For years, Naval Research Laboratory meteorologist David Peterson has been obsessed with one of Earth's rarest atmospheric spectacles: thunderclouds formed by raging wildfires. Last week, he became one of the only people on Earth to fly straight through one. From a report: Peterson is the lead forecaster for Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ), a joint NASA and NOAA-led field campaign that's spending the summer intensively studying wildfire smoke from the ground, the air, and satellites. On August 8, he rode shotgun as NASA's DC-8 research aircraft passed directly through an anvil cloud as it was developing over the 45,000-acre Williams Flats fire currently burning in the Pacific Northwest. Over the next few hours, the plane would conduct the most detailed reconnaissance ever from within a pyrotechnic weather system, making observations and collecting samples that will help researchers to better understand the nature of these dramatic events and how they can impact Earth's climate. "Just being there was the most amazing experience I've ever had while working in science," Peterson said. Pyrocumulonimbus clouds (pyroCbs) only form when conditions are just right -- you need a special combination of atmospheric instability, moisture, and loads of wildfire heat to create an updraft.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A computer issue is preventing U.S. immigration officials from processing arriving passengers at several airports across the country. "It wasn't immediately clear what caused the problem at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but the agency said it was investigating," reports CNBC. Agents will be processing people manually until the systems are resolved. One Twitter user posted a video of a long line of an estimated 5,000+ passengers at Dulles International Airport. Another traveler tweeted that passengers on her flight from London weren't allowed to deplane upon arrival in Boston because of the issue. UPDATE 21:28 UTC: NBC News has confirmed that the system shutdown is nationwide, and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials are working to determine the cause. You can view the thread here. Story is developing...

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The 66-year-old financier was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on August 10.

Experts say there is a 50 percent chance Istanbul will be hit by a major earthquake in the next two decades.

Experts say there is a 50 percent chance Istanbul will be hit by a major earthquake in the next two decades.

Experts say there is a 50 percent chance Istanbul will be hit by a major earthquake in the next two decades.

Experts say there is a 50 percent chance Istanbul will be hit by a major earthquake in the next two decades.

Experts say there is a 50 percent chance Istanbul will be hit by a major earthquake in the next two decades.

Sam Biddle, reporting for The Intercept: Nearly 1,500 miles from the Menlo Park headquarters of Facebook, at a company outpost in Austin, Texas, moderators toil around the clock to screen and scrub some the most gruesome, hateful, and heinous posts that make their way onto the social network and its photo-sharing subsidiary, Instagram. They are required to view as many as 800 pieces of disturbing content in a single shift, and routinely turn to on-site counselors to help cope with the procession of stomach-turning images, videos, and text. But some members of this invisible army have complained, in a statement widely circulated within Facebook, that the outsourcing giant that officially employs them, Accenture, has repeatedly attempted to violate the confidentiality of these therapy sessions. The moderators work from within a special section for outsourced staffers at Facebook Austin. The Texas outpost is designed to mimic the look and feel of the company's famously opulent Silicon Valley digs, but Accenture workers say they're reminded daily of their secondary status and denied perks, prestige, and basic respect. This second-class tier at Facebook, a sort of international shadow workforce, has been well documented in the media, from Manila to Arizona, and it's not clear whether the company has done anything to address it beyond issuing defensive PR statements. Moderators in Austin say their job is a brutalizing slog and that Facebook remains largely indifferent to their struggles. Access to on-site counseling is one of the few bright points for this workforce. But now even this grim perk has been undermined by corporate prying, according to a letter drafted by a group of about a dozen Austin moderators who work across Facebook and Instagram. The letter alleges that, starting in early July, Accenture managers attempted to pressure multiple on-site counselors to share information relating to topics discussed in employee trauma sessions. This information was understood by both counselors and Accenture employees to be confidential, said several Accenture sources interviewed by The Intercept. It is not clear what specific information related to the sessions was sought by the managers.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Emmerson Mnangagwa stands accused of failing to make good on his promises after taking power.

Emmerson Mnangagwa stands accused of failing to make good on his promises after taking power.

Qatar-based network welcomes move, says it hopes Sudan will support media freedom and protection of journalists.

Qatar-based network welcomes move, says it hopes Sudan will support media freedom and protection of journalists.

Qatar-based network welcomes move, says it hopes Sudan will support media freedom and protection of journalists.

Police have urged everyone to download a smartphone app they say has already saved several lives. What is it and how does it work? From a report: Kicked. Converged. Soccer. These three randomly chosen words saved Jess Tinsley and her friends after they got lost in a forest on a dark, wet night. They had planned a five-mile circular stroll through the 4,900 acre (2,000 hectare) woodland Hamsterley Forest, in County Durham, on Sunday evening, but after three hours they were hopelessly lost. "We were in a field and had no idea where we were," the 24-year-old care worker from Newton Aycliffe said. "It was absolutely horrendous. I was joking about it and trying to laugh because I knew if I didn't laugh I would cry." At 22:30 BST they found a spot with phone signal and dialled 999. "One of the first things the call-handler told us to do was download the what3words app," Ms Tinsley said. "I had never heard of it." Within a minute of its download, the police said they knew where the group was and the soaked and freezing walkers were swiftly found by the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team. "I have told everyone I know to download this app," Ms Tinsley said. "You never know when you are going to get lost and need it." What3words essentially points to a very specific location. Its developers divided the world into 57 trillion squares, each measuring 3m by 3m (10ft by 10ft) and each having a unique, randomly assigned three-word address. For example, the door of 10 Downing Street is slurs.this.shark, while the area across the road where the press congregate is stage.pushy.nuns.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.