Car As Driver Five short years to launch a fully autonomous car? That's the promise Ford made this week in the leapfrog game of autonomous cars saying it will have a car—without pedals nor a steering wheel—on the road by 2021. But before you think you're getting your hands on one, the car maker said it plans to sell the vehicles, first, to ride-sharing companies. (Remember Ford is in an coalition to promote ride-sharing with Uber and Google.) The car will be released as part of Ford Smart Mobility. Could this happen? Possibly. But Ford has less than five years to go—and has to convince people to trust the technology as well.

NSA Secrets Epicbanana and Buzzdirection are not the names of a new boy band. Instead, they are just two of several hacking tools from the National Security Agency leaked online. The tools are the cream of the crop—and built by the NSA of course they are—with the ability to shatter the firewalls of not just countries but major countries. The NSA, not surprisingly, is mum. (Via The Washington Post)

Intel Does Drones Intel is launching a quadcopter called the Aero Ready to Fly. The drone runs on the company's Aero Compute Board, which is already available for pre-order on the company's site at $399. The drone though won't be available until the end of the year—and will likely be priced at a significantly higher price.

Intel Does VR Too Never one to play shy, Intel also pushed out a new VR headset at its Intel Developers Forum. Called Project Alloy, the headset is wireless (paying attention Oculus Rift and HTC Vive?) meaning you can watch untethered to any device. Tech Crunch says the demonstration appeared a bit buggy. But if Intel can crack build a powerful headset with complete range of motion—they will be a viable competitor in the virtual reality space. (Via TechCrunch)

Cool Down Eager to take the first step in buying a smart device for your home? A smart thermometer is often a good place to start—and we have a selection of four that should fit your budget and needs.