Things To Do In SW Florida

By SARAH PARVINI, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — So much of the technology showcased at CES includes gadgets made to improve consumers’ lives — whether by leveraging AI to make devices that help people become more efficient, by creating companions to cure loneliness or by providing tools that help people with mental and physical health.

But not all innovation is good, according to a panel of self-described dystopia experts that has judged some products as “Worst in Show.” The award that no company wants to win calls out the “least repairable, least private, and least sustainable products on display.”

“We’re seeing more and more of these things that have basically surveillance technology built into them, and it enables some cool things,” Liz Chamberlain, director of sustainability at the e-commerce site iFixit told The Associated Press. “But it also means that now we’ve got microphones and cameras in our washing machines, refrigerators and that really is an industry-wide problem.” read more

While lauding a new partnership among Florida universities and Kennedy Space Center, Gov. Ron DeSantis shoehorned in a pitch to have NASA headquarters leave the nation’s capital in favor of the Sunshine State.

“There is an interest in moving the headquarters of NASA right here to Kennedy Space Center and I’m supportive of that,” DeSantis said noting he had discussed it with KSC Director Janet Petro ahead of a ceremony held at the space center Wednesday.

“They have this massive building in Washington, D.C., and like nobody goes to it, so why not just shutter it and move everybody down here? I think they’re planning on spending like a half a billion to build a new building up in D.C. that no one will ever go to either,” he said. “So hopefully, with the new administration coming in, they’ll see a great opportunity to just headquarter NASA here on the Space Coast of Florida. I think that’d be very, very fitting.”

UCF, UF and Embry-Riddle solidify NASA partnership with Kennedy Space Center read more

Statistics show that there has been a significant increase in the level of outstanding consumer credit card balances. For a significant segment of consumers, costs for groceries, utilities, cars and other consumer products have increased more than sources of income.

As a result, credit scores have been dropping, and real estate agents have been suggesting individuals looking to purchase a home try ways to increase their credit scores before they apply for a mortgage.

The credit-scoring firm FICO, has indicated that although the proportion of borrowers deemed “risky” has fallen, the segment of borrowers categorized as “nonprime” has grown dramatically. This has resulted in an increase in defaults associated with credit card payments and car payments in 2024.

In October 2023, according to FICO, for the first time in a decade, the average FICO score decreased by one point. In April 2024, nonprime borrowers spent 13% more than their credit card lines than when COVID-19 was raging; they also fell behind on credit card payments by 28%. read more

By PAUL WISEMAN

U.S. longshoremen reached a contract agreement with ports and shippers Wednesday, averting a potential strike that could have damaged the American economy.

By JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Service Employees International Union is returning to the AFL-CIO after 20 years, betting that a united labor movement will do more to help workers overcome legal challenges to organize and join unions.