Space ‘n’ sass
This weekend, photos of the SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California took online spaces by storm. For a full 72 hours, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter were brimming with various posts featuring the extra-terrestrial-looking body. One of the most popular is by SpaceX itself, while photographer Kevin Greene’s time-lapse video displayed the impressive bloom of the behemoth illuminating plume, looking the stuff of a science fiction film.
The launch, which took place on December 22, successfully delivered ten telecommunications satellites to low-Earth orbit for global mobile voice and data satellite communications corporation, Iridium, marking the midway point of the NEXT launch programme as well as the first Iridium launch to use a SpaceX flight-proven rocket.
With India’s private sector nudging its way into the space industry as well with ISRO thanks to the Space Activities 2017 Bill, there’s huge potential for change in the communications and commercial sectors which could change the way we live our lives — who’s complaining?
And of course, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk trolled the Internet with a series of tweets, “Nuclear alien UFO from North Korea… I think last night might have been the biggest Rorschach test ever… Having a sinking feeling that most people actually do think it was aliens,” whilst also announcing big plans for the space travel company, about as casually as one would announce a trip to the grocer’s, “If you liked tonight’s launch, you will really like Falcon Heavy next month: 3 rocket cores and 3X thrust. 2 cores return to base doing synchronised aerobatics. 3rd lands on droneship.”
How do you like them Apples?
The day of reckoning has finally arrived for Apple; the tech giant is facing a different kind of queuing up from users — lawsuits, to be precise. With people finding software updates leading to significantly inconvenient slow-downs, they're pointing their fingers at Apple and citing them as masterminds of a dark threat: forcing them to invest in the iPhone 8 and X.
Apple did state on Wednesday that they have plans on discontinuing the use of Lithium-ion batteries due to their poor life cycles. But come on, Wozniak, why can’t we just watch Hulu and play Flappy Bird in peace without the threat of a shutdown?
Big Bro is watching you
Edward Snowden has cleverly turned the tables on federal agencies by creating an app, aptly titled ‘Haven’ in junction with Guardian Project and Freedom of the Press. Haven “turns any Android phone into a motion, sound, vibration and light detector, watching for unexpected guests and unwanted intruders,” according to a blog post by Guardian Project.
The app is an open-source project, placing the power and strength of the programme quite literally in the hands of citizens. Considering the crackdown on net neutrality, Haven has entered the market at the right time subverting notions of power unto themselves, making use of encrypted messaging and onion routing, where communication is layered through encrypted means, in whole new ways. While the life cycle of Haven is in question, it’s bound to open more doors to those who’ve found their privacy and information safety under threat.
Too bad an iOS version doesn’t exist — but we’ll let Apple handle their own issues until we knock on their door...