Category Archives: Mars Colony

With less than a month to go before Jeff Bezos embarks on his "greatest adventure" with a trip to space, more than a few people here on Earth are making it known they'd prefer it if the wealthiest man on the planet takes a one-way trip and remains in orbit.

A petition on Change.org entitled "Do not allow Jeff Bezos to return to Earth" launched in early June, after Bezos announced his plans to fly on next month's first passenger spaceflight of his company Blue Origin, and the petition already has more than 122,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon. Bezos has said he's dreamed of going to space since he was 5 years old.

Ric Geiger, 31, an account manager for an automotive supplies wholesaler in Michigan, tells CNBC Make It he started the petition "as a joke" with an initial goal of reaching 150,000 signatures. Geiger says he launched the petition after he saw a similar joke "on a meme page on Facebook" that he thought was "hysterical," but when he looked online to see if there was an existing petition, he couldn't find one.

"For me, it started as a joke, because obviously there is no way we can keep Jeff Bezos from re-entering Earth," Geiger wrote in an email. (Indeed, the petition offers no proposals for how anyone could, realistically, prevent the Amazon billionaire from returning from his spaceflight, which is set to launch on July 20.)

However, Geiger also felt the initial humor of the petition and its title would ultimately allow him to "reach a broader platform" to spread a more serious message about the issue of wealth inequality.

Geiger sums up the message behind the joke petition in one of the comments he posted to the petition's landing page on Change.org. There, he writes: "Billionaires should not exist...on earth, or in space, but should they decide [to go to] the latter, they should stay there."

Bezos is the world's wealthiest person, with an estimated net worth of roughly $199 billion, according to Bloomberg. His wealth even grew by more than $70 billion in 2020 despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.

The founder of Amazon and private space company Blue Origin has faced quite a bit of criticism over the fact that he's accumulated a massive amount of wealth while reportedly paying little or no taxes at times. Bezos has also been criticized in the past for donating a relatively small amount of his large fortune to charity, though he has more recently pledged to give more than $12 billion to philanthropic efforts, including climate issues.

Geiger felt his petition would likely strike a nerve, and a funny bone, among those who, like him, are critical of Bezos' massive accumulation of wealth. While he didn't expect so many people to add their names to the petition, he hopes the unexpected visibility will draw attention to what he says are the more serious aspects of his critiques of billionaires like Bezos and the broader issue of wealth inequality.

Citing a 2020 survey showing that 63% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck in the midst of the pandemic, and many average working class Americans facing "crippling student loan or medical debt," Geiger claims "it's a slap in the face to watch billionaires like Bezos, [SpaceX's Elon] Musk, and [Virgin Galactic's Richard] Branson play space race games with their hoards of wealth."

In Bezos' case, the billionaire has invested heavily in his private space company, Blue Origin, at one point selling roughly $1 billion worth of Amazon stock each year to fund the venture.

"So, yeah, I get upset when I see people spending frivolously. I'm talking building a rocket ship and flying to space level frivolity, I'm talking a yacht built custom for traveling outside your main yacht level frivolity, not avocado toast level here," Geiger wrote in his email, referring to Bezos' Blue Origin funding and the billionaire's reported plans to build a $500 million yacht, as well as the oft-repeated, and over-inflated, criticism of millennials spending too much money on avocado toast.

In the past, Bezos has defended his spending on Blue Origin as more than simply a vanity project. In 2019, he told CBS that developing space technologies is "important for this planet [and] important for the dynamism of future generations." (The billionaire has even envisioned a future where humans leave Earth to live in colonies of space pods.)

"We humans have to go to space if we are going to continue to have a thriving civilization," Bezos said at the time. "We have become big as a population, as a species, and this planet is relatively small. We see it in things like climate change and pollution and heavy industry. We are in the process of destroying this planet. And we have sent robotic probes to every planet in the solar system this is the good one. So, we have to preserve this planet."

Meanwhile, Branson has also said he believes that space exploration is ultimately meant to benefit life back on Earth, while Musk believes that building human colonies on other planets, like Mars, is key to prolonging human civilization.

Geiger's petition isn't the only one out there taking aim at Bezos, as another recent Change.org petition made headlines after more than 14,000 people signed on to try to get the billionaire to buy Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"...and eat it.

Regardless, Geiger never actually believed his joking attempt at a petition would eventually approach its goal of 150,000 signatures.

"I didn't expect that it would get this big. My genuine intention was to use humor to commiserate and help mitigate some of the existential dread among my peers," he said, adding: "Even as a full-time salaried employee, with nothing [saved for] retirement, the future I see for myself and most of my generation is bleak."

When asked if he thinks Bezos himself will get word of his petition, and the fact that more than 120,000 people would like him to remain only the wealthiest person in space for the foreseeable future, Geiger says that idea is also worthy of a laugh.

"Honestly, I just think it's really funny to think that I might in some way show up as a blip on the radar of the richest man in the world simply because of this stunt," he said.

Neither Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic or SpaceX immediately returned CNBC Make It's request for comment.

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Jeff Bezos: I spend my billions on space because we're destroying Earth

Jeff Bezos said he wanted to build 'space hotels and colonies' in his 1982 high school graduation speech

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A petition to make Jeff Bezos stay in space has more than 120,000 signatures heres how it got started - CNBC

Just like a Tesla, Saturday Night Live is off recharging its own batteries tonight, so enjoy an SNL repeat hosted by Elon Musk!

The cast and crew of Saturday Night Live are enjoying some down time along with working on summer projects while deciding who will be back in the fall and who wont. According to Page Six, SNL contracts for Season 47 will not be decided until later in the summer. But theres no reason why we cant speculate in the meantime.

Of course, the only person talking about any cast changes at Saturday Night Live is cast member Pete Davidson and hes not giving up much. In a recent interview with Gold Derby, Pete said, I dont know what the plan is. Everythings kind of up in the air right now just depending on scheduling. So the only thing we can gather from that is that Pete has more than one thing on his schedule including the release of this summers comic book movie, The Suicide Squad.

Meanwhile back at tonights repeat, if you think this SNL encore has a musky smell to it, youd be right. Its hosted by Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX creator and CEO, Elon Musk. The show was surrounded by pretend controversy with online gossipers acting like the SNL cast was going to revolt and walk out on the show because of Elon Musks controversial statements and tweets in the past. None of that happened. This episode of Saturday Night Live had no complications or problems. It originally aired on Saturday, May 8, 2021, Mothers Day Eve.

Tonights SNL replay opens with a Saturday Night Live long-standing tradition. Just about every year, on the Saturday before Mothers Day, SNL ditches its regular routine of an opening sketch and hands over the SNL Cold Open to the casts mothers. Each cast member who still has a mom in his or her life introduces that important woman to the world on stage at Studio 8-H to begin the show. Maybe thats why no one had drama over Elon Musk. No one was going to walk off and keep their mom from getting to appear on television.

This year, the tradition continued with the 2021 cast. But there was something special planned. Tonights musical guest, Miley Cyrus kicked off this evenings cold open singing a beautiful rendition of her godmother Dolly Partons song Light of a Clear Blue Morning.

SNL fans look forward to the Mothers Day show every season. Because its great to see which moms share the same comic timing as their son or daughter in the SNL cast, like cast member Kate McKinnons mom who does an impression of former cast member Molly Shannons Superstar character Mary-Catherine Gallagher and Kenan Thompsons mom who taught him how to do reaction shots.

We also love how some of the moms look just like their famous offspring. Heidi Gardner and Aidy Bryants moms are totally twinzies for their daughters. All the mothers look fantastic tonight, but its always fun seeing the moms who look so young, they could be mistaken for the cast members sister instead of their mother. Hi Beck Bennetts Mom. The moms make this tradition so much fun that it makes you wish SNL wasnt on summer hiatus during Fathers Day.

The sweet Mothers Day segment comes to a close with the entire cast (and their mothers) shouting Live from New York, its Saturday Night!. And with this season having the largest cast in SNL history, thats a pretty big group.

For his inaugural Saturday Night Live monologue, host Elon Musk takes to the stage to loud applause. Something hes probably used to having happen at Tesla, Inc. During the monologue, we get a lot of information about the world class inventor and entrepreneur and its probably the first and last time that we hear an SNL host use the phrase running human in emulation mode.

Besides sharing his vision for the future with the audience, tonight, Elon Musk also announces hes the first person with Aspergers to host SNL. This led to a debate after the show by people who pointed out that original SNL cast member Dan Aykroyd from the Not Ready For Prime Time Players was the first person with Aspergers Syndrome to host the variety series.

Either way, Elon Musk received praise and appreciation from the Autistic community not only for his performance, but for the recognition he was able to provide Autism by announcing that he is on the spectrum to a national audience. This evenings host has plenty to say about his own life during the monologue and we even get the secret origin behind the very unconventional name of Elon Musks son, X A-Xii.

Plus, we get to meet Elon Musks mother as well which is only fair since we just got to meet the casts moms a few minutes earlier. Maye Musk talks with Elon about how he invented his own video game when he was kid. Although, shes not as forthcoming when discussing what happened to the money he was paid for his game. Side Bar: After meeting Elon Musks very striking mother in tonights SNL repeat, youll understand how shes still working as a fashion model today.

As we get into the meat of the show, the first sketch is called GenZ Hospital. You might want to look up some Generation Z slang terms and phrases before watching this sketch about a hospital where everything is said in GenZ speak. Think of this SNL sketch as The Californians, if they were even harder to understand, Bruh.

Featured player Chloe Fineman gets what is soon to be a recurring character in this episode of Saturday Night Live. Chloe stars as Ooli, Icelands #1 social media influencer in The Ooli Show. This sketch is an Icelandic talk show sketch hosted by Ooli. For long time SNL fans, this sketch will bring back memories of Sprockets with then-cast member Mike Myers. But only if you took Sprockets and combined it with a Hello Kitty store and then dropped it in a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal. As a bonus, you get cast member Kate McKinnon as recent Academy Award winner Frances McDormand and cast member Melissa Villaseor as Icelands own Bjrk.

Elon Musk covers a lot of territory in this evenings live sketches. Tonights host finds himself playing a classic video game villain on trial for murder, and then later in the show, our host is in a Wild West sketch where hes an eccentric genius cowboy. This saloon sketch, which wraps up the night, shows us that its a pretty good thing that Elon wasnt born a century earlier.

Our host takes on some accents and wears a lot of wigs and fake facial hair in this evenings Saturday Night Live repeat, but to make it easier on a person who is not a performer by trade, tonights episode has three SNL Shorts which we assume is in order to limit the amount of time Elon Musk spent on-stage on live television. And it also provided more time for costume changes.

The first SNL Short in tonights Saturday Night Live rerun can be explained by simply looking at the title of it. Its called Every Conversation With People You Havent Seen Since Quarantine Started. Yep, its pretty self-explanatory and its the nightmare, post-pandemic world we all feared would be waiting for us after Covid.

And if you thought GenZ Hospital was hard to decipher, wait till you get to the second SNL Short of the night which is a trailer for a new crime drama called Murdur Durdur: An Extremely Pennsylvania Crime Show. According to SNL, this crime show got rave reviews from the Del-Co Daily Times.

As the IBang predicted, we get a Mars colony sketch in tonights repeat starring the man who claims he will take us to the Red Planet, host Elon Musk. In the last SNL Short of the night called The Astronauts, Musk plays himself in the near future at SpaceX HQ dealing with a crisis at his Martian colony. It requires someone willing to go on a suicide mission. Luckily, theres Chad. Uh-kay. Also, watch for a cameo in this SNL Short by tonights musical guest Miley Cyrus.

This evenings SNL rerun may have loaded up on SNL Shorts, but the host didnt get any time to rest during Weekend Update because Elon Musk goes live as a character during SNLs news segment. He plays Lloyd Ostertag, SNL Financial Expert. Lloyd, who christened himself as the Doge Father, is appearing on Weekend Update to explain cryptocurrency to everyone and why it was booming. Well, booming when this show first aired. And if youre not sure what Dogecoin actually is, youll have to keep asking.

The main story covered by anchormen Colin Jost and Michael Che on Weekend Update tonight is something close to the hosts heart, space travel. Jost reports on a space rocket that went spinning out of control and crashed into the ocean earlier that day. With that day being back on May 8th when the show originally aired. Colin Jost then reveals thats why Elon Musk is hosting the show. So hed have an alibi.

Michael Ches opening story is about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezo and his space flight company, Blue Origin, auctioning off a seat on his passenger rocket, so wealthy people can go into space. Che wondered about why rich, white people would want to go into space so badly. Then, he warned any Martians watching SNL, when you see a bunch of foreign ships pull up on your land, take it from a Black dude, dont get on them! He adds, Unless you want to be a Martian with the last name Washington'.

On the rest of the Weekend Update broadcast, a sampling of the stories covered by Jost and Che include disgraced President Trumps new blog, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hoping to disenfranchise voters by signing new restrictive voting laws, evangelicals not wanting the Covid vaccine, Vice-President Kamala Harris new wax figure, Broadway reopening, the weird photo of the Bidens and the Carters, South Carolina wanting to bring back firing squads, a Snow White controversy, L.A.s population dropping, and an allegedly shitty McDonalds lunch.

Cast member Ego Nwodim gets a turn to play a Weekend Update character at the news desk when she appears as Pauline, a Weary Mother in her Darkest Hour. She is discussing her trip to the recently reopened Disneyland theme park with her kids. Unfortunately, Splash Mountain broke down. and it has taken Pauline into, yes, her darkest hour.

The final guest of the night on Weekend Update is the star of the Disney+ adventure series The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda. Kyle Mooney is back once again as the creature known as Grogu and hes bringing some big time energy with him. Hes talking to Michael Che about May 4th, better known as Star Wars Day. Baby Yoda is also discussing his recent MMA training, his posse, and his new Happy Meal endorsement deal with McDonalds.

Feel free to check out the promos taped for tonights SNL repeat just below. Host Elon Musk is joined by musical guest Miley Cyrus and cast member Cecily Strong. Elon explains that hes a wild card while Miley points out that the rules dont apply to her, so anything can happen on tonights SNL. That is until killjoy cast member Cecily Strong reminds everyone that their mothers will be in-studio. The trio are also comparing their recent accomplishments with each other. Between rocket launches and getting the laundry done, this triad is really making things happen.

Tesla and SpaceXs very own Elon Musk is hosting tonights Saturday Night Live rerun with musical guest, everyones favorite wild child, Miley Cyrus. It happens this evening at 11:30pm et on NBC.

And SNL will be back with new, live shows this fall.

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Who is Hosting Saturday Night Live Tonight: June 26, 2021 - The Interrobang

Facts over feelings

The High Profile article on Evelyn Rios Stafford mentioned the recently passed Arkansas law that began as House Bill 1570 but is now Act 626. Having read the bill, I'm grateful for the courage of lawmakers in making sure that those who need medical care concerning biological gender issues can receive it, yet affirming that in this area of human life, restraint is necessary.

This is because of the powerful trend in America today that says a person's feelings form the most important basis for reality. (Thus the person that feels like a woman yet resides in a man's body and vice versa justifies the desire to do whatever necessary to change the body to match perceived feelings, no matter the age. All fellow citizens should agree with those who desire this path of reconciliation of body to mind because their feelings are paramount.)

Feelings are important, but they are like shifting sand; consequently, feelings are inadequate for providing a solid foundation for laws governing the people of Arkansas. I'm glad that with Act 626, Arkansas legislators crafted a helpful law based on rational principles and facts rather than feelings.

MELISSA EUBANKS

Batesville

Litter along roadways

Having recently returned from a drive through Tennessee and South Carolina on highways and rural roads, my husband and I quickly noticed very little or no litter along the roadways. Also noted was the $2,500 fine for littering in Tennessee.

On our day trips throughout Arkansas, we are saddened and disgusted to see trash and litter often on both sides of too many of our roadways. C'mon, Arkansans, we can do better than this. Let's get and keep our Natural State natural and unlittered.

LUCY ALLEN

Benton

Vaccination bribery

The Grill Party, adhering to its strict policy of avoiding politics at all costs, nevertheless wishes to make known its opinion on the absurd bribery used by our current state administration to encourage--read that pay--people to get the covid vaccine.

The Grill Party leadership voluntarily received vaccination, as it was encouraged and requested of us citizens to do such. Now, though, the state administration is giving away lottery tickets, hunting and fishing licenses and not sure what else. The Grill Party requests that these bribes--sorry, "inducements"--be retroactively provided to those of us who actually did what was requested by both state and national officials.

The Grill Party is pleased to announce a 100 percent vaccination rate for the Free Republic of South Arkansas, as we complied with the wishes of the administration. We understand people being opposed to the vaccine. Such is their choice. We simply request that those of us who voluntarily agreed to vaccination get what is now being offered to everyone. Yes, we want our "free stuff."

Personally, the Grill Party will accept ribs, steaks, pork chops, and other assorted grilling needs in lieu of lottery tickets. Live free and grill.

DAVID KELLEY

Louann

Keep the nation safe

The United States is committing suicide via immigrant influx. We are able to put a man on the moon, a robot on Mars and keep Area 51 off-limits. I find it hard to believe that we do not have someone smart enough to think of a way to keep our southern border safe. We have drones, electricity, sound waves, lasers, and most likely something even more advanced.

The president swore on a Holy Bible to keep us safe. Do your job, please!

B.E. SPURGEON

North Little Rock

On the unvaccinated

On the front page Wednesday of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was an article with the headline "Day's 485 cases largest increase in three months."

Paragraph 46 of this article on page 6A said "About 99% of the patients have been unvaccinated."

Why wasn't this your headline?

JOHN SLATER

Little Rock

No longer colonies

Nearly 245 years ago, 13 colonies declared their independence from the British. How do you plan to mark that day?

Tell us if you haven't had a letter printed in the past 30 days, and we'll do our best to get it in for the holiday.

Keep it under 300 words, and send it by noon Wednesday by email to voices@arkansasonline.com, or through our Voices form at arkansasonline.com/contact/voicesform.

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OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Facts over feelings | Litter along roadways | Vaccination bribery - Arkansas Online

Immunology boffins in the US are hoping to learn the secret of how to keep humans well enough for long enough to live on the Moon or travel to Mars by sending some tiny squid into space.

While this may seem like a slightly counterintuitive plan, the reason the squid were chosen as test subjects is perfectly sensible and not because NASA is joining in with some informal "Be Mean To Sealife" week for US government bodies despite the US Air Force's recent efforts to kill snails with missiles and the US Navy's decision to set off big explosions in the Atlantic.

Rather, the sickness-studying whitecoats are trying to find out if watching how Hawaiian bobtail squid react to zero gravity will help them understand why it upsets the way humans react to germs.

"As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what's called dysregulated. It doesn't function as well," Dr Jamie Foster, Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "Their immune systems don't recognize bacteria as easily. They sometimes get sick."

The nocturnal Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes), which grows to a full adult size of only three inches (7.6cm) long, has a symbiotic relationship with a species of bioluminescent bacteria called Vibrio fischeri.

The bacteria allow the squid to remain camouflaged through counter-illumination, or emitting light at the same intensity as its surroundings to prevent it standing out to predators.

The scientists running the experiment, dubbed UMAMI (Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions), want to see how the squid's relationship with its single species of symbiont changes in zero-g. This will let them learn more about what might be happening in the relationship between humans and their own multiple species of symbiotic microbes that causes the immune system to stop recognising bacteria as easily, potentially causing illness.

This research could have immense importance for future long-duration space missions, especially if humanity wants to eventually travel beyond its own backyard.

"There are aspects of the immune system that just don't work properly under long-duration spaceflights," Dr Foster said. "If humans want to spend time on the Moon or Mars, we have to solve health problems to get them there safely."

The 128 doughty squid are currently on the International Space Station, having been sent up there on 3 June via a SpaceX resupply mission. They will return to Earth in July.

If they suffer any sort of dysregulation in their relationship with their symbiotic bacterial companions, expect them to be returned to the scientists with a note reading: "Here's the sick squid I owe you."

Read the original post:

Intrepid squid mission may help in kraken riddle of why zero-g makes astronauts sick - The Register

There will be all sorts of risks for any future colonists on Mars, such as extreme weather and temperatures, radiation, and the human physiological problems associated with living in with decreased gravity. But another issue means colonists on Mars will have to be on a constant lookout above their heads.

While Mars and Earth are both hit by space debris regularly dust, small rocks and bigger meteoroids on our planet, meteors usually vaporize in the atmosphere.

On Mars however, with a surface pressure 1/100th that of the Earth, the impactors generally make it to the surface, says the team from the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) on board MRO took this image of a small impact crater that was formed sometime in the last 5 years. Although the crater is small, the rays of ejecta thrown out by the impact are easy to spot, stretching out almost a kilometer.

How often does this happen on Mars? A 2013 study estimated that the Red Planet gets womped by more than 200 small asteroids or bits of comets per year, forming craters at least 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) across. Like on Earth, even a small impact would wreak havoc on any Martian settlement. But impacts of this size on Mars happen more frequently.

Related: What will it take to feed a million people on Mars?

Marsis about half the size ofEarthby diameter and the thinnerair surrounding the planet has anatmosphericvolume less than 1% ofEarths. Theatmosphericcomposition is also significantly different: primarily carbon dioxide-based, whileEarthsis rich in nitrogen and oxygen.

MRO has been in orbit of Mars since 2006, and one of the benefits of having a spacecraft in orbit around another planet for several years is the ability to make long-term observations and interpretations. HiRISE images over the years have detected numerous fresh craters that have formed, and since it has repeatedly imaged several regions on Mars, scientists can study the before-and-after images to calculate the impact rate based on new craters.

The 2013 study showed that the rate for how frequently new craters are formed, which are at least 3.9 meters in diameter is about one each year on each area of the Martian surface roughly the size of the U.S. state of Texas.

Just one more thing that will be a challenge for anyone who dares to try and live on Mars.

See the original image and more details from MRO on the HiRISE website.

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This is why Martian Colonists are Going to Wish They had an Atmosphere Above Them - Universe Today

As severe storms struck Chicago on Sunday night, Ella Williams was coming home from a music-video shoot. Walking to her apartment, she felt a strange yet familiar sensation.

"There was thunder and lightning, and I felt this vertigo," says Williams, a singer-songwriter and guitarist who makes music as Squirrel Flower. "It felt like I was going to fall into the sky."

The capacity of nature to make us feel powerless and the onrushing threat of climate disaster are two core themes of Squirrel Flower's latest album, Planet (i), out June 25 on Polyvinyl. Across its dozen tracks, Williams grapples with those terrors while reckoning with another more private fear: "The fear of my body deteriorating," she says, "because I was experiencing these relentless concussions over and over again."

Williams suffered the most severe of these concussions in 2019: while working at a cafe outside Boston, she hit her head on a low walk-in fridge. She was about to embark on a tour, but instead was forced to spend two and a half months recuperating. Since then she's had to devote psychological energy to fending off panic about potential pain.

"There was a time where every little headache I got would spark anxiety and depression," she says. "After I would get one, I would think, 'Yeah, my life is over. I have brain damage.' I don't have brain damage. I'm fine, but I was overcoming the fear of my body not working."

Squirrel Flower, Mia JoySat 6/26, 4:30 PM, Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, sold out, 21+

Squirrel Flower, Kara JacksonSat 6/26, 7:30 PM, Sleeping Vilage, 3734 W. Belmont, sold out, 21+

Planet (i) is alternately meditative and brazenly catharticsometimes in the same song. "Big Beast" opens with acoustic guitar and then erupts into a cloud of distorted fuzz worthy of doom metal. On "Night," Williams sings about how she hasn't "seen the sun in months," then stirs the song out of its slumber with pounding drums and an overdriven guitar solo. She's eager to finally explore these waves of rhythm and emotion onstage. She made Chicago her new home earlier this year, and on Saturday, she and her band will perform here for the first time since the movethey'll play two sold-out shows at Sleeping Village to celebrate the album's release.

"We've been rehearsing so much, and I can't wait," Williams says. "It's a patio show, and the way we'll perform a lot of the album is pretty relaxed and quiet. But every once in a while, it's just this crazy transition. People who haven't heard the album are going to freak out."

In our interview, Williams discussed recording Planet (i) in England, her dim view of Elon Musk, and the necessity of imagining a better future, among other topics. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Matt Sigur: When did you move to Chicago?

Ella Williams: I moved here in Marchfour months ago. I'm very new. Last winter, I had moved back into my parents' house, and my brothers were home for the holidays. My brothers and I were all just like, "Should we just move to Chicago? We have a lot of friends there, and it's cheap." The time was right, and I had been thinking about coming here for a while. It seemed like the right place for my next adventure.

You mentioned last night's tornado, which happened while you were shooting a music video. Thinking about that and your album, it's funny, because some of these songs mention tornadoes.

Right? I feel like it fits, like, "Of course there's going to be a tornado as I'm shooting a music video for a song from this album." I feel like those moments in those songs are affirmations. I'm trying to tell myself that I'm not scared, that I'm going to face this thing.

One time, while I was attending college in Iowa, there was a tornado and I stood outside alone for the entire thing. I was so scared and didn't want to go inside. I eventually did because the air just changed. But the tornado was something I wanted to face, because I've always been so scared of the power of storms, elements, huge waves, deep water, thunder and wind. A lot of the album is me trying to grapple with how I'm in awe of nature and terrified by it.

The album is me trying to be OK with submitting to nature. A lot of peopleespecially latelyare going through life knowing there will be a massive climate disaster that affects everyone at some point, whether it's wildfires, a tornado, a hurricane, or drought and lack of water.

I think everybody is going through life, trying to act normal, but we all know it in the back of our heads. And that feeling of powerlessness is utterly terrifying. It's pretty fucked. You just go through your daily life. You're doing your normal shit, you have a moment of silence, and you freak out. I was trying to feel OK with it and acknowledge that nature is powerful, as it should be.

The album is steeped in disaster, and you have a history dealing with concussions. What ties these themes together?

What I was doing with these songs was trying to grapple with my fear of climate doom and disaster in the same way I was trying to grapple with the fear of my body deteriorating, because I was experiencing these relentless concussions over and over again. It got to a point where I had to overcome the fear of pain and disability.

On the production side of Planet (i), you went to England and worked with Ali Chant. How was that experience?

Initially, I was hoping to self-produce this record. I wanted to do it myself and get back to how I recorded music when I made my first EP as Squirrel Flower. Back then, I was just using this little, shitty recording interface and layering everything. I wasn't worrying about anything else.

Before recording this, I was talking to some producers, and Ali hit up my manager and said, "I'm a fan of Squirrel Flower." We talked on the phone, and we clicked. But at that time last year, we agreed that there was no way to record. There was a pandemic, and there's an ocean between us. The conversation was like, "Maybe in the future, nice to talk to you, goodbye."

The following week, I got COVID, which was crazy and horrible, but it allowed me to rethink the possibility of going to England to record. At the time, the U.S. and UK were the only countries open to each other because they were both fucked. [Laughs.] I had the antibodies, so I decided to fly there. I triple-masked and flew to London, then my friend drove me to Bristol to the studio.

It was insane working with Aliand his friend Adrian Utley, the guitarist of Portishead, played on the record. It felt too casual. They were both very laid-back and down-to-earth.

Ali and I didn't want anything to feel overproduced. We were both on a similar page in terms of keeping in little mistakes and crackles. It was all about creating this thing that, when you're listening to it, feels like a performance.

Did you have the songs written beforehand, or were you writing in the studio?

I had like 30 demos going into it. I had this Soundcloud playlist, because I was trying to share them with certain people and get feedback. I would move them around, put some on another playlist. It was so fucked and disorganized. I had too many songs.

I narrowed them down to 14 to go into the studio. Then I ended up writing two more while I was in Bristol that made it onto the record"Flames and Flat Tires" and "To Be Forgotten."

"To Be Forgotten" has these lyrics: "To be alone, what a feeling / To be forgotten, what a feeling." Those lines could read sad, but the performance feels cathartic.

I feel like a lot of my life I've had a fraught relationship with independence and solitude and how joyful and not joyful that can be.

When I was writing that line, I was alone in Bristol, letting my music physically guide me through life around the world. I was literally following my art, and it felt so amazing. That's what I was trying to capture, walking around Bristol alone for hours and feeling amazing, just being with the universe, having nature be my company.

I think that it may be from having ADHD. I just get really distracted sometimes when I don't have alone time. I get frazzled. It's really important to take a step back and be able to slow down.

What's your ideal planet?

Oh fuck, I don't know. [Laughs.] I've been reading a lot of sci-fi lately. I reread Fahrenheit 451, and now I'm rereading The Martian Chronicles, and I started Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. It's a very powerful thing to imagine or reimagine our society in a different place and way.

I can say that my ideal planet is not Elon Musk's Mars colony. At this point, I don't think I can construct my own ideal planet. I need to read more about other people's ideal planets. A lot of the time, it's pretty radical to just imagine a different world, whether that's in the future or a different planet completely.

I think a lot of people have been experiencing apocalypse for a very long time, whether it's from climate disaster or environmental racism or policing. I think about it a lot in terms of queer theory, because that's what I studied in college. There are a lot of people who feel like their world is fucking ending all the time and have always been forced to imagine new ways of living and community building. The act of imagining is very powerful.

Thinking of it from a queer perspective, if your very existence is denying a gender binary and imagining a new type of expression and selfhood, you're already living in the future. You're already imagining something more beautiful than what already exists, if that makes sense.

Is this album the first of a series? Are there going to be other Planet albums

Planet B? [Laughs.] It's a good question, because I have so many songs that didn't make it onto the record. I feel kind of confined sometimes by album-cycle structure stuff. I knew that I didn't want to do a double album. I need to be creative and think about a way to share those songs.

Or not, you know? Maybe those songs just exist in my voice memos. That's beautiful in its own way.v

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Squirrel Flower confronts looming disaster on the new Planet (i) - Chicago Reader

We've been overwatching Red Solstice 2: Survivors since we checked out the game's alpha a month ago. Now in its final form we dive into the full co-op experience with our squad of four to take on some of the single player story and into the meat of the game's skirmish mode.

If you didn't know, Red Solstice 2: Survivors is a top-down tactical-action game where you control space marines on a Mars colony overrun with alien/zombie creatures. Your main goal is to survive while completing a primary objective,but along the way there will be side missions to complete like rescuing civilians, powering up critical gear, and collecting things in the name of science. The top-down view makes the game feel a bit like a Diablo-style experience, though you can take more direct control of your actions for enhanced targeting bonuses.

The key to surviving survivors is overwatch! Your "E" key. Pressing this creates a radius in which any enemy entering your character will automatically target and take out baddies. There's a fine line to balancing this auto aim with manually taking control when you want to prioritize bigger, badder targets.

Along the way on your missions you'll want to be on the lookout for lockers that contain usable items like mines, turrets, grenades as well as health and ability boosting items. And trust us, you are going to need these things as the game throws a ton of enemies at you - especially as your time on the red planet increases - so does the difficulty.

Since we last looked at the game a month ago, it doesn't really feel like too much has changed. There's been a bit of polish added and some UI cleanup, but it's the same fun experience we had last time we played. Jason highlights a few issues he's noticed now that we've had some more time with it; namely, that not all skills you unlock via your "Profile" experience carry over into the Campaign mode as new classes/abilities/gear there are unlocked by completing research projects. Oddly, though, this limitation only applies to the host and not your co-op buddies. Aside from that, while saved loadouts are a great feature so you can swap between different guns/abilities quickly before launching into a mission, the interface is a little bit clunky and it's not always clear why you can or can't equip some things.

Overall this game is a definite recommend from the Co-Optimus team. If you watched our video above you can clearly hear and see us having a jolly good time with our friends. The skirmish mode definitely has some meat to it and its bite sized nature will keep us coming back for more.

Red Solstice 2: Survivors is available now on Steam for $29.99. It features eight player online co-op.

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Red Solstice 2: Survivors Co-Op Stream Recap and Impressions - Co-Optimus.com

World's largest surviving carnivorous marsupials Tasmanian devils were given a safe harbour on an island abound in the little penguin population. Now, theyre devouring the endangered penguins to the point of wiping the mammals out of their habitat.

[Credit: The Maria Island Walk]

The popular Maria Island, now home to the Tasmanian devils, is located off the east coast of Tasmania. It is a solitary Australian National Parkthat can be reached by ferry or plane. The threatened predator was introduced to Maria Islandby the environment conservationists under theSave the Tasmanian Devil Program(STDP)which was aimed to stop the extinction of the Tasmanian devil due to Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

The STDP, a joint initiative of the Australian and Tasmanian governments, was established in 2003 following a national workshop of specialists on the decline of the Tasmanian devil. There were looming fears of the marsupials permanent endangerment due to the spread of the facial disease. DFTDis a highly transmissible ailment of the Tasmanian devil population that was transmitted to others with biting, fighting and copulation in their natural habitat, the coastal heath, open dry sclerophyll forests.

[Credit: Unspalsh]

However, according to a report issued by BirdLife Tasmania, the marsupials, that noticeably grew in population from 28 to an estimated 100 between 2021-2016, have been eliminating the penguins on the island. It is also threatened the colony of the medium-sized long-winged, short-tailedpetrel family sea bird species called the shearwater according to the Birdlife findings published its findings in the journal Biological Conservation.

[Shearwater bird. Credit: Twitter/@americanbeetles]

[Credit: Twitter/@SeabirdingJP]

The introduction of devils increased predation pressure on shearwaters, and the colonies continued to decline, reaching zero occupancies within four years of devil introduction.The penguins were also significantly reduced. The park produced an estimated figure of 3,000 pairs of penguins, that it said, have declined from the island due to the Tasmanian devils hunting habits. There were anecdotal changes also noticedin the ground-nesting bird's Cape Barren geese on Maria Island, trying to escape these marsupials.

In a televised remark with CNN on Wednesday, the convenor of BirdLife Tasmania Eric Woehler expressed hope as he indicated that the decimated little penguin population can most likely be restored once the predatory activity of the devils is taken care of. It is although uncertain if the sanctuary would opt for conservation translocations as a means to minimize the Tasmanian devils threats on its native prey species.

The convenor agreed that the park has witnessed the catastrophic ecological impact on the fauna across the Island since transplanting theinsurance population of devils in the habitat that is home to several important species on the verge of mass eradication. The little penguins, however, areone of the two most threatenedseabird species in the world. According toBirdlife International,it isnt the Antarctic penguins that are officially endangered,but thelittle penguinpopulation that exists at Manly, in Sydney's North Harbour is.

[Cape Barren Geese.Credit: Stewart Monckton/ Twitter/@SCMONCK]

[Penguins. Credit: unsplash]

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia, the little penguins can now only be found in southern Australia, as well as few in New Zealand. In Australia, little penguin colonies may be detected across the coastline from near Perth on the west coast, to Sydney on the east coast, and around Tasmania. In Phillip Island, there is only one remaining little penguin colony.

Woehler stated that it was very natural to have catastrophic consequences on the bird populations anywhere in the world where there was a deliberate introduction of carnivore predators in the habitat. In some cases, scientists warn about the impact on other wildlife species. Woeler, however, did verify that it would be now a good time to remove the devils from Maria Island as the threat is well within the range of being controlled. This implies, that the 116-square-kilometer Maria Island can be re-established as an island for the penguins.

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Tasmanian devils wipe out over 3,000 penguins on tiny Australian island - Republic World

(NASA/Cory Huston)

Nasa has finally assembled its first Space Launch System (SLS), a massive rocket that will carry humans to the Moon once again.

Engineers at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida finished the 65m tall core rocket stage - the same height as Londons Tower Bridge - in between the smaller booster rockets on Friday. It is the first time that all three components have been unified.

The boosters attach at the engine and intertank sections of the core stage, which is essentially the backbone of the rocket. The core stage has to support the weight of the payload, upper stage, and crew vehicle as well as four engines, and two five-segment rocket boosters.

The SLS rocket core stage lift operations photographed in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Nasas Kennedy Centre (Nasa)

The rocket will be used as a part of Nasas Artemis-1 mission, during which the SLS will carry the Orion crew vehicle to the Moon at a speed of 24,500 miles per hour later this year. Humans will not be on board this flight, but it will eventually send the first woman and the next man to the Moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis-3 mission.

The SLS is designed for deep space missions to send Orion, or other cargo, to the Moon. This is over 1000 times the distance than a trip to the International Space Station, but one that will be necessary is humans are to set up a community on other spheres.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has predicted that, following humans landing on the moon in three years, a potential Mars landing could happen in 2026, leading to a colony on the Red Planet by 2050.

But the path of the Space Launch System has not gone smooth; In January 2021, Nasa had to stop a test of all four of the rockets engines after an apparent problem, and has been criticised for going billions of dollars over budget.

That said, should the SLS successfully complete its mission, it could be a valuable tool in Nasas arsenal. The rocket is designed to be flexible and evolvable, Nasa says, and could be a key component in missions to Saturn and Jupiter in the future.

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Nasa shows off massive SLS megarocket to take humans to the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter as it is fully assembled - Yahoo Finance UK

This week, discover the Mars Science City project in Dubai! Outside of Dubai, in the desert, the United Arab Emirates wants to build a 177,000 square meter city that will replicate living conditions on Mars. To build the houses, the architects used 3D printing and desert sand. Next, we will introduce you to Relativity Spaces latest project, which aims to create the first fully 3D printed rocket, even larger than their previous attempts. Finally, check out Anycubics newest machine, Vyper, which has new and improved features, like auto-leveling, that make it excellent for both pros and beginners. Happy Sunday and enjoy the top 5 3D printing videos from the week!

As part of the Emirates Mars 2117 plan to establish a colony on Mars within a century, architecture firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has unveiled the Mars Science City project. Located in the desert outside of Dubai, the 177,000-square-meter city simulating life on Mars is equipped with cutting-edge technology and innovative features. The citys modular homes were 3D printed with desert sand and their construction was facilitated by advanced robotic arms.

Elon Musks Space X is getting competition: Relativity Space recently raised over $600 million and is using it to develop and manufacture 3D-printed rockets. The Terran R rockets are said to be on par with Musks Falcon 9 in terms of size and speed, but could be manufactured with fewer components and in a fast production time. This is possible thanks to the use of metal 3D printing, he said, and also offers the possibility of being more cost-effective than the competition. Find out how many components are needed for the Terran R and how high the production costs are compared to the Falcon 9 in the video.

Popular 3D printer manufacturer, Anycubic, has announced the launch of their latest machine named Vyper. Like all of Anycubics printers, it requires a bit of assembly but that keeps the price cheaper than many of its competitors, perfect for anyone on a budget. Additionally, it is a great machine for anyone starting off in 3D printing thanks to incredible features like Auto-Leveling, 4.3 inch touch screen, and quick installation. The company also claims that the printing speed is up to 30% faster than its previous Mega series.

In the following video we will learn in which cases 3D printing is suitable for the manufacture of jigs and fixtures. Above all, it is important to understand how the technology differs from other production methods, such as CNC milling or injection molding. In terms of design, material selection, production time and costs, the methods differ significantly from each other. The number of parts to be created also has a significant impact on decision making get expert advice from leading 3D printing manufacturers, Essentium!

In this video, the German company igus shows the difference between conventional ABS material and the iglidur I3 for the production of screw nuts in 3D printing. The material has a much lower wear rate and is suitable for private 3D printing at home. Customers also have the option of having these manufactured by the experts. You can see how much more resistant the iglidur materials are in the video.

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Top 5 Videos: Dubais 3D Printed Martian City in the Desert - 3Dnatives