Mon. Oct 26th, 2020

Day: October 14, 2020

OSIRIS-REx on Bennu: The mission’s project scientist details “greedy” asteroid sampling, challenges, and more.

By Grace 2 weeks ago

NASA’s spacecraft is set to descend on asteroid Bennu on Oct. 20. We spoke with the project scientist about the challenges of robotically sampling a space rock millions of miles away.

An artist’s rendering depicting OSIRIS-REx above Bennu.

Image: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

In the coming days, OSIRIS-REx is set to robotically scoop an asteroid sample more than 200 million miles from Earth. On Oct. 20, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will descend on asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of its surface in what NASA has officially dubbed a Touch-And-Go (TAG). If successful, the cosmic bounty could be the space agency’s largest space sample recovery since the Apollo era, according to NASA. We recently spoke with Jason Dworkin, the project scientist for OSIRIS-REx, about the upcoming TAG, the “greedy” tendencies of asteroid sampling, and more.

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As investors and founders mature, Vienna emerges as a European startup hub – TechCrunch

By Grace 2 weeks ago

According to Austrian Startup Monitor, entrepreneurs have founded more than 2,200 startups in Austria since 2008, with the number of tech companies growing 12% per year since then, significantly faster than the 3% growth rate for traditional companies.

Home to roughly 50% of Austria’s startups, Vienna has a plethora of VC, corporate and university investors. Top VCs include 3TS Capital Partners, AC & Friends, Cudos Capital, FSP Ventures, Hansmen Group, i4g Investment, i5invest, LilO Ventures, next.march, primeCROWD, Speedinvest and Venionaire Capital, among others.

The local ecosystem benefits from several initiatives, including the Social Impact Awards, Vienna Startup Awards, Design Week, Climate KIC Stage, Innovation Incubation Center and INiTS Accelerator. The well-run Pioneers Festival contributed massively to the ecosystem for several years after a certain TechCrunch editor-at-large gave the organizers an excuse to expand on a simple TechCrunch meetup. But the festival was shuttered last year after its sale to a

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Farming assistant app Agrolly wins IBM’s Call for Code contest

By Grace 2 weeks ago

The innovative platform will be a one-stop-shop for farmers seeking out more information on what to plant and when.

An autonomous combine–again, smaller and lighter than conventional farm machinery–harvesting HFHa’s first crop in September 2017.

Image: HandsFree Hectare

Agrolly, a platform built to help farmers in emerging markets, was chosen as the winner of IBM’s 2020 Call for Code Global Challenge.

Agrolly provides farmers with a bevy of information about weather patterns and crop characteristics, giving them advice on what would be the best thing to plant during certain times of the year. The platform also has ways for farmers to connect with experts as well as ways for them to share information and tools with each other.

During the virtual “2020 Call for Code Awards: A Global Celebration of Tech for Good” event, Agrolly was announced as the winner of the annual competition, which brings together the

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iPhone 12 launch roundup: Apple’s first 5G iPhone, HomePod mini and what was missing

By Grace 2 weeks ago

iPhone 12 launch roundup: Apple’s first 5G iPhone, HomePod mini and what was missing

Length: 12:16 |
Oct 13, 2020

Apple has finally released the iPhone 12 as well as a new HomePod mini smart speaker. TechRepublic’s Bill Detwiler and Karen Roby discuss what Apple’s first 5G phone means for buyers and the broader 5G market along with several products that weren’t included in the company’s Oct. 2020 ‘Hi Speed.” event.

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