Science

California City Becomes First in the U.S. to Ban New Gas Stations

Officials from Petaluma, California have decided their city has enough places to fill up gas-powered cars. Last week, the local city council unanimously voted to ban new gas stations, building on a two-year moratorium passed in early 2019. Read more...
Tags: Electric Vehicle, Science, Technology, Environment, Articles, Green Vehicles, Electric Car, Science and Technology, Hydrogen Vehicle, California City, Sustainable Transport, Petaluma California, The Coalition, Emerging Technologies, Sustainable Technologies, Fuel Gas

QAnon, CultTok, and Leaving It All Behind

“I was impressed that it only took four years,” Danielle, self-identified ex-cult member, 34, said on a phone call. This was a few days after Joe Biden’s inauguration, and we were talking about the previous week of SOS social media posts from wide-eyed QAnon followers, like a TikToker propped up on a pillow, pleading,…Read more...
Tags: Politics, Science, Obama, Articles, Joe Biden, Joseph Smith, Jesus, Jezebel, Donald Trump, Marina Abramovic, Kamala Harris, Clinton, Trumpism, Alex Jones, Michelle, Alt Right

Why Does Music Make Us Feel Things?

Once a day, at least, I’ll tear up listening to music. Just a drop or two, or not even a drop, just a pre-cry convulsion, a sudden seizure of feeling. More often than not, I have no specific memories tied to the song in question—sometimes I’m hearing it for the first or second time. If you asked me why the song was…Read more...
Tags: Psychology, Spotify, Music, Science, Articles, Compassion, Empathy, Charles Darwin, Emotions, Anger, Why, Irving Berlin, Herbert Spencer, Music Psychology, Musicology, Moral Psychology

Griddy Is Being Sued for $1 Billion for Allegedly Price Gouging During Texas Winter Storm

A Texas woman filed a class-action lawsuit this week to the tune of $1 billion in damages against Griddy, a Texas electricity retailer that the suit alleges engaged in illegal price gouging during the widespread outages that swept through the state last week. Read more...
Tags: Energy, Texas, Science, Articles, Pricing, Price Gouging, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Business Finance, Griddy, Electric Power, Electrical Grid, Electric Power Distribution, Energy In Texas, Electricity Retailing, Lisa Khoury, Electricity Pricing

The Grift and Cybercrime Blight on the Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout

Last August, federal agents searched the Redmond, Washington, laboratory of Johnny Stine, a bootleg biotechnician whom they’d been investigating since March. As they fanned across Stine’s warehouse, they encountered your typical scientist fare: lab equipment, test tubes, a microscope, but also “empty beer bottles and…Read more...
Tags: Science, Medicine, Articles, Medical Research, Vaccine, Phishing, Stine, Redmond Washington, Promise, Check Point Software, Nikos Passas, Moderna, Health Sciences, Blight, Mark Ostrowski, Johnny Stine

The FCC Just Authorized a $3.2 Billion Dollar Program Meant To Bring Low-Income Americans Online

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted late Thursday to adopt the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—a $3.2 billion dollar initiative meant to lower the cost of internet services for the tens of millions of families struggling with connectivity during the ongoing pandemic.Read more...
Tags: Science, Net Neutrality, Government, Articles, Broadband, Telecommunications, Internet Access, Federal Communications Commission, US Networks, Huawei, Pell, Jessica Rosenworcel, Lifeline, Universal Service Fund, Technology Internet, Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

TikTok to Pay $92 Million Settlement in Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Privacy Violations

TikTok has agreed to fork over $92 million to settle a class-action complaint regarding alleged privacy violations, including claims that the app and its predecessor, Musical.ly, collected personal data without users’ consent for tracking and ad targeting purposes. Read more...
Tags: Science, Privacy, Identity Management, Articles, Software, Gizmodo, Terms Of Service, John Lee, Internet Privacy, Privacy Law, Video Software, Bytedance, Musically, Tiktok, US TikTok, Application Software

America's Leaders Have No Clue What to Do About Disinformation

As disinformation and misinformation have increasingly been blamed for rising political extremism and polarization in the U.S., lawmakers have naturally sought to cobble together some sort of legislative response. The problem is that Congress is, themselves, so polarized that they can’t seem to agree on how to do…Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Politics, Science, Congress, Articles, America, Journalism, Comcast, Att, Fox News, Human Behavior, Donald Trump, Anthony Fauci, Bernie Sanders, Luna, Misinformation

The Pentagon Sent a Pizza Box-Sized Solar Panel Into Space, But I'm Sure Everything Is Fine

Here is a completely normal and totally not-nefarious thing that is happening: Scientists from the Pentagon sent a solar panel about the size of a pizza box up to space to test if it’s possible to send extraterrestrial electricity back to Earth. Read more...
Tags: Energy, Ipad, Science, Environment, Articles, Renewable Energy, Nature, Pentagon, Photovoltaics, Solar Panel, The X Files, Earth Read, Defence Department, Spaceplanes, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Energy Conversion

The Wild Ways Local Governments Are Blocking Renewable Energy

“Shadow flicker” from wind turbines, concerns about sparrow habitat on landfills, and worries about “toxic chemicals” from solar panels are just some of the ways municipalities are slowing down renewables installation. Read more...
Tags: Energy, Science, Environment, Articles, Renewable Energy, Energy Policy, Fossil Fuel, Koch, Technological Change, Energy Development, Bright Green Environmentalism, Renewable Energy Commercialization, Renewable Energy Debate, Hillary Alduin

The Problem With Zoom Adding Free Captions After Getting Called Out

As a journalist and content writer, I often have to go on Zoom calls every day with clients and interview sources who request to use this platform. I am also hard-of-hearing, which makes following what people say on calls tiring, due to listening fatigue.Read more...
Tags: Google, Science, Microsoft, Articles, Accessibility, Disability, Social Issues, Andrew Cuomo, Donald Trump, Sign Language, Zoom, Poynter, Closed Captioning, Deafness, Shari Eberts, Deaf culture

Stopping Carbon Pollution by 2050 Would Add $1 Trillion to the Economy

According to the best available climate science, the U.S. needs to completely zero out its carbon pollution by 2050 to secure a livable future. A from the nonprofit Energy Innovation lays out a plan to get there, which also would just happen to add a cool $1 trillion dollars to the national economy.Read more...
Tags: Energy, Science, Environment, Articles, Nature, Sustainable Energy, Climate Change Policy, Energy Policy, U S Energy, Energy Economics, Energy Innovation, Renewable Energy Transition, Emissions Reduction, Low Carbon Economy, Energy Policy Of The United States, Environmental Impact Of The Energy Industry

Nashville Bombing Suspect Was Anti-Government Extremist, Believed in Lizard People: Report

In the early hours of Christmas Day in 2020, an RV in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, began broadcasting the sounds of gunfire and warnings for anyone in earshot to immediately evacuate. After about 15 minutes, it exploded, killing the perpetrator, wounding at least eight others, and damaging hundreds of buildings.Read more...
Tags: Science, Articles, Nashville, Conspiracy Theories, Deception, Nashville Tennessee, Alt Right, David Icke, New World Order, Fake News, QAnon, Nashville bombing, Pseudohistory, Far Right Politics In The United States, Terrorism In The United States

Microsoft's Latest Product Goes Toe-to-Toe With Squarespace

Microsoft is officially getting into the website-building biz. On Wednesday, the company’s digital marketing wing rolled out a of tools which promise to give businesses a quick and easy way to set up their own landing pages. And unlike some of the other site builders on the market—like, say,…Read more...
Tags: Business, Science, Microsoft, Small Business, Articles, Website, Computing, Squarespace, Microsoft Bing, Microsoft Advertising, Business Finance, Technology Internet

The Free Market Approach to Energy Has Costs Texans $28 Billion Since 2004

Texas has a utility market unlike any other in the U.S., and in the wake of last week’s grid failure there that left millions of people in the dark, it’s come under scrutiny. Ninety percent of Texas’ electricity is generated on its own grid, and that grid is very lightly regulated. Read more...
Tags: Energy, Texas, Science, Environment, Articles, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Business Finance, Electric Power, Electrical Grid, Electric Power Distribution, Energy In Texas, Electricity Market, Deregulation Of The Texas Electricity Market, Electric Power Industry

The U.S. Needs a Supergrid

Right now, Texas is in the balmy mid-50s. Yet just a week ago, it was colder than Alaska, and we all know what happened next. Much of the state’s energy capacity got knocked offline, leaving millions of people without power, heat, and water for days.Read more...
Tags: Energy, Texas, Science, Environment, Articles, Renewable Energy, Alaska, National Grid, Microgrid, Electric Power, Electrical Grid, Emissions Reduction, US Needs, Electric Power Transmission, Electric Power Transmission Systems, High Voltage Direct Current

Sweep Up the Savings With $70 off the eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 30C

eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 30C | $180 | Amazon | Clip coupon and use code eufyHome1Read more...
Tags: Amazon, Science, Articles, Philosophy, Coupon, Business Finance, Gunk, Branches Of Philosophy, Bond Valuation

Iced Tea Company That Pivoted to Blockchain Has Its License Pulled by the SEC

I’ve got that deja vu feeling. In 2017, the price of bitcoin exploded, prompting a bunch of random companies to announce their business was pivoting to “blockchain” in some form or another before being forgotten when the mania subsided. Three years later, we’re seeing bitcoin’s price fall from another record high and…Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, Articles, Bitcoin, SEC, Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains, Decentralization, Digital Currencies, Business Finance, Tea Company, Long Blockchain Corp, Payment Systems, Economics Of Bitcoin, Draftdigibyte

Texans Could Be Paying Off Their Obscene Energy Bills for Decades

The costs of the Texas blackouts is still mounting, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Texans could be saddled with energy bills they’ll be paying for decades absent government intervention.Read more...
Tags: Energy, Texas, Science, Articles, Net Metering, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Business Finance, Electric Power, Electrical Grid, Electric Power Distribution, Energy In Texas, Electricity Market, Deregulation Of The Texas Electricity Market

Kristal Hansley Wants to Empower Black Baltimore With Solar Energy

Where I live in Baltimore, utility bills can be a crushing burden. That’s especially true for the city’s low-income residents, most of whom are Black. A 2020 study found that a quarter of low-income households here spent more than 21.7% of their 2017 income on energy, which is more than seven times higher than the…Read more...
Tags: Energy, Science, Environment, Articles, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Baltimore, Alternative Energy, Energy Conversion, Kristal Hansley, Photovoltaic Power Station, Community Solar Farm, Solar Energy In The United States, Solar Power In The United Kingdom

Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest Add Support Features to Help Users Struggling With Eating Disorders

Social media has long been the bane and the muse of anyone suffering from an eating disorder. To exist online with a pulse in the year 2012 was to understand the cesspool of “thinspiration”-style content that proliferated on platforms like Tumblr, Xanga and Pinterest, and more recently, the rise of “influencer”…Read more...
Tags: Science, Pinterest, Articles, Social Media, Software, Eating Disorders, Self Harm, Social Issues, Human Behavior, Anorexia Nervosa, National Eating Disorders Association, Body Shape, Culture Bound Syndromes, Pro Ana, Tumblr Xanga

Clubhouse Promises to Get Its Security Under Control (Again)

Clubhouse—the invitation-only audio app best known for courting everyone from Elon Musk to Mark Zuckerberg—has promised to implement new safeguards after suffering its second high-profile security snafu this month. Read more...
Tags: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Science, Privacy, Articles, Social Media, Software, Computing, Freeware, Internet Culture, Clubhouse, Internet Privacy, Mobile Applications, Information Security, Social Networking Services, Technology Internet

Mystery Israel Oil Spill Is Its Worst Environmental Disaster in Years

Israel is scrambling to clean up black tar that has washed ashore on its beaches following an oil spill that officials are calling one of the worst environmental disasters in years.Read more...
Tags: Science, Israel, Environment, Articles, Oil Spills, Natural Environment, Ocean Pollution, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Hazards, Disaster Accident, Jiyeh Power Station Oil Spill

Texas Officials Temporarily Halt Private Energy Companies From Sending Customers Absurd Bills

Folks across Texas are receiving outrageous energy bills in the wake of widespread utility shutoffs during last week’s cold snap. Thankfully, state officials issued some stopgap measures on Sunday to protect them from those ridiculous financial burdens.Read more...
Tags: Texas, Science, Articles, Public Utility Commission Of Texas, Griddy, Energy In Texas, Electricity Market

TikTok Users Are Burning Snowballs in Viral Videos to 'Prove' the Snow is Fake

Have you seen those viral videos on TikTok and Twitter where users are burning snow to “prove” that it’s actually fake? Needless to say, the snow is real. The viral videos actually show a perfectly normal reaction to placing the flame of a lighter or match against a snowball. But that hasn’t stopped these videos from…Read more...
Tags: Weather, Science, Articles, Snow, Software, Bill Gates, Internet Culture, Video Hosting, Deception, Alt Right, Fake News, QAnon, Tiktok, Pseudohistory, 911 Conspiracy Theories

Remastered Nyan Cat Gif Sold for the Equivalent of $587,000 in a Crypto Art Auction

Nyan Cat is turning 10 years old in April (feel old yet?), and to celebrate the anniversary of one of the internet’s most wholesome memes, the artist behind the gif, Chris Torres, put a newly remastered version up for auction. On Friday, the piece sold for 300 Ether on the crypto art platform Foundation, which…Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, Articles, Computing, Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains, Ethereum, Decentralization, Chris Torres, Nyan, Nyan Cat, Crypto Art, Blockchain Art, Non Fungible Token, Crypto Art Auction

This Remastered Nyan Cat Gif Sold for the Equivalent of $587,000 in a Crypto Art Auction

Nyan Cat is turning 10 years old in April (feel old yet?), and to celebrate the anniversary of one of the internet’s most wholesome memes, the artist behind the gif, Chris Torres, put a newly remastered version up for auction. On Friday, the piece sold for 300 Ether on the crypto art platform Foundation, which…Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, Articles, Computing, Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains, Ethereum, Decentralization, Chris Torres, Nyan, Nyan Cat, Crypto Art, Blockchain Art, Non Fungible Token, Crypto Art Auction

The Flu Season That Wasn’t

This winter has been a complete nightmare for Americans, thanks to the raging covid-19 pandemic. But new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to show one bright spot: The flu has been suppressed to some of the lowest levels on record. It’s likely that the interventions meant to slow the…Read more...
Tags: Health, Science, Articles, Influenza, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Seasonality, Pandemic, Influenza Vaccine, Flu Season, Spanish Flu, United States Flu Season, Swine Flu Pandemic, Influenza A Virus Subtype H1n1

The Texas Think Tank Giving Cover for This Week’s Republican Wind Power Lies

Almost exactly a month before Texas plunged into darkness, a panel convened in Austin to host a discussion about the superiority of the Texan electric grid. Called “Keep the Lights and Ventilators On: The Future of Texas’ Grid Reliability,” the panel was part of an annual conference held by the Texas Public Policy…Read more...
Tags: Energy, Texas, Science, Environment, Articles, Fuel, Renewable Energy, Austin, Wind Power, Fossil Fuel, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Climate Change Denial, Republican Wind Power Lies

Norway to Decriminalize Personal Purchase, Possession, and Use Of All Drugs In Small Quantities

The government of Norway is moving to decriminalize possession of small amounts of all recreational drugs as well as their use, including everything from weed and coke to heroin, per Bloomberg.Read more...
Tags: Science, Articles, Social Issues, Drug Policy, Norway, Heroin, War On Drugs, Drug Test, Harm Reduction, Psychoactive Drugs, Drug Control Law, Prohibition Of Drugs, Legality Of Cannabis, Drug Liberalization, Illegal Drug Trade