Austin, once a national leader in returning to the office, is quickly becoming a laggard. The Texas capital,

(Reuters) -Activision Blizzard said on Wednesday it has extended the deadline for the close of its $69 billion takeover by

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 5, 2023--

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Earth has received the first ever ‘alien message’ after a simulation of what extraterrestrial contact could look like was sent out by scientists. The SETI Institute produced the simulation of a radio wave from a Mars orbiter and gave hint of how alien contact would be received. The exercise was conducted to prepare experts for the “profoundly transformational experience for all humankind”. The signal was successfully decoded after taking just 16 minutes to travel through space and be picked up by telescopes on Earth. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It all took place as part of the A Sign in Space project led by Daniela dePaulis, who said during the live-streamed event: “It was very real. This is not the first time we have received a signal from TGO [ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter], but this one is a real message.” The signal had to be decoded, as it couldn’t be heard on Earth without being altered. Victoria Catlett is the GBO software engineer and she explained: “A radio signal is not inherently sound, but a light wave. “When we receive it with something like a car radio, that light wave gets translated into the up and down movement in the speaker - and that is what you hear.” Of course, there’s no evidence that aliens exist at this point, but it’s good to know that we’re prepared. It comes after it was revealed that aliens could be mapping out the planet via the signals mobiles are emitting. It’s all to do with the radio transmission towers which are key to millions of people communicating around the world. These towers are constantly pumping out microwave signals as we call and message one another, and they’re found across a huge area of the Earth’s surface. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Meta drops the age requirement for its VR service Quest from 13 to 10 and adds parental supervision via its Family Center.

Bumble Inc. President Tariq Shaukat is stepping down, and the dating app will conduct a search for his

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The United States and Europe are drawing up a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence, with a draft expected in weeks

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 29, 2023--

The price of bitcoin has experienced the strongest first half of a year since 2019, nearly doubling in value since the start of 2023. The world’s leading cryptocurrency reached above $31,000 this week, up from $16,000 in January, pushing its market cap above $600 million for the first time in more than a year. Some crypto analysts suggest the approaching ‘halving’ event, which will see bitcoin mining rewards drop by 50 per cent, could be one factor behind the cryptocurrency’s positive price trend. Bitcoin’s halving takes place roughly every four years, with the crypto’s price cycles viewed by many traders and investors as being intrinsically link to the event. Sometimes referred to as “the halvening”, the seismic event is built-in to bitcoin’s technological foundations, and is aimed at making the digital currency anti-inflationary by reducing its supply. “The months prior to the halving have historically seen the start of a bullish trend for the market, hence the market participants are carefully looking at the second half of 2023,” Matteo Greco, a research analyst at the fintech investment firm Fineqia International, told The Independent. “Riot Platforms, an industry leader in bitcoin mining and data centre hosting, announced a $162 million investment to purchase 33,280 miners, aiming to nearly double its computational power in anticipation of the next halving.” Mr Greco pointed to the cryptocurrency litecoin, once referred to as the silver to bitcoin’s gold, which typically experiences its halving event a few months before its more famous rival. In the months leading up to Litecoin’s halvings in 2015 and 2019 its price saw massive gains, which were then replicated by bitcoin. Litecoin’s next halving is currently scheduled for 3 August 2023 and it is once again experiencing a significant price increase, outperforming broader market trends. “Litecoin often served as a sentiment metric on the bitcoin halving,” Mr Greco said. “The big increase in price, while most of the altcoins keep lagging, suggests bullish sentiment is increasing ahead of the next BTC halving.” Bitcoin’s halving is currently scheduled for 26 April, 2024, with pseudonymous crypto trader PlanB noting another historic price trend that could signal more gains over the coming months. “Buy bitcoin six months before a halving and sell 18 months after a halving has historically beaten ‘buy and hold’ [trading strategy],” he tweeted on Monday. “The next halving is in April 2024... Will this strategy work again?” Read More How bad is bitcoin for the environment really? Crypto experts discuss bitcoin price predictions What is Solana? The crypto rising 200-times faster than bitcoin Could Norwegian fjords and waterfalls stop bitcoin from destroying the planet?

A YouTuber who advises Nigerians on coming to the UK says some students are motivated by work not study.