TLDR Daily Update 2020-07-24

Amazon has introduced a new initiative called 'less packaging, more smiles' that will see the company reduce the materials used for sending out items as well as provide instructions for reusing boxes in fun ways. The new boxes will feature directions on how to use them to build a cat condo, a rocket ship, a robot costume, and more. Amazon plans to start using the packaging this week. The company aims to be net-zero carbon by 2040.

Elon Musk has revealed renders of the first commercial station being built by his tunnel-digging company. The Boring Company's first commercial Loop system is set to open later this year under the Las Vegas Convention Center. It will have the capacity to transport up to 4,400 passengers per hour around the convention center's 200-acre campus. The system could potentially be expanded to connect other areas of Las Vegas and can be adapted to other cities around the world.

Edge Innovations, a New Zealand-based company, has developed animatronic dolphins that can be used in aquariums, hotels, cruises, malls, museums, and other places. The robots cost around $US26 million each and they are reported to be shockingly realistic, easily mistaken for the real thing. They weigh 600 pounds and can last up to ten hours on a single charge. The dolphins are controlled using a remote. Edge Innovations intends to develop great white sharks and sea dragons as other options in the future.

Cosmo is a genome-edited bull calf produced by scientists at the University of California, Davis. It was created by inserting the gene responsible for initiating male development into a bovine embryo. Any embryo treated with this process will grow and look like a male, regardless of whether it inherited a Y chromosome. Cosmo's offspring that inherit the gene will also grow to be males. Male cattle are about 15 percent more efficient at converting feed into weight gain and tend to be heavier, making them more efficient for farming.

This repository contains an Excel-like DataGrid component for React JS. It is built to be similar to Google Sheets. It is high-performance, easily customizable, and supports row and column freezing, auto filter views, cell styling, formatting, and more.

TinyPilot is a device for controlling computers remotely. It works before the operating system boots, so it can be used to install new OSes and debug boot failures. It can be created for under $100 using a Raspberry Pi. A complete walkthrough is provided in the article.

An investigation based on satellite data collected over two years has found that China's armada of illegal industrial fishing boats has displaced smaller North Korean boats and caused a sharp decline in the squid population. The Chinese vessels appear to violate UN sanctions imposed in 2017. Chinese Captains who were investigated by South Korean Coast Guard authorities have presented fishing permits signed by North Korean authorities. China has denied allegations of illegal fishing.

Russia has been accused of testing a weapon-like projectile in space that could be used to target satellites in orbit. The country has been testing new technology that it claims is for performing checks on Russian space equipment. Both US and UK officials have made statements on the threat posed by Russia. Russia is part of a space treaty that stipulates that outer space is to be explored purely for peaceful purposes. This is not the first time concerns have been raised over Russia's space activities.