Places and Things

The regulatory body in charge of cars in China has announced several Tesla vehicles will be exempt from its purchase tax, which should help offset an upcoming tariff. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology granted exemptions for more than a dozen Model 3, Model S and Model X models. from https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/30/china-tesla-tariffs-trade-war/ https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?quality=85&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fimages%2Fdims%3Fcrop%3D5000%252C3333%252C0%252C0%26quality%3D85%26format%3Djpg%26resize%3D1600%252C1067%26image_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fs.yimg.com%252Fos%252Fcreatr-images%252F2019-01%252F91005530-256a-11e9-adbf-836091ca33f7%26client%3Da1acac3e1b3290917d92%26signature%3Dd500b19b22ad63daa37394a6610a3004b887d779&client=amp-blogside-v2&signature=6a0c57c1a079a640e8827647b447d903a1edc698

There are so many streaming options available these days, and so many conflicting recommendations, that it’s hard to see through all the crap you could be watching. from https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/30/20838726/netflix-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-series-fraggle-rock-streaming-reboot-jim-henson https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65143371/FraggleRock.0.jpg

An ancient face is shedding new light on our earliest ancestors. Archaeologists have discovered a 3.8-million-year-old hominin skull in Ethiopia—a rare and remarkably complete specimen that could change what we know about the origins of one of humanity’s most famous ancestors, Lucy. from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rare-3-8-million-year-old-skull-recasts-origins-of-iconic-lucy-fossil1/ https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/1B47618D-958B-4DED-AE3EAB085C211403_source.png?w=590&h=800&63EB2B2F-5D05-4EB1-9912B459C87141C3

So you want to send a short, instant, text-based dispatch to another human. The options are endless -- iMessage, Slack, Instagram, WhatsApp, Skype, Snapchat -- but their security is variable. from https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/28/the-best-encrypted-messaging-apps/ https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?resize=2000%2C2000%2Cshrink&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2019-08%2Fdd0d68f0-c506-11e9-bcff-59b87e84c4d5&client=a1acac3e1b3290917d92&signature=7fd938e7921630e6ac0959e463c0a913dafc36e2

Facebook is adding new requirements for political advertisers, the company said on Wednesday, as part of its efforts to make the platform more secure in the run-up to the 2020 election. from https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/28/20835393/facebook-political-advertising-requirements-2019-ads-election-2020 https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65124492/Facebook___FEC_option__1_.0.png

Graphene, the highly flexible supermaterial used to build solar cells (and perhaps one day foldable phones), is also a powerful mosquito repellent. from https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/27/graphene-mosquito-repellent-boston-university-study/ https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?quality=85&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fimages%2Fdims%3Fresize%3D2000%252C2000%252Cshrink%26image_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fs.yimg.com%252Fos%252Fcreatr-images%252F2019-06%252F3a6ffd40-91a5-11e9-bfff-4ec21b5c2099%26client%3Da1acac3e1b3290917d92%26signature%3Df391bbc2bf86daf6e1c3fc0db629195a3e686409&client=amp-blogside-v2&signature=415941db925f42a9a2f27b668afa2924641891c8

Microsoft today announced that it will hold a Surface-focused event on October 2nd in New York City. This event comes in the midst of Apple’s fall event season, with the company expected to introduce new iPhones, iPads, and a 16-inch MacBook Pro. from https://9to5mac.com/2019/08/27/microsoft-surface-event-october-2/ https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/04/msn-hotmail-email-hack.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1500