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Stay Gold, America

We are at an unprecedented point in American history, and I'm concerned we may lose sight of the American Dream.Stay Gold, America

We are at an unprecedented point in American history, and I’m concerned we may lose sight of the American Dream:

  • The costs of housing, healthcare, and education have soared far beyond the pace of inflation and wage growth.
  • We are a democracy, but 144 million Americans – 42% of the adults who live here – do not vote and have no say in what happens.
  • Wealth concentration has reached historic levels. The top 1% of households control 32% of all wealth, while the bottom 50% only have 2.6%.

We must act now to keep the dream alive. Our family made eight $1 million donations to nonprofit groups working to support those most currently in need:

  • Team Rubicon – Mobilizing veterans to continue their service, leveraging their skills and experience to help Americans prepare, respond, and recover from natural disasters.
  • Children’s Hunger Fund – Provides resources to local churches in the United States and around the world to meet the needs of impoverished community members.
  • PEN America – Defends writers against censorship and abuse, supports writers in need of emergency assistance, and amplifies the writing of incarcerated prisoners. (One of my personal favorites; I’ve seen the power of writing transform our world many times.)
  • The Trevor Project – Working to change hearts, minds, and laws to support the lives of young adults seeking acceptance as fellow Americans.
  • NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund – Legal organization with a historic record of advancing racial justice and reducing inequality.
  • First Generation Investors Introduces high school students in low-income areas to the fundamentals of investing, providing them real money to invest, encouraging long-term wealth accumulation and financial literacy among underserved youth.
  • Global Refuge – Supporting migrants and refugees from around the globe, in partnership with community-based legal and social service providers nationwide, helping rebuild lives in America.
  • Planned Parenthood – Provides essential healthcare services and resources that help individuals and families lead healthier lives.

I encourage every American to contribute soon, however you can, to organizations you feel are effectively helping those most currently in need here in America.

We must also work toward deeper changes that will take decades to achieve. Over the next five years, my family pledges half our remaining wealth towards long term efforts ensuring that all Americans continue to have access to the American Dream.

Stay Gold, America

I never thought my family would be able to do this. My parents are of hardscrabble rural West Virginia and rural North Carolina origins. They barely managed to claw their way to the bottom of the middle class by the time they ended up in Virginia. Unfortunately, due to the demons passed on to them by their parents, my father was an alcoholic and my mother participated in the drinking. She ended up divorcing my father when I was 16 years old. It was only after the divorce that my parents were able to heal themselves, heal their only child, and stop the drinking, which was so destructive to our family. If the divorce hadn’t forced the issue, alcohol would have inevitably destroyed us all.

My parents may not have done everything right, but they both unconditionally loved me. They taught me how to fully, deeply receive love, and the profound joy of reflecting that love upon everyone around you.

I went on to attend public school in Chesterfield County, Virginia. In 1992 I graduated from the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson.

During college, I worked at Safeway as a part-time cashier, earning the federal minimum wage, scraping together whatever money I could through government Pell grants, scholarships, and other part-time work to pay my college tuition. Even with lower in-state tuition, it was rocky. Sometimes I could barely manage tuition payments. And that was in 1992, when tuition was only $3,000 per year. It is now $23,000 per year. College tuition at a state school increased by 8 times over the last 30 years. These huge cost increases for healthcare, education, and housing are not compatible with the American Dream.

Stay Gold, America

Programmers all over the world helped make an American Dream happen in 2008 when we built Stack Overflow, a Q&A website for programmers creating a shared Creative Commons knowledge base for the world. We did it democratically, because that’s the American way. We voted to rank questions and answers, and held elections for community moderators using ranked choice voting. We built a digital democracy – of the programmers, by the programmers, for the programmers. It worked.

With the guidance of my co-founder Joel Spolsky, I came to understand that the digital democracy of Stack Overflow was not enough. We must be brave enough to actively, openly share love with each other. That became the foundation for Discourse, a free, open source tool for constructive, empathetic community discussions that are also Creative Commons. We can disagree in those discussions because Discourse empowers communities to set boundaries the community agrees on, providing tools to democratically govern and strongly moderate by enforcing these boundaries. Digital democracy and empathy, for everyone.

In order for digital democracy to work, we need to see each other through our screens.

Stay Gold, America

We often behave online in ways we never would in the real world because we cannot see the person on the other side of the screen. But as our world becomes more digital, we must extend our kindness through that screen.

I’ve always felt Stack Overflow and Discourse are projects for the public good that happen to be corporations. I probably couldn’t have accomplished this in any other country, and I was rewarded handsomely for a combination of hard work and good luck. That’s what the American Dream promises us.

We built it, and people came. I earned millions of dollars. I thought that was the final part of the American Dream. But it wasn’t.

I recently attended a theater performance of The Outsiders at my son’s public high school. All I really knew was the famous “stay gold” line from the 1983 movie adaptation. But as I sat there in the audience among my neighbors, watching the complete story acted out in front of me by these teenagers, I slowly realized what staying gold actually meant: sharing the American Dream.

In the printed program, the director wrote:

This play is a reminder that strength lies not just in overcoming hardships but in staying true to ourselves and lifting up those around us.

We hope you feel the raw emotions, sense the camaraderie, and connect with the enduring themes of resilience, empathy, and unity. Whether you’ve read this story recently, long ago, or not at all, I hope you are able to find inspiration in the strength and passion of youth. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Stay gold.

I believe deeply in sharing The American Dream. It is the foundation of our country, the second paragraph in our Declaration of Independence, written by the founder of the public university I attended:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

But the American Dream is not always available to every American. Its meaning can be distorted. Jimi Hendrix captured this distortion so eloquently in his rendition of our national anthem.

We are still trying to live up to those ideals today. In November 2024, enough of us voted for people who interpret the dream in a way that I don’t understand.

Stay Gold, America

34% of adults in America did not exercise their right to vote. Why? Is it voter suppression, gerrymandering causing indifference, or people who felt their vote didn’t matter? The 7.6% that are ineligible to vote are mostly adults living in America who have not managed to attain citizenship, or people convicted of a felony. Whatever the reasons, 42% of adults living in America had no say in the 2024 election. The vote failed to represent everyone.

I think many of the Americans who did vote are telling us they no longer believe our government is effectively keeping America fair for everyone. Our status as the world’s leading democracy is in question. We should make it easier for more eligible Americans to vote, such as making election day a national holiday, universal mail in voting, and adopting ranked choice voting so all votes carry more weight. We should also strengthen institutions keeping democracy fair for everyone, such as state and local election boards, as well as the Federal Election Commission.

It was only after I attained the dream that I was able to fully see how many Americans have so very little. This much wealth starts to unintentionally distance my family from other Americans. I no longer bother to look at how much items cost, because I don’t have to. We don’t have to think about all these things that are challenging or unreachable for so many others. The more wealth you attain, the more unmistakably clear it becomes how unequal life is for so many of us.

Even with the wealth I have, I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be a billionaire. It is, for lack of a better word, unamerican.

In 2012, the top 1% of Americans held 24% of our country’s wealth. By 2021, the top 1% of Americans held 30%. So many have so little, while a tiny few have massive, wildly disproportionate wealth, which keeps growing. Now the global top 1% hold nearly twice as much wealth as the rest of the world combined.

I grew up poor in America, inspired by the promise of the American Dream that I could better myself and my family by building things that mattered:

Work is service, not gain. The object of work is life, not income. The reward of production is plenty, not private fortune. We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires, but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public schools, and the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books. Du Bois

Our version of capitalism delivered so much wealth to my family for my hard work in co-founding two successful companies. My partner and I gladly paid our full taxes, and we always planned to give most of our remaining wealth to charities when we pass, following the Warren Buffett Philanthropic Pledge:

More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death.

I admire Buffett, but even having only a tiny fraction of his $325 billion fortune, to me this pledge was incomplete. When would this wealth be transferred?

Last year he amended the pledge, giving all his wealth at death to a charitable trust run by his children, aged 71, 69, and 66, who do not make for natural charitable bedfellows. I am only holding back enough wealth for my children so they can afford college educations and buy a home. I am compelled to, because being a parent is the toughest job I’ve ever had, and I am concerned about their future.

November 5th raised the stakes. It is now time to allocate half the wealth I was so fortunate to be dealt within the next five years, not just for my own family, but for all my fellow Americans.

Our government seems to be slower and slower at delivering change due to the increased polarization of our two party system. The last meaningful constitutional amendment we’ve managed to pass in the last 60 years was the 26th amendment in 1971, lowering the voting age to 18 and giving more people a voice in our democracy.

Political polarization is at historically high levels and rising. In a two party system, this level of polarization is counterproductive and even dangerous. Do we all still believe in the same American Dream?

Stay Gold, America

I’ve always loved the ideals behind the American Dream, though we continually struggle to live up to them. They are worth fighting for, even if it means making “good trouble”. We must come together and believe in our shared American Dream so deeply that we can improve our democracy... but which dream?

The American Dream contains the path of hate, and the path of love. Throughout our history, one hand is always fighting the other. Which path are we choosing?

Our family pledges half our remaining wealth toward an American Dream founded on love.

Here are some starting points for longer term efforts:

  • We can support organizations making it easier for Americans to vote for a new Congress in two years and a new president in four years. My concern is damage to our democratic institutions may happen so quickly that our votes could matter even less within the coming years.
  • We could fund nonprofits that have a proven track record of protecting democratic institutions.
  • We could found a new organization loosely based on the original RAND Corporation, but modernized like Lever for Change. We can empower the best and brightest to determine a realistic, achievable path toward preserving the American Dream for everyone, working within the current system or outside it.
  • All states are shades of purple, not fully red or blue. We have more in common on specific policies than we realize. It would be very difficult to draw borders if we split. I know what divorce feels like, and we don’t want this. Let’s come together through our shared American Dream.
  • We can start with change in our local communities. Vote in your own city, county, and state elections. Support local independent journalism and media. Find a local organization doing work you admire, ask what they need, and help them meet those needs. Listen to the stories of fellow volunteers, listen to the stories of the people you’re serving – that is the heart of Democracy.

We’ve already completed the eight $1 million donations listed above to help those most immediately in need. Within the next five years, half of our family wealth will support longer term efforts. There is no single solution, so let’s work together. I will gladly advise and empower others working towards the same goal.

Stay Gold, America

Please join us in Sharing the American Dream:

  1. Support organizations you feel are effectively helping those most in need across America right now.
  2. Within the next five years, also contribute public dedications of time or funds towards longer term efforts to keep the American Dream fair and attainable for all our children.

Stay gold, America. 💛

(Edit: 3/9/25 – if you are curious what long term efforts we have chosen to support, please see my followup blog post Let's Talk About The American Dream, and stay tuned for our Cooper Union talk co-presented with Alexander Vindman on Thursday, March 20th at 7pm eastern time.)

(I could not have done this without the support of my partner Betsy Burton and the rest of my family. I'd also like to thank Steve McConnell, whose writing inspired me to start this blog in 2004. So many people from all walks of life generously shared their feedback to improve this post. We wrote it together. Thank you all.)

How to Sign Up for Prime Day 'Invite-Only' Deals

Put your name into the hat to get the best Prime Day deals Amazon has to offer.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Not all Prime Day deals are open to just anybody. Since 2023, some of the best deals in Amazon's annual sale are invite-only—you have to sign up for them in advance of the sale going live, and hope you get chosen to receive the discount.

These deals have become a common fixture for Amazon's major sales, including last fall's Prime Big Deal Days. With Prime Day 2025 kicking off on July 8, you can expect to see more invite-only deals popping up around the site. Here's how to find and sign up for them, so you have a fighting chance at taking advantage of some great offers.

Who is eligible for Prime Day invite-only deals

Only a select number of products will be invite-only deals. You'll be able to spot them via an "invite-only" banner visible on the product page. As Amazon explains, you must be a Prime Member to sign up for the invite-only deals. What you're doing is essentially requesting an invitation to purchase the deal, which will come by email.

Here are the steps to sign up:

  1. Find an "Invite-Only Prime Deal" that you want to purchase. You can find these deals listed on the Deals page once Prime Day begins.

  2. Navigate to the product detail page.

  3. Select "Request Invite." If you are not a Prime member, sign up for Prime to be able to request an invite.

  4. You will receive an email notification confirming that you requested an invite. The confirmation will be sent to the email that is on your Amazon account. If you don't have an email on your account, add one by navigating to Your Account > Login > Security.

How to know if you were approve for an invite-only deal

Keep in mind that just because you requested an invitation doesn't mean you'll receive one. If you are selected, you'll receive both a push notification in the Amazon app and email notifying you during the sale. If you're not selected, Amazon will also let you know you didn't get one. You can only buy one of the products that you were invited for, but you can request as many different product invitations as you want. The invitation will last as long as Prime Day lasts (four days this year), or as long as there is stick remaining.

Invite-only deals are usually some of Prime Day's most impressive offerings. Last year, for example, Amazon sold a 43-inch 4K Smart Fire TV for just $99, and you'll likely see similar deals this year.

Here are more tips to shop smartly for Prime Day, using Alexa to remind you about deals to signing up for deal alerts so you receive notifications related to your Amazon searches and recently viewed items.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

I vinter så är det 14 år sedan allting handlade om The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Även om det vid samma tidpunkt kom en ny del i min älskade Zelda-serie så var det, lite otippat, det episka rollspelet från Bethesdas som tog upp all min tid och blev en av mina favoriter, någonsin. Spolar vi genom alla år sedan dess så har vi kunnat njuta av mängder med episka äventyr i öppna världar men nästa del i Elder Scrolls-serien har varit väldigt efterlängtad men lyst med sin frånvaro. Även om vi vet att den är på gång. Bara i år har vi dock kunnat äventyra på liknande vis i titlar som Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Avowed och ganska nyligen i Oblivion Remastered. Men jag tror nog att utvecklarna på Questline, som så många andra av oss, längtade efter något som känns och liknar det där episka äventyret vi fick för nästan 14 år sedan.

För att kalla Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon för något annat än något som dragit enorma mängder av inspiration från Bethesdas rollspel - ja, det vore att ljuga. Men som tur är finns det något eget där bakom en yta som på flertalet sätt känns otroligt välbekant. Bara några minuter in i äventyret så doftar det hela både Elden Ring och The Witcher, också. Det tar visserligen lite tid, men sedan börjar man också ana ett väldigt imponerande och unikt världsbygge därunder en motor som gör sitt bästa för att hålla ihop något aningen för ambitiöst för ett såpass litet utvecklarteam. Det brukar refereras till "eurojank" - ett kanske lite väl ambitiöst koncept som dras ner en del av det tekniska. Där ambitionerna helt enkelt ligger över vad man rent tekniskt och på andra vis lyckas åstadkomma. Detta är inget storspel utvecklat av en enorm studio, allt sådant där märks. Men som tur är så är det även fantastiskt underhållande och ambitionen avspeglas också i många välgjorda delar.
<bild>Designen är förstaklassig med helt fantastiska platser att upptäcka.</bild>
Det unika världsbygget ligger delvis i att man lutar sig mot Kung Arthurs legend. Men det handlar nästan mer om att fylla världen och äventyret i ett mörker som gör det till just något eget. Att vakna upp i en fängelsehåla och sedan fly är givetvis något av en enorm kliché, men när man når Avalons första region Horns Of The South och all inspiration och det egna konceptet blir en sällsamt fascinerande mix - så är det svårt att inte känna, ungefär, samma sak som man gjorde när man kom till Riverwood i efter den inledande flykten från en drake i Skyrim.

Efter att ha rymt från nyss nämnda fängelsehåla så sätter då berättelsen igång. Det är självaste Kung Arthurs själ som blir ett med ens karaktär och en jakt på hans svärd, sköld och hjälm drar igång. Men trots att huvuduppdraget kretsar kring all den mystiken som i äventyrets inledande timme presenteras så är det lika mycket allting annat som Avalon bjuder på som kommer att stjäla ens tid. Kanske faktiskt än mer så än huvudberättelsen i sig.
<bild>Även om världen är mörk och full av faror bjuder den också på sådana här ögonblick.</bild>
För Avalon bjuder på mängder av berättelser och sidouppdrag. De flesta karaktärer har mycket att säga. Betydligt mer än de klassiska enstaka replikerna vi är vana vid och det märks att de lever i en värld som gjort mer än att bara börja knaka i fogarna. Sidouppdragen tilldelas organiskt när man utforskar men det är framförallt överraskningarna i upptäckter och små möten som tilltalar mig mest. Det kan vara att finna en pessimistisk stackare till man som inte vill lämna sin plats under en bro eller en hel liten by som annars hade legat helt bortglömd ifall man inte utforskat kustremsan. Även gällande huvudberättelsen så finns det förgreningar och val i hur man utför saker och vilken sida man till slut stället sig på. Äventyret tar en genom ett post-apokalyptiskt landskap där en pest härjar och där nätterna bjuder på oanade faror. Det är som att det hela andas Fallout fast då i en fantasymiljö istället. Enorma monument reser sig i fjärran. Även om de i mångt och mycket bara är kulisserna så berättar de en historia om att Avalon en gång varit ett land som frodats betydligt mer än nu. För den som avviker från stigen, och tro mig det vill man göra, finns det alltid något att upptäcka och uppleva.
<bild>Viktigt att visa respekt till kossorna.</bild>
Lika snabbt som hänförs av omfånget, lika kvickt märker man dock just det där med att tekniken inte riktigt är i klass med ambitionerna. Det visuella är på sina håll fantastiskt, speciellt gällande estetik och design. Men bildhastigheten på konsol, där jag kört äventyret, kämpar betydligt mer än den borde. De tekniska tillkortakommandena märks även gällande att texturer laddas in framför en och det finns en del annat som bryter illusionen. Även om jag personligen inte tycker den förstör särskilt så är det lite buggigt med några krascher som skett till och från. Gällande det visuella så finns det också en tendens till en dimma som förhindrar det hela att kännas så storslaget som det kunde vara. Man skulle också kunna kritisera att det hela känns lite väl öde i städer och byar, samtidigt som det ändå passar tonen och tillståndet världen hamnat i.

Samtidigt är egentligen det tekniska den enda lilla pusselbit som förhindrar detta från att vara något enormt storslaget. För i alla andra avseenden lyckas det verkligen. Miljöerna känns fantastiska att ge sig ut på äventyr genom. Ljuset som klär de vackra vyerna om dagarna är magiskt, inomhusmiljöer känns väldigt atmosfäriska och detaljerade och många av grottorna är ordentligt läskiga. Vi bjuds också på finstämd musik med en del oväntade inslag och det finns även en imponerande bredd på röstskådespelarna
<bild>Utvecklarna har lagt till ett läge i tredjeperson men rekomenderar inte att man kör spelet på det sättet.</bild>
Denna värld är såklart befolkad med allsköns varelser. Monster av flertalet olika slag. Mycket vill ta död på dig och du kan möta motståndet på flertalet sätt. Här finns en mängd vapen till ens förfogande. Alltifrån svärd till yxor och spjut - eller så tar man en annan väg och kastar magi eller använder pilbåge. Det är inget radikalt annorlunda mot vad vi är vana vid. Komplett med siffror som talar om hur mycket skada du gör eller din rustning skyddar dig emot. Mycket av vapen och utrustning är bunden till dina färdigheter. Du kan använda dem så fort du hittar de men måste möta dess kriterier för att de ska kunna nyttjas till fullo. Således kan du då utrusta dig med allting eller svinga vilket vapen du vill direkt men om du inte har lagt färdighetspoäng på de färdigheterna som krävs så är betydligt svagare än vad det kan vara.

Här kommer vi då naturligt in på just färdigheterna. Allting du gör i form av att svinga ett tvåhandsvapen, ta emot stryk, hoppa runt, laga mat eller dyrka lås ökar respektive färdighet. Sedan går du givetvis upp i nivå och får poäng du kan sätta ut på saker som styrka, uthållighet och övriga klassiska egenskaper. Vid sidan om detta finns då också ett färdighetsträd där du låser upp mer specifika saker. Allting är ganska simpelt, konstruerat på sitt mest avskalade vis och är det något jag saknar så är det lite mer färdigheter som lutar mer mot rena rollspelselement. Här finns ingen karisma eller egenskaper som handlar om att övertala, charma eller liknande. Sådana här tillfällen dyker dock upp i konversationer med karaktärer men är då istället slumpmässigt bundna till olika attribut. Att jag ska ha bra i uthållighet eller styrka när jag försöker övertala någon känns märkligt.
<bild>Avalons största stad är lite väl folktom men ändå en plats att trivas på.</bild>
Det har också skett att jag haft dialoger där ett svar från min sida gjort att ett sidouppdrag inte riktigt fått den utgångspunkten jag önskade eller rentav misslyckats. I det stora hela spelar det dock ingen egentlig roll men designen på uppdrag - både stora som små - kan ibland vara lite märkligt konstruerade.

Dock uppskattar jag simpla saker som att det ändå ges en viss frihet att äventyra på sitt vis. Olika fraktioner i världen är sura på varandra där du kan välja vems sida du till slut vill stå på. Du kan få en simpel uppgift att döda en viss karaktär, men när du väl möter den så börjar du istället konversera och inser att du kanske hellre vill ta den personens sida och döda karaktären som från början gav dig uppdraget. Det ger det hela en känsla av ordentligt rollspel på ens eget vis snarare än att bara styras genom handlingen.

När det gäller striderna så är de enligt mig kanske spelets allra svagaste punkt. I grund och botten är det mycket av ett "Hack and slash" med de där klassiska problem jag ofta upplever att strid i förstaperson lider av. Det finns visserligen möjlighet att göra en kort "dash" för att undvika fiendernas attacker men i grunden handlar det bara om att hugga på. Fiendernas träffytor är också lite dåliga med rätt kass återkoppling till träff förutom att deras livsmätare sjunker. Som tur är så ger striderna gott om erfarenhetspoäng så man ger sig ändå in i dem för att bli starkare.
<bild>Spelet bjuder på en del sekvenser som är rätt trippiga.</bild>
Striderna blir väldigt tröttsamma och repetitiva över tid. Det hjälper heller inte att så mycket i världen önskar att se mig död. Monster och andra väsen förstår jag - men i princip varenda liten samling av andra karaktärer i världen vill också dunka livet ur dig. Det blir bara en lugn stund när man kommer till större bosättningar eller platser som har något med berättelsen att göra. Visserligen ska många av de här andra karaktärerna föreställa banditer eller förhäxade soldater men jag hade hellre önskat att man i möten med andra människor gavs en chans att kunna lösa det hela fridfullt. Eftersom alla människor som vill slåss mot dig också bjuder på tjatiga stridsrop så blir det ett konstant springandes, om man då inte vill slåss. Striderna blir över tid rätt trista eftersom många inte är särskilt roliga.
<bild>Striderna blir tyvärr snabbt väldigt enformiga.</bild>
När atmosfären är på topp så lyckas Tainted Grail verkligen med allt det vill åstadkomma. Utforskandet leder en till platser som känns både fascinerande och skrämmande och det är just den mixen som fungerar så extremt bra. Att ljuset och mörkret samsas sida vid sida. Questline må ha inspirerats ordentligt, till den grad att man till en början kanske kan anta att detta är en ren Skyrim-klon. Men saken är att när man väl beger sig ut på detta äventyr så behöver man inte gräva särskilt djupt för att finna allt det fantastiska som det erbjuder. Just detta blir en omedelbar styrka som gör att man vill stanna kvar och så är man helt plötsligt fast.

Visst, den stundtals ostabila bilduppdateringen och att det i stunder ser ut som något från ett par generationer tillbaka kan vara just det lite ytliga som man behöver ta sig förbi. Om man lyckas med det så finns det ett episkt rollspel och en fantastisk värld fullmatad med innehåll som bara väntar på att utforskas.

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Tools Right Now

Get your summer DIY projects done under budget with these early Prime Day tools deals.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Summer is DIY season, and if you have some projects planned, you might have noticed that the price of tools can add up quickly. Luckily, whether you’re working on a vehicle or a rain collection system, there are some good deals from Amazon on tools ahead of Prime Day.

Cordless tools

A good cordless tool set will make DIY projects easier to accomplish and save you some time as well. If you already have a set and are looking to expand, or you want to start a tool set, these will keep your DIY momentum going through the summer.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt cordless drill set is on sale for $99, 38% off its regular price. This set comes with a drill, a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a perfect starter set, as this tool can be used for drilling holes as well as driving hardware, and it comes with a battery so it’s ready to use straight out of the box.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt cordless impact driver set is on sale for $99, 38% off its usual price. This set comes with a quarter-inch impact driver, a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good addition to your cordless set if you already have a driver, as it allows you to drive fasteners into tougher material with less effort because of the impact assistance. You can also use this tool as a drill with a bit designed for a quarter-inch impact chuck, making it a versatile tool for a home DIY kit.

  • The Makita 12-volt material cutter is on sale for $98, 58% off its typical price. The set comes with a material-cutting multitool, a 12-volt, 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This tool can be used to cut rubber, vinyl, and carpet, making it great for flooring, heavy-duty upholstery, and arts and crafts projects.

  • The Milwaukee cordless 18-volt random orbital sander is on sale for $102.20, 37% off its regular price. This is a “bare tool” deal, so it doesn’t come with a battery or charger, but it does have a dust collection attachment and a couple of medium-grit sanding discs to get you started. This is a good tool for finishing woodworking projects.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt cordless tire inflator/compressor is on sale for $109.94, 39% off its typical price. It’s a tool-only deal, so it doesn’t come with a battery. This is a good addition to a home garage shop or roadside emergency kit, and can be used to inflate car and bike tires.

Bits, wrenches, and drivers

You never truly appreciate the power of having the right-sized wrench or socket until you’ve gotten 90% of the way through removing a panel on your HVAC system to perform some maintenance, only to discover that you can’t undo the last three nuts. A good socket set can help you get through most common home and vehicle maintenance, and is indispensable if you want to save money on handyman costs by tackling chores yourself.

  • The Craftsman 159-piece mechanics tool set is on sale for $99, 41% off its regular price. It comes with three ratchet handles, a set of metric sockets and wrenches, a set of SAE sockets and wrenches, a hand driver with an assortment of bit types, a set of bit extensions and adapters, and a toolbox. This is a good set to start out with for most DIY auto maintenance, as well as for projects around the house like changing filters or assembling furniture.

  • The Craftsman 230-piece mechanics tool set is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. This set comes with a range of both metric and SAE sockets, a set of metric and SAE wrenches, three ratchet handles, a hand driver with an assortment of bits, ratchet extensions and adapters, a set of socket-drive fastener bits for screws, a set of hex wrenches, and a three-drawer tool box. This is a good set to build a top-notch DIY tool kit for your home shop, and can work for driving most types of fasteners.

  • The Craftsman two-driver set is on sale for $4.98, 50% off its typical price. This set is just one Philips head and a flat head screwdriver. This is a basic set, good for building a home maintenance kit or a go bag for when you want to DIY on the road.

  • The Makita 100-piece impact driver bit set is on sale for $24.99, 55% off its regular price. The set comes with a variety of driver bit types, including Phillips, flat head, and star tip, as well as a bit extension for reaching into tight spaces. This is a good set to cover most common hardware types and sizes you will come across for woodworking, repair, and maintenance projects.



The best Cyber Monday video doorbell deals

WhatsApp Ads for Businesses: A New Way to Get Discovered

If you’re a business owner in India, chances are your customers are already on WhatsApp — and so are your competitors. With over 500 million users in India alone, WhatsApp has become a primary platform for sales, service, and customer conversations. But until recently, businesses could only advertise indirectly on WhatsApp — by running Click-to-WhatsApp…

The post WhatsApp Ads for Businesses: A New Way to Get Discovered appeared first on Pixel Studios.

If you’re a business owner in India, chances are your customers are already on WhatsApp — and so are your competitors. With over 500 million users in India alone, WhatsApp has become a primary platform for sales, service, and customer conversations.

But until recently, businesses could only advertise indirectly on WhatsApp — by running Click-to-WhatsApp ads through Facebook and Instagram. Now, that’s changing.

Meta has officially introduced new ad placements within WhatsApp itself, helping people discover your business right inside the app.

Here’s everything you need to know about WhatsApp Ads and how your business can benefit from them.

All the WhatsApp Ad Formats (As of 2025)

1. Click-to-WhatsApp Ads (Existing)

These ads appear on Facebook and Instagram. When a user clicks on the ad, it opens a chat with your business in WhatsApp.

Best for: Lead generation, product inquiries, customer service.

2. WhatsApp Ads in Status (New)

Your ad appears between user Status updates (similar to Instagram Stories). These short, engaging ads include a CTA to start a chat instantly.

 Best for: Product launches, offers, event promotions.

3. Promoted WhatsApp Channels (New)

WhatsApp Channels are one-way broadcast spaces where businesses can share updates. You can now boost your Channel in the WhatsApp directory to gain visibility and followers.

Best for: Content marketing, brand updates, building a community.

4. Ads in the Updates Tab (Coming Soon)

All new ad formats will appear under the Updates tab in WhatsApp — the section where users check Status and browse Channels.

Best for: Brand awareness and discovery within WhatsApp.

Why These New Ads Matter for Indian Businesses

How to Use WhatsApp Ads Effectively

Promote Time-Sensitive Offers

Run Status ads during your peak sales season or launch a limited-time campaign that encourages instant action.

Build a Loyal Follower Base

Use Promoted Channels to grow a list of followers you can continuously engage — just like email marketing, but with 95%+ open rates.

Combine Ads with Smart Automation

Link your WhatsApp ads to a chatbot or lead qualification tool to handle inquiries instantly, even after business hours.

Target Hyper-Local Audiences

Use Meta Ads Manager to target specific locations or interests, but direct the traffic to WhatsApp where conversions are higher.

Important: Privacy Still Comes First

Your personal messages, calls, and Status updates remain end-to-end encrypted. Ads only appear in public spaces like Status and Channels — ensuring user trust stays intact.

Coming Soon: Full Rollout in India

While these new formats — especially ads inside WhatsApp — are not fully rolled out yet, India is one of the first countries where Meta is testing this feature.

WhatsApp is no longer just a messaging app. It’s becoming a powerful business discovery platform, right inside the conversations your customers are already having.

At Pixel Studios, we help brands like yours turn chat apps into growth channels. From campaign planning to creative execution and chatbot integration, we’re here to help you win with WhatsApp.

Ready to be discovered on WhatsApp?
Let’s make your brand visible, one chat at a time.

Let's discuss ideas to propel your retail digital marketing

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The post WhatsApp Ads for Businesses: A New Way to Get Discovered appeared first on Pixel Studios.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

The dream is incomplete until we share it with our fellow Americans.The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

The following is drawn from a speech I delivered today at Cooper Union’s Great Hall in New York City, where I joined Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman to discuss the future of the American Dream:

What is the American Dream?

In 1931, at the height of the Great Depression, James Truslow Adams first defined the American Dream as

“[...] a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. [...] not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which [everyone] shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position”

I wanted to know what these words meant to us today. I needed to know what parts of the American Dream we all still had in common. I had to make some sense of what was happening to our country. I’ve been writing on my blog since 2004, and on November 7th, I started writing the most difficult piece I have ever written.

I asked so many Americans to tell me what the American Dream personally meant to them, and I wrote it all down.

Later in November, I attended a theater performance of The Outsiders at my son’s public high school – an adaptation of the 1967 novel by S.E. Hinton. All I really knew was the famous “stay gold” line from the 1983 movie. But as I sat there in the audience among my neighbors, watching the complete story acted out in front of me by these teenagers, I slowly realized what “stay gold” meant: sharing the American Dream.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

We cannot merely attain the Dream. The dream is incomplete until we share it with our fellow Americans. That act of sharing is the final realization of everything the dream stands for.

Thanks to S.E. Hinton, I finally had a name for my essay, “Stay Gold, America.” I published it on January 7th, with a Pledge to Share the American Dream.

In the first part of the Pledge, the short term, our family made eight 1 million dollar donations to the following nonprofit groups: Team Rubicon, Children’s Hunger Fund, PEN America, The Trevor Project, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, First Generation Investors, Global Refuge, and Planned Parenthood.

Beyond that, we made many additional one million dollar donations to reinforce our technical infrastructure in America – Wikipedia, The Internet Archive, The Common Crawl Foundation, Let’s Encrypt, pioneering independent internet journalism, and several other crucial open source software infrastructure projects that power much of the world today.

I encourage every American to contribute soon, however you can, to organizations you feel are effectively helping those most currently in need.

But short term fixes are not enough.

The Pledge To Share The American Dream requires a much more ambitious second act – deeper, long term changes that will take decades. Over the next five years, my family pledges half our remaining wealth to plant a seed toward foundational long term efforts ensuring that all Americans continue to have the same fair access to the American Dream.

Let me tell you about my own path to the American Dream. It was rocky. My parents were born into deep poverty in Mercer County, West Virginia, and Beaufort County, North Carolina. Our family eventually clawed our way to the bottom of the middle class in Virginia.

I won’t dwell on it, but every family has their own problems. We did not remain middle class for long. But through all this, my parents got the most important thing right: they loved me openly and unconditionally. That is everything. It’s the only reason I am standing here in front of you today.

With my family’s support, I managed to achieve a solid public education in Chesterfield County, Virginia, and had the incredible privilege of an affordable state education at the University of Virginia. This is a college uniquely rooted in the beliefs of one of the most prominent Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson. He was a living paradox. A man of profound ideals and yet flawed – trapped in the values of his time and place.

Still, he wrote “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” at the top of the Declaration of Independence. These words were, and still are, revolutionary. They define our fundamental shared American values, although we have not always lived up to them. The American Dream isn’t about us succeeding, alone, by ourselves, but about connecting with each other and succeeding together as Americans.

I’ve been concerned about wealth concentration in America ever since I watched a 2012 video by politizane illustrating just how extreme wealth concentration already was.

I had no idea how close we were to the American Gilded Age from the late 1800s. This period was given a name in the 1920s by historians referencing Mark Twain’s 1873 novel, The Gilded Age, A Tale of Today.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

During this time, labor strikes often turned violent, with the Homestead Strike of 1892 resulting in deadly confrontations between workers and Pinkerton guards hired by factory owners. Rapid industrialization created hazardous working conditions in factories, mines, and railroads, where thousands died due to insufficient safety regulations and employers who prioritized profit over worker welfare.

In January 2025, while I was still writing “Stay Gold, America”, we entered the period of greatest wealth concentration in the entirety of American history. As of 2021, the top 1% of households controlled 32% of all wealth, while the bottom 50% only have 2.6%. It’s difficult to find more recent data, but wealth concentration has only intensified in the last four years.

We can no longer say “Gilded Age.”

We must now say “The First Gilded Age.”

Today, in our second Gilded Age, more and more people find their path to the American Dream blocked. When Americans face unaffordable education, lack of accessible healthcare, or lack affordable housing, they aren’t just disadvantaged – they’re trapped, often burdened by massive debt. They have no stable foundation to build their lives. They watch desperately, working as hard as they can, while life simply passes them by, without even the freedom to choose their own lives.

They don’t have time to build a career. They don’t have time to learn, to improve. They don’t get to start a business. They can’t choose where their kids will grow up, or whether to have children at all, because they can’t afford to. Here in the land of opportunity, the pursuit of happiness has become an endless task for too many.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

We are denying people any real chance of achieving the dream that we promised them – that we promised the entire world – when we founded this nation. It is such a profound betrayal of everything we ever dreamed about. Without a stable foundation to build a life on, our fellow Americans cannot even pursue the American Dream, much less achieve it.

I ask you this: as an American, what is the purpose of a dream left unshared with so many for so long? What’s happening to our dream? Are we really willing to let go of our values so easily? We’re Americans. We fight for our values, the values embodied in our dream, the ones we founded this country on.

Why aren’t we sharing the American Dream?

Why aren’t we giving everyone a fair chance at Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness by providing them the fundamentals they need to get there?

The Dream worked for me, decades ago, and I deeply believe that the American Dream can still work for everyone – if we ensure every American has the same fair chance we did. The American Dream was never about a few people being extraordinarily wealthy. It’s about everyone having an equal chance to succeed and pursue their dreams – their own happiness. It belongs to them. I think we owe them at least that. I think we owe ourselves at least that.

What can we do about this? There are no easy answers. I can’t even pretend to have the answer, because there isn’t any one answer to give. Nothing worth doing is ever that simple. But I can tell you this: all the studies and all the data I’ve looked at have strongly pointed to one foundational thing we can do here in America over the next five years.

Natalie Foster, co-founder of the Economic Security Project, makes a powerful case for the idea that, with all this concentrated wealth, we can offer a Guaranteed Minimum Income in the poorest areas of this country – the areas of most need, where money goes the farthest – to unlock vast amounts of untapped American potential.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

This isn’t a new idea. We’ve been doing this a while now in different forms, but we never called it Guaranteed Minimum Income.

In 1797, Thomas Paine proposed a retirement pension funded by estate taxes. It didn’t go anywhere, but it planted a seed. Much later we implemented the Social Security Act in 1935 . The economic chaos of the Great Depression coupled with the inability of private philanthropy to provide economic security inspired Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal government programs. The most popular and effective program to emerge from this era was Social Security, providing a guaranteed income for retirees. Before Social Security, half of seniors lived in poverty. Today only 10% of seniors live in poverty.

In his 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, Martin Luther King Jr made the moral case for a form of UBI, Universal Basic Income. King believed that economic insecurity was at the root of all inequality. He stated that a guaranteed income — direct cash disbursements — was the simplest and best way to fight poverty.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

In 1972, Congress established the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, providing direct cash assistance to low-income elderly, blind, and disabled individuals with little or no income. This cash can be used for food, housing, and medical expenses, the essentials for financial stability. As of January, 2025, over 7.3 million people receive SSI benefits.

In 1975, Congress passed the Tax Reduction Act, establishing the Earned Income Tax Credit. This tax credit benefits working-class parents with children, encouraging work by increasing the income of low-income workers. In 2023, it lifted about 6.4 million people out of poverty, including 3.4 million children. According to the Census Bureau, it is the second most effective anti-poverty tool after Social Security.

In 2019, directly inspired by King, mayor Michael Tubbs – at age 26, one of the youngest mayors in American history – launched the $3 million Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration. It provided 125 residents with $500 per month in unconditional cash payments for two years. The program found that recipients experienced improved financial stability, increased full-time employment, and enhanced well-being.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income
Michael Tubbs, Former Mayor of Stockton, on Creating a California for All

In my “Stay Gold, America” blog post, I referenced the Robert Frost “Stay Gold” poem and S.E. Hinton’s famous famous novel The Outsiders, urging us to retain our youthful ideals as we grow older. Ideals embodied in the American Dream.

Which brings us to another Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. Our proposal to ensure access to the American Dream is to follow the path less travelled by: Guaranteed Minimum Income. GMI is a simpler, more practical, more scalable plan to directly address the root of economic insecurity with minimum bureaucracy.

We are partnering with GiveDirectly, who oversaw the most GMI studies in the United States, and OpenResearch, who just completed the largest, most detailed GMI study ever conducted in this country in 2023. We are working together to launch a new Guaranteed Minimum Income initiative in rural American communities.

Network effects within communities explain why equality of opportunity is so effective, and why a shared American Dream is the most powerful dream of all. The potential of the American Dream becomes vastly greater as more people have access to it, because they share it.

They share it with their families, their friends, and their neighbors. The groundbreaking, massive 2023 OpenResearch UBI study data showed that when you give money to the poorest among us, they consistently go out of their way to share that money with others in desperate need.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

The power of opportunity is not in what it can do for one person, but how it connects and strengthens bonds between people. When you empower a couple, you allow them to build a family. When you empower families, you allow them to build a community. When you guarantee fundamentals, you’re providing a foundation for those connections to grow and thrive. This is the incredible power and value of community. That is what we are investing in – each other.

A system where there are no guarantees creates conflict. It creates inequality. A massive concentration of wealth in so few hands weakens connections between us and prevents new ones. America began as a place of connection. Millions of us came together to build this nation, not individually, but together. Equality is connection, and connection is more valuable than any product any company will ever sell you.

Why focus on rural communities? There are consistently higher poverty rates in rural counties, with fewer job opportunities, lower wages, and worse access to healthcare and education. It’s not a new problem, either — places like Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, and American Indian reservations have been stuck in poverty for decades, with some counties like Oglala Lakota, SD (55.8%) and McDowell, WV (37.6%) hitting extreme levels. Meanwhile, urban counties rarely see numbers that high. The data from the US Census and USDA Economic Research Service make it clear: if you’re poor in America, being rural makes it even harder to escape.

Rural areas also offer smaller populations, which is helpful because we need to start small with lots of tightly controlled studies that we can carefully scale and improve on for larger areas. We hope to build a large body of scientific data showing that GMI really does improve the lives, and the communities, of our fellow Americans.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

The initial plan is to target a few counties that I have a personal connection to, and are still currently in poverty, decades later:

  • My father was born in Mercer County, West Virginia, where the collapse of coal mining left good people struggling to survive. Their living and their way of life is now all but gone, and good jobs are hard to find.
  • My mother’s birthplace, Beaufort County, North Carolina, has been hit just as hard, with farming and factory jobs disappearing and families left wondering what’s next.
  • Our third county is yet to be decided, but will be a community also facing the same systemic, generational obstacles to economic stability and achieving the American Dream.

We will work with existing local groups to coordinate GMI studies where community members choose to enroll. We will conduct outreach and and provide mentorship to these opt-in study participants. It will be teamwork between Americans.

We hope Veterans will play a crucial role in our effort. We plan to work with local communities and veteran-serving organizations to engage veterans to support and execute our GMI programs – the same veterans who served our country with distinction, returning home with exceptional leadership skills and a deep commitment to their communities. Their involvement ensures these programs reflect core American values of self-reliance and community service to fellow Americans.

We’ll also partner with established community organizations — churches, civic groups, community colleges, local businesses. These partnerships help integrate our GMI studies with existing support systems, rather than creating new ones.

GiveDirectly and OpenResearch will build on their existing body of work, gathering extensive data from these refined studies. We’ll measure employment, entrepreneurship, education, health, and community engagement. We’ll conduct regular interviews with participants to understand their experience. How is this working for you? How can we make it better? You tell us. How can we make it better together?

Economic security isn’t only about individual well-being – it’s the bedrock of democracy. When people aren’t constantly worried about feeding themselves, feeding their family, having decent healthcare, having a place to live… we have given them room to breathe. We have given them freedom. The freedom to raise their children, the freedom to start businesses, the freedom to choose where they work, the freedom to volunteer... the freedom to vote.

This isn’t about ideology or government. It’s about us, as Americans, working together to invest in our future – possibly the greatest unlocking of human potential in our entire history. I do not say these things lightly. I’ve seen it work. I’ve looked at all the existing study data. A little bit of money is incredibly transformational for people in poverty – the people who need it the most – the people who cannot live up to their potential because they’re so busy simply trying to survive. Imagine what they could do if we gave them just a little breathing room.

GMI is a long term investment in the future of what America should be, the way we wrote it down in the Declaration of Independence, perhaps incompletely – but our democracy was always meant to be malleable, to change, to adapt, and improve.

The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income

I’d like to conclude by mentioning Aaron Swartz. He was a precocious teenage programmer much like myself. Aaron helped develop RSS web feeds, co-founded Reddit, and worked with Creative Commons to create flexible copyright licenses for the common good. He used technology to make information universally accessible to everyone.

Aaron created a system to download public domain court documents from PACER, a government database that charged fees for accessing what he believed should be freely available public information. A few years later, while visiting MIT under their open campus policy and as a research fellow at Harvard, he used MIT’s network to download millions of academic articles from JSTOR, another fee-charging online academic journal repository, intending to make this knowledge freely accessible. Since taxpayers had funded much of this research, why shouldn’t that knowledge be freely available to everyone?

What Aaron saw as an act of academic freedom and information equality, authorities viewed as a crime—he was arrested in January 2011 and charged with multiple felonies for what many considered to be nothing more than accessing knowledge that should have been freely available to the public in the first place.

Despite JSTOR declining to pursue charges and MIT eventually calling for leniency, federal prosecutors aggressively pursued felony charges against Aaron with up to 35 years in prison. Facing overwhelming legal pressure and the prospect of being labeled a felon, Aaron took his own life at 26. This sparked widespread criticism of prosecutorial overreach and prompted discussions about open access to information. Deservedly so. Eight days later, in this very hall, there was a standing room only memorial service praising Aaron for his commitment to the public good.

Aaron pursued what was right for we, the people. He chose to build the public good despite knowing there would be risks. He chose to be an activist. I think we should all choose to be activists, to be brave, to stand up for our defining American principles.

There are two things I ask of you today.

  1. Visit givedirectly.org/rural-us where we’ll be documenting our journey and findings from the initial three GMI rural county studies. Let’s find out together how guaranteed minimum income can transform American lives.
  2. Talk about Guaranteed Minimum Income in your communities. Meet with your state and local officials. Share the existing study data. Share outcomes. Ask them about conducting GMI studies like ours in your area. We tell ourselves stories about why some people succeed and others don’t. Challenge those stories. Economic security is not charity. It is an investment in vast untapped American potential in the poorest areas of this country.

My family is committing 50 million dollars to this endeavor, but imagine if we had even more to share. Imagine how much more we could do, if we build this together, starting today. Decades from now, people will look back and wonder why it took us so long to share our dream of a better, richer, and fuller life with our fellow Americans.

I hope you join us on this grand experiment to share our American Dream. I believe everyone deserves a fair chance at what was promised when we founded this nation: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of The American Dream.

You Can Use Your iPhone As an ID in These States

Can I please stop carrying my driver's license everywhere I go?

Why do I still carry a wallet? My iPhone can handle just about anything you used to need a traditional wallet for. Most (if not all) of my purchases are made via Apple Pay or QR code, my phone holds all of my pictures, and most of my receipts go straight to my email. Basically the only I keep my wallet around is to carry my ID. Once my state starts supporting Apple’s digital ID feature, however, things will change between me and my wallet—provided that support ever comes.

Since iOS 15.4, Apple has allowed you to add a driver’s license or other state ID to your iPhone’s digital wallet. That doesn’t mean you’ve been needlessly carrying your ID around since then—states have been slow to roll out their own support the feature, and most have yet to sign on at all.

When I first covered this feature in 2022, only two states actively allowed you to add your ID to your iPhone, while 10 more (plus Puerto Rico) had confirmed plans to offer the option eventually, on a loose timeline of “soon.” Fast forward three years, and just 9 states and one territory now officially allow you to add IDs to Wallet.

These states support digital ID now

Here’s the full list as it stands in June 2025:

  • Arizona

  • California

  • Colorado

  • Georgia

  • Hawaii

  • Iowa

  • Maryland

  • New Mexico

  • Ohio

  • Puerto Rico

Support is still "coming soon" in these states

These states had originally pledged that support was "coming soon," but after nearly three years, still haven't committed:

  • Connecticut

  • Kentucky

  • Mississippi

  • Oklahoma

  • Utah

Airports where you can use a digital ID in Apple Wallet

Now, be warned: You can't simply hand a cop your iPhone when you get pulled over. There are specific, limited use cases for this feature. Right now, that means identifying yourself at the airport, as well as at select businesses. Apple worked with the TSA to make this happen, and it currently works at the following airports:

  • Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG)

  • Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)

  • Denver International Airport (DEN)

  • Des Moines International Airport (DSM)

  • Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)

  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

  • John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)

  • Los Angeles International (LAX)

  • Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)

  • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

  • Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

  • San Jose Mineta International (SJC)

This feature will also work with participating businesses to verify your age. That includes bars, restaurants, liquor stores, festivals, concerts, and certain age-restricted apps. That business will need to have age verification set up on their end, but if so, Apple says you can tap your iPhone against theirs to pull up your ID. Then, you can double-click your iPhone's side button to confirm you'd like to share your ID.

How to add a digital ID to your iPhone

If you do live in a supported state, setting up the feature is simple. Open Wallet, then, tap the (+) in the top right, then choose “Driver’s License and ID Cards.” Choose your state, then choose whether to add the ID to your iPhone 8 or newer, as well as your Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. Either way, you’ll need to scan your ID with your iPhone’s camera, then scan your face to prove your identity. Once complete, send all information to your state to confirm.

id cards
Credit: Lifehacker

The next time you fly from a participating airport, you can unlock your iPhone and place it next to the ID scanner. You’ll see your digital ID appear, complete with all information you will be sharing with the TSA if you approve (name, date of birth, sex, ID number, state, issue and expiration dates, real ID status, and ID photo).

Eight of the Best Countries for Americans to Retire To (That Aren’t the US)

If you have resources to retire—but not enough resources to retire here—you have options.

Everyone’s vision of what retirement looks like is different. Some dream of traveling the world, while others look forward to an afternoon nap that lasts decades. The one thing an increasing number of people agree on? It's a challenge to afford retirement in the United States.

Only half of Americans have retirement savings at all, and most who do don’t have nearly enough stashed away in them to actually live on. In fact, more than 17 million Americans over the age of 65 are financially insecure. Meanwhile, the cost of living in the U.S. keeps going up, even as safety nets like Medicaid are having their strings cut. Put that all together and it’s no surprise that a rising number of folks are looking into retiring abroad, to countries where their dollars will stretch a lot further.

Just because the cost of living is low doesn’t mean a country is a great choice for retirement, however. You need to find a balance between cheap living and other factors, like healthcare and security. Plus, you have to find countries where the income requirements for residency are low enough for your small nest egg to qualify you to move there—and if you’re going to rely solely on Social Security payments in your retirement, you need countries where the cost of living falls below the average payment, which is currently $1,976.

After considering all those factors—and recognizing that every person's needs are different—here are eight countries where you can retire on the cheap and still live well.

Costa Rica

A single person can live on about $900 per month (not counting rent) in Costa Rica, which is considered a modern, stable country with an excellent healthcare system. There’s already a robust expatriate community of Americans living in there, which can make for a softer transition if you don’t speak Spanish well and/or haven’t lived abroad before. Of course, all those expats are also pushing the cost of living up, so don’t assume your budget will work indefinitely, but it's still going to be significantly cheaper than almost anywhere in the U.S.

Income requirement: $1,000 per month

Panama

You can get by in Panama for around $800 per month (excluding rent), and the U.S. dollar is an official currency in the country so you don’t have to worry about converting your cash. Panama openly courts American retirees, and offers tons of discounts and benefits to lure them there. You’ll need to apply for a Visa in Panama, you’ll need a Panamanian attorney, and you’ll probably need to learn Spanish, but once you’re there, you’ll enjoy a stable, thriving culture and a relatively easy trip back to the States if you want to visit family and friends.

Income requirement: $1,000 per month plus $250.00 per month for each dependent

France

Believe it or not, one of the world’s top tourist destinations is also a terrific spot to retire. The cost of living (not including rent) is a little higher at about $1,100 per month, but you’ll get access to one of the best healthcare systems in the world for a fraction of what it would cost here. The U.S. also has a tax treaty with France, so your retirement accounts will be taxed at U.S. rates instead of the much higher French rates. France is a complex country, though, so you’ll probably need to hire a French attorney to go through the process of retiring there—and you definitely have to learn some French.

Income requirement: Three times the monthly minimum wage (currently about $2,100)

Malaysia

Malaysia is incredibly affordable—though income requirements are higher, the cost of living for a single person is only around $550 per month (not including rent), and the rents aren’t very high, either. The country boasts a top-notch healthcare system, and English is well-supported there. But be careful: Getting to and from Malaysia isn’t always easy, so you won’t be flitting back and forth between the U.S. and your retirement home. And it’s a pretty hot, humid place all the time, so don’t choose it if you’re looking to avoid sweating.

Income requirement: $2,370 per month, plus about $83,000 in assets

Spain

Like France, Spain isn’t usually discussed as a retirement option—but it should be. Although the income requirement is relatively high, the cost of living (without rent) is a comfortable $850 or so, which gets you access to a beautiful country with a rich culture that also offers very low crime rates, excellent healthcare, and (it probably goes without saying) incredible food and lifestyle.

Income requirement: $2,700 per month.

Ecuador

Ecuador is super cheap, costing about $535 per month not including rent. Plus, its official currency is the U.S. dollar, so you don’t have to worry about exchange rates. If you’re looking for a lifestyle that focuses on natural beauty, this is the place you want to be. The healthcare system is surprisingly great (and affordable, even if you have to pay for private insurance).

Income requirement: Three times the unified basic salary ($470 per month), so about $1,410

Portugal

Portugal is a gorgeous country with excellent infrastructure, terrific healthcare, and plenty of beautiful spots to call home. Not including rent, its cost of living is a slender $805 per month—but note that you won’t qualify for the free national healthcare until you’ve lived in the country for at least five years, so be prepared to pay for private health insurance as well. On the other hand, Portugal revamped its tax system a few years ago to offer 10 years of tax breaks and exemptions to qualifying expats, which might help offset those costs. English is also very commonly spoken, making it an easy place to transition to.

Income requirement: $1,025 per month

Thailand

If you’re pinching every penny, Thailand might be ideal: The cost of living is a super-low $621 per month (without rent), while the healthcare system is excellent (and affordable), and the country is beautiful. Americans will likely be in for a bit of culture shock, however, so it’s likely a good idea to visit the country first to make sure you’ll be able to adjust and actually enjoy your very cheap retirement.

Income requirement: $2,000 per month

What is DevOps? And How are organizations transitioning to DevOps?

DevOps is a new catalyst that is rapidly spreading through the entire tech industry. Over time it has gained much popularity and everyone has their own interpretation of it. It emerged a couple of after agile programming practices, and nowadays people are attempting to figure out the relevance of enterprise DevOps. Before we move onContinue reading "What is DevOps? And How are organizations transitioning to DevOps?"

DevOps is a new catalyst that is rapidly spreading through the entire tech industry. Over time it has gained much popularity and everyone has their own interpretation of it. It emerged a couple of after agile programming practices, and nowadays people are attempting to figure out the relevance of enterprise DevOps. Before we move on to that, we first need to understand DevOps, its culture, and some other aspects.

What is Devops S3Corp
Source: internet

A Major Division in the Industry

There are lots of kinds of divides in the tech industry. DevOps concepts solve this one in particular. Therefore, to understand and fully appreciate DevOps we first need to target this dispute. Within any software company, there’s for ages been a divide between the development and operations teams.

Development teams are responsible for creating feature-rich, seamless integrations that have varying requirements with each new customer. They’re responsible for changing user requirements, maintenance, and continuous development activities. The takeover at the start of the SDLC development cycle.

On the other hand, Operation teams are primarily responsible for system stability and accessibility. They can be found in towards the finish of the method where handover of a software release is given. Their responsibility is reviewing implementations by the development teams and ensuring the system is obtainable and stable, and recommend changes if necessary.

To break the silos between Dev and Ops DevOps requires a few leaps, enabling better collaboration and performance.

What Is DevOps?

The agile admin defines DevOps as,

DevOps may be the practice of operations and development engineers participating together in the whole service lifecycle, from design through the development process to production support.

The term “Dev” is an umbrella term for not only developers, but any person within the development of the product. So, this could include QA engineers, SR engineers, and other disciplines as well. Essentially, the “dev” team would be the makers of the product.

Secondly, the term “Ops” covers all operations staff including systems engineers, system administrators, release engineers, network engineers, and all other relevant disciplines. The “Ops” team is responsible for the product after its development is complete.

To conclude, operations engineers need to adopt the same methods adopted by developers and vice versa. DevOps extends Agile principles beyond just the development stage. Rather it extends it within the boundary of development and onto the whole process up till delivery.

Is Enterprise DevOps Any Good?

Considering that the advent of DevOps, SMBs (Small Medium-sized Business’s) are most widely used in its approaches and tools. A report suggests that the rounded 70 percent of SMBs are actually adopting DevOps.

To tell the truth, most of the tools and approaches in DevOps are functional in SMBs because of the size of the teams and the simplicity of the operations. Whenever the question on the applicability of Enterprise DevOps has risen it is met with mixed answers. Realistically, for Enterprises, a shift from their traditional solutions to DevOps will be a lot harder than SMBs.

Enterprises have big teams, operational complexity, departmental regulations, and internal and external constraints. Atop these problems, the need for Enterprises to adopt DevOps is quite real. Competitors are constantly shifting while undergoing changes within their teams, plans, and software management. They’ve to deal with these constraints, and that is why for Enterprise DevOps to be functional, a couple of factors should be kept in mind.

Value Confidence Among All Departments

When Enterprise DevOps is introduced across the organization it leaves room for a lot of confusion. People are used to just how things were. While this change is aimed to introduce innovative approaches, it might due to concern for many. It may introduce unnecessary risks due to sudden change and affect customer relationships with the organization.

Preplanning things before problems arise can assist in preventing them. To produce this shift comfortably, the organization should value overall consistency and security for new and existing software for the very start. Additionally, even although the system is transitioning, quality and constancy standards should still function as the same. This maintains the confidence of the employees and the prevailing customers in the organization.

Don’t Replace What Works

An enterprise takes years of effort to construct a name for itself, and be as functional because it is. Enterprise DevOps Applications would bring greater benefits but that does not mean that successful practices should be replaced. When shifting to Enterprise DevOps it can be very tempting to alter everything new and upcoming, but it is not necessarily the very best practice.

Introducing the mandatory changes and keeping tried and tested approaches is the best possible method of the shift properly. Instead of starting fresh, the focus should be directed towards building on what’s already working. It leaves very little room for uncalculated risks and may be incredibly efficient. The corporation won’t need certainly to undergo trial methods for each approach again, thus maximizing efficiency and profit metrics through this approach.

Elimination of Operational Inefficiencies

While DevOps targets introducing a flow of changes organization wise some operations can become inefficient. Eliminating such operations that restrict DevOps objective makes it easier for teams over the organizations to generally meet demands and deliver results. The collaboration of the development and operation teams is essential for identifying these issues. Not merely these, elimination requires the collaboration of every part involved including vendors to departments allow a fruitful transition to DevOps.

Consider Hiring a Few Designated DevOps Engineers

There’s a misconception among people that the DevOps Engineer is an ordinary developer writes code and can also be responsible for the task of a System Engineer. But that is not how it works! An effective DevOps Engineer works together developers and the IT staff to oversee the code releases. They are either of both: A developer who gets enthusiastic about deployment and network operations or A sysadmin writing scripts and code and who moved into the development side.

Either way, a DevOps Engineer understands the Software Development Lifecycle and has the outright comprehension of various automation tools for developing digital pipelines (CI/ CD pipelines). For an effective and long-lasting transition, you will need to hire more than one DevOps Engineers. Enterprise DevOps needs effective management and a specialist may do a much better job than employees who have just been introduced to the approach. You can also choose to invest in your employees and keep these things trained specifically in DevOps.

Emphasize Security

It’s no surprise that with the added pressure of deadlines, limited collaboration between teams, and the newly introduced transition security isn’t given its due importance. Consequently, organizations don’t have the full time or the resources to emphasize the significance of security within their systems and development approaches amongst their development and operation teams.

But to properly transition to DevOps you will need to concentrate on security because it is completely different than IT Ops. Based on DigiCert’s Inviting Security into DevOps Survey, 98 percent of organizations are integrating security teams into their DevOps procedures. Organizations need to introduce new software tools as well along with predefined security configurations as security directly affects the efficiency of software development and customer experience.

Track Progress

Organizations need to introduce metrics that track the progress of the new approaches they have taken on. The organization-wide introduction of these metrics streamlines operations while the teams move towards the completion of software projects. Tracking the task process of every project creates further reference material for further use in case the need arises.

These resources can behave as typical for the employees who will then improve them as certain requirements change. It’s about making the system more efficient. Every change accommodates previously ignored facets of these standards.

Conclusion

Many organizations have successfully transitioned to Enterprise DevOps. Their case studies serve as proof it is applicable in Enterprises as well, not just SMBs. Obviously, change does not happen overnight, that is an enterprise we’re talking about. You’ll need to remember that organizations that successfully transitioned took anywhere from one to two years. While contemplating your personal transition, you will need to keep this time frame and a collection budget in mind.

This change is necessary now, a report suggests that 81 percent of enterprises have already shifted to DevOps. It’s necessary that organizations stay competitive while meeting customer requirements and deadlines. Following these steps and having a proper strategy when your transition will make it easier for the organization to adopt Enterprise DevOps.

Source: Dzone

Apple Joins Threads

Apple appears to have joined Meta-owned social media site Threads, two years after Threads first launched. Apple has a verified Threads profile and the @apple handle, but has yet to make any posts. Apple's account has 4.8 million followers, because of its existing followers on Instagram.


It's not clear why Apple has opted to make a Threads account, and there's no word on whether it will actually see use. Apple also has the @apple handle on X, but it uses the account for advertising and does not share content there (though it does on other specific feature accounts). Apple has a similar unused Facebook account.

Apple does have an active @apple Instagram account where it regularly posts Shot on iPhone videos, and an @apple TikTok account for sharing Apple product tips.

(Thanks, Matthew!)

Tag: Threads

This article, "Apple Joins Threads" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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USAID officially shuts down and merges remaining operations with State Department

When the Trump administration took over, one of its first major moves was dismantling the United States Agency for International Development. Nearly six months later, it officially shuts down Tuesday.

When the Trump administration took over, one of its first major moves was dismantling the United States Agency for International Development. Nearly six months later, it officially shuts down Tuesday.

You Can Still Shop Peloton in Person in These 13 Cities

Showrooms may be closing, but you can still buy products online in a few different ways.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

This week, I saw some news that made me a little sad: Peloton has closed a few of its large showrooms, which limits options for in-person buying. Below is a list of the cities that still have in-person showrooms, plus a variety of resources for making a Peloton purchase online, whether you're in the market for a Bike, Bike+, Tread, or Row.

Where are the Peloton closures and where can you still shop?

Peloton recently closed showrooms in Los Angeles, Georgia, Illinois, and New Jersey. That means there are 13 American cities left with in-person showrooms:

  • California: Newport Beach and Palo Alto

  • Nevada: Las Vegas

  • New York City

  • North Carolina: Raleigh

  • Oregon: Portland

  • Tennessee: Nashville

  • Texas: Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Houston

  • Utah: Murray

  • Virginia: Tysons Corner

For more details (or to see the surprisingly robust amount of stores in other countries, like Austria and Germany), check Peloton's official site.

Other buying options

You have other options if you're in the market for Peloton equipment. First, of course, is ordering online directly through Peloton's website. You'll spend no less than $1,400, but you'll get free delivery and installation, plus assurance that you have a new, high-quality piece of equipment backed by the company's one-year warranty.

As of last month, the company is also operating a resale site called Repowered. Right now, you can only list your old machines and accessories, but once there's enough inventory, you'll be able to buy there, too. Unlike buying on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, you're still technically purchasing your equipment through Peloton, meaning you'll have a safer, more reliable experience. If you sell on Repowered, you not only get money for the device you're getting rid of, but you get a discount on your next new Peloton purchase, too. Here's what you get off from each product if you make a Repowered sale:

  • Bike+: $400 off

  • Tread: $200 off

  • Tread+: $600 off

  • Row: $200 off

You can also try other resale platforms, like TradeMyStuff, which has its own guarantees, offers delivery and installation, and will even pay the $95 fee associated with activating used equipment on your behalf.

Finally, Amazon is always an option, too. The company sells directly through a verified storefront on the e-commerce giant, so the prices you'll find on Amazon are the same as what you'll get on Peloton's own site. You can opt for professional installation in the room of your choice.

JDM: Japanese Drift Master

AE86, Supra, Silvia, S2000, Skyline GT-R. Namn som högst sannolikt får det att behagligt knottras längs ryggraden för den som i varje fall någon gång i livet doppat tån i JDM-träsket eller läst någon av de många japanska serier som celebrerar den inhemska bilkulturen. Initial D, Wangan Midnight, Over Rev eller den aningen mer obskyra, men likaså charmerande Shakotan Boogie.

Att kasta sig ned längs slingrande bergsvägar i skydd av natten, med Running in the 90s dunkandes i bilstereon, och hastighetsvarnaren arg plingande som ett onödigt framfusig Jehovas vittne vid dörrklockan. Ja, det var drömmen för oss många. En så klart avlägsen sådan, och att ta del av den illegala racingscenen i Japan är något som antagligen rätt få västerlänningar fått chans att uppleva. I varje fall när sporten var som mest populär.

Tur då att det finns alternativa medel som kan stilla behovet, och som en räddare i nöden sladdar JDM: Japanese Drift Master in på scenen, i ett moln av Eurobeat-dunk-dunk och bränt gummi. Ett spel som inte bara försöker att plocka smultronen från pajen ur många tidigare framgångar som Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Drift Champ eller något av de licensierade Inidial D-spelen.

Nej, här har man försökt sitt bästa med att destillera ned den romantiserade idén och känslan av att vägen är viktigare än destinationen, och att varje kurva är har en själ, är ett levande ting att inte bara övervinna utan även bemästra. Så är då JDM: Japanese Drift Master den efterlängtade renässans som vi Takahashi-dyrkande nördar gått och flåsat efter? Både ja och nej, häng med så tar vi oss en lite närmare titt.

<bild>Every night you light me with your gasoline</bild>

Premissen är inget att skriva hem om och vi har alla hört legenden. En förare, en bil, smala vägar i natten och en massa motståndare med färgglada öknamn att övervinna. Ett välbeprövat recept som JDM inte försöker att kladda nämnvärt med. Det är kort och gott lika charmigt som det är förutsägbart. Du anländer till Japan som en okänd förare, fylld av självförtroende med ett enda jobb - arbeta dig upp i driftvärlden.

Från små evenemang till fullfjädrade tävlingar så bygger du upp både ditt rykte och garage. Det är lika delar Initial D som Gran Turismo och Truck Simulator som kastats i mixern och körts på drift mode. Kort och gott, en vidareutveckling av genrens storheter från PS2-eran, pepprat med moderna sensibiliteter. Inramningen är enkel, effektiv och fylld av kärlek. Risfält, täta skogar, bensinstationer, lokala Isakayas och verkstäder fyllda av rökande gubbar med tveksamt förflutet.

Det är en värld konstruerad av folk som faktiskt älskar japanska bilar från 90-talet. Inte för att de är snabbast, utan för att de låter rätt. Känns rätt. Men story är väl knappast den primära anledningen till att spela JDM, även om den bidrar med en hel del charm. Nä, hit kommer man för att sladda i takt till Space Boy och drömma sig bort till ett Japan som inte längre finns.

Det är en fin balansgång mellan arkad och realism som landar någonstans i de grumliga vattnen mellan Assetto Corsa och Rallisport Challenge, tillgängligt pedagogiskt för att du kan börja drifta med hyfsad tillförlit redan efter en halvtimme bakom ratten. Vilket också snabbt blir infernaliskt beroendeframkallande och som belönas under tävlingarna, vilka primärt handlar om att vinna med stil, inte vara först över linjen.

<bild>Every time I feel delight when you recall my name</bild>

Du får istället poäng för hur snyggt, vågat och kontrollerat som du tar dig ann kurvorna, och den där känslan av att verkligen lyckas få till en lång, svepande sladd där du bibehåller och nyttjar momentet från din bil, det är ren och skär zen. Det är också kul hur olika man faktiskt fått bilarna i spelet att kännas. En gammal AE86 (ja den är så klart med) beter sig ungefär som du kan förvänta dig, och kontrasten med en tung Toyota Chaser är påtaglig, likväl som RX-7:an som onekligen beter sig som en ilsken get.

Bilarna har helt enkelt förärats med en hel del personlighet, och blir under spelets gång nästan regelrätta karaktärer i sig i takt med att du meckar och pillar med dem. Pokémons, fast förbannat mycker mer underhållande.

Ett annat område där JDM briljerar ligger i hur du kan bygga om och sätta personlig touch på bilarna. Vilka kan brytas ned i molekyler om du så vill, allt från avgassystem, turbo, däck, fjädring, diffar, luftfilter och mer därtill. Nej det är inte Car Mechanic Simulator-nivå på detaljerna, men det är tillräckligt djupt för att du ska kunna bygga din bil exakt så som du vill ha den. Och framför allt - varje justering känns.

Ändra camber några grader och bilen beter sig annorlunda i nästa tävling. Kasta på slicks och du får bättre grepp. Detta går lång bortom bara det estetiska, och blir snabbt nästan filosofiskt när du står och väljer bland allt pynt och delar.

<bild>So you can be my shining star tonight, I'm not alone with all your love!</bild>

Spelvärlden är en slags destillerad tolkning av japansk landsbygd - tänk Gunma eller Tochigi, men komprimerat till en spelkarta som är både öppen och fokuserad. Den är tillräckligt stor för att ge en känsla av frihet, men designad för att du alltid ska kunna hitta en ny väg att attackera. Vilka tar dig uppför bergen, genom skogar, in i små byar med blinkande neonskyltar och nedför serpentinliknande pass. Det märks med andra ord att detta är folk som sett och läst Initial D på tok för många gånger - och det säger jag verkligen som den finast möjliga komplimang.

Det finns också små moment av alldaglighet, ögonblick av reflektion där du stannar upp - du kan tanka, tvätta bilen, hämta leveranser, eller bara cruisa genom natten. Det ger en skön rytm till spelet, där det inte alltid måste handla om maxad adrenalin utan också om att, just det, bara köra.

Visst, det här är ett indieprojekt, och det märks. Grafiken är bitvis ojämn - vissa miljöer är otroligt vackra, särskilt i kvällsljus eller regn, medan andra känns mer som placeholders och karaktärerna i mellansekvenserna är inte direkt prisvinnande. Men dom gör sitt jobb. JDM är är klart och tydligt ett av de där spelen där kärlek och passion lyser igenom och delvis döljer tekniska tillkortakommanden. Det är charmigt snarare än fult. Inte den nödvändigtvis mest polerade motorhuv du skådat, men som undertill bjuder på mullrande magi.

Självfallet så måste jag även ge musiken en särskild eloge här också. Nej, det är inte licensierat Eurobeat men inspirationen är tydlig med gung som tar dig tillbaka till 90-talets storhetstid med en perfekt balans av racer-anime och underground-elektro. Vilket matchar stämningen perfekt och fungerar klockrent när man jagar poäng på ett ensamt bergspass under dygnets småtimmar.

<bild>Fly across the sky, you will be mine, I can feel your dream with you babe. I'm gonna get you, Like a space boy!</bild>

Men även solen har sina fläckar, och jag kan inte blunda för några av de mer framträdande skavankerna. Hur våldsamt mitt sladdande hjärta än mår slå för detta passionsprojekt. Buggar, jo det finns en drös av dem och det kan ta sig form i lite lustiga muskelspasmer där fysiken i spelet emellanåt får för sig att fullständigt balla ur. Det är långt ifrån game-breaking men något som man bör vara medveten om.

Likaså känns en hel del av menyerna en aning halvfärdiga och där finns utrymme att fila på gränssnittet, helt klart. Även optimeringen är inte helt klockren och jag hade i varje fall en totalkrasch av spelet. Men, det blåskärmade i varje fall inte hela datorn, till skillnad från F1 25. Sen ska det även sägas att AI:n inte direkt är den mest briljanta som skådats och saknar personlighet.

Men även om JDM inte är det mest polerade spelet på marknaden, så skiner passionen igenom och det råder ingen tvekan om att detta är ett spel med själ. Det är en hyllning till den japanska bilkulturen av sällan skådat slag, ett kärleksbrev för alla oss som blir kollriga av att se en Toyota Sprinter susa förbi längs vägen. För i de bästa av stunder är JDM verkligen helt otroligt, och när man kastar sig ut i natten under gatlampornas sken, stillsamt nynnandes på Deja Vu, med siktet på nästa bergspass. Då finns det väldigt lite som trumfar Japanese Drift Master.

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

In a way, these two books are responsible for my entire professional career.

With early computers, you didn’t boot up to a fancy schmancy desktop, or a screen full of apps you could easily poke and prod with your finger. No, those computers booted up to the command

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

In a way, these two books are responsible for my entire professional career.

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

With early computers, you didn’t boot up to a fancy schmancy desktop, or a screen full of apps you could easily poke and prod with your finger. No, those computers booted up to the command line.

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

From here, if you were lucky, you might have a cassette tape drive. If you knew the right commands, you could type them in to load programs from cassette tape. But that was an expensive add-on option with early personal computers. For many of us, if we wanted the computer to do anything, we had to type in entire programs from books like 101 Basic Computer Games, by hand... like so.

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

Yep, believe it or not, circa 1983, this was our idea of a good time. No, we didn't get out much. The book itself was a sort of greatest hits compilation of games collected from Ahl’s seminal Creative Computing Magazine in the 1970s:

As soon as Ahl made up his mind to leave DEC, he started laying the groundwork for Creative Computing. He announced intentions to publish the magazine at NCC in June 1974 and over the next few months contacted prospective authors, got mailing lists, arranged for typesetting and printing, and started organizing hundreds of other details.

In addition, he also moved his family to Morristown, NJ, and settled into his new job at AT&T. He had little spare capital, so he substituted for it with “sweat equity.” He edited submitted articles and wrote others. He specified type, took photos, got books of “clip art,” drew illustrations, and laid out boards. He wrote and laid out circulation flyers, pasted on labels, sorted and bundled mailings.

By October 1974, when it was time to specify the first print run, he had just 600 subscribers. But Ahl had no intention of running off just 600 issues. He took all the money he had received, divided it in half, and printed 8000 copies with it. These rolled off the presses October 31, 1974. Ahl recounts the feeling of euphoria on the drive to the printer replaced by dismay when he saw two skids of magazines and wondered how he would ever get them off the premises. Three trips later, his basement and garage were filled with 320 bundles of 25 magazines each. He delivered the 600 subscriber copies to the post office the next day, but it took nearly three weeks to paste labels by hand onto the other 7400 copies and send them, unsolicited, to libraries and school systems throughout the country.

I also loved Creative Computing, but it was a little before my time:

  • 1971 – Ahl ports the programs from FOCAL to BASIC.
  • 1973 – 101 BASIC Computer Games is first published by DEC.
  • 1974 – Ahl founds Creative Computing magazine and acquires the rights to the book from DEC.
  • 1977 – the “trinity” of Apple II 🖥️, PET ️🖥️, and TRS-80 🖥️ microcomputers are released to the public, all with BASIC built in, at prices regular people could mostly afford. 🙌
  • 1978 – a second edition of BASIC Computer Games is released, this time published by Ahl himself.

As you can see, there’s no way average people in 1973-1976 were doing a whole lot with BASIC programs, as they had no microcomputers capable of running BASIC to buy! It took a while for inexpensive personal computers to trickle down to the mainstream, which brings us to roughly 1984 when the sequels started appearing.

There was a half-hearted attempt to modernize these early BASIC programs in 2010 with SmallBasic, but I didn’t feel these ports did much to bring the code up to date, and overall had little relevance to modern code practices. You can compare the original 1973 BASIC Civil War with the 2010 SmallBasic port to see what I mean:

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

Certainly we can do a bit better than merely removing the line numbers? What about our old buddy the subroutine, merely the greatest invention in computer science? It’s nowhere to be seen. 🤔

So it was with considerable enthusiasm that I contacted David H. Ahl, the author, and asked for permission to create a website that attempted to truly update all these ancient BASIC programs.

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

Thankfully, permission was granted. It’s hard to understate how important this book was to an entire generation of programmers. At one point, there were more copies of this book in print than there were personal computers, period!

... in 1973, DEC published an anthology, 101 BASIC Computer Games. The book quickly went into a second printing, for a total of 10,000 copies sold. “That was far more books than there were computers around, so people were buying three, four, five of them for each computer.”

It went on to be the first computer book to sell a million copies. Quite a legacy.

I think we owe it to the world to bring this book up to date using modern, memory safe languages that embody the original spirit of BASIC, and modern programming practices including subroutines.

So let’s do this. Please join us on GitHub, where we’re updating those original 101 BASIC games in 10 memory safe, general purpose scripting languages:

  • Java / Kotlin
  • Python
  • C#
  • VB.NET
  • JavaScript
  • Ruby
  • Perl
  • Lua

(Edit: as of March 2022, we’ve a) offered Kotlin as an alternative to Java, b) removed Pascal since we can’t guarantee memory safety there, and replaced it with Rust, which very much can, and c) added Lua which just cracked the top 20 in TIOBE and strongly meets the scripting and memory safe criteria.)

Now, bear in mind these are very primitive games from the 1970s. They aren’t going to win any awards for gameplay, or programming sophistication. But they are precious artifacts of early computing that deserve to be preserved for future generations, including the wonderful original art by George Beker.

Updating The Single Most Influential Book of the BASIC Era

We need your help to do this right, and collaboratively together, as with all modern programming projects. Imagine we’re all typing these programs in simultaneously together online, all over the world, instead of being isolated alone in our room in 1984, cursing at the inevitable typo we made somewhere when typing the code in by hand out of the book. 🤬

Thanks Mr. Ahl. And a big thanks to everyone who contributed to this project when it was in beta, announced only on Twitter:

To encourage new contributions, by the end of 2022, for every functioning program submitted in each of the 10 indicated languages, I’ll donate $5 to Girls Who Code. Before beginning, please read the guidelines in the readme, and if you have questions, scan through this discussion topic. And most of all, remember, this stuff is supposed to be fun.

(I don’t want to be “that one guy,” so I’m also looking for project co-owners who can help own and organize this effort. If this is a project that really appeals to you, show me what you can do and let’s work together as a team.)

Perhaps as your new year’s resolution you can see fit to carve off some time to take part in our project to update a classic programming bookone of the most influential books in computing history – for 2022 and beyond! 🎉

All the Gardening Tasks You Should Do in July

Now is the time to appreciate all your hard work from earlier in the year—and to eat your body weight in berries.

July is the month you're supposed to get a break from your garden. With most of the planting already finished, you should be sitting back, enjoying a fresh berry margarita in the garden as your plants fulfill their destiny all around you.

But the cycle of summer gardening never truly stops, which means you also need to fit in some weeding and harvesting in between heat domes. Here's what you should focus on this month.

The daily survey

Weeds and more weeds
No, *you* have a weed problem. Credit: Amanda Blum

Take a daily lap around the garden (I try to do mine before the sun gets too high in the sky). Each morning, I do a circuit with my garden hod and a bucket. Take note of how things are doing and what needs more water or perhaps a fertilizer boost, and look for infestations. If you see a weed, pick it and chuck it into the bucket (spoiler: You'll see many weeds). If something needs to be harvested, add it to the hod. Top up your water features and bee stations and try to spend a few moments appreciating all the hard work over some raspberries or the last of the snap peas. 

Water, water everywhere

The headline for this month is bringing in irrigation, since it’s likely the first time this year you'll really need it on a consistent basis. As temperatures climb, it’s imperative to have consistent water at the root of your plants. If you do this, they will grow resiliently, forming strong roots and stems that won't need babying under shade.

Test your irrigation or watering systems if you haven’t yet and get them turned on. Check in for the first week or two and make sure the ground is getting moist about six inches under the topsoil, and adjust the water as necessary. It’s never too late to mulch to conserve water and protect plant roots. Remember that you want a nice thick layer of mulch—an inch isn’t going to do much—but make sure to keep that mulch away from the stems of your plants. 

Deadhead to create stronger and more prolific blooms

Sweet peas forming pods
Sweet peas forming pods, ready to be retired so something else can be planted. Credit: Amanda Blum

Most of the summer blooming flowers are “cut and come again” blooms.  Your snapdragons benefit from a good chop; they'll branch and grow two blossoms in the same place. If you stay on top of your sweet peas, you might be able to stretch them into late July, but if they start to set pods, don't be afraid to pull them out to make room for another climbing vegetable or flower. You should be seeing the start of your echinecea, dahlia and daisies at this point of summer, so be sure to stay on top of deadheading so they last into fall. Some flowers, like sunflowers, are single bloom (they bloom only once, on one stem, so one chop and it’s over), so be sure you know which of your flowers are single bloom so you don't cut away the only bloom you'll get.  

Delphiniums should not be deadheaded
Delphiniums are single bloomers and shouldn't be deadheaded. Credit: Amanda Blum

Turn over peas and other spring vegetables

yellowing peas
These yellowing peas are coming to the end of life, and should be pulled and replaced. Credit: Amanda Blum

At some point around now, your peas will start going yellow and crispy from the bottom up. This just means it’s time to turn over the space for summer—hopefully you have some climbing beans or something else to go into the space. I use mine to plant green beans and sugar pumpkins, which will climb up the trellis and hang from the arches. Your spinach, boy choy, and spring broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage have all also flowered by now, so those spaces are ready to turn over for summer or fall as well. Consider bolt resistant lettuce, tomatillos, beans, cucumbers, melon or squash in their place.

Pumpkins and green beans growing
Pumpkins and green beans growing Credit: Amanda Blum

Sometime this month, garlic is going to be ready to come out of the ground too. Wait for three or four brown leaves and then harvest with a hand spade (do not try to just pull them out of the ground). Your garlic needs to be dried in order for it to last until winter.  

If you got potatoes into the ground in spring, you can start harvesting them as soon as the plants begin to flower. Use a spade to turn over the earth and then use your hands to find all the baby potatoes. You can let really tiny seed potatoes fall back into the bed, which will help it perennialize. 

Succession plant flowers, lettuce, radish, scallions, beets, kohlrabi and other greens

Kohlrabi in the garden
Kohlrabi in the garden Credit: Amanda Blum

In the newly empty spaces, remember to keep succession planting going. Get seeds in routinely or plant starts from the nursery. If you go with seeds, you’ll need to work harder to keep them hydrated so they germinate once they’re in the ground. 

Harvest your berries

Raspberries in the garden
Raspberries in the garden Credit: Amanda Blum

It is berry season, so be sure you’re getting all of your berries harvested as they’re ready. Raspberries should be coming to an end, with blueberries in full swing. At some point this month, strawberries will be dunzo too, which means you can cut them back fully so they can focus on roots for next year instead of growing runners. (I run the lawnmower over them to accomplish this.)

It's also time for early fall planting

You should have your fall starts started by the end of July, if you’re growing from seed. These starts won’t go in for a month or two, which gives you enough time to get a tray of seeds going now.

من هشت سال گروگان ایران بودم. آیا دوستانم از بمباران اسرائیل جان سالم به در بردند؟

سیا‌مک نمازی می‌نویسد: حمله هوایی اسرائیل میان بازپُرسان بی‌رحم و زندانیان سیاسی فرقی نگذاشت

Read this story in English here

نمازی گروگان سابق آمریکایی در ایران است و اکنون عضو هیئت مشاوران ابتکار آزادی برای زندانیان سیاسی در مؤسسه مک‌کین و گروه کمک جهانی به گروگان‌ها است.

وقتی تصاویر دروازه‌ی ورودی زندان اوین را دیدم که با حمله‌ی هوایی اسرائیل تکه تکه شده بود، چشمانم پر از اشک شد. من هشت سال پشت آن دروازه به‌عنوان گروگان جمهوری اسلامی نگهداری شدم — در مکانی که ظلم، قانون است و امید قاچاق می‌شود.

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اما اشک‌هایم از خوشحالی نبود. از این‌که کسانی که من و بعدتر پدر بیمارم را به سلول انفرادی انداختند بالاخره تاوانی پس داده‌اند، لذتی نمی‌بردم. قبلم پر از اندوه بود وقتی به وحشتی فکر می‌کردم که اکنون بسیاری از زندانیان بی‌گناه — از جمله کسانی که سال‌ها هم‌سلولی‌ام بودند — و خانواده‌هایشان تجربه می‌کنند.

این فقط یک حمله به نماد سرکوب نبود. اسرائیل تنها درِ زندان را منفجر نکرد. بمب‌هایش، در ساعات کاری، مجتمع قضایی شهید مقدس را نیز به شدت تخریب کرد. جایی که زندانیان را پیش بازپرسان بی‌رحم می‌برند و وارد ماشین سرکوب دادگاه انقلاب می‌کنند. من در آن اتاق‌ها بوده‌ام، دست‌بند خورده و تحقیر شده، مقابل مردانی که خود را قاضی می‌نامیدند اما مانند زیردستان مأموران اطلاعات رفتار می‌کردند و هر حکمی که آنها می‌دادند را امضا می‌کردند. یکی‌شان را در خفا “جنایت‌کار” صدا می‌زدم، لقبی که بازی با نامش بود و بین ما ماندگار شد. یادم هست وقتی در بی‌خبری کامل و قطع از دنیای بیرون به سر می‌بردم با پوزخندی گفت: «مادرت طبقه‌ی پایین منتظره. هر روز میاد و التماس می‌کنه برای ملاقات»؛ پوزخندی که دلم می‌خواست با سیلی از صورتش پاک کنم.

اما آن مرکز بی‌عدالتی فقط پر از جلاد نبود. بمب‌ها بین بازپرسان ظالم و زندانیان سیاسی، و یا سربازان وظیفه ۱۸ تا ۲۰ ساله که صرفاً مأمور همراهی زندانیان هستند فرق نمی‌گذارند. آیا وکلای حقوق بشری که با شجاعت از بی‌دفاع‌ها دفاع می‌کردند هم در میان قربانیان بودند؟ چند نفر از نظافت‌چی‌ها و کارمندان اداری که از حومه‌ی دور و فقیر تهران برای کار می‌آمدند حالا کشته یا مجروح شده‌اند؟ خانواده‌هایی که در سالن انتظار بودند، مثل زمانی که مادرم هر روز می‌آمد تا درخواست ملاقات یا دارو کند، چه سرنوشتی پیدا کردند؟

بمب‌های اسرائیل درمانگاه زندان را هم زدند؛ جایی که من و بسیاری دیگر بارها برای ویزیت به صف می‌شدیم. جائی که پر از ناامیدی بود، اما شجاعت‌های پنهانی هم وجود داشت. بر سر آن دکتر زن جوان که من «قهرمان» خطابش می‌کردم چه آمد؟ او یک بار در دوران کرونا با شجاعت وارد بند زنان شد مسئولان زندان را مجبور کرد که یک زندانی سیاسی را که وضعیت وخیم کرونایی داشت، به بیمارستان منتقل کنند. او جان آن زن را نجات داد. کارکنان درمانگاه بارها به ما کمک کردند — کمک‌هایی که نمی‌توانم علنی بگویم. مهربانی‌های بی‌منت و بی‌پاداش‌شان به ما امید ادامه زندگی می‌داد. حالا آن درمانگاه ویران شده است.

بند ۴، که محل نگهداری بسیاری از زندانیان سیاسی و گروگان‌های دوتابعیتی یا خارجی است، نیز آسیب دیده. از جمله کتابخانه، تنها پناهگاه ما، جایی که من بیشتر روزها را آن‌جا می‌گذراندم. بند زنان هم آسیب دیده. بلافاصله بعد از حمله، زندانیان سیاسی زن و مرد را ناگهانی سوار اتوبوس کرده‌اند و بدون وسایل شخصی‌شان به مکانی نامعلوم منتقل کرده‌اند. خانواده‌های وحشت‌زده اکنون مستاصل با یکدیگر تماس می‌گیرند، دنبال خبری از عزیزانشان هستند، دعا می‌کنند که زنده باشند و نظام سعی نکند از آن‌ها انتقام حمله اسرائیلی‌ها را بگیرد‌.

زندان اوین شامل چندین بازداشتگاه است. بدترین‌شان زیر نظر وزارت اطلاعات و سپاه پاسداران قرار دارد. بنا به خبرهای رسید، آن‌ها نیز آسیب دیده‌اند. من بیش از دو سال در یکی از همان بازداشتگاه‌ها بودم. نمی‌دانیم آیا بازجوهایی که من را کتک می‌زدند آسیب دیده‌اند یا نه، همان‌طور که نمی‌دانیم آیا زندانیان سیاسی زیر آوار سلول‌های انفرادی و اتاق‌های شکنجه مدفون شده‌اند یا نه.

مرکز ملاقات زندان هم آسیب دیده. چند زندانی، خانواده یا وکیل در آن‌جا کشته یا مجروح شده‌اند؟ آن ناظر مهربانی که اجازه می‌داد مادرم بیشتر بماند و محدودیت ۲۰ دقیقه‌ای ملاقات‌ها را نادیده می‌گرفت و می‌گفت: «این تنها کمکیه که می‌تونم به خانواده شما که انقدر ظلم دیده بکنم»، چه سرنوشتی یافت؟

این یک حمله‌ی هدفمند به فرماندهان نظامی یا مقامات عالی‌رتبه رژیم نبود. این بمب‌ها مردم ایران را تشویق نمی‌کند تا علیه جمهوری اسلامی برخیزند. برعکس. یکی از زندانیان سابق می‌گوید خانواده‌های زندانیان، نگهبانان و کارکنان آن بیرون زندان جمع شده‌اند تا بلکه خبری از عزیزشان بشنوند و در کنار هم در حال اشک ریختن هستند.

بمباران اوین نشان می‌دهد وقتی دو نظام غیراخلاقیبا هم برخورد می‌کنند، چه اتفاقی می‌افتد: یکی بی‌گناهان را زندانی می‌کند، و دیگری با بمب‌بارانشان مدعی آزادی آن‌ها است. تنها امید ما این است که آتش‌بس شکننده میان ایران، اسرائیل و آمریکا پابرجا بماند و این دیوانگی پایان یابد.

اما حتی اگر چنین شود، همه می‌دانیم بعدش چه خواهد شد. آیت‌الله‌ها که نتوانسته‌اند جلوی بمب‌ها را بگیرند، خشم خود را به داخل نشانه خواهند گرفت. آن‌ها سعی خواهند کرد با خشونت قدرت خود را بازگردانند. هزاران نفر دستگیر، شکنجه و اعدام خواهند شد تا رژیم با ایجاد ترس زنده بماند. جوامع آسیب‌پذیرتر — مانند بهائیان — احتمالاً جزو نخستین قربانیان خواهند بود.

همان‌طور که همیشه بوده، بی‌گناهان بیشترین تاوان را خواهند داد.

Trump Issues Blistering Response After Iran’s Supreme Leader Threatens U.S., as All Sides Claim Victory in Conflict

"A burned out, blown up country with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy, and death all around them."

TOPSHOT-NETHERLANDS-NATO-SUMMIT-DEFENCE-DIPLOMACY

President Donald Trump issued blistering remarks in response to Iran’s Supreme Leader claiming victory over Israel and, by extension, the U.S. In a loaded public message, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had also threatened to attack more U.S. Military bases, further splintering the Middle Eastern country’s relationship with the U.S.

“Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell,” Trump said as he addressed the Iranian Supreme Leader during a White House press conference on Friday. Trump was asked by a reporter if the U.S. would consider bombing Iran again, if intelligence reports were to conclude that Iran could enrich uranium to a level that concerns him. “Sure, without question, absolutely,” he replied.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Trump issued an even stronger response on his social media platform, Truth Social, later in the day, and doubled down on his stance once more when he reposted his message early Saturday morning.

In the lengthy post, Trump accused Khamenei of publicly sharing a “lie” by claiming Iran achieved a victory over Israel. He reaffirmed his much debated viewpoint that the U.S. strikes “obliterated” the three key nuclear facilities it targeted on Saturday, June 21. Trump also seemingly made reference to previous reports that stated the White House turned down a plan by Israel to try and kill Khamenei.

“His country was decimated, his three evil nuclear sites were obliterated, and I knew exactly where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces… terminate his life. I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death,” Trump said, lamenting that Khamenei would not “thank” him for this. “During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery. The sanctions are biting! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief.”

According to Congress, the U.S. sanctions on Iran “are arguably the most extensive and comprehensive set of sanctions that the United States maintains on any country.” They block Iranian government assets in the U.S., ban nearly all U.S. trade with Iran, and prohibit foreign assistance and arms sales.

Read More: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime

Trump concluded his charged social media message by saying “Iran has to get back into the world order flow” or else things “will only get worse for them.”

“They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them. A burned out, blown up country with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy, and death all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with honey than you do with vinegar. Peace!”

Khamenei broke his silence on Thursday, publicly speaking out—via a pre-recorded televised address and various social media comments— for the first time since Trump announced the (admittedly fragile) cease-fire between Israel and Iran.

Read More: Shaky Israel-Iran Cease-Fire Appears to Hold After Trump Publicly Rebukes Both Countries

In his televised message, Khamenei threatened to attack more U.S. military bases should any further aggression from the U.S. side occur.

“The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region,” Khamenei said, referring to his country’s air assault on Al Udeid Air Base, a U.S. airbase in Qatar. The strikes were intercepted by the U.S. (except for one that was allowed to proceed as there was no risk of contact), and no casualties were reported. The military action was retaliatory, a direct response to the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities. 

Khamenei claimed “total victory” over Israel. But Israel, the U.S., and Iran have all claimed to have won the war that started on June 13, when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, amid growing concern over Iran’s nuclear capabilities. When the U.S. actively joined the conflict on June 21, striking three key Iranian nuclear facilities, world leaders urged de-escalation and a return to negotiations, amid fears of a far-reaching war erupting.

Read More: ‘Gravely Alarmed’ World Leaders React After U.S. Strikes Iran

Though Trump continues to say that Iran’s nuclear sites were “totally obliterated,” others have cast doubts on how effective the U.S. strikes were in setting back Iran’s nuclear program. Leaked U.S. intelligence suggested that the damage to Iran’s nuclear program may not be as severe as Trump has stated. CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the sites had been “severely damaged” by the U.S. strikes, and that it would take years to be rebuilt. Amid the debate, the White House has put out statements arguing Trump’s stance that the facilities were “obliterated,” labelling reports to the contrary as “fake news.”

But some Democrats left a classified meeting with lingering questions over the effectiveness of the strikes.

“There’s no doubt there was damage done to the program, but the allegations that we have obliterated their program just don’t seem to stand up to reason,” said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut on Thursday. “To me, it still appears that we have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months.”

When asked about concerns of Iran having “secret nuclear sites” at Friday’s press conference, Trump said he was “not worried about it at all.”

“They’re exhausted. The last thing they’re thinking about right now is nuclear,” he told reporters. “You know what they’re thinking of? They’re thinking about tomorrow, trying to live in such a mess. The place was bombed to hell.”

Read More: Key Takeaways From the 2025 NATO Summit

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Trump needs to retire his “disrespectful” tone towards Khamenei if he wants a deal to be struck between the U.S. and Iran.

“If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers,” he said. “The great and powerful Iranian people, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had no choice but to run to ‘Daddy’ to avoid being flattened by our missiles, do not take kindly to threats and insults.”

Araghchi was referencing remarks made by NATO chief Mark Rutte who, during the NATO Summit on Wednesday, referred to Trump as the “daddy” who had to intervene in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Amid the back-and-forth between Trump and Iran, on Saturday, thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran for the funerals of top Iranian military commanders and scientists that were killed in the Israeli strikes. According to reports, crowds chanted “death to” Israel and America.

Araghchi paid tribute to those who had been killed, and went on to tell Iranians on Saturday that the “pride of a nation is paramount,” pledging that Iran would return to “new glory and greater strength.”

As the funerals took place, Khamenei spoke out via a post on his Farsi-language social media account, sharing a message that translated to: “The Iranian nation should know that the reason for the opposition to America is that they want Iran to surrender, and this is a great insult to the Iranian nation by the Americans, and such a thing will never happen.”

This Is the Best Public Transit App I've Ever Used

This free app gives me the confidence to ride buses and trains in unfamiliar cities.

I'm a big fan of apps that give you the information you want at a glance while staying out of your way. Transit is a great example of this.

This free app is perfect if you ever find yourself waiting for a bus, train, or any other form of transportation. Just open the app and you'll see the next departure times for all lines near where you're standing. You can tap any line to see a more detailed schedule. You can usually also see where the next train or bus is, right now, thanks to real-time data.

All of this removes the anxiety from using public transit. Instead of wondering when the next bus will get there—or if the next bus is coming—I can glance at my phone and know exactly how long I need to wait. I live near Portland, Oregon and use this feature basically any time I go into the city—it's just nice to know when the next train is coming.

But the application has also saved me while traveling. Once, while biking north of Victoria, British Columbia, one of my tires went flat. Walking back to the city would have taken hours and I didn't have any cell signal. The Transit app, miraculously, had a cached version of the bus schedule and pointed me to a nearby stop. I caught a bus 15 minutes later and made it back downtown quickly.

A slider allows you to choose how far you're willing to bike while another asks how fast you are on your bike
Credit: Justin Pot

Even outside emergencies, Transit makes navigating new cities via public transit a lot less intimidating. In addition to real-time departures, there's also a way to ask for directions, the same way you can Google or Apple Maps. And while those applications both offer transit directions, the Transit app does a better job at offering multiple routes.

This app also makes it easy to tweak for the way you ride. I, for example, am happy to walk a couple miles if it means avoiding a long connection spent sitting at a bus stop. Transit lets you configure how long you're willing to walk and how fast you walk. There's also really great support for combining bike and transit, something that Google and Apple Maps don't really offer. The result is that you can generally get around faster using Transit's directions once you configure it to match your preferences.

Transit works in 951 cities around the world, mostly in North America and Europe. There's a paid version, called Royale, that provides access to things like more complete schedules and customization options. These features are offered free of charge in certain cities, a fact I learned during a recent visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you're a regular user of public transit, or even just someone who likes to use public transit when you're visiting a new city, I highly recommend you give this application a try.

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads.


As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already connected to the hotel's network.

A captive Wi-Fi network is the type that requires you to fill out a web form before gaining access. They are commonly found at hotels, gyms, coffee shops, airports, and some other public places. With this new feature, which likely extends to macOS 26 too, it will be quicker and easier to connect multiple Apple devices to these networks.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to report that Apple was planning this feature, which was not mentioned during the WWDC 2025 keynote last month. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris later discovered references to it within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta. It was believed that the feature was not functional yet, but evidently it is. According to an earlier post, it seems that Weinbach had installed the second iOS 26 developer beta.

iOS 26 will likely be released in September, bringing this handy option to the masses.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

This article, "iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Rematch

Jag ser ett litet hål som behöver fyllas. Det gapar tomt och ropar efter uppmärksamhet. {Football Heroes League} försökte casha in för några veckor sen men det gick käpprätt åt skogen och var ett väldigt tydligt (men dåligt) försök att stjäla rampljuset från ett riktigt spel - Rematch. Nu är det Rematchs tur att visa vart skåpet ska stå och hur arkadfotboll ska spelas år 2025.

Jag skrev i {Football Heroes League}-recensionen att det saknas ett spel i den här genren. EA FC är idag långt från det lyckopiller som jag vill ha när jag kickar digital fotboll utan det är för nedtyngt av mikrotransaktioner och slöa servrar. Jag vill ha kvick, rapp, fartfylld och underhållande fotboll där realism är en bisak. {Rocket League} har allt det, med den lilla (läs: markanta) skillnaden att bollen sparkas med raketbilar istället för med bredsidor och sträcka vrister. "Ge mig ett {Rocket League} med fötter" är något jag brukar säga och Sloclap verkar ha hört mina böner.
<bild>Släktskapet med Sifu lyser igenom.</bild>
Sloclap ja, studion som levererade kung fu-spektaklet {Sifu} för några år sedan följer alltså upp med ett fotbollsspel. Stilen vi såg i {Sifu} går faktiskt igen i Rematch där vi ser samma stiliga cellshade-grafik och dessutom liknande stuk på karaktärer. {Sifu} briljerade på flera punkter och en av dem har de tagit med sig in i utvecklingen av Rematch, nämligen sättet man rör sig på och interagerar med omgivningen. Istället för att sparka glasflaskor och käkpartier är det fotbollar som får stryk här, men med samma "smoothness".

I Rematch spelar man antingen tre mot tre, fyra mot fyra eller fem mot fem. Det är matcher utan regler som gäller så ingen offside, inga frisparkar och inga gula eller röda kort. Innan man tar sig an verkligt motstånd så får man spela igenom en kort prolog som visar de viktigaste spelmekanikerna. Även om det är ett fotbollsspel, precis som EA FC 25 till exempel, så spelas det inte alls på samma sätt utan här är likheterna med {Rocket League} större. Du styr en spelare, din spelare. De andra styrs av andra spelare och det sätter verkligen samarbetsförmågan på prov.
<bild>Tjusiga omgivningar att sparka boll i.</bild>
En annan likhet med {Rocket League} är sättet man siktar när man skjuter. Där är det visserligen mer fokus på gravitation och fysik men i Rematch går det inte bara att trycka av ett skott och förvänta sig att bollen ska segla upp i krysset som om det vore en målsökande missil. Nej, Rematch spelas ur ett tredjepersonsperspektiv där du har en fri kamera att ansvara över och ett hårkors som du siktar med både när du passar och när du skjuter. Rematch dukar inte upp allt åt dig utan det kräver att du lägger tid på att få grepp om kontrollen för att lyckas. Du måste lära dig att ta emot bollen, dribbla effektivt genom att pusha bollen åt olika håll och dessutom att göra tricks vid rätt tidpunkt. Ingenting görs åt dig utan det är du som ser till att saker sker och att de görs på rätt sätt - en uppfriskande sak att se i ett fotbollsspel nu för tiden.

Fem minuters-matcher är det som gäller. Rinner det iväg och blir för många mål för ett av lagen avslutas matchen i förtid av "mercy rule". Man roterar efter varje avspark där en spelarna får äran att stå i mål medan de andra är utespelare. Ett problem jag ständigt stött på när jag spelat Rematch är att precis som när min grabb spelade i pojkar 6 år-laget så vill alla upp och sparka på samma boll, samtidigt. Ett mål lämnas vidöppet och resulterar mer eller mindre alltid i baklängesmål. Folk är generellt sett inte så bra på Rematch än, men det blir bättre ju mer man spelar och rankningen stiger.

Paralleller med {Rocket League} var det ja. Det finns många. Chatsystemet under matcherna är i grunden i stort sett samma och funkar smidigt för att be om en passning eller be någon skjuta och dessutom för att be om ursäkt när man gör en tabbe och råkar släppa in ett mål. En annan är uthållighetsmätaren som visar hur länge du kan rusha - fast i Rematch fylls den på automatiskt istället för att du behöver plocka upp boostar utspridda över planen. En tredje likhet är det tunga fokuset på möjligheten att anpassa din spelare med allt från stora frisyrer och mustascher till snabba skor och mönster på dina kläder. I Rematch ser vi även samma upplägg med ett säsongspass där man låser upp fler kosmetiska föremål, precis som i {Rocket League}. Den största skillnaden mellan {Rocket League} och Rematch är (förutom bilar kontra fötter) att det ena är ett gratisspel och det andra kostar 300 kronor.
<bild>Målvaktsläget är faktiskt roligt, förvånande nog. Men tröttnar man är det bara att springa ut ur målområdet och kriga som alla andra.</bild>
Ja, Rematch kostar pengar. Många kommer ju att få tillgång till det genom Game Pass, där det släpps dag ett men ni andra får betala minst 279 kronor för basutgåvan och upp emot 500 för deluxe edition som innehåller lite extra lull lull. Det känns lite fel, faktiskt. Rematch är faktiskt ett fantastiskt spel när man lyckas matcha med rätt spelare som faktiskt vet hur fotboll ska spelas. Jag ser mig själv spela det här lång tid framöver - men jag är lite osäker på hur många som vill punga ut i runda slängar 300 riksdaler för att lägga vantarna på ett spel som är fullt med mikrotransaktioner och ett säsongspass som man behöver betala ännu mer för. Rematch känns mer som en F2P-titel - särskilt med tanke på likheterna det har med {Rocket League}.

Huvudsaken är att alla spelar på samma villkor (ännu en likhet med {Rocket League}) och mikrotransaktionerna låser bara upp möjligheten att förändra hur spelet ser ut. Att ha skor som har en glitch-animation bakom sig när man springer snabbt gör inte att man sparkar hårdare eller springer snabbare. Det är bara kosmetiskt och har ingen effekt på hur bra fotbollen spelas. Men jag är lite rädd för att Sloclap skjuter sig själva i foten med sin prissättning av spelet. Men det återstår att se.
<bild>Såhär "snygg" kan man bli. Om man slänger in lite riktiga pengar kan man bli ännu tjusigare.</bild>
Förutom den rätt stora minuspunkten är Rematch är väldigt bra spel. Det är spelet jag har velat ha i så många år och jag är överlycklig över att det äntligen landat. Det är både trevligt att titta på och trevligt att spela och jag hoppas att Sloclap lyckas med det till synes omöjliga - att övertyga spelare att betala för något som i mångt och mycket ser ut som en free to play-titel.

Let's Talk About The American Dream

A few months ago I wrote about what it means to stay gold — to hold on to the best parts of ourselves, our communities, and the American Dream itself. But staying gold isn’t passive. It takes work. It takes action. It takes hard conversations that ask

Let's Talk About The American Dream

A few months ago I wrote about what it means to stay gold — to hold on to the best parts of ourselves, our communities, and the American Dream itself. But staying gold isn’t passive. It takes work. It takes action. It takes hard conversations that ask us to confront where we’ve been, where we are, and who we want to be.

That’s why I’m incredibly honored to be joining Alexander Vindman in giving a talk at the historic Cooper Union Great Hall 14 days from now. I greatly admire the way Colonel Vindman was willing to put everything on the line to defend the ideals of democracy and the American Dream.

The American Dream is, at its core, the promise that hard work, fairness, and opportunity can lead to a better future. But in 2025, that promise feels like a question: How can we build on our dream so that it works for everyone?

Alexander and I will explore this in our joint talk through the lens of democracy, community, and economic mobility. We come from very different backgrounds, but we strongly share the belief that everyone's American Dream is worth fighting for.

Alexander Vindman has lived many lifetimes of standing up for what's right. He was born in the Soviet Union and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, growing up in Brooklyn before enlisting in the U.S. Army. Over the next 21 years, he served with distinction, earning a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq and eventually rising to Director of European Affairs for the National Security Council. When asked to choose between looking the other way or upholding the values he swore to protect, he chose correctly. That decision cost him his career but never his integrity. I have a lot to learn about what civic duty truly means from Alex.

I build things on the Internet, like Stack Overflow and Discourse. I write on the internet, on this blog. I've spent years thinking about how people interact online, how communities work (or don't), and how we create digital spaces that encourage fairness, participation, and constructive discourse. Spaces that result in artifacts for the common good, like local parks, where everyone can enjoy them together. Whether you're running a country or running a forum, the same rules seem to apply: people need clear expectations, fair systems, strong boundaries, and a shared sense of purpose.

This is the part of Stay Gold I couldn't tell you about, not yet, because I was working so hard to figure it out. How do you make long-term structural change that creates opportunity for everyone? It is an incredibly complex problem. But if we focus our efforts in a particular area, I believe we can change a lot of things in this country. Maybe not everything, but something foundational to the next part of our history as a country: how to move beyond individual generosity and toward systems that create security, dignity, and possibility for all.

I can't promise easy answers, but what I can promise is an honest, unfiltered conversation about how we move forward, with specifics. Colonel Vindman brings the perspective of someone who embodied American ideals, and I bring the experience of building self-governing digital communities that scale, which turned out to be far more relevant to the future of democracy than I ever would have dreamed possible.

Imagine what we can do if Alex and I work together. Imagine what we could do if we all worked together.

This event was streamed in real time via the Cooper Union Great Hall YouTube channel:

Hulu’s Black Friday deal is back: $0.99 a month for a whole year

Yes, Your Webcam and Phone Camera Can Be Hacked

The good news: Good cyber hygiene habits go a long way toward protecting you.

As with any device connected to the internet, your cameras are susceptible to hacking. While threat actors are often focused on big-ticket spying targets like critical infrastructure, individuals aren't immune. Your webcam, security camera, and even baby monitor can be exploited for any number of malicious purposes—but cybersecurity best practices can significantly reduce your risk.

Internet-connected cameras are vulnerable to hacking

Webcam hacking grants remote access to your device's camera, which allows bad actors to watch and record the camera view. This means that they can turn your camera on and off, see what the camera sees, and take photos and videos. The potential risks here include everything from snooping on your personal movements and private activities to recording footage for blackmail to "shoulder surfing" in order to steal data to tracking when you are home. Live feeds may also be shared or sold on the dark web, compromising your privacy, digital security, and possibly physical safety.

It's not just your phone and computer that are at risk. All kinds of internet-connected cameras commonly found in consumers' homes—security cameras, pet cams, baby monitors, and smart bird feeders, to name a few—can be hacked relatively easily. These cameras can be integrated into botnets or give threat actors access to other devices on your network. A recent report from cybersecurity firm BitSight (covered by 404 Media) found that content from more than 40,000 unsecured cameras had been exposed online, with researchers noting that this estimate is likely very conservative.

Surveillance camera networks are also widespread and pervasive in our day-to-day lives. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has outlined some of the ways in which video surveillance is conducted and used in cities across the country, from automated license plate readers to mobile surveillance towers. The data are accessible to law enforcement, of course, but these cameras have also been targeted by hackers with live streams exposed online. BitSight also found compromised cameras in public spaces, such as gyms and stores.

How hackers gain access to your camera

Webcam hacking on your phone or computer is primarily the result of malware that allows threat actors to remotely take over your device and gain access to your camera. These programs, like Remote Access Trojans (RAT), are typically delivered via phishing attacks that trick you into clicking links to download and install malicious apps.

Other cameras connected to the internet may be accessed remotely using the default manufacturer usernames and passwords, which are often publicly available. Weak credentials can also be brute-forced, and older devices that no longer receive security updates may be especially susceptible to hacking.

You can search your camera on Shodan.io, which scans for internet-connected devices, or try to access it from a device outside your home network without logging in through a secure app or VPN. If you're successful, your camera could be exposed.

There are also a handful of red flags that your webcam may have been compromised. An obvious one is that your camera indicator light is on or flashing when you're not actually using your camera, such as for a Zoom meeting or video call. Other signs of a malware infection include a fast-draining battery, suspicious or unfamiliar apps or files on your device, strange network activity, and unexpected changes in your webcam settings.

How to prevent your cameras from spying on you

Good cyber hygiene goes a long way toward protecting your devices from hackers. Be wary of clicking links found in emails, texts, social media posts, or other communication, as these may be phishing links used to spread malware that takes over your device. Never execute commands for CAPTCHA tests, a tactic commonly used in ClickFix attacks.

Keep your devices—including all internet-connected cameras—up to date with the latest firmware. Enable automatic updates if available, and check regularly for security patches that address vulnerabilities. Change the default usernames and passwords on your IoT cameras to something strong and unique (again, these defaults are often publicly known). Firewalls and VPNs are also useful tools for blocking unauthorized access to your network and devices.

This is also a good time to check which apps and services have access to your device's camera and disable any you don't recognize or that aren't essential to the app's functionality. Permissions are found in your device settings:

  • Windows: Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera

  • Mac: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera

  • Android: Settings > Security & Privacy Privacy > Permission manager > Camera

  • iOS: Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera

Finally, a low-tech form of protection is a webcam cover—or even a piece of tape—to block your camera's view when it's not in use.

The Making of an American Pope

How a kid from the Midwest became the leader of the Catholic Church

“I’m ticked,” says John Prevost, the retired Midwestern high school principal who is now, abruptly and without warning, globally famous and in demand. “I didn’t want to be, but I’m so angry.” He’s sitting at the table of Denise and Rob Utter, who have invited a bunch of people from their local Catholic parish, about 45 minutes south of Chicago, to talk about their friend and John’s kid brother Bob, whom they have known for decades, over pizza. Sometimes they call him Father Bob. Occasionally they remember to call him by his new name, Pope Leo XIV, but it’s unfamiliar to their tongue. One of the guests accidentally calls him Pope Pius.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

It’s probably not all fun and games to be the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion people from very different cultures at a time when the Catholic Church is recovering from multiple scandals, riven from within, financially ensnarled, and, especially in the so-called developed nations, wrestling with a growing disinterest in the stuff it does best—ancient ritual, obligatory gathering, biblical exegesis. But it’s also a teensy bit of a drag to be his brother. 

Pope Leo XIV, 69, is the person to whom lots of people look when they want to come in contact with God. John Prevost, 71, is the person to whom they look when they want to reach the Pope. His mailbox is inundated. A local accounting firm sent him a 30-page pitch deck on how it would sort out the Vatican’s finances. Another opportunist sent him two baseballs, asking for them to be forwarded to His Holiness, newly anointed as the world’s most famous White Sox fan. “Dear Mr. Prevost, please have your brother sign these baseballs,” the accompanying letter said, according to its recipient. “You can keep one and run a fundraiser.” His mail carrier is sympathetic, advising him to hire someone to handle the paper blizzard. 

It’s not just mail. His phone (a landline) rings well into the night. One recent warm day, Prevost was watering his yard when he noticed people at his front door. It was congregants from a now shuttered church in Chicago, St. Adalbert’s. “They had a two-page letter to send to the Pope in the hopes that he will convince the Cardinal to reopen the church—and they were not going to give up,” he says. Even Hollywood is getting in on the act. Prevost has already had a showbiz publicist offer to represent him, and a journalist stop by post-interview to give him tips on what is imprudent to say on live TV—such as his imminent travel plans.

Prevost’s travails are one of the many ripple effects of May 8, 2025, when the conclave made several types of history by handing the papal keys to a recently appointed American Cardinal. Robert Francis Prevost is not only the first Augustinian, the first modern missionary, and the first devotee of Peeps and Hostess Snoballs to occupy the Throne of St. Peter, he’s also the first leader from a land where opportunism and entrepreneurship are admired only slightly less than the triune God. America is not used to having a local guy as the driving force of an institution with four times as much history and an even greater capacity to inspire fear and awe. But a deep dive into Pope Leo’s education and background shows that either by divine intervention, wise choices, luck, or all three, his path made him uniquely prepared for steering through the choppy waters facing the ancient denomination he now leads.

Making of the Pope Time Magazine cover

As recently as three months ago, it was a truth universally acknowledged that there was not going to be a Pope from the U.S. anytime soon. The Americans were too dominant elsewhere, too loud, too confident, too greedy, too obsessed with individual liberties. They venerated the new and the shiny, preferring novel and homegrown faiths to the traditions of Europe or Asia. They were more concerned with LGBTQ rights and the ordination of women than the plight of the poor and dispossessed. 

But if ever there were going to be an American Pope, people could have predicted he’d come from the Midwest. “He’s Midwestern nice,” says Father Paul Galetto, the pastor of St. Paul church in Philadelphia, of the fellow Augustinian he has known since his 20s. “He listens to you. He’s pleasant. He’s not going to jump in the middle of your conversation, tell you you’re wrong. That’s a great advantage for him.”

Even the much prevailed-upon John Prevost can’t stay ticked for long. A few evenings before our dinner party, someone left a package at his doorstep. It was a Wordle cap. (He plays Wordle with his Vatican-based brother every day; he in English, the Pope in Italian.) “And then here comes the card: ‘Dear John, in a world where there are so many evil people right now, you are a breath of fresh air, thank you,’” says Prevost. “‘We so appreciate your sense of humor and your kind words.’ And that changed my attitude. People are watching me, so I’d better not be crabby.”


It was clear from very early on where the youngest of Mildred and Louis Prevost’s three sons was heading. “The only thing that was in question until eighth grade was, would it be an order priest, or would it be a diocesan priest?” says John. (The former belongs to a brotherhood, while the latter serves a church.) “Nothing was forced on him. That was his decision to make.” The family were eager Catholics: his mother, a school librarian, sang in the choir, as did young Robert. They had relatives who were nuns. Before he became a high school principal and district superintendent, Louis, who served in the Navy during World War II, had considered being a priest. His sons’ career choices mirrored their father’s: Louis, the oldest, named after his dad, went into the Navy. John was a principal of Catholic high schools. And Robert took the path his father might have taken.

Primary imagePope Childhood home

Apart from his devotion to the church, and the fact that study came easily to him, Robert was a regular kid, riding his bike around the streets of the south Chicago working-class suburb of Dolton by day, playing flashlight tag by night, and occasionally squeezing the glowing goo out of fireflies and wiping it on an older brother. It didn’t seem odd that he occasionally set up a pretend Communion table on the ironing board and gave his family play sacraments. John confirms that even while very young, Robert had a reputation among the neighbors, with one elderly lady telling him as they played in the yard that he’d be Pope one day. 

When young men showed an inclination toward entering the priesthood in 1967 Chicago—a city that was Catholic enough that locals identified themselves by their parish rather than their neighborhood—they’d be visited by representatives of the various orders, football-scout style, to see where they might fit in. “I remember sitting around a table each time someone was coming, and they would come, and then everyone would ask questions,” says John Prevost. “We had to sit there and be nice.” The vocational director who persuaded eighth-grade Robert to give the Augustinians a spin was Dudley Day, a Catholic of the old school, whose views were conservative enough that he later parted ways with his local church over a disagreement about modernization.

Pope Leo

St. Augustine, the minor seminary in Holland, Mich., where Robert Prevost completed his secondary education, was the kind of place that sorted the priests from the merely pious. About 50 boys were accepted every year, and about a dozen graduated four years later. “It was tough; it was rigorous,” says Father Becket Franks, who was the year below the future Pope at school. Students were up at 6 a.m. and had scheduled activities until about 8:30 p.m., when they had a few hours of free time before retiring to a large dormitory lined with beds. There were three Masses a day and a lot of time in close quarters together. 

Prevost, who was co-valedictorian and yearbook editor among other accolades, had a reputation for being a good person to turn to for help with homework, especially math or languages. “He was the smartest person I think we ever met,” says Franks, who is now a Benedictine monk and chaplain. “He had mastered French by the middle of high school.” Students were required to undertake certain extracurricular activities (Prevost was in the choir with Franks—both sing tenor—and played tennis) and to keep up their academic performance, but mostly the school’s focus was how to live in community. “Everything that we went through at St. Augustine Seminary High School prepared Robert Prevost for his position,” says Franks. “Not just education but dealing with people and learning patience and how to behave.”

Primary imageSecondary image

From Michigan, Prevost went to Villanova, the Augustinian university just outside Philadelphia. It was in Pennsylvania that he really developed his love of driving, which according to two contemporaries, he would do while reading a book. He and three friends once asked Father Bill Sullivan, who oversaw would-be friars, if they could drive to a church dance in Chicago—some 12 hours away—and be back the following afternoon. In January. Their request was declined. “He just was an easy guy to be with,” says Sullivan, now a parochial vicar at St. Jude’s, the church the Utters belong to in New Lenox, Ill. “He made friends. People really listened to him.” Prevost majored in math and minored in philosophy, but it was pretty much the end of his study of anything not directly related to his faith. In September 1977, shortly after he finished his coursework at Villanova, he made the first round of vows to join the Augustinian order.


At 22, Robert Prevost was committing his life to an establishment in the midst of generational change. The Catholic Church of his parents had been altered profoundly by the Second Vatican Council, which released a series of reports in the mid-’60s, loosening up some of the church’s strictures and establishing a series of new procedures and rules that allowed, among other things, Mass to be said in languages that were not Latin and pastoral care for those who are divorced. One result of these changes was a call for a new style of urban and more ecumenical Catholic university. Prevost joined an institution founded on those principles.

The Catholic Theological Union (CTU), housed in the former Aragon Hotel, was a decade old when Prevost arrived. Two dozen or so men’s orders studied there, as well as women and laypeople, and the school had female professors and a rabbi on staff. What it didn’t have was any students on the way to becoming diocesan priests. (They trained in the more palatial Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago.) The mix of cultures, genders, and orders and the shedding of hierarchy—professors were called by their first names—made it an exciting place to be. “It was, in a certain sense, the best of what religious community can become,” says Sister Dianne Bergant, 88, who taught there for 45 years. 

Bergant marveled at the opportunities she was given. “This is going to sound like an exaggeration, but I do not ever remember being minimized by my male colleagues because I was a woman,” she says. “Women were considered to be theologians in the same way as men.” She had Prevost in two classes, Old Testament and Pentateuch, and doesn’t remember him at all but can tell from her class notes that he did well and always turned in his assignments on time. Each student had a spiritual director, and Prevost chose Sister Lyn Osiek, who also supervised his theological-reflection class. “Calm and steady,” says Osiek. “Those are the two words that I would say about him. It was just like nothing fazed him. He was really a person who was at peace with himself.”

Robert Prevost Pope Leo

At the end of the day students from a religious order went back to the houses of their communities where professors from the order also lived and dined and prayed with them. About a dozen Augustinians lived together in the St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park, with others coming and going. While it’s safe to say it was collegial, it was not one of the party houses. “Sometimes we were invited up to different parts of the building where the other communities were to celebrate various things,” says Prevost’s classmate Father Mark Francis, now superior general of the Viatorians. “The Passionists, for example, would always have a Kentucky Derby Day. And the Precious Blood always had kegs of beer.” Bergant confirms this: “Those Precious Blood men put on good parties.”

(The St. John Stone Friary has been in the news over the years because a priest accused of abusing at least 13 minors was allowed to move in there in 2000. A victims’ group filed a complaint with the Vatican in March, alleging that Prevost “endangered the safety” of children by allowing the priest to live near an elementary school. “To our knowledge, Pope Leo XIV has acted in accordance with Church policies in every abuse case,” the Archdiocese of Chicago said in a statement in May, “and has consistently expressed his compassion for survivors of this crime and sin.” A lawyer for Midwest Augustinians has suggested the location was selected because of the supervision the priest would receive. The complaint also alleged that Prevost failed to properly handle three women’s claims of sexual abuse while he was bishop in Peru in 2022; the Vatican has said Prevost followed church protocol and sent the results of an initial investigation to Rome. The Vatican closed its own investigation in August 2023, though the diocese later reopened the case.)

The scholarship at CTU was both rigorous and progressive. One of the required classes, on Christology, had two versions, one taught by a professor trained by Edward Schillebeeckx, the respected Belgian theologian who promulgated the idea that the true role of the Christian was not to ascribe to a certain set of beliefs but to right injustice as Jesus did, and the other trained by the equally respected German theologian Karl Rahner, whose emphasis was on the mystical nature of Christ and thus of all humans. 

“We were not trained in a very doctrinaire, rigid kind of theology,” says Francis, who served a stint as CTU’s president. “One of the strengths of the school was the missiological part. The question of religion and culture was very important in terms of how we have to recalibrate things if you’re moving from one group to another, one culture to another.” Many of CTU’s graduates became missionaries, including one of Prevost’s contemporaries, Ezechiele Ramin, who was murdered in 1985 in Brazil as he tried to broker peace between the corporate landowners and the local landless farmers. There is a campaign to have him beatified. 

Bishop Daniel Turley, who lived in the Augustinian friary for a few months in the late ’70s, remembers Prevost as being particularly committed to the idea of doing missionary work. In general, the Augustinians are considered a missionary order who teach and preach. St. Augustine left Europe and moved to North Africa with a handful of other devotees to live out a life saturated by their beliefs while also absorbed in the needs of their neighbors. Augustinians don’t stay in one place like the Benedictines, but move around, bringing their gifts to different places, but always among other Augustinians. The current Pope once described the order as “brothers and friends whose lives and witness truly make a difference.”

Wherever Prevost has gone, he has been among men who had been trained as he was and committed to sharing everything. Even when he was a Cardinal with his own papal apartment, he went to the Augustinian curia for meals and Mass every day, and once a week to play tennis; he dined there at least twice in the early weeks of his papacy. “He was very interested in what I was doing in Peru,” says Turley, who worked there for 52 years. While other students were heading to their rooms to study, Prevost wanted to talk about what people in Turley’s diocese needed. “Of all of them, he was the most community minded,” says Turley.


If Prevost spent most of his first quarter-century less than 800 miles from his home, the decades that followed would take him quite a bit farther. After he graduated from CTU and took his solemn vows in 1981, he was invited to study canon law in Rome. “Americans had stopped going to study in Rome,” says Galetto, who was one of the first to return. “We thought American theology was better, more modern. It wasn’t based on patristics, but more on psychology and sociology.” When he arrived with Robert Dodaro, his co-valedictorian from way back at high school, neither speaking Italian, Galetto was their guide. John Paul II, now St. John Paul II, had just been elected, a youngish Polish Pope emerging at the same time as Lech Walesa’s Polish trade union, Solidarity. “There was this electric feel,” says Galetto. “Large crowds were coming to the audiences.”

While Prevost was studying a historic and doctrinaire subject, essentially the legal framework for the Catholic Church’s operations, at the Angelicum, a 440-year-old school where John Paul II had also studied, he was surrounded by the excitement of a new era. The Augustinian house was across St. Peter’s Square from the Vatican, and it was filled with men from around the world. Galetto remembers Prevost really enjoying the global nature of the brotherhood. “When you study in Rome, you realize that the church is really universal,” says Galetto. “Many of the Augustinians who are in the United States, we just think that the American problems are the church’s problems, but there’s so much more than that.”

Because of his legal expertise, Prevost was asked to become personal secretary to a bishop in Chulucanas in northern Peru. But he arrived in the aftermath of deadly El Niño floods and set to work helping rebuild the region. “When you’re a missionary, you just learn how to do everything, from electronics to auto mechanics,” said then Cardinal Prevost during a visit to St. Jude’s last year. It was not a seamless process. There might still not have been an American Pope if one of Prevost’s Augustinian brethren hadn’t saved him from being electrocuted with a well-aimed tackle on a roof after the young missionary picked up the wrong two wires.

While Pope Leo owes his formal education almost solely to the northern hemisphere, much of his shaping as a practitioner occurred in Peru. “Those are the life experiences that give you life to continue on, that nourish you,” says Turley, who was Prevost’s superior when he arrived. “As a young priest, to go through that, and see how beautiful it is, how poor people can be, and yet all of the goodness and the power of people when they come together, and the wonderful things that they can do if you start breaking down prejudices and division.” Prevost said as much at St. Jude’s: “The part of ministry that most shaped my life is Peru.” 

After a decade in South America, it must have been quite an adjustment to take on the role of head of his home Augustinian province, which stretches throughout the Midwest and into Canada. One of his duties as provincial prior was to minister to Augustinian schools, and he was called in to help out St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago. The students have a retreat every year, and the school likes to invite priests who are unfamiliar to the boys to hear confession so they don’t feel awkward. In 2000, Prevost was one of those priests. “I had gone to confession several times before, but it was like two minutes, let me get out of here as quickly as I can,” says Patrick “PJ” McCarthy. “But this was more of just a conversation.” The two sat knee to knee in the darkened room and talked about underage drinking and sibling rivalry, among other things. “He was not judging me, and he was just very open,” recalls McCarthy. Mike Stawski, who was on the retreat as a student leader, noticed right away that Prevost was different from most priests. “What was so fascinating about him was that almost immediately, we forgot that he wasn’t with us the whole time. He was so welcoming, so caring for what we were doing.”

After two years, Prevost was voted in as the head, or prior general, of all Augustinians, based again in Rome. He traveled a lot, encouraging the other 2,800 or so Augustinian friars around the world. But priors general can serve only two terms, and in 2013, Prevost found himself back in Chicago, back at CTU, helping guide Augustinians in training, work usually done by much younger men. “It’s like having the CEO of an international organization retire from being CEO, but yet be employed by the organization for passing out mail,” says Bergant, the Old Testament scholar. 

If Prevost felt it was a comedown, he said nothing to his friends. That’s the Father Bob the folks of New Lenox talk about, never too busy or too big for his community. After Father Mike Schweifler had a heart transplant on Easter in 2005, the women of St. Jude’s who were looking after him struggled to get his brethren to visit. But Prevost, who was prior general, came several times. “Sometimes he was just on a stopover and he drove here from O’Hare for a few hours or a few minutes,” says Denise Utter. “And then he’d go back to O’Hare, because he had a connecting flight.”

Pope Leo

At the same time Prevost’s friends want to make clear that he’s not overly reverent. He laughed when they showed him Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” segment about his election on YouTube. When they get together for pizza (he favors mushroom and sausage), “we mostly don’t talk about faith-based things at all,” says Utter. Lisa Salva and her husband Rich visited Prevost in Rome in 2011, and he took them through a back door to St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass so that they emerged right under the altar. “When I walked up that spiral staircase, I looked up and I went, ‘Jesus Christ!’” recalls Salva. “And he goes, ‘That’s a good reaction.’” The current Pope also knows his way around a good clean Midwestern joke, at least according to his brother. One of the last jokes he told Pope Francis was about going to the doctor because his arm hurt in two places, says John Prevost. “And the Pope said, ‘Really? What did the doctors say?’ And Bob said, ‘Doctors told me: Don’t go to those places.’”

Prevost’s return to Chicago also turned out to be something of a stopover, because in 2014, Francis, whom Prevost had met when the late Pontiff was still Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, asked him to return to Peru, this time as bishop of Chiclayo, a large metropolis in the north. The diocese was dominated by clerics who were members of Opus Dei, a very conservative sect of Catholicism, and Prevost, who had to become a Peruvian citizen to become a bishop, was charged with moving it back to the middle. “So you had some resistance to the new bishop,” says Turley. “But those [Opus Dei adherents] who were in control quickly lost control, because the people really wanted someone who was open and welcoming.”

The challenges weren’t only from within the church. “Right after he became a bishop, we had the tremendous problem of Venezuela,” says Turley, who oversaw the Catholic Church’s response to the 1.5 million asylum seekers accepted into Peru after the Venezuelan economy and civil society began to collapse in 2014. They needed housing, jobs, and medical help. “One of the best bishops to work with in dealing with migrants was none other than Bishop Robert Prevost,” says Turley. “His diocese was so well organized to take care of them.” 

The combination of Prevost’s formal but reformist education and long fieldwork among people with very little but each other to insulate them from hardship was perhaps what drew Pope Francis to swiftly raise his standing at the Vatican as the Pontiff saw the dying of the light. In Hope, Francis’ last book, he wrote that for the church to grow, it had to focus less on conversion and more on attracting people through the way Christians lived, and therefore for high-ranking church officials, “the title of ‘servant’—here in the sense of ministry—should obscure that of ‘eminence.’”

Pope LeoSecondary image

In 2023, Prevost was made a Cardinal and moved back to Vatican City, working in successively more prominent roles, until the announcement of his election in May. “He’s been formed in the kind of church that is forward-thinking, missionary in its outlook, globally aware, and then, especially in Peru, very deeply formed by his accompaniment of people who were the poorest,” says Sister Barbara Reid, the current president of CTU. “You can hear it in everything he says.”


For many, it can be hard to believe the Catholic Church has any relevance today. All those ornate empty buildings with men in robes waving smoke around elderly congregants, preaching homilies with references to activities as quaint as shepherding and sowing, and praying to dead saints whose miracles are now forgotten or considered dubious. The first American Pope officially comes from the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, which seems almost as fantastical as coming from the Gladden Fields of Middle Earth. The church of his childhood, St. Mary of the Assumption, is abandoned, its stained-glass windows (one displaying the papal keys) uncontemplated.

But every time one expression of faith dies, a new one seems to rise up offering something more in keeping with the needs of the era. History records the first Pope Leo as an adept diplomat; he’s credited with persuading Attila the Hun not to sack Rome. The current Pope Leo has already offered Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a place to negotiate. In the wake of the U.S. bombing of Iran, he urged world leaders to “stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.” 

When Galetto saw his fellow Augustinian step onto the balcony, he paused for a moment to reflect on the mysterious ways of the universe. “We started at the same place 40 years ago. Here I am stapling papers together at a parish because we’re having a prayer service,” he says, “and he’s going to be talking to Putin about the war in Ukraine. God had a plan for him, and God had a plan for me.”

Bob Prevost might never climb behind the wheel of a car again. But Pope Leo might be able to drive something. Already inquiries about becoming an Augustinian novitiate are up fivefold from last year. Augustinian websites have been flooded with traffic. And another type of visitor has been showing up on John Prevost’s doorstep: people who feel that an American Pope is a sign. “Because of my brother, they are going back to the church,” says the older Prevost. “They say, ‘I’ve been away for a long time. And I’d like to come back.’”

Black Friday deal: Protect your porch with a Nest Doorbell for 46% off

All the New Features Coming to Garmin Watches in Its Massive Beta Update

Check out these 28 new features—some totally new to all Garmin watches.

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Garmin has just announced an absolutely massive feature update via public beta for the Fenix 8, Enduro 3, and Fenix E watches. This adds in all of the newly announced Forerunner 970 running features, the new Venu X1 features, plus a few entirely new to Garmin features as well. This beta release (version 17.11) pulls together features that were previously exclusive to specific device lines and makes them available across their flagship outdoor watch series. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Fenix E—which has struggled to find its market position—is receiving the same treatment as the more expensive Fenix 8 and Enduro 3. Let's take a look at what new features you can start using, depending on your Garmin device of choice.

Features brand new to Garmin devices

The beta update introduces 28 new features, ranging from entirely new applications to advanced training metrics. Several features make their debut across the entire Garmin ecosystem:

  • Calculator app: A full-featured calculator with tip calculation and bill-splitting functionality

  • Ability to access apps list by swiping left on watch face: A new navigation method for quicker app access

  • Custom focus modes: Long-awaited expansion of the focus modes feature first introduced last summer

  • Editing for all previous sets in strength training: Enhanced strength training workflow capabilities

  • Japanese kana keyboard: Expanding language support for international users

  • Music options to music controls page: Enhanced music playback controls

  • Support for track/road display transitions: Improved display optimization for different running surfaces

  • Track run option for daily suggested workouts: Integration of track-specific training into automated workout suggestions

New features from Forerunner 570/970

Some of the advanced running capabilities that made the Forerunner 970 a standout device are now available on the Fenix outdoor watch series:

  • Running economy support: Advanced metabolic efficiency tracking

  • Running tolerance support: Recovery and training load management

  • Step speed loss support: Biomechanical analysis for running efficiency

  • Evening report support: Comprehensive end-of-day health and training summaries

  • Expanded morning report support: Enhanced daily readiness insights

  • Garmin alerts to notification center: Centralized alert management

  • Multisport workout support: Structured training across multiple disciplines

  • Running power to lactate threshold page: Power-based threshold analysis

  • Provisional finish point support: Race strategy and pacing tools

  • Triathlon adaptive training plan support: AI-driven triathlon training periodization

  • Triathlon race events support: Comprehensive race day features for triathletes

Features from other Garmin devices

The update also brings capabilities from other recent Garmin releases:

  • Smart wake alarm (from Vivoactive 6): Intelligent wake timing based on sleep cycles

  • Additional keyboard layouts and emoji support: Enhanced text input capabilities for Android users

Sport-specific enhancements

If you golf or sail, check these out:

  • Golf range finder settings menu: Improved golf functionality

  • Race timer data field for sail race activity: Enhanced sailing competition features

  • Tack assist data page in sailing activities: Advanced sailing navigation aids

What this means for Garmin users

Notably, about the only missing feature from recent Garmin releases is the "Auto lap" for races with timing gates (where the watch will adjust your mileage as you pass the gate), which came to the Forerunner 570/970 and also the Venu X1. For current Fenix 8, Enduro 3, and Fenix E owners, this update is pretty major. Whether you're a triathlete, elite runner, or just wanted a damn calculator, this update has something for you. The beta is available now for users enrolled in Garmin's public beta program, with a stable release expected in the coming weeks. As Garmin continues to refine and expand these capabilities, we can expect additional features and improvements to roll out throughout the remainder of 2025.

Powering Neurokrish’s Digital Presence Through a Branded Podcast Ecosystem

The Problem For decades, Dr. Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy, a pioneer in neuropsychiatry, has been transforming lives through his work at Neurokrish. His message – “Understand your brain. Unleash your mind.” — is both profound and urgently relevant in today’s world. To bring this message to a wider audience, Dr. Krishnamoorthy took a powerful first step:…

The post Powering Neurokrish’s Digital Presence Through a Branded Podcast Ecosystem appeared first on Pixel Studios.

The Problem

For decades, Dr. Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy, a pioneer in neuropsychiatry, has been transforming lives through his work at Neurokrish. His message – “Understand your brain. Unleash your mind.” — is both profound and urgently relevant in today’s world.

To bring this message to a wider audience, Dr. Krishnamoorthy took a powerful first step: he launched a podcast series to share his deep insights on brain and mind care. The content was rich, authentic, and deeply informative.

But the podcast lacked the ecosystem it needed to succeed. Without consistent branding, structured distribution, or platform integration, it remained a valuable idea with limited reach.

That’s where Pixel Studios stepped in — with one mission: to transform the podcast into the heartbeat of Neurokrish’s digital presence and build a content ecosystem that could make neuroscience not just accessible, but shareable.

The Challenge

The Core Strategy: Build Around the Podcast

We repositioned the podcast from a side content piece into the centerpiece of Neurokrish’s digital storytelling.

Step 1: Rebranding the Podcast Experience

We gave the podcast a distinct visual identity — cover art, thumbnails, intro/outro scripts, and music cues — creating a professional and recognizable series.

This instantly elevated its credibility across platforms and gave audiences a more immersive brand feel.

Step 2: Multi-Platform Syndication with RSS Feed Integration

We set up an RSS-based distribution engine and syndicated the podcast across:

This ensured that new episodes were instantly available to audiences on their preferred platforms.

Step 3: Strategic Repurposing Across Channels

Every podcast episode was treated as a content engine:

This created a seamless experience for users—whether they listen, scroll, or watch.

Step 4: Weekly Cadence + Performance Monitoring

Execution Highlights

The Impact:

Metric Before (6 months ago) After
Podcast Listening Hours 2 hours 99+ hours
Total Podcast Plays 19 plays 348 plays
Social Reach (reels/carousels) Sporadic posts Consistent 6-channel activity

Conclusion: How Pixel Studios Turned One Podcast into a Platform

Through our strategic podcast-first approach, Pixel Studios helped Neurokrish evolve from a respected clinical brand into a trusted digital voice in neuroscience.

By giving the podcast a strong brand identity, professional distribution, and a multi-channel storytelling engine, we didn’t just grow downloads — we built a content ecosystem that educates, engages, and elevates the conversation around brain and mind health.

At Pixel Studios, we specialize in healthcare branding and content strategy, with a dedicated Center of Excellence for healthcare communication. Whether it’s simplifying complex science or building digital thought leadership, we help brands like Neurokrish turn their expertise into impact.

Let's discuss ideas to propel your retail digital marketing

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Reimagining CARE AKPS for Scalability, Clarity, and Trust

Overview CARE AKPS has grown into a recognized healthcare provider in Tamil Nadu with multiple clinics and hospitals under its umbrella. As the brand expanded, its existing logo struggled to scale—it lacked the visual clarity to communicate its healthcare nature, and varied applications led to inconsistencies in how the brand appeared across different towns, languages,…

The post Reimagining CARE AKPS for Scalability, Clarity, and Trust appeared first on Pixel Studios.

Overview

CARE AKPS has grown into a recognized healthcare provider in Tamil Nadu with multiple clinics and hospitals under its umbrella. As the brand expanded, its existing logo struggled to scale—it lacked the visual clarity to communicate its healthcare nature, and varied applications led to inconsistencies in how the brand appeared across different towns, languages, and platforms.

The rebranding initiative was designed to create a cohesive identity system—one that balances healthcare symbolism, regional adaptability, and modular flexibility, while establishing CARE AKPS as a trusted, modern medical brand.

The Challenge: From Fragmented Identity to Unified Brand Language

The original CARE AKPS logo, while rooted in familiarity, had several issues that limited its growth potential:

The Logo Idea: A Visual Language Rooted in Healthcare and Humanity

The new CARE AKPS logo is built on a powerful yet simple concept: instantly communicate healthcare and care through familiar symbols, while giving the identity flexibility to adapt across languages, locations, and services.

The Cross (+) Symbol

The use of an outlined medical cross forms the foundation of the logo, instantly signaling “healthcare” to any viewer. This symbol is globally recognized and gives CARE AKPS an immediate association with the medical domain.

The Doctor Icon

Inside the cross, a minimal line drawing of a doctor with a stethoscope creates a human-centric, caring impression. This reflects the brand’s focus on compassion, community care, and personal medical service.

Color Palette: Orange and Black

The combination is eye-catching, accessible, and maintains legibility across both print and screen media.

Our Solution: A Modular, Multilingual, Multi-Location Brand System

We developed a modular logo system that allows CARE AKPS to maintain brand consistency while adapting flexibly to different use cases.

Vertical-Specific Variations

Location Lockups

Inclusion of Doctor’s Name

Tamil & English Integration

Design Rules & Line Limits

The Outcome: A Future-Ready Brand Identity for Healthcare Expansion

The redesigned CARE AKPS brand identity system is clean, confident, and scalable. It delivers on multiple fronts:

Final Thoughts

Rebranding CARE AKPS wasn’t just about updating a logo—it was about creating a future-ready identity system that communicates trust, compassion, and credibility at every touchpoint. The new brand design reflects CARE AKPS’s mission to deliver accessible healthcare with professionalism and heart, while enabling effortless scalability as they expand across Tamil Nadu.

This project is a testament to Pixel Studios’ deep expertise in healthcare branding. With a dedicated Center of Excellence (COE) for Healthcare, we’ve partnered with numerous hospitals, clinics, and health-tech platforms to craft brands that resonate with patients, comply with regional sensitivities, and support digital transformation. Our understanding of the sector’s unique demands allows us to deliver strategy-driven, empathetic, and scalable design solutions.

With the CARE AKPS rebranding, we’ve helped lay the foundation for a unified, trusted, and growth-ready healthcare brand—one that’s visually strong and emotionally grounded.

Elevate the digital impact of your healthcare brand
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The post Reimagining CARE AKPS for Scalability, Clarity, and Trust appeared first on Pixel Studios.

The 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet

It’s my honor to announce that John Carmack and I have initiated a friendly bet of $10,000* to the 501(c)(3) charity of the winner’s choice:

By January 1st, 2030, completely autonomous self-driving cars meeting SAE J3016 level 5 will be commercially available for
The 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet

It’s my honor to announce that John Carmack and I have initiated a friendly bet of $10,000* to the 501(c)(3) charity of the winner’s choice:

By January 1st, 2030, completely autonomous self-driving cars meeting SAE J3016 level 5 will be commercially available for passenger use in major cities.

I am betting against, and John is betting for.

The 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet

By “completely autonomous”, per the SAE level 5 definition, we mean the vehicle performs all driving tasks under all conditions – except in the case of natural disasters or emergencies. A human passenger enters the vehicle and selects a destination. Zero human attention or interaction is required during the journey.

The 2030 Self-Driving Car Bet

By “major cities” we mean any of the top 10 most populous cities in the United States of America.

To be clear, I am betting against because I think everyone is underestimating how difficult fully autonomous driving really is. I am by no means against self driving vehicles in any way! I’d much rather spend my time in a vehicle reading, watching videos, or talking to my family and friends… anything, really, instead of driving. I also think fully autonomous vehicles are a fascinating, incredibly challenging computer science problem, and I want everyone reading this to take it as just that, a challenge. Prove me wrong! Make it happen by 2030, and I’ll be popping champagne along with you and everyone else!

(My take on VR is far more pessimistic. VR just… isn’t going to happen, in any “changing the world” form, in our lifetimes. This is a subject for a different blog post, but I think AR and projection will do much more for us, far sooner.)

I’d like to thank John for suggesting this friendly wager as a fun way to generate STEM publicity. He is, and always will be, one of my biggest heroes. Go read Masters of Doom if you haven’t, already!

And while I have you, we’re still looking for code contributions in our project to update the most famous programming book of the BASIC era. Proceeds from that project will also go to charity. 😎

*We may adjust the amount up or down to adjust for inflation as mutually agreed upon in 2030, so the money has the desired impact.

* We may adjust the amount up or down to adjust for inflation as mutually agreed upon in 2030, so the money has the desired impact.

This Kid-Friendly Fire Tablet Bundle Is on Sale for Under $100 Right Now

It's highly rated for its parental controls and simple interface.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

If you’ve got a kid who’s itching for a screen of their own, this Fire HD 8 Kids Pro bundle might be a smart choice. Right now, it’s down to $92.99 on Amazon, its lowest price yet according to price trackers. This price also includes a zippered sleeve and screen protector,—for context, the tablet alone sells for $139.99, so this bundle undercuts that pretty solidly. Plus, if your kid drops it or the tablet breaks, you’re covered: Amazon includes a two-year worry-free guarantee that lets you swap it for a new one, no questions asked.

You’ll get an 8-inch screen that’s bright enough for indoor use, 32GB of storage with room to expand, and up to 10 hours of battery life, according to this PCMag review. It’s not lightning fast, and the display isn’t going to wow anyone, but for reading, light gaming, and video calls, it does the job. The speakers are on the weak side, but Bluetooth 5.2 and a headphone jack offer better audio options. Additional value comes from the six-month Amazon Kids+ trial included in the bundle, which gives access to a huge library of books, games, shows, and educational tools like Math Claw and Marvel Reads. You can also set screen time limits, approve download requests, and track activity using the parent dashboard.

Once the free trial ends, a Kids+ plan costs $5.99 per month, or more if you’re not a Prime member. Without the subscription, the tablet still works, but the experience can feel a bit limited. Still, for under $100 with the sleeve and screen protector included, this bundle makes a lot of sense if you’re not quite ready to hand over an $800 iPad to a 6-year-old.

Dunk City Dynasty

"Kolla pappa, kika in den här dunken"... Efter att ha tillbringat 700 timmar med Brawl Stars och visat mig fler poänglösa barnprogramsgubbar som han samlat på sig, har min son Frank äntligen bytt favoritspel. Hans Ipad är nu inte enbart en officiell Brawl Stars-plattform utan mer en basketfylld, NBA-doftande hemvist åt storstjärnor såsom Giannis, Curry, Durant, SGA och LeBron. Dunk City är äntligen här, och det är bra.
<bild>Tre-mot-tre eller fem-vs-fem är det som gäller. Båda spellägena fungerar kanonbra.</bild>
Dunk City Dynasty är ett arkad-sportspel i samma anda som NBA Jam och NBA Street. Netease har hämtat hälsosamma mängder inspiration från arkadgerens giganter och skapat en basketupplevelse som är rapp, lättspelad och enkel - men samtidigt djup och utmanande, på en och samma gång. Du kan antingen spela tre-mot-tre, med klassiska streetball-regler - eller 5v5 på samma premisser som klassiska NBA-matcher och utmaningen ligger såklart i att bemästra sportens fundamentala element. Som anfallare gäller det att skaka av sig sin försvarare och skjuta när utrymme finnes. Om ditt skott är "contested" av en punktmarkering via försvarsspelaren, är chanserna att bollen går i korgen extremt små. Om du däremot väntar in en screen, kliver i sidled, gör dig fri och skjuter öppet, är oddsen omvända. Det finns en knapp för att passa, såklart och det finnes en knapp för "drive" kopplat till en superkraft där du kan forcera mot korg och lämna en ljusblå superrök bakom dig.
<bild>Dunk City handlar om "fundamentals" som boostats upp till 2000, vilket är rätt väg att gå för att skapa lyckad arkadbasket.</bild>
Som försvarare gäller samma sak - fast omvänt. Fundamentals, bara. I Dunk City Dynasty spelas inget zon-försvar, här punktmarkeras allt och alla och det går både att springa fritt samt hålla inne knappen "defend" för att huka sig ned och verkligen försöka hålla sig framför sin anfallare, med låg stance. Därifrån kan du aktivera "steal" för att norpa bollen, med risken att den du försvarar nyttjar det faktum att du då blir statisk en liten minisekund och kan därmed riskera att bli bortdribblad om din motspelare agerar tillräckligt kvickt. Det går såklart även att blockera och på det stora hela är spelmekaniken samt balansen mellan de olika funktionerna riktigt bra. Dunk City Dynasty känns som att spela basket, vilket jag kanske inte riktigt kan säga om särskilt många arkadbasketupplevelser.
<bild>Det finns gott om välkända, licienserade NBA-stjärnor att låsa upp.</bild>
Eftersom detta är ett gratisspel till Android samt Iphone/Ipad kommer det såklart komplett med mikroköp, lootlådor och dessa evinnerligt stökiga menyer med 100 000+ olika ikoner, knappar, textrader och logotyper. Stundtals är det övergripande omöjligt att förstå vad allting är och en betydande del av mig önskar att utvecklarna av dessa mobilanpassade free-2-play-titlar kunde begripa att menyer och själva presentationen borde hållas lika simpel och lättbegriplig som spelupplevelsen i sig, ute på basketplanen, snarare än tvärtom. Sägas ska dock att kravet på mikroköp aldrig finnes där, det dyker inte upp någon påtvingad reklam för något meningslöst strategispel som du måste genomlida i 35 sekunder innan du kan fortsätta spela och du behöver inte vänta på uppgraderingar om du inte betalar, vilket såklart är rätt väg att gå, här.
<bild>Det är roligast att spela "street ball" (3-vs-3) och designen är ljuvligt snygg.</bild>
Det estetiska är tillsammans med den välbyggda mekaniken det jag gillar mest i Dunk City Dynasty. Jag gillar designstilen, manéret, anser att Netease fångat det mest karaktäristiska i såväl Curry som LeBron, Booker, SGA, Embig, Giannis, Luka, Jokic och alla de andra och den solblekta, färgstarka Miami-känslan rimmar perfekt på en basketpräglad, bärbar sommar. Jag är även stormförtjust i Kendrick Perkins släpiga stämma i rollen som kommentator och tycker att han gör ett bra jobb med att både sammanfatta det som sker på planen samt krydda med roliga kommentarer utan att kännas störig, eller för upprepande. Med det sagt hade Netease kunnat skippa träningsgrejen där man uppgraderar sin spelare och bygger ett slags kraftigt förenklat färdighetsträd, den delen känns sent påkommen sett till utvecklingstid och jag tror att spelet hade klarat sig alldeles utmärkt utan.

Dunk City Dynasty är en överraskning, helt klart. I en tid där merparten påkostade mobilspel som rullas ut är neddummat idiotiska med simplifierad spelmekanik reducerat till simpla knapptryck på en och samma knapp samt krav på mikroköp, med ständigt återkommande uppmaningar - är detta en frisk fläkt även om Netease såklart fortfarande vill ha dina pengar. Dunk City Dynasty är verkligen inget nytt NBA Jam, men det är bra. Roligt. Snyggt. Somrigt.

Dune: Awakening

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere." Fel filmserie, men efter att ha spelat många timmar av {Dune: Awakening} är jag helt säker på att de som "bor" på Arrakis håller med Anakin Skywalker. Och jag är inte säker på att folk bor där så mycket som de bara försöker överleva. Det är ju knappast en semesterdag på Tylösand eller Böda Sand njutandes av solen. Nä, här är solen din största fiende. Förutom sandormar då, för inget är läskigare än Shai-Hulud.

<bild>Här kommer kung av sand, här kommer kungen av ingenting alls.</bild>

Norska Funcom har här tagit sin erfarenhet från onlinerollspel, eller MMORPG, som {Conan Exiles}, {Anarchy Online}, och {The Secret World} för att skapa något så intressant som ett MMO/överlevnadsspel baserat på Frank Herberts böcker om Dune. Det är ofta vi ser spel från denna serie handla om politiken bakom kryddkrigen, men här får vi istället en mer närgången bild av hur livet på Arrakis är. Dune: Awakening utspelar sig på en alternativ tidslinje där Paul Atreides (huvudkaraktären spelad av Timothée Chalamet i den nya Dune-trilogin om du inte har så stor kunskap om denna värld) aldrig föddes, och Javier Bardem aldrig fick säga "Lisan al Gaib" och sedan bli en meme tack vare det. Tack vare, eller på grund av, detta har berättelsen utspelat sig lite annorlunda mot vad vi är vana vid och vårt mål i spelet är att hitta folkgruppen fremen som inte längre kan hittas på vad som en gång var deras hemplanet. Utan att spoila storyn får vi en förklaring till varför det inte längre finns några fremen, men det är upp till vår karaktär att ta reda på sanningen.

Karaktärsskaparen är vad vi kan förvänta oss av ett spel som detta med utseende och liknande. Det går också att välja din hemplanet och var på den sociala stegen du var. Detta för att ge karaktären lite mer bakgrund. Det går sedan också att välja vilken typ av stridsstil du börjar med. Du är sedan fast med den, men det går att låsa upp egenskaper från de andra egenskapsträden också. Problemet är att vissa klassers egenskaper låses upp mycket senare än andra. Jag valde att spela som soldat, vilket det sedan visade sig skulle vara den första klassen att låsa upp. Hade jag valt någon av de andra, som Bene Gesserit (vilket enbart kvinnor normalt kan vara medlemmar av, men här funkar det även med en manlig karaktär) hade jag haft en klass som låses upp väldigt sent plus soldatens egenskaper. Nu var jag fast med bara mitt egenskapsträd för effektivt stridande på halvlångt avstånd. Så är du någon som gillar att låsa upp mycket väldigt tidigt kan du tjäna på att läsa på lite innan du väljer.

<bild>Det går att skapa otroligt imponerande baser. Min är inte en av dessa.</bild>

Vårt skepp blir sedan nerskjutet över Arrakis och nu gäller det att överleva. Som jag skrev tidigare är detta en typ av överlevnadsspel (survival), men till skillnad mot många andra spel i genren är det inte så många saker att hålla koll på för att hålla oss vid liv. Det enda som behövs är vatten. Vilket ju verkligen inte är så lätt att hitta på en planet som är full av sand. Var hittas då detta vatten? I blod, svett... men inga tårar. Efter att ha haft ihjäl någon annan suger du ut deras blod tills du har så mycket fulla blodpåsar att Dracula skulle bli avundsjuk. Det går att dricka direkt från påsen, vilket inte rekommenderas. Det må stilla din törst, men du förlorar också hälsa. Nä, istället bygger du en blod-till-vattenmaskin i din bas och njuter av du inte längre känner dig som en blodigel. Det andra som det gäller att hålla koll på är din generella hälsa, ditt välmående. Bli skjuten eller knivhuggen och din hälsomätare blir inte så glad. Samma med fall från hög höjd. Du vet, precis såna saker som skulle köra slut på våra hälsomätare i verkliga livet.

Precis som i resten av survival-genren går allt i en loop. Ut och samla material, bygg saker, ha ihjäl några styggingar, återhämta dig, samla mer material, bygg fler saker. Och så klart föra huvudberättelsen vidare då och då. Spelets underhållning finns dock i denna repetition då berättelsen egentligen inte är något att hänga i den sandfyllda julgranen. Det är kul att försöka överleva när solen bakar mig i vad som säkert är varmare än en normalhet pizzaugn. Sand så långt ögat når i alla riktningar. Banditer i små läger och banditer i stora baser. Det krävs nåt speciellt för att få ett spel att hålla sig intressant i tiotals till hundratals timmar när alla miljöer är precis likadana hela tiden. Sand och sten, sten och sand. Jag känner verkligen hur svårt det är att överleva. När vattnet är slut i behållarna, jag är långt ifrån min bas, och skärmen börjar bli suddig av solsting, då mår jag inte bra. Vare sig i spelet eller framför skärmen.

<bild>En sandorm här...</bild>

Något annat som inte får mig att må bra är att bli uppäten av en enorm sandorm. Är det något som Funcom har lyckats med är det känslan av sandormarnas fara precis hela tiden. Så fort jag tar ett enda steg ut i sanden, och till och med innan, börjar paniken sätta in. Kontrollen börjar skaka, mätaren för att visa hur mycket ljud jag gör och hur nära ormen är är illröd, ljudet är skräckinjagande. Fort som fasiken kör jag min motorcykel till närmaste säkra plats, ormarna har nämligen ingen aptit när marken är gjord av sten. Ibland ser jag en orm titta upp ur sanden någonstans längre bort, kanske har det just ätit en annan spelare. Ljudbilden är så pass bra att jag bara behöver höra den, inte ens se den, för att rädslan ska infinna sig. Shai-Hulud är i närheten!

Tyvärr infinner sig inte samma känsla när jag ska strida mot någon av de oändliga banditerna på planeten. Detta beror på att stridssystemet är en besvikelse. Det är inte dåligt, men inte mer än medelmåttigt. Det största problemet är närstriderna. När det är kniv mot kniv. Förutom att kunna bli stunlocked i all evighet är denna typ av strid inte speciellt kul. Blockera en attack som är mer lättläst än Dune-böckerna själva och kontra med en egen attack. Vips, död, ta deras blod. De flesta fiender som fokuserar på närstrid använder sig av en typ av energibaserad sköld som täcker hela deras kropp. Snabba hugg biter inte utan du måste använda laddad attack som går igenom skölden. Det är oftast otroligt lätt att göra efter att ha undvikit en attack. Svårigheterna blir istället de som är mer skjutglada. Speciellt när de är många. Saken är att de datorstyrda fienderna aldrig är speciellt smarta. De rusar antingen bara rakt fram mot dig eller står och skjuter helt öppet, aldrig hukandes bakom någonting, och mer synliga än solen på denna förbannat varma himmel. Den enda anledningen till att de ger ett någorlunda problem är att de aldrig slutar skjuta. De tar en kort paus för att ladda om, men sen står de där, som en sämre version av Rambo.

<bild>... en sandorm där.</bild>

Det här spelet är PvE. Eller ja, det ska vara det, för det mesta. Enligt utvecklarnas beskrivning av spelet är PvP "en valmöjlighet", men inget tvång. Problemet här är att det är en stor lögn. I slutet av spelet, det som kallas endgame, är det tvång med PvP. Deep Desert, som detta enorma område kallas, är där de mest eftertraktade sakerna finns. Men som solospelare är det väldigt svårt att ta sig dit. Det går så klart, men när det bildats stora lag som vill försvara allt blir det väldigt svårt. Jag har inget emot PvP i spel, men när 99 procent av spelet är PvE och spelare som föredrar att spela på detta vis blir utelåsta från spelets sista del ger det ingen bra känsla. Dessutom är några statiska kraschplatser (ibland händer det också att skepp kraschar slumpmässigt på kartan), sådana som alltid finns där, PvP i zoner som annars är PvE. Det finns också kontrakt att ta hand om, som att hitta saker eller ha ihjäl speciellt fiender, för att tjäna extra pengar, utrustning eller material, som måste klaras av i dessa skepp. Så jag förstår inte riktigt hur PvP inte är ett tvång.

Visst, om du inte vill klara hela spelet är det ju inte det. Här är det största problemet jag ser med detta: PvP-spelarna, vilket enligt olika enkäter är den absolut största delen av spelarbasen, kommer nå slutzonen, inse att det inte är för dem och lägga ifrån sig spelet för alltid. Jag hade gärna sett att detta på något sett delats upp för båda typer av spelare, där den farligare zonen kanske ger mer material. Funcom har utlovat uppdateringar med nytt innehåll och jag håller verkligen tummarna för att alla spelare ska ha något att göra. För jag tror att detta kan komma att bli nästa stora MMO-upplevelse, om utvecklarna sköter korten rätt.

<bild>På natten är det svalt och skönt, men då patrullerar skepp istället.</bild>

Även om du är team Atreides eller team Harkonnen, som båda finns möjligheter att gå med i för speciella möbler till basen, kläder, och annat, kommer du att hitta mycket att tycka om i det här spelet. Det är ett utmärkt survival-spel som tyvärr har stora brister i sitt stridssystem. Basbyggandet, där det till slut känns som att ha en stor fabrik i huset, är väldigt bra och jag har sett några otroliga skapelser. Åk motorcykel över sanden med en orm bitandes i rumpan, flyg din egen ornithopter högt i skyn, sätt ner en skördetröska för att samla kryddor. Det finns så mycket att göra här trots att allting är sand. Anakin Skywalker hade hatat det här.

The Best Early Prime Day Tech Deals Under $25

You can save up to 50% on these gadgets even before Amazon's big sale starts.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Prime Day 2025 starts next week, but the early deals are already here. While Target, Walmart, and Best Buy are starting their competing sales this weekend, Amazon's won't officially kick off until July 8, but you can already find early deals on Amazon devices, like this 75-inch QLED TV going nearly 50% off.

But if you're looking to spend a bit less but still score a bargain, consider these early Prime Day tech deals under $25.

Wired Ear Buds for iPhone with Built-in Remote to Control Music, Phone Calls, and Volume
Apple EarPods Headphones
Apple EarPods Wired Headphones With Lightning Connector
$15.96 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$19.00 Save $3.04
10mm Drivers with Big Bass, Bluetooth 5.3, 30H Long Playtime, Water-Resistant, 2 Mics for AI Clear C
Soundcore by Anker P20i Earbuds
Soundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds, 10mm Drivers with Big Bass, Bluetooth 5.3, 30H Long Playtime, Water-Resistant, 2 Mics for AI Clear Calls, 22 Preset EQs, Customization (White)
$24.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$39.99 Save $15.00
AI-powered Fire TV Search, Wi-Fi 6, stream over 1.5 million movies and shows, free & live TV
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K AI-Powered Streaming Stick
$24.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$49.99 Save $25.00
Keep Track of and find Your Keys, Wallet, Luggage, Backpack, and More.
Apple AirTag
Apple AirTag
$22.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$29.00 Save $6.01
10000mAh 5V/3A Power Bank, USB C in&out High-Speed Charging Battery Pack
INIU Portable Charger
Iniu High-Speed Portable Charger Power Bank
$15.98 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$21.99 Save $6.01
Smallest Alexa speaker, Fits in any room, Charcoal
Amazon Echo Pop
Echo Pop Alex Smart Speaker (2023)
$39.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
Portable Wireless, IPX5 Waterproof, Up to 20H Playtime, TWS Pairing, BT5.3, for Home/Party/Outdoor.
Bluetooth Speaker with HD Sound
Bluetooth Speaker with HD Sound, Portable Wireless, IPX5 Waterproof, Up to 24H Playtime, TWS Pairing, BT5.3, for Home/Party/Outdoor/Beach, Electronic Gadgets, Birthday Gift (Black)
$19.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$34.99 Save $15.00
Flat Extension Cord with Multiple Outlets, 8 AC Outlets with 4 USB Ports (1 USB C), Charging Station
Tessan Tower Surge Protector Power Strip
Tower Surge Protector Power Strip 10 ft, TESSAN Long Flat Extension Cord with Multiple Outlets, 8 AC Outlets with 4 USB Ports (1 USB C), Charging Station with Surge Protection, for Home Office Dorm
$23.79 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$29.74 Save $5.95
10,000mAh Wireless Portable Charger, PD 20W Fast Charging Battery Pack with USB-C for Magsafe
UGREEN Magnetic Power Bank
UGREEN Nexode Magnetic Wireless Power Bank Fast Charging, 10000mAh MagSafe-Compatible Portable Charger PD 20W USB-C Battery Pack Compatible with iPhone 15/14/13/12 Plus/Pro/Pro Max/Mini
$22.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$34.99 Save $12.00

Earbuds

Wired earbuds are very early 2000's, but on the other hand, they never run out of batteries. If you're still rocking an iPhone 14 Plus or below (or an iPhone SE 3rd generation), you'll be able to pick up some official Apple EarPods Headphones with a Lightning connector for $15.96 (originally $19), or one with USB-C connector for a few cents more.

If you prefer wireless earbuds but don't want to overpay for something you might end up losing, the Soundcore by Anker P20i are a solid pair with some impressive features for their $19.99 price (originally $39.99). You get Bluetooth 5.3, 3o hours of battery, water resistance, and a full EQ with its companion app.

AirTags

You don't need to be a spy to have tracking devices. As an Apple user, you can let AirTags use Find My to track anything that you can put these devices on. Right now, Amazon has single AirTags for $22.99 (originally $29).

Amazon devices

If you have a TV that isn't smart, or you don't like its OS, you can get the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $24.99 (originally $49.99). It supports Dolby Atmos audio, almost all the HDR formats, Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming, Wi-Fi 6, and you can install Kodi to virtually watch anything for free.

The Amazon Echo Pop is Amazon's most budget-friendly smart speaker. You can use the multi-room music feature if you have multiple speakers in different rooms, so grab a few: You can get one for $21.99 right now (originally $39.99).

Portable phone chargers

I recently lost my INIU Portable Charger while traveling in Europe. Luckily, it was at the end of my trip and it had served its purpose well, saving my phone's battery (and therefore my life) multiple times. You can get one now for $15.98 (originally $21.99).

All iPhone users, in my opinion, should own a Magsafe portable charger. The cool thing about this one is that it's magnetic and sticks to the back of your iPhone. You can get the Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank for $22.99 (originally $34.99).

Outdoor speakers

If you're looking for a cheap portable outdoor speaker that can get wet, consider the BolaButty Portable Speaker, currently going for $19.99 (originally $34.99). It's waterproof with an IPX5 rating and will last 20 hours before running out of juice.

Surge protectors

I use surge protector power strips on most nightstands or table tops around my home, but I always look for the ones with the flat head so I can have my furniture rest against the wall without damaging the cable. This Tessan 12-in-one Tower Surge Protector Power Strip has eight outlets and four USB ports currently going for $23.79 (originally $29.74).

To Serve Man, with Software

I didn’t choose to be a programmer. Somehow, it seemed, the computers chose me. For a long time, that was fine, that was enough; that was all I needed. But along the way I never felt that being a programmer was this unambiguously great-for-everyone career field

To Serve Man, with Software

I didn’t choose to be a programmer. Somehow, it seemed, the computers chose me. For a long time, that was fine, that was enough; that was all I needed. But along the way I never felt that being a programmer was this unambiguously great-for-everyone career field with zero downsides. There are absolutely occupational hazards of being a programmer, and one of my favorite programming quotes is an allusion to one of them:

It should be noted that no ethically-trained software engineer would ever consent to write a DestroyBaghdad procedure. Basic professional ethics would instead require him to write a DestroyCity procedure, to which Baghdad could be given as a parameter.

Which reminds me of another joke people were telling in 2015:

Donald Trump is basically a comment section running for president

Which is troubling because technically, technically, I run a company that builds comment sections.

Here at the tail end of 2017, from where I sit neither of these jokes seem particularly funny to me any more. Perhaps I have lost the capacity to feel joy as a human being? Haha just kidding!... kinda.

Remember in 2011 when Marc Andreeseen said that “Software is eating the world”?

To Serve Man, with Software

That used to sound all hip and cool and inspirational, like “Wow! We software developers really are making a difference in the world!” and now for the life of me I can’t read it as anything other than an ominous warning that we just weren’t smart enough to translate properly at the time. But maybe now we are.

To Serve Man, with Software

I’ve said many, many times that the key to becoming an experienced software developer is to understand that you are, at all times, your own worst enemy. I don’t mean this in a negative way – you have to constantly plan for and design around your inevitable human mistakes and fallibility. It’s fundamental to good software engineering because, well, we’re all human. The good-slash-bad news is that you’re only accidentally out to get yourself. But what happens when we’re infinitely connected and software is suddenly everywhere, in everyone’s pockets every moment of the day, starting to approximate a natural extension of our bodies? All of a sudden those little collective social software accidents become considerably more dangerous:

The issue is bigger than any single scandal, I told him. As headlines have exposed the troubling inner workings of company after company, startup culture no longer feels like fodder for gentle parodies about ping pong and hoodies. It feels ugly and rotten. Facebook, the greatest startup success story of this era, isn’t a merry band of hackers building cutesy tools that allow you to digitally Poke your friends. It’s a powerful and potentially sinister collector of personal data, a propaganda partner to government censors, and an enabler of discriminatory advertising.

I’m reminded of a particular Mitchell and Webb skit: “Are we the baddies?”

On the topic of unanticipated downsides to technology, there is no show more essential than Black Mirror. If you haven’t watched Black Mirror yet, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go immediately to Netflix and watch it. Go on! Go ahead!

Fair warning: please DO NOT start with season 1 episode 1 of Black Mirror! Start with season 3, and go forward. If you like those, dip into season 2 and the just-released season 4, then the rest. But humor me and please at least watch the first episode of season 3.

The technology described in Black Mirror can be fanciful at times, but several episodes portray disturbingly plausible scenarios with today’s science and tech, much less what we’ll have 20 to 50 years from now. These are very real cautionary tales, and some of this stuff is well on its way toward being realized.

Programmers don’t think of themselves as people with the power to change the world. Most programmers I know, including myself, grew up as nerds, geeks, social outcasts. Did I ever tell you about the time I wrote a self-destructing Apple // boot disk program to let a girl in middle school know that I liked her? I was (and still am) a terrible programmer, but oh man did I ever test the heck out of that code before copying on to her school floppy disc. But I digress. What do you do when you wake up one day and software has kind of eaten the world, and it is no longer clear if software is in fact an unambiguously good thing, like we thought, like everyone told us… like we wanted it to be?

Months ago I submitted a brief interview for a children’s book about coding.

To Serve Man, with Software

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book in the mail. I paged to my short interview, alongside the very cool Kiki Prottsman. I had no real recollection of the interview questions after the months of lead time it takes to print a physical book, but reading the printed page, I suddenly hit myself over the head with the very answer I had been searching my soul for these past 6 months:

To Serve Man, with Software

In attempting to simplify my answers for an audience of kids, I had concisely articulated the one thing that keeps me coming back to software: to serve man. Not on a platter, for bullshit monetization – but software that helps people be the best version of themselves.

And you know why I do it? I need that help, too. I get tired, angry, upset, emotional, cranky, irritable, frustrated and I need to be reminded from time to time to choose to be the better version of myself. I don’t always succeed. But I want to. And I believe everyone else – for some reasonable statistical value of everyone else – fundamentally does, too.

That was the not-so-secret design philosophy behind Stack Overflow, that by helping others become better programmers, you too would become a better programmer. It’s unavoidable. And, even better, if we leave enough helpful breadcrumbs behind for those that follow us, we collectively advance the whole of programming for everyone.

I apologize for not blogging much in 2017. I’ve certainly been busy with Discourse which is actually going great; we grew to 21 people and gave $55,000 back this year to the open source ecosystem we build on. But that’s no excuse. The truth is that it’s been hard to write because this has been a deeply troubling year in so many dimensions – for men, for tech, for American democracy. I’m ashamed of much that happened, and I think one of the first and most important steps we can take is to embrace explicit codes of conduct throughout our industry. I also continue to believe, if we start to think more holistically about what our software can do to serve all people, not just ourselves personally (or, even worse, the company we work for) – that software can and should be part of the solution.

I tried to amplify on these thoughts in recent podcasts:

To Serve Man, with Software Community Engineering Report with Kim Crayton
To Serve Man, with Software Developer on Fire with Dave Rael
To Serve Man, with Software Dorm Room Tycoon with William Channer

Software is easy to change, but people... aren’t. So in the new year, as software developers, let’s make a resolution to focus on the part we can change, and keep asking ourselves one very important question: how can our software help people become the best version of themselves?

Use These Apps to Make Extra Money by Letting Dogs Play in Your Backyard

Services like Sniffspot and Rome turn your open spaces into revenue-generating private dog parks.

Americans loves their dogs—all 90 million of them. And dog owners know there’s nothing better than letting your dog off their leash to run around free. For a lot of folks who don’t have a lot of outdoor space, or who live in homes with communal spaces where letting your dog off the leash isn’t allowed, that means bringing their pet to a dog park.

But not all areas have conveniently located dog parks, and visiting those parks comes with some inherent risks—from aggressive dogs and communicable canine diseases, among others. If you own a private outdoor space, that’s an opportunity for you: You can make some pretty decent money renting it out as a private dog park using apps like Sniffspot and Rome.

How to set up your yard as a private dog park

Both apps work similarly: You set up a listing for your fenced outdoor space (with a detailed description of its size; doggie amenities like trees, pools, or agility runs; and human amenities like wifi, parking, and seating). People looking for a place to let their dogs run free browse listings, find yours, and book it, typically by the hour. Renters can essentially consider these spaces as private dog parks, so they won’t have to worry about strange dogs, negligent owners, or unexpected problems.

Sniffspot requires that folks seeking to rent a dog park have a "Sniffpass" subscription, which costs $16 to $96 per month, depending on the level of membership chosen (different levels come with different “booking credits” and discounts). Rome users don’t have to subscribe to book a space.

Both Sniffspot and Rome also offer included insurance to protect hosts against damage or liability issues—Sniffspot covers up to $2 million in liability insurance and up to $5,000 for property damage. Rome Cover offers up to $500,000 of liability protection, as well as legal defense and medical funding.

How much you can make renting out your yard as a dog park

With both Sniffspot and Rome, you get to choose how much to charge, but most hosts charge between $5 and $20 per hour, depending on the size of the space and the amenities it offers. Sniffspot takes about 25% off the top as a fee for using their platform, while Rome takes 15%. Rome pays its hosts weekly, while Sniffspot pays out monthly.

You can make some real money this way—one woman in North Carolina reporting earning an average of $7,100 per month in the first half of 2024. Your earning potential will vary, of course, depending on demand as well as what you can offer the dogs in your area.

How to get started renting out your yard for dogs

If making some extra money by letting adorable dogs run around your backyard sounds terrific, there are some basic best practices you should follow to ensure your space stands out:

  • Provide lots of photos. Both apps recommend you post a lot of photos with your listing, so dog owners can see where their doggos will be playing.

  • Consider accessibility issues. Folks have to be able to access the area without passing through a private residence. Many people prefer being able to access the space without having to interact with the owner at all, so being able to offer truly private access is a plus.

  • Ensure your space is safe. Both Rome and Sniffspot require that your space be fenced-in and secure, but it’s a good idea to consider how effective your fence is. If it’s old or low, replacing or repairing it is a good idea. Also make sure there are no dangerous objects (like poisonous plants or rusting old gardening tools), pesticides, or other hazards that could endanger visiting pups.

  • Add some amenities. Spaces range from small backyards to expansive properties of several acres, but whether you’re offering a postage stamp or a farm you should consider the amenities you can add to enhance the value of your listing. Some properties offer hiking trails, dog hammocks, or pools for the dogs, and some consider their human guests as well, providing lounge chairs, fire pits—even barbecues. If you can offer the humans a restroom of some kind, that’s a big bonus.

  • Provide for owners' basic needs. The terms of both apps require guests to clean up after their dogs and leave the property as they found it, so providing poop bags, trash receptacles, and hand sanitizer is a plus.

State Department Bans Rap Duo Bob Vylan From U.S. After ‘Death to IDF’ Chant at Glastonbury

The State Department revoked the visas of the British punk-rap duo that led a chant of “death to the IDF” at a popular music festival in England.

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset on June 28, 2025.

British punk-rock and hip-hop duo Bob Vylan will not be able to perform in the U.S., where they were scheduled to open for American singer grandson’s tour in October and November, after a controversial performance at the Glastonbury Festival in England over the weekend.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X on Monday that the Department has revoked the duo’s visas “in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants.” Landau added: “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.” 

At the Glastonbury Festival, which is aired annually on BBC, one of the group’s members, Bobby Vylan, led the crowd on Saturday to chant, “Death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, to the shock of organizers and onlookers.

The duo has faced a firestorm of criticism in the U.K., and British police said they are examining videos of the incident for possible criminal violations.

The Israeli embassy in the U.K. said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage” and that “when such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”

“We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday,” Emily Eavis, the co-organizer of Glastonbury and daughter of the festival’s founder, said in a statement. “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Vylan’s actions on the Glastonbury stage, saying, “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.” He also demanded that the BBC answer questions about streaming the controversial remarks.

In a statement, the BBC said Vylan’s expressions “were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.” It explained that the performance was aired on its channels because the BBC team was dealing with “a live situation” but added that “with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance.”

Starmer had previously said that it was “not appropriate” for Irish rap trio Kneecap, who have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and accused the U.S. and U.K. of enabling it, to be performing at the festival, and the BBC had decided in advance not to broadcast Kneecap’s performance live to “ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines.”

Bob Vylan performed before Kneecap’s set, where festival attendees had gathered in anticipation with Palestinian flags. Singer Bobby Vylan first led the crowd to chant, “Free, free, Palestine!” Then he interjected: “Alright, but have you heard this one though?” before leading a chant of “Death, death to the IDF!”

The chant recalled the phrasing of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” chants by Iranians as well as “Death to Arabs” chants by Israelis.

Following the controversy that ensued, Bobby Vylan wrote “I said what I said” on Instagram, where he shared a statement that explained: “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.”

Here’s what to know.

Who is Bob Vylan?

Bob Vylan is composed of singer-guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, and they collectively refer to themselves as “the Bobs.” The two have used stage names reportedly to maintain privacy, but some U.K. media have since identified Bobby Vylan as 34-year-old Pascal Robinson-Foster.

The duo, which formed in Ipswich in 2017 and has more than 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, is known for its politically charged music and performances.

According to the Independent, their songs “often speak out against racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity and far right politics,” and in past performances Bobby would preface their song “Pretty Songs” by saying “violence is the only language that some people understand.” The paper also said that Bobby has been deliberately provocative in past performances, such as by swinging a baseball bat at the crowd or wearing the soccer jersey of the rival team of where they were performing.

Last year, Bobby told the Irish Times that he was infuriated by bands that didn’t speak up more about Gaza. The U.K. and U.S. governments’ response, he said, “but also the people’s response – the people of these countries … will be remembered forever. It will be documented throughout history. If you’re asking yourself, ‘Oh, what would you have done during slavery? What would you have done throughout the Holocaust?’ You’re doing it now – right now. With what it is happening over there in Palestine, you’re doing it.”

Since the Glastonbury performance, the duo was reportedly dropped by United Talent Agency.

What are the reactions in the U.S.?

Sen. Ted Cruz (R, Texas) reposted video of the incident on X, and commented: “Truly sick. Thousands of people screaming ‘Death to the IDF.’ This is the base of the Democrat Party.”

StopAntisemitism, an advocacy group in the U.S., flagged on X that the duo has scheduled performances in the U.S. later this year and said of Bobby Vylan: “This antisemite must have his visa denied/rescinded – his hate is not welcome here.” 

Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida responded to the post, saying “On it.”

Leo Terrell, who chairs the Justice Department’s task force to combat antisemitism, also responded to StopAntisemitism’s post, which he was tagged in.

“These abhorrent chants, which included calls for the death of members of the Israeli Defense Forces, are abhorrent and have no place in any civil society,” Terrell posted on X. “We understand that Mr. Vylan is planning to travel to the United States as part of the Inertia Tour. In response, Mr. Terrell’s Task Force will be reaching out to the U.S. Department of State on Monday to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.”

After Landau’s announcement, Terrell thanked the State Department for “moving so fast on this.” Bobby Vylan “is a person who wants to incite violence and we’re not going to allow that under the Trump Administration,” Terrell said on Fox News. “The Trump Administration is not going to allow antisemitism to exist in this country.”

A State Department spokesperson told TIME before Landau’s announcement that it does not publicly discuss the details of individual cases but that the Department “is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety.” The spokesperson added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been clear that “a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”

Trump Administration immigration officials announced in April that they would screen visa applicants’ social media accounts for “antisemitic” content. “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin at the time.

The Administration has also claimed to reject censorship at home and abroad, with the State Department announcing visa restrictions in May for foreign officials who restrict “protected expression” in the U.S. “Free speech,” Rubio said in the announcement, “is among the most cherished rights we enjoy as Americans.”

Should You Upgrade to iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence? A Deep Dive into Apple’s Latest Innovation

The release of iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence marks another milestone in Apple’s mission to provide more intuitive, secure, and personalized user experiences. Touted as one of the most advanced updates to date, this version introduces several AI-powered features and enhanced security measures. But is iOS 18.1 ready for mainstream adoption, or should you holdContinue reading "Should You Upgrade to iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence? A Deep Dive into Apple’s Latest Innovation"

The release of iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence marks another milestone in Apple’s mission to provide more intuitive, secure, and personalized user experiences. Touted as one of the most advanced updates to date, this version introduces several AI-powered features and enhanced security measures. But is iOS 18.1 ready for mainstream adoption, or should you hold off? Below, we’ll explore what this upgrade offers and whether it’s worth the switch.

iOS 18.1 and Apple Intelligence: Who Can Access It?

Apple’s iOS 18.1 update is compatible with any iPhone that supports iOS 18, starting with the iPhone XS and later models. However, Apple Intelligence—the most talked-about feature—is exclusive to a limited selection of newer devices: the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

To install iOS 18.1, simply navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on your device. Make sure you have adequate battery life or are plugged into a power source, as the download and installation process may take some time.

Unpacking Apple Intelligence: A Step Toward Smarter Devices

Apple Intelligence brings powerful, AI-driven improvements to several core functions. Here’s a look at the standout features:

  1. Enhanced Text Suggestions and Personalization Apple Intelligence elevates your texting experience by analyzing the context and tone of your conversations, learning your personal vocabulary and phrasing over time. With natural language processing at its core, it suggests words and phrases that feel more intuitive and tailored to your style. This goes beyond basic predictive text, aiming to make every interaction smoother and more personalized.
  2. AI-Powered Photography Tools iOS 18.1 includes groundbreaking photography tools that make editing photos effortless. A notable example is the ability to remove unwanted objects from photos—perfect for eliminating photobombers with a simple tap. Powered by Apple’s AI-driven image analysis, this tool seamlessly erases objects without sacrificing quality, enabling professional-grade edits without third-party applications.
  3. Call Recording and Transcription One of the most anticipated features in iOS 18.1 is native call recording with real-time transcription. With privacy in mind, the system announces to all parties that the call is being recorded, ensuring transparency. This feature is especially useful for professionals needing to reference past conversations or anyone wanting an accurate record without the hassle of third-party recording apps.

Security Enhancements: Protecting Users in a Complex Digital Landscape

Apple has also doubled down on security in iOS 18.1, addressing vulnerabilities and enhancing protections against potential exploits.

  1. WebKit Security Fixes Apple’s WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and other mobile applications, has been a target for potential exploits. iOS 18.1 mitigates these risks by patching known vulnerabilities, reducing the chances of unauthorized access through WebKit-dependent applications and reinforcing security for all internet activity on your device.
  2. Kernel Exploits Apple has reinforced iOS’s kernel—the system’s core—to protect against known vulnerabilities. Kernel patches in iOS 18.1 prevent unauthorized access to core system functions, offering peace of mind for users concerned about privacy and data integrity.

User Reactions to iOS 18.1: Mixed Reviews on Apple Intelligence

As with any major update, user experiences with iOS 18.1 vary widely. Here’s a closer look at the most common points of feedback.

  1. The Apple Intelligence Waitlist Accessing Apple Intelligence isn’t instant; users must join a waitlist, with wait times ranging from a few minutes to several hours. Apple’s servers face high demand due to the Private Cloud Compute required to run Apple Intelligence. While the waitlist is manageable, some users are frustrated by the delay, especially early adopters eager to test the new features.
  2. Battery Drain Issues A recurring complaint with iOS updates is battery drain, and iOS 18.1 is no exception. Users report accelerated battery depletion, particularly when actively using Apple Intelligence. This is likely due to the initial indexing of files and other setup processes associated with new updates. However, reports suggest that the drain is more pronounced with Apple Intelligence-enabled features, which may require further optimization in future updates.
  3. Bugs and Glitches iOS 18.1 has its share of bugs, including occasional app freezes, minor connectivity issues, and rare instances of unexpected resets. While these issues are not widespread, they could affect daily usability. Apple is likely to release incremental updates to resolve these issues in the coming weeks, which may improve stability for hesitant users.

Performance on Older Devices: A Smooth Experience with Some Limitations

While Apple Intelligence is limited to newer iPhone models, iOS 18.1 still performs well on older devices. Users with iPhones as early as the XS report smooth performance without the sluggishness sometimes associated with major updates. However, the absence of Apple Intelligence features might make the update feel less substantial on these models.

Apple Intelligence vs. Google Assistant and Siri: A New Era of AI

The integration of Apple Intelligence in iOS raises comparisons to Google Assistant and Siri. Unlike Google Assistant, which acts as a centralized AI hub, Apple Intelligence integrates into specific iOS functions, enhancing text messaging, image editing, and other core functionalities without needing an overarching AI interface. This approach offers a more seamless, privacy-centric experience compared to Google’s AI, which may collect more user data to drive its functionality.

By focusing on intuitive, context-aware assistance rather than an omnipresent voice assistant, Apple Intelligence feels like a background enhancement rather than a standalone feature. Meanwhile, Siri continues to handle voice-based commands, while Apple Intelligence focuses on refining text suggestions and visual elements—creating a blend of discreet, context-sensitive AI.

Should You Upgrade? The Verdict on iOS 18.1

If you have a device that supports Apple Intelligence, upgrading to iOS 18.1 is an opportunity to access new, AI-enhanced features that could transform your daily interactions. Here are the main considerations:

  • Security Improvements: With iOS 18.1’s added security measures, users benefit from the latest patches addressing potential vulnerabilities, including those in WebKit and the iOS kernel. This is particularly valuable for anyone concerned with mobile security and online privacy.
  • Call Recording and Transcription: iOS 18.1 offers built-in call recording with transcription—a game-changer for professionals and casual users alike who need a reliable and transparent recording solution.
  • Apple Intelligence: For those with iPhone 15 or 16 series devices, the AI-driven improvements to texting, photography, and other core functionalities add a new layer of personalization and convenience.

However, if your device doesn’t support Apple Intelligence, the update may feel less impactful. In addition, those wary of potential battery issues or minor glitches might consider waiting until Apple releases further refinements in subsequent patches.

Software Outsourcing and Mobile Application Trends in Apple’s AI Push

This leap in iOS’s capabilities reflects broader trends in software outsourcing and the development of mobile applications. Apple’s new AI features highlight the growing demand for smarter, more integrated mobile applications that adapt to user behavior and enhance security. Outsourcing software development has played a significant role in meeting this demand, allowing companies to leverage specialized talent for advanced applications that might not be feasible in-house.

In an increasingly digital world, companies are recognizing that software outsourcing enables the creation of mobile applications with AI capabilities, such as natural language processing, image analysis, and voice recognition, at a faster rate and often at a lower cost than in-house development. The Apple Intelligence update is a powerful example of this trend, showcasing how tailored AI functionalities are reshaping mobile applications to become more personalized and responsive.

Final Thoughts: A Strategic Move Toward the Future

iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence marks a meaningful step forward in Apple’s ongoing commitment to user-centric design, privacy, and AI integration. By embedding intelligent capabilities directly into iOS’s core functions, Apple not only enriches the user experience but also sets a standard for other tech companies to follow.

For users with compatible devices, this update offers a compelling blend of personalization, productivity, and security. Yet, as with any major update, the decision to upgrade should consider your device’s compatibility and any personal reservations about potential bugs or battery drain.

In summary, iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence is a sophisticated update that balances innovation with practicality, security, and privacy. Whether you’re an early adopter or a cautious upgrader, Apple’s latest release reflects an era where mobile applications and software outsourcing converge to deliver smarter, safer, and more personalized experiences to users worldwide.

EU Parliament’s top brass get fat pay raises

The salary hikes, which will cost around €324,000 per year, have ruffled some feathers.

Ten of the European Parliament’s most senior officials are laughing all the way to the bank at the news of bumper pay raises worth €32,400 per year.

The officials, including Secretary-General Alessandro Chiochetti, will see their paychecks swell from a minimum base salary of €20,536.29 per month to €23,235.49 before tax, according to staff regulations.

The bump could see them receive some €278,825.88 annually, which is not subject to Belgian national income tax but rather to the EU’s own internal income tax system, ranging from 8 percent to 45 percent, as well as contributions and pensions. In addition to their salaries the officials may also receive home allowances and other benefits.

Martin Schirdewan, co-chair of The Left political group, balked at the pay increases, telling POLITICO: “While people all across the EU suffer from the effects of the weather and our elders are fighting for survival, the Parliament seems to be serving itself.”

“No one can explain that anymore, and it leaves me speechless,” he said.

The salary increases could cost the European Parliament’s human resources department up to €324,000 a year.

The hikes come following a raft of May promotions from AD15 to AD16, the highest grade in the EU civil servant hierarchy. When asked by POLITICO, a spokesperson for the Parliament said all recipients of the pay raise have at least three years of seniority in their previous pay brackets, while the minimum requirement for a promotion is two years.

The salary increases could cost the European Parliament’s human resources department up to €324,000 a year. | Ronald Wittek/EPA

Seven out of 16 directors-general, who lead the administration’s departments, along with Chiochetti have been promoted as of June 1, according to the minutes of a May meeting of the Parliament’s vice-presidents.

The directors-general who got pay raises are: Christian Mangold, in charge of communications; Ellen Robson, in charge of human resources; Juan Carlos Jiménez Marín, in charge of interpretation logistics; Lorenzo Mannelli, in charge of IT and cybersecurity; Guy Mols, in charge of security and safety; Monika Strasser, in charge of budgetary policy; and Michael Speiser, in charge of economic and industrial policies.

As of Nov. 1, 2025, Anders Rasmussen, deputy secretary general in charge of legislative coordination and the research services, will be promoted to AD16, as will Sannaleena Lepola-Honig, director-general in charge of parliamentary partnerships.

The Auto-Resistance on Peloton's Bike+ Might Make the Extra Cost Worth It

Peloton's advanced at-home cycle, the Bike+, has a neat feature I liked more than I expected to.

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For two weeks, I've been testing out a Bike+, the upgraded version of Peloton's famous Bike, all so I can write reviews of it. Since I've been an avid rider of my regular Peloton Bike for four years, I've been paying attention to any differences I notice in the performance of the two stationary cycles—especially any differences that make their $1,000 price difference worthwhile.

The feature I was most excited to test out, which my Bike does not have, is auto-resistance. With that, the Bike+ automatically adjusts the rider's resistance for them, setting it within the boundaries of the resistance called for by a instructor at any given point during a virtual class.

How does the Bike+'s auto-resistance work?

When you're taking an on-demand cycling class or completing a Power Zone workout, the Bike+ will adjust your resistance so that you're somewhere in between the numbers the instructor is calling for. So, if your instructor says your resistance should be between 40 and 60, the auto-resistance feature will plop you somewhere in the middle of those values; you don't have to spin the resistance knob yourself.

The auto-resistance is pretty smart, in my experience. When I did a nighttime workout after a day full of teaching spin class, doing other Peloton rides, and walking around in the heat, I wasn't feeling particularly energetic or even athletic. The auto-resistance caught on to that and adjusted my resistance to the lower end of the spectrum the instructor was calling for.

Overall, it just makes taking a class a little easier because you don't need to be constantly reaching down to adjust the knob. You can focus only on your cadence (and form, breathing, output, and hydration, of course) without having to stay on top of your resistance, too.

How to enable (or disable) auto-resistance on the Bike+

Enabling and disabling auto-resistance can be done before or during a workout. When you select a workout to complete on your device's touchscreen, you'll see a pop-up window that outlines a few details like when the class first aired, who's teaching it, and what the class is called. You'll also see a button that says "Auto-Resistance [Off/On]," which will, obviously, signal to you that the feature is on or off before the class starts.

Peloton Bike+ auto-resistance
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Once the class begins, you'll see a small lock icon next to the resistance on the lower right half of the screen. You can tap it to unlock it (turn auto-resistance off) or lock it (turn it on). I've noticed that if I start a workout with it off, then toggle it on, the auto-resistance tends to stick near whatever I was doing on my own. For instance, this morning, I started a class with it off, but was only riding about five above the lowest recommended resistance. When the instructor said resistance should be between 30 and 45, I was only doing 35. (I'm teaching classes later tonight, so I didn't feel I needed to over-exert myself! Leave me alone!) When I toggled auto-resistance on by tapping the lock icon, it consistently kept me at about five over the lowest recommended resistance level.

You can make manual adjustments while you ride, even if auto-resistance is turned on. At one point this morning, I did crank my resistance knob up to the highest recommended setting for a while. When the instructor told riders to lower their resistance a few minutes later, auto-resistance kicked in again and put me on a lower one with no issue, though it was, again, near the upper limits of the recommended range, since that's how I had set it manually.

Is this feature worth an extra $1,000?

The Peloton Bike+ is about $1,000 more than the regular Bike and will run you $2,495—with this auto-resistance feature being one of the main selling points.

I did appreciate that the tech is smarter that I assumed it would be and was able to adjust my resistance not only to the middle of the recommended resistance range, but lower or higher within it, depending on how I am performing. I also appreciate that it can be manually overridden mid-class and even disabled completely if you're not into it. It's great to be able to ride without having to constantly think about making adjustments, plus I find it a little motivating. When I'm in charge of the resistance (like I have been for four years riding my Bike), I can slack a little if I want to, you know? Who's going to stop me if I choose to set my resistance to the absolute lowest recommended number? With auto-resistance, I feel just a little guilt if I consider manually overriding it to make my workout easier. More often than not, of course, I find that having my resistance set to the middle or higher end of the recommended spectrum is completely doable; I'm lazy, not incapable. The auto-resistance helps me stop being quite so lazy, which is a little counterintuitive, since the machine is doing the work of messing with the knob for me.

Still, If you don't mind reaching down and spinning that knob, if you don't think you'd find it particularly motivating to see your resistance set in the middle of the recommended range, or if you don't even think you'd use this feature, it may not be worth an extra grand. There are some other differences between the two bikes that could push you over the edge and make you want to spend that extra dough, but don't forget that the membership that allows you to take the classes will cost you $44 per month forever, even after you've paid off the Bike, so that's another expense to consider.

Overall, I genuinely like this feature, but when I've disabled it or gone back to my trusty Bike after using it, I haven't really missed it. It's unique, cool, and useful, but it's not necessary. Coupled with the other improvements in the Bike+, however, it makes a strong case for an upgrade: The Bike+ has better speakers, a bigger screen, simpler adjustment knobs to change seat and screen height, and overall better performance while running Peloton's proprietary software. All of that combined with the extraordinarily efficient auto-resistance makes for a better machine. If you're looking to upgrade from your existing Bike to a Bike+, consider selling your older model on Peloton's own resale site, which will get you some cash plus a few hundred off your Bike+ purchase.

The Blue Screen of Death Is Dead

Microsoft's iconic error screen is getting a new look.

Microsoft's iconic Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is dead after 40 years. RIP to the most panic-inducing screen a Windows user can encounter. Now, get ready to fear the Black Screen of Death.

In a blog post on its website today, the company revealed it's ready to go live with an error screen redesign it's been testing since March. In an update to all Windows 11, version 24H2 devices coming "later this summer," the BSOD will finally be put out of its misery.

It's likely to be a bittersweet moment for Windows users, who will undoubtedly have mixed feelings about the warning's fate. Despite its ominous name, getting a BSOD wasn't always as serious as it seemed—a simple crash could trigger it, and restarting could easily fix it. It could be worse than that, too, but in many cases, the old BSOD simply added a bit of personality to the most annoying interruptions to your workflow. Especially in recent years, when you would see a sideways frowning emoticon alongside your error message.

But sometimes, personality isn't what you need, especially when you're already stressed out about your computer encountering a serious error. Businesses and travelers alike were bombarded with a particularly unsolvable Blue Screen of Death during last year's extended Crowdstrike outage, so it makes sense why Microsoft might want to move away from any association with it.

Black Screen of Death
Credit: Microsoft

Enter the new Black Screen of Death. Looking more like other Windows error messages, this is a simple black screen that says, in white text, that "Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart." Below that is a progress counter, alongside your error code and which process triggered it.

"The updated UI improves readability and aligns better with Windows 11 design principles," Microsoft Vice President of Enterprise and OS Security David Weston said in today's blog post.

I'll agree that it's arguably a bit less ominous then the current BSOD, which spends a lot of screen space on that big frowning emoticon, and used to say "Your PC ran into a problem that it couldn't handle" before anything else. Personally, I think the new approach might better reflect most situations that might trigger a BSOD—they're usually not as scary as they seem. Plus, the old error screen didn't actually tell you which process failed, so seeing that on its replacement is a nice bonus (it would occasionally show a QR code, but I often couldn't get it scanned before my computer restarted).

Still, part of me will miss the old Blue Screen of Death, in the same way I miss the Red Ring of Death that claimed my first Xbox 360. Stockholm syndrome, I suppose?

At any rate, Microsoft says that when it releases the new Black Screen of Death (not the official name for the error message, but neither was "Blue Screen of Death"), it will also release a new Quick Machine Recovery feature, which will help you access PCs that can't restart normally. In other words, the company is trying to make sure we won't get another Crowdstrike incident anytime soon. And if we do, it'll hopefully make us feel a little less blue.

Labour struggles to drain the swamp

U.K. prime minister had a bold plan for cleaning up British politics. A year in, campaigners say it amounts to little more than "tinkering."

LONDON — Keir Starmer was meant to drain the swamp.

Swept to office in no small part due to the near-constant drumbeat of scandal that had engulfed his Conservative rivals, the Labour leader promised to do things differently and restore trust in Westminster.

Labour included a wave of significant reforms in its manifesto, with the wannabe U.K. prime minister telling voters in the final days of the campaign he’d start ripping the rot out “straight away.”

But while the party made a handful of quick moves on taking office — establishing a so-called modernization committee tasked with shaking up standards and working practices in the House of Commons and beginning the process of removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords — campaigners and policy experts say they are underwhelmed by the Labour government’s efforts.

Daniel Bruce, chief executive of Transparency International UK, said Labour’s welcome but “modest” progress on the agenda amounted to little more than “tinkering around the edges.”

A recent study from the National Centre for Social Research found that since the 2024 election, trust among voters that the government will put the nation’s interests above those of the party is at a record low.

“The government might be busy responding to outside events and the instability around the world, which is perfectly understandable and defensible, but you can’t pause the clock on declining political trust, and without that political trust the very legitimacy of the government and faith in our democracy is going to continue to erode,” Bruce said.

Susan Hawley, executive director at campaign group Spotlight on Corruption, argues that an embarrassing controversy over the acceptance of free gifts and hospitality by Labour’s top team just months after taking power may also have dampened ambitions. “Unfortunately, the freebie row probably pulled the rug out and made it hard to look like they were on the front foot with the agenda and cleaning up the last administration’s problems,” she said.

A government spokesperson told POLITICO they were “committed to establishing the right structures to uphold the highest standards in public life.”

“We have already taken steps to improve probity and transparency, including through introducing a new ministerial code which emphasizes the principles of public life, by strengthening the terms of reference for the independent adviser, and by introducing a new monthly register of gifts and hospitality,” they added.

Great expectations

Having put his plans to restore trust in politics at the heart of his first speech as prime minister, a quick flurry of announcements offered hope to campaigners that despite the early crises that had rocked his administration, Starmer was not to be distracted from the fight.

A significant commitment was delivered straight away with the establishment of a Modernisation Committee. The body quickly closed a loophole to stop MPs from being paid by outside sources to provide advice on issues related to parliament, or on “public policy and current affairs.”

While election reform is included in Labour’s manifesto, ministers barely mentioned the plans in public until it was revealed that Elon Musk was toying with the idea of donation tens of millions to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. | Niel Hall/EPA

There was more early progress made through an update to the ministerial code, which emphasized restoring trust and embodying public service. An important reform was also delivered to ensure the adviser on ministerial standards was properly independent, by removing the prime minister’s right to veto the watchdog’s investigations into potential wrongdoing.

But those achievements represent only a fraction of the agenda that Labour had repeatedly told the public was urgently required to reverse hemorrhaging trust in British political institutions.

While hereditary peers are headed for the chopping block, there has been scant detail around Labour’s plans to force peers to retire at the age of 80. Even less has been said about its lofty manifesto goal to replace the upper house with a more representative alternative.

And while having successfully closed one lobbying loophole, progress on the rest of the Modernisation Committee’s work to ban most second jobs for MPs and add some rigor to the standards regime has been glacial.

It’s the same story when it comes to ministerial scrutiny, too. While data about meetings between outside stakeholders and the prime minister and other Cabinet Office officials have been moved to a monthly, rather than quarterly publication schedule, the government has ditched its promise to implement a commitment made by the previous Conservative administration to apply the same rules across all Whitehall departments.

Slow walking

Campaigners insist that no matter how much further progress is made on those issues, the barometer of trust won’t shift an inch, given key planks of Labour’s ethics plans remain up in the air.

Having rightly concluded that voters are genuinely concerned about standards in Westminster, the party realized that attempting to discuss the often dry and technical solutions during the chaos of a campaign was futile. Instead, Labour strategists shrewdly decided to concentrate its sleaze-busting pledges on establishing an independent Ethics and Integrity Commission — a concept simple enough to grasp the attention of voters, and a convenient soundbite for Labour hopefuls to deploy when asked about how it would clean up politics.

But having sold the body as an all-singing, all-dancing remedy for wrongdoing, its continued absence has become a 10-ton elephant in the room.

Despite decades of slapdash additions to Westminster’s standards landscape, campaigners had been cautiously optimistic, given Labour’s apparent energy and ambition, that the chaotic jumble of regulators and rules could finally be whipped into shape. But as the months have ticked by, concerns have only grown that whatever form the body eventually takes, it will lack the teeth and the mandate required to properly overhaul standards.

Those concerns were further cemented this week after the Guardian reported claims from government sources that the process of setting up an independent body had been deemed too complex, and that a rebrand of existing regulators under a new “umbrella” was now the most likely outcome.

“If, as is being suggested, that title is used as a tool to hoover up what is a complicated standards regulation landscape under one umbrella, but fundamentally not change how they’re able to do their job, then it will fail,” Bruce said. “We won’t move on.”

Multiple campaigners and policy experts suggested that the transition from opposition to government had resulted in responsibility for the brief being handed over to ministers with less appetite for the fight. Others have questioned whether Labour felt it had secured enough goodwill with voters during the campaign that it could afford to let the timelines and details slip.

But the biggest frustration is that Labour has fallen directly into the traps that campaigners had spent months warning them to avoid. | Niel Hall/EPA

No matter the reason, Labour’s stagnant progress has dented the confidence of campaigners, meaning a recent commitment to deliver an elections bill later this year has been met with less celebration and more trepidation than would have been expected just 12 months ago.

Anti-corruption groups fear that welcome moves to limit foreign money in politics and enhance the power of regulators will be used as cover to avoid the contentious but vital step of introducing a cap on overall donations — a measure seen as fundamental to curb the corrosive public perception that parties are beholden to those with the deepest pockets.

But the biggest frustration is that Labour has fallen directly into the traps that campaigners had spent months warning them to avoid.

For instance, while election reform is included in Labour’s manifesto, ministers barely mentioned the plans in public until it was revealed that Elon Musk was toying with the idea of donating tens of millions to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party — offering the insurgent parliamentarian a golden opportunity to paint the proposals as a knee-jerk establishment stitch-up.

“A lot of the bits they were thinking of doing are now likely to be perceived as if they are trying to keep Reform out of power,” Hawley added. “They’ve already lost the first mover advantage on that, so they actually do have to go quite bold to make it cut through. If you’re just going to tinker around the edges, then that really isn’t going to move the dialog.”

Someone Built an Ad Blocker for Real Life, and I Can't Wait to Try It

Finally, a way to stop getting advertised to while you're walking the dog.

I use as many ad-blocking programs as possible, but no matter how many I install, real-life advertising is still there, grabbing my attention when I'm just trying to go for a walk. Thankfully, there may be a solution on the horizon. Software engineer Stijn Spanhove recently posted a concept video showing what real-time, real-life ad-blocking looks like on a pair of Snap Spectacles, and I really want it. Check it out:

The idea is that the AI in your smart glasses recognizes advertisements in your visual field and "edits them out' in real time, sparing you from ever seeing what they want you to see.

While Spanhove's video shows a red block over the offending ads, you could conceivably cover that Wendy's ad with anything you want—an abstract painting, a photo of your family, an ad for Arby's, etc.

How close are we to real-life ad-blocking?

While it's a test at present, real-life ad-blocking for the people doesn't seem far off. The technology is there now: current-generation consumer AI glasses like Meta Ray Bans can already identify what you're looking at with scary accuracy.

Replacing ads is a little trickier, though. While there are AR smart-glasses on the market, like the XReal Airs, and upcoming Snap Specs, and AR experiences in VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3 can already strip out parts of the real environment and replace them, there isn't anything on the market with full AR that is practical enough for wearing all the time. Battery life and weight are the problems, but those are solvable. There are so many companies competing for the smart glasses market, it seems like only a matter of time until it's practical to achieve real life ad-blocking.

Companies versus consumer and the creation of the ultimate echo chamber

I could see this being a killer app for smart glasses in the near future: It's the kind of things that consumers would really want. But it's also the kind of thing that advertisers and marketers would really not want, and this might be the biggest obstacles to real-life ad-blockers. You could envision a "cat-and-mouse" game similar to the one that's been playing out online for years, with companies trying ingenious ways to thwart the ad-blocking glasses, like disguising ads as something else. Would there be legal challenges? Would there be issues with a mega corporation that releases smart glasses not wanting to piss off every other company? And what happens if you want to edit out ads for the very device you're wearing?

There are sociological concerns as well. People probably wouldn't stop at replacing ads with pixel art. They'd be editing out anything that personally annoys them: homeless people, construction sites, other humans who have traits they don't like. Curating your own visual experience in the real world could lead to the creation of personal echo chambers that make the world look more to your liking, but less like it is, the ultimate echo chamber.

Ethical concerns aside, I would be first in line for a pair of glasses that edited reality to my liking. I know I would use them responsibly, even if I'm not sure about everyone else. Maybe I wouldn't wear them all the time. Just almost all the time.

Dustwind: Resistance

Någon gång under slutet av 90-talet lirade jag Interplays Fallout-spel på mina föräldrars PC utan att fatta någonting då jag knappt hade börjat förskolan. Att jag inte fattade någonting där och då spelade ingen roll dock då det som spelade roll så här när jag ser tillbaka var att det var en tid där min kärlek för spel föddes redan i tidig ålder och när jag sedan växte upp och kunde begripa allt mer vad min kärlek för spel ens innebar förstod jag även på djupet Interplays två första Fallout-spel. Att ha dessa klassiker som inspiration var därför något som väckte en nyfikenhet hos mig från utvecklaren Dustwind Studios men tyvärr är Dustwind: Resistance ett evigt långt helvete från början till slut och stundtals det värsta jag spelat i hela mitt liv.

<bild>Dustwind: Resistance inledande prolog är oerhört utdragen och träig.</bild>

Det hela börjar när vår unge huvudkaraktär Jack vägleds tillsammans med hans vän Amanda av hans far när de var små och växte upp på en lugn farm. Många år senare har de hunnit bli vuxna och gifta och snabbt förvandlas farmen till en mardröm. Den attackeras av beväpnade män och de flesta invånarna blir mördade där Jacks fru Amanda är ett av offren. Jack som bara var en enkel bonde svär nu att han skall hämnas sin fru och hela hans by och han beger sig av därifrån med sin hund Diesel för att leta rätt på dem som bär ansvaret ledda, främst deras ledare Warlock, och hämnas dem.

<bild>Vår huvudkaraktär Jack vill inget hellre än att hämnas på Warlock och hans gäng för mordet på hans fru Amanda.</bild>

Även om hämnd som motivation har gjorts en miljard gånger tidigare i alla former av medium så finns det en anledning till det. Om det görs väl så kan du bygga en hel berättelse kring detta men tyvärr tappar Dustwind: Resistance mig från första början. Allt kretsar kring att Jack förlorar sin fru Amanda och vill hämnas henne men tyvärr får vi aldrig se henne som vuxen. Istället får vi det bara berättat (efter att ha letat efter henne) att hon redan är död vilket av någon anledning Jack bara accepterar och han tar sig inte ens tid för att sörja eller gå på hennes begravning utan tar bara sin hund och drar. Spelets inledande prolog avslutas således som ett enda stort frågetecken för min del vilket är synd då det innan dess fanns en gnutta av hopp att detta skulle följas upp på ett bättre sätt där åtminstone spelets handling kunde gripa tag.

<bild>De flesta områden är oerhört utdragna och tar en evighet att bara sig igenom då dina karaktärer knappt kan springa.</bild>

Redan innan spelet ens börjar är det värt att nämna att ett problem uppstod för mig när det kommer till Dustwind: Resistance. Då jag recenserar det på Xbox Series X så blir det direkt tydligt att det här spelet först och främst var byggt för PC. Gränsnittet är enormt litet och byggt för att sitta nära och inte på ett visst avstånd borta i soffan. Det brukar dock inte vara problem de gånger det händer med spel på konsol då du nästan alltid får möjligheten att göra gränsnittet större för att passa ditt behov. Med Dustwind: Resistance är detta dock inte möjligt vilket innebär att jag tvingats sitta mycket närmare min TV än jag brukar göra och mest liknat en hundraårig gubbe som förlorat sina glasögon.

<bild>Dustwind: Resistance användergränsnitt är anpassat för PC och går inte ställa om till konsol vilket gör det svårt att läsa.</bild>

Precis som i de tidigaste Fallout-spelen (där Dustwind: Resistance även har spår av Fallout Tactics: Broterhood of Steel i sig) så är det ett isometriskt perspektiv rakt ovanifrån som gäller i en postapokalyptisk värld. Just det senare känns dock mer som en eftertanke och det finns inget event som lägger till grund varför världen är som den är men då Dustwind: Resistance är en uppföljare till Dustwind: The Last Resort, som jag aldrig lirat, är det möjligt att detta klargörs där. Det finns även möjligheten att pausa spelet och navigera världen för att ge dig mer tid att ta beslut i mer hektiska strider där fienderna blir för många.

Dessutom erbjuds lätta rollspelsinslag där du kan uppgradera dina karaktärer och ett klassbaserat system där exempelvis vår huvudkaraktär Jack är bäst som mekaniker och hans hund Diesel är bra på att sniffa upp och upptäcka minor som han kan avväpna så ingen av dina karaktärer springer in i dem. Just minor är även en del av din arsenal men så är även allt från fällor till granater, hagelgevär, eldkastare och pilbågar. Det finns alltså ett stort smörgåsbord att ta del av men tyvärr känns ingenting bra att använda. Dessutom är det onödigt att köpa någonting av de butiker som finns i spelet du då hela tiden klarar dig utmärkt att bara hitta nya vapen och annat ute i världen.

<bild>Det finns ett stort smörgåsbord av vapen och tillbehör men ingenting är roligt att använda.</bild>

Ett stort problem som är ständigt närvarande i Dustwind: Resistance är att utvecklarna gjort relativt stora banor vilket enbart är irriterande då du knappt kan jogga och det tar en smärre evighet att ta sig från punkt A till B. Detta blir ännu värre i spelets andra halva när utvecklarna har velat dra ut på längden av spelet med det ena sidouppdraget efter det andra, som inte går att skippa, där det vid ett tillfälle av någon anledning är jätteviktigt att hitta någons bortsprungda hund i en grotta vilket alltså måste göras så att han blir så pass glad att han senare låter dig köpa saker i hans butik. Saker som du alltså ändå aldrig bryr dig om att köpa då det alltså går att hitta gratis hur lätt som helst ute i världen. Ännu värre och segare att bara ta sig runt det är att du inte ens kan gå och återställa din hälsa samtidigt utan måste stanna upp varje gång du vill öka din hälsa och eftersom Dustwind: Resistance är ett utmanande, och frustrerande, spel så kommer du alltså tvingas stanna upp gång på gång på gång. Det är även enormt enkelt att fastna i diverse objekt runt omkring i världen, och Dustwind Studios förlitar sig alldeles för mycket på att du hela tiden måste öppna en karta för att se vart du är vilket hade varit okej om den var hjälpsam men det är den alltså sällan aldrig.

För att göra det ännu värre så är dessutom spelets AI katastrofal där dina kompanjoner kan springa rakt in i minor som ligger framför dem trots att din hund Diesel har upptäckt dem, fienderna kan skjuta genom väggar, spelkontrollen är oerhört klumpig och inte anpassad för konsol, och varje gång Dustwind: Resistance gör något så enkelt som att spara automatiskt så hostar spelet till precis som om det är på väg att krascha vilket det tyvärr också har gjort flertalet gånger vid andra tillfällen.

<bild>Menyerna är oerhört klumpiga och även dem dåligt anpassade till konsol.</bild>

Då Dustwind: Resistance är ett utmanande spel (där fem olika svårighetsgrader erbjuds) reekommenderas du att spara ofta. Det gör att du sällan förlorar mycket speltid men givetvis är det fortfarande irriterande när en krasch sker. Lika irriterande är det när du flertalet gånger har som uppdrag att döda alla fiender i ett rum och när du väl gjort det så händer ingenting. Spelet tror att någon fiende fortfarande finns kvar men kommer sen på sig själv att så inte är fallet och plötsligt kan du gå vidare efter att ibland ha undrat i ett par minuter om du missat någon. Flertalet gånger har även fiender fastnat i framförallt trappor men även i väggar och andra objekt och när de är fast där kan du inte skada dem. Andra irriterande moment är skuggor som poppar in och ut ur bild när du zoomar ut på kartan, emellanåt långa laddningsskärmar och stealth-uppdrag där du blir upptäckt trots att ingen är i närheten.

<bild>Smyguppdragen erbjuder lite variation men är helt värdelösa då du flertalet gånger blir upptäckt trots att ingen är i närheten.</bild>

Det har såklart enbart varit negativitet så här långt men finns det inte något ljus i mörkret som är positivt? Jo, det gör det, faktiskt. Trots att Dustwind: Resistance inte har några röstskådespelare i dess gameplay så har vår huvudkaraktär Jack en röst i spelets slideshows som erbjuder lite context mellan de elva olika uppdragen i spelet. Han gör ett relativt bra jobb, din hund Diesel är dessutom en trevlig kompanjon (när han inte är i vägen i väldigt trånga utrymmen) och han fick mig direkt att tänka på Dogmeat i Fallout.

Spelets upplåsningsträd är även relativt hjälpsamt och roligt att experimentera med för att göra dina karaktärer bättre, utvecklarna försöker göra den andra halvan av spelet mer spännande med att introducera ett fordon du tar dig runt i och den inledande storyn, om än cliché, börjar som redan nämnts relativt spännande men faller alltså på att du aldrig känner någonting för den fru du skall hämnas på och i slutändan när eftertexterna har rullat så känns ingenting värt det efter de runt 15 timmar det tog att ta sig igenom Dustwind: Resistance.

<bild>Introduktionen av fordon är välbehövlig men dyker upp för sent vilket gör att banorna innan dess tar en evighet att ta sig igenom till fots.</bild>

Det största anledningen till det är att din fru Amanda visar sig ha överlevt den inledande attacken på farmen. Det må låta som en massiv spoiler (vilket det på sätt och vis är) men eftersom Amanda är med på spelets omslag och dessutom i material som ledde upp till dess lansering väljer jag att ta med det här då det är en väldigt märklig prioritering av utvecklarnas sida. Det kommer inte som en överraskning för dem som följde spelet innan lansering men för min del dock som gick in helt blint blev det visserligen en överraskning men eftersom jag aldrig brydde mig om när hon "dog" i början av spelet kunde jag inte bry mig mindre när hon plötsligt kom tillbaka. Det var bara en enda axelryckning men jag fick åtminstone svaret på varför Dustwind Studios valde att inte visa din döda fru i början. Det var dock ett fruktansvärt klumpigt sätt att göra det på att få oss att acceptera att Jack inte ens vill se sin egen frus begravning som resten av byn gick på men att hämnas henne skulle ändå göras. Det hade såklart inte blivit mycket till spel om Jack bara gick på den där begravningen som vem som helst i hans situation annars hade gjort men även om borde anat att Amanda skulle komma tillbaka då hon är med på spelets omslag så ser hon dock helt annorlunda ut i spelet kontra dess omslag.

<bild>Din fru Amanda fungerar bäst som prickskytt och support men hennes återkomst från det döda hanterades oerhört klumpigt av Dustwind Studios.</bild>

I slutändan är det väldigt lite jag kan rekommendera med Dustwind: Resistance. Det kraschar flertalet gånger, kontrollen är oerhört klumpig och dåligt optimerat för konsol vilket även gäller gränssnittet och menyer, vapnen är många men tråkiga att använda, storyn tappar dig från första stund, musiken och fienderna är repetiva, den postapokalyptiska världen känns som en eftertanke, spelets AI är värdelös, fiender fastnar i väggar, och du kan knappt jogga på enorma banor som därav känns alldeles för långa och utdragna som ett resultat.

Mitt tålamod har testats mer än i ett spel på mycket länge och mitt enkla råd är att avstå från det här spelet så mycket det bara går. Vill du ha ett postapokalyptiskt isometriskt perspektiv och värld att ta dig igenom så hade jag hellre rekommenderat Interplays Fallout-spel som alltså gjorde detta mycket bättre redan på 90-talet. Är det så att dessa titlar känns förlegade så är Wasteland ett mer nutida exempel som passar mycket bättre. Ett någorlunda roligt upplådningsträd, ett skirmish-läge vid sidan av kampanjen och bra slideshows där Jacks röstskådespelare visar lite passion kan inte rädda Dustwind: Resistance från att undvika en svag trea från mig.

The Alters

Har du någon gång undrat om dina livsval hade kunnat förändrat vem du är idag. The Alters sätter detta på sin spets tack vare ett finurligt sätt att klona dig själv i din kamp att överleva en fientlig och isolerad planet. Det hela börjar med att vi kraschlandar på en öde värld i ett solsystem med tre stjärnor. Resten av besättningen är död utom en byggare med namnet Jan Dolski. Han är en vanlig person som hamnat på fel ställe vid fel tidpunkt. Vårt första uppdrag blir att hitta en mobil bas, vilken fungerar som vårt hem och transportmetod under äventyrets gång.

Jan inser ganska snabbt att han inte räcker till för att fixa basen och en mystisk kontaktperson övertygar honom om att använda en sällsynt naturresurs han precis upptäckt på planeten. Det leder oss till att använda maskineriet ombord basen att klona ett får och senare en variant av oss själva. Detta är premissen för hela äventyret, bygg upp din bas, samla resurser och klona dig själv så att dina alter egos kan hjälpa dig med olika uppgifter. Det är också här vi börjar stöta på problemen. Vi vet att de tre stjärnorna planeten roterar runt kommer att orsaka förödelse och förinta allt liv när solarna går upp. Det sätter en tidsgräns på vårt äventyr och ett behov av att skynda på. Vi vet också att fler människor behöver mer mat, ställen att sova på och mycket annat. I takt med att vi skapar fler varianter av oss själva behöver vi expandera basen och för att göra detta måste vi ut på planetens yta och samla olika naturresurser.

<bild>Jan är ensam i början av äventyret. Ditt försök att fly planeten kommer snart att leda till att han får andra att prata med.</bild>
<bild>Basen byggs av dig, rum kan flyttas runt och specialicerade byggnader kan skapa föremål av olika slag.</bild>

Den mest betydande resursen kallas för rapidium och är det du använder för att skapa en klon i vuxen ålder, med minnen från sitt och ditt liv. Jan du spelar som har dock inte levt hela deras liv. De har gjort livsval som förändrat vem de är, vilket jobb de har och orsaken till att de följde med på resan. Detta resulterar i personer som både gjort samma och andra livsval. Du kommer att använda lite av din tid med att luska ut vilka val dessa karaktärer gjorde, som du inte gjorde och varför. Det liknar konceptet med varianter av karaktärer i parallella dimensioner, som Marvel ofta använder sig av i sina storfilmer. Du kommer att konversera mycket med dessa varianter av dig själv och även försöka lösa deras problem.

När du väl börjat på detta spår inser du snabbt att du behöver fler Jan med olika specialiseringar för att få basen att ta sig fram på denna öde planet. För att göra det behöver du fylla på med mer rapidium, forska, bygga byggnader, producera mat och samla resurser. Du kan inte dröja för länge på grund av en tidsbegränsning. Det beror på att du har ett visst antal dagar du kan stanna på varje plats. Din karaktär kan inte jobba för evigt utan behöver sova för att orka jobba dagen efter med olika aktiviteter. Som du förmodligen gissat innebär grävandet av resurser tidsförbrukning och riskerar att trötta ut din karaktär. Det innebär att du måste fatta strategiska beslut om hur du väljer att använda tiden du har till förfogande och när du sover under titelns tre akter.

<bild>Allt från växthus till ett sovrum är exempel på byggnader i basen. Du behöver erbjuda din besättning bra levnadsvillkor och rätt förutsättningar för att klara av resan.</bild>

Det finns många sätt att sätta sig i en svår situation på grund av misstag eller beslut. Dina Alters kan också dö om du inte är försiktig. Det kan ske via händelser i spelet eller arbeten du ber karaktärerna att genomföra. Att fundera igenom vad du säger, gör och hur du agerar i olika situationer är viktigt. Jag gillar denna aspekt tack vare att det bjuder in mig som spelare att experimentera med både dialog och andra spelmässiga inslag. The Alters är som allra bäst när du inte ved vad som händer om du gör en viss sak.

Det är uppfriskande att titeln inte handlar om utomjordingar eller att skjuta. Fokuset är snarare på överlevnad. Världen är vacker och ogästvänlig, den bjuder också på olika fenomen att ta hänsyn till. Navigering kan vara farligt och du kan bygga föremål för att underlätta denna process. Du kommer också i kontakt med naturfenomen som liknar något från Stalker. Vissa faror triggar också dialog med dina Alters så att du kan få råd och hjälp att hantera dessa. Det är också en av styrkorna med äventyret att du kan använda dina skapade varianter av dig själv till att underlätta resan. Tyvärr bidrar upplägget även till att visa på vissa svagheter. Spelet sparas enbart när din Jan vaknar på morgonen. Det innebär att om du avslutar under dagen eller av någon annan anledning stänger av spelet så sparas inte dina framsteg. Trots att tanken är att du ska leva med dina beslut och spelet markerar dina val du gjorde fram till punkten du stängde av, är det frustrerande att spela om och inte kunna spara manuellt.

<bild>I en databank kan du läsa om dina och dina varianters minnen och för att förstå när en variant har gjort ett annat val än protagonisten. Det påverkar resten av deras liv och vilka andra minnen de har.</bild>

11 Bit Studios vet verkligen hur de ska skapa engagemang hos mig tack vare flertalet spelmässiga system. Precis som med Anomaly: Warzone, This War of Mine, Frostpunk 1 och 2 lyckas de även här. Det som är tydligt efter många timmar med denna titel är hur sömlöst alla olika bitar faller på plats. Oavsett om jag samlar resurser, skapar en ny klon eller sparar material för en byggnad fungerar allt klockrent. Det finns inget som inte platsar. Jag hade snarare önskat mig mer djup i vissa spelmässiga inslag, det handlar i nuläget enbart om att hålla nere en knapp. Strategin och svårigheterna kretsar runt hur du använder din tid, dina resurser och på vad. Svårighetsgraderna i sig är förmodligen det jag kämpat med mest. Jag tycker inte att titeln är särskilt utmanande oavsett svårighetsgrad. Det kan vara bra att känna till om du är van med genren att detta kanske inte utmanar. Detta är förmodligen också en aspekt som utvecklarna har möjlighet att lösa på sikt.

Visuellt är detta fantastiskt, det påminner lite om filmen Prometheus med sin öde planet. Däremot finns det inga utomjordingar eller skräckinslag. Det är snarare en berättelse om överlevnad på en distinkt och visuellt tilltalande värld. Det är inte ett särskilt krävande spel trots sitt vackra yttre. Även om jag skulle kunna kritisera karaktärsmodellernas ögonrörelser är det inget som blir ett problem. Både karaktärer, föremål och andra saker ser bra ut. Det är också imponerande hur mycket du kan zooma ut och in i världen. Det är tydligt vad du kan plocka upp, vad som är en resurs och att navigera menyerna. Skulle du ha problem med att flytta din karaktär i din bas kan du också snabbt flytta om rummen och hissarna efter eget tycke. Det är ett förhållandevis lättavläst spel med ett bra användargränssnitt.

<bild>Basen ändrar också utseende beroende på hur du placerar byggnaderna.</bild>

Ljudmässigt är även detta toppen, jag tycker verkligen om musiken i denna titel. Skådespelaren bakom Jan Dolski är också riktigt bra. Han låter inte som en kommandosoldat, utan som en vanlig människa. Att sedan få höra hans röst i olika konstellationer är lite som klonerna från Star Wars. Jag tycker att 11 Bit Studios lyckas riktigt bra med att förmedla olika personligheter trots detta. De behåller dragen av sin ursprungsversion med bjuder på distinkta variationer i kläder, personlighet och annat. Resterande ljud i världen låter också bra. Det blir aldrig ett problem eller stör upplevelsen. Du ska ändå tillbringa nästan 18-30-timmar med detta och då behöver ljudbilden vara bra.

The Alters stannar aldrig över sitt välkomnande utan bjuder på en engagerande, intressant och välspelande upplevelse. Det låter bra och det finns mycket att gilla med detta science fiktion-äventyr. Är du som mig och gillar utvecklarens tidigare spel finns det mycket att gilla även här. Tyvärr bjuder inte denna resa på en tillräckligt stor svårighetsgrad, men om du gillar berättande, dialog och överlevnad finns det ändå mycket att hämta här. Det är utan tvekan en av årets mer positiva överraskningar. Även om jag normalt sett inte gillar tidsbegränsningar i spel fungerar det bra här. Det vävs in helt naturligt i berättelsen på grund av solarna planeten kretsar runt och mysteriet om varför originalbesättningen dog är också ett roande stickspår att försöka klura ut. Det är knäppt, intressant och innehåller konstig vetenskap, vilket tilltalar mig. Om du gillar science fiktion är detta en given rekommendation. Därför landar mitt betyg på en nia.

<bild>Dialog med dina kloner kan gå bra eller dåligt. De har känslor och dina konversationer kan skapa missförstånd, uppror, bråk, glädje och lojalitet. Du behöver tänka på hur du konverserar med varje Jan. Trots likheter har de alla olikheter och egna minnen du inte besitter.</bild>
<bild>För att navigera världen använder du en mobil bas. Den rullar över världen och behövs för att ta dig till en plats på planeten där din arbetsgivare kan rädda dig.</bild>

You Can Get an Extra Year of Free Windows 10 Security Updates

You don't necessarily have to pay $30 for extended coverage.

The end of Windows 10 support is just a few months away, but Microsoft is giving users who can't (or don't want to) let go of Windows 10 more options to receive security updates for an additional year. The company is cutting off most support for the older operating system on October 14, 2025, pushing users toward Windows 11.

One of the risks of not upgrading to Windows 11 by the deadline is that your device won't be protected against viruses and hackers—unless you take advantage of one of the free or paid options to enroll in Extended Security Updates (ESU).

Note that Microsoft has also extended support for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 through October 10, 2028.

How to get Windows 10 Extended Security Updates

Windows 10 users were already able to pay $30 for a year ESU coverage, which you can still do, but Microsoft is now offering two additional options to protect your device at no cost. You can either opt into Windows Backup to sync your settings to the cloud or redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, which are accrued when you purchase or otherwise engage with Microsoft services, including Bing. Note that both of these "free" alternatives require you to have (or sign up for) a Microsoft account.

If you're still on Windows 10, you'll receive a push notification about the program, or you can find the enrollment wizard in your Settings app. Enrollment is already open in the Windows Insider Program, and Microsoft plans to roll it out for Windows 10 customers in July, with availability to all by mid-August.

The extended coverage will last until October 13, 2026, with critical security updates delivered on a monthly basis. Note that ESU does not include new features, non-security updates, design change requests, or tech support.

Adding a Medium Publication sitemap to Search Console

Finding your custom domain Medium Publication’s sitemap.xml

If you have a custom domain Medium Publication, finding the sitemap.xml is pretty difficult. Generally most sites submit their sitemap to Google’s Search Console in order to better index their sites.

After Medium discontinued custom domain publications, almost all support for custom domain publications essentially stopped.

But what you’re looking for is essentially here:

(your domain)/sitemap/sitemap.xml

For example, this blog has the sitemap hosted here:

https://blog.shawjj.com/sitemap/sitemap.xml 

Adding your sitemap to Google Search Console:

And verifying that it has indeed been submitted:

👏👏👏


Adding a Medium Publication sitemap to Search Console was originally published in blog.shawjj on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Copycat

Alla kattägare vet att katter är människans bästa vän - när det passar katten förstås. Katter är unika djur, därför är det roligt, speciellt för kattägare, att spela spel där man styr en katt, och kan göra kattsaker. Och jamar okontrollerat. Kattägare vet vad jag menar... Vi har spelat katter i {Little Kitty, Big City} och {Stray}, och nu finns det ett nytt spel, det lilla linjära fyratimmarsäventyrsspelet {Copycat}.

Det börjar på ett djurhem där en äldre singeldam, {Olive}, kommer in för att hitta en katt att ta med hem. Hennes gamla katt har rymt hemifrån och hon saknar att ha en lurvig liten vän som springer runt i huset. Hon väljer en katt, döper den till {Dawn} och tar med den hem. Det finns några problem till en början, eftersom den nya katten orsakar några för många olyckor runt huset, men snart börjar de två bilda ett nära band.
<bild>Du kan jama</bild>
Därifrån utvecklas spelet till en överraskande känslomässig berättelse om att bli övergiven, känna sig oälskad och att inte förstå varför ingen kommer att älska dig när du har så mycket kärlek att ge. Du behöver inte älska katter för att känna den här lilla historien i magen, men det hjälper såklart om du har, eller har haft, en katt i ditt liv.

{Copycat} kommer från den lilla australiensiska utvecklaren {Spoonful of Wonders}, som består av endast två personer, och {Copycat} är deras första spel. Tyvärr kan man se det. Det är ganska opolerat och grovt, och det finns inte mycket spelmoment. Förutom att springa runt som {Dawn}, består det mesta av spelet av en serie minispel där du måste fånga byten, stjäla mat från människor i parken, undvika vilda hundar i en liten smygsekvens och slåss mot andra katter. Det är enkelt och inte särskilt underhållande.
<bild>Kattens animationer är väldigt bra.</bild>
Med det sagt, det här spelet ses bäst som en rudimentär liten berättelse och om du närmar dig spelet med det tänkesättet börjar grovheten och det simpla spelandet att tona in i bakgrunden och berättelsen står i centrum. Berättelsen är helt klart spelets styrka och det är en historia som du kommer att känna i själen, och inte alltid på ett trevligt vis.

Det visuella är väldigt blandat. Animationerna av din katt är faktiskt väldigt imponerande och det är tydligt att mycket arbete har lagts ner på just den här delen. Det finns också några drömsekvenser med en svart panter för att representera den vilda sidan av huskatten, och dessa sekvenser är riktigt väldesignade. På andra håll är spelet väldigt grovt till utseendet och det är tydligt att detta är det första spelet från en liten utvecklare.
<bild>Om du är kattälskare är Copycat ett måste.</bild>
Jag rekommenderar verkligen {Copycat}, för det är fantastiskt när en liten utvecklare gör ett spel som inte ser ut som alla andra, och som framför allt har något att säga och levererar en historia som berör. Det är inte många spel som kan skryta med det. Även om spelet kommer med en ganska låg prislapp så är det svårt att rekommendera det till någon annan än kattälskare som också älskar små känslomässiga historier.

Jag skulle älska att ge {Copycat} ett högre betyg, men det är svårt att motivera mer än en sexa, men jag skulle säga att om du är en kattägare, ge det ett försök. Var bara beredd att förbise det enkla och klumpiga spelet.

Seeing America from abroad

Digital nomads from the U.S. who roam the world say their time abroad allows them to recognize — and even appreciate — aspects of American life and the privilege of American identity.

Digital nomads from the U.S. who roam the world say their time abroad allows them to recognize — and even appreciate — aspects of American life and the privilege of American identity.

What to Expect From Apple's Rumored New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects an all-new, more-affordable MacBook model powered by an iPhone chip to launch next year.


Below, we recap rumors and other possibilities for this new MacBook.

Chip


The new MacBook will be equipped with the A18 Pro chip, according to Kuo. If so, it would be the first Mac to ever use an A-series chip from an iPhone. (In 2020, Apple did briefly offer developers a Mac mini with the iPad Pro's A12Z chip, to help them prepare for the Mac's transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon).

Introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max last year, the A18 Pro chip has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Unsurprisingly, the A18 Pro chip is around 40% slower than Apple's latest M4 chip. As noted by Jason Snell on Six Colors, however, the chip's multi-core CPU performance is nearly identical to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, and the A18 Pro chip even outperforms the M1 chip for graphics. That matters for pricing — see below.

Pricing


Kuo said the new MacBook will be a "more-affordable" model, but he did not provide an exact price point. The current 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 in the U.S., so the new MacBook would likely have a starting price of between $699 and $899.

As mentioned above, the A18 Pro chip's performance is similar to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, which Apple still sells for $649 through Walmart. Given this MacBook Air model is nearly five years old, it will be discontinued at some point, and the MacBook with an A18 Pro chip could effectively be its replacement sold directly by Apple.

Specs


As noted by Stephen Hackett on 512 Pixels, the A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. They would look the same as Thunderbolt ports, but data transfer speeds would be limited to up to 10 Gb/s, and the new MacBook might natively support only a single external display.

iPhones with the A18 Pro chip have only 8GB of RAM, whereas all current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models start with at least 16GB of RAM.

No other specs have been reported yet, but obviously a lower-priced MacBook will have other limitations compared to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Design


While this rumor may fuel hopes that Apple is planning to relaunch the discontinued 12-inch MacBook, Kuo said the new MacBook will be equipped with an approximately 13-inch display, matching the smaller MacBook Air.

Still, the new MacBook could have a lot in common with the old 12-inch MacBook in spirit, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design.

Kuo said potential color options for the new MacBook include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so the laptop could come in bright and fun colors, like the iMac.

Release Date


While he did not provide an exact release date, Kuo expects the more-affordable MacBook to enter mass production towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, or early in the first quarter of 2026. He said that shipments of the new MacBook will begin at some point in 2026, so the laptop should be available at some point next year.

Ever since the Mac lineup transitioned from Intel processors to Apple silicon, it has felt somewhat inevitable that Apple would relaunch its plain "MacBook" model. Arm architecture paves the way for an iPhone chip to be used in a Mac, and Apple no longer has to worry about the power efficiency constraints of Intel processors, allowing for the return of a super compact, ultra-thin, and lightweight MacBook for everyday customers.
This article, "What to Expect From Apple's Rumored New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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I Made a Copycat Juice Press Chia Pudding in My Vitamix Blender

This blender makes a velvety smooth cashew sauce in no time flat.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Whether or not you’ve ever been to a Juice Press store doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you know they offer a special chia seed pudding, and it’s out of this world. Even I, a self-professed lover of air-fried Popeye’s chicken sandwiches and bacon wrapped banana bites, cannot get enough of this surprisingly addictive vegan pudding.

In the past, I’ve tried duplicating the pudding at home, but came up short every time. Recently, however, I’ve had more success thanks the Vitamix Explorian E310, which helped me make a perfect copy of this cult favorite vanilla-scented pudding. 

The right blender matters

Chia seeds are rather unusual—they're teeny tiny, but packed with nutrients. When stirred into liquid they have incredible absorption capabilities, lending the resulting mixture a gelatinous consistency. Juice Press chia seed pudding is vegan, which might have you asking how to get a stable, pudding-like consistency without some key animal ingredients and lots of whisking on the stove. Instead of eggs the structure relies on a cashews, with the chia seeds serving as a natural thickening agent.

The key to this pudding succeeding, then, is making a creamy, non-gritty cashew sauce with a high-powered blender. And this is where having the right equipment matters.  

Vitamix Explorian base sitting on a kitchen counter.
The Vitamix Explorian is the cheapest of their blender offerings but doesn't skimp on power. Credit: Diane Mattia

My past blenders and even some food processors have had trouble breaking down the cashews into a fine texture. Now, soaking the cashews helps here, and this recipe will taste good no matter what blender you have, but making a true copycat with pudding-like consistency—smooth enough that you'd be surprised to learn it is made with nuts—requires a powerful motor, and sharp, durable blades. The Vitamix Explorian E310 makes it all look easy—not to mention that it’s the cheapest model on offer from this top tier brand. (Read my full review of the Explorian E310.)

Making chia seed pudding in a Vitamix

With three easy steps and just a few ingredients, you can have this creamy, slightly sweet, vegan vanilla pudding at home. It’s perfect as-is but you can spice things up and add a pinch of cinnamon or cocoa powder to the mixture.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup raw cashews

  • ½ cup water

  • ½ cup almond milk

  • 6 pitted dates

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ¼ cup chia seeds

1. Soak the cashews

Cashews soaking in a bowl.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

If you’re a big raw foods person then you can cold-soak your cashews overnight, but I’m fine with doing things the speedy way: Put the cashews in a bowl and cover them with just-boiled water. Let them soak for about 20 to 30 minutes. 

2. Blend the cashew sauce

Cashew sauce in a blender.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Drain the cashews and pour the nuts into the blender container. Add all of the other ingredients except the chia seeds. The Explorian model doesn’t have any fancy presets, but frankly, you don’t need them! (Here are my tips on how to operate the Explorian to reach its full potential.)

I like to start by pulsing the mixture to chop it up a bit. Use the pulse switch on the left side four or five times. Then start the Vitamix Explorian on the lowest speed setting, with the dial set to speed 1. Run the machine for about 10 seconds and then ramp up all the way to speed 10. The resulting mixture should be smooth and somewhat thick, kind of like a milkshake.

3. Stir in the chia seeds and let it set

Cashew sauce and chia seeds in a bowl.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Next, I pour the chia seeds into a container and stir the cashew sauce into the seeds. Make sure the seeds are thoroughly mixed in and not clumped up. I like to use a glass or plastic container so I can see what’s going on under the surface. Let the pudding rest for 30 minutes so the seeds can begin absorbing liquid. They might settle a little during this time, so stir everything again to remix it. Cover the pudding and let it chill in the fridge for at least three hours to set. 

The Explorian is great for making cozy hot soups in the winter and good old-fashioned summer smoothies, but this chia pudding is hands-down my favorite year-round recipe to whip up. 

F1 25

Nytt år, nya tag. Allting är med andra ord precis som vanligt hos EA när det kommer till hur de behandlar sina sportlicenser, och huruvida detta är något positivt eller negativt går nog att diskutera om i all evinnerlighet. För Codemasters och deras team som på ett eller annat vis snickrat på F1-spel sedan 2009, alltså under 16 års tid, så gäller det att årets upplaga verkligen levererar (och säljer). Betygen likväl som försäljningssiffrorna har dalat (lavinartat) de senaste åren och under EA har spelserien kommit att dra i en inte helt positiv riktning.

Tidigare väldigt omtyckta, historiska delar har fått stryka på foten och istället har energi lagts på saker som i grund och botten har väldigt lite med sporten att göra. Inte minst då F1 World som sedermera kom att omvandlas till F1 Life, likväl som Fanzone mode, Podium Pass och PitCoins. Detta i kombination med vad många långtida fans beskrev som seriens värsta körkänsla på länge, gjorde förra årets spel till ett av de mer tveksamma i franchisen på många år. Något som tydligt också reflekteras i de historiskt usla försäljningssiffrorna.

Nu ska jag inte måla fan på väggen, men det krävs knappast Einstein-nivåer av intelligens för att inse att 89% färre sålda exemplar av ett spel som bygger på en av världens största motorsporter under fem års tid, inte är hållbart. Den officiella licensen är knappast gratis och arbetet bakom kostar pluring, inget snack om saken. Och på den fronten måste jag ge en stor eloge till teamet för trots föregående års fiasko, för ja det var precis vad det var, har man inte lättat på gasen och satsningarna i år är under omständigheterna ganska imponerande.

<bild>Modellerna föreställande förarna lämnar fortfarande en hel del att önska.</bild>

Den mest ambitiösa upplagan hittills? Nej, så långt skulle jag inte gå, men förändringarna är de största på länge och inte minst så har man (äntligen) lämnat de gamla konsolerna bakom sig - spelet släpps nämligen enbart till Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S samt PC. Något som så klart i sin tur innebär att man haft mer kraft att arbeta med, vilket också på många håll märks. Lite krispigare presentation, en aning bättre AI och lite mer djup i de olika spellägena, där bland annat My Team genomgått vad som bäst kan beskrivas som en totalrenovering.

Men låt oss börja med vad jag personligen, och antagligen många av er andra återkommande fans är mest intresserade av, körkänslan. Detta är trots allt en punkt där spelen gång på gång har kritiserats de senaste åren. För trots ansträngningar att finjustera hur bilarna reagerar på allt från väder och vind till underlag och smutsig luft, så känns det som att Codemasters återkommande har fumlat på denna punkt. Huruvida detta beror på en strävan efter att hitta ett så kallat happy medium, en balans mellan simulation och tillgänglighet, det är svårt att avgöra.

Jag fattar, det är ingen lätt uppgift att göra alla lyckliga men varför då inte gå samma väg som man gjorde med sina rallyspel, i varje fall tills det att EA beslutade sig för att lägga ner allt arbete som har med WRC att göra. Men faktum är att jag inte längre tror att det är möjligt att skapa något som både kan blidka hardcore-nördarna men samtidigt kännas varmt och välkomnande för den glada entusiasten som bara vill gasa runt några varv runt Monza i en Ferrari. En känsla som också har förstärkts efter att ha rattat runt ett antal timmar i F1 25.

<bild>Men under loppen är spelet i varje fall rejält snyggt.</bild>

På gott och ont är detta mer av samma sak, även om förändringarna också finns här och märks. Överlag är årets spel ett långsammare sådant. Vilket är en positiv förändring, om än något som knappast kommer att märkas av annat än de som återkommande spelar F1, år efter år. Det är ett steg i rätt riktning jämfört med förra upplagan dock, och landar någonstans i vattnen mellan F1 23 och F1 24. Bilarna är tillgängliga och responsiva, om än fortfarande på tok för snälla och förlåtande.

Toppen ifall du planerar att ratta runt med en kontroll i din hand men mindre spännande ifall du tänkt spela F1 25 med mer påkostad utrustning som ratt och pedaler. Värt att understryka här är att även om jag är ett enormt fan av sporten i verkliga livet, så är jag som spelare betydligt mer casual. Kontroll har alltid varit gott nog för mig och mina observationer och tankar gällande körkänslan baseras uteslutande på det. Men med det sagt så kan jag fortfarande uppleva spelet som en smula mer arkad-aktigt snarare än realistiskt.

Kerbs och ojämnheter är nedtonade från föregående år och bilarna känns överlag betydligt mer planterade längs vägen. Inte minst vid höga hastigheter där greppet verkligen märks av, i positiv bemärkelse, medan det lika snabbt faller bort vid lägre hastigheter. Likaså har också områdena utanför banan gjorts mer bestraffande. Inte på så vis att man tappar all hastighet genom att köra ut i sanden eller gräset, utan snarare på så vis att man tappar i princip allt grepp. Kontrollerad vattenplaning om man så vill. Hade jag önskat en mer realistisk tolkning, absolut. Men som kompromiss duger detta fint.

<bild>Tonemapping har använts friskt för att komma till rätt med dagsljuset under loppen.</bild>

Dessvärre kan jag inte säga samma sak om vädrets inverkan på loppen och bilarna. Förra årets F1-spel var redan på tok för snällt på den fronten, något som F1 25 har ärvt och trots att lopp i regnet förvisso ser dramatiskt ut, så reflekteras det inte tillräckligt mycket i själva körningen. Är det mer utmanande, absolut. Men knappast i närheten så mycket som det borde vara. Därtill är också synligheten genom vattendimman och all spray från framförvarande bilar på tok för god.

Den där intensiteten och känslan av att balansera på gränsen mellan kontroll och katastrof infinner sig helt enkelt aldrig. Något jag kan tycka är väldigt synd. Vad som är tydligt är att det fortfarande finns massor av utrymme till förbättring. För även om körkänslan har uppdaterats och blivit fräschare, så känns det mer som ett steg åt sidan snarare än en faktiskt förbättring. Om något så är nog spelet mer lättillgängligt än det någonsin tidigare varit och även om jag personligen inte har så mycket emot det, så är jag inte så säker på att det är något som kommer glädja de mest hardcore av simulator-nördarna där ute.

Men om nu körkänslan är lite av status quo, så har banorna däremot fått sig en rejäl översyn. Eller ja, en handfull av dem för att vara mer precis. Med hjälp av LiDAR-skanning har Codemasters nämligen återskapat detaljer som höjdskillnader, kerbs, kurvradier och intilliggande miljöer, med kirurgisk precision. Något som haft stor inverkan på banor som Suzuka, Melbourne och Miami. Vilket vid sidan av den nya säsongen av Braking Point faktiskt är spelets stora benägenhet, och drömmen hade så klart varit om Codemaster-teamet tillåtits uppdatera samtliga av spelets banor på detta vis. Men tid kostar pengar, och om nu F1 fortfarande existerar under EA-paraplyet även nästa år, så bör vi väl kunna avnjuta ännu en handfull av ytterligare LiDAR-skannade banor.

<bild>De kan dekorera fina fordon rejält, ifall du nu gillar att pyssla med sånt.</bild>

En annan av de på förhand stora snackisarna kring F1 25 har varit möjligheten att köra med bakvänd layout. Vilket nu för första gången faktiskt är möjligt på exempelvis Silverstone och Zandvoort. En gimmick kan tyckas, men faktum är att det förändrar loppen rätt rejält och mer Silverstone som exempel har det tillkommit en extra zon av DRS när man kör bakvänd layout. Klassiker må vara klassiker men det går inte att förneka hur de förändrade förutsättningarna faktiskt skänker nytt liv åt dessa banor.

Tyvärr är det totalt bara tre banor som inledningsvis tillåts att köras baklänges, tidigare nämnda Silverstone och Zandvoort, samt Red Bull Ring i Österrike. Datormotståndarna har även tränats på dessa och jag personligen kunde inte uppleva någon direkt större skillnad på hur AI:n betedde sig på de bakvända banorna jämfört med när man körde dom "normalt". Hur som så är det ett kul och uppskattat tillskott, men som jag återigen önskar det fanns mer av.

Men årets stora dragplåster, och den absolut främsta anledningen till att faktiskt spendera pengar på F1 25, är helt klart Braking Point. Yes, det överdrivet dramatiska men tillika skandalöst underhållande storyläget återvänder för en tredje säsong efter att ha varit frånvarande i F1 24. Återigen är det (så klart) det fiktiva Konnersport som står i centrum och historien tar vid ungefär där den slutade sist. Bekanta namn som Aiden Jackson och Devon Butler återvänder, men får också sällskap av nya karaktärer, komplett med ett Drive to Survive-värdigt narrativ som i sanning är svårt att slita sig från.

<bild>Årets bilar känns mer planterade längs banan och reagerar mindre på kerbs och ojämnheter. Bra? Jag är inte så värst övertygad.</bild>

Som väntat bjuds det både på interna likväl som externa konflikter - och dramatiken går konsekvent på högvarv. Det är en perfekt paus från den annars så torra och allvarsamma racing som spelet representerar, precis så bra som vi mindes den och tack vare de snyggt komponerade sekvenserna, förbättrade ansiktsanimationerna och det trovärdiga men om möjligt aningen överdrivna skådespelet. Så är denna tredje säsong av Braking Point riktigt, riktigt bra och något som borde vara en återkommande del av spelet, år efter år. För på denna punkt har Codemasters verkligen lyckats och det är något som fler racingspel borde ta lärdom av, och inkludera.

My Team är som tidigare nämnt också tillbaka, men har förändrats ganska rejält jämfört med tidigare år. En välkommen totalrenovering av vad som hängt med sedan 2020 och som kändes rätt mossigt redan förra året. Spelläget som man rätt och slätt bara valt att kalla för "My Team 2.0" - innebär nu mer än att bara välja färg på sin bil och anställa en stallkompis. Här tillåts du äntligen att bygga upp ett stall från grunden, eller om du så önskar, ta över ett redan existerande som Konnersport eller APXGP. Jodå, F1-filmens fiktiva team finns även med här.

Borta är känslan av att vara ett glorifierat karriärläge, här tvingas du nämligen till att balansera budget, hantera personal och fatta en hel del beslut som kan avgöra en hel säsong. Hur ska bilen utvecklas, vilka sponsorer vill du välkomna in i teamet? Detta är bara några av de frågor som du förväntas brottas med och alltmedans du även håller ett öga på vad Codemasters kallar för Fan Rating. Vilket är ungefär vad det låter, en tävling i att vara så väl ansedd och attraktiv som möjligt, något som i sin tur också (så klart) påverkar flera av de andra delarna. För om du önskar locka till dig de mest attraktiva sponsorerna, då krävs det också att teamet är ett välskött sådant.

<bild>F1 25 är i det bästa av stunder riktigt bländande och absorberande.</bild>

Man har nu även delat upp bil- samt förarutvecklingen, vilket tvingar dig att göra smarta val kring hur och var du faktiskt spenderar dina tillgängliga resurser. Det är inget regelrätt F1 Manager, men det råder ingen tvekan om att Codemasters sneglat både en och två gånger på den nu (tyvärr) nedlagda spelserien och kalkerat av några av de bästa bitarna. För även om My Team 2.0 inte erbjuder samma djupdykning som Frontier Developments motsvarighet, så är det mer än tillräckligt för att i varje fall erbjuda något markant annorlunda jämfört med att bara gasa runt varv efter varv bakom ratten.

När det kommer till presentationen är det återigen Ego-motorn som står för hästkrafterna, och precis som tidigare år ser F1 25 väldigt bra ut, speciellt på en dator med prestanda nog för att verkligen tillåta spelet att flexa sina muskler. För med path tracing kan det se ruskigt spektakulärt ut, och något som alltså är helt exklusivt för PC i skrivande stund. Konsolspelare får däremot klara sig utan det, och något tal om en PS5 Pro-uppdatering har det (än så länge) inte snackats om, så vi får väl se vad som händer framgent på den fronten.

Något som däremot kan avnjutas på samtliga plattformar är den överlag förbättrade ljussättningen. F1-spelen har förvisso länge sett löjligt bra ut och Ego-motorn har återkommande målat upp helt fantastiskt dramatiska scener i eftermiddagsljus, tidig morgon eller sen kväll. Men av någon anledning har skarpt dagsljus varit ett område där spelet haltat och känts direkt underväldigande rent visuellt. Detta har Codemasters nu äntligen kommit till rätta med och skakat av sig det lite lätt serietidningsaktiga utseendet som tidigare F1-spel dragits med under dagsljus. Skillnaden är påtaglig och väldigt uppskattad, för att inte tala om att F1 25 nu känns betydligt mer enhetligt rent grafiskt.

<bild>Braking Point 3 är spelets absoluta höjdpunkt.</bild>

Likväl har även ljudet fått sig ett lyft, inte för att det på något sätt var dåligt tidigare, men nu har man även inkluderat ännu fler autentiska ljudklipp från tidigare lopp och variationen är större än någonsin. En liten men inte obetydlig uppgradering som även den gör sitt för att lyfta upplevelsen. Jag vill nog påstå att motorvrålen är en aning med distinkta i F1 25, och tonmässigt upplever jag en lite större skillnad mellan exempelvis Ferraris motor och Mercedes motsvarighet.

Men syvende och sist är ju den största frågan, den ständigt återkommande, är årets spel värt att investera i om du redan äger F1 24. Ja, eller 23 för den delen. Precis som alltid grundar sig detta svar i hur pass intresserad och besatt du faktiskt är av sporten, samt ifall du tänkte tillbringa en massa timmar online, tävlande mot andra likasinnade. Körkänslan är fortfarande lite av ett frågetecken och datormotståndarna upplevde jag inte som värst mycket förbättrade jämfört med föregående år heller. Att störtdyka in i kurvor fungerar tyvärr fortfarande lite för bra och AI:n är rätt snäll när det kommer till att backa undan för att undvika kollisioner.

Likaså lade jag märke till en del otrevliga och till synes helt slumpmässiga buggar, där bland annat kerbs orsakade vad som bäst beskrivs som en aggressivt, explosiv allergisk reaktion. Något som vid mer än ett tillfälle resulterade i ett besök ut i gruset eller barriären. Knappast någon dealbreaker då detta har varit återkommande de senaste åren, men ändå trist att det fortfarande kan uppstå, och under fel omständigheter, förstöra rätt många timmar av spelande.

<bild>Regn och rusk känns fortfarande på tok för enkelt.</bild>

Visst, Rewind-funktionen finns ju där (av en anledning kanske?), men i den bästa av världar så borde inte detta vara ett problem över huvud taget. Ett resultat av begränsat med tid för speltestande och ett pressat tidsschema? Ja, antagligen, men vi kan nog räkna med en del uppdateringar i samband med och strax efter lansering som bör råda bot på de värsta problemen. Hur mycket av körkänslan som kommer att förändras vågar jag inte säga något om, och den lär återigen bli lite av en vattendelare. Precis som tidigare år. Definitivt mer lättsam än realistisk, och ungefär vad vi vid detta lag kommit att vänta av F1 under Codemasters och EA:s regi.

Men innehållsmässigt går det i varje fall absolut inte att klaga. Braking Point i sig är ärligt talat anledning nog att öppna plånboken för alla racingfans och även det totalrenoverade My Team gör skäl för pengarna. Spelet må vara 100 kronor dyrare än föregående år (800 för standardutgåvan), men för den som följer sporten eller har skippat föregående spel, så är detta ett utmärkt tillfälle att återigen doppa tån i världens snabbaste motorsportscirkus. För F1 25 är ruskigt underhållande, även om det absolut finns utrymme för förbättringar.

Man återuppfinner knappast hjulet här, och vore det inte för Braking Point samt de nya LiDAR-skannade banorna så hade det i all ärlighet varit svårt att rekommendera F1 25 till annat än de mest hängivna. Och med risk för att låta som en trasig papegoja som återupprepar sig, så är mitt slutliga konstaterande ungefär detsamma som föregående år. Behövs det ett nytt F1 varje år? Nej, absolut inte. Men jag är onekligen tacksam för de ansträngningar som Codemasters faktiskt har gjort här, och F1 25 är trots allt den hittills mest kompletta och mest absorberande representationen av sporten du kan få på PC eller konsol. Trist bara att det är en ganska tillrättalagd och inte vidare realistisk sådan, och om du dessutom tänker spela så bör du vara beredd på en del buggar. Inte minst till PC.

Google I/O 2025 Summary: Game-Changing Features and What Businesses Must Do Now

Google I/O 2025 wasn’t just another developer conference—it was a glimpse into a radically intelligent future. With groundbreaking updates in AI, search, design, and e-commerce, Google made it clear: businesses that don’t evolve, won’t be seen. This year, it’s not about trends—it’s about transformation. Every new feature was designed with one goal: to make experiences…

The post Google I/O 2025 Summary: Game-Changing Features and What Businesses Must Do Now appeared first on Pixel Studios.

Google I/O 2025 wasn’t just another developer conference—it was a glimpse into a radically intelligent future. With groundbreaking updates in AI, search, design, and e-commerce, Google made it clear: businesses that don’t evolve, won’t be seen.

This year, it’s not about trends—it’s about transformation. Every new feature was designed with one goal: to make experiences faster, smarter, and more intuitive—for both users and brands.

At Pixel Studios, we see these announcements not as trends, but as transformation triggers. Here’s a breakdown of what was launched and how businesses should adapt.

1. AI Mode in Google Search – The End of Traditional SEO?

Google Search now comes with “AI Mode,” a feature that generates conversational responses directly within the results page, often eliminating the need to click on any link.

Business Implications:

What Pixel Studios Can Do:

2. Gemini 2.5 and Agent Mode – Your Next Digital Assistant

Gemini 2.5 introduces Google’s most advanced model, capable of reasoning, coding, and executing tasks through “Agent Mode.”

Business Implications:

What Pixel Studios Can Do:

3. Project Astra and Search Live – Visual Search Goes Real-Time

Project Astra and Search Live allow users to point their phone cameras at an object or location and get instant information via AI.

Business Implications:

What Pixel Studios Can Do:

4. Stitch – Code-Free App Design via AI

Google introduced Stitch, a tool that turns text prompts into live app UIs and front-end components.

Business Implications:

What Pixel Studios Can Do:

5. Veo 3 & Imagen 4 – Lights, Camera, AI!

Google’s Veo and Imagen tools now allow you to create cinematic videos and ultra-realistic images using just a few lines of text. These aren’t stock visuals—they’re brand-ready creative assets powered by machine imagination.

Business Implications:

What Pixel Studios Can Do:

6. Try-On Feature – Turning E-Commerce into Mirrorless Magic

Google’s try-on feature blends AI and AR to let users virtually test how clothing, glasses, or accessories look on them—right from search or shopping interfaces. Think of it as the digital trial room that works without mirrors, lighting, or returns.

Business Implications:

What Pixel Studios Can Do:

Adapt Fast, or Be Left Behind

The biggest shift post-Google I/O 2025? Search, content, and automation are no longer static—they’re AI-driven, multimodal, and real-time.

Businesses that want to stay discoverable, engaging, and scalable must:

At Pixel Studios, we’re already helping brands embrace these new shifts. From AI-ready websites to zero-click SEO, Gemini chatbot deployment to Veo-generated marketing videos—we’re building for what’s next. 

Google’s future is already here. Let us help you step into it. 

Contact us today to explore your brand’s AI-powered transformation.

Elevate the digital impact of your healthcare brand
Book Your Free Consultation
Call at 080 6919 3462

(or)

The post Google I/O 2025 Summary: Game-Changing Features and What Businesses Must Do Now appeared first on Pixel Studios.

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max+ review: Convenience with compromises

FBC: Firebreak

Hur ska man egentligen se på Remedys ambitiösa vilja att mer eller mindre officiellt knyta ihop alla sina spel som Control, Quantum Break, Alan Wake och Max Payne i ett enda universum, "MCU-style"? Personligen kan jag bara applådera det som tycks stå i så uppenbar motsättning till ett finansiellt välgrundat beslut. Remedy connected universe är nämligen både snårigt, långsökt och exkluderande och uppenbarligen enbart en produkt av nordens kanske mest talangfulla studios skruvade driv och skaparglädje. Men varför är då FBC: Firebreak, finnarnas nya multiplayertitel figurerandes brandmännen i Control, så förbluffande tråkigt?

<bild>Fiender lika stendumma som i Perfect Dark: Zero och Goldeneye.</bild>

Inte en enda gång under min tid med Remedys förra kanonspel Alan Wake 2 tänkte jag att det behövdes fler strider, snarare hörde de till Alans och Sagas berättelses absolut svagaste aspekter. Fienderna utgjorde mest styltiga, repetitiva och enformiga hinder att skjuta prick på med fjösiga vapen, kilometervis från exempelvis Resident Evils krypande tunga och obehagliga zombiemöten. Inte heller har jag på förhand känt något större intresse för att inta rollen och lära mig mer om just brandmännen i Control - men här är vi, alltså. Under ett par sessioner iklädde så jag och redaktionens egen Christan Håkansson oss moderiktig brandskyddsmundering och begav oss, glad i hågen, ner med hissen till innanmätet av The Oldest House. Förhoppningen om att Remedy skulle överraska och motbevisa de på förhand allt annat än stekheta förväntningarna tvärdog emellertid redan innan andra "jobbet" var avklarat. Tyvärr.

<bild>Det är först när man duschar tillsammans som man lär känna varandra på riktigt.</bild>

I FBC: Firebreaks fem olika uppdrag (eller "jobb") möts vi av diverse utmaningar som måste lösas för att komma längre och längre in bakom Oldest House lyckta dörrar bara för att där, i pudelns kärna, slå tillbaka mot de besatta Hiss-fienderna en gång för alla innan vi med benen på ryggen flyr ut igen. På vägen tvingas vi bland annat riva ner horder av gula post it-lappar, bränna bort kylrevor i atmosfären, skyffla in radioaktiva energiglober i en lastvagn på räls och så vidare. I rollen som antingen mekaniker, elektriker eller VVS:are har var och en av oss tre brandmän klass-specifika fördelar inte bara i striderna, utan även genom att kunna meka ihop den livgivande kallduschen snabbare, släcka spontana bränder på marken och reparera kontrollbord i ljusets hastighet. Skulle alla råka välja samma klass spelar det dock inte jättestor roll, eftersom det mest handlar om olika snabbheter att utföra uppgifter snarare än att kunna utföra dem överhuvudtaget. Tro det eller ej, men även en mekaniker kan släcka bränder.

När hissdörren slår upp och jag och Christian tar våra allra första steg ut i gruvkomplexet med vinkelräta stalaktiter i taket och maskbon som slingrar sig runt väggar och pelare undgår ingen av oss att kommentera vilken sanslös miljödesign Remedy åstadkommit. I jämförelse med de betydligt mer funktionellt utformade, slumpmässigt genererade banorna i en av FBC: Firebreaks största konkurrenter, Deep Rock Galactic, har de skojfriska dvärgarna inte en suck på området.

<bild>Snygga miljöer men de väger inte upp spelets andra, mer tveksamma kvaliteter...</bild>

Hakan ligger limmad mot golvet under nästan hela det första uppdraget, även om mina och Christians kommentarer mer och mer riktas om från "jä-äklar vilka ljuseffekter" och "jä-äkla vilka skuggor" till att så småningom bistert sucka "gör vi något fel?" och "är det verkligen inte slut än?" För medan det målas upp imponerande skuggor över grottväggarna som lyser upp av distinkta samspel mellan rött, grönt och svart, så är det ju inget konstverk vi tittar på, från varsin ände av landet. Nej, medan vi lassar in radioaktiva energiglober i spårvagnen frammanas efter hand zombieaktiga fiender (och sedermera även poliser och juggernaughts) i klunga som ska mejas ner. FBC: Firebreak är ju först och främst en skjutare, och tyvärr påminner denna bit snarast om ett dåligt skämt. Fienderna, visserligen omhuldade i en visuellt hänförande och vacker glöd, dyker bara upp rakt framför oss. Ofta runt 40 stycken på ett ställe.

Man måste nästan gå till gamla spel som Perfect Dark: Zero och Goldeneye för att beskriva den makabra upplevelsen av zombies och poliser som springer rakt emot en, utan en tillstymmelse till artificiell intelligens. Om de inte vandrar på rad likt lämlar så buggar de annars gärna ur och stirrar rakt ut i intet, och man hanterar dem alltid bäst med kvantitet. Sikta in i mängden och tryck av så snabbt du bara kan. Ladda om, upprepa, ladda om och skjut med precis samma fjösigt styltiga och enformiga vapenkänsla som Remedy inte fick till i Alan Wake 2 heller. Det finesslösa och utdragna kaoset, framförallt på de högre svårighetsgraderna, består sedan mest i ett evigt springande mellan den livgivande duschen, ammunitionsstationen och tillbaka in i hetluften. Till förbannelse.

<bild>Snygg design på vissa bossar...</bild>

På förhand har Remedy ordat en hel del om att FBC: Firebreak är din upplevelse att kalibrera, skräddarsy och finjustera efter eget behov, något jag såhär, med facit i hand, kan döma ut som kvalificerat skitsnack. Det finns tre reglage för uppdragen: dels längd, vilket bara gör att du får tillgång till mer eller mindre av banan beroende på vilket du väljer; dels svårighetsgrad, något som såklart inte är unikt för Firebreak; dels det som kallas "corruption". Corruption är en slags joker-funktion som beroende på inställning ökar faktorn för galenskap. Gravitationen ändras, vapen får andra egenskaper etc. För att återigen likna spelet vid Goldeneye känns detta dock mest som ett marginellt mer ambitiöst tramsläge att jämföra med det spelets stora huvuden eller paintball-färg på skotten. Kul i någon extra omgång men inget som håller mig kvar i The Oldest House en längre tid.

<bild>... som är lika tråkiga att skjuta på som allt annat.</bild>

När de fem uppdragen (som klaras av på någon dryg timme styck) till syvende och sist bara består av att göra samma sak om och om igen - utan den pirriga upptäckarglädjen och känslan av nyfikenhet hos Deep Rock Galactics slumpmässiga exkursioner och äventyr in i det okända, eller skratten som Helldivers helfestliga galenskaper, variation och vapenkänsla framkallar - då finns det inte mycket till anledning att slanta upp 400 spänn, eller vad FBC: Firebreak nu kommer att gå för exakt. Det ska visserligen Remedy ha all cred för - att de spelar med öppna kort. Med mina efter hand intjänade poäng uppgraderar jag (visserligen urtråkiga) procentuella förbättringar i ett färdighetsträd, låser upp intill förväxling lika brandskyddskläder och neonfärgade dekaler; men det finns inget battlepass eller halvdolda kostnader att tala om, och menyerna är ovanligt raka och överskådliga för ett spel av den här kalibern. Det trodde jag verkligen inte på förhand; att ett spel som jag förmodat vuxit fram ur ren skaparglädje skulle brista på nästan precis alla områden utom i sina menyer. Kusligt.

13 Attitudes That A Great Employees Would Have

I recently had a conversation with executives at Chipotle, a fast-growing company in the Food industry about how they recruit. Works out that they look for candidates who have 13 specific attitudes, even for jobs that aren’t customer-facing like IT, Viet Nam software outsourcing, and Vietnam software services. When I saw their list of attitudes, I realized immediately that thoseContinue reading "13 Attitudes That A Great Employees Would Have"

I recently had a conversation with executives at Chipotle, a fast-growing company in the Food industry about how they recruit. Works out that they look for candidates who have 13 specific attitudes, even for jobs that aren’t customer-facing like IT, Viet Nam software outsourcing, and Vietnam software services.

Attitudes of Great Employees

When I saw their list of attitudes, I realized immediately that those were attitudes that every boss wants in every employee, and every coworker wants from their peers. Here’s the list, with my interpretation of each attribute:

  1. Conscientious. Great employees complete tasks without being asked or overseen. They take personal responsibility for finishing the task and finishing it right.
  2. Respectful. Great employees have too much self-respect to kowtow to authority, nevertheless, they respect and appreciate the contribution of their bosses and leaders.
  3. Hospitable. Great employees welcome the ability to work with coworkers and customers and express that welcome with words and actions.
  4. High Energy. Great employees don’t depend upon managers or coworkers to “pump them up.” They bring their “best game” to anything that they do.
  5. Infectiously Enthusiastic. Great employees are optimists, they search for the great in a situation and they seldom complain about what they can’t change.
  6. Happy. Great employees take responsibility for their own happiness. They realize that happiness comes from the way you see the entire world, not what are the results in the world.
  7. Presentable. Great employees don’t need to be told that it’s inappropriate showing up for work looking such as a slob or a slattern. They dress appropriately at all times.
  8. Smart. Great employees don’t have to be Einstein, but they have to know how to utilize the intelligence they’ve got to contribute the entire effort.
  9. Polite. Great employees understand that rude behavior is selfish and stupid and that common courtesy is the greatest way to have along with coworkers and customers.
  10. Motivated. Great employees don’t need carrots and sticks to have them moving. They’re committed to doing well at their job, regardless of the job.
  11. Ambitious. Great employees desire to grow, which in operation means growing into new responsibilities and new levels of authority.
  12. Curious. Great employees wish to know the “why” behind the “what.” They seek to comprehend people, technology, and ideas beyond their surface characteristics.
  13. Honest. Great employees don’t need Big Brother staring over their shoulders simply because they do the best thing even if nobody is watching.

Source: S3 Tech Blog

The Role of Online Reviews in Patient Acquisition and How to Manage Them Right

Word-of-mouth has always played a vital role in attracting new patients. But in the digital age, it has taken on a new form: online reviews. Whether it’s a first-time parent searching for a trusted pediatrician or a family looking for post-surgery physiotherapy options, the first step usually begins online—and what they see about your hospital…

The post The Role of Online Reviews in Patient Acquisition and How to Manage Them Right appeared first on Pixel Studios.

Word-of-mouth has always played a vital role in attracting new patients. But in the digital age, it has taken on a new form: online reviews. Whether it’s a first-time parent searching for a trusted pediatrician or a family looking for post-surgery physiotherapy options, the first step usually begins online—and what they see about your hospital matters. 

Let’s take an example of a patient searching for “best ENT hospital near me” is more likely to choose a provider with 4.6 stars and 150 reviews over one with 3.2 stars and minimal feedback—even if the latter offers world-class services. Online reviews serve not just as testimonials, but as trust signals that influence search visibility and shape patient choices. 

That’s why Healthcare Online Reputation Management (ORM) is no longer a passive function—it’s a strategic pillar of patient acquisition and healthcare branding

Why Online Reviews Are the New Word-of-Mouth in Healthcare

Patients today are more informed—and more skeptical—than ever before. They don’t just rely on what your website says or how your hospital looks from the outside. Instead, they turn to peer voices, especially in the form of Google reviews, Practo ratings, and testimonial posts

A hospital’s online reputation can influence not just search rankings, but trust, credibility, and conversions. Reviews provide a transparent snapshot of what real patients experience—making them a trusted compass for those choosing a healthcare provider for the first time.—in the form of star ratings, review snippets, and testimonial threads. 

Why They Matter:

Whether you’re a single specialty clinic or a multi-location hospital chain, your reviews are often your first—and most lasting—impression.

The Impact of Reviews on Patient Acquisition

Online reviews influence patient decisions at every touchpoint—from discovery to booking. Their presence (or absence) can either propel your hospital brand forward or quietly derail it. 

How Positive Reviews Help:

How Negative or Unmanaged Reviews Hurt:

A proactive Healthcare brand reputation strategy focuses not just on collecting good reviews—but also on responding professionally and learning from feedback. is not just about damage control—it’s about building ongoing credibility.

How to Set Up an Online Reputation Management (ORM) Framework

To manage online reviews effectively across platforms and locations, you need a defined ORM framework. Whether you build it in-house or collaborate with a Healthcare Digital Marketing Agency, the goal is to monitor, respond, and leverage reviews in a structured, scalable way. 

Here’s a proven 6-part ORM strategy tailored for hospitals and clinics: a hospital marketing agency, here’s a proven approach to ORM for hospitals: 

1. Claim and Optimize Online Listings

Before managing reviews, you must ensure your hospital’s digital presence is accurate and complete across all platforms. Each location should have its Google Business Profile, Practo listing, and other directories updated with current data.

Action Points:

2. Create a Review Collection Strategy

Don’t wait for reviews to happen organically. A strategic, timely request can significantly improve your review volume and quality. Make it easy and timely for patients to leave feedback while their experience is fresh. 

Action Points:

How to do it:

3. Monitor Reviews in Real-Time

Timely visibility into your reviews is key to acting before small issues turn into major concerns. Use review tracking tools or set up alerts to catch every mention and sentiment change

Action Points:

Recommended tools:

4. Respond Promptly and Professionally

Every review—positive or negative—is an opportunity to show your hospital’s character. A kind, timely response builds patient trust and shows accountability. 

Action Points:

Best practices:

5. Address Fake or Misleading Reviews

Fake reviews can damage reputation and morale. While not always removable, reporting them and responding with professionalism can reduce their negative impact

Action Points:

6. Highlight Positive Reviews in Marketing

Don’t let great feedback go unnoticed. Showcasing reviews on your website and campaigns reinforces your brand promise and builds emotional trust.

Action Points:

Integrate top reviews into your website, emailers, and social media. Testimonials humanize your brand and validate your services.

Advanced ORM Tactics for Growing Hospital Brands

As your hospital grows, consider scaling your reputation management through automation and data analytics: 

Working with a healthcare marketing services partner can help centralize this process and tie ORM efforts to real ROI.

Reputation and SEO: The Hidden Link

Google’s local SEO algorithm heavily favors businesses with

If you want to rank high for keywords like “best pediatric hospital in Coimbatore,” a solid review profile is a must.

FAQs

Q1: How many reviews does a hospital need to be competitive?

A: While there’s no magic number, aim for at least 20+ reviews per location with a consistent inflow monthly.

Q2: Should we respond to every review?

A: Yes—especially negative ones. It shows transparency and care.

Q3: Can ORM be handled internally, or should we hire an agency?

A: Both are possible. For scale and strategy, partnering with a Healthcare Digital Marketing Agency offers greater efficiency

Q4: How do we handle fake or malicious reviews?

A: Report them to the platform and respond calmly without violating patient confidentiality.

Q5: How often should we request reviews?

A: Consistently. Automate the process so it follows every consultation or discharge. 

Final Thoughts

In healthcare, trust is everything. Online reviews are not just feedback—they’re a vital part of your hospital’s digital reputation. Managing them right is one of the most powerful ways to influence patient choices. 

At Pixel Studios, we specialize in ORM for Hospitals, combining strategic monitoring, proactive review generation, and smart integrations to protect and grow your reputation. 

If you’re ready to build patient trust and increase bookings through reviews, let’s talk. 

Your reputation deserves the best care—just like your patients do.

Elevate the digital impact of your healthcare brand
Book Your Free Consultation
Call at 080 6919 3462

(or)

The post The Role of Online Reviews in Patient Acquisition and How to Manage Them Right appeared first on Pixel Studios.

You Can Finally Change the Snooze Duration in iOS 26

Finally, a sensible snooze routine.

The iPhone’s Clock app is one of the slowest moving apps on iPhone. It gets less love and attention than even the Phone app. While there are many novel and interesting alarm apps out there, Apple’s default offering remains quite basic and un-customizable.

With iOS 26, Apple is bringing customization to one much requested feature. You can now finally get out of snooze jail. Until now, the snooze duration for alarms was set to nine minutes, and you couldn't adjust it. It was either nine minutes or nothing.

I, personally, like to snooze in five-minute increments. So, I got around this by setting six different alarms, all at five-minute intervals, to help me get up in the morning. But now, I can finally put this chaos aside.

Snooze as you wish

Snooze duration in iOS 26.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

In iOS 26, which is currently out in developer beta (and will soon be out as a public beta preview), you can now set the snooze duration to last anywhere between one minute (if you want to really annoy yourself), and 15 minutes (if time is merely a philosophical construct for you). Finally, I can set my snooze to that five minute sweet spot.

Sadly, these changes are on a per-alarm basis, so you’ll have to customize your snooze every time you set a new alarm. Hopefully, though, I won’t have to set nearly as many alarms now as I did before.

To customize your snooze duration in iOS 26, open the Clock app, go to the Alarms tab, and tap the Plus icon to create a new alarm. Or, you can tap on an alarm you already have.

Then, tap the Snooze Duration option and choose any duration between one and 15 minutes. Tap the Done checkmark at the top to save the new alarm.

The next time the alarm goes off, you’ll see a new alarm screen, with two equally big, beautiful buttons for snooze and stop. In previous versions of the app, you’d only see a snooze button in the middle, and a small Stop button below.

And hey, if you’re a bit hardcore, like my colleague Pranay, you can also disable the Snooze button altogether.

Out of Sight

Ibland är vi kritiker förbenat ensidiga. Vi ser en term, ett ordval eller ett beskrivande begrepp, nyttjar det som ett manér i vår text varpå varenda annan recensent som går i ett par skor gör exakt samma sak. Över en hel spelpressvärld. Jag minns när det pratades om "luddonarrativ dissonans" som ett fisförnämt vis att beskriva kontrasten och bristen på konsekvens i hur Lara Croft grät och gömde sig under mellansekvenserna i Tomb Raider (reboot) och sen dödade 300 skiurkar med en ishacka under själva spelpartierna. Varenda kritiker anammade begreppet och använde det i allt. Överallt. Spelpressen svämmades bokstavligen över av detta rätt pretentiösa sätt att säga "gameplay rimmar illa på berättandet", på.
<bild>Kameran sitter inuti Sopgies nallebjörn Teddy och skiftar beroende på moment.</bild>
När det gäller det Starbreeze-utgivna skräckäventyret Out of Sight, är vi där igen. Varenda spelkritiker värd namnet proppar sin recension av detta spelet fullt av beskrivningen "originellt andrapersonsperspektiv". Andrapersonsperspektivet här, är enligt alla de recensioner jag sett, ledordet. Andrapersonsperspektiv, inte förstapersonperspektiv eller tredjepersonsperspektiv - Är den stora snackisen i indiegänget The Gangs i grunden rätt skamlösa Little Nightmares-plagiat, och jag är vare sig särskilt imponerad av det textmässiga fokus som läggs på kameravinkeln, som jag är av spelet i sig. Snarare tvärtom, faktiskt.

Out of Sight hade aldrig sett ut som det gör eller fungerat på det sättet som det gör - om det inte hade varit för svenska Tarsiers stilbildande lilla skräckpärla Little Nightmares. Ingen av oss visste, då, hur omtyckt och därmed ivrigt efterapat det skulle bli, eller att det skulle komma att släppas två stycken påkostade uppföljare till skräckstunden om den lilla skraja miniflickan och hennes märkligt utformande, knallgula regnrock. men så blev det, och Out of Sight försöker göra samma sak, med en enda liten twist - perspektivet skiftar beroende på uppgift. Här spelar vi som den lilla flickan Sophie (som är blind) som kidnappats i ett gigantiskt, nedsläckt spökhus av en monsterliknande, Slender Man-aktig kvinna som kallas Mother Janna. Med sig har Sophie sin nallebjörn Teddy och utvecklarna har alltså valt att blanda perspektiven beroende på om du utforskar husets skrymslen, eller kastar dig över ett av de många miljöbaserade pusslen.
<bild>Little Nightmares ringde...</bild>
När Sophie smyger runt i huset och försöker undkomma Janna, ses världen ur Teddys ögon, ur vad som mest känns ett förstapersonsperspektiv. Det är dock ett andrapersonsperspektiv eftersom det inte är Sophies ögon vi ser vår spelvärld genom, utan Teddys. När Sophie sen måste lösa ett pussel, sätter hon ned Teddy som agerar spelkamera och därav hela grejen med andrapersonsperspektivet. Ett bättre exempel på hur detta kan användas för att stöka till det i skallen på oss spelare är det där fantastisk snurriga uppdraget i Driver: San Francisco (2011) där Tanner får i uppdrag att döda sig själv och måste kontrollera sin egen bil och sig själv genom ögonen på hans mördare. Otroligt märkvärdig del av ett i övrigt medelmåttigt spel, och det enligt mig bästa exemplet på hur ett effektivt andrapersonsperspektiv bör nyttjas.

Out of Sight är i grunden mycket mindre finurligt, trist nog. När Teddy agerar förstapersonskamera och Sophie hasar runt i ventilationstrummorna känns det här som Poppy Playtime utan originalitet eller särskilt läskiga skrämselmoment och när Teddy ställs ned på marken och Sophie kliver runt på stolar och lådor för att lösa diverse pussel, både känns det som och ser ut ganska exakt som Little Nightmares. Det hade kanske kunnat fungera bättre om skräcken var suggestiv och mörk på det vis som den är i Tarsiers spel, men det är den ej. Trist nog. Out of Sight blir aldrig vare sig mörkt rent tonalt, inte på det sätt som Little Nightmares blir, och det blir heller aldrig tramsigt på rätt sätt, som Five Nights eller Poppy, är. Istället går hela skräckatmosfären på absolut tomgång och pusslen är enformigt simpla på ett vis som gör att de två timmarna som Out of Sight varar, känns som fyra.

Att basera sitt spel på en enda gimmick och sen bygga därifrån, är såklart i grunden ingen dålig idé. I Gears of War och underutvecklingen av det handlade precis allt om en fräsch cover-mekanik som den byggdes ut och varierades till ett helt spel precis som att skräcken i Outlast upplevdes genom en videokamera med mörkerläge, och därmed påminde mer om Paranormal Activity och Rec än om andra skräckspel. Jag har i grunden ingenting emot Teddy, kameraperspektivet eller konceptet i sig - här. Det jag ställer mig högst tveksam mot är det faktum att The Gang inte gjort något vettigt av sin gimmick, utan snarare bara använt det som finurlig PR och fått en hel världspress att tjata om exakt samma sak, i stycke efter stycke efter stycke. Storyn här är förutsägbar och icke-spännande, pusslen och utforskningen är superenformig trots att Out of Sight bara varar i cirka två timmar och det blir verkligen aldrig särskilt läbbigt.

Chronicles of the Wolf

När Jonas Mäki flaggade för att ett nytt recensionsuppdrag var på ingång så kittlade det till i nyfikenhets-nerven hos undertecknad. När det sedan visade sig gällande ett spel kallat {Chronicles of the Wolf}, en tillsynes blek Castlevania-kopia, så sjönk däremot suget rejält. De senaste åren har nämligen varit knökfulla av halvtaskiga Metroidvania-äventyr, och att Chronicles of the Wolf skulle vara något annat än en medelmåttig titel såg dystert ut på förhand. Döm således om min förvåning när detta billiga pixellir visade sig vara en välarbetat actionrökare fyllt av hemligheter och intressanta beståndsdelar som inte bara plockar inspiration från genrens giganter utan även adderar ytterligare element för att skapa en unik upplevelse.

Så fort man börjar spela Chronicles of the Wolf så är det uppenbart att utvecklaren Migami Games har sneglat både en och två gånger på {Super Castlevania IV}. För huvudkaraktären rör sig med samma stela animation som Simon Belmont gjorde 1991 och många av miljöerna ser därtill ut att vara hämtade direkt från SNES-klassikern i fråga, och det är emellanåt så det doftar rejält av plagiat. Mycket av spelbarheten lånar även den mycket från Konamis vampyrtitel, men istället för att enbart plocka russin från ovannämnda Super Nintendo-klassiker så finns här även komponenter från det mer populära mästerverket {Castlevania: Symphony of the Night}.
<bild>Mörker och elände finns det gott om.</bild>
Du axlar rollen som en ung riddare vid namn Mateo Lombardo, och det är ditt jobb att undersöka den franska landsbygden under 1700-talet efter att en monstruös best har börjat härjat runt bland byar och städer. Väl på plats går saker däremot snabbt åt pipan, och istället för att enbart jaga rätt på ett groteskt monster så måste du lösa mordgåtor och kartlägga vart ondskan härstammar ifrån. Storyn i sig är förvisso inget som är värd några priser, men den adderar samtidigt tillräckligt mycket spänning för att hålla intresset uppe under resans gång.
<bild>Att besöka byar är ett måste för att öppna upp nya vägar.</bild>
En spännande aspekt är dock att studion har inkorporerat ett par lättare rollspelsmoment som påminner en hel del om den tämligen udda pärlan The Legend of Zelda II till NES. För precis som i Links andra långkörare så måste man här besöka olika byar och snacka med människor för att få berättelsen att röra sig framåt. Det är fortfarande i sak inget som aldrig gjorts förut, men där de flesta moderna Metroidvania-spel förlitar sig enbart på nya förmågor för att öppna upp nya passager så känns det fräsch med alternativa lösningar för att röra sig mot eftertexterna.

Chronicles of the Wolf är sedan inte det längsta spelet du lär tackla under året, men du kan få ut många timmars underhållning beroende på hur du väljer att spela. Att endast få det sämsta slutet behöver exempelvis inte ta mer än några ynka timmar, men det är först när man löst ett par gåtor som spelet öppnar upp sig, och det rejält. För min egen del klockade jag in strax över tolv timmar, och med en prislapp på runt 200 kronor så är det ett prisvärt äventyr som inte drar ut på tiden för mycket samtidigt som det finns mängder med hemligheter att hitta för den som är intresserad att få än mer valuta för sina spenderade slantar.
<bild>Striderna är simpla, men underhållande.</bild>
För på det stora hela så skulle jag säga att Chronicles of the Wolf är ett extremt välgjort Metroidvania-spel, där allt man kan förvänta sig av genren finns representerat på ett eller annat sätt. Grafiken är trevlig, spelbarheten är bra och musiken är medryckande från första till sista ton. Det enda negativa jag har att säga är att bossarna kunde varit bättre då de mest testar ens förmåga att köpa på sig hälsodrycker istället för att erbjuda någon spännande spelbarhet. En annan märklig sak är att det på flera ställen genom hela spelet finns så kallade "Death Rooms" där det räcker att man kliver innanför tröskeln för att möta en Game Over-skärm. Jag antar att konceptet är till för att knäppa spelaren på näsan och få en att vara på sin vakt, men när man har upplevt en handfull av dessa blir de mer irriterande än dramaturgiskt intressanta.

Gillar du däremot välgjorda Metroidvania-äventyr av den gamla skolan så är det här din rekommendation att ge Chronicles of the Wolf ett ärligt försök. Man kan uppleva en del oslipade kanter och märkliga designbeslut här och var, men sammantaget så får man en titel som påminner en hel del om genrens glansdagar där gotiska slott och blodsugande vampyrer var det hetaste på marknaden.
<bild>Bossarna ser spektakulära ut, men de erbjuder en platt utmaning.</bild>

Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune

När jag först recenserade Outlaws i slutet av november delade jag ut ett relativt högt betyg. Innehållet i sig var ganska bra: varierat, annorlunda, till och med glamoröst... Men de olika uppdateringarna och patcharna fram till dess, och det massiva teamets hårda arbete (som jag vet var mödosamt), var fortfarande inte tillräckligt för att leverera en helt polerad och buggfri upplevelse. Snabbspola fram till nu, i slutet av maj, när det andra och sista DLC:t eller expansionspaketet för {Star Wars Outlaws}, med titeln {A Pirate's Fortune}, har släppts, och jag befinner mig i samma situation: liknande innehåll som det föregående och ett spel som fortfarande inte fungerar korrekt. Och det gör ont, och det irriterar mig, för jag älskar det här spelet, men buggarna jag stötte på översteg kategorin av roliga saker man skrattar åt och gick så långt som att kraschade spelet, var tvungen att stänga programvaran och ladda om den föregående sparpunkten för att gå vidare. Flera gånger.
<bild></bild>
Det finns en del allvarliga minnesläckor och problem, eftersom man märker att vissa element inte laddas alls och spelet blir begränsat, som om det vore avskuret från funktioner. De två starkaste fallen var under stridens höjdpunkt, mitt i striderna före slutet av ett viktigt avsnitt för att avancera historien. Om du upplever samma sak, var det första precis innan du flydde från fängelseområdet med Hondo Ohnaka i {Trailblazer}, i sökområdet "Inaktivera gravitationslåset", på landningsplatsen för Khepi-graven. Det andra, tillbaka i detta scenario redan förklädd till {Rokana Raider}, när du måste öppna barriären för att smyga in i {Stingers} kvarter. Som redan hände i grundspelet är det plötsligt omöjligt att interagera med R3 på den relevanta konsolen, men den är så trasig att du inte kan byta vapen, eller ens pausa spelet för att ladda föregående punkt. Du måste stänga spelet helt från PS5:s Start-meny... Naturligtvis stör detta njutningen och måste fördömas. Det kan inte tillåtas vid det här laget, hur mycket jag än gillar allt som detta extra äventyr har att erbjuda. Faktum är att de mindre buggarna fortfarande finns kvar, inklusive karaktärer som fastnar eller klipps, eller absurda reaktioner från fiendens AI. Jag kom till och med till ett {Imperial} terminalläger på Tatooine där, av någon anledning, en {Imperial} soldats röst fastnade på en loop, som om han grymtade efter en skada. Hans skrik upprepades i tio minuter på alla högtalare, vilket gjorde det omöjligt att hitta honom för att avsluta sitt (och vårt) lidande. En grotesk och mycket irriterande sekvens som jag inte ville avsluta för att inte förstöra mitt uppdrag.

Om du vill fortsätta blunda för allt detta är {A Pirate's Fortune} ett paket med aktiviteter och värdefullt innehåll. Precis som {Wild Card} bygger det på en blandning av sektioner med varierande dynamik, ett slags "gameplay greatest hits" av allt som kan göras i det här spelet, vilket är en hel del. Naturligtvis, till nackdel för {Sabacc}-korten, så framträdande i skeppscasinot i det tidigare DLC:t, finns det andra alternativ som plattformssektioner, skottlossningar, infiltration och framför allt en förnyad betoning på rymdstrider. Det senare ger till och med möjligheten att styra ett annat skepp än {Trailblazer}, det som Rokana Raiders använder. I likhet med en {B-Wing}, dess hantering och olika möjligheter (t.ex. att motstå jonisering spektakulärt inuti nebulosor och till och med utnyttja detta till din fördel), i kombination med nya smugglingsuppdrag kopplade till en ny gren av samhörighet och rykte med Miyuki Trade League, vilket i sin tur innebär nya uppgraderingar av lastutrymmet för själva {Trailblazer}, skapar en del bra... eh, stjärnkrig. I mitt fall har den också fungerat som en avsevärd utfyllnad och ursäkt för att fortsätta spela även efter att Hondo Ohnaka-bågen är klar.
<bild></bild>
Innehållet tar dig också till ett nytt system, Khepi, som är begränsat till en rymdstation ("The Carrier's Fortress") och handlingens kraterfyllda miljö, och därmed inte medför en ny planet. Hur som helst är berättelserna kring deras civilisation intressanta, och allt ytterligare skrivande är av kvalitet. Även om "skurken", Stinger Tash, är svag, behåller Hondo Ohnaka sin stora {Jack Sparrow}-liknande karisma. Det finns mycket att lära sig om pirat- och smugglarliv i allmänhet, och {Star Wars Outlaws} är fortfarande den bästa videospelsåterskapningen av hela Lucas-universumet, med några verkligt vackra nya scener att förundras över. Med det sagt finns det inte heller något riktigt banbrytande under de fyra timmar eller så jag har spelat {A Pirate's Fortune}. Rokanas skepp är begränsat till Khepi-systemet eftersom det inte kan hoppa in i hyperrymden, och efter ett tag av att leta efter smuggling och bli av med några bevingade varelser vill man hellre gå tillbaka till sin älskade, uppgraderade {Trailblazer} och till ND-5, som har en lite repetitiv roll den här gången. Jag ångrar inte att jag spelade detta DLC och jag hade det ganska bra, men jag är inte galen i det, och vi kan inte heller acceptera att det förblir så trasigt. Med {Star Wars Outlaws} som nyligen portats till {PS5 Pro} och snart kommer till {Nintendo Switch 2}, är ett av de stora problemen med Ubisoft, open-world-spel och branschen i allmänhet återigen uppenbart: ambitionen går överstyr snabbt och det som skulle kunna vara grandiost förblir bara "stort" för länge.

A Foldable iPhone Needs to Be At Least This Thin or It’s DOA

Honor Magic V5 foldable phone

Apple's folding iPhone isn't even real yet, but it already has a very thin bar to meet.Honor Magic V5 foldable phone

Apple's folding iPhone isn't even real yet, but it already has a very thin bar to meet.

This Mac App Lets You Create As Many Virtual Desktops As You Want

Bring some order to your digital workspace.

I like to use my computer's desktop the way I use my physical desktop—somewhere to place documents and photos related to what I'm currently working on. The problem is that I'm usually working on multiple projects, meaning my computer desktop is a mess of unrelated things.

Say I'm selling my old Macbook but also organizing important cat pictures for my newsletter—that all takes up a lot of space, and I don't need to see all of those photos all the time. Wouldn't it be better if I could switch which things show up on my desktop depending on my current project?

That's idea behind Infinidesk, an indie Mac app from developer Ben Shirt-Ediss that lets you create as many virtual desktops as you like and switch between them from the menu bar.

The menu bar icon offers three different desktops: Default, Lifehacker articles, and Cat pictures.
Credit: Justin Pot

The idea behind Infinidesk is that you'll make different desktops for different projects, allowing you to use your desktop as a workspace for each of them. This isn't at all like your Mac's native Mission Control—it doesn't affect the windows you have open. The focus, instead, is simply on the icons visible on your desktop. You can create as many different desktops as you need to. When you create a new desktop, all of your current icons will disappear, allowing you to add new ones. When you switch between desktops, all of your icons will disappear and reappear accordingly.

It's a simple concept, and it won't be useful for everyone—only some of us even still use our desktops to store files at this point, and you might already have your own system for keeping things organized. But if your desktop is spiraling out of control, Infinidesk might help you keep things tidy without making the desktop useless in the process—especially if you have one computer for both work and personal use.

Infinidesk offers a free version, with a catch: you can only switch desktops 50 times. That should be enough for you to get a feel for whether this application is useful for you, though. The full version costs $12.99, as a one-time payment.

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

Hard to believe that I’ve had the same PC case since 2011, and my last serious upgrade was in 2015. I guess that’s yet another sign that the PC is over, because PC upgrades have gotten really boring. It took 5 years for me to muster

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

Hard to believe that I’ve had the same PC case since 2011, and my last serious upgrade was in 2015. I guess that’s yet another sign that the PC is over, because PC upgrades have gotten really boring. It took 5 years for me to muster up the initiative to get my system fully upgraded! 🥱

I’ve been slogging away at this for quite some time now. My PC build blog entry series spans 13 glorious years:

The future of PCs may not necessarily be more speed (though there is some of that, if you read on), but in smaller builds. For this iteration, my go-to cases are the Dan A4 SFX...

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing
Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

And the Streacom DA2...

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing
Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

The attraction here is maximum power in minimum size. Note that each of these cases are just large enough to fit...

  • a standard mini-ITX system
  • SFX power supply
  • full sized GPU
  • reasonable CPU cooler

...though the DA2 offers substantially more room for cooling the CPU and adding fans.

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

I’m not sure you can physically build a smaller standard mini-ITX system than the DAN A4 SFX, at least not without custom parts!

DAN A4-SFX
200mm × 115mm × 317mm = 7.3 liters

Silverstone RVZ02 / ML08
380mm × 87mm × 370mm = 12.2 liters

nCase M1
240mm × 160mm × 328 mm = 12.6 liters

Streacom DA2
180mm × 286mm × 340mm = 17.5 liters

(For comparison with The Golden Age of x86 Gaming consoles, a PS4 Pro occupies 5.3 liters and an Xbox One S 4.3 liters. About 50% more volume for considerably more than 2× the power isn’t a bad deal!)

I chose the Streacom DA2 as my personal build, because after experimenting heavily with the DAN A4 SFX, I realized you need more room to deal with extremely powerful CPUs and GPUs in this form factor, and I wanted a truly powerful system:

  • Intel i9-9900KS (8 core, 16 thread, 5.0 GHz) CPU
  • Samsung 970 PRO 1TB / Samsung 970 EVO 2TB / Samsung 860 QVO 4TB SATA
  • 64GB DDR4-3000
  • Cryorig H7 cooler (exact fit)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GPU

Compared to my old 2015-2017 system, a slightly overclocked i7-7700k, that at least gives me 2× the cores (and faster cores, both in clock rate and IPC), 2× the memory, and 2× the M.2 slots (two versus one).

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

The DA2 is a clever case though less perfect than the A4-SFX. What’s neat about it is the hybrid open-air design (on the top and bottom) plus the versatile horizontal and vertical bracket system interior. Per the manual (PDF):

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

Check out all the bracket mounting options. Incredibly versatile, and easy to manipulate with the captured nut and bolt design:

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

Note that you can (and really should) pop out the top and bottom acrylic pieces with the mesh dust net.

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

I had dramatically better temperatures after I did this, and it also made the build easier since the case can fully “breathe” through the top and bottom. You’ll note that the front of the DA2 is totally solid, no air holes, so you do need that extra airflow.

I only have a few criticisms of this Streacom DA2 case:

  • The side panels are tool free, which is excellent, but the pressure fit makes them fairly difficult to remove. Feels like this could be tweaked?
  • (Don’t even think about using a full sized ATX power supply. In theory it is supported, but the build becomes so much more difficult. Use a SFX power supply, which you’d expect to do for a mini-ITX build anyway.)
  • My primary complaint is that the power extension cable gets in the way. I had to remove it and re-attach it during my build. They should custom route the power cable upwards so it blocks less stuff.
  • Less of a criticism and more of an observation: if your build uses a powerful GPU and CPU, you’ll need two case fans. There’s mounting points for a 92mm fan in the rear, and the bracket system makes it easy to mount a 140mm fan blowing inward. You will definitely need both fans!

Here’s the configuration I recommend, open on both the top and bottom for maximum airflow, with three fans total:

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

If you are a water cooling kind of person – I am definitely not, I experienced one too many traumatic cooling fluid leaks in the early 2000s – then you will use that 140mm space for the radiator.

I have definitely burn-in tested this machine, as I do all systems I build, and it passed with flying colors. But to be honest, if you expect to be under full CPU and GPU loads for extended periods of time you might need to switch to water cooling due to the space constraints. (Or pick slightly less powerful components.)

If you haven’t built a PC system recently, it’s easier than it has ever been. Heck by the time you install the M.2 drives, memory, CPU, and cooler on the motherboard you’re almost done, these days!

Building a PC, Part IX: Downsizing

There are a lot of interesting compact mini-itx builds out there. Perhaps that’s the primary innovation in PC building for 2020 and beyond – packing all that power into less than 20 liters of space!

Read a Spanish translation of this article here.

Here’s Who Needs Android’s New Advanced Security Protection (and Who Probably Doesn’t)

Advanced Protection offers Android's strongest security—possibly more than some users need.

Android users got a whole host of security and privacy upgrades with the release of Android 16, including expanded in-call scam protection, live threat detection for malicious apps, and more. These features are well worth enabling, as they'll help secure your data and your device against theft, malware, and phishing attacks. Google also extended its Advanced Protection Program to include stricter device-level features aimed at reducing the risk of compromise.

Advanced Protection offers the most robust all-around security available on Android under a single setting—an incredibly useful tool for journalists, activists, and anyone with access to sensitive data that could be targeted by threat actors. Those who are especially privacy- and security-minded may also want to enable Advanced Protection, while the average user should weigh how this feature fits with their security needs.

How Advanced Protection works on Android 16

Advanced Protection makes strong security the default on your Android 16 device by enabling certain features and disabling the ability to turn off others. It also includes new protections, like automatically rebooting your device if it remains locked for 72 hours, encrypting your data behind biometrics or your PIN. Additionally, your device won't be able to automatically reconnect to unsecured wifi networks, and USB access will be blocked when your phone is locked.

Advanced Protect automatically enables security features like theft detection, HTTPS on Chrome for all website connections, and scam and spam protection in Messages. All of these can be turned on individually in your device settings, but Advanced Protection does so in one fell swoop. It will also prevent you from turning off Google Play Protect and Android Safe Browsing, which keep you from downloading malicious apps and accessing malicious websites on your device.

The potential downsides of Advanced Protection include limits on side-loading apps—you'll only be able to download from approved sources like the Google Play Store—and the likelihood that some websites will break thanks to the disabling of the JavaScript optimizer on Chrome. (Note that you should be extremely wary of downloading apps from unofficial sources anyway, as these can be vectors for spreading malware.)

Advanced Protection is comparable to Apple's Lockdown Mode for iOS, which blocks certain app and web features as well as setting changes that could be used to spread malware. Even Apple has said that Lockdown Mode is "an extreme, optional protection" aimed at high-risk users who may be personally targeted by cyberattacks, not meant for the average person.

So, should you use Advanced Protection? As the folks over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation write, "there's no harm in giving it a try." It's easy to enable and disable, and you may not notice any impact on your device (while getting the benefit of stronger security measures running in the background). You can always turn it off if it does restrict your day-to-day activities, knowing that it's probably overkill for some users. And you can still have Google Play Protect enabled along with other individual Android 16 security features and follow best practices for protecting your device from cyber threats.

How to enable Advanced Protection

To turn Advanced Protection on for your Android 16 device, open your Settings app and go to Security & privacy > Advanced Protection. Flip the toggle next to Device protection and tap Turn on. You'll then have to restart your device for Advanced Protection to activate and run.

10 Things in Your Home You Should Probably Replace Right Now

Even if you work hard to keep a clean home, these items are easily overlooked.

Keeping your house clean is like a second job—most people spend at least two hours a week cleaning, with some putting in nine hours or more. But no matter how much time you spend scrubbing, mopping, and dusting, there’s a good chance you missed a spot. Several spots, actually, because your home is a minefield of hidden filth, lurking mold, and forgotten crud in the form of items that need to be replaced more often than you might think.

These 10 household items might look superficially clean, or they might be hidden from view, or you might simply have grown blind to how dirty they are—but replacing them regularly is the only way to ensure your home is really clean.

Shower curtains

How often to replace: Twice a year.

Bathrooms are natural breeding grounds for mold due to the damp environment, and the spot in your bathroom most prone to growing mold might surprise you: It’s your shower curtain (and your curtain liner, if you use one). You've probably already encountered at least one shower curtain that was more mold than curtain in your life, but you shouldn’t wait until yours resembles a Petri dish before replacing it—you should swap out the liner twice a year, and if you use a fabric curtain, make sure you’re washing it regularly as well.

Mattresses

How often to replace: Every 10 years

Your mattress is probably not very supportive—or comfortable—after a decade anyway, but if you’re not worried about your overall sleep experience on it, you should be worried about a decade’s worth of skin flakes, saliva, sweat, dust, and other stuff it has been collecting. Even if you clean and flip your mattress religiously, you should still replace it at least once a decade to prevent a buildup of dust mites, fungus, or even mold.

Pillows

How often to replace: Every two years

Like our mattresses, we tend to hang onto our pillows for way too long. In part, this is because we discount the sheer amount of saliva and skin flakes we’re pumping into them as we sleep. Even if you still love your pillows and clean them regularly, you should replace them about every two years. If you use a pillow protector, you can probably squeeze an extra year or two out of them, however.

Toilet seats

How often to replace: Every five years

A properly cleaned and maintained toilet seat doesn’t pose much of a health hazard, but most toilet seats will show significant wear and tear within 5-10 years, depending on use. Once the seat gets stained, shows cracks, or begins shifting around when you sit on it, it’s time to swap in a new one—plus, it’s a chance for a quick and easy upgrade for your bathroom.

Toilet brushes

How often to replace: Every six months

A toilet brush can last longer than six months if you actually clean it and store it properly, but very few people do that, preferring to get it out of sight as quickly as possible after cleaning the toilet. If that’s you, then you’ve probably got plenty of mold and bacteria growing in the brush holder right now. Twice a year you should just get a new one—sooner if it starts to smell bad or show visible staining

Sponges

How often to replace: Twice a month

It shouldn’t be a surprise that sponges you use to scrape grime and bacteria off your dishes and counters are disgusting breeding grounds for bacteria. Even if you keep them dry or microwave them frequently, that kitchen sponge is going to become a health hazard within a few weeks. It’s best to have a supply on hand and swap in a fresh one every two weeks or so.

Mop heads

How often to replace: Every 2-6 months

Mops are essential cleaning tools, but they are not self-cleaning. Sure, you dunk them in soapy water and rinse them out, but mops are designed to absorb and hold dirt, so you’ll never get a used mop head totally clean, and over time they’ll become pretty filthy. A string mop should be replaced every 2-3 months depending on use. A microfiber mop head can last twice as long if you wash them regularly.

Aside from the germ factor, your mop heads will be less effective over time as they wear out. So even if your mop head looks pretty clean, you should replace it anyway if you want to keep your floors clean.

Brooms

How often to replace: Every two years

Like mops, brooms work by transferring dirt from your home’s floors to themselves. You can (and should!) clean your brooms about once a month—a brisk rinse with soapy water is all it takes—but even so, your broom will show real wear and tear within a few years. Broken bristles or bristles falling out is usually the sign that you’ve waited too long to replace it.

Cutting boards

How often to replace: Annually

Cutting boards, whether plastic or wood, need to be replaced—or significantly refurbished—every year. No matter how thoroughly you clean them, your knives are slashing deep grooves into the material where bacteria can evade your cleaning efforts, proliferate, and potentially make you sick. And the cutting board will eventually stain, and no one wants to think about what caused that stain while they’re chopping fresh veggies.

Plastic storage containers

How often to replace: Every 1-3 months

Even though you wash your plastic food storage containers after every use, you still need to ditch them pretty often. Over time, plastic degrades (creating microplastics), and every time you thrust a fork or knife in there you’re probably creating a tiny slice. This all combines to eventually make those storage containers little bacteria farms. Consider replacing them with glass containers: They’re chemically inert, so they will last longer and pose much less of a health risk over time.

I Figured Out How to Turn off iOS 26's Annoying New Screenshot Features

How to get rid of iOS 26's annoying full-screen pop-up when you take a screenshot.

In iOS 26, Apple has expanded its Visual Intelligence feature from just the camera to the screen. Now, you can use Visual Intelligence to ask anything about what’s on your screen, to add events to your Calendar, or to look up images using Google (similar to Google’s Circle to Search). All of this is quite cool, but it comes with a redesigned, full-screen screenshot splash screen.

When all you want to do is take a quick screenshot, seeing this big splash screen and all it new AI buttons can get annoying fast. Plus, you might not want Apple Intelligence to see what’s on your screen (which it will now automatically do), no matter how useful these updates might turn out to be.

Thankfully, you can disable the new splash screen, and go back to the old thumbnail preview method instead. Plus, when needed, you'll still be able to trigger Visual Intelligence, even when using thumbnails.

What you can do with the new Visual Intelligence

Visual Intelligence Image Lookup on iPhone.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Since the iOS 18.2 update, you’ve been able to use ChatGPT to ask questions about what’s on your screen. But with iOS 26 (currently available as a Developer Beta and soon rolling out as a Public Beta), Apple is introducing Automatic Visual Look Up to the mix. This new feature automatically analyzes your screenshot the second it’s captured. Then, it pulls in relevant actionable information and adds it below the screenshot.

For example, if you screenshot is of an invitation to a party, it will show you a one-tap button to add it to your calendar. If your screenshot is of a website, you’ll see a link to go there directly. Plus, there’s a feature that lets you highlight any image to find similar images on Google, as if you were using Circle to Search or Google Lens.

How to disable the full-screen Visual Intelligence splash screen

If you stick with this new full-screen option for taking screenshots, you’ll have to tap twice to save a screenshot every single time you take one. First, you'll have to tap the Checkmark button at the top of the screen, and then choose Save to Photos. That's a big difference to a process that used to be instant.

Thankfully, Apple has an option to disable the new splash screen. To go back to the old method, go to Settings > General > Screen Capture and disable the Full-Screen Previews option.

Disable full-screen previews for screenshots.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Now, when you take a screenshot, you’ll see the familiar thumbnail preview in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Even better, you're still free to tap the preview to open the full-screen view, which will then show all your Visual Intelligence suggestions.

How to disable automatic Visual Intelligence in screenshots (or altogether)

If you’re privacy conscious, there are two ways you can go about disabling Visual Intelligence. The first is to disable Automatic Lookup, which scans your screenshot as soon as you take it.

To disable this feature, go to Settings > General > Screen Capture and disable the Automatic Visual Look Up option.

Disable Automatic Visual Look Up for iPhone.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

After you do this, those automatic Visual Intelligence suggestions will disappear. But the options to chat with ChatGPT, and to highlight to search for images, will still be there. At least these aren't automatic, and without your consent or express action, no data will go to Apple’s servers.

But you can disable these options as well by disabling Apple Intelligence completely. To do that, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and disable the Apple Intelligence feature.

You Can Still Apply for Your Share of That $126 Million 'Fortnite' Settlement

The FTC is reopening claims for a Fortnite settlement that could put money in your pocket.

In December of last year, the FTC issued a first round of payments in a 2022 settlement that required Fortnite maker Epic Games to refund $245 million to players. Now, the Commission is re-opening claims, with $126 million up for grabs. Even if you have to split that, the average sum for each impacted user in the last round of payments was $114, so this isn't small potatoes. Here's how to get your piece of the pie.

What did Epic Games do?

First, some history. Essentially, this all comes down to confusing UI. In 2022, after a legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission, Epic Games agreed to pay a total of $520 million in relief for an alleged violation of COPPA, or the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The FTC accused the company of using "dark patterns" to trick users, especially children, into buying unwanted in-game items. These included button placements that might cause a user to accidentally buy an item they only intended to preview, or to accidentally click a hidden buy button while the game was loading. As a result, Epic agreed to adjust the game's design to address these issues, as well as pay $275 million in penalties and $245 in refunds to players. It's that latter sum that we're concerned with today.

Who is eligible for a payment?

Even if you don't play Fortnite yourself, you could be eligible for a payment. According to the FTC, any of the following groups of people can file a claim for their share of the settlement:

  • If you were charged in-game Fortnite currency for items you didn't want between January 2017 and September 2022.

  • If your child made Fortnite charges for you without your knowledge between January 2017 and September 2022.

  • If your Fortnite account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 following a complaint about wrongful charges.

Do I need to file a claim?

If you have not yet filed a claim, now is your chance. However, if you already filed before the previous deadline of February 14, no action is required on your part. Alongside opening up space for new claims, the FTC also announced that its second round of payments is already underway, with just under 970,000 checks or digital payments currently heading out to those who already filed a valid claim.

How do I file a claim?

To file a claim for the next round of payments, simply visit this page on the FTC site and click the Apply for a Refund button before the new deadline of July 9. You'll need to be over 18 and supply your claim number or Epic Account ID, and then simply fill out if you would like to be paid via check or Paypal. If you already field a claim following the prior cutoff of Feb. 14, you don't need to do anything right now—that claim will be applied to the next round of payments automatically. If you're under 18, the FTC says a parent or guardian can file a claim on your behalf.

When can I expect my payment?

The FTC says the next round of payments should go out in 2026, after the Commission has reviewed and validated all claims. Checks will need to be cashed within 90 days, while PayPal payments will need to be accepted within 30 days.

Any questions can be sent to admin@fortniterefund.com or asked directly via 1-833-915-0880.

I Tried Apple Music's New DJ Feature, and I Have Mixed Feelings

It's great... until it isn't.

Apple Music has several new features in iOS 26, but AutoMix is probably going to be the one you notice immediately. It lets the app seamlessly transition from one song to the next by using some of the tricks that a DJ might employ. You're going to notice that something is different about Apple Music's track switching right away because AutoMix is enabled by default. I've used it every day for three weeks now, and I have mixed feelings about it. 

What exactly is Apple Music's AutoMix?

Apple says AutoMix uses AI to analyze audio features and "crafts unique transitions between songs with time stretching and beat matching to deliver continuous playback and an even more seamless listening experience." This is basically what a DJ does when they're performing live. It could be cool to have your own personal DJ built into your streaming service, but the results in Apple Music vary from quite good to totally off-putting.

Why AutoMix is a mixed bag

Apple Music on an iPhone with a song playing. The seek bar is glowing and a message below it reads: Mixing.
Credit: Apple

Whether you go to a club or a live concert, most good DJs will obsess over details such as track order, the vibe of the room, what kind of a mood they're going for, and much more. This means that your friendly neighborhood DJ is thinking a lot about the kind of experience you want to have and it's a delicate balance between raising the energy of the room high enough to get everyone dancing, but not so high that everyone's exhausted within 15 minutes. They'd also consider giving people a short breather with mellow songs so that people can take a breath and get refreshments. The best DJs will read the room and ensure that you have a good time.

AutoMix sometimes feels like it's a really good DJ who's made the perfect set list just for you. When it works well, tracks blend into one another and you never feel out of place. I am a fan of continuous playback, and when it works, AutoMix delivers spectacularly. However, unlike a good DJ, AutoMix doesn't care much for track order and tries to blend songs no matter what. If you have a high-energy song followed by a slower one, AutoMix will slow down the end of the fast song so that it matches the beat of the slower one coming next. It also speeds up slow songs when the next track is a faster one, which sounds comically bad at times.

Personally, I don't want to listen to music at 0.75x or 1.5x speeds, unless I'm specifically seeking out a workout mix. AutoMix aggressively applies its beat-matching algorithm to every transition and really draws attention to itself. In its current state, AutoMix is a bit too aggressive on certain transitions, and I hope Apple tones it down in the days leading up to iOS 26's stable release this fall. 

It's a useful feature for certain types of playlists where tracks have a similar "vibe," but it struggles when your playlists have wildly varying types of songs. I have a habit of curating playlists carefully, so that the sounds at the end of a song match those at the beginning of the next one, and AutoMix didn't work well with any of those playlists. By blending the end of one track with the start of the next, AutoMix undid a lot of my hard work. I honestly wouldn't mind using it with playlists that I automatically play on shuffle mode, but not with personally curated playlists. The good thing is that Apple has disabled AutoMix for albums and "some genres," so you don't have to worry about AI ruining your favorite masterpieces.

How to enable or disable AutoMix in Apple Music

Two iPhones showing different screens in Apple Music. On the left screen, a playlist queue is visible with AutoMix enabled. On the right, Apple Music Settings shows AutoMix enabled in the Song Transitions page.
Credit: Pranay Parab

Fortunately, it's quite easy to enable or disable AutoMix in iOS 26. For starters, you can turn AutoMix on or off by opening the Music app and tapping the mini player that displays the currently playing song. Once the player expands, tap the three lines button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This reveals the Continue Playing screen that shows the song queue. Above the track list, you'll see four buttons: Shuffle, Repeat, Autoplay (the infinity symbol), and AutoMix (the two circles button). You can tap the AutoMix button to toggle it.

If you're permanently done with Apple Music's AutoMix feature in iOS 26, here's how to get rid of it. Go to Settings > Apps > Music > Song Transitions, and disable Song Transitions. This will let songs play out normally. If you'd rather keep gapless playback without the AI DJ, then you can keep Song Transitions enabled, and select Crossfade on the same page. Apple lets you pick the duration of the crossfade, which you might prefer over AutoMix. 

Mac randomly shuts down — finding the cause via Terminal.

Finding shutdown causes in macOS High Sierra

1. Open Terminal.app

2. Copy and paste the following:

log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "Previous shutdown cause"' --last 24h
And you should see the following:

3. Match the shutdown cause to its code:

The full list of shutdown causes can be found here.

I found it really hard to find the reason why my Mac was shutting down randomly, so hopefully this helped you! While most solutions given online recommend that you reset the SMC, don’t do that before backing up your data.

If you choose to use the built in Time Machine, check this out:

Speed up Time Machine backups by 10x on macOS


Mac randomly shuts down — finding the cause via Terminal. was originally published in blog.shawjj on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Five Best Apps to Reduce Food Waste (and Save Money on Groceries)

Feeding yourself and your family keeps getting more expensive, and food waste isn’t helping.

Grocery prices just keep rising—they’re up more than 2% in the last year, and the trend line doesn’t seem likely to bend downward any time soon. The average monthly spend on groceries is about $504 (that’s more than $6,000 a year), which is a lot for most people. At the same time, the average family in this country loses about $1,500 every year in food waste—about one-third of all the food in this country goes uneaten.

Those are bleak numbers when people are struggling to afford groceries, but there are steps you can take to reduce both the amount of food wasted in this country and your grocery bills. One of the easiest is to download an app that bridges those two problems by making discounted, leftover groceries easily available. Here are some of the best ones to use.

Too Good To Go

Perhaps the best-known of the “food rescue” apps, Too Good To Go recruits local restaurants and grocery stores, which then list food that would otherwise be thrown away at steeply discounted prices. Consumers can hop on the app and claim the offerings, swing by to make their purchase, and enjoy their food.

One slight downside to this system is a heavy focus on “surprise bags,” which are food items you buy sight unseen. This can work well if you’re just looking to score a cheap meal from a specific restaurant, but when it comes to groceries, not knowing what you’re getting can be a problem. But if you’re hyper-focused on saving money and saving food from landfills, the app definitely works as advertised.

Currently Too Good To Go operates in a lot of major metropolitan areas in the U.S., but you’ll have to check to see if it’s in your local area.

Misfits Market

If you’re looking for a way to reduce waste by scoring cheap food and get it delivered, Misfits Market is a great option. It’s a weird quirk of grocery stores that unusual-looking food—discolored, misshapen, or scarred in some way—is tough to sell. Folks just prefer food that looks nice. A lot of “imperfect” food (especially produce) gets tossed aside as unsellable, so Misfits Market (which recently purchased competing ugly food app Imperfect Foods) collects those gnarly-looking items, boxes them up, and delivers them to its users. It claims you can save 30 to 40% on this “ugly” food over what you’ll find in the grocery store. Keep in mind there’s a minimum order of $15 and a $5.99 delivery fee.

Flashfood

Flashfood works with local grocery stores to alert consumers to items that are about to hit their expiration dates and be removed from the shelves, and it offers a deep price cut (as much as 50% off) on those items. This spares that perfectly good food from being thrown into a dumpster and saves you a lot of money at the same time. There are no “surprise bags” here—you buy the items through the app, then just stop by the store to pick them up.

As with other apps on this list, you’ll need to check if Flashfood has partnered with stores in your area that are within your range.

Olio

Olio is a good alternative app for reducing food waste and saving money because it focuses not on grocery stores or restaurants, but your neighbors. Folks who have leftovers (or other household items) they’re going to throw away can list the stuff on Olio. People seeking free food can claim it via the app, then stop by and pick it up. Some of these giveaways are marked “no contact” and left outside for pickup, so you don’t have to worry about interacting with people. Olio also partners with local stores, assigning a volunteer to collect unwanted food from restaurants and cafes and list it on the app as well.

Olio’s usefulness for you will depend entirely on how robust its network is in your area, of course. If no one’s giving away food, you won’t get much benefit from it. And there’s no guarantee its listings won’t be low-value stuff like half-used condiments or expired food people are just trying to get rid of. But it’s worth checking regularly to score some really great deals and help spare more food from the garbage.

Hungry Harvest

Focused on produce (though it does offer some other items), Hungry Harvest will deliver “rescued” food to your door if you live in one of its service areas. Like Misfits Market, Hungry Harvest specializes in produce that would otherwise be thrown into a dumpster. This is a subscription service, so you sign up for a weekly box of food at a fixed price. There’s a minimum order threshold of $29.99 to get free delivery (otherwise delivery costs $3.49 per order).

The app offers several sizes of box: Mini, Full, and Super (with optional organic-only versions), and each category has a minimum order amount that has to be reached with produce before you can add in anything else. For example, a Mini Harvest box has a minimum order of $17, and that has to be met with fruits and veggies only. Once you hit that $17, you can start adding on snack foods or other items that might be available. The main purpose of the app is to rescue that produce, after all. The good news is that the produce will be anywhere from 25% to 50% cheaper than what you’ll find at the grocery store.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition

Mitt intresse för {Cyberpunk 2077}: Ultimate Edition var egentligen ganska ljummet. Jag kände mig klar med V:s äventyr sedan ganska lång tid tillbaka och tanken på en nedgraderad version lockade inte alls. Men så kom de första rapporterna om att spelet faktiskt skulle vara riktigt bra, och rent av flöt på bättre än med en Steam Deck.

Och... med ens blev jag lite sugen på att spela som Corpo, vilket jag faktiskt inte hunnit göra ännu, och sagt och gjort. Nu har jag hunnit en bra bit in i Cyberpunk 2077 till Switch 2 och provat på både huvudäventyret samt expansionen Phantom Liberty. Så hur står det sig?

<bild>Det finns inget som matchar Cyberpunk 2077 ur ett tekniskt perspektiv till Switch 2.</bild>

Cyberpunk 2077 hade som bekant en absolut fasansfull premiär, kanske den värsta någonsin, och fungerade fruktansvärt illa till Playstation 4 och Xbox One. Faktum är att Sony till och med stoppade spelets försäljning. Därefter satte CD Projekt Red igång med att räta upp skutan, något de lyckades med efter åratal av hårt arbete, varpå det dessutom lanserades en riktigt fin version till Playstation 5 och Xbox Series S/X.

Så var hamnar Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition? Det får bli fokus för denna recension, där du som vill veta mer om spelet i sig rekommenderas läsa vår recension av grundtiteln samt expansionen. Men innan vi ger oss i kast med det tekniska, så finns lite unika funktioner att ta i beaktande. Det inkluderar framför allt nya sätt att spela. Det ena är gyrosikte, vilket kan kombineras med Motion Patterns för den som vill spela hela äventyret på detta sätt. Med sistnämnda knyter du rörelser till allt, vilket för mig i de flesta fall känns mer tillkrånglat än att bara trycka på en knapp.

<bild>Äventyret flyter för den mesta på men bilduppdateringen kan hosta till när något händer.</bild>

Till detta finns även muskontroll, vilket en och annan van PC-spelare säkert uppskattar. Joy-Con 2 fungerar såklart utmärkt som mus, men jag noterar att utformningen är sämre för långvarigt spelande än en "riktig" mus, så jag tycker ergonomin blir lite lidande. Dessutom kör spelet i 30-40 bilder per sekund (i teorin men i praktiken lägre) och muspekare med så låg bilduppdatering fungerar inte särskilt väl. Alternativ finns alltså, men utöver gyro för skjutandet, tror jag de mer traditionella spelsätten kommer dominera för de flesta - även om inte heller det är perfekt då jag verkligen saknar trigger-knappar som bidrar till känslan av att använda en avtryckare.

Att glida runt i Night City är fortfarande en fröjd, i synnerhet nattetid när neonet tänds och skapar den där futuristiska charmen som för många är själva kännetecknet för denna typ av scifi. Jämfört med hur spelet är till Playstation 4 och Xbox One känns det som ett kliv i helt rätt riktning, och då talar jag inte om det bedrövliga skick de släpptes i. Det är helt enkelt ett riktigt snyggt spel som känns tekniskt imponerande på ett sätt få andra Switch 2-titlar gör. Det körs i 30 eller 40 bilder per sekund beroende på grafikval, men helt jämnt är det tyvärr inte, utan att för den saken skull vara något stort problem. Med VRR-stöd tycker jag även det ser nästan surrealistiskt läckert ut bärbart, och jag har inte kunna hålla mig från att under recensionsperioden terrorisera min omgivning och prompt velat visa det grafiktunga spektaklet.

<bild>Det är ett mer öde Night City som möter oss.</bild>

Med det sagt så är en lite övergiven stad det tydligaste tecknet på att Switch 2 inte är lika kraftfullt som Microsofts och Sonys främsta konsoler. Det är helt enkelt inte lika mycket liv och rörelse, vare sig på gatorna eller i trafiken. Vill du jämföra mot Playstation 5 och Xbox Series X, blir det därmed naturligtvis inte lika imponerande, men det är trots allt olika format med olika styrkor, och lika skevt som att jämföra en värsting-PC med en Playstation 5 från år 2020.

Äventyret är annars detsamma som när det begav sig och kretsar kring V som får ett experimentellt chip inplanterat i sitt huvud. Problemet är bara att en dåre kallad Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves) börjar ta över ditt sinne och gör att din kropp riskerar att tillhöra någon annan. Den här resan är fortfarande mäktig och synnerligen väl värd att spela igenom. Dessutom ingår Phantom Liberty-expansionen, vilken tillför gott och väl 20 timmars extra cyber-äventyrande med Idris Elba. Expansionens berättande är faktiskt bättre än i huvudspelet med mer nagelbitarspänning där du kastas in i ett virrvarr av spioner, konspirationer och falskspel på högsta nivå.

<bild>Är det lika bra som till Playstation 5 eller Xbox Series X? Nej! Men därmed inte sagt att det inte imponerar. Tvärtom.</bild>

Har du inte spelat Cyberpunk 2077 tidigare och är nyfiken på spelet, så är detta en version du kommer ha kul med och imponeras av. Har du lirat det tidigare och är sugen på att köra igenom det igen, skulle jag säga att underhållningsvärdet kommer variera beroende på din tolerans för grafisk nedgradering. Det ser absolut inte ut som på en topptrimmad PC, men det finns inget lika iögonfallande till Switch 2 och CD Projekt Red har gjort ett imponerande jobb med att få med allt. I sommar ser jag fram emot att få slutföra mitt äventyr som Corpo liggandes på en strand.

FTC eyes smart home makers over software updates

‘She’s pretty much alone’: The EU’s greenest leader fights the tide

The European Commission’s second-most powerful politician is isolated, beleaguered and under attack — just like the green policy she has vowed to protect.

BRUSSELS — The pope was dead. And Teresa Ribera was mourning — not only for the man.

Pope Francis had embodied an era in which Ribera’s dream of a greener world, shaped by powerful international institutions and scientific advice, had seemed, at last, to be laid down in concrete. 

Ten years had passed since Ribera’s highest moment: a year that saw the drafting of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the pope’s landmark environmental proclamation that made the moral case for action. 

By the time Francis died in April, Ribera was trying to stop it all from being torn down. 

Since arriving in Brussels in December to run the EU’s green and competition policy, she has fought a battle — largely in secret — against opponents who fret that the EU’s efforts to tackle climate change are unaffordable, or that they hand populists an easy win.

Her influence shone through this week as the European Commission faced down the French president, discontent from the EU’s largest political force, and the certainty of a far-right backlash to present a new climate goal for Europe. 

Ribera pitched the proposed target, an emissions-cutting milestone for 2040, as countering the growing pushback against ambitious climate action. 

“For all those challenging the science, hiding the problems, asking to postpone, thinking that the world is going to remain as it is and that the market is going to solve everything … the response coming from Europe is very clear,” she said at a press conference Wednesday. 

But political pressure had prompted the Commission to soften the target with concessions to governments, notably a contentious proposal to outsource part of the bloc’s efforts to poorer countries.

It was, like Ribera’s first seven months in office, a compromise born of the changed political reality — a reality she has tried to both resist and work within.

This account of that time is based on interviews with 11 Commission and government officials, associates of Ribera and close observers of the EU. Many were hesitant to speak to journalists about Ribera, who fiercely values privacy and loyalty, so they were granted anonymity. POLITICO has also interviewed Ribera three times in that span. 

Allies and critics alike described Ribera as isolated, lacking political allies amid losses among her fellow social democrats, and facing attacks from outside and inside the Commission. Despite this, they said, she has racked up a series of quiet victories.

Pope Francis had embodied an era in which Ribera’s dream of a greener world. | Fabio Frustaci/EPA

With populist and illiberal parties incorporating the fight against climate change into their story of grievance, the stakes, as Ribera sees them, are wider than the EU’s green goals. Almost religious. Certainly moral. 

“Today, like never before, the green agenda … is being questioned,” she wrote in an emotionally charged letter to El País two days after Pope Francis died. This “counter-reformation,” she added, must be faced down lest the world “return to dark times.”

You’re hired

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen knew exactly what she was getting when she asked Ribera to protect the EU’s embattled green ambitions. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rammed home the message in a letter to von der Leyen in August 2024, nominating the two-time Spanish minister, former U.N. climate negotiator and policy expert to the Commission.

Sánchez touted her “political experience” and “extensive knowledge” of climate change, energy and environmental protection, which he said had won Ribera “great prestige internationally and nationally.” The letter was released to POLITICO under freedom of information laws.

Ribera, Sánchez enthused, could “generate consensus and agreements in complex international negotiations.”

That was useful for von der Leyen. The European Green Deal — a package of targets and regulations covering almost every sector of the European economy — was a key part of the president’s legislative legacy. Laid down over the previous five years, it not only set a course to end Europe’s contribution to climate change by mid-century, but also sought to rebalance the impact of industry and agriculture on nature.

Both von der Leyen and Ribera knew trouble was looming. 

The 2024 European election elevated far-right parliamentarians — the very agents of the counter-reformation Ribera believed she was confronting — ensuring that attacks on the green agenda would escalate. And von der Leyen’s own center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the European Parliament’s largest force, had begun to oppose major parts of the package, citing costs to industry and the need to dull the siren call of the political extremes.

According to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions and two people briefed on the talks, von der Leyen told Ribera she was choosing her as her first executive vice president — effectively the Commission’s No. 2 — precisely because of her green credentials.

Ribera understood her job as boiling down to one overarching mission: Defend the Green Deal. 

Getting to 90

Von der Leyen’s backing for Ribera showed through during the final frantic talks on the EU’s new 2040 climate goal. 

Until Tuesday, the proposed law’s final form — and even its release — remained uncertain. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen knew exactly what she was getting when she asked Teresa Ribera to protect the EU’s embattled green ambitions. | Jose Manuel Vidal/EPA

The target had already been delayed for months as EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, whose work is overseen by Ribera, battled to find the right set of politically viable concessions. 

Months of negotiations with governments and parliamentarians led Hoekstra to suggest that the EU stick to the 90 percent cut to emissions that von der Leyen had promised last year, but outsource some of its climate efforts to poorer countries by buying carbon credits. It was a compromise Ribera disliked but eventually accepted.

Even with that concession, a groundswell of opposition arose on Monday when the proposal was presented to the rest of the commissioners and their staffs. Ribera and Hoesktra were even battling calls to delay the announcement, after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a pause during a dinner with EU leaders the week before. 

That dinner was “a big moment,” said one EU official familiar with the internal discussions. “It signaled to everyone that big countries aren’t … on the Commission’s side.”

During the meal, von der Leyen pushed back against Macron, defending the target and insisting it needed to be proposed that week, three people briefed on the discussions said.

She made the same case this week to wavering commissioners, who eventually fell in line on Tuesday. Hoekstra and Ribera got their compromise.

In the trenches

Ribera has fought many such battles over the last seven months. 

She has tried to act as a lawyerly guard dog, apprehending Commission papers and ensuring they align with the EU’s previous green commitments. 

Ribera has not always had the full backing of von der Leyen, who has been willing to sacrifice a growing number of green regulations to accommodate EPP concerns while trying to preserve core climate goals

Despite this, Ribera has won significant victories. 

In January, an early draft of von der Leyen’s grand second-term economic doctrine — the so-called Competitiveness Compass — contained only a few nebulous green references while stressing deregulation. Ribera intervened to ensure the final version specifically referenced threatened green policy initiatives. 

The socialists’ most powerful leader is Teresa Ribera’s political ally, Pedro Sánchez. | Oliver Matthys/EPA

A month later, the Commission launched an “omnibus” bill to reduce bureaucratic burdens on companies. The bill watered down green finance rules and corporate reporting standards. But it would have gone even further, leaving key rules entirely voluntary and therefore toothless, had it not been for Ribera’s backroom dealing, POLITICO reported in February

Ribera also went on to battle behind the scenes to try to salvage a sinking greenwashing law.

At the same time, she rebelled against the EU’s public stance on issues such as Gaza, LGBTQ+ rights and migration. 

In May, after rumors circulated that von der Leyen was asking commissioners not to attend the banned Budapest Pride, Ribera demonstratively showed up at a press conference on climate progress with a rainbow-striped notebook. 

On social media site Bluesky she expressed solidarity with the Hungarian LGBTQ+ community months before von der Leyen finally did. She frequently issues posts highlighting the misery in Gaza, sometimes criticizing Israel outright, as well as Trump’s crackdown on scientific research and universities. She endorsed an op-ed by former Spanish EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell condemning the bloc’s inaction on Gaza, and expressed support for migrant rescuers in the Mediterranean. 

When the United States bombed Iran in June, she appeared to mourn the sidelining of the multilateral order, writing: “Decades to build an international order based on the UN charter, human rights and the rule of law.” 

The lady’s not for turning

Ribera’s stand has been a lonely one.

She is unambiguously tribal in her socialist politics — notable in a shifting political landscape.

During an interview in her offices just after she had moved into the Berlaymont, POLITICO noted a 1970s photograph hanging behind the modernist suite on which the new commissioner sat. On it, then-British opposition leader and bête noire of the U.K. left Margaret Thatcher was taking a meeting on the same settee. Ribera joked that she might swap it for a picture of current Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Shortly after, the picture was gone. 

The center left is in retreat in Europe. The socialists’ most powerful leader is Ribera’s political ally, Sánchez. But the Spanish prime minister has been weakened by a series of poor election results, a fractious coalition and, more recently, a major corruption scandal. Encouraged, Ribera’s domestic opponents on the right and far right have mounted a savage campaign against her in the press.

Election losses have also whittled down the cadre of politicians with whom Ribera championed the Green Deal as a Spanish minister. Gone are allies in Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.

On the international level, the global order Ribera helped shape is also under profound stress — both from the White House and by populists across the EU. She has tried to tread lightly, withholding any open disdain for U.S. President Donald Trump and his enablers. But she has also not used Elon Musk’s social network X since December. 

Wopke Hoekstra, an EPP politician who took over the climate brief in late 2023, was charged with drafting the 2040 target. | Oliver Matthys/EPA

“She seemed more tired and frustrated than the last time I saw her,” said a former government official from an EU country who met Ribera recently.

Ribera draws on two experiences for perspective in times of adversity. Her long experience of U.N. climate talks, which have seen many setbacks since they began in the 1990s. And her family’s deep romance with the Atlético de Madrid football team — the Spanish capital’s perennial also-rans, who are so often overmatched by the brutal riches of neighbors Real Madrid. 

Seeking friends

Nowhere is the sense of Ribera as a politician trying to hold back the tide stronger than inside the European Commission itself. 

She has few allies in the College of Commissioners, the EU’s executive board that oversees the bloc’s legislation. There are just four socialists on von der Leyen’s team of 27 — five if you count Maroš Šefčovič, whose Slovak party has been suspended from the group. 

The EPP dominates the college. And the Commission’s proposals have markedly shifted to incorporate right-leaning priorities.

While it’s often overstated how much the EU has backtracked on green issues — there is still broad consensus on the need to tackle climate change — the zeitgeist in Brussels, fed by intense corporate lobbying, is all about softening green regulation. 

Defense, deindustrialization, deregulation … Donald. These are the “d’s” raising heartbeats in the European capital in 2025. Decarbonization gets a flat line.

The Commission argues that its recent reforms have not compromised the Green Deal’s core mission — particularly when it comes to climate. It frames the changes as “simplification,” streamlining overly burdensome requirements.

That’s at least partly a euphemism, said François Gemenne, a Belgian political scientist from the HEC Paris business school.

“Whatever they might say and proclaim, there is some backtracking at the EU level when it comes to the Green Deal,” he said.

Ribera has tried to resist that decline.

“She constantly tries to downsize the intensity of the doctrinal shift within the Commission,” a Commission official said of Ribera. It’s an unfashionable place to be “if suddenly your priority as a Commission is to make life easier for businesses [and] she believes more in tight regulation.”

Both Teresa Ribera and Wopke Hoekstra’s teams insist they have an amicable and constructive relationship. | Oliver Hoslet/EPA

Ribera “has been working in close cooperation with the President,” said Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen in an emailed statement. “No College member works in isolation, politically or otherwise.”

As executive vice president, Ribera was given sweeping responsibilities by von der Leyen — but diffused power. She oversees the work of other commissioners when it relates to the Green Deal. 

There are two schools of thought about von der Leyen’s intent. In one sense, the structure dilutes Ribera’s power, guarding against the kind of policy fiefdom created by Ribera’s executive vice president predecessor, Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans. On the other hand it means Green Deal decisions come with a cross-party seal, potentially blunting EPP attacks.

The shared responsibilities have inevitably bred tensions. 

Hoekstra, an EPP politician who took over the climate brief in late 2023, was charged with drafting the 2040 target. 

Both Ribera and Hoekstra’s teams insist they have an amicable and constructive relationship. He and Ribera were “basically aligned” on the goal, according to the EU official. 

But at least twice, Ribera publicly preempted Hoekstra’s work, telling POLITICO that the final target would be 90 percent and saying it should heed the advice of a scientific advisory board that had just ruled out using international credits to meet the goal.

Meanwhile, officials from the climate department, who work for Hoekstra, have not always shared key documents from Ribera’s team. And while Hoekstra is subordinate to Ribera in von der Leyen’s org chart, Hoekstra directs the civil servants working on climate policy. 

“The way I see it, Wopke Hoekstra dominates on those issues,” an EPP official said. “Ribera is a bit marginalized in the Commission. Wopke has the EPP commissioners who tend to be on his side, and Ribera, as a social democrat, is pretty much alone.”

Nowhere is the sense of Teresa Ribera as a politician trying to hold back the tide stronger than inside the European Commission itself. | Oliver Hoslet/EPA 

Yet there the pair was on Wednesday, presenting their 2040 compromise together — Hoekstra in a crooked tie, Ribera unusually contained.

Yes, she acknowledged, the surge of public, political (and papal) concern that birthed the Green Deal and the Paris accord was “not the world of today.” But the EU wasn’t retreating, Ribera insisted: “We are here.” 

It was the same tone she struck in her April eulogy for Pope Francis — yearning for the recent past, defending the distant future, but mired in the political problems of the present.

Karl Mathiesen reported from Brussels and London. Zia Weise reported from Brussels.

These Are My Favorite Early Prime Day Deals on Robot Vacuums

There are steep discounts worth considering this week.

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Robot vacuums are incredibly useful, but tend to be expensive. Fortunately, I found some deep discounts leading up to Prime Day, coming up July 8-11 this year.

A budget robot goes on deeper discount

Yeedi, as a brand, tends to garner good ratings on Amazon and Reddit, and the C12 Pro Plus has two robot features I like: a vibrating mop pad, and a bagless dust container. It's usually a good buy at $499.99, and right now it's going for $299.97.

A Roborock under $300

Roborocks are consistently high performers when I test them. The Roborock Q7 M5+ is going to give you a self-emptying tower and 10,000Pa suction power—even at the normal price point of $429.99, that's impressive. This 35% off sale makes this Roborock well worth the (much smaller) investment.

This Dreame with premium features is half off

When I tested the Dreame L10S, I found that it felt premium, despite the mid-range price. In particular, I appreciated its high-performing vacuum—I was less hot on the mop, though. The L10S Pro Ultra is the next generation of that model, and ratings suggest that the mop is greatly improved. Normally $899.99, it's now almost half off.

A flagship robot vacuum on deep discount

The Dreame X40 Ultra actually is a premium model, which means you're getting a self-emptying tower, with a mop that cleans itself (it even auto dispenses detergent) and improved robot performance on both vacuuming and mopping. The app will also include some more flexible features around scheduling and obstacle avoidance. That usually comes at a premium price of $1499, but with the listed discount and a coupon available on the listing page, the price comes down to $949.99.

One of my favorite robot vacuums is $300 off

I think the Roborock Curv is, simply put, a fabulous robot vacuum and mop (here's my review). It has spectacular suction, mopping and vacuum power, and the tower is gorgeously designed. I recommend this model over and over again. It's well worth the full price of $1599.99, but on sale, I'd grab it.

Only the Third Ever Detected Interstellar Object May Be Whizzing Through Our Solar System Right Now

A11pl3z Orbit

Astronomers believe they've found just the third known interstellar object in history.A11pl3z Orbit

Astronomers believe they've found just the third known interstellar object in history.

Garmin’s New Cycling Computer Is Built for Mountain Bikers

If you're a mountain biker, this gadget is designed just for you.

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Mountain bikers, listen up: Garmin recently launched its latest cycling computer specifically tailored for you. The Edge MTB is designed to meet the unique needs of off-road riders.

For context, the Edge MTB represents a departure from Garmin's traditional one-size-fits-all approach to cycling computers. This device focuses pretty exclusively on mountain biking scenarios, incorporating specialized tracking modes and trail-specific functionality that road cyclists would never need.

Here's how the Edge MTB works, and what sets it apart from other cycling computers.

Profiles for different riding styles

The computer introduces two distinct ride profiles designed for different mountain biking disciplines. The "enduro" profile recognizes that mountain biking involves both climbing and descending phases, allowing riders to track these segments independently. Users can manually switch between climb and descent tracking with a button press, or rely on the automatic pause feature to handle the transitions.

The "downhill" profile addresses a common frustration among gravity-focused riders: the need to constantly pause and resume recording when using chairlifts or shuttle services. (Huge for us dual Strava-Garmin users). This mode intelligently filters out uphill travel that isn't pedaled, so that only actual descent time and statistics are recorded. This eliminates the tedious ritual of manually pausing the device every time riders board a lift or hop in a shuttle vehicle.

Better GPS for winding trails

Both specialized profiles utilize 5 Hz GPS recording, providing more frequent position updates than standard cycling computers. This higher sampling rate translates to improved accuracy when tracking the technical, winding paths typical of mountain bike trails.

The device also introduces virtual gates functionality, enabling riders to set checkpoint markers along trails to monitor split times across specific segments—useful for training or comparing performance on familiar routes.

Trail navigation features

The Edge MTB comes equipped with Forksight, which displays approaching trail names as riders navigate through trail networks. The device ships with preloaded Trailforks maps, giving users immediate access to trail information without requiring additional downloads or subscriptions.

Other features and specs

According to Garmin, the Edge MBT's battery performance reaches 14 hours of standard operation, extending to 26 hours with battery saver mode. It has a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass display and an IPX7 water resistance rating. Safety features include LiveTrack sharing and automatic incident detection.

The Edge MTB is available for $399.99, making it a mid-range option among Garmin's cycling computer lineup. Mountain bikers are sure to appreciate a computer that does more than simply treat off-road cycling as simply road cycling in a different environment.

Four Reasons Not to Use ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ for Your Prime Day Purchases

If you take on debt, that discount won't look like such a good deal.

Amazon's biggest sale of the year is right around the corner. As you're checking out the deals during Amazon's super-sized Prime Day—which will take place from July 8 to July 11, twice as long as usual—you might be tempted by Amazon's "affordable monthly payment system." Also known as "buy now, pay later" (BNPL), its pitch is alluring: Buy what I need now, and pay later, "on my own timeline?" Yes please! But as convenient as it sounds, you should think twice before using buy now, pay later options for Prime Day.

While BNPL plans can allow you to pay for purchases in installments without interest, they come with a cost can easily outweigh any Prime Day discounts. At least 16% of consumers using BNPL have missed payments, and 24% have said theoption caused them to overspend, according to a recent Bankrate survey. Let's take a look at the hidden costs of BNPL, and why you're better off paying upfront for all your Prime Day deals.

How does Amazon's buy now, pay later option work?

Amazon doesn't actually have its own buy now, pay later program. Instead, they've partnered up with major BNPL provider Affirm. When you're checking out on Amazon, you can select Affirm as a payment. The process is straightforward: you choose your items, select Affirm at checkout, complete a quick application, and receive an instant decision on your loan terms. Individual transactions initiated through Affirm are limited to $25,000, with a daily maximum of $100,000 across multiple purchases—but hopefully that won't come up in a single Prime Day splurge, right? (Right?!)

The main draw of these programs is the ability to "pay at your own pace." If you are required to pay a down payment, that is due at the time of the transaction. From there, your first monthly payment is usually due one month after your purchase is processed. Each following payment will be due one month later, on the same day of the month.

You can choose your own timeline, usually spanning 3, 6, 12, or 24 months, depending on the purchase amount and your creditworthiness. Unlike traditional credit cards, Affirm shows you the exact payment amount and total cost upfront, and claims no hidden fees or compound interest. (More on that below.)

Of course, you need a separate Affirm account in addition to your Amazon Prime membership. The application process requires basic information including your name, mobile phone number, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Affirm performs a soft credit check initially, which doesn't impact your credit score, though they may conduct a hard inquiry for some loans.

Now let's take a look at four major risks to consider before you hit that BNPL button:

It makes impulse spending easier

The ease of this sort of financing can make expensive purchases feel more affordable than they actually are. When you can buy a $800 tablet for "just $67 per month," it's easy to lose sight of the total cost, as well as your overall financial picture. In turn, this makes it all too easy to overspend on items you might not have purchased otherwise. You're better off taking a breath, stepping away from your shopping cart, and setting alerts to be notified when a product hits a price you can stomach.

You may be hit with unexpected interest charges

The biggest danger with BNPL is missing one of the recurring payments. Sure, the plans are marketed as interest-free financing. However, in many cases, that 0% interest offer only applies if you pay off the full balance by a specific due date. If you have even $1 remaining after that cutoff, interest starts accruing at rates as high as 36.99% in some cases. So buyer beware—it's easy to inadvertently end up with large interest charges if you're not vigilant about paying off the balance before the promotional period ends. Soon that discounted Prime Day deal won't look so affordable.

It can impact your credit score

Currently, BNPL plans don’t directly impact users’ credit scores. But this fall, FICO says it will start including BNPL payment histories in its credit score calculations. So if you miss payments or default on the installment plan, it will cause damage to your credit score—making it even harder to get approved for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, and other financing down the road. None of that risk is worth the Prime Day savings.

You'll have limited purchase protections

When you use a credit card, you get valuable purchase protections like extended warranty coverage, price protection, and the ability to dispute fraudulent charges. BNPL plans generally don't come with these safeguards. This means you're on the hook if something goes wrong with your Prime Day purchase and the retailer doesn't make things right. The smarter move is to only buy what you can afford during Amazon's Prime Day event, no matter how tempting those deals may seem.

Although installment plans are helpful if you really need to finance something major, it’s best to avoid taking on debt for everyday expenses. Better to wait for a good price for something you truly need and can afford to pay for right now. To that end, keep checking back for more of Lifehacker's Prime Day coverage to find the best deals available during this summer's sale.

You Can Set Price Alerts for Prime Day so You Don’t Overspend

Resist Amazon's price manipulation tactics by choosing the maximum you want to spend ahead of time.

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If you're an impulse buyer, you know that shopping events like Amazon's upcoming Prime Day can be bad. Even though we know Amazon is using all kinds of manipulation techniques to get us to buy things we don’t need, it still works, so this year, try setting your own prices and only choosing things you already want to buy before the big Prime Day sale. (It's July 8 through July 11 this year, in case you need to prepare yourself.)

How to “set your own prices” on Amazon

You can’t make Amazon lower its prices at your whim, but you can set up an alert system to let you know if anything you want to buy dips in price enough for it to make sense for you to purchase it. Below is a step-by-step guide to setting your own personal maximum price for any item sold by Amazon:

  • Identify the items you’d like to purchase and throw them into your Amazon wishlist. Make sure your wishlist is set to “public.”

  • Visit the Amazon price-tracking website CamelCamelCamel and make a free account. There are other price-tracking apps and websites that, more or less, do the same thing—Slick Deals, Honey, Keepa, etc.—so check out this overview of the best price-tracking tools if you want to compare them. Spoiler alert, though: CamelCamelCamel wins.

  • Click “import wishlist.” (You’ll have to copy and paste the URL from your Amazon wishlist.)

  • Once you’ve done that, CamelCamelCamel lets you add specific maximum prices (or percentage drops) for everything in your wishlist. Enter the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for each item in your list, and then you can tell it to send you an email when any item’s price drops to your set spending limit.

  • Ignore all the Prime Big Deal Days hype and wait for the email alert letting you know that your chosen items have become cheap enough for you to buy.

  • Spend the day feeling smug and agree with yourself that you actually are the smartest person alive. Don’t even look at Amazon’s website. Seriously. Well, maybe just for a second. This time you’ll have the willpower to avoid buying another chocolate fountain or a self-stirring mug with “SELF STIRRING MUG” written on the side, right? Right?

More ideas for imposing limits on your spending

If you want to take tech-based shopping guardrails beyond the basic "time to buy" alert system described above, here are some ideas.

  • Block ads: If you're the type of person who responds to online ads, you can block a ton of them with a simple tool or app. Here's our overview of the best ad-blocking software.

  • Track your expenses: Whether you do it with pencil and paper or use an app, seeing how much you're spending can be a powerful motivation to be more thrifty. Budgeting over time can even give you a bit of a surplus, so you can splurge when Prime Day rolls around if you want to.

  • Save up for something: Saving up for something in the future—a vacation, an electric surfboard, whatever—can make it easier to resist spending now.

  • Hit your internal pause button: If you can make a habit of waiting a day or two between thinking "I want those sunglasses" and entering your credit card numbers, you may decide your old sunglasses are just fine.

  • Set up a one-in-one-out system: For everything you buy or acquire, get rid of a similar item (or more!) to make room for it. Knowing something has to go if you hit "buy now" can stop you from making an impulse buy, and following this rule keeps your home less cluttered. Bonus points if you resell an item before getting a similar one. Make money before spending money, and save space while you're at it.

  • Consider professional help: It's normal and common to sometimes have a little difficulty controlling spending, but researchers say about 6% of Americans suffer from compulsive buying disorder which may be part of a larger psychological problem. So if your spending is driving you deep into debt, you're suffering real-world consequences based on your buying habits, or you just feel like shopping might be a problem for you, talk to a professional.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - Brushes With Death

En konstnär i nöd och mängder med uppdrag över hela världen är att vänta i denna expansion av Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Det är utan tvekan mitt favoritspel i år på grund av att det bjuder på fantastisk grafik, intressanta karaktärer, bra uppdragsdesign och fin musik. Böhmen kändes som en levande plats och det historiska detaljarbetet som låg till grund för detta projekt var enastående. Det var en fröjd att få följa Henry på nya äventyr i tvåan. I denna expansion väntas fler uppdrag, möten med karaktärer och twister i berättelsen. Det må inte vara lika storslaget som berättelsen i basspelet, men det är bra och värt din tid.

<bild>Henry försöker hitta någon som ropar på hjälp.</bild>

Det nya nedladdningsbara paketet går under namnet Brushes With Death. Och precis som det låter har det att göra med färg. Vi får träffa Voyta, en konstnär som behöver hjälp, som den gode samariten vi är väljer min Henry att assistera honom med sina problem. Han verkar dock lite märklig då han pratar med dödskallar och vill ha tillbaka sina stulna penslar. Om du väljer att hjälpa honom kommer du att bjudas på cirka 7-13 timmar äventyrande. Jag upptäckte ganska snabbt att det är bättre att spela på en nyare sparfil. Det beror på att den här expansionen låses upp efter bröllopet redan i akt 1. Du låser också upp några nya funktioner, rustningar och vapen.

Uppdragen är nästan alltid välskrivna och intressanta. De sållar sig inte in bland basspelets bästa men inte heller bland de sämsta. Kvaliteten på berättandet är genomgående bra. Det är lagom lång för prislappen, även om jag såklart önskar mig ännu mer innehåll. Tyvärr finns det inte så mycket mer än en välskriven berättelse. Det finns enbart ett nytt spelmässigt inslag och det är att du nu kan måla sköldar. Jag hoppas att vi får samma möjlighet med rustningar och kläder i ett framtida tillägg.

<bild>Det visar sig vara Voyta, en målare som är fastbunden.</bild>

När du låser upp möjligheten att skräddarsy din sköld kan du välja och vraka mellan mängder av alternativ. Dur har möjligheten att verkligen skapa din personliga sköld. Precis som du misstänker kan du såklart använda den i strid, vilket gör att det blir mer betydande för dig. Även om det finns nya vapen och rustningar är det denna funktion som är höjdpunkten i detta nedladdningsbara innehåll för mig. Jag hoppas att Warhorse Studios implementerar fler av dessa spelmässiga system med framtida innehåll.

På tal om spelmässiga system, uppdragen belyser också hur pass starka de ursprungliga systemen i basspelet är. Du kan använda dig av smygande, dialog, alkemi eller våld för att tackla uppdragen. Dialogvalen leder också till flera olika lösningar och kan ibland resultera i nya problem. Tyvärr har berättelsen väldigt lite med resten av spelet att göra. Detta är ett stickspår som står på egna ben och om du hade hoppats på nya spelmässiga system och en fortsättning på berättelsen är detta något annat.

<bild>Voyta är ingen normal målare utan pratar regelbundet med sin dödskalle.</bild>

I min recension av Kingdom Come Deliverance II berömde jag möjligheten att påverka berättelserna på olika sätt och detta är sant även här. Det är därför jag rekommenderar dig att spela detta innehåll tidigare i berättelsen så att du kan varva dessa uppdrag med annat du vill göra. Det blir också mer logiskt sett till hur tvåan slutar och hur pass låga insatserna från vår protagonist är med detta nya innehåll. Fler än fyra av uppdragen handlar om att hämta saker och leverera dessa till en person. Detta skär sig lite med de storslagna scenerna mot slutet av basspelet. Om du spelar detta innehåll med en ny karaktär passar det bättre in med den övergripande berättelsen. Av den orsaken är detta stickspår inte ett måste utan mer av någonting bra.

Om jag fick välja hade jag önskat mig lite mer innehåll. Jag hade gärna sett ett liknande system för sköldarna även för kläder, tyger och rustningar. Det ska såklart byggas in i världen så att om du köper målandet av mönster och färgsättningen av tyger, beroende på färgval skulle det kosta olika mycket. Vissa färger skulle också vara mer sällsynta och svåra att hitta. Färgen lila är ett exempel på en färg som var både dyr och svår att framställa under medeltiden. Jag hade också gärna sett ett inslag om att bygga upp en by igen som i ettan. Detta hade kunnat expanderats på så att det känns intressant och mer komplext. Vi vet att det kommer fler berättelser i detta format och jag hoppas att vi erbjuds lite fler intressanta spelmässiga inslag, som även påverkar äventyrandet i basspelet.

<bild>Det finns ofta flera vägar att lösa dina problem på. I detta tidiga uppdrag spelade jag om föremålen Voyta blev bestulen på. Du kan också stjäla eller mörda karaktärerna.</bild>

Jag har inte upptäckt några nya tekniska problem som inte fanns med i föregångaren, förutom ett enda. På konsol har det funnits en bugg som skapar flimmer och att saker laddas in och ut ur bild. Detta har jag även märkt av på dator. Träd och annat har en tendens att blixtra in i bild på vissa avstånd. Det är sällan så pass omfattande att det störde mig, men det är värt att nämna. Vid sidan av detta är en fröjd att titta på, precis som med basspelet. Det är ett av årets snyggaste spel och det är fantastiskt att se att Cryengine inte bara används, utan går att bygga imponerande rollspel med. Det är tacksamt att det fungerar så pass felfritt som detta gör med tanke på hur trasigt ettan var vid sin lansering. Ljudbilden är också bra med nytt välskrivet röstskådespel och fin musik. Den nya musiken är trivsam och passar berättelsen väl, även om det inte är många nya stycken.

Sammanfattningsvis är detta mer av Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Berättelsen tar dig mellan 7-12 timmar att klara av beroende på hur snabbt du gör uppdragen. Med flera slut och en möjlighet att bygga in detta i din genomspelning relativt tidigt får du ut mest av detta paket. Målandet av sköldar är toppen och möjliggör att du kan skräddarsy din karaktär på fler sätt än tidigare. Jag hoppas såklart att system som detta läggs in för allt annat du kan klä dig i. Uppdragen är inte riktigt lika vassa som i basspelet, men de är tillräckligt bra för att jag utan några större klagomål kan rekommendera dig detta. Vid sidan av grafiska buggar är detta ett bra tillägg. Det gör inte mycket nytt utan ökar mängden innehåll. Om du äger basspelet är detta en rekommendation. Äger du inte basspelet bör du spela det först.

<bild>Det nya racinguppdragen och pilbågsskytte från hästrygg roar. Det är dock inte en del av expansionen utan uppdrag alla fick gratis med den senaste uppdateringen.</bild>

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Your Anker Powerbank May Have Just Been Recalled

Issues with the lithium ion batteries have caused Anker to issue two voluntary recalls in the last few weeks. See if your power bank is one of the affected units.

Anker has issued two voluntary recalls of its popular power banks, both for reasons related to the lithium ion batteries inside the units. The first recall, earlier this month, was for PowerCore 10000 units sold between 2016 and 2022, over concerns of a potential fire risk. The second recall, issued this week for five additional units, including MagGo and Zolo power banks, relates to possible battery malfunctions that were detected during routine quality assurance testing. If you've got an Anker power bank, you'll definitely want to check to ensure it isn't one of the recalled units.

Which Anker power bank models are involved in the recall?

While the following models are affected, not every unit of these models are part of the recall. The recall of the MagGo and Zolo banks, for instance, only involved one battery supplier. Here's the list of the models potentially affected by the recalls.

  • Anker PowerCore 10000 power bank (Model: A1263)

  • Anker Power Bank (Model A1257 and Model A1647)

  • Anker MagGo Power Bank (Model A1652)

  • Anker Zolo Power Bank (Model A1681 and Model A1689)

How to see if your power bank is part of the Anker recall

To see if your specific unit is included in the recall, locate the model number of your Anker powerbank, which is usually located on the bottom of the unit. If your unit is one of the models above, visit the recall page on the Anker website. The page will direct you to the correct recall form, where you'll need to input the serial number on each unit, paying particular attention to characters that look like, like the letter "O" and the number "0" (good luck with that). As soon as you hit submit, you'll find out immediately if your unit is affected.

If your unit is part of the recall

If you find that your unit is affected, you should stop using it. Anker has instructions on how to safely dispose of a power unit—don't throw it out. Due to the lithium ion battery, you'll need to use a Household Hazardous Waste collection drop point. Your city probably has at least one facility that handles this type of waste. Regardless, you should not dispose of the unit until Anker confirms your unit is affected.

What compensation is Anker offering

In the United States, Anker is letting consumers choose whether they prefer a replacement unit or a gift card. Fair warning, the gift card is only usable on the Anker website.

Amazon just revealed its biggest Echo Show smart display yet

This Mac App Changed the Way I Give Presentations

It's perfect for when you need to reference your own notes while presenting on an external display.

Referencing notes on your laptop while you're using it to give a presentation is always awkward. If you mirror your displays, there's no way to see your notes without showing them to your audience, which isn't ideal. But using multiple displays is also kind of clumsy—you need to move your mouse from one display to the other every time you want to advance slides, which can throw you off.

There's no perfect solution to this problem, but a Mac app called Beeno comes close. This free, open source application by developer Uli Kaufmann places your entire second display in a window on your primary display. The basic idea is that you'll be able to see the presentation on your laptop without having to turn around and look at the display behind you. This means you can see the slides in front of you, instead of having to turn around to look at the presentation screen. It also means you can see and scroll through your notes and take control of the presentation, all on one screen.

Using the application is simple: You just need to run it when you have two displays connected. You will need to provide the appropriate permissions before everything starts working, and a window on your primary display will automatically pop up, showing you everything on the secondary display. The window is scalable, meaning you can resize it to fit alongside your notes or anything else you need to reference during the presentation. If you need to switch which display is in the window, you can right-click the menu bar and choose a different one.

I've been playing around with Beeno for a few weeks, and it works quite well—certainly I don't think I'll be awkwardly looking behind me during a presentation ever again.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remaster

Medan andra har tjatat om {Bloodborne}, {F-Zero}, {Half-Life} och {Hollow Knight: Silksong} varenda gång det är dags för spelevent, har jag istället hållit tummarna för ett livstecken från Onimusha. Det var något med framför allt de två första spelen som klickade så oerhört väl för mig för knappt 25 år sedan att jag inte riktigt kunnat glömma dem.

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Men det har tyvärr Capcom gjort. Men under The Game Awards I December hände det till slut, {Onimusha: Way of the Sword} utannonserades. Kanske för att påminna alla om serien och göra varumärket relevant igen, utannonserades även en remaster av 2002 års {Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny}, och under den senaste veckan har jag haft förmånen att få spela igenom äventyret.

<bild>För den som gillar jappanskt historia finns mycket att hämta, med en övernaturlig twist.</bild>

Denna remaster ligger oerhört nära originalet, och det finns inget nytt innehåll att tala om utöver lite fanservice i menyerna bestående av en massa konceptbilder, möjlighet att lyssna igenom musiken och spela ett antal minispel. Capcom har dock ändrat lite i spelkontrollen som att du nu kan byta vapen snabbare och om jag inte blivit väldigt mycket skickligare gamer under de två decennier som gått sedan jag spelade det sist - så tror jag också svårighetsgraden skruvats ner något. Det har dock kompenserat med ett extra jävligt läge kallat Hell, vilket jag inte tänker befatta mig med.

Om du inte spelat Onimusha tidigare, så är det ett slags felande länk mellan gamla {Resident Evil}-spel och {Ninja Gaiden}. Capcom använder här sina statiska bakgrunder och kameravinklar till att berätta en ultrajapansk historia istället för att överleva Raccoon City, och du slipper även navigera med frambenet som Chris Redfield och Jill Valentine gjorde, och de styltiga striderna saknas helt. Istället får du ett riktigt följsamt stridssystem till ditt förfogande där du kan ta dig an större mängder fiender samtidigt.

<bild>Striderna är smidiga med ett intressant system för kontringar.</bild>

I stora drag har du närstridsvapen (varianter av svärd, spjut och liknande) och avståndsvapen (exempelvis pil och båge samt gevär) till ditt förfogande, medan vilka du mejar ner fiender på löpande band. För att skapa lite speldjup finns dock även specialförmågor att ta till, vilka dock kostar olika typer av magipoäng för att hindra missbruk. Dessa är i synnerhet matnyttiga mot bossar och består av egenskapen som att få en motståndare att stå still, samt aktivera en superförmåga som gör att du för en kort stund kan dela ut massor av stryk utan att själv ta skada.

Den stora twisten hittar vi dock i ett riktigt spännande kontringsläge. Istället för att försöka tajma med en blockknapp, är anfall bästa försvar och får du in din attack när motståndaren utför sin, så slår du ihjäl rackaren direkt, och du kan även köra flera stycken om det är många motståndare du tampas mot. Dessutom finns ett ganska flexibelt system där dina motståndare släpper ifrån sig "genma" som du kan absorbera, vilket ger liv, magi och möjlighet att uppgradera din utrustning. Dessa genma är dock flyktiga och försvinner och du inte hinner absorbera dem med ett tryck på B-knappen, vilket ofta ger intressanta ställningstaganden i strid eftersom jag gärna vill ha min genma - men vill helst samtidigt också undvika att bli ihjälslagen.

<bild>Det finns ett härligt persongalleri av potentiella allierade, med charmigt B-filmsdoftande dialog.</bild>

Så långt allt väl, men systemet med fasta bakgrunder och kameravinklar visar tyvärr ofta sin ålder i striderna. Går du lite för mycket till vänster kan du hamna i en ny skärm och är plötsligt vänd åt helt fel håll och ser inte längre fienden du just slogs mot. I bossfighterna blir det ofta ännu värre när de snabbt rör sig ur bild och du inte kan se var de hamnat eftersom du inte kan rotera kameran. En viss charm har det onekligen, men låt oss inte låtsas som att detta är något vi skulle vilja ha mer av i dagens spelvärld. Det försvann av en anledning och hinner bli frustrerande otaliga gånger under det runt tio timmar långa äventyret.

<bild>De fasta kameravinklarna gör att du kan få ett helt annat perspektiv om du rör dig lite för mycket och du får ofta slåss mot fiender du inte ser trots att du är vänd mot dem.</bild>

Storyn kretsar kring demonfursten Oda Nobunaga som är tillbaka från de döda för att sprida död och förintelse omkring sig, vilket vi får ett smakprov på i ett synnerligen brutalt intro. Så kan vi inte ha det, och därför axlar vi rollen som Jubei Yagyu, en Onimusha med uppdraget att sätta stopp för Nobunagas demoniska framfart. Storyn berättas huvudsakligen i mellansekvenser och text, och för tankarna till japanska lågbudgetfilmer - vilket kan låta hårt, men det är något jag faktiskt gillar. Den som kan sin manga och animé kommer också känna igen sig då berättandet är rakt på sak, fyllt av torr humor och bjuder på inslag som hade känts helt omöjliga att skriva i dagens samhälle, och jag är nästan förvånad (men glad) över att Capcom inte valt att slopa eller skriva om vissa bitar.

<bild>Tänk de gamla Resident Evil-spelen från första Playstation kompletterat med action från Ninja Gaiden och du har {Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remaster}.</bild>

Till detta kommer allierade som dyker upp under äventyrets gång, lite beroende på hur du behandlat dem. På bästa {Animal Crossing}-manér förväntas du samla in och köpa presenter att ge dem, där det gäller att veta vem som ska ha vad. Är det Magoichi Saiga som ska ha spriten eller kikaren, och passar det att ge en röd papegoja till Kotaro Fuma? Den enda som är lätt att lista ut vad man ska ge till är Oyu of Odani, en kvinna som därför gillar smycken, parfym och speglar. Genom att skämma bort dina vänner kan du få dem att assistera vid olika tillfällen, vilket gör att du på sätt och viss kan skräddarsy ett annars väldigt rakt och rättframt äventyr.

Det är ofta svårt att recensera en remaster och ställa dem sida vid sida mot dagens spel. Åldern lyser ofta igenom - det är ju trots allt gamla titlar - och hade ett spel släppts idag med samma upplägg så hade jag inte varit så förlåtande. Det blir en slags särbehandling, men faktum är att jag tycker Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny ändå står sig ganska väl. Visst, alla instruktioner presenteras genom en textvägg istället för att pedagogiskt läras ut, dialogen känns idag underutvecklad och banal samt att striderna hämmas av de låsta kameravinklarna.

<bild>Bossarna kan tyvärr bli lite frustrerande, men svårighetsgraden känns lite lägre denna gång så det blir aldrig besvärligt.</bild>

Men samtidigt finns det inget som riktigt liknar det Onimusha-serien erbjuder. Här finns massor av japanskt mumbojumbo att gotta sig åt, 1500-talsvärlden är härligt designad och Jubei Yagyu samt hans vänner är alla härliga karaktärer. Dessutom hinner spelet aldrig bli frustrerande eller utdraget tack vare det lite smidigare spelsystemet och faktumet att det bara är runt tio timmar långt. Så... vill du ha ett ultrajapanskat samurajäventyr att trivas med och kan stå ut med att dess grunder etablerades till Playstation 2, Gamecube och Xbox - så tycker jag absolut att du ska slå till.

These Are the Best Price-Tracking Tools

As a shopping writer prepping for Prime Day, I use Camelcamelcamel, Honey, SlickDeals, and others to help me determine whether online deals are, well, the real deal.

If you’ve ever felt like you were duped by overpaying for something that was advertised as a “great deal,” you’re in the right place. It’s easy to get caught up in frenzied online shopping holidays like the upcoming Prime Day sale, with competition from Best Buy, Target, and Walmart especially when these retailers sometimes sneak price hikes before major “sales” or deceive shoppers with tricks to spend more than you intended to.

Figuring out the best time to buy something requires constant watch over ever-fluctuating online prices and some knowledge of how prices have changed in the past. As a shopping and deals writer, that is what I do for a living, and I know how time-consuming it can be. Luckily, you don’t have to figure it all out yourself: Here are the best websites and extensions I've been using for years to check price history and track prices so that you can be sure you’re getting the best deal possible.

The best Amazon price tracker: Camelcamelcamel

Camelcamelcamel price history on website
Credit: Camelcamelcamel.com

CamelCamelCamel is among the best ways to track prices on Amazon products. You can install the browser extension (on Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari) to get access to the site’s features without leaving Amazon, or you can just copy and paste an Amazon link or product name to the website’s search bar. CamelCamelCamel shows you how the price of the item has gone up or down over time, how prices have changed through Amazon directly, and the fluctuations from third-party Amazon sellers who list new and used items.

If you sign up for a free account, you can set up alerts so the site can notify you by email when the price of an item drops below a certain amount, if you can get it used for a given price, or if it’s at an all-time low and now is a good time to buy. You can even see previous historic highs and lows and try to map out the best time to strike.

The best price tracker for most online retailers and to compare prices: Honey

Honey price history on website
Credit: Honey.com

You've probably already heard of the "Honey influencer scam" that blew up in December of 2024. Essentially, Honey hijacked affiliate links from influencers who were sponsoring them. Also, in many instances, it deliberately chose not to give the best coupons to users who used the extension (going completely against its business model). Honey is not alone in this behavior. Many coupon aggregator companies hijack affiliate links; Honey just happens to be in the spotlight because it's the biggest one. Use your own judgment if you choose to use any of its services.

The bad news for those looking for a price-tracking tool that can be used for most online retailers is that Honey is the only option. The good news is that Honey's price-tracking tool can't scam you or give you subpar coupons. The Honey browser extension compares prices from a whole bunch of retailers, not just Amazon. You can create a Droplist, which notifies you if the prices drop for an item on your list if you’re willing to wait for a deal. Here is what creating a Droplist can do for you:

First, it’ll keep the items you want to keep tabs on organized and easily accessible. Second, it’ll track the prices of those products and alert you when they go on sale at any major retailer. You can see how much those prices cost leading up to the sale to see if they are, in fact, good deals or a trick from retailers to take advantage of you, and even compare them with other major retailers to see who has the best deal. You can see how to set up your droplist here.

As long as you don't buy the products using a Honey link, you won't be giving money to the service. You can still use their tool to your advantage without giving them any of the affiliate revenue. Until there's a better alternative, Honey is the only option that can instantly pull up price histories and track prices for multiple retailers with a browser extension (for now).

The best tool to compare prices: Capital One Shopping

Screenshot from Amazon using the Capital One Shopping browser extension
Credit: Amazon.com

Capital One Shopping, previously known as Wikibuy, compares prices from other sellers when you shop on Amazon. The browser extension will notify you if a product you are looking at is cheaper somewhere else, and offers a summary of pricing history, estimated delivery time, and total price, including tax and shipping. If you can apply a coupon, it’ll add that as well. When the price drops for a product you’ve viewed, Capital One Shopping will notify you. When you shop, you can earn credits for your purchases at some websites, like Walmart and eBay, that Capital One Shopping has partnered with. You can trade that credit for gift cards or put it toward purchases through Capital One Shopping’s site.

The extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, and an iOS app allows you to scan barcodes and search products to do price comparisons from your phone.

The best price tracker tool for gamers: CheapShark

Three stores on the CheapShark website showing you discounts
Credit: CheapShark.com

While most of the others in the roundup focus on products like electronics, apparel, household goods, and appliances, CheapShark is a great option for those looking to save money on video games. CheapShark combines all of the great places to get discounts on games in one place, one easily searchable directory and database of current prices from sites including Steam, GoG, Green Man Gaming, GameStop, Amazon, and more. Of course, it’s limited to video games, but you can search a game name not just to see how much it’ll cost you to buy, but even if you can buy it at all—and which retailer has it available. If you want, you can even filter by games currently on sale at their selected stores.

When you search for a specific game, CheapShark tells you what the cheapest-ever price was, when it hit that price, and gives you the choice to either go ahead and buy it from your choice of retailer or to sign up for a price notification if it drops again.

Honorable mentions

Keepa: Practical price-tracking tool for Amazon and eBay

Price history of the AirPods on Amazon
Credit: Amazon.com using the Keepa browser extension

Keepa works very similarly to Camelcamelcamel, but instead of clicking on the extension to see the price history, it'll be automatically displayed below the image of the product. This helps if clicking on the extension or installing is one click too much for you. Keepa also lets you track specific products and sends you notifications when they go below a specific price that you set. It also works on eBay. You can download the extension for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Edge, and Safari.

SlickDeals: Great for finding deals and checking prices

SlickDeals is known for bringing you up-to-the-minute discounts, coupons, and other deals from around the web, but its web-based price tracker is also great for watching prices on just about any item on Amazon and on a ton of other popular shopping sites, like Newegg, Gamestop, Chewy, Home Depot, and others.

Price history from SlickDeals for Nintendo Switch OLED
Credit: SlickDeals

The service doesn’t give you a detailed price history like some of the others in the roundup—it only shows a “deal history” under the “price intelligence” section for a few popular products. However, it will track the price of your item from when you create an alert and send you an email if the price drops below a threshold that you set. You can also return to the price tracker at any time, log in to your account, and see all of your tracked items on the same screen.

MacBook Pro With OLED Display Expected Next Year — Without a Notch?

The first MacBook Pro models with OLED displays are still expected to launch next year.


Omdia analyst Linda Lin reiterated the 2026 timeframe for the first MacBook models with OLED displays in a recent research note. While she did not mention the MacBook Pro specifically, it is widely expected that OLED displays will debut in the higher-end MacBook Pro models before the lower-end MacBook Air models.

When the MacBook Pro switches from mini-LED to OLED display technology, benefits will include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more.

Overall, the MacBook Pro is expected to receive its first major redesign since 2021 next year, with rumored changes including an OLED display and a thinner design. Apple will also be on to the M6, M6 Pro, and M6 Max chips by then.

In December 2024, Omdia intriguingly claimed that next year's MacBook Pro models will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the screen, instead of a notch. It is unclear if this rumor was accurate, or if that change remains on Apple's roadmap.

If you are considering purchasing a new MacBook Pro, it might be best to hold off until next year if you are able to wait. Apple will likely update the MacBook Pro line with the M5 series of chips later this year, but not much is expected beyond that spec bump. The more significant changes mentioned above should arrive by October 2026.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: Omdia
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

This article, "MacBook Pro With OLED Display Expected Next Year — Without a Notch?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Elden Ring: Nightreign

Elden Ring, From Softwares kritikerrosade action-rollspel, slog ner som en bomb för tre år sedan, och även om spelets grundare Hidetaka Miyazaki i omgångar har hävdat att en del två inte varit under utveckling så står vi nu här inför lanseringen av Elden Ring: Nightreign Visst, det går såklart att argumentera för att Nightreign inte är en regelrätt uppföljare utan bara ett sidospår från ett redan etablerat varumärke, men det går samtidigt inte att komma ifrån att det återigen har blivit dags att återvända till "Landet Däremellan", och den här gången kan man dessutom göra det tillsammans med två vänner.

För där Elden Ring år 2022 fokuserade på att bygga upp ett maffigt äventyr för endast en spelare (även om vissa multiplayer-funktioner såklart fanns inbakade) så erbjuder Nightreign en helt ny inriktning där fart och fläkt tillsammans med delad glädje är ledorden. Borta är nämligen möjligheten att ta allt i sitt eget tempo och få lov att undersöka varenda vrå för att sedan systematiskt kunna planera sin framfart genom giftiga träskmarker och demonfyllda slott. För så fort du sätter foten i Limgrave denna gången så börjar en osynlig klocka att ticka ner, och inom kort kommer du och dina kumpaner känna hur en blå eldcirkel tar sig allt närmare och tvingar er att lägga benen på ryggen.
<bild>Round Table Hold agerar återigen samlingsplats för våra hjältar, men den familjära känslan blandas ypperligt med nya tillägg.</bild>
Konceptet skulle kortfattat kunna beskrivas likt en Battle Royale-titeln där liknande cirklar av olika slag har fungerat för att fösa spelare mot varandra, men i Nightreigh handlar det istället om att tvinga fram ett högre tempo och lära spelare att göra smartare val från gång till gång. Första gången jag spelade sprang jag exempelvis mest runt och försökte se och uppleva så mycket som möjligt, men detta ledde bara till att min karaktär blev extremt illa förberedd för farorna som väntade när dagen gick mot natt. För när solen går i moln vankas det alltid en bosstrid, och då jag endast var utrustat med ett simpelt svärd (och med någon ynka erfarenhetsnivå under bälte) lärde jag mig snabbt att framgång kommer från såväl fingerfärdighet som förmågan att planera inför farorna runt hörnet.
<bild>Du bygger inte din egen karaktär den här gången utan du måste välja mellan ett flertal olika kämpar inför varje expedition. Vissa använder sig av olika tillhyggen, andra skjuter med distansvapen medans somliga nyttjar magi.</bild>
Premissen handlar nämligen om att överleva tre nätter i följd där successivt svårare monster ställs i ens väg. Att endast förlita sig på snabba reflexer och tålamod är således inte den ultimata strategin att förlita sig på, utan du och dina kamrater behöver inför varje ny dag ge er ut och bli starkare inför det som komma skall. Att bli starkare kan dock ske på olika sätt. Förutom att tukta diverse mindre otyg och stjäla deras eftertraktade runor kan man exempelvis leta upp starkare fiender som både ger mer erfarenhetspoäng och möjligheten till bättre utrustning. Man kan även ge sig ut på jakt efter olika föremål för att uppgradera sitt arsenal eller fylla fickorna med olika hjälpmedel, och emellanåt måste man väga fördelarna med leta efter något specifikt med att tackla motståndet med ett mer öppet sinne och en mer allmän taktik.
<bild>Vid vissa tillfällen kan man som spelare använda sig av en spök-hök (spectral hawk på engelska) för att ta sig till nya platser.</bild>
Du är dock som sagt inte ensam i din kamp mot ondskan utan du har för det mesta både en och två medhjälpare vid din sida. Antingen kan man styra upp en session med vänner och bekanta för att få den bästa upplevelsen, eller så kan man ta till det uppkopplade nätets bakgator och söka efter glada främlingar att möta nattens mörker med. För min egen del, då detta har varit ett recensionsuppdrag, har jag för det mesta varit tvungen att förlita mig till matchmaking-processen, och trots att spelet ännu inte är lanserat så har det varit tämligen enkelt att hitta medspelare. Någon enstaka gång har timern förvisso tickat över ett par minuter, men överlag har jag inom några sekunder parats samman med två andra ovetande amatörer och sedan burit iväg mot ännu ett annalkande nederlag.

Det ska förövrigt sägas att det går att spela på egen hand, men det är något jag inte skulle rekommendera, åtminstone inte som ens primära sätt att uppleva detta äventyr. Förutom att det är betydligt svårare att vara själv när monster anfaller från alla håll och kanter så känns det verkligen som titeln är byggd med multiplayer i såväl första, andra och tredje rummet. Att spela på egen hand ger en visserligen möjligheten att få en känsla för miljöerna och lista ut var intressanta markörer på kartan befinner sig utan att två andra spelare står och stampar fötter, men underhållningen minskar kraftigt om man agerar solo - och detta kommer från någon som i regel föredrar singleplayer framför multiplayer-häng.
<bild>Att öppna skattkistor är viktigt för att komma över nya vapen och föremål.</bild>
Att säga att Nightreign spelas som Elden Ring, fast i sällskap med andra, hade dock varit att fara med osanning. From Software har gjort ett par betydande förändringar för att passa det nya spelsättet man vill förmedla, och de flesta handlar om att få till smidighet och ett större fokus på rörelse. Din karaktär kan nämligen manövrera sig betydligt kvickare den här gången, och både med hjälp av ett snabbare rörelsemönster och möjligheten att ta till skyn för att glida mot nya platser så öppnas spelplanen upp på ett sätt där man ständigt känner att man är på väg mot nya mål. Du kan dessutom klättra över olika hinder och väggar för att ta dig till nya platser, och en stor skillnad från tidigare Souls-äventyr är att du inte tar skada av att falla från höga höjder, utan du kan slunga dig från klippor, slottsmurar och stup utan att mötas av en illröd "You Died-text".
<bild>Efter varje omgång kan man se hur man presterade och vilka vägar man valde.</bild>
Att bita i gräset kommer du dock att göra även den här gången, men att se sig besegrad är sällan slutet både i det korta eller långa loppet. Skulle din hälsomätare slå i golvet så kan nämligen dina kumpaner rädda dig genom att bokstavligen anfalla din fallna karaktär. Systemet kan uppfattas som tämligen komiskt första gången då ens vapenbröder slungar sina svärd, yxor och spjut mot ens krampaktiga kropp, men att inte behöva förlita sig på en specifik återuppplivnings-sekvens gör att man som spelare bara behöver fokusera på att dela ut skada då samma knapptryckningar kan ha dubbla användningsområden, beroende på vilken situation man befinner sig i. Dör du däremot många gånger på raken utan att ha besökt en checkpoint (de så kallade lost grace-platserna från originalet) så blir det svårare för dina vänner att rädda dig på nytt, och det gäller att hålla koll på sina nederlag så man inte blir en belastning när starkare fiender står och knackar på dörren. Skulle ni alla däremot falla under natten (då en stark boss gör entre) så är det Game Over för den här gången, och det är bara att börja om från början.

Även om dina framsteg för en specifik omgång sedan går förlorad när du möter ditt öde ute i fält så betyder det dock inte att du inte utvecklas från gång till gång. Efter varje expedition så belönas man nämligen med olika stenar med slumpmässiga attribut som kan stärka dina karaktär, och det är dessa som gör att man ständigt är villig att spela ännu en omgång då man kan komma över något som gör stor skillnad inför framtida sessioner. Det förekommer dessutom inga mikrotransaktioner av något slag, och överlag känns det som om From Software inte vill att man ska kunna köpa sig till framgång, något som uppskattas väldigt mycket av undertecknad.
<bild>Under resans gång får du lära dig mer om varje karaktärs bakgrund, och varför de agerar som de gör.</bild>
I slutändan så har jag haft otroligt roligt tillsammans med Elden Ring Nightreign, även om det på många sätt är extremt annorlunda från det som fick mig att bli förälskad i Souls-serien från första början. Initialt kände jag mig skeptisk till om fokuset på multiplayer tillsammans med ett snabbare spelsätt var rätt väg att gå, men när nattens faror väl sätter klorna i en så är det svårt att inte vilja komma tillbaka efter mer. Nightreign erbjuder nämligen en ny tolkning av ett redan familjärt recept, och med en etablerad design är det lätt att känna sig som hemma även om mycket är nytt på samma gång. Detta blir således en perfekt inkörsport för såväl nya som gamla spelare, där de snabbare spelmomenten bjuder in dem som har tyckt att föregångarna varit för långsamma samtidigt som fokuset på flerspelarglädje och tempo ger veteranerna ytterligare en anledning till att spela mer av ett av världens bästa spel.

För jag belönade, som några av er kanske kommer ihåg, Elden Ring med en fullpoängare år 2022 då jag tyckte att From Software lyckades förädla sin formel till perfektion samtidigt som man flätade samman nya beståndsdelar som ökande underhållningsvärdet till något utöver det vanliga. Nu när kalendern visar 2025 kommer jag förvisso inte dela ut någon nya tia, men det betyder inte att jag inte är lika fylld av förundran och viljan att spela mer av som jag var för tre år sedan. Elden Ring Nightreign erbjuder nämligen en ljuvlig blandning mellan gammalt och nytt, och trots att det rör sig mer om ett sidospår framför en regelrätt uppföljare så är denna avstickare värd att vandra för alla som gillar multiplayer-häng och rollspelsmys av högsta kvalitet.
<bild>Ingen fullpoängare, men Elden Ring Nightreign är fortfarande ett väldigt bra spel.</bild>

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support.

Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you send text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable. This feature will work without an iPhone, he said.

Gurman also expects the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to support a special version of 5G for smartwatches. The existing Ultra models support LTE.

Last year, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 received a black titanium case option, but otherwise the Ultra model has not received any hardware upgrades since 2023.

Other likely upgrades for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 include an S10 chip or newer, faster charging, and a wide-angle OLED display that is brighter when viewed from an angle and offers a higher refresh rate for the always-on display mode. All of these improvements were already introduced on the Apple Watch Series 10 last year.

In March, Gurman said Apple was still experiencing issues with a planned blood pressure monitoring feature for the Apple Watch, so it is unclear if that will be ready in time for the Ultra 3, which should launch in a little over two months from now.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 2
Related Forum: Apple Watch

This article, "Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Electric Geek Transportation Systems

I’ve never thought of myself as a “car person.” The last new car I bought (and in fact, now that I think about it, the first new car I ever bought) was the quirky 1998 Ford Contour SVT. Since then, we bought a

Electric Geek Transportation Systems

I’ve never thought of myself as a “car person.” The last new car I bought (and in fact, now that I think about it, the first new car I ever bought) was the quirky 1998 Ford Contour SVT. Since then, we bought a VW station wagon in 2011 and a Honda minivan in 2012 for family transportation duties. That’s it. Not exactly the stuff The Stig’s dreams are made of.

The station wagon made sense for a family of three, but became something of a disappointment because it was purchased before — surprise! — we had twins. As Mark Twain once said:

Sufficient unto the day is one baby. As long as you are in your right mind don’t you ever pray for twins. Twins amount to a permanent riot. And there ain’t any real difference between triplets and an insurrection.

I’m here to tell you that a station wagon doesn’t quite cut it as a permanent riot abatement tool. For that you need a full sized minivan.

I’m with Philip Greenspun. Like black socks and sandals, minivans are actually… kind of awesome? Don’t believe all the SUV propaganda. Minivans are flat out superior vehicle command centers. Swagger wagons, really.

Electric Geek Transportation Systems

The A-Team drove a van, not a freakin’ SUV. I rest my case.

After 7 years, the station wagon had to go. We initially looked at hybrids because, well, isn’t that required in California at this point? But if you know me at all, you know I’m a boil the sea kinda guy at heart. I figure if you’re going to flirt with partially electric cars, why not put aside these half measures and go all the way?

Do you remember that rapturous 2014 Oatmeal comic about the Tesla model S? Even for a person who has basically zero interest in automobiles, it did sound really cool.

It’s been 5 years, but from time to time I’d see some electric vehicle on the road and I’d think about that Intergalactic SpaceBoat of Light and Wonder. Maybe it’s time for our family to jump on the electric car trend, too, and just late enough that we can avoid the bleeding edge and end up merely on the… leading edge?

That’s why we’re now the proud owners of a fully electric 2019 Kia Niro.

I’ve somehow gone from being a person who basically doesn’t care about cars at all… to being one of those insufferable electric car people who won’t shut up about them. I apologize in advance. If you suddenly feel an overwhelming urge to close this browser tab, I don’t blame you.

I was expecting another car, like the three we bought before. What I got, instead, was a transformation:

  • Yes, yes, electric cars are clean, but it’s a revelation how clean everything is in an electric. You take for granted how dirty and noisy gas based cars are in daily operation – the engine noise, the exhaust fumes, the brake dust on the rims, the oily residues and thin black film that descends on everything, the way you have to wash your hands every time you use the gas station pumps. You don’t fully appreciate how oppressive those little dirty details were until they’re gone.
  • Electric cars are (almost) completely silent. I guess technically in 2019 electric cars require artificial soundmakers at low speed for safety, and this car has one. But The Oatmeal was right. Electric cars feel like spacecraft because they move so effortlessly. There’s virtually no delay from action to reaction, near immediate acceleration and deceleration… with almost no sound or vibration at all, like you’re in freakin’ space! It’s so immensely satisfying!
  • Electric cars aren’t just electric, they’re utterly digital to their very core. Gas cars always felt like the classic 1950s Pixar Cars world of grease monkeys and machine shop guys, maybe with a few digital bobbins added here and there as an afterthought. This electric car, on the other hand, is squarely in the post-iPhone world of everyday digital gadgets. It feels more like a giant smartphone than a car. I am a programmer, I’m a digital guy, I love digital stuff. And electric cars are part of my world, rather than the other way around. It feels good.
  • Electric cars are mechanically much simpler than gasoline cars, which means they are inherently more reliable and cheaper to maintain. An internal combustion engine has hundreds of moving parts, many of which require regular maintenance, fluids, filters, and tune ups. It also has a complex transmission to translate the narrow power band of a gas powered engine. None of this is necessary on an electric vehicle, whose electric motor is basically one moving part with simple 100% direct drive from the motor to the wheels. This newfound simplicity is deeply appealing to a guy who always saw cars as incredibly complicated (but computers, not so much).
  • Being able to charge at home overnight is perhaps the most radical transformation of all. Your house is now a “gas station.” Our Kia Niro has a range of about 250 miles on a full battery. With any modern electric car, provided you drive less than 200 miles a day round trip (who even drives this much?), it’s very unlikely you’ll ever need to “fill the tank” anywhere but at home. Ever. It’s so strange to think that in 50 years, gas stations may eventually be as odd to see in public as public telephone booths now are. Our charger is, conveniently enough, right next to the driveway since that’s where the power breaker box was. With the level 2 charger installed, it literally looks like a gas pump on the side of the house, except this one “pumps”… electrons.
Electric Geek Transportation Systems

This electric car is such a great experience. It’s so much better than our gas powered station wagon that I swear, if there was a fully electric minivan (there isn’t) I would literally sell our Honda minivan tomorrow and switch over. Without question. And believe me, I had no plans to sell that vehicle two months ago. The electric car is that much better.

I was expecting “yet another car,” but what I got instead was a new, radical worldview. Driving a car powered by barely controlled liquid fuel detonations used to be normal. But in an world of more and more viable electric vehicles this status quo increasingly starts to feel… deeply unnatural. Electric is so much better of an overall experience that you begin to wonder: why did we ever do it that way?

Gas cars seem, for lack of a better word, obsolete.

Electric Geek Transportation Systems

How did this transformation happen, from my perspective, so suddenly? When exactly did electric cars go from “expensive, experimental thing for crazy people” to “By God, I’ll never buy another old fashioned gasoline based car if I can help it”?

I was vaguely aware of the early electric cars. I even remember one coworker circa 2001 who owned a bright neon green Honda Insight. I ignored it all because, like I said, I’m not a car guy. I needed to do the research to understand the history, and I started with the often recommended documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?

This is mostly about the original highly experimental General Motors EV1 from 1996 to 1999. It’s so early the first models had lead-acid batteries! 😱 There’s a number of conspiracy theories floated in the video, but I think the simple answer to the implied question in the title is straight up price. The battery tech was nowhere near ready, and per the Wikipedia article the estimated actual cost of the car was somewhere between $100,000 and $250,000 though I suspect it was much closer to the latter. It is interesting to note how much the owners (well, leasers) loved their EV1s. Having gone through that same conversion myself, I empathize!

I then watched the sequel, Revenge of the Electric Car. This one is essential, because it covers the dawn of the modern electric car we have today.

This chronicles the creation of three very influential early electric cars – the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and of course the Tesla Roadster from 2005 - 2008. The precise moment that Lithium-Ion batteries were in play – that’s when electric cars started to become viable. Every one of these three electric cars was well conceived and made it to market in volume, though not without significant challenges, both internal and external. None of them were perfect electric vehicles by any means: the Roadster was $100k, the Leaf had limited range, and the Volt was still technically a hybrid, albeit only using the gasoline engine to charge the battery.

Ten years later, Tesla has the model 3 at $38,000 and we bought our Kia Niro for about the same price. After national and state tax incentives and rebates, that puts the price at around $30,000. It’s not as cheap as it needs to be… yet. But it’s getting there. And it’s already competitive with gasoline vehicles in 2019.

Electric Geek Transportation Systems

It’s still early, but the trend lines are clear. And I’m here to tell you that right now, today, I’d buy any modern electric car over a gasoline powered car.

If you too are intrigued by the idea of owning an electric car, you should be. It’s freaking awesome! Bring your skepticism, as always; I highly recommend the above Matt Ferrell explainer video on electric vehicle myths.

As for me, I have seen the future, and it is absolutely, inexorably, and unavoidably… electric.⚡

Blumhouse Thinks It May Have Overestimated M3GAN’s Versatility

Megan2point0 2

'M3GAN 2.0' has underperformed at the box office, and studio boss Jason Blum has some ideas why.Megan2point0 2

'M3GAN 2.0' has underperformed at the box office, and studio boss Jason Blum has some ideas why.

Max slashed to $2.99 per month in unmissable Black Friday offer

Why You Should Think Twice Before Using Buy Now, Pay Later With Apple Pay

Apple discontinued their "buy now, pay later" program, but third party plans still work with Apple Pay.

As you're checking out your Prime Day deals in just a few weeks, one payment option you'll want to reconsider is "buy now, pay later" financing.

Last year Apple discontinued its own take on “buy now, pay later” (BNPL), Apple Pay Later. The service may no longer be available in name, but BNPL purchases are readily available when you check out with Apple Pay. So, what exactly has changed about paying with installments via Apple Pay, and what sets it apart from other BNPL programs—for better or for worse?

What is “buy now, pay later?”

A “buy now, pay later” service is exactly what it sounds like: You can make a purchase immediately, and then pay for it through a series of installments over time. Although BNPL has some perks for breaking up a major expense, there are risks involved. Even if these loans have little-to-no interest, you are still taking on debt. And while BNPL plans don’t directly impact users’ credit scores at the moment, that's set to change. Coming this fall, FICO says it will start including BNPL payment histories in how it calculates credit scores. If you're at risk of not getting your BNPL payments in according to schedule, you'll be putting your credit score at risk, too.

Any personal finance writer with a semblance of a conscience will advise against making a habit of using these services. They’re helpful if you really need to finance something big, but whenever possible, it’s best to avoid taking on debt for everyday expenses.

How can you pay with installments using Apple Pay?

The official "Apple Pay Later" is no more, but Apple Pay is still an omnipotent digital wallet with BNPL options. Major BNPL providers like Affirm, Afterpay, and Klarna have partnered with Apple to offer their services directly through Apple Pay.

How to set up BNPL with Apple Pay

The setup process varies slightly depending on your BNPL provider:

For Klarna:

  1. Download the Klarna app and create an account.

  2. Complete the verification process.

  3. In the Klarna app, look for the option to add to Apple Wallet.

  4. Follow the prompts to add your Klarna card to Apple Pay.

For Affirm:

  1. Create an Affirm account through their app or website.

  2. Get pre-qualified for spending limits, up to $30,000.

  3. Add the Affirm virtual card to your Apple Wallet.

  4. Use it like any other payment method in Apple Pay.

For Afterpay:

  1. Download the Afterpay app and set up your account.

  2. Link a debit or credit card for your installment payments.

  3. Afterpay should pop up directly at checkout when using Apple Pay.

When you make a purchase using BNPL through Apple Pay, the total amount is automatically divided into your installment plan. Your first installment is typically charged immediately, while the BNPL company pays the merchant the full amount. All your subsequent installments are automatically charged to your linked payment method according to schedule.

What are the risks of these BNPL programs?

Naturally, Apple users may be drawn to the convenience of a BNPL options during Apple Pay checkout. However, that convenience might just be the biggest risk. They can make it all too easy to spend more than you can actually afford. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report that shows BNPL users were more likely to have higher credit card debt, delinquencies on other credit products, and lower credit scores than nonusers.

The bottom line

If you are going to use any BNPL service, keep these tips in mind:

  • Think about your current and future budget. When a bigger payment gets broken down into smaller installments, you might find yourself overspending in the long run because it "feels" like you can afford it. Stay on top of how much you’re actually spending, and how it will impact your overall budget going forward.

  • Stick to the essentials. BNPL should really only be used on completely necessary purchases that you can’t afford upfront, but can afford in six weeks.

  • Keep an eye on your account balance. Klarna, Affirm, or an BNPL service are not credit cards. Even if Apple doesn’t charge fees for missed payments, your bank will still charge you overdraft fees. Plus, if you default on a BNPL loan, you’re at risk of damaging your credit score.

The most important thing is that you know what you're doing: Before you pay for anything with installments, be thoughtful about why you’re taking on this debt in the first place.

Threads Is Getting Its Own Separate Hidden Words Settings

You can now customize filters on Threads independent of Instagram.

Threads users will soon have more control over what shows up (or doesn't) in their feeds. According to a Threads post from Instagram head Adam Mosseri, an update to the platform's Hidden Words feature will allow users to customize which content is filtered out separate from their preferences on Instagram.

Hidden Words itself isn't new: Threads users can already mute words, phrases, and emojis from their feeds and automatically filter out comments containing offensive language. However, this was a global setting that applied to both Threads and Instagram, so you weren't able to have separate lists of content to hide or customize those filters on Threads.

Threads is also testing a "mark spoiler" content label to hide spoilers in posts—unless a user taps to reveal the text or image—as well as DMs. It also isn't the only platform to increase user control over what content they see: TikTok recently expanded its settings that allow users to better personalize their For You feeds, including AI-powered keyword filtering.

How to customize Hidden Words on Threads

To edit Hidden Words, open the Threads app, tap your profile icon in the bottom navigation bar, then open the Settings menu from the top-right corner. Go to Content preferences > Hidden Words. You can toggle Hide common offensive words in replies off or on, which will move replies to a hidden section under your posts (anyone can still tap to show them).

Under that, you can tap + New filter to hide posts with certain words, phrases, or emojis from your feed as well as replies containing filtered content. Threads has new options to customize filters, such as hiding posts shared by anyone or only profiles you don't follow as well a 30-day "snooze" for filtered content you don't want to permanently hide. Related words can be batched under a single custom filter (spider and spiders, for example).

Note that the new feature may not be available on your device just yet, so keep an eye out for app updates.

Report: Apple's India Manufacturing Dream in Jeopardy Over Exodus of Chinese Workers

Apple's effort to expand iPhone production in India has encountered a setback as Foxconn has recalled hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians from its Indian factories, Bloomberg reports.


According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg, Foxconn has been sending home a large number of Chinese workers previously stationed at its ‌iPhone‌ manufacturing facilities in southern India. The process began approximately two months ago, and more than 300 Chinese staff have now departed.

These individuals were primarily engineers and technicians responsible for supporting operations on-site, many of whom played a central role in training local Indian workers and optimizing production processes. Taiwanese support personnel remain in India, one source said.

Foxconn is Apple's largest ‌iPhone‌ assembler and has led much of the company's manufacturing expansion into India. The decision to withdraw Chinese staff comes at a critical time, as Apple and its partners prepare to ramp up production of the iPhone 17. Foxconn is also currently constructing a new production facility in southern India.

The specific reason for the recall of the personnel is not known, but Bloomberg suggests that it aligns with the wish of Chinese authorities to impose tighter controls on the transfer of technology, labor, and equipment to India and Southeast Asia, as Chinese companies face growing pressure from global clients to diversify production outside China.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously highlighted the expertise of China's assembly workforce as a core reason why the country remains central to Apple's supply chain. While the return of Chinese engineers from India is not expected to significantly impact the quality of iPhones produced there, one source told Bloomberg that the absence of experienced Chinese staff is likely to reduce operational efficiency on the assembly lines.

Foxconn continues to manufacture the majority of Apple's iPhones in China. Whether Indian facilities can maintain Apple's stringent quality and efficiency standards without the direct involvement of Chinese engineers remains to be seen.


This article, "Report: Apple's India Manufacturing Dream in Jeopardy Over Exodus of Chinese Workers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Threads Gets Direct Messages

Meta-owned social network Threads was today updated with support for direct messages, a feature that Meta has been testing during June. This is the first time the two-year-old social network has offered a direct messaging option.


Direct messages on Threads are limited to a person's Threads followers or mutual followers from Instagram users who are 18 and older. Meta says that as it expands messaging features, it plans to prioritize safety and positive interactions.

Additional messaging features will be coming in the future, including support for message controls, group messaging, and inbox filters.

Along with direct messaging, Threads is also getting a a highlighter feature that's meant to elevate and emphasize "unique perspectives that lead to thoughtful conversations." Highlighter will show up in content discovery, and will eventually mark trending topics.

Tag: Threads

This article, "Threads Gets Direct Messages" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Handel mit USA: Das Chlorhuhn ist zurück

Es ist zurück: Das Chlorhuhn. Jahrzehnte nach TTIP geistert das Symbol des transatlantischen Handelsstreits erneut durch die europäische Debatte – denn Donald Trump droht mit Strafzöllen, wenn die EU nicht bei Agrarstandards nachgibt. Friedrich Merz drängt auf eine Einigung mit Washington, doch selbst der CDU-Wirtschaftspolitiker Tilman Kuban warnt wenigstens leise im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Europa muss selbstbewusst […]

Es ist zurück: Das Chlorhuhn. Jahrzehnte nach TTIP geistert das Symbol des transatlantischen Handelsstreits erneut durch die europäische Debatte – denn Donald Trump droht mit Strafzöllen, wenn die EU nicht bei Agrarstandards nachgibt. Friedrich Merz drängt auf eine Einigung mit Washington, doch selbst der CDU-Wirtschaftspolitiker Tilman Kuban warnt wenigstens leise im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Europa muss selbstbewusst verhandeln – und auch pragmatisch neue Märkte erschließen.

Auch im Inland herrscht Zugzwang: Gesundheitsministerin Nina Warken will die umstrittene Klinikreform von Karl Lauterbach abmildern, weil das Wunsch auch der Unions-geführten Länder ist. Jürgen Klöckner erklärt, warum der Kanzler das Krankenhaus-Problem direkt vor der Haustür hat – und warum trotzdem niemand Kliniken schließen will.

Und zum Schluss eine gute Nachricht aus der Hitzewelle: Laut Studie reden Politiker bei höheren Temperaturen kürzer.

Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch jeden Morgen auf den neuesten Stand in Sachen Politik — kompakt, europäisch, hintergründig.

Und für alle Hauptstadt-Profis:
Unser Berlin Playbook-Newsletter liefert jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Hier gibt es alle Informationen und das kostenlose Playbook-Abo.

Mehr von Berlin Playbook-Host und Executive Editor von POLITICO in Deutschland, Gordon Repinski, gibt es auch hier:  
Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski.

Arthur Mensch

Cofondateur et PDG de Mistral AI

L’année 2025 est celle du costard-cravate pour Arthur Mensch. Un uniforme dans lequel a dû rentrer le cofondateur de Mistral AI au fil des multiples annonces de ses partenariats avec le gratin politique et entrepreneurial. A 33 ans, Mensch symbolise à lui seul les espoirs français — voire européens — de percer dans l’intelligence artificielle. L’ingénieur, passé par Google DeepMind, n’hésite jamais à enfourcher son vélo pour embellir son tableau de chasse qui va des services de l’Etat (France Travail et Matignon pour booster leur chatbot “Albert”) aux grandes entreprises françaises, parmi lesquelles CMA CGM, Free, ou, dans les médias, l’AFP. Il faut dire qu’Emmanuel Macron est le premier à décrocher son téléphone pour l’aider à obtenir un contrat, racontait à VivaTech le puissant dirigeant de Nvidia, Jensen Huang.

En résumé, le plan de l’exécutif pour Mensch, d’après un stratège des deniers publics, est le suivant : “Il faut faire bosser Mistral”, et permettre à la start-up d’aller concurrencer les Américains.

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

When we started Discourse in 2013, our server requirements were high:

  • 1GB RAM
  • modern, fast dual core CPU
  • speedy solid state drive with 20+ GB

I’m not talking about a cheapo shared cpanel server, either, I mean a dedicated virtual private server with those specifications.

We

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

When we started Discourse in 2013, our server requirements were high:

  • 1GB RAM
  • modern, fast dual core CPU
  • speedy solid state drive with 20+ GB

I’m not talking about a cheapo shared cpanel server, either, I mean a dedicated virtual private server with those specifications.

We were OK with that, because we were building in Ruby for the next decade of the Internet. I predicted early on that the cost of renting a suitable VPS would drop to $5 per month, and courtesy of Digital Ocean that indeed happened in January 2018.

The cloud got cheaper, and faster. Not really a surprise, since the price of hardware trends to zero over time. But it’s still the cloud, and that means it isn’t exactly cheap. It is, after all, someone else’s computer that you pay for the privilege of renting.

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

But wait… what if you could put your own computer “in the cloud”?

Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds? Reliable connectivity, plus a nice low monthly price for extremely fast hardware? If this sounds crazy, it shouldn’t – Mac users have been doing this for years now.

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

I suppose it’s understandable that Mac users would be on the cutting edge here since Apple barely makes server hardware, whereas the PC world has always been the literal de-facto standard for server hardware.

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

Given the prevalence and maturity of cloud providers, it’s even a little controversial these days to colocate actual servers. We’ve also experimented with colocating mini-pcs in various hosting roles. I’m still curious why there isn’t more of a cottage industry for colocating mini PCs. Because… I think there should be.

I originally wrote about the scooter computers we added to our Discourse infrastructure in 2016, plus my own colocation experiment that ran concurrently. Over the last three years of both experiments, I’ve concluded that these little boxes are plenty reliable, with one role specific caveat that I’ll explain in the comments. I remain an unabashed fan of mini-PC colocation. I like it so much I put together a new 2019 iteration:

2017 — $6702019 — $820
i7-7500u
2.7-3.5 Ghz, 2c / 4t
i7-8750h
2.2-4.1 Ghz, 6c / 12t
16GB DDR3 RAM32GB DDR4 RAM
500GB SATA SSD500GB NVMe SSD

This year’s scooter computer offers 3× the cores, 2× the memory, and 3× faster drive. It is, as the kids say… an absolute unit. 😱

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer
The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer
The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

It also has a rather elegant dual-sided internal layout. There is a slot for an old-school 2.5″ drive, plus built in wi-fi, but you won’t see it in my pictures because I physically removed both.

I vetted each box via my recommended burn in and stability testing and they all passed with flying colors, though I did have to RMA one set of dodgy RAM sticks in the process. The benchmarks tell the story, as compared to the average Digital Ocean droplet:

Per-core performance
sysbench cpu --cpu-max-prime=20000 run

DO Droplet2,988
2017 Mini-PC4,800
2019 Mini-PC5,671

Multi-core performance
sysbench cpu --cpu-max-prime=40000 --num-threads=8 run

DO Droplet2,200
2017 Mini-PC5,588
2019 Mini-PC14,604

Disk performance
dd bs=1M count=512 if=/dev/zero of=test conv=fdatasync
hdparm -Tt /dev/sda

DO Droplet701 / 8818 / 471 MB/sec
2017 Mini-PC444 / 12564 / 505 MB/sec
2019 Mini-PC1200 / 17919 / 3115 MB/sec

Discourse rebuild
time ./launcher rebuild app

DO Droplet6:59
2017 Mini-PC3:41
2019 Mini-PC3:24

Power consumption could be a concern, as the 2017 version had a much lower 15 watt TDP, compared to the 45 watts of this version. That 3× increase in core count ain’t free! So I tested that, too, with a combination of i7zstress, and my handy dandy watt meter.

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer
(idle login)800 Mhz10w
stress --cpu 14.1 GHz30w
stress --cpu 24.1 GHz42w
stress --cpu 34.0 GHz53w
stress --cpu 43.9 GHz65w
stress --cpu 53.7 GHz65w
stress --cpu 63.5 GHz65w
stress --cpu 123.3 Ghz65w

I’d expect around 10 - 20 watts doing typical low-load stuff that isn’t super CPU intensive. Note that running current-ish versions of mprime jacks power consumption up to 75w 🔥 and the overall clock scales down to 3.1 Ghz… let me tell you, I’ve learned to be very, very afraid of AVX2 extensions.

(If you’re worried about noise, don’t be. This active cooling solution is clearly overkill for a 65w load, because it barely spun up at all even under full core load. It was extremely quiet.)

So we’re happy that this machine is a slammin’ deal for $820, it’s super fast, and plenty reliable. But how about colocation costs? My colocation provider is EndOffice out of Boston, and they offer very competitive rates to colocate a Mini-PC: $29/month.

I personally colocate three Mini-PCs for redundancy and just-in-case; there are discounts for colocating more than one. Here they are racked up and in action. Of course I labelled the front and rear before shipping because that’s how I roll.

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

Let’s break this down and see what the actual costs of colocating a Mini-PC are versus the cloud. Given the plateauing of CPU speeds, I think five years of useful life for these boxes is realistic, but let’s assume a conservative three year lifespan to be safe.

  • $880 mini-pc 32GB RAM, 6 CPUs, 500GB SSD
  • $120 taxes / shipping / misc
  • $29 × 12 × 3 = $1,044

That’s $2,044 for three years of hosting. How can we do on Digital Ocean? Per their current pricing page:

  • 32GB RAM, 8 vCPUs, 640GB SSD
  • $160/month
  • $160 × 12 × 3 = $5,760

This isn’t quite apples to apples, as we are getting an extra 140GB of disk and 2 bonus CPUs, but those CPUs are both slower and partially consumed by multi-tenancy compared to our brand new dedicated, isolated CPUs. (I was curious about this, so I just spun up a new $160/month DO instance for a quick test. The sysbench results are 4086 and 11760 respectively, considerably below the 2019 Mini-PC results, above.) As you can see, you pay almost three times as much for a cloud server. 🤑

I’m not saying this is for everyone. If you just need to spin up a quick server or two for testing and experimentation, there’s absolutely no way you need to go to the trouble and up-front cost of building and then racking colocated mini-pcs. There’s no denying that spinning servers up in the cloud offers unparalleled flexibility and redundancy. But if you do have need for dedicated computing resources over a period of years, then building your own small personal cloud, with machines you actually own, is not only one third the cost but also… kinda cool?

The Cloud Is Just Someone Else’s Computer

If you’d also like to embark upon this project, you can get the same Partaker B18 box I did for $490 from Amazon, or $460 direct from China via AliExpress. Add memory and drive to taste, build it up, then check out endoffice.com who I can enthusiastically recommend for colocation, or the colocation provider of your choice.

Get something cool hosted out there; let’s do our part to keep the internet fun and weird!

The Iran-Israel War Is Over. But the Arab World Is Grappling With Its Consequences

The region is relieved about de-escalation. But it is also alarmed about an unrestrained Israel.

Israeli-Airstrikes-in-Tehran

The Iran-Israel ceasefire seems to be holding. Arab capitals are relieved about the de-escalation. But they are also alarmed about what the latest flare up means for the Middle East.

When Iran signed the JCPOA nuclear deal with the Obama Administration, its reception in the Arab Gulf was, at best, frosty. The Iranian regime’s role in propping up Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Syria—one of the most devastating in modern Arab history—combined with its nefarious influence in Iraq and Lebanon, ensured that Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain saw the deal not as a diplomatic breakthrough, but as an endorsement of a destabilizing actor.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

So when President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, these same states applauded the move. Others in the region, including Egypt and Jordan, while more muted, also expressed concern about Tehran’s regional agenda. Yet fast forward to the present and the very same states opposed a fight with Iran, and support re-engagement.

This U-Turn is not due to any newfound trust in Tehran. The Arab Gulf states, broadly speaking, remain deeply cynical about the Iranian regime. If the Islamic Republic could be replaced with something more pragmatic and less ideologically driven than Khomeini’s revolutionary doctrine, few in the Arab Gulf would mourn. But this cynicism has evolved into a pragmatic rejection of war—especially one at the behest of a belligerent Israel and a complicit Washington.

For these reasons, the overwhelming response in Arab capitals has been fierce opposition to Israel’s strikes, and America’s bombing on June 22.

There are two core reasons for this opposition. First, these strikes are not happening in isolation. Over the past 20 months, Israel has waged a deadly and destructive campaign in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which has brought about a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. Israel has also expanded its military footprint beyond the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, amid the chaos following the ouster of Assad. And it has struck Beirut and parts of Lebanon repeatedly, including within the past week.

In short, even among states that are highly critical of Iran, there are concerns about an unrestrained Israel. A vision of a new regional order where Israel behaves with impunity while dictating security norms to its neighbors is profoundly unwelcome to Arab states, including traditionally pro-Western Arab governments such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The second reason is more fundamental. For decades, Arab societies have criticized the West’s selective enforcement of international norms. That includes the 2003 Iraq war, Israel’s ongoing occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, and more recently the U.S. denunciation of the ICJ case and sanctioning of ICC judges after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. There is a perception that powerful Western states shield Tel Aviv from consequences.

Read More: The West Is Losing the Global South Over Gaza

To be sure, the Arab states are hardly models of legality themselves. Various U.N. reports have repeatedly described an undemocratic region rife with issues around corruption, nepotism, and closed civil society spaces. But the powerful Western countries that erected the “rules-based” order should be exemplar pillars of it—otherwise, trust in the project altogether collapses.

That’s why the U.S. bombing of Iran—using the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the heaviest non-nuclear weapon in its arsenal—set a dangerous precedent. Despite the undeniable nature of Iran being a nefarious actor in the region, there was no imminent threat, no U.N. Security Council authorization, and no widespread international consensus to engage in such a military strike.

The war between Iran and Israel is over, at least for now. Whether Iran’s nuclear program has been hobbled is a separate question, one that analysts and intelligence agencies will continue to assess in the weeks and months to come. 

But something else may have also ended. A new era is emerging in the region increasingly defined by a presumption that might equals right. The consequences of this have yet to be truly understood—but there are likely to be many repercussions indeed.

Where are my organic views on Medium coming from?

Tracing the source of my organic views on Medium

I’m considered small 🐟 on Medium.

I don’t write in any considerable professional capacity (yet). I share cool stuff. I write about funny things. Sometimes serious things.

If you’ve heard of the Pareto Principle, it states that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. On Medium it’s affectionately called the 80/20 rule.

Surprise, surprise, 80% of my pageviews come from only one of my stories.

I wrote this story over 2 years ago. Definitely not my best piece.

5 Reasons Why College Confidential is Slowly Killing You.

I didn’t submit it to any publications, partially because publications weren’t a big thing, and also because none of them were appropriate for my story. It was edgy, clickbaity, and rather short.

After sharing my article for a while, I gave Medium up for some time. At that point in time I just felt that Medium just wasn’t mature enough. Too many authors were needy and all they wanted was your email.

I didn’t check views or reads. So it was just one lonely article hanging out on the interweb.

Until I resumed my activity circa 2018…

2.1K views on a pretty much non-promoted post is almost unheard of.

I’m not claiming 2.1K views is an astronomical figure. But the fact that such an uneventful piece is capable of garnering such views is an anomaly.

An anomaly well worth investigating.

Checking out the referrers page…

Well, the almighty Google rears its head. People are probably Googling for something!

And looking at the views based on the months…

Increasing number of views leading up to March and dropping off significantly after April?
College Admissions frenzy. Ka-ching!
College Admissions decisions are released around this time.The influx of searches must be the cause.

Even now, organic views are still rolling in…

To summarise…

  • Medium’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is really good.
  • Clickbaity titles are mean, but for some reason everyone still falls for it.
  • Any well written article on Medium has the chance to see at least some viewership. Hopefully.
Cool side note: if you Google “College Confidential”, my original article ranks on Page 4 😎

Where are my organic views on Medium coming from? was originally published in blog.shawjj on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Tells Us About the Future of the DC Universe

Superman James Gunn Interview

Gunn spoke about how this film informs 'Supergirl,' 'Lanterns,' 'Clayface,' and more. Without spoilers, of course.Superman James Gunn Interview

Gunn spoke about how this film informs 'Supergirl,' 'Lanterns,' 'Clayface,' and more. Without spoilers, of course.

Ten Ways to Speed Up a Laggy Internet Browser

From slow and steady to fast and snappy.

I've mostly been really happy with my M1 MacBook Air (2020), which I've been using for nearly three years now. However, I regret not going for the variant with 16GB of RAM. The base M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM is a lot faster, cooler, and lasts longer than the Intel MacBook Air I used before it, but the newer laptop still occasionally slows down when I open too many browser tabs. Luckily, I did some troubleshooting and fixed the problem, and I'm here to share what I've learned with you. So, if Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari or other browsers are slowing down on your computer, try some of these tips to nip that problem in the bud.

Identify what's causing the slowdown

This is the hardest part of a browser slowdown, because quite often, there's no definitive answer to what the root problem is. It could be because you have an old and slow computer, or because you have too many open tabs that you never close, or because an extension is interfering with something, or a combination of multiple factors. To narrow down the list of possible issues, I recommend the golden rule of troubleshooting: deal with one thing at a time. 

This means that you should start by quitting all other apps, running just one browser with one tab, and then seeing if the slowdown is still present. If your browser works fine when you have one or two tabs open, and slows down once you open multiple tabs, that could point to an issue with the browser. If the browser works fine on its own, but slows down when you have other apps running, then the issue could be with a different app, or it could be a hardware limitation.

If, after some troubleshooting, your browser really is the issue, then here's what you can do to fix it.

Use your browser's task manager

Chrome Task Manager showing open tabs and their RAM/CPU usage.
Credit: Pranay Parab

Video streaming or web apps can lead to browser slowdowns, but the easiest way to confirm this is by using your browser's built-in task manager. Yes, your browser usually has a separate task manager, which lets you see which of its tabs are causing problems. In Firefox, accessing it as as simple as pressing Shift-Esc. Alternatively, you can click the three lines button in the top-right corner and go to More tools > Task Manager. You can even type about:processes in the address bar to do the same thing.

In Chrome (and derivatives such as Edge and Brave), you'll need to press the three dots button in the top-right corner, then go to More Tools > Task Manager. Unfortunately, Safari doesn't have a built-in task manager, but you can open the Activity Monitor app on your Mac and type Safari in the search bar to view the process linked to each open tab and determine which one is causing a slowdown. 

Opening the browser's task manager is one thing, but it's also important to know what to look for once you have it open. Your browser's task manager shows you each tab's CPU and RAM usage, and you can use that information to determine the problem. If a tab's taking up too much of either, close the tab to see if it makes a difference. Usually, this does the trick.

Close unused tabs

That brings me to my next bit of advice: please, just close those tabs you opened five years ago. You're never going to get to them and you're not losing anything by closing them. This applies to me as much as it does to anyone else, so I'll be the first to admit my sins. I had a Persona 5 game guide open three years ago, when I played the game for 120-odd hours for the second time. I stopped playing the game before I reached the true ending (for a second time), but I still had the game guide tab open until a couple months ago. It wasn't doing anything or consuming too many resources, but when my browser slowed down, I had to let it go. I've accepted that I'll probably never finish the game, or read any of the various articles I have open in my other older tabs, or watch any of those videos I meant to get to. Closing all those inactive tabs helped speed up my browsers significantly.

If you're still not ready to let go of your tabs, then you can also easily save all open tabs in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Delete unused extensions

The extensions page in Brave browser on a Mac.
Credit: Pranay Parab

I love using browser extensions to add useful features to my internet experience, but the extra steps they ask of your browser can sometimes cause slowdowns. This is especially true for extensions you no longer use, and deleting unused and potentially cumbersome extensions is good for performance (and your privacy, because extensions often require access to all your open pages). To quickly delete an old extension, open the about:addons page in Firefox, chrome://extensions page in Chrome and its derivatives, or click the Safari button in the menu bar and navigate to Settings > Extensions.

I've also found some value in disabling extension only on specific webpages. As someone who suffers from migraines, I rely on Dark Reader to force every website to open in dark mode. Bright backgrounds trigger my headaches, which often end up ruining entire days, so I need to be careful with screen brightness and how webpages appear. However, Dark Reader was slowing down some tabs, and I found that disabling it for those specific webpages helped fix the problem. 

Restart the browser (and your computer)

Sometimes, the solution to a slowdown is as simple a quick restart, which will give faulty processes a chance to correct themselves. You can try quitting the browser, restarting your computer, and launching the browser again to see if your issue is fixed. This is quite easy to do, but it's easy to forget the simplest and most obvious solutions, so I thought it was worth mentioning this here as well.

Update your browser

The update screen in Firefox on a Mac.
Credit: Pranay Parab

The problem isn't always your computer, open tabs, or extensions. Sometimes, it may be a bug in the browser's code, which could cause a memory leak or use too much of your CPU's resources to run the app. There's nothing you can do to fix this, except ensure that your browser is updated to its newest version. Most browsers are usually quite good at updating themselves, but if you notice you're on an older version, you can update manually, too.

I'll start with my go-to browsers. To update Firefox in Windows, click the three lines button in the top-right corner and select Help > About Firefox. On Mac, hit the Firefox button in the menu bar and select About Firefox. You can update Chrome (or its derivatives) by selecting the three dots button, then clicking Help > About Chrome

To update Safari on your Mac, you need to update macOS itself. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen and go to System Settings > General > Software Update.

Reduce ads and tracking

Ads and trackers are increasing on almost every website, which tends to increase page loading times and can lead to browser slowdowns, too. You can counter this by using an adblocker such as uBlock Origin on Firefox and Chrome, and one of many good adblockers for Safari. You could also consider using a VPN with adblocking built-in or a good DNS service such as NextDNS. Any of these alternatives should reduce how often sites phone home, and how many trackers and other resource-heavy elements are loaded on webpages, which has a direct effect on your browser's performance (and security).

Clear cookies and data

Clearing website data in Safari for Mac.
Credit: Pranay Parab

You could also see a performance improvement by clearing cookies and browser data. Be aware that doing so will require you to log in to your commonly visited websites the next time you visit them, and could also clear your browser's history. If you're okay with that, then you can try this as another option to speed up your browser.

In Firefox, click the three lines button in the top-right corner and go to Settings > Privacy & Security. In the Cookies & Data section, select Clear Data… and confirm when asked. Next, go to the History section and click Clear History….

In Chrome, click the three-dots button in the top-right corner and go to Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data. Go to the Advanced tab, check all the options you want to clear, and select Delete data.

In Safari on your Mac, go to the Safari menu from the menu bar and select Clear History… to remove browsing history. Then, go to Safari menu > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data…. Here, You can either select and remove individual websites' data, or select all and remove everything.

Check the ambient temperature

Ambient temperatures are rising across the world. Particularly in the summer, you could be using your computer in a hot room and experiencing slowdowns as a result. Modern computers have a thermal cutoff built-in, and if a device gets too hot, it will slow down at first, before shutting down entirely in order to protect your machine. This isn't going to slow down just your browser, though. Everything you do on your computer will run slower than usual if it's too hot where you are. You can try using a laptop cooler, an air conditioner, or other methods to cool down your computer. You'll see an immediate performance improvement once the computer is running at a lower temperature.

Consider upgrading your computer

Finally, if none of these solutions are working in the long run, then the problem may just be with the hardware you're using. Even cheap upgrades like replacing a hard drive with an SSD or adding more RAM could help, but in a lot of cases, you might want to get a brand new computer. I don't enjoy telling anyone to spend more money to solve problems, but sometimes that really is the only option. 

Buying my M1 MacBook Air was a solid decision in 2022, and at the time, even though my friends and family members chipped in to help, I couldn't afford the 16GB RAM variant. The next time I buy a computer, I'll ensure that it has a little more RAM than I need, so that browser slowdowns and other performance issues don't surface, at least for the first few years of the computer's life.

You Should Enable These Samsung Galaxy Anti-Theft Features Right Now

The upgrades are designed to protect your data if your device is stolen.

Samsung is urging Galaxy users to activate anti-theft features available on their devices: Thieves are increasingly targeting smartphones, and these security precautions are designed to protect your sensitive data should your device fall into the wrong hands.

The upgrades are built on broader Android anti-theft features, which rolled out with One UI 7 on the Galaxy S25 series earlier this year. According to Samsung's release about the measures, older flagship devices are now able to utilize these protections too. You should activate them as soon as they're available on your device.

Anti-theft features on Samsung Galaxy phones

The anti-theft features available to Galaxy users are not brand new or previously unannounced. Google has built up its theft protection suite for Android alongside scam detection features and device-level Advanced Protection—privacy and security upgrades that were released with Android 16.

Android's Theft Protection includes Theft Detection Lock, which detects motion like snatching and locks your screen in response. Offline Device Lock will automatically lock your screen if your device is disconnected from the network for "an extended period," while Remote Lock allows you to, well, remotely lock your device in your Samsung Find account as well as access various recovery options.

New with Samsung's Android 15-based One UI 7 was an anti-robbery feature called Identity Check, which lets you set up "Safe Places": trusted locations, like your home or office. If your device is outside of these areas, it will require biometric authentication to access or update security settings, so even if a thief has your PIN, they won't be able see your passwords or disable Find My Device.

You'll get an additional layer of protection with Security Delay, which triggers a one-hour lockout period if someone tries to reset biometric data. (This is similar to Apple's Stolen Device Protection.)

How to enable anti-theft measures on your Galaxy

These features were released on One UI 7 for Galaxy S25 and are rolling out to users with the following devices: Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, Z Fold5, Z Flip 5, S23 and S22 series.

To enable the anti-theft measures on your phone, go to Settings > Security and privacy > Lost device protection > Theft protection. You can also find Identity Check by following the same path: Settings > Security and privacy > Lost device protection > Theft protection > Identity Check, then add your "Safe Places."

Some of My Favorite Instant Pot Appliances Are on Sale Early for Prime Day

This reliable brand is offering some serious discounts right now.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The double whammy of July 4th sales and a looming Amazon Prime Day has triggered some great pre-sale bargains. If you’ve been looking for new kitchen appliances, you’ll be pleased to hear that Instant Pot has quietly put a whole lineup of their products on sale.

Instant Pot became a household name back when its multi-cooker made a big splash, bringing pressure cookers back into regular usage. That cgadget is experiencing a notable sale—the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is on sale for $59.99, and the Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 is 50% off for $69.99. The Duo Plus has extra functionality and double the capacity, so unless you have serious storage constraints, it’s worth the extra $10.

My favorite Instant appliance is their Vortex six-quart basket air fryer and that’s on sale right now for 29% off for $84.99. I love this machine—maybe too much. After testing multiple air fryers of different styles (you can see how they stack up here), this one became my daily go-to machine. The Instant Vortex cooks evenly, it’s powerful, ventilates well, and it’s hands-down the easiest to clean. I’ve literally taken one air fryer out, stared at it and put it back in the storage cabinet because I knew I’d regret the mess. Instead, I’d grab my trusty Vortex. You can read my full review of the Instant Vortex air fryer here—note that the one on sale right now is the newer generation with a larger digital display.

I’m a big fan of simple rice cookers that have a single switch and operate with a spring-loaded mechanism, but newer, sleeker rice cookers are all the rage. They’re loaded with preset functions for other types of grains (quinoa, oats, brown rice and others), so you don’t have to think about it so much. The Instant Pot rice cooker is exactly this type of grain cooker with a sleek, clean design and easy to navigate menu of options. It’s a 20-cup rice cooker, so I recommend this one for anyone who likes to meal prep big batches of rice to freeze, or who cooks for more than four people.  

While those are my favorite finds, don’t sleep on these other sales Instant Pot is holding right now.

5 Mobile App Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2021

5 Mobile App Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2021  With the commencement of 2021, there is a surge of opportunities for the entire mobile app development industry to grow and take advantage of trends and other key market points as the competition in 2021 gets stronger and stronger. These market trends may haveContinue reading "5 Mobile App Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2021"

5 Mobile App Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2021 

With the commencement of 2021, there is a surge of opportunities for the entire mobile app development industry to grow and take advantage of trends and other key market points as the competition in 2021 gets stronger and stronger. These market trends may have evolved just a little, or they may completely change the course of the mobile app development industry.

It’s finally time to do a little research regarding what are going to be the strong trends of 2021 when it comes to mobile app development. There might be a few industry-altering changes, but there are also certain evolutions in the industry that mobile app developers have seen coming for quite some time now.

Here are the 5 mobile app development trends to watch out for this 2021:

  1. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is something that has seen tremendous growth throughout 2020. There are a few innovations that can be expected this 2021. Machine learning has definitely made quite a few accomplishments and thus, there will be a few changes in trends this 2021.

  • AI and Machine Learning usage

From 2018 to 2019, it was estimated that the percentage of organizations all adopting artificial intelligence had increased by 14%. While the benefits of both AI and ML are being made even more evident, companies will have to adapt by hiring the right personnel to deal with these changes.

  • AI Transparency Trends

Despite its benefits, AI still does suffer from being the subject of most trust issues. With the classic fear of “robots taking over”, efforts in 2021 have to be made in order to gain the trust of these big industries in adapting AI technologies.

  • Focus on Data Regulations and Security

Data can quite be considered as a form of cyber currency as hackers are getting better and better at accessing this data. This, of course, means that AI technology and Machine Learning should protect itself from these threats. With AI systems handling even more sensitive data, it’s only natural for there to be better data regulations and security.

  • AI and IoT

Although both technologies have their own independent qualities, they can be used together and operate in a unique way. Take Alexa and Siri for example, these two intertwine and use each other to give users a much better experience.

  • Augmented Intelligence rising

Those that are worried of AI gobbling up jobs, the rise of Augmented Intelligence should be quite a pleasing trend. Augmented Intelligence joins the power of both humans and machines for science or analytic work allowing more opportunities for both. AI engineering is also starting to kick off and become even more powerful than ever.

  1. Apps in an Instant

Smaller bite-sized apps are starting to take off and become more popular. This is a good thing for mobile app developers as these apps would require less work to make. However, they can be tricky since they have to be attractive despite their small size.

  1. 5G

Better speeds and faster services, this is what 5G promises however it has had a problematic foothold in 2020 due to not only the coronavirus but also the question as to who will construct these 5G towers? However, this is one of those trends that quickly take off and when they do, there is no stopping them. Smartphones may be developed in order to include 5G technology making it the new norm.

  1. Wearable Apps

Smartwatches, fitness bracelets, and other wearable technology would also require wearable apps. Although there might not be a lot of competition in this department, 2021 might be the year when this trend takes off. Mobile app developers that are able to innovate wearable apps might just get an upper hand.

  1. Chatbot Development

The development of chatbots will become extremely important in 2021 as many industries are already using them. The demand for better chatbots in a number of industries will mean that mobile app developers would have to pour out more resources in this trend.

Here are a few industries that are benefiting the most from chatbots:

  • Real Estate

The faster the response, the more engaging it could be for customers. This could also help save time for the real estate agent when making a sale.

  • E-commerce

These chatbots could easily improve the sales process helping customers easily search, choose, pay, and even track their own orders.

  • Travel

The use of chatbots in its industries help travel agencies find what they are looking for, book the hotels, and even buy the tickets. Travel agencies just make the whole process much easier.

  • Education

Chatbots have been used not only to improve the student’s communication system but also to monitor their learning curve by helping with examination and other testing apps.

  • HR and recruitment

The whole recruitment process can be made simpler with the use of chatbots which can automatically evaluate skills, give feedback, and even rank applicants.

  • Healthcare

Chatbots could be used to make appointments, to refill prescriptions, set reminders, monitor patient’s health, make diagnoses, and even more.

  • Finance

Banks have started to use chatbots to automatically deal with the first wave of inquiries when it comes to inquiries, reports, tax calculations, and other transactions.

With these particular industries all using chatbots, it’s only logical for mobile app developers to not only improve but also expand the reach of its applications.

As 2021 starts, these 5 massive mobile app development trends could be the key to getting ahead of the year. While 2020 was about survival, 2021 is more about getting ahead of the curve.

The year 2020 came as quite a shocker for most people as the massive shift in demand due to the coronavirus has pushed mobile app developers to adapt fast but this 2021, it might be the time to prepare for the expected changes within the industry. This time, mobile app developers would still have time to prepare before everything happens.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

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Få spel har som {Death Stranding 2: On the Beach} tagit mig på en resa genom känslornas värld. Jag har varit imponerad, skrattat, kramat tårna, haft tråkigt, fällit tårar, varit besviken och klappat händerna av barnslig glädje. Det är omväxlande djupt och fånigt, halsbrytande och introspektivt, nyfiket och fett. Med andra ord: Hideo Kojima. Och det är väl egentligen precis det alla vi som har följt mannen, myten, legenden Hideo Kojima i flera decennier kunde önska oss - även om det finns flera saker som kunde ha gjorts bättre.

Det första {Death Stranding} fick ett av de mest delade mottagandena någonsin när vi snackar moderna storspel. Metascoren ligger på fina 82 %, men bakom det genomsnittet ligger ett överraskande stort antal ljumma recensioner samt en rad tior, och spelet tog tillsammans med {Resident Evil 2}-remaken hem de flesta GOTY-priserna bland världens spelsajter. Själv var jag inte riktigt lika entusiastisk, men för mig var det ingen tvekan om att Kojima hade något speciellt på gång med sitt unika universum.

<bild>Den 26 juni är det dags...</bild>

Nu, knappt sex år senare, skulle det förvåna mig om mottagandet inte blir mer entydigt positivt. Dels för att vi vet vad vi går in i, men också för att Death Stranding 2: On the Beach förfinar formeln på en rad områden, vilket skapar en mer harmonisk och engagerande upplevelse - även om jag gärna hade sett Kojima och hans team gå ännu mer drastiskt tillväga på flera ställen, men mer om det senare.

Låt oss börja med de berömda förväntningarna. Jag gillar att prata om spelens språk. Inte i litterär mening, utan i designmässig. Jag vågar påstå att alla som läser detta har en inneboende förståelse för hur man går tillväga med ett visst spel på en grundläggande nivå. Var kan jag klättra upp? Vad kan jag interagera med? Sådana saker. De flesta spel bygger i hög grad på andra spel vi har spelat, så vi kommer snabbt in i dem. Death Stranding kändes radikalt annorlunda genom att ge en huvudroll till den enkla uppgiften att ta ett föremål från A till B utan att förstöra det. Det var en PostNord-simulator i en dystopisk framtid, och det var konstigt. L2+R2 för att hålla balansen? Optimal viktfördelning? Det var dyra lärdomar som kom med en viss frustration.

Nu har vi lärt oss det - precis som vi lärde oss att alltid hålla upp skölden i {Dark Souls}. Nu talar vi flytande Death Stranding. Och så kan de av oss som hängde kvar till sist skörda frukterna och njuta av Hideo Kojimas djupt märkliga universum från början.

<bild>Japp, det är precis so unikt som man kan tro.</bild>

Och vilken start det är. Det har gått elva månader sedan det första Death Stranding. Sam - vars slitna stövlar vi återigen drar över fötterna - bor nu på gränsen till Mexiko med Lou. Helt och hållet under radarn förstås, för det finns många som vill lägga vantarna på den lilla flickan. Det är ett isolerat, men någorlunda fredligt liv - eller så nära fredligt man kan komma i en postapokalyptisk värld hemsökt av mordiska spöken, regn som åldras snabbare än M. Night Shyamalans strand och en risk för gigantiska explosioner om någon i närheten skulle lägga sig till vila.

Den tillfälliga lugnet avbryts dock av Fragile, som kommer med ett erbjudande som innebär transport till Mexiko och möjligheten till ett liv utan att behöva se sig om över axeln. Ett fritt liv tillsammans. Det är ett starkt grepp, och överlag visar Kojima och hans team upp sina muskler under de första fem till sju timmarna. När Sam korsar gränsen till Mexiko över en raserad bro full av bilvrak sker det under en tät sandstorm som desorienterar spelaren och på ett snyggt sätt visar upp det oförutsägbara vädret som spelade en huvudroll i reklamtrailern. Och när det några timmar senare är dags att resa från Mexiko till Australien via en mystisk struktur, kunde scifi-älskaren i mig nästan inte sitta still av ren och skär entusiasm över hur vackert allt är iscensatt. Skönhet och weirdness i vacker förening.

När dammet från sandstormen har lagt sig, bromsar Death Stranding 2: On the Beach dock lite - både narrativt och mekaniskt - och hittar en välfungerande, om än mer välbekant och säker position. Här kommer vi till den förfining som jag beskrev i början. För Death Stranding 2: On the Beach är trots allt nära besläktat med sin föregångare. Faktum är att det ibland känns som den definitiva versionen som Kojima önskat att han kunnat skapa från början, eller kanske snarare en spegling där teman och sekvenser från det första spelet återbesöks.

<bild>Var beredd på något unikt.</bild>

Ta bara uppdragen med Neil, som påminner om Cliffs från det första spelet, men som i rent visuellt avseende överträffar dem med råge. Narrativt och tematiskt vet jag inte om jag föredrar dem framför Mads Mikkelsens lysande roll, men de gör ett stort emotionellt intryck och sätter en stor prägel på historien som helhet. Och så är Luca Marinelli ett fynd i rollen som den plågade mannen med en möjlig koppling till Sam.

Större delen av tiden kommer du dock inte att spendera på episka dueller mot den mystiske soldaten, vars bandana påminner om en viss annan Kojima-karaktär, eller på att besegra gigantiska mechs och BT:er - även om det lyckligtvis upptar en hel del. Nej, precis som sin föregångare är det leveransen av paket i alla slags väder och terräng som tar huvudrollen när det gäller tidsåtgång. Och just vädret och terrängen har det varit mycket fokus på. Det senare imponerar med sin löjligt höga detaljnivå och stora variation. Australien och Mexiko är hem för öknar, skogar, karakteristiska klippformationer, träsk och snötäckta berg. Variationen är stor, men övergångarna mellan biomer känns alltid organiska. Det är något av ett mästerverk.

Din väg genom de vackra och farliga omgivningarna påverkas mer av det ombytliga vädret den här gången. Sand- och snöstormar, laviner, jordbävningar, stigande vattennivåer och mycket mer gör uppdragen mer dynamiska. Att tappa orienteringen i en sandstorm mitt i en brännande öken eller att frenetiskt försöka undvika en lavin högt uppe i bergen är spännande, men oftast är väderfenomenen för subtila för att ändra din inställning till ett visst uppdrag, så de blir mer av en bra idé än den stora förändring som sker när en bergssida kollapsar under de första minuterna av spelet.

<bild>På flera sätt spelet föregångaren borde ha varit.</bild>

Vädret är inte det enda som plågar Sam. Även mötena med de läskiga BT:erna ser annorlunda ut. Det finns en ny typ som mer aktivt letar efter Sam, och du kan nu också råka ut för slumpmässiga händelser där du måste bekämpa en gigantisk blåsande BT eller undvika en panterliknande variant i ett plötsligt uppstått stadslandskap täckt av tjära. Särskilt det sistnämnda gav mig en vild upplevelse, då en lugn vandring förvandlades till ett regelrätt skräckscenario, vilket visar hur bra Kojima också är på den typen av saker.

BT:er och dåligt väder är naturligtvis inte de enda hoten. Higgs, som efterhand nästan har blivit en Joker, skapar förödelse och har kanske/kanske inte ett finger med i de lokala gängens plötsliga upprustning, vilket kastar grus i maskineriet för Sams uppdrag. Det kräver en motattack, vilket i praktiken innebär ett större fokus på infiltration av fiendens baser. Här är Kojima uppenbarligen på hemmaplan, och ibland kände jag mig förflyttad tillbaka till de glada Phantom Pain-dagarna. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ger dig ett enormt urval av vapen och prylar, vilket bidrar till att göra det lika underhållande att vara spöket som väljer rätt rutt och avleder fiender med holografiska granater, som det är att vara stridsvagnen som mejar ner allt med automatvapen.

När Death Stranding 2: On the Beachs tempo är som bäst har det en rytm som få andra. Lugna, natursköna vandringar avlöses av intensiva infiltrationer hos fientliga fraktioner innan välinstruerade mellansekvenser tar historien i nya riktningar och öppnar upp för adrenalinfyllda set pieces och bossfighter, varefter du återigen ger dig iväg i lugnt tempo, medan det utmärkta, men lite ensidiga, urvalet av låtar fungerar som soundtrack till din resa. Det är ebb och flod, yin och yang, Hall & Oates. Men som alla balansgångar är det inte lätt. Det finns delar av spelet där vandringarna tar för mycket plats, och plötsligt är de inte fridfulla oaser utan triviala traskturer.

Det gäller särskilt de maratonliknande backtracking-uppdragen, som fick mitt mod att sjunka varje gång de dök upp. Visst kan restiden på dessa ofta förkortas med hjälp av fordon eller de varma källorna, som fungerar som en mild källa till fast travel, men det hindrar dem inte från att kännas som ett sätt att artificiellt förlänga spelet.

Missförstå migej. Jag respekterar verkligen Kojima Productions engagemang för själva transportaspekten av Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, men ibland blir spelet lite självupptaget i sin orubbliga tro på hur spännande det kan vara att vandra genom grafiskt imponerande terräng medan känslomässig singer-songwriter-musik strömmar ut ur högtalarna.

Sammantaget kämpar Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ibland med att begränsa sig - vilket paradoxalt nog också är en av anledningarna till att jag älskar det. Spelet berättar hela tiden om alla saker som händer i bakgrunden. Hur dina förmågor passivt förbättras, hur din Porter Grade ökar, hur Lou mår. För att bara nämna några exempel. Jag har inget emot systemtunga spel, men problemet är att du inte riktigt får känslan av att bli starkare, och förbättringarnas passiva natur gör att de snabbt hamnar i bakgrunden och glöms bort.

Den sociala aspekten gör däremot ett större intryck - även om jag fortfarande inte vet om jag faktiskt föredrar det framför en mer ensam upplevelse. Det kan vara roligt att delta i byggandet av en motorväg eller vara den som förbinder två landmassor med en bro till glädje och nytta för nästa Sam. Men de många skyltarna med blinkande ljus och höga ljud ger ibland den annars estetiskt dystra världen en lite olycklig kasinoliknande prägel. Det är lite överdrivet, men lyckligtvis står det en fritt att spela offline.

Efter den utmärkta inledningen och glädjen över den förbättrade rytmen som det starkare uppdraget och världsdesignen medför, började jag i mitten av spelet känna en viss trötthet. Historien saknar drivkraft och det blir lite längre mellan de spännande uppdragen. Plötsligt kändes Death Stranding 2: On the Beach som en lite för säker fortsättning, även om det aldrig blir tråkigt. Vi pratar trots allt om ett spel där en talande docka kan agera spejare och det hörs klockklang varje gång det börjar snöa. Och så finns det mellansekvenserna, som ständigt rör sig i gränslandet mellan kitsch och cool. Alldeles för mycket och helt underbart.

<bild>Grafiskt är det enastående.</bild>

Summa summarum sjönk min entusiasm lite. Det varade dock inte länge, för självklart har Kojima ett ess i rockärmen. Under de sista knappa tio timmarna bjuder han och resten av teamet på en rad stora ögonblick. Vi får vilda framstötar mot spökmechs i ett inferno av lågor till Ludwig Forsells eminenta musik, episka bosskamper och ett slut som är så rörande att tårarna rullade. Och det har bara hänt några få gånger för mig i spelregi. Särskilt sättet Kojima knyter ihop berättelsen på är överraskande elegant för den annars så expositionsglada spelskaparen. Det är definitivt mer Snake Eater än Sons of Liberty.

Sedan jag för några dagar sedan avslutade Death Stranding 2: On the Beach har jag försökt få ordning på mina många tankar om spelet. För det finns mycket att ta tag i. Jag har bara kort berört den mer systematiska sidan av spelet, precis som jag har hållit tillbaka med information om handlingen. Det förstnämnda för att jag tycker att det är relativt ointressant, det sistnämnda för att jag inte vill avslöja för mycket.

Å ena sidan finns det flera saker jag saknar i spelet. Vädret kunde ha spelat en större roll, tempot tappar ibland fotfästet, jag skulle gärna se att världen ur ett arkitektoniskt perspektiv var mer spännande, och jag skulle gärna se att mina uppdragsgivare inte var så tråkiga att lyssna på. Å andra sidan känns det fantastiskt att spela, det har mer karaktär och personlighet i sin lillfinger än Ubisofts samlade spelbibliotek de senaste tio åren kan uppvisa, och det lyckas berätta en riktigt fantastisk historia som kommer att stanna kvar hos mig länge.

Det är inte perfekt, men om fler AAA-spel vågade släppa tyglarna som Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, skulle branschen vara en mycket mer spännande plats. Det ska belönas med en glänsande 9:a.

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There’s a Major Security Issue With Coros Fitness Trackers

The company has promised a partial fix by the end of the month.

If you thought Strava's privacy issues were bad, strap in: Coros has confirmed some major security issues with its watches. During an analysis of Coros Pace 3 Bluetooth security, German IT security researchers identified at least eight distinct security flaws that affect every Coros device on the market—not just the Pace 3 model, as was first believed. After an initially lackluster response, Coros has since entered damage control mode, and is promising fixes by the end of summer.

How Bluetooth makes Coros watches vulnerable

The vulnerabilities stem from fundamental issues in the Bluetooth connectivity code shared across all Coros watches and their bike computer, creating a security nightmare that impacts the company's entire product lineup.

By exploiting these security flaws, an unauthenticated attacker within Bluetooth range can perform the following actions:

  • Hijack user accounts and access all stored fitness data on COROS.com

  • Eavesdrop on sensitive information including text messages and notifications

  • Manipulate device settings remotely without user knowledge

  • Factory reset devices from a distance, wiping all user data

  • Crash devices during critical moments

  • Interrupt active workouts and force the loss of recorded fitness data

If you're interested in diving into the specific coding and architectural issues at play here, I highly recommend taking a look at the original blog post outlining the problem. Perhaps most concerning is the ability for attackers to inject false information, such as fake text notifications, while simultaneously monitoring all genuine messages and notifications sent to the watch.

When alerted to these massive security holes, Coros initially seemed less than alarmed. The security researchers followed standard industry protocol, privately disclosing the vulnerabilities with the company and providing a 90-day window for it to provide fixes before going public. At first, the company indicated that fixes wouldn't arrive until the end of 2025—a less than urgent response. Only after the vulnerabilities were publicly disclosed on June 17th, 2025, complete with detailed reproduction steps and exploit code, did Coros begin taking the situation seriously.

What Coros users need to do

The company has now accelerated its timeline, promising partial fixes by the end of July and complete resolution by August.

The initial response from Coros appears to have treated these critical security flaws as routine bugs, which might be chalked up to inexperience: Though the issues are concerning, this does appear to be the company's first major security incident,. Gadget reviewer DC Rainmaker—the same reporter responsible for escalating this issue to Coros in the first place—posits that after this, Coros will likely have better public channels and internal processes in place for tackling future security issues.

But that issue aside, what do you need to do if you own an affected device?

In a Reddit comment, Coros says if your watch is up to date, there’s nothing you need to do right now. But when their next software updates are available in July and August, you should update your watch immediately to fix these vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, there are no effective workarounds to mitigate the vulnerabilities in the meantime, as they're embedded in the devices' Bluetooth communication protocols.

The bottom line

Even if you aren't a Coros user, it's important to remember that all fitness wearables, despite their seemingly benign nature, can become significant security liabilities. These devices often have access to highly personal information—from health data and location tracking to text messages and notifications—making them attractive targets for hackers. As our wearables become increasingly sophisticated and connected, it's more important than ever to stay on top of best security practices.

And if you are a Coros user, make sure you install any and all July and August updates as soon as they are released.

DJI Launches 'Power 2000' Portable Power Station

DJI, best known for its line of drones, today announced the launch of the Power 2000, a portable power station. DJI already offers the Power 1000, and the Power 2000 is a larger, more capable version of the Power 1000.


I was able to test the Power 2000 before launch, to provide insight into the product for those who might be looking for a large power station option.

DJI's Power 2000 has a 2048Wh capacity with an LFP battery, double the capacity of the Power 1000. It's designed to power multiple devices or large appliances and equipment in emergencies, when off-grid, or when no traditional power source is available such as in a van living situation. It's $1,299, so it's not cheap, but it does seem to be priced competitively.

DJI describes the Power 2000 as compact, and it is compared to some competing products with similar capacities, but it stretches the definition of portable. The Power 2000 weighs approximately 50 pounds, so while it is a device that works well at home as a backup, in a vehicle, or in an off-grid situation where you have the ability to transport it, it's not something that's ideal for carrying around.


Most people aren't going to want to lug a 50-pound device out for a day at the park or the beach, and it's not going to work for camping when a vehicle isn't available, such as in a hike-in situation. There are other, smaller power banks that are better for that purpose, but the Power 2000 is ideal as a home backup unit or for vehicle living situations. If you need even more power, the Power 2000 does support up to 10 Power Expansion Battery units (each 2048Wh) for a total capacity of 22,528Wh.

DJI included two carrying handles on either side of the Power 2000, but it could have done better. Anker's power banks of this size come with a set of wheels and an extendable handle so you can more easily transport them, and including something similar would have made the Power 2000 much easier to move from place to place. Even bringing it to different rooms and moving it outside to test charging was a chore during the review due to the weight, though size is a different story. It's heavy, but it is smaller than I would have expected. It measures in at 17.5 inches by 13 inches by 9 inches.

All of the ports are at the front of the Power 2000 for easy access. There are four AC ports that accommodate standard plugs, four USB-C ports, four USB-A ports, two bidirectional "smart" DC ports, and two 1/4" threaded ports for DJI accessories, solar panels, and other devices. All of the ports can be used at once, for charging multiple devices at the same time. Two of the USB-C ports support 140W and were able to charge my MacBook Pro at full speed with the USB-C to MagSafe cable, while the other two ports support 65W.


There's a power button that activates the Power 2000 when you hold it down for two seconds, and a separate AC button that turns on the AC ports. A display at the front tells you what's drawing power and how long the battery will last, or how much power the device is drawing from an outlet and the time to recharge.

The Power 2000 can handle a total of 3,000 watts, so it is powerful enough to run most appliances and devices in the home. It can handle refrigerators (even full-sized), heaters, microwaves, portable AC units, medical devices, and power tools. While it's useful to have a device like the Power 2000 on hand for power outages, I find the large batteries useful in situations where I need to use a tool in a spot where there's no outlet.

I can put the Power 2000 in my Gorilla Cart and plug in whatever I need. I've done this when sanding, using a pressure washer, using a heat gun, powering a shop vac, and more. My brother keeps a similar large power bank in his car for emergencies, and I've also used one for backup power. If you've ever had a multi-hour or multi-day power outage because of a weather event, you're aware of the utility of a large power bank or backup generator.


The Power 2000 has enough capacity to power my router and my cable modem for longer than an 8-hour workday, so if the electricity is out, I can still get online with AT&T fiber. I plugged in my PlayStation 5, 65-inch TV, Apple TV, and some lights. Power draw was 400W, give or take, and it was able to run everything for over four hours.

Charging my MacBook Air dropped the Power 2000's battery from 100 percent to 95 percent, and it dropped a percent charging my iPhone 16 Pro Max from zero to 80 percent. I can't test how many times I can charge my MacBook or iPhone because it would take forever, but based on the test charges, it should handle charging a ‌MacBook Air‌ around 20 times and an iPhone 16 over 100 times. It can also charge my camera battery over 100 times, and of course it can charge DJI drones.


I don't have medical equipment, but these kinds of batteries can be useful for CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, and other devices that need power even when there's an outage. The Power 2000 has an option for an uninterruptible power supply mode. It can be plugged into a wall outlet, a device can be plugged into the Power 2000, and then if the power goes out, the device will remain on with no interruption. It also offers passthrough charging, so you can use it as a charging station that expands the number of devices that can run from a single outlet.

DJI suggests that the Power 2000 can run a router for 152 hours, a projector for 80 hours, a car refrigerator for 38 hours, an electric fan for 18 hours, and a lamp for 180 hours. A DJI drone should be able to charge 24 times.

I drained and charged the Power 2000 several times over the testing period. I haven't had it long enough to determine how long it holds a charge, but in my experience, these kinds of batteries will stay charged for months. You usually have to use them every three to six months for optimal health, and you won't want to store it with a full charge. The Power 2000 uses a lithium iron phosphate battery that DJI says will retain 80 percent capacity after 4,000 cycles, and that it is able to maintain power for months due to its power management features.


DJI's app works with the Power 2000, so you can check the remaining battery and get a readout of how long the accessory will last based on what's plugged in (this is the same readout that's on the display). DJI's remaining battery estimates were accurate, and were within about 20 minutes of the actual battery life in my testing. When I did drain the battery to zero twice, it had a zero readout before it was entirely out of power, so I had a grace period before it shut off.


The best part about the Power 2000 is how quickly it can charge. With a super charging mode, it can accept up to 1,800 watts to charge from 0 to 80 percent in 55 minutes. I did blow a fuse doing that, so it does need to charge from an outlet with nothing else on the circuit if you have 15-amp circuits. I have a 20-amp circuit for a kiln, which supported more power draw for the faster charging.

The standard charging is about 1200W, and that takes under two hours to charge, which is plenty fast enough for me. The Power 2000 is able to charge with a solar panel, and DJI sent a 100W model for testing. At 100W, it's going to take over a day to charge the Power 2000 to 100 percent even in full sun, so you're going to want a serious solar panel array if you plan to recharge the Power 2000 with solar. It's summer where I am, and we've had sunny, 90-degree weather, but I'm not typically getting the full 100W because of tree cover, and the fact that the sun moves throughout the day. Even partial sun or a cloudy day will give a little bit of power, so you won't be entirely without charge.


To connect a solar panel to the Power 2000, DJI has a $60 Solar Panel adapter. It only connects to DJI-certified Zignes solar panels, and it supports plugging in three panels for a maximum of 400W per adapter. The Power 2000 can be used with other solar panels, but a converter is required to connect the solar panel to the adapter module. Other batteries like this have built-in ports for solar panels, so I'm not sure why DJI went the adapter route.

You can also charge from a car at up to 1000W, though that requires the DJI Power Super Fast Car Charger. Charging via a car charges the battery to full in 145 minutes, plus there's a car and solar combo for faster charging, and an option to pair AC and DC charging. You can plug the Power 2000 in and also draw power from a solar panel or car charger, at up to 2200W total.

Charging was quiet, and I could barely hear the Power 2000 when it was plugged in. DJI says that with standard charging, the sound is no higher than 30dB, and I couldn't hear it unless I was right next to it. I didn't feel it get warm when charging devices or charging up itself.

DJI says there are 26 built-in temperature sensors and 21 fuses to detect anomalies, preventing overcharging, overvoltage, overcurrent, and other safety issues. The device is made of flame-retardant material and it has a load-bearing capacity of up to a ton, plus it has internal protections against accidental water exposure and outdoor condensation. It can operate normally in temperatures up to 113°F.

There is a three year warranty, and DJI offers extended warranties to customers who register on the DJI website.

Bottom Line


DJI's Power 2000 has a competitive price point and an attractive array of ports and features, so it is worth considering if you're looking for a battery with a 2000Wh capacity. The app is useful for keeping an eye on power transfer, and I appreciated the high-power USB-C ports.


I do wish DJI added wheels and a handle for easier transportation, and there are also quite a few add-ons and accessories that are needed if you want to charge the battery with a car or with solar. You'll need to take those add-ons into account when comparing the DJI Power 2000 to competing products.

How to Buy


The DJI Power 2000 can be purchased from the DJI website for $1,099 thanks to a current sale. Retail price is expected to be $1,299.

Note: DJI provided MacRumors with a Power 2000 for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
Tag: DJI

This article, "DJI Launches 'Power 2000' Portable Power Station" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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War of Wheels

Medeltida fordonsstrider på arenor låter ju på pappret som en återgång till fornstora dagar, en äldre spelmodell där deathmatch ligger i fokus mot ett startfält av olika bepansrade kärror som allihop ska krossas. Det är mycket riktigt uråldrigt på så gott som alla sätt och kommer knappast gå till historien som något annat än rent kattguld.
<bild>Allt exploderar förr eller senare.</bild>
Förutsättningarna i War of Wheels är enkla och sätter dig i förarstolen mot datorstyrda bottar där du får välja ett av fem fordon att drabba samman med och det som skiljer de olika åt är varierande statistik i hastighet, pansar, tyngd och vapen. Med ett smalt utbud av färger tillåts jag skräddarsy min dödsmaskin där jag också kan smycka ut den med diverse kosmetiska prydnader i hopp om att göra mig unik. Knight är en klass som agerar murbräcka, lite tyngre och lämpad för närstrid genom pneumatiska lansar och skäror monterade. När väl striden inleds är det full rulle rakt in i en moshpit av övriga fordon där allt ska dö. Det är däremot ingen större skillnad mellan de olika klasserna bortsett från det visuella och jag känner aldrig att det finns en tydligt motiverad anledning att välja det ena ekipaget framför det andra trots olika specialförmågor. Att köra som Assassin är lite lättare, lite snabbare och jag kan kamouflera mig, men för att stå som vinnare måste även detta fordon gå i närstrid och hugga vilt omkring sig, eller cirkulera på arenan och försöka pricka motståndet med ett klent litet armborst.
<bild>Riddaren av gator och torg med lånad design.</bild>
Det handlar oavsett klass om att nedkämpa allt som rör sig genom slagkraft och kanoner där du hoppas att du står som segrare. Vem som i dagsläget står som segrare är närmast en slump och svårt att avgöra där träffdetekteringen lämnar allt att önska. När jag kolliderar med närmaste motstånd och hamrar djävulen ur denne med stora yxor ser jag hur min livsmätare sjunker, men utan en tillstymmelse till feedback på fienden som även den viftar med tunga redskap mot mig. Tids nog exploderar en av oss, men utan engagerande förståelse till varför, det saknas återkoppling i striderna oavsett vapen eller förmåga man nyttjar. Efter min död spawnar jag på kartan igen med samma urvattnade uppdrag framför mig. Den artificiella intelligensen lämnar mycket att önska då den mest kör runt utan större målmedvetenhet med mig jagandes efter.
<bild>Här exploderar vi tillsammans i öknen efter förmåga.</bild>
Arenorna som är tre till antalet är cirkulära, luftigt öppna och tekniskt undermåliga att titta på, miljöombytet är minimalt då skillnader i elevering eller yta att köra på är så gott som densamma sinsemellan, minus vissa faror i terrängen bestående av eldsprutande statyer. Utvecklaren utlovar fler i framtiden, men jag har svårt att se att de skulle tillföra någon större skillnad i helheten. Spelkontrollen är på alla vis simpel och gör sitt jobb, det finns inga spelmässigt avancerade inslag utöver den klassiska turboknappen eller den som aktiverar din klasspecifika förmåga som här fantasifullt nog ger dig sköld eller en temporär boost i attack, på sin höjd. Rent visuellt är det beige, brunt och väldigt neutralt att titta på med få överraskningar. Spelets fysik är fjäderlätt och inget som utmärker sig där alla hamnar i hög på varandra vid minsta kollision varvat med typiska metalljud som skaver mot varandra och musik som vi absolut hört tidigare och lagt på minnet av fel anledningar då allt låter som hämtat ur öppet arkiv. Faktum är att jag stängde av musiken i spelet tids nog. Det erbjuds också PvP-stöd på delad skärm, något jag inte testat men vill samtidigt inte heller utsätta någon annan för då jag månar om nära och kära. Ett storyläge för en spelare är även det utlovat i framtiden, men med tanke på basen här skulle jag inte hålla andan i hopp om stordåd.
<bild>Oklart vem som vinner här, men jag tror att jag har mer livmätare kvar.</bild>
War of Wheels är alldeles för ofokuserat med en känsla av att allt sker på måfå där alla kör in i varandra och mosar och exploderar efter en stund. Det är visserligen enkelt att spela med en hoppa-in-och-ut-approach, med ett lite äldre och mer lättsamt spelsystem, men det är också avskalat på alla fronter och väldigt, väldigt intetsägande. Spelet ligger i Early Access, men jag kan slå fast redan nu att War of Wheels är något av det sämsta jag någonsin spelat och jag skulle bli mycket, mycket förvånad om det når ett stadie där det någonsin anses vara färdigt, brukligt eller i närheten av ett skick som är värt ditt engagemang när det klart och tydligt aldrig fanns mer än en blek ambition från början. Jag kan uppskatta mindre allvar och utelämnad realism, där fokus ligger på dödsmatcher och tillgänglighet likt Carmageddon och Twisted Metal - men när dagordningen infinner sig av princip, utan punch eller med en intressant vinkel eller vill kriga på en premiss som utmanar, då kan jag inte annat än zooma ut. Undvik.
<bild>Här dog jag definitivt. Inget snack om den saken.</bild>

These Outdoor Tools Are up to 67% Off During Home Depot’s Fourth of July Sale

Get your gardening chores done under budget.

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Whether you’re planting a garden and need some watering equipment or have some trimming to do, a good set of tools can help you make light work of your outdoor chore list. But getting the right tools and equipment for your outdoor chores can be expensive. Here are my favorite 4th of July deals from Home Depot on outdoor gear to keep your projects on budget.

Trimming and cutting

Cutting branches back from exterior walls can lengthen the life of your siding, limit damage from moisture, and make your home more fire resistant, so trimming and cutting tools are essential for good landscaping maintenance. In addition to the practical advantages of trimming your various flora, it can also make everything look a lot nicer.

  • This Ryobi 18-volt battery kit that comes with a free sawzall is on sale for $99, 65% off its regular price. The battery set comes with one four-amp-hour battery and one four-amp-hour battery and a charger, and you can select the sawzall as a free tool with the deal. This saw is great for trimming small to medium branches and can be used for some woodworking projects as well.

  • The Milwaukee 12-volt cordless power pruners are on sale for $149, 25% off their usual price. (This is a tool-only deal, so you’ll need a 12-volt Milwaukee battery set to use them.) These pruners are good for cutting smaller, woody branches, and are especially nice if you have arthritis or another condition that limits your grip strength, as they allow you to do your own pruning without causing yourself pain.

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt mini chainsaw/pole saw kit is on sale for $589, 31% off its regular price. This set comes with a quick-lock power head, a three-foot pole extension, and 10-foot pole saw, an eight-inch mini chainsaw, a six-amp-hour battery, and a charger. This set will allow you to trim up to a 15-inch branch as high as 15-20 feet off the ground without the need for a ladder. If you have unreachable and unhealthy branches on any of your trees, this tool is indispensable.

Cordless leaf blowers

I’m not a big fan of leaf blowers: They’re loud, and as a seasonal allergy sufferer, I find that they kick too much pollen into the air. That said, I can't deny that they're useful in some circumstances, including for clearing leaves and grass clippings from sidewalk pavement, preventing slippery spots when it rains. If you have a need for a leaf blower, cordless ones are lighter, quieter, and cheaper to run than their gas-powered alternatives.

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt 120MPH, 500 CFM cordless blower is $299, 43% off its regular price. This blower comes with two six-amp-hour batteries and a charger in addition to the blower, making it an excellent deal if you have other 18-volt Milwaukee tools, as the batteries are interchangeable.

  • The Ryobi 18-volt battery starter kit that comes with a free Ryobi 18-volt leaf blower is on sale for $99, 64% off its regular price. The kit is a two-amp-hour battery and a four-amp-hour battery, along with a charger, and you can choose a free leaf blower to go with it. This is a great deal for a tool and battery combo, especially if you have other 18-volt Ryobi tools, as the batteries are interchangeable.

  • The Milwaukee cordless 18-volt string trimmer/120MPH, 500 CFM leaf blower is on sale for $539, 31% off its typical price. This set comes with two six-amp-hour batteries and a charger, along with the trimmer and leaf blower. It’s a good set as an addition to a mower for lawn care maintenance around walkways and steps.

Watering equipment

Watering a garden can be more of a hassle if you don’t have the right hoses and attachments. Drip hoses, extensions, and irrigation timers can all be expensive, so getting a good deal can help you grow your garden for less, saving water as well as saving on the price of your tools.

  • The Rain Bird pop-up sprinkler head to six outlet emitter conversion kit is on sale for $16.86, 25% off its regular price. This conversion kit allows you to attach drip irrigation tubes to a pop-up sprinkler head in order to use it as a timed drip irrigation system. Using drip irrigation can save water by controlling evaporation and having less water lost to run-off.

  • The Vigoro 50-foot soaker hose is on sale for $11.88, 41% off its usual price. This hose will allow you to drip-irrigate a 50-foot row, or about a 50-200 square-foot area, saving water and allowing your plants to still have moist soil.

  • The Anvil 50-foot garden hose is on sale for $14.88, 40% off its typical price. This hose works with standard spigots and is for general-duty watering purposes.

Ryobi battery starter kit

Batteries and chargers can be an expensive component to an outdoor cordless tool kit. Because they have a lifespan of about 10 years before they wear out and can’t hold a charge for as long, they also need to be replaced periodically.

The 18-volt Ryobi 3-battery starter kit is on sale for $199, 45% off its regular price. This set comes with 2 4-amp-hour batteries, 1 2-amp-hour battery, and a charger. You can add a free tool to this deal as well, including a leaf-blower or a sawzall.

Your Local Dick's Might Have Pelotons for 50% Off Right Now

Plus, you can grab a Bike+ for half off online.

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I love my Peloton Bike, but it did cost me a pretty penny. Still, its $1,445 price tag was totally worth it to me, because I ride it every day.

Recently, I've been testing out the Bike+, the more advanced version that costs about $1,000 more. I love that model too, but it's hard to recommend something so pricey without admitting that the price will be out of reach for many people. Right now, though, it may not have to be, thanks to a pair of deals at Dick's Sporting Goods—one available in-person, and another online.

Some Dick's locations are selling Peloton equipment for half off

I spotted a Reddit post today from someone who boasted of picking up a Tread—Peloton's $3,000 treadmill—for 50% off at their local Dick's Sporting Goods. For the advanced treadmill that enables you to take running classes and work on your fitness at home, that price is wildly good. It even rivals the prices you'd expect to find on resale platforms like the one Peloton just launched—except the treadmill from Dick's will likely be newer, having only ever been displayed and tested on a store floor.

The Redditor said their store's employees told them that Dick's won't be carrying Peloton equipment in-store anymore, so DSGs nationwide are offering up the discount. Others chimed in to say they'd called their own local stores and gotten told the same thing: Peloton devices are 50% off.

Not wanting to be left out, I called around to my local locations. One store told me they were "all out" of Peloton equipment, but couldn't tell me if they'd sold their floor models at 50% off or not. I called another and an employee told me he hadn't heard about the sale, but after putting me on hold, came back on the line to say, "Wow, yeah, we have a Bike+ in stock and it's 50% off."

I reached out to Dick's press team for more details on the offer, but while I'm waiting to hear back, it's worth calling your local store to see what, if anything, they have at a discount. I love the Bike and Bike+ and have been eyeing a Tread, but the at-home fitness giant also makes the Row ($3,295), a rowing machine that is the ideal addition to a true personal gym.

The Bike+ is 50% off online too

I also poked around the Dick's website, where I saw that the Tread is sold out, but the regular Peloton Bike is down to $1,145—a $300 discount. That's not exactly half-off, but it's not a bad price.

More importantly, the Bike+, which has better sound output, a larger screen, and the ability to automatically adjust resistance for you while you ride, is on sale online for $1,247. That's right: The Bike+ is 50% off online at Dick's and just $100 more than the regular Bike.

And the savings keep coming: Even the Peloton cycling shoes you need to actually operate the Bike and Bike+ are marked down to $99.98 from $145.

Here’s What Will Be on Sale During Home Depot’s Fourth of July Event

You can already find deals going up to 65% off a week before the Fourth of July.

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Home Depot's Fourth of July sale is in full swing, and you can find deals on appliances, furniture, lawn products, tools, and more going for up 65% off. Here's what you need to know about the ongoing sale.

How long is Home Depot's Fourth of July sale?

The sale started on June 19 and will run until July 9. That coincides with the second day of the biggest sale of the year, Prime Day. You can shop both online and in the store, but you might not the exact same deals in both places.

Who can shop the sale?

Unlike most other retailers with sales around this time, anyone can shop Home Depot's sale. However, being a Pro Xtra Loyalty Program member is completely free and actually gives you nice perks, like better deals and special delivery options.

Remember the other sales coming up

July is packed with big sales, and the biggest one is Amazon's Prime Day. However, other big ones to be aware of are Best Buy's Black Friday in July which starts on July 7, Target's Circle Week which starts July 6, and Walmart Deals which starts July 8, the same day as Prime Day. When it comes to tools and furniture, Home Depot will likely have the best deals.

Some deals from Home Depot's Fourth of July sale to consider

  • Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless Ratchet Kit and Battery combo pack $99 (originally $282.94). The ratchet tool itself is normally $79, but the value comes from the two batteries and the charger.

  • Milwaukee Drill combo kit + free tool $309 (originally $369). This combo kit comes with a Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill, Impact Driver, and Cut Off Saw as well as a 4- and 2-Ah battery pack. Additionally, Home Depot lets you choose a free tool at checkout between a spot blower, ratchet tool, and soldering iron.

  • Dewalt Multi Tool kit $99 (originally $219.09). Cut most woods and metals with 20,000 oscillations per minute. It comes with an adapter, two blades, and a 1.5 Ah battery and charger.

  • Find more deals on tools here.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO): The Digital Sentinel of Modern Enterprises

In today’s hyper-connected, risk-laden digital landscape, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) plays an indispensable role in protecting an organization’s most valuable resource: its data. This dynamic leadership role requires a unique blend of technical acumen, strategic insight, and leadership, positioning the CISO as the foundational guard of the enterprise’s digital defense. As threats growContinue reading "The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO): The Digital Sentinel of Modern Enterprises "

In today’s hyper-connected, risk-laden digital landscape, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) plays an indispensable role in protecting an organization’s most valuable resource: its data. This dynamic leadership role requires a unique blend of technical acumen, strategic insight, and leadership, positioning the CISO as the foundational guard of the enterprise’s digital defense. As threats grow more sophisticated and data’s value soars, the CISO’s role has expanded, integrating cybersecurity into the very heart of business strategy and resilience.

This article delves into the critical responsibilities of the CISO, the skills that define exceptional candidates, and why modern enterprises cannot afford to overlook this crucial leadership position.

Why CISOs Are Vital in the Digital Age: Managing the Expanding Threat Landscape

The march of digitization has transformed business operations, enabling unprecedented connectivity, data insights, and operational efficiencies. Yet this interconnection introduces complex cybersecurity threats, with increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals seeking vulnerabilities that could compromise data and disrupt business. Amid these challenges, the CISO assumes multiple roles to safeguard the organization’s digital assets:

1. Architecting a Comprehensive Security Framework

A CISO’s primary responsibility is to develop and implement a holistic information security program. This program functions as a strategic roadmap, detailing everything from risk assessments to vulnerability management and enforcing robust security controls. By prioritizing risk management, the CISO ensures that security measures align with the organization’s objectives, safeguarding data while allowing the business to operate without disruption.

2. Leading Incident Response and Cyber Resilience

A well-prepared organization is one that anticipates attacks and has effective response protocols. The CISO is tasked with establishing a detailed incident response plan that outlines how to identify, contain, and mitigate security breaches. Additionally, they foster a security-conscious culture within the workforce, empowering employees with the knowledge to detect and report potential threats.

3. Navigating Complex Regulatory Landscapes

As data privacy regulations proliferate worldwide, organizations face mounting pressures to stay compliant with stringent cybersecurity laws. CISOs take on the responsibility of ensuring the organization adheres to relevant legal standards—such as GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA—to minimize legal and reputational risks. This compliance is more than legal due diligence; it protects the organization’s brand and builds trust with customers and stakeholders.

4. Promoting Secure Innovation

CISOs balance innovation and security, enabling businesses to adopt new technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and IoT without compromising data protection. As custodians of digital safety, CISOs act as advisors, guiding secure adoption of transformative technologies while proactively identifying and mitigating risks associated with each.

5. Building and Leading a Cyber-Resilient Team

A skilled team of cybersecurity specialists forms the backbone of the CISO’s efforts. Beyond hiring, the CISO is responsible for fostering a team environment that encourages proactive security practices, continuous learning, and adaptability. This collaborative culture helps the organization identify vulnerabilities and improve its cybersecurity posture over time.

Essential Qualities of a World-Class CISO

Becoming a CISO requires an intricate blend of technical skills and leadership qualities, often honed through years of experience and continuous learning. The following traits define an outstanding CISO:

1. Deep Technical Knowledge

A CISO must possess a strong understanding of core cybersecurity principles, including cryptography, network security, and application security. This expertise enables them to establish comprehensive strategies that protect the organization’s digital infrastructure.

2. Strategic Business Alignment

Exceptional CISOs bridge the gap between technical measures and business objectives, aligning cybersecurity strategies with organizational goals. This ability to translate complex cybersecurity concepts into actionable business strategies is essential for achieving executive buy-in and maintaining security as a strategic business advantage.

3. Leadership and Communication Skills

In their role, CISOs often need to explain cybersecurity risks and initiatives to diverse audiences, from technical teams to executives and board members. Strong communication skills, coupled with an adaptable approach, are key to effectively conveying the importance of cybersecurity across the organization.

4. Financial Acumen

An effective CISO understands the financial implications of security decisions. They balance robust protections with responsible budget management, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently to the organization’s most pressing security needs while maximizing return on security investments.

5. Adaptability and Problem-Solving Skills

The digital landscape is constantly shifting, and so are cybersecurity threats. A successful CISO can navigate these changes with agility, employing creative problem-solving skills to address emerging threats and leverage new technologies to the organization’s advantage.

In addition to these skills, certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) validate a CISO’s expertise and commitment to the field.

The Value of a CISO: Why Every Organization Needs a Cybersecurity Champion

As the digital ecosystem continues to evolve, the need for a dedicated cybersecurity leader is more apparent than ever. Here are several compelling reasons why investing in a CISO is a strategic imperative:

1. Fortifying the Organization’s Digital Fortress

A proactive CISO ensures the protection of an organization’s data, intellectual property, and customer information. Their security strategies minimize the risk of data breaches, which can cause severe reputational and financial damage.

2. Navigating Regulatory Compliance Confidently

By staying ahead of regulatory requirements, CISOs ensure the organization meets data protection mandates, reducing the risk of fines and reputational fallout from non-compliance. This foresight fosters customer trust and positions the organization as a responsible steward of sensitive information.

3. Building a Security-Conscious Culture

Through training and awareness programs, CISOs instill a culture of vigilance, equipping employees to recognize and respond to cybersecurity threats. This security-conscious culture serves as the organization’s first line of defense, reducing vulnerability to human-centered attacks like phishing.

4. Optimizing Cybersecurity Investments

CISOs are skilled at managing the cybersecurity budget, ensuring that funds are strategically allocated to the areas of highest risk. Their insights help organizations achieve robust security within budget constraints, maximizing the return on investment for cybersecurity efforts.

5. Championing Secure Innovation

By establishing strong security frameworks, CISOs empower the organization to adopt emerging technologies safely. This proactive approach allows the organization to capitalize on opportunities, such as digital transformation and cloud adoption, without sacrificing security.

6. Ensuring Resilience in Times of Crisis

In the event of a cyberattack, the CISO’s leadership is crucial for coordinating the organization’s response, mitigating disruption, and ensuring swift recovery. This role is instrumental in maintaining business continuity and minimizing operational downtime during security incidents.

Beyond Today: Building Tomorrow’s Cybersecurity Leaders

The role of the CISO is ever-evolving, and the demands of cybersecurity leadership require continuous education, collaboration, and adaptability. Aspiring and current CISOs benefit from several resources and practices:

1. Lifelong Learning

Cybersecurity is a fast-evolving field. CISOs can stay current on emerging threats and trends through industry certifications, conferences, and continuous education programs. Regularly updating skills is essential to maintaining a forward-thinking approach to cybersecurity.

2. Engaging in Industry Collaboration

Cybersecurity is most effective when tackled collectively. By joining industry associations such as the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) or (ISC)², CISOs can connect with peers, share threat intelligence, and participate in collaborative efforts to anticipate and counteract cyber threats.

3. Fostering a Collaborative Security Ecosystem

Building strong alliances within the organization and across the industry enables CISOs to gather diverse perspectives, improving the effectiveness of security initiatives. Collaborating with cross-functional teams encourages a unified, resilient approach to cybersecurity challenges.

The Future of the CISO Role in a Rapidly Digitalizing World

The role of the CISO continues to expand in scope and significance as cyber threats intensify and digital transformation accelerates. For organizations of all sizes, investing in a skilled, forward-looking CISO is essential to building resilience, protecting data, and fostering an innovation-ready environment. The CISO’s work extends far beyond technical cybersecurity skills; it’s a strategic role that supports business continuity, customer trust, and sustainable growth.

In conclusion, the CISO of today is more than a cybersecurity guardian; they are the enterprise’s trusted partner in navigating the complexities of the digital age. Organizations that prioritize and empower their CISOs position themselves to thrive, not just survive, in an increasingly interconnected world. As businesses continue to embrace the possibilities of the digital era, the CISO will remain at the forefront, guiding the enterprise’s journey with resilience, insight, and an unwavering commitment to security.

10 Shows Like ‘The Bear’ You Should Watch Next

If you're into food, or just being stressed out, here are some worthy successors to "The Bear."

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Kitchens are a pressure cooker (pun more or less intended), whether you're trying to get your high-end restaurant off the ground in order to sustain some kind of family legacy or just trying to keep the pasta from boiling over in your own home. Cooking is challenging, even when the only person to say "yes, chef" to is you.

The Bear's 2022 debut kicked off a new interest in a specific sub-genre of shows dealing with the stresses and joys of food and the restaurant business. These shows approach those topics from different angles and different tones—some of them will keep your stressed-out Bear-buzz going, while others will serve to bring the heat down.

Julia (2022 – 2023, two seasons)

It’s a good moment to revisit Julia Child. At a critical period in American culture, she reinvented herself multiple times, first by learning to cook when she was already nearly 40, parlaying her talent into a bestselling cookbook; and then when she moved into television, becoming an unexpected celebrity in the process. Though they’re not related, strictly speaking, the 2009 movie Julie & Julia focused on the lead-up to Child’s fame, while this series spotlights the chef (Sarah Lancashire, serving up an absolutely impeccable performance) during her early days in the spotlight as she experienced upheavals to her own life and the broader cultural shifts ongoing at the time. The show makes clear just how transformative Child was for our television and cultural landscape, even if her kitchen wasn't quite the pressure-cooker we see in something like The Bear. You can stream Julia on HBO Max.


Midnight Diner (2009 – 2019, five seasons)

“The Master” prepares relatively simple, appealing comfort dishes at his atmospheric after-hours Tokyo diner, joined by regulars and newcomers with distinctive quirks and personal dramas. Think High Maintenance, but in a fixed location, with a lot more food. It’s definitely a lower-stress alternative to Carmy's kitchen nightmares. You'll find the show's first three seasons streaming as just Midnight Diner, and the final two as Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. You can stream Midnight Diner on Netflix.


Sweetbitter (2018 – 2019, two seasons)

Taking on restaurant culture from another side (and another city), Sweetbitter is based on the novel of the same name from Stephanie Danler, who based it on her experiences as an NYC waitress (she also created the series and wrote the pilot). Yellowjackets' Ella Purnell plays Tess, 21 at the series' opening, as she arrives in the city and gets a job at a prestigious restaurant. As we (and she) quickly learn, there's at least as much drama (including drugs, booze, and sex) on the service side of the industry as there is in the kitchen. You can stream Sweetbitter on Starz or rent it from Prime Video.


Itaewon Class (2022, one season)

This wildly popular K-drama feels, in many ways, like an exemplar of the form, at least to American audiences who might have limited exposure to Korean TV beyond Squid Game. It's got action and family drama, as well as a compelling love triangle, but also deals with themes of class and injustice. Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) has just been released from prison after a wrongful three-year sentence, with only one goal in mind: to turn a pub into the biggest and best restaurant chain in South Korea (which will also serve as his own brand of revenge on those who saw him imprisoned). Itaewon is one of Seoul's most diverse neighborhoods, and Sae-ro-yi's ambitious plan draws a found family of misfits who want to help to turn the bar into something truly impressive. You can stream Itaewon Class on Netflix.


Chef! (1993 – 1996, three seasons)

Though a bit lesser known stateside, the British sitcom Chef! remains a fan favorite for its smart scripts, impressive production values, and (frequently) vicious sense of humor. Lenny Henry plays the perfectionist, imperious Gareth Blackstock, one of English comedy’s top-tier arseholes, the type of all-but-irredeemable character who could never be a lead in an American sitcom. There are family elements here, but the series also deals with the nitty gritty of preparing fine meals—not just the cooking (though there’s plenty of that) but the logistics and economics of food obsession. You can stream Chef! on Tubi and Britbox.


Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013 – 2018, 12 seasons)

Anthony Bourdain's photo hangs on the wall in Carmy's kitchen, and it's not hard to see the link: Bourdain's career blended a passion for food with a reluctance to suffer fools. For Bourdain, food wasn't a means to an end; it was a means to explore culture and community—and Parts Unknown fulfills that brief. While the series finds the chef traveling all over the world, season seven brings him to Chicago and sees him sit down for a fried steak sandwich at local landmark Ricobene's. You can stream Parts Unknown on HBO Max, Discovery+, and the Roku Channel or buy episodes from Prime Video.


From Scratch (2022, miniseries)

A big step away from the high-intensity drama of Carmy's kitchen, From Scratch takes us to Florence, Italy following art student Amy (Zoe Saldaña). There, she meets and falls in love with Sicilian chef Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea). It's sweet and sentimental, unashamedly so, but the performances rescue it from ever feeling cloying. It's based, roughly, on the memoir from Tembi Locke (who co-created the show), and draws us into the world of high-end Italian cuisine just as Amy is being drawn into Chef Lino's world. You can stream From Scratch on Netflix.


Shameless (2011 - 2021, 11 seasons)

I'm mostly bringing up Shameless for the Jeremy Allen White of it all—he plays Lip, the second child of Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) and someone forced into a caregiver role in his family (alongside older sister Fiona) despite his fiery temper and struggles with substance abuse. Both comedy/dramas involve complicated, largely dysfunctional Chicago-area families that, nevertheless, find ways to stick together (for better and worse). In both shows, White's characters become the tempestuous, reluctant glue that holds everything together. You can stream Shameless on Netflix.


Gentefied (2020 – 2021, two seasons)

A half-hour comedy-drama, but with an emphasis on the comedy, Gentefied follows three Mexican-American cousins who have built lives in Los Angeles, only to be faced with a new challenge: the looming gentrification of the neighborhood they helped to build with their family's taco shop. Much as The Bear captures a sense of Chicago's specific food culture, Gentefied has a baked-in sense of place and culture. This bilingual series has a lot of heart, and, the second season is even better than the first. You can stream Gentefied on Netflix.


Next Level Chef (2022 – , four seasons)

Reality competition Next Level Chef, in which Gordon Ramsay is joined by judges Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais, simulates the high-pressure atmosphere of a professional kitchen with a little less swearing than you might get elsewhere, but just as many people shouting "yes, chef!" The judges here also serve as mentors to cooking hopefuls who are assigned to one of three kitchens: one fully decked-out, one extremely basic, and a third that's more or less in the middle. It's a bit more stressful than Bake-Off, but certainly less dramatic than The Bear (even given the real-life stakes for the contestants), so it might be a good way to wind down from your recent Bear binge. You can stream Next Level Chef on Hulu.

Eight Ways to Use the Windows Recovery Environment to Rescue Your PC

Everything you need to know about Windows' built-in repair options.

In an ideal world, nothing would ever go wrong with your Windows laptop or desktop—but as you know, the sun doesn't always shine, your favorite sports team doesn't always win, and you might occasionally run into problems with your PC. If that happens, Microsoft has provided a suite of troubleshooting tools called the Windows Recovery Environment (or WinRE for short) to help you solve the issue yourself.

You might not be too familiar with WinRE, which is a positive sign—it probably means your computing has largely been trouble-free in recent times. However, it's worth knowing about the options that these utilities offer, whether you're experiencing problems right now or want to be well prepared in the future.

What is the Windows Recovery Environment?

Windows Recovery Environment
The first Windows Recovery Environment screen. Credit: Lifehacker

First and foremost, WinRE is a way to solve issues stopping your PC from starting up normally. It may even appear automatically if your computer doesn't boot properly—it's built right into Windows systems, so there's nothing to download or install. You can also use WinRE to reset Windows and return it to its original state, in addition to the reset option in Windows Settings.

If you can get into Windows normally, you can launch the Windows Recovery Environment by opening Settings and choosing System > Recovery > Restart now. If not, you might see WinRE appear automatically—most systems should be configured to launch the utility after two or three failed boot attempts.

Alternatively, there will be a key you can press during boot up to launch WinRE rather than Windows: If you're not sure what it is, check the documentation that came with your PC, or search online for your make and model of computer. For some Asus computers it's F12, for example, and for some Dell computers, it's the Windows key.

All the Windows Recovery Environment options (and how they work)

Use a device

The first option you'll see lets you boot from a USB drive or a DVD rather than your hard drive, which you might need to do if you can't start up your PC normally. From there, you can carry out further troubleshooting or reinstall Windows. If you need to create a USB drive or DVD to boot from, check out Microsoft's guide.

Alongside Use a device, and options to turn off your PC or carry on to Windows, there's a Troubleshoot entry on the menu. Select this for more options.

Reset this PC

This is the first option under Troubleshoot. Choosing a reset will do just that: reset Windows to its original settings, hopefully clearing up any issues you've been having. Along the way, you'll be asked if you want to wipe all your personal files and programs too—the reset is more comprehensive if you do, but you'll need to move all of your data back again afterwards, so make sure it's safely backed up somewhere first.

Windows Recovery Environment
The reset option might be all you need to get Windows working again. Credit: Lifehacker

If Use a device or Reset this PC aren't the solutions you're after, you can dig deeper into the Windows Recovery Environment by choosing Advanced options.

Startup Repair

With this option, Windows will attempt to fix some of the more common issues relating to startup, with no further input required from you. It'll look at the key files controlling the boot up process, registry files, and drivers. Fingers crossed, you'll be back into the normal Windows environment in just a few minutes.

Startup Settings

This gives you some alternatives to booting Windows in the usual way, including the classic Safe Mode, which loads the operating system with as few configuration files and drivers as possible. By starting a stripped-down version of Windows rather than full-fat Windows, you may be able to bypass any issues and troubleshoot your problems further—by removing malware, for example.

Command Prompt

This opens up a text-based command prompt window, a throwback to the days of MS-DOS. As its so bare bones, you may be able to get command prompts working even if you can't get into Windows—so file commands, for example, or further diagnostic checks. For more details on command prompts, see Microsoft's guide.

Windows Recovery Environment
There are several troubleshooting approaches you can take. Credit: Lifehacker

Uninstall Updates

Sometimes a Windows update will cause problems for your system (and maybe many others, too). This option lets you view updates that have recently been applied to the operating system, and remove them if needed—which may then enable you to get into Windows as normal.

UEFI Firmware Settings

This is where you can make changes to the fundamental UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) software that works underneath Windows (and which has now replaced the BIOS). You're able to check on the status of hard drives and peripherals, and make sure your computer is working at the most basic level—we've written a more detailed UEFI guide here.

System Restore

Essentially, System Restore rolls Windows back to an earlier point in time, ideally undoing whatever change is causing your current PC woes (it'll uninstall apps that have recently been added, for example). These restore points should have been automatically created by Windows, and you'll be prompted to pick one from the list, depending on how far you want to go back.

Android Users Will Soon Be Able to Edit Texts Sent to Their Friends on iPhone

It won't work from iPhone to Android, however.

Texting between iPhones and Androids used to be a slog. That's because Apple limited its users to SMS when messaging Androids, which stripped away many of the modern chat features we've gotten used to—like, say, functioning group chats.

That radically changed once Apple rolled out support for RCS: This messaging protocol had been standard on Android for years, but by allowing iPhones to use it rather than SMS, suddenly "green bubbles" conversations weren't so crummy. On the contrary, RCS adds most of the key iMessage perks you might expect, like typing indicators, high-quality image and video sharing, and, of course, functioning group chats.

But the transition isn't complete yet. RCS actually supports more features than these, though just not on iOS. That includes end-to-end encryption (though some Android-to-Android chats are also not encrypted), and message editing, or the ability to adjust a message after you sent it. Luckily, that's now changing.

As reported by Android Authority, cross-platform message editing is now rolling out to Google Messages users. That means if you text an iPhone user via RCS in Google Messages, you'll have the option to edit that text for up to 15 minutes after it was sent. Android Authority confirms the feature works when texting iPhone users running both iOS 18.5 and the iOS 26 beta. That goes for group chats as well as one-on-one messaging.

This is of course a great update, but it comes with some big caveats. First, it appears to be rolling out in limited testing. While Android Authority's Mishaal Rahman has access to the feature, it does seem like Google is making this a slow launch, so you might need to wait before seeing it on your end. To that point, if you have an iPhone, you won't see it on your end—at least, not yet. At this time, this is only a Google Messages feature, and not something that Apple currently supports. In fact, edited messages appear as a brand new message to iPhone users, with an asterisk at the top to denote that something was changed.

iMessage itself supports message editing (and end-to-end encryption, for that matter), but since iMessage only works between iPhones, it's yet another feature that won't appear when you're texting your Android friends. I'm hopeful that as RCS advances and Apple adopts more of its features, we'll see more cross-platform support for these features. Maybe soon, you'll be able to text Android users via RCS knowing your messages are protected by end-to-end encryption, or be able to edit a message you sent from your iPhone to any contact, not just your other iPhone friends. Right now, however, it looks like Google Messages user have the advantage here, while us iPhone users will need to read their edits as another entire message entirely.

A Ukrainian actress saw herself in a White House video -- and created one in response

Antonina Khyzhniak, who appeared in stock footage included in a White House Instagram video for the Trump administration's tax bill, responded with a humorous video — and a serious message.Ukrainian actress Antonina Khyzhniak made a video in response to seeing stock footage of herself used in a White House video. She acts out an imaginary negotiation between herself and President Trump.

Antonina Khyzhniak, who appeared in stock footage included in a White House Instagram video for the Trump administration's tax bill, responded with a humorous video — and a serious message.

(Image credit: Screenshot by NPR)

YouTube Is Getting AI Overviews Too, and You Can Try Them Now

One more place online is about to have AI answers. At least for now, you have to ask for this one.

The tide rises, the sun sets, and Google pushes AI summaries onto yet another product. This time, it's YouTube that's getting the AI Overview treatment.

The new feature will add "carousels" of clips that AI determines are relevant to the top of certain searches. For now, the feature is only available to a very (very) narrow set of users.

It's a similar feature to the one you've probably seen in Google Search. Typically, if Google finds a YouTube video with a relevant portion to your search, it will present a highlighted clip that you can watch without leaving Google itself. These new YouTube AI carousels are populated with many of these relevant clips, and are paired with generative AI text summaries of the clips.

How to turn on YouTube's AI overviews

Currently, AI-powered carousels are an experimental feature, only available to YouTube Premium subscribers in the United States, and only when you use search on an Android or iOS mobile device. If you want to enable them, follow these steps:

  • Make sure you're subscribed to YouTube Premium. While I wouldn't recommend starting a whole subscription just to try out a new feature, if you're not subscribed you won't be able to see these. You can check your subscription status in the YouTube mobile app by tapping your profile icon and heading to Settings > Purchases and memberships.

  • Make sure you're in the U.S. I especially don't recommend emigrating to another country to try out an experimental AI feature. But on the off chance that your account's location is set to somewhere outside the U.S. (like if you're using a VPN by default), make sure YouTube thinks you're in the U.S.

  • Enroll in the carousel experimental feature. You might have already signed up to try experimental features, but this one needs to be turned on directly. Head here or in the YouTube app head to Settings > Try experimental new features. Then, enable "AI-powered search results carousel."

  • Try some searches related to shopping or places. Most searches will still provide the typical results, but Google suggests topics related to shopping (such as "noise cancelling headphones") or place (such as "best beaches in Hawaii").

Even if you follow all of these steps, however, you still might not see the new feature. I've been a YouTube Premium subscriber since it was called YouTube Red, enabled this experiment, and tried the example searches (plus many more) and never saw the carousel once. YouTube says the feature is only available to a "randomly selected number of Premium members" so it seems there's no guarantee you'll get to try it out even if you opt in.

If you don't want this feature, the good news is that you don't have to do anything for now. This experimental trial will last until July 30. While that doesn't necessarily mean that it will roll out more widely after that, it's a safe bet that you've at least got another month before it becomes something you have to opt out of.

Seven Changes That Finally Helped Me Stick to My Home Fitness Routine

It's not easy to stay motivated and accountable at home, but it's possible.

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I have long been a gym regular (in large part because I work there part-time as a spin instructor) and I have owned my Peloton for four years, but I never considered myself a workout fiend. But lately, I've gotten more serious about it. I'm using apps to monitor my protein intake, filling my downtime with sports, and even—and especially—working out at home.

At-home exercise has long been a challenge for me, as I find I have trouble staying motivated the same way I do when I'm at the gym, but I've found some ways to keep myself consistent. Here are seven changes I've made that you can also try if you're struggling to convince yourself to break a sweat while your couch is beckoning to you from across the room.

I invested in equipment

Money is a major motivator for me. Maybe it’s because of all my Capricorn zodiac placements, the fact that I’m an only child, or just a personality defect with no explanation, but the fact remains: I am incapable of enjoying a hobby without tying it to some kind of financial stakes. I can't simply like fashion; I have to constantly sell and rent out my clothes online so I can get money to buy more clothes. I can't simply take spin classes; I have to get certified so I can teach them. Teaching spin, it turns out, paid dividends for me: I got paid to do a thing I would otherwise be paying to do, and I got a free gym membership in the bargain. Initially, however, that backfired: Because I was no longer paying for my gym membership, I stopped going to the gym when I wasn't teaching. Turns out that financial motivator was key to my productivity.

To rectify this, I've started funneling money into health and fitness in other ways. In addition to buying month-to-month packages at boutique gyms, like pilates studios, I've invested in at-home equipment. The Peloton app alone costs me $44 per month, which is probably a large part of why I'm on an 106-day streak of riding my Bike every day.

I also began collecting workout equipment, like weights, a sturdy yoga mat, yoga blocks, and random tools like resistance bands and this strange little device for more effective body-weight squats. I keep it all in the open in my living room so that I have to consider my investment every day. If I don't use it, I'll know my money is going to waste. It's an aggressive defense against my own lazy tendencies, but it works for me.

If your plan is just to follow along with a few at-home "crunch challenges" or plyometrics you find on Instagram, you may lose motivation since it's not really costing you anything. Up the ante with a little monetary investment and you'll feel the burn, both in your wallet and your core.

This also addresses one of the other ways the gym tends to be better than at-home workouts: The more equipment you have, the more you can do, and the more you'll want to do. It's no fun to follow along with a YouTube video or a Peloton strength workout and not have the right tools. Spending not only money, but time, figuring out what you need to meet your goals is worthwhile.

I set specific goals

I used to have pretty nebulous fitness goals: "Lose weight. Be healthier." Those are nice ideas to stick on a vision board, but they don't produce much in terms of planning or motivation. If you have a solid routine of going to the gym, they're easy enough to maintain, but if you need to get serious about forcing yourself off the couch and working out in your own home, I don't think they cut it. So I started mapping out much more specific goals, like "Do the splits by August."

You can set out to curl a certain weight by your next birthday, gain a certain circumference on your bicep by autumn, lose a certain amount of pounds by an upcoming event—it doesn't matter what your goals are so much as it matters that they're unique, actionable, measurable, and time-based.

I've found that for me, achieving the goal by my personal deadline is motivating enough to keep me focused. I set a goal to do a pistol squat by May and achieved it in April, which made me feel smug, and eager to move on to the next one. If a generaly feeling of superiority isn't enough for you, try a rewards system: If your goal is to curl 30 pounds by December and you're at 15 now, think of a reward you can allow yourself when you hit the 20 and 25 pound milestones, like a meal at a favorite restaurant. If you're on a weight-loss journey, consider allowing yourself one deluxe activewear purchase every time you go down a size.

Don't forget to track your progress toward your goals. Cristina Chan, a F45 Global Recovery Athlete, tells me that when it comes to staying motivated to work out solo, "Tracking your workouts in a way that’s visual and rewarding can be a game-changer." She encourages clients to mark off a calendar, fill in a habit tracker app, or even put sticky notes on a wall to keep track of active days. "Seeing your consistency build over time is a powerful motivator and it shifts the focus to showing up, not just physical results."

I dress to impress (myself)

Remember during lockdown when everyone was telling you to continue dressing for work, even when you were clocking in from home, because it would put you in a "work" mindset? I've done well applying the same logic to my workouts: Every day before I hop on my Peloton or situate myself on my yoga mat, I don a matching workout set. (My favorites come from Set Active because they're all color-coordinated and the fabric is compressive but comfortable.)

I could do my at-home workouts in my pajamas, but that doesn't put me in the "workout" headspace. It puts me in the "lounging" headspace. Making the conscious decision to get up and put on compressive garments, high socks, and a sturdy hair clip tricks my brain. I wouldn't lounge around all day in those tight clothes, so my mind automatically knows it's not time to lounge at all. Even if no one sees me in my matching sets, I "see" myself, and know what time it is. When I finish my at-home workout, I put on a new outfit, just as if I was leaving the gym.

I also prepare for an at-home workout like I would if I were heading to the gym. I mix some creatine into my water (I love the Wellah creatine and am obsessed with matching an Owala water bottle to my outfit), select a perfect playlist, and stretch well.

All of these rituals are about getting into the correct mindset. Your living room probably doesn't look like a gym or have gym vibes, so it's on you to make yourself feel like you're ready to work out.

I approximate the feeling of community

I do love being at the gym because I enjoy being around people. It's motivating to see the same faces every day and to be surrounded by people who are also working hard. When you're next to someone on a treadmill or taking a pilates class, you almost can't help but put some extra oomph into your own workout. Sadly, that energy is harder to replicate if you primarily work out from home.

This is why I love taking Peloton classes. The leaderboards make it easy to feel like I'm part of a real class, and I always feel a need to compete with other people—even faceless strangers whose output scores I'm trying to beat in a virtual setting. If you don't have a Peloton, there are other ways to accomplish this same thing.

One option is to set up challenge groups. Assemble a group of friends who will all commit to, say, submitting mid-workout selfies to a group chat once a day for accountability. (I follow a few different people who do this publicly via Instagram stories, but that's a stretch, even for me.) If none of your friends are into it, strangers on the internet will be: Search Reddit or Facebook for "fitness challenge" or "workout challenge." Add your city or some identifiers, like "for moms," and you'll find a group of like-minded people who want to hold each other accountable.

A lot of virtual fitness instructors, like people who upload cycling classes to YouTube, offer live classes, too. Just like signing up for a class at the gym, this can force you to work out when you might not otherwise want to. You don't want to miss class or make other regulars wonder where you are.

I add variety

A key component of working out is avoiding boredom, which isn't always easy in your own home. When you go to the gym, you see all kinds of people, have access to a variety of tools and resources, and can even find entertainment in your commute. If you work out in your living room, it likely contains no new people and limited equipment—and the commute to get there might oly involve standing up.

To inject some variety, I mix up what I'm doing on my Peloton. I watch YouTube videos, play games, and take scenic rides. I schedule rides with friends and have even taken classes in foreign languages just to force myself to pay extra attention to the on-screen metrics. Beyond the Peloton, I try to do an array of other kinds of workouts, though a lot of them—like stretching and meditation—are also available in the Peloton app. I even divvy days up the same as I would in the gym, focusing on legs one day, arms the next, and so on.

Just because you're working out at home doesn't mean you can't go outside. I consider outdoor jogs "at-home" workouts because they require the same additional motivators as doing yoga in my living room: There's no one there with me, it costs nothing, and I have to convince myself to get up and go.

If you're tired of the same four walls, stretch on your deck. Jog down the block. Get yourself out of the same room you're always in so that the workout feels fresh.

I keep to a schedule

This one is a work in progress, but I think it's crucial. For a long time, I was tackling at-home workouts sporadically. Some days, I'd bounce out of bed to do a morning Peloton ride. Other days, I'd wait until bedtime to tucker myself out with my free weights. Lunch-break runs, yoga when I felt stressed, randomly deciding it was simply "YouTube pilates time" at 8 p.m.—all of this kept me moving, but there was no schedule or structure to keep me accountable to myself.

Now, I'm slowly figuring out the schedule that works best for me, which is harder in the summer months, when the likelihood of going out at night is much higher. As it stands, I'm doing morning Peloton rides on the days I'm not already teaching a spin class at 7 a.m. (with a 10-minute "cooldown" Peloton ride when I get home on the days I do teach), then immediately doing yoga, stretching, or mat pilates right after work at least three days a week. I also try to make sure at least one leisure activity a week is more activity than leisure, like golfing, playing basketball, or swimming, and those are usually slated for weekend afternoons.

"One strategy I always suggest to clients is habit-stacking/pairing your workout with something you’re already doing every day," Chan advises. "For example, if you always have coffee in the morning, lay out your mat right after your last sip. That small trigger helps turn movement into a non-negotiable part of your routine, not something you have to constantly talk yourself into."

I try to be kind to myself

I'm serious about this one. I've been working hard for the last year or so to stop badmouthing myself when I don't do as well at something as I think I should. Getting down on yourself only worsens your mood, which isn't particularly motivating. There are days I really do not want or have time to work out, so I queue up a 10-minute meditation on the Peloton app to maintain my active days streak. I don't give myself grief about this, and that's key: I know that if I felt bad about it or made myself feel lazy or guilty, I'd start to associate those negative feelings with working out altogether—and then I might quit.

If I can stay positive, tell myself it's OK to have an off day as long as I get back at it tomorrow, and stay focused on my real goals instead of an arbitrary idea about how much I need to do every single day, I'll keep viewing working out as a fun and productive. And that means I'll be much more likely to hop on the Peloton the tomorrow morning.

Chan suggests having a "bare-minimum" workout allowance for those off days—your version of my Peloton meditations. "Some days, motivation just isn’t there and that’s normal," she says. "I tell my clients to always have a go-to ‘bare minimum’ workout: five minutes of mobility or three sets of a simple bodyweight circuit. Even if that’s all you do, you’ve kept the habit alive. Most of the time, once you start moving, you’ll want to keep going."

All the Produce in Season in July (and the Best Ways to Use It)

July is the best time to enjoy peak season produce raw, grilled, or even blended into ice cream.

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The days are long and the weather gives you a sense of what the inside of an air fryer must feel like. While June is full of hope, July is just sweaty—and we’re closing in. The good news is that plants love the long sunny hours and gnarly humidity. Summer’s produce will directly benefit as it ripens during this time—and so will you. This monthly article can help you decide which fruits and veggies to buy before they skyrocket in price, or completely disappear for another 10 months.

Why seasonal and local produce beats off-season

Local produce is naturally going to be in season. Not only does buying local produce support regional farms situated somewhere closer to where you live but you’re likely to benefit from a cheaper price tag. When all of the sweet corn gets harvested, and all of those New Jersey blueberries get picked, they won’t last forever. Not just at the farmer’s market either; big box stores like ShopRite will also have a glut of zucchini that they’ll mark down significantly.  

You’ll probably see a greater variety of tender greens and delicate fruits that don’t travel out of state well too. And let’s not forget about flavor: In-season produce is robust. If you’ve ever had an imported, wintertime tomato and then tasted an in-season tomato from a local garden (maybe even your own), you know they almost taste like different fruits entirely. 

What’s in season right now

My very favorite fruits are beginning to stroll into the grocery store: peaches. These along with other incredible stone fruits are what I wait for all year. Don’t just buy enough fruit; buy “too much.” The excess is great for smoothies (here are a couple great blenders that might interest you), and pies.

The new produce ready for harvest in for July:

  • Apples

  • Blueberries

  • Raspberries

  • Peaches

  • Plums

  • Nectarines

  • Tart cherries

  • Collard greens

  • Snap beans (green beans)

  • Carrots

  • Cucumbers

  • Onions

  • Peppers

  • Potatoes

  • Tomatoes

Get ‘em before they’re gone:

  • Sweet Cherries

  • Garlic scapes

  • Green sweet peas

  • Rhubarb

  • Snap peas

  • Snow peas

Produce in peak season:

  • Beet greens

  • Apricots

  • Strawberries

  • Beets

  • Broccoli 

  • Cabbage 

  • Garlic

  • Mustard greens

  • Zucchini & summer squash

  • Lettuce

  • Radishes and their greens

  • Spinach

  • Swiss chard

Keep in mind that availability varies by a few weeks regionally—so don’t be jealous if rhubarb left you a week ago, and don’t get cocky if you started seeing plums at the farmer’s market already. Do consider getting a chest freezer though, because you’ll want to freeze your peak season fruits in a month or so. (Here’s the best way to freeze fruit.)

What to cook with your bounty

Fruits

July is about the time we all start to hate turning on our ovens. It’s OK to avoid pie baking if need be. Instead, use your summer fruit bounty in no-bake desserts and for goodness’ sake, eat the stuff raw. Add peaches and plums to your cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. Make stovetop compotes, which are quick and easy. Or you can really avoid the heat and use the microwave. I use frozen berries in this microwave compote but you can use fresh fruit too. Don’t count out the air fryer either. Roasting fruits, vegetables, and cooking small pies is quicker and the heat is less radiant than with the conventional oven. Here are my favorite air fryers of 2025 so far. 

Naturally, the best way to cool off is with a frozen treat. Mix fresh fruit or your newly made microwave compote into homemade ice cream, sorbet, or a slushy. I suggest a simple ice cream maker like this Cuisinart Pure Indulgence, or for a single serving, nothing beats the Dash My Mug. If you really want to get fancy, use the Ninja Slushi for a frozen drink. Blend your fresh fruit into a puree before adding it into your drink mixture.

Speaking of refreshing drinks, you can also use frozen fruit to function as ice cubes for your summer cocktails. You can even use them to make an infused shaken Campari cocktail.

If you can get used to a little oven warmth, now’s the time to churn out some pies. Cherry pies, peach pies, or blueberry tarts—whatever fruit you can get your hands on. Here’s my fail-proof way to lattice pie crust, and my best advice on preventing soggy fruit pies. If you’ve had trouble with pie in the past, give these a read. 

Vegetables 

Beans, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes are all joining us for July. Sounds like a salad to me. If you’re not a fan of raw salad (I understand), try a warm salad with some grains tossed in. Make a quick stir fry with the cabbage, peas, and greens. Now is also the best time to make a crudité platter. I know, it sounds boring, but raw produce never tastes better than when it’s in peak season. 

This goes for both fruits and veg: grill them. It almost couldn't be easier. Swipe a neutral cooking oil over planks of squash or halved peaches and pop them on the blisteringly hot grates for a minute just to get some color. Salt them when they come off the heat.  

Before you know it, we’ll all be swimming in tomatoes. And during that time, we have a duty to eat as many as possible every day. Get a jar of mayo and sliced bread ready for when that time finally swings around. 

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WhatsApp Found Another Way to Cram AI Into Your Chats

Ideal for large groups with too many chats.

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been adding more and more AI features into its apps as of late, whether you asked for them or not. WhatsApp in particular has received a lot of Meta's AI attention in recent times, with the addition of a dedicated Meta AI button in the app and the search bar doubling as a place to ask Meta AI to generate text, advice, or jokes. The company continues to push AI into the heart of WhatsApp, as it's now added an optional feature that lets you summarize your conversations in the app

WhatsApp calls this feature Message Summaries, and it's currently rolling out in the U.S. in English. Once it rolls out to you, you'll be able to access it via a Summarize privately button at the top of your chat. The company says it's designed to help you catch up with tons of messages without reading every single one of them.

In theory, this is a good idea. If you're a part of group chats, you'll know that some of them can absolutely spiral out of control. I'm a part of a few such groups, where people post non-stop during Apple events, sports games, or when we want to discuss a fun topic. There have been times when I've woken up to hundreds of unread texts, and I don't always have the time or energy to go through each of these messages myself. For times like these, WhatsApp's AI summaries could help.

In practice though, there are some legitimate accuracy and privacy concerns here. First, as with all AI, there's always the risk of hallucination, so you might have to double check your summaries anyway. On the privacy front, while WhatsApp is famously end-to-end encrypted, Meta's AI features so far haven't had the same level of security. Given the company's long history of collecting user data, as well as surprises like the recent move to bring ads to WhatsApp, it's natural to be skeptical.

For what it's worth, though, Meta says that the Message Summaries feature does not allow it or WhatsApp to see your messages or the summaries Meta AI generates. "Message Summaries uses Private Processing technology, which allows Meta AI to generate a response without Meta or WhatsApp ever seeing your messages or the private summaries. No one else in the chat can see that you summarized unread messages either," the company says in its blog post announcing this feature. You can read more about how Private Processing works in Meta's engineering blog and technical whitepaper

It's also worth noting that the feature is not enabled by default. Unfortunately, it also doesn't seem to be processed on-device, which would have been even better for your privacy since it would mean that no information leaves your phone, but also would have limited the feature to devices powerful enough to run it.

Still, I'll be skeptical until I can actually try this myself. If you're like me, you do have options. You can stop anyone from using Meta AI in your WhatsApp chats with them by tapping the name of the contact or group, selecting Advanced Chat Privacy, and enabling Advanced Chat Privacy. Unfortunately, though, you have to manually do this for every single chat—there's no easy way to disable Meta AI entirely.

While Message Summaries for WhatsApp is already rolling out in English to the U.S., Meta says it'll be made available to users in other countries starting later this year. 

Trump allies caught off guard by Pentagon’s Ukraine weapons freeze

The decision left officials on both sides of the Atlantic scrambling to find out how long the pause might last.

The Pentagon’s decision to halt some weapons shipments to Ukraine blindsided even people who are usually closely briefed on such matters, including members of Congress, State Department officials and key European allies, according to six people familiar with the situation.

The surprise move on Monday has fueled concern and frustration, including among top Republicans, that one senior Pentagon official appeared to hold outsized influence over the decision.

The pause — reported first by POLITICO — was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby and a small circle of advisers over concerns that certain weapons stockpiles in the U.S. were running low.

Even allies of President Donald Trump were frustrated by the move, and accused officials such as Colby — who led a review of U.S. munitions stockpiles that preceded the freeze — of pushing the move forward without notifying the rest of the administration or others.

They noted that the decision to halt the weapons shipments to Ukraine seemed to be made with little coordination within the administration after massive cuts to the National Security Council shrank the once-powerful policy body to a fraction of its former size.

“I think it’s all made by the DOD policy director, this Colby guy. We essentially don’t have a national security adviser,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). “I’m not even sure [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio was consulted on this one … There’s internal division in the White House.”

The move caused bewilderment and whiplash in Ukraine and raised questions across the Atlantic about whether America was stepping back permanently from military support of Kyiv — just as Trump appeared to warm to the idea of sending more aid to protect Ukraine from Russian bombardments.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, wrote to Trump on Tuesday to request an emergency briefing from the White House and Department of Defense on the pause on military aid, which was approved during the Biden administration.

One U.S. official said the Pentagon’s decision was uncoordinated and caught the State Department by surprise. The U.S. official, along with the others, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.

Two other U.S. officials said Pentagon leadership did not seek any input from the State Department, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv or Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg’s team before pulling back a shipment of critical arms that were already on the ground in Poland. Some in the Joint Staff were also opposed to the halt, both officials and a person familiar with the discussions said.

Both the White House and the State Department pushed back on the notion that the munitions pause caught administration officials off guard. “This is false,” said a White House official who was granted anonymity to talk about an ongoing review. “The president and top officials expect the DOD to regularly review aid allocations to ensure they are in line with the America First agenda.”

But the official wouldn’t say exactly when the president and top aides were made aware of the decision to stop the weapons shipment, saying only that they knew “prior to the story” POLITICO published on Tuesday.

Colby did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his role in the decision. In a statement sent from a White House spokesperson Tuesday evening, Colby said that the Pentagon “continues to provide the president with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine” while “rigorously examining and adapting its approach … while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness.” He said the original reporting was “an attempt to portray division that does not exist.”

During a Friday briefing on Ukraine for Congress, officials from the State Department and the Pentagon made no mention of the pause and are not answering official inquiries about it, a congressional aide said.

The aide added that Ukraine has a “critical need for continued replenishment of various arms given continued Russian assault,” particularly air defense like Patriot interceptors, long-range rockets and conventional shells, which have been stopped.

Across the Atlantic, European diplomats and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s team were scrambling to find out why the U.S. had abruptly frozen aid once the White House confirmed the news. Neither Zelenskyy nor the European Union received advanced notice, according to a European official and a Ukrainian adviser.

The U.S. and Ukraine are working to set up a call between Trump and Zelenskyy, two people familiar with the planning said. The idea was set in motion on Tuesday as word began filtering out that the U.S. had slammed the brakes on shipments of the weapons to Ukraine.

“The U.S. is informing Ukraine [of the decision] today in Kyiv and a phone call will also be organized very soon between Trump and Zelenskyy,” said a European diplomat familiar with the planning. “The U.S. says this is not a pause, not a suspension. The U.S. is still very much in the process of determining how best to support Ukrainian defense. This is still a priority.”

Zelenskyy, in a statement on Wednesday, said that Ukrainian officials were in touch with their U.S. counterparts to try to get clarity on the situation. “One way or another, we must ensure protection for our people,” the Ukrainian leader said.

The episode underscores the outsized role that Colby is playing in the agency — and how tightly decisions are being held within some parts of the Pentagon’s ranks.

As one of the few officials with prior government experience, Colby “understands how paper moves in the building in a way most other people who are there now just don’t,” said one former Pentagon official. “The front office at the Pentagon has been hollowed out and most people there don’t have any experience in government, which is also true at the National Security Council” at the White House, the person added.

Colby was one of the primary authors of the 2018 National Defense Strategy during the first Trump administration. He is also heading up a Pentagon review of the AUKUS submarine pact with Australia and the United Kingdom, an assessment that also came as a surprise to key Trump administration officials.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in both parties said they were surprised by the Trump administration’s decision, with some questioning why Congress was not consulted beforehand. Such a move would be required before pausing weapons shipments that were already approved by lawmakers. “The Biden administration would come in with what the Ukrainians wanted, what we could supply, and then we’d have discussions about what would be expedited or put in the pipeline,” Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), the ranking member on the House panel overseeing DOD’s budget. “Those conversations are not taking place now.”

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said he found out about the decision from news accounts — but he had no complaints.

“I don’t have any reason at this point to doubt the explanation that was given — that we’ve reached critical shortages of our own,” Cole said in an interview. “I know how much more material we’ve gone through, more than anybody six months ago thought we would, because of what happened in the Middle East. So there are limits. We have real problems with our industrial base. I expect the president’s first obligation is to look after the defense of the United States.”Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, initially said he wasn’t aware of a delay.

But after his staff received a readout from the Pentagon, Rogers called it “just a regular pause to look and see what our stockpiles are,” after recent military operations in the Middle East. The Armed Services Committee, Rogers said, is waiting for more information.

“They’re just getting a good count. And there are three different categories [of munitions] where they think we’re a little bit below where we should be for our own purposes,” he said. “We’re trying to get them to give us some final details of what those three categories are.”

Ultimately, the Pentagon should publicly clarify why it paused the weapons shipments, he said.

“They just need to be more transparent about this because people are confusing this with our commitment to Ukraine,” Rogers said. “It has nothing to do with that.”

The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), said he was “blindsided — because this administration does not communicate with us at all.”

Joe Gould contributed reporting.

Six Pointers to Build a Lead Driven Website for Your Manufacturing Business

Many manufacturing businesses still treat their websites like digital brochures – static, information-heavy, and rarely updated. But in the competitive industrial landscape, your website must be more than just a catalog. It should act as a 24/7 sales engine that builds trust, captures leads, and converts interest into inquiries. Whether you’re an OEM, contract manufacturer,…

The post Six Pointers to Build a Lead Driven Website for Your Manufacturing Business appeared first on Pixel Studios.

Many manufacturing businesses still treat their websites like digital brochures – static, information-heavy, and rarely updated. But in the competitive industrial landscape, your website must be more than just a catalog. It should act as a 24/7 sales engine that builds trust, captures leads, and converts interest into inquiries.

Whether you’re an OEM, contract manufacturer, or equipment supplier, here’s how you can transform your manufacturing website into a high-performing asset.

1. Build for Buyers, Not Browsers

Your website is often the first impression you make on potential buyers. It should not only showcase your brand but clearly demonstrate your credibility and capabilities.

Here’s what to include:

Also, make sure your site is SEO-friendly. This means optimized meta tags, schema markup, relevant keywords, fast loading times, and mobile responsiveness. A well-structured site improves visibility on search engines and attracts high-intent traffic.

Add interactive features like:

2. Prioritize User Experience (UX)

If your visitors can’t find what they’re looking for in a few clicks, they’ll leave. A seamless, intuitive experience is key to retaining potential leads.

Best UX practices for manufacturing sites:

Ensure the design is clutter-free and user journeys are intuitive, guiding visitors to important decision-making pages.

3. Use Data to Drive Decisions

Once your website is live, the job isn’t done. Use web analytics tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar to understand visitor behavior.

Key tips:

Use this data to refine layouts, content, and user flow—continuously improving your website’s ability to convert.

4. Content That Builds Authority & Visibility

Content is more than filler—it’s your ticket to visibility and trust. Google’s E-E-A-T principle (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) rewards content that genuinely helps users.

Why it matters:

Don’t just list products—tell stories, explain processes, and solve problems. Content is your best salesperson in the digital age.

5. Add Conversion Triggers Throughout the Site

Visitors won’t become leads unless you prompt them. Place conversion-focused triggers on key pages to nudge them toward action.

Effective CTAs include:

Each CTA should align with the user’s journey stage – awareness, consideration, or decision.

6. Integrate with CRM & Marketing Tools

Make sure all leads are captured and nurtured efficiently. Integrate your website with tools like:

This ensures seamless lead management and follow-up, keeping your pipeline healthy and engaged.

Conclusion: Your Website is Your Strongest Salesperson

In the B2B manufacturing space, decisions aren’t made overnight. Buyers research thoroughly before initiating contact. That’s why your website should work harder- educating, convincing, and converting visitors around the clock.

Whether you’re revamping an old site or building from scratch, align it with best practices for industrial website design and conversion-focused manufacturing websites.

Partner with Pixel Studios

As a leading manufacturing website development agency, we’ve helped brands transform their websites into revenue engines. From custom manufacturing website design to lead generation for manufacturing websites, we build with purpose.

Let’s turn your website into more than just a brochure.

FAQs

1. What makes a good manufacturing website?

A good manufacturing website clearly showcases capabilities, offers technical documentation, supports SEO, loads fast, and includes clear CTAs.

2. How can a manufacturing website generate leads?

By optimizing for SEO, using forms and chatbots, offering downloadable assets, and integrating with CRM tools.

3. Why is SEO important for manufacturing websites?

SEO ensures your website appears for relevant industry keywords, attracting decision-makers searching for your services.

4. What platforms are best for building a manufacturing site?

WordPress, Webflow, and custom-coded CMS platforms depending on the complexity and integrations needed.

5. How often should I update my website?

Regular updates (monthly or quarterly) with new content, optimized visuals, and improved CTAs help maintain visibility and conversions.

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Where to Get Free Moving Boxes for Your Next Move

Moving boxes can be expensive, but can also be surprisingly easy to get for free.

Moving to a new home is exciting, stressful, and expensive. The average cost is just over $1,700, but it can cost as much as $10,000 depending on how far you’re moving and how complex your requirements are. One aspect that’s easy to overlook is moving boxes, which typically cost from $2 to $4 on average. Specialty boxes like wardrobe boxes or TV boxes cost more, anywhere from $10 to $40 each. Fortunately, you usually don’t need new boxes, and there are options for getting your hands on free boxes so you can move as cheaply as possible.

Use U-Haul Box Exchange for people giving away boxes

U-Haul is where a lot of folks head for vehicles and supplies, and the company has a bare-bones program to reduce waste: The U-Haul Box Exchange (part of its Customer Connect program). It’s not a sure thing, but it’s easy to use, with no registration or sign-up required. Pop in your zip code and see if anyone in your area is giving away boxes (or other moving supplies). If so, you can message them directly through the site and arrange to pick everything up. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get a convenient hit, but it’s worth checking regularly as soon as you know you’re going to be moving.

Use online platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle

Many social platforms can be a source of free boxes, including:

  • Facebook Marketplace. If you have a Facebook account, you can search Facebook Marketplace for free boxes and other moving supplies.

  • Craigslist’s Free Stuff sections are usually goldmines of moving supplies, especially boxes.

  • Freecycle is a platform where people explicitly seek to give away stuff they don’t need anymore, and to find stuff for free they don’t want to (or can’t afford to) pay for. People routinely post moving boxes here, so it’s worth it to join your local Freecycle group to see if you can score some. If you don’t see any posts, you can make a request, which might prompt someone who hadn’t thought about giving away their boxes.

  • The Buy Nothing Project (formerly BuyNothing) is the same basic concept as Freecycle: Once you sign up, you can scan for people giving away moving boxes or post a request for some.

  • Nextdoor is a neighborhood platform that connects folks living in the same area so they can communicate, solve problems, and organize the occasional block party. You can sign up (on the app or website) and join your new neighborhood’s group, then check to see if anyone’s giving away boxes (or politely ask for some).

  • OfferUp is a platform for buying and selling items, but it also allows free listings. It’s worth signing up to scan for free moving boxes that someone might be itching to get rid of.

Ask local stores that discard a ton of boxes

Sometimes the best ways to do things are the old ways. People have been scrounging moving boxes from local businesses since the dawn of cardboard, and plenty of stores and other local spots in your area get tons of deliveries in cardboard boxes, which they then have to manage and recycle. Many of these businesses will be totally happy to give them to you. A few key places to check:

  • Liquor stores

  • Book stores

  • Banks

  • Libraries

  • Schools

  • Convenience stores

  • Grocery stores

  • Department stores

  • Pharmacies

  • Restaurants

A few phone calls or in-person visits could net you a ton of moving boxes at zero cost aside from your time and sweat equity. Often, you can just grab boxes from dumpsters located behind buildings or around loading docks.

Use your own job's mailroom, loading dock, or waste management

If you work somewhere that deals with a lot of shipments, you might check the mailroom, loading dock, or waste management area. Your co-workers might also be a great source of free boxes. Picking up a few at a time every day for a few weeks might supply all the boxes you’ll need.

Ask your local recycling center

If your area recycles cardboard, you could head out on collection day and walk around, looking for a stack of flattened boxes you can easily scoop up for your own use. If you know of a recycling center in your area, you could also contact them about taking some of their cardboard boxes off their hands.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut

Yakuza-serien sträcker sig så långt tillbaka som 2005 och har banat vägen för en strid ström uppföljare sedan dess. Yakuza 0 lanserades 2015 till Playstation 3 och nu är det alltså dags för en uppdaterad utgåva till Nintendos senaste format i form av ursprungshistorien. Titeln ifråga ställer inga krav på att du spelat någon tidigare del i följetongen, vilket får anses vara ett ypperligt tillfälle att stifta bekantskap med Kazuma Kiryu och Goro Majima när den undre världen drabbar samman i 80-talets Japan.
<bild>Spelet har många intressanta och välspelade karaktärer, där man snart ställs till svars inom Dojima-familjen för ett mord man inte begått.</bild>
I rollen som Kiryu får jag tidigt i uppdrag att driva in en skuld genom en lånehaj, något som sätter igång en härva som ställer till det för klanen jag arbetar för. Mannen jag pucklade på hittas nämligen snart död - skjuten, på en plats av strategiskt värde i staden som syndikaten vill lägga beslag på. Någon är ute efter att sätta dit mig, där ringarna på vattnet skapar bekymmer för både mig och min arbetsgivare. Spelet spelas genom två karaktärer vars öden sammanflätas under berättelsens gång med olika kampsportsstilar som kompletterar och bjuder på variation i den öppna världen, utöver otaliga minispel som karaoke och sidouppdrag som är lätta att förlora sig i. Det är storytungt med många (och ibland långa) mellansekvenser, men är det värt att spela även idag?
<bild>Att sjunga på karaokebar är något jag gör hellre än bra..</bild>
För en mer ingående analys hänvisar jag till vår tidigare recension då grundspelet är detsamma och kommer istället belysa nyheterna i Yakuza 0 Director's Cut nedan.

Vad som utmärker denna version är vad som särskiljer den och huruvida det är värt att spela på nytt eller för första gången. Lyckligtvis kan jag slå fast att det absolut finns anledningar, inte minst då titeln utökats med engelskt röstskådespel som är genomgående bra där branschveteraner som David Hayter och Matt Mercer anslutit tillsammans med Yong Yea som legat bakom Kazuma Kiryus stämma tidigare, utöver en extra halvtimme mellansekvenser inom spelets huvudberättelse som är nya för utgåvan. Men allt är inte guld och gröna skogar som hägrar.
<bild>Nya engelska röster ger karaktärerna nytt liv.</bild>
Spelet är gammalt i grunden, vilket också syns. Rent tekniskt ser det aldrig mer än godkänt ut med de insatser som gjorts här, det är nämligen inte frågan om en remake utan snarare endast högre upplösning med stabil och låst bilduppdatering. I dockat läge flyter spelet i 4K med 60 bildrutor i sekunden och HDR - där framförallt karaktärerna är skarpare än miljöerna som ser ut som högupplösta sådana från en två generationer äldre epok, där källmaterialet tydligt bryter igenom i varje scen. I bärbart läge är det 1080p som gäller med bibehållen nämnd bilduppdatering.
<bild>Att det är ett äldre spel i grunden blir snabbt uppenbart. Men att svinga en cykel blir nog aldrig gammalt.</bild>
Nytt är även spelläget Red Light Raid som kan spelas ensam eller med upp till fyra spelare i co-op eller online via matchmaking där det gäller att tackla vågor av fiender fördelat över sex nivåer med ökande motstånd. Till förfogande står ett karaktärsgalleri på 60 kämpar att välja på utöver en jakt på Yen som agerar valuta för att uppgradera karaktärerna och deras förmågor precis som i huvudberättelsen. Att hitta matcher och lobbys är inga problem då AI-spelare fyller i om spelarna uteblir, spelläget utmanar framförallt i de högre vågorna men antalet nivåer är få till antalet och har allihop lyfts direkt från grundspelet. Jag kan inte riktigt skaka av mig känslan av utfyllnad och något man lagt till i sista minuten, även om mängden karaktärer imponerar för den som vill bemästra dem alla genom att nöta och uppgradera, något som för min del snart blir uttjatat trots mängden fighters på de få arenorna.
<bild>Red Light Raid kan spelas tillsammans med andra eller ensam.</bild>
Med Yakuza 0 Director's Cut kan man argumentera för huruvida det är en snabb portning till en rimligare prislapp än många andra spel till Switch 2, men det är också ett sätt för Sega att sondera terrängen på formatet då endast Yakuza Kiwami finns tillgängligt på Nintendos plattform sedan tidigare. Vad som erbjuds här är seriens ursprungliga fokus på realtidsstrider som fungerar bra även idag då grundspelet fortfarande håller måttet. Ett lättillgängligt fightingsystem gör det enkelt för alla att hoppa på tåget med en berättelse som är lika delar drama, humor, allvar och hjärta. Att det här dessutom är en ursprungshistoria utan krav på seriens historia med utökat innehåll är i min mening ett bra sätt att ge sig i kast med Yakuza-serien om man aldrig testat den tidigare. Spelet riktar sig framförallt till nya spelare, där de som redan spelat originalet har en marginellt vässad upplevelse med några bonusinslag att se fram emot. Red Light Raid å sin sida utgör en del av upplevelsen men framstår totalt sett som påklistrad utfyllnad i sammanhanget och lämpar sig bäst för kortare sessioner eller entusiaster av spelets stridssystem.

The World Is Doubling Down on Climate Business—With Or Without the U.S.

The work goes on, but the U.S. is no longer at the center of the climate universe.

View looking along Threadneedle Street past old low rise financial buildings in the City of London on June 3 2025 in London, United Kingdom.

Greetings from London. A week of interviews, events, and meetings—both on the record and behind closed-doors—at the city’s Climate Action Week has left me with many reflections, but one stands out: the climate work goes on, but the U.S. is no longer at the center of the universe.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

That reality is evident almost just from the scale. The organizers tout 700 events and 45,000 participants spread across the sprawling London metropolis. This was the biggest London climate week yet, and the first time for many (myself included). 

But it was also evident in the meat of the conversations. Investors talked about opportunities outside the U.S., particularly in Asia and Europe. Climate focused executives waffled about how much of a presence they wanted to have at this year’s iteration of New York Climate Week, usually an important moment on the climate calendar each September. And British officials emphasized their ability to serve as a global hub for sustainable finance. “As investors look around the world and they look for places to put capital, I think we sit in a very good position because of what’s happening geopolitically,” says Chris Hayward, policy chairman of City of London, the historic center of London, now best known as a financial hub.

Read more: How Soon Should Companies Prepare for a 2°C World?

To get from event to event in London required dashing around the city in the quickest fashion: typically the tube subway system, consistently overheated given the unseasonably hot London temperatures. But the geographic center of the week was undeniably the City of London, the one square mile that hosts the country’s premier banking and financial institutions. There’s a reason for that: organizers in London see an economic opportunity in supporting the energy transition. 

And that’s at the core of the global shift visible here in London. The companies that gathered this week have, for the most part, doubled down on efforts to make or save money with climate and sustainability initiatives—whether that’s an industrial company cutting bills with energy efficiency or a financial firm creating new products to allow companies to invest in renewable power. 

The reality of this profit-oriented approach means the U.S. will fall behind given the policy uncertainty. The observation was underscored by data released throughout the week. A survey of business executives globally, released by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Bain & Company to coincide with the event, found that large global companies are continuing to invest in green solutions—but are shifting those investments away from the U.S. toward Europe and Asia. Three quarters of surveyed companies said they were increasingly interested in focusing on those regions.

Even still, that’s not to say that climate work in the U.S. is dead. The report from WBCSD found that 50% of companies now have less interest in investing in climate work in the U.S. That’s a striking figure when contrasted with the global picture. At the same time, it means a significant fraction of global companies continue to see potential.

Read more: Brazil’s Finance Chief Sees Climate Change as an Economic Opportunity

In background chats I had, many American business and financial sector leaders were quick to share that they continue to find opportunities to cut emissions in a way that saves them money—though several expressed fear that talking about it publicly could prompt scrutiny from the administration. “Businesses are not giving up on the decarbonization journey,” says Peter Bakker, president and CEO of WBCSD, “depending on where businesses are stationed, they are more or less willing to talk about it.”

And I was surprised by the response to my informal, totally anecdotal poll about this year’s New York Climate Week. In conversations, I asked sustainability executives how they planned to approach the gathering this year. While many said they had considered pulling out, the vast majority said that they have ultimately decided they still plan to show up—perhaps with a smaller footprint than in years past.

The calibration of the message in New York this fall will be interesting, to say the least. In more than a decade on this beat, I have never felt more of a reluctance from business leaders to speak on the record. Many long standing sources preferred to talk without attribution, wary of the political consequences of speaking truthfully even while they eagerly highlighted their work to me.  

While that makes it more challenging to clearly tell the full story of what’s happening, I suppose it’s somewhat good news if your biggest concern is whether companies are still focused on capping emissions.

To get this story in your inbox, subscribe to the TIME CO2 Leadership Report newsletter here.

I Tried Five VR Meditation Apps, and One Was Clearly the Best

I checked out a bunch of VR meditation apps to see whether they might be helpful.

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There are a surprising number of meditation apps available in virtual reality, and I am their target demographic. I want to make progress down the Noble Eightfold Path, and/or experience the reduction in stress and other benefits that come from meditation. On the other hand, I find meditation tedious, and I think I can get the same relaxation benefits from sitting in a dark room and listening to Hawkwind anyway. But maybe VR is the answer? I checked out a bunch of VR meditation apps to see whether they might be helpful, and rated each on a scale from 1 (wandering ego trapped in the prison of the self) to 5 (liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth).

First, an expert weighs in

I know a lot about VR, but less about meditation, so I talked it out with Shawna Thibodeau, a meditation teacher and spiritual mentor. She explained that there are different schools of meditation, and her description of "concentrative meditation" sounds a lot like what the VR experiences I've tried are going for. "With concentrative meditation, we're focusing our attention on what's called an anchor, like the breath," Thibodeau said. "When you focus your attention on something other than your thoughts, you start to gain awareness into your thoughts. And then, with every time that you come back to your anchor, you're training your mind to come into the present moment."

But there's a strong obstacle between the VR meditation applications I've seen and most traditional forms of meditation: visuals. If you're starting transcendental meditation, say, step 2 (right after "sit in a comfortable position") is "close your eyes." But Reality doesn't Virtual with your eyes closed. According to Thibodeau, visualization/manifestation meditations might be better suited to the virtual world:

"What we're doing there is shifting the state of energy that we're sitting in...the state of energy we're sitting in actually influences reality," Thibodeau explained. "If you're sitting in a state of abundance or expansion, that energy will start to influence your outer reality, and you can actually see changes in your outer world. Synchronicities can come to you, new opportunities, and your life can actually start to shift in a really interesting and kind of magical way."

I asked Thibodeau to visualize a VR meditation app that used that kind of practice, and she said: "There'd have to be a visual that basically helps you get into that elevated state, right? So I don't know, maybe they could show you like winning the lottery, and then it prompts you to be like, 'how does this make you feel? Get into that state.'"

Leaving aside the efficacy of meditating for manifestation, it does seem better suited to the virtual world than traditional meditation, but it also seems like virtual reality (and video games) already put people in a state where they are fully engrossed in an experience they presumably want to manifest: most video games are power fantasies. Whether that power manifests in the real world is a bigger question.

Tripp

Tripp might be the most well-known of the relaxation/meditation platforms in VR. It encompasses a ton of experiences designed to get users to practice mindfulness, improve focus, or enter a state of “calm,” There are guided meditations, visual breathing trainers, psychedelic “focus journeys,” and trippy abstract visuals that pulse and swirl, all wrapped in a new-age-meets-techbro aesthetic that's heavy on implied drugs. Some of the experiences are directly inspired by psychedelic experiences—there's a series called "Machine Elves" that is clearly based on DMT visuals, and the app itself nods toward that vibe in its marketing, with references to “inner space,” “expanded states,” and “digital psychedelics.” A lot of people love Tripp, but it felt overwhelming to me. The sessions were slick, but it left me “zen-adjacent” at best. It's meant to be calming, but it amplified my inner critic. It's like taking drugs without feeling like you're taking drugs, if that makes sense. It's pricey too: Monthly subscriptions are $9.99.

Best for: psychedelic seekers who are afraid to drop acid

Enlighten-o-meter score: 2.5 out of 5

Meditate

Guided Meditation VR
Credit: Stephen Johnson - Guided Meditation VR

In contrast to Tripp and in keeping with its no-nonsense title, Meditate doesn't offer a ton of gimmicks. It features five 10-minute "experiences" designed to deliver mental clarity, calm the mind, and "renew your body through healing sound frequencies." In practice, this involves a soothing voice telling you to chill and just sit there, droning "music" (I really can't stand the music that is synonymous with spiritually colored relaxation) and graphics of caves, volcanoes, and other natural things that look like they're out of Minecraft. It's relaxing, I guess, but mostly because "relaxing" and "boring" are practically roommates. But, hey, it's only $1.99, so you can try it out fairly cheaply.

Best for: budget-conscious newbs

Enlighten-o-meter score: 2 out of 5

Liminal

Liminal is way more ambitious than Meditate and features graphics that are fully Xbox360-level. It offers a ton of different interactive and non-interactive VR "experiences" grouped into rough categories. It seems like "awe" and "energy" are the most popular and feature some cool tech demos/mini-games, but I was interested in "calm," where the meditative mini-games are. The ones I tried weren't particularly groundbreaking. One was supposed to hypnotize me, but didn't. The other featured that droney "spiritual" music and a reverb-drenched woman's voice telling me to breathe more slowly while I looked at digital birds.

Best for: gamers who want to kind of relax

Enlighten-o-meter score: 3 out of 5 (but mostly for the non-meditation experiences)

Flowborne VR - Biofeedback Breathing Meditation

If you've ever tried to meditate and didn't know if you were breathing from your belly or not, this app will give you the answer! You "play" Flowborne VR by resting a controller on your gut. It tracks how far your belly expands and contracts as you breathe. Deeper breaths from the diaphragm make you move faster through semi-abstract landscapes. In other words, this app gives you a way to track how well you're breathing, and a reason to concentrate on it. Finally I can be the best at breathing! Personally, I don't like thinking about my breathing because it feels like another damn thing i have to worry about, but if breathwork is your thing, and you want to get better at it, this app would do it.

Best for: breathwork nerds

Enlighten-o-meter score: 3 out of 5

Pillow

Pillow doesn't make lofty claims about consciousness-raising, mindfulness, or serenity, but I found it to be a more calming and meaningful experience than any other meditation app I tried. Pillow is played lying on your back in bed, already a more relaxing experience than other apps. Among its five mini-games (called "dreams") is "the Meditator," the best meditation app I tried overall. It uses the same controller-as-breath-monitor as Flowborne VR, but the soundtrack features chill little indie loops instead of weird drones. So much better. Another standout from Pillow: "The Fisherman," an experience that lets you reel in virtual fish from your ceiling. Each fish contains the recorded voice of another user of Pillow answering a question like "What would you most like to do in your life?" or "What moment would you like to relive?" I found that connecting with the thoughts of a fellow human while drifting off to sleep to be way more meaningful/spiritual than being told to stare at outdated graphics and imagine connectedness. It's show, instead of tell, and $9.99 is a small price to pay for such a strangely beautiful experience.

Best for: chill weirdos and insomniacs

Enlighten-o-meter score: 4 out of 5

Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Det är kul att efter att ha recenserat spel i över två decenniers tid fortfarande få kunna bli överraskad och känna att det finns utmaningar kvar. {Switch 2 Welcome Tour} är ett perfekt exempel på just detta. Jag vet inte riktigt hur jag ska ta mig an det och se på det, och jag har även svårt att hitta en direkt målgrupp för det, även om jag spelar det och tycker att det är ganska trevligt.

Jag utgår från att det var fler än jag som höjde lite på ögonbrynen när Nintendo utannonserade det som en slags introduktionstitel till Switch 2. Många har dragit paralleller till {Wii Sports} på det viset att spelet är tänkt att fungera som en slags genomgång av den nya hårdvaran och presentera de möjligheter den bjuder på. Men där Wii Sports var ett spel för alla, känns Switch 2 Welcome Tour egentligen inte som ett spel för någon, utom möjligen en liten superinitierad klick hardcore-fans som gillar experimentella titlar och lågt tempo.

<bild>Hittar du allt får du gå vidare till nästa område på din Switch 2.</bild>

Först var min spontana tanke att det givetvis borde ha ingått med konsolen på samma sätt som Wii Sports gjorde - vilket starkt bidrog till att göra Wii till Nintendos då största konsolsuccé. Switch 2 Welcome Tour har dock givetvis inte alls samma sexiga, avskalade och intuitiva dragningskraft som Wii Sports, och hittas som sagt snarare i andra änden av skalan. Här är det frågan om supersmå karaktärer, massor av text och förvånansvärt komplext upplägg.

Switch 2 Welcome Tour gör nämligen verkligen skäl för sitt namn och hela spelet (eller åtminstone den del jag fick prova på) utspelas på en jättelik Switch komplett med alla tillbehör. Jag spelar som en oerhört liten karaktär, och ovanpå konsolen finns ett antal tält som fungerar som ett slags demostationer, Quiz-diskar med personal bakom och andra stationer samt folk som går omkring. Allt som finns på konsolen såsom knappar, uttag, högtalare, magneter med mera är klickbart och om du trycker på dem får du en liten förklaring om vad de gör.

<bild>Minispelen är på samma nivå som i WarioWare och ibland knappt ens det.</bild>

Genom att kolla på allt för att bocka av det som finns att se i varje område, framgångsrikt spela demos och göra Quiz låser du sedan upp nya områden av konsolen samt tillbehören att besöka. Jag tog min lilla karaktär (som givetvis kan personifieras i viss mån) och började utforska, från en enorm vänster Joy-Con 2, därefter skärmen och sedan höger Joy-Con 2. Att ta sig vidare är inte alltid helt enkelt och kräver en viss mängd medaljer och att man hittar saker, som visar sig kunna vara ganska väl gömda.

För min egen del blev jag lite överraskad över hur detaljerade Nintendo är i sina beskrivningar av allt. Welcome Tour går verkligen på djupet mer än man kan tro, och när jag klickade på den lins som utgör tekniken bakom muspekaren, fick jag veta hur Nintendo arbetat med olika linsval eftersom det är lite större avstånd mellan lins och underlag än på en normal PC-mus. Likaså fick jag veta hur vibrationerna i Joy-Cons 2 även kan användas för att skapa ljud, och hur tekniken åstadkommer detta - illustrerat med det omisskännliga ljudet av att man plockar en peng i {Super Mario Bros.} Ofta finns även lite historia inbakat, som att Nintendo påminner om att de faktiskt släppte en officiell mus redan 1992 med Mario Paint och även hade Nintendo 64 Mouse i Japan år 1999. Att Joy-Con 2 fungerar som en mus är därför egentligen mer i tangentens riktning snarare än något helt nytt för Nintendo.

<bild>Det är förvånansvärt djup information Nintendo vill berätta om sin hårdvara.</bild>

Efter att ha läst på om ett visst ämne kan du gå till en Quiz-disk för att göra en snabb frågesport om ett visst ämne. Frågorna är inte särskilt svåra om du verkligen läst skyltarna runt disken (du får svarsalternativ varav ett eller två ofta är mer åt det humoristiska hållet), men har du inte gjort det, är det några som närmast är blinda chansningar. Ett ovanligt upplägg som betyder att jag de facto pluggar Nintendo-reklam, något som både stärker mig i min uppfattning att det nog ändå borde ha ingått med konsolen, samtidigt som jag förstår att det verkligen inte är för alla och inser varför Nintendo inte velat bundla det.

Det här är ett spel som barn inte ens kan spela på grund av all text, och den casual-publik som köper Switch 2 är förmodligen inte intresserade av att läsa om den magnetteknik som används för att fästa Joy-Con 2 i skärmen. Jag tvivlar på att ens gamers är supersugna på att gå omkring och läsa anslagstavlor och se till att komma ihåg vad som står på dem inför framtida utfrågningar. Det är helt enkelt inte ett särskilt lämpligt spel att skicka med konsolen, men jag vet inte om jag tycker det är så lämpligt att ta betalt heller.

<bild>Pedagogiken är ofta oerhört bra, men det är magstarkt att kalla det ett spel att gissa i vilken bilduppdatering en boll rör sig i.</bild>

Nåväl, de olika demo-tälten som finns här och var är alla dedikerade till olika funktioner i din Switch 2, och de är ganska fascinerande utformade. Ta till exempel sättet med vilket Nintendo väljer att illustrera 4K-grafik. De gör detta med ultraklassiska banan 1-1 i Super Mario Bros, och visar hur frimärksstor den blir på en 4K-skärm. Hela banan blir bara ett litet streck på en normal stor TV, i vilket du inte bara ska spela igenom den utan även bland annat klara den utrustad med eldblomma, gå ner i ett grönt rör och ta en 1up-svamp. För mig som har åldern inne satt allt i ryggmärgen (även om jag lyckades med n00b-konststycket att direkt dö på den allra första Goomban, överrumplad av hur oerhört litet allt var), men när jag kollade på en person hälften så gammal som mig (alltså fortfarande drygt 20 år) som spelade samma så slet han i gott och väl en kvart med att hitta det osynliga block som ger en 1up-svamp innan jag avslöjade var den fanns. Återigen, det är inget för barn.

Andra övningar jag testade var bland annat att på tid styra en boll genom en labyrint, användandes Joy-Con 2 som mus, identifiera i vilken bilduppdatering objekt flög över skärmen i (för att illustrera hur överlägset det är med 120 bilder per sekund) och ett maracas-minispel som visade hur bra den nya skakfunktionen är. Sistnämnda imponerade rejält där det tydligt kändes i Joy-Con 2 när en maracas fylldes med större eller mindre föremål.

<bild>Jaså du har ingen kamera, jamen då får du inte spela dessa bitar.</bild>

Alla dessa minispel har dessutom högre utmaningar, men de är verkligen bara basala tech-demon och i sig inte särskilt underhållande egentligen. En vanlig gren i valfritt Mario Party har mer djup än dessa, och de högre svårighetsgraderna tillför därför egentligen inget.

Min favorit bland demo-tälten var en Twister-liknande (det där populära förfestspelet, ni vet) historia där man skulle sätta sina fingrar på färgade rutor och försöka klara alla tio. Vissa demos måste spelas på TV, andra på enhetens skärm - denna gren hörde till sistnämnda, och fingrarna flätades snabbt ihop, men jag tyckte ändå det var en kul bagatell som bjöd på något nytt. Sammantaget är dessa demo-tält i grunden inget märkvärdigt, men likafullt underhållande och fyller syftet med att verkligen demonstrera hårdvaran samt uppmuntrar att försöka igen för att sätta rekord så du kan få fler medaljer och låsa upp nya grejer.

<bild>Samma med Pro Controller, se till att skaffa om du vill göra allt i ditt spell.</bild>

Switch 2 Welcome Tour är kort sagt bökigt att recensera. Särskilt kul blir det aldrig, men jag har heller inte speciellt tråkigt eftersom jag jobbar med spel och ändå är genuint intresserad av Nintendo. Och man kan diskutera om jag spelar överhuvudtaget då det ytterst hjälpligt kan kallas gameplay att klicka på alla funktioner på en Switch 2, läsa facklitteratur om konsolens batteri samt skaka Joy-Cons eller rita streck med en mus.

Den största bristen med spelet är dock att du faktiskt inte kan klara det om du inte köpt vissa tillbehör. Har du inte en Pro Controller så får du inte göra dess övningar, samma med kameran och så vidare. Jag fattar varför eftersom det såklart krävs en Pro Controller för att du ska kunna spela med den, men det är verkligen inte ett upplägg som känns särskilt klockrent och det borde tydligare framgå att man inte får hela upplevelsen utan tillbehör.

<bild>Läs på ordentligt så kan du ta ett quiz sedan.</bild>

Utöver att Nintendo såklart vill tjäna en slant extra på Welcome Tour istället för att bundla det, så har min tid med spelet ändå fått mig att förstå varför de säljer det separat. Det är plottrigt, innehåller väldigt mycket text och känns utformat för en oerhört nischad grupp spelare. Jag tror det är ett spel som många barn och nybörjare lär ogilla, och inte ens jag som är målgrupp har särskilt kul egentligen, utan det känns mest som att jag bockar av en lista av saker att göra.

Visst, det är ett väldigt billigt spel - som knappt ens kan kallas spel - men det gör det inte roligare. Om du vet med dig att du inte gillar lågt tempo, mycket text, klen interaktivitet och att plugga så är det bättre att välja något annat istället. Men om du ändå hör till den smala gruppen hårdkokta Nintendo-fans som köper konsolen och alla dess tillbehör samt gärna betalar för att få flexa med din kunskap, så lär detta vara helt i din smak.

Trump Administration Lowers Expectations for Trade Deals as Tariff Deadline Approaches

The Administration has already lowered expectations as dealmaking proves challenging.

President Trump Participates In Invest America Roundtable At The White House

Less than 10 days till President Donald Trump’s higher “reciprocal” tariffs kick back in for most of the world, the U.S. looks like it may emerge with just a handful of trade deals.

The President shocked the world and roiled markets on April 2, which he dubbed “Liberation Day,” when he imposed tariffs of as high as 50% on nearly every country, before announcing a 90-day reduction in a stunning reversal just a week later. That pause, however, is ending July 9, and Trump said in a Sunday interview on Fox News, taped Friday, that he doesn’t intend to extend the deadline—although, he added, “I could, no big deal.”

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

On Friday, Trump said he could do “whatever we want” with the deadline. “I’d like to make it shorter. I’d like to just send letters out to everybody, ‘Congratulations, you’re paying 25%,’” he told reporters. 

Trump’s unpredictable style has earned him the descriptor “TACO” for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” while businesses, economists, and investors have criticized him for creating a volatile business environment. The President and his officials have countered that the uncertainty is all part of a master strategy to achieve better deals.

But the level of trade success Trump will have achieved by next week looks to fall short of his goals. Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro touted “90 deals in 90 days” in April. As the deadline approaches though, others in the Administration are lowering expectations.

“We’re going to do top 10 deals, put them in the right category, and then these other countries will fit behind,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Bloomberg Television last week.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed Lutnick on Fox Business on Friday: “If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18—there are another important 20 relationships—then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day [Sept. 1].” For other “smaller trading partners, we will just send them letters,” Bessent said on CNBC.

Trade talks run into issues

Japan was one of the first countries to begin trade negotiations with the U.S. after the pause was announced, but talks have been troubled by disagreements over Japan’s policies protecting domestic rice.

“To show people how spoiled Countries have become with respect to the United States of America, and I have great respect for Japan, they won’t take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice shortage,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday. (Japan imports 770,000 metric tons of rice every year without any tariffs, around half of which comes from the U.S.) “In other words, we’ll just be sending them a letter, and we love having them as a Trading Partner for many years to come.”

The “letters” that Trump likes to reference will notify countries of what rate their goods will be tariffed at, which Trump said on Fox News would mark “the end of the trade deal.”

With some trading partners, Trump’s strong-arm style has won him immediate concessions. Trump railed against Canada on Friday, announcing that he was ending trade talks over its proposed digital services tax, which he called “a direct and blatant attack on our Country.” On Sunday, Ottawa said it was abandoning the tax policy to resume negotiations with Washington in the hopes that it can reach a deal with the U.S. by July 21. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Canada “caved.”

Similarly, the European Union on Monday reportedly yielded to a 10% levy on many of its exports, as it pushes for lower rates on specific key sectors and exemptions to higher tariffs on automobiles as well as steel and aluminum.

But Trump’s hardball tactics could also sour important U.S. trade relationships, and in the long term push countries to seek alternative trading partners. The E.U., alongside its negotiations with the U.S., is preparing countermeasures to tariff U.S. goods and has stepped up discussions with China around their trade relationship in recent months.

Jayant Menon, a research fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, previously told TIME that countries will look to diversify their trade and engage with “more reliable” trading partners. And many have already begun, said Kristina Fong, an economic affairs researcher at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, especially in terms of increasing trade with China. “It’s a very slow burn kind of momentum, but that’s always been, I think, the underlying case,” Fong told TIME.

Moreover, “smaller trading partners” that haven’t even gotten a seat at the negotiating table are likely to be hit hardest. Trump’s apparent dismissal of these countries, similar to his decision to shutter USAID, suggests that he doesn’t see the benefits of having positive relations with them.

Many of them were already hit with some of the highest “reciprocal” tariffs when they were initially announced, and many aren’t in a position to simply purchase more American goods. Lesotho, which was hit with the highest 50% rate, was pessimistic at the outset of the pause, with the country’s trade and industry minister saying, “I don’t have a good experience with trying to get meetings with [the Trump Administration].”

“We’ll look at how a country treats us—are they good, are they not so good? Some countries we don’t care, we’ll just send a high number out,” Trump said on Fox News. “Congratulations, we’re allowing you to shop in the United States of America. You’re going to pay a 25% tariff or 35% or 50% or 10%.”

“What does this do long term to trust and confidence [in the U.S.]?” says Mark Cogan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Japan’s Kansai Gaidai University, tells TIME. “You’re bullying your way to get what you want, and that reduces trust. To a certain extent, parties will assume eventually that they cannot negotiate with the United States because perhaps the United States is not negotiating in good faith.”

China says its interests must be safeguarded

Countries seeking quick and favorable deals with the U.S. also face a balancing act with China. 

China has attempted to position itself as a reliable and stable partner, in contrast with Trump’s erratic style, and to strengthen its relations with other countries. Trump’s tariffs “were accelerating a trend of Chinese businesses looking more and more overseas,” William Figueroa, an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Groningen, previously told TIME.

China, which signed an agreement with the U.S. in May that temporarily lowered both nations’ levies on each other after an escalating tariff war, has warned that countries should not reach deals with the U.S. at the expense of China’s interests.

China is on a separate timeline for negotiating with the U.S., with its 90-day pause beginning May 14, though the two countries have already reached a limited deal.

“China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal for so-called tariff reductions at the expense of China’s interests. If that happens, China would never accept it and would take resolute countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday.

“China is happy to see all parties resolve trade disputes with the US through equal consultations,” the statement added. “At the same time, we call on them to stand on the side of fairness and justice and firmly defend international and multilateral trade rules.”

Xu Weijun, a researcher with the Institute of Public Policy at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, told SCMP that Beijing, which has repeatedly called Trump’s tariffs “unilateral bullying,” is watching Trump’s trade talks with caution.

“Trump is an emotionally driven leader with a history of flip-flopping. Beijing knows too well it must prepare for him reneging on commitments or using deals with other countries to extract concessions [from China],” Xu told SCMP.

But, Xu cautioned: “If Trump believes the U.S. is losing in a deal or thinks attacking China and stoking nationalist sentiment serves his domestic political agenda, he could easily overturn existing consensus and even scrap signed agreements.”

Deals may still fall short of expectations

Trump has boasted about his deals with the U.K. and China, but critics say these agreements are not substantive or fail to address some of Trump’s key concerns.

Trade experts suggest that other deals may end up similarly appearing more like broad frameworks with many details left to be worked out later.

Tim Meyer, a professor at Duke University law school who specializes in international trade, told Bloomberg: “I would expect the White House will announce some number of frameworks that it’s going to call trade deals, but do not meet anyone’s ordinary understanding of that term.”

Deliver at All Costs

Året är 1959 och Winston Green, en bortkommen men ambitiös liten landsortsgrabb, har tagit allt han äger (vilket får plats i en kappsäck) och flyttat till storstan och väl där är det ditt jobb att hjälpa honom hitta ett arbete. En radioreklamsnutt angående ett fraktbolag och deras nya rekryteringsrunda letar sig Winston bort till We Deliver, och kort därpå får han sitt första jobbuppdrag, att skjutsa en låda med fyrverkerier från ena delen av staden till den andra.

Deliver at All Costs är ett svenskt indiespel utvecklat av det 13 personer starka Far Out Games och det är på flera sätt en vildsint mix mellan Grand Theft Auto II, Goat Simulator och Calling All Cars. Winstons våldsamma leveranser ses ur samma typ av isometriska top view-perspektiv som i GTA II och varenda liten del av spelvärlden går att köra sönder. Du ska, som bilburet paketbud, leverera allsköns prylar till alla möjliga kunder och om du råkar köra rakt igenom bottenvåningen på ett hyreshus, på vägen, spelar det ganska liten roll.
<bild>Spelvärlden är hyperdetaljerad och allt (verkligen allt) går att ha sönder.</bild>
Far Out Games har med Deliver at All Costs verkligen prickat rätt sett till tidsepoken de ramat in sina leveranser med och blandat med en stor dos absurd humor, har det för egen del varit enkelt att gilla såväl dialogen som karaktärens ofta oväntade reaktioner på varandra och dess omvärld. Winston är väl kanske inte någon överdrivet intressant figur, särskilt inte från början av äventyret, men ju längre in jag kommer - ju knäppare och mer osannolik blir berättelsen vilket går hand i hand med själva fraktuppdragen, spelvärlden samt dess invånare. Om du råkar brassa ned ett nymålat staket är det inte omöjligt att gubben i kåken dit staketet hör, jagar ikapp dig till fots, kastar sig huvudstupa mot din budbil (en ljusgul pickup med tidernas sämsta väghållning) och klamrar sig fast vid den bakre kofångaren. Där kan han sen hänga, glida runt efter asfalten medan han svär som en borstbindare och det är dessa ögonblick och alla andra små detaljer, som gör att den i övrigt ganska enformiga spelvärlden upplevs som levande.
<bild>Hittepå-USA anno 1959 är en härlig plats.</bild>
Uppdragen i sig är dessutom tillräckligt varierande för att jag ska ha roligt, hela tiden. Ibland fraktar Winston meloner och via välgjord individuell fruktfysik skvalar de knallgröna melonerna ut ur flaket och krossar av mötande trafik om jag inte är försiktig. Ibland fraktar jag en gigantisk svärdfisk över halva staden och ibland trillar en meteor ned i Winstons vardagsrum, rakt genom taket. Jag är svag för urflippad humor och jag gillar verkligen hur Far Out Games blandat det där korrekta, något för artiga 50-talet med rena Goat Simulator-momenten.
<bild>Storyn är inledningsvis samlad och ordinär men blir ganska snabbt ganska absurd, vilket jag uppskattar.</bild>
Spelmekaniken utgörs ju till 90% av bilfysik och den är bra. 50-talsbilarna skumpar och gungar som sig bör och de är tillräckligt arkadmässigt lättkörda men samtidigt svajigt oberäkneliga för att det ska krävas koncentration och ibland även lugn, för att inte sabba den dyrbara frakt som ligger på flaket. Winston kan när som helst hoppa ur sin bil och in i en annan, precis som i GTA II, och detta tillför tveklöst en känsla av omfång och frihet som är lätt att tycka om. Estetiken är klockren utöver det och även om karaktärerna under spelets mellansekvenser ser ut som de lånats från valfritt PS2-spel, kvittar ju det när kameran hoppar upp 30 meter i luften och visar Winstons budbil uppifrån. Jag gillar som sagt det fantasifulla porträttet av amerikanskt 50-tal och tycker att inramningen och atmosfären är klockren precis som detaljrikedomen i världen där Winston röjer runt.

Det jag inte riktigt gillar är att kameran oftast är lite för inzoomad. Spelarvyn blir ofta så tight att jag har problem med att se vart jag är på väg och laddningstiderna som existera varje gång jag åker in i en tunnel känns inte särskilt mycket 2025. Minus det är detta en skojfriskt lyckad, stilfullt absurd indiebagatell som definitivt är värd din tid.

Into the Restless Ruins

Om man ska prata favoritgenrer så ligger helt klart rougelike-genren där uppe i toppen och skvalpar för mig. Jag har avverkat fler spel inom den kategorin än någon annan, skulle jag tro. Därför är det rätt lätt för mig att se om nya rougelikes bjuder på något nytt eller om det bara är ännu ett spel i mängden. {Into the Restless Ruins} blandar och ger lite på den fronten, men gör det mestadels riktigt bra.

{Into the Restless Ruins} unika ingrediens är att man själv skapar sin dungeon. På samma sätt som {Slay the Spire} har kort med olika attacker har {Into the Restless Ruins} kort med olika typer av rum som du kan placera ut för att ta dig till de ställen på kartan som låser upp nya delar av världen. Rummen har dessutom olika förmågor - det kan till exempel handla om ett rum som fyller på ditt liv, ett rum som ökar skadan på dina attacker eller rum som gör att du får fler poäng att handla mer eller dyrare rum för i nästa runda.
<bild>Fightas mot jättestor elak fladdermus? Det tackar man inte nej till.</bild>
Din uppgift är att ta dig till slutbossen, en slags vakt som har ställt till det för The Maiden (som är din uppdragsgivare) och när du gjort det låser du upp nästa bana. Det finns totalt sex olika banor att låsa upp och allesammans har olika layouts som förändrar strategin bakom hur du ska lägga ut dina rum. The Maiden och alla andra karaktärer man stöter på i {Into the Restless Ruins} är hämtade ur den skotska mytologin. Hen Wife och The Wulver är andra karaktärer man stöter på där Hen Wife låter dig uppgradera rummen och Wulver ger dig olika fördelar under dina runs. Mycket till story finns egentligen inte, men det lilla som finns sätter stämningen rätt bra. Om man vill kan man till och med spela hela spelet i skotsk gaeliska istället för engelska.

Nu är det ju inte bara att slänga ut rummen på kartan och förvänta sig att man ska kunna springa runt hur man vill helt befriad från bekymmer. Först och främst innehåller din dungeon en jäkla massa monster som man måste ta hand om. Sen har vi facklan som sakta men säkert brinner ut och gör att mörkret omsluter dig. För att förhindra att facklan släcks finns det rum som gör att man kan ge facklan en skjuts som gör att den brinner lite till. Dessa måste därför placeras ut strategiskt så att du kan hålla ljuset tänt under både vägen fram till ditt mål för dagen och tillbaka till din exit-portal.

Det är tydligt att Ant Workshop dels har dragit inspiration från {Slay the Spire} och dessutom en hel del från {Vampire Survivors}. Om du misslyckas med runs och dör kommer du till slut bestraffas genom att spelet ger dig kort med förbannelser. Går det bra för dig så kommer du bli belönad genom kort som ger dig en rejäl skjuts istället. Du får dessutom möjlighet att lägga till olika "cantrips" som antingen försvårar eller underlättar nästa gång du startar en bana. Dessa låser du upp under tiden du spelar {Into the Restless Ruins} och det finns ungefär 40 stycken men du är begränsad till att använda högst fyra stycken samtidigt. Hela deckbuilding-aspekten är väldigt lik {Slay the Spire} och det är inte på något sätt en negativ punkt, tvärtom. När det kommer till {Vampire Survivors} och hur de tagit idéer därifrån är jag lite mer tveksam, tyvärr.
<bild>Nej, förbaskat också... du har fått ett dåligt kort som du måste spela ut.</bild>
Grejen är att man inte trycker på några knappar för att attackera fienderna. Det gör spelet automatiskt, precis som i {Vampire Survivors}. Och faktumet att korridorerna fylls till bredden av dem emellanåt gör att parallellerna till {Vampire Survivors} blir ännu starkare. {Into the Restless Ruins} är någon slags mix mellan en rouge like-deckbuilder och en horde survivor. Men här blir det inte lika belönande som i kungen av horde survivors, Vampire Survivor, utan det känns väldigt futtigt och tamt hela tiden. Det finns ingen tyngd i attackerna och man springer bara runt och tittar på medan fienderna sakta men säkert försvinner för att man attackerat dem. Man låser visserligen upp nya vapen under tiden man spelar men problemet kvarstår dock och striderna känns uddlösa och tråkiga. Slutbossarna bjuder på lite mer variation i alla fall. Där måste du undvika attacker och röra dig smart för att inte stupa tidigt.

{Into the Restless Ruins} bjuder på riktigt fin musik. En slags fusion mellan klassisk bit-pop som tjusar med fluenser från skotsk folkmusik. Medan musiken är en fullpoängare blandar och ger grafiken en del. Det är en ganska enkel pixelgrafik det handlar om, som absolut funkar och är snygg att kolla på så länge man inte synar den i sömmarna. Ett problem som man ofta stöter på i spel med pixelgrafik är att utvecklarna har förstorat karaktärer utan att ge dem tillräcklig pixeldensitet för att funka i spelet - så är det även här där Hen Wife och Wulver ser rätt taskiga ut. Men allt som allt skulle jag säga att det är snyggt, men helheten dras ned av slarvfel som lätt skulle kunna justeras.
<bild>Det gäller att planera placeringen av rummen ordentligt så att det inte ställer till det för dig.</bild>
{Into the Restless Ruins} bjuder faktiskt på något nytt och fräscht som bidrar till att berika den älskade rougelike-genren. Även om det lånar friskt från andra rougelike-giganter har Ant Workshop verkligen lånat från rätt ställen och skapat något unikt som är väldigt beroendeframkallande och bjuder på ett sinnessjukt stort omspelningsvärde. Jag hade önskat mer tyngd i striderna, framförallt, och grafiken haltar på sina ställen men allt som allt är {Into the Restless Ruins} ett mycket bra spel. Så ut och bygg din egen dungeon nu.

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Date Everything!

Förvirrad. Det är lite av min take-away från Date Everything. Jag vet inte riktigt vad jag förväntade mig, men det var i alla fall inte det jag blev serverad. Jag gillar ju sånt här - märkliga spel med premisser som gör att man (läs: Joel) hoppar upp och ner av förtjusning och en vilja att direkt störtdyka rakt ner i det och få chansen att uppleva och i förlängningen ta reda på vad det egentligen är som försiggår. Exakt så var det med Date Everything där jag egentligen bara visste att spelet skulle driva med dating-simulatorer genom att man skulle få chansen att äntligen (?) kunna dejta sina möbler, dammtussar, köksgeråd och ventilationssystem.

Dating-simulatorer ja, det är inget jag någonsin försökt ta mig an och eller aldrig något jag varit det minsta intresserad av. Har aldrig förstått vad som lockar - men jag antar att det är något som brunstiga och ensamma gubbar/tanter ägnar sig åt för att de inte kan fälla några damer/herrar i verkliga livet. Kanske lite väl generaliserat där, men det är min bild av fenomenet som åskådare av det på ett bekvämt, rätt långt, avstånd. Min bild är säkerligen skev - men jag har inte lagt någon energi på att forska i ämnet och det spelar ju heller ingen roll om jag har fel eller inte.

Därför är ju Date Everything perfekt för mig när jag redan har en etablerad och cynisk bild av simulatorgenren i fråga. Med det sagt - dags att berätta hur det är att dejta allt från sängar till fläktar och ha märkliga diskussioner med klockor och ett gäng galgar. Det är inte riktigt så straight forward som det låter, så jag får börja med att förklara lite av den samhällskritiska storyn som inleder spelet.

Det börjar med att man får skapa sin karaktär genom att fylla i namn, pronomen och vart man kommer ifrån. Eftersom jag är ett stort fan av Conny Andersson valde jag att hylla den mannen genom att döpa min karaktär till Codney (he/him - om ni undrar) och välja att han kommer från metropolen Trollywood. Sen drar spelet igång genom att man gör sin första dag på kundtjänsten för ett megaföretag (tänk Amazon, Ebay här) som heter Valdivian för att sedan få sparken ungefär lika snabbt som man började eftersom de kommer att ersätta, mer eller mindre, all personal med AI.
<bild>Du kan dejta glasögonen också. Hon gillar att få frågor om olika features och inställningar.</bild>
Rätt kort efter det får man ett meddelande på sin telefon, i appen Thiscord, om att ett paket är på väg med en drönare. Vem avsändaren är vet man inte, då, mer än att det är en hackare (passande nog döpt till tinfoilhat) som inte gillar Valdivian. I paketet ligger glajorna som låter dig snacka med, och i förlängningen ligga med eller skapa andra relationer till livlösa föremål - Dateviator-glasögonen. Sure, man kan skapa ovänner också - för alla karaktärerna man stöter på i spelet vill man faktiskt inte fälla. Väldigt, väldigt, väldigt långt ifrån alla faktiskt. Många av dem är rentav gräsliga där den hemska uwu-kattpojken sticker ut som den mest avskyvärda karaktär jag stött på. Men det är ju ett högst medvetet val från Sassy Chap Games. Man kan prata med fem olika föremål om dagen innan man behöver gå och lägga sig, ladda batterierna och göra sig redo för att göra samma sak nästkommande dag.

Det finns närmre 100 olika "Dateables" att upptäcka i det lilla tvåvåningshuset man bor i. Vissa är väldigt lätta att hitta när man navigerar runt i förstaperson med glasögonen aktiverade, som dörren Dorian och sängen Betty till exempel - medan andra är mindre föremål som till exempel badankan Rebel. Gemensamt för alla är att de har starka personligheter, unika bakgrunder och väldigt olika sätt att konversera. Det är over the top så att det skriker om det och utvecklaren, Sassy Chap Games, har lyckats väl att förmedla satiriska nidbilder på allt från rollspelsnördar och gymkillar till vansinniga fangirls och hemmafixare. Det är lätt att förväxla designvalen de har gjort med någon slags woke-vurmande historia men sanningen är att det bara handlar om ren och skär, och stundtals briljant, satir.

Date Everything har en story, men den blir liksom något som ligger och gnuggar i bakgrunden - nästan ett irritationsmoment. Där bottnar vi i alla fall i kritiken mot megaföretagens framfart, artificiell intelligens och absurditeten i att vilja att sexualisera allting, även om det handlar om livlösa (döda) objekt. Men jag rekommenderar att man tacklar det här spelet för vad det egentligen är - en ligga-med-möbler-simulator som man gör allra bäst i att inte ta på allvar, på något sätt och vis. Tackla det hur du vill. Försök att få alla att hata dig, bli kompis med de som är sköna och försök locka föremålen du tycker verkar trevliga för en omgång i sänghalmen. Oavsett om de är en blyg snubbe instängd i ventilationssystemet eller ett kassaskåp med dominatrix-utstyrsel. Det finns mycket spel att hämta där - särskilt om man jagar achievements/trophies eftersom det finns sådana man låser upp efter att ha blivit tillsammans/ovän/polare med alla 100 Dateables.
<bild>Där står den, buttpluggen, och ser ledsen ut.</bild>
Så långt kommer inte jag att gå - men jag har definitivt haft roligt under tiden jag spelat. Det är ett vansinnigt spel som ligger väldigt nära gränsen till att bli lite för konstigt. Ta bara exemplet med sexleksaken man kan ragga upp. Det var en skämtpresent från några kompisar som bara har legat i nattduksbordet och samlat damm. En buttplug, närmre bestämt. Hon, Ben-Hwa, är väldigt upprörd över att inte ha blivit använd och det kan man ju förstå men när det snurrar vidare så pass långt att man blir tillsammans med henne efter att ha rullat in henne i en taco med köttfärs, sallad och gräddfil (någon slags pervers matsexlek som Martin kanske kan berätta mer om) så kan man inte låta bli att skaka på huvudet och undra vad i helvete det är man ägnar sin tid åt. Det är en annorlunda känsla som få spel levererar på ett bra sätt - men det gör faktiskt Date Everything.

Ett annat plan som Date Everything verkligen briljerar på är röstskådespeleriet. Alla är med i det här spelet. Vi snackar giganter inom branschen och det är mest troligt en följd av att Sassy Chap Games är grundat av ett gäng branschveteraner - bland annat Robbie Daymond, Ray Chase och Max Mittelman. Med sig har de fått (bland många andra) Ashley Johnson (Ellie i {The Last of Us}), Aimee Carrero (Critical Role), Troy Baker (bland annat Joel i {The Last of Us}), Laura Bailey (Abby i {The Last of Us: Part II}), Ben Starr (Clive från {Final Fantasy}) och Matt Mercer (med i dom flesta spelen som någonsin gjorts). Listan kan göras rejält mycket längre men kontentan är att det är många riktigt duktiga röstskådespelare som verkligen bjuder på minnesvärda insatser.
<bild>En låda med brädspel du ställt undan på vinden? Fullt dejtbar den också. Detta leder till att du får spela en rad (dialogbaserade) brädspel mot honom. Skruvat, är det.</bild>
Men allt är inte guld och gröna skogar. Men i det stora hela handlar det om små petitesser som irriterar mer än de förstör. Som jag redan nämnt är storyn onödig, lite irriterande och inte alls engagerande. Sen har vi kontrollerna som är riktigt knackiga om man väljer att spela det med tangentbord och mus. Date Everything är väldigt tydligt utformat för att spelas med handkontroll - ingen biggie (som kidsen säger). Det som drar ner betyget mest är att det mer eller mindre bara finns ett spelmoment - att tjata på/bli tjatad på av någon av Dateablesena (böj det bättre om du kan). Man vandrar mestadels bara runt i den rätt trista omgivningen i tvåplansvillan och blänger med date-glasögonen för att sedan ha ett mer eller mindre givande samtal med exempelvis en Indiana Jones-inspirerad flyttlåda. Det är vad man får och gillar man inte att prata i spel är det bara att blicka bort mot någon annan titel.
<bild>Dammtussen Dolly är forskare och studerar dammtussarna som har gjort grottmålningar under golvbrädorna - något hon mer än gärna ger dig långa och djupa föreläsningar om.</bild>
Inga problem som dödar spelet för mig, men de ligger där i periferin och liksom petar på en och gör sig påminda då och då. Men sen börjar man snacka om existentiella frågor med en dammsugare, får en föreläsning om dammets urfäder av en dammtuss och går upp till kamp mot en väldigt liten pirat som bor i ett flaskskepp över eldstaden. Att man sedan kan bli tillsammans med den där lilla piratgubben, om man så vill, gör det hela så absurt att man sprutar mjölk ur näsan fast man inte ens dricker mjölk för stunden. Som sagt - det här spelet ska man spela med glimten i ögat och åsidosätta sina tankar om könspreferenser och värderingar som rör sig i samma sfär.

Jag hade riktigt kul med Date Everything, trots att jag aldrig någonsin satt mig framför en dating-simulator förut. För till syvende och sist är det här mer en uppvisning i träffsäker satir, galen karaktärsdesign, fantastiskt röstskådespel och dialoger som är märkligare än det mesta där ute. Uppfriskande, skulle jag säga.
<bild>Sportprylar och galg-grabbarna - otroligt störande och over-the-toppiga. Men fortfarande kul.</bild>

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Wearables Aren't Going to 'Make America Healthy Again'

We need a functioning public health system, not an ad campaign for smartwatches.

Health and fitness wearables can do many things, but they really can’t do much to make people healthier—no matter what U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says in front of Congress

I research, wear, and test health and fitness wearables here at Lifehacker. I also have a longstanding interest in public health. I wrote a book on disease epidemics through history, and the writing that first got me noticed by Lifehacker editors, a decade ago now, was published on a blog called Public Health Perspectives. So understand that I am not a newcomer to either of these fields when I say: wearables are not going to “make America healthy again," Mr. Secretary. What the hell are you thinking?

What wearables are we talking about, exactly? 

In a post on the social media site X, RFK, Jr. touted that, "Wearables put the power of health back in the hands of the American people," and posted a brief video in which he talked up the devices while being questioned by members of congress in which he announced his vision for the "Make American Healthy Again" agenda was to see all Americans using a wearable within the next four years.

The brief exchange Kennedy posted was incredibly vague about what a wearable is, and how they are supposed to improve anyone’s health. (In his questioning, Troy Balderson, a representative from Ohio, referred to “wearables” that let people monitor their health and share that data with providers, and classified these devices as “innovative wellness tools.”)

In general, “wearables” can be any tech you wear, including but not limited to smartwatches and fitness trackers. Kennedy’s answer was a little more specific: he mentioned that people can use them to "see what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, a number of other metrics, as they eat it.” 

But that’s not what a smartwatch does. That’s not what any conventional wearable does, really. If you want to see what’s happening to your glucose levels after you eat food, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can do that. (More about those in a second.)

Tracking your heart rate changes as you eat food isn’t really a thing I’ve seen any wearable try to do—it isn’t a typical Apple Watch function or anything like that. Most diet tracking doesn’t use a wearable at all, but requires you to manually enter data into whatever app you like (Cronometer is my favorite free one) without collecting any biometric data. 

But, OK, maybe he was getting things confused. Smartwatches, rings, and straps can track your heart rate throughout the day, as well as your physical activity (steps and exercise), which Kennedy also mentioned. He’s certainly highlighting things that the makers of wearables would love to see discussed favorably in front of Congress. 

This isn’t about health at all

If there were some real health-related outcome that wearables could accomplish, you’d think a person in control of a whole government branch would propose some actions that would make the devices more accessible or more useful to Americans. But all Kennedy mentioned in terms of action is that the branch would soon “launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables.” 

Ad campaigns are what you undertake when you want people to buy your product—with their own money. If you thought wearables were truly the future of public health, a suitable action might involve providing free wearables to those who need them, or subsidizing the cost of purchasing one. An even more important action would be setting up a system to study these wearables, providing rigorous data on accuracy and real-world usefulness while the models you tested are still on the market. (Currently, we don’t have a way of getting reliable data until devices are nearly obsolete.) 

Devices that may or may not be accurate, and which aren’t delivering any concrete benefit, are hardly something to place at the cornerstone of a national health plan. Meanwhile, the same person pushing wearables is the one gutting our nation’s health infrastructure, and yanking funding from medical research labs and public health agencies. This is the guy who founded an anti-vaccine organization before he took office, and then, once in power, obliterated the expert panel that recommends vaccines for the U.S. The guy helping to bring measles back thinks wearables are the key to health? 

No, this isn’t about health at all. Kennedy seems to be working with tech companies to promote their products—expensive products that provide an aura of health-ishness. Not long ago, he met with health executives including from Whoop (a $239/year subscription product) and Function Health (lab tests well in excess of what your doctor would order, which is why you’re going to a separate company to get them, with packages starting at $499), to name just a few. 

“Health” in the MAHA sense doesn't seem to be about preventing disease or making medical care more accessible; it’s more a vibes-based thing. Casey Means, the Surgeon General who got her job on Kennedy’s recommendation, has said that it’s better to “look [a local farmer] in the eyes, pet his cow, and then decide if I feel safe to drink the milk from his farm” than to regulate raw milk sales. That’s not a health policy, that’s an Instagram photoshoot. 

A smartwatch or continuous glucose monitor, like a field trip to a farm, is a mostly useless luxury. You’re not protecting yourself from milkborne pathogens by petting a cow, and you’re not making yourself healthier by obsessing over data from health apps. 

Wearables are more like toys

As much as I love to run with a Garmin or check my Oura ring’s HRV measurements, I know that these gadgets aren’t making me healthy. If a wearable encourages you to take more steps or spend less time sitting, that’s a nudge in a healthy direction, but it’s only going to have a tiny effect on your overall health, and only if you are the kind of person who enjoys chasing numbers in an app. 

Everything you can do with an expensive wearable, you can do for free all by yourself. You can just decide to go for a walk after dinner every day, without knowing exactly how many steps it takes or how many active zone minutes it earns you. You can go for a run without tracking your heart rate, and your fitness will improve just the same. You can go to bed early because you feel tired, rather than needing a watch to tell you you’re trending five minutes lower on deep sleep this week compared to last week. You may forget these obvious truths if you’re deep down the wearables rabbit hole, but we all know they are true, don’t we? 

Some people enjoy the gamification we get from wearables—hitting a step target, and that kind of thing. But people can also end up obsessing over those targets to a level that’s not healthy at all. 

And this brings me to the continuous issue of glucose monitors, or CGMs, that Kennedy referred to—and that Casey Means, Surgeon General, sells at the company she founded. CGMs were originally a medical device meant for people with diabetes, but are now available to the merely glucose-curious. 

Glucose monitors can't make you healthy either

Knowing your glucose levels in near real time is life-changing and potentially life-saving if you have diabetes. But if you don't? Not so much. Glucose, or blood sugar, goes up and down over the course of a day, and that’s normal. Meals cause it to rise, and other activities, like exercise and stress, can affect it as well. This is all completely normal, and most doctors will tell you there is absolutely no need to monitor your glucose levels if you don’t have diabetes. 

But companies like Levels (Means’s company) encourage people to track their glucose for vague health-related reasons. Levels’s app costs $199/year, but you’d also pay $184 for each glucose sensor. The sensor sticks to the back of your arm and transmits data to your phone. The model sold by Levels lasts about 10 days, so it would cost thousands of dollars to use the sensor continuously for a year. CGMs are usually covered by insurance for people who need them to manage their diabetes, but if you’re just buying them on your own, you’ll pay full price.

So Kennedy’s simple sounding vision—you eat dinner, check your glucose, make healthier choices—is a stunningly expensive and high-maintenance hobby. CGMs can run anywhere from $1,200 to $7,000 per year, according to GoodRx, and you’d need to log each meal in an app and change out the sensor periodically. Who would do this without a compelling medical reason? More than zero people, for sure (Levels does have its happy customers), but it’s hardly a realistic vision for all Americans. 

It’s not even clear that there’s any benefit for non-diabetics to track their glucose. A study published earlier this year found that CGMs tended to overestimate glucose levels for people without diabetes, especially when the people in the study ate fruit or drank smoothies. One of the authors said of the findings that “For healthy individuals, relying on CGMs could lead to unnecessary food restrictions or poor dietary choices.” 

Americans need actual health care, not wearables

If we were to take the MAHA folks at their word, the obvious question would be: what’s that “again” part? If we were healthy in the past, and tech wearables are new, why don’t we ditch the tech and go back to an era where we were getting it right?

They’ll never cite a particular timeframe, of course, because there isn’t a good one to pick. The 1980s, when HIV had no treatment and took countless lives? The 1950s, with frequent polio outbreaks? The 1920s, when diphtheria was known as the “children’s plague”? Perhaps sometime in the 1800s, pre-antibiotics, when surgery and infected wounds could easily lead to death? Or in the early 1900s, when 10% of babies didn’t survive their first year of life

Meanwhile, we know about tons of things that affect health on an environmental and lifestyle level. The scientific term for this category of knowledge is “social determinants of health,” and research on it is getting slashed for being too woke. Agencies that are supposed to ensure clean air and water are also being gutted

I’d rather have Americans be healthy now, with access to vaccines and reproductive care and good research and all the other things that we know help people to stay healthy. Wearables don’t begin to cover it.

The Strava/Runna Combined Subscription Is a Good Deal, But I’m Still Disappointed

Loyal customers of one app won't have a simple way to add on the other.

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When run-tracking app Strava bought run-coaching app Runna earlier this year, everyone’s immediate reaction was: We can get a deal to subscribe to both, right? The answer at first was no, but now a combo subscription has appeared. It’s a good price, but there are some caveats.

If you need a refresher on what Strava is, it’s a mega-popular social app for tracking and sharing your runs and cycling activities. It’s honestly the best run-tracking app out there, despite its sometimes poorly handled privacy issues. You can use it for free, but a subscription ($11.99/month or $79.99/year) opens up a ton of extra features for mapping routes and analyzing training data.

Runna is an app that delivers customized, structured training plans to get you better at running. It's another favorite of mine—it’s easy to use and the programs are better than what you’d get from any watch or free app. Runna is a paid app ($19.99/month or $119.99/year) with no free tier, aside from a one-week free trial. 

How to get the bundled Strava/Runna subscription (and what it costs)

The Strava/Runna bundle costs $149.99 per year, and it is only available as an annual subscription. There is no monthly option. 

You can buy the combined subscription from Strava here, or buy it through the Android or Apple app stores. If you already get a discounted Strava membership, for example through a military discount or family plan, those discounts do not apply to the combo plan. 

Why I’m excited about this

First of all, it’s a good deal—add together the cost of the Runna and Strava annual subscriptions, and you’d be paying about $200/year. This combo deal knocks $50 off that price. (The companies are advertising this deal as “up to 60%” savings, but that’s when you compare the annual combo to separate monthly subscriptions, so it’s not quite apples-to-apples.)

I have some reservations about the price and the way they’re rolling this out, which I’ll explain below. But overall I’ve been pretty happy as a Runna customer since the merger. Runna keeps adding new features and seems to have a ton more planned. Just yesterday I started on one of their brand-new “general training” plans (still in beta), customizing how much I wanted to run and what kind of training I wanted in the mix, without having to pick a race distance or set a race date. 

The app recently added “B-races,” where you can plan for a low priority race in the middle of your training for a bigger one. They’re also revamping their mobility training sessions, and have a big ol’ roadmap with lots of new features on the way. 

(I can’t really say the same about Strava—not many Runna-inspired features have made it to Strava yet, unless it’s stuff that’s happening under the hood. But it’s still early days, and more may be coming.)

Why I’m a little disappointed

For one thing, I’m disappointed that there isn’t a monthly option. More and more companies are encouraging annual instead of monthly subscriptions, or making that the only option, and it sucks—sure, it's a lower “monthly” cost if you do the math, but it’s still a big lump sum that you have to cough up at once. That’s a lot to ask for an app that you may not know if you’ll like, or that you may not end up using year-round. 

The other big disappointment is that there’s nothing in this deal for people who were loyal customers of one app—longtime Runna subscribers, or vice versa. One of the biggest reasons for excitement at the companies’ merger was that customers of each app were hoping to be able to add the other at a discount. But that’s not an option. At least they have given some thought to annual subscribers (but not monthly folks—they're on their own.) 

If you already have an annual subscription to Runna, you can buy the combined subscription and then contact customer support to ask them to extend your membership rather than having the timeframes of both overlap. Runna has a FAQ here for customers upgrading to the combo subscription.

If you already have an annual subscription to Strava, it’s simpler—Strava will calculate how much time you have left on your old subscription, convert that to a dollar amount, and give you a partial refund. (So, if you’re six months into a subscription, you’ll get back half the money you already paid.) This will apparently occur automatically. 

Importantly, the discount works differently on the Strava website versus in the app. If you buy the combo subscription on the website, your refund will be applied as a discount to the combo subscription, so you only pay the difference. If you buy through the app, you’ll get your prorated refund before being charged the new subscription price. It's the same bottom line either way. Strava’s FAQ on switching your subscription is at the bottom of this page

There Are Ways to Spend Your FSA or HSA on a Smartwatch

FSA/HSA eligibility for wearables is real, but be ready to employ some workarounds.

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U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently touted his agenda to get all Americans using a wearable within the next four years. This vision is sorely misguided, at best. Still, although wearables are no replacement for actual healthcare, understanding how to leverage your FSA/HSA funds for fitness trackers has never been more relevant. The reality is that yes, you can use these pre-tax health dollars for fitness trackers and smartwatches—but it's not as straightforward as the marketing suggests.

How to use your FSA/HSA funds to buy wearables

According to the FSA store, if a device is necessary for treating or monitoring a specific medical condition (and not just general wellness), it could be eligible to purchase with your health dollars.

There is a catch, though. You need a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN). The IRS has ruled that fitness trackers and other devices of their type are used to promote one's "general health" and are only medically necessary under special circumstances. Your LMN is basically a doctor's note required to classify certain purchases as qualified medical expenses under IRS guidelines, proving that the device will be used to treat a legitimate medical condition, such as obesity or a heart condition. As long as you submit an LMN to your benefits administrator, it will most likely be covered.

Some health-tracking devices are eligible without an LMN because they're clearly essential: Think glucose monitors, fertility trackers, or blood pressure cuffs. On the flip side, you might have a tough time getting your FSA administrator to approve a new Fitbit. Smartwatches that are meant to track or simply contribute to general health and overall well-being don’t quite meet the threshold to qualify for purchase with pre-tax dollars. That being said, you might be surprised at what kinds of devices are indeed HSA/FSA eligible—assuming you get your hands on an LMN.

When it comes to securing your LMN, you might not even need to make a doctor's appointment, thanks to third-party players like Truemed. When you browse sites like Coros or Amazfit, you'll see the option to “Pay With Truemed” at checkout. From there, as Truemed explains it, you'll be asked you a few questions about your health circumstances, and you’ll be matched with a provider to determine your eligibility. If you qualify, you’ll get an LMN that will allow you to use your HSA or FSA funds to complete your purchase—all without ever having to meet with your primary doctor.

The fitness trackers you can buy with HSA/FSA funds

Here are some of the major brands offering HSA/FSA eligible fitness trackers.

Garmin

Sadly, no Garmin watches are HSA/FSA-eligible. Still, the following products are eligible for an HSA/FSA purchase:

You can filter by HSA/FSA eligibility and browse all eligible Garmin items here.

Coros

Coros offers FSA/HSA eligibility for all their watches and heart rate monitors through their partnership with Truemed.

Amazfit

Amazfit recently launched its Helio Strap, the third of the three once-rumored Whoop-like trackers to be officially announced.

Amazfit is another brand partnered with Truemed, meaning that like with Coros above, it might be easier for you to get that LMN proving your need for a smartwatch, sleep tracker, stress monitor, or other screen-less fitness band. For instance, here are some of Amazfit's FSA/HSA eligible items:

You can filter by HSA/FSA eligibility and browse more Amazfit options here.

Whoop

While Whoop does not accept direct FSA/HSA payments at checkout, you can submit reimbursement claims for their 12-month subscription, Whoop 4.0 battery pack, and Whoop 5.0 wireless power pack and basic charger. Whoop's focus on strain and recovery data may help support medical necessity claims. There are several ways to file a claim/submit a reimbursement—see them all here.

Ultrahuman

Ultrahuman's Ring AIR—designed to track deep health biomarker like heart rate variability (HRV), sleep stages, and recovery patterns—is marketed as HSA/FSA eligible, along with their Voyager Ring Charger and Cardio Adaptability PowerPlug.

Ultrahuman is partnered with payment processors Sika and Flex. However, according to Ultrahuman's site, their smart rings offer continuous health data that is always FSA/HSA eligible, meaning there’s no need for an LMN to purchase.

Withings

Withings positions their smartwatches as FSA/HSA eligible, emphasizing medical features like ECG monitoring and sleep tracking. Their approach leans heavily on the medical device angle, which may strengthen LMN justifications. Eligible watches include:

Filter by HSA/FSA eligibility and browse more Withings options here.

The bottom line

FSA/HSA eligibility for wearables is real but restrictive. Some employers' FSA administrators may scrutinize wearable purchases more closely. Companies like Coros are most transparent about facilitating the required medical consultation, while others market eligibility without clearly explaining the LMN barrier. For consumers, this means budgeting not just for the device, but for the healthcare consultation and documentation process required to justify the purchase. Still, the promise of using pre-tax health dollars for wearables is real.

And remember, the most important aspect of shopping with HSA funds is record-keeping. Make sure to keep every receipt—and LMN—for every HSA purchase you make.

Senator Wants to File Bribery Charges Over Paramount’s Hush Money to Trump

President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing the White House for a concentration camp known as Alligator Alcatraz, in Florida on July 1, 2025.

That is, if the Dems can ever retake power.President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing the White House for a concentration camp known as Alligator Alcatraz, in Florida on July 1, 2025.

That is, if the Dems can ever retake power.

Splitgate 2

Det första spelet är en av de där förlovade historierna som spelvärlden har att bjuda på, ett romantiserat tvärsnitt ur livet som nyfiken förstasgångsutvecklare som gick från inget till allt - bara tack vare passion, ambition och entusiasm. Stanford-eleverna och rumskompisarna Ian Proulx och Nicholas Bagamian valde att utveckla ett spel som en del av sitt examensarbete och efter sex månaders pillande hade de båda lyckats med konststycket att kombinera sina respektive favoritspel, Portal & Halo, och koka ihop en helhet som faktiskt var riktigt lyckat. Splitgate var dock aldrig någon over night-sensation som många andra indiehits Det tog snarare tid innan gamers började snappa upp att fusionen mellan portalplacerande och scifi-action med fokus på eldhastighet och konstant rörelse - var väldigt lyckad.
<bild>Estetiken är färgstark och lekfull utan att bli för barnslig. Perfekt balans.</bild>
Splitgate 2 släpptes i fredags efter cirka 28 månaders utveckling, det är gjort i Unreal 5-motorn av strax över 180 personer, vilket såklart gör det till ett högbudgetspel, särskilt jämfört med indieföregångaren och dess obefintliga minibudget. Ian Proulx och Nicholas Bagamian är idag chefer för 1047 Games och hypen inför denna release har varit stor. Jag har tillbringat den senaste veckan med att panga ut portaler, hoppa in i dem för att försöka flankera mina motspelare och jag har haft väldigt roligt under tiden.

Den enskilt största skillnaden är ett bantat fokus på portaler. I det första spelet utgjorde portalhoppen cirka 60% av den gameplay-loop som Splitgate bestod av medan 1047 Games inför uppföljaren varit tydliga med att det nu inte längre är lika viktigt. Vill man som spelare vinna många matcher och utmanövrera motståndet är portalerna fortfarande superanvändbara och minst sagt effektiva, men fokuset är omgjort och spelet känns därmed ännu mer som Halo, närmare bestämt Halo 4. Den andra stora skillnaden är att Splitgate 2 innehåller fraktioner, klasser, och de är tre till antalet. Aeros är spelets snabbaste klass som rör sig väldigt rappt, kan därmed täcka in stora områden på kort tid och deras specialförmågor (Rush) laddas upp snabbare och kan därmed användas oftare än hos de andra. De är dock (såklart) mer ömtåliga, som en del av spelets balans. Meridian-klassen är experter på energibaserade vapen (som påminner mycket om Promethean-puffrorna från Halo 4) och kan läka sina medspelare medan Sabrask är spelets "tanks". Långsamma försvarare med mer hälsa och starkare sköldar.
<bild>Gunplay-elementet i det här spelet är i det närmaste perfekt. Otroligt fin spelkänsla.</bild>
En bra sak som 1047 Games gjort trots att de delat in spelet i olika klasser är att de gjort skillnaderna mellan klasserna när man faktiskt befinner sig i stridens hetta - mycket mindre än vad vi hittar i många andra spel av samma typ. Det blir aldrig någon Hero Shooter-känsla här och du behöver som spelare aldrig anpassa och förändra din egen spelstil beroende på vilken klass du springer in i, något som jag var lite rädd för på förhand. Istället handlar indelningen mer om att hjälpa sina medspelare då exempelvis Sabrask respawns gör att de andra i ditt lag får automatisk påfyllning av kulor medan Meridian respawns gör att du läker ihop snabbare. Detta är ett smart sätt att skapa variation och djup utan att stänga ute nya spelare som ännu inte kan klasserna i sig ovh därmed automatiskt hamnar på efterkälken, som i Valorant eller Apex Legends.

Den tredje stora nyheten här är att banorna den här gången innehåller mindre vertikalitet och är bredare, plattare. Kartornas grundläggande arkitektur är mer Call of Duty och mindre Halo, om vi säger så, vilket motiverats av utvecklarna som ett sätt att släppa in nya spelare och göra Splitgate mer nybörjarvänligt. Jag förstår absolut tanken men kan heller inte släppa att det var de höga, rymliga banorna där jag hoppade mellan våningsplan som delvis gjorde föregångaren till ett sånt annorlunda actionspel. Många av de nya kartorna (de är 15 till antalet) känns lite fantasilösa den här gången och att skjuta portaler för att "enbart" kunna hoppa framåt i en platt korridor med lågt i tak, är ju naturligtvis inte lika attraktivt som att kasta sig mellan våningar 100 meter upp i luften.
<bild>Många av vapnen, balansen / kontrasten mellan eldhastighet och movement och allt där i mellan känns extremt mycket som Halo 4, vilket är en bra sak - enbart.</bild>
Den enskilt bästa delen i det här spelet är känslan när man skjuter och hoppar/glider längs golvet. 1047 Games har följt Jason Jones gamla klassiska honnörsord som stod i fokus under utvecklingen av själva gunplay-aspekten i Halo: Combat Evolved och slipat så mycket på känslan i vapnen, eldhastigheten kontra rörelsehastigheten och det där belönande, ljuvliga Starsiege Tribes-hoppet att jag utan tvekan är beredd att kalla spelkänslan för bäst i genren just nu. Varenda vapen känns tungt, kraftfullt och har lagom med rekyl för att man ska tvingas koncentrera sig men aldrig så mycket att det bara ryker och smäller som i Insurgency: Sandstorm. Rörelsemönstret och springtempot är helt perfekt intrimmat och kontrasten mellan hur våldsamma puffrorna är och hur lugnt tempot i sprinten är, känns såklart extremt mycket Halo och därmed extremt bra.

Estetiken är fin också, precis som i föregångaren. Portalerna och på det viset som de ser ut (en är orange, den andra ljusblå) är stulet direkt ur Valves Portal-spel medan resten påminner väldigt mycket om Halo. Faktum är att assault rifle-modellen, raketstruten samt ett av prickskyttegevären är direkta kopior på UNSC-vapnen ur Halo, vilket jag ser som en hyllning snarare än stöld, och en enkel sak att gilla för att Halo-dyrkare som undertecknad. Kartorna är färggranna och snygga också med exakt rätt typ av scifi-design. Det är 85% Halo 4 det här rent estetiskt och 15% Apex, och det är verkligen inget dåligt. Rent tekniskt är Splitgate 2 inte lika imponerande och det mesta i det här spelet ser ut som last gen-grafik, inte minst texturerna och effekterna från de mer kraftfulla vapnen. Ljudet är desto bättre. Effekterna är mustigt tunga och directional sound-biten fungerar väl även om det ibland inte riktigt klaffar på grund av att utvecklarna lagt in sorlande publikjubel på vissa kartor, som sabbar känslan att kunna avgöra från vilket håll de närmande fotstegen kommer. Detta hoppas jag att 1047 patchar bort.
<bild>Battle royale-läget är direkt dåligt men så gott som allt annat i det här spelet är då istället bra.</bild>
Splitgate 2 är bra, inget snack om den saken. Om det första spelet var en mix mellan Halo 3 och Portal är tvåan en blandning av Halo 4 (inklusive Ordinants och Perks) och Portal med en liten gnutta Apex inslängt mot slutet av tillagningen. Spelkänslan och vapenkänslan är i det närmaste perfekt, det finns massor av variation här och gott om innehåll med tanke på att det är helt gratis. Jag gillar dock inte Battle royale-läget då de växlande världarna och på det sättet som stormen glider in från ingenstans och förvirrar ett redan virrigt upplägg, känns som en missad möjlighet. Här borde 1047 istället bara byggt en storm, snygg karta och slängt in 100 pers istället för att försöka innovera inom ett upplägg som inte behöver mer innovation för tillfället.

Jag kommer absolut att fortsätta spela det här och hoppas att de snordyra bundle-erbjudande bantas ned prismässigt och att de kommande kartorna återinför lite höjd, igen. Utöver det och ett poänglöst Battle royale-läge är det enkelt att konstatera att Splitgate 2 lyckats hitta sitt egna spår trots att de i grunden bara rippat väl valda delar från konkurrenterna.

Are we in the midst of another mustache renaissance?

Mustaches are having a moment. Here's what it's like living with one.Timothée Chalamet, Donald Glover and Benson Boone sporting just a mustache, no beard.

Mustaches are having a moment. Here's what it's like living with one.

(Image credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Dia Dipasupil and Michael Tran)

Samsung Is Offering a Few Perks to Those Who Register to Pre-Order Its New Foldables

You can also get up to $1,150 toward a new phone when you trade in another device.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Samsung has confirmed that its event, Galaxy Unpacked July 2025, will take place on July 9. (An interesting choice to do it during Prime Day.) The event will focus on its new foldable phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, both of which you can pre-order now.

People who pre-register and end up buying one of the phones will get a $50 credit, which you can use on accessories like cases or screen protectors on Samsung.com or in the Shop Samsung App.

Samsung is also offering up to $1,150 in trade-in credits when you turn in a qualifying device through the Samsung Trade-In Program. You'll be able to then use that credit towards your purchase of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Z Flip 7.

Both of these deals are temporary, with no details on when they will end. Keep in mind that by putting your name down right now, you're not committing yourself to buying the phones; you're just placing a reservation to pre-order the phones later, so you can always back out. If you're sure you'll be buying one of these phones, it's better to put your name down rather than wait for the release. The process also automatically enters you into a $5,000 Samsung credit sweepstakes.

Samsung will then send you an email with information on how to redeem the deal during the pre-order window. There is no need to put any credit card information down when you sign up.

I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung also ends up offering a free upgrade to the next tier of storage (probably 512GB) along with the pre-order, once it's available. There will most likely be competing offers from Amazon and phone carriers, but again, you lose nothing by signing up for this one.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die

Jag hade riktigt kul med actionäventyret Lost in Random från 2021 och därför blev jag glad men även besviken när uppföljaren {Lost in Random: The Eternal Die} annonserades. Glad för att vi fick ännu ett spel i det vackra och skruvade Tim Burton-inspirerade universumet och besviken för att jag såg att de ursprungliga utvecklarna inte var med på tåget, att det var ett helt annat slags spel än originalet samt att huvudpersonen hade bytts ut. Vad skulle egentligen finnas kvar av den titel jag tyckte så mycket om?

Efter att ha spelat Lost in Random: The Eternal Die har besvikelsen dock i stort sett försvunnit. Visserligen har denna uppföljare, rent gameplay-mässigt, ingenting gemensamt med sin föregångare, men det är fortfarande ett bra spel i det vackra Lost in Random-universumet, som även denna gång bär en stor del av äventyret.

<bild>Göteborgs-baserade Stormteller Games levererar underhållning.</bild>

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die är alltså inte ett tredjepersons actionäventyr, utan nu en isometrisk top-down roguelite i stil med Hades, och även om det inte är en direkt uppföljare till det första spelet, så följer det händelserna därifrån. Du spelar inte längre som systrarna Even eller Odd, utan denna gång som Aleksandra själv, den onda drottningen av The Kingdom of Random, som faktiskt var skurken i föregångaren

Drottningen har blivit förrådd av sin svarta tärning och hon har till och med absorberats av den, och samtidigt har hon krympt i storlek och förlorat alla sina förmågor. Tillsammans med sin lilla tärning Fortune måste hon nu besegra ondskan i form av Mare: The Knight för att undkomma sitt fångenskap och återvända till sin egen värld.

<bild>Gillar du roguelikes och roguelites är det här värt att kolla in.</bild>

Om du har spelat andra roguelites tidigare vet du exakt vad du ger dig in på med Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. Det behöver inte något dåligt, men det mesta av spelet är ganska välbekant. Så... man kämpar sig igenom en rad slumpmässigt genererade rum och strider, och man stöter på en lång rad fiender och bossar längs vägen. Det finns också rum som inte innehåller fiender, utan istället kanske en köpman som man kan köpa uppgraderingar av, och i andra finns det möjlighet att delta i olika utmaningar som vanligtvis har något att göra med ens tärningskompis.

Innan varje run samlar man in ett slumpmässigt kort (av 15 möjliga) och detta kort ger tillgång till en speciell attack. Dessutom har man ett par olika attacker till sitt förfogande, man kan ducka undan och man kan kasta med sin tärning, vilken gör skada på ett större område, beroende på vad tärningens ögon visar.

<bild>menyerna är fiffigt utformade.</bild>

Under tiden fyller man en slags spelplan med brickor, som alla har en färg. En blå bricka förstärker skadan som ens tärning gör, en röd bricka förstärker ens vapen, en gul förstärker ens attackkort, en grön förstärker ens tur och så vidare - och de är kategoriserade efter den välkända strukturen Common, Uncommon och Rare. Om man placerar tre likadana färger i en rad bredvid varandra på spelbrädet får man de aktuella förstärkningarna som de olika brickorna visar. Det är ett smart litet pusselspel som skapar strategisk djup och som med stor säkerhet förändrar ens förmågor varje gång man gör ett försök.

Efter avslutat run landar man hemma i sin "base", där en massa färgglada karaktärer kan uppgradera ens vapen, ge tillgång till nya vapen, uppgradera Aleksandras egna (permanenta) förmågor, man kan byta outfit och många andra saker.

Som du kanske anar är Lost in Random: The Eternal Die alltså ett ganska traditionellt roguelite-spel och du kommer förmodligen att känna igen de flesta mekanismerna 1:1 eller kanske i lite andra varianter. Det är svårt att kritisera ett spel för att det låter sig inspireras av de bästa, och det tillför inte mycket nytt jämfört med andra spel i genren, men det är faktiskt inget problem, för det här lilla äventyret känns faktiskt ganska bra. Det är utmanande (det finns dock ett easy mode som gör det lite lättare), man känner hela tiden att det finns en progression, och den vackra och skruvade världen bidrar till att lyfta det hela.

<bild>Ska jag klaga på något så är det att spelet känns lite fegt med nyskapandet.</bild>

Som ovan nämnt så utspelar sig allt i den vackra, äventyrliga och skruvade Tim Burton-inspirerade världen som vi känner igen från det första spelet. Man reser igenom en liten handfull olika världar, som dock inte alla håller samma höga kvalitet som den första, vilken är helt utmärkt. Ssridsystemet fungerar bra; det är kanske lite simplistiskt, men det är snabbt och precist, och överlag fungerar spelet helt utmärkt utan att uppfinna hjulet inom genren.

I den övermättade genren med roguelikes och roguelites kan det vara svårt att sticka ut. Genren har vuxit snabbt tack vare titlar som {Dead Cells}, Hades, {Darkest Dungeon} och faktiskt även större produktioner som {Returnal}, men Lost In Randon: The Eternal Die försöker inte alls sticka ut. Istället fokuserar det på att leverera en riktigt solid och välbekant roguelite-upplevelse i en spelvärld som i gengäld är helt unik. Ett plus är att det säljs till ett riktigt bra pris oavsett format.

<video>

What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: 'The Velvet Sundown' and AI Music

Let's listen to fake music made by computers, I guess?

Have you heard of The Velvet Sundown? Me neither. But the indie rock band has been heating up Spotify's charts this week, with nearly 600,000 monthly listeners presumably jamming out to the band's limp, country rock glurge. A single song, "Dust on the Wind" (not a cover of the Kansas song "Dust in the Wind"), has over 500,000 plays on the world's most popular streaming service.

So the band's career is blowing up, as the kids used to say. But The Velvet Sundown doesn't actually seem to exist. All signs suggest everything credited to the band is entirely AI generated: the music, the band photos, the album covers. All of it is created by computers.

(After this article was first published, I received an email from "the creators of the The Velvet Sundown." According to them, the band is "a multidisciplinary artistic project blending music, analog aesthetics, and speculative storytelling," which seems like a longer, more annoying way of saying, "it's AI.")

The fake band's story has been covered by PC Gamer, our pals at Mashable, Tech Radar and countless other sources. But The Velvet Sundown is not alone. They are one of an army of fake-seeming musicians on music streaming services, and they aren't even the most successful.

How to tell whether a band exists

It's not possible to determine for sure whether music was made by computers just by listening to it, so the best you can do is speculate, but I strongly suspect The Velvet Sundown's music is AI generated.

Exhibit one: The music

Their music is so relentlessly mediocre, so devoid of personality, that it couldn't have come from humans. Everything from the lyrics to the song structures to the instrumentation is boilerplate. It's not even good AI prompting. It's not that The Velvet Sundown's music is bad; it's not anything. There's a difference between the sound of, say, an electric guitar and a soundwave made by digitally smelting, combining, and imitating the sounds of countless other electric guitars. It's hard to describe the difference, exactly, but it's there.

(For what it's worth, French music streaming platform Deezer's AI detection tool has declared that Velvet Sundown's music is "AI-generated content.")

Exhibit two: The photo

The Velvet Sundown
Credit: tvs_music/X

The photo above is on the header of the X account associated with The Velvet Sundown. While there aren't any visible extra fingers or other telltale "this is AI" signs in the image, it feels AI. Like the music, it's hard to explain the difference between a human face and an amalgamation of millions of human faces, and it's hard to explain the deadness in the eyes of AI "people," but it's there. More tellingly, though, this is the one of only two images of the band I can find online. How many guys in bands do you know who don't like being photographed?

Exhibit three: The context

Until an X account was created this week, The Velvet Sundown's entire online presence consisted of a few songs on streaming services. No website, no TikTok, no Instagram, no SoundCloud, no fan forum, no upcoming gigs, no nothing. It's just not how real bands do things in 2025, where an online existence is expected. Only fake bands suddenly appear on streaming services, especially bands polished enough to be as mediocre as The Velvet Sundown. According to the Spotify bio, The Velvet Sunset's members are Gabe Farrow, Lennie West, Milo Raines, and Orion "Rio" Del Mar. I can find no evidence of these people having played with other bands, or existing at all.

Exhibit four: The law of averages

Spotify doesn't announce how much of the music on its service is made by AI, but at this point, I guess the answer is "most of it." It's just so much easier to create an AI-generated piece of music than make your own. To be in a real band, you have to spend years practicing music, then find other people who want to play music with you, rent a studio, write the song, etc. It takes years to go from nothing to "here's my first song." It took Leonard Cohen five years to record "Hallelujah." It took me eight minutes (I timed it) to use Claude.ai and Suno to create radio-ready country hit "Waiting to Die."

Grappling with the AI music invasion

The Velvet Sunset are not alone. There are entire genres of music online that sound like they were made by machines. The Velvets (as true fans call them) are not even the most successful fake-seeming band on Spotify—take a listen to the Jazz for Study playlist. The first "artist" listed, "The Super Smart Trio," has no presence online outside of music streaming services, has released a total of 12 songs, and yet its biggest hit, "Ease Up," has been played over three million times. Or the "Tate Jackson Trio." They have over 12 million plays for "It's in the Middle of the Night," but they don't have a website and there's no evidence they've ever played a show. Check out lofi chill, a Spotify-curated playlist where "artists" like "Mellow Mirror" rack up millions of plays, despite only having released 12 songs and showing no sign of existing. I can't say for sure whether all of these bands are AI, but they're walking like ducks and quacking really loud.

Why you should care about AI music

If someone's enjoying "Dust on the Wind" while they're studying or planning a killing spree, what difference does it make if Orion "Rio" Del Mar (the wacky one) is really fake? There's no use in shaking your fist at a thunderstorm; the takeover of everything good and human is happening, no matter how you or I feel about it. But (as illustrated by my country hip-hop masterpiece "Waiting to Die") we don't have forever in this life, and I'd like to choose whether or not to partake in AI-generated art experiences. When I hit play on a song, I'm entering into an unspoken agreement that somewhere, somehow, a human being sat down and tried to express something with music. That's why I like music.

Back in the 1970s, when Kraftwerk imagined the machine-generated music of the future, at least it was cool: robotic, precise, cold, hypnotic, and undeniably futuristic. The AI music flooding Spotify today isn't visionary, it's just mediocre human-imitating music made by computers that were basically trained to be boring. Can we just get an opt-out button? The whole thing has me so mad I had AI write a KROQ-ready pop punk song about it.

How to Use an iPad as a Nintendo Switch 2 Display

When you're away from home and want to play your Nintendo Switch 2 on a larger display, you can do so if you have a USB-C iPad. All you need is an app and a couple of accessories to get everything connected, as MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera demonstrates.


To use this setup, you need a USB-C ‌iPad‌ that's able to run the latest version of iOS, and a Nintendo Switch. We're demonstrating with Nintendo's new Switch 2, but it also works with the original Switch, plus other Playstation and Xbox consoles.

Along with the ‌iPad‌ and the Switch 2, you need to pick up an HDMI cable and a video capture card dongle, which is easy to get on Amazon for around $20. Along with the hardware, you need to get an app that captures the video feed from your Switch and sends it to your ‌iPad‌.

We tested Orion, which is free to use, but has a one-time $5 upgrade for extra features like 4K upscaling.

When you have all the components and the software, plug in the Switch 2 dock, then plug the HDMI cable into the dock. The other end of the HDMI cable connects to the video capture card, and the capture card's USB-C cable plugs into the ‌iPad‌. From there, put the Switch 2 in the dock and power everything on.

You should see your Switch 2's display come up on the ‌iPad‌, and you're ready to play. There is a little bit of input lag, but it's minimal. You may not want to play online shooters, but offline games should be fine.
This article, "How to Use an iPad as a Nintendo Switch 2 Display" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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‘The Old Guard 2’ Director Victoria Mahoney Made Emotional Impact and Wonder Her Creative North Star

The Old Guard 2 Directorart

The Netflix sequel sets up a Charlize Theron vs. Uma Thurman showdown for the ages, but Mahoney made sure her film prioritized subtle emotionality as its connective tissue.The Old Guard 2 Directorart

The Netflix sequel sets up a Charlize Theron vs. Uma Thurman showdown for the ages, but Mahoney made sure her film prioritized subtle emotionality as its connective tissue.

Best home weather station: Which should be at your smart home

A Crackdown Inside Iran

With a shaky truce between Israel and Iran holding, activists say the Iranian government is hunting for people it suspects of collaborating with Israel. Iranian state media reports hundreds have been taken into custody in the last two weeks and some are fleeing into neighboring countries, including Turkey. We hear from some.

And, during the air war with Israel, one young Iranian woman turned to Chat GPT for information and comfort.

With a shaky truce between Israel and Iran holding, activists say the Iranian government is hunting for people it suspects of collaborating with Israel. Iranian state media reports hundreds have been taken into custody in the last two weeks and some are fleeing into neighboring countries, including Turkey. We hear from some.

And, during the air war with Israel, one young Iranian woman turned to Chat GPT for information and comfort.

Samsung Galaxy Phones Have a Secret Wifi Menu Packed With Useful Options

"Connectivity Labs" lets you do more with your networks.

Having spent more than two decades writing about gadgets and tech in general, it's not often that I come across a feature that I've never seen or heard of before—but Samsung has surprised me. It turns out the device maker has hidden a rather useful wifi menu in its One UI software that gives you a whole bunch of useful options. It's definitely new to me, and it might be new to you, too.

I'm indebted to the fine folks at Android Authority for spotting it; they, in turn, discovered it via a thread on Reddit, which embedded a TikTok video.The feature is called Connectivity Labs, and it seems to have been added at some point in 2023. You'll find it under the Intelligent Wi-Fi settings that Samsung makes available for the networks you connect to.

How to enable Connectivity Labs

Here's how to enable it: Open Settings on your Galaxy phone, then tap Connections > Wi-Fi. Tap the three dots up in the top right corner, then choose Intelligent Wi-Fi. You'll see some handy options here for switching wifi networks, connecting to hotspots, detecting suspicious networks, and prioritizing real time data.

Connectivity Labs
The Connectivity Labs screen is packed with options. Credit: Lifehacker

To find the hidden menu, you need to tap Intelligent Wi-Fi at the bottom of the screen seven times to enable Connectivity Labs (when you get close, you'll see a message telling you that the feature is about to be enabled). That then gives you an extra Connectivity Labs menu option on this screen. The menu button describes the feature as being "for internal test purposes."

What you can do with Connectivity Labs

Tab Connectivity Labs and you'll first see a stack of statistics about your phone's wifi connection over the last week, including how much data you've used, how much time you've been connected, and even which wifi bands and standards you've been using (this can help you make sure you're getting full use of your new Wi-Fi 7 tri-band router).

Further down you'll find a range of options and toggle switches. One setting of note is Switching to mobile data faster, which should mean your phone is quicker to ditch a shaky wifi network for cellular data, and may be preferable if you've got an unlimited data plan for your handset.

Then there's Auto reconnect to carrier Wi-Fi, which apparently fully automates the process of connecting to public wifi spots provided by your carrier. Whether you want this to happen or not is really going to be down to personal preference and how you want your phone to work, but it's helpful to have the option.

Tap Customize Wi-Fi list settings and you're able to make improvements to the list of available wifi networks you see on your phone. You can change the signal strength threshold that determines whether or not a wifi network is shown as available, for example, and set up more filters to control which networks you see (maybe you only want to see secured, 5 GHz networks, for example).

Connectivity Labs
You can check the strength of the wifi around your home. Credit: Lifehacker

Choose Wi-Fi developer options for even more stats, including a Nearby Wi-Fi information screen that ranks the networks around you based on the quality of their signal strength, from worst to best. This can be useful for troubleshooting problems and for making sure devices are connected to the network with the best signal.

Speaking of checking signal strength, if you open the Home Wi-Fi inspection option from the Connectivity Labs page, you get taken step by step through the process of seeing how good the wifi is at various points around your home. You pick the network you want to analyze, then wander around with your phone to check its strength at various points. Again, it's handy for figuring out why your laptop might be losing connection in the bedroom, or finding the best spot to install your new security camera.

Taken together, all of the tools in Connectivity Labs are so useful, it's something of a surprise that Samsung has placed them in a hidden menu you can't see by default. I'mglad to have discovered it.

The 10 Top Generation Z and Alpha Trends of 2025 (so Far)

Here’s what today’s youth are into instead of Friendster, flip phones, and flash mobs.

If you’re older than, let’s say, 28, there’s a decent chance you feel completely baffled by what younger people are doing off and online—I write about youth trends for a living, and I still don't really know; you can't fully know unless you're in it. The culture of 2025 is so fractured, ironic, algorithm-driven, and contradictory, it can feel alien, even fictional to outsiders. But on the other hand, we're all people, and the human spirit persists, even as it's being bent into impossible shapes by machines, greed, and carelessness. To help make some sense of it all—or at least give you a list of things to Google—here’s a snapshot of trends shaping Generations Z and A in the middle of 2025.

AmIAlive Core

Coined by writer Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick, "AmIAlive core" isn't a well-known term among young people, but if there's a single concept that describes how Generations Z differs from previous generations, I thinks it's this. To simplify it: AmIAlive Core posits that young people don’t live life, they perform it, so they are subconsciously unsure if they are actually living human beings. Living entirely mediated lives in which "experiences" happen in video games and the outside world is seen through the vertical window of TikTok videos has made it impossible for young people to live authentically, so they play-act life and adopt styles and philosophies based on whether they think is compelling content. A vacation is a chance to pose for exotic Instagram pictures. A concert is a chance to whip out your phone instead of dancing. It's bleak, but that's where we are.

The death (and continued life) of TikTok

If there's a shared common space for Generations A and Z, it's the social media platform TikTok, and TikTok has been going through some things. In January 2024, the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" went into effect. It required that ByteDance (TikTok's parent company) either sell the app to a U.S. company or cease operations in the U.S. by January 19, 2025. In response, TikTok briefly went dark in the United States on the deadline date. For young people, the death of TikTok would be like losing a shared universe; a world would die. Some responded by flocking to other social media outlets like RedNote or lashing out in anger at the government. But luckily, nothing happened—yet. President Trump announced a 75-day hold to allow ByteDance to find a buyer. That was extended by 90 days on June 15 via executive order, leaving a platform in limbo: technically alive, but existentially shaky.

AI everything

The merciless cultural takeover that is artificial intelligence is affecting everyone, but no group will feel its impact more than Gen Z and Gen A. They are the first to grow up chatting with AI, learning from it, competing against it, and questioning it in real time. Whatever AI becomes, they’ll inherit it and help shape it. Artificial intelligence is already being used to cheat at school, spread religion, make jokes about Bigfoot, and create disturbing videos featuring kittens. Meanwhile, a growing contingent of young people are rejecting AI entirely, particularly when it comes to AI art. Prediction: Serious resistance against AI will grow among younger people.

The 80/20 Rule and the gender wars

Social and cultural conflict over gender roles is definitely not new, but Generations Z and A are adding a unique spin to the morass, most visibly with the 80/20 Rule. Put simply, the 80/20 rule is an axiom that states 80% of women are attracted to only 20% of men. The 80/20 Rule is discussed, memed, and repeated so often in online spaces for lonely dudes that's it's rarely questioned, even though it's pretty much total nonsense.

Burning Chromebooks and other dangerous fads

Young people have always been attracted to dumb, dangerous stunts, and there was a time when many of them were amplified by social media sites, particularly TikTok. These days, though, TikTok locks down fads like "The Skull-Breaker Challenge" with ruthless efficiency. But the trend of destroying school laptops slipped through the cracks for a couple of weeks as the school year ended. That these cheap laptops were the target of mindless teenage vandalism makes sense—they're an instantly recognizable symbol of educational conformity, circa 2025.

Nostalgia for the early 2000s

People are usually nostalgic for a more innocent age, but young people's fascination with the early 2000s seems to indicate the opposite. Through the lens of a teenager in 2025, the politically incorrect, crass, no-apologies pop culture of the early aughts represents a kind of lost freedom. "Back then, you could do whatever you wanted without being canceled, arrested, or ridiculed," is the vibe. Obviously this isn't entirely true, but there's something to it. Most people didn't have smart phones back then, so it really was the last time kids could do stupid things and not be immediately posted on Instagram.

2000s nostalgia goes hand-in-hand with:

The rise of neo-puritanism

Kids may be yearning for wilder times, but they're mostly keeping their impulses in check. The trend of children being more behaviorally conservative than their parents and grandparents continued unabated in the first half of the year. Young people drink less, smoke less, do less drugs, and have less sex than previous generations. Whether these trends are due to a greater concern for personal well-being or the result of a locked-down culture and lack of freedom is up for debate, but the numbers speak for themselves.

Millennial green and Millennial burger joints

While there isn't much evidence of the kind of massive cultural generation gap that separated children and parents in the 1960s, that doesn't mean today's young people aren't turning a withering eye on the previous generation. Some may be trying to mimic the early 2000s, but others want to make sure older people know ridiculous they are, whether it's the millennial fascination with Harry Potter, the boring, beige and green decorating aesthetic that defined the era, or the faux-hipster folksiness of "millennial burger joints."

100 men vs. a gorilla

This meme is based on a simple but compelling question. Who would win in a fight to the death: 100 regular guys or a single gorilla? There are many theories, but no ethical way to answer the question. The meme sits at the intersection of absurdist humor, male insecurity, and simulation-brain thinking. I'm not sure why, exactly, but it feels revelatory about the younger generation in the same inexplicable way the popularity of "pet rocks" feels revelatory about Baby Boomers.

The continuing rise of "brain rot"

The above trends relate mostly to Generation Z. Generation A, people born between 2010 and 2024, are a different animal. That generation is defined by "brain rot," an online style that is nearly impossible to understand. Brain rot describes online content with no educational, social, or artistic value. It also describes the effects that continued viewing of this content is suspected to have on its audience. Brain rot content often involves references to other memes, which are often themselves based on other memes. The eventual result is expressions that are impossible to understand for anyone but their intended audience.

Here's how Cookie King, a pioneer of brain rot, described the inspiration for a video he posted: "On Instagram, there was a new meme. It was about Chopped Chin and Property in Egypt, and people were doing battles between them. I was like, 'Wait, what if I just combined them together with the Johnnie Walker thing and the Friggin' Packet Yo?" There has never been a better explanation presented.

How to Try iOS 26's AirPods Beta Features Right Now

Stay on top of the latest AirPods features.

One of the most underrated new features in iOS 26 is trying out new AirPods features before they're released to everyone else. Yes, Apple's newest operating system now lets you download and install beta firmware updates to your AirPods. Here's everything you need to know to try this out yourself, and a quick list of the features you can try right away.

Don't update your AirPods recklessly

First, if you value reliability over everything else, I'd recommend against installing beta firmware on your AirPods. This is because betas are not as polished as release versions, and may come with bugs. For your AirPods, that could mean frequent disconnection, audio cutting out, pairing issues, degraded mic quality, or one of many other potential pitfalls. This isn't to say that you'll always face issues when using betas, but there's always a risk of encountering problems. While it's possible to return to a stable version of iOS or macOS even after installing a beta version, you can't do so with AirPods. It's important to understand the risks before you opt to try these beta features out.

What you need to try out beta AirPods firmware

To try out beta firmware on your AirPods, you'll first need to have an iPhone/iPad running iOS 26/iPadOS 26, or eventually, a Mac running macOS 26. The following AirPods models support beta firmware:

  • AirPods 4

  • AirPods 4 (with active noise cancellation)

  • AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)

  • AirPods Pro 2 (Lightning)

How to install AirPods beta firmware

With the preamble aside, the actual installation process for AirPods beta firmware is fairly straightforward. On your iPhone running iOS 26, connect your AirPods and go to Settings > Bluetooth. Tap the i button next to your AirPods' name, scroll down, and tap AirPods Beta Updates. On the next page, enable the toggle that shows up. These instructions also work for devices running iPadOS 26.

Mac users will have to wait a little bit before they can install beta firmware to their AirPods, but Apple says it's coming soon. Once the feature is live, you'll need to go to System Settings > Bluetooth on your Mac and tap the i button next to your AirPods' name. Select AirPods Beta Updates and enable them.

The new iOS 26 features you can try on your AirPods now

The beta update comes with a number of new Airpods features, so there's no shortage of things to try. Here are the big ones:

  • Camera remote: You can press the stem of your AirPods to take a photo with your iPhone, or to start/stop a video recording.

  • Better call quality: Apple's promising improved audio quality on phone calls, FaceTime calls, and for other calling apps.

  • Keep audio on AirPods: When your iPhone connects to other Bluetooth devices, you'll be able to choose to keep playing audio via your AirPods.

  • 'Studio-quality' recording: Apple says your AirPods' mic will be able to record higher quality audio in iOS 26.

  • Auto-pause at bedtime: When you wear your AirPods to bed, they'll be able to pause audio automatically as you fall asleep.

  • Automatic switching with CarPlay: You'll notice that your iPhone's audio automatically switches to CarPlay as you enter your car. 

Peloton's 'Pace Targets' Workouts May Turn Me Into a Runner

I discovered a feature in the Peloton app that made me hate running much less.

I do not run. Well, I try, like, twice a year, but I'm not good at it. My colleagues Meredith and Beth are stellar athletes who are extremely capable runners. I am a cycling instructor who prefers low-impact cardio that does not jolt my entire body around or give me a pain in my side. Whenever I do get the wild idea to run, I sort of take off up Manhattan's FDR Drive with no clear goal or idea of how fast I should be attempting to go. I then burn out, get annoyed, and stop. A marathon is not in my future. Not even a 5K is in my future—or so I thought, until I tried Peloton's Pace Target workouts.

What are Peloton's pace target workouts?

Pace Target workouts are customized additions to running, walking, hiking, and bootcamp classes on Peloton's Tread and Tread+ treadmills (though in some cases, you can use them without one of the company's proprietary devices). Basically, instead of being told by your virtual instructor to run at, say, a pace of 6.2, you're told to run at a "moderate" pace, which will differ from person to person. My moderate is, like, a 4.1, but if you're a hardcore runner, yours might be higher than that. For us to get the same benefit from a moderate run, we'd be moving at totally different paces—and that's what Pace Target workouts are for: "Speed ranges tailored to you."

First, you take an introductory class, "20 min Intro to Pace Targets." You are asked to estimate the fastest mile you think you could run, then set a target level between 1-10. Based on the estimate you give for how fast you could run a mile, Peloton creates a breakdown of what your speed ranges should be for the following seven categories:

  • Recovery

  • Easy

  • Moderate

  • Challenging

  • Hard

  • Very Hard

  • Max

When you start a workout that uses Pace Targets (which will be shown on the preview screen with a small icon that says "Pace Targets"), your screen will tell you what incline to be at and give you a range estimate. The instructor will announce when it's time for, say, a "moderate" or "hard" pace, but they won't tell you a number to set your treadmill to or a specific pace to hit if you're outdoors. Instead, the screen will tell you what range you should target for your moderate or hard run.

My experience with Pace Targets

This feature rolled out about a year ago and, ever since, Peloton has been working to broaden and improve it. It used to only be for runs on the Tread or Tread+, but now you can use it for outdoor workouts, runs on a non-Peloton treadmill, bootcamps, and more.

This week, Peloton fans were talking about its newest uses for walking workouts and, since I love the walking workouts on the app, I wanted to try it out on the treadmill—but without a Tread or Tread+, the functionality wasn't there yet. I couldn't see my Pace Targets on the screen when completing a walking workout on a regular treadmill and using my phone app.

Now, I had already dragged myself out into the hot summer air to get to the gym. Not wanting that effort to go to waste, I decided to try out the Pace Target workouts in the running section of the app, since I was already on the treadmill and all. How bad could it be?

It wasn't, I discovered, bad at all!

A major issue I have with guided running workouts is that at some point, the instructor says a number that is simply not happening for me. With Pace Targets, though, I was able to set reasonable expectations upfront by indicating I could do one single 9:30-minute mile if I had to. (I can be fast, but I do not enjoy even one second of it.) As the class began, I was not told what to set my treadmill to at all. Rather, I was given a range of "moderate" settings that aligned with my indicated fitness level and encouraged to stay within it, though I was also told I could go lower (or higher) if I wanted to.

It was easy to follow along with on my phone and, because I have my Apple Watch synced to my Peloton app, I could see my heart rate and "Strive Score," too, so I knew I really was in my "moderate" zone. Strive Scores are calculated based on how long you spend in certain heart rates during a workout and your heart rate is shown to you on a color-coordinated graph. The colors of the heart rate graph match up with the colors on the Pace Target graph shown on-screen, so it was simple to grasp. When they were the same color—for instance, teal when I was supposed to be in a moderate range or "Zone 2"—I knew I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.

Unlike when I try to follow a guided run or head out to jog on my own, at no point was I going way too fast and in danger of burning out. I finished my first workout and my subsequent workouts feeling great: a little winded, but energized.

Why Pace Target workouts are useful

Even more shockingly, I wanted to keep doing it: I wanted to keep following Pace Target runs, identifying my perfect paces, and running smoothly. But I had to collect all my data and start drafting this story. While I was doing that, I set out to find out more about Pace Targets—and I realized this feature is especially helpful for outdoor runners who want to get a better understanding of their own pacing when they're not relying on treadmills to figure it out for them.

That's where I always screw up when I'm hauling up and down the FDR—I take off and hope for the best. But now, having discovered through Pace Targets that my "moderate" speed should be around 4.1 mph, I feel confident I could control myself, focus on the heart rate data on my wearable, and actually run for a longer amount of time, staying in the most manageable and effective cardio zone for my goals.

Pace Target workouts can be found all over the Peloton app and include walking and running intervals, tempo-based runs, recovery runs, and more. Instructors provide clear cues about which intensity you should be exercising at, not which number you should be targeting, and you can change your pace target at any time by tapping the speed displayed on your screen during a workout. As someone with no previous understanding of my personal pacing, heart rate zones, or ideal running intervals, I think this feature is extremely useful and—I can't believe I'm saying this—I can't wait to keep using it.

Apple Owes Spanish Company Over $110 Million for Violating Wireless Patents

Apple has to pay $110.7 million for infringing on wireless patents owned by Spanish company TOT Power Control, reports Reuters. A jury found that transceivers used in Apple devices rely on 3G wireless technology owned by TOT.


TOT was formed by engineer Alvaro Lopez-Medrano, who patented a technology that manages "how power is used to respond to decreases and increases in the ratio of radio signal to interference." TOT does not manufacture any products, and it has also sued LG, Samsung, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

In the original filing in 2021, TOT said that it had approached Apple "and its suppliers of wireless baseband processors" to license TOT technology, but Apple and other companies "refused."

Apple claimed that the TOT patents it was accused of infringing were invalid, but it was unable to prove that in court. TOT was seeking damages and ongoing royalties.

Apple told Reuters that it is disappointed with the ruling and that it will appeal.


This article, "Apple Owes Spanish Company Over $110 Million for Violating Wireless Patents" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: The 75-Inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

You can get the 75-inch smart TV with hands-free Alexa and local dimming nearly 50% off during Amazon's Early Prime Day deals.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

With Prime Day looming on the horizon and Target, Walmart, and Best Buy jumping on the early holiday sale bandwagon, it can be a little overwhelming to commit to where to spend your money. However, something that has stayed consistent over the many sales has been Amazon device prices during the early sales. One of those Amazon devices with a record-low price (only for Prime members) is the 75-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, currently $569.99 (originally $1,099.99), the lowest price it has been according to price-checking tools.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED launched in 2022, and it's much better than the older Amazon Fire TV 4-Series. The main difference is that it's a QLED display, which provides better backlight and colors than an LED (it's also one of the best budget QLEDs TV of 2025). It also has Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, which adjusts picture quality based on ambient lighting, and HDR10+ Gaming, which gives a smoother and more responsive gameplay while maintaining picture quality.

When you're not using this TV to watch your media, you can use its Fire TV Ambient Experience to do many other things, like keep track of security cameras, control lights, adjust thermostats, and view your reminders or calendar. You can read about these and other useful features in PCMag's "excellent" review.

This TV works great for a room that won't get too bright, since it only has 474 nits of brightness. You'll still be able to see it fine with windows open on a sunny day, but it won't get as bright as other TVs. If you're in the Alexa ecosystem, you'd be able to get the best value out of this Fire TV.

Greetings from Alishan, Taiwan, whose red cypress forests offer timeless beauty

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.undefined

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

I sometimes get asked by regular people in the actual real world what it is that I do for a living, and here’s my 15 second answer:

We built a sort of Wikipedia website for computer programmers to post questions and answers. It’s called Stack
What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

I sometimes get asked by regular people in the actual real world what it is that I do for a living, and here’s my 15 second answer:

We built a sort of Wikipedia website for computer programmers to post questions and answers. It’s called Stack Overflow.

As of last month, it’s been 10 years since Joel Spolsky and I started Stack Overflow. I currently do other stuff now, and I have since 2012, but if I will be known for anything when I’m dead, clearly it is going to be good old Stack Overflow.

Here’s where I’d normally segue into a bunch of rah-rah stuff about how great Stack Overflow is, and thus how implicitly great I am by association for being a founder, and all.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

I do not care about any of that.

What I do care about, though, is whether Stack Overflow is useful to working programmers. Let’s check in with one of my idols, John Carmack. How useful is Stack Overflow, from the perspective of what I consider to be one of the greatest living programmers?

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

I won’t lie, September 17th, 2013 was a pretty good day. I literally got chills when I read that, and not just because I always read the word “billions” in Carl Sagan’s voice. It was also pleasantly the opposite of pretty much every other day I’m on Twitter, scrolling through an oppressive, endless litany of shared human suffering and people screaming at each other. Which reminds me, I should check my Twitter and see who else is wrong on the Internet today.

I am honored and humbled by the public utility that Stack Overflow has unlocked for a whole generation of programmers. But I didn’t do that.

  • You did, when you contributed a well researched question to Stack Overflow.
  • You did, when you contributed a succinct and clear answer to Stack Overflow.
  • You did, when you edited a question or answer on Stack Overflow to make it better.

All those “fun size” units of Q&A collectively contributed by working programmers from all around the world ended up building a Creative Commons resource that truly rivals Wikipedia within our field. That’s... incredible, actually.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

But success stories are boring. The world is filled with people that basically got lucky, and subsequently can’t stop telling people how it was all of their hard work and moxie that made it happen. I find failure much more instructive, and when building a business and planning for the future, I take on the role of Abyss Domain Expert™ and begin a staring contest. It’s just a little something I like to do, you know... for me.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

Thus, what I’d like to do right now is peer into that glorious abyss for a bit and introspect about the challenges I see facing Stack Overflow for the next 10 years. Before I begin, I do want to be absolutely crystal clear about a few things:

  1. I have not worked at Stack Overflow in any capacity whatsoever since February 2012 and I’ve had zero day-to-day operational input since that date, more or less by choice. Do I have opinions about how things should be done? Uh, have you met me? Do I email people every now and then about said opinions? I might, but I honestly do try to keep it to an absolute minimum, and I think my email archive track record here is reasonable.
  2. The people working at Stack are amazing and most of them (including much of the Stack Overflow community, while I’m at it) could articulate the mission better — and perhaps a tad less crankily — than I could by the time I left. Would I trust them with my life? No. But I’d trust them with Joel’s life!
  3. The whole point of the Stack Overflow exercise is that it’s not beholden to me, or Joel, or any other Great Person. Stack Overflow works because it empowers regular everyday programmers all over the world, just like you, just like me. I guess in my mind it’s akin to being a parent. The goal is for your children to eventually grow up to be sane, practicing adults who don’t need (or, really, want) you to hang around any more.
  4. Understand that you’re reading the weak opinions strongly held the strong opinions weakly held of a co-founder who spent prodigious amounts of time working with the community in the first four years of Stack Overflow’s life to shape the rules and norms of the site to fit their needs. These are merely my opinions. I like to think they are informed opinions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I can predict the future, or that I am even qualified to try. But I’ve never let being “qualified” stop me from doing anything, and I ain’t about to start tonight.

Stack Overflow is a wiki first

Stack Overflow ultimately has much more in common with Wikipedia than a discussion forum. By this I mean questions and answers on Stack Overflow are not primarily judged by their usefulness to a specific individual, but by how many other programmers that question or answer can potentially help over time. I tried as hard as I could to emphasize this relationship from launch day in 2008. Note who has top billing in this Venn diagram.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

Stack Overflow later added a super neat feature to highlight this core value in user profiles, where it shows how many other people you have potentially helped with your contributed questions and answers so far.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

The most common complaints I see about Stack Overflow are usually the result of this fundamental misunderstanding about who the questions and answers on the site are ultimately for, and why there’s so much strictness involved in the whole process.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

I’m continually amazed at the number of people, even on Hacker News today, who don’t realize that every single question and answer is editable on Stack Overflow, even as a completely anonymous user who isn’t logged in. Which makes sense, right, because Stack Overflow is a wiki, and that’s how wikis work. Anyone can edit them. Go ahead, try it right now if you don’t believe me – press the “improve this answer” or “improve this question” button on anything that can be improved, and make it so.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

The responsibility for this misunderstanding is all on Stack Overflow (and by that I also mean myself, at least up until 2012). I guess the logic is that “every programmer has surely seen, used, and understands Stack Overflow by now, 10 years in” but... I think that’s a risky assumption. New programmers are minted every second of every day. Complicating matters further, there are three tiers of usage at Stack Overflow, from biggest to smallest, in inverted pyramid style:

  1. I passively search for programming answers. Passively searching and reading highly ranked Stack Overflow answers as they appear in web search results is arguably the primary goal of Stack Overflow. If Stack Overflow is working like it’s supposed to, 98% of programmers should get all the answers they need from reading search result pages and wouldn’t need to ask or answer a single question in their entire careers. This is a good thing! Great, even!
  2. I participate on Stack Overflow when I get stuck on a really hairy problem and searching isn’t helping. Participating only at those times when you are extra stuck is completely valid. However, I feel this level is where most people tend to run into difficulty on Stack Overflow, because it involves someone who may not be new to Stack Overflow per se, but is new to asking questions, and also at the precise time of stress and tension for them where they must get an answer due to a problem they’re facing… and they don’t have the time or inclination to deal with Stack Overflow’s strict wiki type requirements for research effort, formatting, showing previous work, and referencing what they found in prior searches.
  3. I participate on Stack Overflow for professional development. At this level you’re talking about experienced Stack Overflow users who have contributed many answers and thus have a pretty good idea of what makes a great question, the kind they’d want to answer themselves. As a result, they don’t tend to ask many questions because they self-medicate through exhaustive searching and research, but when they do ask one, their questions are exemplary.

(There’s technically a fourth tier here, for people who want to selflessly contribute creative commons questions and answers to move the entire field of software development forward for the next generation of software developers. But who has time for saints 😇, y’all make the rest of us look bad, so knock it off already, Skeet.)

It wouldn’t shock me at all if people spent years happily at tier 1 and then got a big unpleasant surprise when reaching tier 2. The primary place to deal with this, in my opinion, is a massively revamped and improved ask page. It’s also fair to note that maybe people don’t understand that they’re signing up for a sizable chunk of work by implicitly committing to the wiki standard of “try to make sure it’s useful to more people than just yourself” when asking a question on Stack Overflow, and are then put off by the negative reaction to what others view as an insufficiently researched question.

Stack Overflow absorbs so much tension from its adoption of wiki standards for content. Even if you know about that requirement up front, it is not always clear what “useful” means, in the same way it’s not always clear what topics, people, and places are deserving of a Wikipedia page. Henrietta Lacks, absolutely, but what about your cousin Dave in Omaha with his weirdo PHP 5.6 issue?

Over time, duplicates become vast landmine fields

Here’s one thing I really, really saw coming and to be honest with you I was kinda glad I left in 2012 before I had to deal with it because of the incredible technical difficulty involved: duplicates. Of all the complaints I hear about Stack Overflow, this is the one I am most sympathetic to by far.

If you accept that Stack Overflow is a wiki type system, then for the same reasons that you obviously can’t have five different articles about Italy on Wikipedia, Stack Overflow can’t allow duplicate questions on the exact same programming problem. While there is a fair amount of code to do pre-emptive searches as people type in questions, plus many exhortations to search before you ask, with an inviting search field and button right there on the mandatory page you see before asking your first question...

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

...locating and identifying duplicate content is an insanely difficult problem even for a company like Google that’s done nothing but specialize in this exact problem for, what, 20 years now, with a veritable army of the world’s most talented engineers.

When you’re asking a question on a site that doesn’t allow duplicate questions, the problem space of a site with 1 million existing questions is rather different from a site with 10 million existing questions... or 100 million. Asking a single unique question goes from mildly difficult to mission almost impossible, because your question needs to thread a narrow path through this vast, enormous field of prior art questions without stepping on any of the vaguely similar looking landmines in the process.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

But wait! It gets harder!

  • Some variance in similar-ish questions is OK, because 10 different people will ask a nearly identical question using 10 different sets of completely unrelated words with no overlap. I know, it sounds crazy, but trust me: humans are amazing at this. We want all those duplicates to exist so they can point to the primary question they are a duplicate of, while still being valid search targets for people who ask questions with unusual or rare word choices.
  • It can be legitimately difficult to determine if your question is a true duplicate. How much overlap is enough before one programming question is a duplicate of another? And by whose definition? Opinions vary. This is subject to human interpretation, and humans are.. unreliable. Nobody will ever be completely happy with this system, pretty much by design. That tension is baked in permanently and forever.

I don’t have any real answers on the duplicate problem, which only gets worse over time. But I will point out that there is plenty of precedent on the Stack Exchange network for splitting sites into “expert” and “beginner” areas with slightly different rulesets. We’ve seen this for Math vs. MathOverflow, English vs. English Learners, Unix vs. Ubuntu... perhaps it’s time for a more beginner focused Stack Overflow where duplicates are less frowned upon, and conversational rules are a bit more lenient?

Stack Overflow is a competitive system of peer review

Stack Overflow was indeed built to be a fairly explicitly competitive system, with the caveat that “there’s always more than one way to do it.” This design choice was based on my perennial observation that the best way to motivate any programmer... is to subtly insinuate that another programmer could have maybe done it better.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

This is manifested in the public reputation system on Stack Overflow, the incredible power of a number printed next to someone’s name, writ large. All reputation in Stack Overflow comes from the recognition of your peers, never the “system.”

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

Once your question is asked, or your answer is posted, it can then be poked, prodded, edited, flagged, closed, opened, upvoted, downvoted, folded and spindled by your peers. The intent is for Stack Overflow to be a system of peer review and friendly competition, like a code review from a coworker you’ve never met at a different division of the company. It’s also completely fair for a fellow programmer to question the premise of your question, as long as it’s done in a nice way. For example, do you really want to use that regular expression to match HTML?

I fully acknowledge that competitive peer review systems aren’t for everyone, and thus the overall process of having peers review your question may not always feel great, depending on your circumstances and background in the field – particularly when combined with the substantial tensions around utility and duplicates Stack Overflow already absorbed from its wiki elements. Kind of a double whammy there.

I’ve heard people describe the process of asking a question on Stack Overflow as anxiety inducing. To me, posting on Stack Overflow is supposed to involve a healthy kind of minor “let me be sure to show off my best work” anxiety:

  • the anxiety of giving a presentation to your fellow peers
  • the anxiety of doing well on a test
  • the anxiety of showing up to a new job with talented coworkers you admire
  • the anxiety of attending your first day at school with other students at your level

I imagine systems where there is zero anxiety involved and I can only think of jobs where I had long since stopped caring about the work and thus had no anxiety about whether I even showed for work on any given day. How can that be good? Let’s just say I’m not a fan of zero-anxiety systems.

Maybe competition just isn’t your jam. Could there be a less competitive Q&A system, a system without downvotes, a system without close votes, where there was never any anxiety about posting anything, just a network of super supportive folks who believe in you and want you to succeed no matter what? Absolutely! I think many alternative sites should exist on the internet so people can choose an experience that matches their personal preferences and goals. Should Stack build that alternative? Has it already been built? It’s an open question; feel free to point out examples in the comments.

Stack Overflow is designed for practicing programmers

Another point of confusion that comes up a fair bit is who the intended audience for Stack Overflow actually is. That one is straightforward, and it’s been the same from day one:

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

Q&A for professional and enthusiast programmers. By that we mean:

People who either already have a job as a programmer, or could potentially be hired as a programmer today if they wanted to be.

Yes, in case you’re wondering, part of this was an overt business decision. To make money you must have an audience of people already on a programmer’s salary, or in the job hunt to be a programmer. The entire Stack Overflow network may be Creative Commons licensed, but it was never a non-profit play. It was planned as a sustainable business from the outset, and that’s why we launched Stack Overflow Careers only one year after Stack Overflow itself... to be honest far sooner than we should have, in retrospect. Careers has since been smartly subsumed into Stack Overflow proper at stackoverflow.com/jobs for a more integrated and most assuredly way-better-than-2009 experience.

The choice of audience wasn’t meant to be an exclusionary decision in any way, but Stack Overflow was definitely designed as a fairly strict system of peer review, which is great (IMNSHO, obviously) for already practicing professionals, but pretty much everything you would not want as a student or beginner. This is why I cringe so hard I practically turn myself inside out when people on Twitter mention that they have pointed their students at Stack Overflow. What you’d want for a beginner or a student in the field of programming is almost the exact opposite of what Stack Overflow does at every turn:

  • one on one mentoring
  • real time collaborative screen sharing
  • live chat
  • theory and background courses
  • starter tasks and exercises
  • playgrounds to experiment in

These are all very fine and good things, but Stack Overflow does NONE of them, by design.

Can you use Stack Overflow to learn how to program from first principles? Well, technically you can do anything with any software. You could try to have actual conversations on Reddit, if you’re a masochist. But the answer is yes. You could learn how to program on Stack Overflow, in theory, if you are a prodigy who is comfortable with the light competitive aspects (reputation, closing, downvoting) and also perfectly willing to define all your contributions to the site in terms of utility to others, not just yourself as a student attempting to learn things. But I suuuuuuper would not recommend it. There are far better websites and systems out there for learning to be a programmerCould Stack Overflow build beginner and student friendly systems like this? I don’t know, and it’s certainly not my call to make. 🤔

And that’s it. We can now resume our normal non-abyss gazing. Or whatever it is that passes for normal in these times.

I hope all of this doesn’t come across as negative. Overall I’d say the state of the Stack is strong. But does it even matter what I think? As it was in 2008, so it is in 2018.

Stack Overflow is you.

This is the scary part, the great leap of faith that Stack Overflow is predicated on: trusting your fellow programmers. The programmers who choose to participate in Stack Overflow are the “secret sauce” that makes it work. You are the reason I continue to believe in developer community as the greatest source of learning and growth. You are the reason I continue to get so many positive emails and testimonials about Stack Overflow. I can’t take credit for that. But you can.

I learned the collective power of my fellow programmers long ago writing on Coding Horror. The community is far, far smarter than I will ever be. All I can ask — all any of us can ask — is to help each other along the path.

And if your fellow programmers decide to recognize you for that, then I say you’ve well and truly earned it.

The strength of Stack Overflow begins, and ends, with the community of programmers that power the site. What should Stack Overflow be when it grows up? Whatever we make it, together.

What does Stack Overflow want to be when it grows up?

p.s. Happy 10th anniversary Stack Overflow!


Also see Joel’s take on 10 years of Stack Overflow with The Stack Overflow AgeA Dusting of Gamification, and Strange and Maddening Rules.

Vietnam’s IT Sector: Key Industries to Watch

As Vietnam transitions from a low-tech manufacturing base to a more service-driven economy, its information technology (IT) sector is rapidly emerging as a strong player in the global market. With the IT industry receiving significant interest from both domestic enterprises and international technology vendors, Vietnam is now seen as a formidable competitor in IT servicesContinue reading "Vietnam’s IT Sector: Key Industries to Watch"

As Vietnam transitions from a low-tech manufacturing base to a more service-driven economy, its information technology (IT) sector is rapidly emerging as a strong player in the global market. With the IT industry receiving significant interest from both domestic enterprises and international technology vendors, Vietnam is now seen as a formidable competitor in IT services alongside nations like China and India. This shift has been driven by the rise of Industry 4.0, with Vietnam embracing advanced technology and digitization across sectors. For investors seeking high-growth opportunities in Southeast Asia, Vietnam’s IT sector offers a compelling case.

In this article, we explore the five IT sub-sectors currently driving growth in Vietnam and examine the government’s supportive measures that continue to fuel expansion.

1. Fintech

Vietnam’s fintech market has seen exponential growth, driven by the country’s burgeoning middle class, rising internet penetration, and youthful population. By 2020, this sector was projected to generate $7.8 billion in revenue. With over 120 companies in this space, Vietnam’s fintech industry spans services from digital payments to wealth management and blockchain.

The digital payments segment dominates the fintech landscape, with apps like MoMo, Moca, and ZaloPay gaining wide popularity. These mobile payment platforms are addressing the unbanked and underbanked populations, offering an accessible, cashless alternative in a country where cash has traditionally been the dominant transaction method. Peer-to-peer lending (P2P) is also on the rise, with Tima, Growth Wealth, and Trust Circle leading the market, providing accessible credit options outside traditional banks.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency represent the third rapidly expanding segment within fintech. Companies such as TomoChain and Kyber Network have emerged as key players, capitalizing on blockchain’s potential for faster, more secure transactions. The government’s openness to blockchain was underscored when Vietnam hosted its first international blockchain conference in 2018, positioning itself as a pioneer in Southeast Asia’s blockchain ecosystem.

2. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Vietnam, though still developing, has demonstrated strong potential across diverse applications. AI technologies are increasingly integrated into sectors such as human resources, education, healthcare, agriculture, transport, and e-commerce.

The conglomerate FPT Corporation exemplifies AI adoption, using smart traffic systems in Ho Chi Minh City to manage urban congestion. Viettel Group, another major Vietnamese company, applies AI to endoscopic procedures, enhancing healthcare services. Viettel also utilizes AI to combat cybersecurity threats, highlighting the technology’s importance in both public and private sectors.

Government support has further boosted AI’s prospects. With Resolution No. 50-NQ-TW, Vietnam has committed to raising the proportion of high-tech businesses to 50% by 2025. This policy seeks to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in advanced technology and Industry 4.0 applications, promising continued growth for AI.

3. E-commerce

Vietnam’s e-commerce industry is poised to be Southeast Asia’s third-largest market by 2025, following Indonesia and Thailand. E-commerce activity is particularly robust in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with these cities contributing 70% of total national sales. This leaves room for growth in rural markets, which, thanks to strong internet connectivity, are ripe for e-commerce penetration.

Vietnamese platforms such as Shopee, Sendo, and Tiki compete with international giants like Lazada, attracting a broad consumer base across age groups. Social media platforms, notably Facebook and Instagram, have become informal marketplaces where small businesses and individual sellers reach customers directly.

Despite this growth, challenges persist, especially around logistics costs and customer trust. Over the past four years, the sector attracted over $1 billion in investment, underscoring investor confidence despite these obstacles.

4. Software Outsourcing

Vietnam’s software outsourcing industry has gained a strong foothold, emerging as a cost-effective alternative to outsourcing powerhouses like China and India. In 2018, Vietnam’s software industry generated $8.8 billion in revenue, driven by high demand for outsourced software development services from international firms.

The Vietnamese government actively supports this industry through policies that encourage the establishment of high-tech parks and provide incentives for outsourcing companies. Da Nang, for example, has become a prominent software outsourcing hub, especially for Japanese businesses seeking affordable, high-quality solutions.

To expand Vietnam’s position as a global outsourcing destination, further development is required in English proficiency and scalable infrastructure. However, with government-backed initiatives and a young, tech-savvy workforce, Vietnam is well-positioned to grow in this area.

5. Education Technology

Vietnam’s education technology (Edtech) sector attracted $55 million in investment in 2018, as private and public sectors alike recognized the potential of tech-driven learning solutions. With a large K-12 population and a strong cultural emphasis on education, the Edtech industry has ample room for growth.

Vietnamese startup Everest Education exemplifies success in this sector, receiving a $4 million investment from a Hong Kong-based firm. Companies like Violen.vn, Hocmai.vn, and Topical are leveraging technology to offer personalized, interactive learning experiences to students across the country.

Foreign investors from countries including Japan, Singapore, and South Korea are increasingly interested in Vietnam’s Edtech potential, seeing opportunities to capitalize on both domestic demand and a receptive market for innovative education solutions.

Government Initiatives and Incentives for IT Growth

Vietnam’s government has played a proactive role in fostering IT industry growth through a series of incentives and supportive policies. The country offers IT companies corporate income tax (CIT) exemptions for up to four years, followed by a 50% tax reduction for an additional nine years, and then a 10% CIT rate for 15 years—significantly lower than the standard 20% rate. Similar incentives apply to companies involved in computer programming, which also benefit from a 0% value-added tax rate on their services.

Additionally, Resolution No. 41/NQ-CP provides a 50% reduction in personal income tax for workers in the IT sector, attracting talent and incentivizing foreign professionals to work in Vietnam. High-tech parks are being developed in cities like Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, with land rent exemptions and streamlined administrative procedures, making them attractive hubs for IT companies. The government’s goal to integrate Vietnam into the ASEAN Smart City Network further reinforces its commitment to digital transformation.

Building a Skilled IT Workforce

Vietnam is steadily working to address the talent gap in the IT sector, with universities now producing over 25,000 technical graduates annually. The government’s ambitious target to develop one million IT workers by 2020 reflects its commitment to fostering a highly skilled workforce capable of sustaining long-term growth in the sector. This influx of trained professionals, combined with increasing English proficiency, addresses one of the key challenges previously faced by foreign firms operating in Vietnam.

Despite these positive developments, challenges remain. Retaining local talent, improving English proficiency to meet international standards, and developing large-scale IT outsourcing capabilities are critical to Vietnam’s continued success in this field. However, with both the public and private sectors actively investing in skills training and technology adoption, Vietnam’s IT workforce is poised for improvement.

Conclusion

Vietnam’s IT sector is on an upward trajectory, driven by substantial government support, a dynamic workforce, and rapidly growing sub-sectors such as fintech, AI, e-commerce, software outsourcing, and Edtech. By embracing Industry 4.0 and establishing itself as a member of the ASEAN Smart City Network, Vietnam is positioned as a key player in Southeast Asia’s digital economy.

For investors and technology firms seeking competitive markets with high growth potential, Vietnam offers a compelling proposition. With continued investment, regulatory support, and a commitment to skill-building, Vietnam’s IT sector is set to expand further, making it a key industry to watch in the coming years.

Source: http://techblog.s3corp.com.vn/?p=2289

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Didn’t Always End That Way

Jurassic World Rebirth Ali

Director Gareth Edwards explained that a character who dies in the film didn't always die, and in fact, both fates were filmed.Jurassic World Rebirth Ali

Director Gareth Edwards explained that a character who dies in the film didn't always die, and in fact, both fates were filmed.

iPhone Satellite Functionality Saves Denver Mountaineer

Apple's satellite texting features saved an injured climber over the weekend, according to Colorado news reports. The man was stuck above 10,000 feet on Snowmass Mountain, which is one of many snowy mountains in Colorado. It can be a dangerous hike due to the potential for rockfall and because of ice.


On the trip, the unnamed 53-year-old man summited the mountain and was using a technique called glissading to slide down the mountain. Sliding down a snow-covered mountain can result in injury, and the man suffered damage to his wrist that prevented him from continuing.

There was no cellular signal where he was located, but he was able to use the iPhone's satellite texting functionality to contact a family member. The family member got in touch with the sheriff's office and Mountain Rescue Aspen.

He was located at Snowmass Lake, which is approximately eight miles from the mountain's parking area. Responders said the man was not able to walk out on his own, and it took 17 rescuers to get him to safety. Rescuers arrived to the mountain at approximately 8:25 a.m., and the climber was safely out of the area by 5:30 p.m.

Texting via satellite is just one of several satellite-based features that are offered on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and newer. There is also an Emergency SOS via satellite feature that allows ‌iPhone‌ users to get in touch with emergency services when no cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity is available.

In a press release, the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office suggested that climbers learn how to use satellite texting. "Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office remind adventurers that carrying an emergency communication device and knowing how to use Apple Satellite texting can significantly speed up the rescue process. If you are asking for help, don't hesitate to press the SOS button--it allows MRA to establish direct communication and coordinate a timely response," reads the release.
This article, "iPhone Satellite Functionality Saves Denver Mountaineer" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Cyber Monday home security camera deals

Tron: Catalyst

Låt mig börja med att kanske lite kontroversiellt säga att jag inte har någon relation till Tron överhuvudtaget. Jag vet att det i grunden är en filmserie (okej, två filmer, en tredje ska vara på gång) som skapats av Disney för många herrans år sedan och där i alla fall den första idag har har ett ganska fint kultfölje. Men jag har aldrig sett någon av filmerna och heller inte spelat något av de föregående spelen. Vilket förstås kan vara både bra och dåligt, men jag väljer att se det från den ljusa sidan och ta detta som någon sorts introduktion till detta universum istället. Stundtals är det förstås förvirrande för en oinsatt och det är säkerligen ingen dum idé att spela igenom föregångaren {Tron: Identity} först, men jag tycker att det ändå tog sig med tiden, så länge man är uppmärksam och hänger med i dialogen och så vidare så får man ändå en ganska bra uppfattning om vad som pågår. Det är heller ingen särskilt komplex historia, vilket förstås underlättar i sammanhanget.
<bild>Det är en del koder och annat som ska stjälas och hämtas...</bild>

Det har släppts ett antal Tron-spel genom åren, men närmast ligger förstås då Tron: Identity från 2023 och händelserna i Catalyst utspelar sig en tid efter detta och man bygger även vidare på den Arq Grid-värld som introducerades i Identity. Vi axlar rollen som Exo, ett budbärar-program som fastnat i någon form av glitch efter att ett paket exploderat i hennes händer, detta ger henne möjligheten att loopa, vilket innebär att hon kan hoppa tillbaka i tiden och exempelvis korrigera misstag som gjorts under den aktuella loopen. Men detta utan att förlora några av sina framsteg, vilket göra att det inte finns så mycket att förlora på det, annat än tid då förstås. Något som åtminstone på pappret låter användbart och för att klara vissa uppdrag är det rentav obligatoriskt. Det går att göra när som helst om man så önskar, men jag märker att jag egentligen bara gör det när spelet specifikt säger åt mig att göra det. Så det är inte fullt så användbart som det först kan ges sken av, och det kan jag känna är lite bortkastad potential. Men ifall du av en eller annan anledning behövt slåss med Core-soldaterna så är det bra, för de kommer inte sluta jaga en förrän man startat om loopen. Det går förvisso att springa ifrån dem, men det blir snabbt tröttsamt och är inte hållbart i längden, till slut kommer du tvingas att starta om loopen av en eller annan anledning.

Det är som tidigare nämnt inte en särskilt komplicerad historia, som så många gånger förr så är det en kamp mellan det goda och det onda. Vår protagonist, Exo, upptäcker att en glitch-storm hotar att slå ut hela deras existens, samtidigt som det även pågår en politisk konflikt mellan Core och Automata. Det är då upp till Exo att kämpa mot de tyranniska Core, alliera sig med Automata och samtidigt rädda Arq Grid från att försvinna helt i den ankommande glitch-stormen. Ingen lätt uppgift, men någon måste förstås göra det.
<bild>Spelmekanik och styrning är överlag bra, men att köra Light Cycle är tyvärr mest en pina.</bild>

Till sin hjälp har Exo sin identitetsdisk som den så fint kallas och den är synnerligen användbar, minst sagt. Jag förstår den inte fullt ut men allt verkar finnas där i den, det är den vakter och potentiella medhjälpare identifierar en med men den är också ett mycket kompetent och även ens enda vapen i strid. Det går att slåss precis som vanligt men det går också att kasta den på sina fiender ifall närstrid inte känns som det bästa alternativet. Utöver det så går det även att ladda ner värdefull data och spara på den ifall man ombeds göra något sådant och det går även att uppgradera sina attacker och det är förstås användbart. Det görs genom att samla på sig små gröna, självlysande skärvor som går att hitta lite överallt.

Just striderna tycker jag fungerar väldigt bra, det är inget direkt utmärkande med mekaniken här, inte heller är det avancerat på något vis. Det flyter på bra och är överlag väldigt tajt i min mening. Det går att slåss i närstrid med identitetsdisken, kasta denna från distans på fienden, parera attacker samt att rulla undan. Spelmekaniken i övrigt är också bra till allra största delen, tycker jag. Inget flashigt här heller, men den gör sitt jobb utan krusiduller. Det enda undantaget är att köra Light Cycle, det för fansen välbekanta fordonet är inte särskilt smidigt att styra överhuvudtaget. Synd, för det hade absolut kunnat vara roligt att glida runt lite mer i denna, men det känns lite som att styra ett kylskåp på hjul.
<bild>Att starta om senaste loopen kan absolut ha sina fördelar, men det är dessvärre sällan man använder det annat än när spelet specifikt kräver det. Eller om man har häcken full av Core-soldater.</bild>

Det bjuds även på lite rollspelande med en hel del dialog, men det är ytterst sällan det är mer än två eller ibland tre valbara svar per gång. Det gör att man kan få intrycket av att ens val i dialogen spelar roll, men det gör de dessvärre inte, utfallet blir detsamma i storyn oavsett vad du väljer. Det går dock exempelvis att flirta med vissa, men det leder inte till något mer ifall det är något man hade hoppats på. Det röstskådespelande som finns med är okej, men inte mycket mer än så och har sparats till de allra viktigaste karaktärerna och till de större händelserna i storyn. Däremot förtjänar dialogen i sig att lyftas, den är välskriven och inte sällan med en humoristisk underton.

Det som stör mig allra mest är att de flesta uppdragen är så kallade "fetch quests". Det innebär ju då att i princip alla uppdrag innebär att något ska hämtas, det kan vara alltifrån koder, nycklar och så vidare och det blir dessvärre tröttsamt ganska snabbt. Jag hade gärna sett lite mer variation än att mest bara springa fram och tillbaka över kartan och hämta en massa grejer för att överhuvudtaget komma någonvart. Det blir förvisso lite bättre längre fram, men de första 3-4 timmarna så gjorde jag i princip inget annat än att hämta en massa grejer åt olika karaktärer. Med tanke på att det bara tog runt nio timmar att klara så är det ändå en ganska stor del som behöver ägnas åt detta.
<bild>Den öppna världen är ganska stor, men tyvärr ganska ointressant och livlös.</bild>

Det finns en ganska stor, öppen värld här att röra sig i, särskilt efter att första kapitlet är avklarat. Dessvärre så finns det inte så mycket att göra i den och själva estetiken är heller inte särskilt spännande. Det är väl förstås så det ska se ut i Tron, men jag tycker den här världen känns lite väl steril och livlös. Jag känner också att det är lite väl mörkt på många håll, vissa partier är det väldigt svårt att se något alls och det gör lätt att det känns som att jag missar saker som skulle kunna vara viktiga. Något som också bidrar till att världen inte är så inbjudande att utforska är att det inte går att hoppa och klättra. Eller, det går, men bara på specifika platser och man kan då exempelvis hoppa in igenom vissa öppna fönster och sådant, så det finns ingen direkt frihet utan du får göra det spelet säger att du kan göra. En liten detalj, men jag tror det hade gjort stor skillnad om möjligheten hade funnits. Det skulle kunna vara något för utvecklarna Bithell Games att fundera på inför den förmodade tredje delen i deras trilogi, som de bäddar för väldigt fint i slutet.

Jag har absolut inte haft tråkigt med {Tron: Catalyst} och det finns en hel del jag gillar, men det är lite för mycket som irriterar mig för att det ska kunna landa i något annat än ett medelbetyg. Det går liksom inte riktigt att skaka av sig känslan av att det här spelet på många håll är ofärdigt och nog hade mått bra av att poleras ytterligare en tid. Det finns frustrerande nog en hel del outnyttjad potential här som jag hoppas kan komma att åtgärdas i den förmodat planerade tredje delen. Med det sagt så är striderna som jag nämnt innan roliga, de är det bästa med hela spelet faktiskt, storyn engagerar och är överlag bra med välskriven dialog. Det är heller inte direkt fult visuellt, men inget som direkt kommer vinna några priser, heller. Även om det lider av del problem så var det ändå en ganska trevlig introduktion för mig till Tron. För de redan indoktrinerade fansen så finns det garanterat mycket att glädjas åt och hämta här.

This Amazon Luna Controller Is Currently Under $40 for Prime Members

It nails the two things it was built for: low-latency Luna play and solid everyday performance.

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If you’re already using Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service or thinking about trying it, this controller deal is worth considering. The Amazon Luna Controller is currently $39.99 for Prime members, which is its lowest price to date according to price trackers.

Normally listed at $69.99, this controller isn’t required to use Luna, but it’s clearly built with the platform in mind. Unlike standard Bluetooth controllers, it connects to Amazon’s servers over wifi, which supposedly helps reduce input lag by 17 to 30 milliseconds. That might not sound huge, but for fast-paced games, it can make a real difference.

The design is familiar and comfortable. It has a similar feel to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with offset analog sticks, A/B/X/Y face buttons, and a solid build that feels responsive in hand. There’s a Luna button in the center that lights up when the controller is active, along with a built-in microphone button for Alexa support, a headphone jack at the bottom, and a USB-C port for wired use. It runs on two AA batteries, which are included in the box, and it also supports rechargeable AA batteries if you already have a set. A USB-C cable isn’t included, but most people likely already have one.

If your primary use is Amazon Luna, the wifi setup allows you to switch between devices such as Fire TV, tablets, and browsers without needing to reconnect the controller each time. Once it’s set up through the Luna Controller app, it just works, making the experience smoother. You can also use it as a standard Bluetooth controller on Windows, though it requires a separate driver download. PCMag recently re-evaluated this controller and gave it an “Excellent” rating after Amazon improved its Bluetooth support. All in all, if you’re invested in Luna or want a solid controller that can handle cloud and local play, it’s one of the more practical add-ons you can get.

10 Shows Like 'The Last of Us' You Should Watch Next

Something to binge when you're missing Joel, Ellie, and the rest of your post-apocalypse pals.

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Given the volume of video game adaptations out there, it's kind of shocking how few of them are any good. The Last of Us managed to break through in a big way, becoming a critical hit as well as a buzzy audience favorite. It has done The Walking Dead one better in its portrayal of our zombie-infested future (well, in this case, our fungal future).

The show's third season is confirmed, but still without a release date—and given the way these things go, I wouldn't expect it to arrive before 2027. In the meantime, here are 10 shows you'll enjoy if you find yourself missing Joel, Ellie, Dina, and all the rest of your post-apocalypse pals.


Silo (2023 – , two seasons)

No zombies here, but this futuristic neo-noir (kicking off, as it does, with a murder mystery) is of a piece with the dystopian post-apocalypse vibes you'll encounter on The Last of Us. Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who gets wrapped up in an investigation involving the local sheriff (played by David Oyelowo). The usual stuff—except that the characters all inhabit a massive silo, 144-levels deep, protecting the remaining 10,000 humans from the allegedly poisoned world above. Those running the silo have managed to convince everyone left that only strict adherence to rules and procedures will keep them safe from the dangers outside. Like The Last of Us, it's a prestige drama that incorporates elements of horror, mystery, and science fiction to tell very human stories about fear and control. You can stream Silo on Apple TV+.


Chernobyl (2019)

If the gloomy aesthetic of historical drama Chernobyl seems familiar, it's no accident: both shows come from writer/director/producer Craig Mazin, and they really do feel like two sides of the same coin. Of course, the one is dystopian fiction while the other is based on a true story, that of the titular 1986 nuclear meltdown in Ukraine. From its opening moments, there's a sense of creeping dread that only increases as the series goes on and, as in Last of Us, the personal becomes political as the failing Soviet culture of deception, censorship, and obfuscation first contributes to the disaster, and then hinders the response to it at every turn. Luckily we don't have to deal with that sort of political incompetence and institutional collapse in modern day America! You can stream Chernobyl on HBO Max or buy it from Prime Video.


American Primeval (2025)

Mark L. Smith, screenwriter of The Revenant, created this historical-fiction miniseries, which may well give you as sense of the tone. Set during the 1857 Utah War—an armed clash between Mormon settlers and the U.S. government—the show stars Taylor Kitsch as Isaac, a mountaineer who, against his better judgement, agrees to help shepherd a disabled boy and his mother (Betty Gilpin), who is wanted for the murder of her husband, across an unforgiving landscape. The harsh setting and haunted nature of the characters will be familiar to The Last of Us fans, as will the sense that other people are a greater threat than the wilderness. You can stream American Primeval on Netflix.


Kingdom (2019 – 2021, two seasons and then some)

Another series that tackles zombies (or the "infected") from a wildly different perspective, Kingdom is set in a fictional version of Korea in the 17th century and follows a struggle to contain a viral outbreak in the years after a series of Japanese invasions. With real historical trappings, it flips the themes of The Last of Us on their head in many regards—we haven't encountered much in the way of formal political authority in that HBO series, whereas Kingdom is almost entirely focused on the elite, the destabilizing influence of the outbreak on the ruling dynasty, and how decisions made at the top carry down to the population at large. The zombie plague is initially believed to be smallpox, which serves as a reasonably good analogy, and the show deftly combines horror and medieval-esque political intrigue, making it something wholly unique to either genre. It's based on a webcomic series authored by show creator Kim Eun-hee, and is Netflix’s first original South Korean series. You can stream Kingdom on Netflix.


The Underground Railroad (2021, miniseries)

The harrowing miniseries, based on Colson Whitehead’s award-winning 2016 novel, blends real history with fantasy (or, at least, a sense of magical realism) to imagine the historical Underground Railroad as a literal railroad, rather than metaphorical one. Thuso Mbedu stars as Cora Randall, and enslaved woman from Georgia who is working her way up through the subterranean network, with each episode representing a different stop. Helmed by Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, the series offers lush production values and is often gorgeously filmed, and feels incredibly evocative of the experience of someone like Cora—a young woman traveling through an unfamiliar, and almost entirely hostile America. The Underground Railroad makes a strong case that the dystopian trappings of of The Last of Us have long been a reality for many Americans. You can stream The Underground Railroad on Prime Video.


Fallout (2024 – , renewed for second and third seasons)

Like The Last of Us, Fallout is a rather shockingly effective video game adaptation, albeit with a lot more color, vibrancy, and quirky humor (in the world of Fallout, the aesthetic of the 1950s hung on for a lot longer than it did in ours). The background is a little complicated, but not belabored in the show itself: It's 2296, on an Earth devastated two centuries earlier by a nuclear war between the United States and China. Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) emerges from the underground fallout shelter where she's lived her entire life in order to find her father, kidnapped by raiders. The aboveground wasteland is dominated by warring factions, each of which considers the others cults and believes that they alone know the correct way forward for mankind. Amid this conflict, the landscape is also overrun by Ghouls, Gulpers, and other wild radiation monsters, with Lucy just about the only human with any lingering belief in humanity. You can stream Fallout on Prime Video.


The Leftovers (2014 – 2017, three seasons)

The premise of The Leftovers is brilliantly subdued: Around 2% of the world's population disappears without explanation, and it's enough to upend just about everything. Politics have adapted to the new normal, religions have collapsed and reformed, and families have had to make peace with the inexplicable loss of loved ones. The first season revolves around the Garvey family. led by Kevin (Justin Theroux), a sheriff whose wife (Amy Brenneman) left him to join a cult, while subsequent seasons broaden the scope to bring in other characters in other locations. Showrunner Damon Lindelof also co-created Lost, and the two series share some similarities (including a relatively grim tone), but where Lost spun out of control, The Leftovers recognizes that complex plotting and the search for answers really the point. You can stream The Leftovers on HBO Max.


Z Nation (2014 - 2019)

Where The Walking Dead and The Last of Us made prestige television out of the zombie apocalypse, this SyFy channel original is all about zombies as a campy, gory good time. Things kick off with a soldier who’s been tasked with transporting a package across country. The package in question is actually a human being, a survivor of a zombie bite who might be able to help create a vaccine (sound familiar?). The show comes from the schlock-masters at The Asylum, purveyors of infamous B-movies like Sharknado, which should tell you all you need to know about the tone. You can stream Z Nation on Tubi, Peacock, Shudder, and AMC+ or buy it from Prime Video.


Station Eleven (2021, miniseries)

The miniseries, based on the Emily St. John Mandel novel, was released at either the best time or the worst possible time—the story of a flu pandemic dropped on HBO Max right in the middle of the first wave of COVID. The show follows Kirsten Raymonde, a young stage actor whose performance in a production of King Lear is cut short by the onset of a virus with a 99% fatality rate. We meet Kirsten as a child at the outset of the pandemic, protected by reluctant caretaker Jeevan (Himesh Patel); we then jump 20 years into the future, and a world very much changed. It’s a slow burn, but ultimately, the series makes a moving case for the value of art, even (or especially) in moments when survival is on the line. You can stream Station Eleven on HBO Max.


The Decameron (2024)

I'm going a bit out on a limb with this one, ans it's entirely unlike The Last of Us in tone, and lacks any zombie analogues whatsoever. Nonetheless, I think it's a near-perfect thematic match. This funny, very dark, but surprisingly humane show loosely adapts Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century short story collection with hints of Bridgerton-esque swagger. With the plague ravaging Florence, a bunch of nobles and attendants make their way across a dangerous landscape to hole up in a countryside villa to wait out the emergency while draining the liquor supplies. Rules and mores are turned upside amid in this small-scale apocalypse, particularly by servant Licisca (Tanya Reynolds), who kind of accidentally kills her lady on the way to the villa and then decides to take her place. Despite being about how hell is other people, the show makes for an entirely addictive binge experience. You can stream The Decameron on Netflix.

Google’s AI ‘Ask Photos’ Feature May Actually Be Usable Now

Now there's faster way to search your Google photos using Gemini AI.

Google’s AI-powered Ask Photos feature was announced last year, but failed to make a splash when it started rolling out to the public. It replaced the regular photo search feature with a Gemini AI search that, often, took too much time when you just wanted to find photos of your pets, or your car. This was such an issue that my colleagues starting using a workaround that let them skip Ask Photos entirely, shifting back to the classic search option instead.

Google seems to have noticed, because early this month, the company paused the rollout of the feature altogether. According to a Google Product Manager, the feature wasn't "where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality and ux." Now, Google is resuming that rollout again, fixing what was perhaps the biggest issue with Ask Photos.

Ask Photos now works with simple search terms, too

New Google Photos Ask Photos feature in action.
The new, faster Ask Photos search in action. Credit: Google

Ask Photos is Google’s upgraded search feature for Google Photos that combines Gemini AI and regular photo search. So, you can ask it detailed and complex questions like, "find all the photos from 2012 when I had short hair," or "find all the photos of my old van parked at the beach." In theory, it would understand what you’re saying (thanks to Gemini AI), and then go about your photo library finding what you’re looking for.

The problem with Ask Photos was its latency, especially when it came to single word searches, like “cats,” “nature,” “boat,” and so on. Google says that it's fixed this issue, and when you use a short search phrase in Ask Photos, you’ll see search results instantly, like you do in classic search.

Google says that it's made more complex searches faster, too. So when you ask for photos from a particular vacation, or photos with both your kids on the beach, Google will show you the results more quickly. Supposedly, you won’t have to wait forever for Gemini AI to think before you start seeing your photos.

How to try the new Ask Photos update

Google says that the Ask Photos update will start to roll out to a wider set of users now. But it’s still limited to the US. According to Google, you will need to be 18 or older, be based in the United States, and have your Google Account language set to English (United States) for this feature to work. Plus, you’ll also need to have the Face Groups feature enabled.

Once you meet all these requirements, it’s going to be a waiting game fro you to get the update, as Google is slowly expanding the availability of the Ask Photos feature. Until then, you can continue to use the classic search method.

Air traffic control nightmare looms this summer

“Every summer since Covid has been the worst summer," warned the deputy head of a pilots' union.

BRUSSELS — French air traffic controllers are planning to walk off the job on Thursday and Friday, signaling a summer travel season that threatens to be plagued with delays.

The core reason is the continent’s fragmented, overstretched and understaffed air traffic control system.

While air traffic controllers plead overwork and burnout, airlines like Ryanair are demanding that politicians act to keep planes flying.

The French strike “will eventually have a negative impact on the network, that’s for sure,” said Frédéric Deleau, vice president for Europe of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations, a global organization whose membership does not include French unions.

When strikes or other air traffic problems occur, he said, “the rippling effect of traffic jam” forces air traffic controllers to “hold traffic near the airport and then en route we have to start reducing the speed of the aircraft so that they don’t arrive too early … only after the problem is solved we can let the system resume.”

The looming French strike is just one more risk in a gloomy outlook for summer flights.

“Every summer since Covid has been the worst summer until now,” said Paul Reuter, vice president of the pilot union European Cockpit Association.

“We have a finite airspace, a finite number of runways, the airports have capacity constraints … any disruption, because have very little buffers, it’s going to mess up the whole system. And that is probably what we’re going to see this summer as well,” said Reuter, who works as a Boeing 737 captain for Luxembourg’s Luxair.

Politicians are also well aware that air traffic in Europe has become fragile and prone to disruption.

“Already last year, the delays in the European aviation network were the worst in 25 years, and the situation this year is likely to deteriorate further,” Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas wrote in a letter to transport ministers in April, seen by POLITICO.

“Last year, Europe saw 35,000 flights on a busy summer day, this year we expect to reach 38,000,” Tzitzikostas added.

“High demand puts considerable pressure on Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), some of whom continue to struggle with staff and capacity shortages,” the commissioner acknowledged, calling on governments to start “hiring and training additional controllers where needed.”

But the problem cannot be solved quickly because training new air traffic controllers takes at least three years. | Thibaud Moritz/AFP via Getty Images

Calling for more controllers

But the problem cannot be solved quickly because training new air traffic controllers takes at least three years. On top of that, professional certification to manage air traffic is limited to a specific area of Europe’s fragmented airspace, which is managed by 40 different ANSPs.

CAE, a Canadian company that specializes in training services, recently forecast that Europe will need the most air traffic controllers of any region over the next decade — 27,000 out of 71,000 globally.

Meanwhile, airlines are going ballistic.

In an effort to name and shame the worst ANSPs, Ryanair launched a “League of Delays,” which ranks the countries causing the most extra travel time in the European network.

“France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and the U.K. continue to be the worst air traffic control (ATC) providers for delays as a result of their national Transport Ministers’ failure to ensure their ATC services are properly staffed and managed,” the budget airline said Wednesday

According to the data gathered by the low-cost carrier, French ATC caused delays for over 26,000 Ryanair flights from Jan. 1 to June 30, affecting a total of 4.7 million passengers. Spain followed with around 16,500 delayed flights, and Germany with 7,500.

“Another month of ATC mismanagement and staff shortages has passed, but neither the EU Commission nor national Transport Ministers … have taken any action to fix Europe’s worst-performing ATC providers,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said in a statement.

The outspoken airline boss also accused ANSPs of being “protected State monopolies [which] don’t care about passengers and don’t care about flight delays.”

In response to Ryanair’s repeated accusations against French air traffic control, the French Ministry of Transport told POLITICO in June that “air traffic control is only the third most common cause of flight delays in Europe, after issues attributable to airlines.”

It also pointed the finger at Ryanair.

“Notably, Ryanair ranks 26th among the most punctual European airlines, with a punctuality rate of just 69 percent. By comparison, the most punctual airline in Europe shows 86 percent punctuality,” the ministry said in a written reply. 

Moreover, “if French or German air traffic control services generate delays, this is also because they operate in one of the world’s most densely populated airspaces, which has been subject to significant constraints in recent years due to geopolitical considerations and defence requirements,” the ministry added. 

While air traffic controllers plead overwork and burnout, airlines like Ryanair are demanding that politicians act to keep planes flying. | Michele Maraviglia/EPA

According to Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management body, “it is too soon to say” if 2025 will be worse than last year, when it calculated air traffic flow management delays reached their highest level in decades, averaging 2.13 minutes per flight.

“Air traffic in Europe is at pre-pandemic levels and the European air traffic network is saturated,” Eurocontrol said in a emailed reply.  

The unstable geopolitical context also complicates traffic management.

“Complexity was already high before the escalation of the Middle East crisis, in part as a result of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some ANSPs in the South-West, South-East and Central Europe face 30-40 percent more flights than in 2019,” Eurocontrol said.

It’s all making for tough times for airlines, passengers and air traffic controllers.

According to Deleau, higher travel demand means “fatigue is equally eating pilots and controllers.” This creates concern as “our core business is safety,” he said.

When controllers “are critically and chronically fatigued because of the hours they have to work in April, May and June, then they are already at red alert for the fatigue levels, and they still have to go full blast for July, August, September and October before they can foresee that the traffic will go down,” said Deleau, who has been an active air traffic controller for the last 33 years.

After Iran, Trump Aims to End War in Gaza

After brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Trump is pushing for a deal to end the war in Gaza.

Israel's military mobility on Gaza border

The Brief June 30, 2025

Updates on an ambush in Idaho, trade talks between the U.S. and Canada, and more

Podcast ID – Short Length: 07252f55-0240-468b-b65e-d8048bda1280

Podcast ID – Long Length: 8fabea66-f7a7-489b-b5b1-904bcfa20f14

After brokering a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Donald Trump is urging Israel and Hamas to make a deal that would stop the 20-month-long war in Gaza that has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and over a thousand Israelis.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” the U.S. President posted on Truth Social early Sunday.

Trump told reporters on Friday that an agreement could be reached within the next week. On Saturday evening Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back,” in a post slamming the corruption proceedings against Netanyahu. An Israeli court on Monday postponed this week’s hearings in Netanyahu’s trial after he made a request based on classified diplomatic and security reasons.

“How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING (Cigars, Bugs Bunny Doll, etc.). It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure,” Trump wrote. “This travesty of ‘Justice’ will interfere with both Iran and Hamas negotiations.”

Read More: Trump Tries to ‘Save’ Netanyahu as Israeli PM Faces Challenges at Home

An Israeli official told the Associated Press that Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Netanyahu, will visit Washington this week for ceasefire talks. Netanyahu met with his security Cabinet on Sunday evening and plans are being made for him to visit Washington in coming weeks, the official said.

Trump’s shift in focus towards Gaza comes after Iran and Israel agreed to a tenuous ceasefire on June 23, ending the so-called “12 Day War” ignited by Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear program. Arab mediators, Egypt and Qatar, renewed a ceasefire push for Gaza after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. Hamas has told mediators that it is ready to resume talks but reiterated that any deal must include an end to the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a Hamas official told Reuters.

Call for ceasefire comes as Israel escalates war

At the same time that Trump called for a deal, Israel continued to escalate its military bombardment of Gaza. The Israeli military ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people live in eastern and northern Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp. The Israeli Defense Forces’ attacks will expand westward to Gaza City center, the order said. People are ordered to evacuate to Mawasi in southern Gaza, which Israel has designated as a humanitarian area.

Uprooting their lives at a moment’s notice has become routine for Palestinians in Gaza over the last nearly two years of war. Humanitarian organizations have criticized Israel’s sweeping evacuation orders in the past as being unpredictable and having short deadlines that are virtually impossible for many, including the sick and disabled. On Sunday, Palestinians in Gaza City were yet again forced to load their children and essentials onto donkey carts before the military’s attacks, the AP reported. United Nations officials have said that nowhere in Gaza is safe. At least five people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis near Mawasi, the designated safe area, over the weekend, medics said.

Daily life in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli attacks

“A month ago, they told us to go to Al-Mawasi and we stayed there for a month, it is a safe zone,” Palestinian Zeyad Abu Marouf told Reuters. Three of his children were killed and a fourth wounded in the airstrike, he said.

“Families have been displaced again and again—and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday. “Even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs are falling—on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.”

Roadblocks remain over a deal

In spite of Trump’s optimism, skepticism over a deal remains.

Hamas has accused Israeli leaders of purposely delaying a deal. Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi reportedly said on Telegram on Sunday that Netanyahu set “impossible conditions aimed at thwarting the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement and a deal on the hostages.”

Hamas has reportedly offered Israel a deal that includes the release of all hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israel’s military from Gaza and an end to the war. But Mardawi said Netanyahu has insisted on a temporary agreement that releases only 10 hostages. “Netanyahu lies when he claims he is not involved in choosing the names of the hostages,” Mardawi wrote. “He does not want a deal.”

Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri did not address Mardawi’s claims but said, “Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war,” according to the AP. Israel has said it will only agree to end the war in exchange for the full dismantlement and exile of Hamas.

While Trump has repeatedly urged a ceasefire in Gaza, he’s also suggested a U.S. takeover that turns the territory into “a freedom zone” and proposed that Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinians as part of a “clean out” of the Gaza Strip. 

In February, Trump said the U.S. could take a “long-term ownership position” over Gaza, “level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.” That month, he also shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social of “Trump Gaza,” showing a reconstructed Gaza Strip with skyscrapers, luxury cars, and Trump drinking by a pool with Netanyahu.

Even if a deal is reached, it’s unclear whether it will last. Israel and Hamas reached a multi-phase ceasefire agreement in January, just as Trump was taking office. But Israel broke the ceasefire in March when it launched surprise airstrikes on Gaza before declaring that it was resuming the war.

Israelis rally in Tel Aviv for Gaza ceasefire and return of hostages

Since then, pressure has been mounting on Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, both from within and outside Israel. Pro-Palestinian protesters around the world turned out over the weekend to call for an end to the war. And earlier this month, the U.N. adopted a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, with Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya saying that it is the international community’s responsibility to stop the “slaughter” in Gaza.

Protests in Israel also resumed after a two-week pause during the Israel-Iran war, with demonstrators demanding a deal that would free the hostages still in Gaza. “There’s a deal on the table and what prevents it is Netanyahu’s refusal to end the war,” said Einav Zangauker, the mother of one of the hostages, at the rally.

Earlier this month, former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak wrote in a TIME essay calling for Netanyahu to back a Trump-brokered ceasefire: “In the coming few days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face a defining choice between a politically motivated ‘war of deception’ in Gaza and a deal to release all hostages while ending the war. He must choose between his extreme-right ministers—Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich—or aligning with Donald Trump.”

Netanyahu said at the Sunday security meeting that “many opportunities have opened up” after Israel’s “victory” in Iran, and for one of the first times he appeared to prioritize hostage exchange over the defeat of Hamas, potentially signaling appetite for a ceasefire deal: “Firstly, to rescue the hostages,” he said. “Of course, we will also need to solve the Gaza issue, defeat Hamas, but I believe we will achieve both tasks.”

You Can Force Your Router to Prioritize Your Game Downloads

Or avoid annoying everyone else in your house by letting their movie streams take priority.

Hideo Kojima's latest package delivery/tar-based afterlife simulator is finally out today. It's also a massive download, like most AAA games these days. If you're impatient, or just want to be a bit more considerate of other people on your network, don't forget that your router can (probably) give your console a bit of a boost.

Most wifi routers—including our picks for the best Wi-Fi 6 routers and best mesh wifi systems—have features that let you prioritize certain devices on your network. Under normal circumstances, your router tries to make sure every device has a roughly equal chance at a solid connection, but by prioritizing certain devices, your router can favor them with faster downloads or more reliable connections.

This is handy when you're downloading a huge game on a console, since your download speed won't slow down when someone else starts streaming a movie. Conversely, if you're more patient, you can use this feature to prioritize your TV so your streams don't get interrupted while your console chugs away downloading all that data.

The process for enabling this feature varies by model, but if you have an app to control your routers, you can usually find it in this app's settings. For example, I use a Nest Wifi Pro router. In the Google Home app, you can tap Wifi > Devices, then search for the device you want to prioritize and set it to receive priority for a short duration.

Some routers also allow you to prioritize certain types of traffic, rather than specific devices. In Eero's app, for example, head to Settings > Network settings, and choose Smart Queue Management (or SQM). This feature lets you prioritize traffic for online gaming, video streaming, or conference calls. If you want to make sure that meeting with your boss doesn't degrade because of the game you're planning to play as soon as the call is done, this can be a handy trick.

Making useful gestures and swipes on macOS with BetterTouchTool

Creating useful gestures on macOS with BetterTouchTool

Supercharging your Mac with Better Touch Tool

Photo by Rohit Rao on Unsplash

Use Finder frequently?

Tap with 4 fingers (anywhere) to bring it up instantly.

Want to close the current tab?

Swipe down with 3 fingers.

Want to open a frequently used app?

Double click the bottom right command key

As of late I’ve been thinking about how I could speed up my workflow — both in terms of working faster and working more efficiently. We spend so much time on our Macs, yet we spend little energy thinking about how we can cut down on friction during use.

I’ll skip over the simple stuff like using Evernote, reaching Inbox Zero and using a proper task management app. Those are well known and pretty well documented.

I’m talking about creating custom keyboard commands and gestures.

And before you stop reading and start rolling your eyes, let me promise you that this is not a waste of time.

Note that I have no financial interest in pushing you to use this app. It’s just something that I’ve been playing with for a long time. I don’t know the developer personally, but from his blog it looks like he works on it solo and full time!

Better Touch Tool allows you to map custom key commands and gestures to an action of your choice.

Using the app is dead simple.

1. Specify the Trackpad Gesture / Keyboard Command

There’s a whole list of available options in the app.

For example, you can specify a Four Finger Tap to open a specific app.

2. Enter the desired outcome

For example, CMD + T opens a new tab in most apps.

3. Specify if the shortcut is Global or App-Specific

For example, you want your gestures to work only in Safari, not in Finder.

That’s it! You can find the app here.


Making useful gestures and swipes on macOS with BetterTouchTool was originally published in blog.shawjj on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Former CEO of 23andMe Bought the Company Back, and I'm Tentatively Optimistic

Regeneron is no longer the buyer. Here's what that means for your data privacy.

A judge has finally approved the bankruptcy sale of 23andme, and its data, to a nonprofit owned by 23andme's founder. That means that if you have data stored with the site, it's basically staying in the same place, rather than being sold to, say, a biotech company. Previous reports (including ours) said that a company named Regeneron was supposed to be the buyer, but that deal ended up falling through.

Before the buyer had been selected in 23andMe’s bankruptcy sale, we suggested you might want to delete your genetic data from the site, since we didn’t know who would end up owning it. Then, a company named Regeneron announced they would buy the company, and that they would “prioritize [consumer data's] privacy, security and ethical use." But the bidding was reopened after several states sued over data privacy concerns, and Regeneron was outbid by a nonprofit led by the former CEO of 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki.

TTAM will officially be 23andMe's owner

According to a 23andMe press release from when the nonprofit TTAM (which stands for Twenty Three And Me) first placed their winning bid, the bankrupt company's holding company reached an agreement with a nonprofit called TTAM for TTAM to buy the company. The sale is for "all of the Company’s assets, including the Personal Genome Service (PGS) and Research Services business lines and the Lemonaid Health business, for a purchase price of $305 million." Anne Wojcicki, former CEO of 23andMe, is also at the helm of TTAM. So, in a sense, a company much like the old one is buying its (your) data back.

The last-minute bid was supervised by a bankruptcy court, and was deemed to be in keeping with the company's duty to provide the most value to its shareholders. Regeneron told CNN that they did not submit a higher bid “based on our assessment of 23andMe’s remaining value.”

The sale received final court approval on June 17, and a 23andme press release states that "The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary closing conditions."

Regeneron will no longer be 23andMe’s new owner

Previously it had been reported that 23andMe’s new buyer, paying $256 million for the company’s assets, was Regeneron. Regeneron is a biotech company perhaps best known for developing an antibody treatment for COVID early in the pandemic. (Donald Trump was given a dose when he first came down with the virus.) That treatment never made it all the way to market, but the company does market other antibody- and protein-based treatments for conditions, including Ebola virus, genetic disorders, and cancers. 

Regeneron’s website stated that they “are shaping the next frontier of medicine with data-powered insights from the Regeneron Genetics Center® and pioneering genetic medicine platforms, enabling us to identify innovative targets and complementary approaches to potentially treat or cure diseases.” 

That explains why they were interested in 23andMe, since it provides a trove of genetic data. Many 23andMe users had also signed up to provide more of their personal medical information for research purposes (this was a separate thing that you would have had to opt in to provide). 

Regeneron said they planned to “continue all consumer genome services uninterrupted,” rather than shut down the company. Lemonaid health, also owned by 23andMe, was not included in the planned sale. (It is included in the new sale to TTAM.)

What this means for your data and privacy

TTAM said in their press release that they plan to honor all of 23andMe's privacy policies, and that they will not sell consumer data in the future unless the buyer also agrees to honor those policies. They will also establish a Consumer Privacy Advocacy Board, and will give all customers two years of Experian credit monitoring for free. They stated: "All customers will be emailed at least two business days before closing with details on TTAM’s role, TTAM’s commitment to privacy choices, and instructions on how to delete data or opt out of research."

Regeneron had also said they will respect the company’s privacy policy (“and applicable laws”). The sale would have also included a court-appointed “consumer privacy ombudsman” whose job is to make sure that everyone’s data is treated appropriately. Regeneron had said that they’re ready to work with this ombudsman and will detail all their privacy-related plans. 

When we thought the buyer was Regeneron, I was tentatively optimistic. Yes, a corporation would have your data and intended to profit from it, but that was also true of 23andMe in its heyday. The policies about privacy and consent that you agreed to when contributing your data would still be in effect. 

Now that the data is going to a 23andMe-adjacent nonprofit, which is also making similar promises, I guess nothing much has changed. That said, Wojcicki was CEO when 23andMe had a massive data breach, which hardly inspires confidence.

Introducing the Dynamic Landscape of Software Development in 2024.

The software development landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by technological breakthroughs and changing market needs. Major trends in 2024 include AI and ML integration, the rise of blockchain, multi-runtime microservices, cybersecurity focus, AR/VR technology, sustainable development, and advances in cloud, edge, and quantum computing. Embracing these trends is crucial for sustained success.

The software development landscape evolves with each passing year. As we approach 2024, technological breakthroughs and shifting market needs continue to drive this transition at an exponential pace. Keeping up with these developments isn’t only advantageous for companies and developers; it’s a fundamental need for sustaining a competitive advantage and attaining long-term success.
This article digs into the most important software development trends expected to have a big influence in 2024. We’ll provide you the information you need to not only handle these changes but also use them to boost your software development activities.

Cornerstones of Software Engineering in 2024

Several major ideas will shape the software development environment in 2024. These include the widespread use of AI and ML, the growing usage of blockchain technology, and the growth of multi-runtime microservices designs. Furthermore, we expect a further increase in the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, as well as a greater focus on cybersecurity and sustainable software development techniques.

Understanding AI and Machine Learning Integration

AI and machine learning have moved beyond their position as buzzwords to become essential components of contemporary software development. AI and machine learning technologies are transforming capabilities in a variety of sectors, from speeding operations with predictive algorithms to improving code quality with automated reviews.

Photo by Google DeepMind on Pexels.com


One of the most impressive accomplishments of 2023 was the development of sophisticated ChatGPT capabilities, such as the capacity to produce code and text, as well as major advances in AI-driven picture generation based on textual descriptions. Tools like GitHub’s Copilot, which uses artificial intelligence to recommend code snippets and full functions to developers in real time, highlight this expanding trend. Similarly, AI-powered analytics systems such as Tableau allow firms to extract insights from their data with unprecedented efficiency. Undoubtedly, 2024 will be a year of further research and integration of these disruptive technologies, with a special emphasis on automating text production, code creation, and data visualization jobs.

Blockchain Beyond Cryptocurrencies: Unleashing New Potential

Blockchain technology is gaining traction outside of cryptocurrencies. The increase in mobile apps that prioritize better security and higher quality has spurred the rising popularity of blockchain-based applications.
The essential elements of Blockchain-Oriented Software (BOS) systems include:
• Data Replication: Mirroring and storing data across hundreds of servers improves security dramatically.
• Requirement Verification: BOS systems examine transaction requirements to guarantee successful validation.
• BOS tracks transactions chronologically in linked blocks using a consensus method.
• Public-Key Cryptography ensures safe and verifiable transactions in BOS systems.
However, scalability and energy consumption remain barriers to blockchain’s widespread implementation.

Multi-Runtime Microservices: A Tailored Approach

The microservices architecture, a way of designing software applications as a collection of tiny, independently deployable, and modular services, is expected to increase further in 2024. This transformation will usher in the age of multi-runtime microservices, or MACH architecture (Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless). MACH design enables developers to use the strengths of many programming languages, data storage systems, and runtime environments to provide distinct services inside a single application. This newfound variety responds to each service’s unique demands and features, allowing for a more targeted and optimal approach for each component of the application.
The fundamental benefit of a multi-runtime microservices architecture is its ability to utilize the benefits of several technologies and platforms. For example, a service that requires a lot of computing capacity might be hosted in a runtime environment particularly built for such tasks, but another service that deals with real-time data processing can use a separate environment that is optimized for speed and low latency. This method not only guarantees that each service functions in its optimal setting, but it also allows for quicker updates and maintenance, since changes to one service do not necessarily affect others. Furthermore, multi-runtime microservices design promotes a more agile development process by enabling teams to work on multiple services concurrently without causing dependencies.

Cybersecurity in the Forefront: Protecting the Software Development Landscape.

The ever-evolving panorama of cyber dangers has pushed security at the top of software development priorities in 2024. Integrating modern security mechanisms and using AI for threat identification are quickly becoming commonplace. The emphasis has clearly moved from reactive to proactive security measures.
• DevSecOps Integration: Businesses are integrating security into DevOps processes, creating a culture of shared accountability among stakeholders. This technique guarantees that security concerns are an integral part of the whole software development lifecycle.
• The Zero Trust Architecture replaces the traditional perimeter-based security model with the principle of “never trust, always verify.” This involves meticulously verifying all users and devices, whether inside or outside the organization’s network.
• Increased Encryption: As data breaches increase, there is a growing trend of using strong encryption technologies to secure data in transit and at rest. Advanced cryptographic approaches, such as homomorphic encryption, are gaining popularity, enabling data to be handled while being encrypted.
• Training developers on safe coding standards is becoming more important. This includes doing frequent code reviews, vulnerability testing, and using static and dynamic analysis techniques to detect and address security issues throughout the development process.
• The Cybersecurity Mesh idea provides a modular approach to security, with each device having its own security shield, similar to firewalls and network protections. It helps to the development of a more responsive and adaptive security architecture capable of dealing with the dynamic character of new cyber threats, hence strengthening the whole network.

The alluring realm of AR and VR: blurring the lines between reality and the digital

Photo by Jessica Lewis ud83eudd8b thepaintedsquare on Pexels.com

As AR and VR technology become more accessible, demand for such applications is surging across a wide range of industries:
• Virtual reality (VR) allows for interactive teaching in history, geography, and science. It provides risk-free medical training via virtual surgical simulators. For example, Google Expeditions and other instructional augmented reality programs allow students to tour historical landmarks, dissect virtual creatures, and study 3D representations of complex topics.
• AccuVein, an AR app, helps medical practitioners locate veins and insert needles more easily. Furthermore, surgical planning technologies that overlay 3D models on a patient’s anatomy provide accurate surgical guidance.
• VR is gaining popularity in business for prototyping, staff training, and customer service. The real estate business uses VR/AR to deliver virtual property tours, while AR applications enable consumers to see how furniture or improvements would appear in a certain location before making a purchase.
We are looking forward to the following amazing developments in 2024:
• Virtual Reality can now imitate real-world feelings like rain and summer meadows, blurring the gap between virtual and real. And this tendency is likely to continue.
• Social VR systems allow for real-time interactions, like hosting virtual parties, attending concerts, and playing multiplayer games.
• AI integration in VR personalizes experiences by responding to user behavior and creating dynamic settings based on preferences and activities.

Sustainable Software Development: Creating A Greener Future

As environmental concerns grow, green computing and sustainable software development approaches are gaining popularity. Developers are increasingly working on environmentally friendly solutions, supporting organizations such as the Green Software Foundation and the Sustainable Web Manifesto, which advocate energy-efficient coding techniques. This requires writing code to reduce server processing, loading times, and data requests.
Here are some important features of sustainable software development:
• Optimizing software code to improve performance and minimize energy use.
• Deployment: Use resources only when required, such as lazy functions and cloud-based apps, to reduce energy consumption.
• Integrations: Minimize data processing across systems to avoid needless utilization.
• Limiting data storage and retention period inside the system.
• Use smaller media to decrease storage and processing needs.
• Refactoring: Updating software to remove old or unnecessary functionalities.
• Reducing dependency on external components may reduce resource use.
• Software Architecture: Using efficient and energy-saving structures.
• Choose hosting providers that prioritize green practices.

Computing Powerhouses: A Look Into the Future

In the next year, we expect major advances in important computing fields such as Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), cloud, and edge computing, with a special emphasis on quantum computing.
• AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions are driving the growth of serverless computing (FaaS). FaaS enables developers to create and deploy applications and services without the burden of infrastructure management, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective development processes.

Examples of FaaS in Action:
Netflix uses AWS Lambda for a variety of applications on its streaming platform, such as video encoding, user authentication, and backend process management. When a user uploads a video, Lambda functions are invoked to encode and transform the material into a variety of formats appropriate for streaming across several devices. This enables Netflix to automatically scale resources depending on demand without the need to deploy or manage servers, resulting in smooth streaming experiences for customers while reducing costs.
Spotify uses Google Cloud Functions to execute a variety of backend functions on its music streaming platform. Functions are activated to handle user identification, process user-generated material, and conduct backend chores for their music recommendation algorithms, resulting in a smooth and customized user experience.
The Weather Company, an IBM company, processes and analyzes enormous amounts of weather data using IBM Cloud Functions. Serverless functions allowed them to analyze data in real time, make predictions, and send individualized weather warnings to users depending on their location without having to handle the underlying infrastructure.
These FaaS systems, which include event-driven design, automatically start execution in response to requests and alter resource use as required. Scalability and responsiveness ease the development process, making it ideal for high-traffic applications. Serverless computing is becoming more integrated with IoT, chatbots, and virtual assistants.

Cloud computing technology will evolve significantly by 2024.

They are expected to become more user-friendly, resulting in improved performance, cost savings, and better flexibility in IT goals. Leading cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform will extend their offerings to include more sophisticated analytics, machine learning capabilities, and enhanced security.

Edge computing

Edge computing processes client data at the network’s edge, bringing it closer to its source. Edge computing minimizes latency by placing computation closer to data sources, improving real-time data processing capabilities.
This trend is critical for applications that need real-time data processing, such as autonomous vehicles (Tesla’s self-driving cars, for example, use edge computing) and smart city technology. In healthcare, edge computing protects data privacy and allows AI-powered real-time monitoring and analysis of the patient’s status. This technology may help improve municipal traffic management by optimizing bus timetables, managing traffic lanes, and perhaps directing autonomous vehicle movements, proving its adaptability and influence across several domains. Edge computing is critical for smart grid adoption since it allows businesses to monitor energy use more effectively.

Quantum Computing: A New Frontier

Photo by Negative Space on Pexels.com

This sophisticated computing technique uses quantum bits (qubits) instead of conventional bits. It uses quantum physics concepts like superposition and entanglement to process data at rates that regular computers cannot match. This method is especially useful for complicated tasks such as cryptography, optimization, and molecular modeling, resulting in tenfold quicker answers.
While broad deployment of quantum computing is still a long way off, the ramifications for software development are already visible. Leading companies include IBM, Microsoft, Google, D-Wave, and Amazon. IBM is a pioneer with its Quantum System One and Two, which have powerful processors with up to 127 qubits. Microsoft works on topological qubits, incorporating them into its Azure cloud platform to increase accessibility. Google’s Quantum AI lab aspires to create a viable, universal quantum computer, while D-Wave focuses on quantum annealing and solving complicated optimization problems. Amazon is developing a large quantum computing infrastructure via its AWS Centre for Quantum Networking and Amazon Braket platforms.

The Programming Language Landscape in 2024

In 2024, Python will continue to dominate the programming language scene, with Rust’s popularity increasing significantly.
Python continues to be a popular programming language due to its ease of use, adaptability, and extensive library support. Web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and scientific computing all make extensive use of it.
Python is the most popular programming language, with a 19% growth rate, according to the PYPL index, which tracks the frequency of language instructional searches on Google.
According to the 2023 Stack Overflow poll, Python is the most requested programming language for developers to learn. Python has surpassed Java for the first time since 2012, and is no longer limited to the top two web app development languages. It has also received the TIOBE Programming Language of the Year award three times in five years, which recognizes the language with the greatest yearly gain in ratings. Python’s enormous library range, which is simple to incorporate into code and scale to bigger projects, opens up a world of possibilities for online and desktop app development, as well as system administration.

Rust’s popularity among developers is growing rapidly. This system programming language stresses memory safety and speed. Here’s what distinguishes Rust:
Rust’s ownership structure maintains memory safety, requiring developers to actively control memory allocation and deallocation. This considerably decreases the possibility of memory problems and crashes, which are frequent in other programming languages such as C/C++.
Concurrency: Multi-core processing has become the standard in contemporary computing. The concurrency capabilities in Rust allow developers to design performant and secure multithreaded programs, which is a significant benefit for apps that handle a large number of tasks or data processing.
Rust code may outperform C/C++ applications and provides better memory safety. This makes it appropriate for high-performance applications such as embedded systems (IoT devices), operating systems, and game creation.
While Rust has a steeper learning curve than Python, its rising popularity is clear by its growth in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey. Rust was named the “Most Loved Programming Language” in 2023 for the seventh consecutive year, demonstrating developers’ admiration for its capabilities and design.
Beyond Python and Rust: While Python and Rust are expected to take center stage, other languages such as JavaScript (particularly TypeScript for large-scale applications), Go (for cloud native development), Kotlin (for Android development), and Swift (for iOS development) will maintain their dominant positions in their respective fields.

Conclusion

The software development scene in 2024 promises to be dynamic and ever-changing. Developers and organizations can remain ahead of the curve by embracing these trends and using the promise of AI, blockchain, multi-runtime microservices, secure coding standards, AR/VR technologies, sustainable development efforts, and advances in cloud, edge, and quantum computing. This detailed investigation will prepare you to navigate the intriguing environment of software development in 2024 and beyond!

Peter Thiel and His Goons Are Launching Their Own Bank (Yes, It has a Tolkien-Inspired Name)

Photo: Photo by Marco Bello/Getty Images

They're trolling us, right?Photo: Photo by Marco Bello/Getty Images

They're trolling us, right?

iOS 26: New Lock Screen Features

When you're not using your iPhone, the Lock Screen is what you see most often. Liquid Glass is everywhere in iOS 26, and it starts right when you pick up your device. The Lock Screen got a Liquid Glass overhaul, plus a few other new features.


Here's what you'll see first when you upgrade to ‌iOS 26‌.

Liquid Glass


The two customizable control buttons on the Lock Screen are larger and have a floating, glass-like appearance like the other Liquid Glass interface options in ‌iOS 26‌. The clock has a frosted glass appearance with the new "Glass" option, using lighting effects to make it look like glass in the real world.


Glass can be selected for any of the clock fonts, and you can choose a color to tint the glass. Apple has multiple preset options, or you can select your own.

When you tilt your ‌iPhone‌, light reflects and glints with the movement, for a realistic glass effect.


Notifications that are on your Lock Screen have a Liquid Glass aesthetic with a frosted glass look that leaves your wallpaper visible behind them.

Clock


In addition to having a Liquid Glass aesthetic, the clock can be resized to better match your ‌iPhone‌'s wallpaper using a new adaptive feature. When you're customizing your Lock Screen, you can grab the corner of the time and drag it down to expand it.


Adjusting the size of the time only works with the first font option, and only with the standard Arabic, Western numbering.


With photo wallpapers, the time can automatically expand to fill in missing space, and it can change based on the image if you have Photo Shuffle set. The subject in photo wallpapers is meant to always be visible, and can overlap the time in unique ways in ‌iOS 26‌.


There is a Photos watch face for the Apple Watch that also supports time that changes size and position based on the wallpaper.

Wallpaper


There is a new default wallpaper that was designed for ‌iOS 26‌. It's multiple shades of blue, with the same floating glass aesthetic that the rest of ‌iOS 26‌ features. The wallpaper can subtly shift with ‌iPhone‌ movement.


It's a small detail, but the icons for selecting different wallpaper categories have been updated to better match the Liquid Glass design.

Spatial Scenes


Aside from the Liquid Glass time, Spatial Scenes are the biggest change to the Lock Screen. 2D photos that you set as wallpaper can be turned into 3D spatial images that separate the subject of the photo from the background using depth information.


When you move your ‌iPhone‌, Spatial Scenes shift and move along with it, making the images feel alive. Spatial Scenes is a feature in the ‌Photos‌ app too, and it can be added to any image that you've taken with your ‌iPhone‌, including older ones.

Tap on the small icon with a mountain and a sun to activate the Spatial Scenes setting when choosing a photo wallpaper.

Widgets


Lock Screen widgets can be placed on the top of the display under the time, or at the bottom of the display. In earlier versions of iOS, you could only put widgets at the top of the screen. With the adaptive clock and new wallpaper options, widgets can also shift down automatically to ensure the subject of an image is always visible.


Apple Music


Apple added a new Lock Screen widget for Apple Music search, but there are no other new Lock Screen widget options. What is new, though, is a new full screen Now Playing interface that shows album art. Artwork expands and animates right on the Lock Screen.


Read More


We have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup that goes into detail on all of the new features that are available in the update.
Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

This article, "iOS 26: New Lock Screen Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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I Make My Favorite Fourth of July Skewers on an Electric Grill

Small slices of fruits, veggies, and protein cook quickly whether they're over hot coals or electric plates.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

This Fourth of July weekend, you can bet on the fact that grills will be sparking up from sea to shining sea. At least twice you’ll look down the street and ask, “is that a fire?” only to realize it’s just your industrious neighbor’s offset smoker. (Again.) You might even see me out there this weekend, setting up a chimney at one of the charcoal grills at the public park, gearing up to cook my favorite grill food: skewers.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with ingredient combinations from the classic to the adventurous (and a few not worth repeating). Here are my top three favorites so far. And electric grill users, you’re included too: Electric grills are a huge boon for apartment dwellers (like me), and even folks who grill outdoors but prefer less smoke and a cleaner taste. All of these skewers work wonderfully on an indoor grill too. (Read here for electric grill options if you’ve been looking.) 

How to experiment with skewer flavor combinations

I’ve noticed some patterns in my skewer research. The best ones balance savory, sweet, and herbal or earthy elements. That’s all you really need for success. So if you have a main protein, like marinated chicken or tofu, you’ve already nailed the savory element. Think of adding a sliced peach or fig section for some sweetness. For an earthy element—an ingredient that borders on bitter but not overwhelmingly so—you can add a halved shallot or a hunk of jalepeño. For extra pizzazz, you can always drizzle on vinaigrettes after grilling, sprinkle on seasonings, or add crumbled cheeses. 

Skewers on an indoor electric grill.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

When grilling over charcoal or gas, always practice good grilling technique and safety. Don't skewer your hands—skewer your food, and oil the food, not the grill grate. I use a non-aerosol spritz bottle of cooking oil to get an even coating on skewers.

If you’re using an electric grill, like I did today, you have the added benefit of being able to oil the grill plates if you’d like. All of these skewers were grilled for three to four minutes in a ChefMan Panini Press Grill, an appliance I’ve grown rather fond of. The hinged upper plate is key for evenly pressing taller items.

Without further ado, here are three excellent skewers that I keep coming back to.

Pesto chicken and ravioli skewer

Two skewers with pesto chicken, mushroom, and round ravioli.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Clearly I have not grilled enough ravioli in my life, and I'm guessing you haven't either. You'll want to buy the “fresh” style pasta that you can find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. The pasta won't be dry, but soft and pliable, so all you have to do is unpack and skewer it. Personally, I went on a Trader Joe’s bender and picked up some cacio e pepe ravioli. No regrets.

You can also purchase chicken breasts and cuts of meat that are packaged in a marinade to make your life easier. The chicken I used was slathered in a pesto sauce marinade. Rather than cube the meat, I prefer to slice it thinly and skewer it in a rippling ribbon. Among the chicken and ravioli, I nestled a thick wedge of portobello mushroom. You might say, "Allie, there is no sweet element here." You’re correct. In this case, I made an executive decision to leave savory, herbal, and earthy alone.

This skewer smells particularly incredible while grilling. After enjoying the portobello perfume, I love the way the charred ravioli comes out. The pasta’s exterior is tender with delicate crispy sections, and the filling is warm, but you’'' be in no danger of burning the roof of your mouth.

Al pastor-inspired skewer

Two skewers with pork, pineapple, and shallots.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

One of my favorite tacos is the al pastor. It’s filled with marinated, spit-roasted pork and paired with a slice of pineapple. The pork is deeply flavorful, with irresistible crispy edges, and the warm, sweet pineapple compliments the savory element while also providing a burst of acidity to brighten things up. A skewer with these components is like getting straight to the heart of the al pastor. 

To make these al pastor skewers, I thinly sliced some garlic and herb marinated pork loin and ribboned it onto the skewer. (This is how my family makes grilled satay, so I prefer the meat sliced versus cubing it. But cube if you must.) Add the pork, a hunk of pineapple, and a wedge of shallot. Repeat until you’re out of room on your skewers.

The pork almost plays second fiddle to the sweetness of the fruit and the caramelized shallot. (You could swap out the pork for some firm marinated tofu and the results would be delightful.) This one is a definitely crowd favorite.

Sweet chicken and shishito skewer

Two skewers with chicken, whole shishito peppers, and nectarine slices.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

I grabbed a pre-marinated Pollo Asado Autentico packet from Trader Joe’s for this one, and I have no regrets. The flavors include paprika, garlic, cayenne pepper, dehydrated onion, and lime juice powder, but you can whip up your own spicy chicken marinade instead if you like. I skewered thin slices of the chicken with slices of a slightly unripe nectarine. (I find nectarines don’t turn to mush as quickly on the grill.) A couple shishito peppers were the perfect earthy partner for this skewer. 

After grilling, the nectarine becomes honey-sweet, balancing the spices from the chicken and the potentially spicy pepper. (If you can’t find shishito peppers, try slices of poblano or jalapeño before you reach for the green bell pepper.)

Beyond these three skewers, I encourage you to try other combinations as you grill this summer. There’s something inexplicably fun about eating grilled morsels off of a stick, and they’re always popular with family and friends. 

iOS 26 Has a Hidden Way to Set Reminders

It's the fastest way to capture fleeting thoughts.

Adding things to Reminders on the iPhone necessitates several steps. You have to open the app, then find the relevant list, then enter the task. Sure, you can use Siri, but in my experience Siri makes mistakes, and I prefer to type things out. In the past, I’ve used and recommended the RemindMeFaster app, which reduces the work required to one tap. Now, Apple has integrated that concept directly into iOS 26, leading to a superior (and faster) experience for adding tasks to the Reminders app.

iOS 26's New Reminder control can be added to the Control Center, Lock Screen, or the Action button. No matter where you trigger it, it brings up a quick entry system that floats above everything else, letting you add reminders with due dates, location, and the list of your choice.

Setting up the new quick reminders shortcut

As mentioned above, you can add the New Reminder control to one of three new places. For fastest entry, you can choose the Lock Screen or Control Center option.

Open the Control Center, tap and hold in an empty area, and tap Add a Control. Now, search for and add the New Reminder control. You are then free to put it anywhere in the Control Center, and you can expand its size as well.

Adding Reminders Control to iPhone Control Center.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Similarly, go to the Lock screen, tap and hold the wallpaper, choose Customize, and then choose one the two Control buttons at the bottom. Switch it to the New Reminder control, and you’re good to go.

To add it to the Action button, got to Settings > Action Button > Controls > Choose a Control > New Reminder.

I’ve personally set the New Reminder toggle in Control Center, right at the bottom. I don’t use any Action button actions, and I like to keep the Torch and Camera icons on the lock screen, so Control Center is the best option for me.

Using the new quick reminders shortcut

Reminders popup in iOS 26.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Now that the New Reminder control is front and center, it’s time to test it out.

Tapping on it will reveal a new floating window on the top of the iPhone screen (this will work on iPad and Mac as well).

Here, you can tap on the dropdown icon to select a list—it will remember the list you used last, so you won’t need to change it every single time. Next, type out the reminder, and you can even add notes here (pasting in notes works as expected). Then, you can use natural language to add a due date (e.g., typing “tomorrow at 9 AM” and then choosing the time from the suggestion bar). You an add a location, or Flag it as an important task. Then, tap the Checkmark icon to save the reminder.

Five New Google Photos Features Coming to iPhones Before Androids

The UI redesign is on its way to Android "soon."

Google Photos is currently rolling out a number of interesting and useful upgrades, but, surprisingly, only for iPhones. These features, like a redesigned photo view, an upgraded actions menu, and actionable "badges" will come to Android users "soon." For now, here's everything new in Google Photos for iOS:

A light mode for the app

Let there be light. Starting now, Google Photos will match your iOS theme, so the UI will switch to light or dark based on system settings. The addition of a light theme doesn't excite me all that much, since my phone is always on dark mode. However, it will likely be a welcome feature for many people who prefer to have light mode enabled at least during the day, if not all the time.

Glanceable photos data

Google is also adding useful information above each photo you open. That includes the date, time, and the location where the picture was taken. This info has always been available, but you needed to manually choose to view it each time. I particularly appreciate the fact that you don't have to click to view a photo's geotag any longer.

A streamlined actions menu

The streamlined actions menu in Google Photos for iPhone.
Credit: Google

Right next to this glanceable data, you'll find an action button. When you tap it, you'll see the following actions: About, Google Lens, Create, Cast, Save as (works for Live Photos taken with your iPhone), Download or Delete from device.

Keen Google Photos users will noticed some existing actions are missing here, but Google hasn't removed them. Those features are now under the Add to (+) button in the bottom bar, which now lets you organize photos into albums, archive photos, or move them to your Locked Folder.

New ways to manage photo stacks

You can also manage photo stacks and burst mode photos by tapping the new action button next to those photos' thumbnails. This menu lets you remove items from the stack, unstack the group entirely, multi-select photos to apply actions to all, and change your top pick in the stack.

Badges for quick actions

Google Photos for iOS now has a few useful badges that let you quickly change a photo's category, play or pause a Live Photo, save shared photos to your library, and back up photos or manage your storage. These badges appear above the photo you're viewing and they let you execute the actions with a tap.

All of these features are now available in Google Photos for iPhone, but there's no firm timeline for the Android version at the time of writing. Google says they'll reach your Android phone soon, but doesn't mention an expected release date yet.

Best Cyber Monday deals on streaming media players

Apple Researching Groundbreaking Image Sensor Tech to Achieve Dynamic Range on Par With Human Eye

Apple has filed a patent for a new type of image sensor that could give future iPhones and other Apple devices the ability to capture photos and videos with dynamic range levels approaching that of the human eye.


The patent, titled "Image Sensor With Stacked Pixels Having High Dynamic Range And Low Noise," was first spotted by Y.M.Cinema Magazine and describes an advanced sensor architecture that combines stacked silicon, multiple levels of light capture, and on-chip noise suppression mechanisms to reach up to 20 stops of dynamic range.

For comparison, the dynamic range of the human eye is estimated to be around 20 to 30 stops, depending on how the pupil adjusts and how light is processed over time. Most smartphone cameras today capture between 10 and 13 stops. If Apple's proposed sensor reaches its potential, it would not only surpass current iPhones but also outperform many professional cinema cameras, such as the ARRI ALEXA 35.

The patent outlines a stacked sensor design made up of two layers. The top layer, called the sensor die, contains the parts that capture light. The layer underneath, the logic die, handles processing, including noise reduction and exposure control.

Currently, Apple uses sensors made by Sony across the iPhone lineup. Those sensors also use a two-layer design, but Apple's version includes several original features and takes up less space.

One of the most important parts of the sensor design is a system called a Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor (LOFIC). This allows each pixel in the sensor to store different amounts of light depending on how bright the scene is, all in the same image. With this, the sensor can handle extremely wide lighting differences, such as a person standing in front of a bright window, without losing detail in the shadows or highlights.

Another part of the design focuses on reducing image noise and grain. Each pixel has its own built-in memory circuit that measures and cancels out heat-related electronic noise in real time. This is done on the chip itself, before the image is saved or edited by software.

Patent filings cannot be taken as evidence of Apple's immediate plans, but they do indicate areas of active research and interest for the company, as well as what it is considering developing for future devices.

Tag: Patent

This article, "Apple Researching Groundbreaking Image Sensor Tech to Achieve Dynamic Range on Par With Human Eye" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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CIA review of 2016 Russia election probe finds no major flaws

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has presented a darker view on social media.

A CIA review released Wednesday is critical of how the agency arrived at the assessment that Russia sought to sway the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump — but finds the overall conclusion was sound.

The initial assessment, which has been condemned by Trump and his allies, was done too quickly and featured excessive involvement by intelligence agency leaders, according to the review commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

The eight-page review is the latest episode in a long-running saga over a Russian influence campaign that officials have said sought to damage Hilary Clinton and aid Trump in an election that he ultimately won by a narrow margin in a political upset that still reverberates.

The review questioned the CIA and FBI’s high confidence in the assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin “aspired” to help Trump, noting that it was based on a single source and not the multiple sources that would typically underpin such a conclusion. It did not take issue with their assessments that Putin was trying to damage Clinton’s chances.

The review noted that it did not dispute “the quality and credibility” of a CIA report that was used to inform the high confidence assessment.

“Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy,” Ratcliffe said in a press release Wednesday. “Under my watch, I am committed to ensuring that our analysts have the ability to deliver unvarnished assessments that are free from political influence.”

Still, the review largely vindicated the 2016 assessment — and many former U.S. officials involved in its production cast it as a vote of confidence in their work.

“People have been asking whether they can trust Intelligence Community analysis given the politicized environment,” said Beth Sanner, former deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration. “This is a fair question, and there should not be a timestamp on asking it. But this report suggests that the answer, for now, remains yes.”

Reviews of intelligence analyses are not uncommon, said former CIA analysts.

“After action reviews are very normal,” especially if it pertains to something high profile or controversial, said Emily Harding, a former CIA analyst.

“The issues that are highlighted in this report are also extremely normal,” said Harding, now director of the Intelligence, National Security and Technology program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s a luxury when an analyst does not have a compressed time frame.”

While such reviews are not uncommon, it is rare for them to be released to the public.

“The only reason why you would be putting this out into the public domain is for political reasons,” said a former CIA analyst who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the intelligence process.

A review of the 2017 assessment was not conducted until today because “it was too politically sensitive,” the CIA review read.

After the review was released, Ratcliffe posted on X a characterization of the report that appeared to deviate from its findings.

“All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump,” he wrote in one postIn a second, he said that the 2016 assessment was produced in a process that was “atypical & corrupt.”

Investigations into the Kremlin’s efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials dominated much of the president’s first term in office.

A special counsel’s investigation led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller found no evidence that the Trump campaign sought to collude with that effort.

Trump and his allies have long raged against the investigations, dismissing them as politically motivated witch hunts.

The president has regularly lashed out at the outspoken former CIA Director John Brennan, who led the agency as it probed Moscow’s interference efforts, revoking his security clearance in 2018 in an apparent act of revenge.

Brennan did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

A major flashpoint for Trump and other critics of the report was the inclusion of the Steele dossier in the annex of the 2016 intelligence community assessment — an unsubstantiated and now largely debunked report that suggested Trump had extensive entanglements with the Russians.

In an extensive review of the 2016 assessment, conducted as part of its wide-ranging Russia investigation, the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2020 found no “significant analytic tradecraft issues” with U.S. spy agencies’ work.

The oversight panel, which was headed at the time by Republican Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC.), also dedicated “additional attention” to the assessment that Putin “aspired” to help Trump.

The CIA and FBI had “high confidence” Putin aspired to help Trump, while the NSA only had “moderate” confidence in that conclusion. The public version of the assessment released in 2017 referenced all of those judgements.

The Senate panel, for its part, concluded the agencies’ disagreement was “reasonable, transparent, and openly debated.” The fourth volume of their review, which spanned more than 150 pages alone, further stated that all witnesses interviewed by the committee saw “no attempts or pressure to politicize the findings.”

Fast Fusion

Nintendos gamla supercharmiga {F-Zero} (Super Nintendo) drog igång en trend som födde {Wipeout}, Extreme G, {Rollcage} och allt där i mellan vilket i slutändan även mynnat av i diverse småcharmiga stickspår varav Fast-serien signerat tyska Shin'en är en av dessa. {Fast Fusion} är en exklusiv lanseringstitel till Nintendo Switch 2 och fortsättningen på det mycket populära {Fast Racing Neo} (Wii U) samt {Fast RMX} (Switch). Det handlar om okomplicerad, enkel, rättfram svävarracing a'la Wipeout, utan power-ups eller vapen men med ett lättbegripligt nitro-system där du samlar boost iu en liten mätare genom att plocka upp särskilda mynt, för att sen kunna aktivera en fartknuff med hjälp av R1.

Det tåls att sägas både en och 500 gånger att Fast Fusion aldrig hade existerat om det inte hade varit för Wipeout. Det märks att de tyska utvecklarna spelat mer Wipeout 2097 än vad som borde anses hälsosamt och lånat delar av designen, spelmekaniska funktioner, grafiska effekter och allt där i mellan - för att i slutändan erbjuda en upplevelse som verkligen inte känns särskilt originell, däremot snabb och utmanande.
<bild>Det har beskrivits som launchtiteln som på bästa sätt bevisar vad Switch 2 går för rent prestandamässigt. Som en PS4... med andra ord.</bild>
Att ratta svävare är en enkel match i Fast Fusion, du behöver aldrig luft-drifta eller använda broms i det här spelet, vilket är ett måste i såväl Wipeout som F-Zero. Det som gäller här, är full gas - bara. Gasa, svänga i tid och försöka putta undan motståndarna om de inte går att passera, utan kontakt. Den enda egentliga nyheten här är att banorna utsmyckats med upplysta neonpilar i röd/blå färg och för att kunna nyttja den fartknuff som de ger, måste du se till att du ställt in din svävare på rätt "färg" för att kunna dra nytta av dem. På X-knappen skiftar du färgen på svävaren och mot slutet av Grand Pris-läget kräver det att man som spelare lärt sig detta väldigt väl, för att kunna hinna med och kasta sig mellan rött, blått, rött, rött, blått, rött i en relativt vildsint takt. Just detta påminner mig mest om Treasures gamla top down-klassiker {Ikaruga} och är därmed ett trevligt tillskott.
<bild>Racingen har lånat massor från Wipeout 2097 vilket såklart är den bästa inspirationskällan som går att hitta inom denna idag stendöda subgenre.</bild>
Resten är väldigt typiskt för genren. Flyga snabbt, trycka in en hoppknapp när det finnes stora hål i de framtidsvägar där loppen äger rum och använda nitroboost-funktionen vid rätt tillfälle. Spelkontrollen är bra, svävaren känns precis lagom tung och fartkänslan är fantastiskt bra, framförallt en bit in i spelet då man låst upp den snabbaste racingklassen som rimmar på Piranha-segmentet i Wipeout 2097. Grafiken flyter på fint och för att vara ett bärbart Nintendo-spel är det ganska snyggt, också. Visst, Fast Fusion blåser mig knappast av stolen direkt då det på det stora hela ser ut som ett ganska tidigt PS4-spel men ändå, det är markant mycket mer attraktivt rent tekniskt än vad Fast RMX var till Switch, i alla fall.
<bild>Musiken är kanon och laddningstiderna extremkorta. Skärmuppdateringen är dessutom riktigt fin.</bild>
På minuskontot hamnar det faktum att det saknas onlinebaserad multiplayer vilket såhär år 2025 känns i det närmaste absurt. Jag tycker dessutom att det finns alldeles för få banor här och att det är tjurigt att 99% av spelet är låst när man startar det för första gången. Utöver det är gummibands-AI:n hos motståndarna lite väl störig och det faktum att deras "vikt" alltid trumfar min vikt och att de därmed oavsett situation eller fast kan knuffa undan mig medan jag oerhört sällan kan knuffa undan dem, är också enbart irriterande.

Fast Fusion kostar 149 kronor till Switch 2 och för den minimala pengen erbjuder tyska Shin'en Multimedia en klart trivsam Wipeout-klon som dessutom innehåller ett mycket genomarbetat split screen-läge för upp till fyra spelare, lokalt. Om du likt jag alltid saknar Wipeout och F-Zero, gör du rätt i att spendera 150 spänn på detta.

I Fight For The Users

If you haven’t been able to keep up with my blistering pace of one blog post per year, I don’t blame you. There’s a lot going on right now. It’s a busy time. But let’s pause and take a moment

I Fight For The Users

If you haven’t been able to keep up with my blistering pace of one blog post per year, I don’t blame you. There’s a lot going on right now. It’s a busy time. But let’s pause and take a moment to celebrate that Elon Musk destroyed Twitter. I can’t possibly say it better than Paul Ford, so I’ll just refer you there:

Every five or six minutes, someone in the social sciences publishes a PDF with a title like “Humans 95 Percent Happier in Small Towns, Waving at Neighbors and Eating Sandwiches.” When we gather in groups of more than, say, eight, it’s a disaster. Yet there is something fundamental in our nature that desperately wants to get everyone together in one big room, to “solve it.” Our smarter, richer betters (in Babel times, the king’s name was Nimrod) often preach the idea of a town square, a marketplace of ideas, a centralized hub of discourse and entertainment – and we listen. But when I go back and read Genesis, I hear God saying: “My children, I designed your brains to scale to 150 stable relationships. Anything beyond that is overclocking. You should all try Mastodon.”

It’s been clear for quite some time that the early social media strategery of “jam a million people in a colosseum and let them fight it out with free speech” isn’t panning out, but never has it been more clear than now, under the Elon Musk regime, that being beholden to the whims of a billionaire going through a midlife crisis isn’t exactly healthy for society. Or you. Or me. Or anyone, really.

I tried to be fair; I gave the post-Elon Twitter era a week, thinking “how bad could it possibly be?” and good lord, it was so much worse than I could have possibly ever imagined. It’s like Elon read the Dilbert pointy-haired-manager book on management and bonked his head on every rung of the ladder going down, generating an ever-growing laundry list of terrible things no manager should ever do. And he kept going!

It’s undeniably sad. I really liked Twitter, warts and all, from 2007 onward. In fact, it was the only “social network” I liked at all. Even when it became clear in the Trump era that Twitter was unhealthy for human minds, I soldiered on, gleaning what I could. I’m not alone in that; Clay Shirky’s moribund signoff at the end of 2022 reflected how I felt:

I Fight For The Users

Indeed, Twitter was murdered at the whims of a billionaire high on Ketamine while it was (mostly) healthy, because of the “trans woke virus”.

I urge you, all of you, to disavow Twitter and never look at it again. No one who cares about their mental health should be on Twitter at this point, or linking to Twitter and feeding it the attention it thrives on. We should entomb Twitter deep in concrete with this public warning on its capstone:

I Fight For The Users

In the end, I begrudgingly realized, as did Paul Ford, that Elon unwittingly did us a favor by killing Twitter. He demonstrated the very real dangers of any platform run by a king, a dictator, a tyrant, a despot, an autocrat. You can have all your content rug-pulled out from under you at any time, or watch in horror as your favorite bar... slowly transforms into a Nazi bar.

I Fight For The Users

I’ve been saying for a long time that decentralization is the way to go. We can and should have sane centralized services, of course, but it’s imperative that we also build decentralized services which empower users and give them control, rather than treating them like digital sharecroppers. That’s what our Discourse project is all about. I propose collective ownership of the content and the communities we build online. Yeah, it’s more work, it’s not “free” (sorry not sorry), but I have some uncomfortable news for you: those so-called “free” services aren’t really free.

I Fight For The Users

Which, again, is not to say that “free” services don’t have a place in the world, they do, but please don’t harbor any illusions about what you are sacrificing in the name of “free.” Grow up.

I take a rather Tron-like view of the world when it comes to this stuff; in the software industry, our goal should be to empower users (with strong moderation tools), not exploit them.

I Fight For The Users

So I encourage you to explore alternatives to Twitter, ideally open source, federated alternatives. Is it messy? Hell yes it’s messy. But so is democracy; it’s worth the work, because it’s the only survivable long term path forward. Anything worth doing is never easy.

I’m currently on Mastodon, an open source, federated Twitter alternative at https://infosec.exchange/@codinghorror – I urge you to join me on the Mastodon server of your choice, or quite literally any other platform besides Twitter. Really, whatever works for you. Pick what you like. Help make it better for everyone.

To inspire that leap of faith, I am currently auctioning off, with all funds to benefit The Trevor Project which offers assistance to LGBTQ youth, these 10 museum quality brass plaques of what I consider to be the best tweet of all time, hands down:

I Fight For The Users

(Blissfully, @horse_ebooks is also on Mastodon. As they should be. As should you. Because everything happens so much.)

If you’d like to bid on the 10 brass plaques, follow these links to eBay, and please remember, it’s for a great cause, and will piss Elon off, which makes it even sweeter:

(Apologies, I had to cancel the old auctions because I forgot to allow international shipping – I’ve also made shipping free, worldwide.)

  1. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903779136
  2. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903780761
  3. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903784597
  4. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903785269
  5. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903785648
  6. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903786591
  7. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903787053
  8. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903788754
  9. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903789412
  10. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225903789881

I will sign the back of every plaque, because each one comes with my personal guarantee that it will easily outlive what’s left of Twitter.

How to Broil in Your Oven (Without Ruining Your Food)

Broiling is a handy skill for your cooking repertoire, but a small misstep can burn or dry out your food.

Growing up, I loved cooking but I fully avoided the broiler. I’m not sure why, but maybe because my mom never used it or perhaps I just wasn't sure what it was. The entire time, I was wondering how to get a crispy, browned surface on my mac and cheese and toast my breadcrumb-topped casseroles. How did chefs do it?

It turns out, the broiler is exactly the handy tool you need to finish off dishes to crispy, melty, browned perfection, and it’s likely been in your kitchen this entire time. 

Check to see where your broiler lives

The first time I tried to broil, I was an adult and in my first apartment. I had seen enough Food Network to know I was capable of doing it. Emboldened, I set up my casserole in the oven and bravely clicked “broil.” I eagerly awaited crispy edges and bubbly cheese, but nothing happened. The oven actually didn’t feel very hot at all. The only thing that I got was a harsh smell. 

I tried a few more times after that and the same thing happened. The oven was working—I could hear it—but no bubbles and only a nasty smell. Maybe I had been right about broiling the whole time. It's not so great. I gave up. A year later I was moving out and I had to pack up my kitchen pans. I opened the lower storage drawer of the oven and observed a collection of warped, discolored pans. That particular oven had a lower drawer broiler and I was storing pans in there.

The broiler might be inside the main oven cavity, where just the top heating element will fire up. It could be in a lower drawer, in which case the oven's lower heating element will activate but the food goes underneath. (Do not store pots and pans in this area if that’s the case.) Some ovens might have a separate mini oven where you can put food for broiling. I always think of the old Rachel Ray show where her broiler was a hinged trap door she would throw toast in. Before you click any buttons, find out where your broiler lives.

What is broiling?

The broiler function in your oven activates a single, upper (in relationship to the food) heating element that gets turned up to a scorching hot temperature, usually around 500°F. Your job is to put the food item right underneath, or at least close. It’s meant to quickly heat only the top of the food, so the rest of the dish or item needs to be cooked through beforehand. It’s hot and it’s fast. And if it’s not happening fast (like within two to five minutes) then you might need to locate your broiler or the positioning is off.

When you should consider broiling

Broiling only heats from the top, so you’ll use your broiler for crisping any surface that’s facing upward. Broiling is excellent for casseroles that you want to crisp on top. It’s also great for finishing off thick steaks to get some color, oven grilling, fish, or even making broiler s'mores. It uses very high heat, so you probably wouldn’t use the broiler for anything you’ve cooked in a delicate fashion, like custard. However, if you topped said custard with sugar and you want to broil the top for crème brûlée, this could be the perfect usage. Just keep a very close eye on the caramelizing sugar, and how close you put the custard to the heating element, as this Reddit user discovered. 

How to use the broiler

Activating the broiler is simple. Your oven likely has a single button or switch that says “broil.” It has a set temperature so you don’t need to do anything besides press that button and it’ll automatically begin. My oven has a hi-lo option, so I can press it twice for a lower temperature broil. You may need to press the start button, depending on your oven. 

Where you place the food under the broiler is a slightly more nuanced decision. Place it too close and you can burn the food; too far away and the browning will take much longer and you risk overcooking the dish through to the center. When I was first trying out the broiler, the latter was my problem. I ended up overcooking and drying out my mac and cheese because I was trying to broil the top, but it was too far away. 

I recommend placing the surface of the item about five inches from the broiler element. Then you can assess how it’s going. Browning should occur within three minutes. It is seriously fast. So if you’re not pleased with how it’s going, you may want to move the oven rack up one notch to get the item closer. You can also slide an overturned baking pan under the dish to lift it up an inch. 

Best practices for broiling

Be aware of the dish you're using under the broiler. Coated or non-stick cookware can be damaged, so be sure to use casserole dishes that can stand up to broiling (ceramic, tempered glass, or borosilicate), cast iron skillets, or stainless steel frying pans that are oven-safe.

Make sure you set a timer for broiling. Three to five minutes is usually sufficient, and you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget about it for 10 minutes. The aroma of scorched food is loved by none. With that in mind, you’re ready to broil. 

Microsoft Just Fired About 9,000 People While Making Billions

Photo: Sean Gallup

The tech giant is posting staggering profits and leading the AI revolution.Photo: Sean Gallup

The tech giant is posting staggering profits and leading the AI revolution.

Home theater hack: Connect a new soundbar to an old TV

How to get rid of hum and other noises from your audio, video systems

Tesla’s Numbers Are In, and They’re Not Good



The electric vehicle maker has posted its second straight quarter of declining deliveries this year, continuing to pay the price for Elon Musk's political turn.

The electric vehicle maker has posted its second straight quarter of declining deliveries this year, continuing to pay the price for Elon Musk's political turn.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S

Att göra en uppdatering av ett fem år gammalt spel till en exklusiv lanseringstitel åt en sprillans ny konsol är en märklig affärsmodell, men Sega har återigen blandat färgglada block och geléklumpar för att leverera en upphottad version av {Puyo Puyo Tetris 2} till Nintendo Switch 2. Titel är som sagt i grunden från 2020, och med sitt fokus på pussellösning av olika slag så blev spelet snabbt ett älskat äventyr för alla de som gillar att blanda finurlig tankeverksamhet med reflexsnabb fingerfärdighet.

För den som är intresserad av vad spelet innehåller går det än idag att läsa Jonas Mäkis recension från fem år sedan, detta då den analytiska finnen berättar vad som var, och är, bra med denna förfinade uppföljare redan då. För vad som är nytt i just denna version, betitlad {Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S}, är i ärlighetens namn inte speciellt mycket alls.
<bild></bild>
Allt som var bra år 2020 är nämligen kvar år 2025, och det enda riktiga tillägget är ett nytt spelläge där man kan spela två mot två på en delad spelplan. Detta spelläge är sedan, enligt mig, inte något att hänga i julgranen över huvud taget. Visst, spelar man med en vän så kan det såklart leda till en del kaotiska ögonblick när man ska samsas om vart ens klossar och flubber-figurer ska placeras, men överlag är det ett spelsätt som skapar mer irritation framför regelrätt spelglädje. Att välja detta framför att faktiskt spela mot varandra (med ett eget bräde) är inget som jag skulle rekommendera, och då Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 redan har en välbyggd multiplayerdel så känns"Puyo Tetris Double" mer som en axelryckning framför en spännande expansion eller en älskvärd utökning av grundkonceptet.

Har du originalet sedan tidigare så finns det helt enkelt ingen anledning att skaffa Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, i alla fall inte om du nu inte prompt måste spela det på din nya Nintendo-maskin. Att Sega har valt att göra detta till en konsolexklusivitet är som redan nämnt ett märkligt beslut då det borde varit en gratis uppdatering till samtliga format. Affärsmodellen hindrar förvisso inte grundspelet från att fortfarande vara underhållande, men då denna recension specifikt handlar om Switch 2-version är det svårt att dela ut något extraordinärt högt betyg.
<bild></bild>
Det ska dock noteras att du kan använda mus-kontrollen på din Nintendo Switch 2 för att placera dina klossar, och en andra spelare kan dessutom använda samma kontrollmöjlighet för att peka vart ens kompanjon ska fokusera på skärmen - vilket säkert kan underlätta om man exempelvis vill lära ett barn att pussla digitalt. Att jag dock känner mig tvungen att ens nämna denna triviala sak, som egentligen inte adderar något nämnvärt för gemene man, är bara ett tecken på hur lite nytt som denna "uppdaterade" version faktiskt innehåller.

Har du inte redan köpt detta färgsprakande äventyr sedan tidigare så går det absolut att argumentera för ett köp, men för veteranerna så går det utmärkt att stanna vid versionen man redan har införskaffat utan att känna att man missar något att skriva hem om.
<bild></bild>

TechHive’s next chapter: Smart home & cord-cutting coverage moves to PCWorld

Dominique Thorne Breaks Down That Shocking ‘Ironheart’ Cliffhanger

Ironheart Riri Williams

Marvel Studios' latest series just dropped its final three episodes on Disney+.Ironheart Riri Williams

Marvel Studios' latest series just dropped its final three episodes on Disney+.

Best Cyber Monday deals on Philips Hue smart lights and bundles

Four Ways to Deal With Repeated ‘Delivery Attempted’ Messages When You’re Actually Home

Delivery services sometimes seem hell bent on not delivering your package despite your best efforts.

The scenario is always the same: You're waiting anxiously for an important package, which UPS or FedEx confidently tells you will arrive by “end of day.” You wait all day, watching for the package, only to discover that the delivery driver claims they tried to deliver the package, but no one was home.

Why you're getting "delivery attempted" notices

The logistics behind getting your Amazon package from a fulfillment center halfway around the country (or the world) to your door are incredibly complex, so it’s not terribly surprising that there will be occasional hiccups. The “attempted delivery” sticker serves a vital function: It lets you know that your package is being handled, and gives a warning that you’ll need to be home to receive it. Usually, you get a few delivery attempts before the package is returned to the shipper.

While it’s rare that a driver would lie about trying to deliver your package, it’s not impossible. Drivers have heavy schedules to adhere to, and falling behind usually isn’t acceptable. Drivers typically have a bit of discretion when it comes to attempting deliveries—they can refuse to enter unsafe areas or properties, for example. And not all drivers care about the reputation of the parent company; while most drivers working for United Parcel Service (UPS) work directly for them, most of the drivers working for Fed Ex Ground are actually third-party hires, which means they might be more motivated to keep up with their route schedule and get home than ensuring everyone gets their package as quickly as possible.

One of the most maddening things about missed “attempted delivery” notices is that you’ll often get a photo of your house as proof that the driver was physically there. This is often necessary for the driver, as their location is tracked, so they can’t simply claim to have been there. But as his person notes in their video, these photos are often taken from the truck as it drives by, allowing the driver to save a minute or two while documenting a delivery “attempt.”

What to do if you keep getting "delivery attempted" notices

There’s no magic bullet for ensuring your package shows up as promised. But there are some steps you should take that can help:

  • Sign up for alerts. UPS, FedEx, and other shippers let you sign up for delivery updates via text, email, or app. This way, you’ll get a notice that a delivery was attempted just a few seconds after the driver scans the package. That might enable you to rush outside to catch a driver who’s simply confused, but it also means you can take action immediately.

  • Complain. Contact the delivery company and lodge a complaint. Make sure you have all the details, like the tracking number and the date and time of the attempted delivery. Creating a record with customer service is an essential, if frustrating, step. Being able to do this immediately after the attempted delivery notice helps buttress your case, since you’re clearly home, waiting for the package.

  • Capture footage. Some consumers have reported that submitting video that shows drivers going past their house at the time a delivery attempt was supposedly made has resulted in refunds and expedited delivery responses.

  • Re-route. If your main priority is to get your hands on your package, you can usually contact the shipping company and have them re-route the package to a pickup location near you. This isn’t as convenient as having it dropped at your door, but usually ensures you actually get it.

Some frustrated folks have suggested that contacting customer service immediately after receiving an attempted delivery notice and claiming that the package is an urgent one can help, as these sorts of claims will usually be escalated to a supervisor automatically. That seems ethically sketchy, but might be effective if you’re desperate.

Star Overdrive

När vår anonyma huvudperson Bios hamnar på planeten Cebete är jag åtminstone ganska hoppfull. Han har landat här efter att ha nåtts av en nödrop från sin flickvän Nous. Framför breder sig en enorm öppen värld ut sig och spelets grundläggande funktioner presenteras sedan raskt. Det tar bara en kort stund innan vi får tag i den svävande brädan som blir vårt huvudsakliga sätt att transportera sig runt. Med den glider vi över de sandbeklädda dynerna, tar oss raskt mellan punkterna och eftersom avstånden är stora så är det tur att det går undan. Farten, till trots, så är {Star Overdrive} ett väldigt repetitivt spel som gör lite för att hålla kvar intresset efter att den första friska vinden lagt sig.

Bios jakt efter Nous förvandlas snart till en repetitiv gameplay-loop som bara efter några timmar blir otroligt långtråkig. Den dras dessutom ned av att mycket inte flyter så bra som jag hade önskat. Vi kan starta med brädan; för att bibehålla en hög fart när man tar sig runt krävs det att man gör tricks. Så det blir ett evigt sittande där man snurrar runt med styrspaken. Dessutom så lider Bios av grava balansproblem vilket gör att han kraschar titt som tätt. Det går turligt nog snabbt att ta sig upp på brädan igen - men eftersom flertalet av de uppdrag man får består av långdragna racingsekvenser med tidsbegränsning så blir det snabbt himla frustrerande. Dessutom har man av någon outgrundlig anledning valt att trycka upp en "game over"-skärm i nyllet på en när man exempelvis ramlar nerför ett stup eller när brädans energi tar slut över vattenytan. En snabb respawn efter att ha tryckt sig förbi skärmen och man är på fötter, igen - men varför man ska förkunna att spelet är över känns väldigt märkligt. Om man dessutom då befinner sig i en nyss nämnd racingsekvens, ja då är den över och man får göra om den. Helt från början.
<bild>Från höga höjder är utsikten imponerande och att ta sig fram över sanddynorna på en svävande bräda är i grunden en god tanke.</bild>
De två andra spelmomenten som det kretsar kring är dels ens vapen - som kallas för en keytar. (En blandning mellan en gitarr och keyboard) Som givetvis används för spelets strider. Det tredje är en slags Breath of the Wild-inspirerad design där man besöker spelets gruvor som är en slags motsvarighet till de "shrines" som Link besökt i sina två senaste äventyr. Här utrustas man med en förmåga som att exempelvis kunna flytta metallobjekt eller skapa en liten studsmatta. Med hjälp av dessa förmågor gäller det att lösa pussel för att ta sig till slutet av gruvan.

Star Overdrive går i helhet princip enbart på att ta sig mellan punkter där berättelsen presenteras med ett nytt inspelat röstmeddelande från flickvännen man då söker efter. Mellan detta får man slåss lite samt att man samlar på sig en himla massa material för att göra sin bräda snabbare och starkare. Världen är storslagen och färggrann med stora sanddyner som är inbjudande att glida fram över. Jag har inte så mycket emot att världen är helt tom och öde. Men den bjuder heller inte direkt på några saker som lockar att utforska. Det finns kassettband och foton att samla, frivilliga utmaningar att ta sig an men allt inklusive de simpla striderna tröttnade jag snabbt på. Det finns inte mycket till drivkraft eller nog med spänning att se eller upptäcka för att nästa område ska kännas fascinerande att anlända till. Alla de där problemen som jag ofta hör andra har med stora tomma öppna världar är detta i ett nötskal. Till och med jag som älskar utforskning och att resa långa distanser har svårt att finna någon underhållning eller vilja att stanna kvar.
<bild>Striderna liksom spelets "tempel" är överlag rätt trista.</bild>
Rent visuellt tycker jag att Star Overdrive lyckas ganska bra. Det är färgglatt och flyter på bra när man svävar fram. Det är en också väldigt fin utsikt från höga toppar. Ljudspåret känns dock anonymt och även om den lite futuristiska punk-vibben infinner sig så hade jag önskat mer storslagen musik. De första timmarna känns alltifrån designen till de imponerande vyerna rätt spännande. Som att det ska bjuda in till ett omfattande äventyr och ett roligt utforskande av den stora planeten. Men allt blir verkligen tröttsamt och tråkigt väldigt fort och det dyker heller inte upp något som förändrar detta. Striderna är repetitiva, pusslandet överlag alltför simpelt och att ta sig över den gigantiska kartan har visserligen alltid en slags charm, eftersom det givetvis är skoj att åka fort på en svävande bräda. Men i slutet av resorna väntar alltid en likadan och tråkig destination.

Det samlas en massa olika komponenter för att uppgradera brädan. Det sker i minimala procentsteg som förbättrar olika saker som hastighet, balans och hållbarhet. Det finns även en del material som gör att man kan åka på olika typer av underlag. Däribland vatten som planeten består av till stor del. Men samlandet känns mest tidskrävande och uppgraderingarna sker pyttesmått. Det finns platser runtom på kartan där man kan uppgradera och då hoppar man upp i en liten stol, väljer mängder med insamlat material och förbättrar brädan på något område för att se att någon egenskap förbättrats med en halv procent. Även fast du fyllde behållaren till brädden så är stegen så små att det bara känns jobbigt. Det går såklart att smycka brädan och byta färg på den också, ifall man vill det.
<bild>Det går att uppgradera sin bräda (FASTER HARDER) men det sker i så små steg att det mest känns jobbigt.</bild>
För att vara ett spel där farten i att transportera sig runt i sina bästa stunder kan vara riktigt häftig - så är Star Overdrive för det mesta ett väldigt segt spel. Förutom just det att rida på din svävande bräda över till synes ändlösa sanddyner så finns det inte mycket att glädjas åt. Uppdragen tar dig bara mellan punkter där nästa delmål är något tråkigt och enformigt att göra. Som att aktivera en spak innan det är dags att resa vidare. Inspirationen från Links äventyr med olika förmågor är väl inte dum i sig men man bygger rätt tråkiga pussel runt det. Tempot är för segt, allt man gör är för repetitivt men framförallt är det då inte särskilt roligt något av det. Varje gång jag ställt mig på en höjd och blickat ut över den massiva världen har jag tänkt att det borde passa mig. Att en stor öppen värld som bara väntar på att utforskas liksom är något som i grunden tilltalar mig. Så hoppar jag på brädan till nästa destination, får vind i håret och tänker att det är rätt fräckt att glida fram. Men jag inser också snabbt hur tråkigt och enformigt det faktiskt är.

Roadcraft

{Sabre Interactive}, känd för sina Mudrunner och Snowrunner-spel, tar nästa logiska steg med {RoadCraft}. Spelet går från leverans till återuppbyggnad under de vanliga svåra förhållandena. {RoadCraft} liknar på många sätt {Saber}s tidigare spel. Spelaren sätter sig fortfarande bakom ratten i stora fordon för att ta sig från punkt A till punkt B. Nyckelidén bakom dessa spel är aldrig destinationen, utan själva resan. Varje år skapar förbättrad fysikmodellering en trovärdig illusion av dessa tungmetallgiganter som väger ton, med deras rena vridmoment som kan göra prestationer som skulle få en genomsnittlig SUV att överhettas under de första minuterna.
<bild>Trots förstörelsen är omgivningarna väldigt fina.</bild>
Denna gång står spelaren (eller spelarna) vid rodret för ett byggföretag som specialiserat sig på särskilt utmanande uppgifter. Redan från det allra första kampanjuppdraget blir det tydligt att körning på asfalt är en sällsynt lyx, med allt från vägar till gropar och till och med vädret som aktivt slår tillbaka. Som med deras tidigare spel är {RoadCraft} inte ett spel för den otåliga, eftersom det kan ta ett tag att täcka ens en kort sträcka. Brådska lönar sig ofta sällan eftersom din motor kan drunkna i vatten eller fordonet kan rulla över på sidan. Ibland är lite lera bara för mycket och den svagare maskinen kan fastna helt. En ny funktion är att spelaren nu måste skapa säkra vägar för sina datorstyrda lastbilar. Detta innebär vanligtvis att först kartlägga området med en jeep och bygga en rutt. När rutten har skapats kommer lastbilskonvojerna automatiskt att ge sig av på den. Om allt går bra kommer de att börja leverera råvaror till nya områden utan att spelaren behöver köra dit dem själv.

På många sätt är det vettigt att köra i multiplayer. När du spelar ensam ska du hantera hela fordonsflottan en efter en, där misstag ofta är permanenta. Med vänner går detta snabbare och man jobbar tillsammans på att till exempel asfaltera en väg, där en person tippar materialet och en annan rullar ner det smidigt bakom. En vinsch som fästs på olika föremål (och en kompis fordon) är också guld värd. För en den ensamma spelaren är upplevelsen med spelet mycket mer straffande.
<bild>Det bjuds på varierande miljöer.</bild>
Trots några mindre bildhastighetsproblem flyter {RoadCraft} bra och är till och med ganska vackert att se på, om förstörd terräng nu väcker ditt intresse. Spelets sju kartor erbjuder en bra variation av terräng, från öknar till skotsk-inspirerade regniga högländer. Alla har vissa spår av förödelse eller nedgång, vilket målar upp en deprimerande men effektiv bakgrund för förbättring. Om du har hoppats på att få lyssna på timmar efter timmar av stora dieselmotorer kommer ljudbilden inte att göra dig besviken. Soundtracket lutar sig tungt mot att agera bakgrundsspår utan att ha någon större identitet.

Även om {RoadCraft}s berättelse handlar om att driva ett företag, kan det lätt ses som ett spel om katastrofhjälp. Dess unika idé är en logisk förlängning av {Saber}s tidigare produktioner och fungerar som en utmärkt motivation för att bygga vägar och reparera infrastruktur. Spel tenderar att uppmuntra obegränsad förstörelse så att reparera den förstörelsen är en uppfriskande omväxling.

Foldable iPhone Development Progressing Ahead of 2026 Launch

Apple moved its long-rumored foldable iPhone into its prototyping phase with suppliers last month ahead of a launch scheduled for next year, DigiTimes reports.


According to supply chain sources speaking to DigiTimes, Apple began its initial Prototype 1 (P1) phase in June. The device should complete prototype testing by the end of 2025 and then proceed to the Engineering Verification Test (EVT) stage, ahead of launch in the second half of 2026.

The P1 phase is followed by P2 and P3 phases before EVT. Each prototyping stage takes around two months. During this time, Apple's supply chain partners conduct limited trial runs before handing over assembly responsibilities to primary ‌iPhone‌ assemblers Foxconn and Pegatron, who will validate production yields and manufacturability.

The development status of the first foldable ‌iPhone‌ is now in line with the timeline of its other products, with P1 to P3 stages taking place around a year before Apple needs to start EVT, Design Verification Test (DVT), and eventually Mass Production (MP). The iPhone 17 lineup apparently concluded its EVT phase in the second quarter of this year.

‌DigiTimes‌ added that Apple has paused work on a foldable iPad, which was originally expected to launch around the time of the foldable ‌iPhone‌. The company's reasoning for this apparently includes manufacturing difficulties, increased production costs related to flexible display technology, and low consumer demand for big-screen foldables.

Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ is currently likely to launch alongside the iPhone 18 lineup in the fall of 2026.


This article, "Foldable iPhone Development Progressing Ahead of 2026 Launch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Plex’s overhauled app promotes libraries, ditches the hamburgers

Mobile App Development Trends to Look for in 2020

Technology keeps growing and advancing at a rapid rate. Things that we never thought would exist are now elements of our daily lives. From the invention of the home computer, the cell phone, and now the rise of AI machines, technology is evolving exponentially. One of the aspects of tech that keeps growing the fastestContinue reading "Mobile App Development Trends to Look for in 2020"

Technology keeps growing and advancing at a rapid rate. Things that we never thought would exist are now elements of our daily lives. From the invention of the home computer, the cell phone, and now the rise of AI machines, technology is evolving exponentially. One of the aspects of tech that keeps growing the fastest in mobile technology. Over 80% of Americans own a smartphone by February 2019 and the entire world of technology has improved with the growth in how many users. Companies large and small are catering to the mobile platform with new developments. The consumer experience is being vastly improved to be quick, easy, and painless. That is increasing the already existing convenience mobile technology offers. As the platform of preference shifts towards mobile in a huge way, new trends will emerge. Over the next two years, the mobile industry will roll out many new improvements. Here certainly are a few that we expect to see by 2020.

Mobile apps trends

More Proactive Apps

Artificial intelligence may appear such as a far-fetched idea, however, the technology has already been in use throughout mobile apps. AI is helping customers get what they want within a matter of seconds, all because of intelligent machines. From when most apps are opened, an AI is working to help make the customer experience as smooth as possible. A good example of AI doing his thing is when you are sent a note on software like LinkedIn. Once the message comes through, the user exists a number of ways to click and see the message. When the user goes to type an answer, an AI suggests things to write on the basis of the context of the initial message. These suggested sentences are designed so the user could conceivably click an auto-generated response without needing to type anything. These generated responses are normally well written and linked to the initial message; that is entirely possible due to AI.

This proactive feature only adds to the quantity of assistance we receive from apps every day. More productive AI-assisted apps will run faster, smoother, and offer more features than ever before. Your phone is learning you better and uses that to produce your experience better.

Mobile-First Indexing

For a while, now Google has been taking care of mobile-first indexing to produce websites more mobile-friendly. Since a lot of the marketplace has shifted away from home desktops and towards mobile phones, Google is taking steps to ensure mobile-friendly websites rank higher in its eyes. Google will monitor websites and determine how they rank based on Google’s criteria, which will be now prioritizing mobile-friendly websites. This implies features like easy to use buttons, quick loading, proper formatting for simplicity of use on mobile, and other aspects can lead to websites ranking higher. In order to boost your website’s ranking on mobile, you will have to have an excellent mobile site that is diverse from your desktop site.

Personalized Mobile Experiences

In the same vein as the last point, companies are pouring resources into making the entire mobile experience better for the customer. These improvements include personalizing experiences for customers. Customers can determine which communication method they prefer so the business will simply contact them through that channel. Companies will also show customers items available depending on the data. A customer in California likely won’t be shown heavy winter gear while someone surviving in Alaska won’t be shown beach attire. This means that the things customers are shown are more personally strongly related to them. This practice increases sales as customers are more vulnerable to buy something if it is strongly related to them.

Voice Search and Commands

One of the largest and latest technologies going through a boom is voice search. It is expected that voice search as a retail segment will rise to $40 Billion by 2022. It won’t be a long time before Siri, Alexa, and other virtual assistants are designed for our most complex orders with ease. As the sophistication of voice recognition increases, we shall emerge from the other side of the uncanny valley. It happens to be difficult to truly have a full conversation with virtual assistants, but that’ll change in the future. You can already order items from Amazon through the Amazon Alexa so it’s not unfathomable that voice commands will end up standard.

Chatbots

Customer care is incredibly important. Customers want their issues resolved quickly, but that is not at all times possible. Emails, phones, and human staffed chats all take employees to man and operate. This means that lines can build up and leaves customers waiting for their turn to be served. However, AI can solve this. AI-run chatbots will help customers with their questions any time of day any day of the week since they require no human employees to function. Clients are very happy to be receiving service without delay and employees are happy not to have long queues.

Technology is making massive improvements in peoples’ lives. AI is bolstering how people shop online. Mobile websites are becoming properly optimized and outfitted with features that leave customers satisfied. The utilization of data allows for personalized shopping, allowing customers to see relevant content that improves sales. Voice commands and chatbots are perfect examples of how emerging technology is bringing the mobile industry into the future. We will have to wait and see how the industry develops as 2020 approaches.

Source: business2community

I Previewed These Emotion-Tracking Smart Glasses, and They Seem Weirdly Useful

What if a mood ring and a Fitbit had a baby you could wear on your face?

We know smart glasses can play podcasts and put an AI assistant in your ear, but what if they knew what you were feeling? That's the idea behind Emteq Lab's Sense glasses. They're not on the market yet, but the end goal is a lightweight pair of specs equipped with sensors that read minute changes in users' facial muscles, all with the goal of detecting real-time mood shifts to unlock insights into health, eating habits, and more.

Emteq is one of a growing number of companies in the field of "affective computing," technology designed to recognize, interpret, process, and/or simulate human emotions. For good or ill, the future is likely to be packed with the stuff.

How do emotion-sensing glasses work?

Smart Sense Facial Expression Readout
Credit: Emteq

The technology behind Emteq's emotion-tracking glasses is sophisticated, but the concept is straightforward: the glasses' inward-facing sensors monitor the electrical activity of your zygomaticus muscle group (smiling muscles), the corrugator supercilii group (forehead muscles), as well as the muscle groups that control your brow, and combines that information with heart-rate and head movement data, then puts it all together into a real-time record of your emotions you can access on your smart phone.

That's the idea, anyway. Whether any machine can accurately interpret what emotions for everyone through facial muscle movement is a complex question. Research indicates that basic emotions like happiness, sadness, surprise, and disgust are expressed facially in similar ways across cultures, but cultural influences and individual differences affect how we display emotions. Some people have poker faces. Some people laugh when they're scared. And anyone can smile when they're feeling blue.

Use cases for emotion-sensing glasses

I recently spoke with Emteq's CEO Steen Strand and saw a demo. The Sense glasses prototype seems to work as advertised in a normal-looking pair of eyeglass frames. The eventual vision for the technology spans everything from virtual meetings to mental health monitoring to dietary tracking.

Making virtual meetings more "natural"

"When we're in a conversation, you want to see my face, I want to see yours. We can react to each other," Strand said. "If you want to do that virtually, you have to know what my face is doing." The idea is that expression-sensing glasses could make avatars and virtual interactions more "real" by putting what's on your real face onto your digital face.

For some kinds of virtual conversations, this would be amazing, but what if I want to not look bored during a meeting? Either way, existing VR technology can do something similar, but according to Strand, Emteq's tech provides a better solution. "A lot of existing technology, particularly in VR, is just more heavy on power and computing," Strand said. "We're using these very lightweight, low-power sensors that just look at a little tiny part of your face, and from that we can infer what your whole face is doing."

Mental health

A constant monitor of real-life emotions could provide an additional diagnostic tool for mental health professionals, according to Strand. "The gold standard for diagnosing depression right now is a questionnaire," he said. "Not only does that have inherent bias, it's also a sliver in time. How you feel at one moment could differ from how you feel an hour later," but a constant record of emotions would, presumably, be more revelatory of one's mental state.

For people who have trouble knowing what emotion their face is displaying, whether because of a physical condition like facial paralysis or a mental health concern like autism, emotion-sensing glasses could provide a window to a sense that most of us take for granted.

Healthier eating

Maybe the most concrete application for Sense glasses involves monitoring eating habits. These specs can track chewing patterns, bite frequency, and eating speed—metrics that research links to weight management and digestive health. "You can tell how many chews you had that meal, how many bites, the spacing between your chews and bites," Strand said. Some research has tied the speed of eating to calorie consumption at meals, so in theory micromanaging your chewing could help with weight loss goals, if it doesn't drive you crazy first.

For people struggling with healthy eating or who have medical conditions requiring careful dietary monitoring, this could be useful. But it risks turning every meal into a performance review.

The bigger questions: privacy and humanity

Emteq Sense Glass
Credit: Emteq

With any novel technology, a logical question is "how might this be used to further enshittify our daily lives?" There's no shortage of dystopian hypotheticals here, as this is with any kind of affective computing. Imagine what advertisers and marketers would do with a record of how consumers feel about everything they see and experience, all day, every day. How much worse would algorithms get if they knew exactly how you felt about that TikTok? What if an employer had a real-time readout of which workers are smiling and which are furrowing their brows? Imagine how an oppressive government could use this tech against its citizens.

It's probably unfair to pin those big ideas onto a smart glass monitor technology, and Strand says Emteq isn't pursuing the collection and selling of general emotional data. "Our philosophy now is, that's medical grade personal data that doesn't get shared," Strand said. But promises about data handling have a way of "evolving" as companies grow and face financial pressure.

When will Sense glasses be available to the public?

As for when you'll be able to get your own chewing-and-feeling-monitoring specs, the short answer is, in the future, maybe. "Sometime next year, you'd expect us to put something out," Strand said. "We're still debating whether or not we're gonna go straight to consumer. There are lots of different ways to go to market with the tech. And so we're still balancing some of that out."

Apple Pauses Work on Foldable iPad

Apple is well into development on the foldable iPhone, but it has decided to pause work on a larger-screened foldable iPad, reports Digitimes.


There have been multiple rumors about Apple's work on some kind of notebook-sized foldable device. Some have referred to it as a foldable iPad, while others have called it an all-display MacBook. Either way, it appears that development has stopped for the time being while Apple focuses on a foldable ‌iPhone‌.

Digitimes says that Apple is holding off on the foldable ‌iPad‌ because of manufacturing difficulties, increased production expenses for foldable display technology, and modest consumer demand for larger foldable devices.

If Digitimes is correct and Apple has decided not to work on a larger foldable for the time being, it doesn't mean it's a permanent decision. Apple could revisit a foldable ‌iPad‌ or MacBook when display technology improves enough to become more affordable.

The foldable device was rumored to be between 18.8 inches and 20.2 inches, with OLED display technology and a crease-free design. Information about a potential launch timeline has varied from 2026 to 2028, but it sounds like we could be waiting even longer.

As for the foldable ‌iPhone‌, it's expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models next year.


This article, "Apple Pauses Work on Foldable iPad" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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An Architecture-Driven Approach to Application Modernization

Enterprise applications have grown to a point where many of them are more complex and slow to respond, and market expectations have risen exponentially in the meantime. Nowadays, customers want responsive and robust applications that have greater agility. This became a concern for many of the businesses as the application began to hinder growth andContinue reading "An Architecture-Driven Approach to Application Modernization"

Enterprise applications have grown to a point where many of them are more complex and slow to respond, and market expectations have risen exponentially in the meantime. Nowadays, customers want responsive and robust applications that have greater agility. This became a concern for many of the businesses as the application began to hinder growth and development. The solution is to migrate all the applications to the cloud and re-evaluate those application’s potential. This is where most enterprises started migrating and started digitally transforming their application to stay relevant in the market. The old application’s modernization is not something trivial to organizations and requires a lot of hard work to get it done right. The journey could be simplified into three objectives: enterprise objective, current state, and the architecture of the application. 

Enterprises have many applications that can be modernized; it’s a journey and not a one time process. Businesses can make wiser decisions based on the application archetype, and we explored different paths to the modernization of the UI application archetype.

Author Bio:

Name: Himanshu Singh

Himanshu Singh is a Marketing consultant at Rapidops. He is a technology enthusiast and well versed in software development. He is also interested in domains like machine learning and data science. In his spare time, he enjoys guitar, badminton, and photography.

I Tried Out Claude AI's New App Creator, and I Didn't Have to Use Any Coding

Make your own AI-powered apps in minutes—no experience required.

Last year, Anthropic rolled out a new feature called Artifacts in its Claude AI chatbot, letting users see real-time results from their conversations—think diagrams, reports, websites, or code snippets, for example. Now the feature has been given a substantial upgrade, letting you create and share AI-powered apps just by describing them.

The apps you create through this "vibe coding" approach can have Claude AI smarts built right inside, and it's available for all users—so you can give it a try whether you're on a paid subscription or not. And if you share your creation with other people, when they run the app it'll be counted against their Claude usage allowance, not yours.

One of the examples Anthropic gives is a flashcard app. You could previously get Claude to code you an app showing flashcards, but you'd need to specify all the details and card content yourself. Now, you can leverage Claude's AI to create card content specific to individual users, because they'll be able to give the chatbot prompts about the text they want to see.

The upgraded feature should be available to everyone now, though you may need to enable it: On the web, click your account name (bottom left), then choose Settings > Profile and enable Create AI-powered artifacts. You'll see some examples of apps other people have made, and you can test out any of these in your browser, as well as making changes to them via the Customize button.

Back on the main Artifacts screen, you can see any projects you've previously made, and click New artifact to start creating something new. You'll be given some categories to choose from, including Games, Productivity tools, and Creative projects—but if nothing fits exactly, click Start from scratch.

Creating my own app

I haven't done a whole lot of coding since I learnt BASIC back in high school: I used it to code a soccer simulator that picked scores and scorers at random, which was a lot of fun at the time. With Claude's new and improved Artifacts tool available, I was interested to see just how good an app I could make from vibes alone.

My first thought was to ask Claude what I should create, a worrying reminder that AI is taking away our capacity to think and make decisions ourselves. In the end I used my own brain cells to make a choice: I wanted to make an app to generate quiz questions on any specified topic, with a sliding scale of difficulty and the answers available if needed.

I explained what I wanted using natural language and zero code: an app that would prompt the user for a topic, then display a question on that topic, with the option to reveal the answer with a click. I also wanted options for adjusting the question difficulty, and switching topics. It actually only took a single prompt to describe everything.

Claude AI Artifacts
Claude made a neat little quiz generator for me in minutes. Credit: Lifehacker

Claude gave me an overview of what it would do before it started building, telling me it loved the vision for my app (I bet it says that to everyone). When I gave the go-ahead, the browser window split to show the app and its raw code on the right (you can toggle between these views with a click).

The resulting app was pretty great the first time around, certainly in terms of its functionality—everything worked as I wanted and was well designed. The AI's choice of questions and assessment of their difficulty was a little wonky, however: All the questions had the right answers attached, but the app tended to fixate on a limited set of subjects within each topic (specific movies, actors, or bands, for example).

It was probably unfair for me to ask for a question about Twin Peaks at child-level difficulty, but "where is Twin Peaks set?" is maybe a little too easy—and Claude generated the same question at the next difficulty level, too. The hardest question was about the model of tape recorder FBI agent Dale Cooper uses, which had me stumped.

Claude AI Artifacts
You can see the code rewritten in real time as you make changes. Credit: Lifehacker

That's more about the limitations of AI models and their understanding, though. In terms of the actual app building, Claude mostly impressed: It responded to my questions and edits very well, letting me change colors and layouts with simple text prompts. It's cool to see an app being rebuilt in real time, and the AI bot then explains the changes that have been made and why.

There was one issue with a new "suggested topics" box that Claude took a long time to get right, despite my vibe-debugging attempts. Eventually, it got the box in the right place, but it took multiple iterations to work properly. At times the chatbot interface is too opaque, though the raw code is always available for the serious programmers out there.

For now, this seems best suited to casual, small-scale projects—as demonstrated by the examples Anthropic has put in the showcase—but I can see it being useful for people who want to develop custom tools for admin or productivity. I definitely enjoyed the experience, and felt like I learned quite a bit about coding along the way too, even if the end result was a little glitchy (more down to the AI content than the actual code).

This Hands-Off Method Is the Only Way I'll Ever Cook Bacon

Oven baking my bacon means I don't have to endure splattering oil and I can use the stovetop for other important work, like pancakes and scrambled eggs.

As soon as it became safe for me to cook on the stove unsupervised—say 12 years old?—I began to fry bacon. I’d do my best to stretch out the wobbly strips so they wouldn’t overlap or curl up too much and brace myself for the impact of tiny, sharp, popping oil splatters. I loved the results (chewy, crispy bacon is a compelling reward), but I hated the process and the clean-up that followed. It wasn’t worth it. But instead of giving up on bacon, I changed my approach. Now I oven bake my bacon and it’s the only way I’ll ever do it. 

Why oven-baking your bacon is best

Oven-baking is superior to pan frying because you don’t have to babysit it, the stovetop is available for other cooking, you’re not subject to painful splatters, and cleanup can be a breeze with a simple trick (more on that in a moment). Furthermore, it’s an absolute lifesaver if you’re hosting a large brunch party and you need to cook three pounds of bacon. You aren’t limited to how many slices you can fit in your frying pan. Instead, you can bake as much bacon as you can fit on a large sheet pan. And if your oven has two racks, guess what? You can bake two sheet pans-worth of bacon. 

What oven temperature is best for bacon?

I usually cook my bacon in a 350°F degree oven for about 20 minutes. The timing will change slightly depending on if you’re using thin or thick cut bacon, but that’s my go-to temperature. It’s hot enough to crisp and brown the bacon within a reasonable amount of time to cook the rest of breakfast, but not so hot where you scorch your precious pork before you know it. I’ve always had success at this temperature and I find that it provides a cooking window perfect for catching your bacon at exactly the doneness you like. 

Occasionally, if I’m in a rush, I’ll bump the temperature to 400°F. However, doing this always comes with the understanding that I may burn it. This temperature is fine and it’ll shave five to eight minutes from your overall bake time, but if I’m in a rush then my mind is probably in 10 places at once and not on my bacon. I have scorched my meat at this temperature before. If you need bacon fast, try 400°F—but set a timer.

How to bake the best batch of bacon

The steps are simple, and this hands-off method allows you to use the stove top for important business, like pancakes and eggs. 

1. Line the baking sheet

As much as I dislike single-use aluminum foil, this is key for cleanup. Pick a medium to small baking sheet and use a single piece of aluminum foil to line it. Use the lip of the pan to shape the foil so that you have four walls. Even if your sheet pan is bigger, you can still use the edges to shape walls, the foil just won’t be hugging the sides of the pan and that’s fine. The goal is to capture the rendered fat.

Raw bacon lined up on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

2. Arrange the bacon and bake

Within the foil arena you’ve made, lay out the strips of bacon. It doesn’t matter which direction they go and they can touch side to side, but just make sure they’re flat and not overlapping. If they do overlap then you’ll have some steam pockets and uneven cooking. For crispy bacon, this is a sin. However, if you like chewy, soft bacon then this might be all right for you. 

Put the sheet of bacon in a preheated 350°F oven and leave it be for 18 to 20 minutes, or until you’ve achieved your preferred bacon texture. 

Cooked bacon on a baking sheet.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

3. Easy clean-up

Oven-baked bacon is more evenly cooked and stays flatter compared to pan-fried bacon. In the case of clean-up, baked wins again. Remove the bacon strips from the foil—they should release easily—and put them on some paper towels to blot off excess fat, or let them cool on a wire cooling rack.

Now you have a foil lined baking sheet full of liquid bacon drippings. Yes, you could just lift this up and toss it in the trash, but you might be risking some fat dribble escaping onto the floor or into the trash. Instead, I toss the entire sheet tray into the fridge or freezer for about five minutes to solidify the fat. Now you can lift the foil, crumple it up, and toss it with zero mess.

A hand lifting the foil liner with cold bacon grease on it.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Alternatively, save your bacon drippings. The rendered fat you capture is an especially delicious ingredient and you can use later in other meals. Simply run the liquid fat through a fine mesh strainer and into a jar. Here are the best tips on collecting, storing, and using your bacon fat, like using it to grease your waffle maker or flavoring your popcorn with it. Extra bacon fat can be a great flavoring tool in other parts of your breakfast or for adding a bit of smoky flavor to bean dishes, proteins, biscuits, vegetables, and pastas. 

AT&T Launches Account Lock to Combat SIM Swapping Scams

AT&T today said that customers can activate Wireless Account Lock, a new feature that will prevent unauthorized changes to a wireless account. With Account Lock turned on, account changes like billing updates and wireless number transfers are disabled.


Account Lock will protect AT&T users from SIM swapping, a technique that scammers employ to gain control of a smartphone user's phone number, and by extension, two-factor verification codes sent to that number. With SIM swapping, an attacker calls the carrier's support staff, pretends to be the smartphone user, and asks for a number transfer.

Postpaid AT&T customers can activate Wireless Account Lock from the myAT&T app. Locked features will not be accessible until the Wireless Account Lock is disabled in the app, requiring physical control for access. Here's what Account Lock prevents:


  • Upgrading a device

  • Changing a SIM card or eSIM

  • Initiating a phone number transfer

  • Adding a new line

  • Changing billing information

  • Changing authorized users

  • Changing phone numbers


There are also account locking features for enterprise customers and prepaid AT&T users.

AT&T says that it will never call or text subscribers to ask them to turn off the Wireless Account Lock feature.
This article, "AT&T Launches Account Lock to Combat SIM Swapping Scams" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Threads' New DMs Could Be so Much Better

Luckily, Meta has plans for more features in the future.

It might be a bit late to the party, but Threads finally has a dedicated DM feature that’s independent from Instagram. The problem is, it's really basic.

For now, you can only message people who you follow, and who follow you. It will also work for your mutual followers on Instagram even if you don’t follow each other on Threads—a reminder that Threads is really an Instagram product.

Starting a DM on Threads

After updating the app on iPhone or Android (or accessing the site on the web), you’ll see a new Messages icon in the bottom toolbar next to the Home button. Once you're in the new Messages page, you can tap the "new message" button in the top right to start a chat. You can search for a profile, or choose one of the recommended options to start the conversation.

This Messages tab is the only way to start a new chat right now. You can’t DM someone directly from their profile, even if you both follow each other. However, you can now share a Threads post with any of your followers directly in a DM. When I share a Threads post with a friend, it shows up in the Threads DM window, instead of Instagram DM.

Sending Threads posts to someone in Messages.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Once you send a message, you can long-press it to Unsend it. You can also long-press messages to react to them, reply in-line, or copy them. But that's about it. There's no support for images, voice messaging, chat themes, or many of the common features baked into DMs and messaging apps these days.

Threads DM still needs a lot of work

As it stands, Threads DMs are quite limited. But there are a series features in the works you can look forward to, including:

  • Message Controls: The upcoming moderation feature will let you decide who can send you messages, and you can choose to limit DMs only to people who follow you on Threads or Instagram.

  • Message requests folder: A dedicated message requests folder for new messages will make sure that spam doesn't land directly in your DMs.

  • Group messaging: Threads will enable group conversations in a later update.

  • Filters: Threads will also provide filters to find and respond to messages.

A Dangerous Quest for Food in Gaza

An NPR journalist in Gaza describes his harrowing experience seeking food from a distribution site run by private American contractors. He found himself facing Israeli military fire, crowds fighting for rations, and masked thieves.Palestinians outside a food distribution site run by an Israeli and U.S. backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, on June 24. Hundreds of Palestinians seeking food at the group

An NPR journalist in Gaza describes his harrowing experience seeking food from a distribution site run by private American contractors. He found himself facing Israeli military fire, crowds fighting for rations, and masked thieves.

(Image credit: Anas Baba)

To a T

På förhand såg jag fram emot {To a T}. Det såg ut att vara ett spel som passade mig genom dess märkliga premiss och skruvade story. Jag menar, när de slår mynt av en vanlig bugg i spel där karaktärer gör den så kallade T-posen i tid och otid och formar ett helt spel runt det så går det inte att hjälpa att bli lite kittlad av idén. Så med förhoppningar i bagaget och spelet installerat på min Xbox rullade jag igång äventyret som skulle komma att bli de sju längsta timmarna jag någonsin tillbringat i ett spel.

Ja, sju timmar tog det för mig att rulla eftertexterna. Det låter ju inte som ett mastodontprojekt utan något man med lätthet skulle kunna krama ur sig under en vanlig vardagskväll - men så var det inte riktigt.

Men låt oss börja i någon slags kronologisk ordning här. Äventyret börjar med att man får skapa sin karaktär. Välja frisyr, hud- och hårfärg tillsammans med valet av namn på både huvudkaraktär och dess hund. Jag döpte mig själv till Joel och jag ville att min hund skulle heta Conny - men av någon väldigt oklar anledning vägrade spelet acceptera det. Varje gång jag tryckte in Conny döptes hunden automatiskt om till "Dog" och därför fick den heta Codney istället. Spelet börjar sedan i ett life simulator-stuk där man ska göra sina behov på toaletten, tvätta ansiktet, äta mjölk och flingor och borsta tänderna. Kläder ska man välja också, och skor, såklart. Men när man är fast i en T-pose blir ju allt det där lite knivigt.
<bild>Codney är en rackare på att hjälpa till att klä på sig.</bild>
Vardagssysslorna är utformade som små minispel där tandborstningen och ansiktstvätt sköts med de analoga spakarna. Eftersom armarna inte kan böjas har huvudkaraktären i {To a T} särskilt utformade redskap såsom en väldigt lång tandborste och samma stuk på skeden. Det viktigaste är dock den lille hunden, Codney, som hjälper till med allt från att spola toaletten till att trycka ut en klick tandkräm på tandborsten.

Sen är det skolan som gäller. Den första dagen visar sig vara motig där vår T-posande protagonist egentligen inte vill gå till skolan eftersom några av hans klasskamrater envisas med att mobba honom och göra narr av hans speciella utseende. Men skolan måste man ju gå till och på vägen dit ska man dessutom köpa en baguette av en giraff och givetvis delta i dennes smörgåsätar-tävling. När smörgåsen är kirrad och skoldagen till slut är över är det dags att gå hem och då händer det som inte får hända - Codney bajsar på uppfarten till ett hus och det resulterar i att vår huvudkaraktär blir så pass stressad att han börjar snurra så pass fort att han börjar flyga som en helikopter. Som ni hör... det här är ett mycket märkligt spel. Det hela accelererar ytterligare när ett vindkraftverk plötsligt flyger ner från himlen och träffar skolan. Det blir startskottet på ett mysterium som, givetvis, måste lösas och

Jag tänker inte avslöja för mycket av handlingen. Det finns säkert några av er som är sugna på att titta in vad Keita Takahashi (Katamari-spelens fader) har kokat ihop. Jag tyckte att det började lovande med allt från finurliga mini-spel till det fantastiska ledmotivet: "The perfect shape". Ledmotivet har fastnat i min hjärna som en irriterande fluga och nu älskar jag det inte längre, men det är minnesvärt och lika märkligt som resterande delar av {To a T}. Missförstå mig rätt här, jag gillar märkliga, absurda och konstiga spel men det tar så olidligt lång tid innan det tar fart.
<bild>Här har vi den smörgåssäljande giraffen som dessutom sjunger mellan varje episod. Härligt-härligt.</bild>
{To a T} är indelat i tio episoder och redan under den första delen ser man hur mynt är utplacerade på tak och andra ställen som man inte kan nå förrän under senare delar av spelet. Man tvingas gå runt i en digital lekstuga utan möjligheten att kunna pilla på alla roliga saker. I episod efter episod tvingas man lyssna på sjungande giraffer och utföra samma gamla vanliga vardagssysslor om och om igen. Visserligen får man styra både hunden och mamman i ett par av delarna men det är samma sak där - bara sånt som bidrar till att transportsträckan blir längre och inte alls mer underhållande, som det borde vara.

Under allt fluff finns det en fin sensmoral om att alla ser ut på olika sätt och att det inte spelar någon roll. Så är det ju såklart, men detta är levererat på ett så oerhört tempofattigt sätt att jag höll på att bli tokig. Para det med en digital lekstuga som man inte kan ta del av på riktigt förrän efter att eftertexterna rullat och man då upptäcker att den inte alls är särskilt rolig. Hela spelet lider av att det går för långsamt. Det går för sakta att flyga som en helikopter, för långsamt att transportera sig runt på kartan och dessutom direkt vedervärdigt att orientera sig då kameran är låst och panorerar runt landskapet lite som den vill. 85% av spelet går ut på att föra hjälplöst tråkiga diskussioner med allt från agentgrodor till ninjaträd. Man pratar nästintill hela tiden och cut-scene efter cut-scene avlöser varandra. Det blir inte ens roligare av möjligheten att kunna välja olika filter som gör att spelet ser ut som att det spelas på en CRT-skärm eller att det kläs i mörka dramatiska toner i noir-filtret.
<bild>Hela ensemblen, nästan i alla fall.</bild>
{To a T} kan nog klassas som ett litet mysigt spel med en fin story, men det är inget nytt vi får se här. {Katamari Damacy} bjuder på så oändligt mycket mer spelglädje och det enda som {To a T} har som gör att det ens blir aningen unikt är premissen som orienterar kring T-posen. Musiken är fin också, även om den är irriterande och fastnar på hjärnhinnan som en jobbig fluga som försöker flyga ut rakt genom ett fönster om och om igen. Jag kan inte riktigt rekommendera det här spelet. För mig känns det som sju timmar jag aldrig kommer att få tillbaka. Sju timmar jag borde ha ägnat åt att göra något vettigt. Sju timmar i ett spel som varken är snyggt, roligt eller särskilt fyndigt. {To a T} är en bagatell där små ögonblick visserligen är minnesvärda men aldrig tillräckliga för att rädda upp det.

Amazon Offers the Dreo Smart Tower Fan at All-Time Low Ahead of Prime Day Just in Time for the Heat

Dreofan

It's hot out there, so be ready with a fan that can help bring the temperature down in your home.Dreofan

It's hot out there, so be ready with a fan that can help bring the temperature down in your home.

I’m a Food Writer, and These Are My Favorite Early Prime Day Deals on Kitchen Appliances

It's never too early to jump on a bargain.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

With Amazon Prime Day immanent—this year's extended sale runs July 8 through July 11—you might be practicing self-control in the days leading up to the annual shopping holiday, hoping to save your dollars for the best bargains.

Well, I’m happy to report that you can throw caution to the wind a bit early: Amazon already has some great deals on kitchen appliances. Here are my favorite deals paving the way for Prime Day. 

The best early Prime Day deals on multi-cookers

Under $100: The Instant Pot brand has been holding their own holiday sale for the past few days, and this Instant Pot 9-in-1 Duo Plus multi-cooker is a downright bargain at the moment. It’s $69.99, which is 50% off of its regular retail price of $139.99. It’s the six-quart model which is a great size for larger families, or folks who like to meal prep multiple servings at the beginning of the week. 

Splurge sale option: The Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 multi-cooker for $99.99. It’s 41% off the retail price of $169.99. For $30 more than the Duo right now, this appliance has greater functionality, more presets, and monitoring capabilities via the Instant Pot app. 

The best early Prime Day deals on stand mixers

A good quality stand mixer should be able to do all the hard work for you with kneading dough, whipping cream, and beating butter—and it should do it for years. With that in mind, these heavy-duty appliances aren’t cheap. However, this Instant brand stand mixer gets about as close to cheap as possible without being suspicious. On sale right now for $169.99 (43% off of $299.99), this mixer has 10 speeds, and unlike most stand mixers, you can actually program the speed and duration for it to mix. That’s pretty fancy.

Splurge sale option: The Cuisinart 5.5-quart stand mixer is a brand I trust for numerous kitchen appliances and quality cooking gear. This stand mixer is $234.94 right now, 22% off of the normal retail price of $299.95, and it comes with a three-year warranty. 

The best early Prime Day deals on air fryers

Under $100: Instant Pot again? Listen, if it weren’t a good piece of equipment, I wouldn’t cover it. The Instant Vortex air fryer is my go-to air fryer, and right now it’s 44% off, selling for $89.99. It’s powerful, heats evenly, it’s incredibly easy to operate, anda breeze to clean. Still not sold? Read my glowng review and see how it stacks up against other great air fryers that I tested.

Under $50: For $49.99 you can get a less flashy air fryer that will get the job done. The Dash 2.6-quart isn’t huge and it doesn’t come with fancy preset cooking options, but you can set the time and temperature, and that’s all a petite countertop convection oven needs to offer to crisp up some fries or reheat last night’s fried chicken. 

The best early Prime Day deals on blenders

Splurge sale option: As a highly respected name in the kitchen game, Breville products would never be described as “cheap” but you can describe this one as "on sale." The Breville Commercial Super Q Pro is currently $499.99, or 17% off. This model has five preset programs, and includes two blender containers so you can swap them out while the other is in use.

Under $100: The Breville is the splurge option, so here’s a blender that might fit your budget better. The Ninja Blender is 27% off right now, for a more manageable $79.99. I’ve always found Ninja appliances to be effective and high-quality, so this blender should be an excellent helper in your kitchen.

Under $50: While they aren't as versatile as a stand-alone blender, for years I effectively blended everything from single servings of whipped cream to protein smoothies, chunky salsas to large batches of velvety broccoli soup using only an immersion blender. A good immersion blender is the best-kept secret for a chef on a budget. The Braun Immersion Blender is 29% off for $49.95

The best early Prime Day deals on coffee Makers

I’m an insufferable coffee snob most days (here’s my favorite pour over vessel, if you’re looking) but I’ve also been known to pop a Nespresso from time to time. Breville teamed up with Nespresso to bring you a compact espresso maker and it’s 35% off right now, at $110.47

Under $100: If you like to have more variety with hot and cold coffees and you don’t mind a splash of self-expression, the pistachio-colored Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ might even be a better deal for you. It can brew all the same types of coffee as the above, in addition to making 12-ounce serving sizes.

Mario Kart World

Det är faktiskt elva år sedan ett Mario Kart-spel senast släpptes till en Nintendo-konsol, men idag var det alltså äntligen dags Med tanke på att {Mario Kart 8} är ett av världens bäst sålda spel och även Nintendos näst mest sålda spel (endast {Wii Sports} ligger före, vilket som bekant ingick med varje Wii-konsol) samt dessutom den överlägset bästa partyracern någonsin, är det givetvis ingen överdrift att påstå att ingenting varit hetare inför Switch 2-releasen än {Mario Kart World}.

<video>

Faktum är att Mario Kart 8 är så ursinnigt bra att jag flera gånger funderat på hur det ens ska kunna överträffas. Ibland har Nintendo provat med kortlivade gimmickar som när de satsade på två förare per kart i Double Dash eller den där plastratten man skulle sätta sin Wii-mote i {Mario Kart Wii}, och jag fruktade att de återigen skulle försöka sig på något sådant för att skapa känslan av fräschör.

<bild>Japp, det är dags hörni. Första nya Mario Kart-spelet till en Nintendo-konsol på drygt elva år är här.</bild>

Lyckligtvis har Nintendo i intervjuer sagt att de tycker åttan var någon slags slutdestination för klassisk Mario Kart, och därför levererar de nu något helt nytt. Det är alltså inte frågan om en gimmick, utan en grundläggande förändring i form av en öppen värld. Jag vet ju att öppna världar är något som genom åren överanvänts rejält och det finns väl nästan inget koncept där utvecklare inte fått för sig att allt skulle bli bättre om man kunde gå dit man ville. Så... har Nintendo gjort samma misstag.

Det var därför med skräckblandad förtjusning jag spelade det härom veckan hos Nintendo Tyskland, vilket lugnade mig rejält. Och nu har jag spelat som besatt i hemmets lugna vrå och har goda besked. För ja, Nintendo har skapat vad som sannolikt blir en ny tidlös dunderhöjdare. De har kombinerat det bästa från Mario Kart med det bästa från moderna speltrender som {Forza Horizon 5}-världarna samt battle royale, lagt till sina egna sedvanliga finurligheter samt kryddat det med mer Nintendo-kärlek än vad jag någonsin kunnat begära. Till det har de sedan förbättrat eller eliminerat de mycket få bristerna som trots allt ändå fanns i Mario Kart 8.

<bild>Världen är många gånger större än tidigare och om du ser något, så kan du förmodligen också köra dit.</bild>

Den stora nyheten är som bekant att Mario Kart World alltså har en öppen värld, och att allting därmed sitter ihop. Du åker inte på en massa lösa platser utan allt är sammankopplat. Det du ser i horisonten är sådant du kan åka till. Därför påminner Nintendo snyggt om detta på spelets startskärm, där en ensam åkare kommer rullandes. Med ett enkelt knapptryck tar du själv plats bakom ratten och kan börja rulla runt i världen.

Men... jag tänkte spara den biten till lite senare i recensionen. Att greppa Nintendos nya Pro Controller får mig att tro att de nästan designat den för att vara optimal för just Mario Kart World. För även om man kan chilla runt i den härligt kulörta världen, så är det åtminstone för mig de klassiska alternativen som är det stora dragplåstret. Det betyder att du här hittar diverse singleplayer- och multiplayer-lägen, där det mesta är sådant som vi är bekant med sedan tidigare. Från att spela lösa banor till Time Trial och såklart cuper.

<bild>Free Roam låter dig granska spelvärlden i din egen takt.</bild>

Sistnämnda består som tidigare av totalt fyra race, men där slutar i princip likheterna. Beroende på vilken cup jag väljer, startar jag på en plats och när racet är slut befinner jag mig på en annan, ett tydligt koncept som förnyar det klassiska systemet på ett sätt som känns logiskt och därmed undviker känslan att man ändrat för ändrandets skull. Men det betyder inte att allt handlar om att ta sig från plats A till B. Det finns massor av platser på kartan, ofta baserade på sådant vi sett tidigare i serien, och dessa kan du sedan få köra tre varv i innan det är dags att åka vidare, och det kan även vara uppdelat så att du både kör något varv på en bana innan du mitt i racet åker vidare. Det finns verkligen inget negativt att säga om detta, tvärtom borgar det för största möjliga variation med både kurviga banor och seriens hittills längsta raksträckor. Dessutom kan miljö skiftas flera gånger under ett och samma lopp. Briljant!

När jag väljer förare (för min del är det oftast Luigi och Waluigi som gäller) noterar jag att vi inte längre behöver välja varken hjul eller hängglidare. Det är något jag i ärlighetens namn inte är ledsen över, utan det tog bara en massa onödig tid när folk prompt skulle gå igenom alla hjul varje gång och ändå tog det snyggaste. Fordonen har givetvis unika egenskaper samt att din karaktär även förändrar premisserna och sammantaget känns det här som helt rätt väg att gå. För den som ändå vill anpassa saker och ting finns det ohemult mycket klistermärken att låsa upp för att personifiera din kart, och karaktärerna har dessutom flera väldigt detaljerade kostymer att välja på - där jag särskilt vill slå ett slag för Waluigis dräkt Wampire (som jag bestämt menar är något Nintendo borde göra ett helt spel av).

<bild>Waluigis Wampire-dräkt är helt överlägsen. Ge honom ett eget spel Nintendo.</bild>

Jag mjukstartade min World-karriär med 100 kubik på klassiska Mushroom Cup, där racingen startar på Mario Bros Circuit, för att via Crown City och Whistlestop Summit till slut avrundas i DK Spaceport. Att beskåda 24 förare framför mållinjen i ett slags maskotkavalkad av kända och betydligt mindre kända varelser från Svampriket är förvånansvärt maffigt. När den gröna lampan lyser, ger jag mig av och det står klart att superstarterna fortfarande fungerar på samma sätt som de alltid gjort.

Den största spelmässiga skillnaden denna gång är att hoppen är tillbaka. Dessa var med redan i det allra första Mario Kart till Super Nintendo, men försvann längs vägen. Här har de dock en lite annorlunda funktion och används bland annat för att låta dig åka på väggar. För att lyckas med detta måste du dock ladda upp ditt hopp, och det här gör att du måste förändra din spelstil ganska ordentligt om du vill bli en toppförare. Att försöka sladda maximalt i varje kurva är inte längre automatiskt det bästa, och kan leda till att du missar viktiga genvägar och liknande - och det finns väldigt mycket sådant, så att lära dig bemästra hoppen är tveklöst viktigt.

<bild>Att hålla sig på banan är absolut inte lika viktigt nu, tvärtom, periferin kan ofta hjälpa dig.</bild>

Andra saker jag snabbt noterar är detaljer som att du inte längre behöver hålla en knapp intryckt för att placera exempelvis ett grönt skal som skydd bakom dig, utan det är något som görs automatiskt när du plockar upp föremålet. Du behöver alltså bara trycka in knappen när det är dags att skjuta, vilket är ett trevligt och riktigt användarvänligt inslag jag uppskattar. Andra småsaker är att du nu tydligare ser hur mycket boost du har kvar på guldsvampar och liknande, vilket gör dem lättare att tajma och använda. Spontant skulle jag även säga att datormotståndarna verkar vara lite enklare denna gång, och även om jag givetvis borde vinna 100 kubik, så var det ändå med förkrossande marginal jag rodde hem segern första gången jag spelade, utan att kunna varken några genvägar eller ny spelmekanik.

Mushroom Cup avrundas med en alldeles fenomenal uppförsbacke på DK Spaceport, vars design påminner om byggarbetsplatsen i original-Donkey Kong från 1981, där en jättelik robotapa står och slungar ner tunnor mot åkarna i en absolut ljuvlig sekvens. Härifrån spelade jag vidare och valde den vattenfyllda nytolkningen av Wario's Galleon och Moo moo Meadows, som båda fräschats till ordentligt. Vattenracingen känns tydligt distinkt och erbjuder naturligtvis en annan känsla än fast mark under hjulen, och jag tycker nästan att jag känner små influenser från Wave Race-spelen, något som givetvis är uteslutande positivt.

<bild>Att starta ett race med 24 personer är genuint maffigt. Det smäller och händer saker överallt.</bild>

Om du inte vill spela cuper finns även läget Versus som låter dig spela enskilda banor istället. Varför inte köra Mario Circuit och efter att ha spelat den starta ett race mot närliggande Acorns Heists? Då får du även uppleva hur världen förändras från klassiska racingomgivningar mot grönskande och härliga omgivningar. Väl där kan du sedan välja något annat anslutande race, som till min favorit Boo Cinema, där de lummiga miljöerna snabbt övergår till något mer höstigt och snart mot regelrätt (nåja, Nintendo-mått mätt) skräckracing i en spökbiograf med massor av läckra effekter. Du behöver dock inte välja en anslutande bana till ditt senaste race utan får givetvis plocka vilken bana du vill.

Att köra på detta sätt är verkligen ljuvligt och jag uppmuntras verkligen att spela allt eftersom det längs banorna finns möjlighet att låsa upp nya dräkter via matpaket som gömmer sig i periferin. Dräkterna är verkligen rejält olika och kan till exempel förvandla präktiga Peach till bonde, Yoshi till en mjukglassförsäljare eller varför inte King Boo till en aristokrat? De känns därför motiverade att hitta, och jag noterar att mina vänner alltid lägger ned lite tid på att inte bara plocka en karaktär inför varje race, utan dessutom se till att det blir den fränaste. Jag är redan hooked och vet att jag inte kommer känna mig klar förrän jag lyckats hitta varenda kostym.

<bild>För den som verkligen håller koll finns flera nya mekanismer under huven utöver att kunna hoppa, inte minst att spola tillbaka tiden för sig själv - medan motståndarna fortsätter framåt.</bild>

Med det sagt så är det dags att återvända till spelläget Free Roam, det med den öppna världen, vilket ger möjlighet att granska den maffiga racingsandlådan ordentligt - där det alltså går att köra precis överallt. Liksom i Forza Horizon 5 är det ett måste att lämna vägarna bakom sig för lite utforskande, då Nintendo gömt hemligheter precis överallt, oftast i form av P Block. Genom att köra på dem får du en tidsinställd utmaning av varierande svårighet, och genom att klara dem låser du sedan upp nytt innehåll (inte minst Stickers för att pimpa dina kärror). Vissa av dessa utmaningar känns lite pusselaktiga i utformningen, andra är racing-betonade och ytterligare andra kretsar kring flygning.

Det finns dock mycket annat med, som att du kan träffa på ett gäng MC-knuttar som du plötsligt måste skjuta ner i ett hektiskt race, och det dräller av pengar för att låsa upp saker och andra hemligheter. Dessutom har Mario Kart World ett eget Achievements-system som uppmuntrar dig att göra allt och lite till. Som sig bör är vissa utmaningar ganska lätta, medan andra är rejält svåra... och en del hemligheter ser jag och har kämpat i timmar med att komma åt dem. Det finns som sagt att göra, men jag ser trots det Free Roam som lite väl sparsmakat. Variationen finns helt enkelt inte riktigt här. Spelvärlden är lite för död och utmaningarna inte tillräckligt varierad för att jag ska vilja sitta med detta några längre stunder. Jag utgår från att nytt innehåll kommer tillföras, men där är vi inte ännu. Jag vill även nämna att det finns ett Photo Mode som jag tror många kommer uppskatta, med massor av funktioner, och tack vare Free Roam är det lätt att få de platser och vinklar man vill ha bilderna ifrån.

<bild>Nu väljer du bara kart, inte däck och hängglidare.</bild>

Den verkliga Mario Kart World-stjärnan för mig är det nya battle royale-doftande Knockout Tour. Ett spelläge för upp till 24 personer i sex race, där det gäller att inte gå i mål som en av de fyra sista eftersom det innebär omedelbar eliminering. Det sista racet är det därför bara fyra personer kvar, och upplägget gör att det automatiskt blir oerhört mycket mer spännande. I cuperna får jag lite mindre poäng om jag inte går in i mål först, men kan ändå vinna genom att köra bra de andra racen. Här åker jag istället ut. Game Over.

Inför varje race får alla rösta på vilken bana de vill spela bland tre förvalda alternativ, men det går även att gå ut på kartan och vilja vilken bana som helst. Eftersom det lottas mellan allas val, så kan det bli just din favoritsträcka, även om det bara var du som valt den. Prestigen blir direkt påtaglig när 24 spelare drabbar samman i detta fullkomligt ljuvliga spelläge (där jag inte kan låta bli att berätta att jag lyckades vinna mitt första race direkt under testsessionen i Tyskland, i konkurrens mot annan europeisk media). Att ligga precis på gränsen för eliminering under racet är en stressfaktor som går utanpå det mesta och "bara ett race till"-känslan är påtaglig vid förlust, medan en vinst istället gör att man känner sig helt mörbultad av stress. Absolut fenomenalt, och lyfts ytterligare av fin onlinekod som trots premiärdagens extrema topp inte haft några problem.

<bild>Balloon fight är bättre än någonsin förr.</bild>

Andra alternativ är de återkommande Coin Runners och Balloon Battle. De bjuder inte på några större överraskningar, men det större antalet spelare kombinerat med bättre banor och roliga bonusföremål gjorde båda till en ren fröjd att spela. Helt klart två spellägen som har framtiden för sig både online och offline.

Jag tycker mig för övrigt ha noterat att det är lite mer generöst med kraftfulla bonusföremål denna gång, möjligen ett resultat av att det nu är 24 spelare på banan så det är många personer som får chansen att avfyra blåa skal. Men även superstjärnor och Bullet Bills användes lite mer frekvent än jag tycker mig vara van vid. Det finns en inställning för att justera bonusföremålen för den som vill dock. Givetvis finns det ett par nya föremål med, inte minst möjligheten att bli stor, vilket snabbt blev en favorit för mig. Att skjuta något med ett skal är en sak, men att köra över dem så de verkligen ser förnedringen är något annat. Även möjligheten att kasta hammare, egentligen en form av förbättrat bananskal då de går i en likande både och blir kvar på banan, fungerar väldigt bra.

<bild>Ta med dig dina vänner i Free Roam och ta en rolig bild ihop.</bild>

Vill avrunda med att kommentera grafik och ljud. För det är ju trots allt en ny konsol Nintendo levererar här. När jag såg de första bilderna av spelet, var jag inte helt övertygad av det grafiska och tyckte det påminde lite väl mycket om föregångaren. Men i rörelse är det en helt annan sak. Dels är allt så oerhört mycket bättre animerat och mer levande, dels så går det inte bortse från de enorma världarna samt de 24 förarna. Mario Kart World är helt enkelt väldigt snyggt, och Nintendo bara vräker på med kärlek från företagets långa historia. Kan du ditt Svamprike kommer du omöjligen kunna hålla dig från att vilja peka på skärmen och högtidligt skrika "TITTA, SÅG NI?!" när någon obskyr fiende flimrar förbi i periferin. Till detta kommer ett helt magnifikt soundtrack med massor av nya låtar och även gamla som arbetats om för att passa in i spelet.

<video>

Det är med stor glädje jag därmed vågar slå fast att Nintendo har gjort det igen. {Mario Kart 8 Deluxe} är idag en fullpottare för mig innehållandes två DLC-paket från Wii U-versionen och fyra DLC-paket från Switch. Mario Kart World matchar det redan innehållsmässigt och känns som en perfekt plattform av bygga vidare på, och är i sig själv ett alldeles underbart racingspel för både glada amatörer. som bara vill köra kart med Svamprikets invånare samt proffs som gillar att optimera sina vägar och snabbt lär sig att spendera lika mycket tid körandes på väggar som på marken. En bättre killer-app för Switch 2 är helt enkelt svårt att tänka sig, och blotta tanken på att det här är ett spel som kommer bli ännu bättre med mer innehåll framöver gör att det är ett spel du absolut inte får missa.

The Great Filter Comes For Us All

With a 13 billion year head start on evolution, why haven’t any other forms of life in the universe contacted us by now?

(Arrival is a fantastic movie. Watch it, but don’t stop there – read the Story of Your Life novella it was based on

The Great Filter Comes For Us All

With a 13 billion year head start on evolution, why haven’t any other forms of life in the universe contacted us by now?

The Great Filter Comes For Us All

(Arrival is a fantastic movie. Watch it, but don’t stop there – read the Story of Your Life novella it was based on for so much additional nuance.)

This is called the Fermi paradox:

The Fermi Paradox is a contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, such as in the Drake equation, and lack of any evidence for such civilizations.

  • There are billions of stars in the galaxy that are similar to the Sun, including many billions of years older than Earth.
  • With high probability, some of these stars will have Earth-like planets, and if the Earth is typical, some might develop intelligent life.
  • Some of these civilizations might develop interstellar travel, a step the Earth is investigating now.
  • Even at the slow pace of currently envisioned interstellar travel, the Milky Way galaxy could be completely traversed in about a million years.

According to this line of thinking, the Earth should have already been visited by extraterrestrial aliens. In an informal conversation, Fermi noted no convincing evidence of this, nor any signs of alien intelligence anywhere in the observable universe, leading him to ask, “Where is everybody?”

To me, this is a compelling argument, in the same way that the lack of evidence of any time travellers is:

Many have argued that the absence of time travelers from the future demonstrates that such technology will never be developed, suggesting that it is impossible. This is analogous to the Fermi paradox related to the absence of evidence of extraterrestrial life. As the absence of extraterrestrial visitors does not categorically prove they do not exist, so the absence of time travelers fails to prove time travel is physically impossible; it might be that time travel is physically possible but is never developed or is cautiously used. Carl Sagan once suggested the possibility that time travelers could be here but are disguising their existence or are not recognized as time travelers.

It seems, to me at least, clear evidence that time travel is not possible, given the enormous amount of time behind us. Something, somewhere, would certainly have invented it by now... right?

So if not, what happened? The Great Filter maybe?

The Great Filter theory says that at some point from pre-life to Type III intelligence, there’s a wall that all or nearly all attempts at life hit. There’s some stage in that long evolutionary process that is extremely unlikely or impossible for life to get beyond. That stage is The Great Filter.

I liked Wait But Why’s take on this a lot, which covers three main filter possibilities:

  1. Life is extraordinarily rare, almost impossible
The Great Filter Comes For Us All
  1. We are not a rare form of life, but near the first to evolve
The Great Filter Comes For Us All
  1. Almost no life makes it to this point
The Great Filter Comes For Us All

Those are three Great Filter possibilities, but the question remains: why are we so alone in the observable universe? I grant you that what we can observe is appallingly tiny given the unimaginable scale of the universe, so “what we can observe” may not be enough by many orders of magnitude.

I encourage you to read the entire article, it’s full of great ideas explained well, including many other Great Filter possibilities. Mostly I wanted to share my personal theory of why we haven’t encountered alien life by now. Like computers themselves, things don’t get larger. They get smaller. And faster. And so does intelligent life.

Why build planet-size anything when the real action is in the small things? Small spaces, small units of time, everything gets smaller.

Large is inefficient and unnecessary. Look at the history of computers: from giant to tiny and tinier. From slow to fast and faster. Personally, I have a feeling really advanced life eventually does away with all physical stuff that slows you down as soon as they can, and enters the infinite spaces between:

This is, of course, a variant on the Fermi paradox: We don’t see clues to widespread, large-scale engineering, and consequently we must conclude that we’re alone. But the possibly flawed assumption here is when we say that highly visible construction projects are an inevitable outcome of intelligence. It could be that it’s the engineering of the small, rather than the large, that is inevitable. This follows from the laws of inertia (smaller machines are faster, and require less energy to function) as well as the speed of light (small computers have faster internal communication). It may be – and this is, of course, speculation – that advanced societies are building small technology and have little incentive or need to rearrange the stars in their neighborhoods, for instance. They may prefer to build nanobots instead.

Seth Shostak

Seth delivers an excellent TED talk on this topic as well:

If we can barely see far in the universe as is, there’s no way we could possibly see into the infinite space and time between.

That is of course just my opinion, but we’ll see... eventually.

Soaring to the Future: A Comprehensive Analysis of Artificial Intelligence in Aviation

Standing on the cusp of a new era powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the aviation sector is a monument to human ingenuity and mechanical expertise. For more than a century, autopilots have been an essential component of aviation. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing these systems, turning them from simple aids for flight stabilityContinue reading "Soaring to the Future: A Comprehensive Analysis of Artificial Intelligence in Aviation"

Standing on the cusp of a new era powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the aviation sector is a monument to human ingenuity and mechanical expertise. For more than a century, autopilots have been an essential component of aviation. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing these systems, turning them from simple aids for flight stability into sophisticated, intelligent co-pilots that may eventually usher in an era of autonomous flying. AI has a significant impact on many facets of aviation operations, including design, production, air traffic control, and passenger experience, but it is not limited to the cockpit.

The Power Under the Wings: Revealing AI’s Workings

The ability of computer systems to replicate human cognitive processes like pattern recognition, decision-making, and learning from large datasets is the essence of artificial intelligence (AI). These sophisticated computers take on tasks that have historically required human participation by utilizing complex algorithms and enormous processing capacity. The potential for AI technology to optimize and completely transform every aspect of aviation operations is only growing as it develops.
Particularly influential in the aviation industry are two of AI’s main subfields:

Machine Learning (ML): ML algorithms are remarkably good at learning from data without the need for explicit programming. Many uses of machine learning (ML) exist in the aviation industry, such as:

  • Predictive Flight Delay Mitigation: In order to predict possible delays with remarkable precision, machine learning (ML) algorithms can examine previous data pertaining to weather patterns, mechanical anomalies, and air traffic control (ATC) procedures. This enables airlines to best use resources, reduce passenger inconvenience, and make preemptive schedule adjustments.
  • Air Traffic Management (ATM) Optimization: Advanced machine learning algorithms are capable of analyzing real-time air traffic data to generate flight paths that are optimized, lessen airspace congestion, and guarantee the safe and effective passage of aircraft.
  • Highly customized travel recommendations can be provided by airlines by using machine learning to examine enormous amounts of passenger data and booking patterns. Increased client loyalty and satisfaction may result from this data-driven strategy.

Deep Learning (DL): Modeled after the human brain, deep learning is a more sophisticated subfield of machine learning. Massive amounts of complex data are easily processed by DL, which makes it perfect for the following applications:

  • Predictive Maintenance: By analyzing sensor data from airplanes, deep learning algorithms may identify anomalies and anticipate possible maintenance problems before they become expensive breakdowns. This proactive strategy reduces operational disruptions and guarantees the fleet’s continuous airworthiness.
  • Improved Aviation Safety: Deep learning is able to locate patterns and trends in enormous flight data sets that may be linked to aviation mishaps. Airlines can use this information to put specific safety measures in place and drastically lower their accident rates.

Artificial Intelligence in Operation: Coordinating a Smooth Flight Path

Artificial Intelligence has a noticeable impact on many aspects of the aviation ecosystem, including design, production, flight operations, and passenger experience. Here’s a closer look at the particular uses:

  • Design and Manufacturing of Aircraft: AI-driven design software can optimize aircraft structures for increased strength, lighter weight, and better fuel economy. Furthermore, repetitive processes in manufacturing can be automated by AI-powered robots, improving accuracy and efficiency.
  • AI-assisted flight planning software can optimize flight paths for greater fuel efficiency, lower emissions, and faster travel times. This is known as intelligent flight operations. AI-powered autopilot systems can also manage standard flight operations, freeing up pilots to concentrate on crucial decision-making in emergency situations.
  • Streamlined Airport Operations: By maximizing taxiway usage, gate distribution, and baggage handling, AI can simplify ground operations at airports. This decreases departure times, eases traffic, and improves the quality of the customer experience overall.
  • Tailored Traveler Experience: AI-driven chatbots can offer immediate customer support, respond to inquiries on flights, and help with reservation modifications. AI may also customize in-flight entertainment options and provide destination recommendations based on historical traveller preferences, therefore making flying more enjoyable for passengers.

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Sky: A Future Perspective

Though the application of AI in aviation is still in its infancy, the potential for change is enormous. We may anticipate seeing even more ground-breaking applications of AI technology emerge as it continues to advance at an exponential rate, including:

  • The ultimate goal of artificial intelligence (AI) in aviation is the construction of fully autonomous passenger aircraft, however this goal is not expected to materialize anytime soon. This would revolutionize air travel by lowering operating costs, boosting productivity, and maybe opening up air travel to a larger group of people.
  • Next-Generation Air Traffic Management: By reducing delays and greatly expanding the airspace’s capacity, sophisticated AI systems might control air traffic with previously unheard-of efficiency.

Hyper-Personalized In-Flight Experiences: Artificial intelligence has the potential to further customize the in-flight experience by adjusting everything from lighting and cabin temperature to available food and beverages and specific passenger preferences.

These developments portend safer, more efficient, and far more customized air travel in the future. But despite the obvious advantages, there are some important questions raised by the growing use of AI in aviation:

  • Ethical Concerns: Aviation AI development and application must follow the strictest ethical guidelines. It is important to give serious consideration to issues like algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the possibility of employment displacement in the aviation sector.
  • The regulatory landscape must change in tandem with AI technology to guarantee its ethical and safe application in the aviation sector. Establishing public trust and confidence in AI-driven aviation systems requires well-defined policies and supervision procedures.
  • Human-Machine Collaboration: Although AI has amazing potential, human knowledge will always be valuable in the aviation industry. Instead than trying to completely replace human decision-making, the goal should be to create a collaborative atmosphere where AI can support it.

Finally, AI has the potential to completely transform the aviation sector and bring in a new era of unheard-of efficiency, safety, and customisation. We can make sure that the skies of the future are safer, more enjoyable, and not only more accessible for everyone by using AI safely and ethically.

‘Jaws’ Is Coming to 4DX for the First Time as Part of Its 50th Anniversary Re-Release

Chiefbrodyjaws

The immersive screening format will put you inside Steven Spielberg's classic blockbuster like never before—though you're *probably* safe from actually getting chomped on.Chiefbrodyjaws

The immersive screening format will put you inside Steven Spielberg's classic blockbuster like never before—though you're *probably* safe from actually getting chomped on.

This Waterproof Sony Portable Speaker Is at Its Lowest Price Right Now

Ideal for solo hangs and backyard get-togethers.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The Sony ULT Field 1 is the most compact speaker in the brand's ULT lineup, easy to throw in a bag or strap to your bike for on-the-go listening. It’s also down to $88 right now—its lowest price yet, according to price trackers, making it a much more budget-friendly option than usual (it typically goes for $129.99).

At just 1.4 pounds, with a rcarry strap and IP67 water- and dust-proofing, it’s built for the outdoors. While it won’t win any awards for deep bass, the angled mono drivers and passive radiators do a surprisingly solid job of filling small spaces with crisp audio. It has a control panel with buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, volume, play, and the ULT bass boost button on top, so you can manage controls directly from the speaker rather than relying on an app. The play button also handles calls and lets you skip tracks.

That ULT button is Sony’s take on bass boost, and it’s the main tool for coaxing more punch out of this compact unit. The effect is noticeable but it comes at a cost to battery life. This PCMag review notes that the estimated 12 hours at moderate volume without the ULT effect drops sharply to about 3 hours if you’re blasting it at max volume with the boost turned on. On the plus side, it supports Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint pairing, Google Fast Pair, and works with AAC and SBC codecs. You can also link two units together for stereo playback.

The companion app is a bit limited, offering only basic EQ tweaks and a few power settings. But for casual use outdoors or around the house, this little speaker covers the essentials for under $90.

Amid Third TikTok Ban Extension, Trump Claims to Have Potential Buyer

Popular social network TikTok is still operating in the United States under a ban that has been paused by U.S. President Donald Trump, but it's possible that a deal for the sale of company is closer to being completed.


Trump this week said that he identified a buyer to purchase TikTok from ByteDance, and according to Bloomberg, Trump's pick is an investor consortium that includes Oracle, Blackstone, and Andreessen Horowitz. The consortium was previously the top choice to buy TikTok back in April, but negotiations stalled due to trade tensions.

Any deal for TikTok has to be approved by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has previously declined to allow negotiations to move forward. "We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way," said Trump. "I think I'll need China approval, and I think President Xi will probably do it." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that China has "reiterated its principled position," and there was nothing to add, suggesting that China plans to continue to resist a deal for TikTok.

TikTok has been banned in the U.S. since January 19, and the law requires the social network to be sold to a non-Chinese company. Under the terms of the law, app stores are supposed to stop distributing the TikTok app or face consequences, but Trump has paused the enforcement of the mandate three times now.

The original deal with the investor consortium would have seen 50 percent of TikTok's U.S. business transferred to a new unit that would be owned by outside investors. Existing U.S. investors would continue to own 30 percent of TikTok's U.S. operations, and ByteDance would still have just under 20 percent ownership.

TikTok continues to be available for download.

Tag: TikTok

This article, "Amid Third TikTok Ban Extension, Trump Claims to Have Potential Buyer" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Rocket Engines That Flew 22 Space Shuttle Missions Are Ready for NASA’s Next Moon Mission

The Artemis II Space Launch System core stage is integrated with the solid rocket boosters inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

The four RS-25 engines were stripped from old Space Shuttles to equip Artemis Moon missions.The Artemis II Space Launch System core stage is integrated with the solid rocket boosters inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

The four RS-25 engines were stripped from old Space Shuttles to equip Artemis Moon missions.

Block ads everywhere with AdGuard for iOS

Perhaps the best ad blocker for iPhone and iOS

What is ad blocking?

Although ad blocking technology has existed since the introduction of iOS 9 a few years ago, not many people have taken advantage of it. Many simply do not know that they can block ads in Safari, and most apps overcharge for what is quite a simple piece of tech.

There has been an increase in the number of intrusive ads: pop-up ads, redirects that open up a new tab, and autoplay video ads that blast your speakers. The problem comes when there is a conflict of interest—users don’t want to pay for content, and publishers aren’t receiving enough advertising revenue. This ends up worse as content creators resort to increasingly deceptive and intrusive advertising.

Credit: businessofapps.com

Luckily, many third party developers have developed Safari extensions that allow you to remove almost all forms of advertisements when you browse the web.

For example, the Crystal app was pretty popular when it launched in 2015. I’ve used it before, but unfortunately it wasn’t well maintained and is mostly no longer relevant today.

I currently use AdGuard Pro for iOS, and I think it’s pretty cool. It’s probably one of the most useful apps I’ve used in a long time.

The distinction between AdGuard and other blockers

AdGuard blocks apps system wide.

I’m not sure if you understand this distinction, but AdGuard blocks ads in almost every third party app, not only just Safari.

AdGuard also:

  • has over 50 popular ad filters built into the app, so you don’t have to manually search for them
  • blocks trackers from fingerprinting your browser
  • blocks social widgets (like Facebook and Twitter) to speed up browsing
  • allows you setup your custom DNS server (e.g. 1.1.1.1)

I’ve been using AdGuard Pro for the past 4 months, and my own experience has been nothing short of smooth. The setup is fast and my browsing experience is now very lean and quick. Note that contrary to popular belief, ad blockers speed up webpage load times, not slow it down.

Toggle system-wide ad blocking via the iOS notification centre widget

My feature though, is that AdGuard allows you to toggle the system-wide ad blocking straight from the iOS notification centre widget. This feature is genius and allows you to turn it off temporarily as and when you need it.

If you value your time and want a clean browsing experience, get AdGuard here.

I’ll be looking to test out the macOS version of AdGuard next, so do look out for that.


Block ads everywhere with AdGuard for iOS was originally published in blog.shawjj on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

10 Shows Like ‘Squid Game’ You Should Watch Next

Deadly games for every mood.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Squid Game didn't invent its style of deadly competitive hijinks, which was first popularized way back in 2000 in Kinji Fukasaku's kids-killing-kids action fest Battle Royale, but it's certainly been smarter and sharper in its social satire, as well as buzzier: toys, games, Halloween costumes, and more have all sprung from the Squid Game font. (Interesting that we can't even enjoy a brutal takedown of late-stage capitalism without running out to buy some merch.)

With Squid Game currently at an end (at least until the potential David Fincher-led reboot), and with a year or so to go until the next Hunger Games movie, you might be on the hunt for a new high-stakes obsession. Here are 10 possibilities. (Just try to enjoy them while they're fictional: The United States Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering an immigration reality show in which refugees would compete for green cards, so we're already rather impressively close to a real-life Squid Game.)


The 8 Show (2024, miniseries)

A premise that might have seemed excessively on-the-nose a decade ago now looks like a reasonably good distillation of our current capitalist hellscape—and generally, South Korean TV shows and movies have been ahead of the curve when it comes to addressing the exploitative nature of late-stage capitalism. Here, eight strangers are selected to compete in a game in which they're locked together in a building and sequestered on different floors each night. They earn money for each minute they last in the game, but all their provisions must be purchased with money they've won, at an extreme markup. At first, the contestants pool their resources so that everyone gets more money—until they learn that people on higher floors are getting more. Then things get nasty. You can stream The 8 Show on Netflix.


3% (2016 – 2020, four seasons)

It would be tempting to see this as a metaphor for the American dream but, of course, it’s a Brazilian show, and it’s not as though inequality was invented in the United States—we’re just particularly good at it. In 3%, the impoverished young Inlanders have one shot at success: completing “The Process,” a series of interviews, puzzles, and escape rooms designed to test their worthiness to join a futuristic offshore utopia. Most fail, and many don’t survive, leaving a success rate of...3%. This is very much Hunger Games territory, but the show has a darker, more adult edge. It also has four seasons in which to develop its characters and mythology, allowing it to dig a bit deeper than some of its YA contemporaries. You can stream 3% on Netflix.


Panic (2021, miniseries)

There’s a lot here that’s familiar. A group of teens from a small Texas town compete in the annual competition of the title—a host of TV-attractive teenagers competing in a series of dangerous stunts. The primary innovation, as in the Lauren Oliver novel on which the show is based (she’s also the writer and show runner) are the stakes: They’re atypically low, and that's very much the point. Most of the other shows and movies on this list built tension by dangling dramatically big prizes before starry-eyed contestants. Here, the winner gets just $50,000 for engaging in a series of life-threatening stunts—indeed, as the series opens, two people had died the previous year, and the current year’s Panic won’t be without casualties. It’s good money, but it’s not exactly going to set anyone up for life, and it’s not nearly enough to inspire the town’s better-situated kids to get involved. For some, it represents a shot at moving out of town, or going to college—dreams well beyond most of the participants. While the richer kids kids go about their lives, the poor kids fight over scraps. You can stream Panic on Prime Video.


All of Us Are Dead (2022 – , renewed for a second season)

Stepping away from the "deadly games" genre, All of Us Are Dead is, instead, a zombie thriller. Here, high school is hell, almost literally, as a viral outbreak sees a school become ground zero for a strange plague. Though it's not clear at first, the teenagers soon realize that they've been quarantined from the rest of the city. Help isn't coming. Nihilism isn't uncommon in zombie narratives, nor are themes involving the breakdown of social structures. All of Us Are Dead, instead, explores the world of a cloistered high school under constant threat as a parallel to our own world: Class and background continue to be potent forces, even (or especially) amid the trauma of the attacks, and arbitrary social hierarchies solidify under the constant trauma rather than adapt. The closed school location is brilliantly utilized, and there's some appropriately soapy drama, as well. Look for Squid Game's Emmy-winner Lee Yoo-mi as spoiled rich kid Lee Na-yeon. You can stream All of Us Are Dead on Netflix.


The Wilds (2020 – 2022, two seasons)

In a sign of our streaming times, The Wilds was a buzzy, unexpected hit for Prime Video in its first season, only to lose viewership after taking a two-year break. The show works as a YA version of Lost—including a slightly ridiculous scenario involving a plane crash—with characters who get more engaging as the show goes along. Situated between flashbacks and flash-forwards, an airplane full of teenage girls from different places crashes on the way to an empowerment program in Hawaii. It quickly becomes clear that the accident was engineered, and that the whole thing is some sort of social experiment, forcing the survivors to compete against each other for survival. The show’s smart enough to understand the ways in which young women in the real-world are exploited and expected to compete against each other, which grounds the elaborate plot twists. You can stream The Wilds on Prime Video.


Alice in Borderland (2020 – renewed for a third season)

Video-game obsessed Arisu gets his wish, after a fashion, when he finds himself, along with a couple of friends, transported to an alternate, eerily abandoned version of Tokyo—the title’s Borderland—vividly brought to life via some clever green screen work. The three are directed to an arena and given the instructions for the game, which they’ll be playing whether they want to or not. The first competition involves a locked-room-style puzzle; if they fail, the room goes up in flames with them in it—think Ready Player One, with deadlier stakes. There are games each night, though the rules allow for winners to get time off...there are a lot of rules, actually, but the games are cleverly and sadistically constructed. It’s been renewed for a third season, coming in September. You can stream Alice in Borderland on Netflix.


Snowpiercer (2020 – 2024)

Though it initially feels like an unnecessarily extended imitation of Bong Joon Ho's allegorical post-apocalyptic film, the show quickly takes on a life of its own as a clever sci-fi melodrama, smartly recognizing that there are no heroes and few true villains at the end of the world—mostly just people doing whatever they can to survive. In a frozen future (2026 to be precise), humanity survives on an extremely long train that circumnavigates the globe. If it were ever to sop, everyone dies. Those who came aboard with wealth live near the front in relative luxury, while the poor live on scraps in the train's tail. Daveed Diggs stars as former detective Andre Layton, a Tailie deputized by Jennifer Connelly's Melanie Cavill, engineer and the train's Head of Hospitality, to solve a series of murders. The inevitable uprising that follows sees the two of them on different sides of a violent conflict, before each realizes they're being manipulated by others. You can stream Snowpiercer on AMC+ or buy episodes from Prime Video.


The Purge (2018 – 2019, two seasons)

The Purge film series has always projected a high-minded veneer of social allegory over what are, in essence, exploitation-style home invasion thrillers. The series exists in much the same vein, tying in to the movies while also serving as an entry point. Here, we meet former Marine Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria), whose sister Penelope (Jessica Garza) has joined up with a Purge-adjacent cult. Jane (Amanda Warren) is spending the Purge night holed up in her office trying to get some work done for her boss (William Baldwin); a couple of real estate developers are attending a Purge Night gala hoping for an investment from an ultra-wealthy oligarch (Reed Diamond). The disparate stories come together over the course of several episodes that also dig into franchise mythology a little more deeply than in the films. You can stream The Purge on Hulu and Peacock.


Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor (2007 – 2008)

People in deep debt are given the opportunity to play deadly versions of children's games against other players, with the hope of getting enough cash to pay their bills. Sound familiar? Though it's from another country and a different decade, the anime Kaiji is about as close as you're likely to come to Squid Game's brand of darkly satirical thrills. (Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has cited the original manga as an influence.) Kaiji Itō is a gambler who's lost everything when he's approached by a loan shark to participate in a highly secretive offshore gambling event. He'll compete in events, including a lethal version of "Rock, Paper, Scissors," while others gamble on him and his competitors for their amusement. You can stream Kaiji on Crunchyroll and HIDIVE or rent episodes from Prime Video.


Death's Game (2023 – 2024)

Seo In-guk stars as Choi Yee-jae, a young man who gives up on life after years of being unable to find work, eventually resolving to end his own life. Death (Park So-dam) isn't at all impressed by his cavalier attitude—in fact, she's pissed, and sentences him to experience a dozen lives on the brink of death before she drags him to hell. First he's a powerful heir, then a bullied highs school student, then a neglected child, etc. Think Quantum Leap, but with more dying. Experiencing lives (and deaths) through the eyes of others, Yee-jae comes to realize that he'd prefer to live, thank you very much and, further, if he can save the life of anyone he enters, he'll be able to stay. You can stream Death's Game on Prime Video.

Kaiji, The Purge

Quantum tech is coming — and with it a risk of cyber doomsday

The EU, and much of the rest of the world, wants critical infrastructure to move to post-quantum security by 2030.

BRUSSELS — The European Union wants to speed up quantum computing, but cybersecurity officials warn that it comes with a gargantuan risk: an impending quantum security doomsday.

The European Commission on Wednesday warned that Europe has fallen behind the United States and China in rolling out the technology, in a new quantum strategy aimed at drawing investment and turning the bloc’s know-how into an economic advantage.

Quantum computing is seen as the next frontier in technology. Its capabilities surpass those of existing supercomputers, enabling it to solve problems in areas ranging from drug discovery to battery technology, as well as communications and navigation tech for defense and space.

However, it also presents a big problem for cybersecurity.

Modern-day digital communications, internet traffic and data collections are secured using a system called public key cryptography, which relies on complex mathematics that regular computers can’t solve. But quantum computers — which are many times more powerful than today’s computers — could crack those codes easily, experts have warned.

“Everything breaks,” said Nigel Smart, a professor with the computer security and industrial cryptography department at KU Leuven, a Belgian university. “Your phone, the internet, everything breaks. Not break as in doesn’t work, breaks as in, it’s not secure.”

Once quantum computers reach the inflection point, it would effectively mean that most of today’s data zooming around on internet wires would be readable to anyone tapping in.

A particularly eerie problem is what’s known as “store now, decrypt later,” where threat actors — notably intelligence agencies — take data that’s encrypted with public key cryptography, retain it and then unlock it once quantum computing technology is sufficiently advanced.

The challenge for European countries will be to defend themselves against these emerging threats — or else fall prey to foreign spooks, cyber crooks and hackers.

The European Union warned in its quantum strategy on Wednesday that the bloc is at risk of seeing promising homegrown quantum tech firms falling into the hands of foreign players.

Europe is the global leader in the number of scientific publications on the technology, but private investment has mostly gone elsewhere: Europe attracts only 5 percent of global private quantum funding, compared to over 50 percent by the U.S. and 40 percent by China, according to the EU’s calculations.

The details of the strategy were first reported by POLITICO.

2030 deadline

In parallel with the Commission’s grand plan to speed up on quantum, European authorities have been developing guidelines to mitigate the risks of encryption being broken.

Cybersecurity authorities released a roadmap last month to transition to post-quantum cryptography, a type of algorithm that could resist quantum computers. It suggested that EU countries protect critical infrastructure with post-quantum cybersecurity by the end of 2030 — a deadline first reported by POLITICO.

U.S. tech giant IBM, a frontrunner in quantum tech, recently announced it expects to have the first workable quantum computer by 2029. | Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

The dates proposed by European cyber officials roughly aligned with those put forward by the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

U.S. tech giant IBM, a frontrunner in quantum tech, recently announced it expects to have the first workable quantum computer by 2029. That underlines the urgency of securing critical data.

“The fact that we have this roadmap now and that all of the EU member states agreed on this … I think this is really a big step,” said Stephan Ehlen, a cryptography expert at the German cybersecurity agency and one of the authors of the roadmap.

But making a plan is just the start.

“This is not only about these algorithms, it’s a huge migration problem … It affects billions and billions of systems,” said Bart Preneel, a cryptographer also from KU Leuven. “It’s a very complex problem that you cannot solve in a few A4s.”

It’s also a problem that hits home with national governments and their security and intelligence services. Several European governments have imposed export restrictions on quantum technology; the real concern for governments is whether their own communications are affected, and whether “everything they’re doing can be exposed,” Preneel said.

Some experts have downplayed a doomsday scenario for quantum, arguing that even if computers are developed that can break modern encryption, it still requires a significant amount of work and money to do so.

The EU has no excuse not to push on, said Manfred Lochter, another official at the German cyber agency. “If you don’t have access to quantum technologies, then you’re lost.”

Vessels of Decay

Det började ju så bra. När syskonen Freja och Muds äventyr tar sin början blir jag direkt golvad av den underbara pixelgrafiken. Någon timme in i deras färd genom det post-apokalyptiska landskapet har även ljudet krupit under skinnet på mig ett flertal gånger. De mysiga pixlarna och ljudbilden är helt enkelt fantastiska och jag är beredd och hoppfull på ett uppslukande och spännande retroinspirerat äventyr. Men för varje timme som sedan går så minskar engagemanget mer och mer. Till den grad att jag till slut landar i att jag är besviken. Men av vilka anledningar? Ja, det ska vi givetvis dyka vidare i.

Men vi börjar från början och med det premissen för äventyret. Syskonen pratar om en bortgången mor och hur de har en möjlighet att återuppväcka henne. De ska ge sig ut på en jakt efter varelser som sägs kontrollera livet och döden. Varelser som går under många namn där ett av dessa då är "{Vessels of Decay}". Det är en start som sätter stämningen direkt och när de ger sig ut i ett landskap där naturen klätt byggnader i snårig grönska, övergivna fordon fyller vägarna och märkliga monster till synes finns överallt - ja, då var det, som jag skrev i inledningen, inte svårt att till en början bli fascinerad och uppslukad. Vessels of Decay fungerar i grunden som ett rätt simpelt action-äventyr; du tar dig framåt, löser enklare pussel och slåss mot monster.
<bild>Grafiken är ofta fantastisk att vila ögonen på.</bild>
De första problemen började dock ganska tidigt. Någon timme in i äventyret hade jag råkat ut för några buggar och att spelet kraschade. Vid ett tidigt tillfälle under en boss-fight triggades inte själva fortsättningen när bossen var besegrad så det var bara att göra om striden. Just detta att fortsättningen inte sätter igång efter en sekvensens skedde sedan ett flertalet gånger. Jag kan dock förlåta sådant här om det i övrigt är bra - och ja, jag sveptes som sagt till en början med. Men sedan är det som att mycket av det som jag på förhand hoppades på inte riktigt når upp till en högre nivå eller existerar alls.

Berättelsen, exempelvis, lovar gott - syskonen pratar då om mystiska varelser och krafter som kan återuppväcka deras döda moder. Men berättelsen och dialogerna försvinner sedan nästan helt. Det är som att den atmosfär och mystik som snabbt etablerades helt glöms bort förutom att det då och då dyker upp några enstaka repliker. Vilket är synd - för det hade kunnat ges ett bra avbrott till den annars ganska monotona färden genom miljöerna. Jag kräver liksom inga mellansekvenser eller ett manus fullt av repliker. Men allt blir lite för simpelt och rätt ointressant när ingen relation, inget världsbygge eller berättelse som sådan sedan finns.

Det är mycket annat som känns lovande men som dras ner av att det är halvfärdigt eller då buggigt. Just buggarna dyker också sedan upp tätare och tätare. Drygt fem timmar in i äventyret är exempelvis min livsmätare nere på botten. Detta oavsett om jag plockar upp hjärtan som tidigare fyllt på livet. Att starta om från en check-point löser en del men inte just detta problem. Så jag har helt enkelt fått kämpa mig genom stora delar av äventyret med att bara tåla en enda träff.
<bild>Utomhus är spelet som bäst även om striderna snabbt blir trista.</bild>
Lika delar frustrerande som buggarna är så är jag även lika delar besviken att många saker inte riktigt känns så finslipade. De rätt simpla hack 'n' slash-striderna gör lite för att engagera och spelets pussel är mer av en "leta upp denna saken i mörka miljöer och sätt den på denna platsen". Det finns ett färdighetsträd men de färdigheter man kan låsa upp gör väldigt lite för att göra striderna varierande. De känns istället mest som en knapp att trycka på för att åstadkomma lite mer skada. Här finns också avrättningar man kan göra när man fått ner livsmätaren på sina fiender. Med ett knapptryck får man en liten cool animerade sekvens men dessa blir i längden mest bara enformiga. Precis som så mycket annat, tyvärr.

Utomhus är miljöerna ofta underbara. Sett då till det visuella. Det faktum att utvecklarna är från Sverige finns det gott om avspelningar till. På lastbilar står det "mjölk", när man lämnar en tunnelbanestation kan man läsa "Hornstull" på skylten ovanför entrén och det finns mycket annat sådant här som får en att le. Vad som däremot inte får en att dra på mungiporna särskilt mycket är inomhusmiljöerna. Både nämnda tunnelbanestation, flertalet grottor och andra mörka miljöer känns otroligt oinspirerande och det är också i dessa som ganska oprecisa kontroller, frustrerande moment och sökandet genom rum som ser likadana ut blir som allra tråkigast. Man längtar helt enkelt till att hamna ovanför mark igen. Men när väl sedan gör det så märker man att spelets omfång börjar bli ordentligt tröttsam. Det sker några saker för att bryta upp det och skapa nya utmaningar men det är i långa stunder alldeles för likadant.
<bild>Man får lära sig leva utan mjölk när världen gått under.</bild>
Med tanke på pixelgrafiken känns det kanske dumt att använda uttrycket "yta före innehåll". Men eftersom det visuella också i mångt och mycket är spelets starkaste sida så känns det ändå passande. Det är tyvärr mycket som också inte riktigt känns finslipat eller testat vid sidan om buggarna (och krascherna). Som exempel kan nämnas att man i de mörka grottorna kan slå på en slags växt så att ett ljus följer en, men om man dör eller ramlat ner för ett stup så börjar man liksom om i komplett mörker eftersom ljuset försvunnit. Precis som med mycket annat får man då gå in i menyn och välja att börja om från en check-point.

Alla tekniska missöden hade givetvis påverkat betyget ordentligt i sig men om det funnits ett mer spännande spel vid sidan om dem så hade jag nog ändå kunnat se förbi mycket av det Tyvärr faller en lovande premiss på flertalet andra punkter vilket är väldigt synd och det hela mynnar ut i en ordentlig besvikelse.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Remember “cybersecurity”?

its-cybersecurity-yay

Mysterious hooded computer guys doing mysterious hooded computer guy... things! Who knows what kind of naughty digital mischief they might be up to?

Unfortunately, we now live in a world where this kind of digital mischief is literally rewriting the world’s history. For proof

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Remember “cybersecurity”?

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Mysterious hooded computer guys doing mysterious hooded computer guy... things! Who knows what kind of naughty digital mischief they might be up to?

Unfortunately, we now live in a world where this kind of digital mischief is literally rewriting the world’s history. For proof of that, you need look no further than this single email that was sent March 19th, 2016.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

If you don’t recognize what this is, it is a phishing email.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

This is by now a very, very famous phishing email, arguably the most famous of all time. But let’s consider how this email even got sent to its target in the first place:

  • An attacker slurped up lists of any public emails of 2008 political campaign staffers.
  • One 2008 staffer was also hired for the 2016 political campaign.
  • That particular staffer had non-public campaign emails in their address book, and one of them was a powerful key campaign member with an extensive email history.

On successful phish leads to an even wider address book attack net down the line. Once they gain access to a person’s inbox, they use it to prepare to their next attack. They’ll harvest existing email addresses, subject lines, content, and attachments to construct plausible looking boobytrapped emails and mail them to all of their contacts. How sophisticated and targeted to a particular person this effort is determines whether it’s so-called “spear” phishing or not.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

In this case is it was not at all targeted. This is a remarkably unsophisticated, absolutely generic routine phishing attack. There is zero focused attack effort on display here. But note the target did not immediately click the link in the email!

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Instead, he did exactly what you’d want a person to do in this scenario: he emailed IT support and asked if this email was valid. But IT made a fatal mistake in their response.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Do you see it? Here’s the kicker:

Mr. Delavan, in an interview, said that his bad advice was a result of a typo: He knew this was a phishing attack, as the campaign was getting dozens of them. He said he had meant to type that it was an “illegitimate” email, an error that he said has plagued him ever since.

One word. He got one word wrong. But what a word to get wrong, and in the first sentence! The email did provide the proper Google address to reset your password. But the lede was already buried since the first sentence said “legitimate;” the phishing link in that email was then clicked. And the rest is literally history.

What’s even funnier (well, in the way of gallows humor, I guess) is that public stats were left enabled for that bit.ly tracking link, so you can see exactly what crazy domain that “Google login page” resolved to, and that it was clicked exactly twice, on the same day it was mailed.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

As I said, these were not exactly sophisticated attackers. So yeah, in theory an attentive user could pay attention to the browser’s address bar and notice that after clicking the link, they arrived at

http://myaccount.google.com-securitysettingpage.tk/security/signinoptions/password

instead of

https://myaccount.google.com/security

Note that the phishing URL is carefully constructed so the most “correct” part is at the front, and weirdness is sandwiched in the middle. Unless you’re paying very close attention and your address bar is long enough to expose the full URL, it’s… tricky. See this 10 second video for a dramatic example.

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(And if you think that one’s good, check out this one. Don’t forget all the Unicode look-alike trickery you can pull, too.)

I originally wrote this post as a presentation for the Berkeley Computer Science Club back in March, and at that time I gathered a list of public phishing pages I found on the web.

nightlifesofl.com
ehizaza-limited.com
tcgoogle.com
appsgoogie.com
security-facabook.com

Of those five examples from 6 months ago, one is completely gone, one loads just fine, and three present an appropriately scary red interstitial warning page that strongly advises you not to visit the page you’re trying to visit, courtesy of Google’s safe browsing API. But of course this kind of shared blacklist domain name protection will be completely useless on any fresh phishing site. (Don’t even get me started on how blacklists have never really worked anyway.)

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

It doesn’t exactly require a PhD degree in computer science to phish someone:

  • Buy a crazy long, realistic looking domain name.
  • Point it to a cloud server somewhere.
  • Get a free HTTPS certificate courtesy of our friends at Let’s Encrypt.
  • Build a realistic copy of a login page that silently transmits everything you type in those login fields to you – perhaps even in real time, as the target types.
  • Harvest email addresses and mass mail a plausible looking phishing email with your URL.

I want to emphasize that although clearly mistakes were made in this specific situation, none of the people involved here were amateurs. They had training and experience. They were working with IT and security professionals. Furthermore, they knew digital attacks were incoming.

The… campaign was no easy target; several former employees said the organization put particular stress on digital safety.

Work emails were protected by two-factor authentication, a technique that uses a second passcode to keep accounts secure. Most messages were deleted after 30 days and staff went through phishing drills. Security awareness even followed the campaigners into the bathroom, where someone put a picture of a toothbrush under the words: “You shouldn’t share your passwords either.”

The campaign itself used two factor auth extensively, which is why personal Gmail accounts were targeted, because they were less protected.

The key takeaway here is that it’s basically impossible, statistically speaking, to prevent your organization from being phished.

Or is it?

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Nobody is doing better work in this space right now than Maciej Ceglowski and Tech Solidarity. Their list of basic security precautions for non-profits and journalists is pure gold and has been vetted by many industry professionals with security credentials that are actually impressive, unlike mine. Everyone should read this list very closely, point by point.

Everyone?

Computers, courtesy of smartphones, are now such a pervasive part of average life for average people that there is no longer any such thing as “computer security.” There is only security. In other words, these are normal security practices everyone should be familiar with. Not just computer geeks. Not just political activists and politicians. Not just journalists and nonprofits.

0:00
/0:02

Everyone.

It is a fair bit of reading, so because I know you are just as lazy as I am, and I am epically lazy, let me summarize what I view as the three important takeaways from the hard work Tech Solidarity put into these resources. These three short sentences are the 60 second summary of what you want to do, and what you want to share with others so they do, too.

1) Enable Two Factor authentication through an app, and not SMS, everywhere you can.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

Logging in with only a password, now matter how long and unique you attempt to make that password, will never be enough. A password is what you know; you need to add the second factor of something you have (or something you are) to achieve significant additional security. SMS can famously be intercepted, social engineered, or sim-jacked all too easily. If it’s SMS, it’s not secure, period. So install an authenticator app, and use it, at least for your most important credentials such as your email account and your bank.

Have I mentioned that Discourse added two factor authentication support in version 2.0, and our just released 2.1 adds printed backup codes, too? There are two paths forward: you can talk about the solution, or you can build the solution. I’m trying to do both to the best of my ability. Look for the 2FA auth option in your user preferences on your favorite Discourse instance. It’s there for you.

(This is also a company policy at Discourse; if you work here, you 2FA everything all the time. No other login option exists.)

2) Make all your passwords 11 characters or more.

It’s a long story, but anything under 11 characters is basically the same as having no password at all these days. I personally recommend at least 14 characters, maybe even 16. But this won’t be a problem for you, because...

3) Use a password manager.

If you use a password manager, you can simultaneously avoid the pernicious danger of password re-use and the difficulty of coming up with unique and random passwords all the time. It is my hope in the long run that cloud based password management gets deeply built into Android, iOS, OSX, and Windows so that people don’t need to run a weird mélange of third party apps to achieve this essential task. Password management is foundational and should not be the province of third parties on principle, because you never outsource a core competency.

Bonus rule! For the particularly at-risk, get and use a U2F key.

In the long term, two factor through an app isn’t quite secure enough due to the very real (and growing) specter of real-time phishing. Authentication apps offer timed keys that expire after a minute or two, but if the attacker can get you to type an authentication key and relay it to the target site fast enough, they can still log in as you. If you need ultimate protection, look into U2F keys.

There is no longer any such thing as Computer Security

I believe U2F support is still too immature at the moment, particularly on mobile, for this to be practical for the average person right now. But if you do happen to fall into those groups that will be under attack, you absolutely want to set up U2F keys where you can today. They’re cheap, and the good news is that they literally make phishing impossible at last. Given that Google had 100% company-wide success against phishing with U2F, we know this works.

In today’s world, computers are now so omnipresent that there is no longer any such thing as cybersecurity, online security, or computer security – there’s only security. You either have it, or you don’t. If you follow and share these three rules, hopefully you too can have a modicum of security today.

Saving history one story at a time

This summer marks 80 years since the end of World War II when Allied forces liberated Nazi-occupied Europe, and also began to discover the horrific scale of the Holocaust.

An estimated six million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.

With the passage of time, there are fewer and fewer survivors who can tell the stories of what they witnessed and endured.

Once fringe ideas of Holocaust denial are spreading. Multiple members of President Donald Trump's administration have expressed support for Nazi sympathizers and people who promote antisemitism.

The stories of those who lived through the Holocaust are in danger of being forgotten. And there's a race against time to record as many as possible.

In this episode, the story of a Jewish man who survived Buchenwald and an American soldier, who helped liberate the concentration camp.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.The memorial of the former Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, 11 April 2015. On 11 April 1945, US troops arrived at the camp which held 21,000 prisoners.

This summer marks 80 years since the end of World War II when Allied forces liberated Nazi-occupied Europe, and also began to discover the horrific scale of the Holocaust.

An estimated six million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.

With the passage of time, there are fewer and fewer survivors who can tell the stories of what they witnessed and endured.

Once fringe ideas of Holocaust denial are spreading. Multiple members of President Donald Trump's administration have expressed support for Nazi sympathizers and people who promote antisemitism.

The stories of those who lived through the Holocaust are in danger of being forgotten. And there's a race against time to record as many as possible.

In this episode, the story of a Jewish man who survived Buchenwald and an American soldier, who helped liberate the concentration camp.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Sebastian Kahnert)

The Best Fans for Any Budget

The warmer months are finally here.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

As long as you know where to place them throughout your home, fans can be an invaluable tool in fighting the heat during the summer, saving you money on electricity bills and keeping your place livable. I use fans all year round to combat the the sweltering conditions caused by my ancient radiator, so I know a thing or two about the best ones. Here are some great fans to keep you cool.

The best fans for your home under or around $80

If you're on a budget, these are the fans you should be looking out for, since they're effective without breaking the bank.

Up until last summer, I had this Lasko oscillating tower fan ($69.99 after coupon), and it lasted me a commendable seven years. It would have lasted longer if I hadn't knocked it over so often and neglected to clean it as well as I should have (so please clean your fans), but even when the vents were full of dust, this bad boy blasted cool air far and wide. At 42 inches tall, it's a little cumbersome, so only pick it up if you have the space for it and the willingness to clean a bunch of tiny slats on the back. It's no-frills (save for a convenient remote control that enables you to change the speed and toggle on the oscillation from across the room), but it does mean business.

I replaced that Lasko with the Antarctic Star tower fan ($64.99) and am personally very happy with it. Like other models here, it has a remote control, oscillates, and has three different speeds. It was easy to set up and has a cute light pink color. If aesthetics are important to you but you still want something powerful, this has my full endorsement. It's running next to me right now and is still as powerful and relatively quiet as it was last year. It's forceful enough that I keep it across the room from me when I work out on my Peloton and it manages to give me the perfect breeze from several feet away.

If you want something that has a wide radius, consider a Levoit tower fan ($74.99), which can cool up to 25 feet away. Reviewers have put the claim to the test, demonstrating that it actually does reach 25 feet, which is great news for anyone with a large room that needs some air circulation. Since this one is on the spendier side of our budget allowance, I recommend waiting to buy it if you can. Per price-tracking tool CamelCamelCamel, this model has gone on sale for as low as $59.49. Granted, the price will probably stay higher in the summer, when consumers want fans most, but don't forget that Prime Day and all the shopping holiday's associated deals are on the way.

On the smaller side, I picked up this Conbola desk fan ($26.57) two years ago and can't believe how much I still like it. I use a small fan on my nightstand to generate white noise at night and while this is much smaller and sleeker than the relative behemoth I had before, it's just as powerful and just noisy enough for bedtime. What drew me to it was its pink color, of course, but what made me love it was its features: It only needs a small USB cord to function and when plugged in, it's also charging, so it can be moved around and doesn't need to be tethered to an outlet at all times. A few months ago, I very nearly broke this fan while testing out a cleaning hack. I was devastated; it's such a perfect little object that does exactly what I need it to do. Fortunately, it was safe in the end (a testament to its resilience, no doubt!). If you want something that holds up under pressure and looks good doing it for a mere $26, you know what to do.

Conbola, a brand to which I have become strangely loyal after the great success of my little pink fan, also makes a bladeless desk option ($39.99) for those who want that Dyson look without the Dyson price (more on that in a moment). You get three speed options, touch controls, and the ability to charge it and move it around. The nice thing about bladeless fans is how easy they are to clean: Wipe out the inside and use a dust cloth on the vents without ever having to take it apart.

Pricier fan options

There are a lot of things in life you can get by with cheaping out on, but whether you want to gamble with the heat is really up to you. Personally, I am a penny pincher and I adore the cheap, pink fans I detailed above, but I also know that heat is dangerous to not only your physical health, but your mental health, too. Depending on where you live and what you're willing to shell out, this might be the summer you invest in a big, fancy fan.

Could this be the year you finally pull the trigger on the expensive, but effective, Dyson? Dyson's whole deal is air, whether using it to suck up dirt from the carpet or curl wet hair, so it is trustworthy when it comes to fans. A Purifier Cool Gen1 TP10 is $337 and the AM07 Air Multiplier is $369.99. You can also try Hot+Cool AM09 Jet Focus for $469.99, using it to cool down in the summer and heat up in the winter. Even though it doesn't come in pink, that's been on my wishlist forever, since I experienced how well it works during a memorable stay in an Airbnb. Maybe Prime Day will bring me a deal.

The Vornado Silver Swan Alchemy ($199.99) is praised by the New York Times for being an "upgrade" over other fans because it is high-performance, pretty quiet, and oscillating. Now, I don't have this, but I do know that for some people, aesthetics play a big role in shopping even for household necessities—and I really like how it looks. The Times calls it an "attractive retro design." I call it damn cool, pun intended.

The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kid Culture: The 'Dusting Challenge'

Nothing is quite what it seems in kid culture this week.

This week’s Out-of-Touch guide is brought to you by the letter "M" for misinformation. We have TikTok challenges that probably don’t exist, hacks for not paying back your student loans that definitely won't work, and a meme videos about bacon and avocado that has nothing to do with food, all meant to illuminate the dark chasm between what adults think is happening and what’s actually going on. So let's grab a flashlight and let's go!

TikTok tricks for getting rid of student loans

If your college-age kid thinks they’ve discovered a cool hack to get out of paying student loans, they haven’t. There are a bunch of videos like this one that purport to demonstrate "one cool trick" to get out of repaying money the government lends for education. Two of these four tricks flat out won’t work. The other two could work, but the cure may be worse than the disease.

Disputing student loan charges: You can challenge your student loan debt (or any debt) with credit reporting agencies. The agencies might temporarily remove the debt from your report until the dispute is settled, but you have to keep paying during the dispute period, and you will almost definitely lose. Then the loan will reappear on your credit report.

Filing a privacy report:  Some contend that the recent activity of DOGE violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and that loan-holders can use that violation to discharge student debt. They can’t, and there (probably) wasn't a violation of FERPA. A lawsuit is in progress to determine if DOGE violated the Privacy Act of 1974, but FERPA applies to schools distributing private info, not federal agencies. Here’s how Andrew Miltenberg, who defends college students as a partner at Nesenoff and Miltenberg, put it: “It is complete fiction that at this moment in time you can get your loans forgiven for a FERPA violation.”

Never leaving school: Since the repayment schedule for subsidized federal student loans doesn’t begin until six months after you finish school, theoretically, one could continue to stay in school at least half-time and never pay anything back. This one is legit, but requires adopting an entire lifestyle, and if you keep borrowing for more school, you keep locking yourself in further to education. And what has education ever done for anyone? 

Just not paying it back: This isn’t advisable as it will kill your credit rating, but they can’t throw you in jail, you know? At least not yet.

Why is everyone saying “Bacon Avocado”?

If you hear your kids saying “bacon avocado” lately, do not be alarmed. It's not a new drug or sexual practice. They're not planning to make you a sandwich either. Bacon avocado is a harmless meme that’s taking off on TikTok. It’s a bait-and-switch video format that works like this: You post a video promising to say “bacon avocado” is quickly as possible. Then you slow down the playback to reveal a different message.

The secret words can be anything from advice:

To a personal ad:

to random vulgarity:

If you’d like to see more, there are a ton of bacon avocado videos here.  

What is “The Dusting Challenge”?

If you hear your kid talking about “The Dusting Challenge,” you should be alarmed—but you probably won’t hear them talking about it. Like many media reports of “dangerous online challenges,” going viral, what’s actually "going viral" is the hysteria, not the challenge. Like most reports of online dangers, this is a mix of tragedy with misinformation. The tragedy: On June 1, Arizona 19-year-old Renna O’Rourke died of “sudden sniffing death syndrome” from inhaling computer dusting spray to get high. The misinformation: Media sources are reporting that the death was part of a “TikTok trend” or “an online trend” called “The Dusting Challenge.”

Even though some sources report “Dusting Challenge” videos are getting “millions of views,” I can't find any such videos on TikTok. There are reposted news reports about “the dusting challenge on TikTok,” but no videos of kids participating in something called “The Dusting Challenge” or encouraging each other to inhale computer dusting spray. TikTok locks down harmful content quickly these days, besides, so framing something as “The XXXX Challenge” isn’t even a thing anymore. A more realistic perspective: Kids have always huffed things to get high (spray paint, airplane glue, etc.), it's dangerous and stupid, but kids do dangerous and stupid things without a social media campaign encouraging it.

What does IWEL mean?

A new acronym is growing in popularity on TikTok comment sections this week. IWEL means “I wouldn’t even lie.” Another variant: IWL, or “I wouldn’t lie.” So “IWEL” is in. “No cap” is out.

It’s interesting how many youth slang words are meant to convey the idea of telling the truth—no cap, dead ass, etc.— as if in response to the misinformation being spread everywhere, by everyone. 

In a broader sense, IWEL is the latest “internet only” acronym that include classics like “LOL” (“laughing out loud) and newer entries like YWLTSMHBYC (“you will live to see manmade horrors beyond your comprehension") OK, kids aren’t really using that last one, but they should be. 

(If you’d like more definitions of current slang, check out my glossary: “’Aura Farming,' 'Huzz,' and Other Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding.”)

Viral video of the week: Black widow vs. Venus Flytrap

Unlike the dubious challenges and bogus hacks above, this week’s viral video delivers exactly what it promises: pure results. The problem with many burning internet questions is that they can't ethically be tested—who’s going to volunteer for "100 men vs. one gorilla?”  That's what makes insect YouTuber TerraGreen's video so satisfying. In Black Widow vs. Venus Flytrap, he takes the age-old debate of poisonous spider vs. carnivorous plant and settles it with real experimentation. He also tests flies and crickets against cheap flytraps versus expensive ones as a bonus. Spoiler: It ends exactly how you'd expect, with black widows being trapped and digested by flytraps. It’s not like spider venom works on plants. But ultimately, any excuse for footage of flytraps munching on spiders is good enough. 

The New ‘Nothing’ Phone and Headphones Double Down on Unique Design

The company has made it's name on odd-looking tech that stands out.

Nothing's phones have always looked a little different than the rest, going all the way back to the 2022 original, with its futuristic stylings and light-up glyphs on the back casing. With its new Phone 3 and Headphone 1 products, Nothing is pushing even further into alternative aesthetics—at a time when most smartphones look roughly similar, you certainly won't mistake them for any other company's devices.

The Nothing Phone 3 has a "puzzling" design

First up the Nothing Phone 3, following on from the mid-range Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro launched earlier this year. The rear casing looks like a sliding block puzzle, with hints of the now defunct Project Ara modular phone project from Google. The three rear 50MP cameras and a flash are on four of these blocks, with what Nothing is calling a Glyph Matrix up in the top right corner.

That little monochrome display can show a number of different bits of information, including notifications, and even be used to play simple games (including Rock, Paper, Scissors). It can also work as a simple viewfinder, to make sure you've got everyone in the frame before you hit the shutter button.

Nothing Phone 3
The Nothing Phone 3 features a Glyph Matrix display on the rear. Credit: Nothing

You can pick up the phone in white or black. One the front, you've got a 6.67-inch OLED screen running at a 120 Hz refresh rate and with a 2800 x 1260 pixel resolution. The handset offers IP68 water and dust protection, and the cameras are rounded off by a 50MP selfie camera on the front.

And what about the insides? The Phone 3 is running a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor from Qualcomm, matched with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There's a 5,150mAh capacity battery here (up from 4,700mAh on the Nothing Phone 2), with 65W wired and 15W wireless charging rates.

Software duties are handled by Nothing OS 3.5, which is based on Android 15. We are expecting a pretty major update with Nothing OS 4.0 (based on Android 16) in the near future, however: The upgrade is due before the end of September, and Nothing CEO Carl Pei has dropped several hints that big AI features are in the offing.

As we speculated last month, the price might be a tough sell: The Nothing Phone (3) starts at $799 for the 12GB/256GB model, so you're paying as much as you would for a Google Pixel 9, an iPhone 16, or a Samsung Galaxy S25, which is some tough competition. Opt for the 16GB/512GB version, and that price rises to $899.

That's flagship-level pricing for not-quite-flagship-level specs: The Phone 3 doesn't use the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, like the Galaxy S25 does, for example. However, the unusual looks and quirky features of the handset may make it appealing enough to a broad set of people—and it certainly has enough power for most.

The handset will be available to buy on July 15.

The Headphone 1 cans have a chunky appeal

Nothing Headphone 1
The Nothing Headphone 1 in white. Credit: Nothing

Nothing has also launched its first over-ear headphones, the Nothing Headphone 1 (using the singular form in the name). Again, you can see a reluctance to follow conventional thinking when it comes to the design: Passers-by will definitely be able to tell you're not wearing a standard set of cans on your head when you've got these on.

Developed in partnership with audio experts KEF, the headphones boast 40 mm drivers, and bring with them active noise cancellation (ANC), a transparency mode, and spatial audio with head tracking (so sounds from supported sources will shift as you move your head). Nothing says you'll get up to 35 hours of battery life with ANC on.

The Nothing Headphone 1 also sports an array of physical buttons, and 3.5 mm, USB-C, and wireless Bluetooth connectivity. As with the Nothing Phone 3, your color choices are black or white, and they'll set you back $299. They're also debuting on July 15.

Trump Should Have Never Ditched the Iran Nuclear Deal

The JCPOA was working before the U.S. pulled out in 2018, and another accord is still the best way forward.

President Trump Departs White House For New Jersey

Questions remain over the true damage to Iran’s nuclear program. But as conflicting comments and reports come in from the Trump Administration and Pentagon intelligence estimates, one thing is certain: Trump’s failed diplomacy got us in this mess. 

I should know. Ten years ago, I was in Vienna as part of the U.S. team negotiating a deal to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. 

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Those negotiations culminated in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It was Trump’s decision in 2018 to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal that ultimately led to the perilous situation in the Middle East today. 

The JCPOA was the result of a sustained campaign of principled, effective U.S. diplomacy. President Obama began laying groundwork for this nuclear deal as soon as he came to office in 2009. His view—shared then and now across the U.S. political spectrum—was that the U.S. cannot accept a nuclear-armed Iran. At the time, Iran claimed that its nuclear energy program was for exclusively peaceful uses. Yet given evidence of Iran’s past interest in possessing a nuclear bomb prior to 2003, the U.S. could not take this claim at face value.

To get the nuclear deal, Obama and his national security team rallied the world to increase pressure on Tehran. The U.S., E.U., and other allies put in place punishing sanctions. The U.N. Security Council followed suit with a fresh round of sanctions in June 2010 that were wide-ranging and targeted the nuclear program

These sanctions worked: they convinced Iran to come to the negotiating table. To iron out the technical provisions of a deal, the U.S. then put together a team of top career diplomats, nuclear scientists, lawyers, and sanctions experts. It was a remarkable lineup of American patriots and professionals. It was my great honor to serve on that team.

Our goal was to offer Iran phased and reversible sanctions relief in exchange for far-reaching limits on Iran’s nuclear activities. To maximize leverage, we coordinated with other countries, including not just European allies but also Russia and China. It was difficult, exacting, high-stakes work—for months on end.

The effort paid off. Iran agreed to substantial limits on its nuclear activities, including to export out of the country around 98% of its enriched uranium stockpile. Iran’s commitments were then subject to intrusive and permanent international monitoring. By the end of the Obama Administration, the deal was working, with all sides implementing their commitments

Trump’s abrupt withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 led to the predictable result: Iran’s nuclear program surged ahead, breaking free of the deal’s constraints.

When Trump returned to office in January, he launched a hasty effort to negotiate a new deal. But it bore a striking resemblance to the deal negotiated by Obama, with one nuclear expert calling the Trump framework a “dollar store JCPOA.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu tanked these talks with airstrikes on June 12. The U.S. launched its own strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22. 

Trump seems convinced the matter is now resolved. But what will be the fate of the tons of enriched uranium that Iran stockpiled after Trump withdrew from the JCPOA? How much Iranian nuclear infrastructure remains intact? Will Iran ever welcome back intrusive international monitoring of its nuclear activities, such as specified in the JCPOA?

To resolve these questions, the Trump Administration will need to do the tedious, difficult work of pursuing complex negotiations. Talks look set to resume next week.

But it will require a high level of technical expertise and diplomatic capacity. And the timing couldn’t be worse, as Trump and Elon Musk’s culture war on the so-called “Deep State” has hollowed out and demoralized the ranks of government experts whose support was critical to achieving the JCPOA in the first place. 

This sad saga has reminded me of what we’ve lost in the Trump era. The JCPOA was a product of effective and principled American diplomacy, undertaken in close coordination with our closest allies. It was a team effort by countless government professionals and specialists, all motivated by patriotism and a sense of mission, and operating in an era where they were celebrated not denigrated. It was a victory of dialogue and diplomacy over bluster and bombs.

Ten years ago that approach delivered results for the American people and the world. I worry about what comes next.

In My Spin Class, Playlists (and BPMs) Are More Important Than You'd Think

If you want to create your own Peloton-style playlist, you'll need to know a little bit of science.

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The other day, I got a fun email from cycling app Join, announcing that after analyzing over 13,000 publicly available spinning playlists, the company had gained some insights into just how crucial beats per minute (BPM) are for cycling workouts. As a spin teacher, I know all about that, but I still found it fun to see which songs crop up most often for people who are creating their own playlists. In the past, I've written about crafting a great cardio playlist, but a spin playlist is another beast entirely. If you want to replicate the spin class or Peloton experience yourself, here's what you need to know.

What's the deal with BPMs?

When I started teaching four years ago, I was purely a vibes-based instructor. I found songs that were fun, engaging, and loud, then compiled them into a 45-minute playlist, choreographed a little movement to go with them, and thought I was killing it. But I started paying more attention in other people's classes when I took them and joined a few online communities for instructors and, before I knew it, I was thinking much harder about beats per minute, cardio zones, and the overalls goals of every class. Did you know that many major gyms actually pay their instructors for an extra hour every week to account for the time it takes us to come up with our playlists? I didn't until I started teaching and at first, I thought it was nice, but excessive. Now that I do spend serious time applying science to my playlists, though, I think it's quite fair.

Science? Yes, science! Studies have been pretty clear about the effects of faster music on exercise duration, intensity, and efficiency: When BPM is up, so is heart rate, especially in a spin class, where you can more easily match, as I am always reminding my students, "your feet to the beat." On a treadmill, you can't always smack your sole down on the belt with every beat; it could be dangerous. Strapped into the humble, low-impact stationary cycle, though, you absolutely can, which means you can push your heart rate up into different cardio zones. There's even a word for this: Entrainment is the phenomenon that occurs when your body naturally syncs up with rhythmic stimuli.

Everyone's cardio "zones" are a little different, but the way I like to think of it, Zone 1 is 50% to 60% of your maximum heart rate, Zone 2 goes up to about 70%, Zone 3 goes up to about 80%, Zone 4 to 90%, and Zone 5 to 100%. Warming up in Zones 1 and 2 before spending serious time in 3 and 4 and a few teeny-tiny bursts into Zone 5 is just perfect.

To be clear, you're not expected to smash your foot down on every single beat. You can go half-time or double-time. So, you might want to aim to sustain a BPM around 130, but that won't consistently translate to 130 revolutions per minute (RPM) of the pedals. Instead, it'll be about 65 RPM. That's normal. According to the studies linked above, even hearing faster-paced music while you work out can increase your exertion and perception of it.

All together, then, I try to keep the bulk of my playlist songs within a range of 120 to 180, varying the resistance I'm asking for with each (which impacts the RPM). You might find that you can go a lot faster for a longer period of time or that you are struggling to keep up in those ranges. Taking a standard spin class can help you out, since instructors tend to design their playlists to meet people right in the middle of the different fitness abilities that might be represented in the room.

Choosing the best BPM for your workout

If you're crafting your own playlist, start with slower songs, stuff the middle of your playlist with faster ones (and keep your resistance low) and medium-slow ones (for high resistance), and throw in a super-fast track that you can match the beat of in 10- or 15-second intervals. Program in some recovery periods, too. I like to choose songs in which the chorus gets faster and the verses are a little slower, so we move back and forth while keeping—you guessed it—our feet on the beat. The recovery periods are built-in that way. Finish up with some slower songs.

You'd think it would be easy to hear a song and recognize if it's "fast" or "slow," but that's not always the case. You can use websites to help you identify the BPM of a given song. I like the aptly named SongBPM.

You can also find inspiration from other people. That investigation I mentioned before is a good place to start. Join found that the most popular spinning song is "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. According to SongBPM, it has a BPM of 137. The average BPM of the most popular songs in that dataset is around 127.98. My participants really love when we do "Money on the Dash (Sped Up)" by Elley Duhé (150 BPM) or "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" by Vengaboys (138). In fact, if you're stuck, you can follow my personal spin playlist, which I update every other day.

Things to keep in mind

Don't freak yourself out about all of this. As long as you're on the bike and moving, you're doing great—and I remind my participants of that all the time. If you get too caught up in your BPM, RPM, and all the science and zones, you can get distracted from the relatively simple task of just working out, and that's not ideal. If you're struggling to create a playlist that works for you, take a few spin classes to see what instructors are doing—but again, don't worry too much. It's more important that you find songs you enjoy riding to and that actually get you on your bike than targeting the ideal heart rate zone and crafting a science-driven playlist. That will all come in time.

‘Hot Spring Shark Attack’ Is Goofy and It Knows It

Hotspringssharkattack

The Japanese creature comedy offers 'Jaws' riffs, low-budget special effects, and sky-high B-movie energy.Hotspringssharkattack

The Japanese creature comedy offers 'Jaws' riffs, low-budget special effects, and sky-high B-movie energy.

Black Friday: Snag these glorious Govee string lights for 41% off

Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 222 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that was first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to allow users to test features that are planned for future release versions of the Safari browser.


‌Safari Technology Preview‌ 222 includes fixes and updates for Accessibility, CSS, Media, Rendering, Scrolling, and Web API.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe, the newest version of macOS that's set to launch this later this year.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser from Apple’s website. Complete release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while it is designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download and use.


This article, "Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 222 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam

The announcement came after President Trump in April proposed a steep 46% tariff on Vietnamese imports; he later paused those tariffs while talks continued.President Trump attends a press conference in Hanoi on Nov. 12, 2017, during his first term in office.

The announcement came after President Trump in April proposed a steep 46% tariff on Vietnamese imports; he later paused those tariffs while talks continued.

(Image credit: Luong Thai Linh)

I Use This Mac App to Connect to All My Bluetooth Devices With One Click

ToothFairy is a one-click utility that adds a dedicated button for each Bluetooth device right to your menu bar.

Over time, I’ve become something of an audio agnostic when it comes to my Mac. Sometimes I use my AirPods Pro, but when I want to listen to music or take Zoom meetings, I switch to Sony XM5s, mostly because of the comfort and better audio quality. When I’m writing, I like to play background music using my JBL Flip 6 over Spotify. This means I end up spending a considerable amount of time connecting Bluetooth devices, switching sound output, and disconnecting them when macOS inevitably experiences connectivity issues.

This dance of first connecting the device using the Bluetooth menu and then switching to the Sound output from Control Center takes up a considerable amount of time. I went looking for a trusty macOS indie utility that would surely fix my issue—and I found one in ToothFairy.

How to use ToothFairy to connect to devices in one click

ToothFairy is a one-click Bluetooth utility that adds a dedicated button for each Bluetooth device right to your menu bar. Click once, and the device will be connected (as long as it’s powered on, and around you). Click again, to disconnect. It couldn’t be simpler. No need to hunt down menus.

And this isn’t limited to just audio devices—it also works with Bluetooth keyboards, mice, and and other accessories.

Using ToothFairy to connect and add Bluetooth devices.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

To get started, open the ToothFairy app and click Plus to add a new device. Choose a device that you’ve already connected once using the Bluetooth menu. Then, customize the menu bar icon. If, like me, you’ll be using this app for three different devices, make sure that you’re using different icons for them too. Next, you can also choose to see the battery status for a device (only if the device supports this feature). At any time, you can right-click the device icon to view the battery status anyway.

Click Record Shortcut to record a shortcut that will quickly connect or disconnect from the device.

Lastly, ToothFairy supports automations in the form of Bash scripts, which you can execute when you connect or disconnect your device. You can use the following command to open any app as soon as the device is connected. I use this feature to open Spotify when I connect my JBL Flip 6 (but not any other device).

Script to launch app in ToothFairy.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Click the Advanced button and enable the Run shell script after connecting feature. Then enter the following code in the text box, replacing the "App Name" part with the exact name of the app you want to open.

open -a “App Name

Then, click OK. The ext time you connect the device, the app of your choice will open automatically.

Once a device is added, it will show up in the menu bar automatically. Each device shows up in the menu bar, so if you feel like your menu bar is cluttered, try using a menu bar management app like Ice or Barbee.

ToothFairy is available from the App Store for a one-time fee of $6.99; it’s also part of the SetApp subscription.

This Microsoft Surface Pro Bundle Is at Its Lowest Price Ever Right Now

A flexible, lightweight machine that doesn’t nickel-and-dime you after purchase.

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If you're looking to upgrade your everyday computer setup, this Surface Pro bundle on Amazon might actually be worth your attention. For $946.99 (the lowest price it’s hit so far, according to price trackers), you get the latest 12-inch Surface Pro Copilot+ PC (2025 model) with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage—plus the Surface Pro Keyboard with Slim Pen 2 and a full year of Microsoft 365 Personal. Buying each piece on its own would run you nearly $1,150, so this bundle saves you over $200. More importantly, it saves you the hassle of piecing things together later when you realize your “deal” didn’t include a keyboard or the software you need to get anything done.

The Surface Pro itself is a versatile machine that works as a laptop when you need it and a tablet when you don’t. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chip and runs Windows 11 with Microsoft’s Copilot+ features built in, which puts AI-assisted tools front and center for everyday use. If you're curious about where Microsoft is going with AI, this is the machine to try. The 12.3-inch PixelSense display is vibrant, and battery life holds up well for a day of remote work, meetings, or creative tasks. The included keyboard snaps on securely and makes typing feel comfortable, while the Slim Pen 2 works well for note-taking or sketching, and charges while docked in the keyboard, so it’s always ready.

The bonus year of Microsoft 365 Personal adds even more value (you don’t need to budget separately for Office apps or cloud storage), especially if you’re already paying for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneDrive separately. Between that and the improved Copilot features coming to Windows 11, this bundle is basically ready to go out of the box. It won’t be for everyone—if you need heavy-duty gaming or full-on video editing, you’ll want a different machine—but for students, hybrid workers, or anyone who likes the flexibility of a tablet/laptop combo, this is one of the most cost-effective Surface Pro bundles we’ve seen so far.

AI Tools Transforming Healthcare: Streamlining Patient Care, Appointments & Follow-Ups

There’s a growing curiosity—and often, skepticism—around the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Can it be trusted? Will it replace human doctors? The answer: not anytime soon, and that’s not the goal. AI is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is a supporting tool—designed to work alongside doctors, not…

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There’s a growing curiosity—and often, skepticism—around the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Can it be trusted? Will it replace human doctors? The answer: not anytime soon, and that’s not the goal. AI is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is a supporting tool—designed to work alongside doctors, not instead of them.

Used thoughtfully, AI can automate repetitive tasks, improve communication, and provide quick support to patients—especially in non-emergency situations. In this blog, we explore how AI tools are transforming key touchpoints in patient care and how healthcare providers can benefit from them to improve efficiency and satisfaction.

1. Smarter Patient Query Handling

Tools in Action: TARS, Ada Health, Gyant

Imagine a worried parent Googling symptoms at 2 AM. Instead of waiting till morning to speak to a doctor, an AI chatbot on your hospital website chats instantly, assesses symptoms, and offers advice or schedules an appointment. This is what AI-powered patient query tools do best.

These platforms use natural language processing (NLP) to converse naturally, understand symptoms, and even detect urgency.

How It Helps:

By reducing the pressure on call centers and ensuring faster response times, these tools also free up medical staff to focus on high-priority cases.

2. Hassle-Free Appointment Scheduling

Tools in Action: Qure, Healthie, Zocdoc AI Scheduling

How often do patients drop off just because scheduling was too complicated? AI-powered scheduling tools simplify this by letting patients book appointments directly via chatbots or patient portals. 

How It Helps:

Hospitals also benefit from load balancing—AI helps distribute appointments across doctors to prevent bottlenecks and optimize resource utilization.

3. Automated Follow-Ups & Reminders

Tools in Action: Luma Health, Well Health, Klara

Post-treatment care is often where patient engagement drops off. AI-powered follow-up tools maintain that connection long after discharge.

How It Helps:

With less manual effort, healthcare teams can ensure consistent touchpoints, improving treatment adherence and reducing readmissions.

4. AI for Medical Documentation & Voice Transcription

Tools in Action: Suki AI, Augmedix, Nuance Dragon Medical One

What if doctors could talk while AI took notes in real-time? That’s what these tools do—they listen during consultations and automatically populate Electronic Health Records (EHR).

How It Helps:

This means more time with patients and less time buried in paperwork. It’s a win-win for care and compliance.

5. Virtual Health Assistants for Daily Patient Support

Tools in Action: Babylon Health, Sensely, Florence

Chronic illness patients, elderly individuals, and post-op cases often need daily monitoring. Virtual AI assistants step in to act as digital nurses, helping patients follow their treatment plans with confidence.

How It Helps:

This not only builds trust but also empowers patients to manage their own care, improving outcomes while reducing unnecessary clinic visits.

Final Thoughts: AI Is Quietly Revolutionizing Healthcare

While AI may not be ready to make life-or-death decisions, it is playing a crucial supporting role in healthcare. From smarter scheduling to personalized patient engagement, AI is transforming how care is delivered—making it faster, smarter, and more patient-centric.

For hospitals and clinics, adopting these tools is no longer optional. It’s essential for:

How Pixel Studios Can Help

At Pixel Studios, we work with healthcare providers to evaluate, select, and implement the right AI tools across their digital ecosystem. Whether you’re a specialty clinic or a hospital chain, we combine strategic thinking with the power of AI to:

Want to bring AI into your healthcare practice? Let’s build the future of care—together.

Elevate the digital impact of your healthcare brand
Book Your Free Consultation
Call at 080 6919 3462

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These Cordless Power Tools Are up to 50% Off During Home Depot’s Fourth of July Sale

Upgrade your DIY toolkit for less.

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If you have big DIY plans this summer, it can be a challenge to build out your toolkit and still have money left over for the actual project. It's here that season sales can truly help—like Home Depot's "Super Savings Sale," pegged to the Fourth of July. I've checked out the deals on offer to highlight my picks for the best cordless drills, saws, and more that you can grab at a discount right now.

Deals on cordless tool bundles

If you’re new to DIY or haven't upgraded your tools in a decade or so, picking up a bundle of cordless tools and batteries is a good way to start building out your kit. Since batteries can be expensive and older battery systems tend to be heavier, run out of juice faster, and are harder to find, a new set can help you upgrade an older toolkit for less money than buying individual replacements.

Here are the best deals on tool and battery bundles from Home Depot right now:

  • The DeWalt 20-volt 6-tool combo kit is on sale for $499, 44% off its regular price. The set comes with an impact driver, a drill, an oscillating multitool, a circular saw, a random orbital sander, an angle grinder, one 2-amp-hour battery, one 5-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a toolbox. This is a good kit that comes with almost every tool you might want for a home DIY cordless kit. It will allow you to do woodworking as well as basic home maintenance tasks.

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt, 8-tool combo kit is on sale for $599, 45% off its usual price. This set comes with a drill, an impact driver, a ½-inch impact wrench, a one-handed reciprocal saw, a circular saw, an angle grinder, an oscillating multitool,  a worklight, two 5-amp-hour batteries, one 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and two tool bags. This kit has what you need to get started on home DIY projects, and the impact wrench allows you to use your kit for automotive maintenance as well.

  • The Ryobi 18-volt 6-tool combo kit is on sale for $199, 33% off its typical price. The set comes with a drill, an impact driver, a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, an oscillating multitool, a work light, a 1.5-amp-hour battery, a 4-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good kit for a beginner DIYer, and has what you need for basic maintenance and easier projects, like hanging shelves.

The best deals on drills and drivers

A good quality drill and drivers are an essential part of a cordless power tool kit. They make even the most basic DIY projects, from building flatpack furniture to mounting a TV, much easier.

These deals on drills and drivers from Home Depot can help you get started on your DIY adventures:

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt half-inch drill is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good starter drill and can also be used to drive fasteners, so it’s very versatile for DIY projects.

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt impact driver is on sale for $99, 50% off its usual price. It comes with a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good addition to your kit if you only have a drill, as an impact driver allows you to drive screws and other fasteners into more dense material like framing more easily by giving you the impact assist.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt drill is on sale for $99, 45% off its typical price. The set comes with two 1.3-amp-hour batteries and a charger, allowing you to start building a set with more than one battery so you can always have a fresh one on the charger.

The best deals on tools for cutting and trimming

Cutting and trimming is a game-changer when it comes to DIY, allowing you to customize your projects rather than just building from a kit. A good set of tools should allow you to cut multiple materials and get into tight spaces to make modifications.

Here are some deals from Home Depot on cordless cutting and trimming tools:

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt oscillating multitool is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a 2-amp-hour battery and a charger, so it's ready to use out of the box. An oscillating multitool is good for cutting wood, metal, and PVC with the right blades, but you can also use it for polishing, sanding in tight spaces, and buffing.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt jigsaw is on sale for $99, 50% off its usual price. This is a tool-only deal, so you’ll need a 20-volt DeWalt battery to use it. A jigsaw is a good tool for custom cutting material, cutting out around door frames for flooring, and trimming molding and baseboards around outlets.

  • The Milwaukee 18-volt jigsaw is on sale for $299, 45% off its typical price. The saw comes with two 6-amp-hour batteries and a charger, so it’s ready to use out of the box. The two batteries that this saw comes with often cost around $180 on their own, so including these in the set makes it a great deal.

Strategic Search Growth for Shraddha Children’s Academy

Overview Shraddha Children’s Academy, a CBSE school in Chennai, partnered with us to improve their digital discoverability and drive more admission enquiries through organic search. Instead of taking a spray-and-pray approach, we focused on strategically identifying high-intent keywords, and then systematically optimized the site and content to win those searches. Our approach was simple yet…

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Overview

Shraddha Children’s Academy, a CBSE school in Chennai, partnered with us to improve their digital discoverability and drive more admission enquiries through organic search. Instead of taking a spray-and-pray approach, we focused on strategically identifying high-intent keywords, and then systematically optimized the site and content to win those searches.

Our approach was simple yet methodical:

Our Strategy: SEO Ground-Up

Step 1: Identifying the Right Keywords That Matter

We began with an in-depth keyword research process focused on understanding:

From this, we identified 15 core keywords that showed a mix of local, generic, and mid-funnel buyer intent, such as:

These keywords became the foundation of our SEO campaign.

Step 2: Creating & Optimizing Content for Page 1 Rankings

With the keyword targets locked in, we focused on developing content that directly addressed user intent. We optimized both existing landing pages and launched a blog series that aligned with seasonal and evergreen search demand.

Blog Topics Aligned with Search Intent:

We ensured each piece was on-page SEO optimized, internally linked to priority landing pages, and written to Google’s helpful content and E-E-A-T standards.

Step 3: Strengthening Domain Authority Through Backlinks

While the content helped us match user needs, backlinks helped us earn trust from search engines. We doubled the backlink profile through:

This off-page work helped Google see Shraddha’s website as a credible, trusted source in the education space.

What We Achieved: Measurable SEO Success

KPI 2023–24 2024–25 Change
Website Traffic 1,382 171,301 +12,298%
Page 1 Keyword Rankings 0/15 13/15 +86.7%
Admission Enquiries via Web Not tracked 458 New Acquisition
Backlink Count 425 862 +102.8%
Calls 316 842 166.5%

Key Takeaways

Conclusion

Our strategic SEO approach transformed Shraddha Children’s Academy from a digitally underperforming school site to a top-ranking, admission-generating digital asset. By starting with keyword intent, delivering value-driven content, and building domain credibility through backlinks, we achieved sustainable search performance that drives real business growth.

As a team with deep expertise in SEO for education, Pixel Studios brings more than just tactics—we bring strategy led Marketing, enabling us to align every digital move with what truly matters: enrolments, visibility, and trust.

If you’re an institution looking to scale your digital presence with search-backed strategy, let’s talk.

Let's discuss ideas to propel your SEO stratergies.

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Why I’m Excited for Amazfit’s New 'Helio Strap' Fitness Tracker

It’s $99 and does a lot of what Whoop does, but without a subscription.

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Amazfit recently launched its Helio Strap, the third of the three once-rumored Whoop-like trackers to be officially announced. It’s the only one you can buy right now, and its features and price (just $99.99) look pretty sweet. 

A brief history lesson: The first of the three Whoop-like trackers to be announced was something from Polar. That’s all we know—there's no name of the device or even a photo, although the shadowy image from the press release looks a lot like the Polar 360, a device that was never marketed directly to consumers. The price has not been announced, but it will be “subscription-free.” The second was Garmin’s Index sleep monitor, which sells for $169.99, is also subscription-free, and is meant to be used only for sleep, not sports. (I found the product description to be underwhelming, though I haven’t gotten my hands on a review unit yet.) Finally, we have Amazfit’s $99 Helio band, which was previously teased by pro Hyrox athletes and just became available to the rest of us last week. My review unit is on its way, but I can say from looking at the specs that this is the band I’m most excited for. It’s what Garmin should have released, and it sets the standard that Polar will have to match. 

The price is hard to beat

It’s hard to envision paying more than $100 for a screenless strap. After all, the idea is that it does half of what a watch does (it collects data, but doesn’t have a screen to display it). I try to give Whoop a pass on being screenless because its app is so thoughtfully designed and does a ton of analysis and planning—in Whoop’s case, you’re really paying for the service more than the hardware. But if you’re going to buy a device for a flat fee, I find it hard to stomach Garmin’s $169 price tag when you would likely wear it in addition to a Garmin watch that costs anywhere from $200 to possibly over $1,000. Also, Garmin’s device is just for sleep. The Helio strap is for sleep and workouts, so you arguably get twice as much use for just a little over half the price. 

You can use it for both exercise and sleep

Garmin’s device is just for sleep, and Polar’s may be for 24/7 wear (we don’t know yet), but Amazfit’s is explicitly meant for exercise in addition to wearing it to sleep. The company boasts that it has 27 exercise modes, which doesn’t sound like a ton, but I’m intrigued by the “smart strength training” and a Hyrox race mode. (Hyrox is a fitness racing sport, where competitions have you run between exercise stations, doing things like burpees and sled pushes. Several Amazfit watches have a mode that can keep track of the different segments of this competition.)

Amazfit plans to sell an armband for the Helio strap, although their website says it’s not available yet. Personally, I love when trackers have an armband option for strength or functional fitness activities, since kettlebells and wrist wraps tend to interfere with anything wrist-based. 

It’s Garmin, not Whoop, that should be scared

According to press materials, the Helio strap has a 10-day battery life. The data from the strap feeds into the Zepp app, the same as that of other Amazfit watches, so you can swap between the Helio strap and any Amazfit watch you may happen to own, like the T-Rex 3 or the Bip 6—or the new Balance 2, which somehow manages to stuff dual-band GPS, offline maps, and a sapphire glass screen into a $299 package. It's the kind of thing Garmin watch users have been asking for: Something that lets people take their watch off while still feeding data into the same app as their regular watch. Something that has a good battery life and a relatively affordable price tag. Something you can wear during activities, not just for sleep. 

The Helio strap even features something called BioCharge, which sounds a lot like Garmin’s “Body Battery.” Body Battery is a number that goes up when you sleep or recover, and goes down when you exercise or are stressed. I ignore it, personally, but I know a lot of people like to keep tabs on a numerical metaphor for how energetic they might feel throughout the day. 

The one thing I’m not so sure about is GPS. It’s not mentioned in any of the Helio strap’s specifications, and a note about battery life mentions that they’re assuming outdoor workouts occur with the strap linked to your phone’s GPS. This is similar to what Whoop does, letting them keep the device small and power-efficient by completely eliminating location tracking tech. But it comes with tradeoffs: Your phone’s GPS may not be as accurate as a watch (depending on your phone, of course), and it eats into your phone’s battery rather than the device’s. That said, if you’re tracking an outdoor run, you probably want to wear your watch anyway—bringing us back to the two-device setup that Amazfit probably hopes you’ll buy into.

Apple Music Will Finally Show You ‘All Time’ Stats, but I Have a Better Option

Here's how to find your Replay All Time playlist, and an alternative option.

It's been 10 years since the Apple Music streaming service launched, and Apple is marking the occasion in several ways: with a new studio space in Los Angeles, with special programs on Apple Music Radio (including a countdown of the top 500 most-streamed songs on Apple Music), and with a new Replay All Time playlist that gives you your overall listening stats from the day you first signed up.

Replay All Time builds on the annual summary of your listening habits that Apple Music puts out near the end of each year. These yearly recaps are available across all the major music streaming services, and have proven popular—they're a fun way to look back on changing tastes and forgotten favorites. And now, you're not limited to one year.

If you're interested in long-term listening stats, though, there's already a better app for the job that I've been making use of for much longer than Apple Music has been around. It works across multiple platforms, and multiple services, and has been in business for more than 20 years.

How to find your Replay All Time playlist

The Replay All Time playlist is available everywhere you can find Apple Music. Open Apple Music on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, or the web, and you should see Replay All Time prominently displayed on the Home tab, alongside the usual selection of algorithmically generated playlists.

Select the playlist and it pops up like any other: You get buttons to Play and Shuffle it, and if you tap the three dots alongside the tracks, you're able to save it permanently to your library, add it to an existing playlist or the current queue, mark all the tracks as favorites, and share the playlist with other people.

Apple Music
Your Replay All Time playlist is on the Home tab. Credit: Lifehacker

That sharing option is part of the appeal of these playlists—you can let the whole world know just how faithful you've been to your favorite artists throughout the years, or just how much your tastes have changed. You can share a link to the playlist in multiple apps, and even embed it on the web.

Choose to add the playlist to your library (via the three-dot menu) and you can bring up the stats for these tracks in the Apple Music desktop app: With the playlist on screen, choose View > as Songs to show more columns, then View > Show View Options to pick the stats (such as Plays and Last Played) you want displayed.

How to use Last.fm to track your listening

If you enjoy digging into listening stats, there's another service worth knowing about that's been around much longer than Apple Music: Last.fm. It keeps tabs on every song you listen to (a process the app calls "scrobbling"), and can then break down stats by year, month, week, or day.

Part of the appeal of Last.fm is that it has apps and extensions available for multiple streaming services, across mobile and desktop—which is handy if you've got several music streaming subscriptions or if you jump between them. From a YouTube video on the web to a Spotify playlist on your phone, everything gets logged.

Last.fm app
Last.fm can keep track of all your listening. Credit: Lifehacker

I've been using Last.fm for so long, I can jump back to any time period and rediscover songs I've forgotten about: If I want to, I can see exactly which album was my favorite in March 2010 (it was Wait for Me, by Moby). Last.fm also excels at recommending new music, not least because it has so much listening data to analyze.

You can sign up for Last.fm for free and start scrobbling via the wide range of official and unofficial tools built for the job. For $5 a month or $50 a year, you can also sign up for Last.fm Pro, which gives you even more insights into your listening history and even more in the way of analysis (comparing your taste to other Last.fm users, for example).

Soccer Golf!

{Soccer Golf!}, utropstecken och allt, lyckas med bedriften att inte vara fotbollsgolf, men samtidigt bokstavligen talat vara fotbollsgolf. Låt mig förklara. När jag tänker fotbollsgolf tänker jag någon som sparkar på en fotboll längs en mindre typ av golfbana där bollen ska ner i ett hål. Det är inte vad det här spelet är. Men det finns en fotboll och målet är ett hål med en flagga.

<bild>Boll. Flagga. Fotbollsgolf?</bild>

Det här är precis vad du tänker dig att ett mobilspel är, men till konsol. Det är dra (håll ner styrspaken i detta fall) och släpp för att skicka iväg bollen à la {Angry Birds}. Väldigt simpla grunder. Skicka iväg bollen från startplatsen och försök få den att landa i det lilla området där flaggan finns. Problemet här är att om det var ett mobilspel hade det varit något som är kul att spela i 15 minuter i sängen eller på toaletten. På konsol? 15 minuter och sen är det inte så underhållande längre. Speciellt när hela upplägget skriker mobilspel.

Och upplägget är att du har fem bollar/chanser att ta dig hela vägen till målet på 54 olika banor uppdelat i tre olika miljöer (djungel, snö, och grotta). På vägen finns det alla möjliga typer av hinder, som laserstrålar, knappar som ska tryckas på, taggar, vatten, och självklart bottenlösa hål. Det som gör spelet lite mer spännande är att det går att skjuta bollen en andra, tredje, fjärde, och femte gång medan bollen fortfarande är i luften. Detta spelar också in i vissa banors design där det är ett måste med en andratouch på bollen för att ta sig förbi vissa hinder. Men för det mesta är banorna relativt enkla och bara några fåtal krävde att jag försökte mer än tre-fyra gånger. Några fick mig dock att tänka till lite extra hur nästa och nästnästa skott skulle avfyras. För en extra liten utmaning får du upp till tre stjärnor för hur snabbt du klarar av banan.

<bild>En vanlig julafton i valfri svensk ort.</bild>

Utseendet är charmigt, men inget speciellt. Banorna är fyllda med precis den mängd saker som behövs, inte för mycket och inte för lite. Lagom, som vi gillar att säga. Det har en typ av tecknad stil som brukar hittas i... ja, mobilspel. Det är ett problem jag kommer tillbaka till gång på gång. Hade jag hittat det här på App Store eller Google Play för ett par kronor hade jag inte tänkt på det alls. Det här är visserligen ett billigt spel, men jag har svårt att se att det kan hitta en publik på konsoler. Av vad det finns tillgängligt till är det ett spel som passar bäst till Switch, utan tvekan. Kontrollen är också väldigt grundläggande. Använd styrspaken för att välja vilken riktning du skjuter iväg bollen, ju längre du håller ner den desto hårdare kommer skottet att bli. Sen är det bara att hålla ner skottknappen och släppa den när du är redo att skjuta. Svårare än så är det inte.

{Soccer Golf!} är ett högst medelmåttigt spel. Det är inte dåligt, men det är heller inte speciellt bra. Det är roligt, i ungefär 15 minuter innan det blir alldeles för enformigt. Igen, hade jag haft det här på mobilen hade jag kunnat spela tio minuter här och där när jag inte har något bättre för mig. Men det är ingenting jag kommer att starta upp min konsol och spela i några minuter och gå vidare till något annat.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

When I wrote about App-pocalypse Now in 2014, I implied the future still belonged to the web. And it does. But it’s also true that the web has changed a lot in the last 10 years, much less the last 20 or 30.

Websites have gotten

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

When I wrote about App-pocalypse Now in 2014, I implied the future still belonged to the web. And it does. But it’s also true that the web has changed a lot in the last 10 years, much less the last 20 or 30.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

Websites have gotten a lot… fatter.

While I think it’s irrational to pine for the bad old days of HTML 1.0 websites, there are some legitimate concerns here. The best summary is Maciej Cegłowski’s, The Website Obesity Crisis:

To channel a famous motivational speaker, I could go out there tonight, with the materials you’ve got, and rewrite the sites I showed you at the start of this talk to make them load in under a second. In two hours.

Can you? Can you?

Of course you can! It’s not hard! We knew how to make small websites in 2002. It’s not like the secret has been lost to history, like Greek fire or Damascus steel.

But we face pressure to make these sites bloated.

I bet if you went to a client and presented a 200 kilobyte site template, you’d be fired. Even if it looked great and somehow included all the tracking and ads and social media crap they insisted on putting in. It’s just so far out of the realm of the imaginable at this point.

The whole article is essential; you should stop what you’re doing and read it now if you haven’t already. But if you don’t have time, here’s the key point:

This is a screenshot from an NPR article discussing the rising use of ad blockers. The page is 12 megabytes in size in a stock web browser. The same article with basic ad blocking turned on is 1 megabyte.

That’s right, through the simple act of running an ad blocker, you’ve reduced that website’s payload by twelve times. Twelve! That’s like the most effective exercise program ever!

Even the traditional advice to keep websites lean and mean for mobile no longer applies because new mobile devices, at least on the Apple side, are faster than most existing desktops and laptops.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

Despite claims to the contrary, the bad guy isn’t web bloat, per se. The bad guy is advertising. Unlimited, unfettered ad “tech” has creeped into everything and subsumed the web.

Personally I don’t even want to run ad blockers, and I didn’t for a long time – but it’s increasingly difficult to avoid running an ad blocker unless you want a clunky, substandard web experience. There’s a reason the most popular browser plugins are inevitably ad blockers, isn’t there? Just ask Google:

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

So it’s all the more surprising to learn that Google is suddenly clamping down hard on adblockers in Chrome. Here’s what the author of uBlock Origin, an ad blocking plugin for Chrome, has to say about today’s announcement:

In order for Google Chrome to reach its current user base, it had to support content blockers – these are the top most popular extensions for any browser. Google strategy has been to find the optimal point between the two goals of growing the user base of Google Chrome and preventing content blockers from harming its business.

The blocking ability of the webRequest API caused Google to yield control of content blocking to content blockers. Now that Google Chrome is the dominant browser, it is in a better position to shift the optimal point between the two goals which benefits Google’s primary business.

The deprecation of the blocking ability of the webRequest API is to gain back this control, and to further instrument and report how web pages are filtered, since the exact filters which are applied to web pages are useful information which will be collectable by Google Chrome.

The ad blockers themselves are arguably just as complicit. Eye/o GmbH owns AdBlock and uBlock, employs 150 people, and in 2016 they had 50 million euros in revenue, of which about 50% was profit. Google’s paid “Acceptable Ads” program is a way to funnel money into adblockers to, uh, encourage them to display certain ads. With money. Lots… and lots… of money. 🤑

We simultaneously have a very real web obesity crisis, and a looming crackdown on ad blockers, seemingly the only viable weight loss program for websites. What’s a poor web citizen to do? Well, there is one thing you can do to escape the need for browser-based adblockers, at least on your home network. Install and configure Pi-Hole.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

I’ve talked about the amazing Raspberry Pi before in the context of classic game emulation, but this is another brilliant use for a Pi.

Here’s why it’s so cool. If you disable the DHCP server on your router, and let the Pi-Hole become your primary DHCP server, you get automatic DNS based blocking of ads for every single device on your network. It’s kind of scary how powerful DNS can be, isn’t it?

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

My Pi-Hole took me about 1 hour to set up, start to finish. All you need is

I do recommend the 3b+ because it has native gigabit ethernet and a bit more muscle. But literally any Raspberry Pi you can find laying around will work, though I’d strongly advise you to pick one with a wired ethernet port since it’ll be your DNS server.

I’m not going to write a whole Pi-Hole installation guide, because there are lots of great ones out there already. It’s not difficult, and there’s a slick web GUI waiting for you once you complete initial setup. For your initial testing, pick any IP address you like on your network that won’t conflict with anything active. Once you’re happy with the basic setup and web interface:

  • Turn OFF your router’s DHCP server – existing leases will continue to work, so nothing will be immediately broken.
  • Turn ON the pi-hole DHCP server, in the web GUI.
An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

Once you do this, all your network devices will start to grab their DHCP leases from your Pi-Hole, which will also tell them to route all their DNS requests through the Pi-Hole, and that’s when the ✨ magic ✨ happens!

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

All those DNS requests from all the devices on your network will be checked against the ad blacklists; anything matching is quickly and silently discarded before it ever reaches your browser.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

(The Pi-Hole also acts as a caching DNS server, so repeated DNS requests will be serviced rapidly from your local network, too.)

If you’re worried about stability or reliability, you can easily add a cheap battery backed USB plug, or even a second backup Pi-Hole as your secondary DNS provider if you prefer belt and suspenders protection. Switching back to plain boring old vanilla DNS is as easy as unplugging the Pi and flicking the DHCP server setting in your router back on.

At this point if you’re interested (and you should be!), just give it a try. If you’re looking for more information, the project has an excellent forum full of FAQs and roadmaps.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

You can even vote for your favorite upcoming features!

I avoided the Pi-Hole project for a while because I didn’t need it, and I’d honestly rather jump in later when things are more mature.

An Exercise Program for the Fat Web

With the latest Chrome crackdown on ad blockers, now is the time, and I’m impressed how simple and easy Pi-Hole is to run. Just find a quiet place to plug it in, spend an hour configuring it, and promptly proceed to forget about it forever as you enjoy a lifetime subscription to a glorious web ad instant weight loss program across every single device on your network with (almost) zero effort!

Finally, an exercise program I can believe in.

MindsEye

Jacob Diaz har det inte lätt. Hans år som specialsoldat har satt sina spår och utöver total minnesförlust har han ett mystiskt AI-chip inopererat i nacken. När Las Vegas (Redrock) borgmästare Shiva Vega och den maktgalne techmiljardären och VD:n för Silva Industries, Marco Silva, ryker ihop - inleds ett våldsamt slag om Redrocks framtid och intrasslad i diverse intressen finner vi stackars Jacob, utan minne och med rimliga mängder PTSD för att passa in i rollen som plågad underdog-hjälte som snubblar över en gigantisk konspiration som hotar mänsklighetens framtid.
<bild>Kartan är enorm och grafiken snygg även om det är ojämnt och buggigt.</bild>
Premissen i Mindseye är inte originell. Den är inte unik eller intressant. Tvärtom. Den här storyn och de här karaktärerna har vi sett i 100-tals spel tidigare och det märks tydligt att Build A Rocket Boy gjort det enkelt för sig sett till synopsis och berättarstruktur. Här finns Isu-portionen i Assassin's Creed, hacking/AI-delen från Watch Dogs, uppdragsindelningen från Mafia II samt små delar ut GTA V blandat till en kompott som känns slapp men inte dålig. Uddlös men inte ointressant. För att vara det första storspelet från GTA-producenten Leslie Benzies hade jag absolut väntat mig mer. Mer nerv, mer humor, mer originella karaktärer och framförallt: Mer attityd. Mindseye känns som ett generiskt mittfåra-spel från start och under de få timmar som det varar, och passar nog bäst i rea-backen än högst upp på fullprishyllan, om jag ska vara helt ärlig.
<bild>Bilkörningen är klart godkänd men storyn är platt och trist.</bild>
Till skillnad från GTA IV och GTA V (som Leslie producerade och därmed var en superviktig del av) finns det ingen direkt dynamisk uppdragsstruktur här och precis som i exempelvis Mafia II handlar den öppna världen mer om en kuliss för att ge en känsla av total frihet, än att ge spelaren helt fria händer med allt som existerar i Redrock. Mindseye är på så sätt relativt linjärt och det lyckas aldrig överraska eller skaka om de gamla begrepp som denna typ av upplägg levereras med, och det tycker jag känns snortrist. Utöver det är berättandet inget att hurra över, tyvärr. Dialogen är förutsägbar och fadd och även om det finnes röstskådespelare som gör ganska bra ifrån sig, finns det ingenting här som engagerar eller skapar någon slags spänning eller nyfikenhet, vilket såklart gör att de flesta av de tio timmar som det tog mig att nå slutet - kändes som en regelrätt transportsträcka. Den lilla gnutta samhällskritik som finns inbakad i hur Mindseye målar upp ett framtida övervakningssamhälle har vi redan sett i 100 andra produktioner och jag hade, som sagt, önskat mig något mer unikt med en egen twist.
<bild>När filmsekvenserna inte hostar/hackar är de oftast rätt bra... Jacob som karaktär är det inget större fel på och valet av bildvinklar är ofta bra. Det är synd att storyn är så generisk dock, och att varenda filmsekvens hackar.</bild>
Spelmekaniskt märks det såklart tydligt att delar av teamet bakom Mindseye kommer från Rockstar och jobbade på såväl GTA IV som V. Jacob rör sig som Michael i Grand Theft Auto V, han skjuter som Michael och söker skydd under eldstriderna - som Michael. Bilkörningen känns även den väldigt mycket som den gör i GTA V och det är ju en bra sak. Det finns saker i mekaniken som skulle behöva tightas till och poleras upp men det är heller inte dåligt, här. Bilarna är roliga att köra och jag tycker att det finns ljusglimtar i eldstriderna sett till hur Jacob rör sig. Att panga fiender (i drivor) faller väl då snarare på det faktum att Mindseye är otroligt enkelt, även på "Hard". Fienderna blir förvisso mer pricksäkre än om du spelar på "Normal" men Jacobs hälsa laddas upp (automatiskt) så snabbt efter att jag blivit träffad att det i stort sett aldrig finns någon egentlig fara, och detta tillsammans med usel artificiell intelligens gör att striderna upplevs som storyn - trista.
<bild>Mindseye är aldrig utmanande, inte ens på Hard, eftersom fienderna är rekorddumma och eftersom Jacob läker sig själv snabbare än i något annat actionspel jag någonsin testat.</bild>
Det finns gott om NPC:s i det här spelet som är så pass aningslösa och som bevisligen springer längs utstakade stigar snarare än att reagera på sin omgivning att jag vid flera tillfällen stannat upp, betraktat dem i rörelse och gapskrattat så näsborrarna fladdrat. Det märks så ofantligt tydligt att Leslie & Co inte hunnit göra färdigt själva grundpelarna i Mindseye och som så många andra kastat ut ett spel som kanske borde ha gräddats i ugnen i cirka sex månader till, minst. På så sätt och med tanke på hur öde och ihålig spelstaden Redrock känns, med korkade poliser och spawnande civilbilar, påminner ju detta stundtals nästan otäckt mycket om Cyberpunk 2077 vid release. Utöver det dräller det av buggar i det här spelet som, som sagt, aldrig borde ha släppts i det här skicket. Mellansekvenserna hackar, stannar upp, biljakterna hostar och stammar och till PC har Mindseye har hängt sig fyra gånger under tio timmar. På en maxad PC har det här spelet ofta dippat ned till absurda 10-15 bilder per sekund vilket naturligtvis är helt oacceptabelt och mängder saker i spelvärlden som försvinner och sen poppar upp, igen, är långt över vad som går att köpa.

Om det var en sak som jag aldrig trott att jag skulle skriva om Leslie Benzies första egna spel under egen regi, var att det skulle uppfattas som fantasilöst och generiskt. Jag trodde åtminstone att originaliteten och attityden skulle finnas med här, även om det sett ofärdigt ut redan på förhand. Nu blev det inte så och det är lätt att konstatera att Mindseye inte bara släpptes cirka sex månader för tidigt men att det även mest påminner om en tio år gammal GTA-kopia där de allra flesta beståndsdelarna är underkända.

Shuttering of USAID Will Lead to Millions of Deaths Around the World: Studies

Multiple studies have estimated millions will die annually as a result of the Trump Administration’s closure of the foreign-aid agency.

Trump And Musk's USAID 'Shut Down' Threat Opens Door For China

President John F. Kennedy said in 1961 that “there is no escaping” what he described as America’s “moral obligations as a wise leader and good neighbor in the interdependent community of free nations; our economic obligations as the wealthiest people in a world of largely poor people, as a nation no longer dependent upon the loans from abroad that once helped us develop our own economy; and our political obligations as the single largest counter to the adversaries of freedom.”

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

He was speaking to Congress about foreign aid and later that year would establish through executive order what has since been known as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which helped make the U.S. the world’s largest foreign aid provider. 

For more than six decades, USAID has helped dozens of low- and middle-income countries, including conflict-stricken ones, to improve access to food, water, health care, and education. It’s helped stop disease outbreaks, revolutionize agricultural practices, and in some cases, promote democracy.

But on Tuesday, USAID shutters its doors for good.

The agency’s dismantling began just days after President Donald Trump returned to the White House at the start of this year. Tech billionaire and one-time Trump ally Elon Musk, who was spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, singled out the agency as a locus of “corruption and waste,” despite the fact that it constituted just about 0.5% of government spending.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who took the reins of the agency in February, said in March that more than four-fifths of USAID programs were cancelled, and the approximately 1,000 that remained would be absorbed by the State Department by July 1, even amid court battles about the constitutionality of USAID’s closure.

On the eve of USAID’s final day, former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama gathered with former staffers as well as U2 singer and humanitarian Bono on a video call. Obama described USAID’s gutting as a “travesty” and a “tragedy,” according to the Associated Press.

“You’ve showed the great strength of America through your work,” Bush told the USAID staffers. “Is it in our national interests that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is, and so do you.”

Trump, evidently, does not.

Just how many lives won’t be saved as a result of the closure of USAID has been the subject of several studies and projections

On Monday, medical research journal The Lancet estimated that USAID prevented the deaths of more than 90 million people between 2001 to 2021. The study, conducted by researchers from Brazil, Mozambique, and Spain, forecasted that the defunding of the agency could lead to some 14 million deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths of children and babies under the age of 5.

Here are some of the biggest estimated impacts of the U.S. shirking Kennedy’s “obligations.”

Hundreds of thousands of HIV-AIDS deaths

To fight against HIV globally, President Bush launched PEPFAR, or the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in 2003. The program supports some 20.6 million people with HIV worldwide, including 566,000 children, through providing anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to control the infection. The program also provided HIV testing services to 83.8 million people in 2024.

USAID was PEPFAR’s main implementing agency, and while the State Department is seeking $2.9 billion in funding to continue HIV-AIDS programs, it’s far lower than the at least $4.7 billion budget PEPFAR had. 

A study published in the Retrovirology journal in March said that the suspension of USAID funding could hamper access to ART and cause a potential resurgence of up to 630,000 HIV-AIDS-related deaths annually, with sub-Saharan Africa most affected.

Millions of malaria cases

USAID has invested $9 billion to help tackle malaria, the mosquito-borne illness that is preventable and curable but causes millions of deaths in Africa every year, since the inception of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) in 2005.

An impact tracker by Boston University infectious disease mathematical modeller and health economist Dr. Brooke Nichols and Amsterdam-based product manager Eric Moakley forecast almost 10 million additional cases of malaria globally—of which an estimated 7 million would affect children—in just one year due to USAID funding cuts.

The tracker also only considered African countries that were part of PMI and did not include countries in Asia that have also been supported by USAID. “Thus we may be underestimating the effect of PMI’s cessation,” it said.

Millions of Sudanese to lose access to ‘lifesaving’ health services

The war-torn northeast African country of Sudan was among those worst hit by USAID’s suspension. More than half of its 50 million population is in need of humanitarian assistance as residents suffer from famine and disease outbreaks amid ongoing conflict. The World Health Organization estimates that 5 million Sudanese people may lose access to “lifesaving” health services as a result of the cuts, according to the Washington Post.

Naomi Ruth Pendle, a lecturer at the University of Bath in the U.K., wrote for The Conversation in April that the sudden suspension of USAID is “is set to make the famine in Sudan the deadliest for half a century.”

Apple's M4 MacBook Air on Sale for Up to $175 Off at Amazon

Amazon today has low prices across nearly the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with up to $175 off both 13-inch and 15-inch models. Many of the notebooks in this sale are seeing delivery estimates around July 7.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the 13-inch models, Amazon has $150 off all three configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $849.00 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,049.00 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,249.00 for the 24GB/512GB model. All of these are solid second-best prices on the M4 MacBook Air.





Moving to the larger display models, Amazon has both 512GB versions of the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week, as well as the 256GB model. The 16GB/512GB model is available for $1,249.00 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,424.50. Across the board, these are all second-best prices on the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air.





If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.




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The Dalai Lama announces plans for a successor, signaling China won't have a say

The Dalai Lama said he will be reincarnated after he dies, and no one can interfere with the matter of succession. The Chinese government, however, claims authority over the his succession.Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama presides over an event celebrating his 90th birthday in Dharamshala, India.

The Dalai Lama said he will be reincarnated after he dies, and no one can interfere with the matter of succession. The Chinese government, however, claims authority over the his succession.

(Image credit: Ashwini Bhatia)

Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy - Enhanced Edition

När jag tog mina första kliv in i den radioaktiva världen GSC Game World byggt upp blev jag förälskad. Precis som i de senare Metro-spelen satsas allt på att bygga upp en trovärdig, detaljrik och inbjudande värld fylld av faror. Jag var lite orolig att jag skulle tycka att originalen inte riktigt var värda min tid längre. Det är dock långt ifrån sanningen, utan dessa nyutgåvor är till för dig som tyckte om originalen eller vill veta mer om världen efter att ha testat Stalker 2. Vissa saker som att titlarna simulerade karaktärer med rutiner, nattglassögon och annat har ännu inte dykt upp i tvåan.

Att recensera äldre spel är ofta ett nöje. Det tillåter mig att titta tillbaka på mina tidigare intryck med nya insikter och perspektiv. Jag spelade Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, Stalker: Clear Sky och Stalker: Call of Pripyat när de lanserades. Det är lite svårt att acceptera att Shadow of Chernobyl är ett 18 år gammalt spel. Jag hade börjat gymnasiet när jag testade det för första gången. Precis som då känns det bra att starta en ny kampanj. Enchanced Edition-utgåvorna av respektive spel går inte lika långt som The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered som förändrar både spelmässiga inslag och grafik. Däremot syns det tydligt att grafiska effekter, texturer och mellansekvenser ser bättre ut än i originalen.

<bild>Molnen, ljuset från solen och skuggor ser bättre ut.</bild>

Nyversionerna av trilogin uppdaterar titlarna så att det är enklare att spela på moderna system med högre upplösning. Texturer har skalats upp och himlen uppdaterats så att den ser bättre ut. Det finns även förbättringar till ljus, skuggor och GSC Game World har också renderat alla mellansekvenser i högre upplösning. Personligen tycker jag att Clear Sky ser bäst ut när det kommer till himlen. Om du gillade originalen är detta en trogen återutgivning av originalen för moderna spelsystem. Det är också optimerat för Steam Deck om du föredrar bärbart. Jag har dock tyvärr enbart testat detta på PC.

Om du aldrig spelat dessa spel förut kan det vara bra att känna till att de är tre fristående titlar. De bygger vidare på varandras berättelser men går att spela i vilken ordning du vill. Den ursprungliga Stalker-trilogin låter dig inta rollen som tre olika Stalkers i en oförlåtande värld. Varje titel bygger vidare på den föregående med en ny protagonist, ett nytt område att utforska och en ny berättelse. Efter Tjernobylolyckan har zonen blivit förbjuden att besöka och konstiga saker sker varje dag. Muterade monster, anomalier, hemliga experiment och mycket annat gör detta till ett livsfarligt område att vandra runt i. Oavsett om du jagar rikedomar, kunskap eller mystiska artefakter är riskerna ofta värd mödan. Du behöver dock tänka till och konstant vara på din vakt. Det är inte bara människor som kan ta ditt liv utan monster, konstiga vädereffekter och olika fenomen. Utrustning går sönder över tid och du behöver ta till vara på det du har. Dessa spel kan också snabbt förvandlas till skräckupplevelser, och jag hade glömt hur obehagligt det kan bli ibland att strida mot vissa mutanter.

<bild>Dialogsystemet fungerar lika bra som innan. Det skalar också bra med högre upplösningar.</bild>

Är du sugen på att spela om dessa tre titlar vill jag lyfta ett varningens finger. Jag märkte ganska snabbt att jag tog många funktioner för givna, som egentligen enbart fanns i modifikationer. Det kändes nästan lite konstigt att återvända till grundspelen och deras originella berättelser. Speciellt efter att ha spelat mycket Gamma och Anomaly på sistone. Det känns också konstigt då dessa modifikationer bjuder på ett helt annat upplägg. Trots att de nu är optimerade för Steam Deck på PC och går att modda, kan det ta ett tag innan de stora modifikationerna blir tillgängliga. Det kan dock vara värd din väntan och äger du originalspelen får du dessa nyutgåvor utan extra kostnad.

Till skillnad från tvåan är det mycket läsande i dessa spel. Röstskådespelet är mer begränsat även om du har fler val i hur du hanterar olika situationer. Detta är något jag uppskattar. I tvåan bjöds vi på en ganska risig engelsk dubbning. Menyerna fungerar bra för dessa dialoger i detta spel. Du kan med enkla knapptryck välja vad du vill säga och få svar på direkten. Du har också betydligt mer kontroll över vilka fraktioner du kan gå med i och hur du kan påverka relationerna mellan fraktionerna. Med lite tur kommer tvåan att kännas bättre än ettan på sikt, men det kan vara värt att känna till att originalen gör vissa saker bättre än sin uppföljare.

<bild>Fienderna söker skydd och verkar smarta. Tyvärr har de samtidigt en tendens att springa ut och bli skjutna i nästa sekund.</bild>

Min personliga åsikt är att originalen spelmässigt och berättarmässigt inom vissa områden halkat efter tvåan. Det känns klumpigt att skjuta fiender och berättelserna blir aldrig lika intressanta. Däremot är vissa djupgående system och simuleringar mer komplexa här. Avsaknaden av modifikationer gör också att grundspelens brister visar sig tydligt. Exempelvis var skjutandet aldrig särskilt bra på grund av hur mycket skott fienderna kunde bli träffade av utan att dö. Samtidigt är det en värld du slukas upp av och lär dig att överleva i. Oavsett om du smyger runt med nattkikare i en övergiven källare, eller försöker ta skydd från massiva stormar är det en värld olik mycket annat ute på marknaden.

Även om det märks på mängden karaktärer, miljödesign och vapenljud att spelen är gamla, håller andra aspekter än idag. Några exempel på sådant jag tycker stått tidens tand väl är atmosfär, simuleringen av karaktärer, musik, ljuddesign, en detaljrik och levande värld. Konceptet att kasta skruvar för att hitta artefakter och lista ut sätt att besegra fienderna på är fortfarande roande. Trots att upplösningen på texturer, himlen och nya ljuseffekter ingår i detta paket ser det lite daterat ut. Är du en spelare som kan acceptera detta finns det tre titlar här som vardera tar närmare 20-40 timmar att klara av. Detta inkluderar inte gemenskapens skapade innehåll, som ger titlarna en oändlig livslängd. Å andra sidan har GSC Game World integrerat workshop-stöd från start, vilket kan underlätta processen att hitta och installera modifikationer.

<bild>Det finns vissa nya inslag i inställningsmenyerna.</bild>

Prestandamässigt flyter spelen på bra på högsta inställningar. Du behöver ingen kraftfull dator för att spela detta med ett högt antal bildrutor per sekund. Användargränssnittet är läsbart på höga upplösningar och jag upplevde nyversionerna lite mindre kraschvänligt än originalen. Annars är det i grunden samma spel med samma inställningar, förutom dessa nya inslag. En kritik jag har på ljud är att vapnen låter ganska klena jämfört med tvåan. Det märks tydligt att detta inte är ett försök att konkurrera med tvåan. Förändringarna är inte i klass med produktioner som Diablo II: Resurrected och exempelvis The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

Jag älskar Stalker-trilogin än idag och om du får dessa utan kostnad har du inget att förlora. De läggs ut som separata spel till föregångarna och tar inte särskilt mycket plats på hårddisken. Även om de ser gamla ut trots förbättringar och även spelar lite ålderdomligt, är detta tre bra spel. Världen är uppslukande och sticker ut än idag, de individuella karaktärernas berättelser är intressanta och världen känns levande. Även om jag spelmässigt gillar tvåan mer än originalen i sin ursprungliga form, tror jag att både du som gillar originalen och dig som började med tvåan kommer att uppskatta dessa utgåvor.

<bild>Mellansekvenserna och introscenerna är renderade i 4K-upplösning.</bild>

You Have a Month to Export Your Microsoft Authenticator Passwords Before They Get Deleted

Your data will be deleted starting Aug. 1. Here's how to save it.

If you use Microsoft Authenticator as your password manager, it's time to find an alternative. Previously, Microsoft announced it is ending password storage and autofill in its Authenticator app, and gave users have until this month to export saved data before it becomes unavailable, but there's now a more precise deadline: The company make your data inaccessible on Aug. 1, 2025.

This comes amidst Microsoft's transition to a "passwordless by default" approach to its own accounts. Microsoft Authenticator is a mobile app that supports secure sign-on via various multi-factor authentication methods like time-based one-time passwords and biometrics, though users could also set it up as a password manager.

What's happening to Microsoft Authenticator

As Bleeping Computer reports, Authenticator's autofill feature is being deprecated, and Microsoft is now notifying users of the impending deadlines to transition either to Microsoft Edge or another password storage option. Starting in June, users became unable to save passwords in Authenticator. Microsoft announced plans to shut down autofill this month, and saved passwords and stored payment information will no longer be accessible in the app starting Aug. 1.

After that date, Authenticator will continue to support passkeys.

According to a Microsoft support page detailing the change, saved passwords are synced to your Microsoft account and can be autofilled with Microsoft Edge, so users who have Edge enabled as their autofill provider on mobile will have easy access to their data.

To do this, you'll have to download the Microsoft Edge browser on your device and then select it as the default autofill option (Settings > General > Autofill & Passwords > Autofill from > Edge on iOS or Settings > Autofill > Preferred Service > Change > Edge on Android). You can access passwords when you're signed into Edge by tapping the three vertical lines to open Settings > Passwords.

How to export your passwords from Authenticator

If you don't want to continue with Edge, you can export your data and transition it to a secure third-party password manager, such as Bitwarden or 1Password. Open Authenticator and go to Settings > Export Passwords (under the Autofill section) and select Export. Choose a folder and hit Save. This creates a CSV for upload into a different password management tool. Note that your data is no longer encrypted in this format, and you should delete the export file as soon as you've uploaded it elsewhere.

You can also copy and paste addresses by tapping and holding, but you cannot copy or export saved payment information—that will have to be recreated manually for security reasons.

Microsoft's dates for each step of deprecation are vague, so your best bet is to export your passwords as soon as possible, and definitely by Aug. 1.

This article was previously published and has been updated with additional information on Microsoft's deadlines for accessing your data.

Amazon Prime Members Can Get Two Free E-Books in July

Choose from a list of titles hand-picked by Amazon editors, for you to keep.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

You can get thousands of free e-books over the course of 2025 if you know where—and when—to look. All year long, Amazon is offering free Kindle e-books to readers, with new opportunities popping up every month. In July, Prime members can get two free Kindle e-books from Amazon's First Reads program.

What is Amazon's First Reads?

Amazon First Reads is a program aimed at Prime members that offers early access to new e-books across many genres, as curated by First Reads editors (one of many Prime Member benefits). Prime members can choose to download one free e-book every month from a rotating list—though some months that number is bumped up to two, usually with a free short novel—and non-members get them for a discounted price. These e-books can be read on any compatible Kindle device or via the free Kindle app.

How to get your free Amazon Kindle e-books in July

Go to the First Reads landing page to see the full list of e-books available this month. Once you find a book that seems interesting, click the "Shop Now" button from the First Reads landing page. Make sure you’re not being redirected to the Kindle or Amazon mobile application, because you won't see the free book option there; instead, use your internet browser on your phone or computer.

Make sure you’re not clicking the ”Pre-order for...” button, as that will direct you to pay; instead, click the “Read for Free” or the "Buy Now with 1-Click" button under the "First Reads" banner on the book's Amazon page (don't worry, you won't be charged). This will send the e-book directly to the Kindle linked to your Amazon account.

You can see what it should look like from the screenshot below.

Screenshot of Amazon page on phone from the web browser showing the "read for free" button.
Credit: Daniel Oropeza

You’ll know you did it right when you see a “Thanks, [your name]!” order summary indicating the e-book is being auto-delivered to the Kindle Cloud Reader.

Free Amazon Kindle e-books available in July 2025

This month, you can choose two from 10 new Kindle e-books. Amazon notes the genre for each of the books above the title, offering a quick way to narrow down your options. (If you hover over the "See Editor Notes" under the "Shop Now" button, you'll be able to read a short description from the First Reads editor who picked the book.)

Here are your options for July 2025. You can choose two of these 10 e-books:

Neil Druckmann Is Stepping Away From HBO’s ‘Last of Us’

Last Of Us Druckmann

The Naughty Dog studio head and now-former producer on the HBO adaptation will step away from the series to focus on the game developer's future projects.Last Of Us Druckmann

The Naughty Dog studio head and now-former producer on the HBO adaptation will step away from the series to focus on the game developer's future projects.

Why You Shouldn't Panic About Gemini's Privacy Changes

Google is making it easier to use Gemini in several Android apps.

This week, Google sent an email to some Gemini users outlining changes in how the AI chatbot will interact with other Android apps, including Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities. Initially, the message was interpreted to mean that Gemini would potentially have more access to user data, but it turns out the update may not actually threaten privacy—and could in fact be an improvement.

What's changing with Gemini app permissions

The email states that Gemini will be able to "help you use" the above apps regardless of whether Gemini Apps Activity is enabled, though users can turn these features off in the Apps setting page. The update is set to roll out automatically beginning on July 7.

When Gemini Apps Activity is on, Google stores your Gemini history, including conversations with Gems and Gemini Live chats, in your Google account. Previously, if this setting was disabled, you weren't able to use Messages, Phone, Utilities, or WhatsApp extensions in Gemini, meaning you had to allow Google to save and store your conversations if you wanted to take advantage of AI features.

The update appears to allow you to access Gemini's functionality in these apps even if you have Gemini Apps Activity turned off, so you don't lose anything by declining to have your chats stored and used in various ways.

It makes sense to have concerns about what engaging with AI means for your privacy. Earlier this month, we covered the nightmare that is Meta AI's default data privacy settings, and we already know that your chatbot interactions are used not only to train and improve the models but may also be reviewed by humans. It's also unlikely most users are actually reading privacy policies or digging through settings to ensure their data isn't being scraped, stored, or shared in ways they may not consent to if they were. But this update doesn't appear to further compromise your privacy and data security when using Gemini.

How to disable Gemini Apps Activity

Gemini Apps Activity is enabled by default for users over 18. You can turn it off in the Gemini app by tapping your profile picture or initial followed by Gemini Apps Activity > Turn off > Turn off or Turn off and delete activity. Note that Google still stores your Gemini interactions on its servers for up to 72 hours when Gemini Apps Activity is off, but the activity won't appear in your account.

Rainbow Six: Siege X

Jag har genom åren kört det mesta som finns i form av multiplayer. Bland de stora favoriterna kan nämnas den första perioden på Xbox 360 med Gears of War, som även var det allra första jag på allvar körde online eftersom jag inte gjort det på PC särskilt mycket. Sedan var det en period med PUBG: Battlegrounds som jag ofta tänker tillbaka på och har otroligt roliga minnen från. Vi körde det så otroligt mycket och hela konceptet med Battle Royale kände så otroligt nervpirrande.

Synonymt för dessa, samt alla matcher i Titanfall 2, Apex, oändliga upplagor av Call of Duty och så vidare är att det så ofta har handlat om sällskapet. Att gå online med ett gäng vänner och kriga ihop och att få samarbeta har liksom alltid varit det som vägt allra tyngst. Därför har Rainbow Six: Siege på något vis varit det perfekta multiplayer-spelet på den punkten. Visst att man givetvis måste kunna sikta och skjuta - men det belönar samarbete mer än något annat multiplayer jag kört. Tempot, strategi, hela upplägget - allting tilltalar mig och med dryga 5200 timmar fördelat på PC och konsol så kan man lugnt säga att det är det jag kört allra mest och haft roligast med. För att i grunden vara en som föredrar single-player och förlora mig i episka äventyr ensam så är Siege lite det ultimata beviset på att om man bara har rätt sällskap så går det att ha fantastiskt roligt online. Det blir liksom större än vad bara spelet är i sig.

För faktum är att jag i perspektiv skulle sätta full pott på detta gällande all underhållning det gett mig. Sedan har det såklart alltid funnits saker med det som jag rent spelmässigt önskar vore bättre. Men den renodlade upplevelsen när jag och fyra vänner samlas för att lira tillsammans slår det mesta. Vi är hela 45 stycken Rainbow Six-spelare på min Discord. Visst, det kanske är tio-femton av dessa som är riktigt aktiva, som jag spelar oftast med, och den fantastiska gemenskap vi alla fått är tack vare Siege och hur dess taktiska natur gör det så fantastiskt att spela för oss ihop som ett gäng. Vi har givetvis, många gånger, filosoferat kring vad framtiden har att erbjuda utöver de nya säsonger med lite nytt innehåll som det uppdateras med. Ställt oss frågor som; blir det någonsin en renodlad uppföljare? Blir det en rejäl make-over? Vad sker härnäst?

Man kan lugnt säga att det tog sin tid innan något överväldigande skedde. Närmare bestämt tio år sedan dess ursprungliga release. Men nu är då slutresultatet i form av Rainbow Six: Siege X här. Något som Ubisoft själva kallar för något mer än en uppdatering men heller inte vill kalla för Siege 2. Förvirrande? Inte särskilt, det är i mångt och mycket en visuell remaster tillsammans med lite annat smått och gott. Slutresultat är delar att glädjas åt och delar att vara lite besviken kring.
<bild>Mörkare. Mer stämningsfullt. Ljuskällor är mer distinkta. Den visuella uppgraderingen är inte enorm men välkommen.</bild>
Vi kan starta med det mest uppenbara. Fem av spelets totalt 26 kartor har fått sig en noterbar visuell uppdatering. I det rankade spelläget så finns det totalt 16 kartor i rotationen. Man har då alltså putsat upp fem stycken av dessa som förekommer i det rankade spelläget. Nya texturer och nytt ljus gör banorna lite snyggare. Man har gett många områden en överdos av skinande marmor och rummens ljuskällor är betydligt mer distinkta än förr. Det blir i mångt och mycket som ett nytt filter och en annan känsla. Lite mer verklighetstroget med detaljer som att ofärdiga väggar är spacklade, områden är generellt mörkare och som helhet har det fått en ny atmosfär. Man har också utrustat dessa uppdaterade kartor med brandsläckare och gasledningar som kan användas taktiskt för både de som attackerar och försvarar. Det är ingen större visuell uppdatering som skett. Mer av en välkommen uppfräschning och förändring - men den fungerar bra utan att blåsa en ur stolen.

Ubisoft har sedan sagt att det ska komma tre stycken visuellt uppdaterade kartor varje ny säsong och en sådan varar i snitt runt tre månader. Jag kan tycka detta är lite märkligt och samtidigt lite, i brist på ett bättre ord, snålt. Med knappt en tredjedel av de rankade kartorna uppdaterade - och så tre stycken uppfräschade var tredje månad så kommer vi alltså få vänta närmare ett år innan alla de banor som förekommer i rankat ser ut som de fem första man gjort om. Till detta så finns det också alltså ytterligare tio kartor som man kan köra i de övriga spellägena. Visst, jag förstår att det dels tar tid att bygga om grafiken, samt att man vill ha något att uppdatera med varje säsong men... nja, jag hade definitivt hellre sett att detta nya Siege hade lanserats med en komplett uppfräschning av åtminstone de kartor som förekommer i rankat.
<bild>District heter den nya kartan som är exklusiv för det nya spelläget Dual Front.</bild>
För, det blir helt enkelt en ganska märklig kontrast att köra någon av de upputsade kartorna för att i en ny match kanske slungas tillbaka till hur det såg ut innan. Nu är den grafiska förändringen egentligen inte enorm, men det finns ändå något välkomnande att se ett spel som haft samma visuella profil (med några mindre justeringar genom åren) få lite nya kläder. Att köra en match på någon av de fem som fått ny skrud för att sedan köra en "gammal" karta tycker jag i grunden är rätt tråkigt. Speciellt eftersom då inte ens hälften fått sig en "remaster. Det där om att putsa upp kartor så att man har något att släppa kommande säsonger kunde då gälla de som finns i de andra spellägena. Ett bättre och mer logiskt upplägg hade helt enkelt varit att putsa upp samtliga kartor som finns i det rankade spelläget inför lanseringen. Sedan kunde man mellan säsongerna putsa upp de andra.

Vid sidan om det visuella är den andra stora uppdateringen ett nytt spelläge som heter Dual Front. Det är någon slags märklig mix av Team Deathmatch/Capture the Flag och det Siege i grunden handlar om. På en stor ny karta vid namn District kämpar ett lag om sex operatörer om att både försvara och attackera olika punkter. Den stora förändringen här från det grundläggande spelmässiga konceptet är, förutom då sex spelare på varje lag, att det finns respawns. Det går dessutom att mixa och välja mellan operatörer som i grundspelet är låst till att attackera/försvara. Så samma lag kan exempelvis ha en renodlad attack-operatör mixat med en som används på försvar.
<bild>Ett nytt hjul man kan klicka upp för att kommunicera med har också introducerats - för de som kanske inte vill (eller kan) prata.</bild>
Som ett nytt inslag kan jag tycka att Dual Front är helt okej men inte mycket mer än så. Matcherna känns lite för långa och upplägget är inte direkt jättespännande. Strategier och det som Siege bygger på försvinner till stor del och blir snarare i mångt och mycket en renodlad döda-fest. Att mitt i stridens hetta förstärka väggar eller göra en uppsättning med fällor känns bara märkligt och fungerar inte så jättebra. Däremot är det en god tanke att lägga in ett permanent nytt spelläge som utvecklarna också menar kan förändras och bjuda på olika typer av upplevelser framöver.

Som sammanfattning av Dual Front blir det helt enkelt mer spännande att se vad de gör med detta än det är att lira för tillfället. Men visst, hamnar man i en situation att man är sex stycken som vill köra tillsammans (eftersom de andra spellägena då är låsta till fem) så är det fint att detta alternativet finns. När Siege bjudit på andra spellägen förr än de fasta så har det alltid varit sådana som bara funnits en kort period. Dual Front är här för att stanna och kanske då med tiden kan bli intressant. Även om jag själv nästan uteslutande kör Siege för att kriga mot andra i rankade matcher.
<bild>Siege X kommer också med en förändring av en av spelets operatörer. Clash kan numera ställa ifrån sig sin elektrifierade sköld.</bild>
Ett annat område som fått en större förändring är hur rappel-systemet fungerar. Innan när man skulle hissa upp sig till taket eller inta en position längst en vägg så var man väldigt låst. Ville man byta punkt fick man snällt hissa sig ner eller upp för att hitta en ny punkt att fästa sig emot. Med något som kallas för "advanced rappel" så kan man nu röra sig helt fritt längst en vägg, springa sidledes på den och även smidigt ta sig runt hörn. Det är en ganska liten men spelmässig välkomnande förändring som gör det hela lite smidigare på denna punkt och öppnar för lite nya strategier. Men i grunden inte används det inte så mycket eftersom det viktigaste ändå är att förr eller senare faktiskt ta sig in i byggnaden när man attackerar.

Ubisoft har även klätt om menyerna och lite av användargränssnittet. Men trots detta nya uppfräschade utseende kan jag inte skaka av mig känslan att det hela som slutresultat blir lite för försiktigt. Det har varit en lång utveckling för något som, förutom den visuella putsen, känns som ett ganska blygsamt nästa steg. Samtidigt så är det ändå viktigt att det Siege som jag älskar är intakt och inte blivit något helt annat. För även om saker som förstörbara objekt adderats, att man förändrat hur man bannar operatörer inför varje runda och några andra mindre nya inslag så är det i grunden ändå samma koncept när matcherna drar igång. Just detta är jag väldigt tacksam för - eftersom jag vill köra just det. All den taktik och allt det samarbete som det bjuder på. Visst att det varit spännande om man rent spelmässigt kommit på några nya omvälvande saker men jag känner samtidigt att det inte riktigt behövs.

Samtidigt; hade Rainbow Six: Siege X lanserats som en mer färdig evolution - en där inte (mer än) ena halvan fortfarande står med foten kvar i hur det såg ut innan man satte ett X bakom titeln så hade jag höjt betyget ett snäpp till och hävdat att det var snudd på komplett och perfekt. Denna förändring är helt enkelt lite för blygsam och det är synd att det ska behöva ta drygt ytterligare ett år innan den känns närmare något som är fulländat. Men samtidigt vet jag ju också att jag och mina vänner under detta året kommer ha precis lika fantastiskt kul tillsammans med detta som vi haft innan.

How to Speak With a Real Person at Target Customer Service

You're likely calling the wrong number to talk to a live agent from Target.

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The back-to-school summer shopping season is upon us, with major retailer sales like Prime Day rolling in, including Target's Circle Week sale. If you're here, you've likely had a hard time trying to get hold of someone with a conscience on the other line. It's not easy, but here is the best way I found to get a real customer service representative from Target on the phone.

The best phone number for Target's customer service department

If you Google Target's customer service number, the first number you'll see at the top of the search result is 1-800-440-0680. However, it's hard or even impossible to reach a real person using that number. However, in my experience, if you call 1-800-591-3869, you can eventually reach a customer service agent.

If Target recognizes your phone number

The pre-recorded message will automatically pull up your last order from Target.com and ask if you need help with it. Regardless of why you're calling, press 1 to confirm you need help with it. You'll be given additional options to narrow down the reason for your call, but if you don't select an option, Target will automatically connect you with a live agent on the phone who can help you with anything related to your account.

If Target doesn't recognize your phone number

If your phone number isn't automatically linked to your account, you'll want to press 1 to enter your phone number. Once you do, Target will connect you with someone who will verify your information and send you an email verification. Once you finish that, that person will be able to help you answer questions regarding your account.

Unlike Amazon, there is no call-back service provided by Target, so calling yourself is the quickest way to get a hold of a real person.

Prime Day 2025 Live Blog: All the Best Deals on Laptops, Fitness Trackers, Appliances, and More

Follow along for the best early Prime Day deals as soon as we find them.

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Early Prime Day deals are here. Amazon's Prime Day sale doesn't officially start until July 8, but as it's usually the case with Amazon, early deals start appearing much earlier than the kick-off date.

Our Prime Day coverage starts now, giving you live access to the best deals our team of experts can find. We will always use price tracking tools to make sure the deals you see are actually good deals, and not just hype designed to fool you.

You will need to be a Prime Member to have access to all of Amazon's Prime Day deals and to get free shipping. Prime membership starts at $14.99 per month ($139 per year) and comes with a lot more benefits than people think. It's easy to figure out if yearly Prime membership is worth it for you, but remember you can always cancel your Prime membership once the sale is over. Amazon offers free 30-day trials, so you can shop for the whole event and still have time to cancel before you get charged. (Here's how to sign up for a Prime account.)

If this is your first Prime Day, you need to know some basics:

You can check out our live blog of the event below, which features the whole team's coverage of all four days of Prime Day. We'll continue covering new deals as they are published, but scroll through the blog to check out all of the best deals so far.

TikTok Is Lying to You About Vibration Plates

They aren't the fitness revolution that TikTok makes them out to be.

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Scroll through FitTok (aka "Fitness TikTok") and you'll inevitably stumble across someone standing on what looks like a large, vibrating platform, promising it's the secret to effortless fitness. These vibration plates are a relentless wellness trend, with influencers claiming they'll transform your body with minimal effort. Lifehacker's senior health editor Beth Skwarecki has previously debunked those claims. "Minimal effort" is a timeless marketing gimmick, one that gets constantly repackaged for new audiences. And don't these vibration plates seem familiar? Are we not just reliving the same scams from the 1950s?

So, let's say we all agree that vibration plates aren't going to lead to effortless weight loss. We know that there isn't any research strong enough to back up claims that vibration plates help you gain muscle or lose fat. The thing is, that's not the only tactic being used to sell vibration plates. In fact, many of the companies marketing these vibration plates don't even bother with weight loss claims—that's the TikTok creators doing it for them. Instead, I see these devices officially marketed for alternative purposes, like lymphatic drainage, bone strength, or better balance. If you ask me, those types of holistic claims sound a lot more believable. After all, what's so different between a massage gun and vibrating plate?

I wanted to test those claims personally, so I've secured myself one of the most popular ones sold on TikTok: the Merach whole body vibration plate. Before you too add one to your cart in TikTok Shop, let's examine what these devices actually do—and more importantly, what they don't.

What are vibration plates, exactly?

Vibration plates are exactly what they sound like: flat surfaces that vibrate at various frequencies and amplitudes. When you stand on one, the rapid vibrations force your muscles to contract reflexively as your body works to maintain balance and stability.

The vibrations typically range from 15 to 50 Hz (cycles per second), which I would describe as "nothing too crazy." You can use them passively, simply standing or sitting on the platform while you brush your teeth. The theory is that these involuntary muscle contractions could provide some of the benefits of traditional exercise. Or you can perform exercises like squats or push-ups while the device vibrates beneath you—the theory being that you're adding to the intensity of your workout to get better results.

What does vibration actually do for you?

Let's start with that last claim, that being vibrated automatically makes your workouts better. While your muscles do contract during the vibrating experience, these aren't the same type of contractions that build substantial strength or burn meaningful calories. The logic that "harder equals more effective" is fundamentally flawed. Yes, it might be more challenging to perform squats while being vibrated, but it would also be harder to do squats if I were throwing garbage at your head—that doesn't make it more beneficial. Difficulty doesn't translate to superior results. In general, any device that claims to "do the work for you"should immediately raise a red flag. If weights did the work for you, you wouldn't get stronger. If treadmills did the work for you, you wouldn't get faster. Unfortunately, "the work" is where your fitness comes from.

Outside of weight loss claims, I've seen plenty of reviews and comments arguing in defense of vibration plates. I agree that the vibrations can feel like a massage. I enjoy stepping on my vibration plate to "shake out" after a run, and I even like how the vibrations feel on my brain when I'm trying to relax at the end of the day. Unfortunately, any research to actually back up these holistic benefits is simply too inconsistent and limited right now.

Dr. Kira Capozzolo, a chiropractor and founder of Twin Waves Wellness Center, frequently fields questions about vibration plates from her patients. Regarding muscle recovery, Dr. Capozzolo explains that while she's seen some studies suggest that whole body vibration can mildly improve circulation, reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness, and even activate muscle fibers, "it's not a magic bullet." She describes vibration plates as "more of a recovery booster, not a replacement for proper rest, hydration, or mobility work."

Carrie Riley, a Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist (C-MLD), echoes similar sentiments: "It should be viewed as a complement to movement, not a magic fix." Regarding lymphatic benefits, Riley explains the mechanism, but tempers expectations: "Lymph flow relies on muscle contractions and diaphragmatic breathing. Some studies suggest vibration might help stimulate lymphatic flow through micro-contractions of muscles as the body tries to maintain balance. Still, it's not a substitute for targeted lymphatic drainage work." For healthy users, there might be a mild benefit. But for post-op clients or people dealing with chronic inflammation, it's often too general to make a meaningful difference, and in some cases, it could even be a bad fit.

The bottom line is that if any of the TikTok creators actually believe what they're saying about vibration plates, it's most likely placebo. The science is not on their side.

The bottom line

Despite the lack of dramatic fitness benefits, it's clear that many people who try vibration plates enjoy the general experience. They feel some sort of benefit beyond weight loss or muscle building. These subjective benefits, while not scientifically earth-shattering, might still have value for some individuals.

At the end of the day, vibration plates aren't the fitness revolution that TikTok makes them out to be. They won't replace proper exercise, dramatically reshape your body, or serve as a shortcut to health. However, they may offer modest benefits for muscle recovery when used as part of a broader wellness routine, and some people simply enjoy how they feel.

If you're considering a vibration plate, approach it with realistic expectations. Think of it as a potential recovery tool or relaxation device rather than a fitness game-changer. And remember: If something sounds too good to be true on social media, it probably is.

Author's Note: I'm currently in the middle of a 60-day test where I use a vibration plate daily. Stay tuned for my findings on what these devices actually do when used consistently in real-world conditions.

These Solos Smart Glasses Might Make Me Ditch My Ray Ban Metas

These smart glasses are light on gimmicks, heavy on usability.

Smart glasses company Solos today announced two new entries in the wearable tech space: the AirGo A5 and AirGo V2. Solos says its mission is to "make wearable AI more intuitive, accessible, and integrated into daily life," so the idea behind these new spectacles is to ditch the gimmicks in favor of wearability and features people will actually use.

Here's a breakdown on what we can expect when these glasses hit the market later this year.

Solos AirGo A5

Solos AirGo A5
Credit: Solos

The AirGo A5 are audio-first, lightweight smart glasses designed for people who want everyday eyewear with intelligence and audio, but without the bulk or distraction of some wearables.

AirGo A5's cost less than industry leading Ray-Ban Metas, and are most notable for lacking a camera. This allows for lower weight, and also means your specs look more like normal glasses. The downside is obvious: no pictures.

Here's a breakdown of the A5's features:

  • Hands-free operation

  • Built-in SolosChat AI agent

  • Directional audio that minimizes sound leakage

  • Enhanced bass and high-quality audio

  • List price: starting at $249

  • Available Q3 2025

There's something to be said for glasses that only do the things you want them to do instead of trying to do everything. I'm keenly interested in the audio quality and the comfort of these glasses. If they sound appreciably better than Ray Ban Metas, and they're comfortable enough to wear every day, they'd be a solid choice for a lot of smart glasses users.

If you'd like a camera, the AirGo V2 might be your style.

Solos AirGo V2

Solos AirGo V2
Credit: Solos

V2 are camera-first smart glasses, aimed at "travelers, content creators, and anyone wanting to document and share life in the moment," according to Solos. Life-sharing is courtesy of an image-stabilized 16MP camera capable of shooting HD video. V2 also come equipped with SolosChat 3.0 AI, that uses ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek. All that tech is contained Solos modular system that allows users to swap out frame fronts at will.

Here's a breakdown of the V2's features:

  • 16MP camera the company says is "the world’s slimmest."

  • Electronic image stabilization

  • Low power wifi to save battery use

  • SolosChat 3.0 AI that can identify objects, translate signs, and get answers from multiple AI models.

  • Directional audio made to minimizes sound leakage

  • High-quality audio, featuring enhanced bass

  • Swappable battery

  • List price: starting at $299.

  • Available Q4 2025

I'll be testing these smart glasses in real world conditions, as well as comparing them to the similarly priced Meta Ray Bans, in the near future, so check back for in-depth coverage.

Haneda Girl

{Studio Koba} bländade spelvärlden 2021 med sitt underbara {Narita Boy}, men jag missade den där lanseringsfebern och upptäckte det på ett mer intimt sätt en tid senare. Och jag tror att det var en stor tjänst för mig. {Narita Boy} är en mycket speciell titel, inte bara på grund av dess pixelkonstestetik eller dess ständiga hyllningar till 80-talets popkultur, och till och med dess exponering som om det vore en arkadtitel: det är ett verk med själ och, i dessa tider där själ är alltmer sällsynt och en styrelses vinstalgoritm har företräde, är det dessa juveler som driver mediets framsteg. Det är inte första gången ni hört mig säga detta. Trots all dess godhet är det sant att {Narita Boy} var svårt att följa upp med en uppföljare i samma anda, eftersom dess berättelse når ett (tillfredsställande) slut, och en uppföljare skulle redan förlora det där överraskningsmomentet och upptäckten som vi nu värdesätter. Men {Digital Kingdom} kunde fortsätta växa, det behövde bara en helt annan hjältinna: {Haneda Girl}.
<bild></bild>
Chichi Wakada är en vanlig tonåring med en alldeles speciell egenhet: hon är världens bästa spelare i {Haneda Girl}, och med den meritlistan ger professor Nakamura (ja, samma skapare av {Digital Realm} som vi behövde för att återuppväcka minnen i {Narita Boy}) henne uppdraget att besegra hackernauterna som hotar själva existensen av {Data Empire}. Chichi tar sin Ken-chan-ljussabel och sin taktiska stridsmecha M.O.T.H.E.R. och ger sig ut på ett äventyr. Och det är allt. Det är handlingen. {Haneda Girl} skalar ner den narrativa ambitionen som dess "kusin" {Narita Boy} destillerade för att lägga allt fokus på spelupplägget. Och det är det bästa {Studio Koba} kunde ha gjort. En skärm, en följd av vinjetter som kombineras för att bilda en helhetsbild, och hela handlingen väl förklarad. När {Haneda Girl} lämnar sin titelskärm är allt från och med därifrån en frenetisk actionplattformsfest där krigaren och hennes stridsrobot tar sig igenom nivåerna, tar ut fiender och försöker hitta alla hemligheter på så kort tid som möjligt. Kroken är att {Haneda Girl} nästan känns som ett dubbelverk, med två huvudpersoner som fungerar som en enda enhet. Hane-chan är smidig, snabb och kan klättra på vilken rak yta som helst, men hon kommer att tas ut i ett enda slag av fienderna (och de är väldigt bra på det). M.O.T.H.E.R., å andra sidan, är tung, robust och kan krossa fiender genom att köra över dem med långdistansmaskingevär (till att börja med, eftersom arsenalen utökas senare), men dess rörlighet är reducerad.
<bild></bild>
Så hur övervinner man miljön och dess utmaningar? Båda huvudpersonerna växlar kontroll genom att trycka på en enda knapp, vilket innebär att även mitt i ett hopp med Hane kan de landa inuti M.O.T.H.E.R. och sedan skjuta ut med samma knapp, vilket ger dig en uppfattning om mångsidigheten och variationen av rörelser och situationer som kan uppstå. Dessutom måste alla banor, både hopp, Dash, skott och laddade attacker (Superdash), markeras med dubbel spak, om man använder en handkontroll (det alternativ jag har använt). Med piltangenterna och WASD är det också möjligt... men det kräver en nivå av kontroll och precision som mitt tålamod inte längre tillåter mig. Synergin mellan de två karaktärerna är det som gör skillnaden jämfört med andra verk som, och detta erkänns av utvecklarna av {Studio Koba}, har inspirerat titeln: Om du gillade spel som {Katana Zero}, {Broforce} eller {Hotline Miami}, hittar du här en titel som är mer än värdig att inträda i genrens högsta panteon. Progressionen mellan nivåerna sker först genom variationen av fiender och vår egen hoppförmåga och precisionsbanor, men sedan kommer nya vapen som missilkastaren att läggas till för att ta sig an var och en av de 45 huvudnivåerna och cirka 30 ytterligare nivåer som låses upp via CD-ROM-skivor som vi samlar in genom nivåerna, eller genom att uppnå höga poäng som ger oss guldrang eller högre. Och däri ligger kroken. Med varierande skicklighetsnivåer kan du ta dig igenom spelets 15 huvudnivåer på mindre än tio timmar, men att bemästra spelet och låsa upp många av dess bonusnivåer (som är lika coola som de är djävulskt svåra) kommer att ta mycket, mycket längre tid. Det här handlar inte bara om retro, 80-tals hyllningar eller känslan av att stå framför en gammal vakuumrörsarkadskärm. {Haneda Girl}s själ ligger någonstans mellan ren arkad och actionplattform.
<bild></bild>
Jag älskar highscore-systemet i slutet av varje nivå, och under hela recensionsperioden kunde jag bara tänka på att när jag uppmuntrar vänner och kollegor att spela, kommer de att ge mig skärmdumpar av sina topplistor för att se vem som har uppnått högst ranking. Jag tror att det systemet skulle kunna fungera bra som en topplista med {Steam}-vänner. Och vi har fortfarande inte pratat om vad som är mitt andra stora plus för {Haneda Girl}: dess soundtrack. Jag minns att jag avslutade min första spelsession efter två timmar och hämtade andan, och Salvinskys musik dunkade fortfarande i mitt huvud. Rytmerna är mer drivande och minnesvärda, även som bakgrundselement, men om du var fascinerad av hans *synthwave* i {Narita Boy}, kommer du att bli förälskad i {Haneda Girl}. Jag är mycket nöjd med denna enklare och samtidigt mer fokuserade och precisa metod som är {Haneda Girl} inom {Studio Koba}s verk. Ett spel som har fångat mig fullständigt och som jag fortfarande spelar om, förbättrar mina poäng och upptäcker de där dolda nivåerna som fortfarande är ouppnåeliga. Jag hoppas bara att den japanska regeringen snart kommer att uppmuntras att öppna en tredje flygplats i Tokyo för att ta reda på vilken titel {Studio Koba}s nästa spel kommer att ha, och för att se vilken underbar designövning det kommer att glädja oss med.

The Three Kinds of Phone Hacks to Watch Out For

If your phone is hacked, here's what to do.

By putting the right security protections in place and applying some common sense caution, you can minimize the risk of your phone getting hacked—but it's not something you can ever 100 percent guarantee you're going to be able to avoid. With that in mind, it helps to know what some of the warning signs of a hack might look like, and what you can do in response.

There are a few different scenarios that the term "hack" covers, so I'll go through them in turn, even if there is some overlap in what you need to be looking out for. Should you be unlucky enough to have your device compromised, by spotting it and fixing it as quickly as possible, you can limit the damage.

The spyware hack

When it comes to phone hacks, the first scenario that would come to mind for most of us is probably someone else gaining control of our device: recording what's being said into the phone mic, perhaps, or recording keystrokes on the keyboard.

On modern-day smartphones, it's quite difficult to carry out a hack like this remotely—though by no means impossible. Exploits can be carried out via an instant message, or through an app that isn't doing what it says it will do, assuming it's sneaked past Apple and Google's checks (or you've sideloaded it).

If an unscrupulous coworker or partner has managed to get physical access to your phone, the hack is easier to carry out. They might be able to install and hide an app without your knowledge, though even then it will need to get past the built-in security checks put in place by Android and iOS.

Android apps
Check your apps lists for unrecognized entries. Credit: Lifehacker

For exploits of this type, there are a few warning signs to look out for that suggest hidden app activity: battery drain that's faster than usual, apps being slow to load or crashing regularly, and your phone unexpectedly running out of storage space. Both Android and iOS should also alert you whenever the mic or camera is in use, so watch for any unexpected activations.

If you think something is wrong, it's worth browsing through the apps list to see if there's anything you don't recognize: Tap Apps from Settings on either Android or iOS. You can uninstall anything suspicious from the same list.

For a more thorough clean-up, you can reset your phone, which should wipe out any spyware or unwanted apps at the same time—just make sure you have all your files and data backed up safely first, because the device will go back to its original state. On Android, choose System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) from Settings; on iOS, you need to pick General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings from Settings.

The account hack

Another type of hack is the account hack, where someone else gains access to your apps or accounts. This can expose your data on your computers and on the web too, as well as affecting your phone. Your login credentials may have shown up in a data breach, or they may have been tricked out of you by a phishing scam.

As with the previous hack, what you need to look out for is suspicious activity, though it might not always be obvious: files or emails appearing and disappearing when they shouldn't, for example, or alerts about your account that you didn't expect.

There are a few ways to dig a bit deeper for signs that your accounts may have been compromised. One is to open up your apps with a "recent" or "activity" view first: You can do this in Google Drive, and in your iCloud Drive account. Everything you see should correspond with actions you've taken.

Instagram logins
Viewing active logins for Instagram. Credit: Lifehacker

You can also check to see which devices your account is active on, which will tell you if someone has logged in as you on a phone, tablet, or computer you don't own. Most accounts now let you do this in some way or another—for example, you can head here to see everywhere your Instagram account is active. The same page lets you set up alerts for new logins and revoke access from any device you can't identify.

Keep an eye on your email inbox, too, to see if you've got any warnings about unexpected activity on your account—though note that this will only work if your accounts are connected to email addresses that are active and regularly checked.

If you think one of your accounts has been compromised, change the login details as soon as you can, which should lock out any unwelcome visitors. You should also enable two-factor authentication for all the accounts that offer it, which means hackers need more than a username and password to gain access.

The SIM or eSIM hack

Hackers can also target the SIM in your phone, whether it's a physical SIM card or an eSIM. The newer eSIM standard, where digital registration is used instead of an actual card, is the safer option but it still doesn't offer 100 percent guaranteed protection.

The most common type of attack here is a SIM swapping attack (also known as a SIM jacking attack): Essentially, your cell number is rerouted to another SIM, and another phone. Someone else will be getting your calls, your texts, and your security codes if you've set them up over SMS.

This can be done with physical SIMs and eSIMs, and usually involves a hacker convincing your carrier that they're actually you—and that you want to get your number switched to a new device. They'll need some kind of personal information or login credentials to do this, and they may even compromise the account you've got with your network provider (as described above).

SIM settings
Hackers can try and gain control over your SIM. Credit: Lifehacker

As well as being a potentially damaging hack, this is also one that you should spot pretty quickly: It will look like your friends and family are ignoring you, because you won't get any calls or texts, and you won't be able to send any either.

You might also get alerts from your carrier, over email or in-app messages, asking to confirm certain security changes. Be on the lookout for these, as well as any sudden changes in service (like having no cell signal in areas where you can usually connect).

If a SIM swap happens to you, act as quickly as you can. Change the passwords on accounts connected to your number, and speak to your cell carrier or eSIM provider company at the earliest opportunity—even if you have to borrow someone else's phone to do it. Once you've proven that you are actually you, the company you're in touch with should be able to reverse the changes.

SEO for Manufacturers in the Age of AI: Strategies to Boost Visibility with AI

The way manufacturers attract leads has evolved – and it’s evolving faster than ever. In the past, ranking on Google was all about keywords and backlinks. But with the rise of AI-powered search and changing user behavior, traditional SEO strategies need an upgrade. In this guide, we’ll help you understand how Manufacturing SEO is adapting…

The post SEO for Manufacturers in the Age of AI: Strategies to Boost Visibility with AI appeared first on Pixel Studios.

The way manufacturers attract leads has evolved – and it’s evolving faster than ever. In the past, ranking on Google was all about keywords and backlinks. But with the rise of AI-powered search and changing user behavior, traditional SEO strategies need an upgrade.

In this guide, we’ll help you understand how Manufacturing SEO is adapting in the AI era, and what manufacturing companies can do to boost their digital visibility and generate consistent leads.

From Struggling to Thriving: SEO That Works

One of our manufacturing clients, once struggling with stagnant website traffic and minimal inbound leads, now consistently generates 60–80 high-quality leads every month – purely through SEO. The transformation didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of a well-structured SEO plan combined with smart content distribution and technical improvements.

So, what made the difference?

1. Go Beyond the Website: Build a Content Portfolio

Modern SEO for manufacturers isn’t just about optimizing your website. It’s about showing up wherever your audience searches – be it Google, YouTube, Quora, or even Reddit.

Here’s how to build a 360° content presence:

The goal? To rank not only for your website but for your entire digital footprint, making you discoverable in multiple ways.

2. Prepare for the AI Search Shift

Search engines like Google are increasingly integrating generative AI and conversational search models into their platforms (like Google Gemini or SGE).

This means users are searching with questions like:

To rank for such conversational and zero-click searches, your content needs to:

Being visible on AI-generated search results is the next big frontier.

3. Create Content Clusters – In Multiple Formats

Search engines reward depth and breadth of content. Instead of just writing one blog on “Stainless Steel Valves,” build a full content cluster:

These clusters boost topical authority, improve dwell time, and cover different user preferences.

4. Use Programmatic SEO to Target Variants & Locations

If you’re a multi-location manufacturer or serve various industries, programmatic SEO is your best friend.

What it means: Creating templated pages targeting different product + location combinations:

Other strategies include:

All of this builds both search presence and trust.

5. Technical SEO Still Matters

Behind every visible website is strong technical SEO. For manufacturers with heavy websites, this is critical.

Don’t overlook:

These improvements not only help with search rankings but also improve user experience.

6. Content That Aligns with E-E-A-T

Google’s E-E-A-T principle (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is key for manufacturers trying to gain visibility.

How to demonstrate E-E-A-T:

This makes your brand more credible in the eyes of both Google and your buyers.

Conclusion: SEO + AI = A Smarter Growth Strategy

The rules of digital marketing may be changing, but the fundamentals remain: be visible, be helpful, be credible. SEO for manufacturers in the AI age is about being everywhere your audience is—whether it’s on search engines, AI assistants, or knowledge graphs.

At Pixel Studios, we’ve helped multiple industrial brands rise from invisibility to consistently generating qualified leads every month. Our approach combines technical SEO, AI-readiness, and full-funnel content strategy tailored for manufacturers.

Want to see how it can work for your business? Let’s build your visibility—brick by digital brick.

FAQs

1. Why is SEO important for manufacturers?

Because industrial buyers research extensively before contacting vendors. SEO ensures you show up in those searches.

2. What is the role of AI in manufacturing SEO?

AI changes how users search—more conversational and answer-focused. Your SEO must align with AI-generated results.

3. What is programmatic SEO and how can it help manufacturers?

It helps create hundreds of location or product variant pages at scale—boosting your reach.

4. How often should I update my manufacturing website for SEO?

Aim to add fresh content monthly and review technical elements every quarter.

5. How does E-E-A-T apply to manufacturers?

It’s about building trust with authentic, expert-driven, and visually credible content. This improves both rankings and customer confidence.

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The post SEO for Manufacturers in the Age of AI: Strategies to Boost Visibility with AI appeared first on Pixel Studios.

The Most Recommended VPN Is Giving Away Amazon Gift Cards (Limited Time)

Nordvpn Amazon Gift Card Deal

NordVPN is feeling generous these days! On top of getting a top-rated VPN, you can also score an Amazon gift card.Nordvpn Amazon Gift Card Deal

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Blades of Fire

För ett litet tag sedan hade jag chansen att bege mig ner till en liten stad i södra England för att kolla in AA-utvecklarna Mercury Steams rytande nya God of War/Souls-inspirerade Blades of Fire. Trots namnet så tyckte jag inte riktigt att dessa blad var tillräckligt heta för att imponera på mig ännu och jag är fortfarande inte säker på att de är det nu efter att ha harvat mig igenom recensionsexemplaret av spelet.

Blades of Fire utspelar sig i en värld där en ond häxa har uppstått för att bli drottning. Det första hon gör med sin regeringstid är dock inte att höja skatterna eller förbjuda skoj, utan istället kastar hon en formel så att enbart de som är lojala mot henne kan använda vapen av stål. Resten av landets vapen är istället gjorda av sten, förutom bladen som vår hjälte, Aran de Lira använder, tack vare en speciell eldig hammare som gör att han kan smida sina egna vapen.

<bild>Det är svårt att få till en bra rytm i spelets strider</bild>

Premissen och världen av Blades of Fire är tillräckligt unik för att hjälpa den att sticka ut från andra Soulslikes vi har sett genom åren. Var och en av dem behöver sin egen karaktär, annars kommer de att bli alltför lätta att hitta i jämförelse med spelen som de har hämtat inspiration från. Förutom att vapen är en något begränsad resurs (de kommer att gå sönder, men du skapar nya), har Blades of Fire också en del av spelet som är dedikerad till att smida dessa vapen.

Genom att använda olika typer av stål, timmer, och valet av olika skaft, blad och svärdsknapp, så kommer du att göra ett vapen som kan kännas unikt för dig. Sen slår du det mörka stålet med din hammare tills det matchar vapnets konturer så gott det går. Detta sker genom ett minispel, och är en viktig del av att spela Blades of Fire. Men även om det känns fräscht och innovativt i början, så kan det vara svårt att avgöra vad de olika stålen och virket gör förutom att få dina siffror att gå upp eller ner. När du väl har smitt ditt vapen första gången så kan du hoppa över smides-delen och göra det i exakt samma kvalitet igen. Detta effektiviserar processen, men det väcker också ett frågetecken över hur viktigt och roligt det är att gå igenom processen att behöva tillverka varje vapen själv.

<bild>Att smida vapen är ett viktig inslag i Blades of Fire</bild>

Vapen- och stridsvariation är en stor styrka i Blades of Fire. När du väl har skaffat dig minst en av varje vapentyp - vilket i sig kan vara lite jobbigt - så kommer du att kunna se alla olika kombinationer och sätt att använda dem tack vare att det finns fyra olika attackknappar. Olika fiender kräver också att du gör olika typer av skada för att upphäv effektiviteten av deras rustningar, så du behöver aldrig hålla dig till ett vapen, åtminstone i teorin. Där striden inte riktigt träffar målet är i spelandet av den. Knapptryckningarna är responsiva men ändå känns det aldrig riktigt som att du kan få igång en ordentlig rytm. Tack vare uthållighetssystemet och fiender som snabbt återhämtar sig från alla slag av bedövning, kan du i bästa fall få ett par svängningar innan du behöver blockera eller ställas inför ett slumpmässigt slag . Detta kommer inte att vara fallet för allas tid med Blades of Fire. Det räcker att läsa intrycken från demoversionen för att se att det finns en viss tillfredsställelse med hur striderna är. Jag kunde bara inte en sådan som kändes som en liknelse av de bästa fantasy-action eller Soulslikes-spelen.

Det verkar även finnas lite av en splittrad personlighet när det kommer till Blades of Fire. Från vilopunkter, kartorna som tillåter fler vägar och genvägar ju mer du utforskar, och andra faktorer är det tydligt att de tidiga Souls-spelen inspirerade mycket, och ändå känns det i övrigt mer likt något som Black Myth: Wukong eller God of War, fast med Souls-känsla. I From Software-titlarna, så är det ditt misstag ifall du är omringad och du kan nästan vara säker på att dö. I Blades of Fire så kastas fiender mot dig i vågor, men utan den där känslan av att du är tillräckligt kraftig för att kunna ha en chans mot dem alla på en gång. Dock är kanske denna splittring som allra tydligast i berättelsen.

<bild>Det bjuds på monster. Och slakt.</bild>

Förutom en kort mellansekvens i början av spelet så är historien om Blades of Fire till stor del din att upptäcka. Å ena sidan skapar det en stor känsla av mystik runt om i världen, så att du kan upptäcka det bit för bit tillsammans med Aran och hans följeslagare Adso. Å andra sidan kan det sluta med att spelet känns ganska tyngdlöst i narrativ mening. Jag är inte helt säker på att jag vill utforska nästa fängelsehåla, traska genom nästa våg av fiender som slår tillbaka direkt efter att jag slår dem över huvudet med en hammare, om jag inte vet varför jag gör det. Även genom dialogen med din följeslagare så får du oftast vad som bara känns som ganska distanserade beskrivningar av platser eller människor. Även när våra hjältar slänger in de udda bitarna av sina åsikter är det ofta ganska grundläggande. Aran kommer att kommentera om han gillar någon och vad hans nästa mål är.

Jag borde nog ha tagit det som ett tecken när jag direkt kopplade Arans framträdande till huvudpersonen i Ride to Hell: Retribution att jag inte skulle få den djupaste karaktären här. Jag gillar mycket av de mänskliga designen av karaktärer i Blades of Fire, och älskar monstren, men tycker att karaktärerna i sig är ganska inkonsekventa. Aran är ett utmärkt exempel. Ena minuten är han den praktiskt taget stumme, stoiske muskelmannen, och nästa minut kör han lite skämt i mitten av striden. Detsamma gäller för många karaktärer. Det kan ibland kännas som att det fanns en kamp mellan att göra spelet till en mörkare fantasi och mer av en Pratchett-inspirerad värld av vimsighet. Det skär sig, och den ständiga växlingen tog mig ut ur Blades of Fire precis när jag började njuta av en del av den. Röstskådespelarna gör sitt bästa, men dialog är inte bra i Blades of Fire. Vissa rader känns helt enkelt inte som något en person skulle, och andra upprepas så ofta när du utforskar en nivå att det kan driva en mot galenskap. Jag minns fortfarande det tidiga gråtandet från ett särskilt irriterande barn.

<bild>Alldeles för lika miljöer gör utforskningen jobbig</bild>

Den upprepade dialogen kan bli särskilt frustrerande när du tar dig tillbaka eller slingrar dig igenom spelets kartor, eftersom nivådesignen ibland förbryllade mig. Spelet lär dig en sak, för att byta ut den mot en annan. Till exempel, mycket tidigt på Crimson Fort, så blev både jag och en annan kollega förvånade på samma punkt angående en dold väg och en nyckel som behövdes för att komma vidare i huvudberättelsen. Fram till den punkten kunde nycklar erhållas från särskilt starka soldater, så du skulle tro att du skulle behöva en liknande nyckel för att fortsätta. Nej, du skulle istället slå dig igenom en vägg bakom den låsta dörren, eftersom den nyckeln dyker upp senare på den nivån. Miljöer, även om de är visuellt skarpa, ser på sina platser så lika ut att det kan bli jobbigt att bara fortsätta längst med huvudvägen. Det är nivådesignen liknande tidiga Souls-spel, men utan några av de lärdomar som har dykt upp under det gångna decenniet.

Trots klagomål förblir kärnan i Blades of Fire het, med tillräckligt med individualitet och underhållning i sina boss-kamper för att förhindra att den behöver smidas om. Det är dock svårt att skaka känslan av att om det lagts lite mer fokus på någon del av spelet så kunde det ha blivit väldigt bra. Dess lite förvirrande blandning av att vara en stridsfokuserad, story-tung Soulslike som förlitar sig på att vapen ska gå sönder och tillverkas känns som ett försök att få in så många olika delar som möjligt utan att polera dem tillräckligt för att de ska glänsa.

TP-Link’s Top-Rated Mesh Wifi System is $100 Off Right Now

The BE63’s combination of Wi-Fi 7 performance, solid build, easy app control, and strong wired options makes it a capable upgrade.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

If your home wifi is starting to buckle under the weight of remote work, smart gadgets, and 4K streaming, TP-Link’s Deco BE63 might be the kind of upgrade that gives everything some breathing room. Right now, the two-pack of this mesh wifi system is priced at $349.99, down from $449.99. That's a solid $100 discount for a setup that gets you Wi-Fi 7, which is the newest and fastest wireless standard out there. You’re also getting coverage for up to 5,800 square feet, which is plenty for most homes. Plus, each unit in the pack has four Ethernet ports and a USB port, which gives you more flexibility than a lot of other mesh systems that cost just as much or more.

Setup is fairly simple through the Deco app, which also gives you control over parental settings, guest access, and smart home devices. You’ll get free network security and parental controls, including age-based filters, website blocking, and the ability to schedule internet breaks with a Bedtime setting. If you want extras like SafeSearch, YouTube Restricted Mode, activity logs, or stronger protection for smart home devices, there are paid HomeShield tiers. The Advanced Parental Controls version runs $2.99/month or $17.99/year, while Security+ is $4.99/month or $35.99/year. The highest plan, Total Security, adds antivirus tools, a VPN, and a password manager for $69.99 in the first year (rising to $129.99 after that).

As far as performance goes, the BE63 is one of TP-Link’s best-reviewed mesh systems to date. It's designed to handle serious speed with tri-band wifi, meaning it broadcasts over three different frequency bands, including a newer 6GHz band that can deliver cleaner signals if your devices support it. Even if they don’t, the system still pushes strong speeds on the standard 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. That said, it doesn’t support ultra-fast 10-gig Ethernet like its pricier cousin, the Deco BE85, but unless you’re running a high-end workstation setup, you probably won’t miss it. PCMag gave the BE63 an Editors’ Choice and called it the best mesh system of 2024, which makes this discount feel more worthwhile if you’ve been waiting to future-proof your setup.

Boosting Visibility & Credibility for Akas Infusions

Introduction: From Invisible to Indispensable in Medical Device Search Akas Infusions, a trusted name in the medical infusion pump industry, was struggling with minimal online visibility beyond its brand name. Despite offering world-class infusion systems, the website had virtually no presence on search engines for generic, high-intent, or product-related keywords. To make matters worse, the…

The post Boosting Visibility & Credibility for Akas Infusions appeared first on Pixel Studios.

Introduction: From Invisible to Indispensable in Medical Device Search

Akas Infusions, a trusted name in the medical infusion pump industry, was struggling with minimal online visibility beyond its brand name. Despite offering world-class infusion systems, the website had virtually no presence on search engines for generic, high-intent, or product-related keywords.

To make matters worse, the site had recently suffered a malware attack, severely damaging trust signals, crawlability, and user experience. The SEO infrastructure was outdated, content was missing or underdeveloped, and the site lacked essential technical elements that search engines rely on to rank content.

At Pixel Studios, we stepped in with a comprehensive SEO strategy—not just to fix what was broken but to build a strong, scalable foundation for long-term organic growth.

Key SEO Challenges Identified

1. Limited Online Visibility

2. Technical SEO Roadblocks

3. Content Gaps & Infrastructure Issues

Our SEO Strategy & Actions Taken

1. Website Revamp and Security Overhaul

The first step was addressing the malware-infected infrastructure. We rebuilt the website to ensure security, crawlability, and search compatibility. This overhaul laid the groundwork for all further SEO improvements by restoring trust and improving technical health signals.

2. Technical SEO Foundation

With a secured website in place, we focused on building a strong technical SEO backbone. This included implementing structured data, on-page tags, and performance optimizations to make the website search-engine friendly and future-ready.

3. Content Strategy and Blogging

To address topical gaps and support long-term organic visibility, we introduced a content strategy centered on informative, keyword-rich blogs. This not only brought in traffic but also strengthened Akas’ expertise and trustworthiness in the medical devices space.

4. Keyword Strategy and SERP Optimization

A solid keyword framework was essential for visibility beyond brand terms. We adopted a multi-layered keyword strategy aimed at boosting visibility across core products, regional markets, and emerging SERP features like AI Overviews.

Highlights of SEO Success

Traffic Growth

The overall website traffic increased by 181.94%, reflecting a major turnaround in discoverability, session duration, and engagement.

Keyword Rankings

Improved Search Engine Perception

Conclusion: Laying the SEO Foundation for Long-Term Medical Industry Leadership

Through a holistic strategy encompassing technical SEO, content marketing, keyword optimization, and infrastructure cleanup, we helped Akas Infusions go from invisible to influential in the medical SEO landscape.

The brand is now not only ranking for relevant buyer-intent queries but also positioned for long-term visibility and authority as Google evolves.

At Pixel Studios, we don’t just optimize websites—we build sustainable SEO ecosystems. With a scalable SEO foundation now in place, Akas Infusions is primed for future growth, competitive visibility, and continuous content authority in the infusion technology space.

Elevate the digital impact of your healthcare brand
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The post Boosting Visibility & Credibility for Akas Infusions appeared first on Pixel Studios.

These Reolink Smart Security Cameras Are All on Sale Ahead of Prime Day

Reolink cameras have great security features at reasonable prices.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

I replace the security cameras around my home with alarming frequency in order to test and write about new models (a fact I don't share with neighbors, because I find their suspicion amusing). As such, I am often asked by friends what brand I recommend, and Reolink is one of the brands that gets my stamp of approval. Right now, several of Reolink's cameras are on sale, making it a great time to snag one if you've been on the lookout.

Increasingly, the ability to skip another monthly fee is a major factor in my security camera recommendations, and that's one of the reasons I like Reolink. Its cameras offer a number of backup hubs, so if you prefer to skip a subscription, you certainly can. Reolink cameras also offer POE (power over Ethernet) options, as well as cameras with static IPs, both of which can significantly increase the security of your cameras. (PoE ensures consist power and internet; static IPs make it easier to secure the connection to your camera, thus making it harder to hack.)

I always advise going with a PTZ camera

Point/tilt/zoom cameras (PTZ) allow you to use your phone as a remote control for your camera, so you gain a much larger field of view over fixed focal point cameras. The Argus PT is a fantastic example, with a camera that can rotate 360 degrees, offers 8MP color night vision, and auto tracking to follow your pets or strangers around the yard. Use the coupon on the product page for $28 off the regular price of $139.99.

If you're really suspicious and need to track more than one pet or person at the same time, Reolink has a dual tracking model. The on page coupon will take $28 off the $169.99 price.

Get a video doorbell that works with your smart cameras

There are some brands of video doorbells so good that I've been known to keep a whole separate app and subscription just for the doorbell. This year, I decided that was absurd and I've been incredibly happy since—now I use one system for the whole home, including the doorbell. This allows the system to track people or pets from one camera to another, and I can easily access all the feeds in one place. If you're in the Reolink ecosystem, this 2K wired doorbell comes with its own smart chime. An on-page coupon will knock 20% off its regular price of $109.99.

When you need a lot of storage and incredible detail

The Reolink Duo, another camera included in the sale, isn't PTZ, but it's still a good option. The camera's focus remains fixed, so you never miss a second of what happens in the field of vision, which is still pretty wide, at 180 degrees. This camera also doubles the detail of the Argus models, with a full 16mp UHD. Another notable perk: up to 512GB of storage on board, so you don't have to delete clips every few days. Normally $189.99, a $45 off coupon can be stacked with an additional 5% off coupon, both on the page.

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

In an electric car, the (enormous) battery is a major part of the price. If electric car prices are decreasing, battery costs must be decreasing, because it’s not like the cost of fabricating rubber, aluminum, glass, and steel into car shapes can decline that much,

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

In an electric car, the (enormous) battery is a major part of the price. If electric car prices are decreasing, battery costs must be decreasing, because it’s not like the cost of fabricating rubber, aluminum, glass, and steel into car shapes can decline that much, right?

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

On an electric scooter, though, the effect of battery price has to be even more dramatic because scooters are such lightweight, compact, and simple machines. They aren’t much more than a battery and an electric motor to begin with. Remember the Zappy electric scooter from twenty years ago?

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

What killed the electric scooter back then is the same thing that killed the electric car of year 2000: terrible lead-acid battery technology. It’s too heavy, it lacks power, it doesn’t have enough range, it takes too long to charge. These are all different ways of saying the same thing: the battery sucks. It wasn’t until Lithium Ion batteries matured that both the electric car and the electric scooter – and pretty much electric everything, if you think about it – became viable.

Thus, one way to see if Lithium Ion battery prices are indeed generally dropping independent of all other manufacturing concerns is to examine the cost of electric scooters over the last few years. Let’s consider one of the most popular models, the Xiaomi Mi M365:

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

This graph only shows roughly two years, from January 2018 to now; it looks like the original price for the Xiaomi M365 when it hit the US market in early 2017 was around $800. So the price of a popular, common electric scooter has halved in three years. Very good news indeed for electric vehicles of all types!

This dramatic drop in electric scooter price from 2016 to 2019 may not be surprising versus the parallel rise of the quasi-legal electric scooter smartphone app rental industry over roughly the same time period, in the form of Bird, Lime, Skip, Spin, Scoot, etc.

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

Early versions of Bird scooters were actual Xiaomi M365s, slightly modified for rental. Only by late 2018 had they migrated to custom built, ruggedized scooters optimized for the rental market. The rental industries have their own challenges, and ironically have started to pivot to monthly rentals rather than the classic 15 cents per minute.

Bird has experimented with its business model in recent months. In early March, the company altered its repair program in Los Angeles, which had relied on gig workers to fix broken scooters. It moved repairs in-house (though scooters are still charged each night by an army of gig workers). Later that month, the company introduced scooters with locks in some markets, in a bid to prevent theft and vandalism.

In April, it announced the launch of a more traditional rental program in San Francisco and Barcelona, in which users could pay $25 per month to rent a Xiaomi m365 from the company rather than paying per ride.

But this isn’t meant to be a blog entry about the viability of scooter rental company business models.

I want to tackle a more fundamental question: are electric scooters the future of transportation?

Even Uber, as screwed up of a company as they still are, knows cars are overkill for a lot of basic transportation needs:

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

We have plenty of scooters here at my house, and the family and I enjoy them greatly, but I have never actually ridden or owned an electric scooter. So I bought one. It is of course the popular, inexpensive, and well reviewed Xiaomi Mi M365.

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

Here’s a picture of my electric scooter inside my electric car. (I apologize that I didn’t have an electric bicycle to park next to it for maximum smugness, but you can bet your sweet electrons I’ll work on that next!)

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

The short version of my review is this electric scooter is incredibly fun, works great, and if you can get it for a price around $300, practically a no-brainer. I love it, my kids love it, and as long as you’re conceptually OK with the look, unlike Elon Musk, 🛴💨 then you’ll probably love it too.

I found a neat video covering the “one year later” experience of owning the scooter, and what you might eventually run into or want to tweak.

(The main thing to take away from this video is that flats super suck on tires this small, so be warned. I put Slime in my Mi’s tires out of an abundance of caution, but you could also go with solid tubeless tires – at the cost of some ride comfort – if you’re really worried.)

That’s not to say that the electric scooter experience is perfect. There are some challenges with electric scooters, starting with the biggest one: your local government has no idea how to regulate the darn things.

  • Is this regulated like a bicycle? If not, why not?
  • Are they allowed on the sidewalk?
  • Do you have to ride them in the road, with cars… uh, depending on the speed limit?
  • Do you need a driver’s license?
  • Do you need a helmet?
  • Are you even allowed to legally ride them in public at all outside of private property?

The answers also vary wildly depending on where you live, and with no consistency or apparent logic. Here are the current electric scooter laws in California, for what it’s worth, which require the rider to have a valid driver’s license (unlike electric bicycles) and also disallow them from sidewalks, both of which I feel are onerous and unnecessary restrictions.

One aspect of those laws I definitely agree with, however, is the 15 mile per hour speed restriction. That’s a plenty brisk top speed for a standing adult with no special safety equipment. Anything faster starts to get decidedly… uncomfortable. Consider this monster of a 1165KWh electric scooter, with dual motors and dual suspension that goes up to forty freakin’ miles per hour.

That… is… terrifying. Even the reviewer, in full motorcycle safety gear, wasn’t willing to push it all the way to 40 MPH. And I don’t blame him! But now that I’ve shown you the undisputed Honda Civic everyman budget model of electric scooter in the M365, hopefully this gives you a taste of the wider emerging diversity in these kinds of minimalistic electric vehicles. If you want a luxury electric scooter, an ultralight electric scooter, a rugged offroad electric scooter… all things are possible, for a price.

Another reason the M365 is available for so cheap is that is successor, the Xiaomi M365 Pro, was recently released, although it is not quite possible to obtain in the US at the moment.

Having ridden my M365 a fair bit, I can confirm all the Pro improvements are welcome, if incremental: bigger battery and disc brake, more power, better display, improved latch mechanism, etc.

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

None of those Pro improvements, however, are worth a 2× increase in price so I’d recommend sticking with the M365 for now because its value proposition is off the charts. Did I mention there’s a Bluetooth connection, and an app, and it is possible to hack the M365 firmware? Pretty cool how electric vehicles are inherently digital, isn’t it?

Here are a few other observations after riding my M365 around a fair bit:

  • Please be respectful around pedestrians. Most of the sidewalks around here are not busy at all, but the pedestrians I encountered on the electric scooter were definitely more freaked out than I’ve seen before when using regular kick scooters (or skateboards) on the sidewalk, which did surprise me. An electric scooter has more heft to it, both physically at 26 pounds, and in the 15 mile per hour speed it can reach – but also mentally in terms of how it looks and how people approach it. I recommend slowing down to just above walking speed when encountering pedestrians, and if there is a bike lane available, I’d definitely recommend using that.
  • Hills work great. The kryptonite of traditional kick scooters is hills, and I’m pleased to report that even with a cough sizable adult such as myself riding, I was able to sustain a respectable above-walking speed on most reasonable hills. Where I looked at a hill and thought “this probably should work,” it did. That’s impressive, considering this isn’t the upgraded Pro model with bigger battery and more powerful motor. On flats and downhills the performance is superb, as you’d expect. That said, if you are a really big or tall adult, or live in a particularly hilly area, wait for the Pro model or an equivalent.
  • Portability is good, but borderline. At ~26 pounds, the electric scooter is reasonably portable, but it’s not something you a) could really get away with taking inside a restaurant / store with you to prevent theft or b) want to be carrying around on your person for any significant length of time. It’s not nearly as nimble or portable as a kick scooter, but that’s a high bar. You’ll need to carry a bike lock and think about how to lock your scooter on bike racks, which turned out to be… more geometrically challenging than I anticipated due to the small tires, disc brakes, and the engine in the front wheel. They need more obvious locking points on the chassis.

To be honest with you I’m still bitter about the whole Segway debacle. There was so much hype back in the day. That ridiculous thing was supposed to change the world. Instead, we got… Paul Blart Mall Cop.

The Rise of the Electric Scooter

A Segway was $5,000 at launch in 2001, which is a whopping $7,248 in inflation adjusted dollars. Here in 2019, cheap $200 to $300 electric scooters are basically the transformational technology the Segway was supposed to be, aren’t they? Are electric scooters the future of (most) transportation? I’m not sure, but I do like where we’re headed, even if it took us twenty years to get there.

How to Speak With a Real Person at Best Buy Customer Service

Best Buy actually makes it easy to get a live agent on the phone—here is the fastest way.

Sometimes the help you need doesn't fit in one of the pre-recorded number dial options, and speaking with a human on the other line is really what you need. With Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale on the horizon, many shoppers will likely need some assistance. I have found that it's easy to get a hold of someone in customer service to help you—here is the easiest way to do so.

How to speak to a Best Buy customer service representative

Best Buy's Contact Us page has a lot of different options that will make your head spin, but if you just need to talk to someone ASAP, call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289). When the recording picks up, say "speak with a live agent" or press "0." You'll have to narrow down your reason why you're calling to get to speak to someone, or Best Buy will hang up on you. This will be the fastest way to speak with someone who can answer most of your account questions.

Of course, if your question does fall under one of the pre-recorded options, it's better to be directed to one of those specialists after dialing "0." The Contact Us page also has a useful "Chat now" option if you prefer to chat online with a live agent.

EU splits weaken its hand in crunch trade talks with Trump

European capitals are pulling in different directions ahead of a decisive round of trade talks in Washington. 

BRUSSELS — The European Union is striving to project unity as it races to negotiate a high-stakes trade deal with Washington, but backstage, national divisions threaten to weaken its negotiating hand.

“Nobody in Europe wants to escalate,” European Council President António Costa said last weekend. “Nobody wants a conflict.“

That’s also a message EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will be keen to convey as he meets with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday for a potentially decisive round of talks. It will be the last chance to clinch an initial political agreement before a July 8 deadline set by President Donald Trump to do a deal or face 50 percent “reciprocal” tariffs. 

Away from the diplomatic dance, however, EU countries don’t always see eye-to-eye on how best to deal with the White House. And as so often, the diversity of views held by the bloc’s 27 national leaders — all catering to domestic interest groups and voters — is making it difficult for Šefčovič to drive a hard bargain.

The Commission is set to brief EU ambassadors on the talks on Friday. Whether it can quickly announce a breakthrough will depend largely on their feedback.

On the final stretch, Brussels continues to push to lower the baseline 10 percent tariff that Trump imposed on most U.S. trading partners in April. It has, however, signaled it could be ready to accept 10 percent should other conditions be met, such as providing immediate relief for specific industries.

“There are some differences emerging, which I think should be discussed and composed quickly, because it’s a problem,” Brando Benifei, a senior lawmaker who chairs the European Parliament’s delegation to the United States, told POLITICO in an interview.

“This emergence of diverging views from those that seem willing to accept the 10 percent as part of an agreement that would counter the rest, and those that are saying that such a high base tariff is so far from what we do on our side — it is something that should never be accepted,” added the Italian Social Democrat. “I agree with the second camp.”

A Commission trade spokesperson pushed back against that characterization of the debate.

“There has been a far higher than usual level of consultation with our member states, which is why we have had this very striking level of unity all along,” they told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday.

Heavyweights clash

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are the most vocal proponents of a fast deal — even at the price of greater concessions to the White House. 

At a summit of EU leaders last week, Merz argued that “it’s better to act quickly and simply than slowly and in a highly complicated way.” During the discussion, he “pointed out individual industries … in Germany — the chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, mechanical engineering, steel, aluminum, the automotive industry — [that] are all currently being burdened with such high tariffs that it is really putting companies at risk.”

Meloni — a Trump ally — has described the 10 percent U.S. tariff as “not particularly impactful for us.” One EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak candidly, described Rome as “quite keen to maintain good relationships and willing to accept a lot” in talks about the tariffs.

The German chancellor has mostly been pushing for lower rates for specific sectors, such as the powerful car industry that drives its export-led economy. That has gone down well in Washington, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick observing last month that “Germany would like to make a deal — but they’re not allowed.” 

That may not be in the wider European interest, argues David Kleimann, a senior trade expert at the ODI think tank in Brussels. 

“The Commission has so far — fortunately — pushed back against the most immediate German instincts,” Kleimann said.

“At the same time, the Commission now appears to be willing to accept an agreement — with a landing zone involving sectoral carve-outs from a 10 percent U.S. baseline tariff — that would …  erode fundamental principles of the rules-based trading system and undermine EU strategic autonomy.”

Symmetry in asymmetry

At the other end of the spectrum are Paris and Madrid, which want to resist the U.S. president’s roughhouse negotiating tactics, according to two EU diplomats who were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door trade talks.

At last week’s summit, French President Emmanuel Macron — who has been pushing for weeks for Trump to remove all tariffs — initially argued against rushing to accept an “asymmetrical” agreement just to meet Trump’s deadline. At the end of the meeting, however, he indicated he might be willing to accept a 10 percent tariff under certain conditions.

“It would be best to have the lowest tariff possible, zero percent is the best. But if it’s 10 percent, it’ll be 10 percent,” he said. “If the American choice falls on 10 percent, there will be a compensation on goods sold by the United States. The levy will result in the same levy on U.S. goods.”

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, meanwhile, has tasted Trump’s anger: The U.S. president threatened new tariffs against Madrid last week after Sánchez refused to increase defense spending in line with other allies at a NATO summit — even though that wouldn’t be doable as the EU’s members operate as a trade bloc.

To add spice to the mix, smaller countries are also bringing their own demands to the table — all keen to shield their own sensitive industries. Some, whose trade with the U.S. is balanced, are reluctant to take the heat for the bloc’s overall trade surplus with the U.S., for which a handful of countries led by Germany are responsible.

Giorgia Meloni — a Trump ally — has described the 10 percent U.S. tariff as “not particularly impactful for us.” | Giuseppe Lami/EPA

The split also impacts the EU’s retaliation playbook, which the Commission is preparing in order to be ready to fire back quickly if needed.

In addition to initial retaliation measures — approved but not yet implemented — targeting €21 billion in U.S. exports in response to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, the Commission has proposed another €95 billion package over his reciprocal and car tariffs. 

Special pleading by member countries would reduce the impact to €25 billion, the executive warned last month. Should this week’s talks fail, that discord threatens to undermine the bloc’s ability to impose significant pain on the U.S. economy when EU trade ministers meet on July 14 to take a final decision on the retaliation measures.

“Although some member states signal that they could live with the 10 percent if the rest is solved, I still think it’s not a good idea,” said Benifei, the Italian MEP. “You should have countermeasures if we end up in the deal with the 10 percent.”

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design.


The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a complete circle, but the new layout has an opening in it.


Majin Bu and Sonny Dickson said the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models will be positioned lower than it is on current iPhone models, as a result of a much larger camera bump, and the new MagSafe design would ensure that the logo remains fully visible when these devices are covered by an updated MagSafe case.

iPhone case manufacturing sources told Majin Bu that existing MagSafe accessories will remain compatible with the iPhone 17 Pro models, so it appears that this change would be purely aesthetic, with no functional improvement. However, it has been separately rumored that the iPhone 17 Pro models could offer at least slightly faster MagSafe charging speeds than previous models with a future version of Apple's MagSafe Charger.
Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

This article, "iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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If Your Facebook Group Has Been Banned, It's Probably a Bug

Meta is trying to fix a glitch that's wiped innocent Facebook groups from the site.

Facebook users are complaining that their groups are inexplicably getting hit with the ban hammer, no matter how innocent they are. Across Reddit and X, birders, Pokémon trainers, and interior designers are complaining that their groups are being deleted, with seemingly no regard to the content posted to them or how large they are. In some cases, such as the aforementioned interior design group, these now-deleted pages had millions of members before being shut down.

Reasons given for the bans vary between groups, from accusations that they hosted "terrorism-related" content to claims of "nudity and adult sexual content." Listen, I know a titmouse is a funny name for a bird, but this is going a bit far.

On the odd chance you thought that Facebook's pet memes or parenting groups did indeed hold some sinister secret, I'll disabuse you of that notion right now: This is a bug. An official cause has yet to be tracked down (although users on social media are blaming AI moderation), but Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told TechCrunch that the company is aware of the problem and are in the process of fixing.

This news follows recent mass complaints about "shadowbanning" on Instagram, where site head Adam Mosseri attempted to emphasize the company's commitment to transparency in its moderation process. Regardless, it's unclear at this point when a fix might arrive for affected Facebook groups, and if it's possible to restore them to their previous status.

In the meantime, admins are taking action. One class-action lawsuit is already underway, and multiple Change.org petitions are garnering thousands of signatures. While not being able to chat with like-minded users or see funny pictures might just be a small interruption for some, for business owners, losing access to their audiences can significantly impact their livelihood.

I've reached out to Meta for additional clarification but have not yet heard back.

I'm a Deals Writer, and These Are the Top 10 Tech Sales This Week

Find deals on tablets, smart watches, portable speakers, and security cameras, all going for their lowest prices ever.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

You've been hard at work all week, as have I—as Lifehacker's tech deals writer, I've been hunting down the best deals on TVs, speakers, laptops, and other tech all week. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's highlights, all of which I've vetted using my favorite price tracking tools.

This week, you can find deals on tablets, smart watches, portable speakers, security cameras, and much more, all going for their lowest prices ever.

With $30 Amazon gift card
Sony WH-1000XM6
Sony WH-1000XM6 Noise Canceling Headphones in Black and $30 Amazon Gift Card
$478.00 at Amazon Amazon Prime
Portable Speaker
Sony's ULT Field 1 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Sony's ULT Field 1 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
$88.00 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$129.99 Save $41.99
AI Smartwatch
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm LTE
SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm LTE AI Smartwatch w/Energy Score, Wellness Tips, Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, Fitness Tracker, GPS, 2024,Titanium White [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty]
$398.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$649.99 Save $251.00
256GB AI Smartphone
SAMSUNG Galaxy S25+ Cell Phone
SAMSUNG Galaxy S25+ Cell Phone, 256GB AI Smartphone, Unlocked Android, AI Camera, Fast Processor, ProScaler Display, Long Battery Life, 2025, Silver Shadow
$999.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
256GB Unlocked Android Smartphone
SAMSUNG Galaxy Z Flip 6
Samsung - Galaxy Z Flip6 256GB (Unlocked) - Blue
$949.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$1,099.99 Save $150.00
Keyboard + Slim Pen 2, Microsoft 365 Personal | 3-in-1 Bundle
Microsoft Surface Pro Bundle
Microsoft Surface Pro 12" 3-in-1 Bundle (Keyboard + Slim Pen 2)
$946.99 at Amazon
$1,149.97 Save $202.98
Sync Module Core included – 1 camera system
Blink Outdoor 4
Blink Outdoor 4 (newest model) – Wireless smart security camera, two-year battery life, 1080p HD day and infrared night live view, two-way talk. Sync Module Core included – 1 camera system
$39.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$79.99 Save $40.00
360° Panoramic View, Human Auto Tracking, 2K Color Night Vision
AOSU Solar Camera Security Outdoor
AOSU Solar Camera Security Outdoor - 100% Wire-Free Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor for Home Surveillance with Fixed Solar Panel, 360° Panoramic View, Human Auto Tracking, 2K Color Night Vision
$69.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$79.99 Save $10.00
FHD, 75Hz, AMD FreeSync, Built-in Speakers, Slim Metal Stand
SAMSUNG 27-Inch Curved Monitor
SAMSUNG 27-Inch S39C Series FHD Curved Gaming Monitor, 75Hz, AMD FreeSync, Game Mode, Advanced Eye Comfort, Frameless Display, Built in Speakers, Slim Metal Stand, LS27C392EANXGO, 2023, Black
$218.99 at Amazon Amazon Prime
$229.99 Save $11.00
LED 4K, Fire TV, Alexa Voice Remote
Insignia TV 70-inch
Insignia™ - 70" Class F50 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV
$329.99 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $170.00

Audiophiles are probably already aware of the recent release of Sony's WH-1000XM6, which I called the best premium headphones of 2025. What audiophiles might not know is that you can get them with a $30 gift card for $478 (that's the full price since their launch) from Amazon. Not bad for top-of-the-line headphones released last month.

If you're looking for a portable speaker instead, Sony's ULT Field 1 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker is $88 (originally $129.99), the lowest price it has been. You can read more about this deal here.

Samsung's most premium smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, is down $250 to $399 (originally $649), the lowest price it has ever reached. This is also for the LTE version, meaning you won't depend on a connection to your phone. Get the details here.

If you're in the Samsung ecosystem, you'll appreciate its latest middle-of-the-pack model from the lineup, the Galaxy S25+. You can get it for $799.99 (originally $999.99), the lowest price since its recent release. You can read more about this deal here.

Alternatively, you can get the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for $949.99 (originally $1,099.99) if you like the new foldable trend that seems to be coming back. Read why it's a good time to get this phone here.

I've been loyal to the Surface Pro tablets since their fourth generation. Right now, you can get the latest Surface Pro bundle, which includes the Surface Pro Keyboard and a Slim Pen 2, plus a full year of Microsoft 365 Personal for $946.99 (originally $1,149.97). Read more about this bundle here.

I've been recommending the AOSU Solar Camera to all of my friends and family who ask me for a good budget camera. It's only $59.99 (originally $79.99) and it's subscription-free. You can read more details about the camera here.

If you prefer a more recognizable brand-name camera, the Blink Outdoor 4 with the Sync Module Core is dirt cheap right now at $39.99 (originally $79.99). You can read more about this deal here.

For those looking to do some gaming on a budget, this Samsung 27-Inch Curved Monitor is $139 (originally $229.99), the lowest price it has been. It comes with built-in speakers and a curve of 1000R for an immersive experience.

If you're looking for a 70-inch 4K budget TV instead, this Insignia LED TV is $329.99 (originally $499.99), the lowest price it has been. It also comes with an Alexa Remote so you can use voice commands.

Change This Setting to Stop Meta From Using Your Facebook Photos to Train Its AI

Meta is prompting users to grant ongoing access to their photos to be analyzed by AI.

Meta is prompting users to grant ongoing access to their camera roll photos—including media they haven't specifically uploaded to Facebook—in order to receive AI-edited and curated images and suggestions for "creative ideas."

As TechCrunch reports, Meta is currently testing a feature that leads to some Facebook users seeing a pop-up requesting permission for "cloud processing." The message appears when users attempt to create a new Story on Facebook and, if agreed to, would permit Meta to upload media from your device to its servers on an "ongoing basis" in order to suggest collages, recaps, or AI restyling.

As we've written, Meta AI is among the absolute worst when it comes to privacy and security. (Meta in general has a questionable history with protecting user data.) If you allow Meta access to your camera roll for image processing, you agree to Meta's AI terms, which include the right to analyze your media and facial features and "retain and use" personal information you've shared.

While Facebook has said the feature is a test, the ability to opt into giving Meta access to your photos doesn't seem to be brand new. You can enable it in your Facebook settings, as it's off by default, but you probably shouldn't, and you should decline the pop-up prompt if you don't want to hand more data over to Meta.

How to manage your Meta AI photo permissions

If you see the pop-up on Facebook, you can tap Don't allow to block the AI suggestion feature from accessing your camera roll. You can ensure it is disabled in your Facebook app settings: Go to the Menu by tapping your profile photo followed by the Settings icon. Scroll to Camera roll sharing suggestions and check that Get creative ideas made for you by allowing camera roll cloud processing is toggled off.

You should also take this opportunity to audit which apps have access to your photo library and revoke any permissions that aren't absolutely necessary for the app's primary functionality. While these permissions may be mostly innocuous, there are malware campaigns that target sensitive information found in your photos and screenshots.