Arlene Kaganove told NBC 5 she had applied for a “MyPanera” reward card to get a free everything bagel on her next birthday. “I am always signing up for whatever comes free on my birthday,” she said. “Never anticipated it would lead to extortion letters.” After she signed up for the program, unsuspecting Kagonove began getting several threatening emails. “They say they have been watching me watch porn,” Kaganove said....

After three decades as the dominant productivity software anywhere, the Microsoft Office suite of programs have been around almost as long as personal computing. And even now, with most Microsoft Office users shifting to the company’s Office 365 cloud-based apps, there’s a good chance perennial favorites like Word, Excel and Outlook will stay relevant for years to come. Since you’ll likely be crafting PowerPoint presentations wherever you’re working in 2032, you might as well get up to speed now with the training in the Essential Microsoft Office 2019 Bundle....

Gates announced his decision in a LinkedIn post, saying he wants to “dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education, and my increasing engagement in tackling climate change.” This would likely include work with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, which Gates and his wife founded in 2000. Read: Microsoft shifts Build conference online amid coronavirus spread Gates further stated that he was by no means abandoning Microsoft, and implied he’ll be staying there in a sort of consigliere role for its current executives: “Microsoft will always be an important part of my life’s work and I will continue to be engaged with Satya [Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO] and the technical leadership to help shape the vision and achieve the company’s ambitious goals....

Earlier today, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), a state economic planning agency, published its finalized recommendations for national industry restructuring — and Bitcoin mining wasn’t mentioned. CoinDesk reports that the final version of the recommendations, due to take effect from January 1, 2020, has removed Bitcoin or other virtual currency mining activities from the list of industries that should be restricted or eliminated from the country. The change of heart has reportedly come after months of public consultation on the topic....

Data gathered by Hard Fork from financial and economic data site Quandl, shows the $1 billion mark was passed late last week, on October 11. While it’s not necessarily the most significant statistic, it’s certainly an indicator of Bitcoin’s continued use over time. Big upswings in fees can indicated big upswings in network use and competition to have transactions mined. Bitcoin fees vary based on the overall use of the network....

We’ve taken a closer look at the cryptocurrency‘s price movements, focusing specifically on its performance during Q4 2019. But, first, let’s briefly recap Bitcoin‘s performance during the first nine months of the year. Q1 recap Bitcoin was relatively stable from January to March 2019. It started the year off at $3,717 and a brief 9-percent increase in its trading price saw it surpass the $4,000 barrier during the first week of January....

The hefty movement was detected by Twitter-based transaction monitor @whale_alert this afternoon. Bitcoin’s miners included it in block #605230. Tx: https://t.co/GgIfMr9eMy — Whale Alert (@whale_alert) November 24, 2019 According to Blockchain.com’s Bitcoin explorer, the fee paid was just 0.00004551 BTC ($0.32). This is incredibly low, especially when compared to large movements previously detected. It’s even more impressive when you consider that whoever sent the Bitcoin had no need to request permission from any bank, financial regulator, or world government to send hundreds of millions of dollars worth of digital cash....

Late last year, rumors surfaced on German BMW news site, Bimmer Today, that the Bavarian motor manufacturer was going to end production of its iconic three liter, 400hp, quad-turbo six-cylinder diesel (B57s) engine. Well, sorry to break it to you. But the rumors were confirmed earlier this week when BMW’s research and development chief Klaus Froelich spoke to Automotive News Europe. Exactly when production will end wasn’t mentioned. It might be sad news for some, as BMW Blog points out, the quad-turbo unit was one of two engines still in production that uses four turbos....

But, today, it got too much. Yep, you guessed it, Bose launched a Star Wars edition of its famous QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones II. Yep, things have gotten so bad on this godforsaken planet that you, an adult person, can now buy a Star Wars branded pair of premium headphones to celebrate the third film in the series’ third trilogy (which, to be honest, does sound like the kinda thing that’s a harbinger of the apocalypse)....

Ugh. That’s the theme of this week’s Plugged In: ugh. Ugh. Now, what I’m gonna talk about isn’t a new trend. In fact it’s something that’s been around for ages, a topic you’ve probably come across yourself. Yes, you guessed it, I’m talking about companies buying licenses of defunct brands and then releasing an inferior product that ruins the original’s memory. That old chestnut. And what, I hear you ask, prompted this response?...

Sure, if things go wrong with that expensive battery or motor, it could get quite costly to fix. But the chances of that happening are low, and most EV makers have comprehensive warranties should the worst happen. That is, when you’re buying the car new, but what about used cars? You’d think, with less to go wrong EV makers would continue to offer long and robust warranties as a show of faith in the longevity of their vehicles, but that no longer seems to be the case anymore for Tesla....

Johnson has told industry figures that he wants nuclear power to meet 25% of the UK’s energy demand by 2050, up from 16% today. That would mean roughly 30 gigawatts (GW) from a source that is currently set to shrink to 3.6GW by 2030, as all but one of the UK’s eight plants are due to be decommissioned by the end of the decade. Sunak is reported to be unhappy with the £13 billion price tag attached to eight new nuclear reactors....

Out of the many promising initiatives that got unveiled at the 2021 IAA Mobility Show in Munich, Continental’s Green Concept is definitely one worth looking into. The German company announced that it’s working on a tire made from renewable, recycled, and traceable materials, designed to have extended service life and increased sustainability over its entire value chain. What it’s made of For starters, the Conti GreenConcept consists of 35% renewable bio-materials....

This fall semester the university will officially launch it’s “Cannabis Production” course geared towards both commercial and home growers. According to a press release, the course will be taught by postgraduate student Brandon Yep: While the course might appeal most to people who already have an operation set up, it’s also designed to prepare people for the future. The Canadian cannabis market is booming and trained professionals are in high demand....

Now our LHCb experiment has measured one of the smallest differences in mass between two particles ever, which will allow us to discover much more about our enigmatic cosmic origins. The Standard Model of particle physics describes the fundamental particles which make up the universe and the forces that act between them. The elementary particles include quarks, of which there are six – up, down, strange, charm, top, and bottom....

Even though few people are attending the event in person, the joy of technology means we can still enjoy the strangest things on show. LG’s OLED fitness bike Can’t go on a bike ride? Worry not. LG’s new system has a gigantic 55-inch OLED display in front of your bike. Just take a look at the monstrosity in the picture below. This whole thing with r-shaped curvature consists of three displays with a radius of 500mm....

Ever got that feeling of relief when you walk into your hotel room after a long trip and see the coffee machine? Oh how sweet that first sip of freshly made cuppa feels. Now, you can get the same feeling at home with KitchenAid Nespresso Espresso Maker selling for just $179.99, down from $449. The espresso maker has an elegant design that’ll up the style quotient of your kitchen. It also comes with a silent operation method, so you can make a cup of coffee even in the middle of the night....

Sometimes, you just want something straightforward. The Lenovo HX06 is an example of that austere simplicity. This black bit of plastic, metal, and glass doesn’t have much in terms of bells and whistles. It tells the time, obviously. It tracks sleep and activity levels. It’s shows a notification whenever you get a call or SMS. And, as a bonus, the Lenovo HX06 is IP67 rated, meaning it’s both waterproof and dust-proof....

So, it’s Friday today. What are your weekend plans? Are you going to be an honorary member of the sloth family and spend the entire weekend on the couch eating fried food and watching Netflix? Or are you heading out on some great adventure that people will recall for centuries to come? If you’re doing that what better way to document it on an action camera. And that’s why you should get GoPro’s Fusion camera just for $299, down from its original price of $599....

In new residential buildings with five or more dwelling units (reduced from 24) and commercial buildings with 30 or more parking spaces (reduced from 50), at least 20 percent of bays must be ready for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) to be installed. Additionally, all applicable properties must have at least one EVSE-ready space that is accessible to people with disabilities. The city said the ordinance was developed in response to growing EV sales in the US....