During a Dallas area World Cup match, a rogue drone was “spotted” above the stadium and was removed from the area by a security operated, friendly drone. I know this is Texas, but the friendly drone did not shoot a gun at the rogue drones. During the World Cup, the FBI & DHS seized more […]
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Anatomy of a pay per mile program
Michigan is starting a pilot program to address gas tax shortages by implementing a pay per the mile program. The public sentiment is largely anti-government tracking. It’s like license plate reader opposition 2.0. Fox 17 West Michigan
Ballot prop: ban taxes based on miles driven
Arizona’s Prop 141 would ban the state from imposing any taxes that are based on the miles a car travels. KJZZ
License plate reader bill of the week
Senate Bill 1013 would have restricted state law enforcement agencies to using license plate data only for locating criminal suspects or missing people, would have made police take privacy and cybersecurity training, would have restricted sharing with national databases by default, and would have required the attorney general’s office carry out random audits of license plate […]
Wildlife bridge success
There’s lots of lovely wilderness in the state of Washington. Wilderness also means that from 2019 to 2023, Washington removed 39, 258 animal carcasses. After installing wildlife crossings, this number dropped to near zero. Good for people, road safety, the economy, and animals. @goodgoodgoodco
EV battery pivot
There is an U.S. EV battery supply chain pivot forthcoming as the Department of Energy has announced that it will be “awarding $500 million in grants to bolster the battery supply chain in the United States.“ The pivot is batteries are needed for drones and U.S. defense needs. TechCrunch
LIDAR v. National Security
LIDAR, a means by which autonomous vehicles move about, can be a Chinese product. Naturally in today’s political environment, this realization creates this scenario: ”A Department of Energy lab is investigating whether Chinese lidar sensors might pose a security risk if they become widely used on vehicles in the United States.” Tech Crunch
Air taxi manufacturing deals
Two big air taxi deals this week. Archer Aviation announced that it now owns its former rival Wisk Aero, with Boeing getting a 16.5% stake in Archer. And, “ Joby Aviation, which made a more predictable deal this week. The company acquired Resonant Sciences for $500 million, marking the electric air taxi developer’s push into the defense sector.” Tech Crunch
State high speed rail oversight
In 2023, California created a state office that oversees its high speed rail. The office is intended “To provide oversight, the state created an independent watchdog in 2023: an inspector general with the power to audit contracts, investigate fraud and flag problems before they turn into bigger, more expensive ones.” CBS News
Logistics data breach
A data breach of Ceva Logisticas is causing shipping delay. Hacks of logistics companies can access and hijack trucks sand shipping containers. Tech Crunch