NASA has achieved a technological milestone, announcing that the International Space Station’s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) now recycles 98 percent of all water astronauts carry on board. Advanced dehumidifiers remove moisture from the station crew’s breath and sweat, while the urine processor assembly recovers water from the astronauts’ urine through vacuum distillation.
According to NASA, the distillation process produces water and a urine brine that still contains reclaimed H20. Now, a new device can capture the remaining brine water, increasing the water recovery rate from 93 to 98 percent. If the idea makes you gag, it shouldn’t, says Jill Williamson, ECLSS water subsystem manager at NASA. “The crew did not drink urine; they are drinking reclaimed, filtered and purified water that is cleaner than what we drink here on Earth.” I will pass.
– Matt Smith
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The game product may be called Playables.
Google is looking at online games as a new source of revenue for YouTube, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The video hosting platform is reportedly inviting employees to test a new product called Playables, which gives users access to online games right on YouTube. Users can play it on the YouTube website in the browser or through the app, on an Android or iOS phone. While the report indicates that there are many games available for testing, it only mentions them Stack Bounce, an ad-supported arcade game that enables players to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball. (This is not exact Old Ring.) Games will be more similar to Netflix’s gaming product, which gives paying users access to casual mobile games.
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Will it cost as much as Mac Pro wheels?
Engadget
When we looked at the Vision Pro in early June, the prototype unit had an extra Velcro strap that didn’t appear in any of Apple’s promotional material. At the time, a company spokesperson said the handset would support additional straps if needed.
According to BloombergApple’s Mark Gurman, created the strap, which goes over the wearer’s head, after some employees complained that the Vision Pro felt “too heavy” after a few hours of use. In a move that Apple has made a few times before with other products, the company is now reportedly considering selling the strap as an optional accessory rather than including it in the box.
The Vision Pro could arrive as late as May 2024, and Gurman says the company has already reassigned some employees to work on a cheaper headset and a second-generation Vision Pro.
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Finally, some real competition for Samsung’s Flip foldable.
Engadget
The Moto Razr +, a foldable phone that looks like a standard 6.9-inch handset when open, has a large 3.6-inch screen when closed. That addresses one of the most common complaints about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 – the size of its display cover. The Razr+, on the other hand, pretty much runs full Android with a few tweaks.
However, anyone thinking of getting the Razr+ will have to wait. Samsung announced the next Galaxy Unpacked will be in Korea in late July, when it is widely expected to launch the new foldables. If you can resist, it’s worth seeing what the next Z Flip has to offer before choosing your next-generation flip phone.
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