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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Khanzad Castle in Banaman, Iraq
Also known as Banaman Citadel, located on a hilltop towering over the Harir plains, the castle was built by order of Mir Khanzad and is where she ruled over the two districts of Harir and Soran, now the Governorate of Erbil. Khanzad was the sister of Mir Sulaiman (or Sleman), ruler of the Soran Emirate under the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th or early 17th century until he was poisoned by the hand of Lashkry, one of his military commanders....

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East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, Texas
Wildcatters, oilmen, and confidence artists are all welcome at the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, Texas. Inside this unassuming building located on the Kilgore College Campus is “Boomtown U.S.A.,” an intricate reenactment of life in an oil town amidst the largest oil reservoir in the world. The story of the East Texas Oil Field begins with Columbus Marion “Dad” Joiner, a speculator, wildcatter, and flim-flam man. Ignoring claims that there was no oil to be found in Texas,...

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Audubon Museum & Nature Center in Henderson,...
Just off US Highway 41 in western Kentucky, the Audubon Museum & Nature Center stands as a tribute to one of America’s most renowned naturalists and ornithologists, John James Audubon. This captivating destination celebrates the life and work of Audubon while immersing visitors in the beauty and diversity of this natural world that inspired him. The Audubon Museum & Nature Center pays homage to the life and legacy of Audubon, a French-American naturalist, ornithologist, and painter famous for his...

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Showa Retro Packaging Museum in Ōme, Japan
In Japan, each era corresponds to the Emperor’s reign and is remembered for its idiosyncratic culture and zeitgeist. The Shōwa era, which lasted from 1926 to 1989, was arguably the most turbulent one yet, a witness to the nation’s shift from fascism to post-war reconstruction to the economic bubble of the late 1980s. Founded in the city of Ōme in 1999, the Showa Retro Packaging Museum is a time machine to the past, a gallery of nostalgic aesthetics and...

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Dugout Canoes, the 'Pickup Trucks' of Their...
This piece was originally published in Undark and appears here as part of our Climate Desk collaboration. In July, at a boatyard warehouse on Chicago’s South Side, Tamara Thomsen inspected a roughly 15-foot-long canoe likely made more than a century ago. The canoe—called a dugout, because it was carved from a single tree trunk—rested on two construction horses, a bright light illuminating its contours and scrape marks. Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, used...

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Unearthing Gems in a Massive Archive of...
There’s the pop of a tape recorder button and the hum of a cassette, then an unmistakable voice. It is, without a doubt, Gladys Knight, the “Empress of Soul,” talking about … football? She’ll get to Motown gossip and her upcoming tour dates, but first the singer who first made “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” famous has some thoughts on the 1982 NFL season. “I like Tampa Bay. I like the Eagles …...

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Podcast: The Immovable Ladder
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit Jerusalem, where an unassuming little ladder is a symbol of the very delicate balance that keeps a church in Israel running. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear...

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The Atlas Obscura Crossword: November Themeless
Atlas Obscura’s weekly crossword comes to us from Natan Last, a writer who also helps develop policy and digital products for refugees and asylum seekers. His work can be found in The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, The New Yorker, and other publications, and he’s currently working on a nonfiction book about crosswords. You can solve the puzzle below, or download it in .pdf or .puz. Note that the links in the clues will take you to Atlas...

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Is Conversational AI a Good Fit for...
The power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been making waves in the hospitality industry. Considering rapid developments in AI-based hotel tech solutions, rising expectations of tech-savvy travelers, and challenges the industry faces, let’s explore the fit of conversational AI in guest communications, as well as its role and benefits. Beyond the Hype: Sophistication of Conversational The post Is Conversational AI a Good Fit for Guest Communications? appeared first on Revfine.com.

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Facing Automation Fears: A Perspective for Hoteliers
For some, advancements in automation bring a profound sense of dread. Worrying about the big-picture societal challenges that may come with the widespread adoption of new, advanced generative AI tools is understandable. But instead of fretting about whatever dystopian worst-case scenario automation may bring, it’s time to take a step back for perspective and think The post Facing Automation Fears: A Perspective for Hoteliers appeared first on Revfine.com.

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How AI Can Make a Difference to...
At first glance, AI and hospitality might not seem like the most natural fit. What makes hospitality unique is its human touch – the provision of experiences that are unique and special to the individual traveler. But AI doesn’t stop that. In fact, it can enhance it. Personalizing Stays and Streamlining Operations There are two The post How AI Can Make a Difference to Hotels Today appeared first on Revfine.com.

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In Ukraine, Bakers Are Making Desserts Shaped...
There are chocolates shaped like American F-16 fighter aircraft, anti-tank hedgehogs—the defensive obstacles that surround many Ukrainian cities—made of caramel, chocolate, almond praline and peanut butter, and croissants inspired by political leaders supporting Ukraine. These are all wartime dessert creations of the teams at Kyiv’s Honey Café and Zavertailo Bakery. Ukraine’s bakers, pastry-makers, and chocolatiers have turned to culinary works of art to raise money for their military. Not only that, but they hope to create moments of levity...

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The Mystery of the World’s Largest and...
Dear Indian Ocean, please don’t take offense, but: Why is your gravity hole so big? That question had been baffling scientists ever since the hole was discovered back in 1948. Now a team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) thinks they have found the answer: The “hole” in the Indian Ocean is caused by fragments from the sunken floor of another, much older ocean. In a mysterious part of the Indian Ocean, the pull of gravity is much...

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Five of Our Favorite Terrifying Podcast Episodes
There’s no secret: We here at Atlas Obscura love creepy stuff, and not just at Halloween time. Ghost stories, urban legends, mysterious happenings—we’ll take it. So to celebrate the longest possible time before another Halloween, this week we offered some of our absolute favorite creepy Atlas Obscura Podcast episodes, from a mysterious island where many dueled to the death to our own contributors’ most terrifying experiences in unusual places. So turn the lights off, get cozy, and prepare to...

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Phở Hàng Trống in Hanoi, Vietnam
As the historical home of Vietnamese civilization, northern Vietnam is also the birthplace of the country’s national dish: the noodle soup phở. While the origins of phở are highly debated, the dish is believed to have originated in or around Hanoi, where it brought together the foods of Vietnam’s historic colonizers: rice noodles from the Chinese and beef from the French.  In diasporic Vietnamese communities around the world, it’s more common to find southern-style phở with big, bold broth...

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