Oct 27
The State Dept. expects to offer the option to nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming Americans in early 2022.
Oct 27
It’s now clear why Hertz is buying a so many Tesla cars. The company is making up to 50,000 Tesla EVs available for rent solely to Uber ridesharing drivers in the US starting on November 1st. Workers in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, DC will have the option of paying $334 per week (eventually dropping to $299 “or lower”) for a package that includes a Model 3, insurance and maintenance.
Drivers will initially need at least a 4.7-star rating and 150 trips to be eligible. The program will expand across the country in the “following weeks.”
The company saw the Hertz deal as helpful for both the environment and, potentially, drivers’ bank accounts. It should reduce vehicle emissions and expose many people to EVs for the first time, Uber said. However, it could also lower some running costs. Drivers won’t have to pay for fuel, after all, and Uber has incentive programs that offer more money per trip (up to $1.50, if it’s an Uber Green ride) to EV operators.
Uber has strong motivations to adopt EVs. They could help the company reach its goal of zero emissions by 2040, and may tackle complaints that ridesharing makes CO2 emissions worse. The firm could burnish its image with eco-friendly cars roaming the streets. Even so, it’s a big deal both for curbing car-based emissions and for EV adoption — 50,000 cars is a large chunk of Tesla’s production, and likely one of the largest single-customer EV purchases to date.
Oct 27
Apple announces new climate initiatives ahead of the COP26 climate conference
Posted in: Today's ChiliApple has announced that it’s “more than doubled” the number of suppliers committed to using clean energy and unveiled new measures toward its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. It’s unveiling the initiatives ahead of COP26, the upcoming UN conference that many observers feel will not produce the breakthroughs needed to achieve aims set at the Paris climate accord.
As part of its 2020 environmental progress report, Apple said that its products and supply chain would be carbon neutral by 2030. That includes not just Apple itself, but 175 supplies that also need to transition to renewable energy, it wrote today. When that happens, “the company and its suppliers will bring online more than 9 gigawatts of clean power around the world,” avoiding over 18 million metric tons of CO2e annually, Apple wrote.
In total, 175 Apple suppliers will transition to using renewable energy, and the company and its suppliers will bring online more than 9 gigawatts of clean power around the world. These actions will avoid over 18 million metric tons of CO2e annually — the equivalent of taking over 4 million cars off the road each year.
Apple noted that 19 suppliers in Europe are now part of its Clean Energy Program, including Solvay and STMicroelectronics. It has 50 more in China, along with 31 in Japan and South Korea, including SK Hynix, “one of the first Korean suppliers to participate.” Its also creating “new pathways” for recycled materials, including recycled sources of gold, cobalt, aluminum and rare earth elements.
Apple also added 10 new projects for its “Power for Impact” initiative designed to bring clean energy solutions to communities around the world, particularly in under-resourced communities. That includes a project with six Sioux tribes in the US to finance, develop, build and operating power generation facilities, along with renewable energy projects in South Africa, the Philippines, Columbia, Israel and elsewhere.
While Apple appears to be making good on its promise to deliver products built with 100 percent clean energy, it continues to take heat over e-waste and related right to repair issues. Many of its products are difficult and expensive to repair, meaning that they either end up as e-waste or recycled toward new products. Both of those things use energy, clean or otherwise, that wouldn’t be consumed if the product was simply fixed.
Recently, President Biden ordered the FTC to draft right to repair legislation, and Europe announced that it would take measures forcing phone manufacturers to use USB-C — both rules that seem to primarily target Apple.
Oct 27
It’s not just Brazil pressuring Apple to include chargers with iPhones. According to Vice and Shanghai Law Journal, university students in China have sued Apple for not including a charger with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. They claimed the included USB-C to Lightning cable wasn’t compatible with other chargers, leaving one student unable to charge the phone as advertised.
The plaintiffs also didn’t believe Apple’s waste reduction claims. Apple was only using this as an excuse to promote MagSafe wireless chargers that waste more energy than their wired counterparts, the students argued. They want Apple to supply the charger as well as pay legal fees and 100 yuan ($16) for breach of contract.
Apple reportedly told the Beijing virtual court it was common for phone brands to sell power adapters separately, and that the government sanctioned this practice. However, the students pointed out that multiple Chinese companies offer the choice of an adapter in the box. You can buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 with or without a power brick, for example.
The case is still ongoing, and there are no guarantees it will lead to either compensation for the students or a shift in Apple’s no-charger policy. Even if the case prompts change, it may only lead to Apple offering the charger as an option at checkout. Nonetheless, the lawsuit illustrates the wider backlash to Apple’s position. Don’t be surprised if you see more lawsuits like this.
Oct 27
LinkedIn is introducing dedicated remote, hybrid and on-site search filters to help users on their next job hunt. You’ll see the labels when using the social network’s job search and Open to Work features. In the latter case, taking advantage of the filters will privately inform recruiters of the type of work you’re looking for, which the company says should help the right job find you. At the same time, LinkedIn is adding similar filters for company pages, allowing them to indicate things like their vaccine policies and return-to-office plans.
In testing the filters, LinkedIn says it saw more than 70 percent of searches involve people looking for remote-only roles. It’s a testament to how uncertain the pandemic has made every return-to-office plan. Even companies Amazon, Google and Facebook have struggled to find ones that stick. And so it’s no surprise most LinkedIn users are looking for opportunities where they can continue working from home.
Oct 27
MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is ready to deploy the autonomous passenger boat it’s been developing over the past six years. The vehicle, called the Roboat, has been through multiple iterations — just last year, the lab tested a version that can carry two passengers. This year, Roboat’s creators are launching its full-scale version, which can carry up to five passengers, collect waste and deliver goods, in Amsterdam.
The current Roboat has futuristic looks with its black and grey design and two seats facing each other. It’s fully electric with 10 hours of battery life on a single charge and has wireless charging capabilities. MIT CSAIL Director Daniela Rus says it’s more precise and has more robust perception, navigation and control systems that its predecessors. It also comes with new features, including close proximity approach mode that makes docking to a port or connecting to another boat easier, as well as better dynamic positioning that will help it better navigate real-world waters.
The vehicle’s autonomous driving technology is similar to ones used by self-driving cars, according to CSAIL, and operates by using GPS to decide on a safe route from point A to point B. Roboat also uses LIDAR and several cameras to enable a 360-degree view that gives it a way to determine its path and avoid crashing into obstacles. The vehicle can operate on its own round-the-clock, but an onshore operator will monitor it remotely from a control center: A single operator will be able to monitor up to 50 Roboat units.
The new Roboats will debut on October 28th in the waters of Amsterdam. Stephan van Dijk, Director of Innovation at Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, said: “The historic centre of Amsterdam is the perfect place to start, with its capillary network of canals suffering from contemporary challenges, such as mobility and logistics.”
Oct 27
Zound, the Swedish company which produces headphones under the Urbanears and Marshall brands, is bringing its true wireless audio smarts to its line of Adidas headphones. Today, it is pushing out a trio of true wireless buds for folks who want to look sporty and stylish without compromising on quality.
The flagship is the Z.N.E. 01 ANC, a pair of active noise-cancelling buds with swappable ear tips and subtle, three-stripes branding. You’ll get 20 hours of life from a charge, with 4.5 in the buds and an additional 15.5 hours in the case. (It will be interesting to see how these stack up against Zound/Marshall’s recently-announced Motif ANC, which come from the same company and share plenty of DNA.)
The ANC-less standard model, the Z.N.E. 01 are much more like a pair of bog-standard TWS buds, complete with the standard Adidas logo awkwardly stamped on the side. These don’t pack the custom ear tips, but what it lacks in style and features, it makes up for in battery life: 5 hours in each bud, and a further 20 in the case itself.
Rounding out the trio is the FWD-02 Sport, a pair of running-friendly buds with swappable ear tips and wings, a force sensor, so you can control it while wearing gloves, and IPX5 rating to defend against sweat and rain. These, too, will run six hours in your ear, with the charging case providing an additional 19 hours of juice before you need to head back to an outlet.
The Z.N.E. 01 and 01 ANC are available to order now, priced at $189 and $99, respectively, while the FWD-02 Sport can be pre-ordered today for $169, and will start shipping at some point in November.
Oct 27
Move over stick figure family car decals, because there’s a new, post-apocalyptic decal family in town thanks to these Fallout Vault-Tec Family Decals inspired by the characters of Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout Shelter. The decals, available on Amazon (affiliate link), are perfect for letting other motorists know that, in the event of a nuclear apocalypse, you’ve at least played a video game that kinda-sorta taught you how to survive.
The set includes five sheets of decals, with mix-and-match options for customizing two adults, as well as a bunch of pre-dressed characters in the event you’re a priest, football player, graduate, nerd, ninja, construction worker, doctor, luchador, or hockey mask-wearing psychopathic killer. They also include six children, dogs and cats, as well as a giant mutated cricket in the event you already have one of those.
I just ordered a set, and I can’t wait to put them on my wife’s car. I would have put them on my own car, but I sold it to buy supplies to build a fallout shelter. My wife says I’m crazy, but I say it’s that kind of talk that will make a loved one lose their spot in my bunker when the bomb does drop.
[via GeeksAreSexy]
Oct 27
It’s tough to pack a lot of features into today’s tiny actions cams. But with DJI’s new Action 2, the company has come up with a novel twist that makes customizing your mobile video rig for your needs a whole lot easier.
Oct 27
Robbie Amell talks about stepping into Chris Redfield’s zombie-stomping shoes for Resident Evil. Doctor Who teases a historical scrap with the Sontarans. Plus, a new look at Last Night in Soho, and what’s to come on Stargirl, Star Trek: Prodigy, and more. To me, my spoilers!
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