Stop putting wet phones in rice, Apple warns. Here’s why. | Mashable

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As it turns out, the decades-old method of saving one’s wet phone in rice isn’t a good idea, according to Apple. A recent support document states that this hack actually makes things worse.

Quit the rice hack for your wet phone

Rice is having a bit of a moment on the internet, including people freaking out about whether it’s safe to reheat it. However, it seems like Apple has jumped on the rice fear-mongering bandwagon, too. In the support document, the Cupertino-based tech giant said that dropping your wet iPhone into a bowl of rice will “allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.”

Read More

America is on the cusp of a new biggest credit card company. Here’s what it means for you | CNN Business

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What’s in your wallet? Capital One is making a $35 billion bet that the answer will soon be: more of its credit cards.

The bank announced Monday evening it is acquiring Discover Financial Services (DFS) in a $35.3 billion all-stock deal. If approved by regulators and shareholders, Capital One’s (COF) acquisition will create the biggest US credit card company by loan volume.

So what does that mean for you?

For now, not a lot. Given that the deal isn’t expected to be finalized until late 2024 or early 2025, Discover and Capital One customers shouldn’t anticipate any immediate changes.

Read More

Amazon is replacing Walgreens in the Dow Jones Industrial Average | CNN Business

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Walgreens Boots Alliance is getting the boot from the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average and Amazon is taking its place.

S&P Dow Jones Indices, which manages the index, said in a statement Tuesday that the change is intended to reflect “the evolving nature of the American economy” by increasing the Dow’s consumer retail exposure.

The change means that investors who bet on the Dow Jones Industrial Average will now have exposure to Amazon’s stock performance.

Amazon joins Apple and Microsoft as the third company from the “Magnificent Seven,” a group of high-performing tech stocks, to join the Dow 30. The other four companies in the group — Meta, Nvidia, Tesla, and Alphabet — are not included in the index, though all seven stocks are included in the much larger S&P 500 index.

Read More

‘Stepping stone to Mars’: Minimoons may help us become an interplanetary species, says MIT astrophysicist Richard Binzel | Live Science

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

More than 30,000 asteroids are traveling on paths that bring them close to Earth. Some are giant boulders with the potential to smash into our planet, and others are little rocks known as minimoons moving harmlessly alongside Earth. For half a century, Richard Binzel, an astronomer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has dedicated his career to studying them.

Live Science spoke with Binzel about minimoons and how these little rocks could eventually help humanity take its first trip to Mars.

Read More

CRISPR ‘will provide cures for genetic diseases that were incurable before,’ says renowned biochemist Virginijus Šikšnys | Live Science

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Scientists introduced CRISPR to the world as a gene-editing tool in the summer 2012, when landmark papers from two independent groups demonstrated how the system could be wielded to make cuts in DNA. Now, less than 12 years later, we’re seeing CRISPR put to use in groundbreaking medical treatments.

Virginijus Šikšnys was a senior author of one of those paradigm-shifting papers.

“It’s really rewarding to see how fast the fundamental discoveries that were made in the lab actually are translated into the clinics,” said Šikšnys, who is chief scientist and head of the Department of Protein-DNA Interactions at the Vilnius University Institute of Biotechnology in Lithuania.

Read More

7 Free Visual Voicemail Services | Business News Daily

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s been nearly two decades since the first visual voicemail services reached the market. The speech-to-text translation space has evolved considerably since then. Today, products offer more accurate transcriptions amid a broader selection of service providers.

We’ll explore how visual voicemail can benefit organizations and busy professionals and share some free visual voicemail apps to consider.

Read More

Getting Started as a Commercial Drone Pilot | businessnewsdaily.com

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As the gig economy continues to grow around the world, new professions have arisen to meet the changing technological and economic demands of multiple industries. One such job is a commercial drone pilot.

Companies across myriad industries are investing in drones and drone services, thereby adding new related jobs, like drone piloting. For prospective drone pilots who are enterprising enough to leap into this novel occupation, work that is both thrilling and profitable awaits.

What does a commercial drone pilot do? At the most basic level, commercial drone pilots fly drones for companies in a range of industries for various purposes. Some businesses use drones to take aerial photos and videos for marketing purposes, while other companies use drones for aerial surveillance. Commercial drone pilots execute a range of drone activities for different businesses.

Source: Getting Started as a Commercial Drone Pilot – businessnewsdaily.com

Prioritization – Using Your Time and Energy Effectively | LifeHack

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Prioritization is like using a map for your day. It shows you the best route to take, so you don’t waste time on detours. When you prioritize, you take control of your time, deciding what matters most. It’s about keeping your focus sharp and not letting small, unimportant tasks pull you off course.

In today’s world, society often places a gold star on those who appear to do it all. We’re repeatedly told to admire the overachievers: the parent who juggles a career with raising three kids, the entrepreneur who manages five different start-ups, or the artist who, somehow, also finds time to run marathons. Being a master of all trades is seen as the ultimate goal.

But, let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves: is it even possible to excel in every single thing? And even if it were, would the results be as exceptional as we’d hope?

Read More

What Are Distractions in a Nutshell (And How to Deal With Them) | LifeHack

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Distractions are like roadblocks in your day, steering you off course. Taking control of those distractions puts you back in the driver’s seat of your time. It’s about focusing on the road ahead and not letting the small stuff take you off track.

This world, buzzing with countless elements vying for your attention, is the new normal. It’s as if everything around us is designed to pull us away from what really matters – our focus, our productivity, and our ability to get things done. It’s a monumental task to keep our eyes on the prize when there’s so much noise.

Imagine being in a boxing ring where, instead of one opponent, you’re pitted against many, all swinging at you from every direction. That’s what it’s like to fight against distractions. But here’s the kicker – according to the American Psychological Association,[1] when we hop from task to task, it isn’t a harmless jump. In fact, we end up squandering up to 40% of our productive time, simply because our brains need to readjust and redirect.

Read More

Uber, Lyft strikes: 10 cities where airport rides might be refused

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Tomorrow, passengers traveling to or from airports in 10 of America’s largest cities may have trouble getting an Uber or Lyft. That’s because drivers for those platforms have announced a strike to coincide with Valentine’s Day.

The strike is being spearheaded by the Justice for App Workers coalition, which represents more than 130,000 drivers and delivery workers. The coalition says the strike is to call attention to the fight for fair wages and better safety for drivers.

The strike is expected to take place at all airports located in these 10 cities: Austin (AUS), Chicago (ORD), Hartford, Connecticut (BDL), Miami (MIA), Newark, New Jersey (EWR), Orlando, Florida (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Pittsburgh (PIT), Providence, Rhode Island (PVD), Tampa, Florida (TPA)

Read More