This year, we’ve had a shorter and more compact version of CES. There are fewer brands on the floor and even fewer visitors. Despite this, we’ve still seen auto manufacturers wowing us with high-tech concepts and creative artistry But it’s not all about the big dogs. CES 2022 has provided an opportunity for lesser-known brands, and startups to show off their technical and creative nous. Personally, my favorite parts of the show have been in-car product offerings (with one notable exception). So
Let me start off with something that might sound a bit cynical: Venture Capital firms are in the business of making money for their clients and they don’t give a hoot about your startup’s idea, narrative, or cause – those are just packaging. The only thing early-stage investors care about is whether you will grow quickly enough to be attractive for another round of funding and increase the value of their initial investment. Much like Ponzi schemes, the gains of previous investors are paid for by
Last year, I wrote this piece about all the CES gadgets I NEEDED. Foolishly, I thought I’d visit the mega-show (or any other events) in 2022. But here I am, sitting in my home, and facing another lockdown. Now I’ll be spending more time indoors, there’s only one thing that’ll soothe me: gadgets. So here’s a list of all the cool shit at CES 2022 that really want (but don’t really need). Kohler’s PerfectFill Last year, one of the costliest items on my list was a $16,000 bathtub from Kohler. This y
Google didn’t present anything physically at this year’s CES, but instead opted to kick off 2022 with a ton of announcements related to new features for Android, Chromebooks, and smart devices to make your life easier. What I like the most from this bit of news is how wireless audio devices will become far less cumbersome to connect and use. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, everything is fine and dandy: your AirPods are paired in one tap, and switching between iPhone and Mac as an audio source
2022 is shaping up to be the best year to buy a new laptop in recent memory. Although marketing departments would like you to think that each yearly product launch brings massive upgrades, the truth is that obvious performance jumps only arrive a few times a decade, and it’s even rarer for these performance gains to coincide among several manufacturers. But if product announcements at CES 2022 and other recent events are anything to go by, this year is shaping up to have some of the most interes
The vast majority of alternative cryptocurrencies (also known as altcoins) are either pyramid schemes, scams, or both. That’s not to say cryptocurrency itself is a con. Blockchain and decentralized cryptofinance technologies are, in my opinion, crucial for the future. They provide insurance against government and social tyranny in an ever-changing and dangerous world. Unfortunately, most shitcoins (and shit-tokens) are marketing schemes meant to create value out of nothing and then divide that “
Google and Apple are the best of frenemies. While the tech giants threaten “thermonuclear wars” over smartphone conflicts, they also quietly declare ceasefires for good causes — and big profits. A prominent example of these truces is on the search battlefield. Google pays Apple big bucks to remain the default search engine on iOS devices — $8 billion to $12 billion a year, according to the US Justice Department. A new lawsuit has shone the spotlight on this mutual-defense treaty. The antitrust c
The pandemic has been marked by brief periods of shortage worldwide (remember the great toilet paper rush of 2020?). We’ve temporarily run out of everything from gym equipment to condoms and even aluminum cans, and now a lumber shortage has hit close to home, raising concern among DIY enthusiasts and potential house owners around the world. The scarcity of lumber brought prices to an all-time high of $1,686 per thousand board feet in May, a 400 percent peak from pre-pandemic levels when prices s
Fundraising appeals are part of everyday life, both online and off. Requests for financial donations arrive by snail mail, email, social media and text messages. Cashiers at chain stores and supermarkets ask if you want to chip in for charitable causes. If you’re in the U.S., you might also be getting nearly constant texts asking you to contribute to political campaigns. In my book “How We Give Now,” I explore how acts of giving extend beyond donating money to nonprofits, including an interestin
Update (January 5, 2022): Following the news about a research study proving that psilocybin can be safely administered in small doses for treating mental health issues, we decided to resurface this story that was first published in October 2020. New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London shows that psilocybin – a psychedelic drug isolated from the Psilocybe mushroom – can be safely administered at doses of either 10mg or 25mg. Accor