đź”—đź“š Articles: Wed 13.Mar.2024
TechCrunch: Waymo to launch commercial robotaxi service in Austin by end of the year
Waymo will begin offering a robotaxi service to the public in Los Angeles this week and in Austin by the end of the year, the company’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakan said Wednesday at SXSW.
The Alphabet company has been testing and validating its driverless vehicles across about 43 square miles around downtown, Barton Hills, Riverside, East Austin and Hyde Park neighborhoods. The announcement comes about a week after Waymo started letting its autonomous vehicles traverse Austin without a safety operator behind the wheel, a critical step before the company opens the program up to the public.
Politico: How Raw Milk Went from a Whole Foods Staple to a Conservative Signal
What changed since 2008 is a vivid example of a larger upheaval in American politics. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still say raw milk is dangerous and the state dairy lobby sent lobbyists to the Iowa Capitol to defeat Schultz’s bill. But Iowa has flipped – it’s a Republican state now, from the presidential vote to the governor’s office to the near-supermajority Legislature – and that flip has occurred alongside even larger shifts in national politics, spurred on by the rise of Donald Trump. With Trump has come a new GOP electorate, one more rural, more working class, less ideological and generally more distrustful of lobbyists, big business and “the experts.” And that has been a big help for a cause that is bucking just about every one of those groups.
Long a fringe health food for new-age hippiesand fad-chasing liberal foodies, raw milk has won over the hearts and minds of GOP legislators and regulators in the last few years. (The Iowa vote broke almost perfectly along party lines with nearly all Republicans in favor and only a handful of Democrats defecting to their side.) And it’s not just in Iowa. Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, Georgia and Wyomingall have passed laws (or changed regulations) since 2020 legalizing the sale of raw milk on farms or in stores.
Electrek: As good as it gets? What a “real world” hydrogen pickup looks like
Look, I am the first person to say that battery-electric power is not the answer for everything. I’m a “right tool for the right job” kind of person. I understand that certain jobs in certain fields require kilowatt hours of energy every hour. Batteries made with today’s technology would have to be so huge to provide that power that the vehicle they’re attached to would sink into asphalt, let alone dirt and mud. Hydrogen, when blended with diesel to cut carbon and NOx emissions and in a few other extremely limited combustion scenarios, has a (temporary) role.
“It’s just awful,” I wrote to Electrek chief Seth Weintraub. “I can’t believe it’s not an April Fools’ joke.”
A 3-foot bed?! That’s not even enough room for people’s empty Tim Hortons cups!
ScreenRant: Jurassic Park Completely Ruined One Original Book Character
In Michael Crichton’s original novel, Gennaro was a multifaceted figure. Acting on behalf of the investors of Jurassic Park, Gennaro’s primary goal is to ensure the project’s financial success. In the process of fulfilling his task, Gennaro is quick to recognize the potential danger posed by the park, and with little concern for his job, he takes up an active role in trying to ensure things don’t go wrong. However, the film adaptation took a different approach, resulting in what most passionate fans of the film describe as a disappointing departure from Gennaro’s original portrayal. Instead of being an essential and respected figure, Gennaro was reduced to a villain — greedy and unlikable.
BNN Bloomberg: Households owed $1.79 for every dollar of disposable income in Q4: Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada says households owed $1.79 in credit market debt on average for every dollar of disposable income in the fourth quarter.
The federal agency said Wednesday that seasonally adjusted household credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income fell for the third quarter in a row.
PBS NewsHour: 3 men face firearms charges after investigation into Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting
The new complaints made public Wednesday do not allege that the men were among the shooters. Instead, they are accused of involvement in straw purchases and trafficking firearms.
It’s good to see that they are moving back up the acquisition chain.
Price is set to increase from $65 to $80 per tonne on April 1.
If you think this low carbon tax is expensive, trying adding up the costs of climate change!
đź“š Goodreads: Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA by Patrick Winn
The untold story of an indigenous people running the world’s mightiest narco-state — and America’s struggle to thwart them.
In Asia’s narcotics-producing heartland, the Wa reign supreme. They dominate the Golden Triangle, a mountainous stretch of Burma between Thailand and China. Their 30,000-strong army, wielding missiles and attack drones, makes Mexican cartels look like street gangs.
Wa moguls are unrivaled in the region’s $60 billion meth trade and infamous for mass-producing pink, vanilla-scented speed pills. Drugs finance Wa State, a bona fide nation with its own laws, anthems, schools, and electricity grid. Though revered by their people, Wa leaders are scorned by US policymakers as vicious “kingpins” who “poison our society for profit.”
In Narcotopia, award-winning journalist Patrick Winn uncovers the truth behind Asia’s top drug-trafficking organization, as told by a Wa commander turned DEA informant. This gripping narrative shreds drug war myths and leads to a chilling the Wa syndicate’s origins are smudged with CIA fingerprints.
Last Updated: 13.Mar.2024 23:59 EDT