Monthly Archives: August 2022

While the James Webb space telescope has been delivering unprecedented images of deep space, the Mars rover Curiosity continues to cover the Red Planet and recently reached a milestone.

Aug. 5 marked the 10-year-anniversary of Curiositys landing on Mars. Thats when a jetpack lowered NASAs Curiosity rover onto the Red Planet, beginning the SUV-size explorers pursuit of evidence that, billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life, according to NASA.

And according to New Scientist, a software update will give Curiosity a 50% speed boost, bolstering a rover that has already greatly outlived its planned two-year lifespan.

According to NASA, Curiosity has:

Weve spent the last basically 10 years Martian mountain climbing, said Abigail Fraeman, Curiositys deputy project scientist.

Fraeman told Space.com this month that Curiosity has discovered that one, Mars was habitable, and two, that those habitable environments persisted for tens of millions of years, most likely, maybe even hundreds of millions of years, which was surprising and exciting.

Images from Curiositys mission can be found on NASAs Mars Exploration Program website.

Curiositys location is tracked on a map that shows its path through the Gale Crater.

The latest mission update from NASA shows Curiosity struggling to get through a sand ripple in Paraitepuy pass.

A poster celebrating the 10th anniversary of Curiositys deployment.

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Is Mars Curiosity rover still working? Yes, and it just turned 10 - Deseret News

New KINGSHIP Video 'Rider - Chapter 2' Available HERE

Captain, KING, Arnell, Hud and 10:22PM will pay homage to M&M'S place in Rock'N'Roll Lore with TODAY'S release of three limited collectible packages

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --KINGSHIP, the NFT supergroup created by 10:22PM, consisting of three Bored Apes and one Mutant Ape, today announced they will appear on limited edition boxes of M&M'S in honor of KINGSHIP's mythological tour rider containing required backstage items, which always includes M&M'S candies of all colors.

The fundamental inspiration for this first-of-its-kind collaboration with M&M'S is rooted in rock 'n' roll lore and legend. For decades, rock bands notoriously insisted on tour riders to satisfy talent requests for specific backstage beverages, snacks and accommodations. Mars' iconic candies including world famous M&M'S, have been included in some of the most discerning requests from some of rock n' roll's most illustrious legends.

Music critics and operations experts have debated the rationale for decades was it rock n' roll extravagance? Or were the clauses a brilliant way for artists to quickly check if they were playing a buttoned-up venue with detail-oriented management?

In all cases, M&M'S were involved and necessary accessories to some of the greatest moments in rock history. KINGSHIP Captain, KING, Arnell and Hud are seriously smart and of discerning taste, making sure to request bowls of colorful M&M'S within their precious show rider. But were they checking to see if the venue can follow directions? Or did they just need the taste of delicious morsels of fun ahead of their concert?

These physical collectible boxes have been created for fans of both KINGSHIP and M&M'S and are only available for a limited time. Just 4000 have been created in total: The Gold edition, the rarest version, comes in a white and gold foil gift box and includes custom printed candies with KINGSHIP group members Captain, KING, Arnell and Hud in individually numbered boxes from 1 to 100. M&M'S will also produce only 3,900 exclusive celebratory gift boxes in Brown. Additionally, there will be 6,000 gift jars of the candies, available TODAY to fans in the U.S. for a limited time at https://mms.com/kingship.

Holders of KINGSHIP Key Card NFTs were the first to know about this exclusive collaboration and were given an early opportunity to access the products on mms.com.

"Consumers' expectations for what they want from their favorite brands has shifted, and at Mars, we know we need to be more innovative than ever with such a culturally famous brand like M&M'S," said Jane Hwang, Global Vice President at Mars Wrigley. "We're excited to continue our Mars foray into the metaverse through this partnership with 10:22PM and KINGSHIP, as a way to engage our fans in a new and exciting space."

"KINGSHIP is a group dedicated to the art of storytelling, so it was a great opportunity for us to both pay homage to rock'n'roll history, and one of the greatest bands of all time, but also create a unique fan experience for those that have joined this community at the start of their journey," said Celine Joshua, founder of 10:22PM and the creator of KINGSHIP. "We are grateful to Mars and team at M&M'S for this incredible partnership to help introduce KINGSHIP and NFT culture to the masses, alongside M&M'S, a true icon of pop culture."

In one of the most well-known tour rider requests, a rock band asked venue operators to provide a bowl of M&M'S with a certain candy color removed as a way to check that all of their instructions were followed. But what happened to those missing M&M'S? At last, that mystery has been solved. KINGSHIP has all of them.

As KINGSHIP grew in stature and began playing larger venues, Hud convinced the rest of the group to join him during the downtime between sound check and the show: A search through the labyrinthine backstage areas of each venue for these legendary M&M'S to make each concert sweeter. They found several crates of M&M'S in a broom closet at one of New York's most historic arenas, a buried cache at a rustic Amphitheater in Colorado and a few strays in the Queen's Royal box in London. The members of KINGSHIP knew the key to living in the present is inclusion and bringing people of all backgrounds together. So, they resisted the temptation to consume the candy and instead united all the colors of the M&M'S family. The result of this incredible feat of dedication is today's M&M'S collaboration with KINGSHIP becoming the first Bored Ape characters to do so.

In addition, M&M'S will play a key role in KINGSHIP's story, with the group traveling to a mysterious island stacked with what appears to be boulders that are later revealed to be a sky-high pile of M&M'S in all six colors.

Since launching in November, the KINGSHIP team has quickly grown to include celebrity animator Jack Lanza, Grammy Award-winning music producers and well-respected NFT collector Jimmy McNelis, a.k.a. J1mmy.eth. KINGSHIP, whose Bored Ape characters include rare Golden Fur and Blue Beams Apes, was created by Celine Joshua, who recruited the members of the group from McNelis. In February, 10:22PM announced Manager Not All (Bored Ape #5537) as KINGSHIP's manager.

Last month, KINGSHIP sold out their entire collection of 5,000 access-enabled Key Cards in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The Key Cards sold out 24 hours after the start of the mint on Thursday, July 14. The collection ranked No. 1 on OpenSea's Music Chart and ranked as the marketplace's No. 1 Trending NFT collection across all categories on release day. As of today, KINGSHIP ranks #1 on OpenSea's Music NFT chart.

The collectible Key Cards feature different members of KINGSHIP and contain unique attributes, some more rare than others. In addition to membership to the group's virtual world, located on an island far away from the swamp where Captain, KING, Arnell and Hud were born, the Key Cards will also unlock exclusive access to music, content, products, and a token-gated community. Only Key Card holders can access a special token-gated channel recently launched in the group's Discord.

For more information on the story behind KINGSHIP's rider and to learn more about the group, visit KINGSHIP.io.

For Editors:

Images, animation, logos and other KINGSHIP and M&M'visual assets can be found here.

KINGSHIP, stylized in all uppercase capital letters, consists of three rare Bored Apes and a rare Mutant Ape: Captain (vocals, bass), KING (lead vocals), Arnell (beats, producer, drums) and Hud (guitar, keyboards, vocals)

For more information on KINGSHIP:Web: KINGSHIP.io and https://www.MMS.com/KingshipDiscord: https://discord.gg/kingshipTwitter: https://twitter.com/therealkingship

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATEDMars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned business, Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world.

Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 140,000+ dedicated Associates. With almost $45 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including Ben's Original, CESAR, Cocoavia, DOVE, EXTRA, KIND, M&M'S, SNICKERS, PEDIGREE, ROYAL CANIN, and WHISKAS. We are creating a better world for pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services including AniCura, BANFIELD, BLUEPEARL, Linnaeus and VCA using cutting edge technology to develop breakthrough programs in genetic health screening and DNA testing. For more information about Mars, please visit http://www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About 10:22PM10:22PM is Universal Music Group's next-gen label, 10:22PM has been discovering, developing and empowering artists, digital creators and brands since 2018. Providing an innovative framework with a team of industry endemics, 10:22PM enables boundary-pushing talent to operate as fast and fluidly as the space requires. Using new technology and platforms, alongside first-of-their-kind strategies and execution, 10:22PM keeps its talent & IP at the forefront of entertainment and commerce. Leading the charge toward a web3 future, the label sits at the intersection of music, gaming, NFTs, blockchain and the metaverse.

SOURCE 10:22PM

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KINGSHIP and Mars Partner on Limited Edition M&M'S Featuring the World's First NFT Supergroup - PR Newswire

August 24, 2022: Sand is constantly being formed on Earth as a result of the slow erosion of rocks. On Mars, however, powerful asteroid impacts may play an essential role in the formation of fresh sand.According to a new study, up to a quarter of Martian sand is made up of spherical fragments of glass formed under the tremendous heat of impacts. Because windblown sand sculpts the Martian landscape, this finding illustrates how asteroid impacts shape Mars even after the collisions occur, according to Purdue University planetary scientist Briony Horgan and colleagues. The researchers will discuss its findings on August 18 at the Meteoritical Society's 85th Annual Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.

Horgan and colleagues examined different wavelengths of visible and infrared light reflected from the planet's surface employing data acquired by satellites circling Mars to identify the minerals found in Martian sand. The team discovered glass signals all around the world, especially at higher latitudes.

Volcanic eruptions, which are known to create glass when magma blends with water, is a reasoning for all that glass. However, the researchers point out that the most glass-rich region of Mars the planet's northern plains is devoid of volcanoes. This eliminates volcanic eruptions as the cause in that location, implying that considerably more apocalyptic occurrences asteroid strikes may be at work.

When an asteroid traveling at several kilometers per second collides with a rocky planet like Mars, the energy released melts adjacent rocks and sends them into space. This molten shrapnel fractures into sand grain-sized, approximately spherical pieces. These shards of glass, known as impact spherules, ultimately fall back to Mars.

Asteroid impacts could have covered the surface of Mars in a coating of impact spherules nearly half a meter deep over the previous 3 billion years, according to Horgan and her colleagues. All of the stuff was added to the sand on Mars created by natural erosion. Horgan believes, impacts helped supply sand to the surface continuously over time.

This article is written by Diya Mukherjee

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Sand on Mars maybe created due to asteroid impacts, study finds - Times Now

Percy could return to Earth bearing good news. But, there may be more areas with past signs of life on Mars than just river deltas.

Scientists have predicted that massive volcanic caves could exist beneath thesurfaces of Mars, Venus, and even our Moon, formed by flowing lava and covered in tiny crystals.

Beyond zeroing in on the best spots to search for life, these lava tubes could bring us closer to developing permanent homes on the Moon and Mars.

Back on Earth, these caves can support complex ecosystems.Scientists with NASAsBiologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments project (BRAILLE) believe such life could exist or have once existed in Martian caves.

Navigating these surfaces is imperative, with significant geological and astrobiological interest in these caves. However, the current generation of robotic devices cannot venture into this type of uncharted terrain.

ReachBot could change all that. The mobile manipulation platform leverages lightweight, extendable booms to achieve extensive reach with a small footprint, giving it distinct access to steep, vertical, and overhanging surfaces in Martian caves.

While the Mars rovers aregreat at rolling along the surface and collecting data, ReachBot would be capable of climbing on cliffs and through caves,anchoring itself to rock walls.

Marco Pavone, associate professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University and the lead researcher on ReachBot, was among the five researchers who receivedPhase II grants in 2022 for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC).

IEspoke to Ph.D. students Stephanie Scheiderand Tony Chen, who are working with Pavone on the concept. They gave us an enhanced picture of how ReachBot was developed, and how it could impact space exploration.

Excerpts.

SS: I'm a Ph.D. student at the Autonomous Systems Laboratory that's run by Marco. I was interested in space robotics - motion planning, trajectory optimization, controls and was trying to find a project when Andrew Bylard, a student who has since graduated, came up with the idea for ReachBot. I jumped on it in the development phase itself. He, Tony, and I proposed it to Marco who thought it was a great idea.

TC: I'm a fifth-year Ph.D. student at the Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Lab, and my PI is Mark Cutkosky. We look for bio-inspired robots and build grippers based on their features. For example, we built grippers based on the adhesive that allows geckos to climb a window. In my lab, we look at nature and the animals that can crawl on rock surfaces, like arthropods. They have sharp hair called spikes that aid them to grab onto the rock surface. Based on that, we use needles and fishing hooks to manufacture micro grippers equipped with these spikes that can claw onto uneven surfaces so that we can assist the robot climb.

Andrew had asked if we could use these structures that we used to deploy space booms as limbs of robots and then have these grippers at the end of each arm to be able to reach out to rock surfaces. The result would be a much faster rock climbing robot. So my research mainly focuses on designing grippers and prototyping the system architecture for ReachBot.

Conceptual pictures of ReachBot

SS: The International Space Station has a free-flying robot system called the Astrobee, which is a test platform for a bunch of things. They've tested their gecko gripper on Astrobee on ISS. But tasks like servicing and maintenance involved require forceful manipulation. Andrew wondered if we could anchor on the opposite wall and use that to pull strongly. So, I think ReachBot was mainly born out of station maintenance, microgravity applications, and things like that. Then we started brainstorming - oh, this is a cool robot; it is good for environments where it needs to anchor onto things or overhanging surfaces where anchor points can be sparse. Additionally, in these caves, lava tubes, and other places, you don't know how often you're going to get a good hold.

TC: We had this cool robot concept. But to make it useful, we had to come up with a scenario or environment that it can succeed in. So we brought in Mathieu Laptre, Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences at Stanford, and asked him about the environment he could picture the robot being useful to explore. Mathieu talked about these rovers on Mars and how NASA has always been looking for life. He mentioned these underground caves, where a lot of the signs of past water are, and the presence of potential bio-organisms inside the cracks of lava tubes, which is a rich environment. So we were like, okay, that's a good concept. Because right now, there are no rovers or robots that can go into the cave and explore essentially beneath the surface of Mars. I think that's sort of where we came from. We're currently using Mars as the flagship concept, but the same idea could be used in a lava cave exploration on the Moon or even on Europa.

SS: Initially, we applied for NIAC's Phase I in 2019 but did not get it. We then tailored the mission to be more aligned with what NASA is interested in looking at. We received the Phase I grant for 2021, during which we looked at a lot of the feasibility concepts - we claimed that this robot is beneficial because it has a large reachable workspace, but was it possible to use these booms to get that reachability? Questions like that. And so we did a lot of modeling and simulation that showed that these booms exist and they can reach out this far. We wondered if we could come up with a control strategy to use that technology to move down a cave or a lava tube. I work on those controls in my lab.

TC: ReachBot is a complicated concept. For it to work in 3D, it needs to have many arms, potentially, to be able to secure itself. And that was too complicated of a problem to start [with] because we don't even know the design space in 3D. So we considered simplifying the model from 3D to 2D - a planar ReachBot. So essentially, we found a piece of really large flat ground and built a planer prototype of ReachBot, a square robot, and we put a bunch of ball bearings on the bottom so that it could fly around on the flat ground. The prototype has these forearms at each corner made of motorized tape measures, as 3D space booms are too expensive to use as arms. We then mounted a gripper that could grab onto rocks. An environment with lava rocks was simulated for the prototype wherein it was able to pull at a heavy object while anchored to the lava rock. That's how we proved the concept and knew that it would work in 2D.

We learned a bunch of lessons from the 2D prototype - like needing to minimize the weight of the gripper that will be extended. So that's mainly what I focused on during Phase I. We gained enough confidence, and we're sure it will work as a three-dimensional robot.

SS: There are still a lot of feasibility questions that need to be answered, which will be done in Phase II. For example, we're using tape measures on this prototype, which have much lower fidelity than you would have in the real thing. If you've ever held up [an extended] tape measure, it's going to flop over. The buckling and the bending are problems that will take place with these space booms too. We need to consider that.

Also, in this simulation, ReachBot is crawling down a cave. We've made assumptions about the booms being strong enough. But what does strong enough mean? How can we use intelligent control strategies to leverage the booms' strengths, and overcome their weaknesses? These finer details are important to prove the feasibility of the concept.

TC: On my part, I need to look into optimizing the microscopic grippers and understanding the design principle. Now we have built a lightweight, robust microspikes gripper for 3D rock surfaces, the potential interesting surface that we want to grasp. And at the end, we want to be able to build at least one prototype of an arm. And we're hoping to field test it in a lava cave in New Mexico or Hawaii. Another issue that we did not deal with in Phase I was selecting a grasp site. In Phase II, we're investigating the selection of a good grasping site.

SS: Another thing that we'll be examining in Phase II, is the perception and localization of ReachBot. Again, we're looking at the perception of the gripper, looking at a rock, and figuring out where it's good to grab.

TC: No one knows what these caves on Mars look like, though we can have a pretty good guess at it. So a big limitation would be the difference in rock surface - what if it isn't ideal for our microspikes? It's hard for us to separate the limitation of the concept and the limitation of the technology right now.

SS: One thing that comes up a fair amount is the tether, which is essential when a question regarding power and data comes up. Our answer so far has been, well, we'll have a tether to something on the surface. We're kind of assuming and hoping that is a viable solution. But again, not knowing the geometry of these caves could complicate that a lot. And I know that other people have looked into that, but we haven't.

Robots are widely deployed in space environments because of their versatility and robustness. However, adverse gravity conditions and challenging terrain geometry expose the limitations of traditional robot designs, which are often forced to sacrifice one of mobility or manipulation capabilities to attain the other. Prospective climbing operations in these environments reveal a need for small, compact robots capable of versatile mobility and manipulation. We propose a novel robotic concept called ReachBot that fills this need by combining two existing technologies: extendable booms and mobile manipulation. ReachBot leverages the reach and tensile strength of extendable booms to achieve an outsized reachable workspace and wrench capability. Through their lightweight, compactable structure, these booms also reduce mass and complexity compared to traditional rigid-link articulated-arm designs. Using these advantages, ReachBot excels in mobile manipulation missions in low gravity or that require climbing, particularly when anchor points are sparse. After introducing the ReachBot concept, we discuss modeling approaches and strategies for increasing stability and robustness. We then develop a 2D analytical model for ReachBots dynamics inspired by grasp models for dexterous manipulators. Next, we introduce a waypoint-tracking controller for a planar ReachBot in microgravity. Our simulation results demonstrate the controllers robustness to disturbances and modeling error. Finally, we briefly discuss the next steps that build on these initially promising results to realize the full potential of ReachBot.

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Up, close and personal with Mars: ReachBot and the future of space missions - Interesting Engineering

How far would you be willing to move for your job? How about Mars? That's the premise ofEthan Lipton's musical"No Place to Go."

WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'No Place to Go' at Signature Theatre (Part 1)

How far would you be willing to move for your job? Across the world? How about Mars?

Thats the premise ofEthan Liptons musicalNo Place to Go, which makes its D.C. premiere at the prolific Signature Theatre in Shirlington, Virginia, from Aug. 30 to Oct. 16.

Its a really crazy, wonderful story thats a little absurd and a little heartwarming, Actor Bobby Smith told WTOP. It ultimately talks about art in general and what people to do be an artist, to survive being an artist, and its really a touching and funny piece. Its got a lot of metaphors in it, a lot of comments on America and corporations and people.

The story follows George, a corporate information refiner who learns that his company is moving to a very remote location on Mars. He must decide whether to uproot his family and give up his true passion as a playwright and a composer in New York City.

Its George trying to deal with how hes going to maintain his apartment, his wife, his cats and dogs, and his career in the arts when his job goes away, Smith said. In this absurdist take: you can move with your job to Mars and keep making the same money and leave your family behind, or you can stay in New York City and try to be an artist without a job.

Director Matthew Gardiner works with scenic designer Paige Hathaway to create an everymans office in everyplace America. Whenever George daydreams, a band appears on stage with a bass player, guitar player and saxophone player for fantasy sequences.

Rather than a typical musical, its more like a play with songs, including soul, country and blues numbers that arent always addressed to people. He sings ablues song to his job I know youre sorry that youre going away, leaving me, this tongue-in-cheek quality.

As for the title, a monologue insists, Everybody needs a place to go. Smith says that not only means a place to work, but also a place to feel worthy, a place that gets you away from your family for a second so you can breathe and work, then you go back home and youre fresh again. Thats one of the reasons this show is going to speak to people.

WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'No Place to Go' at Signature Theatre (Part 2)

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Would you move to Mars for your job? Signature Theatre stages No Place to Go - WTOP

After a tumultuous Leo season, Virgo arrives with the brooms, Airtable spreadsheets and herbal infusions to clean up your life.

Part witch and part taskmaster, Virgo is associated with health, ritual, purity and service. It knows that magic is in the details: a nine-step skin care routine, an overhaul of a messy closet, and a color-coded organizational system. Virgo energy is laying out your outfit the night before and having the impulse (and sometimes the audacity) to correct a typo in a public sign.

With back-to-school and back-to-work season upon us, I turned to SF astrologer Leslie Tagordaaka New Moon Creative for insight on how to leverage Virgos conscientious work ethic for our highest potential. Tagorda works with local business leaders to identify their natural strategic strengths according to their natal chart, and advises on astrological energies to help inform plans and strategy. The result of people tapping into the power of their own astrology is that they work easefully with purpose, she says.

And easeful purpose is just what we need as we come off Augusts Mars-square-Saturn energy and continue to face the burnout thats powering the Great Resignation.

Yes, Virgo gets a well-earned rep as a meticulous hard worker with a hot librarian aesthetic to match. But Tagorda reminds us that Virgo is really the harvest goddess, concerned with making a plan about what to harvest, what to save and how to prepare for the winter for the benefit of all.

Virgo energy is planning and synthesizing energy that can organize vast amounts of data that allows her to make a diagnosis for effectiveness, Tagorda says.

But effectiveness doesnt necessarily mean efficiency or perfection, she warns.

Efficiency and perfection is an outdated colonial way of looking at work routines and processes that prioritize growth at all costs. Perfection is the striving for conformity, and efficiency doesnt take into account downtime needed to regenerate and restore.

Tagorda says we can work with the Virgo energy by focusing on wholeness, not perfection. Make friends with your Virgo tools like Airtable, Trello or Slack but with boundaries. Take an actual break during the day. Plan those vacation days. Build in DAILY down time to regenerate. You will be able to synthesize and work much more effectively.

Plus, everyone knows that true SF summer starts in September, and this season brings the long Labor Day weekend and the beginning of wine countrys harvest season, offering SFers plenty of reasons to balance work with play.

The season also sees a Mercury retrograde Sept. 9 to Sept. 23, which is especially impactful because Mercury is Virgos ruling planet. Starting in Libra and retrograding back to Virgo, Tagorda says this cycle will bring an opportunity to rethink communications around partnerships (Libra) and routines (Virgo).

While Mercury retrogrades often come with fear of technological and communication mishaps, Tagorda says this retrograde can actually be helpful, especially at work and in collaborative partnerships of all kinds. Most importantly, this cycle will allow you to reconnect with how you communicate and express your needs around partnerships and daily routines, she says.

Meanwhile, Mars which represents our drive, action and will entered Gemini on Aug. 20, where it will stay for a whopping six months thanks to a relatively rare long retrograde this fall. Mars usually only stays in a sign for six weeks, so astrologers agree Virgo season is a great time to get curious about how you work and where Gemini falls in your birth chart because it will receive a lot of hardworking action over the next six and a half months.

Mars energy is the energy to turn fear into action, fight into advocacy, vitality into motivation and initiative into leadership, says Tagorda. And in Gemini, which is also ruled by Mercury, it gets its motivation through communication and the exchange of ideas.

Read on for how Virgo season can help you restore, rejuvenate, and reorganize your work and collaborations. Astro pro-tip: read your rising sign, too, for extra insight.

In the words of fellow iconic and hardworking Virgo Beyonce, who just famously quit her job, youre on that new vibration. With the sun shining in Virgo and your ruling planet transiting both your sense of identity and your sense of financial security, you have an opportunity to redefine what success means for you. And it doesnt have to break your soul. If your lifes goals are in need of a remix, a new moon in your sign is the perfect time to write them down, including everyone you want to collaborate with. (This will also help you learn from Queen Bey and give proper credit to your inspirations.) Its your renaissance and as you look for new motivation and build your own foundation, Mercurys retrograde will help you remember to add tax.

In tarot, Virgo is represented by The Hermit card, which shows a wizard-like figure atop a craggy rock. Its a card of retreat, meditation and solitude. This month you might feel your most creative while on solo walks to Hermit Rock in Lands End where you can recreate this card or at least explore the labyrinth of your mind amid a landscape to match. If theres anything you and Virgo have in common, its a love for an aesthetic. Silence notifications, carve out time for quiet contemplative walks each day and let the Virgo sun be the lantern that illuminates your path forward. Meanwhile, Mercurys transit through your sign may inspire you to free write your insights, which will set you up for success as you enter your season next month.

If recurring meetings have become a drag, the Virgo sun and Mercurys retrograde can help you create new, energizing habits for you and your collaborators. With the focus on group projects and networks, its time to rethink how you connect with your co-workers or clients. You know better than most that life is a ceremony and meetings are just seances for modern times. Virgos love of ritual wants you to energize the mundane and bring magic to the details and shared (Google) drives of your life. Use the Virgo new moon on Aug. 27 to reimagine creative connection, then celebrate your collective flow state under the Pisces full moon on Sept. 10.

Getting to inbox zero is the sort of perfectionism to resist during Virgo season, but do scan your inboxes for enticing missed connections. You might find fertile partnerships slipped through out-of-office cracks. Mercurys meticulous retrograde helps you resurrect them now. The new moon in Virgo on Aug. 27 is a good time to set intentions about how you want to show up in your public spheres. Use the Mercury retrograde to review your websites, resumes, LinkedIn headlines and even your email signatures to make sure theyre communicating what you want them to.

Virgo is the sign of the virgin and youre antsy to let your virgin skin feel the warmth of the sun after a long, cold fogust. It might finally be SF summer, but when Mercury goes retrograde, your inbox may be full of people disregarding your carefully crafted out-of-office message. Before you answer emails with sunscreen-slippery fingers, reflect if it truly requires your attention. If so, know that once Mercury slips back into Virgo, youll be able to set your sights on a proper vacation or an exciting adventure. Sometimes working on your tan is the most productive thing you can do.

Virgo season cracks the whip on your most intimate bonds, but a stroll through this months Folsom Street Fair reminds you thats far from a bad thing. Whether youre talking business or pleasure, your committed relationships benefit from you being unapologetically who you are. The new moon in Virgo on Aug. 27 is a great time to remind yourself that vulnerability is currency and your kinks help you find collaborators with staying power.

Your Virgo calendar is likely to be littered with one-on-ones, especially as Mercury retrogrades through the area of your life associated with close bonds in life and in business. You might be tempted to turn on track changes as you review the major contracts in your life. Mercurys retrograde makes for a great red pen, but youll probably get to a better mutual agreement face-to-face, where you can vibe your way through the sticky parts. Use the Virgo new moon to think deeply about the kinds of partnerships you want to cultivate over the next six months, make sure its in writing, and then toast to the partnerships of all kinds that prioritize a win-win.

Virgo rules the rituals of your life, from your nightly skin care regime to the morning routine that sets your day up for success. If there was ever a time to trade a morning scroll for a morning stroll, its the season of crisp, fog-free days. Its also the season to start cashing in on any wellness programs you might get through work, but whether or not you have a health savings account, the goddess of purity wants you to give your internal systems extra attention in any way thats available to you. Mercurys retrograde has you reviewing your partnerships, and healthy wellness routines will help you show up whole for any conversations related to how you merge and collaborate with another.

At its best, Virgo helps you revel in the details of a creative project. But at its worst, it could have you nitpicking your own creations into oblivion. If your files are starting to have names like clientproject_final-15, you likely need to ask yourself if youre seeking effectiveness or perfection. This month is all about finding pleasure in creative work and perfectionism is the enemy of both. Meanwhile, Mercurys retrograde through your wellness routines helps you make helpful connections between your body and your output. How do you need to care for the messy flesh of your personhood in order for divine inspiration (and productivity) to flow?

The balancing act between family and work, public and private is nothing new for you. You thrive when you have multiple gardens to tend to. The Virgo sun shines most brightly on your home garden, encouraging you to linger longer over shared meal time, even as your ruling planet Mercury beckons you back to your desk. Youll likely be revisiting the version history on a project or piece of writing as Mercury backtracks through the area of your life related to your self-expression. Perhaps there was something cut from the first draft that needs to work its way back in. However, its likely that these important epiphanies will visit when your fingers are in a flower pot or tasting a family recipe and not on your keyboard. Keep a notebook handy for the insights, but dont ruin the moment with work.

Make no mistake, just because its called happy hour doesnt mean that networking obligation isnt work, especially if it cuts into your home and family time. This month, as the sun shines a light on your house of communication and networking, you may feel the tension between desk-work and the professional glass-clinking that feels practically required. And adding to the pressure is your need to recharge with family, too. Instead of declining the invitations or sacrificing family meal time, Mercurys retrograde through these areas may help you reimagine office culture and team bonding in a way that is more inclusive to all. Youre primed to be a leader here because you know better than most how important it is to be protective of family time. With Mercury aiding your communication, you have the power to reset expectations and bring more balance to the social aspects of work. You might just find that youre able to enjoy team building more this way, too.

If you used Leo season to pitch passion projects, Virgo season is about making sure you have the budget to back up your dreams. Luckily, Virgos acumen with spreadsheets helps you balance budgets and track timelines like the project manager all big ideas need. If the numbers arent adding up, Mercurys backtrack through your house of communication helps you negotiate your way to abundance. Use the new moon in Virgo to reach out to collaborators that can help make the cash flow, then spend Mercurys retrograde checking the math (again and again).

Amy Copperman is a writer and artist, based in Oakland, Calif. Shes Cancer sun, Aries moon and Virgo rising. Find her on Instagram.

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A very SF horoscope: Virgo, Mercury and Mars enter the chat - SFGATE

Those familiar with director Tim Burton and his style of filmmaking can instantly recognize his dark gothic flair, with films typically featuring a familiar cast of actors time and time again. Films such as Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Corpse Bride (2005) represent themes that make up the majority of his filmography.

Yet, Burton has completely broken away from these darker tropes before and has successfully shown his range as a director as he ventures into different motifs. With that in mind, heres a look at certainly one of his zaniest films, bringing both camp and comedy to a beloved genre.

Mars Attacks!(1996) is a comedic science-fiction film that spoofs the alien invasion genre from the 1950s. The film features a star-studded cast with actors like Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Natalie Portman, Pierce Brosnan, Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny Devito and Martin Short, as well as up-and-coming 90s stars such as Jack Black and Christina Applegate.

Despite the large cast, each character gets to shine and has a role to play in the invasion, even if only featured in a small portion of the film. The character of Private Billy Glenn, played by Jack Black, is quickly killed off in the Earths first encounter with the Martians, stupidly running headfirst into battle holding the American flag as he meets his end. Yet, he becomes a war hero, a martyr representing courage and sacrifice, missing the mark on the reality of the consequences of his blind patriotism.

Although its central focus is on parodying the genre through its comedic approach, as seen in the familiar iconography of the Martians and red-green skeletons as the remains of their victims, the film has satirical potential.

How the film portrays the U.S. governments response to the alien invasion is similar to the treatment of Billys death, which is full of fumbles and jabs at the truth without understanding the consequences.

The president, played by Nicholson, is an overly patriotic caricature who is hilariously optimistic about the Martians and their intentions for coming to Earth, seeing the invasion as an opportunity for political gain by strategically choosing peace.

These similar stereotypes are seen in the leaders he surrounds himself with when taking advice on what to do about the invasion. He becomes torn between the bloodthirsty general, whos ready for war at the drop of the hat, and his lead scientist, whose flimsy logic preaches peace and unity with a more advanced species.

A particular scene solidifies this image of the president as he takes his last stand cowering in a bunker, delivering a heartwarming speech to the aliens to make peace and put all the bloodshed behind them.

Complete with patriotic music swelling the scene and the Martian ambassador shedding a dramatic tear, the buildup invites irony into the scene as the aliens once again do the exact opposite of their declarations of peace.

Naturally, the president is killed via a Martian flag being planted in his chest as his body lies on the model of the attack formation. It may seem like all hope is lost, yet a strange solution is found to stop the aliens by finding their weakness in Indian Love Call by Slim Whitman (1952).

The song is played throughout the planet, destroying the aliens one by one, with a happy ending for Earth. Filled with nuance, this film is a perfect revival of the genre with its own twists and turns that the cast and Burton provide.

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'Mars Attacks!' pokes fun at more than you'd think - Daily Illini

Cast: Faye DunawayTommy Lee JonesBrad DourifRen AuberjonoisRaul Julia

Geners: DramaMysteryThriller

Director: Irvin Kershner

Release Date: Aug 02, 1978

A famous fashion photographer develops a disturbing ability to see through the eyes of a serial killer.

Netflix doesn't currently have Eyes of Laura Mars in its online library at the time of writing. We don't expect that to change very soon, but you never know!

At the time of writing, Eyes of Laura Mars is not available to stream on Hulu through the traditional account which starts at $6.99.However, if you have the HBO Max extension on your Hulu account, you can watch additional movies and shoes on Hulu. This type of package costs $14.99 per month.

No, Eyes of Laura Mars is not streaming on Disney Plus. With Disney+, you can have a wide range of shows from Marvel, Star Wars, Disney+, Pixar, ESPN, and National Geographic to choose from in the streaming platform for the price of $7.99 monthly or $79.99 annually.

Sorry, Eyes of Laura Mars is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at the price of $9.99 per month.

As of now, Eyes of Laura Mars is not available to watch for free on Amazon Prime Video. You can still buy or rent other movies through their service.

Eyes of Laura Mars is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. As their namesake, the streaming platform is free with content out in the open, however, limited.

Eyes of Laura Mars is not on Paramount Plus also. Paramount Plus has two subscription options: the basic version ad-supported Paramount+ Essential service costs $4.99 per month, and an ad-free premium plan for $9.99 per month.

Eyes of Laura Mars isn't on Apple TV+ at the moment, sorry! In the meantime, you can watch top-rated shows like Ted Lasso on Apple TV with a subscription cost of $4.99 a month.

No luck. Eyes of Laura Mars is not available to watch on Direct TV. If you're interested in other movies and shows, Direct TV still has plenty of other options that may intrigue you.

Eyes of Laura Mars is not available to stream now.

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Where to Watch and Stream Eyes of Laura Mars Free Online - EpicStream