A running joke, visible in front of the cameras, is playing out between Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso this season. After Verstappen only qualified ninth for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, second-placed Alonso predicted – in a routine which would be laughable if it wasn’t so accurate – that the Red Bull would slingshot past him by lap 25. In similar circumstances three races back in Saudi Arabia, wily double world champion Alonso was near-enough spot-on with the same prophecy. Except this time, it didn’t take Verstappen that long. By lap 15, Verstappen had overtaken seven sitting ducks to reach the rear of team-mate Sergio Perez. Eking out the maximum performance in his set of hard tyres, the Dutchman was in prime position to overtake Perez by the time he pitted for mediums on lap 46. Two rounds of the circuit later, Verstappen stormed clear of Perez’s valiant defence to take a statement victory. That, plus the fastest lap, handed the championship leader a perfect 26-point day. His gap to Perez is now 14 points. Aston Martin’s Alonso, in third, is 44 points behind Verstappen – the closest challenger outside the Red Bull behemoth. But it is the Constructors’ Standings which really tells the tale of this one-sided bloodbath right now. Red Bull, on 224 points out of a possible 235, are 122 points ahead of Aston Martin, a surprise success story. Mercedes and Ferrari – giants of Formula 1, the supposed title challengers – are 128 and 146 points behind Red Bull respectively. We have had just five grand prix weekends. Five. Christian Horner, gleaming under the Florida sun after a fourth Red Bull one-two in five races, simply could not help himself: “We’ve never, ever had a start like this. We’re wondering: where are the others? We’ve made a normal step over the winter. “Where did Ferrari and Mercedes go?” The gap between the RB19 and the rest is truly staggering. Excluding the Australian Grand Prix which concluded under the safety car, the amassed gap between the RB19 and the next-best car is over 1 minute and 45 seconds. 106.8 seconds, to be precise, in just four grand prix. In Miami, the gap was 26.3 seconds, still less than the 38.6 second Red Bull advantage at the season-opener in Bahrain. RED BULL’S ADVANTAGE OVER THE NEXT-BEST CAR Bahrain: 36.6 seconds Saudi Arabia: 20.7 seconds Australia: 0.1 seconds Azerbaijan: 21.2 seconds Miami: 26.3 seconds In short, Mercedes and Ferrari have never been further away from the front in the hybrid era. Last year, in what proved to be a season of double world championship glory for Red Bull, Charles Leclerc was at least winning races and challenging at the start of the campaign. By the end of 2022, Mercedes seemed to have, finally, unlocked their unique package with a one-two finish in Brazil. Yet on Sunday, Leclerc was grappling with Haas’ and Alpines in the midfield on his way to seventh. Lewis Hamilton – who only qualified 13th-fastest – had to make a late surge to leap up to P6. Perhaps the most amusing moment in the closing laps was George Russell, in a state of bewildered shock running in fourth, asking his engineer: “Who is the car ahead of Fernando on track? We’re that close to Perez?!” A simple response squashed any hope. It was simply a lapped car. “No, sorry. It’s Sargeant on track.” Ever since admitting to needing to rip up their current car philosophy in Bahrain, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has referred to the next race in Imola as a potential season benchmark, with a new upgrade highly-anticipated. Yet while Hamilton insisted he needs a “one-second upgrade”, Wolff downplayed expectations. “I don’t think we’ll get there and suddenly we’re half a second faster and in the middle of a fight,” he remarked, after a weekend in Miami when he also described the W14 car as a “nasty piece of work” and “poisonous.” Ferrari, meanwhile, do have a car capable of challenging on a Saturday, as Leclerc showed in the last race in Baku with two pole positions. Yet the contrast to raceday – a reminder to the Scuderia: when the points are won – is perplexing to all those in scarlet red. “Once again today, the significant difference between the SF-23’s performance level in qualifying and the race was clear to see,” a baffled Fred Vasseur, team principal, said. Two weeks’ time in Imola will see Ferrari’s famed legion of fans, the tifosi, turn up in their thousands. What Ferrari greets them, however, remains to be seen. Upgrades are coming for both. Mercedes – and the wider F1 fanbase, truth be told – are pinning their season hopes on this upcoming renovation. Ferrari have new parts coming too, amid a scratching of heads in Maranello. Horner did point out that Red Bull’s penalty for breaking the 2021 cost cap will affect them as the season progresses. Even more reason, he says, to get “fresh air” between Red Bull and the chasing pack right now. But he need not worry. The gap already looks near-insurmountable with 18 races to go. The title fight looks likely to be played out between his men – and even then with a now-undisputed favourite. Keep those fingers and toes crossed for Imola. Maybe the upgrades can miraculously narrow the top-tier playing field. The competitiveness of this season may just hinge on it. Read More ‘Nasty piece of work’: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes slammed by Toto Wolff Max Verstappen claims Miami boos are due to his success: ‘They don’t like who wins’ Max Verstappen sends chilling message to rivals after Miami win: ‘I always feel unbeatable’ George Russell takes aim at ‘distracting’ razzmatazz before Miami Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton would be taking gamble by leaving Mercedes, says former rival

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The federal government is reportedly investing at least $22m into developing clothes that “can record audio, video, and geolocation data.” According to a 22 August press release from the office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the research and development arm of the organisation, “recently launched a cutting-edge program that aims to make performance-grade, computerized clothing a reality”. The DNI touted the SMART ePANTS program, which stands for Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems, that “seeks to develop clothing with integrated audio, video, and geolocation sensor systems that feature the same stretchability, bendability, washability, and comfort of regular textiles,” IARPA stated. They will be used by the intelligence community, IARPA wrote. Since the surveillance technology will be woven into the clothing, “Intelligence Community staff will be able to record information from their environment hands-free, without the need to wear uncomfortable, bulky, and rigid devices.” For example, according to the release, the technology could “assist personnel and first responders in dangerous, high-stress environments, such as crime scenes and arms control inspections without impeding their ability to swiftly and safely operate.” The SMART ePANTS program’s mission is to to incorporate “sensor systems” into clothes, like shirts, pants, socks, and underwear. The Intercept reported that the federal government has dedicated at least $22m in funding to the program. It’s unclear just how big of a gamble IARPA might be making with its investment. Its website describes itself as investing “federal funding into high-risk, high-reward projects to address challenges facing the intelligence community.” “A lot of the IARPA and DARPA programs are like throwing spaghetti against the refrigerator,” Annie Jacobsen, author of a book called The Pentagon’s Brain about ​​the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, told the outlet. “It may or may not stick.” Dr Dawson Cagle, an IARPA program manager leading the SMART ePANTS program, said that while he is “proud of the intelligence aspect” of the program, he’s “excited about the possibilities that the program’s research will have for the greater world.” He said that he was inspired in part to create the program by his father, who was a diabetic, and therefore had to monitor his health multiple times a day. His father’s experience paired with the research that supports that the components of a computer “have already been developed, just as individual pieces,” he explained. If you can convert all of the components into a single, wearable device, the program’s goal will have been achieved, Dr Cagle said. Ms Jacobsen warned that the advancement of smart wearables could lead to future concerns over biometric surveillance by the government. “They’re now in a position of serious authority over you. In TSA, they can swab your hands for explosives,” Ms Jacobsen told The Intercept. “Now suppose SMART ePANTS detects a chemical on your skin — imagine where that can lead.” But IARPA pushed back on this assertion, as spokesperson Nicole de Haay told the outlet: “IARPA programs are designed and executed in accordance with, and adhere to, strict civil liberties and privacy protection protocols. Further, IARPA performs civil liberties and privacy protection compliance reviews throughout our research efforts.” Read More Swedish citizen goes on trial on charges of collecting information for Russia Seoul's spy agency says Russia has likely proposed North Korea to join three-way drills with China Biden says he is ‘disappointed’ at Xi Jinping skipping India’s G20 summit Vodafone users say they can’t call people World’s first solar-powered hybrid truck tested on public roads Apple is about to make a huge change to the iPhone that it never wanted to do

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In-N-Out’s classic “animal style” burger and fries used to be a secret menu item at the fast food chain, but has since become one most customers are now familiar with. The option became so popular that it is now listed under the “not so secret menu” category on In-N-Out’s website. As for what it entails, “animal style” refers to a burger with a beef patty grilled with mustard then served with pickles, lettuce, grilled onions, and extra spread on a toasted bun. Animal style fries, meanwhile, are topped with cheese, spread, and grilled onions. Although part of the menu, it wasn’t previously clear where the name for the burger joint’s style came from, until now. Lynsi Snyder, one of the owners of In-N-Out, is sharing the chain’s secret, and other unknown details about the restaurant, in her book set to come out in October titled, The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California’s First Drive-Through and How it Became a Beloved Cultural Icon. According to Insider, which received an advance copy of Synder’s book, one of the sections is called “Birth of Icons,” in which Synder discussed how the “animal style” burger was named. It turns out that animal comes from rowdy customers or “animals.” Snyder wrote that these customers “would honk their horns while orders were taken,” or they would “leave trash on the lots and play their music extra loud”. According to Syner, they were sometimes so rowdy they would get into fights with each other. At the time, employees at In-N-Out were called “helpers” who began to call these customers “animals.” “Good naturedly, the helpers inside referred to them as ‘animals,’” Snyder wrote. She added that, one night in 1961, an “animal” spotted a manager making himself a burger. The joint was originally designed with floor-to-ceiling windows so customers could watch burgers being prepared, which was co-founder Harry Snyder’s idea, as he “believed customers would enjoy seeing their food made with care,” Snyder explained. The customer was intrigued as to what this burger was and asked him what was in it. “It’s mustard fried,” Roberts responded, according to the book. “I add pickles, grilled onions, and extra spread.” In response, the customer said: “Sounds amazing. Can you make me one too?” according to the book. Roberts obliged, and “the guy wolfed it down,” calling it the best burger he ever had, Snyder wrote. The customer liked it so much that he continued to order it, but had no idea what to call. Eventually Roberts told him, “Just call it Animal Style,” according to Synder. “That’s how Animal Style burgers got their name, and the request is the first known instance of a secret In-N-Out menu item,” Snyder wrote. Today, this style is a popular way to not only order burgers, but fries as well. Synder wrote that the case for other items on the “not so secret menu” comes from custom creations customers have come up with over the years. For example, the Double-Double was a custom “double meat, double cheese” off-menu order made by guests looking for a meatier meal, Snyder wrote. The Double-Double first appeared on the menu during the 1 August 1966 opening of store number six, according to the book. Read More Khloe Kardashian teases Kris Jenner for not knowing cost of fast food after she gave her $300 for In-N-Out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparks debate after declaring In-N-Out ‘overrated’: ‘Thank you for saying this’ ‘We refuse to become vaccination police’: In-N-Out Burger is a leading mandate opponent on the West Coast Starbucks releases new fall menu with two brand-new drinks: ‘Pure joy’ What is the UK’s cheapest meal deal? Waitrose has launched its first ever lunchtime meal deal

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