DJI will no longer intervene and prevent operators from flying drones in 'No Fly Zones.' Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesShareThis week DJI, the worlds leading drone manufacturer, announced a new policy removing enforcement of its No Fly Zone geofences in restricted areas. The sudden shift may lead to more drones hovering where they shouldnt, which could worsen a lingering national panic over flying objects in the sky.DJI, the China-based drone giant, says it will no longer enforce geofence barriers that prevent its products from flying over restricted areas like airports, wildfires, and government buildings. Though the company says these changes are intended to empower its users, they come amid a surge in drone sightings, some around critical infrastructure, that have stoked fears and fueled a growing tide of conspiracy theories. DJIs changes mean operators will have one less guardrail preventing them from flying into risky areas. The drone dama might not be going away anytime soon.DJI wont stop drones from flying over hospitals and wildfiresDJI caused a brief panic in 2015 after a drone operator crash-landed one of its Phantom FC40 on the White House lawn. Backlash to that event led DJI to implement geofenced No Fly Zones around hospitals, government buildings, and other critical zones. As part of those changes, DJI prohibited its drones from taking off in restricted zones. Drones that flew near the boundary of those areas would be forced to automatically decelerate and then hover in place. The voluntary restrictions were an effort by DJI to prevent its users from accidentally flying into sensitive areas where they could potentially interfere with critical services.[ Related: Civilian drone grounds LA firefighting plane ]Thats changing. In a blog post published this week, DJI said it was doing away with geofenced No Fly Zones and replacing them with enhanced warning zones, maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration. Drone operators using DJI Fly and Pilot apps will now receive an in-app alert notifying them if they are approaching an FAA-designated controlled airspace. Operators can choose to ignore those alerts. Crucially, it will now be left in the hands of the operators to decide whether or not they will avoid the area.DJI says its removing the geofences to place more control back in the hands of its operators and put its policies in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility. The company claims it implemented No Fly Zones help foster responsible flight practices during a period where drones were less common and regulatory environments surrounding their use were still being flushed out. Now, according to DJI, regulations both in the US and the EU have made the boundaries considered controlled airspace more clear. DJI did not immediately respond to our request for comment but defended the change in statements sent to The Verge on Tuesday.This GEO update aligns with the principle advanced by aviation regulators around the globeincluding the FAAthat the operator is responsible for complying with rules, DJI told The Verge.In a statement sent to Popular Science, the FAA said the agency does not require geofencing from drone manufacturers. Individual drone operators are required to obtain proper airspace authorization and comply with regulations.Generally speaking, it is legal to fly a drone in most locations if youre operating under 400 feet, but there are rulesincluding passing pilot safety tests, keeping the drone in sight, avoiding all other aircraft, not causing a hazard to any people or property, and avoiding restricted airspace, the FAA said.Geofence removals could further stoke drone panicBy giving users the final call on where drones can ultimately operate, DJI is potentially absolving itself of blame or responsibility if one of its products ends up somewhere its not supposed to be. But it also might increase the odds of that very scenario taking place with more frequency. In December, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and the Department of Defense issued a joint statement saying they had received over 5,000 alleged drone sightings in a matter of weeks. Those sightings were part of a broader phenomenon, fueled by social media, where Americans claimed to be seeing objects in the sky everywhere they looked. Some narratives suggested these odd flying objects were actually advanced military aircraft or possibly even signs of extraterrestrial life.In reality, many of these supposed sightings may have actually been commercial planes, satellites, and planets misidentified as UAPs. But there were also undoubtedly consumer hobbyist drones flooding the skies, some of which appear to have crossed into restricted airspace. Citing these cases, the FAA on December 20 said it was temporarily restricting drones from flying overhead 51 utility sites spread out across New Jersey and New York. The FAA says it put the restrictions in place because the rising number of drones in the sky seemed to be leading some people to try and damage them with pointing lasers. Those same lasers could pose a threat to pilots operating aircraft.DJIs decision to remove its mandatory geofence has drawn criticism from the companys own former leadership. In a statement posted on X this week, former DJI head of Global Policy Brendan Schulman warned the changes could have an enormous impact, particularly among drone pilots with less knowledge of airspace restrictions.There was substantial evidence over the years that automatic drone geofencing, implemented using a risk-based approach, contributed significantly to aviation safety, Schulman said.Screenshot: X DJIs policy change comes less than one week after one of its drones reportedly collided with a firefighting super scooper aircraft that was deployed to combat raging fires in Los Angeles. The impact forced the pilot to ground the plane as fires raged on. Officials from the FBI, which is currently investigating the collision, told CBS News the drone appeared to have violated temporary FAA flight restrictions. Thats not the only time something like this has happened either. Last year, first responders rushing to aid hurricane survivors saw an uptick in civilian drones operating in restricted airspace. Some of those drones operating in unauthorized areas reportedly contributed to an uptick in mid-air close-call events.DJI caught in US government crosshairsAny increase in DJI drones found operating in unauthorized airspace could further erode its view among US regulators and lawmakers, some of which believe the companys products could be used as foreign espionage tools. Import restrictions put in place by the Department of Homeland Security reportedly already prevented DJI from selling its most recent Air 3S model in the US. Just this month, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the agency was considering new rules that would restrict the sale of Chinese-made drones in the US. That decision will ultimately lie in the hands of incoming president Donald Trump, who has previously voiced concern over supposed security risks tied to drones imported from China and Russia.DJI, the worlds leading drone maker, is caught directly in the US governments spotlight and these geofence changes may only sharpen that unwanted attention.

Skip to contentNewsWhy the FDA banned the common food dye Red No. 3Studies in rats link high exposure to cancer, but theres little science on its harm to people Some gummy and other candies get their bright color from the synthetic food dye Red No. 3, which the FDA has now banned.mikroman6/Getty ImagesBy Meghan Rosen8 seconds agoThe cherry-red synthetic dye Red No. 3 is no longer allowed in foods, drinks and drugs.On January 15, theU.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the dye, which is primarily used to color sweet treats like candy, cakes, cookies and baking decorations like rainbow sprinkles, as well as in certain ingested medications. Consumers today may also find Red No. 3 in other products, including sausage, tortilla chips and popcorn, according to a searchableU.S. Department of Agriculture database.

Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08403-yThis study demonstrates that cryo nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (CryoNanoSIMS) enables direct multi-elemental imaging at subcellular resolution of macro- and micronutrients or trace elements in plants and may provide insights into the in vivo roles of many transporters.

The Brarbunga volcano system was responsible for Iceland's largest eruption for 300 years back in 2014. After a recent increase in seismic activity, could it be about to erupt again?

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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Steelbook (4K Blu-ray) $38-$51 Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Gruv The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (4K Blu-ray) $28-$37.49 Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Amazon The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim on 1080p Blu-ray $23-$31 Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Amazon The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim's Blu-ray release is slated for February 18. Three physical editions are available to preorder at Amazon, Walmart, and Gruv. The marquee edition of The War of the Rohirrim includes a steelbook case, 4K and 1080p Blu-ray discs, and a voucher for the digital version of the anime. There's also a standard 4K Blu-ray edition for as low as $28 and a 1080p Blu-ray starting at just $23. Both of those editions include a digital copy of the film, too. If you want to watch the anime now, you can rent or buy the digital version on Prime Video for $20 or $25, respectively.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Special FeaturesAll three physical editions include a trio of featurettes alongside the film.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Crafting in Jujutsu Infinite allows you to grab items that can be earned through missions or storyline quests. While exploring the map, players will come across a Crafting Station in the Zen Forest, which offers plenty of options to create higher-tier armor, weapons, and consumables. To use this option, all you need to do is collect the ingredients required for crafting each thing.

FUN INTERACTIVE BOSS FIGHTING EXPLORATION GAME FROM DEVELOPERS DEV-ON INCLUDES THIS SCRIPTgame.players.playeradded:connect(function(player)local leaderstats = instance.new("Folder")leaderstats.name = ("leaderstats")leaderstats.parent = playerlocal cash = instance.new("Intvalue")cash.name = "Evo Points"cash.parent = leaderstatscash.value = 0while returnwait(5)cash.value = cash.value +5end)

Storm has swiftly taken the throne as the strongest character in Marvel Rivals season 1. A recent round of buffs catapulted her from one of the least powerful damage dealers to a menace at all skill levels in the hero shooters ranked mode.According to stats tracker site RivalsMeta, which gets its data from the games robust API, she has the highest win rate out of all 35 heroes, at around 57%. Last season, she was only at 51%, and generally considered one of the weakest duelists, compared to popular picks like Hela, Hawkeye, and Psylocke. But a slight buff to her damage output and survivability during her hurricane ultimate tipped the scale.It isnt just the fact that she can rule the skies without ever having to touch down, its the team-wide damage boost she provides that makes her extremely potent. Storm is a support character disguised as a damage-dealer, transforming any team shes on into a sharpened knife. And because actual support heroes with their own damage boosts, like Mantis, are tremendously popular already, teams with both of them are unstoppable.In the highest ranks, Storms presence has raised the win rates of heroes who benefit from her the most, like Magik and Wolverine. Both of them have to get close to enemies to do anything and the damage boost makes it much easier for them to get in and out unscathed much to every support players chagrin. Even heroes like Black Widow, who used to struggle securing kills on characters who could survive her sniper shots, are starting to climb up from the bottom of the tier lists.Thats how a handful of buffs can change the shape of a meta, even when they dont look like much. Nobody is calling for Storm to be nerfed just yet, but I suspect that demand will be on the way as more players figure out the impact of a hard-to-reach flying hero with team-wide benefits. Game director Guangyun Chen recently told Metro that the team wants to let players experiment rather than impose rules on them, like limiting the number of heroes in each role on a team. If that also means it wont do another balance pass this season, you might want to start practicing the psionic goddess immediately.

If you are one of the millions who joined Bluesky in recent months, it's likely you're turned off by establishment social media platforms. You probably don't care for sites with predatory data privacy policies, or those that placate to incoming presidential administrations with a disdain for the truth. Maybe you enjoy an online space where people can share thoughts, content, and jokes in a way that doesn't explicit seek to anger or hurt anyone for profit.Of course, Bluesky has you covered there, at least as a replacement for X. But if you enjoy sharing photos and videos with the wider internet, you're likely still tied to Instagramlike it or not. There are other options out there, like Pixelfed, a decentralized photo sharing platform that now has an official app. But if you're all-in on Bluesky, it'd be great if you could harness the same experience with the community you've started to build there.That's why Flashes is one of the more interesting social media concepts I've seen recently. The app, developed by Sebastian Vogelsang, is based off of his earlier app Skeets, a subscription-optional Bluesky client with a emphasis on accessibility, among other features (if you want to be able to edit your posts, for example, Skeets uses a nifty workaround to do it). But for Flashses, Vogelsang's focus was to make an Instagram-like experience for photos and videos shared on Bluesky. Credit: Sebastian Vogelsang That's the thing: Flashes isn't really an Instagram competitor. There is no Flashes platform, you won't sign up for a Flashes account, and you won't post photos or videos to a dedicated Flashes feed. Instead, the app is a "photo viewing client" for Bluesky. It essentially pulls all of the photos and videos from your Bluesky feed and displays them in a UI reminiscent of Instagram. You can post photos and videos via Flashes, but you're really just posting them on Bluesky. Any posts to Flashes, as well as any comments on those posts, will appear on your Bluesky account as well. If you're intrigued, unfortunately you'll have to wait a bit before you can try it: The official Flashes App Bluesky account only started posting today, and Vogelsang anticipates starting an open Testflight Beta next week for iOS users. But once the app officially launches, you'll be able to use it post four photos or videos at a time. (Videos can be up to one minute each.) According to TechCrunch, Vogelsand also plans to launch a video-only version of Flashes, called Blue Screen. Perhaps that will be a valid TikTok alternative for truly passionate Bluesky users. [image or embed] Flashes App (@flashesapp.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 2:51 AMThe news of Flashes comes at an uncertain time for legacy social media. Users have flown from X to alternatives like Bluesky; the United States government is on the verge of banning TikTok, prompting users to flee to other Chinese apps in protest; and Meta is repelling many of its users with its bizarre and frustrating decisions. We seem to be at an inflection point, and people are looking for new, alternative platforms. If you've already built-up your Bluesky follows, I don't see a better photo sharing solution than one that simply works with the app you're already so invested in.