California insurance commissioner issues enforcement action against Tesla | Courthouse News Service

This is just plain dumb.

Tesla has been accused of not responding to customers. The complaint notes 

"[The companies] concede that they have not been able to keep staffing on pace and acknowledge that they are responsible for the staffing shortfall," officials noted.

So a company that wants to pay the ceo a trillion dollars can't be bothered to hire a few people to respond to customer emails. Got it. 

https://courthousenews.com/

Drinkable water from the sky — A solar device condenses 1.5 liters straight out of air

I'm sensing a theme here. There are very many companies and individuals attacking a challenge related to one of our most basic needs: access to clean drinking water. 

Here's yet another group of individuals who have come up with a solar powered device that can pull a liter of water from the air using solar.  

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/drinkable-water-air-sky-a-solar-device/13512/

Floridians are hurtling towards economic disaster • Florida Phoenix

That's not good…

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/20/floridians-are-hurtling-towards-economic-disaster/

Just in time for Halloween

Disney's imagineering series takes a look behind the scenes in the haunted mansion

https://youtu.be/CXLICqOYoh0?si=i4z3sxZlC4Rm_nda

And of course you can see my retrospective in it here:

Episode 70: The Haunted Mansion
https://youtu.be/2Esfyq-gxXc

China lights 12,000 desert mirrors…

China is tinkering with heliostats (mirrors used to collect solar energy) and think they've come up with an innovation, by using sand - rather than water - to get heated and provide the steam that can be used to provide energy. 

Many countries have been playing with this concept over the years, but while

They have found success, the biggest problems were the amount of water required made it costly, and of course there was the cost to build and maintain it. 

Arizona until recently had a similar sort of farm, but they announced it will be closing due to federal subsidies being withdrawn AND because the cost of more traditional solar has decreased to the point where its much more cost effective.

But, as always, I love to see innovation happening. 

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/china-12000-desert-mirrors-grid-solar/13536/

CEO writes hundreds of thank you notes to staff and still eats in the break room—which ‘always, for whatever reason, blows new employees away’

It's all fine and nice that he thanks employees and that he acts like a regular guy.  

But never forget that his compensation package was $4.92 million, which puts him at nearly 80x the salary of the best paid employees (the general managers). 

If you really wanted to be "one of the team," then how about only being 10x the salary and spreading the rest around to the staff?

Just saying. 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/1-billion-ceo-writes-hundreds-090000101.html

Fact check much?

The first module of the ISS was launched in 1998. So ummmm. Yeah. 

To be fair, on a shuttle mission in 1985, Rodolfo Neri Vela requested tortillas travel aboard the *space shuttle*. 

And tortillas have been a staple in space ever since. But the headline is still wrong.