Year: 2024

You may soon be able to check if your food is expired without even opening the fridge door.

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly Roomba, the newest model could be the robot vacuum and mop you need.

Tucked away in the Microsoft Edge sidebar is “Drop” a nifty feature that helps me transfer files between devices.

Did you know that you can snag a free game every week on the Epic Games Store? Here’s what games are up for grabs this week.

The Warriors take on the Rockets in an important NBA contest tonight, and we have a bunch of different ways you can watch a free live stream of the game.

These Star Wars parodies pay tribute to the franchise while also making a little bit of fun of it.

The NYT Mini crossword might be a lot smaller than a normal crossword, but it isn’t easy. If you’re stuck with today’s crossword, we’ve got answers for you here.

Last year was the hottest on record and the Earth is headed towards a global warming of 2.7 degrees, yet top fossil fuel and cement producers show a disregard for climate change and actively make things worse. A new Carbon Majors Database report found that just 57 companies were responsible for 80 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions between 2016 and 2022. Thirty-eight percent of total emissions during this period came from nation-states, 37 percent from state-owned entities and 25 percent from investor-owned companies. 

Nearly 200 parties adopted the 2015 Paris Agreement, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, 58 of the 100 state- and investor-owned companies in the Carbon Majors Database have increased their production in the years since (The Climate Accountability Institute launched Carbon Majors in 2013 to hold fossil fuel producers accountable and is hosted by InfluenceMap). This number represents producers worldwide, including 87 percent of those assessed in Asia, 57 percent in Europe and 43 percent in North America. 

It’s not a clear case of things slowly turning around, either. The International Energy Agency found coal consumption increased by eight percent over the seven years to 8.3 billion tons — a record high. The report names state-owned Coal India as one of the top three carbon dioxide producers. Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom and state-owned oil firm Saudi Aramco rounded out the trio of worst offenders. 

Exxon Mobil topped the list of United States companies, contributing 1.4 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. “These companies have made billions of dollars in profits while denying the problem and delaying and obstructing climate policy. They are spending millions on advertising campaigns about being part of a sustainable solution, all the while continuing to invest in more fossil fuel extraction,” Tzeporah Berman, International Program Director at Stand.earth and Chair at Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, said in a statement. “These findings emphasize that, more than ever, we need our governments to stand up to these companies, and we need new international cooperation through a Fossil Fuel Treaty to end the expansion of fossil fuels and ensure a truly just transition.” 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/only-57-companies-produced-80-percent-of-global-carbon-dioxide-130752291.html?src=rss

If you’re in the Metro Phoenix area — and don’t mind walking out of your place to get your food delivery — your Uber Eats order may just get delivered by one of Waymo’s self-driving cars. The companies have officially launched the next part of their ongoing multi-year partnership, which also includes offering robotaxi rides to the ride-hailing service’s customers in the area. When you place an order on Uber Eats, you’ll get a prompt that says “autonomous vehicles may deliver your order.” 

You will be notified if a Waymo car does pick up your order, and you’ll have to take your phone with you when you meet it so that you can open its trunk and get your food. Don’t worry, you can opt out during the checkout process in case you’re not feeling up to going out and getting your order and would rather have someone deliver food to your door. 

At the moment, Waymo deliveries are only available in Chandler, Tempe and Mesa, and only for select merchants, including local joints and chains like Princess Pita and BoSa Donuts. An Uber spokesperson told CNBC, though, that the companies are looking to expand their service area and are looking to add more merchants to their list. They also told the news organization that Waymo will be using its Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles, which it’s been testing in Arizona for years, for deliveries. It doesn’t sound like Waymo deliveries will be more expensive either, since the spokesperson said you’ll only have to pay standard fares and will not be charged for tips. 

The companies first announced that they were teaming up to offer robotaxi rides and deliveries in Phoenix last year, following Waymo’s service area expansion in the region. Robotaxi rides became available in the metropolitan area by October, and you’ll get the option to hail one when you request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymos-self-driving-vehicles-are-now-doing-uber-eats-deliveries-in-phoenix-130052864.html?src=rss

Robot vacuums are handy little devices that can help folks save a ton of time and energy. However, some of the more well-known options are often a bit pricey, especially when a mopping function comes into the mix. As it happens, iRobot has revealed a relatively budget-friendly 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop. It says the $275 Roomba Combo Essential actually outperforms the Roomba 600 Series thanks to 20 times more suction power, and the addition of a mop and smart navigation.

According to iRobot, this model offers 25 percent better performance at picking up dirt from hard floors than the Roomba 600 Series. It’s also said to have a longer battery life at up to 120 minutes, the ability to clean in neat rows, customizable suction and liquid settings, Clean Map reports and intelligent settings such as suggested cleaning schedules.

Although you can set up cleanings in advance, you can start one at any time with an Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant voice command. Alternatively, you can press the Clean button or tap a button in the iRobot Home app to put the device to work right away.

iRobot

The device has a four-stage cleaning system that includes adjustable suction and liquid settings, a v-shaped multi-surface brush, an edge-sweeping brush and a pump-fed microfiber mop pad. For vacuum-only operation (i.e if you’re looking to remove dirt from a rug), you’ll need to remove the mop pad first. That adds a little bit of friction to using this model. There’s another trade-off in that this isn’t a self-emptying Roomba — you’ll need to empty out the dirt storage bin manually more often.

Still, this seems like a solid Roomba at an eye-catching price. It’s available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa now, and iRobot will start selling it in the US on April 7 and Canada on April 12. The Roomba Combo Essential will reach Asia Pacific markets later this month. Folks in the US can trade in a Roomba 600 Series for a $50 credit toward a Roomba Combo Essential

In addition, iRobot is rolling out a model called the Roomba Vac Essential in North America. It has the same smart functions and other similar features as the Combo Essential, but there’s no mop. That robot vacuum will cost $250 and it’ll land in the US on April 7 and Canada on April 12.

Meanwhile, iRobot says it has reached a new milestone. Since debuting the Roomba in 2002, the company has sold more than 50 million robots.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/irobot-says-its-new-robot-vacuum-and-mop-outperforms-600-series-roombas-for-275-120028786.html?src=rss