In a direct shot at UPS and FedEx, Amazon has rolled out ground shipping for sellers. According to geekwire.com, the service for sellers will pick up items directly from their warehouses and deliver them to customers. It is now available in 15 metro areas, and Amazon plans to expand the footprint in the near future. Amazon Shipping is notable in part because it operates independently from the company’s fulfillment network, targeting businesses that would normally use UPS, FedEx or other traditional shipping services. Delivery is promised in 2 to 5 days. 

Ring has launched a new Pet Tag accessory that is designed to reunite lost pets with owners. Techcrunch.com reports that it puts a QR code on your pet’s collar that can be scanned. Scanning the QR code will display the information that you have logged in your Pet Profile, such as health conditions, that can help someone who may find your pet best understand your pet’s immediate needs. If you have opted in to the “Contact Me” feature via your pet’s Pet Profile, the person who finds your pet can engage in two-way communication with you to facilitate the return of your pet. There is no GPS functionality nor beacon facility…the sort of thing that you could use if you put an Apple Air Tag on your pet’s collar. Ring’s Pet Tag is much cheaper, though. It’s available for Preorder today at Ring.com or amazon.com for $9.99…considerably less than an Apple Air Tag at $25 if you buy a 4 pack.

Court filings indicate that the Federal Trade Commission believes that the ‘chaotic environment’ Elon Musk created at Twitter…now X…prevented the company from complying with their obligations to the FTC. Twitter had settled with the FTC over the company’s use of deceptive ad targeting under former CEO Jack Dorsey. Engadget.com says the company paid a $150 million fine and signed on to an agreement to implement specific privacy and security measures. It was those additional data protection measures that apparently fell by the wayside once Musk took control, triggering new scrutiny from the regulator. According to the DoJ, Twitter’s former chief privacy officer Damien Kieran said Twitter Blue launched so quickly a “security and privacy review was not conducted in accordance with the company’s process for software development.” 

In a bit of blatant borrowing, Hyundai is copying from Tesla’s playbook, planning a new process like Tesla’s ‘Giga Casting.’ Hyundai calls the new process Hypercasting, and according to electrek.co, the company says it will cut costs at the same time it boosts production. The massive machines produce parts much bigger than what the auto industry was used to. Automakers can save much-needed time and resources without the need to bond multiple parts (it can also help reduce the vehicle’s weight). Tesla is said to have reduced costs by about 30% using Giga Casting. Hyundai, which reached a tentative wage pact with its South Korean labor union Tuesday, agreed to a “special agreement for future growth.” The goal is to boost domestic investment to convert existing ICE manufacturing plants into “core manufacturing bases for future vehicles.”

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.