December 25, 2022 - An 'Imperial Supreme Court' Asserts Its Power, Alarming Scholars

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An 'Imperial Supreme Court' Asserts Its Power, Alarming Scholars The arguments this month over the role of state legislatures in setting rules for federal elections seemed to illustrate the point. The questioning suggested that the court was not prepared to adopt a novel legal theory that would upset the ordinary checks and balances at the state level in election litigation. Continued here

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How postbiotics could boost your health and even help reverse ageing IT IS 9.30am and you are feeling a bit off. You have just finished a round of antibiotics and know your gut microbes have taken a hit. You pop a pill and head out, safe in the knowledge that while the microscopic communities in your intestines may take a while to regroup, the health benefits they confer will be back up to speed much sooner. Welcome to the world of postbiotics. Continued here

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The 50 best video games of 2022 It’s becoming increasingly difficult, as the years go by, to describe my favorite video games. Simple terms like “open world” and “first-person shooter” have lost much of their original meaning. “Turn-based strategy” isn’t doing all that much work anymore. Even “Metroidvania,” a portmanteau created specifically to denote a certain set of design tenets, often comes with a cascade of asterisks, caveats, and parentheticals. Continued here

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4 Timeless Business Lessons To Improve Your Company's Future Profitability, Learned From Studying Successes and Failures of The Past The final week of the year is the ideal time to analyze past successes and failures and apply what you find to drive profitability next year. Continued here

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Why Millennials Should Aim For $4 Million (For Retirement) Retirement planning is not overly complicated. But it does require strong will, some effort, discipline, and due diligence. First of all, one needs to recognize the importance of having a plan. It's never too early to have some goals and an action plan. Retirement planning requires savings on a regular basis and investing those savings wisely and relatively safely. Another important factor is the length of time those savings would be able to grow and compound. That's why we cannot overemphasize how important it is to start saving at an early age. It makes retirement planning so much easier. However, unfortunately, most of us don't get this wisdom in our 20s or even in our 30s. But at the same time, we like to remind that it's never too late, either. Even older folks who are well into their 50s could still achieve their goals, though the path will definitely be harder and will require more sacrifices. Please see our previous article from Oct. 2022 that illustrates an investment plan for folks in their 50s. Continued here

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Simple tricks to help you free up space on your phone You pull out your phone to snap a spontaneous photo… but get an error message because you have no space for the pic. Running out of room on your phone can be a disaster, but it’s totally avoidable. And listen: We’re not here to judge you for filling your phone—it could happen to any one of us. While the best way to free up space on your phone is to maintain your storage as you go, it’s relatively easy to clear out the junk when it’s past the point of no return. Continued here

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In search of an attainable New Year's resolution It’s that time of year again — when seemingly every advertisement, social media post, or well-meaning loved one is quick to remind you how you’re due for a refresh, a restart, a rebrand. Self-improvement is difficult any time of year, but you may feel extra pressure to embark on a life change at the top of the new year. The desire to set goals often comes on the heels of the start of a new week, month, year, semester, or birthday, dubbed the “fresh start effect.” When the slate is wiped clean in any capacity, people feel more compelled to conquer a challenge. Continued here

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Teenager who tracks Elon Musk's jet sets up a new Twitter account, with a small difference Elonjet, the account that was allegedly banned for "doxxing" Elon Musk's live location is now back on Twitter under a new name. To comply with Musk-led Twitter's new privacy policies, the account will post updates about Musk's private plane but with a slight change. The original account, Elonjet, started off in 2020 when owner Jack Sweeney was a teenage college student and a fan of Elon Musk. In the past couple of years, though, much water has passed under the bridge, with Elon Musk first offering to pay a meager $5,000 for the account to be shut down and then even approaching Sweeney on how he could stop his plane from being tracked. Continued here

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How the cost of living crisis is ruining women's confidence “I’ve stopped getting acrylics, sunbeds and haircuts. I used to get my nails done every month, and get balayage done. Now I’m giving myself haircuts and doing my own nails because there’s just no way I can afford it anymore,” says 24-year-old communications consultant Siobhan Fitzsimons. “It’s heartbreaking to be working so hard and in real terms to be earning less money than I did when I first left uni. I’m living in my overdraft, and when I’ve been paid I think ‘oh I’ll treat myself and get nails done’ and then I look at my balance and it’s just not even an option.” Continued here

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The 30 best couch co-op games for Nintendo Switch Many games are huge. Others are endless. Some are so exciting that they swallow our news feeds whole. That’s where Polygon’s What to Play comes in: We curate the best, most innovative, and most intriguing games on every platform, so you can spend less time searching, and more time playing. Continued here

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How to set up F-Droid, the open-source alternative to the Google Play Store Browsing through an app store can be frustrating. Whenever you’re looking for a simple tool to tune your guitar or remind yourself to water the plants, the results immediately ask you for money or are entirely cluttered with ads.  Now, let’s not begrudge developers for wanting to make money—most of us don’t do our jobs for charity—but the scales have tipped to the point where your phone can be actively hard to use. This is why if you have an Android device, you may enjoy F-Droid.  Continued here

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Bigger, Better, Cheaper: How India Is Building a Private Empire in Space The same month, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Digantara in his monthly radio show as part of India’s cutting-edge space companies that the world should look out for. By 2021, Digantara had raised millions in seed funding. It is India’s first private company that’s ready to send 40 satellites to identify and potentially clean up space junk. Space junk moves 15 times the speed of a bullet, and can smash spacecraft into pulp. The space junk monitoring market is, by one estimate, worth $2.9 billion this year.  Continued here

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The Power Of Rest - Can A Purposeful Pause Be The First Step In Hitting Reset? Sometimes an idea burrows its way into the culture and takes up home there, building a little nest in our consciousness with continued repetition. One such concept was the pursuit of ‘happiness’. Later, there was ‘kindness’, and today ‘tenderness’. I tend to come to these things brittle with cynicism. I’ve argued in the past, for example, against the ‘happiness industry’, which through expensive interventions, like courses and coaches, sold the idea that you constantly needed to consume its products in order to achieve joy, thereby displacing your attention from the root of your unhappiness. But recently life events – I talk about family shock and tragedy in as neutral and passive a voice as possible, so as not to give it the drama it yearns for – have cracked something open in me. Continued here

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The best destination spas in the world: 2022 Readers' Choice Awards Spas are feeling top of the world again, and it’s not just because of all those CBD gummies. Wellness is a global concern in the post-pandemic world, with Joali Being – the Maldives’ first serious spa resort – arriving late last year, and new outposts from big-hitters SHA Wellness Clinic, Lanserhof and Chiva-Som. Highlights include Ananda in the Himalayas, whose therapists you rated top, and the design-savvy cedar studios of Shou Sugi Ban House in New York State. And we’ve revived the UK spa category this year, where Coworth Park (a seasoned all-rounder) and Gleneagles (best for experiences) had the healthiest results. Continued here

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'Made My Blood Run Cold': Unmasking a TikTok Creator Who Doesn't Really Exist KENMARE, Ireland – Nestled in the Ring of Kerry, the sleepy town of Kenmare is shrouded in a mist that runs off its rolling hills. Home to just 1,563 people, it maintains a unique, Wes Anderson-style charm; in the modern world yet not entirely of it. It is a million miles away from the TikTok drama that surrounds one of its newest residents, Carrie Jade Williams. Continued here

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Can Quantum Mechanics Quell the Holiday Blues? John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings at the Stevens Institute of Technology. His books include The End of Science, The End of War and Mind-Body Problems, available for free at mindbodyproblems.com. For many years he wrote the popular blog Cross Check for Scientific American. John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings at the Stevens Institute of Technology. His books include The End of Science, The End of War and Mind-Body Problems, available for free at mindbodyproblems.com. For many years he wrote the popular blog Cross Check for Scientific American. Continued here

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Scientists just revealed the mystery behind how glass frogs maintain transparency Scientists have revealed the secret powers of the humble glass frog and how they protect themselves in the thick forests of Central and South America. Allow us to explain. Glass frogs get their name from their translucent, glass-like skin. Now, at night when they're out, they turn green, seamlessly blending with the thick foliage. But, during the day, the northern glass frog, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, becomes the true master of camouflage when they arm themselves with their invisible coat. Continued here

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35 of the Best Shows on Disney+ Right Now Disney+ isn't just for kids. With Star Wars and Marvel, the streaming service has plenty of grown-up shows to compete with Netflix and Amazon. And we’re not just talking movies. Disney is using the name recognition of Star Wars and Marvel to launch scores of TV shows, from The Mandalorian to Moon Knight. In the list below, we’ve collected the ones we think are the best to watch, from those franchises and beyond. Continued here

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Found: All the Best Christmas Movies to Watch With Your Fam If you love all things holly and jolly, then you know that no Christmas season is complete without streaming a few (or a few dozen...) holiday movies. And while Bad Santa and Love Actually are a fun holiday watch, it's always nice to find a movie that, you know, doesn't scandalize your parents or scar your kids. Whether you need some festive films to watch with mom and dad over Christmas break or some kid-friendly flicks for your little ones, we've got plenty of family Christmas movies that people of all ages can watch (and will actually enjoy), and they're all available to stream right now. Continued here

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Can capitalism and nature coexist? MONTREAL — At 3 on Monday morning Marco Lambertini was awake, seated in a giant conference room downtown, lit by fluorescent light and surrounded by government officials from around the world. It was far from the Swiss mountain trails he likes to hike, but he wasn’t going to miss one of the most important moments in his four-decades-long career. Continued here

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Wind farms on Mars can power future crewed missions, say NASA scientists A study published in Nature Astronomy suggests that Mars has enough to generate power for future crewed missions, Space.com reported. With the help of a state-of-the-art Mars global climate model, scientists at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, analyzed the total planetary Martian wind potential and found that wind speeds at certain proposed landing sites are fast enough to provide a "stand-alone" or "complementary" energy source to solar or nuclear power. Continued here

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How to Clear Up Your Child's Acne Casey Gallagher, MD, is board-certified in dermatology and works as a practicing dermatologist and clinical professor. Acne can be common for tweens between 8 and 12 years old. Fortunately, early treatment can help keep your child's acne from getting worse as they enter adolescence. Continued here

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Will this be India's decade? Experts around the world are debating the economy's rise While some argue a range of factors indicate an ‘impending economic boom’ for India, others suggest it is another false dawn. Continued here

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From 1966 to now: the evolution of World Cup football Before the 1954 tournament, World Cups weren’t televised at all. If you wanted to know how teams played, you bought a newspaper the next day and read a column about it by some cigar-chomping sportswriter in a three-piece suit. Now fans could follow along for themselves in fuzzy black and white: And here comes Hurst, he’s got — some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over … It is now! Continued here

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Elon Musk may have his replacement on Twitter, a former SpaceX Engineer Steve Davis Steve Davis has the spirit of the entrepreneur, having been a major guidance systems engineer at SpaceX, CEO of a small chain of yogurt shops, and the CEO of the Boring Company, an Elon Musk's venture to create tunnels in all major cities. All that may be leading up to Davis taking over Twitter from the present CEO, Elon Musk. Davis had been living at Twitter headquarters for the last two months, as the leader in proxy for Elon Musk. The prospective Twitter leader is a hardcore employee, even bringing his wife and newborn baby to work, right after his first child's birth. They all slept in an office together. Continued here

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Henry Ford, Innovation, and That "Faster Horse" Quote We’ve all been in conversations on the topics of creativity and innovation when Henry Ford’s most famous adage is (excuse the pun) trotted out, usually accompanied by a knowing smirk and air of self-evidence. Battle lines are quickly drawn. One side vehemently argues the merits of innovating vis-à-vis customer feedback; the other argues that true innovation is created by singularly gifted visionaries who ignore customer input and instead manufacture innovation based solely on their prophetic vision for a better future. Continued here

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37 million people a day are being infected with COVID-19 in China New estimates from China’s top health authority have been released indicating how many people in the nation are being infected with COVID-19 on a daily basis and the number is alarming, according to a report by Bloomberg published on Friday. Nearly 37 million people may have caught the virus on a single day this week, making the country’s outbreak the world’s largest.  In just the first 20 days of December, as many as 248 million people, amounting to 18 percent of the population, likely contracted the virus in the struggling nation. This is according to an internal meeting of China’s National Health Commission held on Wednesday. The new data is especially disconcerting considering the previous daily record set in January of this year was only 4 million.  Continued here

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The mystery of rising prices. Are greedy corporations to blame for inflation? Many economists and politicians on the left point to the war in Ukraine (for pushing up oil prices, which bleeds into most everything else), and also greedy companies, many of which, despite tales of supply chain snarls and rising costs, have been bringing in record profits. (Corporations, in aisle 4, with the price gun.) Continued here S41 The 'Avatar' Sequel’s Worst Character Actually Does the Film a Service Avatar: The Way of Water, like any good world-building sequel, introduces a deluge of new elements to its extraterrestrial setting of Pandora. There are different locations to visit, such as the home of the Metkayina, a reef-dwelling clan. There are strange species to meet, such as the whalelike tulkun. And there are unfamiliar characters to get to know, including the children of Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), the protagonists whose romance was chronicled in 2009’s Avatar. But one fresh face has induced more cringes than cheers. Miles Socorro (Jack Champion), a white kid who sports dreadlocks and goes by the nickname “Spider,” isn’t a Sully by blood, but he tries quite hard to be. Left behind as a baby on Pandora, he was unable to return to Earth because he was too small to survive the journey. Now a teenager, he wears only a loincloth and paints blue stripes on his skin to look more like the native Na’vi. He speaks the language, growls a lot, and indulges in juvenile antics, scampering onto lab equipment and annoying as many characters—alien and human alike—as he can. Jake considers him a “stray cat”; Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Jake and Neytiri’s adopted daughter with a mysterious origin, calls him “monkey boy.” He’s basically Pandora’s Chet Hanks—or a pint-size Tarzan, if you want to be more charitable. Continued here S23 Ford used a quantum computer to find better EV battery materials Quantum researchers at Ford have just published a new preprint study that modeled crucial electric vehicle (EV) battery materials using a quantum computer. While the results don’t reveal anything new about lithium-ion batteries, they demonstrate how more powerful quantum computers could be used to accurately simulate complex chemical reactions in the future.  In order to discover and test new materials with computers, researchers have to break up the process into many separate calculations: One set for all the relevant properties of each single molecule, another for how these properties are affected by the smallest  environmental changes like fluctuating temperatures, another for all the possible ways any  two molecules can interact together, and on and on. Even something that sounds simple like two hydrogen molecules bonding requires incredibly deep calculations.  Continued here S27 A guide to the world of mud volcanoes In the following weeks, water, boiling-hot mud and natural gas were added to the mixture. When the eruption intensified, mud started to spread over the fields. Alarmed residents evacuated, hoping to wait out the eruption safely. Except that it didn’t stop. Weeks passed, and the spreading mud engulfed entire villages. In a frantic race against time, the Indonesian government began to build levees to contain the mud and stop the spread. When the mud overtopped these levees, they built new ones behind the first set. The government eventually succeeded in stopping the mud’s advance, but not before the flows had wiped out a dozen villages and forced 60,000 people to relocate. Continued here S5 The Best Low-Impact Exercises for Older Adults Beyond Walking and Stretching | Livestrong.com Whether an activity is low- or high-impact depends on how much force it puts on your body. "Low-impact exercises are ones that don't place a significant strain on your joints," explains Emily Johnson, founder of StrongerU Senior Fitness. Your feet aren't pounding on the ground with each step, so you're less likely to experience pressure or pain in places like your ankles or knees. Continued here S51 US military reported 'several hundred' UFO sightings in 2022, says Pentagon Personnel in the U.S. military reported 'several hundred' sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in 2022, officials of the new office set up at the Pentagon told Associated Press. All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the office set up six months ago, prefers to call them Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and is working with all three wings of the military to collect reports of these sightings. Sightings of UFOs have piqued the curiosity of the general public for years together and continue to do so even today. Previously, these sightings may have gone undocumented, but with the ubiquitous presence of cameras in our daily lives, it is now easier to get records of such sightings. Continued here S40 How Long Until Alaska’s Next Oil Disaster? The compromise that passed the Inflation Reduction Act has Alaskans braced for catastrophe. Stephen Payton has spent a lot of time planning for disaster. The environmental program coordinator for the Seldovia Village Tribe in Southcentral Alaska and a board member of the Seldovia Oil Spill Response Team, he’s helped organize countless drills with volunteers, preparing to respond to an oil spill in nearby Cook Inlet. Over and over, he’s practiced setting out containment booms, floating barriers designed to slow the spread of slicks. But this summer, while drift fishing near the shipping channels in the inlet, he got an up-close view of the oil tankers that could cause such a spill. Their massive hulls dwarf other vessels, casting deep shadows. It was a sobering perspective. “If something were to happen out there—it could just be so detrimental,” he says. Continued here S21 The Soothing, Slightly Sinister World of Productivity Hacks Before starting this job, I blew $50 at CVS on neon gel pens, pleather-bound notebooks, and felt-tipped highlighters because a TikToker told me they'd make me enjoy working more. In the past month, I haven't used a single one. The TikToker in question, @Studynotesideas, is an 18-year-old with nearly 650,000 followers who produces content for the overstressed and underprepared student. Each video is shot at her desk, which features a bubblegum-pink keyboard, a collection of rainbow gel pens, and a peek at her greeting card-esque handwriting. She tells us which pens you need for seamless notes (no smudging), study methods that guarantee results (active recall), and gadgets that prevent procrastination. Her schtick is gently intimidating and reminds me of when you'd ask the overachiever in your history class for the notes you missed. Continued here S9 These 7 charts show how life got pricier (and, yes, cheaper!) in 2022 Yikes. It was a rough year for the old bank account: Housing, electricity and heating oil got pricier, and our pandemic-era savings petered out. Maybe not too surprising that we started charging more to our credit cards. The end of the home-buying bonanza did slice home prices (silver lining!), but mainly because mortgage rates nearly doubled (very dark cloud). Continued here S14 Rivalry Rematches Are the Future of the College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff field is set with Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State, setting up a potential championship game rematch of The Game. Is that a bad thing? Continued here S32 El Niño Is Coming—and the World Isn't Prepared In 2023, the relentless increase in global heating will continue, bringing ever more disruptive weather that is the signature calling card of accelerating climate breakdown.  According to NASA, 2022 was one of the hottest years ever recorded on Earth. This is extraordinary, because the recurrent climate pattern across the tropical Pacific—known as ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation)—was in its cool phase. During this phase, called La Niña, the waters of the equatorial Pacific are noticeably cooler than normal, which influences weather patterns around the world. Continued here S47 Russia might send rescue ship for ISS crew after Soyuz capsule leak According to Phys.org, Russia is reviewing the ongoing viability of the Soyuz crew spacecraft that is docked at the International Space Station (ISS) after it started leaking last week. If necessary, they may send up a rescue vehicle for the stranded crew. On December 14, 2022, the MS-22 spacecraft started shooting coolant into space, and on dramatic NASA TV visuals, white particles that looked like snowflakes were seen streaming out of the back. Continued here S54 Bertone reveals a 1100 hp hypercar that runs on plastic waste Bertone, a famous Italian automotive design house, has come up with a hypercar that produces 1,100 hp and 1,100 Nm of torque to mark its 110th anniversary. The car, christened GB110, is also the first high-performance car that runs on fuel made out of plastic waste. The company will only produce 33 units of the hypercar. In its rich automotive history, the firm is known for designing iconic sports cars such as the Lamborghini Countach, the Alfa Romeo Montreal, Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Spider, and Lamborghini Miura. The oldest Italian design coachbuilder was founded in 1912 by Giovanni Bertone. The company's present owners, Mauro, and Jean-Franck Ricci, is poised to merge their engineering experience with Bertone's design heritage.  Continued here S70 Canada travel restrictions: The rules for travelling from the UK Travellers are no longer required to submit public health information through the ArriveCAN mobile application or website, provide proof of vaccination, undergo any covid tests pre- or post-journey, or carry out covid quarantine stays. Continued here S59 4 reasons why you shouldn't mix certain medicines with alcohol A glass or two of champagne with Christmas lunch. A cool crisp beer at the beach. Some cheeky cocktails with friends to see in the New Year. There seem to be so many occasions to unwind with an alcoholic drink this summer. But if you’re taking certain medications while drinking alcohol, this can affect your body in a number of ways. Drinking alcohol with some medicines means they may not work so well. With others, you risk a life-threatening overdose. Continued here S24 Pick up this refurbished Microsoft Surface 3 for $200 Personal tablets can pack plenty of power and capabilities into a relatively small package, but they can also come with a hefty price tag. Gadgets have evolved in tremendous ways, and the Microsoft Surface 3 is considered a popular success, carrying an Amazon rating of four out of five based on nearly 500 reviews. For a limited time, you can pick up a refurbished version of Microsoft Surface 3, featuring 64GB of storage space and a Windows 10 operating system for only $199.99 (reg. $230). Use those savings, with no coupon required, to upgrade your current setup or to snag a gift for the holiday season. Continued here S38 Danish physicists give the gift of world's smallest Christmas record--in stereo Physicists at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) are bringing the Christmas cheer by using a 3D nanolithography tool called the Nanofrazor to cut the smallest record ever. The tune they "recorded," in full stereo no less: the first 25 seconds of "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree." Continued here S62 When is the best time to go to the Maldives? Chances are, you want to go the the Maldives because you've seen how truly beautiful it is. Dotted like ink blots in the clear, tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is an archipelago made up of more than 1,000 islands, 200 of which are inhabited. Historically a honeymoon destination, the best hotels in the Maldives have shifted the destination up a gear, opening it up further to the realms of solo travel and multi-generational holidays. Between the consistently hot weather, unspoilt sandy beaches, high-design hotels and award-winning restaurants, it’s hard to find fault with this small but mighty contender for winter sunshine. Continued here S11 Can dogs smell time? Just ask Donut the dog "She was a stray that came to our house when I was about 4," my husband, Matt, says. She had big, brown floppy ears and giant white and black spots on her flanks. "She was a hound mix," Matt says. "We knew she was a hound because she liked to roam," he adds. "We had to be careful not to let her get out because she would roam the neighborhood." Continued here S29 If You Are Known for These  Behaviors, Your Emotional Intelligence Could Be Higher Than Most People Start 2023 fresh by growing your emotional intelligence with these simple techniques. Continued here S55 NASA's next-generation asteroid hunter is now under construction, NASA announce NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor), a space observatory built to look for the hardest-to-find asteroids and comets that wander into Earth's orbital neighborhood, recently passed a rigorous technical and programmatic evaluation, NASA reports. The mission is moving into the final design and production phase, and the baseline for its technical, financial, and time requirements is being made. The observatory helps the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) in Washington, DC, reach its goals. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 mandated that at least 90% of the near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters (460 feet) in diameter that passes within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of our planet's orbit be characterized. Continued here S33 This Christmas, It's 'Firmageddon' as Climate Change Hits Oregon This story originally appeared in The Guardian and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Scientists have discovered a record number of dead fir trees in Oregon, a foreboding sign of how drought and the climate crisis are ravaging the American West. Continued here S35 Top 10 most popular stories on Big Think in 2022 Hello Big Thinkers! 2022 has been a year filled with angst — the war in Ukraine, global inflation, and the deaths of notable people like Queen Elizabeth II. Yet, there was a lot to capture our attention in good ways, as well, such as the breathtaking images produced by the James Webb Space Telescope. Below, we present the ten most popular stories that captivated the Big Think audience in 2022. Continued here S56 Porsche starts to use thin air and water to replace gasoline Porsche and international partners working with the Chilean operating company Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF) have successfully undertaken the development of synthetic fuels made out of thin air and water, according to a press release by the firm published last week. The production of these fuels will take place at the ‘Haru Oni’ pilot plant in Punta Arenas, Chile. Haru Oni will produce green hydrogen via a process called electrolysis using sustainable and green renewable energy derived from wind power. The facility will also capture CO2 from the atmosphere and use a process of synthesis to combine the CO2 and hydrogen to produce eFuels, including carbon-neutral methanol (eMethanol), carbon-neutral gasoline (eGasoline) and carbon-neutral Liquefied Gas (eLG). These eFuels offer a key opportunity for existing infrastructure to become carbon neutral by continuously reusing and recycling CO2. Continued here S39 How the French Do Christmas My first true Christmas in France, 12 years ago, almost didn’t happen. The day before flying to meet my fiancée in Paris, I’d gone to a Walgreens near my parents’ house in central New Jersey to get a flu shot. Though I trust the science, and had been assured this was impossible, within 24 hours of getting jabbed I was convulsing on my mother’s couch with one of the severest fevers and respiratory infections I had ever experienced. I missed my flight and had to purchase a new ticket at the last minute. My trip was off to a painful start. Once on the other side, however, and ensconced in front of the fire at my future sister-in-law’s apartment, I was inducted into a familiar yet subtly and pleasantly altered yuletide universe. I know that Americans who write positively about France are inevitably accused of pretension, privilege, or both. But given the ubiquity and overwhelming cultural force of the American style of Christmas, the comparison seems worth making. The French have figured out some things about the holiday—perhaps most important is that it’s all right for adults to put their pleasures first. Continued here S49 The world's largest aircraft engine is now ready for testing Rolls-Royce has announced that the construction of its UltraFan® technology demonstrator was complete and that testing was now underway. A significant program milestone was reached when the demonstrator engine was moved from the build workshop to Derby, U.K.'s Testbed 80, where it was mounted in anticipation of testing. The first test of the demonstrator is expected to take place early next year and will be operated using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Continued here S36 Dogs can smell people’s stress – new study Dogs have a long history alongside humans, giving them an amazing ability to read human cues. Dogs also possess an incredible sense of smell, which enables them to detect diseases, such as COVID and lung cancer, in humans from odor alone. Whether dogs’ capabilities extend to detecting odours associated with psychological states has been explored far less.  When people are stressed, there are hormonal and nervous system changes that alter the kinds of odors produced by the body. My colleagues and I wanted to know if dogs can discriminate between odor samples taken from the same person before and after becoming stressed. To do this, we took ideas from the field of biomedical detection dogs (sniffer dogs in a laboratory setting) and combined these ideas with techniques used to test dogs’ perceptions of odours. Continued here S48 Patriot Missile Defense System: America's most advanced air defense equipment Before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's first overseas visit since the Russian aggression, the U.S. announced military aid worth $1.85 billion to the war-torn country. This includes the Patriot missile defense system, the best air defense system in the U.S. arsenal. This explainer will help you understand why the Patriot Missile system is important and how it will help Ukraine defend itself. Continued here S65 The 23 best holiday destinations in April 2023 Portugal’s barely-there sprinkling of an archipelago, 280 miles off the coast of Morocco, is subtropically clement all year round. In April, this fertile island bursts into bloom (the Flower Festival falls in April or May, depending on the year) and things start to warm up. Though temperatures are hardly balmy (average high is 20ºC), it’s ideal weather for outdoor pursuits in the diverse natural environment, walking in lush green forests to waterfalls, up volcanic peaks and along vertiginous cliff paths; while the surrounding waters are a riot of marine life in April, brimming with 20 species of whales and dolphins. Continued here S63 What our sustainability editor is loving right now Who can resist loo paper from Who Gives A Crap? You might not have expected me to start with toilet paper as my top tip, but if you haven’t yet seen this charity-funding line of cheery bamboo-paper rolls in their pretty packaging. And yes, I questioned all that wrapping, but the trade-off is this company is working hard to improve sanitation in the developing world — plus their last limited-edition Earth line did a great job of raising awareness around wildlife conservation. Continued here S69 Can I travel to Qatar? Entry requirements explained As of Tuesday 1 November, the country dropped the last of its Covid restrictions. Travellers arriving in Qatar are no longer required to undergo self-isolation, report their Covid status through test certificates or register on the Ehteraz health application system prior to arrival. However, it is still mandatory for travellers to present their health status on the Ehteraz app when entering public and private healthcare facilities. Continued here S42 How Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Trains Are Transforming Rail Travel Travel by train—already one of the most eco-friendly ways to get around—now has the potential to be even greener.  In August, the world's first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trains debuted outside of Hamburg, Germany. Manufactured by French mobility company Alstom in a 93 million euro ($96.4 million) deal, the trains run on hydrogen fuel-cell technology that generates electrical energy propulsion for the engines, eliminating the need for fossil fuels.  Continued here S17 Why 2022 was a year of serious reckoning for Bollywood Looking back on a year in which Bollywood seemed to be Follywood. Continued here S37 New "future-proof" drug can fight COVID and the common cold University of British Columbia researchers have identified a coronavirus antiviral candidate, which in lab experiments halted infection by multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 and a totally different coronavirus — one of the culprits behind the common cold. Their compound is a “compelling target” for developing “broad-spectrum” anti-coronavirus therapies, the researchers wrote in their study, published in Molecular Biomedicine.  Continued here S67 Claridge's Spa review: “If you're looking for top-to-toe pampering, this is the pinnacle” What's the backstory?Since opening in 1856, everyone from silver screen royalty such as Cary Grant and Jackie Onassis to royalty, politicians and those just wanting to be part of the experience for a few hours while sipping tea from the finest china have graced this ornate entrance. But a fully rounded spa has been a noticeable absence here, especially as spas - and a swimming pool - have become part of holiday wellness rituals. They're now a must-have expectation from a luxury hotel stay. It follows that a sizeable spa was a logical and necessary expansion; even those who are drawn to the omnipresent bustle of London crave moments of calm - or the option of it at least.  Continued here S64 Greta Thunberg's guide to being climate positive “Educating yourself about the climate crisis is one of the most powerful things we can do,” Greta told the audience of the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre at the global launch of The Climate Book. A good start is to watch the talk Greta gave, then read this five-part tome, which breaks down the facts with emotive stories, graphs, and powerful photographs. As Margaret Atwood puts it in the book: “We have a lot of knowledge: we know what the problems are, and we know — more or less — what must be done to solve them.” Continued here S57 These new MPP coasters combine a diesel-electric drivetrain with a sailing system Holland Shipyards has acquired a new contract to develop three new MPP coasters, according to a press release published by the company on Tuesday. The new vessels will be designed by Conoship and will measure 89,42 meters by 13,20 meters. They will also boast a cargo hold capacity of 5.530 m³ and a tween deck to allow for increased project cargo capacity. The new ships' design will include a new sailing system called VentiFoil that will be combined with a diesel-electric drivetrain. Continued here S44 Holding up process of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is way better than expected Began constructed in 1173 and completed in 1372, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or simply the Tower of Pisa, has been the symbol of Italy for centuries. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions, and you have likely seen many photos of tourists trying to make the Tower of Pisa vertical with their hands. The Leaning Tower of Pisa and the neighboring cathedral, baptistery, and cemetery were included in the Piazza del Duomo UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and experts are trying to preserve it. Continued here S58 10 incredible James Webb Space Telescope images reveal the wonders of the universe It is no exaggeration to say the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) represents a new era for modern astronomy. Launched on December 25 last year and fully operational since July, the telescope offers glimpses of the universe that were inaccessible to us before. Like the Hubble Space Telescope, the JWST is in space, so it can take pictures with stunning detail free from the distortions of Earth’s atmosphere. Continued here S66 "I am lifted out of my wheelchair and into the world's first adapted camel saddle": Why travel to this remote location is more accessible than ever Authentic travel experiences are rarely accessible for those of us who navigate the world differently. As a manual wheelchair user and paraplegic of nearly twenty years, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been able to roll off the beaten track. Ours is an often sanitised or watered-down travel experience, adapted to meet our needs, limited by what's accessible. Real adventures appear reserved for those blessed not only with the means and the attitude but also the ability to go wherever their feet may carry them. Continued here S50 Spider: A balloon-borne experiment finally took off from Antarctica On December 21st, renowned physician Johanna Nagy with her team of scientists, launched a remarkable balloon-borne experiment – SPIDER from its launch pad in Antarctica. The instrument is all set to unravel secrets from our early universe! The telescopes, which go by the name Suborbital Polarimeter for Inflation, Dust, and the Epoch of Reionization – SPIDER, are intended to provide answers to some of the most perplexing queries regarding the rate at which the cosmos grew into existence.  Continued here S52 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization discovered in the north of Guatemala A team of researchers from numerous institutions in the United States, along with colleagues from France and Guatemala, found a massive 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala. The group made the discovery by using LiDAR. Similar to radar, LiDAR is a detection system based on laser light rather than radio waves. Researchers decided to use it because LiDAR can penetrate rainforests and reveal what is underneath them. Continued here S53 Light from satellites is sabotaging our search for dim galaxies and dark matter A report from U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that there are nearly 5,500 man-made satellites presently orbiting the Earth. It is estimated that by 2030, our planet will be surrounded by 58,000 more satellites. So is this a good or a bad thing? Well, it’s kind of both. Artificial satellites provide us with useful information on weather and climate patterns. They help us stay connected by facilitating our telephone calls and internet signals. Plus, our TV and radio broadcasts are also made possible by satellites. Continued here Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Tweets Tweets follow me on Twitter Microsoft Silverlight - Change the World Connect with Me Random Hacks! - My Blog @ MSDN Loading... Where Dreamers Dare! Loading... About Me Sayan Will copy and paste later from my official biography! 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