was: Many netizens believed this message and reposted it on their wall, thus resulting into more circulation for the hoax and creating a near endless cycle of self-propagation. The same Facebook privacy hoax has been around since November 2012. Facebook already addressed […]

Cyber attacks cripple Twitter, Netflix, other websites

    by Glenn Chapman SAN FRANCISCO, United States | AFP | — Cyber attacks pounded the underpinnings of the internet Friday, crippling Twitter, Netflix and other major websites with the help of once-dumb devices made smart with online connections. Waves of attacks incapacitated a crucial piece of internet infrastructure, hampering or outright blocking access to popular online venues. “When I see something like this, I have to think state actor,” said Carbon Black national […]

Mars cloud formation shown in ultraviolet light

Reuters — Images from NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) Mission have revealed an ultraviolet, previously unseen, view of Mars. The video was uploaded to social media on Monday (October 17) and shows several images taken by the mission camera. The images were taken between July 9-10, 2016 and show the rapid movement of cloud formation over Mars. Nick Schneider, of the University of Colorado, told Reuters that the ultraviolet colours of the planet […]

Microsoft opens Transparency Center in Brazil

Microsoft opened on Wednesday (October 19) a Transparency Center in Brasilia to help guard its products against cyberattacks. Microsoft officials and Brazilian officials were on hand for the ceremony. “We believe that there is very big potential for this technology in Brazil and we are on board, working with the Secretary of Public Security of Sao Paulo and we are working on a monitoring project that currently uses 2,500 cameras in 38 municipalities in the […]

Virtual makeup for telecommuters

Women who hate putting on makeup just to do an online video conference from home might appreciate this solution. Working with Microsoft, Shiseido has developed virtual makeup. Called “TeleBeauty,” the app allows women to choose from four different kinds of makeup looks ranging from “feminine” to “trendy” … with just a click. Mari Kataoka of Shiseido explains what motivated the company to develop this software. “Although notions of working women and telework have been promoted […]

Self-driving cars have eyes in all places — at all times

Autonomous cars have eyes in all places — at all times. Their 360-vision can exceed the relatively limited view of a driver checking his or her mirrors. This is because self-driving cars are fitted with numerous cameras, radars and sensors. At the heart of the system is the car’s stereo camera — found at the front. Its two lenses — placed about 20cm apart — are linked up to an onboard computer. With a driver’s […]

Chinese astronauts enter Tiangong-2 space lab from Shenzhou-11

(CCTV) — Two Chinese astronauts have entered space lab Tiangong-2 from the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft. Shenzhou-11 succeeded in docking with Tiangong-2 through a remote-controlled automatic operation early Wednesday. After the successful docking, two male astronauts, 49-year-old Jing Haipeng and 37-year-old Chen Dong, entered the orbital module of Shenzhou-11 from its re-entry module and finally entered the space lab. They will now begin a month-long stay there, during which they will conduct a series of experiments. […]

China launches longest manned space mission

BEIJING, China — China on Monday, October 17 launched its longest manned space mission. It sent two astronauts into orbit to spend a month aboard a space laboratory that is part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. https://youtu.be/U4Pazy6rR-E

First launch for Orbital’s Antares rocket since ’14 blast

by Kerry SHERIDAN MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Orbital ATK is poised to launch an Antares rocket Monday for the first time since a massive explosion after liftoff two years ago en route to the International Space Station. The new Antares 230 rocket aims to propel an unmanned cargo capsule, called Cygnus, to the orbiting outpost carrying 5,290 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of supplies, food and science experiments. The launch is scheduled at 7:40 pm (2340 […]

Light pollution

(AFP) One third of stargazers around the world can’t see the Milky Way at night because of “light pollution” from buildings, street lamps and other forms of artificial illumination on Earth. The night time glow of artificial lights used to be a nuisance mainly affecting astronomers, but in recent years the effects are being felt by casual observers of the night sky as well. https://youtu.be/JhOqgq2_75Q DAVID LORY KATHERINE SPENCER / AFP VIDEOGRAPHICS / AFP

China sends two astronauts to space lab: Xinhua

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China launched two astronauts into space Monday, official media said, on a mission to its orbiting laboratory as the country works towards setting up its own space station. The Shenzhou-11 spacecraft blasted off early in the morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, the official Xinhua news agency reported. It will take astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong two days to reach the Tiangong-2 space lab, or […]