BEST BUY AND ALEXA

Best Buy opens its store on Amazon Alexa The big-box electronics retailer joins a growing list of sellers offering their products through voice shopping.  

Another major US retailer has decided to jump into voice shopping just before the holiday season. Best Buy said Friday it's now selling limited categories of its products through the Amazon Alexa smart assistant. Customers will be able to learn about and purchase the big-box retailer's Deal of the Day products. Also, for those shopping for a TV or laptop, Alexa will be able to ask customers a series of questions and recommend products based on their needs. For instance, with TVs, Alexa will ask in which room the device will be located and if a customer wants a smart TV. Best Buy is the latest major brick-and-mortar retailer to make its products available for voice shopping in the US, with both Walmart and Target joining in the trend last month . Other businesses like Domino's and Uber also offer their services through Alexa and Google Assistant. All these companies are starting to experiment with voice shopping in hopes of learning about the new sales channel and how their customers may use it. But, it doesn't appear most shoppers are yet using voice to buy stuff , according to a survey this week from IFTTT. While Walmart and Target decided to go with Google Assistant and avoid teaming up with a rival retailer like Amazon, Best Buy is taking a different tack by teaming up with both Google and Amazon. Best Buy last month integrated with the Google Assistant in Canada, letting users hear about sales, learn more about products and find their nearby stores. The retailer also opted to add displays for both Google Home and Amazon Echo smart speaker, which house their voice assistants, in 700 stores . To shop with Best Buy using your Amazon Echo or other Alexa-powered device, you'll need to enable the new Best Buy skill and then log into your Best Buy account through Alexa. Then say, "Alexa, talk to Best Buy," to get started. Best Buy spokeswoman Carly Charlson said her company is looking into adding more product categories to its Alexa skill in the future. "We're exploring, we're just getting started," she said. 'Alexa, be more human' : Inside Amazon's effort to make its voice assistant smarter, chattier and more like you. The Smartest Stuff : Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter.

DOLLAR GENERAL SPECIALS THIS WEEK

Buying Groceries on a Budget

Hope you are adjusting to the extra hour that we got by switching to Daylight Saving Time today. Last week, I suggested that you put extra healthy items in your baggy as you shop, so if the weather gets bad and you can’t get to store you will have something on hand. Another item that needs attention is the batteries in your smoke alarm and carbon dioxide alarm. It is recommend to change the batteries out every time we change the time forward and back. Winter is here and the stoves, heaters, fire places and etc will be cranking up to keep us warm. We want these alarms working to alert us. Always have a plan should an emergency arise.

 

Dollar General Sale Dates November 5 – November 11, 2017 

Dollar General Special 3 day Sale Dates November 9 – November 11, 2017

Regular Sale:

Post Cereals Assorted Varieties 11-14.5 oz 3/$6.00 Must buy 3 to get discount price

Carnation Evaporated Milk 12 oz $1.00; Sugar Domino Canister 4 lbs $3.00; Clover Valley Condensed Soups 10.5-10.75 oz or canned broth Regular .65-.75 now 2/$1.00; Hormel Corn Beef or Roast Beef Hash 15 oz 2/$4; Libby’s Canned Vegetables 14.5-15.25 BOGO FREE Save .80 Must buy 2 to get discount price

Smithfield Sausage Roll 16 oz $3.00; Smithfield Bacon 12 oz $3.95; Philadelphia cream cheese block 8 oz $1.65

Clover Valley Crackers Saltines, Golden Round or Vegetable round 10-16 oz $1.50; Ritz fresh stack original or whole wheat 11.6-11.8 oz $2.50; Imperial Mix Nuts Salted or Lightly Salted 8 oz $2.00

3 day Sale:

Cheese Nips Crackers 11 oz Regular $1.95 now $1.50; Nabisco Premium Crackers 16 oz Regular $2.60 now $2.00

MORE UPDATES ON THOSE SELF DRIVINNG CARS

Self-driving cars parked at Uber's ATG office in Pittsburgh

Uber's next generation of self-driving cars could be on the road as early as the end of this year. 

The second generation of its autonomous vehicles is being developed on Uber's test track, an Uber spokeswoman said.  

Uber's self-driving vehicles made their debut in Pittsburgh in 2016 and have been picking up passengers ever since. 

Current models require one or two vehicle operators, Uber Hardware Engineer Brian Zajac said.  An Uber employee sits in the driver's seat and is ready to take over the vehicle when the computer system tells the opertator it needs to go off self-driving mode. Another employee sits in the passenger seat monitoring a map that displays what the vehicle's sensors see in real-time, including bikers, pedestrians and other vehicles. Customers can see what the car "sees" through an iPad provided in the back seat. 

The next generation is a step closer to having no vehicle operators, Zajac said. 

"In the far future, there won't be any vehicle operator," Zajac said. "The car rolls up, there's no human inside at all, and the customer gets in and takes a ride. 

Some of the more immediate changes, which will be incorporated into the third generation of autonomous vehicles, are not easily visible. 

"From the outside, a lot looks the same, but under the hood, we've made a whole bunch of improvements," Zajac said. 

One of those improvements is a higher resolution set of cameras. 

"That extra resolution allows the sensors to see a little bit farther which allows the system to drive a little bit faster," Zajac said. 

The cameras will also have a better cleaning system for inclement weather. 

"It's been redesigned to handle heavier rain and to handle other types of contamination that gets on our cameras," Zajac said. 

The camera system will also have fewer parts to assemble, which would make it easier to mass produce in the future. 

Current models have limited trunk space that's shared with computer equipment. The new version will give passengers the full trunk space of the vehicle.

ANOTHER COOKING METHOD FOR THAT TURKEY

Never Fail Turkey 

2 'cup's butter, divided use 

1 turkey, thawed 

Salt, optional 

Special equipment: 

1 pillowcase (Newberry uses a white one with the seams cut or ripped out) 

Roasting pan 

Heat oven to 325 degrees. 

In a saucepan, melt half of the butter. 

Before removing packaging from turkey, measure the pillowcase round the turkey to make sure it will cover it and overlap just a little underneath. Depending on the size of the turkey and the pillowcase, you may have enough material to cover two turkeys. 

Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Place the pillowcase in the saucepan to saturate with the melted butter. 

Remove turkey from packaging. Remove giblets and gravy pack from inside the turkey and set them aside. Rinse turkey in cold water. [Editor's note: Food safety experts caution against rinsing poultry as this can spread harmful bacteria to the sink and other surfaces in the kitchen.] Pat turkey dry with paper towels. 

Place turkey in roasting pan, breast side up. Season with salt if desired. Place the remaining butter inside the cavity of the turkey. Wrap the butter-soaked pillowcase around the turkey, tucking the ends underneath. Bake 20 minutes per pound or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast and the thickest part of the inner thigh reaches 165 degrees. 

Let roasted turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the pillowcase and carving. 

IS IT BROKEN OR IS IT A SPRAIN

How do you know when a sprained ankle is actually a fracture, or when a stubbed toe is actually broken?  

Stubbed toes, jammed fingers, and bumped shins are the stuff of everyday life, but once in a while we end up with an injury that we think might need medical attention. How do you know when a sprained ankle is actually a fracture or when a stubbed toe is actually broken? First, it's important to understand what doctors mean when they talk about broken and fractured bones. Whenever the integrity of a bone is compromised, whether by a hairline crack or an all-out break, doctors call it a fracture, and the two terms can be used interchangeably. TEARS AS CONJOINED TWINS DIE DAY AFTER BIRTH If you're not sure whether or not you have a fracture, think back to when the injury happened. The most obvious and immediate sign of a break is a snapping or grinding noise. Bones are strong, and big bones can make noise when they break suddenly, but small fractures aren't as easy to recognize right off the bat. If you still aren't sure whether you have a fracture or not, here are three signs to look out for-pain, swelling, and deformity. Pain It seems obvious that fractures would cause more pain than other types of injury, but that's not always the case. Soft tissue can be injured too and can cause a great deal of pain. Sometimes people think that if it's too painful to use a part of your body or put weight on it, then you're dealing with a fracture, but that's not true either. Sprains can be severe enough to keep you from normal activities, and sometimes you can even walk on a leg that is broken. So pain is a great sign that you're injured, but it's not the best indicator that you've broken something.  However, if there's a part of your body that simply isn't functioning properly, regardless of your pain level, you should go to your doctor and make sure you aren't dealing with a fracture. Sprains and soft tissue injuries usually don't keep you from being able to perform simple tasks like opening and closing your hand or wiggling your toes. Swelling Severe swelling can also indicate that a bone is fractured. While sprains can swell too, fractures usually swell more dramatically and will be accompanied by significant bruising and tenderness around the injured area. Deformity If the area around the injury doesn't look normal-if, for example, a finger is bent in the wrong direction-you almost certainly have a fracture. In more extreme cases, you may actually see bone sticking out of the skin. Whenever bone is visible, you need to see a doctor immediately. This doesn't always mean calling an ambulance, but you should have someone drive you to the ER. What to Do if You Think You Might Have a Fracture If it's a hairline fracture, there may not be much a doctor can do other than give you instructions for the healing period, but it's always a good idea to be evaluated by a professional when you think a bone might be damaged. Broken bones can cause serious infections and/or permanent deformity if not treated properly. You can make an appointment with your regular doctor if the injury isn't obviously severe and if your pain is manageable. If you're worried you might have a more serious fracture, you can have someone drive you to the ER.  If no one is available to take you and you see deformity or see bone through the skin, you should call an ambulance, especially if the injury is to one of the long bones of the arms or legs. Injured fingers and toes should be evaluated for fractures, but injuries to those bones are usually less serious. If you're headed to the hospital with a serious injury, don't eat or drink anything on the way. You may need to be put under general anesthesia while your bone is realigned, and there are risks associated with using general anesthesia when you have a full stomach. And, of course, if you suspect an injury to your back or neck, you should always call 911 rather than trying to get to the ER yourself. Paramedics are trained to evaluate your injury and safely move you without causing further damage if they suspect an injury to your spinal cord. With proper treatment-usually realignment, immobilization, and rest-most fractures heal completely within 4-10 weeks.

SOME THINGS TO SMILE AT

Having A Blast
A 106-year-old cowboy in Texas recently passed away. He was asked on his last birthday earlier this year his secret to longevity and he said that for the past 50 years he has sprinkled a little gunpowder on his cereal each morning. He left behind 8 children, 21 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren, and a 15-foot hole in the crematorium.

First Things First

The minister asked, "Is there anyone in the congregation who wants a prayer said for their shortcomings?" "Yes," said a man in the front pew. "I am a spendthrift. I throw money around like it is growing on trees." "Very well," said the pastor. "We will join in prayer for our brother -- just as soon as the collection plate has been passed."

Daffynitions

Pasteurize:  Too far to see.
Mountain Range:  A cooking stove made especially for use at high altitudes.
Icicle:  An eavesdropper.
Intense:  Where Boy Scouts sleep.
Hunter:  What the man told his dog when he wanted to find his daughter.

Turnabout

Using a new painting program on my computer, I managed to come up with a very credible still life of fruit. I made a color printout and sent it to my daughter, a graphic designer. She called when it arrived. "Isn't it good?" I asked. She chuckled, and in a tone that echoed mine from years ago, replied, "Mom, it's beautiful. We put it on the refrigerator."

Summer's End

Determined to have one last, lazy day of fishing before summer's end, I purposely ignored the leaky faucet and the broken gate -- household projects that had awaited me all summer. When my wife asked, "What are you going to do today?" I grinned and answered, "It starts with F and ends with ISH." "Oh, good," she replied. "You're finally going to FinISH up those projects."

A 15 YEAR OLD REWRITES THE LORD'S PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord's Prayer

By a 15-year-old school kid

who got an A+ for this entry

The Lord's Prayer is not allowed in most

U.S. Public schools any more.

A kid in Minnesota, wrote the following

NEW School Prayer:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I sit me down in school

Where praying is against the rule

For this great nation under God

Finds mention of Him very odd.

If scripture now the class recites,

It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow

Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,

That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..

The law is specific, the law is precise.

Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall

Might offend someone with no faith at all..

In silence alone we must meditate,

God's name is prohibited by the State..

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,

And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...

They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.

To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,

And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.

It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,

We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong..

We can get our condoms and birth controls,

Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles...

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,

No word of God must reach this crowd..

It's scary here I must confess,

When chaos reigns the school's a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make:

Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen