Tech/Gear

Medicare Open Enrollment doesn't start until Oct. 15. So why am I telling you to worry about this in August? Because by the time Oct. 15 arrives, scammers aren't starting their work. They're finishing it.The scam calls you may hear this fall, including fake Medicare card offers and urgent Social Security warnings, are only the final step. Scammers often build their target lists long before they make contact. Here is […]

The World Humanoid Robot Games made headlines this week, putting robotics experts in awe and leaving social media scrollers laughing at the robots’ histrionics, viral stumbles, and dramatic crashes and burns.In its second year, it is making an annual event out of stress-testing the limits of technological advancement, while allaying fears to the public that SkyNet is not on the verge of taking over the world."The goal of this event […]

If your mental image of a humanoid robot still involves stiff knees and awkward demos, you may want to update it. A Chinese humanoid robot has now covered 100 meters faster than Usain Bolt's 9.58-second human world record. At the opening of Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, an X-Humanoid robot completed the 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds. Then the number dropped again.X-Humanoid announced on Aug. 25 that TianGong Ultra ultimately […]

Tap to pay has become one of my favorite modern conveniences. I use it all the time. In fact, I rarely need to pull out a physical wallet anymore because contactless payments are accepted in so many places.There's a security advantage, too. Mobile wallets can use tokenization or virtual card numbers, so your actual card number does not need to pass directly to a merchant during a transaction.That makes what's […]

Aug. 29 marks 21 years since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. I had gone to New Orleans expecting a fun weekend with my parents. Instead, I ended up trapped inside a hotel during one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history.At the time, I had no idea the experience would change the way I prepare for emergencies for the rest of my life. Katrina remains the […]

Passwords have a way of ending up in places they were never meant to live. Sometimes convenience wins in the moment, and security becomes tomorrow's problem. One company learned that lesson after a contractor stored credentials in a Google Doc so they could access them from different devices.Then something happened that should make anyone who uses Google Docs take a closer look at their sharing settings. A developer searching the […]

Calling 911 is one of those moments when you expect a human voice on the other end. In New Orleans, though, an artificial intelligence system may answer in a limited situation involving certain calls about already reported auto crashes.The Orleans Parish Communication District handles 911 emergency communications in Orleans Parish. OPCD says the AI helps manage repeat crash reports while keeping human call-takers available for other emergencies.Hearing an automated voice […]

You swipe your card at the checkout, grab your receipt and walk away. Nothing looks unusual. However, a device sitting right on top of that payment terminal may have copied your card information and PIN.U.S. Secret Service agents recently swept hundreds of retailers across Los Angeles looking for skimmers. What they found shows how sophisticated these devices have become and how difficult they can be to spot.This card skimming scam […]

You probably tell an artificial intelligence chatbot things you would never post publicly. Maybe you ask about a health concern. Perhaps you need help sorting through a financial decision or dealing with something happening at work. Because the conversation feels one-on-one, it can be easy to forget how personal it has become.Now, AI companies are giving their assistants more ways to remember what you tell them. In some cases, AI […]