Latest news with #TimStevens
Engadget
04-07-2025
- Business
- Engadget
The Morning After: Big, Beautiful Fallout
The so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill' has passed with plenty of nasty treats for the US technology and manufacturing industries. As well as swinging the sword at basic environmental protection measures, the bill sticks its thumb in the eye of the EV industry. Tim Stevens takes you on a tour of the most salient changes, like the imminent end of the EV tax credit. Joining that on the bonfire is the used EV incentive, as well as the rebates for the purchase of commercial EVs. Similarly, for all of this administration's talk of bringing manufacturing back to the US, the bill is a middle finger for domestic solar companies. The US is the only credible manufacturing rival to China in solar panels, but the bill cuts these businesses off at the knees. I spoke to people inside the US solar industry who know that, despite whatever tariffs are implemented, this bill opens the door to a flood of cheap, Chinese-made solar panels to usurp their US rivals. An earlier version of the bill also contained moves that could only be described as weirdly vindictive. It previously proposed an annual EV tax of $250 (and $100 for hybrid owners) as well as a general levy on all wind and solar projects. Why? A cynic might suggest it was due to the bill being drafted to benefit fossil fuel companies at the expense of literally everyone else. Anyway, hopefully you can enjoy the holiday and won't need to spend it panic-buying an EV and US-made solar panels. Although that's not actually a bad way to spend a long weekend. — Dan Cooper Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! You can snag two months of Paramount+ for just $2, allowing you to take advantage of the new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The deal applies to both the Essential and Premium plan, so you can easily have a little run of ad-free Star Trek as a treat. And, if you don't like the idea of binging Strange New Worlds , you can always watch Star Trek: Lower Decks instead. Continue Reading. Microsoft has announced it will cut 9,000 jobs from its global workforce, with much of that focus on its gaming division. Engadget's Jessica Conditt got the inside scoop from employees at Halo Studios, who reveal all is not well at what should be one of Microsoft's crown jewels. Sadly, the company was already gutted back in 2023, and the lukewarm reception of its work since then is a sign of how badly things are going. Continue Reading. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget Translating a work of art is a delicate task requiring nuanced knowledge of both the culture and the languages you're translating from and to. Unless you're Anime-favoring streaming service Crunchyroll, which just dumped subtitle files into ChatGPT and hoped for the best. As well as a general sloppiness, Engadget's Igor Bonifacic found instances of lines beginning with 'ChatGPT said:' at the start of a line. Crunchyroll said the subtitles were the result of the unauthorized action of a "third-party vendor," and it is working to rectify the error right now. Continue Reading. Neil Druckmann, head of Naughty Dog and co-creator of The Last of US and its TV adaptation, is stepping down from the HBO series. He said he's shifting his focus back to video games full time to work on the studio's next big title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet . The Last of Us Part II co-writer Halley Gross is also stepping down at the same time, and that got our staff TLoU superfan Nathan Ingraham's antennae twitching. He feels the video game industry, currently suffering body blow after body blow, needs Druckmann (and Gross) far more than the TV world does. Continue Reading. Nothing has launched its third-generation flagship, the $799 Nothing Phone 3, complete with a new eye-catching gimmick. Whereas previous models had the Glyph Interface, a series of flashing lights on the rear cover, the 3 gets a tiny dot-matrix display called the Glyph Matrix. Wanna find out if it's going to be worth your cash? Check out Mat Smith's detailed hands-on. Continue Reading.
CTV News
26-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Historic home in Amherst, N.S., converted to affordable housing
A nearly 200-year-old home in Amherst has been given new life as an affordable housing complex, thanks to a local construction company's innovative approach to preservation. 'This house was originally constructed in 1857,' said contractor Tom Mattinson. 'Originally, when this house was lived in as a single-family home, it was heated with a combination of wood and oil, with portions of the house closed off to make it more heatable.' Mattinson and his wife, tired of seeing the historic Victoria Street home decline, purchased it with the goal of restoration and modernization. 'We stripped out the interior walls, built a whole other wall structure, we retrofitted all the windows, upgraded ventilation systems, upgraded heating systems,' Mattinson explained. 'We are probably closer to, in terms of carbon, we're probably closer to around 30 per cent of the original, what it would have taken to heat this house. The former owner told me they burned about 11 quarts of wood and a couple of tanks of oil every year.' Construction manager Tim Stevens noted the challenges of the eight-month renovation, particularly the roof. 'One being the absolutely ridiculous adventure it was to build this roof,' Stevens said. 'A mansard roof with elliptical windows in it all done with sheet steel Americana style is a feat that not many people would even take on or know how to approach to begin with.' Despite the difficulties, Stevens emphasized the long-term vision. 'We're trying to meet codes that are going to be in place in like 2035,' he said. 'This is an almost 200-year-old home, and we want it to be another 200-year-old home.' Local artist Jackie Wheaton was brought in to preserve the home's character. 'When it comes to these kind of places, especially Victorian homes or any old homes, I don't like when too much modernization comes into it. I don't like taking away the character because we only have so many limited homes that have that kind of character,' Wheaton said. 'There was a lot of washing to the walls originally being done. And as we were washing, we noticed that it wasn't all coming off, and also that it was taking away some of the original details of the mansion. And so, what we decided to do is just match as much as we could. And how I did that was I made sure that each part, if they had a pattern to copy it, like the bricks themselves.' The renovated building now offers seven affordable housing units. 'This project alone is 7 units so that compromises of three 2 bedrooms and four 1 bedrooms,' Stevens confirmed. Mattinson added, 'Our one bedrooms, all included here, are 850 and the two bedrooms, all included here, are 1000.' This project serves as an example for modernizing historic homes in the region. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Motor 1
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The 2025 Audi Q5 Adds More Screens, More Power: Review
Quick Specs 2025 Audi Q5 / SQ5 Engine Turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 / Turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 Output 268 hp, 295 lb-ft. / 362 hp, 295 lb-ft. Base Price $52,200 / $64,800 Pros: Roomier & Comfier, Engaging Feel, Sharper Transmission Tuning Cons: Costlier, Lackluster gauges, Capacitive-touch buttons 2025 Audi Q5 Overview: Same Tune, More Volume Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 The Audi Q5 is one of those SUVs that feels familiar even if you've never driven one before. As Audi 's best-selling model, they're easy to find in most parking lots, striking the right blend of inoffensive styling on the outside and aspirational luxury on the inside to deliver mass-market appeal. For 2025's Q5 , that fundamental concept doesn't change. Audi's tweaks to this compact SUV are subtle, adding a little more cargo space here and a bit more legroom there, plus a good bit more power and about an acre's worth of additional digital displays. The result is still very much the same recipe, but the result is sweeter yet sharper than before. Engine, Drivetrain, Horsepower: Bigger Boost Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 The engine that will drive the bulk of Q5 models sold remains the same, basic turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder as before. It's been massaged a bit, though, now offering 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. That's up from 201 hp and 236 lb-ft from the former base Q5 40 TFSI, or a tick up over the former Q5 S line 45 TFSI, which made 261 hp and 273 lb-ft. Fuel economy is 25 mpg combined. Want more? Step up to the SQ5 and its 3.0-liter, turbocharged V6, now making 362 hp and 406 lb-ft. Its efficiency is 19 mpg city, 26 highway, and 22 mpg combined. That's right, no hybrid offerings nor fancy, high-voltage electric turbos or anything of the like. Those turbos are new, though, with a variable geometry design intended to minimize lag despite those higher output figures. The biggest change, though, comes on the other end of the crankshaft: The SQ5 gets a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, a nice upgrade over the former generation's automatic. Technology and Infotainment: OMG OLED Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 Slot into the driver's seat, and it becomes immediately apparent where Audi's engineers spent the bulk of their time and money on this 2025 rendition of the Q5. Like on the Q6 E-Tron , gauge cluster and infotainment duties are handled by a pair of OLED displays joined at the bezel to form a single sweeping pane. OLED technology means bold colors and luscious contrast, but most importantly, it delivers the kind of pure blacks at night that automotive-grade LCDs can only dream of. The panel behind the steering wheel measures 11.9 inches on the diagonal, while the new infotainment screen is a touch bigger at 14.5. Need more? Tick the right boxes, and you'll get a third display on the passenger side, one not nearly as crisp-looking but offering yet another way to interface with Audi's latest MMI software. Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 Premium Plus and Prestige models also get a new heads-up display, bigger and brighter than before. It works better with polarized sunglasses and offers multiple different views with enough telemetry data that even data-hounds will keep their eyes on the road. That's good because if your eyes should linger too long on a roadside hot dog stand or other culinary distraction, the standard driver-monitoring system will chime early and often. The HUD is a nice upgrade, but the software driving the gauge cluster disappoints. It offers plenty of pages of data to cycle through but isn't nearly as customizable or, frankly, as visually compelling as what you'll find in a new BMW or Mercedes-Benz. The lackluster design on such a beautiful display feels like a waste. Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 I also found myself hating the capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel. By the end of the day, I'd lost count of the number of times I inadvertently turned up the volume when my right palm grazed the upper portion of the touch-sensitive area. Design: Hello Again Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 The fundamental shape and character of the Q5 haven't changed much in 2025, but the details are quite different. The grille up front is even bigger than before, and while the overall look is more stately and sophisticated, I have to say I prefer the svelte shapeliness of the previous generation. The headlights and taillights are the most significant change, keeping up with the modern trend of going as narrow as possible while featuring inordinate levels of complexity in pursuit of visual flair. That comes courtesy of a grid of LED-illuminated sections at the front and a crystalline-like structure of OLED panels at the rear, all of which can be customized in the car's app or infotainment center to deliver some degree of personalization. Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 On the inside, the biggest design change is the aforementioned faceful of OLED pixels, but other subtle revisions are here, too, including a switch to a much smaller shifter. That creates room for bigger cup holders and storage cubbies. There's more storage out back, 27.6 cubic feet worth with the seats up and 56.9 down. Legroom is up, too, all thanks to the inevitable increase in size over the outgoing model. The 2025 Q5 is about an inch and a half longer and a half-inch wider than before. Driving Impressions: More Feel, More Shove Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 Piloting the new Q5 through the urban sprawl is as effortless as it's ever been. That new DCT has been tuned by Audi, not for instant, rapid-fire shifts but to slip between gears much like an automatic. It eases itself gently up to speed, sliding from one cog to the next without so much as a nod from your passengers. Power delivery, too, is subtle and relaxed, requiring you to flex your foot hard on that accelerator to get the turbo working. Steering, however, is ultra-light, with U-turns requiring just one finger. The steering gains quite a bit of heft as you cycle through the drive modes, but there's a surprising amount of feel throughout. In Dynamic, the sportiest, the SQ5's throttle now becomes far more sharp and that transmission more eager, if still relaxed. Taps on the shift paddles behind the wheel are still handled on a delayed basis, a delay compounded by a noticeable amount of turbo lag. Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 The SQ5 delivers much the same experience when you're idling through town. But, find some more engaging roads (of which there are plenty in Colorado, where I tested these SUVs), dial it up to Dynamic, and the sportier of the two really does feel significantly different. The SQ5 adds more power and also more sound. Whether idling in traffic or swinging up to the redline, the exhaust note on the SQ5 is far more engaging. Likewise, the DCT here acts with far more intent, shifting quickly when you ask it to. There's even greater feel through the steering wheel, thanks in part to Audi using stiffer mounts to attach the front subframe to the chassis. That swap does result in a slight penalty in ride quality, especially over separation joints and other short, sharp impacts, but the optional air suspension on both Q5 and SQ5 offers remarkably good ride quality despite the larger wheel sizes. Sadly, I wasn't able to sample a version with steel springs. Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 Fuel Economy: Down a Bit The 2025 Audi Q5 is EPA-rated for 22 mpg in the city, 30 on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. That's down one from the old Q5's rating, but in my testing, I did slightly better, coming in at 25.8 mpg. On the SQ5 side, you're looking at 19 mpg city, 26 highway, and 22 combined. I again came in quite close to the official rating at 23 mpg. Photo by: Tim Stevens / Motor1 Pricing+Verdict: Splurge On the S The Q5 starts at $52,200, a big jump from the 2024 model's mid-$40,000 MSRP, and you'll need to drop another $8,400 for the Prestige package if you want niceties like the air suspension and the gratuitous passenger-side display. The Q5 Prestige model I drove stickered at $63,290, including the $1,295 destination. The SQ5 starts at a rather dearer $64,800, but for that, you at least get the air suspension standard. If you're thinking of Q5, the extra splurge on the SQ5 feels worthwhile. The changes to the chassis result in a noticeable improvement in feel, while the extra aggression from both engine and transmission make for a far more engaging drive without much in the way of compromise. Either way, the new Q5 is hardly a reinvention, but it does deliver enough new power and toys to keep up with the Joneses – or the Bavarians, as it were. 2025 Audi Q5 and SQ5 FAQs Is the 2025 Audi Q5 available as a hybrid? No, at least not for now. Your only choices are a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder or a 3.0-liter V6. Is the 2025 Audi Q5 more powerful? Yes, both the base Q5 and the hotter SQ5 gain power, up to 268 on the former and 362 on the latter. The penalty, though, is some extra turbo lag, especially on the littler 2.0-liter. What are the Audi Q5's biggest competitors? BMW's recently refreshed X3 is definitely this thing's toughest competition. The Mercedes-Benz GLC is still worth your attention in the luxury crossover SUV crowd, too. More On Audi SUVs The 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron Is Excellent, No Gimmicks Required: First Drive Review Audi Made an Electric Off-Roader With Portal Axles Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . 2025 Audi Q5 / SQ5 Engine Turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 (Q5), Turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 (SQ5) Output 268 hp, 295 lb-ft. (Q5) / 362 hp, 295 lb-ft. (SQ5) Transmission Seven-Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission Drive Type All-Wheel Drive Seating Capacity 5 Weight 4,244 lbs. (Q5) / 4,400 lbs. (SQ5) Efficiency 22 city / 30 highway / 25 combined (Q5); 19 city 26 highway 22 combined (SQ5) Trim Base Price $52,200 (Q5) / $64,800 (SQ5) As-Tested Price $63,290 (Q5) / $74,740 (SQ5) On Sale Now Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
CBS News
28-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Movement targeting major retailers makes its way to Pittsburgh
It's something you may have seen on Facebook or Instagram over the past few days. People have been posting about an "economic blackout" taking place Friday around Pittsburgh. It's some kind of call to inaction, if you will. The people behind it are asking people not to pull out their carts and buy anything at major retailers Friday. But as for why? That's not necessarily uniform. Tim Stevens is hoping he and others can make an impact. "Let's make a dent in the economic structure of America today," he said. Stevens' group, B-PEP, is endorsing Friday's national economic blackout. "We do not buy from any major corporation or company today," he said. This planned pause of spending all started earlier this February. John Schwarz posted a video that's since garnered millions of views calling for a blackout on Friday, February 28, he says he thought of today as a chance to cause an "economic resistance." "The economy does not belong to the rich it belongs to us," Schwarz said. He did not point out specific companies, but some people have. People like Stevens are also targeting places like Target and McDonalds for rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. "We have civil rights champions that are in their graves right now," he said. "If they were able to roll around in their graves, they would be rolling big time right now." Some have encouraged only shopping at small businesses on Friday. Not all small business owners are endorsing this though. "I don't think it's right to hurt someone else to help us," Bill Sunseri, President of Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, said. "They may be just trying to hurt the big vendor, the box store, but it will hurt us too." Some experts do not believe this will make the economic dent Tim Stevens is hoping for. He's not stopping the push. "If the statement's not powerful enough, we can try it again and I'm sure we will," he said. Schwarz and his group, The People's Union USA, have another big blackout planned for April. There are also numerous ones planned throughout the next few months. The next event is a weeklong Amazon boycott in March.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Non-partisan group calling for national ‘economic blackout' in response to moves from corporations
A non-partisan group called the People's Union has called for a national economic blackout. On Friday, the group is urging consumers to shut their wallets. No spending for 24 hours, not in-person or online, the group said this is not political but in response to what they are calling corporate greed. The group said corporations have driven up prices, underpaid workers, and outsourced jobs. John Schwarz is the founder of the People's Union. The 57-year-old teacher said he came up with the idea for a boycott as he was searching for a way to take action. In a span of a few weeks, Schwarz's social media post calling for the blackout was shared thousands of times on both Instagram and TikTok, inspiring similar posts sharing the call for a boycott. 'Even though we may be individually weak, collectively we are strong,' said Tim Stevens. Locally, Tim Stevens, a civil rights leader and founder of B-PEP said his organization will participate in the boycott and even has shared the social post and flyer. Channel 11 News asked Stevens what motivated him to support the efforts, and told us when corporations began removing their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, that was the final straw. 'You have the national administration eliminating diversity programs within the federal government and urging corporations to do the same, we can't have that,' Stevens said. We went to the union's website to learn how the 'blackout' works. According to the site, starting at midnight Friday morning, consumers should stop spending any money, and if they must make an essential purchase like food or medicine, to only support small local businesses. This boycott comes at a critical time when many consumers already feel uneasy. 'There is also that fear of not being able to spend your discretionary income and those two things [a boycott and uncertainty] together are going to have an impact on our economy,' said Point Park Professor Elaine Luther. Retail makes up 6.4 percent of the gross domestic product. Some economists have shared that the effectiveness of financial boycotts may not disrupt the stock market but can send a significant message to corporations. 'One day can make a difference in a particular business, but it will be the signal that they now have two competing pressures against them, and they will have to make a decision,' Luther said. Economists warn that if these boycotts lead to more permanent consumer decisions, corporations may be forced to make changes. 'People were already thinking of alternatives and they may start finding alternatives that are acceptable to them and the big risk is it will be permanent changes,' Luther said. The one-day action has since been expanded by The People's Union: It includes boycotts of various companies and retailers during different time periods including Amazon (March 7-14), Nestle (March 21-28), Walmart (April 7-14) and a second broader one-day economic blackout on April 18. A full description of the action items below: WHAT THE BOYCOTT REQUESTS: Do not make any purchases Do not shop online, or in-store Do not spend money on: Fast Food Gas Major Retailers Do not use Credit or Debit Cards for nonessential spending WHAT THE BOYCOTT REQUESTS: Only buy essentials of absolutely necessary (Food, Medicine, Emergency Supplies) If you must spend, ONLY support small, local businesses. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
