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 Solano County


Billionaires dream of building utopian techno-city in Greenland

Popular Science

A handful of wealthy, politically connected Silicon Valley investors are reportedly eyeing Greenland's icy shores as the site for a techno-utopian "freedom city." That's according to a report from Reuters, which details a proposed effort to establish a new, libertarian-minded municipality characterized by minimal corporate regulation and a focus on accelerating emerging technologies like AI and mini nuclear reactors. Supporters of increased economic development in Greenland argue its frigid climate could naturally cool massive, energy intensive AI data centers. Large deposits of critical and rare earth minerals buried beneath the island's ice sheets could also potentially be used to manufacture consumer electronics. The so-called "start-up city"--which bears similarities to another ongoing venture in California's Solano County--reportedly already has the backing of PayPal founder Peter Thiel and Ken Howery, President Donald Trump's pick for Denmark ambassador.


AI Could Change How Blind People See the World

WIRED

For her 38th birthday, Chela Robles and her family made a trek to One House, her favorite bakery in Benicia, California, for a brisket sandwich and brownies. On the car ride home, she tapped a small touchscreen on her temple and asked for a description of the world outside. "A cloudy sky," the response came back through her Google Glass. Robles lost the ability to see in her left eye when she was 28, and in her right eye a year later. Blindness, she says, denies you small details that help people connect with one another, like facial cues and expressions.


How a first date led to a murder, a cover-up and a huge wildfire that killed 2

Los Angeles Times

It was a first date out of a horror movie. Priscilla Castro, a 32-year-old from Vallejo, was headed to Vacaville on a Wednesday evening in August to meet Victor Serriteno, a 28-year-old she'd met through an online dating app. But instead of romance, the interlude ended in multiple deaths and hundreds of thousands of fire-scorched acres, prosecutors say. The person behind all the crimes, authorities say, is Serriteno, whom Solano County sheriff's deputies arrested again Wednesday on suspicion of arson and murder in connection with the Markley fire, which killed two people and merged into last year's devastating LNU Lightning Complex fire. Serriteno was already in the county jail after authorities alleged he killed Castro.


Disposable Delivery Drones Undergo Successful Tests With U.S. Marines

IEEE Spectrum Robotics

Two years ago, we spotted an interesting delivery drone concept at a military expo in Washington, D.C., called TACAD, or TACtical Air Delivery. The idea was to use gliders made out of cheap, disposable materials to deliver a substantial amount of supplies over long distances. You'd have to launch these gliders from larger aircraft, but they'd be able to deliver hundreds of kilograms of supplies over a hundred kilometers away, and then they'd just be left where they landed, simple as that. Like many concepts that we see at trade shows, we didn't necessarily expect much to come of this idea, but we're delighted to report that the folks behind it--Logistic Gliders Inc. (LGI), based in Dixon, Calif.--have recently concluded a successful series of flight tests with the U.S. Marine Corps. There are two different kinds of gliders that LGI is working on: The LG-1K, which can carry about 300 kg, and the larger LG-2K, which can carry over 700 kg.


Self-driving shuttles are coming to New York City this year

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Select commuters in New York City and Fairfield, California will have a chance to pioneer a fleet of autonomous vehicles slated to begin serving the cities later this year. Boston-based, Optimus Ride, announced that in the second quarter of 2019 it will deploy a fleet of autonomous cars at New York City's Brooklyn Navy Yard, an up-and-coming modern industrial and business park, as well as Paradise Valley Estates, a senior community in Fairfield, California. For New York, the introduction of Optimus' fully autonomous vehicles will mark the first-ever commercial self-driving car to tread in New York State where it will have a chance to offer rides to thousands of commuters. According to the company, the New York self-driving cars will help serve passengers on the Navy Yards private roads as well as'providing a loop shuttle service to connect NYC Ferry passengers to Flushing Avenue outside the Yard's perimeter.' In Paradise Valley, the cars will serve to provide potential residents of the community their own tours of the neighborhood and in the later phases of its deployment, be able to serve current residents looking to travel to destinations within the gated community.


Travis Air Force Base to use 500 drones for Independence Day display

Daily Mail - Science & tech

While using fireworks to mark July Fourth dates back to 1777, one US Air Force Base is set to give their display a modern twist. Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, has been working with Intel to replace explosives with 500 drones. In celebration of July Fourth and Travis Air Force Base's 75th anniversary, tonight they will take to the skies in a choreographed aerial routine that honors active military and veterans. Intel Shooting Star drones create a U.S. flag during 2018 Independence Day celebration rehearsals on June 28 at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. The display will use the same Intel Shooting Star drones seen at the Superbowl and the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.


The Amazon HOUSE: Firm launches model 'smart homes' across the US so customers can try out Alexa

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Amazon.com has set up model'smart' homes across the United States for shoppers to experience what it's like for voice aide Alexa to dim the lights, turn on the TV or order more laundry detergent. The rollout underscores how Amazon aims to make Alexa and the company's growing list of services, from shopping and entertainment to home security, an everyday part of consumers' lives. It also steps up competition with retailers such as Best Buy Co Inc that focus on showcasing technology and advising shoppers. Inside the Amazon house: An Amazon Echo Spot is seen on a bedside table in a bedroom in an Amazon'Experience center' in Vallejo, California. The so-called'Amazon Experience Centers' are now open near 15 cities including Los Angeles, Dallas and Washington, with more to come Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, said it has partnered with Lennar Corp to convert some of the home construction company's model homes into showrooms for Alexa.