Libraries Draw in Young People

By Nick Mokey Published December 30, 2007

Libraries Draw in Young People

Even in an age of widely available Wi-Fi, ultracompact laptops, and constantly plummeting tech prices, it appears that libraries continue to be a major source of information for young Americans. A new survey by the the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed that Generation Y, Americans aged 18 to 30, are actually the biggest users of libraries, despite popular conceptions of young people shirking libraries for the Internet.

The study attempted to find exactly where people turn with problems and questions, and ended up revealing that 40 percent of Gen Yers choose the library. Of Americans 30 and older, only 20 percent would use library resources to solve a problem, making Gen Yers twice as likely to use them.

Conventional wisdom suggested that Generation Y would show less interest in what could be seen as a relic of the pre-Internet age, leaving researchers caught off guard by their own findings. “Generation Y going to the library… is so counterintuitive to our cultural notion or expectation of this age group," Lee Rainie, one of the study’s authors, told TechNewsWorld. “Especially considering all the gadgets they have and their expectation of Internet access.”

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Smart Home

Google Assistant is now used by half a billion people around the world

google-assistant-ces-2020

This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.
The popularity of smart assistants continues to grow and Google announced a major milestone: More than 500 million people use Google Assistant on a daily basis. Google also announced several new features that will make the Assistant even more powerful and functional in the year to come.
The first major announcement is a feature Google is calling Scheduled Actions. With this feature, users can ask Google to perform a task at a specific time. For example, someone could say, “Hey, Google, turn on the front porch light at 6 p.m.” Google also added more device access within the Home app with up to 20 new entries including air conditioning units and air purifiers.
Another new feature is called Household Notes. This feature is limited to smart displays and allows users to leave digital sticky notes on the screen as reminders to yourself or to anyone else in the home. If you fed the dog, you can leave a note for your spouse letting them know. It’s as simple as saying, “Hey, Google, leave a note that says I fed the dog.”
A third feature is the speed dial feature. The name is self-explanatory. Household contacts can be reached just by asking Google to call them or by selecting their name on the smart display’s contact list.
Google aims to make interacting with Google Assistant a better experience, and one of the ways the company has done this is by improving the way Google Assistants sounds. As a result, Google launched a new feature for reading long-form content in a more natural way. Users will be able to use the feature by saying, “Hey, Google, read this page” or “Hey, Google, read it.” Not only does this feature have applications for productivity, but it also allows Google Assistant to be used in more ways by those with vision impairment.
Finally, Google improved its security features to make them more accessible to users. Users can ask Google to delete everything they said to it this week and how Google keeps information private. Now, however, Google announced two new security features. They can say, “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you,” which causes the system to forget what it heard in case of unintended activation. Users can also ask “Hey, Google, are you saving my audio data?” to learn more about privacy controls and go straight to the settings screen to change privacy settings.
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Smart Home

Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit and Blinds Collection join the Matter lineup

The Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit being installed.

Eve is a prominent name in the smart home world, with the company responsible for a variety of devices covering everything from smart plugs and security cameras to smart light switches and motion sensors. Its catalog is growing even more enticing today, with the Eve Blinds Collection and MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit gaining Matter support.

The MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit will likely appeal to more customers, as it costs just $200 and works with most existing setups. Installation is as simple as removing your shades, placing the MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit through the roller rod, then reinstalling the unit on your windows. Blinds with a roller between 1.5 inches and 2.0 inches are compatible with the upgrade kit.

Smart Home

Philips Hue lights have a rare discount, but there’s a catch

A TV with ambient backlighting from Philips Hue.

One of the cool things about Philips Hue lighting is how much freedom it gives you over creating the perfect ambiance in your home. One of the cool things about buying Philips Hue products over at Best Buy right now is how much freedom Best Buy is giving you over what you buy to save money. Right now, when you buy two or more select Philips Hue smart lighting product in Best Buy's offer builder, you can save 15%. Tap the button below to start building your own bundle and see all of the products available. While they don't include the best smart light bulbs that Philips produces, you'll be amazed by the versatility of the lightstrips. Or keep reading for an overview of some of the top picks from the bundle.

What you should purchase from the Philips Hue offer builder
The place to start with this deal is the and the if you don't already have them. These are the devices that take your movies, music, and games and syncs them to your lights.