It's what you shout when you're about to jump into a swimming pool in an antisocial way. Wabash Cannonball is also a mould-ripened, semi-soft goat's cheese made by Judy Schad and her husband Larry at Capriole Farmstead Goat Cheeses in Indiana. It's a dense sphere with a gentle, creamy, slightly acidic flavor with clean citrusy hints. It's best on a cheeseboard, served with dry white wines such as a Sauvignon Blanc. It won "Best-of-Show," at the American Cheese Society Awards in 1995. Meantime today's cheddlines you Need2Know are full of people making big splashes. Cannonball! —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor P.S. we've got an autonomous trash robot on our 'gram. |
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"Can you imagine the amount of conflict of interest, let alone potential national security concerns?" — Abrar al-Heeti |
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1. Shake Shack to Offer Congestion Pricing Deals in NYC Area |
"Make sure when you spend $9, it's worth it," says the burger chain. "Whether you're braving the new tolls or taking trains to dodge them, we're making it easier for New Yorkers to adjust to this change without losing their appetite."
Until January 17th, select Shacks in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut will offer a Congestion Pricing Combo: $9 ShackBurger + Fries. That's a saving of about $5.28. So, if you eat two burgers you could save a whole congestion charge with absolutely no consequences for the traffic in your arteries, either. #NotHeartHealthAdvice
Meanwhile the congestion charge appears to be having its desired effect. The first week's data reveals a a 7.5% reduction in cars entering the designated congestion zone. Travel time has also decreased by 30–40% at major entry points such as the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the Holland Tunnel. Subway ridership is up 6%. In other words? It works! Read More |
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2. Michelle Obama Will Not Attend Trump Inauguration. Can You Guess Why? |
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has chosen to skip Donald Trump's inauguration next week, and her office has declined to say why. Although she's called him "a convicted felon, a known slumlord" and a "predator found liable for sexual abuse" in "obvious mental decline" publicly over recent months. My guess is that she's skipping the inauguration because she hates his guts so badly that she can't bear to see him sworn in again.
Trump has called her "nasty." He said, "I always tried to be so nice and respectful," despite having spent years accusing her husband of secretly being born in Kenya and therefore ineligible to be a U.S. President.
Mrs. Obama's decision sets her apart from a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses. This marks the second significant event in recent weeks that Mrs. Obama has opted out of, having also been absent from former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral.
Her absence is noted alongside the confirmed attendance of her husband, former President Barack Obama, and fellow ex-Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Despite political differences and the heated nature of recent election cycles, there is a tradition of showing respect for the peaceful transfer of power. It's not something President Trump necessarily believes in unless he's the one getting the power, but as Mrs. Obama once said, "they go low, we go high." Except for this time, it seems, and maybe future times. Read More |
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| It's like calling an Uber for your trash.
HARR-E, Oshkosh's autonomous trash robot, could revolutionize waste collection. When your bin is full, just summon it, and HARR-E comes to your door to pick up your trash.
Shown at CES 2025, HARR-E is equipped with advanced sensors and autonomous navigation, designed for planned communities and business parks with central refuse centers—though a market release timeline is still TBD. |
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3. The Best Tech to Come Out of CES 2025 |
CES, the world's biggest consumer tech conference, was a treasure trove of innovative gadgets and groundbreaking tech. ZDNET's editor-in-chief, Jason Hiner, talked to us about the best stuff he saw. Hiner's pick for the overall best in show was Nvidia's Cosmos, an AI software platform. It generates photorealistic videos and data to train AI and robots, accelerating the development of self-driving cars and other AI applications. "Nvidia is trying to solve the biggest problem that's holding back AI and self-driving cars," he said.
In the home tech category, the Roborock robot vacuum stood out. Hiner highlighted its innovative robot arm that "can pick up and move" objects to avoid getting stuck, a common issue with robot vacuums. "Roborock vacuums have gotten really good...this is another way in which they'll try to have a step ahead of everybody else," he said. Hiner also discussed advancements in TV technology, particularly from LG and Hisense. LG's new OLED TV boasts increased brightness, while Hisense introduced a tri-color LED TV with enhanced color depth. "These two technologies, which have these kind of opposite strengths and weaknesses, are getting a lot closer together," Hiner said.
The wearables category saw several noteworthy innovations, including Oslo sleep buds, designed for a comfortable sleep experience. The Circular 2 smart ring offers heart health monitoring and digital sizing. "Wearables is a huge category where there's a lot of interesting stuff happening," Hiner said.
Hiner also touched on the Ray-Ban smart glasses, highlighting their popularity and potential. "People have shown real interest in these smart glasses," he said. With Meta continually adding new AI features — and other tech giants expected to enter the market — smart glasses are poised to become a mainstream product. Too bad Mark Zuckerberg just alienated half the country by saying tech firms have all been "neutered," eh? Read More |
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4. Will Elon Musk Buy It? Will The App Disappear? Understanding What Will Happen If TikTok Gets Banned |
There's a lot of speculation about the future of TikTok in the United States. My editor today, Sydney, told me: "some of my friends literally realized they were gay by using TikTok." Ergo she is horrified that it could be going away although trust me, Syd, the kids can figure that out in other ways.
The app is facing a potential ban, and there are many questions about what will happen next. We spoke with Abrar Al-Heeti, Tech Reporter at CNET, to get some insight into what could happen. One of the biggest questions surrounding this issue is whether the Chinese government would consider selling TikTok's U.S. operations. Al-Heeti says it's unlikely.
"Bytedance has consistently said that they are not looking to sell the platform to us, and especially even if somebody did buy the platform, they wouldn't be able to acquire the algorithm," he said. "And that's important because the algorithm is critical to TikTok. The reason people like TikTok is because the algorithm understands them so well. No one's really been able to replicate that."
Another possibility that has been floated is that Elon Musk could buy TikTok. However, Al-Heeti believes that this is also unlikely.
"Can you imagine the amount of conflicts of interest, let alone potential national security concerns? Because, of course, Elon Musk is already involved with the Chinese government in selling Teslas," he said. "Wouldn't this require an entirely new round of serious reports and court drama?"
If TikTok is banned, it will eventually become unusable. However, Al-Heeti says that there are other apps that could fill the void, such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. When it comes to your friends figuring out if they're gay, my advice is to watch for subtle signs like we always used to, and then be totally supportive of their emerging interests. See? That was easy. Next. Read More |
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5. Here Are New Ways to Upgrade Your Home with AI in 2025 |
From a litter box with facial recognition to a vacuum that can climb stairs, would you upgrade your home with these new smart products?
Remember the days of taking out the trash or vacuuming the stairs? Well, those days may be numbered. Companies like Oshkosh are developing autonomous robots like "HARR-E," which can collect your trash at your doorstep with a simple command from your smartphone.
Meanwhile, Dreamy's stair-climbing robot vacuum and its obstacle-moving robotic arm are set to make cleaning a breeze, especially for those with limited mobility. AI is also making its way into pet care. Paw Paw's intelligent pet door system uses smart tags to control your pet's access to the house, while Pet Kit's AI-powered litter box can monitor your cat's health and alert you to potential issues. (That means by looking at your cat's poop.)
Even yard work is getting an AI makeover. Segway's new robotic lawnmowers use AI and built-in cameras to navigate around obstacles and avoid damaging your prized flowerbeds. For those who love to cook, the Brisket Zillow's 450 Grill with its AI assistant "Vera" (Why is a grill assistant a lady? Obviously it should be a gruff man with strong opinions making you feel insecure, no?) can help you cook anything to perfection. From setting timers to monitoring probe temperatures, Vera puts you in control of your grilling experience from anywhere.
Sadly, there is no AI invention to help me figure out if I am gay, just yet. I do know that I do not find the new robot companion, Melody, to be attractive. Read More |
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