Starliner? Not so much
Boeing’s Starliner hasn’t had a particularly star-studded past and that won’t be changing anytime soon. A Boeing official said on Thursday that it would be “standing down” on its upcoming launch of the spacecraft, meant to take to the heavens in July. Why? Two major issues have been discovered in the buildup to the launch that could potentially endanger the spacecraft and the two NASA astronauts meant to take the ride.
These issues have only recently come to light, with Boeing’s Vice President Mark Nappi confirming that a delay was in order. In a teleconference with reporters, Nappi said “Safety is always our top priority, and that drives this decision.”
These aren’t quick fixes. The first involves a type of P-213 glass tape that runs around the spacecraft’s wiring harnesses, designed to protect all the wiring covering the length of the (rather large) vehicle. During recent tests, however, Boeing discovered that under specific circumstances, the tape is susceptible to catching fire. That’s, uh, not good.
The next concerns the craft’s “soft links” that connect Starliner and its set of parachutes. The “soft links” have apparently lived up to their name, with Boeing revealing that these were not as strong as initially believed.
As for when Starliner will have a go of its first crewed ‘test flight’, Boeing isn’t sure. Nor did it offer any firm flight windows. A 2023 launch is possible, though it may request the help of NASA engineers before it decides on an official launch date.
Source: Ars Technica
Fitbit is doing away with Fitbit (accounts)
Fitbit’s four customers, listen up: Fitbit logins are dying, and Google logins are set to become the new reality. And no, you don’t have a choice. At least, you won’t for the time being. From tomorrow, 6 June, Google – Fitbit’s parent company – will introduce an option for users to sign into their accounts using Google credentials.
For now, it’s just that. An option. After 2025 though, it won’t be, which is when Google will do away with Fitbit accounts entirely. Users still clinging to their Fitbit accounts won’t have a choice but to make the switch to Google’s credentials in 2025, meaning they’ll have to get with the program or find a new tracker brand away from the watchful eye of Google.
In a bid to ease the mind of its Fitbit customers, Google said that it wouldn’t be using any health and wellness data in Google Ads. Whew, we guess?
Source: Engadget
Rest in Peace, Cortana. You won’t be missed
Microsoft is already killing off Cortana, the company’s Windows “assistant” that helped users with reminders, voice commands, and… actually, that’s all it did. And before you ask, no. This wasn’t some premature death to slow the advancement of AI. It’s… the opposite. Cortana is being shifted along to make way for Microsoft’s new Copilot tool, which will do everything Cortana does, and more.
The news comes in the form of a support page Microsoft recently published, first spotted by XDA. It didn’t provide any firm information as to when it’ll be removed from the Windows interface – stating that it will “no longer support Cortana in Windows as a standalone app” sometime in 2023.
It’s been a slow, drawn-out end for the assistant. It lost its place of prestige in the toolbar on the release of Windows 11, with Microsoft killing off the Cortana app back in 2020. Those with Surface laptops and headphones will have noted the absence of Cortana, too.
Cortana’s demise is confined to Windows OS for the time being. It’ll still be a part of the Teams mobile app, along with Teams Display, Outlook Mobile, and Teams Rooms. Our guess? Those apps will lose Cortana support the second that Microsoft manages to port over the newer, shinier Copilot assistant. When that’ll be, though, we can’t be sure.
Clerk Hunt
A Sharon, SC man has been arrested after he robbed a store using a spray-painted Nintendo Duck Hunt game pistol. #YCSONews https://t.co/8QoQ8L7ILZ
— York County Sheriff (@YCSO_SC) May 31, 2023
If it sounds like we’re reporting on a story from The Onion, we’re here to put your mind at ease. This… this is real. And it’s extremely special. A South Carolinian man allegedly held up a convenience store in the States using, get this, a spraypainted Duck Hunt gun. Believe us, we wish this were a spoof article of our invention.
The 25-year-old David Joseph Dalesandro was apparently clever enough to convince the shopkeeper that the toy gun was real, “escaping” on foot with $300 in cash. Unfortunately, he wasn’t clever enough to escape for longer than it took to get down the street, where the York Country Sheriff’s Department apprehended the culprit, complete with the toy gun down his pants.
The York Country Sheriff’s Department couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a few likes on social media, releasing images of the man in custody and of the spray-painted toy gun he used to make the robbery. The usually orange and grey NES Zapper Gun was released in the 80s as an accessory to Nintendo’s self-explanatory Duck Hunt game for the NES.
There’s been no word as to when or if the culprit will be let out. For now, he may just be better off in prison, away from Nintendo’s world-class team of lawyers.