Upgrades to AirPods Headphones

Apple Plans Upgrades to Popular AirPods Headphones

By Mark Gurman

• Company working on water resistance, more Siri integration
• Apple CFO says wearables revenue rose almost 70% last year

Apple Inc., seeking to bolster its wearables business, is working on upgrades to its wireless AirPods headphones, according to people familiar with the matter.

Olympics on Tinder

Winter Olympics get steamy as traffic on Tinder, PornHub skyrockets

MARTIN ROGERS  |  USA TODAY SPORTS

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – There is no shortage of statistics when it comes to the Winter Olympics, from split times, to world records to personal bests, and more analytics than you can shake a ski pole at.

Some are serious and illustrate the difference between success and failure. Others are, well, frivolous to say the least.

And so, as things began to wind down at these predominantly well-behaved Games came a pair of statistical shots from unexpected sources.

Heavy Rain & Howling Winds

Heavy Rain and Howling Winds Will Batter the Midwest and Northeast This Week

Getty Images

FAITH EHERTS / ACCUWEATHER.COM 

This article originally appeared on AccuWeather.com.

Only a few days of mild, sunny weather are in store for the Midwest and Northeast before another storm approaches later this week.

Satellites & Space

Doomsday Satellites and the Space Wars To Come

The Pentagon put Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites in orbit to ensure communication in the event of a nuclear attack. But those spacecraft could also play a role in the rapid militarization of space.

By Joe Pappalardo

LOCKHEED MARTIN

• Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites will be able to keep the U.S. military in communication even after a nuclear attack.
• They're also more resistant to electronic jamming, which is a growing concern as tensions with China and Russia heat up.
• In the war of the future, nations may try to physically destroy other nations' satellites to disrupt communications and navigation.

Goals Help You

Goals Help You Do What Matters Most

Goals Help You Do What Matters Most
By Rick Warren

“God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20 The Message).

The Bible tells us that Jesus set goals. In fact he often announced publicly what his goal was for the next phase of his ministry.

So why should you set goals? We’re going to talk about three reasons today and three more tomorrow.

Rejoicing in All Seasons

Rejoicing in All Seasons
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Contributor

“The hope of the righteous brings joy” (Proverbs 10:28).

I’m currently in the process of moving – but only a few miles away. During the intense first weekend of driving back and forth constantly from the old house to the new apartment, I was always amused when I passed by one curious little house. We began moving in on Valentine’s Day weekend, and this little brick house by the roadside was decked in red and white lights and glowing hearts dotting their lawn. During the daylight it was easy to miss the house, but come nightfall it stood out like a beacon of Valentine’s Day glory.

Tues Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

The way the story is introduced tells us basically all we need to know about this man

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.” (John 9:1)

This man was born blind. From the time that human hands pulled him from his mother’s womb he entered into a world where the velvet cover of darkness had been pulled over the light of the sun. A big reason for his desperation was isolation. Growing up no one could play with him and he couldn’t go out to play. He couldn’t go to school, because he couldn’t be taught. Remember – no specialized education, no braille, no way to learn how to read or write.

This man had a bigger problem. He was not just physically blind, but he was spiritually blind. Remember at this moment, he had never met Jesus and he didn’t know Jesus. That is why Jesus says in verse 5,

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”(John 9:5)

That is an incredible statement. Jesus said he was “the light of the world.” At that time, most of the world, 99.99% of the world didn’t know who He was and had never seen Him. Yet, He makes this incredible claim that He is “the light of the world.” Back in chapter 1, John makes this incredible statement about Jesus.

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
(John 1:9)

You know what darkness is – it is the absence of light. If Jesus is the light of the world and Jesus is the One who lights up every one, if you don’t have Jesus you are living in spiritual darkness.

HomePod

How to Stop the HomePod from Reading Your Text Messages to Other People

by Craig Lloyd 

While the HomePod is great for music, it can also do some other neat things, like read your text messages to you. Be careful, though, as anyone within earshot can ask Siri to read your text messages from your phone. Here’s how to disable that feature.

NASA's $1B Tower

NASA's $1B Tower Is Leaning

Agency says SLS launcher remains 'structurally sound' but it may send off only one mission

By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff

(NEWSER) – Since 2011, NASA has been upgrading a mobile launcher originally built for the Ares I vehicle to fit its massive Space Launch System rocket. The project is well over budget—when all is said and done, the revamp of the $234 million tower is expected to cost an additional $678 million, per Ars Technica—but that might not be its only issue. As NASASpaceFlight.com reports, the 355-foot-high launch tower is now "leaning," possibly due to the recent addition of connecting arms. NASA acknowledges "some deflection and imperfections" but says the launcher is "structurally sound" and does not need any design modifications.

"While NASA seems to believe this lean is not enough to require additional construction, it will likely mean that the Mobile Launcher won’t be used for more than one or two launches," writes Avery Thompson at Popular Mechanics. That's partly because the tower would need yet another upgrade after its initial launch anyway—to accommodate larger payloads—and it might well be faster and cheaper in the long run to build a second one. NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has recommended doing just that for $300 High in the sky, and high in price.                                    million. The maiden launch is expected to take
 (AP Photo/John Raoux)                                                                   place in 2020.

Entertainment News

Great find! NCIS casts star of American Pickers

LYNETTE RICE 

NCIS just cast an “American” treasure.

EW has learned exclusively that Mike Wolfe of History’s American Pickers will play himself in a March episode. He’ll come to the rescue of Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Ducky (David McCallum), both of whom are busy watching Wolfe on TV when they see him handling a 200-year-old war stick that could be a match from a decade-old cold case.

Gibbs tracks down Wolfe, who (natch!) bought the stick from from some seller. And voila! The case is re-opened.

The episode will air March 13.

For those who aren’t familiar with American Pickers (and could you not be?), the History show follows antique collector or “picker” Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they comb the countryside for precious items to keep or re-sell. The show’s been on since 2010 and was created by Wolfe. It airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

NCIS, by the way, airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

ETOPS Planes

Here's What It Means If Your Plane Is Labeled ETOPS

David Crespo/Getty Images

There's a real definition and there's a secret one used among pilots.

JESS MCHUGH 

Pilots and members of the aviation community use a range of shorthand and abbreviations to reference everything from take-off delays to security threats.

Rare Snowfall

Romans Wake Up to Rare Snowfall

Winter storm blankets the city

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

A view of Rome's snow-capped skyline, with the Monument of the Unknown Soldier seen at right, after a snowfall, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018.   (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

(NEWSER) – Romans have awoken to a rare snowfall, after an Arctic storm passing over much of Europe dumped enough snow to force schools to close and public transport to reduce services. Rome's Mediterranean climate and proximity to the sea usually result in mild winters, such that restaurants often keep outdoor seating open even through the coldest months of the year. As a result, the Monday morning snowfall, though not huge in quantity, brought excited young Romans out for a rare snowball fight or walk in the slush, the AP reports. Mayor Virginia Raggi signed an ordinance Sunday evening closing public schools as a precaution, and many private ones followed suit.

Weekend Box Office Results

'Black Panther' Continues Dominance in Second Weekend, Topping $700 Million Worldwide by Brad Brevet Disney and Marvel's Black Panther continued its box office domination this weekend, becoming only the fourth film to ever deliver over $100 million in its second weekend as well as joining Jurassic World as the second fastest film to top $400 million domestically. Meanwhile, the weekend's new wide releases finished mostly as expected with WB's release of New Line's Game Night leading the way with a second place finish while Paramount's Annihilation landed in fourth and Orion's Every Day finished within the top ten.

Olympics - Final Medal Count

This Is the Final Medal Count for Every Country at the 2018 Winter Olympics

By JENNIFER CALFAS 

After 19 days of competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Norway came out on top of the final medal count.

America’s Next Warplane

America’s Next Warplane Could Be African

Africa’s first warplane seeks to enter the Air Force’s OA-X aircraft program.

By Kyle Mizokami

AEROSUD

America’s next warplane could come from a rather unlikely place: Africa. The South African Mwari aircraft, the first warplane entirely designed and developed in Africa, has been rebranded as the Bronco II for the American market and is seeking to join the U.S. Air Force’s ongoing competition to pick a new light attack aircraft.