For decades, mankind has feared the day technology becomes cleverer than us. Now it’s here, and we were too busy trying to sync our Sonos to notice. Welcome to The Big Techover...
![The Robot Wars](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/12629/333669/5c78ddab549f8/Robotics-Artificial-Intelligence-Digitization-Virtual-Reality.jpg)
Every morning for the past few weeks, I have woken up sweating. I’ve woken up sweating because the radiator next to my bed has been on for an hour, turning the room into a kind of DIY Bikram-yoga studio.
The reason I have carried on waking up sweating is that I am too scared to go near and upset the balance of our app-controlled heating system, which is more sensitive than the proverbial snowflake. I can’t work out how to change it without plunging the whole flat into microclimatic chaos. What if I somehow offend the app? What if the app turns against us?
At first we loved the app. We felt so powerful. “THIS IS THE FUTURE,” we squealed all winter, whacking the thermostat up from the comfort of the pub. But now, months later, the app has the power and I have to sleep with one leg out of the duvet. “This is the future,” we whimper, chugging water as soon as the alarm goes off. “This is how we must live now.”
You live like this as well, right? You have a fitness tracker under the bed, banished, because you can’t get it to sync with your other devices. A smoke alarm that lives in the freezer because it won’t stop bleeping. You’ve had meetings on the floor of a work corridor because nobody can unlock the flashy “agile” meeting room. You’ve held up a queue at a ticket barrier because you’re determined to pay with your Apple Watch. Right? Right.
“Why don’t you just call the helpline?” an alien or an idiot might ask. But the helpline is automated too, and our account number is in an old inbox we’re now locked out of. I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but is… is this how the apocalypse starts?
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Career Moves You Have To Make
What does it really take to get to the top of your game? We asked seven key power players... and this was their advice
![The Woman Who Helps The Mega-Rich Get Clean](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/221065/5911a20a73907/crp_Anxiety-Depression-Addictions-Detox-Drugs.jpg)
The Woman Who Helps The Mega-Rich Get Clean
Vodka disguised in a bottle of mouthwash, hard drugs stashed in the toes of £600 shoes and boutique fitness addicts killing themselves to get lean… all in a day’s work for an at-home ‘sober nurse’. Cosmopolitan steps inside her world.
![The Great Career Switch](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/171555/57984c9f746a1_13/Victoria-Pendleton.jpg)
The Great Career Switch
Imagine this: you’re at the top of your game – winning gold medals, bagging an MBE, one of the most successful British female athletes of all time. Then you switch careers and start from scratch. Victoria Pendleton doesn’t have to imagine. She did just that…
![Face to Face With My Rapist](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/176747/57a2420a1a08c_1/Face-to-Face-With-My-Rapist.jpg)
Face to Face With My Rapist
She was stalked, emotionally abused and raped. Yet Emma Riggs, 32, took back control by confronting her attacker head-on.
![La Do Ice Rita](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/176747/57a8ae88e38e3/Rita-Ora.jpg)
La Do Ice Rita
TV presenter, Oscar nominee, number one artist, actress, tabloid fodder… how does Rita Ora fit it all in?
![Stop Being An Askhole!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/150302/56f4551d3eb19/Stop-Being-An-Askhole.jpg)
Stop Being An Askhole!
Always asking for advice on an unhappy situation? It’s time to do something, says Jameela Jamil.
![The Rise of the Mean Girl Mafia](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/150302/56f58072f3832/The-Rise-of-the-Mean-Girl-Mafia.jpg)
The Rise of the Mean Girl Mafia
Public shaming and social humiliation…the way some women now fight online is actually more painful than the punches thrown by men (and there’s science to prove it). Here’s how to arm yourself…
![The Health Blogger Who Duped Us All](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/150302/56f596241cd08/The-Health-Blogger-Who-Duped-Us-All.jpg)
The Health Blogger Who Duped Us All
Our social feeds are drip-fed with their images, advice and motivational mantras. But are these seemingly warm-hearted, hard-bodied wellness superstars really selling us a load of dangerous health juju in the name of cold, hard business? Cosmopolitan investigates.
![How Good (Or Bad) Is Exercise For Your Skin?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/150302/56f599d402899/How-Good-Or-Bad-Is-Exercise-For-Your-Skin.jpg)
How Good (Or Bad) Is Exercise For Your Skin?
For every girl extolling the skin-clearing, face-toning, stress-busting joys of a jog, there’s a cynic citing pore-clogging sweat. So how good – or bad – is exercise for your skin? We get to the (perky) bottom of the issue…
![Jessica Alba Explains Exactly How She Made $1Billion](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12629/152205/56f9ae270ac01/Jessica-Alba.jpg)
Jessica Alba Explains Exactly How She Made $1Billion
Sure, Jessica Alba could have hung out in Hollywood, made a decent living as an A-list actress and be done with it. Instead she decided to start what’s now a billion dollar retail business. But how did she do it? Good news – she told us.