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Author: Sanjay Patil

Sanjay Patil is a ReturnByte journalist who writes about technology. Follow him on Twitter at @sanjaypatil
This time the blue Moon is also a SuperMoon. Know all about it. (AP) News 

Don’t Miss Out on the Rare Opportunity to See a Blue Moon Supermoon!

Sanjay Patil

Do you find the various stages of the moon fascinating? If so, you’ll be thrilled to know that on August 30, we will have the chance to witness two unique lunar events simultaneously. It’s quite an exciting prospect, as we will be able to observe both a SuperMoon and a blue Moon. This presents a truly rare opportunity to witness the third full Moon of the month in close proximity to Earth. Aspiring astronomers should prepare their telescopes, as they may even catch a glimpse of the Chandrayaan-3 rover. Be…

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Continuous distractions can affect your work and may lead you to procrastinate and eventually degrade your productivity. (Play store) News 

Increase Efficiency with Freedom App to Combat Distractions from Background Apps

Sanjay Patil

Do you find it difficult to concentrate on work or study due to background apps and online activities? In our fast-paced society, staying focused on tasks can be a struggle due to constant digital interruptions. These distractions can negatively impact your work, causing procrastination and decreased productivity. Fortunately, there are several apps, such as Freedom, that can help you block these distractions and regain control of your attention, ultimately enhancing your productivity. Freedom is a productivity tool designed to avoid distractions by blocking distracting apps and websites while you work.…

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The announcement follows last week’s move by the country’s parliament to investigate the use of TikTok after receiving a petition demanding it be banned. (AFP) News 

TikTok to Implement Content Restrictions in Kenya Following Complaints of Immorality

Sanjay Patil

After a meeting with TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew, the President of Kenya announced that the popular social media platform has agreed to regulate the content shared on its platform in the East African nation. The announcement follows an initiative by the country’s parliament last week to investigate the use of TikTok after receiving a petition calling for it to be banned for “promoting violence, overt sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language and offensive behaviour”. “This new development means that inappropriate or offensive content will be removed from the platform,”…

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Dubbed Crew-7, the mission will be commanded by American Jasmin Moghbeli and includes Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa of Japan and Konstantin Borisov of Russia. (Bloomberg) Space 

NASA and SpaceX to Launch Next Astronauts to International Space Station

Sanjay Patil,

On Friday, NASA and SpaceX are getting ready to send a team of four individuals to the International Space Station. The mission, named Crew-7, is commanded by American Jasmin Moghbeli and includes Danish Andreas Mogensen, Japanese Satoshi Furukawa and Russian Konstantin Borisov. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:50 a.m. (0750 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the Alternate on Saturday at 3:27 a.m. It will be the first space mission for both Moghbel and Borisov. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for as…

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The lawsuit claims that the company wouldn’t employ refugees or asylum seekers. Space 

US Justice Department Accuses SpaceX of Discriminatory Hiring Practices

Sanjay Patil, ,

SpaceX is facing a lawsuit from the US Department of Justice, which accuses the company of practicing discriminatory hiring against refugees and asylum seekers. The lawsuit claims that these discriminatory practices took place from 2018 to 2022, and alleges that SpaceX falsely used export control laws as a justification for exclusively hiring US citizens and lawful permanent residents. The DOJ began its investigation in 2020 after the department’s Immigrant and Worker Rights Division received complaints of employee discrimination. Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for DOJ’s civil rights division, said in…

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Netflix's crackdown on password sharing in India has users seeking alternatives. Explore Jio and Airtel plans offering free Netflix subscriptions. (Pexels) News 

No More Password Sharing for Netflix, Get Jio or Airtel Plans with Free OTT Subscription

Sanjay Patil, ,

Netflix has implemented stricter regulations in India, discontinuing the practice of password sharing. The revised policy now restricts account sharing to only those living in the same household. As a result, the only option to access Netflix is by obtaining an individual subscription. This change may pose a financial challenge for many, as they already have substantial monthly expenses for utilities, WiFi, and mobile recharge plans. The added expense of an OTT streaming subscription can be burdensome for most individuals. To ease the financial burden and provide a one-stop solution…

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Having been unveiled earlier this year, Sony has now disclosed more details about the PlayStation Portal and introduced new audio gear. Here are the details. News 

Sony’s PlayStation 5 To Be Released This Year: Get Details On Price And More

Sanjay Patil,

Sony has officially announced more details about its PlayStation Portal Remote Player, formerly known as PlayStation Project Q. This includes the price, full specifications and functionality that users can expect from a standalone handheld remote. The device is designed to stream PS5 games via Wi-Fi to the device’s 8-inch IPS 1080p screen at 60 fps. It resembles the PlayStation DualSense controller; simply put, it resembles a screen attached to the center of a shared DualSense controller. Naturally, PlayStation Portal has all the original DualSense features, such as adaptive triggers and…

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EA is also severing ties with a third-party company that was helping with 'Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.' Gaming 

BioWare Downsizes Staff to Increase Efficiency and Focus

Sanjay Patil, ,

BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, is set to cut around 50 positions as its parent company, Electronic Arts, aims to transform it into a more streamlined and concentrated studio. BioWare’s general manager, Gary McKay, stated that the reorganization was necessary to adapt to the studio’s changing requirements and was deemed unavoidable. “After much thought and careful planning, we’ve built a long-term vision that preserves the studio’s health and allows us to do what we do best: create exceptional story-driven single-player experiences filled with expansive worlds and…

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Season of Blood will feature vampires. Gaming 

‘Diablo IV’ Season 2 to Launch on October 17th

Sanjay Patil

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled the trailer for the upcoming second season of Diablo IV, revealing that it will be available on October 17th. As reported by IGN, players can anticipate acquiring vampire abilities and confronting a vampire lord in an exciting new questline during the opening night of Gamescom 2023. Aptly named “Season of Blood,” the online action role-playing game’s second season will indeed revolve around vampires. Gemma Chan, an actress and producer who starred in Eternals and Crazy Rich Asians, voices the vampire hunter companion Erys, who leads the…

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Acharya Vipin Joshi performs special ritual prayers for the the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 ahead of its landing on the moon on August 23, at Vaishno Devi Cave temple Tapkeshwar Temple, in Dehradun on Tuesday. (ANI Pic Service) Space 

ISRO’s Moon Landing Attempt Today Draws Attention

Sanjay Patil

With the Chandrayaan-3 mission, initiated by ISRO on July 14, 2023, drawing nearer to its lunar touchdown, individuals from every part of the nation are anxiously awaiting its outcome. From Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh to Aliganj Hanuman Temple in Lucknow, special rituals, prayers and ceremonies are held to seek blessings for the success of Chandrayaan-3. A special Ganga Aarti was performed with the tricolor in hands at the Parmarth Niketan Chat in Rishikesh Mis before the Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on August 23. Before the Aarti, devotees performed Havan Pujan for…

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We're getting tantalizingly close to Babelfish territory. AI 

Meta’s Multimodal Translator Utilizes Single Model to Translate into 100 Languages

Sanjay Patil, ,

While it may not be fully capable of bringing about the highly anticipated Doolittle future, modern AI translation techniques are effectively converting the approximately 6,500 spoken and written communication systems used by humanity. However, the issue lies in the fact that each of these models excels in only one or two tasks, such as translating, converting text to speech, or speech to text. Consequently, multiple models need to be combined to achieve the comprehensive performance observed in platforms like Google Translate or Facebook’s diverse language services. It’s a computationally intensive…

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Japan’s JAXA plans a small-scale lunar mission. Check details here. (NASA) News 

JAXA to Send SLIM ‘Moon Sniper’ Lander to the Moon on August 26

Sanjay Patil,

The year of significant space exploration has begun, with multiple countries vying to reach the moon’s surface. The sheer number of missions planned and executed in 2023 is astonishing. Initially, India’s third moon mission, Chardrayaan-3, successfully launched and is set to land on August 23. Subsequently, Russia’s moon mission, which faced a 45-year delay, unfortunately ended in a spacecraft crash. Now, Japan’s Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is gearing up to launch its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), also known as ‘Moon Sniper’, on August 26. There’s more! Several…

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Russia has said it will launch further lunar missions. (AP) Space 

Russia’s Space Chief Announces Start of Competition for Lunar Resources Following Failed Mission

Sanjay Patil,

On Monday, the head of Russia’s space agency Roskosmos emphasized the importance of Russia’s continued involvement in the race to explore and exploit the moon’s resources, despite the setback of its first lunar mission in 47 years. Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed into the moon on Saturday after a problem with pre-descent orbital preparations, highlighting the decline of the once-mighty space program. Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov looked dejected in an interview with Russia’s state television station 24, saying it was in Russia’s vital national interest to…

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A combo photo of the Lunar far side area from the Chandrayaan-3 Mission captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera on Monday. (ISRO Twitter) Space 

ISRO May Delay Chandrayaan-3 Landing to August 27 – Here’s the Reason

Sanjay Patil, , , , , , ,

The Space Applications Centre-ISRO announced on Monday that if any aspect of the lander module is deemed unfavorable, the landing date for Chandrayaan-3 will be rescheduled to August 27. Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre-ISRO Director Nilesh M Desai said the decision to land will be taken based on the condition of the lander and the conditions on the moon. “On August 23, two hours before Chandrayaan-3 will land on the Moon, we will decide based on the condition of the landing module and the conditions on the Moon, whether it is…

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Charles Martinet is moving on to a new "Mario Ambassador" role. Gaming 

Mario’s Voice Actor Retiring After Nearly 30 Years

Sanjay Patil,

Nintendo announced in a tweet this morning that Charles Martinet, who has been the voice of Mario for the past 27 years, will no longer be portraying the character. Instead, he will take on the role of a “Mario Ambassador,” created specifically for him, where he will continue to spread the joy of Mario through global travels. The company has not revealed any information regarding a replacement voice actor. Additionally, Nintendo shared that a special video message featuring Martinet and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto will be released in the near…

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Broadcom's deal has been hanging in the balance for months but the latest approval comes as a big relief. Gadgets 

UK Watchdog Gives Green Light to Broadcom’s $61 Billion Acquisition of VMWare

Sanjay Patil,

Broadcom’s $61 billion deal to buy VMware has been approved by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Monday after a thorough investigation. The CMA found that Broadcom’s deal to buy VMware “would not significantly reduce competition in the supply of server hardware components in the UK”. Following its initial Phase 1 investigation, the CMA identified competition concerns that required a thorough review and moved the deal to a Phase 2 investigation. In a “Phase 2” study, it found that the potential financial benefit to Broadcom and VMware from competing…

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Get ready! Pawan Kalyan-starrer Bro movie will premiere on Netflix on August 25. (Netflix India) News 

Netflix to Stream Pawan Kalyan’s Latest Film ‘Bro’ – Get the Online Details Here

Sanjay Patil,

As August draws to a conclusion, movie enthusiasts can look forward to some thrilling updates in the world of online streaming. A variety of new films, encompassing action, drama, romance, and mysteries, are making their way to streaming platforms, ensuring entertainment for all. If you find it challenging to choose what to watch, we have an excellent recommendation for you – the highly anticipated film “Bro,” starring Pawan Kalyan, is all set for its release on OTT platforms. Bro is Pawan Kalyan’s latest film and created quite a buzz when…

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The latest leak has provided a sneak peek of the sleek Realme GT 5 front design and some other features. (DigitalChatStation) News 

Realme GT 5 Design Revealed – Ultra-Thin Bezels Expected

Sanjay Patil

Prepare yourself for some thrilling updates regarding the Realme GT 5 smartphone! Its launch in China is imminent, and we have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of its fresh appearance through a recent leak. This particular phone has been garnering attention due to its remarkable features. Now, a reliable source, Digital Chat Station, has shared a leaked image on Weibo, providing us with a clear depiction of its front design. Realme GT 5 Design The leaked image offers a peek at the front of the Realme GT 5…

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The robotic spacecraft was due to enter the orbit on Saturday (REUTERS) News 

Luna-25 Lander Misses Pre-Landing Orbit of Moon in Russia

Sanjay Patil

The Luna-25, Russia’s first lunar lander in almost half a century, failed to achieve its intended pre-landing orbit around the moon. The robotic spaceship was supposed to enter orbit on Saturday, but due to an emergency situation, control failed, says the Russian space company Roscosmos. The team is analyzing the situation, it said without elaborating. Russia launched the craft last week, joining the competition with NASA and other space agencies. It is scheduled to land on the moon’s south pole on August 21, Roscosmos said earlier. It’s not immediately clear…

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Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw speaks during the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' meeting, in Bengaluru on Saturday. (ANI ) News 

G20 Digital Economy Ministers Agree to Address Cyber Security as Global Issue: Vaishnaw

Sanjay Patil

During the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the unanimous agreement that cyber security is a global issue necessitating cooperation and measures to foster trust and respect among economies. The minister holding the portfolios of Electronics, IT, Communications and Railways said there was absolute consensus at the G20 meeting on the concept and application of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), cyber security and digital technology skills. He said of the cyber security discussions that “very good principles” were reached regarding cyber security. “Everyone clearly agreed and understood…

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