Whenever the phone is connected to a car using either Bluetooth or a cable, or if the car is moving, the phone will withhold any notifications for things like text messages or news updates.

Nissan has proposed adding a so-called Faraday cage to its cars. This would be a box built in to the car that would block radio transmissions of any kind from reaching the phone.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, eight people are killed each day in crashes involving distracted driving,

Soon, iPhones will block texts while driving

In the 100 yard dash, it is very difficult for a competitive runner to overcome a bad start. The race is over in seconds and the other runners are typically competitive as well or they would not be there. So a good start is incredibly important in a short race. You could stumble a bit at the beginning of 400meter race and still win the thing but for short races, the start is the the thing.

Behold the Apple Homepod

More expensive than Amazon Echo. Dumber than Google Home. More proprietary than Sonos.

Oohh, it has room correction? For a beer can speaker?

What were they thinking? Reeks of desperation. And snake oil.

(Not shipping yet. Not yet FCC approved.)

Nick McBride, the current chief deputy in the Knox County Register of Deeds Office, announced today he is running for the Register of Deeds position in the May 2018 Republican primary. It appears he has term-limited Register of Deeds Sherry Witt's endorsement. Witt is running for Knox Co. Clerk.

He nevertheless entered the political fray (sort of) on Sunday, golfing with President Donald Trump at Trump National Golf Club on Sunday and also visiting the White House.

Joining Manning and President Trump was Senator Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee.

Peyton Manning golfs with the President

Peyton Manning seen at White House

Sometimes, how can you tell?

If this becomes the norm, it seems there will need to be 24x7 walk-in clinic care available. Or maybe 5 pm to 7 am thru week and 24 hours on weekends.

"But starting July 1, 2017, you'll be responsible for ER costs when it's NOT an emergency. That way, we can all help make sure the ER's available for people who really are having emergencies."

The 2010 Affordable Care Act lays down strict rules for covering emergency room visits. ACEP said the insurance industry is taking advantage of the Trump administration's disregard for the ACA to push the boundaries.

Doctors want to work 9 to 5 and patients have few other choices outside of those hours, he said.

Major Insurance Company’s Payment Decision Angers ER Doctors

Interesting.

Riders on Waze Carpool pay drivers a small stipend that covers the cost of gas and some wear and tear on the vehicle.

Waze has tweaked the pricing this spring as it figures out the sweet spot for making carpooling attractive to both riders and drivers. The payments are far less than what ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft charge.

The service is not intended as a way for drivers to earn a living. Waze keeps payments under 54 cents a mile, the federal government's reimbursement rate for business travel with one's own car. That way, Waze also doesn't have to deal with regulatory questions that come with operating a ride service.

Waze is bringing carpooling to all of California

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has signed a pledge to uphold goals of the international Paris climate change agreement.

The pledge by US Climate Mayors says "we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement," and that "if the President wants to break the promises made to our allies enshrined in the historic Paris Agreement, we’ll build and strengthen relationships around the world to protect the planet from devastating climate risks."

Other Tennessee mayors signing the pledge include Mayor Megan Barry of Nashville and Mayor Andy Berke of Chattanooga.

Mayor Rogero said in a statement to media that "The president's action takes us in the wrong direction at a time when almost every nation in the world has agreed on the need for climate action. Like mayors in cities across the country, I will maintain Knoxville's commitment to reducing our carbon emissions and promoting sustainability in all of our operations."

Mayor Barry said in a statement "The United States of America should be a global leader in addressing the dire impact of climate change on our civilization, and it is very disappointing that President Trump does not see that. As a member of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, I am committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and working with corporations and citizens to do the same, even if the President is not. There's too much at stake for cities not to lead on this issue, and Nashville will."

Mayor Andy Berke said "Reverting back to the Chattanooga of decades ago is simply unacceptable. Chattanooga has a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental protections, and we will continue to push forward regardless of the stance of the current President."

May 31, 2017 - First day to request an absentee ballot

July 31, 2017 - Final day to register to vote before election

August 9, 2017 - First day of Early Voting period

August 22, 2017 - Final day to request an absentee ballot

August 24, 2017 - Final day of Early Voting period

August 29, 2017 - Election Day

2017 City of Knoxville Primary Election Schedule

May nonfarm payrolls total 138,000 vs 185,000 expected

Job creation fell sharply in May with just 138,000 new positions created, while the unemployment rate declined to 4.3 percent, according to Labor Department data released Friday.

"This report is clearly soft in every material respect relative to expectations and relative to last month. That's a disappointment," said Eric Winograd, U.S. economist at Alliance Bernstein. However, he added, "I don't think it's soft enough to cause a fundamental rethink of the economic outlook."

Bureau of Labor Statistics full report...

Waiting for Trump to complain about more fake news, tell us it was a "tremendous job report, best ever, very very good," and fire the head of the BLS.

In honor of the National Spelling Bee, which starts Wednesday, Google decided to see what words people in each of the 50 states struggle to spell.

To do this, employees looked at Google searches of “how to spell ______” in each of the states from Jan. 1 to April 30 this year. Whatever word filled that blank most often in each state became denoted as that state’s “most misspelled word.”

In Tennessee the most searches for "how to spell" were for chaos. Ah, yes. Chaos is what Tennessee is all about.

It's all in fun, but a little limited. When I want to know how to spell a word I just type in the word. I don't type in "how to spell" said word.

Saw Todd Rundgren at Bijou Wednesday evening.

Not at all what I was expecting.

Interesting show. A lot of production with graphics and videos, dancing. Todd did choreographed dancing with his backup singers.

As far as I could tell all but maybe 2 songs were new. At least new to me.

Pretty good. I would have liked to have gotten a few more of the old tunes in there somewhere.

I attended his one man show at Tennessee in 2003. This was a stark contrast.

Wow. Really feeling old.

I have to ask, though. Do we really need all these remastered reissues? (Disclaimer, I haven't heard it yet.)

The outtakes on some of these commerative reissues are sometimes interesting. But the album as released was what the artist(s) intended. The outtakes didn't make the cut. Usually for good reason.

Anyway, this is a pretty historic reissue, so I'll check it out. But the original was pretty much perfection. Not only in terms of the writing and the music and the recording and production, which were all ahead of their time, but also capturing the essence of the changing culture at the time. Not sure how you improve on that.

SEE ALSO: Inside the Making of 'Sgt. Pepper'

Pulling Out Of Paris A Blow To American Business, Innovation And Jobs

More than 3 million American workers and counting now earn a living in the clean energy sector. The international clean energy market is worth an astounding $1.4 trillion a year. Delivering on the promise of the Paris Climate Agreement would unlock an estimated $19 trillion in economic growth globally.

By pulling out of the Paris Agreement, President Trump just told those 3 million American workers he doesn’t care about their jobs. He’s invited carbon tariffs on U.S. goods shipped overseas – something the European Union and other countries are now considering.

And he has signaled he’s willing to leave America on the sidelines (alongside Syria and Nicaragua, the only other countries not part of the Paris Agreement) while other countries take leadership on climate and clean energy ― and reap the economic rewards that come with it.

Well, aren't we proud of our "President."

Joshua Williams, a clinical psychologist in the Knoxville area, has declared his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District, in 2018. He also has a Facebook page.

I promise to stand up for the working people of East Tennessee: the folks who go to work every day, who try their hardest to provide for their families, who give back to their communities every chance that they get. The people who are tired of leaders who promise to make things better, and then cast votes that will make things even worse.

I want to fight for the progress we need in Tennessee. By making sure that all Tennesseans have affordable health insurance, by attracting new businesses with well-paying jobs to our area, and by ensuring the safety and security of all Americans without sacrificing our Constitutional civil liberties. I want to lead the effort in Congress to tackle the opioid epidemic that is ravaging communities and families from all walks of life.

Dr. Williams is on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Justice Center. Dr. Williams has served as a board member of Leadership Knoxville, on the Tennessee Voices for Children’s Board of Directors, the Knox County Community Health Improvement Council Board of Directors. He has served two terms as President of the Tennessee Psychological Association. Currently he is the President-elect of the Knoxville Area Psychological Association.

John Duncan, Jr. will have held this seat for 30 years in 2018. Prior to Jimmy, Jr., his father, John Duncan, Sr. held the office for 23 years. JDJ has not said whether he will run for office again. What else would he/could he do? Retire?

"It is time for true, effective leadership in Washington."

One of them a Bushmaster assault-style rifle. And 90 rounds of ammo.

ABC News

Oh, girlfrans. My cousin dropped by moments ago with The. Best. Ice cream. Ever.

That would be Blue Bell's "Bride's Cake" flavor. Label reads "almond flavored ice cream with cake pieces and Amaretto flavored cream cheese icing." That's right, there isn't even any chocolate in it. At all.

Denali Extreme Moose Tracks just dropped to a perfectly respectable second place.

Now make haste to your nearest Kroger.

We are told that Allison Burchett posted this photo on her Instagram account the day she pleaded guilty to several cyberstalking related misdemeanor charges and received a sentence of four years supervised probation.

We're not sure who she defeated (or if she knows that's Truman holding up the newspaper). At least she avoided prison time on seven felony charges.

In case you missed it, Speaker Paul Ryan is coming to Knoxville for a fundraiser. According to the invitation, a VIP photo reception is $10,000 per couple, and dinner is $2500 per couple. The best part, though, is that it will be held at an undisclosed location that will only be revealed to attendees after they RSVP with a check.

(By way of KnoxTNToday.com)

P.S. The invitation is from the Tennessee Congressional Delegation. Does that include Rep. Steve Cohen?

(Photo courtesy of Knox Co. Parks and Rec, more photos at their Facebook page...)

The Cove at Concord Park on Northshore Dr. in West Knox sustained extensive damage from Saturday's storm and it could be a week or more before repairs are made and the park fully reopens.

Here's an update from Mike Donila at Knox Co. Parks and Rec yesterday afternoon:

"The Cove is still closed, but we had a crew looking over the damage this morning and afternoon. Again we are going to meet with some contractors tomorrow (the county was closed today) to see how long it will take to get everything cleaned/picked up and fixed.

One plan that we've kicked around - and again, this is very preliminary - is to work in sections, focusing on the beach and the sand volleyball court and making our way east to the pavilion. If everything were to fall into place, then there is a slight chance we could reopen that part within a week and a half, maybe two weeks. Please note, that's being very optimistic.

The other half of The Cove, however, is an entirely different story. That could take well over a month to get cleaned, which means the loop will remain closed.

The Knox County Parks and Recreation Department wants to thank everyone who has shown their support for The Cove. Hundreds of folks have sent notes and left comments, asking how they can help.

We truly appreciate that and our staff will talk about it tomorrow. Right now it's too dangerous to have people out there but we think in the coming weeks there might be something folks can do to pitch in.

We will continue to update folks on our progress on our Facebook page."