Tech
Cheap(ish) college tech you need for dorm living
Well, it’s August. It’s like if Smonday were a month, and worse, it’s the time for the dark void that is college shopping. Everyone will tell you to buy different things, and you will buy these overpriced things and throw a third of them away.
Because you can’t afford to do that, we’ve put together a list of things you might actually use this year. They’ll keep your devices charged, they’ll keep you comfortable, fit, or fed; they’ll make your roommate like you and, best of all, they might make it look like you’ve got your life in order.
For plugging in
Image: iclever, powercube, smartsockets
There are always more gadgets to plug in, so you definitely need a multi-outlet device of some sort. For USBs, try out the iClever BoostCube, $10.99, which is a little bulky but works well. There’s also a thousand different regular outlet strips, so why not make them colorful? You’ve got the Green Powercube, $12.44, the somehow more expensive Blue PowerCube, $14.40 and SmartSockets Premium Surge Protection Power Strip, $19.99.
For chilling out
Image: honeywell
A consistently awful thing about the first few weeks of school, no matter where you are, is that it’s always about a thousand degrees. And for often very silly reasons, many dorms still doesn’t have air conditioning, so you’ve got to go out and buy a cheap but effective little fan….
Myanmar
Digital Revolution and Repression in Myanmar and Thailand
Activists have also proactively published social media content in multiple languages using the hashtags #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar and #WhatsHappeningInThailand to boost coverage of events on the ground.
By Karen Lee
Following the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s netizens became the latest to join the #MilkTeaAlliance, an online collective of pro-democracy youth across Asia.
(more…)
– The rise has been driven by OPEC+ production cuts and an improving economic climate
– Higher prices are likely to support a rebound in oil-producing emerging markets
– Further virus outbreaks or increased production would pose challenges to price stability
A combination of continued production cuts and an increase in economic activity has prompted oil prices to return to pre-pandemic levels – a factor that will be crucial to the recovery of major oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Brent crude prices rose above $60 a barrel in early February, the first time they had exceeded pre-Covid-19 values. They have since continued to rise, going above $66 a barrel on February 24.
The ongoing increase in oil prices, which have soared by 75% since November and around 26% since the beginning of the year, marks a dramatic change from last year.
Following the closure of many national borders and the implementation of travel-related restrictions to stop the spread of the virus, demand for oil slumped globally.
In the wake of the Saudi-Russia price war in early 2020, Brent crude prices fell from around $60 a barrel in February that year to two-decade lows of $20 a barrel in late April, as supply increased and demand plummeted. The value of WTI crude – the main benchmark for oil in the US – fell to record lows of around $40 a barrel last year on the back of a lack of storage space.
While global demand for oil remains low, one factor credited with reversing the trend is the decision to make significant cuts to oil production, which subsequently tightened global supplies.
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