PIXIE DUST
NASA adopting Apollo's urgency to build a moon base and land astronauts within two years
NASA plans to return astronauts to the moon with the Artemis III mission set for next summer. Following that, Artemis IV aims to accomplish a historic moon landing by 2028, marking the first since the Apollo missions. Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized the importance of efficiency and a fast-paced approach similar to Apollo's playbook. Docking exercises with SpaceX and Blue Origin's landers will occur before the moon base establishment.
Companies question whether AI is delivering real business value
After heavy spending, companies are now questioning whether AI is truly delivering results. Boards want returns, but many firms are stuck running small pilots without scaling, while real gains remain limited. India’s opportunity lies in building its own AI capabilities, coordinating nationally, and moving beyond being just a user of foreign technology.
'-Da' or '-Di', Perfectly Warm Vinci Code
The Bengali epithet humanisesour dead or living greats
IndiGoing into the meltdown on a Sunday
IndiGo airline cancellations have created widespread travel chaos across India. Passengers are experiencing significant disruption and uncertainty. The situation highlights the challenges of a near-monopoly in the aviation sector. Many travelers are struggling to reach their destinations, facing delays and uncertainty. The article uses a cinematic analogy to describe the passenger experience.
Well done, India, for this entete-a-tete
Amidst escalating tensions and Trump's aggressive tactics, India has maintained a composed and dignified stance in its diplomatic relations with the US. Despite facing threats and bullying, India's government, led by Prime Minister Modi, has responded with composure and a focus on unlocking the potential of the India-US partnership.
Disney World increases prices for its annual passes by up to $100
Walt Disney World increased prices for all four tiers of its annual passes starting Wednesday. The Disney Incredi-Pass, now $1,549, saw a $100 hike. Other passes also had increases: Sorcerer Pass ($1,079), Pirate Pass ($829), and Pixie Dust Pass ($469). Single-day ticket prices for 2025 also rose.
Let’s football! A look at India’s inability to play the beautiful game—and what can be done
FC Barcelona surprises Indian football fans by closing down its academies in key cities. The discussion around India's struggle to excel in football despite its large population continues. Experts stress the importance of investing in infrastructure and providing support to young talent. Private entities show interest in developing the sport, but obstacles remain in creating a robust footballing ecosystem. Progress is slow, but efforts are being made to improve the situation.
Chronicle of a team foretold: Loving RCB is like running into a computer problem again and again
In recent times, if you want to see the real path of love you need to be a fan of the IPL cricket franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). For most part of the last 16 years, since the IPL started, RCB have resembled a UPSC aspirant who makes it to the interview stage but doesn’t get selected.
View: Google's distributing AI pixie dust
In the past, Microsoft's strategy was to embrace, extend, and extinguish (EEE) by using open standards to create tools, then adding proprietary extensions to dominate the market and control competitors. At Google's recent I/O 2024 developer conference, announcements included AI-driven photo search, a generative AI chatbot, and AI agents for personal assistants. However, many products, like text-to-image and text-to-music, are still in prototype stages. Google aims to integrate AI into all its products, leveraging its massive user base, unlike OpenAI, which, despite innovations, lacks Google's distribution power.
Siddharth & Aditi Rao Hydari tie the knot in a low-key wedding ceremony in Telangana
While the pair have been linked to each other since 2021, neither Siddharth nor Hydari have issued an official statement on their relationship. However, in late 2023, the 'Bommarillu' star referred to her as 'partner' when he wished her happy birthday on Instagram.
Investors punish Microsoft, Alphabet as AI returns fall short of lofty expectations
Tech giants on Tuesday talked up how customers are lapping up their generative AI-powered products, but mounting costs of developing the cutting-edge features irked investors hoping for a big boost to sales from the new technology.
Who's afraid of the flying kiss?
But let us deconstruct the 'blown kiss', that unique gesture of playful fondness that has a symbolic kiss resting on one's fingertips that is then 'blown' by (bated or unbated) breath to another by the very act of being directed towards that person(s).
Maha Akhand Bharat through languages
According to India Report Card 2022 of Duolingo, the certification-based language-learning programme, French has the highest number of learners in India after English and Hindi. What this signifies is more and more young Indians are learning foreign languages beyond the usual 'international gateway language' of English to seek out opportunities to work in countries across the world.
Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebrations to begin from Oct 1, will be spread over 18 months
There will also be a new nighttime show called 'Disney Enchantment'.
View: Fairy tales can come true. Or maybe only Bitcoin
True believers take heart! Other investments require even greater leaps of faith. You can do a lot worse than Bitcoin.
'White album', 'No Tourists' and more: Music for the gilded generation
This one isn’t for the nostalgia-nibblers.
2017: Year of Indian football
For the past couple of decades, the Seven Sisters have been the nursery of Indian football. But their players always won titles for other clubs around the country.
Few websites to keep kids busy during holidays
There are hundreds of websites that have become an instant hit with kids as well as parents in the recent past. Narnia: The Prince of Caspian
Maradona's tribe great in advertising too
Last week, WPP announced that it wanted to sprinkle some 'Argentinian pixie dust' on adland by opening up a London outpost of the Argentinian hotshop Santo.
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