Arizona in the Dark; Wildfire still Charring the Western U.S.; AI to Predict Hurricane Path; The Wizard of Oz on the Sphere in Las Vegas; A Robot to Administer EV Manufacturing; Merfolk Swimming at a Community Pool

Arizona in the Dark

    On Monday, Phoenix, Arizona, was encapsulated by 70-mph winds in a Haboob. According to a meteorologist extraordinaire, a Haboob is a dust storm caused by a thunderstorm. When outflow from the storm touches the land, it picks up huge amounts of dust or sand up to 1,000 feet into the air, causing zero visibility, even blotting out the sun. This doozy phenomenon packed a punch a day earlier at the annual Burning Man Arts Festival in Nevada.

Wildfire still Charring the Western U.S.

    1200 firefighters are battling the Flat fire in Oregon with the help of cool temperatures and rain. A stint of dry weather turbocharged the wildfire, further charring 34 acres of rugged wilderness over the weekend. In California, after burning of 20% of Picket Fire, 10 square miles of Napa County have been charred, though so far the flames have spared he region’s iconic wineries.

AI to Predict Hurricane Path

    The National Hurricane Centre collaborated with Google in a bid to develop a next-gen AI model to forecast hurricanes. It will predict their path, size, intensity, and even unprecedented speed as storms develop. While leveraging AI technology, humans still have the final say. Experts plan to test the system during this hurricane season, and results will be featured on their website. 

The Wizard of Oz on the Sphere in Las Vegas

    The first film to popularize Technicolour, The Wizard of Oz, will be featured at the iconic sphere in Las Vegas. 2,000 visual AI researchers, academics and CNN’s parent company Warner Bros teamed up to enhance the film for the massive wrap-around screen while keeping its original atmosphere. They used AI to fill the gaps on the screen and even re-recorded the film score at the original soundstage. 160,000 speakers will create an immersive sound experience. While debate over AI continues, creators hope the technology will remain invisible as audiences appreciate the film’s originality. 

A Robot to Administer EV Manufacturing

    At the Hyundai Global Motor Group Innovation Centre in Singapore, Boston Dynamic’s Spot robots are helping to administer EV manufacturing. The four-legged robots take photos of engineers at work, then send them to the command centre. Built in 2023, this centre manufactures 3,000 EVs annually with 200 robots on the floor, boasting a 70% automation rate. Experts say this helps prevent errors down the line. 

Merfolk Swimming at a Community Pool

    A pod of adult mermaids and a merman, dubbed Metro Merfolk, gathered at a swimming pool in Northern Virginia. Dressed in full costume with tails, the merfolk enjoyed a moment of whimsy.

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