What's New

If you know the company Square, it's probably because you've paid in a store using a Square “stand,” a dock that supports a tablet, or you've swiped your card through Square Reader, a smartphone dongle that processes payments. These products have a simplistic, decidedly Apple-y aesthetic, from the simple dongle to the all-white stand that typically houses an iPad. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The great tragedy of the Concept Coupe was that it was never meant to be built. Drawing on the style of the vintage P1800 with a helping of American muscle—healthy haunches, slim windows—the two-door won much praise when Volvo brought it to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was lovely, but no more than a showcase. Fans would have to settle for seeing elements of the design feed into Volvo products like the XC90 SUV and S90 sedan. Then the car world shifted. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's pretty easy to guess how it works: the pointy end goes in the meat and it connects via Bluetooth with an app on your phone. What's pleasantly surprising is that there's a second temperature sensor at the exposed end that tells you the air temperature just outside of whatever you're cooking. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

On my first attempt at a corner kick in decades, the soccer ball peels up and away, well behind the goal and clear over the fence surrounding Stanton Field, the practice pitch at Santa Clara University. "Not bad," says Brandi Chastain, generously. "You've got good bend, now we just have to make sure we get you in the right direction. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Finding the perfect summer travel shoe can be an overwhelming task. No one wants to tote around a suitcase full of sneakers and sandals, but it's hard to have fun on vacation with blisters or a limp. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

I stand in front of a lanky two-legged robot stomping along a treadmill. I watch, all impressed, until the researcher next to me tells me to trip it. The thing looks expensive, so I hesitate. Really, he tells me, it’s OK. And he probably knows better than I do, so I drag my boot along its shin like a good soccer trip. The robot stammers, yet recovers. And then again, and again. No matter how much I pester it, the thing just keeps stomping. I keep feeling guilty. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The self-driving robots are coming to transform your job. Kind of. Also, very slowly. That’s the not-quite-exclamatory upshot of a new report from the Washington, DC-based Securing America’s Future Energy. The group advocates for a countrywide pivot away from oil dependency, one it hopes will be aided by the speedy adoption of electric, self-driving vehicles. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Say there’s a fire. A fire caused by a car crash, inside a 2.5-mile tunnel under a major American city. It’s a terrifying idea, but if you want that kind of problem to ignite anywhere, it’s in the stretch of State Route 99 that, later this year, will start whisking traffic underneath downtown Seattle. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dog owners will go to crazy lengths to make sure that their fur-babies are entertained during the long, boring workday. I’ve frozen wet dog food in red rubber Kongs, or stuffed them full of peanut butter. I’ve hired dog walkers and pet sitters. I’ve turned on DogTV on my Roku. But my dogs were bred to herd cattle or sheep all day, and they still get bored. It’s not like they can read a magazine. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

"People were in dire straights. They were desperate," says Ryan Jensen of the Central Valley's Community Water Center. "Elderly people or people battling chronic illnesses that need water to be able to deal with their health issues had no access to it. There was just absolute desperation." In total, the wells at 300 properties had failed. So a local nonprofit distributed 275-gallon tanks and officials trucked in water. That didn't cut it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices