🐤 Party of one

Hollywood story: Tesla was at the forefront of the autonomous vehicle revolution, but a series of setbacks and mishaps has allowed companies like Cruise and Waymo to take the lead in the emerging self-driving taxi market. That will soon change, Tesla says, when it reveals its “robotaxi” concept to the world. And the stage is set (quite literally) for that event, which has been pushed back to October 10. According to reports, the company has decided not to unveil the taxi at its own facility but will instead do so at the LA movie studios of Warner Bros.

In the cockpit: Like virtually every other tech company on the planet, Microsoft has been investing heavily in AI over the past several years. The result is a suite of features known as Copilot, and the Big Tech giant is poised to add these capabilities to upcoming laptops powered by AMD and Intel. Thus far, Windows AI has only been available in devices using Qualcomm chips, but the other two companies have reportedly met the requirements of Copilot Plus PC hardware and will begin offering AI features on a limited basis by November.

Screen test: As smartphones and other high-tech devices become more commonplace around the world, parents and child advocates have expressed concerns about what problems exposure to screens at a young age can cause for children. Swedish authorities recently weighed in on this debate with a nationwide advisory. Children under 2 should not be exposed to any screens whatsoever. Daily use should be limited to one hour for kids between 2 and 5, two hours for those between 6 and 12, and three hours for 13- to 18-year-olds.

Dog-eat-dog world: The two top names in competitive hot dog eating faced off for a special event on Monday, resulting in a new world record for 16-time champion Joey Chestnut. He was banned from the Nathan’s annual hot dog-eating contest this year for endorsing a plant-based meat company and his rival, Takeru Kobayashi, came out of retirement for the grudge match that aired on Netflix. Chestnut proved he was still capable of downing an incredible number of franks, eating an astounding 83 hot dogs in just 10 minutes.

Markets: Wall Street ushered in September on a sour note with all three major indexes taking a tumble, at least in part due to manufacturing reports that showed some slowdowns in that sector. There was also the impact of the tech market, which fueled Tuesday’s decline with major losses by chipmakers including Nvidia, Micron, and Advanced Micro Devices.

Blue Chip Trend Report strategist Larry Tentarelli reacted to the downturn by asserting: “The market right now seems to be very jumpy to any data that comes in.”

While going out to eat has often been associated with a social experience, there’s always been a place in restaurants for a party of one. And in recent years, restaurants have reported an increase in the number of people who seek a solitary meal.

“Like a spa”

You might think of dining alone as something typically reserved for fast food or casual restaurants, but many upscale eateries have seen a growing demand for single-person tables. And this isn’t necessarily a result of having no one to share the meal … in fact, folks like San Francisco scientist Parisa Imanirad see it as a respite from the many demands of life.

She is married and has an active social life, but sneaks away to a nice restaurant once or twice a week for an experience she describes as “like a spa, but a different type.”

Comparing figures

Japan has long been at the forefront of this trend, even coining a term — ohitorisama — for people who eat alone in restaurants. Nearly one-fourth of people in that country recently said they enjoy solo dining, an increase of five percentage points since 2018.

But plenty of other nations are seeing a similar increase in solitary dining reservations, as OpenTable reported. Over the past two years, the platform has seen:

• A 29% spike in the United States
• An increase of 18% in Germany
• A 14% bump in the United Kingdom

Sign of the times

Debby Soo, the CEO of OpenTable, has some theories about why more people are dining alone. For starters, she believes the era of remote work has prompted many people to seek a change of scenery after spending all day in their home offices.

Furthermore, she said: “I think there’s a broader movement of self-love and really … enjoying your own company.”

As people spend more and more time with their smartphones, there’s plenty of speculation regarding how that exposure could have negative physical and psychological consequences. But one concern that has been expressed since the earliest days of mobile phones has now been all but disproven.

A wide-ranging study

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency has been involved in the scientific examination of thousands of studies seeking to identify what, if any, cancer risks are associated with the use of mobile phones. The team selected the 63 most reliable studies to compile a new report that lead author Ken Karipidis called “the most comprehensive review to date” on this nagging issue.

Regardless of how many phone calls individuals made or how much time they spent on their devices, Karipidis said the report concluded that there was no apparent correlation “between mobile phones and brain cancer or other head and neck cancers.”

In addition to the mountain of evidence contained in the studies his team reviewed, he said the steep increase in the popularity of these devices has also helped confirm the validity of the team’s findings.

“I’m quite confident with our conclusion,” he said. “And what makes us quite confident is … even though mobile phone use has skyrocketed, brain tumor rates have remained stable.”

Understandable concern

Even though the evidence shows no link between phones and cancer, Karipidis acknowledged that it makes sense for people to be worried about the impact of these radiation-emitting devices.

“And because we use a mobile phone close to the head when we’re making calls, there is a lot of concern,” he said.

His team is now set to conduct further research into potential links between mobile phone use and other types of cancer including leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

It’s easy to look back at the predictions of previous generations and poke a little fun at how poorly they guessed how we would be living two dozen years into the 21st century. But there have been some pretty accurate prognostications along the way — particularly by those who foresaw the inclusion of “smart” technologies in virtually every household product imaginable.

This trend is especially evident to anyone shopping for new kitchen appliances. Wi-Fi, AI, and other high-tech features have been integrated into everything from refrigerators to blenders … and that’s only expected to become more common in the years to come.

The IFA conference

Much like the annual Consumer Electronics Show and other conferences across the U.S., Germany will soon be hosting its popular IFA tech show, this time with a major focus on the latest in smart kitchens.

While the tech that is currently included in appliances often strikes consumers as little more than a marketing gimmick, the features on display in Germany could demonstrate how technology is going to redefine dinnertime.

Providing real solutions

A host of major international corporations and smaller companies alike are expected to set up shop at the conference to demonstrate what they’ll be adding to the smart kitchen trend.

Early reports indicate that Samsung will be showcasing new AI features in its Samsung Food app, which should be able to help make decisions based on what is actually in a customer’s pantry at the time.

LG plans to unveil a new function to let consumers know things like when the oven has preheated or when the dishwasher cycle is complete. The same company will also debut its voice-controlled cooking tech.

The novelty of some of these products might soon wear off, but other features are likely to soon become ubiquitous.