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ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

PRAGUE — In 2007, a group of Czech guerrilla artists scaled a transmitter tower belonging to the country’s national television station and hacked into a live webcam of the Krkonoše mountain range typically used during the weather segment. In the midst of a live broadcast on June 17 of that year, the rebel collective — dubbed Ztohoven — faked a nuclear bomb detonation. Viewers watched as a camera shot panning across the landscape flashed white and revealed a mushroom cloud in the distance, reminiscent of a war-era newsreel threatening Armageddon.

The stunt was a signature move for the consortium of Bohemian subversives, one among many disruptive pranks over the course of decades designed to provoke onlookers and foster a sense of resistance and revolt against prescribed societal norms. Ztohoven has since added the banner of crypto anarchy to its mantle, embracing the hackers and provocateurs who helped mobilize the movement since its inception.

Today, that union of minds finds refuge in Prague in a retrofitted factory building called Paralelní Polis, or “parallel world.” The name pays homage to Czech philosopher and dissident, Václav Benda, who coined the phrase in the 1970s as a way to describe an emerging underground counterculture quietly subverting the ruling communist regime.

Ztohoven’s parallel world offers a different kind of anarchy. The space functions as a living example of how the world could look — a crucible for decentralized and defiant technologies designed to operate beyond the reach of governments, laws, and central banks.

It’s a place where cryptography replaces control, cryptocurrency supplants fiat, and controversial concepts aren’t just discussed, but are lived ideologies binding people together.

For more than two years, Dan Ligocký has been working from Polis three to five days a week. Ligocký, who is an event producer with deep ties to the ethereum community, tells CNBC that the space has served as a catalyst for innovation and the exploration of decentralized technologies.

“Its commitment to privacy, freedom, and self-sovereignty aligns with the core principles of the Web3 movement,” continued Ligocký. “We’re here to support the ecosystem and are open to collaborating with anyone whose ethos aligns with ours.”

Indeed, the vast factory-turned-forum pulses with the collective energy of digital rights activists, privacy-obsessed cypherpunks, and crypto-faithful ideologues. Its diverse denizens ranging from transient visitors like the Czech prince William Lobkowicz, to ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

Polis is a place where technology, philosophy, and activism converge.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin speaks at ETHPrague 2023

Pavel Sinagl

A tale of two castles

The Czech Republic’s den of crypto anarchy sits in the heart of Holešovice — a district bound by the left bank of the Vltava River to the east and Letná Hill to the west. The neighborhood was once the epicenter of industrial Prague, synonymous with slaughterhouses and steam mills, but today is home to art galleries and ateliers.

At the opposite end of the city in a district called Hradčany — about three-and-a-half miles south-west of Polis — is a 750,000 square foot castle complex that appears frozen in a Renaissance-era alternate dimension. Its imposing Gothic spires loom over the Czech capital — a vestige of a time when inherited nobility meant something quite different to the people of Prague.

Private dinner held with coders and crypto enthusiasts at the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague

MacKenzie Sigalos | CNBC

Once the seat of Bohemian kings and Holy Roman emperors, Czech presidents now occupy the castle complex — a sprawling mass of palaces, churches, towers, hidden passageways, and gardens.

Two young nobles, William and Ileana Lobkowicz, sometimes hold crypto-centric events there. Neither live at the palace, but they use the stately halls and manors once inhabited by their ancestors for industry working groups on digital assets.

A multi-day annual conference called Non-Fungible Castle is their banner event, and the siblings have also spent the last few years tinkering with using NFTs as a way to fund restoration projects — an ambition that appears to have faded during the bear market as NFT sales and prices plummet.

This summer, however, the Lobkowicz family expanded their crypto outreach efforts by hosting some of the most established coders in the ethereum ecosystem for a one-day working session. The workshops were followed by a private tour of the castle and a multi-course gala dinner in the Imperial Hall at Lobkowicz Palace — an event where the conversation effortlessly shifted from Europe’s groundbreaking new crypto law to the convergence of generative AI and blockchain tech.

Private dinner held with coders and crypto enthusiasts at the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague

MacKenzie Sigalos | CNBC

The easiest way to get to the palace from Polis is to walk three minutes to the Maniny station, where Tram 25 stops every ten minutes before sweeping passengers up the hill to Prašný Most, which borders the castle grounds. The intricate web of trolley rails traces Prague’s cobblestoned streets, a pattern of steel tracks etched into the old-world urban landscape, while the stoic steel and glass trams serve as a moving tableau of life in Prague.

Although only 25 minutes apart, the two locations represent the split personality of the Czech people.

One side is the storybook Prague most people associate with the city — soaring towers, grand chandeliers, and original frescoes. The other is the secret Bohemian underground that has spent decades thwarting authoritarian regimes. For centuries, the Czech capital has been caught between historic powers with a bent toward world domination, which has helped the populace develop a thick skin and the knowhow to fight back against the world’s biggest villains.

Private dinner held with coders and crypto enthusiasts at the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague

MacKenzie Sigalos | CNBC

“Czechs are naturally skeptical of authority, a result of the tough 20th century during which Czechs experienced monarchy, Nazi occupation, and communist rule,” said Josef Tětek, a crypto economist and bitcoin analyst at hardware wallet provider, Trezor.

“A prime example of this skepticism is the fact that the Czech Republic never adopted the euro, even though it has been a member of the European Union since 2004,” Tětek added.

Call it the ultimate anti-fairytale.

In this story, the main character isn’t a prince in a high castle, but a decentralized collective of shadowy coders and hackers living in pockets across Prague who sometimes converge on Polis to swap trade secrets and sound a call to action.

The dark stucco of Polis’ Prague headquarters is an outlier among the ornate, brightly-colored buildings that tower over it. The interior of this deceptively nondescript structure is a honeycomb of winding, labyrinthine corridors and castle-like passageways that stretch endlessly higher and deeper into its fortress-like belly.

ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

The ‘parallel world’ concept is sticky.

Franchises of Polis have sprung up in Vienna, Barcelona, and two Slovak cities — a testament to the enduring allure of anarchy. The Vienna branch goes so far as to self-describe as a living example of how “the Paralelní Polis cryptoliberation virus is spreading.”

These hubs share certain physical features — there are co-working tables for hire, conference halls for hackathons and blockchain-specific meet-ups, as well as spaces dedicated to experimental tech, where you can dabble with 3D printing and laser cuts.

In addition to hosting regular bitcoin and ethereum meetups, the Bratislava chapter also holds sessions dedicated to biohacking — or augmenting the human body with tech custom-engineered to create a new breed of superhumans. On the other side of Slovakia, in Košice, the Polis offers formal lectures and technical support, where locals can drop by for impromptu consultations on how blockchain and cryptocurrencies can support their business.

Another common fixture across these chapters is the so-called Institute of Cryptoanarchy, a sort of sub-franchise that provides free educational resources and classes to people keen to learn more about the unregulated internet, as well as the anonymous tools — blockchain-based virtual currencies and anti-spyware encryption protocols — that can help power a decentralized economy.

ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

The crypto schooling helps with spurring adoption and enlisting more troops to the cause.

Today’s enemy is a little different than the communist and Nazi occupiers of the 20th century. Instead of a military-powered regime, these coders see their rival as a more insidious villain. The Austrian hub characterizes the threat not as a “distant dictatorial world,” but as the way current governments attempt to control the flow of information.

“States and their security agencies globally control access to information and use the protection of intellectual property as an excuse to apply total censorship to control the available resources,” reads part of the mission statement on their website.

Crypto fans descend on Prague

As the U.S. crypto scene is imploding and companies dealing in digital assets face growing scrutiny from regulators, much of the developer community has flocked to international tech hubs like the Czech Republic to seek like-minded coders with a view to stick it to the man — or to at least steer clear of the establishment.

One reason why Prague has become the center of gravity for the industry has to do with its roots in the Austrian school of economics, a concept born out of 19th-century Vienna that remains quite popular in the Czech Republic today.

Carl Menger and Friedrich Hayek helped birth this particular brand of classical economic liberalism — not to be confused with the American concept of political liberalism. It holds independent individuals acting in their best economic self-interest is the optimal way to run a society and create a thriving economy, rather than centralized control or the heavy hand of state intervention.

ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

“Adherents of this school of thought have been writing articles and books on bitcoin for the Czech audience since 2016,” Tětek told CNBC, who went on to note some of the natural synergies between bitcoin believers and economists schooled in Austrian economics.

“The Austrian school is very compatible with bitcoin adoption,” he said. “A central aspect is the call for a separation of money and state.”

Adherents of both worlds do not think the Federal Reserve can rescue the economy. Tětek added that bitcoin as an alternative independent monetary instrument thrives in this environment.

It helps that Prague has a long track record of drawing the sector’s top talent. The Czech capital is home to the world’s first hardware wallet and the first bitcoin mining pool. Bitcoin is accepted in Alza, one of the largest retail chains in the country, as well as in hundreds of other smaller businesses. The city also plays host to major international conferences drawing thousands to Bohemia each year.

“Overall, the bitcoin community in the Czech Republic is very strong, especially when measured per-capita,” said Tětek. “There are around 10 million Czech speakers. The most popular Czech bitcoin YouTuber boasts 90k subscribers, while the annual Czech-only bitcoin conference called Chaincamp attracts around 2000 visitors, even during the bear market.”

ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

“Czechs are natural-born tinkerers; the early bitcoin projects such as Trezor and General Bytes emerged in the Prague hacker scene,” said Tětek, who has a background in Austrian economics and political philosophy. General Bytes is one of the larger bitcoin and crypto ATM manufacturers, which also provides software for Bitcoin ATM operators.

This summer, ETHPrague and BTCPrague held major summits in the capital over the same one-week window. The ethereum event organizers rented out space from Polis, while the bitcoiners descended on Prague’s jumbo-sized expo center at the outskirts of town.

BTCPrague talked a big game on event stats — 100+ speakers across four stages, 100+ companies and open-source projects at the expo, and 10,000+ attendees from all across Europe and beyond. While the venue was sprawling and packed on its first day, CNBC cannot independently confirm attendance numbers.

Some of the most notable names in the bitcoin ecosystem were there, including Microstrategy’s Michael Saylor, suspected Satoshi cryptographer and cypherpunk Adam Back, and best-selling economist and author Saifedean Ammous.

BTCPrague 2023 was held at the expo hall in the outskirts of the Czech capital

CNBC

Ancillary events complementing the dual crypto conferences took place across the city.

One was hosted in the private dining room of a steakhouse in Old Town where the merits of bitcoin — and its imminent threats — were debated until midnight. One point in contention: Whether Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler is a closeted bitcoin maximalist, given it is the one digital asset that he has explicitly omitted from his concerted campaign to police and dismantle the ecosystem.

Meanwhile, ethereum enthusiasts descended on a modern houseboat in Holešovice for a beer tasting by the Czech Craft brewery Václav, where the Czech classic 12° Pils Vaclav and the buttery IPA 17° Sexy Hafanana were both on tap.

Another side event took place one morning at Trezor’s office, a modest space in the SatoshiLabs building located in a remote, residential suburb two miles north-east of Polis. The session included some of Prague’s top bitcoin founders — Matěj Žák, the CEO of Trezor; Jan Čapek, co-founder of Braiins, which proclaims to be the first company to introduce the concept of bitcoin mining pools; Christoph Kassas of General Bytes; and prominent Bitcoin YouTuber Jakub Vejmola. The discussion was more of a lecture-style format, with each of the leaders talking about current expansion efforts during the bear market.

The Braiins team also spoke about how they are bracing for imminent regulation in the space. The team described a protocol in development now that would make it so that pools are not capable of choosing the transactions that comprise each block — that way, they would avoid being blamed for violating any impending rules from the U.S. Treasury restricting the exchange of cryptocurrency.

“This extension to the protocol is essentially managed so that miners can choose their own work templates being approved by the pool, but then basically, the pool as a legal entity is out of the game, in terms of not being responsible for selecting the transaction,” explained Čapek.

A look around the room revealed an audience of a couple dozen people, filled with some of today’s most influential bitcoiners, including technologist and software engineer Jameson Lopp, a cypherpunk and co-founder of bitcoin security provider Casa, as well as the popular podcast hosts Stephan Livera and hedge fund manager-turned-bitcoiner Robert Breedlove.

Across town at Polis, Duct Tape Production put on ETHPrague, in coordination with the Ethereum Foundation.

ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

The multi-day conference drew in the most influential thinkers in the space — including Buterin, one of the most prominent coders on the planet, and Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave and Lens.

Programming consisted of a mix of lectures and panels on everything from MiCA and self-regulation within decentralized finance, to the nuances of layer two protocols being built on top of ethereum. These working sessions brought together technologists, lawyers, and politicians from across the continent to discuss next steps for the industry.

“I was genuinely surprised at how helpful and friendly the participants were, how much altruism and reciprocity could be felt in their views and presentations, and the fact that they are close to the ‘build homes, not empires’ vision,” said Ondrej Polak, executive director of the newly-founded Czech Blockchain Association, who also describes himself as a practicing technology optimist and AI advocate.

ETHPrague 2023 was held at Paralelní Polis in the Czech Republic

Pavel Sinagl

Ligocky had a similar reaction to ETHPrague, saying it reaffirmed his belief that “the future of the internet is being reshaped by a vibrant global community of visionaries, developers, and entrepreneurs.”

“The sense of community and shared purpose was truly inspiring, as we collectively strive to unlock the limitless possibilities that lie ahead in this decentralized frontier,” continued Ligocky.

“ETHPrague is just the beginning,” he said, adding that they’re working on more events across Europe for teams that share the same vision.

Ethereum, Bitcoin communities descend on Prague as U.S. crackdown grips crypto market

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The Land Rover Defender EV we’ve been waiting for is coming, but not soon enough

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January 22, 2025

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The Land Rover Defender EV we've been waiting for is coming, but not soon enough

Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that an electric Defender is in the works. However, as the EV model requires “a significant step in the evolution of the Defender,” it may take some time before we see it hit the roads.

When will Land Rover Defender launch an EV?

As part of its rebranding, Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, and Jaguar each became a distinct brand under Jaguar Land Rover in 2023.

JLR announced plans in 2021 to launch six electric vehicles across the lineup by 2026. The plans called for Jaguar to become an all-electric brand, while Range Rover, Defender, and Discover would each release at least one EV by the end of the decade.

Last February, CEO Adrian Mardell admitted, “We are a little bit slower than we said three years ago.” Mardell said the company was now aiming to launch four new EVs.

JLR’s boss said the company was taking its time “to make sure that we put the best vehicles we have ever developed” out for buyers.

The Land Rover Defender EV appears to be one of the models that will be delayed. JLR’s chief commercial officer, Lennard Hoornik, confirmed to Autocar that the electric Defender SUV is proving more difficult than expected.

Land-Rover-Defender-EV
Land Rover Defender 110 (Source: JLR)

JLR electric vehicles are coming soon

“Electrifying the current ‘L663’ car, on its D7x platform, is not what we want,” He explained. Although the (L663) model “is brilliant at what it does” as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), Hoornik said, “it’s not easy to find the extra space you need within that chassis for batteries.”

JLR’s exec confirmed that the company is still committed to launching an electric model under each brand, including Range Rover, Defender, Discover, and Jaguar.

Land-Rover-Defender-EV
(Source: JLR)

However,” finding the space on the current Defender platform is really, really hard, so we will need to use something different,” Hoornik added. “The EV will need to come at quite a significant step in the evolution of the Defender,” he said.

Although Hoornik didn’t confirm it, the comments suggest the electric Land Rover Defender will likely have to wait for JLR’s dedicated EV platform, which is expected to be released closer to the end of the decade.

Range-Rover's-first-EV-testing-back
Range Rover Electric SUV testing (Source: JLR)

In the meantime, Range Rover’s first electric SUV will finally hit showrooms this year. At the end of October, JLR said the Range Rover Electric had over 48,000 clients on the waitlist. Last week, we caught a sneak peek of its mid-size electric SUV, likely the Velar, during testing.

After revealing its new ultra-luxury EV concept last year, Jaguar shook the internet (for better or worse) as it looks to revamp the brand. The radical GT concept will kick off a new lineup of ultra-luxury electric models, which Mardell said will likely be priced around around £150,000, or nearly $200,000.

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Anker SOLIX winter sale takes 56% off power stations, Lectric XPeak 2.0 + XPedition 2.0 e-bikes get $654 in free gear, EGO tools, more

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January 22, 2025

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Anker SOLIX winter sale takes 56% off power stations, Lectric XPeak 2.0 + XPedition 2.0 e-bikes get 4 in free gear, EGO tools, more

Starting off today’s Green Deals is Anker’s SOLIX winter sale that will be running through the rest of the week and taking up to 56% off units, including the bundle on the F2000 Portable Power Station with a backup transfer switch for your circuit breaker at $1,449, among many others. We also have Lectric switching up its New Year savings after the recent flash sale ended, with its newest XPeak 2.0 Off-Road e-bikes and the XPedition 2.0 Cargo e-bikes seeing the biggest free gear packages up to $654 – all starting from $1,399. We also spotted the EGO Power+ 15-inch POWERLOAD Carbon Fiber Split-Shaft String Trimmer dropping to $179, with a roundup of the select discounts on other tools. Lastly, while it is not a “green technology,” Orbit’s Velo Advanced Bike Tracker can certainly be used to always know where your e-bike is – all at a $35 Amazon low. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Rad Power e-bike sale offers, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Anker SOLIX winter sale bundles F2000 LiFePO4 power station with backup transfer switch at $1,449

Anker has launched a SOLIX winter sale through January 26 that is giving folks up to 56% off its lineup of popular power stations, with a particular bundle unavailable elsewhere. You can score the brand’s F2000 Portable Power Station bundled with a transfer switch for your circuit breakers at $1,449 shipped. Down from the bundle’s normal $2,448 price tag, we only saw it fall lower once before during the short-term Cyber Monday sale when it was $50 less, with it otherwise keeping above $1,500. The 41% markdown here is striking $999 off the price tag for the second-lowest price we have tracked, which is all the better considering the discounted power station alone costs $1,099 (matching at Amazon) and the transfer switch would run you $449, saving you nearly $100. You also won’t find this combo outside of Anker, with it being unavailable most days at Amazon.

Whether you’re prepping to handle sudden blackouts over winter or just stocking up for adventures away from home, Anker’s SOLIX F2000 has your back with its 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity and 2,400W output power (surging up to 3,600W to tackle higher-power appliances). There are 12 versatile output ports to utilize here, including an exclusive RV port for those traveling by way of a motor home. It can reach an 80% battery recharge in 1.4 hours after being plugged into a standard wall outlet, or you can connect it to its 1,000W maximum solar input to get the same amount of juice in up to 2.5 hours. You’ll also get extra efficiency built right in as the smart AC ports work with its internal systems to switch into a power-saving mode for energy conservation that extends its lifespan and prevents waste.

If you’re grabbing the package with the included transfer switch, you’ll gain the addition of hooking the F2000 up directly to your breaker to cover up to six circuits, each rated for up to 15A single-pole. It even comes pre-wired for easier installation, with Anker assuring that there’s “no need to hire an electrician.”

More Anker SOLIX winter sale F2000 home backup bundles:

Anker SOLIX winter sale F2000 solar generator bundles:

Anker SOLIX winter sale C1000 power station deals:

Anker SOLIX winter sale C800 power station deals:

Anker SOLIX winter sale C200/C300 power bank station deals:

Anker SOLIX winter sale accessory deals:

If you want to view Anker’s full SOLIX winter sale lineup, follow the link to the landing page here.

Lectric XPeak 2.0 off-road e-bikes

Lectric’s latest XPeak 2.0 and XPedition 2.0 e-bikes are getting up to $654 in free gear starting from $1,399

Lectric’s flash sale has ended, and the brand’s New Year sale is switching around prices on its e-bike bundles, with its two newest models holding some of the biggest packages of free gear for the time being. You’ll find the latest releases, the XPeak 2.0 Off-Road e-bikes getting packages we last saw during their November releases, with the standard High-Step and Step-Thru models getting $316 in free gear at $1,399 shipped, while the Long-Range High-Step and Long-Range Step-Thru models come with $365 in free gear at $1,599 shipped. These bundles would normally run you $1,715 and $1,964, respectively, with them only beaten out by the short-term $404 packages we saw recently.

Coming in two colorways, Lectric’s four XPeak 2.0 e-bikes arrive with significant upgrades from the previous model, like the new torque sensor that pairs with the brand’s PWR+ tech for even more responsive PAS, which works alongside the 750W Stealth M24 rear hub-motor (which peaks at 1,310W) to support riders up to a max speed of 28 MPH. The standard models’ 15Ah semi-integrated battery provides a travel range of up to 60 miles on a full charge, while the long-range models’ new 20Ah battery extends that range up to 80 miles.

These e-bikes also come with structural upgrades, including a new hydroformed aluminum frame, a higher-end RST Renegade front suspension fork with blacked-out fork stanchions for a much sleeker and stealthier look, as well as lock-on hand grips, a larger 203 mm front disc for the hydraulic mineral oil brakes – plus, a new color LCD too. Continued features include the 8-speed Shimano Altus derailleur, puncture-resistant knobby tires, hidden cable routing, accessory mounting points, removable pedals, and a thumb-throttle for pure electric riding. With the included bundle packages, you’ll also have the option to add on a rear cargo rack, fenders over both wheels, an Elite 850-lux headlight, an accordion-style folding bike lock, and a suspension seat post for more comfort when heading off the beaten path.

Lectric’s new XPeak 2.0 standard e-bikes with $316 in free gear:

Lectric’s new XPeak 2.0 long-range e-bikes with $365 in free gear:

Lectric’s new XPedition 2.0 13Ah e-bike with $326 in free gear

Lectric’s new XPedition 2.0 26Ah e-bike with $505 in free gear

Lectric’s new XPedition 2.0 35Ah e-bike with $654 in free gear

While the other e-bike packages have mostly shrunk in size, you can still take advantage of the savings that do exist to score some solid add-on accessories for them by heading to the landing page here.

EGO Power+ 15-inch string trimmer

This EGO Power+ 15-inch carbon fiber split-shaft string trimmer replaces broken lines with button press at $179

We just spotted the EGO Power+ 15-inch POWERLOAD Carbon Fiber Split-Shaft String Trimmer with a 2.5Ah battery at Amazon for $179 shipped. Normally this tool would cost you $250 at full price, with discounts often keeping things at $199 or higher. Today’s deal brings you a 28% markdown that saves you $71 off the going rate while it is down among its lowest prices – just $6 above the all-time low from March.

This string trimmer from EGO Power+ comes designed for far easier and more convenient use around the home, equipped with the brand’s POWERLOAD tech that automatically winds your trimmer so that you can simply replace broken strings with the push of a button. It also comes sporting a carbon fiber shaft (that can also be separated to switch out with another attachment) for increased durability while providing a 15-inch cutting swath. What’s more, unlike other models, this one comes compatible with all of the brand’s EGO ARC batteries making it far more easy for folks with varying sizes to utilize all that they have – with the included 2.5Ah battery providing a 30-minute runtime here. Head below for more.

Other notable EGO Power+ deals:

Orbit Velo advanced Apple Find My bike tracker

Orbit’s discreet Velo advanced bike tracker with Apple Find My integration falls to $35 Amazon low

As a bicyclist, one of my biggest fears is losing my ride to theft or my own incompetence, but we just spotted the perfect support for those concerns with the Orbit Velo Advanced Bike Tracker at $34.63 shipped from reputable seller Bike A Mile at Amazon. Normally going for $40 in full, since 2023 it’s been seeing only trickles of savings, with the steepest drop being to the $35 low back in April. Today though, that price is getting beaten out here for a new Amazon low.

Bike security is a growing concern – especially for e-bike riders – but this tracker from Orbit should put your mind at ease thanks to the Apple Find My integration. It comes with specialized bolts and a unique tool thereby ensuring a solid attachment to either the bottle cage mount or below your bottle cage – plus, it has a IPX6 waterproof design so don’t worry about it splashes or even heavy rain you may get caught in. On that note – while it is designed for standard bikes, it can be placed on many e-bike models on the market – just be sure yours has screw points on the appropriate spot. After its secure, you’ll enjoy “up to 3 years of tracking with a replaceable battery.”

Best New Year EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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Elon Musk is ‘not good for America or the world,’ according to himself

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4 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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Elon Musk is 'not good for America or the world,' according to himself

Elon Musk wrecking ball

Elon Musk is participating in the “dumbest experiment in history” and is “not good for America or the world” – and both of those quotes come from Elon Musk, himself.

(Note: every use of quotation marks in this article is a direct quote from Elon Musk, in the context of climate change and the Paris Agreement)

In Donald Trump’s first day in the Oval Office (after committing treason in 2021, for which there is a clear legal remedy), he once again announced that he wants to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement.

This action would result in a hotter climate, which means more environmental destruction, more displacement of people, more death and higher costs for Americans and everyone else on the planet, likely causing “more displacement and destruction than all the wars in history combined.” (Unless, of course, it is mitigated by Trump’s impotence as so many of his previous attempts at environmental destruction have been)

And, like last time, pulling out will weaken the position of America on the world stage. The move allies the US with such luminary states as Iran, Libya and Yemen, the only three other countries in the world not to ratify the Paris Agreement.

This order was not unexpected, as Mr. Trump did the same “dumb” thing in 2017, which President Biden reversed right away in 2021. Mr. Trump also campaigned in 2024 on a platform of causing environmental destruction, committing to pump the brakes on the environmental and economic progress of President Biden’s policies and forfeiting the boom in American manufacturing they brought.

Mr. Trump justified this withdrawal by using the same “propaganda from the carbon industry” as he has in the past, showing his lack of understanding of the Agreement, of science, and of the economy, as we covered before. And just like last time, the public overwhelmingly opposes withdrawing from the agreement, by about a 2.5x margin.

But what has changed this time is the response from technology company CEOs, who previously correctly stated that pulling out of the Paris Agreement is not good for the world, and now are actively participating in the very destruction they decried in the past.

In 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg both decried pulling out of Paris, saying that it harms our planet and our future, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos vowed that Amazon would continue to follow Paris goals (which it hasn’t followed through on).

But this time, all three of those spineless husks not only stayed quiet, but also personally donated a million dollars each to the very environmental destruction that they previously claimed to oppose.

Despite the silence of these cowardly billionaires who have fallen in line with destroying the planet’s future (again, their words), international leaders have at least correctly called out Mr. Trump’s actions for their stupidity and feebleness. The UN’s climate secretary, Simon Stiell, said that the door remains open for the US to rejoin just as last time, and pointed out that the world’s energy transition is unstoppable. And the US Climate Alliance, a coalition of states and cities that was formed in 2017 to protect their residents from Trump’s destructive actions, also vowed to continue to work to solve the problem that Trump wants to worsen.

Most likely, the most significant thing the US’ withdrawal from this global effort to solve a global problem will do is to ensure that America is unable to lead that inevitable transition, and will hand that lead to China. Congratulations Mr. Xi, you’re welcome for the global leadership position we’ve granted to you. Signed, the republican party.

And as another business leader pointed out in the past, “the only thing we gain by slowing down the transition is just slowing it down. It doesn’t make it not occur. It just slows it down,” but that “the faster we can bring that date forward, the better.”

That business leader is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who runs a company whose mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

Musk has previously called climate change the “dumbest experiment in history.” He acknowledges that it will cause “more displacement and destruction than all the wars in history combined.” He said that carbon is the “turd in the punch bowl” of our atmosphere and “if countries don’t take action, they all will share in a bad future.”

You can read a transcript of his landmark 2015 speech on climate change at the Sorbonne here, or watch the video above.

And, in 2017, when Mr. Trump said he would drop the US out of the Paris Agreement, Musk responded wisely at the time by departing from a council of business leaders that Mr. Trump had assembled. Musk said he did so because “Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”

However, deep in the throes of his current social media addiction that resulted in him losing ~$35 billion of his and other people’s money, Musk now seems to have lost any portion of himself that pretended to care about the planet.

Not only has he recently displayed that he doesn’t know even the basics of how climate change works, but he is now actively a part of a decision that he previously said was “not good for America or the world.”

As a thank you for his massive bribes to Mr. Trump’s campaign, Musk has been appointed to the Department of Government Efficiency. This is not an actual department, but an advisory panel with no official authority.

It was created to be helmed by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, two of the supposedly most intelligent and capable republican operatives, who nevertheless have both been tasked to do a job that would normally accomplished by one person (Ramaswamy has since quit or been forced out, before the job even started). The panel has a redundant mission to the already-existing Government Accountability Office – making it a redundant office to reduce redundancy (no, this is not a Monty Python sketch, this is apparently real life).

So, despite being put in a position that is very clearly busywork to make him feel important – and in which he already admitted failure at the goals he set out for himself, weeks before even starting the job – this nevertheless means that Musk is a member of the team that has now signaled yet another withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. (And notably, nobody is talking about how he’s doing at his job running Tesla, which he’s doing badly, and is even lobbying to harm his own company as Tesla’s sales drop in a growing market)

But unlike last time, when he swiftly departed from Mr. Trump’s unofficial business council for doing something that he correctly pointed out as being bad for the world (and bad for his business selling renewable energy), Musk has instead spent the last couple days defending his use of an unambiguous Nazi salute in front of a live TV audience (which Nazis were very happy to see).

The salute was not out of character for Musk, given his history of white supremacist statements and his current support for German neo-Nazis. Musk’s support has been noted by Germans, both among the public and by one German auto CEO who sees it as a sales opportunity, as a Tesla boycott gains momentum in Germany due to Musk’s neo-Nazi advocacy.

He has yet to make a public statement leaving the administration that made this “destructive” decision, instead choosing to remain on and continue advancing the “dumbest experiment in human history” – and being “not good for America or the world,” according to himself.

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