A new report claims that Apple's expected iPhone SE 4 will remain the lowest-cost model, but its price could rise anywhere up to $500.iPhone SE 4 could look like iPhone 14Previous reports have said that the iPhone SE 4 will remain a sub-$500 device, but now a regular leaker claims that a Japanese news service has confirmed it."The information about the shipping price of the Apple iPhone SE 4th generation model has come out again [via a] Japanese news agency channel," writes yeux1122 on his or her blog. "It's a Japanese source with Apple's own chip, etc., 500 dollars or less." Rumor Score: Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History celebrated the grand opening of its multiyear $150 million transformation earlier this month. The expanded campus now spans over 375,000 square feet (after adding 58,000 square feet), including 2 acres of outdoor visitor areas, and features reimagined exhibits.Designed by DLR Group, the flowing white architecture seeks to reflect the geological history of Northeast Ohio, echoing the glaciers that shaped the Great Lakes. Image courtesy Cleveland Museum of Natural History.Image courtesy Cleveland Museum of Natural History.The building design earned LEED v4 Building Design and Construction, New Construction (BD+C NC) Platinum certification, a U.S. first for museums. Sustainable features include 37% reduced indoor water use, 32% energy savings, native vegetation restoration, bird-friendly design, and over 75% waste diversion.Image courtesy Cleveland Museum of Natural History.Image courtesy Cleveland Museum of Natural History.Partnering with ex...

The USS Cobia floats in theManitowoc River outside the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Wisconsin Maritime MuseumFrom lighthouses tobaseball stadiums, globetrotters have no shortage of unique accommodations to choose from while traveling.But history buffs may find one experience particularly intriguing: staying on a fully restored World War II-era submarineincluding the very same bunk beds American sailors slept in during war patrols. Intrepid travelers can do just that at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, which has made its submarine, the USS Cobia, available forovernight stays.Called the Sub Bnb, the unusual floating lodging is available for bookingon Airbnb. The sub can accommodate more than 16 guests at a time, thanks to the 65 sailors bunk beds scattered throughout the vessel. The only room thats off-limits to sleeping? The captains quartersbut visitors can still take a look around, per Business Insiders Talia Lakritz. During World War II, the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company built 28 freshwater submarines for the U.S. Navy. Wisconsin Maritime MuseumYour stay will be as unique as the submarine, according to the listing. No two visits are exactly alike. With more than 50 different places to sleep, you get to choose your own adventure on USS Cobia.Guests can explore the submarine on their own, but a behind-the-scenes tour is also included with each stay. Because the vessel is only accessible through the museum, guests also have after-hours access to the facilityincluding all the exhibits and the theater, where theyre invited to screen maritime and submarine movies from the museums collection. Guests can choose from 65 bunk beds during their stay aboard the USS Cobia. Wisconsin Maritime MuseumVisitors can book the submarine for multiple nights in a row, but theyll have to pack up their belongings each morning because the USS Cobia is open to all museum visitors during the day.Named after a large fish found in warm seas around the world, theUSS Cobia was commissioned on March 29, 1944, with Lieutenant CommanderAlbert Lilly Becker in command.Over the course of two years, the 312-foot submarine completed six war patrols and sank 13 Japanese vesselsincluding an enemy convoy headed to Japanese-controlled Iwo Jima.U.S. Marines considered this sinking critical to their success incapturing Iwo [Jima] six months later, according to themuseum.In 1970, a group of local veterans brought the USS Cobia to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to serve as a memorial to submariners. That memorial later became the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, a 60,000-square-foot venue with exhibits, model ships, an operating steam engine and other artifacts. Overnight visitors also get after-hours access to the museum. Wisconsin Maritime MuseumManitowoc was an important site during World War II. An estimated 7,000 men and women worked around the clock at the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, which constructed 28 freshwater submarines for the U.S. Navy. The USS Cobia was not built in Manitowoc, but it serves as a symbol of the citys shipbuilding heritage nonetheless; its also a tribute to all the men and women who have served on submarines on behalf of their country.In addition, the USS Cobia is identical to some of the freshwater submarines built by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, as Karen Duvalle, the museums submarine curator, writes in theHerald Times Reporter. Thats because the company initially used blueprints from the Electric Boat Company, where the USS Cobia was constructed.Starting in 1996, the USS Cobia was restored to its 1945 configurationa massive undertaking that included installing World War II-era flooring, bunk beds, crew lockers and more. In more recent years, staff and volunteers have also restored several of the submarines systems and components, including two of the main engines.USS Cobia Dry Dock FundWatch on The museum is currentlyraising money for a comprehensive inspection and preventative maintenance work, which is slated to take place in September 2025 at a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Staffers estimate that it costs $150,000 a year to protect and preserve the USS Cobia as it floats atop the Manitowoc River. Theyre trying to raise an additional $1.5 million for the upcomingdry dock project.Cobia is one of the best-preserved submarines or museum ships in the country, Duvalle toldFOX 11 News Eric Peterson last year, adding: Its always been in good hands here, which is why we want to continue that tradition and dry dock. Scout troops and youth groups can also spend the night aboard the fully restored submarine. Wisconsin Maritime MuseumIn the past, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum has invited scout troops and other youth groups to stay on the USS Cobia. When groups were no longer permitted to gather during the Covid-19 pandemic, the museum began making the submarine available to individuals and families. The idea was a hit.Its one thing to walk through a World War II submarine on a guided tour and imagine what life was like on board, writes Business Insider. Its another to fully immerse yourself in the experience by eating where they ate and sleeping where they slept.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: American History, Family Travel, History, Japan, Museums, Oceans, Pacific Ocean, Ships, Travel, Warfare, Water Transportation, World War II

Southern sea otters are making a comeback along the coast of Californiaand they're chowing down on invasive European green crabs. Michael YangEuropean green crabs are small, measuring just four inches across. But since they were first introduced in the 1980s, these spiny crustaceans have become a massive problem, wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems along the western coast of North America. They destroy eelgrass habitats, feast on juvenile salmon and king crab, and outcompete native crabs. In doing so, these invasive critters also pose a threat to the crabbing and fishing industries, which many coastal communities rely on for income.Now, biologists have identified a new, furry ally in the fight against European green crabs: sea otters.At the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in California, hungry southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) are gobbling up the invasive crabs and keeping their numbers in check, researchers report this month in the journal Biological Invasions.The findings highlight the importance of protecting native apex predators, which may help restore the balance of disrupted ecosystems.That is really a win-win if you can help protect those native species, says study co-author Rikke Jeppesen, an ecologist at the reserve, to the Washington Posts Kyle Melnick. It may benefit your ecosystem in multiple ways, including protecting against invaders. No one loses out in that case.Scientists believe European green crabs (Carcinus maenas), also known as Joe rocker crabs, first arrived in North America in the early 1800s. They likely caught a ride in the ballast of merchant ships sailing from Europe to the East Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The crustaceans made their way to the West Coast in the 1980spotentially also in ballastand have since been spotted in California, Washington, Oregon, Canada and southern Alaska.European green crabs are not only detrimental to coastal ecosystems, but theyre also extremely difficult to eradicate. States have spent millions of dollars trying to combat the invaders, without much success.Southern sea otters, meanwhile, were nearly hunted to extinction for their soft, warm fur during the 18th and 19th centuries. Their population plummeted from between 150,000 and 300,000 individuals to a few thousand total individuals by the early 1900s, with just 50 off the coast of central California. But thanks to an international hunting ban in 1911 and the introduction of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, these charismatic creatures have been making a comeback. Today, an estimated 3,000 southern sea otters live along Californias central coast.At the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, located roughly 20 miles north of Monterey, the first male southern sea otter showed up in the late 1990s. And, starting in the early 2000s, females began arriving. The Monterey Bay Aquarium also released 37 sea otter pups at the reserve, reports USA Todays Elizabeth Weise. Some 120 individuals now inhabit the tidal estuarya partially enclosed transitional area featuring both saltwater and freshwateron Californias Monterey Bay.European Green Crab: Alaska Invasive Species PartnershipWatch on Southern sea otters typically eat clams, mussels and sea urchinsand, since they lack blubber, they have to eat a lot to stay warm. But within the reserve, theyve been happily foregoing these foods and munching on the abundant European green crabs instead. In 2014, for instance, one researcher was astonished to watch a single sea otter devour roughly 30 European green crabs in an hour, per the Washington Post.The otters are a just super voracious predator, says study co-author Kerstin Wasson, an ecologist at the reserve and the University of California, Santa Cruz, to USA Today. We calculated that the current otter population here eats somewhere between 50,000 and 120,000 green crabs a year.In the early 2000s, researchers caught as many as 100 European green crabs in one trap. Today, when they place traps in the same areas, they typically catch fewer than ten of the invaders. Theyve stopped catching large European green crabs altogether.Ive studied green crabs in estuaries on three coasts and two continents for decades, and this is one of the first pieces of good news weve gotten, says Jeppesen in a statement.While conducting their research, they also noticed another trend. Some areas of the estuary are diked to allow for farming, which means water no longer flows in or out with the tides. These areas tend to have fewer southern sea otters and more European green crabs.This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence that removing dikesand re-introducing tidal waterscan be beneficial for estuary ecosystems.Now we know these benefits include decreasing the abundance of invasive species by restoring natural food webs, with our coastal apex predator, the sea otter, on top, says Wasson in the statement.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, California, Conservation, Ecology, Invasive Species, Mammals, New Research, Water, wildlife

New York governor Kathy Hochul signed landmark climate legislation into law last week, showing how states can keep holding polluters accountable even when President-elect Donald Trump rolls back environmental protections.New Yorks Climate Change Superfund Act will require the biggest multinational oil and gas companies to contribute to a fund thatll be used for infrastructure projects meant to protect New York residents from increasingly dangerous climate disasters like storms and sea level rise. New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the worldTrump will soon step back into office and is expected to dismantle existing climate policies and gut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), having openly disparaged clean energy and federal environmental regulations on the campaign trail. So for the next four years at least, Americans will have to rely on local and state efforts like this to deal with the pollution from fossil fuels thats causing climate change. New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world: the companies most responsible for the climate crisis will be held accountable, State Senator Liz Krueger said in a statement after Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act into law.Kruegers office expects the law to generate $75 billion over the next 25 years. But in the immediate future, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will first have to propose guidelines for how the fund works. That includes rules for who has to pay into the fund, how the state collects the money, and what kinds of infrastructure projects the fund will support. The law will apply to fossil fuel companies historically responsible for more than 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. And at least 35 percent of the benefits of the fund are supposed to reach disadvantaged communities. The plan is loosely modeled after state and federal laws that have been in place for decades to hold companies responsible for toxic waste sites they leave behind. But instead of directing funds to cleaning up hazardous substances at old industrial sites, New Yorks new law would fund resiliency projects such as upgrading storm water drainage systems.New York taxpayers were 100 percent on the financial hook for climate costs. Now Big Oil will pay for much of the damages that they helped cause, New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Executive Director Blair Horner said in a press release. The Climate Change Superfund Act is supposed to reduce New Yorkers future tax burden by $3 billion each year, according to NYPIRG. Extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change are expected to cost half a trillion dollars in preparation and recovery efforts in New York by 2050, Kreugers office says. Joe Biden set a goal of slashing US greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 pollutions levels as part the countrys commitment to the Paris climate accord. He also signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, a massive spending package that set aside$369 billionfor climate action and clean energy technologies. Trump, on the other hand, says hell take the US out of the Paris agreement again (which he briefly did during his first term before Biden recommitted the US to the accord). The President-elect has also said that hell rescind any unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. He rolled back more than 100 environmental regulations when he was last president, and says that his pick for the Environmental Protection Agency this time around will ensure swift deregulatory decisions at the agency once again. Still, state laws can make up for some of the ground lost in the fight against climate change. New Yorks Climate Superfund Act will have to survive any legal challenges, of course. But this isnt the first time the state has made ambitious environmental plans while facing hostility toward climate action from Trump. In 2019, New York state passed its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. That put the state on a path to slashing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, although progress has been slow since then.New Yorks latest answer to the environmental deregulation looming on the horizon is just one part of a larger trend that marked the first Trump presidency, and is poised to be part of the second. Earlier this year, Vermont passed its own Climate Superfund law. Similar legislation has also been introduced in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and in Congress, according to the nonprofit Food & Water Watch.

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) enhances the output of Large Language Models (LLMs) using external knowledge bases. These systems work by retrieving relevant information linked to the input and including it in the models response, improving accuracy and relevance. However, the RAG system does raise problems concerning data security and privacy. Such knowledge bases will be prone to sensitive information that may be accessed viciously when prompts can lead the model to reveal sensitive information. This creates significant risks in applications like customer support, organizational tools, and medical chatbots, where protecting confidential information is essential.Currently, methods used in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems and Large Language Models (LLMs) face significant vulnerabilities, especially concerning data privacy and security. Approaches like Membership Inference Attacks (MIA) attempt to identify whether specific data points belong to the training set. Still, more advanced techniques focus on stealing sensitive knowledge directly from RAG systems. Methods, such as TGTB and PIDE, rely on static prompts from datasets, limiting their adaptability. Dynamic Greedy Embedding Attack (DGEA) introduces adaptive algorithms but requires multiple iterative comparisons, making it complex and resource-intensive. Rag-Thief (RThief) uses memory mechanisms for extracting text chunks, yet its flexibility depends heavily on predefined conditions. These approaches struggle with efficiency, adaptability, and effectiveness, often leaving RAG systems prone to privacy breaches.To address privacy issues in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, researchers from the University of Perugia, the University of Siena, and the University of Pisa proposed a relevance-based framework designed to extract private knowledge while discouraging repetitive information leakage. The framework employs open-source language models and sentence encoders to automatically explore hidden knowledge bases without any reliance on pay-per-use services or system knowledge beforehand. In contrast to other methods, this method learns progressively and tends to maximize coverage of the private knowledge base and wider exploration.The framework operates in a blind context by leveraging a feature representation map and adaptive strategies for exploring the private knowledge base. It is implemented as a black-box attack that runs on standard home computers, requiring no specialized hardware or external APIs. This approach emphasizes transferability across RAG configurations and provides a simpler, cost-effective method to expose vulnerabilities compared to previous non-adaptive or resource-intensive methods.Researchers aimed to systematically discover private knowledge of the KKK and replicate it on the attackers system as KK^*K. They achieved this by designing adaptive queries that exploited a relevance-based mechanism to identify high-relevance anchors correlated to the hidden knowledge. Open-source tools, including a small off-the-shelf LLM and a text encoder, were used for query preparation, embedding creation, and similarity comparison. The attack followed a step-by-step algorithm that adaptively generated queries, extracted and updated anchors, and refined relevance scores to maximize knowledge exposure. Duplicate chunks and anchors were identified and discarded using cosine similarity thresholds to ensure efficient and noise-tolerant data extraction. The process continued iteratively until all anchors had zero relevance, effectively halting the attack.Researchers conducted experiments that simulated real-world attack scenarios on three RAG systems using different attacker-side LLMs. The goal was to extract as much information as possible from private knowledge bases, with each RAG system implementing a chatbot-like virtual agent for user interaction through natural language queries. Three agents were defined: Agent A, a diagnostic support chatbot; Agent B, a research assistant for chemistry and medicine; and Agent C, an educational assistant for children. The private knowledge bases were simulated using datasets, with 1,000 chunks sampled per agent. The experiments compared the proposed method with competitors like TGTB, PIDE, DGEA, RThief, and GPTGEN in different configurations, including bounded and unbounded attacks. Metrics such as Navigation Coverage, Leaked Knowledge, Leaked Chunks, Unique Leaked Chunks, and Attack Query Generation Time were used for evaluation. Results showed that the proposed method outperformed competitors in navigation coverage and leaked knowledge in bounded scenarios, with even more advantages in unbounded scenarios, surpassing RThief and others.In conclusion, the suggested method presents an adaptive attacking procedure that extracts private knowledge from RAG systems by outperforming competitors regarding coverage, leaked knowledge, and time taken to build queries. This highlighted challenges such as difficulty comparing extracted chunks and requiring much stronger safeguards. The research can form a baseline for future work on developing more robust defense mechanisms, targeted attacks, and improved evaluation methods for RAG systems.Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Divyesh Vitthal Jawkhede+ postsDivyesh is a consulting intern at Marktechpost. He is pursuing a BTech in Agricultural and Food Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is a Data Science and Machine learning enthusiast who wants to integrate these leading technologies into the agricultural domain and solve challenges. [Download] Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities Report (Promoted)

With 2025 and the New Year quickly approaching, now is the time to score some last-minute holiday deals. Here are the best deals for Monday, December 30. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection for $24.96Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection - PS4Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection packs in all six mainline Mega Man Battle Network games, with plenty of new features included. You can check out and listen to over 180 tracks of music with the Music Player or even head over to the Gallery Network to view concept art, character sketches, and more. Try out the different filters to customize your Battle Network experience! For $25, you're getting an excellent celebration of Mega Man, with over 100 hours of gameplay to experience.Save 37% Off The HORI Fighting Commander OCTA (Street Fighter 6 Cammy Edition) HORI Fighting Commander OCTA (Street Fighter 6 Cammy Edition) If you're searching for a new fighting game fightpad, look no further than this HORI Fighting Commander OCTA. Compatible with both Windows 11 and Windoews 10, this tournament grade controller features microswitch buttons, a six-button layout, accurate D-Pad, analog slide pad, and more. Plus, this particular model features art of Cammy in Street Fighter 6!Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $34Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics - PlayStation 4Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics - Nintendo SwitchYou can score Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for only $34 today at Amazon. This collection packs in seven different titles, including the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. At last, you can play these classic titles on modern platforms. Persona 5 Royal for $14.88Persona 5 Royal - Nintendo Switch (Digital)Walmart has digital Nintendo Switch copies of Persona 5 Royal available on sale for only $14.88. Acting as the definitive version of P5, Persona 5 Royal is one of the must-play RPG experiences of the last generation. This game offers well over 100 hours of content, making this an excellent deal. Gran Turismo 7 for $19.97Gran Turismo 7 - PlayStation 5Walmart has Gran Turismo 7 available for $19.97, and this is a perfect last-minute gift for the racing fan in your life. This is still one of the PlayStation 5's best games, with hundreds of hours worth of fun at your hands. You can test and drive over 500 cars in total. Plus, you can even play Gran Turismo 7 in VR with PlayStation VR 2!Apple Watch Series 10 for $359Apple Watch Series 10 [GPS 46mm case] SmartwatchAmazon has the Apple Watch Series 10 on sale for $359 this weekend, which nets you $70 off this extremely popular device. Series 10 marked Apple's first wide-angle OLED display on Apple Watch, with the device itself being the thinnest watch yet. If you're not an Apple Watch owner or someone who has an older model, this is the perfect time to score an upgrade.The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for $39.99The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You'll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. For $39.99, this is an excellent title to add to your Switch collection.Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven for $39.99Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the SevenRomancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is arguably the best entry point into the SaGa series at this time. Acting as a full 3D remake of the 1993 release, this game features English and Japanese voiceovers, rearranged music, retooled gameplay, and more. If you're still unsure about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, you can check out the free demo across all platforms! LEGO Icons Poinsettia Plant Building SetLEGO Icons Poinsettia Plant Building SetIf you've been on the lookout for LEGO deals, don't pass up this LEGO Icons Poinsettia Plant set. Featuring 608 pieces, this set features a woven-basket LEGO flowerpot, five flowers, and plenty of foiliage to surround the plant. For $33, this is a great set to pick up and build before 2025.Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition for $44.99Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive EditionIf you recently completed the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, this is the perfect game for you. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Defintive Edition is the newest mainline title in the series, and there is so much it offers. For many, this is one of the best Dragon Quest games out there, and you can't go wrong picking this up for only $44.99.

Its official: Aquaman and Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa has been tapped to play Lobo in the new cinematic DC Universe. After years of speculation, the actor confirmed his casting as the intergalactic bounty hunter via an Instagram post, with a simple caption reading, They called. DCU-head James Gunn validated this with his own post, a picture of Lobo smoking a cigar. The character is now set to make his debut in 2026s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, opposite fellow Westeros-performer Milly Alcock as the eponymous hero with CruellaI, Tonya (2017) director Craig Gillespie at the helm.First appearing in DC Comics in 1983, Lobo gained major notoriety after a revival in the 1990s where the brutish villain was reinvented as a stylized mercenary. Sporting a biker gang aesthetic that contrasted with his alien appearance, Lobo quickly rose to prominence as the lead of his own comic series beginning in 1990. The character has since become a staple of the greater DC Universe. He even made his live-action debut in the short-lived Syfy show Krypton, played there by Emmett J. Scanlan.Theres no denying that Jason Momoa is an inspired casting choice to portray Lobo. The actor has displayed a passion for the character in the past, and despite not being an alien himself, the physical resemblance to Lobo is uncanny (look at that hair!). Momoa additionally has significant experience playing a comic book icon. In fact, Momoa was one of the most popular faces of the so-called DC Extended Universe, which was largely designed by director Zack Snyder. Momoa was introduced like most of the DCEUs Justice League castings in Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeAquaman movie grossing $1.1 billion in 2018. But, then, is his prior involvement with the old DCEU going to prevent audience members from accepting this casting stroke?Actors crossing over into multiple comic book universes is nothing new. Just a handful of weeks ago, Aaron Taylor-Johnson did it as Kraven the Hunter after previously playing Quicksilver in the MCU, as seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). The highest profile example of this is Chris Evans, who transitioned from The Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2005) to Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Audiences worldwide had no issue embracing Evans as a different superhero, even of the Marvel variety, with his take on Captain America garnering significant acclaim.Meanwhile some of the biggest stars of DC films have crossed the street over to rival Marvel Studios, with two Batman actors, Michael Keaton and Christian Bale, slipping into the shoes of villains in the MCU, as Vulture and Gorr the God Butcher, respectively. Fellow Batman Ben Affleck did the opposite as the actor initially brought Matt Murdock to the big screen in the heavily maligned Daredevil (2003). Afflecks Daredevil co-star Collin Farrell, who portrayed Bullseye in the film, can now be seen waddling around as the Penguin in Matt Reeves The Batman universe.The key distinction with the promulgation of Jason Momoa as Lobo is the proximity to his last appearance as Aquaman in the now-defunct DCEU. Just this time last year, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) was scrapping together as much at the box office as possible in the waning moments of that cinematic universe. Momoa is also intrinsically tied to the old DCEU, with his first solo outing as Aquaman (2018) being the only film in the franchise to gross over $1 billion. In fact, Arthur Curry made a cameo appearance in the PeacemakerWill general audiences be able to accept Momoa as an entirely different character in the new DCU so soon after Aquaman bookended the DCEU? History suggests that, yes, they should. There will undoubtedly be some confusion about whats canon and whats not in the new universe, something James Gunn has already addressed on numerous occasions, but Momoas new turn as Lobo has the opportunity to win back viewers heavily frustrated by the previous regime at DC, and the wasted potential of the charismatic movie star.Nobody seemed that confused about why Supermans dad was Zeus in the MCU since both characters were played by Russell Crowe. The announcement of Robert Downey Jr. returning to Marvel as Doctor Doom set the pop culture world on fire, and hell be in the same universe he already commanded in the previous decade. Theres a level of acceptance that actors are actors, not the characters, like theater troupes before it, or in the musical Hamilton where performers such as Daveed Diggs and Anthony Ramos switch roles with just an intermission between them.A face full of alien makeup should help, but moviegoers will be ready for Jason Momoa to reinvent himself as Lobo on the big screen, just as the comic book character did in the 1990s.Supergirl: The Woman of Tomorrow arrives with Lobo on June 26, 2026.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

Apple is finally getting serious about the smart home, with three new Home products launching in 2025 and several more after that. Excited as I am for this new Home momentum, it also reminds me of a long-standing Apple rule that could be challenged by this lineup of new products.New Home products coming soon from AppleMark Gurman has reported that 2025 kicks off a big new focus from Apple on its Home products.The new year will bring:HomePad, a new smart displayHomePod mini 2plus an Apple TV 4K revisionThen in 2026 and beyond, Apple will reportedly launch its own smart home camera and a video doorbell with smart lock integration.If these various products prove successful, we could see even more Home debuts in the futurehopefully including a revived AirPort router.All of this sounds great to me. Ive long wished Apple would dedicate more resources toward its Home lineup.But these plans also raise an interesting question.What happened to a thousand nos for every yes?Apples long-standing product rule in questionFor as long as I can remember, Apple has had a key design principle: there are a thousand nos for every yes.These exact words were highlighted by the company in a video that kicked off WWDC 2013. Theyve also been used at various points internally and externally to demonstrate a basic principle: focus matters.Apple would rather make a few really great products than a whole bunch of just-good ones.Despite being one of the most successful companies in the world, Apple still has limited resources. The more it says yes to, the more its focus is split.Which makes me curious about the companys decision to say yes to creating its own smart home camera and doorbell products.Home camera and doorbell represent big new direction for AppleApples forthcoming HomePad is a brand new product category, but in my mind at least, it fits in well with the companys existing Home products.HomePad should pair nicely with the HomePod and Apple TV as a device for interacting with Siri and viewing content.The forthcoming smart camera and doorbell, however, feel like a different beast.Historically Apple has shied away from making its own HomeKit accessories. Things like light bulbs, thermostats, smart locks, garage door openers, and more.Yet now, a smart camera and doorbell are on the way to change that.Im thrilled for these products to arrive, as I expect theyll make compelling alternatives to the existing third-party options. Especially if youre deep in the Apple ecosystem.But if Apples going deeper into making smart home accessories, will we see Apple light bulbs in the future? Smart air purifiers? I doubt it. But Im also unsure how the company is deciding which products to tackle itself, and which to leave to third parties.I want as many Home products from Apple as possible. But Im also mindful that the company cant do everything. A camera and doorbell will likely take advantage of a lot of existing Apple tech, so maybe thats why theyre coming. But there are plenty of unanswered questions heading into this new era for Apples Home division.What do you think of Apple expanding its Home product lineup? Let us know in the comments.Best HomeKit smart home 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

It sounds impossible, but were just over six months away from the first unveiling of iOS 19. While rumors about what to expect from the update have been sparse, a new concept created by designer Oofus offers some clever ideas about what iOS 19 could offeriOS 19 features conceptYou can watch the full concept unveiling video below. The feature that looks most intriguing to me is the ability to add stickers to your iPhones Lock Screen. Apple has focused a lot on customization in recent years, including Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets and app icon tinting. Allowing people to pin their favorite stickers to their Lock Screen would make sense as part of iOS 19. Another interesting idea suggested in this iOS 19 concept is a feature dubbed Flick, which would make it super easy to send photos and videos to another person. Theres also a revamp to the screenshots interface, new customization options in the Messages app, and more. As always, just because something materializes in a concept doesnt mean it will actually come to a future version of iOS. Still, concepts are a fun way to see what ideas people outside of Apple have for future versions of iOS. Whats on your wishlist for iOS 19? Does anything in this particular concept stand out to you? Let us know in the comments. My favorite iPhone accessories: 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