I have a couple of links from The Verge, courtesy of The Brother.
First, EcoFlow is going up against Tesla’s PowerWall.
EcoFlow is powering up its first permanently installed whole-home energy solution for the US. The Ocean Pro system launches this week, featuring the new Ocean Pro Battery with 10kWh of storage expandable to 80kWh, and the Ocean Pro Inverter, which supports solar arrays of up to 40kW.
EcoFlow claims the system delivers 24kW of continuous power, enough to support all your appliances, including two 5-ton HVAC systems. Ocean Pro will also work with EcoFlow’s new Smart Home Panel for more advanced energy monitoring and control capabilities.
This is very interesting to me. I would love to eventually have Ward Manor upgraded with something like this and solar panels. Personally I would like where the power coming in from the grid or solar goes to the batteries, which then power the house. Not sure if that is feasible, but it’s something.
Second, Lego is continuing its Transformer offerings with Soundwave.
There are two features that set this Lego model apart from its other Transformers sets. The first is the inclusion of an electronic sound brick that “activates specially recorded voice and sound effects.” In the ’80s cartoon, Soundwave’s distinct monotone synthesized voice, performed by Frank Welker, helped make the character a fan favorite. The sound brick includes snippets of the cartoon’s music and the character speaking. It’s not Welker, but it’s still fun that Lego has gone the extra mile to re-create this character’s most memorable feature.
The other thing that makes this set unique is that it actually includes three Transformers. In addition to Soundwave, you get buildable versions of Ravage and Laserbeak that transform into cassette tapes that can fit inside Soundwave’s chest compartment. Lego also includes a display plaque showing the Decepticon’s power statistics alongside a tiny model of Soundwave in cassette player mode.
The sound block is what piques my interest in that. Soundwave’s voice and the sound of a Transformer transforming are two of those audio memories ingrained into me from multiple viewings of the old cartoons.