So, this piece of news managed to sneak under the radar, but it’s worth recognizing as a victory for the Internet and for the state of California. Digital technology has been slow to come to some offline institutions, a glaring (and sad) example being the very democratic process of registering to vote (and then actually voting) in local and state elections. A few weeks ago, California Governor… → Read More
If there were a superhero who was powered by 100W lightbulbs it’s safe to say his days of fighting crime in California are over. The state will end the sale of 100W light bulbs after the current supply has been exhausted. It’s part of the federal Energy Independence Act and Security Act of 2007. Silly name aside, the law will go into effect in the coming years across the country. → Read More
Good news: the state of California can now seize and search your cellphone without a warrant. The new regime will only affect people who have already been arrested, so it’s not as if police officers will be able to search your cellphone at routine traffic stops. But still: yeah, it’s sorta lame. In 2011, even more of your rights will be chipped away. → Read More
Terra-Gen Power announced closing $1.2 billion in construction financing and wind turbine orders. The company will build four wind power projects for the Alta Wind Energy Center in Kern County, California, for which Vestas-American Wind Technology will provide 190 turbines with a capacity of 570 megawatts. This is the largest number of wind turbines ever ordered for a single site in the U.S.
The… → Read More
SolarCity today announced that it is taking a $21.5 million round of funding led by Mayfield Fund, and the company’s previous investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DBL Investors and Generation Capital. The company’s prior funding totaled approximately $134 million, and included investors First Solar, JP Morgan and Elon Musk.
SolarCity helps businesses, home owners and government agencies adopt solar… → Read More
Just when you think that there’s no way you could have any more distractions while driving, California comes up with yet another way to put billboards on the highways and streets. Of course, the state’s budget crisis is well known, and lawmakers are currently discussing the possibility of changing to digital license plates, and then allowing companies to buy advertising time on cars. → Read More
Editor’s note: In a pair of posts a couple of weeks ago, contributing columnist Vivek Wadhwa highlighted the antiquated nature of the state of California’s IT systems and the way contracts for those systems are doled out to legacy IT firms. He then challenged Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to come up with ways to rebuild California’s IT systems at one tenth the cost. California CTO P.K. Agarwal… → Read More
Man, this thing is actually going to come out. GM said today that it’s going to release the Chevy Volt late next year in California, giving the Golden State first dibs on the car. → Read More
Looks like California approved the new energy standards for televisions. The Consumer Electronics Association is predictably upset, whinging on about “constraining” innovation and choice, while environmental groups are predictably thrilled. The state’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, hailed the decision, and said that it will make California a “world-leader” in “the fight against… → Read More
More developments in the absolutely gripping California Energy Commission vs The World drama. The CEC has delayed a meeting wherein it was to discuss the possible implementation of a ban of sorts on the sale of energy-hogging televisions. The Consumer Electronics Agency (it organizes CES every year) has been fighting against the measure, arguing that any such regulation would necessarily raise TV… → Read More
This California TV regulation thing isn’t going to happen without a fight, no sir. Even though a bunch of LCD makers have said that they wouldn’t have too much of a problem complying with whatever the California commission comes up with, the LCD TV Association has just applied the brakes, saying that any such regulation will ultimately result in “TVs that have fewer features.” → Read More
Uh oh, another vaguely political post on CrunchGear. As you already know, the Consumer Electronics Association, the trade group that organizes CES, is fighting tooth and nail against possible regulations that would see California essentially ban the sale of power-hungry HDTVs. This mostly affects plasmas because they consume the most electricity of the different types of TVs out there. → Read More
The notoriously liberal, as if that’s a bad thing in and of itself, Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that that California law restricting the sale of so-called violent video games to minors violates “free speech guarantees.” The ruling upholds a lower courts finding and, naturally, has upset those who have made a career out of trumping up the video game violence debate. → Read More
Looks like California is doing everything in its power to destroy the consumer electronics industry. That is to say a batch of newly proposed regulations would bar retailers from stocking energy inefficient TVs. The worst offenders? Plasma TVs, the kind popularized by very talented singers and athletes on shows like MTV Cribs. → Read More
Asura just opened the first-of-its-kind thermal energy plant in California, which should generate enough electricity to power some 3,500 homes. The best part is that this plant, which is named Kimberlina, is merely a proof of concept of sorts— the real plant, to be constructed by 2010, will generate enough electricity to power, like, 120,000 homes. The idea is dead simple: you’ve got… → Read More
Reuters is reporting that text messaging may have had something to do with a recent train crash in California that killed 25 and injured 135. Cell phone records show that the train’s conductor received a text message at 4:21:03 PM, followed by the crash at 4:22:23 PM. The idea is that he got the text message, looked down to read it, and missed the trackside signal. The commuter train then… → Read More
[Pic Source: Marcin Wichary] Realizing that a little 6 inch obstruction on the windshield is probably a better solution than forcing people to take their eyes off the road, the State of California will once again allow windshield-mounted GPS units when the new year rolls through. Taking a break from solving economic crises and fighting crime, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put his penned blessing on… → Read More
To the girl who almost slammed into me as she was texting away on her phone while driving last week: regardless of the crazy face you made and the nasty words you mouthed through your windshield, that was your fault. California agrees with me. Just yesterday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation outlawing the reading or writing of text messages while driving. Starting… → Read More
Fact: Ken is better than Ryu Head on over to Super Arcade in Walnut, Calif. if you want to be one of the first in the U.S. to play Street Fighter IV. The SoCal arcade was one of the first to have Tekken 6 in the U.S., too. The address of Super Arcade: 1211 N. Grand Ave. Walnut, CA 91748 Apparently it’s only 50 cents per play. Too bad none of us on staff are even remotely close to SoCal. via… → Read More
The governor of California, some guy named Schwarzenheimer, has an idea for broadband in his state: let the free market decide. His plan is to pressure the utilities commission to place less restrictions on broadband operators, letting them duke it out, thus reducing prices. While this sounds nice in practice, it does nothing to alleviate the local monopolies cable TV companies have in certain… → Read More
It’s a catch-22. We like our cheap phones but those cheap phones come at a price; leave early and you’ll pay the difference in termination fees, even if you leave within, say, a month of the end of your contract. It’d be nice if the fee went down commensurate with the amount of time you’ve stuck with your contract, but it doesn’t. That all might change for… → Read More
Apple is no stranger to fines and lawsuits, but the latest is a bit out of left-field. Back in April of 2006, Apple’s Elk Grove facility was using their backup generator for non-emergency use. Not just for a few hours mind you, but almost a whole week. As a result, Jobs & Co. will cough up $43,200 in fines as part of a settlement between Apple and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality… → Read More
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