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LightSail 2 is now surfing on sunlight

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One slight hiccup — the spacecraft did not rise far above the horizon, which scientists theorize is due to its orientation during the pass and the presence of the sail. The 32-square meter sail is roughly the size of a boxing ring. After the sail deployed on July 23rd, telemetry indicated that the spacecraft’s small motor was rotating correctly, extending four, four-meter booms from their central spindle. The booms — made of cobalt-alloy — are attached to four triangular sections that make up the sail itself.

“Yesterday, we successfully set sail on beams of sunlight,” said Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society in a statement. “Thanks to our team and our tens of thousands of supporters around the world, the dream started by The Planetary Society’s founders more than 4 decades ago has taken flight.”

The images captured by LightSail 2’s two wide-angle cameras gave scientists evidence that the sail had deployed correctly. Each 185-degree fisheye camera lens is wide enough to capture more than half of the sail. The Planetary Society released raw images captured by the spacecraft, which include jaw-dropping shots of the Earth and its own sail.

Four weeks ago, LightSail 2 first launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center while aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Unlike traditional spacecraft which are powered by rocket engines, solar sails are propelled by photons from the sun. At present, the Sun is giving the space craft a gentle push that is no heavier than the weight of a paper clip. Over time, this push will raise LightSail 2’s orbit. The spacecraft will spend the next month raising its orbit in this fashion, and is expected to re-enter the atmosphere in roughly a year.



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House passes bipartisan bill to stop illegal robocalls

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The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act requires carriers to authenticate every call and to offer opt-out blocking for free. To make that possible, it also supports the rapid implementation of call authentication technologies. The FCC will have to adopt critical consumer protections and to report its efforts against illegal callers to Congress if the bill becomes a law. It will also give the FCC up to four years to catch illegal robocall operators. Finally, it will establish a Hospital Robocall Protection Group to protect the healthcare system from illegal robocalls.

The final bill will likely look a bit different after the Senate and the House get together to discuss their respective versions. Even so, this is a huge step forward to ban illegal robocalls, which continues to become an increasingly problematic issue.

The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act leaders said in a statement:

“Today, the House of Representatives voted to restore Americans’ confidence in the telephone system and put consumers back in charge of their phones. We’re proud of the strong support our bipartisan Stopping Bad Robocalls Act received this afternoon and look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to produce a bill that the President can sign into law. The American people are counting on us to help end the robocall epidemic, and we will deliver for them.”

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Nike’s Joyride shoes use tiny beads to make your runs more comfortable

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The company told Engadget its Joyride tech has been in the works for around 10 years, and it believes that with it runners will have the “most cushioned ride we’ve ever been able to deliver.” That’s saying a lot for Nike, which already has some of the best running shoes out there, including the ZoomX Vaporfly, Pegasus Turbo and Epic React. With the Joyride Run Flyknit, Nike says its hope is to appeal to elite runners as well as people who may just be starting off. As such, durability was also a key focus during the development of the sneaker, and Nike says a cushioning system with over 450 miles showed “no concerns” in the wear-and-tear department.

Nike Joyride

Adidas, Nike’s main competitor, does have the Ultraboost for its part — which I often describe as feeling as if you’re walking on a soft, cushiony pillow. With the Joyride Run Flyknit, Nike has created something similar, if not better. And since these shoes don’t include a sock-liner, you feel the thousands of tiny beads conform to your feet as soon as you put them on, since there’s only a thin piece of fabric between them and each foot. That should help maximize performance, Nike says, since Joyride has the ability to adapt to every runner differently.

Nike’s Joyride Run Flyknit will launch globally on August 15th for $180, although Nike Plus members have the chance to scoop them up earlier, on July 25th. That said, these won’t be the only sneakers to don the Joyride technology: Nike is also working on women- and kid-specific models that are going to have the bead-filled cushioning system, some of which you can get a sneak peak of in the photo gallery below. Those other models are set to drop later this year.

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Microsoft drops the ‘Online’ name from its Office web apps

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On one hand, ditching “Online” as a naming convention makes sense. It goes without saying if you are accessing the app through the web that you are using the “online” version of it. On the other hand, it might cause some confusion when Microsoft tries to differentiate between its desktop, mobile and web apps. The company said that it will continue referring to the web-based apps as “Office for the web” to clarify the platform, which is kind of what the “Online” moniker did for them already.

While the popular Office apps including Word, PowerPoint and Excel are shaking the “Online” descriptor, other Microsoft products will be hanging onto it. The company said it will continue to use the naming convention for Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Project Online and Office Online Server.

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Tencent adds age-based playtime limits to ‘League of Legends’ in China

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In the face of pressure from the Chinese government, Tencent and Riot Games have added age-based time limits to League of Legends in China, Polygon reports. Minors now get booted from the game after two hours of play, and the companies use China’s national ID numbers — which are used to make accounts — to verify ages. Supposedly, the new rules are an attempt to curb gaming addiction.

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Samsung will release the Galaxy Fold in September

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The protective layer above the Fold’s Infinity Flex Display now extends beyond the bezel so people won’t try to pull it off, and its hinge is improved to protect against external particles finding their way in. There are also additional metal layers under the flexible display, and the space between the hinge and the body has been reduced.

Samsung didn’t reveal what the “select markets” are that will get the Fold in September, only promising more details closer to launch. However, in the time that the hardware has been redesigned, the company says it’s also been working on the Fold’s software experience, which includes optimizing more “apps and services” to fit its unique capabilities.

We didn’t experience any hardware problems with our review unit, but did run into problems with app compatibility, and the extra development time might be just the thing to fix that. Check out the video from our review this spring while we wait to get our hands on Samsung’s second attempt at a foldable future.

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Tesla CTO and co-founder JB Straubel will step down

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During Tesla’s earnings call today, the company announced that one of its longest-tenured executives — outside of CEO Elon Musk — is leaving the company. CTO JB Straubel is credited with helping to create the company’s battery technology, and according to his company bio helped launch programs like its Supercharger network and the Tesla Energy business.

More than a decade ago, when the company had only produced 27 vehicles, he was talking about building a $20 – $30,000 electric car, and Tesla has come considerably closer to doing just that. On the call Straubel said he wanted to make sure people knew this wasn’t ” some lack of confidence in the company or the team or anything like that.”

He joins a long list of executives to leave Tesla in recent weeks, months and years, however many weren’t announced so publicly. Elon Musk announced that former VP of technology Drew Baglino will take over his duties.

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Canada invests $85 million in internet satellites for rural areas

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Navdeep Bains, the Canadian minister of innovation, said that high-speed internet access is not a luxury, and that Canadians should have access to it regardless of where they live. “Today’s announcements will provide us with a glimpse of what future connectivity of rural and remote communities will look like. It will also ensure that innovative Canadian companies, like Telesat and its partners, remain world leaders, creating highly skilled jobs in Canada,” said Bains in a statement.

Telesat has made steady progress in its goal of establishing a low-earth-orbit (LEO) constellation of 292 satellites, aiming to provide satellite internet service by the end of 2022. Back in January, Telesat reached a deal with Jeff Bezos’ rocket firm, Blue Origin, to deploy the satellites, and Alpabet’s Loon to provide the networking system. At present, companies like Airbus, Thales and Leonardo are vying for a contract to build Telesat’s constellation, estimated to be worth $3 billion.

Telesat’s LEO network will be 35 times closer to the Earth’s orbit than traditional satellites, resulting in a shorter trip for internet signals. Such a system is expected to easily integrate with existing terrestrial networks, and deliver fiber-quality internet anywhere on Earth. Telesat expects to provide minimum internet speeds of 50/10 Mbps per household.

Rural Canada has long been considered a “blackout zone,” where slow internet speeds and dead cell zones are endemic.This is in stark contrast to Canada’s cities, where 96 percent of residents have access to speeds of at least 100 Mbps. Last November, a report by Canada’s Office of the Auditor General revealed that a $500 million effort by the government to wire 300 rural communities is in disarray. Hopefully this venture by Telesat — expected to earn $1.2 billion in revenue over the next 10 years — will also help bridge the digital divide.

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EA Access game subscriptions finally go live on PS4

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The service also offers early access to new games through Play First trials, through which you can check out some titles before EA officially releases them via limited-time demos. Your Play First save progress will carry over when you buy a game. The Madden NFL 20 trial, for instance, starts July 25th, eight days before the game’s formal release date. Subscribers also get 10 percent off digital purchases, including games and DLC.

Xbox One gamers have been able to use EA Access since 2014 and PC players for three years, so its PS4 debut has been a long time coming. EA revealed back in May that its service would hit the console this summer after Sony finally gave it the green light.

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Watch SpaceX launch a twice-used Dragon capsule at 6:24PM ET (updated)

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There will be ample cargo aboard the capsule, including an experiment for 3D-printing human tissue, a study of the effects of tissue healing in microgravity, a test for how microbes interact with rocks and a second docking adapter for new capsules like the Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner.

It’s also a symbolic mission. The launch is taking place on the 50th anniversary of when Apollo 11 returned to Earth, and the capsule will include a logo near the side hatch to mark the historic occasion. In a sense, this illustrates how much spaceflight has changed in 50 years. While another Moon shot is still a few years off, spaceflight has gone from becoming a rare, strictly government-operated affair to an everyday occurrence with private companies playing a crucial role.

Update 7/24 6:26PM ET: SpaceX scrubbed the launch at 29 seconds to go after determining that weather conditions would be too rough. You won’t have to wait too long, at least, since the next launch opportunity is on July 25th at 6:01PM Eastern.

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