Publications

Switched

Should You Get an Extended Warranty?

/ Switched

 [Swtiched. Read Original]

Burning question: Should I pay extra for an extended warranty?

The short answer: No.

The much-longer answer: Probably not, though it depends on what you buy, what the plan covers, and how techie you are.

We do recommend warranties for theft-and-loss-prone handheld devices like cell phones, but it’s likely that your laptop, TV or cell phone won’t bite the dust in that narrow span of time between the end of the manufacturer’s coverage and the end of the extended warranty.… Read the rest

Popular Science

Getting Climate Science Right

/ Popular Science /

Denmark calls a global conference, and puts an American in charge

[Popular Science. Read Original]

Katherine Richardson is atypical. This American oceanographer is thriving at the University of Copenhagen, where she serves as Vice Dean of Science. In the genteel worlds of academia and northern Europe, she’s a straight-talker who doesn’t mince her words–uttered with a hearty Massachusetts accent.… Read the rest

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New York Times

Need a Tuneup? Become a Hacker

/ New York Times

[New York Times] Brawn beat brains in the old days of automobiles. To make cars faster, people bolted bigger air intakes, carburetors and exhaust pipes onto giant muscle car engines. Tuning adjustments were simple, requiring only screwdrivers and wrenches.

In the mid-1980’s, control of the engine slipped out of the average mechanic’s hands and into the so-called black boxes housing onboard computers.… Read the rest

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New York Times

Picking a Picture

/ New York Times

[New York Times] In the old days of digital television, a year or two ago, choices were simple. If the screen measured under 37 inches diagonally, it would be a liquid-crystal-display panel. From about 37 to 43 inches, it would probably be a plasma panel.… Read the rest

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