Tesla taking orders for solar shingles April 2017

Since the moment Elon Musk announced TESLA would be offering solar-power generating roof shingles for houses last fall I have had a "solar shingles" Google-alert set up to notify me when news about this comes online. This morning I got an e-mail with a link to a Tech Times story claiming Elon Musk had announced on Twitter that TESLA would be taking solar roofing orders next month (April 2017). I have not been able to find these tweets.  If you have any information on this alleged announcement please let me know in the comments. Also, what are the implications of getting on the waiting list?  If the current administration is successful in gutting subsidies for home energy upgrades (including solar panel installation) will it be beneficial to get on the waiting list while Obama era subsidies are still in effect?

I spoke with a Solar City representative at Home Depot a few weeks ago and she was pretty dismissive of the solar shingle roll-out, telling me that they will only be available initially in some test markets in regions (Hawaii and southern California) with no annual snowfall because the current version of solar shingles are not designed to handle snow.  If this is the case I would rather sign up for traditional solar panels. I also thought the new TESLA plant in Buffalo, New York would be focussed on these solar shingles, but according to the Solar City rep, the main production at the Buffalo plant will actually be traditional solar panels made in collaboration between Panasonic and TESLA.

Any clarifying information would be helpful.  Please comment below.

John Oliver on Media Hyping Science

You want lower tuition, They want better brand recognition

UC Davis has been in the news in a bad way lately. At the directive of their chancellor - Linda P.B. Katehi - the University spent ~$175,000 to scrub the internet of references to the 2011 incident in which campus police pepper-sprayed peaceful Occupy protesters. Though the police officer who did the spraying Lt. John Pike was fired shortly thereafter, the chancellor and school leadership wanted to ensure this was not a permanent black mark on UC Davis reputation. So they allocated a huge sum of money to clean up the internet regarding the incident. In the wake of this revelation there are now calls for Chancellor Katehi to resign. Universities ought to celebrate the free flow of information, and not actively work to suppress it. Tom Paine's Ghost adds its name to the petition for Katehi to resign!

The Important Places by Forest Woodward

THE IMPORTANT PLACES. from gnarly bay on Vimeo.

The Opposite of Addiction

Having lost two half-brothers to substance abuse I see the truth in this video. Being surrounded by a loving supporting family and friend network is the key to pulling people from the downward spiral of substance abuse.
 

Edward Snowman

The NYPD arrested a statue. Will the Capitol Police arrest a snow man? Story at 11. https://t.co/vRtB2DJBwz pic.twitter.com/HCgsUpRx59

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 24, 2016

An Object at Rest - animated short for the eons

All of this wonderful animation by Seth Boyden. Check out more at his Blog!

Killer Mike, Cornell West, State Sen. Nina Turner, and Bernie Sanders reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.

This whole thing is good. But starting around 41 minutes in it gets really really good.

Unist'ot'en People Stand Strong and Defend their Territory

Fed Chair Janet Yellen Announces Rate Hike