piece | Common News Update

Jan312020 by adminNo Comments

Super Bowl betting is expected to be $6.8 billion. The IRS will want a piece of your winnings

Finance

If your weekend plans include dropping a bet on the Super Bowl, don't forget that Uncle Sam wants a piece of anything you win.Americans are expected to wager about $ 6.8 billion on Sunday night's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Miami. And no matter where you place your bet — whether at a casino, online, through a pool or fantasy league, or at your neighbor's annual bash — the IRS expects you come to clean at tax time."Most people don't realize they have to report any kind of winnings from gambling activities," said Oscar Vives Ortiz, a CPA who serves on the American Institute of CPAs' personal financial specialist committee.Fans celebrate after making bets through FanDuel Sportsbook during Super Bowl LIII in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Feb. 3, 2019.Edu...

Nov122018 by adminNo Comments

Scientists turn Martian sunrise into a piece of music

Science

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- You can now listen to the sun rise on Mars. Scientists in England have translated the Martian sunrise into a two-minute score. Researchers used sonification techniques to translate image data into sounds, turning each pixel into a sonic data point. Using images of the 500th sunrise observed by the Mars rover Opportunity, scientists linked each pixel with brightness, color and elevation measurements. Special algorithms helped researchers turn the pixel data points into pitch and melody, forming a piece of music. The two-minute score will be shared with visitors to NASA's Mars Soundscapes exhibit on Tuesday at the Supercomputing SC18 Conference being held this week in Dallas, Texas. The song will be presented both sonically and vibrationally, so that it can be experienced b...

Sep272018 by adminNo Comments

Bitcoin investors beware: The IRS wants its piece of the action

Finance

If you didn't tell the IRS about your gains from bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies in the past, you might regret it this year. With bitcoin down more than 50 percent so far in 2018, there's a chance some investors have triggered (or will trigger) a tax loss this year by either selling, trading or spending their digital assets. And while those losses can be used to offset any other investment gains, it could raise eyebrows at the IRS if it's the first time the agency is hearing about your crypto holdings. "If I were in those shoes, I'd think about my past transactions and whether there were gains," said Sarah-Jane Morin, a par...

Sep132018 by adminNo Comments

'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles, says study

Science

A new study suggests that ingesting even a single piece of plastic can be deadly for sea turtles.Researchers found there was a one in five chance of death for a turtle who consumed just one item - rising to 50% for 14 pieces. The team found that younger turtles are at a higher risk of dying from exposure to plastic than adults. The authors say their research raises concerns over the long term survival of some turtle species.The never ending surge of plastic into the world's oceans is taking an increasing toll on iconic marine species. While it has been relatively straightforward for researchers to document the threat to animals who become entangled in plastic and drown, determining the impact of consumed plastic is much harder.The authors of this study es...

Sep292017 by adminNo Comments

ESA scientists piece together last image captured by Rosetta probe

Science

Sept. 28 (UPI) -- European Space Agency scientists have pieced together one final image from the Rosetta probe's last telemetry packets, collected right before the craft crash landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.Roughly a year ago, Rosetta attempted to land on the snowman-shaped comet. The landing didn't go as smoothly as hoped, but the probe collected a wealth of data and images before it tumbled into a sunless crater.Until recently, scientists thought they'd already seen Rosetta's last image, but while parsing the probe's last bits of data, ESA researchers found a few remaining telemetry packets. Scientists were able to piece the data fragments into one last snapshot of Comet 67P."The last complete image transmitted from Rosetta was the final one that we saw arriving...