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Travel

A gas station fuel pump nozzle

Why You Can Still Get Burned by a Rental Car's Fuel Policy

Rental car fuel policies are built to collect for gas you didn't use -- from EZFuel's flat fees to inflated per-gallon refill prices at drop-off.

Business  · 7 Sep 2026, 09:26  · Priya Raman
A white Waymo-operated Jaguar I-PACE robotaxi driving on a street in San Francisco.

Who's Liable When Your Self-Driving Uber Crashes?

Waymo just told Uber it's building its own app for Austin and Atlanta. Behind the split is a messier question riders rarely think about: who pays when the car with no driver hits something.

Tech  · 11 Aug 2026, 09:30  · Daniel Okafor
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft at the company's factory in Renton, Washington.

What the FAA's New 737 MAX Crack Order Actually Requires

An FAA order to inspect 471 Boeing 737 MAX jets sounds alarming. The mechanism behind it, and why no cracks have actually turned up on the model, explains why airlines aren't changing their schedules.

Tech  · 7 Aug 2026, 09:24  · Daniel Okafor
A magnetic stripe hotel key card, the technology behind most key-card failures.

Why Hotel Key Cards Stop Working, and It's Rarely Your Phone

Blame usually lands on a phone in your pocket, but most hotel key card failures trace back to expiration timers, encoding mistakes and aging locks.

Culture  · 5 Aug 2026, 09:40  · Maya Calder
Interior of an economy class airline cabin with seatback entertainment screens, where in-flight movie edits are shown.

Why the Movie on Your Flight Isn't the Theatrical Cut

Olivia Wilde didn't recognize her own film after watching it on a flight. The reason in-flight movies get re-cut has little to do with the airline and everything to do with an invisible vendor.

Culture  · 21 Jul 2026, 09:24  · Maya Calder
A gas station fuel pump, where card networks allow holds of up to $175 per transaction.

Why Your Card's 'Pending' Charge Is Never the Final Amount

A gas station can hold up to $175 on your card before you've filled the tank. A hotel can hold $200 a night before you've ordered room service. Here's why the placeholder outlasts the receipt.

Business  · 21 Jul 2026, 09:24  · Priya Raman