Featured on Tech Breakfast Podcast on Oct 12 2020 "NeXT Computers - Quantum Cryptography - Ransomware - Tesla Update"


I'm glad to have had a chance to enjoy my second appearance on such a fun and informative podcast to be a guest on:

and they've apparently already grown to over 9,000 plays, wow! If you wish to support the show, they've set up easy donations on Patreon.
I was confirmed to be a Monday guest late Friday afternoon, and didn't have any or do any preparation. I just showed up Monday morning to field questions about whatever timely tech topics the hosts had in mind. Some I had a clue about, and some, well, not so much. Hopefully my appearance didn't reverse their growing listenership!
In this 30 minute total length episode, even as a fast-talker, I struggled a bit trying to cram in a bunch of Tesla-related recent developments into the last minutes of the episode. Hopefully this article's show notes will be helpful to folks interested in learning more. Please feel free to leave some comments below, or in reply to this twitter thread.
Shownotes
NeXT

- Steve Jobs’ NeXT Computer
Oct 12 2020 by Marcel Brown at This Day in Tech History
My side-story about Cornell/NeXT:

- Brushes with fame, how I (barely) missed Steven Sinofsky, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs visits to a wired, well-connected Cornell University
Nov 12 2012 by Paul Braren at TinkerTry
PWA
- How To Download & Install Progressive Web Apps Via Google Chrome
Oct 12 2020 by Daniel Golightly at Android Headlines
Quantum/Crypto

-
IBM’s Roadmap For Scaling Quantum Technology
Sep 15 2020 by Jay Gambetta at IBM - Visa, JPMorgan Are Already Preparing for Potential Quantum Cyberattacks
A powerful quantum computer could be capable of breaking the internet’s most commonly used cryptography
Oct 09 2020 by Sara Castellanos at The Wall Street Journal
Ransomware Payments Illegal?

- Advisory on Potential Sanctions Risks for Facilitating Ransomware Payments
Oct 01 2020 by US Department of the Treasury

- Ransomware Victims That Pay Up Could Incur Steep Fines from Uncle Sam
Oct 01 2020 by KrebsonSecurity
- Facilitating ransomware payments may trigger liability, penalties, US Treasury warns
Oct 09 2020 by Brett Wolf“Demand for ransomware payments has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic as cyber-actors target online systems that U.S. persons rely on to continue conducting business,” OFAC’s advisory stated. “Companies that facilitate ransomware payments to cyber-actors on behalf of victims, including financial institutions, cyber-insurance firms, and companies involved in digital forensics and incident response, not only encourage future ransomware payment demands but also may risk violating OFAC regulations.”

- Tesla and FBI prevented $1 million ransomware hack at Gigafactory Nevada
Aug 27 2020 by Christine Fisher at engadget
Tesla
I misspoke spectacularly, stating their goals of "Tesla trying to ramp up to 500 million vehicles per year" but of course, i meant to say 500,000 vehicles per year, I'm so sorry about that, this is a live recorded podcast that is unedited, no do-overs.
We discussed a little about how Tesla is always innovating, making what's already great even better, such as this little wheel design tweak possibly boost EPA range by 1% boost for very little money, this is just the fun stuff that so appeals to the nerdy-engineer-type:

-
Tesla releases new Model 3 wheels with 2021 refresh
Oct 11 2020 by Fred Lambert at electrek -
First look at Tesla’s new center console in 2021 Model 3 refresh
Oct 09 2020 by Fred Lambert at electrek - Tesla update lets you lock Sentry Mode/TeslaCam storage in glovebox
Oct 11 2020 by Fred Lambert at electrek
Next we have many several articles about Tesla production records:

- 2020 US Vehicle Sales Figures By Brand
Thumbnail image from InsideEVs, click/tap to see source article with full resolution graphs. You can probably guess which company is the only company in the green in the right-most column. - Tesla Production And Deliveries Graphed Through Q3 2020
Then we had this very positive story:

- Medtronic opens up about Elon Musk and SpaceX’s role in fight against COVID-19
Oct 10 2020 by Simon Alvarez at Teslarati
Coincidentally, on the same day, Elon goes and tweets his opinion about COVID-19, I'll stay clear of commenting here. It is worth noting that Tesla now has pretty much no PR department. Sigh.
Things we ran out to time to discuss
-
EVs Offer Big Savings Over Traditional Gas-Powered Cars
A CR study shows that total ownership cost savings can more than make up for an electric vehicle's typically higher purchase price
Oct 08 2020 by Benjamin Preston at Consumer Reports - Owning Tesla Model 3 Instead of BMW 3 Series or Audi A4 Can Probably Save $15K, Says Report
Oct 11 2020 by Eva Fox at Tesmanian
or quality control (Aaron had asked):
- Tesla Model Y’s Serious Production Problems: Here Are the Most Notable Ones
Oct 06 2020 by Alan Lau at Motortrend

Most of this seems to have settled out of the Model Y production line in Freemont CA, after they made 60,000 or so, much like happened with the Model 3, only faster. So yes, I'd say it might not be best to buy during the first 9 months of production, especially if you live far from a service center and wish to avoid the hassle, since many of these alignment issues can't be fixed by Tesla Mobile Service technicians. Note, new Tesla models don't come out very often, but it's still a concern that Tesla seems to prioritize quantity over quality early in new model rollouts, and a reputation lost is a lot harder to earn again. I know a guy who recently got a Model Y, and he's very pleased, as nearly all Tesla Model 3 owners are, see also Fortune - Tesla Model 3 ‘Brings the Most Joy’ to Its Owners and Consumer Reports - 10 Most Satisfying Cars, According to Consumer Reports.
The future looks bright, with claims of best new car quality in the world for China, let's hope Freemont CA ups their game, with recent videos of new Model Y deliveries seeming to confirm they already are. It will also be interesting to see what lessons learned at (factory) Giga Shanghai and Giga Berlin are incorporated into Giga Texas.
Efficiency

Water heaters are related to heat pumps, such as innovative Octovalve heat pump found in Tesla Model Y and now in 2021 Model 3 too. I wrote this article which apparently over 14,000 readers have found value in, and growing. It seems to indicate growing interest in going green both on the road and at home:
- Replaced my failed gas water heater with a much more efficient Rheem hybrid electric with WiFi, its quiet heat pump is also dehumidifying and cooling my basement
Jun 23 2019 by Paul Braren at TinkerTry
Discussion
You can reach out to me at:
- Twitter @paulbraren
or even better, drop a comment below my recent articles at TinkerTry.com
Co-hosts can be reached via Twitter at:
- Tyler Gates @TSGates_
- Russell Cantwell @RCantw3ll
Aaron couldn't be there for just this episode: - Aaron Buley @aaronbuley

Free Supercharging: If you find this article of value and decide to order a Tesla, please consider using this ts.la/paul68544 referral link when placing your order so you and I both get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging. If you order Solar, it's a $250 award after system activation.
Disclosure: My family owns no stock in Tesla. Tesla doesn't advertise at TinkerTry, or anywhere else, and this is not a sponsored post. We financed the purchase of two Tesla Model 3s, replacing my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid in December of 2018 and replacing my wife's 2005 Honda Civic EX in December of 2019. These big moves to an all electric household were an expression of our mutual desire to go green, avoid gasoline, be safe, have fun, and save money in the long run. Mostly for my job, I drive a lot, 25,000 miles in 2019 for example, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing what I've learned with you. I hope you can tell!
See also at TinkerTry
- Paul Braren's podcast guest appearances
- Tesla articles at TinkerTry.com/Tesla
- Tesla videos at TinkerTry.com/teslavids
- TinkerTry articles about vSphere 7

See also

