Welcome to this week’s 920 Weekly Roundup! Let’s see what’s been in the news this week..
If you’re sick of your life here on Earth then the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) may have a solution for you. NASA are working on sending humans to Mars by the 2030s with the hope that this will determine whether there currently is, or ever was, life on the planet. NASA already has two rovers, with a third to arrive about 2022, searching the planet for signs of life. Chief scientist at NASA, Ellen Stofan, states that they will need a team of people from all ranges of backgrounds to go to Mars in order to determine whether it is indeed liveable or not.
A new iPhone and iPad feature that rolled out this week is making Facebook more user friendly to those people with visual impairments and blindness. Currently only available in English, the VoiceOver feature uses artificial intelligence, which recognises faces and objects, to interpret and describe a picture. In the future, Facebook plans to refine the technology in order for it to provide more specific descriptions and also be able to answer questions from the user. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated this new feature was “an important step towards making sure everyone has equal access to information and is included in the conversation”.
Ever wondered what or where exactly you were flying over? Well a new app ‘Flyover Country’ can answer this for you. In order to avoid expensive in-flight Wi-Fi, the app uses catched maps offline once the user has begun the flight path. You are able to look out your window at natural features and read about them at the same time. The app uses a range of geological databases in order to gather information on points of interest. If all is successful, the app will expand to road trips, tramps and bike rides.
Have a lovely weekend!
Ninetwenty – part of the Finite Group
