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Researchers discover aluminum foil actually does improve your wireless speed

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Researchers at Dartmouth University have found that a 3D printed shape covered in aluminum foil can improve wireless range and increase Wi-Fi security. The project, which appeared on Eurekalert, involves placing a reflector on and around a Wi-Fi router’s antennae to shape the beam, increasing range and preventing it from passing through to unwanted spaces. “With a simple investment of about $35 and specifying coverage requirements, a wireless reflector can be custom-built to outperform antennae that cost thousands of dollars,” said Xia Zhou, a Dartmouth assistant professor. In their paper, Zhou and his colleagues tested multiple styles of directional antennas and also tested an “anecdotal” solution that involved sticking a soda can behind a router to shape the radio waves towards a target. After a few iterations, they were able to create specific shapes to increase Wi-Fi reception in specific rooms. They then created a program called WiPrint that 3D prints the exact shape needed to
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Federal Subpoenas Seek Info on Carl Icahn’s Role as Trump Adviser

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Prosecutors are investigating whether billionaire businessman Carl Icahn pushed for a federal policy change that would have benefited one of his investments while he was serving as an adviser to President Donald Trump. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan has issued subpoenas to Icahn's company and another company, CVR Energy, in which he has an 82 percent stake, both firms disclosed in regulatory filings. CVR is a publicly traded company that specializes in refining. The companies said they are cooperating with the subpoenas, which were first reported by Bloomberg. "The U.S. Attorney's office has not made any claims or allegations against us or Mr. Icahn," Icahn Enterprises L.P. said in its filing. Icahn, who backed Trump during the campaign, was named a special adviser on regulation last December. He quit in August to avoid what he called "partisan bickering" about his position in the administration. His resignation followed an investigati
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Astronomers just spotted a planet so huge they aren’t even sure it’s really a planet

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Even if you have only cursory knowledge of the planets in our Solar System, you know that Earth is on the smaller end of the spectrum in terms of mass. Mercury and Mars are even smaller, but Saturn and the mighty Jupiter, of course, are on the other end of the spectrum. But in the grand scheme of things, Jupiter isn’t actually all that mighty at all, and a new discovery of an absolutely massive planet residing in our galaxy’s “bulge” has scientists struggling to explain how it can even be a planet at all. The new planet, which was discovered using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, is named OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, but what it lacks in a flashy name it more than makes up for in sheer size. The planet is estimated to be over 13 times the mass of Jupiter, which is so huge that astronomers are considering the possibility that it’s not actually a planet. Now before you go dreaming of some sort of Star Wars-esque mega space station, you should know that’s not the kind of thing scientists ar
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Trump nominee: ‘Insane’ that civilians can buy assault rifles

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President Donald Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. Dean Winslow, said Tuesday it is "insane" that a civilian can buy a semi-automatic weapon like the gun that Devin Kelley used in the Texas church shooting. Winslow made the comments in his confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I may get in trouble with other members of the committee, just say how insane it is that in the United States of America a civilian can go out and buy a semi-automatic assault rifle like an AR-15, which apparently was the weapon that was used," Winslow said. Trump has resisted any action on gun laws in response to the deadly mass shootings that have occurred during his time in office. On Tuesday, Trump said that "there would have been no difference" in the deadly Texas shooting if an extreme vetting policy for gun ownership had been in place. "If you did what you're suggesting there would have bee
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Trump cracks down on U.S. business and travel to Cuba

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President Trump cracked down on the ability of U.S. citizens to travel and do business with Cuba on Wednesday, a major step toward rolling back another Obama-era policy. Under new regulations that take effect Thursday, the Trump administration is banning Americans from doing business with dozens of entities with links to Cuba’s military. The move affects stores, hotels, tourist agencies and even two rum makers. President Obama's administration ended more than 50 years of diplomatic isolation with its Cold War foe, reestablishing embassies in Havana and Washington and making it easier for Americans to visit their long-isolated Caribbean neighbors. Trump repeatedly questioned this easing of hostilities. He claimed during a speech in Miami in June that the U.S. gave away too much in exchange for too little. The White House has also blamed Cuba for a series of unexplained attacks against U.S. diplomats on the island, prompting the U.S. to cut back its staff in Havana and halt
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GOP tax bill would add $1.7 trillion to debt: CBO

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The GOP’s tax bill would add $1.7 trillion to the national debt over the course of a decade, and increase the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio by 5.9 percentage points, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO analysis found that the bill would cut revenues by $1.4 trillion, which falls within the level Republicans allowed themselves in their budget resolution, but the additional cost of debt servicing would mean that the overall debt would increase by $1.7 trillion. CBO also found that the nation’s debt-to-GDP ration, or debt burden, would rise to 97.1 percent of GDP by 2027, 5.9 points higher than the current projection of 91.2 percent. The deficit effects have been a major issue for Senate Republicans, in particular. Trump administration officials have argued, variously, that GDP growth would eliminate some to all of the deficits produced by the tax plan.
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Casket maker provides free coffins for Texas shooting victims

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When Trey Ganem heard about the shootings in Sutherland Springs, he jumped in his car and drove 100 miles to the mourning town. The 46 year-old businessman didn't come just to bear condolences. He had something more tangible to offer: coffins. Ganem runs a casket design company in Edna, Texas, another small town east of Sutherland Springs. His seven employees build personalized coffins that usually sell for about $3,500. He is offering to provide free custom-made coffins for the people slain Sunday at First Baptist Church. So far, he's gotten requests to make 15 caskets. "When I first started five years ago, children burned in a fire in Edna, Texas. I donated caskets to the family. I knew the kids" he told CNN. "It was the most emotional time in my life." The tragic news out of Sutherland Springs stirred up the same emotions for Ganem. "Immediately my heart opened up and I was like 'yes, we can do this,'" he said. "It's a s
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