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I don't want or need 99 percent of the stuff on display at CES don't get me wrong, most of what we're seeing this week is impressive in one way or another, but nothing had seemed like a necessary addition to my life until I happened upon the Copper Charlie, a battery-equipped induction range that plugs directly into a standard 120V outlet. Yes, among the robots, future cars, bionic exoskeletons and AI everything, the thing that's exited me most is a stove (OK, the fluffball robot is pretty great). Up until a few years ago, I had no idea natural gas cooktops were bad for your health, not to mention the environment. Unfortunately, if your home is set up on gas, it's not easy or cheap to switch up to electric. Nearly all full-sized induction stoves require a dedicated 240V outlet and if you don't have one where the stove goes, a call to a electrician is likely in your future. Charlie is a full-sized oven and range that packs a ceramic glass cooktop, a 4.5 cubic-foot oven and an integrated 5 kWh battery. That battery allows the stove to run off a standard plug by storing up a charge that can bump up the power output when it's time to cook (it can also cook three to five meals during a power outage). Amy Skorheim / Engadget In person, the range looks properly high-end with a large LCD display, wooden dials and handle, stainless steel finish and clean lines. It also has a high-end price tag at $6,000. It should qualify for a 30-percent tax credit as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, so it could end up costing around $4,200 instead. A rewiring job for a 240V outlet shouldn't run you more than $500 for the average house, though if you're dealing with an older home with tricky wiring, that price could go up. And if you're in an apartment, that may not be an option at all. Still, after rebates and deducting the cost of an outlet conversion, you're still paying around $3,500 for Charlie. That's cheaper than some induction ranges, more expensive than others but none of those models have a back-up battery that'll let you make mac and cheese when the power goes out. The Charlie from Copper is expected to ship in April of this year and is open for pre-orders. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/someone-please-buy-me-this-battery-powered-plug-in-induction-range-from-ces-160250464.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Meta is expanding Facebook Marketplace to include eBay listings. A test will launch in the US, France and Germany, allowing users to browse eBay offerings on Marketplace. Sellers on eBay can list products as usual and "as long as your account is in good standing, your listings could appear on any of these partners, including Facebook Marketplace, based on user interest, shopping trends, and listing quality," eBay states. The company will continue to handle all product inquiries and transactions. The decision by Meta comes as an attempt to placate the European Union, which fined the tech company 797.12 million ($821 million) last November. The European Commission charged Meta with violating antitrust regulations as "Meta tied its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and imposed unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers," Margrethe Vestager, then European Commission's executive vice-president in charge of competition policy, said at the time. "It did so to benefit its own service Facebook Marketplace, thereby giving it advantages that other online classified ads service providers could not match." Meta's decision to showcase eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace is far from an admission of guilt. "While we disagree with and continue to appeal the European Commissions decision on Facebook Marketplace, we are working quickly and constructively to build a solution which addresses the points raised," Meta stated in its announcement. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-test-will-bring-ebay-listings-to-facebook-marketplace-153958205.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
In 1897, Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik (now known as BASF), launched the first commercially viable synthetic indigo, dramatically disrupting a centuries-old natural dye industry centered around indigo plantations in India and the Americas. Within two decades, synthetic indigo had captured 90% of the global market, transforming how jeans and other blue textiles get their color. The shift was driven by the emerging petroleum industry and advances in organic chemistry, but it came with hidden costs. While synthetic indigo offers consistency and lower prices, it introduced dependencies on fossil fuels and toxic chemicals like aniline.Now, there's an affordable opportunity to switch back to natural. Premium denim brand Citizens of Humanity is partnering with French biotech firm Pili to introduce jeans colored with bacteria-produced indigo dye. The collaboration, launching with a Spring 2025 collection, reimagines one of fashion's most resource-intensive processes by replacing petroleum-based dyes with colors created through fermentation similar to brewing beer. Pili's innovation could slash carbon emissions by up to 50% compared to conventional denim dyeing while maintaining the rich, lasting blue that denim wearers expect.Pili's process feeds sugar to specially engineered microorganisms that produce pure indigo dye, eliminating the need for chemicals like aniline that endanger workers and waterways in traditional denim production. By integrating seamlessly with existing dyeing equipment, this alternative makes sustainability accessible without requiring significant changes to manufacturing processes. The move to bio-based indigo represents more than just a technical achievement it signals a broader transformation in how everyday products can evolve to lower their negative impact on planet and people.
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Marketing and Advertising
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