Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

What if your plants could email you to ask for water?

CRAIN'S COMMENTS

We’re in the early stages of this, but it’s coming.

MIT scientists have developed a spinach plant with built-in nanotubes that glow when it detects a certain condition nearby. The tubes glow when the sensor is triggered, and a camera activates that sends a picture of the glowing tubes to the monitoring station.

The initial test apparently was to detect for explosives. However, the nanotubes can be programmed for any number of conditions. We can only presume that these capabilities will get more elaborate in the future. Imaging walking into a room and hearing, “Hey you, we nee some water over here!” I do hope the plants will be taught manners. But we’re talking about scientists here, so who knows.

Which spinach plants? Nothing to do with cartoon characters. In turns out they have strong and sophisticated capabilities to sense their environment, and it’s easier to use the plant than…

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Students Protest Firing of Arkansas Teacher Who Called Lawmakers Out for Being Fragile AF Over 1619 Project Curriculum

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A Rogers, Arkansas, educator has been fired for committing the egregious offense of…calling out Republicans from his state for being the fragile white nationalists that they absolutely are. Specifically, the now-former teacher from the Arkansas Arts Academy was terminated for sending a justifiably angry email to…

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Klobuchar targets Big Tech with biggest antitrust overhaul in 45 years | Ars Technica

Big Tech got big through acquisitions—and this bill aims to prevent that in the future.

“While the United States once had some of the most effective antitrust laws in the world, our economy today faces a massive competition problem,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) when she introduced the bill on Thursday. “We can no longer sweep this issue under the rug and hope our existing laws are adequate,” Klobuchar added, calling the bill “the first step to overhauling and modernizing our laws” to protect competition in the current era.

Source: Klobuchar targets Big Tech with biggest antitrust overhaul in 45 years | Ars Technica

Inoreader – Klobuchar targets Big Tech with biggest antitrust overhaul in 45 years

“While the United States once had some of the most effective antitrust laws in the world, our economy today faces a massive competition problem,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) when she introduced the bill on Thursday. “We can no longer sweep this issue under the rug and hope our existing laws are adequate,” Klobuchar added, calling the bill “the first step to overhauling and modernizing our laws” to protect competition in the current era. Source: Inoreader – Klobuchar targets Big Tech with biggest antitrust overhaul in 45 years

Klobuchar targets Big Tech with biggest antitrust overhaul in 45 years

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on Jan. 21, 2021.

Enlarge / Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on Jan. 21, 2021. (credit: Stefani Reynolds – pool | Getty Images)

With a new session of Congress underway and a new administration in the White House, Big Tech is once again in lawmakers’ crosshairs. Not only are major firms such as Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google under investigation for allegedly breaking existing antitrust law, but a newly proposed bill in the Senate would make it harder for these and other firms to become so troublingly large in the first place.

The bill (PDF), called the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act (CALERA for short, which is still awkward) would become the largest overhaul to US antitrust regulation in at least 45 years if it became law.

“While the United States once had some of the most effective antitrust laws in the world, our economy today faces a massive competition problem,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) when she introduced the bill on Thursday. “We can no longer sweep this issue under the rug and hope our existing laws are adequate,” Klobuchar added, calling the bill “the first step to overhauling and modernizing our laws” to protect competition in the current era.

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NYPD Disciplines Officer Seen Wearing Pro-Trump Patches While On Duty

Let him go be a security guard in Florida but get him out of NYPD for just being a dumb-a who will not follow department policy. Tik Tok video by @NickyBLA posted on Twitter by @FirenzeMike shows an officer wearing two pro-Trump patches while dispatched to a protest on police violence on Friday.

A screenshot of a Tik Tok video by @nickybla and posted on Twitter by @FirenzeMike shows an officer wearing two pro-Trump patches while dispatched to a protest on police violence on Friday.

“Members of the NYPD must remain apolitical,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said. [ more › ]

Athelstan, the First Monarch of England

English History

Book 2,Chapter 7, Alfred’s Children from 901 AD to 955 – Athelstan

Athelstan gave promise in childhood of the high character, and the eminent abilities which distinguished his manhood. He was only six years old when Alfred died, but the grandfather was greatly interested by his beauty, spirit, and manners. His strong minded aunt, Ethelfleda, superintended his education, and as a boy he was a favourite among her dependants in Mercia, who were afterwards the first to recognize him as king. He was thirty years of age when Edward died, and the witan assigning to him the sceptre, in accordance with the wish of his father, he was crowned at Kingston by Athelm, archbishop of Canterbury.


Chapter 7, Alfred’s Children

Edward Becomes King

The Succession Disputed by Ethelwald

Partial Annexation of East Anglia and Northumbria

Mercia Added

Chapter 7, Athelstan

Athelstan, the First Monarch of England

Intrigue Against Him

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Farmers block roads across India in protest over agriculture law

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Protesters use tractors, lorries and boulders to create blockades and press for repeal of legislation

Thousands of farmers blockaded main roads across India for several hours on Saturday to press their demand for the repeal of new agricultural laws that have led to months of major protests.

The protesters used tractors, lorries and boulders to blockade the roads. They carried banners and flags denouncing the laws, which they say will leave them poorer and at the mercy of corporations.

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