A California ground squirrel carries a vole in its mouth after hunting the rodent. Sonja Wild, UC DavisIn the rolling green hills of Californias Briones Regional Park, not far from the urban bustle of Oakland and Berkeley, the squirrels are not what they seem.Instead of simply stuffing their cheeks with fruits, nuts or seeds, the California ground squirrels there are now known to hunt, kill, decapitate and consume voles, a fellow rodent species, according to research published Wednesday in the Journal of Ethology.This was shocking, study lead author Jennifer E. Smith, a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, says in a statement. We had never seen this behavior before.Most people are very familiar with squirrels, accustomed to seeing the animals on their streets or in their yards. And Smith is even more sosince 2013, she has led the Long-term Behavioral Ecology of California Ground Squirrels Project, which monitors squirrel genetics, social behavior and physiological stress responses in the San Francisco Bay area. But even with her intimate knowledge of the rodents, it was only this year that her research team observed ground squirrels actively pursuing and eating meat.The initial discovery was made by undergraduate researchers, who returned from the field site in Briones Regional Park earlier this year with videos of the squirrels behavior to show their incredulous supervisors.At first, we questioned what was going on, Smith tells Suzie Dundas of SFGATE. But seeing the videos was astounding and shifted my perspective on a species that I have spent the last 12 years of my life studying.Vole hunting: Novel predatory and carnivorous behavior by California ground squirrelsWatch on Smith and her team documented 74 interactions between ground squirrels and voles between June and July. In 42 percent of the interactions, the squirrels were hunting the smaller rodents.From then, we saw that behavior almost every day, Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, who co-leads the project with Smith, says in the statement. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.Though theyre largely vegetarians, squirrels have long been known to occasionally consume insects, small bird eggs or meat left out by humans, but direct study of hunting behavior by squirrels remains rare, according to the study. This widespread carnivorous behavior, Smith tells SFGATE, was therefore groundbreaking.In most recorded cases included in the paper, a single squirrel would pursue a single vole across the open landscape, rather than lying in wait or hunting in a group. Sometimes with a stalking motion and a pounce, it would tackle the vole, restrain it with its forepaws, bite the voles neck and remove its head. Then, the squirrel would either strip the fur from the vole to expose cartilage, meat and organs, or tear the meat directly out from the torso.The authors of the study suggest this change in diet is a response to a booming vole population. Using reports from citizen scientists on iNaturalist, an app that allows users to submit photos of plants and animal sightings, the researchers found vole abundance in the state was seven times greater this year than over a ten-year average, and sightings were particularly high in Briones Regional Park.What is most striking and incredible is the speed at which they shifted their behavior to this local surge in vole abundance, Smith tells CNNs Julianna Bragg.Its a wonderful way for them to capitalize on a very abundant resource to provide enough sustenance for many [squirrels] to use, John Koprowski, a wildlife biologist at the University of Wyoming who was not involved in the study, tells CNN. Tia Ravara from UW-Eau Claire, left, and Ryann Su of UC Davis, both members of the research group called "Team Squirrel," watch a California ground squirrel during the 2023 field season. Sonja Wild, UC DavisSquirrels of all ages and sexes took part in the vole hunt, an indication that this dietary flexibility is widespread across the species and may serve as a crucial survival mechanism in response to fluctuating environmental conditions, especially in areas with high human populations.In the face of human insults such as climate change and drought, these animals are resilient and have the potential to adapt to live in a changing world, Smith adds.If acorn or seeds fall into low supply, for instance, squirrels appear primed to find other sources of protein and nutrients. The less stubborn an animal is about its diet, the better suited it is for survival. Although in this case, the squirrels dont seem to be motivated by a scarcity of any other food source, per SFGATE, rather, the high population of voles appears to be the reason for their hunting.But because the study was focused on one regional park, it is unclear if the squirrels behavior willor already hasspread across the state. It is also unknown if the taste for fellow rodents (and the hunting techniques used to capture them) will be passed onto future generations of squirrels once this vole surge abates. What the opportunistic squirrels door eatnext remains to be seen.Digital technology can inform the science, Smith says in the statement, but theres no replacement for going out there and witnessing the behavior, because what animals are doing always surprises us.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, California, Hunting, Mammals, New Research, Rodents and Shrews, Scientists, Squirrels

Google Fiber is changing up its internet plans in Huntsville, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee. The new Core 1 Gig, Home 3 Gig, and Edge 8 Gig plans appear to have launched last month and streamline the companys existing options, as spotted earlier by 9to5Google.These options replace the 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 5 Gig, and 8 Gig plans currently available in other supported cities. Like the existing 1 Gig plan, Google Fibers new Core 1 Gig option costs $70 / month with symmetrical 1 gigabit per second upload and download speeds. It comes with GFibers Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E Router and supports up to one mesh extender. Screenshot: GoogleThe $100 / month Home 3 Gig plan sits between the $100 / month 2 Gig and $125 / month 5 Gig options, offering up to 3-gig speeds, a GFiber Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E router, up to two mesh extenders, along with priority room optimization that brings additional wired connectivity to the rooms that matter most. Subscribers can also add an internet battery backup for an extra $10 per month, which offers up to two hours of full-bandwidth uptime, with no internet slow downs in case a power outage knocks out your router or fiber jack.Lastly, Googles $150 / month 8 Gig Edge always-on plan comes with upload and download speeds of up to 8 gigabits per second, the same GFiber Wi-Fi 6E router, and up to two mesh extenders. It also offers up to 5,000 square feet of coverage, priority room optimization, an included internet backup battery, and a 25 percent refund if your internet goes down for over 45 minutes.Its not clear whether Google will bring these plans to more cities, and the company didnt immediately respond to The Verges request for more information. Since Google Fibers inception in 2010, the company has been gradually expanding its fiber footprint across the US while achieving faster speeds. Google rolled out a 20-gig Wi-Fi 7 plan in select cities last year.

In recent years, base MacBook Pro models have felt like an automatic skip. It made more sense to pay just a few hundred more for upgrades that truly justify the Pro moniker, or save money by stepping down to a MacBook Air without many sacrifices. But thats changed as of the M4 model. With the base MacBook Pro with M4 matching its all-time low price of $1,399 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo right now, its quite possibly the best value of any MacBook available.RelatedThe 10-core M4 chipset has a decent speed advantage over the 8-core M3 inside last years MacBook Pro, of course. Apple claims its CPU has the strongest single-threaded performance of anything out there, not to mention a neural engine thats two times faster than the M3s. Our benchmarking certainly corroborates that its faster, although depending on what youre doing on the laptop, you may not notice much difference. But what really sets the 2024 model apart is its starting allotment of 16GB of RAM, which is double that offered by previous generations. That helps with the Apple Intelligence features seeding into macOS Sequoia and also makes it suitable for heavier tasks than most average workloads require.The M4 MacBook Pro also picked up a third Thunderbolt 4 port this cycle, plus an upgraded 1080p webcam that has a taller field-of-view for the new Desk View feature. Those are all very good advantages for the money, and you should only feel compelled to step up further if you have stronger needs such as heavy 4K or 8K video editing, photo editing, programming, or other intensive tasks.Read our Apple MacBook Pro M4 review.14-inch MacBook Pro with M4$1399$159913% off$1399$1399$159913% offThe entry-level MacBook Pro with M4 starts with 16GB of RAM double that of its predecessor and a 512GB SSD for the same starting price of $1,599. It also gets a third USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 port and comes in a new space black option.More fun Friday dealsThe Beats Studio Buds Plus in silver are matching their all-time low of $119.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, which is only $10 more than the lowest price to date. If you want to join the translucent revolution and get it in clear (or other colors), those are just $129.99 ($40 off) right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The wireless earbuds offer pretty good sound quality and effective noise cancellation, though not quite as good as the second-gen AirPods Pro. They last longer than Apples flagship earbuds, however, with up to nine hours of battery life in the buds and 36 hours total with the case. They also pair nicely with both iOS and Android devices, supporting several native features for each platform. Read our review. You can get a four-pack of Apple AirTags for $69.99 (about $29 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is matching the lowest price to date. These Bluetooth trackers can be a popular stocking stuffer option for the iPhone owners in your life, or to pair with your own keys, bags, luggage, and other things youd rather not lose. Not only will they constantly report their last known location, but on iPhones with ultra wideband radios (iPhone 11 and newer), Precision Find My will offer guided compass directions thatll lead you within inches of the item once youre in range.If you want some floral home decor that doesnt need babysitting, Legos flowers are a fun alternative to artificial plants. Take the 608-piece Lego Icons Poinsettia set, which is down to $34.98 (about $15 off) at Amazon right now. The resulting construction depicts a bouquet of the popular flowers sprouting from a woven basket, and you can adjust its various petals and leaves for posing however you like. As of this writing, its still shipping fast enough to arrive before Christmas, making it a great option for last-minute gifts or to add to your festive holiday decorations.

We started making this video with one question in mind: What makes iPhone repair so difficult? And immediately the answer was: a lot.Ive never repaired a phone before, so I was particularly nervous that the first one I was opening was an iPhone. This wasnt just because I didnt want to destroy a phone with a mistake but also because I was somewhat familiar with Apples reputation with repairability. However, I wanted to test out a new repair feature Apple introduced recently with iOS 18 called repair assistant to see if it fixes a years-long practice of Apples that makes iPhones incredibly difficult to repair.Before iOS 18, replacing components of an iPhone like the display or battery without going through Apples repair channels would reduce the functionality of the device because iPhones are programmed to recognize when parts are swapped out. This is because of a design choice called parts pairing.Apple uses parts pairing to assign serial numbers to parts inside a device and tie those parts to the logic board. This means you cant replace any of these parts on your own or at a repair shop without having a way to pair a new parts serial number to the device. If a part was replaced, some functions of the phone tied to that part would be disabled like True Tone, Face ID, or Battery Health. Repair assistant is an on-device software tool thats meant to allow independent repair shops and DIY users to pair new parts to their phones without going through Apples procedures. This means youll be able to use genuine Apple used parts to make repairs, and iOS 18.1 is reported to extend functionality back to devices using third-party displays and batteries based on a promise from Apples whitepaper Longevity, by Design.I set out to discover if iOS 18s repair assistant fixes this major issue facing iPhone repair by asking Shahram Mokhtari, the lead teardown technician at iFixit, for a crash course in Apples history of repairability and how parts pairing has impacted that. I also reached out to right-to-repair advocate and iPhone repair and microsoldering expert Jessa Jones of iPad Rehab to walk me through my first attempt at iPhone repair and test out firsthand how repair assistant works. Jessa also showed me some of the odd workarounds and pitfalls that come up in independent iPhone repair when parts cant be sourced from Apple.Something I went in thinking was complicated turned out to be way, way more complicated as we got into the details of the specific frustrations facing independent iPhone repair shops. Watch the full episode on YouTube and go down the rabbit hole that is parts pairing with me. Also let us know if you have any tech questions you want us to answer next!

Zombieland and The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg has said his role as DC villain Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hurt his career "in a real way."The widely panned film arrived in 2016 as one piece of the now defunct DC Extended Universe, which starred Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman.Eisenberg said on the Armchair Expert podcast that he's been in other poorly received films but, given just how mainstream DC is, the backlash for Batman v Superman was much greater.Movie Stills -- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"I was in this Batman movie and the Batman movie was so poorly received, and I was so poorly received," Eisenberg said. "Ive never said this before and its kind of embarrassing to admit but I genuinely think it actually hurt my career in a real way, because I was poorly received in something so public."Ive been in poorly received things that just dont see the light of day, and for the most part, no one knows. But this was so public, and I dont read notices or reviews or movie press or anything, so I was unaware of how poorly it was received."Since starring in Batman v Superman, Eisenberg has appeared in the likes of Now You See Me 2, The Art of Self-Defense, Vivarium, and Zombieland: Double Tap. Now You See Me 3 is due out November 2025.Batman v Superman, as just the second DCEU film, set the standard of quality fans could expect from DC's Marvel Cinematic Universe rival. It was followed almost exclusively by critical duds such as Suicide Squad, Aquaman, Justice League, and Black Adam before being scrapped and replaced by the new DC Universe, which kicks off proper on July 11, 2025 with Superman.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Star Citizen has finally hit alpha 4.0 after what its chief developer, Chris Roberts, admitted was a much longer than anticipated development process.Cloud Imperium Games space sim is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the 12 years since its crowdfunding drive began, Star Citizen has been called many things including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost hundreds of dollars, are often the focus of criticism.Indeed, Star Citizen has now raised an eye-watering $767 million, according to figures from CIG. The developer makes revenue publicly available on its website. CIG calls this money funds raised.In March this year, CIG began talking about Star Citizens 1.0 launch being within sight, although theres still no release window for it. 1.0, Roberts has said, is what we consider the features and content set to represent commercial release.In a letter from the Chairman post, Roberts said: Long ago, lost in the mists of time before COVID, at CitizenCon 2949, we showcased the first in-game prototype of traveling from the Stanton System to the Pyro System via a Jump Point."After a much longer than anticipated development process, what was teased in 2019 becomes a reality for all players when we launch Star Citizen Alpha 4.0 to the live servers, as part of what we are calling the 4.0 Preview.Star Citizen Alpha 4.0 brings with it a full wipe and reset to all accounts. All players start fresh with their account hangars and wallets +20,000 aUEC (Alpha United Earth Credits, Star Citizens virtual currency used during the alpha stage). Headline additions include Pyro, the second Star System added to the Star Citizen Universe, the first jump point in the persistent universe, connecting the Stanton and Pyro systems together, an economy overhaul, and much more. Check out the patch notes over on the Roberts Space Industries website.In October, CIG said that Squadron 42, the standalone, single-player story game set in the Star Citizen universe, launches at some point in 2026, which, if it makes that release window, would be an incredible 14 years after CIG first launched Star Citizen's crowdfunding drive.Roberts, known for creating the Wing Commander series, has said Squadron 42 will offer 30-40 hours of gameplay. It stars Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, and Mark Strong.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Entering a new year is all about looking forward to what's coming next and reflecting back on what has already occurred. In the interior design world, that translates to predicting upcoming home trends and looking back on the projects that were completed this past year. And while it's never easy to pick a favorite, we asked a group of top interior designers to do the impossible and share with us their top residential projects of 2024. From custom new builds to full gut renovations, 12 top designers spill all the details on why the projects they shared will stick with them for the rest of their careers and what challenges they overcame to create such charming spaces. You'll find some recurring themes in the homes that display what styles homeowners were really loving this past year, such as bold colors, layered patterns, and timeless designs that'll age beautifully. Looking ahead, we can only imagine what these talented designers are going to create in 2025. But for now, this is 12 top interior designers' 2024 wrapped.For more interior inspiration: 1Amy Peltier's California Country EstatePeter Christiansen ValliMy favorite project that we completed this year was this master bedroom transformation in a historical Tudor home. We designed this 'California Country Estate' to be a space where timeless English tradition meets the serene sophistication of California living. We drew inspiration from the grand estates of the English countryside, while integrating elements with a relaxed, West Coast vibe, creating a space that is both refined and inviting.One distinctive feature about this bedroom was the square footage. The space was so large in fact it ran the entire width of the house including having a fireplace and a sitting room. In addition to the bedroom, there is a balcony and windows on three sides of the room allowing for a breathtaking view of the northwest mountain. We got to truly express ourselves creatively in every nook and corner adding small touches and details that elevated the space.Amy Peltier of Peltier Interiors2Breegan Jane's HGTV Dream HomeJoseph Bradshaw"Ive enjoyed working on the HGTV Dream Home for the past four years, but this years Dream Home was uniquely special for me because it offered a new perspective on purchasing long-term real estate investments with the idea that it can transform your life by supporting your lifestyle.This property backs up to a golf course, and its one of the first Ive worked on that had the ability to bring in nature in a visual way without the requirement of maintaining the greenery. It was the perfect illustration of how our homes can go beyond the physical walls and extend into the neighborhoods themselves.Additionally, with designer Brian Patrick Flynn, we ensured the home used a lot of color-drenching. This styling allowed for a bold personality in each room, and it expanded my ideas of color theory inside bedrooms. The headboards, baseboards, ceilings, and walls in two of the bedrooms were all done monochromaticallyeach in a different color and tone, and the interiors of the rooms also played off those shades. Its always interesting at this point in my career to continue to challenge myself and consider ideas outside of the box."Breegan JaneAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3Redd Kaihoi's Artist's LairCourtesy of Redd Kaihoi"Picking a favorite is kind of like Sophies choice or asking who is your favorite child. They are all our favorites because each one teaches us something new and opens us to new experiences, but this one did linger, for the artistic creativity it allowed and the scale of the rooms.The client is an artist and has an artists eye. She has a large family and wanted a very comfortable lair to enjoy her many collections, but also a place where family and friends could easily come and relax surrounded by beauty. The living spaces have an almost Peggy Guggenheim studio quality, but a tad less bohemian, as if Geoffrey Bennison might have come along to do a refresh. The bedrooms are meant to be classic Colefax comfort. Clean and edited, yet sumptuous and practical. Stay in bed drinking lapsang and reading the morning away."Miles Redd of Redd Kaihoi4Jeff Andrews's Manhattan Beach Gut RenovationSam Frost

As part of a larger, multiyear project on this Manhattan Beach family home, we completely gutted and expanded the kitchen. The homeowners love to cook and entertain at home, so we outfitted this custom space with a full suite of integrated Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances and double islands. This kitchen is really a study in contrast through both color and texture. The bleached oak of the cabinetry alongside the dark metallic finishes, and the combination of smooth stone countertops with highly textured fabric and backsplash creates a sense of juxtaposition and visual interest throughout the space.Jeff Andrews of Jeff Andrews DesignAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below5Allison Lind's Personal ProjectKara Mercer"My favorite project from 2024 was the gut renovation of my own home. The home was a neglected 1905 craftsman in a highly sought-after neighborhood (in Tacoma, WA). Every inch of the homes interior needed work. So not only did I get to come in and find creative ways to modernize while resuscitating some 1900s charm, but I also got to think through how this home would serve my family as our children (ages four and six) grow. The biggest struggle? Being designer and client. For my clients, I am decisive and can clearly see the vision. For myself, I was constantly running into decision paralysis. But now that its done, I am so thrilled with the resultsand, bonus, I have a lot more empathy for what my clients go through!"Allison Lind of Allison Lind Interiors6Jessica Helgerson's Central Park West ApartmentAaron Leitz"Im not sure I can ever say a project is my favorite because my favorite is always what Im working on at the moment. Its the design work thats the fun part. But I loved our Central Park West project so very much. The thing I loved about this one was how fully we were able to embrace our Korean clients cultural heritage with our design choices: Pojagi curtains, the work of Korean artists, inclusion of Korean antiques, the recurring chrysanthemum motif.At the same time, we modernized the dated apartment, bringing the kitchen out from the back of the house, and simultaneously created a warm, livable, approachable space that feels like a soft, warm hug and is a calming haven for our clients to escape from their busy city lives."Jessica Helgerson of Jessica Helgerson Interior DesignAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below7Cece Bowman's Colorful New BuildCarmel Brantley"This project was my favorite from 2024 because it was built from the ground up, meaning we were able to incorporate many architectural details to make the house special. In addition, the client pushed us to be creative with color, new ideas, and to be bold. The outcome was an incredibly detailed and beautiful design within a practical family home setting."Cece Bowman of Cece Bowman Interiors8Anne McDonald's Jewel-Tone RefreshTaylor Hall O'Brien"This project was a favorite last year because it goes to show the power of a jewel-toned palette. The home had been white-washed previously and painting the trim a deep teal in the living room, and the oxblood tone in the dining room just helped draw out the classic colonial architecture in a way that feels fresh, but not trendy. The plums, emeralds, and light blues that we used for the art and furniture perfectly balance the deeper paint colors, so nothing takes itself too seriously."Anne McDonald of Anne McDonald DesignAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below9Lucy O'Brien's Historic Shore HouseLaurey Glenn"I have to say one of my favorite projects we finished up was our historic shore house, styled by Stephanie Potts. The transformation was so shocking and the reinvention of dead spaces into a much better footprint for modern living was a feat of design and project management. We also had many bumps along the way that we had to critically think through to get the desired result."Lucy O'Brien of Tartan & Toile 10Kevin Sawyers's Years-Long Obstacle CourseMichele Lee Willson"My project in the resort town of Guerneville, CA, was my favorite that wrapped up this year. I love a challenge and this one was for the record books. Going in, I knew there would be no limitations on color, pattern mixing, or expressing the clients bold personality in the interiors as this was a repeat client.The things that got in the way were fires, floods, FEMA, and a pandemic. With all of those obstacles, the ground-up build took seven years. The entire team persevered to create a dynamic, and inviting home for the client, their friends, and family to enjoy for many years to come."Kevin Sawyers of Sawyers DesignAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below11Ariel Okin's Prep-Meets-Bohemian ColonialDonna Dotan"This project was such a joy to work on, for a young family looking to put down roots in a new town (they had just moved from Montana.) It was fun and colorful and layered and textured and it was just happy from concept to install!"Ariel Okin of Ariel Okin InteriorsTOUR THE ENTIRE HOME12Jon de la Cruz's Penthouse Game RoomJohn Merkl Photography"This penthouse game room was my favorite in 2024 because we really were able to be extra playful with color. Having a panoramic window on the top floor of the five-story house with breathtaking views of the adjacent marina and bay, we went with the bold sky blue and verdant green palette. Rubelli's Monet jacquard is an absolute favorite, so upholstered a custom-designed, 12-foot banquette and a back-to-back sofa to anchor the room. We worked with Mark Nelson to create the custom 'front lawn' inspired hand tufted wool carpet, and color blocked Sandra Jordan's Prima Alpaca flannel into drapery panels."Jon de la Cruz of DLC-ID

Did you know that Apple, for years, has had a system and process for sending threat notifications to users of suspected spyware attacks? Heres what that means, and new details on the guidance Apple gives users with a compromised device.Spyware victims tend to be high-profile targets, not the average Apple userLorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai writes for TechCrunch:In the last few years, Apple has beensending notificationsto targets and victims of government spyware, alerting them that they may have been hacked,and directing them to get help. Crucially, Apple doesnt tell the targets to get in touch with its own security engineers, but with thenonprofit Access Now, which runs a digital helpline for people in civil society who suspect they have been targets of government spyware.We first reported on these threat notifications back in 2021 when Apple published a support document about them. That document, which was last updated on October 24, 2024, is available here.It explains that if youre the victim of a suspected spyware attack, youll be notified in multiple ways:A Threat Notification is displayed at the top of the page after you sign intoaccount.apple.com.Apple sends an email and iMessage notification to the email addresses and phone numbers associated with your Apple Account.The good news is that most users will never receive a threat notification, because the types of attacks they warn against are usually reserved for high-profile targets. As Apple puts it, those who are individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, likely because of who they are or what they do.Threat notifications: next steps to takeApples support document further explains what you should do if you receive a threat notification:We strongly suggest you enlist expert help, such as the rapid-response emergency security assistance provided by the Digital Security Helpline at the nonprofit Access Now. Apple threat notification recipients can contact the Digital Security Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a weekthrough their website. Outside organizations do not have any information about what caused Apple to send a threat notification, but they can assist targeted users with tailored security advice.So if youre a suspected target of spyware, Apple wont provide direct assistance itself. Rather, the company will direct you to the Access Now helpline. Apple notes: Outside organizations do not have any information about what caused Apple to send a threat notification, but they can assist targeted users with tailored security advice.Several cybersecurity experts TechCrunch spoke with praised Apples efforts in this area, saying that the introduction of threat notifications has been a game-changer.Apple also provides the following security recommendations for all users, which can hopefully prevent the need for ever getting a threat notification. Users should:Update devices to the latest software, as that includes the latest security fixesProtect devices with a passcodeUse two-factor authentication and a strong password for your Apple AccountInstall apps from the App StoreUse strong and unique passwords onlineDont click on links or attachments from unknown sendersHave you ever received an Apple threat notification? Had you ever heard of them before now? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 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

According to a shocking new book, Spotify has been promoting so-called "ghost artists" so it can avoid paying its piddling royalties to real artists.In an excerpt from "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist" published inHarper's, author Liz Pelly reveals that the streaming platform has a secretive internal program that prioritizes cheap and generic music.Dubbed "Perfect Fit Content" or PFC for short, this program not only involved a network of affiliated production firms creating tons of "low-budget stock muzak" for the platform, but also a team of employees who surreptitiously placed tracks from those firms on Spotify's curated playlists."In doing so," Pelly wrote, "they are effectively working to grow the percentage of total streams of music that is cheaper for the platform."Piloted in the mid-2010s, PFC reportedly became one of Spotify's biggest profitability schemes by 2017.As one former employee told the author, playlist editors at the streaming service began to see a new column on their dashboards soon after the program officially launched that, along with stats like plays, likes, and skip rates, would show how well each playlist they made worked with "music commissioned to fit a certain playlist/mood with improved margins."Not long after that new column appeared on employee dashboards, managers began pushing their underlings to add PFC songs to the playlists they were crafting for the platform."Initially, they would give us links to stuff, like, 'Oh, its no pressure for you to add it, but if you can, that would be great,'" the ex-Spotify employee told Pelly. "Then it became more aggressive, like, 'Oh, this is the style of music in your playlist, if you try it and it works, then why not?'"Other former employees told the author that they wished they'd pushed back more against that pressure from higher-ups because, as one put it, "some of us really didnt feel good about what was happening.""We didnt like that it was these two guys that normally write pop songs replacing swaths of artists across the board," the former Spotify-er said. "Its just not fair. But it was like trying to stop a train that was already leaving."As it became clearer and clearer that many of the company's then-current editors were skeptical of the program, Spotify began bringing in new blood that didn't care about the ethics of it. By 2023, when Pelly was writing her book, the team overseeing the PFC model was responsible for "several hundred" playlists. Of those, more than 150 playlists bearing titles like "Deep Focus," "Cocktail Jazz," and "Morning Stretch" were populated almost entirely by PFC content.To make matters worse, a jazz musician Pelly spoke to who moonlighted as an ambient trackmaker for one of Spotify's PFC partners told her that he was offered an upfront fee of a few hundred dollars and told he would not own the master rights to the track.Because it was an easy gig, the musician composed a few tracks for the firm that were released under aliases on Spotify. After a few of the tracks began getting millions of streams, however, he realized that he may have been ripped off."Im selling my intellectual property for essentially peanuts," the musician told the writer.Perhaps most offensive about this entire alleged scheme, which Spotify seems not to have commented on in the excerpt published byHarper's, is that the company is doing so to avoid paying infinitesimally small royalties to real artists that generally only make a fraction of a cent per stream.Though Spotify has repeatedly denied that it creates music in-house and said in 2017 that such claims were "categorically untrue, full stop," CEO Daniel Ek tweeted earlier this year that "the cost of creating content" is now "close to zero" a bizarre statement to make for someone whose company claims to not be in the business of ghost artistry.Share This Article

If youre home for the holidays or simply on a much-needed vacation youre likely looking for a movie or two or ten to stream between family meals or hangouts with friends, and this year Netflix proved it was the place to go for a little bit of everything. Not all of its featured offerings are worth watching haters can find our list of the Worst Netflix Movies of 2024 right here but a lot of them are, and weve chosen a select few you wont want to miss.Netflixs movies are traditionally a mixed bag, as the streaming service, even in its more mature years, is still operating on the same throwing spaghetti at the wall ethos as it did when it first started making its own content. No matter what genre or sub-genre or niche aesthetic youre looking for, Netflix will have something in its labyrinth of overly specific categories. Were here to tell you which of them are worth checking out.This years offerings really ran the gamut, from animated childrens adventures about what happens after the sun goes down, to taut crime thrillers about wide-reaching conspiracy plots, tearjerkers about families coming together under difficult circumstances, documentaries made to look like video games, and one holiday rom-com about a sexy snowman who comes to life, these are the Netflix originals worth adding to your end-of-the-year catch-up list. And, yes, were serious about the snowman one. Its good.The Best Netflix Movies of 2024These are the Netflix movies worth putting on your end-of-the-year watchlist.Gallery Credit: Emma StefanskyREAD MORE: 10 Flops That Became Huge Hits on NetflixGet our free mobile appThe Worst Netflix Movies of 2024Netflix released a lot of movies this year. Some were great! These were not. Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky