When the warehouse robot speaks your language
Until recently, putting a warehouse robot to work meant programming it through special software. Amazon’s newest machine simply needs to be told what to…
News
How to control your lights with your voice
You get up in the middle of the night, still half asleep. The room is completely dark. Now where is the lamp? You can call forth light. A smart plug or a…
Secrets we lost forever
Trade secrets have one big drawback as a way to protect a product: when the secret-keeper dies, the product can die with them. Damascus steel is a famous…
A German fan came for the World Cup and fell for Buc-ee’s
The world came to North America for soccer this summer. One German tourist stayed for the gas stations. A young fan known online as “Freddy the German”…
Every drug scourge ended the same way. Will this one?
The last time America faced an opioid epidemic on today’s scale, the typical addict wasn’t on the street. She was in the parlor. By 1895, according to the…
We’re engaged, civil, and not the ones shouting
If American politics sounds like a shouting match, here is a quiet bit of good news about us. A new study suggests that older Americans are, by and large,…
Don’t skip the state fair because of your knees
You do not have to give up the state fair just because walking the grounds has become difficult. The mobility scooter has become standard equipment at…
A pool may be the best gym for painful joints
Water does something no treadmill can: it makes the body lighter and the workout harder at the same time. Step into a pool and buoyancy lifts the load off…
Logistics: When your teen needs a ride
In a big city, the hardest part of raising a teenager is often logistics. A 13- or 14-year-old has to get to practice, a lesson, or a friend’s apartment…
The kids’ debit card, and why parents are signing up
A child with her first debit card quickly learns she can buy almost anything online — including a music subscription that bills every month, whether she…