The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued today a warning to investors about buying shares of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) based on endorsements from Hollywood actors, professional athletes, and famous musicians, reports Bloomberg. “It is never a good idea to invest in a SPAC just because someone famous sponsors or invests in it or says it is a good investment,” the agency said in a statement. In a related news flash, BIG Media...
Hackers earned a record US$40 million in 2020 for reporting software flaws via a leading bug bounty reporting service, reports the BBC. HackerOne suggested the pandemic had given "volunteers" more time to pursue the endeavour. Added YesWeHack chief executive Guillaume Vassault-Houlière: "Given the new risks and the importance of cyber-security in the economic survival of companies, an increasing number of chief information security officers have turned to bug bounties."
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56350362
A claim by Open AI, the research company founded by Elon Musk, that its artificial neural network CLIP shows behaviour very similar to a human brain has scientists hopeful for the future of AI networks' ability to identify images in a symbolic, conceptual, and literal capacity, reports Tech Xplore.
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-neural-network-mirrors-human-brain.html
When a COVID-19 positive test shut down an NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets at this time last year, it was clear that the fast-spreading virus would have an impact on pro sports leagues. But could anyone have imagined the extent of the challenges to come? Counting lost ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships and television revenue, Forbes estimates that North America's four major sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association together have taken...
Courtesy Orbital Assembly Corp.
According to the Gateway Foundation, construction is expected to begin in 2026 on Voyager Station, the first space hotel. Plans call for it to be built by Orbital Assembly Corp. and have similar amenities to an upscale Earth-based hotel with, well, a view like no other. As CNN reports, it will consist of a rotating wheel made of 24 modules featuring weightless and reduced-gravity recreational activities.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/voyager-station-space-hotel-scn/index.html
Saudi Arabia raised April pricing for crude exports eastward to the highest levels since just before they instigated a brief price/supply war a year ago. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies decided at a meeting March 4 that it would be sticking with output cuts that have buoyed the market this year. Meanwhile, Russia wants to add production to prevent U.S. producers from adding output and capturing market share, Bloomberg reports.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/saudis-raise-crude-prices-to-asia-u-s-as-opec-extends-cuts-1.1573656
As part of the Singapore government's wide-ranging "green plan", the city-state has pledged to increase solar energy use four-fold to three percent by 2030 –enough to power about 350,000 households per year, reports Tech Xplore. With land at a premium, Singapore is diving into the "new frontier" of floating solar farms, including one in the Johor Strait that features 13,000 panels anchored to the sea floor. A 122,000-panel farm under development in the Tengeh Reservoir will...
Retail investors are pouring funds into U.S. stocks at a rate 40% higher than in a record-breaking 2020, according to Bloomberg. Retail traders, many of them newbies, are jumping all over stock-market dips, leaving analysts wondering how long the novice bull ride will last.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/nothing-the-stock-market-does-ever-scares-its-retail-daredevils-1.1573217
The weirdness that is Burning Man in Nevada's Black Rock Desert was not to be in 2020 and possibly 2021, but the organizers, Burning Man Project (BMP), say they plan to create something even more immense called Fly Ranch. On 3,800 acres just north of the Burning Man site, BMP proposes build infrastructure for global sustainable solutions. Projects within Fly Ranch are to include Solar Mountain, SEE symbiotic coevolution and the Ripple bioceramic dome....
One of the first big spenders in special-purpose acquisition (SPAC) investment, billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya has sold 6.2 million personal shares of Virgin Galactic for about $211 million. He pledged to parlay the profits into combatting climate change. Palihapitiya's investment in 2019 helped the space tourism startup founded by Richard Branson speed to a public listing. Palihapitiya and business partner Ian Osborne still own 15.8 million shares via SCH Sponsor Corp.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/chamath-palihapitiya-sells-virgin-galactic-personal-stake-211-million-2021-3-1030154267
