SpaceX Starship launched on test flight in Texas after last one blew up
By Joe Skipper, Joey Roulette and Steve Gorman BOCA CHICA, Texas (Reuters) -SpaceX's uncrewed spacecraft Starship, developed to carry astronauts
2023-11-18 21:53
How to Lock Down Your Phone for a Protest
Summer is nearly here, and with it arrives June—Pride Month. Although Pride can be a
2023-06-10 01:25
The Best DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras for 2023
If your smartphone camera isn't cutting it any longer, you should consider switching to an
2023-07-29 04:19
Vintage computer that helped launch the Apple empire is being sold at auction
A vintage Apple computer signed by company co-founder Steve Wozniak is being sold at auction
2023-08-02 02:57
Inside Titanic director James Cameron's obsession with the deep ocean
Public interest in the deep ocean went into a frenzy this week as the search for the doomed Titan submarine played out – and Oscar-winning film director has made no secret of the fact that he is obsessed with the subject. Since it emerged on 22 June that the Titan was destroyed in what US authorities called a “catastrophic implosion”, Cameron has been telling media outlets that he knew what the five-man crew’s fate was since Monday, four days earlier. After calling up his “contacts in the deep submersible community” Cameron said he had already ascertained that the vessel had been destroyed in an implosion. “I felt in my bones what had happened.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But why does Cameron know so much about the ocean depths? Titanic, Avatar and The Abyss First of all, Cameron has made a lot of films about the bottom of the sea. His 1997 film, Titanic, won 11 Oscars and was the first movie to earn more than $1bn worldwide, and Cameron went deep on his research – literally. The filmmaker has visited the real-life wreck of the Titanic 33 times, making his first trip in 1995 to shoot footage for the film. One of those dives even involved getting trapped with the wreck for 16 hours, with currents of water holding the director’s submarine at the bottom of the ocean. He has even written a book about his experiences, Exploring The Deep, which includes details of his dive journey, photos and maps from his own explorations of the wreck. He told ABC News: “I actually calculated [that] I've spent more time on the ship than the captain did back in the day.” Long before Titanic, Cameron directed The Abyss in 1989. The premise of the film is that an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean – sound familiar? That prompts a search and recovery team to race against Soviet vessels to recover the boat. Meanwhile, the last movie in Cameron’s famous Avatar franchise, The Way of Water, is set on the aquatic ecosystems of a world 25 trillion miles from Earth. "Some people think of me as a Hollywood guy … (but) I make 'Avatar' to make money to do explorations," Cameron told The Telegraph. Going even deeper In 2012, Cameron went a step further, plunging nearly 11km down to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. The filmmaker made the solo descent in a submarine called the Deepsea Challenger, and it took more than two hours to reach the bottom. The submarine he used was years in the making, designed by Cameron himself with a team of engineers. The trip was only the second manned expedition to the Mariana Trench. The first was in 1960, when US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard descended to the ocean floor. “It was absolutely the most remote, isolated place on the planet,” Cameron said in a later interview. “I really feel like in one day I've been to another planet and come back.” He was even underwater when 9/11 happened His obsession with the ocean goes back to age 17, he told the New York Times, when he learned to scuba dive, when he said he felt like he had discovered the "keys to another world”. And between making Titanic in 1997 and Avatar in 2009 Cameron didn’t make a feature film. But he did make documentaries about sea exploration. One of those, 2003’s Ghosts of the Abyss, showed Cameron's travels to the Titanic, while the other, 2005’s Aliens of the Deep, saw Cameron team up with NASA scientists to explore the sea creatures of mid-ocean ridges. Cameron’s fascination even meant he was inside a submersible vessel exploring the Titanic on 11 September 2001, when terrorists flew two passenger jets into the World Trade Centre. It was only after the now-68-year-old director and his crew finished their expedition and returned to the main ship that Cameron learned what had happened. “What is this thing that’s going on?” Cameron asked the late actor Bill Paxton, who played treasure hunter Brock Lovett in the film. “The worst terrorist attack in history, Jim,” Paxton said. Cameron realised he “was presumably the last man in the Western Hemisphere to learn about what had happened,” he told Spiegel in 2012. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-23 20:29
VR tool aims to help rail passengers spot and safely tackle sexual harassment
Train passengers are being shown how to recognise sexual harassment and intervene without putting themselves in harm’s way through an “immersive” virtual reality experience. As part of work by the rail industry and British Transport Police to ensure passengers feel safe, the VR tool will be available at Edinburgh Waverley station on Thursday. It has been designed to empower bystanders to recognise and help combat sexual harassment on the railway and will demonstrate how small actions such as offering to swap seats or distracting the perpetrator with a question, could make a big difference. The Rail Delivery Group said its research found 85% of women said they would feel relieved if someone intervened when experiencing sexual harassment on public transport. People in Edinburgh have been invited to try the immersive VR experience at their local station. Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of Rail Delivery Group, said: “As an industry we are actively tackling all forms of sexual harassment and are committed to making our passengers feel safe when on board. “By showcasing the ground-breaking VR experience in stations across the country, we’re equipping people with tips on how to safely intervene in situations as a bystander without putting themselves in harm’s way. “Whether you see it or experience it, we ask everyone to report anything that makes you uncomfortable to British Transport Police by texting 61016 or using the Railway Guardian app. “Passengers using Britain’s railways have a right to feel safe and confident to call out these behaviours without fear.” Joanne Maguire, ScotRail chief operating officer, said: “Everyone has the right to go about their day in peace without fear of harassment or abuse. “ScotRail works very closely with British Transport Police and Network Rail to ensure that Scotland’s Railway is a safe environment for our customers and our staff. “To assist us in tackling unacceptable behaviour, it’s important for anyone who witnesses it to report those responsible so that they can be brought to justice. “This VR experience plays an important role in helping bystanders identify inappropriate behaviour when it takes place.” Further events will be held across Britain over the coming weeks and months. A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Sadly, many sexual offences take place in front of other passengers. “This campaign plays a vital role in educating passengers on what they can safely and sensitively do if they see someone being harassed. Reports from witnesses are crucial in helping us to remove sexual offenders from the railway. “Where necessary, we can dispatch officers to meet a train at the next stop. In other instances, a witness report could support a victim’s account or help us identify a pattern of offending behaviour. “We urge you to report any type of sexual behaviour that makes you uncomfortable by texting 61016 or via the Railway Guardian app.” Read More Ring to preview security features with abuse charity to boost safety TikTok launches feature to save songs to music apps like Spotify Urgent appeals for missing people to appear on Trainline app Data protection watchdog offers tips on buying smart devices on Black Friday Meta to allow users to delete Threads accounts without losing Instagram AI among biggest threats to next UK election, cyber security agency warns
2023-11-16 08:29
Nowhere Is Safe From Worsening Climate Change, New US Report Warns
The floods, heat waves, storms and fires fed by global warming are getting worse across the US and
2023-11-14 18:27
UpdateAI Lands $2.3M to Ignite Customer Success with Cutting-Edge AI Technology
PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 1, 2023--
2023-06-01 21:18
Twitch games: Top 4 records, most subs, longest subathon, stream and more
Here are the largest livestreaming records as of May 2023
2023-05-13 14:15
Coinbase kicks off grassroots campaign to advance US legislation
By Hannah Lang Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, is stepping up its grassroots advocacy campaign in a
2023-09-19 19:27
Core Scientific Announces July 2023 Production and Operations Updates
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 7, 2023--
2023-08-07 21:17
Sunak Will Pledge UK Support for New Climate Damage Fund at COP28
The UK plans to announce its support for a new fund that helps vulnerable countries cope with the
2023-11-25 00:57
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