This summer has been a terrible wildfire season around the United States. Perhaps the hardest-hit state of all has been California, where drought and extremely dry conditions along with high winds have stoked wildfires that have destroyed homes and businesses all around the state. SETI Institute is well known for using a radio telescope array to search the galaxy for … Continue reading
Have five minutes and want to make your day significantly more awesome? Then come spend it watching Iron Maiden’s new music video for the song “Stratego,” released by Adult Swim last Wednesday.
One of the vehicles Ford debuted after discontinued all of its cars in the United States except for the Mustang was the small EcoSport crossover. The vehicle was strange-looking and not a big seller for the Blue Oval, despite being popular in Europe. As Ford continues to tighten its belt amid the pandemic and chip shortage, it has confirmed that … Continue reading
Late last week, Democrats in Washington proposed a new EV tax credit bill that would benefit major US automakers like Ford, Chevrolet, and Stellantis. The tax credit would be specifically for fully electric vehicles that are union-made and assembled in the US. Some automakers have spoken out against this tax credit in the past, saying that it cut benefits for … Continue reading
The imminent iPhone 13 series promises more than a few upgrades, but one of them may answer a common problem: the never-ending desire for more storage. As 9to5Macreports, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will be available with up to 1TB of storage alongside 128GB, 256GB and 512GB options carried over from the iPhone 12 Pro family. While that’s bound to be expensive, it could be appealing if you capture a lot of video or want that much more futureproofing.
Kuo also believed the base iPhone 13 and 13 mini would start at 128GB versus the (frankly inadequate) 64GB of their outgoing counterparts. You’d also see a new 512GB tier — you’d no longer have to splurge on a Pro model just to get more than 256GB.
There might be other ways to save money. The analyst also said he expected the current AirPods to stick around and sell alongside the third-generation models poised to debut at Apple’s September 14th event. He wasn’t certain how this would affect pricing, but the most likely scenario is a price drop that lets the third-gen AirPods occupy the existing space. Apple might sell the new wireless earbuds at a higher price, but there wouldn’t be much of a gap between them and the (normally $250) AirPods Pro.
If leaks are accurate, the new AirPods will more closely resemble their Pro counterparts and support spatial audio, but won’t include the higher-end buds’ eartips or active noise cancellation. That could make the current, no-frills AirPods the ‘budget’ choice for those who want alternatives to the Pixel Buds A, Nothing Ear 1 and other value-focused rivals.
An interesting rumor is making the rounds concerning the Nintendo Switch game console. The console has been on the market for about four and a half years and is still selling for the same price it debuted at. Typically, as consoles age, the pricing comes down, but that hasn’t happened for the Switch. However, that might change according to a … Continue reading
Stablecoins are ostensibly safer than regular cryptocurrency thanks to their ties to less volatile assets, but US regulators apparently aren’t convinced. Bloombergsources hear the Treasury Department and other federal agencies are close to a possible crackdown on stablecoins through a review from the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Officials are reportedly concerned the digital money is largely unregulated and could ultimately destabilize the financial system, not protect it.
A presidential Working Group on Financial Markets is believed to be most concerned about Tether. The cryptocurrency’s operators said they stabilize their funds by holding large amounts of corporate debt. That could be vulnerable to “chaotic investor runs” if cryptocurrency values tank, according to Bloomberg.
While a firm decision isn’t expected until December, when the Working Group is believed to be issuing recommendations, there’s reportedly a “consensus” in favor of an Oversight Council review. If that happens, the council could label stablecoins as threats that warrant strict regulation. Numerous cryptocurrencies could be forced to change their business models or even shut down.
As it stands, stablecoins are at risk from government competition. The Federal Reserve is exploring the possibility of launching a central bank cryptocurrency. Such a move could render private options moot in the US — there wouldn’t be much point to them if there was an official, potentially more reliable equivalent. Whatever happens, it’s safe to say the existing stablecoin market might not last long as-is if a review goes forward.
Ayman al-Zawahri, rumored to have died months ago, praised al-Qaida attacks including one in Syria in January.
If you were hoping to stream the rest of Disney’s 2021 movies on Disney+ the same day they hit theaters, think again. The company has announced that the rest of its 2021 movie lineup will have exclusive theatrical windows before making their way to its streaming service. The change comes amid growing numbers of people heading back out to their … Continue reading
Back in the 60s and 70s, no one who purchased some of the most iconic muscle cars we have today knew they would be worth so much money in the future. Collectors routinely pay massive amounts of money for classic sports cars like Mustangs, Camaros, and Dodge models. Right now, some of the most popular muscle cars of the 70s … Continue reading
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