Lots has happened this past week in the tech world! With a new trending 3D visualization showing former United States President Donald Trump’s assassination escape, OpenAI announcing a cheaper mini model for its users, updates on the stranded NASA astronauts, and more, there’s much to catch up on. So, let’s get started!
3D Visualization Shows Trump’s Narrow Assassination Escape
A 3D computer-generated tech visualization circulating on social media has provided a dramatic new perspective on the recent assassination attempt against former United States President Donald Trump.
The footage offers an aerial view of the July 13 incident at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, highlighting how narrowly the former president escaped harm. The graphic shows the bullet passing dangerously close to Trump’s ear, seemingly avoiding impact due to a last-second movement of his head. The visualization also demonstrates the potential trajectory of the bullet had Trump not made this crucial movement.
OpenAI Announces Cheaper Mini Model
OpenAI has announced a budget-friendly “mini” model named GPT-4o mini, designed to make its AI more accessible to companies and programs. This new model is 60 percent cheaper than OpenAI’s least expensive existing model and offers higher performance.
OpenAI describes this move as an effort to make AI “as broadly accessible as possible.” It also highlights increasing competition among AI cloud providers and growing interest in small, free, open-source AI tech models. Meta is set to launch the largest version of its capable free offering, Llama 3, next week.
Updates on Stranded NASA Astronauts
For the past few weeks, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) following a setback in the first crewed voyage of Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft. Issues identified by Boeing and NASA, including thruster malfunctions and multiple helium leaks in Starliner’s engine system, have delayed the craft’s scheduled return journey. NASA has now indicated that the astronauts may have to remain on the ISS until the next scheduled crew switchover in August, potentially on a different spacecraft.
Amazon Prime Day Breaks Revenue Record
Online spending in the U.S. surged 11% year over year to $14.2 billion during Amazon’s 48-hour Prime Day event, surpassing estimates and setting a new record, according to Adobe Analytics.
Adobe attributed the strong performance to back-to-school shopping and an “apparent product refresh cycle,” with consumers eagerly purchasing new tech tablets, TVs, and Bluetooth speakers. This marks a change from last year when inflation-weary shoppers used the discount event to stock up on household essentials like pantry staples and office supplies.
Elon Musk Announces Headquarters Move to Texas
SpaceX CEO and X owner Elon Musk announced on Tuesday that he will relocate the headquarters of both companies from California to Texas.
Musk made this decision in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signing a new law that prevents school districts in the state from requiring parents to be notified of a child’s gender identification change. Newsom signed the student transgender law on Monday.
