Autodesk appoints Janesh Moorjani as chief financial officerScientists pinpoint just how fast Santa would have to travel to visit every child on the planet... and reveal why, at this speed, Rudolf's nose wouldn't be red READ MORE: Follow the 2024 NORAD Santa Tracker LIVE By WILIAM HUNTER Published: 16:27 GMT, 24 December 2024 | Updated: 16:30 GMT, 24 December 2024 e-mail 4 View comments As Christmas approaches, children around the world will be eagerly awaiting a visit from Santa and his reindeer. But with around two billion children on the planet, Santa really has his work cut out for him tonight. Scientists have calculated that Santa would need to travel 89 million miles (144 million kilometres) to deliver presents to all the good girls and boys around the world. That is the equivalent of flying his sleigh all the way from Earth to the sun in a single night. In order to leave some time for delivering presents, this means Santa would need to travel at 5.1 million miles per hour (8.2 million kmph), or 0.8 per cent of the speed of light. That incredible speed might also explain why Joly Saint Nick is able to fit his belly down a narrow chimney. According to Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity, objects travelling with Santa's sleigh will become compressed in size as they near the speed of light. But most strange of all, scientists say that, at this speed, Rudolf's famous nose wouldn't appear red at all. Scientists have calculated that Santa would need to cover 89 million miles (144 million kilometres) to deliver presents to all the children who celebrate Christmas. This is the equivalent of travelling almost all the way to the sun in a single night (stock image) Dr Laura Nicole Driessen, a radio astronomer from the University of Sydney, made these festive calculations based on a formula created by particle physicists from Fermilab in the 1980s. First Dr Driessen estimated the number of children that Santa would need to deliver presents to. There are approximately two billion children on Earth, but Christmas is only celebrated in some way in 93 per cent of countries we can assume that seven per cent of children don’t need presents. But, of course, even among those who celebrate Christmas not every child is good enough to warrant a visit from the man himself. Writing for the Conversation, Dr Driessen says: 'We know Father Christmas only delivers presents to those who truly believe. 'If we assume the same percentage of believers by age as found in the United States, that leaves us with approximately 690 million children.' And with about 2.3 children per household worldwide, Santa will need to stop at a minimum of 300 million homes tonight. 'Spreading those households evenly across 69 million square kilometres of habitable land area on Earth,' says Dr Driessen. In order to make that journey, Santa would need to travel at a minimum speed of 5.1 million miles per hour (8.2 million kmph), or 0.8 per cent of the speed of light. Pictured: The NORAD Santa Tracker 'Father Christmas has to travel 144 million kilometres on Christmas Eve. That’s nearly the same as the distance from Earth to the Sun.' That would be a very tall order if Father Christmas only had the 10 hours between 20:00 and 06:00 the next day when children in the UK are sleeping. Thankfully, he gets a few extra hours thanks to Earth’s rotation. If the children are evenly distributed around the globe, then Sata has at least 24 hours to travel from the make his way all around the planet. And, with the 11-hour difference in time zones between one side of the world and the other, Santa has a total of 35 hours from the first child falling asleep to the last waking up. Dr Driessen says: 'Let’s say Father Christmas uses half his time to zip in and out of each household, which gives him 17.5 hours total or 0.2 milliseconds per household. He uses the other 17.5 hours for travelling between households. 'My hypothesis is that he needs to travel at a whopping 8.2 million kilometres per hour, or 0.8 per cent of the speed of light, to drop off all the presents.' But if Santa wants some time to eat a mince pie and put his feet up and the end of the evening, Dr Driessen suggests he might have to travel significantly faster. Some of the strangest effects would occur when looking at the bright nose of Rudolf the reindeer. At this speed, scientists say it might not appear red at all (stock image) To deliver everything nice and fast, Santa could travel 10 per cent of the speed of light - or 66.5 million miles per hour (107 million kmph). However, at these speeds, things would start to get very weird for Father Christmas. Thanks to the theory of special relativity, from our perspective Santa and anything travelling with him would appear to be much skinnier than usual. Even though Einstein predicts that Santa would gain more mass as he gets faster, as he nears the speed of light he would get compressed in the direction he’s travelling – letting him slip down a chimney with ease. Dr Katy Sheen, a physicist in the geography department at the University of Exeter, has previously suggested this could also be why Santa always looks the same age. As objects near the speed of light, time moves slower from their frame of reference than in ours which means that Santa would age slower while travelling. Yet, thanks to something called the Dopler Effect, the strangest effects would occur if we were to look out for the bright light of Rudolf's nose. This is the same effect which means that an oncoming ambulance’s siren sounds higher pitched than it does once it has passed. The Dopler effect means that motion changes the frequency of the sound wave based on the direction of motion of its source. This is why ambulance sirens sound lower after they've passed us Due to the Dopler Effect, Rudolf would appear to have a bright orange nose as he flies towards you and a dark black nose as he flies away As the object races towards us, the waves are compressed making the pitch higher and as it moves away the waves stretch out to produce a lower tone. The faster something is moving the more pronounced this effect becomes which means that Rudolf’s breakneck flight will create an extraordinarily strong Dopler effect. Red-coloured light has a wavelength, the distance between one peak to the next, of 694.3 nanometres when its source is at rest. Flying at 10 per cent of the speed of light, we would see this light shift radically in either direction. Read More How to spot 'Santa' in the sky tomorrow as the International Space Station passes over the UK Dr Driessen says: 'At this speed, Rudolph’s nose would be blueshifted to bright orange (624 nanometres) as he was flying towards your home. 'And it would be redshifted to a very dark red (763 nanometres) as he was moving away. 'The darkest red human eyes can see is around 780 nanometres. At these speeds, Rudolph’s nose would be almost black.' That means no one on Earth would ever really get to see Rudolf's famous red nose. WHAT IS THE DOPPLER EFFECT? The Doppler Effect is a well-understood physical phenomenon which is also seen in astrophysics as the universe expands and creates 'redshifting' but is more commonly seen in sirens. For example, when a blaring ambulance or police car shoots past with its sirens on, they seem high-pitched as they approach you and then lower-pitched as they speed past. This is due to the compression of sound waves as they come closer, and they then stretch out as they grow more distant. A stretched-out sound wave has a greater wavelength, and therefore a lower frequency, resulting in an increasingly lower pitch. In astronomy, scientists use this effect to measure the speed of distant stars and planets. When light sources in space move away from us, their wavelengths are stretched out into the red end of the spectrum. Likewise, when something is moving towards us the light wave is compressed and the light shifts towards the blue part of the spectrum. By looking at this red and blue shift, we are able to work out how something is moving relative to Earth. For example, by measuring the red-shift of distant supernovae the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope have helped to calculate how fast the universe is expanding. Astronomers have also used this effect to work out whether a star is orbiting another. The Doppler effect, or Doppler shift, describes the changes in frequency of any kind of sound or light wave produced by a moving source with respect to an observer Christmas Earth Share or comment on this article: Scientists pinpoint just how fast Santa would have to travel to visit every child on the planet... and reveal why, at this speed, Rudolf's nose wouldn't be red e-mail Add comment
There are times when a postseason bowl seems like the first game of next year for the participating teams. That cliche means something a little different for NC State and East Carolina. The Wolfpack and Pirates face each other in the Military Bowl on Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland. Then they'll see each other again in about eight months. NC State opens the 2025 season at home against ECU on Aug. 30. There is certainly plenty of familiarity between these two programs, even though NC State (6-6) is in the ACC and East Carolina (7-5) is in the AAC. The teams — located about 80 miles apart — have met 32 times, most recently in 2022 when the Wolfpack won 21-20. From 1970-87, these teams played each other every year. Since 2004, they haven't gone more than two consecutive seasons without meeting. “Hour and a half down the road and you're playing — whether you play every year or don't play every year — I think it's still a rivalry," East Carolina coach Blake Harrell said. "Our fans still get excited. They still think that's a rivalry. Our players still think that's a rivalry.” People are also reading... NC State leads the series 19-13 and has won three straight — but East Carolina won three in a row before that. “It's weird playing a team that we open with next year,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “We don't play them that much. We play them every three years, so it's really a roster turnover. Every time we see them, it's a different ballclub for the most part. But yeah, finishing with who you open with is unique.” NC State and East Carolina met in the Peach Bowl in 1992 — during an eight-year hiatus in their regular-season series. ECU scored three touchdowns in the final 7:26 to win 37-34. “We had that time during COVID, we obviously all had some down time. I remember searching through YouTube, just past games to check out. That game did pop up," Harrell said. "That was a special moment for that team and that program at the time, and this could be a special moment for this team and this program.” NC State is playing in the Military Bowl for the first time. East Carolina was supposed to participate in 2021, but the game was canceled. The Pirates lost to Maryland in the 2010 edition. Harrell took over on an interim basis in the middle of the season when Mike Houston was fired. After leading the Pirates to four straight wins, Harrell had the interim tag removed . Freshman CJ Bailey took over at quarterback for NC State this season after concussion problems ended Grayson McCall's career. Bailey has completed 64.1% of his passes. Only Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson threw for more touchdowns as a freshman for the Wolfpack than Bailey, who has 14 TD tosses. “He's a really good player. Doesn't play like a freshman to me,” Harrell said. "Makes really good throws down the field, has a really good arm, and then if he takes off scrambling or if the quarterback-designed run game, he's a long strider. He can eat up some ground. Nobody ever catches him." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Los Angeles Chargers activated running back J.K. Dobbins from injured reserve on Friday. Dobbins is formally listed as questionable but figures to be the team's top running threat for Saturday's road game against the New England Patriots. Teammate Gus Edwards (ankle) was ruled out Thursday. Dobbins has missed the past four games since sustaining a knee injury against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 25. He was a full practice participant Thursday before receiving the questionable label. The injury-prone Dobbins was enjoying a solid season prior to the knee ailment, with 766 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and 28 receptions for 134 yards in 11 games. His career high for rushing yardage is 805 for the Ravens in 2020. Dobbins' return comes with the Chargers (9-6) just one win from clinching an AFC wild-card playoff spot. Los Angeles also elevated safeties Eddie Jackson and Kendall Williamson from the practice squad. --Field Level MediaDr Martens cuts £54 off 'comfy from first try on' winter boots
Oxford man charged with asking a minor for explicit photos Published 3:17 pm Thursday, December 5, 2024 By Staff Report An Oxford man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly asking a minor to send him inappropriate material. On Oct. 29, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Unit began an investigation regarding a Cyber Tip that was reported from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The report was forwarded to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office from New York State Police. A report was made to New York authorities, that a male subject was communicating with a juvenile on social media accounts. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the male subject, later identified as Ronald Elliott-Peyton Walker, 26, of Oxford, was communicating with an underage victim. Walker solicited the juvenile to send inappropriate material through social media and cellular devices. Walker was arrested on Dec. 4 and transported to the Lafayette County Detention Center on the charge of Enticement of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction of Sexual Conduct. Walker appeared before a Justice Court Judge and was set a $50,000 bond. This is an ongoing investigation, and no other details will be released at this time.Elon Musk, the world's richest person and one of Donald Trump's closest allies, met with US lawmakers Thursday on his plans for overseeing radical government spending cuts under the incoming administration. President-elect Trump rewarded the Tesla, X and SpaceX chief for his support during the White House campaign by naming him head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, along with another wealthy ally, Vivek Ramaswamy. Although the office, dubbed DOGE, has a purely advisory role, Musk's star power and intense influence in Trump's inner circle bring political clout. As Musk and Ramaswamy strode into the Capitol for meetings with lawmakers, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson touted "a new day in America." "There's an enormous amount of waste, fraud and abuse," he told reporters. "Government is too big, it does too many things, and it does almost nothing well." Musk and Ramaswamy have said they can identify billions of dollars of cuts in spending, sparking questions about whether Republicans will even try to slash politically popular social security programs. Writing in the Wall Street Journal last month, the two businessmen laid out plans for the White House to cut staff, trim government programs and reduce federal regulations, even if it means bypassing Congress, which holds budgetary power. "The entrenched and ever-growing bureaucracy represents an existential threat to our republic, and politicians have abetted it for too long," Musk and Ramaswamy wrote. "We're doing things differently. We are entrepreneurs, not politicians. During Trump's election campaign, Musk vowed to reduce federal spending by $2 trillion. This would represent cutting total US spending by a third, almost certainly meaning devastation of social support programs -- something that has never garnered strong political backing. Musk's emphasis on firing large numbers of government employees, however, echoes Republican talking points about the need to take on an overbearing state and may garner more support. Musk says he is seeking "mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy." Musk suggested banning government employees from working at home as an opening tactic. "Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome." Cuts will also target subsidies to public broadcasters and groups such as Planned Parenthood, which campaigns for abortion access and offers an array of reproductive health services. But DOGE is unlikely, at least initially, to go after welfare programs such as Social Security or health insurance for the poor and seniors, Ramaswamy said in an interview with Axios on Wednesday. Such cuts should be "a policy decision that belongs to the voters" and their representatives in Congress, Ramaswamy said. A reduction in military spending, which climbed to $820 billion in 2023, is also unlikely to be on the table. Musk's new role raises the question of potential conflicts of interest, since he could be issuing policy recommendations that impact directly on his own business empire. Underlining the close connection to DOGE, Musk's favorite cryptocurrency is called Dogecoin. rle/ev/md/sms/md
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(The Center Square) — California’s senators have sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg requesting last-minute federal funding for the state’s high-speed rail project before the Trump administration takes office in January. This move comes amid concerns that the incoming administration might pull federal funding from the now $135 billion project, and use California as a national example for redirecting federal funds from Democratic priorities. Once complete, the project is supposed to carry passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours, with one-way tickets priced at $86. It’s unclear how competitive this will be with air travel; one-way flights booked more than two weeks in advance currently cost $59 on Southwest, which includes two checked bags. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), proposed by the incoming Trump administration, aims to reduce what it views as wasteful government spending, recently spotlighted the project, and Congressmen Kevin Kiley, R-California, announced his bill to eliminate federal funding for the endeavor. Amid the state’s financial foes, a pause or withdrawal of federal funding could leave the state with no choice but to put the project on hold. During the spring, the California High Speed Rail Authority requested the use of state rainy day funding to plug the $8 billion to $10 billion funding shortfall for the system’s initial $30 billion to $33 billion, 171-mile segment connecting the cities of Bakersfield and Merced in the relatively sparsely populated Central Valley. But with the state’s legislative analyst now finding the state has “no capacity” for new spending and projecting annual deficits will soon rise to $30 billion, enhanced state support for the project is unlikely, leaving federal funding as the only option to fill the gap. The letter , signed by Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Reps. Pete Aguilar, Zoe Lofgren, and Jim Costa, requests an additional $536 million to join $134 million in state funds to complete a 30%, or preliminary, design of one tunnel in Southern California and one tunnel in Northern California. The letter also recounted the federal government’s existing $6.8 billion in support for the project, and $22 billion from California for the project thus far. “By preparing for future final design and construction of complex tunnels in this corridor, the Project will advance both state and federal goals to improve safety, expand economic strength and global competitiveness, address equity issues, and implement sustainability practices to confront climate change,” wrote the federal legislators. “These investments will continue to support living wage jobs, provide small business opportunities, and equitably enhance the mobility of communities in need – including disadvantaged agricultural communities – all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” In 2012, the state legislative analyst’s office found the bullet train would increase overall greenhouse gas emissions for the first 30 years of its operation, putting the project’s emissions impact — and state funding based on emissions reductions — into question. Kiley, who is aiming to pass a bill in Congress ending federal support for the project, said even if a grant is approved, he hopes to keep that money away from California’s bullet train. “A small group of CA Democrats is asking Biden to send even more money for High-Speed Rail ... before Congress can pass my bill to deny further funding,” said Kiley on X. “If Biden complies, we will make sure that the grant is promptly revoked.” Because U.S. Congress holds “power of the purse,” Kiley’s bill could allow the federal government to withhold any further funding from the project – even spending that is already approved. However, it's less clear whether the Trump administration could unilaterally halt funding. As a discretionary grant under the Department of Transportation, such a decision might fall within its authority, but political and legal challenges could arise.
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Yemen targets Israeli Ben Gurion AirportFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye’s arrival in New England coincided with a wholesale reset for the Patriots franchise following the departure of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones this past offseason. In his eight starts since assuming the reins from veteran Jacoby Brissett, the rookie quarterback has provided encouraging examples of what the Patriots’ revamped front office saw in selecting him third overall in the draft last April. While the Patriots enter their bye week with a 3-10 record and just 2-6 with Maye as the starter, both the coaching staff and his teammates feel they have a quarterback they can build around going forward. “I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, one game at a time,” Maye said this week. “I’m trying to learn from negative experiences or negative plays, learn from turnovers, learn from sacks that I take and see if I can get the ball out and do something better. That’s probably the biggest thing. "Hopefully, the work that we’re putting in and the product that we’re putting out can lead to some positive plays and some positive wins down the road.” Maye is coming off his best statistical performance of the season, completing a season best 80% of his passes (24 of 30) for a season-high 238 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 25-24 loss to Indianapolis. He also had a 41-yard run, showing off a running ability that has him averaging 9.1 yards per carry – best among quarterbacks who have played at least nine games. Maye did have one interception off a tipped ball, but showed his best command of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s scheme to date, spreading the ball around to six different players and consistently getting the Patriots into the red zone. The rub is that the Patriots were just 2 of 6 once they got there, including four trips inside the 10-yard line that yielded only one TD. Lackluster play in the red zone has been a hindrance for a unit that ranks 30th in the NFL in scoring touchdowns inside the 20. Maye said it will be one of his main focal points over the final four games. “It’s tough to go out like that,” Maye said. “You can’t win games going four drives in the red zone that end in field goals. We’ve got to focus in on that. I think that’s been an emphasis of improvement for this offense. We know you have to score touchdowns to win in this league.” Though coach Jerod Mayo agrees there is room for improvement for Maye, he also pointed out that the pieces around him need to do a better job supporting him as well. He pointed specifically to the offensive line, singling out rookie left guard Layden Robinson and rookie tackle Caedan Wallace, as well as fellow lineman and 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange, who is working his way back from a knee injury. “You need a guy like Layden Robinson to show what he can do. We need a guy like Cole Strange before the end of the season to see what he can do,” Mayo said. “You can use Caedan in that same bucket. We need to see what the receivers can do and what they’re going to look like going forward, and that’s the hard part for me. You want to win right now, but at the same time, I think it would be a disservice to go to the end of the season and not know exactly what we have.” That’s not lost on Robinson, who wants to play better for his quarterback who he said has grown exponentially as a leader since earning the starting job. “He always has that confidence about him and you know how he takes control of the huddle,” Robinson said. “He gets in there, and he’s like, ‘All right, let’s go to work,’ basically. We rally behind him.” Results aside, Van Pelt said there are no regrets about initially waiting to elevate Maye to the starting job. “Absolutely not. I think we had the plan going into place, and I think that it’s showing now that that was a good decision for us,” Van Pelt said. “Would he be as developed had he started the first game? Maybe. Could’ve gone the other way as well. I stated in the spring, this is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. "This is about a career, franchise quarterback, and we’re trying to develop him in the right way. And I feel like we did it that way.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Falcons, Commanders eye playoff clincher behind rookie QBsPublished 4:29 pm Tuesday, November 26, 2024 By Data Skrive The college basketball schedule on Wednesday is sure to please. Our computer model has provided picks against the spread for 10 games, including the Cornell Big Red taking on the Syracuse Orange at Imperial Arena. Watch men’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Bet on this or any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .Days after a Boxing Day humbling by Wycombe Wanderers, Stevenage return to League One action keen to dispatch struggling Bristol Rovers in Sunday's gameweek 23 clash at the Lamex Stadium. Alex Revell 's men were powerless to resist the second-placed side's attacking prowess on Thursday, but seek a return to winning ways against a club winless in five matches, losing four in that period, and under new management after Inigo Calderon 's post-Christmas appointment. Stevenage went into Christmas undefeated in five League One matches (two wins), only to come unstuck at the hands of Wycombe on December 26. The Boro had gone four matches unbeaten on home soil before their recent humbling, although they seek a response to that reverse in Hertfordshire. Having accrued 20 of their 26 points in home games, supporters anticipate another strong showing from their side to end 2024 encouragingly with a seventh victory at the visiting club's expense. Despite their middling status — the 16th-placed Boro are unlikely to challenge for a top-six berth and are seven points clear of Crawley Town in 21st — the Hertfordshire outfit have somehow stayed motivated, especially on home soil. Thus, a Stevenage victory is anticipated this weekend, even though Bristol Rovers are winless in five league matches, losing four. Worryingly for the Pirates, they have fired blanks three times, losing to Blackpool (2-0), Leyton Orient (3-0) and Birmingham (2-0) during the wretched spell that threatens to see them slide into the bottom four heading into 2025, something newly-appointed Calderon hopes to avoid. With three points separating Calderon's men from Crawley, defeat for the Pirates this weekend and a Crawley win at Exeter could pull the Gas into the dreaded positions at the end of 2024. Those prospects are conceivable considering Rovers' away record: two wins, one draw and eight losses, with four defeats in their recent five matches on their travels. Only Stevenage and Rotherham United (six points each), and Shrewsbury Town and Cambridge United (five points each) have accumulated fewer away points than the Pirates this term, highlighting the club's away blues ahead of Sunday. Despite those problems, Rovers have enjoyed recent visits to Hertfordshire, beating Stevenage 4-0 in February 2022 and 3-2 in the same month earlier this year, and a repeat will be just what the doctor ordered for the visitors hoping to avoid being in the relegation places at the turn of the year. Stevenage have no fresh injury problems going into Sunday's match, though Jake Forster-Caskey will undergo last-minute checks. Jamie Reid (five) and Daniel Kemp (four) lead for goal contributions for the hosts, making the pair the Boro's leading threats in gameweek 23. Harvey White has fashioned five big chances this term, more than any player on either side, and the midfield man could be pivotal in unpicking the struggling visitors. Rovers came through Boxing Day unscathed and have a clean bill of health this weekend. Promise Omochere has netted in back-to-back games for the Pirates, and the 24-year-old forward could retain his starting role for the away side. Stevenage possible starting lineup: Ashby-Hammond; James-Wildin, Thompson, Piergianni, Butler; Phillips, White; Roberts, Kemp, Young; Reid Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup: Griffiths; Wilson, Taylor, Mola; Senior, Lindsay, Conteh, Thomas; Forde, Omochere, Hutchinson Despite a wretched sequence of results in the lead-up to Sunday's visit to Stevenage, Rovers are undefeated in three trips to Hertfordshire, and they could eke out a draw to extend that unbeaten run in a low-scoring draw. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here .
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Michigan St. 78, California 72
