SpaceX unleashes a Dragon
This weekend saw the launch of Space X’s Dragon spacecraft, which arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday at 15:00 SAST. Unfortunately, Luckily, the launch and subsequent docking at the ISS went off without a hitch – bringing in supplies, new solar arrays, and a bunch of scientific experiments for the astronauts up there to keep themselves busy.
The Dragon, which launched using a Falcon 9 rocket, wasn’t the only other spacecraft hanging around the ISS parking lot. It joined the Crew-5 Dragon, a Cygnus-18, a Russian Soyuz MS-22, and two unnamed Russian supply ships.
Possibly the most important cargo on the Dragon (besides the Dragon itself) is the new set of solar arrays. Once installed alongside the current set on the ISS, NASA is expecting a 20-30% increase in power. A couple have already been deployed, with plans in place to install the rest during future spacewalks.
The Dragon is expected to stick around for the next month or so, so the astronauts up there can finish their homework and return the experiments once the spacecraft returns to Earth.
LIVE: @SpaceX‘s Dragon spacecraft is delivering @ISS_Research experiments and a new set of unfurling solar arrays to the @Space_Station.
Docking is scheduled for 7:30am ET (1230 UTC). #CRS26 https://t.co/rN2L0lrdwH
— NASA (@NASA) November 27, 2022
Source: Digital Trends
Shock horror: Twitter’s verification system is changing yet again
If you’ve grown bored of the constant chatter surrounding Twitter and Elon Musk, join the club. We’re talking about it because we are paid to. Every weekday it’s the same story: “Something something Elon Musk Twitter something”. Once again, it’s Twitter’s verification system that’s being tweaked – which feels like it’s had more changes than the original Star Wars.
The platform’s verification system was suspended last week, with Elon Musk recently announcing plans to relaunch it on 2 December. This time, we’re not just changing the colour of the ticks – we’re getting new ones as well. Companies get a new gold checkmark; government accounts a grey one. The original blue checkmark is reserved for some of the few willing to cough up $8 — regardless of celebrity status. You see, Musk said that after the system’s relaunch that “all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before [the] check activates,” something he later described as “painful, but necessary.”
We’re not quite sure how long verifying a verification could take. We’ll have to wait until Friday to find out. Or at least until Musk changes up his formula again.
Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.
Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.
Painful, but necessary.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
Source: Digitaltrends
Ferrari’s Virtual GT is coming
“Feast your eyes on the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo: Maranello’s first ever car designed specifically for the virtual motor sport world.” That’s the actual tagline Ferrari went for the unveiling of its Vision Gran Turismo. If that sounds silly, that’s because it is.
While the idea of Ferrari spending their time designing a car for a video game is a silly one, the actual idea wasn’t a bad one. In honour of Gran Turismo’s (GT) 25th anniversary, the games creator – Kazunori Yamauchi – gave Ferrari a task: “Design your rendition of the ideal GT for us.” And Ferrari didn’t disappoint.
The Vision GT was “built” to be aerodynamic as hell. The car’s air vents, rear wing, and diffuser were designed to provide as much downforce as possible. Inside, there’s a 3-litre, V6 hybrid engine, paired up with three electric motors – capable of providing 1338 horsepower.
The car is launching in GT 7 on 23 December – and is expected to become one of the game’s most popular cars. A concept model is being built, so the design team’s time wasn’t totally wasted. It’ll launch at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello on 15 December. At the same time, one player will receive the car early in-game, provided they win the upcoming campaign quiz. Keep an eye out for that.
Don’t bring your kids to this one
Actually, don’t bring your kids to any theatre. It ruins it for the rest of us. We’re here to see Minions 3: Reminioned like the grownups we are. But in the case of Bambi: The Reckoning, it’ll be a legal requirement not to bring your kids along. That’s because Bambi: The Reckoning will be R-rated, with the little deer slaughtering as many people (or animals) as possible.
If you’re wondering why someone would want to give its viewers nightmare fuel, Disney’s rights have lapsed into the public domain. The Reckoning follows a similar concept to that of ‘Pooh: Blood and Honey’, which was made for the same reason. The Reckoning’s director, Scott Jeffrey describes Bambi as a “vicious killing machine who lurks in the wilderness[…] Prepare for Bambi on rabies!”
Both horror retellings of our favourite childhood characters are set to release in early 2023. The director of Pooh is set to produce The Reckoning, which leads us to believe a multiverse could be in the works. “Pooh vs. Bambi – Dawn of Justice“, anyone? Not you, Zack. Seeing the movie once is enough, thanks.
Source: Gizmodo
