In 2003, the photographer Michael Light published 100 Suns, a collection of government photographs of nuclear-weapons tests conducted from 1945 to 1962. Each bomb test was given an innocuous name'Sugar, Easy, Zucchini, Orange'and then detonated in the desert or ocean. The Army Signal Corps and a detachment of Air Force photographers, working out of a secret base in Hollywood, photographed the tests. Light collected their work from the archives of laboratories such as Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore. The photos, he says, are part scientific study and part propaganda, a measure of America's technological progress and the power of its arsenal. They are also, in a way the Pentagon likely never intended, a disconcerting form of art: surreal balls of fire and ash set against barren landscapes; man-made stars, as Light described them, rising over the horizon. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty, prohibiting nuclear detonations in the atmosphere, the ocean, and outer space. Bomb testing disappeared underground'but it didn't end. 'In all of these underground tests, there has been little to see and little to photograph,' Light wrote in 100 Suns. 'There is no record that helps keep an informed citizenry viscerally aware of what its government is doing.'...
After launching Veo 3-powered video generation in May, Google made the feature available in over 150 countries as of last week. At the moment, only Google AI Ultra and Google AI Pro plan users can generate videos with a three-creations-per-day limit with no carry-over. Google said that users can generate a clip by selecting the 'Videos' option from the tool menu in the prompt box and uploading a photo. You can also add sound by describing the audio in the prompt. Once the video is generated, you can download it or share it with others. The company noted that since its release seven weeks ago, users have created more than 40 million videos across the Gemini app and Flow tool. All videos generated using the Veo 3 model will have a visible watermark that says 'Veo' along with an invisible SynthID digital watermark, which is adopted by Google's AI tool to identify AI-powered digital artifacts. From seed to Series C and beyond ' founders and VCs of all stages are heading to Boston. Be part of the conversation. Save up to $475 now and tap into powerful takeaways, peer insights, and game-changing connections....
It's hard work soaking up sunlight to generate clean electricity. After about 25 to 30 years, solar panels wear out. Over the years, heating and cooling cycles stress the materials. Small cracks develop, precipitation corrodes the frame and layers of materials can start to peel apart. In 2023, about 90% of old or faulty solar panels in the U.S. ended up in landfills. Millions of panels have been installed worldwide over the past few decades ' and by about 2030, so many will be ready to retire that they could cover about 3,000 football fields. As an electrical engineer who has studied many aspects of renewable energy, recycling solar panels seems like a smart idea, but it's complicated. Built to withstand years of wind and weather, solar panels are designed for strength and are not easy to break down. Sending a solar panel to a landfill costs between US$1 and $5 in the U.S. But recycling it can cost three to four times as much, around $18. And the valuable materials inside solar panels, such as silver and copper, are in small amounts, so they're worth about $10 to $12 ' which makes recycling a money-losing prospect. Improvements in the recycling process may change the economics....
I see many students viewing artificial intelligence as humanlike simply because it can write essays, do complex math or answer questions. AI can mimic human behavior but lacks meaningful engagement with the world. This disconnect inspired the course and was shaped by the ideas of 20th-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger. His work highlights how we are deeply connected and present in the world. We find meaning through action, care and relationships. Human creativity and mastery come from this intuitive connection with the world. Modern AI, by contrast, simulates intelligence by processing symbols and patterns without understanding or care. In this course, we reject the illusion that machines fully master everything and put student expression first. In doing so, we value uncertainty, mistakes and imperfection as essential to the creative process. This vision expands beyond the classroom. In the 2025-26 academic year, the course will include a new community-based learning collaboration with Atlanta's art communities. Local artists will co-teach with me to integrate artistic practice and AI....
