#car reviews 2025

[gaycarboys]

Jaguar’s New Era Begins – A Last Toss of the Dice

[savageonwheels]

Review: 2025 Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige AWD

As good as anything out there in the Luxury SUV market, the Genesis GV80 looks and drives great. Why spend more?

GV80 as good as, or better than, other luxury SUVs … Possible I’m starting to sound like a pop-up video ad that vexes your phone or tablet every time you sign in. Or, for my fellow old-timers, I’m sounding like a broken record. But Genesis has exceeded expectations, again. Why am I surprised? The new GV80 luxury mid-size SUV is as good as, or better than, anything I’ve driven. No need to keep…

[bestgaddi-com]

Volvo EX30 Price: What You Need to Know

Pricing Tiers and What They Offer

The price of the Volvo EX30 is one of the first things potential buyers want to know. The base model starts at a competitive price, offering a plethora of features that make it a worthy investment. For those looking for a little more luxury, there are higher-tier models available that offer additional features such as advanced infotainment systems, premium interior materials, and enhanced safety options.

How the Volvo EX30 Stacks Up Against Competitors

When compared to other cars in its class, the Volvo EX30 offers excellent value for money. It not only comes with a more affordable price tag but also includes features that are typically found in more expensive models. This makes it a strong contender in the compact SUV market.

Suggested Blogs: Upcoming 2025 Electric Cars in the Us

[motorvibez]

The 2025 BMW Z4 represents a perfect blend of classic sports car thrill and modern innovation, appealing to both purists and new-age drivers. As BMW continues to refine its iconic roadster, the latest iteration brings some exciting updates that enhance its performance and driving experience. Here’s what potential buyers need to know about the newest Z4.

[slutforpringles]

Per Mat Coch's sources, the decision has been made on the VCarb seat for 2025 and just hasn't been publicly communicated yet.

But let's start with a news topic relatively close to home, and that is the decision on Liam Lawson's future in the Red Bull program. Helmut Marko says that a decision will be announced following the Singapore Grand Prix, as to who's going to be filling the seat currently occupied by Daniel Ricciardo. It's the only uncontracted seat in the Red Bull stable and one of only two still available in Formula One next season. Yeah, big time news coming for Liam Lawson. One suspects that he'll probably be in that seat for 2025 at RB, which raises some interesting and awkward questions for Daniel. But by my intel, the decision has been made, it just hasn't been communicated publicly at this point. So yeah, it'll be an interesting one to read body language in Singapore this weekend. Yes, and Daniel has been told that he'll be in the car at least until the end of the year, so we shouldn't get too excited.

via: Pit Talk Podcast | Azerbaijan GP Review

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with Elle Italia (2024)

Viscount Anthony Bridgerton is currently busy. To play the hearthrob with Glinda and Elphaba in the kingdom of Oz, waiting to go hunting for dinosaurs on a remote island with Scarlett Johansson. Jonathan Bailey has made it. During the pandemic, he feared that his career was over. He had filmed the first season of that bizarre, sexy period drama by Shonda Rhimes and, locked in the house, he was asking himself about the possible outcomes. We know how it went, a firework of colored sugared almonds. Everyone went crazy about everyone, including "Jonny".

Now, the consecration, with a role he dreamed of, the vain Prince Fiyero in the film adaptation of the legendary musical Wicked. The first part will be released on November 21, the second in 2025. With him, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh. When he is late for our interview, he gets into the car, turns on the speaker on his phone and apologizes.

Don't worry about it. In Italy we have dinner late.

Oh, the italian dinners! You are living in my favorite place in the world, you know? I'm just back from Salento, near Lecce, and I had my fair share of amazing night dinners, but still my delay is unaccetable, i'm sorry. Too much passion in talking about the movie, and I was long...

Film are a great escape mechanisms. Why we need Wicked right now?

When I watched it for the first time, I got emotional. I think it brings joy, the joy of escaping, and underneath, it is full of strong and deep meanings for our world. It's a movie deeply political that speaks about identity, diversity, understanding the differences and celebrate them, finding each other, be together. It speaks of friendship, commitment and new awareness. Of evolution and growing up. All important things.

Are you a fan of the musical?

Yeah, I've seen it four times in London and I've always been obsessed by the Broadway's recording. We are all fans of the musical in the cast, everyone see themselves in it for different reasons. Fiyero has an incredible story and an interesting transformation, there are elements in him that I understand. The trick was to be able to capture the essence of someone who is considered a playful frivolous person, vane and superficial and make it work behind a camera. I think this could be applied even for my fellow companions. Cynthia's perfomance is able to portray a truth and an emotion, both vibrant of urgency. The first time I've spoken with the director, Jon M. Chu, I was so excited: he showed to me every frame of the initial sequence with such an enthusiasm, a year before beginning filming it. And the movie is exactly how he pictured it in his head, he made his vision true. He immediately conquered me and I have been on board ever since.

After Bridgeron, even here 'you are the most eligible bachelor in town'. It's an habit.

It's an absolute privilege.

Talking about the scene in the library in the movie, in a review, a journalist praised "the costumist for the line of the pants (very tight) and the director for the framing."

(He laughs) Amazing! You see? The immense joy of doing this job is that you are going to play characters so different from you, like an eligible bachelor.

Wicked invites us to fight for who we are. Does this reminds you of something?

When I was a teenager, I was similar to him, very undisciplined, but in a funny way; I could very well beginning to dance in a library. It was then that I began to sing and dance, so this is basically coming full circle for me. I was very confused about roles at that age, and attracted by strange and intriguing people. I would have definitely befriended Elphaba.

You are very reserved but you talked about homophobia in Hollywood in the past, of when they suggested to hide your own sexuality to be able to get roles. Did things change?

I have never used the word 'homophobia' linked to Hollywood but, yes, things are definitely changing. I have a career I would have never imagined to have before, and it was amazing to be able to do a series like 'Fellow Travelers', to talk about certain aspects of my life and I'm so proud of that project. I think the entire world is evolving and it's better for everyone.

You have started working at 7, you have done Dickens and Shakespeare on theatre, you have worked with Oliver Parker e Shekhar Kapur. Then Shonda arrived and...boom!

I'm feeling very lucky that this happened to me. After every type of experiences through the years, to try to do the right thing, and make a lot of mistakes, years without a job, Bridgerton came and it opened to me many doors. It came out during the pandemic so there were so many variables but the magical moments just fell into the right place. I'm happy and grateful.

Are you still able to take the metro?

I would never give up on that. I'm determined to continue to live a normal life. Something has changed, of course, but in a positive way. It can be a little scary at the beginning, but thankfully I have amazing friends and family, and I've been lucky with my castmates, both over at Wicked and Jurassic World, I have met special people, very generous and sensible who helped me to understand how to adapt to the changes...

Jurassic World. Don't tell me it's another dream that came true...

I'm going to tell you that Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies ever. I still remember when I first went to the cinema to see it. When I came out I was shaken in a way I couldn't comprehend, so imagine the joy in being in it now. Also there is Spielberg as a producer, Gareth Edwards as a director - and I have been a fan of all his movies - I've worked with Mahershala Ali and Scarlett Johansson, another dream coming true. It doesn't start where the last one has ended, it is called Rebirth, and it truly is and there will be many surprises.

Let's get back to Wicked, witches and wizards: what's the magic in your life right now?

Nature. I've realized through the years that nature is able to give me balance, calm and solidity. In the movie, all the scenes with Elphaba and the talking animals moved me, so yeah, nature and the sea...I'm living outside London now, a dream to live a quiet life in the green.

You have often worked in costumes. The more uncomfortable to wear?

When I was little, at my first play, they dressed me up as a water drop. I was six, I was full of blue shimmery fabric that hanged down on my arms and pinched me.

How do you release the tension after a day at work?

I go for a walk, take a bath and listen to a podcast. And listen to music. Today I listened to Bee Gees, and lately I'm listening a lot of Ludovico Einaudi. A great mix of different genres.

Is there a movie that helped you to feel less lonely?

There is a silent short movie, based on a book, The snowman, by Raymond Briggs and talks about a snowman who comes to life and becomes friend with the kid who created him. Together they fly North and meet Santa Claus. It's very poetic and sad because at the end of the story the snowman melts, but it moved me and I could feel the love watching it.

A person who had an impact in your life?

A professor, Dr Brunton. He had a gentle manner about him and encouraged me, it was stimulating. He asked me to read Shakespeare in class with him, and I could feel that he understood me better than anyone else. Even in elementary school, to be fair, there was a teacher who had an important influence on me, Mr Peters. He encouraged all of us to sing, he had been the first one to make me believe I had something special in me.

In the next season of Bridgerton you will become a father. How do you feel about it?

It's an incredible sensation, I feel that son as my own (laughs)... I'm happy that Anthony has found happiness now. New challenges awaits him as a father and I'm sure he will talk to his son about his own father, whom he has lost too soon. That will be a good territory to explore.

Do you remember the precise instant you decided to become an actor?

I have started by chance, I was living in a little town in the countryside and taken dancing lessons in the town hall. That's where they discovered me. At the beginning it was mostly a game, then I've played prince Arthur in King John of the Royal Shakespeare Company and from there I've begun to understand this was what I wanted to do for a living. I realized for the first time on stage the power of playing Shakespeare. I remember thinking: if only I could this for a living I would be the happiest man on earth. That boy couldn't have predicted in a million years what would have happened next, though.

The work helped you to grow?

Yes, because it forces you to bring out what you have inside, even now that I'm an adult it's a continue discovery. It definitely helped me in the process of growing up.

Someone in Wicked says: "As soon as you figure out how to harness your emotions, only the sky is your limit." Have you learned, then?

I have always expressed my emotions with my body language. What I feel and think has always been clear on the outside, but emotions need to intrigue you, you have to understand them and learn to accept them. A certain transparecy is important in relationships. I think I have learned to communicate my emotions better through my work and the experience of others. Yes, I definitely think that without acting I would be a lost man.

Source

[umlewis]

Mercedes gave Hamilton short F1 contract to keep Antonelli option open

Toto Wolff has admitted that the Mercedes Formula 1 team didn’t commit to a longer-term contract with Lewis Hamilton because it didn’t want to risk losing protégé Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Last August, Hamilton signed a two-year contract with the team, which was widely assumed to be fixed for the full term and left open the possibility for Mercedes to take Antonelli in 2026; however, Hamilton was able to use escape clauses to miss the second year and take up an offer from Ferrari, leaving his seat free for 2025 and giving Mercedes the chance to take Antonelli as early as next year. Antonelli, who is just 17 years old, is moving up to Formula 2 with Prema this season, having won Italian F4 in 2022 and the Formula Regional European Championship with the team last year. Wolff has compared the situation with 2014, when the team was keen to sign Max Verstappen but had nowhere to put him, while Red Bull was able to offer him a Toro Rosso seat for the following year. "There was a situation many years ago where we had the opportunity to let Max drive," Wolff told Austrian broadcaster ORF, "and that wasn't possible back then because we simply didn't have a cockpit. Rosberg and Hamilton were tied to us long-term, and Red Bull naturally seized the opportunity. They gave him a contract with Toro Rosso, with the possibility of driving for Red Bull the following year. We then lost the young driver, and you can see how successful he has become, and precisely because we have a junior on the horizon who is really driving at a very high level, I simply wanted to keep this option open. Wolff reiterated what he said in a response to Motorsport.com in Bahrain last week by stating that the newly-vacant 2025 seat is not necessarily being saved for Antonelli, who has yet to start his first F2 race. "That does not mean that we will actually put Antonelli in the car next year," he said. "He is 17 years old, and that might be a bit early. But with a view to the next five or ten years, I just wanted to have this option." Regarding the Italian’s potential, he said: "In a way, he's a wonderkid. He won everything there was to win in karting and then moved into F4. He won all the championships in his rookie year, then moved up a level and won everything there too. Now we've decided to skip F3, partly because there's not much time to test there. Instead, he'll go straight into F2, which is a huge leap for him. These are really big cars with power. Most of the races are part of the F1-supporting programme, so we'll have a good overview there too." Wolff has confirmed that Antonelli will do some private running in a 2022 car, noting that Mercedes will "run a big test programme with him in 2024 and then we'll see, is he ready for 2025? Or for 2026, will there be a different situation?" The conundrum over opting to hold him back until 2026 is that it would require another driver stepping in for 2025 only, assuming that George Russell remains in the other seat and his contract is extended beyond 2025. Wolff said that the driver market will be "incredibly interesting, because really strong people will be available for 2025," and that Mercedes will review the situation "over the next two or three races." He added: "Do we want to rely on experience and perhaps try something new? Or do we want to focus on youth and take the risk that we have a rookie and then have to look at this from a medium- to long-term performance perspective?"

op note: do not leave hate for a 17-year-old literal child in my notifs. absolutely hate on toto all you want tho.

[meow-moment]

Top 5 Tech Controversies of 2025:

1) Google announces a new AI powered home assistant, named "The" to communicate how ubiquitous it is. Everyone who bought a The returns it in less than a week because it can't tell which uses of the word it should respond to.

2) A California politician takes a self-driving car to an event as a publicity move for the company, (which he has stake in.) On his way there, the vehicle gets stuck on a hairpin turn, and an armed gunman who opposes the politician's views happens to be walking by. He is assassinated in the middle of leaving a 2-star review.

3) A wave of backlash washes over numerous towns as newly-elected mayors are found to have used ChatGPT to formulate their campaign promises.

4) King Charles' addresses to the nation suspiciously switch format to prerecorded videos in which he moves very little, leading many to speculate that he died and the royal family are covering it up using deepfake technology.

5) A manager of an Amazon fulfillment center in Taiwan is fired after sexting his The on company time.

[umgeorge]

Russell Wants Automated FIA Safety System To Suspend F1 Races After Accidents

George Russell wants Formula 1 to implement an "automated" safety system to suspend racing after incidents where crashed cars are stranded on track, as the Mercedes driver was in Melbourne.

Russell was left screaming for the race to be stopped after his wrecked W15 had bounced back onto the track and come to rest on its side following a crash while chasing Fernando Alonso. The aftermath of the crash caused considerable concern amongst F1 fans and observers, given the danger. Although the live broadcast cut to Russell's accident as it was progressing, once he had come to a stop it appeared to take a long time before the virtual safety car system was activated, and when it did the Mercedes had already been passed by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. He had to be hurriedly warned by his now former race engineer Ben Michell, who from the Suzuka weekend is acting solely as Aston's head of performance optimisation, as Stroll was approaching the crash site near-blind due to the high-speed nature of the corner where the incident occurred. That knowledge was part of Russell's response over his own team radio in trying to get the race stopped, as was motorsport's tragic recent history where junior drivers Anthoine Hubert and Dilano van 't Hoff were killed after their crashed cars were then struck again in high-speed accidents at Spa. When asked by Motorsport.com if he wanted a new safety system to be implemented to avoid such a situation being repeated in the future, Russell replied: "It was an incredibly uncomfortable position to be in. You're on a blind bend, 250 kilometers an hour, right on the racing line with the car half-upside down, waiting for disaster to happen. Fortunately I had a ten second gap behind me, and I think it was ten or twelve seconds before the virtual safety car came out, but in the space of ten seconds you can have five, six, seven cars if that was on lap one of the race, and probably would have been hit numerous times, even with the yellow flag. We've seen close incidents before where a car comes back; Carlos in 2022 in Japan. I think we need to find a way that, if a car is in a danger zone, automated VSC straight away, within half a second or so, because those seconds count. Lives are at risk. We've seen it at Spa numerous times in the past, cars aquaplaning. I think it's time, with the technology that we have, to make steps in this area." The incident is currently under review by the FIA, which Motorsport.com understands will lead to a major change to the corner concerned for the 2025 Australian GP. It is also understood that, in regard to Russell's wishes for an automated process being put in place as part of a safety system update to cover such incidents, the governing body feels its existing procedures functioned as required in this instance. A yellow flag digital board display was activated 1.2 seconds after Russell hit the barrier, which then became waved double yellows-including physical flags being shown by nearby marshals-5.7 seconds after the crash started. Once 8.1 seconds had passed, the zone of track leading up the crash site had been placed into double yellow status, which is also transmitted to the driver via audio signals and cockpit displays for each car. It has also been suggested that a compounding and significant optics problem in this situation is that it takes several seconds from the VSC system being activated in race control for it to be displayed on TV broadcast graphics.

[chussyracing]

what has been happening in the world of motorsports lately?

F1 Academy will have their own Netflix show with Reese Witherspoon

Courtney Crone joined F1 Academy this weekend as a wildcard entry for QVC

Ruth Buscombe joined F1TV experts for the rest of the season as she serves her gardening leave

Newey has been set aside from the RBR F1 project with immediate effect, he will focus on their hypercar project after Miami to avoid access to any information about 2025 and especially 2026 car prospects

reports of James Vowles meeting with Adrian Newey before Miami appeared, so some journals are speculating about him going to Williams in the future

rumours about Jonathan Wheatley possibly leaving RBR, which have been reported by a few journals, were denied by RBR

Pierre Waché signed a new contract expiring at the end of 2028 with RBR according to Racingnews365 (they say he signed a contract in 2023 but in the recent news and destabilization of the team, he extended this February)

12 members of US Congress wrote an open letter to Liberty Media over the lack of clarity over failed Andretti F1 entry and they are referencing Sherman Antitrust Act

Guenther Steiner is suing Haas for profit, which they owe him for using his image in promotional material

McLaren announced eBay as another official partner of the team

Ferrari Museum is now listed on Airbnb among "icons", the package includes VIP tickets for Imola with Marc Gene, dinner at Cavallino, private tour of Ferrari Museum, hot lap at Fiorano and a sleepover in a bed directly in the museum

Ferrari will bring their biggest upgrade package so far this season in Imola during the next GP

as a part of events remembering Senna and Ratzensberger, Seb Vettel will driver Senna's 1993 McLaren MP4/8 during the race weekend

Netflix posted a teaser for a new short Senna series

Spanish media (or Antonio Lobato specifically) speculated that Carlos Sainz has denied the Audi offer to which Carlos responded that he is still in talks with multiple teams

Valtteri Bottas' race engineer was fire before Miami without any previous discussion with Valtteri - it is a part of the structural changes before the team becomes Audi (probably also considering drivers, because he also said he is talking to teams and has options to stay in F1)

FIA confirmed they received the official request to allow Kimi Antonelli to race before he turns 18 and the voting process will follow, because multiple parties have to make up a decision which demands a rule change

Kimi Antonelli and Mick Schumacher will test W13 in Silverstone for a direct comparison of the two, James Vowles denied Kimi will be driving in Logan's car in Imola in an interview with Lawrence Baretto and then Williams representative spoke to Will Buxton and said they will not be commenting on driver contracts at this time

Fernando Alonso wants to meet up with Ben Sulayem over harsh penalties for Spanish drivers

Aston Martin's right to review the penalty from China has been dismissed (TLDR they submitted a new angle but the evidence wasn't deemed as substantial and new)

after F1 commission postponed the decision over a possible rule change to award 12 point positions instead of just 10, they will now evaluate 20 scored positions instead

stewards asked for a rule change after Kevin's track terrorism this whole weekend lmao

Alpine's upgrades for Imola put them to the weight limit for the first time this season (congrats Este on the singular point)

Lewis drove W12 in New York as a part of the WhatsApp partnership, which also saw the app changing red formula emoji to Mercedes colors

[its-suanneschafer-author]

Continuing my review and summarizing of Project 2025, the GOP 2024 platform, and Trump’s Agenda 47.

1) Trump denies knowledge of Project 2025, a radical conservative Christian manifesto, yet many of his present and former advisors wrote the 900 page document which is a blueprint for the new GOP president starting from day one with massive, sweeping actions that will not only paralyze the government but will ensure chaos for years to come. It is the most detailed look at a future Trump presidency. Trump’s name is mentioned 268 times in the document, so it was certainly written with him in mind. Trump instituted 64% of the policy recommendations that were put out in the 2016 conservative mandate, a blueprint for the Trump administration and which was as right-wing and conservative as the current Project 2025.

2) Agenda 47 collects formal policies Trump plans to put into effect, many of which rely on executive orders and significant expansion of his executive powers. In 2023, Trump campaign officials stated that Project 2025 aligns well with Agenda 47.

These policies include:

A) restriction of Chinese ownership of US infrastructure

B) End the “Biden war” on US energy by eliminating every regulation that hampers domestic production, getting out of the Paris Agreement, and giving fast approval to every oil infrastructure project that comes before his administration 

C) Baseline tariffs on most foreign goods, revoking Chinese Most Favored Nation trade status

D) Decrease trade deficits

E) Not bailing out failing banks, slashing regulations, and repealing Biden’s tax hikes to reduce inflation

F) The Trump Reciprocal Trade Act will tariff other countries’ imports at the same rate they tariff our exports. NB: The costs of these tariffs will be passed on to consumers and will cause more harm than good

G) Gut Biden’s Green New Deal policies and electric cars initiative, and terminate all emission regulations on cars, fossil fuels, etc

H) Dept of Education

1—Cut federal funding for any school or program teaching critical race theory or gender ideology by removing the radicals who have infiltrated the Dept of Education. 

2—Keep men out of women’s sports. 

3—Create a new way to certify teachers based on their patriotism and give preferential treatment to schools that abolish teacher tenure, abolish DEI, and adopt direct election of school principals by parents. 

4—Pursue federal civil rights cases against schools that engage in “equity” by taxing up to the entire amount of their endowment

5—Restore parental rights to control their child’s education; allow parents to hire and fire principals and teachers.

6—Bring back school prayer NB: This includes reading the Bible but doesn’t include any teachings of other religions

7—Allow teachers to carry concealed weapons at school 

8—Immediate expulsion and sentencing to reform school of any student who harms another student or a teacher or use or possession of drugs at school

9—The US government will issue bachelor’s degrees to those who did not finish their degrees by creating a new educational institution aimed at competing with schools already in existence. NB: This is from the man who owes fines from the failure of his own for-profit college.

I) Reinterpret presidential powers so that he has greater control of the government in the White House

(the unitary executive theory).

1—Dismantle the “deep state” and revamp every aspect of the US government. NB: These policies could upset the balance of power between the three branches of the federal government and provoke a constitutional showdown by usurping congressional authority and cutting out any program he doesn’t like or whose proponents have angered him. This is a fascist plan

2—Prevent World War III and end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. NB: The fact that he has buddied up to Putin makes this highly unlikely.

3—Overhaul the entire US defense and intelligence bureaucracies

4—Ask Europe to refund the money we spend to rebuild the stockpiles we sent to Ukraine. NB: Good luck with that

J) Keep Medicare and Social Security intact. NB: Every single congressional Republican—and 43 Senate Republicans—sided with Big Pharma over the American people and blocked an amendment that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 for millions of Americans on private insurance. Thus, Big Pharma and the rich get richer at the cost of the health and lives of the poor. In March 2024, the Republican Study committee which represents 100% of House Republican leadership and 80% of their members proposed yet another budget that would cut the following by $4.5 trillion over 1-0 years: Medicare (transition Medicare to a premium support system that would raise premiums for many seniors), Social Security ($1.5 trillion in cuts) , the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Initiative and increase prescription drugs (removing $35 insulin), energy and housing costs while raising the retirements age plus forcing $5.5. trillion in tax cuts for the very rich.

K) Immigration policy

1—Ban birthright citizenship 

2—End welfare for illegal immigants

3—Massive deportation of immigrants

L) Inflation

1—Build “Freedom Cities” on undeveloped federal land to lower cost of buying a home

2—Build vertical takeoff and landing vehicles

M) Shatter the left-wing censorship regime

L) Law enforcement

1—Increase investment in police personnel, stop illegal drugs

2—Death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers

3—Overhaul federal standards on disciplining minors

4—Concealed carry reciprocity

M) DEI

1—Abandon DEI, terminate any offices, staff, and initiatives connected to DEI

2—Focus on anti-white racism rather than discrimination against people of color

N) Transgender and LBGQI+ rights: Terminate all gender affirming care at any age and terminating federal funding for any hospital or healthcare provider that participates in it

[gaycarboys]

Toyota Unleashes the Tundra Limited in Right Hand Drive

[theuniversitychallengereview]

No Use Crying Over Smashed Mugs

Leaning too far to the left while sitting on my sofa, I nudged my prized blue coffee mug over the edge. If someone had been filming, it would probably have looked like those videos of cats slowly knocking items off of tables, except I did it completely by accident rather than by mischievous design.

A loud smashing sound was the only indication that something had gone wrong. That’s quite a big indication, to be honest, and when I peered over the side I knew what to expect. The mug had landed on the metal base of a standing lamp and been shattered into approximately 15 pieces. This is functionally no different than it being shattered into 1000 pieces, but I was denied the poetic image of such a platonically ideal destruction.

For a moment I decried the loss of the mug, and indeed I recall being far more upset for far longer for the loss of mugs in the past. But this mug was gone. There was nought to be done, and I had, only the day before, come into possession of a new mug. One in, one out, it seems. Such is the way of things.

I bought this mug from Ikea, and it cost me about £2, but it had served me well, and I would honour its memory with a 250 word eulogy.

You Wait Ages For A Bus

Something else which cost £2 and which does deserve a longer period of anger is the £2 price cap on bus tickets, which Labour have announced will be defunct from the start of 2025.

Aside from the fact it will increase the commuting cost of a bus rider by close to £500/year, it will discourage people from using the bus system and drive people into the arms of their cars. At a time when we should be moving towards a world of universal mass transit, this is a deeply regressive move in many ways, and it makes you wonder what the point of this Labour government is.

It is also starkly irritating how governments of all stripes are unable (or unwilling) to see things in any context at all. The bus subsidy will also likely reduce car accidents (fewer cars on the road) and increase economic activity in city centres among a bunch of other potential benefits. So looking at the raw cost of the subsidy doesn’t take the full picture into account, not even slightly.

But its no use crying — it only cost £2 didn’t it?

Special Episode, 1999 - Tabloids vs Broadsheets

Subscribe for weekly reviews of University Challenge, an irreverant take on Britain's quirkiest quiz show

t.co

Edinburgh vs Leeds

I have used the bus in both of the cities represented by the teams who faced off in this week’s University Challenge, Edinburgh and Leeds.

Leeds is a historically underrepresented insitution on University Challenge. It has a student body of nearly 40,000 yet has only been on the show 5 times since 1995, with its last appearance coming in 2011.

Here’s your first starter for ten.

Edinburgh skipper Myles takes the opening points with mist, and they take a full set of bonuses on films with scores by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. He (that’s Myles, not Jonny Greenwood) takes the second starter too, but they only managed a single bonus on the 1924 general election, which was 100 years ago.

I’m now imagining an episode of University Challenge in 2124 in which the contestants are asked about this year’s election. Will someone born in the early 2100s know who Rishi Sunak was? Will they remember that Keir Starmer got rid of £2 bus tickets?

Aiton drops five points with an incorrect interruption before Myles makes it a hat-trick with nit, not, nut on the follow-up.

Edinburgh lead 55 points going into the picture round, which is on gears and it goes to Leeds’ Patel for their first points of the night. One of the bonuses asks for a gearing system named after an invertebrate.

Dadaism gives Aiton redemption and earns Edinburgh a bonus set on the League of Extraordinary Gentleman.

A guess of Dutch by Thomson gets Leeds going again, but they cannot build any momentum and general relativity hands Edinburgh the reins once more. Myles nominates Self to give Zinedine Zidane as an answer to one of the bonuses, which is a wise nomination. If one is not aware of the name Zinedine Zidane then one probably shouldn’t risk trying to pronounce it.

Mellor smashes the music starter with the Eurovision winner Loreen and Edinburgh manage two of the bonuses, giving them a lead of 95 points at the halfway stage.

Is The Comeback On?

Tan starts a Leeds comeback with James II, and they maintain their impetus with strange courtesy of Thomson. Prince Edward Island gives them a third consecutive starter, and they’ve halved their deficit.

Self takes the second picture starter for Edinburgh, but Banerjee Marvin is quickly back on it with the Bloomsbury Group on the next question. Could Leeds complete this unlikely comeback?

Cardinals for Patel closes the gap to 25, and Swansea for Thompson makes it 15. Their work on the bonuses isn’t good enough though, and Edinburgh stay ahead.

Mellor and Myles grab a couple of starters for Edinburgh, but they too struggle on the bonuses. A neg from Myles then opens the door for Leeds, but they can’t go through it and end the game 50-points adrift, tied on points with two other high-scoring losers.

No, it isn’t on.

Leeds 125–175 Edinburgh

The Scottish quartet slacked off a bit towards the end, but did enough to get over the line. Rajan tells Leeds that they have a chance of going through, but I don’t think they do.

The other sides who scored 125 points lost to teams scoring 240 and 275, so surely a 175–125 loss won’t be enough, regardless of what happens in the final two first-round matches.

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[mariacallous]

After officially hiking tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports earlier this month, the US government is getting even more serious about keeping China-made autos out of the country. On Monday, the US Commerce Department proposed a new rule that would ban some Chinese- and Russian-made automotive hardware and software from the US, with software restrictions starting as early as 2026.

The Biden administration says the move is needed for national security reasons, given how central technology is to today’s increasingly sophisticated cars. In announcing the proposed ban, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo cited vehicles’ internet-connected cameras, microphones, and GPS equipment. “It doesn't take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of US citizens,” she said.

The US government’s move comes as China has dramatically increased the number of affordable vehicles, and especially electric ones, it makes and sells overseas. Chinese auto exports grew by more than 30 percent in just the first half of this year, setting off alarm bells in Europe and the US, where officials worry inexpensively made Chinese vehicles could overwhelm domestic industry. The US and Europe had moved to make it harder and more expensive for China to sell its autos in those regions, but the Chinese automakers have responded by setting up manufacturing bases in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Mexico—all of which might one day provide a loophole to allow more Chinese-designed and engineered vehicles into new Western markets.

Still, the proposed rule focuses on security rather than competition. Raimondo had previously raised the specter of foreign actors using hijacked connected car technology to cause mayhem on the US public roads. “Imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese connected vehicles on American roads that could be immediately and simultaneously disabled by somebody in Beijing,” she said in February.

That situation isn’t quite realistic, given how few Chinese and Russian firms supply automotive software or hardware in the US right now. A proposed software and hardware ban is more preemptive than a response to any immediate security risk, says Steve Man, the global head of auto research at Bloomberg Intelligence, a research and advisory firm. “PRC and Russian automakers do not currently play a significant role in the US auto market, and US drivers right now are safe,” a senior Biden administration official told WIRED.

Because the rule would apply to any connected vehicle, not just electric ones, it would create even stronger prohibitions against Chinese-made auto tech. "If the 100 percent tariffs on made-in-China EVs were a wall, the proposed ban on connected vehicles would be a death sentence for China EV Inc. aiming to enter the US,” says Lei Xing, the former chief editor at China Auto Review and an independent analyst. Under such a rule, he says, the prospects of seeing Chinese EVs on sale in the US in the coming decade is “nearly zero.”

If finalized, the new rule would only apply to automotive hardware and software able to receive or process radio frequency communications, and software integrated into vehicles’ automated driving systems, the Commerce Department says. It would not apply to autos’ “passive” parts, including fasteners and plastic covers. The rules would begin to take effect in model year 2027 vehicles and be fully implemented by 2030.

The rule will now move to a public comment period, and the Commerce Department would likely finalize it before President Joe Biden leaves office in early 2025.

The US auto industry seems to believe the rules are a step in the right direction. In a statement, John Bozzella, the president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation trade group, called the government's process of developing the proposed rules “thoughtful.” While their lead time would allow some auto manufacturers to find new software and hardware suppliers, he said, “the required transition but may be too short for others.”

​​Chinese tech and auto companies—including Huawei, Tencent, Baidu, BYD, and Geely—have invested heavily in developing their own software and hardware for self-driving cars. But so far these products are almost all used on cars sold in the Chinese markets.

The US government has used similar logic to push back against the incursion of other Chinese technology in the US. In 2022, it banned the approval of some equipment from the Chinese telecommunications firms Huawei and ZTE, also citing national security concerns. This spring, President Joe Biden signed a law that would force TikTok’s parent company, the Chinese firm ByteDance, to divest from the social media app or face a ban. TikTok has challenged the law in court.

The US government’s proposed ban on Chinese connected vehicle software is similar, says Man, the auto analyst. “This is a TikTok move,” he says.