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Showing posts from February, 2023

Tornado in February? NJ Records Only 4 Twisters Since 1950

A tornado warning in February sparked questions from weather watchers in New Jersey on Tuesday due to the rarity of twisters in the winter month. The last time New Jersey recorded a tornado in February was on Feb. 12, 1999, according to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist . No injuries were reported but the F1 tornado caused about $100,000 worth of damage in Camden. It was one of four tornadoes reported in the state since 1950. On Feb. 2, 1973, three twisters caused minor damage in Hunterdon, New Jersey. It is possible that there have been more tornadoes in February in the past, but due to “an apparent correlation between population density and the location of storm reports,” there may not have been reports of tornados in less populated areas, officials noted. Source link from New York News Alert https://ift.tt/I5vDyoO via IFTTT

Trae Stephens on the Ethics of AI Warfare

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Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Courtesy of the subject Artificial intelligence and machine learning may suddenly seem to be everywhere , but that’s not true in the defense sector , despite the growing ubiquitousness of drone warfare and the apparently unlimited amount of money the U.S. gives to defense contractors. One company trying to outflank the big defense firms with higher tech is Anduril , which has been selling surveillance, reconnaissance, and counter-drone technologies to the U.S., including a “smart wall” system for the southern border. Last fall, it introduced its first weapon, a drone-based “loitering munition.” In the latest episode of On With Kara Swisher , Kara grills Anduril co-founder Trae Stephens about the company’s approach to defense and its implications. They also discuss spy balloons , the war in Ukraine , AI bias, and the challenge of cutting China out of the supply chain. As seen in the excerpt below, they also get into Saint August...

Richneck Elementary student where 6-year-old shot teacher removed for threatening to ‘pop bullets’

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A fifth-grader at Richneck Elementary, the same Virginia school where a 6-year-old shot and wounded his teacher, was removed from class after threatening to “pop some bullets,” officials said. Karen Lynch, an administrator on special assignment at Richneck, confirmed the safety issue in a letter sent out to parents Monday night . She said the threat came over the weekend in a series of text messages between a group of 5th grade students, including one who went on to report the exchange to his parents. “One of the students stated that they would ‘pop some bullets’ and tell someone to shoot up the class,” Lynch wrote in the note, which was obtained by NBC News. “I immediately contacted the student’s parent and excluded the student from school.” The marquee at the entrance of Richneck Elementary School wishes students and faculty a “Happy New Year” in Newport News, Va. on Monday Jan. 9, 2023. (John C. Clark/AP) The student was not identified and it’s unclear how long th...

The Search for the Perfect Stone

Family slammed for Disneyland ride hack: ‘I hope you’re joking’

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It’s the happiest place on earth — if you’re tall enough. A family has been blasted for a “hack” they used at Disney theme park to trick park workers and make their young son tall enough for the rides. The Kelly family, who post regularly about their family life on TikTok , were met with a chorus of naysayers pointing out the potentially dangerous situation they are putting their son in. In the clip, which has been viewed 360,000 times, the father describes his young son, Kannon, as a “thrill-seeking boy who can’t get enough of Disney theme park rides .” He then goes on to say the “only problem” with Kannon’s love of rides is that he’s not quite tall enough for the “big ones.” To combat this, the couple “took matters into [their] own hands,” crafting a special pair of shoes that made him taller — which users have pointed out could be putting their young son in harm’s way. They used another pair of shoes to add a platform to their son’s sneakers. TikTok/@the.kelly.fa...

FanDuel Massachusetts: New early sign up promo scores $100 bonus bets

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FanDuel Massachusetts isn’t wasting any time as it tries to get a head start on bringing in new clients. The sportsbook already has a pre-registration promotion available for the state’s residents that includes two can’t-miss bonuses. Those two slam-dunk bonuses are $100 worth of unrestricted bonus bets and three free months of NBA League Pass. You can activate this offer and create your required FanDuel Massachusetts account by simply clicking any of this page’s links. Massachusetts is set to go live with online sports betting in early March. That imminent launch should occur before the start of the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is on March 12 with games getting underway two days later. By pre-registering today, you can wager on any aspect of the tournament with $100 in bonus bets. You’re also welcome to use those bonus bets on the Celtics, Bruins, or any other upcoming action at that time. Click here to join FanDuel Massachusetts with $100 in bonus bets and more for ...

The Best Fossils for Your Buck

Los Angeles bishop David O’Connell’s suspected killer walked his dog

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TORRANCE, Calif. — Los Angeles Bishop David O’Connell’s suspected killer “walked his dog,” neighbors told The Post . Police arrested a suspect early Monday in O’Connell’s brutal Saturday murder , but did not immediately name him. Neighbor Francisco Medina, who lives two houses down from the possible suspect, said dozens of squad cars rushed his usually quiet block in Torrance, Calif. around 4:15 a.m. this morning.  The standoff lasted a few hours and Medina, 74, said he heard cops shout the suspect’s first name into his home, saying “Carlos, Come outside!” The suspect’s wife was the bishop’s dog walker, according to Medina, who said the alleged killer also occasionally walked the cleric’s dog.  Bishop David O’Connell, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, attending a news conference at the Fall General Assembly meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on Nov. 17, 2021, in Baltimore. AP Candles and messages are left near O’Connell’s ...

Alligator rescues more common than you might think in NYC

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The discovery of an alligator in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Sunday was shocking to many New Yorkers, but the scaly reptiles are actually rescued more often in New York City than you might think. Godzilla the Gator was discovered in Prospect Park’s lake early Sunday morning, in a “very lethargic and possibly cold-shocked” state near the park’s Duck Island. Parks Department employees snapped the animal out of the water and brought it (Godzilla’s gender remains unclear) to Animal Care Centers’ Brooklyn location. Godzilla the Gator may have shocked NYC but he’s hardly the first of his kind to end up here. NYC Parks The gator was then brought to the Bronx Zoo for recuperation. A zoo spokesperson had no further comment on Monday regarding Godzilla’s condition nor what they plan to do with the reptile. The Parks Department believes that Godzilla was a domesticated pet who had been dumped and abandoned by its owner, who may have adopted the gator as a baby before being overwhelm...