Author: wildgreenquest@gmail.com
XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng speaks at the launch of the Xpeng GX on the opening day of the Beijing Auto Show in Beijing on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Danai Howard / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesChina’s automotive industry has succeeded in the global mass market and is using the Beijing Auto Show to signal its move upmarket. It is also pushing high-technology driver-assistance systems into low-cost vehicles. China’s automakers, confident now in their quality and style and with a lead in batteries and charging, is now the biggest global market for cars and SUVs. But its home…
Rope fixers completed a path through the Khumbu Icefall. But the new route passes dangerously close to a looming serac.Route fixers have solved the Khumbu Icefall. For now. (Photo: Airlift Technologies)Published April 28, 2026 09:38AMThe nightmarish delay on Mount Everest is officially over. On Tuesday, April 28, rope fixing teams finally completed a route through the Khumbu Icefall, allowing expedition operators to ascend from Base Camp at 17,500 feet up to Camp I at 19,900 feet and on to Camp II at 21,300 feet.The news means that climbing season on Mount Everest has officially begun—about two-and-a-half weeks behind schedule. “Yes,…
Today, one of the biggest tech showdowns of the year begins. It’s the day on which the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, and the world’s most influential AI leader, Sam Altman, are expected to appear in court to issue their opening statements in the OpenAI trial. Here’s what you need to know about the high-stakes case. What is the OpenAI trial about? The trial centers around the very public dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Musk is suing Altman and OpenAI for allegedly deviating from their commitment to keep the company a nonprofit institution, as it was when Musk…
Daredevil Born AgainMarvelIn an era of MCU ups and downs, Daredevil: Born Again has been a breath of fresh air. Namely, season 2, free from a hacked-together season 1, which had to use an old, worse baseline. Season 2 has already produced some of the best episodes of any MCU series in history, but…is anyone actually watching it?Yes, obviously, some people are, and every week social media, depending on your algorithm, is filled with raves about it. But in the scope of the broader streaming landscape and Disney’s own productions, it doesn’t seem like it can be classified as performing…
Key Takeaways TaskRabbit is an online and mobile marketplace that connects freelance workers (called Taskers) with local consumers to complete everyday household tasks. Ania Smith has been TaskRabbit’s CEO for the past five years. Since she joined, the business has grown to about five times its original size. A recent college graduate on a scooter, zipping between Manhattan apartments and mounting TVs, probably does not picture himself as a case study in the future of work. But TaskRabbit‘s CEO, Ania Smith, often thinks about one New York City worker who cleared more than $200,000 in his first year on the…
Updated April 28, 2026 08:20AMSabastian Sawe broke the tape on The Mall on Sunday morning with both arms in the air and a look on his face that wasn’t quite belief yet. The clock said 1:59:30. Under two hours. In a real, sanctioned, record-eligible race—the thing the running world has been chasing for a decade and that, until that moment, no human had ever officially done.Eleven seconds later, Yomif Kejelcha came through in 1:59:41, in his marathon debut. Jacob Kiplimo went 2:00:28 for third—also under the previous world record. On the women’s side, Tigst Assefa lowered her own women’s record…
While it sounds silly, especially since I have a variety of construction skills, I lay awake some nights stressing about our stairs. We had gotten quotes for replacing the carpet on our stairs with white oak, but the average estimate, not including materials, was $10,000 per flight.Three flights of stairs, at $10K per? Sounded like another job for me — except I had never remodeled stairs, and everyone I knew, including contractor friends, said I shouldn’t try.What really stressed me out was the fact I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It’s one thing to think you know how to do something and worry…
Meta and Manus were ready to stroll down the aisle together, but with the stroke of a pen, China ruined their wedding. China’s National Development and Reform Commission ordered Meta and Manus to unwind their $2 billion acquisition in a brief statement Monday. The decision came after Beijing launched a probe into whether the deal violated export controls and technology transfer laws. Manus, a Singaporean AI startup with Chinese roots, develops general-purpose AI agents that can execute complex tasks like market research, coding and data analysis. The company hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after launching…
The distant not-a-planet PlutoNASAPluto’s been making news again. Jared Isaacman, the head of NASA, recently suggested that maybe astronomers should rethink their decision to demote the world from a “planet” to a “dwarf-planet”. That decision was made back in 2006 and it led to lots of wailing. This included the cries of many little kids who’d just learned about the 9 planets and felt like cute little Pluto got a bum deal. Now Isaacman seems like a good guy and I sure don’t want to make little kids cry. Still, there’s an amazing science reason why Pluto got kicked out…
When Malibu launched its “Get Ready With Malibu Pink” campaign this spring, the rum brand had all the necessary ingredients for a modern influencer campaign. Creator partnerships with Sabrina Brier and other influencers, on-trend “get ready with me” style videos, all centered on the debut of a new flavored rum with guava, coconut, and pineapple.But there was also one element that was surprisingly new terrain for Malibu’s parent company Pernod Ricard: its first major campaign designed specifically for TikTok.A platform once off-limitsUntil very recently, alcohol brands like Malibu were completely absent from TikTok. But over the past two years, TikTok’s…