NASA shakes up its Artemis program to speed up lunar return

"NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced sweeping changes to the Artemis program last week, including an increased cadence of missions and cancellation of an expensive rocket stage. The upheaval comes as NASA has struggled to fuel the massive Space Launch System rocket for the upcoming Artemis II lunar mission, and Isaacman has sought to revitalize an agency that has moved at a glacial pace on its deep space programs. There is ever-increasing concern that, absent a shake-up, China's rising space program will land humans on the Moon before NASA can return there this decade with Artemis."

Ars Technica »

What if the first draft of your 3D model already existed?

A dragon-shaped toaster. A robot barista. A character you dreamed up five minutes ago. Autodesk Flow's Wonder 3D model lets you type a prompt or upload an image and watch a 3D object appear. Then you can reshape the mesh, add textures, remix the design, and keep experimenting. It's less like modeling and more like testing strange ideas until something cool shows up. Try it for yourself — Autodesk is running a flash sale from now until 3/20 with up to 20% off Flow and other products. [Ad]

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Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them

"Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as Americans are worried about rising energy costs. That's because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner's or renter's utility bill right away. 'A year ago, nobody was talking about this,' says Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, a California nonprofit group that advocates for plug-in solar. The panels are already popular in Germany, where more than 1.2 million of the small plug-in systems are registered with the German government. For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too. Those agreements, along with permitting and other installation costs, can double the price of solar panels."

NPR »

Why some people get motion sickness — and others don't

"A couple of years ago, I found myself traveling along the Drake Passage to Antarctica when our ship encountered a patch of 15-foot-tall swells. Waves were slamming against the exterior of our vessel, causing nauseated passengers to run to their rooms and stay there. By the end of the afternoon, at least two-thirds of us were suffering from motion sickness. The others? To them, it seemed that all of the rocking and rolling was just another fine day at sea. 'Everyone is capable of motion sickness,' says Dr. Kristen K. Steenerson … who specializes in inner ear and balance disorders … 'It's just that everyone has different thresholds for how much motion exposure is stimulating enough to make them sick.'"

Popular Science »

An iPhone loophole just appeared

Buying a new iPhone usually involves a sad understanding that your bank account is about to take a massive hit — because they get more expensive with each model. But now the iPhone 17e is… wait… $299.99? Doesn't sound right, but it is. Buy the iPhone 17e for $299.99 and activate the Total 5G+ Unlimited plan from Total Wireless, and you'll receive $25 in service credits applied to your bill every month for 12 months. For once, the "should I upgrade?" conversation is a lot shorter and way easier to say yes to. [Ad]

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer shows Peter in a world that's forgotten him

"After leaking in the most incomprehensible form back in December, and then Sony officially releasing it in two-second increments… we finally have a sensible version of the trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The fourth film in Tom Holland's quadrilogy within the MCU is due out in July, and the young man is joining Tobey Maguire in getting totally gross in-wrist web production. … While we get to see the movie's villains, heroes, and a fair few stunts, the real focus of the trailer is on Spidey's sadness at losing all his loved ones … while simultaneously appearing to enter a sort of Pokémon-like evolutionary phase. It seems Parker is in a form of metamorphosis, becoming something new."

Kotaku »