Drop me a text and let me know what you think of this episode!
The digital transformation of agriculture takes center stage as we dive into John Deere's strategic acquisition of Sentera, a company revolutionizing farming through drone-based imaging technology. This partnership promises farmers unprecedented precision in weed management and resource allocation, potentially saving thousands in herbicide costs while reducing environmental impact. But beneath this technological marvel lies a troubling question: who truly owns the data collected from America's farmland?
When sophisticated drones map every inch of your fields and AI algorithms generate detailed prescriptions for your crops, that information becomes incredibly valuable. Farmers are increasingly concerned about losing control of their own data as it flows into corporate systems. What happens when you want to switch equipment manufacturers? Can agricultural giants sell or leverage your field data without your explicit consent? These questions remain largely unaddressed by current regulations, creating a growing tension between technological advancement and farmer autonomy.
The show shifts gears to explore the Subaru BRZ TS Coupe, a pure driving machine that sacrifices practicality for performance with its STI-tuned suspension, upgraded Brembo braking system, and boxer engine design. We then examine the rapidly expanding rent guarantor market, where third-party companies are filling gaps for renters with irregular income patterns or credit challenges – but at a premium cost of 75-150% of monthly rent.
Finally, we peek into manufacturing's future as automakers test increasingly sophisticated robots, moving steadily toward "dark factories" with minimal human presence. This automation revolution promises efficiency but raises profound questions about employment in an industry that once provided solid middle-class livelihoods for generations of American workers. What does this shift mean for communities built around manufacturing, and how should we prepare for this inevitable transformation?
Join the conversation by calling our TechMobility Hotline at 872-222-9793 or emailing talk@techmobility.show. You can also find additional content on Substack @kenciowa.
Be sure to tell your friends to tune in to The TechMobility Podcast!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Ken Chester On the docket my impressions and
review of the Subaru BRZ, tsCoupe, companies that will pay
your rent, and smarter robots,dark Factory.
To add your voice to theconversation, be it to ask a
question, share an opinion oreven suggest a topic for future
(00:30):
discussion, call or text theTech Mobility hotline, that
number, 872-222-9793.
Or you can email the showdirectly.
Talk at techmobilityshow.
And for you that are onSubstack, I can be found at Ken
(00:52):
C Iowa.
That's K-E-N, the letter C,i-o-w-a.
I'm posting some fun stuff,some interesting stuff out there
, and I hope you might considercoming to join me and subscribe
to my channel.
I think you'd find itinteresting.
From the Tech Mobility NewsDesk, it's time for us to visit
(01:15):
down on the farm for a minuteand see what John Deere's been
up to lately.
A lot of people think, with allthis technology we talk about
every week, that it's mainly youknow, you upscale, uppity city
folk that get all the technology, and us folk on the farm.
Well, you just let us be.
We're going to do what we'vebeen doing.
(01:36):
Well, that's not entirely true.
For a number of years, farmshave been beginning more and
more sophisticated with theaccumulation of data, the
application of that data and howthey respond to the data,
meaning inputs, whether it'sfertilizer or herbicide, or how
(01:59):
to till it.
Is it too wet, is it too dry?
What kind of corn to plant orsoybeans to plant?
What kind of conditions am Ifielding?
What is the condition of mycrops in this particular field
on this particular day, in thisparticular situation.
All that information has beencoming in, in some cases, the
(02:20):
tractor that plants it, thecombine that picks it, the
tractor that plants it, thecombine that picks it, and now a
company called Sentera usingdrones, a drone-based camera
platform, to producehigh-resolution images for weed
management and other agronomicuses.
Why does that matter?
(02:41):
If you're a farmer, you knowwhy that matters the cost of
herbicide and the impact of toomuch herbicide and runoff and
everything that causes.
If you can reduce the amount ofherbicide you need to, exactly
where you need it, when you needit, you could very easily save
thousands of dollars inherbicide you didn't have to buy
(03:02):
and thousands of dollars andtime in herbicide you didn't
have to buy and thousands ofdollars and time an herbicide
you didn't have to apply.
Can you imagine?
And that's just for openers Now, sentera had been working for
about 10 years with John Deereand recently John Deere just up
and bought the whole company.
(03:22):
Sentera has what they call afield scouting platform that
allows farmers to gatherhigh-resolution multispectral
images with a strong amount ofcameras.
The data is then processed withTensera's field agent, which
uses AI there you go and machinelearning to help farmers assess
plant-level health, identifycrop stressors and take
(03:42):
appropriate actions.
Currently, sentra's primary usecase is weed management, and I
said Sentra, not Sentra.
Sentra's equipped drones flyover fields at high speeds and
generate those images whichidentify the exact location of
specific weeds and are used togenerate a weed map Again, can
(04:07):
you imagine being able to reusethe right herbicide in the right
amount to tackle the problem ina specific field, rather than
an all-purpose herbicide for all?
And you hope for the best.
Santerra SmartScript Weeds usesthe map to produce a targeted
prescription for how muchherbicide a farmer needs to load
into their sprayer.
And bear in mind, the sprayersare now programmed to apply the
(04:31):
herbicide where it's needed whenit's needed.
Yeah, it's gotten prettysophisticated down on the farm
folks.
For you city folk who are notused to this, the average farmer
has gotten very sophisticatedfor a variety of reasons, some
of which are as old as the hillsand some not so much.
One of the main reasons is theavailability of labor, the
(04:53):
challenges that farmers arefacing in managing all those
acres and a lack of familymembers, either because of
dropping birth rates or the costof entry so high even to
inherit the family farm thatkids just they don't want to do
it or they don't have theintestinal fortitude the
following the footsteps of theparents and grandparents in the
(05:14):
long, hard hours.
Farming is still hard work andoccasionally dangerous work.
So if you're a farmer with landright now, you're trying to use
every tool in your toolbox totry to level up and overcome
some of the challenges that youface.
Let me bring up a sore spot withfarmers right now and it's this
(05:35):
next sentence SmartScript weeds, once generated, is wirelessly
sent to John Deere equipmentthrough its operation center.
Stop, right there, there is abeef farmers got right now with
(05:57):
the green folk.
It boils down to this If I'msending all this information to
John Deere about my farm, do Iown that information as John
Deere does?
And what is John Deere doingwith the information about my
farm other than giving meprescriptions with it?
Are they bundling it andselling it to somebody else?
(06:19):
Are they using this to haveseed companies and fertilizer
companies bombard me with ads,knowing where I need it and when
I need it?
Where's the control for me overthe information that I'm
sharing, if I want to share it,and how come I can't keep it and
maybe decide to release it tothem?
In order for me to get the help?
(06:41):
I have to agree to the wholething.
That's not okay.
To get the help, I have toagree to the whole thing.
That's not okay.
And it gets down to who wantsthe data.
What are they doing with it?
What can they do with it ifthey wanted to be nefarious and
please understand, I am notaccusing John Deere being
nefarious in the information.
However, I am asking thequestions that we ask here on
(07:04):
the program relative to any time.
Big data accumulates informationabout consumers or business
people or businesses or, in thiscase, farms.
Now, on the surface, thissounds great.
Sentara's got all thisavailability.
Ai is looking over my farm andgiving me the best practices and
what I should do and when Ishould do it, and Sentara is
(07:26):
feeding this information to JohnDeere into their operation
center.
So the John Deere equipmentthat I either own or lease, can
know how to best process thisinformation, theoretically, to
optimize farm operations on myfarm.
Problem, though who owns thatinformation?
What if I decide to buy Case IHnext year for some reason, do I
(07:48):
lose all that information thatthey've accumulated?
Can they use it against me andwhy don't I have access to it
for me to hold it?
Why can't I download it andhave it as mine and decide when
and where?
And if it's an issue, it's anissue, and it's the same issue
we've talked about week afterweek on this program.
(08:11):
When you accumulate data, whenthere is a point of information
where all this data isaccumulated, there are no laws
that protect how this data ismanipulated, used, saved, sold,
stored.
Who has access to it?
Why, how long?
(08:32):
What other sources can they use?
I got questions.
I got concerns.
Now, the piece talked aboutwhere Deere bought Sentara, and
here's a quote that you wouldexpect.
Combining Sentara's imagerycapabilities with the John Deere
Operation Center will enablefarmers and trusted advisors to
(08:54):
seemly gather and integrateagronomic data, understand
real-time conditions and turndata into insights that drive
decisions in the fieldthroughout the growing season.
I got questions.
There were trusted advisors.
Who determines who they are andturn data into insights that
(09:14):
drive decisions in the fieldthroughout the growing season.
Well gee, john Deere now hasall my information, so obviously
they're going to probably takethat data and point it towards
John Deere.
Ancillary farm equipment.
John Deere solutions, johnDeere software, john Deere this
or that.
But what if, as a farmer, Iwant to use a different solution
(09:38):
with that information?
Can I?
I doubt it.
It's going into their operationcenter.
Nowhere does it say that thefarmer has the ability to
download that file and keep itoff in their computer or offline
if they wanted to.
Questions Subaru markets asmall sport coupe called the BRZ
(10:00):
.
My impressions are.
Next, you are listening to theTech Mobility Show.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
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Speaker 2 (10:41):
Social media is the main place to be these days, and
we are no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Facebook videos, from my latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary of a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Facebook.
(11:02):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Be sure to subscribe to ourFacebook page.
Social media is the place to bethese days, and we're no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos, from thelatest vehicle reviews to timely
(11:25):
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
For those of you that listen topodcasts, we have just the one
for you.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester.
(11:45):
Tech Mobility Topics is apodcast where I upload
topic-specific videos each week.
Shorter than a full show.
These bite-sized programs arejust the thing, particularly if
you're interested in aparticular topic covered on the
weekly radio show.
From Apple Podcasts toiHeartRadio and many podcast
platforms in between, we got youcovered.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search
bar, wherever you listen topodcasts.
The Subaru Outback Withsymmetrical all-wheel drive
standard and an availableturbocharged boxer engine, it
might just be the only vehicleperfect for the snow belt, the
sun belt and your money belt.
(12:33):
See your Subaru dealer for atest drive today.
Through February 28th, getfinancing as low as 1.9% on all
2005 Subaru models.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yes, the Subaru Outback, that one vehicle almost
well, actually 30 years ago Iwas going to say almost 30 years
ago, no, it's been 30 yearsSaved the company they had
overextended in the 90s.
They're almost consideringwithdrawing from the US market.
And then they took a legacywagon.
They increased its height, madeit a little more firm in terms
(13:06):
of changing the rates andsuddenly they had a winner.
They had an off-road wagon, andthe rest of what they say is
history.
Subaru Outback is legendary forwhat it did for Subaru, at
least the United States.
It was the difference betweenthem being in business and not
(13:33):
being in business.
Now this vehicle right here,developed jointly with Toyota,
this 2 plus 2 sports car wasoriginally introduced the United
States and Canada underToyota's former youth oriented
brand Scion.
As the Scion FR-S Introduced in2012,.
The 2 plus 2 Fastback Coupe hadalways been manufactured and
still is, by Subaru at its OtaGunma manufacturing facility in
Japan.
Subaru also launched itsversion of the Fastback that
(13:55):
same year as the BRZ.
While product positioning of thecar evolved in the Toyota
lineup, eventually becoming theToyota GR86, subaru stayed the
course, introducing aSTI-inspired BRZ TS model for
2024.
And let me stop you.
If you're not familiar withSubaru and STI, I'm going to
(14:17):
give you this name and I wantyou to look it up.
It's the Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
It is based on a rally car andif you've ever experienced that
car you will understand thoseletters S-T-I.
It's really the performanceattributes of Subaru and that
(14:40):
WRX STI was an amazing and stillis an amazing car to drive and,
by the way, four-door sedan.
Just thought I'd add that thenew TS Performance model starts
with a limited trim and featuresa special sports suspension
with STI-tuned dampers, upgradedbraking system and exclusive
exterior and interior trim.
(15:00):
This review and my impressionsare for this newest addition to
the BRZ model lineup.
The Subaru BRZ TS comes equippedwith the STI-tuned front and
rear Hitachi dampers, resultingin greater flexibility and
better control and stability.
A high-performance Brembobraking system, including
gold-painted four-piston frontcalipers and gold-painted
(15:24):
two-piston rear calipers andlarger pads and rotors, enhances
stopping power, fade resistanceand pedal feel.
The BRZ TS also has 18-inchwheels and dark gray metallic
finish mounted on 2514R18Michelin Pilot Sport.
4 tires for superior grip andquicker turn-in.
Four tires for superior gripand quicker turn-in.
(15:48):
Externally, the BRZ TS isdistinguished by TS badging in
the front grille and on the reardeck lid.
The interior, foldable mirrorsand roof-mounted shark fin
antenna come in a crystal blacksilica finish.
Inside, the BRZ TS cabin iswrapped in a black upholstery
with exclusive blue stitching onfront seat bolsters.
Leather-wrapped steering wheel,shifter boot and parking brake
boot.
Standard performance designfront seats with
(16:10):
height-adjustable headrestraints feature a blue
leather accent down the middle.
The leather-wrapped steeringwheel comes with an integrated
control switch for audio, cruisecontrol and Bluetooth.
Brin knob.
Nut-back-like material enhancesthe instrument panel, visor and
door trim.
The iconic STI logo isdisplayed on the rear starter
(16:30):
button and customizable 7-inchdigital instrument cluster, also
updated with red accents.
Power for the BRZ TS is producedby a 2.4 liter gasoline
four-cylinder boxer engine thatmakes 228 horsepower and 184
foot-pounds of torque, and ifyou're not familiar with the
boxer concept, it is basicallyan engine that is flat.
(16:52):
The pistons run in a horizontal, what they call a pose fashion,
but they run horizontally, notat a 90 degree or 60 degree
angle.
What this does is it gives youa flat or boxer motor, which
allows the engine to sit lowerin the car body.
This lowers the center ofgravity for the coupe and
(17:14):
improves its handling and roadholding capabilities, and
anybody that knows anythingabout racing.
Its center of gravity is themost important thing.
The lower you can get theweight of the car to the road,
the more stable the vehicle isat higher speeds.
This is one attribute thatSubaru just excels at,
particularly when it comes toits four-wheel drive.
And while we're on that subject, the BRZ is unique in the
(17:39):
Subaru lineup because it is notall-wheel drive and you can't
get all-wheel drive in a BRZ butit is rear-wheel drive with a
Torsen limited slip differential.
A six-speed manual gearbox isall you're going to get, by the
way, and that communicatestorque from the engine to the
drive wheels.
Epa fuel economy numbers a20-city, 27, 27 highway using
(18:03):
premium unleaded, although youcan use regular unleaded, it'll
still run.
Cargo capacity is 6.3 cubicfeet.
Here's what I liked about thevehicle.
Now, if you're looking for rawperformance from a rear-wheel
drive, 2 plus 2 fastback and amodern rendition, then the
Subaru BRZ TS is your vehicle.
In a marketplace in time wherepractical four-door passenger
(18:26):
cars are disappearing and wheretwo-door coupes were a rarity
before even that began to happen, the BRZ TS is a haven for
those who crave careerperformance that has been
reduced to the basics as arally-inspired, drift-engineered
, manual gearbox-equipped2-plus-2 fastback.
It becomes quickly obvious thatthis Subaru is not for
everybody, and that's okay withthe automaker.
(18:48):
The BRZ TS is true to itsmission and, in fact, has been
the platform for various trackand extreme performance models
over its 14-year product run.
Here's what I don't like aboutthe vehicle.
Now, before I share this list,let me say again that the Subaru
BRZ TS 2 plus 2 Fastback Coupeis a niche model that is not
(19:12):
designed for everybody.
It has very specific drivingand performance parameters.
Having said that, now I confess.
First of all, this scoop is notvery tall, which can cause
problems with other vehiclesactually seeing you on the open
road.
As a result of its low height,getting in and out of the car
could be a challenge for somedrivers.
(19:32):
Yeah, I'm talking about myself.
Yes, the back seat is best leftdown or folded position, as
it's not fit for man or beastback there.
That's just truth.
I'm sorry, subaru, but that'sjust truth.
Don't try to put nobody backthere.
I wouldn't even put my cat backthere, I just wouldn't.
Although displays, controls andswitch gear are useful, they do
(19:53):
show their age in terms ofpresentation and capabilities.
The combination of the shortwheelbase and firm.
And read that track-tunedsuspension system means driving
long distances is more of amarathon of endurance than pure
joy.
There's no place for a cellphone, and the location of the
center-mounted cup holders makethem unusable.
(20:15):
And, ironically enough for allthe hoopla about performance,
the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tiresare not speed-rated.
Hmm, so here's the bottom line,real quick.
The Subaru BRZ TS is a raretreat for those who desire to
experience the purity ofperformance full stop.
The manufacturer suggestedretail price for the 2025 Subaru
(20:36):
BRZ TS starts from $38,360.
Destination charges add $1,170.
And while I'll say this coupeisn't for everybody, but it's
for you, it will be well worththe experience.
If you're into that kind ofthing, if you're willing to give
up a little bit, you'll getrewarded.
(20:57):
Short on rent this month, youdon't have to go to your parents
for a loan.
This company will pay your rent.
This is the Tech Mobility Show.
Do you listen to podcasts?
Seems that most people do.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
(21:18):
If you've missed any of ourweekly episodes on the radio,
our podcast is a great way tolisten.
You can find the Tech Mobilitypodcast just about anywhere.
You can enjoy podcasts.
Be sure to follow us from ApplePodcasts, iheart Radio and many
platforms in between.
We are there.
Just enter the Tech Mobilitypodcast in the search bar.
Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place
(21:44):
to be.
We no exception.
Hi, I'm ken chester, host thetech mobility show.
Several times a week, I post totiktok several of the topics
that I cover on my weekly radioshow.
It's another way to keep up onmobility, technology news and
information.
I've built quite a library ofshort videos for your viewing
pleasure, so be sure to watch,like and subscribe.
That's the tech mobility showon tiktok.
(22:06):
Check it out.
So you're looking to rent anapartment, but your credit
history is spotty at best.
What can you do?
Well, you know you can do theusual.
You can go to mom and dad.
Hey, mom, dad, can you co-signfor me?
(22:26):
I'm trying to get thisapartment.
They're like my parents.
Yeah, you're about to get yourfeelings hurt.
Or you can pay a third-partycompany to serve as your
guarantor.
They would be on the hook forthe rent if, for some reason,
you were unable to pay.
Does this sound like a valuableservice?
Some people think so, and thenumber is growing.
This is topic B.
(22:48):
Let me be clear before I evengo any further.
If you think that this company,this third party company that
said, yeah, we'll vouch for him,is going to be okay, would you
miss in rent?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,no.
Let me read this part to you.
(23:08):
I'm going to start here andwork backwards so that you will
understand this part, and Starthere and work backwards so that
you will understand this part.
And they say in the article, tobe clear, if a renter defaults
on a lease, the guarantor maycover the payments, but the
renter is still on the hook.
In this instance, the money isno longer owed to the landlord,
(23:29):
but the guarantor.
They will sue you, trust me,they will.
It will get ugly.
What do you think this businessis worth?
Globally?
They expect it to be worthalmost a billion dollars by 2032
.
A billion dollars.
So who would be I don't know aperfect customer for them?
(23:51):
Well, here's an example.
You work in the gig economy.
Your income's all over theplace, but it's steady.
You got money coming in everymonth, but it's up one month,
down next month.
You might be between gigs, butyou always got money coming in.
Well, your credit history mightlook a little rough In your
(24:12):
employment history.
You can't produce a W-2 thatsays, hey, I've been working for
this firm for three years, fiveyears, ten years, that's kind
of like what they want to see.
But your money don't look likethat.
But you've got the money forthe rent.
I mean, you've got it andyou'll have it every month.
But you don't pass musterrelative to what typical
(24:34):
landlords, when they assesscredit and they look at your
credit, they run a credit check.
It doesn't look all that good.
You go to a third partyguarantor.
Now, typically these guarantorswill charge you anywhere
between 75% to 150% of yourmonthly rent to cover it.
(24:55):
It's not cheap, but thedifference is where your credit
would say, nah, having them getyou in Because they're
guaranteeing the money to thelandlord no matter what, but you
are paying a pretty penny forit.
In other words, if you broke,if you are long periods of
(25:19):
unemployed with no cash reserves, this is not the plan for you,
because at the end the thing Iread straight up at first you be
still on the hook for the money.
So this is not a case where, ohwell, I didn't pay it, they're
going to pay it this month andmaybe I'll catch it.
No, they're coming after you.
(25:40):
The guarantor wants their moneythat they put up to cover you
the landlord's hole.
They're not Guess what, neitheryou.
If you are older folk with maybeserious cash reserves, but you
don't have a part-time job, yougot Social Security and it
doesn't look so good, but maybeyou're sitting on a bunch of
(26:00):
money in the bank, you could beanother candidate for this
business.
And as always, is it regulated?
Not exactly, because it's not aloan and they're looking all
over the place.
You would think New York Citywould be prime, and it is.
But even outside of New YorkCity, this is growing.
(26:21):
A study from consulting firmVerified Market Research
estimates that the global rentguarantor's market will generate
$775 million in revenue thisyear, which is up nearly 10%
from last year, and by 2032, itcould nearly double and be over
(26:44):
$1.5 billion a year.
In case you think you can getaround this, the guarantor of
service is becoming a regularfeature in rental agreements,
setting up the sector forlong-term worldwide growth, said
the verified market researchstudy.
Here's the thing that I'mworried about.
Immediately.
That came to my mindimmediately.
(27:06):
You are a large to mid-sizerenting company.
Okay, we're going to give youtwo.
I'm going to give you twoscenarios.
First scenario you are amanagement, an apartment
management or a propertymanagement company and you've
got contracts through town.
Maybe it's a college town andyou've got contracts through
(27:27):
town and manage variousproperties, college kids coming
in and out and maybe you say youlook at this and as the project
management, you say you look atthis and as the project
management company say, you knowwhat, we can start one of these
third-party guarantor servicesfor the landlords that we serve
(27:47):
to help cover the gap betweenthe kids in and out and making
sure they're whole.
And we'll stand the difference.
There's no regulation on whatthey can charge.
And remember, yeah, they wouldprobably hit mommy and daddy if
the kids start in college, needsa place to live off campus.
Yeah, that's going to be momand dad coughing that money up.
(28:10):
Absolutely, that's the firstone.
Second one is maybe the landlord, because they have a certain
amount of properties in thatcity or in that region, decides
you know what?
We're going to set up athird-party guarantor to make
sure we're whole.
You know where we can raisemoney on the side to make sure
the rent gets paid.
(28:30):
So we're getting paid but westill have recourse and make
money at it Because, remember,this is a business.
They are charging you for thatprivilege.
That's marked up.
And because it's not a loan, Idon't think that it would fall
necessarily under any sort offair housing or fair credit
(28:51):
federal regulations.
I'd have to double check.
I don't think it does, whichmeans, if it's not regulated,
they can do what they want andwithout the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, who's goingto look out for you?
That's the question.
These are the questions I'vegot.
Here's something I didn't knowand I want to share this with
(29:13):
you, because I never heard thesenumbers before.
I went wow, let me give this toyou.
This is the article.
This is from MarketWatch.
Generally speaking, landlordsrequire the prospective tenants
have an annual income equal to40 times the monthly rent.
The monthly rent, that means ifyour rent is $1,000 a month,
(29:44):
you should be making $40,000 ayear.
And oh, by the way, a creditscore of 700 or higher, whoops.
And they said yeah, there'sstill some leeway.
Landlords can, and often do,consider extenuating
circumstances, according tohousing experts and
professionals, but there's nopromise of that.
So I'm wondering how many ofy'all got a credit score of 700
(30:04):
or higher and are you looking ata place that is 40 times?
Are you making 40 times whatyou're going to pay in rent?
In the real world, consumersare spending almost 30% of their
annual income in rent, which ishigher than they'd like 30 plus
percent.
(30:25):
It's not pretty out there.
The typical monthly US rent isgone from about $1,200 in 2015
to $2,000 today.
So if that's your average rent,that means you'd be paying.
You'd have to have an income of$80,000 to pay average rent
right now, and that'scountrywide, because the
(30:47):
averages have gone up so muchYear over year.
Now 3% increases after climbingas high as 15% three years ago.
Things to think about.
Smarter robots get tested asautomakers aim for a dark
factory.
The future is here.
We are the Tech Mobility Show.
To learn more about the TechMobility Show, start by visiting
(31:13):
our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
Start by visiting our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
The website is a treasure troveof information about me and the
show, as well as where to findit on the radio across the
country.
Keep up with the happenings ofthe Tech Mobility Show by
visiting techmobilityshow.
That's techmobilityshow.
You can also drop us a line attalk at techmobilityshow.
(31:37):
Did you know that Tech Mobilityhas a YouTube channel?
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
Each week I upload a few shortvideos of some of the hot topics
that I cover during my weeklyradio program.
I've designed these videos tobe informative and entertaining.
(31:57):
It's another way to keep up oncurrent mobility and technology
news and information.
Be sure to watch, like andsubscribe to my channel.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon YouTube Check it out.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and
platforms for meetings, webinarsand staying connected?
Look no further thanAONmeetingscom, the all-in-one
browser-based platform that doesit all.
With AONmeetings, you caneffortlessly communicate with
clients, host virtual meetingsand webinars and stay in touch
with family and friends all inone place and for one price.
Here's the best part you canendure a 30-day free trial.
(32:31):
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
Get started today andrevolutionize the way you
communicate.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
Social media is the place to be these days, and
we're no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos From the latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
(33:04):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Automation it's been a fact oflife in automotive manufacturing
for as long as automanufacturing has existed.
From quality improvements toeliminating the need for humans
to do dangerous jobs within theplant, the quest to automate has
(33:27):
never let up.
Today, cost and quality of thedrivers as vehicles are more
complex than ever before, withmore equipment and motors who
expect a great deal from theirnew wheels.
As a new generation of robotshave grown in sophistication,
they're helping automakers inchcloser to the elusive goal of
running dark factories plantswith no humans at all.
(33:47):
It seems that the 2002 movieMinority Report had it
completely right.
This is Topic C.
I keep coming back to thismovie and it wasn't even part of
the plot, though.
There was a fully automatedLexus plant in that movie making
(34:08):
Lexuses with no human beingsand the car, when the car was
manufactured, went to the homeit was supposed to go to by
itself.
We're here now, but let's talkabout dark factories for a
minute.
It's not a new concept.
I wish I could say it was.
No, it's not.
And I'm going to give you anexample on an automaker who took
(34:31):
a parts plant and tried to makeit fully automated, spent $40
million to do it in 1983.
The plant was in Bay City,michigan.
It was a Saginaw steering plantmaking steering harnesses,
steering assemblies for GeneralMotors.
(34:52):
They tried it back then tryingto do this.
Here's something that I wantyou to think about and it's a
conversation I had with a fellowjournalist you to think about.
And it's a conversation I hadwith a fellow journalist and I
explained to him that, with thequest to unsure American
manufacturing, at least in theauto industry, I was convinced
(35:15):
that I still am, more than everbefore that that is going to
result in some of the highestautomation ever.
You're not going to employ theplant that they built in the 60s
, in the 70s, in the 80s, thatemployed maybe 5, 75, 10,000
people In this brave new worldof assembly plants.
You're going to be lucky ifthat same plant with that same
(35:37):
footprint employs 500 people 500people.
If that Don't believe me, go toGeorgia.
Hyundai's new mega factory ishighly, highly, highly automated
.
They got another plant there.
Key's got a plant in West PointGeorgia.
The Hyundai plant's moreautomated than that.
(36:04):
Ford was in the midst ofbuilding a brand new factory in
West Central Tennessee.
They've paused it for now, butI guarantee you when that plant
comes online it will be highlyautomated.
Why?
Hard truth, people?
It cost a lot of money to run aplant in the United States of
America.
There are reasons whyautomakers, being global
manufacturers, have gone aroundthe world to source parts and
(36:27):
build certain vehicles incertain places.
Because the market they sellthem in, particularly this
market, has certain price pointswhere buyers ain't paying a
penny above that.
And if they can't get it donehere, they got to go someplace
where the numbers make sense,because, after all, they are in
business to make a profit Fullstop.
(36:47):
That is capitalism.
Businesses make stuff, sellstuff, develop stuff, to make
money, to pay their shareholderswho took the risk, to pay their
workers, to build more, to paytaxes and sales taxes and
employment taxes, federal taxes,state taxes.
They can't do it if they don'tmake money.
They can't make money doingthings the way they used to do
(37:11):
it.
Yesterday, tesla, hyundai, bmw,mercedes all are testing
smarter robots for manufacturing, aiming for human-free, dark
factories.
If you are a union worker in anautomobile assembly plant, this
is what you were striking abouttwo years ago.
(37:31):
This part of it wasn't just themoney.
This part of it that you werestriking about.
You saw the future and thefuture didn't include you.
And if you're trying to make aliving and much people, many
people who graduated high schoolback in the day, the 60s and
the 70s, even early 80s,followed their fathers and
(37:52):
grandfathers into these plants,made a very good living with
barely a high school diploma,maybe some courses that the
company had them take to learnsome machinery over the years,
and made a very good middleclass, solid living.
And if you lived in Michiganand worked in an assembly plant
(38:12):
that was unionized, you had yourhome in Metro Detroit and you
had a shack or whatever in theUP or upstate where you went
fishing and boating and you hadyour boat and your truck and
life was good.
Imagine machinery robots theydon't need brakes, they don't
negotiate for higher wages, theydon't get paid unemployment,
(38:36):
they don't have to get paid abonus every year.
The automakers can make themoney back pretty quick.
And any new plants I guaranteeyou are going to see levels of
automation that you neverthought were possible,
particularly as these automakersstart testing these next
generation robots.
Now, to be honest, this is notsomething that's going to happen
(39:03):
in the next five years.
I don't believe it's as faraway as the automakers want you
to believe.
It's not 20 years away, butsomewhere between five years and
20 years.
You're going to see more andmore auto plants be automated.
And then what they're going tostart with?
They're going to start with theparts plants.
They're going to start with theancillary plants.
(39:24):
They're going to start with thesmall stuff.
They're going to start with theancillary plants.
They're going to start with thesmall stuff.
That is exactly how theautomakers went to the moving
assembly line over 110 years ago.
They started making somethingcalled a magneto, which was a
forerunner of a generator.
They started on that line.
They automated that line firstand, over time, moving the whole
(39:44):
car.
But that's not how it started.
The moving assembly did notstart with moving full cars.
It started on a parts line andthey perfected it there and
moved it gradually.
It's how the automakers do it,and not just automakers.
Other plants Shoot.
If you are in a GE applianceplant in Tennessee, they're
(40:04):
already running autonomoustrucks between the plant
facilities right now and havebeen for a few years.
It's coming Someday, maybe soon.
Humanoid robots may furtherenhance their manufacturing
might.
Car manufacturers such as Tesla, hyundai, bmw, mercedes-benz
are already experimenting withrobots that borrow the human
(40:26):
form and can sort widgets, liftboxes, carry parts and conduct
other tasks currently performedby people.
These robots could constitutethe basis of dark factory
workforces, solving what themanufacturers see as a human
worker shortage, even as we arebringing jobs and processes and
(40:48):
manufacturing back.
The boomers are the last biggroup population and, with 77
million of us, z, x, y, thefolks coming after us, not
nearly as big, not having asmany families, not as many kids.
So the automakers and othermanufacturers are looking at all
(41:09):
of this, trying to figure outthe best way, and they've got to
maintain quality and speed andprice Automation way to go, and
it's going to feed as they buymore.
It puts more money intodevelopment for them to get
better and better and better.
Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Ken Chester On the docket my impressions and
review of the Subaru BRZ, tsCoupe, companies that will pay
your rent, and smarter robots,dark Factory.
To add your voice to theconversation, be it to ask a
question, share an opinion oreven suggest a topic for future
(00:30):
discussion, call or text theTech Mobility hotline, that
number, 872-222-9793.
Or you can email the showdirectly.
Talk at techmobilityshow.
And for you that are onSubstack, I can be found at Ken
(00:52):
C Iowa.
That's K-E-N, the letter C,i-o-w-a.
I'm posting some fun stuff,some interesting stuff out there
, and I hope you might considercoming to join me and subscribe
to my channel.
I think you'd find itinteresting.
From the Tech Mobility NewsDesk, it's time for us to visit
(01:15):
down on the farm for a minuteand see what John Deere's been
up to lately.
A lot of people think, with allthis technology we talk about
every week, that it's mainly youknow, you upscale, uppity city
folk that get all the technology, and us folk on the farm.
Well, you just let us be.
We're going to do what we'vebeen doing.
(01:36):
Well, that's not entirely true.
For a number of years, farmshave been beginning more and
more sophisticated with theaccumulation of data, the
application of that data and howthey respond to the data,
meaning inputs, whether it'sfertilizer or herbicide, or how
(01:59):
to till it.
Is it too wet, is it too dry?
What kind of corn to plant orsoybeans to plant?
What kind of conditions am Ifielding?
What is the condition of mycrops in this particular field
on this particular day, in thisparticular situation.
All that information has beencoming in, in some cases, the
(02:20):
tractor that plants it, thecombine that picks it, the
tractor that plants it, thecombine that picks it, and now a
company called Sentera usingdrones, a drone-based camera
platform, to producehigh-resolution images for weed
management and other agronomicuses.
Why does that matter?
(02:41):
If you're a farmer, you knowwhy that matters the cost of
herbicide and the impact of toomuch herbicide and runoff and
everything that causes.
If you can reduce the amount ofherbicide you need to, exactly
where you need it, when you needit, you could very easily save
thousands of dollars inherbicide you didn't have to buy
(03:02):
and thousands of dollars andtime in herbicide you didn't
have to buy and thousands ofdollars and time an herbicide
you didn't have to apply.
Can you imagine?
And that's just for openers Now, sentera had been working for
about 10 years with John Deereand recently John Deere just up
and bought the whole company.
(03:22):
Sentera has what they call afield scouting platform that
allows farmers to gatherhigh-resolution multispectral
images with a strong amount ofcameras.
The data is then processed withTensera's field agent, which
uses AI there you go and machinelearning to help farmers assess
plant-level health, identifycrop stressors and take
(03:42):
appropriate actions.
Currently, sentra's primary usecase is weed management, and I
said Sentra, not Sentra.
Sentra's equipped drones flyover fields at high speeds and
generate those images whichidentify the exact location of
specific weeds and are used togenerate a weed map Again, can
(04:07):
you imagine being able to reusethe right herbicide in the right
amount to tackle the problem ina specific field, rather than
an all-purpose herbicide for all?
And you hope for the best.
Santerra SmartScript Weeds usesthe map to produce a targeted
prescription for how muchherbicide a farmer needs to load
into their sprayer.
And bear in mind, the sprayersare now programmed to apply the
(04:31):
herbicide where it's needed whenit's needed.
Yeah, it's gotten prettysophisticated down on the farm
folks.
For you city folk who are notused to this, the average farmer
has gotten very sophisticatedfor a variety of reasons, some
of which are as old as the hillsand some not so much.
One of the main reasons is theavailability of labor, the
(04:53):
challenges that farmers arefacing in managing all those
acres and a lack of familymembers, either because of
dropping birth rates or the costof entry so high even to
inherit the family farm thatkids just they don't want to do
it or they don't have theintestinal fortitude the
following the footsteps of theparents and grandparents in the
(05:14):
long, hard hours.
Farming is still hard work andoccasionally dangerous work.
So if you're a farmer with landright now, you're trying to use
every tool in your toolbox totry to level up and overcome
some of the challenges that youface.
Let me bring up a sore spot withfarmers right now and it's this
(05:35):
next sentence SmartScript weeds, once generated, is wirelessly
sent to John Deere equipmentthrough its operation center.
Stop, right there, there is abeef farmers got right now with
(05:57):
the green folk.
It boils down to this If I'msending all this information to
John Deere about my farm, do Iown that information as John
Deere does?
And what is John Deere doingwith the information about my
farm other than giving meprescriptions with it?
Are they bundling it andselling it to somebody else?
(06:19):
Are they using this to haveseed companies and fertilizer
companies bombard me with ads,knowing where I need it and when
I need it?
Where's the control for me overthe information that I'm
sharing, if I want to share it,and how come I can't keep it and
maybe decide to release it tothem?
In order for me to get the help?
(06:41):
I have to agree to the wholething.
That's not okay.
To get the help, I have toagree to the whole thing.
That's not okay.
And it gets down to who wantsthe data.
What are they doing with it?
What can they do with it ifthey wanted to be nefarious and
please understand, I am notaccusing John Deere being
nefarious in the information.
However, I am asking thequestions that we ask here on
(07:04):
the program relative to any time.
Big data accumulates informationabout consumers or business
people or businesses or, in thiscase, farms.
Now, on the surface, thissounds great.
Sentara's got all thisavailability.
Ai is looking over my farm andgiving me the best practices and
what I should do and when Ishould do it, and Sentara is
(07:26):
feeding this information to JohnDeere into their operation
center.
So the John Deere equipmentthat I either own or lease, can
know how to best process thisinformation, theoretically, to
optimize farm operations on myfarm.
Problem, though who owns thatinformation?
What if I decide to buy Case IHnext year for some reason, do I
(07:48):
lose all that information thatthey've accumulated?
Can they use it against me andwhy don't I have access to it
for me to hold it?
Why can't I download it andhave it as mine and decide when
and where?
And if it's an issue, it's anissue, and it's the same issue
we've talked about week afterweek on this program.
(08:11):
When you accumulate data, whenthere is a point of information
where all this data isaccumulated, there are no laws
that protect how this data ismanipulated, used, saved, sold,
stored.
Who has access to it?
Why, how long?
(08:32):
What other sources can they use?
I got questions.
I got concerns.
Now, the piece talked aboutwhere Deere bought Sentara, and
here's a quote that you wouldexpect.
Combining Sentara's imagerycapabilities with the John Deere
Operation Center will enablefarmers and trusted advisors to
(08:54):
seemly gather and integrateagronomic data, understand
real-time conditions and turndata into insights that drive
decisions in the fieldthroughout the growing season.
I got questions.
There were trusted advisors.
Who determines who they are andturn data into insights that
(09:14):
drive decisions in the fieldthroughout the growing season.
Well gee, john Deere now hasall my information, so obviously
they're going to probably takethat data and point it towards
John Deere.
Ancillary farm equipment.
John Deere solutions, johnDeere software, john Deere this
or that.
But what if, as a farmer, Iwant to use a different solution
(09:38):
with that information?
Can I?
I doubt it.
It's going into their operationcenter.
Nowhere does it say that thefarmer has the ability to
download that file and keep itoff in their computer or offline
if they wanted to.
Questions Subaru markets asmall sport coupe called the BRZ
(10:00):
.
My impressions are.
Next, you are listening to theTech Mobility Show.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and
platforms for meetings, webinarsand staying connected?
Look no further thanAONmeetingscom, the all-in-one
browser-based platform that doesit all.
With AON Meetings, you caneffortlessly communicate with
clients, host virtual meetingsand webinars and stay in touch
with family and friends all inone place and for one price.
Here's the best part you canendure a 30-day free trial.
(10:30):
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
Get started today andrevolutionize the way you
communicate.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Social media is the main place to be these days, and
we are no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Facebook videos, from my latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary of a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Facebook.
(11:02):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Be sure to subscribe to ourFacebook page.
Social media is the place to bethese days, and we're no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos, from thelatest vehicle reviews to timely
(11:25):
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
For those of you that listen topodcasts, we have just the one
for you.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester.
(11:45):
Tech Mobility Topics is apodcast where I upload
topic-specific videos each week.
Shorter than a full show.
These bite-sized programs arejust the thing, particularly if
you're interested in aparticular topic covered on the
weekly radio show.
From Apple Podcasts toiHeartRadio and many podcast
platforms in between, we got youcovered.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search
bar, wherever you listen topodcasts.
The Subaru Outback Withsymmetrical all-wheel drive
standard and an availableturbocharged boxer engine, it
might just be the only vehicleperfect for the snow belt, the
sun belt and your money belt.
(12:33):
See your Subaru dealer for atest drive today.
Through February 28th, getfinancing as low as 1.9% on all
2005 Subaru models.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yes, the Subaru Outback, that one vehicle almost
well, actually 30 years ago Iwas going to say almost 30 years
ago, no, it's been 30 yearsSaved the company they had
overextended in the 90s.
They're almost consideringwithdrawing from the US market.
And then they took a legacywagon.
They increased its height, madeit a little more firm in terms
(13:06):
of changing the rates andsuddenly they had a winner.
They had an off-road wagon, andthe rest of what they say is
history.
Subaru Outback is legendary forwhat it did for Subaru, at
least the United States.
It was the difference betweenthem being in business and not
(13:33):
being in business.
Now this vehicle right here,developed jointly with Toyota,
this 2 plus 2 sports car wasoriginally introduced the United
States and Canada underToyota's former youth oriented
brand Scion.
As the Scion FR-S Introduced in2012,.
The 2 plus 2 Fastback Coupe hadalways been manufactured and
still is, by Subaru at its OtaGunma manufacturing facility in
Japan.
Subaru also launched itsversion of the Fastback that
(13:55):
same year as the BRZ.
While product positioning of thecar evolved in the Toyota
lineup, eventually becoming theToyota GR86, subaru stayed the
course, introducing aSTI-inspired BRZ TS model for
2024.
And let me stop you.
If you're not familiar withSubaru and STI, I'm going to
(14:17):
give you this name and I wantyou to look it up.
It's the Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
It is based on a rally car andif you've ever experienced that
car you will understand thoseletters S-T-I.
It's really the performanceattributes of Subaru and that
(14:40):
WRX STI was an amazing and stillis an amazing car to drive and,
by the way, four-door sedan.
Just thought I'd add that thenew TS Performance model starts
with a limited trim and featuresa special sports suspension
with STI-tuned dampers, upgradedbraking system and exclusive
exterior and interior trim.
(15:00):
This review and my impressionsare for this newest addition to
the BRZ model lineup.
The Subaru BRZ TS comes equippedwith the STI-tuned front and
rear Hitachi dampers, resultingin greater flexibility and
better control and stability.
A high-performance Brembobraking system, including
gold-painted four-piston frontcalipers and gold-painted
(15:24):
two-piston rear calipers andlarger pads and rotors, enhances
stopping power, fade resistanceand pedal feel.
The BRZ TS also has 18-inchwheels and dark gray metallic
finish mounted on 2514R18Michelin Pilot Sport.
4 tires for superior grip andquicker turn-in.
Four tires for superior gripand quicker turn-in.
(15:48):
Externally, the BRZ TS isdistinguished by TS badging in
the front grille and on the reardeck lid.
The interior, foldable mirrorsand roof-mounted shark fin
antenna come in a crystal blacksilica finish.
Inside, the BRZ TS cabin iswrapped in a black upholstery
with exclusive blue stitching onfront seat bolsters.
Leather-wrapped steering wheel,shifter boot and parking brake
boot.
Standard performance designfront seats with
(16:10):
height-adjustable headrestraints feature a blue
leather accent down the middle.
The leather-wrapped steeringwheel comes with an integrated
control switch for audio, cruisecontrol and Bluetooth.
Brin knob.
Nut-back-like material enhancesthe instrument panel, visor and
door trim.
The iconic STI logo isdisplayed on the rear starter
(16:30):
button and customizable 7-inchdigital instrument cluster, also
updated with red accents.
Power for the BRZ TS is producedby a 2.4 liter gasoline
four-cylinder boxer engine thatmakes 228 horsepower and 184
foot-pounds of torque, and ifyou're not familiar with the
boxer concept, it is basicallyan engine that is flat.
(16:52):
The pistons run in a horizontal, what they call a pose fashion,
but they run horizontally, notat a 90 degree or 60 degree
angle.
What this does is it gives youa flat or boxer motor, which
allows the engine to sit lowerin the car body.
This lowers the center ofgravity for the coupe and
(17:14):
improves its handling and roadholding capabilities, and
anybody that knows anythingabout racing.
Its center of gravity is themost important thing.
The lower you can get theweight of the car to the road,
the more stable the vehicle isat higher speeds.
This is one attribute thatSubaru just excels at,
particularly when it comes toits four-wheel drive.
And while we're on that subject, the BRZ is unique in the
(17:39):
Subaru lineup because it is notall-wheel drive and you can't
get all-wheel drive in a BRZ butit is rear-wheel drive with a
Torsen limited slip differential.
A six-speed manual gearbox isall you're going to get, by the
way, and that communicatestorque from the engine to the
drive wheels.
Epa fuel economy numbers a20-city, 27, 27 highway using
(18:03):
premium unleaded, although youcan use regular unleaded, it'll
still run.
Cargo capacity is 6.3 cubicfeet.
Here's what I liked about thevehicle.
Now, if you're looking for rawperformance from a rear-wheel
drive, 2 plus 2 fastback and amodern rendition, then the
Subaru BRZ TS is your vehicle.
In a marketplace in time wherepractical four-door passenger
(18:26):
cars are disappearing and wheretwo-door coupes were a rarity
before even that began to happen, the BRZ TS is a haven for
those who crave careerperformance that has been
reduced to the basics as arally-inspired, drift-engineered
, manual gearbox-equipped2-plus-2 fastback.
It becomes quickly obvious thatthis Subaru is not for
everybody, and that's okay withthe automaker.
(18:48):
The BRZ TS is true to itsmission and, in fact, has been
the platform for various trackand extreme performance models
over its 14-year product run.
Here's what I don't like aboutthe vehicle.
Now, before I share this list,let me say again that the Subaru
BRZ TS 2 plus 2 Fastback Coupeis a niche model that is not
(19:12):
designed for everybody.
It has very specific drivingand performance parameters.
Having said that, now I confess.
First of all, this scoop is notvery tall, which can cause
problems with other vehiclesactually seeing you on the open
road.
As a result of its low height,getting in and out of the car
could be a challenge for somedrivers.
(19:32):
Yeah, I'm talking about myself.
Yes, the back seat is best leftdown or folded position, as
it's not fit for man or beastback there.
That's just truth.
I'm sorry, subaru, but that'sjust truth.
Don't try to put nobody backthere.
I wouldn't even put my cat backthere, I just wouldn't.
Although displays, controls andswitch gear are useful, they do
(19:53):
show their age in terms ofpresentation and capabilities.
The combination of the shortwheelbase and firm.
And read that track-tunedsuspension system means driving
long distances is more of amarathon of endurance than pure
joy.
There's no place for a cellphone, and the location of the
center-mounted cup holders makethem unusable.
(20:15):
And, ironically enough for allthe hoopla about performance,
the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tiresare not speed-rated.
Hmm, so here's the bottom line,real quick.
The Subaru BRZ TS is a raretreat for those who desire to
experience the purity ofperformance full stop.
The manufacturer suggestedretail price for the 2025 Subaru
(20:36):
BRZ TS starts from $38,360.
Destination charges add $1,170.
And while I'll say this coupeisn't for everybody, but it's
for you, it will be well worththe experience.
If you're into that kind ofthing, if you're willing to give
up a little bit, you'll getrewarded.
(20:57):
Short on rent this month, youdon't have to go to your parents
for a loan.
This company will pay your rent.
This is the Tech Mobility Show.
Do you listen to podcasts?
Seems that most people do.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
(21:18):
If you've missed any of ourweekly episodes on the radio,
our podcast is a great way tolisten.
You can find the Tech Mobilitypodcast just about anywhere.
You can enjoy podcasts.
Be sure to follow us from ApplePodcasts, iheart Radio and many
platforms in between.
We are there.
Just enter the Tech Mobilitypodcast in the search bar.
Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place
(21:44):
to be.
We no exception.
Hi, I'm ken chester, host thetech mobility show.
Several times a week, I post totiktok several of the topics
that I cover on my weekly radioshow.
It's another way to keep up onmobility, technology news and
information.
I've built quite a library ofshort videos for your viewing
pleasure, so be sure to watch,like and subscribe.
That's the tech mobility showon tiktok.
(22:06):
Check it out.
So you're looking to rent anapartment, but your credit
history is spotty at best.
What can you do?
Well, you know you can do theusual.
You can go to mom and dad.
Hey, mom, dad, can you co-signfor me?
(22:26):
I'm trying to get thisapartment.
They're like my parents.
Yeah, you're about to get yourfeelings hurt.
Or you can pay a third-partycompany to serve as your
guarantor.
They would be on the hook forthe rent if, for some reason,
you were unable to pay.
Does this sound like a valuableservice?
Some people think so, and thenumber is growing.
This is topic B.
(22:48):
Let me be clear before I evengo any further.
If you think that this company,this third party company that
said, yeah, we'll vouch for him,is going to be okay, would you
miss in rent?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,no.
Let me read this part to you.
(23:08):
I'm going to start here andwork backwards so that you will
understand this part, and Starthere and work backwards so that
you will understand this part.
And they say in the article, tobe clear, if a renter defaults
on a lease, the guarantor maycover the payments, but the
renter is still on the hook.
In this instance, the money isno longer owed to the landlord,
(23:29):
but the guarantor.
They will sue you, trust me,they will.
It will get ugly.
What do you think this businessis worth?
Globally?
They expect it to be worthalmost a billion dollars by 2032
.
A billion dollars.
So who would be I don't know aperfect customer for them?
(23:51):
Well, here's an example.
You work in the gig economy.
Your income's all over theplace, but it's steady.
You got money coming in everymonth, but it's up one month,
down next month.
You might be between gigs, butyou always got money coming in.
Well, your credit history mightlook a little rough In your
(24:12):
employment history.
You can't produce a W-2 thatsays, hey, I've been working for
this firm for three years, fiveyears, ten years, that's kind
of like what they want to see.
But your money don't look likethat.
But you've got the money forthe rent.
I mean, you've got it andyou'll have it every month.
But you don't pass musterrelative to what typical
(24:34):
landlords, when they assesscredit and they look at your
credit, they run a credit check.
It doesn't look all that good.
You go to a third partyguarantor.
Now, typically these guarantorswill charge you anywhere
between 75% to 150% of yourmonthly rent to cover it.
(24:55):
It's not cheap, but thedifference is where your credit
would say, nah, having them getyou in Because they're
guaranteeing the money to thelandlord no matter what, but you
are paying a pretty penny forit.
In other words, if you broke,if you are long periods of
(25:19):
unemployed with no cash reserves, this is not the plan for you,
because at the end the thing Iread straight up at first you be
still on the hook for the money.
So this is not a case where, ohwell, I didn't pay it, they're
going to pay it this month andmaybe I'll catch it.
No, they're coming after you.
(25:40):
The guarantor wants their moneythat they put up to cover you
the landlord's hole.
They're not Guess what, neitheryou.
If you are older folk with maybeserious cash reserves, but you
don't have a part-time job, yougot Social Security and it
doesn't look so good, but maybeyou're sitting on a bunch of
(26:00):
money in the bank, you could beanother candidate for this
business.
And as always, is it regulated?
Not exactly, because it's not aloan and they're looking all
over the place.
You would think New York Citywould be prime, and it is.
But even outside of New YorkCity, this is growing.
(26:21):
A study from consulting firmVerified Market Research
estimates that the global rentguarantor's market will generate
$775 million in revenue thisyear, which is up nearly 10%
from last year, and by 2032, itcould nearly double and be over
(26:44):
$1.5 billion a year.
In case you think you can getaround this, the guarantor of
service is becoming a regularfeature in rental agreements,
setting up the sector forlong-term worldwide growth, said
the verified market researchstudy.
Here's the thing that I'mworried about.
Immediately.
That came to my mindimmediately.
(27:06):
You are a large to mid-sizerenting company.
Okay, we're going to give youtwo.
I'm going to give you twoscenarios.
First scenario you are amanagement, an apartment
management or a propertymanagement company and you've
got contracts through town.
Maybe it's a college town andyou've got contracts through
(27:27):
town and manage variousproperties, college kids coming
in and out and maybe you say youlook at this and as the project
management, you say you look atthis and as the project
management company say, you knowwhat, we can start one of these
third-party guarantor servicesfor the landlords that we serve
(27:47):
to help cover the gap betweenthe kids in and out and making
sure they're whole.
And we'll stand the difference.
There's no regulation on whatthey can charge.
And remember, yeah, they wouldprobably hit mommy and daddy if
the kids start in college, needsa place to live off campus.
Yeah, that's going to be momand dad coughing that money up.
(28:10):
Absolutely, that's the firstone.
Second one is maybe the landlord, because they have a certain
amount of properties in thatcity or in that region, decides
you know what?
We're going to set up athird-party guarantor to make
sure we're whole.
You know where we can raisemoney on the side to make sure
the rent gets paid.
(28:30):
So we're getting paid but westill have recourse and make
money at it Because, remember,this is a business.
They are charging you for thatprivilege.
That's marked up.
And because it's not a loan, Idon't think that it would fall
necessarily under any sort offair housing or fair credit
(28:51):
federal regulations.
I'd have to double check.
I don't think it does, whichmeans, if it's not regulated,
they can do what they want andwithout the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, who's goingto look out for you?
That's the question.
These are the questions I'vegot.
Here's something I didn't knowand I want to share this with
(29:13):
you, because I never heard thesenumbers before.
I went wow, let me give this toyou.
This is the article.
This is from MarketWatch.
Generally speaking, landlordsrequire the prospective tenants
have an annual income equal to40 times the monthly rent.
The monthly rent, that means ifyour rent is $1,000 a month,
(29:44):
you should be making $40,000 ayear.
And oh, by the way, a creditscore of 700 or higher, whoops.
And they said yeah, there'sstill some leeway.
Landlords can, and often do,consider extenuating
circumstances, according tohousing experts and
professionals, but there's nopromise of that.
So I'm wondering how many ofy'all got a credit score of 700
(30:04):
or higher and are you looking ata place that is 40 times?
Are you making 40 times whatyou're going to pay in rent?
In the real world, consumersare spending almost 30% of their
annual income in rent, which ishigher than they'd like 30 plus
percent.
(30:25):
It's not pretty out there.
The typical monthly US rent isgone from about $1,200 in 2015
to $2,000 today.
So if that's your average rent,that means you'd be paying.
You'd have to have an income of$80,000 to pay average rent
right now, and that'scountrywide, because the
(30:47):
averages have gone up so muchYear over year.
Now 3% increases after climbingas high as 15% three years ago.
Things to think about.
Smarter robots get tested asautomakers aim for a dark
factory.
The future is here.
We are the Tech Mobility Show.
To learn more about the TechMobility Show, start by visiting
(31:13):
our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
Start by visiting our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
The website is a treasure troveof information about me and the
show, as well as where to findit on the radio across the
country.
Keep up with the happenings ofthe Tech Mobility Show by
visiting techmobilityshow.
That's techmobilityshow.
You can also drop us a line attalk at techmobilityshow.
(31:37):
Did you know that Tech Mobilityhas a YouTube channel?
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
Each week I upload a few shortvideos of some of the hot topics
that I cover during my weeklyradio program.
I've designed these videos tobe informative and entertaining.
(31:57):
It's another way to keep up oncurrent mobility and technology
news and information.
Be sure to watch, like andsubscribe to my channel.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon YouTube Check it out.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and
platforms for meetings, webinarsand staying connected?
Look no further thanAONmeetingscom, the all-in-one
browser-based platform that doesit all.
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(32:31):
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Speaker 2 (32:43):
Social media is the place to be these days, and
we're no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos From the latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
(33:04):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Automation it's been a fact oflife in automotive manufacturing
for as long as automanufacturing has existed.
From quality improvements toeliminating the need for humans
to do dangerous jobs within theplant, the quest to automate has
(33:27):
never let up.
Today, cost and quality of thedrivers as vehicles are more
complex than ever before, withmore equipment and motors who
expect a great deal from theirnew wheels.
As a new generation of robotshave grown in sophistication,
they're helping automakers inchcloser to the elusive goal of
running dark factories plantswith no humans at all.
(33:47):
It seems that the 2002 movieMinority Report had it
completely right.
This is Topic C.
I keep coming back to thismovie and it wasn't even part of
the plot, though.
There was a fully automatedLexus plant in that movie making
(34:08):
Lexuses with no human beingsand the car, when the car was
manufactured, went to the homeit was supposed to go to by
itself.
We're here now, but let's talkabout dark factories for a
minute.
It's not a new concept.
I wish I could say it was.
No, it's not.
And I'm going to give you anexample on an automaker who took
(34:31):
a parts plant and tried to makeit fully automated, spent $40
million to do it in 1983.
The plant was in Bay City,michigan.
It was a Saginaw steering plantmaking steering harnesses,
steering assemblies for GeneralMotors.
(34:52):
They tried it back then tryingto do this.
Here's something that I wantyou to think about and it's a
conversation I had with a fellowjournalist you to think about.
And it's a conversation I hadwith a fellow journalist and I
explained to him that, with thequest to unsure American
manufacturing, at least in theauto industry, I was convinced
(35:15):
that I still am, more than everbefore that that is going to
result in some of the highestautomation ever.
You're not going to employ theplant that they built in the 60s
, in the 70s, in the 80s, thatemployed maybe 5, 75, 10,000
people In this brave new worldof assembly plants.
You're going to be lucky ifthat same plant with that same
(35:37):
footprint employs 500 people 500people.
If that Don't believe me, go toGeorgia.
Hyundai's new mega factory ishighly, highly, highly automated
.
They got another plant there.
Key's got a plant in West PointGeorgia.
The Hyundai plant's moreautomated than that.
(36:04):
Ford was in the midst ofbuilding a brand new factory in
West Central Tennessee.
They've paused it for now, butI guarantee you when that plant
comes online it will be highlyautomated.
Why?
Hard truth, people?
It cost a lot of money to run aplant in the United States of
America.
There are reasons whyautomakers, being global
manufacturers, have gone aroundthe world to source parts and
(36:27):
build certain vehicles incertain places.
Because the market they sellthem in, particularly this
market, has certain price pointswhere buyers ain't paying a
penny above that.
And if they can't get it donehere, they got to go someplace
where the numbers make sense,because, after all, they are in
business to make a profit Fullstop.
(36:47):
That is capitalism.
Businesses make stuff, sellstuff, develop stuff, to make
money, to pay their shareholderswho took the risk, to pay their
workers, to build more, to paytaxes and sales taxes and
employment taxes, federal taxes,state taxes.
They can't do it if they don'tmake money.
They can't make money doingthings the way they used to do
(37:11):
it.
Yesterday, tesla, hyundai, bmw,mercedes all are testing
smarter robots for manufacturing, aiming for human-free, dark
factories.
If you are a union worker in anautomobile assembly plant, this
is what you were striking abouttwo years ago.
(37:31):
This part of it wasn't just themoney.
This part of it that you werestriking about.
You saw the future and thefuture didn't include you.
And if you're trying to make aliving and much people, many
people who graduated high schoolback in the day, the 60s and
the 70s, even early 80s,followed their fathers and
(37:52):
grandfathers into these plants,made a very good living with
barely a high school diploma,maybe some courses that the
company had them take to learnsome machinery over the years,
and made a very good middleclass, solid living.
And if you lived in Michiganand worked in an assembly plant
(38:12):
that was unionized, you had yourhome in Metro Detroit and you
had a shack or whatever in theUP or upstate where you went
fishing and boating and you hadyour boat and your truck and
life was good.
Imagine machinery robots theydon't need brakes, they don't
negotiate for higher wages, theydon't get paid unemployment,
(38:36):
they don't have to get paid abonus every year.
The automakers can make themoney back pretty quick.
And any new plants I guaranteeyou are going to see levels of
automation that you neverthought were possible,
particularly as these automakersstart testing these next
generation robots.
Now, to be honest, this is notsomething that's going to happen
(39:03):
in the next five years.
I don't believe it's as faraway as the automakers want you
to believe.
It's not 20 years away, butsomewhere between five years and
20 years.
You're going to see more andmore auto plants be automated.
And then what they're going tostart with?
They're going to start with theparts plants.
They're going to start with theancillary plants.
(39:24):
They're going to start with thesmall stuff.
They're going to start with theancillary plants.
They're going to start with thesmall stuff.
That is exactly how theautomakers went to the moving
assembly line over 110 years ago.
They started making somethingcalled a magneto, which was a
forerunner of a generator.
They started on that line.
They automated that line firstand, over time, moving the whole
(39:44):
car.
But that's not how it started.
The moving assembly did notstart with moving full cars.
It started on a parts line andthey perfected it there and
moved it gradually.
It's how the automakers do it,and not just automakers.
Other plants Shoot.
If you are in a GE applianceplant in Tennessee, they're
(40:04):
already running autonomoustrucks between the plant
facilities right now and havebeen for a few years.
It's coming Someday, maybe soon.
Humanoid robots may furtherenhance their manufacturing
might.
Car manufacturers such as Tesla, hyundai, bmw, mercedes-benz
are already experimenting withrobots that borrow the human
(40:26):
form and can sort widgets, liftboxes, carry parts and conduct
other tasks currently performedby people.
These robots could constitutethe basis of dark factory
workforces, solving what themanufacturers see as a human
worker shortage, even as we arebringing jobs and processes and
(40:48):
manufacturing back.
The boomers are the last biggroup population and, with 77
million of us, z, x, y, thefolks coming after us, not
nearly as big, not having asmany families, not as many kids.
So the automakers and othermanufacturers are looking at all
(41:09):
of this, trying to figure outthe best way, and they've got to
maintain quality and speed andprice Automation way to go, and
it's going to feed as they buymore.
It puts more money intodevelopment for them to get
better and better and better.
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