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February is here. The “New Year, New Me” energy has officially worn off, replaced by a much more realistic “New Year, Same Me, But Freezing” thanks to a very disrespectful wind chill a heating bill thats starting to look like a phone number. But we live in the future! We have technology! Here are six actually useful gadgets thatll keep you toasty without burning up a ton of cash. Rechargeable Hand Warmers (~$20) Disposable hand warmers are fine, but theyre wasteful and, frankly, kind of gross after a while. These rechargeable ones, on the other hand (pun intended), are basically big batteries that get hot. They charge via USB-C, include one cord that charges both at the same time, and offer three heat settings. They can be snapped together magnetically to form one mega-warmer or split apart to keep both pockets toasty. Coffee Mug Warmer (~$18) You made coffee. You got distracted by a Slack notification. Now you have sad, cold coffee. This coffee mug warmer isn’t new tech: in fact, its barely tech at all. Its a tiny hot plate for your desk that keeps your drink at a steady, drinkable temperature for hours. Is it fancy? No. Does it have an app? Thankfully, no. It just does one thingfight the laws of coolingand it does it well. No need to microwave your coffee like a savage. Bluetooth Beanie (~$16) You want to listen to a podcast while walking the dog, but your earbuds hurt your cold ears and your headphones won’t fit over your hat. The fix? A hat that sings to you. It solves the “earbuds vs. frostbite” dilemma nicely since the speakers are sewn right into the fabric, connecting to your phone via Bluetooth so you can listen to your favorite playlist while shoveling the driveway. The audio quality wont win any Grammys, but for 20 bucks, it keeps your noggin warm and your audio playing. It’s washable, too, provided you take the electronic bits out first. Smart Plug (~$9) The floor is freezing, and you have to get out of bed to turn on the space heater. Thats a problem. The solution is a smart plug that lets you control your “dumb” heater from your phone or smart speaker. “Alexa, turn on the Heater.” Thats it. You can also set a schedule so your drafty home office warms up 15 minutes before you sit down. Just make sure your heater has a mechanical switch (the clicky kind) so it really does turn on when the power cuts in. Heated Insoles (~$30) When youre standing outside, the ground is actively sucking the life force out of your feet. These insoles are literally tiny electric blankets for your shoes. Theres an app you can use to finesse the temperature, and full disclosure: each insole has its own battery pack that you wear around your ankle like a house-arrest monitor. But, hey: Its winter. Long pants season. And theyre “cut-to-fit,” meaning you just trim them with scissors to match your shoe size. Simple. Effective. Warm. Electric Plasma Lighter (~$10) Lighting a roaring fire for warmth and ambiance is annoying when the matches break or the lighter runs out of fluid. Enter the rechargeable lighter, which uses electricity to create a plasma arc. Its windproof, splash-proof, and makes a cool, crackle-y sci-fi noise. You plug it in to charge it, then press a button to create a tiny lightning bolt that sets things on fire. Its quite a conversation starter, and hopefully the last lighter youll ever need to buy.
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E-Commerce
You are going to want to turn up the volume on your television sets. Its time for the 68th Grammy Awards, which take place on Sunday, February 1. The movers, shakers, and singers of the Recording Academy are primed to put on one heck of a concert at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Lets take a look at the host, nominations, and upcoming changes before we dive into how to tune in and jam. Who is hosting the 2026 Grammy Awards? Trevor Noah is back for his sixth consecutive year as the master of ceremonies. This is going to be his last hurrah, though. In fact, he almost didnt do the honors this year. Executive producer Ben Winston told the Los Angeles Times that he had to creatively implore Noah to do one more show. I went back and beggedlike, literally sent him a video where I was on my knees, Winston recalled. The theatrics worked. Noah will be backed up by an impressive group of presenters, such as Carole King, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Doechii, Harry Styles, Jeff Goldblum, Karol G, Lainey Wilson, Marcello Hernández, Nikki Glaser, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah, and Teyana Taylor. We’re told there will also be a surprise or two. Who is nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award? While there are 95 different categories in the Grammy Awards, dont fret. Only about 10 of them will be televised. Leading the pack with the most nominations is Kendrick Lamar. Among his nine nods are album of the year for GNX and song of the year for “Luther,” a duet with SZA. Coming in second are Lady Gaga, Cirkut, and Jack Antonoff, with seven nominations each. Leon Thomas, Serban Ghenea, Sabrina Carpenter, and Bad Bunny all got six nods. Who is performing at the 2026 Grammy Awards? The Grammys are all about the live performances. Following last years precedent, all eight nominees for best new artist will sing their hearts out for the telecast. Thomas, Addison Rae, Alex Warren, Katseye, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, Sombr, and the Marías are scheduled to sing. These new kids on the block are not the only ones who’ll be having fun. Veteran performers such as Carpenter, Gaga, Clipse, and Pharrell Williams will also give it their all. And Beliebers can rejoice as Justin Bieber takes the Grammy stage after a four-year hiatus. Reba McEntire, Lauryn Hill, and Post Malone will help the audience remember those we lost this year during the In Memoriam segment. Tributes will be paid to Roberta Flack, Ozzy Osbourne, DAngelo, and more. What’s notable at the Grammys this year? In addition to this being Noahs last telecast, 2026 will be the final year that the Grammy Awards are broadcast on CBS. Beginning in 2027, ABC will have the honors. According to The Wall Street Journal, this 10-year deal cost the Walt Disney Co., ABC’s parent company, more than $500 million. And 2026 marks the first time that one of the top country music categories has been expanded. There are now two album categories: traditional country album and contemporary country album. So technically, 2025’s best country album (and best overall album) winner, Beyoncés Cowboy Carter, would now fall into the latter category if it had dropped a year later. It’s also interesting to note that Morgan Wallen opted not to submit his latest album, Im the Problem, for consideration. Wallen has not publicly addressed his decision-making process. An album cover category was added this year as well, giving visual artists some much-deserved recognition. The Recording Academy made efforts to expand its voting bloc leading up to the music industry’s big night. According to the Los Angeles Times, 3,800 new members joined the ranks in November. This diverse group included 58% people of color and 35% who identify as women. Many of these members were invited to join because they were part of the Latin Recording Academy. How can I watch or stream the Grammy Awards? To cheer on your favorite artist, all you have to do is tune into CBS at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). If you have a traditional cable subscription or an over-the-air (OTA) antenna with reception, you are covered. Watching with an OTA antenna is free. If streaming is more your style, Paramount+ is the answer. You will need the Showtime add-on to watch in real time. Those with the Paramount+ Essential subscription can catch the action the next day. If Paramount+ is not in your streaming arsenal, utilize a live-TV streaming service such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or Fubo. Be sure to double-check regional differences before committing to a new service, as CBS coverage will vary.
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E-Commerce
A new dating app called Known, which went live earlier today in San Francisco, wants to offer users a dating experience that is far less gamifiedand far more enabled by artificial intelligence. The app, which uses voice-based conversations with an AI to match people to prospective romantic partners, is the latest evidence that the next generation of dating apps isnt looking to maximize matches. In other words, theres no swiping. Known, founded by former Stanford University students Celeste Amadon and Asher Allen, uses an AI-based chat interface that interviews prospective daters and gauges their interests and values. Then, the app uses a modelwhich the company says was designed in-house and based on compatibility and chemistry researchto pair them with one person (and only one person) for a potential date. Known also takes care of personalized introductions and assists with restaurant bookings. We’re able to view people on their entire nuanced selves and find people that are most likely to get along and enjoy each other. And that doesn’t have to come from strict principles, Amadon tells Fast Company. There are standard things that we need to know to be able to do good matching, like your age, or Do you live in San Francisco or New York? But from there, a lot of it is kind of user-guided.” She adds: The real core difference between us and a large dating app is that we are incentivized and built to try and get people on dates. Other dating apps are incentivized to try and lengthen their retention because they’re subscription-based businesses. Knowns model, Amadon says, charges people to actually set up a date with their matches, as opposed to subscription tiers of an app like Tinder, where users might pay extra to access certain features and the ability to send an unlimited number of “likes” to other people. (Of course, all dating apps need to focus, in part, on identifying new customers, since some share of their users will, eventually, find love and no longer need a dating app.) The apps release comes as both newcomer and veteran dating platforms embrace artificial intelligence-based features. Justin McLeod, the founder of Hinge, is planning to launch Overtone, which was initially built from a small team at Hinge, and he says it aims to combine cutting-edge AI capabilities with deep respect for the messy, human journey of connection. Theres also the relatively new Rizz app, an AI dating assistant that was designed to coach people through awkward digital small talk. Last fall, another platform, called Three Day Rule, introduced Tai, an AI matchmaker thats supposed to be trained on compatibility data coalesced by human matchmakers. The big companies are also leaning into artificial intelligence-based features. The Match Groupwhich owns Tinder, OkCupid, and Hingehas a whole page dedicated to its principles for using the technology. The company says that when it comes to AI, it prioritizes “explainability” and authenticity” among its core values to foster trust, safety, and meaningful connections. Matchs hiring page shows that it’s looking to fill plenty of machine-learning roles, too. Last December, Hinge released a new AI feature thats supposed to help move conversations forward by using generative AI to guide people in crafting their initial messages to others. Tinder has also said it’s using AI-powered matching, which factors in data that can include your app activity, your answers to questions, and the way youve tagged photos on the app. Even Facebook Dating is offering AI-powered advice for users. The idea is to aim for quality (rather than quantity) of matches, especially as interest in (and the appeal to pay for) swiping through profiles falls. Bumble has lost 9% of subscribers in the past year, The New York Times reported in November, and the Match Group has lost 5%. The rise of the AI dating interview A smaller number of these companies, including Known, are embracing voice-powered AI, too. Tinder partnered with OpenAI last year to offer a voice-based game meant to evaluate people’s flirting skills. Hinge added audio features and voice notes back in 2021, and the lesser-known Switch dating app encourages users to connect first through audio conversations. At least in Knowns case, people communicate with the app by talking to it. For instance, the app might ask you where you grew up and how you ended up in your current city, and users might end up sharing details about childhood experiences. From there, the system is supposed to pick up preferences that a prospective dater might have, based on what’s said in the conversation, as well as factors like tone and intonation. That information is later fed into the companys matching model. (Known says that recordings of the calls themselves are not saved.) The app doesnt currently pick up on the way people’s voices sound, but the company says its interested in exploring and analyzing the complexity of people’s speech in the future. Its still early days for Known, but the model has some traction. Seven thousand people participated in a beta testing round last year, and Amadon says that she and cofounder Allen have heard from several couples that connected and are still together. The company recently raised nearly $10 million, with support from the venture capital firm Forerunner. After the dates, we actually debrief with users to find out how it wentwhich means that we’re able to understand more about who you’re looking for and get better at finding that person over time, emphasizes Amadon.
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E-Commerce
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