PepsiCo reserves one hundred of Tesla's new electric semi trucks. The future is here.

Courtesy of Reuters:  

PepsiCo Inc has reserved 100 of Tesla Inc’s new electric Semi trucks, the largest-known order of the big rig, as the maker of Mountain Dew soda and Doritos chips seeks to reduce fuel costs and fleet emissions, a company executive said on Tuesday. 

Tesla has been trying to convince the trucking community that it can build an affordable electric big rig with the range and cargo capacity to compete with relatively low-cost, time-tested diesel trucks. 

Early orders reflect uncertainty over how the market for electric commercial vehicles will develop. About 260,000 heavy-duty Class-8 trucks are produced in North America annually, according to FTR, an industry economics research firm. 

PepsiCo’s 100 trucks add to orders by more than a dozen companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc, fleet operator J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc, and foodservice distribution company Sysco Corp. Reservations to date are at 267 Tesla trucks, according to a Reuters tally. 

PepsiCo intends to deploy Tesla Semis for shipments of snack foods and beverages between manufacturing and distribution facilities and direct to retailers within the 500-mile (800-km) range promised by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk.

I know I must drive some of you crazy with my fixation on new technologies and the move to renewable energies, but what can I say, the future is indeed exciting.

Alternative energy sources, autonomous vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, the next decade or so is going to be amazing.

Now if only our humanity can catch up with our technologies.

Even out of office Barack Obama continues working to make our future more hopeful.

I swear every time I hear him talk I am overcome with a wave of nostalgia.

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

Starting next month, the Obama Foundation will begin a series of one-day training sessions and also will host a summit aimed at promoting civic engagement among students and young adults, officials said Wednesday. 

In a video, former President Barack Obama said the programming, along with the creation of a fellowship program and the incorporation of his My Brother's Keeper Alliance into the foundation, is his way of grooming the next generation to "change the world." 

"We're bringing together hundreds of leaders from all around the world for a hands-on exchange of ideas in my hometown," Obama says in the video, which was posted to the foundation's website and emailed to followers Wednesday morning. 

"The summit will be a place to gather and learn from one another, and then go back to your communities to lead others in the hard work of change. And it will also help guide our foundation as we continue to design programs that will connect and support the next generation of young leaders here in the United States and around the globe." The announcement comes just one day before the foundation's top brass will meet with the public for the first time to discuss how the Obama Presidential Center will look and what it will offer.

This is exactly the kind of grassroots organization and education that we desperately need to insure a more knowledgeable and energetic group of future leaders.

It is also a great way to inspire and educate future voters, so that they learn to utilize their critical thinking skills and are less likely to be manipulated by social media or to be led astray by conspiracy theories.

This is just the first such training, and the foundation will offer future trainings in both Boston and Arizona as well.

Personally I hope that this program will expand because I really see a need for it all across the country.

I imagine that once Donald Trump gets wind of this he will open his own alternative foundation, only in HIS version the young people will simply be struck repeatedly in the forehead with a two by four until they can no longer form a coherent sentence.

That will make them the perfect candidate to run as a Republican for public office or to vote against their self interests in future elections.

I think we need this tonight.

my president is black. pic.twitter.com/e3ydB5wVay

— deray mckesson (@deray) September 9, 2017

Every so often I am going to post a video, or tweet, or article featuring the greatest President ever just so we can remind ourselves of what we once had, and what we should look for in our next Commander-in-Chief.

Everywhere he goes Barack Obama brings joy and hope. 

And he reminds us that we should never give in to depression or fear, but instead should remember that we as a country once did the impossible, and someday we will do so again.

House passes driverless car bill. Welcome to the future!

Courtesy of The Hill: 

The House passed a bipartisan driverless car bill on Wednesday, advancing what could become the first set of federal laws for the emerging industry. 

The “Self Drive Act” was unanimously approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July, before Congress left for August recess, and passed the full House on a voice vote. 

“Self-driving cars hold the promise of making America’s roads safer, creating new economic opportunities, and helping seniors and those with disabilities live more independently," Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) said in a joint statement. “This bipartisan bill paves the way for advanced collision avoidance systems and self-driving cars nationwide, and ensures that America stays a global leader in innovation.”

.....

Lawmakers and industry advocates say it is necessary to speed up the development of driverless technology in order to improve traffic safety. The bill comes amid an uptick in traffic deaths in the U.S. 

"Self-driving cars have the potential in the future to reduce deaths and injuries from car crashes, particularly those that result from driver distraction," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the top Commerce Committee Democrat, said on the House floor ahead of the vote. "This bill allows for testing and deployment of self-driving cars to help the United States reach that potential sooner." 

According to one estimate, self-driving cars could reduce traffic fatalities by up to 90 percent.

I know that a whole lot of people are still uncertain about all of this, but I for one can hardly wait.

I was never a big fan of driving in the first place, so it is not something I plan to miss.

Besides I am getting older, and having a car that can take me where I want to go without having to worry about if I can see at night, or whether or not my reflexes are still fast enough to avoid collisions, or if I can even remain conscious for a drive lasting longer than two hours, sounds pretty damn good to me. 

Elon Musk predicts that in 20 years new cars will no longer include a steering wheel.

Courtesy of Axios:

Elon Musk predicted that within 10 years nearly all new cars made in the U.S. will be autonomous, and half of those will be fully electric vehicles. "China is probably going to be ahead of that," the Tesla and SpaceX chief said Saturday, speaking at the National Governors Association meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. 

Within 20 years, he said driving a car will be like having a horse (i.e. rare and totally optional). "There will not be a steering wheel."

This piggybacks well with my post from yesterday morning that predicted that all new cars in Europe will be electric by the year 2035.

I know a lot of you poo poo'd that prediction so I imagine this one will also receive some blowback from the those who fear and mistrust change as well.

But whether you like it or not the future is one where cars run on batteries and people are merely the passengers.

Remember, there was a time not so very long ago when research required a trip to the library, phones were attached to the wall, and computers took up several rooms of space.

We cannot imagine having to live without the conveniences we now take for granted, and soon the same will be true for manual driving.

Musk also had this to say about the future of energy: 

Musk noted that it would only take about 100 square miles of solar panels to power the entire United States and the batteries needed to store the energy would only need to take about a square mile. That said, he imagines the energy shifting to a large dose of rooftop solar, some power plant solar, along with wind, hydro and nuclear power. 

"It's inevitable," Musk said, speaking of shifting to sustainable energy. "But it matters if it happens sooner or later."

Personally I am very excited about the future. Well at least the future of technology.

I am still not at all confident that human beings are evolving as quickly as out technical advances. 

Dutch bank predicts that by 2035 the only new cars available in Europe will be electric.

Courtesy of The Guardian:

All new cars sold in Europe will be electric within less than two decades, driven by government support, falling battery costs and economies of scale, a Dutch bank has predicted. 

However, ING warned that with battery-powered vehicles accounting for 100% of registrations in 2035 across the continent, European carmakers would lose out to their rivals in the US and Asia who already lead on battery production. 

The forecast is much more aggressive than most other projections, such as the UK’s National Grid which on Thursday said it expects 90% of new cars in Britain to be electric by 2050. 

France’s commitment last week to banning new petrol and diesel car sales by 2040 suggests it also thinks the roll-out of electric vehicles will be slower than ING’s report expects. 

However, the bank said that it believed pure electric cars would “become the rational choice for motorists in Europe” sometime between 2017 and 2024.

Well whichever of these is the most accurate they all seem to agree that gasoline powered vehicles are about to go extinct, and that electric cars are the wave of the future.

Now if only America can emerge from under the influence of big oil and start working toward a similarly progressive policy.

Governor of Washington signs order to let the autonomous automobiles drive without human chaperones.

Courtesy of The Drive:  

Washington governor Jay Inslee signed an order Wednesday that could allow self-driving car tests to begin in the state in just under two months and without a human monitoring from the driver's seat, his office announced in a blog post the same day. 

The order gives self-driving car companies the ability to send applications to the state's Department of Licensing for self-driving car pilot program tests on public roads. In the governor's blog post and in the official order, it states that around 94 percent of all motor vehicle crashes are caused by driver error, and officials believe the use of autonomous cars could have a powerful impact on that. 

Additionally, the governor's order brings a handful of state agencies together that will work with the approved self-driving companies and craft future legislation based on the upcoming trials. 

Inslee showed that has pretty much absolute trust in the tech when compared to the capabilities of human drivers, according to a statement obtained by The Seattle Times. 

“One thing I know about radar, it doesn’t drive drunk, it doesn’t drive distracted,” Inslee said, according to The Seattle Times. “We humans are really good at a lot of things, driving cars isn’t necessarily one of them compared to the automated processes that are digital and foolproof. I just have huge confidence in the safety aspects of this.”

Autonomous automobiles is one of my favorite things to cover outside politics and religion, probably because it is both terrifying and awesome at the same time.

It is also inevitable.

Just like fear of drowning did not keep us land bound, and fear of flying did not stop the airline industry, our fear of giving up control to machines will not stop the coming of autonomous automobiles.

We already rely on machines to remember our phone numbers, fly our planes, and answer all of our questions, so how is this really any different?

I for one can hardly wait to let Google take the wheel and allow me to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Barack Obama to join Angela Merkel in Germany to help launch worldwide program to inspire young people.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Former President Barack Obama will sit side-by-side with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday in the first event of what will eventually become his worldwide program to inspire young people to create change. 

Obama will join Merkel at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to highlight his foundation's new global effort to inspire and support young people active in narrowing inequality, combating climate change, working on public health, empowering women and girls and boosting young entrepreneurs. 

"He and Mrs. Obama have been pretty clear that the foundation will have a global reach. They want to be really involved in programing throughout the world," an Obama Foundation official said.

Just a reminder that while Trump is overseas right now embarrassing our country, that former President Obama is still working to make the world a better place and to inspire future generations. 

I swear that every day Trump is in office my admiration and respect for President Obama just grows that much more.

The man was an amazing President, and history is going to be very kind to him indeed.

"Fossil fuels have lost. The rest of the world just doesn’t know it yet."

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

The details of this transition are spelled out in a new, must-read, 4000-word article in the Financial Times, “The Big Green Bang: how renewable energy became unstoppable.” 

What is most remarkable about the article is that it appears in the Financial Times. The free-market oriented paper is the “most important business read” for the world’s top financial decision makers and “the most credible publication in reporting financial and economic issues” for global professional investors, according to surveys.

Electric cars that were hard to even buy eight years ago are selling at an exponential rate,” explains FT’s environment correspondent Pilita Clark, “in the process driving down the price of batteries that hold the key to unleashing new levels of green growth.” 

Indeed, one key reason the clean energy revolution is unstoppable is the dramatic and ongoing improvements in battery cost and performance. Advanced batteries are game-changing not only for the electrification of transportation, but also for the continued rapid penetration of renewables.

Just another reminder that though it appears at times that we are in the craziest of times politically, we are also witnessing the dawning of a new age technologically. 

And in fact it is this very technology that will undercut the funding from fossil fuel companies that traditionally favor conservatives, and even remove the main reason for meddling in the affairs of Middle Eastern countries to gain access to their oil supplies.

Despite what Donald Trump has promised coal is not going to see a resurgence, and it will be President Obama's investment in renewable energy that will see us to a brighter, and less polluted, tomorrow.

Barack and Michelle Obama to donate 2 million dollars to summer jobs program in Chicago.

Courtesy of The Hill: 

Former President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he and his wife, Michelle, are donating $2 million to summer jobs programs in Chicago. 

“One of the things that we’ll be starting this year is Michelle and I are personally going to donate $2 million to our summer jobs programs here in the community,” he said at the South Shore Cultural Center. "[It's] so that right away young people can get to work and we can start providing opportunities to all of them.” 

The former president used the event to unveil plans for a 200,000-square-foot campus on Chicago’s South Side that will house the Obama Presidential Center. Obama said the center will be used to "train the next generation of leadership, the Michelle Robinsons of today and the Barack Obamas of today."

Gee, what a hypocrite.

What does he think he is doing supporting the future leaders of tomorrow like he always said he was going to do once he was out of office?

Wasn't it just a few days ago that people were tearing out their hair over the fact that Obama is receiving a $400,000 speaker's fee to talk about health care?

Oh wait, apparently they are still tearing their hair out.

So I guess that since Chaffetz's foot is all better now thanks in part to Obamacare, he feels free to make a huge ass out of himself again.

Is being a huge ass considered a preexisting condition?

Hillary Clinton comes out of the woods ready to fight.

Courtesy of SF Gate:  

In the latest sign that she is ready to come “out of the woods” politically, Hillary Clinton offered a mantra Tuesday in San Francisco to those opposing the Trump administration: “Resist. Persist. Insist. Enlist.” 

Clinton appeared on stage for about an hour Tuesday at the Professional BusinessWomen of California Conference at Moscone Center West, with most of her remarks focusing on the struggles women face in the workplace. 

Resist actions that go against our values as Americans, she said. Insist that we can all do better. Persist, as Clinton said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., did when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tried to prevent her from quoting Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor during the debate over Jeff Sessions’ appointment as attorney general. 

Then bring that “passion we’ve seen in the last few weeks,” to the voting booth in 2018. “Show up and vote, for goodness sakes.” And enlist in the resistance effort — “get in the arena,” she said, by running for office or starting a business that is supportive of your employees. 

What Clinton found “so maddening” during was the recent health care debate was that Republicans were not showing empathy to the people they represented. 

“Really? Take away maternity care?” Clinton said. “Really? Take away mental health and substance abuse care? Who do these people talk to? Do they not have any idea about the suffering that goes on?”

It is nice to see the People's President again.

I think she provides an important voice for the resistance and that she can help rally the troops and keep them fired up for the battle ahead.

Fearless Girl.

Courtesy of USA Today: 

The iconic bull statue on Wall Street may have met his match, and she's female. 

On the eve of International Women's Day, an asset management company placed a statue of a little girl in front of Manhattan’s iconic charging bull to highlight a lack of gender diversity and equality in the workplace. 

The State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) said in a statement that the statue is part of its call on the more than 3,500 companies that benefit from its clients' investments to make sure their governing boards are diverse.

 “A key contributor to effective independent board leadership is diversity of thought, which requires directors with different skills, backgrounds and expertise,’’ Ron O’Hanley, State Street Global Advisors' CEO said in a statement. “Today, we are calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards and have issued clear guidance to help them begin to take action.”

The statue was created by a female artist named Kristen Visbel, and her little statue instantly attracted the attention of all who saw it, and from media around the world.

And some were even inspired. 

I have been saying for awhile that we are now witnessing a sea change and that in the coming years female leaders are going to take the stage and start asserting control over which direction this country is headed.

In fact the seeds have already been planted for this movement to grow for decades to come.

Personally I am looking forward to it.

I will leave you today with these prophetic words from the great Carl Sagan.

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time — when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and whats true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.” 

Okay, that's just spooky.

This is why we need more scientists in politics.

They can recognize patterns and predict outcomes that most of us will never see coming.

(Source.)

Sarah Palin explains that she did not close SarahPAC because the funds dried up, it was because it already changed the face of American politics.

Courtesy of the Moosenugget shoveler's Facebook page: 

Because of your support we have changed the face of the Republican Party and American politics, so thank you! What a chapter it has been! And now together we'll write a new one. (Yep the PAC is not closing due to a lack of funds, it's because they won already!)

Anyone on the national political stage will tell you SarahPAC is different. Our team of volunteers and very few paid staffers have operated what is arguably the most unconventional but relevant and EFFECTIVE PACs in the country. (Oh Jesus, I am drowning in bullshit here.)

We didn't engage in political cronyism, didn't capitalize on PAC influence for anyone's employment or hob-nobbing opportunities, and we did not profit from the PAC. (Say what?)We "went rogue" every day for nearly eight years to prove an aspect of American politics could be clean and upright. (Unbelievable!)

Instead of conventional politicking, we strived to serve you by providing a voice for everyday hardworking patriots who knew the political status quo had to go. Our efforts utilized the platform God has graciously and inexplicably blessed me with. 

It's been you - our tremendous supporters - making it all possible. (Suckers!)

Friends, our shared belief in the mission to make America exceptional again will live on, and in fact can now grow exponentially with an even LOUDER and more OPTIMISTIC collective voice. The time is right to propel this mission forward! 

Stay tuned for the next steps we'll take with you as SarahPAC winds down and we leap forward into the next chapter. Let's keep living my dad's golden adage: "Don't retreat; reload!"  (Apparently that crappy website is the "next chapter." Let's call it "Chapter 11" shall we?)

God bless you, - Sarah Palin

And that my friends is how "alternative facts" work.

To be fair there really IS reason for Palin and her followers to believe that something has been achieved, and Palin DID have a hand in helping Trump appeal to the most ignorant, easily manipulated, people in the country.

Which ultimately helped him to "win."

However all of that talk about how "clean and upright" the PAC operated is absolutely laugh out loud funny.

As was pointed out by no less than the Washington Post, "The shuttering of the PAC coupled with the clear signal its spending sends — this was always for and about Palin — should put to rest any talk to the contrary."

Yes, exactly! 

As for this next chapter, as far as I can tell Palin's "next chapter" is keeping her son out of jail, keeping people from taking her grandchildren away, keeping her family's dirty little secretes out of the press.

Which may prove difficult since the judge just refused to keep Track's child custody case confidential and she no longer has the resources to pay people to be quiet.

US Solar energy companies now employ more people than coal, gas, and oil combined.

Courtesy of The Independent:  

Solar energy in the US employs more people than traditional coal, gas and oil combined, a report has found, in a revelation that could undermine Donald Trump’s argument that green energy isn’t good for the economy. 

The latest report from the US Department of Energy (DOE) reveals solar energy accounts for the largest proportion of employers in the Electric Power Generation sector, with wind energy the third largest, while the coal industries have declined in the past 10 years. 

Solar energy employed 374,000 people over the year 2015-2016, making up 43 per cent of the sector’s workforce, while the traditional fossil fuels combined employed 187,117, making up just 22 per cent of the workforce, according to the report. 

“Proportionally, solar employment accounts for the largest share of workers in the Electric Power Generation sector. This is largely due to the construction related to the significant build out of new solar generation capacity,” the report states. 

Look a fast growing industry that promises more jobs,  a guaranteed return for investors, and no negative impact on the environment.

Gee if only our country were run by a smart businessman type who recognized a great opportunity for economic growth.

So Alaska is curently in a recession, from which it will never fully recover. Oh boy.

Courtesy of ADN: 

A leading Alaska economics firm predicts our recession will continue for three more years and foresees no real recovery, just decline and then a future with a smaller economy. 

Jonathan King, vice president of Northern Economics, said he feels like he is riding a down-bound train, able to see hard times for his business a year ahead but unable to do anything about it. We visited to look down the track together and think about what is coming for his and others' families. 

King presented Wednesday to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee after Mouhcine Guettabi, of the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the University of Alaska Anchorage. The economists' teams worked independently, using different computer models, but they came to strikingly similar conclusions. 

"This is our great recession. By the time this is over, we expect to lose 6 percent of our jobs," King told the committee. 

A recession is unfolding of similar severity to what the nation endured after the 2008 financial crisis, but with a critical difference, King said. The U.S. economy recovered. He expects Alaska's economy to shrink long term to a smaller base.

At oil going for less than $54 a barrel, and no real hope that it will go any higher, there is just not enough profit in opening new fields in Alaska for drilling. (So yes Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, that means opening ANWR does nothing to save us.)

With oil off the table as the quick fix Alaska had relied on, there is really no other fallback industry which will help Alaska get back on its feet in the immediate future.

However King did offer this one possibility:

"We're one tweet away from $100 a barrel oil," King said. "All it takes is a shooting war in the Middle East and we're back in business. Which I hate to say."

Well there's a happy thought.

Personally I am fortunate to be in a recession proof job, however I know that a recession will still have an effect on all of our lives.

So for all of you considering a move to the Last Frontier, I would suggest that you alter your plans immediately. Because simply put, we can't afford you. 

Autonomous commercial big rigs means the loss of jobs for 1.7 million truck drivers.

Courtesy of DC Velocity:

The proliferation of self-driving, or autonomous, tractor-trailers threaten the jobs of nearly 1.7 million commercial truck drivers, according to a study published late last month by the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). 

The study, released Dec. 20, said the jobs of between 1.34 million and 1.67 million truck drivers would be at risk due to the growing utilization of heavy-duty vehicles operated via artificial intelligence. That would equal 80 to 100 percent of all driver jobs listed in the CEA report, which is based on May 2015 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the Department of Labor. There are about 3.4 million commercial truck drivers currently operating in the U.S., according to various estimates. 

The report also predicted that between 165,300 and 495,900 jobs held by light truck or delivery service drivers would be at risk because of autonomous vehicles. That represents between 20 and 60 percent of the CEA's universe of 825,000 driver jobs. Fewer of those drivers are likely to be displaced, because they operate in more densely populated urban areas where the risk of pedestrian deaths or injuries would be greater if autonomous vehicles were used. In addition, many delivery drivers operate over short distances, so labor costs would be less of a factor. 

CEA estimated that, on a net basis, the use of autonomous vehicles enabled by artificial intelligence would threaten between 2.2 million and 3.1 million full- and part-time driver jobs of all types; the figure includes approximately 364,000 self-employed individuals driving with ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.

Once again, whether we like it or not, this IS our future. 

This article really caught my attention because I had a guy about 23 years old asking if I thought becoming a trucker was a good career move, and I told him bluntly that I don't think the job will exist in the next twenty years. 

This article essentially supports that conclusion.

And this is just one example of how automation is going to reduce the need for human workers in the very near future.

Donald Trump can talk about bringing jobs back until he is orange in the face (Oops, too late!) but the simple fact is that with these new advancements in computer technology and automation, there are going to be fewer and fewer jobs available for carbon based life forms.

There is already talk about creating a minimum income, or mincome, for non-working people so that they can live in relative comfort while machines do the heavy lifting.

Personally I am somewhat confident that my job will not be taken over by automation until well after I am too old to adequately perform my duties anyhow.

 As for the rest of humanity, well I would suggest that learning to program computers and repair circuit boards might be a good place to start. Though I think we know it is only a matter of time before machines will evolve to take those tasks over as well.

President Obama shows Donald Trump how to use Twitter to uplift Americans rather than attack his enemies.

As we look ahead to the future, I wanted to take a moment to look back on the remarkable progress that you made possible these past 8 years.

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

Facing the worst financial crisis in 80 years, you delivered the longest streak of job growth in our history. pic.twitter.com/Vk3PfRgZqF

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

After decades of rising health care costs, today nearly every American now has access to the financial security of affordable health care. pic.twitter.com/5e4nEcCxIM

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

We traded foreign oil for clean energy, we doubled fuel efficiency standards, & we acted on a global scale to save the one planet we've got. pic.twitter.com/7alrOtHNIr

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

We brought home more of our troops & strengthened U.S. leadership—leading with diplomacy & partnering with nations to meet global problems.

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

From realizing marriage equality to removing barriers to opportunity, we've made history in our work to reaffirm that all are created equal.

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

It’s been the privilege of my life to serve as your President. I look forward to standing with you as a citizen. Happy New Year everybody.

— President Obama (@POTUS) January 1, 2017

That is how you make Americans feel good about themselves.

That is how you make us feel good about our accomplishments and the future of this nation.

Not petty, not defensive, simply encouraging and filled with hope.

Just like this presidency.

Michigan signs bill to allow driverless cars on their public roadways.

Courtesy of Computerland:  

The governor of Michigan today signed into law a series of bills that allows fully autonomous vehicles, including those without drivers and steering wheels, to begin using public roadways. 

Flanked by a Ford Model T and a self-driving Ford Fusion, Gov. Rick Snyder signed four bills as part of the autonomous vehicles legislative package that allows the operation of autonomous vehicles on Michigan public roads. Before, only testing of the vehicles by manufacturers was permitted. 

"As far as I know, Michigan is the first state to make it official that these types of vehicles can be used on public roads," said Brandon Schoettle, a project manager with the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute. 

"California is also planning to enact similar legislation soon. Obviously, the general act of vehicles driving around like this on any public roads is somewhat unprecedented anywhere, given the very recent introduction of such technology," Schoettle said.

Here it comes folks, that future thing that everybody is always talking about.

My daughter and I have been arguing about autonomous cars for a while now.

She is against them, likes to drive herself, and I am all for them.

I'm getting older and I like the idea that technology will allow me to be independent and able to get around on my own even after my reflexes are shot and my eyesight dims.

Hell I already have a machine that cleans my clothes, a robot that vacuums my house, and several technological devices that allow me to converse with people from all over the world from the comfort of my office in Alaska.

So why wouldn't I be willing to trust a machine to get me around town on its own?

Conservative fake news sites have a new target, Elon Musk.

Courtesy of Quartz:

Many of the attacks on Musk begin with something factual: His businesses were built, legally, with the help of billions in government contracts and incentives for renewable energy and space transport. But they go on to accuse Musk of fraud and wasting taxpayer dollars; some compare him to a convicted felon. At least three conservative sites have run negative pieces about Musk—by a nonexistent writer named “Shepard Stewart”—that include “Elon Musk Continues to Blow Up Taxpayer Money With Falcon 9” and “Elon Musk: Faux Free Marketeer and National Disgrace.” Two later retracted the stories. 

“There’s a very obvious precedent” for this, says Sam Jaffe, managing director of Cairn Energy Research Advisors. “That’s Hillary Clinton.” 

Jaffe says that whoever is behind the attacks is aiming at Musk personally because they fear he could go into politics. He cited the allegations of fraud (emails) and negligence (Benghazi) levied at Clinton during the presidential campaign, charges that cemented the public’s perception of her as shady. “It’s the exact same thing as Musk. There’s a portion of the political spectrum that is scared to death of Musk as politician. They see him as a threat. They’re starting that process.”

Jesus these people are disgusting.

But hey if they can derail a juggernaut like Hillary Clinton, and we let them get away with it, then why wouldn't they go after somebody who may present a future challenge like Elon Musk?

And believe me, he really could be an unstoppable political force in a couple of years.

Millennials LOVE the guy, including my daughter who thinks he walks on water and that he is the future of America's progress with renewable energy, transportation, and space exploration.

Hopefully after what we saw with this last election her generation is going to be much more careful as to where they get their information.