Russia begins nuclear drills by land, sea and air

Russia begins nuclear drills by land, sea and air

Russia has initiated a large-scale manoeuvre of its strategic nuclear forces, running parallel to an ongoing NATO nuclear exercise in Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Wednesday that it was a scheduled military exercise, which he ordered to commence via video link. According to the Kremlin, the exercise is taking place by land, sea…

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TextEdit and the Relief of Simple Software

TextEdit and the Relief of Simple Software

The so-called desktop first appeared on a home computer in 1981, with the release of the Xerox 8010 Star Information System. That device pioneered the graphical-user interface, or G.U.I., a convenient series of visual metaphors that allows us to interact more easily with our machines. The most basic computing interface is the command-line prompt, the…

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Should We Look on New Technologies with Awe and Dread?

Should We Look on New Technologies with Awe and Dread?

The inevitable progress of technology, in other words, makes the technological sublime elusive. And it’s also true that technologies tend to shrink themselves, taking on unassuming guises. (“Technologies tend toward ubiquity and cheapness,” Kelly writes.) My son and I sometimes throw around a “hoverball”—a little propeller-powered sphere that glows in the dark, and which can…

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This Off-The-Beaten-Path Japanese Island Is A Coastal Gem Offering Beaches, Yoga, And Rocket Launches

This Off-The-Beaten-Path Japanese Island Is A Coastal Gem Offering Beaches, Yoga, And Rocket Launches

Just off the southern coast of Kyushu lies Tanegashima, an island where tropical beaches, wellness retreats, and rocket launches coexist. Part of Kagoshima Prefecture, it’s the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands. Unlike its neighboring secluded Japanese island, Yakushima, Tanegashima is relatively flat with gentle slopes that lead to wide stretches of beach and fields of…

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UN climate chief urges faster action

UN climate chief urges faster action

UN climate chief Simon Stiell is urging faster action on climate change one month before the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP30. Upon the release of the report on climate change adaptation, the Grenadian politician said there was both good and bad news. The good news, he said, is that the…

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The Towering Musical Integrity of Christoph von Dohnányi

The Towering Musical Integrity of Christoph von Dohnányi

In September, 1943, a thirteen-year-old German boy named Christoph von Dohnányi wrote an innocuous-seeming letter to his uncle Dietrich: Uncle Klaus is planning to come tomorrow. Hopefully, it will happen. Then the family will be back together again comfortably. Except sadly it’s not quite complete. But that too will come about. And then the long-awaited…

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