Author: TheWireHub.net

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 116, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, happy National Ferris Wheel Day to all those who celebrate, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This week, I’ve been reading about Letterboxd and Mike Vrabel and AI influencers and daytime talk show economics, taking copious notes on Ezra Klein’s terrific podcast on the state of the internet, buying just about every lamp in this excellent office tour, making Dot my main Mac calendar app, telling everyone I know how good…

For the past several weeks, Sandra Graber has been desperately trying to help her friend, a 79-year-old Vancouver resident, recover Social Security payments that didn’t arrive in December and January. Her friend can’t go online to resolve the issue because she doesn’t own a computer. Many senior citizens across Clark County and the United States are grappling with recent changes to Social Security and the increasing role that digital technology plays in their day-to-day lives. Graber — a Cornelius, Ore., resident — didn’t want her friend named because she has early-onset dementia. Graber serves as her agent under power of…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a 40-member global scientific panel on the impacts and risks of artificial intelligence, with the United States strongly objecting.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who established the panel, called the adoption “a foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI.”“In a world where AI is racing ahead,” he said, “this panel will provide what’s been missing — rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all member states, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing.” He has described it as the first fully independent global scientific body…

Investors should try to look beyond the more popular names in the market. There are often better opportunities hiding in plain sight.The digital bank and fintech stock SoFi Technologies (SOFI +1.55%) has been a popular choice, especially among retail investors. Over the past year, the stock has served investors well, delivering gains of over 37%. However, SoFi continues to trade at a fairly rich valuation. Although it’s come down some from previous highs, the stock recently traded at close to 34 times forward earnings and nearly 10 times forward sales. While SoFi may continue to perform well, it isn’t the…

The Pudgy Penguins [PENGU] NFT sales have fallen in volume over the past week. According to NFT price floor data, the number of sales fell by just over 28% in a week, while the NFT’s price floor remained at 4.20 Ethereum [ETH]. This floor has hovered around 4-4.5 ETH in February so far. Meanwhile, over the last 24 hours, the platform’s utility token, PENGU, rallied by 10.06%. After posting a low of $0.0061 on Thursday, 12 February, PENGU climbed by 13.19% on the charts. At the time of writing, it was trading at $0.0069. Its recent momentum might not lead…

Solar-powered gadgets have moved beyond novelty status and into everyday practicality by 2026. Improvements in panel efficiency, battery management, and compact design now allow these devices to work reliably in urban homes, apartments, and outdoor settings. From charging phones to powering lights and sensors, solar tech fits naturally into modern routines.Eco-friendly tech in 2026 reflects changing consumer priorities around energy independence and sustainability. Falling panel costs and smarter electronics make solar gadgets easier to adopt without technical knowledge. As sustainable technology matures, these tools prove that clean energy can be both convenient and effective.Solar-Powered Gadgets: Top Practical Devices in 2026Solar-powered…

The euro steadied near its lowest in a month on Wednesday, nursing steep losses this week as investors counted the cost of the U.S.-EU trade pact. Olena Malik | Moment | Getty ImagesThe European Central Bank unveiled plans on Saturday to widen ⁠access to its euro liquidity backstop, making it globally available and permanent in a bid to bolster the international role of ​the single currency.Access to ​such repo lines, a crucial ​source of funding during times of market stress, has been limited to just a handful of mostly Eastern European countries but ECB President Christine Lagarde has long seen…

Despite the common advice to start a budget, many people find it difficult to stick to a budget or feel like budgeting just doesn’t work for them. Rich & REGULAR, a popular money podcast by Kiersten and Julian Saunders, recently shared a fresh perspective on why most budgeting advice falls short.For You: 6 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000Learn More: 8 Frugal Habits Americans Are Ridiculed for — and Why You Shouldn’t CareLet’s explore why most budgeting advice doesn’t work and how a more flexible, realistic approach can help you take control of your finances and actually…

Key Takeaways After last week’s “broad and largely indiscriminate” software sell-off, some stocks within the industry are trading at a more than 50% discount to their fair value, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note on Wednesday.Analyst say uncertainty about the future of the industry could continue to be a headwind for stocks without more evidence of AI-driven productivity gains or revenue growth. Software stocks may be down, but they’re not out, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. Shares of software companies have been hammered this year by concerns that AI will upend the industry. The iShares Expanded Tech-software Sector…

RALEIGH – North Carolina’s technology economy isn’t just holding strong — it’s setting the pace. The North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH)’s newly released 2026 State of the Technology Industry Report (commonly known as NC STIR) highlights a sector that continues to expand its footprint, deepen its impact, and outperform much of the country across key economic metrics. “The combination of investment, research, and an increasingly diverse workforce has created a foundation for long-term competitiveness in North Carolina.” — Ted Abernathy, Managing Partner, Economic Leadership LLC Women lead, jobs multiply The report confirms what many in North Carolina’s innovation community…

PHOTO PROVIDED The Pennsylvania College of Technology team responsible for designing and manufacturing plastic frames to hold Siemens human machine interfaces display their creations in the college’s automation and robotics lab. From left, Jason A. Yorks, maintenance mechanic/millwright specialist; Bryan Schaefer, instructor of CNC machining & automation; Randall L. Moser, assistant professor of electronics & computer engineering technology; and Luke J. Davies, assistant professor of CNC machining & automation. The 3D-printed frames, in the shape of a rectangular trapezoid, position the HMIs at a 45-degree angle and feature Penn College branding. WILLIAMSPORT — A creative collaboration between Pennsylvania College of…

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors.Want unlimited access to top ideas and insights? Subscribe Now Editor’s note: This article is the first installment of a multi-part series based on in-depth research from Digital Insurance on technology and business-related predictions for the insurance industry. Processing ContentA new research report from Digital Insurance highlights:Macroeconomic trends in the industryPredictions for different coverage areas for insuranceRisk landscape for carriersDigital Insurance surveyed agents and brokers (33%), insurance carriers (59%), reinsurers (2%), adjusters (5%) and other insurance professionals (1%) from October through December 2025 to gather their predictions concerning the…

Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.Bitcoin (BTC +4.61%) and XRP (XRP +4.50%) are both getting hit hard right now, and the mood among crypto investors is the ugliest it’s been in years. Now, Bitcoin is down 22% over the last 30 days, and XRP is down 32% over the same period. If you have a long-term investing horizon, not to mention plenty of guts, this kind of sharp drawdown can be a gift. Of course, it’s also quite possible that investing in these coins right now will extract a hefty and painful tuition for a lesson about the…

Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows Phone all the way back in 2017, a move that CEO Satya Nadella came to regret years later. Even though some enthusiasts are trying to keep their aging Windows Phone devices alive, the project is dead at Microsoft, and there’s no official consumer-friendly route to put desktop-class Windows OS on a phone either. Nex Computer is attempting just that by offering Android, Linux, and Windows 11 on a phone, which is now up for pre-orders as the NexPhone. When you put Windows on a smartphone, which seems to…

Key Takeaways Indexing is a statistical measure for tracking economic data, like inflation and GDP growth.Indexes serve as benchmarks for assessing the performance of fund managers and portfolios.Passive investment strategies often use indexing to track market index returns, offering diversification and lower costs.Popular indexes include the S&P 500 and Dow Jones, which help track market and economic performance.Index funds generally have lower management fees and are more tax-efficient than actively managed funds. What Is Indexing? Indexing is the practice of compiling economic or financial market data into a single metric or comparing data to such a metric. In economics, indexes…

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking: Where will all of that energy come from? AI is the…