7 clever ways to automate your home with smart plugs

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Remember The Clapper? The plug-in staple may have made for a catchy jingle in the 1980s, but it could also be considered as a primitive ancestor of today’s smart plug — that is, if you can say… Continue reading 7 clever ways to automate your home with smart plugs

Tesla offers used car leases with $0 down as it desperately tries move cars

Tesla has started offering leases of certified pre-owned cars, which is relatively rare in the industry, with $0 down as it desperately tries to move vehicles before the end of the quarter. With the federal tax credit for electric vehicles set to expire at the end of the quarter, automakers in the US are all… Continue reading Tesla offers used car leases with $0 down as it desperately tries move cars

Rejoice! Trump’s FDA Says You Can Eat a Surprising Amount of Walmart’s Radioactive Shrimp Without Major Issues

Image by Getty / Futurism The Food and Drug Administration definitely wants the public to avoid eating those potentially radioactive frozen shrimp bags sold at Walmart — but if you have a little, as a hazardous little treat, it probably won’t kill you. In its advisory warning about the potential contamination, the FDA noted that… Continue reading Rejoice! Trump’s FDA Says You Can Eat a Surprising Amount of Walmart’s Radioactive Shrimp Without Major Issues

The Cybertruck Is Such a Mess That Insurance Companies Are Refusing to Even Cover It

Not even insurance companies want anything to do with it. Truck Putz Tesla’s Cybertruck is turning out to be a full-blown disaster. Sales are circling the drain, with the Elon Musk-led automaker selling a mere 4,306 Cybertrucks in the second quarter of 2025, a stunning 50.8 percent drop over the same period last year. Resale… Continue reading The Cybertruck Is Such a Mess That Insurance Companies Are Refusing to Even Cover It

Scientists Can’t Figure Out Why Just Walking In Nature Appears to Quickly Heal Your Brain Rot

Image by Getty / Futurism “Go outside” or “touch grass” are common rejoinders deployed in online arguments these days. And, at least for those of us whose brains have probably melted from spending too much time on an app where said arguments take place, it turns out it’s pretty sound advice. As the New York… Continue reading Scientists Can’t Figure Out Why Just Walking In Nature Appears to Quickly Heal Your Brain Rot

The Maker of Ozempic Is in Such Deep Trouble That It’s Going on Hiring Lockdown

Image by Sergei Gapon / AFP via Getty / Futurism Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based pharmaceutical company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, looks like it’s being toppled off its GLP-1 throne. In a statement to Reuters, the Danish conglomerate admitted that it “currently [has] a hiring freeze in non-business critical areas.” Though Novo offered no additional… Continue reading The Maker of Ozempic Is in Such Deep Trouble That It’s Going on Hiring Lockdown

Founder of Google’s Generative AI Team Says Don’t Even Bother Getting a Law or Medical Degree, Because AI’s Going to Destroy Both Those Careers Before You Can Even Graduate

One of the pioneers of artificial intelligence at Google is warning the potential doctors and lawyers of tomorrow that AI might steal their futures. In an interview with Business Insider, Jad Tarifi — the 42-year-old founder of Google’s first generative AI team who left in 2021 to found his own startup, Integral AI — suggested that… Continue reading Founder of Google’s Generative AI Team Says Don’t Even Bother Getting a Law or Medical Degree, Because AI’s Going to Destroy Both Those Careers Before You Can Even Graduate

Group14 lands $463M from SK, Porsche, and others to make silicon anodes for EVs

Battery materials startup Group14 announced Wednesday it has closed a $463 million funding round to expand its manufacturing footprint, a sign that investors remain confident in the future of electric vehicles. The startup manufactures silicon anode materials, which significantly boost the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries. Group14 currently operates three factories, two in the U.S.… Continue reading Group14 lands $463M from SK, Porsche, and others to make silicon anodes for EVs

Today is your last chance to grab a PS5 before Sony’s price hikes go into effect

Every PlayStation 5 model is about to get $50 more expensive because of tariffs. Every PlayStation 5 model is about to get $50 more expensive because of tariffs. by Brandt Ranj Aug 20, 2025, 10:09 PM UTC Brandt Ranj Brandt Ranj is a commerce reporter for The Verge writing about the best deals and gadgets.… Continue reading Today is your last chance to grab a PS5 before Sony’s price hikes go into effect

Nissan edges closer to making all-solid-state EV batteries real

Nissan just got one step closer to unlocking the “holy grail” of EV batteries for drivers. With help from LiCAP Technologies, Nissan is gearing up for its first vehicles powered by all-solid-state EV batteries. Nissan taps LiCAP Tech for all-solid-state EV batteries Often called the holy grail of EV batteries, solid-state batteries promise to cut… Continue reading Nissan edges closer to making all-solid-state EV batteries real