Rep. Thomas Massie drove 450 miles to pick up a Tesla car battery...and is now using it to power his entire home!
The Republican Congressman from Kentucky told Cheddar about his trek to find the battery.
“First I started looking for a wrecked Tesla,” he said, “and I ended up in this seedy underworld of totaled cars and auction houses. I even bid on a wrecked Tesla, but I got outbid by somebody from the Ukraine.”
Massie, who’s lived off the power grid for years, said he’s been “dreaming” about running his house with a Tesla car battery. He ultimately found a man in Georgia willing to sell him one for $15,000 and picked it up on New Year’s Day. He said he didn’t even know the seller’s last name until he wired him the money.
The 47-year-old lawmaker’s interest in technology is nothing new. He graduated from MIT where he studied robotics, and he has patents for virtual reality and other tools.
Politically, Massie describes himself as a “trans-partisan”, saying, “Some days it’s hard to identify with any of the parties.” But in the negotiations for the Tesla battery, he kept his congressional affiliation under wraps as long as he could.
“Usually the price goes up on everything if you [tell],” he said. “But eventually they find out, and I think they’re a little more dubious that the whole thing’s going to work. Because how many things do we get to work in Congress?”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-thomas-massie-r-ky-powers-his-home-with-a-tesla-car-battery).
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
The Islamic State group and other militant organizations are experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool to boost recruitment and refine their operations. National security experts say that just as businesses, governments and individuals have embraced AI, extremist groups also will look to harness the power of AI. That means aiming to improve their cyberattacks, breaking into sensitive networks and creating deepfakes that spread confusion and fear. Leaders in Washington have responded with calls to investigate how militant groups are using AI and seek ways to encourage tech companies to share more about how their products are being potentially misused.
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Waymo's self-driving taxis have been in the spotlight for both negative and positive reasons. This week, the automated ride-hailing taxis went viral after a San Francisco woman gave birth inside a Waymo taxi while on her way to the hospital. A Waymo spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the unusual delivery. It said the company's rider support team detected unusual activity inside the vehicle and alerted 911. The taxi arrived safely at the hospital before emergency services. Waymo's popularity is growing despite heightened scrutiny following an illegal U-turn and the death of a San Francisco cat. The company, owned by Alphabet, says it is proud to serve riders of all ages.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
