NASA can now recycle 98 percent of astronaut pee on the ISS into drinkable water

It's Monday, June 26, 2023.

NASA has achieved a technological milestone, announcing the International Space Station’s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is now recycling 98 percent of all water astronauts bring onboard. Advanced dehumidifiers capture moisture from the station’s crew breaths and sweats, while urine processor assembly recovers water from astronauts’ urine through vacuum distillation.

According to NASA, the distillation process produces water and a urine brine that still contains reclaimable H20. Now, a new device can extract the remaining water in the brine, increasing the water recovery rate from 93 to 98 percent. If the idea is making you gag, it shouldn’t, says Jill Williamson, NASA’s ECLSS water subsystems manager. “The crew is not drinking urine; they are drinking water that has been reclaimed, filtered and cleaned such that it is cleaner than what we drink here on Earth.” I'll pass.

– Mat Smith

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YouTube is reportedly testing online games for mobile and desktop

The gaming product could be called Playables.

Google is looking at online games as a new source of income for YouTube, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The video hosting platform has reportedly invited employees to test a new product called Playables, which gives users access to online games right on YouTube. Users can play them on the YouTube website on a browser or through the app, on an Android or an iOS phone. While the report insinuates there are currently several games available for testing, it only mentioned Stack Bounce, an ad-supported arcade game that gets players to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball. (It’s not exactly Elden Ring.) Playables could be more akin to Netflix's gaming product, which gives paying users access to casual games on mobile.

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Apple’s Vision Pro headset may not come with a top strap in the box

Will it cost as much as those Mac Pro wheels?

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When we previewed the Vision Pro in early June, the prototype unit featured an extra Velcro strap not seen in any of Apple’s promotional material. At the time, a company spokesperson said the handset would support additional straps if necessary.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple created the strap, which goes over the wearer’s head, after some employees complained the Vision Pro felt “too heavy” after a couple of hours of use. In a move Apple has made a fewtimes in the past with other products, the company is now reportedly considering selling the strap as an optional accessory rather than including it in the box.

The Vision Pro could arrive as late as May 2024, and Gurman says the company has already reassigned some employees to work on a more affordable headset and a second-generation Vision Pro.

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Moto Razr+ phone review

Finally, some real competition for Samsung’s Flip foldable.

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The Moto Razr+, a foldable phone like a standard 6.9-inch handset when open, has a large 3.6-inch screen closed. That addresses one of the most common complaints about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 — the size of its cover display. The Razr+, meanwhile, pretty much runs full Android with some tweaks.

However, anyone thinking of getting the Razr+ should probably wait. Samsung has announced its next Galaxy Unpacked will be in Korea in late July, when it’s widely expected to launch new foldables. If you can hold off, it’s worth seeing what the next Z Flip will offer before picking your next-gen flip phone.

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