Monthly Archives: July 2017

American tech firms are preemptively censoring content in India. – Slate Magazine (blog)

Posted: July 19, 2017 at 3:43 am

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos poses on a lorry in Bangalore.

Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images

Among big American tech companies, the race for India is on. With 355 million internet users (and rapidly growing) up for grabs, its no surprise that firms like Facebook, Netflix, and Amazon are investing billions of dollars to make inroads in the worlds largest democracy.

But as they do, theyre running up against a particular conundrum: how to cater to the countrys cosmopolitan consumers without offending its more conservative classes, including the right-wing government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a surprising number of cases, companies are erring on the side of censorshipfor instance, by blocking images of dead cows and ads for anti-nationalist home goods.

Indias approach to internet governance isnt in the same league as the heavy-handed censorship of neighbor and rival power China though, which has historically blocked popular websites including Google, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook through its Great Firewall. India represents a softer form of sanitization. By law, the nation offers a constitutional protection of free speech and limits the governments ability to crack down on online content. But that doesnt mean the internet has become a free-for-all. For example, India frequently leads the world in government requests to Facebook for account data and for content removal (mostly related to local laws against anti-religious or hate speech). Many companies also choose to pre-emptively clean up content to appease the government and avoid backlash from of Indias culturally conservative classes.

As noted in a post by the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University, Delhi on Legally India, the practice of self-censorship is particularly widespread among international video streaming services. The authors suggest that the platforms may be trying to find their place in the Indian market without drawing attention for the wrong reasons.

This May, Netflix released a censored form of the Hindi dramedy Angry Indian Goddessesfor viewers in India, even though it made an uncensored cut available for foreign audiences in April. According to Indian digital news site MediaNama, it seems that the streaming service released the version of the filmwhich covers stigmatized issues like homosexuality, rape, and castethat had been approved for theatrical release by the Indias Central Board of Film Certification. But that body doesnt have jurisdiction over online content from platforms like Netflix and recently implied it has no intention of regulating online content in the foreseeable future.

Instead, it appears Netflixs decision was a case of self-censorship. According to the films production company and director, the American company requested the edited version of the movie first, apparently preferring to stream the version that cut references to the Indian government, blurred an image of an Indian goddess, and cut out dialogue referring to an Indian figure, the holy Hindu bovine cow, and, for unknown reasons, the words guitar and lunch.

Business is Business. They would rather censor stuff and stay on the good graces of the government of India than appease users and risk controversy, wrote one Reddit user in a discussion about the streaming services seemingly arbitrary censorship decisions in the country.

After getting complaints from confused India-based viewers, Netflix released an uncut version of the movie in June.

Amazon Prime Video also routinely eliminates nudity and other inappropriate content from its vast streaming catalog. Since its 2016 launch in India, many TV shows and films available in the region have been edited to the point where plots elude human comprehension. Among others, Amazon heavily cut an episode of Jeremy Clarksons car show The Grand Tourthat featured the host driving a car out of animal carcasses. Despite complaints, Amazon defended the move to Mashable India, saying it wanted to "keep Indian cultural sensitivities in mind. Considering the recent episodes of violence allegedly tied to beef consumption, Amazon may have thought it incendiary to show the dead body of an animal so highly revered in Hindu circles.

Amazon has also had to mind its online merchandise. The everything store came under fire in January for selling doormats with the Indian national flag design. (In India and other South Asian countries, feet on such a symbol would be considered an insult.) Upon learning of the product, Indias Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, Amazon must tender unconditional apology. They must withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediately. In a subsequent tweet, she threatened to withhold and rescind visas from Amazon employees if action was not taken quickly. The company swiftly complied.

Tinder, too, hasnt been immune. The hookup app took criticism earlier this year after releasing a seemingly tone-deaf video ad for potential Indian users, which featured a conservative mother surprisingly approve of her daughters date, saying, From my side, there is a right swipe for this."

Some criticized what they saw as a regressive message at odds with the apps reputation for facilitating casual sex. Others pointed out how not OK their parents would be with them meeting up with strangers in a culture where open dating has traditionally been taboo.

If ma knew her daughter is on a hang-and-maybe-bang app, shed kick me outta the house, not sweetly send me off to drunk-make out with a rando, one user told BuzzFeed India.

When Tinder India CEO Taru Kapoor was asked about the video by Huffington Post India, she admitted the ad might not have been perfectly executed. But, she said, it was part of a larger effort the company would continue to make to show that online dating could appeal to a broad range of Indian users. Although differing from Amazon Prime Video and Netflixs self-censorship, the advertisement tied into a broader trend of appealing to more conservative audiences.

As huge profit margins and success in the Indian markets are already demonstrating, that may not be an unwise business decision.

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American tech firms are preemptively censoring content in India. - Slate Magazine (blog)

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Is Rand Paul’s opposition to the GOP health bill principled, or cynical … – Los Angeles Times

Posted: at 3:43 am

The greatest trick any politician can pull off is to get his self-interest and his principles in perfect alignment. As Thomas More observed in Robert Bolts A Man for All Seasons, If we lived in a State where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us good, and greed would make us saintly.

Which brings me to Sen. Rand Paul, the GOPs would-be Man for All Seasons. Paul has managed to make his opposition to the GOPs healthcare bill a matter of high libertarian principle. The fact that the bill is terribly unpopular in his home state of Kentucky where more than 1 out of 5 Kentuckians are on Medicaid is apparently just a coincidence.

Indeed, it seems like whenever I turn on the news, hes explaining why the GOPs healthcare efforts are disappointing. Look, this is what we ran on for four elections. Republicans ran four times and won every time on repeal Obamacare, he told Fox News Neil Cavuto, and now they're going to vote to keep it. Disappointing.

Principles, meet self-interest.

But is Pauls idealism really whats driving him, or is that just a convenient excuse for doing whats politically expedient? Its tough to say.

Paul learned politics on the knee of his father, Ron Paul, a longtime Texas congressman and irrepressible presidential candidate. In the House, the elder Paul earned the nickname Dr. No because he voted against nearly everything on the grounds that it wasnt constitutional or libertarian enough. The fusion of cynicism and idealism was so complete, it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended.

Im absolutely for free trade, more so than any other member of the House, he told National Reviews John Miller in 2007. But Im against managed trade. So he opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and all other trade deals, not on Trumpian protectionist grounds but in service to his higher libertarian conscience which, in a brilliant pas de deux landed him in the protectionist position anyway.

Ron Paul loved earmarks. Hed cram pork for his district in must-pass spending bills like an overstuffed burrito and then vote against them in the name of purity, often boasting that he never approved an earmark or a spending bill.

In 2006, Republicans proposed legislation to slow the growth of entitlements by $40 billion over five years. Democrats screamed bloody murder about Republican heartlessness and voted against it. So did Ron Paul on the grounds the reform didnt go far enough.

Now I cant say for sure that Rand Paul is carrying on the family tradition.

And yet: Every time healthcare proceedings move one step in Pauls direction, he seems to move one step back. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas offered an amendment that would open up the market for more flexible and affordable plans, like Paul wants. No good, he told Foxs Chris Wallace. Those plans are still in the context of the Obamacare mandates.

My idea always was to replace it with freedom, legalize choice, legalize inexpensive insurance, allow people to join associations to buy their insurance.

Sounds good. Except a provision for exempting associations from Obamacare mandates is already in the bill.

Paul insists hes sympathetic to the GOPs plight and its need to avoid a midterm catastrophe. (It would look awful if the party did nothing on healthcare at all.) His solution? Just repeal Obamacare now, and work on a replacement later. I still think the entire 52 of us can get together on a more narrow, clean repeal, he told Wallace.

That sounds like a constructive idea, grounded in principle.

Oddly, thats what the GOP leadership wanted to do back in January.

And one senator more than any other fought to stop them and even lobbied the White House successfully to change course. Guess who?

If Congress fails to vote on a replacement at the same time as repeal, Paul wrote, the repealers risk assuming the blame for the continued unraveling of Obamacare. For mark my words, Obamacare will continue to unravel and wreak havoc for years to come.

Thats true, particularly, if Paul stays true to his principles.

jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com

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Is Rand Paul's opposition to the GOP health bill principled, or cynical ... - Los Angeles Times

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How influential was James Buchanan among libertarians? – Washington Post

Posted: at 3:42 am

Nancy MacLeans Democracy in Chains portrays the late economist James Buchanan as a central figure in the modern libertarian movement. An individual can be influential in different ways; he can be an institution-builder, inspire strategy, or directly influence other activists and movement intellectuals with his ideas. MacLean suggests that Buchanan was a supremely important institution-builder and strategy-inspirer, though I think she greatly exaggerates his role in both spheres.

But what of his direct influence on activists and movement intellectuals? As I noted in my first post on the book, my impression is that Buchanan was a peripheral or tangential figure in the development of modern libertarianism. It eventually occurred to me that there is at least one objective contemporary indicator that I am right.

In 1988, Liberty Magazine surveyed its readers regarding which important figures influenced their political views. Liberty was a small-circulation libertarian magazine that, unlike the outreach Reason magazine, was written to appeal to activist libertarians, the sort of people who work at think tanks, who are active in the Libertarian Party, or who promote libertarian causes like drug legalization. It wasnt a scientific survey but still provides some interesting data.

Buchanan won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1986. MacLean claims that this advanced the cause as nothing else had to that point. Strange that hard-core activist libertarians didnt notice. The editors explained how they chose the names on the survey list: The names were chosen during the editorial meeting attended by Cox, Bradford, Holmes and Virkkala. An attempt was made to include on the list the most important contributors to libertarian thought, as well as figures believed by the editors to be influential among libertarians, and some individuals about whose influence that the editors were simply curious. James Buchanan wasnt on the list.

This could have been an oversight, but apparently not. Readers wrote in several names multiple times, including such now-forgotten figures as Robert Ringer, and even Buchanans sometime collaborator, Gordon Tullock. Buchanan wasnt among the write-ins, either.

For the curious, the most influential modern libertarians, in order, were Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek and Milton Friedman. Note that contrary to MacLeans (almost entirely undocumented) suggestion that libertarianism was motivated to a large degree by Southern hostility to desegregation in general and Brown v. Board of Education in particular, none of these figures were Southerners, 60 percent of them were European refugees, 80 percent (all but Hayek, who had Jewish relatives) were Jews, and all lived in Chicago or New York.

Its also worth noting that despite MacLeans tracing of libertarianisms lineage to John Calhoun, he also unlike other historical figures such as Locke, Jefferson and abolitionist Lysander Spooner does not appear on the list.

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How influential was James Buchanan among libertarians? - Washington Post

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A Son’s Race to Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality – WIRED

Posted: at 3:42 am

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A Son's Race to Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality - WIRED

Posted in Immortality Medicine | Comments Off on A Son’s Race to Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality – WIRED

WELLBEING: Seven reasons to fall in love with aloe vera this summer – NW Evening Mail

Posted: at 3:42 am

ITS not historically known as the miracle plant for nothing

REMEMBER when the only thing aloe vera was known for was that awful dad joke? Where any mention of the plant would quickly be echoed with a loud exclamation of, Allo, Vera!, in a terrible cockney accent.

Well, aloe vera has recently become a lot more mainstream, so mention the plant now and youre just as likely to hear the likes of, Ooh its so good for your skin, or, So healthy!

Not said allo to this super succulent yet? Aloe us to introduce you. Here are seven reasons to add aloe vera to your wellness radar...

Ever been on holiday to the Caribbean and been offered aloe vera gel squeezed straight out of the plant to rub on sun-parched or sunburnt skin? Naturally cooling and soothing, its often hailed for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant qualities. It can help to speed up new cell growth and repair damaged tissues, says nutritionist Cassandra Barns. Thats why its an excellent soother for irritated and burnt skin.

Ultra-refreshing and naturally sweet, aloe vera is making its mark in the healthy drinks market. Whether youre glugging an aloe-based drink, or topping up homemade smoothies and juices with an aloe supplement. Aloe vera is what we call a functional food. In other words, it has health benefits that can enhance our wellbeing, says Simplee Aloe nutritionist Libby Limon, who lists helping to balance energy levels and supporting our immune systems among its properties.

Thought superfoods were a new concept? Throughout history, people have turned to nature in a bid to bolster their health. The ancient Egyptians dubbed aloe vera the plant of immortality. In reality, its probably not going to make you live forever, but it is packed with vitamins. Aloe vera, often called a miracle plant, has been used in herbal medicine for over 2,000 years, adds Cassandra.

Cravings, energy slumps, mood swings, tiredness... our body has lots of ways of letting us know when were consuming too much sugar. Sometimes, poor blood sugar balance can contribute to weight gain too, often due to a diet high in carbohydrates with a lack of fibre, healthy fats and protein, notes Libby. Aloe vera has healthy polysaccharides, which have been shown to aid blood sugar balancing, and therefore can be a great tool to help weight management alongside reducing refined carbohydrates and sugars in the diet.

Aloe Vera helps to improve the bodys digestion, beating the all too common bloat which is linked to an imbalance in the digestive tract, says Libby. Aloe Vera has been long known for its digestive benefits, which include anti-inflammatory properties and helping to support friendly bacteria.

Aloe vera has a special, hidden quality which allows the body to absorb vitamin C and E from other foods. The body uses vitamin C to make collagen which helps keep skin healthy and elastic, says Libby. And both vitamin C and E are antioxidants, which protect skin against damage and ageing. Beautiful glowing skin is also linked to your digestion, hormone balance and detoxification. The aloe vera inner gel also has components which help with all three of these.

On the look-out for more natural beauty products? It doesnt get much more natural than this: scoop out the gooey insides of the plant, whizz through a blender and then apply to your hair for luscious, conditioned locks, or use as a soothing, replenishing face mask.

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WELLBEING: Seven reasons to fall in love with aloe vera this summer - NW Evening Mail

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Human DNA is mostly trash, biologists say | New York Post – New York Post

Posted: at 3:41 am

At least 75 percent of our DNA is useless junk, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Houston calculated that only 10 to 15 percent of the human genome is functional, and definitely no more than 25 percent. That makes the remaining 75 to 90 percent of our genome junk useless matter that isnt toxic or harmful, its mostly just there. The study was recently published in Genome Biology and Evolution.

Biologists have argued for years about whether or not our DNA is mostly trash or mostly purposeful. A study conducted in 2012 stated that up to 80 percent of our DNA plays some role in making us who we are a claim that Dan Graur, lead author of the most recent study, hopes his findings will put to rest.

For 80 percent of the human genome to be functional, each couple in the world would have to beget on average 15 children and all but two would have to die or fail to reproduce, Graur told uh.edu.

Graurs research examines how mutations affect DNA. When mutations form in junk DNA, nothing happens. But when mutations form in functional DNA, they can be deadly. If a child inherits functional DNA with mutations, theyll likely die before being able to have children of their own this is how evolution ensures that lethal mutations dont build up and continue getting passed on.

So if the majority of our DNA were functional, we would be accumulating stacks of damaging mutations and need to maintain unrealistic birth rates to sustain the population. And this obviously isnt the case.

Graur told New Scientist that the aforementioned 2012 study spent $400 million on the research and wanted something big to say. Knowing the percentage of functional DNA is crucial to studying and curing diseases.

We need to know the functional fraction of the human genome in order to focus biomedical research on the parts that can be used to prevent and cure disease, Graur said. There is no need to sequence everything under the sun. We need only to sequence the sections we know are functional.

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Huge savings in human misery and money – Regina Leader-Post

Posted: at 3:41 am

Kenton Weisgerber, as seen in this photo from last year, is a client of the Housing First program. BRYAN SCHLOSSER / Regina Leader-Post

Not long ago, Kenton Weisgerbers life looked hopeless he was an addict with mental health issues who was one of the hidden homeless in Regina.

Hed lost his job, his home and his roommate.

I ended up putting myself in a tough position where I had no stability, Weisgerber said. At that point, I started to couch surf and stay with people, not really having anywhere that I could call a safe place. All the time, dealing with an addiction.

Last year, he was one of 26 people participating in Reginas initial Housing First program, run by Phoenix Residential Society.

Im humbled Ive been given a second chance, Weisgerber said.

Hes using that chance to confront his addiction and mental health issues and further his education.

Im successful because of the trust and the hope these people gave me,Weisgerber said.

Under the umbrella of the federal governments Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), the YMCA serves as the Community Entity for Regina and Rural Saskatchewan. It is supported by Reginas Community Advisory Board to fund initiatives that aim to end homelessness in our city.

A number of community-based organizations have been part of Housing First, includingThe Circle Project. It was brought on board in the fall of 2016 to offer cultural supports to individuals in the program.

A key priority of HPS funding is Housing First the philosophy and practice of housing the homeless and offering supports when theyre housed.

The initiatives one-year results were released Tuesday at an anniversary event.

An $18,080 investment per participant produced estimated savings of $1.9 million.

The stats speak for themselves but Id be remiss if I didnt put it out there that theres more money and resources needed, said Tyler Gray, Carmichael Outreachs public relations officer.

Currently, 118 people with high needs are waiting to get into Housing First 26 assessed with very severe needs.

Extra funding would make a huge difference, said Lori Wright, in charge of intensive case management with Phoenix Homes.

Its about manpower, she said. We can only support so many Funding would be amazing. Permanent supportive housing would be phenomenal in this city.

Mayor Michael Fougere said cost savings are important, but even more so, peoples lives are being changed.

They are hopeless and they have no place to go, he said. The idea of Housing First is to stabilize them, and then deal with their particular addictions and mental health issues Those changes matter so much to our city.

The city spends roughly $2.5 million on housing.

I do think that a discussion of federal, provincial and city financing resources and in-kind contributions are really important to move this to the end goal, which is ending homelessness, Fougere said.

Due to the success of Housing First through Phoenix Homes and demand for the program, Carmichael Outreach was contracted for 2017-18 to build a second Housing First team for Regina.

Social Services Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor isinterested in the results Housing First has achieved and wants to see how her ministry can use their measuring tools.

Shes also frustrated.

Weve been working in parallel, but tandem to each other and not in a co-ordinated way, she said. The reason I was there today was to try and change that.

Social Services doesnt provide direct funding to Housing First.

Beaudry-Mellor noted federal funding goes directly to the Community Advisory Board and bypasses the province.

Thats one of the reasons our investments are separate from the Housing First piece, Beaudry-Mellor said. We have invested just under $30 million in the Regina area for hard-to-house projects and that would include housing people with complex medical needs and disabilities through my ministry specifically, but also it would include people who are struggling with mental health and addictions.

MP Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety, noted housing is one of the prime determinants of health, safety and well-being.

Housing First has caused a greater focus and attention on that issue than I think weve ever seen before, he said.

The federal government has invested more than $3 million in the last two or three years to address homelessness around Regina, he said.

Part of the research thats been done is on this very question: Does Housing First work? said Goodale. And the data is indicating in a compelling way that it does.

pcowan@postmedia.com

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As Cryptocurrency Prices Recover, Bitcoin War May Be Averted – Futurism

Posted: at 3:40 am

In Brief After a rough weekend, Bitcoin investors, miners, and developers are cautiously optimistic: after hitting historic lows, the cryptocoin's price went back up on Monday.

After a rough weekend of historic lows, Bitcoin prices began to recoveron Monday, reachingover $2,300, signaling a crisis averted for now.Its also an optimistic sign that the potential network hard fork may be avoided, with more bitcoin shareholders, miners and developers,warming up to a proposed solution.

Bitcoin prices dropped dramatically beginning Friday and continuing well into the weekend. Economic forecasts had suggested that the most turbulent period in the cryptocoins history wasimminent. It didnt come as a complete surprise, as many were expecting the so-called Bitcoin Civil Warto ensue between miners and developers, after a deadlock in deciding what direction the cryptocurrency should take amidst increased blockchain traffic.

Miners wanted to increase Bitcoins block-size limit, while developers have proposed moving data off the main blockchain network, which would diminish the influence miners wield. The scaling solution in question is the Bitcoin Improvement Protocol (BIP) 91, which makes theSegWit2x update and the BIP 148compatible. Essentially, it would make it easier for the SegWit2x update to be adopted, while at the same time avoiding the split that BIP 148 might cause.

To lock in by July 31, BIP 91 only needs 80 percent miner support unlike BIP 148, which would require 95 percent. With increased support for BIP 91, the expected July 31 to August 2 bitcoin splitcould still be averted.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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Cryptocurrency Hit Record Low Values Over the Weekend – Futurism

Posted: at 3:40 am

In BriefCryptocurrencies fell over the weekend, reaching record lowsand loosing billions in market cap. While they've since recoveredthe losses, it shows just how unpredictable the cryptocurrencymarket truly is. Cryptos Rise (& Fall)

Over the weekend, cryptocurrencies suffered one of the most severe decreases in value in history when their market cap fell from a record high of $116 billion in June to $60 billion on Sunday July 17. Early this week, themarket has started to rise again, but the plummet will not soon be forgotten:throughout the day on Sunday, Bitcoin dropped from over $2,000 to as low as $1,758.20, and Ether fell 20percent to $130.26.Click to View Full Infographic

As of Tuesday morning, it seems thedownward trend has ended, with all major cryptocurrencies reporting rising rates again: Bitcoin is back over $2,000 once more, with Coin Market Cap reporting the currency is now trading at $2,307 (9:00 EST), while Ether has risen from a low over the weekend to a current value of $196.58. The total market cap has regained losses of around $10 billion,according to Coindesk.

Despite the improvement, however, cryptocurrencies are a long way off the meteoric successes they enjoyed in June, where they saw a market cap as high as $116 billion. Since then, Bitcoin has lost around 30 percent of its value, with its highpoint being $3,000 in contrast to todays figure of roughly $2,000. Ethereum has suffered even more severely, dropping from $395 to $164. Despite these falls, 2017 remains a record breaking year for cryptocurrency overall.

There have been, according to Venture Beat, three main reasons for the 48 hour cryptocurrency flop.

First, the bitcoin civil war that seems imminent as of August 1st when the Bitcoin improvement proposal 148 is set to activate. For one, theproposal concerns the possibility of increasing the cryptocurrencysblock size, (a decision which has divided miners and investors).At any rate, and regardless of the eventual decision, the uncertainty right now has caused many investors to liquidate their virtual assets.

Second, a flurry of startups have chosen to get out of the game afterprofitable rounds of investment derived from initial coin offerings (ICOs). Two particularly striking examples are EOS: after raising $200 million worth of Ether earlier this month, they have been offloading it to Bitfinex and TenX, which raised 200,000 ETH ($67 million at the time) in its token sale 30 percent of which has already been sold. This contributes to uncertainty and danger in the marketplace, which can precipitatedecreasing value.

Third, the presence of amateur sellers that the bitcoin market attracts through its fundamental lack of regulation and policing can have a multiplier effect on every market movement, namely throughfrantic, if not occasionally panicked, buying and selling practices.

While the ultimate success of cryptocurrencies remains speculative, one thing we know for sure after observingtheir activity over the last few days is that financial currencies remain volatile and prone to unpredictability.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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Elon Musk Scraps Solar Roof Idea for New Tesla Model – Futurism

Posted: at 3:40 am

In Brief Elon Musk told the National Governors Association meeting that the solar roof for the Model 3 (or any car) was not practical and was an idea that would be "scrapped." As of now, a car's roof is not big enough to make this efficient with current technologies.

In November 2016, Elon Musk said that the upcoming Tesla Model 3 would incorporate the technology of the new solar roof. However, on July 15 at the National Governors Association meeting, Musk squelched the idea in his remarks. When asked about the solar roof, he indicated that he would scrap that idea which requires some very complicated engineering. He explained:

I really thought about this. I pushed my team. Is there some way we can do it on the car? Technically, if you have some sort of transformer-like thing that will pop out of the trunk like a hardtop convertible that ratchets solar panels over the car. . .and provided you are in the sun, that would be enough to generate 20 to 30 miles a day of electricity. Its a difficult way to do it.

As Electrek reports, the issue with the concept of solar panels that cover the top of cars is that they are rarely efficient enough to be worthwhile. Furthermore, their functionality varies based on your location. Even the Prius solar roof is really mostly a ventilation system, not a significant source of backup power for the car. In the end, the idea of a retractable array in the trunk is a complicated solution that would, at most, add 20 to 30 miles per day.So, unfortunately, it looks like we wont be seeing the solar roof option on the Model 3, at least not now.

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