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It’s getting harder for people to believe that Facebook is a net good for society

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At this point, it isn’t exactly surprising that social media platforms like Facebook can have negative effects on society. For years, journalists, politicians, social scientists — and even biologists and ecologists — have been raising concerns about the influence Facebook has on our collective well-being. And Facebook has always defended itself by insisting that it is a net good to society because of how it brings people together.

But a new series of reports from the Wall Street Journal, “The Facebook files,” provides damning evidence that Facebook has studied and long known that its products cause measurable, real-world harm — including on teenagers’ mental health — and then stifled that research while denying and downplaying that harm to the public. The revelations, which only strengthen the case that a growing chorus of lawmakers and regulators have been making for breaking up Facebook or otherwise severely limiting its power as a social media giant, could represent a turning point for the company.

Already, the Journal’s reporting has prompted consequences for Facebook: A bipartisan Senate committee is investigating Instagram’s impact on teenagers, and a group of legislators led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is calling for Facebook to halt all development of its Instagram for Kids product for children under 13, which BuzzFeed News first revealed the company was developing in March.

“We are in touch with a Facebook whistleblower and will use every resource at our disposal to investigate what Facebook knew and when they knew it — including seeking further documents and pursuing witness testimony,” read a joint statement from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Tuesday. “The Wall Street Journal’s blockbuster reporting may only be the tip of the iceberg.”

It’s unclear how much these efforts will impact Facebook’s policy decisions and bottom line. The investigations are in their early stages, and it’s too soon to say if it will directly lead to any new laws or other regulation.

Instagram’s head of public policy wrote in a company blog post on Tuesday that the Journal’s reporting “focuses on a limited set of findings and casts them in a negative light,” and that the fact that Instagram did internal research on the matter demonstrates its “commitment to understanding complex and difficult issues young people may struggle with.”

In the long term, the consequences for Facebook are less instantly measurable, but perhaps more pernicious. These findings about the company have further damaged what little trust it had left with politicians — who have long been asking Facebook for specific information about the platform’s effect on mental health. The company declined to provide it, even though in many cases it had all the answers.

Take, for example, this back-and-forth between Mark Zuckerberg and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) at a congressional hearing on social media in March 2021.

Rep. Rodgers: Do you agree too much time in front of screens, passively consuming content, is harmful to children’s mental health?

Mark Zuckerberg: Congresswoman, the research that I have seen on this suggests that if people are using computers and social —

Rep. Rodgers: Could you answer yes or no? I am sorry. Could you use yes or no?

Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t think that the research is conclusive on that. But I can summarize what I have learned, if that is helpful.

Zuckerberg went on to say, “overall, the research that we have seen is that using social apps to connect with other people can have positive mental health benefits and well-being benefits by helping people feel more connected and less lonely.”

He did not mention any of the negative effects his own team had found about Instagram over the past three years, including that in its own study of teenage users, 32 percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse.

When Rep

. Rodgers and other Republicans followed up with Facebook and asked about the company’s internal research on the effects of its products on mental health, the company did not share the Instagram research results, according to Bloomberg, nor did it share them with Sen. Ed Markey when his office also asked Facebook to provide any internal research on the matter in April, according to letters provided by Markey’s office to Recode.

“This is such a profound issue for kids and teens,” said Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of the nonprofit organization Common Sense Media, which promotes safe technology and media for children and families. “The fact that Facebook has known the research, done the research, and then hid it … it’s quite mind-boggling,” he told Recode.

Other damning findings from the Journal’s reporting include a discovery that the company has a VIP program that allows celebrities and politicians to break its rules, and that in 2018, Facebook tweaked its algorithm in a way that encouraged people to share angrier content. In each case, Facebook’s own employees found systematic proof of serious issues, but when they warned executives — including Mark Zuckerberg — about it, they were largely ignored.

For years, Facebook’s main line of defense to criticism about any negative impacts its products might cause is that social media, like other technological innovations, can cause some harm — but that the good outweighs the bad.

In a recent interview with my colleague Peter Kafka on the Recode Media podcast, Instagram head Adam Mosseri pointed to the way that social media has helped social justice movements like Black Lives Matter and Me Too. And he compared Facebook to the invention of the automobile.

“Cars have positive or negative outcomes. We understand that. We know that more people die than would otherwise because of car accidents,” said Mosseri. “But by and large, cars create way more value in the world than they destroyed. And I think social media is similar.”

It’s undeniable that social media can facilitate social change. It can also be a useful way for people to keep in touch with their friends and family — and indeed, as Zuckerberg told Congress, it can help people feel less lonely.

But, at some point, the question is whether the public will accept that rationale as an excuse for the company to have free rein to experiment on our collective well-being, measure that harm, and keep the public in the dark about what they learn as they continue to rake in record profits of nearly $30 billion a quarter.


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Why empathetic leadership is critical in the hybrid workplace

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The Transform Technology Summits start October 13th with Low-Code/No Code: Enabling Enterprise Agility. Register now!


This article was written by Eric Hutto, COO of Unisys.

Shortly after taking over as president and COO of Unisys in March 2020, I sent nearly all of our company associates home to work. The exceptions were people at a few of our service desk delivery centers and our field engineers, who were our frontline workers and never shut down.

This created challenges, but we got through it together and learned plenty in the process. Of course, Unisys was just one of many companies that was thrust into this new environment. Nobody was certain at the time how long the pandemic and related work-from-home requirements would last. Even now, more than a year and a half later, we’re living in an uncertain time in which many companies are putting the return to the office on hold.

But it’s clear that the hybrid workplace is here to stay, and empathetic leadership is critical.

Here are a few things you can do to meet the hybrid workplace challenge, lead with greater empathy, provide quality employee experiences, and deliver better business outcomes.

Understand that your business is your people

Businesses spend a lot of time talking about technologies such as artificial intelligence. That’s important. But people still make decisions. And people still want to do business with people.

Because your business hinges on people, be sure to figure employee experience into the equation when you evaluate what you need to achieve your goals. If you don’t, you may not have the team you need to meet your key objectives.

Take the time to connect with associates. Employees value frequent and open communications from managers — even 30% more than business leaders realize, according to our Digital Workplace Insights research with IDC. Connecting with associates doesn’t have to mean more big meetings. Rather than big townhalls for entire regions like Asia Pacific, during the pandemic I started doing smaller calls with just the team from China or from India. Some people are more comfortable speaking up when they’re inside their own culture and in smaller groups.

Understand that recognition is also critical to the employee experience. According to our research, 70% of U.S. employees said that recognition is their most important priority. Yet this same research indicates that only 50% of business leaders see recognition as a top priority.

Demonstrate that you care by what you do — and don’t do

Look at the employee experience inside and out. Are employees getting the physical care that they need? Do they have emotional support? Have you created a culture of trust?

This spring, India’s second wave became the worst COVID-19 surge in the world. It was devastating. Our associates are our biggest strength. So, we did two vaccination drives in India. More than 1,400 of our associates and their dependents were vaccinated in the process.

While the pandemic brought co-workers and families together in new ways, it created isolation. The level of stress this created affected people who lived alone far more than those who were married and surrounded by family. For some associates, their work is their family.

Take note of who lives alone and have someone do weekly check-ins with them. We used this approach. I believe that it can go a long way to helping associates feel safe and sound.

Many companies are using or reviewing employee monitoring software and asking people to leave on their cameras. Avoid doing that. Monitoring employees is telling them that you don’t trust them and are concerned they will steal from the company. That creates the wrong culture.

Establish rules of etiquette and engagement

There are some things that technology can’t solve. That includes call etiquette and courtesy.

Get into the practice of pausing every 10 minutes so that remote people can participate. If you don’t, the remote folks in a hybrid workplace get run over. Avoid side conversations following calls. That takes the remote team out of the loop and puts remote workers at a disadvantage. People are really worried about that.

Be open to cultural and structural change

Don’t try to hang onto the culture that you had before the pandemic. You can’t.

If you try, you will not be able to achieve parity. You will be so focused on the culture that you will cling to outdated policies, frameworks and behaviors. Culture needs to evolve. That doesn’t mean it will be lessened. It can be just as effective; you just have to foster it.

Many companies are great at driving strategy and hiring talent. But often they forget about structure. That can create unnecessary friction, which can stand in the way of scale and speed.

Structure is about more than just to whom associates report. It also entails the policies, governance model and empowerment — or lack of it — that you have built into the company.

In our own efforts to rethink things for the hybrid workplace, we focused on simplifying structure and empowering people. This helped eliminate what I call permafrost. Every company creates permafrost: layers in the middle that do little to move the company forward.

When I joined Unisys in 2015, we were nine layers deep. We have since removed unneeded spans and layers and begun establishing teams. Getting into teams allows people to come together, accomplish things and then disband and move onto the next thing.

This also improves employee experience. Associates can work on exciting projects and advance their careers rather than following established career paths. The company benefits too because it helps us to scale. We need to grow our business with talent to scale, but there’s a talent war. It’s hard to get and keep people. Understanding employee aspirations and expectations, and having the culture and structure in place to address them, is extremely helpful.

Decide what you want to be

It’s good to know what GoogleJPMorgan and other big companies are doing. But don’t copy others. Focus on your people and your company.

Ask yourself: What is the experience I want for my company? What kind of talent are we looking for? How are we going to behave so that we can attract the right talent?

We know what people want: understanding and balance. They want to know that their situation, including their home lives, will not get pushed down the list of corporate objectives. There may be another shutdown. Some people may worry that their employers will fire them if that occurs. This is just one reason that people want to work for compassionate organizations.

People in compassionate organizations with empathetic leaders come together in tough times. When businesses first felt the impact of the pandemic, the senior leadership team at Unisys took a pay cut.

We also asked associates to help. I didn’t mandate it. I simply said that if you can help the company get through this difficult time and keep more associates employed, please reach out to human resources.

Some folks told me this was crazy. They thought that no one would take me up on it, at least not in a significant way. But our associates volunteered more than $5 million to this effort. It blew everybody away. That’s when I knew we could be resilient to anything.

Eric Hutto is president and chief operating officer of Unisys, which leverages technology to deliver successful outcomes for the most demanding businesses and governments.

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Simone Biles fights the system

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Office 2021 will be available for non-Microsoft 365 subscribers on October 5

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Office 2021 will be available for non-Microsoft 365 subscribers on October 5

Microsoft

New versions of Microsoft Office aren’t as big a deal as they used to be, thanks to the continuously updated (and continuously paid-for) versions of the apps that come with a Microsoft 365 subscription. But for everyone else, there’s still Office 2021, an upgrade to Office 2019 that’s coming to both Windows and macOS on October 5, Microsoft announced today. Office 2021 will add the same features as the Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (or LTSC—catchy!) release, which is available today.

Compared to Office 2019, the last “perpetual” version of Office, the new version includes Dark Mode support, support for version 1.3 of the OpenDocument format, new Excel functions and formulas, improved slide show recording for PowerPoint, and various user-interface tweaks and enhancements. Microsoft lists most of the new features here.

The company plans to offer five years of “Mainstream Support” for Office 2021 without any extended support beyond that. The end date for Office 2021 support is in October of 2026, just a year after support ends for the Windows versions of Office 2016 and Office 2019.

The company said in February that consumer and small business pricing for Office 2021 will stay the same as it is now—Office Home & Student 2019 (which includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote) normally costs $150, and Office Home & Business 2019 (which adds Outlook) costs $250. Last month, Microsoft increased prices for Microsoft 365 and its other subscription products across the board for the first time in a decade.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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Venezuela’s justice system aiding repression: Human rights probe

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In its second report mandated by the Human Rights Council, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, alleged that judges allowed evidence submitted by prosecutors to be used that had been obtained by torture, among other “recurrent” due process violations. 

“In some of the cases reviewed, judges also failed to protect victims of torture by ordering that they return to the places of detention where the torture allegedly occurred, despite having heard victims – sometimes bearing visible injuries consistent with torture – make the allegation in court,” the Mission said in a statement. 

Aiding repression 

“Based on the investigations and the analysis conducted, the Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that instead of providing protection to victims of human rights violations and crimes, the Venezuelan justice system has played a significant role in the State’s repression of Governmental crimes,” said Marta Valiñas, Chairperson of the fact-finding Mission, at press conference on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. 

The Mission’s findings are based on 177 interviews – including many with justice system actors – as well as a survey of former Venezuelan judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers, and analysis of thousands of pages of legal case files and other official documents. 

Detailed analysis was also carried out on 183 detentions of “real or perceived” government opponents – 153 men and 30 women, roughly half civilians and half military – between 2014 and August 2021, uncovering irregularities “marring all stages of the criminal process”. 

Highlighting frequent interference by the Government in prosecutions, Ms. Valiñas pointed out that in 102 of the 183 cases examined, “the Mission recorded that high-level public officials made public statements commenting on criminal cases involving or real or perceived opponents, either prior to or soon after their detention”. 

‘Vilified and intimidated’ 

Judges and prosecutors have been appointed on temporary contracts and justices who refused to give in to political pressure “have been vilified and intimidated”, the Mission said, noting that since 1999, at least a dozen new laws and resolutions have impacted adversely on judicial independence. 

Among the procedural irregularities identified, the investigators pointed to lengthy procedural delays that denied defendants the opportunity to challenge evidence against them, “hurdles and harassment” faced by defence lawyers and pretrial detentions beyond the Constitutional limit of 24 months. 

“Of the 170 cases reviewed that involved initial appearances, in 146 of them, pretrial detention was ordered by judges,” said Mission investigator Francisco Cox Vial. “Of those 80 – which is 47 per cent of them – lasted more than two years.” 

The Mission also reviewed cases that it previously documented in 2020 of State intelligence forces who had subjected male and female detainees to enforced disappearance, torture – including sexual violence – and death. 

No investigations 

No evidence was found of high-level officials being investigated or prosecuted in these incidents, or in any other cases it has investigated since, it said. 

High-profile cases included that of Fernando Albán, the opposition leader who fell to his death from the 10th floor of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) headquarters in 2015; Rafael Acosta Arévalo, a military officer who fainted and died in a Caracas courtroom following torture in 2018; and Juan Pablo Pernalete, a student who died after a tear gas canister struck his chest at close range during a protest in Caracas in 2017. 

“The Mission found that the recent charges brought in these cases are highly limited in scope and/or focused on isolating low-level perpetrators, as opposed to seeking accountability further up the chain of command,” it said in a statement.   

Mr. Francisco Cox Vial added: “We have documented both in this report and the former report that the military are subject to the violations and both torture and other situations.” 

The Mission’s latest report complements its September 2020 report, which found reasonable grounds to believe that high-level Venezuelan authorities and security forces had planned and executed serious human rights violations since 2014. 

These include arbitrary killings and systematic torture which may amount to crimes against humanity.


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Marks & Spencer blames Brexit because it closes shops in France

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The UK retailer on Thursday mentioned “prolonged and complicated” export processes launched after Brexit had made it troublesome to get recent merchandise resembling sandwiches and salads from Britain to Europe. It expects to shut the shops — situated primarily in central Paris and run with franchise companion SFH — by the tip of this yr.

“The availability chain complexities in place following the UK’s exit from the European Union now make it close to not possible for us to serve recent and chilled merchandise to clients to the excessive requirements they anticipate, leading to an ongoing affect to the efficiency of our enterprise,” M&S managing director of worldwide Paul Friston mentioned in an announcement.

M&S solely reopened its Paris shops in 2011 following a earlier exit from France in 2001.

9 different M&S shops run as franchises at French airports and practice stations in partnership with Lagardere Journey Retail will proceed to function, as will the corporate’s web site, which sells largely clothes and residential merchandise. M&S mentioned it was in discussions with Lagardere over the way forward for its meals shops.

Britain delays Brexit border checks as food industry warns of permanent shortages

Brexit has heaped strain on provide chains already strained by shortages attributable to the pandemic and a resurgence in demand. The UK authorities on Tuesday introduced that it might delay the introduction of checks on meals imports from the European Union by one other six months to July 2022 as supermarkets wrestle to maintain their cabinets totally stocked.

UK meals producers and transportation companies have blamed the UK’s exit from the European Union for employee shortages which have compelled them to chop manufacturing and made it troublesome to ship items on time. The Highway Haulage Affiliation says the UK is brief round 100,000 truck drivers, 20,000 of whom are EU nationals that left the nation after Brexit.

M&S mentioned it has needed to change the construction of its European enterprise on account of Brexit. In April, it stopped promoting all recent and chilled merchandise within the Czech Republic. It has as a substitute doubled the ranges of frozen and non-perishable merchandise.

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Q&A With Co-Creator of the 6502 Processor

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Scientists have known for decades that the particulate emissions from ships can have a dramatic effect on low-lying stratocumulus clouds above the ocean. In satellite images, parts of the Earth’s oceans are streaked with bright white strips of clouds that correspond to shipping lanes. These artificially brightened clouds are a result of the tiny particles produced by the ships, and they reflect more sunlight back to space than unperturbed clouds do, and much more than the dark blue ocean underneath. Since these “ship tracks” block some of the sun’s energy from reaching Earth’s surface, they prevent some of the warming that would otherwise occur.

The formation of ship tracks is governed by the same basic principles behind all cloud formation. Clouds naturally appear when the relative humidity exceeds 100 percent, initiating condensation in the atmosphere. Individual cloud droplets form around microscopic particles called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Generally speaking, an increase in CCN increases the number of cloud droplets while reducing their size. Through a phenomenon known as the
Twomey effect, this high concentration of droplets boosts the clouds’ reflectivity (also called albedo). Sources of CCN include aerosols like dust, pollen, soot, and even bacteria, along with man-made pollution from factories and ships. Over remote parts of the ocean, most CCN are of natural origin and include sea salt from crashing ocean waves.

Satellite imagery. To the left is white clouds with tracks forming within. To the left is green and brown land mass.
Satellite imagery shows “ship tracks” over the ocean: bright clouds that form because of particles spewed out by ships.Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Rapid Response Team/GSFC/NASA

The aim of the MCB Project is to consider whether deliberately adding more sea salt CCN to low marine clouds would cool the planet. The CCN would be generated by spraying seawater from ships. We expect that the sprayed seawater would instantly dry in the air and form tiny particles of salt, which would rise to the cloud layer via convection and act as seeds for cloud droplets. These generated particles would be much smaller than the particles from crashing waves, so there would be only a small relative increase in sea salt mass in the atmosphere. The goal would be to produce clouds that are slightly brighter (by 5 to 10 percent) and possibly longer lasting than typical clouds, resulting in more sunlight being reflected back to space.

Solar climate intervention is the umbrella term for projects such as ours that involve reflecting sunlight to reduce global warming and its most dangerous impacts. Other proposals include sprinkling reflective silicate beads over polar ice sheets and injecting materials with reflective properties, such as sulfates or calcium carbonate, into the stratosphere. None of the approaches in this young field are well understood, and they all carry potentially large unknown risks.

Solar climate intervention is
not a replacement for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is imperative. But such reductions won’t address warming from existing greenhouse gases that are already in the atmosphere. As the effects of climate change intensify and tipping points are reached, we may need options to prevent the most catastrophic consequences to ecosystems and human life. And we’ll need a clear understanding of both the efficacy and risks of solar climate intervention technologies so people can make informed decisions about whether to implement them.

Our team, based at the
University of Washington, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, comprises experts in climate modeling, aerosol-cloud interactions, fluid dynamics, and spray systems. We see several key advantages to marine cloud brightening over other proposed forms of solar climate intervention. Using seawater to generate the particles gives us a free, abundant source of environmentally benign material, most of which would be returned to the ocean through deposition. Also, MCB could be done from sea level and wouldn’t rely on aircraft, so costs and associated emissions would be relatively low.

The effects of particles on clouds are temporary and localized, so experiments on MCB could be carried out over small areas and brief time periods (maybe spraying for a few hours per day over several weeks or months) without seriously perturbing the environment or global climate. These small studies would still yield significant information on the impacts of brightening. What’s more, we can quickly halt the use of MCB, with very rapid cessation of its effects.

Solar climate intervention is the umbrella term for projects that involve reflecting sunlight to reduce global warming and its most dangerous impacts.

Our project encompasses three critical areas of research. First, we need to find out if we can reliably and predictably increase reflectivity. To this end, we’ll need to quantify how the addition of generated sea salt particles changes the number of droplets in these clouds, and study how clouds behave when they have more droplets. Depending on atmospheric conditions, MCB could affect things like cloud droplet evaporation rate, the likelihood of precipitation, and cloud lifetime. Quantifying such effects will require both simulations and field experiments.

Second, we need more modeling to understand how MCB would affect weather and climate both locally and globally. It will be crucial to study any negative unintended consequences using accurate simulations before anyone considers implementation. Our team is initially focusing on modeling how clouds respond to additional CCN. At some point we’ll have to check our work with small-scale field studies, which will in turn improve the regional and global simulations we’ll run to understand the potential impacts of MCB under different climate change scenarios.

The third critical area of research is the development of a spray system that can produce the size and concentration of particles needed for the first small-scale field experiments. We’ll explain below how we’re tackling that challenge.

One of the first steps in our project was to identify the clouds most amenable to brightening. Through modeling and observational studies, we determined that the best target is stratocumulus clouds, which are low altitude (around 1 to 2 km) and shallow; we’re particularly interested in “clean” stratocumulus, which have low numbers of CCN. The increase in cloud albedo with the addition of CCN is generally strong in these clouds, whereas in deeper and more highly convective clouds other processes determine their brightness. Clouds over the ocean tend to be clean stratocumulus clouds, which is fortunate, because brightening clouds over dark surfaces, such as the ocean, will yield the highest albedo change. They’re also conveniently close to the liquid we want to spray.

Two part diagram. Top is labelled Twomey Effect. Two cloud shapes with droplets, and the left says
In the phenomenon called the Twomey effect, clouds with higher concentrations of small particles have a higher albedo, meaning they’re more reflective. Such clouds might be less likely to produce rain, and the retained cloud water would keep albedo high. On the other hand, if dry air from above the cloud mixes in (entrainment), the cloud may produce rain and have a lower albedo. The full impact of MCB will be the combination of the Twomey effect and these cloud adjustments. Rob Wood

Based on our cloud type, we can estimate the number of particles to generate to see a measurable change in albedo. Our calculation involves the typical aerosol concentrations in clean marine stratocumulus clouds and the increase in CCN concentration needed to optimize the cloud brightening effect, which we estimate at 300 to 400 per cubic centimeter. We also take into account the dynamics of this part of the atmosphere, called the marine boundary layer, considering both the layer’s depth and the roughly three-day lifespan of particles within it. Given all those factors, we estimate that a single spray system would need to continuously deliver approximately 3×10
15 particles per second to a cloud layer that covers about 2,000 square kilometers. Since it’s likely that not every particle will reach the clouds, we should aim for an order or two greater.

We can also determine the ideal particle size based on initial cloud modeling studies and efficiency considerations. These studies indicate that the spray system needs to generate seawater droplets that will dry to salt crystals of just 30–100 nanometers in diameter. Any smaller than that and the particles will not act as CCN. Particles larger than a couple hundred nanometers are still effective, but their larger mass means that energy is wasted in creating them. And particles that are significantly larger than several hundred nanometers can have a negative effect, since they can trigger rainfall that results in cloud loss.

We need a clear understanding of both the efficacy and risks of solar climate intervention technologies so people can make informed decisions about whether to implement them.

Creating dry salt crystals of the optimal size requires spraying seawater droplets of 120–400 nm in diameter, which is surprisingly difficult to do in an energy-efficient way. Conventional spray nozzles, where water is forced through a narrow orifice, produce mists with diameters from tens of micrometers to several millimeters. To decrease the droplet size by a factor of ten, the pressure through the nozzle must increase more than 2,000 times. Other atomizers, like the ultrasonic nebulizers found in home humidifiers, similarly cannot produce small enough droplets without extremely high frequencies and power requirements.

Solving this problem required both out-of-the-box thinking and expertise in the production of small particles. That’s where
Armand Neukermans came in.

After a distinguished career at HP and Xerox focused on production of toner particles and ink jet printers, in 2009 Neukermans was approached by several eminent climate scientists, who asked him to turn his expertise toward making seawater droplets. He quickly assembled a cadre of volunteers—mostly retired engineers and scientists. and over the next decade, these self-designated “Old Salts” tackled the challenge. They worked in a borrowed Silicon Valley laboratory, using equipment scrounged from their garages or purchased out of their own pockets. They explored several ways of producing the desired particle size distributions with various tradeoffs between particle size, energy efficiency, technical complexity, reliability, and cost. In 2019 they moved into a lab space at PARC, where they have access to equipment, materials, facilities, and more scientists with expertise in aerosols, fluid dynamics, microfabrication, and electronics.

The three most promising techniques identified by the team were effervescent spray nozzles, spraying salt water under supercritical conditions, and electrospraying to form Taylor cones (which we’ll explain later). The first option was deemed the easiest to scale up quickly, so the team moved forward with it. In an effervescent nozzle, pressurized air and salt water are pumped into a single channel, where the air flows through the center and the water swirls around the sides. When the mixture exits the nozzle, it produces droplets with sizes ranging from tens of nanometers to a few micrometers, with the overwhelming number of particles in our desired size range. Effervescent nozzles are used in a range of applications, including engines, gas turbines, and spray coatings.

The key to this technology lies in the compressibility of air. As a gas flows through a constricted space, its velocity increases as the ratio of the upstream to downstream pressures increases. This relationship holds until the gas velocity reaches the speed of sound. As the compressed air leaves the nozzle at sonic speeds and enters the environment, which is at much lower pressure, the air undergoes a rapid radial expansion that explodes the surrounding ring of water into tiny droplets.

A man and a woman wearing masks stand at a table in a white tent. In the foreground is silver and blue equipment including a nozzle from which white spray is emitting.
Coauthor Gary Cooper and intern Jessica Medrado test the effervescent nozzle inside the tent. Kate Murphy

Neukermans and company found that the effervescent nozzle works well enough for small-scale testing, but the efficiency—the energy required per correctly sized droplet—still needs to be improved. The two biggest sources of waste in our system are the large amounts of compressed air needed and the large fraction of droplets that are too big. Our latest efforts have focused on redesigning the flow paths in the nozzle to require smaller volumes of air. We’re also working to filter out the large droplets that could trigger rainfall. And to improve the distribution of droplet size, we’re considering ways to add charge to the droplets; the repulsion between charged droplets would inhibit coalescence, decreasing the number of oversized droplets.

Though we’re making progress with the effervescent nozzle, it never hurts to have a backup plan. And so we’re also exploring electrospray technology, which could yield a spray in which almost 100 percent of the droplets are within the desired size range. In this technique, seawater is fed through an emitter—a narrow orifice or capillary—while an extractor creates a large electric field. If the electrical force is of similar magnitude to the surface tension of the water, the liquid deforms into a cone, typically referred to as a Taylor cone. Over some threshold voltage, the cone tip emits a jet that quickly breaks up into highly charged droplets. The droplets divide until they reach their Rayleigh limit, the point where charge repulsion balances the surface tension. Fortuitously, surface seawater’s typical conductivity (4 Siemens per meter) and surface tension (73 millinewtons per meter) yield droplets in our desired size range. The final droplet size can even be tuned via the electric field down to tens of nanometers, with a tighter size distribution than we get from mechanical nozzles.

Electrospray diagram with a row of black rectagular shapes, then blue cones over small dots, a blue line and gray boxes, labelled Extractor, Taylor cone, capillary array (ground), filter, housing and on the bottom, salt water
This diagram (not to scale) depicts the electrospray system, which uses an electric field to create cones of water that break up into tiny droplets. Kate Murphy

Electrospray is relatively simple to demonstrate with a single emitter-extractor pair, but one emitter only produces 10
7–109 droplets per second, whereas we need 1016–1017 per second. Producing that amount requires an array of up to 100,000 by 100,000 capillaries. Building such an array is no small feat. We’re relying on techniques more commonly associated with cloud computing than actual clouds. Using the same lithography, etch, and deposition techniques used to make integrated circuits, we can fabricate large arrays of tiny capillaries with aligned extractors and precisely placed electrodes.

Two micrograph images. Left shows rows of circular nozzles with darker circular centers. Right is a close-up.
Images taken by a scanning electron microscope show the capillary emitters used in the electrospray system. Kate Murphy

Testing our technologies presents yet another set of challenges. Ideally, we would like to know the initial size distribution of the saltwater droplets. In practice, that’s nearly impossible to measure. Most of our droplets are smaller than the wavelength of light, precluding non-contact measurements based on light scattering. Instead, we must measure particle sizes downstream, after the plume has evolved. Our primary tool, called a
scanning electrical mobility spectrometer, measures the mobility of charged dry particles in an electrical field to determine their diameter. But that method is sensitive to factors like the room’s size and air currents and whether the particles collide with objects in the room.

To address these problems, we built a sealed 425 cubic meter tent, equipped with dehumidifiers, fans, filters, and an array of connected sensors. Working in the tent allows us to spray for longer periods of time and with multiple nozzles, without the particle concentration or humidity becoming higher than what we would see in the field. We can also study how the spray plumes from multiple nozzles interact and evolve over time. What’s more, we can more precisely mimic conditions over the ocean and tune parameters such as air speed and humidity.

4 people in a large white text looking at equipment on a table
Part of the team inside the test tent; from left, “Old Salts” Lee Galbraith and Gary Cooper, Kate Murphy of PARC, and intern Jessica Medrado. Kate Murphy

We’ll eventually outgrow the tent and have to move to a large indoor space to continue our testing. The next step will be outdoor testing to study plume behavior in real conditions, though not at a high enough rate that we would measurably perturb the clouds. We’d like to measure particle size and concentrations far downstream of our sprayer, from hundreds of meters to several kilometers, to determine if the particles lift or sink and how far they spread. Such experiments will help us optimize our technology, answering such questions as whether we need to add heat to our system to encourage the particles to rise to the cloud layer.

The data obtained in these preliminary tests will also inform our models. And if the results of the model studies are promising, we can proceed to field experiments in which clouds are brightened sufficiently to study key processes. As discussed above, such experiments would be performed over a small and short time so that any effects on climate wouldn’t be significant. These experiments would provide a critical check of our simulations, and therefore of our ability to accurately predict the impacts of MCB.

It’s still unclear whether MCB could help society avoid the worst impacts of climate change, or whether it’s too risky, or not effective enough to be useful. At this point, we don’t know enough to advocate for its implementation, and we’re definitely not suggesting it as an alternative to reducing emissions. The intent of our research is to provide policymakers and society with the data needed to assess MCB as one approach to slow warming, providing information on both its potential and risks. To this end, we’ve submitted our experimental plans for review by the
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and for open publication as part of a U.S. National Academy of Sciences study of research in the field of solar climate intervention. We hope that we can shed light on the feasibility of MCB as a tool to make the planet safer.

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Africa faces 470 million COVID-19 vaccine shortfall this yr

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The worldwide COVAX initiative geared toward guaranteeing international entry to the vaccines, not too long ago introduced that it was being compelled to slash deliberate deliveries to Africa, by round 150 million doses this yr.  

The scheme is now anticipated to ship 470 million doses by means of the top of December. These might be sufficient to shield simply 17 per cent of the continent, far under the 40 per cent goal. 

To succeed in the end-year goal, that 470 million determine must double, even when all deliberate shipments through COVAX and the African Union are delivered. 

Export bans, vaccine hoarding 

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, mentioned that “export bans and vaccine hoarding have a chokehold on vaccine provides to Africa.” 

“So long as wealthy nations lock COVAX out of the market, Africa will miss its vaccination targets. The large hole in vaccine fairness shouldn’t be closing anyplace close to quick sufficient. It’s time for vaccine manufacturing nations to open the gates and assist shield these dealing with the best threat,” Ms. Moeti mentioned.  

Moreover export bans, challenges in boosting manufacturing and delays in approvals have constrained deliveries. COVAX has known as for donor nations to share their provide schedules to present extra readability on deliveries. 

The initiative has additionally known as for nations with sufficient doses, to surrender their place within the queue. Producers should ship according to their prior commitments, and nations which are well-advanced should develop and speed up donations. 

About 95 million extra doses are set to reach in Africa through COVAX all through September, which would be the largest cargo the continent has taken on board for any month thus far. Simply 50 million individuals, or 3.6 per cent of its inhabitants, has been inoculated to this point. 

Solely round 2 per cent of the almost 6 billion doses administered globally have gone to Africans. The European Union and the UK have vaccinated over 60 per cent of their populations and high-income nations have administered 48 occasions extra doses per individual, than low-income nations.  

Variants threat 

“The staggering inequity and extreme lag in shipments of vaccines threatens to show areas in Africa with low vaccination charges into breeding grounds for vaccine-resistant variants. This might find yourself sending the entire world again to sq. one,” warned Ms. Moeti. 

WHO is ramping up assist to African nations to determine and deal with gaps of their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts. 

The company has assisted 15 nations in conducting intra-action opinions and supplied suggestions for enhancements. The opinions have proven that vaccine provide safety and uncertainty round deliveries has been a significant obstacle.  

With over 300 employees in place throughout Africa supporting the COVID-19 response, WHO is deploying consultants and producing assist plans in particular areas, together with securing employees, financing, strengthening provide chains and logistics and boosting demand for vaccines.  

Case abstract 

As of 14 September, there have been 8.06 million COVID-19 instances recorded in Africa and whereas the third wave wanes, there have been almost 125,000 new instances within the week ending on 12 September. 

This represents a 27 per cent drop from the earlier week, however weekly new instances are nonetheless at in regards to the peak of the primary wave, and 19 nations proceed to report excessive or fast-rising case numbers. 

Deaths fell by 19 per cent throughout Africa, to 2,531 reported within the week to September twelfth. The extremely transmissible Delta variant has been present in 31 African nations. 

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Annual Secretary-Normal’s report reveals a world examined ‘to the restrict’

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“The worldwide well being, social, financial and human rights crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have underscored the significance of multilateral cooperation – and examined it to the restrict”, stated Secretary-General António Guterres

From safeguarding folks and jobs, to aiding Governments in guaranteeing a sustainable and equitable restoration, the United Nations has performed a central function in responding to the pandemic.  

It has supported some 160 international locations in tackling the well being, humanitarian, social and financial impacts of the virus and helped greater than 260 million college students to entry distant studying.  

On the similar time to debunk COVID-19 misinformation, the UN Verified initiative has printed over 1,000 items of digital content material in not less than 50 languages.   

Defending folks globally 

UN medics give free medical consultations to families in Niger.

MINUSMA

UN medics give free medical consultations to households in Niger.

As a result of human rights are on the centre of the UN’s work in driving peace and safety, social stability, public well being and a wholesome surroundings, the Group has supported 8,594 victims of latest types of slavery in 23 international locations, partnered with 89 States to reform discriminatory legal guidelines and assisted 40,000 victims of torture in 78 nations. 

Within the report, UN Political Affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo described the pandemic as “a political stress take a look at”, that “has additionally confirmed that political will to make and maintain peace can overcome any barrier, particularly if there’s assist from the worldwide group”. 

The UN has additionally assisted 81,000 Stateless people in buying or confirming their id and supported 82.5 million folks fleeing struggle, famine and persecution. 

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix underscored the significance of “our collective dedication”, saying the folks “who rely upon us anticipate no much less”.  

Ramping up improvement 

The Group has continued to advance evidence-based insurance policies that assist States in recovering from the pandemic whereas nudging ahead the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The UN has assisted 5 million folks to acquire work in 28 crisis-affected international locations, aided 1.2 million weak folks in 13 States with tenure safety and helped 24 million folks entry monetary companies in 22 nations.  

And on the bottom, resident coordinators and UN nation groups have assisted over 240 million folks with important companies, 36 million with vital water and sanitation provides and 120 million with social safety schemes.  

Its swift and built-in assist to Africa’s COVID response focussed on well being and humanitarian interventions in addition to socioeconomic help to guard weak populations.  

The Group additionally supplied early coverage steerage and launched the Africa knowledge management hub on COVID-19 and the Africa dashboard digital one-stop outlets for verified data and information. 

Women in India are being encouraged to play a leading role in sustainable development especially on gender equality issues.

UNDP India

Girls in India are being inspired to play a number one function in sustainable improvement particularly on gender equality points.

Local weather disaster 

In mobilizing world local weather motion, from science-based stories to public advocacy and personal negotiation, the UN has contributed to making a rising coalition for internet zero emissions by mid-century and rising consciousness within the funding group that fossil fuels are riskier and costlier than renewable power. 

Furthermore, the Climate Ambition Summit of final December, delivered plans and pledges from 75 international locations on their intentions to chop world emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 in contrast with 2010 ranges, in accordance with the Paris Agreement.  

Countering crime  

The pandemic has additionally magnified the world’s publicity to crime, corruption, medication and terrorism, with keep at residence orders intensifying dangers of home violence and on-line sexual exploitation. 

Better inclusion and entry to justice turned extra very important than ever over the previous yr.  

The UN helped to attain this by contributing to COVID-19 preparedness in detention centres that resulted in improved jail circumstances and primary companies for detainees and elevated its on-line actions to strengthen assist on cybercrime, with an emphasis on on-line baby sexual abuse and exploitation. 

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Sony Santa Monica vet David Hewitt becomes Monolith’s new studio head

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A new GamesBeat event is around the corner! Learn more about what comes next. 


Warner Bros. Games announced today that David Hewitt is the new studio head and vice president at Monolith Productions.

Hewitt last served as director of product development at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studio. He had been at Santa Monica Studio for over 10 years — notably working on the God of War franchise, including the 2018 reboot — and left in August.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War was Monolith’s last release, and that was back in 2017. We do not know what it’s next project is.

“I have been a fan of Monolith for many years due to the long list of great games they have developed, so it is extremely exciting to join this storied team,” said Hewitt in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “I’m truly inspired and looking forward to working with this team to focus and build upon on a new vision to make excellent games with the support of Warner Bros.”

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