What's New

It’s impossible to write a review of any smart thermostat without addressing the elephant in the room—the Nest thermostat. As WIRED’s David Pierce has said, the Nest has been the gateway to smart thermostat ownership for millions. It was my family's first smart thermostat. When the Nest first came out, we installed it, downloaded the app, and rubbed our hands together gleefully. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The San Francisco company Mafia Bags has been making beautiful and functional bags out of recycled materials for years. The brand's trademark medium is sailcloth, the remnants of spent boating sails and kites that would otherwise end up in the trash. Last month, Mafia teamed up with Adam Savage to make the EDC One, an all-white sailcloth utility bag. Now, the company has teamed with noted designer Yves Béhar to make a backpack called the Deep Blue Bag. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

‘Tis the season to pause and take stock. Have you been nice to the cars in your life? The automotive suppliers? The Uber drivers? How about the family? If you’ve got some making up to do, Jack Stewart has you covered, with seven last-minute gift ideas for the auto lover in your life. Speaking of folks who probably owe some sorrys: Uber capped off its year of suck with the release of a potentially key piece of evidence in its ongoing lawsuit with Waymo. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Yes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters and that’s all you really need to know. Well, that and the fact that it made a lot of money and has been surprisingly divisive amongst fans. (Maybe.) Now you're all caught up. Let’s just get on with things, shall we? The Source: The cinemas around the world Probability of Accuracy: Entirely on point. The Real Deal: Turns out, a lot of people wanted to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

You have to be a hardcore avgeek to enjoy flying these days. People shuffling from one line to the next, shoes off, laptops out, passports checked, power failures, where’s the bar? But airlines, airport operators, and security staff, are turning to tech to ease the pain. Here are some of the latest airport innovations to look out for. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

All Michael Tucker wanted was to learn how to be a better writer. Film school had given him a solid background in film theory and plenty of directing experience, but when he moved to Los Angeles a couple of years after graduation, Tucker decided his weakest asset was his screenwriting. "If I want to be serious and get to the next level," he told himself, "I need to have a script that is good. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

I love the smell of neoprene in the morning, and that’s not just an Apocalypse Now reference. It’s the truth. If you've ever surfed, the smells of neoprene, wax, and salt water all have powerful memories attached to them. It’s just too bad that neoprene, as a material, is terrible for the environment. It’s made from petrochemicals in a process that is extremely energy-intensive, and it doesn’t ever break down. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The scale of the future does not have numbers or dials. It does not tweet out your body fat percentage, nor does it calculate how much water you're currently retaining. The scale of the future will not scream at you when you’ve come home after a long night of drinking and ordered an entire pizza, fully loaded, to eat by yourself. It knows when you’ve done this, of course. It just doesn’t tell you. The scale of the future won't even tell you how much you weigh. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Another December, another massive opening for a Star Wars movie—this time to the tune of $450 million worldwide. That alone isn't really surprising; Star Wars fans tend to be the See It Opening Weekend type. What is surprising, though, is how divisive the film turned out to be. (Star Wars fans also tend to be the Argue About Changes to Their Fave Franchise type, too, apparently. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Whether you loved it or hated it (most people liked it), everyone can agree there's a lot to unpack in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It's 2 hours and 35 minutes of drama, space fights, switched sides, and creatures—at least one of which Mark Hamill drinks from. That's kind of a lot. But don't say Rian Johnson never gave you anything. And really, fans should expect nothing less from him. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices