The Oral-B Genius X is an AI-Powered Toothbrush With a High Price Tag | Digital Trends

Brushing your teeth is one of the most important things you do every day. There’s nothing like cleaning the gunk off your teeth after a long night of particularly deep sleep, but studies indicate that many people don’t use proper technique when it comes to brushing. If you don’t brush long enough or skimp on certain areas, it can cause serious problems down the line. Oral-B’s new Geniux X electric toothbrush can help combat negligent oral hygiene with the help of onboard A.I.

It sounds complicated, but its operation is simple. The toothbrush connects to your phone via Bluetooth and activates a timer when you start brushing. It reminds you when to change positions and suggests where you should brush next. An array of sensors warn you if you’re using too much pressure and then awards an overall rating for how well you brushed.

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Daily Crunch: Twitter is banning political ads | TechCrunch

1. Jack Dorsey says Twitter will ban all political ads

Arguing that “internet political ads present entirely new challenges to civic discourse,” CEO Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter will be banning all political advertising — albeit with “a few exceptions” like voter registration. Not only is this a decisive move by Twitter, but it also could increase pressure on Facebook to follow suit, or at least take steps in this direction.

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Facebook Bringing Portal Video Chat Devices To Workplaces | Getentrepreneurial.com

Facebook is bringing its Portal devices to the workplace for people to make voice and video calls. Workplace by Facebook delivered a number of upgrades as part of its Flow by Workplace conference being held today in Menlo Park, including the fact that Workplace now has 3 million paid users, up from 2 million in February. The 8-inch Portal Mini and 10-inch redesigned Portal smart displaycome out next week. Portal devices will be able to speak with up to 50 participants in each video call, a company spokesperson told VentureBeat in an email.

As the split screen image above appears to illustrate, Workplace video calls will supply a shared work space, perhaps drawing on the same tech that will allow people to watch videos together with the Portal TV device due out next month. At launch, Workplace voice and video calls will not work with Portal TV.

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Prime members can now get Whole Foods delivered with free Amazon Fresh | Mashable

Amazon really, really wants Prime Members to use its Amazon Fresh delivery service. So it’s getting rid of the steep $14.99/month fee for Prime members, and it’s adding groceries from your local Whole Foods.

Amazon Fresh is Amazon’s answer to grocery services like Instacart, offering home delivery or pickup for folks who, understandably, don’t want to wait 30 minutes at one of two open checkout lanes in a physical supermarket.

Besides getting rid of that monthly fee, Amazon also announced an expansion of Amazon Fresh delivery, making it available in “more than 2,000 cities and towns” with more to come. These locales are all based around nearly two dozen major metropolitan areas, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

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AT&T agrees to a deal with activist shareholder Elliott Management | CNN

AT&T’s truce with Elliott Management — avoiding a protracted fight with one of the world’s most successful activist shareholders — sent the company’s stock to a 52-week high on Monday.

The plan, as described by Elliott Management, includes “significantly enhanced operational efficiency with meaningful margin expansion, a “full review of the portfolio,” and “no more major acquisitions.”

AT&T (T) CEO and Chairman Randall Stephenson heralded the resolution and said “I think our interests are 100% aligned. Seriously.”

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Should we ban SUVs? | Fast Company

Over the last decade, global SUV ownership has doubled. In that time, the vehicles contributed more to the increase in global CO2 emissions than airlines, trucks, or heavy industry, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency. Even if we add nearly 150 million electric cars to the road by 2040, if SUV ownership grows at its current rate, they’ll offset that entire emissions reduction. And while they’re spewing emissions, they also have a more tangible cost: They’re more likely than smaller cars to kill pedestrians, contributing to a steep rise in pedestrian deaths.

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The End Of College Is Coming | Forbes

Every spring, millions of American high school kids are faced with this choice.

It sounds like a no-brainer. And it used to be a no-brainer… because college used to cost a reasonable amount of money.

As recently as 1980, you could get a four-year bachelor’s degree at a public school for less than $10,000, on average. These days it’ll cost you at least $40,000… or upward of $140,000 for a private school… or well over $250,000 for a top school.

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75% of Employees Don’t Plan to Stay at Their Job for More Than 5 Years | Small Business Trends

A survey by iHire revealed the latest 2019 employee retention statistics. This includes the fact that 75% of employees in the U.S. do not stay at their jobs for more than five years. The finding indicates job-hopping is becoming far more common. It was once a liability.  But not in today’s candidate-driven labor market.

2019 Employee Retention Statistics

One of the biggest drivers for this trend is a booming economy. This includes a 50-year low unemployment rate of 3.5%. It is the lowest since 1969. There are more job openings than there are people to fill them. Which by the way is responsible for U.S. businesses losing $1 trillion every year due to voluntary employee turnover.

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Leeks and Tomatoes Can Be Grown in Martian Soil | Digital Trends

In a move that takes us one step closer to creating a colony on another planet, scientists have demonstrated that it is possible to grow edible food crops in soil like that found on Mars and the moon.

“A (permanent) human settlement on Mars or the Moon is becoming more realistic,” authors Dr. Wieger Wamelink and colleagues said in their paper. “Several countries and private companies are preparing for this journey. One of the major issues will be ensuring food availability and safety. Food can and will be brought along, but for a permanent stay, production of crops on Mars or the Moon to supplement or even supply the total food demand could be a necessity.”

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