Ford CEO Farley considers drastic decision after $1.4 billion loss - TheStreet

I find this story interesting. 

Ford had a fantastic idea when they announced an electric F150 pickup truck. They knew what their customers wanted, and leaned into that through their design and advertising. 

It had so much potential. 

But then the pandemic came and it caused some serious supply chain issues, especially with the computer chips they needed. Trucks sat in a parking lot, mostly finished. 

And then another whammy: dealers played all sorts of games. Some thought the idea of electric was stupid and actively denigrated the trucks. Others decided they could use the shortage to boost profits and charged outrageous premiums to those who wanted the electric truck.  

The third strike came when a design flaw was discovered. In some specific situations, the truck would just stop working. It could be while parked or while at a traffic light. And there was nothing the driver could do. It didn't take long for that to go viral. And though they have fixed it, the negative press lingers. 

So here we are. The ceo might kill the brand. It's understandable but kind of sad. 

As I said. So. Much. Potential. 

https://www.thestreet.com/automotive/ford-ceo-farley-considers-drastic-decision-after-1-4-billion-loss

Residents forced to abandon homes as coastal community faces worsening crisis — here's what's happening

The net of the story is that it's *related to* climate change….however, the biggest contributing factor is that the government put in a dam that caused the environment in this community to be altered. 

But yes, they put in the dam to protect agriculture due to a changing climate. 

So it's sort of an indirect sort of effect. Even though there has been some amount of sea level rise that was also affecting them.

https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/thailand-coastal-village-sea-levels-tourism/

Soarin into 3rd place

My program continues to run well. I have a few issues here and there with it not selecting an answer, which I think is due to how it "sees" the question (there is sometimes hidden text and other times the answer is too close to the question so it appears like it's not a match). And there's the issue of "map questions" where it asks you to touch where a city is. These don't follow the standard A B C D answers. 

Louvre heist reveals museum used ‘LOUVRE’ as password for its video surveillance, still has workstations with Windows 2000 - glaring security weaknesses revealed in previous report | Tom's Hardware

Well. Alrighty then. 

Windows 2000, with all of its outdated and unsupported security issues. Unchanged and easy to guess passwords. It sounds like the Louvre didn't take its technical security seriously enough.  

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/louvre-heist-reveals-glaring-security-weaknesses-previous-reports-say-museum-used-louvre-as-password-for-its-video-surveillance-still-has-workstations-with-windows-2000

Common Sweetener Could Damage Critical Brain Barrier, Risking Stroke : ScienceAlert

First off, I'm glad to see that there are still scientific studies ongoing at US universities. And sincerely hope that they are able to, and do, continue. 

Second, what they found in their study is that eryththritol, which was heralded as a great breakthrough in alternative sweeteners, may actually be (very) bad for brain health. 

I've tried it in a few drinks and thought it tasted weird, and so I've stuck to sugar. But it's interesting to learn more about these chemical compounds that are engineered. 

https://www.sciencealert.com/erythritol-sweetener-blood-brain-barrier-study#

Bob Iger Interview: Podcast Shares His Disney Successors and Legacy

Bob Iger provides a look into his tenure as ceo, and gives a few insights into the role and what it's like to follow in Walt's footsteps. 

The linked podcast is about 30 minutes and is a good listen…and the podcast has a few other episodes related to Walt and the company that are now on my playlist. 

"That's really constant innovation, a constant exploration, a constant essentially desire to reinvent and or to invent even more than anything else. That's what I'd want," he continued. "But I think we do occupy a place in the world as great storytellers, perhaps maybe the greatest in many respects. And I would hope that that position would continue for years and years."

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bob-iger-successors-legacy-podcast-1236420559/

Space power: The dream of beaming solar energy from orbit

A company tested the feasibility of beaming energy from space by testing out a land based solution. 

They took their prototype system to a football field and beamed the energy across that expanse. 

You can't fault them for proving out their equipment without having to launch into space, for now. 

And now they're about ready to take it to that next step. And with the cost to launch being at a reasonable place, it's certainly feasible. 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251029-the-beam-dream-should-we-build-solar-farms-in-space