You'll meet a lot of NPC's along the way to the border in Road 96, and none of them are quite as endearingly funny as Mitch and Stan. In the "Wild Boys" chapter, you'll meet them by having them stop you in the middle of the road and jump in your car. Since the chapters in the game are procedurally generated depending on the choices you make and what teens you choose to play, this can happen any time in game.

Shroodle makes its debut in Pokmon Go as part of Jan. 2025s Fashion Week: Taken Over event.The Gen 9 poison- and normal-type has a single evolution, Grafaiai, which can also be added to your Pokdex with enough candy.Similar to many recent new Pokmon in Pokmon Go, Shroodle cannot be found in the wild, and instead, is only discovered through hatching eggs.How to get Shroodle in Pokmon GoMaking its first appearance in 2025s Fashion Week: Taken Over event, Shroodle can be found by hatching 12km eggs, which are sourced from defeating Team Go Rocket leaders in battle.Though the requirements to get a 12km egg are steeper than other varieties, the encouraging news is when you have one, Shroodle is amongst the most common finds amongst the loot pool (thanks to ZicoThePerson on reddit for confirming).Finally, assuming itll work similar to previous Team Go Rocket events which have debuted new Pokmon in 12km eggs such as Varoom in 2024 Shroodle will continue to be available in the loot pool once the Fashion Week: Taken Over event ends on Sunday, Jan. 19.How to get Grafaiai in Pokmon GoTo get Grafaiai in Pokmon Go, you must evolve Shroodle with 50 Candy.Without the ability to catch a Shroodle, the usual recommendations of using Pinap Berries and having an active Mega Evolution to give you a little extra Shroodle candy dont apply here. However, when you do hatch one, you can earn Shroodle candy by having it as your buddy Pokmon (with the added bonus of showing it off to all your friends when gifting). Either way, dont forget you can simply spend Rare Candy to get the required candy you need for an evolution though its arguably better spent on legendary or mythic Pokmon, which are harder to find and demand longer walking distances if you are sourcing candy as a buddy.Can Shroodle be shiny in in Pokmon Go?On its debut, Shroodle cannot be shiny in Pokmon Go. There is no indication of when a shiny version will be available, and based on previous shiny rollouts, it can often take years before you can get your hands on one. In the other words, you might be waiting a while!You can, however, already see what shiny Shroodle looks like thanks to Pokmon Scarlet and Violet, such as in this video from Shiny Hunters Guild on YouTube.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.The latest Kindle Scribe came out last month, giving e-readers a much anticipated second version of the original Scribe. However, they don't come cheap, starting at $399.99 for a new one. And if you missed the sale last week, you'll likely have to wait a while to get a hefty discount on one, unless you shop for the refurnished versions, which are currently on sale. Compared to the new version, these refurbished deals cut almost half the price, making them a great option for anyone looking to get their hands on the latest version for much cheaper. The 16GB Kindle Scribe is $233.99 (originally $309.99) with a new one running for $399.99, and the 32GB version is $259.99 (originally $324.99), with a new one going for $419.99. Dimensions: 9.0 by 7.7 by 0.22 inches, Weight: 15.3 oz, Screen Size: 10.2 inches, Storage: 16 GB Like-New Amazon Kindle Scribe (16 GB) $233.99 at Amazon $309.99 Save $76.00 Get Deal Get Deal $233.99 at Amazon $309.99 Save $76.00 Dimensions: 9.0 by 7.7 by 0.22 inches, Weight: 15.3 oz, Screen Size: 10.2 inches, Storage: 16 GB Like-New Amazon Kindle Scribe (32 GB) $259.99 at Amazon $324.99 Save $65.00 Get Deal Get Deal $259.99 at Amazon $324.99 Save $65.00 SEE -1 MORE Amazon says it tested the function, battery, and software of all of these refurbished products; it comes with the same one-year limited warranty as a new device. The Kindle Scribe first came out in 2022; that first version is currently $339.99. If you already have the 2022 version, there really is no reason to upgrade. The main difference is the 2024 version comes with the Premium Pen instead of the Basic Pen stylus. The tablet itself is shorter, narrower, and slimmer, but not by much (you can even still use the same case). The new screen also has texture, which will add more resistance when you're writing on it, and the gap between the screen and the outer casing is smaller. But that's where the differences end, at least according to PCMag's 3.5-star review.Otherwise, you'll get the same 16GB or 32GB of storage, the same book format compatibility, the same 15.3 oz weight, the same glare-free 300 ppi front-lit display screen, and the same 12-week battery life. Both tablets run the same software. Still, if you don't own a Scribe at all and are considering getting one, the newer version is the better option, especially at this price.

Amazon had been planning to roll out a new Alexa powered by generative AI in October 2024, but that obviously didn't happen. According to reports that came out back then, the company pushed back its new voice assistant's release to sometime this year. Now, a new report by The Financial Times says the company still needs to be able to overcome "several technical hurdles" before it can launch a more powerful version of Alexa. One of the main problems it has to solve is "hallucinations," which are incorrect or false results that generative AIs produce at times.Hallucinations have to be "close to zero," Rohit Prasad, leader of Amazon's artificial general intelligence (AGI) team told FT. Since people tend to use Alexa throughout the day, it could end up spitting out a lot of false information if Amazon fails to address the issue. Prasad admits that hallucinations are "still an open problem in the industry," but his team is "working extremely hard on it." Amazon also has to work Alexa's response speed or latency, because users expect to get a response quickly after they ask the assistant a question or after they ask it to perform a task.The Amazon AGI lead said that getting Alexa to that last mile has been really hard. "Sometimes we underestimate how many services are integrated into Alexa, and its a massive number," he told FT. His team has to ensure that the new assistant will be able to work with hundreds of third-party apps and services. The new Alexa is expected to be powered by Anthropics Claude AI and the company's in-house Amazon Nova models, and it will reportedly require a subscription as a way for the company to make money. But it still has no solid release date, and based on what a current employee told the publication, it's not rolling out anytime soon. Amazon still has a lot of things to do, they said, such as making sure it works "close to 100 percent of the time," adding child safety filters and testing Alexa various integrations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-ai-lead-says-technical-issues-are-holding-back-alexa-ai-150017067.html?src=rss

This month's Patch Tuesday is a big one, as Microsoft fixes three flaws being actively abused.

The Supreme Court and the U.S. government seem hell-bent on pushing TikTok out of existence in the United States in the next weekat least unless its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, accedes to a fire sale to a suitable buyer based closer to home. But the curious rise of a competitor app up the App Store rankings in recent days highlights what exactly TikToks userbase makes of the ballyhooed national security threat Supreme Court justices and government prosecutors were arguing over earlier this month in a last-ditch attempt to try and save the app from a ban.Xiaohongshu is Americas hottest app, taking the top spot on social media App Store rankings. And the choice of it, rather than any of the American-made alternatives that could stand to benefit from a TikTok ban, seems like a deliberate middle finger to the establishment by TikToks fiercely independent young userbase. If you havent heard of it, you arent alone.The 12-year-old app, which is also called Little Red Book in China, and has been dubbed Red Note by its recent western users, is a cross between Instagram and Pinterest while featuring many of the social commerce features of the TikTok Store or Amazon, says David Craig, associate professor at USC Annenberg, and a scholar on the Chinese social media and influencer space. And in the last two days it has rocketed up the rankings of social media apps as disenfranchised TikTok users have elected to pick it as the life raft onto which theyre escaping ahead of a likely negative decision on TikToks future by the Supreme Court, expected any day now.Were watching social media history in the making, says Catalina Goanta, associate professor in platform governance at the University of Utrecht, who has been tracking the mass migration from TikTok (which is run out of global headquarters in Singapore) to Red Note in recent days. This is the second platform migration in the past yearthe first one being the Twitter exodusand TikTokers who are now on Red Note call themselves TikTok refugees. Goanta says the self-description of users as refugees seems apt: Fewer than one in three Americans support a ban on TikTok, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center, and those who have made the move over to Red Note have been posting about their unhappiness at the imminent ban of the app from the country. Maybe in the future, digital refugee rights will be based on platform interoperability features and obligations, says Goanta.Shes also struck by the frankness with which both sides of Red Notethe Americans finding a new home on a majority Chinese-language app, and the Chinese citizens suddenly finding an influx of brash American teens and young people barging inare interacting. People are becoming more critical of the U.S. government and surveillance apparatus, and are in no way convinced that TikTok will be banned due to national security reasons, Goanta says. One example of that is the way in which Red Notes Chinese users are co-opting TikTok users tongue-in-cheek references to Chinese spies, designed to puncture the pomposity American TikTokers felt politicians had held the shortform video app with as a tool of the Chinese state.Indeed, the way in which U.S. users have felt pushed to another Chinese app may well be seen by the politicians seeking most stridently to ban it as a plan that has backfired, reckons Craig. Westerners using the app will start to encounter Chinese people and be exposed to their ideas and culture, which is likely to further frighten Western politicians engaging in what I refer to as platform nationalism, he says. Usually, that term is used to put forward a Cold War mindset of countries pushing their own national champion apps. In this instance, it is Silicon Valley and other stakeholders trying to get the U.S. government to protect their global, political and economic interests, which is ironically the sort of collusion that they accuse ByteDance and China of doing, he says.Craig has concerns that the drive to push TikTok out of existence in the U.S. being pushed by China hawks and the Biden administrationand the extreme response by users seeking out an even more Chinese appmay bode nervously for the future. These are also smart, clever, and bewildered young people aware that they may lose a vital means of communication and, for creators, vital means of revenue, careers, and livelihoods, he says. They are also weary of the explanations offered by the U.S. government that lack transparency. He calls them a gaslit generation tired of being misled and misinformed by various structures in our society, and worries what that might mean for the future.The embrace of Red Note by TikTok users also has Goanta intriguedand laughing at the message it sends to those compelling TikTok out of existence. We must appreciate the irony that the U.S. banned a Singaporean platform with servers in the U.S., fearing Chinese surveillance, and this pushed U.S. citizens to populate an actual Chinese platform called Red Note, she says. Lenin must be laughing in his grave.

A timber veranda frames a courtyard at House for Ela, a homeby Switzerland-based architect Ewa Kaszuba on a forested site in a spa town near Warsaw.Designed for a retired couple, the house is a modern take on the grand parkland villas that rub shoulders with modernist mansions in Konstancin, a 19th-century town approximately 20 kilometres south of the Polish capital.Ewa Kaszuba has created House for Ela in PolandKaszuba was commissioned to design a house to replace an existing 1930s villa, named Ela, which had deteriorated to the point where it required demolition.Built on a V-shaped plan, the replacement consists of two intersecting volumes, arranged in a near-mirrored layout. Its two wings meet at a precise 60-degree angle creating a semi-courtyard on the south side.It replaces an existing 1930s villa in need of demolitionRunning around House for Ela's courtyard, Kaszuba placed a wooden facade punctured by glazing and lined with repeating columns, influenced by the garden structures and verandas of many of Konstancin's historic villas.This larch veranda-like structure supports a deck on the first floor, providing balconies for the upstairs bedrooms with views over the pine forests.The street-facing elevation offers privacy in contrast to the courtyard-facing wooden facade"The client wanted bright living spaces with plenty of southern exposure and garden views," Kaszuba told Dezeen."At the same time, they valued their privacy, so we knew that the house had to be oriented primarily to the private side of the property."Read: Studio Onu draws on vernacular architecture for home in Polish forestHouse for Ela's ground floor contains the living area in one wing and a terrazzo-lined indoor pool in the other, while the first floor holds the main bedroom and guest rooms.On the street side, Kaszuba kept the massing similar to the old house to ensure the project did not feel larger. In contrast to the warm wood facade, the street-facing entrance is solid and textured with rough plaster, designed to fulfil theneed for privacy.The living spaces occupy one wing on the ground floor"The house achieves a balance between monumentality and domesticity. It certainly makes its presence known in the streetscape and does not go unnoticed," added Kaszuba."However, inside, it offers numerous opportunities for both small and large interactions."Wooden finishes are used throughout the homeInside, a foyer space leads to a wooden floating staircase. This is among the wooden finishes used throughout the home, including on its walls and cupboards.Rocks uncovered during excavation were intentionally integrated into the landscape, corresponding with interior spaces and the garden planting.House for Ela is complete with a geothermal heat pump and solar panels, designed to help offset the energy demands of the indoor swimming pool. An underground level contains the house's services and a garage, reducing the building's above-ground footprint.Terrazzo lines the indoor pool areaHouse for Ela is the first independent project completed by Ewa Kaszuba, who was born in Warsaw and is now based in Zurich.Other Polish houses recently featured on Dezeen include a farm house built with local craft and materials and a holiday home clad in corrugated metal.The photographer isRobert wierczyski.The post Ewa Kaszuba frames villa in Polish spa town with larch veranda appeared first on Dezeen.

Smartphones today are often designed for the general public, trying to strike as many birds with the same stone over and over again. From time to time, we do see a few designs that cater to specific audiences, though those often come built like tanks to withstand punishing environments. Thats why its quite refreshing to see something like the nubia Music arriving on the scene, though its successor seems to be a little disappointing in one minor way.Designed to woo music lovers, the nubia Music 2 tries to offer an eye-catching appearance and an unusual set of features that claim to put audio above all else. That may have turned heads at MWC 2024 last year, but the nubia Music 2 might be revealing just how many corners the brand is willing to cut to keep a certain price point, even if it includes one of its two most unique features.Designer: nubia (ZTE)What will immediately grab your attention upon seeing the nubia Music 2 is the large circle on the phones back that almost looks like a tiny vinyl record. The association is mostly correct, since its actually a loudspeaker that completes what nubia bills as a 2.1-channel audio system, with the bottom-firing speaker and earpiece speaker making up the other two. nubia claims its capable of reaching up to 95dB volumes, making it perfect for sharing your tunes with a large crowd. That speaker also has some fancy LED strips that pulse to the beat of your music.When you want a more intimate kind of music sharing, however, the nubia Music 2 will disappoint. Unlike its predecessors unique dual headphone jacks, this one comes with a lone 3.5mm port. nubia probably decided that this feature was more of a gimmick that very few audiophiles actually used, so it got left on the cutting room floor. In the grand scheme of things, however, its removal might have done little to actually affect the phones price tag.nubia Music 1nubia Music 1Without the unusual 2.1-channel audio system and its funky turntable-inspired design, the nubia Music 2 is pretty much a disappointing entry-level Android phone. You can be forgiven for not being familiar with its Unisoc processor, as it scores significantly lower than MediaTek on the price and performance scale. Theres only 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the large 6.7-inch screen is going to look pixelated with an HD+ resolution, and despite appearances, theres only one 50MP camera on its back.All of this is at least packaged with a sub-$90 price tag, which largely explains the mediocre hardware. Ironically, the listening experience might not be all that given how the phone could choke on higher-quality audio files, which will make the potentially capable audio system pointless. nubia is clearly aiming for a niche market of music audiophiles, a group that actually tends to be more demanding and unforgiving when it comes to the equipment they use.The post nubia Music 2 targets audiophiles, ditches distinctive music-sharing feature first appeared on Yanko Design.

A new report, shared exclusively with WIRED, shows how an AI content mill with hundreds of sites managed to pull big-name advertisers into their schemes.

MacworldAt a glanceExpert's RatingProsCables hang down140W PD 3.1Foldable prongs (U.S. and U.K.)ConsOur Verdict This is a fine charger with a different take on port placement that will please those for whom technologys impact on a home or work environment is important.Price When ReviewedThis value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefinedBest Pricing TodayPrice When Reviewed89,99Best Prices Today: Anker Ladegert (140W, 4-Port, PD 3.1)RetailerPriceAnker89,99 View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from BackmarketUSB-C wall chargers get smaller and cuter every year, but stick a cable in one and it becomes an eyesore poking out at the opposite end to the wall.Anker makes a lot of those mini and some less mini chargers, but its latest creation bucks the ugly-sticky-out-cable trend by elegantly locating the ports on the underside of the charger.The Anker 140W 4-Port PD 3.1 Charger lacks a catchy name but solves the charger-cable aesthetic challenge with its near configuration.Simon Jary / FoundryPortsThe four underside ports are as follows:2x USB-C: 140W PD 3.11x USB-C: 40W1x USB-A: 33WEach of the 140W USB-C ports could be used to fast-charge even the top-end 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro and are rated at PD 3.1.As the maximum output is 140W you cant charge two at the same time at that rate. Note that the maximum output reduces to 134W when charging four devices. Use all four ports at the same time, and you could get 65W from one of the PD 3.1 ports and 45W from the other, plus 12W from the remaining USB-C port and 12W from the USB-A.Thats enough for a MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air or iPhone, and a couple more low-power devices.See how it compares to other options in our Best iPhone Chargers and the Best USB-C charger for your MacBook.Used on its own, the legacy USB-A port offers an impressive 33W. While the wattage is theoretically enough to fast-charge an iPhone, Apple insists you use a 20W+ (wed recommend 30W+) USB-C charging port.Simon Jary / FoundryDesignThe underside location of the ports is clever, although a little fiddlier to insert while the charger is connected vertically to the power socket.If your power socket is on a desk rather than a wall, the ports are situated on one side and therefore dont stick out from the top like most chargers. This again is more pleasing to the eye.AnkerBuilt using Gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor material, the charger is small for a four-port model, although not as dinky as a one-port tiddler. Its available in either silver or gray, and both the U.S. and U.K. models boast foldable plug prongs.The Ankers closest rival would be the Ugreen Nexode Pro 160W 4-Port GaN Charger, with ports at the traditional end.The Ugreen charger measures 2.76 x 2.76 x 1.3 inches (7 x 7 x 3.3cm) and weighs 10.7 ounces (303g). The Anker is very slightly smaller but a tad wider at 2.72 x 2.72 x 1.42 inches (6.9 x 6.9 x 3.6cm) and weighs less at 9.7 oz (275g). The U.K. model is wider due to the larger prongs and therefore a little heavier at 10.4oz (295g).Theres little in it, and the Ugreen charger can push out 160W instead of 140W, plus output 65W from two of its ports at the same time, leaving 15W to share between the remaining two.The Ugreen charger doesnt have a smart color display like the Ankers, which shows provides a detailed view of the charging status, temperature and port details.AnkerPriceThe Anker 140W 4-Port (PD 3.1) Charger is priced at $89.99 / 89.99 and is also available on Amazon and Amazon U.K. The rival 160W Ugreen Nexode Pro costs $119.99 / 99, so the Anker wins on price.Should you buy the Anker 140W 4-Port (PD 3.1) Charger?Choosing between the Anker 4-Port 140W Charger and Ugreen 160W Nexode Pro will come down to your desire for the differently placed ports and maybe the smart display, unless the dual 65W charging is a more powerful pull.Once you see the Ankers elegant port configuration its almost upsetting to see chargers with ports sticking out at one end. To be fair, the old port placement is easier to use if you are more frequently connecting and disconnecting, but if you leave the cables in place for most of the time it is an undeniably more aesthetic charging solution.This is a fine charger with a different take on port placement that will please those for whom technologys impact on a home or work environment is important.