Interesting IT news for September that you might have missed

“The world has changed. I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, I feel it in the air…” And what exactly happened in September, I will tell you – Andrey Avramchuk from MTS Digital.

We live in a world of news, but sometimes it's more interesting to try to understand what's behind it. To do this, I divided the news into several groups. Under the cut you will find out what is going on with space exploration by private companies, how AI recognizes the singing of whales and how fast (not) Linux runs on the Intel 4004 processor, released in 1971. Let's go!

Humanity continues to explore space

The world's first private astronaut into space

We already covered This is an event, and its significance for the development of astronautics is enormous. On September 12, 2024, an ordinary person, not a professional astronaut, went into space as part of the Polaris Dawn mission. Another record was set – reaching an orbital altitude of 1,400 km. No one has climbed this far (or high) since 1966. The previous orbital apogee record, 1,373 km, was set by the Gemini 11 manned spacecraft.

Key to the Polaris Dawn mission not in the records. And the fact is that this is a spacewalk in the first extravehicular spacesuit in history. It was created by a private company for ordinary people. NASA, with the agency's strict standards, would never approve such a suit. Now it’s time for other missions – hopefully, not only to the Earth’s orbit, but also to the Moon and Mars. And maybe further.

Launch of several dozen satellites into Earth orbit by Sitronics Space

This is, so to speak, news from the future. Sitronics Space plans launch satellites into orbit by the end of 2024. This was stated by the general director of the company Pavel Cherenkov. There are currently fewer than 30 AIS satellites in space, but by the end of the year their number will reach 62.

“We currently have several dozen satellites contracted for launches before the end of the year. And above all, these are AIS satellites for monitoring ships and Earth remote sensing (ERS) satellites.”said Cherenkov.

Satellites bring significant benefits to the economy

In the USA, the economic effect of using Landsat images was calculated. As it turned outthe direct effect is very large – $25 billion (about 2.5 trillion rubles at the rate of 100 rubles per dollar). Savings from satellite imagery: $674 million, including $400 million in insurance premiums for American farmers. The indirect effect amounted to $800 million, including $583 million from scientific publications, $278 million from the discovery of mineral deposits, and another $41 million from patents.

In the Russian Federation, they also carried out calculations; an express assessment of the economic effect from the implementation of the results of space activities among end users of remote sensing and communication services within the framework of the SPHERE project in 2026 showed the following. The direct effect is 15 trillion rubles. The main beneficiaries are agriculture, transport and construction. The forecast for revenue from the creation of satellite constellations is 120 billion rubles per year.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly helping people

AI helps filmmakers get affordable content

Apparently, in the near future the film industry will increasingly use AI. Now the Lionsgate studio (it is the one behind “The Hunger Games” and “John Wick”) concluded contract with Runaway. The essence of the agreement is to develop an AI model for film and television production. As far as we know, this is the first such partnership, and it could be the start of active cooperation between film studios and major AI developers.

According to Lionsgate representatives, the studio will “save millions and millions of dollars” thanks to the partner’s developments. At the same time, people will not lose their jobs: the company will focus on optimizing processes and reducing costs in current projects. Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns believes the new tools will allow the studio to effectively create content at a lower cost.

Satellite system with AI functions will help detect fires in the early stages

Due to climate change and global warming, forest fires are becoming more frequent. Current surveillance methods, such as low-resolution satellite imagery, cannot quickly detect the start of a fire, making it difficult to respond quickly. To solve the problem, Google Research teamed up with fire safety experts developed FireSat satellite system. It can track fires as small as 5 x 5 meters, which will significantly speed up the detection process and prevent devastating consequences. Google allocated $13 million.

FireSat is a unique satellite system that will provide high-quality images updated every 20 minutes. Special infrared sensors will allow you to detect fires in the early stages. Artificial intelligence will analyze data taking into account the surrounding infrastructure and weather conditions. The first satellite is planned to be launched in 2025, and the entire network will be rolled out in the next few years.

Whale detector based on neural networks

Google Research presented a new AI model for recognizing whale vocalizations that can identify eight species based on the sounds they make. This technology can track whale populations and their migrations using acoustic data collected in the ocean. The project expands marine animal monitoring capabilities and contributes to the protection of marine ecosystems. The model is available for download and analysis via Kaggle, which opens up new opportunities for research in the field of bioacoustics and environmental protection.

AI has been trained to recognize whale whistles and songs. The model now even knows “biotwang” (biotwang) is a unique type of sound made by Bryde's minke whales. It is distinguished from ordinary whale songs by its low, vibrating and harsh character. Sounds like a combination of whistling and mechanical noise.

The Open Buildings dataset helps monitor and plan building density

Google Research launched a new project called Open Buildings 2.5D, aimed at tracking building changes in the Global South. The dataset covers buildings in Africa and Asia, providing precise information about the size, shape and height of buildings. This will help urban planners, researchers and humanitarian organizations better understand urban change and make more informed decisions.

The project provides critical data for improving infrastructure, emergency response planning, and climate change adaptation in developing countries.

Gamedev actively defends the right to be oneself

Concord construction failure

Concord is an ambitious online first-person shooter that took Sony eight years to develop and cost $200 million. The game offered team battles using characters with unique abilities, but just two weeks after launch the servers were stopped. The reasons for the failure were outdated graphics, high cost for the user ($40), lack of a free demo version and insufficient advertising support.

In addition, technical problems and an abundance of competitors in the shooter market did not allow Concord to attract the attention of players.

Saber Interactive Receives 'Significant Investment' Following W40K Success

Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners announced about a major investment in Saber Interactive, one of the leading independent video game developers. The funds are aimed at supporting the company's long-term growth and expanding its presence in the global market. Saber Interactive is known for popular games such as World War Z and SnowRunner, and plans to use the new funding to create even more innovative and successful projects.

The strategic collaboration is expected to enable Saber Interactive to strengthen its position in the video game industry and accelerate the development of new games, ensuring the company's continued growth.

Unity has canceled the commission for the number of game installations

Unity Company canceled the scandalous decision to introduce a commission for the number of installed games after massive criticism from developers and the gaming industry. The original model involved fees from partners for each installation of their games, which caused outrage among the company's partners.

“Over the past 20 years, we've collaborated with incredible designers and developers, artists and engineers, publishers and platforms to work together to build a world where everyone can create games for everyone. We call this approach “democratizing game development,” and it remains our main goal today. However, we cannot solve it by conflicting with clients. It must be a partnership based on trust.”said Matt Bromberg, head of Unity.

The introduction of the Runtime Commission dealt a serious blow to the reputation of the company, which is seeking to restore the trust of developers after a high-profile scandal.

Just for lulz motivation is still trending

Minecraft lover spent several years to get to “Distant Lands”

A player named celestialgaze has reached the “Far Lands” in Minecraft after spending almost seven years doing so. The successful attempt took 3.5 years and 941 hours of game time. “Distant Lands” is located more than 12 million meters from the center of the map, where the game begins to break down: the textures and physics of the world work with errors.

This place is so far from the central part of the world that many bugs and problems appear in the game algorithm even when trying to perform a simple action with the environment. For example, to take something or go somewhere.

Linux launched on the 50-year-old Intel 4004 processor

Programmer Dmitry Grinberg launched successfully Debian Linux operating system on an Intel 4004 processor released in 1971. Due to the extremely limited capabilities of the Intel 4004, the initial launch of the OS took almost 9 days. Actually, what did you want – the chip is half a century old.

After optimizing the Linux kernel to 2.5 MB, the time was reduced to 4.76 days, but this is still extremely slow. The experiment demonstrates how much technology has advanced in the 20 years since the release of the Intel 4004.

Doom launched on a volumetric voxel display

Weta Workshop graphics engineer James Brown has created a device that resembles a crystal ball. It rotates and displays a 3D image during operation. The enthusiast was able to launch Doom and even play a little.

The display itself is not three-dimensional. “It's like a holographic fan, but instead of rotating a 1D strip to produce a 2D image, it rotates a 2D panel to produce a 3D image.”— explained author of the project.

That's all for today, but if you have anything to add, write in the comments and add to the selection. See you in October!