There was a lot of buzz at CinemaCon 2024 about upcoming movies, especially those from Warner Bros. Here are some highlights:

1. DC League of Super-Pets – A funny animated movie about superhero pets coming in May.

2. The Batman – The Christopher Nolan documentary, Man of Steel, was screened and brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

3. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – A teaser for the upcoming Beetlejuice movie was shown, followed by a behind-the-scenes featurette that showcased the sets and practical effects. The movie looks awesome!

4. The Fall Guy – The new Ryan Gosling/Emily Blunt movie is an action comedy set in the world of movies. It’s not technically a sci-fi movie, but since it’s set in the world of movies, and the movie they are making in the movie is sci-fi, I’m mentioning it here.

5. Twisters – One of the most anticipated films of the year, new footage screened at CinemaCon only increased that anticipation. The story is about scientists trying to stop tornadoes as they happen.

6. Paramount Pictures – Paramount announced over a dozen brand-new titles, including a sequel to Inside Out, Gladiator II, and more.

7. Marvel Movie – Director Shawn Levy and producer Kevin Feige revealed nine very R-rated minutes of the year’s only Marvel movie, which didn’t disappoint. It looks incredible!

8. Mickey 17 – Bong Joon-ho’s new sci-fi movie starring Robert Pattinson looks amazing. It’s funny, weird, and exciting.

9. Inside Out 2 – Disney and Pixar showed over 30 minutes of footage from the sequel to Inside Out, which easily could be as good as the original. The opening establishes the world in Riley’s now 13-year-old mind and introduces new characters/emotions.

As influential US Senator Sherrod Brown calls for a ban on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), the issue has sparked a heated debate about the threat of heavily subsidized Chinese EVs to the US automotive industry. In his letter to President Joe Biden, Brown argues that allowing imports of cheap EVs from Chinese brands is inconsistent with a pro-worker industrial policy and poses an existential threat to the US industry.

The concern about Chinese EVs is not just limited to the US, as the European Union (EU) has also launched an anti-subsidy investigation into whether the Chinese government is giving Chinese brands an unfair advantage. The EU probe found that government subsidies for green technology companies are prevalent in China, with BYD, one of the largest EV manufacturers, receiving almost $4 billion (3.7 billion euro) in direct help from the Chinese government in 2022 alone.

Chinese EVs have yet to really begin in the US, where there are a few barriers in their way, such as the fact that Chinese batteries make an EV ineligible for the IRS’s clean vehicle tax credit. Additionally, Chinese-made vehicles like the Lincoln Nautilus, Buick Envision, and Polestar 2 are subject to a 27.5 percent import tax.

However, Chinese EVs are already on sale in Mexico, and American automakers are worried that they will become a main competitor. Ford CEO Jim Farley has said that he sees Chinese automakers as the main competitors, not GM or Toyota. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also expressed concern that if there are no trade barriers established, Chinese EVs will “pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world.”

In response to these concerns, Senator Brown has called for a tariff on Chinese EVs, not just to protect the US auto industry but also to address national security concerns. He notes that Chinese EVs could “undermine efforts to reshore semiconductor production” and raise the risk of China having access to data collected by connected cars.

The Commerce Department has also launched an investigation into the security risk from Chinese-connected cars, highlighting the need for a comprehensive solution to address the threat posed by Chinese EVs. Brown suggests using Section 421 (China Safeguard) of the Trade Act of 1974 or some other authority to ban Chinese EVs before they destroy the potential for the US EV market.

In conclusion, the issue of Chinese EVs poses a significant threat to the US automotive industry and national security. While there are barriers in place to prevent their entry into the US market, these barriers may not be enough to protect American industries. A comprehensive solution, such as a tariff or a ban, may be necessary to address the existential threat posed by Chinese EVs.

Nintendo Continues to Use DMCA Requests to Combat Piracy on Switch Content

Nintendo has taken action against various projects that aid in the piracy of its Switch content by issuing DMCA requests, resulting in the takedown of discussion servers and projects related to decryption on GitHub. The company’s settlement with the creators of Yuzu, a popular Switch emulator, includes a section that prohibits them from collaborating with third parties in distributing or promoting Yuzu or any clones based on its code.

Discord has removed discussion servers associated with two prominent Yuzu forks, Suyu and Sudachi, in response to a legal and valid DMCA request, according to a company spokesperson. The takedown was also the result of a court-ordered injunction. On GitHub, Nintendo’s latest DMCA requests target two tools: Sigpatch Updater, which allegedly allows users to bypass signature verification in Switch games, and Lockpick, which enables unauthorized access to cryptographic keys on modded consoles.

Suyu has moved its Git files locally after a takedown request on its GitLab repository, while Sudachi’s emulator files remain available on GitHub as of now. The Discord server for Ryujinx, another Switch emulator that does not share code with Yuzu, remains active, with an automated message assuring users that nothing is happening to the project and they know nothing more than the public does.

Nintendo’s use of DMCA requests to combat piracy on its Switch content is not a new development. The company has been issuing such requests for years to halt projects that aid in the piracy of its games and consoles. The latest actions, however, highlight the ongoing efforts of Nintendo and other game companies to protect their intellectual property in the face of increasingly sophisticated piracy methods.

The use of DMCA requests is not without controversy, as some argue that they can be abused by companies to stifle legitimate competition and free speech. However, in this case, Nintendo’s actions appear aimed at preventing the unauthorized distribution and use of its copyrighted material, which is a violation of its legal rights.

It remains to be seen how these latest developments will impact the development of Switch emulators and the broader gaming community. Suyu and Sudachi’s takedowns may deter other projects from attempting to create similar emulators, at least in the short term. However, the persistence of Ryujinx and other legitimate projects may indicate that there is still a demand for such tools, even with the risks of legal action and piracy-related consequences.

In any case, Nintendo’s use of DMCA requests is likely to continue as it seeks to protect its intellectual property in the face of an ever-evolving piracy landscape. As the gaming industry continues to grow and mature, these issues are likely to become even more complex and contentious, with ongoing debates about the balance between legal protection and free expression.

X is making a change to its Premium subscription service that has some users up in arms. According to an archive of X’s webpage detailing what comes with X Premium, the “hide your checkmark” feature will no longer be available for paid subscribers. This feature allowed users to hide their blue checks, which were previously a mark of a notable account and provided some assurance to followers of the account’s authenticity.

The decision to stop hiding checkmarks came after X began gifting blue checks to popular accounts. Last week, X doled out even more blue checks to accounts with over 2,500 paid verified followers. This has led to some users feeling that the blue checks are no longer a mark of exclusivity or authenticity, and that paying for a Premium subscription is no longer worth it.

One user, @4gntt, posted on Twitter, “Let me hide my checkmark, I’m not a fucking bot.” Another user, @jeremyphoward, posted, “Oh no, I signed up to X Premium since it’s required for them to pay me… but now they [are] making the cringemark non-optional 🙁 Not sure if it’s worth it.”

It is currently unclear when the “hide your checkmark” feature will stop working. Some users are upset that their blue checks will soon no longer be hidden, while others are happy to have the opportunity to show off their blue checks.

X has not yet commented on the change, but it is clear that the decision has sparked controversy among users. The “hide your checkmark” feature was previously a valuable perk for paid subscribers, and its removal may lead some users to reconsider their subscription status.

In response to the backlash, X has released a statement saying that they understand the concerns of their users and are considering implementing a new feature that would allow users to hide their blue checks while still maintaining their Premium subscription. However, no further details have been provided at this time.

The change in X’s policy is significant because it highlights the platform’s shift towards prioritizing paid subscriptions over other features. By making the “hide your checkmark” feature unavailable for free users, X is effectively encouraging more people to sign up for Premium subscriptions. This could lead to increased revenue for the company, but it may also alienate some users who are not willing or able to pay for a subscription.

In conclusion, the removal of the “hide your checkmark” feature from X’s Premium subscription service has sparked controversy among users. While some are happy to show off their blue checks, others are upset that they will no longer be able to hide them. The decision highlights X’s shift towards prioritizing paid subscriptions, and it remains to be seen how this will impact the platform’s user base in the long term.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has announced a major expansion of its presence in the United States, with plans to invest $65 billion in an Arizona factory over the next decade. This move is seen as a significant step forward for US President Joe Biden’s quest for security in the tech supply chain, but it also presents a complex balancing act for TSMC as it seeks to satisfy customers such as Nvidia while maintaining its highly profitable business model.

TSMC’s planned investment is part of a construction race in the US involving other global chipmakers such as Samsung and Intel, who are also taking big subsidies from Washington. However, producing chips for purposes such as AI still involves plants in Asia, reflecting the complexity involved in packaging various types of chip together to boost their performance and efficiency.

According to Myron Xie, an analyst at boutique consultancy SemiAnalysis, “It’s really not that simple to onshore everything. Having the logic [chip] foundry in the US and then a bit of the packaging there is not enough.” TSMC plans to start manufacturing 2-nanometer chips in the US in 2028, an upgrade from its previous plans. At that time, 2 nm technology is expected to be the latest in mass production worldwide, whereas previously the company had intended each new US fab to start operating with process technology one generation behind Taiwan. TSMC has also committed to offer a third plant using 2 nm or even newer technology by 2030.

The US government is providing hefty subsidies for TSMC’s upgrade, with $6.6 billion in grants and up to $5 billion in loans. This money comes from the 2022 Chips and Science Act, which aims to onshore advanced chipmaking for the US. Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo has said that the US will be on track to make about 20 percent of the world’s most advanced chips by the end of the decade.

TSMC’s decision to bring its latest technology to America is motivated not only by Washington’s money but also by the needs of Nvidia and other vendors of AI chips, which have become the most potent driver of global semiconductor demand. While TSMC will kick off 2 nm volume production in Taiwan next year, its original plans would have offered less powerful 3 nm chips only from 2028 in the US, putting it years behind the AI chip cycle, analysts said.

In conclusion, TSMC’s expansion into the US represents a significant step forward for the security of the tech supply chain, but it also presents a complex balancing act for the company as it seeks to satisfy its customers while maintaining its business model. The fact that producing chips for purposes such as AI still involves plants in Asia highlights the complexity involved in this industry, and the US government’s subsidies offer some incentive but are not enough on their own to achieve the desired results.

The current scene for roguelike deckbuilder games is one of immense popularity, with over 2,500 titles on Steam alone. This surge in popularity can be traced back to the success of Slay the Spire, a game that cracked the formula for single-player card games and roguelikes, and boosted enthusiasm for these types of games on computers.

The story of Slay the Spire begins with two college friends, Anthony Giovannetti and Casey Yano, who were tired of working QA jobs. They created a genre-melding concept called “Card Crawl,” which combined combat-oriented deckbuilding with procedural generation and die/improve/repeat nature of roguelikes. After two years of development, the game was released on Steam’s Early Access in November 2017.

Despite critical raves and a 99% positive Steam review rating, the game struggled to gain traction at first. However, an influential Chinese streamer’s session of the game garnered over 1 million views, which nudged the game up the top seller list, leading to further sales and more streams. The team continued to release new patches every week and used statistical feedback from early sessions to further tune the game.

Slay the Spire’s success has inspired a wave of roguelike deckbuilder games, with multiple developers citing it as inspiration. One developer, Balatro, even claimed to have not played deckbuilders before making his own, but was fascinated by streams of Luck Be a Landlord, another roguelike deckbuilder influenced by Slay the Spire.

The success of these games can be attributed to several factors, including the “lean” nature of the genre, where every card and upgrade works toward unstoppable momentum. Additionally, developers are differentiating their deckbuilders by focusing on specific themes or mechanics, such as cozy farming sims or slot machine roguelikes.

However, despite the success of these games, promoting a title in a niche but crowded field can be challenging. Developers are relying on word-of-mouth and streaming to drive sales, rather than traditional marketing methods. Moreover, the genre’s reliance on procedural generation and statistical feedback creates a unique set of design challenges that must be carefully considered.

Overall, the current scene for roguelike deckbuilder games is one of immense popularity and creativity, with developers striving to create new starting points and differentiate their games from the rest. As the genre continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how developers adapt to these challenges and continue to drive sales.

Welcome to the Rocket Report! This week, we’re looking at some significant milestones and changes in the launch industry. Let’s dive in:

Rocket Lab to reuse flight tank

In a significant step towards making its Electron rocket reusable, Rocket Lab announced that it will be returning a previously flown first stage tank to the production line for the first time. This marks an important milestone in the company’s quest to make Electron the world’s first reusable small rocket. The stage was successfully launched and recovered as part of the ‘Four of a Kind’ mission earlier this year on January 31.

Virgin Orbit IP for sale on LinkedIn

Former Virgin Orbit chief executive Dan Hart has put the company’s intellectual property (IP) library up for sale on LinkedIn. The flight-proven LauncherOne IP can accelerate launch and hypersonic system development schedules by years, and enable significant cost savings. The IP library includes all manner of goodies, including an FAA-approved flight termination system, the Newton 3 and Newton 4 engines, avionics, structures, and more.

Virgin Galactic countersues Boeing

In a countersuit against Boeing, Virgin Galactic argues that Boeing performed poorly on a project to develop a new mothership aircraft, and misappropriated trade secrets. The dispute revolves around a project announced in 2022 to develop a new aircraft that would replace Virgin’s existing VMS Eve as an air-launch platform.

Navy awards contract to Ursa Major

The rocket propulsion startup Ursa Major has signed a contract with the United States Navy to develop and test solid fuel rocket engines. The agreement is part of a series of prototype engine contracts being awarded by the US Navy as it seeks to expand the industrial base for manufacturing them. This comes as the Navy is seeing a surge in missile demand due to ongoing conflicts around the world.

And that’s this week’s Rocket Report! We’ll be back next week with more news from the front lines of space exploration. As always, we welcome reader submissions and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site).

This blog post discusses a recent study published in Nature Astronomy that confirmed a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) came from a supernova. The GRB, known as the Brightest Of All Time (BOAT), was observed in October 2022 and was found to be unusually bright and energetic. The study’s findings suggest that the BOAT did not produce heavy elements like platinum and gold, which is puzzling because one would expect such elements to be present in a supernova of this magnitude. The authors of the study propose that the narrow jet of the GRB may have been responsible for the lack of heavy elements, as it was much more focused than other GRB jets. The study’s findings also suggest that there must be another source of heavy elements in the universe, beyond binary neutron star mergers. The researchers used data from the Webb Space Telescope and ALMA to separate light from the supernova and the GRB afterglow, and found telltale signatures of key elements like calcium and oxygen. The study’s results provide new insights into the origins of heavy elements in the universe, and highlight the importance of continued research in this area.

The US Space Force is planning a groundbreaking mission to demonstrate how it can counter “on-orbit aggression” in space. The mission, called Victus Haze, will involve two companies, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly, and will be the first of its kind to test the military’s ability to respond to threats in space.

According to a statement from the Space Force’s Space Systems Command, the mission will involve a spacecraft built and launched by Rocket Lab chasing down another satellite made by True Anomaly. The two companies will exercise a realistic threat response scenario in an on-orbit space domain awareness demonstration.

The scenario could involve the satellite performing maneuvers that approach a US spacecraft or doing something else unusual or unexpected. In such a scenario, the Space Force wants to have the capability to respond, either to deter an adversary from taking action or to defend a US satellite from an attack.

“When another nation puts an asset up into space and we don’t quite know what that asset is, we don’t know what its intent is, we don’t know what its capabilities are, we need the ability to go up there and figure out what this thing is,” said Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force’s vice chief of space operations.

The mission is part of a series of military missions dedicated to validating Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) capabilities. With these efforts, the Space Force and its commercial partners have shown how they can compress the time it takes to prepare and launch a satellite.

Last year, the Space Force partnered with Firefly Aerospace and Millennium Space Systems on the Victus Nox mission, which was successfully launched in less than 60 hours after receiving launch orders. The Victus Haze mission is more complicated, involving two prime contractors, two spacecraft, and two rocket launches from different spaceports, all timed to occur with short timelines “to keep the demonstration as realistic as possible,” a Space Force spokesperson said.

The mission will demonstrate how the US can provide future forces to combatant commands to conduct rapid operations in response to adversary on-orbit aggression. It is a critical step in preparing the United States for space warfare and showcasing its ability to defend its assets in space.

The Victus Haze mission is a significant milestone in the development of TacRS capabilities, which are designed to provide the US with rapid and flexible space-based assets to support military operations. The mission will help the Space Force to better understand how it can operate in a contested space environment and respond to threats in real time.

The mission is also a testament to the growing importance of commercial partnerships in the development of space capabilities. By working with private companies like Rocket Lab and True Anomaly, the Space Force can leverage their expertise and resources to accelerate the development of new technologies and capabilities.

Overall, the Victus Haze mission represents a significant step forward for the US Space Force in demonstrating its ability to counter “on-orbit aggression” and defend its assets in space. It is a critical component of the military’s strategy to maintain dominance in space and protect its interests in this increasingly important domain.

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The Evolution of Nitroplasts: A New Frontier in Endosymbiosis?

John Timmer

Apr 11, 2024 11:24 pm UTC

In the world of cells, organelles are the specialized compartments that perform specific functions. Two of these organelles, mitochondria and chloroplasts, were formed through a process called endosymbiosis, where a free-living organism is incorporated into a cell. These organelles are crucial for energy conversion and photosynthesis, respectively. However, researchers may have found a new case in which an organelle devoted to fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere is in the process of evolving. This potential new organelle, termed a nitroplast, is still in the process of specialization.

Nitrogen is one of the most essential elements for life, yet it is remarkably difficult for organisms to obtain. N2 molecules are abundant in the atmosphere, but they are challenging to break apart. The enzymes that can do this, called nitrogenases, are found only in bacteria and do not work in the presence of oxygen. This means that other organisms must rely on external sources or symbiotic relationships to obtain nitrogen. Some plants, such as legumes, form specialized nodules that provide a habitat for nitrogen-producing bacteria, allowing them to obtain nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship.

However, this new potential organelle, the nitroplast, may offer an alternative means of obtaining nitrogen. Researchers have discovered that certain bacteria can incorporate nitrogen from the atmosphere into their cells using an unknown mechanism. This process is still in its infancy and has not yet been observed in other organisms. If successful, this could provide a new way for organisms to obtain nitrogen without relying on symbiotic relationships or external sources.

The evolution of nitroplasts would be a significant addition to the list of endosymbiotic organelles. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are thoroughly integrated into their host cells, with minimal genomes and the ability to replicate and distribute themselves during cell division. The integration of nitroplasts into host cells could provide an additional means of obtaining essential nutrients and potentially enhance the survival and success of organisms in challenging environments.

However, endosymbiosis is a rare event, and the evolution of new organelles is an even more unusual occurrence. The development of nitroplasts would be a remarkable example of this process. It is also possible that this discovery could shed light on the origins of other endosymbiotic organelles and provide insights into the complex relationships between organisms and their symbionts.

In conclusion, the potential evolution of nitroplasts represents an exciting new frontier in the study of endosymbiosis. If successful, this could provide a new means for organisms to obtain essential nutrients and potentially revolutionize our understanding of the origins of life on Earth. Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in this fascinating field.