Every now and then, a company comes up with an idea so good that every competitor ends up copying it. Such is the case with Bluesky's starter packs, which are now starting to spread to other social networks. Starter packs are lists of accounts and topics that make it easy for you to populate your feed with the people and things you actually want to see. Following Bluesky's lead, Threads announced last week that it's building this feature into its platform, and now third-party developers are bringing it to Mastodon as well.This is great news: On Mastodon, it is hard to find interesting new accounts because of the decentralized nature of the social network. There are many great accounts on relatively obscure instances, however, and with these starter packs, you can view them all in one place.Integrating starter packs with MastodonYou can find Mastodon starter packs on FediDevs, a site built to help people find developers on Mastodon. Since this is not an official Mastodon feature, you'll need to give FediDevs access to your Mastodon account. The site is quite transparent about these permissions and they're reasonable: It asks for read-only access to accounts and search, and read and write access to follows. With these permissions, FediDevs can see which accounts you follow and help you follow multiple accounts at once. Credit: Pranay Parab Once your account is linked to FediDevs, you can start browsing through various starter packs on the site. Take a look at the Apple and Adjacent Tech starter pack if you're interested in following accounts that post about things related to Apple.FediDevs lets you create your own starter packs as well. Go to the Create Starter Packs section and start gathering your favorite accounts. Instead of starting with a blank slate, you can actually see all the accounts you follow when you create a new starter pack. This way, you can quickly add multiple accounts and avoid having to manually search for more accounts each time. Note that you can only add accounts that are set as discoverable, which respects people's privacy. Use the search bar to find more accounts, and, once you're done, click the Finish button to launch your starter pack.It's quite easy to edit and modify starter packsthose options show up under the three-dots button below the title. You can follow all accounts in any starter pack with just one click. My only complaint is that the site displays each profile in a large card, which makes it tedious to scroll through longer lists. Not everyone wants to follow hundreds of accounts without looking at who is in those accounts, and for this, I wish there was a way to either display multiple smaller cards in a row or to simply view compact lists.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Christmas is around the corner, and if you celebrate the holiday and have kids, they're likely a little excited right about now. The holiday has all kinds of magic built in, but if youre trying to keep your kids entertained and have grown weary of managing an Elf on the Shelfs escapades, why not enlist the help of your home assistant and smart home technology? Alexa can help your kid talk to Santa Unlike other voice assistants, Alexa requires you to enable their holiday-specific functionality. You can do this by asking, Alexa, enable Hey Santa or in your Alexa app, go to Skills & games, search for Santa and click on Santa-holiday personality for Alexa.Once youve done this, you and your family can now talk to Santa just like you'd talk to Alexa. Some basic requests that work are Hey Santa, tell me a story, Hey Santa, tell me the North Pole news, Hey Santa, tell me about your reindeer, and Hey Santa, sing karaoke. Siri can answer kids questions about SantaApples voice assistant doesnt need any special activation; ask it questions about Santa, and it should be able to supply an answer that satisfies your kids. Some examples that already have been tested are Hey Siri, wheres Santa?,Hey Siri, is Santa coming?, Hey Siri, what do you want/what are you doing for Christmas?, and Hey Siri, call Santa.Google Assistant has a direct line to the North PoleLike Siri, Google Assistant is already set up to assist kids in exploring what Santa is up to. Your kids can ask Hey Google, whats happening in the North Pole? and every day, they'll get a news update from an elf, much like the Google news update adults can receive each morning. You can also have Google call Santa: Simply ask Hey Google, call Santa. Santa can also read a Christmas story when asked, or tell you about Christmas activities when you ask, Google, what Christmas activities do you have planned?Use automation to keep your hidden gifts safe from prying eyesIf you keep wrapped gifts in a closet or special room, or even under the tree, you can protect them from curious kids by using your smart home automation. First, add a vibration sensor to the stack of gifts. Then, in your home automation system (any of the above systems like Google, Homekit or Alexa will work) add an action if the sensor detects motion. You can have the lights in the room go on and off; you can sound an alarm on your assistants speakers; you can make a recording in your voice (or Santas voice!) warning the intruder to stop or Santa will deliver them coal instead. Aqara Vibration Sensor $19.99 at Amazon $21.99 Save $2.00 Shop Now Shop Now $19.99 at Amazon $21.99 Save $2.00 Use a presence sensor for Christmas morningIf you struggle with kids staying asleep Christmas morning (or at least, staying in bed) this automation will help. Youll want a presence sensor in the room with the Christmas tree and gifts. Much like the routine above, youre going to set up a routine or automation. If the presence sensor detects motion between the hours of 4am and 10am (or whatever hours your set) then perform a set of actions. This is up to you, but Id suggest a recording of Santa saying that hes still working, or your voices telling kids its not time yet. Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 $82.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $82.99 at Amazon Smart lights plus a microphone will provide an interactive light showConsider holiday lights that are smart and sound-reactive: If you stand near the lights and sing, or just have a conversation, the lights will move with your voices. Govee sells a microphone (they call it a "music sync box") for their lights, which can be used with indoor or outdoor lights. Last year I set the microphone up on the sidewalk with some kid-friendly instruments and a sign; children walking by would play the instruments into the microphone and the house would light up in response to their playing. Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro $399.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $399.99 at Amazon

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.If youre in the market for a top-tier gaming mouse, the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 is currently $119.67 (down from $159), its lowest price ever according to price trackers like Keepa. Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Gaming Mouse $119.67 at Amazon $159.00 Save $39.33 Get Deal Get Deal $119.67 at Amazon $159.00 Save $39.33 The G Pro X Superlight 2 is, as the name suggests, super light, weighing 60 grams (or 2.1 ounces). This makes it one of the lightest (ambidextrous) wireless gaming mice out there, making it an excellent choice for gamers playing fast-paced games where every flick of the wrist counts. With just four buttons (thumb buttons on the left side) and a clickable scroll wheel, the Superlight 2 leans heavily on simplicity. However, the lack of extra buttons or RGB lighting might feel a bit underwhelming at this price point, especially for those who prefer more customization or a bit of flash in their setup. Its compact size might also be a drawback for gamers with larger hands or those who favor a heavier mouse for more controlled movements.You can connect the Superlight 2 wirelessly via a USB-A transmitter, but it can also be used in wired mode with a USB-C cable. Impressively, its wireless connection supports an increased polling rate of 2,000Hz (double the standard 1,000Hz) for more responsive performance with minimal latency. Its wireless performance is equally impressive, reportedly maintaining stability even in crowded RF environments where interference is common. Plus, its upgraded Hero 2 sensor (with a maximum 32,000 DPI and tracking speeds of over 500 inches per second), delivers pinpoint accuracy, according to this PCmag review.Customization comes via Logitechs G Hub software, allowing you to adjust DPI in five-point increments, remap buttons, create macros, and more. That said, while its great for tweaking the essentials, the lack of a built-in DPI switch means switching settings on the fly requires using the app or assigning a button for the taskan inconvenient workaround. On the plus side, with a 95-hour battery life, the Superlight 2 can handle over a week of heavy use before needing a recharge. If youre open to a pre-owned option, the Razer Viper V2 Pro HyperSpeed at $74 makes for a good alternative.

Clickbait videos have always been annoying, but there are times when they can be downright harmful. YouTube has vowed to strengthen its enforcement efforts when it comes to dealing with "egregious clickbait" on its website, particularly those that cover or pretend to cover breaking news and current events. The website describes egregious clickbait as "videos where the title or thumbnail promises viewers something that the video doesn't deliver."YouTube says these videos leave viewers "feeling tricked, frustrated, or even misled" if they come to the website looking for truthful and timely information on important issues. If you've ever watched a clickbait video, you'd know that's definitely true. You may have trained yourself on being able to spot and skip them over the years, but some people might still not know the difference between clickbait and legitimate content.One example of egregious clickbait, according to YouTube, is if a video says "the president resigned!" without actually addressing the president's resignation. Misleading thumbails are considered egregious clickbait, as well. If a thumbnail reads "top political news" and the video doesn't contain any political news, then it will also be subjected to YouTube's enforcement action.The website will start cracking down on clickbait videos in India it didn't say how it will expand from there, but we've asked it for more information. For now, it will delete any video that violates this policy without issuing strikes. After it goes through old videos, it will then prioritize new uploads, presumably so that they don't reach more people that they should.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-will-crack-down-on-egregious-clickbait-starting-in-india-130010064.html?src=rss

We at Engadget are in the unique position to test out many more gadgets than we actually use on a regular basis. It just comes with the territory of reviewing the newest smartphones or testing out dozens of power banks to find the best ones. But we still have to buy things for ourselves, and there are winners and losers just like there are when we test things out for professional purposes only. And similar to when we find a new top-tier tablet or VR headset, we like to sing the praises of the tech we bought ourselves to anyone who will listen. These are the best things Engadget staffers purchased this year that will continue to get lots of use in 2025. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/our-favorite-tech-we-bought-in-2024-130006482.html?src=rss

This week, we're looking back at our hellish 2024 and trying to figure out where to go from here. We began the year with enormous hype around artificial intelligence, but that's cooled off after seeing how useless many AI features have been. It's also clear that many companies, including Microsoft and Apple, are trying to push half-baked AI concepts onto users. Looking forward, we're expecting a rough few years for the tech industry (not to mention the world as a whole).Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!iTunesSpotifyPocket CastsStitcherGoogle PodcastsTopics2024 in review: AI hype hasnt led to much and the social media vibes are in flux 1:12What were looking forward to in 2025 21:43Tiktok appeals its ban all the way to the US Supreme Court 29:53TP-Link routers are being investigated by US authorities 32:39Quick thoughts from last weeks Game Awards 35:35Working on 38:26Pop culture picks 39:17Interview with Tim Miller and Dave Wilson of Primes Secret Level 49:20CreditsHosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn LowProducer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'BrienThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/engadget-podcast-the-ai-hype-train-stalled-in-2024-123042348.html?src=rss

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