David Lidsky's Blog, page 292

December 13, 2024

SpaceX wants to turn its Starbase site into a Texas city

It’s not the first time turning Starbase into its own city has been floated. Musk pitched the idea before in 2021.

SpaceX is launching a new mission: making its Starbase site a new Texas city.

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Published on December 13, 2024 17:30

How Trump’s plans for tariffs and deregulation could hurt the U.S. seafood industry 

The seafood industry, which is international in nature, could be seriously disrupted if Trump imposes a 25% tax on products from Canada.

The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy—seafood—and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs.

Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive to consumers.
Conservationists also fear Trump’s emphasis on government deregulation could jeopardize fish stocks that are already in peril.

But many in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries said they are excited for Trump’s second presidency. They said they expect he’ll allow fishing in protected areas as he did in his first presidency, crack down on offshore wind expansion and cut back regulations they describe as burdensome. And they expect a marked shift from the administration of President Joe Biden, who prioritized ocean conservation and championed wind power from the start.

The seafood industry isn’t hungry for another tariff war, which hurt fishermen during Trump’s first term, said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. But she said the new Trump administration has a unique chance to throw its support behind U.S. fishermen.

“I think we should be focused on feeding Americans,” Casoni said. “The ‘America First’ administration I think will make that point loud and clear. Know where your food is coming from.”

But the seafood industry, which is international in nature, could be seriously disrupted if Trump goes through with a plan to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada, said John Sackton, a longtime industry analyst and founder of Seafood News. Canada is the largest seafood market for the U.S. for both imports and exports, and nearly a sixth of the seafood imported by the U.S. is from its northern neighbor, according to federal statistics published in November. In total about 80% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported.

Losing Canada—an especially important buyer of American lobster—as a market for U.S. seafood could cause prices to fishermen to collapse, Sackton said. And some products could become unavailable while others become more expensive and still others oversupplied, he said. He described the seafood industry as “interdependent on both sides of the border.”

In Canada, members of the country’s seafood industry are watching closely to see what changes Trump ushers in, said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“A potential trade war will cost everyone more (in Canada and the U.S.) and cause damage to the seafood section in Canada and the United States,” Irvine said via email. “We are working with allies in Canada and the U.S. to send this message to all governments.”

One of the major changes for fishermen under a new Trump administration is that they can expect to have a seat at the table when high-level decisions get made, said representatives for several commercial fishing groups. Last time around, Trump sat down with fishermen and listened to their concerns about loss of fishing rights in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a nearly 5,000-square mile (13,000 square kilometers) protected area off New England, said Robert Vanasse, executive director of industry advocate Saving Seafood.

That goodwill is likely to carry over into Trump’s new presidency. And the industry feels it has already scored a win with election of a president who is an outspoken critic of offshore wind power, said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney who represents the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Sustainable Scalloping Fund. Fishermen of valuable seafoods such as scallops and lobsters have long opposed offshore wind development because of concerns wind power will disrupt prime fishing grounds.

“There is excitement in the industry that offshore wind will basically be contained to its existing footprint and nothing beyond that,” Minkiewicz said.

Others in the industry said they’re concerned about how Trump will handle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that regulates fisheries. The undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, who is currently the Biden-appointed Rick Spinrad, will be one of Trump’s key appointees. Trump went through three different administrators at the post during his first term of office.

The industry has recently suffered major recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and trade hostilities with another major trading partner in Russia, and isn’t in a position to withstand unstable leadership, said Noah Oppenheim, coordinator for Fishing Communities Coalition, which represents small-scale commercial fishing groups.

“The Fishing Communities Coalition is always deeply concerned that any administration’s shifts away from a fishery management focus on conservation and accountability will do serious lasting damage to the industry,” Oppenheim said.

Conservation groups who have pushed for stricter vessel speed rules and new fishing standards, such as new gear that is less likely to harm whales, said they’re also waiting to see the direction Trump takes fisheries and ocean policy. They said they’re hopeful progress made under Biden can withstand a second Trump presidency.

“It would be extraordinarily short-sighted for the incoming administration to ignore the science and set off a fishing free-for-all that will only hurt fisheries—and healthy oceans—in the long run,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney with Defenders of Wildlife.

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Published on December 13, 2024 16:57

Texas is seeing a surge in carbon capture permits for its oil fields. Here’s why experts are worried

Researchers are concerned about the unprecedented volume of carbon that companies hope to bury in oil fields.

Texas has seen surging interest from companies hoping to bury carbon dioxide in its oilfields, putting the state at the vanguard of a government-subsidized program to fight climate change.

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Published on December 13, 2024 16:31

Meta wants Threads to be more like Bluesky. Again

For the third time this past month, Meta announced changes to Threads that appear to be inspired by its increasingly formidable rival Bluesky.

The surest sign a social media platform is winning: when Meta starts cribbing notes from it.

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Published on December 13, 2024 16:03

December 12, 2024

If you invested in Apple’s IPO 44 years ago, here’s what your shares would be worth today

Apple raised roughly $100 million in its IPO in 1980. Today, it’s worth more than $3 trillion. But the stock hasn’t always seemed like a good investment.

On December 12, 1980, a few hours after the opening bell rang on Wall Street, shares of Apple Computer officially began trading. The numbers, by today’s standards, weren’t that impressive.

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Published on December 12, 2024 21:00

‘I’m not understanding this trend’: TikTok is divided on the Sofia Richie Grainge dance

Some users are confused as to why anyone is paying attention to the creator’s very casual two-step in the first place.

Who’d have thought Sofia Richie Grainge two-stepping on TikTok could cause such a stir online? 

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Published on December 12, 2024 20:33

ParkMobile might owe you money. Here’s how data-breach victims can submit a claim for cash

Personal data collected by the parking app was accessed by an unauthorized party in 2021. The company has agreed to settle a lawsuit but admits no wrongdoing.

Finally, some good news for consumers who have been the target of a data breach.  

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Published on December 12, 2024 20:31

Australia wants to tax Meta, Alphabet, and other platforms if they don’t pay for news

The tax would apply from January 1 to tech companies that earn more than AU$250 million ($160 million) a year in revenue from Australia.

The Australian government said Thursday it will tax large digital platforms and search engines unless they agree to share revenue with Australian news media organizations.

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Published on December 12, 2024 19:45

What is ‘debanking’ and why are Marc Andreesen and Silicon Valley talking about it?

Claims of debanking first gained traction during the Biden administration, as the government intensified its crackdown on the crypto industry.

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen’s recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast introduced many to the concept of debanking. In essence, this is when bank accounts get closed by the bank rather than the customer. However, during the podcast the tech billionaire described debanking as a “privatized sanctions regime” targeting unpopular political groups, notably, conservatives and crypto and fintech founders, turning the talking point into a political cudgel.  

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Published on December 12, 2024 19:14

Macy’s increases its list of doomed locations to 65 stores by the end of January 2025

With its net sales down 2.4% year over year, the retail giant is closing even more underperforming stores, Macy’s shared in an earnings call.

Macy’s CEO Tony Spring said Thursday on a Q3 earnings call that the retailer will close about 65 locations by the end of January 2025, which is an additional 15 stores more than what was previously planned. Adrian Mitchell, Macy’s chief financial officer, said the store closures were limited to underperforming locations.

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Published on December 12, 2024 19:05

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