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NASA/STScI

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope passes key optics tests

The observatory should meet or beat expectations.

Astronomers can breathe a little easier. NASA has confirmed the James Webb Space Telescope has passed checks and tests verifying its optical performance following a "fine phasing" alignment on March 11th. There also aren't any critical problems or detectable blockages. Optical systems are performing "at, or above, expectations," NASA said.

The fine phasing corrected alignment errors by using optical elements inside the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam science instrument. The mission team gauged the performance by aligning and focusing the telescope on a star. The technology is very sensitive — as you can see above, Webb captured galaxies and stars in the background despite the very bright star in the middle.

NASA expects to finish aligning the observatory across all instruments by early May or sooner. After that, the team will spend two months prepping the instruments for capturing and sharing the first practical images and data in the summer.

The milestones show not just that Webb survived the 930,000-mile journey to its observation point, but that the telescope's novel segmented mirror design works as promised — particularly important given the $10 billion price tag, numerous delays and Hubble's mounting problems. For the most part, scientists can now concentrate on how they'll use Webb to study the early universe and other elusive aspects of the cosmos.

Apple employees evacuate Cupertino campus following potential hazmat situation

 

Apple ordered the evacuation of a "portion" of its Apple Park headquarters on Tuesday after first responders from the Santa Clara County Fire Department found an envelope containing an unidentified powdery white substance, according to NBC Bay Area. The situation was later resolved and affected employees were told they could return to the building. Officials have yet to say what the substance was that they discovered.  

Congressional bills would ban tech mergers over $5 billion

 

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Senator Elizabeth Warren has long made clear that she's no fan of Big Tech, and her latest legislation proves it. She and House Representative Mondaire Jones have introduced legislation in their respective congressional chambers that would effectively ban large technology mergers. The Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act (PAMA) would make it illegal to pursue "prohibited mergers," including those worth more than $5 billion or which provide market shares beyond 25 percent for employers and 33 percent for sellers.

The bills would also give antitrust regulators more power to halt and review mergers. They would have authority to reject mergers outright, without requiring court orders. They would likewise bar mergers from companies with track records of antitrust violations or other instances of "corporate crime" in the past decade. Officials would have to gauge the impact of these acquisition on labor forces, and wouldn't be allowed to negotiate with the companies to secure "remedies" for clearing mergers.

Crucially, PAMA would formalize procedures for reviewing past mergers and breaking up "harmful deals" that allegedly hurt competition. The Federal Trade Commission has signalled a willingness to split up tech giants like Meta despite approving mergers years earlier. PAMA might make it easier to unwind those acquisitions and force brands like Instagram and WhatsApp to operate as separate businesses.

The act isn't strictly focused on tech, but Warren made clear that industry was a target. She cautioned the FTC on Amazon's proposed buyout of MGM Studios, and challenged Lockheed Martin's since-abandoned attempt to buy Aerojet Rocketdyne.

If it becomes law, PAMA would ban the Amazon-MGM union (worth over $8.4 billion), Microsoft's Activision deal ($68.7 billion) and relatively modest acquisitions like Google's planned buyout of Mandiant ($5.4 billion). Tech firms would largely have to focus on acquiring 'small' companies, and would largely have to forego deals meant to expand market share or otherwise cement dominance in a given market.

However, there are obstacles that might prevent PAMA from reaching President Biden's desk. Both the Senate and House bills have no Republican cosponsors — they're either Democrats or left-leaning independents like Senator Bernie Sanders. That's enough to clear the House, but the Senate bill could fail if it doesn't obtain total support from sitting Democrats. As such, this may represent more of a declaration of Democrats' inentions than a fundamental change in regulatory policies

Apple iPad Air (2022) review: Almost future-proof

 J

ust a few days before Apple announced the 2022 iPad Air, rumors started swirling that it wouldn’t be powered by the expected A15 Bionic processor that’s in the iPad mini and iPhone 13 lineup. No, it would get an M1, the same chip found in a host of Macs and the iPad Pro, devices that cost a lot more than the iPad Air. At the time, I didn’t put much stock into this rumor; the iPad Air and 11-inch iPad Pro were already extremely similar devices. This would make the gap between them even smaller.

I’ll have to eat crow on this one, as Apple went ahead and put the M1 in the new iPad Air. There are a handful of other little changes here, including a much-improved front-facing camera and 5G connectivity, but the M1 is the real upgrade of note. And while the basic experience of using the Air is mostly the same as it was when we last tested one, having the power of an M1 means this is one of the most future-proof iPads you can buy.

Epson's latest laser projector promises 4K 120Hz output for $3,999

 K. Holt

03.16.22

Only a month after revealing the Pro Cinema LS12000 laser projector, Epson is bringing much of the same tech to a cheaper model. The Home Cinema LS11000 4K PRO-UHD also uses multi-array laser diodes as the light source (which Epson says will last for up to 20,000 hours), as well as pixel-shifting technology and a three-chip LCD system.

The company claims its precision shift glass plate can refract light accurately to deliver an "exceptionally sharp and clear picture" with a 3,840 x 2,160, 8.29 million-pixel image at a display size of up to 300 inches. It says the Epson Picture Processor can handle resolution enhancement, frame interpolation, color, contrast and HDR imagery in real time. The projector supports HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, though there's no mention of Dolby Vision.

The LS11000 can output 4K images at 120 fps with input lag times below 20 milliseconds, according to Epson. That could make it a solid choice for large-display gaming, though the lag might not quite cut it for high-performance players who need to minimize input latency. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports on the rear, one of which has eARC/ARC and Dolby Atmos support.

At 2,500 lumens, the LS11000 isn't quite as bright as the 2,700-lumen LS12000. It has a lower contrast ratio of 1,200,000:1 compared with the LS12000's 2,500,000:1. For those key tradeoffs, you'll save $1,000 by opting for the LS11000. Epson's latest laser projector costs $3,999 and it will ship later this month.