Is Peter Thiel the target of Pope Leo's Gandalf quote? An investigation.

Is Peter Thiel the target of Pope Leo's Gandalf quote? An investigation.

fivenewscrypto    mai 28, 2026   

I'm not suggesting that a man like Pope Leo—the Vicar of Christ, the Bishop of Rome, the Servant of the Servants of God—would stoop to anything quite so base as "trolling" the onetime PayPal co-founder and current Antichrist alarmist Peter Thiel. But I'm also not not suggesting it, if you see what I mean.

How else to explain the novel appearance of Gandalf—yes, the pipe-smoking wizard!—in the pages of one of Catholicism's most important documents, a major papal encyclical about AI and technology? Perhaps Leo, who was born and raised in Chicago before spending decades in Peru, is simply a big J.R.R. Tolkien buff who can't get enough of magic rings, Eldar lore, and tricksy little hobbitses. Or perhaps Leo is sending a message.

In his new encyclical, released yesterday, Leo quotes one literary character in the entire 40,000-word document. It's Gandalf, doling out some of his wisdom in a scene from Return of the King: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”

Read full article

Comments

Musk says US military suicide drones used Starlink in violation of SpaceX rules

Musk says US military suicide drones used Starlink in violation of SpaceX rules

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today. It appears that SpaceX asked the military for more money after it started using satellite terminals on "kamikaze" attack drones in Iran.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed the Reuters report is wrong. But Musk also said the military drones initially used the commercial Starlink service instead of the government-specific network, in violation of Starlink's terms of service. Musk blamed the violation on the contractor that built the drones for the government.

The Reuters report, based on Pentagon documents and interviews with sources familiar with the pricing talks, said that SpaceX recently asked the military to pay $25,000 for Starshield access on each kamikaze drone. The Pentagon, which previously paid $5,000 for each connection, objected to the price hike but ultimately agreed to pay it, according to Reuters.

Read full article

Comments

NASA takes steps toward building Moon Base, including discussing a "perimeter"

NASA takes steps toward building Moon Base, including discussing a "perimeter"

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

NASA officials announced contract awards for the initial elements of a lunar base on Tuesday, including two rovers that will provide mobility to astronauts.

With the series of announcements, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman sought to maintain momentum around a Moon Base initiative revealed two months ago as part of the space agency's return to the Moon. "For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand, and we will not slow down," he said.

The manager for the lunar base, Carlos Garcia-Galan, said the space agency had selected two companies, Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, to build approximately 1-ton rovers that would be ready for delivery to the Moon in 2028. Astrolab will receive $219 million for its "CLV-1" rover, and Lunar Outpost $220 million for its "Pegasus" rover, building upon initial contracts awarded two years ago. Each rover is expected to have a range of 200 km and be capable of driving autonomously, with guidance from operators on Earth, in addition to being driven by astronauts.

Read full article

Comments

Review: The Boroughs is a smart, pitch-perfect creature feature

Review: The Boroughs is a smart, pitch-perfect creature feature

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

The Duffer brothers wrapped up their blockbuster series Stranger Things earlier this year and also departed Netflix for a lucrative new production deal with Paramount. But a couple of their production projects remain with Netflix: the animated series Stranger Things: Tales from '85, which dropped in April to mixed reviews; and the newly released The Boroughs, a supernatural thriller set in a retirement community in the New Mexico desert. I'm happy to report that The Boroughs is a creative home run, with a smart, witty script, terrific ensemble cast, and engrossing central mystery.

(Some spoilers below but no major reveals.)

Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) is a recently widowed, retired aeronautical engineer who (very) reluctantly moves into The Boroughs retirement community. It was his late wife's choice to move there, and the company refuses to let him out of the contract he co-signed when Lilly (Jane Kaczmarek) was still alive. So he's grumpy about the whole arrangement, snapping at his long-suffering daughter, Claire (Jena Malone) and pretty much anyone else who crosses his path.

Read full article

Comments

Analyst on China's spent rocket stages: "Things only continue to get worse"

Analyst on China's spent rocket stages: "Things only continue to get worse"

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

Up until a decade ago, China had never launched as many as 20 orbital rockets a year. But beginning in 2022, the Asian country launched 64 rockets and last year reached a record total of 93, marking it as the second-most productive space power in the world.

Further growth is anticipated from both the company's state-owned enterprises as well as a rapidly expanding number of private launch companies. There is nothing wrong with this, as China's rapid growth in launch has been mirrored by the United States and, in particular, SpaceX.

However there is an issue with these launches, as China appears to be ignoring long-established norms about disposing of the upper stages of rockets. These are the parts of the vehicle that separate from the first stage of a rocket and push a satellite or spacecraft into orbit.

Read full article

Comments

Amazing interior, controversial exterior: Ferrari's first electric car

Amazing interior, controversial exterior: Ferrari's first electric car

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

Ferrari provided flights from Washington, DC, to Rome and accommodation so Ars could see the Luce. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

ROME—The arrival of any new Ferrari that isn't a two-seater is usually controversial, but the Luce might be the most divisive yet. It's Ferrari's first four-door sedan and first five-seater, but perhaps most importantly—especially for readers of Ars Technica—it's Ferrari's first battery-electric vehicle.

Each of those individually is probably anathema to some Ferrari fans, never mind all three together. But it's 2026, and the reality is that the manufacturer absolutely needs an emissions-free offering for vitally important markets like China and Silicon Valley. And now, here it is.

Like some legendary Ferraris of the past, the company chose to work with an outside design team for the Luce, in this case LoveFrom, helmed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Many will detect some hints of Apple in the car's design; more than one journalist said they could imagine it wearing that computer company's logo rather than the prancing horse shields that dot its exterior. But the almost cab-forward glasshouse perhaps calls to mind the Lotus Etna concept, with some Ferrari F90 (a one-off for the Sultan of Brunei) here and there, too. And the four round tail lights obviously reference '90s designs like the 360 and 550.

Read full article

Comments

Driving Porsche's most powerful car—and no, it's not a 911

Driving Porsche's most powerful car—and no, it's not a 911

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

Porsche provided flights from Albany, New York, to Munich, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could drive the electric Cayenne Coupe. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

MUNICH, GERMANY—Think about every fast Porsche you've ever seen on the road—the ones with big wings, bold colors, and wide wheels. Now get ready for an uncomfortable fact: None of them had more horsepower than the SUV you see pictured here. This is the new Cayenne Turbo Coupe, a fastback, dual-motor, upgraded version of Porsche's electric SUV.

It makes a whopping 1,139 hp (850 kW) and 1,106 lb-ft of torque (1,500 Nm), enough to drive this 5,637 lb (2,557 kg) machine and its 113-kilowatt-hour battery pack from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h)  in 2.4 seconds. That makes it not only Porsche's most powerful production car ever but also among its quickest, bested only by the Taycan Turbo GT.

But unlike that pared-down, performance-oriented take on Porsche's sultry electric sedan, the Cayenne Coupe is meant to be an everyday hauler for friends, family, and whatever else you can fit underneath its hatch. Does it succeed? That's what I went to Munich to find out.

Read full article

Comments