Blue internet sky

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter Monday that his company's satellite internet service, Starlink , will offer speeds close to 300 Mbps later in 2021. That's roughly twice as fast as currently advertised , and would represent a significant step forward for the service as it seeks to deliver high-speed internet to underserved regions across the globe. The tweet came in reply to a customer posting their at-home speed test results with a newly installed Starlink connection. Latency, a measure of how long it takes your internet signal to travel to space and back, will also drop to around 20ms this year, Musk added. That would be a validation of the company's strategy of launching its satellites into low-Earth orbit , which reduces the distance that those signals need to travel. That strategy has also raised red flags with astronomers worried about obstructions to night sky visibility, which is something SpaceX has been working to address with updates to its satellite … [Read more...] about Elon Musk: SpaceX will double Starlink’s satellite internet speeds in 2021

Facebook , Google and seven other major Internet companies are allowing the National Security Agency direct access to a wealth of users' data, according to a report. Called PRISM, the program involves the NSA accessing the emails, documents, photographs and other sensitive data of users from all nine involved companies, according to a PowerPoint presentation obtained by The Washington Post and The Guardian . The PowerPoint was provided by a whistleblower in the intelligence services. Microsoft, Yahoo, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube and Apple are also party to the program, the report alleges. Dropbox is reportedly "coming soon," while the PowerPoint document reveals that Apple held out for five years before finally relenting. A Google spokesperson told both newspapers that "Google does not have a back door for the government to access private user data," but did admit that the company discloses "user data to government in accordance with the law, and we review all such … [Read more...] about NSA Leak: Internet Giants Let Government Tap Your Data

The DJI FPV has officially landed – and this 'First Person View' flier is promising to be an exciting cross between a racing drone and a cinematic, sky-based camera like the DJI Mavic Air 2 . (Want to skip to our early impressions? Head to our hands-on DJI FPV drone review ). The DJI FPV differs from the company's other drones in one key way – rather than flying it via a video feed on a controller screen, you instead get an on-board view thanks to some bundled, head-mounted goggles. This promises to give you the experience of flying like an eagle, or being in the real-world cockpit of a plane on Microsoft Flight Simulator . In this sense, the DJI FPV is similar to racing drones, which have become increasingly popular with the rise of professional competitions like the Drone Racing League (DRL). But DJI's new 'ready-to-fly' drone is less targeted at racing, and more towards beginners who want to try the FPV experience while shooting 4K aerial videos. These are the … [Read more...] about The DJI FPV drone takes you into the skies with its 4K camera and video goggles

Rocket Lab , a space startup based in the US and New Zealand, announced big plans Monday that founder Peter Beck once said would never come to pass, forcing him to eat his own hat. Beck simultaneously announced the company's next rocket, the reusable medium-lift Neutron, and its plans to fund this next stage by going public on the Nasdaq stock exchange through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Beck once said he would eat his own hat if his company ever built a reusable rocket. Holding to that promise, the above video announcing Neutron also features Beck blending up a cap and sampling it. Beck's moment turning headwear to an hors d'oeuvre has been in the making for a while. Last year Rocket Lab announced plans to try recovering its spent Electron rockets using parachutes and a helicopter. Now, the recyclable Neutron launcher -- which will be designed to land on an ocean platform -- will allow Rocket Lab to compete more directly with SpaceX and … [Read more...] about SpaceX has new competition from Rocket Lab’s reusable Neutron rocket

Long ago, haunted Halloween houses had to put time and effort into their tricks. It took ghouls, goblins and mask-wearing-men-with-chainsaws to spook their visitors. But in 2013, there's no need for all the fuss. See also: Ellen's Haunted House Torture Punches You in the Face With Funny In this Unearthed Comics , artist Sara Zimmerman proves that there's not much that will scare people more than a weak Internet connection. BONUS: Haunted House Reactions Are Back — and Funnier Than Ever Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: Nightmares Fear Factory Image: … [Read more...] about A 21st-Century Haunted House