News of the Cyber World

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Elon’s ‘Self Driving’ Cars: Dashcam Captures
Tesla on Autopilot Smashing into Police Vehicles at 55 MPH

Futurism reports that a Texas crash is now under the spotlight as it becomes one of 16 incidents between Tesla vehicles and emergency vehicles being investigated by regulators. The alarming revelation comes from a detailed examination of the crash, which has raised serious questions about the safety and reliability of Tesla’s Autopilot system. The Wall Street Journal exclusively published the dashcam video and analysis of the crash, which injured multiple first responders who are now suing Tesla.

Tesla’s Autopilot technology failed to recognize stopped emergency vehicles, according to a review of the dashcam video and crash data from Texas. This failure has led to growing concerns among safety experts and regulators who are now probing deeper into the technology’s potential shortcomings.

The incident is not an isolated case. It represents a pattern of accidents involving Tesla’s Autopilot system and emergency vehicles. The inability of the system to detect stationary emergency vehicles could pose a significant risk to both Tesla drivers and emergency responders on the road.

Breitbart News reported in March on a California crash in which a Tesla on Autopilot crashed into a fire truck, killing the driver and injuring multiple firefighters.
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The Department of Justice opened a federal probe into potential criminal charges against the company in 2022.

Canadian Man Abandons Electric Ford F-150
After His Family Is Left Stranded

Winnipeg resident Dalbir Bala, who had invested in a Ford F150 Lightning EV earlier this year for a whopping $115,000 plus tax, had initially hoped the vehicle would serve both his professional and recreational needs. He believed that owning an EV was synonymous with “responsible citizenship these days.”
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He was forced to install two $10,000 chargers for the car: one at work and one at home, and then had to spend $6,000 to update his home’s electrical panel in order to fit the charger.

Following a minor accident, the vehicle was stuck at a body shop for six months.”It was in [the] shop for 6 months. I can’t take it to my lake cabin. I cannot take it for off-grid camping. I cannot take for even a road trip,” Bala wrote. “I can only drive in city – biggest scam of modern times.”

The real test of his patience came during a 1,400-mile family road trip to Chicago. Bala recounted the challenges he faced with the EV’s charging infrastructure. Fast charging facilities, which can only refuel EVs to a maximum of 90 percent, are more expensive than gas stations. In one occasion, he spent two hours and $56 charging his car from 10 percent to 90 percent during a stop in Fargo, North Dakota.

Twitter Rebranding to X Was a 'Liberation,' CEO Linda Yaccarino Says

Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X—previously known as Twitter—has explained why the social media platform recently dropped its iconic blue bird logo and changed its name.

In an interview with CNBC aired on Aug. 10, Ms. Yaccarino, who took over as X CEO in May, noted that owner Elon Musk has been publicly discussing plans to transform the platform into X, "the everything app," similar to China's WeChat, for some time.
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"The rebrand represented really a liberation from Twitter," she said of the company's decision to adopt the single stylized letter "X."

"A liberation that allowed us to evolve past a legacy mindset and thinking. And to reimagine how everyone, how everyone on Spaces who’s listening, everybody who’s watching around the world. It’s going to change how we congregate, how we entertain, how we transact all in one platform," Ms. Yaccarino continued.

The CEO also stressed that a global town square that is "fueled by free expression" will be at the center of the app and will be a place "where the public gathers in real-time."

This will all run under one seamless interface, she said, before noting the numerous changes that have taken place since Mr. Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year.

Those changes include "experiences and evolution into long-form video and articles," and allowing users to subscribe to their favorite creators, who are now "earning a real living on the platform, which is so exciting," Ms. Yaccarino said.

The CEO also noted how X users will soon be able to make video and voice calls without having to give their phone numbers to anyone on the platform and send encrypted messages.

The platform also plans to enable payments between users and friends and creators, Ms. Yaccarino, the former head of advertising at NBC Universal, told CNBC.

US Reports Big Interest in $52 Billion Semiconductor Chips Funding

The U.S. Commerce Department said on Wednesday that more than 460 companies have expressed interested in winning government semiconductor subsidy funding in a bid to boost the country's competitiveness with China's science and technology efforts.

The White House is marking the one-year anniversary on Wednesday of President Joe Biden's signing of the landmark "Chips for America" legislation providing $52.7 billion in subsidies for U.S. semiconductor production, research, and workforce development.

President Biden said in a statement that companies have announced $166 billion in semiconductors and electronics manufacturing over the last year, adding the law will "make America once again a leader in semiconductor manufacturing and less dependent on other countries for our electronics or clean energy supply chains."

The Commerce Department began accepting applications in June for the $39-billion subsidy program for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing as well as equipment and materials for making chips but has not yet issued awards.

"We're finally making the investments that are long overdue to secure our economic and national security," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters. "We need to move quickly but it's more important we get it right."

A senior Commerce Department official told reporters the department is moving quickly: "We are in active dialogue with applicants and we expect to be announcing major progress in the months ahead."

The chips law also includes a 25 percent investment tax credit for building chip plants, estimated to be worth $24 billion.