Technology June 25: Amazon boss holds wedding ceremony, Google Earth celebrates 20 years

Stars gather in Venice for Jeff Bezos' lavish wedding

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s multi-day wedding is taking place in Venice, Italy, with around 200 high-profile guests from the worlds of politics , business and entertainment. Some of the faces already in town include Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, designer Diane von Furstenberg, former soccer star Tony Gonzalez and his wife, Lauren’s close friend, and other celebrities who attended the bride’s bachelorette party.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arrived at Marco Polo airport in Venice on Tuesday.

The guest list was also inspired by two previous engagement parties on a private yacht and at billionaire Barry Diller's home - which had the presence of Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DiCaprio.

However, the event has also faced opposition from locals concerned about overtourism . Some groups have posted protest signs and threatened to block access to the venues. Venice authorities have dismissed these actions and said they welcome the wedding.

A series of Facebook groups had their accounts locked.

A number of Facebook Group administrators are speaking out about the phenomenon of unexplained bans, affecting groups in both the US and internationally. Many groups with harmless content such as sharing money-saving tips, raising pets, playing Pokémon, or bird photos are being locked for vague reasons such as “terrorism-related” or “pornographic content.”

A Meta spokesperson confirmed that this was a technical error and that the company was working on a fix. Some users who subscribed to the Meta Verified service (which includes priority support) have received support, but many groups remain suspended or deleted entirely.

The phenomenon coincides with a wave of bans on Instagram and other social networks like Pinterest and Tumblr, raising suspicions that automated AI moderation systems may be to blame. Users have even started a petition with more than 12,000 signatures, and some are considering suing Meta.

Google Earth celebrates 20 years with history rewind feature

To celebrate its 20th birthday, Google Earth is getting an update with historical Street View imagery – allowing users to rewind images of an area from different years, just like on Google Maps. Additionally, Google Earth Pro users will soon get AI-powered analytics powered by Gemini, which can be query using natural language to learn metrics like global forest cover.

AI-powered analytics in Google Earth will be powered by Gemini.

The “Street View over Time” feature is not only nostalgic, but also helps users and experts track climate and urban changes over time. A Timelapse mode will allow for a quick look at how a location has changed over decades.

Images through the canopy of the old forest from space

The European Space Agency’s Biomass satellite, dubbed a giant “space umbrella,” has returned the first ever images of Earth’s forests in unprecedented detail. Equipped with a P-band radar – a type of radar never before put into orbit – Biomass is able to penetrate dense tree canopies to measure the wood structure beneath, where most of the forest’s carbon is stored.

Biomass satellite image in action. (Illustration)

In addition to monitoring forests and the global carbon cycle, the satellite can also survey the subsurface geology of deserts and forest floors. The collected data will be processed and provided via the MAAP cloud platform, making it easier for global scientists to access and analyze.

According to ESA, the satellite is still in the calibration phase, but the initial images are impressive and promise to bring many scientific breakthroughs.

Minh Hoan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cong-nghe-25-6-ong-chu-amazon-to-chuc-le-cuoi-google-earth-ky-niem-20-nam-ar950788.html