Month: March 2021

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  The Galaxy A52. It's water-resistant. [credit: Samsung ]

Samsung might be the world's most popular phone manufacturer, but that doesn't mean its best phone, the Galaxy S series, is the world's most popular phone. Samsung stays atop the sales charts on the strength of its midrange smartphones, and last year (at least for some quarters) the company's best-selling phone was the Samsung Galaxy A51.

So then: meet the Galaxy A52, the follow-up to Samsung's chart-topper. These phones are such a big deal now that Samsung held a presentation for them, its third online show in as many months.

There is a lot to talk about in this table. First, Samsung tossed in the Galaxy A72 in its presentation along with the A52. It's the most expensive phone out of the bunch, but I don't know why anyone would buy it if they have access to the A52 5G, which has a faster display and faster SoC. The A72 has a slightly bigger battery, but it also has a bigger screen, so I'm not sure if that's going to result in significantly more runtime. Availability details are up in the air right now, so maybe regions would get either the A52 5G, or the A72 but not both? Speaking of availability, Samsung has only announced prices in euros, so for now we only know these are headed for somewhere in Europe. Samsung will probably expand the rollout over time.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | naruecha jenthaisong)

The broadband industry's attempt to kill California's net neutrality law appears to have very little chance of succeeding in the US district court where the case is being heard.

On February 23, the industry's motion for a preliminary injunction was denied by Judge John Mendez of US District Court for the Eastern District of California, as we reported at the time. We didn't have much detail on Mendez's reasoning last month, but we've since obtained a not-yet-publicly released transcript of the hearing in which he issued his verbal ruling against the injunction. (He did not issue a written ruling, citing time constraints caused by a shortage of judges in his district.)

Mendez's denial of the injunction means that California can enforce its net neutrality law while the case continues, leaving open the possibility that Mendez could ultimately side with the broadband industry. But Mendez explained during the hearing why he thinks the industry is unlikely to succeed at trial.

Enlarge / This painted vessel, which depicts a bird, is one of two found in the ambassador's grave. (credit: Cambridge University Press)

The bones of a Maya ambassador suggest a life of privilege but not necessarily comfort and ease, even though he was a high-ranking official born into a powerful family. His skeleton also finishes the story started in the hieroglyphic inscriptions on his tomb, revealing his greatest achievement and his fall from power after political winds shifted.

Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair

In late 726 CE, diplomat Apoch’Waal’s fortunes were on the rise. He had inherited his father’s position as a lakam, or standard-bearer: a diplomatic emissary for the King of Calakmul. As a sign of his office, Apoch’Waal carried a banner on a pole while he walked hundreds of miles to broker alliances between the most powerful dynasties in the Maya world. When he spoke or smiled, the jade and pyrite inlays in his front teeth also revealed his high status.

That summer, Apoch’Waal took up his banner and set out on a 560-kilometer trek to Copán, in modern-day Honduras, to forge ties between the king of Copán and his own king. The successful alliance between kings was a high point in Apoch’Waal’s career, and he commemorated it a few months later by building a small ceremonial platform and temple for himself in his hometown of El Palmar, near Calakmul.

Enlarge / Spring Township, PA - August 21: A first-grade classroom where the desks are spaced out for social distancing. (credit: Getty | Ben Hasty)

The most sensitive and heated topic of the entire pandemic is—without a doubt—the welfare of our children. How can we best protect them from this devastating virus? What role do they play in spreading it? How can we even come close to meeting all their health, developmental, educational, and social needs as we try to navigate our topsy-turvy reality?

The path to daycare and school might as well be rerouted through a minefield. And the hazards don’t end when you reach the front doors. This nightmare has only been exacerbated by media reports of single studies that yanked parents, educators, and caretakers from one extreme to the other: Don’t worry, children are completely unaffected by the virus and don’t spread it! No, wait, they’re actually superspreaders, who can develop a deadly multisystem inflammatory syndrome!

More than a year into the pandemic, it’s very clear that the inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is rare. And although children can certainly catch and spread the virus, mounting studies continue to find that children generally have less severe disease than adults. Also, a consensus has emerged that schools do not tend to be hotbeds of virus transmission. While having schools open has been linked to higher community spread, studies have found basic precautions can be effective at limiting spread within schools.