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Every day you probably ask yourself an endless set of questions—What am I doing with my life? How do they get Wi-Fi on planes? Am I paying too much for car insurance? Why is my smartphone always dying at the worst possible moments? To answer the call of your most pressing queries and trickiest tech koans, the GEICO Gecko stepped in as an official WIRED Insider for the Green Guru series.

He helped clear up any confusion about the difference between analog and digital TV signals, which might’ve been clouding your brain. Gave a simple lowdown on how and why WiFi works on planes (the answer might surprise you) and even explained why rechargeable batteries weaken over time. He also put an end to the debate on whether or not the volume goes up during commercials.

Your ears aren’t playing tricks on you: Many ads actually do sound louder, but the volume of your TV set hasn’t changed and stations don’t turn up the sound during commercial breaks. So then why are you reaching for the remote---or covering your ears---during a promo for a blowout sales event?

The FCC is trying to soothe your ears with something called the CALM Act, which passed in 2010. It requires commercials to match the average volume of the shows during which they’re playing. The FCC also sets a legal limit to how loud shows can get, but there’s a catch. Shows mix loud and soft parts: One character whispers, while another one shouts.

IVY honored innovators in Tech at Wednesday’s #IVYInnovatorAwards, presented by Cadillac and hosted by Justin Kan, Partner at Y-Combinator and Co-founder of Twitch.tv and Justin.tv. The 2015 winner was Jessica Richman, Founder of uBiome, for her inventive startup that uses big data and citizen science to understand the human micro biome. Runners up included Shradha Agarwal (Co-founder of ContextMedia), Amar Bakshi (Creator of global art initiative “Portals”), Moawia Eldeeb (Co-founder of SmartSpot), Timothy Hwang (Founder of FiscalNote), and Arshya Vahabzadeh (Director of Digital Health for Brain Power).

The #IVYInnovator Dinner, presented by Cadillac, ignites leading minds in tech, film, and design. Last night’s event was co-hosted by Tracey Chou, Pinterest Engineer, and IVY co-founder, Philipp Triebel. Guests included Periscope’s software engineer, Sara Haider and Chime’s VP of Marketing, Shane Steele. The dinner was the 6th in a national series, supporting the IVY Innovator Awards presented by Cadillac with additional support by Shinola and WIRED.

Out of the box, your phone lasted a full day on a charge. Now you’re lucky if it makes it to lunch. Why is it draining much faster than it did before?

Many gadgets are powered by a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. With these batteries, the simple answer is age. The number of charge cycles and heat exposure can speed up deterioration.

Inside the battery, lithium ions move from a positive electrode to a negative electrode during charging. When you’re using the battery, they reverse flow from the negative electrode to the positive. But the more you charge, the more the process starts to erode. Like high-tech cholesterol, crystals build up within the battery, impeding the flow of ions.

Want your own Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush for your next adventure? Instagram an image of a destination from your bucket list with #getthefeeling and #philipssonicareSweepstakes in order to be entered for a chance to win one of five DiamondClean toothbrushes.    

“Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Sweepstakes”

(the “Promotion”)

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS PROMOTION.  

A purchase will not improve chances of winning.

CONSUMER DISCLOSURE

You have not yet won.

OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AS OF THE DATE OF ENTRY

By entering this Promotion, entrants accept and agree to be bound by these Official Rules.  Any violation of these rules may, at Sponsor’s discretion, result in disqualification.  All decisions of the judges regarding this Promotion are final and binding in all respects.

1.    PROMOTION PERIOD.  Promotion begins 8:00 AM ET Monday, September 28th, 2015 and ends 11:59 PM ET Tuesday, December 15th, 2015, when all entries must be received (“Promotion Period”).

2.    ELIGIBILITY.  This Promotion is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old as of the date of entry, except officers, directors, members, and employees of the Sponsor, the judging organization (if applicable), or any other party associated with the development or administration of this Promotion, and the immediate family (i.e., parents, children, siblings, spouse), and persons residing in the same household, as such individuals. This Promotion is void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited.

3.        HOW TO ENTER. Users will be invited to upload one (1) photo via Instagram that shows a destination they would like to visit and include the hashtag #getthefeeling and #philipssonicareSweepstakes (“Submission”).  Entrant represents and warrants that their Submission adheres to the fundamental spirit of the Promotion and does not contain any defamatory, obscene or otherwise unlawful matter or depict anyone engaged in any illegal, immoral or lewd act, any violent or pornographic material or contain any other inappropriate content  (as determined by Sponsor).  Limit: One entry per person and one entry per e-mail address during the Promotion Period. All entrant information, including e-mail addresses, is subject to the respective Privacy Policy of the applicable Sponsor.

4.        WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION.  Winner selection will be conducted by random drawing from all eligible entries on or about December 16th, 2015 (the “Drawing Date”). Any potential winner will be notified by mail, email and/or telephone.  If a potential winner: (i) cannot be contacted; (ii) does not respond within five (5) days from the date the Sponsor first tries to notify him/her; (iii) fails to return the Affidavit and Release as specified in Rule 9; (iv) refuses the prize; and/or (v) the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, such potential winner forfeits all rights to win the Promotion or receive the prize, and an alternate potential winner may be selected.  Upon contacting a potential winner and determining that he/she has met all eligibility requirements of the Promotion, including without limitation the execution of required waivers, publicity and liability releases and disclaimers, and, at Sponsor’s discretion, successful completion of a background check, such individual will be declared the “winner” of the Promotion.

5.        PRIZE DESCRIPTION.  There will be five (5) winners.  The prize is one (1) $220 Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush.

6.    TAXES.  All federal, state and/or local income and other taxes, if any, are the winner’s sole responsibility.

7.    ODDS OF WINNING.  The odds of winning this Promotion depend on the number of eligible entries received.

8.    NO PRIZE TRANSFER OR SUBSTITUTION. No prize or any portion thereof is transferable or redeemable for cash. No substitutions for prize except by Sponsor, in which case a prize of equal or greater value will be substituted.

9.    CONSENT AND RELEASE.  By entering the Promotion, each entrant releases and discharges the Sponsor, judging organization (if applicable), and any other party associated with the development or administration of this Promotion, their parent, subsidiary, and affiliated entities, and each of their respective officers, directors, members, shareholders, employees, independent contractors, agents, representatives, successors and assigns (collectively, “Sponsor Entities”), from any and all liability whatsoever in connection with this Promotion, including without limitation legal claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages, demands or actions of any kind (including without limitation personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction or property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation, or portrayal in a false light) (collectively, “Claims”).  Except where prohibited: (i) entry into the Promotion constitutes the consent of the entrant, without further compensation, to use his/her name, likeness, biographical data, and contact information for editorial, advertising, marketing, publicity, and administrative purposes by the Sponsor and/or others authorized by the Sponsor; (ii) acceptance of a prize constitutes a release by any winner of the Sponsor Entities of any and all Claims in connection with the administration of this Promotion and the use, misuse, or possession of any prize; (iii) any potential winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility (including social security number) and a liability/publicity release; and (iv) if prize involves travel or activities, any potential winner and travel companion (if applicable) may be required to execute releases of the Sponsor from any and all liability with respect to participation in such travel/activities and/or use of the prize. Fully-executed affidavits and releases must be received by Sponsor within five (5) days from the date that Sponsor first tries to notify the potential winner. Sponsor may conduct a background check to confirm any potential winner’s eligibility and compliance with these rules.  By entering, you agree to cooperate reasonably with any such background check.   If the prize includes participation in any public event(s) or publicity, or if Sponsor Entities intend to publicize the winner in any way, and if a background check reveals that a potential winner has engaged in conduct that could damage the reputation or business of any Sponsor Entity, as determined by Sponsor in its discretion, the potential winner may be disqualified and the prize may be awarded to an alternate winner. If winner is deemed to be a minor under the jurisdiction of his/her residence, the prize will be awarded in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian who must execute the necessary affidavit and release and, if applicable, must accompany winner on the trip (no additional travel expenses will be awarded should a parent or legal guardian be required to accompany the winner on the trip).

10.  DISCLAIMERS.  (i) Sponsor not responsible for entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incorrect, garbled, or incompletely received, for any reason, including by reason of hardware, software, browser, or network failure, malfunction, congestion, or incompatibility at Sponsor’s servers or elsewhere.  In the event of a dispute, entries will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry.  “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet Access Provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institute) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.  (ii) Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or the operation of the web site or otherwise attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion.  Use of bots or other automated process to enter is prohibited and may result in disqualification at the sole discretion of Sponsor.  (iii) Sponsor further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Promotion if it is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure or technical failures of any sort.  (iv) Sponsor Entities are not responsible for errors in the administration or fulfillment of this Promotion, including without limitation mechanical, human, printing, distribution or production errors, and may cancel, terminate or modify this Promotion based upon such error at its sole discretion without liability.  In no event will Sponsor be responsible for awarding more than the number of prizes specified in these rules.  (v) In the event this Promotion is cancelled or terminated, pursuant to subparagraph (iii) or (iv), Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein.  (vi) SPONSOR ENTITIES MAKE NO WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, AS REGARDS THIS PROMOTION OR THE MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR ANY COMPONENT OF ANY PRIZE.  (vii) CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. (viii) The value(s) of the prize(s) set forth above represent Sponsor’s good faith determination of the approximate retail value(s) thereof; the actual fair market value(s) as ultimately determined by Sponsor are final and binding and cannot be challenged or appealed.  In the event the stated approximate retail value(s) of a prize is more than the actual fair market value of that prize, the difference will not be awarded in cash or otherwise.  No substitution or compensation will be given for any portion of the prize that is not used.

11.  APPLICABLE LAWS AND JURISDICTION.  This Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  Issues concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to any principles of conflict of laws.  All disputes arising out of or connected with this Promotion will be resolved individually, and without resort to class action, exclusively by a state or federal court located in New York, New York. Should there be a conflict between the laws of the State of New York and any other laws, the conflict will be resolved in favor of the laws of the State of New York.  To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.

12.  WINNER LIST.  WIRED will notify all (5) winners and work directly with them to ship their Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush to their desired address within (60) days of the drawing date.

The event industry has experienced a number of changes over the past several years, many of them stemming from new event technologies that help streamline the event marketing process from start to finish. However, the ups and downs that come with implementing any new technology into an important process may influence the sticking power of these new technologies. They also affect how event professionals use them in their work currently, as well as in the future.

Event Farm sat down with 12 industry experts in their new online series, The Future of Event Marketing, and asked them pressing questions to help determine what the future holds for the industry. The series explores event marketing hot topics like the most important event technologies, how offline events will influence a greater marketing strategy, the role of data in events, and more.

Photo via Kickstarter 

Toe shoes are nothing new. Chances are, you’ve seen at least a few runners passing you by in the funny-looking, lightweight footwear. Toe socks that are even stronger than shoes, on the other hand, are a unique addition to the market. FYF (or Free Your Feet) socks are a new product from Swiss Barefoot Company meant for use in pretty much any sport, and are currently making a killing on Kickstarter. 

The high-tech protective footwear is made primarily from a powerful fabric called Dyneema®, which, as the world’s strongest fiber, is 15 times tougher than steel, according to the FYF campaign page. Not only does Dyneema boast a high-tensile strength, but it’s also tear and abrasion resistant, lightweight, UV resistant, and hydrophobic. Wear the FYF socks in the water, and they’ll gain very little weight and dry quickly afterward. Stomp through the dirt on a hiking trip, and you can freshen them up with almost any cleaning liquid or the dry cleaning process to freshen them up. Sweat through a long run, and they’ll keep the heat away from your feet and help keep your dogs cool instead. And where Dyneema isn’t working its magic, other key features of these socks are stepping in. An elastic seam keeps them snug on your feet, while grip dots on the bottom give you that barefoot feeling while also helping you be slip-free.

During testing, Swiss Barefoot Company sent the socks out to all sorts of athletes to try out in myriad sports, from yoga to surfing to wall climbing; and according to the testimonials on the Kickstarter page, the FYFs did the trick.

But, because very few—if any—inventions are perfect, there is a downside: As tough as the FYF socks are, they’re actually not puncture resistant, meaning needle-like objects and structures (think sea urchins or actual needles) can penetrate through.

The socks are selling for as low as $50 per pair on Kickstarter right now, with an expected retail price of $80. The cost may seem outrageous when you take the “socks” title to heart, but think of them as running—or cross training, or water, or yoga, or hiking—shoes, and suddenly it’s a pretty good deal. And plenty of people clearly agree: With 16 days to go, the campaign has already raised more than $190,000 against its $10,000 goal, thanks to more than 2,000 backers. Something tells us pretty soon we’ll be seeing more FYFs than toe shoes along our running route. 

Marketing tactics across every country and industry are going digital. One interesting paradox still persists, though: as digital efforts become more popular and effective, marketers are more likely than ever to include live events and experiences on their list of most effective tactics, according to industry research. Another report shows that the same marketers also expect the impact of their events — and the long-term revenue they generate — to grow even more over the next couple of years. This is because new marketing and event technologies, which range from event check-in apps to RFID-powered activation stations, help to increase a brand’s return on their events. They work with and enhance these live experiences, rather than trying to digitally replace these important in-person engagements and coming up empty handed. 

With that said, it's clear that brands' live events and experiences are here to stay, and that the events industry is changing in some pretty big and exciting ways.

Photo via Today

Most of us associate Segways with clueless travelers on guided tours—but in reality, if they didn’t look so ridiculous, they’d actually be pretty handy. Enter: The best of both worlds, the WalkCar. Created by Japanese engineer Kuniako Saito, with his team at Cocoa Motors, this device is a cross between a Segway and a hoverboard, and it’s rather unassuming.

The flat, aluminum gadget resembles a closed laptop, and is about the size of one, too. The WalkCar, which is powered by lithium batteries, kicks into gear when you stand on it, and stops when you dismount, making it seemingly foolproof. And supposedly, the navigating is just as easy: It works similarly to a Segway, in that the futuristic vehicle changes direction in response to your shifting weight.

After three hours of charging, the WalkCar can travel up to 12 kilometers (7.4 miles), and top out at speeds of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) per hour. (You can get a preview of its capabilities on this video) It’s apparently strong enough for a person up to 265 pounds to ride it up hills, or even push someone else in a wheelchair while cruising instead of walking. And all of that power comes in a miniature package that weighs between two and three kilograms (4.4-6.6 pounds)—depending on whether it’s an indoor or outdoor model—and can be stowed in your backpack or computer bag once you arrive at your destination.

But don’t toss your bicycle just yet—these puppies won’t be available for a while. Cocoa Motors plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in the fall, during which people can reserve WalkCars for 100,000 Japanese Yen (about $800) apiece, with shipping starting in Spring 2016. Plenty of time to practice your navigational right and left leans on a Segway.

Photo via Indiegogo

These days, even the least technologically inclined among us seem to have at least one high-tech device attached to us at all times. We’re dependent on smartphones, GPS, and easily accessible music—so it’s no surprise that the Indiegogo campaign for the iBackPack reached its $50,000 goal in less than 24 hours (and is up to 332% of that goal after 6 days).

What looks like a simple black backpack at first glance is actually a portable mission control for all of your on-the-go tech needs, powered by two 8,000 mAH lithium polymer batteries. Four waterproof USB ports and a retractable power cord allow you to charge up to six completely drained iPads at a time—and whether you are, for some reason, carting around multiple iPads or a variety of devices, the bag has plenty of compartments to keep them safe (including a slot for a 15.6-inch laptop).

But this bag doesn’t just power up your gadgets; it helps you use them, too. Play your new Spotify playlist through the included (but also removable) Bluetooth sound system, or connect your computer to WiFi with the help of the built-in hotspot. The Austin, Texas-based creators even claim on the Indiegogo page that they’ve negotiated discounts with several major companies, like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, to get you 50% savings on your data access.

Of course, carrying around expensive gadgets like laptops and tablets puts you at risk for theft as is, which we imagine is only compounded when you’re carrying them in a backpack as loaded as this one. So, to be on the safe side, the creators also included a GPS system, complete with proximity alerts so you can quickly track it down (using the accompanying iOS or Android app). Plus, if you notice your bag is stolen, you can push a handy button that will initiate either a loud siren or an alarm that says, “Stop! Thief! This man stole my bag!” It’s not clear if you have to be in close proximity of the backpack for this entertaining and embarrassing anti-theft feature to work, though.

Jump on the iBackPack bag-wagon (see what we did there?) and grab the most basic model for a $149 Indiegogo contribution—a 40% discount from the expected retail price of $249.