Christmas Leftovers.

Reruns from the past: 

 

The dogs at this shelter in Tennessee are allowed to choose their own favorite toy for Christmas:

No Audio 🔽 

 

⏬ Shamelessly stolen from Phil. 

🎄

Any wonder why he wants to fire his prosecutor?

Told you so back in February Netanyahu funded Hamas through Qatar.

AP: A legal showdown looms in Israel as Netanyahu moves to oust top officials.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel again is fighting a war on multiple fronts, but a battle is also brewing inside the country.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined anti-government protests in recent days. A former Supreme Court chief justice has warned of civil war. And experts are saying a constitutional crisis could be on the horizon if the Israeli government moves ahead with plans to fire top legal and security officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week he was firing Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, citing a crisis of confidence sparked by the failures to prevent Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Netanyahu’s government has also launched a process to dismiss the attorney general, accusing her of obstructing its agenda.

The Israelis want Netanyahu gone. They want the remaining hostages back and an end to Netayahu's blood lust. They want a regime change. Do their voices matter? Not to Netanyahu.

Still waiting on all the Epstein, JFK, RFK, etc files from AG Pam "Pivot" Bondi? Good luck. She's busy...deporting anyone exercising 1A over Israel, charging Tesla vandals as "domestic terrorism" and seeking the death penalty for Luigi Mangione. 

You can protest and say anything critical of any other nation under 1A and Free Speech. But the slightest, mildest criticism of Israel and it's, "deport them!" 

The, "American government is evil and the problem," crowd is correct, but only because Israel controls our government. One need look no further than Track AIPAC. ' Murica...bought and owned by Israel.

 Pivoting Pam...purchased and owned by Zionist Israel. 

It's ISIS? AGAIN?

Please don't fall for the Current Psy-Op Thing or those that will occur later. It's all designed and planned to divert your attention from Israel's ongoing genocide. 

"Whatta'bout the mystery orbs/UFOs in the skies?" Shut up! Look over there, domestic ISIS terrorists!

Israel, mostly, along with the U.S., created ISIS.

⏫ VIDEO HERE. ⏫

 

More coverage on the events in New Orleans and Vegas after the Pagebreak.

The material after the Pagebreak may contain "Sensitive" Content from other social media or material which is UNREDACTED. If you suspect this may upset your delicate thin-skin, go back to TikTok.

You acknowledge this "Viewer Discretion Advisory", voluntarily proceed, agreeing to hold this blog and author harmless. ⏬ 

Monday Night Cars and Trucks; Short Stack.

Cars, trucks, short stack. That's it. 

More after the Pagebreak. ⏬ 

Saturday Night Cars and Trucks.

We are assuaged knowing that those who engineered this, and those that signed-off, approving this design, are, for eternity, in the center of hell. 🤣 

Disclaimer: Don't go past the Pagebreak if you're triggered by images of cars, trucks and the nature.

Christmas Wind Down.

The dogs at this shelter in Tennessee are allowed to choose their own favorite toy for Christmas:

No Audio 🔽 

EPA overestimating range of EVs. They're unreliable.

Kelly Blue Book - Study: EPA-Certified Range Figures for EVs Unreliable.

EPA ratings are optimistic for most electric models.

A new study suggests that the ranges and fuel economy equivalent figures published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are not particularly accurate. [  Shocking! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - Oh well...DD ]

If the EPA’s numbers are off, we should note, then the rest of the world has it even worse. EPA range figures are famously lower than those published by many other governments.

SAE International, a global association of engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicle industries, used data from tests performed by Car and Driver to study real-world EV ranges.

In a 75 mph highway test, Car and Driver found that “more than 350 internal-combustion vehicles averaged 4.0 percent better fuel economy than what was stated on their labels. But the average range for an EV was 12.5 percent worse than the price sticker numbers.”

Fire crews use 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish burning Tesla Model S whose battery spontaneously combusted.

Or, 4,500 gallons of water; the story mentions both amounts.

Daily Mail: California fire crews use SIX THOUSAND gallons of water to extinguish burning Tesla Model S whose battery spontaneously combusted while driving down busy freeway.

* Fire officials said that nothing was wrong with the car before it combusted.
* Approximately 6,000 gallons of water was used to extinguish the blaze.
[.]
It is unclear what caused the blaze,[.]
[.]
Firefighters arrived at the wrecking yard to find the Tesla fully engulfed in flames. Each time the firefighters attempted to extinguish the flames, the Tesla's battery would reignite the fire.

The fire department posted an Instagram video of the ordeal, saying that even when firefighters moved the Tesla onto its side to spray the battery directly, the car would burst into flames again 'due to the residual heat.'

Eventually, the firefighters dug a pit near the Tesla and moved the burning car into it and then filled the pit with water, 'effectively submerging the battery compartment.'

The technique worked, and the fire department was able to put out the fire with no injuries and 4,500 gallons of water used - about the same amount of water used for a building fire.

Fires generated from electric vehicles can be especially hazardous, as they generate over 100 organic chemicals including some potentially fatal toxic gasses like carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.

Hazardous chemicals and fatal toxic gasses are good for the environment! 👍

Home EV Fire.

This is the reason one should always have fire extinguishers handy. 

(I added the audio, the original, from 2021, didn't have any).

I don't know what happened after the final flash. The video ended. We hope it all turned out well.

The High Queen of Stupid Joy Behar's diss on Elon Musk, says, "he's a bore."

Breitbart: Joy Behar: Elon Musk ‘Is a Self-Important Bore’.

Behar said, “[Elon Musk is] a self-important bore, OK. And let him go into space, let him go into space. I test drove a Tesla one time. I was scared of the car. I’m scared of that car. It goes ba-boom and has a computer, and I got a real panic attack in that car, number one. Number two, people need to go back to work because where else are you going to meet somebody? You know what I mean? Not everybody can go on Tinder and whatever else people are doing. This is where you meet people.”

Let us know, 80-year-old dyed haired red head, when you've created EIGHT successful companies.

Awwww, Joy Betard is scared of the ba-booms from a Tesla? 🤣 God only know the sounds that emanate from her bodily orifices when she goes to the bathroom. Oooooof!

Elon Musk: "Facebook Sucks."

@ Elon Musk

Breitbart: Elon Musk to Facebook AI Chief: ‘Facebook Sucks’.

Musk defies orders to reopen Tesla.

BBC: Elon Musk defies orders to reopen Tesla.

Tesla has reopened its only US electric car plant in California, despite local orders against manufacturing.

On Monday, the company's chief executive Elon Musk tweeted that production had restarted and he would be "on the line with everyone else".

US states and local governments are trying to determine the best way to open up after lockdown.

Mr Musk previously vowed to move the firm's headquarters out of California if the plant was not allowed to reopen.
[.]
On Saturday, Elon Musk said that Tesla had filed a lawsuit against the county asking a court to remove the order that prevents the carmaker from resuming production.

Rather than wait for a ruling, Mr Musk announced on Twitter on Monday that the plant would reopen.
[.]
The local police department said that it was aware of the situation, but that it would act at the discretion of county health officials.

The Alameda County Public Health Department said on Monday it was "actively communicating" with Tesla about reopening plans and that it was taking the same approach it had taken with other business that had violated lockdown orders.

In an email seen by Reuters, Tesla also reportedly told workers the decision to reopen was in line with California guidelines.

Mr Musk wrote on Twitter that Tesla had been "singled out", saying that other US carmakers were allowed to restart production.

Elon Musk: "Shelter-in-place is fascist."

Market Watch: Tesla's Musk doubles down against coronavirus restrictions, calling it fascism.

Elon Musk reiterated his criticism of ongoing shelter-in-place orders across the U.S., calling it an "infringement of people's rights" and saying that telling people they cannot leave their homes is "fascist, this is not democratic. Give people back their (expletive) freedom." [.] "It's outrage" that will cause "great harm" not just to Tesla but other companies and suppliers, Musk said in a call with analysts late Wednesday. While many will weather the storm, there are many small companies that will not, Musk said.

 Musk's Progressive Acolytes are pretending he didn't say anything.

Magnetic Clay and Tesla Auto-Charge.

Via Universal Curiosity.

Tech News

Technocracy: UK Pedestrian Fined $115 For Avoiding Facial Recognition Camera.

Police fined a pedestrian £90 for disorderly behaviour after he tried to cover his face when he saw a controversial facial recognition camera on a street in London.

Officers set up the camera on a van in Romford, East London, which then cross-checked photos of faces of passers-by against a database of wanted criminals.

But one man was unimpressed about being filmed and covered his face with his hat and jacket, before being stopped by officers who took his picture anyway.

After being pulled aside, the man told police: ‘If I want to cover me face, I’ll cover me face. Don’t push me over when I’m walking down the street.’

- - -
C|Net: Good reasons not to trust tech companies.

...why wouldn't a company like Facebook go the extra step and just listen in on our conversations through our phones?

"Most Americans can't go through their day without having one of these companies in their lives," said Margaret O'Mara, a history professor at the University of Washington and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America.

- - -
TechTalks: Self-driving forklifts are here.

...factories and industrial complexes are closed environments, and are much more predictable. There’s no threat of kids running in the forklift’s path, and the lighting, weather and traffic conditions are usually constant. “The rules for forklifts are easier than self-driving cars because the environment is structured,” [says Saurav Agarwal, CTO and co-founder at Stocked Robotics, an Austin-based AI company focused on automating industrial vehicles].

- - -
Here's a trip down memory lane. TechSpot: The Most Memorable Game Controllers over the past 40 years.

The departure from the arcades has drastically morphed how players control games. Here we will take a look at some of the more memorable gamepads and controllers for consoles and PC over the last four decades.

How many do you remember? Hit the link for more.

 

 PC Gaming Technology circa 4th 5th Millennium BC

- - -
ZD Net: Six ways the new Mac Pro could go terribly wrong.

Once upon a time, Apple understood extreme pro users. From about 2006 to about 2012, Apple sold what is fondly referred to as the "cheese grater" Mac Pro, so named because the holes on the side of the unit were reminiscent of a cheese grater.
[.]
Then, in 2013, Apple introduced what's come to be known as the "trash can" Mac Pro, because it looks like a glossy little trash can. When Phil Schiller introduced it, he was so proud of it that he bragged, "Can't innovate, my ass."

Since then, that machine has been pretty much a failure.
[.]
It's entirely possible the new Mac Pro could go horribly wrong:
#1 Proprietary modules and module interfaces

#2 Limited module selection

#3 Lack of user maintainability and some kind of unexpected lock-in

#4 Lack of, or minimal upgradeability

#5 Form over functional heat management

#6 Pricing that limits purchases to high-end enterprises only

- - -
Extreme Tech: Elon Musk: Tesla Broke in 10 Months Without ‘Hardcore’ Cost Reduction.

Tesla may have just raised $2.7B in additional funding, but the company’s cash burn rate is so high, even that amount won’t keep the lights on for very long. According to CEO Elon Musk, the company is instituting “hardcore” cost-cutting rules and scrutinizing every penny that leaves the firm.["]

- - -
MobileSyrup: Justin Trudeau to launch Digital Charter to combat hate speech and disinformation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his government will be launching a digital charter in order to combat hate speech and online disinformation.
[.]
“We look forward to working alongside internet companies, but indeed, if they do not choose to act, we will be forced to continue to act in ways that protect Canadians and we will have more to say about the kinds of tools we will be using in the coming weeks and months,” Trudeau said.

Learn To Code Launch Digital Charters.
- - -
Technology.Org: Same computer password for the last 10 years? You might need a vibrating cybernudge.

Researchers say changing human behaviour key to foiling cyberattacks.
[.]
People routinely put off, ignore or forget cyber security measures such as changing passwords, updating privacy settings and locking computer screens.

So..."passwordABC1", "Admin123" and "tHatsHitheadBoss88"...I should change those then...?

Tech News

Technocracy: GMO Food Will Stock Grocery Shelves Within 5 Years.

While ethicists [sic] debate the applications of blockbuster gene-editing tool Crispr in human healthcare, an inventor of the tool believes it has a more immediate application: improving our food.

I have one, essential question for those in the pro-GMO industry. If GMO food is as safe as Big GMO says, why then do they fight so diligently against their food being labeled as such? They'll reply with, "doing so presents a negative perception of our products, thus negatively affecting our sales." And? That's our problem?

Asbestos? Nah. Perfectly fine and safe, we were told for decades. Thalidomide? Perfectly safe, especially for pregnant mothers. Tobacco? Recommended by Doctors and dentists alike.

Now, here comes the GMO Train. We're just human guinea pigs for tech and science, aren't we?
- - -
TechNewsWorld: Samsung suspends launch of Galaxy Fold.

Samsung pumped the brakes on release of the US$1,980 phone after several reviewers reported problems with their units.
[.]
Reviewers for Bloomberg and YouTube reported their units began malfunctioning after they removed an integral part of the display, mistakenly thinking it was a plastic screen protector.

CNBC reviewer Todd Haselton wrote that he left the plastic film intact, but the display still started acting buggy. The left side of the flexible screen began to flicker consistently.

- - -
TechSpot: Screen time not recommended for infants, says World Health Organization.

Infants under the age of one shouldn’t be exposed to electronic screens of any type according to guidelines recently published by the World Health Organization.

The United Nations agency further notes that sedentary screen time (watching TV / videos or playing computer games) is not recommended for infants.

Was anyone aware of this? Who knew?
- - -
TechCrunch: Tesla reports $702 million loss in first quarter.

Tesla reported April 9 that it delivered 63,000 electric vehicles in the first quarter of the year, nearly a one-third drop from the previous quarter.
[.]
“Everyone expected a first quarter loss for Tesla, but nobody expected it to be this big,” Karl Brauer, executive publisher at Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader said in an emailed statement.

- - -
Ars Technia: Windpower-Turbines come to Massachusetts.

Turbines? What turbines? They blend in so well! And appear to be well-protected from vandalism or other acts of sabotage
- - -
Beta News: Samsung Galaxy View2 Android 2 tablet: It's "Colossal."

What we don't know at the moment is just when the Galaxy View2 will be released, or how much it will cost.

But at least we know it's Colossal.
- - -
BGR: Spoiler-free review of "Avengers: Endgame."
- - -
C|Net: Facebook facing fine that could exceed $5 Billion Dollars.

The FTC is looking into Facebook's privacy practices and determining if the company violated a legal agreement to keep user data private.
[.]
Still, Facebook's scandals didn't scare away advertisers or users. The company posted a better-than-expected $15.08 billion in sales in the first quarter and reported the number of users who logged on every month increased by 8%, to 2.38 billion.

- - -
TechTalks: What is ethical AI?

Human oversight means that no AI system should be able to perform its functions without some level of control by humans. This means that humans should either be directly involved in the decision-making process or have the option to review and override decisions made by an AI model.

- - -
Computer World: Where are the April Windows patches?

Answer: Due sometime in June. Maybe July.
- - -
Extreme Tech: Sony's 98-inch, 8K OLED TV.

The cutting edge of television technology will cost you[.]
[.]
This will be the 2019 flagship of the Sony television line and it ships in June. The Z9G measures 86.75 inches wide by 55.0 inches tall by 4.38 inches deep. For a cleaner look, it can be bracket-mounted to any wall that can support 208 pounds.

The price? $69,999.99.

- - -

ZD Net: Is your body hacker-proof?

Increasing numbers of implantable medical devices are now gaining internet connectivity, giving doctors the ability to monitor patients health remotely, and even update the devices to tweak a treatment plan. Unfortunately, that flexibility offers a way for hackers to hijack that hardware, and even potentially make changes to the way the devices work. While so far no attacks have been successful, proof-of-concept attacks have been available for years.

And while it might be tempting to hope that cybercriminals might see corrupting life-sustaining devices as a step too far, they haven't historically shown much of a conscience, cheerfully extorting money away from hospitals, for example, and putting patients at risk.

World News

BBC: Polish mayor dies after being stabbed.

The mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk has died in hospital, a day after being stabbed at a charity event.

- - -
BBC: Ground Zero artwork with Saudi flag removed.

Following the complaints, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that it is moving all 20 sculptures from its current site in the World Trade Center complex.

- - -
SMH: Australian woman texts "Help me"; detained by Thai government.

A week after she was due back in Sydney, Claire Johnson messaged a friend saying she was "so scared" and asked her to contact the consulate.

- - -
Daily Star: A no-deal Brexit would force over 1 million Brits to retake driving test.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has warned overseas motorists they need to exchange their UK licences for a European one before March 29.

On Tuesday British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a crunch vote to get her Brexit deal through Commons.

BBC: Theresa May says Brexit opponents not acting in the interests of the people.

She said her "absolute conviction" was that the UK and EU would be able to finalise their future relationship by the end of 2020, meaning the backstop would never be needed.

- - -
People's Daily: Detained Canadians in China and diplomatic immunity.

China on Monday said Canada's criticism on China's detention of two Canadian citizens is groundless, noting one of them has no "diplomatic immunity."

Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier that coercive measures have been taken against two Canadians suspected of jeopardizing China's national security.

- - -
BBC: China sentences Canadian man to death for drug smuggling.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was originally given a 15-year jail term in 2018 but after an appeal the court said the sentence was too lenient.

Monday's ruling comes weeks after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, a top official at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, on a request from the US.

- - -
NPR: Gays purged in Chechnya.

Around 40 people have been detained and another two killed in the latest crackdown on Chechnya's LGBT community, Russian activists say.

The "new wave of persecution" started at the end of December, the Russian LGBT Network say in a statement on Monday.

- - -
Tech entry - Ars Technia: Get paid to Hack this Tesla.

Now in its 13th year, [Pwn2Own has been the foremost hacking competition] ... is adding a new category—a Tesla Model 3, with more than $900,000 worth of prizes available for attacks that subvert a variety of its onboard systems.
[.]
The biggest prize will be $250,000 for hacks that execute code on the car’s gateway, autopilot, or VCSEC. A gateway is the central hub that interconnects the car’s powertrain, chassis, and other components and processes the data they send.

New Tech at the Consumer Electronics Show

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is under way.

What's new at the CES?

Journal Sentinel: Five Cool Tech Items.

Air Bags for cyclists: A French company called Helite makes air bags for motorcyclists and horse riders. And now it has produced air bags for those of you on bicycles. This "smart" bag, selling for $650 when it comes out in March, has built-in sensors that promise to detect when to inflate the bag – meaning, not when you ride over over bumps, but rather when you are in an actual accident.

Hit the link for the other four items.

The Walking Car. AutoExpress:

Hyundai has announced its plan for a robotic concept car at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Called the “Elevate,” it would be capable of walking over rough terrain, spanning gaps up to five-feet across and scaling obstacles up to five feet tall; all while maintaining a perfectly level passenger compartment.

Hyundai's Walking Car

More on the walking car from Hyundai:

Wheels with robotic legs allow users to drive, walk or even climb over the most treacherous terrain.
[.]
The legs also fold up into a stowed drive-mode, where power to the joints is cut, and the use of an integrated passive suspension system maximizes battery efficiency. This allows Elevate to drive at highway speeds just like any other vehicle. But no other can climb a five foot wall, step over a five foot gap, walk over diverse terrain, and achieve a 15 foot wide track width, all while keeping its body and passengers completely level.

Watch the Elevate here.

More gadgets at IFL Science, including: Intelligent Toilets, the LG ExoSuit, Foldable Smartphones.

A self-driving Tesla ran over and "killed" an autonomous robot. Daily Mail:

In what many are speculating was an over-the-top PR stunt, Promobot revealed one of its model v4 robots was ‘killed’ by a Tesla Model S on a Las Vegas street ahead of CES.

Rosie The Robot; unharmed at CES

Design Boom: LG's rollable OLED TV.

Clean Technia: Harey-Davidson's Electric Motorcycle.

Digital Trends: The latest Mobile Accessories at CES.

PC Mag: Rokit's high-tech cell and smart phones.

Tech News

TechDirt - Students charged with terroristic threats for posting video of fictional school shooting.

Three students face felony charges of making a terroristic threat for posting online two brief videos where they act out a school shooting in someone’s house.
[...]
Content disturbing to others is present in a lot of content. Just because this dramatization happened to be produced by students and distributed by Instagram doesn't somehow entitle it to less First Amendment protection than a motion picture released by a major studio.
[...]
Sheriff Craig Apple's speech -- as moronic as it is -- is also protected by the same First Amendment he won't extend to these students.

    “There’s been enough shootings going on around the country. This is despicable artistic expression, if that’s what it was.”

Is the video protected under the First Amendment or is the sheriff's interpretation of the video consistent within the context of preventing a potential threat?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
- - -
Business Times: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says it will fix years to FB's problems.

Who...knew?

Gadgets Now: India law misunderstood by FB moderators. 

[Facebook moderators are advised] that any post degrading an entire religion violates Indian law and should be flagged for removal.

[Another instructs moderators] to "look out for" the phrase "Free Kashmir" - though the slogan, common among activists, is completely legal.

- - -
Ars Technia: Residential home battery (power) not energy efficient in most cases.

"There may be good reasons to decentralize the grid through ubiquitous installation of small RES [Residential Energy Storage], but cost-effective emissions control is not one of them at the moment," the researchers write.

- - -
Caution - story contains AI created "scary" names (I'm looking out for the easily frightened Libs, here.); Ars Technia:

AI invents New Year fireworks names that sound more like the end of humanity.
[...]
Flaming Thundersplont Box
Red flashing cake
Machine Blinking Display
Black Moo
Original Cat Pix Budget 2 Boom

Yikes! Machine Blinking Display and Original Cat Pix Budget 2 Boom. Run Away ! Run Away !
- - -

Coffee? Tea? Lots of room?

Technology: What happens when almost no passengers show up for their flight?

- - -

Technology: Wind turbines hurting robins. 

...wind turbines are rather loud and robins have to adapt. In these areas where wind turbines are present, robins drop their lower pitch and go for the trademark puffed up red chest instead. Little birds cannot compete against the low hum of the wind turbine blades.

- - -
TechRadar: MS 2018 retrospective.

...the October 2018 Update has been the most problematic and buggy update ever released for Microsoft’s OS, outdoing even the infamous Anniversary Update.
[.]
Another major development for Microsoft in 2018 was that the firm finally admitted that it had got things wrong with the default web browser for Windows 10. The company has been pushing hard with Edge for a good while now, but to no avail[.]

WccfTech: Here comes Win 10 forced update v 1809.

We are still waiting for user reports to see if they have experienced any Windows 10 forced updates over the last few days. But, if you want to avoid Windows 10 version 1809, it would be wise to block it to avoid any surprises.

- - -
Gadgets Now: Elon Musk needs people to beta test Tesla's autonomous-driving cars.

Earlier this year [Tesla] reportedly sought hundreds of employees to test its full-driving system and offered free Autopilot upgrade with new purchases.

- - -

The Drive - Ford's 2019 preview and 2020(?) Bronco.

Ford "Super Duty"

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez upset over Tesla not giving back to taxpayers.

Her name is too many keystrokes, so from now on, she's AOC.

AOC to Tesla, "taxpayers have not seen a return on their investment." RT News:

Incoming New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is taking aim at that most sacred of American cows, the public-private partnership, criticizing Tesla for accepting government subsidies without giving back to the taxpayer.

“When we as a public choose to invest in new technologies, we deserve a return on that investment,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a climate change town hall event on Monday.
[.]
While Tesla has certainly benefited from government subsidies, racking up $2.4 billion as of 2016, the company does not receive nearly as much from the taxpayer as other automakers like Ford, which received $4 billion during that same time, or GM, which got $5.8 billion.

Does she remember Solyndra and other green energy failures that cost taxpayers over $2.2 billion?  Or $4 billion annually to oil companies? (It's the NYT so it has to be true).

Is anyone documenting AOC's every clouded non-sequitur statement at some site or blog? How could anyone keep up? When would you sleep? It's not possible.