DRONES: SOARING INNOVATIONS CHANGING THE WORLD
36
GOOGLE CEO CALLS FOR REGULATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
UK POLICE USE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TESTS PUBLIC’S TOLERANCE
60 ‘BAD BOYS FOR LIFE’ IS KINDA BAD. WHATCHA GONNA DO?
08
92
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT’S NEW QUARREL WITH APPLE 16 GM’S CRUISE HEADS DOWN NEW ROAD WITH NEW ROBOTAXI CONCEPT 26 FIAT CHRYSLER IN TALKS WITH FOXCONN TO DEVELOP ELECTRIC CARS 32 CENTRAL BANKS JOIN TO STUDY POSSIBLE DIGITAL CURRENCIES 56 US SEEKS TO TIGHTEN RULES COVERING SERVICE ANIMALS ON PLANES 70 JAMES DEAN REVIVAL SPURS DEBATE ON RAISING THE DIGITAL DEAD 102 NETFLIX HOLDS ITS OWN IN THE STREAMING WARS - FOR NOW 110 NO ASTROVANS FOR SPACEX, CREWS RIDING TO ROCKETS IN TESLAS 114 SPACEX LAUNCHES, DESTROYS ROCKET IN ASTRONAUT ESCAPE TEST 118 UN EXPERTS: JEFF BEZOS PHONE HACK SHOWS LINK TO SAUDI PRINCE 126 BOEING DOESN’T EXPECT MAX JET TO BE CLEARED UNTIL SUMMER 146 POLICE COULD BE HELPED BY VIRTUAL COUNSELORS IN CRISIS CALLS 152 COPS: WAZE APP DIRECTS CASINO-BOUND DRIVERS INTO WILDERNESS 158 ABE SAYS NEW UNIT WILL DEFEND JAPAN FROM SPACE TECH THREATS 160 WHY TECH HAS BEEN SLOW TO FIGHT WILDFIRES, EXTREME WEATHER 166
iTUNES REVIEW 76 TOP 10 SONGS 136 TOP 10 ALBUMS 138 TOP 10 MUSIC VIDEOS 140 TOP 10 TV SHOWS 142 TOP 10 BOOKS 144
GOOGLE CEO CALLS FOR REGULATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
8
Google’s chief executive called this week for a balanced approach to regulating artificial intelligence, telling a European audience that the technology brings benefits but also “negative consequences.” Sundar Pichai’s comments come as lawmakers and governments seriously consider putting limits on how artificial intelligence is used. “There is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. The question is how best to approach this,” Pichai said, according to a transcript of his speech at a Brussel-based think tank.
9
He noted that there’s an important role for governments to play and that as the European Union and the U.S. start drawing up their own approaches to regulation, “international alignment” of any eventual rules will be critical. He did not provide specific proposals. Pichai spoke on the same day he was scheduled to meet the EU’s powerful competition regulator, Margrethe Vestager. She’s also due to meet Microsoft President Brad Smith separately. Vestager has in previous years hit the Silicon Valley giant with multibillion-dollar fines for allegedly abusing its market dominance to choke off competition. After being reappointed for a second term last autumn with expanded powers over digital technology policies, Vestager has now set her sights on artificial intelligence, and is drawing up rules on its ethical use. Pichai’s comments suggest the company may be hoping to head off a broad-based crackdown by the EU on the technology. Vestager and the EU have been the among the more aggressive regulators of big tech firms, an approach U.S. authorities have picked up with investigations into the dominance of companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon. “Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms with social opportunities,” he said, adding that it could incorporate existing standards like Europe’s tough General Data Protection Regulation rather than starting from scratch. While it promises big benefits, he raised concerns about potential downsides of artificial intelligence, citing as one example its role in facial recognition technology, which can Image: Virginia Mayo
10
11
be used to find missing people but also for “nefarious reasons” which he didn’t specify. In 2018, Google pledged not to use AI in applications related to weapons, surveillance that violates international norms, or that works in ways that go against human rights. Pichai was also due to meet Frans Timmermans, the EU commissioner overseeing the European Green Deal, the bloc’s plan to fight climate change by making the continent carbon neutral by 2050, including through technology. He’s then scheduled to head to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week.
Image: Andrew Harrer
12
13
16
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT’S NEW QUARREL WITH APPLE
The deadly shooting of three U.S. sailors at a Navy installation in December could reignite a long-simmering fight between the federal government and tech companies over data privacy and encryption. As part of its probe into the violent incident, deemed a terrorist act by the government, the Justice Department insists that investigators need access to data from two locked and encrypted iPhones that belonged to the alleged gunman, a Saudi aviation student. The problem: Apple designed those iPhones with encryption technology so secure that the company itself can’t read private messages. 17
The squabble raises two big questions. First, is Apple required to help the government hack its own security technology when requested? Second, is government pressure on this issue the prelude for a broader effort to outlaw encryption technology the feds can’t break?
THE QUARREL SO FAR The Justice Department and Apple have been in talks recently over the Saudi student’s iPhone. Justice officials contend that they still haven’t received an answer about whether Apple has the capability to unlock the devices. During a news conference announcing the findings of the Pensacola station investigation, U.S. Attorney William Barr said it’s critical for law enforcement to know with whom the shooter communicated and about what, before he died. “So far, Apple has not given any substantive assistance,” Barr said. “We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of the American people and prevent future attacks.” Apple rejected that characterization. “Our responses to their many requests since the attack have been timely, thorough and are ongoing,” the company said.
18
19
20
TRYING THE BACKDOOR Our phones hold countless messages, files and photos — tracings of our everyday life and work. But in 2013, the whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the extent to which the government was spying on U.S. citizens. Tech companies like Apple and Google began taking steps to shield those digital tracings from prying eyes — though often not their own — by mathematically scrambling them with encryption. Apple was one of the first major companies to embrace stronger “end-to-end” encryption, in which messages are scrambled so that only their senders and recipients can read them. Law enforcement, however, wants access to that information in order to investigate crimes such as terrorism or child sexual exploitation. Barr and other top cops call the problem “going dark,” as data they used to be able to scoop up with wiretaps has become harder and harder to read. Although most law enforcement officials are vague about how to solve the problem, security experts say the authorities are basically asking for an engineered “backdoor” — a secret key that would let them decipher encrypted information with a court order. But the same experts warn that such backdoors into encryption systems make them inherently insecure. Just knowing that a backdoor exists is enough to focus the world’s spies and criminals on discovering the mathematical keys that could unlock it. And when they do, everyone’s information is essentially vulnerable to anyone with the secret key.
21
22
WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN DO Forcing tech companies to engineer backdoors into their security systems would almost certainly require an act of Congress. Legislators, however, have never come close to agreeing on what such a law should look like. But there are alternatives. Four years ago, the Justice Department took the extraordinary step of asking a federal judge to force Apple to break its own encryption system. The legal move involved an iPhone used by the perpetrator of a December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Apple acknowledged that it could create the software the feds wanted, but warned that it would be a bad idea. The software could be stolen by hackers and used against other iPhones, the company warned, and might also lead to similar demands from repressive governments around the world. The FBI ultimately dropped the case shortly before it was to go to trial, saying a “third party� had found another way of getting into the phone. It never disclosed who that party was; there is an entire industry of shadowy companies such as the Israeli firm Cellebrite that discover or pay for information on flaws in encryption systems. These firms then develop tools to essentially create their own backdoors. Such companies do significant business with governments and law enforcement. Companies like Apple, meanwhile, do their best to close such loopholes as soon as they learn about them.
23
WHERE THINGS STAND NOW Apple is reportedly bracing for another possible legal fight over encryption with the Justice Department. So far, though, there’s no clear sign that the government is headed that way. “They’re just public shaming and asking nicely,” said Bruce Schneier, an encryption expert at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. “Hurting everybody’s security for some forensic evidence is a dumb tradeoff.” Barr said the growth of consumer apps with end-to-end encryption, from Apple’s iMessage to Facebook’s WhatsApp and Signal, have aided “terrorist organizations, drug cartels, child molesting rings and kiddie porn-type rings.” But the government’s legal options could be limited. For one thing, DOJ’s own inspector general slammed the department in the aftermath of the San Bernardino case, noting that it had made few attempts to break into the iPhone itself before filing suit. The FBI unit tasked with cracking phones had only sought outside help the day before the department asked a judge to compel Apple’s assistance, the inspector general’s report found. The same report found that an FBI section chief knew an outside vendor had almost 90% completed a technique that would have allowed it to break into the phone, even as the Justice Department insisted that forcing Apple’s help was the only option. Civil liberties advocates have also protested. The American Civil Liberties Union called Barr’s demands “dangerous and unconstitutional.” “Here we are again,” Schneier said. “It’s stupid every time.” 24
Image: Calla Kessler
25
GM’S CRUISE HEADS DOWN NEW ROAD WITH NEW ROBOTAXI CONCEPT
General Motors’ self-driving car company will attempt to deliver on its long-running promise to provide a more environmentally friendly ridehailing service in an unorthodox vehicle designed to eliminate the need for human operators to transport people around crowded cities. The service still being developed by GM’s Cruise subsidiary will rely on a boxy, electric-powered vehicle called “Origin” that was unveiled in San Francisco amid much fanfare. It looks like a cross between a mini-van and sports utility vehicle with one huge exception — it won’t have any steering wheel or brakes. The Origin will accommodate up to four passengers at a time, although a single customer will be able summon it for a ride just 26
27
as people already can ask for a car with a human behind the wheel from Uber or Lyft. For all the hype surrounding the Origin’s unveiling, Cruise omitted some key details, including when its ride-hailing service will be available and how many of the vehicles will be in its fleet. The company indicated it will initially only be available in San Francisco, where Cruise has already been offering a ride-hailing service that’s only available to its roughly 1,000 employees. By eliminating the need for a human to drive, Cruise theoretically will be able to offer a less expensive way to get around — a goal already being pursued by self-driving car pioneer Waymo, a Google spinoff that has been testing robotaxis in the Phoenix area for nearly three years. Cruise had planned to have a robotaxi service consisting of Chevrolet Bolts working without human backup drivers by the end of 2019, but moved away from that last year after one of Uber’s autonomous test vehicles ran down and killed a pedestrian in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, Arizona, during 2018. Still aware of the fallout from that deadly crash, Cruise is promising “superhuman performance” from the Cruise, which GM hopes to manufacture at half the price of comparable vehicles using fuel-combustion engines. GM also expects to announce where the Origin will be made within the next few weeks, Cruise CEO Dan Amman said. The Origin won’t be sold to consumers though. “It is not a product you can buy, but an experience you share,” Amman said. The Origin represents another significant step for Cruise, which had only 40 employees when 28
29
30
GM bought it in 2016 as part of its effort to catch up in the race to build cars that can drive themselves. Since then, Cruise has attracted more than $6 billion from investors, including $2.75 billion from Honda and $2.25 billion from Japanese tech investment firm SoftBank. Honda also helped develop the Origin. GM currently values Cruise at $19 billion, fueling speculation that the subsidiary may eventually be spun off as a publicly traded company. Whenever Cruise’s ride-hailing service makes its debut, it will still be chasing Waymo, whose work on self-driving car technology began inside of Google more than a decade ago. Waymo’s Phoenix-area service already has given more than 100,000 rides, according to the company. It expanded beyond the test phase service 13 months ago with a ride-hailing app that now has about 1,500 active monthly riders, Waymo says. By comparison, ride-hailing leader Uber now boasts about 103 million active monthly users with a service that relies on human drivers — a dependence that is the main reason the company has been losing money throughout its history. Despite the fatal 2018 crash that stoked the public’s worst fears about self-driving cars, Uber is still trying to build a fleet of robotic taxis as part of its question to become profitable. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also pledged that his company’s electric cars will be able to drive themselves without a human behind the wheel before the end of this year so they can moonlight as taxis when their owners don’t need the vehicles, but industry analysts doubt that promise will come to fruition.
31
FIAT CHRYSLER IN TALKS WITH FOXCONN TO DEVELOP ELECTRIC CARS
Fiat Chrysler is in talks with the Taiwanese company Foxconn to develop and manufacture battery-powered vehicles, the U.S.-Italian automaker said. Fiat Chrysler is in the process of merging with France’s PSA Peugeot, which is 12% owned by Chinese company Dongfeng Motor Co. Both Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot have lagged in developing electric powertrains and also have been struggling to increase sales in China, the world’s biggest auto market. It was unclear what impact Fiat Chrysler’s proposed joint venture with Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd., would have on the wider merger, which is expected to be completed in the next year or so. If a deal with Foxconn is reached, a joint venture would focus first on China, the biggest market for electric cars with 1.2 million vehicles sold last year - half the global total. 32
Image: Bob Edme
33
“The proposed cooperation ... would enable the parties to bring together the engineering and manufacturing and mobile software technology to focus on the growing battery electric vehicle market,” Fiat Chrysler said in a statement. Talks were aimed at reaching a binding agreement ’’in the next few months,” the company said. Automakers around the world have announced a series of electric vehicle partnerships to share the soaring cost of technology development. Companies including General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Co. have electric vehicle joint ventures with Chinese partners to take advantage of their experience at making lowcost vehicles. The Chinese government has a credit-based system that encourages automaker to sell electric vehicles, leading to a proliferation of brands. But industry analysts expect high development costs to drive many of them to merge. The trend has led to a complicated mix of ties among competitors. Daimler AG’s Mercedes Benz has electric vehicle joint ventures with both BYD Auto, one of the biggest global makers of battery-powered vehicles, and rival Geely Holding, which is best known abroad as the owner of Sweden’s Volvo Cars. Geely also has two separate electric brands, Geometry and Volvo’s Polestar. Beyond its stake in PSA Peugeot, Dongfeng also has joint ventures with Nissan Motor Co., Kia Motor Co. and Groupe Renault, all of whose product lineups include electric models.
34
35
36
Image: Joby Aviation
37
There are few pieces of technology that excite us quite like drones. Though these unmanned ariel marvels aren’t new, it’s only now that we’re realizing their full potential across virtually every aspect of our lives, including entertainment, public services, travel, and distribution…
SKY-HIGH ENTERTAINMENT Over the past ten years, drones have transformed the film, television, and photography industries, unlocking new possibilities, cutting costs, and allowing directors to show off the world from above without relying on expensive cranes and machinery. And thanks to increasingly advanced technology, drones have the potential to become an even greater part of the entertainment industry than they are today, transforming the way we create content. By attaching a camera to a drone, producers have more options than ever, filming from angles that would otherwise be difficult - or impossible - to achieve, thus providing viewers with more interesting forms of media, inspiring artists to create previously unthinkable art. In pre-production, drones are also used to help artists survey large areas to find the best shoot locations, saving time and money and allowing studios to plow more into actors and the edit. Research suggests a helicopter costs between $10k and $25k to hire for a ten-hour shoot, whereas a drone can be provided for just $250 per hour, complete with a trained operator. The iconic opening motorcycle sequence of the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, for example, relied heavily on drone technology, and in the 2015 Jurassic World, drone-mounted cameras 38
Skyfall - Opening Scene: Motorbike Chase
39
Game of Thrones Commercial - Making Of
40
swoop over crowds who are being attacked by pterosaurs to mimic the movement of the flying reptiles. In TV show Game of Thrones, HBO’s most successful series to date, drone technology was used in every episode, offering its producers access to stunning shots they’d otherwise have to painstakingly recreate in post-production. Though only 10% of productions currently depend on drones, according to the latest figures, in the decade ahead, they’ll become an integral part of film sets and shoots, with startups developing technology designed to help set-up shots and manage battery-life for all-day use. And for wannabe creators, drones are cheaper and more accessible than ever, allowing YouTubers and indie filmmakers to create drone-shot footage for their audience, whether that’s exploring an abandoned theme park or checking out Pryp’yat’, the ghost city site of Chernobyl. It’s not just in film and TV where drones are being used; they’re increasingly being deployed in aerial light shows, essentially drone-enabled firework displays. Intel has been developing technology for years, and its latest outings include Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show. For New Year’s Eve 2019, China deployed 2,000 drones to create a futuristic and lowpollution alternative to fireworks - although, the display was actually pre-recorded. Drone sport is also entering the fore, offering adventurous sports fans the chance to add some more excitement to their hobbies by using industrial-sized drones to add more adrenaline into extreme sports. YouTuber Casey Neistat, for example, used drones during a day of 41
42
Drone captures grim view of ghost town of Pripyat in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
Image: Hugh Mitton
43
snowboarding, essentially lifting him into the air and creating his own private ski lift. And drone racing is growing in popularity, with the FAI Drone Racing World Cup seeing hundreds of pilots participating in 23 competitions around the world - with bigger competitions planned for this year.
ELEVATING PUBLIC SERVICES Drones may have appeared a novelty when they first entered our psyches, but their practical uses are endless. The UK government, for example, could save an impressive £1.1 billion a year switching to drones, according to a recent study by Commercial Drone Professional, unlocking new efficiencies and allowing councils and government to deliver more effective services to the general public. And around the world, it’s a similar tale, with authorities switching to cutting-edge drone technology to replace outdated processes. In the United States, a report from the AUVSI suggests that more than 100,000 jobs will be created in the drone or unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry over the next ten years, as private organizations and government bodies look to outsource the management of their drone technology, with roles such as drone technicians, programmers, operators, and software engineers coming to the forefront. Filling those skills gaps will be a key priority. Aerial observations, for example, are now allowing emergency response teams to stream video to the ground from drones, rather than relying on a hydraulic platform, to get to the bottom of crime scenes and save time and 44
45
46
Image: Maxim Zmeyev
lives; the right people can be deployed to the right areas fast. Drone cameras are also being used to assist with missing person searches, deployed in areas where it would be risky to commit to human or canine assets, or used to assess the situation before sending in human help. There are hundreds of cases around the world where drones have found missing people, both those who are on the run or in danger. Drones can also be used to capture essential evidence, for example, during a pre-planned operation, they can be stationed around a site to capture video footage, and they can create detailed ariel maps of a crime scene, creating 3D models to present evidence in court cases. The environmental benefits of drones are also great, allowing councils to capture survey data of their sensitive or high-risk areas, creating detailed maps and elevation profiles, allowing authorities to track erosion or count the number of trees, leading to more accurate environmental impact statements and cutting the data processing when surveying new sites. And most recently, as Australia struggles with its worst bushfires in a generation, startups are deploying drone technology that provides a faster, more accurate way to measure fires. Infrastructure is also important, and the public sector is now using drones to inspect sites and reduce downtime. For visual inspections of assets that would require working at height, drones can be used, causing minimal disruption. A bridge, for example, can be inspected whilst it’s in use, and drone footage can be saved in the achieves for future investigations. 47
Image: United Parcel Service of America, Inc
DELIVERING INNOVATION Since drones first made their way onto the scene, companies have been looking for ways to maximize their use in the haulage and distribution industry. And though we may be a way off replacing semi-trucks with drones, our flying machines are already performing tasks that we would never have imagined them doing some ten years ago, at a price point that’s scalable. In today’s on-demand economy, where consumers expect immediate delivery, drones allow e-commerce businesses to accelerate delivery times and compete on a greater level. It goes without saying that Amazon is the king of e-commerce and delivery, though any firm can take advantage of drone technology to overcome traffic congestion and navigation paths to have their products, services, and food delivered to their customers in break-neck speed. A 2016 study found that 79% of US consumers said they would be “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to request drone delivery if their package could be delivered within an hour, and just four years later, Amazon Prime Air is now delivering packages to customers in select locations via drone as part of ongoing testing. The giant’s new drone delivery system allows packages of up to 5lbs to be carried up to ten miles - solving the “last-mile delivery” problem that causes so many packages to be delayed. UPS is also tapping into the drone market, proposing mini-helipads on the roofs of their vans to allow drones to take the final mile of the route. Called UPS Flight Forward, the distribution company received FAA approval 48
49
Image: United Parcel Service of America, Inc
50
for its new drone delivery airline late last year, and expects to start rolling out the new technology in 2020. The company estimates it will save $50 million in costs for its 66,000 daily delivery drivers. Aside from speed and cost-cutting, drone technology for deliveries will ideally help to lower the environmental impact of each delivery. On average, a truck delivery of a small package costs 1kg of greenhouse gas emissions. By supplementing their road haulage with all-new electric-powered drones, delivery companies could reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, creating greener distribution networks that consumers will want to pay for. But before drone delivery services become mainstream, there are a few kinks to iron out. First of all, airspace governance; there are many areas where drones are off-limits, which makes drones an impractical logistics solution right now; battery life is also an issue, as drones can only travel for so long, though solar-powered drones are being developed to combat this issue. And there’s also the issue of speed; at the moment, drones can only make one delivery at a time, returning to a depot or hub every time they drop off a package to collect the next one. The technology developed by UPS is a step in the right direction, creating “hubs” on wheels, though until testing has been carried out and full regulatory approval granted, we won’t know for certain whether they hold the key to scalable, cost-effective drone home deliveries.
51
FLYING HIGH Ride apps like Uber have transformed the way we get around town, and flying taxis, powered by drones, could be the next innovation to connect our cities and make the world an even smaller place. The average driver wastes $1,348 per year sitting in traffic jams, but by opening up the air for travel, sitting in a pesky queue on your way to work could be a thing of the past. Introducing urban aerial mobility - a new dimension of transportation. Granted, urban flying is not new. VIPs have been relying on helicopters to hop from city to city for many decades, but in recent times, developments in the private sector have unlocked new potentials for human drone flights. A new focus on electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) and autonomous flights are creating a safer, cleaner mode of transport that works for everyone, not just the elite with thousands of dollars to spend on their morning commute. Uber is already “transforming the world through aerial ridesharing at scale,” promising to roll out its Elevate program to the public before 2023, and Volocopter, a German-based UAM company, unveiled the world’s first air taxi vertiport in Singapore for autonomous flights, an impressive testing hub for the future of urban travel. Of course, there are many hurdles to overcome before drone travel can become the norm. As well as air traffic control, regulators, noise pollution, insurance, and safety, there’s the small matter of cost. Startups are pumping billions into these flying machines, and the next challenge Image: Volocopter
52
53
is how they can monetize their technology and bring drones to the general public. We may be a couple of years off transporting humans from New York City to North Carolina via drone taxi just yet, but the incredible innovations happening behind the scenes mean feats like these are now within reach. The reputation of drones has taken a battering
Image: Volocopter
54
in recent times, demonized by the media following the 2018 Gatwick Airport drone incident, but the exciting future possibilities of travel, distribution, public services, and entertainment have never been greater. It’s time for the drones to take flight; we can’t wait to see what will be flying above us (pizza or our partner!) in the years ahead.
55
56
CENTRAL BANKS JOIN TO STUDY POSSIBLE DIGITAL CURRENCIES
Major central banks have joined together to explore whether they should issue digital currencies as the use of cash declines and more people turn to electronic forms of paying. The study group is made up of the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Swedish Riksbank and the Swiss National Bank. They said in a statement Tuesday that they will assess the potential case for digital currencies in their home jurisdictions. The Swedish central bank has already studied the issue for several years and has commissioned a pilot project as the use of cash declines in that country. No decision has been made. 57
Existing cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are not suited for paying for things because they can fluctuate sharply in value. Facebook has backed the Libra project for a so-called stablecoin, a digital currency linked to existing currencies. Several major partners such as Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and eBay have left the association set up to oversee Libra as it faces pushback from regulatory authorities. The group will assess technical issues and share knowledge on emerging technologies. It will be co-chaired by Benoit Coeure, a former top ECB official, and Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor of the Bank of England.
58
59
60
UK POLICE USE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TESTS PUBLIC’S TOLERANCE
When British police used facial recognition cameras to monitor crowds arriving for a soccer match in Wales, some fans protested by covering their faces. In a sign of the technology’s divisiveness, even the head of a neighboring police force said he opposed it. The South Wales police deployed vans equipped with the technology outside Cardiff stadium this week as part of a long-running trial in which officers scanned people in real time and detained anyone blacklisted from attending for past misbehavior. Rights activists and team supporters staged a protest before the game between Cardiff City and Swansea City, wearing masks, balaclavas or scarves around their faces. “It’s disproportionate to the risk,” said Vince Alm, chairman of the Football Supporters’ Association Wales, which helped organized the protest. 61
“Football fans feel as if they’re being picked on” and used as guinea pigs to test new technology, he said. The real-time surveillance being tested in Britain is among the more aggressive uses of facial recognition in Western democracies and raises questions about how the technology will enter people’s daily lives. Authorities and companies are eager to use it, but activists warn it threatens human rights. The British have long become used to video surveillance, with one of the highest densities of CCTV cameras in the world. Cameras have been used in public spaces for decades by security forces fighting threats from the Irish Republican Army and, more recently, domestic terror attacks after Sept. 11, 2001. The recent advances in surveillance technology mean a new wave of facial recognition systems will put the public’s acceptance to the test. South Wales police have taken the lead in Britain. In 2017 they started rolling out and testing face scanning cameras after getting a government funding grant. While a court last year ruled the force’s trial is lawful, regulators and lawmakers have yet to draw up statutory rules on its use. The van-mounted cameras, using technology by Japan’s NEC, scan faces in crowds and match them up with a “watchlist,” a database mainly of people wanted for or suspected of a crime. If the system flags up someone passing by, officers stop that person to investigate further, according to the force’s website.
62
63
64
Rights groups say this kind of monitoring raises worries about privacy, consent, algorithmic accuracy, and questions about about how faces are added to watchlists. It’s “an alarming example of overpolicing,” said Silkie Carlo, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch. “We’re deeply concerned about the undemocratic nature of it. This is a very controversial technology which has no explicit basis in law.” Her group has scrutinized other British police trials, including one by the London Metropolitan force last year, when officers pulled aside a man who tried to hide his face. They ended up fining him for a public order offence , the group said. The North Wales police commissioner, Arfon Jones, said using facial recognition to take pictures of soccer fans was a “fishing expedition.” He also raised concerns about false positives. British police and crime commissioners are civilians elected to oversee and scrutinize the country’s dozens of forces. They were introduced in 2012 to improve accountability. “I’m uncomfortable at this creeping interference with our privacy,” Jones, himself a former police officer, said in an interview. He said police would be more justified using it if they had intelligence about a specific threat like an impending terrorist attack. Jones clashed with his South Wales counterpart, Alun Michael, after raising similar concerns at a game-day deployment in October. Michael said Jones’ criticism was based on misunderstanding of the technology and extensive scrutiny the police faced. 65
“It is incomprehensible that Arfon Jones should not support measures which keep football fans safe,” Michael said. Facial recognition was used to spot fans banned from attending last Sunday’s game based on previous misbehavior and anyone else’s biometric data was automatically deleted, he said. “There has not been one single wrongful arrest as a result of the use of facial recognition by South Wales Police,” Michael said. The force has been deploying the technology about twice a month at big events including rugby games, royal visits and yacht races; it scanned nearly 19,000 faces at a Spice Girls concert in May and identified 15 on a watchlist, including nine incorrectly. Six others were arrested. “In laboratory conditions it’s really effective,” said University of Essex professor Pete Fussey. He monitored the London police trials, which also used NEC’s system, and found a different outcome on the streets. He co-authored a report last year that said only eight of its 42 matches were correct. The London program has since been suspended. “The police tended to trust the algorithm most of the time, so if they trust the computational decision-making yet that decision-making is wrong, that raises all sorts of questions” about the accountability of the machine, he said. The debate is also playing out in the U.S., where real-time crowd surveillance is still rare and the technology is more commonly used to identify suspects by running their images through a pool of police mugshots or driver’s license photos.
66
67
68
Critics in the U.S., including politicians, want to ban or curtail facial recognition over racial discrimination fears. Some point to China’s vast networks of street cameras to monitor ethnic minorities. Britain is the world’s fourth most camera-dense country, with one security camera per 6.5 people, according to IHS Markit. London is the fifth most surveilled city in the world, and one of only two non-Asian cities in the top 10, according to a report by Comparitech. The British capital has nearly 628,000 surveillance cameras. It’s so widespread Britain even has a surveillance camera commissioner, Tony Porter. He and the privacy commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, have urged police forces not to take a British High Court ruling that found the South Wales trial lawful as a green light for generic deployment of automated facial recognition. Denham is investigating its use by police and private companies. Store owners and landlords are among those keen to use the technology to spot shoplifters and abusive customers. British startup Facewatch sells a security system to retailers like convenience store chain Budgens that “matches faces against known offenders within seconds of them entering your premises” and sends instant alerts. The developer of London’s King’s Cross estate said last year it had deployed two facial recognition cameras from May 2016 to March 2018 to prevent and detect crime in the neighborhood, sparking a backlash because the system was used without the public’s knowledge or consent. 69
70
US SEEKS TO TIGHTEN RULES COVERING SERVICE ANIMALS ON PLANES
Airlines might soon be able to turn away cats, rabbits and all animals other than dogs that passengers try to bring with them in the cabin. The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday announced plans to tighten rules around service animals. The biggest change would be that only dogs that are trained to help passengers with psychiatric needs would qualify. 71
Airlines say the number of support animals has been growing dramatically in recent years, and they have lobbied to tighten the rules. They also imposed their own restrictions in response to passengers who show up at the airport with pigs, pheasants, turkeys, snakes and other unusual pets. The U.S. airline industry trade group praised the tighter rules. Industry officials believe many that hundreds of thousands of passengers scam the system each year by claiming they need their pet for emotional support. Those people avoid airline pet fees, which are generally more than $100 each way. “Airlines want all passengers and crew to have a safe and comfortable flying experience, and we are confident the proposed rule will go a long way in ensuring a safer and healthier experience for everyone,” said Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines for America. Flight attendants had pushed to rein in support animals, too, and were pleased with Wednesday’s proposed changes. “The days of Noah’s Ark in the air are hopefully coming to an end,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. The union chief said untrained pets had hurt some of her members. Veterans groups have sided with the airlines, arguing that a boom in untrained dogs and other animals threatens their ability to fly with properly trained service dogs. Last year, more than 80 veterans and disability groups endorsed banning untrained emotional-support animals in airline cabins.
72
Image: Julio Cortez
73
Image: Ross D. Franklin
74
Department officials said in a briefing with reporters that they are proposing the changes to ensure safety on flights. They also said some passengers have abused the current rules. The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed changes, and they could take effect any time after that. The Transportation Department proposes a narrow definition of a service animal — it would be a dog that is trained to help a person with a physical or other disability. Currently, passengers have been allowed to bring many other animals if they have a medical professional’s note saying they need the animal for emotional support. The proposal would prohibit airlines from banning particular types of dog breeds — Delta Air Lines bans pit bulls, for example – but airline employees could refuse to board any animal that they consider a threat to other people. It would also bar the current practice by many airlines of requiring animal owners to fill out paperwork 48 hours in advance. A department official said that practice can harm disabled people by preventing them from bringing their service dog on last-minute trips. The proposal would also end the rarely seen use of miniature horses as service animals, although a Transportation Department official indicated the agency is open to reconsidering that provision. Airlines could also require that service animals be on a leash or harness and fit in its handler’s foot space. They could limit passengers to two service animals each, although it is unclear how often that happens under the current rules. 75
BLACK AND BLUE - Official Trailer (HD) by Deon Taylor Genre: Action & Adventure Released: 2019 Price: $14.99
34 Ratings
Movies & 76
TVShows
Rotten Tomatoes
52
%
Black and Blue Army veteran Alicia West (Naomie Harris) becomes a cop in her hometown of New Orleans, but soon witnesses – and accidentally films – a murder by corrupt cops. With help from store owner Milo Jackson (Tyrese Gibson), she heads off on the run from the vengeful criminals.
FIVE FACTS: 1. This film has its origins in Peter A. Dowling’s speculative screenplay Exposure, which production company Screen Gems announced it had acquired in August 2017. 2. However, the film’s name was changed from Exposure to Black and Blue the following year. 3. Aptly for a Sony Pictures film, much of the footage was captured on Sony CineAlta cameras and Sony Xperia 1 smartphones. 4. Major League Baseball player Mitch Moreland of the Boston Red Sox appears in the film as a police officer, but is not credited for the role. 5. Black and Blue made only $8.3 million its weekend of theatrical release.
77
BLACK AND BLUE - Rapid-Fire Q&A (Naomie Harris & Tyrese)
78
79
Motherless Brooklyn In 1950s New York, private investigator Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton, who also directs, produces and writes the screenplay) attempts to save the life of his mentor Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) after the latter is shot. Minna dies before he can be saved, but Essrog is determined to solve the mystery surrounding the murder.
FIVE FACTS: 1. This film is adapted from Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel of the same name. 2. Although the novel is set in the 1990s, Norton opted to shift its events to the 1950s for the film, as he felt the characters’ behavior fitted this era better. 3. One character here who does not appear in the novel is Moses Randolph, who is played by Alec Baldwin and inspired by reallife New York city planner Robert Moses. 4. Norton acquired the film rights to the novel about two decades ago, and is both the director and screenwriter of the finished movie. 5. This is the second movie Norton has directed after 2000’s Keeping the Faith.
80
by Edward Norton Genre: Drama Released: 2019 Price: $19.99
15 Ratings
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN - Official Trailer
Rotten Tomatoes
62
% 81
82
Motherless Brooklyn: Edward Norton Interview
83
Darkness (Official Video)
84
Music
Music To Be Murdered By Eminem The elder statesman of rap is growing old disgracefully, but showing no shame about it. For better or worse, he’s venting frustrations left, right and centre in this surprise release, his 11th studio album. Collaborators including Juice Wrld and Ed Sheeran join him for the ride.
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap Released: Jan 17, 2020 20 Songs Price: $11.99
FIVE FACTS: 1. The album’s title and cover art are both intended to echo those of Jeff Alexander’s 1958 album, Alfred Hitchcock Presents Music to Be Murdered By.
2.8k Ratings
2. Sheeran guests on the track “Those Kinda Nights”, while Juice Wrld features on “Godzilla”. 3. Other collaborators on the album include Black Thought, Skylar Grey and Don Toliver. 4. The lead single, “Darkness”, was released on January 17, 2020 and focuses on the 2017 Las Vegas shooting from the shooter Stephen Craig Maddock’s point of view. 5. In the first track, “Premonition”, Eminem takes issue with critics’ complaints about his previous work.
85
Godzilla
86
87
Bad Boys For Life Soundtrack Various Artists Befitting the just-released film for which it has been assembled, the Bad Boys for Life soundtrack is infused with the unmistakable sounds of fast-paced Miami. With the Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull and Will Smith’s son Jaden all among the featured artists, it’s obvious “whatcha gonna do”...
FIVE FACTS: 1. The song most famously associated with the Bad Boys franchise is Inner Circle’s 1987 song of the same name. 2. That song does not feature on this soundtrack, but a remixed version of it plays in the film’s trailers. 3. The soundtrack’s lead single, released on October 11, 2019, is “Ritmo” – a collaboration between the Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin. 4. Included artists who hail from Miami itself include Pitbull and the rap duo City Girls. 5. “Future Bright”, performed by Rick Ross and Bryson Tiller, samples “Touch Me, Tease Me”, a hit for R&B star Case in 1996.
88
Genre: Soundtrack Released: Jan 17, 2020 10 Songs Price: $9.99
33 Ratings
The Black Eyed Peas, J Balvin - RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)
89
90
P. Diddy [feat. Black Rob & Mark Curry] Bad Boy 4 Life (Official Music Video)
91
92
‘BAD BOYS FOR LIFE’ IS KINDA BAD. WHATCHA GONNA DO?
The third edition of the “Bad Boys” franchise starts as it must do: With a gleaming Porsche swerving at impossible speeds through Miami traffic under the expert control of Will Smith, with Martin Lawrence growing very sick beside him. The engine snarls, the car repeatedly fishtails and strains. Smith looks over to his partner with alarm and points out that the interior of the sports car is hand-stitched leather. Lawrence’s cheeks bulge; he’s about to hurl: “You better drink it,” the driver barks. All is good. We’ve again got Smith’s cocksure Detective Mike Lowrey beside Lawrence’s more cautious Marcus Burnett. There’s the customary playful banter between opposites. We’ve got sunny, titillating Miami and we are inches from death but really never that close. We’re in our ’90s comfort zone. You can almost hear it: “Bad boys, bad boys/Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do/When they come for you?” 93
So it’s so disappointing that ” Bad Boys for Life” soon swerves into weird neighborhoods and gets bloated as it tries to get deep, trying to explore topics like religion, mortality, biological determinism, individual legacy and aging. It’s oddly flat and unfunny and has strayed so far from its gritty roots that it might be called “Bad Boys for Life Insurance.” Sure, you can’t stay still. Smith and Lawrence are both past 50 and their characters can’t keep to the same formula of “muscle shirts and body counts,” as Burnett argues. But do we really want Burnett to straight-faced tell a Buddhist parable about a horse and then ask Lowrey about how he can overcome his own trauma: “Where are you going, Mike?” The first film in the franchise hit theaters 25 years ago, giving us foreign baddies with beepers, Tea Leoni in little skirts, many, many bricks of heroin and an exploding airplane hanger. Eight years later came “Bad Boys II,” a slicker flick with slowmo sideways shooting, a feisty Gabrielle Union in a white suit, the annihilation of many cars and many, many ecstasy pills. “Bad Boys for Life” doesn’t have drugs — if you don’t count Viagra jokes — but instead has a murder plot to assassinate everyone connected with an old drug case Lowrey worked on before he teamed up with Burnett. Someone is out for revenge and they are exposing skeletons in Lowrey’s closet, uncovering a backstory inconsistent to the Lowrey we have come to know. We add cliches — a team of smart, young, sassy cops — on top of some twists worthy of Shakespeare.
94
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - Official Trailer
95
96
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have taken over from Michael Bay in the director’s chair but the look of the film essentially mimics its predecessors, with saturated colors, quick cuts, muscular stunts and lots of pretty women. An understated Vanessa Hudgens plays a cool cop and Kate Del Castillo is on the opposite side in more than one sense, playing an absolutely unhinged cartel boss wife who uses witchcraft. Joe Pantoliano returns as the Pepto-swigging detectives’ boss and DJ Khaled has a small role as well as putting together the lively soundtrack. There are sly references to the previous films — a private conversation between the detectives is accidentally broadcast as in the second film and rats make an encore performance in the new one — but the filmmakers have forgotten that what makes this franchise work: The interaction of Smith and Lawrence in stressed environments. So often in the new film they are separate, dealing with their own stuff. “Bad Boys” only works when the bickering cops are center stage. Age has taken its toll: Burnett is a grandfather now who needs glasses and is eyeing retirement, while Lowrey is unsettled, still a playboy but a wistful one who colors his goatee black with hair dye. (Yes, there are colonoscopy jokes in this film.) Lowrey is having second thoughts about one flame who got away: Paola Nunez, who plays a fellow cop. A crisis forces Burnett to make a vow to God. Hell is a topic discussed — “darkness that swallows you whole.” We are a long way from the time Burnett was shot in the keister by his partner.
97
98
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - Official Trailer #2
99
100
The convoluted plot keeps finding false endings that just lead to bigger outlandish stunts — many, many helicopters and motorcycles — until it ends in a rundown palace in Mexico City with a fiery conclusion that goes to cartoonish, very Bay-ish lengths. Smith and Lawrence are far from home, on foot and facing a military-style ambush. It is a franchise that has lost its way. A potential sequel is hinted at during the end credits but it’s hard to believe a fourth episode could save the “Bad Boy” legacy. Still, as long as Smith and Lawrence are willing to pair up again, “whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” “Bad Boys for Life,” a Columbia Pictures release, is rated R for strong, bloody violence, language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use. Running time: 124 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Online: www.badboysforlife.movie
MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
101
102
JAMES DEAN REVIVAL SPURS DEBATE ON RAISING THE DIGITAL DEAD
The men bringing James Dean back to life for a forthcoming film are aiming not just to give his digital likeness a role, but a whole new career. Dean’s planned appearance in the Vietnam War movie “Finding Jack,” and the possibility of future parts, comes as digital de-aging and duplication of real actors has tipped from cinematic trick into common practice. And it’s giving new life to old arguments about the immortality and dignity of the dead. “Our intentions are to create the virtual being of James Dean. That’s not only for one movie, but going to be used for many movies and also gaming and virtual reality,” said Travis Cloyd, CEO of Worldwide XR, who is leading the design on the Dean project. “Our focus is on building the ultimate James Dean so he can live across any medium.” Legally, they have every right to do it, via the full agreement of the Dean estate and his surviving relatives. 103
James Dean Makes Return to Big Screen in ‘Finding Jack’ Thanks to CGI | THR News
104
“Our clients want to protect these valuable intellectual property rights and the memories that they have of their loved ones,” said Mark Roesler, CEO of CMG Worldwide, the legal and licensing company that has long owned the title to Dean’s likeness. “We have to trust them. ... They want to see that their loved one’s image and memory continues to live on.” Dean is an obvious candidate for revival with his embodiment-of-Hollywood image and the brevity of his life and career — he died at 24 and made just three films: “East of Eden,”“Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant.” Roesler and Cloyd have not obtained the rights from Warner Bros. to use footage from those films, but they have a large trove of photos and Dean’s dozens of TV roles. “There are thousands of images that we do have to work with,” Cloyd said. “What we typically do is we take all those images and videos and we run them through machine learning to create that asset.” That will be added to the work of a stand-in actor using motion-capture technology as commonly done now with CGI characters, along with the overdubbed voice of another actor. The announcement of the role last year caused a quick backlash, with responses like that of “Captain America” star Chris Evans on Twitter: “Maybe we can get a computer to paint us a new Picasso. Or write a couple new John Lennon tunes. The complete lack of understanding here is shameful.” “I think there’s definitely something cynical and what feels like a little bit distasteful about bringing especially long-dead actors back to life,” 105
said Terri White, editor-in-chief of film magazine “Empire.”“The reaction to the likes of the James Dean news has actually shown that I think most people don’t really want that.” For the people behind the Dean project, the negative reaction is as inevitable as they believe the eventual acceptance will be. Cloyd foresees a Hollywood where even living actors have a “digital twin” that helps in their work. “This is disruptive technology,” Cloyd said. “Some people hear it for the first time and they get shaken by it. But this is where the market is going.” The revival of the dead, often done clumsily, has been happening for much of Hollywood’s existence. Footage of Bela Lugosi, combined with a double holding a cape over his face, was used in 1959’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” released after the horror star’s death. Bruce Lee’s film “Game of Death,” left unfinished before his 1973 death, was completed using doubles and voice overdubs and released five years later. “The Fast and the Furious” star Paul Walker died in 2013 before shooting was done on “Furious 7.” His two younger brothers and others acted as stand-ins so his scenes could be finished. Even Lennon, and many other dead historical figures, were digitally revived in 1994 in “Forrest Gump.” But the technology of recreation and resurrection has taken a major leap forward in quality and prestige, with the extensive deaging and re-aging used in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”; a young Will Smith digitally 106
107
returning to play opposite the current version in last summer’s “Gemini Man”; and Carrie Fisher, whose younger self briefly returned digitally in 2016’s “Star Wars: Rogue One” and appeared again after her death, in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” These instances have elicited scattered skepticism — both of the quality of the technology and the propriety of the revivals — but audiences have largely accepted them. Guy Williams, visual effects supervisor at filmmaker Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital, said the possibilities do offer a moral dilemma. “The question isn’t so much if you use somebody’s likeness to bring them back or to create a digital version of them, it’s what you do with it and the respect that you show to it,” Williams said. “So that, to me, is the more important question.” Pablo Helman, the visual effects supervisor behind the de-aging of Robert De Niro and others in “The Irishman,” said he considers that moral dilemma in his work.
108
“The main question that you need to ask yourself is why do it?” Helman said. “You know, just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should, you know? That would be one thing that I’m always questioning: Is it in service of the story?” Ethical considerations are likely to give way to market forces if viewers decide they find digital versions of dead actors plausible, and palatable. “I think the moral question is going to be decided by the audiences and society, whether they want to see that,” said Bill Westenhofer, visual effects supervisor on “Gemini Man.” Dean will be playing a supporting role in “Finding Jack,” which is now in pre-production. The limited screen time is, at this point, as far as those recreating him want to go. But they hope the digital avatar can eventually carry a movie, possibly even playing James Dean himself at different ages. “At some point there’s going to be the James Dean biopic,” Cloyd said. “I think the technology is not necessarily there today to take the risk.”
109
110
NETFLIX HOLDS ITS OWN IN THE STREAMING WARS - FOR NOW
Netflix added 8.8 million worldwide subscribers during its fourth quarter, surpassing expectations at a time when it faces heated competition from new streaming challengers such as Disney. Netflix had said it expected to add 7.6 million subscribers, and analysts thought the service would fare even better. The increase pales slightly next to the 8.9 million subscribers the service added in the fourth quarter of 2018. The stock dropped about 2.5 percent in afterhours trading, likely due to a cautious forecast for its first quarter. 111
The company — a pioneer in producing streaming media and binge-worthy shows — now boasts more than 167 million subscribers worldwide, bolstered by a list of well-received movies and shows released late last year including Oscar nominees “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story.” The boost helps reaffirm Netflix’s strong standing in the increasingly crowded world of video streaming. The fourth quarter was an important milestone for Netflix, as it was marked its first head-to-head competition with Apple’s $5-per-month streaming service and Disney’s instantly popular $7-a-month option. Still, it’s unlikely to be a smooth road for Netflix. NBC, HBO and startup Quibi are all planning to launch new streaming services soon. Two big questions loom: How much are consumers willing to pay for each video streaming option, and how many will they pay for before reaching subscription fatigue? Netflix’s most popular plan costs $13 a month, far more than Disney, Apple and Quibi. But it’s comparable to Hulu and HBO Now, and boasts one of the largest libraries of TV shows and movies, not to mention regularly updated original shows. In the U.S., Netflix added 420,000 subscribers, below its own estimates. Growth in its home country has been slowing in the last year, partly because most people in the U.S. who want Netflix already subscribe. The company reported profit of $587 million on revenue of $5.47 billion, exceeding expectations.
112
113
114
NO ASTROVANS FOR SPACEX, CREWS RIDING TO ROCKETS IN TESLAS Astronauts launched by SpaceX in coming months will ride to their rockets in high fashion. Instead of using a retro-style astrovan, SpaceX crews will travel to the launch pad in Tesla sports cars. Elon Musk, who also runs both SpaceX and the electric car company, used Teslas to get around Kennedy Space Center for last Sunday’s launch escape test. No one was aboard for the test flight, just two mannequins. But during a launch dress rehearsal, the two NASA astronauts assigned to the first SpaceX crew got a lift to the pad in a Tesla Model X. The sleek white and black spacesuits worn by astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken for last Friday’s practice matched the white Tesla roadster with wing-like doors waiting for them outside Kennedy’s crew quarters. A SpaceX employee drove them to the pad. A second white Model X carried SpaceX support staff. A SpaceX spokesman confirmed that this will be the transport for crew missions moving forward. The first SpaceX crew launch, with Hurley and Behnken, could occur as soon as April. 115
“This is part of the game of us learning to work with a commercial provider,” said NASA spokesman Joshua Santora. Boeing, which also aims to fly NASA astronauts this year, is sticking with the vintage look. It plans to use a shiny new Airstream van similar to the astrovans used for decades by NASA. Two years ago next month, Musk launched his own cherry-red Tesla Roadster on the debut flight of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The convertible — with a spacesuited mannequin named Starman at the wheel — was placed in an orbit stretching past Mars. 116
117
SPACEX LAUNCHES, DESTROYS ROCKET IN ASTRONAUT ESCAPE TEST
118
Image: John Raoux
SpaceX completed the last big test of its crew capsule before launching astronauts in the next few months, mimicking an emergency escape shortly after liftoff last Sunday. No one was aboard for the wild ride in the skies above Cape Canaveral, just two mannequins. The nine-minute flight ended with the Dragon crew capsule parachuting safely into the Atlantic, after separating and speeding away from the exploding rocket. “I’m super fired up,” Elon Musk, the company’s founder and chief executive, told reporters. “It’s just going to be wonderful to get astronauts back into orbit from American soil after almost a decade of not being able to do so. That’s just super exciting.” NASA astronauts have not launched from the U.S. since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. Musk and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said the next Crew Dragon could launch with a pair of NASA astronauts in the second quarter of this year — as early as April.
119
Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration
120
The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off as normal, but just over a minute into its supersonic flight, the Dragon crew capsule catapulted off the top 12 miles (20 kilometers) above the Atlantic. Powerful thrusters on the capsule propelled it up and out of harm’s way, as the rocket engines deliberately shut down and the booster tumbled out of control and exploded in a giant fireball. The capsule reached an altitude of about 27 miles (44 kilometers) before parachuting into the ocean just offshore to bring the test flight to a close. Everything appeared to go well despite the choppy seas and overcast skies. Within minutes, a recovery ship was alongside the capsule. Recycled from three previous launches, the SpaceX rocket was destroyed as it burst apart in flight and slammed in pieces into the sea. SpaceX normally tries to recover its boosters to drive down launch costs, landing them upright on a floating platform or back at the launch site. NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Kathy Lueders, said the launch abort test was “our last open milestone” before allowing SpaceX to launch Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken to the International Space Station. Their launch date will depend, in part, on whether NASA decides to keep them for months at the orbiting lab, versus just a week or two. A longer mission will require more training before flight.
121
The astronauts monitored Sunday’s flight from the firing room. Hurley said it was “pretty neat to see” the capsule aboard the recovery ship within two hours. By all early accounts, the test was successful. “We’ll see what the data show and go from there,” Hurley said. “But it certainly is a confidence builder from the standpoint if you ever got into that situation, that Dragon can get us away from the booster quickly.” The astronauts also will have access to speed before liftoff. During a launch dress rehearsal Friday, Hurley and Behnken drove a white Tesla Model X from Kennedy Space Center’s crew quarters to the launch pad, their sleek white and black spacesuits matching the electric sports car with wing-like doors. Musk, who also runs Tesla, used the cars to get around the space center Sunday. Delayed a day by bad weather, Sunday’s launch from Kennedy brought together hundreds of SpaceX, NASA and Air Force employees on land, at sea and in the air. Tourists and locals alike packed the adjoining visitor complex and nearby beaches to see the dramatic fiery spectacle of an out-of-control rocket. Musk brought along his own family, including his brother. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing a decade ago to transport astronauts to and from the space station for billions of dollars. Both companies struggled with technical problems, adding years of delay and forcing NASA to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars extra for Russian rocket rides. After multiple cargo deliveries for NASA, SpaceX successfully flew an enhanced crew capsule to the space station last March without anyone on board, but it exploded a month later during 122
Image: John Raoux
123
ground testing. The emergency escape thrusters — the kind used in Sunday’s test — had to be retooled. In all, SpaceX has tested these powerful Super Draco thrusters some 700 times. Last month, meanwhile, Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule ended up in the wrong orbit on its first test flight and had to skip the space station. The previous month, only two of the Starliner’s three parachutes deployed during a launch abort test. Lueders said it’s too soon to know whether Boeing will need to send another Starliner to the space station without a crew or go straight to launching astronauts later this year. An investigation team is still looking into why the Starliner’s automated timer was off by 11 hours during the December test flight. The importance of launch escape was demonstrated in 2017 when two astronauts, an American and a Russian, were pulled to safety during a failed launch from Kazakhstan. They experienced up to seven times the force of gravity during the abort, but walked away from the accident. The SpaceX in-flight abort system, Musk pointed out, should be gentler for the crew and is good from the launch pad all the way to orbit. Musk said the Dragon’s escape system should work — in principle — even if the capsule is still attached when the rocket erupts in a fireball. He said that could look like “something out of ‘Star Wars’” with the capsule flying right out of a fireball. “Obviously we want to avoid doing that,” he quickly added, taking note of all the NASA personnel around him.
124
125
126
UN EXPERTS: JEFF BEZOS PHONE HACK SHOWS LINK TO SAUDI PRINCE
The phone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked after receiving a file sent from an account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Nations experts said Wednesday. The two experts called for an “immediate investigation” by the United States into information that suggests that Bezos’ phone was likely hacked after he received an MP4 video file sent from the Saudi prince’s WhatsApp account in May 2018, after the two exchanged phone numbers at a dinner in California. The file was sent to Bezos’ phone five months before Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi government agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering 127
128
in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of the crown prince’s simultaneous clampdown on dissent. The Post was harshly critical of the Saudi government after Khashoggi’s killing and demanded accountability in a highly public campaign that ran in the paper for weeks after his death. “The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia,” the independent U.N. experts said. They said that at a time when Saudi Arabia was “supposedly investigating the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and prosecuting those it deemed responsible, it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post.” The U.N. experts published their statement after reviewing a full report conducted by a team of investigators hired by Bezos. The experts said they reviewed the 2019 digital forensic analysis of Bezos’ iPhone, which was made available to them as U.N. special rapporteurs. The independent experts are appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The digital forensic investigation that was commissioned by Bezos and shared with the U.N. experts assessed with “medium to high confidence” that his phone was infiltrated on May 1, 2018, via the MP4 video file sent from the crown prince’s WhatsApp account. 129
The experts said that records showed that within hours of receiving the video from the crown prince’s account, there was “an anomalous and extreme change in phone behavior” with enormous amounts of data being transmitted and exfiltrated from the phone, undetected, for several months. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, called the hacking allegations “absolutely illegitimate.” “There was no information in there that’s relevant. There was no substantiation, there was no evidence,” he told an Associated Press reporter at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “It was purely conjecture, and if there is real evidence, we look forward to seeing it.” Saudi Arabia is already under investigation in the U.S. for another case involving Twitter. U.S. prosecutors in California allege that the Saudi government, frustrated by growing criticism of its leaders and policies on social media, recruited two Twitter employees to gather confidential personal information on thousands of accounts that included prominent opponents. Bezos went public last February after allegedly being shaken down by the U.S. tabloid National Enquirer, which he said threatened to expose a “below-the-belt” selfie he’d taken and other private messages and pictures he’d exchanged with a woman he was dating while he was still married. Bezos wrote in a lengthy piece for the Medium that rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, “I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten.” While he did 130
131
not accuse Saudi Arabia’s crown prince of being behind the hacking of his phone, he noted that the owner of the National Enquirer had been investigated for various actions taken on behalf of the Saudi government. Bezos’ chief investigator, Gavin De Becker, went further, saying in a published report last March that the investigation found the Saudis obtained the private data of Bezos. His piece for The Daily Beast outlined in detail what he said was the crown prince’s close relationship with the chairman of AMI, David Pecker, which is the parent company of the National Enquirer.
132
At the time of his dealings with the crown prince, Bezos had been looking for a site in the Middle East to expand Amazon’s cloud services. The billionaire technology mogul had visited Saudi Arabia in 2016 to meet with the crown prince before meeting with him again during the prince’s tour of the United States in 2018. The company ultimately selected the island nation of Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia, which opened in July. Amazon has also expanded into the Middle East with its 2017 purchase of e-commerce website Souq.com, which is a competitor of Noon.com, a platform that launched that same year and is heavily funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that is overseen by the crown prince.
133
Another senior Saudi official in Riyadh, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, told the AP that the kingdom finds it “distressing” that these claims are being made “devoid of evidence or fact. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not conduct illicit activities of this nature, nor does it condone them,” the official said. The Financial Times, which has seen the forensic report that was done by FTI Consulting., said the investigation “does not claim to have conclusive evidence,” and “could not ascertain what alleged spyware was used.”
134
135
136
WHAT A MAN GOTTA DO Jonas Brothers
GODZILLA (FEAT. JUICE WRLD) eminem
DANCE MONKEY tones and i
BLACK SWAN Bts
THE BOX roddy ricch
MEMORIES maroon 5
THOSE KINDA NIGHTS (FEAT. ED SHEERAN) eminem
CIRCLES Post malone
THINKING ‘BOUT YOU (FEAT. LAUREN ALAINA) dustin lynch
GOOD AS HELL lizzo
137
138
MUSIC TO BE MURDERED BY eminem
CIRCLES mac miller
MANIAC halsey
FROZEN 2 (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) Various artists
NIGHTFALL little Big town
RARE selena gomez
TULLAHOMA dustin lynch
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Billie eilish
EVERYDAY LIFE coldPlay
FINE LINE harry styles
139
140
BTS ‘BLACK SWAN’ ART FILM PERFORMED BY MN DANCE COMPANY Bts
WHAT A MAN GOTTA DO Jonas Brothers
YOU SHOULD BE SAD halsey
DARKNESS eminem
MONSTERS James Blunt
OLD TOWN ROAD (FEAT. BILLY RAY CYRUS) lil nas X
DON’T START NOW dua liPa
GRANDE gloria treVi & mónica naranJo
DON’T START NOW (LIVE IN LA, 2019) dua liPa
WALLS louis tomlinson
141
142
A HAIRY SITUATION the real housewiVes of atlanta, season 12
THE INCIDENT schitt’s creek, season 6 (uncensored)
NIKOLA TESLA’S NIGHT OF TERROR doctor who, season 12
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS: HOUR FIVE dc’s legends of tomorrow, season 5
THE ICE MAIDEN Vikings, season 6
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS: PT. FOUR arrow, season 8
OUT WITH THE OLD Very caVallari, season 3
FOUR WIVES, ONE HOUSE? sister wiVes, season 14
TRAINING DAYS VanderPumP rules, season 8
SMOKE SIGNALS schitt’s creek, season 6 (uncensored)
143
144
A VERY STABLE GENIUS PhiliP rucker & carol leonnig
AMERICAN DIRT (OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB) Jeanine cummins
PROFILES IN CORRUPTION Peter schweizer
THE ENEMY lee child
FOREVER FREED kathleen Brooks
INAPPROPRIATE Vi keeland
CROSSING THE LINE kendall ryan
IN HER EYES sarah alderson
LOST James Patterson & James o. Born
NO, WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS soPhie ranald
145
146
BOEING DOESN’T EXPECT MAX JET TO BE CLEARED UNTIL SUMMER
Boeing said that it doesn’t expect federal regulators to approve its changes to the grounded 737 Max until this summer, several months longer than the company was saying just a few weeks ago. That timetable — the latest of several delays in the plane’s approval process — will create more headaches for airlines by pushing the Max’s return further into the peak summer travel season or possibly beyond it. Boeing shares fell nearly 6% at one point, to a 52-week low, and closed down 3.4%. The company said regulators will decide when the Max flies again but that it periodically gives airlines and suppliers its best estimate of when that will happen. “This updated estimate is informed by our experience to date with the certification 147
148
process,” Boeing said in a statement. “It is subject to our ongoing attempts to address known schedule risks and further developments that may arise in connection with the certification process. It also accounts for the rigorous scrutiny that regulatory authorities are rightly applying at every step of their review” of the plane’s flight controls and pilot-training requirements. The latest timetable is based on work remaining to be done before the Federal Aviation Administration will allow the Max back in the sky including work on flight-control computers, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that Boeing did not provide. The FAA said in a statement that it is conducting “a thorough, deliberate process” to make sure that Boeing’s changes to the Max meet certification standards. The agency said, as it has for months, that it has no timetable for completing its review. The three U.S. airlines that own Maxes — Southwest, American and United — have scrubbed the plane from their schedules until early June. It is possible, however, that they won’t use the planes until much later, possibly after the busy summer travel season is over. Even after the FAA certifies Boeing’s work, airlines will need several more weeks to prepare their grounded planes and train pilots. After long insisting that training could be done quickly on tablets, Boeing recently reversed course and recommended that pilots go through sessions on flight simulators before operating the plane, adding more time to airline preparations. 149
150
Shortly after the first Max crash in October 2018 in Indonesia, Boeing began updating software that investigators say was triggered by a faulty sensor and pushed the plane’s nose down. Then in March 2019, another Max crashed in Ethiopia. In all, 346 people died. Boeing has made the software less powerful and tied it to two sensors instead of one. That work was done months ago, but the company is still working on changes to flight-control computers and pilot-training requirements. Another software issue was discovered last week, although one of the people familiar with the situation said it would not cause more delay in the plane’s return. News of the latest delay in Boeing’s timing was first reported by CNBC. Shares of Chicago-based Boeing Co. fell $10.87 to close at $313.28. Trading was briefly halted before the company issued its announcement about the Max.
151
Image: Mary Altaffer
152
POLICE COULD BE HELPED BY VIRTUAL COUNSELORS IN CRISIS CALLS
A shortage of mental health professionals in South Dakota, especially in rural areas, could be addressed by having trained counselors remotely assist police officers using readily available technology, lawmakers said. Lawmakers are considering a package of eight bills this year aimed at addressing shortfalls in mental health care in South Dakota that, 153
according to the Centers for Disease Control, has the seventh highest suicide rate in the nation. In one possible solution, a police officer responding to someone suffering a mental health crisis could use a tablet to make a video call with someone trained in de-escalating mental crises. “This is like a mental health ambulance coming virtually into the home,” Sen. Deb Soholt, a Sioux Falls Republican, said at a House committee meeting. Senate Majority Leader Kris Langer, a Dell Rapids Republican, said the lack of mental health care is especially acute in rural areas and among people who work in agriculture. The state also has a shortage of mental health professionals. Langer said the push to increase mental health care in rural areas has broad support. One of the bills that cleared the House Health and Human Services committee would make it possible for virtual mental health care providers to write prescriptions on their first video call. The other bills are either awaiting a committee hearing or have not yet been introduced. The bills will need to clear both houses of the Legislature and be signed by Gov. Kristi Noem to become law. Noem supports the initiative, according to her spokeswoman Kristin Wileman. “With shortages in the behavioral health workforce, maximizing technology is critical to meeting the needs of South Dakotans in rural and remote areas,” Wileman said in a statement. A police officer responding to a call for someone in a crisis currently has limited options. They can
154
155
156
leave the person at home if they don’t think they are at risk of harming themselves or others, or they can take them into the office for a meeting with a counselor, then drive them back home. That all takes time, Brookings County Sheriff Deputy Bart Sweebe said. Under a pilot program started three weeks ago, Sweebe’s deputies now have help. They respond to mental health calls armed with tablets that connect them to a counselor from Avera’s Behavioral Health Center in Sioux Falls. “Sometimes, if you can get that person help quicker and get them talking to someone quicker, you see better results,” Sweebe said. Sweebe said counseling via video keeps people in their homes where they are often more comfortable. It also allows the counselor to de-escalate the situation and determine the next steps. The video counselor could also help determine if the person should be taken to a mental health facility. Lawmakers would like the Brookings County pilot program to be made available statewide. Soholt said it could take years to expand the program and figure out how to fund it. The latest legislation includes provisions for the program to be covered by insurance, but it would take philanthropic, state, and municipal funding — plus the expansion of broadband to rural areas — to get a statewide system in place, she said.
157
COPS: WAZE APP DIRECTS CASINO-BOUND DRIVERS INTO WILDERNESS
158
An ad in the Waze navigation app is misdirecting motorists headed to Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa into the wilderness of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, police said. Jackson Township police posted on Facebook that officers in recent weeks have had to help motorists who followed the directions into the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, where they became stuck on unpaved roads. “The wildlife area is comprised of more than 12,000 acres, mainly located in Jackson and Plumsted townships, which is about 45 miles (72 kilometers) away from the actual Borgata Casino in Atlantic City,” police said. The Borgata is off the Atlantic City Expressway. According to police, the problem stems from an orange ad logo in the Waze app. The address on the ad is correct, police said, but the location pinned with the ad is actually in the Colliers Mills wildlife area, police said. Waze was working to fix the problem, police said.
159
160
ABE SAYS NEW UNIT WILL DEFEND JAPAN FROM SPACE TECH THREATS
Japan’s prime minister said this week that his country will form a space defense unit to protect itself from potential threats as rivals develop missiles and other technology and the new unit will work closely with its American counterpart recently launched by President Donald Trump. The Space Domain Mission Unit will start in April as part of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, Prime Minister Shinzo Abesaid in a policy speech marking the start of the year’s parliamentary session. He said Japan must also defend itself from threats in cyberspace and from electromagnetic interference against Japanese satellites. Concerns are growing that China and Russia are seeking ways to interfere with, disable or destroy satellites. 161
“We will drastically bolster capability and system in order to secure superiority” in those areas, Abe said. The space unit will be added to an existing air base at Fuchu in the western suburbs of Tokyo, where about 20 people will be staffed ahead of a full launch in 2022. The role of the space unit is to conduct satellite-based navigation and communications for other troops in the field, rather than being on the ground. Abe’s Cabinet in December approved 50.6 billion yen ($460 million) budget in space-related projects, pending parliamentary approval. The unit will cooperate with the U.S. Space Command that Trump established in August, as well as Japan’s space exploration agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Abe has pushed for Japan’s Self-Defense Force to expand its international role and capability by bolstering cooperation and weapons compatibility with the U.S., as it increasingly works alongside American troops and as it grows concerned about the increasing capabilities of China and North Korea. Abe, in marking 60th anniversary of the signing of a Japan-U.S. security treaty, vowed to bolster Japan’s capability and cooperation with the U.S., including in the areas of space and cyber security. In a sign of a thaw in Japan’s recently tense relations with South Korea, Abe said he planned to cooperate closely with the country and the U.S. in dealing with harsh security environment in northeast Asia.
162
Image: Koji Sasahara
163
He called South Korea his country’s “most important neighbor,” a standard phrase he used until their relations rapidly deteriorated in the past two years over wartime history and trade disputes. Abe, however, repeated his demand that South Korea resolve the issue of compensation for Korean laborers during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo nosedived after a South Korean court in late 2018 ordered some Japanese companies to compensate Korean laborers for their brutal treatment before and during the World War II. Japan maintains that all compensation issues were settled under a 1965 treaty that normalized relations. Abe said he is determined to settle Japan’s “unfortunate past” with North Korea, as he hopes to “sum up” his country’s postwar legacies before his term expires next year. He reiterated his intention to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without the conditions he had demanded in the past — denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and resolving the decades-old issue of abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea. Part of Abe’s plan while in office is to achieve his long-cherished goal of revising Japan’s U.S.drafted constitution that prohibits use of force in settling international disputes. Despite Abe’s push, chances are fading for the revision due to a lack of public interest and the opposition’s focus on other controversial issues such as Japan’s recent dispatch of naval troops to Middle East and questionable public record-keeping at Abe’s annual cherry blossom-viewing parties.
164
165
166
WHY TECH HAS BEEN SLOW TO FIGHT WILDFIRES, EXTREME WEATHER
For two years running, California’s wildfires have sent plumes of smoke across Silicon Valley. So far, that hasn’t spurred much tech innovation aimed at addressing extreme-weather disasters associated with climate change. It’s true that tech companies from enterprise software-maker Salesforce to financialtechnology firm Stripe have pushed to dramatically reduce their climate impact. Individual investors and small investment firms have stepped in to fund emerging efforts around cleantech — a term used broadly to describe technology that looks to manage human impact on the environment. And the catastrophic Australian wildfires have spurred additional interest. But among startups who provide much of tech innovation, things are still moving slowly. 167
That’s partly a lingering hangover from a cleantech investment bust almost a decade ago. But the technology itself can also take years to prove and even longer to convince traditional utilities and government agencies to adopt. “That’s a big bottleneck,” said Bilal Zuberi, a venture capitalist at Lux Capital who focuses on emerging tech investments. Zuberi said a recent uptick in funding and activity is encouraging, but he also cautioned that new companies have to find ways to effectively work with slow-moving potential customers. Clean tech companies focused specifically on addressing climate change issues are facing similar trends. “It is a massive gap,” Matt Rogers, co-founder of venture capital firm Incite Ventures, said of the tech industry’s involvement in climate tech funding. “Folks don’t work in this space.” But he added that this seems to be changing, with the most promising movement in the past year. Before getting into venture capital, Rogers cofounded the smart-thermostat company Nest, which was later acquired by Google. He left and started Incite, which focuses on investing mostly in climate tech, as well as health and medical tech startups. One of the firm’s portfolio companies, Pittsburgh-based Pearl Street Technologies, is working on software to help utilities better manage an increasingly “smart” electric grid — the web of power generators, substations and transmission lines that brings power to homes and business. 168
169
170
Founders David Bromberg and Larry Pileggi are developing software intended to help utilities cope with the changes presented by solar installations, more widely distributed wind farms, and the increased complexity of managing grids that increasingly aren’t centrally planned around large power stations . “The tools that are used for the grid were designed for how the grid operated in the 80s or 90s,” Pileggi said. “The characteristics of the grid have changed, but the software tools haven’t really evolved with them.” The idea is that greater visibility into the way their grid functions can help utilities fix certain problems faster and better prevent others. But the power industry is fairly cautious about adopting new technologies, Bromberg said. PG&E, California’s largest utility, has been the embattled center of California’s wildfires, given its massive planned power outages and findings that its old transmission lines have sparked some huge fires. It also has a significant problem with aged and sometimes failing infrastructure. The utility said in a 2019 smart grid report that it is using several programs to expand wildfire safety, including testing various technologies that could reduce the number of people affected by power outages. Other startups are attempting to tackle wildfires head-on. Chooch AI, an artificial intelligence company based in San Francisco, is using a system that analyzes satellite images every 10 minutes to identify where new wildfires may have broken out. 171
172
At the moment, firefighters largely rely on traditional methods to spot fires — typically people who call in after seeing smoke. That can lead to false alarms and fires that go unnoticed for too long, said Chooch CEO Emrah Gultekin. Chooch’s technology is trained to spot likely signs of wildfires, and then send photo emails to people at firefighting agencies, who can then verify if a fire has broken out. Chooch says it’s talking with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention, or Cal Fire, as it adapts its system to look for wildfires, although it’s early in the process. The company hopes to have the system live by next year’s wildfire season. Another startup hoping to prevent fires from spreading is Ladera Tech, a company founded by a former forestry manager and a Stanford University professor. The pair developed a material that allows environmentally-friendly fire retardant to be sprayed on brush and grasses near roadways, where fires are likely to break out — often as a result of small sparks from cars. The U.S. Forest Service confirmed last year that the 2018 Ferguson fire, which burned through parts of the Sierra National Forest and Yosemite National Park, was caused when a car’s catalytic converter hit dry vegetation on the side of the road. The material, which Colorado and Palo Altobased Ladera says it has been testing with California state agencies, allows the fire retardant to stick to the plants to prevent fires from spreading.
173
“Fighting roadside fires costs time and money,” said co-founder Jesse Acosta, a former fire prevention forester in Hawaii. “So let’s treat the roadside and let’s bank that money for vegetation management in the hillsides.” Hillsides often need maintenance — and replanting — after fires break out. Seattle startup DroneSeed is tackling this with five huge drones designed to rapidly replant trees in fire-ravaged areas — a process that could take humans alone months. The drones, which the company has received FAA approval to operate, fly low over the land to survey with laser and other sensors to identify which areas have the best soil and chance of trees thriving. Then DroneSeed sends out the drones equipped with seeds in small nutrient-packed vessels that are customized to the planting area. The drones can fly as low as 12 feet over the ground, dropping the packages at pre-determined spots. The company is doing pilot projects in eastern Washington and Oregon, including with The Nature Conservancy, and hopes to expand to California soon.
174
175