Its easy to lose small stuff like laptop chargers when youre constantly on the go, which is why Twelve Souths PlugBug is handy. Its a USB-C wall charger that Apple users can keep tabs of via the Find My App, and its currently down to its best price yet. Normally $69.99, right now you can buy the 50-watt version for $55.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. The 120-wattPlugBug is also on sale for $97.99 ($22 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is one of its better prices to date.RelatedThe 50-watt wall charger features a pair of USB-C ports, so you can choose to slow-charge a laptop or simultaneously power up your smartphone and tablet. If you require faster charging, the 120-watt might be the better option and comes with four USB-C ports. But the PlugBugs real standout feature, as mentioned, is its support for Apples extensive Find My App feature, which allows you to keep tabs of the charger via your iPhone, iPad or Mac. And conveniently, the charger can beep for easier tracking.As a nice bonus, the PlugBug is also useful when youre not using it to charge your devices. After all, its essentially a location tracker, so you can use it to keeps tab of your bag, suitcase, or wherever else you may have stored it.Twelve South PlugBug with Find My (50W) $56$7020% off$56$56$7020% offThe Twelve South PlugBug with Find My (50W) is a wall charger with a pair of side-by-side USB ports and Find My support, so Apple users can keep tabs of it via their iPhone, iPad, or Mac.$56 at Amazon$56 at Best BuySome more ways to saveBoses SoundLink Max has returned to its all-time low price of $299 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy (for My Best Buy Plus and Total members). The Bluetooth speaker offers powerful, room-filling sound along with a 3.5-millimeter aux input for lossless listening. Its rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, and offers up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, rendering it a top-notch portable Bluetooth speaker, great for any occasion. Read our review.The latest version of Samsungs 55-inch The Frame TV is on sale for $867.99 ($630 off) at Woot until January 10th, which matches its best price to date. Samsungs The Frame can easily pass for home decor, thanks to an anti-glare matte OLED screen that displays artwork as well as photos when idle. Yet its also a good 4K TV, with a new energy-saving feature that drops its speedy 120Hz refresh rate to 60hz while displaying art.If youre on the market for an excellent handheld vacuum, the Black & Decker Furbuster is on sale for $67.98 ($32 off) at Amazon, which is its second-best price to date. The 20-watt cordless vacuum does a good job of sucking up dirt as well as fur and is portable, so you can use it as a car vacuum. It also features a long, extendable crevice tool, allowing you to easily clean hard-to-reach spaces.

A day after a Cybertruck exploded in the Trump Hotel valet area, law enforcement officials released more details on the progress of their investigation, including the coroners confirmation that the driver was a US Army soldier named Matthew Livelsberger, who died by suicide of a self-inflicted gunshot just before the explosives in the trucks bed detonated.Im comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately thereafter, said Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Im not giving it any other labels. McMahill also noted that police havent investigated the suspects phones or laptops yet, or identified a possible motive.Separately, the Denver Gazette reported on text messages Livelsberger sent after renting the truck on December 28th, with videos of the vehicle and boasts about its ungodly speed. The New York Post cited an unnamed source saying he left his home in Colorado the day after Christmas after an argument with his wife. The Independent contacted Livelsbergers uncle, who described him to the paper as someone who loved the Army and loved Trump.Camera footage of the Cybertruck before the explosion. Image: LMVPDDuring the briefing, law enforcement officials displayed surveillance video of the truck once it arrived in Las Vegas on the morning of January 1st and a map of its eight stops at Tesla charging stations over three days. They also said that people from Tesla were coming to assist in the investigation, including possibly recovering video from the trucks built-in cameras. Image: LVMPDWhile the sheriff said investigators had received information about the charging stops from Elon Musk, they are also looking to see who else may have been charging at the same time to possibly find video captured by those vehicles.Like the F-150 Lightning used hours earlier in an apparent act of terrorism by driving into a crowd in New Orleans, Livelsberger rented the 2024 Cybertruck via the Turo app. Turo said on Friday, We do not believe these two individuals would have been flagged by anyone including law enforcement. However,as an immediate next step while we wait for law enforcement to conclude their investigations, were consulting with national security and counterterrorism experts to learn more about how we can get even better and play our part in helping prevent anything like this from happening ever again, writes CEO Andre Haddad.It has also been reported that both men spent time at the same military base and served in different areas of Afghanistan in 2009. However, the sheriff said that while theyre not prepared to rule in or rule out anything at this point, theres no evidence at this time of a connection between them or a link between the incidents.The truck was transported to the departments fleet services area for further inspection, and the investigators have reported finding the subjects iPhone, identification, and two firearms that had been purchased two days earlier. The explosive components found inside the truck consisted of consumer-grade fireworks, mortars, and aerial shells, as well as fuel enhancers and the kinds of explosive targets that can be purchased at sporting goods stores, according to Kenneth Cooper, the ATF assistant special agent in charge.

Proteins, the essential molecular machinery of life, play a central role in numerous biological processes. Decoding their intricate sequence, structure, and function (SSF) is a fundamental pursuit in biochemistry, molecular biology, and drug development. Understanding the interplay between these three aspects is crucial for uncovering the principles of life at a molecular level. Computational tools have been developed to tackle this challenge, with alignment-based methods such as BLAST, MUSCLE, TM-align, MMseqs2, and Foldseek making significant strides. However, these tools often prioritize efficiency by focusing on local alignments, which can limit their ability to capture global insights. Additionally, they typically operate within a single modalitysequence or structurewithout integrating multiple modalities. This limitation is compounded by the fact that nearly 30% of proteins in UniProt remain unannotated due to their sequences being too divergent from known functional counterparts.Recent advancements in neural network-based tools have enabled more accurate functional annotation of proteins, identifying corresponding labels for given sequences. However, these methods rely on predefined annotations and cannot interpret or generate detailed natural language descriptions of protein functions. The emergence of LLMs such as ChatGPT and LLaMA has showcased exceptional capabilities in natural language processing. Similarly, the rise of protein language models (PLMs) has opened new avenues in computational biology. Building on these developments, researchers propose creating a foundational protein model that leverages advanced language modeling to represent protein SSF holistically, addressing limitations in current approaches.ProTrek, developed by researchers at Westlake University, is a cutting-edge tri-modal PLM that integrates SSF. Using contrastive learning it aligns these modalities to enable rapid and accurate searches across nine SSF combinations. ProTrek surpasses existing tools like Foldseek and MMseqs2 in speed (100x) and accuracy while outperforming ESM-2 in downstream prediction tasks. Trained on 40 million protein-text pairs, it offers global representation learning to identify proteins with similar functions despite structural or sequence differences. With its zero-shot retrieval and fine-tuning capabilities, ProTrek sets new protein research and analysis benchmarks.Descriptive data from UniProt subsections were categorized into sequence-level (e.g., function descriptions) and residue-level (e.g., binding sites) to construct protein-function pairs. GPT-4 was used to organize residue-level data and paraphrase sequence-level descriptions, yielding 14M training pairs from Swiss-Prot. An initial ProTrek model was pre-trained on this dataset and then used to filter UniRef50, producing a final dataset of 39M pairs. The training involved InfoNCE and MLM losses, leveraging ESM-2 and PubMedBERT encoders with optimization strategies like AdamW and DeepSpeed. ProTrek outperformed baselines on benchmarks using 4,000 Swiss-Prot proteins and 104,000 UniProt negatives, evaluated by metrics like MAP and precision.ProTrek represents a groundbreaking advancement in protein exploration by integrating sequence, structure, and natural language function (SSF) into a sophisticated tri-modal language model. Leveraging contrastive learning bridges the divide between protein data and human interpretation, enabling highly efficient searches across nine SSF pairwise modality combinations. ProTrek delivers transformative improvements, particularly in protein sequence-function retrieval, achieving 30-60 times the performance of previous methods. It also surpasses traditional alignment tools such as Foldseek and MMseqs2, demonstrating over 100-fold speed enhancements and greater accuracy in identifying functionally similar proteins with diverse structures. Additionally, ProTrek consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art ESM-2 model, excelling in 9 out of 11 downstream tasks and setting new standards in protein intelligence.These capabilities establish ProTrek as a pivotal protein research and database analysis tool. Its remarkable performance stems from its extensive training dataset, which is significantly larger than comparable models. ProTreks natural language understanding capabilities go beyond conventional keyword-matching approaches, enabling context-aware searches and advancing applications such as text-guided protein design and protein-specific ChatGPT systems. ProTrek empowers researchers to analyze vast protein databases efficiently and address complex protein-text interactions by providing superior speed, accuracy, and versatility, paving the way for significant advancements in protein science and engineering.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. Sana Hassan+ postsSana Hassan, a consulting intern at Marktechpost and dual-degree student at IIT Madras, is passionate about applying technology and AI to address real-world challenges. With a keen interest in solving practical problems, he brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of AI and real-life solutions. Follow us on X (Twitter) to get regular AI Research and Dev Updates here...

Top 11 Publications on Medium for Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI In 2025 0 like January 3, 2025Share this postLast Updated on January 3, 2025 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): Dr. Leon Eversberg Originally published on Towards AI. A ranking of AI and Data Science publications based on combined Medium and social media followersThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Photo by pixelcreatures on pixabayTo reach a wider audience on Medium as a writer, you should always try to publish your article in a relevant publication. This will help you build your following. But which publication should you choose?And as a reader on Medium, you probably want to subscribe to the best AI publications out there. But which publications are at the top in 2025?Medium publications are shared spaces for stories written around a common theme or topic, usually by multiple authorsIn this article, I will list my current top 11 Medium publications in Data Science (DS), Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2025 that are currently looking for new authors.To rank the publications, I collected data on their internal Medium followers as well as their external social media followers.Social media accounts include LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter). Social media accounts are only included if they are actively promoting new articles.Ive also included which publications are part of Mediums new Boost Nomination Program, which means that only these publications have the power to nominate your story for a boost. Boost especially high-quality Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

Outside of the comics, 2024 was a pretty quiet year for DC. It didnt help that Joker: Folie Deux turned out to be one of the years biggest box office bombs. But theres a new hope on the horizon. James Gunns DCU is coming, and with it a brand new era for DC on the big and small screens.From Gunns hotly anticipated Superman movie to the return of shows like Peacemaker and The Sandman to the expansion of DCs Absolute Universe, lets break down the biggest and most important DC projects arriving in 2025.DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV ShowSuperman Kicks Off the Live-Action DCUCompared to 2023, which saw the release of no fewer than four films set in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, 2025 is definitely smaller in scope. Just like with 2024s Joker: Folie Deux, theres only one new live-action DC movie hitting theaters this year. That said, its easily the most important movie DC has released in years.That movie is, of course, James Gunns Superman. Where Gunns Creature Commandos animated series gave us our first taste of the new DCU cinematic universe, Superman is our first live-action foray into this world. Based on Creature Commandos quality, not to mention Gunns work on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, we have high hopes.PlaySuperman casts David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. Rather than exploring Kal-Els origin story for the umpteenth time, the movie takes place after Superman has been on the job for a few years. Hes trying his best to use his powers to guide and protect mankind and prove that theres room for decency and kindness in our cynical modern world. In other words, exactly the sort of superhero film we could all use right about now.Superman also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White. And because this film is our introduction to the DCU in live-action, fans can expect a lot of other DC heroes to drop by. That lineup includes Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho. Also helping tie together the growing DCU will be Frank Grillo, who reprises the role of Rick Flag, Sr. from Creature Commandos.Needless to say, theres a lot riding on Supermans brawny shoulders right now. This film marks the full debut of a brand-new cinematic universe, and it paves the way for a number of big-budget DC projects in the years ahead, from movies like Supergirl and The Authority to shows like Lanterns and Paradise Lost. Its a piece in a much larger puzzle Gunn is calling Gods and Monsters.PlayThe question is whether Superman can succeed where so many DC movies have crashed and burned in recent years. Given the way films like The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods bombed at the box office in 2023, its clear fans had written off the old DCEU before it even finished. And Joker: Folie Deux proved to be a complete misfire for DC in 2024. Is the DC brand irrevocably tarnished in Hollywood, or can Superman start the road to recovery?Whatever happens, were eagerly looking forward to the release of Superman, which hits theaters on July 11, 2025. Batman: Knightfall Gets AnimatedSuperman may be the only live-action theatrical release DC is putting out in 2025, but it wont be the only new DC movie. DCs line of direct-to-DVD animated films will continue in the new year, with details starting to leak about their ambitious next project.Following the release of the critically acclaimed two-part Watchmen adaptation, DC is turning to another classic graphic novel for its next adaptation, Batman: Knightfall. In fact, Knightfall is reportedly getting a full trilogy of adaptations, matching the scope of the recent Crisis on Infinite Earths movie trilogy. The trilogy hasnt been officially announced yet, but as pointed out by The Direct, a listing for the first movie has appeared on the EIDR database.Batman: Knightfall is the famous 1993 crossover where Batman first encountered the ruthless Bane. Over the course of the story, Bane wears down the Dark Knight physically and psychologically and breaks his back. Left paralyzed, Bruce has no option but to turn the Batman mantle over to another like-minded vigilante named Jean-Paul Valley. Given that Batman: Knightfall is a trilogy of movies, we assume the first film will adapt Knightfall itself, while the second will cover the follow-up crossover Knightquest and the third will cap off the story by adapting Knightsend. In Knightquest, Jean-Paul establishes himself as a more ruthless and deranged alternative to Bruce, while in Knightsend a recovered Bruce has to reclaim the Batman mantle and save Gotham City from this sadistic new Dark Knight. Again, DC has yet to formally announce the Batman: Knightfall movies, so at this stage we dont know the voice cast or potential release dates. Its possible that Knightfall is a continuation of the Tomorrowverse, meaning that Batman: The Long Halloween star Jensen Ackles would reprise the Batman role again. But its also possible that DC has closed the door on that animated universe following the Crisis trilogy, meaning we may see a new actor cast as Batman. Either way, expect Batman: Knightfall to be one of the darkest and most violent Batman movies since DCs adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns.DC TV in 2024There may be only one new DC movie hitting theaters in 2025, but DC definitely has a more stacked TV and streaming lineup planned this year. That includes another addition to the new but rapidly growing DCU, as Gunns Peacemaker returns for Season 2.Peacemaker: Season 2 will be the next DCU project to hit after Superman. How does that work when the first season was a spinoff of Gunns The Suicide Squad, which was part of the DCEU? Dont think too hard about it. Just know that Season 2 continues the misadventures of John Cenas peace-loving anti-hero Christopher Smith. Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick are all also returning for Season 2, and Frank Grillos Rick Flag Sr. continues to serve as the glue tying the DCU together.PlayPeacemaker Season 2 will debut on Max in August 2025, so fans dont have to wait long after Supermans release to get more of this growing superhero universe.Were expecting one other live-action DC series to arrive in 2025, as Netflix finally continues the saga of The Sandman. Tom Sturridge is back as Morpheus, as the Lord of Dreams deals with new challenges to his realm. One of those challenges comes from Gwendoline Christies Lucifer, who is out for revenge after being outwitted by Morpheus in Season 1. Its expected that Season 2 will adapt the comic storyline The Season of Mists, a tale that pushes the Morpheus/Lucifer rivalry in a very unexpected direction.We can also expect to meet the rest of Morpheus siblings in Season 2, including Adrian Lesters Destiny, Esm Creed-Miles Delirium, and Barry Sloanes Destruction. Why did Morpheus little brother Destruction abdicate his responsibilities? Thats another mystery the series looks poised to explore in Season 2.PlayWith production on Season 2 having wrapped in 2024, Netfix has previously confirmed a 2025 release for Season 2. However, executive producer Neil Gaiman was recently accused of sexual assault and abuse by multiple women, and its unclear how this might affect Netflixs timetable.On the animated side of things, were hoping to see new seasons of Batman: Caped Crusader, My Adventures With Superman, and Harley Quinn in 2025. Caped Crusader debuted on Prime Video in 2024, at which point Amazon had already greenlit the series for a second season. Hamish Linklater will return as the voice of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Based on the ending to Season 1, it seems safe to assume that Season 2 will deal with the emergence of Batmans greatest foe, the Joker, though we dont yet know who will voice the Clown Prince of Crime.As for My Adventures With Superman, this lighthearted, shonen anime-inspired series has been greenlit for Season 3. With Season 1 debuting in 2023 and Season 2 following in 2024, were hopeful that the third season can continue that annual release schedule, especially with the new movie also dropping this year. With Season 2 introducing Supergirl and pitting Superman against Amanda Waller and ARGUS, its anyones guess what parts of the Superman mythos Season 3 will mine.PlayFinally, Harley Quinn is confirmed to return in January 2025. This decidedly adults-only animated series took a year off in 2024 to make room for the Kite-Man spinoff, but its time to put the spotlight back on Kaley Cuocos Harley and Lake Bells Poison Ivy. DC Games: Will We See a New Arkham Game?2025 is looking to be pretty quiet on the gaming front for DC. Rocksteady will be adding Deathstroke as the newest and last playable character to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. After a rough launch in 2024, that live-service game looks to be headed into maintenance mode in 2025.PlayWe could see new DC characters added to the free-to-play fighting game MultiVersus, which already includes mainstays Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Joker, and Harley Quinn. And its also possible the Meta Quest-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow will be ported to other VR systems in 2025. But beyond that, theres not much for DC fans to look forward to in 2025. At best, we hope to see some concrete announcements about whats coming in terms of DCs video game roadmap.We do know there are projects in the works. While Gunn has already shot down rumors of a new game set in Matt Reeves The Batman universe, there is at least one new Batman game in development right now. Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav confirmed as much when he revealed on a recent investor call that Batman is one of the core pillars of the companys gaming future going forward. PlayCould Rocksteady be working on the next entry in the Arkham franchise? Or will another studio take charge of putting players in Batmans boots? Either way, were hoping to catch a glimpse of this mysterious game at some point in 2025. And while were at it, it would be nice to see a little more of Monoliths Wonder Woman game, which was announced at the 2021 Game Awards but has basically dropped off the map since.DC Comics Goes All InDC may have had a rough year on the big screen in 2024, but DC Comics is coming off a very successful year and looking to continue that momentum into 2025.DCs main focus right now is on the DC All In initiative, which aims to give readers fresh, easy jumping-on points for all of DCs ongoing titles. That includes major books like Tom King and Daniel Samperes Wonder Woman, Joshua Williamson and Dan Moras Superman, Tom Taylor and Mikel Janins Detective Comics, and Mark Waid and Dan Moras Justice League Unlimited. Were also eagerly looking forward to digging into Ram V and Evan Cagles New Gods, a series that just kicked off in December 2024 and will be as important as any other when it comes to charting the Darkseid-focused future of the DC line.DC's Absolute Universe: Preview Art GalleryThen theres the Absolute Universe, the other side of the DC All In coin. The Absolute line is similar to Marvels Ultimate Universe in that it focuses on updating and streamlining DCs iconic heroes without the burden of decades of existing continuity. Scott Snyder and Nick Dragottas Absolute Batman, Kelly Thompson and Hayden Shermans Absolute Wonder Woman, and Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandovals Absolute Superman have all proven to be big hits for DC, and theyll continue to expand the line heading into 2025. Look for new additions like Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsays Absolute Green Lantern, Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles Absolute Flash and Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguezs Absolute Martian Manhunter, all debuting in March.DCs biggest story of the year, however, may well be Batman: Hush 2. This sequel brings back writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee for a brand-new mystery centered around the titular villain. Hush 2 kicks off in the pages of Batman #158, also releasing in March.Finally, DC is bringing back the beloved Vertigo imprint in 2025. Once the home of critically acclaimed mature readers comics like The Sandman, Preacher, and Y: The Last Man, Vertigo was previously shuttered back in 2019. But now its returning as a home for creator-owned comics. James Tynion and Alvaro Martinez Bueno's The Nice House by the Sea is the first book to carry the Vertigo banner, but were expecting a lot more announcements in the months to come.And thats what you can expect from DC in 2025. Are you excited for Gunns Superman? What about the return of Peacemaker and The Sandman? Cast your vote in our poll and let us know in the comments which new DC project youre most looking forward to this year. Also be sure to check out every upcoming DC movie and series.Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit after it was accused of eavesdropping via virtual assistant Siri.The lawsuit alleged Siri can be accidentally activated and thus record customer's conversations without their consent, and that Apple violated its users privacy by sending those recordings to third parties.As reported by San Francisco Chronicle, the class action lawsuit, filed in 2019, includes an allegation that the lead plaintiff and her daughter were both recorded without their consent and were subsequently served targeted ads on Safari after talking about products including Air Jordans and Olive Garden. Another plaintiff claimed he received ads for a surgical treatment after discussing it privately with his doctor.In the preliminary settlement filed on Tuesday night in the Oakland, California federal court, Apple denied any wrongdoing as well as claims it "recorded, disclosed to third parties, or failed to delete, conversations recorded as the result of a Siri activation" without consent.Each claimant, who must be in the U.S., could be paid up to $20 per Siri-enabled device they owned between 2014 and 2019. However, the settlement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland.Class members are estimated in the tens of millions, but as Reuters points out, the $95 million is about nine hours of profit for Apple, whose net income was $93.74 billion in its 2024 fiscal year.As part of the agreement, Apple will confirm it has permanently deleted any recordings made before October 2019, and will provide clearer instructions for users who wish to opt into data-sharing for Siri improvements.A similar lawsuit on behalf of users of Google's Voice Assistant is pending in the San Jose, California federal court. The plaintiffs are represented by the same law firms as in the Apple case.Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images.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.

Smart thermostats are one of the best ways to elevate your homes energy efficiency while staying comfortable year-round and gaining access to some great automations. Meross has just released a Matter-enabled smart thermostat that promises broad compatibility across major smart home platforms, including Apple HomeKit. Heres why the new Meross thermostat is a great option for HomeKit fans.HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apples smart home framework.What is Matter?Matter is the universal smart home standard that simplifies device compatibility across ecosystems. Whether you prefer HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Samsung SmartThings, a Matter-enabled device will work seamlessly across all these platforms. For Apple users, Matter devices integrate directly into the Home app, providing the same smooth experience as native HomeKit products. I do love the fact that as I continue to buy smart home products, I can easily switch platforms as well.This interoperability eliminates the frustration of choosing devices tied to one ecosystem, making it easier to expand your smart home setup without worrying about needing to replace devices due to lack of compatibility.Whats in the box?The Meross thermostat is built to work with approximately 95% of heating and cooling systems in the US, from single-stage furnaces to more complex multi-stage setups and heat pumps (check compatibility). If your system lacks a common wire (C wire), Meross offers an adapter to add compatibility (Nest has offered this for years). The thermostats glass panel design fits well in most homes, and you can control it directly on the device, through the Meross app, Siri, or the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.Thanks to its Matter support, the thermostat integrates easily with HomeKit. It works across any smart home ecosystem, making it a versatile option for anyone planning to future-proof their smart home setup.HomeKit automations with the Meross thermostatOne of the best aspects of adding a Matter-enabled thermostat to HomeKit is the potential for advanced automation. Here are a few ideas:Weather-Based Adjustments: When temperatures rise or fall, the thermostat can be automatically adjusted using data from a HomeKit-compatible weather station.Time-of-Day Comfort: Create a morning routine that warms up your house as you wake or a nighttime scene that lowers the temperature to help you sleep better.Room-by-Room Heating: Pair the thermostat with temperature sensors in key rooms to ensure balanced heating or cooling based on occupancy (with a HomeKit motion sensor) or time of day.Vacation Mode: Set your home to an energy-saving mode when you leave for an extended trip, then remotely adjust it as you travel home.Wrap up on Meross thermostatThis product is an easy sell for Apple users building their smart home on top of HomeKit, as it offers both convenience and compatibility. With its sleek design and wide-ranging system support, the Meross thermostat is a compelling choice for anyone looking to upgrade their home temperature control. As Matter devices become more available, theyre paving the way for a smart home thats free of vendor lock-in.The Meross thermostat is a prime example of this progress, and it is now available from the Meross store.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

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is availableon iTunes and Apples Podcasts app,Stitcher,TuneIn,Google Play, or through ourdedicated RSS feedfor Overcast and other podcast players.Sponsored by 9to5Mac Daily Plus: Get ad-free versions of every episode by visiting 9to5mac.com/join.New episodes of 9to5Mac Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as theyre available.Stories discussed in this episode:Listen & Subscribe:Subscribe to support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock:Ad-free versions of every episodeBonus contentodCatch up on 9to5Mac Daily episodes!Dont miss out on our other daily podcasts:Share your thoughts!Drop us a line at happyhour@9to5mac.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.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

Apple Intelligence arrived on compatible iPhones, iPads, and Macs via a staggered rollout. There were new features launched in both iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2. Now, we know exactly how much those additional features are costing in terms of iPhone storage space.Apple Intelligence now requires 7GB of free storage per deviceWhen the first wave of Apple Intelligence features arrived in iOS 18.1, Apple published a variety of requirements for use.Among those requirements was 4GB of available iPhone storage space.This made sense, because one of the privacy features of Apple Intelligence is that most of its features run on-device by default. And in order to do that, your device needs to download the AI modelswhich eats into your storage space.We always knew that the 4GB requirement would increase over time, as more AI features debuted.But now we know that its already almost doubled following iOS 18.2s release.Per Apples website, Apple Intelligence now requires 7GB of free storage.The same 7GB number applies whether youre using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.But it also, since each product does its own on-device processing, adds up for multi-device use.If you want to use AI features across all three devices (which Id assume most of us do), thats a grand total of 21GB of free space being used by Apple Intelligence.And unfortunately, if youre tight on storage, theres no way to reduce the requirement by disabling certain features.Why the requirement increased, and what to expect in the futureiOS 18.2 introduced big new AI features, including:Scanning this list, I understand why the storage requirement had to increase. But as more Apple Intelligence features continue arriving, on-device storage is going to become more in-demand than ever before.Looking ahead, Apple so far doesnt appear to be adding new AI features to iOS 18.3but new betas could change that.In Aprils iOS 18.4 release though, some big Siri changes are coming. Siri upgrades will undoubtedly bump the 7GB requirement even higher. We could be looking at 10GB requirements per device in just the next few months, before any of iOS 19s new features debut.Big takeaway? It may be time to start upgrading the standard storage tier you opt for with your next iPhone, iPad, or Mac purchase.Are you concerned about Apple Intelligence storage requirements? 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

The secondpart of theWickedmoviewill arrive in theatersin NovemberasWicked: For Good, a title drawnfrom Elphaba and Glindas climactic duet from the WickedBroadway musical. In it, the pair singabout how, because of their relationship, they have been changed for good.Its aplay on words, of course. But its doubly fitting because the firstWicked(orWicked: Part I, if youre a stickler for onscreen title cards) is the biggest and most successful example of a kind of Hollywood blockbuster thatsexplodedin popularity in the last year: A prequel that depicts the originof an iconic moviebad guy in a story thatuncovers their relatively good beginnings, beforecharting theirlargely unintendeddescent into villainy.A few months beforeWicked showed howThe Wizard of Ozs Wicked Witch of the West began her life as a mistreated outcast, longtimeTransformersfans went to seeTransformers One, whichrevealedthatOptimus Prime and Megatronwere not lifelong enemies. As young worker bots in the mines of Cybertron, they were actually best friends. And last month, Wickedwas joined in multiplexes byMufasa: The Lion King, another tale of two formerallies who drift apart, with one becoming the ruler of the animal kingdom, and the other becoming itsfearsome adversary.MUFASA: THE LION KINGDisneyloading...READ MORE: 12 Reboots That Are Also SequelsThe parallels between these three major movies released in a stretch of just three monthsare striking. Their plot beats are largely interchangeable. Their central protagonists all start as best friends (or, in the case ofMufasa, adoptive brothers)before they are driven apart by the manipulations ofpower-hungry dictators (Jeff GoldblumsWizard inWicked; Jon Hamms Sentinel Prime inTransformers One, Mads Mikkelsens Kiros inMufasa).Transformers Onestagline Discover the Origin Behind the Rivalry could work equally well forWicked orMufasa.And main characters from all three movies shift between multiple names and identities. Galinda Upland becomes just Glinda; the bot known as D-16 rechristens himself Megatron after another powerful Transformer; the lion known as Taka laterdemands to be called Scar.Prequels are not a new concept in Hollywood The Godfather Part IIjust celebrated its 50th anniversary butin the past theytypically focused on the early days of heroes rather than villains. Both versions of the mid-2000s Exorcistprequels (Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist andExorcist: The Beginning)followedthe heroic title characterdecades prior to the events of the original film. 2013sMonsters University depictedMonsters Inc.sMike and Sulleyduring their formative college years and showed how theygrew closer, notdrifted apart like the protagonists of all of theserecent, villain-forward prequels.The same goes for the Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock of 2009sStar Trek, which was technically a prequel, a reboot, and a legacyquel all rolled into one. Come to think of it,Transformers last prequel wasBumblebee,and it was about the mostly-mute (butunquestionably heroic) Autobot.Just a few months ago, Warner Bros. releasedFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, a more traditional prequel (at least in terms of subject) aboutthe popular warrior fromMad Max: Fury Road.Warner Bros.Warner Bros.loading...Thereare a fewprecedents for this other kind of villain-focused prequel. The most famous is surely theStar WarsPrequel Trilogy,which depicted the fall of Jedi Anakin Skywalker, and his gradual transformation into Sith Lord Darth Vader. But theStar Warsprequels werent really aboutdetailingthepreviously unrevealed goodness in a famous villain, or changing audiences preconceived notions about their motivations. Or if thatwasGeorge Lucas intention, he didnt really succeed.If anything, Anakins petulant actions in Attack of the Clones andRevenge of the Sithmake Vader seemless complex than in something likeReturn of the Jedi.TheStar Warsprequels also werent aboutmuddying up the image of the Jedieither. It showed them to be a bit naive or flat-outgullible at times but notovertly nefarious. These new prequels, in contrast, dont just make their villains seem good, they also go out of their way to make their heroes look a little bit bad at the same time.InWicked, Galinda is Shiz Universitys prototypicalmean girl,until shebegins to becomefriendswith Elphaba. AtWickeds climax, she chooses to stay and work with the Wizard who she already knows is not the benevolent leader he claims to be instead of leaving with Elphaba. And whileMufasa isa Disney movie with fairly clear-cut heroes and villains, itdoesinclude scenes whereits title character shacks up with Sarabi, even though his brother Taka totally has the hots for her, a love triangle that mirrors the one inWickedbetween Elphaba, Glinda, and the hunky Fiyero.UniversalUniversalloading...The question of whyso many similar prequels all hit theaters so close together is open to debate. The popularity of the TV seriesBetter Call Saulmight have something to do with it. Recent current events in our world could also spur armchair psychologists interestsin the origins of evil, I suppose.It seems more likely, though, that Hollywood has so thoroughly wrung every last drop of juice from the legacyquel concept in the last ten years, that they recognize they need to find something (anything!) to replace it;a novel way toexploit their oh-so-valuableintellectualproperties without simply trotting out their oldstarsfor one last adventure with a new generation of characters. How many more legacyquels could there possibly be left to make at this point? (That said: New Line, if you would like to read my 185-page treatment forAustin Powers; The Grandpa Who Shagged Me, hit me up.)These sorts of prequels also have the advantage ofrecasting recognizable characters with younger actors ones who can potentially carry franchises for years or decades,and whodontdemand legacy star salaries. Speaking of Austin Powers, the upcomingShrek sequel will cost DreamWorks a fortune invoicetalent alone surely many times more than Disney paid Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr.to playthe young Mufasa andTaka.Transformers One - EPKTransformers One - EPKloading...Wicked proved to be a major hit in theaters; its currently the sixth-biggest film of 2024 worldwide, and the third biggest in the United States behind onlyInside Out 2 andDeadpool & Wolverine and ahead of legacyquels likeBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, Twisters,Gladiator II,andGhostbusters: Frozen Empire.ButMufasastarted slowly at the box office (it has currently earned just $342 million worldwide), andTransformers One, despitesome of the best reviews in the franchises history, was a borderline box-office bomb, earningjust$130 million worldwide.Wickedwas big enough, with a sequel still on the way, that we could still see more franchisesquicklyfollow suit. But only time will tell whether this new sort of villain-centric prequelis a Hollywood change for good.Get our free mobile app12 Forgotten Movie PrequelsThese prequels were made. Then they were forgotten. Or in some cases, people never knew they existed in the first place.