Author: easyfilo

Enlarge (credit: John Paraskevas/Newsday RM)

For over a decade, the US has blended ethanol with gasoline in an attempt to reduce the overall carbon pollution produced by fossil fuel-powered cars and trucks. But a new study says that the practice may not be achieving its goals. In fact, burning ethanol made from corn—the major source in the US—may be worse for the climate than just burning gasoline alone.

Corn drove demand for land and fertilizer far higher than previous assessments had estimated. Together, the additional land and fertilizer drove up ethanol’s carbon footprint to the point where the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions—from seed to tank—were higher than that of gasoline. Some researchers predicted this might happen, but the new paper provides a comprehensive and retrospective look at the real-world results of the policy.

Proponents have long argued that corn-based ethanol bolsters farm incomes while providing a domestic source of renewable liquid fuel, while critics have said that its status as a carbon-reducing gasoline additive relies on questionable accounting. Based on the new study, both sides may be right.

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Now that Windows 11’s first major post-release update has been issued, Microsoft has started testing a huge collection of new features, UI changes, and redesigned apps in the latest Windows Insider preview for Dev channel users. By and large, the changes are significant and useful—there’s an overhauled Task Manager, folders for pinned apps in the Start menu, the renewed ability to drag items into the Taskbar (as you could in Windows 10), improvements to the Do Not Disturb and Focus modes, new touchscreen gestures, and a long list of other fixes and enhancements.

But tucked away toward the bottom of the changelog is one unwelcome addition: like the Home edition of Windows 11, the Pro version will now require an Internet connection and a Microsoft account during setup. In the current version of Windows 11, you could still create a local user account during setup by not connecting your PC to the Internet—something that also worked in the Home version of Windows 10 but was removed in 11. That workaround will no longer be available in either edition going forward, barring a change in Microsoft’s plans.

While most devices do require a sign-in to fully enable app stores, cloud storage, and cross-device sharing and syncing, Windows 11 will soon stand alone as the only major consumer OS that requires account sign-in to enable even basic functionality. Apple’s Macs still allow for local account creation during setup, and you can skip signing in when you set up iPhones and iPads (an Internet connection is sometimes required for device activation, though). Android likewise needs an Internet account for activation but doesn’t require signing in to get you to the home screen. Even Chrome OS has a guest mode that you can use to enable basic browsing without a user account.

Enlarge / The new Porsche LMDh car, about to leave its garage at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. (credit: Porsche)

Porsche’s next race car is so new that it still doesn’t have an official name. It’s not even due to enter its first race for more than 11 months. But there are few things Porsche takes more seriously than a racing program, particularly one that has a good chance of victory at significant races in Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans. That’s why the car has already completed its first test at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain.

After all, this new car, built for a new “hypercar” class in the IMSA’s WeatherTech championship and the FIA’s World Endurance Championship, has a lot to live up to. Porsche has had 22 overall wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 18 overall wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and 19 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We’re the first to put an LMDh vehicle through its paces in test mode,” said Jonathan Diuguid, managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. “This gives us the chance to systematically sort out every aspect over the coming weeks and months and to take on the competition in 2023 with the best possible preparation.”