All posts tagged: dumb

People Who Take Longer To Answer A Question Seem Dumb But Are Highly Intelligent

People Who Take Longer To Answer A Question Seem Dumb But Are Highly Intelligent

Published by Jenni Sidey

People who always seem to have the right answer at their fingertips might seem smarter than those who think before speaking and answering, but that’s not actually the case.  A 2022 study found that people who pause before answering a question are actually highly intelligent. Out of a room of people, could you pick out the most intelligent one? Likely not, because intelligence isn’t necessarily something you can tell from the surface. In fact, we all know it goes deeper.  Because of someone’s quirks, you may immediately think that person is kind of dumb or annoying, when this quirk actually means they are highly intelligent.  People who take longer to answer a question might seem kind of dumb, but are actually highly intelligent. PeopleImages | Shutterstock One thing that smart people do that may be misunderstood is pause before speaking. According to psychologist Mark Travers, Ph.D., they are not doing this because they don’t know what to say, so much as it is “recognition that the first answer is not always the best.”  This can …

Tin Can Is a Dumb Phone for Kids. Can Someone Teach Them How to Use It?

Tin Can Is a Dumb Phone for Kids. Can Someone Teach Them How to Use It?

Published by skeptic

Chet Kittleson, 38, is the cofounder of Tin Can and a father of three kids, 10, 8, and 5. I suspect he wouldn’t much like my description of the product’s function as “spying” (keeping watch over one’s kids is part of a parent’s job) or the product itself as a “toy.” He thinks of it, instead, as a utility: a way for kids to talk to Grandma or make plans with friends and to be “part of the same world that grown-ups are a part of.” When he was a kid, he says, the landline was “arguably the most successful social network of all time.” Every house had one. Then came cell phones and smartphones. Direct lines to the internet. “And somewhere along the way we decided the landline was obsolete,” Kittleson says. “In doing that, we overlooked a group that was a major beneficiary of it: kids.” I’m talking to him over Zoom one afternoon from my home in Los Angeles and his office in Seattle. When I tell him that Amos and Clara …

I bought a robotic finger and now my dumb light switch is smart

I bought a robotic finger and now my dumb light switch is smart

Published by skeptic

A smart home is great (and you don’t have to rely on the cloud), but there are some devices and switches that are dumb unless you replace them or find a way to remotely toggle them. Like the button on your coffee maker, or the power button on your PC, or perhaps the on/off switch on your older printer. What if you could get a robotic “finger” that can push any button in your house, and even toggle any switch, and integrate it with your smart home? That’s exactly what the SwitchBot Bot does. I used one of these robots to control the light switch at my front door without having to replace the switch. Now, my front door lights turn on at sunset automatically, and turn off at sunrise. It’s also linked to my home’s Alexa (plus my phone and watch) for remote control. Installation took minutes, and now I’m starting to think about other devices in my house that are dumb that I can make smart with this amazing little robot, even though …

Stranger Things Star Caleb McLaughlin Reacts To ‘Dumb’ Fan Theory

Stranger Things Star Caleb McLaughlin Reacts To ‘Dumb’ Fan Theory

Published by Sam Flores

One of life’s small sadnesses is when your favourite TV show wraps up for good, which is exactly what happened for Stranger Things fans when the final episode landed in January. Unable (or unwilling) to come to terms with the fact that the gang’s story had really come to an end, some fans cooked up a theory – dubbed “Conformity Gate” – that suggested a bonus episode was still to come later that month. The theory proposed that the epilogue in the last episode of Stranger Things was actually an illusion created by Vecna to make the residents of Hawkins believe he was dead, paving the way for a “real” ending. Of course, the date of the alleged “real ending” episode came and went, at which point it became clear that the finale really was it for Stranger Things. Caleb McLaughlin, who played Lucas in all five seasons of Stranger Things, has now weighed in on the “Conformity Gate” debacle, admitting he initially thought the whole thing was a bit silly. Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas …

4 dumb appliances I made smart with one cheap plug

4 dumb appliances I made smart with one cheap plug

Published by skeptic

Setting up or adding to your smart home is meant to make your life easier. The great thing about a smart home is that you don’t have to buy all new appliances, devices, and gadgets to build it. You can use smart devices to turn old “dumb” appliances into smart ones. Of course, you can buy all new appliances and upgrade your home to be more modern. But the point is that you don’t have to. Smart home devices can turn your favorite appliances into ones you can control more easily and can provide a better return for your home. They can do more and make your home easier to live in. At the end of the day, that’s what you want from your smart home. Here are some dumb appliances I’ve turned into smart ones by just using a smart plug. Related I used a smart plug to stop my kid from staying up late Just a few clicks and I was all set. A floor lamp with a specific bulb I love the …

In defense of the “dumb redneck” defense

In defense of the “dumb redneck” defense

Published by Sam Flores

I know more than a few dumb rednecks. When you hail from one of the top 10 swamp cities in northeastern Florida, it’s just about impossible not to have a few in your circle. At one point in my life, I held spare keys to the homes of multiple men who had lost fingers in fireworks accidents. I’ve spent many nights playing video games with people who’ve purchased more pet snakes than they’ve cast ballots. I’m friendly with zero country superstars, but I’m acquainted with a Jelly Roll or two.  The country singer and rapper who bears that name inspired outrage at the Grammys on Sunday. In an interview backstage after collecting three awards, Jelly Roll was questioned about his stance on Donald Trump’s ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. The chart-topper responded that he was not the man to ask about politics.  “You know, I’m a dumb redneck,” he said, claiming that he hasn’t “watched enough” to form a coherent position. “People shouldn’t care to hear my opinion. I didn’t have a phone for …

‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ Review: Dumb, Fun Comedy

‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ Review: Dumb, Fun Comedy

Published by Daniella Wilson

Last summer, it was such a treat to see The Naked Gun in theaters and laugh with giddy abandon. How rare that is these days, when most comedy is relegated to meme churn or, I guess, snarky asides in blockbuster spectaculars. An honest to goodness comedy, with no mission beyond making its audience guffaw, felt like a gift from on high. I worried we’d get nothing else like it for a long time, if ever. (I mean, I suppose there was Anaconda.)  Thank god, then, for David Wain and Ken Marino, the longtime comedy allies who have made wonderfully absurd things together since the 1990s. They have a new film, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, that is proudly stupid, a scattershot, oddball comedy that makes the friendly, generous offer of simple amusement. Gail Daughtry isn’t on a par with Wain’s true masterpiece, Wet Hot American Summer, but it is still welcomely recognizable as one of his singular creations. Both goofy and edgy, the film may not land every punchline, but it satisfies in …

5 ways to make “dumb” appliances smart for under

5 ways to make “dumb” appliances smart for under $20

Published by skeptic

Smart home electronics feel like a thing of the future, even though they’re very much available now. I’ve always been curious about how this technology can be helpful to others, or even to me, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time and money making that happen over the years. But since my brother got hurt in a car accident roughly 10 years ago, I’ve been searching for ways to make his life easier with smart home tech. Turning his “dumb” appliances into something he can easily use through his phone or a voice assistant has been a passion of mine. A passion that has eked its way into my daily life as well. Turning your house into a smart home is more affordable than ever before, and even your old appliances can benefit from these cost-effective upgrades. Smart plugs for floor fans rock Nobody wants to get out of bed when it’s cold While my brother and I couldn’t be any more different from one another, there’s one thing that we absolutely have in …

A$AP Rocky: Don’t Be Dumb review – a charismatic, playful return, but it’s no slam dunk | A$AP Rocky

A$AP Rocky: Don’t Be Dumb review – a charismatic, playful return, but it’s no slam dunk | A$AP Rocky

Published by Sam Flores

It has been eight years since A$AP Rocky, once and future king of New York rap, released an album. In the world of hip-hop, where even A-list stars such as Rocky’s friend and collaborator Tyler, the Creator are prone to releasing multiple albums a year, this is a lifetime. In the time since Rocky released his third album, 2018’s Testing, Kanye West has rebranded as a born-again Christian, swerved to the right and released five albums. Rocky hasn’t been sitting around: he’s been a press mainstay, thanks to his relationship with pop superstar Rihanna, with whom he now has three children, and last year was acquitted of firing a gun at a former friend, dodging up to 24 years in prison. He has also found acclaim as an actor, starring opposite Rose Byrne in the lauded dark comedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest. The artwork for Don’t Be Dumb. Photograph: Publicity image Aside from a few one-off singles, such as the Tame Impala collaboration …