Unprecedented power cuts swept across Portugal, Spain, and parts of France on Monday — instantly unravelling the tech-dependent lives of me and tens of millions of others.  At first, I wasn’t worried. Then the owner of my Lisbon apartment forwarded me a link: an article in The Sun newspaper titled “Spain & Portugal hit by huge power cuts…” I tried to open it, but the page wouldn’t load. After a few minutes of backup power, the mobile networks were dead. I walked down to my local café, hoping to get some more information. “We have no idea what’s going on — nothing is working,” the owner told me, gesturing to her dead till. She was only serving sandwiches and drinks, and like every other shop, could only accept cash. One of the shop’s customers approached me. “They’re saying it might be a Russian cyberattack,” he said, looking remarkably laid back. “Think of it as a free holiday,” he laughed.  I wasn’t laughing. I had no physical cash on me. That meant I couldn’t buy food, and without electricity, I couldn’t cook what I had in the fridge. I also know water networks rely on electric pumps. Plus, I had three young kids at home wondering whether Dad would ever fix the TV.   The 2025 Agenda Trying to keep calm and cool in the 30-degree heat, I left the store searching for an ATM. The first one was completely dead. The next had power, but only let me check my balance. Cash machines need internet to connect to banking servers and authorise withdrawals — without it, they’re just glowing boxes of false hope. “I took the train to Lisbon this morning, but now I can’t get home,” said a man in his 30s who was also trying to withdraw cash to take a taxi. We chatted for a few minutes, speculating on the potential causes of the blackout. “I heard on the radio that it might be something to do with the weather,” he said, referencing a now-debunked claim that the outage was caused by “induced atmospheric vibration” from extreme temperature or pressure shifts disturbing power lines. I wondered whether this was a technical fault or something more malicious.  I walked on in search of more concrete information. Eventually, I found it at the local hospital, the only place I could find with electricity and WiFi, thanks to its backup diesel generators. Scanning the headlines, I was met with some good news. Officials said there was no sign of a cyberattack. Despite all my Hollywood-fuelled fears, Europe wasn’t being invaded and there was definitely no zombie apocalypse.  The bad news, however, was that no one had any idea when power would be restored. Some sources said a few hours. Others said a week, maybe longer. I headed home empty-handed and with few assurances — and no way to fix the TV. As the sun set, I was worried. “Now I get why people build doomsday bunkers,” I said to my wife.  Offline and unprepared The blackout of April 28 was the largest in European history. Over 60 million people were left without power. Mobile networks were knocked out. Card machines and ATMs went dark. Airports closed, trains were left stranded on the tracks, and with the traffic light disabled, congestion piled up. Some people were trapped in elevators and underground metro systems for hours. In Spain, at least five people are thought to have died due to the incident.     In a matter of minutes, modern European life, so dependent on electricity, data, and instant connectivity, ground to a halt. While power was restored to most of Spain and Portugal by midnight on Monday, the incident has raised serious questions about Europe’s infrastructure, security, and resilience. For me, it’s also sparked a more personal reckoning with my tech dependence, and just how unprepared I am for when the systems I rely on go dark. I’ve always seen myself as pretty self-reliant. I grew up in South Africa, where (planned) blackouts were part of life and unpredictability came baked into the day. I used to camp, forage, and cook meals over open fires. I like making things with my hands. I thought I had a good handle on surviving without the grid. But like most, especially in the west, I’ve become deeply tethered to technology. When the blackout hit, all those systems collapsed — and so did the illusion of my independence. My fridge was full, but I couldn’t cook. My phone had a charge, but no signal. My apps were blind. My digital wallet might as well have been Monopoly money.   It wasn’t just the gadgets that failed — it was the mental safety net they’d built. No news, no way to contact family, no idea how big the outage was. I realised I’d outsourced most of my decision-making to invisible infrastructures.  The kids were calm, oblivious to the potential risks. We played board games by candlelight and watched the sun set over a city lit only by headlights and moonlight. But in my head, I was calculating: how long would the tap water run? Did we have enough food that didn’t need cooking? What if this lasted longer? What if it happened again? The blackout only lasted a day. But the aftershocks — at least for me — haven’t stopped. I’m now thinking about storing cash at home, keeping extra water, buying a gas stove, and a radio. Maybe even moving to the countryside where I could grow my own food. The blackout was a wake-up call. Not to prep for the end of the world, but to reckon with just how much I’d handed over to systems I don’t control — and barely understand.  Story by Siôn Geschwindt Siôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehic (show all) Siôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehicles, he's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. He has five years of journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. When he's not writing, you can probably find Siôn out hiking, surfing, playing the drums or catering to his moderate caffeine addiction. You can contact him at: sion.geschwindt [at] protonmail [dot] com Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with

How reliable is your internet connection? That depends a lot on how you measure “good” and in how many different ways. Conventional browser-based tests like the ever-popular Speedtest.net can give you a few metrics, but it’s missing a lot of deeper data. A new test from the founders of Ookla, SpeedTest’s parent company, hopes to give you a better, always-on option. Orb opens today as an app for all major desktop and mobile platforms. It’s designed to give you a deeper, more holistic look at your active internet connection, with real-time monitoring, more useful and active information, and a better look at your connection over time. It shows you zero-to-100 scores for responsiveness (based on latency, jitter, and packet loss), reliability (status over time and packet loss), and speed (download/upload). In addition to raw data and your overall scores, the system has a couple of other tricks. By logging in, you can actively monitor multiple devices at once, even on separate connections — I’m looking at my desktop connection on my home network and my phone on Verizon in the same window. And for those who really like to keep a tight watch on their network, the Orb app can be installed on a Raspberry Pi or similar device for round-the-clock monitoring of a LAN. I like the “keep awake” option for the Android app, allowing my phone to essentially become an always-on network monitor. Orb According to a PR representative, Orb is planning to release “recipes” that will allow you to test your connectivity for specific services, giving YouTube and Microsoft Teams as examples. I can think of a few others that some of the most network-obsessed users would also like to test, such as Valve, EA, and Microsoft’s online multiplayer servers. Orb is a free download for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. In the current version of the Windows and Android app I tested in pre-release, it can be used without an account, though you need to log in for some of the cool multi-device options.

The latest Windows 11 update is stopping machines from upgrading to Windows 11 24H2 when using the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) application.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. US Judge rules Apple willfully violated and ignored court's 2021 decision Pradeep Viswanathan Neowin @pradeepviswav · Apr 30, 2025 21:14 EDT Back in 2021, Apple faced a setback in its court case against Epic when a judge ruled that Apple could not prevent developers from including buttons, external links, or other calls to action within their apps to direct customers to non-App Store purchasing mechanisms. Following the court ruling, Epic announced that Fortnite would return to the iOS App Store based on the new provisions Apple was expected to implement. Now in 2025, Apple still does not offer any practical way for developers, including Epic, to use external payment systems for their apps and games. Epic returned to court, claiming that Apple has not complied with the court's order. Today, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers ruled that Apple is willfully violating the Court’s 2021 injunction. Here's the exact wording from the ruling: Apple willfully chose not to comply with this Court’s Injunction. It did so with the express intent to create new anticompetitive barriers which would, by design and in effect, maintain a valued revenue stream; a revenue stream previously found to be anticompetitive. That it thought this Court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation. As always, the cover up made it worse. For this Court, there is no second bite at the apple. The judge also ruled that Alex Roman, Apple’s Vice President of Finance, lied under oath. The United States Attorney may decide whether to initiate a criminal prosecution against Apple and its Vice President of Finance. Accordingly, under Rule 42(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Court refers the issue to the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California, Patrick D. Robbins, or his designee(s), for investigation against Apple and Alex Roman, Apple’s Vice President of Finance specifically. The Court takes no position on whether a criminal prosecution is or is not warranted. The decision is entirely that of the United States Attorney. It will be for the executive branch to decide whether Apple should be deprived of the fruits of its violation, in addition to any penalty geared to deter future misconduct. Tim Sweeney, Epic Games founder and CEO, tweeted that Fortnite will be coming back to the US iOS App Store next week. He also offered a peace proposal for Apple if they extend the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide. In return, Epic will bring Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic. NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. — Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there. 4 years 4 months 17 days. https://t.co/RucrsX7Z4A pic.twitter.com/3kSYnt5pcIApril 30, 2025 This ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing battle between Apple and developers over App Store policies and commissions. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Investigative journalist and cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs reports: A 23-year-old Scottish man thought to be a member of the prolific Scattered Spider cybercrime group was extradited last week from Spain to the United States, where he is facing charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and identity theft. U.S. prosecutors allege Tyler Robert Buchanan and co-conspirators hacked into dozens of companies in the United States and abroad, and that he personally controlled more than $26 million stolen from victims. Scattered Spider is a loosely affiliated criminal hacking group whose members have broken into and stolen data from some of the world's largest technology companies. Buchanan was arrested in Spain last year on a warrant from the FBI, which wanted him in connection with a series of SMS-based phishing attacks in the summer of 2022 that led to intrusions at Twilio, LastPass, DoorDash, Mailchimp, and many other tech firms. The complain against Buchanan is available here (PDF). Read more of this story at Slashdot.

RT Tony Hawk's Pro SkaterJoin us for an epic celebration of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 LIVE from the iconic El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles! Check out new gameplay, interviews with Pro skaters and live performances from artists in-game. Streaming on Twitch, May 8 http://twitch.tv/TonyHawkTheGame #THPSFest

The Borderlands 4 State of Play dove deep into the new gameplay elements of Gearbox Software's next looter-shooter, with loads of information on loot, new types of enhancements, and two of the four playable Vault Hunters, Vex and Rafa. The trailer also highlighted the world of Kairos--a brand-new planet to the Borderlands universe--and how exploring it will focus less on being given quests, and more on finding them yourself.Kairos, according to the video, is a secret world, hidden away for thousands of years by The Timekeeper, Borderlands 4's main villain. Its location was discovered thanks to the events of Borderlands 3, as the moon Lilith teleported away from Pandora broke the veil hiding Kairos and exposed it to the rest of the universe.The Digirunner in Borderlands 4The State Of Play showed one of the game's missions, set in a snowy mountain area called Terminus Range. New movement abilities were highlighted--including gliding, dashing, double-jumping, and point grappling, and a new vehicle called a Digirunner--as well as a dynamic weather system.Continue Reading at GameSpot

One of, if not the biggest, reasons why the Animal Crossing franchise is as popular as it is now is because of the variety of charming NPCs that it has produced. Also known as villagers, each has its own unique design to help them stand out from one another, along with a personality type that gives them more character. Throughout the years, they have evolved, resulting in many becoming beloved and memorable while helping the franchise grow. However, fans have noticed that the personality types of the most recent Animal Crossing feel like downgrades compared to their previous iterations, meaning there is a compelling argument for them being reworked in a future game.

The “Rayquaza ex Drop Event” in Pokémon TCG Pocket allows you to battle against computers for a chance to get a Rayquaza ex card and a handful of other promo cards. The event — which started on Wednesday, April 30, and will run through Tuesday, May 13 — offers a chance to get promo cards like Rayquaza ex, Rayquaza, and Farfetch’d. The drop event is one of two events where players can currently earn a Rayquaza ex card, though if you’re looking for the full-art version, see our guide on how to get a free full-art Rayquaza ex. This Pokémon TCG Pocket guide will go over all Rayquaza ex Drop Event promo cards and give you some ideas on the best cards to counter the Rayquaza ex decks you’ll be facing in the event. All ‘Rayquaza ex Drop Event’ promo cards list There are five promo cards you can earn through the Rayquaza ex Drop Event. Here they all are: Exeggcute is a basic grass-type card with 50 HP and a retreat cost of one energy. It can use the move, Growth Spurt, and it allows the player to take a grass energy and attach it to Exeggcute. Froakie is a basic water-type card with 60 HP and a retreat cost of one energy. It can use the attack Flop. It requires one energy to use and it does 10 damage. Farfetch’d is a basic type card with 60 HP and a retreat cost of one energy. It can use the attack Leek Slap, which does 40 damage and requires one energy to use. Rayquaza is a basic colorless card with 100 HP and a retreat cost of one. It can use one attack, Spiral Rush. It requires four energy to use and does 70 base damage. It can do 30 more damage if you flip a coin and you get heads. Rayquaza ex is a basic colorless type that has 140 HP and a retreat cost of two energy. It can use the move Draco Meteor. This attacks chooses one of your opponent’s Pokémon at random four times and does 40 damage each time a Pokémon is chosen. How to get all ‘Rayquaza ex Drop Event’ cards You earn cards by opening cards from Promo Pack A Series Vol. 7. These packs contain one promo card per pack and have a pink wrapper exterior. You earn them by completing the battles in the “Gible Drop Event.” One battle requires one token of Event Stamina, which recharges passively over time or can be replenished with Event Hourglass. You aren’t guaranteed to win a promo pack for each battle challenge you win: The promo card packs are listed in the game as a “chance reward” for every single battle. However, in Polygon’s experience, we had a much higher chance of earning one from finishing battles on the “Expert” difficulty. In fact, it rewarded us with a promo pack every time we beat the bot on that level. Best decks for the ‘Rayquaza ex Drop Event’ There are four difficulty levels in the Rayquaza ex Drop Event: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert. The deck-building advice below will set you up to tackle the Expert difficulty, so you can breeze through the easier difficulties using the advice below. The decks in the Rayquaza ex Drop Event feature decks that use cards that are weak to lighting type attacks like Rayquaza and Greninja. As a result, you will want to focus on building lighting-type decks for this challenge. If you just want a generally strong deck, you could use a deck based on Giratina ex or the new Alolan Raichu ex introduced in Celestial Guardians. If you want to clear the battle tasks and avoid using ex or other rare cards, we completed this challenge with a pretty straightforward deck that used Magnezone evolutionary line (with the Magneton from Genetic Apex Pikachu) and Electrode from Genetic Apex Pikachu. Both of these cards, which are more common, are strong enough to take on Greninja, Rayquaza, and Rayquaza ex. Pokémon Tool cards be indispensable in challenges like these. In particular, we found that the Rocky Helmet was a useful card. It allowed us to chip away and clear away a bunch of Froakie and other cards before the computer was able to set up anything too strong. Additionally, Giant Cape can beef up the HP of your basic Pokémon.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Wrangling tasks, timelines, and teams can get overwhelming fast, especially if you're bouncing between spreadsheets and browser tabs to keep everything straight. Microsoft Project 2021 Professional is built to make that juggling act easier, and right now, it's available for just $19.97 on StackSocial. That’s a significant drop from its regular $249.99 price. This deal gives you a lifetime license for one Windows PC, no subscription required. Just keep in mind that it’s a one-use code for new users only, and you’ll need to redeem it within 30 days of purchase.Microsoft Project is a professional-grade project management tool that doesn’t overcomplicate things. It has features like automated scheduling that adjusts timelines based on task dependencies, built-in templates to get your planning started faster, and tools for tracking time, resources, and budgets in one place. There's also a what-if scenario builder that can help you course-correct before things go off the rails. And because it syncs with Project Online and Server (though those tools are sold separately), it's flexible enough to fit into larger enterprise systems too.That said, it’s Windows-only (no Mac compatibility here), and you’ll need at least 4GB of RAM and a DirectX 10 graphics card to run it smoothly. Installation is straightforward, with the download and license code arriving instantly via email. While this isn’t subscription-based, meaning no recurring fees, you do need to redeem your license within 30 days. It's also not built for collaborative real-time work like some modern cloud tools, but it’s still a powerful solution for users who prefer full control and local access. If you’ve been meaning to get more organized in your project management, this is a low-cost way to step things up.