Author name: Shannon Garcia

nasa-indefinitely-delays-return-of-starliner-to-review-propulsion-data

NASA indefinitely delays return of Starliner to review propulsion data

Science, Space, starliner / /

You can check out any time you like —

“We are letting the data drive our decision.”

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Boeing's Starliner capsule lifts off aboard United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket.

Enlarge / Boeing’s Starliner capsule lifts off aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.

In an update released late Friday evening, NASA said it was “adjusting” the date of the Starliner spacecraft’s return to Earth from June 26 to an unspecified time in July.

The announcement followed two days of long meetings to review the readiness of the spacecraft, developed by Boeing, to fly NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth. According to sources, these meetings included high-level participation from senior leaders at the agency, including Associate Administrator Jim Free.

This “Crew Flight Test,” which launched on June 5 atop an Atlas V rocket, was originally due to undock and return to Earth on June 14. However, as engineers from NASA and Boeing studied data from the vehicle’s problematic flight to the International Space Station, they have waved off several return opportunities.

On Friday night they did so again, citing the need to spend more time reviewing data.

“Taking our time”

“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in the NASA update. “We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”

Just a few days ago, on Tuesday, officials from NASA and Boeing set a return date to Earth for June 26. But that was before a series of meetings on Thursday and Friday during which mission managers were to review findings about two significant issues with the Starliner spacecraft: five separate leaks in the helium system that pressurizes Starliner’s propulsion system and the failure of five of the vehicle’s 28 reaction-control system thrusters as Starliner approached the station.

The NASA update did not provide any information about deliberations during these meetings, but it is clear that the agency’s leaders were not able to get comfortable with all contingencies that Wilmore and Williams might encounter during a return flight to Earth, including safely undocking from the space station, maneuvering away, performing a de-orbit burn, separating the crew capsule from the service module, and then flying through the planet’s atmosphere before landing under parachutes in a New Mexico desert.

Spacecraft has a 45-day limit

Now, the NASA and Boeing engineering teams will take some more time. Sources said NASA considered June 30 as a possible return date, but the agency is also keen to perform a pair of spacewalks outside the station. These spacewalks, presently planned for June 24 and July 2, will now go ahead. Starliner will make its return to Earth sometime afterward, likely no earlier than the July 4 holiday.

“We are strategically using the extra time to clear a path for some critical station activities while completing readiness for Butch and Suni’s return on Starliner and gaining valuable insight into the system upgrades we will want to make for post-certification missions,” Stich said.

In some sense, it is helpful for NASA and Boeing to have Starliner docked to the space station for a longer period of time. They can gather more data about the performance of the vehicle on long-duration missions—eventually Starliner will fly operational missions that will enable astronauts to stay on orbit for six months at a time.

However, this vehicle is only rated for a 45-day stay at the space station, and that clock began ticking on June 6. Moreover, it is not optimal that NASA feels the need to continue delaying the vehicle to get comfortable with its performance on the return journey to Earth. During a pair of news conferences since Starliner docked to the station, officials have downplayed the overall seriousness of these issues—repeatedly saying Starliner is cleared to come home “in case of an emergency.” But they have yet to fully explain why they are not yet comfortable with releasing Starliner to fly back to Earth under normal circumstances.

NASA indefinitely delays return of Starliner to review propulsion data Read More »

congress-passes-bill-to-jumpstart-new-nuclear-power-tech

Congress passes bill to jumpstart new nuclear power tech

congress, Energy, energy policy, nuclear energy, Science / /
A nuclear reactor and two cooling towards on a body of water, with a late-evening glow in the sky.

Earlier this week, the US Senate passed what’s being called the ADVANCE Act, for Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy. Among a number of other changes, the bill would attempt to streamline permitting for newer reactor technology and offer cash incentives for the first companies that build new plants that rely on one of a handful of different technologies. It enjoyed broad bipartisan support both in the House and Senate and now heads to President Biden for his signature.

Given Biden’s penchant for promoting his bipartisan credentials, it’s likely to be signed into law. But the biggest hurdles nuclear power faces are all economic, rather than regulatory, and the bill provides very little in the way of direct funding that could help overcome those barriers.

Incentives

For reasons that will be clear only to congressional staffers, the Senate version of the bill was attached to an amendment to the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act. Nevertheless, it passed by a margin of 88-2, indicating widespread (and potentially veto-proof) support. Having passed the House already, there’s nothing left but the president’s signature.

The bill’s language focuses on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its role in licensing nuclear reactor technology. The NRC is directed to develop a variety of reports for Congress—so, so many reports, focusing on everything from nuclear waste to fusion power—that could potentially inform future legislation. But the meat of the bill has two distinct focuses: streamlining regulation and providing some incentives for new technology.

The incentives are one of the more interesting features of the bill. They’re primarily focused on advanced nuclear technology, which is defined extremely broadly by an earlier statute as providing any of the following:

    • (A) additional inherent safety features
    • (B) significantly lower levelized cost of electricity
    • (C) lower waste yields
    • (D) greater fuel utilization
    • (E) enhanced reliability
    • (F) increased proliferation resistance
    • (G) increased thermal efficiency
    • (H) ability to integrate into electric and nonelectric applications

Normally, the work of the NRC in licensing is covered via application fees paid by the company seeking the license. But the NRC is instructed to lower its licensing fees for anyone developing advanced nuclear technologies. And there’s a “prize” incentive where the first company to get across the line with any of a handful of specific technologies will have all these fees refunded to it.

Winners will be awarded when they have met any of the following requirements: the first advanced reactor design that receives a license from the NRC; the first to be loaded with fuel for operation; the first to use isotopes derived from spent fuel; the first to build a facility where the reactor is integrated into a system that stores energy; the first to build a facility where the reactor provides electricity or processes heat for industrial applications.

The first award will likely go to NuScale, which is developing a small, modular reactor design and has gotten pretty far along in the licensing process. Its first planned installation, however, has been cancelled due to rising costs, so there’s no guarantee that the company will be first to fuel a reactor. TerraPower, a company backed by Bill Gates, is fairly far along in the design of a rector facility that will come with integrated storage, and so may be considered a frontrunner there.

For the remaining two prizes, there aren’t frontrunners for very different reasons. Nearly every company building small modular nuclear reactors promotes them as a potential source of process heat. By contrast, reprocessing spent fuel has been hugely expensive in any country where it has been tried, so it’s unlikely that prize will ever be given out.

Congress passes bill to jumpstart new nuclear power tech Read More »

bugatti’s-new-hypercar-loses-the-turbos-for-a-screaming-v16-hybrid

Bugatti’s new hypercar loses the turbos for a screaming V16 hybrid

bugatti, Bugatti hybrid, Bugatti Tourbillon, Cars / /
A gold and black Bugatti Tourbillon

Enlarge / The Tourbillon is recognizable as a modern Bugatti, but it’s very different under the skin.

Bradley Iger

Since the launch of the hypercar-defining Veyron back in 2005, modern Bugattis have served as benchmarks for straight-line performance and no-expense-spared automotive engineering. At a time when a 300 horsepower Mustang GT was something to crow about, the quad-turbocharged, W16-powered Veyron offered more than a thousand, metric (987 hp/736 kW).

Perhaps more importantly, and in contrast to most other world-beating performance cars, the Veyron wasn’t presented as some skunkworks project that had been pushed to the ragged edge. Instead, it was a wholly realized ultra-luxury performance machine, replete with the sort of grand touring appointments you’d expect to find in a Bentley rather than a top-speed record holder.

Still, it was the numbers that instantly captivated enthusiasts and casual onlookers alike, and Bugatti would go on to reset the bar with the introduction of the 1,479 hp (1,102 kW) Chiron in 2016.

  • Bugatti concentrated on achieving a lower frontal area and roofline with the Tourbillon.

    Bradley Iger

  • The Tourbillon’s oval-ish profile forms a similar shape to that of a bird of prey.

    Bradley Iger

  • The curve around the door opening is called the Bugatti line.

    Bradley Iger

  • Getting cooling air into the car remains an important priority

    Bradley Iger

  • A large rear diffuser generates important downforce at speed.

    Bradley Iger

  • In case there was any doubt, the taillights spell it out.

    Bradley Iger

  • Bugatti

  • Bugatti

A Bugatti needs to be more than just fast

But now, less than a decade later, the landscape of automotive performance looks markedly different. Thanks to Rimac—which incidentally now has a controlling interest in Bugatti—those with the means can roll out of a showroom driving a street-legal vehicle that’s capable of out-accelerating a Formula One car, while other manufacturers are offering rather inconspicuous luxury sedans with more than 1,200 hp (895 kW).

Today, buyers can choose from dozens of different vehicles that are capable of blasting to 60 mph from a standstill in less than three seconds. As a result, there’s a growing sense that we’re living in a post-horsepower world, and Bugatti seems to be well-aware of this paradigm shift.

“I think we’ve reached a point where cars are so incredibly fast that it’s not the differentiator anymore,” Bugatti design director Frank Heyl noted while showing us around a Tourbillon prototype at a production studio in Long Beach, California, a few months ago. “It’s about the emotions that it generates. Your heart has to tell your brain that it’s a good decision to buy this car.”

The only screen you'll find in here is hidden from view unless the driver requests it.

Enlarge / The only screen you’ll find in here is hidden from view unless the driver requests it.

Bradley Iger

It’s a sentiment that speaks volumes about Bugatti’s approach to the Tourbillon development. This time around, the focus seems to be more about engaging the senses rather than delivering headline-grabbing stats. Still, figures like 0-186 mph (300 km/h) in less than 10 seconds and 277 mph (445 km/h) top speed make it abundantly clear that the Tourbillon will be a sensational performer.

That performance, which bests the Chiron by more than three seconds and 16 mph (26 km/h) in those metrics, respectively, is due in part to the Tourbillon’s more aerodynamic shape. During our briefing, Heyl said that designers turned to birds of prey for inspiration, influence that is particularly evident at the nose of the car, where the Tourbillon’s reduced frontal area significantly lowers aerodynamic drag. While the overall look doesn’t stray too far from the Chiron, the increased emphasis on aerodynamics—as further evidenced by elements like the massive rear diffuser and sinewy front clip—also gives the Tourbillon a more muscular, purposeful aesthetic.

Bugatti’s new hypercar loses the turbos for a screaming V16 hybrid Read More »

apple-intelligence-and-other-features-won’t-launch-in-the-eu-this-year

Apple Intelligence and other features won’t launch in the EU this year

AI, Apple, apple intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, dma, EU, European Commission, European Union, gaming, generative ai, ios 18, macos sequoia, privacy, Tech / /

DMA —

iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay screen sharing will also skip the EU for now.

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A photo of a hand holding an iPhone running the Image Playground experience in iOS 18

Enlarge / Features like Image Playground won’t arrive in Europe at the same time as other regions.

Apple

Three major features in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia will not be available to European users this fall, Apple says. They include iPhone screen mirroring on the Mac, SharePlay screen sharing, and the entire Apple Intelligence suite of generative AI features.

In a statement sent to Financial Times, The Verge, and others, Apple says this decision is related to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Here’s the full statement, which was attributed to Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz:

Two weeks ago, Apple unveiled hundreds of new features that we are excited to bring to our users around the world. We are highly motivated to make these technologies accessible to all users. However, due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our EU users this year.

Specifically, we are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security. We are committed to collaborating with the European Commission in an attempt to find a solution that would enable us to deliver these features to our EU customers without compromising their safety.

It is unclear from Apple’s statement precisely which aspects of the DMA may have led to this decision. It could be that Apple is concerned that it would be required to give competitors like Microsoft or Google access to user data collected for Apple Intelligence features and beyond, but we’re not sure.

This is not the first recent and major divergence between functionality and features for Apple devices in the EU versus other regions. Because of EU regulations, Apple opened up iOS to third-party app stores in Europe, but not in other regions. However, critics argued its compliance with that requirement was lukewarm at best, as it came with a set of restrictions and changes to how app developers could monetize their apps on the platform should they use those other storefronts.

While Apple says in the statement it’s open to finding a solution, no timeline is given. All we know is that the features won’t be available on devices in the EU this year. They’re expected to launch in other regions in the fall.

Apple Intelligence and other features won’t launch in the EU this year Read More »

win+c,-windows’-most-cursed-keyboard-shortcut,-is-getting-retired-again

Win+C, Windows’ most cursed keyboard shortcut, is getting retired again

copilot, Google, Tech, Windows 10, windows 10 22h2, Windows 11, windows 11 24h2 / /

What job will Win+C lose next? —

Win+C has been assigned to some of Windows’ least successful features.

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A rendering of the Copilot button.

Enlarge / A rendering of the Copilot button.

Microsoft

Microsoft is all-in on its Copilot+ PC push right now, but the fact is that they’ll be an extremely small minority among the PC install base for the foreseeable future. The program’s stringent hardware requirements—16GB of RAM, at least 256GB of storage, and a fast neural processing unit (NPU)—disqualify all but new PCs, keeping features like Recall from running on all current Windows 11 PCs.

But the Copilot chatbot remains supported on all Windows 11 PCs (and most Windows 10 PCs), and a change Microsoft has made to recent Windows 11 Insider Preview builds is actually making the feature less useful and accessible than it is in the current publicly available versions of Windows. Copilot is being changed from a persistent sidebar into an app window that can be resized, minimized, and pinned and unpinned from the taskbar, just like any other app. But at least as of this writing, this version of Copilot can no longer adjust Windows’ settings, and it’s no longer possible to call it up with the Windows+C keyboard shortcut. Only newer keyboards with the dedicated Copilot key will have an easy built-in keyboard shortcut for summoning Copilot.

If Microsoft keeps these changes intact, they’ll hit Windows 11 PCs when the 24H2 update is released to the general public later this year; the changes are already present on Copilot+ PCs, which are running a version of Window 11 24H2 out of the box.

Changing how Copilot works is all well and good—despite how quickly Microsoft has pushed it out to every Windows PC in existence, it has been labeled a “preview” up until the 24H2 update, and some amount of change is to be expected. But discontinuing the just-introduced Win+C keyboard shortcut to launch Copilot feels pointless, especially since the Win+C shortcut isn’t being reassigned.

The Copilot assistant exists on the taskbar, so it’s not as though it’s difficult to access, but the feature is apparently important enough to merit the first major change to Windows keyboards in three decades. Surely it also justifies retaining a keyboard shortcut for the vast majority of PC keyboards without a dedicated Copilot key.

People who want to continue to use Win+C as a launch key for Copilot can do so with custom keyboard remappers like Microsoft’s own Keyboard Manager PowerToy. Simply set Win+C as a shortcut for the obscure Win+Shift+F23 shortcut that the hardware Copilot key is already mapped to and you’ll be back in business.

Win+C has a complicated history

Win+C always seems to get associated with transient, unsuccessful Windows features like Charms and Cortana.

Enlarge / Win+C always seems to get associated with transient, unsuccessful Windows features like Charms and Cortana.

Andrew Cunningham

The Win+C keyboard shortcut actually has a bit of a checkered history, having been reassigned over the years to multiple less-than-successful Windows initiatives. In Windows 8, it made its debut as a shortcut for the “Charms” menu, part of the operating system’s tablet-oriented user interface that was designed to partially replace the old Start menu. But Windows 10 retreated from this new tablet UI, and the Charms bar was discontinued.

In Windows 10, Win+C was assigned to the Cortana voice assistant instead, Microsoft’s contribution to the early-2010s voice assistant boom kicked off by Apple’s Siri and refined by competitors like Amazon’s Alexa. But Cortana, like the Charms bar, never really took off, and Microsoft switched the voice assistant off in 2023 after a few years of steadily deprioritizing it in Windows 10 (and mostly hiding it in Windows 11).

Most older versions of Windows didn’t do anything with the Win+C, but if you go all the way back to the Windows 95 era, users of Microsoft Natural Keyboards who installed Microsoft’s IntelliType software could use Win+C to open the Control Panel. This shortcut apparently never made it into Windows itself, even as the Windows key became standard equipment on PCs in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

So pour one out for Win+C, the keyboard shortcut that is always trying to do something new and not quite catching on. We can’t wait to see what it does next.

Win+C, Windows’ most cursed keyboard shortcut, is getting retired again Read More »

microdosing-candy-linked-illnesses-double;-possible-recall-in-“discussions”

Microdosing candy-linked illnesses double; possible recall in “discussions”

CDC, chocolate, cones, diamond shruumz, fda, gummies, intubation, microdosing, outbreak, psychedelic, recall, Science, seizures / /

No recall —

Of the 26 cases identified so far, 25 sought medical care and 16 were hospitalized.

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Microdosing candy-linked illnesses double; possible recall in “discussions”

Cases of illnesses linked to microdosing candies have more than doubled, with reports of seizures and the need for intubation, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care stays. But, there remains no recall of the products—microdosing chocolates, gummies, and candy cones by Diamond Shruumz—linked to the severe and life-threatening illnesses. In the latest update from the Food and Drug Administration late Tuesday, the agency said that it “has been in contact with the firm about a possible voluntary recall, but these discussions are still ongoing.”

In the update, the FDA reported 26 cases across 16 states, up from 12 cases in eight states last week. Of the 26 reported cases, 25 sought medical care and 16 were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a health alert about the candies. The agency noted that as of June 11, the people sickened after eating Diamond Shruumz candies presented to health care providers with a host of severe symptoms. Those include: central nervous system depression with sedation, seizures, muscle rigidity, clonus (abnormal reflex responses), tremor, abnormal heart rate (bradycardia or tachycardia), abnormal blood pressure (hypotension or hypertension), gastrointestinal effects (nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain), skin flushing, diaphoresis (excessive sweating), and metabolic acidosis with increased anion gap (an acid-based disorder linked to poisonings).

At the time of the CDC alert, 10 patients had been hospitalized, and “several required intubation, mechanical ventilation, and admission to an intensive care unit,” the agency reported.

It remains unclear what ingredient in the candies could be causing the poisonings. The FDA reports that it has worked with state partners to collect multiple samples of Diamond Shruumz products so they can be analyzed for potential toxic components. That analysis is still ongoing, the agency said.

Diamond Shruumz has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Ars.

Untold toxic ingredients

Diamond Shruumz does not list the ingredients of its products on its website. They are sold as “microdosing” candies, a term that typically suggests a small amount of a psychedelic compound is present. The company describes its chocolates, gummies, and cones as “trippy,” “psychedelic,” and “hallucinogenic,” and also claims they contain a “primo proprietary blend of nootropic and functional mushrooms.” But, it’s unclear what, if any, psychoactive compound is present in the candies.

The CDC notes that products like these “might contain undisclosed ingredients, including illicit substances, other adulterants, or potentially harmful contaminants that are not approved for use in food.”

Diamond Shruumz posted documents on its website from third-party laboratories claiming to indicate that the candies do not contain the most notable mushroom-derived psychedelic compound, psilocybin. The reports also indicate that some of the products do not contain cannabinoids or compounds from the hallucinogenic Amanita muscaria mushroom. Additionally, the company said in a blog post that its products contain a blend of Lion’s mane, Reishi, and Chaga mushrooms, but these are all non-hallucinogenic mushrooms used in herbal and traditional medicines and supplements.

In recent decades, hundreds of new synthetic psychoactive substances have hit the market in such products, including many new phenethylamines and tryptamines, which are chemically related to LSD and psilocybin. Some experts and members of the psychedelic community have speculated that Diamond Shruumz products could potentially contain one of the more popular tryptamines, 4-AcO-DMT, often pronounced  “4-akko-DMT,” and also known as 4- acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, O-acetylpsilocin, or psilacetin. According to a qualitative 2020 study, users describe 4-AcO-DMT as producing effects similar to psilocybin, but without some of the unpleasant side effects noted with natural mushrooms, such as nausea. Animal experiments have confirmed that 4-AcO-DMT appears to produce psilocybin-like effects.

Still, it’s unclear if such ingredients could explain the symptoms seen in the current outbreak. Though clinical data on 4-AcO-DMT is scant, it has not been linked to such severe symptoms. On the other hand, some novel synthetic compounds, such as Dox and NBOMe, often misrepresented as LSD, are considered dangerous. For instance, NBOMe compounds (N-methoxybenzyl, also called N-bombs or 251), first discovered in 2003, have been linked to overdoses and deaths. In the scientific literature, they’ve been linked to “unpleasant hallucinations, panic, agitation, hypertension, seizures, acute psychosis, and/or excited delirium that can result in cardiac arrest,” according to the 2020 study.

Microdosing candy-linked illnesses double; possible recall in “discussions” Read More »

statewide-911-outage-was-caused-by-911-vendor’s-malfunctioning-firewall

Statewide 911 outage was caused by 911 vendor’s malfunctioning firewall

911 outage, Policy / /

911 outage —

911 vendor Comtech still investigating why firewall blocked emergency calls.

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Emergency number 911 inputted on a cell phone dialing screen.

Getty Images | artas

A 911 vendor’s malfunctioning firewall caused a statewide outage in the emergency calling system in Massachusetts on Tuesday afternoon, the state government said. A Massachusetts government press release issued yesterday said the state’s 911 vendor, Comtech, “has advised State 911 that they have applied a technical solution to ensure that this does not happen again.”

“A preliminary investigation conducted by the State 911 Department and Comtech determined that the outage was the result of a firewall, a safety feature that provides protection against cyberattacks and hacking,” the announcement said. “The firewall prevented calls from getting to the 911 dispatch centers, also known as Public Safety Answer Points (PSAPs).”

Comtech’s initial review “confirmed that the interruption was not the result of a cyberattack or hack,” but “the exact reason the firewall stopped calls from reaching dispatch centers remains under review,” the state said. A full review is continuing.

The 911 outage lasted two hours. Shortly after it began, the State 911 Department alerted local law enforcement and issued a statewide emergency alert to residents advising them to call their local public safety business line directly if they had an emergency.

“Although some calls may not have gone through, the system allows dispatch centers to identify the phone number of callers and return those calls. The Department has not received any reports of emergencies impacted during the interruption,” the Massachusetts announcement said.

State 911 Department Executive Director Frank Pozniak promised that the department “will take all necessary steps to prevent a future occurrence.” Massachusetts has 204 Public Safety Answering Points that received an average of 8,800 calls, combined, per day in 2023.

Comtech announced a five-year contract extension with Massachusetts in May 2024. “Since 2014, Comtech has been developing, implementing and operating a secure, IP-based NG911 [Next Generation 911] system for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” the vendor announcement said. Comtech says it has provided public safety and security technology for over 25 years and that “service providers, states, and local jurisdictions nationwide rely on our portfolio of mission‑critical products and services.”

911 disruptions happen occasionally and are sometimes caused by broader outages in phone networks. A 37-hour CenturyLink outage in December 2018 that disrupted 911 service for millions of Americans was caused by “malformed packets.” In February 2024, a major AT&T wireless outage caused by a botched network update led to warnings that 911 access could be disrupted.

Statewide 911 outage was caused by 911 vendor’s malfunctioning firewall Read More »

reports:-apple-is-halting-its-next-high-end-vision-in-favor-of-something-cheaper

Reports: Apple is halting its next high-end Vision in favor of something cheaper

Apple, apple vision pro, augmented reality, headsets, Tech, The Information, vision pro, VR headsets / /

Vision Pro strategy shift —

Finding a lower-price replacement for its high-end displays could be difficult.

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Vision Pro, seen from below, in a display with a bright white light strip overhead.

Samuel Axon

A report by tech news site The Information suggests that Apple is shifting its augmented reality priorities. The next high-end version of the Vision Pro has purportedly been canceled while work continues on a more affordable version with a reduced feature set.

Citing both an employee in Apple’s headset supply chain and one working in headset manufacturing for Apple, the report claims that the cheaper Vision product—perhaps around the $1,600 mark—is due before the end of 2025. Apple had originally intended to present this headset alongside the Vision Pro, similar to the models available in each iPhone release. The more affordable model would likely have fewer cameras, smaller speakers, and weigh less, though Apple has struggled to bring down the cost of the unit’s displays.

Apple’s efforts in augmented reality are closely watched by other players in the headset space, so even a momentary, situational step back from high-end headsets could have significant repercussions. The Information cites current and former Meta employees in describing how the company had killed plans for its own higher-end headset in January 2023, but it then began work on a new premium model five months after Apple’s Vision Pro debut.

The Vision Pro will launch in China, Japan, Australia, and many European countries later this month. The Information’s sources suggest that Apple has produced roughly 500,000 Vision Pro headsets and will not make significantly more, despite the entry of these new markets.

Apple has not responded to The Information or other outlets. Ars contacted Apple for comment and will update this post with any response.

In Senior Editor Samuel Axon’s extensive experience with the device, the home theater aspect of the Vision Pro, and specifically its high-quality display units, is the “one use case that’s a slam dunk.” Reducing the quality of the Sony micro-OLED displays in the Vision Pro, and their “staggering 3,386 PPI (pixels per inch)” density, would seemingly cut at a solid selling point for the device. It is otherwise not made for walking around, and while working in the Vision Pro is possible, it’s not ready to replace anyone’s standard setup yet, especially if they have regular web meetings.

Reports: Apple is halting its next high-end Vision in favor of something cheaper Read More »

drugmaker-to-testify-on-why-weight-loss-drugs-cost-15x-more-in-the-us

Drugmaker to testify on why weight-loss drugs cost 15x more in the US

bernie sanders, drug pricing, health, Novo Nordisk, obesity, Ozempic, Pharmaceutical industry, Science, wegovy, weight loss / /

On second thought —

Bernie Sanders cancels subpoena vote.

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Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, chief executive officer Novo Nordisk A/S, during an interview at the company's headquarters in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, on Monday, June 12, 2023.

Enlarge / Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, chief executive officer Novo Nordisk A/S, during an interview at the company’s headquarters in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, on Monday, June 12, 2023.

After some persuasion from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the CEO of Novo Nordisk will testify before lawmakers later this year on the “outrageously high cost” of the company’s diabetes and weight-loss drugs—Ozempic and Wegovy—in the US.

CEO Lars Jørgensen will appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), which is chaired by Sanders, in early September. The agreement came after a conversation with Sanders in which the CEO reportedly “reconsidered his position” and agreed to testify voluntarily. As such, Sanders has canceled a vote scheduled for June 18 on whether to subpoena Novo Nordisk to discuss its US prices, which are considerably higher than those of other countries.

The independent lawmaker has been working for months to pressure Novo Nordisk into lowering its prices and appearing before the committee. In April, Sanders sent Jørgensen a letter announcing an investigation into the prices and included a lengthy set of information requests. In May, the committee’s investigation released a report suggesting that Novo Nordisk’s current pricing threatens to “bankrupt our entire health care system.”

Sanders has repeatedly hammered not only the high prices of Novo Nordisk’s two blockbuster drugs but also the huge disparity between US prices and those in other countries.

Up to 15x more in the US

“Novo Nordisk currently charges Americans with type 2 diabetes $969 a month for Ozempic, while this same exact drug can be purchased for just $155 in Canada and just $59 in Germany,” Sanders wrote in April. “Novo Nordisk also charges Americans with obesity $1,349 a month for Wegovy, while this same exact product can be purchased for just $140 in Germany and $92 in the United Kingdom.”

Yale researchers, meanwhile, published a study in JAMA in March estimating that both drugs could be manufactured for less than $5.

In May, Novo Nordisk responded with a letter to Sanders, arguing that blame for high prices in the US lies with the country’s complex health system and with middle managers who take cuts, according to Bloomberg. Novo Nordisk said in the letter that it is prepared to address “systemic issues so that everyone who can benefit from its medicines is able to get them,” the outlet reported. The company also said it has spent over $10 billion on research and development to bring Wegovy and Ozempic to the market.

Still, that number is small in comparison to the projected revenue from the drugs. Bloomberg noted that analysts estimate that Novo Nordisk will make $27 billion from the two drugs this year alone. The May analysis by the HELP committee found that if just half of the adults in the US with obesity start taking a new weight-loss drug, such as Wegovy, the collective cost would be around $411 billion per year. Another report by the Congressional Budget Office found that the drugs’ costs are so high that they will not be offset by any financial gains from improved health outcomes.

“The Committee looks forward to Mr. Jørgensen explaining why Americans are paying up to 10 or 15 times more for these medications than people in other countries,” Sanders said last week.

Drugmaker to testify on why weight-loss drugs cost 15x more in the US Read More »

surgeon-general’s-proposed-social-media-warning-label-for-kids-could-hurt-kids

Surgeon general’s proposed social media warning label for kids could hurt kids

facebook, health, Mental Health, Meta, online child safety, Policy, social media platforms, us surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, youth mental health crisis / /
Surgeon general’s proposed social media warning label for kids could hurt kids

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants to put a warning label on social media platforms, alerting young users of potential mental health harms.

“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents,” Murthy wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Monday.

Murthy argued that a warning label is urgently needed because the “mental health crisis among young people is an emergency,” and adolescents overusing social media can increase risks of anxiety and depression and negatively impact body image.

Spiking mental health issues for young people began long before the surgeon general declared a youth behavioral health crisis during the pandemic, an April report from a New York nonprofit called the United Health Fund found. Between 2010 and 2022, “adolescents ages 12–17 have experienced the highest year-over-year increase in having a major depressive episode,” the report said. By 2022, 6.7 million adolescents in the US were reporting “suffering from one or more behavioral health condition.”

However, mental health experts have maintained that the science is divided, showing that kids can also benefit from social media depending on how they use it. Murthy’s warning label seems to ignore that tension, prioritizing raising awareness of potential harms even though parents potentially restricting online access due to the proposed label could end up harming some kids. The label also would seemingly fail to acknowledge known risks to young adults, whose brains continue developing after the age of 18.

To create the proposed warning label, Murthy is seeking better data from social media companies that have not always been transparent about studying or publicizing alleged harms to kids on their platforms. Last year, a Meta whistleblower, Arturo Bejar, testified to a US Senate subcommittee that Meta overlooks obvious reforms and “continues to publicly misrepresent the level and frequency of harm that users, especially children, experience” on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.

According to Murthy, the US is past the point of accepting promises from social media companies to make their platforms safer. “We need proof,” Murthy wrote.

“Companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public—currently they do not—and allow independent safety audits,” Murthy wrote, arguing that parents need “assurance that trusted experts have investigated and ensured that these platforms are safe for our kids.”

“A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” Murthy wrote.

Kids need safer platforms, not a warning label

Leaving parents to police kids’ use of platforms is unacceptable, Murthy said, because their efforts are “pitted against some of the best product engineers and most well-resourced companies in the world.”

That is nearly an impossible battle for parents, Murthy argued. If platforms are allowed to ignore harms to kids while pursuing financial gains by developing features that are laser-focused on maximizing young users’ online engagement, platforms will “likely” perpetuate the cycle of problematic use that Murthy described in his op-ed, the American Psychological Association (APA) warned this year.

Downplayed in Murthy’s op-ed, however, is the fact that social media use is not universally harmful to kids and can be beneficial to some, especially children in marginalized groups. Monitoring this tension remains a focal point of the APA’s most recent guidance, which noted that in April 2024 that “society continues to wrestle with ways to maximize the benefits of these platforms while protecting youth from the potential harms associated with them.”

“Psychological science continues to reveal benefits from social media use, as well as risks and opportunities that certain content, features, and functions present to young social media users,” APA reported.

According to the APA, platforms urgently need to enact responsible safety standards that diminish risks without restricting kids’ access to beneficial social media use.

“By early 2024, few meaningful changes to social media platforms had been enacted by industry, and no federal policies had been adopted,” the APA report said. “There remains a need for social media companies to make fundamental changes to their platforms.”

The APA has recommended a range of platform reforms, including limiting infinite scroll, imposing time limits on young users, reducing kids’ push notifications, and adding protections to shield kids from malicious actors.

Bejar agreed with the APA that platforms owe it to parents to make meaningful reforms. His ideal future would see platforms gathering more granular feedback from young users to expose harms and confront them faster. He provided senators with recommendations that platforms could use to “radically improve the experience of our children on social media” without “eliminating the joy and value they otherwise get from using such services” and without “significantly” affecting profits.

Bejar’s reforms included platforms providing young users with open-ended ways to report harassment, abuse, and harmful content that allow users to explain exactly why a contact or content was unwanted—rather than platforms limiting feedback to certain categories they want to track. This could help ensure that companies that strategically limit language in reporting categories don’t obscure the harms and also provide platforms with more information to improve services, Bejar suggested.

By improving feedback mechanisms, Bejar said, platforms could more easily adjust kids’ feeds to stop recommending unwanted content. The APA’s report agreed that this was an obvious area for platform improvement, finding that “the absence of clear and transparent processes for addressing reports of harmful content makes it harder for youth to feel protected or able to get help in the face of harmful content.”

Ultimately, the APA, Bejar, and Murthy all seem to agree that it is important to bring in outside experts to help platforms come up with better solutions, especially as technology advances. The APA warned that “AI-recommended content has the potential to be especially influential and hard to resist” for some of the youngest users online (ages 10–13).

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star-citizen-still-hasn’t-launched,-but-it’s-already-banning-cheaters

Star Citizen still hasn’t launched, but it’s already banning cheaters

Development, gaming, roberts space industries, star citizen / /

pre-cheating —

Developer bans “over 600” players for exploiting an item duplication glitch.

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For an unreleased game, <em>Star Citizen</em> still has some really pretty ships…” src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/star-citizen-update-800×343.jpg”></img><figcaption> <p><a data-height=Enlarge / For an unreleased game, Star Citizen still has some really pretty ships…

RSI

At this point in Star Citizen‘s drawn-out, 11-plus-year development cycle, we’re usually reminded of the game when it hits some crowdfunding microtransaction milestone or updates its increasingly convoluted alpha development roadmap. So last week’s announcement that developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) has banned over 600 cheaters from its servers is a notable reminder that some people are actually enjoying—and exploiting—the unpolished alpha version of the game.

Shortly after the May release of Star Citizen’s Alpha 2.23.1 update, players started noticing that they could easily make extra money by storing a freight ship, selling their cargo, and then returning to the ship to find the cargo ready to be sold a second time. As knowledge of this “money doubling” exploit spread, players reported that the price of basic in-game resources saw significant inflation in a matter of days.

Now, Cloud Imperium Games Senior Director of Player Relations Will Leverett has written that the developer has investigated “multiple exploits within Star Citizen that compromised stability and negatively impacted the in-game economy.” In doing so, CIG says it “identified and suspended over 600 accounts involved in exploitative behaviors while also removing the illicitly gained aUEC [in-game currency] from the Star Citizen ecosystem.”

A ban for “over 600” players may not seem that notable when games like Dota 2 and World of Warcraft routinely announce ban waves that include tens of thousands of players. Still, it’s a reminder that at least a small portion of the game’s more than 5.2 million backers are actively playing the alpha so much that they’re willing to cheat to see more of what the game has to offer.

“From zero, in two evenings, I did make about [200 million aUEC] just to buy ships that [are] unavailable for me, to try it in full!” user ZeroInsideOut wrote on the game’s forums. “There [are] many things in Star Citizen [which] I would like to try and test, but I am short of money.”

It’s getting late for “early access” bugs

Leverett wrote that exploits like these should be expected in Star Citizen “at this stage of development”—a stage that we hasten to once again point out is now part of well over a decade of active development. Finding and squashing these kinds of bugs “early” is all part of the game’s crowdfunded development plan and “one of the benefits of open development and working closely with our community,” Leverett wrote.

“We’ve gained valuable insights through your issue council reports, and we thank you for that,” he continued. “However, once an exploit is identified and confirmed, continued abuse for personal gain will not be tolerated and will result in action on our part.”

However, some players feel that the “open development” process failed to find this significant issue quickly enough. Commenter Nitebird took CIG to task for “allow[ing] exploits reported during [Public Test Universe] to go to live despite many people confirming the issue in [the Issue Council] and urging CIG to pause to fix it. The patch is ruined regardless for many people… What is IC good for than to prevent this?”

Star Citizen development roadmap summary, posted in early 2023.” height=”481″ src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/rsiroadmap-640×481.jpg” width=”640″>

Enlarge / A fan-designed Star Citizen development roadmap summary, posted in early 2023.

CIG launched an important “Persistent Universe” update for Star Citizen over a year ago and announced late last year that spin-off Squadron 42 had reached “feature complete” status. Despite those signs of progress, though, there’s still no target date for Star Citizen to finally transition from its extended alpha to that fabled “Version 1.0” release.

CIG founder and CEO Chris Roberts said in a March update that the development team “is hard at work, heads down, driving toward the finish line” and that the leadership team has now “spent significant time looking at what Star Citizen 1.0 means and what it would take to get there.” That includes the planned introduction of long-sought key features like base building and crafting that were apparently not a priority during the game’s first 11-plus years of development work.

“As that roadmap [for a 1.0 release] comes together and becomes validated, we look forward to sharing with you both its vision and executional plan later this year,” Roberts wrote.

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hello-sunshine:-we-test-mclaren’s-drop-top-hybrid-artura-spider

Hello sunshine: We test McLaren’s drop-top hybrid Artura Spider

car review, Cars, Features, First drive, McLaren, McLaren Artura / /

orange express —

The addition of a retractable roof makes this Artura the one to pick.

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An orange McLaren Artura Spider drives on a twisy road

Enlarge / The introduction of model year 2025 brings a retractable hard-top option for the McLaren Artura, plus a host of other upgrades.

McLaren

MONACO—The idea of an “entry-level” supercar might sound like a contradiction in terms, but every car company’s range has to start somewhere, and in McLaren’s case, that’s the Artura. When Ars first tested this mid-engined plug-in hybrid in 2022, It was only available as a coupe. But for those who prefer things al fresco, the British automaker has now given you that option with the addition of the Artura Spider.

The Artura represented a step forward for McLaren. There’s a brand-new carbon fiber chassis tub, an advanced electronic architecture (with a handful of domain controllers that replace the dozens of individual ECUs you might find in some of its other models), and a highly capable hybrid powertrain that combines a twin-turbo V6 gasoline engine with an axial flux electric motor.

More power, faster shifts

For model year 2025 and the launch of the $273,800 Spider version, the engineering team at McLaren have given it a spruce-up, despite only being a couple of years old. Overall power output has increased by 19 hp (14 kW) thanks to new engine maps for the V6, which now has a bit more surge from 4,000 rpm all the way to the 8,500 rpm redline. Our test car was fitted with the new sports exhaust, which isn’t obnoxiously loud. It makes some interesting noises as you lift the throttle in the middle of the rev range, but like most turbo engines, it’s not particularly mellifluous.

  • The new engine map means the upper half of third gear will give you a real shove toward the horizon.

    McLaren

  • The Artura Spider’s buttresses are made from a lightweight and clear polymer, so they do their job aerodynamically without completely obscuring your view over your shoulder.

    McLaren

  • The Artura Spider is covered in vents and exhausts to channel air into and out of various parts of the car.

    McLaren

  • You could have your Artura Spider painted in a more somber color. But Orange with carbon fiber looks pretty great to me.

  • If you look closely, you can see the transmission hiding behind the diffuser.

    Jonathan Gitlin

Combined with the 94 hp (70 kW) electric motor, that gives the Artura Spider a healthy 680 hp (507 kW), which helps compensate for the added 134 lbs (62 kg) due to the car’s retractable hard top. There are stiffer engine mounts and new throttle maps, and the dual-clutch transmission shifts 25 percent faster than what we saw in the car that launched two years ago. (These upgrades are carried over to the Artura coupe as well, and the good news for existing owners is that the engine remapping can be applied to their cars, too, with a visit to a McLaren dealer.)

Despite the hybrid system—which uses a 7.4 kWh traction battery—and the roof mechanism, the Artura Spider remains a remarkably light car by 2024 standards, with a curb weight of 3,439 lbs (1,559 kg), which makes it lighter than any comparable car on the market.

In fact, picking a comparable car is a little tricky. Ferrari will sell you a convertible hybrid in the shape of the 296 GTS, but you’ll need another $100,000 or more to get behind the wheel of one of those, which in truth is more of a competitor for the (not-hybrid) 750S, McLaren’s middle model. Any other mid-engined drop-top will be propelled by dino juice alone.

What modes do you want today?

It's easy to drive around town and a lot of fun to drive on a twisty road.

Enlarge / It’s easy to drive around town and a lot of fun to drive on a twisty road.

McLaren

You can drive it using just the electric motor for up to 11 miles if you keep the powertrain in E-mode and start with a fully charged battery. In fact, when you start the car, it begins in this mode by default. Outside of E-mode, the Artura will use spare power from the engine to top up the battery as you drive, and it’s very easy to set a target state of charge if you want to save some battery power for later, for example. Plugged into a Level 2 charger, it should take about 2.5 hours to reach 80 percent.

The car is light enough that 94 hp is more than adequate for the 20 mph or 30 km/h zones you’re sure to encounter whether you’re driving this supercar through a rural village or past camera-wielding car-spotters in the city. Electric mode is serious, and the car won’t fire up the engine until you switch to Comfort (or Sport, or Track) with the control on the right side of the main instrument display.

On the left side is another control to switch the chassis settings between Comfort, Sport, and Track. For road driving, comfort never felt wrong-footed, and I really would leave track for the actual track. The same goes for the Track powertrain setting; for the open road, Sport is the best-sounding, and comfort is well-judged for everyday use and will kill the V6 when it’s not needed. Sport and Track instead use the electric motor—mounted inside the case of the eight-speed transmission—to fill in torque where needed, similar to an F1 or LMDh race car.

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