Month: December 2020
In 2020, Disinformation Broke The US
Disinformation and its fallout have defined 2020, the year of the infodemic. Month after month, self-serving social media companies have let corrosive manipulators out for dollars, votes, and clicks vie for attention, no matter the damage. After an initial showing of unity as the coronavirus pandemic hit North American shores,…
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New trailers: The Marksman, The Dig, The Mauritanian, and more
I finished The Undoing and while it was disappointingly messy with a plot that didn’t quite come together, I think we can all agree that 1) Nicole Kidman’s coats were amazing and 2) Hugh Grant should absolutely play more villains. I’m also kind of on a kick of catching up…
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Aptera is back with a new EV it says doesn’t need charging
Aptera, the company that shuttered in 2011 after failing to secure funding for its three-wheeled electric car, is back with a new solar electric vehicle it claims never needs charging, at least, for most drivers. And it predicts its top model, with a battery of 100 kWh, can get up…
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The true price of a PlayStation 5
This past week I’ve been watching eBay, trying to decide if I should sell my PS5. I wouldn’t dream of becoming a scalper, but it’s getting hard to ignore just how much it’s worth. My daughter and I had beaten Astro Bot and Miles Morales, so I thought I’d peek…
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SpaceX launches new cargo Dragon to Space Station for 100th successful Falcon 9 flight
SpaceX launched its 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for NASA to the International Space Station on Sunday, using a brand new variant of its Dragon capsule spacecraft. This new cargo Dragon has greater carrying capacity and can dock fully autonomously with the Space Station, both improvements over the last…
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Go read this NY Times report about how police departments are using drones
As drones get smarter and the Federal Aviation Administration issues more waivers for its drone regulations, we’re likely to see more law enforcement agencies using them in their day-to-day, including for 911 calls. The formidable Cade Metz writes for The New York Times about what this looks like in practice,…
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