The dismissals come at a crucial point for the company, which is pushing to increase vehicle production five-fold and reach a broader market with its new Model 3 sedan. The electric vehicle maker missed targets for producing the lower-cost sedan, manufacturing only 260 last quarter despite a wait list of more than 450,000 customers.
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Space out with planets in Google Maps
Twenty years ago, the spacecraft Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral on a journey to uncover the secrets of Saturn and its many moons. During its mission, Cassini recorded and sent nearly half a million pictures back to Earth, allowing scientists to reconstruct these distant worlds in unprecedented detail. Now you can visit these places—along with many other planets and moons—in Google Maps right from your computer. For extra fun, try zooming out from the Earth until you’re in space!
Very cool.
Owner of dozens of malls says they won’t be open on Thanksgiving
I think this is a great idea. We’ll all be madly shopping soon enough. Let Thanksgiving not be one of those days.
Irvue for macOS
I’m a big fan of Unsplash and this desktop app lets you tap into their collection of gorgeous images.
Elon Musk calls someone a nerd
Over the weekend, Elon Musk had a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything). If you are into cars or rockets, this is an exceptional read, full of nerdy detail.
But this one back and forth moment jumped out at me:
Q: The concept of an internet connection on Mars is kinda awesome. You could theoretically make an internet protocol that would mirror a subset of the internet near Mars. A user would need to queue up the parts of the internet they wanted available and the servers would sync the relevant data. There could be a standard format for pages to be Mars renderable since server-side communication is impractical.
ELON MUSK: Nerd.
Musk does go on to answer the question, but I loved the response. Musk is human.
Why photos of the Eiffel Tower at night are Illegal
A weird, annoying quirk of EU and copyright law.
UPS dogs
I love dogs but, having been a delivery driver, I know the stress dogs can create. This is a fun Facebook page showing some of the wonderful dogs UPS drivers encounter during their day.
Shooting the strange, uncanny death rituals of the Torajans
When viewed through my “Western” eyes, The death rituals of this group of Indonesians seems grotesque. But after reading the story, maybe the way we treat the dead in the West is what is grotesque.
Qualcomm files lawsuit in China to ban iPhone production
The San Diego-based company aims to inflict pain on Apple in the world’s largest market for smartphones and cut off production in a country where most iPhones are made. The product provides almost two-thirds of Apple’s revenue. Qualcomm filed the suits in a Beijing intellectual property court claiming patent infringement and seeking injunctive relief, according to Christine Trimble, a company spokeswoman.
Damn!
Apple investigating issue with GarageBand and iOS 11
Apple has posted a support document noting that they are “aware of the issue” and are “investigating solutions” for an issue where some users are unable to open GarageBand after updating to iOS 11.
25 bad luck superstitions from around the world
I’ve always been fascinated by superstitions and their origins. Many of these are common to us here in North America and some seem “silly”. My mom was very superstition – for example, she thought it was bad luck to let a rocking chair rock with no one in it. What are your “odd” superstitions?
International “Verify Your Backups” Day!
This is just as fake as any of the made up “International Day of…” you see on Twitter but this one actually has a great message – your backups are useless if they can’t be used to restore your data.
Movies Anywhere: What you need to know
With Movies Anywhere, you can watch most of those digital movies across all of your connected accounts. Well, at least all of the ones connected to supported services, which currently are Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, and Vudu. Here’s everything you need to know about Movies Anywhere.
I don’t have this problem because I only purchase content from iTunes, but I know a lot of people that do have multiple accounts. Lory Gil did a nice article explaining how Movies Anywhere works.
Hullo: Stop Tossing and Turning on Your Sad Old Pillow
Thanks to Hullo for sponsoring the Loop this week. A hot, sweaty, flat pillow will wake even the deepest sleeper. Soft traditional pillows collapse under the weight of your head which can cause strains in your neck, shoulders and back. They also retain body heat, which can make sleep uncomfortably warm. It’s time to abandon tradition and try something new!
Have You Ever Slept on a Buckwheat Pillow?
They’re totally different than the soft spongey pillows you’re used to. A buckwheat pillow is sort of like a beanbag for your head. Their unique and firm support simply can’t be matched by traditional pillows. The buckwheat hull filling will perfectly conform to the shape of your head and neck, providing comfortable support all night long. Buckwheat pillows also allow air to move freely though your pillow, preventing uncomfortable heat build up. Sleep on the cool side of the pillow all night long!
Try our buckwheat pillow, Hullo, for 60 nights. If it’s not for you, ship it back to us it for a full refund.

Samsung in “unprecedented crisis” says vice chairman
“It is something I had been thinking long and hard about for quite some time. It has not been an easy decision, but I feel I can no longer put it off,” Vice Chairman Kwon said “As we are confronted with unprecedented crisis…
I’m willing to bet you could search for a long time and not see the words “unprecedented crisis” in a company’s own press release.
Taking “better pictures”
Like Ric, I have this conversation on a regular basis and his advice mirrors mine. As I teach in my classes for beginners, the camera you have really doesn’t matter. What you know about it specifically and photography in general are much more important.
“Stranger Things” season 2 final trailer
I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward more to a “kid’s show”.
Waymo demands $1 billion in settlement talks with Uber
Alphabet Inc’s Waymo sought at least $1 billion in damages and a public apology from Uber Technologies Inc as conditions for settling its high-profile trade secret lawsuit against the ride-services company, sources familiar with the proposal told Reuters.
They also want a public apology for stealing their trade secrets.
50 years later, the Apollo 11 command module still dazzles
One of my biggest thrills in visiting the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum was seeing the Apollo 11 command module. If it comes to a city near you, you owe it to yourself to go to the exhibit.
Using Long Exposure in iOS 11’s Photos app
Anyone who has used a DSLR to take long exposure shots will look at this technique with a little bit of envy. The iPhone shots aren’t perfect but they are damn good all things considered.
What’s inside all the iPhones
This is unabashed gadget porn. It won’t be of much value to the average user but, if you’re the kind of person who likes to take electronics apart, this is the page for you.
Apple releases iOS 11.0.3
Apple on Wednesday released iOS 11.0.3 with a couple of important updates for users. According to Apple, the update fixes an issue where audio and haptic feedback would not work on some iPhone 7 and 7 Plus devices. The update also addresses an issue where touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone 6s displays because they were not serviced with genuine Apple parts.
You can download the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
iPhone enters supercycle, watch demand second to none
Interesting predictions on a supercycle and Watch demand. I bet they come true.
This app lets you upload to Instagram directly from your desktop
I don’t often need to do this but it’s a nice option to have.
Apple’s paper and packaging strategy
A link to this PDF showed up in my email box. It’s an interesting document that shows Apple’s wonderfully clever packaging goes hand in hand with a commitment to minimizing their environmental impact.
Apple’s Tim Cook on iPhones, augmented reality, and how he plans to change your world
Apple made an obvious bet on AR vs VR and it looks like it will pay off handsomely for them.
64 percent of Americans own an Apple product
The CNBC All-America Economic Survey finds that 64 percent of Americans now own an Apple product, up from 50 percent when the question was last asked five years ago. The average American household reports owning 2.6 Apple products, up by a full Apple product from the 2012 survey.
“I cannot think of any other product — especially any other product at a high price point — that has that kind of permeation with the public and level of growth,” said Jay Campbell, pollster with Hart Research, which conducted the survey along with Public Opinion Strategies.
Absolutely incredible when you think about it.
Pixelmator for iOS adds Drag and Drop
One of my favorite apps on iOS has been updated adding a number of new features, including Drag and Drop. According to Pixelmator, these are the new features available in the update: Pixelmator for iOS is now fully compatible with … Continued
Netflix fends off criticism over Canada investment
Netflix Inc said on Tuesday it had received formal approval to start a C$500 million production unit in Canada and sought to quell talk that it had asked for special tax benefits for investing in its first such unit outside the United States.
I don’t understand the criticism. A company should ask for all the deals it can, including tax breaks. If a country, city, state, or province doesn’t want the business, jobs, and investment, someone else will.
This new app gives the working poor an easy way to seamlessly start saving
Fast Company: For minimum wage workers, a small emergency can mean financial disaster. A new app called Onward makes it easy for them to automatically set aside a few dollars each week to start an emergency fund. An app from … Continued