Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Amazon Delivery Robots Are Officially on the Streets of California
August 8th, 2019Via: zdnet: Amazon has officially rolled out its last-mile delivery robots in a Southern California testbed. Called Scout, the delivery robot is designed to autonomously ferry parcels from urban distribution points to Amazon Prime customers, removing the need for vans and cars in last-mile delivery. Amazon has previously tested its delivery robots in Washington State, […]
Gold: $1500
August 7th, 2019Via: MarketWatch: Gold prices on Wednesday jumped above an important psychological level at $1,500 amid a round of easy-money policies that helped to stoke fresh appetite for the perceived safety of precious metals. The 10-year U.S. Treasury note’s TMUBMUSD10Y, -4.93% fall to new lows not seen since 2016 below 1.7%, also helped to drive demand […]
China Allows Devaluation of Yuan as Trade War Worsens
August 5th, 2019Via: Reuters: China let the yuan breach the key 7-per-dollar level on Monday for the first time in more than a decade, in a sign Beijing might be willing to tolerate more currency weakness that could further inflame a trade conflict with the United States. The sharp 1.4% drop in the yuan comes days after […]
California Farmers Are Planting Solar Panels as Water Supplies Dry Up
August 2nd, 2019In Blade Runner 2049, the California Central Valley looks like this: (In case you’re wondering, the solar concentrators in the opening scene of the film were inspired by the idiotic Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, which is based on concentrated solar thermal energy.) Nestled in among the heliostat fields are protein farms: They grow some variety […]
On Costliest U.S. Warship Ever, Navy Can’t Get Munitions on Deck
July 30th, 2019Put a few F-35s on it. She’ll be right. Via: Bloomberg: Only two of 11 elevators needed to lift munitions to the deck of the U.S. Navy’s new $13 billion aircraft carrier have been installed, according to a Navy veteran who serves on a key House committee. “I don’t see an end in sight right […]
“Trillion-Dollar Annual Deficits”
July 29th, 2019You’ve got unshakable, bipartisan control of a ship of fools. Enjoy the 2020 election circus! Via: Bloomberg: The Treasury Department is expected to hold its quarterly note and bond sales at record levels for the third straight time as Washington’s latest budget deal shows that the U.S.’s debt binge will continue. President Donald Trump once […]
Tesla Announces Megapack: Utility-Scale Energy Storage
July 29th, 2019Big guns. Via: Tesla: Less than two years ago, Tesla built and installed the world’s largest lithium-ion battery in Hornsdale, South Australia, using Tesla Powerpack batteries. Since then, the facility saved nearly $40 million in its first year alone and helped to stabilize and balance the region’s unreliable grid. Battery storage is transforming the global […]
False Self Employment: Google’s YouTube Business Practices Possibly Illegal in Europe
July 26th, 2019LET ME SHOW YOU ITS FEATURES! Via: JoergSprave: Related: FairTube
“Iran Vows to Secure Strait of Hormuz”
July 24th, 2019It’s hard to know how much of the Iran situation is simply noise. The problem is that we can go from noise to a genuine crisis in the blink of an eye due to the tight geography of the Strait of Hormuz. How many warships can be packed in there before confusion or a false […]
Trump Tells Pentagon to Find Better Sources of Rare Earth Magnet
July 23rd, 2019Via: Reuters: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told the Pentagon to find better ways to procure a rare earth magnet used in specialty motors, warning that the nation’s defense would suffer without adequate stockpiles. Attention is growing on rare earths, an obscure grouping of 17 minerals used to build weapons, consumer electronics and a […]
