Today’s Big Story

Google’s New Time Machine

Google Earth now lets you see how the world looked 80 years ago

I like maps. And I love travel. So I’ve always been a fan of just aimlessly scrolling around Google Earth. But it’s also a useful tool if you’re not a geography nerd like me. Whether you're looking up the storefront of a specific restaurant or simply exploring a continent virtually, Google Maps and Google Earth are great tools for viewing a part of the world from your device. And new updates promise to make what you see even better.

On Wednesday, Google announced three new updates for Google Earth and Maps to enrich your viewing experience. The first update is the availability of historical imagery on Google Earth, which allows users to explore satellite and aerial imagery libraries from as far back as 80 years ago.

Google previously released a Timelapse tool that shows satellite images from 1984 to 2022. According to Engadget, the new shots will include everything from changes in a California reservoir over five years to images of cities like London, Berlin and Warsaw at the start of World War II. There are also photos of American cities like San Francisco in 1938 and images of the city in 2022. It reminds me of another site I've spent way too much time on, 1940s.nyc, which uses the NYC Municipal archives to show photographs of buildings from 1939 to 1941.

In addition to letting me nerd out about changes in water lines and cityscapes, Google is introducing new Street View images across nearly 80 countries. These photos show places such as Logstor, Denmark (pictured above), Oaxaca, Mexico and Tasman, New Zealand. According to Google, its newest camera weighs just 15 pounds and can be mounted onto any car, allowing the company to expand Street View even further. Currently, Street View has over 280 billion images.

The company says you’ll be able to explore “the picturesque countryside of Bosnia and its medieval villages, the sandy mountains surrounding the capital of Namibia, the alps and castles of Liechtenstein and the beautiful rivers of Paraguay.” You can even virtually wander the streets of foreign cities to see shops and buildings up close. Lastly, it wouldn't be a Google update without incorporating artificial intelligence. Starting this week, you will notice clearer and more vibrant images in Google Earth and Maps due to Google’s AI-powered cloud-removal technology, which improves photos by removing unwanted distractions.

U.S. and Allies Call for 21-Day Ceasefire

But Israel is readying for a possible Lebanon incursion

A group of nations including the United States, France and three Arab countries called for a 21-day cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah to avert a wider conflict in Lebanon. Biden administration officials said they expected the proposal would be accepted imminently by the Israeli and Lebanese governments and that they were optimistic about Hezbollah’s involvement, though the group would not be a direct signatory—raising some fears that the deal could be shaky.

The proposal is aimed at stopping the escalation and particularly at preventing a possible Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah militants away from the border. Discussions of the new initiative started after a phone call on Monday between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

President Biden and his top national security officials have regularly expressed optimism and hope that deals for both were close at hand, only to see them fall apart. Recently, U.S officials have said they don’t know whether Netanyahu or Sinwar have the political willingness to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. Speaking on ABC’s The View, Biden alluded to ongoing talks to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon that would unlock further peace discussions elsewhere. “It’s possible,” he said, “and I’m using every bit of energy I have with my team … to get this done. There’s a desire to see change in the region.”

Bracing for Hurricane Helene

It’s expected to make landfall in Florida at Category 4 strength with 'catastrophic' storm surge

Hurricane Helene is now forecast to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday evening at Category 4 strength, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday evening. The storm is expected to bring "catastrophic and deadly storm surge" to a large portion of Florida and the Southeast, meteorologists warned. It could bring winds in excess of 130 mph, dump up to 16 inches of rain and the storm surge could reach as high as 20 feet.

Several Florida counties are under mandatory evacuation orders, and millions of people are under flood watches. The storm was expected to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and reach the Florida coast by this evening, picking up speed along the way. “Weakening is expected after landfall, but Helene’s fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States, including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians,” the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm will threaten millions of residents along the Gulf Coast with heavy rainfall, as well as the possibility of tornadoes. Before it heads up into the Gulf of Mexico, Helene will bring heavy rain to portions of the western Caribbean, potentially mudslides and flooding across western Cuba. The system will also pose the threat of inland flooding across several U.S. states.

A New Gold Rush?

The price of gold keeps climbing to unprecedented heights

The rush for gold just keeps coming. If you hadn’t heard, the precious metal hit another all time high this week. Recent gains for gold are largely credited to ongoing economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and strong demand from central banks around the world. Interest in buying gold often comes at times of uncertainty—with potential concerns around inflation and the strength of the U.S. dollar, for example, causing some to look for alternative places to park their money. Gold also surged in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New York spot price of gold closed Tuesday at just over $2,657 per Troy ounce—the standard for measuring precious metals, which is equivalent to 31 grams—the highest recorded to date, reports the Associated Press. Gold has climbed roughly 30% this year, outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 index’s 20% gain.

Silver, another precious metal that tends to move in tandem with gold, has jumped roughly 34% this year, outperforming the yellow metal. According to CNN, rallies in silver also tend to reflect optimism that the economy will reaccelerate, since it’s a material used in construction of infrastructure and products like electronics, jewelry and flatware. Silver is also a crucial material for the clean energy transition. Citi strategists wrote in a report last week that they expect solar and electric vehicle-driven demand in China, along with the Fed’s rate cuts, to help boost silver prices.

The Long Read

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are releasing pollutants in the sky to try to cool the planet

Love yourself.