Skip to main content

Autos - SERIES 23 {16 articles}

Monterey Car Week is where the past and future of automobiles collide


What carmakers unveiled during Monterey Car Week had little to do with furthering the legacy of the traditional internal combustion engine. Instead, they teased future concepts that are largely centered on electric powertrains and a growing desire to be perceived as advanced in an industry that’s in transition. It was a testing ground for how their next moves are seen by staunch critics, discerning enthusiasts, and core customers. ✔ Traffic was abysmal at this year’s Monterey Car Week ✔ The week culminated in a splashy Sunday afternoon cascade of confetti as a prewar 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C won the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance best of show, edging out the crowd favorite, a cream-colored 1937 Cadillac ✔ Infiniti showed off the Prototype 10 at the Quail, an ancillary show of exotic cars held on a Carmel-by-the-Sea property, where sunshine, champagne, and oysters are plentiful


Illinois governor vetoes bill that would stifle car sharing


It would have taxed car sharing at the same level as major car rental companies. ✔ It's easy for even an active follower of tech and startups to think that the constant marginal progress we see is automatic, Mischa Fisher, Governor Rauner's chief economist, told Ars Technica ✔ His recommended changes now head back to the state legislature, both chambers of which passed the bill by strong majorities


Brabham records sales milestone | Drive.com.au


Sales of the forthcoming Brabham BT62 track-only supercar have passed the halfway point, the company?s head of marketing has revealed. ✔ This requires another £300,000 to be put down, so that the buyer’s choice of colours and options can be fed into the production schedule ✔ Haskey wouldn’t confirm the exact amount such an order entailed but did volunteer that the exterior carbon pack alone is £100,000 ✔ Go behind the scenes on Drive at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube


Elon Musk may have violated labor laws with a tweet


Musk faces new legal problems over his tweets, this one a complaint by the NLRB that he violated labor law during union organizing effort. ✔ It's filed numerous complaints about Tesla's tactics to fend off its efforts ✔ If it finds against Tesla, the company could be forced to expunge employee disciplinary records and reinstate employees who were wrongfully terminated ✔ But that does not end the lawsuits or any action by the SEC


Apple teaches photo editing with over-the-phone classes


The half-hour sessions promise to improve your photographic chops. ✔ Apple doesn't appear to be aiming for photographic excellence, though ✔ This is more about encouraging you to make edits in the first place, and that could make the difference between having to live with a so-so shot and refining it into a picture you'd be comfortable sharing with friends


Micron Technology to spend $3B, create 1,100 Virginia jobs


The memory-chip maker is creating 1,100 high paying jobs. ✔ This will lead to the creation of more than 1,100 high-paying tech jobs for engineers and technicians by 2030, and the Boise, Idaho-based company expects to start hiring immediately ✔ They will be requiring a lot of data that will have to be processed fast to make for a safe-driving experience on the roads ✔ Ticker Security Last Change %Chg MU MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC


2019 Hyundai Santa Fe XL changes its name, stays affordable


It's still got the looks of the last-generation Santa Fe, but that'll change soon. ✔ Enlarge Image The Santa Fe XL: Good for kites, apparently ✔ Previous years also featured an optional Ultimate package for the SE trim, but that has been discontinued entirely ✔ The $2,100 Tech package is only available on the Limited trim, and it adds a variety of safety systems, including automatic braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams


Tesla is reportedly having some network issues


Tesla’s fleet internet network and website appear to currently be down for some users and it’s causing problems for vehicle owners who rely on the Tesla app. Electrek reported on the outage earlier and users across Twitter have been complaining about being unable to log into the company… ✔ Reports have been popping up for the past couple hours and the company’s website is oddly also down currently ✔ What does that mean for affected Tesla owners right now ✔ Car of the future pic.twitter.com/93bflfgvg1 Elon Says (@ElonBachman) August 20, 2018 Updating


When cars fly? Japan wants airborne vehicles to take off


It might sound like pie in the sky, but Japan's government is banking on a future with flying cars, launching an initiative Wednesday with the private sector to develop futuristic vehicles. The initiative aims to draw up a roadmap by the end of the year on commercialising flying cars, a… ✔ Toyota and affiliated companies have invested about 42.5 million yen ($382,000) in the project ✔ Last month, British engine maker Rolls-Royce revealed plans to develop a hybrid electric vehicle, dubbed the flying taxi, while Kitty Hawk in June offered test flights to people interested in buying its vehicle


I drove a hot pink communist-built Trabant around Berlin


And oh, how people stared. ✔ I was surprised how comfy the seats still were, though ✔ Symbols of the city's recent past are everywhere and as long as Trabis -- funny little cartoon cars that they are -- are on the road, they'll continue to be a part of this very visible historical narrative


Tesla outage keeps owners from logging into its website or app


Owners are currently unable to log into the app. ✔ The company has been under scrutiny in recent months over Model 3 production issues as well as CEO Elon Musk's recent controversy about possibly taking the company private ✔ A Tesla spokesperson has told us that it is aware of the problem and is working to resolve the issue


How do you get people to trust autonomous vehicles? This company is giving them ‘virtual eyes.’


Surveys reveal that the public remains apprehensive about self-driving vehicles. In hopes of building more trust, Jaguar Land River is testing an autonomous pod that makes eye contact with pedestrians. ✔ That’s how Gary Fox, plant manager at Cox Container, described what he looks for in an employee ✔ Jaguar Land Rover’s intelligent pods have yet to venture into the real world and instead operate on a fabricated street scene in Coventry, England, the company said


Announcing the winners of Disrupt SF 2018’s sponsored hackathon contests


Thousands of developers, designers, hackers and marketers from around the world worked for months to submit their creations to our first Virtual Hackathon, which takes place at Disrupt San Francisco on September 5-7. It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed the field down to 30 semi-finalists, and we can’t … ✔ Tip o’ the hat! These hack contests ranged from ways to use artificial intelligence in the age of autonomous cars to building an app that gives customers a unique way to book, pay for and view airline reservations and so much in between ✔ We’re thrilled to announce the sponsored contest winners a determined and creative lot to say the least


Yahoo and AOL admit to scanning users' emails to serve up targeted ads


Any data gleaned from Yahoo and AOL emails, such as receipts or flight conformations, is used by Oath to figure out which products or services should be targeted to specific users. ✔ Users can opt out of the feature or pay for an ad-free version, but that service all scans their emails  The firm recently changed its terms of service to comply with Europe's new General Data Protection Regulations, which require companies to obtain users' consent for collecting data before they start using a product


Amazon defends itself from Bernie Sanders' attacks


Senator Bernie Sanders wants to slap a tax on Amazon and other big companies that employ workers who collect public assistance. But Amazon disputes Sanders' depiction, saying its pay and benefits are competitive. ✔ My full response: https://t.co/NQsi47qINt https://t.co/NkFQnSM3gl Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 29, 2018 Sanders plans to introduce legislation next week that would levy a tax on large companies equal to the value of the government benefits their workers receive


Now You Can Help Search For Missing Seattle Hiker Samantha Sayers


A growing army of online volunteers is poring over photos to find any trace of the young woman. ✔ The challenge, until recently, was finding enough manpower to scour thousands of images that could hold clues to the whereabouts of the 28-year-old woman, who was last seen on Vesper Peak in Snohomish County on Aug. 1 ✔ Sayers turned 28 on August 13, roughly two weeks after she disappeared ✔ Her mother describes her daughter as a warrior who is more than capable of taking care of herself ✔ Send David Lohr an email or follow him on Facebook and Twitter


>>> Open This Series

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Trade War - SERIES 300 {11 articles}

Xi vents frustration toward trade war to Abe 10/27/2018, 9:48:33 PM Japanese leader walks tightrope balancing relations with Washington and Beijing ✔ Aside from two potential meetings next year, Abe invited Xi to attend the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ✔ Ahead of Abe's visit, the Chinese side worried about how far he might go during the recently convened parliamentary session to revise Japan's pacifist constitution ✔ With nothing else on the agenda, the prime minister departed from Beijing Capital International Airport around 9:30 a.m. Saturday Asian chip share rout provides strong indication of a tough 2019 10/28/2018, 10:44:02 AM Semiconductor industry braces for slowdown as trade war creates overhang ✔ The market could likely stay very volatile going into 2019 -- with a tough and challenging year ahead when there are few growth catalysts but plenty of uncertainty ✔ Now the overbooking issue is causing a problem as demand could very likely turn out ...

Trade War - SERIES 257 {18 articles}

The Midwest economy is about to get pummeled again 10/17/2018, 9:44:57 AM Manufacturing jobs growth has already stalled, and the trade war will make it worse. ✔ The Rust Belt is full of households and communities who ignored decades-old trends ✔ The main players, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, spoke easily about the evils of trade, wholly misrepresenting facts ✔ And, in an underappreciated farewell speech, President Obama made it quite plain ✔ We Want to Hear from You Join the conversation Comment Apple Suppliers ‘Cautious’ About Orders For iPhone XR, Flagship Models 10/17/2018, 9:04:06 AM Apple’s Taiwan-based suppliers remain cautious about orders for the new iPhones because of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. ✔ Industry sources disclosed to Digitimes Tuesday that Apple’s iPhone suppliers in Taiwan have opted to remain cautious about unit orders from the Cupertino giant even though the iPhone XR is scheduled to launch in the second ...

Disasters - SERIES 54 {16 articles}

New Caledonia earthquake: Is there a tsunami warning? What is New Caledonia's population? A POWERFUL earthquake struck off the coast of New Caledonia on Wednesday and generated small tsunami waves through the South Pacific islands, but did it generate a tsunami warning for New Caledonia? ✔ The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, 372 kilometres east of the New Caledonian capital Noumea ✔ New Caledonia earthquake: The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit at a shallow depth (Image: USGS ) However after an hour they were advised to resume normal activities but to remain vigilant for aftershocks New Caledonia earthquakes MAP: 6 quakes hit in 24 HOURS - tremors warning issued A HUGE magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near New Caledonia in the South Pacific on Wednesday. The massive tremor was followed by a series of aftershocks in the area. ✔ The quake hit at a shallow depth of 27 km (17 miles) about 372km (230 miles) east of Noumea, the capital at 9.43am ...

Trade War - SERIES 207 {13 articles}

South American exports help shipping industry offset trade war fallout 10/4/2018, 6:34:47 AM Yet rising tide of protectionism remains a threat, Baltic Exchange chief warns ✔ Its indexes are used as bench marks for freight or ship charter rates, as settlement tools in freight futures trading, or simply to understand the health of the shipping market ✔ We can take a bit more business risk, and start investing for the future and looking at a longer horizon Shipping rates firm as trade war prompts detours, Baltic CEO says 10/4/2018, 6:11:10 AM London's oldest maritime information provider focuses on Asian expansion ✔ Singapore Exchange, or SGX, acquired the operation in November 2016 for 87 million pounds ($108 million at the time) ✔ The bourse wanted to cultivate the maritime financial derivatives market ✔ We can take a bit more business risk, and start investing for the future and looking at a longer horizon After trade deal win, Trump doubles down on China 10/4/20...

Trade War - SERIES 246 {11 articles}

China's central bank still has plenty of tools to counter detrimental trade war effect: Governor 10/14/2018, 9:17:22 AM "We still have plenty of monetary instruments in terms of interest rate policy, in terms of required reserve ratio. We have plenty of room for adjustment, in case we need it," said Yi Gang, the governor of the People's Bank of China. ✔ 'No ease, no tight' The People's Bank of China has on four occasions this year cut the amount of reserves that banks must hold, unlocking more cash into the economy so that businesses and households could borrow more money to spend ✔ What's the difference between the IMF and the World Bank A hidden threat that's been haunting the market for years is flaring up — and it could mean the meltdown in stocks is just getting started 10/14/2018, 10:16:40 AM BI PRIME: Stocks were battered last week as fears around a global trade war and higher bond yields — but the worst may yet be to come. One ...