Tesla announced several updates to improve Cybetruck's off-road and camping capabilities.
Frederic J. Brown/Getty
Tesla will soon roll out updates to improve the Cybertruck's camping and off-roading capabilities.
The updates include the Off-Road Mode and a new feature for leveling suspension in CyberTent Mode.
On-road updates include a slippery surface feature and adjustable suspension based on weight.
A new Cybetruck update is on the way, and it looks like a big one.
The update is "rolling out soon," according to Tesla, and introduces a new Off-Road Mode along with some further improvements to the EV's handling and camping experience.
The Cybetruck's new Off-Roading upgrade has two new modes: Overland Mode for better traction on rough terrain and Baja Mode for improved handling at higher speeds.
Off-Road Mode and more updates rolling out soon
Here’s what’s coming… – Off-Road Mode Overland Mode – More consistent handling & better overall traction while driving on rock, gravel, deep snow, or sand.
Locking differentials will also be available to help maintain grip on uneven surfaces, according to Tesla.
Tesla's lead Cybertruck engineer Wes Morrill, posted more details on X about the update.
The new Off-Road Mode offers multiple camera views to help drivers navigate obstacles, and all angles can expand with a simple tap, according to Morrill. Drivers can also get faster access to Wade Mode with a one-touch button and turn real-wheel steering on or off, the engineer said.
"I found less reasons to turn it off than I expected," Morrill said on X about the wheel steering. "But in Overland there some cases when rock crawling or driving off-camber on loose surface. In Baja turning it off can make drifting a bit smoother when transitioning directions."
The Off-Road Mode also has a new Trail Assist mode, which is a cruise control feature that helps maintain speed while the driver focuses on steering. Trail Assist mode also offers hill ascent and descent control to help keep the wheels from slipping.
Cybertruck also added changes to improve its camping experience with a CyberTent Mode that levels the suspension so passengers can sleep comfortably on a flat surface when using a CyberTent.
The feature also keeps the tonneau cover open to accommodate tents. "Lights, AC & outlets will stay on as well if enabled," according to Tesla.
Tesla also added some On-Road updates. Its new slippery surface feature offers better control on snowy, icy, wet, or slick roads by automatically balancing traction across all tires. It will also allow you to engage a rear-locking differential to give extra grip on difficult terrain, but it's intended only for short periods.
The Cybertruck will also have the ability to adjust suspension based on how much weight is being carried. That should give a smoother ride and better handling for drivers hauling a heavy load.
Erik Bernard likes his government job in Australia, but not the commute.
Courtesy Erik Bernard
Erik Bernard chose a government job over one where he could work from home most days.
Salary transparency, overtime pay, and investment plans influenced his decision.
Bernard values the one remote day he has for additional sleep and more flexibility with the gym.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Erik Bernard, 26, who lives near Brisbane, Australia. He recently took a government job that paid more than another role where he would have been able to work remotely four days a week. He's limited to one day a week at home in his new role. While he likes the job, he has a long commute, so some days he's not sure he made the right decision. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
When I got the offer for the government role I have now, I also had an offer to work at a nonprofit. I was lost because I didn't know which job to pick.
The difference in salary between the two jobs was about 20,000 Australian dollars — about $13,000 — plus the superannuation. I think you call it a 401(k) in America. The superannuation was a bit higher with the government job, and it was 20 grand in extra pay, but I had to be in the office four days a week instead of working from home.
To get to the government job, I have to drive an hour each way. I was like, "Man, it's so hard to pick which one to do." And I thought, "I'll ask Reddit." It was it was 50/50. A lot of people said to take the government job for the stability. They also said earning more would make it easier to borrow money from the bank.
But other people said, "If you're happier to work from home, then take that." It was really hard. And, to be honest, every time I sit in traffic for that hour, I think, "Man, should I have taken less money just to not have to sit in this traffic?"
Why I took the government job
I decided to go for the government job partly because they're very transparent with your pay increases. And, when you do overtime, you get paid for it. You do so many extra hours working in the private sector, and it's expected of you.
The other job was at a nonprofit. With that kind of work, you don't always have as many opportunities to excel financially.
And I really like the work I'm doing now in this new job.
Bernard enjoys working in IT, especially when he can churn through tasks.
Courtesy Erik Bernard
Plus, I've got a house, and I'm looking at investing in another. So my thought was, "I'll stick it out and go to the office every day even though I love working from home." When I get a bit older and specialize in something else, I will try to find a remote job even though I like what I'm doing now.
At my last job, I worked in IT at a law firm and didn't know what I'd make in the future. But with the government, we've actually got several years of income already planned out. Everyone can see how much we're going to be paid, and it gets updated every few years.
In my role, I'm kind of like tech support, but at a higher level. I do events and some system administration stuff as well.
I get more sleep, and I'm closer to the gym.
On the day I now work from home, it's really nice to get that extra hour of sleep.
Also, I fight. I do MMA. I coach it as well; I teach jujitsu. It's just a hobby, but it keeps me mentally sound. So, on the days when I work from home, I can train in the morning at 6 a.m. If I leave any later than 7 a.m. for work on the other days, the traffic is just insane. But if I train from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. on the day I don't commute, I can come home, shower, and be ready to start at 8 a.m. It's about quality of life. I want to train; I want to get more sleep.
Bernard likes to train for MMA, and he teaches jujutsu.
Courtesy Erik Bernard
I have friends in the office. We can get lunch, or I can meet other friends who work nearby. But I'm also a little bit introverted, so I don't mind being at home most of the time.
I don't need too much social interaction. People online said, "You'll hate working from home because you'll be lonely." But when my social battery runs out, I just want to be alone. I can put a face on, chat, and make jokes, and I'm happy to do that. But as soon as the day is over, man, I just want to go home and relax. Plus, I have two cats, and my girlfriend's here sometimes, so I'm happy.
How I got my remote day
When I was at the law firm, I found another job that paid more and would let me work from home for two days. At that point, I had zero days. But the law firm said they couldn't match the salary. Then, about a month later, someone from the firm called and said, "Hey, we actually kind of want you back. What if we matched the salary and gave you one day working from home?"
So, I had to quit to get the one day. They wouldn't have let me otherwise. Maybe they were under the assumption that I would train during the day or something.
But IT is ones and zeros. If the job is being done, you'll see it being done. If the job isn't being done, it's obvious who isn't doing their part. So you can't really muck around. You can't be like, "Oh, I'm happy to work from home," and then do absolutely nothing because it's so obvious. I've got tickets that I work on. And if I've got tickets open from God knows when, my managers will be like, "Why aren't those tickets closed?"
I get more done at home.
I loved my one day at home at the law firm so much that I was applying for many work-from-home jobs.
It's so nice to just sit at home and just churn away. If I have to make calls, I'll make calls. But, otherwise, I'm sitting here in the peace of my own house just fixing stuff, doing tickets. I'm on a roll — I'm in my zone.
But when you're in the office, people are chatting around you and making jokes. It's fun, but I smash out a lot more IT work sitting at home than in the office. It's just quieter, and I can relax. People aren't coming up to my desk every two seconds.
Some of the IT questions I get could be a very simple fix. But when I'm in the office, I'll walk down two flights of stairs to go to their desk because that's the kind of service I like to provide. I won't say, "Go back to your office and give me a call." So, it'll take 20 minutes to chat and then fix something that could have taken one minute over the phone.
It's not just that. You're also tempted by going and getting coffee and by going out and getting lunch when in the office.
Monday is the day I work from home. It's so nice going to bed on Sunday, knowing that I don't have to drive in the next day.
I still haven't decided if the extra money is worth losing those additional days of working from home. Job satisfaction-wise, it's really cool. But the traffic sucks.
Beginning in 2026, 1,250 megawatts of electricity could speed along 339 miles of underground cable to provide a million New York City homes with hydropower generated in Canada.
The $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line is under construction to help New York state meet its clean-energy goals.
It's also part of a larger nationwide push to create more transmission lines to bring renewable energy to the country's aging electrical grid.
When CHPE (pronounced "chippy") broke ground in 2022, it became one of New York's first Tier 4 projects, the state's program aimed at sourcing 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
"We're looking forward to the day when we are going to be turning on the switch and bringing that clean energy into New York City," Donald Jessome, the founder and former CEO of Transmission Developers, the company behind CHPE, told Business Insider.
The state has been making up for the loss with three natural-gas plants that came online between 2018 and 2020. According to EPA data, carbon emissions in the New York City area rose by about 20% between 2019 and 2022.
Nearly half of New York City's power comes from plants within the city, including the Ravenswood Generating Station in Astoria.
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
"Because of bottlenecks in the grid south of Albany, there's a limit to the extent to which that generation can be used to satisfy demand in the New York City area," Ryan Calder, an assistant professor in environmental health and policy at Virginia Tech, told Business Insider.
CHPE will bypass Albany, Poughkeepsie, and other cities north of New York City. The transmission line will tap into Hydro-Québec's existing generation and send a fraction of it to New York, avoiding upstate bottlenecks that can tax the grid during peak-demand times.
Bringing renewable energy to New York City
Much of the US is struggling to connect renewable-energy projects to the electrical grid. About 930 gigawatts of solar, wind, nuclear, and other electricity sources are waiting for grid access, according to the Department of Energy. That's more than three times as much wind and solar power as the US generated in 2022 and enough to power roughly 171 million homes.
The map shows where the 339 miles of cable will run from the Canadian border to Queens, New York.
CHPE
Transmission lines are like highways for electrons, Calder said. They connect sources of energy generation to areas of demand.
"A lot of renewable sources of electricity, wind, and hydroelectric power in Canada are far from densely populated urban areas," he said.
Once CHPE is up and running, it will reduce carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons, New York state officials said in a statement.
Though hydropower does emit greenhouse gases, a recent study from Calder and his coauthors estimated the project will save an additional $13.2 billion in social costs by 2050. That includes potentially preventing over 300 premature deaths.
Gas-fired power plants contribute to poor air quality, which can lead to health problems like asthma. The asthma rate for children in New York City, especially in poorer neighborhoods, is one of the highest in the country. Switching to a cleaner energy source could improve health outcomes for kids and adults.
Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, have objected to the project and the route. They've raised concerns over Atlantic sturgeon habitats and Hydro-Québec's history with First Nation communities in Canada.
The company's past projects flooded Indigenous lands, a process that created methylmercury, a neurotoxin, in waterways, Grist reported. Methylmercury accumulates in fish and can make its way to humans. Ingesting mercury can have serious health effects.
Jessome said TDI worked with local communities to address their concerns about construction.
CHPE will use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable to connect New York City with Canada.
CHPE
Since the CHPE construction won't involve creating new dams, Calder said he didn't factor the impact of flooding into his study. Other environmental concerns, such as how the project could affect fish habitats, were outside the scope of the study.
New York has six years to achieve its goal of powering 70 percent of its grid with renewable energy. The state's officials are banking CHPE providing a chunk of that energy.
"We'll be in that community for the next 60, 70, 80 years," Jessome said. "This project's here for the long term. It's going to have benefits well into the future."
April 30, 2024: This story was updated to clarify that hydropower does emit greenhouse gases including CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide.
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Elon Musk reportedly emailed Tesla staff announcing hundreds of layoffs and reiterating the need to be "absolutely hard core" with cost cuts and staff reductions.
Steve Granitz/Getty
Elon Musk said Tesla needs to be "absolutely hard core about headcount," The Information reported.
He also reportedly called for the resignation of any exec who kept more than three direct reports who aren't stars.
Musk also reportedly announced hundreds of additional job cuts.
Elon Musk wants there to be no doubt that Tesla needs to be "hardcore."
Musk reaffirmed the company's need for meaningful layoffs and cost-cutting in an email late Monday night, according to a report from The Information.
In the email, Musk announced the departure of two executives at the company: Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of the company's Supercharger group, and Daniel Ho, head of new products, according to the report.
All staff reporting to the executives would also be cut, although a small number of workers would be reassigned, the report said. The dissolving of the Supercharger group led by Tinucci would result in around 500 layoffs, the report said. Musk also said in the email he would be getting rid of the public policy team whose director left the company on April 15, according to The Information.
"Hopefully these actions are making it clear that we need to be absolutely hard core about headcount and cost reduction," Musk wrote, according to the email viewed by The Information. "While some on execstaff are taking this seriously, most are not yet doing so."
Musk also said starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, he would ask for the resignation of any executive "who retains more than three people who don't obviously pass the excellent, necessary and trustworthy test," according to the report.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.
This isn't the first time Musk has sent a threatening late-night email to his employees or talked about the importance of a "hardcore" culture. Musk previously made a similar move after taking over Twitter, telling employees to commit to an "extremely hardcore" work schedule — or get laid off with three months of severance.
The latest cuts at Tesla arrive weeks after Musk announced Tesla layoffs that would impact more than 10% of its workforce. The automaker began notifying impacted staff on April 14 in another past-midnight email, and more cuts followed later that week. Tesla's job cuts come as Tesla struggles to deal with slower demand for EVs.
Within a few hours of the announcement notifying employees about layoffs, workers received notice of layoffs through emails, though some found out they were impacted when they showed up to work and were escorted away after their badge scans failed.
Tesla reported an 8.7% year-over-year revenue drop for the first quarter in its company earnings last week, though its gross margin beat expectations. Its earnings per share missed consensus forecasts, however, and its free cash flow was negative $2.5 billion in the quarter — a 674% year-over-year drop — amid a $1 billion spend on AI infrastructure investments.
President Joe Biden meets with staff aboard Air Force One.
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz
Any plane carrying a US president is called Air Force One.
John F. Kennedy was the first to use a jet designed specifically for a US president.
President Donald Trump proposed new paint colors for the exterior of Air Force One in 2019.
Since the mid-20th century, US presidents have flown on special planes designated as "Air Force One" while carrying out their official duties.
Nicknamed the "flying Oval Office," today's Air Force One is equipped with everything the president might need, including office spaces, two kitchens, sleeping quarters, and a fully functional operating room.
Here's how the design of Air Force One has changed through the years.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to travel on a jet aircraft in 1959.
Air Force One taking off.
Terry Fincher/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Eisenhower's Boeing 707 Stratoliner, nicknamed "Queenie," featured a section for telecommunications, room for 40 passengers, a conference area, and a stateroom, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
John F. Kennedy was the first to use a jet specifically designed for the US president. It had the tail number 26000.
President John F. Kennedy's pilot and co-pilot check Air Force One's cockpit.
John Rous
The Boeing 707 included a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Raymond Loewy designed the plane's blue and white exterior.
President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy arrive in San Antonio, Texas.
Kennedy Library Archives/Newsmakers/Getty Images
The plane's design featured an American flag on the tail and presidential seals on the nose.
After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson takes the oath of office on Air Force One .
Universal History Archive/Getty Images
It marked the first and only time a presidential swearing-in ceremony took place on an airplane.
Johnson met with Cabinet members on the presidential aircraft in 1966 in a small seating area.
President Lyndon Johnson meets with cabinet members on Air Force One.
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
The small alcove was decorated with a globe decal on the wall and curtains lining the windows.
In 1972, Richard Nixon was the first president to use the Boeing 707 plane with tail number 27000 as Air Force One.
President Richard Nixon aboard Air Force One.
Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
Nixon stood behind the plane's bar while meeting with military and civilian leaders en route to Vietnam.
When President Gerald Ford took office after Nixon resigned, seats in the rear cabin were upholstered with striped fabric.
President Gerald Ford holds a mini news conference aboard Air Force One.
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
Presidents would occasionally make their way back to the rear cabin to chat with reporters.
Ford's office, just off the stateroom, also featured striped furniture.
President Gerald Ford poses with Candice Bergen on Air Force One.
David Hume Kennerly/ Getty Images
Ford is pictured with Candice Bergen, the first female photographer to shoot a behind-the-scenes story on an American president.
President Jimmy Carter outfitted the press area with blue carpeting.
President Carter is interviewed aboard Air Force One.
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
Carter talked to reporters on his way back from a trip to Europe in 1978.
President Ronald Reagan used 27000 as his primary presidential aircraft.
President Ronal Reagan meets with advisors aboard Air Force One.
Bill Fitz-Patrick – White House via CNP/Getty Images
In 1983, Reagan met with Secretary of State George P. Shultz and national security advisor-designate Robert McFarlane in a meeting space that featured a magazine rack, teal chair, wood grain table, and photos of him and first lady Nancy Reagan.
Reagan also hung pictures of himself in Air Force One's rear cabin.
President Ronald Reagan with reporters aboard Air Force One.
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
The photos showed Reagan toasting with a champagne glass and waving while boarding Air Force One.
New blue striped curtains matched the blue carpeting and furniture in another meeting area.
President Ronald Reagan with staff aboard Air Force One.
CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
The meeting room also included a television set.
In 1990, George H. W. Bush began using new Boeing 747 planes with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 as Air Force One.
The presidential office of Air Force One.
Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images
The presidential office was updated with a stately desk, gray carpeting, and leather chairs.
The staff and secretarial area was decorated with neutral whites and grays.
The staff and secretarial area of Air Force One.
Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images
The staff area featured plenty of phones for official business. Air Force One is also known as the "flying Oval Office."
The new plane's annex could also be configured for medical use.
The Annex of Air Force One.
Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images
The annex is pictured in executive configuration, with seating for meetings.
The new planes featured over 4,000 square feet of space, which President Bill Clinton often used to hold meetings.
President Bill Clinton holds a meeting aboard Air Force One.
LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images
Clinton met with a delegation from North and South Dakota in 1997 to address flooding in the area.
In the guest area, Clinton's Air Force One featured tan chairs and blue carpeting.
President Bill Clinton on Air Force One.
DAVID SCULL/AFP via Getty Images
Clinton met with members of Congress to discuss nuclear waste management in 1999.
President George W. Bush flew 27000 one last time in August 2001 before it was retired to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush sit aboard Air Force One on the plane's last mission.
Rick Wilking/Getty Images
The plane flew 444 missions adding up to over 1 million miles, according to the Bush White House.
When the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked on September 11, 2001, the Secret Service kept Bush in the air aboard the new Air Force One.
President George W. Bush talks on the telephone on September 11, 2001, as senior staff huddle in his office aboard Air Force One.
Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images
Bush insisted on returning to Washington, but the Secret Service refused since they were unsure if more attacks were coming.
In a 2016 interview with Politico, Bush's assistant White House press secretary Gordon Johndroe described Air Force One that day as "the safest and most dangerous place in the world at the exact same time."
Bush conferred with chief of staff Andy Card in his stateroom, designed by Nancy Reagan.
President George W. Bush and Andy Card on September 11, 2001.
Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images
The president's suite included a small bed, light-pink couch and carpeting, and a desk with a brown leather chair.
Bush walked down a hallway arm-in-arm with Harriet Miers, assistant to the president and staff secretary.
President George W. Bush and Harriet Miers on September 11, 2001.
Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images
The hallway was lined with a beige couch with side tables and lamps on either side.
When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, Air Force One's conference room had been updated with a television screen and brown leather chairs.
President Barack Obama talks with his staff aboard Air Force One.
Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images
The plane has 85 phone lines as well as encryption and scrambling devices to ensure secure communication, CNBC reported.
On the other side of the conference room, a decal that read "Air Force One" was displayed on wood paneling.
President Barack Obama talks on the phone aboard Air Force One.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
The food and drinks are provided by the plane's galley kitchen.
The plane's senior staff room featured more phones, a coat closet, and leather chairs.
President Barack Obama talks with senior staff and former President Bill Clinton on Air Force One.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Obama met with chief of staff Jack Lew, senior advisors David Axelrod and David Plouffe, and former president Bill Clinton in the senior staff room in 2012.
The presidential office furniture was also updated, with mahogany chairs and sofas replacing the gray.
President Barack Obama meets with staff on Air Force One.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
The carpeting was updated to a subtle star pattern, which also appeared in the conference room.
The plane's guest section was reserved for special visitors like members of Congress.
President Barack Obama talks with a Congressional delegation aboard Air Force One.
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
The chairs featured a subtle polka-dot pattern, and the tables folded down to make more space.
The rear cabin for press looked just like a standard commercial airliner.
President Barack Obama arrives to brief traveling journalists on Air Force One.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images
Journalists can wander the rear cabin freely, but they aren't allowed to walk forward to speak to the president — the president has to come back to them.
President Donald Trump proposed new paint colors for the exterior of Air Force One in 2019.
A model of the proposed paint scheme of the next generation of Air Force One.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
As part of the Air Force's Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program updating Air Force One planes, Trump proposed a red, white, and navy blue color scheme for the new models.
The Air Force ultimately rejected Trump's proposed color scheme because it would have been more costly and caused engineering issues.
Air Force One in February 2024.
Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images
The darker paint color would have caused overheating issues and been too costly, Politico reported.
Instead, President Joe Biden selected a baby-blue color scheme similar to the current model. The new VC-25B Air Force One planes are expected to be ready by 2027, according to the Air Force. The project has already cost Boeing over $2 million due to various manufacturing and supply-chain issues.
In Biden's Air Force One, the conference room has the same star carpeting as the plane's presidential office.
President Joe Biden meets with staff aboard Air Force One.
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz
Plain beige carpeting continues down the hallway.
The placard in the conference room has been updated to read "Aboard Air Force One" with an image of the iconic aircraft.
President Joe Biden participates in a phone interview on Air Force One.
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz
Biden took his first overseas trip as president in June 2021, visiting Europe for the G7 leaders' summit. He is scheduled to attend the 2024 G7 summit in Italy in June.
The search bar in the Facebook and Instagram apps is one place you probably know very well. You've searched plenty of things there —the names of people you went to high school with, a local business whose page you want to find, a celebrity whose latest controversial post everyone is talking about.
We all know what to expect in the search bar of Facebook and Instagram: you find things — people, pages, groups, tags, locations — that already exist on Facebook and Instagram.
What you are not expecting is an AI chatbot interface that can do any number of things completely unrelated to Instagram or Facebook: generate an image for you, answer questions, give advice about things, etc.
This creates a really odd situation. You come to the Facebook search bar to type in the name of your local Buy Nothing group, but instead, you see an animated blue circle with "Ask Meta AI anything."
Huh???
The search bar on the Facebook app now has AI prompts.
Business Insider
This intrusion into the sacred space of the search bar isn't the only thing Meta is doing with AI that feels a little off.
What makes the "Ask Meta AI anything" prompt in the search tab even stranger is the list of potential suggestions it gives you for searches. Meta wisely realized that most humans will be somewhat baffled by an AI chatbot — most people have never even knowingly interacted with AI. Pew reports that as of March 2024, only 23% of US adults have tried ChatGPT, and 34% have never even heard of it.
So there are a ton of suggestions for what to search or ask for. And these suggestions are, I guess, fine? But they make me feel like I've been living in some saccharine alternate-reality bubble where everyone is focused on their unproblematic hobbies. Here are a few of my top suggestions:
🏡 Landscaping 101
🐕 Dog breed recs for me
🌱 Eco DIY home decor ideas
🏙️ Tips to roam a new city
📺 Top ocean docs
🚀 Can you sleep in space?
These are all fine. Pleasant. A mix of helpful, curious facts and fun things. (There are a few suggestions, like "Imagine a 70s living room," that lead to image generation.)
But, like … Facebook. You know me. Come on, it's me, Katie! We've been together for, what, 15 years? I've given you so much data. You know I don't want to roam new cities or learn about eco DIY home decor. I'm a garbage gremlin who logged onto Facebook eight times today to do the same gremlin stuff I've been doing for years. I'm not suddenly interested in improving myself! I don't want to know about space! I want to know what people are complaining about in my neighborhood group, and I want to shop for used furniture on Marketplace, and I want to feel bad when I'm done.
This arrangement has satisfied and nourished my spirit for years — and I've been a loyal user. Now you think I want to do landscaping??? I'm hurt.
A representative for Meta told me that these suggestions can change based on popular searches. That might explain at least one surprising search suggestion I got: "Rick Lax net worth." (Rick Lax is a magician behind a lot of Facebook viral content and is largely only popular ON Facebook.)
Instagram search suggestions are slightly more Instagrammy.
Business Insider
On Instagram, the search suggestions are slightly more Instagrammy, like "5 tips for glowing skin," "Cheerleading reels," and "Write a spring fashion guide." The request for cheerleading Reels does lead to a suggestion of a bunch of other Reels.
I asked the Meta AI if there was a difference between the AI used for Facebook and Instagram, and it told me, "While the core LLaMA 3 model remains the same, its applications and fine-tuning differ on Instagram and Facebook to cater to each platform's unique requirements and user experiences." A representative for Meta didn't respond to a question about whether this was accurate.
For me, what feels strangest isn't whether Llama 3 is "good" at answering these queries — or noticeably better or worse than any other competing AI. It works, but the best thing going for it is that it's fast with its output, it's free, and it's right there in an app I already use a lot.
And if Meta's goal here is to start getting people's feet wet with the idea of using generative AI — without having to download a different app or think up ideas of what to ask it — well, mission accomplished.
It's part of Meta's push into an AI arms race, and one where it's well-equipped with more compute power. Meta also has an edge when it comes to getting its LLM into the hands of as many users as possible to try it out: It has a lot of humans who open its apps every day and search stuff in the search bar.
So, yes, jamming Meta AI into the search bar feels really weird and confusing, but Meta isn't shy about muscling new features on users — even if they complain — to get the new feature adopted by a critical mass of users (cough Reels cough).
But for we gremlins who are used to searching for old flames, new acquaintances, celebrities, and embarrassing other things in the Instagram search bar, this is certainly a strange new world.
A screen grab taken from a video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard showing Chinese Coast Guard ships firing water cannons against Philippines vessels near Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea, on April 30, 2024.
Philippine Coast Guard
A video shows a Chinese ship colliding with a Philippine vessel while firing water cannons.
The Philippine Coast Guard says the vessel took damage from the attack.
The confrontation, inside the Philippine's exclusive economic zone, is the latest between the two countries.
Chinese Coast Guard ships confronted a pair of Philippine vessels this week, harassing, ramming, and firing water cannons at them, according to Philippine authorities.
Official videos and other footage from media members show the latest flare-up between the two countries as China continues to defy international legal rulings on South China Sea territory and engagePhilippine vessels in Manila's exclusive economic zone.
The Philippine Coast Guard shared video footage on Tuesday of the incident.
The footage shows Chinese vessels firing water cannons at a Philippine Coast Guard ship and a vessel of the country's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the BRP Bagacay and BRP Datu Bankaw, as the two vessels carried out a "legitimate maritimepatrol" near Scarborough Shoal, a contested area of the South China Sea inside the Philippine's exclusive economic zone where China forcefully exerts control.
Yesterday, the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP BAGACAY (MRRV-4410), and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, BRP BANKAW (MMOV-3004), were assigned to carry out a legitimate maritime patrol in the waters near Bajo De Masinloc. The primary objective of this… pic.twitter.com/5jQkS2g66e
In the released footage, two larger Chinese vessels surround one of the Philippine ships, firing water cannons from each side.
"During the patrol, the Philippine vessels encountered dangerous maneuvers and obstruction from four China Coast Guard vessels and six Chinese Maritime Militia vessels," Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
The latest confrontation resulted "in damage to the railing and canopy," Tarriela added, including a picture for evidence. "This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels."
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement that China's behavior was "shocking and appalling" and that embedded press were able to witness and experience firsthand the "illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous actions" of the Chinese side.
Local News5 journalist Gio Robles published videos to X from the incident showing scenes from aboard the Datu Bankaw.
MOMENTS AGO: It appears like this China Coast Guard ship is not done yet as it blasted BRP Datu Bangkaw with water cannon. @News5PHpic.twitter.com/PHzuV1FNy1
The Telegraph's Asia correspondent Nicola Smith was aboard the Philippine Coast Guard ship Bagacay and wrote of the experience that as the Chinese ships hammered the vessel with their water cannons, "all you could hear was the thundering of the water and more frantic shouts of the crew."
Smith said the ship's canopy broke under the intense assault and that the Datu Bankaw suffered interior flooding and damage to the onboard radar.
China's Coast Guard said in a post on the country's Weibo social media platform that it had expelled the Philippine vessels for "intruding" in its waters "in accordance with the law."
The Philippines, on the other hand, said the vessels "stood their ground and continued their maritime patrol. They were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety."
A Chinese Coast Guard ship fires a water cannon at Unaizah May 4, a Philippine Navy chartered vessel, conducting a routine resupply mission to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, on March 05, 2024 in the South China Sea.
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
The video posted on X of a Chinese Coast Guard ship colliding with the Datu Bankaw while spraying it with water notably showed that the Chinese ship was "specifically targeting the Philippine ship's navigation and communication equipment," Tom Shugart, a former US Navy officer and current adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank, wrote on social media.
"It's aiming to do damage, not just ward off," he said.
It's the latest fight between the two countries as China continues to dominate disputed waters in the South China Sea, defying international law and asserting its dominance in the strategic waterway. Scarborough Shoal, which has a constant Chinese Coast Guard presence, but the Philippines continues to press its claims to this area.
There have been numerous Chinese attacks on Philippine ships. A recent one in March saw a Chinese water cannon destroy a Philippine ship's windows and injure four sailors.
The Philippine Coast Guard said Tuesday that China had reinstalled a roughly 1,200-foot floating barrier that "covers the entire entrance of the shoal, effectively restricting access to the area," a prime fishing spot.
President Joe Biden speaks during a reproductive freedom campaign event at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla., on April 23, 2024.
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
The Biden campaign sees abortion as an issue that can put Florida in play for Democrats this fall.
Floridians will vote on a ballot measure that could enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
But it'll be a tough road for Democrats, as registered Republicans now outnumber them in the state.
In recent decades, Florida was often seen as the quintessential presidential swing state.
Republicans dominated the Panhandle and North Florida, while Democrats usually cleaned up in Miami, with the I-4 corridor between the Orlando and Tampa areas serving as a swing region where independents often helped decide the outcome of statewide races.
However, Florida has not backed a Democratic presidential nominee since Barack Obama in 2012. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton narrowly lost the state to Donald Trump in 2016. And President Joe Biden lost the state to Trump by 3 points in 2020.
But the Biden campaign is banking that abortion could give them a chance to win Florida this fall, despite the distinct red hue that the state has taken on in recent years.
Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans have struggled to counter Democratic messaging on reproductive rights, with the issue playing a major role in key 2022 Senate races and last year's elections in Kentucky and Virginia.
The Biden campaign hopes to capitalize on what is poised to be robust voter support for abortion rights in Florida. With its 30 electoral votes, a Biden victory in the state would give the president considerable breathing room as he aims to hold swing states like Arizona and Georgia that he flipped in 2020.
But Democrats face a challenging political environment in Florida.
Trump effectively made Florida his political home base after leaving the White House in 2021, and the former president has deep support among Republicans up and down the ballot in the Sunshine State. DeSantis won reelection over former Gov. Charlie Crist by nearly 20 points in 2022. For the first time since Reconstruction, no Democrats hold statewide elected office in Florida.
More consequentially, there are now nearly 900,000 more registered Republicans than registered Democrats in Florida, a warning sign for Democrats given the state's high voter turnout in presidential years. As recently as 2020, Democrats had a voter registration edge in the state.
But the Biden campaign believes abortion rights can give them the lift that they'll need in a state where even some Democrats are skeptical of the president's chances.
"This campaign's posture reflects the seriousness with which we're taking Florida," Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler told reporters last week.
"You've seen our investments begin to pop up in the state of Florida," he continued. "We've got staff on the ground. It is one of many pathways that we have to 270 electoral votes, and we're going to take it very, very seriously."
Bumble is getting rid of its signature requirement that women start the conversation — well, sort of.
The dating app is introducing a new feature called "Opening Moves."
It lets women set a question that all matches can respond to, meaning men might be first to message.
Bumble is doing away with its defining feature that required women make the first move.
The dating app on Tuesday announced something called "Opening Moves" that will see men sending the first messages in some cases.
Starting today, the new feature lets women set a question that all of their matches can answer to get the conversation started. They can choose one of the questions Bumble offers or create their own. In non-binary or same-sex matches, either person can set or reply to the question.
Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones said in a press release that the option represents a shift "from a fixed approach to giving women more options in how they engage."
"In listening to our community, many have shared their exhaustion with the current online dating experience, and for some, that includes making the first move," she said. "We're also hearing from women that empowerment today is not only about control but it's also about agency, and we're excited to offer more choice in how women make the first move with our new Opening Moves feature."
Bumble found in testing that Opening Moves increased "chat initiation and reply rates, as well as lengthening time spent in conversation," according to the release.
Jones had recently hinted that Bumble might move away from making women reach out first. In a fourth-quarter earnings call last month, she told investors that making the first move "feels like a burden for a subset of our customers today."
The new change marks the first time Bumble will let men reach out first since the app was founded in 2014 by former CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Besides Opening Moves, Bumble is also shaking up its look with a redesign, one of several changes it's made since Jones took over as CEO in January.
Since 2007, a variety of projects have started as part of the Great Green Wall, including growing gardens in Senegal.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
The Great Green Wall is a project to restore degraded land in nearly two dozen African countries.
Deforestation, agricultural expansion, and drought have caused desertification across the continent.
The $36-billion-plus project aims to generate 10 million jobs and sequester tons of carbon by 2030.
Over the past several decades, deforestation, agricultural expansion, and drought have all contributed to desertification in parts of the African continent. Once-fertile soil has become drier and less productive.
More than a dozen African countries have been fighting this desertification with an ambitious project to grow trees and other vegetation on 247 million acres of degraded land, an area roughly 2.3 times the size of California.
The goals of the 17-year-old Great Green Wall project — estimated to cost between $36 to 49 billion — also include generating 10 million jobs and sequestering 250 million tons of carbon by 2030.
Countries from Senegal to Djibouti are trying to regreen the semiarid Sahel bioclimate, a band stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
The dangers of land degradation include soil erosion and lessened biodiversity.
Side-by-side images of the Ferlo region of Senegal in 1994 and 2011 show land degradation over nearly 20 years.
G. Gray Tappan/US Geological Survey
West African forests once covered over 50,000 square miles. Since 1975, deforestation, mainly from agricultural expansion, reduced the size to about 32,000 square miles, according to the US Geological Survey.
In addition to making soil less fertile, desertification can make it more prone to wind erosion and less able to retain moisture. It also leads to a loss in biodiversity of plant and animal species. All of these factors make it more difficult for human populations to survive.
The Great Green Wall initiative launched in 2007 as a plan to plant trees across a large swath of the African continent.
The Sahel is a bioclimate stretching across the African continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
Rainer Lesniewski/iStock/Getty Images
The African Union formally began the project in 2007. Originally, the GGW included 11 countries — Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan. In the years since it started, a handful of others have joined as well.
At first, the plan was to fill a 10-mile-by-4,350-mile area of the Sahel with trees. Trees can help slow soil erosion, absorb carbon dioxide, and promote biodiversity by providing food and shelter for animals.
However, critics started pointing out flaws, and the project hit several speedbumps.
The GGW project hit some early snags.
Some trees planted as part of the GGW didn't survive because they were located in uninhabited areas.
Seydou Diallo/AFP via Getty Images
One big problem with the tree-planting plan was the trees themselves. Some saplings either grew poorly or died. They were planted in remote regions, which made them difficult to care for. Warmer temperatures and low rainfall also contributed to the problem.
Some communities thought their government hadn't fully involved local and indigenous populations in their projects. Other governments had purposefully removed groups of people from their homes in forests and conservation areas, Corporate Knights reported.
The success of the GGW has also been difficult to monitor in some areas, according to Corporate Knights. External experts have had trouble independently verifying some governmental data, for example.
In 2021, world leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, pledged $19 billion as part of the Great Green Wall Accelerator to help measure and facilitate the project's success.
By then, GGW's focus had started to shift to a mix of projects that drew on traditional growing and irrigation methods.
Niger and Burkina Faso found success with different approaches outside the GGW project.
After droughts in the last century, farmers in parts of Niger started returning to traditional practices to keep soil fertile.
Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Before the GGW project began, locals in parts of Niger and Burkina Faso started using a technique called farmer-managed natural regeneration, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
French colonial authorities had once encouraged farmers to remove trees on agricultural land, according to Yale Environment 360. Droughts in the 1980s prompted the shift back to earlier methods.
Instead of planting new trees, farmers in south-central Niger encouraged the growth of existing shrubs and trees. The practice has helped regreen 12 million acres and grown 2 million trees.
In Burkina Faso, farmers drew on traditional knowledge to adapt after droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. They dug deep pits called zai and assembled stone barriers to help capture and retain moisture.
One farmer, Yacouba Sawadogo, was so successful that a film was made about his work in 2010, called "The Man Who Stopped the Desert."
The GGW isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
A Tolou Keur circular garden in Boki Diawe, in Matam region, Senegal, part of the Great Green Wall.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Since the start of the GGW, many countries have seen success with farmer-led projects. In Senegal, farmers started planting zai gardens during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Known as Tolou Keur in Wolof, the country's language, the half-moon pits hold and direct water toward plants.
While not all the Tolou Keur have survived, others are thriving. Farmers are growing everything from sorghum and millet to mint and hibiscus plants.
Part of their attraction lies in the fact that they're quick to build, don't take up a lot of space, and only need about 10 people to maintain them, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
The GGW is now a mosaic instead of a wall of trees.
The Sahel village of Ndiawagne Fall in Kebemer, Senegal is part of the Great Green Wall project, which originally focused on planting trees across the Sahel.
Leo Correa/AP Photo
At this point, the Great Green Wall is a bit of a misnomer.
"We moved the vision of the Great Green Wall from one that was impractical to one that was practical," Mohamed Bakarr, the lead environmental specialist for Global Environment Facility, told Smithsonian Magazine in 2016. "It is not necessarily a physical wall, but rather a mosaic of land use practices that ultimately will meet the expectations of a wall."
The project incorporates technology like drones and satellite imagery.
Satellite imagess, like this one from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, can help track the progress of the GGW.
European Space Agency
Drones and satellites recently started providing detailed information on restored land, using AI to identify the species of individual trees.
Tech startups and organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are collaborating to help Sahel communities map and track the populations of baobab trees, which can help reduce soil erosion.
Many countries have seen success regreening areas of the Sehal.
An expanse of trees outside the Walalde department in Senegal.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Ethiopia, Niger, and Senegal have all regreened parts of their land. In addition to its zai gardens, Senegal planted 50,000 acres of trees, according to National Geographic.
In 2023, the UN Development Programme reported that the GGW project was 18% completed, restoring over 49 million acres of land and creating 350,000 jobs.
But not all countries have seen the same amount of success.
With 2030 approaching, the GGW is facing setbacks.
Some countries like Sudan haven't been able to make as much progress on GGW goals due to unrest and less funding.
Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters
Conflict and instability in some countries make meeting the GGW's goals difficult as residents move to avoid fighting. More resources also seem to go to stabler countries, while Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Sudan receive less investment from donors, according to Nature.
Yet with the climate crisis and expanding population, the GGW's mission remains as pressing as ever.