Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: Inventor James Dyson described his career as "a life of failure" in a recent Wall Street Journal interview, citing setbacks as drivers of innovation. The 77-year-old creator of the bagless vacuum cleaner, who built a $16.8 billion fortune according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, created 5,127 prototypes over five years before successfully launching his signature product in 1993. "If something works, it's less challenging, it's less interesting," Dyson said. "If something's gone wrong, you want to know why it's gone wrong, and it's a learning process."
Dyson's company abandoned its electric vehicle project in 2019 despite investing over $600 million, concluding it wasn't commercially viable. The prototype now sits prominently at the company's Singapore headquarters. "I had to be pragmatic about it and say it's too risky for us to do, which is a shame because I loved doing it," Dyson said.
Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: Ruby on Rails creator and Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, makes a case for why Google shouldn't be forced to sell Chrome: First, Chrome won the browser war fair and square by building a better surfboard for the internet. This wasn't some opportune acquisition. This was the result of grand investments, great technical prowess, and markets doing what they're supposed to do: rewarding the best. Besides, we have a million alternatives. Firefox still exists, so does Safari, so does the billion Chromium-based browsers like Brave and Edge. And we finally even have new engines on the way with the Ladybird browser.
Look, Google's trillion-dollar business depends on a thriving web that can be searched by Google.com, that can be plastered in AdSense, and that now can feed the wisdom of AI. Thus, Google's incredible work to further the web isn't an act of charity, it's of economic self-interest, and that's why it works. Capitalism doesn't run on benevolence, but incentives.
We want an 800-pound gorilla in the web's corner! Because Apple would love nothing better (despite the admirable work to keep up with Chrome by Team Safari) to see the web's capacity as an application platform diminished. As would every other owner of a proprietary application platform. Microsoft fought the web tooth and nail back in the 90s because they knew that a free, open application platform would undermine lock-in -- and it did!
Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the breaking-news department: Widespread power outages were reported Monday in parts of Spain, Portugal and France, affecting critical infrastructure like airports and causing transportation disruptions. From a report: "The interruption was due to a problem in the European electricity grid," E-Redes, the national energy supplier of Portugal, said in a statement. In addition to Portugal, it said, "The blackout also affected regions of Spain and France, due to faults in very high voltage lines."
E-Redes said that the outage was widespread across Spain, with outages in Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, Navarre, the Basque Country, Castile and Leon, Extremadura and Murcia. In France, the Portuguese energy supplier said, "the Basque Coast and the Burgundy region also experienced power cuts."
Spain's national power company, Red Electricia, said in a post on X that it had restored some power in the north and south of the peninsula. The cause of the outages was not immediately clear. But the effects of the disruption were felt in cities across the region.
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the charging-ahead department: Sales of electric vehicles in America jumped 10.6% in the first three months of 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024), reports Bloomberg.
And research provider BloombergNEF expects all of 2025 will see a 31.5% sales increase from 2024's sales in the U:S. — slightly above the global increase rate of 30%. (That's 22 million battery-powered vehicles around the world.)
"EV adoption is cruising along in the U.S.," Bloomberg writes, with interest "spreading from early-adopters to mainstream consumers" tired of paying for gas and oil changes — and attracted by new products from familiar brands:
Of the 63 or so fully electric cars and trucks on the U.S. market, one quarter weren't available a year ago. The product blitz includes the first EV offerings from Acura, Dodge and Jeep, second models from Mini and Porsche and two more battery-powered machines each from Cadillac and Volvo...
Many of the new EVs are relatively affordable. Cox Automotive estimates the price spread between EVs broadly and internal combustion cars and trucks has shrunk to just $5,000. General Motors, meanwhile, plans to resurrect its Chevrolet Bolt later this year with a price point around $30,000...
Children's Week 2025 2025-04-28 02:40:02
Posted by from MMO Champion
Children's Week 2025
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
It's time to give back to the children of Azeroth during Children's Week! Take an orphan under your wing and show them what the hero's life is like!
When: 28 April–5 May
Where: Visit Orphan Matron Nightingale in Stormwind, Orphan Matron Battlewail in Orgrimmar, Orphan Matron Mercy in Shattrath, Orphan Matron Aria in Dalaran, Caretake Padae in Dazar'alor, or Orphan Matron Westerson in Boralus, or Matron in Training Ullna in Khaz Algar and make a child's dream come true!
What's New in 2025
Children's Week comes to Dornogal!
New currency,
Well-loved Figurine
Four new orphans to adopt—Skibbles, Destien, Kitzy, and Threadis
Three new pets—
Argos,
Helpful Workshop Bot, and
Goggles
Stormwind and Orgirmmar-inspired weapon transmog sets:
Arsenal:
Arsenal: Children's Stormwind Guard Weapon Set (Painted Wooden Sword, Wooden Stormwind Shield, Painted Wooden Dagger, Painted Fighting Prop)
Arsenal:
Arsenal: Children's Orgrimmar Guard Weapon Set (Painted Wooden Axe, Wooden Orgrimmar Shield, Painted Wooden Hatchet, Painted Axe Prop)
New Children’s Week vendors can be found neat the Orphan Matrons in Dornogal (Jepetto Joybuzz, Stormwind (Brundia Braidhammer), and Orgrimmar (Leial Knitterton).
< This article continues on their website >
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