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Seth Weintraub

llsethj

Founder, Publisher, and Editorial Director of the 925, LLC publications.

Seth Weintraub is an award-winning journalist and engineer who won back-to-back Neal Awards from 20072010 during his three plus years covering Apple and Google at IDG’s Computerworld.  From 2010-2011, Weintraub covered all things Google for Fortune Magazine, amassing an impressive rolodex of Google contacts and a love for Silicon Valley tech culture.

It turns out that his hobby – the 9to5Mac blog – was always his favorite, and in 2011, he went full time adding his Fortune Google followers to 9to5Google, in addition to adding the style and commerce component of 9to5Toys gear and deals site. In 2013, Weintraub bought one of the Tesla’s first Model S EVs off of the assembly line, which began his love affair with electric vehicles and green energy — this, in turn, became electrek in 2014. To cover the burgeoning world of drones and UAV’s led by China’s DJI, DroneDJ was born in 2018, and then more recently, Connectthewatts, SpaceExplored, and Blocktalk were all launched to cover connected fitness, space, and Blockchain/Crypto.

From 1997-2007, Weintraub was a Global IT director and Web Developer for a number of companies with stints at multimedia and branding agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Madrid, and London before becoming a publisher/blogger.

Seth received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California with a minor in Multimedia and Creative Technology in 1997. In 2004, he received a Masters from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art’s ITP program.

Weintraub is a licensed single engine private pilot, a certified open water scuba diver, and he spent over a year traveling to 60 cities in 23 countries. Whatever free time exists is now guaranteed to his lovely wife and two amazing sons.

More at About.me. BI 2014 profile.

Tips: seth@9to5mac.com, or llsethj on Twitter or link at top of page.

Connect with Seth Weintraub

Induction ovens with big batteries solve lots of problems

induction battery ovens impulse copper

Induction stoves are a great, safe way to save on electricity costs and can heat much quicker, safer, and more accurately than natural gas or propane stoves. But a new breed of these stoves includes huge batteries, which opens up new opportunities by only requiring a 120V outlet, offering 40-sec water boiling, backup power to other appliances like the refrigerator, and even IRA tax rebates. Let’s take a look at two of these new models and try to understand if it makes sense for an oven to have a huge battery over a more centralized Powerwall type of home backup battery.

This is part of a continuing series at Electrek that focuses on home energy usage, see our coverage of heat pump washer/dryers

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Review: Cyrusher Ripple electric snowboard actually works! (mostly)

Cyrusher Ripple review

Cyrusher, a Chinese company known for its burly electric bikes, surprised many in the snowboarding community when it announced its electric snowboard in December. Part snowboard and part snowmobile/e-skateboard/scooter, the Cyrusher Ripple mounts a jagged 3kW hub motor-wheel in a rear hole on a snowboard and puts the battery in a backpack that the rider must wear. Cyrusher states that the Ripple can go 30+ miles at speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

To our surprise, they actually had some review models and sent us one that we took up to Vermont to put through the paces. Would it actually work, and more importantly, would it be a fun form of transportation?

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LG WashCombo vs. GE Profile heat pump washer-dryers compared, 10 reasons to get either

Heat Pump GE Washcombo LG washer

Over the past few months, a new type of washer-dryer combo has emerged on the scene in North America (Yes, Europe and Asia have had great, tiny heat pump tech for decades). These new big combo units from GE Profile UltraFast PFQ97HSPVDS and now LG WashCombo WM6998HBA (introduced at CES) are now on the market.

I’ve had the GE Profile for 2 weeks, and the LG is on the way for testing head-to-head, but for now, I want to tell you about all of the ways both of these things are amazing, and energy savings is just the tip of the iceberg…

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EcoFlow Delta Ultra is more than a Powerwall on wheels, it goes off grid

ecoflow delta ultra

Ecoflow announced the Delta Ultra today at CES, its monster 6kWh home LFP battery pack on wheels. Its 240V/30A= 7.2kW output can back up a home the way a whole home generator or Tesla Powerwall can. However, this thing has wheels and can be loaded into a vehicle to be transported to a campsite or a remote location. EcoFlow provided us with one last month and we’ve taken it to an off-grid tiny home which it kept powered, even in the cold of winter, for a whole weekend. Let’s have a deeper look…

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Rivian preempts NHTSA accelerator pedal recall with software solution

Rivian

The software Over-the-Air (OTA) fix has already been installed on 85%, and counting, of the affected 7800 early Rivian R1T and R1S vehicles. It will save the automaker from requiring owners to visit service centers or deploy mobile service units. At the same time, it will satisfy the NHTSA recall, though Rivian will offer owners a hardware replacement accelerator if desired.

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Revamped and recharged: Is the new Juiced Scorpion X2 e-bike a game changer?

Scorpion x2

I’ve spent the better part of the last month with the Juiced Scorpion X2 and two years with its predecessor, the Scorpion X. Juiced has changed a few things with the X2, but what hasn’t changed is that this descendant of one of the first “moped e-bikes” and our once vehicle of the year is still a great ride. But is the X2 really an improvement over the X1?

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Tesla Cybertruck Range Extender option is just the beginning…

Tesla Range extender battery pack

One piece of the Tesla Cybertruck launch we didn’t see coming (nor did Tesla event planners or CEO, apparently) was the Range Extender, which we are still learning more about now. But we already know answers to some questions, like how Cybertruck owners expect to tow or travel long distances, especially in the cold, without charging as often.

But the 130-mile add-on battery also presents some opportunities that hearken back to when Tesla demonstrated battery swap stations. And its interface to the Cybertruck even presents opportunities for other energy sources, from solar to hydrogen to even petroleum generators.

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Rivian fixes infotainment software bug via OTA, around 3% affected

Rivian-R1T-Apocalypse

I spoke with Rivian software head Wassym Bensaid today about his last harrowing 36 hours. Rivian’s software team scrambled after an incorrect OS update build was sent out to the company’s fleet with an incorrect certificate. The update hung before it could complete, rendering most of the consumer-facing infotainment features inoperable on around 3% of the company’s consumer vehicles, according to Bensaid.

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Electrek signs 5-year title sponsorship deal with IEF for Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge

Electrek FSGP

After this year’s incredibly successful Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, Electrek has moved to quintuple down on its title sponsorship of the American Solar Challenge (ASC) and Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) by signing a 5-year sponsorship agreement. The agreement will guarantee the parent organization, Innovators Educational Foundation (IEF), has funds to host the yearly races through 2028.

But there’s a lot more help needed to expand these incredible programs. If you’d like to join us in sponsoring these events, please get in touch! There are so many opportunities available…

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The Electrek review: Luna’s Talaria xXx – super fun eMoto that defies categories

TALARIA_XXX

The Luna Talaria xXx blew our minds when it was announced earlier this year at an introductory price of $3000 shipped – and we hope you got in on that when we exclusively reported it. That price has gone up slightly to $3550 ($3250+$300) shipped, but it still represents an amazing deal on an incredibly well-built electric motorcycle. The bigger question however is: where does this thing really fit in legally? Let’s find out…

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Juiced Fat Tire

Juiced RipCurrent fat ebike $799, Segway ES2 Scooter $300, Leaf blower $87

Probably the best deal we’ve seen on a fat tire ebike in years, Juiced is currently closing out $900 off their super popular and hyper fast RipCurrent fat tire ebike with monster 812Wh/15.6Ah UL-listed battery. This Class 3 28-mph ebike features 1300W peak motor, 9 speed gears, Hydraulic Disc Brakes and Torque/Cadence Sensors. Get it for $799 after applying code VIP100.

Head below for other New Green Deals that 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.

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