A federal appeals court sealed the fate of the Biden administrations efforts to regulate internet providers on Thursday, striking down the Federal Communications Commissions 2024 net neutrality order once and for all.The order sought to reclassify internet service providers as common carriers, not unlike telephone companies, which would prohibit them from preferencing or punishing certain websites or services by, say, slowing them down or speeding them up. But since its adoption in 2015 under the Obama administration, the FCCs net neutrality rule has been tied up in a decade-long regulatory tug-of-war, alternatively held up in court or hamstrung by administrative flip-flopping.The FCC repealed the rule during Donald Trumps first term, but it was then brought back under President Joe Biden. Trumps pick to be the next head of the FCC almost certainly would have scrapped it again. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals just beat him to it.In its decision striking down the rule, the three-judge panel noted net neutralitys long history as a political football. This orderissued during the Biden administrationundoes the order issued during the first Trump administration, which undid the order issued during the Obama administration, which undid orders issued during the Bush and Clinton administrations, the judges wrote. They said they believed this decision would end the FCCs vacillations.While the Sixth Circuits ruling was a momentous one, given the net neutrality fights contentious history, it was hardly unexpected. Last summer, the Sixth Circuit blocked the rule from taking effect while the underlying case proceeded and hinted that the broadband providers who were opposing the rule were likely to succeed on the merits. Absent a clear mandate to treat broadband as a common carrier, we cannot assume that Congress granted the Commission this sweeping power, the judges wrote at the time.The rule seemed doubly doomed given the outcome of a separate Supreme Court case last year called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. In that case, the justices overturned a longstanding legal precedent in which courts deferred to federal agencies interpretation of ambiguous laws, thus effectively curtailing those agencies power. In its ruling on net neutrality, the Sixth Circuit panel leaned heavily on the Loper Bright decision, writing [W]e no longer afford deference to the FCCs reading of the statute.Free speech and digital rights advocates quickly condemned the decision. Internet rights are civil rights, Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, tells Fast Company in a statement.Evan Greer, director of the grassroots group Fight for the Future, tells Fast Company the broadband industry forum-shop[ped] for industry-friendly judges to strike down some of the most popular consumer protection rules in history.But the truth is, however the court ruled, the FCCs net neutrality protections never stood a chance of surviving the next four years. Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who is likely to lead the agency under the second Trump term, has long opposed the rule and cast it as an example of the agencys excesses. (This, even as Carr has called on the FCC to take aggressive action to reinterpret Section 230, the decades-old law governing tech platforms ability to moderate content.)While the work to unwind the Biden [Administrations] regulatory overreach will continue, this is a good win, Carr wrote on X after the net neutrality decision came out Thursday. Even if the court had upheld the protections, in just a few weeks, it would have been up to the Trump FCC to enforce them. In striking the rule, the court has only hastened the inevitable.https://twitter.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1874894796277645533If theres any silver lining for net neutrality proponents, its that another net neutrality law is alive and well in California, a state large enough to influence broadband providers behavior nationwide. Meanwhile, people like current FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel are looking to Congress to enshrine net neutrality principles into law. Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair, Rosenworcel wrote in a statement. With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law.Of course, to many Republicans, who have historically loathed net neutrality proposals, that supposed mandate isnt so clear at all. Given the fact that those same lawmakers are now about to control both chambers of Congress and the White House, it seems far more likely that any attempt to enshrine net neutrality at the federal level will be indefinitely throttled.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called to open up the British North Sea and get rid of windmills in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday.In October, the British government said it would increase a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers to 38% from 35% and extend the levy by one year. The government wants to use the revenue from oil and gas to raise funds for renewable energy projects.The U.K. is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of Windmills! Trumps post said.His post was in response to a report about U.S. oil and gas producer APA Corps unit Apaches plans to exit the North Sea by year-end 2029. The company expects North Sea production to fall by 20% year over year in 2025.Oil companies have been steadily exiting the North Sea in recent decades, with production declining from a peak of 4.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day at the start of the millennium to around 1.3 million boed today.Meanwhile, the Labour government aims to quadruple offshore wind generation by 2030 to 60 gigawatts.The North Sea has seen major offshore wind farm development by Britain and European countries, but the rapidly growing sector has had a tough few years as costs ballooned due to technical and supply chain problems as well as higher interest rates, leading many companies to review investments.The North Sea Transition Authority, Britains offshore oil and gas regulator, declined to comment about Trumps post. Britains energy security department did not immediately reply to a request for comment.Britain has a target to largely decarbonise its power sector by 2030 which will mean reducing its reliance on gas-fired power plants and rapidly increasing its renewable power capacity.North Sea producers have warned that the higher tax rate could lead to a sharp drop in investments and are exiting from the ageing basin ahead of the new tax increases.Top British North Sea producer Harbour Energy wants to sell stakes in North Sea oilfields and is reviving plans for a U.S. listing, Reuters has previously reported. U.S. oil major Exxon completed its exit from the North Sea region in July last year.Companies are also reconsidering their investments in offshore wind, or have assumed impairments, due to the rising cost of developing wind farms that can be more than 100 km (60 miles) offshore.Orsted, the worlds biggest offshore wind farm developer, trimmed its investment and capacity targets last year.Gursimran Kaur and Ron Bousso, Reuters

Dating apps are gearing up for their busiest day of the year: Dating Sunday.This landmark day in the dating world always lands on the first Sunday of January. The idea is that singles, back from their holiday travel and with a slate of new resolutions, will turn to dating apps with fresh eyes and open hearts.Sure, some of this is marketing, but there are stats to back up the popularity of this day. Dating apps routinely see a surge in activity on Dating Sunday.On Tinder, user likes, which indicate that you want to match with someone, were 15% higher on the first Sunday of 2024 than the rest of the year. Users are also more likely to respond and have conversations. Last year Hinge, which like Tinder is owned by the Match Group, reported a 27% increase in likes sent on this day and a 29% rise in messages sent.The new year marks a shift from one chapter to the next and offers us the opportunity for a reboot, Moe Ari Brown, Hinges love and connection expert, wrote in a blog post. For daters looking for connection, the New Year energy also brings hope, promise for renewal, and fresh starts to their dating lives.The rise in usage is expected to stay relatively consistent until February (January 1 through Valentines Day is considered peak season by the apps). Tinder said that during this roughly six week period, 486 bios are edited per minute on Tinder. And more than 298 million more likes are sent on Tinder during this time than the rest of the year, according to the data.In general, dating apps have seen some growth over the past year, but have struggled to reach their pandemic highs when relationships turned entirely online. Users have also been more reluctant to pay for features due to ongoing economic uncertainty. Tinder paying users have been routinely declining. (Hinge has been an outlierit reported paying users increased 21% in the third quarter of 2024.)Shares of Match Group, which owns Hinge and Tinder, are down 9% from this time a year ago, while Bumble stock is down 43% in the same period.For those interested in partaking in this busy season, Hinges Director of Relationship Science Logan Ury put together some tips in that same blog post. His advice includes refreshing your profile, looking for reasons to say yes to people, commenting on peoples profiles rather than just leaving a like or an emoji, starting the conversation right away, making the most of dating hour (9 p.m. hour EST. in the U.S.), and sending more voice notes.Happy dating season, everyone.

Although desktop computers havent gone the way of the dinosaur as some pundits predicted, laptops clearly surpass towers and even small boxes in terms of presence and numbers. The flexibility offered by these mobile computers can match the needs of most users, sometimes including gamers and content creators as well. The one area where laptops still cant match desktops, aside from raw power, is the ability to swap out parts as needed, but that may only be a matter of time.As laptops become the most common computers, the need for more modular designs also becomes even greater. From repairability to upgradability, laptops will need to adapt to the fast-paced changes in trends and demands, even if that might not make business sense immediately. This open source modular laptop could very well provide the blueprint for future designs that will deliver what users want, including a mechanical keyboard.Designers: Lukas Hartmann (Electronics, Software), Ana Dantas (Industrial Designer), MNT ReformIf you consider that some laptops today have upgradable memory and storage, the designs have really come a long way from the original black boxes that these mobile computers were in the past. Compared to desktops, however, youre still restricted to whatever the manufacturer chose for the other components. Never mind being unable to upgrade those parts, repairing anything thats broken can become a financial and logistics nightmare, even when its just one of the USB ports.The MNT Reform Next modular laptop tries to bring a bit of the openness of the desktop computer ecosystem to laptops, promising not just sustainability but also personalization to some extent. Almost every part of the laptop can be easily replaced, at least compared to a regular laptop, and you can choose the design or arrangement of the parts as you see fit. The parts on either side of the laptop, for example, can be swapped if their default positions dont make sense to you.The default specs of the laptop come with a few interesting choices, including a mechanical keyboard thats rarely seen on laptops. The two battery packs that power the system also use four LiFePO batteries each for a total of 16,000mAh, allowing you to swap out individual cells as needed. By default, the bead-blasted anodized aluminum shell comes in Black, Purple, or Raw Silver color options, but the open hardware design allows you to make your own as long as they conform to the grid-like internal design freely provided.Unfortunately, there are a few big caveats that would prevent this promising modular laptop from becoming mainstream. The biggest gotcha would be the Arm-based Rockchip 3588 processor, which is significantly weaker than your typical Intel or AMD CPUs in regular laptops. That also means compatibility with Windows is a bit of a hit-or-miss, which is why the system comes with Linux out of the box. The laptop is also chunkier and heftier than most laptops due to its modular design, but that could be a price some people will be willing to pay for this kind of design.The post Modular laptop promises repairability, flexibility, and a mechanical keyboard first appeared on Yanko Design.

D.va struts straight into the 1980s.

A deep dive into the most iconic logo designs of the decade and the stories behind them.

Many people reported they hit a screen preventing them from seeing the alert unless they signed in.

MacworldIf youve always suspected that Siri is listening to you even though you havent called upon it, a new class-action lawsuit may give you some peace of mind. Apple has agreed to pay our nearly $100 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit over Siris ability to listen to, record, and share their conversations without consent.According to the Lopez v. Apple suit, which was filed in 2019, the plaintiffs allege that Apples Siri-enabled devices both listened to conversations due to accidental activations and shared the contents with advertisers. Examples in the suit include Air Jordan sneakers, Pit Viper sunglasses, and a specific surgical treatment, all of which allegedly resulted in targeted ads on their devices.The lawsuit covers a decade of devices, from September 2014 to December 2024 and seemingly includes iPhones, Apple Watches, and any other device with Hey Siri capabilities. As it the case with class-action settlements, Apple has denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to the terms of the settlement.The $95 million figure is relatively low, especially since it also includes legal fees, while likely top $30 million. For example, the class-action suit over the iPhone 6 battery issue, resulted in a $500 million settlement, which resulted in an average payout of $65 per person across 3 million claims.At any rate, Reuters reports class members may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, but that will be dependent on the terms of the settlement, which havent been disclosed.

MacworldVirtual Private Networks (VPNs) might sound complicatedthey arebut setting one up and using it on your Mac is very easy.Here, well show you through the entire process of setting up a VPN, step by step, from signing up for a service to installing the software and connecting to a server.A VPN encrypts the connection between your Mac and the internet and also makes it appear as though you are located where the server is. If you connect to a server in New York, for example, websites and streaming services will behave as though you were in that region, rather than your true location, which could be anywhere in the world.This is a handy thing to have on your Mac (and iPhone and iPad) if you want to be able to access content that isnt usually available in your country e.g. BBC iPlayer if you are in the U.S., or HBO Max which has very little coverage outside the U.S. Plus, if you are concerned about privacy the VPN will encrypt your data and hide your IP address. See: Should I use a VPN on my Mac/iPhone? and for more information on the legalities and whether it is safe to use a VPN read: Is a VPN safe for Mac?NordVPNRead our reviewBest Prices Today:3,69 at NordVPNBefore you can start using a VPN, you must choose a VPN service to use. NordVPN is our top VPN recommendation, but youll find a whole range of alternativesincluding many that may be more affordablein our round-up of the best VPN services for Mac. For the best value VPN right now see our Best Mac VPN deals round-up. How to set up a VPN on a Mac1.Choose a VPN planFoundryOnce youve decided which VPN service to get, head to its website and choose the pricing plan that suits you best.NordVPN, which were using here, currently offers two-year, one-year, and one-month subscriptions. In the image above the first option is the cheapest, costing $5.29/4.39 per month for the two years. There might be options that look cheaper, but, after the first year, you could be paying a lot more at which point you might want to cancel and look for a new deal. You can find the best deal right now on NordVPNs website. (Nord, as well as other VPNs, often offer deals that offer a lower price per month.)Create an account and use your preferred method of payment to activate your subscription. Be sure to keep your password and username safe as you will need these.2.Download the VPN appFoundryWith your account details ready, download the app for your chosen VPN.On your Mac, you should be able to download via the App Store, which is usually faster and safe, but some VPNs might offer download links from their websites for newer or better-featured versions.With Nord, the best deals are here. You can download NordVPN from Nords website, as well as from the Mac App Store.3.Sign in to the VPN appFoundryIf you choose to download your VPN from the App Store, you may be asked to sign in using your Apple ID after clicking Install App.Once installed, open the app. Youll need to sign in using the email address and password from when you created your account earlier (step 1).4.Allow the VPN to add configurationsFoundryOnce logged in, youll see a popup that asks you for permission to allow your VPN to add VPN configurations on your machine. Youll need to press Allow and may be asked to enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.Below, we explain how to set up a VPN that requires you to go into your Macs settings, but like most services, Nords app does all the configuration for you when you click Allow here.As long as you have downloaded a trusted VPN app from a trusted source, this should be safe.5.Choose the location of your serverFoundryTo begin using the VPN, youll be asked to choose a server. This could be within the country you are located if you are looking to protect your privacy and arent trying to access blocked content. If, however, you are trying to access a service, such as U.S. Netflix from inside the U.K., or BBC iPlayer from outside the U.K., or you want to check a website, you need to choose the relevant server location.If you are using Nord, you can pick a server using the search bar in the top left corner, or scroll around the world map, or through the country list. Other VPNs will have a similar process for selecting the location of the server you will be routed via. You may encounter some alerts when you try to connect to a new server for the first time. For example, you may see a message like the one above: neagent wants to use your confidential information stored in NordVPN in your keychain. This will only appear if IKEv2 is set as the protocol to use, but youre better off using OpenVPN or NordLynx (based on WireGuard) if you want a faster connection.You can type in your Mac administrator password and click Always Allow, which means NordVPN will remember the login password within your keychain for future use, and wont ask you for it again unless you change the password.6.Choose your VPN settings and preferencesFoundryYour VPN will offer various settings. For example, with Nord you can access settings in Preferences. Click on NordVPN in the top menu and then click on Settings (Preferences in older versions of macOS). Here you will find options like Launch the app on computer startup and an option to auto-connect to a particular country (see: Settings > Auto-connect). That way the VPN connects to a server of your choice from the moment you launch the application.You can also access an advanced version of Nords Kill Switch here. Kill Switch should stop data leaks if your connection drops; the advanced settings give an additional layer of security. Other VPNs may have a similar feature you can find in the apps preferences.Youll be able to access the VPN settings and server lists at any time by launching the app itself or using the icon in the navigation bar at the top of your computer where youd usually find the date and time.Once connected, you can use your Mac as normal, but in the knowledge that no one can spy on your web browsing, and you should be able to access previously blocked content.7.Now switch on your VPN and you will be encrypted and appear to be in another countryFoundryWhenever you want to surf the internet as if you are in another country, or just ensure that your data is encrypted you can turn on your VPN, select the country server you want to use, and use facilities that might not be available to you otherwise. To use a streaming service from another country you will need to be signed up for that service. Enjoy your vacation! How to set up a VPN that doesnt have an appIn some scenarios, the VPN service does not use its own app. Instead, you will need to go into the System Settings of your Mac and configure the Network settings. It can sound a little daunting but its simple once you know how.Hidden24Your VPN provider should be able to offer help installing and setting up, but this example using Hidden24 should give you some idea of what to expect.As with any service, youll first need to sign up and create an account.Once you have a username (usually your email address) and password associated with your account, you can begin the process of setting it up.First go to System Settings (or System Preferences) on your Mac and choose Network.Press the down arrow (or small + symbol) in the bottom left corner to bring up a drop-down menu. Click on Add VPN configuration and choose the VPN type and service name specified by your VPN provider from the options. (In older versions of macOS you need to click on Interface and then choose VPN). In this instance, its L2TP over IPSec and the service name is Hidden24.Enter the settings for the VPN you are using. In the Server Address field, enter the server specified by your provider. Here its connect.hidden24.co.uk. The account name is the username you were given when you signed up, so will be unique to everyone.There are Advanced options you might want to use. For example, you can choose Send all traffic over VPN connection, to ensure all apps are routed via the VPN connection unless you specifically dont want this to happen.Click Create. You will be prompted to enter your password, as well as a Shared Secret which you should also have been given by your provider.Next go to System Settings > Control Centre. Scroll down to Menu Bar Only and find VPN, click on the pop-up menu beside it and choose Show VPN status in menu bar. Then click OK and Apply. Youll see a new icon appear in your menu bar, which represents your VPN.Foundry

MacworldOn this weeks episode of the Macworld Podcast, its all about your hot takes! You have thoughts about the iMac, the iPad mini,and more, and we talk about them on the show!This is episode 915 with Karen Haslam, David Price, and Roman Loyola.Watch episode 915 on YouTubeListen to episode 915 on Apple PodcastsBelow are the hot takes mentioned on the show.A bigger iMacI recently wrote an article about how the Mac lineup is as strong as its ever been, considering the models available and the features offered.Stoster1 on X posted:X/stoster1John Minick said in an email:Thus far Apple Silicon has been a major disappointment for me.Here is what I wish Apple would produce: A reasonably priced 30-inch iMac with plenty of ports and a high-quality FaceTime camera. Extreme performance is not essential. Drop in an M4 Max from a MacBookPro and Apple would have a computer that I consider purchasing if the price were reasonable.John M. (email)The iPad mini is perfect, even with its imperfectionsEarlier this month, David wrote about how the iPad mini is a really, really good tablet. Maybe its underappreciated. Roman reviewed the new iPad mini and like it, too.X/grostadOn Facebook, Michael Trapp said:I love my iPad Mini as my in-car navigation and everything else.. No need for limited CarPlay when I have the FULL IOS available and the screen is pretty much the same size or bigger (except for some Tesla) than most OEM screens. And I can take itfrom car2car and with me when I park and get out (since it fits in my docker pant pockets).Michael Trapp (Facebook)New Magic Mouse?Bloombergs Mark Gurman (subscription required) reports that Apple is working on a new redesigned Magic Mouse for the modern era. It likely wont be ready within the next 12 to 18 months. Dont fix it. Theres something very sensual about flipping my mouse and plugging that cable right in. Joe Daddy (@quetzalcoatl87.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T20:31:35.955ZLol they will probably get rid of the charging port all together and make it 100% dependent on wireless charging. And then sell you a wireless charging mousepad. (@chrissaiyan.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T20:11:31.459ZTo be honest, if I were Apple, Id redesign this, but keep the usb-c port on the bottom because people get irrationally upset about something that needs to be used for 10 minutes every 4 months. You dont use the mouse 24/7! Brian Christiansen (@briandigital.com) 2024-12-15T15:34:09.134ZSubscribe to the Macworld PodcastYou can subscribe to the Macworld Podcastor leave us a review!right here in the Podcasts app. The Macworld Podcast is also available on Spotify and on the Macworld Podcast YouTube channel. Or you can point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader at: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/macworldTo find previous episodes, visit Macworlds podcast page or our home on MegaPhone.Apple