Slashdot: Startup Raises $200 Million To ‘De-Extinct’ the Woolly Mammoth, Thylacine and Dodo

An anonymous reader quotes a report from VentureBeat:

Colossal BioSciences has raised $200 million in a new round of funding to bring back extinct species like the woolly mammoth. Dallas- and Boston-based Colossal is making strides in the scientific breakthroughs toward “de-extinction,” or bringing back extinct species like the woolly mammoth, thylacine and the dodo. […] Since launching in September 2021, Colossal has raised $435 million in total funding. This latest round of capital places the company at a $10.2 billion valuation. Colossal will leverage this latest infusion of capital to continue to advance its genetic engineering technologies while pioneering new revolutionary software, wetware and hardware solutions, which have applications beyond de-extinction including species preservation and human healthcare.

Bet you can’t de-extinct just one!

CleanTechnica: U.S. EIA Extends 5 Key Energy Forecasts through December 2026

In our January 2024 Short-Term Energy Outlook, which includes data and forecasts through December 2026, we forecast five key energy trends that we expect will help shape markets over the next two years.

• Electricity consumption will start growing, driven by new demand sources …
• Solar power will supply most of the increase in electricity consumption …
• Global oil consumption growth remains below its pre-pandemic average …
• U.S. crude oil production growth begins to level off in 2026 …
• The United States continues to export more liquefied natural gas (LNG) …

With charts.

ScienceAlert: Weight Isn’t The Ultimate Predictor of Early Death – But Something Else Is

In other words, while obesity is connected to many health issues, being fit is more important than being ‘thin’ when it comes to living longer and staying healthy for longer. The findings could be a reason to revamp public health strategies and treatments.

Globe: New CBC documentary, Putin’s Journey, traces the authoritarian’s rise to power

Putin’s Journey, a new two-hour CBC News documentary premiering Friday, revisits this period in which the dream of Russian democracy disappeared while exploring Putin’s path from childhood poverty to KGB agent in the Soviet Union, then from part-time taxi driver to the presidency in post-Soviet Russia.

The Globe and Mail spoke to Terence McKenna, the documentary’s narrator and writer and a CBC veteran of more than 40 years, about the unlearned lessons of Putin’s quarter century in power.

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Putin’s Journey premieres Friday, Jan. 17 on CBC (at 8 p.m. local, 8:30 NT) and CBC Gem; and again on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. ET on CBC News Network.

Discover: All-Optical Computer Unveiled With 100 GHz Clock Speed

The device paves the way for a new era of ultrafast computing, say researchers.

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By 2005, computer chips were running a billion times faster than the Z3 in the region of 5GHz. But then progress stalled. Today, state-of-the-art chips still operate at around 5GHz, a limit bottleneck that has significantly restricted progress in fields requiring ultrafast data processing

Guardian: US astronaut takes first spacewalk after seven months stuck in orbit | International Space Station

One of Nasa’s two stuck astronauts got a much-welcomed change of scenery on Thursday, stepping out on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago.

Suni Williams, the station’s commander, had to tackle some overdue outdoor repair work alongside Nasa’s Nick Hague. They emerged as the orbiting lab sailed 260 miles (420km) above Turkmenistan.

“I’m coming out,” Williams radioed.

Plans called for Williams to float back out next week with Butch Wilmore. Williams and Wilmore launched onboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule last June on what should have been a weeklong test flight.

But Starliner trouble dragged out their return, and Nasa ordered the capsule to come back empty. Then SpaceX delayed the launch of their replacements, meaning the two will not be home until late March or early April – 10 months after launching.

UPI: Keir Starmer finalizes ‘100-year’ security, economic pact in Kyiv in show of solidarity

The military side of the deal will strengthen maritime security cooperation via a new initiative to bolster defense in the Black and Asov seas, as well as the Baltic Sea, and head off further Russian aggression, alongside science and tech partnerships in public health, agri-tech and aerospace and education exchange programs, No. 10 Downing Street said in a news release.

Spanning nine key pillars, the treaty and a political declaration formalizes Britain as Ukraine’s preferred partner in the energy, critical metals and green steel sectors and will deliver a U.K-conceived track-and-trace scheme to combat grain theft from occupied areas, with London billing the package as a transformative forward leap for Ukraine’s security long-term.

HowToGeek: Everything You Can Do With Your iPhone’s Secret “Interrogation Codes”

Your iPhone has secret codes you can plug into the dialer to access hidden options. These codes “interrogate” the phone to find and change various settings or provide information such as your cellular signal strength. Here’s what you can do with them.

UPI: Uncrewed SpaceX Starship explodes minutes after launch from Texas

The rocket launched at 4:37 p.m. CT from SpaceX’s South Texas facilities.

After about 8 1/2 minutes into the flight and following stage separation, the upper stage of the rocket appeared to explode.

NYT: Wendy Williams Breaks Silence on Guardianship: ‘I Feel Like I am in Prison’

The former daytime host, who has been diagnosed with dementia, said in an interview on The Breakfast Club that she was “not cognitively impaired” and spoke about her life in a care facility.

NYT: General Motors Is Banned From Selling Driving Behavior Data for 5 Years

The F.T.C. opened an investigation and determined that G.M. had collected and sold data from millions of vehicles “without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their affirmative consent.” Drivers who signed up for OnStar Connected Services and activated a feature called Smart Driver were subject to the data collection. But federal regulators said the enrollment process was so confusing, many consumers did not realize that they had signed up for it.

Mary Barra, is anything that makes money ethically OK?

Last Updated: 16.Jan.2025 23:56 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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Platformer: Meta just flipped the switch that prevents misinformation from spreading in the United States

The company built effective systems to reduce the reach of fake news. Last week, it shut them down.

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For now, these changes only apply to the United States — though you get the sense that Zuckerberg would happily roll them out anywhere else he’s allowed to.

Electrek: Toyota funded climate deniers and Elon fudged the FSD numbers [video]

On today’s episode of Quick Charge, we look into a new study revealing that Toyota outspends all other automakers when it comes to funding climate change denying politicians and Fred accuses Elon of misrepresenting the data behind Full Self Driving (again).

We’ve also got word that the recently redesigned Tesla Model Y is being built in Giga Berlin, Hyundai’s electrified lineup is leading a record export year for the brand, and a new study says cleantech investments will beat out conventional energy production for the first time in 2025.

I bought Toyotas for years. Right now, it seems unlikely I ever will again.

Globe: At 65, I decided to finally take on the West Coast trail

Ever since I moved to British Columbia in the 1980s, I’ve wanted to hike the West Coast Trail in Pacific Rim National Park. The 75-kilometre route follows the exposed western coastline of Vancouver Island, through old-growth forests, sandy beaches and rocky headlands. But it is extremely remote and challenging: Parks Canada performs 60 to 80 air and marine rescues of hikers each year. It’s no wonder that for many the West Coast Trail is a rite of passage.

After four decades of contemplating hiking it myself, I was suddenly 65 and still hadn’t crossed the adventure off my bucket list. It was time to get started.

Off Track Travel: The West Coast Trail: Complete 2025 Hiking Guide

Since I had so much information to share, I also created some separate, dedicated guides to the most discussed topics:

• Complete West Coast Trail Campground Guide
• West Coast Trail Transportation Logistics
• WCT Hiking Itineraries: 5, 6, 7 + 8 Days
• WCT Packing List: The Best Items to Bring

The Conversation: ‘Solar shepherds’ earn big by grazing sheep on solar farms — and they benefit everyone involved

My recent study, conducted with Ivey Business School alum Adam Gasch and professional shepherd Rafael Lara from The Lara Costa, found that modern solar shepherding businesses in places like Ontario can pull incomes equivalent to doctors, senior engineers or even lawyers.

These solar shepherds are the vanguard of a new type of farming called agrivoltaics – a portmanteau for agriculture and photovoltaics – where agricultural production is intertwined with solar electricity production. Agrivoltaics is gaining traction in Canada, thanks to organizations like Agrivoltaics Canada, of which I am a founding member.

Agrivoltaics has enormous potential to solve our climate and energy problems simultaneously. About one-quarter to one-third of Canada’s total electrical energy needs could be met by converting just one per cent of agricultural land to agrivoltaics. Expanding this to a slightly larger percentage could eliminate Canada’s need for fossil fuels entirely.

MacRumors: Apple CEO Tim Cook Shares Tidbits About His Life

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook recently sat down for an interview with Table Manners podcast hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware when he visited London in December. Cook shared insight into his daily routine, his focus on work, and his retirement plans. He also provided some fun details about Apple and some of his favorite things.

Table Manners direct link: Tim Cook episode

Last Updated: 15.Jan.2025 18:49 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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CBC: Physician assistants approved to work in a B.C. hospital for the 1st time

Physician assistants (PAs) are medical professionals who work under the supervision of physicians. While they do not possess a medical degree, they are educated through a two-year graduate program under the same medical model used to train doctors.

Although PAs aren’t yet considered a “designated health profession” in B.C., two have joined the Saanich Peninsula Hospital as part of a one-year pilot program approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C.

Unlike nurse practitioners already working across B.C., physician assistants cannot operate independently from a doctor. The physician’s college says PAs are currently only permitted in emergency departments within the B.C. health system.

This is an interesting pilot program. I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out, but it’s good to keep trying different models to alleviate the pressures on the system.

CBC: Regina now home to Canada’s first ‘sustainable’ Tim Hortons

Low-carbon concrete, rainwater harvesting system among features.

Good on the franchisees, the Di Stasi family!

Bob Mankoff (TED Talk): Anatomy of a New Yorker cartoon

1,436,754 views
TEDSalon NY2013
May 2013

TidBITS: Parallels Desktop 20.2

Parallels has released version 20.2 of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualization software. The update launches an early technology preview for importing and running x86_64 virtual machines initially created on Intel-based Macs on Apple silicon Macs (be aware of the preview’s significant limitations — Parallels says, “It is slow, really slow.").

CBC: P.E.I. homeowner captures sound and video of meteorite strike on camera, and scientists believe it’s a first [video]

Luckier still, his home security camera caught both video and audio of the meteorite’s crash landing. 

Scientists believe it could be the first time that both sound and visuals of a meteorite’s strike have ever been recorded. 

Geoff Greer: Gasoline Car Review

8.Feb.2023

I recently purchased a Mazda Miata. This car is interesting because instead of running on electricity, it is powered by a combustible liquid called gasoline. The vehicle has an engine that mixes the gasoline with oxygen from the air, ignites the mixture, and uses the resulting combustion to push the car forward. I don’t fully understand the details of how it works, but this difference in propulsion technology totally changes the experience of owning and operating a vehicle.

A lot can be forgiven if it’s a Miata.

via Brian Christiansen

Last Updated: 14.Jan.2025 15:08 EST

Monday’s articles

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The New Yorker: Are Ultra-Processed Foods Killing Us?

Until recently, Guillaume Raineri, a forty-two-year-old man with a bald head and a bushy goatee, worked as an hvac technician in Gonesse, a small town about ten miles north of Paris. The area lends its name to pain de Gonesse, a bread historically made from wheat that was grown locally, milled with a special process, and fermented slowly to develop flavor. The French élite once savored its crisp yet chewy crust and its tender, subtly sweet crumb. Raineri would occasionally grab a loaf from a boulangerie after work. He doesn’t consider himself a foodie—“but, you know, I’m French,” he told me.

After Raineri’s wife got a job at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland, they moved to the U.S. The transition was something of a shock. “The food here is different,” he said in a heavy French accent. “Bigger portions. Too much salt. Too much sugar.” He decided to enroll in a paid study at his wife’s new workplace. It was exploring why the American diet, compared with almost any other, causes people to gain weight and develop chronic diseases at such staggering rates. “I wanted to know what is good for my body,” he told me.

Our food conglomerates, like most of our politicians, feel beholden to no one but themselves.

Financial Post: EV transition runs into more trouble as Transport Canada abruptly pauses rebate program

The federal program, known as Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV), was scheduled to expire in March 2025 or until funds ran out. A separate incentive program for businesses purchasing trucks will continue until March 2026 or until funds run out.

The issue hardly ends in Canada for automakers. Donald Trump, who becomes president of the United States next week, has also said he plans to scrap tax credits that provide up to US$7,500 on EV purchases.

Last Updated: 13.Jan.2025 21:44 EST

Sunday’s articles

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CleanTechnica: Your Questions About Montana Renewables, (Partly) Answered

The biofuel field is beginning to grow past the food-vs-fuel debate by moving the focus to camelina and other non-food oilseed crops that can grow on marginal, non-food lands. Still, the prospect of mowing down forests, grasslands, and other biodiverse habitats to grow energy crops is not a sustainable solution.

A more promising movement is afoot to replant derelict citrus plantations and other pre-stressed lands with new climate-hardy varietiesthat lend themselves to biofuel production as well as food and animal feed. Algae farming is another potential pathway for avoiding habitat destruction, though significant obstacles remain in that field. Neither of these options is available at scale here and now, though.

Wikipedia: Camelina

Biodiesel made from camelina has a variety of benefits. First, traditional petroleum or diesel fuel is not renewable resources, the production of these resources is finite. Camelina biodiesel, however, is a renewable resource. Camelina based aviation fuel could save 84% of carbon emissions. Camelina biodiesel can be produced in large quantities as feedstocks are enough. Moreover, camelina biodiesel can reduce a country’s dependence on fossil resources, which can ensure a country’s energy security. In addition, camelina biodiesel is an environmentally friendly fuel, and it is biodegradable. The greenhouse gas emission of camelina biodiesel produced by no-till farming is lower than that of traditional methods.

Verge (YouTube): CES 2025 roundtable: AI, robots, and everything else

While we’re used to highlighting the best parts of CES, we wanted to chat through the contenders that didn’t make the shortlist, but definitely made an impact.

• 00:01 Intro
• 00:30 Big CES 2025 trends: smart glasses, AI, chatbots, smart home robots
• 05:40 Antonio’s first CES
• 06:30 Laptops, gaming handhelds
• 08:30 CES attendance records?
• 09:55 Victoria’s “most CES” moment
• 10:30 Karaoke and speakers
• 11:12 Favorite vaporware
• 11:50 The CES b-sides
• 12:00 Intel Innovation showcase
• 13:42 Smart ring — Circular Ring 2
• 15:22 Best Boox Palma alternative — TCL 60 XE
• 18:50 Audio tech — monitor with beamforming audio
• 20:07 Wildlife camera
• 22:02 Portable TV — LG StanByME 2 (and the rest of LG products)
• 23:05 Nilay’s closing remarks

The Verge (YouTube): Best of CES 2025

CES 2025 has wrapped, and after days on the show floor, our Verge reporters have picked the year’s best tech. From next-gen gaming handhelds and bendable screens to new TVs, AI-powered smart home gadgets, smart rings, and futuristic EVs. Here are our top picks from the show. Presented by Siemens

Read more: www.theverge.com/2025/1/10…

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:31 Chris Welch - Best TV
• 02:33 Victoria Song - Best wearable
• 03:26 Victoria Song - Best beauty tech
• 05:13 Antonio Di Benedetto - Best laptop
• 06:22 Andrew J. Hawkins - Best car
• 07:20 Jennifer Pattison Tuohy - Best smart home tech
• 08:44 Allison Johnson - Best toaster imposter
• 10:11 Sean Hollister - Best gaming handheld
• 11:14 Tom Warren - Best gaming overall
• 13:04 Vjeran Pavic - Best sequel

Apple Insider: How to spot and block scam texts on your iPhone

By default, if you receive a text message on an iPhone or other Apple device from an unknown sender, any links therein are disabled. Once you reply to a message, however, the Messages app then allows clickable links, reports Bleeping Computer.

Scammers and other threat actors have developed a way around this restriction that savvy users will spot easily, but novice users might fall for. Often, this “smishing” attack comes in the form of a notice of an unpaid bill for a small amount, or a “failed delivery” notification.

The key to these new scam “warnings” is that they will often ask the recipient to reply “Y” or “N” or some variation in a reply immediately. They will instruct the user to reply, then exit the chat and return to their message in order to click a now-enabled scam link.

This explains those “Y or N” texts.

WashPo: NASA’s next great space telescope, the Roman, takes shape

About two dozen workers clustered around towering pieces of hardware, some twice or three times the height of a typical person. When stacked and integrated, these components will form the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

The assembly of the telescope ramped up this fall, with 600 workers aiming to get everything integrated and tested by late 2026. NASA has committed to launching the telescope no later than May 2027.

The telescope will be roughly the size of the Hubble Space Telescope, but not quite as long (a “stubby Hubble,” some call it).

Globe: Alex Ovechkin is on track to break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL career goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky.

Ovechkin has 873 goals and needs 22 to set a new record.

Ovechkin entered the season 42 short of breaking a record by “The Great One” that long seemed unapproachable.

Last Updated: 12.Jan.2025 23:36 EST

Saturday’s articles

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MacRumors: Apple’s Annual Shareholders Meeting Will Take Place on February 25

Apple’s 2025 shareholders meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, according to an SEC filing that was released today.

CleanTechnica: $1.67 Billion to Montana Renewables to Significantly Expand US Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production

The decarbonization of the U.S. transportation and industrial sectors depends on a significant increase in the production of biofuels—which are expected to deliver new economic opportunities for agricultural and rural communities across the nation while tackling the climate crisis. This project will utilize vegetable oils, fats, and greases to produce sustainable fuels.

The MRL facility has been in operation since late 2022, currently producing about 140 million gallons per year of biofuels, most of which is renewable diesel. The loan guarantee will fund facility expansion to produce about 315 million gallons per year of biofuels­­, most of which will be SAF.

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SAF is one of the only viable near-term options to decarbonize the airline industry, which is responsible for 11% of U.S. transportation emissions or 3.3% of total U.S. emissions.

CleanTechnica: Sneak Attack: Electric Trailers Turn ICE Trucks Into Hybrids

Unlike previous trips, this time he got to actually tow the trailer, which is important because easy towing is the key benefit to laying down the cash it takes to buy this trailer. So, this time he actually got to test it in a meaningful way. But, instead of seeing how it tows in an EV, he hooked it up to a Porsche Cayenne, a smaller ICE SUV.

To be methodical, he tested it first unpowered, then using different settings for assist level. The Pebble Flow has the ability to act like a brake controller, but in reverse, setting the assist level instead of setting the braking level. But, with regenerative braking, it can help with slowing down, too. It also had the benefit of dynamic control, using the electric axle to minimize sway, porpoising, etc. On the flip side, the trailer also has a “recharge” mode, where it can do mild regenerative braking to use the tow vehicle’s energy for trailer charging, which would reduce MPG, but allow for more power at the campsite for things like air conditioning, heat, cooking, etc.

Interesting idea: turn your internal combustion SUV into a hybrid of sorts.

UPI: Jeju Air black boxes stopped working minutes before deadly crash in South Korea

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly called black boxes, both stopped functioning around four minutes before Jeju Air flight 2216 crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed Saturday in a statement.

Officials did not speculate on why the devices may have stopped working on the Boeing 737-800 that was arriving from Bangkok, Thailand.

Daring Fireball: Nvidia, the New King of Keynotes

But one thing that’s very clear to my eyes is that they didn’t rehearse enough. Or more specifically, they didn’t rehearse nearly as much as Apple did when Apple performed live keynotes. Part of Steve Jobs’s on-stage appeal was that he came across as largely winging it, speaking off the cuff from an outline of prepared Keynote slides. But that was an illusion. Jobs rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed, and then rehearsed some more. Jobs might have been better than anyone else even if he had just winged it, but he still put in the work of rehearsing long hours to be as good as he could be.

9to5Mac: Turn your M4 Mac Mini into a Mini Mac Pro (Hands-on)

I’ve been seeing people give their Mac Minis a serious style upgrade by housing them in enclosures that make them look like mini Mac Pros–and I had to try it out for myself. Enter the Zeera MacForge Gen2, a CNC aluminum case that turns your Mac Mini M4 into a desktop workstation that looks like a shrunken version of Apple’s iconic Mac Pro. And let me tell you, I love the look.

Guardian: Editorial: With Hollywood ablaze, ditching carbon targets would be an act of recklessness

The devastating wave of wildfires that has reduced thousands of Hollywood homes to ashes could not have afflicted the US at a more telling moment. Figures released last week revealed that for the first time the world overshot the 1.5C limit in global temperature rises that had been set as a desired upper figure by the Paris climate accordof 2015.

It is clear that the floods that engulfed Valencia last year, along with the typhoons that ripped through the Philippines and the drought that afflicted the Amazon were all made more likely by this unwanted temperature rise, say scientists. From this perspective, Hollywood’s misery is just one of many examples of the destruction heaped upon the planet by our burning of fossil fuels and ever-rising emissions of greenhouse gases. Crucially, such disasters are only going to worsen until humanity abandons the widespread combustion of coal, gas and oil.

NYT: Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Rocket Launch Could Give SpaceX Some Competition

If New Glenn lifts off on Monday as planned, the Amazon founder’s rocket company will be on track to give Elon Musk’s SpaceX some genuine competition.

Atlantic: Mark Zuckerberg Is at War With Himself

Mark Zuckerberg is sick of the woke politics governing his social feeds. He’s tired of the censorship and social-media referees meddling in free speech. We’re in a “new era” now, he said in a video today, announcing that he plans to replace Facebook and Instagram fact-checkers with a system of community notes similar to the one on X, the rival platform owned by Elon Musk. Meta will also now prioritize “civic content,” a.k.a. political content, not hide from it.

The social-media hall monitors have been so restrictive on “topics of immigration and gender that they’re out of touch with mainstream discourse,” Zuckerberg said with the zeal of an activist. He spoke about “a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech” following “nonstop” concerns about misinformation from the “legacy media” and four years of the United States government “pushing for censorship.” It is clear from Zuckerberg’s announcement that he views establishment powers as having tried and failed to solve political problems by suppressing his users. That message is sure to delight Donald Trump and the incoming administration. But there’s one tiny hitch. Zuckerberg is talking about himself and his own policies. The establishment? That’s him.

The changes to Meta’s properties, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, are being framed by the CEO as a return “to our roots around free expression.” This bit of framing is key, painting him as having been right all along.

Last Updated: 11.Jan.2025 23:21 EST

Friday’s articles

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TLA: I Live My Life a Quarter Century at a Time

In the middle of all that, when I was out in Cupertino, I was asked if I wanted to work on a secret project with the code name “Überbar”. I was shown some prototypes and basically told that six people had seen it, and if it leaked they would know it was me that had talked. I figured if anybody was finally going to kill off DragThing, it might as well be me.

via Daring Fireball

*USA Today *: Trump’s historic sentence: Was he treated too harshly? Or too easily?

Trump was convicted May 30 in Manhattan Criminal Court on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan sentenced him to an “unconditional discharge,"which means Trump will get no prison time or probation as he prepares to enter the White House for a second time on Jan. 20.

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Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, a former public defender, said Trump got off way too [easily] for the serious crimes of which he was convicted, while a 17-year-old boy she represented “was held on felony probation for taking some candy from his school’s concession stand.”

Editor in Leaf: The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Fire Marc Savard

When you look at the Leafs power-play, it’s boring. They spend way too many seconds passing the puck backwards in their own zone after a face-off win and have standstill forwards at the blue-line during a break-in, which just doesn’t work. It’s so easy for the other team’s defense to stop the Leafs from their break-in, when half the team isn’t moving, so it’s not shocking that they don’t look good.

Verge: Drone takes out Super Scooper fighting Los Angeles wildfires

The water-dropping aircraft is now grounded for repairs as civilian drones hamper firefighting efforts.

Canadian CL-415 from Quebec is a heavy lifter (6000 liters per fill) so the loss will have a significant impact.

Last Updated: 10.Jan.2025 23:22 EST

Thursday’s articles

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CBS: Before the Palisades Fire, many of those homeowners had lost insurance

About 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades were dropped by State Farm in July, California Department of Insurance spokesman Michael Soller said in an Thursday email to CBS MoneyWatch. An analysis of insurance data by CBS San Francisco last year found that State Farm also dropped more than 2,000 policies in two other Los Angeles Zip codes, which include the Brentwood, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Monte Nido neighborhoods.

In an email to CBS MoneyWatch, State Farm said, “Our No. 1 priority right now is the safety of our customers, agents and employees impacted by the fires and assisting our customers in the midst of this tragedy.”

“Hope you didn’t have the fire AND theft policy!” — (Allen Klein?)

Last Updated: 09.Jan.2025 17:05 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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MacRumors: Razer Shows Off Gaming Chair With Integrated Heating and Cooling

The chair offers three adjustable fan speeds for personalized cooling, and Razer says that the heat dissipation offered by the airflow can reduce perceived temperatures by up 2°C to 5°C in dry environments.

When it’s cooler, there’s a built-in heating system that uses energy-efficient PTC heatings delivering up to 30°C of warm air. According to Razer, the chair’s noise level is as “soft as a whisper,” with the various functions able to be controlled through a touch panel on the chair’s arm.

I guess I’ve kind of lost track of things…!

CNBC: Microsoft confirms performance-based job cuts across departments

Microsoft confirms performance-based job cuts across departments

• Microsoft is cutting a small percentage of jobs across departments, based on performance.
• “When people are not performing, we take the appropriate action,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an email, confirming the job cuts.

He’s essentially smearing everyone who gets laid off. Kind of nasty.

Guardian: Japanese yakuza leader pleads guilty to trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar

US authorities charged Takeshi Ebisawa with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar for expected use by Iran in nuclear weapons.

Last Updated: 08.Jan.2025 09:28 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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Daily Beast: Elon Musk Biographer Seth Abramson Details Why He Thinks Billionaire Is ‘Going Mad’

The Harvard Law-educated biographer Seth Abramson speculated Monday that Musk might be “going mad” in a setting for all to see-brought on by his growing stress, history of mental illness, and self-described heavy drug use.

“I legitimately believe Elon Musk may be going mad,” he posted to X. “I’m a Musk biographer who has been tracking his online behavior for the last two years-and given that he’s admitted to all of mental illness, heavy drug use, and crippling stress, it is now reasonable to fear he is deeply unwell.”

CBC: Capital gains tax changes are in limbo. But the CRA is collecting new charges anyway

Some Canadians may be forced to pay higher capital gains tax for a year or two, according to business group.

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Even so, following government practice around tax change proposals, the Canada Revenue Agency has already begun collecting capital gains taxes at the new and higher rate.

“We could be in this weird limbo period for a year or two, driving uncertainty, which is super unfair to my members,” said Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The new Minister of Finance should tell Revenue Canada to immediately cease and desist from this practice.

Globe: Capital gains tax uncertainty leaves taxpayers facing two unappealing options

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he will resign and prorogue Parliament heightens the uncertainty around the fate of the capital gains tax changes, with affected taxpayers potentially left to decide whether they’d rather risk overpaying the tax or facing interest and penalties later on, tax experts warn.

The Trudeau government said in its latest federal budget it would raise the portion of capital gains subject to income tax. Under the current rules, only 50 per cent of a profit on the sale of an asset such as stocks or real estate is taxable, meaning half of the gain is included in income tax calculations. The new proposal would push up that share to 66.67 per cent, though the higher inclusion rate would only apply to individuals for annual capital gains above $250,000.

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Conservative finance critic Jasraj Hallan Singh told The Globe and Mail in an e-mail statement that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre would not pursue the capital gains tax changes if he becomes the country’s next prime minister.

Globe: Health Minister urged to ink deals with provinces, territories on coverage for diabetes drugs, contraceptives

Prorogation, unlike the dissolution of Parliament, means politicians, including ministers, retain access to their rights and privileges. For this reason, Mr. Holland is being urged to secure the bilateral deals, which are viewed as a first step in rolling out pharmacare. Negotiations could begin after a law was passed in October.

Proponents of universal drug coverage say there is no time to waste to reach the deals because the situation is dire for individuals who cannot afford medications they need. They say some become very ill and even die because they are not able to access treatment for conditions such as diabetes.

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When asked Tuesday if they would amend or repeal the pharmacare law should the Conservatives form government, the party’s health critic Stephen Ellis, a physician who represents the Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland-Colchester, called the Liberal government’s plan “chaotic” and “expensive,” adding it could “jeopardize coverage” plans that are in place for 21 million Canadians.

“We will work with provinces to improve prescription drug access for Canadians,” he said in a statement.

Somewhat vague, hmm?

Globe: Meta to end fact-checking on Instagram, Facebook in bid to align with Trump’s policies

Meta Platforms Inc. is ending its fact-checking program and easing restrictions on content in a bid to reduce censorship as the company becomes more aligned with the incoming Trump administration.

The U.S. tech giant, which owns and operates Facebook and Instagram, announced Tuesday that its fact-checking program with independent third parties will be replaced with a community notes model similar to the model on X, where users can write and rate notes on posts with potentially misleading content. Meta said it decided to scrap the program because expert fact checkers had their own biases and too much content ended up being censored.

Little reason to remain with Facebook any longer as it turns into another sewer pipe like Twitter.

Simple Flying: China Certifies Its First All-Electric General Aviation Aircraft

China’s first Electric Aircraft has officially been certified by the State regulatory body. The RX4E is a light propeller aircraft that seats four people. It was developed by the Liaoning General Aviation Academy (LGAA) for use in areas with limited road infrastructure.

Last Updated: 07.Jan.2025 23:33 EST

Monday’s articles

Follow along as new links are added to today’s list

CBC: Trudeau to resign as prime minister after Liberal leadership race

PM asked Governor General to prorogue Parliament until March 24.

Finally. No matter what you think of him, his position had become untenable.

Ars Technica: Siri “unintentionally” recorded private convos; Apple agrees to pay $95M

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that its voice assistant Siri routinely recorded private conversations that were then shared with third parties and used for targeted ads.

In the proposed class-action settlement — which comes after five years of litigation — Apple admitted to no wrongdoing. Instead, the settlement refers to “unintentional” Siri activations that occurred after the “Hey, Siri” feature was introduced in 2014, where recordings were apparently prompted without users ever saying the trigger words, “Hey, Siri.”

They unintentionally shared it “with third parties and used [it] for targeted ads”?! Apple’s credibility is now in tatters.

Guardian: Arwa Mahdawi: I tried ‘intermittent sobriety’. Here’s what I learned jumping on and off the wagon

While this is by no means health advice, these are a few things I’ve found helpful in case you’re also feeling sober curious.

PBS: Jimmy Carter was an outlier with other former presidents but formed a friendship for the ages with Gerald Ford

As a member of that elite, informal club, Carter was uniquely positioned to do important work for his successors, whether Democrat or Republican. He achieved significant results at times, thanks to his public stature as a peacemaker, humanitarian and champion of democracy and his deep relationships with foreign leaders, troublemakers included.

UPI: Ancient Byzantine monastery uncovered at Israeli construction site

Colorful mosaic floor bears Greek translation of Deuteronomy 28:6.

BBC: McDonald’s faces new abuse claims despite promises of change

However, one current and two former workers from different parts of the country, claim that the restaurant audits that were promised, were stage-managed by the branches.

More than 700 current and former junior employees are now taking legal action against the firm, accusing it of failing to protect them.

Last Updated: 06.Jan.2025 18:10 EST

Saturday’s articles

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Rolling Stone: Jimmy Carter: America’s Greatest Environmental President

On June 20, 1979, President Jimmy Carter invited reporters up to the White House roof for a ceremony to inaugurate the installation of 32 solar water-heating panels. America was in the midst of an energy freak-out, with long lines at gas stations and not-crazy fear that the U.S. economy was going to be starved by its dependence on foreign oil. And Carter was paying the price: his approval rating was 28 percent, the lowest of his presidency. On that summer day, Carter acknowledged that “some few Americans have reached a state of panic.” But instead of pandering to Americans and promising more oil and gas, he challenged them, insisting that “America was not built on timidity or panic.” Carter announced that he was committed to spending more than $1 billion “to stimulate solar and other renewable forms of energy,” in the expectation that within two decades 20 percent of the nation’s energy would be generated by solar power.

“In the year 2000,” Carter told the crowd on the rooftop that day, “this solar water heater behind me… will still be here supplying cheap, efficient energy.” Then he added, prophetically, “A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”

Guardian: ‘Ironic’: climate-driven sea level rise will overwhelm major oil ports, study shows

Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world’s biggest oil ports, analysis indicates.

Scientists said the threat was ironic as fossil fuel burning causes global heating. They said reducing emissions by moving to renewable energy would halt global heating and deliver more reliable energy.

Thirteen of the ports with the highest supertanker traffic will be seriously damaged by just 1 metre of sea level rise, the analysis found. The researchers said two low-lying ports in Saudi Arabia – Ras Tanura and Yanbu – were particularly vulnerable. Both are operated by Aramco, the Saudi state oil firm, and 98% of the country’s oil exports leave via these ports.

Guardian: Polyphenols: the natural chemicals that could give you a small waist, healthy heart and low blood pressure

They are found in high concentrations in fruits and vegetables with deep or vivid colours such as beetroot, blackberries, black olives, very red tomatoes and dark, leafy greens. As well as protecting the plant, phytonutrients – including polyphenols – also provide it with a strong pigment. The same is true for strong tastes: the more cough-inducing an extra virgin olive oil, the higher the likely concentration of polyphenols. Tea, coffee and dark chocolate are excellent sources.

NPR: Jurassic footprints are discovered on a ‘dinosaur highway’ in southern England

It began last June, when a worker at a limestone quarry in southeast England felt “unusual bumps” as he was digging up clay.

Now a team of over 100 researchers from the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford have determined that the mysterious bumps found at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire were in fact dinosaur tracks dating back to the Middle Jurassic period, around 166 million years ago.

Paleontologists say the some 200 footprints discovered along five different trails offer new insights into certain dinosaurs' size and speed.

Electrek: Farmrobo iMog brings autonomous tractor to hobby farms

Developed by Indian company Farmrobo Technologies, the iMog is a fully autonomous, multipurpose electric farm tractor designed to be a cost-effective solution to support small-scale farming operations and hobby farms.

In constant development since 2019, the Farmrobo iMog weights in at “just” 550 lbs., and is just two feet wide and four feet long. That’s small enough to allow it to easily fit between tightly-packed rows of crops without damaging them. The robot’s small size also makes it pretty efficient – its 8 HP electric motor can run for up to 5 hours on its relatively small 90 AH LFP battery (about 4 kWh, assuming a 48V system).

Last Updated: 04.Jan.2025 23:51 EST

Friday’s articles

Follow along as new links are added to today’s list

ScienceAlert: An Expert Explains Why Some People’s Hair And Nails Grow Faster

If all of our hair follicles grew at the same rate and entered the same phases simultaneously, there would be times when we would all be bald. That doesn’t usually happen: at any given time, only one in ten hairs is in the resting phase.

While we lose about 100–150 hairs daily, the average person has 100,000 hairs on their head, so we barely notice this natural shedding.

Daring Fireball: Simon Willisons’s Approach to Running a Link Blog

Speaking of Simon Willison, I greatly enjoyed this post from last week, with some of the self-imposed principles he follows writing his excellent eponymous blog. Amongst them:

• I always include the names of the people who created the content I am linking to, if I can figure that out. …
• If the original author reads my post, I want them to feel good about it. …
• A slightly self-involved concern I have is that I like to prove that I’ve read it. …

Wikipedia: Inulin

Because of the β(2,1) linkages, inulin is not digested by enzymes in the human alimentary system, contributing to its functional properties: reduced calorie value, dietary fiber, and prebiotic effects. Without color and odor, it has little impact on sensory characteristics of food products. Oligofructose has 35% of the sweetness of sucrose, and its sweetening profile is similar to sugar. Standard inulin is slightly sweet, while high-performance inulin is not. Its solubility is higher than the classical fibers. When thoroughly mixed with liquid, inulin forms a gel and a white creamy structure, which is similar to fat. Its three-dimensional gel network, consisting of insoluble submicron crystalline inulin particles, immobilizes a large amount of water, assuring its physical stability. It can also improve the stability of foams and emulsions.

I was interested in this ingredient in Farm Girl granola.

CBC: Apple to pay $95M to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million US to settle a lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other trendy devices.

The proposed settlement filed Tuesday in an Oakland, Calif., federal court would resolve a five-year-old lawsuit revolving around allegations that Apple surreptitiously activated Siri to record conversations through iPhones and other devices equipped with the virtual assistant for more than a decade.

The alleged recordings occurred even when people didn’t seek to activate the virtual assistant with the trigger words, “Hey, Siri.” Some of the recorded conversations were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers more likely to be interested in the goods and services, the lawsuit asserted.

This hits directly against Apple’s assertion of their total respect for user privacy. It destroys the main reason I have stuck with Apple through lagging technology, bugs, deteriorating UX, and other shortcomings over recent years.

Last Updated: 03.Jan.2025 21:41 EST

Thursday’s articles

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Globe: Shannon Proudfoot: Justin Trudeau’s detractors are growing more courageous

The holidays are often a time of reflection. And even as everyone is still shaking off their cheese-induced torpor, the internal calls for Justin Trudeau to resign as Liberal Leader are accumulating.

It emerged this week that a majority of the Liberal Quebec caucus wants Mr. Trudeau to step down, though no one involved seems willing to sign their name to their convictions. This follows a meeting of the Ontario caucus just before Christmas, at which more than 50 MPs agreed that the Prime Minister needed to resign, though they, too, wanted to remain anonymous.

Cheese?

Guardian: Early phase-out of full hybrid vehicles may be a political risk too far for UK ministers

The main timetable is set: no new petrol and diesel cars will be allowed to be sold in the UK after 2030, and sales of all new hybrids will be forbidden from 2035. But that phasing still leaves open the critical matter — for the automotive industry, and for a couple of manufacturers in particular — of which new hybrids will be allowed to be sold until the last day of 2034.

Just the variety that comes with a socket — plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)? Or should old-style hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, which have smaller batteries charged by a main internal combustion engine, also be permitted?

Cue an almighty lobbying effort now that the government is finally promising an answer to a question that should have been settled years ago given the long lead times in vehicle manufacturing. A formal consultation was launched on Christmas Eve — and a decision is promised within weeks.

UPI: Ford recalls some F-150 electric trucks as NHTSA cites possible ‘loss of directional control’

The front upper control arm ball joint nut may not have been tightened properly on the Lightning BEV, which could allow it to detach from the knuckle assembly, “which can cause the driver to experience a partial loss of directional control, increasing a risk of a crash,” the administration said in its recall notice.

The NHTSA has provided an online search tool for customers to determine if their vehicle is part of the Lightning recall.

So far, the issue has caused only a single known accident, and Ford said it will begin notifying customers in early February.

Reuters: Constellation inks $1 billion deal to supply US government with nuclear power

• Power purchase deal is largest in U.S. GSA history
• Deal allows Constellation to extend life of nuclear plants, grow capacity
• Agreement is part of broader turnaround of US nuclear industry

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The deal includes $840 million for power supplied by Constellation and $172 million for the company to complete energy efficiency work, including weatherizing federal buildings and expanding the use of LED lighting.

Four buildings in the nation’s capital will be converted to electric boilers and heat pumps from current steam power systems.

CleanTechnica: BYD Bus & Commercial Vehicle Sales Explode — Charts

To start with, we’ve got the matter of electric buses. In December, BYD sold 70.8% more electric buses than it sold in December 2023. But bus deliveries are very up and down. How did 2024 as a whole compare to 2023? Year over year, electric bus sales were up by 18.6%. There were 570 more electric bus sales in December and 875 more across the year as a whole. Clearly, looking at those numbers and/or the chart above, December was the big booster to this segment of BYD’s business. Overall, BYD had solid growth of electric bus sales, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.

As far as non-bus commercial electric vehicles, BYD had huge growth in 2024. It had 3,934 more sales in December and 9,389 more sales across 2024, which meant 6556.7% growth in December and 138% growth across the full year!

So, as well as BYD did growing its passenger electric car sales, it’s probably not going to get enough attention for how much it grew its sales of large commercial electric vehicles.

NPR: Still on the hunt, FBI shares new details about pipe bombs placed ahead of Jan. 6

FBI officials are still trying to identify the individual who placed the devices – which did not detonate – near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee on the evening of Jan. 5, 2021. Authorities say they have conducted 1,000 interviews, reviewed 39,000 video files and sifted through some 600 tips. But the alleged bomber remains elusive, despite a $500,000 reward for information leading to the capture and the conviction of a suspect.

Last Updated: 02.Jan.2025 23:42 EST

Wednesday’s articles

Follow along as new links are added to today’s list

Happy New Year!

CleanTechnica: Faraday Future Is Still Alive, & Showing Off More Affordable Electric Car At CES 2025

No one would criticize you if you thought Faraday Future was long dead. After a ton of hype before CES 2016, most of us were quite shocked and disappointed by what was revealed. And it turned out that, after various hype cycles, the company’s finances were revealed to be none too great, an SEC investigation ensued, and the company’s plans crashed to the ground. It’s a long story.

But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Faraday Future bounced back. Lately, it’s been delivering FF 91 2.0 Futurist Alliance EVs one by one to famous people, like fashion designer and YouTube influencer Suede Brooks and entrepreneur Luke Hans. The company has also been rolling out significant software updates for the FF 91 2.0 Futurist Alliance. It has also started in-sourcing its seat production. Also, a week ago, the company secured $30 million, which is helping with the development of Faraday X (FX).

Electric Viking (YouTube): Canadians are buying Electric Cars at Record Pace

23,700 EVs (probably included plug-in hybrids) in November.

Atlantic: James Fallows: Jimmy Carter Was a Lucky Man

In the years I worked for him, Jimmy Carter was always the same: disciplined, funny, enormously intelligent, and deeply spiritual.

via Daring Fireball

NYT: 1 Dead After a Cybertruck Explodes Outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas

Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, said in a statement on X that “the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck” and said the vehicle was functioning properly.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The person killed was inside the vehicle, he said, adding that at least seven others were reported to have sustained minor injuries.

NYT: Evidence Against Drinking Has Grown. Will Federal Advice Change?

Officials in other countries are warning about the health hazards of alcohol in any amount. Americans are still told that moderate drinking is safe. What gives?

ScienceAlert: Volcanic Activity Beneath Yellowstone’s Massive Caldera Could Be on The Move

New research shows that the reservoirs of magma that fuel the supervolcano’s wild outbursts seem to be shifting to the northeast of the Yellowstone Caldera. This region could be the new locus of future volcanic activity, according to a team led by seismologist Ninfa Bennington of the US Geological Survey.

CleanTechnica: Taking A Second Look At The Honda/Nissan Merger

Usually, when two companies merge, there are multiple press releases replete with the words “synergy” and “economies of scale” thrown about like confetti at a wedding. When Toshihiro Mibe, the CEO of Honda, was asked recently what the strategic benefits of the new partnership were, Mibe-san replied, “That’s a difficult one.” He is not alone in finding it hard to explain. According to Autoblog, the merger has been met with skepticism from analysts and confusion among industry insiders. While it could create a global automotive giant producing 7.4 million vehicles annually, critics are questioning whether this union is a savvy strategic move or a desperate gamble.

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What METI [Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry] wants, METI gets. Most suspect the fascination in the Japanese car industry for hydrogen fuel cell powered cars like the Toyota Mirai and Honda Clarity was prompted by the government for political reasons, not any burning desire to bring hydrogen powered transportation to the world.

Last Updated: 01.Jan.2025 23:03 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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Pixel Envy: Meta Envisages Social Media Filled With A.I.-Generated Users

Cristina Criddle and Hannah Murphy, Financial Times:

Meta is betting that characters generated by artificial intelligence will fill its social media platforms in the next few years as it looks to the fast-developing technology to drive engagement with its 3bn users.

[…]

“They’ll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform … that’s where we see all of this going,” he [Meta’s Connor Hayes] added.

Imagine opening any of Meta’s products after this has taken over. Imagine how little you will see from the friends and family members you actually care about. Imagine how much slop you will be greeted with — a feed alternating between slop, suggested posts, and ads, with just enough of what you actually opened the app to see. Now consider how this will affect people who are more committed to Meta’s products, whether for economic reasons or social cohesion.

via Manton

CNN: Stocks just did something they haven’t done in nearly three decades

The S&P 500 gained more than 23% this year after rising 24% in 2023. The back-to-back gains of over 20% is the best performance for the benchmark index since 1997 and 1998, according to data from FactSet.

MacRumors: Apple Vision Pro May Now Be Out of Production

Apple’s first-generation Vision Pro headset may have now ceased production, following reports of reduced demand and production cuts earlier in the year.

In October, The Information’s Wayne Ma reported that Apple had abruptly reduced production of the Vision Pro headset ahead of potential plans to stop making the current version of the device completely by the end of 2024. With the year now coming to an end, this means that the device may no longer be in active production.

Citing multiple people “directly involved” in making components for the headset, the report said that the scaling back of production began in the early summer. This indicated that Apple now has a sufficient number of Vision Pro units in its inventory to meet demand for the device’s remaining lifespan through to 2025. Historically, it is not unusual for Apple to do this with low-demand products, such as the iPhone 12 mini.

ScienceAlert: Scientists Discovered An Amazing Practical Use For Your Leftover Coffee Grounds

We could be producing concrete that’s 30 percent stronger by processing and adding charred coffee grounds to the mix, researchers in Australia discovered.

Their clever recipe could solve multiple problems at the same time.

Happy New Year!

Last Updated: 31.Dec.2024 23:59 EST

Monday’s articles

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Indian Space Progress: #23: How ISRO et al. laid the groundwork for a decade this year

While 2023 was an incredible year for ISRO in terms of execution of space missions and projects, 2024 was more about those successes giving the Indian government’s Department of Space (DOS) the confidence to plan an ambitious next decade. But ISRO, as usual, remains uninterested in contextualizing all of these advances on any of their channels. This issue of India’s space program lacking clear communications and outreach is partly why I write Indian Space Progress in the first place. And so below is a linked overview of the some of the key groundwork laid this year by DOS and ISRO across orbital launch vehicles, Moon missions, human spaceflight, commercial and private space capabilities, space sciences, and more.

Not much coverage of the Indian space program in North American media, so these are always interesting.

via Jatan Mehta

TechCrunch: Mercedes-backed Volocopter files for bankruptcy

“We are ahead of our industry peers in our technological, flight test, and certification progress. That makes us an attractive company to invest in while we organize ourselves with internal restructuring,” CEO Dirk Hoke said in a statement.

It’s unfortunate, but investors are probably looking at a couple of other big items, like revenues and path to profits.

InsideEVs: The Best InsideEVs Stories Of 2024

1. I Went To China And Drove A Dozen Electric Cars. Western Automakers Are Cooked
2. The InsideEVs Breakthrough Awards
3. The Facts Are In: It’s Not Looking Good For Internal Combustion
4. Toyota’s Hydrogen Future Is Crumbling As Owners File Lawsuits, Call For Buybacks
5. More EVs, Fewer Plugs: How Permit Delays Slow Down Charger Growth
6. I Polled 600 Voters About Electric Cars. Here’s How To Get Republicans Behind Them
7. Tesla Cybertruck In Europe: Here’s What It Takes To Buy And Register One
8. You’re Being Lied To. The EV Market Hasn’t ‘Stalled’
9. The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Reimagines What An EV Can Be
10. How Does An Extended-Range Electric Vehicle Work?
11. 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger: Everything We Know
12. Why ‘Zonal Architectures’ Are The Next Big Thing In EV Design
13. How Electric Vehicles Powered Houston Homes During Hurricane Beryl
14. China’s Apple Car, The Xiaomi SU7, Rides On Apple Levels Of Hype
15. I’ve Been Running An EV Publication For A Year. Here’s What I’ve Learned
16. Plug-In Hybrids: Do They Get Plugged In? Even Carmakers Won’t Say
17. The 2026 Mercedes CLA-Class Is A Groundbreaking EV And Hybrid Do-Over
18. General Motors Was Right. You Don’t Need Apple CarPlay
19. How Fisker Owners Are Banding Together To Keep Their Cars Running
20. In Vietnam, VinFast’s Critics Face The Police
21. Do Electric Vehicles Really Pollute More Than Gas Cars?
22. You Don’t Really Need DC Fast Charging

Last Updated: 30.Dec.2024 23:37 EST

Sunday’s articles

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NPR: Popeye, Tintin among works entering U.S. public domain in 2025

Jan. 1 marks the dawn of a new era for Popeye and Tintin. It’s the day the nonagenarian cartoon characters officially enter the U.S. public domain along with a treasure trove of other iconic works.

The copyrights of thousands of films, songs and books expire in 2025, making them instantly available for people to use, share and adapt. The list includes classics like Virginia Woolf’s book A Room of One’s Own, the Fats Waller song Ain’t Misbehavin' and the Marx Brothers' first feature film, The Cocoanuts.

NPR: How not to be ageist

Ageism — discrimination and prejudice based on someone’s age — is so ingrained in society that most of us don’t notice it. Yet “we all face the consequences and we all have a role in fixing it,” Clark-Shirley says.

Experts say that fighting ageism isn’t only important to create an equitable and fair society, it also helps all of us live longer, healthier — even more fulfilling — lives.

Yale professor Becca Levy studies the psychology of aging. Her research found that people who had positive beliefs about aging bounced back more effectively from illnesses and other setbacks than those who had negative perceptions about what it meant to be older.

The positive people even lived an average of 7 1/2 years longer than those who thought aging was a bummer.

CleanTechnica: Germany Embraces Balkonkraftwerke — Balcony Solar For Apartments

In Germany, more than 1.5 million people have installed Balkonkraftwerke, which translates as “balcony power plants.” Almost every apartment has a balcony with a railing to keep folks from tumbling into the street below. If it gets any sun exposure during the day, balcony solar panels can be mounted to those railings to make electricity that helps power a home.

Globe: Canada and the U.S. worked together to stamp out the invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. Then COVID-19 happened

Native to European seas, the sea lamprey wriggled its way up the Great Lakes' canal and channel system in the early 1900s where it found ample breeding grounds, a lack of predators and sufficient prey among lake trout, whitefish and other commercially valuable species in the region. By the fifties, an estimated two million sea lampreys infested the Great Lakes, killing up to 100 million pounds of fish.

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“We kill 8.5 million sea lampreys per year,” said Greg McClinchey, the commission’s director of policy and legislative affairs. “That’s what the commission, give or take, has to kill every year just to hold the population steady.”

CBC: RCMP asks for help handling troubling number of kids radicalizing online

Security agencies from Canada and other members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance say they’ve seen a ‘rising prominence’ of young people and minors in counterterrorism cases.

Daring Fireball: OpenAI’s Board, Paraphrased: ‘To Succeed, All We Need Is Unimaginable Sums of Money’

Thus, effectively, OpenAI is to this decade’s generative-AI revolution what Netscape was to the 1990s’ internet revolution. The revolution is real, but it’s ultimately going to be a commodity technology layer, not the foundation of a defensible proprietary moat. In 1995 investors mistakenly thought investing in Netscape was a way to bet on the future of the open internet and the World Wide Web in particular. Investing in OpenAI today is a bit like that — generative AI technology has a bright future and is transforming the world, but it’s wishful thinking that the breakthrough client implementation is going to form the basis of a lasting industry titan.

NYT: Jimmy Carter Funeral: Tentative Plans Will Play Out Over the Next Eight Days

Memorial services for former President Jimmy Carter will play out over the next eight days, including a state funeral in Washington, D.C., and ceremonies in Georgia before he is buried in Plains, Ga., according to plans that have been in the works for years.

NYT: Dorthy Moxley, Who Pursued Justice in Her Daughter’s Murder, Dies at 92

Dorthy Moxley, who crusaded for half her life for justice in the murder of her teenage daughter, Martha, in Greenwich, Conn., in 1975, but who was never fully vindicated in her belief that a young neighbor related to the Kennedy family had killed Martha with a golf club, died on Tuesday at her home in Summit, N.J. She was 92.

Her son, John, said the cause was complications of the flu.

Last Updated: 29.Dec.2024 20:15 EST

Saturday’s articles

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Heather Cox Richardson: December 27, 2024

Civil war has broken out within the MAGA Republicans. On the one side are the traditional MAGAs, who tend to be white, anti-immigrant, and less educated than the rest of the U.S. They believe that the modern government’s protection of equal rights for women and minorities has ruined America, and they tend to want to isolate the U.S. from the rest of the world. They make up Trump’s voting base.

On the other side are the new MAGAs who appear to have taken control of the incoming Trump administration. Led by Elon Musk, who bankrolled Trump’s campaign, the new MAGA wing is made up of billionaires, especially tech entrepreneurs, many of whom are themselves immigrants.

via Dave Winer

Telegraph: Musk threatens ‘war like you’ve never seen’ with Maga Republicans

Elon Musk has said he will “go to war” with Maga Republicans over visas for skilled migrants.

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At least 14 conservative holders of accounts on Mr Musk’s social media platform X claimed that it had since revoked their blue verification badge, removing access to monetisation through subscriptions and advertising revenue.

“Take a big step back and F— YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” Mr Musk wrote on X.

Delightful.

Wales Online: American teenager becomes fluent in Welsh for very sweet reason

An American teenager has spoken about his journey learning Welsh in an attempt to get to know his grandmother better. Rhys Davis, 19, who lives in Oak Hill, which is a rural area of Ohio, had always known that Wales and the Welsh language meant a great deal to his family.

But within the past year the Ohio State University student decided to take it upon himself to fully embrace the country and its culture. His grandmother — or ‘mamgu’ as he fondly calls her — Elizabeth Davis is originally from Aberaeron in Ceredigion.

BBC: Magnus Carlsen: Chess champion quits FIDE tournament after being told to change jeans

World chess number one Magnus Carlsen has quit a major tournament after being told he could not carry on playing while wearing jeans.

The chess great had been defending his titles at the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York when officials made the request.

The grandmaster said he had offered to change his trousers for the next day, but was fined and told he needed to change immediately.

The chess federation (Fide) said its dress code regulations were designed to “ensure fairness and professionalism for all participants”.

So basically they are opposing the idea of jeans, the symbolism.

Last Updated: 28.Dec.2024 14:50 EST

Friday’s articles

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Wales Online: ‘I quit my lucrative banking job to make coffee and it’s the best decision I ever made’

Lab isn’t for laboratory – it’s for labrador, specifically James' fox red lab Dylan who was indirectly the inspiration for the first Coffi Lab in Monmouth. “The inspiration was having a walk through Llandaff Fields in Pontcanna with Dylan and not really feeling we had anywhere we really wanted to go for a coffee. I wanted to create somewhere for me and Dylan which I thought other people would gravitate towards too. Not a dog café as such but beautiful, open venues – a focal point of leafy neighbourhoods where family and friends could come together without having to leave their dogs at home.”

CBC: Can’t give them away: Vintage upright pianos are meeting a sorry end

Scroll through an online for-sale site like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace and you will almost always spot old upright pianos on offer, either for free or for a very, very low price. 

The wooden pianos can be beautiful, but the ads tend to stay up a while because the instruments are very heavy to move and often out of tune.

CBC: Finland seizes tanker carrying Russian oil suspected of knocking out internet, power cables

Two fibre optic cables owned by Finnish operator Elisa linking Finland and Estonia were broken, while a third link between the two countries owned by China’s Citic was damaged, Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom said.

A fourth internet cable running between Finland and Germany and belonging to Finnish group Cinia was also believed to have been severed, the agency said.

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Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for potential acts of sabotage following a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since 2022, although subsea equipment is also subject to technical malfunction and accidents.

Now Toronto: Highway 407 fees will increase in the new year: Here’s what drivers need to know

Starting in the new year, Highway 407  fees will be increasing for the first time in five years.

The new rate schedule comes into effect on Jan. 1 and includes additional toll zones as well as new vehicle classifications, the Express Toll Route (ETR) 407 said in a news release last month.

The highway will now be divided into 12 zones instead of four, each with different toll rates.

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The new zoning means the cost of a trip will vary depending on the mode of transportation, its size, the travel time, day of the week, highway section and direction of travel, with prices ranging from $36 to $85.

Last Updated: 27.Dec.2024 12:59 EST

Thursday’s articles

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BBC: Alabama carries out second nitrogen gas execution in US

Earlier this year, the Alabama state Supreme Court cleared the way for Miller to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves an inmate inhaling nitrogen gas through a fitted mask until their body is deprived of oxygen.

Why not call it what it is: suffocation?

BBC: Speedcubing: The retro hobby that can help boost happiness levels

The 500 people who turned out - some from as far afield as Mongolia and Canada - were taking part in an activity less known for drawing in crowds: the Rubik’s UK Championship in “speedcubing,” or racing to solve puzzle cubes at terrific speed.

Wales Online: I moved to Wales two years ago and while I love it some things need to change

Over the last two years I’ve fallen deeply in love with Wales and its valleys, beaches, and people – but it is time for some things to change here in Cymru too.

Last Updated: 26.Dec.2024 23:23 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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Bloomberg: The 30-Year Home Mortgage Isn’t Designed for Climate Chaos

It sounded like artillery, an infiltration of a quiet suburban community in the dead of night, as Kevin Pelley stood in the dark in what was left of his yard on a bank of the Puyallup River. A combat Army veteran who served in Kuwait and Iraq, Kevin watched the storm for hours. An atmospheric river was filling the actual river, causing a flow of over 16,000 cubic feet per second, or 50 times the prior month’s average. Water washed away much of his backyard. When a large piece of soil cleaved off into the river, it fell with the force and noise of gunfire.

By the time day broke in his town 35 miles south of Seattle, the foundation of the Pelley home was teetering over the bank of a newly formed cliff. The river that used to be about 100 feet behind their house was now under it. A code enforcement officer from Pierce County placed a yellow “Restricted Use” tag: the property was no longer safe to enter, except for analysis by engineers.

gift link

Last Updated: 25.Dec.2024 12:34 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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