Geek News, Features, and Other Nerd Stuff

Variable Frequency Drives Could Unlock Gigawatts of Power for America’s Grid

Variable frequency drives can dramatically cut motor energy use, freeing grid capacity for data centers, EVs, and electrification without new plants.

At WWDC24 Apple Intelligence (AI) Siri on iphone

Apple Intelligence can now build and refine iPhone Shortcuts from plain-language prompts, making powerful automations far easier to create and use.

The next Planet of the Apes movie is taking a surprising detour, replacing Kingdom’s Noa with a new story from Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman.

Dr. Wernher von Braun, Dr. Heinz Haber (left), and Willy Ley

A new Wellcome Global Monitor survey finds trust in science has fallen worldwide, with financial hardship, health care access and influence widening the gap.

Nissan Leaf at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show

Charging your EV to full, running it nearly empty, and overusing fast chargers can accelerate battery wear. Here’s how to charge more gently.

The Simpson-Reed Grove of Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). U.S. Route 199 in California, the Redwood Highway, at Jedediah Smith State Park near Crescent City, California.

New research finds California redwood leaves overheat and photosynthesize less during hot weather, raising questions about future carbon storage.

World map of submarine communication cables. cable data by Greg Mahlknecht (KML file released under GPLv3) as of 2015-07-21, world map by Openstreetmap contributors

Meta’s Petal undersea cable will connect the US and France at petabit speeds in 2029, using dual-core fiber to double transatlantic capacity.

Rep. Ritchie Torres’ proposed Power To The Players Act would turn digital game purchases into ownership and require offline play after server shutdowns.