- Tour de France confronts a new threat: Are cyclists using tiny motors? (Washington Post)
- Union Pacific to buy Norfolk in $85 billion mega U.S. railroad deal (CNBC)
- The Leverage Arbitrage: Why Everything Feels Broken (Tushar Dadlani’s Blog)
- Allianz Life says ‘majority’ of customers’ personal data stolen in cyberattack (TechCrunch) – It is really starting to feel like a permanent personal data monitoring service is a good investment.
- EU-US trade deal: The biggest losers and (a few) winners (Politico)
- Boeing aims for Max 7 and Max 10 certifications in 2026 (FlightGlobal)
“We are continuing to mature the technical solution for engine anti-ice and the certification path for the [Max 7 and 10],” Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said in a 29 July memo to employees. “Progress on this solution has taken longer than we expected, and we now anticipate that certification for the airplanes will take place next year.”
I won’t hold my breath.
Tuesday texts to read – 5
- Trump says he wants to deport ‘the worst of the worst.’ Government data tells another story (Associated Press)
- NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Begins Taxi Tests (NASA)
- What Will Become of the C.I.A.? (The New Yorker)
- Shale Drillers Turn Against Each Other as Toxic Water Leaks Hit Biggest US Oil Field (Financial Post)
- ACWA Power plans to develop 15 GW of wind and solar capacity in Saudi Arabia (Enerdata)
- How one man with a hacksaw and an e-bike became a Texas flood ‘hero’ (electrek)
In addition to delivering needed supplies, Evan has often found himself moving something even more important: information. “I’ve flagged down medics. I’ve been the guy that goes between Austin EMT and STAR Flight because I’m quicker than cell phones sometimes, people don’t have signal a lot of the time.”
Evan quickly points out that he isn’t the only one helping. “I’ve got an e-bike, but other people are pulling carts. People are walking, people are carrying things. Everyone is doing what they can.” But there’s no doubt that his ability to carry more gear at higher speeds and make hundreds of round-trip journeys so far in and out of the stricken neighborhood has helped impact countless lives.
Alaska Airlines asked for a 3-hour ground stop
Yesterday, July 20, 2025, Alaska Airlines asked the FAA for a ground stop for all of their flights starting around 8pm Pacific. There were rumors of a hack, but the airlines has not confirmed or denied that claim. There was a report that the airline suffered a hack back in June but again, there is no information pointing to it being a cause of this latest issue. Whatever the cause, the ground stop lasted until 11pm Pacific and it’s clear the effects on operations will be felt by the airline for at least the next couple of days.
If you have a flight on Alaska over the next few days, be prepared for irritated customers and potential delays as the airline tries to get crews back into place and recover from the issue.
Tuesday texts to read – 4
- How I Solved the Century-Old Mystery of a Miraculous Shipwreck Survivor (The Walrus)
- Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A. (NYTimes)
- The old traffic math that keeps destroying neighborhoods (Fast Company)
A status quo success story is when a road expansion allows a driver to get home 18 seconds sooner but makes it impossible for a child to safely bike to the library.
- DHS Tells Police That Common Protest Activities Are ‘Violent Tactics’
“The DHS report repeatedly conflates basic protest, organizing, and journalism with terroristic violence, thereby justifying ever more authoritarian measures by law enforcement,” says Ryan Shapiro, executive director of Property of the People. “It should be sobering, if unsurprising, that the Trump regime’s response to mass criticism of its police state tactics is to escalate those tactics.”
- American Airlines introduces first-of-its-kind Provisions by Admirals Club lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (American Airlines)
Tuesday texts to read – 3
- The chemical secrets that help keep honey fresh for so long (BBC)
- Local-first software (Ink & Switch)
- The Force-Feeding of AI on an Unwilling Public (The Honest Broker)
- TSA to end shoes-off policy for airport security screening (ABC News)
- A Classic Childhood Pastime Is Fading (The Atlantic)
Biking can be risky, and finding an appropriate place to practice can be tricky in the city or in the suburbs. But if parents can find safe environments for teaching their children to navigate streets confidently on their own, the amount of freedom those kids will gain is invaluable. On a bike, a child gets to choose where to go and how to get there without having to check in with a parent, which lets them practice making decisions. As they ride more, the activity can even start to rewire their brain, helping them form spatial maps of their neighborhood and develop the kind of competence and knowledge that can seed lasting resilience and self-esteem.
My favorite portable battery for travel
I have carried portable batteries when traveling for a while, but back in 2020, just before Covid, I was trying to lighten my carry-on and it made me realize how heavy the Anker portable battery I had was. Sure, it could recharge my phone three times, but it also weighed a few pounds.
Fast forward to 2023 and I was starting to travel again and in the market for a lightweight battery. I came across the Nitecore NB10000 Gen 2. It is a super lightweight 10000mAh battery, smaller than my iPhone but still able to give me two full charges. The shell of the battery is carbon fiber so I don’t have to worry about it getting punctured or bent and damaging the battery.
Nitecore now has a Gen 3 version of the battery that has two USB-C output ports instead of one USB-C and one USB-A.
*Disclaimer, the links above lead to Amazon and I receive compensation if you buy the product with that link. If you would like to purchase directly from Nitecore with no affiliate benefit to me, you can do that here.
Tuesday texts to read – 2
- Xfinity using WiFi in your house to detect motion (Xfinity)
- Parallel parking contest in Southeast Portland keeps the city weird (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- The 50 best airports in America, ranked (Washington Post)
#1 Portland, OR – Walk into this airport terminal and gasp. It’s practically a nature bath. Skylights built into soaring timber roofs filter sunlight onto the oak floor. Live trees and massive video walls showcase stunning landscapes. Sit for a spell on the stadium-style wood benches. Linger on the real-life view of Mount Hood from Concourse E. This space is – it’s hard to believe – relaxing. And that’s despite construction set to wrap up next year.
- What does a post-Google internet look like? (Mat Duggan)
- Drug cartel hacked FBI official’s phone to track and kill informants, report says (Ars Technica)
The hired hacker observed “’people of interest’ for the cartel, including the FBI Assistant Legal Attache, and then was able to use the [attache’s] mobile phone number to obtain calls made and received, as well as geolocation data, associated with the [attache’s] phone.”
- SAS picks E2 for short haul fleet (Paxex.aero)
Tuesday texts to read – 1
Trying something new I’m trying, sharing a few different stories I’ve come across in the last week that I’ve found interesting or worth reading.
- Backyard Coffee And Jazz In Kyoto, Japan (The Deleted Scenes)
- Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives at College Park, MD, will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need. (National Archives)
- The Scheme that Broke the Texas Lottery (New Yorker)
- Quebec provides universal childcare for less than $7 a day. Here’s what the US can learn (The Guardian)
- Why Engineers Hate Their Managers (And What to Do About It) (Terrible Software)
Most managers aren’t evil; they’re often just as frustrated as their engineers, caught between demanding executives and burnt-out teams. They’re measured on metrics they can’t directly control, asked to do more with less, and criticized from every direction.
- Why Are Federal Agents Wearing Masks? It’s a Threat to American Democracy (Adam Kinzinger)
Let me speak plainly: this is cowardice. You do not serve justice by hiding your face. You do not build trust with a community by terrorizing it from behind a mask. And you sure as hell do not defend the Constitution by violating it in the dark.
Travel credit cards – what is the future strategy?
A bunch of credit cards have been “upgraded” recently and there are more cards rumored to be getting a similar treatment soon. Most of these changes revolve around the annual fee and benefits included with each of the cards. For example, United’s premier “Club” card is going up to $695/year and the access to lounges is reduced without high amounts of spend on the card, as is the number of guests you are allowed with the card, down from two to one.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve, arguably the gold standard in higher end travel cards, announced their fee increase today and a bunch of changes to earning and redeeming points. The fee goes to $795! An authorized user is $195/year. And for that increased fee you essentially get a coupon book of redemptions; Things like a $120/year in Peloton credits, $300 dining credit if you book via OpenTable, $300 in StubHub credit and a complimentary Apple Music and Apple TV+ (but not Apple One) subscription. Those things all sound nice, but are probably only useful for a subset of the population. Earning on direct travel will stay at 3x but only for hotels, airlines, and rental cars. Things like tolls or taxis appears to go to 1x, that’s a big ding for people who traveled a lot via car. They’ve boosted earning when booking via their portal to 8x, but for any kind of complicated flight bookings their tools always choke for me.
Chase also announced that eventually their 1.5x multiplier on points when redeeming via their travel portal will go away and be replaced by “preferred redemptions”. This was a huge reason for me to use the card and earn points on it, I could find the flights I wanted and get a bonus on my points redemption when booking via the Chase portal.
Overall the card changes are targeting a market that I am not part of. They downgraded the Priority Pass features last year and I could see them making some other changes around lounge access in general making it even less compelling for that. The travel insurance stays the same, and honestly, that’s a big feature but I don’t know that it’s worth the price increase when other cards have similar insurance.
It feels like Chase has hit a ceiling with new signups and they are looking for ways to increase revenue, so a higher fee and fewer points outside of their booking channels while making redemptions a little less enticing makes sense. Some of it feels like a joke, a premium card with features like top tier Southwest status and IHG (Hilton Garden Inn) status.
What to do?
I am dumping the United Club card, and for now I’ll likely downgrade the Chase Sapphire Reserve to a Preferred card and if the rumor is true that all cards see the 1.5x bonus for redemption end, I will likely dump Chase altogether.
Where does that leave us? The Venture X is a solid card, but there are rumors it will get a similar treatment to the Chase Sapphire Reserve at some point. They’ve already downgraded lounge access for guests (effective in 2026) so I could see them making more program changes next year. Amex is also rumored to be making big changes to their premium Amex Platinum card next year.
So, what is my plan? I am tempted to just move back to a cashback card with travel insurance. Or one that earns decent points per dollar spent across all categories. What card that is, I don’t know. I love the idea of a card that gives me lounge access but have found myself using lounges a bit less during my travels. If it’s included with my ticket, I’ll use it but I don’t go out of my way to enter a lounge. I have a United Club at my home airport that I have been to once in the last two years. Just this last week I tried to go into the Capitol One lounge in Dulles and it was a thirty minute wait. Instead I got a cup of coffee and walked the terminal and was perfectly content.
What are your thoughts on the announced Sapphire Reserve changes? Are you going to keep it in your wallet? Is there a value proposition I am missing?
SeaPort Airlines partaking in wacky-tobaccy
From The Seattle Times —
SeaPort Airlines — a regional carrier that went bankrupt in 2016 — will launch daily commuter flights between Seattle’s Boeing Field and Portland next week.
The flights, on a nine-seat Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, will take off every 45 minutes. CEO Kent Craford called the airline a “conveyor belt in the sky. … It’s going to be a life-changing service for people that travel between Seattle and Portland on a regular basis.”
And…
Prices for the Seattle-to-Portland route, taking off Tuesday, will start at $558 round-trip.
Craford hopes he’s just getting started. One day, he wants SeaPort to offer travel between the Northwest’s two central cities every 15 minutes.
I’m sorry, $558 round-trip?! You can buy a walk-up first class ticket on Alaska or Delta for that much round-trip Portland to Seattle. Boeing Field is around six miles closer to downtown Seattle than SeaTac but is that worth a huge premium? Also, the CEO stating that he sees a future where flights will take place every 15 minutes, I just don’t get it.
These flights will be on Pilatus PC-12s with seating for nine passengers and will run like charters or private flights so there will be no TSA checkpoint to navigate at Boeing Field nor at PDX, it will operate out of the FBO or general aviation area of both airports. So there is some time savings but again, I question the premium being charged over commercial flights. Flights start Tuesday, May 20 and look to be operated by Air Excursions.
It does speak to some of the issues at SeaTac, including overcrowding and the difficulty of getting into downtown Seattle, even on public transit. I’ve seen some comments where people think this service should be from downtown Portland to downtown Seattle via a seaplane. I’d get behind that from an airplane nerd perspective but I think the technical issues with all of the bridges near downtown Portland make it unlikely.
Covid bankrupted the first incarnation of SeaPort, maybe this new version has better luck. Only time will tell.