The completion of the acquisition expands Iridium’s role in the aviation ecosystem by combining Aireon’s space-based air traffic surveillance and aviation intelligence services with Iridium’s global satellite communications network and resilient PNT capabilities.

Roberts Flight Information Region (Roberts FIR), located off the west coast of Africa, has selected Aireon’s space-based automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data to navigate and surveil aircraft in the combined upper airspace of its three member States, joining a growing number of African countries opting for the revolutionary product.

The Roberts FIR, which is headquartered in Liberia, is a tripartite organization responsible for the control and safety of air navigation in the combined upper airspace of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with a total size of 770,777 square km. Each Member state manages its portion of the airspace from the ground to 3000 ft. Mean Sea Level (MSL).

Built for 650-1000V systems, the Multi HS19 Solar 15k combines 3-phase power, battery charging, and solar tracking in a single 19-inch rack unit. High-voltage operation reduces current, cabling, and losses; enabling more compact systems, faster installation, and high efficiency within the Victron ecosystem.

Jurassic Park, while beloved as a film, has been the subject of snarky memes for the infamous line in which one of the characters declares, “This is a Unix system, I know this!” while using a computer with an unusual 3D file manager interface.

Despite the memes, the film’s production team was meticulous in accurately sourcing the right PCs (and adjacent details) for the sets—not too much of a surprise, given writer Michael Crichton’s background with computing and his obsessive attention to detail in the book the film is based on.

This was made clear by a little hobbyist investigation from Google software engineer Fabien Sanglard. He scanned the film and picked out every specifically identifiable piece of hardware he could see, listed what they were, and shared context from other sources on their specs, costs, and how they ended up in the production.

https://fabiensanglard.net/jurrasic_park_computers/index.html //

For additional background, Sanglard shared this quote from Jurassic Park special effects coordinator Cory Faucher, as seen in the book The Making of Jurassic Park:

Everything in the set was real. We couldn’t fake any of it, because audiences are so sophisticated now in their knowledge of computers. All told, $875,000 worth of computer hardware loaned by Silicon Graphics, $350,000 worth from Apple and some $500,000 in additional hardware and software went into equipping both the set and off-stage control room.

Why is there such a clear, repetitive agenda serving us pornography, race issues, and kitsch at every important white-wall gallery across the world just as reliably as you can get the same frappé at any Starbucks from China to Alaska? Because while the modernist revolution of art aimed to overthrow the constricting chains of formal academism, all it did was give us the flipside of the same controlling coin, as a new power nexus was formed in the post-War world.

A new structure of governments and corporations (which have almost one and the same agenda), universities, foundations, financial elites, and academics, has coalesced into what is tantamount to a new academic system forbidding true creativity, free thinking, and most importantly of all, beauty, which is their greatest threat. The result is a rote, one-note art scene. //

Before the creation of the modern art Academy, the main patron of the arts was the Church, from their ascendancy (artistically speaking) in the time of Charlemagne to their height in the early 16th century. The art and architecture produced was radically genius, and trail-blazed what art even was–Giotto alone made the large leap from a somewhat primitive painting to what is still some of the finest painting we have. But the painting and architecture coming from those great innovators of the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries was not at all created by rule or convention, but was channeled from a place of almost mystical vision. They were connected to God from their hearts, and their love for Him poured into their work. The result was a revolutionary and totally unaffected beauty; it was the real avant-garde before that term ever existed.

And then in the 15th century, Leonardo and Michelangelo took painting and sculpture to new heights that are to this day almost unbelievable. These Catholic artists were radical channels for God, and their work brought, and continues to bring, thousands of people to Him. //

The World Wars were, generally speaking, a clean break with the past. //

We were (and are) living in a post-civilized world, and as Walter Benjamin, quoted by art historian Hal Foster, said, “modernism teaches us how to survive civilization if need be” (Foster, 1).

Help us survive civilization…I am not sure if modernism does that. Yes, civilization was destroyed, but not in a void. There is a real force of power that perpetrated the destruction and came out on top afterward. Modernism was adopted as the official style and cultural building block of their new world. This world would be a sort of civilization, but it wouldn’t be civilized.

Thus, the hegemonic United States promoted abstraction, a CIA agent co-founded the Paris Review, the Rockefellers founded MoMA, and the major American universities hired all the modern architects away from Europe (which was no longer the cultural, corporate, or financial center). The new nexus of power, consisting of the elites, their money, their corporations, and the politicians they control, needed a new brand, and the ‘avant-garde’ perfectly fit their purposes. But as what happens, Boime notes, with any power, even the avant-garde, it “congeals into an absolute system reminiscent of the traditional academy” (Boime, 213).

This time, though, instead of each country having their own Academy, there would be one single global force pumping out the party line, and that’s how you get the same exhibits anywhere and everywhere with the same look and same themes. There is one global agenda of feminism, environmentalism, and anti-racism, anti-colonialism (insert any other ‘ism’) in politics, which is then propagated through the arts. Similarly to the academic system, there can be little artistic innovation because this system does not allow for free-thinking, true creativity, or expansive beauty.

Notice how the centers of art are also the capitals of corporations and finance–New York, London, and Basel. Notice the list of corporate sponsors at the entrance of museum exhibitions. //

In college Art History classes, the word beauty was explicitly not allowed as a valid word to apply to art, which cut me off from whatever instinct I had towards beauty and conform my thinking to the official beliefs of the classroom. From there, it became very easy to evaluate a work by Rubens on the same level as a Duchamp. Notably, thinking that a bicycle wheel hammered to a stool is a work of art is just the same as thinking a man can be a woman or any other absurdity.

They may have attempted to destroy civilization, and have done a pretty thorough job of it, but there is one thing that the gates of hell will never prevail against. It is the Rock which, when tapped in faith, contains the living water and well-spring of all creativity and beauty. //

There is nothing more radical, more challenging, more truly avant-garde than beauty, which is simply whatever reveals the truth of God. The ways that can manifest are as variegated as His own creation and cannot be limited by rules, except those He lovingly sets out for us, that, in practice, only further expand our freedom.

Art history barely began before it was hijacked by those who understood the unique power of art as a shaping force on the world, and they want us to believe it’s all over. But in reality, the greatest works of art are yet to be made in painting, sculpture, architecture, and music–but only if artists choose correctly between glorifying the kingdom of God or the kingdom of man.

Honestly, SB has been security theater from the beginning because it depended on at least three entities the user and/or developers had no control over to certify the chain-of-trust is uncompromised. //

This is why many people in Linux land don't turn on SB. It's causing more trouble than its worth, given how easily it's bypassed on most hardware. And that's why I pointed out about the two conditions for SB to be useful. A) the UEFI options must default to fail to safe - refuse to boot (which most of the time they don't), B) Microsoft nor the OEMs can be part of the chain of trust, it must be entirely local and auditable. Those two conditions are also why it'll never properly function on consumer grade hardware.

The actor, who starred in 1993’s Jurassic Park, died Monday in Sydney, Australia, at the age of 78.

Many Christian parents struggle with the use of magic in literature. Some feel uncomfortable with any magical elements, while others object only to those associated with witchcraft. I’ve had many online conversations with parents who struggle to articulate exactly “how much” magic they’re willing to allow in their kids’ books. I myself have wrestled with this issue, seeking a biblical approach and landing in various places at different times. My goal here is to provide you with an introduction to this topic, and to equip you with perspectives to approach it biblically and practically. Although I love literature, I love the word of God far more. I know I will have to give an account to the Lord for everything, and I deeply desire to represent his word well, despite my fallibility. Having said this, I realize you may come to different conclusions than I have. //

When I approach fantasy literature that includes magical elements, I try to look through a similar lens and ask the questions “Where does this power originate?” and “What are the practitioner’s intentions?” Remember that when an author writes in the genre of fantasy, his or her intent is (usually) not to encourage belief in fantastical events but rather to help the reader recognize the deeper truths that the imaginative elements of the story convey. Oftentimes, the author points to spiritual truths more effectively illustrated outside the bounds of our own reality. Well-written fantasy won’t focus on the magical elements themselves; rather, any magic will simply be a creative vehicle to highlight good versus evil and to reveal the truth that spiritual forces are at work in the world. ////

invocation vs. incantation -- calling on powers or using "unknown technology that is indistinguishable from magic for illiterates in it"

Jesus confronted the disciples’ distorted belief system: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3, ESV).

This poor blind beggar had suffered greatly throughout his life. We don’t know if he heard the disciples’ question to Jesus or not, but here’s what we do know: Jesus immediately defended him. Had this man sinned? Of course he had. And so had his parents. But Jesus clarified this wasn’t the cause of his suffering. Not only did Jesus challenge their simplistic view of suffering and ultimately point them to the greater purpose of his glory; he also fiercely defended a help­less man. Jesus was like a father stepping in front of a child: To get to him, you’ll first have to go through me.

What a Savior we have—forgiver of the sinner, helper of the helpless, defender of the defenseless. Yes, he came to expose the darkness of hearts, but he also came to shine the light of his hope and glory into the dark places of our pain (v. 5). It’s tempting to as­sume God looks at our pain and wonders, Why are you struggling? Don’t you see that I’m doing something through it?

But Jesus’ heart is empathetic, not critical. His life on earth shows us how much he still em­pathizes and grieves with us over the brokenness of the world. And everything he does brings him the greatest glory and us the greatest good (Rom. 8:28).

If we question that truth, we’ll constantly question his heart for us when we can’t understand his ways. But Psalm 56 assures us, “This I know, that God is for me” (v. 9, ESV). Our faith will be bolstered when it’s founded on the knowledge that God is undeniably, without a doubt, for us. //

Friend, your suffering isn’t God’s punishment, and it’s never pointless. Jesus is always at work in ways we can’t see in the mo­ment. And it’s always for the purpose of showing the goodness and glory of God to us, in us, and through us.

Still, we think, If I just knew why, then I could endure. But what we ultimately need more than anything else is not the light that shines on the answers we want but the light of Jesus himself.

Jesus could have explained the man’s blindness, but he didn’t. That wasn’t what the man really needed. Yes, it would have been God’s undeserved grace to spare him from a gene mutation, disease, or whatever caused his blindness. His life would have been easier. Had that been the case, though, would he have come face to face with Jesus? Maybe not. He would have been content with his physical sight, despite walking in spiritual darkness. But in the hands of a powerful God, it was also an undeserved grace for the blind beggar’s life to become a remarkable story of redemption that led him (and those around him) to spiritual sight.

You may not see it now, but answers to your pain won’t bring ultimate comfort. Only nearness to Jesus will. Jesus wants what is best for you and has the power to bring it about.

EtherMesh

EtherMesh is a feature-rich Android application that transforms peer-to-peer file synchronization into a powerful decentralized communication platform. Built upon the robust Syncthing engine, EtherMesh introduces the LinkThing framework, enabling serverless, peer-to-peer applications through a unique "Everything is a File" philosophy.

Open Book Touch
A pocketable, front-lit, open source e-reader — for every book, in every language //

Open Book Touch
Open Book Touch e-book reader with included LiPo battery and MicroSD card

$149 Free US Shipping / $12 Worldwide
Orders placed now ship Apr 21, 2027.

The Trump administration on Monday barred US citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from returning home amid an Ebola outbreak that continues to outpace response efforts.

Reuters first reported late Monday that Americans currently in the DRC or those who have recently traveled to the Ebola-stricken country have been put on a “do-not-board” list. They cannot travel back to the US until they have spent 21 days in a third country. The order, taken under a transportation authority known as Title 49, was independently confirmed by Politico on Tuesday.

Both outlets noted that roughly two dozen Americans who had been set to board flights home on Tuesday have already been blocked by the new rule. It remains unclear if the bar also applies to government workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has at least two dozen employees working in the DRC.

The move adds to the already extremely stringent and controversial travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration in an effort to wall itself off from the outbreak. Health experts continue to be critical of such restrictions, as they have historically been unsuccessful and harmful. Specifically, they discourage countries and people from being transparent about outbreaks and disease risks, hurt economies, and create stigma. There is also concern that such restrictions will limit humanitarian aid workers. //

The US has built an elite network of medical facilities that can safely isolate Ebola patients while offering high-quality care.

In past Ebola outbreaks, no such stringent travel restrictions were implemented, and the US repatriated eight cases for high-level care. None of the repatriated patients transmitted the virus.

New study confirms 2024 “momentum flux theory” on how angular momentum of water flows drives rotation.

A typical lawn sprinkler features various nozzles arranged at angles on a rotating wheel; when water is pumped in, they release jets that cause the wheel to rotate. But what would happen if the water were sucked into the sprinkler instead? In which direction would the wheel turn then, or would it even turn at all? That’s the essence of the “reverse sprinkler” problem that physicists like Richard Feynman, among others, have grappled with since the 1940s. Now, applied mathematicians at New York University think they’ve cracked the conundrum, per a recent paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters—and the answer challenges conventional wisdom on the matter. //

Mach proposed that there would be no rotation with a reverse sprinkler: the reaction force on the nozzle as it sucks in water pulls the nozzle counter-clockwise, while the water flowing into the inside of the nozzle pushes it clockwise. The two forces cancel each other out in this steady-state scenario. Feynman’s own experiment showed a slight tremor when pressure was first applied to pump water through the nozzle, and then the sprinkler returned to its original position and remained still.

But others suggested that if the friction was low enough and the inflow rate high enough, a reverse sprinkler will start to turn in the opposite direction of an ordinary sprinkler, thanks to the formation of a vortex inside.

The Making of the Voyager Golden Record

The following is a listing of sounds electronically placed onboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.

The following is a partial listing of pictures electronically placed on the golden records which are carried onboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.

Why Johnny Can’t Read: Not Enough Phonics
Reading scores have been bad for thirty years.

Why? Because teachers stopped pushing phonics and replaced it with something called “Balanced Literacy.”

Greetings! We are husband and wife photographers and filmmakers, Darrin and Sharon Henry, from the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, and more recently spending extended time in the wonderful City of Hull, in the north of England.

A grammar book walks into a bar

• An Oxford comma walks into a bar, where it spends the evening watching the television, getting drunk, and smoking cigars.
• A dangling participle walks into a bar. Enjoying a cocktail and chatting with the bartender, the evening passes pleasantly.
• A bar was walked into by the passive voice.
• An oxymoron walked into a bar, and the silence was deafening.
• Two quotation marks walk into a “bar.”
• A malapropism walks into a bar, looking for all intents and purposes like a wolf in cheap clothing, muttering epitaphs and casting dispersions on his magnificent other, who takes him for granite.
• Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.
• A question mark walks into a bar?
• A non sequitur walks into a bar. In a strong wind, even turkeys can fly.
• Courier New and Comic Sans walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Get out -- we don't serve your type."
• A mixed metaphor walks into a bar, seeing the handwriting on the wall but hoping to nip it in the bud.
• A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.
• Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They converse. They depart.
• A synonym strolls into a tavern.
• At the end of the day, a cliché walks into a bar -- fresh as a daisy, cute as a button, and sharp as a tack.
• A run-on sentence walks into a bar it starts flirting. With a cute little sentence fragment.
• Falling slowly, softly falling, the chiasmus collapses to the bar floor.
• A figure of speech literally walks into a bar and ends up getting figuratively hammered.
• An allusion walks into a bar, despite the fact that alcohol is its Achilles heel.
• The subjunctive would have walked into a bar, had it only known.
• A misplaced modifier walks into a bar owned by a man with a glass eye named Ralph.
• The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense.
• A dyslexic walks into a bra.
• A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun, and suggests they conjugate. The noun declines.
• A simile walks into a bar, as parched as a desert.
• A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to forget.
• A hyphenated word and a non-hyphenated word walk into a bar and the bartender nearly chokes on the irony .
  – Jill Thomas Doyle