All posts tagged: Connected

The Next Atlantic Storm Will Be Named Dolly, but It’s Not Connected to Parton’s Death

The Next Atlantic Storm Will Be Named Dolly, but It’s Not Connected to Parton’s Death

Published by Sam Flores

MIAMI (AP) — The next tropical storm that develops in the Atlantic this hurricane season will be named Dolly, but the timing is pure coincidence and has no connection to Dolly Parton’s death Tuesday. Storm systems are named by procedures set by the World Meteorological Organization, and the lists of names are reused every six years. For the Atlantic region, the lists are alphabetical and alternate male and female names. The National Hurricane Center was monitoring a weather system off Africa that may strengthen into a named tropical storm. Conditions were somewhat favorable for the area of thunderstorms south of the Cabo Verde Islands to become a tropical depression sometime in the next week, forecasters at the Miami-based center said early Wednesday. If it further develops, with maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph), the system would be named Tropical Storm Dolly. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to El Nino. It forecast eight to 14 named storms, with three to six of them …

I connected ChatGPT to my bank, and it’s my go-to finance app now – here’s how (and why)

I connected ChatGPT to my bank, and it’s my go-to finance app now – here’s how (and why)

Published by skeptic

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways ChatGPT can connect to financial accounts through Plaid. It can analyze spending, debt, subscriptions, and investments. It can’t move money or see full account numbers. I’ve been using ChatGPT since it launched, so by now, I’ve put it to work on just about everything, including my finances. It’s walked me through setting up a brokerage account, helped me understand how to start investing, and pointed me toward books and resources so I could learn the basics quickly. I read them. I followed the advice. I’m now averaging a 16% return on my investments. In other words, ChatGPT has genuinely helped me make better financial decisions. Also: How to use ChatGPT: A beginner’s guide So when I saw that OpenAI had launched a personal finance experience inside ChatGPT, my ears perked up. Until now, like many people, I’ve handled a lot of my money management manually. I check balances, track debts, review recurring charges, monitor subscriptions, and try to …

Polestar barred from US over the Chinese connected vehicle rule, a dangerous precedent

Polestar barred from US over the Chinese connected vehicle rule, a dangerous precedent

Published by skeptic

Polestar is pulling new vehicles out of the US market starting with model year 2027 after the Commerce Department declined to grant it authorization under the Connected Vehicle Rule, the company confirmed today. The decision effectively ends new-car sales in the US for the Geely-owned Swedish EV brand — even though one of its models is assembled in South Carolina. What Commerce decided The Bureau of Industry and Security, part of the US Department of Commerce, declined to grant Polestar (Nasdaq: PSNY) an authorization to sell vehicles in the US from model year 2027 onward under the current Connected Vehicle Rule. The rule, finalized in January 2025, bans connected vehicles with a “sufficient nexus” to China or Russia from the US market, with the software prohibitions taking effect for model year 2027 and hardware restrictions following in 2030. It covers telematics, cameras, microphones, GPS, Bluetooth, cellular modules, and automated driving software across gas, hybrid, and electric vehicles alike. Advertisement – scroll for more content Polestar’s problem is ownership, not where the cars are built. The …

I always keep 3 devices connected to a power station – here’s why

I always keep 3 devices connected to a power station – here’s why

Published by skeptic

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Power stations are typically reserved for use during emergencies.  I keep a few permanently connected as uninterruptible power supplies. Always on has several advantages and helps avoid unwelcome surprises. Power stations are typically used as clutch devices: When the power goes out, or you’re going camping, you roll out your power station and connect the devices you want to keep running to it.  However, this approach exposes you to potential issues, such as discovering your power station wasn’t fully charged, not knowing where the cables are, or losing Wi-Fi or access to other devices. Also: I use Blink cameras at home, and this 65% off 5-camera bundle is hard to ignore As a smart home tech reviewer, I get a lot of power stations to test, so I’ve gotten creative about their uses. The larger power stations are integrated into my whole-home backup system, while the smaller ones are often used as UPSs for devices that support my home’s daily functioning. Here …

Audible Launches Connected Subscription for Apple Podcasts

Audible Launches Connected Subscription for Apple Podcasts

Published by skeptic

Audible last month launched a connected subscription that lets members stream nearly 700 premium podcast titles directly within Apple Podcasts, available across 135 countries. The integration gives Audible members ad-free access to an expansive catalog of Audible Originals spanning true crime, investigative journalism, celebrity-led audio dramas, and personal growth categories. Titles available at launch include award-winning series like Dr. Death, American Scandal, Business Wars, Dying for Sex, and Hysterical, Reinvent Your Life with Mel Robbins, The Prophecy, and The Big Lie. Marshall Lewy, Head of Audible Content for North America, said: By bringing Audible’s distinctive catalog to Apple Podcasts, we’re allowing members to find their favorite Originals where many of them already listen to their podcasts. And by making select shows and episodes available widely, we have the opportunity to introduce new listeners to the extraordinary audio storytelling Audible offers right inside the Apple Podcasts app. Existing Audible members can access the integration by opening ‌Apple Podcasts‌, where their subscription should connect automatically, or by searching for any Audible premium show and linking their account …

What Keeps Us Connected to the Dead?

What Keeps Us Connected to the Dead?

Published by Jenni Sidey

There are three hydrangea heads there and there is also a red rose, which I swear wasn’t there on Sunday. So somebody has been here since I put my flowers there on Sunday. It’s not even just flowers. One year, there was a massive sheaf of corn, a pheasant’s feather, a big tail feather, it was. It is something I really dearly would love to solve. These are the words of Ann Kear as she stood in a graveyard beside the headstone of her brother, Karl Smith, who drowned in 1947. She spoke them to a BBC reporter as part of the documentary The Stranger at My Brother’s Grave. What puzzled Ann was that, for more than 70 years, someone had regularly left flowers and other small tokens at Karl’s grave. Ann was only seven when her brother died, and she admits that she remembers very little about him. The flowers and mementoes left at his grave stirred her curiosity. Who was this person, and what might they be able to tell her about the …

5 devices in your home that really shouldn’t be connected to Wi-Fi

5 devices in your home that really shouldn’t be connected to Wi-Fi

Published by skeptic

It is tempting to believe that every new appliance in your house needs to be connected to the internet to be modern. Marketing teams love to tell us that a smart fridge or an app-enabled toothbrush adds a level of convenience we never knew we were missing. In reality, these features aren’t worth the hype and are usually just forced additions that send data to advertisers instead of helping. Related I turned my old tablet into a smart home dashboard, and it’s perfect I use my 1st-gen iPad Pro as a smart home dashboard Smart refrigerators are good at selling data You’re giving your information right to the people selling you groceries Gorodenkoff / ShutterstockCredit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock Smart refrigerators get zero practical benefit from an internet connection, and I know I’d regret buying one. Connecting a fridge to your network just to see a digital grocery list is a poor use of your bandwidth, especially since pen and paper or a note app on your phone have worked perfectly for decades. Large kitchen appliances are …

Trump administration permits Volvo to keep selling connected cars in the US

Trump administration permits Volvo to keep selling connected cars in the US

Published by skeptic

Volvo Cars reached an agreement with the Trump administration that exempts the automaker from a U.S. crackdown on Chinese-connected vehicle technology. The Swedish automaker, which is majority owned by China’s Geely Holding, said Tuesday that it received specific authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce to continue importing and selling vehicles with Chinese connected car technology in the United States. Connected car tech involves the software that covers everything from syncing with phones to some automated driving features. Bloomberg was first to report the special authorization. Volvo was banned under rules finalized by the Biden administration in January 2025 that blocked vehicles equipped with software and hardware developed and maintained by Chinese companies over national security concerns. The rules kicked off with 2027 model-year vehicles equipped with software developed and maintained by Chinese companies. Another ban that prohibits the import of vehicle connected hardware begins with 2030 model-year vehicles. Volvo vehicles are primarily made in Sweden and imported to the United States, with the exception of the EX90, which is assembled at the company’s factory …

Trump administration permits Volvo to keep selling connected cars in the US

Trump Admin permits Volvo to keep selling connected cars in the U.S.

Published by skeptic

Volvo Cars reached an agreement with the Trump administration that exempts the automaker from a U.S. crackdown on Chinese-connected vehicle technology. The Swedish automaker, which is majority owned by China’s Geely Holding, said Tuesday that it received specific authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce to continue importing and selling vehicles with Chinese connected car technology in the United States. Connected car tech involves the software that covers everything from syncing with phones to some automated driving features. Bloomberg was first to report the special authorization. Volvo was banned under rules finalized by the Biden administration in January 2025 that blocked vehicles equipped with software and hardware developed and maintained by Chinese companies over national security concerns. The rules kicked off with 2027 model-year vehicles equipped with software developed and maintained by Chinese companies. Another ban that prohibits the import of vehicle connected hardware begins with 2030 model-year vehicles. Volvo vehicles are primarily made in Sweden and imported to the United States, with the exception of the EX90, which is assembled at the company’s factory …

Keeping strict emotional score with a romantic partner is connected to depressive moods

Keeping strict emotional score with a romantic partner is connected to depressive moods

Published by José Betancourt

People who view love and emotional support as limited resources are more likely to experience depressive moods in their romantic relationships. A new empirical study shows that treating intimate empathy like a prize with finite winners leads partners to withhold emotional affection and keep strict emotional score. The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggest that a competitive mindset regarding interpersonal exchanges reliably predicts daily emotional distress. A zero-sum framework dictates that a gain for one side perfectly corresponds with a loss for the opposing side. In economics or board games, these limits are written into the absolute rules of the engagement. Applying this rigidly economic perspective to the chemistry of human relationships creates unique and persistent friction. Everyday life offers many overt examples of a competitive outlook. In finance or sports, a victory for one group frequently dictates a direct loss for another. Individuals who hold these beliefs view the world through a lens of extreme scarcity. They assume that resources are completely finite and that any benefit given to someone else …