King announced that it will launch Candy Crush Solitaire on mobile devices on February 6, 2025.Its a sweet new chapter for Candy Crush, which is an extremely popular mobile game series. And its bit like the trend for card games that was started by Balatro. King, a division of Microsofts Activision Blizzard, described the new game as one of the biggest mobile games of all time meets the most popular card game of all time. The free-to-play game is now available for pre-registration on the Amazon Appstore, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Samsung Galaxy Store and more.Candy Crush Solitaire offers players a fresh, exciting way to enjoy solitaire by blending the familiar gameplay of tripeaks solitaire with engaging new features. Players can expect a strategic, dynamic experience enhanced by fan-favorite boosters, challenging blockers, and a rewarding progression system, all wrapped in the vibrant world of Candy Crush.Pre-register now to unlock exclusive in-game rewards, including a unique card back, 5,000 Coins, four undos, two fish cards, and three color bomb cards. Dont miss out on these perks,pre-register now.Besides Candy Crush Saga, King has had other mobile game hits such asFarm Heroes Saga. King games areplayed bymorethan 200 million monthly active users.Candy Crush Solitaire is free to download and available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon App Store. Whether youre a fan of card games or looking for a relaxing escape, Candy Crush Solitaire offers a fun and engaging experience for players of all ages.King has been testing Candy Crush Solitaire in some countries since July 2023 in markets such as Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico and the Netherlands.GB DailyStay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox dailyRead our Privacy PolicyThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.An error occured.

Ill spare you the experience of listening to one of the richest men in the world whine and just tell you straight out: Mark Zuckerbergs interview on The Joe Rogan Experience is full of lies.Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebooks parent company Meta, sets the tone at the very beginning: I think at some level you only start one of these companies if you believe in giving people a voice, right?Unfortunately I wasnt born yesterday, and I remember Zuckerbergs first attempt at getting rich: FaceMash, a clone of HotOrNot where he uploaded photos of his fellow female students to be rated without their consent. Giving people a voice is one way of describing that, I suppose. Personally, Id call it creep shit.If you can get away with the small bullshit, you can get away with the big bullshit, right?Early on in the interview, Zuckerberg tests out the water to see how much pushback hell get; Rogan is a notoriously soft interviewer its like listening to your dumbest stoned friend hold a conversation but he does occasionally challenge his guests. So Zuckerberg says that there are limits on the First Amendment by saying, Its like, all right, you cant yell fire in a crowded theater.Fire in a crowded theater makes every lawyer I know foam at the mouth because its flat out wrong. It is not the law, and it never has been. And, obviously, you can yell fire in a crowded theater especially if, you know, the theater is on fire. Rogan says nothing in response to this, and Zuckerberg knows hes got a willing mark. If you can get away with the small bullshit, you can get away with the big bullshit, right?For his part, Rogan serves up Zuckerberg a series of softballs, setting his own tone by referring to content moderation as censorship. The idea that the government was forcing Zuckerberg to censor news about covid and covid vaccines, Hunter Bidens laptop, and the election is something of a running theme throughout the interview. When Zuckerberg isnt outright lying about any of this, hes quite vague but in case you were wondering, a man who was formally rebuked by the city of San Francisco for putting his name on a hospital while his platforms spread health misinformation thinks that on balance, the vaccines are more positive than negative. Whew!Misinformation on Facebook started well before the 2016 election as early as 2014, scammers were spreading Ebola lies on Facebook. Shortly after the 2016 election, Adam Mosseri then Facebooks VP of product management said in a statement that Facebook was combating fake news but theres so much more we need to do. Facebook did receive criticism for spreading fake news, including misinformation that benefitted President Donald Trump, but even then, Zuckerberg wasnt having it. I do think there is a certain profound lack of empathy in asserting that the only reason someone could have voted the way they did is they saw some fake news, Zuckerberg said.Its something out of like 1984.Still, in the 2020 election, Facebook along with other social media networks took a harsher stance on fake news, making it harder for Macedonian teenagers to make a profit off Trump supporters. During his Rogan interview, Zuckerberg now characterizes this intervention as giving too much deference to a lot of folks in the media who were basically saying, okay, theres no way that this guy could have gotten elected except for misinformation.Facebook implemented a fact-checking program, one that involved partners such as the conservative online magazine The Dispatch, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and USA Today. In a concession to Donald Trumps second presidency, implemented before Trump even took the oath of office, Zuckerberg has said Facebook will end the program. Were going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms, Zuckerberg said in the video announcing the move.On the Rogan show, Zuckerberg went further in describing the fact-checking program hed implemented: Its something out of like 1984. He says the fact-checkers were too biased, though he doesnt say exactly how.The problem wasnt that the fact-checking was bad; it was that conservatives are more likely to share misinformation and get fact-checked, as some research has shown. That means conservatives are also more likely to be moderated. In this sense, perhaps it wasnt Facebooks fact-checking systems that had a liberal bias, but reality.The biggest lie of all is a lie of omissionWell, Zuckerbergs out of the business of reality now. I am sympathetic to the difficulties social media platforms faced in trying to moderate during covid where rapidly-changing information about the pandemic was difficult to keep up with and conspiracy theories ran amok. Im just not convinced it happened the way Zuckerberg describes. Zuckerberg whines about being pushed by the Biden administration to fact-check claims: These people from the Biden administration would call up our team, and, like, scream at them, and curse, Zuckerberg says.Did you record any of these phone calls? Rogan asks.I dont know, Zuckerberg says. I dont think we were.Many of the controversial moderation calls Facebook made in the pandemic were during the Trump administrationRogan then asks who, specifically, was pressuring Facebook. And Zuckerberg has no answer: It was people in the Biden administration, he says. I think it was, you know, I wasnt involved in those conversations directly, but I think it was.But the biggest lie of all is a lie of omission: Zuckerberg doesnt mention the relentless pressure conservatives have placed on the company for years which has now clearly paid off. Zuckerberg is particularly full of shit here because Republican Rep. Jim Jordan released Zuckerbergs internal communications which document this!In his letter to Jordans committee, Zuckerberg writes, Ultimately it was our decision whether or not to take content down. Emphasis mine. Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration in either direction and were ready to push back if something like this happens again.Those emails also reveal Zuckerberg wanted to blame the Biden White House for how Facebook chose to moderate the lab leak conspiracy theory of covid origins. Can we include that the WH put pressure on us to censor the lab leak theory? he asked in a WhatsApp chat. His former president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, responded, I dont think they put specific pressure on that theory.Joel Kaplan, the former George W. Bush advisor who has now replaced Clegg, said that blaming the White House for Facebooks behavior would supercharge conservatives who believed the social media giant was collaborating with the Biden administration. If theyre more interested in criticizing us than actually solving the problems, then Im not sure how its helping the cause to engage with them further, Zuckerberg wrote. This doesnt seem to show that the Biden administration successfully censored anything.Facebook was widely and obviously targeted by Republican lawmakersIn fact, many of the controversial moderation calls Facebook made in the pandemic were during the Trump administration. Take, for instance, the Plandemic video hoax: Facebook removed the video in 2020. Joe Biden took office in 2021. If Zuckerberg was dealing with an administration pressuring him about this, it was the Trump administration. The Biden White House may well have engaged in similar outreach, but it was joining what was already an active discussion about Facebook moderation.Facebook was widely and obviously targeted by Republican lawmakers, including Jordan, Senator Ted Cruz, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Texas governor Greg Abbott, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and incoming Vice President JD Vance. It was mostly conservatives who threatened him during the interminable and pointless Congressional hearings Zuckerberg sat through for years often asking him to comment directly on conspiracy theories or demand that individual trolls be reinstated to his platforms.But Zuckerberg didnt mention any of that to Rogan. Instead, he was upset that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau started investigating him for improperly using financial information to target ads. What does Zuckerberg say about this? Well, let me give it to you straight:They kind of found some theory they wanted to investigate. And its like, okay, clearly they were trying really hard, right? To like, to like, find, find some theory, but it, like, I dont know. It just, it kind of, like, throughout the, the, the, the, the party and the government, there was just sort of, I dont know if its, I dont know how this stuff works. I mean, Ive never been in government. I dont know if its like a directive or its just like a quiet consensus that like, we dont like these guys. Theyre not doing what we want. Were going to punish them. But, but its, its, its tough to be at the other end of that.This is a compelling demonstration that jujitsu and MMA training (or hunting pigs in Hawaii or making your neck real thick or whatever) isnt going to help you act aggressive if youre constitutionally bitchmade. Blaming the CFPB for a witch-hunt when weve all watched Republicans target Facebook really is something! Thats what this whole performance is about: getting Trump, Vance, Jordan and the rest of the Republican party to lay off. After all, the Cambridge Analytica scandal cost Facebook just $5 billion chump change, really. If Zuckerberg plays ball, his next privacy whoopsie could be even cheaper.In fact, Zuckerberg even offers Republicans another target: Apple. According to Zuckerberg, the way Apple makes money is by basically, like, squeezing people. Among his complaints:Apples 30 percent commission on App Store salesAirpods work better with Apple phones than all other headphonesApple wouldnt let Zuckerbergs Meta Ray-Bans connect to iOS using the same quick-setup protocol Airpods useiMessage is a walled garden, and groupchats go wonky if theres a person with an Android phone in thereI mean at some point I did this like back of the envelope calculation of like all the random rules that Apple puts out. If you know, if they didnt apply, like I think you know, its like and this is just Meta, I think wed like, make twice as much profit or something.At least some of these Apple issues actually matter there is a legitimate DOJ antitrust case against the company. But that isnt whats on Zuckerbergs mind. The last point is the important one, from his perspective. He has a longstanding grudge against Apple after the company implemented anti-tracking features into its default browser, Safari. Facebook criticized those changes in newspaper ads, even. The policy cost social media companies almost $10 billion, according to The Financial Times; Facebook lost the most money in absolute terms. You see, it turns out if you ask people whether they want to be tracked, the answer is generally no and thats bad for Facebooks business.Zuckerberg wants us to believe this isnt about politics at allBut Zuckerberg wants us to believe this isnt about politics at all. Getting Rogans listeners riled up about Zuckerbergs enemies and finding Republicans a new tech company target is just a coincidence, as are the changes to allow more hate speech on his platforms happening now, changes that just happen to pacify Republicans. All of this has nothing to do with the incoming administration, Zuckerberg tells Rogan. I think a lot of people look at this as like a purely political thing, because they kind of look at the timing and theyre like, hey, well, youre doing this right after the election. he says. We try to have policies that reflect mainstream discourse.And did this work? Did Zuckerbergs gambit to talk about how social media needed more masculine energy win over the bros? Well, Barstools Dave Portnoy isnt fooled by this shit.I dont know. I did think it was pretty funny that after all these complaints about government censorship, Zuckerberg didnt say a word about Trump and the Republicans efforts at it.After all, Trump, the incoming president who has on occasion threatened to put Zuckerberg in prison, was recently asked if the Facebook changes were in response to his threats.Probably, Trump said.

Mathematical problem-solving has long been a benchmark for artificial intelligence (AI). Solving math problems accurately requires not only computational precision but also deep reasoningan area where even advanced language models (LLMs) have traditionally faced challenges. Many existing models rely on what psychologists term System 1 thinking, which is fast but often prone to errors. This approach generates solutions in a single inference, bypassing the iterative reasoning process essential for tackling complex problems. Furthermore, training high-quality models relies on curated datasets, which are particularly scarce for competition-level math problems. Open-source methods frequently fail to exceed the capabilities of their teacher models, leading to limited progress. Consequently, the development of efficient AI systems capable of addressing these challenges has remained elusive.Microsoft introduces rStar-Math, a self-evolvable System 2-style reasoning framework designed to enhance mathematical problem-solving in small language models (SLMs). With a compact model size of just 7 billion parameters, rStar-Math demonstrates performance that rivals and occasionally surpasses OpenAIs o1 model on challenging math competition benchmarks. This system leverages Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and self-evolution strategies to strengthen the reasoning capabilities of SLMs.Unlike traditional methods that depend on distillation from larger models, rStar-Math enables small models to independently generate high-quality training data through a step-by-step reasoning process. The framework employs a code-augmented chain-of-thought (CoT) data synthesis, a process preference model (PPM), and iterative self-evolution techniques. These advancements allow rStar-Math to achieve notable accuracy across benchmarks, including the MATH dataset and the USA Math Olympiad (AIME), where it ranks among the top 20% of high school students.Technical Innovations and BenefitsrStar-Maths success is underpinned by three core innovations:Code-Augmented CoT Data Synthesis:The system uses MCTS rollouts to generate step-by-step verified reasoning trajectories. This method ensures that intermediate steps are validated through Python code execution, filtering out errors and improving overall data quality.Process Preference Model (PPM):Unlike conventional reward models, PPM employs pairwise ranking to optimize reasoning steps. This approach avoids noisy annotations and offers fine-grained feedback for step-level optimization, resulting in more reliable intermediate evaluations.Self-Evolution Recipe:Through four iterative rounds of self-evolution, rStar-Math progressively refines its policy model and PPM. Starting with a dataset of 747,000 math problems, the system generates millions of high-quality solutions, tackling increasingly challenging problems and enhancing reasoning capabilities with each iteration.These innovations make rStar-Math a robust tool for both academic and competition-level math challenges. Additionally, by enabling smaller models to self-generate data, it reduces reliance on large, resource-intensive models, broadening access to advanced AI capabilities.Results and InsightsrStar-Math has redefined benchmarks for small models in math reasoning. On the MATH dataset, it achieves 90.0% accuracy, a significant improvement over the previous 58.8% accuracy of Qwen2.5-Math-7B. Similarly, its performance on Phi3-mini-3.8B improves from 41.4% to 86.4%, representing a notable advancement over OpenAIs o1-preview model.In the AIME competition, rStar-Math solves 53.3% of problems, placing it among the top 20% of high school participants. Beyond competitions, the system excels across benchmarks such as Olympiad-level math, college-level problems, and the Gaokao exam, outperforming even larger open-source models. These results highlight its ability to generalize across diverse mathematical challenges.Key findings from the study include:Step-by-Step Reasoning Improves Reliability: Verified reasoning trajectories reduce errors in intermediate steps, enhancing overall model performance.Emergence of Self-Reflection: rStar-Math exhibits the ability to self-correct flawed reasoning paths during problem-solving.Importance of Reward Models: The PPMs step-level evaluations play a critical role in achieving high accuracy, emphasizing the value of dense feedback signals in System 2 reasoning.ConclusionMicrosofts rStar-Math highlights the potential of small language models in addressing complex mathematical reasoning tasks. By combining code-augmented synthesis, innovative reward modeling, and iterative self-evolution, the framework achieves remarkable accuracy and reliability. With 90.0% accuracy on the MATH dataset and strong performance in AIME competitions, rStar-Math demonstrates that smaller, efficient models can achieve competitive results.This advancement not only pushes the boundaries of AI capabilities but also makes sophisticated reasoning models more accessible. As rStar-Math evolves, its potential applications could expand beyond mathematics into areas like scientific research and software development, paving the way for versatile, efficient AI systems to address real-world challenges.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. Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. [Recommended Read] Nebius AI Studio expands with vision models, new language models, embeddings and LoRA (Promoted)

As the smoke began to clear in some parts of Southern California on Friday, the toll of several large wildfires became more visible. As many as 10,000 homes and other structures have burned since Tuesday, leaving behind massive devastation that spans entire neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area.If your home has been destroyed or damaged by wildfire, here's what you need to know about the insurance claims process, your rights as a homeowner and how to prepare for what comes next.What should I do if my home is destroyed or damaged?Once you and your family are safe and the damage to your home can be assessed, you'll need to call your insurance company to begin the claims process. Since that process can take months, it's important to contact the company as soon as possible.If your home has been completely destroyed and a state of emergency declared, your insurance company is required by law to issue a minimum payment up front, even if an adjuster hasn't seen your property. This includes one-third of the replacement value of your personal belongings and a minimum of four months' rent for the local area.Review your homeowners or renters insurance policy carefully, including your limits. Start documenting and creating a paper trail to support your claims process. If you have photos of your property and vehicles prior to the fire, you can use those to help fill out your home inventory if you haven't submitted one already.After checking to see if your home is habitable, documenting the damage, and initiating the insurance claims process, contact your mortgage lender or landlord about the next steps.Overwhelmed? California residents can find resources and a help hotline for filing a wildfire insurance claim here.Do insurance policies cover wildfire damage?Depending on your policy, where you live, and the coverage you're paying for, your homeowners (or renters) insurance may or may not cover damage to your home or belongings caused by wildfire.Typically, fire is a "covered peril" in most homeowners insurance policies, unless your policy specifically details an exclusion for wildfires or if you were dropped from or denied coverage.In some areas prone to wildfires, home insurance policies come with a higher price tag or require a separate deductible for wildfire claims. If you live in a home deemed high-risk where you can't obtain traditional home insurance, the FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) plan may provide basic fire insurance.How do I file a claim for wildfire damage?It's natural to feel overwhelmed when a natural disaster upends your life. Here's what homeowners can do in the aftermath of a partial or total loss due to wildfire.Step 1: Call your home insurance companyOnce you've reached safety, start the claims process to receive an initial payment to cover your living expenses for several months. When planning for the long term, make sure to factor in your deductible.Step 2: Inventory the damageIf you can, photograph and detail the damage to your home, vehicles and personal belongings. If you haven't yet completed a home inventory for insurance purposes, work with a trusted friend or family member to detail and list appliances, furniture, electronics, decor and other equipment alongside brand name and estimated purchase price.Step 3: Review your policy carefullyReview your home insurance or renters policy, its coverage limits and what benefits you're entitled to for personal belonging reimbursement and living expenses. Insurance companies are required to provide this information to you upon request.A typical homeowners insurance policy includes coverage for rebuilding or replacing the structure of your home and detached structures like garages, as well as coverage up to a certain limit for personal belongings inside the home. Most policies also offer liability protection and coverage for additional living expenses (ALE).Step 4: Keep your receiptsPay close attention to your ALE limits to cover hotel bills or rent, restaurant meals and other expenses you might incur while your home is being repaired or rebuilt. If your home is destroyed and needs to be rebuilt, you might be looking at a minimum of a year or more of additional living expenses.Step 5: Look out for fraudDuring a major disaster, it can be easy to get bogged down in rumors or fall for scams. Your neighbor's insurance policy or company may be different, so work with your insurance company only, says Janet Ruiz, a California-based representative for the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute. Fraud is common. "Unlicensed contractors, unlicensed public adjusters often prey on those who have suffered a loss," said Ruiz.Step 6: Document everythingStart a claims folder where you can keep notes, recordings and details about every interaction you have with your insurance company, mortgage company and others. The claims process can be lengthy, and you may be required to secure multiple bids and work directly with contractors.Step 7: Don't accept an unfair offerWorking with your claims adjuster is a negotiation process. If the first settlement offer doesn't fully account for the cost of repairs or rebuilding, you can issue a demand letter seeking further payments that are more in line with your coverage limits and your home's value."Often homeowners are on the defensive or don't ask enough questions of the claim adjuster. If you don't get answers, ask for a supervisor," said Ruiz.Step 8: Secure professional help if neededIf you're unsure if you're being treated fairly by your home insurance company, many states provide resources to help with the claims process. You can also seek out mediation or get a lawyer involved as a last resort to settle a disputed claim.What if my insurer dropped my coverage before the wildfire?Most states require insurers to notify homeowners of a policy cancellation months before the end date. Ruiz said if you're denied coverage, it's important to find a policy with another insurance company and that the California FAIR plan takes all insurable homes.California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance nonrenewals and cancellations. Those within certain ZIP codes affected by the Southern California fires cannot have their homeowners policies canceled for one year, regardless of whether they suffered a loss.If the fire was part of a federally declared disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide some support for insured and uninsured homeowners alike. California homeowners and others impacted by the Los Angeles fires can file for FEMA assistance here.Do I have to pay my mortgage after wildfire destruction?Even if your home is a total loss or deemed uninhabitable, you're still on the hook for the remainder of your mortgage. Contact your lender immediately to see if you qualify for forbearance or payment deferment while your claim is being processed.Some lenders may be willing to defer payments for three months up to a year pending an insurance payout. This is critical to protect your credit score, as late or missing mortgage payments would otherwise be reported as delinquent and impact your credit rating.How can I protect my home from future wildfires?As wildfires become more prevalent in every part of the country, many people are taking steps to protect their homes. Some states,such as California, have federal, state and local programs to assist homeowners in mitigating fire risk by retrofitting and hardening their property to defend against wildfires.Home insurance companies may also offer incentives for taking certain measures, such as installing sprinklers, creating a defensible perimeter on your property and upgrading your home with fire-resistant materials.

Our Picks Best budget immunity supplement Nature's Bounty Immune 24 Hour Plus View details $9 at Amazon View details Best capsule immunity supplement The Vitamin Shoppe Immune Essentials View details $22 at The Vitamin Shoppe View details Best gummy immunity supplement The Vitamin Shoppe Elderberry Gummies View details $17 at The Vitamin Shoppe View details Best kids' immunity supplement Olly Kids Immunity View details $13 at Walmart View details Best immunity drink mix Liquid I.V. Immune Support Drink Mix View details $23 at Amazon View details Table of Contents It's cold and flu season, which makes it a great time to start thinking about how to keep your immune system healthy. If you or someone you know frequently gets sick this time of year, strengthening the immune system through diet, exercise and other strategies can help. Adding in dietary supplements can also boost your immune health, fill in nutritional gaps and help address issues like a vitamin D deficiency.To help you boost your immune system and stay healthy, weve rounded up the best immunity-boosting supplements packed with essential vitamins.Which vitamins are good for boosting immunity?When deciding on the best multivitamin or immunity supplement, pay attention to which vitamins and nutrients are included on the label. The best vitamins, minerals and herbs for immunity include:Vitamin A: 5,000 IU daily valueVitamin B6: 2 milligrams daily valueVitamin C: 60 mg daily valueVitamin D: 400 IU daily valueVitamin E: 30 IU daily valueMagnesium: 400 mg daily valueZinc: 15 mg daily valueElderberry: The FDA doesn't regulate herbal supplements, so there's no set daily value.The following supplements contain high amounts of the above immunity vitamins. Dosage: 2 softgels, taken daily with a mealNature's Bounty has been around for over 50 years and is a brand that constantly appears on our best vitamin lists. Its products are all non-GMO and contain no artificial colors, flavors, sugar, starch, milk, lactose, soy, gluten, yeast, sodium or fish.Two softgels of its Immune 24 Hour Plus supplements contain 750 mg of vitamin A, 1,000 mg of vitamin C, 15 mcg of vitamin D, 2 mg of vitamin B6, 666 mcg of folate, 6 mcg of vitamin B12, 600 mcg of biotin, 10 mg of pantothenic acid, 25 mg of magnesium, 15 mg of zinc, 17 mg of elderberry, 16.5 mg of echinacea and 16.6 of astragalus. Other ingredients include rice bran oil, gelatin, vegetable glycerin and 2% or less of carob powder (color), natural caramel color, sunflower lecithin and yellow beeswax.These immune boosting supplements rely on the immunity support of Ester-C, a version of vitamin C that lasts up to 24 hours in the body. Its high doses of vitamin A, zinc and B vitamins also support immune function.Take two softgels daily, preferably with a meal. One bottle will last about 25 days.Pros:Contains Vitamin C that will stay in your white blood cells for up to 24 hoursPacked with 13 vitamins, minerals and herbal supplementsCons:Not vegan, contains yellow beeswax and gelatinOne bottle lasts only 25 days $22 at The Vitamin Shoppe Dosage: 2 capsules, daily with a mealThe Vitamin Shoppe has brick-and-mortar stores across the country, as well as an online store. The familiar brand name offers a couple of immunity supplements, and we've included the best two on this list.A serving of its Immune Essentials contains 1,000 mg of vitamin C, 50 mcg of vitamin D3, 50 mg of zinc and 250 mg of elderberry extract. Other ingredients include hypromellose (capsule), rice flour, magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide. The capsules are free of gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, sugar, salt and preservatives. Elderberry extract can support a healthy immune system during cold and flu season.Take two capsules daily, preferably with a meal. One bottle will last about 30 days.Pros:Does not contain any sugarHigh potency of vitamin C, vitamin D3 and zincCons:Contains only three vitamins and one herbal supplementOne bottle will last only 30 days $17 at The Vitamin Shoppe Dosage: 1 gummy, daily with a mealMy favorite vitamins on this list are gummy supplements from The Vitamin Shoppe. I personally take these every day because of their high elderberry potency. On top of that, they're delicious.One elderberry gummy contains 90 mg of vitamin C, 1 g of total carbohydrates, 40 mg of elderberry extract, 1 g of total sugars and 1 g of added sugars. The other ingredients include sugar, organic tapioca syrup, purified water, MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil, pectin, tapioca starch, natural raspberry flavor, citric acid, natural color, sunflower lecithin extract for color. The gummies are free of gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, gelatin, synthetic colors and artificial colors. In addition to the vitamin C and elderberry, the supplements contain propolis extract, which can be used as an anti-inflammatory. Echinacea extract also supports a healthy immune system.Take two gummies daily, preferably with a meal. One bottle will last about 60 days.Pros:Raspberry flavor tastes amazingWill last you about 60 daysCons:Each serving contains 4 grams of sugarThe sugary taste isn't for everyone

After days of brutal wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres in Los Angeles and turned thousands of homes to ash, internet service provider Spectrum is unlocking a number of its Wi-Fi hotspots for anyone to use. They don't require a login or account creation -- just look for the Wi-Fi name on your device and click in. Spectrum, a regional ISP under Charter Communications, opened up over 35,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the Los Angeles area for public use. Anyone can look up their nearest hotspot on Spectrum's website and then connect to the Wi-Fi network called Spectrum Free Trial to get online, as KTLA tech reporter Rich DeMuro noted in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Spectrum customers who've had equipment damaged or destroyed by the wildfires won't be charged for damages, the company wrote in a blog post. Those with power but without internet service will get credits until they're back online, which will be applied for savings on their next bill. Read more:Los Angeles Fires: Donations, Relief Efforts and How to Help Fire VictimsOther ISPs and carriers have stepped up to provide extra service while the wildfires rage. T-Mobile and microsatellite network Starlink have temporarily activated their partner service to let customers connect to Starlink's phone-connecting satellite constellation (which the companies previously switched on to aid relief efforts for Hurricane Helene in the US Southeast, last October). Though still in test mode, this network of microsatellites enables users to send SMS text messages and receive emergency alerts when outside T-Mobile's network. Verizon has waived any call, text and data usage fees for prepaid and postpaid customers in counties affected by the wildfires until Jan. 18, while also donating a combined $1 million to the American Red Cross and Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. AT&T is waiving overage charges for unlimited talk, text and data to Southern California customers through Feb. 15, donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross and matching employee donations to several charities. The carrier also set up a handful of device charging stations for the public as well as deploying assistance to first responders.

Beyonc and Jay-Zs houses are just as superlative as the ultra-talented pair. The power couple broke real estate records in 2023 with the purchase of a minimalist mansion in Malibu from art collectors William Bell Jr. and Maria Bell, paying nearly $200 million for the Tadao Andodesigned dwelling. As the Palisades fire continues to burn in the coastal city and in the neighboring Pacific Palisades, it seems that the mega mansionwhich is the most expensive home in all of California historyis still standing. Beyoncs mother, Tina Knowles, was not so lucky. In an Instagram post shared on January 9, she revealed that her own Malibu bungalow had burned to the ground. It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place. Now it is gone, she wrote. God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions.Beyonc and Jay-Zs homewhich is situated outside of the mandatory evacuation zoneis fitting for a dynamic duo whose influence is so far-reaching. In late 2024, Beyonc reprised her voiceover role as Nala in Mufasa, Barry Jenkins live action prequel to 2019s The Lion King. (The Carters daughter, Blue Ivy, made her big-screen voiceover debut in the film as lioness cub Kiara.) Earlier in the year, the singer thrilled fans with the release of her country-inflected album, Cowboy Carter, for which she took home her first country award at the Billboard Music Awards.Jay-Z, meanwhile, hasnt released new music since 2018, when he and Beyonc teamed up for their joint studio album, Everything Is Love. But that hardly means the multihyphenate has been sitting idlethe rappers Roc Nation management company has an ongoing relationship with the NFL, and will bring Kendrick Lamar to the Super Bowl stage in 2025. Currently, Jay-Z is embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit filed against him by a woman who alleges he and Sean P Diddy Combs sexually assaulted her in 2000. Immediately after the lawsuit came to light, Jay-Z issued a statement denying the allegations.The two music moguls share 56 Grammys between them and a combined net worth of $3 billion. Their drive and work ethic have earned them, among those other wins, birthday getaways in the South of France and at a luxury French Polynesian resort on Marlon Brandos private island. The pair began building their own joint real estate empire in 2008, the same year that they married. In the years since, they have owned and sold homes in New York City, Miami Beach, New Orleans, the Hamptons, and Los Angeles.Below, weve rounded up some of the incredible places that Jay-Z and Beyonc have called home.Tribeca penthouse where they tied the knotEven though Jay-Zs 2009 hit Empire State of Mind referenced a stash spot at 560 State Street, an address in Brooklyns Boerum Hill neighborhood, the rappers first big real estate purchase was actually in Lower Manhattan. In 2004, several years before he and Beyonc were wed, Jay-Z shelled out $6.85 million for the impressive Tribeca penthouse. The seventh-floor unit is situated in a converted 1929 brick warehouse building and measures 8,000 square feet, with an additional 3,000 square feet of outdoor terraces. Though the specifics of the penthouse are sparse, other units in the building feature 12-foot ceilings, eight-foot-high casement windows, and concrete columns throughout, so its likely that the couples Tribeca home base is similarly structured. The couple held their private 40-person wedding at the penthouse, reportedly featuring 70,000 Dendrobium orchids flown in from Thailand. It appears that Jay-Z still owns the unit.Beyoncs midtown Manhattan condoFor the first few years of their relationship, Beyonc maintained as her bachelorette pad a $5 million condo in midtown Manhattan overlooking Central Park, which she purchased in 2005. The ultramodern three-bedroom spot measured 2,699 square feet and featured floor-to-ceiling windows and 11-foot ceilings, with high-end interior finishes selected by Paris designer Jacques Grange. Beyonc reportedly used the three-bedroom condo primarily as a spot for friends and family to stay while they were in town. The singer sold the 44th-floor corner unit for $9.95 million in 2017 shortly after the birth of the couples twins Sir and Rumi. It spent just 11 days on the market. Her mother, Tina Knowles, also previously owned a residence in the same building but sold it in 2011.Jay-Zs Time Warner Center rentalSeveral years after purchasing his Tribeca penthouse, Jay-Z moved uptown to the Time Warner Center in Midtown. The rappers new home was a 4,825-square-foot penthouse on the 76th floor of the building, which he rented for a reported $40,000 per month. The three-bedroom unit boasted floor-to-ceiling windows and a skyline view of the city and Central Park, as well as unusual features like a fish tank that hung from the ceiling. The primary bedroom featured balcony access for some sky-high outdoor space. Jay-Z reportedly rented the residence for about four years; it would later sell for a record-breaking $31 million in 2011.Mansion on Miamis Billionaire BunkerAn aerial view of Indian Creek Island in MiamiPhoto: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Photo from listing.A castle can be found in the small town of Cornwall, Connecticut! Set amongst 275 acres of woodland and streams, with several outbuildings on the property, this whimsical castle looks like it was dropped here from Cornwall, England, but it actually dates to the 1920s. Hidden Valley Castle, had its beginnings when socialite Charlotte Bronson Hunnewell Martin envisioned building a unique country retreat for herself and her husband, Dr. Walton Martin, in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut as a summer retreat. Just before this, Charlotte had bought a group of 20 brownstones in Manhattan on 48th and 49th Streets, between Second and Third Avenues, and converted them into charming townhouses around a central Italian-inspired garden. Called Turtle Bay Gardens, the houses were highly acclaimed and almost immediately attracted prominent and celebrated residents. The Cornwall Castle was designed by architect, Edward Clarence Dean, who also redesigned the Turtle Bay Gardens for the couple. Dr. Martin imported many of the materials as well as the 100 workmen required to build the castle, a project that lasted five years. Charlotte would also have a cottage built on the estate and hired young Italian artist, Vincenzo Rondinone, to be her resident artist on the estate to create unique vases, bowls, and pots to be used at the house and to be given as gifts to visitors and friends. The property was restored in recent years and put up for sale, with the cottage sold as a separate dwelling.

close Criminals use artificial intelligence in 'fraud-for-hire' commercials Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions' Government Group, tells Fox News Digital that criminal groups, mostly in other countries, are advertising on social media to market their AI capabilities for fraud and other crimes. I was having dinner with my husband in Paris. We got the wine menu and all the names, of course, were in French. Barry wanted something equivalent to a Napa cabernet, so I took a picture of the menu and asked ChatGPT. In seconds, it recommended a wine. I double-checked with the waiter, and he gave it a thumbs-up.Win a pair of $329 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.Enter here, no purchase necessary!You might think AI is just for businesses, programmers, or the ultra tech-savvy, but its not. Its for anyone willing to give it a try.AI EXPERT: CHATGPT PROMPTS YOULL WISH YOU KNEW SOONERInstead of ignoring this powerful tool, make this the year you embrace AI. Its easier and more helpful than you think.Lets start with the basics"So, uh, where do I find ChatGPT?" I get that in my email every day.Use it on the web or download it foriPhone orAndroid.The free tier works for most people. I pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus. Its worth it to me for access to the better features and faster response times. Start with free. If you find yourself relying on your favorite AI tool regularly, consider upgrading. It is worth considering. A man is pictured working on an airplane and using a cellphone. (iStock)ChatGPT isnt the only option, but it is my preference (at least for now) and the most popular. You can also tryGoogle Gemini,Perplexity andClaude.With all these, the workflow is the same. Think of it like Google, but instead of punching in one search term and scrolling through results, you have a "conversation" with the bot to get exactly the output you want.Like any tool, you need to use AI wisely and triple-check its results. Trust me, you dont want to end up like those lawyers who used AI to draft court documents, only to have the judge catch the glaring mistakes.BIOMETRIC DATA: IS IT SAFE TO HAND IT OVER TO ANY COMPANY THAT ASKS?Youve heard of prompts, right?This is what we call the text, question or command you provide an AI system to guide its response or action. Its your instruction on what you want, so the better your prompt, the more useful and accurate the response will be."Priming" is the insider term for telling a chatbot exactly what you want from it. With ChatGPT or any other, the more constraints you give, the better your answer. Examples: "Limit your response to 250 words," "Give me the list in bullet points," "Format the results as a table," "Use this data to create a bar chart."Remember, AI cant read your mind. It only knows what you tell it. Use "do" and "dont" in your prompts to get the results you want. Say youre cooking for friends, and some have allergies. Say, "Create a recipe for six people. Do include protein, fruits, vegetables and carbs. Dont include dairy products, shellfish or nuts." Close-up of the icon of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot app logo on a cellphone screen. (iStock)7 prompts to make life easierMake your goals actionable: "I have a goal for 2025 to [fill in the blank]. Can you help me make it SMART?" (SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related.) Maybe youre not there yet. Try this: "I want to [fill in the blank], but it feels overwhelming, and I dont know where to start. Can you help me by breaking it down into more manageable tasks?""Give me 10 more examples": Thats a prompt I use with ChatGPT all the time to make the chatbot a better brainstorming buddy. Some of its "ideas" are downright bad, but it might spark something creative in your brain, too."How can I make this better?"Add in anything youve written a blog post, a travel plan, a resume or even a heartfelt email. This prompt works wonders for polishing your work and pointing out improvements, like a personal editor at your fingertips.DO THIS WITH YOUR FAMILY VIDEOS BEFORE ITS TOO LATEYour very own free assistant: Say you have messy notes from a meeting. By hand, youd spend 15 minutes turning those into an email fit for your boss or team. Instead, open a chatbot and say, "Turn these notes into a professional, friendly email to my team." Paste your notes at the end and voila. Pro tip: Ask your bot of choice, "Is there anything that needs more details?" to fill in any missing info.Shortcut your inbox: When you get a really long email, open your AI chatbot of choice, and type in the prompt, "Summarize this email for me. Tell me what I need to do, then write a thoughtful reply. Here is the email." Paste in the email and let AI do its magic.Wanna get in shape? Ask your AI to create a custom fitness plan. Try this: "Create a 30-day fitness plan for fat loss and muscle gain tailored to a [male/female] beginner at [your age]." Or get specific: "Create a four-week fitness plan to help me run a mile for the first time." Dont sweat it. A 12-year-old boy types as he uses a laptop computer on December 19, 2023, in Bath, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)Spouse forgot to load the dishes again?Instead of firing off a rage-filled text, let AI step in. Ask your fave chatbot to reframe your frustration into something a bit more constructive. I like this prompt: "Make this message sound more friendly."Dont forget about privacyIt's easy to think your bot is a trusted ally, especially when its pumping out helpful answers all day long. But its definitely not. Its a data-collecting tool like any other.Be smart about what you say. Never type in passwords, sensitive financial data, or confidential work or business information. My rule of thumb: Dont tell a chatbot anything you wouldnt want made public.With a free ChatGPT or Perplexity account, you can turn off memory features in the app settings that remember everything you type in. For Google Gemini, you need a paid account to do this.Get tech-smarter on your scheduleAward-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.National radio:Airing on 500+ stations across the US -Find yours or get the free podcast.Daily newsletter:Join 600,000 people who read the Current (free!)Watch: OnKims YouTube channelPodcast: "Kim Komando Today" - Listen wherever you get podcastsCopyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved. Related Topics

How to solve today's Wordle.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLooking for Fridays Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here:Saturday is here at last! I hope you have something fun plannedif youre not snowed in or, worse, one of the unfortunate victims of Californias ongoing wildfires whos had to evacuate your home. Its so horrible to see whats happened in the Los Angeles area, and quite worrisome when you map that kind of event out onto a larger, longer climate change timeline.But we wont dwell on any of that for the moment. We have a Wordle to solve, so lets solve it.How To Solve Todays WordleThe Hint: On all fours.The Clue: This Wordle has far more consonants than vowels.Okay, spoilers below!...The Answer:Today's WordleCredit: Erik KainWordle AnalysisEvery day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. Play Puzzles & Games on ForbesI went with CHORE because, well, I have so many to do despite having done so many yesterday. The work never ends! DAILY seemed like a good guess once I came up with all grey boxes (and 454 remaining possible solutions, Id later learn). This was actually a pretty great guess, though there were still plenty of words I could come up with. I thought it would be ironic if I started off with CHORE and ended with DINGY so thats what I picked. Lucky me, it was the Wordle!Competitive Wordle ScoreI get 1 point for guessing in three and another point for beating the Bot who took four tries today. 2 points for me! Huzzah!How To Play Competitive WordleGuessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your pointspositive or negative.You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!Todays Wordle EtymologyThe word "dingy" (meaning dull, dirty, or lacking brightness) likely originates from the late 18th century. It derives from the Old English dialect word "dingy," meaning dirty or unclean, and is thought to be related to the word "dung," which refers to manure or filth. Its connotation of gloominess or lack of cleanliness has remained consistent over time.Dingy is not to be confused with the word dinghy which refers to a small boat and cannot be a Wordle answer since its six letters long. I still hope that when they run out of 5-letter words, the New York Times opts to make Wordle 2.0 a six-letter game. But I digress.Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when Im not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.