As transparent as one way glass

A tremulous Tuesday.

Apple’s newest operating system, iOS 15, is available for download to your iPhone or iPad. Chaim Gartenberg has an overview of its new features. And Federico Viticci has his usual comprehensive deep dive. 23 pages worth!

The Globe recently covered a labor dispute at local hotels from the point of view of the workers. Hotel management had no comment. The Globe did not cover the labor dispute at the Globe from any point of view (Universal Hub did, though.) The Globe CEO had no comment.

So much for remote work. Google is paying $2.1 billion dollars for office space in Manhattan.

The stock market is on edge over a company from China that I’d never heard of, Evergrande. It could be their version of Lehman Brothers. Even crypto is taking a hit. Some experts are predicting a bounce today but possibly more dark clouds ahead as the debt ceiling debacle approaches.

And Sam Adams‘ newest beer, Utopias, is strong stuff. 28% alcohol. So strong it’s actually illegal in some states.

Pocket change

Monday morning. It’s a birthday for Upton Sinclair, Red Auerbach and Sophia Loren.

Why doesn’t Lamborghini advertise on TV? For the same reason Willie Sutton didn’t rob hardware stores. Marketing 101.

Here are some things to know about the looming debt default. There’s always the $1 trillion platinum coin option.

There’s another dimension to the chip shortage affecting carmakers. The chips used in cars are antiquated and the semiconductor industry doesn’t want to invest in new foundries to manufacture out-of-date chips. They want the auto industry to redesign their systems to take advantage of more modern chips. Carmakers are understandably holding back because of safety and reliability concerns. A logjam inside of a logjam.

France is still miffed at the US and Australia over the submarine deal. But they’re giving Britain a pass. Is that a good thing? Is their relationship too important to risk a snub, or is the lack of a snub, itself, a snub?

And September is bike month. Galen Mook, the executive director of MassBike, has some timely suggestions for improving access and safety.

Schwab’s drug store

Today is Sunday. The end of the weekend.

It’s time, once again, for another government shutdown and default.

A British plumber was singing while he worked. The homeowner owned a record company. Now he’s taking a crack at a musical career. Here’s the story. Here’s the first album. My review? Great pipes but he could use a good producer.

Sarah Palin isn’t vaccinated. But you probably guessed that.

Coffee is under threat from global warming. This is not a good situation. But science comes to the rescue.

And Alexa can spoil your surprises. Terence Eden provides a cautionary tale.

A failure of unity politics

Saturday. Today’s word is vignette.

David Sanger explains why the French are so pissed at us and Steven Erlanger looks at the wider implications of the US, Australian submarine deal. Sacrebleu.

Emerson professor Roger House has a unique take on the results of the mayoral runoff. Barros, Campbell and Janey, he argues, were trying to win over the liberal establishment and media rather than speaking to the critical needs in the neighborhoods. “They appeared to be swayed by associations with liberal groups – and placed an emphasis on a progressive agenda that inadequately speaks to the cultural and spiritual needs of their community.” But, he believes, it’s not too late to fix things. One of the three could still prevail as a write-in candidate in the general election. But only one.

Restaurants have been closing like crazy. A bunch of new restaurants are also opening in the Boston area. And a lot of them have Bar in their name. Scott Kearnan reports.

Renting a car has never been a fun experience. The pandemic has made a bad situation worse. And it probably won’t get back to just bad for quite a while.

And sometimes I think the Washington Post covers Boston better than the local papers do.

A chicken in every pot

Today is Friday. And so it is.

Elizabeth Warren may have the right intention in trying to protect small investors in Ethereum. But if you’re in that market and you don’t know the risks, shame on you.

Michell Wu is in favor of the Free the T movement. No more fares. On her website, where she describes her position, there’s also a section asking for campaign donations that says, “Every dollar counts.” Unfortunately that part is true. A new report finds that the MBTA is headed for a ‘fiscal calamity’ unless it finds new sources of revenue. It’s nice to promise free things but, like a campaign, transportation costs money.

According to this map visualization from MassINC, Janey decisively beat Campbell in Roxbury and Mattapan. But digging into the numbers in the more progressive parts of the city you can see how Campbell, and presumably the Globe endorsement, cut into Janey’s numbers and tipped the scales citywide.

Apple is taking pre-orders for the new iPhone today. Before Apple, there was Sony. Like the iPhone in 2007, I bought the first Walkman as soon as it came out in 79. It was made of metal, like a tank. But it was an incredible device. This site has everything Walkman.

And the winners are… Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings. At least for this year.