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This week we've invited JPL's Chief Engineer Emeritus, Rob Manning, back to discuss Mars exploration and, in particular, Mars Sample Return. As we discussed in episode 107, that project is in a bit of trouble. Rob was the Chief Engineer of every Mars rover up through Perseverance and the overall Chief Engineer on Perseverance, and he has some unique insights on how we have explored Mars, why it matters, and what the future holds... especially with regard to returning samples to Earth. Join us!

Headlines:

NASA held a press conference to explain the latest delays with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which stem from issues with a helium leak and concerns about the reaction control thrusters that could lead to a loss of redundancy during reentry
The European Space Agency's Euclid Space Telescope returned its first science images, providing stunning new views of galaxies never seen in such detail before to help unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy
Main Topic - Mars Exploration and Sample Return:

Rob Manning recounts his extensive experience with Mars exploration at JPL, from the Sojourner rover and Pathfinder lander in the 90s to the currently operating Curiosity and Perseverance rovers
Curiosity confirmed the past presence of water on Mars, while Perseverance is collecting carefully selected rock samples to eventually be returned to Earth
The Mars Sample Return mission would bring pristine samples back to Earth for in-depth study, but is an extremely complex and costly endeavor facing budget challenges and potential delays
Rob explains why returning samples is so critical - context is key and current meteorite samples have been altered by their journey to Earth, whereas carefully selected samples could reveal much more about Mars' history and potential for life
Challenges for Mars Sample Return include the large size of the lander, the need for new parachute and guidance technologies, and planetary protection requirements to prevent contaminating Earth
NASA currently has no plans for additional Mars missions beyond sample return, and faces a potential loss of institutional knowledge as a "quiet period" approaches, highlighting the need to maintain momentum in Mars exploration
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Rob Manning

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Mikah Sargent shares his review of Apple's new M4 iPad Pro and explores its design changes, including its new ultra-thin design, relocated front-facing camera, and stunning Ultra Retina XDR display with tandem OLED technology. Mikah also delves into the power of the M4 Apple Silicon chip and takes a closer look at the innovative Apple Pencil Pro and redesigned Magic Keyboard.

Get the Apple iPad Pro 11-Inch (M4): https://amzn.to/3KbZ20e

Host: Mikah Sargent

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In this episode of iOS Today, Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard discuss their experiences with Apple's newly released M4 iPad Pros and accessories. They cover the new features and improvements, including the OLED display, updated design, Magic Keyboard with function keys, and the new Apple Pencil Pro. Rosemary also addresses a listener's question about creating a shortcut to quickly access downtime settings on a Mac.

M4 iPad Pros:

• The new iPad Pros have an OLED display, offering improved contrast and color reproduction

• Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, with higher-tier models having more RAM and an extra performance core.

• The Magic Keyboard has been updated with a function row, haptic trackpad, and all-new hardware design.

• The Apple Pencil Pro introduces haptic feedback, a programmable squeeze gesture, and a "barrel roll" feature for adjusting brush/tool shape based on pencil orientation

• Apps like Freeform and GoodNotes are being updated to support the new Apple Pencil Pro capabilities

• Availability varies by model, and waiting for refurbished units or discounts may be beneficial

Shortcuts Corner:

• A listener asks for a way to quickly access downtime settings on their children's Macs

• Rosemary creates a shortcut using the Mac's System Preferences URL scheme to open the downtime settings directly

• She recommends adding the shortcut to the Mac's menu bar for easy access

• While it's not possible to toggle downtime automatically with a shortcut due to security concerns, this method still streamlines the process of adjusting the settings

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

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Apple's latest Apple Pencil, the Apple Pencil Pro, includes several new features:

Barrel roll: Rotating the barrel of the Appe Pencil changes the orientation of art tools.
Squeeze: A gesture that opens a tool palette in Apple's built-in apps.
Haptic feedback: Tiny taps and buzzes provide feedback when you squeeze and tap the Appe Pencil Pro.
Find My: You can use the Find My app to find your missing Apple Pencil Pro. Mikah Sargent walks you through the new features of the Apple Pencil Pro as well as the settings for Apple Pencil on iPadOS.
Apple Pencil - https://www.apple.com/apple-pencil/

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Emily Dreibelbis from PCMag joins Mikah Sargent this week. Emily talks about Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI. Could generative AI be coming to Alexa in the future? If your meme game is on point, then you may have a future with politics. And Microsoft announced new Windows laptops with AI features baked into the device.

Emily Dreibelbis talks about OpenAI being under fire from actor Scarlett

Johansson as the actor voices her concern over the company's use of her voice, while OpenAI fires back, showing how they used a different actor for the voice.
Mikah Sargent shares how Amazon plans to overhaul its voice assistant, Alexa, by incorporating AI features into it and charging a monthly subscription price.
If your meme game is strong with Millennials and Gen Z, consider a career in politics. The Biden re-election campaign is looking to hire a meme manager.
And finally, Daniel Rubino of Windows Central talks with Mikah about Microsoft's next-gen AI laptops, Copilot+ PCs, announced at its Build event earlier, and some of the expected features with these AI machines.
Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Dreibelbis

Guest: Daniel Rubino

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Microsoft has been testing Windows 11 version 24H2 with Insiders on the Dev Channel for a couple of weeks. This update will bring improvements to Copilot on Windows, File Explorer, the taskbar, and many other Windows features.

Host: Paul Thurrott

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