Saturday, December 24, 2022

December 24, 2022 - Elon Musk may have his replacement on Twitter, a former SpaceX Engineer Steve Davis



S19
Elon Musk may have his replacement on Twitter, a former SpaceX Engineer Steve Davis

Steve Davis has the spirit of the entrepreneur, having been a major guidance systems engineer at SpaceX, CEO of a small chain of yogurt shops, and the CEO of the Boring Company, an Elon Musk's venture to create tunnels in all major cities. All that may be leading up to Davis taking over Twitter from the present CEO, Elon Musk.

Davis had been living at Twitter headquarters for the last two months, as the leader in proxy for Elon Musk. The prospective Twitter leader is a hardcore employee, even bringing his wife and newborn baby to work, right after his first child's birth. They all slept in an office together.

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S70
Save 20% on $50 or more of office essentials at Amazon

My office is an absolute catastrophe here at the end of 2022. The year-end crunch has the whole place scattered with coffee cups, orphaned pen caps, crumpled to-do lists, and a whole bunch of pistachio shells from an unfortunate incident that happened during a late-night editing session. I’m resolving to keep my office more livable in 2023, and I need some stuff to make that happen. Amazon’s Stock Up & Save program offers discounted versions of essential items in various categories. The deals are especially good when it comes to office essentials, though. Of course, that includes notepads, pens, and other common supplies. But it also extends to snacks, cleaning products, and even dog training pads if you’re the type to keep your pooch around while you work.

And, making the deals even sweeter, which is something we all need after all that Christmas shopping, you’ll get 20% off your order if you order more than $50 worth of products from Amazon’s Stock Up & Save program. Play your cards right and that’s like getting free bags of pecans to snack on. They’re delicious, and they don’t leave shells to fall onto the floor and slowly annihilate your feet with their impossibly sharp shards.

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S20
When is the best time to go to the Maldives?

Chances are, you want to go the the Maldives because you've seen how truly beautiful it is. Dotted like ink blots in the clear, tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is an archipelago made up of more than 1,000 islands, 200 of which are inhabited. Historically a honeymoon destination, the best hotels in the Maldives have shifted the destination up a gear, opening it up further to the realms of solo travel and multi-generational holidays. Between the consistently hot weather, unspoilt sandy beaches, high-design hotels and award-winning restaurants, it’s hard to find fault with this small but mighty contender for winter sunshine.

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S15
These new MPP coasters combine a diesel-electric drivetrain with a sailing system

Holland Shipyards has acquired a new contract to develop three new MPP coasters, according to a press release published by the company on Tuesday. The new vessels will be designed by Conoship and will measure 89,42 meters by 13,20 meters.

They will also boast a cargo hold capacity of 5.530 m³ and a tween deck to allow for increased project cargo capacity. The new ships' design will include a new sailing system called VentiFoil that will be combined with a diesel-electric drivetrain.

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S39
Raising Felix: Oh, Christmas Tree

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S68
Best battery backups of 2022

Losing power is never fun, but it can also seriously mess with your electronics, especially if you don’t have a battery backup on-hand. Computers, external hard drives, home Wi-Fi networks, and more all feel the negative effects of an outage. So, it’s important to create a plan of action to keep your home or your business, or both, running during these possible future blackouts. One important part of your plan should be to consider the best battery backups (uninterruptible power supply, or UPS), which will automatically take over when the power drops or goes out entirely.

But there’s no one solution that’s perfect for everyone. Some might need a more powerful and versatile solution—particularly if you’re looking to back up the equipment in your business. Or maybe you have computers and laptops that are particularly sensitive. And you’ll find that UPS models have a broad price range—you can buy one for under $100 or spend thousands of dollars. 

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S16
10 incredible James Webb Space Telescope images reveal the wonders of the universe

It is no exaggeration to say the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) represents a new era for modern astronomy.

Launched on December 25 last year and fully operational since July, the telescope offers glimpses of the universe that were inaccessible to us before. Like the Hubble Space Telescope, the JWST is in space, so it can take pictures with stunning detail free from the distortions of Earth’s atmosphere.

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S21
What our sustainability editor is loving right now

Who can resist loo paper from Who Gives A Crap? You might not have expected me to start with toilet paper as my top tip, but if you haven’t yet seen this charity-funding line of cheery bamboo-paper rolls in their pretty packaging. And yes, I questioned all that wrapping, but the trade-off is this company is working hard to improve sanitation in the developing world — plus their last limited-edition Earth line did a great job of raising awareness around wildlife conservation.

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S25
Claridge's Spa review: “If you're looking for top-to-toe pampering, this is the pinnacle”

What's the backstory?Since opening in 1856, everyone from silver screen royalty such as Cary Grant and Jackie Onassis to royalty, politicians and those just wanting to be part of the experience for a few hours while sipping tea from the finest china have graced this ornate entrance. But a fully rounded spa has been a noticeable absence here, especially as spas - and a swimming pool - have become part of holiday wellness rituals. They're now a must-have expectation from a luxury hotel stay. It follows that a sizeable spa was a logical and necessary expansion; even those who are drawn to the omnipresent bustle of London crave moments of calm - or the option of it at least. 

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S8
Spider: A balloon-borne experiment finally took off from Antarctica

On December 21st, renowned physician Johanna Nagy with her team of scientists, launched a remarkable balloon-borne experiment – SPIDER from its launch pad in Antarctica. The instrument is all set to unravel secrets from our early universe!

The telescopes, which go by the name Suborbital Polarimeter for Inflation, Dust, and the Epoch of Reionization – SPIDER, are intended to provide answers to some of the most perplexing queries regarding the rate at which the cosmos grew into existence. 

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S69
Best nose hair trimmers in 2022

If you just spotted a nose hair peeking from your nostril after a Zoom then you probably need a nose hair trimmer. Plucking hairs is painful and can cause infections and one slip with a tiny pair of scissors could lead to a cut or worse. Nose trimmers are designed to do the job without pain or injury. 

It may seem like nose hair sprouts more prolifically as we age, but in reality, they’re the same hairs just growing longer and coarser. Surprisingly, your nose has the same amount of follicles as your head. The reason? To protect you from breathing in dust and particles. When they get too long though, the best nose hair trimmers will take care of them in a hurry.

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S3
Teenager who tracks Elon Musk's jet sets up a new Twitter account, with a small difference

Elonjet, the account that was allegedly banned for "doxxing" Elon Musk's live location is now back on Twitter under a new name. To comply with Musk-led Twitter's new privacy policies, the account will post updates about Musk's private plane but with a slight change.

The original account, Elonjet, started off in 2020 when owner Jack Sweeney was a teenage college student and a fan of Elon Musk. In the past couple of years, though, much water has passed under the bridge, with Elon Musk first offering to pay a meager $5,000 for the account to be shut down and then even approaching Sweeney on how he could stop his plane from being tracked.

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S46
Figmin XR gives me hope VR can still be weird on the Quest Pro

This tool for creating mixed reality experiences is less buttoned-up than other Quest Pro apps Meta is promoting, and all the better for it.

Meta’s dedicated Quest Pro section of its app store is mainly filled with what you’d expect: wall-to-wall VR meeting apps, with only a few outliers to break up the monotony.

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S5
Russia might send rescue ship for ISS crew after Soyuz capsule leak

According to Phys.org, Russia is reviewing the ongoing viability of the Soyuz crew spacecraft that is docked at the International Space Station (ISS) after it started leaking last week. If necessary, they may send up a rescue vehicle for the stranded crew.

On December 14, 2022, the MS-22 spacecraft started shooting coolant into space, and on dramatic NASA TV visuals, white particles that looked like snowflakes were seen streaming out of the back.

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S22
Greta Thunberg's guide to being climate positive

“Educating yourself about the climate crisis is one of the most powerful things we can do,” Greta told the audience of the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre at the global launch of The Climate Book. A good start is to watch the talk Greta gave, then read this five-part tome, which breaks down the facts with emotive stories, graphs, and powerful photographs. As Margaret Atwood puts it in the book: “We have a lot of knowledge: we know what the problems are, and we know — more or less — what must be done to solve them.”

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S43
Star Trek's boldest new hero held the entire canon together in 2022

As La'an in Strange New Worlds, Christina Chong created a fresh way to see the Final Frontier.

The secret main character of Star Trek’s 2022 break-out hit series isn’t who fans expected.

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S2
Holding up process of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is way better than expected

Began constructed in 1173 and completed in 1372, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or simply the Tower of Pisa, has been the symbol of Italy for centuries. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions, and you have likely seen many photos of tourists trying to make the Tower of Pisa vertical with their hands.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa and the neighboring cathedral, baptistery, and cemetery were included in the Piazza del Duomo UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and experts are trying to preserve it.

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S23
The 23 best holiday destinations in April 2023

Portugal’s barely-there sprinkling of an archipelago, 280 miles off the coast of Morocco, is subtropically clement all year round. In April, this fertile island bursts into bloom (the Flower Festival falls in April or May, depending on the year) and things start to warm up. Though temperatures are hardly balmy (average high is 20ºC), it’s ideal weather for outdoor pursuits in the diverse natural environment, walking in lush green forests to waterfalls, up volcanic peaks and along vertiginous cliff paths; while the surrounding waters are a riot of marine life in April, brimming with 20 species of whales and dolphins.

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S11
Light from satellites is sabotaging our search for dim galaxies and dark matter

A report from U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that there are nearly 5,500 man-made satellites presently orbiting the Earth. It is estimated that by 2030, our planet will be surrounded by 58,000 more satellites. So is this a good or a bad thing?

Well, it’s kind of both. Artificial satellites provide us with useful information on weather and climate patterns. They help us stay connected by facilitating our telephone calls and internet signals. Plus, our TV and radio broadcasts are also made possible by satellites.

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S41
You need to watch the darkest teen thriller before it leaves HBO Max next week

Before House of the Dragon and The Queen’s Gambit made them famous, Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy starred in a razor-sharp teen thriller.

Ever since Winona Ryder turned her teenage angst into a body count, the teen thriller has inexorably linked mean girls to murder. Sometimes it sanded the violence down into emotional murder and social suicide (Mean Girls), or it raised the stakes to demonic heights (Jennifer’s Body). Whatever the case, the best of these thrillers prove that hell truly is a teenage girl. But lest it be forgotten that the deepest circle of hell is ice-cold, the chilling teen thriller Thoroughbreds is here to remind you.

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S67
Pink Iguana hatchlings spotted for the first time on the Gal

The Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador are a playground for biodiversity. Particularly famous for their role in helping Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution in the 1830s and 1840s, it’s home to many species that aren’t found anywhere else on the planet. Giant tortoises, flightless cormorants, and three species of land iguanas are some of the many animals that only call these islands home.

One land iguana species is the critically endangered Galápagos Pink Land Iguana (Conolophus marthae), which is only found on Isabela Island, one of the 13 major islands in the archipelago. First discovered in 1986 and identified as a new species in 2009, there are only about 200 to 300 of these photogenic reptiles on the Isabela Island.

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S45
2022's best superhero team-up game is a fresh take on the strategy genre

How would so many iconic characters fit into the story? Could the game capture the finesse and explosiveness of the comics’ action panels? Would less-popular names get left out due to the success of the MCU? Marvel’s Midnight Suns answered my questions by pointing me toward a genre where even superheroes fear to tread — strategy role-playing games.

Suddenly I was pushed headfirst into the panels of a comic book. For the first time, I got to witness and interact with my favorite heroes on and off the battlefield. It felt like I was seeing everything — just like reading a comic. Midnight Suns is the exact game I’ve been waiting for Marvel’s faces to star in.

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S9
US military reported 'several hundred' UFO sightings in 2022, says Pentagon

Personnel in the U.S. military reported 'several hundred' sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in 2022, officials of the new office set up at the Pentagon told Associated Press. All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the office set up six months ago, prefers to call them Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and is working with all three wings of the military to collect reports of these sightings.

Sightings of UFOs have piqued the curiosity of the general public for years together and continue to do so even today. Previously, these sightings may have gone undocumented, but with the ubiquitous presence of cameras in our daily lives, it is now easier to get records of such sightings.

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S13
NASA's next-generation asteroid hunter is now under construction, NASA announce

NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor), a space observatory built to look for the hardest-to-find asteroids and comets that wander into Earth's orbital neighborhood, recently passed a rigorous technical and programmatic evaluation, NASA reports. The mission is moving into the final design and production phase, and the baseline for its technical, financial, and time requirements is being made.

The observatory helps the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) in Washington, DC, reach its goals. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 mandated that at least 90% of the near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters (460 feet) in diameter that passes within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of our planet's orbit be characterized.

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S4
Scientists just revealed the mystery behind how glass frogs maintain transparency

Scientists have revealed the secret powers of the humble glass frog and how they protect themselves in the thick forests of Central and South America.

Allow us to explain. Glass frogs get their name from their translucent, glass-like skin. Now, at night when they're out, they turn green, seamlessly blending with the thick foliage. But, during the day, the northern glass frog, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, becomes the true master of camouflage when they arm themselves with their invisible coat.

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S61
The 13 Best Places to Go in the UK in 2023

This list – curated by our expert contributors – is an edit of cities, regions and entire counties across the four devolved nations of the UK that should be on your radar right now. From Manchester's new museums to Glasgow's slew of slated hotel openings via conservation initiatives in Inverness and the sparkly arrival of Eurovision in Liverpool, these are the 13 best places to go in the UK in 2023, in no particular order. And don’t forget to visit our global list of international destinations to visit next year – the best places to travel in 2023, vetted by Condé Nast Traveller editors, plus ideas for places to go in the USA, top spots in Spain and destinations to book in India. Happy travels. 

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S7
The world's largest aircraft engine is now ready for testing

Rolls-Royce has announced that the construction of its UltraFan® technology demonstrator was complete and that testing was now underway. A significant program milestone was reached when the demonstrator engine was moved from the build workshop to Derby, U.K.'s Testbed 80, where it was mounted in anticipation of testing.

The first test of the demonstrator is expected to take place early next year and will be operated using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

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S12
Bertone reveals a 1100 hp hypercar that runs on plastic waste

Bertone, a famous Italian automotive design house, has come up with a hypercar that produces 1,100 hp and 1,100 Nm of torque to mark its 110th anniversary. The car, christened GB110, is also the first high-performance car that runs on fuel made out of plastic waste. The company will only produce 33 units of the hypercar.

In its rich automotive history, the firm is known for designing iconic sports cars such as the Lamborghini Countach, the Alfa Romeo Montreal, Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Spider, and Lamborghini Miura. The oldest Italian design coachbuilder was founded in 1912 by Giovanni Bertone. The company's present owners, Mauro, and Jean-Franck Ricci, is poised to merge their engineering experience with Bertone's design heritage. 

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S51
40 annoying problems around your house you didn't realize you can fix for less than $30

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that are the most annoying, like a cold cup of coffee, extra-bright alarm clocks, and watermarks on your sink. They all add up to one big headache — but luckily for both of us, many of these problems have easy solutions that can be found right on Amazon.

And since saving money is never a bad idea, I’ve ensured that each solution below costs less than $30. That means you can keep your coffee warm, dim that alarm clock, and keep your sink clean — all without breaking the bank.

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S10
2,000-year-old Mayan civilization discovered in the north of Guatemala

A team of researchers from numerous institutions in the United States, along with colleagues from France and Guatemala, found a massive 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala. The group made the discovery by using LiDAR.

Similar to radar, LiDAR is a detection system based on laser light rather than radio waves. Researchers decided to use it because LiDAR can penetrate rainforests and reveal what is underneath them.

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S54
The Very Real Dangers of Executive Coaching

Over the past 15 years, it has become more and more popular to hire coaches for promising executives. Although some of these coaches hail from the world of psychology, a greater share are former athletes, lawyers, business academics, and consultants. No doubt these people help executives improve their performance in many areas. But I want to tell a different story. I believe that in an alarming number of situations, executive coaches who lack rigorous psychological training do more harm than good. By dint of their backgrounds and biases, they downplay or simply ignore deep-seated psychological problems they don’t understand. Even more concerning, when an executive’s problems stem from undetected or ignored psychological difficulties, coaching can actually make a bad situation worse. In my view, the solution most often lies in addressing unconscious conflict when the symptoms plaguing an executive are stubborn or severe.

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S26
The best destination spas in the world: 2022 Readers' Choice Awards

Spas are feeling top of the world again, and it’s not just because of all those CBD gummies. Wellness is a global concern in the post-pandemic world, with Joali Being – the Maldives’ first serious spa resort – arriving late last year, and new outposts from big-hitters SHA Wellness Clinic, Lanserhof and Chiva-Som. Highlights include Ananda in the Himalayas, whose therapists you rated top, and the design-savvy cedar studios of Shou Sugi Ban House in New York State. And we’ve revived the UK spa category this year, where Coworth Park (a seasoned all-rounder) and Gleneagles (best for experiences) had the healthiest results.

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S18
37 million people a day are being infected with COVID-19 in China

New estimates from China’s top health authority have been released indicating how many people in the nation are being infected with COVID-19 on a daily basis and the number is alarming, according to a report by Bloomberg published on Friday. Nearly 37 million people may have caught the virus on a single day this week, making the country’s outbreak the world’s largest. 

In just the first 20 days of December, as many as 248 million people, amounting to 18 percent of the population, likely contracted the virus in the struggling nation. This is according to an internal meeting of China’s National Health Commission held on Wednesday. The new data is especially disconcerting considering the previous daily record set in January of this year was only 4 million. 

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S24
"I am lifted out of my wheelchair and into the world's first adapted camel saddle": Why travel to this remote location is more accessible than ever

Authentic travel experiences are rarely accessible for those of us who navigate the world differently. As a manual wheelchair user and paraplegic of nearly twenty years, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been able to roll off the beaten track. Ours is an often sanitised or watered-down travel experience, adapted to meet our needs, limited by what's accessible. Real adventures appear reserved for those blessed not only with the means and the attitude but also the ability to go wherever their feet may carry them.

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S62
9 incredible castle hotels around the world

A medieval fortress that fits the images of childhood storybook tales, the Kilkea Castle sits on a 186-acre estate only 45 minutes from Dublin. This luxury property features a world-class 18-hole golf course, a robust wellness centre, and a traditional Irish pub. Outdoor enthusiasts can also sign up for tennis, fishing, archery, falconry, and equestrian activities. Or get your blood pumping while seeing the best of Ireland's nature, with 4x4 off-roading through the nearby Wicklow mountains.

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S49
Grab a cracker: Meet the microbes that make your holiday cheese plate

Some cheeses are mild and soft, like mozzarella, while others are salty-hard, like Parmesan. And some smell pungent like Époisses, a funky orange cheese from the Burgundy region in France.

There are cheeses with fuzzy rinds, such as Camembert, and ones marbled with blue veins, such as Cabrales, which ripens for months in mountain caves in northern Spain.

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S6
Patriot Missile Defense System: America's most advanced air defense equipment

Before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's first overseas visit since the Russian aggression, the U.S. announced military aid worth $1.85 billion to the war-torn country. This includes the Patriot missile defense system, the best air defense system in the U.S. arsenal.

This explainer will help you understand why the Patriot Missile system is important and how it will help Ukraine defend itself.

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S56
Can I travel to Bhutan? Entry requirements explained

As of Friday 23 September 2022, you no longer have to provide a negative PCR test or undergo quarantine to visit Bhutan, regardless of vaccination status. However, these entry requirements can change at a moment's notice so it is important to check with your tour provider or sponsoring organisation before travelling.

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S40
Marvel's Fantastic Four movie could beat 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' at its own game

Reed Richards is a difficult egg to crack. Across four Fantastic Four movies (with three different actors) we've only gotten shades of the character, but never a complete vision that aligns with his comic book counterpart. He’s been nice, shy, nerdy, and even a bit foolish. But we’ve never seen Mister Fantastic be calculating. We’ve never seen him attempt to solve every problem there has been and will be. We’ve never seen the “smartest man alive” convene with god himself simply because he can’t stop looking for solutions — oftentimes to problems he’s created.

It’s all too easy to take a look at Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four, and see him as the boring, nerdy father figure of the group. And let’s be honest, stretchy powers were cool in the ‘60s but just feel kind of goofy now. But Richards is so much more than that. After all, it takes a certain kind of person to declare themselves Mister Fantastic.

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S44
Meet the Inverse Scene Stealers class of 2022

What do a water-breathing Mutant, a 1980s stoner, a dimension-hopping party girl, and a nightmare made real all have in common? They’re all members of Inverse’s 2022 Scene Stealers.

At the end of every year, we take a minute to look back at the actors who managed to leave a lasting impression despite not having a starring role. In 2022, that included everyone from Tenoch Huerta’s snarling antagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to the latest scream queen in Mike Flanagan’s horror empire. We’ve also got the toughest Elf in Middle-earth (sorry, Legolas) and the Star Trek star holding the entire canon together.

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S28
Canada travel restrictions: The rules for travelling from the UK

Travellers are no longer required to submit public health information through the ArriveCAN mobile application or website, provide proof of vaccination, undergo any covid tests pre- or post-journey, or carry out covid quarantine stays.

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S66
Tesla driver blames self-driving mode for eight-car pileup

The driver of a 2021 Tesla Model S says a Full Self-Driving (FSD) Mode malfunction is behind a Thanksgiving Day eight-vehicle crash on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. The accident  resulted in two children receiving minor injuries. The incident, made public on Wednesday via a local police report and subsequently reported on by Reuters, is only the latest in a string of wrecks, some fatal, to draw scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

As The Guardian also notes, the multi-car wreck came just hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the $15,000 autopilot upgrade would become available to all eligible vehicle owners in North America. Prior to the expansion, FSD was only open to Tesla drivers with “high safety scores.”

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S47
The most underrated Final Fantasy game literally brought me to tears

I’m too ashamed to tell them that I forgot to extract a magical Guardian Force (GF) entity from a boss in Final Fantasy VIII and then saved over my only game file like a preteen idiot who hadn’t figured out save scumming yet. In retrospect, I’m even more ashamed of the fact that you can still earn every GF in the game’s final dungeon — a detail my 10-year-old brain missed on my first playthrough of my favorite Final Fantasy game.

Much like FF8’s protagonist, Squall Leonhart, I too was a depressive, withdrawn, emo kid afraid of being hurt by human connections. Squall famously responds “Whatever…” to just about everything. I dreamt of caring that little, but ultimately, we both care far more than we let on.

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S31
The Leader of the United Airlines Pilots Union Just Resigned, and It's a Warning for Any Leader in 2023

We're almost a quarter of the way through the century. Haven't we learned this already?

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S60
The 23 Best Places to Go in 2023

Our 23 best places to travel in 2023 is a mix of old favourites worth visiting anew, and lesser-trammelled, even once-forbidden, regions ready to welcome travellers - yet they are all unified by highly anticipated new offerings and evolutions. There's something here for every kind of traveller, whether you seek extraordinary excursions through ancient rainforests, a blossoming terroir-driven culinary scene, or dazzling cultural calendars packed with world-class music and rare art exhibits. We also believe that there's more that binds than separates these places: an opportunity for richer engagement with local communities, slower travel, and more meaningful - and joyful - human connection. What could better speak to what we hope for in the year ahead?

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S17
4 reasons why you shouldn't mix certain medicines with alcohol

A glass or two of champagne with Christmas lunch. A cool crisp beer at the beach. Some cheeky cocktails with friends to see in the New Year. There seem to be so many occasions to unwind with an alcoholic drink this summer.

But if you’re taking certain medications while drinking alcohol, this can affect your body in a number of ways. Drinking alcohol with some medicines means they may not work so well. With others, you risk a life-threatening overdose.

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S42
The best tech of 2022

From sleek EVs to polished smartphones to VR headsets, these were the 27 most important consumer tech products released this year.

Our Swiss Army Knife smartphones, now nearing their final slab form factors, got more polished. Handheld gaming, largely fueled by the Steam Deck, waltzed into the spotlight. And EVs — be they electric cars or personal mobility like e-bikes and e-scooters — are really starting to redefine the definition of transportation while changing lifestyles in both cities and suburbs.

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S50
Can’t believe the holidays are here already? Your aging brain may be to blame

Think back to your childhood. December was the longest of months. It might have been filled with rehearsing school nativity performances, writing your wishlist, and savoring the morning's advent calendar chocolate. But at times, it felt like Santa would never arrive.

As an adult, it's a different experience. One minute it's summer holidays, barbecues, and sunburn, and then, in the blink of an eye, it's mince pies, tinsel, and turkey. Is it just me, or is Christmas coming around faster?

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S14
Porsche starts to use thin air and water to replace gasoline

Porsche and international partners working with the Chilean operating company Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF) have successfully undertaken the development of synthetic fuels made out of thin air and water, according to a press release by the firm published last week. The production of these fuels will take place at the ‘Haru Oni’ pilot plant in Punta Arenas, Chile.

Haru Oni will produce green hydrogen via a process called electrolysis using sustainable and green renewable energy derived from wind power. The facility will also capture CO2 from the atmosphere and use a process of synthesis to combine the CO2 and hydrogen to produce eFuels, including carbon-neutral methanol (eMethanol), carbon-neutral gasoline (eGasoline) and carbon-neutral Liquefied Gas (eLG). These eFuels offer a key opportunity for existing infrastructure to become carbon neutral by continuously reusing and recycling CO2.

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S32
Not sure how to keep your kids busy and happy these holidays? Here are five tips.

When holidays roll around, many parents begin to appreciate just how tenacious teachers have to be to keep children engaged for weeks at a time. Some, faced with children they describe as “too playful”, “restless” or even “destructive”, may turn to home tutors, holiday lessons at schools or unregulated television viewing.

But holidays should be a time for children to relax both their bodies and their brains. They spend long stretches of the year focused on cognitive-based activities and they, like adults, deserve a break.

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S1
Wind farms on Mars can power future crewed missions, say NASA scientists

A study published in Nature Astronomy suggests that Mars has enough to generate power for future crewed missions, Space.com reported.

With the help of a state-of-the-art Mars global climate model, scientists at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, analyzed the total planetary Martian wind potential and found that wind speeds at certain proposed landing sites are fast enough to provide a "stand-alone" or "complementary" energy source to solar or nuclear power.

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S65
Boost your connection by checking your Wi-Fi strength from any device

From gaming and online shopping to movie streaming and social media. There are a lot of reasons why you need stable Wi-Fi around your home, and getting stuck with a sluggish or unreliable connection, can become a major problem.

We’re sadly not equipped to see the radio waves floating around our homes carrying that precious wireless internet access, but you can easily check how strong the signal from your router is at various locations. This can be helpful when making sure you’re getting the wireless speeds you’re paying for, but also to set up your devices in optimum locations and identify problems, like a badly positioned fish tank. You can check your wireless strength from any device, and we’ve picked the simplest options in each case.

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S30
10 of the best things to do in Istanbul

For the full authentic hammam experience, sweat it out at Çemberlitaş Hamamı. Bathers lie on a circular marble slab beneath a dome inset with glass stars, through which rays of light pierce the steam. Afterwards, attendants scrub, press and pummel you until you beg for mercy. They do extras such as head massages and clay face masks, too. A more private, deluxe version can be had at Six Senses Kocataş Mansions, whose new spa offers various hammam treatments in a restored stone house beside the Bosphorus.

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S55
How to Erase Your Personal Information From the Internet (It’s Not Impossible!)

Your shopping habits, your family members' names, even your salary is out there for anyone to see. But you can take back control.

The internet knows my age and home address. It knows how much I make and what I do for work. It knows when I last voted and who I voted for. Recently, I got married in a supposedly secret ceremony at city hall. The internet found out before my mother.

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S63
The 10 best things to see and do in Canggu, Bali

Surfing is Canggu's raison d'être. From the mid-2010s, when intrepid surfers moved away from the crowded waves of Kuta and Seminyak, this then still-quiet spot began developing as one of Bali's most popular surf hubs. And while the pros have since moved even farther east to look for a new spot to surf undisturbed, Canggu remains a top choice for surfers of all levels. A handful of waves break on Canggu's shore, including the beginner-friendly Batu Bolong and Berawa, or the pro-grade rips and curls on Echo Beach. You'll find surfboards for rent all along the coast, and surf camps with one-on-one training sessions range from boutique retreats to luxurious lodgings such as COMO Uma Canggu.

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S36
Calling Deion Sanders a sellout ignores the growing role of clout-chasing in college sports

For most college football coaches, the move from a mid-major conference to a Power Five conference would be met with widespread praise.

When the Pro Football Hall of Famer announced he would be leaving Jackson State University, where he has coached the football team since 2020, to become head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, many ardent fans and supporters reacted with dismay and disbelief – particularly his fans and supporters from the Black community.

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S64
The most beautiful small towns in Europe

Whether it's a lakeside hamlet in Austria or a hauntingly beautiful village in Romania, these 26 storybook towns are the stuff European dreams are made of. Fair warning: There are many charming bell towers and cobblestoned streets ahead.

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S48
This keyboard with a screen inside makes your gaudy PC setup even gaudier

Finalmouse’s first-ever keyboard is certainly making a splash, but it may be more distracting than practical.

It’s equal parts ridiculous and innovative. Finalmouse makes its entrance into the mechanical keyboard world with the Centerpiece, which has an actual screen built underneath.

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S34
Jan. 6 committee tackled unprecedented attack with time-tested inquiry

After 18 months, more than 1,200 interviews and 10 public hearings that presented 70 witnesses’ testimony, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack released its 845-page final report late on Dec. 22, 2022. The report recommended that the Department of Justice prosecute former President Donald Trump on four criminal charges, including conspiracy and incitement of insurrection. It also contained several legislative recommendations, including reform of the process to count electoral votes in presidential elections. The committee also notably recommended that Congress bar Trump and other officials involved in the insurrection from running for office again under the 14th amendment.

The committee’s recommendation to prosecute a former president was unprecedented. But its investigation of the events of Jan. 6, 2021 fell squarely within Congress’ power, and added a new chapter to a centuries-long history of congressional investigations into government scandals and failures.

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S29
Can I go to Spain? Spanish travel restrictions explained

For your return to the UK afterwards, there is no need to take a test. Since 18 March 2022, all people travelling from Spain to the UK do not need to take any tests or quarantine when returning to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland as the UK has now dropped all Covid travel rules. 

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S37
Food Is Art at Koloman

Markus Glocker, the chef and co-owner of Koloman—a new French-Viennese restaurant in the former Breslin space, adjoining the Ace Hotel in NoMad—has a clarity of vision that springs from the philosophy of the turn-of-the-century artist Koloman Moser. It may sound a bit stiff, such a specific and obscure restaurant theme—Koloman who?—but Glocker shares a kindred spirit with the graphic designer and painter, a founding member of the Viennese Secession movement, whose concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or total art, included furniture, textiles, metalwork, stained glass, and other crafts. Glocker takes this idea to its logical modern-day conclusion, extending total art to also encompass—what else?—food.

Glocker grew up in a small town in Austria, where he was expected to take over his family’s hotel, but, he told me, after culinary school, “I packed my bags and left,” to cook with Gordon Ramsay, in London and New York, and Charlie Trotter, in Chicago, where he discovered that he loved discipline in the kitchen. That discipline was on full display during his seven years as the chef and co-owner of Bâtard, in Tribeca, where he was showered with accolades for the restaurant’s genial fine dining at a technical epitome. When Bâtard closed during the pandemic for the second time, in 2021, and the Breslin space became available, Glocker—who’d “had a business plan in my pocket for quite a while”—took the plunge on his dream project.

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S59
The 23 Best Places to Go in Spain and Portugal in 2023

At the same time, the editors of all of the Condé Nast Traveller editions around the world have been discussing, debating, and defending their choices in order to create a collective list of the top 23 places to visit around the world in 2023. We are happy that two of our picks – a Spanish province and a town in the Alentejo region of Portugal – made the global list. We also hope the double honour for these two destinations will serve as a recognition of their new cultural, gastronomic, and hospitality offerings as well as encourage readers to go visit and see them in person.

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S33
How Monopoly informs academia and economics, even when it's not obvious

Maître de conférence HDR en histoire de la pensée économique à l'Université Paris 8, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)

At the top hat’s turn to roll, the dice land on ‘Chance’ and it’s a one-way ticket to Mayfair. Aged just ten years old, I won my first game of Monopoly, but I strangely didn’t feel a sense of joy. I was rich, very rich indeed. But I was the sole proprietor of the houses, hotels and lots left behind by a fictional society of which I was the last remaining survivor.

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S53
Stop the Meeting Madness

We can all joke about how painful they are, say the authors, but that pain has real consequences for teams and organizations. Every minute spent in a wasteful meeting eats into solo work that’s essential for creativity and efficiency. Chopped-up schedules interrupt deep thinking, so people come to work early, stay late, or use weekends for quiet time to concentrate. And dysfunctional meeting behaviors are associated with lower levels of market share, innovation, and employment stability.

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S52
You need to watch the trippiest holiday thriller HBO Max ASAP

In a world of high-profile trailer drops, streaming premieres, and spoilers everywhere, it’s hard to watch a movie that’s genuinely surprising. Every single movie or show is in a crowded marketplace and has to sell itself in seconds; there’s no time for withholding any secrets. Viewers just aren’t likely to stick around for something to “get good.”

But in the last gasps of 2022, one movie managed to be surprising from one scene to the next, and it’s something you would never select on a streaming menu.

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S35
Committee report focus is not on demonstrators - 5 essential reads on the symbols they carried on Jan. 6

As the final report emerges from the congressional committee investigating the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, the focus is on the role of then-President Donald Trump and those close to him. That’s crucial information, but it leaves out another important chapter of the story.

There were thousands of people demonstrating on the streets of Washington, D.C., that day, whose actions are not recounted in detail in the congressional report. They carried a variety of political and ideological flags and signs. The Conversation asked scholars to explain what they saw – including ancient Norse images and more recent flags from U.S. history.

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S57
London restaurants, bars and foodie events to go to and help support Ukraine

Ukrainian-born Olia Hercules, Russian Alissa Timoshkina and Polish chef Zuza Zak are at the helm of the efforts, along with London-based Instagrammer Clerkenwell Boy. The group were inspired by 2016’s £1 million raising Cook for Syria initiative and cooked up the plans after news of the war in Ukraine broke.

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S38
The January 6th Report and Donald Trump’s Criminal Referrals

On Monday, the House select committee investigating January 6th voted unanimously to refer Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation over the attack on the Capitol, including a charge of insurrection. The staff writers Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos gather for their weekly conversation to talk about the committee's eighteen-month probe and what's next for the forty-fifth President.

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S27
Can I travel to Qatar? Entry requirements explained

As of Tuesday 1 November, the country dropped the last of its Covid restrictions. Travellers arriving in Qatar are no longer required to undergo self-isolation, report their Covid status through test certificates or register on the Ehteraz health application system prior to arrival. However, it is still mandatory for travellers to present their health status on the Ehteraz app when entering public and private healthcare facilities.

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S58
How to help the people of Ukraine right now

In reaction to the invasion of Ukraine, the British Red Cross, together with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has launched a Ukraine Emergency Fund that you can donate any amount to now. Donations could go towards water, first aid, medicines, warm clothes and shelter for people affected by the invasion.

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