#Continuous Integration Testing Services

[intellitechconsultin]

With our Continuous Testing Services, remove last-minute bug fixes and welcome smooth, seamless software launches. We offer automated testing solutions, real-time monitoring, and rapid feedback loops for faster time to market and improved product quality.

[nitor-infotech]

AI in DevSecOps: Revolutionizing Security Testing and Code Analysis

DevSecOps, short for Development, Security, and Operations, is an approach that integrates security practices within the DevOps workflow. You can think of it as an extra step necessary for integrating security. Before, software development focused on speed and efficiency, often delaying security to the final stages.  

However, the rise in cyber threats has made it essential to integrate security into every phase of the software lifecycle. This evolution gave rise to DevSecOps, ensuring that security is not an afterthought but a shared responsibility across teams. 

From DevOps to DevSecOps: The Main Goal 

The shift from DevOps to DevSecOps emphasizes applying security into continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. The main goal of DevSecOps is to build secure applications by automating security checks. This approach helps in fostering a culture where developers, operations teams, and security experts collaborate seamlessly.  

How is AI Reshaping the Security Testing & Code Analysis Industry? 

Artificial intelligence and generative AI are transforming the landscape of security testing and code analysis by enhancing precision, speed, and scalability. Before AI took over, manual code reviews and testing were time-consuming and prone to errors. AI-driven solutions, however, automate these processes, enabling real-time vulnerability detection and smarter decision-making. 

Let’s look at how AI does that in detail:  

AI models analyze code repositories to identify known and unknown vulnerabilities with higher accuracy. 

Machine learning algorithms predict potential attack vectors and their impact on applications. 

AI tools simulate attacks to assess application resilience, saving time and effort compared to manual testing. 

AI ensures code adheres to security and performance standards by analyzing patterns and dependencies. 

As you can imagine, there have been several benefits of this:  

Reducing False Positives: AI algorithms improve accuracy in identifying real threats. 

Accelerating Scans: Traditional methods could take hours, but AI-powered tools perform security scans in minutes. 

Self-Learning Capabilities: AI systems evolve based on new data, adapting to emerging threats. 

Now that we know about the benefits AI has, let’s look at some challenges AI could pose in security testing & code analysis: 

AI systems require large datasets for training, which can expose sensitive information if not properly secured. This could cause disastrous data leaks.  

AI models trained on incomplete or biased data may lead to blind spots and errors. 

While AI automates many processes, over-reliance can result in missed threats that require human intuition to detect. 

Cybercriminals are leveraging AI to create advanced malware that can bypass traditional security measures, posing a new level of risk. 

Now that we know the current scenario, let’s look at how AI in DevSecOps will look like in the future:  

The Future of AI in DevSecOps 

AI’s role in DevSecOps will expand with emerging trends as:  

Advanced algorithms will proactively search for threats across networks, to prevent attacks. 

Future systems will use AI to detect vulnerabilities and automatically patch them without human intervention. 

AI will monitor user and system behavior to identify anomalies, enhancing the detection of unusual activities. 

Integrated AI platforms will facilitate seamless communication between development, operations, and security teams for faster decision-making. 

AI is revolutionizing DevSecOps by making security testing and code analysis smarter, faster, and more effective. While challenges like data leaks and algorithm bias exist, its potential is much more than the risks it poses.  

To learn how our AI-driven solutions can elevate your DevSecOps practices, contact us at Nitor Infotech. 

[lucid-outsourcing-solutions]

Continuous Integration (CI)/Continuous Deployment (CD) Software Testing Strategies

[invimatictechnologies]

Invimatic offers cutting-edge CRM web applications tailored to streamline business operations. Their platform prioritizes intuitive user interfaces and robust functionalities, empowering businesses to manage customer relationships seamlessly. With a focus on enhancing efficiency and productivity, Invimatic's CRM solutions optimize sales, marketing, and customer service processes. The platform's adaptability and scalability cater to diverse industry needs, providing a comprehensive suite of tools to elevate customer interactions and drive business growth.

[nasa]

Moonbound: One Year Since Artemis I

On this day last year, the Artemis I rocket and spacecraft lit up the sky and embarked on the revolutionary mission to the Moon and back. The first integrated flight test of the rocket and spacecraft continued for 25.5 days, validating NASA’s deep exploration systems and setting the stage for humanity’s return to the lunar surface.

On Nov. 16, 2022, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket met or exceeded all expectations during its debut launch on Artemis I. The twin solid rocket booster motors responsible for producing more than 7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff reached their performance target, helping SLS and the Orion spacecraft reach a speed of about 4,000 mph in just over two minutes before the boosters separated.

Quite a few payloads caught a ride aboard the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I mission: In addition to a number of small scientific satellites called CubeSats, a manikin named Commander Moonikin Campos sat in the commander’s seat. A Snoopy doll served as a zero-gravity indicator — something that floats inside the spacecraft to demonstrate microgravity. 

During the mission, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles from our home planet, more than 1,000 times farther than where the International Space Station orbits Earth. This surpassed the record for distance traveled by a spacecraft designed to carry humans, previously set during Apollo 13.

The Orion spacecraft arrived back home to planet Earth on Dec. 11, 2022. During re-entry, Orion endured temperatures about half as hot as the surface of the Sun at about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Within about 20 minutes, Orion slowed from nearly 25,000 mph to about 20 mph for its parachute-assisted splashdown. 

Recovery teams successfully retrieved the spacecraft and delivered it back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for de-servicing operations, which included removing the payloads (like Snoopy and Commander Moonikin Campos) and analyzing the heat shield.  

With the Artemis I mission under our belt, we look ahead to Artemis II — our first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. Four astronauts will fly around the Moon inside Orion, practicing piloting the spacecraft and validating the spacecraft’s life support systems. The Artemis II crew includes: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen. 

As we look ahead to Artemis II, we build upon the incredible success of the Artemis I mission and recognize the hard work and achievements of the entire Artemis team. Go Artemis!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[skullvis]

I’ve seen a couple of posts on how technically the last test Gemma was supposed to go through worked, except it was Mark S. that it worked on—because once Gemma was outside, Innie Mark/Mark S. realized that he didn’t have any feelings for her, that she was a stranger, and no trace of Outtie Mark’s love for her remained in him.

And obviously, this is true, Innie Mark doesn’t love or have any romantic feelings for Gemma.

But I think it’s important to note that, despite not knowing Gemma at all, despite her being a complete stranger to him, the writers go to really great lengths to show that he still cares about her as a person.

This is extremely integral to Mark S’s character as an Innie, and to the innie/outtie dynamics presented throughout show.

The very first scene of this season is Mark S. running as fast as he can through Lumon to try and find Ms. Casey/Gemma.

He spends his own time in Lumon searching for her and going to other departments to see if he can find ANY information on her whereabouts.

And even though it could risk not only his life, but the lives and existence of all the people living within the severed floor, he still goes below the severed floor and saves Gemma by leading her out of Lumon.

He does these things because Innie Mark understands that Gemma is a person who is being held captive, who was probably kidnapped, and who deserves her own life.

Throughout the series we’ve gradually learned about the stigma surrounding severed workers and what society thinks of innies in subtle and unsubtle ways. It’s pretty clear to me that Innies, as a class, are seen as lesser-than, with very few groups considering them to be ACTUAL people. Those that do see them as people tend to infantilize them and look down upon them.

It took talking to Mark Scout, his Outtie, for Innie Mark to finally realize that, despite all of his Outtie’s good intentions, he does not think of Innie Mark as a person.

And I think this is something that Outtie Mark may not even realize himself—but if we look at his behavior and the way he talks to Mark S, it’s clear that he doesn’t consider his Innie to be a person, not truly.

Outtie Mark does not afford Mark S. the same respect and personhood that Mark S—that all the Innies—are expected to afford their Outties, their Lumon superiors, and unsevered people.

Seeing Gemma outside of the severed floor and remembering his conversation with his Outtie is what makes this finally click for Mark S. It’s when he realizes that if he truly wants his own life, he’s going to have to fight for it, just like Helly tells C+M earlier in the episode. It’s where he finally understands that the personhood he recognizes in Gemma and Outtie Mark is something that he has been, and will continue to be, denied if he leaves the severed floor.

Mark S. choosing to stay on the severed floor is one of the very few choices that he has made that was not in service to his Outtie in any way—a purely and beautifully selfish choice to stay with the woman that he loves for a few more minutes, and to fight for his life instead of giving it up for his Outtie.

The test worked on Mark S. in that he couldn’t feel any of his Outtie’s love for Gemma, but it failed in that he refused to do exactly what he was asked to do by his outtie. He didn’t become a blank slate that exists only to serve Outties like Lumon wanted.

I think that’s something worth recognizing because, again, the fact that the innies are PEOPLE with autonomy and personhood is one of the central themes of Severance, and it was so so amazing to see Mark S. fully realize that and choose to stay with Helly.

[unsolicited-opinions]

I used to run a doctor's office. If your doctor's office hasn't explained this to you, let me do it for them.

You probably don't know how much time your doctor and their staff spend fighting with insurance companies for routine, ordinary things. The stories you see online might leave you thinking that these fights are, if not rare, maybe occasional. A sometimes sort of challenge.

Nope.

It's every day. It's all day. Your doctor's office has employees who fight with insurance companies as a full time job.

This isn't an accident or a side effect of other market forces at work - this is the deliberate, calculated plan the insurance companies have chosen to implement. They know very well it is hurting patients and providers, and they're okay with that because their priority is to maximize ROI for investors and other stakeholders. They're in the business of business, and they don't give a single fuck about human beings or health care.

They've lowered reimbursements in primary care so effectively that primary care has only survived in many parts of the US by becoming a loss leader for larger health systems. You know how the local retail store gets you in the building by selling something at slightly below cost because they know you're likely to buy more once you're inside? It's like that, a loss leader.

The health system where you get your primary care often loses money when you see your PCP, but since your PCP refers you to speciality care inside their own organization, the system makes up the money when your doctor sends you to see their own systems' surgeons, endocrinologists, dermatologists, etc.

Smaller primary care practices literally can't survive. That's why there are almost no independent family doctors any longer. That's why it is so hard to see the same provider with consistency, someone with whom you can develop trust over time, who knows you and knows your challenges. United Healthcare and it's private healthcare insurance competitors have nearly finished killing off that kind of primary care.

Larger primary care practices (30-40 providers) might still be able to make ends meet independently through economies of scale and/or what they earn by doing their own lab/testing/imaging services in-house, but that won't work much longer if current trends continue. We're headed in the direction of just a handful of vertically integrated businesses running healthcare, and they are in the business of business, not health care.

The insurance companies deliberately create administrative barriers which make it expensive for your doctor's office to advocate for you because it moves administrative costs away from the insurance company and onto your doctor's office. This results in fewer paid claims when your doctor's office can't afford to hire another full time position whose only job is to argue with insurance companies and jump through their deliberately obstructive hoops. They want your PCP to be struggling to stay open. They want your PCP unable to afford the cost of overcoming the administrative burdens they have deliberately created for the purpose of denying you the health care your doctor thinks you need.

There are other words for this, but the most appropriate one is "evil."

I don't want to glorify murder or lionize Luigi Mangione, but Brian Thompson was a ghoul, his senior team are ghouls, and the for-profit health insurance industry is a disaster for Americans, even those Americans who don't yet see the problem affecting themselves. They will.

We need universal, single-payer health coverage, just like every other wealthy nation.

We're not going to get it any time soon, and things are about to get worse for healthcare in the US.

Set aside the damage RFK Jr is likely to do to an already patchwork public health system by attacking regulations and spreading misinformation. Let's look at other ways Trump and the GOP plan to worsen health care.

1. They're going to go after Medicare and Medicaid benefits. They'll seek to lower them and raise the bar which must be cleared to receive them.

2. They're going to seek to raise the age for social security benefits (above 70!), and reduce benefits paid, so the most financially vulnerable seniors will have greater out-of-pocket costs. Those seniors are going to struggle harder with out-of-pocket costs.

3. They're going to attempt to cripple the Affordable Care Act (AKA 'Obamacare'), despite the fact that the ACA has been a HUGE money maker for the private insurance companies.

4. This administration will be run by hyper capitalist billionaires. It will seek to deregulate wherever possible and promote supply-side economics (tax breaks for the rich and large corporations) at every opportunity. United Healthcare and its competitors, which already weild an obscene, horrific amount of control over US Healthcare, are about to get substantially more power.

It's bad, folks. It's a very bad time to be sick and it's going to get worse.

Alan Grayson was right in 2009. The Republican health care plan has been and remains:

* Don't get sick

* If you do get sick, die quickly.

[that-weird-mime]

Continuing with these two! I wanted Chujin and Kanako's designs down since they are so important to the plot. And, of course, I love them. I had the most fun with Chujin, making him bald in some spots due to science accidents and making him rat like instead of fox like.. and Kanako's just as darling as usual.

More backstory below, of course. Kind of rambly, been thinking of Chujin all day. Might change some things as I continue making this au too.

Chujin Ketsukane. Father, husband, scientist, roboticist, boss monster.

In his life, he was so, so many things. But the one thing he wasn't? Loving. Almost. Not his fault, really. He just never felt attraction to much of anything. There were some exceptions. Chujin has been studying the war that trapped them all down there for a long time, recognizing monsters were doomed to be beaten down again if they just went back up to the surface. So he made it his life's work studying death. How to prevent and cause it, for monsters and humans respectively. He became obsessed. In his studies, he found the information on boss monsters and thought of his own genes. And what's a better test subject, than a monster who was genetically inclined to cheat death until given offspring. He met Ceroba one day, in a ditch, surrounded with ruined crops, pleading for assistance. And it was too easy. Hook line and sinker. Few months after their wedding day, they had a daughter.

This is where the plan fell apart. For there were two things Chujin loved in his life.

Death, and Kanako. Not his fault really. Seeing her bright eyes open for the first time, born in an underground where lights were snuffed out everyday... perhaps there was more to life than waiting for death.

It took years to decide what to do. After the Integrity Incident reached the Dunes, he sent a creation of his to fetch the human alive.

However, it was barely running on a charge from its emergency battery when it pathetically wheeled back into his home, burnt up by an electrical surge. The human was dead. Wonder what happened?

He experimented on himself with the acquired Integrity. Documented the evidence. He lost fur in places and became unhinged in demeanor. His assistant reported he was declining in health, and came over more often to help him around the house. And then one day, his dust was found in his lab, scattered. His wife reported it as a lab accident, and mourned for ages.

And his daughter? Nothing much to say, really.

Kanako was a bright young monster. She showed promise in magic. She went to Snowdin often before the Integrity incident, often to see friends. After, when she couldn't get out as much due to funeral services and her own mother, she'd sneak out. And then one day, she was reported fallen down. Illness, Ceroba said. And the world lost a little light that day. She was sent to Alphys, and no word has been sent since.

Poor Ceroba. Mourning her husband still to this day, despite it being years.. oh, and her daughter too, of course.

Why wouldn't she mourn her daughter?

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jonathan Cohn at The Bulwark:

IMAGINE BEING HANDED the ultimate weapon to win a future war and throwing that weapon away. That’s a fair description of what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did last week when he canceled a $766 million government contract to develop a new bird flu vaccine.1 The contract was with Moderna, the Massachusetts-based biotech company that developed and continues to produce one of the original COVID-19 shots. The Biden administration awarded the contract last year, through a special government program designed to fund preparation for future public health threats. Moderna was trying to use its know-how from COVID to invent a vaccine platform it could deploy rapidly against several types of influenza, including the H5N1 bird flu—a version of which, if you haven’t heard, has spread to the United States and is ravaging poultry farms. But it’s not the price of eggs keeping infectious-disease doctors up at night. It’s the possibility that a strain mutates, jumps species, and ends up in humans, who then start transmitting it to each other. It’s happened before, in mostly isolated outbreaks, with mortality rates that reached 50 percent. That dwarfs the comparable figure for COVID-19, which in most countries was in the low single digits and yet still killed more than 7 million people around the world, including more than a million in the United States.2 That death toll would have been even higher if not for speedy development of COVID vaccines, including Moderna’s, whose secret sauce is mRNA technology that generally allows for much quicker production.3 That’s why two of the scientists most responsible for the breakthrough won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. And it’s why that bird flu contract went to Moderna, whose early tests on the bird flu vaccine have already produced promising results. But the contract was through the Department of Health and Human Services, which thanks to Donald Trump is under the leadership of Kennedy, the longtime vaccination critic whose egregious lies about the COVID shot include grossly exaggerating the prevalence of side effects and claiming it offers no protection against severe disease.

Kennedy didn’t trot out any of these lines when canceling the Moderna contract. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. But an HHS spokesperson told reporters like me that the Moderna decision was “about safety, integrity, and trust” and described mRNA technology as “under-tested”—even though the mRNA COVID shots went through extensive, randomized clinical trials before approval, and have been closely monitored for adverse effects ever since.

RFK Jr.’s anti-vaxxer insanity could have deadly consequences, such as cancelling a $766M contract with Moderna to produce an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine.

[intellitechconsultin]

If you are looking to enhance the quality of your software while accelerating time-to-market? Here we are! Don't miss out on unlocking the power of Continuous Testing Services! Reach out to us today to supercharge your testing process and achieve new levels of software excellence.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Henry I. Miller and Jonathan Bloom

The divisiveness pervading science and medicine has intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by debates over vaccines, mandates and public health measures. Although anti-vaccine sentiment predates the pandemic, a small number of rogue physicians and influencers have amplified disinformation, jeopardizing public trust.

Medical doctor and Johns Hopkins University Professor Benjamin Mazer described the post-pandemic bitterness in The Atlantic:

[People are] angry about losing a job, getting bullied into vaccination, or watching children fall behind in a virtual classroom. That legacy of bitterness and distrust is now a major political force. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the precipice of leading our nation’s health care system as secretary of Health and Human Services … and the Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya is expected to be picked to run the National Institutes of Health. These men … are united by a lasting rage over COVID.

Bhattacharya’s nomination has since been announced officially. As one of the three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD), a statement issued by unorthodox scientists during the pandemic, Bhattacharya promoted outdated and dangerous public health strategies, prioritizing mass infection of the population over proven containment measures.

The GBD proposed addressing COVID-19 by protecting the “vulnerable” (mainly, the elderly) while allowing mass exposure among lower-risk groups to achieve “herd immunity.” Though theoretically plausible early in the pandemic, the rapid emergence of more infectious and dangerous variants made this strategy catastrophic. Even with cautious measures, COVID claimed over 1.3 million lives in the U.S. alone

Allowing the virus to spread among young people inevitably endangered older populations. As NYU neurologist Dr. Jonathan Howard wrote in “We Want Them Infected,” his book that took a critical look at rogue scientists like Bhattacharya: “You cannot hermetically seal off the vulnerable from the rest of society, especially not in a country as interconnected as the United States.”

The GBD also ignored vaccines’ critical role in ending the pandemic. Even after vaccines became available, proponents continued to downplay their importance while opposing measures like masking and testing. This resistance fueled vaccine skepticism, which persists today.

The GBD’s advocates underestimated COVID’s impact, consistently downplaying its risks. For example, Bhattacharya claimed the virus had been “defanged” on five separate occasions between 2021 and 2022, during which 380,000 Americans died. Long COVID — the persistence of symptoms or the appearance of new ones, following the acute infection — continues to afflict millions, including many young, previously healthy individuals.

Howard’s book outlines how herd immunity proponents misled the public, minimizing the virus’ dangers while promoting mass infection. The title, “We Want Them Infected,” is derived from a 2020 email by Paul Alexander, a Trump administration advisor, who advocated infecting young people to accelerate herd immunity.

The GBD became a political tool, embraced by the first Trump administration, to justify lax pandemic policies. Public health measures like masking and vaccination became polarizing issues, undermining trust in science. Diseases like measles, whooping cough and polio, once eradicated, are now resurging as anti-vaccine sentiment spreads.

Proponents of the GBD, including Bhattacharya, continue to influence public health debates. Bhattacharya and coauthor Martin Kulldorff serve on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Public Health Integrity Committee. Bhattacharya’s nomination to head the NIH raises concerns about the future of that renowned institution and of evidence-based public policy.

The flaws of the GBD offer important lessons. Public health policies must be guided by rigorous science, not ideology. Complacency and political interference exacerbate crises, as demonstrated by the politicization of basic precautions like masking and vaccination. Accountability is essential to restoring trust and ensuring better leadership during future pandemics.

The story of the Great Barrington Declaration is a cautionary tale of how ideology and misinformation can undermine public health. Its failures led to unnecessary suffering and eroded trust in science. As we reflect on the pandemic, it is vital to learn from these mistakes and prioritize evidence-based strategies for future crises. In the words of Dr. Howard: “We owe it to the millions of people who have suffered and died to get this right.”

Henry I. Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, is the Glenn Swogger Distinguished Fellow at the American Council on Science and Health. Formerly a research fellow at the NIH, he was the founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology. Jonathan Bloom is director of chemical and pharmaceutical sciences at the American Council on Science and Health.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA progresses toward crewed moon mission with spacecraft and rocket milestones

Engineers, technicians, mission planners, and the four astronauts set to fly around the moon next year on Artemis II, NASA's first crewed Artemis mission, are rapidly progressing toward launch.

At the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams are working around the clock to move into integration and final testing of all SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft elements. Recently they completed two key milestones—connecting the SLS upper stage with the rest of the assembled rocket and moving Orion from its assembly facility to be fueled for flight.

"We're extremely focused on preparing for Artemis II, and the mission is nearly here," said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator for NASA's moon to Mars Program, who also will chair the mission management team during Artemis II. "This crewed test flight, which will send four humans around the moon, will inform our future missions to the moon and Mars."

On May 1, technicians successfully attached the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the SLS rocket elements already poised atop mobile launcher 1, including its twin solid rocket boosters and core stage, inside the spaceport's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). This portion of the rocket produces 24,750 pounds of thrust for Orion after the rest of the rocket has completed its job.

Teams soon will move into a series of integrated tests to ensure all the rocket's elements are communicating with each other and the Launch Control Center as expected. The tests include verifying interfaces and ensuring SLS systems work properly with the ground systems.

Meanwhile, on May 3, Orion left its metaphorical nest, the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Facility at Kennedy, where it was assembled and underwent initial testing. There the crew module was outfitted with thousands of parts including critical life support systems for flight and integrated with the service module and crew module adapter.

After fueling is complete, the four astronauts flying on the mission around the moon and back over the course of approximately 10 days, will board the spacecraft in their Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits to test all the equipment interfaces they will need to operate during the mission. This will mark the first time NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will board their actual spacecraft while wearing their spacesuits.

After the crewed testing is complete, technicians will move Orion to Kennedy's Launch Abort System Facility, where the critical escape system will be added. From there, Orion will move to the VAB to be integrated with the fully assembled rocket.

NASA also announced its second agreement with an international space agency to fly a CubeSat on the mission. The collaborations provide opportunities for other countries to work alongside NASA to integrate and fly technology and experiments as part of the agency's Artemis campaign.

While engineers at Kennedy integrate and test hardware with their eyes on final preparations for the mission, teams responsible for launching and flying the mission have been busy preparing for a variety of scenarios they could face.

The launch team at Kennedy has completed more than 30 simulations across cryogenic propellant loading and terminal countdown scenarios. The crew has been taking part in simulations for mission scenarios, including with teams in mission control. In April, the crew and the flight control team at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston simulated liftoff through a planned manual piloting test together for the first time. The crew also recently conducted long-duration fit checks for their spacesuits and seats, practicing several operations while under various suit pressures.

Teams are heading into a busy summer of mission preparations. While hardware checkouts and integration continue, in coming months the crew, flight controllers, and launch controllers will begin practicing their roles in the mission together as part of integrated simulations. In May, the crew will begin participating pre-launch operations and training for emergency scenarios during launch operations at Kennedy and observe a simulation by the launch control team of the terminal countdown portion of launch.

In June, recovery teams will rehearse procedures they would use in the case of a pad or ascent abort off the coast of Florida, with launch and flight control teams supporting. The mission management team, responsible for reviewing mission status and risk assessments for issues that arise and making decisions about them, also will begin practicing their roles in simulations. Later this summer, the Orion stage adapter will arrive at the VAB from NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and stacked on top of the rocket.

Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

TOP IMAGE: Technicians move the Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis II test flight out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Credit: NASA / Kim Shiflett

LOWER IMAGE: Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program begin integrating the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the SLS (Space Launch System) launch vehicle stage adapter on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA / Isaac Watson

[daleeltrading]

Low Voltage Switchgear for Commercial Buildings: Key Requirements, Standards, and Best Practices

In the construction and modernization of commercial buildings, low voltage switchgear plays a critical role in ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient power distribution. From office complexes and retail malls to hospitals and data centers, these buildings rely on robust electrical infrastructure — and low voltage switchgear is the backbone of that system.

Whether you’re an electrical panel manufacturer, a building contractor, or a facility manager, understanding the key requirements for selecting and integrating LV switchgear in commercial buildings is essential.

What Is Low Voltage Switchgear?

Low voltage switchgear is an assembly of electrical devices designed to control, protect, and isolate electrical circuits under 1,000V AC. It typically includes:

· Air Circuit Breakers (ACBs)

· Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs)

· Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs)

· Contactors and Relays

· Busbars

· Metering and Protection Devices

Why LV Switchgear Is Critical in Commercial Buildings

Commercial buildings demand:

· Continuous power availability

· High energy efficiency

· Electrical safety for occupants

· Scalability for future expansion

Low voltage switchgear delivers:

· Protection against overloads and short circuits

· Isolation for maintenance and fault conditions

· Load management for energy optimization

· Monitoring via smart metering and IoT integration

Key Requirements for LV Switchgear in Commercial Applications

Safety & Protection Standards

Must comply with IEC 61439 or UL 891 depending on the region

Must include overcurrent, short-circuit, and earth fault protection

Arc flash safety features (like arc fault containment) are crucial in populated buildings

2. Compact Footprint and Modular Design

Space is often limited in commercial utility rooms. LV switchgear should be:

Compact to fit tight electrical rooms

Modular for easy expansion as building loads increase

3. Smart Metering and Monitoring

Today’s commercial buildings demand energy-efficient and intelligent systems. Choose LV switchgear with:

Integrated smart meters

IoT-based energy monitoring

Remote control via BMS (Building Management Systems)

4. High Service Continuity (Form Segregation)

To ensure maintenance without full shutdowns, opt for:

Form 3b or Form 4b segregation

Withdrawable ACBs or MCCBs

Dual incomer and bus coupler arrangements for redundancy

5. Scalability and Flexibility

Commercial facilities evolve. Your switchgear must too:

Allow for load expansion

Be compatible with renewable sources (like solar panels)

Support future retrofits and upgrades

Standards to Follow

Ensure LV switchgear in commercial buildings is compliant with:

IEC 61439–1/2 — General and Power Switchgear Assemblies

UL 891 — US Standard for Dead-Front Switchboards

NEC (National Electrical Code) or local building codes

Also factor in:

Ingress Protection (IP Ratings) — IP54/IP65 for dusty or humid environments

Short Circuit Withstand Ratings — Ensure it matches building fault levels

Best Practices for Installation in Commercial Building

Centralize the switchgear for easy maintenance and reduced cable runs

Provide ample ventilation or forced cooling

Use color-coded wiring for clear identification

Ensure emergency shutdown mechanisms are accessible

Document the system with single-line diagrams and load calculations

Applications in Commercial Buildings

Office Buildings: Smart load shedding and energy metering

Hospitals: Redundant systems for life safety

Data Centers: N+1 configurations and continuous monitoring

Malls & Retail: Segmented load distribution for different zones

Hotels: Backup and emergency panel integration

Choosing the Right LV Switchgear Partner

Look for a supplier who provides

Customized switchgear assemblies

Fast lead times and local support

Engineering assistance for layout and specs

Pre-tested or type-tested assemblies

Future Trends in Commercial LV Switchgear

Digitization & predictive maintenance

Energy-efficient, low-loss designs

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[goodomensafterdark]

The GOAD Epic Goblins present - The Serpent and The Owl Volume 0 - The World I Created - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is out!

Title: Faced with the winter cold

Word count: 2721

Summary of the volume:

~This story starts, as it will end, in the stars.~

Crawly is a singularity, born in the Empty and thriving in it, until the day Life settles into the universe. As that happens, she descends onto the planets in her vicinity.

Several centuries, maybe even millennia, pass; Crawly got integrated enough in the society of a planet that she (I'll go with she/her pronouns) is the long-standing Queen and main deity of that planet.

Aziraphale comes as a scientist from another planet that hers made an agreement with; thus begins their relationship.

Crawly slowly comes to terms with her feelings with Aziraphale as their story evolves and their travels through the galaxy continue.

Excerpt:

When Aziraphale was forcefully volunteered into the role of team leader for Mission Thue, he had shed a tear.

He enlisted into service soon after the Angel of Destruction Crawly made her announcement five years ago, which, sure, meant that he was technically amongst the people who might be at risk. Sure, he had risen quickly amongst the ranks of the High Research Committee, but he was still quite young — an older member of the generation born during the galactic war — and many people in his field were still waiting for him to prove himself. In what world could he possibly be the best pick to not only represent their planet, but to lead the team of representatives?

Yes, fine, he had been more amenable to the Thues since their arrival than most of his people; greeting them properly, spending some time with them as they would test the teams with demands. He would ask questions and visit their temporary accommodations, trying to better understand what the needs behind the requests really were.

Alright, he even might have built some sort of relationship with a few of them; might have received sweet — albeit weird — gifts and attentions from them during their time on his planet, and his personality seemed to match theirs much better than it had ever worked out with his own people.

He sighed a shaky breath. The decision might actually make perfect sense, but he was not any less terrified of the prospect of facing that infamous angel who he read about in his history books and had frozen his people in fear when they angered her. The weight on his shoulders was formidable; his role as he left his planet was very simple — keep her content with his work. He had no way of guaranteeing that would turn into reality in the field.

Continue reading here!

Or start at chapter 1 here

[usafphantom2]

Updated B-52 electronic warfare suite will be tested in flight in 2024

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/29/2024 - 10:36 in Military

Flying through the skies since the 1950s, the B-52 Stratofortress is a U.S. Air Force (USAF) workhorse and a lasting symbol of American military power. The eight-engine giant has unique capabilities unparalleled to any other American warplane - which is why, after more than 70 years of service, it continues to play a vital role in the defense and national security strategy of the U.S. And thanks to a collaboration between L3Harris and USAF, this iconic aircraft is prepared to remain ready for the mission against highly sophisticated emerging threats in the coming decades.

Under a 10-year contract worth $947 million granted in 2021, L3Harris is upgrading and improving the AN/ALQ-172 electronic war self-protection system (EW), which protects the B-52 and air crews from a wide range of electronic threats. Our current work is based on decades of experience in providing critical technology as a Manufacturer of Original Equipment of the AN/ALQ-172 systems for the B-52 fleet. And combined with other ongoing modernization efforts, these updates will increase the relevance and reliability of the B-52 by the 2050s.

L3 Harris AN/ALQ-172 systems.

"Our opponents continue to evolve, facing advanced and far-reaching threats that challenge our ability to operate in contested environments," says Robert "Trip" Raymond, USAF's Program Leader for EW Technology Development at L3Harris. "It is essential that we provide our B-52 crew with the necessary tools to keep the B-52 relevant, lethal and survivable as the backbone of the strategic bomber force of the United States."

The effort of modernization and support - ALQ-172 Maintenance and Reliability System (MARS) - intends to do exactly that, increasing the average time between failures due to its modular design, while further improving the performance, maintenance capacity and reliability of the system. Thanks to an integrated and improved radio frequency system, crews will be able to simultaneously combat multiple radar threats that interfere with aircraft operations. And by replacing analog systems with more economical software solutions, USAF will be able to reduce the size of B-52 crews from 5 to 4. This frees up resources for additional mission-critical activities.

Ultimately, the updates will further help USAF in its Global Attack Mission and strengthen the effectiveness of the B-52 in modern warfare, while making future upgrades cheaper and easier.

"We are implementing affordable solutions that not only reduce costs, but also provide crews with more advanced protection against the most sophisticated threats detected by radar," said Jimmy Mercado, Program Director at L3Harris. "All this results in a more modern, efficient and effective aircraft, ready to dominate the future struggle."

USAF plans to conduct a test flight with the new electronic warfare capabilities of the B-52 in 2024.

Tags: Military AviationBoeing B-52H StratofortressEW - ELECTRONIC WARL3HarrisUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[mariacallous]

In a future conflict, American troops will direct the newest war machines not with sprawling control panels or sci-fi-inspired touchscreens, but controls familiar to anyone who grew up with an Xbox or PlayStation in their home.

Over the past several years, the US Defense Department has been gradually integrating what appear to be variants of the Freedom of Movement Control Unit (FMCU) handsets as the primary control units for a variety of advanced weapons systems, according to publicly available imagery published to the department’s Defense Visual Information Distribution System media hub.

Those systems include the new Navy Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) launcher, a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle–based anti-ship missile system designed to fire the new Naval Strike Missile that’s essential to the Marine Corps’ plans for a notional future war with China in the Indo-Pacific; the Army’s new Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system that, bristling with FIM-92 Stinger and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and a 30-mm chain gun mounted on a Stryker infantry fighting vehicle, is seen as a critical anti-air capability in a potential clash with Russia in Eastern Europe; the Air Force’s MRAP-based Recovery of Air Bases Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) truck that uses a laser to clear away improvised explosive devices and other unexploded munitions; and the Humvee-mounted High Energy Laser-Expeditionary (HELEX) laser weapon system currently undergoing testing by the Marine Corps.

The FMCU has also been employed on a variety of experimental unmanned vehicles, and according to a 2023 Navy contract, the system will be integral to the operation of the AN/SAY-3A Electro-Optic Sensor System (or “I-Stalker”) that’s designed to help the service’s future Constellation-class guided-missile frigates track and engage incoming threats.

Produced since 2008 by Measurement Systems Inc. (MSI), a subsidiary of British defense contractor Ultra that specializes in human-machine interfaces, the FMCU offers a similar form factor to the standard Xbox or PlayStation controller but with a ruggedized design intended to safeguard its sensitive electronics against whatever hostile environs American service members may find themselves in. A longtime developer of joysticks used on various US naval systems and aircraft, MSI has served as a subcontractor to major defense “primes” like General Atomics, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems to provide the handheld control units for “various aircraft and vehicle programs,” according to information compiled by federal contracting software GovTribe.

“With the foresight to recognize the form factor that would be most accessible to today’s warfighters, [Ultra] has continued to make the FMCU one of the most highly configurable and powerful controllers available today,” according to Ultra. (The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment from WIRED.)

The endlessly customizable FMCU isn’t totally new technology: According to Ultra, the system has been in use since at least 2010 to operate the now-sundowned Navy’s MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned autonomous helicopter and the Ground Based Operational Surveillance System (GBOSS) that the Army and Marine Corps have both employed throughout the global war on terror. But the recent proliferation of the handset across sophisticated new weapon platforms reflects a growing trend in the US military towards controls that aren’t just uniquely tactile or ergonomic in their operation, but inherently familiar to the next generation of potential warfighters before they ever even sign up to serve.

“For RADBO, the operators are generally a much younger audience,” an Air Force spokesman tells WIRED. “Therefore, utilizing a PlayStation or Xbox type of controller such as the FMCU seems to be a natural transition for the gaming generation.”

Indeed, that the US military is adopting specially built video-game-style controllers may appear unsurprising: The various service branches have long experimented with commercial off-the-shelf console handsets for operating novel systems. The Army and Marine Corps have for more than a decade used Xbox controllers to operate small unmanned vehicles, from ground units employed for explosive ordnance disposal to airborne drones, as well as larger assets like the M1075 Palletized Loading System logistics vehicle. Meanwhile, the “photonics mast” that has replaced the traditional periscope on the Navy’s new Virginia-class submarines uses the same inexpensive Xbox handset, as does the service’s Multifunctional Automated Repair System robot that’s employed on surface warships to address everything from in-theater battle damage repair to shipyard maintenance.

This trend is also prevalent among defense industry players angling for fresh Pentagon contracts: Look no further than the LOCUST Laser Weapon System developed by BlueHalo for use as the Army’s Palletized-High Energy Laser (P-HEL) system, which explicitly uses an Xbox controller to help soldiers target incoming drones and burn them out of the sky—not unlike the service’s previous ventures into laser weapons.

"By 2006, games like Halo were dominant in the military," Tom Phelps, then a product director at iRobot, told Business Insider in 2013 of the company’s adoption of a standard Xbox controller for its PackBot IED disposal robot. "So we worked with the military to socialize and standardize the concept … It was considered a very strong success, younger soldiers with a lot of gaming experience were able to adapt quickly."

Commercial video game handsets have also proven popular beyond the ranks of the US military, from the British Army’s remote-controlled Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle to Israel Aerospace Industries’ Carmel battle tank, the latter of which had its controls developed with feedback from teenage gamers who reportedly eschewed the traditional fighter jet-style joystick in favor of a standard video game handset. More recently, Ukrainian troops have used PlayStation controllers and Steam Decks to direct armed unmanned drones and machine gun turrets against invading Russian forces. And these controllers have unusual non-military applications as well: Most infamously, the OceanGate submarine that suffered a catastrophic implosion during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic in June 2023 was operated with a version of a Logitech F710 controller, as CBS News reported at the time.

“They are far more willing to experiment, they are much less afraid of technology … It comes to them naturally,” Israeli Defense Forces colonel Udi Tzur told The Washington Post in 2020 of optimizing the Carmel tank’s controls for younger operators. “It’s not exactly like playing Fortnite, but something like that, and amazingly they bring their skills to operational effectiveness in no time. I’ll tell you the truth, I didn’t think it could be reached so quickly.”

There are clear advantages to using cheap video-game-style controllers to operate advanced military weapons systems. The first is a matter of, well, control: Not only are video game handsets more ergonomic, but the configuration of buttons and joysticks offers tactile feedback not generally available from, say, one of the US military’s now-ubiquitous touchscreens. The Navy in particular learned this the hard way following the 2017 collision between the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore, an incident that prompted the service to swap out its bridge touchscreens for mechanical throttles across its guided-missile destroyer fleet after a National Transportation Safety Board report on the accident noted that sailors preferred the latter because “they provide[d] both immediate and tactile feedback to the operator.” Sure, a US service member may not operate an Xbox controller with a “rumble” feature, but the configuration of video-game-style controllers like the FMCU does offer significant tactile (and tactical) advantages over dynamic touchscreens, a conclusion several studies appear to reinforce.

But the real advantage of video-game-style controllers for the Pentagon is, as military officials and defense contractors have noted, their familiarity to the average US service member. As of 2024, more than 190.6 million Americans of all ages, or roughly 61 percent of the country, played video games, according to an annual report from the Entertainment Software Association trade group, while data from the Pew Research Center published in May indicates that 85 percent of American teenagers say they play video games, with 41 percent reporting that they play daily.

In terms of specific video games systems, the ESA report indicates that consoles and their distinctive controllers reign supreme among Gen Z and Gen Alpha—both demographic groups that stand to eventually end up fighting in America’s next big war. The Pentagon is, in the words of military technologist Peter W. Singer, “free-riding” off a video game industry that has spent decades training Americans on a familiar set of controls and ergonomics that, at least since the PlayStation introduced elongated grips in the 1990s, have been standard among most game systems for years (with apologies to the Wii remote that the Army eyed for bomb-disposal robots nearly two decades ago).

“The gaming companies spent millions of dollars developing an optimal, intuitive, easy-to-learn user interface, and then they went and spent years training up the user base for the US military on how to use that interface,” Singer said in a March 2023 interview. “These designs aren’t happenstance, and the same pool they’re pulling from for their customer base, the military is pulling from … and the training is basically already done.”

At the moment, it’s unclear how exactly many US military systems use the FMCU. When reached for comment, the Pentagon confirmed the use of the system on the NMESIS, M-SHORAD, and RADBO weapons platforms and referred WIRED to the individual service branches for additional details. The Marine Corps confirmed the handset’s use with the GBOSS, while the Air Force again confirmed the same for the RADBO. The Navy stated that the service does not currently use the FMCU with any existing systems; the Army did not respond to requests for comment.

How far the FMCU and its commercial off-the-shelf variants will spread throughout the ranks of the US military remains to be seen. But controls that effectively translate human inputs into machine movement tend to persist for decades after their introduction: After all, the joystick (or “control column,” in military parlance) has been a fixture of military aviation since its inception. Here’s just hoping that the Pentagon hasn’t moved on to the Power Glove by the time the next big war rolls around.