FLYING CARS ARE COMING—BUT WHO GETS THEM FIRST? Alef Aeronautics' electric flying car just took off—literally. The SpaceX-backed startup has already locked in 2,850 pre-orders for its $300K Model A, and the first prototypes could hit the skies next year. 🚀
—> PRE-ORDER PRICE TAG: $850 MILLION. With a backlog of nearly 3,000 orders, this isn’t just sci-fi hype—it’s big business. The Model A, which was first revealed at the Detroit Auto Show, is officially FAA-approved for test flights.
—> DRIVE IT OR FLY IT? BOTH. On the ground, it’s a slow but street-legal 35 mph ride. In the air? 110 mph. This 850-pound, two-seater is an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle, meaning it lifts straight up, no runway needed.
—> WHO GETS THEM FIRST? Right now, it’s CEOs, tech moguls, and luxury buyers. But as production scales and tech advances, will we see a $50K flying car in a decade? Tesla prices used to be outrageous, too.
—> THE NEXT PRIVATE JET? With urban air taxis, Uber-style flying rides, and personal eVTOLs on the horizon, the private jet industry might need to rethink things. If executives can take off from their driveways, do they even need airports anymore?
—> THE BIG QUESTION: WHERE DO THEY LAND? Right now, there’s no air traffic system for flying cars. Do we get rooftop parking zones, digital highways, or new FAA regulations? The future just got a lot more complicated—and a lot more fun.
Source: Design Boom, Electrek, NY Post.
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MARKETS
Walmart’s 6.5% drop dragged Wall Street lower Thursday, snapping the S&P 500’s record streak. The index fell 0.4%, the Dow lost 450 points (-1%), and the Nasdaq slipped 0.5% after Walmart’s weak profit outlook stoked concerns over inflation and Trump’s looming tariffs.
CRYPTO
GEN ALPHA GOES ALL IN ON CRYPTO → Forget piggy banks—kids are trading Bitcoin on their phones. A survey found 40% of U.S. kids think crypto is the future of investing, and some are already stacking digital coins like arcade tickets.
—> GAMERS TO TRADERS? Teens raised on in-game currencies are jumping into real-world trading, lured by the hype of Bitcoin millionaires and NFT riches. Experts say their risk appetite is sky-high, but most don’t grasp the volatility.
—> BUYER BEWARE Young investors might be one hacked wallet away from losing it all—and if they make more than $416, the IRS wants a cut. Parents are watching, but who’s really in control?
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
SPACE
STRANDED IN SPACE—SUNI WILLIAMS FORGOT HOW TO WALK. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were supposed to spend eight days aboard Boeing’s Starliner. Instead, technical failures turned their mission into a seven-month stay aboard the ISS—and their bodies are paying the price. 🛰️👨🚀
—> THE PROBLEM: Starliner’s persistent malfunctions have delayed their return multiple times, leaving them stuck in orbit. Boeing and NASA are still working to certify the spacecraft as safe for reentry next month. 🚀
—> WHAT MICROGRAVITY DOES TO YOU: Williams, now 59, revealed in a video call to a public that she doesn’t remember how to walk, having spent months without standing, sitting, or laying down. Muscle and bone loss, weight loss, and cardiovascular strain make readjusting to Earth’s gravity a major challenge. 💀🦴
—> NASA’S PLAN: The astronauts are under constant medical supervision, and once they return, they’ll face months of rehab to retrain muscles, strengthen bones, and regain balance. Their extended stay has provided critical data for long-duration missions—knowledge NASA needs for Mars exploration. 🏋️♂️🌍
Source: Daily Galaxy
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI SIDE HUSTLE—TRAINING THE MACHINES PAYS. The new “Uber drivers” side-gig: an AI contractor who spends 30 hours a week fact-checking chatbots without talking to a single human. No boss. No meetings. No office. Just him, his keyboard, and an endless stream of AI-generated responses to verify.
—> HOW IT WORKS: Companies need humans to train AI models—fact-checking, labeling, and even teaching chatbots how to write. Willis earns up to $25 an hour from home, working whenever he wants (even at 1 AM).
—> THE CATCH: No benefits, no breaks, only paid for time spent actively working. Staring at chatbot responses for hours can get mind-numbing, but for introverts? It’s a dream gig.
—> FUTURE OF WORK? As AI takes over more jobs, the demand for human trainers is surging. Willis says it’s the perfect side hustle—easy to stack onto a full-time job for extra cash. The machines still need us... for now. 🤖
Source: MSN.
GEOPOLITICS
XI SUMMONS CHINA’S TECH GIANTS—WHAT’S NEXT? In a rare move, China General Secretary Xi Jinping met with China’s biggest tech CEOs, including Alibaba’s Jack Ma, Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei, and Tencent’s Pony Ma. The meeting signals a major shift from Beijing’s recent tech crackdowns to rallying private business against U.S. tech dominance.
—> TOO LITTLE TOO LATE? Trump brought together top tech CEOs at his inauguration last month in Washington… is Xi just playing catch up?
—> TEAM COMMUNISM: Executives from DeepSeek AI, Xiaomi, BYD, CATL, Meituan, and Will Semiconductor joined the conversation. Notably absent? Baidu and ByteDance, sparking speculation about their standing with Beijing.
—> WHY IT MATTERS: With China’s economy struggling and U.S. sanctions squeezing its tech sector, Xi is betting big on homegrown innovation to counter Western restrictions.
—> MARKET REACTION: Tech stocks in Hong Kong surged leading up to the meeting but cooled off after. The Hang Seng Tech Index hit a three-year high before retreating.
Source: Reuters.
ONE MORE THING
HUMANOID ROBOTS TAKE ORDERS. Meet Figure AI’s Helix, the AI brain giving humanoid robots full upper-body control, real-time decision-making, and even teamwork skills. Tell it "Hand me the cookies," and it’ll scan, grab, and deliver—no pre-programming needed.
—> PICK UP ANYTHING. Helix lets robots handle thousands of objects they’ve never seen before, from mugs to remotes to that bag of chips you left on the counter. 🤖
—> ROBOT COWORKERS? YEP. Two robots can now work together on complex tasks—one opens the fridge, the other grabs the drink. No special coding, just AI learning on the fly. 🦾🦾
—> BUILT TO SELL. Unlike experimental models, Helix runs on low-power GPUs, meaning it’s ready for commercial rollout. Price? TBD, but expect a five-figure price tag—so for now, your robot butler remains a luxury item.
—> MEET THE FUTURE. Industrial jobs come first, but Figure is pushing humanoids closer to the home. How long before these machines are in every kitchen?
Source: TechCrunch; Figue AI.
With gratitude,
Kev
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