input: Write a function to calculate the total cost of a shopping cart. The function should consider the item prices, quantity, shipping cost, and any applicable taxes.
  
  assert calculate_total_cost([ {"name": "widget", "price": 10, "quantity": 5 }, {"name": "thingy", "price": 7, "quantity": 3 }, {"name": "doodad", "price": 5, "quantity": 2 }], 7.50, 0.095) == 108.075
  assert calculate_total_cost([ {"name": "widget", "price": 20, "quantity": 2 }, {"name": "thingy", "price": 5, "quantity": 4 }], 10.00, 0.08) == 86.4
  assert calculate_total_cost([ {"name": "doodad", "price": 3, "quantity": 10 }], 5.00, 0.10) == 38.0
  assert calculate_total_cost([], 0.00, 0.00) == 0.0
output: def calculate_total_cost(items, shipping_cost, tax_rate):
      subtotal = sum(item['price'] * item['quantity'] for item in items)
      total_cost = subtotal + shipping_cost
      total_cost += total_cost * tax_rate
      return total_cost