Things To Do In SW Florida

Many Florida homes have shutters for protection. One Bay Hill home uses them as a design statement, with the black, wood-grained panels altering the look of the house and the pattern of sunlight inside.

The home, which also features a nearly 100-foot-long marble swimming pool and many windows, won first place in this year’s annual Parade of Homes Orlando contest in the “custom home” category.

The 3,987-square-foot house is now on the market for nearly $4 million, according to GrowthSpotter.

“Depending on the time the day and how the sun’s rays hit the house, if you have some of the shutters closed, it creates a little light design of the sun’s rays coming through. It changes the atmosphere and the mood of the whole entire home,” said listing agent Mark Anthony with ROI Ave.

“People are calling it the 50 Shades of Grey House Orlando, and it has nothing to do with a movie, by the way,” Anthony explained with a laugh. Instead, it is about those shutters that can seem to “gray out” the house and the light from the windows. read more

President Trump and his new interim head of NASA Sean Duffy are pushing for a renewed effort to shuffle off the responsibility of running the International Space Station in favor of becoming a customer of a commercial space station provider instead.

NASA first doled out funds in 2021 for several groups to pursue private stations, including Blue Origin and Voyager Space, while also supporting Axiom Space to add modules to the ISS that would eventually detach to become its own freestanding station.

But little progress has been made toward realizing a commercial replacement.

Now NASA has asked for updated feedback from American companies as part of a draft Phase 2 Announcement for Partnership Proposals. The announcement made last week called on the updates to be submitted by Sept. 12.

The ISS, which will be celebrating 25 years of continuous human presence in November, is slated to be decommissioned after 2030, but Trump’s proposed budget for NASA’s fiscal 2026 signaled shutting down American support sooner. read more

By KELVIN CHAN

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators have accepted Microsoft’s proposed changes to Teams, resolving a long-running antitrust investigation that targeted the company’s messaging and videoconferencing app.

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The European Commission said in a statement Friday that Microsoft’s final commitments to unbundle Teams from its Office software suite, including further tweaks following a market test in May and June, are enough to satisfy competition concerns.

The legally binding commitments will remain in force for up to 10 years and allow the company to avoid a potentially hefty fine. read more

By THALIA BEATY and MATT O’BRIEN

OpenAI has reached a new tentative agreement with Microsoft and said its nonprofit, which technically controls its business, will now be given a $100 billion equity stake in its for-profit corporation.

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The maker of ChatGPT said it had reached a new nonbinding agreement with Microsoft, its longtime partner, “for the next phase of our partnership.”

The announcements on Thursday include a few details about these new arrangements. OpenAI’s proposed changes to its corporate structure have drawn the scrutiny of regulators, competitors and advocates concerned about the impacts of artificial intelligence. read more

For decades, Winter Park has celebrated the winter holidays with popular events and decorations on Park Avenue, all of them branded by the broad “holiday” moniker.

Last year, the local group that received city funds to decorate for the holidays changed the name to “Christmas on Park.” This year, city officials, at the urging of some residents, want the more inclusive “holiday” name restored given that events begin in mid-November, run through New Year’s Day and acknowledge other holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Now, the toney city faces accusations that it’s attacking Christmas — and the name of the 2025 celebration remains uncertain.

Carina Sexton, the executive director of Park Avenue District, the nonprofit agency which supports downtown businesses, wouldn’t say this week what it’s calling festivities this year.

Sexton could not be reached by phone but when asked about the name by email Thursday her response didn’t address the issue. In a follow-up email Friday morning she said: “We have no further comments at this time.” read more