Things To Do In SW Florida

Donald Trump’s presidential win on Tuesday could mean an easier path forward for the dreams of billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos as they ramp up their space race with SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Musk has been in Trump’s corner for months, and hinted at how his second presidency will benefit the likes of commercial space interests, pinning the statement, “America is a nation of builders Soon, you will be free to build,” to his account on X.

The future is gonna be fantastic pic.twitter.com/I46tFsHxs3

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2024

He also posted an image of the in-development Starship and Super Heavy blasting off from SpaceX’s Texas site Starbase saying, “The future is gonna be fantastic.”

Musk and SpaceX have brought their frustrations with the Federal Aviation Administration to the public forum this year as the rocket company has faced delays in launch approvals for the world’s most powerful rocket. The FAA also grounded SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 twice requiring investigations after launch issues, and then announced a series of fines for SpaceX launch licenses for missions flown in 2023 from the Space Coast. read more

Queenie Wong | (TNS) Los Angeles Times

Search giant Google wants people to use its navigation app for more than just finding directions and avoiding traffic.

The tech giant is adding generative AI features to Google Maps so people can easily get recommendations for places to go and activities to do.

With 2 billion people using Google Maps every month, the company envisions people also will turn to the navigation app for inspiration, executives said at a press event at the company’s Street View Garage in Palo Alto on Wednesday.

Miriam Daniel, vice president and general manager of Google Maps, said the search giant has the ability to combine billions of pieces of information the company collects about the world and user reviews with generative AI.

“When we bring all this together, we will transform the way users interact with maps,” she said.

Rather than just finding directions or asking Google Maps to find the nearest gas station, users will be able to type out queries such as “things to do with friends at night in Boston” and get answers through the app. Curated with the help of Google’s generative AI chatbot and model known as Gemini, users then will see results that may include speakeasies or live music. Once the user taps on results for a business, for example, they’ll see a summary of reviews by users in addition to photos and videos of the place. read more

By Rosalie Murphy, NerdWallet

The Federal Trade Commission received more than 330,000 reports of scammers impersonating businesses in 2023.

Some of these scammers pretend to be major corporations like Amazon or Best Buy, the FTC says. But small businesses are at risk too, says Scott Taber, a cybersecurity awareness program specialist at the Michigan Small Business Development Center.

“There’s always been this idea that small businesses are too small. But we know that’s not true — that cyber criminals specifically target small businesses because of that fact,” Taber says. “Small businesses typically don’t have the same resources as the larger organizations.”

You can take steps to protect your business from fraudsters even without a dedicated risk or security team. Here are some simple ways to spot and address imitation scams.

How to find out if you’re being imitated

Take a half-hour each day to perform “online hygiene” by searching for information about your business, suggests Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and social media at the Better Business Bureau. That can help you notice anything unusual. read more

Orlando Science Center is aiming upward for a new goal: setting a Guinness World Record.

On Nov. 16, the Loch Haven Park museum will attempt to host the most number of people simultaneously launching a paper rocket. It needs at least 250 participants to set the mark.

The attempt, held in the Dr. Phillips CineDome, ties in with the science center’s Sci-Fi Weekend and its current exhibit named “The Science of Guinness World Records.” The latter’s displays delve into the powers behind endurance and physical competitions, showcasing activities such as cup-stacking, memory puzzles and an enormous Pac-Man videogame.

“We love the exhibit, and so it just seemed like a great opportunity to try to set one of those [records],” says JoAnn Newman, president and CEO of the science center.

“I think it’s just cool to be a part of something like this, and I think our guests will really enjoy that, too,” she says.

Science center leaders met with Guinness to determine the world-record criteria and which attempt to make. They landed on the paper-rocket category. read more

SpaceX will try again Wednesday to get off a Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral after scrubbing the launch on Monday.

A Falcon 9 carrying 23 of the internet satellites is aiming for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 3:39 p.m. with backup options through 7:39 p.m.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts only a 30% chance for good conditions at the launch site with weather downrange for booster recovery also a concern. If delayed until Thursday, launch conditions improve to 70%.

The Monday attempt was scrubbed after ground systems providing helium to the first stage were insufficient at the pad.

The first-stage booster is making its third flight and will aim for a recovery landing in the Atlantic on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.

This would be the 76th launch of the year from the Space Coast from all launch providers, with SpaceX responsible for all but five sent up by United Launch Alliance.

SpaceX launches space station resupply mission with sonic boom warning from booster return read more