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. If the input list of items is empty, return 0.0.
  
  def calculate_total_cost(items, shipping_cost, tax_rate):
      if not items:
          return 0.0
      
      total_cost = 0
      for item in items:
          total_cost += item['price'] * item['quantity']
      
      total_cost += total_cost * tax_rate
      total_cost += shipping_cost
      
      return total_cost
  
  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) == 103.65
  
  assert calculate_total_cost([], 7.50, 0.095) == 0.0
output: def calculate_total_cost(items, shipping_cost, tax_rate):
      if not items:
          return 0.0
      
      total_cost = 0
      for item in items:
          total_cost += item['price'] * item['quantity']
      
      total_cost += total_cost * tax_rate
      total_cost += shipping_cost
      
      return total_cost