The Target Black Friday Sale has kicked off in earnest with some major sneak peek discounts we've all been waiting for on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles, peripherals, and video games. But that's not all. Pretty much everything in Target's publicized ad scan has gone live, including Meta Quest VR headsets, LEGOs, board games, toys and more. Many of these deals are priced lower than every other retailer. They all expire on Friday, November 29.Target is one of my favorite one-stop shopping sites, both in-store and online. Its prices are very competitive, its return policy is generous, and it has plenty of retail locations so that buying online and picking up in-store is a convenient option. Target offers great exclusive discounts via its Target Circle membership, and best of all, joining is free. There is a paid upgrade that's worth it for regular Target shoppers, and it's on sale for Black Friday as well.Apple AirPods Pro for $153.99Best Deal of 2024Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB)The best Black Friday AirPods deal has arrived, and it's better than I predicted. Target is offering the second generation Apple AirPods Pro wireless noise cancelling earbuds for only $153.99. This is the lowest price I've seen all year long and it's very unlikely to drop further. This discount brings the price down to the same level as the Apple AirPods 4 with noise cancelling. Between the two, the AirPods Pro is still Apple's best earbuds because it offers better sound quality and better noise cancellation performance.More Nintendo Switch Games Under $40In addition to Tears of the Kingdom, plenty of other Nintendo Switch games have broken past the traditional $39.99 "sale price" barrier, including the 10/10 "Masterpiece" Super Mario Odyssey, the cat-tastic Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, the idyllic Animal Crossing: New Horizons and my kids' favorite, Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Up to now we haven't seen many deals on Switch games at all for Black Friday, so we're glad to see the floodgates opening.SwitchThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomSwitch (Digital)Persona 5 RoyalPS5, Xbox, SwitchSonic X Shadow GenerationsSwitchSuper Mario OdysseySwitchPikmin 4SwitchSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsKirby and the Forgotten LandSwitchSuper Mario Maker 2Final Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary EditionSwitchJust Dance 2025 Limited EditionSwitchYoshi's Crafted World (Digital)SwitchPikmin 1 + 2SwitchNintendo Switch SportsBuy a Meta Quest 3S VR Headset, Get $75 Gift CardMeta Quest 3S VR Headset with Bonus $75 CardIf you thought the Meta Quest 3S was attractively priced at $299.99, well, this deal will blow your socks off. Target is now throwing in a bonus $75 gift card. The Quest 3S adopts many of the same features of the Quest 3, like the new Touch controllers, the upgraded SnapDragon APU, and full color AR passthrough. In his 9/10 Quest 3S review, Gabriel Moss wrote that "raw processing power, full-color passthrough, and snappy Touch Plus controllers make the Quest 3S a fantastic standalone VR headset that also brings entry-level mixed-reality gaming to the masses for arguably the very first time."Up to $150 Off the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart GlassesRay-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses with Bonus $90 Gift CardThe Meta Wayfarer glasses are certainly an intriguing device, but many of you might not be lured in by the $300 price tag. What if I told you that you could get it for $60 less and Target will even toss in a bonus $90 Target gift card? If you're a regular Target shopper like myself, that's essentially as good as cash. These Wayfarer glasses are an influencer's dream; they have a built-in camera and speakers so you can take videos and photos without every reaching for your phone.Black Friday PlayStation DealsSony's Black Friday PlayStation deals all went live on Friday, November 21. Target is one of Sony's major authorized resellers and the massive price drops I've seen on PS5 Slim console bundles, DualSense controllers, PS VR2 headset, and video games are all available on their site.Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital NBA 2K25 Console BundleSony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital ConsoleSony PlayStation 5 Slim Disc ConsoleSony PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain BundlePS5 DualSense Chroma ControllersPS5 DualSense Controllers Starting at $54.99Star Wars Outlaws for $39.99PS5, XboxStar Wars OutlawsFor those of you who have been patiently holding out on the $49.99 Star Wars Outlaws offer, kudos to you. Target has dropped the price further to $39.99. This is a good time to get into the game since Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment recently deployed a massive update bringing a host of performance and gameplay enhancements, a range of visual improvements, and bug fixes to the open-world sci-fi game on console and PC.More PS5 and Xbox Video Game DealsTarget just unloaded a bunch of games for sale. The best deals are on the exceedingly adorable Astro Bot for $49.99, or the gorgeous Stellar Blade for $49.99. If you're a sports gamer, pick up the latest NBA 2K25 game for only $29.99.PS5Astro BotPS5Stellar BladePS5, Xbox, SwitchSonic X Shadow GenerationsPS5Gran Turismo 7PS5, XboxEA Sports Madden 25

This article contains spoilers for Yellowstone season 5 episode 11.After such a highly-anticipated return, its disappointing to see how often Yellowstone continues to drink from one specific well. Co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan, who has written every episode in this latter half of season five, has predominantly treated it like a commercial for his 6666 Ranch, at one point even deploying blatant product placement. Only a couple episodes ago, a Texas bartender serving Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) lets the couple know that the ranch doesnt just make vodka, but it in fact, makes everything.It felt as if Sheridan was merely using these last six episodes to make the nostalgia factor Texas-sized, and show audiences again and again that the cowboy way of life is dying. Episode 11, entitled Three Fifty-Three, changes all that.Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) was arguably the most effective antagonist to ever face off against the Duttons, and now shes dead. Violently assassinated in broad daylight, not at the hands of a Dutton or their clan as an ice cold revenge plot, but essentially by her own doing.There are undoubtedly several fans who dont want to admit that she is that successful, but it really comes down to one factor she succeeded where others have failed. How many people over the years have tried to kill John Dutton? In the early going it was Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) but all he got was strung up. The Beck brothers, Teal (Terry Serpico) and Malcolm (Neal McDonough) got close, hiring an armada, but made the major mistake of going after Tate (Brecken Merrill) and that meant the Duttons were going to raze the ground and erase the name Beck from the history books. Perhaps Garrett Randall (Will Patton) got the closest, severely wounding John, incapacitating Kayce (Luke Grimes) and blowing up Beth (just a little), but the only thing he proved is close enough is not good enough.Atwood was able to actually kill the Dutton patriarch using black ops hitmen, and while granted, it does neatly coincide with Kevin Costner finally leaving the show, Sheridan did give her that impressive feat before unceremoniously killing her off.Yet look at what has happened almost immediately after Johns death. The woman who ordered the hit is then hit only days later. The show could have allowed her to live a little while longer, but it went for a major blow to prove a point when you take out John Dutton, it is a nexus event in the Yellowstone universe. Nothing can ever be the same. What many fans undoubtedly appreciated about the events of Three Fifty-Three, is that yes, it gave Johns killer a major dose of karma, but it also has now set up a dark vision for the final three episodes.Sarahs demise gives audiences just a taste of what is to come, because as of now, the show is really honing in on the major conflict between Jamie (Wes Bentley) and his siblings Beth and Kayce. Theres only one last bit of karma to come, and its coming Jamies way. This writer has often theorized as to what could happen with the adopted Dutton son (or perhaps should have happened to give past seasons a real jolt). Jamie could have killed Beth, or Rip might have gone off on a fit of rage and taken him out, but Sheridan has been nothing if not consistent when it comes to the lack of growth within Jamies character. Jamie has done the right thing perhaps only once in his life, when he killed his biological father, but in every other instance, he has squirmed his way out of difficult situations.Whats different about this time, however, is Jamie is out of options. He cant go crying to Rip like he did when he murdered Sarah Nguyen (Michaela Conlin). Hes recently lost Senator Perry (Wendy Moniz) as an ally. The only member of his family who truly loved him just threw him across a desk, as Kayce essentially knows Jamie was also behind their fathers death. Now, Sarah is gone. The puppet-master shaping what Jamie does is no longer around to shape him. Which makes Jamie a caged rat with very little problem-solving skills, no allies, and his back against the wall.Jamie could do anything. He has nothing to lose. He is probably the most dangerous hes ever been. Lets not also forget, those forces who Sarah hired who took her out, could very easily now be after Jamie. Its safe to say that several people could end up having a violent end in the next three episodes. The fans have earned it after a rather slow start to this second half of the season, and it looks like Sheridan could give fans what they want.It may not be a foregone conclusion that Beth will literally be the cause of Jamies death. Maybe shell just sit back and enjoy seeing what hes reaped? Perhaps Jamie will take his life, ironic after playing a part in Johns fake suicide. Regardless, the blood weve been waiting for, five seasons in the making, is coming, and it means Jamie is in for a very dark and probably violent swan song.New episodes of Yellowstone season 5 premiere Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network, culminating with the finale of December 15.

When it comes to climactic finales, a great sword fight can put an action movie over the top. From the classic swashbucklers of the 1950s to the global genres of samurai dramas and Kung Fu flicksnot to mention the occasional fantasy or comedysword fights are the cutting edge of fight choreography.The best sword fights fuse emotionally charged conflicts with precisely choreographed action. The stakes must be big for characters to want to cut each other so deeply. And there are so many levels of great sword fights. As absurd as it seems, the hilarious fight between King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and Lancelot (John Cleese) in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is a solid piece of fight choreography, particularly the precursor battle with the Green Knight. In that vein, Den of Geeks own resident fencing master Gene Ching is rounding up some of the best movie sword fights ever put to screen.13. Captain Blood (1935)Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) vs. Levasseur (Basil Rathbone)The climactic pirate beach duel is one of the most pivotal in cinematic sword fight history. Captain Blood was such a blockbuster that it sparked a trend of swashbuckling movies and launched the career of Errol Flynn, who played many roguish swordsmen in its wake. The uncredited fight choreographer was Ralph Faulkner, a champion fencer who represented the U.S.A. in the 1932 Olympics. It launched Faulkners career as well as a sword master and stunt double for many of those swashbuckling films that followed.Flynn was a natural athlete, but not a fencer, and it shows in the fight. His attacks are simple and wide, lacking the tight precision of a seasoned swordsman. In contrast, Rathbone was one of the greatest swordsmen to grace the silver screen. He was a decorated World War I veteran who earned the Military Cross, and a passionate expert fencer in real life. Despite losing, Rathbone does the heavy lifting in the Captain Blood fight with complex actions and superior control of the distance. Often cast as the villain in swashbucklers, Rathbones expert swordsmanship helped all his leading man heroes shine.Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) vs. Jen (Zhang Ziyi)With four Oscar wins, director Ang Lees record-setting film leveled up martial arts cinema like never before. It also brought attention to one of Hong Kongs greatest fight choreographers, Yuen Woo-Ping. Its easy to argue that the best fight in the film is Jen versus Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), which begins and ends with a sword fight and progresses through an array of cold arms in between. Yet the final fight between Jen and Li Mu Bai in the bamboo forest is strictly swords, and it takes us somewhere weve never been before.Their fight is an incredible achievement in wirework. Shot at the China Grand National Bamboo Forest in Anji, China, Lee claims that Chow and Zhang did most of their own stunts and digital effects were only used to remove the safety wires. Their gravity-defying sword fight served as an inspired finale to this groundbreaking movie. As a greater testament to Yuens choreographic skills, neither Chow nor Zhang were formally trained in martial arts prior to launching their careers as movie stars. Neither was Yeoh. Zhang and Yeoh drew upon their dance training to meet the demands of Yuens rigorous choreography.11. The Young Master (1980)Dragon (Jackie Chan) vs. Cross-eyed Constable (Yue Tau-Wan) and PosseWith well over a hundred films under his belt, Jackie Chan has delivered a ridiculous number of death-defying stunts and insane fight scenes. Chan was at the peak of his physicality from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s. The Young Master stands out as one of his most hardcore Kung Fu films, packed with incredible fights with other martial luminaries like Yuen Biao, Shek Kin, and Hwang In-shik, and one amazing sword fight thats often overlooked.Early into the film, Dragon is mistaken for his wayward brother Tiger (Pai Wei) by a cross-eyed constable (Yue Tau-Wan) and his posse. The ensuing sword fight within a modest temple showcases what Chan does best, his signature fusion of acrobatics and juggling built on his Chinese opera roots. Swords fly in every direction as Chan humiliatingly disarms his would-be captors, toying with them through his singular mastery of swordplay and physics. Played for comedy, every sword exchange is a mind-blowing testament to Chans brilliance as a fight choreographer.10. Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 (2020)Miyamoto Musashi (Tak Sakaguchi) vs. 400 OthersThere have been many cinematic sword fights that pitted one against many, such as Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) versus the Iyi clan in Harakiri (1962), Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama) versus the Shoguns guards in Shaolin Assassin (1980), and the Bride (Uma Thurman) versus the Crazy 88s in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003). But from a technical achievement standpoint, nothing matches Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1. Loosely based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi, Tak delivers a 77-minute continuous oner sword fight where he dispatches some 400 opponents.Directed by Yuji Shimomura, whose background is as an action director and fight choreographer, this is a marathon masterpiece of sword choreography. The oner is orchestrated to give Tak water breaks, and although most of the exchanges are simple, watching Tak go the distance is something to behold. However, theres not much plot to this; theres no room. The film is just one long sword fight. While the story isnt overly engaging, sword fighting fans cannot help but be impressed by the extraordinary achievement in action cinema.9. The Mark of Zorro (1940)Don Diego (Tyrone Power) vs. Captain Esteban Pasquale (Basil Rathbone)Once again, Rathbone is cast as a villainous swordsman and in The Mark of Zorro where he delivers one of his most skillful swordfights. Casual observers might not recognize the masterful command of the blades, but anyone who has ever picked up a sword will. George Foreman once said Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it. The same can be said for cinematic sword fights. Fencing can be reduced to distance, timing and velocity, and in this duel, both combatants demonstrate meticulous mastery of all three, which can only come from a solid foundation in fencing.The fight choreography ofThe Mark of Zorro is attributed to Fred Cavens, a genuine fencing master certified by Belgiums Military Institute of Physical Education and Fencing. He was the uncredited master behind many of the great movie sword fights of the period. His son Albert Cavens served as the uncredited fencing double for Power. The duel between Power (Cavens) and Rathbone is incredibly tight by fencing standards. The actors control of timing, distance and precision is pure perfection of the level that could only be achieved by seasoned fencers.8. The Four Musketeers: Miladys Revenge (1974)DArtagnan (Michael York) vs. the Count de Rochefort (Christopher Lee)Few stories embody sword fights like The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. There are so many versions worthy of recognition, from Douglas Fairbanks 1921 silent film to Gene Kellys trampoline-assisted 1948 version. Even the recent 2023 French film The Three Musketeers: Part 2 Milady has an impressive oner sword fight pitting Milady de Winter (Eva Green) against DArtagnan (Francois Civil) in a burning building. However, Richard Lesters mid-1970s two-parter still prevails. The final duel between DArtagnan and Rochefort is a true masterpiece.The fight director for Lesters Musketeer movies was William Hobbs, who literally wrote the bookactually two bookson fight choreography. Stage Combat: The Action to the Word and Techniques of the Stage Fight by Hobbs are the go-to references for every fight choreographer, and Hobbs is behind more of the films listed here than anyone else. An entire article could be devoted just to the great swordfights of William Hobbs alone.The final duel in The Four Musketeers was filmed at the Monastery de Santiago de Uclesin Spain, which lent a profound gravitas as the swordsmen fight under the sacred light from the monasterys exquisite stained glass. Hobbs juxtaposes DArtangans bumpkin swashbuckling with the sophisticated swordsmanship of Rochefort for a truly dramatic battle. Its the cherry on top after the preceding melee between the musketeers and Rocheforts guards, a potent climax of the two films.7. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (1999)Darth Maul (Ray Park) vs. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor)Lightsaber battles are among the most iconic sword fights in modern cinema, and to this day many fans might have the most investment in the final fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith for its emotional culmination of the Prequel Trilogy. However, Episode I still eclipses that due to Ray Park. Park is a genuine martial arts champion and member of the British national wushu team, and he brought real martial arts into lightsaber battles for the first time. Nick Gallard is credited as the Fight Unit Director, but it was Park who slipped in a classic wushu barrel roll, a martial art move that would be echoed by a CGI Yoda later in the series. With that inclusion, Jedi martial arts officially became a thing.Two of the Star Wars miniseries, Kenobi and The Acolyte, have showcased furious lightsaber battles that have exceeded the achievements of the movies in terms of choreographic complexity. However, this article is focused upon films, so those dont count.Read more 6. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) vs. Taisaku Sasa (Toshiro Mifune)Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo is the 20th installment of Katsus long-running Blind Swordsman franchise, which spanned 26 feature films and 100 television series episodes. Mifune plays a character that echoes his iconic role in Akira Kurosawas classic YojimboHowever, their actual sword fight is quite short. Its the fights leading up to that duel that builds the tension for the epic clash. First, the two swordsmen must each face a horde of samurai and mercenaries in murderous bloodbaths. Coincidentally, Mifune and Katsu would cross paths again that same year in a film titled Machibuse. Again, Mifune plays a character that was derivative of his Yojimbo role, but Katsu takes on a completely different character as a quack doctor.5. Scaramouche (1952)Andre Moreau (Stewart Granger) vs. Noel, Marquis de Maynes (Mel Ferrer)Scaramouche is one of the greatest fencing movies of all time. Set just prior to the French Revolution, Moreau vows revenge on the Marquis, a master fencer, for slaying his rebel friend by sword. Consequently, Moreau must learn to fence. The final sword fight was the longest in screen history at the time, clocking in at around eight minutes. Their duel atop the dizzying railing of the box seats in an opulent theater is simply breathtaking.Granger was trained in British theater where fencing was a required part of the curriculum. He fortified his skills by taking private lessons under Jean Hereman, an eight-time Belgium champion who competed in the 1936 Olympics before moving to Hollywood as an uncredited fight choreographer (Fred Cavens is also attributed to having had an uncredited hand in this film). Ferrer wasnt a fencer. He began his career as a chorus dancer on Broadway and approached the choreography like a dancer would, akin to Zhang and Yeoh.4. Rob Roy (1995)Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson) vs. Cunnigham (Tim Roth)At six feet and four inches, Liam Neeson towers over Tim Roths five-foot and eight-inch frame, which should have given him the reach advantage in a sword fight. However, William Hobbs shows up once again to prove why hes the GOAT sword fight choreographer. He armed the two combatants appropriately. MacGregor uses a Scottish basket hilt broadsword against Cunninghams small sword. In fencing, smaller is faster. As metallurgy improved, swords evolved into lighter, more efficient weapons. Cunninghams sword play is refined and sophisticated, slicing up MacGregor cut by cut. Meanwhile MacGregor gasses out from wielding such a heavy weapon and losing so much blood. Its a clever fight where Hobbs lifts a page from fencing history and plays it out with dramatic panache.The sword grab reversal is almost a call back to DArtagnan versus Rochefort in The Four Musketeers: Miladys Revenge. The tone of that fight was parallel to this onea sophisticated villainous fencing master facing off against a rustic swordsman hero. DArtagnan attempts the same method but without the visceral success of MacGregor.3. The Duellists (1977)Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel) vs. Armad dHubert (Keith Carradine)Ridley Scotts directorial debut spans 20 years of a bitter rivalry during the Napoleonic Wars. With William Hobbs choreographing the sword fights once again, this film allows him to stretch out over multiple duels and compose some of the most accurate sword fights ever put to film. The duellists meet multiple times with different weapons, sabers, rapiers, a mounted sword fight, and finally pistols.The contrast between the second duel, a small sword bout fenced elegantly in a sheep pasture, and the third duel, sabers in gritty sanguineous battle, is extreme. It spotlights the virtuosity of Hobbs choreography and Scotts burgeoning sense of atmosphere, evoking different emotions within each bout. Hobbs captures the violence and sheer brutality of sword fighting in a manner that feels totally genuine.2. The Princess Bride (1987)Westley (Cary Elwes) vs. Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin)Few sword fights match the humor and charm of Westley versus Inigo Montoya. Its a witty fight, absurd and acrobatic. And when the combatants reference Bonetti, Capo Ferro, and Agrippa, those were genuine fencing masters from the 16th and 17th centuries. That nod could only have come from another studied fencing master, which in this case, was the legendary fight choreographer Bob Anderson.Anderson was a world champion fencer who represented Great Britain at the 1952 Olympics. He got into film choreography in 1953 when he worked with Errol Flynn on The Master of Ballantrae. He went on to lend his sword expertise to dozens of films including the original Star Wars trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Highlander, By the Sword, and many more.1. Rashomon (1950)Tajomaru (Toshiro Mifune) vs. Takehiro Kanazawa (Masayuki Mori)Considered one of the greatest films ever made, the pivotal sword fight in Rashomon is shown from different perspectives. Tajomarus version is a heroic fight between him and the samurai Takehiro. It glorifies Tajomarus swordsmanship where his intimidating feints draw repeated useless parries from the disciplined samurai, who begins flinching and faltering. Its a clever fight because we can see the fencing strategies playing out in the opponents minds.However, its the woodcutters (Takashi Shimura) version that stands as one of the greatest sword fights of all. In his recounting, Tajomaru and Takehiro are terrified to fight each other and flail in fear. Played out for comedy as well as tragedy, it feels true, capturing the sheer horror of what it must be like to face an opponent with yard-long razors. The gruesomeness of sword fighting is laid bare. The fear in their eyes and their trembling swords as they fall over each other creates such dramatic tension. Its the perfect climax to a perfect film.

Its been a long time since Apple has been working on its own 5G modem. However, development is taking much longer than the company expected but recent evidence suggests that well see Apples first 5G modem next year. Read on as we detail everything we know so far about it.A brief recap on Apples 5G modemIts no surprise that Apple wants to have better control over its hardware, as the company designs its own SoCs for iPhone, iPad, Mac and other devices. However, in 2019, Apple showed a huge interest in building its own cellular modems. The company acquired Intels modem division for $1 billion that year. Apple was hoping to have its own modem so that it would no longer have to rely on components made by Qualcomm.However, years have passed and Apple is yet to introduce a device with its own cellular modem. In fact, many rumors suggest that little or no progress has been made in all these years.According to a WSJ report last year, the prototypes built so far were considered a failure. They were too slow and susceptible to overheating, making them worse than Qualcomms 5G modems used in current iPhones. These problems have led Apple to keep delaying the launch of its first custom 5G modem.Apple is expected to introduce its 5G modem next yearLuckily for Apple, it seems that engineers have managed to solve at least some of these problems to make the companys 5G modem a reality. Multiple reports, including from 9to5Mac, have revealed that Apple plans to launch the first devices with its own modem next year.Last month, reliable sources told 9to5Mac that Apple has built an ambitious modem codenamed V59 or Centauri that can not only handle 5G, but also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and even GPS. According to our sources, the modem should drastically reduce battery consumption, especially when Low Power Mode is on.The first device expected to feature Apples 5G modem is the iPhone SE 4, which is rumored to be announced in the first half of 2025. By the end of next year, at least one of the iPhone 17 models will also have the new modem most likely the iPhone 17 Air. Despite the benefits in terms of battery consumption, Apple still doesnt feel totally confident enough about its modem to put it in flagship products such as the Pro iPhones.For instance, a recent report from The Information revealed that Apples current 5G modem prototypes still cant match Qualcomms 5G chip in terms of performance. The prototypes also lack support for the super-fast 5G mmWave.While it may be a while before Apple puts its 5G modem into the entire iPhone lineup, the new modem seems like a good fit for devices like the Apple Watch, where energy efficiency matters more than performance. Of course, having its own 5G modem will also help Apple cut costs although this doesnt necessarily mean that this difference will be reflected in the final price for customers.It seems that the wait for Apples 5G modem will soon be over, at least for those planning to buy a new iPhone SE next year.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple bought Pixelmator earlier this fall, in a rare occurrence of the company buying an existing app. Though questions about its plans abound, looking at Apples app acquisition history points to a bright future ahead for Pixelmator.Apple has a strong track record with acquired appsJohn Gruber wrote this weekend on Daring Fireball about Apples history with app acquisitions.The full piece is well worth a read, walking through the various outcomes for different acquisitions over the years.Heres a good summary in the form of two excerpts:The bottom line is that what we, as users, hope for after a big company acquires a beloved app is for an outcome where the users of that app remain happy. That might mean just keeping the app going, like with Logic. Or it might mean scrapping the standalone app, but bringing the core features of the app into the OS itself, like with Dark Sky. Sometimes its a mix, though, like with Shazam.[]Apple is a very large company, and Pixelmator is a small company with two very cool apps. But an examination of Apples acquisition history doesnt give me any reason for alarm. Apple really does tend to do right by cool app acquisitions.I was struck, in reading, by how much trust Apple deserves for its track record of app acquisitions.The problem, any time a beloved app gets acquired by another company, is that those stories often dont end well.new owners may over-optimize for profits and make the app worse in the processor they may neglect the app altogether, content with milking existing revenue streamsoften the creative team behind the app departs, leaving a void the new owners cant fillThese scenarios have played out countless times, leading many excellent apps to become a shell of their former selves.But Apples track record is entirely different. As Gruber puts it, Apple respects the art of making great apps, and Pixelmator in particular is simply too good to scrap.I dont know if Apple plans to keep Pixelmator and Photomator running as-is for years to come, or integrate their tech into the Photos app, or something else altogether.But whatever their plans are, its good to remember that this isnt just like any other app acquisition in the tech world. Apple has a strong track record in this area, and that points to a bright future for Pixelmator.What do you think Apples plans for Pixelmator might be? Let us know in the comments.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Sure, grandpa.Energy VampireElon Musk fired up his X-formerly-Twitter fingers on this week suggest, with a madman's glee, that he's a time-traveling vampire. And a gamer, he added."Full disclosure, I'm actually a 3,000-year-old vampire," he first posted back in 2020. "It's such a trial assuming all these false identities over the centuries!"Musk revisited the claim surely a joke, but an embarrassingly self-aggrandizing one this week, declaring that his X profile had been verified since 3,000 BC because he's a "time-traveling vampire alien!""Even though I'm 5000 years old, I think I look much younger," Musk continued, seemingly increasing his age by a full 2,000 years since 2020.He kept indulging the fantasy until a nocturnal 3:00 AM, posting that being a time-traveling vampire alien vampalien? "would explain a lot of things" about him.Life ForceBy the next afternoon, Musk was instead obsessively responding to a now-deleted video showing a recent protest by the frequently topless radical feminist group Femen. In reaction to a crass meme saying "I found this difficult to masturbate to... but not impossible," Musk replied with his signature laughing-crying emoji.Musk, who has an abysmal track record with respecting women or often other people in general often takes refuge in these kinds of daydreams that frame him as untouchably superhuman.Musk loves when people called him the "real-life Tony Stark," for example. He's also posted AI-generated glamor shots of himself as a technocratic Roman general, and he demurely accepted his new best friend Donald Trump extolling himsuper genius."In that sense, being a time-traveling shapeshifter vampire would explain some things about Musk. For instance, it might elucidate why a guy who does things like name a government department after a dubious memecoin is a megalomaniac instead of ashamed.Share This Article

"I never intended you any harm."Him TooAccusations of sexual assault against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Donald Trump's Health Department pick, are threatening to impede the president-elect's regressive agenda not to mention RFK Jr.'s enthusiasm for raw milk.In an interview with theWall Street Journal, Eliza Cooney recalled the instances, half her lifetime ago, when Kennedy groped and harassed her while she was working for him and his family.Now 49, Cooney began working for the political scion as an intern at his law clinic and live-in babysitter when she was 23 years old. During that time, Kennedy allegedly groped her backside and breasts, touched her leg underneath a table, and came into her room shirtless to ask her for a back rub."It seemed like he thought I was somebody else or wasnt paying attention," Cooney wrote in a diary entry, viewed by theWSJ, of the leg-touching. "Like he would come to every once in a while and snap out of it or I would move away."Though she kept working and living with Kennedy's family for four months after the alleged incidences and continued at his law clinic for several years after that Cooney told the newspaper that she was less confident after the encounters and experienced a constant sense of unease.Choir BoyIn the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, the woman realized how inappropriate the politician's actions had been. As his profile as a 2024 presidential candidate rose, she eventually went public in an expos published byVanity Fair this past summer and after all those years, Kennedy reached out to his old babysitter in calls and text messages confirmed by theWSJ."I read your description of an episode in which I touched you in an unwanted manner," he wrote in the text, which was also confirmed by the Washington Post earlier this year. "I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended or hurt your feelings.""I never intended you any harm," the politician continued in his missive to Cooney. "If I hurt you, it was inadvertent."In an interview with theBreaking Points podcast after the VF article came out, however, he called her accusations "garbage.""I am not a church boy," the former heroin addict and current anti-vaxxer told journalists Saagar Enjeti and Krystal Ball. "I had a very, very rambunctious youth."As with Trump himself, it's unclear how much damage these accusations will do to RFK Jr. when he goes through his Senate confirmation hearings.Nevertheless, they cast a major shadow over the president-elect's incoming cabinet in which a third of all his picks have some sort of sex scandal surrounding them.More on the Trump agenda: Farmers Beg Trump Not to Deport the Immigrants They Use for Cheap LaborShare This Article

Nov 27, 2024Ravie LakshmananCybercrime / Financial FraudAn INTERPOL-led operation has led to the arrest of 1,006 suspects across 19 African countries and the takedown of 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks as part of a coordinated effort to disrupt cybercrime in the continent.Dubbed Serengeti, the law enforcement exercise took place between September 2 and October 31, 2024, and targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and online scams.The participating nations in the operation were Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.These activities, which ranged from online credit card fraud and Ponzi schemes to investment and multi-level marketing scams, victimized more than 35,000 people, leading to financial losses nearly amounting to $193 million across the world.In connection with the $6 million online Ponzi scheme, authorities arrested eight people, including five Chinese nationals, in the West African country of Senegal. A search of their apartments uncovered 900 SIM cards, $11,000 in cash, phones, laptops, and copies of ID cards associated with 1,811 victims.Also dismantled by authorities was a virtual casino in Luanda that targeted Brazilian and Nigerian gamblers with the aim of defrauding them through an online platform and enticing them with a percentage of winnings to members who recruited new subscribers."From multi-level marketing scams to credit card fraud on an industrial scale, the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern," Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of INTERPOL, said in a statement."Operation Serengeti shows what we can achieve by working together, and these arrests alone will save countless potential future victims from real personal and financial pain. We know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will continue targeting these criminal groups worldwide."Group-IB, which was a private sector partner in the operation, said it also identified approximately 10,000 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks originating from Africa-based servers over the past year, over 3,000 phishing domains hosted in the region, and details about actors who have leaked data on dark web forums.Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky said it contributed to the operation by "sharing information on threat actors, data on ransomware attacks and malware targeting the region, as well as up-to-date indicators of compromise (IoCs) for malicious infrastructure across Africa."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Nov 27, 2024Ravie LakshmananIoT Security / Network SecurityA threat actor named Matrix has been linked to a widespread distributed denial-of-service (DoD) campaign that leverages vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in Internet of Things (IoT) devices to co-opt them into a disruptive botnet."This operation serves as a comprehensive one-stop shop for scanning, exploiting vulnerabilities, deploying malware, and setting up shop kits, showcasing a do-it-all-yourself approach to cyberattacks," Assaf Morag, director of threat intelligence at cloud security firm Aqua, said.There is evidence to suggest that the operation is the work of a lone wolf actor, a script kiddie of Russian origin. The attacks have primarily targeted IP addresses located in China, Japan, and to a lesser extent Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, India, and the U.S.The absence of Ukraine in the victimology footprint indicates that the attackers are purely driven by financial motivations, the cloud security firm said.The attack chains are characterized by the exploitation of known security flaws as well as default or weak credentials to obtain access to a broad spectrum of internet-connected devices such as IP cameras, DVRs, routers, and telecom equipment.The threat actor has also been observed leveraging misconfigured Telnet, SSH, and Hadoop servers, with a particular focus on targeting IP address ranges associated with cloud service providers (CSPs) like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.The malicious activity further relies on a wide array of publicly available scripts and tools available on GitHub, ultimately deploying the Mirai botnet malware and other DDoS-related programs on compromised devices and servers.This includes PYbot, pynet, DiscordGo, Homo Network, a JavaScript program that implements an HTTP/HTTPS flood attack, and a tool that can disable the Microsoft Defender Antivirus app on Windows machines.Matrix has also been found to use a GitHub account of their own that they opened in November 2023 to stage some of the DDoS artifacts used in the campaign. It's also believed that the whole offering is advertised as a DDoS-for-hire service via a Telegram bot named "Kraken Autobuy" that allows customers to choose from different tiers in exchange for a cryptocurrency payment to conduct the attacks."This campaign, while not highly sophisticated, demonstrates how accessible tools and basic technical knowledge can enable individuals to execute a broad, multi-faceted attack on numerous vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in network-connected devices," Morag said."The simplicity of these methods highlights the importance of addressing fundamental security practices, such as changing default credentials, securing administrative protocols, and applying timely firmware updates, to protect against broad, opportunistic attacks like this one."The disclosure comes as NSFOCUS sheds light on an evasive botnet family dubbed XorBot that has been primarily targeting Intelbras cameras and routers from NETGEAR, TP-Link, and D-Link since November 2023. "As the number of devices controlled by this botnet increases, the operators behind it have also begun to actively engage in profitable operations, openly advertising DDoS attack rental services," the cybersecurity company said, adding the botnet is advertised under the moniker Masjesu."At the same time, by adopting advanced technical means such as inserting redundant code and obfuscating sample signatures, they have improved the defensive capabilities at the file level, making their attack behavior more difficult to monitor and identify."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

In March,customer service solutions provider Tidio published a survey on self-service in which 88% of respondents said they expected self-service portals from companies they do business with.Plus, 73% said they wanted to resolve their own issues independently.Swamped with trouble tickets, emails, and phone calls, IT help desk staffs want to see more user self-help, too! But can they?A myriad of software vendors provide solutions for user self-help.These systems feature searchable knowledge bases, user forums, chat services, and even the ability for users to request IT services from a menu of tasks that can easily be auto scheduled and then performed, such as the set-up of a new workstation.In some cases, self-service software is bundled with traditional help desk software. In other cases, the self-service software is standalone but can easily be integrated with commonly used help desk software. That sounds good, but the challenge for IT and other company departments, such as HR, that want to provide self-help to employees is being able to develop information that is actionable for users.SearchUnify, a customer service and self-help solutions provider, cites three major challenges in self-help systems: users not being able to find the information they are searching for; users not finding information thats relevant to their issues; and ITs failure to regularly monitor self-help systems to see how well they are working.Related:Lets examine the issues and see how IT and others can address them.Users not finding the information they want. Users can only find the information they want if the information is there.Some vendors offer self-help libraries for their systems, but most of the time it will be up to IT and user department subject matter experts to populate the knowledge base with the information users want to know.The first step in knowledgebase building is performing research to determine who the self-service target audience is. The next step is meeting with these users to understand the topics they need to learn about and identify the questions on any given topic that they are most likely to ask. Additional insights can be gleaned by reviewing notes and old question logs to see which questions were most commonly asked.Once the team determines as to the types of information that the knowledge base needs, the system can be populated with that information. The content can come from documents, blogs, videos, process steps, outside information and resources, and anything else that IT and user department subject matter experts contribute.Related:In the case of HR, for example, a common question that the knowledge base might address is when a new employees 401K contribution from the company will begin to vest. An IT question that the knowledge base might answer could be what a user should do if their workstation suddenly doesnt connect to the network.Users being able to schedule their own IT service events. Most self-help systems come with a self-service catalog feature that allows IT to list an assortment of IT services for which users can schedule requests.Examples include a user who needs a new workstation or printer configured and connected to the network; or a user who requires a company mobile device; or a security user ID-password setup. Service requests like these are easy to automate and schedule because they are straightforward tasks that IT can execute and fulfill in a timely manner.In contrast, a user request for IT to troubleshoot a mysterious system bug thats crashing a system requires investigation, and the timeframe for resolution is unknown. The complexities of these requests require that they be routed through the normal help desk function.Users finding information thats relevant. Initial information planning meetings with users help define the content of the self-help knowledgebase, but they must also take into account usability. In other words, for the topics and questions that users want to know about, can the knowledgebase quickly arrive at the bottom lines of these requests, so users can deftly help themselves and be on their way?Related:Commercial vendors build in tests for information relevancy by asking users questions after knowledge searches like, Did you find this information helpful?In this way, feedback is gathered. It enables vendors --and IT and subject matter experts -- to continually improve the quality of the knowledgebase and the self-help system functions that users experience and use.ITs need to regularly monitor self-help systems to see how well they are working. Some years ago, a software VP at what was then a 4GL (fourth generation) no/low code software company told me that his company regularly filmed users when they were test driving the generation of reports from data to see how well they were navigating screens and understanding how to use the software.We film them, observing where there is hesitance or confusion because theyre not quite sure what to do next, he said. We also check navigation. Can they easily go to the function they want to use? In some cases, the tool works exceptionally well, but weve also seen cases where weve had to revise the product to make it more user friendly, based upon the usability issues we observed from film.Software testing techniques have advanced since then, but usability is still an important goal. In the self-help environment, you want to ensure that users can easily navigate the system and swiftly get to the answers and services they need. If they cant, they cant help themselves. The only way you can do this is to monitor site abandonment levels, observe how often users are using the system, and continually solicit user feedback.A need for system maintenance.Self-help systems will never find themselves on the same mission critical system list as an ERP system, but they still need to be taken seriously by IT.To take a self-help system seriously means that it must be maintained by ensuring its working well for users and continuously delivering point-on, relevant information. All too often, there is a tendency to place the maintenance of self-help systems at the bottom of the IT to-do list, because these systems are only for internal users, and they are never classified as mission critical.A self-help system is relevant for employees ability to do work on their own with optimized self-help tools and knowledge bases at their fingertips. To keep these systems running at optimum performance levels, their knowledge bases and functions must be regulatory updated. Those who own these functions and content (e.g., IT, HR, finance, and others) should build a regular system maintenance routine for self-help systems into their operational cycles.