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Earlier this year‚ the company Insta360 sent two cameras to low-Earth orbit on a private space mission. Their camera is called Insta360 X2 and it can capture incredible 360-degree views; when applied to our planet and the rest of the galaxy‚ the videos and photos are truly something else. This is the first time that 360-degree cameras have been sent to space and the results speak for themselves.The company is no stranger to extreme feats for their camera – this year‚ they also sent one of their new models on a weather balloon 26 kilometers (16 miles) into the stratosphere. But space is a completely different type of environment. The extreme temperatures that the camera experiences 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the Earth's surface are no joke‚ ranging from -70 to 50 degrees Celsius (-94 to 22 degrees Fahrenheit).A hurricane seen from space by the Insta360 X2.Image credit: Insta360And that’s not all. The camera had to be able to withstand an increased dose of radiation‚ as cosmic rays are not stopped outside of the atmosphere; this can harm electronics. It also had to withstand shocks and vibrations – rocket launches‚ even in the best conditions‚ are not smooth rides. Plus‚ there’s no one up there to fix or reposition the camera if something goes wrong.   IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Insta360 worked with Media Storm and satellite company Spacety‚ which creates Synthetic Aperture Radar images of Earth. Engineers had to adapt the camera to the harsh conditions in space with modifications to the lens‚ motherboard‚ and casing. The glue in the seal and plastic in the camera had to be adjusted and tested extensively‚ and to protect it from radiation‚ gold foil was added as a shield.It resulted in cameras that can withstand low-Earth environments and slowly rotate‚ adjusting angle and shooting position‚ for some fantastic shots. It also goes to show that stars and galaxies are very visible in space; the reason why you usually don't see them in photos is that video photography in space tends to focus on a lot of bright close-up objects and the dimmer starlight is not snapped. Insta360 X2 shows that this is indeed the case.   IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The satellite to which the camera is attached was launched in January 2023 and it is expected to work until 2026‚ when it will be deorbited. It will burn in the atmosphere during reentry.

The post 50 “Unexplainable Cat Images” that have us dying of laughter appeared first on Animal Channel.

In a world where the unexpected often brings the most joy‚ the story of Journey‚ a Great Dane with a heart as grand as her stature‚ unfolds. After enduring the heartache of losing her puppies‚ Journey found herself wandering‚ a giant amidst the shadows of her grief. It was during one of these aimless journeys... The post Great Dane mama who’s missing her babies brings home a new ‘little one’ appeared first on Animal Channel.

After much promotional pomp and circumstance‚ the collaborative series featuring Gayle King and Charles Barkley‚ titled with the clever eponym “King Charles”‚ finally launched as a “limited series”. Does the show live up to the hype or is it more of the same performative wokery in a different package for CNN viewers? In a nutshell‚ it’s more of the same.  The show kicks off with a bold promise in its intro: “We won’t waste your time”. Some uncomfortable early banter in-studio is highlighted by Barkley needing to clarify that “King Charles” is not self-puffery but a play on both hosts’ names: Gayle King‚ Charles Barkley. That right there is an indication that the show is doomed to fail because of you’re having to explain the show’s title within the first two minutes‚ you’re definitely losing. The show offers a call-in number where people can leave their voice mails. Not quite the Larry King callback‚ but there you go. The show kicks off with a segment on George Santos’ potential expulsion from Congress‚ featuring Laura Coates and Van Lathan to do all the analytical heavy lifting. King moderates and keeps the conversation moving‚ Sir Charles offers analyses on Santos that amount to little more than variations on “that’s turrible”.  Next‚ Fat Joe joins Coates and King for a segment on the Young Thug trial in Atlanta. “Martin Scorsese should be in jail for 10 million years” was Fat Joe’s contribution to this segment‚ as the rest of the panel weaved in and around RICO‚ implications for Donald Trump (the case is being brought by the same prosecutor‚ Fani Willis)‚ and whether art can be held against artists in criminal proceedings.  Steve Kerr came on to talk about Israel-Gaza‚ and managed to find a way to weave gun control advocacy into the discussion on what’s happening in Gaza and terrorism: STEVE KERR: Every time I hear about someone dying from gun violence‚ I think about my own experience and the shock and pain that goes with it‚ and that's one of the reasons I've really taken on‚ you know‚ the gun violence prevention issue as kind of a pet project‚ something that I really devote a lot of time to.  CHARLES BARKLEY: Yeah. I was going to say‚ Steve‚ number one‚ I want to thank you personally. I want to thank Gregg Popovich. We got a lot of other great coaches‚ you know‚ talking about George Floyd. You spoke brilliant about that‚ you and coach Popovich‚ about police brutality. But to piggy back on your point about the gun violence‚ what do you think really needs to be done? Because we seem to be having these conversations every week‚ every month‚ every year.  KERR: Right.  BARKLEY: What do we really need to do to address gun violence?  KERR: Well‚ unfortunately‚ our democracy's not working right now‚ Charles. Because if you look at the data‚ 80% of Americans -- 80% to 90% of Americans want universal background checks‚ regardless if you're a Republican or Democrat. 70% of Americans think that weapons of military background -- AR-15s‚ semiautomatic rifles -- 70% of us don't believe American citizens should have their hands on weapons like those. But our policy don't reflect that. Our policies that the government has the power to put in place don't reflect the people's wishes. And so it's yet another issue in American society that's tied up in politics and money and power. Frankly what we actually need is some Republican candidates to be able to run on a policy of gun violence prevention and not be kicked out of their party. If they can actually run and win elections with the idea of protecting American families‚ now our democracy will work. But we’re too tied up in political turmoil for that to actually happen right now. It’s all there: the George Floyd tie-in and segue into a ramble on gun control‚ which of course‚ went unchecked and uncontested because this show is magenta-themed cotton candy for CNN’s audience. No one was there to tell Kerr that our Constitution wasn’t amended with a Bill of Wishes. And good luck confiscating semiautomatics. That segment was followed by an interview with journalists whose respective beats cover Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Suppress your feelings of empathy for me for watching this idiocy so you don’t have to. As Hyman Roth said to Don Michael Corleone‚ this is the business we’ve chosen. The show ends with its first voice mail- a prank voice mail from Shaquille O’Neal to Barkley. One might reasonably be led to believe that every other voice mail was critical of the programming.  If this maiden broadcast is any indication‚ “King Charles” failed to live up to its promise. You all did waste our time.     

Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley joined Thursday’s installment of CBS Mornings to discuss the death of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his “duality.” On one hand‚ Brinkley panned Kissinger as someone who “had a bad‚ anti-democratic record‚” but on the other‚ he praised Kissinger for being the guy who set in motion Israeli-Egyptian peace and tried to argue that is what is needed today with Israel and Gaza‚ ignoring key differences between the two. Host Tony Dokoupil inquired‚ “I want to get to how Kissinger continues to influence both the terms and the strategy of American foreign policy‚ right now up to this minute‚ but also‚ first‚ address this dual legacy‚ hated by some‚ celebrated by others‚ and sometimes for the very same action around the same instant. Could you explain these two sides to Henry Kissinger's legacy?”     Brinkley began his response by sending his condolences to Kissinger’s family before noting‚ “Look‚ Henry Kissinger‚ he has more enemies than you can count. It comes out of the academic left. Many people blamed him for the continuation of the war in Vietnam and the expanding of the war into Cambodia and Laos. The anti-war campuses were filled with anti-Kissinger rhetoric. Add to that the fact that Kissinger had a bad‚ anti-democratic record in dealing with countries like Chile. Writers like Christopher Hitchens would‚ you know‚ put Kissinger on trial.” At the same time‚ “you can't study diplomacy in the United States without grappling with Henry Kissinger. He invented the really—the modern concept of realism‚ or with a hyper-pragmatism if you'd like in foreign affairs‚ realpolitik as it was called. He was a believer in superpowers‚ that the United States had to be the most powerful country in the world.” Brinkley also tried to claim Kissinger’s legacy on other matters‚ “And he invented terms we just use‚ like shuttle diplomacy‚ like we need somebody now to do diplomacy in what’s going on in Israel and Gaza. It's Henry Kissinger who really orchestrated the biggest breakthrough imaginable‚ going to China with Nixon in 1972 and opening up relations between the two countries and‚ you know‚ the Yom Kippur War‚ you know‚ Kissinger is the one really getting a peace settlement out of it. He won a Nobel prize. So‚ it’s a duality to Henry Kissinger.” To compare the current situation with Israel and Hamas to the Yom Kippur War is to try to put a square peg in a round hole. Kissinger knew Egypt’s Anwar Sadat would be willing to deal and change his orientation from Soviet-aligned to American-aligned. The Palestinians‚ whether that be Hamas or the Palestinian Authority‚ are prepared to no such things meaning a ceasefire now would be like all the pre-1973 ceasefires. Here is a transcript for the November 30 show: CBS Mornings 11/30/2023 8:11 AM ET TONY DOKOUPIL: I want to get to how Kissinger continues to influence both the terms and the strategy of American foreign policy‚ right now up to this minute‚ but also‚ first‚ address this dual legacy‚ hated by some‚ celebrated by others‚ and sometimes for the very same action around the same instant. Could you explain these two sides to Henry Kissinger's legacy?  DOUGLAS BRINKLEY: Well‚ absolutely and we all want to send our condolences to his wife‚ Nancy‚ and his two children. You know‚ they're obviously mourning. Look‚ Henry Kissinger‚ he has more enemies than you can count. It comes out of the academic left. Many people blamed him for the continuation of the war in Vietnam and the expanding of the war into Cambodia and Laos. The anti-war campuses were filled with anti-Kissinger rhetoric. Add to that the fact that Kissinger had a bad‚ anti-democratic record in dealing with countries like Chile.  Writers like Christopher Hitchens would‚ you know‚ put Kissinger on trial. On the other hand‚ you can't study diplomacy in the United States without grappling with Henry Kissinger. He invented the really—the modern concept of realism‚ or with a hyper-pragmatism if you'd like in foreign affairs‚ realpolitik as it was called. He was a believer in superpowers‚ that the United States had to be the most powerful country in the world.  And he invented terms we just use‚ like shuttle diplomacy‚ like we need somebody now to do diplomacy in what’s going on in Israel and Gaza. It's Henry Kissinger who really orchestrated the biggest breakthrough imaginable‚ going to China with Nixon in 1972 and opening up relations between the two countries and‚ you know‚ the Yom Kippur War‚ you know‚ Kissinger is the one really getting a peace settlement out of it. He won a Nobel prize. So‚ it’s a duality to Henry Kissinger.