We may earn a commission from links on this page.Do you know someone who always seems to be going... somewhere? You'll be watching Instagram Stories and here they come, sitting in an airport lounge or posing at a restaurant that is most certainly not in the city where they live. Whether this person is constantly being shuttled around as a result of their job or is just a true believer in the concept of vacation, you can use the holidays as an opportunity to get them something that will make their life easier and better, no matter where they are in the world.The best gifts for frequent flyersYour frequent flyer probably already has luggage they love that suits their lifestyle and needs, so don't try that as a gift unless you're sure it's wanted. You know what they probably don't have, though? A scale to make sure that luggage is within airline weight requirements. A portable luggage scale is just $10.99 to you, but invaluable to them. Well, maybe you can put a price on its value, since it's about to save them so much in overweight fees. Etekcity Digital Portable Handheld Luggage Scale $10.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $10.99 at Amazon Next, let's talk techspecifically, charging and storage for tech. Look around an airport sometime. Everyone is 1. on their phone and 2. charging it simultaneously. Save your recipient the hassle of making the impossible choice about whether they should charge their headphones, smart watch, or phone with their one precious outlet and pick up this folding three-in-one charger ($20.34) instead.Or, if they're an international explorer, try a phone-charging passport holder, like this one from Lovie Style ($43.99). They already need to keep their passport on them, so you can help make it dual-function this way. Plus, it's pretty unlikely they have one like this already, so it's a holiday win. For on the plane itself, I have two suggestions: A PROFezzion magnetic phone mount ($14.99) and the Lavales Bluetooth adapter ($29.99). With these, you guarantee your traveler can be entertained on their flight, no matter what. The phone mount holds a phone up in front of someone, attaching to the seat in front of them, while the adapter enables them to use their own wireless headphones to hear in-flight entertainment. Finally, consider a Dapper Wrapper ($26.16), a portable tech organizer that rolls up and keeps cords and small devices separate and safe inside a bagno matter how fast they're running to make it to their gate.The best gifts for travelingWhether on the plane or in a hotel room in a strange new place, your giftee may find sleeping a little troublesome. May I suggest the Muciozy sleep headphones ($22.79)? They are Bluetooth headphones with an attached eye mask, resulting in a very customized sleeping environment. MUSICOZY Sleep Headphones $29.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $10.00 Shop Now Shop Now $29.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $10.00 A few months ago, I got the Tan Fan sleep sack ($46). It's a silky kind-of sleeping bag that is meant to stop your self tanner from getting all over your sheets at night, and while I use it for that, I also discovered a great dual purpose for it: I took it on a trip with me, where I shamelessly used it not only on the plane, but to separate myself from the sheets at my hotel. I'm not usually a big germ freak, but it was comforting to know that even if the housekeeping staff was feeling lazy that week, I was safe in a personal cocoon I had washed myself. It's so small and foldable that it was a breeze to pack away. As it turns out, there are all kinds of sleeping bag liners out there if you don't want to get the one branded for self-tanning. If your recipient stays at hostels or Airbnbs, this could be a real winner. A travel towel is also a smart buy, especially if your traveler is outdoorsy or stays in accommodations other than hotels. The PackTowel Luxe ($27.69) is small, light, and easy to carry and stow, but still absorbent, so they never have to be wet when they're on the go.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Friday said it has ordered federal supervision of Google Payment Corp. after determining that it meets the legal requirements for such oversight. The CFPB monitors banks, credit unions and other financial institutions, and recently finalized a rule to supervise digital payment apps. In the order, which focuses on the Google Pay app and its peer-to-peer (P2P) payment service (discontinued in the US earlier this year), the CFPB said it has reasonable cause to determine that Google has engaged in conduct that poses risks to consumers. Google filed a lawsuit shortly after the announcement to challenge the decision, Reuters reports.The risks identified by the CFPB are tied to Googles handling of erroneous transactions and fraud prevention. Based on customer complaints, the order said it appears that Google didnt adequately investigate erroneous transfers, or adequately explain the findings of its investigations into these issues. The complaints also indicate Google didnt do enough to prevent fraud, the order says. But, the CFPB announcement notes that the order does not constitute a finding that the entity has engaged in wrongdoing, nor does it require the CFPB to conduct a supervisory examination.In a statement to TechCrunch, a Google spokesperson said, This is a clear case of government overreach involving Google Pay peer-to-peer payments, which never raised risks and is no longer provided in the U.S., and we are challenging it in court. The CFPB's order acknowledges that Google Pay was discontinued but says this is not a basis to refrain from designating Google for supervision, though it could affect whether it decides to conduct an examination.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-sues-after-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-orders-supervision-of-its-payment-arm-000829576.html?src=rss

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn announced on Saturday that theyve made changes to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) with help from X to strengthen the bill while safeguarding free speech online and ensuring it is not used to stifle expression. The Senate passed the bill in July with a vote of 91-3, but its since stalled in the House, and its proponents are pushing for it to be passed before the end of the year. Xs CEO Linda Yaccarino also posted about the collaboration, and called for Congress and the House to pass the bill.After working with the bill authors, Im proud to share that weve made progress to further protect freedom of speech while maintaining safety for minors online, Yaccarino wrote in a post on X that was shared by the two senators. KOSA is meant to protect minors from addictive social media features and potentially dangerous content by placing a duty of care on the companies that own the platforms. But critics have argued that it could lead to censorship and other harms. The new changes, according to The Verge, clarify the conditions under which duty of care can be enforced and narrow its application around anxiety and depressive disorders, stating they must be objectively verifiable and tied to compulsive usage.In their joint statement, Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Blackburn (R-Tennessee) said:These changes should eliminate once and for all the false narrative that this bill would be weaponized by unelected bureaucrats to censor Americans. We thank Elon and Linda for their bold leadership and commitment to protecting children online and for helping us get this bill across the finish line this Congress. We appreciate that this endorsement and revised text reflects their publicly stated goal of furthering free speech without fear of censorship. We reiterate Xs call to pass KOSA by the end of the year it is clear that this legislation has overwhelming support from Congress.KOSA was first introduced in February 2022 and has faced opposition from groups including the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Its been revised multiple times.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/x-helped-senators-update-the-kids-online-safety-act-so-it-cant-be-used-to-stifle-expression-221853260.html?src=rss

Redshift 2025.2 is out. Check out the new features in Maxon's GPU renderer, including new options for material variation and non-photorealistic rendering, universal GPU denoising, and a new USD Command Line Rendering tool for render farms.https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/12/maxon-releases-redshift-2025-2/

Cinema 4D 2025.1 is out. Check out the new features in Maxon's 3D animation and motion graphics software, including the revamped real-time Boolean modeling system, and updates to animation, simulation and USD workflows.https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/12/maxon-releases-cinema-4d-2025-1/

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