The humble heat pump has finally found its moment in the spotlight. The appliance can potentially save you money on your energy bills, fight climate change, and reduce Europe’s dependency on Russian gas, proponents say. One day, heat pumps might even replace air conditioning and heating systems across the world. Sure, that sounds super ambitious,… Continue reading Heat pumps: what they do and why they’re hot now
Author: The Verge Online News
Acura’s first electric SUV will have one of the brightest EV grilles yet
Acura teased its first electric vehicle Thursday, and the grille alone is worth taking note of. The Acura Precision concept, which will make its public debut on August 18th during Monterey Car Week, has one of the most outlandishly bright LED grilles that I’ve ever seen on an EV (and I’ve seen a few). The… Continue reading Acura’s first electric SUV will have one of the brightest EV grilles yet
How Nokia ringtones became the first viral earworms
By Alexis Ong Art by Margaret Kimball One of the internet’s better-known ringtone archivists was barely alive to witness the golden age of his biggest hobby. The 20-year-old Scottish musician, who prefers to be known by his online handle Fusoxide, got hooked through an Alcatel flip phone he had as a kid. “I love the… Continue reading How Nokia ringtones became the first viral earworms
The speakeasy economy of WeChat
For an app with over a billion users, WeChat doesn’t make a very strong first impression. When I opened up WeChat for the first time during freshman orientation at Indiana University (IU), I was amazed at how haphazard it was. The design looked outdated, drenched in a hideous shade of green. The media feed was… Continue reading The speakeasy economy of WeChat
Pirates of Khadda Market
Nestled between two hills in Karachi, Pakistan, lies a very different kind of Silicon Valley. Known as Khadda Market, it is one of the many vibrant places that symbolize the city’s charm. From noon to midnight, it is alive with the buzz of crowded restaurants, supplicating panhandlers, weaving motorcycles, and pushy vendors. Many come to… Continue reading Pirates of Khadda Market
Google Fiber isn’t dead, it’s expanding
Google Fiber, the Alphabet division focused on offering high-speed internet access in the US, has ambitious plans to expand its fiber services in the next three to five years, the company announced in a blog post. It wants to launch fiber services in five new states, which include previously announced plans to enter Arizona and… Continue reading Google Fiber isn’t dead, it’s expanding
How Donald Trump changed Facebook
At one point in time, Facebook’s relationship with politicians was relatively uncontroversial. But after the 2016 US elections, everything changed. Early in the campaign, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump tested the limits of Facebook’s rules against hateful speech at the same time that the company became a vehicle of political exploitation by foreign actors. Facebook’s first… Continue reading How Donald Trump changed Facebook
Nights are getting way too hot to handle
Summer nights are getting increasingly dangerous thanks to climate change. By 2100, the risk of death from excessively hot nights is expected togrow six-fold compared to 2016 — even under the most optimistic predictions of future global warming, according to a new study published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. Hot nights are becoming… Continue reading Nights are getting way too hot to handle
Ralph Nader urges regulators to recall Tesla’s ‘manslaughtering’ Full Self-Driving vehicles
Ralph Nader, a former presidential candidate and nationally recognized consumer protection advocate, called on federal regulators to recall Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) driver-assist feature, calling its deployment “one of the most dangerous and irresponsible actions by a car company in decades.” Nader, who first came to prominence with the 1965 publication of the bestselling book… Continue reading Ralph Nader urges regulators to recall Tesla’s ‘manslaughtering’ Full Self-Driving vehicles
‘Take that, Elon Musk’: Ford’s CEO takes a swipe at EV rival while announcing solar investment
Ford CEO Jim Farley took a swipe at Tesla CEO Elon Musk Wednesday while announcing a major investment in solar energy. The comment was intended to draw a comparison between Tesla’s long-delayed Cybertruck and Ford’s plug-in pickup, the F-150 Lightning. Farley was speaking at a Ford plant in Michigan to announce a deal with DTE… Continue reading ‘Take that, Elon Musk’: Ford’s CEO takes a swipe at EV rival while announcing solar investment