The Microsoft outage means no incessant email chimes or message pings, but still we stayed online
BERLIN (AP) — It was the sound of e-silence. No Microsoft Outlook email chimes, no Teams message pings, no new notifications and, very possibly, no work getting done. Microsoft 365 teetered on the edge of becoming Microsoft 364 as the global outage stretched from Thursday into, ironically, Friday the 13th. The disruption has impacted an unknown number of netizens, but the total could be as high as 450 million — the figure the tech giant itself touts as the number of paid customers of the Microsoft 365 apps. Many of us were doing the same thing: Refresh, refresh, refresh. But what really happens when an essential workplace tool goes quiet and the silence is heard around the world?
NASA's Voyager 1 closes in on a light-day in interstellar space for a new distance record
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's Voyager 1 is about to become humanity's first object to reach one light-day from Earth. That's a mind-blowing distance of more than 16 billion miles. The spacecraft will reach the extraordinary milestone on Wednesday. At that point, its radio signals will take precisely 24 hours traveling at the speed of light to reach Earth. Its twin Voyager 2 is expected to reach one light-day in 2035. Launched in 1977, the Voyagers have been pushing ever deeper into interstellar space after visiting the outer planets and exiting the solar system.
An iconic puzzle comes home as production of the Rubik's Cube returns to Hungary
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The Rubik's Cube, invented by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik in 1974, has become one of the world's most beloved puzzles. Since its creation, over half a billion units have been sold. Production is now returning to Hungary, where Rubik first developed the cube. On Tuesday, a new automated production line opened in Jászberény. Rubik originally produced the design as the “Magic Cube,” and it gained popularity in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s, it had become a global sensation. The cube remains a cultural icon, with global competitions and a current solving record of 2.51 seconds.
A Detroit bus driver picks up unusual passengers as 2 horses and riders climb aboard
DETROIT (AP) — A city bus in Detroit briefly picked up some unusual passengers recently when two horses got on board. In bus camera footage released by the city on Friday, the bus can be seen pulling up to a stop where two riders lead their horses onto the bus through the front doors before promptly exiting through other doors. Jordan Williams, co-founder of Urban City Cowboys, told WXYZ Detroit that he wanted to record a video “to bring light to the city that there are cowboys that look like us.” A spokesperson for the city's mayor said they recognize the actions “were meant to draw awareness to a positive cause” but the incident “presented safety concerns” for both passengers and horses.
Master carver to engrave crystals from last year's New Year's Eve ball sold as mementos
People who find themselves at the site of the iconic New Year's Eve ball drop can purchase one of the 5,280 Waterford crystals from the Constellation Ball that dropped in New York City last year in honor of the nation's 250th birthday in 2026. A master cutter from the company that makes the crystals will hand-engrave customers names on them for the first time. The old crystals that marked the 250th anniversary of the United States will make way for new crystals, whose designs have yet to be announced. A New Year's Eve ball was first dropped in Times Square in 1907, and with the exception of two years during World War II, the event has the marked the ringing in of the new year.
A sweet (and chewy) path: One man's life in gum, and the ripples his innovation caused
NEFFSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — He was 87, living in a retirement village outside a mid-sized Pennsylvania city. Walter Diemer looked like the other residents there, really — except that this one had, long ago, done something momentous. Somewhat inadvertently, he invented the stretchy, usually bright pink stuff known as bubble gum. From one test kettle, Diemer’s concoction raced forward toward becoming an American institution. Now it's the stuff of kids, baseball players and anyone else who wanted to masticate a small piece of flavored latex until it was ready, with the help of your tongue and your lips, to become bubble fodder.
This Beirut family has sold falafel for 100 years, through war and crisis. It has no plan to stop
BEIRUT (AP) — The Tabbara family has been making falafel in Lebanon for over a century. Their shop in Beirut's busy Hamra district is a popular spot for a falafel sandwich wrapped in Lebanese bread with pickled cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and tahini sauce. For those who like it spicy, there's homemade pepper paste. Despite Lebanon's economic challenges, the falafel remains affordable at around $3 a sandwich. The business started in 1914. It has been passed down through generations. Eighty-two-year-old Mohammed Tabbara still runs the shop. He's preparing to hand it over to his son to continue the family tradition.
Ted Turner's son says his Western art collection reflects the media mogul's passion for 'big'
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A collection of paintings depicting the American West from Ted Turner's Montana ranch are due to be auctioned by Christie’s in New York. Turner died in May. The proceeds of the Jan. 20 sale will go to the Turner Foundation to further its conservation work. Ted Turner didn’t do small — whether it was racing sailboats, building CNN into a global news organization or buying up ranches across the U.S. West. And so it was with Turner's paintings that capture the grandeur of a Western landscape still largely untouched by European settlers.
Hundreds of roaming cows wreak havoc in North Macedonian town, frustrating farmers
KRIVA PALANKA, North Macedonia (AP) — Residents of Kriva Palanka in North Macedonia are dealing with a herd of over 1,000 roaming cattle. These cows destroy crops, threaten the water supply, and pose traffic hazards. The issue has persisted for years due to bureaucratic failures. Mayor Sashko Mitovski blames the Food and Veterinary Agency for not enforcing a 2024 order to seize the cattle. Residents are protesting and urging the government to declare a state of emergency. The herd's value is estimated at up to 570,000 euros, and some suggest selling the cattle to help alleviate poverty in the country.
A Detroit group is using dog tags to aid homeless women veterans
DETROIT (AP) — Alexis Derriso, founder of the Motown Women Veterans Association, highlights the sacrifices women have made in the military. Her nonprofit is selling military-style dog tags to raise funds for a Detroit-area homeless shelter for female veterans and their children. The tags read, “Millions of women have served this country. I am one.” Derriso aims to sell one million tags, with about 2,000 sold so far. Women currently make up about 17% of active duty military personnel. Despite achieving high-ranking roles, women veterans often feel overlooked compared to their male counterparts. The dog tags aim to bring women veterans “out of isolation.”
