5 best news for November
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites into space
Aerospace company SpaceX continues to expand the size of its own Starlink orbital group, which is used to provide broadband Internet access to various countries. The next batch of telecommunication devices was launched into orbit earlier this week.
A Falcon 9 launch vehicle carrying 23 Starlink satellites lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida on Monday, November 27 at 11:20 p.m. local time. After 9 minutes, the first stage of the rocket made a soft landing on the special floating platform Just Read the Instructions, which was located off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. For this first degree, the current launch was the 17th.
At the same time, the rocket’s second stage continued to gain altitude, and a little more than an hour after launch, the telecommunications apparatus was deployed in low Earth orbit. According to astrophysicist and satellite observation specialist Jonathan McDowell, the Starlink network currently consists of more than 5,000 working devices. At the same time, SpaceX has permission to launch 12,000 satellites into space, but the ultimate goal of the company is to form a group of 30,000 telecommunications devices.
The main Christmas tree of the country will be installed on Sofia Square in Kyiv: when will it be opened?
This year, the country’s main Christmas tree will be installed on Sofia Square in Kyiv. Such a decision was adopted by the Council of Defense of the capital.
As reported by the Kyiv City Military Administration, there will be no mass events – neither fairs nor celebrations – on Christmas and New Year in Kyiv.
The opening of the country’s main Christmas tree is scheduled for St. Nicholas Day – December 6. Installation work will begin on December 3.
It will be installed at the expense of patrons – without spending budgetary funds on equipment and electricity. The Christmas tree will be up until January 10, 2024.
We will remind that last year the Christmas tree was 12 meters high. It was decorated with energy-saving blue-yellow garlands powered by a generator.
There was a lot of discussion in society about the installation of a Christmas tree in the conditions of martial law. However, the authorities of the capital decided not to deprive Ukrainians of the symbol of the New Year holidays.
More than people: AI-generated influencers earn insane amounts per month
Spanish agency The Clueless claims to have found a profitable solution to the problem of dealing with human clients. Instead of dealing with real people and their requirements, the agency created an artificial model, named Aytana, who now earns a lot of money for the company.
Aitana’s creators claim that she looks realistic enough to attract the attention of celebrities, even asking them out via private messages. And indeed, if you visit the Instagram of the AI model, some of her photos can be easily confused with real ones, because they look like well-retouched pictures. Financially, the unusual venture seems to be paying off: according to some sources, Aytana “earns” up to $11,000 every month.
Beyond the financial benefits, proponents of AI influencers argue that they offer a solution that avoids messy human dramas. Agencies may prefer models that don’t carry the complications associated with real people, ensuring that brand values remain intact.
Additionally, the cost savings associated with using an AI image generator for influencer content is significant, especially compared to royalties paid by human celebrities.
Humanity broke the Black Friday shopping record: how much was spent?
Analysts summed up Black Friday, which took place around the world last week, November 24. It marks the beginning of seasonal discounts and preparations for Christmas. The results show record profits for sellers this year.
In the United States, shoppers spent $9.8 billion, up 7.5% from last year. According to Adobe Analytics, the figure surpassed the growth on Thanksgiving ($5.6 billion, or 5.5% more than last year). It’s also slightly more than analysts had predicted – they counted on $9.6 billion.
Salesforce, which uses different metrics than Adobe and says it counts transactions for about 1.5 billion consumers, also said online sales on Black Friday exceeded its expectations. Interestingly, its results are very different from Adobe’s data, which already reports $16.4 billion in the US.
Analysts also noted that although inflation is lower this year (3% against 7% last year), economic uncertainty continues to put pressure on consumers – they increasingly choose purchases with deferred payment, that is, on credit or in installments.
A permanent representation of the European Parliament will be opened in Kyiv
The European Parliament will open a representative office in Ukraine. The corresponding memorandum with the legislative and representative body of the European Union was signed in Brussels
This was announced by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, during the visit of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, to Brussels, Radio Svoboda reports.
“We signed an updated memorandum of parliamentary support for democracy between our two parliaments. This is also a practical way in which we as the European Parliament can help Ukraine join the EU. This partnership will be strengthened by our decision to open a permanent representation of the European Parliament in Kyiv,” Metsola said.
In turn, Stefanchuk said that thanks to the memorandum, the Verkhovna Rada will increasingly meet EU standards in its functionality.
“The main thing that we have recorded today is that we are moving towards the same denominator. We are integrating with each other in terms of functionality, institutionality, and common values. I believe that this is a very important decision,” said the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada.”