Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
The Social Security cost-of-living increase is a cruel fraud
 In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the great Social Security program. It was designed to give workers an income after retirement.

Today, it’s not so great. The tiny Social Security increase that will be bestowed on retirees and the elderly in January is a cruel fraud perpetrated by the government. That’s because increases in Medicare Part B and Part D insurance premiums will negate all of the Social Security 2% cost of living increase for many recipients. Instead of staying even, we’ll fall behind.

I just got my annual benefits letter from Social Security. It says I will get $24 a month more next year. However, after the Medicare premium increases, my new Social Security check will be $3.40 a month less than the one I currently get. (The government deducts Medicare premiums from Social Security checks.)

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In my case, the Medicare Part B insurance premium, for doctor visits, will go from $109 a month to $133 a month, eating the entire $24 cost of living increase. And my Part D prescription drug Medicare premium will increase to $20.40 a month from $17. For retirees on a fixed, low income, every dollar counts. We can’t afford to have less money — even $3.40 a month — coming in from a government program we paid into for 45 years or so.

All politicians have at least one foot in hell already, but Republicans are in with both feet.

Congress needs to reset the 2018 Medicare premiums and Social Security payments so people don’t net less in 2018. Along the way, the politicians should also make up for all the negligible increases we’ve gotten over the last decade or so that didn’t come close to matching real cost of living increases. But instead of doing the right thing, the denizens of Washington are talking about taking an ax to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid next year.

I paid into the system for decades from my wages, and I don’t want these programs cut.

My dwindling Social Security income is only half the problem, of course. My rent will go up on Jan. 1 by $27 a month. Food prices are rising. Campbell’s soup, for example, just went up at my Wal-Mart. (I suspect they do this every year to offset the sales they have at Christmas on toys.) Grocery stores are raising prices too. The other day, I bought a box of frozen fish fillets at Stater Bros. for $5.49. Last month the same store had them for $4.99.

Beyond Medicare premiums, the costs in other parts of that safety net keep rising as well. The Medicare Part B annual deductible — what I have to pay before Medicare ponies up — isn’t going up in 2018, but it rose last January to $183, from $166 in 2016, and $147 in 2015. And pray to God I don’t get hospitalized. That’s Medicare Part A, and the deductible will be $1,340 next year, up from $1,316. Most regular folks can’t afford either amount.

On top of all this, last week the Federal Reserve increased interest rates. That will mean higher costs for car loans, mortgages, bank loans and the like, and it will trickle down, or is it up, to the price of consumer goods.

No one in Congress from either party seems to give a damn. The House and the Senate are about to cut taxes mostly for the rich and big business, which will increase the national debt, and the word is, the government will try to pay for it with cuts to what House Speaker Paul Ryan calls “entitlements,” to make them sound bad. Here’s Sen. Marco Rubio: “The driver of our debt is … Social Security and Medicare for future beneficiaries.” And, according to the Washington Post, Sen. Orrin Hatch, “while whipping votes for the tax bill… attacked ‘liberal programs’ for the poor.”

Do I hear a hue and a cry from Congress on the other side? Not much. I think all politicians have at least one foot in hell already, but Republicans are in with both feet. As for Sen. Bernie Sanders supporters, who think of him as a saint, I will remind you that if he hadn’t run (and run and run) against Hillary Clinton last year in the Democratic primary, Clinton would probably be president, not the evil Donald Trump.

Clinton is flawed too, of course, and she is a tool of Wall Street, but at least she doesn’t have a foot in hell. Maybe a toe or two, like Sanders. Purgatory is for people like them. I had hopes for Sen. John McCain, with his vote to save Obamacare, but then he didn’t have the guts to oppose the GOP tax plan. Where are the politicians who consistently, loudly stick up for people who need help?

Give us our Social Security increase or throw us into the poor house. Well, I guess I wouldn’t go that far for $24 a month, but you get the idea.

Les Gapay is a freelance writer and retired journalist.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Output: Social Security was initiated in 1935, being signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to offer Americans an income after their retirement. However, this program has been greatly reduced. Despite a minor increase in Social Security payment due to launch in January 2018, the subsequent increases in Medicare Part B and Part D insurance premiums will offset this rise, leading to a 2 percent cost of living increase for many Social Security recipients.  Medicare premiums are deducted from Social Security payments, meaning that an increase for both services negates any positive effect. The increase may cause difficulties for retirees, and cause resentment following around 45 years of payments into the service. The proposed tax reform, however, may only exacerbate the situation, as Congress considers making cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in 2018. With rising rents and food prices, these cuts may significantly worsen living situations. Medicare Part A deductibles are already due to increase in 2018, and Medicare Part B deductibles have already risen steadily year on year. The  Federal Reserve has also just increased interest rates, leading to higher costs on car loans, mortgages and bank loans. The tax cut proposal will likely only benefit the rich or corporations, and will increase the national debt, with the plan being to finance the move with cuts to “entitlements”, or those programs that aid the poor.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
SpaceX recovery vessel could reduce cost of each rocket by $5m
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A mysterious and massive piece of equipment was spotted by Redditor vshie early this morning aboard one of SpaceX’s fleet of leased ocean recovery vessels.

Captured aboard the recovery vessel Mr. Steven, the massive claw-like appendages are almost certainly linked to SpaceX’s payload fairing recovery efforts that have been ongoing throughout 2017. Despite SpaceX’s highly successful first stage recovery program, as much as 30% or more of the cost of every Falcon 9 launch can be found in the second stage and its many components that are discarded after every mission. Being able to recover the payload fairing, a major component of the Falcon 9 that costs approximately $5 million on its own or roughly 10% of the cost of a $62 million expendable launch, would lead to further cost reductions in commercial spaceflight.

Fairing is ~$5M, but that should be reusable this year. Am fairly confident we can reuse upper stage too by late next year to get to 100%. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2017

While CEO Elon Musk has previously hinted at a sort of inflatable cushion (“bouncy castle” in his words) as the solution for keeping the fairings out of the ocean after landing, the mechanism spotted aboard would appear to be a small departure, likely instead making use of a net to catch the fairing.

Mr. Steven is located on the West Coast and is almost certainly preparing for the imminent launch of the fourth group of Iridium-NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, presently scheduled for liftoff at 5:27pm, December 22. Of note, Iridium-4 will fly atop a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster, last active during the launch of Iridium-2 in June 2017, an elegant symmetry for the satellite communications company.

Given that only one such modified vessel has been spotted at this point, it can be assumed that this recovery effort is an experimental test meant to only attempt the capture of one half of the payload fairing. There is also a remote possibility that SpaceX intends to stagger the recovery of each half such that technicians aboard Mr. Steven are able to quickly move the first fairing out of the way before snagging the second. SpaceX certainly is known to move quickly with hardware development and testing, but the recovery of two fairings on the same vessel seems more likely to be a future improvement that will follow mastery of a single recovery at a time.

Mr. Steven’s fairing grabber adds to SpaceX’s collection of intriguing, unorthodox robotic and mechanical solutions to brand new problems on the cutting edge of reusable rocketry, following in the footsteps of Of Course I Still Love You‘s robotic stage securer, Roomba/Octagrabber. Undoubtedly, the fan mills are already churning out potential nicknames for the newfound fairing grabber as we speak, and it will be thrilling to see or at least hear official confirmation of it in action, hopefully following the successful recovery of half of the Iridium-4 mission’s payload fairing this Friday.

SpaceX recovery boat spotted with huge claw-like “fairing grabber”

Output: The cost of rocket missions by US company SpaceX could be reduced by around $5m if it is successful in plans to make more of the launch vehicle reusable and the firm has been developing technology that would enable it to recover the discarded payload fairing, a major part of the its rocket. An elaborate mechanism with claw-like appendages has recently been seen on a ship chartered by SpaceX off the west coast of the US, and is thought to be being prepared for a fairing recovery attempt after a planned Falcon 9 rocket launch.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

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Media transparency fallout helps smaller agencies win accounts
 When Capital One hired independent agency The7stars earlier this month, the advertiser’s brand director Katy Lomax hailed the agency’s “transparent approach” to media buying. Less than a week later, food-delivery company Deliveroo echoed that sentiment, calling the agency “compelling.” Both advertisers’ decisions to opt for The7stars rather than big holding groups illustrate that a network agency’s loss is now an independent shop’s gain.

The last 12 months have seen a steady flow of media budgets into independent agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. Of the £11 billion ($14.7 billion) of media billings tracked by research firm Comvergence across 21 markets including the U.S., Germany and India over the first nine months of the year, around £2.1 billion ($2.8 billion) was assigned to independent media agencies. One-third (16) of the 42 accounts analyzed in the first six months moved to an independent shop, including Honda’s £449 million ($600 million) to Horizon Media and Sprint’s £516 million ($690 million) to RPA. Comvergence estimated independent agencies mainly concentrated in the U.S. would win a further £224 million to £300 million ($300 million to $400 million) in the last three months of the year.

Independent agencies are benefiting from the transparency crisis, said Paul Wright, CEO at media-buying platform Iotec.

That benefit is being felt in the U.K., where the likes of The7stars that have offered independent alternatives for over 10 years now have the scale to take on large clients from the big agency groups. While full disclosure, audit rights and media at net costs may provide reassurances, the web of self-interest can run incredibly deep, meaning advertisers receive no guarantee of neutrality when it comes to strategic recommendations. “Companies like The7stars are winning larger accounts, thanks to having always had open, transparent models and therefore not being part of the problem,” Wright said.

Transparency has been pushed to the top of the agenda in 2017, and there is no doubt the talk is turning into action, said Jenny Biggam, CEO and co-founder of The7stars. She added that independent agencies are profiting from enlightened advertisers increasingly looking beyond the larger networks. “Billings in the independent sector were already up 10 percent in the year before some further big wins more recently, which indicates the trend is set to continue into 2018,” she said.

But independent agencies will continue to benefit only if marketers are prepared to pay for transparency. For all the threats and demands made by some of the world’s biggest advertisers, few have openly said they’re willing to pay more for quality. It might seem counterproductive to put a premium on honesty. Mark Butterfield, marketing consultant and former consulting firm executive, has debated whether that means there’s a separate price for dishonesty. Yet rightly or wrongly, it seems like transparency comes at a premium. If agencies, many of which are struggling to offset shrinking budgets, are to be incentivized to stop making money from undisclosed fees, then advertisers must pay them more to close those options down. You only get what you pay for, said Darren Woolley, founder and global CEO at marketing consultant TrinityP3. In some cases, this is a flat commission or markup, he added, while in others it’s a flat fee or retainer. Both of these remuneration models are supported by some type of performance bonus, added Woolley.

One advertiser wise to the transparent approach is Barclays. Earlier this year, the bank reviewed its £60 million ($80 million) global media account. Unlike other media reviews, Barclays told the participating agencies it would pay more to see how its money is being used to buy media, according to two sources. OMD eventually won the account from GroupM. OMD will have to be extremely careful with what it does with the bank’s money. Both Barclays and OMD declined to comment.

If more brands follow in Barclays footsteps, then the independent shops could start to look more attractive to the big-spending brands. Momentum, both in pitch rooms and in the press, seems to be with the independent shops going into the new year as their larger counterparts struggle to adapt business models under attack on all fronts. Both Capital One and Deliveroo, two of The7stars’ biggest wins since it launched in 2005, came in the wake of the agency’s much publicized support of a strict contract template from advertiser trade body ISBA in the U.K., which is designed to ensure greater transparency in a more fragmented ad market. While the big network agencies made no secret of their frustration toward what they deemed another squeeze on their margins, The7stars did the opposite, subsequently benefiting from the PR even if the restrictive contract hurt its bottom line in the short term.

Fundamentally, it’s about making investments that are right for the client and building trust, said Biggam. In transparent media-buying situations, agencies may be paid more for their services and expertise, but “ultimately, the net cost of media is lower to the advertiser because media owners aren’t paying the agency a big slice of the cost of space,” she added.

Winning larger media accounts won’t be easy for independent agencies. The recent closure of the U.K. office for Blackwood Seven, a Danish startup that tried to replace media agencies with an artificial intelligence platform that could plan and buy media, is a testament to that. Any agency coming into the market fresh like Blackwood Seven will find it “difficult” due to lack of infrastructure, said Dan Pimm, co-founder and director at December 19, and the lack of its own client case studies, which offer potential clients piece of mind about working with an agency. The difficulty for independents is building from bottom up rapidly, Pimm added.

Although independent agencies are on the rise, established businesses will take advantage of the current climate, while newer shops will have to work hard and be patient for success.

Output: Smaller agencies approach the new year with increased momentum as the media transparency crisis envelops larger agencies and advertiser spend on independents increases. Research firm Comvergence tracked media billings from 21 markets over the first nine months of 2017 and found that $2.8bn had been assigned to independent agencies. In addition, 16 of the 42 accounts analysed in the year to June moved to an independent agency. This year smaller agencies won large advertiser contracts, with The7stars taking on Capital One and Deliveroo and OMD working with Barclays, with their "open, transparent models” credited as the reason for their success.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Musk tweets photos of Falcon Heavy rocket before its first launch
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SpaceX founder Elon Musk unveiled a tantalizing first glimpse at his company's new megarocket — the Falcon Heavy — which is expected to launch on its maiden flight next month.

In an early morning Twitter post, Musk revealed several views of the new rocket under assembly inside SpaceX's hangar at Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The images show stunning views of the Falcon Heavy from above and one imposing shot of the rocket's 27 first-stage engines, nine on each of its three main boosters. [SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket in Images]

"Falcon Heavy at the Cape," Musk wrote in the Twitter post.

SpaceX's first Falcon Heavy rocket, a massive heavy-lift launch vehicle, is seen during assembly ahead of its first test flight from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket's first flight is expected in January 2018. (Image credit: SpaceX/Elon Musk)

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is a heavy-lift launch vehicle powered by two first-stage boosters from the company's Falcon 9 rockets and a central core booster that itself is a modified Falcon 9. The rocket will stand 230 feet (70 meters) tall when complete and is designed to launch payloads of up to 119,000 lbs. (57 metric tons) into space.

The 27 engines of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket are front and center during assembly in this photo tweeted by Elon Musk on Dec. 20, 2017. (Image credit: SpaceX/Elon Musk)

The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful U.S. rocket since NASA's Saturn V moon rocket and is capable of launching twice as much payload as the current record-holder, the Delta IV Heavy built by United Launch Alliance. SpaceX's rocket is also designed to be reusable, with the three core boosters built to fly back to Earth and land like SpaceX's current Falcon 9 rockets. The company test-fired the Falcon Heavy's core stage for the first time earlier this year, in May.

Musk has said that Falcon Heavy's first payload will be his own midnight-cherry-red Tesla Roadster, launched on a trajectory aimed for Mars orbit. However, Musk has said that there's a fair chance the rocket could fail on its debut test flight. The Falcon Heavy is expected to perform its first static-fire test on Pad 39A by the end of 2017, SpaceX representatives have said.

SpaceX also plans to use a Falcon Heavy and Dragon space capsule to launch two passengers around the moon by the end of 2018.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Output: Pictures of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket being prepared for launch have been released by the company's founder, Elon Musk. The entrepreneur posted the photos on Twitter from the company's hangar at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The private space exploration company is planning to launch the reusable rocket next month on its maiden flight and said it is the most powerful US rocket since the Saturn V moon rocket. It has 27 engines and can carry a 57-tonne payload. Musk acknowledged there was a significant risk the launch might not go according to plan.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
New chip could make quantum computing as ubiquitous as mobiles
 One of the biggest stumbling blocks to the adoption of quantum computing on a grand scale may have just been overcome.

The onset of quantum computing on a scale of what we see today with smartphones could potentially usher in a new technological and scientific age, but getting there has proven extremely difficult.

While tech giants such as IBM and Google have their own quantum computers capable of performing millions of tasks a second compared with standard computers, they had yet to put this technology into a silicon chip.

That was until a team of researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) published a paper in Nature Communications, revealing a new chip design that can be manufactured using mostly standard industry processes and components.

“We often think of landing on the moon as humanity’s greatest technological marvel,” said Andrew Dzurak, who led the research.

“But creating a microprocessor chip with a billion operating devices integrated together to work like a symphony – that you can carry in your pocket – is an astounding technical achievement, and one that’s revolutionised modern life.”

The design is capable of handling millions of quantum bits (qubits), but using the same turning on and off operations of bits in standard microprocessors.

Unlike a standard bit, a qubit can be either a one, zero or an arbitrary combination of the two at the same time, allowing for substantially more processing power at once.

To solve complex problems, a useful universal quantum computer will need a large number of qubits, possibly millions, because all types of qubits we know are fragile, and even tiny errors can be quickly amplified into wrong answers.

Corporations now tapping in

So, to overcome this, Dzurak and the team created error-correcting codes that employ multiple qubits to store a single piece of data.

“Our chip blueprint incorporates a new type of error-correcting code designed specifically for spin qubits, and involves a sophisticated protocol of operations across the millions of qubits,” he said.

“It’s the first attempt to integrate into a single chip all of the conventional silicon circuitry needed to control and read the millions of qubits needed for quantum computing.”

While there are more modifications to the design expected to come, the UNSW team’s breakthrough is still substantial to bring the power of a quantum computer into one chip, which can be scaled up without needing to create a massive unit to house it.

In the meantime, IBM has announced that 12 major corporations, research labs and industry giants have signed up to its early-access commercial quantum computing systems to explore practical applications to business and science.

“Working closely with our clients, together we can begin to explore the ways big and small quantum computing can address previously unsolvable problems applicable to industries such as financial services, automotive or chemistry,” said Dario Gil, vice-president of AI and IBM Q at IBM Research.

Output: University of South Wales (UNSW) researchers may have found a solution to making quantum computing as widespread as mobile phones. They've devised a silicon microprocessor chip that can be made using many standard industry parts but still carry out the vast amount of tasks of quantum computers that currently fill entire rooms. It can process millions of quantum bits (qubits) of data, but only requires the on/off facilities of standard microprocessors.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Space is not a 'global commons', says Trump official
 The US is now dedicated to “long-term exploration and utilization” of the moon, but in practice that goal will be shaped more by a scramble of private companies than any mission executed by NASA alone.

Last week, Donald Trump refocused the US space agency on returning astronauts to the moon. But without significant increases in public spending on NASA’s deep-space hardware, the US government is unlikely to reach the surface of the moon or establish a permanent base there during Trump’s term in office.

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Instead, the White House is embracing companies that are racing to develop low-cost methods to find and exploit resources on the moon and other astronomical bodies, whose activities and interests will shape future rules about space activity. International law, mostly in the form of the 1967 Outer Space treaty, doesn’t have hard and fast guidelines for what private organizations can do outside the atmosphere, and nations are simply charged with managing missions that launch from their territory.

Countries like the United States that want to encourage private activity in space are changing their own laws to create a regulatory framework for making money in orbit and beyond. Trump’s space advisers say they will clear the path for space business.

What’s allowed in space?

“It bears repeating: Outer space is not a ‘global commons,’ not the ‘common heritage of mankind,’ not ‘res communis,’ nor is it a public good,” Scott Pace, the executive director of the US National Space Council, said in a speech last week (pdf). “These concepts are not part of the Outer Space Treaty, and the United States has consistently taken the position that these ideas do not describe the legal status of outer space.”

Pace says the Trump administration will work with other governments and international organizations to develop fair rules for space, but that the goal is for the US to become “the most attractive jurisdiction in the world for private-sector investment and innovation in outer space…the task for the United States, if it wishes to influence how space is developed and utilized, is to create attractive projects and frameworks in which other nations choose to align themselves and their space activities with us, as opposed to others.”

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One apparently attractive project: robots that can land on the lunar surface and then return samples to Earth. Startups working on such tech have sprung up around the globe, many motivated by the Google Lunar X-Prize, which will award $20 million to a team that can put a robot on the moon. Though the prize was supposed to expire at the end of this year, its participants have received another extension, through March 2018.

Last week, Japanese startup iSpace collected $90 million from its backers to support two robotic missions to the moon. In the US, Moon Express has three lunar missions planned for the years ahead, and Astrobotic says it will put a robot on the moon in 2019. An Israeli lunar team, SpaceIL, is trying to raise $7.5 million in a Hanukkah-themed fundraiser, while TeamIndus in India is resorting to crowdfunding to come up with $35 million.

Space capitalism

While not all of these efforts are expected to succeed on time, they are part of a broader ecosystem of space startups catalyzed by major players like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which recently updated its next-generation rocket to include lunar transit capabilities; and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which says it will invest significant capital into a moon lander as part of a NASA partnership.

NASA is already partnering with three companies—Masten Space Systems, Astrobotic and Moon Express—to develop lander technology.

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The space agency is “encouraging a natural economic ecosystem to exist that doesn’t have to be a solely government-supported activity,” Jason Crusan, who leads the program to develop advanced exploration technology for NASA, told Quartz in October. “We don’t have a date to supply cargo to the moon, we don’t know what the economic market is going to grow to be…hopefully, we can be a customer among many.”

The groundwork for such an ecosystem was laid by previous US presidents, who embraced public-private partnerships to carry cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station with companies like SpaceX, Boeing, Orbital ATK, and Sierra Nevada. SpaceX launched its 17th orbital mission last week.

In 2015, thanks in part to lobbying from space mining startups like Planetary Resources, Congress passed a law that allows US companies to own anything they bring back from space, while skirting legal controversy about owning anything—like a plot on the moon or an asteroid—in space. Last year, US regulators greenlit Moon Express’ plans to land on the lunar surface.

“Only three superpowers have ever landed on any planet—we will become the fourth superpower,” Moon Express co-founder and chairman Naveen Jain said at the time.

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The US is not the only country encouraging space capitalism: Luxembourg wrote a new law to favor space mining and invested $28 million in Planetary Resources. “People tend to over-predict what will happen in the next year or two, but we under-predict what’s possible in the next five or 10 years,” Planetary Resources CEO Chris Lewicki told Quartz last year.

Space race, again

These new laws are not without controversy. Some nations argue for a stricter interpretation of international law that would prevent any conception of private property in space. More practically, experts are concerned that national laws pushing the current system too far could spark a backlash or a pernicious race to claim space assets. Russian officials recently said they will bring their own framework on space resources to a 2018 UN meeting to push back against the US and Luxembourg.

The most ambitious plan to return to the moon currently belongs to China, which plans to put people on the moon by 2036, after a robust robotic exploration effort. That goal, however peaceful it is portrayed, has US military officials nervously re-thinking their approach to space as a war-fighting domain. Space entrepreneurs certainly aren’t afraid to use the specter of a Red Moon to urge more backing for their work.

Even as the US aims to match the Chinese space program—a recasting of past, geopolitically motivated space contests—its space program is going through an evolution of its own. While tensions over limited funding sometimes threaten to cast NASA and space startups as competitors, the reality is that most of these companies depend on NASA for funding and expertise. And NASA, now more than ever, is dependent on private innovation to accomplish fundamental tasks in space.

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The flood of money into private space projects, combined with a president eager to facilitate them, could mean the next US spacecraft to land gently on the lunar surface will be owned by a corporation, not the commonweal.

Output: The Trump administration has reaffirmed the United States's view that outer space does not have the legal status of "global commons" or of being a public good. The head of the US National Space Council, Scott Pace, made the comment as he outlined the Trump administration's plans to incentivise private investment in space exploration. Trump has recently refocused NASA on returning to the moon, while a range of private companies and other countries also seek to land robots there. China is planning a manned mission by 2036, raising the prospect of a new "space race" with the US.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Solution Seeker's bespoke AI optimises oil and gas production
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Solution Seeker has developed a hierarchical neural network model that significantly improves the predictive power for real time production optimisation (illustration: Solution Seeker)

Solution Seeker, a Norwegian tech start-up, has had a breakthrough in the technical development of its artificial intelligence for real time oil and gas production optimisation. After several years of research on machine learning algorithms running on oil and gas production data, Solution Seeker has developed a hierarchical neural network model that significantly improves the predictive power for real time production optimisation. The model leverages the power of neural network learning algorithms combined with domain knowledge in the form of first principle physics and production system logic.

“Traditional, out-of-the-box machine learning algorithms are not sufficient for the oil production optimisation problem; the dynamics of producing oilfields are changing both with time and control settings, making it a highly challenging problem to predict optimal operational decisions. Furthermore, data may be both sparse and highly uncertain. We concluded early on that we had to develop our own purpose made models, and we are very pleased to announce that we have successfully developed models with the predictive capabilities required for real time production optimisation,” says Bjarne Grimstad, CTO at Solution Seeker.

The neural network takes further advantage of Solution Seeker’s proprietary algorithms for data analysis, which automatically extract and prepare suitable training data from the production data history. New training data is generated in real time as the system is operated, and the neural network model learns to adapt to the changing operational conditions with minimal human intervention.

“This is a significant breakthrough and completes our integrated artificial intelligence for real time production optimisation. We are looking forward to bringing the power of AI to our clients – it’s an AI for the production engineer to leverage!” adds Vidar Gunnerud, the company’s Founder and CEO.

The learning algorithms will first be deployed at ENGIE E&P’s Gjøa field and Wintershall’s Vega field early next year.

The full stack AI deploys a three-step Solution Seeker proprietary technology pipeline, from data analytics to machine learning to optimisation. The data analytics algorithms perform automatic pattern recognition, classification, statistical analysis and compression of thousands of live data streams. The learning algorithm then identifies field behaviour and relations, and enables estimation of parameters, correlations and quantification of uncertainty before automatically generating predictive models while continuously learning from new production data. Finally, Solution Seeker’s proprietary optimisation algorithm provides a framework for scalable optimisation on the predictive, stochastic models.

The AI makes use of the very best available technologies, such as Google’s TensorFlow for machine learning, and is powered by cloud computing technologies to achieve reliability and performance.

Output: A Norwegian technology start-up has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of helping to optimise oil and gas production in real time. Solution Seeker created the bespoke system after it found existing machine-learning algorithms were unable to cope with the constantly changing dynamics of oil production. The new model uses the company's own algorithms for data analysis and adapts to changing operational conditions with limited need for human intervention. It has been described by the company as a "significant breakthrough" and will be applied in a number of oilfields early next year.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Moody's uses CompStak data to assess property deals risk
 Every decision in life can be boiled down to two criteria, risk and reward. They go hand in hand in determining the midpoint between expected gains and possible losses, an intersection that we all know as value. Due to an intrinsic value that comes from being a suitable location for humans to live and produce, real estate has been one of the most important global asset classes. The limited risk that comes with a desirable property is a major factor in its price and allows debt to be borrowed against it.

For commercial real estate, knowing the reward is often easy. Many properties are bought while leases are already in place. It is almost like buying a set of cash flows, the rates of return are fairly certain. The risk side of the equation can be harder to understand. To know how risky a property is, especially one with debt against it, calculations have to be made using the probability of default and the amount that would be able to be recovered if a default occurred. That last part, the amount that someone stands to lose, is called the loss given default and it is not as easy to determine as you might think. Commercial properties are considered rather illiquid since they take time to sell. Because of this the loss given default also has to take into account how much of a discount a building must be sold for in order to recover money in a timely fashion.

Assessing risk is such an important thing that the companies whose business it is to do so have tremendous power. One of those companies is Moody’s. They have been around since the turn of the century when the founder John Moody produced the first list of statistics related to stocks and bonds. Now they rate everything from countries to individual portfolios and a downgrade by them can have incredible effects on the value of even the largest assets.

To do this they compile massive amounts of data from all corners of the economy. They have one of the most comprehensive sets of economic insights that can be accessed by their analytics site economy.com.

But even rating giants like Moody’s don’t have all the data. One of those important yet opaque data sets is commercial real estate lease info. There is no public record for the lease agreements and industry professionals have long protected their internal information as if it was their secret recipe. For a long time, it was.

That is until recently when a few startups took on the audacious goal of trying to get brokers and owners to share their info. One of the most successful companies to do this is New York-based CompStak. Rather than buying or selling data, the idea behind CompStak was to give brokers, appraisers and researchers in CRE brokerage firms access to lease comps,, as long as they provided some comps of their own. Everyone always knew that the best data would have to be comprehensive, CompStak was the company that figured out how to facilitate the exchange.

Not to be left in the dark, Moody’s has now invested in and partnered with CompStak to start using its data to help better assess commercial real estate risk. This is especially important for Moody’s because they are one of the leading agencies in charge of calculating risk and assigning ratings to commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS). Their Loss Given Default model, Commercial Mortgage Metrics (CMM) is used by lenders across the board, whose portfolios include both securitized and non securitized assets.

The world of commercial mortgage backed securities is large and rapidly changing. CBRE estimates that the CMBS market reached $38 billion at the end of the second quarter of this year. It is also one of the segments of the financial sector targeted by the Dodd-Frank act, which was written as a reaction to the mortgage backed security crises that shook the world’s economy to its core.

I had a chance to talk to Michael Mandel, CEO and founder of CompStak, about this recent partnership. He told me that he had been talking about the idea with the Moody’s Analytics team for a while but it wasn’t until recently that they decided to formalize an agreement. “Moody’s recently created their Emerging Business Unit with a focus on working with new technologies to make investments into areas that could be applied to financial services,” he told me, adding, “they decided to do something in commercial real estate because they saw that it was a place ripe for innovation and the timing just seemed right.”

Moody’s Analytics will be better able to understand what a building’s earning potential is by using CompStak’s aggregated comparable data. The partnership, which consists of a data licensing agreement and investment in Compstak, will help both companies expand the reach of their offerings. As Michael told me, “They have a lot of the same customers as we do, just different departments. They sell to risk groups at banks, which is a market that we have not gotten to previously.” It will no doubt help Moody’s Analytics that many commercial real estate brokers, appraisers and owners are now looking a little more closely at the analytics that they put out.

While he was tight lipped, Michael did also tell me that they were working on a number of products that would use data from both CompStak and Moody’s. “We are working on things that help you better understand markets by leveraging wide data sets.”

Besides the clout associated with a partner like Moody’s Michael did notice an unexpected benefit. “We got a lot of attention from a Moody’s press release alone. They have so many people watching their every move that they can reach a large audience with no more than a simple announcement,” he said.

Assessing risk is hard. So hard that the world leaves the heavy lifting to a handful of companies like Moody’s. Determining the probability of future events based off of historical data is easier now than ever. Advances in computing and analytical modeling have enabled many to peer a little further into the proverbial crystal ball. The only way to improve on this effort is to have the most diverse and comprehensive data set. Only when new inputs are brought in, can further correlation be found. Now, thanks to CompStak, Moody’s is a little closer to seeing what risk the future holds for the world’s commercial real estate.

Output: Rating giant Moody's has signed a data licensing agreement with, and invested in, New York-based firm CompStak. The deal enables Moody's to use CompStak's aggregated lease comparable data to help it assess commercial property risk and provide more accurate ratings for commercial mortgage-backed securities. The two companies are also working on products that use broad datasets to enable customers to gain a greater understanding of markets, according to Michael Mandel, CompStak's CEO.


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AI firm One Concern predicts natural disasters, secures $20m
 Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11-12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More

One Concern today announced that it has closed a $20 million funding round to “future proof the world,” according to a company spokesperson. The funding will be used for research and development as One Concern expands its use of machine learning to predict and mitigate the impact of natural disasters like fires, floods, and hurricanes after they happen.

Predictive AI from One Concern, called Seismic Concern, currently focuses on earthquake preparedness and response. For example, AI models trained with information about building structural integrity and seismic activity are deployed to help cities know where to dispatch emergency workers after an earthquake. Demographics of people impacted, such as age and economic status, are also provided.

One Concern currently partners with cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, the company said.

“Our AI-based technology will assign a unique, verified ‘digital fingerprint’ to every natural or manmade element, from the smallest rock to complete structures to mega cities and eventually, the entire planet,” cofounder Ahmad Wani said in a Medium post today. “One Concern will provide insights across the entire time horizon — whether it’s days before a flood, minutes after an earthquake, or forward-looking policy and planning.”

Image Credit: One Concern

The $20 million round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from Geodesic Capital and individuals like former CIA director David Petraeus and SV Angel founder Ron Conway.

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Advisors contributing to One Concern’s human intelligence to complement AI include Petraeus, OpenGov cofounder Nate Levine, and former Rockefeller Foundation director Judith Rodin. Former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate joined the One Concern team earlier this year.

One Concern was established in 2015. The company has 35 employees and is based in Palo Alto, California.

Clarification: The original version of this story called former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate an advisor to One Concern, however Fugate is a One Concern employee.

Output: Predictive AI firm One Concern has just closed a $20m funding round, backed by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Geodesic Capital and individuals including former CIA director David Petraeus. Following the announcement, a spokesperson for the company stated this will help "future proof the world". The company uses AI and machine learning to predict a variety of natural disaster impacts. For example, its Seismic Concern team examines earthquake preparedness and response, helping with the efficient dispatch of emergency workers. For now, the company looks at the United States with a focus on LA and San Francisco.


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Publishers disappointed with financial return on viewable ads
 Publishers are bending to the will of advertisers to make their ads more viewable, but some publishers are finding the payoff isn’t as great as they anticipated.

Over the past year and a half, advertisers have continually pounded their fists, demanding that they’ll only buy ads that are guaranteed to be seen by a user. The push for viewability gave the impression that advertisers would spend branding campaign dollars with publishers that had highly viewable ads, said Erik Requidan, vp of programmatic strategy at Intermarkets, which helps publishers including Drudge Report and The Political Insider market their ad inventory to buyers.

Instead, the sites Requidan works with continue to be relegated to getting performance-based ads, he said. Those sites might see a few dollars increase in their CPMs if they boost their viewability, but big-brand dollars haven’t materialized.

“If something is 90 percent viewable, shouldn’t that unlock a whole lot more money or a bigger price point?” he asked.

When listicle publisher Ranker tweaked its site layout last year, page-load time went down 60 percent and average viewability rates doubled from 35 percent to 70 percent. Those factors helped Ranker increase its average CPMs by about 75 percent, but the prices of its least and most viewable ads don’t differ much.

Ranker’s ad viewability ranges from 62 to 82 percent. But there’s only a 13 percent difference in the CPMs for these ad units, said Ranker CEO Clark Benson. Given how much advertisers and their tech vendors emphasize that campaigns perform better when ads are 80 percent viewable, Benson expected Ranker’s most viewable ad units to command a higher price.

“So far, the promise of viewability quickly filtering out bad actors and improving yields for the good ones seems to be only a half-kept one,” he said.

It’s a similar story elsewhere. Stephanie Layser, vp of ad tech and operations at News Corp, said there’s no significant difference in price between the publisher’s least and most viewable ads. Remedy Health Media, the publisher of health sites like HealthCentral and TheBody.com, has seen little lift in its ad rates since increasing its viewability, said Aryeh Lebeau, evp of client operations there.

Some publishers said they’re satisfied with the pricing lift they’re getting for highly viewable ads, which is a function of their expectations of their advertisers.

Lebeau wasn’t bothered by the lack of lift in ad rates because advertisers never promised Remedy higher rates in exchange for higher viewability.

A programmatic specialist at a comScore 200 entertainment publisher, requesting anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to share financial details, said a 30 percentage-point lift in viewability at his company’s websites tends to increase CPMs by about 20 percent. This person emphasized that it’s difficult to isolate viewability’s impact on ad rates, so these figures are rough estimates. The source still felt his company was being compensated fairly for its highly viewable ad placements.

Another source, Danny Khatib, CEO of 100 percent programmatic publisher Granite Media, said high viewability rates can boost Granite’s CPMs by a few dollars, which he saw as significant.

“We never expected new branding budgets to come online solely because of viewability improvements,” he said. “That seems like wishful thinking.”

In an Integral Ad Science survey of more than 1,000 advertisers, 68 percent of respondents said they transact on viewability and another 25 percent said they wanted to do so. Although buyers are regularly transacting on viewable metrics, viewability is less likely to influence ad rates if it isn’t a primary KPI.

The reason rates haven’t risen right along with viewability has to do with how programmatic buying works. David Lee, programmatic lead at media-buying agency The Richards Group, said that even in a private marketplace setup, most buyers don’t place bids on individual publishers but place bids across hundreds, if not thousands, of sites at a time.

So if viewability is being used as a secondary KPI, then buyers’ bids will be restricted to the publishers that meet a certain viewability threshold. But since buyers aren’t bidding on individual publishers, they’re not intentionally setting out to pay specific publishers more based on their viewability gains. And since viewability rates are rising across the industry, publisher improvements in viewability are less likely to increase publishers’ CPMs than they were a year ago.

Another issue with rising viewability is that in an effort to appease advertisers, many publishers are doing whatever they can to make sure their ads are viewed just long enough to be counted as viewable. Most viewable ads are in view for just one second, according to IAS data. That amount of time happens to be the standard the Media Rating Council uses to define viewability.

As publishers increased their volume of viewable ads by refreshing pages, sticking ads in photo galleries and using interstitials, users got turned off and buyers caught on. IAS found that the average time that a desktop display impression was in view declined from 9.8 seconds in May 2016 to 7.7 seconds in May 2017.

“We’ve seen some publishers game the system in using ad placements that provide a less than optimal consumer experience but have higher rates of viewability,” said Stephani Estes, svp of media strategy at ad agency Cramer-Krasselt. “In those instances, we’re not willing to pay more for higher viewability.”

It’s understandable that publishers get miffed by low returns on highly viewable ads. But in programmatic environments, the highest CPMs come from programmatic direct deals, not the open exchange. And to entice ad buyers to set these deals up, publishers need to have viewability rates above 65 percent, according to three publisher sources.

Viewability isn’t necessarily a way to lift rates, said Mort Greenberg, svp of ad sales at Sightline Media Group, which owns government-focused sites like Federal Times and Military Times. “However,” he added, “high viewability will keep you on a plan.”

Output: Despite making accommodations to make ads more viewable, publishers are finding that the financial results may not be worth the appeal for advertisers. With advertisers demanding guaranteed viewings in exchange for large purchases, publishers expected higher value campaigns for better viewability. Instead, publishers are being restricted to performance-based ads, rather than seeing big brand interest. The price difference between highly viewable and not as viewable ads is minimal, despite an emphasis on the former for business.


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NASA to choose between final two for 2025 New Frontier mission
 Would you like NASA to fly a drone across Saturn’s largest moon, or to send a probe to collect samples from a duck-shaped comet?

From a dozen proposals to the agency’s New Frontiers competition — not unlike an interplanetary “Shark Tank” for a forthcoming robotic mission — NASA announced these two finalists on Wednesday.

“It’s one of the most difficult programs to be selected for,” said James L. Green, director of the planetary science division at NASA. “We fly only about two of these types of missions per decade.”

In the first proposed mission, Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return, or Caesar, a spacecraft would go to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, previously explored by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, and bring back a small chunk to Earth for closer study.

Output: Nasa has revealed the two finalists for its New Frontiers competition. Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return aims to explore a comet previously studied by the Rosetta mission and return a sample to Earth by 2038. Dragonfly is a project to use a drone to explore the varied terrains of Saturn's biggest moon, Titan. Both teams will be funded to the tune of $4m to develop their schemes, while Nasa will reveal the outright winner in 2019, with the mission launch planned for 2025.


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Facebook introduces facial recognition to stop online impersonation
 That same facial-recognition software that simplifies the process of tagging Facebook photos will soon help make sure your photo isn’t being used as a stranger’s profile picture. On Tuesday, December 19, the company announced new (but optional) Facebook facial recognition tools, along with a handful of new options designed to help curb harassment.

The first tool uses the same software that automatically tags you in photos to look for you in someone else’s profile picture. The tool is designed to combat social media impersonation. If you have the facial-recognition tool turned on, you will get a notification if Facebook spots your face in someone else’s profile picture.

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Facebook will also begin to send users notifications if they detect your mug in a photo that wasn’t tagged. The option, Facebook says, allows users to choose whether or not to tag themselves or to reach out to the posting user with concerns. The catch? You will only get a notification if the image was shared either publicly or in a group you are included in, so the privacy settings of the photo aren’t violated.

While users could turn facial recognition on and off before, Facebook is also simplifying the setting with a single control based on user feedback. Now, users can choose whether to use the facial recognition with one setting rather than setting all of the subcategories. The tools are also launching with expanded systems for visually impaired users that will now include names in the alt-text tool that describes what’s in a photo.

Facebook’s facial-recognition tools have been around since 2010. Earlier this year, Facebook launched other profile photo tools with a similar goal to protect users. The newest tools are rolling out soon, excluding Canada and the European Union, where facial recognition isn’t currently available.

Along with the facial-recognition tools, Facebook today also introduced new options designed for combatting harassment by preventing second accounts from a blocked user from contact and launching options for ignoring (but not blocking) messages.

For users that block a harasser, Facebook is working to help make sure the same person doesn’t create a second account to attempt to contact them after being blocked. The tool works by looking at different signals, such as the IP address, that suggests the new friend request or message is coming from someone the user has already blocked.

A new ignore feature for messages now allows users to stop receiving notifications for new messages without blocking the user entirely. Ignored messages also disable the tool that shows the sender when the messages have been read. The messages are moved to a filtered folder, where they can still be accessed.

The new tools for preventing harassment are a result of working with organizations and safety experts, including groups for domestic violence survivors, as well as discussing the tools with journalists, Facebook said.

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Output: Facebook is using the facial recognition technology that enables users to tag people in photos to prevent their images being used by someone else. The optional feature is a bid to curb impersonation on the social media site, and when activated, will see Facebook send notifications to users whose images have appeared on someone else's profile. However, the features only works for images that are shared publicly or among a group a user is a part of.


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Pathway for challenger banks could be improved: FinTech Australia
 FinTech Australia has provided a comment on the consultation paper published in August regarding authorising new entrants into the banking industry. The creation of digital challenger banks in Australia is a welcomed move but, according to FinTech Australia, needs some improvement.

The discussion paper proposes that new banking entrants, known as “Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions” (ADIs) can apply for a “restricted ADI licence”. Under this restricted ADI licence, new banking entrants may take up to $2 million in deposits with an individual limit of $250,000 per depositor over a maximum period of two years, while maintaining a minimum of $3 million plus wind-down costs in reserve capital (or 20% of total assets, whichever is greater). It is expected the restricted ADI licence-holder would remain within these limits while developing the full range of capabilities necessary to graduate toward a full bank licence.

The FinTech Australia submission with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) welcomes the pathway, stating “it is our belief that many innovative new challengers will benefit from this new pathway, and from being able to successfully test their new services with consumers.”

However, the group believes the proposals fall short. In fact, the APRA suggestions could be improved by including the following:

Boosting the deposit limit to $5 million, given that new challenger banks should easily breach the proposed $2 million limit particularly if they are targeting business customers

Allowing challenger banks to operate with a restricted licence for three rather than two years, given they are unlikely to be able to raise the required $5-7 million in capital to operate if the two-year limit remains in place

Setting up an innovation hub within APRA to solicit and facilitate applications

Providing an improved definition of what is considered an eligible “low risk” activity during the restricted licensing period

Consider creating two pathways for challenger banks – one for new startup companies and another for existing and mature “low risk” financial services

Considering splitting the proposed $80,000 entrant fee across the three-year testing period

FinTech Australia CEO Danielle Szetho said a few improvements and the pathway could create a path for some much needed competition.

“Australia has one of the most concentrated banking industries in the world, and a large number of struggling small traditional banks. So a regime to encourage increased competition from new digital-first challengers is badly needed. New entrants to the banking industry will bring a fresh, innovative mindset to this industry and in doing this will provide consumers and businesses with increased choice and improved services,” said Szetho. “We think our suggestions will smooth the way for new digital challenger bank entrants to our banking industry, while at the same time ensure ongoing strong customer protections – including the ability for APRA to safely transition out underperforming ADIs.”

FinTech Australia says the Australian Government’s proposed new entrant pathway sits alongside other proposals to encourage increased banking competition, including:

Relaxing the current restriction on any one bank shareholder owning more than 15 per cent of the bank, which will make it easier for startups to become banks

Removing the prohibition on use of the term ‘bank’ in the names of authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) with less than $50 million in capital, so new challenger banks may also benefit from the reputational advantages of the term.

Banks around the world are struggling to adapt to their Fintech future. Legacy technology, far too many brick and mortar locations, combined with a risk averse culture means traditional banks are loathe to change. Allowing agile, Fintech startups to provide modern banking services in a mobile first platform should improve services while reducing cost for consumers and business. Isn’t that what APRA, and the Aussie government, wants?

Output: FinTech Australia has said that the regulatory pathway for "challenger banks" could be made easier with improvements, in response to proposed legislation from The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Under the legislation, ADIs would apply for a restricted license that allows them to take deposits up to $2m over a period of two years, maintaining a minimum of $3m plus wind-down costs in their reserve capital. APRA has said the pathway will make the way easier for businesses, but FinTech Australia believes the deposit limit should be $5m over a three year period.


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Sony chip unit eyes robotics, self-driving cars for image sensors
 The breakthrough, which involved reconfiguring the sensor layout and known as backside illumination, allowed Sony to grab nearly half of the market for image sensors. (Image Source: Reuters) The breakthrough, which involved reconfiguring the sensor layout and known as backside illumination, allowed Sony to grab nearly half of the market for image sensors. (Image Source: Reuters)

Sony Corp is poised to report its highest-ever profit this year on strong sales of image sensors after years of losing ground in consumer electronics and hopes to develop the technology for use in robotics and self-driving cars as competition heats up. The results will mark a significant turnaround for the conglomerate, once famed for leading the world in consumer gadgets such as its Walkman music player, but now finding a new focus on image sensors and gaming.

Sony forecasts that operating profit in the year through March will more than double to 630 billion yen ($5.6 billion) compared with the year earlier and expects the chips division, most of which is made up of the image sensors business, to be the conglomerate’s biggest growth driver. Executives say a technological breakthrough in image sensors and seachange in the company’s thinking are behind the success. The breakthrough, creating a sensor that captures more light to produce sharper images, coincided with soaring consumer demand for better smartphone cameras for sharing photos on social media.

The breakthrough, which involved reconfiguring the sensor layout and known as backside illumination, allowed Sony to grab nearly half of the market for image sensors.

“We knew we wouldn’t be able to win if we did what our rivals were doing,” said Teruo Hirayama, technology chief of Sony’s chip business, recalling initial scepticism around the technology that is now used widely. Japanese names such as Hitachi Ltd, NEC Corp and Fujitsu Ltd, which dominated mainstream chips through the late 1980s, have lost business to Asian rivals such as Samsung Electronics.

Output: Sony's chip division, buoyed by surging sales of its image sensors, is looking to incorporate the technology in self-driving cars and robotic applications. The division claims almost half the image sensor market and was the main driver behind parent Sony's estimated JPY630bn ($5.6bn) operating profit in the year to March -- more than double the previous year's figure. Divisional chief Terushi Shimizu said the unit had flourished because it had been able to operate independently of the parent company. However, the unit faces stiff competition from rivals Samsung and OmniVision Technologies.


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ISS receives barley shipment with a view to brewing beer in space
 Every few months, the International Space Station gets a rocket full of supplies from the surface containing everything from food to replacement parts to complex scientific experiments. Last week, a rocket sent one of these payloads to the ISS as usual, although it contained something a little different: a bunch of barley seeds, which the astronauts will grow in space as a precursor to brewing truly out-of-this-world beer.

Back in March, Budweiser made a pledge to become the first beer on Mars, and as the first step to achieving that goal the company is sending barley seeds into space. Once there, the ISS astronauts will attempt to grow them and study how the plants react to the zero-gravity environment.

This is part of a collaboration between Budweiser and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the U.S. National Laboratory aboard the ISS. As part of this collaboration, the ISS astronauts will perform two experiments with the barley seeds: The first will be a general study to see how well barley grows in space, while the second focuses on seed germination to determine if barley grows as quickly in space as it does on Earth.

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Once these experiments are completed, the barley plants will be shipped back down to Earth, where they will be analyzed by scientists on the ground. With any luck, those scientists will learn not only how to grow plants like barley in space, but also how to grow it better here on Earth.

We hope NASA’s next rocket has some hops.

Source: Food & Wine and Budweiser

Output: Astronauts on board the International Space Station will be growing barley seeds in the first step towards brewing beer in space. The project is a collaboration between beer manufacturer Budweiser and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which aims to find out if barley will grow in a zero-gravity environment. Any germinated plants will be sent back to Earth for analysis.


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WeWork settles trademark dispute with Chinese equivalent URWork
 The trademark dispute between US co-working behemoth WeWork and its Chinese counterpart URWork in the US has been settled to the satisfaction of both parties. A similar case between the two parties in London has also been withdrawn.

It seems that English name of the Chinese co-working giant—”URwork”—will only appear in China in the future. Outside China, the company will be branded with only its Chinese name, “You Ke Gong Chang” (优客工厂), a move the company has always planned as it claimed in court files.

The boom of co-working industry comes along with the rise of several regional dominators. As they are taking a global focus, competitions is heated. WeWork filed a suit in September after UrWork announced plans for several global hubs in New York, Los Angles, and London. The similarity in name and branding, and thus user confusion, were at the heart of its concerns.

Through a partnership with local partner Serendipity Labs, URwork managed to open a co-branded location in New York earlier this year. They also opened a 300-desk space at 16839 Gale Avenue, Los Angeles.

UrWork has withdrawn both trademark applications that were at issue in the case, for a logo with the letters “UR” on a circular background, as of December 15, according to The Real Deal.

In a statement from WeWork, the co-working company said that the parties had reached “an amicable resolution to the global dispute regarding the use of certain trademarks.” the report pointed out.

In fact, there have been early signs for a peaceful settlement at the beginning of this month. A picture taken at World Internet Conference in Wuzhen depicted perfect harmony between WeWork execs—co-founder Adam Neumann and vice chairman Michael Gross—and URwork founder Mao Daqing was widely circulated on Chinese social networks. A following tour of WeWork execs to URwork’s China locations drew the two firms to more friendly terms.

Likewise, the two co-working giants are facing similar competition in China. Luckily, top players in the industry are focusing diversified segments in the industry as the market evolves.

Output: Co-working companies WeWork and URWork have settled their trademark dispute, and withdrawn their London-based case. Chinese company URWork will only use that title in China, going under the name “You Ke Gong Chang” (优客工厂) in other locations to avoid confusion with WeWork. WeWork had filed the suit in the US in September 2017 after URWork announced its expansion into New York, London and Los Angeles.


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Panda excrement recycled into tissues in China
 Pandas are undeniably adorable, but would you wipe your mouth with tissues made from their feces? A paper manufacturer in China is betting on it, and thinks you’ll pay extra for the privilege.

Jianwei Fengsheng, based in the southwestern province of Sichuan—a panda hotspot—is collecting panda waste from a nearby conservation center and turning it into tissues and toilet paper, according to the Chengdu Business Daily (link in Chinese). Its panda-poop tissue sells for 10 to 20 times the price of the standard variety.

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The higher price is necessary to offset the cost of the many sterilization procedures, of which there about 60, manager Zhou Chuanping told the daily, including cleaning and steaming. They’re meant to ensure the products meet hygiene standards around the world. Zhou expects the tissues will gain a following among consumers with an environmental-protection mindset.

Turning the feces into paper helps reduce environmental pollution because the center—called the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda—would otherwise throw the feces away or use it as fertilizer, according to Huang Yan, director of animal research and management at the center. Huang told the newspaper that on average an adult panda consumes 12-15 kg (26-33 lbs) of bamboo a day, which turns into 10 kg of feces—known as “qingtuan” for its green color and round shape (“qing” means green, “tuan” a round pile).

The company collects the droppings from three basements at the center, which as of October had 273 pandas, accounting for over 60% of the world’s captive population, according to Xinhua.

The key to the tissues is bamboo fiber, which without the assistance of the pandas would be more difficult to process. The company would have to collect fresh bamboo and wait for the sugar to degrade. Instead, it can let the animal’s digestive system do the hard part. After absorbing the sugar, it takes about four hours for pandas to excrete the fiber, according to chairman Yang Chaolin.

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Of course, putting animal poop to good use isn’t new. Tibetans and other have long used dried cattle feces (link in Chinese) for cooking fires. And in Indonesia the world’s most expensive coffee, kopi luwak, is made from the poop of civets—a single cup can sell for $80 in the US.

Output: Chinese paper company Jianwei Fengsheng is using panda droppings collected from a local conservation centre to make tissues and toilet paper. One box of tissues costs CNY43 ($6.50), more than 10 times the cost of regular tissue, the company claims the higher cost is due to 60 necessary sterilisation procedures - including cleaning and steaming. Creating paper from the faeces helps reduce environmental pollution. Other products recycled from faecal matter for cooking fires and artisan coffee have sold well in Tibet and Indonesia, respectively.


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HIVE announces first tranche of investment
 Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States

Zug, Switzerland and Vancouver, Canada – HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (TSX.V:HIVE) (the “Company” or “HIVE”), the leading publicly listed blockchain infrastructure company, is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche (“First Tranche”) of its previously announced private placement of up to C$115 million (the “Offering”) co-led by GMP Securities L.P. and Eventus Capital Corp. and including Haywood Securities Inc. and PI Financial Corp. (collectively, the “Agents”). The First Tranche consisted of a total of 15,873,100 units (the “Units”) sold at a price of C$3.15 per Unit for gross proceeds raised of C$50,000,265. Each Unit consists of one common share (a “Share”) and one Share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”), with each Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Share at a price of $3.90 until November 14, 2019. The Shares and the Warrants issued under the First Tranche are subject to a hold period expiring April 19, 2018. The Company anticipates that the Warrants will be listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the “Exchange”) shortly after the hold period expires, subject to meeting the conditions in Exchange approval. In connection with the First Tranche, the Agents received a cash commission equal to 6% of the gross proceeds raised in the First Tranche.

The final closing of the Offering of up to an additional of $65 million (the “Final Tranche”) is expected to be December 29, 2017. Closing of the Final Tranche is subject to certain conditions typical for a transaction of this nature and the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange.

The net proceeds of the Offering are expected to be used to fund the completion of the Sweden Bitcoin Data Centre and the Phase 3 Expansion at the Sweden GPU Data Centre (as described in the Company’s December 13, 2017 news release), and for general working capital purposes.

About HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd.

HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. is a growth oriented, TSX.V-listed company building a bridge from the blockchain sector to traditional capital markets. HIVE is strategically partnered with Genesis Mining Ltd. to build the next generation of blockchain infrastructure. HIVE owns state-of-the-art GPU-based digital currency mining facilities in Iceland, which produce newly minted virgin digital currency like Ethereum around the clock, and is in the midst of a major expansion of operations into Sweden.

For more information and to register to HIVE’s mailing list, please visit www.HIVEblockchain.com. Follow @HIVEblockchain on Twitter and subscribe to HIVE’s YouTube channel.

On Behalf Of HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd.

"Harry Pokrandt"

President, CEO and Director

For further information please contact:

Harry Pokrandt

Tel: (604) 609-6110

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. “Forward-looking information” in this news release includes information about the expansion of the Company’s digital currency mining operations in Sweden (including into Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash mining); the quantum and closing of the second tranche of the Offering; the business goals and objectives of the Company, and other forward-looking information includes but is not limited to information concerning the intentions, plans and future actions of the parties to the transactions described herein and the terms thereon. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the expansion of digital currency mining operations in Sweden (including construction of planned facilities) may not occur as currently planned, or at all; the second tranche of the Offering may not close on the terms and timing anticipated, or at all; the Exchange may not approve the transactions the Company has applied for; the quantum of computational power and electrical consumption expected by the Company in Sweden may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the digital currency market; the Company’s ability to successfully mine digital currency; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on the Company’s operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; and other related risks as more fully set out in the Filing Statement of the Company dated September 13, 2017. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the Company’s ability to complete of its expansion of digital currency operations in Sweden; the Company’s ability to close the second tranche of the Offering, including obtaining Exchange approval; Genesis’ participation in the Offering; the Company’s ongoing partnership with Genesis; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability of the Company to mine digital currencies will be consistent with historical prices; and there will be no regulation or law that will prevent the Company from operating its business. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

Output: HIVE Blockchain Technologies has closed its first tranche of up to CAD115m ($90m), in a round led by GMP Securities and Eventus Capital. The round of private placement also included Haywood Securities and PI Financial. The tranche involved the sale of over 15 million units, each comprising one common share and one share purchase warrant, valid up until 14 November 2019. Each unit was sold at a price of CAD3.15. Gross proceeds were CAD50m, with a final closing for up to CAD65m expected to take place on 29 December 2017.


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Facebook launches new tools to prevent abuse and bullying
 Facebook says it's trying to make sure you're safer when you use its services.

The social network on Tuesday unveiled new tools aimed at curbing abuse and bullying on its platform.

One tool is designed to make sure that when you block someone who's been harassing you, the person can't simply create a new account and continue to harass. The tool does that by looking at various signals, like the person's IP address.

Another new tool involves the Facebook Messenger chat app and will let you automatically ignore messages from a contact without actually blocking that person. That's because blocking an abuser can sometimes make the abuse worse. When you choose the ignore option, the messages go straight to your filtered messages folder and not your inbox. That way, you or someone else can review the messages to see if there's any risk. Right now the feature is available only for one-on-one conversations, but Facebook said it will soon be available for group conversations too.

The new features come as social networks clamor to stop regular abuse on their platforms. For example, Twitter has updated its community guidelines to reduce hateful content, and on Monday it banned at least 20 notable accounts violating the rules.

Facebook, meanwhile, has been grappling with the negative effect it can have on people's well-being. The social network said last week that Facebook can play a negative role if people tend to scroll through the feed passively and in isolation, without interacting with other users or sharing messages. The company also introduced a "snooze" feature last week, which lets you mute annoying friends for up to 30 days.

iHate: CNET looks at how intolerance is taking over the internet.

The Smartest Stuff: Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter.

Output: Facebook has created two new tools aimed at reducing bullying and abusive behaviour on the site. One feature monitors information such as IP addresses to prevent blocked users from simply creating new accounts. The second works in concert with Facebook Messenger and enables users to automatically ignore communications, which are then put into a filtered messages folder. The move follows the recent launch of a snooze feature, allowing friends to be "muted" for up to 30 days.


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Aker BP buys stake in oil recovery technology firm
 Aker BP has invested in and acquired a 17% stake in the company Fishbones AS. Fishbones is an unconventional stimulation technology applied to increase the production rates in tight reservoirs.

The Fishbone concept was initially developed for a field trial at Valhall from 2008 to 2012, but was not put to use. The technology sends 12 m long needles from the wellbore into the reservoir formation, increasing the effective wellbore drainage radius, the connectivity with any natural fractures, and the penetration through natural formation fluid flow barriers.

Aker BP sees a potential for substantial cost savings and potential for increased recovery by using this method. The technology will initially be applied at the Valhall field.

“Investing in Fishbones enables us to influence, adapt and fully develop the technology to increase recovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and beyond while also developing solutions that are fit for the Aker BP fields. We have already started developing a specialized solution to handle this soft and fine-grained reservoir In the Valhall chalk field,” comments Ole Johan Molvig, SVP Reservoir in Aker BP.

Subsequent to Aker BP investing in Fishbones, Statoil Technology Invest AS holds a 25% stake in the company and Freyer Holding AS holds 51%. Aker BP will have one seat in the Board of Directors of the company.

Output: Norwegian oil company Aker BP has bought a 17% stake in Fishbones, a company that has been developing unconventional stimulation technology that enhances production from tight oil reservoirs. Fishbones' method, which involves inserting 12 metre-long needles into the reservoir formation, was tested between 2008 and 2012 in the Valhall oilfield, but was not commercially adopted at the time.


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YouTube improves vertical video playback for iOS devices
 Platforms like Snapchat and Instagram have made recording and watching vertical videos commonplace. But if you've ever played a vertical video on YouTube, two giant black bars filled most of your screen. YouTube's latest update for the iPhone changes that.

On Tuesday, in a Twitter post, the venerable site for internet videos announced that the YouTube player for iOS will now automatically adapt to the shape of the video you're watching.

If the video is vertical, the player will become vertical. If the video is square, the player will become square, which means goodbye, black bars.

Output: YouTube's latest iPhone update enables vertical videos to be viewed on iOS without black bars, the Google-owned company said on Twitter. The tweak applies to all formats of video, which will be automatically adjusted to fit iOS smartphones, bringing YouTube in line with Snapchat and Instagram.


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Ryanair investigated over pay by MPs
 Ryanair will be investigated by two parliamentary committees after allegations about employee working conditions, including that the airline has been “trying to wriggle out” of paying its staff the national minimum wage.

Frank Field, who chairs the work and pensions committee, and Rachel Reeves, who chairs the business select committee, on Wednesday wrote to the airline’s boss, Michael O’Leary, to demand answers to a string of allegations raised by Ryanair’s staff.

The damaging claims come after Ryanair finally agreed to recognise pilot and cabin crew unions in order to avert a pre-Christmas strike.

“Sadly, it will not surprise me if the sorry picture painted here is true: a company that turned in £1.15bn profit last year squeezing its workers,” Field said. “People who work long, hard hours and have an important role in passenger safety, and yet apparently cannot count on receiving the national minimum wage – or even close to it.

“Ryanair once tried to make its passengers pay to use the loo – now they even make their workers pay to quit. As well as foisting a host of other miserly – and potentially unlawful – requirements on them.”

The letter to O’Leary sets out detailed allegations, including staff having to pay £25 a month for their uniform in the first year of employment and having a £175 “administration cost” taken from their salaries if they leave the company in the first 15 months of employment.

Reeves said: “These allegations of hours of unpaid work, of charges for uniforms, of fees being incurred to leave, suggest a company falling well short of its duty to the staff who help their planes get off the ground and who spend the flight attending to and serving its paying customers.

“Ryanair now need to provide answers on the fees and charges faced by cabin staff and set out how they ensure these staff are receiving the national minimum wage.”

Ryanair, which made a record £1.1bn of profit in the year to the end of March, said: “We will respond to the subcommittee in early January as requested, however the claims about cabin crew pay and working conditions are false.

“Ryanair cabin crew earn between €24,000 [£21,300] to €40,000, which is more than double the UK national minimum wage.”

The allegations come soon after crews were warned of disciplinary proceedings for missing sales targets on scratchcards, and staff at Italian bases were threatened with collective sanctions if any member joined a strike called last week.

Earlier this week the airline said it would recognise cabin crew and pilots unions for this first time in its 32-year history in an attempt to prevent damaging strikes across Europe over the next few days.

Not recognising unions was at the heart of O’Leary’s low-cost business model that helped transform a small Irish regional airline into Europe’s largest carrier by passenger numbers.

O’Leary has frequently dismissed pilots’ complaints and insisted on pay negotiations being conducted through company-controlled representative committees at individual bases. He was once quoted as saying he would rather cut off his own hand than recognise unions. However, a shortage of pilots led the airline to cancel thousands of flights earlier this year, shifting more power to staff.

“Recognising unions will be a significant change for Ryanair, but we have delivered radical change before,” O’Leary said in a statement. “We hope and expect that these structures can and will be agreed with our pilots early in the new year.”

The first meeting between company executives and a pilots union took place in Dublin on Tuesday.

Ryanair announced on Tuesday that it would also recognise cabin crew unions and meet them for the first time in the new year.

Output: Ryanair, the low-cost Irish airline, is to be investigated by two UK parliamentary committees following allegations that staff have been underpaid and forced to pay for their own uniforms. The company’s boss, Michael O’Leary, has been contacted by the chairs of the work and pensions and business select committees, Frank Field and Rachel Reeves. The company is accused of avoiding paying the national minimum wage and of imposing a £175 ($234) “administration cost” on staff leaving within the first 15 months of their employment. Ryanair agreed earlier this week to recognise cabin crew unions for the first time.


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Lyft to use AR glasses to help the visually impaired hail taxis
 Lyft is making it easier for the visually impaired to take a ride AR glasses will deliver information from the dashboard to the rider.

Lyft is working with assistive community Aira to make catching a ride easier for the visually impaired. That means wearable smart glasses and an augmented reality implement for their driver's dashboard that will deliver "essential ride information," according to a press release.

A Medium post from Aira explains things a bit further. "Upon request, Aira agents can now initiate information about the ride, including the location of designated pick-up spots, estimated time of pick-up and the estimated fare," Aira's Brittany Carambio writes. Further information includes the driver's name, vehicle information and walking directions for the last 50 feet to their destination, among other things.

This piggybacks onto the work Lyft has done with the National Association for the Deaf, which uses visual cues to alert drivers of new rides, rather than an audible notification. Other details like how these glasses will be distributed, or at what cost, weren't available as of press time.

It's also another way that Lyft is using its image of moral responsibility to subtly throw digs at its perpetually beleaguered competitor, Uber. Most recently, it was revealed that the company intentionally withheld evidence for its upcoming trial with Waymo. A lawyer's letter from a former employee detailed ways that Uber allegedly tried hacking its competitors and bugged meetings between transport regulators.

Output: Lyft is partnering with San Diego start-up Aira to make it easier for visually impaired people to use the ride-hailing service, with the help of smart glasses and an augmented reality app on the driver's dashboard. Aira users can get information on the location of designated pick-up spots, estimated time of pick-up and fare, said Aira's Brittany Carambio, though no details about how the glasses would be distributed or their cost was released. Lyft has previously partnered with the National Association for the Deaf to offer visual information about rides.


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M&S becomes first UK supermarket to adopt antibiotic transparency
 Marks & Spencer has become the first supermarket chain in the UK to publish details of the use of antibiotics in its farm supply chain, in a step towards reducing the use of vital human medicines in livestock-rearing.

On Wednesday, the company disclosed on its web site information on the quantities of antibiotics used on livestock by the farmers that supply its meat, eggs and dairy products. This will be updated regularly to show progress towards cutting the use of the drugs, which are also prescribed to treat human diseases.

The data show that the supermarket chain is ahead of industry-wide targets, particularly on chicken farms, on which antibiotic use for the last year has been about 90% below the target for 2020 set by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance.

The move by M&S follows a report in the Guardian revealing that none of the UK’s main supermarket chains allowed the public access to information on the use of antibiotics in their supply chains. An investigation by the Guardian found that the superbug MRSA is now present in close to a tenth of pork products found on UK supermarket shelves.

Antibiotic use in farming is of high concern, because it can lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to vitally important medicines. This resistance can be passed to humans. Antibiotic resistance has been targeted by England’s chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, as a key threat to our future wellbeing, amid fears that even routine operations such as hip replacements may become dangerous as the medicines to combat possible infections become ineffective through over-use.

M&S is the first supermarket to publish such data. On Wednesday, shortly after the announcement by M&S, Waitrose became the second large supermarket chain to publish data on antibiotic use among its suppliers.

Across the world, the routine administration of antibiotics is used to promote the growth of livestock reared for meat. In Europe, such use is banned, but the regulations allow for the treatment of large herds or flocks at a time, which campaigners say is a cause for concern. More antibiotics are used in farming than for human health.

The World Health Organisation has called for the use of the most powerful antibiotics to be banned in farm animals, in order to keep them safe for human use. However, this advice does not have legal force and countries, including the UK, are free to keep using them on animals. A ban would be unpopular among farmers as it could mean they have to cull their herds in cases of infection rather than treat them.

Steve McLean, head of agriculture at M&S, told the Guardian: “Our farmers use antibiotics responsibly. They never use them routinely, never use antibiotics that are critical to human health, and are committed to reducing use every year. However, we do not envisage never using them. Animal welfare is at the heart of our business, and using them responsibly includes ensuring animals receive the appropriate treatment, under veterinary supervision, when they need it.”

Coilin Nunan, scientific advisor to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, said: “We very much welcome M&S’s decision to publish data on its suppliers’ antibiotic use. We want to see all supermarkets increase transparency for consumers by publishing similar data, but so far Waitrose is the only other supermarket that has agreed to do so.”

He said the data published by M&S showed its suppliers were using far fewer antibiotics than most other producers, particularly in pig and chicken production. In these areas, M&S suppliers use less than a quarter of the industry average.

Nunan also called for the supermarket chain to publish more detailed data, showing how free-range and organic farms fared against indoor farming and intensive rearing. Nunan said the Waitrose data included more details than that from M&S, including details on turkeys and farmed fish, and said both retailers were below the industry average in their antibiotic use.

He added: “It would also be important to get data on antibiotic use in turkeys, because such use is often much higher than in chickens, but this tends to get overlooked.”

Output: Marks & Spencer has become the first UK supermarket to disclose information about antibiotic use in its supply chain. The company published the information, which relates to farmers supplying its dairy, eggs and meat, on its website on Wednesday. The use of antibiotics in livestock farming can result in the development of drug-resistant bacteria. The disclosure reveals that Marks & Spencer is outperforming industry targets, particularly in relation to chicken farms, where antibiotic use has been 90% below 2020 goals. Waitrose is expected to publish similar data next year.


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France to ban gas and oil extraction by 2040
 France’s parliament has passed into law a ban on producing oil and gas by 2040, a largely symbolic gesture as the country is 99% dependent on hydrocarbon imports.

In Tuesday’s vote by show of hands, only the rightwing Republicans party opposed, while leftwing lawmakers abstained.

No new permits will be granted to extract fossil fuels and no existing licences will be renewed beyond 2040, when all production in mainland France and its overseas territories will stop.

Socialist lawmaker Delphine Batho said she hoped the ban would be “contagious”, inspiring bigger producers to follow suit.

France extracts the equivalent of about 815,000 tonnes of oil per year – an amount produced in a few hours by Saudi Arabia.

But centrist president Emmanuel Macron has said he wants France to take the lead as a major world economy switching away from fossil fuels – and the nuclear industry – into renewable sources.

His government plans to stop the sale of diesel and petrol engine cars by 2040 as well.

Above all the ban will affect companies prospecting for oil in the French territory of Guyana in South America, while also banning the extraction of shale gas by any means – its extraction by fracking was banned in 2011.

Output: France has enacted a law banning the production of oil and gas by 2040. The new law, which applies to mainland France and its overseas territories, is largely symbolic, as the country is now 99% dependent on hydrocarbon imports and extracts just 815,000 tonnes of oil each year. Existing licences will not be renewed after 2040, and no new permits will be granted. President Emmanuel Macron’s government has previously announced plans to stop the sale of diesel and petrol engine cars by the same date.