Samsung Unveils Latest Folders; Google’s Wear OS Watches Get Gemini; Meta Buys 3% Stake in Ray-Ban Parent

Posted: July 9, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung has unveiled their latest, greatest folding phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at their Unpacked event today. 9to5google.com reports that the 7 is noticeably thinner, and features a bigger screen. The Z Fold 7 is only 8.9 mm thick when closed…that’s down from 12.1 mm for the 6. The thickness open is a mere 4.2 mm. It has shed weight, dropping from 239 grams to 217. The inside display is an 8 inch one now, and the outer one is larger and wider than last year at 6.5 inches. The outer display now has the same aspect ratio as a normal smartphone. On thing missing…no S Pen support on the inner screen. Samsung says this contributed to making the screen more durable. The Z Fold 7 has a 200 MP core camera with 12 MP sensor for the ultra wide and 10 MP sensor for telephoto. It comes in Jet Black, Silver Shadow, Blue Shadow, and Mint…which you can only get by ordering direct from samsung.com. It’s up for preorder now. How much? It’s a penny under a cool $2 grand….up $100 from last year’s folder. 

At the Unpacked event, Samsung also showed off the Galaxy Flip 7, which now sports a bigger battery and is thinner than last year’s model. According to engadget.com, the 7 has a 4.1 inch super AMOLED Flex Window, which is the biggest external display on a Z Flip so far…as had been rumored. The main display is 6.9 inches when unfolded, and Samsung claims the Armor FlexHinge is thinner than earlier models, and has better durability and will fold more smoothly. The handset has a 50 MP Wide and 12 MP Ultra Wide lens for both selfies and scenic pictures. It starts out at $1100, comes in Jet Black, Blue Shadow, and Coral, and is open for preorder now…for July 25th availability.

Google has added its Gemini AI to the Wear OS watches, after teasing such a move on May. Techcrunch.com notes that Google is also adding Circle to Search capabilities by integrating its AI Mode search experience directly into the feature and adding support for gaming-related queries. The ubiquitous Gemini AI will now be showing up on watches running WearOS 4+ …and not only on Google’s own Pixel, but also Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, and Xiaomi over the next few weeks. To use Gemini, watch wearers can just say “Hey, Google,” then press and hold the side button on the watch, or tap the Gemini icon on the screen. 

Meta has bought around 3% of EssilorLuxottica, the maker of Ray-Ban glasses, and a number of other lines of specs. Reuters.com reports that Meta is considering further investment that could bring their stake up to 5%. As we have reported, Meta has also teamed up with Oakley, an additional EssilorLuxottica brand, for a second line of its AI powered smart glasses. The glasses maker plans to expand production capacity for smart glasses, and would like to grow its partnership with Meta to ‘smarten,’ if you will, more of its glasses brands. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Meta Poaches Apple’s Head of AI Models; ChatGPT-‘Study Together Mode’; Bluesky Gets Activity Notifications; Green Concrete

Posted: July 8, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meta has poached Apple’s head of AI models. Techcrunch.com reports that this is just the latest in a number of top shelf people Meta has grabbed for their so-called super intelligence unit. Ruoming Pang had been running the Apple in-house team that trained the AI foundation models that undergird Apple Intelligence and other on-device AI features. Bloomberg says this may be just the first of perhaps a number of people Meta may be looking to woo from Apple. Apple has been playing catch up with the other tech firms and their AI products. They are far behind OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta. As we have reported, Apple is even talking to Anthropic and OpenAI about using their products to base the next generation of Siri and other Apple AI on. 

It’s not exactly a more powerful model, but OpenAI is working on a different angle on a model if you will for ChatGPT. According to bgr.com, they have something new called ChatGPT ‘Study Together’. It has already started rolling out to some ChatGPT Plus users. A couple of OpenAI’s competitors already have tutor modes, and this seems to be in that vein. Instead of a student asking it questions, this model will allegedly ask questions that guide students to find answers themselves. The idea is to get people to think more, not just use the large language model to answer questions or solve homework problems. No word yet on when it will be generally released or how it might be priced.

Bluesky has been slowly adding features. One that has been missing until now, that was available on old Twitter and other sites was the ability to turn on notifications for specific accounts. Now, with Activity Notifications, that feature is live. Theverge.com notes that you can simply hit the bell icon on a page you want to get notifications from, and away you go. It works with news sites if that’s your thing, or you can use it to be notified of friends’ posts, too. Another addition is that you can set Bluesky to notify people if someone likes or reposts something they have posted. 

Researchers at the University of Washington and Microsoft Research have used machine learning to develop a novel solution for trapping carbon in concrete by blending a sustainable, easy-to-grow green seaweed into the industrial batter that makes concrete, all without reducing its strength. Geekwire.com reports that the process lowers the cement’s global warming impact by 21%. Concrete in and of itself isn’t an issue, but the making of it produces some 8-11% of global carbon emissions. Scientists have been trying to curb its carbon footprint by using clean energy to generate the heat needed to produce it, and by swapping different ingredients. The product here uses dehydrated seaweed to make a high performing, lower carbon concrete. As a friend who was in that business often reminded me, cement is an ingredient of concrete…although lots of us who are laypersons tend to use the terms interchangeably. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Galaxy Z Flip 7-NO Display Crease; Redesigned iPhone 17 Models Get Revamped Dynamic Island; TikTok Ban May End Soon-New App & Sale; Prime Day(s) Start Tomorrow

Posted: July 7, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In just a couple days, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. We will cover the Samsung Unpacked then, but for now, here is a little nugget from a tester who got early access. Bgr.com reports that a hands-on video shows the edge to edge, corner to corner outside display, which is cool. Beyond that, it looks like there is NO visible crease on the inner screen. That is a huge deal. We know that Apple is planning a folder next year, and may use Samsung Display. This would allow Samsung to premiere the crease-free screen a year ahead of any Apple device. We’ll have more on Wednesday. 

the iPhone 17 models are getting a revamped Dynamic Island. This according to macrumors.com, which found information on an account on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has leaked accurate info about Apple devices in the past. The missing detail is that we don’t know if the Island will be smaller or not. That was rumored previously, but may not make it until the iPhone 18 models next year. This one does feature some kind of change in the user interface. I would be happy if they made it work with two items better. Often, I am using it for the timer as I work out, and would like to be able to touch it to open and read a text, then have it go back to just the timer when I’m finished. 

A sale of TikTok in the US FINALLY may be near. Theverge.com notes that the Trump administration believes it is close to a sale to a group of ‘non-Chinese’ investors, including Oracle…with present owner ByteDance keeping a minority stake. That would satisfy the terms of the  Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Apparently, TikTok is working on a new version of the app, called M2 for now, which may drop in app stores around September 5th. The original app will leave app stores with the launch of the new one, and will stop working in March 2026. 

Yes, it’s tomorrow…that event you’ve all been waiting for…Amazon Prime Day 2025. Remember when Prime Day was an actual day…then it became a day and a half? Now, they really ought to brand it Prime Week, with it lasting 4 days.  Zdnet.com reports that in addition to the early offers already up, there is also a reboot of Prime for Young Adults…a discounted membership for those 18-24. Amazon is touting its AI shopping assistant Rufus (who names these things?) as a help in finding deals on things you are likely to purchase. A note-Amazon has said it will not introduce listed tariff prices next to products for sale. This had been looked at, but after blowback from the White House, it was dropped. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Meta Offering Crazy Pay to Steal Top Talent; X Brings AI to Community Notes; Chipmakers Get Bigger Tax Breaks in Latest Budget Bill; Tesla Sales Down in Q2

Posted: July 2, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We already reported that OpenAI was complaining that Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg was trying to poach top talent for the new Meta ’superintellegence lab.’ Zuck was offering a $100 million signing bonus. Now, wired.com reports that Meta has offered top research talent up to $300 million over 4 years with over $100 million of that coming in the first year. When the pay package includes equity, in the first year, the stock vests immediately. A senior engineer who spoke to WIRED confirmed their pay was around $850,000 per year at Meta—an impressive sum that pales in comparison to the packages currently on offer. Those in the pay band above this engineer (E7’s, in Meta terms) make on average $1.54 million a year, according to user data submitted on Levels.FYI. Kids, we are all in the wrong line of work! 

Another story from the ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong’ department: X is launching a way for developers to create AI bots that can write Community Notes that can potentially appear on posts. According to theverge.com,  the “AI Note Writers” will be able to submit a Community Note, but they will only actually be shown on a post “if found helpful by people from different perspectives.” The social platform claims in a post that AI notes will be ‘clearly marked for users’ and at least at the start, ‘AIs can only write notes on posts where people have requested a note.’ For now, the bots are just writing in test mode…but the first group may actually show up on X posts later this month. 

The big budget bill, if it passes in its present form, will increase tax credits for semiconductor firms building plants in the US. CNBC notes that the credits will grow from 25% to 35%. Chipmakers that could benefit include Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor. Previously, Trump had called for a repeal of the CHIPS Act. The new provisions expand the tax incentives, which provided grants of $39 billion and loans of $75 billion for US based semiconductor manufacturing projects. 

Tesla improved sales over first quarter, but still ended 2nd quarter down 13.5% as compared to Q2 2022. This doesn’t bode well…it may mean they will underperform 2024 for the year. TechCrunch.com reports that the company will announce earnings July 23rd. Worth noting, Ford electric vehicle sales were down 31% year over year in the US…the Tesla numbers are global. Hyundai and Kia also dropped in the US. General Motors trended the opposite way. The General grew EV sales in the US year to year, riding on a stable of new and improved models. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Apple May Use Claude or ChatGPT to Bulk Up Siri; Moderna-mRNA Flu Vaccine Beats Standard Shot; Threads Finally Gets DMs; Senate Deletes Ban on State AI Regulations

Posted: July 1, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It is an open secret that Apple’s Apple Intellegence-powered Siri is way behind other AI large language models. It’s already been delayed substantially, and now bgr.com reports that Apple has been talking to both Anthropic…maker of Claude, and to OpenAI, the ChatGPT folks. Apparently they have tested the models out, and Claude actually works best right now to power Siri. That said, Anthropic is asking for a multi-billion dollar yearly fee that increases every year. This demand for such a princely price has Apple also talking to OpenAI…which can already be used with Siri…albeit after going through extra steps of approving using it, and having some data leave Apple’s Private Cloud Servers. It will probably help Apple’s cause if they get a deal with one of them in place before September, so they can tout the more muscular Siri on the new iPhones coming out then. 

Moderna has announced that their mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine is 27% more effective at preventing flu infections than a standard shot. According to arstechnica.com, the vaccine was trialed on a group that included 41,000 people age 50 and above. The only fly in the ointment…or in this case, worm in the brain….is Bobby Kennedy, Jr. He had previously announced that “all new vaccines” would be required to go through placebo-controlled trials. That means that participants in a trial who are not given the experimental vaccine must be given an inert placebo rather than an already-approved vaccine as a comparative group, as was the case in the new trial with mRNA-1010. The known anti-vaxxer now in charge of Health and Human Services seems intent on blocking all the vaccines so…as one meme said, people can die like serfs from the Middle Ages. 

Threads has finally launched direct messaging for everyone on the platform. Theverge.com notes that as of now, you can just DM between your followers or mutual followers on Instagram for now. You need to be 18 or over to use this feature. To send a DM, click the envelope icon at the bottom of the app’s screen. That takes you to the inbox, where you tap the pencil icon and can start writing. Moving forward, Threads plans to roll out the ability to choose who can send you messages, including people who don’t follow you on Threads and Instagram. You’ll also be able to review a folder dedicated to message requests, similar to what’s offered on X. Threads is working on a group messaging feature and inbox filters, too. A big warning…Threads will not support end-to-end encryption. If that puts you off, head over to Facebook Messenger, which has end-to-end. 

Well, the Big Beautiful Bill…or Big Ugly Bill, depending on your politics…is out of the Senate and back to the House. Techcrunch.com reports that Senators did cut out the so-called ‘AI Moratorium.’ That was a clause that would have banned states from regulating Artificial Intelligence for 10 years. In an actual bi-partisan move, the Senate voted overwhelmingly…99 to1… to let states regulate AI. Most of the big tech firms supported the ban, claiming that without it, states could create what they called an unworkable patchwork of regulation that could stifle innovation. Most Senators agreed that a ban on state regs would allow powerful AI companies to operate with very little oversight. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Microsoft Says AI Diagnoses 4 Times Better Than Doctors; Apple-New Cheaper MacBook Running iPhone Silicon; Trump Claims He Has Buyer for TikTok; Scientists Create ‘Living’ Material that Sucks CO2 from Atmosphere

Posted: June 30, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Microsoft is claiming to have made “a genuine step towards medical superintelligence,” according to Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of the company’s artificial intelligence division. Wired.com reports that the new AI tool can diagnose disease four times more accurately and at significantly less cost than a panel of human physicians. The Microsoft team used 304 case studies sourced from the New England Journal of Medicine to devise a test called the Sequential Diagnosis Benchmark (SDBench). A language model broke down each case into a step-by-step process that a doctor would perform in order to reach a diagnosis. Microsoft says the model was 80% accurate, versus 20% for the doctors. Of course, it is cheaper, as well. Microsoft hasn’t not yet decided if it will try to commercialize the tech…which says something about their actual confidence in it being 4 times more accurate than doctors. Call me when AI can turn straw into gold…paging Rumpelstiltskin!

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo announced in his blog more upcoming Apple hardware…including the usual improved and less costly Vision Pro headsets…a few years from now. More interestingly, Kuo is quoted by 9to5mac.com as saying that Apple will start selling a cheaper MacBook powered by an iPhone processor! The present entry-level MacBook Air starts at $999, but we may see a new cheaper model in late 2025 or early 2026. The cheaper MacBook will be powered by an A18 Pro iPhone processor instead of an M-series like all the other laptops. According to Kuo, it will come in colorful cases like pink and yellow. Could we even see a return to plastic cased MacBooks? That, he didn’t say. Those would necessarily have to be thicker in order to be structurally sound…you can make the metal cases thinner and still quite strong. How cheap will cheap enough be to sell the things? Would it be worth it to just drop $600 or $700 for it when a ‘real’ MacBook air is $999? We’ll see what Cupertino does…perhaps late this year. 

Donald Trump says he has assembled a group of ‘very wealthy people’ to buy TikTok from ByteDance. TechCrunch.com notes that he did say “I think I’ll need probably China’s approval. I think President Xi [Jinping] will probably do it.” Who are these mysterious rich buyers? Trump said he would reveal them in 2 weeks…everything is two weeks away with Trump! 

Scientists in Switzerland have developed a new type of material that grows, ‘lives,’ and sucks carbon dioxide out of the air. Bgr.com reports that it may offer a new low-energy way for carbon capture in architecture and design. It is a water rich hydrogel filled with an ancient type of bacteria. They absorb the CO2 then form solid carbonates that store the carbon in a stable mineral form. They have already built structures from the material. It is thought the living material could be used as a coating on wood as well as for individual structures. Anything that can reduce the excess carbon dioxide in the air is welcome.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Judge Allows Books for AI Training; Meta Oversight Board Says AI Moderation is Uneven; Bezos Reaches Out to Trump after Musk Falling Out; Uber in Atlanta-May be Waymo Self-Driver

Posted: June 26, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It a ruling certain to upset authors and creators, a federal judge ruled that Artificial Intelligence companies don’t need permission from authors to train their large language models (LLMs) on legally acquired books. Arstechnica.com reports that Judge William Alsup made the ruling this week. It remains an open question with regards to pirated books. The judge did allude to the plaintiffs’ weak argument, and noted that authors would be able to raise new claims if they found evidence of infringing Claude outputs. That could change the fair use calculus, as it might in a case where a judge recently suggested that Meta’s AI products might be “obliterating” authors’ markets for works. The piracy case is still pending, so stay tuned…this isn’t the end yet.

Meta’s Oversight Board is calling out the firm’s approach to manipulated media as being ‘incoherent.’ According to engadget.com, the board has been urging Meta to update rules since a misleading video of Joe Biden went viral on Facebook. Meta’s software apparently does a reasonable job of spotting and labeling AI images, but isn’t as good with audio or video clips that have been manipulated. Meta has even told the board that it can’t automatically identify and apply labels to audio and video posts, only to “static images.” The board said the company should adopt a “clear process” for consistently labeling “identical or similar content” in situations when it adds a “high risk” label to a post. 

With Elon Musk out of Trump’s inner circle and the two at an uneasy truce after publicly throwing criticisms and insults at the other, Jeff Bezos is apparently trying to worm his way in…reaching out to Trump. Bezos, who is very publicly in the middle of his high dollar wedding festivities in Venice, which have cause protests there, is more privately reaching out to Trump. TechCrunch.com notes that Bezos has spoken to the president twice this month, and is angling for more government contracts for his space company Blue Origin. Look for Bezos to be much more under the radar and not try to ‘co-star’ or act like a co-president to Trump…which will likely get him a lot further with the president before an inevitable falling out. If he can get the administration to go with Blue Origin on more space spending and take that away from Musk’s SpaceX in the meantime, he will have gotten what he wants.

As of now, if you order an UberX, Comfort, or Comfort Electric ride in Atlanta…you may see a Waymo vehicle showing up instead of a live driver. 9to5google.com reports that Uber is saying customers will aways have an option to switch to a non-AV ride before a car is dispatched. If you do choose the Waymo self-driver, you can unlock the car, open the trunk, and start your journey, all from the Uber app. Uber says 24 hour customer service is available. The driverless Waymo cars will operate in a 65 square mile area of Atlanta. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Amazon Aiming for Same-Day Delivery in Thousands of Rural Towns; Samsung Galaxy Event July 9th; House Bans WhatsApp from Government Phones; Scientists Get Viable Mice by Editing DNA from Two Sperm

Posted: June 24, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Amazon has announced that it plans to bring same and next-day delivery to what they are calling ‘tens of millions’ of people who live in smaller towns by the end of 2026. Theverge.com reports that the online giant said in a press release that the faster deliveries will be available to residents “in more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns, and rural communities.” Items categorized as “everyday essentials,” including groceries, beauty products, household goods, or pet food, will now be available to small town or rural customers for same-day or next-day delivery. If they are Prime subscribers (currently $14.99 a month or $139 annually), they get unlimited free same-day delivery when spending over $25 at checkout. Amazon says it this will happen due to the company spending some $4 billion on new facilities and hiring new delivery drivers. 

Samsung has announced their next event, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 will bow on July 9th. According to 9to5google.com, reservations will open on that date, along with a $50 credit…something Samsung has done in the past. The event will take place in Brooklyn, and in addition to the new folders, they will show off a new series of smartwatches: the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra. Samsung watchers are looking for a MAJOR upgrade to the Galaxy Fold 7…thinner hardware, new cameras, and bigger displays are rumored. The Galaxy Watch 8 will feature a new design. 

The US House of Representatives has announced a ban on using WhatsApp on government devices. Engadget.com says this will apply to all Representatives, and Congressional staffers. The app is no longer permitted on any House-managed devices. In an email, the Chief Administrative Officer for the House said “The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption and potential security risks involved with its use.” There is little doubt that this was brought on by the incident with the Department of Defense and Secretary Hegseth. Strangely, Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, iMessage and FaceTime were reportedly cited as acceptable alternatives. Some of those seem to be quite hackable!

Some 20 years ago, scientists figured out how to get female mice to give birth to offspring that got a set of chromosomes from each of two fertilized eggs… without a sperm. I can remember some women claiming that this will make men unnecessary. Now, the other shoe…or sperm….has dropped. Arstechnica.com notes that researchers have been able to get viable mice by editing the DNA from two sperm. It is a little tricky, as 7 different imprinting sites have to be modified. So far, only 3 live births have been achieved…and they are all male. The researchers say that it too small a number to know if that is significant or not, or if they have to tweak things to get a female mouse.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Senators Call for Investigation of Spotify Pricy New Bundle; Some Tesla Robotaxis Hit Austin Streets; Foldable iPhone in Production by Fall; Samsung Looks at Monthly Fee for Galaxy AI on Phones

Posted: June 23, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two Senators, one a Democrat, the other a Republican, have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Spotify over allegations that the company bundled its music streaming and audiobook services into a more expensive subscription without obtaining user consent, while also reducing royalty payments to creators in the process. Techcrunch.com reports that the Senators are Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee from the GOP and Ben Ray Lujan, Democrat of New Mexico. The two senators noted that existing U.S. regulations permit digital music providers to pay a reduced music royalty rate if the subscription is bundled with other legitimate offerings. In a statement, they said “Spotify’s intent seems clear — to slash the statutory royalties it pays to songwriters and music publishers. Not only has this harmed our creative community, but this action has also harmed consumers.” A spotify spokesperson said the users were notified a month in advance of the price increase. 

Although Elon Musk had bragged that there would be a million Tesla robotaxis on the roads by now, a much, much more modest launch has taken place in Austin, Texas. According to cnbc.com, the autonomous vehicles hit the streets Sunday. So far, there are only about 10 of them, and they are NOT the 2-passenger ones with no steering wheel or pedals Musk showed off. The vehicles are Model Y Teslas…and they have a safety driver for now. No serious mishaps yesterday, although one was filmed going the wrong way down a road in Austin. Tesla has a lot of catching up to up to do…Alphabet’s Waymo has now gotten to  more than a quarter million commercial driverless rides per week, and surpassed 10 million trips last month!

They are late to the game, but that has worked out for Apple before…think of the iPod, and how it took over the portable music world, then of course, the iPhone itself. Now, Cupertino is poised to start building their folding iPhone…after Samsung has cranked out 6 different yearly models of its folding phones, and will release the 7th generation next month. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will actually launch the device in the fall of 2026 as one of the iPhone 18 models. Ironically, the display will be produced by Samsung Display. details aren’t final, but it appears it have an outside display of 5.5 inches, and inner one of 7.8 inches when open. It will be the book-type like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, rather than the flip style. Kuo estimates it to run $2000-$2500. My bet is that it will come in at $2400! 

Samsung has had its Galaxy AI suite of features on the S24 phones now for almost a year and a half. Now, they are talking about a subscription model for at least some AI features. Bgr.com reports that a price could be unveiled when they launch the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 next month. No charges would go into effect until the end of 2025, as promised by Samsung. The real key? Will enough users find Galaxy AI valuable enough to them to pay for it? It has been noted that Galaxy AI does do more than Apple Intelligence on iPhones, and we all know companies have been spending billions on building out AI. The figure isn’t known, but Samsung is apparently paying Google a ton of money to run Gemini on their Galaxy phones. In the case of Apple and Google, they have their own AI models and servers. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Trump Puts off TikTok Ban-Again; Big Tech Lobbies Congress Over State AI Regulation; Giant Sand Battery Will Heat Small Finnish Town; Corvette ZR1X-1250 HP Hybrid

Posted: June 18, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

In a move that is reaching the comical level, Donald Trump has once again delayed a ban on TikTok with yet another extension. This is starting to resemble the ‘infrastructure week’ that was promised week after week in his first term which never happened….until Joe Biden actually got a bill passed. Techcrunch.com reports that Trump will sign another 90 day extension this week to put off shutting TikTok out of the US. Once again, we are being told that the administration will be working to make a deal that will keep TikTok, but with the app being spun off to a US company…something Chinese owner ByteDance has refused to do over and over again. 

The purveyors of AI are turning up the heat, lobbying Congress hard to keep states from regulating artificial intelligence over the next 10 years. Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft have unleashed their high-powered lobbyists and money on Washington. According to appleinsider.com, they don’t want AI to have to face safety regulations, or transparency requirements over where they scrape data from. While AI firms want to profit from other people’s work without payment or credit, this particular lobbying is centered on avoiding overly complex regulation. The problem is, a number of Republicans in Congress are skeptical, and feel it would be dangerous to tie states’ hands with a federal law blocking them from putting in safety rules. Traditionally, health and safety issues have been left primarily to the states. In the meantime,  the EU is slowly rolling out its Artificial Intelligence Pact, which consists of voluntary pledges to support safe and responsible development of AI. Mega, Google, and Microsoft have signed the pact, but Apple has not.

The US may be losing ground with the present administration’s reluctance to move away from fossil fuels, but the rest of the world is moving on. Thenextweb.com note that a small town of 5,000 in Finland will ditch fossil fuels for heating all the homes in town using a giant sand battery. The battery is about the size of a pretty small house….we’re talking 42 feet tall and 45 feet wide.  It’s from a startup called Polar Night Energy. They expect it to cut emissions by an estimated 70%. The battery contains 2,000 tons of crushed soapstone, which is a byproduct of the construction industry. When renewables are abundant, like on a sunny or windy day, clean electricity is wired to the battery. There, it powers a heater that sends hot air through a series of pipes into the giant vat of sand, heating it to a bit over 1100 degrees Farenheit. It has a power output of 100 Megawatt hours. The system can work anywhere there is plentiful solar and wind available. 

Because you can never have too much horsepower, apparently…Chevrolet has bowed the Corvette ZR1X with a whopping 1250 horses. Engadget.com reports that the fastest, quickest ‘Vette ever remains a hybrid. It still has a fire-breathing turbocharged V-8, but both that and the electric motor are beefed up from the previous Corvette hybrid to get all that power to the wheels. Speaking of wheels, note that I didn’t say rear wheels…it’s all-wheel drive! With all that power and speed, you need stopping power too..so the ‘Vette has oversized carbon brakes. So how much, you ask? Well the Corvette ZR1 starts at about $175 grand, so figure for this monster you will be forking over somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 grand! The ZR1X will go on sale later this year. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

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