🪨 Asteroid incoming

Astronomers spotted a 'planet killer' hiding in the sun's glare

November 1, 2022

IN THIS ISSUE 🎥 Elon Musk could resurrect Vine ☄️ 'Planet killer' asteroid spotted 💻 The technological Cold War 🚀 SpaceX nails double booster landing

UP FIRST Elon Musk wants to resurrect Vine Twitter closed the app down in 2016, but the new CEO wants it back Remember Vine? Twitter killed off the fun short-form video app in 2016, but Elon Musk looks set to bring it back.   A recent Twitter poll, in which the company's new owner asked if anyone would like to see Vine revived, ended with around 70% of nearly 5 million respondents answering "yes."   Musk has now instructed Twitter engineers to overhaul the aging Vine code to get the app working again, insiders told Axios, adding that the app could be ready by the end of the year.   But with hugely popular apps like TikTok having moved into the space left by Vine, it remains to be seen whether Musk's team can really make a success of relaunching the app, which at its height had more than 200 million users – nearly as many as Twitter has today. Read more

HEADS UP 'Planet killer' asteroid spotted Thankfully it won't come close for a few centuries Astronomers have discovered a "planet killer" asteroid nearly a mile (1.4 km) wide with an orbit that could one day place it in Earth's path.   But it's not all bad news as the risk of an impact is unlikely to occur for centuries, a time by which we really should have honed technologies to knock it off course or take it out in some other way.   The giant rock, called 2022 AP7, sits between the orbits of Earth and Venus and until recently had been hiding in the glare of the sun.   It was finally brought to our attention by astronomers working with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.   Astronomers define any asteroid wider than a kilometer as a "planet killer," meaning any impact would likely have a devastating effect on life on Earth. Read more

ON THE HORIZON The Cold War of tech The U.S. and China are moving to block each other technologically In October, the White House unveiled sweeping restrictions aimed at preventing China from accessing U.S. technologies, with a CNN report Monday looking at how the move could lead to a tech war between the two nations.   The curbs, which are reportedly aimed at protecting protect U.S. national security interests, stop China from obtaining advanced computing chips and also prevent the export of the tools needed to make them.   The move could impact Chinese advancements in AI and 5G technologies, as well as the development and maintenance of supercomputers and the manufacturing of semiconductors.   The U.S. action, which according to CNN "most acutely targets the manufacturing of advanced weapons systems," also bans American citizens and legal residents from working with Chinese chip companies.   The report suggests a disruptive tech war may develop if China responds by restricting the supply of processed rare earth minerals, which are important materials in many parts of the tech industry. Read more

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT SpaceX nails double booster landing The Falcon Heavy's two side boosters returned about eight minutes after launch SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launched successfully on only its fourth-ever mission, and its first since 2019, early on Tuesday morning.   The world's most powerful operational rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying two classified satellites for the U.S. Space Force in the USSF-44 mission.   The Falcon Heavy comprises a Falcon 9 rocket as the core booster, along with two Falcon 9 side boosters. While the core booster was expended as planned, the two side boosters each performed a successful landing back at the Kennedy Space Center around eight minutes after launch, marking the 150th and 151st successful landing of an orbital class rocket for SpaceX.   It means the side boosters can be used again in future SpaceX missions. Read more

STAFF PICKS We highly recommend ...

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones Look, I agree with you. $699 — oh c'mon, who am I kidding, $700 — is a lot to pay for a set of wireless headphones, even if they are the Px8, the new flagship of the Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) personal audio lineup. The truth is once you start to head north of $400, the improvements to sound quality start to taper off and it becomes more about design, materials, and — in a sense — the whole "premium-ness" of the experience. But if that's what you seek — a set of wireless headphones that epitomize sophistication, performance, and class — the B&W Px8 will wrap your head in luxury. – Simon Cohen Contributing Editor

Elon Musk's interaction with Stephen King Elon Musk's Twitter feed is a perennial source of entertainment, but it's been particularly ridiculous in these past few days now that he's officially the owner and CEO. One of his most recent tweets – a seemingly desperate reply to author Stephen King – might be the best thing I've seen all week. Even if you don't care about all this Elon Musk Twitter drama, I highly recommend checking it out. – Drew Prindle Senior Editor

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