Bowling Green State University poll shows Trump approval underwater in Ohio (ohiocapitaljournal.com)

“Consistent with many national polls, we find that Trump has lost considerable support over his first 100 days, suggesting his honeymoon was short-lived,” Bowling Green State University political scientist Robert Alexander said. “Having a net negative favorability rating in a state he won by 11 points should be of concern for Trump nationwide.”

I haven’t felt this in Ohio yet, as most of the Trump supporters I know seem to be taking a buried-head, blind faith strategy so far.

Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again (wired.com)

A smattering of automakers are slowly admitting that some smart screens are dumb. Last month, Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said that next-gen models from the German automaker would get physical buttons for volume, seat heating, fan controls, and hazard lights. This shift will apply “in every car that we make from now on,” Mindt told British car magazine Autocar.

I think the race to move all controls in a car to a smart screen squarely falls in the “just because you can doesn’t mean you should” department of innovation. We have two Teslas and the lack of physcial controls is one of our biggest complaints about the cars. Having to go to the correct page on the screen and then hunt to find the icon for opening the glovebox has to be the height of absurdity for the smart screen trend.

Moving back to buttons and other physical controls could be a difference maker for the traditional automakers, too. They have decades and decades of experience with human-car interface and have produced some amazing innovations in that space. Tesla literally has…a few (the scroll controls on the steering wheel are nice). Combining that history of innovation with advances in electric powertrains could be a difference maker as the GM’s and Ford’s of the world compete with Tesla and other electric-only manufacturers.

Frustration with the lack of physical controls in modern cars has been growing for some time. John Siracusa has been fighting this battle on Accidential Tech Podcast since before it was ATP (or at least since the day ATP launched its first epiosode).

Europe pledges half a billion euros to lure scientists as Trump battles universities (reuters.com)

The European Union and France on Monday announced half a billion euros worth of incentives to lure scientists to the continent, seeking to profit from U.S. President Donald Trump’s federal funding cuts and clashes with top U.S. universities.

Von der Leyen announced the 500 million euros ($566.6 million) incentive package and said she also wanted EU member states to invest 3% of gross domestic product in research and development by 2030.

“We could well see a reverse brain drain…not just to Europe, but scholars are moving to Canada and Asia as well.”

There’s no “giant sucking sound” yet, but this certainly has the potential to become one.