Global IT Outage Creates Flight Delays at MIA

Jul 19 2024

A global computer outage has disrupted commercial operations worldwide, affecting flights, banks, broadcasters, and supermarkets, in particular our own MIA. T he issue stems from Crowdstrike’s Falcon security software causing the “blue screen of death” on Microsoft Windows computers. Crowdstrike acknowledged a “content deployment” problem and provided a workaround.

Airports in particular are affected, with Malta International Airport confirming network disruptions and expected delays. The company apologised and advised checking the flight schedule for updates.

The disruption grounded flights at Sydney airport, halted United Airlines operations, and affected the London Stock Exchange platform. Berlin airport reported check-in delays, and Spain faced incidents at all its airports. In the UK, Sky News went off-air, unable to broadcast live.

In the US, Frontier Airlines cited a “major Microsoft technical outage,” while SunCountry mentioned a third-party vendor issue. Australian companies and agencies experienced disruptions, with Microsoft laptops showing blue screen errors.

Microsoft is taking “mitigation actions” following service issues that began Thursday evening, impacting cloud services and several apps.

In the UK, Govia Thameslink Railway warned passengers of disruptions due to widespread IT issues affecting Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express, and Great Northern services, leading to potential short-notice cancellations and real-time customer information failures.

The global outage, attributed to a CrowdStrike software update, has caused significant challenges, with ongoing efforts to manage the situation.

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Korean Designer Upcycles Nike and McDonalds Furniture

Jul 19 2024

Gyuhan Lee is a South Korean artist who is known for his upcycled sculptures and projects using recycled everyday objects. He has transformed Nike boxes into furniture as part of a series in 2020, reinterpreting well-known brands into functional products.

His latest project, being unveiled showcases new McDonald’s lamp sculptures made from takeaway bags. The result of this upcycling is elegant, smooth, and refined, as it alters our association with typical burger packaging.

Although there isn’t a direct statement on food waste in this work, there are clear parallels with our dependence on single-use items, plastics, and papers. Paper and bags are often seen as disposable items that serve only one purpose before becoming useless. Although we obviously can’t use McDonald’s bags that have been wrapped in food on a daily basis, Lee’s sculptures serve as a helpful reminder of the value of upcycling and repurposing.

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Lee’s work is a creative example of reinvention, but is a reminder of how much we rely on unsustainable methods of packaging and consumption.

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Second Power Cut Hits Malta and Gozo just this Week

Jul 19 2024

Gozo and Mellieħa experienced significant power cuts, affecting several northern localities. The incident, caused by a damaged electricity cable that usually supplies power to Gozo, plunged numerous areas into darkness. The localities impacted included Fontana, Għajnsielem, Għarb, Għasri, Kerċem, Mellieħa, Munxar, Nadur, Qala, Victoria, San Lawrenz, Sannat, Xagħra, Xewkijja, and Żebbuġ, as reported by Enemalta’s live outage map.

The power interruption was attributed to a high-tension fault, according to the Enemalta website. However, the power was restored to the affected areas within 27 minutes, as confirmed by an Enemalta spokesperson. Despite the brief duration, the outage highlighted the vulnerability of the electricity supply infrastructure in these regions.

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Sarah Bonnici Shares Video of Her Manifesting Isle of MTV Performance

Jul 19 2024

Sarah Bonnici recently shared an inspiring old video of herself manifesting her Isle of MTV 2024 performance, celebrating a dream come true after her performance at this year’s Isle of MTV on Tuesday.

The Maltese singer, who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in May, has since cultivated a dedicated fan base that was thrilled to see her take the stage at Fosos.

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The video, which Bonnici posted on her social media, captures her manifesting her performance at Europe’s biggest free summer music festival. Her followers were quick to congratulate Bonnici in the comments, praising her artist’s journey. Bonnici’s manifestation video really struck a chord with her followers.

In addition to the throwback video, Bonnici shared a short after-movie of her Isle of MTV gig, highlighting the atmosphere and her dynamic performance. Accompanying the video were several snapshots of Bonnici and her team, including creative director Steven Levi Vella and her dancers.

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