Monday, December 2, 2019

IT may have an age problem

Despite  record high job openings and difficulty recruiting talent, information  technology is taking a pass on older workers. The sector notoriously  skews young, with employees aged 22 to 44 comprising 61% of IT compared  to 49% of the overall U.S. workforce. Employers say they’re hesitant to  onboard older workers due to skill discrepancies and costs, but with 80%  of employers also citing recruiting tech talent as one of their biggest  business challenges, companies may be be finding it harder to overlook  candidates. (The Wall Street Journal)

Tesla Vs. Ford: The Cybertruck And F-150 Pickup Will Face Off In A Fair Tug-Of-War

Following  the much anticipated release of the Tesla Cybertruck, when CEO Elon  Musk took a swipe at Ford’s F-150 electric pickup, it looks like the two  vehicles will finally go head-to-head in a fair test, after Musk  accepted a challenge from a Ford vice president on Twitter. When  showcasing the new Tesla Cybertruck recently, Musk pulled up a  promotional video of the electric pickup in a tug of war with a Ford  F-150,  the bestselling vehicle in the U.S. Later, he tweeted a clip, in  which his pickup pulled the screeching Ford model up a hill without any  trouble, but critics were quick to argue that the test wasn’t balanced  and was unfavorable to the F-150. The  video apparently shows a two-wheel drive version of the F-150 running  on old tires up against an all-wheel drive version of the Cybertruck,  which is significantly heavier in the rear-end (the Ford didn’t have any  weight put on its back wheels). The vice president at Ford challenged Musk to send over a Cybertruck for a true “apples to apples” tug-of-war test. Musk replied: “bring it on,” agreeing to the request for a more balanced tug-of-war battle between the two pickups. (Forbes)

Tennessee man discovers half-naked men in the crawlspace under his home

A  Tennessee man was startled when he saw an eye peering back at him  through a hole in his flooring and discovered two half-naked men with  chemicals used for making methamphetamine. The homeowner was watching  television when he said he heard a loud sound from the flooring at his  home. When he went to investigate, he saw a hole where his radiator  connection used to be. When he called to the man, he said the response  he gave was incoherent. That’s when he noticed the man was very dirty  and was not wearing shoes or a shirt. He also believed the man was on  drugs. He then warned his intruder that he had a rifle for his security.  When police officers arrived, they discovered a 24-year-old black man  in the crawlspace but did not find the man that the home owner described  to them. He says he saw a man similar to the one he saw through the  floorboards in a surveillance video from a nearby bar. He found muriatic  acid outside the entrance to his crawlspace, which made him suspect  they were trying to find other ingredients to make methamphetamine. The  owner went to the media in order to warn people about leaving entrances  to their homes unlocked. (13 News Now)

America has a new public enemy

Americans  are being bombarded with robocalls, receiving a record 2,000 spam calls  per second in October on top of nearly 49 billion robocalls so far this  year. And the fraudulent calls are more than just annoying. Robocalls  from alleged Social Security officials have cost Americans some $30  million this year, with one victim sending nearly $340,000 to scammers.  Inexpensive internet-phone technology has given criminals a new way to  lure victims, spelling trouble unwary individuals on the other end of  the line. (The Wall Street Journal)

Police respond to a surprise home invasion in the form of a buck

An  Edmond, Oklahoma family received quite the surprise in the form of a  deer, according to police. The home invasion took place while the family  was eating dinner. Police say a six point buck came crashing through a  storm door in the family’s home and began running throughout. The family  called the police, who sent both officers and their Animal Service  Officers to the scene. Police say the buck managed to shut himself  inside the master bathroom “toilet room”. Officers were able to  rope the buck’s one remaining antler, as he had suffered significant  damage to himself during this event, and were able to get him out of the  home. Unfortunately, police say the buck had to be euthanized due to  the injuries he had suffered. A spokeswoman of the Edmond Police  Department said to her knowledge, this was the first deer home intruder  call they had received. (KJRH)

A Pennsylvania bill would require death certificates for fertilized eggs that never implant in the uterus

Anti-abortion  lawmakers in Pennsylvania want to pass a bill that would require health  providers to arrange burials or cremations for all of a person’s “fetal remains,”  which under the lawmakers’ terms, includes fertilized eggs that never  implanted in the uterus. But fertilized eggs must divide to become the  ball of cells that implants in the uterus for a pregnancy to occur. The  proposed bill also means health providers would have to obtain death  certificates for all fertilized, but not implanted, eggs, since in order  to to obtain a burial permit, you first have to obtain a death  certificate, according to a staff attorney at the Pennsylvania-based  Women’s Law Project. “The bill is written in a misleading way,” she said.  If the bill, known as the “Pennsylvania Final Disposition of Fetal Remains Act,”  passes and isn’t followed, it could result in a $50 to $300 fine or up  to 30 days in prison for providers. The problem is women, and even their  doctors, can’t track when or how many fertilized eggs don’t implant in  the uterus because those eggs typically dissolve in utero and are shed  through a woman’s menstrual lining every month, making them  undetectable. (Insider)

Twitterpocalypse averted

Twitter  says it’s putting plans to remove inactive accounts on hold following  consumer backlash, vowing to first find a way to memorialize dead users.  The social media behemoth had been preparing for a massive cull,  targeting users who have been dormant for more than six months because  they haven’t agreed to its updated privacy policies. It’s the first time  the site, which has 145 million “monetizable” daily active users, had taken the decision to delete accounts on such a large scale. (BBC)

PG&E loses fire liability bid

PG&E’s  attempt to reduce its liability in relation to California wildfires has  failed. The state’s largest utility, which filed for Chapter 11  protection in January, was unable to convince a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge to  limit the amount it owes for homes and businesses destroyed by 2017 and  2018 wildfires linked to its equipment. The Judge ruled that the  principle of “inverse condemnation” applied to the company, which estimates it faces damage claims of more than $30 billion. (Washington Post)

Cattle ranchers take on fake meat

Cattle  ranchers are in the middle of a battle royal against the meatless  burger craze. Over the past two years, the beef industry has pushed for  regulation on the use of terms like “beef” and “meat,”  which has resulted in stricter labeling laws in 12 states. With U.S.  meat sales down 0.4% in the past 12 months through October, it’s no  wonder the beef industry is on the defense. In addition to pushing for  more label scrutiny, they’re also ramping up campaigns to highlight the  nutritional benefits of meat while comparing rivals to dog food. (The Wall Street Journal)

Monday Returns As:

• Cyber Monday (Monday After Thanksgiving)
• Cider Monday (First Monday after Thanksgiving)
• International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Day
• National Fritters Day
• National Mutt Day
• Safety Razor Day
• Special Education Day