Techlife News - July 02, 2022

232 Pages·2022·293 MB·English

SUMMARY
ENVIROS TRAIN DRONE PILOTS TO FIND AND PURSUE POLLUTION 06
CREWLESS ROBOTIC MAYFLOWER SHIP REACHES PLYMOUTH ROCK 20
NEW NHTSA CHIEF: AGENCY TO SCRUTINIZE AUTO-DRIVER TECHNOLOGY 26
CRYPTO RULES TO MAKE EUROPE A GLOBAL LEADER AS PRICES PLUNGE 38
ALL EYES ON AIRLINES AS JULY FOURTH HOLIDAY WEEKEND NEARS 48
OPEC+ OIL BOOST LIKELY NOT MUCH HELP TO HIGH GASOLINE PRICES 60
GETTING THERAPY WHEN COST IS A BARRIER 70
THE WORST HIDDEN TRAVEL FEES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM 82
MACOS VENTURA: REFINING THE WORLD’S BEST DESKTOP OPERATING SYSTEM 92
WHY CAPTIONS ARE SUDDENLY EVERYWHERE AND HOW THEY GOT THERE 116
‘SILICON HEARTLAND’ BOON FOR OHIO, BUT FAMILIES MOURN HOMES 126
INSTAGRAM TESTS USING AI, OTHER TOOLS FOR AGE VERIFICATION 138
AMAZON’S ALEXA COULD SOON MIMIC VOICE OF DEAD RELATIVES 148
TOYOTA RECALLS ELECTRIC CAR FOR FAULTY WHEEL THAT MAY DETACH 152
AUDI E-TRON GT VS. MERCEDES-BENZ EQS 156
SIEMENS INVESTING IN VOLKSWAGEN’S ELECTRIFY AMERICA 164
FIFA TO PUT MORE WORLD CUP TICKETS UP FOR ONLINE SALE 168
AUSTIN BUTLER, BAZ LUHRMANN DELIVER A GRAND ‘ELVIS’ 172
NASA ASTEROID MISSION ON HOLD DUE TO LATE SOFTWARE DELIVERY 184
NASA HOPES NEW ZEALAND LAUNCH WILL PAVE WAY FOR MOON LANDING 188
AIRBNB PERMANENTLY BANS PARTIES AT ITS RENTAL LOCATIONS 196
CHINA’S BAIDU RACES WAYMO, GM TO DEVELOP SELF-DRIVING CARS 200
CHINA ENVOY SAYS AUSTRALIA FIRED FIRST SHOT WITH HUAWEI BAN 212
RHODE ISLAND SETS AMBITIOUS TARGET FOR 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY 218
WIND FARM, ENVIRONMENTALISTS AGREE ON WAYS TO PROTECT WHALES 224
ENVIROS
TRAIN
DRONE
PILOTS
TO FIND
AND PURSUE
POLLUTION
When environmentalist Brent Walls saw a milky-
white substance in a stream flowing through a
rural stretch of central Pennsylvania, he suspected
the nearby rock mine was violating the law.
Recent rains had filled the ponds at the mine
that allow sediment to settle out of the water,
but Walls couldn’t easily take a look because they
were surrounded by private property. To quickly
investigate and avoid trespassing, Walls captured
images of the area with his drone.
“That’s when I found the illicit discharge,” he said.
The photo of cloudy liquid flowing into the creek
provided evidence Walls used to accuse Specialty
Granules LLC of violating the Clean Water Act.
06
Image: Julio Cortez
07
Fifty years after that landmark legislation
was signed into law, drones are giving
environmentalists a new tool to capture
wrongdoing where it is hard to see or expensive
to find, though their use to investigate polluters
is still pretty rare, Walls said.
He would like them used more often. With the
help of a grant, he trains drone pilots for the
Waterkeeper Alliance, a global network of clean
water groups. The nonprofit wants activists
from around the country to know how to use
the technology for storytelling and to collect
evidence that companies are polluting rivers
and streams.
08
Image: Julio Cortez
09
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