11 minutes, 21 seconds

How long an F-35 jet flew on its own after the pilot ejected too early. An electrical malfunction made the pilot think the $135 million jet was out of control. As it turns out, the F-35 was still flyable. Everyone is OK, but how’d you like to explain this to your superior?

Tags: aircraft, flying, mistakes


AI window-washing robots make their U.S. debut in Dallas

🧽 Window washing 2.0: Cleaning high-rise windows is risky work, but a spider-like AI robot is about to change that. Named after those gravity-defying mountain goats, Ibex only needs a button press to get to work. It climbs buildings, using cameras and sensors to scan surfaces, dodge window frames and leave no spot untouched. The robots are already in Texas, so don’t be surprised if they pop up everywhere soon.

Remember your childhood Schwinn? The Hurricane is back as a chopper-style e-bike. It hits speeds up to 17.5 mph, and one charge gets 30 miles. It has chunky 3-inch tires, too, made for pavement or dirt. It ain’t cheap at $600. Gone with the Schwinn, all right.

Touch and go: The iPhone 16 has two new buttons, home appliances are returning to knobs instead of touchscreens, and carmakers are bringing back dials. Why? Well, we like the tactical feedback of a real button, and you don’t have to give them your full attention. Prime example: Car infotainment systems. Look away for too long and hello, fender bender.

🧽 Clear view of where this is going: Cleaning high-rise windows is risky. Enter a spider-like AI robot named Ibex that can climb buildings and use cameras and sensors to scan surfaces, dodge window frames and leave no spot untouched. The robots are already in Texas, so don’t be surprised if you see one crawling around near you.

🐿️ RIP(eanut): Peanut the Squirrel, a rescue with over half a million Instagram fans, was euthanized. New York authorities raided his owner’s home last week after anonymous complaints. It’s illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet in NY. An online petition got over 50,000 signatures, but that didn’t make a difference. Farewell, little guy.

Dating app nightmare: A Utah woman matched with a “serial killer in the making” on Tinder. They chatted for months, and she met his parents. For their second date, he brought her to a secluded park for a picnic and stabbed her multiple times. Miraculously, she escaped. When detectives asked him if he would do anything differently, he said, “I’d get a sharper knife.”

It’s miles ahead: Toyota’s long-awaited solid-state battery is nearing production. It will go 745 miles on a single charge, tackling “range anxiety” once and for all. They’re also lighter and more compact than lithium-ion batteries, which means more legroom and cargo space. Finally.

👽 Hold onto your tinfoil hat: The Pentagon’s former chief investigator leaked a new government program to scoop up alien tech if it’s ever shot down. He swears there’s zero evidence of alien spacecraft so far. Meanwhile, a UFO analyst and a missile expert both claim that not only has the U.S. recovered a craft, but they’ve even been inside one.

Left in the dark: A woman went in for a gynecological biopsy, and she wasn’t given any anesthetic. The pain was so intense, she fainted. She posted her experience online, and it’s going viral. I hope she files a complaint with her local medical board.

💿 Guess we’ll never see “Biggest Hits (Taylor’s Version)”: In the late ’90s, compilations were hot — The Beatles’ “1,” for instance, sold 7.69 million copies in just 12 months (paywall link). Now, vinyl and CD collections are novelty items for superfans. Open Spotify or Apple Music, and you’ve got instant playlists of any artist’s top tracks.