Northern Lights & Laundry Hackers

More Northern Lights

This past weekend, parts of northern America and southern Canada got the lucky chance to view the Aurora Borealis, or the “Northern Lights.” Now, according to the BBC, more Northern Lights are expected soon as a large sunspot cluster, responsible for recent lights, will rotate back towards Earth in two weeks. This activity is part of the Sun’s approach to its "solar maximum," a peak in its 11-year cycle marked by increased sunspot activity and solar storms. However, recent solar flares have already caused global disruptions, including high-frequency radio blackouts and GPS signal issues. Last weekend's geomagnetic storm, the strongest since 2003, highlighted our technological vulnerabilities. It affected satellites, aviation, agriculture, and power grids. Forecasters are continuously monitoring solar activity to provide early warnings and reduce impact. However, the risk of a severe "Carrington-level event," capable of causing widespread power outages, remains likely.

"An amazing night on the bridge to Reine on Lofoten islands." @Johny Goerend

Successful Blue Origin Mission

According to TechCrunch, Blue Origin has just completed its NS-25 mission, marking its first crewed flight since 2022. This mission carried six tourists, including Ed Dwight, a former Air Force Captain and the first Black astronaut candidate chosen by President Kennedy in 1961. Other passengers included Ken Hess, Carol Schaller, Sylvain Chiron, Gopi Thotakura, and Mason Angel. Today, the New Shepard rocket and crew capsule returned safely back to Earth. According to TechCrunch, before this mission, Blue Origin paused launches after an anomaly in the NS-22 mission in August 2022. Following collaboration with the FAA, the company implemented 21 corrective actions before resuming launches with an unmanned mission in December 2023. NS-25 is the 25th mission for New Shepard and the seventh with human passengers, bringing the total number of people flown to space by Blue Origin to 37.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. @Blue Origin

New Human-Like ChatGPT

Have you seen videos of a new AI chatbot online? According to The New York Times, OpenAI has just introduced an advanced version of its ChatGPT AI chatbot that can handle voice commands, images, and videos. This new development aligns with efforts by companies like Apple and Google to enhance their voice assistants, such as Siri and Google Assistant, into more conversational tools. The new ChatGPT app, utilizing the GPT-4o system, processes multimedia inputs more quickly than its previous models, and is available for free on smartphones and desktops. This iteration integrates previously separate technologies into a single, more efficient system, aiming to provide a seamless and natural user experience. While the technology shows promise, previous challenges such as inaccuracies and "hallucinations" are ongoing.

Person using GPT-4o. @TheIndianEXPRESS

Resolved Neuralink Problem

According to CNN, Neuralink encountered a setback with its first test subject, Noland Arbaugh. Some of the connective threads of the chip retracted from Arbaugh's brain, affecting data speeds and effectiveness. However, Neuralink claims to have addressed the issue, enhancing the implant's sensitivity. Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, was part of the PRIME Study aiming to create brain-computer interfaces. Despite the setback, Arbaugh demonstrated control over a computer mouse with his brain post-implant. Neuralink's broader goal is to aid paralyzed individuals in controlling devices via brain signals. While regulatory hurdles remain, the company has received FDA clearance for trials and informed the agency about the incident.

Neuralink's first patient, Noland Arbaugh. @Yahoo! News

Laundry Hackers

According to The Verge, Two University of California, Santa Cruz students discovered a security flaw in the internet-connected washing machines manufactured by CSC ServiceWorks, which could potentially allow users to do laundry for free. Alexander Sherbrooke and Iakov Taranenko exploited an API in the machines' app to remotely activate them without payment and falsify laundry account balances. Despite their attempts to report the vulnerability to CSC ServiceWorks, the company did not respond until after the students publicly disclosed their findings.

"Local launderette business at night time, lots of washing machines and tumble dryers." @Oli Woodman

Did you enjoy reading this week’s post? Let us know how we did by clicking here. Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you next week!