The Daily Populous

Google's parent company has made internet balloons available in Puerto Rico, the first time it's offered Project Loon in the US

Google's parent company Alphabet, inÂ collaboration with AT&T, is now delivering limited internet connectivity in Puerto Rico through its internet balloon project called Project Loon.

This is the first time Loon has ever been available in the US.

Google's parent Alphabet says its stratospheric balloons are now delivering the internet to remote areas of Puerto Rico where cellphone towers were knocked out by Hurricane Maria.

Two of the search giant's "Project Loon" balloons are already over the country enabling texts, emails and basic web access to AT&T customers with handsets that use its 4G LTE network.

Project Loon is part of Alphabet's R&D unit known as X, the same unit that created self-driving cars.

There are some indications that Alphabet is getting ready to spin Project Loon out as its own independent company, similar to how self-driving cars became its own company, Waymo.Â.

This is also and the first time Alphabet has turned on Project Loon in the United States. »

Judge Calls NYPD's Handling Of Precarious Civil Forfeiture Database 'Insane'

Authored by gothamist.com

"It's not just the property our clients are trying to get back," said Bronx Defenders staff attorney Adam Shoop, of the civil action practice.

According to Bronx Defenders, the NYPD ignored multiple formal requests made through the state's Freedom of Information Law.

When he went to retrieve his $4,800, he was told it was too late: the money had been deposited into the NYPD's pension fund. »

JFK assassination: Trump to allow release of classified documents

Authored by cbsnews.com

President Trump announced on Twitter that he will allow the release of thousands of classified documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy after years of delays.

The unexpected move means the trove of never-before-seen documents are set to be released by the National Archives by Oct. 26.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened. »

Itsy Bitsy Spider: Fear of spiders and snakes is deeply embedded in us

Authored by cbs.mpg.de

Even in developed countries lots of people are frightened of these animals although hardly anybody comes into contact with them.

Until now, there has been debate about whether this aversion is innate or learnt.

The reaction which is induced by animal groups feared from birth could have been embedded in the brain for an evolutionarily long time. »

GA lawmaker: Can HIV patients be quarantined?

Authored by cnn.com

Dr. Betty Price, a Republican, asked Dr. Pascale Wortley, director of the HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Surveillance Section at the Georgia Department of Public Health.

... What would you advise, or are there any methods, legally, that we could do that would curtail the spread?".

Wortley did not directly address Price's question about quarantine, pivoting instead to describing the state's programs for identifying and tracking HIV patients. »