670 million people—roughly half of India's population—has been without electricity for two days, following a massive blackout. The United States has a much more modern grid, but only nine years ago a blackout in the Northeast of this country cut power to 45 million. How does a huge blackout like that happen? What are we doing to prevent another one? I'll be on Southern California Public Radio's Madeline Brand Show this morning to talk about how America's electric grid works … and doesn't work. The show starts at 9:00 Pacific time and I'll be on around the top of the hour.
India's in the dark, are we next?
Age of Viking settlement revealed using trees and astrophysics
The Vikings reached North America long before Columbus' enslavement and brutalization of the Americas' Indigenous population, the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, was discovered six decades ago. Though many of the settlement's structures have been recreated, as accurately as dig site evidence and historical research could allow, the settlement's date has been difficult… READ THE REST
Survey finds 22% of scientists who do media interviews about COVID get violent threats
Nature surveyed 300 scientists who've done media interviews about COVID. The results had some surprisingly positive notes — 85% said "their experiences of engaging with the media were always or mostly positive, even if they were harassed afterwards". But as you might expect, a significant chunk described some ghastly abuse. Fully 15% got death threats,… READ THE REST
Solving the mystery of the boom that rocked New Hampshire on Sunday morning
On Sunday morning, residents of New Hampshire and parts of Massachusetts were rocked by a massive boom that shook homes in the region and understandably freaked people the hell out. Early theories that it was a supersonic aircraft or earthquake were quickly proven wrong. So what was it? Most likely a meteor exploded above New… READ THE REST
Elevate your diving and underwater photography with $99 off a Navbow Scooter
Diving is a sport in and of itself, but what about underwater photography and videography? Aside from taking in the ocean depths and generally just trying to stay alive, you have to maneuver between a plethora of underwater camera equipment, which includes the camera itself, lenses, strobes, and many more. That's hard enough when you're… READ THE REST
This refurbished 6th-gen Apple iPad works, looks, and runs like new
Our world is dominated by mobile devices, some of which can even outperform laptops. When it comes to tablets, in particular, no one can seem to get their eyes off Apple's iPad. Whether the Mini or the Pro, iPads have long been some of the bestselling tablets to date. But as with all Apple products,… READ THE REST
Warm up the couch: 9 must-have PlayStation Plus subscriptions are coming your way
From Final Fantasy 7 to Ghost of Tsushima, PlayStation has been pumping out some of the best games for as long as you can remember. Needless to say, you understand the value of a reasonably priced PlayStation subscription when you see one. And these nine deals not only include one, two, and three-year subscriptions to this beloved gaming universe, but… READ THE REST
