Numlock News: August 29, 2023 • Satellites, Fake Gold, Pandas
By Walt HickeyRefer some friends, claim a sticker pack! The sticker packs for readers who referred some friends are going out today, as are a few more goodies. It’s super easy to get one of these; all you’ve got to do is recommend Numlock to some friends. If you dig the newsletter, it’s an excellent way to support it: SatelliteSatellite operator Viasat has the space insurance industry on the edge of their seats after indicating that the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite has suffered an unexpected issue and may not be able to operate. In the event that Viasat declares the billion-dollar satellite a total loss, the claim is estimated to hit $420 million across several policies across a number of different insurers. The issue gets worse, as its Inmarsat-6 F2 satellite has suffered a power problem, and that too could result in a $350 million insurance claim. Last month, the ViaSat-2 satellite suffered an antenna problem that triggered a $188 million claim. This confluence of claims could be a fiasco for the companies that insure the space business: In 2019, the total losses from satellite claims were $788 million, considerably more than the $500 million in total premiums collected that year, which triggered AIG, Swiss Re and Allianz to leave the satellite insurance industry entirely. If there’s a similar reaction to this incident, it could be much harder to insure the business. Loren Grush and Todd Shields, Bloomberg In-Flight EntertainmentAuthorities in Lusaka, Zambia, are grappling with a puzzling and troubling mystery related to a seized private aircraft that contained, in addition to five Egyptians, millions of dollars in cash, pistols, 126 rounds of ammunition, and over 100 kilograms of gold bars. The Egyptians have been charged with smuggling and corrupt practices, while six Zambians have been charged with espionage. The original amount of cash reported by police was $11 million, which was later downgraded to $7 million and now stands at $5.7 million, which is obviously totally on the level and no corruption here! Also, in an even more exciting wrinkle, the gold is counterfeit, made out of copper, nickel and zinc, and it certainly looks like someone was going to leave an airplane having been bamboozled in a fake gold buy. BirdsAll 143 WSR-88D weather radar stations in the contiguous United States are also part of a network tracking aerial phenomena that is not meteorological in nature but nevertheless shows up constantly in weather radar data: migrating birds. The equipment, which bounces signal off of raindrops to figure out where clouds are, is also excellent at doing the same thing for the considerably larger birds. They’re following some 500 million birds flying across the U.S., and the hope is to use that data to ensure those birds have a safe flight by mitigating light pollution in the areas where they’re traveling. Jacob Job, Scientific American PandasAs geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing worsen, China is taking back some pandas it’s loaned out to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. In early December, three pandas — Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian — will leave the zoo and go to China. The country is the sole place that pandas are found, and has leveraged that by loaning them out as a diplomatic endeavor since Nixon went to China in 1972 and Zhou Enlai pitched the idea. They also charge about $1 million a year per panda. As a result, pandas can be found in around 70 zoos around the world. DrawA scandal that has consumed the world of chess over allegations of cheating lodged by Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com against Hans Moke Niemann and that provoked a $100 million defamation lawsuit has come to a conclusion, as the parties have reached a testy agreement. Chess.com has agreed to reinstate the account of Niemann, who was alleged to have cheated in over 100 games. Over the past year, Niemann’s rating has fallen from over 2700 to 2660, and he’s ranked the 77th best in the world. Andrew Beaton and Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal StreamingNielsen reported that the number of available titles on streaming services jumped 39 percent over the past two years, hitting 2.35 million titles. That compares to 2.7 million available on traditional broadcast and cable channels. All told, per Nielsen, there are now 167 streaming providers, up from 118 streamers two years ago. While there are lots of ramifications of this — subscribing to 167 streaming providers sure feels a lot less efficient than one cable subscription — one key one is that it takes longer to find stuff to watch given the sheer abundance of available material. In 2019, the average amount of time it took someone to find something to watch was seven minutes, which has since risen to 10 minutes today. Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg Where The Sidewalk EndsMost communities in North America spend $30 to $60 per capita per year on sidewalks, but there’s a solid argument to building them out. Most cities need to spend two to three times that amount in order to build out a full network. A full network has a lot of positive impacts on a community, and could reduce vehicle costs and miles travelled by 3 percent. All told, sidewalks do a disproportionate amount of work in communities. Despite cities spending about 1 percent of their infrastructure budget on sidewalks, walking on them is responsible for 11 percent of trips every day. Thanks to the paid subscribers to Numlock News who make this possible. Subscribers guarantee this stays ad-free, and get a special Sunday edition. Consider becoming a full subscriber today. Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. Send corrections or typos to the copy desk at copy@numlock.news. Check out the Numlock Book Club and Numlock award season supplement. Previous Sunday subscriber editions: Audio · Garbage Intelligence · Meteorites · Overwatch League · Jam Bands · Fanatics · Eleven-ThirtyEight · Boardwalk Games · Summer Movies · Boys Weekend · Psychedelics · Country Radio · Zelda · Coyotes · Beer · Nuclear · NASCAR · Seaweed · Working · Cable · Ringmaster · Hard Seltzer · Enhanced Geothermal ·Hoop Muses · Subsea Cables · Wrestling · Tabletop Renaissance · BTSSunday Edition Archives: 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018You're currently a free subscriber to Numlock News. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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Numlock News: August 28, 2023 • Horseshoe Crabs, Cats, Wine
Monday, August 28, 2023
By Walt Hickey Potshots The corporate marijuana world is in a pinch, as some of the most significant players in the space are running out of runway as a lack of federal legalization and an inability to
Numlock News: August 25, 2023 • Macadamia, Poison Ivy, Coyotes
Friday, August 25, 2023
By Walt Hickey Have a great weekend! My Job Is Beach A researcher out of the University of California, Santa Barbara, set up 40 motion-sensing cameras along the Gaviota Coast of California, which is
Numlock News: August 24, 2023 • Pumpkin Spice, Octopus, Tornado
Thursday, August 24, 2023
By Walt Hickey Pumpkin Spice Starbucks Corporation has announced that summer is over and that the season once previously known as autumn, Pumpkin Spice Season, is now in effect as of today. Yes,
Numlock News: August 23, 2023 • K-Pop, Ranked Choice, Bees
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
By Walt Hickey Ranked Choice Ranked choice voting has made a splash in a number of cities and states, with 51 different jurisdictions encompassing 13 million Americans — from New York City to Alaska —
Numlock News: August 22, 2023 • Xylem, Loch Ness Monster, Mirage
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
By Walt Hickey Mirage The Mitsubishi Mirage is the last model of automobile in the United States that is still selling on average for less than $20000, with last month the vehicle averaging $19205 at
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