How to pretend you are saving money by purchasing Electric Buses
At first glance, this sounds good – high upfront costs but dramatic savings in operational/variable costs: From the PGE site, we learn that diesel buses are about $90K to buy…
Panera Bread testing voice recognition tech for drive thru orders
Automation will place increasingly large roles in fast food services: Two Panera Bread locations in upstate New York are testing artificial intelligence technology that takes drive-thru orders. Source: Panera Bread…
Cell phone service via satellite
Many companies are seeking to do this, including the announced SpaceX/T-Mobile partnership: Satellite companies are rushing to connect our phones and eliminate dead zones. Source: The space race for our…
This is a very big deal: SpaceX and T-Mobile team up to use Starlink satellites
Existing T-Mobile phones should have access to text messaging capabilities in remote areas, routed via Starlink satellites. The satellites to support this capability will launch in 2023. SpaceX CEO Elon…
Self-inflicted problem: Semiconductor industry can’t find enough electronics engineers
Pay and job security has not been the greatest for some in the EE field. While the global chip shortage shows some signs of subsiding, semiconductor companies are facing another…
Drone delivery services will be used to conduct close-in surveillance
The intrigue: Walmart and DroneUp will offset the cost of delivery with revenue from other drone-related services, such as insurance inspections, emergency response and construction oversight. For example, a local…
The end of passwords?
Interesting ideas: Instead of a password, devices could look for your phone over Bluetooth. Source: Apple, Google, and Microsoft want to kill the password with “Passkey” standard | Ars Technica
VR becomes pricey: “Prescription lens inserts for VR headsets”
As I previously noted, VR headsets are difficult to use for those who need eyesight corrective lenses, especially those who require eyeglasses. The industry’s solution for now is “prescription VR…
Energy: Use abandoned oil wells for geothermal?
It may be possible to use existing but no longer used oil and gas wells to tap underground geothermal heat as energy sources. Source: The US may have an unexpected…
I see big problems (pun intended): Apple to create “contact lens” VR
See below for why I do not buy this: According to MacRumors, Apple is in the process of designing high-tech ‘contact lenses’ which will let you live in augmented reality…