Upgrading to a smart thermostat is a great idea! It can save you money, it can help the environment, and it can be fun to add another smart gadget to your home. 6 Ways Investing in a Smart Home Can Save You Money There are several smart thermostats on the market, but most people seem to seek out help in choosing between the Ecobee Smart Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat. They're both great upgrades to a run-of-the-mill "dumb" thermostat, but how do they compare? Let's take a look! A comparison chart Let's start by cutting to the chase. We don't want to waste your time, so we've put together a comparison chart that gives you a quick look at how the ecobee4 and Nest Learning Thermostat compare. ecobee4 Nest Power Wired Wired or Battery Wi-Fi Yes Yes Warranty (years) 3 2 iOS App Yes Yes Android App Yes Yes Web Access Yes Yes Humidity sensor Yes Yes Accessory control Yes Yes Annual fees No No Remote sensors Yes No Learns habits over time No Yes Works with Amazon Alexa Yes Yes Google … [Read more...] about ecobee4 vs. Nest: Which smart thermostat should you buy?
Sony releases PS4 DualShock controller in four bright new colors
If a plain black PlayStation 4 controller just isn't exciting enough, Sony's got some brand-new options for you.Sony unveiled four new colors for its PS4 DualShock 4 wireless controller: Berry Blue, Sunset Orange, Blue Camo and Copper. All four controllers are pretty bright and sure to turn heads.Sony announced the new controllers on Twitter and people are already picking their favorites.Sony says the new colors will be available across retailers in the US and Canada in September for $65/$75 CAD. … [Read more...] about Sony releases PS4 DualShock controller in four bright new colors
Facebook teams up with NYU for new AI project to make MRI scans 10 times faster
In parallel with Alphabet Inc.’s high-profile work to apply artificial intelligence in healthcare, other tech giants are pursuing their own medical AI projects. One of the participants in this industry effort is Facebook Inc., which today announced a collaboration with the New York University School of Medicine to harness machine learning for radiology. The partnership’s goal is to make MRI scans up to 10 times faster than they are now. MRI scans currently take anywhere from 15 minutes to more than an hour, whereas a CT or X-ray machine will produce an image in a matter of seconds. That’s the tradeoff for the higher level of detail the technology can provide for soft tissue such as organs and blood vessels. According to Facebook, speeding up the scanning process would provide a raft of benefits for patients. To start, hospitals in rural areas and other regions with a limited number of MRI machines could cut wait times. On an individual level, reducing the amount … [Read more...] about Facebook teams up with NYU for new AI project to make MRI scans 10 times faster
Did Google violate users’ privacy when it secretly kept location data?
Last Friday, Google quietly edited its description of the practice on its own website—while continuing said practice—to clarify that "some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps." As a result of the previously unknown practice, which was first exposed by the Associated Press last week, Google has now been sued by a man in San Diego. Simultaneously, activists in Washington, DC are urging the Federal Trade Commission to examine whether the company is in breach of its 2011 consent decree with the agency. In the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court last Friday in San Francisco, attorneys representing a man named Napoleon Patacsil argued that Google is violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act and the state’s constitutional right to privacy. The lawsuit seeks class-action status, and it would include both an "Android Class" and and "iPhone Class" for the potential millions of people in the United States … [Read more...] about Did Google violate users’ privacy when it secretly kept location data?
HyperX Predator DDR4 RAM kits get increased speeds and capacities
When building a desktop gaming PC, there are many brands of RAM from which to choose. If you think "RAM is RAM" and the company producing it doesn't matter, think again. Cheap RAM can lead to some serious headaches -- for system builders, nothing is worse than an unstable computer that experiences random crashes. In other words, the cost savings by going with a no-name brand of memory simply isn't worth the aggravation. There are a some specific brands of RAM by which I swear, such as G.SKILL and HyperX. Speaking of the latter, today, the Kingston gaming brand announces that its Predator DDR4 and DDR4 RGB RAM kits are getting both increased frequencies and storage capacities. ALSO READ: HyperX launches affordable Pulsefire FPS Pro RGB gaming mouse "The Predator DDR4 RGB is now available in speeds up to 4000MHz and the HyperX Predator DDR4 memory now features expanded speed and capacities up to 128GB and frequencies up to 4133MHz. HyperX memory is designed for … [Read more...] about HyperX Predator DDR4 RAM kits get increased speeds and capacities
I’m Mallika Chopra, Author and Entrepreneur, and This Is How I Parent
As a kid, Mallika Chopra’s father, Deepak Chopra, would ask her to explore four questions: Who am I? What do I want? How can I serve? What am I grateful for? Now as an entrepreneur, public speaker and the author of the new children’s meditation guide Just Breathe, Mallika uses those questions to help others know their intentions and improve their lives. She has taught meditations to thousands of people around the world, including her two daughters, Tara and Leela. Here’s how she parents. Name: Mallika ChopraLocation: Santa Monica, CAJob: Mom, author, public speakerFamily: Husband Sumant Mandal, and daughters Tara (16) and Leela (14). Our dog is Yoda. Tell us a little bit about your family and your career. Did life happen mostly as planned or were there surprises? Life for me has been a messy journey. I have found there are times when life seems to be flowing smoothly—relationships, health, inspiring work—and then something happens that makes me pause and … [Read more...] about I’m Mallika Chopra, Author and Entrepreneur, and This Is How I Parent
Nvidia unveils GeForce RTX graphics chips for real-time ray tracing games
Nvidia unveiled its not-so-secret graphics chips for next-generation gaming computers. The Nvidia GeForce RTX series graphics cards include the GeForce RTX 2080, the RTX 2080, and the RTX 2070, based on Nvidia’s new Turing architecture revealed last week. These are the first consumer graphics chips and their accompany cards that can handle processing for real-time ray tracing, a rendering technique that traces the paths of rays of light to create highly realistic animations to power games and other interactive animations. As a graphics architecture, Turing is a foundation for a whole series of graphics chips that Nvidia can introduce in the coming years. In several demos, Nvidia showed what games will look like with real-time ray tracing. It will add realistic shadows and lighting to games that otherwise seemed like they looked really good. The new Turing graphics cards have six times the performance of the previous generation Pascal chips. “Games will never be the … [Read more...] about Nvidia unveils GeForce RTX graphics chips for real-time ray tracing games
Say goodbye to the hot weather with wind, rain and thunder set to hit the UK
Tom HerbertMonday 20 Aug 2018 3:20 pm Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link If you’ve been getting used to the hot weather we’ve got some bad news for you as it looks like the heatwave is set to end. Forecasters have said wetter and colder weather is on the way, bringing with it wind and rain towards the end of the week. Thunderstorms and hail could also hit parts of the UK as Britain braces itself for temperatures to drop towards single figures and the low teens. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But it’s not all bad news because for those Brits who are struggling to sleep in the humidity, the colder air will also bring with it fresher overnight temperatures. Met Office forecaster Emma Smith said: ‘It’s been feeling quite close and … [Read more...] about Say goodbye to the hot weather with wind, rain and thunder set to hit the UK
A new leak probably just revealed preorder and release dates for Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup
While any new iPhone release is exciting, Apple’s forthcoming 2018 iPhone lineup will be particularly compelling. As you’ve likely heard by now, Apple this year will reportedly release three brand new iPhone models. At the high-end, Apple will introduce a 6.5-inch “iPhone X Plus.” At the low-end, Apple will introduce a 6.1-inch iPhone with an almost-edgeless LCD display. And right in the middle, there will of course be a second-gen version of last year’s iPhone X. With September right around the corner, we’re only a few weeks away from Apple formally unveiling its 2018 iPhone lineup to the world. Though Apple hasn’t yet sent out invitations to its annual iPhone event, we might already have an idea as to when pre-orders for Apple’s next-gen lineup will open up. Don't Miss: You can get a 4K Fire TV for the price of a Fire TV Stick today Citing sources who work for German carriers, the German-language Macerkopf is reporting that … [Read more...] about A new leak probably just revealed preorder and release dates for Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup
A Game-Changing Approach to a Back to School Syllabus by @MeehanEDU
Guest Blog post by John Meehan Hi. I’m John Meehan, an instructional coach and eleventh grade English teacher at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. I’m kind of a geek for teaching, and so when an education rock star like Alice followed me on Twitter (squee!) and invited me to share this resource as a guest blogger, I literally couldn’t say “YOU BETCHA!” fast enough. Sneak preview: it’s a plug-and-play, fully gamified course syllabus for sparking crazy levels of day one student engagement. Interested? Read on! First, some backstory: this summer, I had the chance to attend the Serious Play Conference at nearby George Mason University and spend a week delving into the transformative power of classroom gamification. Yes, it’s easy to dismiss game-based instruction as just the latest in a long line of passing educational fads. But don’t laugh: the same game-based approach to classroom instruction is being used by … [Read more...] about A Game-Changing Approach to a Back to School Syllabus by @MeehanEDU