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June 3, 2024
Lithium-Ion Battery Malfunction Causes $950,000 House Fire
Pamela Vanmeer | June 3, 2024
KAWARTHA LAKES-Kawartha Lakes Fire And Rescue says a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery sparked a major house fire in Reaboro.
Fire crews responded to the home on Settlers Road between Peace Road and Slanted Road just before noon on Sunday. The fire began in the garage and had started to spread to the home when fire crews arrived on the scene. Two people were home at the time according to the fire department but both made it out safely.
Deputy Chief Matthews told Kawartha 411 News they believe something happened during the charging process with a lithium-ion battery which caused the fire.
‘The homeowners were following all of the manufacturer’s operating instructions when the fire happened.” said Matthews.
Five fire halls with nine trucks responded to the blaze. Damage is pegged at approximately $950,000...more
https://www.kawartha411.ca/2024/06/03/lithium-ion-battery-malfunction-causes-950000-house-fire/
Just a few months after this:
Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service addresses lithium-ion battery safety following Toronto incident
KawarthaLakes.ca | January 11, 2024
Kawartha Lakes – In the wake of a recent incident in Toronto where an e-bike equipped with lithium-ion batteries caught fire on a subway train, Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service (KLFRS) urges the public to be mindful of the proper usage and handling of lithium-ion batteries. This incident has prompted Toronto fire officials to issue a warning, emphasizing the potential risks associated with these batteries...more
https://www.kawarthalakes.ca/en/news/kawartha-lakes-fire-rescue-service-addresses-lithium-ion-battery-safety-following-toronto-incident.aspx
If you're ever around a Lithium Battery fire try not to breathe the smoke.
Lithium-Ion Battery Malfunction Causes $950,000 House Fire
Lithium-Ion Battery Malfunction Causes $950,000 House Fire
Pamela Vanmeer | June 3, 2024
KAWARTHA LAKES-Kawartha Lakes Fire And Rescue says a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery sparked a major house fire in Reaboro.
Fire crews responded to the home on Settlers Road between Peace Road and Slanted Road just before noon on Sunday. The fire began in the garage and had started to spread to the home when fire crews arrived on the scene. Two people were home at the time according to the fire department but both made it out safely.
Deputy Chief Matthews told Kawartha 411 News they believe something happened during the charging process with a lithium-ion battery which caused the fire.
‘The homeowners were following all of the manufacturer’s operating instructions when the fire happened.” said Matthews.
Five fire halls with nine trucks responded to the blaze. Damage is pegged at approximately $950,000...more
https://www.kawartha411.ca/2024/06/03/lithium-ion-battery-malfunction-causes-950000-house-fire/
Just a few months after this:
Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service addresses lithium-ion battery safety following Toronto incident
KawarthaLakes.ca | January 11, 2024
Kawartha Lakes – In the wake of a recent incident in Toronto where an e-bike equipped with lithium-ion batteries caught fire on a subway train, Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service (KLFRS) urges the public to be mindful of the proper usage and handling of lithium-ion batteries. This incident has prompted Toronto fire officials to issue a warning, emphasizing the potential risks associated with these batteries...more
https://www.kawarthalakes.ca/en/news/kawartha-lakes-fire-rescue-service-addresses-lithium-ion-battery-safety-following-toronto-incident.aspx
If you're ever around a Lithium Battery fire try not to breathe the smoke.
June 3, 2024
CGTN | 03-Jun-2024
China's first heavy-load refueling station for hydrogen-powered railways began commercial operation in Ordos, a prefecture-level city in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on June 2.
The station caters to heavy-duty hydrogen-powered shunting locomotives and catenary vehicles supported by hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries. It is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 800 tonnes per year...
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-06-03/China-s-first-heavy-load-railway-hydrogen-station-now-operational-1u7Rqhxsvmw/p.html
While some talk about H2 colors and "efficiency", the country that built the biggest High Speed rail network in the world (in ~15 YEARS) builds the hardware for the future of energy. It would be funny if it wasn't so GD sad. After all, war & hegemony are much much more important - to those stuck in 1945.
China's first heavy-load railway hydrogen station now operational
CGTN | 03-Jun-2024
China's first heavy-load refueling station for hydrogen-powered railways began commercial operation in Ordos, a prefecture-level city in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on June 2.
The station caters to heavy-duty hydrogen-powered shunting locomotives and catenary vehicles supported by hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries. It is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 800 tonnes per year...
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-06-03/China-s-first-heavy-load-railway-hydrogen-station-now-operational-1u7Rqhxsvmw/p.html
While some talk about H2 colors and "efficiency", the country that built the biggest High Speed rail network in the world (in ~15 YEARS) builds the hardware for the future of energy. It would be funny if it wasn't so GD sad. After all, war & hegemony are much much more important - to those stuck in 1945.
June 1, 2024
Why a four-hour YouTube video about a failed hotel has gripped Gen Z
YouTuber Jenny Nicholson has gone viral with her incredibly long takedown of Disney’s Star Wars hotel. Ryan Coogan watched the whole thing, and has just one question: how does Gen Z have the attention span for this stuff?
Independent.co.uk | Saturday 25 May 2024
These kids today, with their TokTiks and their YouToons and their ex-Twitter. They’re so overstimulated! Back when I was a kid, we had to entertain ourselves by hitting a bin with a stick we found, and that’s just the way we liked it. Not like now, when they can just reach into their pocket and pull out a little machine that shows them 15-second clips of Family Guy and people making pasta in the toilet.
The internet has really done a number on Gen Z’s attention spans. They’re so used to having access to a constant stream of “content” that they’re incapable of just sitting down and watching something from beginning to end. At least that’s what people keep telling me – so why are so many of them obsessed with ridiculously long video essays?
It seems that every couple of months a video will go viral despite having a runtime that would make Christopher Nolan sick with jealousy. The most recent example of this was YouTuber and theme park nerd Jenny Nicholson, whose video essay “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” became the talk of Twitter this week despite clocking in at an eye-watering four hours and five minutes (and 38 seconds).
The video is Nicholson’s take on Disney’s now-defunct themed hotel Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which billed itself as an immersive two-night experience where guests could live out their Star Wars-related fantasies (within reason). It largely consists of Nicholson talking to camera, interspersed with some promotional footage and Nicholson’s own recordings of the hotel. She also does a few Star Wars-themed costume changes to help liven things up, but this is very much just four hours of a person talking about a hotel that you’ve (statistically) never visited, and which doesn’t actually exist anymore...more
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/star-wars-hotel-jenny-nicholson-youtube-disney-tiktok-b2551155.html
The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel | 6,697,789+ views
Jenny Nicholson | 1.19M subscribers
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (now closed)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Galactic_Starcruiser
Why a four-hour YouTube video about a failed Disney Star Wars hotel in Florida has gripped Gen Z
Why a four-hour YouTube video about a failed hotel has gripped Gen Z
YouTuber Jenny Nicholson has gone viral with her incredibly long takedown of Disney’s Star Wars hotel. Ryan Coogan watched the whole thing, and has just one question: how does Gen Z have the attention span for this stuff?
Independent.co.uk | Saturday 25 May 2024
These kids today, with their TokTiks and their YouToons and their ex-Twitter. They’re so overstimulated! Back when I was a kid, we had to entertain ourselves by hitting a bin with a stick we found, and that’s just the way we liked it. Not like now, when they can just reach into their pocket and pull out a little machine that shows them 15-second clips of Family Guy and people making pasta in the toilet.
The internet has really done a number on Gen Z’s attention spans. They’re so used to having access to a constant stream of “content” that they’re incapable of just sitting down and watching something from beginning to end. At least that’s what people keep telling me – so why are so many of them obsessed with ridiculously long video essays?
It seems that every couple of months a video will go viral despite having a runtime that would make Christopher Nolan sick with jealousy. The most recent example of this was YouTuber and theme park nerd Jenny Nicholson, whose video essay “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” became the talk of Twitter this week despite clocking in at an eye-watering four hours and five minutes (and 38 seconds).
The video is Nicholson’s take on Disney’s now-defunct themed hotel Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which billed itself as an immersive two-night experience where guests could live out their Star Wars-related fantasies (within reason). It largely consists of Nicholson talking to camera, interspersed with some promotional footage and Nicholson’s own recordings of the hotel. She also does a few Star Wars-themed costume changes to help liven things up, but this is very much just four hours of a person talking about a hotel that you’ve (statistically) never visited, and which doesn’t actually exist anymore...more
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/star-wars-hotel-jenny-nicholson-youtube-disney-tiktok-b2551155.html
The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel | 6,697,789+ views
Jenny Nicholson | 1.19M subscribers
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (now closed)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Galactic_Starcruiser
May 16, 2024
NBC Bay Area | May 13, 2024
Thieves are targeting high-powered Tesla and other EV charging stations and stealing the heavy cable for the copper metal inside.
In Vallejo, someone cut cables from nine charging stations -- leaving Tesla drivers in a bind, and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and repair costs.
“It most likely happened in the night, and we found it early morning,” Josh Beckler of Vallejo said. He and his wife were two of the first people to find the cut cables early Mother’s Day morning.
He is also a retired Marine and former investigator for a major big box hardware chain who routinely investigated similar thefts where thieves targeted generators and other items for the copper wire.
“You know, they left five charging stations. I’m pretty sure after they racked up, I don’t know what the quantity was, but almost 20 cables with the nozzles. Those are extremely heavy, so I’m imagining that’s all they could haul at one given time,” Beckler said.
“I think this is the second time, or third that these have been cut, so they need to put some gates up or something. I don’t know what they can do, but this is pretty inconvenient,” John Brown III of American Canyon said...more
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/thieves-cut-tesla-cables/3537241/
Who could have imagined anything like this?
In a state with a booming homeless population?
Or any other state?
How about thick copper extension cords everywhere? LOL
Surely no one would think of stealing this, right?
Thieves cut cables from Tesla charging stations in Vallejo, steal inside material
NBC Bay Area | May 13, 2024
Thieves are targeting high-powered Tesla and other EV charging stations and stealing the heavy cable for the copper metal inside.
In Vallejo, someone cut cables from nine charging stations -- leaving Tesla drivers in a bind, and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and repair costs.
“It most likely happened in the night, and we found it early morning,” Josh Beckler of Vallejo said. He and his wife were two of the first people to find the cut cables early Mother’s Day morning.
He is also a retired Marine and former investigator for a major big box hardware chain who routinely investigated similar thefts where thieves targeted generators and other items for the copper wire.
“You know, they left five charging stations. I’m pretty sure after they racked up, I don’t know what the quantity was, but almost 20 cables with the nozzles. Those are extremely heavy, so I’m imagining that’s all they could haul at one given time,” Beckler said.
“I think this is the second time, or third that these have been cut, so they need to put some gates up or something. I don’t know what they can do, but this is pretty inconvenient,” John Brown III of American Canyon said...more
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/thieves-cut-tesla-cables/3537241/
Who could have imagined anything like this?
In a state with a booming homeless population?
Or any other state?
How about thick copper extension cords everywhere? LOL
Surely no one would think of stealing this, right?
May 9, 2024
Renewable energy passes 30% of world’s electricity supply
Report says humans may be on brink of cutting fossil fuel generation, even as demand for electricity rises
Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent | The Guardian | Tue 7 May 2024
Renewable energy accounted for more than 30% of the world’s electricity for the first time last year following a rapid rise in wind and solar power, according to new figures.
A report on the global power system has found that the world may be on the brink of driving down fossil fuel generation, even as overall demand for electricity continues to rise.
Clean electricity has already helped to slow the growth in fossil fuels by almost two-thirds in the past 10 years, according to the report by climate thinktank Ember. It found that renewables have grown from 19% of electricity in 2000 to more than 30% of global electricity last year.
“The renewables future has arrived,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s director of global insights. “Solar, in particular, is accelerating faster than anyone thought possible.”
Solar was the main supplier of electricity growth, according to Ember, adding more than twice as much new electricity generation as coal in 2023...more
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/08/renewable-energy-passes-30-of-worlds-electricity-supply
Renewable energy passes 30% of world's electricity supply
Renewable energy passes 30% of world’s electricity supply
Report says humans may be on brink of cutting fossil fuel generation, even as demand for electricity rises
Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent | The Guardian | Tue 7 May 2024
Renewable energy accounted for more than 30% of the world’s electricity for the first time last year following a rapid rise in wind and solar power, according to new figures.
A report on the global power system has found that the world may be on the brink of driving down fossil fuel generation, even as overall demand for electricity continues to rise.
Clean electricity has already helped to slow the growth in fossil fuels by almost two-thirds in the past 10 years, according to the report by climate thinktank Ember. It found that renewables have grown from 19% of electricity in 2000 to more than 30% of global electricity last year.
“The renewables future has arrived,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s director of global insights. “Solar, in particular, is accelerating faster than anyone thought possible.”
Solar was the main supplier of electricity growth, according to Ember, adding more than twice as much new electricity generation as coal in 2023...more
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/08/renewable-energy-passes-30-of-worlds-electricity-supply
May 8, 2024
1990's - If it ain't Boeing, I ain't Going
2024: If it's Boeing I ain't Going
Boeing cargo plane forced to land at Istanbul without front landing gear
Source: The Guardian
A Boeing cargo plane has been forced to land at Istanbul airport without its front landing gear, in the latest setback for the embattled planemaker.
Nobody was hurt in the incident, in a flight operated by the delivery company FedEx, according to Turkey’s transport ministry.
The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul airport that its landing gear had failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said.
Emergency services were standing by for the landing. The ministry did not give a reason for the landing gear’s failure and said its teams were conducting examinations at the scene as part of an investigation.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/08/boeing-cargo-plane-forced-to-land-at-istanbul-without-front-landing-gear
1990's - If it ain't Boeing, I ain't Going
2024: If it's Boeing I ain't Going
May 7, 2024
"This is a recall waiting to happen, some kid is going to lose their f**king hand to this deathtrap"
Cybertruck Owner Breaks Finger Trying to Show Vehicle Is Safe. YouTuber even tried it with a stick first, which broke
Cybertruck Owner Breaks His Finger Trying to Show Vehicle Is Safe
The YouTuber even tried it with a stick first, which broke in half.
These videos may have been funny at first, but watching someone literally break their finger in this perverse display of faith in Tesla or Cybertrucks or Elon Musk more broadly is getting pretty disturbing.
https://gizmodo.com/cybertruck-video-breaks-finger-safe-stick-elon-musk-1851460112
https://gizmodo.com/cybertruck-video-breaks-finger-safe-stick-elon-musk-1851460112
"This is a recall waiting to happen, some kid is going to lose their f**king hand to this deathtrap"
May 7, 2024
Insane moment Fly Dubai plane tries to escape underwater runway after ‘biblical’ floods
Dubai International Airport was hit by flash floods this week as heavy rain battered the country causing flights to be canceled and others diverted.
The-Express.com | Rosie Jempson | Wed, Apr 17, 2024
Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, was hit by flash floods on Tuesday, causing chaos as planes waded through the torrents on the tarmac.
A video shows a Fly Dubai Boeing 737 plowing through the several inches of water.
The severe weather led to a slew of flight cancelations and temporary diversions of inbound flights to alternative locations on Tuesday, April 16 evening.
The heavy downpours in the UAE have caused deadly flas floods that have killed at least 20 people...more
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/134667/fly-dubai-plane-underwater-floods
https://twitter.com/benonwine/status/1780490531664957905
Related from CNBC:
United Arab Emirates is using cloud seeding tech to make it rain
The UAE partnered with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and NASA to set up the methodology for the cloud seeding program...
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/18/united-arab-emirates-is-using-cloud-seeding-tech-to-make-it-rain.html
Insane moment Fly Dubai plane tries to escape underwater runway after 'biblical' floods
Insane moment Fly Dubai plane tries to escape underwater runway after ‘biblical’ floods
Dubai International Airport was hit by flash floods this week as heavy rain battered the country causing flights to be canceled and others diverted.
The-Express.com | Rosie Jempson | Wed, Apr 17, 2024
Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, was hit by flash floods on Tuesday, causing chaos as planes waded through the torrents on the tarmac.
A video shows a Fly Dubai Boeing 737 plowing through the several inches of water.
The severe weather led to a slew of flight cancelations and temporary diversions of inbound flights to alternative locations on Tuesday, April 16 evening.
The heavy downpours in the UAE have caused deadly flas floods that have killed at least 20 people...more
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/134667/fly-dubai-plane-underwater-floods
https://twitter.com/benonwine/status/1780490531664957905
Related from CNBC:
United Arab Emirates is using cloud seeding tech to make it rain
The UAE partnered with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and NASA to set up the methodology for the cloud seeding program...
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/18/united-arab-emirates-is-using-cloud-seeding-tech-to-make-it-rain.html
May 6, 2024
Tesla (TSLA) launches another round of layoffs
Source: Electrek
Tesla (TSLA) launched another round of layoffs this weekend, with employees in wide-ranging roles getting their pink slip amid broader layoffs over the last 3 weeks.
Three weeks ago, Tesla started a significant wave of layoffs. The automaker announced it was laying off about 10% of its workforce.
However, we reported prior to the announcement that the layoffs could be closer to 20% of the workforce once everything is said and done.
Sure enough, Tesla had another significant wave of layoffs last week.
Now, we hear of yet another round of layoffs at Tesla.
Read more: https://electrek.co/2024/05/06/tesla-tsla-launches-another-round-layoffs/
Top comment by Steve Peterson Liked by 35 people
A really good example of poor layoff management; it will be even clearer if there are rehirings in a week or two. Service department layoffs, when Tesla's long had insufficient service personnel? Either the financial position is really dire or this is not s good idea. Really, with $27 billion in cash the company could have afforded to take more time for proper consideration of reorganization and target layoffs precisely, rather than making an example of an executive who (rightly!) pushed back on being told to cut key personnel by firing her and her 500 person department wholesale. Musk should be at the top of the layoff list, if you're looking to get rid of people who aren't very good at their job, and who aren't devoting their full effort to the company. But Musk has spent years on care and feeding and training of the board of directors, so that will never happen.
A really good example of poor layoff management; it will be even clearer if there are rehirings in a week or two. Service department layoffs, when Tesla's long had insufficient service personnel? Either the financial position is really dire or this is not s good idea. Really, with $27 billion in cash the company could have afforded to take more time for proper consideration of reorganization and target layoffs precisely, rather than making an example of an executive who (rightly!) pushed back on being told to cut key personnel by firing her and her 500 person department wholesale. Musk should be at the top of the layoff list, if you're looking to get rid of people who aren't very good at their job, and who aren't devoting their full effort to the company. But Musk has spent years on care and feeding and training of the board of directors, so that will never happen.
May 2, 2024
Whistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died
Source: Seattle Times
Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection.
Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kan., where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle.
He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said.
Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino said: “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones.”
Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/whistleblower-josh-dean-of-boeing-supplier-spirit-aerosystems-has-died/
Dean was represented by a law firm in South Carolina that also represented Boeing whistleblower John “Mitch” Barnett.
Barnett was found dead in an apparent suicide in March.
Barnett was found dead in an apparent suicide in March.
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