jmcbain writes: In a blog post last week, Dan Amman, the CEO of Cruise Automation (General Motors’ electric self-driving car division), laments the pollution, waste of space, accidents, and cost of cars as we know them today. He says “here we are, living in a state of cognitive dissonance with exactly this — the human-driven, gasoline-powered, single-occupant car — as our…
Tag: Living
Some Farmers Have Discovered That Online Stardom Can Be More Lucrative Than their Crops or Livestock
An anonymous reader shares a report: It’s not an easy time to be an American farmer. The number of farms in the US is declining, according to the Department of Agriculture, as consolidation makes big operations even bigger. In 2017, the most recent year for the USDA’s industry census, the average farm income was just $43,053, and less than half of…
Deep and crisp and living: How snow sustains amazing hidden life
Snow may look pristine but even the freshly fallen variety is teeming with microscopic life. This vast and mysterious ecosystem could have a big impact on Earth Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24432611-100-deep-and-crisp-and-living-how-snow-sustains-amazing-hidden-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Why are whales big, but not bigger?
How did whales that feed on tiny prey evolve into the largest creatures on Earth? And why don’t they get even bigger? Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/why-are-whales-big…
Will sea otters return to San Francisco Bay?
A new study shows that, if they can be returned to San Francisco Bay, California’s southern sea otter population can be tripled. There are now only about 3,000 of the otters left. But, first, they’ll need some help getting past the great white sharks. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/southern-sea-otters-reintroduction-san-francisco-bay…
More Small Tests Are Happening For Universal Basic Incomes
DevNull127 writes: A video report from NBC News profiles “Springboard to Opportunities,” an advocacy group for affordable housing residents that’s now also testing $1,000-a-month payments (privately-funded) for 20 women in Mississsippi chosen at random. One senior-living aid making $10.31 an hour says the grants represent “a little freedom”. She’s using the money to pay down debt — and to visit the…
Thylacine hunter to spend two years in the bush
Neil Waters is preparing to spend two years living in the Australian bush in an effort to capture a live thylacine. One of the best known recent examp… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/332962/thylacine-hunter-to-spend-two-years-in-the-bush…
Less Than 10 Percent of Americans Are Buying $1,000 Smartphones, Report Says
According to a new report from research firm NPD, less than 10% of Americans are actually spending $1,000 or more on a smartphone. 9to5Google reports: The report was produced by research firm NPD and shows that while the media and brand focus is on the flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S10, and iPhone 11 Pro, everyday Americans…
The World’s First Village of Affordable 3D-Printed Homes Is Now Complete
MikeChino shares a report from Dwell: In Tabasco, Mexico, a family living below the poverty line recently visited their future home: a 3D-printed, 500-square foot structure with two bedrooms, one bath, a wraparound cement patio, and an awning over the front porch. It’s one of two fully furnished homes — printed in about 24 hours and finished by local nonprofit ECHALE…
Researchers describe 71 new species in 2019
New species from 5 continents and 3 oceans include geckos, goblin spiders, flowering plants, and Mediterranean ants. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/new-species-discovered-in-2019…