Author: Brian Carnell

COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool

Georgia Tech researchers have created a COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool. Plug in your state and an event size, and it will give you the current odds (based on estimated number of circulating COVID-19 cases in your state) that at least one person with COVID-19 would be in attendance at said event.

For example, here’s a plot of the odds of at least one COVID-19 positive individual being present at an event in Michigan with 250 people.

COVID-19 Predicted Risk
COVID-19 Predicted Risk

Facial Recognition Can’t Cope With Face Masks

Thoughts and prayers.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a surge in people wearing face masks, and facial recognition companies are scrambling to keep up. Face masks cover up a significant portion of what facial recognition needs to identify and detect people — essentially threatening the future of a multimillion-dollar industry unless the technology can learn to recognize people beyond the coverings.

The Artemis Accords–NASA’s Proposed Framework for Moon Exploration and Exploitation

NASA has released the Artemis Accords, which it is billing as a framework that outlines how the Moon will be explored and exploited consistent with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

The accords call for economic exploitation of the Moon and the establishment of Safety Zones that would appear to be pseudo-national territories that nations would agree to respect and not interfere with.

Avoiding harmful interference is an important principle of the Outer Space Treaty, which is implemented by the Artemis Accords.

Specifically, via the Artemis Accords, NASA and partner nations will provide public information regarding the location and general nature of operations which will inform the scale and scope of ‘Safety Zones’.

Notification and coordination between partner nations to respect such safety zones will prevent harmful interference, implementing Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty and reinforcing the principle of due regard.