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Latest by Bruce Brown

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Companies will no longer be able to fine or sue you for negative online reviews

Congress passed the Consumer Review Fairness Act, protecting consumers who post negative online reviews from retaliation by companies.
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Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb may have a champion in transportation pick Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Transportation Secretary has spoken in favor of 'sharing economy' businesses in the past.
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Ashley Furniture implementing AR and VR to help customers experience living spaces

Ashely Furniture to use augmented and virtual reality in stores and online to enable customers to create interior layouts and experience living spaces.
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New DOT Secretary Elaine Chao to guide EV, autonomous vehicle programs

President-elect Donald Trump chose former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao as Transportation Secretary. The DOT head will be influential in innovative car tech.
YotaPhone - plane ticket

Maybe now you can afford a ticket to 'Hamilton': N.Y. passes ticket-bot law

New York is cracking down on scalpers who use ticket-buying bots to purchase big batches of tickets for shows and events that they resell at crazy markups.
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Amazon fed up with fakes, taking aggressive action to banish counterfeits

Amazon is fed up with counterfeit products sold on the online marketplace, joining frustrated manufacturers, legitimate resellers, and consumers.
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Are lower car insurance premiums worth revealing your driving behavior?

If you're willing to give up some privacy, insurance companies increasingly base premiums on actual driving behavior monitored by dongles or smartphones.
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Ohio to start testing Otto self-driving trucks on two routes on public roads

Ohio takes a step in innovative transportation technology with the announcement that an Otto self-driving truck will begin traveling on public roads.
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Stanford study concludes next generation of robots won’t try to kill us

A standing committee of artificial intelligence experts has issued a report on realistic artificial intelligence and robotics applications.
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Killer small home appliance prices help if you're upgrading or buying gifts

The holiday shopping season is upon us, which means great deals in home appliances. If you're shopping for gifts or yourself, choices and good deals abound.
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Beware of new image files you didn’t download: They may launch ‘Locky’ ransomware

Moving on from malicious macros in Microsoft Office Word documents, the Locky ransomware program now uses self-downloading image files from social media.
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New guidelines to protect smart home devices from botnets and privacy invasion

Following the October Dyn DDoS attack, an internet industry group has issued recommended practices to protect security and privacy of smart home devices.
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In-car biometric sensors will monitor your health, make sure you're really you

Wearable biometric scanners developed for health and wellness and security sensors like iris and fingerprint scanners will be in one in three cars by 2025.
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Study: 80 percent of students can’t differentiate between real and fake news

An 18-month study in 12 states of nearly 8,000 students from junior high school through college found most couldn't judge news credibility accurately.
Amazon packages outside a property.

Amazon has dumped ‘incentivized’ reviews, but product ratings aren’t changing much

It turns out that Amazon products' overall star ratings were based on 'verified purchasers' not incentivized reviews, in most cases.
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Nutonomy’s self-driving taxis to start testing in Boston without passengers

By year's end, MIT-spinoff Nutonomy will begin testing self-driving taxis in Boston's Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park. The cars won't transport passengers.
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If you pay for electricity, you can buy into solar power for credit on your bill

Renters and property owners alike can now invest in and benefit from solar energy with EnergySage, the first nationwide community solar marketplace.
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Volunteer opportunity site sees twice the normal usage since the election

Golden, an app that matches volunteers with organizations with volunteer opportunities, has seen double the usual daily volunteer visits since the election.
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Forget weedkillers — let the Tertill robot keep your garden clear of weeds

If you're not a big fan of garden weeding, next summer's launch of the solar-powered autonomous Tertill robot weeder is coming at just the right time.
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Don’t pack your bags yet, but Stephen Hawking gives us only 1,000 years on earth

We need to start looking for a new solar system and a planet to call home, says physicist Stephen Hawking. Otherwise humans are done within 1,000 years.
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Kitch-T is a space-saving, movable, all-in-one designer kitchen island for millennials

Designed for movement within and between apartments, Dsignedby's Kitch'T award-winning compact movable kitchen has both cooking and entertainment space.
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Amazon customers will be able to buy Fiat Chrysler cars with an online discount

Starting in Italy with three Fiat models, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is partnering with Amazon to sell cars online. Fiat wants to appeal to bargain seekers.
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The next time you see a guy smiling while driving, this might be why

Kegel exercises aren't just for women. Men can benefit from strengthened pelvic floor muscles, too. Health benefits and sexual function improvements await.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV

GM now says 2017 Chevy Bolt will only launch in California and Oregon

Changing the original nationwide launch plan, Chevy Bolt EV will launch in only California and Oregon in 2016, with limited units in other states in 2017.
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Social media posts can cost you your job, the First Amendment has no protection

According to CareerBuilder, most people are unaware they can be fired for their social media posts. The First Amendment doesn't protect you with employers.
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Cadillacs may be in your driving future, even if you never own or lease one

Cadillac sees new opportunities as the traditional markets for individual car ownership die or change. Cadillac is planning for its own mobility future.
Tesla Model 3

Elon Musk: Model 3 charging will be free for long-distance trips

Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes people should charge electric cars at home, like phones. Model 3 customers will get free long-distance charging, but not local.
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Tesla is officially in the solar roof business, says Elon Musk

Overwhelming shareholder approval for Tesla SolarCity acquisition frees Tesla CEO Elon Musk to proceed with an integrated energy plan.
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Mazda throws hat partially into electric car ring, may use rotary range extender

Mazda will introduce an electric vehicle by 2019, joining other carmakers already committed to EVs. The first car may be low volume with a range extender.
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Strategy shift: Toyota commits to all-electric vehicles, forms special team

Responding to market interest and competitor's plans, Toyota has shifted its position on all-electric cars and formed an electric car development team.
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Can we talk? Mobile users enjoy voice assistance, but want more accuracy

Mobile users, including those who do and don't use voice assistance tech often, would like better interaction and conversational speech.
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Millennials leading switch from individual car ownership to mobility services

Millennials are leading the switch to mobility services, according to a new poll. The millennial generation has the highest comfort level with ridesharing.
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FCC actions suggest compliance with GOP request to cease rule changes

In line with a similar request by Democrats eight years ago when President Obama was elected, the FCC deleted meeting agenda items after a GOP request.
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Honcker mobile app makes car leasing simple for people who dislike negotiations

Honcker simplifies car leasing by pulling the best deals from local dealerships in personalized offers presented on the consumer's phone.