Earth Set for Annual Halley’s Comet Meteor Shower

As the Earth speeds towards a trail of debris left by Halley’s comet, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is due to be seen across the globe.

The Eta Aquariids happen every year, between mid-April and the end of May, as the Earth passes the point in its orbit that coincides with Halley’s comet’s cloud of outbound debris from its 76-year orbit.

The meteor shower is expected to peak on the evening of May 6, with up to 10 to 30 meteors being visible per hour.

This meteor shower is a result of particles left behind by the famous Halley’s comet. Discovered in the 1700s, this comet orbits the sun in a long ellipsis, only passing the inner solar system every 76 or so years. The comet was last visible in 1986, and will only next appear in mid-2061.

During its forays into the inner solar system, the comet is heated up by the sun, causing a stream of dust and ice particles to be sheared off its surface. This material wake remains in space even once the comet is long gone back to the outer solar system, and as the Earth moves through the patch of space containing this debris each year, we get the annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower as the debris burns up in our atmosphere.

I Invest in AI. It’s the Biggest Risk to Humanity

Iwas in the process of scaling down my work at Skype when I stumbled upon a series of essays written by early artificial intelligence researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky, warning about the inherent dangers of AI.

I was instantly convinced by his arguments and felt a combination of intrigue, interest and bewilderment. Why hadn’t I figured this out? Why was nobody else talking about this kind of thing seriously? This was clearly a blind spot that I had fallen prey to.

It was 2009 and I was looking around for my next project after selling Skype a few years prior. I decided to write to Yudkowsky. We met up, and from there I began thinking about the best way to proceed with this type of research.

By the following year, I had dedicated my time to existential risk mitigation with a focus on AI. I was talking to reporters, giving speeches about this topic and speaking with entrepreneurs, culminating with my investment in artificial intelligence company DeepMind in 2011.

For decades now, I have served as someone within AI groups who tries to facilitate some kind of dialogue about the risks of this research, first on a personal basis and then through the Future of Life Institute—a nonprofit organization I co-founded that aims to reduce risks to humanity, particularly those from advanced AI.

Strictly For Price-Conscious Young Buyers

HP Chromebook 15.6-inch Laptop Review: The US-based PC and printer major HP Inc recently launched the new Chromebook 15.6 laptop in India, which is designed to target young students in college and school. The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch screen and it is powered by an Intel Celeron N4500 processor. One of the main highlights of the HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop is its price. It is priced competitively, making it an attractive choice for young buyers.

HP CHROMEBOOK 15.6-INCH LAPTOP: PRICE

The HP Chromebook 15.6 is available at a starting price of Rs 28,999 in India. The machine comes in two colours – Forest Teal and Mineral Silver. I used the Mineral Silver variant for more than a week and here’s what I think about this new Chromebook from HP. The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch screen. It is powered by an Intel Celeron N4500 processor. The laptop can deliver a battery life of up to 11.5 hours and comes with connectivity options like Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth and USB ports.

The build quality of the HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop is decent, but not premium. It is made of plastic materials, which may not be as durable as metal or other high-quality materials. The design is functional and simplistic, lacking any standout aesthetics. The company’s logo is displayed at the center of the back panel, while a small Chrome logo can be seen towards the top side of the rear panel. With a weight of 1.6kg, this HP laptop is a bit bulky due to its weight distribution and thick chassis. However, daily users won’t face any discomfort carrying it on regular basis.