Innholdsfortegnelse for #637 i Techlife News

Chef-like robots, AI-powered appliances and other high-tech kitchen gadgets are holding out the promise that humans don’t need to cook — or mix drinks — for themselves anymore. There was plenty new in the food and beverage world at CES 2024, the multi-day trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association. Displays included cocktail-mixing and ice cream-making machines akin to a Keurig, and a robot barista whose movements are meant to mimic a human making a vanilla latte. Here’s some of the newest tech that’s transforming the way meals are prepped, cooked and delivered: A ‘NO SMOKE’ INDOOR SMOKER GE Appliances is looking to change the way you smoke food with its new $1,000 indoor smoker. Around the size of a toaster oven or microwave, the GE Profile Smart…

Higher energy and housing prices boosted overall U.S. inflation in December, a sign that the Federal Reserve’s drive to slow inflation to its 2% target will likely remain a bumpy one. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that overall prices rose 0.3% from November and 3.4% from 12 months earlier. Those gains exceeded the previous 0.1% monthly rise and the 3.1% annual inflation in November. The December figures were slightly above economists’ forecasts. More than half the increase in prices from November to December reflected higher housing costs. Energy costs, led by electricity and gasoline, along with food prices, also contributed to inflation. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, though, so-called core prices rose just 0.3% month over month, unchanged from November’s increase. Core prices were up 3.9% from…

SpaceX has embarked on one of its most exciting ventures to date, revolutionizing cellular connectivity as we know it. 5G Direct to Cell will provide cellular services in the most remote regions, leveraging the prowess of Starlink satellites and supercharging communication. A NEW ERA IN COMMUNICATION In an unexpected move, SpaceX announced the first set of Starlink satellites specifically designed for cellular service at the beginning of January a new direction for cellular connectivity around the world. The Falcon 9 rocket, which bores these satellites, signifies the beginning of a new era in global communication. These six satellites are built to transmit cellular signals from space directly to mobile phones, utilizing T-Mobile’s wireless network technology, with a worldwide rollout expected in due course. Traditionally, vast expanses of the United States…

Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI could trigger a European Union merger investigation, the bloc’s executive branch said. The European Commission said it’s “checking whether Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI might be reviewable” under regulations covering mergers and acquisitions that would harm competition in the 27-nation EU. The review could lead to a formal investigation into whether the deal should be unconditionally cleared, allowed with concessions from the companies or blocked. Britain’s antitrust watchdog opened a similar review last month. Antitrust enforcers in the U.S. also have signaled concerns about competition in the AI industry. The Federal Trade Commission in November approved new measures enabling it to more easily investigate AI products and services, noting that “AI can raise competition issues in a variety of ways, including if one or just…

The Biden administration is providing $162 million to Microchip Technology to support the domestic production of computer chips — the second funding announcement tied to a 2022 law designed to revive U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. The incentives announced include $90 million to improve a plant in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and $72 million to expand a factory in Gresham, Oregon, the Commerce Department said. The investments would enable Microchip Technology Inc., which is based in Chandler, Arizona, to triple its domestic production and reduce its dependence on foreign factories. Much of the money would fund the making of microcontrollers, which are used by the military as well as in autos, household appliances and medical devices. Government officials said they expected the investments to create 700 construction and manufacturing jobs over the next…

Listened to more music last year? You’re not alone. The global music industry surpassed 4 trillion streams in 2023, a new single-year record, Luminate’s 2023 Year-End Report found. Global streams were also up 34% from last year, reflective of an increasingly international music marketplace. Stateside, three genres saw the biggest growth in 2023: country (23.7%), Latin (which encompasses all Latin musical genres, up 24.1%) and world (a catchall that includes J-pop, K-pop and Afrobeats, up 26.2%.) It seems that more Americans are listening to non-English music. By the end of 2023, Luminate found that Spanish-language music’s share of the top 10,000 songs streamed in the U.S. grew 3.8%, and English-language music’s share dropped 3.8%. Under the Latin umbrella, regional Mexican music saw massive growth. The genre term — which encompasses…

England’s 1,000-year-old legal system — still steeped in traditions that include wearing wigs and robes — has taken a cautious step into the future by giving judges permission to use artificial intelligence to help produce rulings. The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary last month said AI could help write opinions but stressed it shouldn’t be used for research or legal analyses because the technology can fabricate information and provide misleading, inaccurate and biased information. “Judges do not need to shun the careful use of AI,” said Master of the Rolls Geoffrey Vos, the second-highest ranking judge in England and Wales. “But they must ensure that they protect confidence and take full personal responsibility for everything they produce.” At a time when scholars and legal experts are pondering a future when AI…

Google has laid off hundreds of employees working on its hardware, voice assistance and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures. The cuts come as Google looks towards “responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead,” the company said in a statement. “Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes, which include some role eliminations globally,” it said. Google earlier said it was eliminating a few hundred roles, with most of the impact on its augmented reality hardware team. The cuts follow pledges by executives of Google and its parent company Alphabet to reduce costs. A year ago, Google said it would lay off 12,000 employees or around 6% of its workforce. In a post on X — previously known as Twitter —…

U.S. consumers looking to get a tax credit on an electric vehicle purchase have fewer models to choose from under new rules that limit the countries where automakers can buy battery parts and minerals — a potential blow to efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions from autos. The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in 2022 expanded tax credits ranging from $3,750 to $7,500 for purchases of new and used EVs, an effort by the Biden administration to stoke demand toward its goal that half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. But qualifying for the credits depends on requirements related to their battery makeup and minerals that get tougher each year. As of Jan. 1, new rules favor U.S. domestic materials and manufacture. The rules largely target battery…

False and misleading information supercharged with cutting-edge artificial intelligence that threatens to erode democracy and polarize society is the top immediate risk to the global economy, the World Economic Forum said in a report this week. In its latest Global Risks Report, the organization also said an array of environmental risks pose the biggest threats in the longer term. The report was released ahead of the annual elite gathering of CEOs and world leaders in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos and is based on a survey of nearly 1,500 experts, industry leaders and policymakers. The report listed misinformation and disinformation as the most severe risk over the next two years, highlighting how rapid advances in technology also are creating new problems or making existing ones worse. The authors…

The Biden administration enacted a new labor rule Tuesday that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for millions in the U.S. workforce. Major app-based platforms including Uber, Lyft and DoorDash expressed confidence that the new rule would not force them to reclassify their gig drivers. But business groups warned the rule creates uncertainty for employers and much depends on how the Labor Department decides to enforce it. The Labor Department rule, which the administration proposed 15 months ago, replaces a Trump-era standard that narrowed the criteria for classifying employees as contractors. Such workers are not guaranteed minimum wages or benefits, such as health coverage and paid sick days. Labor advocates have supported the rule, saying employers…

An emergency landing by an Alaska Airlines jetliner last week prompted U.S. authorities to ground most of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 aircraft, another black mark in the troubled history of the company’s Max jets. Here’s what you need to know. WHAT WENT WRONG? U.S. aviation authorities have begun an investigation focused on a paneled-over exit door — called a door plug — that blew off the passenger jet shortly after takeoff. Airlines have the option to install a door plug in place of an actual emergency exit door. While Boeing’s Max aircraft have been plagued with problems, no previous incidents have involved blowouts such as this one, which are exceedingly rare in air travel. None of the passengers or crew members on the flight were seriously injured. WHICH PLANES ARE…

Nearly a dozen new bitcoin funds began trading in U.S. markets for the first time Thursday, providing increased access to the cryptocurrency for everyday investors. The new exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, give investors an asset that closely tracks the price of bitcoin. The Securities and Exchange Commission approved 11 funds from asset managers such as Blackrock, Invesco and Fidelity late Wednesday. The wave of approvals may work in your favor as fund managers seek to attract investors by competing on fees. Besides being a win for the fund managers, the approvals are also a win for the cryptocurrency industry, which has needed a victory after nearly two years of turmoil, including the failure of several crypto firms, most notably FTX in November 2022. The SEC’s approval, however, was lukewarm at…

The new 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV is one of the most intriguing electric vehicle debuts this year. It’s about the same size as Chevy’s midsize gas-powered Blazer SUV but otherwise has nothing mechanical in common. With roomy seating and lots of the latest technology features, it could appeal to people looking to go electric with their next SUV purchase. However, the Blazer EV’s launch has been marred by some glitchy software issues. It is also competing with a host of other electric SUVs, the most popular being the Tesla Model Y. The automotive experts put these two electric SUVs in a head-to-head competition to determine if the upstart Blazer EV can unseat the Model Y. RANGE & CHARGING The EPA estimates the dual-motor Blazer EV can go about 279 miles…

Computer keyboards are making room for an artificial intelligence chatbot button as Microsoft unveils its first major keyboard redesign in three decades. Starting this month, some new personal computers that run Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system will have a special “Copilot key” that launches the software giant’s AI chatbot. Getting third-party computer manufacturers like Dell to add an AI button to laptops is the latest move by Microsoft to capitalize on its close partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and make itself a gateway for applications of generative AI technology. Although most people now connect to the internet — and many AI applications — by phone rather than computer, it’s a symbolic kickoff to what’s expected to be a competitive year as tech companies race to outdo each other in AI applications…

The falling-block video game Tetris has met its match in 13-year-old Willis Gibson, who has become the first player to officially “beat” the original Nintendo version of the game — by breaking it. Technically, Willis — aka “blue scuti” in the gaming world — made it to what gamers call a “kill screen,” a point where the Tetris code glitches, crashing the game. That might not sound like much of a victory to anyone thinking that only high scores count, but it’s a highly coveted achievement in the world of video games, where records involve pushing hardware and software to their limits. And beyond. It’s also a very big deal for players of Tetris, which many had long considered unbeatable. That’s partly because the game doesn’t have a scripted ending;…

U.S. regulators are soon expected to decide whether to approve the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a development that could thrust the once niche and nerdy corner of the internet even further into the financial mainstream. The regulatory greenlight has been anticipated for several months and the price of bitcoin has jumped about 70% since October. In a twist perhaps appropriate for the unpredictable crypto industry, a fake tweet from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s account on X Tuesday stated that trading of bitcoin ETFs had been approved. It had not. The price of bitcoin swung higher, and then sank when the SEC said no approval had been granted and its account had been hacked. Here are some things to know about bitcoin ETFs. WHY ALL THE EXCITEMENT OVER A BITCOIN…