New Technology : Save Energy and Money With These Smart Home Devices

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Making your home smarter can only mean one thing: money in your pocket. Networking your home through a single device will enable you greater control of your local surroundings, where you can utilize a number of devices, receivers, and apps designed to make the home more efficient. One of the biggest benefits of a smart home is the energy saving technologies available. As well as saving money, you’ll also be pushing toward a more sustainable, convenient living situation. Let’s look at some of the best money saving devices you can bring into your smart home. Thermostats – Nest Learning Thermostat...

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New Technology : Build Better Spending Habits with These 7 Android Finance Apps

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Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Does the stress of money (or lack thereof) keep you up at night? Never really sure where all of your money goes? I’ve got some good news for you: you aren’t alone and you aren’t doomed… yet. Bad money habits can lead to a lifetime of insurmountable debt. On the other hand, if you nip the problem in the bud, not only is it possible for you to get out of debt fast, but also to have more money than you’ve ever had. All of this is possible while maintaining the same income! But...

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New Technology : From Punch Cards to Holograms – A Short History of Data Storage

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In the world of data storage, there have been numerous breakthroughs, and even more flops that went absolutely nowhere. For every successful piece of data storage technology, there have been dozens more that were laughably bad. Let’s take a look at some of the technologies that shaped modern data storage, as well as where we go from here. From Punch Cards to Holograms – A Short History of Data Storage Historical Data Storage Timeline Data storage formats come and go, but the one consistent factor is Moore’s law, which is the observation that over the history of computing, technology shrinks,...

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New Technology : How to Make Google Calendar Collaboration Even Smarter

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Recently, I wrote about the concept of cutting the cord with Google, and why you would want to. But there are those who are firmly tied to services such as Google Calendar, and who do not want to let it go. That’s perfectly fine, and each to their own. Everyone has different needs and requirements. But if you are going to use Google Calendar, then there are many ways to make it smarter. To make it work better for you, with minimal effort on your part. Here are 8 apps that will make your life with Google Calendar that much...

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New Technology : Steam’s Paid Mods Would Have Been Terrible for Gaming

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I should start by announcing that I’m not a fan of the recent alteration to the modding policy by Valve. Thankfully, Skyrim mods are no longer for sale, because drastically changing a thriving modding community into a monetized marketplace would have undermined the very essence of community tools, forcing what are essentially amateur developers into an unknown, unprepared for, and untested system at the behest of a major developer. The argument doesn’t stem from the belief that all mods should be free, all the time. They shouldn’t; the surge in support across the wider modding community confirms this, and that we, as...

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New Technology : 7 Time Management Lessons I Learned from Mountain Climbing

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William Blake once wrote, “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” Climbing mountains can teach you a lot about life, but no area more so than time management. Time is precious. Everyone’s day has 24 hours. No more and no less. So how you tackle those 24 hours can make the difference between a wasted day, or a day you can be proud of. How you manage your time from the first moment you get up in the morning, to the last moment when you go to bed at night, is a lot like mountain climbing. I learned these lessons...

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New Technology : Why Steam’s Paid Mods Would Have Been the Future of Community Content

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A few days ago, Valve debuted a new feature, allowing modders to charge for Skyrim mods through Steam. The PC gaming community was… upset. Thankfully, Bethesda has changed its mind, announcing that it will no longer charge for mods due to gamer backlash, but it really wasn’t that bad of an idea. The most dramatic voices in PC gaming argue that paid mods would kill the very spirit of the modding community, and that Valve has ‘turned evil.’ Plenty of people stop short of that, but are very unhappy all the same. Yesterday, Gabe Newell, Valve CEO, did an open Q&A...

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New Technology : 5 Fantastic Learning Channels on YouTube Kids

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YouTube is packed with great educational content, but the deep parts of YouTube can also get pretty weird. As a parent, you may not want to let your kids browse too freely. Luckily, YouTube recently released YouTube Kids. YouTube Kids is a free mobile app, available for iOS and Android, which curates educational and entertainment content for kids and teens, while keeping out the scary stuff. You can catch the channels in your browser too. As YouTube Kid’s product manager Shimrit Ben-Yair puts it, “[YouTube Kids is] the first Google product built from the ground up with the little ones in mind […] The...

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New Technology : Save 10% on Griffin’s New Apple Watch Charging Stand

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Did you get caught up in the Apple Watch hype and preorder one immediately? You’re lucky, because there are a ton of people out there hoping to grace their wrist with Apple’s latest gadget, but alas, finding one is no small task. How’d you like to make your Apple Watch even cooler and more elegant? Well, that’s just what this Griffin WatchStand Apple Watch charging dock does. Best of all, you can save 10% off the price if you buy it from MakeUseOf Deals! If you want to take your watch game to next level without breaking the bank, snagging...

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New Technology : Smart Kitchen Appliances You’ll Wonder How You Lived Without

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The smart home revolution has arrived. As the “Internet of Things” continues to expand and more advanced technology becomes available, the time is ripe for tech companies to start pouring their resources into making our lives simpler and more streamlined by making “intelligent” gadgets. No other part of the home is so perfectly set up for taking advantage of the advent of smart gadgets than the kitchen. Clever beds and intelligent televisions are all well and good, but it’s the kitchen where benefits can be brought to tech lovers and lazy people alike. We’ve all heard of smart fridges, but what other...

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