The astronauts would input two-digit codes for verbs and nouns, to carry out commands like firing thrusters, or locking on to a particular star to re-align the ship WASHINGTON - We've all been there: you're working on something important, your PC crashes, and you lose all your progress. Such a failure was not an option during the Apollo missions, the first time ever that a computer was entrusted with handling flight control and life support systems -- and therefore the lives of the astronauts on board. Despite an infamous false alarm during lunar descent that sent Commander Neil Armstrong's heart rate racing, it was a resounding success that laid the groundwork for everything from modern avionics to multitasking operating systems.Here are some of the ways the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), millions of times less powerful than a 2019 smartphone, shaped the world we live in today:- Microchip revolution - Integrated circuits, or microchips, were a necessary part of the … [Read more...] about The machine that made the Moon missions possible
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Central bank seen holding key rate despite flagging growth
Thailand's central bank is expected to keep its benchmark policy rate steady on Wednesday for a fourth straight meeting, a Reuters poll showed, despite slowing growth and the way many Asian central banks have shifted toward easing policy.In the survey, 14 economists predicted the Bank of Thailand's (BoT’s) monetary policy committee (MPC) will keep its one-day repurchase rate at 1.75% - half a point above the record low. One analyst forecast a quarter-point cut on weaker growth. The MPC raised the policy rate in December for the first time since 2011, by 25 basis points, but has since held it steady, saying policy will depend on economic data. . While faltering growth and low inflation, with the headline rate just 1.15% in May, support policy easing, the BoT has reiterated concerns about financial stability risks and high household debt. Charnon Boonnuch, an economist at Nomura in Singapore, sees no policy change the rest of this year, though he expects an outlook downgrade … [Read more...] about Central bank seen holding key rate despite flagging growth
Czechs alarmed as populist leaders take aim at public media
PRAGUEL Czech journalists and media analysts are raising alarm over the "threat" to the country's public media from mounting pressure on the press by populist politicians.Members of the bodies supervising the Czech news agency CTK, Czech Television and Czech Radio are elected by lawmakers and now press watchdogs warn that some nominees might affect the quality of their coverage.Next week, the Czech parliament is likely to propel Michal Semin, a journalist and writer who has blamed American elites for the 9/11 terror attacks, onto the CTK council."There is a big risk that a man with very extravagant views will sit on the board of a major public medium," Adam Cerny, head of the Czech Syndicate of Journalists, told AFP.If elected, Semin will join council member and journalist Petr Zantovsky, who has said he would not mind CTK running news from the server of Sputnik, the Russian state-backed news agency.Semin was nominated by the opposition far-right, anti-EU SPD party, while Zantovsky was … [Read more...] about Czechs alarmed as populist leaders take aim at public media
Inflation rises on higher food prices
“The ministry may revise the country’s inflation rate following the rise in prices,” the Trade Policy and Strategy Office under the Commerce Ministry’s director-general Pimchanok Nan Vonkorpon said yesterday. The ministry had earlier forecast that inflation would rise in the country by 1.2 per cent for the whole year. However, it has been running between 0.7 per cent and 1.7 per cent. However, May’s inflation was lower than the 1.23 per cent rate in April of this year, she said. HSBC said that though Thailand’s inflation in May was higher than earlier estimates due to higher prices for fresh food, the underlying pressures remained muted with core inflation rising just 0.1 per cent m-o-m, seasonally-adjusted. Meanwhile, financial stability concerns and weakening GDP growth imply the need for a steady policy rate, though macro-prudential tightening is still likely. However, HSBC believed that the headline CPI managed to stay within the … [Read more...] about Inflation rises on higher food prices
Google debuts privacy controls, principles at I/O event
Alphabet Inc's Google business on Tuesday announced new privacy controls for its services, including “Incognito mode” for Google Maps, and published new privacy commitments for its hardware, showing how increased public scrutiny is forcing greater transparency in Silicon Valley. The announcements were dotted throughout nearly two hours of product updates from the search giant at its annual Google I/O developers' conference. Google also launched its lowest priced smartphone yet, the Pixel 3a, and demonstrated upcoming capabilities for its virtual assistant, such as car rental and movie ticket bookings by voice commands. Google has been fending off some of the growing legislative and regulatory pushes in the United States and elsewhere to regulate data privacy and other issues core to its business model. Proposals being weighed by lawmakers would limit how Google, Facebook Inc and other internet companies track consumers and distribute information. With revenue growth slowing … [Read more...] about Google debuts privacy controls, principles at I/O event