Have You Ever Wondered Who Johny Was!? →

in

via The Verge:

Like their more insidious counterparts, the makers of the “Johny, Johny” videos know full well that kids will watch literally anything with a catchy tune and bright colors, but unlike pregnant Elsa’s golden shower, there’s technically nothing inappropriate or wrong about the videos. Falling somewhere between the explicitly disturbing algorithm-evaders and adults playing with Thomas the Tank Engine, “Johny, Johny” is simply the opposite of ASMR for me. Whatever feelings ASMR videos are supposed to give you — the opposite of that. I’m angry, I’m confused, I’m sometimes physically uncomfortable, to the point where my back gets tingly, in a bad way. It’s so far beyond the scope of anything I consumed when I was their age, I’d like to believe this type of absurdist video never existed until now.

Seriously. One day my oldest and middle child started signing this absurd song and I thought it was from school but maybe they got caught in the YouTube inter webs. Bad papa!

For utterly inscrutable reasons, the format stuck with children’s content creators, and hundreds (if not thousands) of “Johny Johny, Yes Papa” knock-offs have been uploaded since. Each video features a child and their family lying to one another as a form of affection. And like game of telephone, each new video seems to lose even more meaning than the one before it, a feat that frankly seems impossible, given the videos are logically impoverished to begin with.

Ingenious...maybe. But sickening for sure. Lying is not funny or humorous.

Problems with German Car Options

in

A base Panamera Sport Turismo will cost you $96,200, but our model rang out to $109,260 since it had a number of options. Yes, we had to pay extra for seat heating and front seat ventilation, $550 and $840, respectively. Not a big deal, although other cars offer it standard on high trim levels. Our model came with partial leather seats; upgrading to full leather will cost north of $3,700. Unfortunately, it also didn't have keyless entry, which is a $1,100 option. It's a little strange fumbling around in your purse for the key to your $100,000 Porsche when the person parked next to you has already opened their $25,000 Kia with the click of a button on the door handle. I know, first-world problems. But it's the attention to detail that makes me love this car so much.

Porsche will always stir up the emotions and get you excited but like emphasized above, paying for these little options should be standard at that six-figure price already. It’s no longer “special” if you have cars in the $20k market offering keyless, heated seats and whathave you for no extra.

Apple’s New MacBook Pro i9 is Cleared to Go FAST! →

in ,

After the initial hoopla concerning thermal related throttling in Apple’s new MacBook Pro, after working with popular laptop YouTube review Dave Lee, Apple has issued a statement and software update that addresses this issue. Looks like I’m getting a new computer and finally putting down this 2010 MacBook Air Core2Duo!

Following extensive performance testing under numerous workloads, we've identified that there is a missing digital key in the firmware that impacts the thermal management system and could drive clock speeds down under heavy thermal loads on the new MacBook Pro. A bug fix is included in today's macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update and is recommended. We apologize to any customer who has experienced less than optimal performance on their new systems. Customers can expect the new 15-inch MacBook Pro to be up to 70% faster, and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to be up to 2X faster, as shown in the performance results on our website.

Tesla’s Model 3 Rattles European Fast Car Hierarchy →

in ,

Let me explain something you're not going to believe, but trust me on this. After having driven and tested perhaps 7,000 vehicles, sometimes I don't need to drive very far to get the idea.

Remember that freeway onramp we "missed" before Nelson took the wheel? It's a sweet 700-foot short-chute that whips into a right-hander I know very well, and I wasn't going to simply wait for the next freeway entry. "Hang on," I'd told everybody, whipping a U-turn and stamping the accelerator. Even with four aboard, the Model 3 DMP surged ahead so startlingly that it stopped conversation. Except maybe for an uttered "Oh my god." I braked pretty hard and arched up the on-ramp toward the freeway. It was a flourish more akin to swiping a navigation route on your phone than driving a car on the actual road. Carol might have been upside down by the time I backed off.

In maybe 120 wheel revolutions, a high-performance hierarchy has been rattled. The European marques perennially atop the sport sedan podium are about to have trapdoors release beneath them. Although nothing has fundamentally changed with the car's steering or suspension (besides an imperceptible but CG-lowering 5-10mm drop in ride height), the dual motor and all-wheel drive give the compact Tesla a tensed, hair-trigger potency for leaping ahead or around whatever's in the way. It's pure jungle cat. Our testing to come will explore whether its lighter Brembo brakes stop better and how much the now in-house vehicle control software lets Tesla directly tune the car's handling poise (without a supplier interpreting it). A track mode, which is still in development, dials up regenerative braking to lessen heat load on the friction brakes.

Yea... only P for me; that is after I put all three kids through private school and college. But seriously, Elon has put the gas motor heads to sleep with this 0-60 in 3.5 beast! I’m betting he gets it easily in under 2.9 if he really wanted to.

Tesla’s Rainbow Farting Space Ship — Model 3P →

in , ,

I’m no financial analyst, but I do know cars. If you were hoping Tesla would fail on account of the Model 3 I’ve got bad news: This thing is magnificent, a little rainbow-farting space ship, so obviously representative of the next step in the history of autos.

So many great anecdotes in WSJ’s review but this one was the best.

Tesloop Raking in the Miles →

in , , ,

Since the Model S was launched Tesloop has incurred a combined maintenance cost of roughly $19,000 or about $0.05/mile. This cost breaks down to $6,700 for general vehicle repairs and $12,200 for regularly scheduled maintenance. The Model S’ full service record is available here. The record includes comparable estimated costs of running the service with a Lincoln Town Car instead of a Model S or Mercedes GLS class instead of a Model X. Tesloop estimates that a Lincoln Town Car or Mercedes GLS class’ combined maintenance cost to be around $88,500 ($0.22/mile) and $98,900 ($0.25/mile) respectively over 400,000 miles.

Some pretty impressive numbers!!! I still have yet to use any of my 6 passes that I bought a while ago but I’ve heard plenty of positive reviews!

Back in June 2018 one of Tesloop’s Model X 90Ds, dubbed Rex, achieved 300,000 miles on its original battery and drive units in 1.75 years. Battery degradation over the 300,000 miles was ~10%. Tesloop has also included the Model X’s full service record, see here. Since achieving the milestone the Model X’s rear drive unit has been replaced.

Looks like we may be keeping the X for MANY years to come! We have personally driven around 19,000 since acquiring her on Dec 2017. Needless to say, it’s been VERY enjoyable.

2018 MacBook Pro Real Life Tests

in ,

Wait, what? The new MacBook Pro is outperforming its predecessor by over 4x and the fully-spec’d 2013 by 85x? I ran this test a bunch of times and got pretty much the exact same results. In fact, the 2013 model clocked 38 minutes on one test.

I wonder what the speed differenc would be compared to my 2010 MacBook Air Core 2 Duo!

You know that feeling when you put your hands on a keyboard and you feel like you can just fly on it? This is one of those. It’s quiet, yet still maintains a solid tactile response and the size feels right.

One of the first positives that I’ve heard about this 3rd generation butterfly keyboard.

Surface Go Identity Crisis

in ,

Microsoft isn’t targeting its Surface Go at any particular customer from what I can tell. It’s not an iPad killer, it’s not going directly after Chromebooks, and it’s not really challenging $400 Windows laptops. While the Surface Laptop launched at an education event alongside Windows 10 S, the Surface Go appears to be targeted far more broadly across education, regular consumers, and even commercial usage. It’s clearly designed to be a cheaper and more portable Surface that lowers the barrier of entry for those put off by the price of a Surface Pro and its more capable specifications. It’s also aiming to be more than an iPad or a Chromebook.

Once again, instead of hitting a Home Run, Microsoft goes for a base single. A sub-par experience won’t bode well into converting or convincing future users to stay in the Windows platform but instead show them that it’s awful. I was hoping it would have been better.

Current Tesla Owners Still Get Over the Air FSD for $4k →

in , ,

Current owners of Model S and Model X with Autopilot 2.0 have reported to Electrek that they are now also seeing the price of the upgrade increase.

We contacted Tesla to get an explanation about the situation and the company confirmed that it is a mistake and they will honor the original $4,000 price. The new $5,000 price is for new orders.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said that the first new features under the ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ package should be released with Tesla’s version 9 software update, which is expected to be released this summer.

Here’s to honor! Thanks Elon. (As always, emphasis is my own.)

Tesla Internet Connectivity Packages

All current Tesla owners and those who order a Model S, Model X, or Model 3 before July 1st will never have to pay to maintain the current level of internet connectivity in their cars.

For vehicles ordered after July 1st, Tesla will start offering two different packages: ‘Premium Connectivity package’ and ‘Standard Connectivity package.’

As the name entails, the ‘Standard Connectivity package’ will come at no additional charge.

At least those who have or order before July 1st get Lifetime Premium Connectivity. Read more over at electrek for the details in the Standard Connectivity vs. Premium Connectivity which is rumored to be ~$100 or so a year, which really isn’t bad considering all the traffic updates, streaming Slacker Radio and podcasting. And as always, be sure to use my referral code for FREE Supercharging before July 14.

Marshmallow Test Revisited →

Ultimately, the new study finds limited support for the idea that being able to delay gratification leads to better outcomes. Instead, it suggests that the capacity to hold out for a second marshmallow is shaped in large part by a child’s social and economic background—and, in turn, that that background, not the ability to delay gratification, is what’s behind kids’ long-term success.

The marshmallow test isn’t the only experimental study that has recently failed to hold up under closer scrutiny. Some scholars and journalists have gone so far to suggest that psychology is in the midst of a “replication crisis.” In the case of this new study, specifically, the failure to confirm old assumptions pointed to an important truth: that circumstances matter more in shaping children’s lives than Mischel and his colleagues seemed to appreciate.

Emphasis, as always, is my own. It’s a great read.

The failed replication of the marshmallow test does more than just debunk the earlier notion; it suggests other possible explanations for why poorer kids would be less motivated to wait for that second marshmallow. For them, daily life holds fewer guarantees: There might be food in the pantry today, but there might not be tomorrow, so there is a risk that comes with waiting. And even if their parents promise to buy more of a certain food, sometimes that promise gets broken out of financial necessity.

Be thankful for what you have and strive to not necessarily have more but be better. Wealth. Not status.

Mike Rowe on Safe Spaces →

in

While addressing an individual’s question regarding girls in Boy Scouts, Mike Rowe brought up the bigger picture. I encourage you to read the whole article. And once again, the troops are NOT going to be sharing tents or even be in the same Dens. Educate first. I, for one, would love my girls to be Eagle Scouts and “live” in the wilderness.

As we all know, in 1974, a chipped tooth or a black eye didn’t lead to lawsuit, and today, I’m pretty sure a boxing ring and a trip to the shooting range would make a lot of parents…uncomfortable. But that’s exactly the point. In a world that values safety above everything else, discomfort is never welcome. Neither is risk. And yet, discomfort and risk are precisely why my time in Scouting was so valuable, and why Troop 16 was the polar opposite of a safe space.