Paul Stenhouse: Elon Musk's flying Roaster car, Apple's new Home lineup
Saturday Morning with Jack TameShow Notes
Elon Musk shows "flying cars are real" Our science-fiction (and Jetson's) dreams are coming true! In the first demo, the car showed its 'sucking power' by driving up a curved ramp shaped like half of a roller coaster loop to eventually be completely upside down. Then, instead of reversing back down, it launched itself off the end of the road —upside down— and then used booster units on the car to turn it back the right way and lower itself to the ground. Then, the Roadster accelerated towards a collection of other Tesla cars (and a semi-truck), launched itself 27 feet into the air, and landed back on the road. To do that it uses 600 litres of compressed air and ten directional cold-gas thruster nozzles. The car can do 0-60mph in 0.81-seconds. This version we saw only seats a single person and isn't likely to be allowed on any public road anytime soon. Love him or hate him, Elon has shown yet again that he can achieve the impossible and put on one hell of a show. Of course, there was no release date or price.
Apple's new Home lineup A 7-inch smart display that acts as a central home hub for entertainment, calls, and smart control. It comes on a base that makes it look like the old iMac or it can be wall mounted. The display uses face recognition to provide personalized information for up to six people. No app store yet – that's coming later. I'm thinking of it like a next generation home phone. They also announced a new lineup of end-to-end encrypted smart accessories, including indoor/outdoor cameras, thermostats, temperature sensors, a video doorbell, and a smart door lock. The new Apple TV has built in mics so you can use Siri and has a remote you can make beep when you lose it!
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More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame
Witi Ihimaera Smiler has published over forty written works, including novels, memoir, non-fiction, and short stories, and he's not slowing down. This year alone he's already released three books – ‘Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer’, ‘The Star Path of the Whales: A Return to the Realm of The Whale Rider’, and ‘Ariā and the Monster Island’, the third children’s book in the Astromancer series. He broke new ground as the country's first Māori novelist and has inspired generations of writers to find and tell their own stories, shaped by Māori culture and identity. Ihimaera Smiler is appearing at the Nelson Arts Festival later this month, and joined Jack Tame to chat about his journey as an author and his work towards achieving his dream of writing a novel in te reo. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fontaines D.C. has released their newest album. 'Dopamine Chamber' follows on from 'Romance', continuing the alternative rock sound the band created in the 2024 album. Its garnered positive reviews since its release yesterday, and so Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Phoenix Palm Trees are fairly common in New Zealand, but what isn't commonly known is how dangerous they are. After hearing about Jack's experience with the trees, Ruud Kleinpaste decided to break down some of the problems with them and give a few tips around getting rid of them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver Livia Cable has made her peace with her marriage and modest livelihood in the farm country where she grew up, until a shocking phone call from an old lover shakes her to the core. Decades earlier, this man knew her as Livia Bohusz, a music conservatory student estranged from her home and family, uncertain of anything except her passion for music and promise as an extraordinary pianist. His request, now, to see her again stirs up ghosts she’s kept at bay for a lifetime. Shifting between past and present, Livia’s decision to meet or reject the reunion means confronting step by step, in memories framed as musical dances, the experiences of childhood loss, abandonment, self-immolating passion, and perilous attachment to a man who broke her belief in love and ruptured the course of her life.
"Purring through the tucks and folds of South Canterbury’s crinkled hinterland, the sense of anticipation was rising. Just west of Timaru, with the vast arc of the Hunters Hills backdropping the painterly landscape, my destination was Holme Station Homestead, set back from the Pareora River in Southburn. If you share my hankering for a grand historic escape, swathed in scenic seclusion, this is quite the address. Fresh from a monumental tip-to-toe restoration, the homestead has only been hosting guests since May – but the secret is spilling out to the world. Welcome to South Canterbury’s first and only luxury lodge. It’s the evocative sense of history that is a proud and constant refrain, caressing every aspect of an indelible stay here. History endures at Holme Station Homestead. It is a living, breathing link to our past, thoughtfully woven through to the present and fit-for-purpose for future generations." Read MIke's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.