Friday, January 15, 2021

The best cities to work from home

With more office employees working at home amid the pandemic, greater emphasis has been placed on access to productivity-enabling services in cities across the country. According to a recent survey from a firm that compares the home services in different markets, San Antonio is the best major city for remote work based on technology and housing resources. Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston and San Diego rounded out the top five, respectively. (In My Area)

More in US expect earnings bump

Financial confidence is rising across the U.S., according to Workforce Confidence Index. In the most recent survey, nearly 32% of respondents say they believe their earned income will increase in the next six months. That’s up from the 23% reported in July and the 28% reported in October. The expectation of extra earnings is leading more workers to also say they will increase their personal savings (36%) and spending (14%). Optimism is strongest among millennials (approximately ages 25 to 40), with 41% anticipating a pay boost in the near future. (LinkedIn)

Tesla to recall almost 160,000 cars

Tesla has been asked to recall 158,716 vehicles by safety regulators. Following an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the electric car maker should recall certain models,  including Model S sedans built between 2012 and 2018 and Model X SUVs built from 2016 to 2018, due to failing touchscreen displays. The issue is considered a safety one as the touchscreen controls the backup camera, as well as alerting drivers when the vehicle’s Autopilot system is on. The recall, which Tesla can refuse, affects about 10% of all vehicles produced through the end of 2020. (CNBC)

Driver’s ‘illegal’ ham sandwiches seized at Dutch border under EU rules

A driver travelling from the UK had his ham sandwiches confiscated by Dutch border guards, who said they were now prohibited under post-Brexit rules. Video shows an official handling one of the contraband snacks, neatly wrapped in foil, as he asks its owner: “Do you have meat on all the bread or not?” When he replies he does, he’s told: “Yeah, okay, then we take them all.” The driver asks if they can “take off the meat and leave me the bread?”, but is informed that “everything will be confiscated”. “Welcome to the Brexit sir, I’m sorry,” says the smirking border official at the Hook of Holland. The UK and the EU finally negotiated a trade deal at the end of last year, meaning many rules have now changed. (Sky News)

Resident Drives Military-Style Tank Through Residential Streets

Residents of the usually quiet South Florida community of Palmetto Bay are buzzing after spotting one of their neighbors riding his military style tank down residential roads. Many were confused by the sight and wondered if it’s even allowed and apparently it is. The tanks belong to the person who lives on a gated property. Despite the fact that the tank is legal, it’s too close for comfort for some neighbors. Tanks have been around for more than a hundred years, but usually you see them on the battlefield. A quick check on the internet reveals sites selling the heavy-duty machinery, sometimes for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The tanks in Palmetto Bay are British grade. Those allowed inside the gate on this day were a security vehicle, and two Miami-Dade police vehicles. Authorities say as long as the guns to the tanks aren’t functional, and apparently they aren’t, tanks are allowed there. (Miami CBS)

Intoxicated suspect arrested in stolen tiki hut boat off Florida Keys

Authorities in the Florida Keys arrested a suspect accused of stealing a tiki hut boat. According to the US Coast Guard, crews from their Key West station recovered a reportedly stolen boat that doubles as a tiki hut bar. The boat was found near Hawk’s Channel off the coast of the Keys. The Coast Guard said the person aboard showed signs of intoxication and was taken into custody by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers. “Don’t drink and boat!” the Coast Guard tweeted. (United States Coast Guard Southeast Twitter)

Man Has Rs 1,800 Crore in Bitcoin, But Can’t Get a Penny as He Lost His Password

One man, who was one such early investor of Bitcoin from back when its value was in mere single-digit (or at best double-digit) dollars, currently owns 7,002 Bitcoin. In a bid to keep things safe for the long run, he stored all of his Bitcoin keys in a tiny, encrypted hard drive called IronKey, the digital equivalent of the medieval cryptex. However, there is a catch to storing things in IronKey – anyone in possession of the drive will get 10 attempts to unlock it by entering the right password, failing which the drive will encrypt itself forever, no second chances ever. Unfortunately, he happens to have forgotten his password, and to make matters worse, has already exhausted eight of his 10 chances at entering the right password. The excruciating truth? Today his 7,002 Bitcoin are worth $245 million, or almost Rs 1,800 crore. Unlike equities or any commodity for that matter, Bitcoin is not attached to any material of physical value, as a result of which the transactions that fluctuate its valuation cannot be controlled by any regulatory body. While he would today rue his luck, and in his own words, “spend sleepless nights” thinking about that one forsaken password, there is no guarantee that he can hold on to his wealth forever unless he manages to find some way to cash in on it soon. (News 18)

Dog saves her human’s life after he fell into a brook and became severely hypothermic

A yellow Labrador saved her human’s life recently when she led deputies to the brook where he had fallen and was suffering from hypothermia. A woman called the Sheriff’s Office when she heard yelling coming from the woods behind her home in Limington, Maine. When deputies arrived at her home, they found a 3-year-old yellow Lab who was trying desperately to get their attention. The Lab led the deputies to a brook, where her 84-year-old human had fallen into a brook and was suffering from severe hypothermia. His body temperature had fallen to a life-threatening 84 degrees Fahrenheit, the sheriff’s office said. Hypothermia can set in when the human body’s internal temperature falls to 95 degrees and becomes life-threatening if it slips below 90 degrees. The man’s son told deputies that his father, who is legally blind, followed the brave pup after she ran into the woods. He tripped and fell into the brook, where he yelled for help until succumbing to exhaustion and the cold, the sheriff’s office said. (Bangor Daily News)

Two men arrested after returning to rental car company to retrieve drugs

The Albany County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a City of Albany man and a City of Schenectady man on drug charges. Earlier this week, deputies of the Albany County, New York Sheriff’s Office were alerted by a rental car company at Albany International Airport that an individual had left drugs in the vehicle they returned. Upon the deputies’ arrival, they encountered the two 26-year-old men who had returned to the airport to retrieve the drugs they forgot in the car. After interviewing, one man was discovered to have in his possession 140 glassine envelopes containing heroin, over 35 grams of MDMA, 62 counterfeit oxycodone pills pressed with fentanyl, 10 suboxone strips, marijuana, and over $5,600. The other man was found to have marijuana on himself. (News 10)

Man jailed for beating up his mother after she refused to reveal her ATM card’s PIN

A man attacked his elderly mother with her walking stick after she refused to disclose the personal identification number (PIN) of her automated teller machine (ATM) card. He even threatened to cut all of the 77-year-old’s fingers with a knife. She was so badly injured that she only crawled out of bed the next day. The 56-year-old man was sentenced to jail for five years and three months yesterday (1/14). He pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt to his mother while robbing her and subsequently failing to report to the police for investigations. One other charge of possessing a false Singapore passport was taken into consideration during sentencing by a District Judge. (The Straits Times)

Human remains’ find turned out to be a potato

A dog walker in northeast England sparked a large-scale police search after reporting suspected human remains in a muddy field. But the suspected grisly find turned out to be a potato, officers said. Northumbria Police said specialist teams and sniffer dogs were sent to scour the field in the Winlaton area of Gateshead, after a concerned member of the public contacted them earlier this week. An accompanying photograph sent to officers appeared to show a human foot, the force said on its Facebook page. “Eventually we tracked down the ‘scene’ only to discover the toe was in fact a potato with a mushroom growing next to it,” a spokesman said. “We can only praise the vigilance of the woman who made the call and if anyone does come across suspected human remains, please do the same and give us a call. If it does turn out to be a vegetable, our police dogs will thank you for the treat!” (The Express Tribune)

Magic mushrooms grew in man’s blood after he injected them as a tea

A U.S. man was hospitalized with organ failure after he injected himself with a tea made from psychedelic mushrooms, which later started growing in his veins. The 30-year-old unidentified patient ultimately survived. Doctors say the patient had tried to use the so-called “magic” mushrooms as an alternative treatment for his bipolar disorder, after skipping his usual course of medications. Psychedelic mushrooms contain psilocybin, a drug that causes intense hallucinations when ingested through food or drink. According to the case report, the unidentified man made a tea out of some mushrooms, then ran it through a filter and injected it into his body. He fell ill a few days later, and showed symptoms of jaundice, diarrhea, fatigue and nausea. He also vomited blood. The man’s family rushed him to a Nebraska hospital, but he was too confused to answer doctors’ questions about his health. Doctors ran a battery of tests and found that his liver was damaged, his kidneys weren’t functioning properly and he was on the verge of organ failure. They also conducted a blood test and were shocked by what they found: the pulverized mushrooms had begun sprouting in the darkness of the man’s bloodstream. Doctors put the man on a ventilator to keep him breathing and gave him antibiotics and antifungals to stamp out the spores. He ultimately spent 22 days in hospital and will remain on the antifungals and antibiotics over the long term, doctors say. Researchers have been investigating psilocybin as a treatment for anxiety and depression for years, but the research does not recommend injecting mushroom tea, or any hallucinogenic drug, for that matter, straight into your veins. (Global News)

Nazi monkey, goats main attraction at Russian state-run circus

An investigation has been launched into a Russian state-circus featuring a variety of animals with Nazi symbols, most notably a monkey wearing a Nazi uniform. The act in question was specifically commissioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for show in the city of Izhevsk earlier this month, the day after the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas. Images and clips of the event circulated over social media, which depicted a woman in Soviet military uniform leading a monkey in a Nazi uniform around the ring, as well as goats with swastika-blankets draped across their backs. The act was one of a few different history-themed performances at the circus that day, with other ones including a tribute to the anniversary of the end of Russia’s victory over Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion in 1812, and another commemorating the turning point for the Battle of Moscow. It also reportedly included portions covering the role of the church in Russian history. (The Jerusalem Post)

Friday Gets Freaky With:

• Alpha Kappa Alpha Day
• Bagel Day
• Bean Day
• Booch Day
• Hat Day
• Humanitarian Day
• International Fetish Day (3rd Friday)
• Thank Your Mentor Day