Wikipedia article of the day for April 1, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for April 1, 2020 is German battleship Tirpitz.
Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany during World War II. The ship was laid down in November 1936 and commissioned in February 1941. Tirpitz was armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in) guns in four twin turrets. She was the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy. In early 1942, the ship sailed to Norway to act as a fleet in being, forcing the British navy to retain significant forces in the area. In September 1943, Tirpitz, along with the battleship Scharnhorst, bombarded Allied positions on Spitzbergen, the only time the ship's main battery was used offensively. On 12 November 1944, British Lancaster bombers equipped with 12,000-pound (5,400 kg) "Tallboys" bombed the ship, causing her to capsize. A deck fire spread to an ammunition magazine causing a large explosion. Between 1948 and 1957, the wreck was broken up in a salvage operation. (This article is part of a featured topic: Battleships of Germany.)

Coronavirus Ended the Screen-Time Debate. Screens Won.

By BY NELLIE BOWLES from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2UzbSg5

Wikipedia article of the day for March 31, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 31, 2020 is 1958 US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement.
The 1958 US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement is a bilateral treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom on nuclear weapons co-operation. It allows the two countries to exchange nuclear materials, technology and information, and was signed on 3 July 1958, after the British hydrogen bomb programme successfully tested a thermonuclear device. While the US has nuclear co-operation agreements with other countries, including France and other NATO countries, this agreement is by far the most comprehensive. Exemplifying the Anglo-American Special Relationship, it allowed American nuclear weapons to be supplied under Project E. The treaty has proved mutually beneficial, and paved the way for the Polaris Sales Agreement and the Trident nuclear programme submarines, including HMS Victorious (pictured), all of which use American missiles with British nuclear warheads. The most recent renewal of the treaty extended it to 31 December 2024.

New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom’s Privacy Practices

By Unknown Author from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2WUUBiY

Wikipedia article of the day for March 30, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 30, 2020 is Secretariat (horse).
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who, in 1973, became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. Secretariat set speed records in all three Triple Crown races. His time of 1:59​2⁄5 in the Kentucky Derby still stands as the Churchill Downs track record for ​1 1⁄4 miles. His disputed time in the Preakness Stakes was recognized as a stakes record in 2012. He won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, setting an American record for ​1 1⁄2 miles on dirt that still stands. He also set a world record in the Marlboro Cup, and proved his versatility by winning two major stakes races on turf. His 1972–1973 racing career resulted in five Eclipse Awards, including American Horse of the Year honors both years. Of The Blood-Horse's Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Secretariat ranks second only to Man o' War. After siring several major stakes winners, Secretariat died at age 19 of complications from laminitis.

How Russia’s Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election

By BY DAVEY ALBA from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dC73Kn

Facebook, Google and Twitter Struggle to Handle November’s Election

By BY KEVIN ROOSE, SHEERA FRENKEL AND NICOLE PERLROTH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2QQuJkk

Wikipedia article of the day for March 29, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 29, 2020 is Francis Willughby.
Francis Willughby (1635–1672) was an English ornithologist and ichthyologist, and an early student of linguistics and games. At Trinity College, Cambridge, he was tutored by the mathematician and naturalist John Ray, who became a lifetime friend and colleague. Willughby, Ray, and others including John Wilkins were advocates of a new way of studying science, relying on observation and classification, rather than the received authority of Aristotle and the Bible. Willughby and Ray undertook journeys to gather information and specimens in England, Wales, and continental Europe, visiting museums, libraries and private collections as well as studying local animals and plants. After Willughby's early death, Ray completed the works they had jointly planned, publishing books on birds, fish and invertebrates that included innovative ways of classifying animals. Carl Linnaeus relied on Willughby and Ray's books in his Systema Naturae, the basis of binomial nomenclature.

A Single Gesture Behind Trump Fuels an Online Conspiracy Theory

By BY DAVEY ALBA AND SHEERA FRENKEL from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dB2aB4

As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide

By BY KATE CONGER AND ERIN GRIFFITH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Jio8Lx

The Week in Tech: We’re Testing How Much the Internet Can Handle

By BY CADE METZ from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Jg5Iej

Wikipedia article of the day for March 27, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 27, 2020 is Introduction to viruses.
A virus is an infectious agent that reproduces inside the cells of living hosts. Unlike most living things, viruses do not have cells that divide; instead they force infected host cells to produce thousands of identical copies of the original virus, at an extraordinary rate. A virus consists of two or three parts: genes, made from either DNA or RNA, long molecules that carry the genetic information; a protein coat that protects the genes; and in some, an envelope of fat that surrounds and protects them when they are not contained within a host cell (and makes them vulnerable to soap). Viruses spread in different ways; some through the air by people when they cough or sneeze, others by the faecal–oral route, and some by direct contact or during sex. Over 4,800 species have been discovered, many of which cause disease in plants and animals, including common human diseases such as the common cold, chickenpox and cold sores, and serious epidemics and pandemics such as HIV, Ebola, influenza, SARS and COVID-19.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 26, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 26, 2020 is Ubinas.
Ubinas is a stratovolcano in the Moquegua Region of southern Peru, 60 kilometres (37 mi) east of the city of Arequipa. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, it rises 5,672 metres (18,609 ft) above sea level. Its summit is cut by a caldera 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) wide and 150 metres (490 ft) deep, which itself contains a smaller crater. Below the summit, Ubinas is a steep cone with a prominent notch on the southern side. The most active volcano in Peru, it has a history of small- to moderate-sized explosive eruptions and persistent degassing and ash emissions. An eruption in 1667, its largest since prehistoric times, produced scoria falls and pyroclastic flows. In 2006 and 2007 eruption columns led to ash fall in the region, resulting in health issues and evacuations. During the most recent activity, from 2013 to 2019, a lava flow formed inside the crater, and as ash fell, surrounding towns had to be evacuated.

Lawmakers Question Start-Ups on At-Home Kits for Coronavirus Testing

By BY NATASHA SINGER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3dqMDUp

The Dos and Don’ts of Online Video Meetings

By BY BRIAN X. CHEN from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Uyqxqp

Wikipedia article of the day for March 25, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 25, 2020 is Megarachne.
Megarachne was a predatory freshwater arthropod of the order of eurypterids, often called sea scorpions. Two fossil specimens of the genus have been discovered, in San Luis, Argentina, in deposits of Late Carboniferous age from the Gzhelian stage. Megarachne ("great spider") was initially misidentified as a spider. With a body length of 54 cm (1.77 ft), it was a medium-sized eurypterid, similar to others within the Mycteropoidea, a rare group known primarily from South Africa and Scotland. The mycteropoids evolved a specialized method of feeding referred to as sweep-feeding, raking through the substrate of riverbeds to capture and eat smaller invertebrates. Due to their fragmentary fossil record and similarities between the genera, Megarachne and two other members of its family, Mycterops and Woodwardopterus, have been hypothesized to represent different developmental stages of a single genus.

Facebook Is ‘Just Trying to Keep the Lights On’ as Traffic Soars in Pandemic

By BY MIKE ISAAC AND SHEERA FRENKEL from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3duq29q

Start-Ups Jump the Gun on Home Kits for Coronavirus Testing

By BY NATASHA SINGER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Je14x6

Wikipedia article of the day for March 24, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 24, 2020 is Hours of Mary of Burgundy.
The Hours of Mary of Burgundy is a book of hours, a form of devotional book for lay people, completed in Flanders around 1477. It was probably commissioned for Mary of Burgundy, then the wealthiest woman in Europe; Mary was the only child of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and wife of Maximilian I, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The book contains 187 folios (folio 14v pictured), each measuring 22.5 by 15 centimetres (8.9 in × 5.9 in). It consists of the Roman Liturgy of the Hours, 24 calendar roundels, 20 full-page miniatures and 16 quarter-page format illustrations. It includes meticulously detailed illustrations and borders by the influential illuminator known by the notname of the Master of Mary of Burgundy. Other miniatures, considered of an older tradition, were contributed by Simon Marmion, Willem Vrelant and Lieven van Lathem. The two best-known illustrations contain a revolutionary trompe-l'œil technique of showing a second perspective through an open window.

The Coronavirus Revives Facebook as a News Powerhouse

By BY KEVIN ROOSE AND GABRIEL J.X. DANCE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Uc2aQo

Trump Administration Gives Apple More Tariff Relief

By BY JACK NICAS from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2UgPCHL

There Is a Racial Divide in Speech-Recognition Systems, Researchers Say

By BY CADE METZ from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2UuGOwL

Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever

By BY DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI, JACK NICAS, STEVE LOHR AND MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3bhbng7

As Coronavirus Surveillance Escalates, Personal Privacy Plummets

By BY NATASHA SINGER AND CHOE SANG-HUN from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2J4LqV0

Wikipedia article of the day for March 23, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 23, 2020 is Naruto.
Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of a young ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, who seeks to gain recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the leader of his village. The series is based on two one-shot manga by Kishimoto: Karakuri (1995) and Naruto (1997). It was serialized in Shueisha's magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1999 to 2014, and released in book form in 72 volumes. An anime television series of 220 episodes was produced by Pierrot and Aniplex; it ran in Japan from 2002 to 2007, and its English adaptation aired on Cartoon Network from 2005 to 2009. Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, premiered in Japan in 2007 and ended in 2017 after 500 episodes. The English adaptation was broadcast on Disney XD from 2009 to 2011, and on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block beginning in 2014. Pierrot has also developed eleven movies and eleven original video animations. Naruto is the fourth best-selling manga series ever.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 22, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 22, 2020 is God of War (franchise).
God of War is an action-adventure game franchise. Sony's Santa Monica Studio developed all the main entries, released on the PlayStation 2, 3, and 4 video game consoles by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The story follows Kratos (cosplayer pictured), a Spartan warrior who was tricked into killing his family by the Greek god of war Ares. God of War (2005), God of War II (2007), and God of War III (2010) constitute the original trilogy centered on vengeance; other games include Chains of Olympus (2008) and Ghost of Sparta (2010) for the PlayStation Portable, Betrayal (2007) for mobile phones, and Ascension (2013). A main title based on Norse mythology, also called God of War (2018), centers on redemption, with future games in this setting planned. The series has received numerous awards, including Game of the Year recognitions for the 2005 and 2018 installments. As of May 2019, the franchise has sold over 32 million games worldwide. (This article is part of a featured topic: God of War franchise.)

Wikipedia article of the day for March 21, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 21, 2020 is Island of stability.
The island of stability in nuclear physics is a predicted set of isotopes of superheavy elements whose half-lives may be considerably longer than those experimentally observed for these elements. Its theoretical existence is attributed to stabilizing effects of closed nuclear shells and magic numbers of protons and neutrons. The island of stability is generally thought to center near copernicium and flerovium isotopes with around 184 neutrons, separated from known stable and long-lived nuclides. While stabilizing effects are expected to be greatest for nuclides with around 114 protons, other islands of stability might also exist around heavier nuclides with higher magic numbers. Estimates of the stability of elements on the island are usually around a half-life of minutes or days, with some estimates of up to millions of years. The synthesis of nuclides with up to 118 protons and 177 neutrons has demonstrated a slight stabilizing effect supporting the island's existence.

The Coder and the Dictator

By BY NATHANIEL POPPER AND ANA VANESSA HERRERO from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2UkEYyp

Former Uber Executive Pleads Guilty to Trade Theft

By BY KATE CONGER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3ddkuA8

Wikipedia article of the day for March 20, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 20, 2020 is Aries (album).
Aries is the ninth studio album by Mexican recording artist Luis Miguel (pictured). Released by WEA Latina in 1993, it features pop ballads and dance numbers with R&B influences. "Ayer" and "Hasta Que Me Olvides", two of the album's three singles released for sale, topped the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. "Hasta el Fin" and "Tú y Yo" were released as promotional singles, both peaking at number four on that chart. Aries stayed at number one on the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums for 19 weeks. It sold over one million copies in Mexico, and over two million copies worldwide through 2000. Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from music critics; they were divided on the dance tunes and ballads, although Miguel's vocals and the album's arrangements garnered positive reactions. The Aries Tour promoted the record in Latin America and the United States. Miguel received several accolades for the album, including the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.

Wikipedia article of the day for March 19, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 19, 2020 is Sonestown Covered Bridge.
The Sonestown Covered Bridge is a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Muncy Creek in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built c. 1850, the bridge is 110 feet (34 m) long, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. The bridge is named for the nearby unincorporated village of Sonestown; it was built to provide access to a gristmill, which operated until the early 20th century. The bridge construction is cruder than the other two surviving covered bridges in Sullivan County, with each Burr arch formed from six straight beams set at angles instead of a smooth curve. Despite being repaired or restored several times from 1969, as of 2016 the bridge was deemed "deemed "basically intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action" on the National Bridge Inventory. It is the shortest covered bridge in the county and as of 2015 had average daily traffic of 50 vehicles.

Pixar Pioneers Win $1 Million Turing Award

By BY CADE METZ from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2QqVtYn

Pandemic Erodes Gig Economy Work

By BY KATE CONGER, ADAM SATARIANO AND MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2TYg9ZT

The Tech Headaches of Working From Home and How to Solve Them

By BY BRIAN X. CHEN from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3d35FQJ

Wikipedia article of the day for March 18, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 18, 2020 is Arnold Bax.
Arnold Bax (1883–1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. Best known for his orchestral music, he also wrote songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works. In addition to a series of symphonic poems, he wrote seven symphonies, and was for a time widely regarded as the leading British symphonist. Bax was born in Streatham to a prosperous family who encouraged his music career, and his private income enabled him to follow his own path as a composer without regard for fashion or orthodoxy. While still a student at the Royal Academy of Music, Bax became fascinated with Ireland and the Celtic Revival. In the years before the First World War he lived in Ireland and became a member of Dublin literary circles, writing fiction and verse under the pseudonym Dermot O'Byrne. His best-known work is the symphonic poem Tintagel (1917). In 1942 Bax was appointed Master of the King's Music.

To Focus on Necessities, Amazon Stops Accepting Some Items in Warehouses

By BY KAREN WEISE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/39XT0wh

Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’

By BY DAVID STREITFELD from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/38Y5fI3

The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online

By BY KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2wdWjRv

Coronavirus Fight Lays Bare Education’s Digital Divide

By BY RAYMOND ZHONG from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2QjEEyr

Wikipedia article of the day for March 17, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 17, 2020 is William F. Raynolds.
William F. Raynolds (March 17, 1820 – October 18, 1894) was an explorer, engineer and army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He oversaw the construction of numerous lighthouses; at least six of them are still standing and in use. During the occupation of Mexico in 1848, Raynolds led a party that was the first to summit Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico and believed at that time to be the highest in North America. In 1859, Raynolds was placed in charge of the first government-sponsored expedition into the Yellowstone region. Heavy snowpack prevented the expedition from reaching the Yellowstone Plateau, forcing them to cross Union Pass in the Wind River Range. The expedition then entered Jackson Hole and surveyed the Teton Range, now within Grand Teton National Park. Raynolds retired from the army in 1884 with the rank of colonel after a 40-year career.

Coronavirus Testing Website Goes Live and Runs Into Confusion

By BY DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3d7U0jI

So We’re Working From Home. Can the Internet Handle It?

By BY DAVEY ALBA AND CECILIA KANG from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3cXOnEB

France Fines Apple $1.2 Billion for Antitrust Issues

By BY DAVID MCCABE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/38WhO6w

Wikipedia article of the day for March 16, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 16, 2020 is Bridgeport, Connecticut, Centennial half dollar.
The Bridgeport, Connecticut, Centennial half dollar is a fifty-cent piece issued by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936 as a commemorative coin. Designed by Henry Kreis, the obverse (pictured) depicts the showman P. T. Barnum, who was one of Bridgeport's most famous residents, mayor of the city, helped develop it, and is buried there. Bridgeport authorities wanted a commemorative coin, and authorizing legislation passed Congress without opposition. Kreis had designed the Connecticut Tercentenary half dollar (1935), and he produced designs showing Barnum and a modernistic eagle similar to the one on the Connecticut piece. The coins were vended to the public beginning in September 1936 at a price of $2. Too late for most of the centennial celebrations, the coins sold well. Unsold pieces were bought up by coin dealers and wholesale quantities were available on the secondary market until the 1970s. The Bridgeport half dollar sells in the low hundreds of dollars, depending on condition.

The Man With 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer Just Donated Them

By BY JACK NICAS from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/38T9m8n

Ahead of the Pack, How Microsoft Told Workers to Stay Home

By BY KAREN WEISE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2IOPAAa

Wikipedia article of the day for March 15, 2020

The Wikipedia article of the day for March 15, 2020 is Alloxylon pinnatum.
Alloxylon pinnatum, the Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family Proteaceae found in warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green leaves that are either lobed and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or spear-shaped and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower heads with 50 to 140 individual flowers appear in spring and summer. These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows of winged seeds. Known for many years as Oreocallis pinnata, it was transferred to the new genus Alloxylon by Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in 1991; the genus contains four species previously classified in Oreocallis that are found in Australasia. The tree's terminal tubular flowers indicate that it is pollinated by birds. Classified as "near threatened" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992, the Dorrigo waratah has proven difficult to keep alive in cultivation.

Apple Closes Most of Its Stores for 2 Weeks

By BY JACK NICAS from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2IYAQPr

He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them

By BY JACK NICAS from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2WdJ0v6

He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them

By BY JACK NICAS from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2U8cNCr