@peter This a thing going on in your corner of the world? https://www.tumblr.com/dianapocalypse/829225386915266560

If you see ads pointing you to votesafe.org to check your voter registration, read this first.

VoteSafe is run by America PAC, Elon Musk's super PAC. It is not a government site. Its own footer says "Paid for by America PAC."

It also doesn't register anyone. The flow ends by telling you to download a PDF, print it, and mail it in yourself.

Its privacy policy (updated Aug 29, 2026) lets America PAC share your info with "business partners" for targeted marketing, or sell it. That includes whether you're registered to vote and "how you submit your vote." Popular Information found your address going to Facebook and Google, a hashed email to The Trade Desk, your usage to X, and a device fingerprint that survives cookie deletion.

VoteSafe also white-labels voter sites for allied groups, including Sentinel Action Fund and Ready to Register. North Carolina's election board warned in July that Ready to Register mailings used an outdated form, went to deceased voters, and had QR codes that could pre-populate other people's data.

To check your registration, use your state's official portal, https://vote.gov, or https://vote.org. None of them sell your data.

Sources:
https://popular.info/p/the-hidden-dangers-of-musks-votesafeorg
https://votesafe.org/privacy-policy
https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00879510/
https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2026/07/01/bulk-voter-registration-mailings-cause-voter-confusion-additional-work-counties

🔴 A defense contractor is now selling technology that scans every electronic device in your car as you drive past a camera. It ties everything to your license plate. You cannot opt out.

It is called SignalTrace. Made by Leonardo, an Italian military contractor with existing U.S. Special Operations Command contracts. It sweeps your phone, smartwatch, Bluetooth headphones, your dog's RFID chip, tire pressure sensors, your car's infotainment system. Anything that broadcasts.

It bundles these into what Leonardo calls your "electronic fingerprint," timestamped and geotagged. Stored in an "Enterprise Operations Center for future queries and analysis."

Those are their words. Not mine.

You did not consent. You cannot opt out. Your devices broadcast by existing. In most places, this is perfectly legal.

If this sounds like something that will be abused: it already has been. Police have used existing license plate reader networks to stalk partners, verify school residency, run background checks, and monitor protests. At least 22 officers charged or resigned for ALPR stalking.

SignalTrace does not read your messages. It does not need to. It knows who you travel with, where you go, and when.

Sources: https://www.techdirt.com/2026/06/24/surveillance-tech-company-is-pitching-an-unholy-alpr-stingray-hybrid-to-law-enforcement/ and https://www.leonardocompany-us.com/lpr/elsag-signaltrace

#surveillance #privacy #ALPR

🔋 MIT just published the most comprehensive EV emissions study yet, analyzing every US zip code with real driving data.

Battery EVs cut lifetime emissions 40-60% vs gas cars in most locations. Even on the dirtiest grid in the country, they still come out ahead. The study used DOE's GREET lifecycle model, which already includes battery manufacturing. So the "but what about making the batteries?" question is answered: building an EV produces 50-80% more CO2 upfront, but it pays that back over the vehicle's life.

Your driving habits matter as much as where you live. High mileage, city driving, and larger vehicles all boost the EV advantage. Cold weather cuts efficiency on a frigid night but barely dents annual savings.

The "who benefits from the doubt?" question has a paper trail. The API has run anti-EV messaging since 1967. Koch-funded groups planned $10M/year campaigns. AFPM dropped $10M+ on "Don't Ban Our Cars" ads in 2024 swing states.

https://news.mit.edu/2026/us-drivers-electric-vehicles-offer-emissions-benefits-cost-savings-0512

#EVs #Climate #Science

🧵 The Salad Oil Scandal of 1963 — one of the most audacious frauds in financial history.

Anthony De Angelis ran Allied Crude Vegetable Oil Refining Co. He wanted to corner the soybean oil futures market. To fund his scheme, he needed collateral. So he did something brilliant and insane: he filled massive storage tanks in Bayonne, NJ with seawater, then poured a thin layer of real vegetable oil on top.

When inspectors came to verify the inventory, they lowered measuring tapes into the tanks. The tapes showed full tanks. The oil coating made everything look legit.

De Angelis used these fake warehouse receipts to borrow $175 million against oil that mostly didn't exist. He was supposed to have 2 billion pounds of vegetable oil — more than the entire USDA's reported national inventory.

The house of cards fell in November 1963 when the Soviet wheat deal stalled, futures prices dropped, and margin calls came due. Inspectors finally found mostly seawater. Allied filed for bankruptcy on Nov 19, 1963.

The fallout was massive:
• American Express — a major victim — lost over 50% of its stock value
• Two Wall Street brokerages (Ira Haupt & Co, J.R. Williston & Beane) went bust
• The New York Produce Exchange, the primary venue for cottonseed/soybean oil futures, eventually ceased commodities trading
• 51 financial institutions were caught holding worthless receipts

Warren Buffett saw his opening. He bought $20 million of American Express stock at 94 cents/share. By 1968 it hit $5. He made roughly $250 million from the recovery.

De Angelis got 7 years in prison. He stashed $500K in a Swiss account, which got him charged with contempt of bankruptcy court. After release, he tried another scheme — a Midwest cattle Ponzi — which collapsed quickly.

The scandal reshaped commodities regulation and gave us the phrase "salad oil swindle" as shorthand for elaborate financial fraud.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salad_oil_scandal