Comment on Beijing's smog crisis idles factories, boosts travel

Research shows that individual acts of kindness and connection can have a real impact on global change when these acts are collective. Political chasms, wars, oppression . . . it’s easy to feel hopeless and helpless watching these dark forces play out. Could any of us ever really make a meaningful difference in the face of so much devastation?

By Sharon Rhodes Thoughtful gifts for friends and family are a Christmas tradition, showing loved ones that you’re thinking of them this holiday season. But a long shopping list can be pricey. If you are concerned about the cost of Christmas presents this year, these ideas will help you get gifts for everyone on your list on a budget. Christmas is a time to gather with loved ones, enjoy good food and experience holiday traditions, but gift giving is also a central part of the season.

Industries such as manufacturing, which produce large amounts of leftover heat, could see major benefits by turning that waste heat into electricity. If you’ve ever seen yourself through a thermal imaging camera, you’ll know that your body produces lots of heat. This is in fact a waste product of our metabolism.

Using cash instead of paying electronically is a simple way to control your holiday spending while even helping others. The holiday shopping season is now here, and Americans are ready to splurge. The average U. S. shopper expects to spend more than US$1,000 on gifts for Christmas and other winter holidays this year, surveys show.

Losing a smartphone or tablet stuffed with your life’s details can be a nightmare, but your privacy may also be at risk in less obvious situations — like if you leave your unlocked phone unattended or if the children know your tablet’s passcode. While apps for financial or medical matters typically require their own passwords (and Apple’s Photos and Google Photos can hide specific pictures), the latest versions of iOS and Android offer new tools for further shielding sensitive content on your device.

President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. While immigration officials have used the tech for years, an October letter from the Department of Homeland Security obtained exclusively by The Associated Press details how those tools — some of them powered by AI — help make decisions over whether an immigrant should be detained or surveilled. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency’s supervision. The letter, sent by DHS Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Eric Hysen to the immigrant rights group Just Futures Law, revealed that the score calculates the potential risk that an immigrant — with a pending case — will fail to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.