The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is great, but many users have been plagued by bootloops for a year or more. If youre finding yourself among that number, dont worry you arent alone, and Samsung does offer a potential fix. A quick search of the r/SamsungGalaxy subreddit shows multiple posts reporting bootloops from the One UI 6.1 beta update and more posts from a year or more ago. This is far from an uncommon issue.The primary fix for this problem is to send your phone to Samsung for a replacement motherboard, although this comes at a cost since the S22 series is no longer under warranty. However, another Reddit user u/HenryTan shared an update that Samsung will cover the cost of repairs. It might be a matter of luck, but u/HenryTan suggests emailing the Samsung CEO for a faster response. They also admitted that being a Samsung Care member could have influenced the decision.Recommended VideosOther posts on the r/GalaxyS22 subreddit show multiple complaints from a month ago, when One UI 6.1 was released, but there have been multiple posts per month for the last several months about the issue.Please enable Javascript to view this contentOther users have turned to less orthodox fixes. Before you go any further, please note that we do not recommend this method. It only offers a temporary solution and could result in more damage to your device.Tushar Mehta/Digital Trends / Digital TrendsRedditor u/Pleasant-Apartment84 said putting their Galaxy S22 into the freezer for 20 minutes fixed the bootloop problem, but that the phone immediately began looping once it heated up again. Since Samsung is replacing the motherboards, the freezer trick seems like an odd solution, as temperature would most likely apply to the battery. Fortunately, the freezer trick allowed u/Pleasant-Apartment84 to transfer their data before the phone began looping again, this time with an added green line on the screen.RelatedThe cause of the bootloop isnt clear, and Samsung has yet to make a statement addressing the problem or the odd, if original, solution. If your phone is stuck in a bootloop, take it to a professional for repair. You might save a few dollars if the freezer trick works, or you could risk completely destroying your phone.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsSicario (2015)Boogie Nights (1997)When Harry Met Sally (1989)Moonstruck (1987)Hush (2016)Since when did New Years Eve get so expensive? Restaurants are charging an arm and a leg for New Years Eve reservations. If youre not prepared in advance, you might spend an unnecessary amount of money. The same goes for the movies. Theres no need to pay for a movie if its on a FAST service free ad-supported television.Sign up for a FAST service, find a movie you want to watch, view a few ads, and youre good to go. Its like watching commercials during a television broadcast. Luckily, there are some recommendations below on what movies to watch. Our picks include the quintessential New Years Eve rom-com, a crime thriller, and an innovative horror film.Recommended VideosWe also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max,andthe best movies on Disney+.RelatedLionsgateMost moviegoers by now are used to Denis Villeneuves visual style, which he mastered in the epic blockbuster Dune: Part Two. In 2015, Villeneuve was still gaining popularity as an auteur, and anyone who watched SicarioKate joins a team that includes Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro), an enigmatic assassin with ties to Mexico. The mission is to kidnap one of the cartels top lieutenants to smoke out the leader. As Kate immerses herself in the investigation, the rules of engagement are blurred, causing her to question the missions ethics. Sicariomight be loud with in-your-face action, but my word, is it enthralling.Stream Sicariofor free on Tubi.New Line CinemaBefore he became PTA, a master filmmaker, Paul Thomas Anderson was the hotshot battling with Quentin Tarantino for the best young director of the 1990s.While Tarantino had Pulp Fiction, PTA hadBoogie Nights, his 1997 classic about an up-and-coming pornographic actor in the 1970s San Fernando Valley.The well-endowed Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is recruited by director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) to join the porn business. Eddie changes his name to Dirk Diggler and becomes a star, rising to the top with his friends Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), Rollergirl (Heather Graham), and Amber Waves (Julianne Moore). Once 1980 hits, it all comes crashing down for Dirk thanks to a cocky attitude and crippling drug addiction.Boogie Nights (1997) Official Trailer #1 - Paul Thomas Anderson MovieBetween the memorable characters and signature needle drops, Boogie Nightsproved that PTA would be an important filmmaker for years to come. Its a fun romp through a world most people dont know about, and it has a jaw-dropping climax.Stream Boogie Nightsfor free on Pluto TV.ColumbiaThere arent as many memorable New Years Eve movies compared to other holidays like Christmas and Halloween. However, When Harry Met SallyWhen Harry Met Sally investigates if men and women can just be friends.In 1977, Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a car ride to New York City and discuss their ideas about relationships, specifically how sex ruins friendships. For the next 12 years, Harry and Sally are in and out of each others lives. What happens when friends catch feelings? Good luck finding a better rom-com to watch tonight.Stream When Harry Met Sally for free on Pluto TV.Metro-Goldwyn-MayerIts hard to comprehend in 2024, but romantic comedies used to win Oscars. Take Moonstruck, Norman Jewisons 1987 rom-com that won Best Screenplay (John Patrick Shanley), Best Actress (Cher), and Best Supporting Actress (Olympia Dukakis). And guess what?Moonstruckdeserved every one of those awards.Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini (Cher) lives in Brooklyn Heights with her traditional parents, Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) and Rose (Olympia Dukakis). Loretta reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal from her innocent and goofy boyfriend, Johnny (Danny Aiello). When Johnny leaves for Sicily, Loretta must invite his estranged brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage) to the wedding. It seems like a simple enough task, but when Loretta falls for Ronny, it complicates her safe future with Johnny.Stream Moonstruckfor free on Tubi.With a title like Hush, you can probably guess someone or something must be quiet. Hushis directed by Mike Flanagan from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kate Siegel. Maddie Young (Siegel) is a deaf writer who retreats from the busy streets of New York City to a life in the countryside, specifically a house in the woods.One night, a masked man (John Gallagher Jr.) stabs and kills Maddies neighbor. Because she cant hear, Maddie has no idea what happened until the killer reveals himself outside her door. The killer makes Maddie his next victim as he stalks her every move. At a brisk 81 minutes, Hushis a terrific home invasion thriller that has become one of the more unique additions to the slasher genre.Stream Hushfor free on Tubi.Editors Recommendations

Sony Bravia 8 review: A solid and lovely OLED TV Score Details The Bravia 8 is the Sony OLED TV most folks should buyProsGorgeous right out of the boxExcellent motion and upscalingAmazing contrastImpressive HDRGreat soundConsMissing deep calibration featuresNot as accurate as most Sony TVsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsSony Bravia 8 OLED specsThe right amount of brightImpressive, clear soundNumbers for Nit NerdsTest resultsYour eyes will thank youWorth the extra money?Earlier this year Sony announced the Bravia 8 an OLED TV sandwiched between two mini-LED TVs, the Bravia 7 and Bravia 9 and since then Ive been curious about it. This TVs predecessors most recently, the A80L and the A80K before that have always had one clear advantage over the competition: Sonys processing. However, competitors like LG have done a lot of catching up on the processing front. Now the Bravia 8s leg-up on the LG C-series OLED TV isnt quite as stark as it has been.Still, Sony has managed to hold onto a dedicated and enthusiastic crowd, and so far has maintained a major pull with premium buyers. My question has been: Does the Bravia 8 deliver what those folks want? Who should buy this TV over the LG C4? What does it have and whats it doing better than the competition? Lets get into it.RelatedPrice range$2,000 to $3,900Sizes55, 65, and 77 inchesWeight37.7 to 71.2 pounds (depends on size)Display typeOLEDProcessorXR ProcessorOperating systemGoogle TVScreen resolution4K Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160)HDR supportDolby Vision, HDR10, HLGRefresh rate120 Hz, VRR (HDMI 3 & 4)Gaming featuresALLM, PS Remote PlayAudio supportDolby Atmos, DTS:XOutputsHDMI 2.1 x 2 (eARC x 1), HDMI 2.0 x 2TunerATSC 3.0The Bravia 8 is an OLED TV, so right off the bat it has tremendous appeal thanks to its amazing contrast and color. Its a Sony, so we can expect all the processing that drives its OLED panel to be top-tier, and simply among the best you can buy.There are three types of OLED panels used in TVs today: the relative newcomer,QD-OLED, uses quantum dots to achieve extremely impressive color volume and accuracy. Then theres WRGB OLED, sometimes called W-OLED, which uses a white subpixel to boost brightness. Finally theres a hot rod version of W-OLED called MLA OLED, which uses tiny little lenses to boost brightness even more.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsThe Bravia 8 uses a standard W-OLED panel, meaning it is not trying to be the most intensely bright OLED on the market. Sony leaves that bragging right for its award-winning A95L QD-OLED. That doesnt mean this TV cant get impressively bright. It just means that its not a hot rod, and you dont have to spend hot rod money to get it.One thing youll notice about this TV is that it doesnt flaunt its ultra-thin OLED panel like other brands do. Its still very thin, but Sony gives the TV a uniformly thin chassis, rather than one thats ultra-thin at the top with a big bump-out toward the bottom like the LG C4.The TV comes with two feet that can be mounted toward the center, reducing the width of its footprint so it can fit on smaller platforms or out toward the edges. You also have a choice of two different heights in either of those positions: one that slings the TV low for a sleek look and one that elevates the TV, allowing a wide array of soundbars to fit just in front of it without blocking the screen.The Bravia 8s remote is backlit and made of a recycled material Sony makes called Sorplas, which has little flecks in the finish. It uses two triple-A batteries, and has a microphone for voice control and calibrating the TVs sound.There are a couple of transducers mounted to the back of the panel that allow the screen to act as a speaker, which, when paired with a little bass driver on the back of the TV, adds up to really impressive and clear sound. On larger models, it may seem like the voices are coming from the actors mouths.The TV comes with two HDMI 2.1 inputs; one is an eARC connection for feeding a soundbar or A/V receiver. The TV also includes an ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV tuner. Compare that to the LG C4, which has four HDMI 2.1 inputs, but no NextGen tuner on board.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsThe Bravia 8 runs on Google TV (my favorite) with a built-in smart TV interface, which has been customized by Sony. The LG C4 runs LGs WebOs (which is fine, but definitely not my preferred smart TV platform).If you choose to augment the Bravia 8 with a Sony soundbar or a Bravia Theater Quad Dolby Atmos surround system, the TVs speakers can work as a center channel and otherwise expand the sound. Sony has a few other little bells and whistles available, but thats the most notable one.Before digging into measurements, lets talk about some curious things you may have already heard about.On Vincent Teohs HDTVTest channel, he noted that this TV was missing some deeper picture settings and adjustment options and wondered if the restricted bits were just for his region or if it was a global thing. He confirmed that the Bravia 8s in Japan were also missing some settings, and I can confirm that this is also true for the North American versions.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsThe Bravia 8 does not have a Smooth Gradation slider, which lets you alter the strength of the algorithm that aims to smooth out jarring transitions in color shades. Smooth gradation is still at work in this TV you just cant make adjustments to it. This TV has a 10-point white balance calibration menu as opposed to the more granular 20-point white balance youll find in TVs like the Bravia 9 and A95L. There is also no color management system at all.Professionals need all the controls to calibrate a display as close to perfection as possible. However for most people this isnt an issue not in practical terms.When I asked Sony why the Bravia 8 is missing controls we have come to expect in its TVs, a spokesperson pointed out that with the controls available, this TV can be adjusted to have white balance and color errors with a Delta E of less than 3, which is considered to be below the threshold of human perception. They are correct: I got Delta errors of less than 3 for white balance and most colors.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsIn my opinion, Sony probably thinks that its super-enthusiast audience or those in professional circles arent looking to get a Bravia 8 instead they are more likely to get a Bravia 9 or an A95L. I dont think anything meaningful has been lost by not including those controls, so I feel comfortable acknowledging this is not a disadvantage to Sony customers.When I asked Sony about what advantage is gained by not including these controls, they politely declined to answer. Left to speculate, I think it may perhaps reduce the cost of production. Otherwise, if it doesnt save them money, why not just leave those things in? (Vincent speculates it is possible that a co-processor chip was omitted. However, it appears that Sonys processing is as effective here as it is in other Sony TVs.)Along those lines, Sony essentially says that their picture processing engine the XR processor evolves year by year, and the user interface and specifications are optimized for each model and panel type as far as customer usability and convenience are concerned. Therefore, certain features differ between years and in between models.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsThat sounds like processing demands are lower for the Bravia 8 than for the Bravia 9 which has a new backlight system that Sony has likely tweaked the XR processor for and for the A95L, which has a QD-OLED panel that behaves differently and needs its own special treatment.I suppose that if the Bravia 8 had an MLA OLED panel, it might need its own special treatment as well. I dont sense anything nefarious here, however the fully transparent answer would likely get extremely deep in the weeds and likely misconstrued by less savvy media and its probably not worth risking the PR nightmare of a misguided discussion on forums. I could be dead wrong, but Ive been in this business a while, and thats what it feels like to me.In the end, does it really matter? Im going to say no, it doesnt matter to 99.99 percent of humans on this planet. What does matter is how the TV performs.To conduct my measuring, I placed the Bravia 8 in Professional mode for both SDR and HDR. When I subjectively evaluated the TV with Dolby Vision content, I used Dolby Vision Dark.In Professional SDR mode with the default settings which has the brightness set to 40, and more importantly, the peak brightness setting set to off heres what I got:Peak luminance was 100 nits very strict adherence to SDR which is what I would expect for Professional mode. The two-point white balance was a little odd. Sony doesnt always target exact D65, but the blue channel at just 100 nits seemed really off. That is easily calibrated out using the white balance controls.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsWith a 20-point grayscale measurement, the blue channel was hot all the way up the chain. The color balance was OK, but not what I expect from Sony.In Cinema mode default, the brightness was maxed out and the peak luminance was set to medium. It was better in some ways, and worse than others. I saw a lower error at the very brightest white but it was more off through the top half of the grayscale, which was weird.Next I tested in Professional mode with everything maxed out, which is how I had the TV set most of the time I was watching SDR content. In some ways it was better; in other ways, it was more of the same. The factory tuning leaned cooler, which I have to presume was intentional. It was a marginal difference.When messing with color temperature, in just 10 minutes I was able to make adjustments to the white balance to get everything below a Delta E of 2.The Bravia 8 is an excellent OLED TV.Credit goes to Vincent for making this next part much easier for me:EOTF tracking with the peak brightness setting at high was the default for the HDR Professional mode, and the tracking was off in a couple of places. It wasnt bright enough in some areas and too bright in others, which is very un-Sony-like. When the peak brightness setting was bumped down to medium the EOTF tracking was spot-on. However, peak HDR brightness went down significantly.Im OK if a TV brand wants to offer an over-brightened HDR setting most people find that approach easier to watch. However thats not what I think most folks are expecting out of Sonys Professional mode, and I dont think that folks should have to decide between accurate HDR tracking and full HDR brightness capability. Its not a compromise Sony has asked anyone to make in the past, and I dont understand why we would be asked to accept it now.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsHowever, Sony could be reading its audience and knows this is not going to bother the vast majority of folks who buy this TV. What advantage does Sony gain by going this way? Cost savings? That will just have to remain a mystery.Heres my takeaway: This is not really an enthusiasts TV. Not only is it missing those typical granular calibration controls, but the white balance and grayscale is further afield than Id expect. It can be corrected well, but if youre looking for Sonys historically excellent out-of-box accuracy, the unit I tested didnt have it. Also, seeing it track so low on the EOTF with the peak brightness set to high was just odd.The Bravia 8 is reasonably accurate in its Professional and Cinema picture modes, right out of the box, and you can tweak it to be even more accurate if you want to. With the peak brightness setting at high, you will get a very enjoyable, if not technically dead-on-balls (thats an industry term) accurate picture. If you want extremely accurate HDR tracking, the trade-off is a fair amount of brightness. Most of you, though, are going to be thrilled with this TVs HDR performance, as it can get very punchy in bright highlights and it generally makes all content look amazing.The Bravia 8 is an excellent OLED TV. It has great upscaling and image clean-up capabilities, making it an ideal choice for folks who watch a lot of cable or live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Sling TV, or Fubo TV. It has a super clean picture 95 percent of the time. The color isnt just accurate, its gorgeous. Its an OLED TV that starts at a baseline of awesome, and also happens to be an excellent example of an OLED TV, thanks to Sonys outstanding processing.The Bravia 8 is absolutely worth considering.The Bravia 8 is a mind-blowing treat for the eyes. There are brighter hot rod OLED TVs, and mini-LED TVs can get a lot brighter. But when you start from perfect black and there are no backlight anomalies? You will be dazzled.I enjoyed watching the Bravia 8 a lot and I have access to the worlds best TVs. I never feel the need to take the Bravia 8 down and put up the Z95A because the Bravia 8 is lovely. If you are looking at getting your first OLED, or even replacing an OLED thats four years old or older, the Bravia 8 is absolutely worth considering.The question is not a matter of whether this TV is worth buying it absolutely is. The question is whether you should spend more to buy this TV as opposed to an LG C4 OLED. At the 65-inch size, the Sony Bravia 8 is about $200 more than the LG C4. Does the Bravia 8 earn that extra $200?The LG C4 has four HDMI 2.1 inputs while the Bravia 8 has just two and one of them is taken up with the eARC functionality. If you have both the Xbox Series X and a PlayStation 5, or a gaming PC and you want to use eARC to get audio to your soundbar or A/V receiver, I suppose the LG C4s additional HDMI 2.1 ports are an advantage. However, for most folks, they arent.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsThe Sony has an ATSC 3.0 tuner whereas the LG C4 does not. I suspect it isnt going to sway many folks. However, the Sony Bravia 8 has better sound quality than the LG C4. If you want the best dialog clarity, the Bravia 8 is a better choice.The Bravia 8 has a standard remote as opposed to LGs magic motion remote. I know which one I prefer what about you?The Sony runs Google TV as opposed to LGs WebOS. Again, I know which one I prefer what about you?Im a fan of the LG C4 and Id be quite thrilled to own one. But, if Im spending my own money, would I shell out an extra $200 on a 65-inch Bravia 8? Yes, because of the better sound, Google TV, and a remote that doesnt drive me crazy.I think that extra $200 is gonna break down to maybe an extra $4 per month over the course of four years, which is as long as I can keep a TV before upgrade-itus sets in.Transparently, Im a top-tier OLED kind of person when it comes to my living room. If Im buying an OLED TV, Im probably going to save up a little longer to get the Sony A95L, the LG G4, the Samsung S95D or the Panasonic Z95A, which has really captured my heart (even though I hate Amazon Fire TV). If Im going big, its going to be a huge mini-LED TV.The Bravia 8 is a solid and lovely OLED TV. It gets a full recommendation from me. The question is: Is it the right TV for you? Hopefully, Ive helped you arrive at that decision.Editors Recommendations

His collaborators included Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Herbie Hancock, Bla Fleck and Van Morrison.

TechnologyA robotic boom could see thousands of humanoid units entering workplaces and more in 2025, but whether they will have staying power remains to be seen 23 December 2024 The Digit robot made by Agility Robotics is already working in warehousesAgile RoboticsHumanoid robots are poised to enter warehouses, automotive factories and even some homes in growing numbers in 2025 but whether they can really take hold remains to be seen.The machines in this new revolution will be different to existing working robots, which are primarily lone arms doing repetitive motions on assembly lines or wheeled bots navigating warehouses. Humanoid robots with two arms and legs should fit more easily into spaces designed for humans, but pulling that off will require much better artificial intelligence to handle

A massive blackout in Puerto Rico left more than 1.3 million power company customers in the dark.Luma Energy, the power company, said restoring power could take up to 48 hours.It said that the outage appears to have been caused by the failure of an underground power line.A massive blackout hit Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning and it could take days to restore power.The outage, which struck around dawn, the Associated Press reported, left nearly 90% of private power company Luma Energy's 1.47 million customers without power, the company told the AP.Luma said the issue appeared to have stemmed from the failure of an underground cable. It said fully restoring power could take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. On its social media, it said it would begin restoring power "in phases." For instance, by 11 a.m. Eastern, the utility said it had restored power to the Municipal Hospital of San Juan, among other locations.Still, many customers were left without power throughout the island territory of the US. "It had to be on the 31st of December!" one man told the AP, standing outside a grocery store in San Juan. He said the power outage came on his birthday. "There is no happiness," he said.Puerto Rico has dealt with a sometimes rickety power system for years highlighted in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017 and again with Hurricane Fiona in 2022. Luma is in charge of distributing energy across the island, while a company called Genera PR provides the power both have been under scrutiny for the territory's frequent outages, The New York Times has reported.In a statement posted on Facebook, translated by the Times, Puerto Rico's Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said: "We are demanding answers," adding that the two power companies "must expedite the restart of the generating units outside the fault area and keep the people duly informed about the measures they are taking to restore service throughout the island."

A flight operated by Ryanair subsidiary Lauda Air had two aborted landings after its GPS signal jammed.The Airbus A320 was flying to Vienna but had to be diverted to Brno in the neighboring Czech Republic.GPS jamming, causing navigation issues, has increased since 2022, especially in the Baltics.A flight was diverted after aborting two attempts to land when the aircraft's GPS signal was disrupted.The incident occurred on a flight operated by Lauda Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair, between the Latvian capital Riga and Vienna on December 30.The plane, an Airbus A320, attempted two landings in Austria's capital city before being diverted to Brno in the Czech Republic, data from Flightradar24 shows.Die Presse, one of Austria's largest newspapers, was the first outlet to report on the incident. It said that the captain on board the plane made an announcement to passengers about a minor technical problem when trying to land in Vienna.When the flight successfully landed in Brno, the captain explained that the aircraft's GPS devices had become jammed.Generally, the system reboots itself after jamming, but as the plane approached Vienna, per Die Presse, this did not happen.Jamming is an intentional radio frequency interference with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that prevents planes from accessing satellite signals and makes the GNSS system "ineffective or degraded," the European Union Aviation Safety Agency says.Per Die Presse, the captain said that because of poor visibility, it was safer to avoid landing in Vienna while the GPS faced interference. He said the weather was better in Brno.A spokesperson from Ryanair told Business Insider that flight FR748 from Riga to Vienna on Monday, December 30 "diverted to Brno due to a minor tech issue with the GPS system combined with low visibility (fog) at Vienna.""The aircraft landed normally at Brno at 22.52 local, where there was no issue with visibility, and passengers were transported by coach to Vienna. We sincerely apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of this diversion."Since 2022, there has been a rise in planes experiencing issues with their satellite navigation systems over the Baltics. Officials have suggested that Russia may be to blame.

The first railcar-style diners popped up in New Jersey in the early 1900s.The interior of a railcar-style diner in the 1950s. Debrocke/ClassicStock/Getty Images Railcar-style diners were modeled after dining cars or sometimes converted from the original train cars into stand-alone eateries, The Telegraph reported.Diners, which were relatively affordable to purchase at just $1,000, were constructed in factories and then shipped to their destinations, much like mobile homes. Since they had to be transported using a truck or railcar, they were purposefully designed to be narrow, the Telegraph reported.Once they arrived, the utilities simply had to be connected. New Jersey essentially became "ground zero" for diners.Short-order cook cooking food at the Sunset Diner, United States. Ralph Morse/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Curbed reported that nearly 95% of the shippable restaurants were once manufactured in New Jersey because of the state's high working population and proximity to major highways.The Summit Diner in New Jersey, one of the oldest diners in the country, opened in 1928, was rebuilt in 1939, and is still open today. Until the Great Depression, most diners could be found in the Northeast.Teenagers eating at a diner circa 1950. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images However, after World War II ended and the suburbs began to boom, more people began opening diners nationwide.The small businesses could prove extremely profitable for owners.Men eating at a diner in January 1955. Graphic House/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Since the restaurants themselves were so small, and the kitchens so narrow, not many employees were required, which kept costs down and profits up, Curbed reported. With the implementation of cross-country highways in the 1960s, diners continued to grow in popularity.Interior view of an empty roadside diner in Wendover, Utah, circa 1950. Bettman/Getty Images Travelers along the new highways could stop off and grab a quick bite at the roadside establishments.Many diners featured a row of bar stools along a counter, allowing multiple people to be served without staff needing to walk around the whole restaurant.A view of people eating at a lunch counter circa 1950 in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Bob Grannis/Getty Images Diners typically operate around the clock, allowing patrons to stop by at any time for a meal. Diners became popular due to their large menus featuring American food staples like hamburgers, fries, and club sandwiches.A waitress serves customers at a diner in the 1950s. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images Most diners had galley kitchens that made it easier for cooks to move from one dish to another, making service quicker than in a traditional restaurant, the Telegraph reported. As well as being quicker to make, dishes served at diners were cheaper, too.A waitress at Roy Yates Drug Store. Carl Iwasaki/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images Items like pancakes, sausages, meatloaf, burgers, and sandwiches were standard on diner menus, and still are today.The meals were priced low, making diners popular even before their rise in the 1950s. During the Great Depression, diners provided an inexpensive way for families to go out to eat, the Telegraph reported. Since they are open all night, many pop-culture depictions of diners involve a feeling of loneliness and isolation.Teenaged girl sitting in drugstore eating a hamburger. Hank Walker/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Edward Hopper's 1942 painting "Nighthawks" shows a diner and its few occupants late at night. The painting is based on a diner in New York City's Greenwich Village.However, diners were also a romantic, affordable date spot for young people.Two couples sit at a table in a diner in 1955. Ed Feingersh/Pix/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Young couples could stop into a diner for a couple of burgers, hang around the jukebox, and meet up with friends in a casual, public setting. Diners have appeared in pop-culture favorites like "Grease," "Seinfeld," "Gilmore Girls," and "Twin Peaks."Truck drivers eating dinner in diner. Nat Farbman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images "In the movies, the diner is a special kind of space, a mythic place, a zone of escape," film critic John Patterson told the BBC in a 2011 interview.Suzanne Vega, who wrote the '80s hit song "Tom's Diner," added, "The attraction of the diner is that it's a sort of a midway point between the street and home." Diners brought together people from different economic levels but remained segregated by race until the 1960s.A waitress taking customers' orders in a diner. Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Michael C. Gabriele, who wrote "The History of Diners in New Jersey,"told the Telegraph that "diners are the state's ultimate gathering places at any moment, high school students, CEOs, construction workers, and tourists might be found at a counter chatting with the waitresses and line cooks."During the Civil Rights Movement, NPR reported, diners became a popular place for activists to hold "sit-ins" in restaurants that refused to seat Black people, despite many of them employing Black people to work there.In 1964, Congress outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels through the Civil Rights Act, but many diners in the South continued to segregate their establishments, afraid that seating Black people "would drive away white patrons," NPR reported. Railcar-style diners are still manufactured in factories today, but they're much more expensive to purchase and ship.Outside view of the Sunset Diner. Ralph Morse/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Curbed reported in 2017 that new diners can cost more than $1 million to produce, and restoring or renovating old ones can be extremely pricey as well. Many '50s-style diners in operation are built on-site to cut shipping costs.By the 1970s, the rise in fast-food restaurants led to a decline in the popularity of traditional diners.Customers visit a late night cafeteria and post office, circa 1950. Paul George Schutzer/FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images As McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King restaurants continued to pop up nationwide, it became difficult for small business owners to compete with the huge corporations also selling cheap, convenient food. Diners today face an uncertain future.Customers seen through the window of a diner, New York, June 1951. Ernst Haas/Getty Images In 2022, Time Out reported that two notable New York diners, Good Stuff Diner in Chelsea and Meme's Diner in Crown Heights, had closed their doors in the previous two years. The New York Times also reported that between 2014 and 2019, 15 diners were sold across four of New York City's five boroughs: six sales in Queens, six in Brooklyn, two in the Bronx, and one in Staten Island.However, a recent embracing of nostalgia such as the increased popularity of speakeasies, as reported by USA Today has also revitalized the typical American diner.A recent addition to New York's SoHo neighborhood is the trendy '50s-style Soho Diner, part of the Soho Grand Hotel. Other New York diners, like the Waverly Diner and the Empire Diner, have managed to keep their doors open despite changing tastes.

Fans have spotted an influx of developers at Valve, and suggestions that a new game in the Half-Life series could be rolling out to Valve's 'Family&Friends' playtesting groupTech15:22, 31 Dec 2024We've waited a long time for the return of Gordon Freeman(Image: Valve)Less than a month ago, the rumour mill went into overdrive about Half-Life 3 potentially being shown at the Game Awards but, as with Bloodborne and the second GTA 6 trailer, it didn't come to pass.Still, fans have waited long enough, and YouTuber Gabe Follower (named after developer Valve's head honcho Gaben Newell) has been digging into new information about the mysterious HLX project. The title, reportedly a codename for Half-Life 3, has seen a host of developers come to Valve, with many returning after years away.Those devs have experience with Half-Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead, and new datamined code suggests HLX will have some kind of gravity-shifting mechanic and more. Still, what's most exciting is that one rumour suggests people could be playing it already.Gabe Follower's video pulls up a bunch of interesting tidbits, but undoubtedly the biggest is that according to their sources, Valve has been playtesting HLX "not only with people from other teams, but also friends and family members".That sounds a little like your mate on the playground telling you their uncle works for Nintendo back in the day, but with Valve it holds some water.The studio has a history of running "Family&Friends" playtests, which reportedly led to a delay for Half-Life Alyx to rewrite some of the story, while another one led to Deadlock, gaming's worst-kept secret and a game that was in playtesting by thousands of players before the company lifted its confidentiality agreement about it.As Gabe Follower explains, if those playing HLX are pleased with it and there are no major changes suggested, development is likely to continue unabated and potentially give us a formal reveal in the coming months. If changes are made, the company might need to go back to the drawing board on some aspects.Article continues belowGiven Gabe Follower has correctly revealed information about Deadlock and Counter-Strike 2 before those games launched, there's every reason to consider some truth to the rumours here.Half-Life 3 has been one of the great 'unicorns' of gaming, alongside a Bloodborne sequel and GTA 6, but the series has been quiet since 2020's Half-Life Alyx. That was a prequel, only playable in VR.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

As we close out the end of the year, soaring past the major holidays of the season, its now the perfect time to get yourself something nice. Maybe youre looking for something to spend that Amazon gift card you got for Christmas on. Well, consider a Jackery portable power station. The Jackery Explorer 300 is perfect for travel and outdoor camping. Right now its down 35% in an Amazon limited time deal. Its normally priced at $259, but after the discount, it gets brought down to just $169. That makes for a savings of $90.See at AmazonOutdoor Activities or Emergency SituationsA portable power station is such a handy thing to have. As stated up top, its a useful gadget to just keep in your car in the event of an emergency like if you find yourself out of gas on the side of the road. Or just having a power outage at home where you can just grab it from the car to make sure everyones phones are staying charged while you wait it out. The Jackery Explorer 300 is only 7.1 pounds. That in combination with the big handle on top makes it easy to take along with you on the road.The Jackery Explorer 300 power station is able to charge your devices from six ports simultaneously so everyone in the family is covered. The ports include two AC outlets, one Power Delivery 60W USB-C port, one fast charge USB 3.0 port, one USB-A port, and one DC car port.This portable power station makes for a wonderful power source, be it indoors or outdoors. At capacity, the Jackery Explorer 300 is capable of keeping a mini cooler going for 4.5 hours or a TV on for 4.5 hours. Additionally, it can recharge a camera 15 times, a drone 5.5 times, a laptop 4 times, and a phone 31 times.The power station itself can recharge super fast, reaching 80% in just two hours of charging using the wall outlet or the 60W Power Delivery USB-C port with an AC adapter. It can also recharge using solar power. Just hook it up to a compatible solar panel like the Jackery SolarSaga 100.The Jackery Explorer 300 is safe and reliable. It utilizes pure sine waves which leads to a stable power supply to all of your plugged in devices.The Jackery Explorer 300 power station is down to just $169 from its original price of $259 for a limited time. That is a discount of 35%, which equates to saving you $90.See at Amazon