Biden’s latest climate change actions expand offshore wind farms

President Biden is still unveiling measures to combat climate change, and his newest efforts are aimed at preventing environmental crises. The President has outlined a string of executive actions that, notably, include the first "Wind Energy Areas…

Apple’s latest iOS and macOS updates offer more control over live sports

Apple may be several weeks away from releasing iOS 16, macOS Ventura and other major updates, but that isn’t precluding one last hurrah for current-generation software. The company has released iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6 and macOS 12.5, all of which provide more control over live sports in the TV app. You can restart matches already in progress, and you’ll find typical playback options like pause, fast-forward and rewind.

The new software also fixes a Safari bug that could revert a tab to a previous page. You can expect the customary round of security patches (most of which fix holes allowing arbitrary code), including equivalents for older macOS versions like Big Sur and Catalina. Equally new watchOS 8.7 and tvOS 15.6 releases, meanwhile, deliver bug and security fixes to Apple Watch and Apple TV users alongside generic “improvements.”

The timing suggests these may be the last significant updates for existing software. Apple has historically shipped major versions of iOS, macOS and other software as soon as September, and there aren’t hints of iOS 15.7 or similar upgrades on the horizon. The company is shifting its priorities, and the modest changes in these latest updates reflect that changing focus.

App developers can now suggest Alexa routines for you

At an Alexa developer event, Amazon revealed some tools that will make it possible for developers to create Alexa routines and suggest them to users. With user permission, they can use the Alexa Ambient Home Dev Kit to integrate their devices and services with other products more seamlessly.

For instance, they might suggest a routine that instructs a robot vacuum cleaner to get to work after you leave home and arm your security system. The dev kit will also allow for changes made in one app to be replicated elsewhere. So if you rename a room in the app you use to control your smart lights, Alexa and other compatible connected services can automatically update the room’s name on their end too.

Another set of APIs is all about home states for scenarios such as Home, Vacation, Dinner Time and Sleep. Modes and settings can sync between devices and services based on the situation. So, when you go to bed, the home state function can make sure certain electronics turn off, the doors lock (it they haven’t already) and the thermostat adjusts the temperature to your preferred nighttime setting.

Allowing companies to create routines could be both a timesaver for consumers and open up their eyes to some smart home possibilities that they might not have previously considered. Amazon says there are now more than 300 million smart home devices that folks have connected to Alexa, so there are a lot of opportunities to improve or streamline people’s lives. That is, as long as they’re willing to put their faith in Amazon, a company that doesn’t exactly have a spotless track record when it comes to privacy in the home. While Amazon laid out more of its vision of the “ambient home” during the event, it said it’s years away from truly bringing that to fruition.

Other announcements the company made include more ways it’s playing nicely with alternative voice assistants. Universal Device Commands (UDCs) and Agent Transfers (ATs) will allow for simultaneous wake words on the same device, so that it can support multiple voice assistants. With UDCs, developers will be able to let users issue a command “using any compatible voice service’s wake word, even if the service was not originally used to initiate the request.” If a voice service can’t handle a request, it can be transferred to another assistant through ATs. Amazon expects both capabilities to be enabled on the cloud side in the next 12 months. In addition, certain Skullcandy headphones will be able to handle Alexa and “Hey Skullcandy” requests simultaneously.

Apple’s AirTag four-pack is on sale for $89 right now

Now’s a good time to pick up a few AirTags while you can get a four-pack for one of the best prices we’ve seen. Amazon has the multipack of Apple’s Bluetooth trackers for $89, or 10 percent off their usual rate. While the bundle briefly dropped to $85 on Prime Day last week, this $89 sale price is still a good deal, especially for those that have more than one item they’d want to keep track of with the gadgets. If a single AirTag is enough for you, you can pick one up for $27.50 right now.

Buy AirTag (4 pack) at Amazon – $89Buy AirTag (1 pack) at Amazon – $27.50

While Apple has competition from Tile, Chipolo and even Samsung to a degree in this space, those steeped in the Apple ecosystem will find a lot of advantages to AirTags. They pair quickly and seamlessly when placed next to iPhones, and then you can label them and track their locations using Apple’s Find My network. You can force your AirTag to emit a chime, which should help guide you to your missing things, and those who have newer iPhones can use the ultra-wideband feature to be guided to their things using on-screen directions.

A slight downside to AirTags is their lack of keyring hole, which makes them a bit less versatile than competing trackers on their own. You’ll have to buy a holder of some sort if you want to hook the AirTag to your keys, but the coin-sized devices can easily slip into a bag or wallet without taking up too much space.

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US Postal Service to boost purchases of electric vehicles

WASHINGTON (AP) — The US Postal Service plans to substantially increase the number of electric-powered vehicles it’s buying to replace its fleet of aging delivery trucks, officials said Wednesday.

The Postal Service anticipates boosting electric vehicles from 20 percent to 50 percent in its initial purchase of 50,000 vehicles — with the first of them rolling onto delivery routes next year. It also proposes buying an additional 34,500 commercially available vehicles over two years, officials said.

The proposal, to be posted in the Federal Register on Thursday, came after 16 states, environmental groups and a labor union sued to halt purchases of next-generation delivery vehicles under the initial plan that was skewed heavily toward gas-powered trucks.

The new environmental proposal effectively pauses the purchases at 84,500 total vehicles — 40 percent electric — even as the Postal Service seek to buy up to 165,000 next-generation vehicles over the next decade to replace aging delivery trucks that went into service between 1987 and 1994.

Future purchases would focus on smaller amounts of vehicles in shorter intervals than the original 10-year environmental analysis, officials said. 

The goal is to be more responsive to the Postal Service’s evolving operational strategy, technology improvements and changing market conditions, the Postal Service said in a statement. A public hearing on the new proposal will be held next month.

The next-generation delivery vehicles are taller to make it easier for postal carriers to grab packages and parcels that make up a greater share of volume. They also have improved ergonomics and climate control. 

DALL-E’s powerful AI image generator is now available in beta

You no longer have to be part of a small club to try OpenAI’s clever DALL-E image generator. The consortium has launched a beta that will make DALL-E available to 1 million people from a waitlist in the weeks ahead. If you get in, you’ll receive 50 free image credits in your first month and 15 every following month. Each credit offers four pictures based on one original prompt, or three if you offer an edit or variation prompt. A bundle of 115 credits is available for $15 if the freebies aren’t enough.

The beta also expands the usage rights to include commercial projects. You can print the images on shirts or children’s books, for instance. OpenAI will still reject DALL-E image uploads that include realistic faces, named content (like a specific person or venue) and “explicit” material, though. The consortium is still concerned that people might abuse the technology for misinformation, deepfakes and other harmful purposes. 

DALL-E garnered buzz thanks to its ability to generate eye-catching images based solely on a casual description. It doesn’t require that you provide every last detail. You can also tweak certain parts of an image to achieve an intended effect. It’s both a showcase for AI’s potential as well as a surprisingly capable creative tool — you don’t need to know the first thing about art to produce something special.

‘Space Explorers: The ISS Experience’ wraps up with a spacewalk filmed in VR

The final episode of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is available starting today and it’s closing things out with a bang. The four-part series, which debuted in October 2020, wraps up with the first spacewalk filmed in ultra high-resolution cinematic virtual reality. The episode, which is called “Expand,” includes the arrival of a SpaceX crew on the International Space Station for the first time as well. Meanwhile, the astronauts are forced to reckon with the impact of COVID-19 back on Earth.

You can check out “Expand” on Meta Quest and Meta Quest 2 headsets for free. The other Space Explorers: The ISS Experience episodes are still available too. Meanwhile, Felix & Paul, the studio behind the series, plans to livestream the Artemis I launch in VR. The launch of an uncrewed mission to the Moon is currently slated for August 29th, September 2nd or September 5th.