Saturday, December 14
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> College football bowl season kicks off tomorrow; see schedule and preview of all 36 matchups (More) | Eighteen-year-old Indian Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest-ever World Chess Champion (More)
> Sean "Diddy" Combs accused of rape by three men in separate lawsuits; Combs is currently awaiting trial on felony charges of racketeering and sex trafficking (More) | "Wicked" and "Conclave" lead nominations for the 2025 Critics Choice Awards with 11 apiece (More)
> BuzzFeed to sell "First We Feast," the studio behind popular "Hot Ones" YouTube show, for $82.5M (More) | YouTube TV to raise monthly subscription fee by $10 to $82.99 (More)
Science & Technology
> Google unveils Android XR, a mixed reality operating system for smart glasses and headsets integrating its AI platform Gemini (More) | ... and announces Gemini 2.0, built to support AI agents carrying out tasks for users (More)
> Neanderthals and humans in Eurasia interbred for a window of about 7,000 years beginning roughly 50,000 years ago, genetic analysis suggests; between 1% to 2% of modern Eurasian genes are inherited from Neanderthals (More)
> New study estimates superflares—bursts of radiation from stars equal to trillions of hydrogen bombs—may occur roughly once per 100 years; previous studies suggested events occurred every 1,000 to 10,000 years (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq -0.7%), weighed down by better-than-expected inflation report a day earlier (More) | ServiceTitan raises roughly $625M in Nasdaq debut, valuing cloud software firm at nearly $9B (More) | Heard about IPOs, but don't know how they work? Sign up for 1440 Business & Finance (Join here)
> Warner Bros. Discovery shares close up over 15% after announcing it will split its TV business from its streaming studios (More) | Adobe shares close down over 13% in biggest drop since September 2022 after downbeat revenue forecast (More)
> Federal Trade Commission sues Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, accusing the largest US alcohol distributor of offering discounts to large chain buyers like Costco and Kroger while charging higher prices to small businesses (More) | Stanley recalls 2.6 million mugs after 38 people suffer burns from faulty lids (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President-elect Donald Trump is named Time magazine's Person of the Year, rings the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell; magazine cites Trump's historic comeback and impact on news cycle (More) | Read the interview (More)
> Justice Department internal watchdog report on Jan. 6, 2021, storming of US Capitol finds FBI anticipated potential for violence, failed to canvass informants from field offices or dispatch undercover agents; four informants entered Capitol premises without FBI authorization (More) | Read the report (More)
> UK's health secretary permanently bans puberty blockers for children under 18, extending a temporary ban in place since May; decision follows a review this year finding a lack of evidence to date supporting the treatment, with transgender advocates calling the decision discriminatory (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Weekends
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When I was working, I used to look forward to the weekends, but ever since I retired (almost 10 years ago), the weekends just don't appear to be important to me anymore.
When I was married (first time) and living in North Carolina, most of our weekends were spent doing something around the house, either inside or out.
Oftentimes, my employment would have me working on the weekends which at first bothered me but later, I accepted it something that had to be done and rolled with the flow.
When I moved to Tennessee, my wife refused to join me, and we got divorced. Five years later, I married again, and my second wife and I always went somewhere most every weekend. Of course, there would be weekends where duties around the house and yard would prevail, but we traveled more than we stayed at home.
In 2015, we both retired, and we traveled every other month until COVID hit then we stayed at home. Once we were free and clear of COVID, we had lost our desire and interest in traveling.
Now, we complain when we have to get cleaned up to go to the doctor as we simply prefer staying at home. It not just being around people we don't want to be around, but the traffic bothers us as well.
Consequently, the days merge together, and I don't really know if it is a weekday or the weekend.
Air Engine Created
Why do countries launch so many rockets into space? It’s not just for exploration or for taking pictures of the moon and stars. You rely on satellites that orbit the Earth for almost every aspect of your daily life. You get directions from GPS signals that ping from satellites, and your cellphone sends and receives messages that way too. By launching a rocket with an engine fueled by methane and oxygen, China will be able to send rockets into Earth’s orbit at 18,000 miles per hour without refueling.
A new type of rocket fuel could launch China farther into space, beating its competition by a million miles
China has announced the successful launch of ZQ-2 Y2, the nickname of the country’s first liquid methane and liquid oxygen-fueled spacecraft. American scientists are worried about catching up to this breakthrough in aerospace engineering. Chinese companies and government organizations work hard to be at the forefront of technological innovation, and this event proves that their efforts pay off. Using this ne, ZQ-2w fuel, China could save millions of dollars and reduce some of the emissions created when launching rockets.
Liquid methane and liquid oxygen are not easy to create. To turn these gases into liquids, scientists have to force them through metal tubes submerged in super-cold liquid nitrogen. The freezing temperature slows down the gas particles, turning the substance into a liquid. Liquid methane and liquid oxygen burn much cleaner than traditional rocket fuel, which is made from petroleum. READ MORE...
Friday, December 13
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> 2025's Academy Awards ceremony will be livestreamed on Hulu alongside ABC broadcast (More) | Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 23 to Feb. 2) announces its lineup of 87 feature films (More) | Michael Cole, actor known for starring role in "The Mod Squad," dies at 84 (More)
> Berlin tapped to host its first regular season NFL game in 2025 (More) | NCAA looking to expand March Madness tournaments to 72 or 76 teams in near future (More) | Rocky Colavito, nine-time MLB All-Star, dies at 91 (More)
> Six-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick, who stepped down as coach of the New England Patriots in 2023 after 24 seasons, hired as next head coach at the University of North Carolina (More)
Science & Technology
> James Webb Space Telescope detects and estimates the mass of a galaxy that existed just 600 million years after the Big Bang; "Firefly Sparkle" expected to shed light on how the Milky Way developed (More) | See the 1440 Topics page on the James Webb (More)
> Researchers discover a new type of magnetism; altermagnetism phenomenon may lead to faster and more efficient digital memory devices (More)
> Engineers develop microscopic robots for delivering drugs to specific locations inside the body; demonstration project successfully treated bladder tumors in mice (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.8%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq +1.8%); Nasdaq tops 20,000 for first time, lifted by Alphabet, Tesla, Amazon, and Meta, which all closed at record highs (More)
> Consumer price index rose 2.7% year-over-year in November and 0.3% month-over-month; both figures are in line with expectations but higher than the 2.6% and 0.2% growth rates in October (More)
> SpaceX valuation rises to $350B as the company and its investors agree to buy back stock from insiders (More) | Stock buyback 101 (More) | Macy's misses analyst estimates, cuts earnings outlook after concluding investigation into employee who hid $151M accounting error (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month; the announcement by Wray, who Trump appointed in 2017, comes after Trump named Kash Patel as his intended FBI director (More)
> House of Representatives pass $895B defense bill for 2025 fiscal year, a 1% increase from 2024; the bill, which the Senate is expected to approve next week, would give 14.5% raise to junior enlisted service members (More)
> Federal judge rejects satirical site The Onion's $1.8M bid to purchase Alex Jones' Infowars site as part of bankruptcy auction proceedings, citing problems with the auction process; sale now turns to trustee to manage (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th symbolizes a day of bad luck and superstition for many people across the world. According to history.com, this belief combines two elements of misfortune: the day Friday, historically seen as unlucky in various cultures, and the number 13, which has long been viewed as an ill-fated number in both Western and Eastern traditions. Together, they create a day feared by some for potential mishaps.
What happens when it's Friday the 13th?
On Friday the 13th, people often approach the day with caution, avoiding significant decisions or events. Superstitions around this day may include avoiding travel, delaying surgeries or steering clear of major financial decisions. Airlines have even reported a drop in bookings on this date, and some buildings omit the 13th floor entirely.
What is the true story behind Friday the 13th?
The superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th seem to be a mix of religious beliefs, folklore and historical events. The most famous historical event tied to this date is the arrest of the Knights Templar, but there is no single, definitive "true story" behind Friday the 13th.
The Ultra-Compact Engine
Is there still room for newly developed internal combustion engines?
The Avadi MA-250 engine may spark controversy in the current era focused on renewable energy, as it represents a step away from electrification toward improving internal combustion technology. However, it highlights the need for more efficient combustion engines as a bridge to a future with cleaner, renewable energy sources. A more sustainable transition requires refining current technologies while building the infrastructure and scaling renewable alternatives, and the MA-250’s efficiency may play a crucial role in that process.
The Avadi MA-250 could redefine internal combustion engine technology with its innovative design. Developed since 2015, the compact rotary engine features a unique piston mechanism that eliminates the crankshaft, offering improved efficiency and reduced emissions. This breakthrough could give combustion engines a new role in the automotive world, providing a more efficient alternative in an era dominated by electric vehicles. By enhancing ICE technology, the MA-250 could serve as a key transitional step toward a greener, more sustainable future.
READ MORE...
Thursday, December 12
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