Jul 20
Just like filling a gas tank to the brim, it can be tempting to charge your Tesla to 100%. But here’s why Elon Musk says avoiding it is beneficial.
Jul 20
WASHINGTON (AP) — The US Postal Service plans to substantially increase the number of electric-powered vehicles it’s buying to replace its fleet of aging delivery trucks, officials said Wednesday.
The Postal Service anticipates boosting electric vehicles from 20 percent to 50 percent in its initial purchase of 50,000 vehicles — with the first of them rolling onto delivery routes next year. It also proposes buying an additional 34,500 commercially available vehicles over two years, officials said.
The proposal, to be posted in the Federal Register on Thursday, came after 16 states, environmental groups and a labor union sued to halt purchases of next-generation delivery vehicles under the initial plan that was skewed heavily toward gas-powered trucks.
The new environmental proposal effectively pauses the purchases at 84,500 total vehicles — 40 percent electric — even as the Postal Service seek to buy up to 165,000 next-generation vehicles over the next decade to replace aging delivery trucks that went into service between 1987 and 1994.
Future purchases would focus on smaller amounts of vehicles in shorter intervals than the original 10-year environmental analysis, officials said.
The goal is to be more responsive to the Postal Service’s evolving operational strategy, technology improvements and changing market conditions, the Postal Service said in a statement. A public hearing on the new proposal will be held next month.
The next-generation delivery vehicles are taller to make it easier for postal carriers to grab packages and parcels that make up a greater share of volume. They also have improved ergonomics and climate control.
Jul 20
One of the men involved in the violent robbery was mistakenly released from custody in April and remains missing.
Jul 20
You’ve no doubt heard quite a bit about 5G, but what about Wi-Fi 6E? TP-Link’s new tri-band router is designed to be simple enough for anyone to use.
Jul 20
Russian Tennis Player Daria Kasatkina Comes Out As Gay, Denounces Country’s Homophobia
Posted in: Today's ChiliKasatkina revealed she was dating figure skater Natalia Zabiiako and decried Russia’s anti-gay laws.
Jul 20
The MARS Project ONE is a $9,000 Watch That Tells The Time on Earth and Mars
Posted in: Today's Chili
The $9,125 MARS Project ONE Dual Time Zone Watch from Behrens tells the time simultaneously in two different time zones: one on Earth and one on Mars. You know, because it’s always important to know if you’re going to be late for a Martian meeting.
The 42mm watch uses a Swiss Cal.2824 automatic wind movement for its basic time-telling, with rotating Earth and Mars globes on top and bands that show each planet’s timezones. The current date is displayed in the middle, with the day of the week on Each planet shown beneath the globes and the time on each planet underneath that. Of course, it’s hard to tell what part of Mars you’re actually looking at, considering the whole planet looks like a uniform rust ball.
Don’t have $9,000 to spend on a watch just so you can tell what time it is on Mars? Then do what I do and just don’t care what time it is on Mars. What good have those Martians with their big heads and buggy eyes ever done for us anyway?! I bet they’re going to invade – you just wait.
[via DudeIWantThat]
Jul 20
Apple’s car project, “Project Titan,” is rumored to have some big names involved. Here are some of the possible candidates who could build the car.
Jul 20
Google’s Imagen AI can create some impressive images simply from a couple of lines of text. But the tool does come with some concerns. Here’s why.
Jul 20
The end is nigh for DSLR cameras. Nikon is reportedly halting the development of new SLR cameras, marking the end of a 63-year run. Canon already confirmed its final flagship DSLR. Sony, which jumped onto the mirrorless train early, moved to selling only mirrorless cameras last year.
Until recently, reflex cameras were regarded as a better option than mirrorless for action photography, so what happened? Mirrorless models improved so dramatically – and so quickly – that they rendered DSLRs moot. Having said that, many pro photographers are holding onto their DSLRs, with the main reason being speed. But in the future, even that might be bested by future mirrorless cameras. Engadget’s Steve Dent explains more.
-Mat Smith
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Ultimate Ears’ latest earbuds fit like in-ear monitors
After you mold some tips to your ears, a custom-made set arrives in 2-4 weeks.
Ultimate Ears, best known for its Bluetooth speakers, is having another attempt at custom-fit buds, only this time the company is making the process more like how you’d order a set of in-ear monitors (IEMs) with the UE Drops.
The main attraction of UE Drops is the custom fit, which is coordinated via the company’s FitKit. Once you place your order, Ultimate Ears will ship you a FitKit that the company says includes the “technology and information” to guide you through the process of taking your “earprint.”
Lego celebrates 50 years of Atari with an elaborate 2600 set
Slide open the front panel to reveal a pop-up gaming room scene.
Lego
Atari is marking its 50th anniversary with a Lego collaboration: a piece-by-piece recreation of the Atari 2600, which debuted in 1977. The Lego kit includes a little ‘80s gaming diorama inside the computer case, and is made up of 2,532 pieces. It will be available on August 1st and costs $240/€240. Lego says the movable joystick included even feels like the original.
Apple settles lawsuit over its reviled ‘butterfly’ keyboard for $50 million
You may not get a huge payout, however.
Apple could soon compensate MacBook owners for their troubles with faulty “butterfly” keyboards. The company has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that it knew about and concealed the unreliable designs of keyboards on MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models released between 2015 and 2019. Apple eventually began reverting to more conventional keyboards starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro from late 2019. Attorneys said they expected a $395 payout for people that had to replace multiple keyboards, $125 for one full replacement and $50 if you only replaced keycaps.
Demand for the Justice League ‘Snyder Cut’ was reportedly amplified by bots
A report showed that ‘at least’ 13 percent of online discourse was generated by bots.
Warner
The campaign that helped pave the way for the “Snyder Cut” version of Justice League was boosted by a large number of bots and fake accounts, according to a report from Rolling Stone. An investigation commissioned by WarnerMedia said that: “At least 13 percent of the accounts that took part in the conversation about the Snyder Cut were deemed fake.”
Judge grants Twitter expedited trial against Elon Musk
Twitter’s lawsuit will head to court in October.
Twitter has scored an early victory in its lawsuit against Elon Musk over his attempted exit from a $44 billion takeover deal. In an initial hearing, Delaware Court of Chancery chancellor Kathaleen McCormick has granted Twitter’s request for an expedited, five-day trial beginning in October. The company originally sought a four-day trial in September as part of its effort to make Musk “honor his obligations.” Musk’s lawyers wanted the court to delay the trial to February 2023.
Jul 20
Discord voice chat will finally be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Series S, delivering a well-established solution for gaming teams on the console.
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