“In the future, your kitchen will think for itself”

The microwave, which was invented after World War II, revolutionized cooking by heating food in seconds. Now, experts say the kitchen is poised for yet another reinvention. The next wave will be fueled by smart appliances, voice technology and 3D printers. Whirlpool has already teased a concept for the smart kitchen. It includes touchscreens that populate recipes from Pinterest, a refrigerator that reminds you when you're low on milk and the ability to heat up a meal, such as a bowl of soup, by placing it anywhere on the counter, thanks to detection sensors. While we're still at least 10 to 15 years away from a fully connected kitchen, most of this technology already exists. The biggest challenge is getting devices made by different companies to communicate. It will be possible for your refrigerator to sync up with your Fitbit to make food suggestions based on your health goals. This data could also be shared with grocery stores to support automatic delivery or algorithms predicting you might like a new product. "We've seen technology reach into so many aspects of life," researchers have said. "Is it better or is it worse? Is it for convenience or is it taking away a moment of pleasure? That's entirely up to the individual."

In Other News The U.S. Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to fully enforce its revised ban on allowing entry to the United States by residents of eight countries while legal challenges are heard by a federal appeals court. Six of the countries — Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Chad and Somalia — are majority-Muslim nations. The other two are North Korea and Venezuela. The announcement that the high court sided with the administration, which had requested a lifting of lower courts' rulings preventing full enforcement of the travel ban, came in a terse order without explanation of its reasoning. NPR’s Book Concierge: Our Guide To 2017’s Great Reads http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2017/ Across The World, If You Eat For Your Health, You'll Help The Planet https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/04/568290624/across-the-world-if-you-eat-for-your-health-youll-help-the-planet