Some online bargains too good to be true
Online shopping could be hazardous to your wealth — and your health. An investigation by the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog agency, found that many products sold by third-party sellers on popular websites such as Amazon.com and Walmart.com were counterfeit — and dangerous — and were often a total waste of money. Cheap, substandard phone chargers could... READ MORE
Are electric cars ready for prime time yet?
I recall two moments distinctly from my recent drive in a Volkswagen e-Golf, an all-electric car. The first was marveling at how this vehicle’s instantly available torque made it the best car I’d ever found for the cut-and-thrust of city driving. The second came only 80 miles or so later, as I was feather-footing the same car in the right lane of a divided highway, windows fogged... READ MORE
Beacon Links & Apps – September 2018
Links Travel podcasts From Maine vacation spots to packing tips, the Associated Press’s free travel podcast “Get Outta Here!” offers short weekly conversations for both armchair travels and frequent flyers. Recent topics have touched on visiting Little Women author Louisa May Alcott’s Concord, Mass. home, when travel insurance is worth buying, and Disney trip tips. A year and a ... READ MORE
Staying healthy at home via telemedicine
Every morning, 92-year-old Sidney Kramer wraps a blood pressure cuff around his arm and steps on a scale, and readings of his heart health beam to a team of nurses — and to his daughter’s smartphone — miles from his Maryland home. Red flags? A nurse immediately calls, a form of telemedicine that is helping Kramer live independently by keeping his congestive heart failure under... READ MORE
Simple gadgets that can help older drivers
Dear Savvy Senior: Are there any specific auto gadgets you can recommend that can help older drivers? Both of my parents are in their 80s and still pretty good drivers, but due to arthritis and age they’re very stiff, which causes them some driving problems. — Researching Daughter Dear Researching: To help keep older drivers safe and prolong their driving years, there’s a... READ MORE
Beacon Links & Apps – August 2018
Links Helping you help others There are many online fundraising sites today, but CaringCrowd is distinctive because it is solely dedicated to raising money for global public health causes — from projects helping sick moms in Malawi, to repairing children’s hearts in India. More than $900,000 has been pledged to projects so far. Any nonprofit organization can submit a campaign idea... READ MORE
How Google aims to simplify your life
Google put the spotlight on its artificial intelligence smarts at its recent annual developers conference, announcing new consumer features aimed at simplifying your life. Many of the updates have a practical bent, designed to ease tasks such as composing emails, making lists, navigating city streets, and lessening the digital distractions that have increasingly addled people’s lives... READ MORE
Take steps to protect your Facebook data
Facebook is not getting a lot of likes these days. This spring, we learned that Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics and political consulting firm, gained access to the personal information of up to 87 million Facebook users. In the weeks that followed, Facebook’s stock plunged, founder Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress, and lawmakers discussed regulating how tech giants... READ MORE
Beacon Links & Apps – June 2018
Links Get on the road The Roadtrippers website shows travelers what lies between point A and point B when they’re on the road. Enter a starting point and a destination, and Roadtrippers will map out the trip, highlighting places of interest — without too much of a detour — that make getting there half the fun. Users can also look for food and hotels on the route, and read about... READ MORE
Budget-friendly cars offer high-tech aids
Automakers have come a long way from safety features such as seat belts and air bags that are meant to prevent injuries in a crash. Today, manufacturers are adding “advanced driver aids” that can fend off an accident in the first place. And there’s a good chance that your next new car will have them. What’s an advanced driver aid? It’s kind of like an autonomous sidekick... READ MORE
Technology 2024
