A fancy new crafting/gathering game mode, Cosmic Exploration, is out in Final Fantasy 14 with some pretty enticing rewards, so the reasonable thing to do is… immediately look up macros to help you automate the process and ease the grind, right? Well, I have some bad and good news for you. The bad news is that each crafting job has dozens of items to craft, each with varying durability, quality, and progress requirements — which means there’s no “one macro” for everything, as there is for Ishgard Restoration. Rather, if you want to be able to macro everything, you’ll need tons of macros set up. The good news is that you don’t really have to keep all those macros on your hotbar. I’ll disclaim this by saying I’m not an expert crafter. I use macros and I know fundamentally what the crafting skills do, but I don’t have enough expertise yet to make my own optimal macros from scratch or anything like that. That said, my recommendation below may not be the best way to go, but it has worked fairly well for me. I’ll update this guide with better information if other strategies being to appear, though. (As of this writing, Cosmic Exploration has only been out for a day, so… y’know.) Below we explain how you can use macros to make FFXIV’s Cosmic Exploration easier, though it won’t heavily automate the process for you the way it would have in other crafting content. How do Cosmic Exploration crafts work in FFXIV? As mentioned above, Cosmic Exploration crafts all have varying levels of durability, required progress, and quality. You may need to craft scrambled eggs with 60 durability for one craft, but then you’ll need a solution that only has 20 durability for the next. Since these numbers fluctuate wildly, it’s impossible to make a macro that’ll work for everything. While you can definitely make a set of macros for each individual item (especially for the lower leveled crafts), even heavily melded crafters are going to have a tough time juggling the high level stuff, most of which requires at least two macros (30 lines) to make one craft. Your macro page will fill up pretty fast. On top of that, some of the Class-A missions have time limits, so your lengthy macro that takes 80 seconds to play out might not cut it. (For context, half my gear is pentamelded and the rest is still overmelded, and it takes anywhere from 30 to 32 lines of macros for me to complete the A-rank crafts with food and potions — and despite that, there are still a few crafts I haven’t hit gold on.) All of that said, it can be tough to make things work in Cosmic Exploration, but I have a kind of janky solution for you! How to make crafting macros for Cosmic Exploration in FFXIV Here’s what I did to both scratch my completionist itch, completing “Stellar Successes” (achievements), and minimize the number of macros I kept around: Find all your crafting stats on your character screen and plug them into Raphael, a website used to generate macros based on your stats and the item you desire. Open your “Stellar Missions” (the green button on the Cosmic Exploration UI) and select your mission. Input whatever recipe the mission says to craft into Raphael. Copy and paste the generated macro into the User Macros menu. (I pasted it over the same two macro slots because… my macro menu is pretty full already.) Use that macro to craft however many of the item you need to complete the mission. Turn in the mission. Repeat steps two through six to complete as many missions as you can with a gold rating and unlock as many higher-rank missions as you can. If your crafters aren’t maxed, you will hit a wall eventually. Once you’re done gold starring the lower-level stuff, you can wipe all those macros out, if you’ve been saving them. After you hit that wall (whether it’s from needing to grind out more levels or from just hitting the end), you’ll need to figure out which set of missions you can complete conveniently, taking your personal and differing factors into account. Do you want to deal with food/potions? How long does it take to complete one craft? Are you able to clear is consistently with a silver or gold rank? From there, use Raphael to make yourself a set of three to five macros for that tier of crafts. For example, if you’re max level, but you’re struggling to complete the Class-A missions, you can just opt to do the Class-B ones instead, ideally hitting gold for each one you complete. I have macros for the culinarian recipes “Stable Jelly Drink,” “Stable Ration,” and a few others and I just purposely make sure to select missions that I know I have macros set up for. Unfortunately, this specific strategy really only works efficiently on PC. While you can type out macros on PlayStation and Xbox, since you can’t paste them directly, it may be annoying to make new macros for each craft. That said, you can just literally use the skills that Raphael shows you in order, and then manually type up the few macros for the missions you plan on grinding. Also, don’t forget to enlist into Critical Missions as they pop up to get more loot and EXP. Ideally, you should just be crafting to pass the time and get EXP/loot between these events. Of course, you will ultimately need to figure out how to get the Class-A crafts done, if you want to make a coveted Cosmic Tool (the relic tool for Dawntrail). However, if you’re just looking to farm currency and EXP, crafting the easier stuff will get the job done. Looking for the short version? Plug your stats into Raphael and make macros to gold star everything, and then just keep a few for crafts that you can repeat.

WhatsApp is adding a new privacy feature that will allow you to block others from exporting chats, automatically downloading media, and using your messages for AI features, among other limitations. All of this is a part of a new option called Advanced Chat Privacy, which is currently rolling out to WhatsApp users worldwide. How to block people from exporting your WhatsApp chatsTo use these features, make sure you are running the latest version of WhatsApp on your device. Then, open a private chat or a group in WhatsApp, tap the name of the contact or group, and scroll down until you see Advanced Chat Privacy. This button is located near the Lock Chat option on this page. Note that it may not appear on WhatsApp immediately since it's being rolled out in batches worldwide. If you don't see this feature, sit tight, as it should roll out to you soon.Once you enable Advanced Chat Privacy, others won't be able to export your chats from WhatsApp. You can also block others from enabling automatic media downloads on their device or using your messages for AI features in WhatsApp. Notably, the company is calling this the "first version" of Advanced Chat Privacy, and says it will add more features to this setting in the future. You should know that enabling this setting doesn't make it impossible to export your chats or save media. If someone is determined to export data from WhatsApp, they can easily take screenshots or manually download media. This privacy feature will make it a little harder to export data, since users won't be able to rely on WhatsApp's built-in options, but it won't really be able to stop someone who is determined to bypass these restrictions. The latest update follows a slew of new WhatsApp features, including the ability to see who's online in a group chat, more control over group notifications, a built-in document scanner on WhatsApp for iPhone, and many more.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Following a brief delay while Nintendo evaluated the ongoing tariff situation, Switch 2 preorders are back on. The company made the new date official last week, and retailers have been getting their stores ready for the likely digital stampede.If you're interested in picking up the latest Nintendo handheld-console hybrid, there are a number of stores to choose from. Here's when each plans to start preorders, so you can secure your unit among the masses. WalmartLike most retailers, Walmart's Switch 2 preorders go live starting April 24 at 12 a.m. ET. The store will happy sell you any number of Switch 2 games and accessories, but if you're just looking for the console or the Mario Kart World bundle, you can simplify your preorder that way. The company is advertising free delivery by 9 a.m. on June 5 if you preorder right away—the only store on this list guaranteeing such a timeframe. Nintendo Switch™ 2 System $449.00 at Walmart Get Deal Get Deal $449.00 at Walmart TargetTarget also opens up preorders at midnight tonight, April 24. It won't guarantee a timeframe, but like Walmart, you can preorder the standalone console, the Mario Kart World bundle, or Switch 2 games and accessories, like Donkey Kong Bananza or the Switch 2 Pro controller. GameStopGameStop is very excited about the fact that it is holding midnight releases for Switch 2 in June. However, it's not doing the same for Switch 2 preorders. In fact, you can preorder the console in person starting when the brick and mortar stores open, or 11 a.m. ET on April 24—11 hours after other retailers open their preorders. That might make GameStop a great backup in case you run out of luck with the midnight preorders at other stores. Like others, you can order the console by itself, or bundle it with Mario Kart World. Best BuyBest Buy is also launching preorders at midnight tonight. There isn't too much that differentiates it here, as it's the same deal as other stores: You can pick up the console, the bundle, or any number of accessories and games. NintendoYou can, in fact, preorder a Switch 2 from Nintendo directly—but it's a bit weird. First of all, you aren't really "preordering" a console through Nintendo so much as registering your interest to buy one. From there, Nintendo will contact you with an "invitation" to buy the console if you are selected. In order to be eligible for selection, however, you need to meet some odd criteria. In an effort to minimize scalpers, Nintendo is requiring preorder customers to connect their Nintendo accounts to the registration. Each account needs to have at least 50 hours of play time associated with it, as of April 2. That means you cannot create multiple accounts to try to game the system, nor can you apply if you just started your Nintendo journey after the second of the month.If you meet these specifications, go for it. It won't be necessary if you secure a preorder through any of the other retailers, but it could be another good backup option—if you qualify, anyway.

Despite an eight year anticipatory wait, Nintendo is still "surprised" at just how many people want the Switch 2. The company has announced that about 2.2 million people have entered a pre-order lottery in Japan alone, far more than the number of consoles it can deliver on June 5, aka launch day.  Nintendo will announce the winners tomorrow, April 24, and anyone not chosen will be entered into a second drawing. However, that still won't provide enough spots for every entrant. "In response to this demand, we are currently working on further strengthening our production system," the company wrote on X in a post translated from Japanese. "We plan to continue producing and shipping a considerable number of Nintendo Switch 2 units in the future. We apologize for the delay in our ability to meet your expectations." The company further notes that other retailers should begin pre-orders on the 24th.  Nintendo has faced a few hurdles around pre-orders for the Switch 2. It delayed them in the US following President Trump's extreme tariffs and uncertainty about price. Now, the company has confirmed pre-orders in the US and Canada will also begin on April 24 and the Switch 2 will maintain its $450 price tag. Though, this might result in a loss for Nintendo. A lack of supply and heavy demand could also bring exploitative resellers. Such was the case with other big ticket consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. They were both listed on sites like eBay and Amazon for up to $1,700. Nintendo's SNES Mini and NES Mini were for sale on eBay for more than double their sticker price. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-somehow-underestimates-demand-for-switch-2-pre-orders-141030573.html?src=rss

As Big Tech pours countless dollars and resources into AI, preaching the gospel of its utopia-creating brilliance, here's a reminder that algorithms can screw up. Big time. The latest evidence: You can trick Google's AI Overview (the automated answers at the top of your search queries) into explaining fictional, nonsensical idioms as if they were real. According to Google's AI Overview (via @gregjenner on Bluesky), "You can't lick a badger twice" means you can't trick or deceive someone a second time after they've been tricked once. That sounds like a logical attempt to explain the idiom — if only it weren't poppycock. Google's Gemini-powered failure came in assuming the question referred to an established phrase rather than absurd mumbo jumbo designed to trick it. In other words, AI hallucinations are still alive and well. Google / Engadget We plugged some silliness into it ourselves and found similar results. Google's answer claimed that "You can't golf without a fish" is a riddle or play on words, suggesting you can't play golf without the necessary equipment, specifically, a golf ball. Amusingly, the AI Overview added the clause that the golf ball "might be seen as a 'fish' due to its shape." Hmm. Then there's the age-old saying, "You can't open a peanut butter jar with two left feet." According to the AI Overview, this means you can't do something requiring skill or dexterity. Again, a noble stab at an assigned task without stepping back to fact-check the content's existence. There's more. "You can't marry pizza" is a playful way of expressing the concept of marriage as a commitment between two people, not a food item. (Naturally.) "Rope won't pull a dead fish" means that something can't be achieved through force or effort alone; it requires a willingness to cooperate or a natural progression. (Of course!) "Eat the biggest chalupa first" is a playful way of suggesting that when facing a large challenge or a plentiful meal, you should first start with the most substantial part or item. (Sage advice.) Google / Engadget This is hardly the first example of AI hallucinations that, if not fact-checked by the user, could lead to misinformation or real-life consequences. Just ask the ChatGPT lawyers, Steven Schwartz and Peter LoDuca, who were fined $5,000 in 2023 for using ChatGPT to research a brief in a client's litigation. The AI chatbot generated nonexistent cases cited by the pair that the other side's attorneys (quite understandably) couldn't locate. The pair's response to the judge's discipline? "We made a good faith mistake in failing to believe that a piece of technology could be making up cases out of whole cloth."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/you-can-trick-googles-ai-overviews-into-explaining-made-up-idioms-162816472.html?src=rss

LG TVs are the latest gadgets to pick up Xbox cloud streaming support, with the app coming to webOS 24.

The Washington Post is now integrated into ChatGPT’s answers.

Twenty years since launching, YouTube would likely be worth as much as $550 billion as a stand-alone business, according to analysts at MoffettNathanson.

Tesla shares popped more than 5% after CEO Elon Musk suggested he will spend more time at the company and tariff optimism lifted broader investor sentiment.

The full featurette previously on Disney+ is now on YouTube, and includes behind the scenes of the shoot and VFX breakdowns. The post Marvel releases ‘Assembled: The Making of Black Widow’ online appeared first on befores & afters.