Places and Things

Fstoppers Reviews the Haida Clear Night Filter for Night Sky Photographers Photographing the night sky can be very frustrating if there is a lot of light pollution. That is when a light pollution filter may come in handy. I reviewed the Haida Clear Night filter for the Haida M10 filter system. Continue Reading . . . https://fstoppers.com/originals/fstoppers-reviews-haida-clear-night-filter-night-sky-photographers-537822

New COVID-19 strain spreads more quickly, UK medical chief says LONDON (Reuters) - A new strain of COVID-19 identified in the United Kingdom can spread more quickly and urgent work is under way to confirm that it does not cause a higher mortality rate, England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Saturday. Continue Reading . . . https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-strain-idUSKBN28T0KP

Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most U.S. Cities Are 'Sustained Hotspots' The Trump administration on Friday made public a trove of federal data on the pandemic that reveals a country awash in red alerts. Continue Reading . . . https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/18/948181472/new-federal-covid-19-data-release-flags-most-u-s-cities-as-sustained-hotspots

Nature is not healing Dolphins did not return to cleaner canals in Venice, Italy this year. Nor was the critically endangered Malabar civet spotted on the streets of Kerala, India. And, contrary to one meme, there definitely were not dinosaurs in Times Square. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/22178714/2020-nature-heal-pollution-greenhouse-gases-emissions-dip-covid

The Mandalorian collides with the broader Star Wars universe in its season 2 finale As expected, The Mandalorian’s finale culminated in a dramatic showdown between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) — aka, Mando — and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) over the fate of Grogu (née Baby Yoda). Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22188706/the-mandalorian-season-2-episode-8-rescue-star-wars-grogu-skywalker-saga

Apple explains how the AirPods Max conserve battery life — with or without the case After some initial confusion around how the AirPods Max handle power management, Apple has tried to clarify the issue with an updated support page outlining how and when its new $550 headphones automatically conserve battery life. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22188611/apple-airpods-max-battery-smart-case-features-low-power

US plans major expansion of facial recognition authority at airports US Customs and Border Protection has filed for a significant expansion in its authority to conduct facial recognition at airports. Continue Reading . . . https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22188526/airport-facial-recognition-us-customs-biometric-exit-expansion