An executive memo takes aim at a major technology industry concern.

Frieze Los Angeles, Felix Art Fair and Post-Fair reinforced the importance of community and the power of art in the wake of the fires that devastated the city.

The composers final works, set to three poems by Hermann Hesse and one by Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, view death not as a horror but as an inevitable natural process.

First shot German startup to attempt the first orbital launch from Western Europe We are almost ready for the test flight. All we need is the license." Stephen Clark Feb 21, 2025 6:38 pm | 8 The first stage of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket rolls out to its launch pad in Norway. Credit: Isar Aerospace The first stage of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket rolls out to its launch pad in Norway. Credit: Isar Aerospace Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIsar Aerospace, a German startup founded seven years ago, is positioned to become the first in a new generation of European launch companies to reach orbit with a privately funded rocket.The company announced Friday that the first stage of its Spectrum rocket recently completed a 30-second test-firing on a launch pad in the northernmost reaches of mainland Europe. The nine-engine booster ignited on a launch pad at Andya Spaceport in Norway on February 14.The milestone follows a similar test-firing of the Spectrum rocket's second stage last year. With these two accomplishments, Isar Aerospace says its launch vehicle is qualified for flight."We are almost ready for the test flight. All we need is the license," said Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace. "By enabling space access from mainland Europe, we provide a critical resource for ensuring sovereignty and resilience."Aside from the normal preparations for a rocket launchsuch as mating the two stages of the launcher together and integrating its payload fairingthe primary hurdle remaining for Isar is regulatory in nature. In a statement, Isar said the first flight of the Spectrum rocket will take place "as soon as possible" following approval and licensing from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority.Officials will set the exact launch period during the licensing process, according to Tina Schmitt, an Isar spokesperson.The fully assembled Spectrum rocket will stand about 92 feet (28 meters) tall and measure more than 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter. The expendable launcher is designed to haul payloads up to 1 metric ton (2,200 pounds) into low-Earth orbit. Spectrum is powered by nine Aquila engines on its first stage, and one engine on the second stage, burning a mixture of propane and liquid oxygen propellants.Finish line in sightNamed for the Bavarian river, Isar is headquartered near Munich, a hub of the European space industry home to facilities owned by the German space agency and Airbus. Meltzer co-founded Isar with two engineering classmates at Technical University Munich in 2018. The company says it has raised more than 400 million euros (about $420 million), more than any other European launch startup. It is primarily backed by venture capital, but it secured an investment from the NATO Innovation Fund last year. The nine-engine first stage for Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket lights up on the launch pad on February 14. Credit: Isar Aerospace Isar builds almost all of its rockets in-house, including Spectrum's Aquila engines."The flight will be the first integrated test of tens of thousands of components," said Josef Fleischmann, Isar's co-founder and chief technical officer. "Regardless of how far we get, this first test flight will hopefully generate an enormous amount of data and experience which we can apply to future missions."Isar is the first European startup to reach this point in development. "Reaching this milestone is a huge success in itself," Meltzer said in a statement. "And while Spectrum is ready for its first test flight, launch vehicles for flights two and three are already in production."Another Bavarian company, Rocket Factory Augsburg, destroyed its first booster during a test-firing on its launch pad in Scotland last year, ceding the frontrunner mantle to Isar. RFA received its launch license from the UK government last month and aims to deliver its second booster to the launch site for hot-fire testing and a launch attempt later this year.There's an appetite within the European launch industry for new companies to compete with Arianespace, the continent's sole operational launch services provider backed by substantial government support. Delays in developing the Ariane 6 rocket and several failures of Europe's smaller Vega launcher forced European satellite operators to look abroad, primarily to SpaceX, to launch their payloads.The European Space Agency is organizing the European Launcher Challenge, a competition that will set aside some of the agency's satellites for launch opportunities with a new crop of startups. Isar is one of the top contenders in the competition to win money from ESA. The agency expects to award funding to multiple European launch providers after releasing a final solicitation later this year.The first flight of the Spectrum rocket will attempt to reach a polar orbit, flying north from Andya Spaceport. Located at approximately 69 degrees north latitude, the spaceport is poised to become the world's northernmost orbital launch site.Because the inaugural launch of the Spectrum rocket is a test flight, it won't carry any customer payloads, an Isar spokesperson told Ars.Stephen ClarkSpace ReporterStephen ClarkSpace Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the worlds space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 8 Comments

internal rifts among cybercriminals Leaked chat logs expose inner workings of secretive ransomware group Researchers are poring over the data and feeding it into ChatGPT. Dan Goodin Feb 21, 2025 4:47 pm | 9 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreMore than a years worth of internal communications from one of the worlds most active ransomware syndicates have been published online in a leak that exposes tactics, trade secrets, and internal rifts of its members.The communications come in the form of logs of more than 200,000 messages members of Black Basta sent to each other over the Matrix chat platform from September 2023 to September 2024, researchers said. The person who published the messages said the move was in retaliation for Black Basta targeting Russian banks. The leaker's identity is unknown; its also unclear if the person responsible was an insider or someone outside the group who somehow gained access to the confidential logs.How to be your own worst enemyLast year, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Black Basta had targeted 12 of the 16 US critical infrastructure sectors in attacks mounted on 500 organizations around the world. One notable attack targeted Ascention, a St. Louis-based health care system with 140 hospitals in 19 states. Other victims include Hyundai Europe, UK-based outsourcing firm Capita, the Chilean Government Customs Agency, and UK utility company Southern Water. The native Russian-speaking group has been active since at least 2022.BlackBastas internal chats just got exposed, proving once again that cybercriminals are their own worst enemies, a member of security firm Prodraft wrote Thursday. Keep burning our intelligence sources, we dont mind.Researchers who have read the Russian-language texts said they exposed internal rifts in the secretive organization that have escalated since one of its leaders was arrested because it increases the threat of other members being tracked down as well. The heightened tensions have contributed to growing rifts between the current leader, believed to be Oleg Nefedov, and his subordinates. One of the disagreements involved his decision to target a bank in Russia, which put Black Basta in the crosshairs of law enforcement in that country.It turns out that the personal financial interests of Oleg, the group's boss, dictate the operations, disregarding the team's interests, a researcher at Prodraft wrote. Under his administration, there was also a brute force attack on the infrastructure of some Russian banks. It seems that no measures have been taken by law enforcement, which could present a serious problem and provoke reactions from these authorities.The leaked trove also includes details about other members, including two administrators using the names Lapa and YY, and Cortes, a threat actor linked to the Qakbot ransomware group. Also exposed are more than 350 unique links taken from ZoomInfo, a cloud service that provides data about companies and business individuals. The leaked links provide insights into how Black Basta members used the service to research the companies they targeted.Security firm Hudson Rock said it has already fed the chat transcripts into ChatGPT to create BlackBastaGPT, a resource to help researchers analyze Black Basta operations.Dan GoodinSenior Security EditorDan GoodinSenior Security Editor Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and following the independent music scene. Dan is based in San Francisco. Follow him at here on Mastodon and here on Bluesky. Contact him on Signal at DanArs.82. 9 Comments

Flu vaccination rates this year are on par with 2024 among adults, but have dipped in childrenTess Crowley/Chicago Tribune/Getty ImagesWhile the US declared its intention to leave the World Health Organization (WHO) on 20 January, the process of severing ties with the international public health body formally takes one year. Yet US health agencies have already retreated from nearly all coordinated global health efforts around influenza surveillance. The move could jeopardise the efficacy of the next batch of flu vaccines both for the US and the rest of the world.

Tim Faulkner at Aussie Ark gets ready to release a Tasmanian devil in a fenced sanctuary at Barrington Tops, AustraliaJames WoodfordIm sharing a ride with two very cranky and confused Tasmanian devils, loaded in the back of our all-terrain vehicle inside large plastic traps. These devils are a long way from their species home on the island of Tasmania. Instead, we are bumping along inside a wild but securely fenced 400-hectare sanctuary in Barrington Tops, 4 hours north of Sydney, Australia.Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) did live on the Australian mainland once upon a time, but

I'm the mom of five kids, including teenagers. If my kids have no obligations, I let them sleep in as much as they want. People have said I'm letting be lazy, but I'm doing it for their health. Last week, here in Michigan, my children had three "cold days" in a row with temperatures falling below -20 degrees Fahrenheit, our school district canceled school. And on those days, as any day that they don't have school or other obligations, I let my teenagers sleep in as long as they wanted.They have to wake up so early on school daysOne teen roused fairly early, around 9 a.m., while the other didn't wake until nearly noon. I wasn't fazed in the slightest. On normal school days, my kids have to get up before 6 a.m., which they do all on their own, but on weekends, off-days, and during the summer months, I do not control my teens' bedtimes or waketimes. I always encourage them to sleep as much as possible because I believe that sleep is one of the most important things they need, especially at their age.Some parents might disagree with me and encourage strict wake-ups, even over the summer, but in our family, my teenagers can't possibly get anywhere near the recommended hours of sleep on a regular basis. Between school, sports, work, and family commitments, most nights they are lucky to get six to seven hours, and if I'm being honest, some nights it's even less than that.I'm aware of the science that says that teens' brains are wired to stay up later and sleep in, but unfortunately, our school district like many just can't accommodate a schedule that supports their sleep. We live in a rural area where a lot of kids depend on busing, so the bus schedule dictates the school schedule, which means very early wake-up times.They are not lazyThere's not a lot I can do to create more hours of sleep for them at night during the school year, but what I do is always encourage them to sleep as much as they want all other days of the year. I've heard people call teens lazy for sleeping in so much, but to me, it's about supporting their health in a very basic way. I want my teens to understand and emphasize the importance of sleep, especially as they grow into adults.Part of my motivation is also selfish. I am personally someone who has always needed a lot of sleep to function, so just in case they turn out like me, I want them to know it's okay to be someone who needs a lot of sleep. Years of sleep deprivation as a mother severely impacted my physical and mental health, yet I've always felt guilty anytime I needed more sleep or "let" my husband help me at night.So far, my strategy is working. My teens are responsible, do well in school, work side jobs when they want spending money, and have no problem regulating their own sleep. I do set some boundaries that I also use to support a healthy sleep environment: their phones have auto bedtimes that I control (weekdays have earlier times than weekends), their bedrooms are kept screen-free, and I instituted white noise habits from the time they were babies.I'm not naive enough to think it's all my strategic parenting or merit that has granted me children who can sleep in or regulate their sleep schedules. Everyone and every family is different, of course. My goal is not to shame any family whose teens aren't able to sleep in on a whim; my goal is simply to make sure my teens never feel shamed for sleeping in.

ESPN and MLB are opting out of their TV deal early. The partnership will end with the 2025 season.ESPN's sports rights are of particular interest ahead of the fall launch of its flagship streamer.Analysts say the sports broadcaster is in a "position of strength" when it comes to negotiations.ESPN and Major League Baseball are ending their TV deal. ESPN isn't sweating the divorce.The companies announced on Thursday that they opted out of their contract early. The decision to end the deal with the 2025 season came after ESPN felt it was paying more for the rights to its Sunday slot than streamers Apple and Roku were for their games, a source close to ESPN told Business Insider.Like other sports broadcasters and streamers, Disney's ESPN has been snapping up sports rights, from renewing its deal with the NBA last year to re-upping its college sports contract with the ACC. As it nears the fall launch of its flagship streamer, its decisions are publicly under the microscope. The company appears to be picking and choosing its battles carefully."Sports rights have gone up so much, at some point, there has to be some financial discipline," Jessica Reif Ehrlich, managing director at Bank of America Securities, told BI.MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote in a letter first published by The Athletic that he didn't think the league should reduce its fees for ESPN, which has exclusive games, unlike Apple and Roku's packages. He also wrote that the league was displeased with the lack of coverage ESPN provided outside game-time broadcasts. The MLB declined to comment on this story.As the two prepare to part ways, some analysts told BI that the Disney property won't miss out on too much. ESPN has the rights to many sports and events outside baseball. In the next few months alone, the NBA and NHL playoffs, the Masters tournament in golf, and many college sports are coming."ESPN, generally, is in a position of strength," Reif Ehrlich said. She pointed to ESPN's distribution footprint, which includes traditional pay TV, sports-focused streaming bundles, and its own streaming services. "ESPN is a highly desirable platform for any sport."ESPN is making power plays ahead of its streaming launchMLB isn't the only league ESPN is playing hardball with.The company recently walked away from its exclusive negotiation window with Formula 1 without a contract, Puck News reported. It is also in negotiations with the UFC, though no deal has yet been announced.The source close to ESPN told BI that baseball has a long season, and its ratings haven't been as strong as some other sports.Last year, the MLB said ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball program had an average viewership of about 1.5 million, the most the MLB had on the platform in over five years.Under the MLB deal, ESPN could show baseball games on Sunday and some other events, as well as mostly regular season highlights on SportsCenter. It didn't have the rights to the World Series. With the restrictions on what ESPN could cover, the move to split was not shocking, said Rief Ehrlich.As Disney works to launch ESPN's flagship, it is arguably more important that it picks and chooses the content it wants and becomes more selective, the analysts said.ESPN is saving $600 million in programming expenses by cutting the MLB, according to a MoffettNathanson report published on February 21.Of course, walking away from MLB could undermine ESPN's long-term ambition of being the streaming home for sports in the US."Considering the totality of Disney and ESPN's streaming ambitions, we believe an opt-out would likely be a mistake," Lightshed Partners wrote in a report earlier in February.Still, the decision likely came down to whether Disney thought the MLB rights could meaningfully draw subscribers for its streaming services."Disney didn't value [the MLB] as a prime mover of acquisition," Joe Bonner, an analyst at Argus Research, told BI.

In a big turn of events Universal Studios is opening up a kid-centric theme park in Texas that will have major animated franchise appeal, with Shrek, Jurassic World, and SpongeBob just a few of brands in store for the new family-friendly destination. This news coming out right after Universal shared more details about its year-round haunt in Las Vegas has us thinking the theme park wars with Disney have begun in earnest. This weekend, pop culture fans looking for ways to help rebuilding efforts after the Los Angeles fires can attend MultiCon, which has gathered stars from TV and film as well as top geek commentators to celebrate genre. There will be panels and a silent auction thats not to be missed for collectors, and all proceeds will be going towards LA fire relief. From a preview of art coming to Disney California Adventures Food and Wine Festival, to AMC theaters 24 hour marathon of Best Picture nominees, to celebrations of Cinderella and Tom and Jerry turning 75 and 85, respectively, heres the latest in fandom travel and lifestyle at theme parks and beyond! Universal Kids Resort It is incredibly huge that Universal Destinations is expanding outside the theme park hubs of Orlando and Los Angeles and bringing new experiences to other major cities. Earlier this week it announced Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegasand now families in the midwest and beyond can look forward to the 2026 opening of the Universal Kids Resort in Dallas-adjacent Frisco, Texas. The theme park will feature lands based on DreamWorks properties including Shrek and Puss in Boots, with adventurous fun in the Kingdom of Far Far Away with TheLast Wishs new icon Perrito, who is confirmed to be joining the fairytale heroes. Theres also a trip to Bikini Bottom with Nickelodeons SpongeBob SquarePants, a colorful Trolls world, and more Minion mayhem with Illuminations Despicable Me franchise. And lets not forget more Jurassic World fun without the danger of real dinos, with a land inspired by fan favorite Netflix show Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. With the imagery of Bumpy being used we hope theres an animatronic meet and greet of our gentle Queen. Plan booking here.MultiCon Los Angeles Los Angeles residents know its not been the easiest past few weeks in our city following the Palisades and Eaton fires. LA-based talent has gathered together to support affected communities with a celebration of pop culture at this weekends MultiCon, with a slew of panels full of fandom joy. Tickets to the event and proceeds from the silent auction will go towards LA Relief through United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Heres the programming of the event this Saturday, February 22:Stories of The Walking Dead (11:00 11:45 a.m.) Moderator: Benjamin Watts Panelists: Scott Gimple (Walking Dead showrunner), Khary Payton (Walking Dead), Michael Cudlitz (Walking Dead, Superman and Lois)Wonder Women (11:55 AM 12:40 p.m.) Moderator: Perri Nemiroff (Collider) Panelists: Jackie Tohn (Glow, Nobody Wants This), Bitsie Tulloch (Superman and Lois)Kings of Comics (12:50 1:35 p.m.) Moderator: Coy Jandreau (DC Studios Showcase, Coycast) Panelists: Rob Liefeld (Deadpool creator, Image Comics founder), Kevin Smith (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob), Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead)Galaxy of Good (1:45 2:30 p.m.) Moderator: Michael Tessler (Reel Rejects, Multihouse CEO) Panelists: Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Daniel Logan (Star Wars), Vivien Lyra Blair (Obi-Wan Kenobi)Animation Nation (3:35 4:20 p.m.) Moderator: Juju Green aka Straw Hat Goofy (TikToks Movie Guy) Panelists: Seth Green (Robot Chicken, Family Guy), Tara Platt (Spider-Man Video Games, Fire Emblem) Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-Man, Naruto), Isaac Robinson-Smith (X- Men 97) And more! Tickets here. AMC Theaters 24-Hour Best Picture Showcase Marathon Dont worry, the usual two-day marathon of the Best Picture nominees will still be available to screen at AMC theaters. However, the addition of the 24-hour cram session screenings of Best Picture nominees all at once is a new offering thats completely unhinged. You can get tickets to the overnight marathon that starts at 12 p.m. March 1 with a schedule that looks like this:The Brutalist 12:00 p.m. Nickel Boys 4:05 p.m. A Complete Unknown 7:10 p.m. Anora 9:40 p.m. The Substance 12:10 a.m. Conclave 2:40 a.m. Dune: Part Two 4:50 a.m. Im Still Here 7:45 a.m. Wicked 10:10 a.m. Truly a chefs kiss to give The Substance the midnight movie slotbravo. I wish Conclave and A Complete Unknown were swapped. Wicked going last is nasty work with its long run time, but if youre up for the challenge tickets are available here. Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival 2025 Its great to hear that the fandom prints debuted at Epcots Festival of the Arts will be arriving as soon as next week on the West Coast. The Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival kicks off Friday, February 28; artists including June Kim, Jerrod Maruyama, Ashley Taylor, Ryan Riller, Larissa Brown, and more will make appearances throughout the fest for signings. For more info on scheduled appearances here. Meet Captain America at Avengers Campus Sam Wilson has made his landing in his new Cap suit at Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure. No Red Hulk sightings yet.Disney Treasure Take a tour of the Pixar Up themed room aboard the Disney Cruise Lines Treasure. Book a trip here. Adopt a Portal-Jumping Pet at Meow Wolf Meow Wolf If you happen to be around Meow Wolf Grapevine, the Texas portal will be hosting a one-day interdimensional pet adoption event this Saturday, February 22. Meow Wolf is no stranger to the unexplained, but a sudden appearance of adoptable dogs in our mystery center might be the most delightful twist yet, shared Connor Gray, PR manager at Meow Wolf Grapevine. These pups are looking for their next adventure, and we hope guests will answer that call. Families can expand their brood (as long as an adult whos at least 18 is present) at the on-site adoption experience inside the Matt King Mystery Center; admission to the event is free and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to meet the group of adoptable dogs. All that will be required is completing a short questionnaire and providing a valid ID and credit card. Adoption fees are $75 per dog, per Grapevine Animal Services, which you can also support in their pet rescue efforts if you do not adopt. For more details visit meowwolf.com/visit/grapevine.Batman and Retro Futurism in Palm Springs During Palm Springs Modernism week, original Batman Adam Wests former home has been turned into a mid-century Gotham Bruce Wayne-inspired pad by Michelle Boudreau Design. Take a look at the gallery above for the interior showcase of Batmans Hideaway. The designer also recently renovated Elvis honeymoon home in Palm Springs into the retro future House of Tomorrow it was meant to be. And from the looks of it, it has major Fantastic Four vibes from Marvel Studios upcoming feature film.Parks Crocs x Monsters Inc. As a Crocs convert due to their ease of use at theme parks when you get on water rides or are caught in Orlandos random torrential downpours in the middle of the day (I cant remember the last time I dealt with squishy wet socks), this bold collab with Pixars Monsters Inc is a scream. The Mike Wazowski fit is perfect for a day at the parks, and the Sully slippers look like theyd feel like a dream for relaxing back in the hotel room after a long day of walking.Cinderella 75 x Loungefly Add to your theme park and travel Loungefly collection with this fairytale homage to Cinderellas 75 years of magic. Two of the mini-backpacks feature the brands cosplay style, perfect for Disney bounding at Disney Parks in Cinderellas iconic looks. Cinderella 75 x Casetify Casetify Casetify has released a tech accessory collab with Disney for Cinderella in honor of the Walt Disney Animation classic, sure to bring a fairy godmother-style makeover to your phone and computer with Disney princess-core enchantment. Find the drop here. Disney Princess Collection at Bath & Body Works The new Disney Princess collection at Bath & Body Works features a full line-up of scents inspired by our favorite fairytale heroines with the retailers iconic candles and body care lotions. If youre a traveler youll be pleased to find out that the collection includes TSA-approved sizes. Travel Mischief Tom and Jerry x Casetify Look and feel like the big cheese with tech accessories inspired by Tom and Jerry for the classic cartoons 85th anniversary from Casetify. Tom and Jerry x Converse WB Discovery Consumer Products Express your love for classic animation with Tom and Jerrys 85th anniversary collaboration with Converse.The Hobbit Virtual Challenges Envision Middle-earth in your own neighborhood or wherever you go for a run and get real Lord of the Rings-inspired medals while youre at it with digital realm marathons by Conqueror virtual challenges. Sign up here for The Hobbit series. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.