The ‘Meth Lab Oompa Loompa Lady’ Is Selling Greetings on Cameo for $25

The ‘Meth Lab Oompa Loompa Lady,’ whose real name is Kirsty Paterson, has been through a lot over the past week, but even she wasn’t ready for the latest twist in her story. After being forced to learn an AI-generated script for a disastrous Willy Wonka-themed event in Scotland and facing hordes of hate on … Read more

Rocket Lab has ‘misrepresented’ Neutron launch readiness, congressional memo says

An internal congressional memo viewed by TechCrunch casts strong doubt on Rocket Lab’s claim that its Neutron rocket will be ready for launch in time to meet a crucial contract deadline from the Space Force. “In light of public reporting and media pressure, Rocket Lab has escalated their campaign to misrepresent their launch readiness in … Read more

Varda Space, Rocket Lab nail first-of-its-kind spacecraft landing in Utah

A spacecraft containing pharmaceutical drugs that were grown on orbit has finally returned to Earth today after more than eight months in space. Varda Space Industries’ in-space manufacturing capsule, called Winnebago-1, landed in the Utah desert at around 4:40 p.m. EST. Inside the capsule are crystals of the drug ritonavir, which is used to treat … Read more

Tech Companies Turned Ukraine Into an AI War Lab

Early on the morning of June 1, 2022, Alex Karp, the CEO of the data-analytics firm Palantir Technologies, crossed the border between Poland and Ukraine on foot, with five colleagues in tow. A pair of beaten-up Toyota Land Cruisers awaited on the other side. Chauffeured by armed guards, they sped down empty highways toward Kyiv, … Read more

Bambu Lab is recalling every A1 3D printer — don’t use them until you read this

Bambu Lab is officially recalling all A1 3D printers (not counting the A1 Mini). The company “strongly” urges owners to stop using it for safety reasons after it was alerted to “unstable temperature readings” that it first traced to a faulty heatbed cable last week. After further investigation, Bambu says “less than 0.1% of all … Read more

National Lab simulates Armageddon-style nuclear asteroid deflection

As if last year’s fabulous Dual Asteroid Redirection Test firing a satellite bullet into an asteroid wasn’t enough, now researchers are doing detailed simulation of the nuclear deflection scenario envisioned in 1998 space disaster film Armageddon. At Lawrence Livermore National Lab, a team led by Mary Burkey (above) presented a paper that moves the ball … Read more

Scientists Created Tiny VR Goggles for Lab Mice, With Adorable Results

At last, researchers say they’ve found a way for lab mice to easily use virtual reality goggles. The unusual set-up does have practical applications, since it should make it easier for scientists to study how mice respond to things commonly encountered in the wild, like predatory birds. Zillow Says You’ll Buy Your Next House With… … Read more

Israeli military tour of northern Gaza reveals ravaged buildings, toppled trees, former weapons lab

INSIDE THE GAZA STRIP — An Israeli tank rolls across a sandy moonscape, surrounded by rubble. Damaged buildings are visible in every direction. Toppled trees lie along the Mediterranean shoreline. The Israeli military escorted international journalists into the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, giving them a glimpse of the aftermath of 12 days of heavy … Read more

Electron will likely return to the skies before the year is out, Rocket Lab says

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket will likely return to flight before the year is out, though work remains to be complete before missions can resume, according to a new statement released Wednesday. Rocket Lab said it had received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to resume Electron launches from the company’s New Zealand launch complex, but … Read more

Alphabet’s AI lab, DeepMind, cut employee costs by nearly 40% in 2022

DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis at a 2017 event in China. Source: Alphabet Alphabet’s AI lab, DeepMind, cut employee costs by 39% last year, according to a recent filing with a U.K. government agency. For the 2022 financial year, staff costs and other related expenses were 594.5 million pounds (nearly $731 million), down from 969.4 million … Read more