Tag Archives: News

Breaking News, Celebrities

Barbara Walters, Trailblazing Journalist and Celebrity has Died

At once a serious and entertaining force, she changed the face of news in America

ABC News announced on Friday Evening that Barbara Walter’s has died. She was 93. The cause of death was not provided in the announcement. Barbara Walters was a pioneering journalist and television personality who has had a long and successful career in the media industry, a career that seems larger than life now, to many looking back.

She was born on September 25, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents, Lou and Dena Seaman, were both Russian immigrants, and her father owned a jewelry store.

As a child, Walters showed an early interest in journalism and writing. She attended Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she wrote for the school newspaper and participated in drama productions. After graduating from high school, she attended Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1951.

After college, Walters began her career in journalism as a researcher and writer for NBC News. She quickly worked her way up the ranks, eventually becoming a producer and correspondent for the network.

In 1961, she became the first woman to co-host the Today show, alongside Hugh Downs. She remained with the show for more than 10 years, becoming a household name and paving the way for other women in television news.

In 1976, Walters left the Today show to co-host the ABC news magazine 20/20 with Hugh Downs. She remained with the show for over 25 years, becoming known for her in-depth interviews with world leaders, celebrities, and other notable figures.

She was also a frequent contributor to other ABC news programs, including Good Morning America and World News Tonight.

In addition to her work on 20/20, Walters also hosted a number of specials and television events, including the Academy Awards and the Miss America pageant. She became the first woman to solo host the Oscars in 1984, and she continued to co-host the awards show for several years.

Throughout her career, Walters has interviewed countless high-profile figures, including presidents, world leaders, and celebrities.

She was known for her ability to ask tough questions and get her subjects to open up, and she has been recognized for her contributions to journalism with numerous awards and honors. In 1989, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and in 2008, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Challenges to face and overcome

Despite her many accolades, Walters faced her share of challenges and controversies over the course of her career. She faced criticism for her involvement in the Miss America pageant, which was seen as out of step with the feminist movement of the time.

She also faced backlash for her interviews with controversial figures, including former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Despite these controversies, Walters has remained a respected and influential figure in the media industry. She retired from full-time television work in 2014. She is widely regarded as a trailblazer and role model for women in the media industry, and her work has had a lasting impact on the way television news is produced and consumed.

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Climate Solutions

What’s an Atmospheric River and Why is California Lovin’ It?

Drought that looked invincible has met extreme opposite weather: stalemate?

Atmospheric river storms can actually be welcome in California during a historic drought, like the one this year. In some cases, nearly 50% of California’s precipitation each year can be the result of atmospheric rivers, and they can bring enough water to stop even a historic drought in its tracks.

Atmospheric river storms, also known as “pineapple express” storms, have sometimes been known to bring much-needed rain and snow to drought-stricken areas, including California.

Extreme weather, wildfires, and more have been on the increase worldwide as a result of global warming and climate change.

Atmospheric river storms are characterized by a narrow corridor of strong winds and heavy precipitation that can extend for thousands of miles. They are often associated with the transport of moist air from tropical regions, and they can be a significant source of water for many areas.

In California, atmospheric river storms can provide a much-needed source of water for agriculture, hydroelectric power generation, and other important water-dependent activities.

They can also help to replenish reservoirs and groundwater aquifers, which can help to mitigate the impacts of drought.

The monumental drought of 2022 in the rearview?

Just as it was looking as if there was zero chance for enough moisture to reverse the long, intense drought conditions that California has suffered this year, the “Pineapple Express” became a holiday storm front. There is a sense of relief, although it is too early to tell if the drought will end as a result of this rain.

It is also important to note that these storms can also bring heavy rainfall and strong winds, which can lead to flooding and other hazards. As a result, it is important for people in affected areas to be prepared and take necessary precautions.

An atmospheric river is a narrow band of moisture-rich air that extends from the tropics or subtropics to higher latitudes. These rivers of air are typically about a thousand miles wide and several thousand miles long, and they can transport enormous amounts of water vapor from the tropics to other parts of the world.

Atmospheric rivers are important because they play a crucial role in the global water cycle.

Water evaporates from the surface of the ocean, rises into the atmosphere, and then condenses to form clouds. As the clouds move over land, they release their moisture in the form of rain or snow.

Atmospheric rivers are responsible for a large portion of the moisture that falls as precipitation in many parts of the world, particularly along the western coasts of the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Atmospheric rivers can be either warm or cold, depending on the temperature of the air that they are carrying.

Warm atmospheric rivers are typically associated with heavy rainfall and floods, while cold atmospheric rivers can bring snow and ice to colder regions.

One of the most well-known atmospheric rivers is the “Pineapple Express,” which is a warm atmospheric river that brings moist air from the tropics to the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

The Pineapple Express is named after the tropical fruit because it brings warm, tropical air to the region. This atmospheric river is responsible for a large portion of the precipitation that falls in the Pacific Northwest, and it can cause heavy rainfall and floods in the region.

Another well-known atmospheric river is the “North Atlantic Oscillation,” which is a cold atmospheric river that brings moist air from the subtropics to the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

This atmospheric river is responsible for a large portion of the snowfall that falls in these regions, and it can cause heavy snow and ice storms.

Atmospheric rivers can have a significant impact on the weather and climate of the regions that they affect.

They can bring much-needed moisture to dry regions, which can help to alleviate drought conditions. However, they can also cause heavy rainfall and floods, which can lead to damage to infrastructure and loss of life.

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of atmospheric rivers and their potential impact on the global water cycle.

Scientists are working to better understand atmospheric rivers and to develop better tools for predicting and managing their effects.

This research is important because atmospheric rivers are likely to become more intense and more frequent in the future due to climate change.

Generally speaking, an atmospheric river is a narrow band of moisture-rich air that extends from the tropics or subtropics to higher latitudes.

These rivers of air play a crucial role in the global water cycle and can bring much-needed moisture to dry regions or cause heavy rainfall and floods.

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of atmospheric rivers and their potential impact on the global water cycle, and scientists are working to better understand and predict their effects.

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Breaking News, Entertainment, Twitter

Greta Thunberg took Andrew Tate out and a Pizza Box Took him Down

After a tweet heard ‘round the globe Romanian Police intervene

This week saw an epic Twitter battle that led to a fairytale tale conclusion nearly too perfect to imagine.

It started with an attempt at a burn by Andrew Tate, bragging about his pollution and GHG spewing 33 unit car collection. He thought she’d be an easy target for his misogynistic drivel. Mistake.


After she quietly hit back with the trashing of the century he went so far as to shoot a video trying to get the upper hand.

This led, to the immense satisfaction of most of the planet, to some elementary sleuthing by Romanian police – using the pizza boxes from the video to ascertain his current location (at the time).

This led to his arrest for a host of offenses related to human trafficking and rape.

A Tweet tsunami ensued, and wow…



Who is Greta Thunberg?

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who rose to prominence in August 2018, when at the age of 15 she began protesting outside of the Swedish parliament to demand action on climate change. Her protests, which consisted of her sitting alone with a sign that read “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (School strike for climate), quickly gained attention and inspired other students around the world to join in.

Thunberg was born on January 3, 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actor Svante Thunberg and opera singer Malena Ernman. Thunberg has Asperger syndrome, and has spoken about her struggles with depression and anxiety.

Thunberg first became interested in the environment at the age of eight, after learning about the devastating effects of climate change in a documentary. However, it wasn’t until she learned about the 2015 Paris Agreement, a global agreement to combat climate change, that she became determined to take action. Despite the agreement, Thunberg saw little progress being made in addressing the issue, and so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

In August 2018, Thunberg began protesting outside of the Swedish parliament every Friday, refusing to attend school until the Swedish government took action on climate change. Her protests quickly gained attention and inspired other students around the world to join in. The movement, known as Fridays for Future, has since grown into a global phenomenon, with students in over 100 countries participating in strikes and protests to demand action on climate change.

Thunberg has become a leading voice in the fight against climate change, and has given numerous speeches at international conferences and events. In December 2018, she was invited to speak at the United Nations climate conference in Poland, where she delivered a powerful speech that gained widespread attention. In the speech, Thunberg condemned world leaders for their lack of action on climate change, saying “You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.”

In 2019, Thunberg was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. She also became the youngest person to be named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and was invited to address the United Nations General Assembly in September of that year.

Thunberg has continued to speak out about the need for urgent action on climate change, and has inspired millions of people around the world to join the fight. She has been praised for her courage and determination, and has become a role model for young people everywhere. Despite facing criticism and backlash from some quarters, Thunberg remains undaunted in her mission to bring about change, and continues to inspire others to join the fight for a better future.

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Entertainment

Unusual New Year’s Eve Traditions Across the Globe

Even within the USA there multiple cultural traditions for celebrating the transition into the new

Although we are accustomed to a homogeneous celebration across the USA on New Year’s Eve, there are also many variations, both here, mainly as observed by immigrants, and across the globe.

We also have a special upcoming article for Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, since it is celebrated according to traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, but many examples from the western Gregorian solar calendar observance can be seen here.

Within the US not everyone celebrates the same way

There are many ethnic and cultural traditions for celebrating New Year’s Eve that have been brought to the United States by immigrants from various countries around the world.

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Hogmanay: Hogmanay is a traditional Scottish New Year’s Eve celebration that includes singing, dancing, and the exchange of gifts. Many people in the U.S. of Scottish descent or with an interest in Scottish culture celebrate Hogmanay.

Nochevieja: Nochevieja, or New Year’s Eve, is a popular holiday in many Spanish-speaking countries. In the U.S., people of Hispanic descent may celebrate Nochevieja with parties, music, dancing, and the consumption of traditional foods and drinks.

Sylwester: Sylwester is a traditional New Year’s Eve celebration in Poland. In the U.S., people of Polish descent may celebrate Sylwester with parties, music, and the consumption of traditional foods such as kielbasa and pierogi.

Hog Sooie: Hog Sooie is a traditional New Year’s Eve celebration in Vietnam. In the U.S., people of Vietnamese descent may celebrate Hog Sooie with parties, music, and the consumption of traditional foods such as banh chung and banh tet.

Yalda Night: Yalda Night is a traditional New Year’s Eve celebration in Iran. In the U.S., people of Iranian descent may celebrate Yalda Night with parties, music, and the consumption of traditional foods such as watermelon and pomegranate.

Outside the US celebrations, and particularly food and drink styles vary

New Year’s Eve, or “Sylvester” as it is known in some parts of the world, is a time of celebration and reflection as people bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the new. While the exact traditions and customs vary from culture to culture and country to country, there are a few common themes that emerge.

In the United States, it is common for people to gather with friends and family to watch the ball drop in Times Square on television. This tradition has been taking place since 1907, and has become a widely recognized symbol of the new year. Many people also make resolutions, or promises to themselves to make positive changes in the coming year.

In Spain, it is customary to eat a grape with each of the twelve chimes of the bell at midnight, symbolizing good luck for each month of the new year. In many Latin American countries, people dress in white on New Year’s Eve to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

In Japan, people celebrate the new year by visiting temples and shrines to pray for good fortune. They also eat a special meal called “toshikoshi soba,” which consists of thin noodles that symbolize a long and healthy life.

In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for people to make noise at midnight by ringing bells or blowing horns to chase away evil spirits and bring in good luck. Some people also make a “New Year’s Resolution” to try and improve their lives in the coming year.

In many parts of Europe, it is traditional to eat certain foods on New Year’s Eve that are believed to bring good luck.

In Germany, people eat pork and sauerkraut, while in Italy it is common to eat lentils. In the Netherlands, people eat doughnuts filled with jam or cream, and in France, people often eat a special cake called a “galette des rois,” which is made with a hidden bean or trinket inside.

In what has become a modern tradition, Times Square in NYC is where it’s at on December 31st

In the United States, New Year’s Eve is often celebrated with parties, fireworks, and other festive events locally and en masse via TV and the media.

Common local traditions for celebrating New Year’s Eve in the U.S. include:

Attending a New Year’s Eve party: Many people in the U.S. celebrate New Year’s Eve by attending a party or gathering with friends and family. These events often include music, dancing, and food and drinks.

Watching the Times Square ball drop: In New York City, the Times Square ball drop is a well-known New Year’s Eve tradition. At midnight, a large ball descends from a flagpole atop One Times Square, signaling the start of the new year. Many people gather in Times Square to watch the ball drop in person, while others watch the event on television.

Fireworks displays: Fireworks displays are a popular way to celebrate New Year’s Eve in many parts of the U.S. Many cities and towns hold public fireworks displays, and some people choose to set off fireworks on their own.

Making New Year’s resolutions: Many people in the U.S. make New Year’s resolutions, or promises to themselves to make positive changes in the new year. Some common resolutions include losing weight, exercising more, or saving money.

Playing games and engaging in other activities: Some people choose to spend New Year’s Eve playing games or engaging in other activities with friends and family. These might include board games, card games, or outdoor activities like ice skating or sledding.

Overall, New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration and reflection, and while the specific traditions may vary from place to place, the underlying theme of hope and good fortune for the new year is universal. Happy New Year from all of us at Lynxotic.

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Entertainment, Twitter

Andrew Tate Reportedly Arrested in Romania for Rape After Greta Thunberg Clapback Video

According to Romanian newspaper Libertatea Andrew Tate has been arrested in Romania by anti-terrorism authorities. Tate was reportedly detained together with his brother, Tristan, on suspicion of forming an organized crime group that exploits girls for adult videos.

The report states that they are being taken to DIICOT (Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism) for questioning. Separately, DIICOT has confirmed the arrests in a statement which did not name any suspects. The Attorney for the brothers, according to Reuters, confirmed they had been detained.

This news is particularly bizarre coming on the heels of a twitter exchange that went viral between Tate and and Greta Thunberg:

Stories that reported on the exchange have been searched over 2 million times according to trend.google.com, as of Thursday night in the Pacific time zone.

The Twitter feud between world renown activist Greta Thunberg and Tate began when he tagged her tweet with boasts about his 33 gas guzzling car collection, looking to brag about how little interest he has in anything other than his own infantile pleasures. Her comeback was monumental and caused a tsunami of praise and viral retweets.

Andrew Tate is a British kickboxer and entrepreneur. He is known for his successful career in kickboxing, as well as for his business ventures and media appearances.

Tate began kickboxing at a young age and quickly made a name for himself in the sport. He has won numerous titles and tournaments, including the WAKO World Championships and the ISKA World Championships.

In addition to his kickboxing career, Tate has also pursued a number of business ventures, including a fitness company and a property development company.

In recent years, Tate has gained additional notoriety for his media appearances, including on reality TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother and Love Island. He is also known for his controversial social media presence and for making controversial statements on a variety of topics.

Despite his success in kickboxing and business, Tate has faced legal and personal issues, including allegations of domestic abuse and assault, which he has denied.

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Climate Solutions, Sustainable Energy

Virtual Power Plants Could be the Future of Distributed Energy

More grid power failures are likely: a distributed network is the only solution

If you have heard about the concept of a VPP, it is most likely that you read about a Tesla Virtual Power Plant. A virtual power plant (VPP) is a system that uses a network of decentralized energy resources, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and energy storage systems, to generate electricity.

These resources are connected and controlled through a central management system, which allows them to operate as a single, coordinated entity.

The goal of a VPP is to provide a reliable and cost-effective source of electricity by leveraging the collective output of the connected energy resources.

Tesla has been working on the concept going back as far as 2015, when they first began producing battery back up systems for solar.

Tesla’s home system, called Powerwall, and the Megapack, first offered in 2019, which is a massive 3 MWh energy storage product, are the best known backup systems for solar panel systems.

More recently companies such as Swell Energy are working together with utilities to operate a “behind the meter” virtual power plant systems that are able to manage residential solar installations to ensure that there are no outages and that the maximum financial benefit is available for the power generated.

VPPs can be used to provide electricity to a specific location, such as a neighborhood or a campus, or they can be connected to the grid and used to generate electricity for a larger area.

They can also be used to support the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, by providing a flexible and responsive source of electricity that can be dispatched as needed to meet changing demand.

VPPs can be beneficial in a number of ways. They can help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, which can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

They can also help to lower energy costs by using locally-generated renewable energy, and they can help to improve the reliability of the electricity supply by providing a distributed source of electricity that is not reliant on a single power plant or transmission line.

The many benefits of these systems are only now beginning to emerge – with greater cooperation between the government, regulations, utilities and individual home owners the potential for a more resilient grid and more secure, sustainable energy for communities are virtually unlimited.

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Breaking News

Vivienne Westwood Dead at 81: Her Designs Defined an Era

“It’s about the story, it’s about ideas”

Vivienne Westwood was a British fashion designer who has made a name for herself with her unconventional and rebellious designs. She was born Vivienne Isabel Swire in Glossop, Derbyshire, England on April 8, 1941. Westwood attended secondary school in Derbyshire and later studied fashion and design at the University of Westminster in London.

In the 1970s, Westwood became involved in the punk movement in London and opened a shop called “SEX,” which sold clothing and accessories that she designed. She quickly gained a reputation for her bold and unconventional styles, which often featured unusual materials and prints. Westwood’s designs were heavily influenced by historical and cultural references, and she became known for her ability to blend different styles and periods together in unexpected ways.

The cause of her death was not given in the press release from her company today.

In the 1980s, Westwood began to focus more on traditional fashion design and gained international recognition for her work. She has designed for a number of high-profile clients, including Princess Diana, and has received numerous awards for her contributions to the fashion industry. In 1992, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire for her services to fashion.

Throughout her career, Westwood has remained true to her rebellious roots and has continued to push the boundaries of traditional fashion design. She has been a vocal advocate for sustainability in the fashion industry and has worked to promote ethical fashion practices. In 2010, she launched a campaign called “Climate Revolution” to raise awareness about climate change and the role of the fashion industry in contributing to it.

In addition to her work in fashion, Westwood is also known for her activism on a range of social and political issues. She has been a vocal supporter of human rights and has worked to raise awareness about a variety of causes, including animal rights, the environment, and the refugee crisis.

Despite her success in the fashion world, Westwood has remained humble and down-to-earth, and has continued to inspire others with her creativity and dedication to her craft. She has been a role model for many aspiring designers and has helped to shape the direction of fashion for decades. Today, she is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative fashion designers of all time.

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AI

ChatGPT Gave this Response to the Question: What is a Virtual Power Plant

Hint: it’s pretty damn accurate

Virtual Power Plant Definition

“A virtual power plant (VPP) is a system that uses a network of decentralized energy resources, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and energy storage systems, to generate electricity. 

These resources are connected and controlled through a central management system, which allows them to operate as a single, coordinated entity. 

The goal of a VPP is to provide a reliable and cost-effective source of electricity by leveraging the collective output of the connected energy resources.

VPPs can be used to provide electricity to a specific location, such as a neighborhood or a campus, or they can be connected to the grid and used to generate electricity for a larger area. 

They can also be used to support the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, by providing a flexible and responsive source of electricity that can be dispatched as needed to meet changing demand.

VPPs can be beneficial in a number of ways. They can help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, which can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

They can also help to lower energy costs by using locally-generated renewable energy, and they can help to improve the reliability of the electricity supply by providing a distributed source of electricity that is not reliant on a single power plant or transmission line.”

As a random test this is not bad

The language is better than many low quality human writers, and, while the information has a “generic” feel to it, the amount of effort saved compared to a human composing a similar essay is impressive.

The attention the AI bot has generated since launch is understandable- given the speed and quality of the results.


Elon Musk, Social Media, Twitter

Elon Musk Launches Poll Asking if he should Step Down

Looks like he could be gone soon (!)

In yet another mad twist Elon Musk posted the tweet below, asking in a poll if he should step down as head of Twitter. Then, he says in a subsequent tweet that he will abide by the results!?

Apparently, a lot of people are looking for his resignation with a clear majority voting yes. With 6.2 million votes already and a bit under 10 hours to go, 58% are choosing to give him the boot.

It’s been a wild ride recently with journalists suspended, reinstated, and chaos galore. Then today another bombshell dropped when links to external social media sites were banned, with sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon, specifically listed. The Mastodon Twitter account was also suspended.

With a bit less than 10 hours remaining: Almost 60% yes!
Breaking News

51! Warnock Projected to Win Georgia Run-off Election

Dems get a 51-49 majority in Senate

NBC has projected that Sen. Raphael Warnock will defeat Herschel Walker in the run-off election today.

This outcome strengthens the Democrats hold on the Senate, with 51 seats, allowing for party line votes to bring bills to the floor.

Breaking News

New York Jury Finds Trump Org Guilty on all Charges

17 counts of criminal tax fraud

After deliberating for less than 24 hours a New York jury came back with the guilty verdict on Tuesday afternoon. The announcement was made in court around 3pm Wednesday.

The trial which was related to two Trump Organization firms, both the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation, started with an indictment in July (2022). Allen Weisselberg, long standing Trump finance chief, was also accused of crimes for various tax schemes, including reducing payroll liabilities from top executive salaries via various tricks, as well as luxury freebies and untaxed bonus payments. The amounts in total were in the millions of dollars.

Testimony from Weisselberg, after he pleaded guilty in August, appears to have been key. The cooperation deal he made with the prosecution is likely to get him a relatively light 5-month sentence, pending.

Former president Trump did not face charges directly in the case, but there remains an ongoing investigation into the matter.

This news comes even as a slew of cases, including the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation, and also various possible crimes stemming from his attempts to overturn the election that he lost in 2020 and building steam.

For many observers it only seems odd that convictions, such as the one that came down today in this case, were so long in coming. Once the Trump “empire” started to unravel after January 6th 2021, it was only a matter of time, it would seem, before many, such as former Trump attorney Michael Cohen and now Allen Weisselberg would choose to testify and save themselves from taking the full weight of charges by shielding their former boss.

Another upcoming trial, currently scheduled to begin in October of 2023, involves charges alleging that the Trump Org and Trump and three children named directly, perpetrated a related multi-year fraud spree, using manipulated property values and also similar techniques to those for which the companies were found guilty today.

Ultimately this story, while perhaps a final note in this specific case and its charges, is likely the only beginning of a coming avalanche of verdicts and decisions related to the former president’s now crumbling empire and his actions to attempt to regain presidential power.

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Elon Musk, Tesla

Love or Hate Elon Musk, The Tesla Semi is a Big Step Forward

The December 1st launch date is good news for the climate

Elon Musk confirmed, via tweet, that a Tesla Semi successfully completed a 500 mile trip, fully loaded, on November 27th. With a full weight of 81,000 lbs, the 500 mile trip on a full charge is an impressive feat that bodes well for the production roll out, scheduled to begin on December 1st, 2022.

The date also coincides with scheduled delivery of the first production Semis to Pepsi. The timing is also interesting as Coca-Cola has recently begun its roll out of Renault trucks intended for last-mile deliveries in Belgium.

The Tesla Semi accomplishment is particularly impressive as the difficulty of designing a long-haul EV truck that is capable of 500 miles on a charge with a full load of cargo plus battery weight is off-the-charts difficult.

The 500 mile target is important since it corresponds to an 8 hour shift for drivers, after which a rest period would be mandatory. Not only is there an obvious climate benefit to fleets, and eventually the entire long haul industry, switching to EVs, the reduced costs per mile compared to diesel is significant.

Since an 80% charge is the recommended maximum for battery health and longevity, the Tesla Semi is expected to be able to run 400 miles (fully loaded) on a charge. The company has plans to provide solar-powered “Tesla Megacharger” charging stations that can reach 80% in 30 minutes.

Reducing the long haul diesel carbon footprint is a hugely important milestone

Diesel emissions are dirty if you try to breathe them, but they also emit 13% more CO2 compared to vehicles running on gasoline. As of 2020, transportation was responsible for 27% of GHG emissions, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Although replacing the entire US fleet of both passenger vehicles and trucks with EVs, charged ideally by sustainable energy sources is a huge, long term undertaking, the mere possibility that it can be accomplished is proven by this first step into sustainable commercial transportation.

Considering the economic benefits, the opposite of a so-called “green premium” the adoption of EVs for the long haul trucking industry seems very likely to proceed rapidly. And, regardless of your take on Twitter’s recent drama, that’s good news for all of us.

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Elon Musk, Tesla, Twitter

Why Elon Musk Bought Twitter V3: The Tesla Phone Wrinkle

In a bizarre twist Elon tweets a “threat” to sell phones if Apple or Google ban Twitter from App stores

This article is the third in a series that was never intended to be one. The question of why, other than lack of impulse control and way too much money, Elon Musk would buy Twitter and take it over himself is still unknown. Our first two articles chronicled two possible motivations, each put forth by someone claiming to have inside information. This story is based on Elon Musk’s direct reply to a tweet.

With Twitter getting more dangerous daily, if you are an advertiser or stake your reputation on the content not being toxic (good luck!), and now speculation is mounting that Apple and/or Google might ban downloads for the app.

Elon Musk actually responded to these thoughts with a tweet saying, “…yes, if there there’s no other choice, I will make an alternative phone.”

Oddly, this idea has been around a long time as a sort of fake news thread – various YouTubers have a continuous output of made-up stories about Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX. One of the most circulated is one claiming that there is already a solar-powered, Starlink connected phone from Tesla, which some claim is called the “Model Pi”.

Spoofs that become real?

There are many, many reasons, beyond the fact that the whole thing was a spoof, that make it very unlikely that this could ever happen. It’s true that the various capabilities that would be needed to make an iPhone like product are generally within the scope of what Tesla already does.

Manufacturing, supply chains, software, all of these are within the general scope of what Tesla has done very well up until now. It is, on the other hand, more than a bit crazy to think that, literally overnight, a new product could overtake or even compete with the incredibly mature capabilities of the iPhone or a top Android unit.

The iPhone has been evolving for fifteen years and the resources that Apple brings to bear in improving it are not small. The spoof version invents a few bombshell features such as built in crypto mining (presumably where the name “Pi” comes from ), Solar charging, Starlink internet, and others to ad believability to the joke.

Even if these features were available (crypto less of a incentive now lol) it’s extremely unlikely that a large number of people would jump on the trend with so many other features delayed (Cybertruck, anyone?).

The genius is that people think that Elon Musk can make the impossible happen

Getting away from the negative, what Tesla has accomplished in changing perception of EVs from a dead on the shelf product, to one that has forced the entire automotive industry to adopt a similar path is amazing.

And, even at Twitter, it is possible that, after a lot of pain and tumult there could be a new Twitter that is no worse that the pre-Musk version. It could even be bigger and, eventually, not a cesspool.

One thing that is abundantly clear, however, is that the ongoing drama will continue and maybe even accelerate. Watch this space for the next chapter.

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Books, Climate Solutions, Earth Day

These Books take a Hard look how Climate Change & Capitalism Clash

Video

Above: Photo Collage / Lynxotic / Simon & Schuster

Naomi Klein’s new book is third in a venerated series on problems we face as a species

As the disasters mount and more and more are definitively linked to man-made climate change and global warming, millions around the globe recognize the need for solutions. More and more the solutions arise, only to be blocked or derailed by the same phenomena: corrupt governments beholden to status quo power and short-sighted corporate greed.

This dynamic; available solutions being actively opposed by business and governments that answer to those powerful corporate entities, even as they mount massive multi-million dollar ad campaigns to “green-wash” their image and try to appear aligned with the very solutions they violently oppose is nearly all pervasive.

Meanwhile, as the problems continue to grow, it has become clear that we, that is to say humanity and its future survivors, are not just fighting a battle against the problem itself, the rapidly deteriorating climate caused by Carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, but even more so a political battle is underway which pits an entire entrenched, unequal and corrupt system (regardless of ideology) against the very issue that needs to be tackled in order for our species to survive.

Without solving the problem of Capitalism’s built-in bias toward profit at any cost, any solution to the climate crisis will be stopped or hindered before it can take root and make enough impact to give us a chance against the looming disasters.

Recently Greta Thunberg posted a statement that governments were literally doing nothing, while at the same time preaching and advertising their “commitment” to solving the problem.

Naomi Klein represents a voice, a top selling author, that has stayed focused on this specific aspect of the challenge for decades. The documentary based on her best-selling book “This Changes Everything” (trailer below) is now a classic and zeros in on the monumental importance of this problem, and how the political and economic systems of the world will require massive and immediate change if we are to survive.

This is not about the tired tropes of Socialism vs Capitalism vs Communism and so on, but rather about the specific corruption and suicidal deception that threatens us all, as fake dedication to solving the problem is paraded simultaneously with efforts that double-down on protecting the homicidal status quo of greed and destruction.

Now, with the Biden administration touting its green status and the green new deal, there must be accountability and more than just words and slogans. The new book shown below is an in-depth look at just what needs to happen to confront the political gridlock and the tendency for real solutions to be blocked or destroyed in the crib.

On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal

Click photo for more on “On Fire“.

Naomi has been at the forefront reporting on the many ways the economy has waged war one planet and people for over 20 years.

An instant bestseller, On Fire shows Klein at her most prophetic and philosophical, investigating the climate crisis not only as a profound political challenge but also as a spiritual and imaginative one. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of “perpetual now,” to the soaring history of humans changing and evolving rapidly in the face of grave threats, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of “climate barbarism,” this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink. An expansive, far-ranging exploration that sees the battle for a greener world as indistinguishable from the fight for our lives, On Fire captures the burning urgency of the climate crisis, as well as the fiery energy of a rising political movement demanding a catalytic Green New Deal.

Within this text, you will find her essays, written whilst in the midst of natural disasters, dire warnings of the future that is waiting for us if we do nothing to change. The long-forms essays display both the prophetic and philosophical while also challenging the spiritual and imaginative.

Her writings span events ranging from the smoky skies of the Pacific Northwest, the barren Great Barrier Reef to the post-hurricane Puerto Rico and many other climate crises.

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate

Click photo for more on “This Changes Everything“.

Author Naomi Klein wants readers to embrace the radical, that there is no longer the option to remain at the status quo. Climate Change isn’t just something to be “fixed” it is a crisis that requires immediate action. Also now a feature documentary.

In her book she exposes climate change deniers, delusions of geoengineers, why mainstream green initiatives have failed thus far and how capitalism will only make things worst.

The most important book yet from the author of the international bestseller The Shock Doctrine, a brilliant explanation of why the climate crisis challenges us to abandon the core “free market” ideology of our time, restructure the global economy.

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Click photo for more on “The Shock Doctrine“.

Klein introduces us to a new term, disaster capitalism, how those who experience catastrophic events (i.e. war/extreme violence or tsunami/ natural, ect) not only had to suffer from the disaster but also were being taken advantage by “rapid-fire corporate makeovers”.

“The Shock Doctrine” shows how economic policies have capitalized on crises, how at the core of disaster capitalism is to use a cataclysmic event to radicalize privatization.

In her groundbreaking reporting, Naomi Klein introduced the term disaster capitalism. Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she witnessed something remarkably similar. People still reeling from catastrophe were being hit again, this time with economic shock treatment, losing their land and homes to rapid-fire corporate makeovers. 

The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman’s free market economic revolution. In contrast to the popular myth of this movement’s peaceful global victory, Klein shows how it has exploited moments of shock and extreme violence in order to implement its economic policies in so many parts of the world from Latin America and Eastern Europe to South Africa, Russia, and Iraq.

Watch Trailer for Documentary: ‘This Changes Everything’

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Climate Solutions, Science, Sustainable Energy

Meet the power plant of the future: Solar + battery hybrids are poised for explosive growth

By pairing solar power and battery storage, hybrids can keep providing electricity after dark.

Joachim Seel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

America’s electric power system is undergoing radical change as it transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy. While the first decade of the 2000s saw huge growth in natural gas generation, and the 2010s were the decade of wind and solar, early signs suggest the innovation of the 2020s may be a boom in “hybrid” power plants.

A typical hybrid power plant combines electricity generation with battery storage at the same location. That often means a solar or wind farm paired with large-scale batteries. Working together, solar panels and battery storage can generate renewable power when solar energy is at its peak during the day and then release it as needed after the sun goes down.

A look at the power and storage projects in the development pipeline offers a glimpse of hybrid power’s future.

Our team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that a staggering 1,400 gigawatts of proposed generation and storage projects have applied to connect to the grid – more than all existing U.S. power plants combined. The largest group is now solar projects, and over a third of those projects involve hybrid solar plus battery storage.

While these power plants of the future offer many benefits, they also raise questions about how the electric grid should best be operated.

Why hybrids are hot

As wind and solar grow, they are starting to have big impacts on the grid.

Solar power already exceeds 25% of annual power generation in California and is spreading rapidly in other states such as Texas, Florida and Georgia. The “wind belt” states, from the Dakotas to Texas, have seen massive deployment of wind turbines, with Iowa now getting a majority of its power from the wind.

This high percentage of renewable power raises a question: How do we integrate renewable sources that produce large but varying amounts of power throughout the day?

Joshua Rhodes/University of Texas at Austin.

That’s where storage comes in. Lithium-ion battery prices have rapidly fallen as production has scaled up for the electric vehicle market in recent years. While there are concerns about future supply chain challenges, battery design is also likely to evolve.

The combination of solar and batteries allows hybrid plant operators to provide power through the most valuable hours when demand is strongest, such as summer afternoons and evenings when air conditioners are running on high. Batteries also help smooth out production from wind and solar power, store excess power that would otherwise be curtailed, and reduce congestion on the grid.

Hybrids dominate the project pipeline

At the end of 2020, there were 73 solar and 16 wind hybrid projects operating in the U.S., amounting to 2.5 gigawatts of generation and 0.45 gigawatts of storage.

Today, solar and hybrids dominate the development pipeline. By the end of 2021, more than 675 gigawatts of proposed solar plants had applied for grid connection approval, with over a third of them paired with storage. Another 247 gigawatts of wind farms were in line, with 19 gigawatts, or about 8% of those, as hybrids.

The amount of proposed solar, storage and wind power waiting to hook up to the grid has grown dramatically in recent years, while coal, gas and nuclear have faded. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Of course, applying for a connection is only one step in developing a power plant. A developer also needs land and community agreements, a sales contract, financing and permits. Only about one in four new plants proposed between 2010 and 2016 made it to commercial operation. But the depth of interest in hybrid plants portends strong growth.

In markets like California, batteries are essentially obligatory for new solar developers. Since solar often accounts for the majority of power in the daytime market, building more adds little value. Currently 95% of all proposed large-scale solar capacity in the California queue comes with batteries.

5 lessons on hybrids and questions for the future

The opportunity for growth in renewable hybrids is clearly large, but it raises some questions that our group at Berkeley Lab has been investigating.

Here are some of our top findings:

  • The investment pays off in many regions. We found that while adding batteries to a solar power plant increases the price, it also increases the value of the power. Putting generation and storage in the same location can capture benefits from tax credits, construction cost savings and operational flexibility. Looking at the revenue potential over recent years, and with the help of federal tax credits, the added value appears to justify the higher price.
  • Co-location also means tradeoffs. Wind and solar perform best where the wind and solar resources are strongest, but batteries provide the most value where they can deliver the greatest grid benefits, like relieving congestion. That means there are trade-offs when determining the best location with the highest value. Federal tax credits that can be earned only when batteries are co-located with solar may be encouraging suboptimal decisions in some cases.
  • There is no one best combination. The value of a hybrid plant is determined in part by the configuration of the equipment. For example, the size of the battery relative to a solar generator can determine how late into the evening the plant can deliver power. But the value of nighttime power depends on local market conditions, which change throughout the year.
  • Power market rules need to evolve. Hybrids can participate in the power market as a single unit or as separate entities, with the solar and storage bidding independently. Hybrids can also be either sellers or buyers of power, or both. That can get complicated. Market participation rules for hybrids are still evolving, leaving plant operators to experiment with how they sell their services.
  • Small hybrids create new opportunities: Hybrid power plants can also be small, such as solar and batteries in a home or business. Such hybrids have become standard in Hawaii as solar power saturates the grid. In California, customers who are subject to power shutoffs to prevent wildfires are increasingly adding storage to their solar systems. These “behind-the-meter” hybrids raise questions about how they should be valued, and how they can contribute to grid operations.

Hybrids are just beginning, but a lot more are on the way. More research is needed on the technologies, market designs and regulations to ensure the grid and grid pricing evolve with them.

While questions remain, it’s clear that hybrids are redefining power plants. And they may remake the U.S. power system in the process.

Joachim Seel, Senior Scientific Engineering Associate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Affiliate, Electricity Markets & Policy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Will Gorman, Graduate Student Researcher in Electricity Markets and Policy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Crypto, Entertainment, Finance

Apple near deal to produce film of Michael Lewis Book on Sam Bankman-Fried & FTX Collapse

In an incredible coincidence, Lewis had access before and during the drama

Michael Lewis book on Sam Bankman-Fried & FTX is near a deal with Apple. With competition from Amazon and Netflix – the film of the book on the fiasco is likely to be an Apple Feature film exclusive.

The fast moving story of the collapse of the one-time crypto billionaire wunderkind is about to go into overdrive. Apparently, as per a story in Deadline, Michael Lewis, of “The Big Short” and “MoneyBall” fame spent nearly six months with Bankman-Fried, ostensibly writing a very different story, one that has morphed into the scoop of the century as he watched the collapse of FTX and its founder’s world up close, pen in hand.

Rumors have it that Adam McKay, director of “The Big Short” and “Don’t Look Up” will eventually be attached, but for now, it appears that Apple has outbid both Amazon and Netflix for the feature film rights to the story.

A shocking and riveting story takes yet another twist

The story is of Sam Bankman-Fried & FTX’s rise and fall, with his personal estimated net worth crashing from a short lived peak at over twenty billion, to his current situation with zero and facing possible charges after resigning as CEO as FTX filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The unfolding drama has been hot and the details spewing out in the media and TikTok with a ferocious fervor, and now, with the author who has shown himself to be particularly adept at telling complicated financial stories and making them human and understandable on board, whew, it just got bigger.

The incredibly fortuitous coincidence that the book was six Months in the writing already as the historic collapse unfolded is likely to make for a once in a lifetime cinematic event.

Many have already called the FTX collapse “bigger than Madoff” or the greatest company collapse in history, and now the larger than life rise and fall will be chronicled both in an upcoming guaranteed bestseller, and in the, likely to be, Apple branded feature film.

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Climate Solutions, Sustainable Energy

First there was Doom scrolling, then Greenwashing now we have HopeFishing.

Yes, it’s a thing.

Possibly even worse than greenwashing, HopeFishing is when bad actors exaggerate and accelerate the fantasy of how we can solve the climate crisis, using solutions that either don’t yet exist, or that may actually be harmful if they were ever implemented.

There are entire web sites, which we will not link to for obvious reasons, that publish stories every day about a new invention or discovery that is “sure” to save the world.

Not all of the featured solutions are totally bogus, the clever publishers add in just enough “real” information to keep you guessing, but our informal research showed that 8 out of 10 were either total speculation or something that has been tried in a tiny sample in a lab and would, if ever, come to market in perhaps decade, for example.

Why is this so bad, you say? Because when these faux solutions, always hyped to the hilt, are so outrageously fantastic, that when taken at face value, can overshadow any real solution that might be available today, right now.

An example of this is hyper-efficient design of homes and buildings combined with sustainable energy generation and storage. A perfect combination of existing design techniques and currently available advanced technology these solutions are reedy to activate immediately.

This incredible mix is available and should be, must be, implemented worldwide as fast as possible. Doing so would reduce the cost of shelter, at a time with the affordable housing crisis is exploding worldwide, and at the same time lower carbon and greenhouse gas emissions for all structures built this way to beyond zero (in other words, using less energy than is produced, all from clean renewable sources).

This Climate Solution is a Sleeping Giant

Unfortunately, stories about such realistic and practical ideas will not be published by HopeFishing sites. The all-to-real situation is that a bias toward “deep-tech” and intellectual property generating solutions already exists and many of these are also still in R&D and might never actually work in the general marketplace.

Worse, those who are led to believe that these exaggerated claims and world rescuing solutions are going to be ubiquitous “any day now” are lulled into a state of apathy and complacency. And, all this at a time when the precise opposite is so urgently needed. HopeFishing. As deadly or more deadly than climate denial.

At the same time, those profiting off these “happy” non-news stories can tell themselves they are the good guys, just pointing out how wonderful humans are for inventing a world saving solution every day, sometimes multiple times per day.

Partial HopeWashing is also not ideal which makes things harder to understand

Some, such as Elon musk, “innocently” introduced products and services like the Tesla Semi EV, which is, finally, set for a product launch on December 1, 2022. Five years after it was first announced. As for the Cybertruck, which has yet to see the light of day, or for example, the full self driving feature, which has been announced, over and over and over, yet still has potentially years until it will be fully functional.

This all seems harmless enough but when taken to the next level, where say, a remedy is put forward that claims all electric cars will have batteries that can run for thousands of miles and take seconds to charge, and then, upon deeper research, it turns out this idea is simply a thought, or even a projection of an imaginary claim: at that point it becomes HopeFishing.

Another example of a partial level of this is Cement and Steel. These two materials, heavily used for building and construction, produce some of the highest levels of “embodied” carbon – meaning to manufacture them for use, a large amount greenhouse gasses must be released into the atmosphere. (causing and worsening global warming)

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were alternative versions of these materials that do not harm the environment during manufacture? Sure it would. But it would also be a gold-mine, or like all the world’s gold mines combined, to whoever figures out how to to this with little or no added costs.

Here are just a few companies that have been heavily funded to solve this problem already:

Key Companies Profiled by Fact.MR:

  • CarbiCrete
  • Carbon Cure
  • Cemex
  • CeraTech
  • Ecocem Ireland Lt
  • Heidelberg Cement
  • Holcim
  • Kiran Global Chems Ltd.

This is an old list, there are many, many more that have been formed since this list was published. And that is not including the same scenario for steel.

Again, what’s the problem here? For one, it is an example of how “racing forward to recreate the past” dominates the climate solutions marketplace. Instead of looking for different ways to build our infrastructure with less of these materials, we are desperately trying to find a way to imitate the cheap, massively subsidized growth patterns of the last 150 years.

An alternative building material, and there are some out there, that does not require a patented invention just to exist will very likely be minimized while these highly supported “lottery tickets” will be touted and exaggerated back and forth as they all try to dominate a future market in the trillions of dollars.

Secondly, the partial HopeWashing effect comes into play. How should someone who does not spend the time or have the expertise to research the claims of these companies ever hope to grasp just how close they actually are (or aren’t) to removing billions of tons of high carbon producing materials from the supply chain?

And if the answer, after arduous research and due diligence and sober calculation, is that the solution is certain to be too late? Once again the money and effort spent chasing happy unicorns and rainbows (and the past) will already be gone.

Therefore, the funding and attention that should be paid to immediately viable less obviously obscenely-lucrative solutions will be passed over, potentially for years or decades.

And if that happens, HopeFishing will turn out to be far deadlier than climate denial, GreenWashing or any other nefarious game of self-deception humans play on themselves.

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Apps, Social Media, Tech, Twitter

Goodbye Twitter, Hello Mastodon!

Over 1 million new users in less than 2 weeks

Ok. So it will be what you make of it. There’s not going to be a seamless leap from a heavy web2 monstrosity like what Twitter has become to a clean alternative overnight.

It makes sense, though. A platform that’s built to monetize your life, and does so on a massive scale, can’t be replaced easily by an entirely different beast.

Mastodon is not based on blockchain, for a social platform that is blockchain based, check out Lens Protocol, but does have an open source, ad-free structure that is controlled by users. It is also a microblogging network based on a UX that somewhat resembles Twitter.

As a “Federated” network system, Mastodon has various servers, each of which run by users, and differentiated, for the most part, by affinity.

Basically, rather than having a centralized corporate entity controlling and monetizing your account and data, you trust a peer who has set up a server. You can choose and join a group (server) based on the theme, rules and configuration of that server / moderator. In some cases you will need to be invited or prove worthiness, but such stipulations are set by the moderator and group.

Are we, ex-Twits, sophisticated enough to take on digital self-determination?

The challenge lies in the trade off that is built into the systems, one vs. the other. On a highly commercialized, slick, UX optimized platform like twitter there are lots of addictive, albeit shallow, reasons to participate. And the downsides can be seen everywhere – massive bot harassment, constant DMs from unwanted scammers, hate and ugliness, you get the picture.

A user controlled, open source platform, on the other hand, requires more real engagement from everyone for it to work. This is a double-edged sword – all that extra effort can seem overwhelming, but the benefits, particularly longer term can be magical.

Imagine a place where you are free to communicate with others that share your interests, and those that may not, but without an algorithm to force you to see whatever it wants you to see, or to shadow-block you from being seen, only because you didn’t pay or play its preferred game.

Losing the algorithm that serves the centralized commercial platform’s agenda is, ultimately, the only way forward, but not an easy place to get to.

In the end it is a question of realizing the potential of the internet (web2, 3 or 4) for deeper and more effective communication, not just to create a hellscape of fluff and vitriol that benefits a Zuckerberg and now, potentially, Elon Musk.

By now the shortcomings of Facebook (Meta), Twitter and the various Google services are glaringly obvious and, for the most part, agreed on nearly as much as global warming. However, just like the solutions to that other soon-to-be hellscape, the possibility of millions or even billions of people (in the case of Facebook) spontaneously migrating to a new platform or platforms is slim.

Ultimately, it will take a change in the people that comprise the network itself, not a top down makeover or feature-set rollout.

That is the most interesting point that can be gleaned from the current Mastodon moment; those that have pre-migrated before the current Twitter melt-down era seem to be acutely aware of the challenges, but also of the potential benefits, of growing into the new experiences that are only available there.

This underscores the potential irony of the current Twitter meltdown, intentional or not. Is Elon Musk doing the world a favor by pushing many of the best and brightest communicators out of the nest at the precise moment that it might be possible for another platform to gain a foothold?

Or will this be more akin to the moment that Clubhouse had which was seemingly diluted and washed away by copycat offerings (like the audio services Twitter added) and demoted to near irrelevance?

As has been the case in the past, even with the initial adoption of Facebook and Twitter by the masses, it is user sophistication and need that drives huge new platforms and activities.

Whenever a new platform for online communication is able to meet the moment and the new needs of a critical mass of users, that will be the place and time for the past to fade and something, hopefully better, to emerge.

And, perhaps, learning how to better interact with one-another online, even at the cost of taking more responsibility for learning and co-managing the platform itself, will begin with Mastodon and the Twitter devolution phase.

The following excerpt from TheMarkup.Org, from an interview by Julia Angwin of Adam Davidson gives a bit of a view into what some might find worthwhile at Mastodon:

Angwin: What would you say your biggest takeaway from this experience has been so far?

Davidson: I would say the screaming headline for me is, “Wow, this was awesome. This was amazing.” The Mastodon community was amazing. The journalism community was amazing. It’s really one of the best professional experiences of my life. I just love it.

What I’m finding most satisfying about Mastodon, and I’m seeing a lot of other journalists feel this, is that it actually forces you to ask and confront some of these questions and to make active choices. Even if Mastodon were to remain Twitter’s very tiny stepbrother, I would still like to be part of a Mastodon journalist community because I think we got lazy as a field, and we let Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and, god help us, Elon Musk and their staff decide all these major journalistic questions. I don’t know for how many people that’s a good siren call to join Mastodon, but for me that’s been pretty exciting.

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Elon Musk, SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter

Why Elon Musk Really Bought Twitter V2

Straight from a follower named “Spam Bot” the real reason…

Yesterday we published a story featuring a theory floated by a lady who, apparently, worked for Tesla for a decade, who believes that Elon is a “humanist” and wants to save the planet and needs Twitter to help him better communicate his ideas and solutions. No, not reinstating Trump, but she claimed it was all about global warming.

Not long after that article hit the airwaves, “Spam Bot”, reacted and posted a message (see photo below) where he (or she? or they?) outlined what’s really goin’ on:

Here’s the posted text in its entirety:

“Elon’s plan will soon be clear. Setting aside the fact the guy is an Alien (he literally admitted it) the ultimate plan is frightening. Twitter is key.

He needed to get rid of the engineers to rewrite the app.

After the re-engineering Twitter will be re-coded to subliminally force everyone to either buy a Tesla, Cybertruck or generate an uncontrollable urge to get into a Boring company pod.

Then, using the vast Starlink constellation a signal will be sent and all the Teslas, trucks and Boring pods will suddenly lock trapping the passengers inside.

The controls will freeze and they will autonomously head to the nearest Starbase launch site where flamethrower bearing a highly advanced version of the recently previewed ‘Musk clone robots will force NeuraLink implants deep into each persons cerebral cortex and then send them, like lame zombie sheep into waiting Starships for the journey to Mars.

Controlling everyone via NeuraLink, humanity will quickly devolve into a slave species, serving the Mars overlords for all of eternity. (Except for brunette Goth virgins. Virgins will be celebrated as honored guests and taken to a great feast within the Martian temple.

Afterwards they will be stripped naked, tied up and boiled alive to be consumed by the festive Martians).

Earth will be plundered for its remaining natural resources and die off becoming just another sphere of lifeless space rock eventually breaking apart into smaller and smaller pieces until turning to dust, scattering, and finally leaving the galaxy to drift into the abyss. It’s all so clear – you just need to put the pieces together.”

The actual comment left on Flipboard

Ok, let’s all take a short pause to, um….

If anyone is offended (or frightened ) by that, apologies on behalf of Lynxotic. As a writer it is important to always have something to say. This, text, this outpouring of strung together amalgamation of brand names and alien motivations has rendered this scribe… almost speechless…

To unpack this, in spite of being dumbfounded, the first thing that comes to mind is that “Spam Bot” gives Elon too much credit. Sure, he has admitted to being an alien, yes he is the wealthiest person on the planet, sure, his companies do all seem to fit together in a neat little puzzle that could enable exactly such a scenario…. But, no, it is not likely (hahaha) that this scenario is true, at least not all of it.

Actually, the idea that it was Elon’s intention all along to fire nearly all of Twitter and the mass exodus was what he wanted all along, does kind of make sense. If he really does want to rebuild it from the ground up, what better way to get rid of nearly all the employees than to find a clever (?) way to get everyone to quit (without looking really bad for firing everyone just before the holidays) .

And it will be quite entertaining to see how this plays out. For example, as we note in a new article coming today, Mastodon is growing fast and there’s an interesting possibility that a migration en mass over there could be a major upgrade.

Maybe that was Elon’s plan all along!

Elon Musk’s Real Reason for Buying Twitter is…

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Entertainment, Sports

World Cup without Beer but Armbands are in, just don’t hold hands

A bizarre day as the President celebrates 80 –

Several European teams refused to back down and plan to wear controversial “one love” armbands in protest of the alleged human rights violations by the host country Qatar. They maybe be fined or given yellow cards but that remains to be seen.

As for beer it’s definitely in short supply in the country that does not allow alcoholic displays in public.

Displays in public, you say? Holding hands and most definitely kissing are frowned upon and could get you in trouble – although that may be an exaggeration since there’s been an exception made for the duration of the games.

Local laws and customs grate on visitors nerves

It is illegal to be gay in Qatar, and if convicted, can result in a sentence of up to three years and a fine, and campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights is also not allowed.

All in all the setting has been criticized already my many attending and playing in the games. Without beer it may be likely for those complaints to continue.

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Entertainment, News

Jeff Bezos Predicts Recession and Lauren Sanchez is headed to Space

In CNN interview couple gush and giggle

Jeff Bezos, currently the world’s fourth richest person, says you might want to hold off on that big ticket item you’re listing after until the upcoming recession has abated.

He also admitted to having learned to fly a helicopter, and that Sanchez, herself a licensed pilot, had a hard time watching him learn.

She divulged that she “realized that when I’m in the back of the helicopter when he’s flying, I just kind of have to look out the window, just kind of enjoy the scenery.”

“I’m like, ‘No, no. Pull up. Okay. Okay, Slow down.’ But he’s very good.,”

Sanchez also said that she plans to travel into space “with a great bunch of women” in 2023.

In the same interview Bezos repeated his recent statement that he wants to give away “most” of his billions during his lifetime, though he also said that he had not yet formulated a specific plan to do so.

He has notably never signed on to the “giving pledge” which billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have.

Unlike his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, who has given away almost $4 billion to over 400 organizations in less than a year and twice that amount over the past two years, so far it has been mostly PR talk with little action in from the Amazon founder.

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Breaking News

Trump is Back on Twitter: Elon Musk Re-Instates Account

After a poll of internationals and bots the Twitter Clown is back

Ok, there should be a question mark on that heading – because it is as yet unclear if the former guy will actually resume tweeting. Since he has his own failing social media site, he has always maintained that he would not resume tweeting, even if reinstated.
melon Musk’s tweet which implies that the poll he launched earlier today is definitive – also added, in Latin no less: Vox Populi, Vox Dei : “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.

which is obvious nonsense – anyone in the world could vote and, naturally, millions of bots or other elements, elements that Musk himself claimed were running rampant – at a time when he needed an excuse to back out of the deal to buy Twitter.

As Trump himself has pointed out ad nauseam, he is good to boost “ratings” and traffic. Everyone loves a circus, and clowns.

https://twitter.com/astro_osk/status/1594140759606927362?s=46&t=7Lkh72LTFFoZ7bo-kFbo4g
Cruelty, pettiness and real estate: in Confidence Man, Maggie Haberman wields eye popping anecdotes to plumb the Trump phenomenon


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