Wake Up! The Russians Are NOT Bluffing

The 6 BASIC STEPS to Prepping For a Disaster OR WORSE

A Select Group of Congressmen will Jump Out of a Perfectly Good Aircraft in France

Gasping people shuffled through the 1939 New York World’s Fair wearing commemorative pins that said “I have seen the future.” And they were right. They had witnessed the world as we know it.Decades before "Back to the Future" captured our imaginations with a time-traveling DeLorean, a man named Norman Bel Geddes gave people a look at the America of today. He also created the case for the IBM Mark I computer, which was used for the Manhattan Project and the atom bomb, a different kind of light with a different sort of halo.He was known as the Leonardo DaVinci of our time. But by the time of his death at 65 in 1958, he was a nobody. Today, hardly anyone remembers the name Norman Bel Geddes. All his life, he was a visionary. He left school in ninth grade, shortly after sketching a mural of his school on a chalkboard. The detail was stunning. And for a good 40 years, he was the most famous inventor in America. He worked for Chrysler, Philco, RCA, IBM, you name it. He created everything from a chrome cocktail set to seltzer bottles, from office furniture to electric typewriters and futuristic radios. He improved fountain pens, garters, and fly swatters; designed planes, airliners, boats, and trains; invented the streamlined ocean liner — the “Ocean Greyhound” — and dabbled in architecture. He loved the car and the road beneath it. You’ve probably seen his teardrop-shaped automobile, like something out of an old comic book. He designed Chrysler Airflows, which never caught on. In his book, "Magic Motorways," Bel Geddes envisioned cars that drove themselves and vehicles not all that different from Elon Musk’s Cybertruck. In 1927, he combined all of his skills when General Motors commissioned him to create the city of the future. He called it “Futurama.” It was a full acre of miniature landscape and city, with half a million unique buildings, a million little trees, an interstate with over a dozen lanes, and one giant scene full of movement, with 50,000 whizzing cars and all kinds of flying contraptions. It was the most-visited exhibition at the 1939 New York World’s Fair — a whopping 27 million people. Captivated audiences, about 600 people at a time, took a 20-minute ride on a conveyor belt through this miniature utopia. They were surrounded by light and sound as if they were birds above an advanced civilization. Futurama introduced Americans to the superhighway.A few years after Bel Geddes died, his vision became a reality with the creation of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 160 miles of highway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Its toll cost $1.50 and it took about three hours to drive from one end to the other. It was a futuristic alternative to the Lincoln Highway, the first road designed for automobiles in America, from coast to coast. By comparison, the Pennsylvania highway was alien technology — Futurama brought to life. The concrete seemed to float in the air. Looking at it — looking at a highway for the first time, at the entrance lanes and exit lanes, at the curlicue interchanges — must have been shocking.For the first six months, there was no speed limit. This turned out to be a bad idea, but it was fun while it lasted. You could go as fast as possible. And for a moment, it was like you were flying. But instead of the conveyor belt of the 1939 New York World’s Fair, it was a real-life Futurama superhighway.Part of what made Futurama so realistic is Bel Geddes’ love of the stage. Before his career as the American DaVinci, he designed sets and costumes for movies and plays. He loved to direct and produce on Broadway, at the Metropolitan Opera, and wherever there was a stage.He even helped design the set of "Things to Come" by H.G. Wells.He was also obsessed with lighting. He designed entire stage lighting systems. He loved light. He also created the case for the IBM Mark I computer, which was used for the Manhattan Project and the atom Bomb, a different kind of light with a different sort of halo.It makes sense that a visionary like Norman Bel Geddes saw the future as bright, enormous. That all of his inventions seem to be constantly in motion. He knew that nothing travels faster than light.

Drive by car lots, and you will see rows of unsold electric vehicles. How could this be? I thought everyone was transitioning to EVs.Let’s start with rental car companies. They were supposed to help people get comfortable with electric cars. Now, Hertz is selling off over 30,000 EVs due to high depreciation, customer frustration, and massive repair bills. Other rental car companies are following their lead.Recently, Ford CEO Jim Farley stood by an F-150 Lightning while it took 40 minutes to charge from 0 to 40%; he admitted that higher charging speeds would be necessary to win over gas-powered truck buyersLife in the slow laneCar shoppers aren't biting either, with vehicles sitting unsold on dealer lots an average of 1.5 times longer than hybrids or gas vehicles.Take the Jaguar iPace, a sleek electric SUV meant to entice first-time EV buyers. Thanks in part to grumblings about the iPace's poor range — and hefty $72,000 price — dealers are sitting on 400 unsold units, the equivalent to nearly two years' worth of inventory.EV adoption and EV sales growth have slowed. Market leader Tesla is feeling the slump. In the first quarter of this year, sales fell by 15.2% compared to Q4 last year; sales have gone down almost 10% versus just a year ago. Tesla recently responded by laying off more than 10% of its workforce globally. Meanwhile, it's feeling the pressure from its biggest rival, BYD. The Chinese automaker — which offers more choices in EVs under $30,000 as well as a pickup truck — is coming to the United States soon. Early EV exuberanceIt seems like yesterday when every automaker was jumping on the EV bandwagon. Jaguar pledged to be all electric by 2025; Alfa Romeo by 2027; Chrysler by 2028; Volvo, Lotus, Aston Martin, General Motors, and the rest by 2030.The mood was giddy, with speculations that one day, we'd have electric boats and airplanes — even electric spaceships flying to the moon.Today, the EV euphoria is dead. Manufacturers are scaling back or delaying their electric vehicle plans.Car catfishedThis is what I call getting car catfished.Start with the bait. There is no question that all the new technology and design is impressive. The early adopters who are tech savvy bought in right away. Even though their enthusiasm jump-started sales for all brands, it looks like every tech lover bought in is on their second or third electric car.Now, we're at the stage where the rest of us need to be convinced that we need an EV in our driveway too. EVs, especially when you factor in their higher insurance rates, don't come cheap. Your average EV will run you $65,000, while old-fashioned gas guzzlers have been holding steady at under $50,000 on average. Then there's the charging. When it comes to powering up, these gorgeous vehicles tend to be a little high-maintenance. Forget taking them to the good old corner gas station for a quick tank of unleaded and maybe a bag of chips. Yes, the charging network may be improving, but it's still a wasteland out there for many people. Range anxiety can leave you a nervous wreck. As can unreliable performance in cold weather. As can limited towing capability. Looks aren't everything; dependability counts too. EVs are even more prone to depreciation than regular cars. Had you bought a new iPace in 2019 its resale value would have plunged by over 54% by now!Lot layaboutsThe Porsche Taycan is another example. While it delivered on its promise to be the four-door, electrified version of the Porsche 911, it TayCAN'T seem to attract buyers. It sits on lots for an average of 239 days; the MSRP starting at around $90,000 probably doesn't help. The Tesla Model S and the Lucid Dream Performance offer longer range at lower prices. The Mercedes Benz EQS sedan and SUV are even more expensive. They feature complex technologies such as the MBux wide screens, which are impressive but may be overwhelming for some users. Mercedes Benz is the definition of opulence; nonetheless, these cars are sitting on lots for a staggering 221 days on average. The Ford Mach-E initially captivated the market with its iconic brand appeal, impressive performance, and Innovative features. An EV Mustang — what's not to love? A lot apparently, starting with the fact that Tesla's Model Y has better range. The Mach-E sits on lots for an average of 204 days; had you bought one of the first ones in 2021, you would have seen just a horse's hair under 50% depreciationNewer to the market is the Genesis electric vehicles. The GV60 is fun, with a tech-forward interior. But it's starting MSRP of $52,000 is just a bit too expensive to sway consumers leaning toward Tesla for its robust supercharging network. Along with its siblings, the G80 and GV70, it tends to linger on the lot for an average of 190 days.Ford's F-150 Lightning is the best-selling electric pickup truck, although it will soon face formidable competition from the EV version of the Chevrolet Silverado.Ford recently announced that it would be lowering F-150 Lightning production by half from 3200 to 1,600 per week. When it first debuted, Ford promised the F-150 Lightning could do everything its gas counterpart could do, including featuring a Pro Power onboard system, which offers built-in electrical outlets to power tools and other equipment. Since then, Ford has walked back such big talk. Recently, Ford CEO Jim Farley stood by an F-150 Lightning while it took 40 minutes to charge from 0 to 40%; he admitted that higher charging speeds would be necessary to win over gas-powered truck buyers. It should come as no surprise that F-150 Lightnings sit in lots for 182 days, and that early adopters have already lost 61% of the their initial investment in two short years. The Nissan Leaf is reasonably priced but can't seem to keep up with its more enticing rivals. It is competitive in average lot time, however, clocking an impressive 161 days.The Cadillac Lyric doesn't do much better, with an average of 151 days. This in spite of its smooth driving dynamics and a quiet, luxurious cabin. Blame various technical and software issues as well as complaints of subpar interactions with dealerships.Hybrid vigorMany consumers are switching from all-electric to hybrid. It makes sense people interested in EVs would cross shop a hybrid; specifically plug-in hybrids, which can run on electric power for short trips and switch to to gasoline for longer distances.The Toyota Prius has offered this for almost 30 years and has proven to be an extremely reliable, fuel efficient vehicle. That technology is finding its way into other brands like the Lexus RX Hybrid, Ford's Escape Hybrid, and even super luxury SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4Matic SUV. It's a mild hybrid and is offered at a lower price point compared to a fully EV model.The all-EV plan may have seemed good on paper, but consumers have started voting with their wallets. General Motors has decided to allow customers to choose whether they want to go electric or stay with gas. Let the buyer decide, as I've been saying for decades. You pick what works best for you! Let's see how many other car companies learn this lesson.

Strategic Mastery: Understanding Political Processes As Complex Systems

Biden Lands in France Ahead of D-Day Commemoration, Immediately Needs a Nap

Apple has reportedly signed a deal with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to iOS 18. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Cupertino will unveil this plan during WWDC 2024 next week as the company tackles AI after almost two years of delay. The journalist reports that Apple is expected to offer its new AI features as an "opt-in service," as customers could easily "steer clear of them if they'd prefer." At this moment, it's unclear how big of an integration Apple and OpenAI could offer between iOS 18 and ChatGPT. While Apple has still been talking with Google about a potential Gemini partnership, Gurman explains that going with Google first would make Cupertino feel like it has lost the AI battle. In addition, Apple believes ChatGPT offers the best AI experience in the market. That said, Cupertino is treating this partnership as a "stopgap measure," as the company will eventually bring this outside technology in-house, as it did by ditching Intel and launching its own silicon. Ultimately, chatbots are just a tiny part of Apple's plans. Bloomberg reports that it wants to use large language models to help power "a pair of robotic devices that it is secretly developing." These would include a tablet-top robotic arm with a large, iPad-like display, a mobile robot that can follow users around and handle chores on their behalf, and even AirPods with cameras and AI features. For Siri, Apple could ultimately transform it into the smart personal assistant Steve Jobs dreamed about. Thankfully, it won't take long until we learn more about the future AI features with iOS 18, including ChatGPT integration. That said, keep in mind that it's possible that many of these features might not launch alongside the first version of this system in September, but most likely with upcoming versions of iOS 18. Don't Miss: iOS 18: Release date, AI, supported iPhones, and everything we know The post iOS 18 ChatGPT integration to be opt-in, with Apple’s own chatbot coming soon appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Memorial Day deals: $189 AirPods Pro, $43 camera drone, $179 Roomba, Crest 3D Whitestrips, Instant Pot, more Today’s deals: $249 iPad, Sonos speakers from $199, $495 Apple Watch Ultra, $14 charging station, more Best Apple deals for May 2024 Today’s deals: $150 Beats Solo 4, $55 HP printer, $248 Sony XM5 earbuds, 25% off eero Pro 6E, more

Four years after President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, mystery still surrounds the source of a $64 million donation from an anonymous source that helped him defeat then-President Donald Trump.

The Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots labor group that won a major victory at an Amazon warehouse two years ago, has agreed to affiliate with the Teamsters union, a move that is bound to inject new energy into the struggling organization.