StrandsNYTLooking for Mondays Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:It may be April Fools Day but Strands did not decide to do anything clever for that, and has done something else in line with this time of year.How To Play StrandsThe New York Times Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. Its in beta for now, which means itll only stick around if enough people play it every day.Theres a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and youll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.Youll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and its possible to switch directions in the middle of a word. If youre playing on a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess.Play Puzzles & Games on ForbesIf you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme, youll unlock the Hint button. Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words.Be warned: Youll need to be on your toes. Sometimes youll need to fill the missing word(s) in a phrase. On other days, the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty will vary from day to day, and the puzzle creators will try to surprise you sometimes.What Is Todays Strands Hint?NYT hint is first, then I will do my own after that.Its a sign!And my hint is:Tis the seasonWhat Are Todays Strands Answers?The spangram is below, and the answers are after that:SPRINGTIMEAnd here is where you find that on the board:Strands NYTAnd the answer list:BLOSSOMSROBINSSHOWERSPUDDLESPOLLENBUDSStrands NYTSo, all signs of spring. I tried to find flowers immediately, but I suppose that is covered by buds and pollen as a double clue. And for showers? Its raining all week where I am, so thats certainly accurate, along with the puddles that its creating. I have not seen any robins about just yet, however.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

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Something to look forward to: A Chinese battery manufacturer has developed a breakthrough, sparking a worldwide race for compact nuclear energy. The innovation is a small coin-sized battery powered by a radioactive nickel isotope that decays into stable copper. While the initial cell is relatively weak, it can easily be layered to provide more power for up to 50 years. Energy storage technology has reached a transformative milestone as the BV100, a miniature atomic energy battery, enters mass production. Popular Mechanic notes that the coin-sized cell from Beijing Betavolt New Energy Technology can provide juice lasting up to 50 years without charging or maintenance.The tech represents a significant leap toward practical and scalable nuclear power solutions. The innovation positions Betavolt as a global leader in the race to commercialize nuclear batteries, a field in which companies from China, the U.S., and Europe fiercely compete. Betavolt's success has already garnered recognition within China's scientific community. The company won third prize at the China National Nuclear Corporation's 2023 Innovation Competition and has registered patents domestically while preparing global filings under the PCT framework.This breakthrough began last year when Betavolt unveiled the BV100 as the first nuclear battery to integrate China's fourth-generation diamond semiconductor technology. The BV100 harnesses energy from the radioactive decay of its nickel-63 core. The two-micron thick core, sandwiched between two 10-micron thick diamond semiconductors, efficiently converts the isotope's decay into electricity. Its modular structure allows for scalability, with multiple units combined in series or parallel to create batteries of varying sizes and capacities.Compact yet powerful, the BV100 is about the size of a small coin and delivers a power output of 100 microwatts at 3 volts. While its current capacity is insufficient for high-energy devices like smartphones or laptops, Betavolt envisions applications combining multiple batteries to meet greater demands. The company plans to launch a more powerful one-watt version later this year, with uses ranging from consumer electronics to drones capable of flying continuously without recharging.However, the nuclear battery's advantages extend beyond longevity and compactness. Unlike conventional chemical batteries, it boasts an energy density over ten times greater than ternary lithium batteries, storing 3,300 milliwatt-hours per gram. It is highly resistant to extreme conditions, operating reliably in temperatures ranging from -60C to +120C without self-discharge or risks of fire or explosion. The company claims the cell's environmental impacts are minimal since the radioactive nickel-63 core decays into stable copper over time, eliminating the need for costly recycling processes.Betavolt's innovation departs from traditional nuclear battery designs that relied on bulky and expensive thermoelectric generators developed during the Cold War era. These older models were limited to aerospace applications due to high internal temperatures and safety concerns. In contrast, Betavolt's betavoltaic technology generates electricity through beta particles emitted during radioactive decay a safer and more compact alternative.Betavolt notes that its technology has practically unlimited applications, including use cases in aerospace systems, artificial intelligence devices, medical equipment, small drones, micro-robots, and more. Virtually anything requiring long-lasting power supplies is a potential market. // Related StoriesZhang Wei, chairman and CEO of Betavolt, noted that the company is currently the only global producer of large diamond semiconductor materials. This capability also has applications in supercapacitors and ultra-long carbon nanotube materials sectors.The breakthrough has sparked global interest in nuclear battery development. Institutions such as Northwest Normal University in China are exploring similar technologies using rare isotopes like carbon-14. International competitors like City Labs in the U.S., Kronos Advanced Technologies, Yasheng Group, and Arkenlight in the UK are also pushing forward with advancements in betavoltaic technology. City Labs recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop long-lasting betavoltaic batteries for medical devices like pacemakers and artificial hearts. However, these cells use tritium as a radioactive core.

The TikTok ban may still be on the horizon this week, and social media companies are scrambling to provide their userbase with the same video content experience they have on the app if the ban goes through. Substack, the self-publishing platform for independent creators, is preparing for the ban by incorporating a TikTok-style feed onto the app.The company updated the Substack app on Monday, per a report from TechCrunch, allowing users and creators to scroll through the video feed from the Media tab. According to Fast Company, Substack is taking pages out of TikToks playbook by allowing its creators to upload their videos that run for up to 10 minutes and making videos available for both subscribers and non-subscribers. Product manager Zach Taylor told the same outlet that the updated Media tabs makes it easier for people to discover content from their favorite creators and those they havent heard of yet.Recommended VideosSubstack isnt built around any one mediumits built around creators. Were committed to giving them the tools to share their work, connect with subscribers, and contribute to a thriving network of independent voices, Taylor said. As we expand publishing capabilities across formats, the updated media tab makes it easier to discover standout video content from across the networkwhether its a sharp take, a compelling story, or a powerful clip that sparks connection.RelatedSubstacks Media tab being updated into a TikTok-style video feed comes just one month after the company began allowing creators to monetize their video content on the platform, giving them the ability to publish their videos directly from the app and grow their income from diversifying their content. This move came after TikTok got banned the first time on January 19, only for ByteDance to bring it back online 12 hours later with the help of President Donald Trump, who extended the deadline on the ban for 75 more days to give ByteDance more time to sell it to a U.S.-based company.As for when videos started getting posted to Substack, the company introduced native video in 2022, giving creators a choice to keep it behind a paywall like its newsletters. Two years later, it launched the Media tab on the app, though it wasnt as popular as its going to be now.Editors Recommendations

Newegg is making a name for itself as an excellent source of deals for PC gamers with offers like this $150 discount for the Acer Predator X27U OLED gaming monitor. From its original price of $600, the display will be yours for a more affordable $450, but only if you hurry. With just several hours left on this bargain, theres no time to waste. Proceed with your purchase of this gaming monitor as soon as you can, because once its price goes back to normal, were not sure when youll get another chance at the savings.You wont be able to fully maximize the capabilities of your gaming PC with an outdated screen youre going to need a display like the Acer Predator X27U OLED gaming monitor. It offers WQHD resolution on its 27-inch screen for sharp details while playing the best PC games, while QD-OLED technology delivers stunning contrast, intense brightness, and perfect black levels. If you want a screen that will help you better appreciate the graphics of modern video games, you cant go wrong with this gaming monitor.Our computer monitor buying guide explains refresh rate as how often the images on the screen are updated, and response time as how quickly the monitor shows image transitions. The Acer Predator X27U OLED gaming monitor exceeds our recommendations with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time, which makes it perfect for enjoying fast-paced gameplay. It also comes with AMDs FreeSync Premium Pro, which improves the immersive experience by eliminating screen tearing and stuttering.RelatedIf youre looking for monitor deals, have you tried taking a look at the available offers from Newegg? Heres one that you may find interesting: the Acer Predator X27U OLED gaming monitor at $150 off, which slashes its price from $600 to just $450. Thats an excellent price for this screen, but youll need to act fast because not much time remains before the bargain ends. Complete your transaction for the Acer Predator X27U OLED gaming monitor immediately it would be a shame to miss out on the savings.Editors Recommendations

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Video Synthesis With new Gen-4 model, Runway claims to have finally achieved consistency in AI videos The new model is rolling out to paid users starting today. Samuel Axon Mar 31, 2025 5:07 pm | 19 Runway's new Gen-4 model claims to support consistency characters and objects. Credit: Runway Runway's new Gen-4 model claims to support consistency characters and objects. Credit: Runway Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAI video startup Runway announced the availability of its newest video synthesis model today. Dubbed Gen-4, the model purports to solve several key problems with AI video generation.Chief among those is the notion of consistent characters and objects across shots. If you've watched any short films made with AI, you've likely noticed that they're either dream-like sequences of thematically but not realistically connected imagesmood pieces more than consistent narratives.Runway claims Gen-4 can maintain consistent characters and objects, provided it's given a single reference image of the character or object in question as part of the project in Runway's interface.The company published example videos including the same woman appearing in various different shots across different scenes, and the same statue appearing in completely different contexts, looking largely the same in a variety of environments and lighting conditions.Likewise, Gen-4 aims to allow filmmakers who use the tool to get coverage of the same environment or subject from multiple angles across several shots in the same sequence. With Gen-2 and Gen-3, this was virtually impossible. The tool has in the past been good at maintaining stylistic integrity, but not at generating multiple angles within the same scene.The last major model update at Runway was Gen-3, which was announced just under a year ago in June 2024. That update greatly expanded the length of videos users could produce from just two seconds to 10, and offered greater consistency and coherence than its predecessor, Gen-2.Runways unique positioning in a crowded spaceRunway released the first publicly available version of its video synthesis product to users in February 2023. Gen-1 creations tended to be more curiosities than anything useful to creatives, but subsequent optimizations have allowed the tool to be used in limited ways in real projects.For example, it was used in producing the sequence in the film Everything Everywhere All At Once, where two rocks with googly eyes had a conversation on a cliff, and it has also been used to make visual gags for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.Whereas many competing startups were started by AI researchers or Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Runway was founded in 2018 by art students at New York University's Tisch School of the ArtsCristbal Valenzuela and Alejandro Matamala from Chil, and Anastasis Germanidis from Greece.It was one of the first companies to release a usable video-generation tool to the public, and its team also contributed in foundational ways to the Stable Diffusion model.It is vastly outspent by competitors like OpenAI, but while most of its competitors have released general-purpose video creation tools, Runway has sought an Adobe-like place in the industry. It has focused on marketing to creative professionals like designers and filmmakers, and has implemented tools meant to make Runway a support tool into existing creative workflows.The support tool argument (as opposed to a standalone creative product) helped Runway secure a deal with motion picture company Lionsgate, wherein Lionsgate allowed Runway to legally train its models on its library of films, and Runway provided bespoke tools for Lionsgate for use in production or post-production.That said, Runway is, along with Midjourney and others, one of the subjects of a widely publicized intellectual property case brought by artists who claim the companies illegally trained their models on their work, so not all creatives are on board.Apart from the announcement about the partnership with Lionsgate, Runway has never publicly shared what data is used to train its models. However, a report in 404 Media seemed to reveal that at least some of the training data included video scraped from the YouTube channels of popular influencers, film studios, and more.Time will tell for Gen-4The claimed improvements in Gen-4 target complaints from the creatives who use the tools, saying that these video synthesis tools are limited in their usefulness because they have limited consistency or understanding of a scene. Competing tools like OpenAI's Sora have also tried to improve on these limitations, but with limited results.Runway's announcement says that Gen-4 is rolling out to "all paid plans and Enterprise customers" today. However, when I logged into my paid account, Gen-4 is listed in the model picker but with the word "Soon" next to it, and it's not selectable yet. Runway may be rolling the model out to accounts slowly to avoid problems with server load. Gen-4 is listed as an option, but not yet usable, as of this article's publication. Credit: Samuel Axon Whenever it arrives for all users, it will only be available with a paid plan. Individual, non-enterprise plans start at $15 per month and scale up to as much as $95 per month, though there is a 20 percent discount for signing up for an annual plan instead. An Enterprise account runs $1,500 per year.The plans provide users with up to 2,250 credits monthly, but because generating usable AI video is an act of curation, you probably can't generate too many usable videos with that amount. There is an "Explore Mode" in the $95 per month individual plan that allows unlimited generations at a relaxed rate, which is meant as a way to gradually find your way to the output you want to invest in.Samuel AxonSenior EditorSamuel AxonSenior Editor Samuel Axon is a senior editor at Ars Technica, where he is the editorial director for tech and gaming coverage. He covers AI, software development, gaming, entertainment, and mixed reality. He has been writing about gaming and technology for nearly two decades at Engadget, PC World, Mashable, Vice, Polygon, Wired, and others. He previously ran a marketing and PR agency in the gaming industry, led editorial for the TV network CBS, and worked on social media marketing strategy for Samsung Mobile at the creative agency SPCSHP. He also is an independent software and game developer for iOS, Windows, and other platforms, and heis a graduate of DePaul University, where he studied interactive media and software development. 19 Comments

Elon Musk handed out 1 million dollar checks to two voters at a town hall in Green Bay Wisconsin. The event was in support of conservative judge Brad Schrimel, who is running for the state's supreme court.Read the original article on Business Insider

Kalshi took trades during March Madness. Patrick Smith/Getty Images 2025-03-31T21:29:04Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Kalshi and Robinhood were handed cease-and-desists in New Jersey after taking trades on March Madness.The emerging world of sports predictions is facing pushback in the US.Gaming industry insiders say the outcome could have big implications for sports betting's future.Kalshi and Robinhood's sports prediction markets are under fire and the outcome could be pivotal for the future of US sports betting.Regulators in Nevada and New Jersey, two of the US's longest-standing gambling markets, have sent cease-and-desist orders to the futures trading platform Kalshi to stop it from taking trades on sports events. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement sent the most recent cease-and-desist on Thursday. Fintech platform Robinhood, which uses Kalshi's platform to offer sports contracts, also got a cease-and-desist letter in New Jersey, and Massachusetts is investigating the company's sports contracts."We have been targeted before, we have fought before, and we have won before," CEO Tarek Mansour said in a statement to Business Insider. "This time will be no different."A Robinhood spokesperson also said in a statement that the company doesn't think "these contracts run afoul of any state laws." Robinhood pulled its March Madness contracts from New Jersey, though.Prediction markets have surged in popularity since the 2024 US presidential election and companies including Kalshi and Crypto.com have expanded into sports events. Sports predictions are similar to betting in that users can put money on the outcome of a game, but those contracts can be traded and typically only include whether a team will win or lose (rather than on player stats or parlays).Kalshi has driven over $320 million in trading volume on the outcome of the men's March Madness championship alone, according to its website. March Madness is one of the biggest US sports betting events of the year.While sports gambling is limited to the 39 US jurisdictions where it's been legalized and regulated, sports predictions from Kalshi are being offered in all 50 states. Sports predictions are a major threat and opportunity for betting operators, some of which have expressed interest in predictions and are likely watching closely to see how Kalshi's regulatory battle plays out."This is a historical legal battle that pits states' traditional authority over gaming and sports betting against whether commodities exchanges regulated by the [Commodity Futures Trading Commission] can include sports betting-like offerings," said James Kilsby, chief analyst at Vixio, a regulatory tech company that works with the gambling industry.All eyes are on KalshiKalshi has sued regulators in Nevada and New Jersey in response to the cease-and-desists. The company argued, in part, that Kalshi is a "federally regulated exchange" overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which has the sole authority to approve or reject its events contracts, per a March 28 court filing.It described the ways its sports contracts differ from betting, including that they "do not reflect a 'bet' against the 'house.'" (Contrary to that point, some states' sports betting laws cover peer-to-peer betting.)Ultimately, Kalshi argues that shutting down in Nevada and New Jersey could violate CFTC rules that its events contracts be open, fair, and accessible.If the courts and the CFTC decide Kalshi's sports contracts are legitimate, it could "trigger a significant reaction from the sports betting industry," Kilsby said."It's almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which FanDuel and DraftKings don't ultimately want to move into that market as well," he said. "I think you'll very quickly see more companies positioning themselves to launch sports exchange platforms under the CFTC guidelines."That said, the legal and regulatory saga will likely last several months, and other hurdles could emerge, legal, regulatory, and gambling insiders told BI."The sports wagering industry is looking at this very carefully, and they're trying to decide," said Andrew Kim, an appellate and gaming litigator at Goodwin. "They have a balancing act right now of not offending the regulators that oversee their prime product but also not missing out on an opportunity to jump to the kind of innovative gray areas that really formed [daily fantasy sports] and all the other sports wagering industries to begin with. "More states could oppose sports predictions, as could tribal groups with the authority to conduct gaming on many lands and exclusivity with some states.Gaming industry consultant Dustin Gouker, who broke the news about the New Jersey cease-and-desists through his Closing Line newsletter, said the letters could be a "bellwether of what's going to happen next."Sports predictions threaten revenue for states like Nevada and New Jersey. New Jersey, which led the expansion of legal sports betting in the US by appealing a federal ban, brought in over $1 million in sports wagering revenue in January, making it the third largest US market, according to the American Gaming Association.The issue also undermines states' control over what constitutes sports betting within their borders and what they do and do not allow. The matter could eventually end up at the Supreme Court, depending on where the lower courts and the CFTC land.And it's hard to ignore that this battle over the states' rights to regulate sports betting is coming at a key moment for the industry: March Madness.In its cease-and-desist letters, New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement pointed to the state's restrictions on betting on college sports. The state prohibits betting on college games that take place in the state or involve local teams like Rutgers."Other states are looking to what happens here, and whether they're successful, and how Kalshi and Robinhood respond," Gouker said.Recommended video