Entries by bjdeming

20 Apr, 2014

Panic on the bridge

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Transcripts, released by the coast guard, show the ferry’s crew panicking during their last communications with controllers at Jindo Vessel Traffic Services Centre.

Excerpt, recorded 29 minutes after the Sewol’s  first distress call:

Controller: “Please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing.”

Crew member: “If this ferry evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?”

Controller: “At least make them wear life rings and make them escape.”

Crew member: “If this ferry evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?”

Controller: “Don’t let them go bare. At least make them wear life rings and make them escape… We don’t know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you’re going to evacuate passengers or not.”

Crew member: “I’m not talking about that. I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?”

Only a few seconds before the final communication did it become clear to controllers that an evacuation of the ferry had been ordered.

6 May, 2014

More magma, less eruptible

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New studies show that the volcano’s underground magma system is larger than previously measured and may extend outside the known caldera boundaries.  The estimated total volume of magma down there, scientists say, is around 48-144 cubic miles (200-600 cubic km) – much more than earlier estimates.  However, it’s 85% to 95% solidified and so very difficult to erupt.  The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory says these new findings do not mean increased geologic hazard at the volcano and don’t increase the chances of a supereruption in the near future.

7 May, 2014

No Hajj travel ban

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After a five-day inspection, World Health Organization experts don’t recommend restrictions on travel to Saudi Arabia, including upcoming pilgrimages, although two deaths and 10 more cases are reported today. In Jeddah, WHO and Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih launch a kingdom-wide public awareness campaign, urging the public to do frequent hand washing and sanitizing as well as to avoid contact with eyes, nose and mouth.  The experts recommend cooking camel meat until well done and avoiding unpasteurized camel milk.

The government is doing its best to prevent the spread of the MERS coronavirus, which is why we need the help of residents in implementing simple precautionary measures to help curb the disease

30 Sep, 2013

Cousin pleads not guilty to conspiracy charge

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Tanya Singleton, Hernandez’s cousin, pleads not guilty to charges that she helped one of his friends flee to Florida after the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.  Singleton, along with Hernandez, his fiancee and two of his friends, face charges related to Lloyd’s death.  She agrees to be held without bail for the conspiracy charge, as well as for a second contempt charge after refusing to testify before the grand jury hearing evidence in Hernandez’s case, and can request a bail hearing at a later date.

Jan 2010

New York test run

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The Company does its first test run in New York with three cars cruising the SOHO/Chelsea/Union Square areas and a few people using the system. The core crew is Garrett, Kalanick, and Salazar, Garrett’s friend from Grad school who helped build the prototype in early 2009.

31 May, 2014

Algeria confirms first cases

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Two Algerian men, ages 66 and 59, test positive after returning from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.  The Algerian Health Ministry confirms the cases but gives no details as to the men’s condition.

13 Jun, 2014

Virginia cease-and-desist

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The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles tells the company and another ride-share service to stop operating in violation of the law or their drivers will face a civil fine of up to $1,000 per violation.  The state’s secretary of transportation says:

I actually like their business model in terms of giving more flexibility to the public, but there are some issues they need to work on and some laws that we need to change.

In a blog post, the company responds:

Uber will operate as usual…We are surprised and disappointed by the DMV’s actions.

California regulation starts

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After legal battles with the company and other ride-sharing services, the California Public Utilities Commission decides to create a new service category of transportation network company and to regulate such services.  Drivers will need CPUC permits.  They must also undergo criminal background checks and pass a company driver training program.  Companies must pay the CPUC one-third of one percent of total revenues, as well as implement a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy and maintain commercial liability insurance policies that cover not less than $1 million per incident.   The CPUC will revisit the ruling in a year to see what its impact has been on business and society.

San Franscisco launch

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Service opens in San Francisco with Ryan Graves at the helm and a fleet of 45 drivers.  When interviewed four and a half months later in UberCab headquarters (a conference room with four other employees), Graves says that the business is growing “crazy fast.”  The company’s general plan is to get more employees, more happy users and more platforms, as well as to expand into more cities.

North Carolina ban lifted

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The governor of North Carolina signs a law that ends a long-time ban, prevents local governments from outlawing fracking, and makes it illegal to reveal what chemicals drillers use.

We have watched and waited as other states moved forward with energy exploration, and it is finally our turn.  This legislation will spur economic development at all levels of our economy, not just the energy sector.

Permits will be issued starting two months after state regulations are done, probably early in 2015. 

UberCab founded

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Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick found the company as UberCab – a marketplace that connects riders with private drivers via a smartphone app.  Their January 2009 Flickr photostream includes multiple views of a Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan, advertising images and a map of part of downtown San Francisco.

Yoo’s brother arrested

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South Korean police arrest Yoo Byung-il, who is Yoo Byung-un‘s elder brother, near the Evangelical Baptist Church compound in Anseong.  Charges against him are not released officially, but the Yonhap news agency reports that he was a consultant for Chonghaejin Marine and has been arrested for alleged embezzlement and fraud-related real estate deals.

Church raided again

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About 5,000 police, some with helmets and riot shields, raid the Evangelical Baptist Church’s compound in Anseong again.  There are no reports of violence, although some 200 church members rally, carrying a banner that says “We’ll protect Yoo Byung-eun even if 100,000 church members are all arrested.”  Police arrest four members for allegedly helping Yoo and pick up another member on charges of obstructing the raid.

Europe, Paris open

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After the company raises $32 million from investors, UberEurope and UberParis go live.  Travis Kalanick blogs:

Today marks a big milestone for Uber. It is the culmination of everything we’ve done over the last 18 months and the cornerstone for the next phase of the company, making Uber a global transportation and logistics brand…We aspire to build an urban logistics fabric in every major city in the world – and we now have the traction and proof points to give our dream a shot at reality.

LeWeb 2011 Travis Kalanick, Co-Founder & CEO, Uber

Renamed Uber

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After receiving cease-and-desist orders from the California Public Utilities Commission and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the company renames itself Uber to avoid the appearance of marketing itself as a taxi business.  The company’s CEO says:

Regarding our legal situation, we’re working cooperatively with both agencies to ensure compliance and make sure that Uber continues to grow and serve our users.  Uber is fully operational today.

Confirmed: Patents public

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Tesla makes its technology patents freely available to the public and promises not to sue anyone who uses the patent in good faith.  The company, which has hundreds of issued patents and hundreds more pending, will continue to apply for future  patents to protect itself from those others take out for the same technology.  In a blog post, CEO Elon Musk explains:

Given that annual new vehicle production is approaching 100 million per year and the global fleet is approximately 2 billion cars, it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis. By the same token, it means the market is enormous. Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day.

We believe that…applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard.

12 Jun, 2014

European cabbies protest

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Thousands of taxi drivers in London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin and other major European cities protest by staging a slow-down that snarls traffic, in some cases, for much of the afternoon.  In Rio de Janeiro, dozens of taxis line up and drive slowly down the Copacabana beachfront.  A London cab driver says:

There’s room for everyone, but you have to obey the law. Uber isn’t properly regulated. It’s a slippery slope. Quality of life will go down if these services are allowed to operate.

The company’s regional general manager for northern Europe says:

In Paris, the number of taxis hasn’t changed since the 1950s.  The strikes are an attempt to desperately fight against competition in the market.

 

10 Jun, 2014

IPO

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As TSLA, the company makes its initial public offering of 13.3 million shares on NASDAQ, at $17 a share.  It is the first American automaker to go public since 1956.  Stock closes at $24.64, a 45% gain, earning the company $266 million.

$465 million DOE loan

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The US Department of Energy announces approval of $465 million in low-interest loans to the company.  The company says it will spend $365 million on manufacturing the Model S.  The rest of the money will be invested in a new plant that will make battery packs and electrical vehicle parts for Tesla and other automakers, including Daimler.

19 May, 2009

Daimler buys stake, $550 million valuation

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German automaker Daimler buys a 9% stake in Tesla Motors for $50 million.  The company’s post-money valuation is now $550 million.  Daimler also expands its partnership with the company to put electric batteries into Mercedes-Benz vehicles.  In a press release, Daimler says:

Tesla is the only production automaker selling a highway capable electric vehicle in North America and Europe.