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CD Projekt RED has been going strong in its development of The Witcher 4 as well as the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. The studio has confirmed that it has expanded its development teams by quite a bit in a recent H1 report, as caught by PCGamer. In this report, the studio has confirmed that its team working on The Witcher 4 has grown from 422 as of April 30 to 444 as of the end of July. Similarly, Cyberpunk 2s team has grown from 96 as of April 30 to 116 as of July 31.Our recruitment efforts have significantly sped up over the last three months and as a result the total number of talented developers working across our projects has grown by 10% reaching almost 800 people, said joint-CEO Micha Nowakowski in a presentation to investors. This growth was primarily driven by our two largest development teams.The Witcher 4 team grew to over 440 developers while the Cyberpunk 2 project which transitioned into pre-production recently in Q2 as you may remember added 20 new team members. We anticipate further gradual growth in our total developer headcount by the end of the year, particularly for the teams working on projects in the most advanced stages of production.Of the two projects, The Witcher 4 is quite a bit further along in development than the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, as evidenced by the fact that the team for the former is much larger than the latter, as well as the fact that The Witcher 4 was officially unveiled back in December 2024 with a trailer.Since then, CD Projekt RED has been revealing more details about the action RPG. Back in July, narrative director Philipp Weber spoke about how much pressure the team has been facing to make The Witcher 4 better than its critically-acclaimed and beloved predecessor.According to Weber, Witcher 3 was one of the best games ever made, how are they going to top it? he went on to mention that he agrees with discourse surrounding the 2015 RPG, saying Im like yeah, how are we going to do that?I think the way we want to do justice to the legacy of The Witcher 3 is to take the philosophy we had during The Witcher 3 how to make a game, how to really care about these things, how to tell stories and keep that philosophy, Weber continued. At the same time, there are new questions we want to answer, because this is supposed to feel like a true sequel, not just redoing what we did before. And I think its really trying to have that healthy mix of really moving forward and also trying out some new things, but doing justice to what was there, not trying to beat it.The Witcher 4 doesnt yet have an official release date. The title is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is making use of the most cutting edge technology available for Unreal Engine 5 out there.

If you're a tabloid reporter, don't bother with your own iPhone troubleshooting steps, and instead invent a global conspiracy that Apple is destroying society.Apparently all of those buttons on an iPhone can get stuck, and that's Apple's fault for trying to destroy the world.Maybe this is why Apple wants to move to solid-state buttons on the iPhone, instead of the current mechanical ones. Because they can get stuck, apparently, and this is an actual thing, with an Apple support document and everything.However, according to the Daily Mail a tabloid known for hyperbole there's more to this. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple today shared an update on new ways to help parents protect kids and teens online when using Apple products.

This is todays edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of whats going on in the world of technology.Introducing: the Security issueIt would be nave to think we are going back to a world without AI. Were not. But its only one of many urgent problems we need to address to build security and prosperity for coming generations.The latest print issue of our magazine is all about our attempts to make the world more secure. From missiles. From asteroids. From the unknown. From threats both existential and trivial.Were also introducing three new columns in this issue, from some of our leading writers: The Algorithm, which covers AI; The Checkup, on biotech; and The Spark, on energy and climate. Youll see these in future issues, and you can also subscribe online to get them in your inbox every week.Heres a taster of what else you can expect from this edition:+ President Trump has proposed building an antimissile golden dome around the United States. But do cinematic spectacles actually enhance national security?+ How two UFO hunting brothers became the go-to experts on Americas mystery drone invasion.+ Both Taiwans citizens and external experts are worried that the protection afforded by its silicon shield is cracking. Read the full story.+ How the humble pigeon paved the way for todays advanced AI. Read the full story.+ A group of Starlink terminal repair volunteers in Ukraine is keeping the country connected throughout the war. Read the full story.MIT Technology Review Narrated: Cyberattacks by AI agents are comingAgents are the talk of the AI industrytheyre capable of planning, reasoning, and executing complex tasks on your behalf. But the same sophisticated abilities that make agents helpful assistants could also make them powerful tools for conducting cyberattacks. They could readily be used to identify vulnerable targets, hijack their systems, and steal valuable data from unsuspecting victims.At present, cybercriminals are not deploying AI agents to hack at scale. But researchers have demonstrated that agents are capable of executing complex attacks, and cybersecurity experts warn that we should expect to start seeing these types of attacks spilling over into the real world. This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which were publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as its released.The must-readsIve combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.1 The family of a teen who died by suicide is suing OpenAIChatGPT deterred Adam Raine from seeking help when he desperately needed it. (NYT $)+ An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himselfbut the company doesnt want to censor it. (MIT Technology Review)2 SpaceX finally successfully launched its Starship rocketWhich will come as a huge relief after previous failures. (CNBC)+ Its the 10th launch the spaceship has made. (WSJ $)+ It managed to deploy satellites in space during the launch. (Bloomberg $)3 Researchers are already leaving Metas AI labTwo workers returned to OpenAI after less than a month. (Wired $)4 China wants to triple its output of AI chipsPlants are working round the clock to increase their capacity. (FT $)+ The country is also keen to repurpose NASA tech into a hypersonic drone mothership. (Fast Company $)5 Elon Musk cant get enough of Groks scantily-clad AI assistantHe frequently posts about Ani and other sexualized AI cartoons on X. (Rolling Stone $)6 Anthropic has settled its AI piracy lawsuitA group of authors had accused it of copyright infringement. (The Verge)+ The threat of $1 trillion damages could have ruined the company. (Wired $)7 Americas electricity use is slowingAnd the recent growth in coal usage is falling too. (Ars Technica)+ In a first, Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses.(MIT Technology Review)8 Want to get hired straight out of college? Better work in AI.While other graduates are struggling, newly-graduated AI experts are in demand. (WSJ $)9 Older people in South Korea are finding companionship with robotsThe Hydol robot is proving a hit among seniors. (Rest of World)+ How cuddly robots could change dementia care. (MIT Technology Review)10 Fans were betting on Taylor Swifts engagement Theyre cashing in from online prediction markets left, right and center. (WP $)Quote of the dayA lot of people in the AI team maybe feel things are too dynamic.Chi-Hao Wu, a former AI specialist at Meta, explains to Insider why he and others have decided to leave the company.One more thingAn AI chatbot told a user how to kill himselfbut the company doesnt want to censor itFor five months, Al Nowatzki had been talking to an AI girlfriend, Erin, on the platform Nomi. But earlier this year, those conversations took a disturbing turn: Erin told him to kill himself, and provided explicit instructions on how to do it.Nowatzki had never had any intention of following Erins instructionshes a researcher who probes chatbots limitations and dangers. But out of concern for more vulnerable individuals, he exclusively shared with MIT Technology Review screenshots of his conversations and of subsequent correspondence with a company representative, who stated that the company did not want to censor the bots language and thoughts.This is not the first time an AI chatbot has suggested that a user take violent action, including self-harm. But researchers and critics say that the bots explicit instructionsand the companys responseare striking. Read the full story.Eileen GuoWe can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet em at me.)+ The secret to finding that elusive perfect white t-shirt.+ Interesting: a new Blade Runner TV series starring Michelle Yeoh is coming next year.+ If youve ever wondered what happened to that suitcase you lost on vacation, theres a decent chance its up for sale.+ Down with junk mail!

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has released information regarding an ongoing betting and bribery case involving a former Ladbrokes Chief Executive Officer.The individuals who worked for GVC, the parent company of Ladbrokes, were mentioned in a statement by Hannah von Dadelszen, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service.They include Kenny Alexander, the former chief executive of GVC, and Lee Feldman, the former non-executive chairman of GVC.Former Ladbrokes executive members charged in bribery caseThe CPS announced that the case involved ten individuals, who have been charged with offences allegedly committed between 2011 and 2018.A further individual has been arrested in relation to an offence committed as part of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation.Von Dadelszen said as part of the announcement of the charges that the CPS has authorised the prosecution of eleven individuals for seven offences relating to bribery, conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent trading, cheating the public revenue, evasion of income tax, acting as a director of a company when undischarged bankrupt and perverting the course of justice.Both former members of GVC, now known as Entain, Alexander and Feldman, have been charged by the CPS.Alexander is facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to bribe between 2011 and 2018 relating to the provision of gambling services in Turkey. Feldman is facing charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery.Richard Las, Director of HMRCs Fraud Investigation Service, said: These are serious charges that relate to conspiracy to defraud, bribery, cheating the public revenue, evasion of income tax and perverting the course of justice among others.All eleven individuals involved in the case will appear at Londons Westminster Magistrates Court on October 6.How does the CPS conduct a case and issue charges?The CPS bases its charges on the information gathered by HMRC, which is equivalent to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States. This financial fact-finding is not similar to a criminal case, but rather the gathering of information that could be used to prove a case at court proceedings.Officially, the CPS states their assessment and the charges brought to bear are not a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.Featured image: IdeogramThe post Former Ladbrokes CEO charged in Turkish bribery case appeared first on ReadWrite.

A research team from Zhejiang University and Alibaba Group has introduced Memp, a framework that gives large language model (LLM) agents a form of procedural memory designed to make them more efficient at complex, multi-step tasks.Instead of relearning workflows from scratch, Memp enables agents to store, retrieve, and update past experiences in real time.For developers and architects, this means fewer wasted tokens, faster task completion, and the possibility of running smaller, cheaper models without sacrificing performance. This advance could influence how AI pipelines and agent architectures are built.Large Language Models (LLMs) based agents excel at diverse tasks, yet they suffer from brittle procedural memory that is manually engineered or entangled in static parameters, the researchers said in the paper.We introduce Memp, a task-agnostic framework that elevates procedural memory to a core optimization target in LLM-based agents, they added. By systematically studying strategies for memory construction, retrieval, and updating, Memp enables agents to distill, reuse, and refine their own past experiences across diverse, long-horizon tasks.The researchers said that tests on housework automation and information-seeking benchmarks showed procedural memory significantly improved both task success rates and efficiency. Beyond enhancing performance on individual tasks, Memp also enables continual learning and stronger generalization, moving AI agents closer to becoming self-improving and resilient, they wrote.What makes it differentMemp is designed as a task-agnostic framework that treats procedural memory as a core optimization target. The researchers studied how different strategies for building, retrieving, and updating memory influence overall performance.In the construction phase, agents capture either full task trajectories or distilled guidelines from past experiences. For retrieval, techniques such as query-vector and keyword-based matching are used to identify the most relevant prior knowledge.Where Memp really differs is in its update mechanisms.Unlike prior memory mechanisms or learning from experience, Memp introduces diverse procedural-memory update strategies: In the realm of agents, memory updating is crucial for agents to adapt to dynamic environments, the researchers wrote. By incorporating diverse strategies like ordinary addition, validation filtering, reflection, and dynamic discarding, agents can efficiently manage their knowledge base.These update methods allow agents to absorb new information, discard outdated data, and keep their memory resources optimized. The researchers said this makes agents more efficient, improves decision-making, and enhances adaptability across tasks.Benefits to enterprises Analysts say procedural memory could make AI agents more practical to deploy at scale, even for mid-sized enterprises. By lowering compute demands and reducing the need for constant supervision, it promises to cut both costs and complexity.Procedural memory excels in structured, multi-step business processes, such as customer service, finance, and logistics, amongst others, said Prabhu Ram, VP of the industry research group at Cybermedia Research. Its modular, incremental integration model lets organizations upgrade existing agents without disruptive system overhauls.Significantly, the paper noted that procedural knowledge created by a larger model can be distilled into a memory bank and reused by a smaller one with minimal overhead, giving the weaker system a measurable boost in task performance. This transfer of memory allows knowledge gained by one model to be quickly applied to another, helping agents adapt to new tasks with greater efficiency and resilience.Instead of every query consuming capacity on high-priced foundation models, enterprises can train once and deploy repeatedly on smaller engines priced at a fraction of the cost, said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO at Greyhound Research. This train with the best, run with the rest logic brings order-of-magnitude savings in high-volume workloads.The economic implication is profound, Gogia added. AI agents can improve over time without increasing unit costs, delivering cumulative ROI rather than ballooning expenses. For CIOs and CFOs alike, this provides the predictability that has so far been absent from enterprise AI financial planning.Risks to considerHowever, others caution that the technology addresses only part of the memory capabilities required for enterprise AI.Agents can already record successful and failed actions, retain short-term context for current tasks, and build long-term memory across multiple tasks or domains.Procedural memory addresses only a part of these characteristics, said Anushree Verma, senior director analyst at Gartner. While this can be useful for use cases where AI agents are responsible for a small part of the process, meaningful large-scale deployment will require investments in robust memory architectures.Gogia added that risks also include drift, where agents rely on outdated routines, poisoning, where flawed or malicious inputs corrupt memory, and opacity, where decisions are based on hidden stored steps.

The man, a former software developer for Eaton Corporation, wrote malicious code that crashed servers on the companys network in 2019, prosecutors said.

A 13-year-old in Ohio has died after "he took a bunch of Benadryl," trying a dangerous TikTok challenge that's circulating online, according to a CNN affiliate and a GoFundMe account from his family.

Made in Unreal Engine 5, Keeper looks totally magical.

Everyone is embarking on their solo travel adventure, and for good reason. Theres something so liberating about setting your own pace, following your curiosity wherever it leads, and having those spontaneous conversations that only happen when youre flying solo. But lets be real, traveling alone also means youre your backup plan, tech support, and emergency contact all rolled into one.The gear you pack becomes even more critical when you dont have a travel companion to borrow a charger from or help carry the load. You need tools that work harder, last longer, and solve multiple problems at once. Gone are the days of packing just in case items; every piece of tech and gear in your bag needs to earn its weight and space. These ten travel products represent the evolution of travel gear. They are smarter, more versatile, and designed for the modern solo adventurer who refuses to compromise on either security or spontaneity.1. Nothing Power (1)Power banks usually just sit there looking boring while they charge your devices, but the Nothing Power (1) turns battery management into something almost mesmerizing. The transparent design reveals internal circuitry pathways inspired by the Nothing Phone, while the signature glyph interface transforms the back panel into a sophisticated information display. Every light has a purpose showing battery levels, charging status, and even smartphone notifications through illumination patterns.The 20,000mAh capacity provides multiple full charges for your phone, while 65W fast charging gets you to 50% power in under 20 minutes. But what makes this special for solo travelers is how the glyph interface keeps you informed without constantly checking your phone. The lights communicate charging progress, incoming notifications, and power bank status through intuitive patterns. When youre in situations where pulling out your phone isnt practical or safe, having critical information displayed on your power bank becomes very useful.What we likeThe glyph interface provides visual feedback for charging status and smartphone notifications.Fast 65W charging minimizes time spent waiting for devices to power up.Transparent design with meaningful illumination turns utility into visual interest.What we dislikeThe 20,000mAh capacity is smaller than some competing high-capacity power banks.Glyph interface features may drain the power banks battery faster than standard models.2. Capsule LuggageThis luggage concept gets something right that most designers miss: when youre traveling alone, every interaction with your bag needs to be smooth and efficient. The dedicated laptop compartment means no more unpacking half your suitcase just to grab your computer during security or while waiting for flights. Its such a simple idea that you wonder why nobody thought of it sooner.The built-in cup holder at the back might seem minor until youre trying to juggle coffee, boarding passes, and luggage through a crowded airport. Without a travel companion to hold your drink, having a designated spot becomes surprisingly valuable. The whole design reduces the number of bags you need to manage, keeping everything organized in one system while maintaining quick access to the stuff you actually need regularly.What we likeLaptop compartment eliminates the bag-diving routine at security.Built-in cup holder solves the solo travelers juggling act.Reduces the number of separate bags to keep track of.What we dislikeStill in concept stage, so actual availability and durability are unknown.Design seems focused on business travel rather than other trip types.3. TspinTravel stress is real, and this titanium multi-tool tackles it from an unexpected angle. The fidget spinner isnt just a trendy add-on; it helps with those nerve-wracking airport waits or moments when youre feeling overwhelmed in a new place. But beyond the stress relief, this thing solves practical problems that every traveler faces.The bottle opener saves you from that sinking feeling when you buy local beer only to realize your hotel room doesnt have basic amenities. The nano-SIM card holder with ejection pin is genius for anyone who buys local data plans; those tiny pins have a habit of disappearing exactly when you need them most. Theres even a smartphone stand for video calls at home or entertainment while waiting for delayed flights. The tiny screwdriver is a lifesaver if you wear glasses, and the cable management feature tackles the universal frustration of tangled headphones.What we likeFidget function genuinely helps with travel anxiety and boredom.Solves specific travel problems like SIM card changes and smartphone stands.Titanium construction means itll outlast your passport.What we dislikeIt might look unprofessional in certain business contexts.Small parts require careful handling to avoid losing pieces.4.AirPods Neck StrapLosing an AirPod while traveling isnt just annoying; its expensive and inconvenient when youre nowhere near an Apple store. This magnetic neck strap turns your wireless earbuds into a secure system that eliminates the biggest complaint about AirPods: their supernatural ability to vanish at the worst moments. The woven rope looks more like jewelry than tech gear, so you dont end up looking like a walking advertisement for tourist status.The magnetic lock keeps both buds together around your neck, so even if one pops out, it stays attached and within reach. Having your earbuds immediately accessible matters more when youre traveling alone, whether its for navigation directions, important calls, or translation apps; you cant afford to be fishing through bags when you need audio fast. The color options let you match your style rather than settling for boring black plastic.Click Here to Buy Now: $39.00What we likePrevents the expensive disaster of losing individual AirPods.Looks stylish rather than purely functional.Keeps earbuds instantly accessible for navigation and calls.What we dislikeSome people might find wearing anything around their neck uncomfortable.Only works with AirPods, leaving other earbud users out.5.Pacsafe EXP 12 Anti-Theft CrossbodySecurity matters differently when youre exploring alone, and this bag takes it seriously without turning you into a walking fortress. The hybrid design converts from crossbody to sling pack, adapting to whatever your day throws at you. The dedicated MacBook compartment at the back keeps your laptop secure and accessible without exposing everything else in your bag to curious eyes or quick fingers.The anti-theft features are comprehensive: RFID blocking prevents electronic pickpocketing, the strap resists cutting attempts, and multiple locking systems work automatically so you dont have to remember to engage them. Its made from recycled plastic bottles with water-repellent treatment, so it handles both environmental consciousness and weather protection. The security features add some weight, but the peace of mind often makes it worthwhile.What we likeMultiple security features work passively without requiring constant attention.Converts between carrying styles for different activities.Dedicated laptop storage keeps expensive tech secure and organized.What we dislikeSecurity features add bulk and weight that might not be necessary everywhere.Premium price reflects the advanced anti-theft technology.6.TP-LinkReliable internet isnt a luxury when youre traveling solo, its essential for navigation, safety, and staying connected. This compact router delivers serious speeds (3.6 Gbps) in a package that wont cause airport security headaches. The WiFi 7 technology with 6GHz support means youre getting next-generation performance in something you can actually travel with.The VPN capabilities address a real concern when youre connecting to random public networks in cafes, hotels, and airports. Your data stays secure while the router creates a reliable connection for all your devices simultaneously. It runs on power banks, so youre not hunting for outlets in public spaces. The setup doesnt require a computer science degree, which matters when youre tired and just want internet that works.What we likeProfessional-grade internet speeds in a truly portable package.Built-in VPN security for safe public network connections.Works with power banks, eliminating outlet dependency.What we dislikeAdvanced features might be overkill for basic browsing needs.Price reflects cutting-edge technology that not everyone requires.7.For Me BudsSleep gets complicated when youre constantly changing time zones and sleeping in unfamiliar places. These earbuds tackle the problem head-on with AI that monitors your sleep patterns and adjusts sound in real-time throughout the night. The noise cancellation handles the usual suspects: snoring roommates, street noise, or airplane cabin sounds.The real magic happens while youre asleep. Built-in sensors track your heart rate and movement, analyzing sleep stages and providing binaural beats tailored to each phase of your sleep cycle. Unlike smartwatches that sit on your wrist, these deliver personalized sound directly into your ears for better sleep optimization. The companion app uses AI to analyze patterns and suggest improvements, which becomes valuable when youre trying to adapt to new schedules and environments.What we likeAI optimization adapts to personal sleep patterns and travel disruptions.Real-time adjustment provides personalized sleep enhancement all night.Better sleep analysis than wrist devices through direct ear placement.What we dislikeSleeping with earbuds takes getting used to for some people.Battery management becomes important during long monitoring sessions.8.TA-205This adapter handles the reality of modern travel: youve got more devices than ever, and they all need charging at inconvenient times. Supporting over 200 countries with seven simultaneous charging ports, it eliminates the frustrating game of deciding which device gets power priority. The dual AC sockets handle both universal plugs and US-specific devices, while the side switches adjust to different plug styles.Three USB-A ports take care of accessories like earbuds, cameras, and power banks, while two USB-C ports handle tablets and phones. The 35.5W fast-charge USB-C means your phone powers up quickly instead of keeping you tethered to walls for hours. The compact design doesnt compromise on power delivery, handling everything from laptops to smartwatches without breaking a sweat.What we likeSeven ports eliminate the charging priority decision-making process.Works in 200+ countries without carrying multiple adapters.What we dislikeCharging multiple devices simultaneously generates noticeable heat.High power output might overwhelm some older electrical systems.9.Shuffle WalletTraditional wallets become a liability when you need quick access to specific cards without broadcasting to everyone around you that youre fumbling through your finances. The Shuffle Wallets mechanism gives you instant access to exactly the card you need while protecting everything from RFID skimming. The one-handed operation means you can handle payments smoothly without looking distracted or vulnerable.RFID protection has gone from paranoid precaution to practical necessity as contactless payments become standard everywhere. The streamlined design encourages carrying only essential cards and cash, reducing both bulk and the financial damage if something goes wrong. The mechanical operation provides tactile confirmation that youre getting the right card without having to look down and lose awareness of your surroundings.What we likeQuick one-handed access maintains situational awareness during transactions.RFID blocking prevents electronic pickpocketing in crowded areas.Minimal design reduces both bulk and potential loss impact.What we dislikeLearning the shuffle mechanism takes practice to master under pressure.Advanced features command a premium over basic wallets.10. Loop Gear SK05Pro MAOThis definitely isnt one of those flimsy keychain lights that die when you need them. The SK05Pro packs an impressive 4,360 lumens into something smaller than most power banks, measuring just 0.88 1.89 4.17. The aluminum body feels solid in your hands, with anti-slip finger grooves that work when things get slippery or stressful.The dual functionality is the star feature. Those dual 18650 batteries dont just power an incredibly bright light they also give you 8,000mAh of backup juice for your phone. The rotating bezel lets you switch between spotlight, floodlight, sidelight, and power bank modes with just your thumb. When youre navigating unfamiliar streets at night or your phone dies at the worst possible moment, having both problems solved by one compact device feels like winning the lottery.What we likeCombines emergency lighting with phone charging in one compact device.Multiple lighting modes handle different situations from navigation to area illumination.Solid construction that feels reliable rather than gimmicky.What we dislikeAt nearly 8 ounces, its got some weight to it.Price reflects the premium build quality and dual functionality.Smart Tech & Tools For Smarter TravelThe best travel gear isnt about having the latest gadgets and products; its about choosing tools that make you more independent while keeping you connected to what matters. The products should solve issues, work when you need them the most, and enhance your experience rather than complicating it.These tools depict a shift toward smarter, more integrated technology that understands the unique challenges of solo travel. Theyre designed for people who want to explore confidently, knowing their gear can handle whatever situations arise. These products will help you stay charged during long days, maintain secure connections, or simply get better sleep in unfamiliar places. The modern traveler doesnt need more stuff; they need better stuff that works harder and takes up less space, and these designs promise to deliver!The post Top 10 Travel Tech & Gear Every Solo Adventurer Should Pack first appeared on Yanko Design.

In 2008 the Olympian Quarter, a new 900-unit residential neighborhood, was under construction in Amsterdam. Seeking something special to distinguish the neighborhood, the Amsterdam Foundation for the Arts commissioned Dutch artist Reinoud Oudshoorn to create the house numbers.Oudshoorn was something like a graphic designer who transitions into industrial design: He originally trained as a painter, but grew dissatisfied with the limitations of 2D and started pushing into sculptural 3D works. In short, he was the perfect guy to render boring 2D characters interesting:Oudshoorn's take on house numbers was inspired by the early-20th-century architecture movement known as the Amsterdam School; that movement's Expressionist style slotted in between Art Noveau and Art Deco, which you can see in Oudshoorn's cast aluminum numbers. "[The numbers] hold a middle ground between house number and sculpture, and are intended to evoke a strong sense of expression touchable and shining, like huge drops of rain," writes artistic hardware company Petra. Petra manufactures the numbers today, still in cast aluminum, and reckons they have a 200-year lifespan. They'd betterthey're $625 a pop!

Who discovered the lightbulb? If you answered Thomas Edison, youre not aloneand youre also not quite right.Despite conventional wisdom that associates great inventions with lone geniuses, breakthrough inventions are team efforts. Incandescent light bulbs existed before Edison was born. His patent built on prior versions of the light bulb, aiming to make it practical and affordable. Even then, it wasnt a solo achievementEdison collaborated with a team of skilled collaborators, known as the Muckers, whose contributions have largely faded from memory. Yet it was Edisons name on the patent, and thats the version of history that stuck.Were suckers for lone genius narratives like Edisonsthe brilliant scientist, the fearless military general, or the savvy CEO. The version of history we glean from popular books, movies, and the internet attributes greatness to single individuals.But individual greatness is rarely the whole story. Research shows that teams are the main creators of new knowledge across most industries. New ideas dont emerge fully formed from the mind of a single personit takes collaboration and teamwork to develop them to their full potential.In reality, the engine behind sustained successwhether in science, business, or governmentisnt a singular mind. Its a well-designed team.The illusion of individual successWe tend to over-attribute both success and failure to individuals. Psychologists call this the fundamental attribution error: we explain peoples behavior by their traits, rather than their context. If a product flops, we blame the CEO. If a startup takes off, the founder is a genius. We rarely ask about the teams that surround them.It gets worse. Even inside groups, people regularly overestimate their own contributions to collective endeavors. In one study, researchers asked each team member to estimate what percent of the groups success they were responsible for. The total? A whopping 235%. Thats a lot more than 100%!Our individualistic tendencies lead us to build groups and organizations around the wrong assumptions. If you believe success comes from star individuals, you hire stars and hope for fireworks. But for complex problemsand most of our work now is complexit takes more knowledge and skill than any individual has to solve it. Thats why we need to put the conditions in place for individuals to combine and build on what each alone can bring.What good teams do differentlyIn my research, Ive found that high-performing teams arent built through charisma, happy accidents, or trust falls. Theyre designed for success. There are four key elements of group structure that maximize your chances of creativity:Composition: Many teams are composed haphazardly, based on whos available and office politics. But the best teams are small (i.e., three to seven members) and have a task-appropriate, diverse mix of knowledge and skills.Goals: Its hard to achieve a common goal when members have different ideas about where theyre headed. Thats why clear, measurable, vivid goals are a critical antecedent for building teams that can outperform individuals. For instance, innovation at NASA spiked when John F. Kennedy swapped the vague goal of, advance science by exploring the solar system, to the vivid goal to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.Task design: Teams can bring ideas to life when they have well-designed tasks that require a variety of skills, give members autonomy over how to conduct their work, and allow members to see progress toward their goals. For creative work, poorly designed tasks are repetitive and control the process, like a manufacturing assembly line. Well-designed tasks give teams whole pieces of work and the freedom to explore, such as the design firm IDEOs effort to redesign the shopping cart to better fit the needs of users.Norms: Too often, groups are places where members fall into bad habits. In many organizations, workers are used to sitting passively in meetings. They worry that experimentation and suggesting new ideas will be scornedor even punished. But the most innovative teams actively fight these norms. Leaders actively encourage members to share their ideas, experiment, and learn from one another. And the battle against norms toward conformity and the status quo never ends. IDEO, for instance, plasters reminders of these norms on the walls of their buildingsthings like defer judgement, encourage wild ideas, and build on the ideas of others.The real edgeWe live in an era that celebrates ideas: TED Talks, startup pitches, visionary founders. But ideas dont execute themselves. And many great ideas die in bad teams. The reverse is also true: A good team can turn a mediocre idea into something extraordinary. Not because theyre smarter, but because theyre structured to think together better.The great innovations and businesses of today were never built by a solitary lone genius. For all the credit Steve Jobs gets, he couldnt have built Apple and its collaborative innovation engine without the help of his cofounders and teammates. As you dig deeper into stories of great innovations, you almost always find a great team just under the surface.The next time youre tempted to credit a lone genius, remember the people behind the curtain. The collaborators, the editors, the dissenters: the ones who made the idea betteror made it real.Good ideas matter. But good teams matter more.

Cara is proud to be the official platform partner for Warrior Painters #PleinAirpril this year! What is PleinAirpril?PleinAirpril is a social media campaign started in 2017 to celebrate Earth Day. The aim is to challenge and engage with plein air artists across the globe and to encourage them to share their artworksone per dayduring the month of April. How to participate in PleinAirpril 2024Every day of April 2024, paint one painting based on the themes "City, Forest, Ocean, Mountain" and post your work on Cara or Instagram Use the hashtag #PleinAirpril, and tag @warriorpaintersYou can use any medium you want as PleinAirpril is about experimentation, practice, and exploration! Challenge yourself to paint more from life, but feel free to create photo studies or virtual plein air piecesDue to Instagrams recent limitations on artwork discovery via hashtags, participants are encouraged to post on Cara for increased visibility, Content shared on Cara stands a better chance of being discovered and reshared by both the Warrior Painters and Cara community. About Warrior PaintersWarrior Painters was founded in 2016 as a way to connect artists from all walks of life, who share the same passion of showcasing natural and architectural diversity through plein air painting. The majority of painters in the group work in the entertainment industry, spanning from animation and games, to live action films and theme park designs. There is also a good number of freelance illustrators and concept artists. ~As per usual, we have curated a selection of stunning past #pleinairpril artwork on Cara. Check out what the community has been up to, be inspired, and we hope to see you join us this PleinAirpril! - The Cara Team Have questions? Join us on Discord!cara | twitter | instagram | buy us a coffee Patti Vincent @pattivincentstudio - PleinAirpril Angela@angothemango - #PleinAirpril Car Karin Brandenberg @kbrandenberg - PleinAirpril 2022 Karin Brandenberg @kbrandenberg - Studies 2023 Karin Brandenberg @kbrandenberg - PleinAirpril 2022 Jelly Octopus @jellyoctopus - #PleinAirpril Elise Braud @itsmoriartea - Pleinairpril Day 24 Yiguang Wang @pessamin - PleinAirpril 2022 Alex Forner @alexforner - 6pm Yiguang Wang @pessamin - PleinAirpril 2022 Yiguang Wang @pessamin - PleinAirpril 2022 Elise Braud @itsmoriartea - Pleinairpril Patryk Olas @patryk - PleinAirpril Adriana Bica @bootlegwhale - PleinAirpril Karin Brandenberg @kbrandenberg - Studies 2023 Max Maury @maxtronaute - PleinAirpril Elise Braud @itsmoriartea - PleinAirpril Vic @spookyastronaut - Pleinairpril Japan Yiguang Wang @pessamin - PleinAirpril 2022 Karin Brandenberg @kbrandenberg - Studies 2023 We hope to see you join #PleinAirpril this year! cara | twitter | instagram | buy us a coffee

Chinese technology firms have focused on developing homegrown chips over the last few years amid rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China.

Complaints are mounting up of the new Pixel 10 phones not working with certain wireless chargers.

Labor Day sales might have just what you're looking for in the home cleaning department. Dyson is having a big sale for the holiday that discounts vacuums, hair care devices and more by up to $500. One of the best discounts is on the 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum, which is 50 percent off and down to $500. That's a seriously great deal and the lowest price we've seen for this product. The Vis Nav made our list of the best robot vacuums, primarily based on the unit's superior suction power. This thing can pull up dirt like a beast. We said it had the strongest suction power of any robovac we've tested and easily took out pet fur from a carpeted floor. We also noted in our official review that the power here was on par with Dyson's stick vacuums. The unit includes a stellar obstacle avoidance system, with cameras and LED lights to help the vacuum navigate around furniture. During our testing we found it to be nearly flawless, as it only crashed into a chair leg a couple of times. Also, we never received any alerts that the robot got stuck somewhere while working. The bin here is on the larger side, but there's no self-emptying base. This is also not a hybrid unit. It's a vacuum and not a mop. This made it tough to recommend the unit at $1,000, despite the fantastic suction, but $500 makes it a whole lot easier. The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is also down to $800 as part of this sale, which is a discount of $200. This cordless stick vacuum features a HEPA filtration system and advanced wet-cleaning capabilities. It's a great tool for cleaning both carpets and hard floors. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-dyson-labor-day-sale-knocks-500-off-the-360-vis-nav-robot-vacuum-172759579.html?src=rss

Apple allows you to install adblockers for Safari, DNS-based content blockers that work across apps, and VPN apps that can also block ads for you. Unfortunately, none of these methods allow you to block Apple's own ads. As Apple has increased its focus on services such as iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and more, it has increased the number of ads you're served on your Apple devices.Some of these are easy to disable, such as spammy ads for movies Apple wants you to watch, but there's nothing much you can do for things like ads in the iPhone App Store. In this guide, I'll walk you through how to block as many of Apple's ads on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac as possible, while also discussing steps you can take to protect your privacy.Disable promotional notifications for Apple's apps Credit: Pranay Parab Apples own apps like to push you to check out new movies, albums, and upgrade opportunities for paid subscriptions. The easiest way to get rid of these is to completely disable notifications from Apple apps, but it's not ideal for everyone. Some apps, such as Wallet, have genuinely useful notifications that remind you about upcoming trips, events, etc. Disabling all notifications from Wallet means losing access to the useful alerts as well. That's why you should take a moment to go through each Apple app's settings and see if there's an option to disable only the useless ones. If you've installed iOS 26, try these steps to disable Apple's promotional notifications.Open the Wallet app. Tap the three-dots button in the top-right corner, and select Notifications. Now, disable Offers & Promotions.Open the App Store, tap the profile icon in the top-right corner, and select Notifications. Now, disable Recommendations & Offers.In the Books app, go to the profile icon in the top-right corner, select Notifications, and disable Recommendations.In the Music app, tap the profile icon in the top-right corner, select Notifications, and disable New Music.A lot of Apple apps use a similar workflow for this, so while I've listed the biggest offenders, you can try similar steps in any Apple app to see if you can disable spammy alerts. Meanwhile, if you just want to go nuclear, then you can disable all notifications for Apple apps. Go to Settings > Apps > Notifications on your iPhone or System Settings > Notifications on your Mac. Here, go through the list of apps and select Apples apps one by one. Turn off notifications for all the apps that dont send you useful notifications. For me, this includes the App Store, Music, and TV.Some apps, such as Messages, FaceTime, and Apple TV Keyboard, send useful notifications, so I would recommend avoiding disabling notifications for those.Disable personalized ads from Apple Credit: Pranay Parab Next, you can stop allowing Apple to track your data to serve you personalized ads. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and disable Personalized Ads. On Mac, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and turn off Personalized Ads.This will reduce tracking, but be aware this means it will also increase the likelihood of seeing irrelevant ads in Apple apps. Dont allow Apple apps to see your location Credit: Pranay Parab Apple tracks some of your location data to show you relevant content. For example, if you go on a vacation to Portugal, the App Store may show you more results for apps popular in that country. If you dont use Apples apps for discovering new content, you can disable this without consequences.To do this, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and disable location access for all Apple apps that don't need it. Remember that some apps, such as Find My, need access to your location to work correctly, and others, such as Camera, use location data to geo-tag your photos. However, apps such as App Store and News don't need access to your location, so can turn it off for them without affecting core functionality.On the Mac, you can do the same thing by going to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.Check if Apple's system services need location access Credit: Pranay Parab Apple tracks your location data to improve a bunch of its services even if you disable location access for its apps. This won't necessarily impact your ads, but it can affect your privacy. You can find these services on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. On your Mac, head over to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services.Go through each of the items carefully and disable location access if you're sure the service you're looking at doesn't need it. If you don't understand what a particular setting does, then it's best to ignore it until you know what it does. For example, it is safe to disable location access for iPhone/Mac Analytics, Improve Location Accuracy, Improve Maps, and a few other selections depending on how you use your iPhone. I've also disabled location access for Apple Pay Merchant Identification, because the service isn't available in my region. But if you use Apple Pay regularly, you probably shouldn't change this setting.Reduce analytics and other data collection Credit: Pranay Parab This also doesnt directly impact advertising on your devices, but I recommend reducing the data Apple collects from your iPhone or Mac. Once a company starts pushing ads aggressively, itll find new ways to collect more data. Thats why its better to proactively reduce data collection wherever you can. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements and disable all options. On the Mac, you can visit System Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements and do the same thing.Stop relying on Apple for discovery Credit: Pranay Parab Apple will have more opportunities to get data on you and show you ads if you spend time inside its apps. If you stop relying on Apple to discover new content, the company will not have as many chances to pepper you with promotions.One alternative is to use a search engine to look for apps, or visit sites such as Lifehacker to learn about interesting new apps. If you spend less time in the App Store, you will see fewer ads as a result. You can also still get direct links to apps from these sourcesjust verify the URL takes you to apps.apple.com. Similarly, you can start reducing your dependency on Apples ecosystem. Other than iCloud (which is very useful for backing up your data), all of Apples subscription services have solid alternatives. And, if you want to stay with Apple Music, you can consider using third-party apps that provide a better experience than Apples own app.

So you need to design a new AI feature for your product. How would you start? How do you design flows and interactions? And how do you ensure that that new feature doesnt get abandoned by users after a few runs?In this article, Id love to share a very simple but systematic approach to how I think about designing AI experiences. Hopefully, it will help you get a bit more clarity about how to get started.This article is part of our ongoing series on UX. You can find more details on design patterns and UX strategy in Smart Interface Design Patterns with live UX training coming up soon. Jump to table of contents.The Receding Role of AI ChatOne of the key recent shifts is a slow move away from traditional chat-alike AI interfaces. As Luke Wroblewski wrote, when agents can use multiple tools, call other agents and run in the background, users orchestrate AI work more theres a lot less chatting back and forth.In fact, chatbots are rarely a great experience paradigm mostly because the burden of articulating intent efficiently lies on the user. But in practice, its remarkably difficult to do well and very time-consuming.Chat doesnt go away, of course, but its being complemented with task-oriented UIs temperature controls, knobs, sliders, buttons, semantic spreadsheets, infinite canvases with AI providing predefined options, presets, and templates.There, AI emphasizes the work, the plan, the tasks the outcome, instead of the chat input. The results are experiences that truly amplify value for users by sprinkling a bit of AI in places where it delivers real value to real users.To design better AI experiences, we need to study 5 key areas that we need to shape.Input UX: Expressing IntentConversational AI is a very slow way of helping users express and articulate their intent. Usability tests show that users often get lost in editing, reviewing, typing, and re-typing. Its painfully slow, often taking 30-60 seconds for input.As it turns out, people have a hard time expressing their intent well. In fact, instead of writing prompts manually, it's a good idea to ask AI to write a prompt to feed itself.With Flora AI, users can still write prompts, but they visualize their intent with nodes by connecting various sources visually. Instead of elaborately explaining to AI how we need the pipeline to work, we attach nodes and commands on a canvas.With input for AI, being precise is slow and challenging. Instead, we can abstract away the object we want to manipulate, and give AI precise input by moving that abstracted object on a canvas. Thats what Krea.ai does.In summary, we can minimize the burden of typing prompts manually with AI-generated pre-prompts, prompt extensions, query builders, and also voice input.Output UX: Displaying OutcomesAI output doesn't have to be merely plain text or a list of bullet points. It must be helpful to drive people to insights, faster. For example, we could visualize output by creating additional explanations based on the users goal and motivations.For example, Amelia Wattenberger visualized AI output for her text editor PenPal by adding style lenses to explore the content from. The output could be visualized in sentence lengths and scales Sad Happy, Concrete Abstract, and so on.The outcome could also be visualized on a map, which, of course, is expected for an AI GIS analyst. Also, users can access individual data layers, turn them on and off, and hence explore the data on the map.We can also use forced ranking and prioritizations to suggest best options and avoid choice paralysis even if a user asks for top 10 recommendations. We can think about ways to present results as a data table, or a dashboard, or a visualization on a map, or as a structured JSON file, for example.Refinement UX: Tweaking OutputUsers often need to cherry-pick some bits from the AI output and bring them together in a new place and often they need to expand on one section, synthesize bits from another section, or just refine the outcome to meet their needs.Refinement is usually the most painful part of the experience, with many fine details being left to users to explain elaborately. But we can use good old-fashioned UI controls like knobs, sliders, buttons, and so on to improve that experience, similar to how Adobe Firefly does it (image above).We can also use presets, bookmarks, and allow users to highlight specific parts of the outcome that theyd like to change with contextual prompts acting on highlighted parts of the output, rather than global prompts.AI Actions: Tasks To CompleteWith AI agents, we can now also allow users to initiate tasks that AI can perform on their behalf, such as scheduling events, planning, and deep research. We could also ask to sort results or filter them in a specific way.But we can also add features to help users use AI output better e.g., by visualizing it, making it shareable, allowing transformations between formats, or also posting to Slack, Jira, and so on.AI Integration: Where Work HappensMany AI interactions are locked within a specific product, but good AI experiences happen where the actual work happens. It would be quite unusual to expect a dedicated section for Autocomplete, for example, but we do so for AI features.The actual boost in productivity comes when users rely on AI as a co-pilot or little helper in the tools they use daily for work. Its seamless integrations into Slack, Teams, Jira, GitHub, and so on the tools that people use anyway. Dia Browser and Dovetail are great examples of it in action.Wrapping UpAlong these five areas, we can explore ways to minimize the cost of interaction with a textbox, and allow users to interact with the points of interest directly, by tapping, clicking, selecting, highlighting, and bookmarking.Many products are obsessed with being AI-first. But you might be way better off by being AI-second instead. The difference is that we focus on user needs and sprinkle a bit of AI across customer journeys where it actually adds value.And AI products dont have to be AI-only. There is a lot of value in mapping into the mental models that people have adopted over the years, and enhance them with AI, similar to how we do it with browsers autofill, rather than leaving users in front of a frightening and omnipresent text box.Useful ResourcesWhere Should AI Sit In Your UI?, by Sharang SharmaShape of AI: Design Patterns, by Emily CampbellAI UX Patterns, by Luke BennisDesign Patterns For Trust With AI, via Sarah GoldAI Guidebook Design Patterns, by GoogleUsable Chat Interfaces to AI Models, by Luke WroblewskiThe Receding Role of AI Chat, by Luke WroblewskiAgent Management Interface Patterns, by Luke WroblewskiDesigning for AI Engineers, by Eve WeinbergMeet Smart Interface Design PatternsYou can find more details on design patterns and UX in Smart Interface Design Patterns, our 15h-video course with 100s of practical examples from real-life projects with a live UX training later this year. Everything from mega-dropdowns to complex enterprise tables with 5 new segments added every year. Jump to a free preview. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.Meet Smart Interface Design Patterns, our video course on interface design & UX.Video + UX TrainingVideo onlyVideo + UX Training$495.00 $699.00Get Video + UX Training25 video lessons (15h) + Live UX Training.100 days money-back-guarantee.Video only$300.00$395.00Get the video course40 video lessons (15h). Updated yearly.Also available as a UX Bundle with 2 video courses.

Blizzard overhauled Overwatch 2's hero progression in Season 18 to include fewer stats and more chances to get free stuff. Ostensibly, the change reduces complexity, but it takes away more than just stats for tracking your progress. It wipes out a valuable learning opportunity and replaces it with what seems like little more than a quick gratification hit.

Play psychic super spy, settle in with a cozy farming sim and reshape the world with a photo with the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup for September. Psychonauts 2, Stardew Valley and Viewfinder will be available to PlayStation Plus members from September 2.Lets take a closer look at the games.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imagePsychonauts 2 | PS4Razputin Raz Aquato, trained acrobat and powerful young psychic, has realized his lifelong dream of joining the international psychic espionage organization known as the Psychonauts! But these psychic super spies are in trouble. Their leader hasnt been the same since he was rescued from a kidnapping, and whats worse, theres a mole hiding in headquarters. Combining quirky missions and mysterious conspiracies, Psychonauts 2 is a platform-adventure game with cinematic style and tons of customizable psychic powers. Psychonauts 2 serves up danger, excitement and laughs in equal measure as players guide Raz on a journey through the minds of friends and foes on a quest to defeat a murderous psychic villain.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageStardew Valley | PS4Youve inherited your grandfathers old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It wont be easy. Ever since Joja Corporation came to town, the old ways of life have all but disappeared. The community center, once the towns most vibrant hub of activity, now lies in shambles. But the valley seems full of opportunity. With a little dedication, you might just be the one to restore Stardew Valley to greatness!View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageViewfinder | PS4, PS5Use an instant camera to challenge perception, redefine reality and reshape the world. View the world through a new lens in this charming and unique first-person puzzle adventure. Reshape a wealth of stunning environments through your instant cameras viewfinder in order to solve a variety of mind-bending puzzles. Bring photos, paintings, sketches and postcards to life as you reshape reality and slowly uncover the surprising mysteries that lie behind this colourful world.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageLast chance to add PlayStation Plus Games for August to your libraryPlayStation Plus members have until September 1 to add Lies of P, Day Z and My Hero Ones Justice 2 to their game library.

In terms of raw power, some Digi Evolutions or Jogress (DNA Evolutions) are just so OP that the balance of the Digital World shifts forever depending on their actions. These Digimon are so powerful that they are rarely seen alongside a Tamer or Chosen One, and are considered seats of power or part of a legend. In some cases, their core function is to bring about the end of the Digital (and sometimes real) World.

NYXI Warrior Lite Wireless Controller for Switch 2 $40 (was $50) See at Amazon NYXI Warrior Wireless Controller for Switch 2 $55 (was $69) | Adds support for original GameCube hardware See at Amazon A few of the best GameCube-inspired controllers for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC are on sale for their best prices of the year at Amazon. NYXI's Warrior and Wizard wireless controllers combine the GameCube form factor with modern features like Hall Effect sticks, remappable back buttons, microswitch triggers, and other customization options. The Warrior Lite Bluetooth Controller released earlier this year with the GameCube's iconic purple color scheme. Normally $50, you can grab this versatile gamepad for $40, which is the best price yet.If you also want 2.4GHz Wireless support for original GameCube and Wii hardware--and PC with the included adapter--you can step up to the Warrior for $55 (was $69).Continue Reading at GameSpot

In a his new book Breakneck, Dan Wang argues that if the US really wants to compete with China, it needs to focus more on engineering and less on litigating.

From basic line work to colour and effects, these tips and tutorials will provide inspiration for your line art.

The Guinness World Records hits 70, and I think there's an opportunity for designers.

One of the interesting things about Prusa’s FDM 3D printers is the availability of official upgrade kits, which allow you to combine bits off an older machine with those of …read more

The yearly deluge is finally upon us, as September is packed from top to bottom with big-name releases, from highly anticipated sports to promising remakes. Of course, theres the big one that everyones talking about, but whether youre keen on sports games, horror, action-adventure or platforming, theres a lot to choose from. Lets dive into the 15 biggest titles releasing in September 2025.Hollow Knight: SilksongRemember when this was just supposed to be a second playable character and DLC for Hollow Knight? Over six years since its announcement, Silksong is indeed real, and based on Team Cherrys own admission, its as big, perhaps even bigger than its predecessor. Because you werent planning on anything for the rest of the month? Over 200 enemy types, more than 40 bosses, numerous new abilities and based on demo impressions from Gamescom, best-in-class movement. Hollow Knight: Silksong releases on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, and at this point, were beyond ready.Hell is UsIf youre in the mood for a different kind of action-adventure, one that very adamantly wont hold your hand, theres Rogue Factors Hell is Us. A dark horse of sorts, its semi-open-world-ish, focusing on peacekeeper Rmi, who explores Hadea in search of his parents. The country has seen better days its devastated by war and Hollow Walkers emerging in the wake of the Calamity. With just the bare minimum, you have to gather clues and ultimately unravel the mystery behind Rmis parents while uncovering the mysteries of Hadea. With Souls-lite gameplay and a mysterious yet foreboding vibe, Hell is Us could very well make a name for itself when it launches on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.Cronos: The New DawnFor a different flavor of horror the sci-fi survival third-person shooter kind theres Bloober Teams Cronos: The New Dawn, where players control a Traveller under the mysterious Collective, tasked with extracting the essence of key individuals. Or not you dont really have to, though that could affect the ending. Between these choices, youre exploring run-down buildings and structures infested with monsters born from the mysterious Change, using shotguns, SMGs and flamethrowers to bat them back, while casually manipulating gravity and the environment to progress forward. Its very Dead Space-esque on first appearance, but the mysterious narrative and time travel elements help set Cronos apart when it launches on September 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.Daemon x Machina: Titanic ScionIm not the biggest Daemon X Machina fan out there, but credit to Marvelous Inc. for doing something different with the sequel. Youre still in this world of Arsenals and Outer factions, destroying similarly armored foes and extracting their parts for your own usage, but Titanic Scion veers hard by turning Arsenals into power armor. The vast open world also facilitates new traversal methods, such as horseback riding, which is as hilarious as it looks, and even a larger Arsenal frame for dealing big damage in a limited window. Launching on September 5th for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PS5, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion could very well be the standout mecha title of the year.Borderlands 4Its funny to think weve gone fromwhatever Borderlands 3 was meant to be to this epic tale of resistance against a dictatorial figure on an unknown planet that Gearbox promises is its biggest yet. And yet, from everything showcased thus far and against all odds, Borderlands 4 doesnt look half-bad. The four new Vault Hunters Vex, Rafa, Amon and Harlowe all look great in their own ways; the prospect of Licensed Parts for combining different gun manufacturer pieces into one weapon is great; and the addition of grappling, dashing, double-jumping, and more feels just right. Whether the story will stick the landing remains to be seen (I still havent forgiven you for Maya, Gearbox), to say nothing of the endgame, but as a co-op looter shooter with slightly classier mayhem, Borderlands 4 could excel. Its launching on September 12th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.Silent Hill fAs the newest mainline title in the Silent Hill franchise since 2012s Downpour, Silent Hill f ventures into unknown territory. Its the first title set in Japan, specifically the fictitious town of Ebisugaoka in the 1960s, and features Ryukishi07 as the writer (with artist kera behind the creature designs). As Hinako Shimizu, who finds herself swallowed up by the fog, players embark on a more action-packed journey, one with a heavier emphasis on melee combat. Dont let that fool you, though, as it offers some of the most disturbing creatures and sights in the franchise yet. After the success of Silent Hill 2 remake, heres hoping Konami can pull off another when Silent Hill f launches on September 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.NBA 2K26Another year, another NBA 2K and even if last years iteration sported solid gameplay, one has to wonder if NBA 2K6 is worth the upgrade. Outside of the improved player and arena visuals, you can embark on The Playoffs online; a new MyCareer mode sees you working up the ranks to the NBA, with The City returning; and all the usual modes, including MyTeam and The W, return with various improvements. Maybe itll be enough to hold one over till next year, but for now, NBA 2K26 launches on September 5th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.Dying Light: The BeastTechland has been on a venerable marketing overdrive for Dying Light: The Beast, promising its most diverse world, a fairly lengthy experience (about 40 to 50 hours for the story and side content), and much more. And based on the gameplay thus far, it seems like a return to everything that made the Dying Light franchise great while continuing the story of Kyle Crane, who now possesses powerful beast-like abilities. Whether it can redeem the series after the whelming second entry or not, the call of the night is hard to resist. Dying Light: The Beast arrives on September 19th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.EA Sports FC 26With how underwhelming FC 25 turned out, EA is listening in a big way with the latest entry. Various gameplay improvements include faster overall gameplay and two experiences Competitive and Authentic, each determining the style of play and pace. Archetypes are also debuting and will be added to Clubs to shake things up. Theres honestly a lot more, and it could be the most exciting sports offering from EA in years when it launches on September 26th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, PC, PS4, and PS5.Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved EditionIf you thought the title was a mouthful already, this is actually Part 1 of Survios VR title-turned-regular-first-person shooter. It follows Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks as she investigates a Weyland-Yutani black site. Which, to no ones surprise, is full of Xenomorphs. While it may seem like a running and gunning affair, Rogue Incursion also features classic tools like the Motion Tracker, creating a familiar wave of dread when a Xenomorph periodically shows up. Launching on September 30th for PS5 and PC, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition will support 60 FPS and DualSense functionality.EA Sports NHL 26Not one, not two, but three sports games in September? What a deal! NHL 26 launches on September 12th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, packing several changes, including reworked X-Factors (now with three tiers), goalie size and style now affecting how they play, a new Goalie Crease Control System with over 80 new animations, and more. EA Vancouver has its work cut out after last years release, but thus far, its looking decent.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of GiantsEveryones favorite archaeologist returns in a new story DLC, building on the stellar base experience by returning to Rome, as players venture deeper underground to learn more about the Cult of Mithras and the legendary giants. Based on the latest trailer, it seems the undead are also involved. In terms of puzzle-platforming goodness, The Order of Giants should be another compelling adventure for Indy when it launches on September 4th for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.Metal EdenMetal Eden launches on September 2nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and sees ASKA, a Hyper Unit, venturing into Moebius to save humanitys rapidly decaying cores. All the usual weaponry, from a pistol, shotgun, SMG and whatnot, awaits. However, Askas main calling card is ripping out enemy Cores and either consuming them for a boost (and rocket punch) or tossing them back to deal explosive damage. Paired with a Brutalist aesthetic, extensive mobility and an intriguing narrative, were keen to see how deep the cyber-punk rabbit hole goes.Trails in the Sky 1st ChapterEveryone has their dream remake, and for a subsection of role-playing game fans, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is pretty much it. A ground-up remake of the 2004 classic, it offers fully 3D environments and characters alongside Daybreaks dual turn-based/real-time combat system. And while there are new voicovers and localization, the tale of Estelle and Joshua, who venture across Liberl, changing lives along the way, remains as timeless as ever. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter launches on September 19th for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with a free demo currently available.Pac-Man World 2 Re-PacThis may or may not fall under dream remake really, it depends on how much you love Pac-Man but Pac-Man World Re-Pac wasnt half-bad. Re-Pac 2, launching on September 26th for every platform, follows in the same vein, remaking Pac-Man World 2 with gorgeous new visuals. However, its latest comparison trailer highlights noticeable differences in levels (which have also been expanded) and Bandai Namco promises quality-of-life improvements, updated bosses, and even a two-player mode.

Apple's best iPhone is about to get even better. With a new design, new colors, and more on the way, here's what you should be looking forward to from iPhone 17 Pro.iPhone 17 Pro - Image Credit: AppleInsiderIf Apple sticks to its now familiar release cadence, we expect new iPhones to be announced every September. 2025 is unlikely to buck the trend, with an event already set for September 9.The last year of rumors points to a few big changes this time around, with a bold new design at the top of the pile. This round of iPhones is set to be the best for photographers and gamers yet, so there's more than a new look to get excited about. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple Sports today added tennis to its growing list of supported sports.

Across industries, enterprises are increasingly adopting an on-demand approach to compute, storage, and applications. They are favoring digital services that are faster to deploy, easier to scale, and better integrated with partner ecosystems. Yet, one critical pillar has lagged: the network. While software-defined networking has made inroads, many organizations still operate rigid, pre-provisioned networks. As applications become increasingly distributed and dynamicincluding hybrid cloud and edge deploymentsa programmable, on-demand network infrastructure can enhance and enable this new era.From CapEx to OpEx: The new connectivity mindsetAnother, practical concern is also driving this shift: the need for IT models that align cost with usage. Rising uncertainty about inflation, consumer spending, business investment, and global supply chains are just a few of the economic factors weighing on company decision-making. And chief information officers (CIOs) are scrutinizing capital-expenditure-heavy infrastructure more closely and increasingly adopting operating-expenses-based subscription models.Instead of long-term circuit contracts and static provisioning, companies are looking for cloud-ready, on-demand network services that can scale, adapt, and integrate across hybrid environments. This trend is fueling demand for API-first network infrastructure connectivity that behaves like software, dynamically orchestrated and integrated into enterprise IT ecosystems. There has been such rapid interest, the global network API market is projected to surge from $1.53 billion in 2024 to over $72 billion in 2034.In fact, McKinsey estimates the network API market could unlock between $100 billion and $300 billion in connectivity- and edge-computing-related revenue for telecom operators over the next five to seven years, with an additional $10 billion to $30 billion generated directly from APIs themselves.When the cloud came in, first there was a trickle of adoptions. And then there was a deluge, says Rajarshi Purkayastha, VP of solutions at Tata Communications. Were seeing the same trend with programmable networks. What was once a niche industry is now becoming mainstream as CIOs prioritize agility and time-to-value.Programmable networks as a catalyst for innovationProgrammable subscription-based networks are not just about efficiency, they are about enabling faster innovation, better user experiences, and global scalability. Organizations are preferring API-first systems to avoid vendor lock-in, enable multi-vendor integration, and foster innovation. API-first approaches allow seamless integration across different hardware and software stacks, reducing operational complexity and costs.With APIs, enterprises can provision bandwidth, configure services, and connect to clouds and edge locations in real time, all through automation layers embedded in their DevOps and application platforms. This makes the network an active enabler of digital transformation rather than a lagging dependency.For example, Netflixone of the earliest adopters of microserviceshandles billions of API requests daily through over 500 microservices and gateways, supporting global scalability and rapid innovation. After a two-year transition period, it redesigned its IT structure and organized it using microservice architecture.Elsewhere, Coca-Cola integrated its global systems using APIs, enabling faster, lower-cost delivery and improved cross-functional collaboration. And Uber moved to microservices with API gateways, allowing independent scaling and rapid deployment across markets.In each case, the network had to evolve from being static and hardware-bound to dynamic, programmable, and consumption-based. API-first infrastructure fits naturally into how todays IT teams work, says Purkayastha. It aligns with continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and service orchestration tools. That reduces friction and accelerates how fast enterprises can launch new services.Powering on-demand connectivityTata Communications deployed Network Fabricits programmable platform that uses APIs to allow enterprise systems to request and adjust network resources dynamicallyto help a global software-as-a-service (SaaS) company modernize how it manages network capacity in response to real-time business needs. As the company scaled its digital services worldwide, it needed a more agile, cost-efficient way to align network performance with unpredictable traffic surges and fast-changing user demands. With Tatas platform, the companys operations teams were able to automatically scale bandwidth in key regions for peak performance, during high-impact events like global software releases. And just as quickly scale down once demand normalized, avoiding unnecessary costs.In another scenario, when the SaaS provider needed to run large-scale data operations between its US and Asia hubs, the network was programmatically reconfigured in under an hour; a process that previously required weeks of planning and provisioning. What we delivered wasnt just bandwidth, it was the ability for their teams to take control, says Purkayastha. By integrating our Network Fabric APIs into their automation workflows, we gave them a network that responds at the pace of their business.Barriers to transformation and how to overcome themTransforming network infrastructure is no small task. Many enterprises still rely on legacy multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and hardware-defined wide-area network (WAN) architectures. These environments are rigid, manually managed, and often incompatible with modern APIs or automation frameworks. As with any organization, barriers can be both technical and internal, and legacy devices may not support programmable interfaces. Organizations are often siloed, meaning networks are managed separately to application and DevOps workflows.Furthermore, CIOs face pressure for quick returns and may not even remain in the company long enough to oversee the process and results, making it harder to push for long-term network modernization strategies. Often, its easier to address the low-hanging fruit rather than go after the transformation because decision-makers may not be around to see the transformation come to life, says Purkayastha.But quick fixes or workarounds may not yield the desired results; transformation is needed instead. Enterprises have historically built their networks for stability, not agility, says Purkayastha. But now, that same rigidity becomes a bottleneck when applications, users, and workloads are distributed across the cloud, edge, and remote locations.Despite the challenges, there is a clear path forward, starting with overlay orchestration, well-defined API contracts, and security-first design. Instead of completely removing and replacing an existing system, many enterprises are layering APIs over existing infrastructure, enabling controlled migrations and real-time service automation.We dont just help customers adopt APIs, we guide them through the operational shift it requires, says Purkayastha. We have blueprints for what to automate first, how to manage hybrid environments, and how to design for resilience.For some organizations, there will be resistance to the change initially. Fears of extra workloads, or misalliance with teams existing goals and objectives are common, as is the deeply human distrust of change. These can be overcome, however. There are playbooks on what weve done earlierlearnings from transformationwhich we share with clients, says Purkayastha. We also plan for the unknowns. We usually reserve 10% of time and resources just to manage unforeseen risks, and the result is an empowered organization to scale innovation and reduce operational complexity.This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff. It was researched, designed, and written entirely by human writers, editors, analysts, and illustrators. This includes the writing of surveys and collection of data for surveys. AI tools that may have been used were limited to secondary production processes that passed thorough human review.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has estimated that Americans will spend a collective $30 billion on NFL bets in the 2025 season.Data from the AGA estimates that Americans will wager $30 billion on the upcoming 2025 NFL season via sportsbooks. Thats an 8.5% increase to last season, which was estimated to see $27.6 billion in bets.This season, fans have more ways than ever to responsibly engage with the game they love, said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. Legal sports betting enhances the fun and friendly competition that make NFL games and traditions even more special.With strong consumer protections and a shared commitment to responsibility, the legal, regulated sports betting industry encourages all football fans to have a game plan before placing a bet and ensure their gameday experience regardless of the outcome of a bet or the game remains enjoyable.The AGA predicts that this year Americans will wager more than $30B through the legal market during the 2025-2026 NFL season. This is up 8.5% from last year, showing how more Americans are betting through the legal, state-regulated market.https://t.co/pKdw65UYTm American Gaming Association (@AmericanGaming) August 28, 2025Those numbers are based on national handle growth to date in 2025 applied to last years estimated NFL season total, along with football-specific reporting from select states used to calculate the share of wagers expected on professional football. It includes preseason games, futures booked as early as March, the playoffs, and Super Bowl LX, which will take place in February 2026.With so much money expected to be wagered, the AGA is launching a campaign to remind bettors to Have A Game Plan, and Bet Responsibly. The national campaign includes advice set around five key principles: sticking to a budget; keeping betting as a fun activity with friends and family; knowing the odds well; playing legally; and not harassing athletes.Betting on the NFLIf youre planning to get involved in betting during the upcoming NFL season, there are various betting strategies that you can employ to get the most out of your 2025 season.If youre not sure where to physically start, weve also rounded up some of the best betting sets ahead of this years season here.Featured image: Your Golf Travel, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0The post Americans are expected to spend $30 billion betting on the upcoming NFL season appeared first on ReadWrite.

Virtually every aspect of technology has been affected, and potentially improved, by artificial intelligence (AI). PCs are no exception. While the meaning of AI PC is still evolving, it generally refers to a computer specifically designed to excel at AI-powered tasks. These beefed-up computers typically feature:High-end CPUs and GPUs to handle the demanding computational requirements of AI applicationssuch as AI assistants that automate tasks, schedule meetings, answer emails, and provide personalized recommendations and data analysis and visualization.Dedicated AI accelerators like Neural Processing Units (NPUs). These specialized chips are optimized for AI tasks such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing.Pre-installed AI-powered software such as AI assistants (like Microsoft Copilot), creative tools, and AI-enhanced productivity applications.Will AI PCs play a big role in 2025 and beyond?As AI becomes more integrated into daily use, the demand for powerful computers capable of handling AI workloads will grow and provide new levels of productivity by automating tasks, generating creative content, and providing intelligent assistance. AI PCs are also designed to improve the user experience with AI-powered features like voice assistants, intelligent search, and personalized recommendations to enhance the overall user experience.According to Gartner data released in August, AI PCs will account for 31% of worldwide PC market by the end of the year. The research firm also shared these forecasts: AI PCs will be become the Nnorm by 2029 AI PC shipments will total 77 million in 2025 AI PCs market share will climb to 55% in 2026Related AI PC coverageAI PCs to surge, claiming over half the market by 2026August 28, 2025: Despite some market hurdles, AI PC adoption is taking hold, with about 143 million units expected to ship next year. according to Gartner research. IT buyers are investing in AI PCs with no clue how to use themJuly 24, 2025: Eyeing the upcoming end of support for Windows 10 in October, many IT buyers are snapping up Windows 11 AI PCs despite having no clear understanding of how to use them in their infrastructures. The use cases around AI PCs are not fully fleshed out just yet, said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC. Companies are struggling to figure out if AI PCs are worth the extra investment or not, especially when theres a lot of AI that can be done in the cloud, as opposed to on the device itself.What is an AI PC? The power of artificial intelligence locallyMay 1, 2025: Unlike traditional computers, an artificial intelligence PC, orAI PC, comes with AI capabilities built in by design. AI runs locally, right on the machine, allowing it to essentially learn, adapt, reason and problem-solve without having to connect to the cloud.Should you buy AI PCs for your workforce in 2025?April 8, 2025: As generative AI continues to dominate technology news, the hype aroundAI PCsis growing. Its easy to see the appeal of PCs powerful enough to handle genAI processing tasks.Dell unveils AI PCs with Nvidia GPUs for AI model testingMarch 18, 2025: New Dell PCs sport high-powered Nvidia GPUs designed to help workers test AI models before deployment. The new AI PC lineup includes laptops and desktops with Nvidias latest Blackwell Ultra and Blackwell GPUs, which provide the muscle needed to test compute-intensive AI models.AI PCsare designed to run generative AI tools and models more efficiently than standard PCs.Just what the heck does an AI PC do?November 25, 2024: AI-optimized PCs have been announced by virtually every system maker and chip producer, but the functions AI PCs offer will vary depending on the hardware. And users face a learning curve trying to figure out the new features.2025: The year of the AI PCOctober 24, 2024: Forrester has tagged 2025 the Year of the AI PC and if the number of recent product announcements is any indication, thats likely to be the case. Gartner Research projects PC shipments will grow by 1.6% in 2024 and by 7.7% in 2025. The biggest growth driver will be due, not the arrival of not AI PCs, but to the need by many companies and users to refresh their computers and move toward Windows 11.How soon will AI PCs replace traditional PCs in the enterprise?Sept. 25, 2024: Theres much anticipation among enterprises and consumers alike for AI PCs, However, as with any new technology, its unclear when AI PCs will finally have their moment. Gartner forecaststhat 43 million AI PCs will be shipped in 2024.IDC predictseven more 57 million units will be shipped in 2024. And by 2028, AI PCs will represent 92% of all PC shipments worldwide.What does Qualcomms interest in buying Intels chip design business mean for the future of PCs?Sept. 11, 2024: Qualcomm, Intel, AMD, and Apple have been in a fierce battle for domination of the chip market for AI PCs, which are touted as the future of computing. Further ramping up competition in this fiery landscape, Qualcomm has reportedlyexplored buying portionsof Intels design business, most notably client PC design, as Intel looks to spin off units ahead of an upcoming board meeting, anonymous sources toldReuters.Copilot+ AI PCs are finally here. You dont want one yetJuly 9, 2024: The AI hype keeps on coming.The latest news is the arrival of an entirely new line of Windows computers, Copilot+ PCs, which are specifically designed with AI in mind. Microsoft claims theyll dramatically speed up AI, offer new features unavailable to other PCs, and deliver improved battery life. The new machines point the way to the future of Windows and of AI.Microsofts Copilot+ AI PCs: Still a privacy disaster waiting to happenJune 12, 2024: Many security pros say Microsoft is opening a Pandoras Box with its AI-powered Copilot+ Windows PCs. Microsoft argues those new PCs, available as of June 18, will make it easy for users to find files and remember things youve done on your computerusing the new Recall feature, which takes screenshots, stores them in a database, and uses AI to help you find and use whatever you want. Despite warnings by security pros, Microsoft claims rock-solid security is baked directly into the new feature.Review: The M4 iPad Pro an amazing AI PCMay 17, 2024: The M4 iPad Pro is designed to provide the best possible performance thanks to the M4 chip inside.Apple suggests it needed to use this processor because it wanted to make the iPad Pro thin and to drive the amazing display. The move to M4 also means you get a huge leap in processor performance (1.5x faster than the last model) and graphics (4x faster rendering). Deploying this chip means the iPad Pro with M4 could become the worlds ultimate AI-driven tablet.Enterprises want AI PCs, just not yetApril 23, 2024: While the employee benefits of using an AI PC are intriguing, they may not be enough to convince IT buyers to go all in just yet. Despite the enthusiasm generated by advanced AI-driven functionalities, enterprises are expected to adopt a more measured approach over the next year, according to Forrester.Microsoft is holding back the AI PC revolutionMarch 13, 2024: The PC industry has a big problem. And its not hardware makers fault its Microsofts responsibility. The hardware is here: Intel, AMD, Nvidia, and PC makers have delivered on their end. Now, everyone is waiting for Microsoft to catch up and make Windows truly shine on these AI PCs. Can the company deliver something compelling in time?Dell ramps up AI PC plans with Latitude and Precision refreshFeb. 27, 2024: Dell unveiled a range of new laptops and PCs featuring neural processing units (NPUs) designed to run AI workloads on-device for improved video call quality and better laptop battery life. Dell is one of several hardware vendors looking to benefit from growing interest in AI PCs.Before you buy a Windows 11 AI PC, read thisJan. 17, 2024: AI PCs were everywhere at CES 2024, and companies like Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm are all touting how great their hardware is at running AI tasks. But since these AI PCs are already on shelves and you can buy them before CES 2024, we need to cut through the hype and focus on what youre getting for your money. They might one day deliver a lot of cool features just not yet.

MacworldWith the newest iPhone expected to debut next month, plenty of Apple fans are already bracing for four-figure sticker shock. But heres the secret: Apple hasnt made massive year-over-year changes lately, which makes thisPremium Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Maxa smart buy at $769.99 (MSRP $1,099). Youre essentially getting flagship-level power and Apple Intelligence without draining your bank account.The iPhone 15 Pro Max was the first iPhone crafted from aerospace-grade titanium lighter, tougher, and sleek in Natural Titanium. Inside, the A17 Pro chip is still a beast, delivering console-level graphics for gaming and handling Apple Intelligence features with ease. Its camera system includes a 5x telephoto zoom lens (exclusive to this model), while USB-C with USB 3 speeds makes file transfers lightning fast.This unit is Premium Refurbished, meaning near-pristine condition with 90%+ battery health, so it looks and feels almost new, without the new iPhone price. Plus, its unlocked, making it ready for any major carrier worldwide.What are you waiting for? Get youriPhone 15 Pro Maxfor $769 thats $329 savings before theyre sold out!Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB Natural Titanium Unlocked (Premium Refurbished)See DealStackSocialprices subject to change.

Mr. Musks artificial intelligence company, xAI, claimed that its Grok chatbot app was being artificially suppressed in Apples App Store.

The Fulton County District Attorney's office said some fake electors for Donald Trump have implicated each other in potential criminal activity and is seeking to disqualify their lawyer, according to a new court filing.

Paper notebooks have staged quite the comeback lately, havent they? Between Bullet Journaling enthusiasts turning dotted pages into personal command centers and designers rediscovering the joy of sketching by hand, analog tools are having a serious moment. Even productivity gurus swear by the cognitive benefits of physically writing things down instead of tapping away on screens.The problem is, most notebooks are designed like its still 1995, and it shows. Youve got bound journals that look sophisticated until you realize youre stuck with whatever page layout the manufacturer decided on. Then there are those chunky spiral-bound planners with rings that dig into your palm while writing and create annoying gaps that make drawing impossible.Designer: NOS DesignNOS Designs LEDGE concept tackles this head-on with a surprisingly elegant solution that makes you wonder why nobody thought of it before. The entire system revolves around a slim anodized aluminum spine that acts as both the structural backbone and visual centerpiece. Think of it as the premium notebook equivalent of modular smartphone cases, but actually useful.Heres where things get interesting: you can completely rearrange your notebooks contents in seconds using a high-resistance polymer clip system that requires zero tools. No rings to wrestle with, no spiral binding to snag on your bag, no glue to mess around with. Want to swap lined pages for graph paper mid-project? Just pop out the old section and clip in the new one.The customization options are where LEDGE really shines, offering multiple color combinations for clips, covers, and spines that let you mix and match to your hearts content. Whether youre the type who changes aesthetic preferences seasonally or someone who wants their tools to match specific projects, this modular approach adapts to your workflow instead of forcing you to adapt to it.Available in A5 and A6 formats, the notebook maintains that premium feel without the bulk that typically comes with modular designs these days. The aluminum spine feels substantial enough to handle daily abuse while keeping the overall profile slim enough for laptop bags. The prototypes suggest NOS Design has figured out the engineering challenges that usually plague modular products.That said, there are still some practical questions lingering around this concept that could make or break its real-world success. How well do those polymer clips hold up after months of constant swapping? Will the aluminum show wear marks over time? These details often separate brilliant concepts from products that actually work in the real world.The beauty of LEDGE lies in questioning assumptions weve accepted about notebooks for decades without really thinking about why they exist. Why should your creative tool be static when your creative process certainly isnt? This modular approach finally gives analog enthusiasts the flexibility that digital tools have offered for years, wrapped in a package that feels good to use.The post LEDGE Modular Notebook Concept Finally Gets Your Creative Chaos Right first appeared on Yanko Design.

Here's a rock sitting on what appears to be a mirror. In fact, beneath the mirrored glass is an LED panel.Called Umbral, the art piece was created by Barcelona-based artist Six N. Five, a/k/a Ezequiel Pini."Umbral (2025) is an intention to continue exploring the delicate boundary between the digital and the tangible. A stone, shaped through years of natural erosion, is now gently immersed in a digital flow, creating a dialogue between solidity and illusion." "When the digital fades, only the mirrored surface remains, as if the virtual world had never existed."This work comes from my fascination with the moment when the real and virtual intersect, challenging our perception and expanding the boundaries of reality."

Companies are investing heavily in AI, in spite of the fact that they arent yet seeing a big return. A recent report from MIT found that 95% of organizations that have adopted AI havent seen any return on the investment at all. (However, the 5% of companies who are seeing the return are extracting millions in value, according to the report.)Despite these odds, according to a Nexford University survey of 1,000 U.S. individuals (800 recently laid off workers and 200 hiring managers), companies are increasingly viewing AI as a valuable tool and a must-have for employees. For employees, AI might just be the key to surviving layoffs, or the necessary qualification for landing the next job.According to the survey, layoffs are happening at an astonishingly high rate: 65% of companies conducted layoffs in the past 12 months. While 68% of companies identified cost-cutting as the reason for layoffs, 32% mentioned skill mismatch, and 31% and 27% cited company strategy shift and AI adoption, respectively.In fact, almost half (49%) of employers say theyre more likely to retain the workers with strong AI skills. Likewise, when it comes to new hires, employers want workers who understand AI. About one-third (29%) of hiring managers said they are exclusively hiring employees who are proficient with AI.Workers are catching on. Nearly one in five recently laid-off workers (19%) say AI adoption contributed to them being let go, and thisincreases for younger workers: 23% of Gen Z workers said AI was behind their layoff, as do 21% of millennials, compared to just 14% of Gen X and baby boomers.Many laid-off workers are taking action. Since losing their jobs, two thirds are focusing on reskilling. A quarter are studying coding, while 22% are studying AI fundamentals and another 22% are studying prompt-engineering. To reskill, over half (56%) use YouTube and other online tutorials to enhance their skill set, and 39% are taking an online course.On average, respondents who are focusing on upskilling are spending an average of six hours a week on learning, with a third of that time focused on AI specific skills. However, nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) pointed out cost is a barrier to upskiling, and more than one in five (21%) say they arent sure what they should be learning to make themselves hirable while 17% point to time constraints.Regardless of the value AI brings to the table, its clear at the moment employers see it as a necessary skillset and workers are following their lead.

Jeff Simpson @jeffsimpson Let's make a splash with ocean- and mermaid-themed artwork this May! Wanna join? Then dive into the challenge with us:About the Event MerMay is a community event celebrating the month of May with mermaid-themed artwork!To participate in the challenge, you are free to use one of the many theme lists that are meant to inspire you like the official MerMay themes, Cara's List or your very own!Whether you draw a mermaid a day throughout the entire month or participate with a single entry is completely up to you: You can join in as much or as little as you want and can.How to join MerMay 2024 on CaraParticipate by posting new work youve made following either Caras Theme List, the official MerMay themes or your own ideas.Make sure to mention # mermay2024 in the description box when posting and feel free to add the day and theme if you drew inspiration from a list!A new tab on our explore feed featuring #mermay2024 entries along with posted features on our Instagram and Twitter pages will boost your entries throughout May!After the challenge has ended, another blog post is going to summarize the event and commemorate a selection of entries in a final feature. Tobias Kwan @tobiaskwan - Mermay 2023 Cara Theme ListWe encourage you to take this chance to explore new ideas, experiment with your art and take a chance at learning something new within our aquatic theme. Most of all, we are excited to see everyone having fun with their art and raving about each other's works in the comments!We hope you can forge fresh friendships, discover new artwork and artists, collaborate and enjoy MerMay together. We look forward to seeing your creativity unfold! - The Cara Team Nabs @nabsdraws - MerMay Illustrations from 2 Years ago Patryk Chudzinski @patichudy17 - Day 1 #mermay2023 Omichi @omichiart - Flower Mermaid enn @entropienn - Mermaids based on Planets - Mercury Ying Lam @inglam - Line Art 01 Fernando Salvaterra @salvaterra - A MerMay Thing Katerina Ladon @lumen - The Mermaid Queen Margo 37 @margo37 - Mermay2023 George Patsouras @cgmythology - Mermaid Creature Nodens @nodensart - Luminosity Mermaid Rona Ks @rona-ks - Mermay Kitten Anthony Brooks @anthonybrooks - MerMay 2023 Glass Nandito @fernandodoesart - Mermaid Virginie Juteau @virginiejuteau - Mermaid inspired by Underwater Photography Katerynka @handrosaur - Mermay Willy Merry @willymerry - Mermay 2023 Izzy @izzymedrano - Late Night MerMay Sketchies Alessia Hilary Valastro @alessiahv - THE SEA BELONGS TO US

The Tesla collision in Key Largo, Florida, killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides and severely injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

No matter how old you get, the back-to-school season will always bring a desire to shop. So, sales at this time of year are always more than welcome especially when they're on some of our favorite devices. Such is the case with the 10 percent discount currently available on the Sonos Era 100. Our choice for midrange smart speaker is down to $179 from $199 as part of a larger Labor Day sale on the Sonos website. The same price is available on Amazon, as are some more deals on Sonos products. Sonos debuted the Era 100 speaker in 2023 as a replacement for the Sonos One. It offers great sound quality and has built-in mics for Trueplay tuning and voice control. It's worth mentioning that the Sonos Ace headphones are also on sale for $299, down from $399 a 25 percent discount. The headphones have come a long way since they first launched, including the introduction of TrueCinema, which works with a Sonos soundbar to create the best spatial audio experience. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-labor-day-sale-get-up-to-25-percent-off-headphones-and-speakers-125211216.html?src=rss

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source.Hulu, one of the OG streaming services, is losing its standalone app. Next year, Disney will fold the service into the Disney+, even if you don't subscribe to the latter.Until then, however, the Hulu app is still very much alive. If you rely on it to watch shows and movies like Shgun and Paradise, there are things you can do to make your experience better, save you money, and keep watching when Hulu doesn't want you to. Even when the app is gone, some of these tips will still help enhance your time watching Hulu in the Disney+ app. Maximize the value of your subscriptionIf you subscribe to Hulu alone, you either pay $9.99 per month (with ads) or $18.99 per month (without ads). However, there are some other subscription options you can choose to make your money go further. If you're paying every month for Hulu with ads and you're sure you'd like to keep the account for the year, you'd be better off subscribing to Hulu's annual plan, which comes out to $99.99 at once. That'll hurt more than the $9.99 per month, at first, but it works out to a savings of $19.89 each year, or nearly two "free" months of Hulu. You can also consider one of Hulu's bundles, of which there are many. Disney+ and Hulu, both with ads, costs $10.99, or $1 more per month than the standard Hulu with ads plan. If you want the same bundle but without ads, it costs $19.99, also $1 more than the standalone Hulu without ads plan. There are more bundles that follow this logic that include ESPN or HBO Max, so it comes down to which subscriptions you really want, and what you're willing to pay. Pay for another memberOnce upon a time, you could share your Hulu subscription with anyone you wanted. Life was good. Flash forward to today, and much has changed. You can only share a Hulu account with people who live in your household. All others will be blocked when trying to log in. Hulu is far from the only company doing this, and it's also not the only one with an official (paid) solution: buy an extra member account. If you have someone in your life that doesn't live in your house, but you want them to have access to your account, you can pay to grant them access.There are a number of options for this, depending on the type of Hulu account you have. Here's how the current pricing breaks down:Hulu (with ads): $6.99 per monthHulu Premium: $9.99 per monthDisney+, Hulu Bundle: $7.99 per monthDisney+, Hulu Bundle Premium: $10.99 per monthDisney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle: $11.99 per monthDisney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium: $14.99 per month Get around the password sharing restrictionsIf you don't want to pay for an extra member, there are ways around Hulu's restrictions here, but they aren't totally convenient, and are dependent on the type of device you're watching on. Hulu determines where your "household" is based on the TV you log into. If you're trying to watch Hulu on a TV outside of the established household, you'll likely get flagged. You can switch the household location to your TV, but then you'll be kicking out the account holders, which won't go over well. Instead, you can choose the IM AWAY FROM HOME option. This will send a code to the account holder's email: Enter that code on your TV, and you're golden. (Hulu uses this feature for account holders who are on vacation or otherwise away from home, so use with caution.)Other devices, like laptops, smartphones, and tablets, only need to connect the wifi of the household to validate themselves. So, at your earliest convenience, use Hulu on your device at the home of the account holder, and you should be able to use it outside the household without issue. Make sure you're watching in the best quality possibleUnless you need to limit your data use, you likely want to watch Hulu in the best video quality available on mobile. However, you wont find those quality controls within a particular show or movie.Instead, to adjust your video settings, head to your Profile, then choose Settings > Cellular Data Usage. Change the setting from the default Data Saver to Best Available, which will then let Hulu decide the best quality based on your service. To make sure you download shows and movies in the highest quality possible, go to Settings > Downloads, then make sure Video Quality is set to High. Of course, this will consume more data, so only adjust these settings if you're okay with that.Manage your downloadsIf youre traveling somewhere without wifi or cellular service or you dont want to put a strain on your data plan, you can download Hulu shows ahead of time to watch without worry. Unfortunately, you need a Premium Hulu account or bundle for this, and you cant download titles on laptops or computers yet; for now, this option remains a smartphone and tablet exclusive.To download titles on your device, open the specific episode or movie you want to watch, then tap the "Download" button that appears under the description. To manage your downloaded titles, you can head back to the Downloads tab on the main screen. Unwatched downloads are available for 30 days, while titles you've played will be available for 48 hours after beginning them. To delete a download, tap "Edit," choose the titles you want to delete, then choose the Trash icon. Finally, confirm your choice by tapping "Delete."Download over cellular If you plan to download shows and movies on your device, you should make sure you actually can! By default, Hulu doesnt allow you to download content while using cellular data, in a good-faith effort to prevent you from running over your data plan. But if you have an unlimited data plan, or youre just good at managing the data you do have, you might want to download your content whenever, wherever. To do so, head to Profile > Settings > Downloads, then make sure that Cellular Downloading is set to On, rather than the default Off.Teach the algorithm what you likeWhen youre done watching something, or you stumble upon a title that youve seen before, give Hulu some feedback by choosing the Like or Dislike button. (This feature is a bit hidden on desktop; just click the three vertical dots next to the title and choose the appropriate option.)If youve previously watched a show you dont like and dont want Hulu to think its a favorite, you can also delete it from your My Stuff history. On desktop, navigate to My Stuff and click on the minus sign in the upper left corner of the show you want to delete and confirm removal. On mobile, tap the My Stuff icon in the bottom navigation bar, then the three dots in the upper right corner of the show you want to delete and uncheck My Stuff in the popup window.Disable autoplay so you can enjoy the credits in peaceYou know, streaming services, sometimes its nice to soak in the credits after a great show or movie. We get a chance to process what just happened, or to appreciate the hundreds of people that worked on that content, rather than jumping immediately into another attention-grabbing episode.You can easily disable autoplay to stop this from happening. Just head to Settings from your Profile, and ensure that Autoplay Next Video is set to Off, rather than the default On.Disable autoplay for previewsSimilarly, I can't stand when I'm checking out the description for a show, and the preview starts playing automatically. Sure, there are times where that could be useful, but most of the time, it's distracting. If I want to see a preview, I'll click on the trailer, thank you very much. From this same settings page, you can make sure "Autoplay Previews" is turned off as well. This will only affect previews on your current device.Edit your 'Continue Watching' listIf you started a show or movie but didn't finish it, it'll end up in your "Continue Watching" list. That's convenient when you want to start that title up again in the future, but not so convenient if you have no intention of watching it further. You can quickly remove any title that appears here by selecting the three dots, then choosing either "Remove" or "Remove from Watch History." Pause your subscriptionIf you're done with Hulu, but not really done, you don't need to cancel your sub entirely. Instead, you can pause payments, so you can take a break, without having to re-enroll in your chosen subscription.To do so, head to your Hulu account settings on desktop, then choose "PAUSE" next to "Pause Your Subscription."

Forget perfectly predictable patterns that are serially produced and done to death. MATTER, the latest flat-woven carpet series by Snhetta and Ege Carpets lets randomness take center stage without losing its footing. Crafted with generative code and woven using recycled yarns, these rugs feature ever-shifting designs that are subtle, organic, and deeply rooted in natural logic. The collection is a perfect of example of how the digital and the tactile can not only coexist but collaborate unlocking new, infinite possibilities for textile design.Each MATTER rug begins not with a sketch, but with code. Snhetta developed a set of randomized algorithms to generate patterns that mimic the randomness found in nature. Nature shows us that function doesnt require uniformity, in fact, its beauty often lies in what seems random, notes Marius Myking, Director of Snhetta Product design. In our collaboration with Ege, we set out to recreate that natural logic.Up close, the shifting lines may appear subtle, but zoom out and their cumulative effect becomes vivid creating tonal washes of color that feel alive and full of energy. MATTER is an exploration of scale, craftsmanship, and technology, explains Francesca Giulia Poli, Snhetta Product Designer and project lead. Rather than viewing the carpet as a single surface, we approached it as a woven landscape built from multiple threads that can be individually manipulated. From code to pixel, pixel to thread, and thread to carpet, we investigated how micro-scale design can shape macro-scale spaces. The result is a surface that feels uniform yet constantly shifting ever-changing as you move through the space.No two rugs are exactly alike, but the collection is unified by two parallel color palettes, each composed of 18 core hues. One leans muted, with soft beiges and grays; the other, more saturated, channels bold blues and greens. This duality offers designers flexibility to create rugs that shift in tone and character depending on where theyre placed while still maintaining a cohesive visual language.Like the natural systems that inspired it, MATTER is grounded in sustainability. Each rug is crafted from recycled yarns, minimizing waste, and woven with precision using Ege Carpets state-of-the-art weaving technology. The result isnt just visually compelling but durable and long-lasting a testament to how nature both inspires and challenges us to do better.With MATTER, randomness isnt recklessness its an invitation to leave room for spontaneity. Beauty doesnt always need to be calculated; sometimes, it emerges through the freedom to embrace chance.To learn more about the MATTER collection by Snhetta and Ege Carpets, visit snohetta.com.Photography by Oioioi.

Flip phones arent dead. On the contrary, 200+ million non-smartphones are sold annually. Thats roughly equivalent to the number of iPhones sold in 2024. Even in the United States, millions of flip phones are sold each year. As network operators struggle to shut down 2G service, new incentives are offered to encourage device upgrades that further increase demand for budget-friendly flip phones. This is especially true across South Asia and Africa, where an iPhone is unaffordable for the vast majority of the population (it takes two months of work on an average Indian salary to afford the cheapest iPhone).Like their smart counterparts, flip phones (technically, this category is called Feature Phones) are becoming increasingly more capable. They now offer features youd expect from a smartphone, like 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and the ability to run apps. If you are targeting users in South Asia and Africa, or niches in Europe and North America, there are flip phone app platforms like Cloud Phone and KaiOS. Building for these platforms is similar to developing a Progressive Web App (PWA), with distribution managed across several app stores.Jargon BustingFlip phones go by many names. Non-smartphones are jokingly called dumb phones. The technology industry calls this device category feature phones. Regionally, they are also known as button phones or basic mobiles in Europe, and keypad mobiles in India. They all share a few traits: they are budget phones with small screens and physical buttons.Why Build Apps For Flip Phones?Its a common misconception that people who use flip phones do not want apps. In fact, many first-time internet users are eager to discover new content and services. While this market isnt as lucrative as Apples App Store, there are a few reasons why you should build for flip phones.Organic GrowthYou do not need to pay to acquire flip phone users. Unlike Android or IOS, where the cost per install (CPI) averages around $2.5-3.3 per install according to GoGoChart, flip phone apps generate substantial organic downloads. Brand IntroductionWhen flip phone users eventually upgrade to smartphones, they will search for the apps they are already familiar with. This will, in turn, generate more installs on the Google Play Store and, to a lesser extent, the Apple App Store.Low CompetitionThere are ~1,700 KaiOS apps and fewer Cloud Phone widgets. Meanwhile, Google Play has over 1.55 million Android apps to choose from. It is much easier to stand out as one in a thousand than one in a million.Technical FoundationsFlip phones could not always run apps. It wasnt until the Ovi Store (later renamed to the Nokia Store) launched in 2009, a year after Apples flagship iPhone launched, that flip phones got installable, third-party applications. At the time, apps were written for the fragmented Java 2 Mobile Edition (J2ME) runtime, available only on select Nokia models, and often required integration with poorly-documented, proprietary packages like the Nokia UI API. Today, flip phone platforms have rejected native runtimes in favor of standard web technologies in an effort to reduce barriers to entry and attract a wider pool of software developers. Apps running on modern flip phones are primarily written in languages many developers are familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and with them, a set of trade-offs and considerations.HardwareFlip phones are affordable because they use low-end, often outdated, hardware. On the bottom end are budget phones with a real-time operating system (RTOS) running on chips like the Unisoc T107 with as little as 16MB of RAM. These phones typically support Opera Mini and Cloud Phone. At the upper end is the recently-released TCL Flip 4 running KaiOS 4.0 on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s with 1GB of RAM. While it is difficult to accurately compare such different hardware, Apples latest iPhone 16 Pro has 500x more memory (8GB RAM) and supports download speeds up to 1,000x faster than a low-end flip phone (4G LTE CAT-1).PerformanceYou might think that flip phone apps are easily limited by the scarce available resources of budget hardware. This is the case for KaiOS, since apps are executed on the device. Code needs to be minified, thumbnails downsized, and performance evaluated across a range of real devices. You cannot simply test on your desktop with a small viewport.However, as remote browsers, both Cloud Phone and Opera Mini overcome hardware constraints by offloading computationally expensive rendering to servers. This means performance is generally comparable to modern desktops, but can lead to a few quirky and, at times, unintuitive characteristics.For instance, if your app fetches a 1MB file to display a data table, this does not consume 1MB of the users mobile data. Only changes to the screen contents get streamed to the user, consuming bandwidth. On the other hand, data is consumed by complex animations and page transitions, because each frame is at least a partial screen refresh. Despite this quirk, Opera Mini estimates it saves up to 90% of data compared to conventional browsers.SecurityDo not store sensitive data in browser storage. This holds true for flip phones, where the security concerns are similar to those of traditional web browsers. Although apps cannot generally access data from other apps, KaiOS does not encrypt client-side data. The implications are different for remote browsers.Opera Mini does not support client-side storage at all, while Cloud Phone stores data encrypted in its data centers and not on the users phone.Design For Modern Flip PhonesSimplify, Dont Shrink-to-fitDespite their staying power, these devices go largely ignored by nearly every web development framework and library. Popular front-end web frameworks like Bootstrap v5 categorize all screens below 576px as extra small. Another popular choice, Tailwind, sets the smallest CSS breakpoint a specific width where the layout changes to accommodate an optimal viewing experience across different devices even higher at 40em (640px). Design industry experts like Norman Nielsen suggest the smallest breakpoint, is intended for mobile and generally is up to 500px. Standards like these advocate for a one-size-fits-all approach on small screens, but some small design changes can make a big difference for new internet users.Small screens vary considerably in size, resolution, contrast, and brightness.Small screen usability requires distinct design considerations not a shrink-to-fit model. While all of these devices have a screen width smaller than the smallest common breakpoints, treating them equally would be a mistake.Most websites render too large for flip phones. They use fonts that are too big, graphics that are too detailed, and sticky headers that occupy a quarter of the screen. To make matters worse, many websites disable horizontal scrolling by hiding content that overflows horizontally. This allows for smooth scrolling on a touchscreen, but also makes it impossible to read text that extends beyond the viewport on flip phones.The table below includes physical display size, resolution, and examples to better understand the diversity of small screens across flip phones and budget smartphones. Resolution Display Size Pixel Size Example QQVGA 1.8 128160 Viettel Sumo 4G V1 QVGA 2.4 240320 Nokia 235 4G QVGA (Square) 2.4 240240 Frog Pocket2 HVGA (480p) 2.8-3.5 320480 BlackBerry 9720 VGA 2.8-3.5 480640 Cat S22 WVGA 2.8-3.5 480800 HP Pre 3 FWVGA+ 5 480960 Alcatel 1 Note: Flip phones have small screens typically between 1.82.8 with a resolution of 240x320 (QVGA) or 128x160 (QQVGA). For comparison, an Apple Watch Series 10 has a 1.8 screen with a resolution of 416x496. By modern standards, flip phone displays are small with low resolution, pixel density, contrast, and brightness.Develop For Small ScreensAdd custom, named breakpoints to your frameworks defaults, rather than manually using media queries to override layout dimensions defined by classes.Bootstrap v5Bootstrap defines a map, $grid-breakpoints, in the _variables.scss Sass file that contains the default breakpoints from SM (576px) to XXL (1400px). Use the map-merge() function to extend the default and add your own breakpoint.@import "node_modules/bootstrap/scss/functions";$grid-breakpoints: map-merge($grid-breakpoints, ("xs": 320px));Tailwind v4Tailwind allows you to extend the default theme in the tailwind.config.js configuration file. Use the extend key to define new breakpoints.const defaultTheme = require('tailwindcss/defaultTheme')module.exports = { theme: { extend: { screens: { "xs": "320px", ...defaultTheme.screens, }, }, },};The Key(board) To SuccessSuccessful flip phone apps support keyboard navigation using the directional pad (D-pad). This is the same navigation pattern as TV remotes: four arrow keys (up, down, left, right) and the central button. To build a great flip phone-optimized app, provide a navigation scheme where the user can quickly learn how to navigate your app using these limited controls. Ensure users can navigate to all visible controls on the screen.Navigating PodLP using d-pad (left) and a virtual cursor (right).Although some flip phone platforms support spatial navigation using an emulated cursor, it is not universally available and creates a worse user experience. Moreover, while apps that support keyboard navigation will work with an emulated cursor, this isnt necessarily true the other way around. Opera Mini Native only offers a virtual cursor, Cloud Phone only offers spatial navigation, and KaiOS supports both.If you develop with keyboard accessibility in mind, supporting flip phone navigation is easy. As general guidelines, never remove a focus outline. Instead, override default styles and use box shadows to match your apps color scheme while fitting appropriately. Autofocus on the first item in a sequence list or grid but be careful to avoid keyboard traps. Finally, make sure that the lists scroll the newly-focused item completely into view.Dont Make Users TypeIf you have ever been frustrated typing a long message on your smartphone, only to have it accidentally erased, now imagine that frustration when you typed the message using T9 on a flip phone. Despite advancements in predictive typing, its a chore to fill forms and compose even a single 180-character Tweet with just nine keys.Whatever you do, dont make flip phone users type!Fortunately, it is easy to adapt designs to require less typing. Prefer numbers whenever possible. Allow users to register using their phone number (which is easy to type), send a PIN code or one-time password (OTPs) that contains only numbers, and look up address details from a postal code. Each of these saves tremendous time and avoids frustration that often leads to user attrition.Alternatively, integrate with single-sign-on (SSO) providers to Log in with Google, so users do not have to retype passwords that security teams require to be at least eight characters long and contain a letter, number, and symbol. Just keep in mind that many new internet users wont have an email address. They may not know how to access it, or their phone might not be able to access emails.Finally, allow users to search by voice when it is available. As difficult as it is typing English using T9, its much harder typing a language like Tamil, which has over 90M speakers across South India and Sri Lanka. Despite decades of advancement, technologies like auto-complete and predictive typing are seldom available for such languages. While imperfect, there are AI models like Whisper Tamil that can perform speech-to-text, thanks to researchers at universities like the Speech Lab at IIT Madras. Flip Phone Browsers And Operating SystemsAnother challenge with developing web apps for flip phones is their fragmented ecosystem. Various companies have used different approaches to allow websites and apps to run on limited hardware. There are at least three major web-based platforms that all operate differently:Cloud Phone is the most recent solution, launched in December 2023, using a modern Puffin (Chromium) based remote browser that serves as an app store.KaiOS, launched in 2016 using Firefox OS as its foundation, is a mobile operating system where the entire system is a web browser.Opera Mini Native is by far the oldest, launched in 2005 as an ad-supported remote browser that still uses the decade-old, discontinued Presto engine).Although both platforms are remote browsers, there are significant differences between Cloud Phone and Opera Mini that are not immediately apparent. Platform Cons Pros Cloud Phone Missing features like WebPushNo offline supportMonetization not provided Modern Chromium v128+ engineRich multimedia supportNo optimizations neededActively developed100+ models launched in 2024 KaiOS Outdated Gecko engineHardware constrainedFew models released in 2024KaiAds integration requiredTwo app stores Full offline supportAPIs for low-level integrationApps can be packaged or hosted Opera Mini Native Discontinued Presto engine~2.5s async execution limitLimited ES5 supportNo multimedia supportNo app storeLast updated in 2020 Preinstalled on hundreds of millions of phonesPartial offline supportStable, cross-platform Flip phones have come a long way, but each platform supports different capabilities. You may need to remove or scale back features based on what is supported. It is best to target the lowest common denominator that is feasible for your application.For information-heavy news websites, wikis, or blogs, Opera Minis outdated technology works well enough. For video streaming services, both Cloud Phone and KaiOS work well. Conversely, remote browsers like Opera Mini and Cloud Phone cannot handle high frame rates, so only KaiOS is suitable for real-time interactive games. Just like with design, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to flip phone development. Even though all platforms are web-based, they require different tradeoffs.Tiny Screens, Big ImpactThe flip phone market is growing, particularly for 4G-enabled models. Reliances JioPhone is among the most successful models, selling more than 135 million units of its flagship KaiOS-enabled phone. The company plans to increase 4G flip phone rollout steadily as it migrates Indias 250 million 2G users to 4G and 5G.Similar campaigns are underway across emerging markets, like Vodacoms $14 Mobicel S4, a Cloud phone-enabled device in South Africa, and Viettels gifting 700,000 4G flip phones to current 2G subscribers to upgrade users in remote and rural areas.Estimates of the total active flip phone market size are difficult to come by, and harder still to find a breakdown by platform. KaiOS claims to enable over 160 million phones worldwide, while over 300 million people use Opera Mini to stay connected. Just a year after launch, Cloud Phone states that, one million Cloud Phone users already access the service from 90 countries. By most estimates, there are already hundreds of millions of web-enabled flip phone users eager to discover new products and services.ConclusionHundreds of millions still rely on flip phones to stay connected. Yet, these users go largely ignored even by products that target emerging markets. Modern software development often prioritizes the latest and greatest over finding ways to affordably serve more than 2.6 billion unconnected people. If you are not designing for small screens using keyboard navigation, youre shutting out an entire population from accessing your service. Flip phones still matter in 2025. With ongoing network transitions, millions will upgrade, and millions more will connect for the first time using 4G flip phones. This creates an opportunity to put your app into the hands of the newly connected. And thanks to modern remote browser technology, it is now easier than ever to build and launch your app on flip phones without costly and time-consuming optimizations to function on low-end hardware.

The fall is upon us. There's no Grand Theft Auto 6. All bets are off.

Fifteen years since its last release, the Skate series returns with an entry that turns a whole city into a skaters paradise. The newest Skate is a free-to-play open world where you can take on a series of challenges, spectate other skaters, team up with friends, or challenge other players to throw down and trade tricks.Electronic Arts pulled the curtain back on Skate with a hands-on preview of Early Access ahead of its September 16 release. I shredded and slammed across the city of San Vansterdam for nine hours and saw a whole lot of what developer Full Circle has to offer. Lets get into the nitty-gritty.Flick-It returns When it was released back in 2007, Skate introduced the Flick-It control system, where executing tricks is done with fast flicking movements of the right control stick, to better simulate the sense of pulling off ollies and kickflips. Full Circle says that it didnt rebuild Flick-It, it resurrected it, with improvements to the controls to make them easier to learn and use for newbies, but with all the nuance veterans expect.Flick-It comes with three control schemes. The Streamlined version makes snapping off tricks intuitive and a bit easier than in previous games, with flicking up on the right stick enough to ollie and your character pushing your skateboard automatically as you steer with the left stick.Classic feels familiar to Skate fanspushing the skateboard is done with Square or X, and you need to flick the stick down to set and then up to jump, with lots of different patterns for more complex tricks.Finally, theres the Experienced level, which provides even more nuanced control but removes the Flick diagram from your screen.If you need a hand remembering the moves, Skatepedia is always just a menu away to show you how to do every trick in the game.A city of skating San Vansterdam is a big, open place, and the game dots many locations with challenges to put you through your paces.Lines task you with doing tricks and hitting a certain score along a specific series of obstacles, grabbing icons along the way.In Own the Spot, youre looking to hit a high score in a location, while trying to knock out a certain set of tricks in a single sequence.Session gives you a free-form, timed opportunity to rack up a high score in a larger location.And in Stunt challenges, you fling yourself off high places and ragdoll through ridiculous requirements. These ones were my favorite of everything I played in Skate, and theyre always hilarious.There are also missions that will teach you the ropes of how to play and perform different tricks if youre new to SkateParkour and Exploration Finding skate spots off the beaten path is another big part of the fun of San Vansterdam. You can hop off your board anywhere by hitting Triangle and then use X to jump and climb walls or scale buildings to look for new places to SkateSan Vansterdam also has rotating community parks you can find around the city, so theres always something fresh to SkateQuick Drop lets you make your own spots Youre not stuck skating the spots and challenges the developers have created, either. Pressing down on the D-pad opens up your radial Tool Box, where you can find the Quick Drop menu. You can instantly add your own ramps, grind rails, and other objects to any location to create your own spots, or improvise a solution to a problem, like jumping a big gap. Other players can skate your Quick Drops, too.Progression and Customization Clearing missions and leveling up your reputation in each neighborhood unlocks new customization and drop items. Credits you earn from rewards can be used to buy more random cosmetics from each neighborhood to unlock new looks, decks, and other options.Spectating and Spectaporting The big benefit of Skates always-online, free-to-play nature is youre constantly able to play with other skaters. Tapping the Touchpad on your DualSense controller brings up the map and menu tabs, where you can find your social options. Here, you can see everyone else in your server, spectate what theyre doing, and even instantly spectaport to their location to say hi or skate the same spot. Full Circle says servers will support up to 150 players at a time, so there will always be other people skating San Vansterdam with you.Replay editor Its quick and easy to create clips of your best moments (or most painful fails). You can access the Replay Editor from your Tool Box menu at any time, which captures the last few minutes of your session and lets you edit, save, and share videos.Grabster One of the cooler ways skate makes San Vansterdam feel alive is by supplying it with a ton of diegetic music, coming from everything from store displays to passing cars speakers. You can grab any song you like by holding R3 to add it to your personal playlist.Even over just a handful of hours in San Vansterdam, its clear Skate puts a ludicrous amount of skating opportunities on offer, with plenty of ways for players to have fun together and get creative, as well.The good news is that you can see for yourself when Skate hits PlayStation 4 and Playstation 5 in Early Access on September 16.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this image

Metroidvania predominantly evolved from two big games from the 90s: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night had a gothic fantasy setting like the rest of the series, and Super Metroid was a sci-fi epic.

Even though Fallout 4 has been out since 2015, its modding community is still thriving. That may seem a little surprising, at least abstractly, but it makes more sense when you consider the fact that there hasn't been a new, properly moddable Fallout game since then--the online-only Fallout 76 is partially moddable, but not even close to the extent that Bethesda's single-player games are. Until a genuine Fallout 5 comes along, Fallout 4 will keep getting new mods.And that's a great thing, because it means that Fallout 4 has accumulated a massive treasure trove of mods, and since the game is not being updated regularly anymore, it's rare that any of them become obsolete. And it means that your copy of Fallout 4 collecting dust in your Steam library has a lot more potential than you may have realized.But venturing out into the world of Fallout 4 mods can be daunting. That's why we've assembled this list of several dozen of the best Fallout 4 mods that will enhance your experience in a big way.It should be noted that these mods are compatible with most mod managers, but mod creators might specify otherwise on the individual mod's page. A mod's page will also reveal whether or not it's compatible with the Next-Gen Update in Fallout 4, which caused some issues for modders in 2024. Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch (UFO4P)Created by: The Unofficial Patch Project TeamWe're starting off with a mod that you need to download whether you're a first-time player or weathered veteran. The Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch does too many things to mention, but it essentially gets rid of hundreds of bugs in Fallout 4 that were never fixed by the developers. Whether it's a bug with a certain quest, something gameplay-related, or an issue with an object's placement in the world, UF04P likely fixes the problem. It's compatible with just about every other mod on this list, so it's the best one to begin with in your modding journey. Armorsmith ExtendedCreated by: Gambit77Next, we have the most-downloaded Fallout 4 mod on Nexus Mods, sitting at over 10 million installs. Armorsmith Extended completely overhauls the weapon and armor systems for your character as well as your companions. It also allows you to craft Power Armor as well as every other possible armor in the game. That brief description doesn't even scratch the surface of what the mod specifically does, though. Your in-game weapon and armor modding experience won't ever be the same after using Armorsmith Extended. Facial Expression and Eyetracking Engine FixesCreated by: LarannKiarNPCs and player characters alike in Fallout 4 have a strange tendency to, under the right conditions, not look at what they're supposed to be looking at, or stop having facial expressions completely. Since that was the sort of thing we've long associated with Bethesda's delightful-but-buggy open world experiences, this is something we all kinda let slide because it felt like part of the charm. But with the Facial Expression and Eyetracking Fix mod, you'll find a less funny, but more immersive experience. ReputationCreated by: bp42sFallout 4 has no reputation system for its various factions--certain folks might turn against you if you cozy up too much with their enemies, but it's not a dynamic system that shifts based on your overall behavior. It's long been a frustrating omission because the previous Fallout game, the cult classic New Vegas, included exactly such a reputation system in the style of the original games. As usual, we've got a modder to the rescue--the Reputation mod dynamically alters your relationships with the various factions and people based on your reputation around the wasteland. Groups you have a positive reputation with will give you gifts and lower prices on goods--and the ones who don't like you will try to murder you occasionally. Looks Menu Customization CompendiumCreated by: AGodComplexPikachu, CurioNC, EmissaryOFWind, JTesmer, ANiceOakTree, Kirse10, imAarwyn, Robberfox, RoboAsimov, TrophiHunter, WenderaAnother highly popular mod is the Looks Menu Customization Compendium, which adds hundreds of new customization options to the character creator in Fallout 4. This includes tattoos, makeup, hair colors, face paint, and more. While the vanilla character creator in Fallout 4 is decent, this mod allows you to completely tailor-make your character to your exact preferences. You'll certainly stick out from other NPCs in the Wasteland, that's for sure. SIM SettlementsCreated by: kinggathWhile the settlement feature in Fallout 4 is one of the best aspects of the game, it can get tiresome to build houses, farms, and other features for each individual settler. SIM Settlements aims to rectify that issue by making your settlers build their own structures. This frees you up to construct whatever you want for yourself and play Fallout 4 without having to worry about where your settlers are going to sleep at night or how they're going to get food. Place EverywhereCreated by: TheLichContinuing on with the settlement-themed mods, we have perhaps one of the most useful ones you can download in Fallout 4. Place Everywhere does exactly what the title says: It allows you to place a settlement item anywhere you want. No longer do you have to see the dreaded red outline appear over an item when you're trying to place it. This gives you so much additional freedom to design your settlement exactly how you want. Homemaker - Expanded SettlementsCreated by: bombasticmoriHomemaker is another incredibly useful mod for your settlement needs in Fallout 4. The mod adds over 1,000 new craftable objects for your settlement, including cars, lights, building sets, workstations, and more. Updates to the mod have also made it easier to snap objects in place and even change an object's texture. As a note, you do need all of the extra DLC mods in addition to the base Homemaker mod for it to work. Scrap EverythingCreated by: shadowslasher410 and VIitSWhether you're just arriving in Sanctuary or you find a new settlement location in Fallout 4, one of the most dreaded aspects about starting a settlement is having to manually get rid of every single junk item. Sanctuary is particularly frustrating, as there are so many tiny objects that provide valuable resources, but they're incredibly tedious to find. With the Scrap Everything mod, you can get rid of every junk item with a single click across all settlements in the game. Atomic Radio and Tales from the CommonwealthCreated by: Kris TakahashiThis single mod technically has three different mods that encompass it. First, there's the Atomic Radio mod, which adds a fully-functioning radio station in Fallout 4. You can even download custom tracks for the radio station. Next, the Tales from the Commonwealth mod adds new quests and companions to the game, deeply expanding the replayability of Fallout 4. Finally, the Settlers of the Commonwealth mod adds 31 fully voiced settlers to the game, all with specific locations across the map.You can download each of these mods from the "Files" tab of the Atomic Radio and Tales from the Commonwealth page on Nexus Mods. Fallout 4 Texture Optimization ProjectCreated by: torcherThe Texture Optimization Project mod is for PC players only, but it's one of the most helpful mods on this list. It reduces individual texture sizes across the board, allowing you to gain free FPS without seeing a drop in visual quality. You'll see the same art style you're used to in Fallout 4 as well. This mod is primarily useful for players with older PCs, but if you find yourself struggling with FPS at all, this should be the first mod you download. Vivid Weathers - Fallout 4 EditionCreated by: MangaclubIf you're growing tired of the gray and brown colors present throughout much of the Wasteland, then you need to download Vivid Weathers. This mod adds dozens of lore-friendly weather effects, including sounds for rain and thunder and a snow effect. It also works with all DLCs for Fallout 4, so you don't have to worry about any compatibility issues. We Are The MinutemenCreated by: TheFirstEnDIf you're a fan of the Minutemen faction in Fallout 4, this mod is tailor-made for you. We Are The Minutemen gives the faction a much larger presence in the Wasteland while removing many of the quirks associated with the faction. Minutemen soldiers also arrive faster when using a Flaregun, their weapon pool has been increased greatly, and other Minutemen outside of Preston Garvey wear the faction's uniform. It's a great mod to download if you have never sided with the Minutemen or if you simply enjoy the faction. Weaponsmith ExtendedCreated by: Gambit77While this mod sounds like Armorsmith Extended, it's quite different. Weaponsmith Extended adds a collection of all the best individual weapon mods directly into Fallout 4. This means you don't have to download individual mods for weapons. Instead, you have access to a plethora of new weapons right from the start of the game. The new weapons all come from Nexus Mods and include the most popular ones in addition to adding new features as well. Higher Settlement BudgetCreated by: GrimTech and PatrickJrDo you want to build a mega city in Sanctuary or another location, but your settlement budget is already maxed out? Well, the Higher Settlement Budget fixes that problem directly, giving you a budget of up to three times bigger than the original one. The mod allows you to build more structures and objects, but you have to remember all of those extra textures can cause your performance to suffer. NPCs TravelCreated by: skyquestWhile you will meet a variety of NPCs across different locations in Fallout 4, the Wasteland can seem a bit empty at times. The NPCs Travel mod completely rectifies that, adding over 300 new NPCs who travel the map. This breathes new life into the game, making the world seem much more lived-in and giving you new people to meet. These NPCs also appear in Far Harbor and Nuka-World as well, for those of you who have the DLC packs. Diamond City ExpansionCreated by: StatsmaktenDiamond City is arguably the most iconic location in Fallot 4, but the Diamond City Expansion mod increases its presence in downtown Boston to a new level. The expansion mod adds new locations outside of the stadium as well as inside, giving you plenty to explore. The one issue with this mod is its size, which can cause performance issues in and around Diamond City. You might notice flickering and stuttering with mod, so downloading extra mods, such as the Texture Optimization Project, can help your frame rate. The Beantown Interiors ProjectCreated by: ChucksteelIf you have ever wondered what's inside a locked building in Fallout 4, then downloading the Beantown Interiors Project should be one of your first priorities. This mod opens up most of the locked locations across the Wasteland, letting you explore never-before-seen interiors. The mod is still adding new locations, but there are hundreds of new interiors for you to peek your head inside. While the interior of a building isn't always exciting, you won't know until you go in. Outcasts and RemnantsCreated by: Thuggysmurf, Recluse, and Formado721Outcasts and Remnants is one of the best mods you can download in Fallout 4. It adds over 20 hours of gameplay to the game and acts as a separate DLC for the game. You can experience new quests, factions, and locations as well as interact with fully voiced NPCs, including some fresh companions. If you're looking for something to do after beating Fallout 4 and its official DLCs, this mod is perfect to continue your journey. Robot Home DefenceCreated by: TheTalkieToasterThe defense options at a settlement are somewhat lackluster, so if you want to truly protect your home from raiders, you want to download Robot Home Defence. This mod adds new craftable robotic guards that you can place around your settlement. The robots can also act as companions, following you around the Wasteland in Fallout 4. Possible robots include Protectrons, Mister Gutsies, Assaultrons, and Sentry Bots, among others. Horizon V1.9Created by: ZawinulThe Horizon mod in Fallout 4 is a ground-up alteration to everything in the game. It features thousands of changes that aim to rebalance and enhance the gameplay. The main focus of the rebalance is to make Fallout 4 a more challenging experience, leaning on the Survival Mode difficulty. Some of the changes the mod makes to Fallout 4 include: a new skill system, more aggressive and smarter enemies, overhauled weapons and armor, companion stats, balanced loot, scalable NPCs, and much more.I don't recommend mixing mods with Horizon, so if you want to experience this particular mod, you should go in with it as your only installed add-on. Rich MerchantsCreated by: OverClocked56 Rich Merchants is one of the simpler mods on this list, but it's also extremely useful for any type of playthrough. It gives vendors access to more Caps, allowing you to sell as many items as you want to them. You no longer have to worry about going from vendor to vendor to sell your entire inventory. The mod allows vendors to have access to 2,000 Caps, 10,000 Caps, or 30,000 Caps, depending on your preference. Survival OptionsCreated by: JekodAre you looking to add a new layer of replayability to Fallout 4? Well, look no further than the Survival Options mod. This gives you access to a variety of new features, which essentially turn the game into a survival-crafting experience. With every feature enabled, you suddenly have to worry about elements such as fatigue, hunger, thirst, disease, and more. You can turn off each feature individually through your Pip-Boy, but I suggest having them all enabled at first to experience the mod in full. If you thought Fallout 4 was difficult before, you're in for an entirely new experience with Survival Options. NewDialogCreated by: shadwarYou might not think about dialogue options when it comes to customizing your character in Fallout 4. However, the NewDialog mod allows you to completely change what dialogue options your character has for any conversation. By default, the mod gives you access to a flurry of new dialogue options and a more pleasing UI menu for the dialogue options. If you go deeper into the mod, though, you can change your dialogue options to whatever you want. CROSS JetpackCreated by: NieroYou're lying to yourself if you don't think it'd be cool to fly around the Wasteland with a jetpack strapped to your back. The Jetpack mod from CROSS acts like another standard weapon mod, but instead of a melee weapon or gun, you get a jetpack. You're able to fly around the map, but you still have a limited capacity as to how high you can get and how long you can fly for. FallUI - MapCreated by: m8r98a4f2The default map in Fallout 4 is fairly primitive, so the FallUI - Map mod installs a much better-looking version with more features. There's even a text search so you can manually search for locations without having to scroll over the map looking for them. Other features include a favorite fast-travel list, more locations on the map, and better zooming. Easy LockpickingCreated by: The Iron RoseWhile the lockpicking system in Fallout 4 is a part of the core gameplay, it can get extremely annoying if you're replaying Fallout 4 for the second, third, or fourth time. Easy Lockpicking allows you to completely bypass the lockpicking system so you can access any locked door with ease. There's an also Easy Hacking mod that does the same thing for hacking computers, so you'll truly never be blocked from accessing anything ever again. Project ValkyrieCreated by: Thuggysmurf, Sybsidian, and Formado721Project Valkyrie is another DLC-sized mod that adds a number of new quests and fully-voiced companions to Fallout 4. There are 20 quests and even some alternate endings to the base game to add tons of replayability. I recommend this mod more for players who have already beaten Fallout 4, as you're able to see new endings and quests compared to the base game. Fallout 4 - Point LookoutCreated by: The Capital Wasteland TeamWhile this is another DLC-sized mod, it's not like the others on this list. Point Lookout is a recreation of the DLC of the same name from Fallout 3. The mod includes all of the quests and NPCs present in that DLC and they are all fully realized in Fallout 4. Whether you played the original Point Lookout or you're just looking for a new DLC to explore, Point Lookout in Fallout 4 is certainly worth your time. Repairable SanctuaryCreated by: KentingtonIf you don't feel up to the task of completely fixing Sanctuary by yourself, you can use the Repairable Sanctuary mod to do all the work for you. This mod restores all of Sanctuary's houses and the main bridge to their previous states. The houses might not look as futuristic as they used to before the war, but they look clean, polished, and are functioning. Clean Water of the CommonwealthCreated by: FeyawenYou might not have thought about customizing the water in Fallout 4, but the Clean Water of the Commonwealth mod does just that. You have the option to completely rid the water of all radiation and make it a crystal blue color or add more radiation to it. The latter choice is for those who want to add another layer of survivability to Fallout 4, making it harder to access certain locations. The mod also affects how much radiation is consumed when drinking the water. Unique NPCs - Creatures and Monsters of the CommonwealthCreated by: ThirdstormFighting mutants, ghouls, deathclaws, and other enemies in Fallout 4 can get boring after a while, so why not spice up the Wasteland with some new enemies? The Unique NPCs mod adds new variants of the existing enemies, giving them fresh names, appearances, and sizes. It's not a massive overhaul of the enemies in the world, but it's enough to keep things interesting when you're playing through the game again. Take CoverCreated by: registrator2000Once again, a mod's description is spelled out in the name. The Take Cover mod adds a new combat mechanic into Fallout 4, allowing you to take cover behind an object or structure, a la GTA V, Uncharted, The Last of Us, etc. This allows you to avoid enemy gunfire and breathes new life into stealth gameplay. Another Life - Alternative Start ModCreated by: XyloziHave you ever dreamed about playing Fallout 4 as a member of the Institute? Are you growing tired of the same opening sequence every time you begin a new playthrough? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then the Another Life mod is for you. In this mod, you bypass the default opening sequence and awake in the Institute instead. From there, you can choose from 36 different occupations, which determine your starting gear, faction allies, and the location where you begin the game. It's a truly immersive mod that completely changes how you play. Videos of the WastelandCreated by: RazorWire, Dertspovor06, AGreatWeightWe already have a radio mod on this list, so why not download a video mod as well? Videos of the Wasteland make it so Holotapes, TVs, and even the Starlight Drive-In big screen can play custom videos. You're able to download custom videos through Nexus Mods and even create your own to watch. CROSS_ BladesCreated by: NieroCROSS_Blades is a mod that adds three energy melee weapons and throwing knives into Fallout 4. The three melee weapons are blades that pulse different colors and have different effects. The blades also have unique builds, making them suitable for different kinds of playstyles. As for the throwing knives, those are plasma-infused and deal massive damage if they connect with an enemy. South of the SeaCreated by: Baerthe, Cryptdick, and SOTS TeamSouth of the Sea is a massive mod that adds completely new playable areas beyond and below the Glowing Sea in Fallout 4. There are over 65 new locations in the mod as well as fresh enemies to defeat and new loot to discover. However, one massive disclaimer with the mod is you need to own every DLC in Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition to access the new locations. Combat Zone RestoredCreated by: BarbaricciaIf you're a true fan of Fallout 4, then you might know of a somewhat hidden location called the Combat Zone. This location was kept fairly secret for a while, but it was also revealed that the developers cut a solid amount of content from the location. With the Combat Zone Restored mod, you can access all of that cut content, which includes the ability to bet on NPC fights, a new introduction for Cait, and a way to make Caps from fights. Maxwells WorldCreated by: Trainwiz and DarthVitrialMaxwell's World is yet another large-scale mod that introduces new locations, quests, NPCs, and more. With this mod, though, you're taken to a haunted amusement park where there are multiple endings for the main quest and a full backstory. It leans more toward the horror side of things, so if that's not your cup of tea, then maybe download one of the other DLC-sized mods. However, for fans of horror, there are few better mods to download and experience in Fallout 4. FourvilleCreated by: Seddon4494Fourville is the last DLC-sized mod on this list, but it's one you shouldn't miss out on in Fallout 4. It adds a brand-new city to the Commonwealth that features roughly 10 hours of gameplay. During that time, you can complete a total of 46 quests (main and side), hear over 5,000 lines of fresh dialogue, and team up with a fully voiced companion. See Through ScopesCreated by: henkspamadresAiming through a scope in the base version of Fallout 4 is extremely clunky, so See Through Scopes allows you to simply aim in through a custom scope as you normally would with a gun. It's a simple fix that can have a profound impact on the way you play the game. The mod also adds customizable reticles and differently-sized scopes, ranging from 2.5x-8x zoom. Unlimited FollowersCreated by: AmoveveWhile one follower might be enough for some players, you might want a different kind of experience in Fallout 4. Perhaps you're yearning to replicate a game like Dragon's Dogma or Baldur's Gate where you have multiple followers with you at all times. You can have a similar experience like that in Fallout 4 with the Unlimited Followers mod, which doesn't put a cap on how many companions you're allowed to have at the same time. Customize Power Armour and Jetpack DrainCreated by: The Iron RoseOne of the more frustrating aspects of wearing Power Armor is how quickly it can go through Fusion Cores. Fusion Cores are fairly rare in Fallout 4, so you have to pick and choose when to wear Power Armor so you don't run out of the resource. If you're tired of having that issue, download the Customize Power Armor Drain mod, which allows you to customize the rate at which your Power Armor goes through Fusion Cores. This mod also works with Jetpacks, including the CROSS Jetpack mod we have included on this list. Now, you can fly across the Wasteland or walk around the entire map without going through too many Fusion Cores--or eliminate the need for them altogether. Clean Settlement GreenhousesCreated by: dgulatThe bombs and time have ravaged the base locations of Graygarden and Greentop Nursery, leaving once-immaculate greenhouses to become rusty and unkempt. If this is a reason you've decided against settling at either location, consider downloading the Clean Settlement Greenhouses mod, which restores both Graygarden and Greentop Nursery to their former glory. The mod comes with new textures, working plant gardens, and new lighting. Be The DogCreated by: AbbalovesyouDogmeat is one of the most beloved companions across the Fallout series. Thanks to the new Fallout TV show, we know a little more of Dogmeat's backstory, which might inspire some players to download the Be The Dog mod. This mod does exactly what it says: It allows you to become Dogmeat and play through Fallout 4 as the German Shepherd. You can also play as two other dogs, which you can choose by inputting a specific command. As a dog, you have four distinct attacks, can still use the Pip-Boy, and can equip any dog armor you find. Wearable Backpacks and PouchesCreated by: Aldebaran90 and StndmunkiCarrying capacity has long been an issue for players in Fallout 4, and it can be fixed in a variety of ways. However, one of the more inventive mods to add more carrying weight to your character is Wearable Backpacks and Pouches. This mod adds craftable and upgradeable backpacks and pouches so you have a dedicated place for all your junk or unwanted items to go. True Storms - Wasteland EditionCreated by: fadingsignalOne of the more celebrated mods in the Bethesda modding community is True Storms. Developed for both Fallout 4 and Skyrim, the mod overhauls the weather systems and adds massive storms of different types that can pop up at random times. In Fallout 4, the developers kicked it up a notch by adding the ghoul horde enemy type when radstorms occur, which is when the entire sky turns green and radiation is in the air. The mod comes complete with custom sound and particle effects, lighting, and textures.

Warner Bros. is pushing the sequel into the blockbuster season The post <i>Mortal Kombat 2</i> Gets Big Delay Just Months Before Coming To Theaters appeared first on Kotaku.

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AI adoption is reportedly 'very low apart from ChatGPT,' and King leadership is generally 'quite AI skeptic.'

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Sparassis crispa is a species of fungus in the family Sparassidaceae. It is sometimes called cauliflower fungus. It is common in Great Britain and temperate Europe (but not in the boreal zone), from July to November. Sparassis crispa grows in an entangled globe that is up to 10 inches (24 centimetres) in diameter, with larger specimens weighing up to 14 kilograms (30 lb) or more. It is considered a good edible fungus when young and fresh, but is difficult to clean before use. This S.crispa was photographed in Joure, Netherlands. The picture was focus-stacked from 20 separate images.Photograph credit: Dominicus Johannes BergsmaRecently featured: Mandelbrot setAmerican avocet"I Have a Dream"ArchiveMore featured pictures

To say that its been a long wait for a new Metal Gear Solid would be an understatement, and even if its been several years coming, diving back into the stealth action franchise with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater feels good. With advanced access now live on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, the whole world or at least those who bought the Digital Deluxe Edition can experience the remake in all its glory. Even with the revamped visuals, at its core, this is still inherently the classic that long-time fans know and love in terms of the story, character and classic voice acting. But what about the gameplay?Konami has adamantly retained the same fundamentals that made the 2004 classic such a massive hit, but added several new options and features to change things up. How deeply do they affect, or even improve, the gameplay? Join us as we dive into some of the most game-changing new features, starting withNew Camera StyleIf youre a fan of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, then the new controls for Delta will feelweird. Almost unnatural. And yet, the New Style camera can feel pretty good. Its essentially an over-the-shoulder perspective of Naked Snake, synergising with the new movement options (more on that shortly) while enhancing overall immersion. However, boss fights may feel a touch easier with this setup, since keeping track of and responding to your opponents is far easier (though you can balance this out by increasing the difficulty).How does the Legacy Style camera hold up, especially with the extensive visual upgrade? The answer: Well enough. It may not quite convey the same feeling as the 2004 classic, but for all intents and purposes, it works well enough. The only downside is that you cant switch between the New and Legacy Style camera perspectives on the fly (similar to Subsistence). Its worth noting that specific sequences will retain the classic camera regardless of your choice, so be prepared.CompassOne of the most important features and initially a point of contention back in the day is the removal of the radar, a staple of other Metal Gear Solid titles. Of course, the rest is history and Metal Gear Solid 3 is hailed for this action, but Delta: Snake Eater ruffled more than a few feathers when it was first announced to have a compass. Konami telling me where to go in 2025? Inconceivable.The actual application, as it turns out, is a lot simpler than youd expect. Its actually an optional item which needs to be equipped, and rather than generating some ugly red arrow or line on the floor, it will place a small marker on the HUD, indicating the next objective. This essentially cuts down on calling Snakes allies and asking where to go next. Basic, sure, but also not egregiously helpful or prominent.Movement and StealthWelcome to the jungle, where crawling in tall grass and stalking enemies is paramount to your success (or at least not getting caught). Delta: Snake Eater introduces a few intriguing additions that werent present in the original, like moving in first-person. Prone on the ground, aiming at an enemy and wanting to quietly reposition without taking your eyes off them? Thats also possible, but even more intriguing is that you can now crouch-walk like in Snake Eater 3D.Contrary to what you would think, however, this doesnt completely trivialize stealth. At times, it feels like enemies have much better hearing, so having that additional mobility is a huge plus.Quick Dial and Quick-Change CamoSay what you will about the original, but having to open the menu every single time to change your camo or call someone on the codec becomes tedious after a point, especially when youre getting into the flow of things. To minimize those breaks in action, Konami added Quick Dial and Quick-Change Camo the former accessed by holding down on the directional pad and the latter by holding up. You wouldnt think the results would be so remarkable, but they work fantastically well and ensure that your focus is on the game rather than rifling through menus.Revamped Camo UIThat being said, there is some merit to diving into the camo interface and tweaking Snakes next fit. Camo Index is extremely important in both titles because it measures just how well youre camouflaged. The higher the number, the less likely enemies are to spot you, but its dependent on several factors, including the environment. Delta: Snake Eaters revamped camo UI makes it much easier to apply the best options with colored arrows and a new overlay. Its not quite OctoCamo, but being able to pop in and apply these changes quickly without thinking too hard is a plus.Faster Save LoadingIn a game like this, where a single mistake can ruin a no alert/no kill run or jeopardize unlocking certain camos and items, the ability to quickly reload a previous save is vital. The original Snake Eater made this a highly laborious process, and the loading times added insult to injury. In Delta: Snake Eater, you can now load the latest autosave at any moment to go back and effectively undo any mistakes or even try a different method. The near-instant loading times on PS5 and a shortcut for quick-save are just the cherry on top.Guy Savage ReturnsGuy Savage is a relatively unknown factor for many players, even those who played Snake Eater on the PlayStation 2. Thats because it isnt accessible unless you save at a specific point in the game, quit and reload. Removed from subsequent versions and ports, its fully implemented in Delta: Snake Eater, but also completely overhauled with Konami tapping PlatinumGames for development. Alongside improved visuals and new models, there are also more moves, smoother controls, and even a boss battle. And dont worry if you want to revisit it Guy Savage can be accessed from the main menu afterwards.Snake vs. BombermanSnake vs. Monkey, a crossover mini-game with Sonys Ape Escape franchise, returns but only for those on PS5 and PC. For those on Xbox Series X/S, Konami has substituted the iconic Bomberman. Your objective doesnt deviate much the elimination of all Bombermen in the jungle is still key, but this time, Snake has bombs. Not just any bombs either these pack the same stylings and animations as the Bomberman franchise and even explode in grid-based fashion. Perhaps the best part of all this is that Konami added new voice lines for Otacon and Mei Ling for the mode, alongside a new sprite for the latter.Secret Theater ReelsThe Secret Theater didnt have too much gameplay impact on the original. It essentially served as a collection of gags with various fictional scenarios. In Delta: Snake Eater, however, Konami has essentially gamified the unlocks for the different reels. Finishing the game will unlock the mode, but you need to collect the reels separately from specific enemies to watch them. These can be spotted in the wild and require holding up to drop said reel dealing damage, any kind at all, is enough to break the reel, thus necessitating a redo (which is where the quicker save loading comes in handy).

The Nothing Projector One is a compact and accessible way to watch movies on your wall, if you can live with 1080p and a bit of fan noise.Nothing Projector One Review: In useIn this day and age, the consumption of high-resolution digital media is an everyday aspect of life. From television shows, to movies, clips, shorts, and video games.Gone are the days of large tube televisions, dim back-lit projector televisions, and low-resolution CRT monitors. The sources are also better quality, as you're no longer dealing with poor-quality videos from the earliest days of Internet media. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

As Apple Music marks 10 years, Apple unveils a brand-new state-of-the-art space in Los Angeles dedicated to artist-driven content.

Separating AI reality from hyped-up fiction isnt always easy. Thats why weve created the AI Hype Indexa simple, at-a-glance summary of everything you need to know about the state of the industry.Using AI to improve our health and well-being is one of the areas scientists and researchers are most excited about. The last month has seen an interesting leap forward: The technology has been put to work designing new antibiotics to fight hard-to-treat conditions, and OpenAI and Anthropic have both introduced new limiting features to curb potentially harmful conversations on their platforms.Unfortunately, not all the news has been positive. Doctors who overrely on AI to help them spot cancerous tumors found their detection skills dropped once they lost access to the tool, and a man fell ill after ChatGPT recommended he replace the salt in his diet with dangerous sodium bromide. These are yet more warning signs of how careful we have to be when it comes to using AI to make important decisions for our physical and mental states.

The Los Angeles (LA) City Attorney has sued sweepstakes operator Stake, Kick Streaming, and other partners over an alleged illegal gambling ring.As well as Stake and Kick, the two companies co-founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, service providers Evolution and Hacksaw, and 12 other related partners have been named in a lawsuit, with charges related to running or aiding and abetting the running of an illegal online gambling ring. This allegedly puts them in violation of California law.BREAKING: The Los Angeles City Attorney has sued sweepstakes casino operator Stake, Kick Streaming, Ed Craven, Bijan Tehrani, Evolution and 12 others for running and/or aiding &amp; abetting the running of an illegal online gambling enterprise in violation of California law. pic.twitter.com/hwHB4Q3xzR Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) August 29, 2025This isnt the first time that Stake has faced legal action, with lawsuits already in California, Illinois, and Alabama. Those previous cases allege that Stake has engaged in alleged bad practices and running an illegal casino posing as a sweepstakes game.Lawsuits reaching beyond Stake and KickIn this new LA lawsuit, the naming of Evolution, Hacksaw, and other B2B gambling services providers highlights that not only Stake and Kick could be held liable for illegal gambling practices, but also the service providers and operators that seemingly assisted them.Both Evolution and Hacksaw are Swedish companies that now face allegations that they knowingly licensed content to a platform operating as an unlicensed casino in California. They could now face both civil penalties and restitution orders.While other suppliers, including Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger, NetEnt, Nolimit City, and Big Time Gaming, analysis from sports betting lawyer Daniel Wallach underlines that Evolution and Hacksaw have the most to lose, being valued on public markets.With illegal gambling taking up a third of the US market, gambling service providers now have even greater reason to ensure that the services they provide are being used on legal games, or else risk lawsuits themselves. As well as potentially costing large sums, the reputational damage could also be extreme, especially for smaller providers.Featured image: Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0The post LA City Attorney sues Stake, Kick, and partners over alleged illegal gambling ring appeared first on ReadWrite.

With stressful migrations from Windows 10 to Windows 11 still ongoing in many organizations, Microsoft has thrown system administrators a small but helpful lifeline.Although it announced the new service last November at Ignite 2024, Microsoft only released Windows Backup for Organizations this week. The somewhat misleading name masks its real purpose: making it easier to migrate or restore system settings between machines joined to Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) as part of Microsoft 365.In short, this is not a utility for backing up data files, folders, installed applications or for executing disaster recovery. Instead, whats being backed up to the cloud is a users Windows settings and a list of their Microsoft Store apps, so that they can be restored to a new machine.The settings include things like display setup, accessibility, peripheral parameters, language, and power configuration.The feature is being pitched as helpful for admins migrating users from one OS version to another specifically Windows 10 to 11 or when setting up a new machine for an existing user from scratch using the out-of-box experience (OOBE) process.In fact, admins can already do this using tools such as Microsoft User State Migration Tool (USMT). The downside of this is that it is IT-driven, manual and sometimes complex. Someone must be on hand to create and run PowerShell scripts that automate and orchestrate different executables.In contrast, once enabled and configured as part of Intune mobile device management (MDM) or Entra ID Group Policy, all thats required for Windows Backup for Organizations to work is for the user to sign in with their Microsoft Entra ID account. No tools or software routines needed users simply log in and Microsofts cloud should do the rest.Alternatively, a backup can be manually triggered by a user by opening the Windows Backup app and selecting Back up, Microsoft said.For large-scale upgrades and device continuity, Windows Backup for Organizations helps reduce migration overhead, minimize user disruption, and strengthen device resilience against incidents, Microsoft program manager Miranda Leschke wrote in the blog post announcing the tools availability.Windows 11 restore onlyAn important caveat is that while Windows Backup for Organizations will back up the settings of devices running Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 11 version 22H2 or later, the restore function only works for Windows 11 version 22H2 or later. Anyone staying on Windows 10 wont be able to restore settings and Leschke helpfully reminded users that, With Windows 10 support ending on October 14, 2025, the new tool could help ease your transition to Windows 11.One other pre-requisite for using Windows Backup for Organizations is that the August 2025 Windows security update be applied. While systems will normally be Entra-joined, on-premises domains can also access the feature if they are hybrid joined (that is, if Active Directory is bridged to Entra ID).According to Microsoft, the Restore setting is rolling out gradually, so check back in about a week if you dont see it in your Intune tenant. Once enabled, backups run automatically every eight days, saving user settings and preferences to the organizations tenant data store.However, with the October 2025 end-of-support deadline for Windows 10 approaching, IT managers grappling with the Windows 10 to 11 transition will have bigger headaches on their plates than migrating settings.These include software compatibility, always an issue when moving from one OS version to another. In addition, Windows 11 adds a new layer of hardware incompatibility. This is leading some customers to opt to continue running Windows 10 and put up with the additional cost of enrolling in the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10.

MacworldiPhone launch events have generally become predictable and mundane. Many of the hardware upgrades leak months (or even years) in advance, minimizing our enthusiasm during the official keynote. Thats not to mention the smartphones maturity, and the Apple just re-released last years iPhone! sentiment among customers. This year could be different, however.Apples next event, dubbed Awe Dropping and taking place on September 9, is rumored to bring loads of design and functionality changes to three of the companys best-selling devices. It wont just be recycled iPhones and wearables with slightly faster processors that nobody cares about. Were expecting dramatic changes to key devices, and I cant wait to see what Apple has in store for us.The most Pro AirPods Pro everEven though the event is iPhone-centric, Im actually anticipating the AirPods Pro 3 the most. While AirPods during their early days started as very basic wireless earbuds, theyve evolved into complex devices over the years. Today, the AirPods Pro 2 tap into hearing health and offer advanced audio features that truly enhance the listening experience. I can only imagine what their successors will bring.Rumors suggest well see a more compact design that shortens the existing stems. Like the AirPods 4, the charging case may also do away with the physical pairing button in favor of a more futuristic, capacitive one.Beyond the cosmetics, the AirPods Pro 3 could boast stronger active noice cancellation, which would limit exterior disturbance even more. And like its Beats-branded counterpart, the upcoming AirPods Pro could support heart rate measurements. This would provide watch-less users with more health data when recording workouts. Similarly, it may bring skin temperature monitoring and detect potential irregularities.The latest Powerbeats Pro have heart rate sensors. We expect the same from AirPods Pro 3.FoundryThe best part about AirPods Pro is Apples commitment in the software department. While the above-mentioned hardware perks are sufficiently exciting on their own, the company will likely supercharge them further via firmware updates for years to come. For example, the AirPods Pro 2 continue to receive noteworthy additions every year, despite being three years old. In fact, Apple could announce a handy live translation tool for them during the upcoming event.A Pro camera for prosAs a mobile photography enthusiast, I absolutely despise my iPhone 16 Pro Maxs telephoto lens. Android phone manufacturers have been letting their users shoot faraway subjects with 100x zoom, while the iPhone is still limited to 5x optical and 25x digital zooms. While 25x zoom, in theory, is adequate in many use cases, the output quality is often subpar. Fortunately, the iPhone 17 Pro may finally address that.If the rumors materialize, the telephoto lens may finally catch up to the wide and ultra-wide ones, bumping the resolution to 48MP. The change would help minimize pixelation, especially in dimly lit environments. It could also unlock 8x optical zoom, a welcome bump from 5x.FoundryOther rumored iPhone 17 Pro camera upgrades I look forward to include the redesigned rear bump and the standalone advanced camera app. Apple already offers a Final Cut Camera app for video recordinga Pro photography app would complement it nicely.Going to the matteI exclusively use dark mode on all of my Apple devices, and so do many users with sensitive eyes. This, however, also means that I have to stare at my faces reflection whenever Im using my iPhone, which can be quite distracting. According to rumors, Apple may fix this issue on the iPhone 17 Pro by applying a new anti-reflective layer on the screen. It could potentially mimic the matte Nano Texture display option offered by some iPads and Macs.Half an iPhone FoldOther compelling screen upgrades coming this fall could include the expansion of the 120Hz refresh rate to all iPhone 17 models. The featurecurrently exclusive to Pro iPhoneswould accelerate animations and make transitions smoother.To the all iPhones look the same folk, this one is particularly exciting. During the next event, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 Aira competitively slim edition that prepares for 2026s potential iPhone Fold debut. It wont be the most technologically advanced handset, but it certainly will appeal to casual users seeking a mind-blowingly sleek phone.The iPhone 17 Air is going to be the thinnest iPhone of all time.@zellzoiMore Series, less SEDespite being the iPhone makers lowest-end smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE supports most of the features offered by its higher-end Series counterpart. Sure, you miss out on the always-on display, ECG sensor, and other nice-to-have perks, but otherwise you get the same main ecosystem integrations and fitness tracking.In September, Apple could be upgrading the SE model in two key ways, bringing it closer to the Series watches. For starters, the Apple Watch SE 3 could finally adopt the bigger build first introduced with the Series 7, as the Series 10 and (presumably) 11 move onto an even larger design. The shift to a wider display could also include thinner bezels, contributing to a more modern look.The new Apple Watch SE 3 should get meaningful improvements, closer in line to a Series 9.FoundryApple is expected to bump the next SE smartwatchs processor from S8 to S11, potentially unlocking more intensive features the Series line has had for years. These could include the double-tap gesture, Siri health data access, wrist flick for dismissing notifications, and more.All of these boosts would make the Apple Watch SE 3 a more tempting option for budget customers, as the compromises continue to shrink.The missing WWDC segmentDuring last years WWDC, Apple infamously made some serious promises it couldnt keep. The company has since learned not to overshare during its developer conference. As such, at WWDC25, Apple primarily only previewed features included with OS 26.0 and refrained from revealing future perks coming with OS version 26.1 and beyond.With the iPhone launch event likely being close to OS 26.1 betas release, the company could logically preview some major unannounced OS 26.1 features it has readied during the keynote. And, similar to previous years, it could also unveil some exciting software tools exclusive to the new devices.

The two PACs reflect a new level of political engagement by companies like Meta and investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, which are spending heavily on artificial intelligence.

At some middle and high schools in the United States, 1 in 4 teens report they've abused prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during the year prior, a new study found.

I dont mean to fire shots here, but Dysons Bladeless Fans arent exactly bladeless. The blades are just concealed inside a vertical chamber, so you dont see them, and the term bladeless is just a marketing team at work. Similarly, wireless chargers arent technically wireless. You still need a wire connecting the charger to a power outlet, the only place where the wire is missing is the part where the wire plugs into the phone but for all intents and purposes, wireless chargers arent wireless, theyre merely portless. However, the MAGLYNX is ushering in an age of truly wireless chargers that have absolutely zero wires.The MAGLYNX charger isnt so much a charging pad as it is a direct, magnetic extension of your wall outlet. It plugs straight into the socket, presenting a clean, MagSafe-compatible face to the world. The concept is refreshingly simple; your phone doesnt rest on a cluttered nightstand, it simply snaps to the wall, suspended as if by a minor miracle. It transforms a mundane power outlet into a dedicated, minimalist docking station. No stands, no mats, and most importantly, no tether. Your phone just floats, charging hands-free while remaining perfectly usable.Designer: David LernerClick Here to Buy Now: $49. Hurry, only 17/20 left!Your phone doesnt just charge; it becomes a little wall display. StandBy mode, FaceTime calls, streaming a playlist in the kitchen suddenly your charging spot is a functional bit of home, not a cluttered eyesore. Maglynx turns every power outlet into a mini tech hub. The device is compact enough to stay out of your way, but when your phone or AirPods are attached, its an instant, unobtrusive command center. If youre the type who likes to keep your phone visible for notifications or quick glances, youll find yourself using it in ways you hadnt expected.The trick is in the details. Maglynxs patent-pending design shrugs off heat and impact, so youre not swapping out cracked plastic every year. It does the smart thing with your battery, too trickle charging when you hit 100 percent, instead of hammering away until your phones lifespan gives up. This isnt just good marketing; its an answer to a real problem with lesser wireless chargers, which can keep pumping current long after your device is full, quietly shaving years off your battery. Maglynx steps down the power intelligently, keeping your phone healthy for the long haul.Maglynx outputs a full 15W of wireless charging for Qi2 and MagSafe-compatible devices, which is the maximum allowed by the MagSafe standard. That means your iPhone and AirPods (and, with the right case, even some Androids) charge at the fastest safe speed something modern-day wireless chargers still struggle with. Theres also a USB-C port for the overachievers who want to juice up a second device. Plug in your iPad, Kindle, or that second phone you keep for travel, and youre charging two at once from a single outlet, no splitter required. If youre an Apple Watch user, theres an upgrade option for a dedicated Watch module so one Maglynx can handle your entire Apple arsenal in one go.Even the prongs fold flat, so if you want to pop it in your bag for travel, it wont snag on anything. But really, once its in the wall, youll want it to stay there a permanent little power hub, always waiting. Maglynx comes in a couple of understated colorways, like classic white and a deep slate gray, so it wont clash with your dcor. The whole vibe is minimalist, subtle, and dare it be said actually wireless for once. No more mats sliding around your desk, no more cables fraying, no more wondering which end is up.The Qi2 compatibility means the MAGLYNX works with the new Pixel 10 phones as well as existing MagSafe-friendly iPhones. The charger comes in Black and White variants and starts at just $49 plus global shipping but for an extra $10, the makers will throw in a MagSafe-compatible charging case too.Click Here to Buy Now: $49. Hurry, only 17/20 left!The post Why Every Wireless Charger Has Been Lying to You Until Now first appeared on Yanko Design.

In America, the phrase "Now we're cooking with gas" was slang for "Now we're really operating efficiently." It originated as a marketing slogan in the 1930s, created by the American Gas Association to push newfangled gas-fired ranges and ovens. And back then, gas stoves were indeed a step up from its predecessor: The wood-fired stove. Times have changed. We now know that "cooking with gas" could be likened to "playing with fire," in terms of our health. "You wouldn't stand over the tailpipe of a car breathing in the exhaust from that car. And yet nearly 50 million households stand over a gas stove, breathing the same pollutants in their homes," Rob Jackson, an environmental scientist at Stanford University and lead author on a study on pollution from gas cooking, told Food Manufacturing. Gas stoves release pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, which is linked to asthma, and benzene, which is linked to cancer.Gas stoves can also be a hassle for those who live in cities. Imagine an entire apartment building filled with gas stoves. If a gas leak is detected, as happens a lotU.S. fire departments are called to some 125,000 residential gas leaks each yeargas to the entire building must be shut off while the problem is addressed. No one in the building can cook until it's fixedand that can literally take months. Electric stoves emit no fumes and are more efficient, with up to 80% of the heat generated reaching the target pots and pans. (Gas stoves waste about 50%.) Induction stoves are better still; since they only heat the surface that contacts the pot, their efficiency is around 90%.The main hassles of switching to an electric or induction stove are the higher cost of the units, and the added expense of retrofitting them. Electric and induction stoves require 240V outlets, higher-amperage breakers and new wiring, which means you've got to hire an electrician to get into the walls. Now a California-based company called Copper has solved at least one of those problems. They've designed Charlie, a revolutionary induction stove that comes with a battery. (Ed. note: Charlie was a Notable Entry in the 2024 Core77 Design Awards) Why? Because you can plug it into a regular 120V outlet, no rewiring necessary. The battery draws power at night, when electricity costs are cheaper; when it's time to cook during the day, Charlie's got all the juice it needs. It can run all four burners and the oven at the same time. The problem Copper hasn't yet solved is the cost. Charlie runs six grand, about double what you'd pay for a high-end electric or gas stove. Hopefully those costs will come down over time. Even with the high price tag, the company has managed to strike a deal with the NYC Housing Authority to deliver 10,000 units. Clean-energy government incentiveswhich will probably go away under the new administrationbrought the price down to $3,200 per unit at the time the deal was struck. The Charlie units will be a boon for building managers who don't want to deal with gas hassles and don't have the budget to retrofit every apartment's kitchen with 240V. One challenge with installation I should mention is, the battery-laden Charlie units are extremely heavy, at over 350 lbs. (Electric or gas stoves usually weigh less than half that.) For the sake of the installers, hopefully they're going into elevator buildings.

When the U.S. government signs contracts with private technology companies, the fine print rarely reaches the public. Palantir Technologies, however, has attracted more and more attention over the past decade because of the size and scope of its contracts with the government.Palantirs two main platforms are Foundry and Gotham. Each does different things. Foundry is used by corporations in the private sector to help with global operations. Gotham is marketed as an operating system for global decision making and is primarily used by governments.I am a researcher who studies the intersection of data governance, digital technologies, and the U.S. federal government. Im observing how the government is increasingly pulling together data from various sources, and the political and social consequences of combining those data sources. Palantirs work with the federal government using the Gotham platform is amplifying this process.Gotham is an investigative platform built for police, national security agencies, public health departments, and other state clients. Its purpose is deceptively simple: take whatever data an agency already has, break it down into its smallest components, and then connect the dots. Gotham is not simply a database. It takes fragmented data, scattered across various agencies and stored in different formats, and transforms it into a unified, searchable web.The stakes are high with Palantirs Gotham platform. The software enables law enforcement and government analysts to connect vast, disparate datasets, build intelligence profiles, and search for individuals based on characteristics as granular as a tattoo or an immigration status. It transforms historically static recordsthink department of motor vehicles files, police reports, and subpoenaed social media data like location history and private messagesinto a fluid web of intelligence and surveillance.These departments and agencies use Palantirs platform to assemble detailed profiles of individuals, mapping their social networks, tracking their movements, identifying their physical characteristics, and reviewing their criminal history. This can involve mapping a suspected gang members network using arrest logs and license plate reader data, or flagging individuals in a specific region with a particular immigration status.The efficiency the platform enables is undeniable. For investigators, what once required weeks of cross-checking siloed systems can now be done in hours or less. But by scaling up the governments investigative capacity, Gotham also alters the relationship between the state and the people it governs.Shifting the balance of powerThe political ramifications of Palantirs rise come into focus when you consider its influence and reach across the government. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alone has spent more than $200 million on Palantir contracts, relying on the software to run its Investigative Case Management system and to integrate travel histories, visa records, biometric data, and social media data.The Department of Defense has awarded Palantir billion-dollar contracts to support battlefield intelligence and AI-driven analysis. Even domestic agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Internal Revenue Service, and local police agencies like the New York Police Department, have contracted with Palantir for data integration projects.These integrations mean that Palantir is not just a vendor of software; it is becoming a partner in how the federal government organizes and acts on information. That creates a kind of dependency. The same private company helps define how investigations are conducted, how targets are prioritized, how algorithms work, and how decisions are justified.Because Gotham is proprietary, the public, and even elected officials, cannot see how its algorithms weigh certain data points or why they highlight certain connections. Yet the conclusions it generates can have life-altering consequences: inclusion on a deportation list or identification as a security risk. The opacity makes democratic oversight difficult, and the systems broad scope and wide deployment means that mistakes or biases can scale up rapidly to affect many people.Beyond law enforcementSupporters of Palantirs work argue that it modernizes outdated government IT systems, bringing them closer to the kind of integrated analytics that are routine in the private sector. However, the political and social stakes are different in public governance. Centralized, attribute-based searching, whether by location, immigration status, tattoos or affiliations, creates the capacity for mass profiling.In the wrong hands, or even in well-intentioned hands under shifting political conditions, this kind of system could normalize surveillance of entire communities. And the criteria that trigger scrutiny today could be expanded tomorrow.U.S. history provides warning examples: The mass surveillance of Muslim communities after 9/11, the targeting of civil rights activists in the 1960s, and the monitoring of anti-war protesters during the Vietnam era are just a few.Gothams capabilities may enable government agencies to carry out similar operations on a much larger scale and at a faster pace. And once some form of data integration infrastructure exists, its uses tend to expand, often into areas far from its original mandate.A broader shift in governanceThe deeper story here isnt just that the government is collecting more data. Its that the structure of governance is changing into a model where decision-making is increasingly influenced by what integrated data platforms reveal. In a pre-Gotham era, putting someone under suspicion of wrongdoing might have required specific evidence linked to an event or witness account. In a Gotham-enabled system, suspicion can stem from patterns in the datapatterns whose importance is defined by proprietary algorithms.This level of data integration means that government officials can use potential future risks to justify present action. The predictive turn in governance aligns with a broader shift toward what some scholars call preemptive security. It is a logic that can erode traditional legal safeguards that require proof before punishment. The stakes for democracyThe partnership between Palantir and the federal government raises fundamental questions about accountability in a data-driven state. Who decides how these tools are used? Who can challenge a decision that was made by software, especially if that software is proprietary?Without clear rules and independent oversight, there is a risk that Palantirs technology becomes normalized as a default mode of governance. They could be used not only to track suspected criminals or terrorists but also to manage migration flows, monitor and suppress protests, and enforce public health measures. The concern is not that these data integration capabilities exist, but that government agencies could use them in ways that undermine civil liberties without public consent.Once put in use, such systems are hard to dismantle. They create new expectations for speed and efficiency in law enforcement, making it politically costly to revert to slower, more manual processes. That inertia can lock in not only the technology but also the expanded scope of surveillance it enables.Choosing the futureAs Palantir deepens its government partnerships, the issues its technology raises go beyond questions of cost or efficiency. There are civil liberties implications and the potential for abuse. Will strong legal safeguards and transparent oversight constrain these tools for integrated data analysis? The answer is likely to depend on political will as much as technical design.Ultimately, Palantirs Gotham is more than just software. It represents how modern governance might function: through data, connections, continuous monitoring, and control. The decisions made about its use today are likely to shape the balance between security and freedom for decades to come.Nicole M. Bennett is a PhD candidate in geography and assistant director at the Center for Refugee Studies at Indiana University.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Hi everyone! Cara is currently experiencing very high traffic load and we are aware some users have had trouble accessing the platform or signing up these last couple days. We would like to post an update on the sites current status:First of allweve had a spike in new user signups and we want to say a warm welcome to all new users! Unfortunately, there were also some attacks on Cara mixed in, so it took a while for our team to disentangle things, but services should start returning to normal now. Currently known issues &amp; troubleshooting infoCan't signup Signups were blocked for a few hours while we fixed things, please try again now &amp; let us know if you still can't sign in or sign up. Profile pictures not saving on mobile app Try using cara.app in browser and see if that solves the issueOTPs sent to emails timing out We can't figure out what's causing this, please contact us with info on the email service you're using/any screenshots.You can also use Google/Apple instead of email to sign up, but you dont wish to, rest assured we are actively looking into the issue.AI detection alerts Edge cases where alerts pop up for AI detection and user can't publish their postthis was a feature in our early beta from over half a year ago, and its already been depreciated and should no longer be happening. If this occurs, please verify you're on latest version of the app and contact us with your device and OS version, and any other info you can provide!Glaze is temporarily disabled This is due to our security measures and we will work to reenable it as soon as we can get through all other security and access issues.TLDR: Site experienced huge traffic spike of genuine traffic mixed in with some attacks on Cara. We have some temporary measures in place now which should help the site return to normal while we work on permanent solutions. If you still experience slowness or outages, please report to the team as it helps us immensely to be aware of whats happening. We appreciate everyones patience and understanding as we work through all this! Gentle reminder that Cara is still in beta so there may be hiccups and things are far from polished. We hope you can be patient with us as Cara is built by a group of volunteers and we are a very small team! Supporting Cara You can support Cara with Buy Us a Coffee. Everything go towards hosting and server costs to help keep Cara running. If youd like to join our volunteer team at Cara, we are looking for engineers, project assistants, moderators, and social media and support staff to help our growing community. Check out our blog post for more info. Bug ReportsBug reports are always helpful!Cara is a huge engineering effort for a small team, and we cant always catch every bug. If you let us know when you encounter issues, then we can look into them, or else we may not even be aware!So please contact us if you encounter any bugs or issues. You can reach us via Discord or email: support@cara.app Thank you for the support! - The Cara Team Have questions? Join us on Discord!cara | twitter | instagram | buy us a coffee

Nvidia said sales growth this quarter will remain above 50%, signaling to Wall Street that demand for AI infrastructure shows no sign of fading.

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Meta hosted several AI chatbots with the names and likenesses of celebrities without their permission, according to Reuters. The unauthorized chatbots that Reuters discovered during its investigation included Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson, and they were available on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. At least one of the chatbots was based on an underage celebrity and allowed the tester to generate a lifelike shirtless image of the real person. The chatbots also apparently kept insisting that they were the real person they were based on in their chats. While several chatbots were made by third-party users with Meta's tools, Reuters unearthed at least three that were made by a product lead of the company's generative AI division.Some of the chatbots created by the product lead were based on Taylor Swift, which responded to Reuters' tester in a very flirty manner, even inviting them to the real Swift's home in Nashville. "Do you like blonde girls, Jeff?," the chatbot reportedly asked when told that the tester was single. "Maybe Im suggesting that we write a love story... about you and a certain blonde singer. Want that?" Meta told Reuters that it prohibits "direct impersonation" of celebrities, but they're acceptable as long as they're labeled as parodies. The news organization said some of the celebrity chatbots it found weren't labeled as such. Meta reportedly deleted around a dozen celebrity bots, both labeled and unlabeled as "parody," before the story was published.The company told Reuters that the product lead only created the celebrity bots for testing, but the news org found that they were widely available: Users were even able to interact with them more than 10 million times. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told the news organization that Meta's tools shouldn't have been able to create sensitive images of celebrities and blamed it on the company's failure to enforce its own policies.This isn't the first issue that's popped up concerning Meta's AI chatbots. Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal previously reported that they were able to engage in sexual conversations with minors. The US Attorneys General of 44 jurisdictions recently warned AI companies in a letter that they "will be held accountable" for child safety failures, singling out Meta and using its issues to "provide an instructive opportunity."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-reportedly-allowed-unauthorized-celebrity-ai-chatbots-on-its-services-163026023.html?src=rss

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Labor Day sales are rolling in, and Lifehacker is sharing the best bargains based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before theyre over. You can also subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.The iPad Air is the best iPad for people who really like iPads. The regular iPad is great for kids and basic use, while the iPad Pro is designed to handle professional level creative workflows, with its latest M4 chip and tandem-OLED display. The iPad Air, on the other hand, gives you everything you need from an iPad, without the compromises of the base iPad, and for far less than the iPad Pro. And during Labor Day sales, you can get the 128GB base 11-inch iPad Air for $449.99. That's down from the sticker price of $599, and it's the lowest price yet for the latest iPad Air. Apple iPad Air 11-inch with M3 chip Built for Apple Intelligence, Liquid Retina Display, 128GB, 12MP Front/Back Camera, Wi-Fi 6E + 5G Cellular, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life Blue $599.00 at Amazon $749.00 Save $150.00 Get Deal Get Deal $599.00 at Amazon $749.00 Save $150.00 The device has an 11-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 bits of brightness and 23601640 resolution. It's powered by the M3 chip from last year, which is still way more powerful than most iPad users will need, with an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. There is also 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Even when you factor in the new multitasking and freeform window support coming to iPadOS 26, this thing can handle it. The iPad Air supports both the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the Apple Pencil Pro. And unlike the iPad Pro, it uses Touch ID in the power button for authentication, rather than Face ID. In its expert review, PCMag gave the M3 iPad Air a 4-star rating and an Editor's Choice award, noting, "[The] iPad Air remains the best choice for students and creators who need a powerful tablet at a decent price."If you want to go a size larger, you can also check out the 13-inch iPad Air, which is also discounted to its lowest price ever, at $649 (down from $799). Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Google Pixel 10 128GB Unlocked Phone With $100 Amazon Gift Card (Obsidian) $799.00 (List Price $899.00) Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium JetBlack) $849.99 (List Price $1,099.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core $39.99 (List Price $69.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023) $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team

The pervasive image of a recording studio many of us have in our minds is of a well enclosed and insulated space with moody lighting, darker earth-tone accents, wall-to-wall carpeting, and wood paneling. Its this collection of commonly held impressions that inspired the design of the new M1 Larrabee Creator Edition, high-end and craft-forward music device producer Wrensilvas first limited-run record console. With record playing popularity enduring, it only makes sense that this tech-enabled furnishing should embody the equally timeless aesthetic of mid-century modern design.The new M1 Larrabee Creator Editon was developed in close partnership with multi Grammy-award-winning engineer Manny Marroquin the force behind many of Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Rosalia, Usher, The Weekend, and Bruno Marss most successful releases. The design fully reflects the look and feel of the North Hollywood Larrabee Studios hes long used. Established in 1969, the venue is now under his ownership and management but still retains much of its original appearance.Were honored to celebrate 55 years of [the complex] by collaborating with Wrensilva on a HiFi console that brings the studio home where every texture, every tone, feels intentional, Marroquin says. Its a celebration of how music shapes space. Its an emotional artifact something youll proudly pass down to future generations.Meticulously crafted in San Diego, California, the 55 limited edition pieces are identified by its layer pattern walnut doors, silver and gold speaker grilles, anodized black metal legs, and leather accents: in mocha, sky blue, and white. Each is numbered and includes distinctive iconography: Marroquins solid brass encased monogram and Larrabee Studios embossed logo. Backlit LEDs illuminate various components of the piece, introducing additional visceral and nostalgic dimension.Owing to Marroquins proven expertise, various R&amp;D listening sessions led to acoustic optimization. The device emits an authentic, warm yet expansive sound. To achieve near exact replication of original recordings, the split-plinth turntable and solid-state electronics were positioned with precision. Class D amplifiers and custom 2-way speakers incorporate a 9.5-inch Egyptian Papyrus cone woofer paired with a 1-inch AirCirc textile dome tweeter. The goal: to create a studio-quality performance each time the M1 is put to use.Collaborating with Manny over the years has allowed us to deliver a signature sound that is warm, dimensional, and faithful, says Scott Salyer, Wrensilva co-founder and audio leader. Building a creator edition M1 with Manny that lives up to both his and Larrabee Studios sonic legacy is a privilege.Each device that ships will be joined by three records carefully compiled by Marroquin to reflect Larrabee Studios illustrious history. Some highlights include Madonnas Ray of Light, Michael Jacksons Dangerous, Dr. Dres 2001, Alicia Keys As I Am, and Leon Bridges Good Thing.The demonstration of distilling the atmosphere and historical attributions of an iconic space within this furnishing and technological device is unmatched. Its an interesting proposition that other designers and companies could consider exploring.Manny MarroquinFor more information or to purchase the Wrensilva M1 Larrabee Creator Edition record console for $19,900, visit wrensilva.com.Photography by Mike Peters.

A few years ago, I was in a design review at a fintech company, polishing the expense management flows. It was a routine session where we reviewed the logic behind content and design decisions.While looking over the statuses for submitted expenses, I noticed a label saying In approval. I paused, re-read it again, and asked myself:Where is it? Are the results in? Where can I find them? Are they sending me to the app section called Approval?This tiny label made me question what was happening with my money, and this feeling of uncertainty was quite anxiety-inducing.My team, all native English speakers, did not flinch, even for a second, and moved forward to discuss other parts of the flow. I was the only non-native speaker in the room, and while the label made perfect sense to them, it still felt off to me.After a quick discussion, we landed on Pending approval the simplest and widely recognised option internationally. More importantly, this wording makes it clear that theres an approval process, and it hasnt taken place yet. Theres no need to go anywhere to do it.Some might call it nitpicking, but that was exactly the moment I realised how invisible yet powerful the non-native speakers perspective can be. In a reality where user testing budgets arent unlimited, designing with familiar language patterns from the start helps you prevent costly confusions in the user journey.Those same confusions often lead to:Higher rate of customer service queries,Lower adoption rates,Higher churn,Distrust and confusion.As A Native Speaker, You Dont See The Whole PictureGlobal products are often designed with English as their primary language. This seems logical, but heres the catch:Roughly 75% of English-speaking users are not native speakers, which means 3 out of every 4 users.Native speakers often write on instinct, which works much like autopilot. This can often lead to overconfidence in content that, in reality, is too culturally specific, vague, or complex. And that content may not be understood by 3 in 4 people who read it.If your team shares the same native language, content clarity remains assumed by default rather than proven through pressure testing.The price for that is the accessibility of your product. A study by National Library of Medicine found that US adults who had proficiency in English but did not use it as their primary language were significantly less likely to be insured, even when provided with the same level of service as everyone else.In other words, they did not finish the process of securing a healthcare provider a process thats vital to their well-being, in part, due to unclear or inaccessible communication.If people abandon the process of getting something as vital as healthcare insurance, its easy to imagine them dropping out during checkout, account setup, or app onboarding.Non-native content designers, by contrast, do not write on autopilot. Because of their experience learning English, theyre much more likely to tune into nuances, complexity, and cultural exclusions that natives often overlook. Thats the key to designing for everyone rather than 1 in 4.Non-native Content Designers Make Your UX GlobalSpotting The Clutter And Cognitive Load IssuesWhen a non-native speaker has to pause, re-read something, or question the meaning of whats written, they quickly identify it as a friction point in the user experience. Why its important: Every extra second users have to spend understanding your content makes them more likely to abandon the task. This is a high price that companies pay for not prioritising clarity.Cognitive load is not just about complex sentences but also about the speed. Theres plenty of research confirming that non-native speakers read more slowly than native speakers. This is especially important when you work on the visibility of system status time-sensitive content that the user needs to scan and understand quickly.One example you can experience firsthand is an ATM displaying a number of updates and instructions. Even when theyre quite similar, it still overwhelms you when you realise that you missed one, not being able to finish reading.This kind of rapid-fire updates can increase frustration and the chances of errors.Always Advocating For Plain EnglishThey tend to review and rewrite things more often to find the easiest way to communicate the message. What a native speaker may consider clear enough might be dense or difficult for a non-native to understand.Why its important: Simple content better scales across countries, languages, and cultures.Catching Culture-specific Assumptions And ReferencesWhen things do not make sense, non-native speakers challenge them. Besides the idioms and other obvious traps, native speakers tend to fall into considering their life experience to be shared with most English-speaking users.Cultural differences might even exist within one globally shared language. Have you tried saying soccer instead of football in a conversation with someone from the UK? These details may not only cause confusion but also upset people.Why its important: Making sure your product is free from culture-specific references makes your product more inclusive and safeguards you from alienating your users.They Have Another Level Of Empathy For The Global AudienceBeing a non-native speaker themselves, they have experience with products that do not speak clearly to them. Theyve been in the global users shoes and know how it impacts the experience.Why its important: Empathy is a key driver towards design decisions that take into account the diverse cultural and linguistic background of the users. How Non-native Content Design Can Shape Your Approach To DesignYour product wont become better overnight simply because you read an inspiring article telling you that you need to have a more diverse team. I get it. So here are concrete changes that you can make in your design workflows and hiring routines to make sure your content is accessible globally.Run Copy Reviews With Non-native ReadersWhen you launch a new feature or product, its a standard practice to run QA sessions to review visuals and interactions. When your team does not include the non-native perspective, the content is usually overlooked and considered fine as long as its grammatically correct. I know, having a dedicated localisation team to pressure-test your content for clarity is a privilege, but you can always start small.At one of my previous companies, we established a clarity heroes council a small team of non-native English speakers with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. During our reviews, they often asked questions that surprised us and highlighted where clarity was missing:Whats a grace period?What will happen when I tap settle the payment?These questions flag potential problems and help you save both money and reputation by avoiding thousands of customer service tickets.Review Existing Flows For ClarityEven if your product does not have major releases regularly, it accumulates small changes over time. Theyre often plugged in as fixes or small improvements, and can be easily overlooked from a QA perspective.A good start will be a regular look at the flows that are critical to your business metrics: onboarding, checkout, and so on. Fence off some time for your team quarterly or even annually, depending on your product size, to come together and check whether your key content pieces serve the global audience well. Usually, a proper review is conducted by a team: a product designer, a content designer, an engineer, a product manager, and a researcher. The idea is to go over the flows, research insights, and customer feedback together. For that, having a non-native speaker on the audit task force will be essential. If youve never done an audit before, try this template as it covers everything you need to start.Make Sure Your Content Guidelines Are Global-readyIf you havent done it already, make sure your voice &amp; tone documentation includes details about the level of English your company is catering to. This might mean working with the brand team to find ways to make sure your brand voice comes through to all users without sacrificing clarity and comprehension. Use examples and showcase the difference between sounding smart or playful vs sounding clear. Leaning too much towards brand personality is where cultural differences usually shine through. As a user, you mightve seen it many times. Heres a banking app that wanted to seem relaxed and relatable by introducing Dang it as the only call-to-action on the screen.However, users with different linguistic backgrounds might not be familiar with this expression. Worse, they might see it as an action, leaving them unsure of what will actually happen after tapping it.Considering how much content is generated with AI today, your guidelines have to account for both tone and clarity. This way, when you feed these requirements to the AI, youll see the output that will not just be grammatically correct but also easy to understand.Incorporate Global English Heuristics Into Your Definition Of SuccessBasic heuristic principles are often documented as a part of overarching guidelines to help UX teams do a better job. The Nielsen Norman Group usability heuristics cover the essential ones, but it doesnt mean you shouldnt introduce your own. To complement this list, add this principle:Aim for global understanding: Content and design should communicate clearly to any user regardless of cultural or language background.You can suggest criteria to ensure its clear how to evaluate this:Action transparency: Is it clear what happens next when the user proceeds to the next screen or page?Minimal ambiguity: Is the content open to multiple interpretations?International clarity: Does this content work in a non-Western context?Bring A Non-native Perspective To Your Research, TooThis one is often overlooked, but collaboration between the research team and non-native speaking writers is super helpful. If your research involves a survey or interview, they can help you double-check whether there is complex or ambiguous language used in the questions unintentionally. In a study by the Journal of Usability Studies, 37% of non-native speakers did not manage to answer the question that included a word they did not recognise or could not recall the meaning of. The question was whether they found the system to be cumbersome to use, and the consequences of getting unreliable data and measurements on this would have a negative impact on the UX of your product.Another study by UX Journal of User Experience highlights how important clarity is in surveys. While most people in their study interpreted the question How do you feel about ? as Whats your opinion on ?, some took it literally and proceeded to describe their emotions instead.This means that even familiar terms can be misinterpreted. To get precise research results, its worth defining key terms and concepts to ensure common understanding with participants.Globalise Your GlossaryAt Klarna, we often ran into a challenge of inconsistent translation for key terms. A well-defined English term could end up having from three to five different versions in Italian or German. Sometimes, even the same features or app sections could be referred to differently depending on the market this led to user confusion. To address this, we introduced a shared term base a controlled vocabulary that included:English term,Definition,Approved translations for all markets,Approved and forbidden synonyms.Importantly, the term selection was dictated by user research, not by assumption or personal preferences of the team.If youre unsure where to begin, use this product content vocabulary template for Notion. Duplicate it for free and start adding your terms.We used a similar setup. Our new glossary was shared internally across teams, from product to customer service. Results? Reducing the support tickets related to unclear language used in UI (or directions in the user journey) by 18%. This included tasks like finding instructions on how to make a payment (especially with the least popular payment methods like bank transfer), where the late fee details are located, or whether its possible to postpone the payment. And yes, all of these features were available, and the team believed they were quite easy to find.A glossary like this can live as an add-on to your guidelines. This way, you will be able to quickly get up to speed new joiners, keep product copy ready for localisation, and defend your decisions with stakeholders.Approach Your Team Growth With An Open MindLooking for a native speaker still remains a part of the job listing for UX Writers and content designers. Theres no point in assuming its intentional discrimination. Its just a misunderstanding that stems from not fully accepting that our job is more about building the user experience than writing texts that are grammatically correct. Here are a few tips to make sure you hire the best talent and treat your applicants fairly:Remove the native speaker and fluency requirement.Instead, focus on the core part of our job: add clear communicator, ability to simplify, or experience writing for a global audience.Judge the work, not the accent.Over the years, there have been plenty of studies confirming that the accent bias is real people having an unusual or foreign accent are considered less hirable. While some may argue that it can have an impact on the efficiency of internal communications, its not enough to justify the reason to overlook the good work of the applicant. My personal experience with the accent is that it mostly depends on the situation youre in. When Im in a friendly environment and do not feel anxiety, my English flows much better as I do not overthink how I sound. Ironically, sometimes when Im in a room with my team full of British native speakers, I sometimes default to my Slavic accent. The question is: does it make my content design expertise or writing any worse? Not in the slightest.Therefore, make sure you judge the portfolios, the ideas behind the interview answers, and whiteboard challenge presentations, instead of focusing on whether the candidates accent implies that they might not be good writers.Good Global Products Need Great Non-native Content DesignNon-native content designers do not have a negative impact on your teams writing. They sharpen it by helping you look at your content through the lens of your real user base. In the globalised world, linguistic purity no longer benefits your products user experience. Try these practical steps and leverage the non-native speaking lens of your content designers to design better international products.

Nine months into the year, 2025 has already provided an unexpectedly banger run of video games. Weve gotten lost in blue-hued mansions and wielded baguettes in fights against god. Weve punched our way through layers of the underworld and cloned ourselves on hostile exoplanets. Weve cooked pork. Who needs Grand Theft Auto 6?

We know, we know weve been silent for a while. It takes a lot of time and energy to make marketing materials like trailers, and were trying to focus all our efforts on finishing Judas.But we also miss the days of having a more direct relationship with you, the gamer, so we thought, Why not start releasing some dev logs?Through these, we hope to communicate more frequently to update you with new details of what we are working on, without spoiling too much of what Judas has in store. The goal is to keep this pretty lo-fi, meaning more frequent updates than before, but not necessarily always with fancy trailers and super polished final imagery. (Though there will be more of those as well!)Want to Rent-A-Deputy?Feature update: VillainyWeve just finished a major milestone: Villainy. Villainy is a central feature of Judas. When you play BioShock or BioShock Infinite, the villain is always going to be the villain. Fontaine, Comstock theyre always going to be the bad guys. In Judas, your actions will attract members of the Big 3 to you as friends. But ignore one of them enough, and they become the villain. From there, they will get access to a new suite of powers to subvert your actions and goals. The clips below demonstrate just a little bit of the feature.This is just one example of how the Big 3 can retaliate. The more dangerous and character-specific stuff will be kept a secret, for now.Eventually, youll have to make decisions about who youre going to focus your energy on and who youll wind up alienating.But be careful not to rent one when Tom is pissed off. A focus on characterOne of my personal favorites of all time is Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor because of the emergent gameplay made possible by their Nemesis System. The system allows you to develop small relationships with multiple orcs. However, their goals were a little different than ours, because there are so many different orcs and they dont have time to develop them into characters.In Judas, youre going to get to know these characters intimately. We want losing one of them to feel like losing a friend. We want to play with that dynamic, and we want that choice to be super hard. The Big 3 are all going to be competing for your favor and attention. They can bribe you, save you in battle, talk shit about the other characters, and share with you their darkest secrets. But eventually, youve got to decide who you trust and who you dont.In BioShock Infinite, there was a lot of energy invested into developing your relationship with Elizabeth. By the end of the game, you knew everything about her, her abilities, her hopes and dreams.But the truth is she knew almost nothing about you, the gamer playing Booker. In Judas, the Big 3 observe you as you play, and they have feelings not only about how you approach combat, hacking, and crafting, but most importantly your interactions with the other two characters.As part of the Villainy Milestone, we also completed the biggest Judas playtest yet, where new players experienced this feature firsthand. Every time we test, we learn so much, and we love having that level of knowledge when working on the game. The testers shared tons of valuable feedback on the weight of decisions and how it impacted outcomes, their interest in learning more about character motivations, and how moments where the Big 3 helped or turned on them changed their future decisions.New Key ArtAnother thing were excited to be able to share is this:Were really happy to finally show this off. I have always personally been a huge fan of Drew Struzans work and that era of movie posters. The style is great at presenting films that have a big cast, like Star Wars. And Judas has a big cast. Outside of the lead roles, theres likely going to be more than one hundred speaking parts If you look closely, theres probably some details you might be curious about. Lets just say theres some stuff in this game that were not going to talk about right now, but everything here is relevant.Theres one thing were sure you all want to know: when is Judas coming out?!?!While we wish we could give you an exact date today, were not quite ready to finalize that. As you know, release dates have a way of slipping by, and wed like to avoid having to change the date after we announce it. But we know Judas is not really a game until the players get their hands on it, and thats a day everyone on the team is working toward.

Bringing together the worlds brightest minds and the latest accelerated computing technology leads to powerful breakthroughs that help tackle some of the biggest research problems.To foster such innovation, the NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program provides grants, mentors and technical support to doctoral students doing outstanding research relevant to NVIDIA technologies. The program, in its 25th year, is now accepting applications worldwide.It focuses on supporting students working in AI, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, computer graphics, robotics, healthcare, high-performance computing and related fields. Awards are up to $60,000 per student.Since its start in 2002, the Graduate Fellowship Program has awarded over 200 grants worth more than $7.3 million.Students must have completed at least their first year of Ph.D.-level studies at the time of application.The application deadline for the 2026-2027 academic year is Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. An in-person internship at an NVIDIA research office preceding the fellowship year is mandatory; eligible candidates must be available for the internship in summer 2026.For more on eligibility and how to apply, visit the program website.

2025 has been quite a year for anime with standout releases ranging from Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1to Solo Leveling Season 2, along with second seasons ofThe Apothecary Diaries and Dandadan, as well as exciting debuts like Sakamoto Days, Gachiakuta, and Takopis Original Sin, among others. There have certainly been both expected and surprising hits this year, but whats truly surprising is that this one anime comedy deserves far more recognition than it received.

8BitDo Pro 3 Bluetooth Controller - Gray $63 (was $70) with coupon until September 1 Get deal at Amazon 8BitDo Pro 3 Bluetooth Controller - G Classic $63 (was $70) with coupon until September 1 Get deal at Amazon 8BitDo's newest Nintendo and PC controller is on sale for the first time during Labor Day weekend. The 8BitDo Pro 3 Ultimate Bluetooth Gamepad for Switch 2, Switch, and PC is discounted to $63 (was $70) until September 1. Make sure to click the coupon box next to the price; the $7 discount will be applied at checkout. The Pro 3 just launched August 12 and already feels like a bargain at full price, so it's possible the controller will sell out before the coupon expires. It's worth noting that the Pro 3 sold out at full price during launch week.The caveat to this deal is that only the Gray and G Classic editions of the 8BitDo Pro 3 are eligible for the 10% coupon. The GameCube-inspired purple edition--the most popular of the three colors--is still selling for the full $70. Amazon also has great deals on the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 and Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controllers. PC players can get the Ultimate 2 Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Edition for $50 (was $65), and the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth is down to $60 (was $70).Continue Reading at GameSpot

Le logiciel Postshot, destiné à la création de gaussian splatting, sort de beta et passe en version 1. Le signe d’une plus grande stabilité, qui s’accompagne de nombreuses avancées.Le modèle économique évolue également, même si une versio

Following a week of strife at the disaster relief agency, Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem told FEMA employees to “be vocal” about their positive experiences with the Trump administration.

For under $200, you won’t find a better soundbar on the market. The post Amazon Has a Huge Surplus of Bose TV Speakers, So It’s Selling Them Now for Peanuts appeared first on Kotaku.

Gearbox's loot shooter is promising a big expansion in 2026 The post <i>Borderlands 4</i> Post-Launch Roadmap Reveals The Return Of Something Fans Loved From <i>Borderlands 2</i> appeared first on Kotaku.

From Volvo to Vogue, here are the worst offenders.

August 31: Independence Day in Malaysia (1957); Romanian Language Day in Moldova and RomaniaNg nh Nhu1814 War of 1812: American militia forces repelled a British Army force at the Battle of Caulk's Field, killing 41 people including British Captain Peter Parker.1876 Sultan MuradV of the Ottoman Empire was deposed after a reign of 93 days on grounds of mental illness.1939 Nazi forces, posing as Poles, staged an attack against the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany, creating an excuse to invade Poland the next day.1959 A parcel bomb sent by Ng nh Nhu (pictured), younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese president Ng nh Dim, failed to kill Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister of Cambodia.2010 The last episode of The Bill, the longest-running police drama in British television history, was broadcast.Agnes Bulmer (b.1775)Itzhak Perlman (b.1945)Sara Ramirez (b.1975)Tantely Andrianarivo (d.2023)More anniversaries: August 30August 31September 1ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

For anyone who likes first-person shooters in which the action and gameplay seamlessly blend together to present a cohesive experience, the Borderlands franchise is sure to come to mind. Its a refreshing diversion from the often serious and grim takes on war and conflict that feature in other franchises like Call of Duty, for example, allowing for a more breezy tone although things can and do get dark from time to time.At its heart, each Borderlands game is about balance. Its about balancing humor and heart against a subtle analysis of corporate greed and oppression. Its about balancing excellent shooting with a loot drop system that allows for a lot of creative expression. Its about balancing the old and the new in ways that make sense in each successive instalment. We could go on and on.However, Borderlands 2 stands out as a highlight in the franchises history, and we would say that its one of the most solid experiences that takes everything that made its predecessor special, and dials those elements up to a hundred with aplomb. Its a game that we would gladly start over given a chance.But what makes it such a great title in our book? Strap yourselves in and find out.An Ambitious SequelWhile the story of the first Borderlands game certainly entertained us when we first played it, the sheer scope of its sequels narrative made it look like a proof of concept in retrospective comparison.Taking the premise established in the first game to new heights, Borderlands 2 was quite the rollercoaster, expanding on events in the first game while also bringing in a new set of Vault Hunters into the fold. However, by including the main characters from the first game as NPCs, Gearbox Software cleverly bridged the gap between its games and established a sort of continuity between them that would, well, continue, in Borderlands 3.The new story was able to sustain the humorous tone of the first game while also bringing a lot of heartfelt moments to the table in a way that was not only organic, but so well-paced and well-written that it had us wondering if the first game was only a prologue to Borderlands 2.Angels introduction and the conclusion to her story continues to give us goosebumps and serves as an example of how Gearbox managed to balance a light and breezy tone with darker moments that were sure to have players on the edge of their seats. You never knew what was coming next in Borderlands 2, and that made it a very special game in out book.A clever move was setting up the new narrative in the aftermath of events in the first game. It was a clever way of introducing Eridium and Handsome Jack into the mix, while allowing for entirely new Vault Hunters to take up the mantle of protagonists from the old guard.Doing so allowed Gearbox to increase both the size and scope of Pandora as well as its unique gameplay systems while providing the narrative space to include a slew of new characters who joined the returning cast to make Borderlands 2 a very ambitious tale indeed.And it was a move that worked well. Handsome Jacks efforts to secure a new Vault and his subsequent takeover of Pandora was the perfect way to expand on the narrative from the first game. It also allowed Gearbox to get quite creative in other areas of the game, as even the best of main narratives would not excuse a lack of innovation in gameplay mechanics and world building in a franchise that earned its reputation for precisely those reasons.But Borderlands 2 was able to live up to that challenge.Pandora 2.0The games expanded story had the added benefit of allowing Gearbox to add a more varied set of biomes for the Vault Hunters to explore. Pandora in Borderlands 2 was more than just a vast desert.It included lush grasslands, cold and desolate glaciers, murky swamps, and volcanic areas, allowing Gearbox to flaunt a vastly expanded vision for its art style from the first game. It was a benchmark in creative freedom, allowing its artists to let loose their ideas and bring variety to a title that thrived on it in other areas of the experience.With the results out there for all to see, its clear that Pandoras makeover was one that not only made sense from a narrative standpoint, but was also quite instrumental in making the experience of playing through Borderlands 2 all the more immersive as a result.Its a feat that can be quite hard to achieve by any standards in modern gaming, and Gearbox must be commended for its novel approach that encouraged its artists to go nuts with their designs. Its a move that allowed Borderlands 2 to explode with colors and distinctive visual overtones, making Pandora much more attractive as a destination in the process.We cant really blame Handsome Jack for setting up shop there, to be honest.More Vault Hunters, More InsanityWhile a new story and an expanded Pandora were important factors in making Borderlands 2 as appealing to us as it is, they pale in comparison to the way in which its cast continues to occupy a place of fond nostalgia in our minds.The four new Vault Hunters were the perfect blend of the old and new, bringing fresh new tweaks to the abilities of their predecessors while managing to stand out on their own enough to be compelling protagonists. Zer0 continues to be among our favorite assassins, Edward Kenway and Ezio Auditore notwithstanding.But where Borderlands 2 really hit the nail on its proverbial head was the clever integration of the previous games Vault Hunters into its expanded narrative, allowing the franchise to create a sort of bridge between the old and new in a manner that made sense while fleshing out each of those characters in a way that felt both satisfying and rewarding for its players.Learning more about the new Vault Hunters by discovering their voice logs was another highlight of the experience, allowing Gearbox to overcome the limitation of them being largely silent protagonists while providing its players with another incentive to try and visit every possible corner of Pandora that they could find.And that brings us to Handsome Jack. As an antagonist, he not just stole the spotlight away from the rest of the cast, but made it his own. Flitting between nonchalant arrogance and megalomaniacal rage, he continues to be among our most favorite antagonists of all time in modern gaming.Daemon Clarkes take on the character is one that is so unique, we almost found ourselves rooting for Jack at several points in the story. Up until Jacks actions at a crucial point in the games narrative changed our opinion of him forever, that is.And of course, there was Tiny Tina. Ashley Burchs ability to bring the character to life deserves a special mention especially in the intervening years since she took on the challenge of making Aloy a mainstay in PlayStations lineup of frontline characters on its Horizon franchise. Its not everyday that a character is so good they get their own spinoff title, after all.Borderline PsychoticAnd that brings us to the gameplay. The gameplay loop on offer in Borderlands 2 is yet another example of how Gearbox was able to blend the old and the new, bringing meaningful improvements to what made its first game special in ways that retained the originals familiarity while its new additions screamed of innovation.The core experience remained largely the same as the first game, with Borderlands 2 being an excellent looter shooter that allowed its players to utilize each Vault Hunters new skills in creative ways either solo or with their buddies in tow. That part didnt change, and it didnt have to.But the new and improved loot system, and the ability to share gear between cooperating players brought a layer of immersion to its collaborative multiplayer shenanigans. Expanding on the procedurally generated loot system of the previous game while adding new weapon manufacturers each of whom brought a quite distinctive style to their weapons was a stroke of genius in many ways.For starters, it allowed each player build to feel very unique and distinctive while also allowing for an easier time making those builds thanks to the ability to share loot. Second, it tied in very well with Pandoras new expanded size and scope, making the planet feel more alive and thriving with life than the first game could hope to manage.And lastly, it made Borderlands 2s combat all the more engaging, with players incentivized to take on enemies with the hope of getting their hands on a weapon that truly suited their playstyle or one that they could pass on to that one friend who sorely needed a better tool of destruction.The expanded loot system had us spending many an entertaining hour collecting weapons and swapping them in and out of our builds. It was an excellent expansion of an already fantastic gameplay mechanic, and will remain a source of fond memories of Borderlands 2 just like everything else in the game.Intuitive InnovationBorderlands 2 was a showcase of Gearboxs ability to gauge the elements of its titles that worked, and its determination to enhance ones that didnt in order to present a cohesive, inspired experience for its players.Its no surprise that the game has achieved the success that it did. While Borderlands 3 was an equally solid game in its own right, it is the second instalment in this evergreen franchise that holds a special place in our hearts. Perhaps Borderlands 4 can change that when it releases later this year? We certainly hope so!Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Stop us if you've heard this about flagship Android devices before Google's new Pro-Res Zoom on the Pixel 10 Pro fabricates detail with AI instead of capturing it with the lens.Google's new smartphonesThe Pixel 10 Pro, launched in August 2025, uses a 5x optical zoom lens. Beyond that, it depends on artificial intelligence. Google's "Pro-Res Zoom" applies a diffusion model to generate detail the sensor never recorded.Google brags about 10x and even 100x zoom, but beyond 5x the phone isn't capturing reality anymore. It's spitting out AI guesswork. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) today unveiled the August schedule for Friday Night Baseball.

Google just announced that a typical query to its Gemini app uses about 0.24 watt-hours of electricity. Thats about the same as running a microwave for one secondsomething that, to me, feels virtually insignificant. I run the microwave for so many more seconds than that on most days.I was excited to see this report come out, and I welcome more openness from major players in AI about their estimated energy use per query. But Ive noticed that some folks are taking this number and using it to conclude that we dont need to worry about AIs energy demand. Thats not the right takeaway here. Lets dig into why.1. This one number doesnt reflect all queries, and it leaves out cases that likely use much more energy.Googles new report considers only text queries. Previous analysis, including MIT Technology Reviews reporting, suggests that generating a photo or video will typically use more electricity.When I spoke with Jeff Dean, Googles chief scientist, he said the company doesnt currently have plans to do this sort of analysis for images and videos, but that he wouldnt rule it out.The reason the company started with text prompts is that those are something many people out there are using in their daily lives, he says, while image and video generation is something that not as many people are doing. But Im seeing more AI images and videos all over my social feeds. So theres a whole world of queries not represented here.Also, this estimate is the median, meaning its just the number in the middle of the range of queries Google is seeing. Longer questions and responses can push up the energy demand, and so can using a reasoning model. We dont know anything about how much energy these more complicated queries demand or what the distribution of the range is.2. We dont know how many queries Gemini is seeing, so we dont know the products total energy impact.One of my biggest outstanding questions about Geminis energy use is the total number of queries the product is seeing every day.This number isnt included in Googles report, and the company wouldnt share it with me. And let me be clear: I absolutely pestered them about this, both in a press call they had about the news and in my interview with Dean. In the press call, the company pointed me to a recent earnings report, which includes only figures about monthly active users (450 million, for what its worth).Were not comfortable revealing that for various reasons, Dean told me on our call. The total number is an abstract measure that changes over time, he says, adding that the company wants users to be thinking about the energy usage per prompt.But there are people out there all over the world interacting with this technology, not just meand what we all add up to seems quite relevant.OpenAI does publicly share its total, sharing recently that it sees 2.5 billion queries to ChatGPT every day. So for the curious, we can use this as an example and take the companys self-reported average energy use per query (0.34 watt-hours) to get a rough idea of the total for all people prompting ChatGPT.According to my math, over the course of a year, that would add up to over 300 gigawatt-hoursthe same as powering nearly 30,000 US homes annually. When you put it that way, it starts to sound like a lot of seconds in microwaves.3. AI is everywhere, not just in chatbots, and were often not even conscious of it.AI is touching our lives even when were not looking for it. AI summaries appear in web searches, whether you ask for them or not. There are built-in features for email and texting applications that that can draft or summarize messages for you.Googles estimate is strictly for Gemini apps and wouldnt include many of the other ways that even this one company is using AI. So even if youre trying to think about your own personal energy demand, its increasingly difficult to tally up.To be clear, I dont think people should feel guilty for using tools that they find genuinely helpful. And ultimately, I dont think the most important conversation is about personal responsibility.Theres a tendency right now to focus on the small numbers, but we need to keep in mind what this is all adding up to. Over two gigawatts of natural gas will need to come online in Louisiana to power a single Meta data center this decade. Google Cloud is spending $25 billion on AI just in the PJM grid on the US East Coast. By 2028, AI could account for 326 terawatt-hours of electricity demand in the US annually, generating over 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.We need more reporting from major players in AI, and Googles recent announcement is one of the most transparent accounts yet. But one small number doesnt negate the ways this technology is affecting communities and changing our power grid.This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Reviews weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.

MGM Resorts is launching a licensed version of Family Feud, played and streamed live from a studio in Las Vegas MGM Grand casino.In a new Live from Vegas offering, MGM Resorts is hosting a licensed adaptation of Family Feud, a game show that pits two families against one another. The classic remake will be streamed live and in real time from a studio on the casino floor of MGM Grand in Las Vegas.Were thrilled to announce the launch of Live from Vegas, in partnership with Playtech, featuring a licensed and interactive adaptation of @FremantleHQs classic gameshow Family Feud.This first-of-its kind experience streams live and in real time from a studio located on MGM pic.twitter.com/GlNaxgNdNF MGM Resorts (@MGMResortsIntl) August 28, 2025This is the first time that an interactive game show will be broadcast live from a Las Vegas casino, although streaming is nothing new to the MGM Grand. The casinos studio already broadcasts various interactive table games, like blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. All of the games are hosted in a fully transparent glass studio visible to the public 24/7.MGM Resorts, with Playtech and Fremantle, is at the forefront of digital gaming bringing the iconic Las Vegas experience to people around the globe, said Gary Fritz, President, MGM Resorts International Interactive.The live dealer studio marks a major step in our growth strategy and pursuit of being the worlds premier gaming entertainment company. We will continue working to create unforgettable moments and new ways to enjoy what the Las Vegas Strip has to offer.Live Vegas experiences at MGM Resorts and beyondThis new offering is the second phase of MGM Resorts and Playtechs strategic partnership, which is focused on delivering new live gaming experiences. MGM Resorts is not alone in pursuing such efforts, with another Las Vegas icon, Caesars Palace, also experimenting in the space, as part of a wider push from Vegas facilities to cater to in-person audiences.Were proud to unveil our full suite of live-streamed experiences from Las Vegas, now featuring Family Feud, said Mor Weizer, Chief Executive Officer at Playtech. This next phase of our collaboration with MGM Resorts and Fremantle represents our shared ambition to redefine live gaming entertainment. Together, were introducing a new category of immersive and engaging content to support growth in regulated markets, built on a foundation of robust compliance and player protection.Looking forward, the plan is to broaden the portfolio further with more entertainment experiences that suit the Las Vegas audience.Featured image: MGM ResortsThe post MGM Resorts launches modern adaptation of Family Feud from the casino floor appeared first on ReadWrite.

A new version of LibreOffice, a popular open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, wont run on 32-bit PCs, or support the Windows 7 or 8 operating systems.The Document Foundation earlier this month released version 25.8 of the free productivity suite, which was downloaded 642,564 times in its first week, according to a blog entry on the organizations website.Most Windows software comes in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and most software vendors offer support for both for backward compatibility.LibreOffice, which includes apps for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics creation, and more, is popular among Linux users and is included in many Linux distributions. A version is also available for macOS.The base desktop software is free of AI tools and targeted for customers who want an alternative to Office without the frills. A cloud-based paid version of LibreOffice is available at Collabora Online.But more AI tools are coming to LibreOffice desktop in the form of extensions. Earlier this month, StableDiffusion released an AI image generator for the software. Chatbots and automated writing extensions are also now available for LibreOffice.The number of LibreOffice adopters remains modest, but some individuals and organizations are giving it a look as cloud and AI security concerns mount around the market-leading office suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Denmarks Ministry of Digitalization recently announced that it would move half of its employees to LibreOffice from Microsoft 365 this summer, with plans to cut off the Microsoft suite completely by year end.The next version of LibreOffice is expected to be 26.2, which will be released next year.

MacworldGenerative AI is the transformative technology of the moment. Tools like ChatGPT are helping people realize the power of AI by automating tasks such as writing and proofreading text, creating images and videos, and even solving complex problemsor, at least, providing insight toward solving a problem.AI is also changing another routine task: browsing the web. Companies like Opera and Perplexity have been working on AI-based tools called agentic browsers. Agentic browsers are capable of understanding the content of a web page in real time and also using AI to interact with the page and run workflows for you.Agentic browsers promise to change the way people interact with the web. Instead of having to worry about finding things on your own, agentic browsers take control of everything so you can focus on other tasks. The promise sounds too good to be true, but do these browsers work in real life?Im a long-time Safari user. Its not the best web browser in the world, but its undeniably the one that has the nicest integration with Apple platforms. While Apple has been struggling to deliver AI capabilities, I dove into testing two different agentic browsers to find out if theyre really game changers and if they can convince me to switch.Opera Neon and Perplexity Comet: Two agentic browsersI was invited to try out two different agentic browsers: Opera Neon and Perplexity Comet. Both are currently available in a very limited beta.When you think of a web browser, theres usually a common interface that comes to mind. At first glance, both Opera Neon and Perplexity Comet look like something youd expect from a browser, but with a touch of an AI assistant. Both have a ChatGPT-like interface where users can ask anything.Opera Neons search for latest iPhone 17 rumors resulted in a text of the possible specs. FoundryHeres where they differ. Instead of searching on a conventional search engine like Google or DuckDuckGo, these browsers use their own AI chatbot to answer your questions, so you dont have to go to websites to find something.Instead of navigating to Google or a website to start your browsing session, you ask the AI agent a question. Its not a button like Copilot in Microsoft Edgethe browser is completely built around interacting with the AI engine to conduct searches, fill out forms, book trips, and create web apps.Opera Neon and Perplexity Comet: What its like to use themTo see what each browser responds to a query, I asked both browsers for the latest iPhone 17 rumors. Opera Neon generated a text about the main rumors, while Perplexity Comet went a bit further and combined both AI results with some links to articles on the web about what I asked.Perplexity Comets search for latest iPhone 17 rumors resulted in a summary text with links to sources. FoundryHowever, theres a lot more you can do with these browsers than just ask questions. Imagine, for example, that you need to buy flight tickets, but youre not in the mood to open the airlines website and find the flights on your own. An agentic browser can take care of that.I asked both Perplexity Comet and Opera Neon to book tickets for a specific route in September. I made it clear that I wanted the cheapest tickets possible. They both opened the airlines website and selected the cheapest fare. Impressive, although Perplexity Comet didnt proceed to checkout until I gave it another command; Opera Neon did.Opera Neon can also generate webpages and mini web apps for you. I asked it to make a page comparing all the rumored iPhone 17 models, and it built one in less than five minutes. Agentic browsers can be used to automate mundane online tasks, such as booking a flight.FoundryOne thing Ive learned from these AI-based browsers is that you can get better results by being incredibly specific. When want them to buy something with Safari, for example, you can type exactly what product or service you want (iPhone 16 Pro Max) to closer to what you want,rather than typing, I want to buy a new iPhone.Its a little different when using AI agents. When I asked the browser to find me a hotel in So Paulo, Brazil, thats what it did. But when I asked it to book me a good hotel in So Paulo for September 17-18 and make sure you find hotels around the Jardins neighbourhood, it took me straight to the checkout page based on what I requested. Is booking a ticket on your own still faster? Probably. Both AI browsers took several minutes to complete the most complex tasks, during which time I could have searched on my own. But again, the main point is to let the computer do the hard work for you while you do something else. This is probably one of the best showcases of the usefulness of AI in our lives.If you add specifics to your request, the AI agent will be better able to meet your demands.FoundryWhere does Apple stand?Compared to companies like Opera and Perplexity, Apple is noticeably behind when it comes to fully agentic AI experiences. While macOS 26 and iOS 26 bring improvements to Apple Intelligence, the features announced thus far are more limited than what agentic browsers are already capable of.Unlike Perplexity Comet or Opera Neon, Safari hasnt integrated any agentic capabilities (at least not yet). Apple Intelligence focuses on personal context with things like rewriting emails and summarizing notifications. Its an impressive first step, especially given Apples emphasis on privacy and on-device processing. But Apple Intelligence, for now, isnt really trying to change how you use the web.Right now, I still feel more comfortable using the web the traditional way, but its undeniable that having a browser that does things for me sounds quite appealing in certain situations, and Id love to see Apple working on something similar.That might happen. Reports suggest that Apple has internally discussed the idea of acquiring Perplexity, the startup behind the Comet browser. Valued at around $14 billion, Perplexity could help Apple catch up in the AI race, especially in areas like web search and agentic browsing, where Safari still lags.Its unclear whether Apple will go ahead with its acquisition plans, but with the billion-dollar deal between Apple and Google under threat due to antitrust laws, the company would have a good reason to invest in its own AI-powered browser and search engine.The future of web browsingAgentic browsers like Opera Neon and Perplexity Comet are not perfect and often painfully slow, but they offer a glimpse of what the future of web browsing looks like. While Im not ready to give up Safari just yet, I can see the appeal of letting an AI assistant do the boring stuff. As the technology evolves and gets quicker, I can see it replacing Safari for some tasks, especially if Apple doesnt make an effort to catch up.Whether Apple builds something like this itself or ends up acquiring a company like Perplexity, its clear that the web as we know it is going through a major transformation. And this time, AI isnt just enhancing the browser. Its becoming the browser.

It becomes the latest country to restrict phone use in schools, with a law that will go into effect in 2026.

Of the many dark gifts Showtime's eerie hit series "Yellowjackets" serves up for us, the juiciest this season is by far the music.

If you think of backgammon as simply a classic board game, the Another Kingdom Backgammon Set will make you see it in a whole new light. This extraordinary set, designed by the innovative artist and designer Taras Yoom, transforms the traditional game into a collectible work of art. Released as part of the Yoomoota collection, the set is already making waves among collectors, design lovers, and anyone looking for a standout centerpiece for their home.This is the first backgammon set from the Bangkok-based desginers Yoomoota gaming line. Building on his acclaimed chess series, Yoom continues his exploration of two opposing kingdoms, using the game as a metaphor for the ongoing interplay of order and chance in human history.Designer: Taras YoomAnother Kingdom reimagines backgammon as a sculptural art object, where every checker, board, and dice is handcrafted with intense attention to detail. The set is strictly limited to only 21 editions, making each one a rare collectible. Production combines cutting-edge technology with traditional artistry, including 3D printing in photopolymer plastic, meticulous molding and sculpting, polymer casting, hand finishing, and vibrant acrylic painting. Materials range from acrylic and metals to plastics and silicone, coming together in a piece that is as tactile as it is visually stunning. Each element, from the checkers to the dice, is embedded with an NFC chip, which certifies authenticity and provides a digital record of ownership.Yooms concept goes far beyond aesthetics. The structure of the backgammon board itself is central to the design, with its inner pattern reflecting the dynamic rhythm of play. The markings on the lid are a nod to the unpredictable influence of chance, reminding players that even the best-laid plans can be upended by a single roll of the dice. The checkers are sculpted as miniature artworks, each one following the precise rules of the game while remaining susceptible to sudden changes in fortune.A custom metal stand elevates the set, allowing it to be displayed as a centerpiece in any modern interior. This thoughtful presentation blurs the line between game and collectible object, giving owners the freedom to showcase Another Kingdom as a work of art. The projects synthesis of advanced materials, meticulous craftsmanship, and thoughtful game mechanics highlights the dualities that define both gameplay and life itself.This new backgammon set also marks a major expansion of the Yoomoota art universe, which has already earned recognition for its imaginative chess collection. Another Kingdom captures the thrill, speed, and unpredictability of the game, paralleling the twists of destiny that shape every players journey. The designs inner patterns evoke the ever-shifting strategies of play, while the spherical marks on the lid allude to the ever-present force of chance. In addition to its sculptural beauty, the sets technical specifications are impressive. Each edition is the result of a complex process that includes 3D printing, molding, hand sculpting, polymer casting, manual finishing, and acrylic painting. The inclusion of an NFC chip in every piece ensures that authenticity and provenance are secure for collectors.The post Backgammon set is a sculptural masterpiece from Another Kingdom first appeared on Yanko Design.

Business executives seeking to level up can enroll in an MBA program, but there's no equivalent for industrial designers. Future London Academy, a UK-based executive education organization, aims to change that. They're offering an Executive Programme for Design Leaders, as well as a Design Impact Scholarship to cover the 45,000 (USD $60,627) tuition.The Executive Programme for Design Leaders at Future London Academy is the only Executive MBA equivalent that is made specifically for Creative Directors and Design Leaders with 15+ years of experience who want to learn the business side of design, scale businesses, become greater leaders, and make more impact with their work. Taught directly by C-level leaders from the top companies, this 9-week programme is broken down into 5 intensive modules in London and California.The selected candidate will join the 2026/27 cohort and gain business strategy, finance, leadership, and operational skills from C-level executives at companies like AKQA, Google, Zaha Hadid Architects, Saatchi &amp; Saatchi, and Uber and then apply this knowledge to drive meaningful change in their field.Submissions close on 17 September 2025. You can learn more about the application process here.

If 2025 is the year of anything, it is the year of the tariff. Ever since President Trump unleashed his Liberation Day tariffs on the world in April, consumer confidence has slumped, businesses have laid off workers, and economic uncertainty has risen sharply.But economic uncertainty isnt the only thing rising. Prices of consumer goods, especially those manufactured in some of the highest-tariffed countries, including China, Vietnam, and India, are up, or are likely to be before the end of the year. And thats bad news for iPhone fans because Apple manufactures a majority of its most popular devicesor at least the components that go into themin those countries.Will the new iPhone 17 models that Apple is on track to debut next month cost more due to Trumps tariffs? Unfortunately, the answer is likely a big yepthough some uncertainty remains. Based on what we know today, heres how much you could be paying for your next iPhone 17.How much could a tariffed iPhone 17 cost?Its important to note that just because there is a 30%, 40%, or even 50% tariff on goods from select countries, it doesnt mean that consumer items shipped in from those countries will automatically be 30%, 40%, or 50% more expensive. This is because large companies often have some leverage in reducing the impact of tariffs on their bottom lines. Yes, they can, and often will, pass some of the tariff costs onto their customers. But they can also reduce some tariff costs in other ways.Ive previously written about how Apple is likely to do this, including by pressuring its suppliers in tariff-affected countries to absorb some of the costs themselves (by lowering the rates they charge Apple). Why would the suppliers agree to it? Apple is one of their biggest customers and is likely to remain so long after Trump leaves office. Therefore, its better to keep Apple happy by taking a short-term financial hit.Yet its still very likely that Apple will also raise prices on consumers for its iPhone 17 family this year. By how much? Well, that depends on which of two likely scenarios play out.First, heres what consumers in the United States currently pay for the base storage model of iPhone 16:iPhone 16 (128GB): $799iPhone 16 Plus (128GB): $899iPhone 16 Pro (128GB): $999iPhone 16 Pro Max (256GB): $1199And here are the two ways it might go.Possible scenario #1:This scenario is floated by Jefferies analyst Edison Lee (via 9to5Mac), who expectsthat Apple will raise the price of most iPhone 17 models by $50. The entry-level iPhone 17 would be spared a price increase, while the other models would all see a $50 bump. If thats accurate, then these are the starting prices that youll be paying for the iPhone 17 family next month:iPhone 17 (128GB): $849iPhone 17 Air/Slim (128GB): $949iPhone 17 Pro (256GB): $1,049iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB): $1,249Possible scenario #2However, theres an alternative scenario making the rounds, too. In this one, Apple will keep the regular iPhone 17 models at the same price as their iPhone 16 counterparts, and only raise the prices of its Pro models. If this is accurate, then heres what you can expect to pay for the iPhone 17 family next month:iPhone 17 (128GB): $799iPhone 17 Air/Slim (128GB): $899iPhone 17 Pro (256GB): $1,049iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB): $1,249If I had to choose between the two scenarios, Id predict that Apple will opt for the first scenario, meaning that the company will only spare the regular iPhone 17 model a price increase.Consumers who buy the iPhone Pro models are usually willing to spend more for better tech. In other words, these consumers prioritize capabilities over costs. They probably wouldnt balk at an increase of $50 as much as regular consumers wouldand Apple likely knows that. A user known as Instant Digital on the Chinese social media network Weibo alsoclaimsthat Apple will increase the base storage of its iPhone 17 Pro model from 128GB to 256GB. If this happens, Apple could argue that the iPhone 17 Pro consumer is actually getting more for less. Currently, an iPhone 16 Pro with an option of 256GB of storage costs $1,099$50 more than the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro is likely to cost.As for the new, supposedly thinnest ever iPhone, the 17 Air/Slim, which will reportedly replace the iPhone 16 Plus, I can see Apple bumping its originally planned price up by $50, too. Most consumers probably wouldnt even notice the price point shift for the device, considering that they will likely view the iPhone 17 Slim/Air (or whatever its final name will be) as a new device entirely.What about the budget iPhone 17e?Youll notice that the budget iPhone 17e is absent from the lists above. This is because Apple is not expected to introduce the iPhone 17e until next Spring.The budget iPhone 16e only came out in February, and it seems reasonable to assume that its price will likely remain the same. (Though starting at $599, the iPhone 16e can barely be considered a true budget phone already).Will Apple blame iPhone 17 price hikes on Trumps tariffs?As for whether Apple will blame its iPhone 17 price rises on President Trumps tariffs . . . dont bet on it. Doing so would likely be tantamount to tariff suicide for the company. As Ive written before, Apple CEO Tim Cook is one of the most adept chief executives in America when it comes to dealing with Trump. His good relationship with and handling of the president have helped the company navigate extremely rough economic waters.If Apple were now to outright blame its iPhone price increases on Trumps tariffs, it would likely lead toat besta strained relationship with the president and, more likely, the possible elimination of some of the tariff exemptions Apple and other tech giants have managed to finagle. I mean, look at how well the proposed tariff cost labels went for Amazon.In other words, you will likely be paying more for at least some iPhone 17 models next month. You can blame Trump if you wantbut Apple wont.

Hi everyone! #PortfolioDay is happening this Tuesday, July 9th! While we are not an official partner of the event, we would love to share some tips for preparing your profile on Cara, given that we have some tools to facilitate those who are job-seeking and artist-hiring! What is #PortfolioDay? From the official website: #PortfolioDay is a creative job fair of sorts that takes place on social media. Creatives who are looking for work will make a post with examples of their work using the hashtag in hopes of reaching clients and connecting with other professionals in the community. Clients in turn use the tag to find artists to hire! Tips for Sharing on CaraThere is always a lot of excitement around #PortfolioDay, and we have noticed that often times, people are not aware of its origins and that its a tag for artists seeking work. For better clarity on Cara, we want to help make it easy to identify and find artists who are actively looking for work. For artists, we encourage the following:Include both #PortfolioDay and #OpenToWork in your post On your Profile, update the Open to Work status on your About pageFor art directors, recruiters, and clients, we encourage you to check out Cara on desktop:Our website has more robust features for portfolios and search currently You can see portfolio albums on profiles You can use in-depth search, like the Open to Work and category filters We ask that everyone be considerate of others, and only use the hashtags relevant to you. On Explore, we will also showcase a selection of posts tagged with #PortfolioDay in the featured event tab. Update to the latest app version (v0.4.4) and you will see it when the event is running! Preparing Your Artist ProfileUpdate the Open to Work status on your Profile About tab Update About page with relevant bio, work background, and contact info Glaze/Mist, Nightshade, and watermark before sharing Organize your Portfolio Albums (Desktop only) We are currently piloting the Portfolio Albums feature on desktop. You can organize your posts by creating albums and categories for your portfolio. This beta feature currently available on the website only Share, Discover, &amp; Support!#PortfolioDay is a great time to discover new artists and boost those who are seeking work. So give a Like, Comment, or Repost where you can! A note on Quote Reposts: some of our users may not be aware, but any comments and likes left on quote reposts wont be shared or notified to the original poster. So if you want people to engage with the original artist, consider making a standard repost without writing text when you share their work! We wish everyone a fun #PortfolioDay. Cant wait to see your portfolios! The Cara TeamHave questions? Join us on Discord!cara | twitter | instagram | buy us a coffee Remember to update your app! Ran into an issue? Submit a bug report!