A Delaware judge has sanctioned Sheryl Sandberg, Metas former COO and board member, for allegedly deleting emails related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.The decision arises from a case Meta shareholders brought against Sandberg and another former Meta board member, Jeff Zients, late last year. The plaintiffs alleged that Sandberg and Zients used personal email accounts to communicate about issues relating to a 2018 shareholder lawsuit that accused Facebook leaders of violating the law and their fiduciary duties in failing to protect users privacy.Plaintiffs also alleged that Sandberg and Zients deleted emails from their personal inboxes despite being instructed not to do so by a court. In a decision Tuesday, the Delaware judge overseeing the case found the accusations to be convincing.The defendants disclosed Sandbergs personal Gmail account, maintained under a pseudonym, that she used to communicate about matters potentially relevant to the claims and defenses in this action, the judges decision reads. Counsels failure to give a straight answer in Sandbergs interrogatory responses or when answering plaintiffs questions supports an inference that Sandberg was not using an auto-delete function but rather picking and choosing which emails to delete.In sanctioning Sandberg, the judge raised the legal standard for Sandbergs affirmative defense, the defense based on facts other than those in support of the plaintiffs claim.Now, Sandberg must prove her defense by clear and convincing evidence not merely a preponderance of evidence, a burden thats easier to clear.The judge has also awarded plaintiffs certain expenses.At the root of the courtroom battle are allegations that Meta officials violated a 2012 FTC order under which the company agreed to stop collecting and sharing Facebook users personal data without their consent. Facebook allegedly later sold the data to commercial partners, including political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, and allegedly removed disclosures from privacy settings that were required under the FTCs order.In 2019, Meta agreed to pay the FTC $5 billion to settle charges that the company violated the 2012 order. The company has also paid penalties from regulators in Europe.

Microsoft was once the exclusive provider of data center infrastructure for OpenAI to train and run its AI models. No longer. Coinciding with the announcement of Stargate, OpenAIs massive new AI infrastructure deal with SoftBank, Oracle, and others, Microsoft says it has signed a new agreement with OpenAI that gives it right of first refusal on new OpenAI cloud computing capacity. That means that, going forward, Microsoft gets first choice over whether to host OpenAIs AI workloads in the cloud but if Microsoft cant meet its needs, OpenAI can go to a rival cloud provider.OpenAI recently made a new, large Azure commitment that will continue to support all OpenAI products as well as training, Microsoft said in a blog post. To further support OpenAI, Microsoft has approved OpenAIs ability to build additional capacity, primarily for research and training of models.OpenAI hasblameda lack of available compute for delaying its products, and compute capacity has reportedly become a source oftensionbetween the AI company and Microsoft, its close collaborator and major investor. In June, Microsoft, under shareholder pressure, permitted OpenAI to ink a deal with Oracle for additional capacity.In the blost post, Microsoft reiterated that key elements of its longstanding partnership with OpenAI remain in place through 2030, including its access to OpenAIs IP, revenue sharing arrangements, and exclusivity on OpenAIs APIs.That assumes, of course, that OpenAI doesnt achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) under the two companiesagreed-upon definitionbefore then. When OpenAI develops AI systems that can generate at least $100 billion in profits, Microsoft will lose access to the companys technology, according to a reported agreement between the firms.OpenAI is said to be considering nullifying the agreement in a possible bid to secure more Microsoft funding.The OpenAI API is exclusive to Azure, runs on Azure and is also available through the Azure OpenAI Service, the blog post reads. This agreement means customers benefit from having access to leading models on Microsoft platforms and direct from OpenAI.Weve reached out to OpenAI and Microsoft for more information and will update this post if we hear back.

When the railroads serving Boston were first laid out and built, each line stopped at its own terminal which created a dysfunctional and cumbersome travel experience for those entering or leaving the city. The Boston Terminal Company, established in 1897, was charged with the task of consolidating service from the four terminalsat a single terminal, a union station (similar to North Station), for routes south of the city. South Station was designed by architects wereShepley, Rutan and Coolidgeof Boston and quickly became New Englands busiest transportation center.The five-story Classical Revival style stationbuilt of stone is an architectural landmark with three-story Ionic colonnade crowned by a clock surmounted by an eagle, stands above the triple-arched brick masonry lower level corner entrance.While the station handled 125,000 passengers each day during World War II, post-war passenger rail traffic declined in the US. South Station was sold to the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 1965 and (surprise!) they demolished portions of the building and later developed plans to demolish the rest of the station and replace it with a multi-use development including a new train and bus station with large parking garage. Luckily for everyone, the BRA failed in this endeavor and the building remained to the point where public transportation is again invested in and beloved and the building has since been restored. Recently, a glass crown, known asSouth Station Tower, a 51-story designed by Pelli, Clarke & Partners, with new office space, luxury residences, and a redesigned, arched interior concourse(which in my opinion, is the best part). The redevelopment is a push towards transit-oriented development and blends new and old in an innovative way.What do you think of it?

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is just a day away from its official launch, but Honor is jumping into the ring early to challenge Samsung with its Magic 7 Pro. I've been daily-driving the flagship phone and it's packed to the brim with features, making it a serious competitor.Also: 4 surprise products we could see at Samsung Unpacked 2025 - and are worth getting excited aboutWith a refined design, a 200MP periscope telephoto camera, Snapdragon 8 Elite performance, and a silicon-carbon battery, the Honor Magic 7 Pro positions itself as a formidable alternative to the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra. Here's how the Honor stacks up to the current Galaxy S24 Ultra, and what more Samsung will need to deliver this week to surpass them both.1. A mighty camera system Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe Honor Magic 7 Pro features a 200MP periscope telephoto camera with an f/2.6 aperture and a 1/1.4-inch sensor, which is larger than both telephoto cameras on the current Galaxy S24 Ultra. I appreciate the larger sensor especially, which provides more natural bokeh and finer details in shots. That's accompanied by a 50MP Super Dynamic Falcon main camera and a 50MP ultra-wide lens.I recently took a trip the Slovenia, with the Magic 7 Pro in hand, and the results I got from the cameras were impressive. 3x zoom (left) and Ultrawide shot (right) Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe 3x zoom captures a sufficient amount of detail, as evident in the photo above. See the dog's face, for example, which is sharp on both sides, with sunlight making her right eye pop while retaining details in the shadowed areas.Also: What to expect from Samsung Unpacked 2025: Galaxy S25 Ultra, AI features, and moreI've been just as satisfied with the ultra-wide-angle camera as it's produced equally superb results with accurate white balance and tone. The second shot was captured against the sun on the ultra-wide camera and it demonstrates the excellent dynamic range of the sensor, with vivid yet natural colors. 6x zoom shots Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe phone's 6x lossless zoom also performs brilliantly, maintaining clarity and detail. In comparison, when I used the Galaxy S24 Ultra earlier this year, it couldn't capture as much detail. The colors remain consistent across lenses and it's better than Samsung at capturing fast-moving subjects.While the Honor Magic 7 Pro's camera system is better than the Galaxy S24 Ultra's, it does have some occasional inconsistencies. For example, it tends to overexpose shots in direct sunlight. Portrait shots clicked on the Honor Magic 7 Pro Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETOne unique image feature with the Magic 7 Pro is the Harcourt profiles in Portrait mode, which come in three flavors: Vibrant, Colour, and Classic. Each has a distinct feel, but all deliver detailed shots with accurate edge detection.Also:The best Android phones to buy in 2025Naturally, there's a new AI toggle in Portrait mode that optimizes details in your portraits. I found the feature to work well occasionally. Fortunately, you can compare the AI-enhanced shot with the raw shot side-by-side before saving one.2. A media powerhouse that lasts all day Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe Honor Magic 7 Pro features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 5,000 nits of peak brightness for supported HDR content and a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate. The vibrant colors and excellent contrast make it a treat for content consumption. It certainly helps that the screen is now less curved, reducing glare on the sides.That said, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Armor -- a feature likely to appear on the S25 Ultra -- offers a better visual experience. The reduction in reflections is a big win. However, Honor's 4320Hz PWM dimming makes its display less burdening on the eyes. A high PWM dimming rate means the display flickers faster, causing less eye strain than Samsung's slower alternative.Also: I held the world's thinnest foldable phone, and it made my iPhone 16 Pro Max feel outdatedPowering the Honor Magic 7 Pro is the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, paired with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. From my testing, the device handles demanding tasks like heavy gaming without any issues, and the stereo speakers sound great. In day-to-day use, it's hard to find faults in the performance, seriously.The phone, with its 5,270mAh silicon-carbon cell, easily lasts a full day on a single charge, even under heavy use. That's compared to Samsung's 5,000mAh lithium-ion battery. You also get 100W fast charging (charger sold separately) and 80W wireless charging with a proprietary charger. I'd take those numbers over Samsung's 45W wired charging any day of the week.3. Samsung still has one big advantage Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe Honor Magic 7 Pro runs MagicOS 9.0 based on Android 15, and while I like some parts of it, it's simply not as polished as Samsung's OneUI.One positive includes home screen folders that can be expanded into a column or row view while remaining inside a box, offering better usability than traditional folders. You can directly access apps without needing to tap the folder and expand it -- or pull up an app drawer.Also: I'd ditch my Pixel 9 Pro for the next Nothing phone, so long as it prioritizes these featuresAnother standout feature is Honor's Magic Portal, which lets you transfer text, links, or images between apps seamlessly. It's easier to access now, as all you need to do is circle anything on-screen with your knuckle to pull up actionable tasks.Despite these software tricks, though, there are some longstanding bugs that I've noticed over the years. For instance, switching from a standard home screen with installed apps to an app drawer resets your widget and app placements.Bottom lineThe Honor Magic 7 Pro is relatively expensive at 1,300 euros in Europe, which translates to roughly $1,340 in the US. (Keep in mind that these conversions are almost always inaccurate of what actual market prices would look like.) Going by the European pricing, the Honor phone is still more affordable than the Galaxy S24 Ultra (launched at 1,450 euros) and I expect it to remain that way when the Galaxy S25 Ultra launches tomorrow.The big takeaway from testing the Honor Magic 7 Pro is that while Samsung has the software going for itself, it'll need to adopt better camera hardware and silicon-carbon battery tech to compete with flagship phones in 2025.Samsung Unpacked

An artist's reconstruction of the newly named dinosaur whose remains were destroyed in a 1944 WWII ... [+] air raid.Joshua Knppe, in 2025 Kellermann et al.Paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur from a fossil destroyed during a World World II air raid not by examining ancient remains, but by poring over photos of them.The dinosaur, which the scientists named Tameryraptor markgrafi, is a giant Egyptian predator from the Cretaceous period. It measured around 32 feet long when it roamed, had symmetrical teeth and a prominent nasal horn.Presumably, the dinosaur fauna of North Africa was much more diverse than we previously thought, Oliver Rauhut, a dinosaur specialist from the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology, said in a statement. This work shows that it can be worthwhile for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground, but also in old archives.Rauhut is co-author of a peer-reviewed study on the find published last week in the journal Plos One. The fossil that led to the discovery has a dramatic backstory.The beasts remains were originally excavated in 1914 during an expedition to Bahariya Oasis, a site in Egypts western desert known for yielding other dinosaur bones, as well as ancient mummies and architectural treasures. Shortly thereafter, Munich paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach studied the partial skeleton and assigned it to the genus Carcharodontosaurus, a large, carnivorous theropod that lived in Northwest Africa between 100 and 94 million years ago.The remains were stored with other Egyptian dinosaur fossils at the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology, which at that time was located in a building in central Munich. On July 21, 1944, however, an allied air raid hit the paleontological museum, destroying many of the fossils within, including Tameryraptor. Skeletal remains of Tameryraptor markgrafi in a Munich exhibition before a bomb destroyed the bones.University of Tbingen Archive, recoloredDuring new research all these decades later, Maximilian Kellermann, a master's student at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, came across previously unknown archival photos of the dinosaur from the Huene Archive at Germanys University of Tbingen, which displayed them in the 1940s. The images capture parts of the original skull, spine and hind limbs before the skeleton was obliterated in the World War II bombing.Kellermann evaluated the photos with Rauhut and Elena Cuesta, an LMU paleobiologist, focusing on features such as the nasal cavities, jaw and tooth curvature.In some parts of the images, low exposure and fuzzy details made it difficult to discern certain features. But other elements, such as the angles of bones, were clear enough that the photos together with Stromers old notes and illustrations made it clear to the researchers the dinosaur pictured differs significantly from another Carcharodontosaurus found in Morocco in 1996 and officially named in 2007.Through these comparisons, they concluded that Stromers original classification was incorrect and that theyd identified a completely different, previously unknown predatory dinosaur species.We took great care to not overinterpret things that were not 100 percent visible from the photos, Kellermann said in an interview. We left out any uncertainties for the codings in our dataset, treating them simply as missing data, and indicated them in our description as such. Still, even with these uncertainties, it was clear that this was a different animal from Carcharodontosaurus.The first word in Tameryraptor markgrafi means thief from the beloved land, combining an informal ancient Egyptian name for Egypt (ta-mery), which translates to beloved land, with raptor, the Latin word for thief. Markgrafi honors fossil collector Richard Markgraf, who originally excavated it.The rediscovery of interesting anatomical features from photographs of long-lost specimens is rare and a bit unusual, but in some cases there are no better options for putting those specimens into scientific context, Jack Tseng, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California at Berkeley who was not involved with the research, said in an interview.Can A Species Reliably Be Named From Photos?Paleontologists rarely name new species without directly studying fossils.In exceptional cases where the specimen in question is documented with an abundance of images and associated information, there may be a strong basis for erecting a new fossil species, Tseng said. In all other cases, there will always be a certain layer of uncertainty between the defining characteristics of new species identified from photographs and how trustworthy they might be when used in evolutionary analyses.In the new study, the researchers put their case in the exceptional category, detailing the reasons this dinosaur warranted a new nomenclature based on the available evidence. Chief among them is that Stromers descriptions and illustrations are highly accurate when compared with specimens that can still be studied firsthand, suggesting his data is a reliable complement to the photographs.The material described by Stromer has played a pivotal role in understanding carcharodontosaurid anatomy, phylogeny and evolution, they say, making it all the more important the samples collected in 1914 are accurately categorized.Kellermann said hes excited that Egyptian colleagues are now working on collecting new fossils that could add to the scientific record and understanding of dinosaurs in the region.There is clearly a lot that we still don't know about the dinosaurs in that area, Kellermann said. While there is still a bit of information to gather from studying the old literature and photographs, only new material will help shed a better light on this fascinating ecosystem.Paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach's original drawings of the Egyptian dinosaur's remains. ... [+] BSPG

What seems meaningless in our daily lives might actually restore energy, clear our minds and bring ... [+] joyjust like the quirky no trousers tube ride in London.gettyWhen productivity and purpose dominate our thoughts, many of us wrestle with guilt when we find ourselves doing something that feels unproductive.Why do I feel so happy when I spend an hour organizing my desk or scrolling through videos of dogs wearing hats? we might ask. Shouldnt I be doing something more meaningful? The answer is simpleand often the same: there is a purpose in purposelessness.Take, for example, events like the No Trousers Tube Ride in London. Each year, hundreds of participants strip down to their underwear and ride the Underground, not for charity, spreading awareness or any particular cause, but simply for the fun of it.While this may seem utterly purposeless or even strange, the event is more than just a lighthearted prank. Its an invitation to embrace the absurdity of life and let go of the constant pressure to be serious or productive. For participants, its an opportunity to step outside of routine, connect with others in a playful way and experience the joy of living in the present moment.Its precisely when we allow ourselves to step away from the pressure of constant productivity that we begin to tap into the deep, restorative power of lifes simplest moments.Here are four reasons why seemingly meaningless activities are deeply beneficial to our well-being.1. They Relieve Decision FatigueIn the often fast-paced world we live in, our brains are constantly managing responsibilities, deadlines and an endless stream of decisions. This constant mental strain can lead to whats known as decision fatigue.MORE FOR YOUAccording to The Decision Lab, decision fatigue refers to the decline in our ability to make effective decisions as we are faced with an increasing number of choices, leading to mental exhaustion.Think about tasks like organizing your desk, folding laundry or rearranging a bookshelf. While they might seem insignificant, these activities offer something invaluable: simplicity. Simple, repetitive tasks provide a much-needed reprieve from the constant need to make decisions. They dont require complex choices, allowing us to step away from the overwhelming cognitive load of the day. These activities give our brains a chance to reset, creating space for mental recovery.By incorporating these meaningless tasks into our routine, we can return to more demanding work with a clearer mind, better focus and renewed energy.2. They Help You Reconnect With The Present MomentOur lives are often consumed by thoughts of the past or future. We may ruminate over past mistakes or become anxious about future challenges. In both cases, our mental energy is scattered and we lose touch with the present moment. This is where seemingly trivial activities can make a big difference.Simple actionslike basking in the warmth of the sun, listening to music or taking a walkcan anchor us in the here and now. Engaging fully in the present, even with simple, everyday tasks, offers profound emotional benefits.A 2015 study published in PNAS found that a 90-minute walk in nature can significantly reduce overthinking and lower activity in brain regions associated with self-focused withdrawal. This highlights how such activities create space for our thoughts to flow naturally, without the pressure to achieve specific outcomes. They allow for reflection, creativity and relaxationoffering a much-needed reprieve from the demands of modern life.So, the next time youre feeling overwhelmed or frazzled, try engaging in a simple activity to ground yourself. Pay attention to the textures, colors or patterns around you, and let your mind wander gently. Notice how it helps you reconnect with the present.3. They Rekindle Playfulness And CreativityDo you remember spending hours as a child building sandcastles or pretending to be a pirate? We were encouraged to play, imagine and get messy, without worrying about doing things the right way.Over time, however, that playful spirit often fades. As adults, we tend to feel the pressure to always have a purpose behind everything we do. But heres the truth: doing something just for fun or silliness is one of the best ways to reignite creativity.Activities like sketching, dancing around the living room or building something out of Legos (yes, even as an adult!) can unlock a creative side that you might not have accessed in years. It might sound counterintuitive, but some of our best ideas often emerge when were not focused on producing results.In fact, a 2014 study of 1,536 participants found that those who identified as playful also viewed themselves as more creative, with a strong positive correlation between self-reported playfulness, creativity and innovation.Play and creativity arent always about creating something; theyre about exploring and expanding your mind in new ways. You dont need to create a masterpiecesometimes, just allowing yourself to be spontaneous is enough to spark new ideas and bring a little lightness to your day.So, try to incorporate more play into your week. Do something fun and sillylike finger painting or completing a puzzle. Let go of the need for creativity to have a specific outcome. Sometimes, just playing is enough.4. They Offer An Emotional ReleaseDuring stressful or overwhelming times, processing feelings can feel like an insurmountable task. Often, we struggle to articulate our emotions, which can leave us feeling even more drained.However, even in the absence of overt emotional expression, simple activities can help facilitate emotional release. Tasks like cooking, gardening or engaging in repetitive actions such as knitting can offer a way to channel emotions productively and provide space for quiet reflection.For instance, a 2015 study published in Textile highlights that knitting is a versatile tool for enhancing well-being. It reduces stress, offers therapeutic benefits and fosters creativity and self-expression. Similarly, other simple tasks can have the same effect, helping us process emotions without the pressure of problem-solving or intense conversation.These activities create space for emotions to move through us, offering emotional relief and allowing us to regain balance. Engaging in physical tasks can also release pent-up frustration, sadness or joy in a non-verbal way, helping us connect more directly with our feelings. So, the next time you feel emotionally tense, grab something physical to do with your handswhether its ripping up old magazines for a scrapbook or kneading dough.In a world that glorifies productivity, embracing meaningless time is a radical act of self-care. Whether playful, meditative or purely absurd, these moments remind us that life isnt about achievingits about experiencing the full spectrum of what it means to be human.Are you forgetting to slow down and enjoy the present moment? Take the science-backed Mindful Attention Awareness Scale to find out.

In brief: Manufacturers typically use e-ink displays for e-readers and digital signage, but occasionally, they find their way into general-purpose devices because of their low-power demand. Hisense's updated A9 might be viable for customers wishing to avoid carrying an e-reader and a smartphone simultaneously, but it has serious drawbacks compared to most modern phones. A new version of Hisense's e-ink smartphone recently appeared with slightly updated specs. The device might suit users seeking a versatile and flexible e-reader but who don't necessarily need the most advanced phone. The company initially released the A9 in 2022 with options for 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The new version increases the available memory to 8 GB and doubles the storage to 256 GB with support for expansion through microSD cards.The device's most visible drawback is its monochrome screen. It uses an E INK Carta 1200 the same display as Kobo's Elipsa 2E e-reader with an 824 x 1,648 resolution at 300 pixels per inch. Other significant compromises include the lack of 5G support and the severely obsolete Android 11 operating system.Although the included operating system puts the A9 far behind most recent Android smartphones, it is still more versatile than most e-readers. While Kindle or Kobo e-readers only support a limited range of apps and formats, access to the entire Android OS allows A9 owners to open any format through alternative apps and web browsers. Boox offers a range of similar Android-powered e-readers with Android 11 and 12 support, including the Tab Ultra and the pocket-sized Palma, but none double as smartphones.IT Home notes that the updated Hisense A9 is available in China for 3,199 yuan (approximately $439). However, an online Hisense e-reader store will ship the device globally for $659.Phones, tablets, monitors, and other general-purpose products with e-ink screens are a niche market due to their low refresh rates and inferior colors. However, the panels are glare-free, making them ideal for displaying text. Furthermore, they only consume energy when updating the screen, substantially increasing battery life.Dasung recently introduced a 10.3-inch 60Hz portable e-ink monitor. The 1,872 x 1,404 resolution screen retails for $273 and includes technology to reduce ghosting. It also allows users to adjust lighting to decrease eye strain. // Related Stories

Image used with permission by copyright holderTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTax Act All-Inclusive Bundle $138 $23040% offTurboTax Premier $83 $11528% offH&R Block Deluxe $45 $6025% offLiberty Tax Basic $48 $5817% offJackson Hewitt (Federal + State) $25Worried about where all of your information goes? This deal will keep it protected.Update 1/13/25: Weve updated this article for the 2024/2025 tax year. Below, well help you find the best discount for your personal tax needs.Like it or not, it is time to look at the best tax software again. If youre proactive, though, you can get a good deal and find tax software at a bargain price. Here, we look at the best tax software deals in 2025. Remember that these are deals for the 2024 tax year, even though youll be buying them in 2025. The following tax software all have discounts; well lay out the discount for you as well as give a brief overview of what that software does. Also, note that most of the highlighted deals are for a combination of federal and state taxes, but it should be very simple for you to change to a federal-only version of the software on the checkout page.$23040% offTax ActTax Acts All-Inclusive Bundle handles federal taxes, one state return, and your refund transfer all pretty standard stuff. What makes this bundle stand out is that it alsoincludes audit defense up front. This gives you an extra bit of peace of mind, which is especially helpful if youre a freelancer or have income outside of traditional W2 filings.RelatedNote: Depending on your screen size and resolution, you may need to scroll down past the traditional offers to find this bundle deal.$11528% offIntuitRecommended for anyone who has sold stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, sold employee stock, owns rental property, or is a trust beneficiary, TurboTax Premier 2024 is ideal for more advanced tax filing. It includes five federal e-files and one state. Its possible to search over 375 deductions and credits, while theres also guidance for how to report sales of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Right now, you can get this complete software for just $83.$6025% offH&R BlockH&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2024 offers five free federal e-files for your personal return, along with unlimited federal preparation and printing. Theres step-by-step Q&A and guidance on credits and deductions to help you figure out what to do. Its simple to quickly import your W-2, 1099, 1098, and last years personal tax return, even if youve used other software in the past. Its a good deal at just $45.$5817% offLiberty TaxLiberty Tax is a bare-bones tax software program that gets you what you need without the pomp and circumstance that you might find elsewhere. Its Basic plan is just $48 while on sale, and it handles forms 1040 and 8853 alongside schedules A and B. Other plans, which are equally accessible when you tap the button below, also have their forms and schedules laid out for you clearly before you begin filing. Its this sort of up-front approach to tax filing costs that makes Liberty Tax one of our favorites.Jackson HewittThis one isnt so much of a deal, per se, but more of a promise. If you file online by yourself, you file for $25. Should you end up needing help, you can also get it easily, as there are in-person places to file, including your local Walmart. At just $25, this is a great place to start. If you need more help, theres also no shame in trying one of the other offers on the list.When you input your tax info online, you include your address, marital status, income, financial information, job title, company, SSN, and whether or not youve purchased a home or even car in the past year. It really is a lot of information! Where does it all go?With free services, we all know how the saying goes, If the product is free, youre the product. Even legitimate products will sell your data or have massive data leaks, with your personal info hitting data sites one way or another.Personal responsibility, double-checking each site we sign up for, and keeping abreast of the latest tech news are all ways we can protect ourselves. But, we can also use Incogni a service thatremoves your personal info from data brokers and people search sites to help us on our path to having more control over the data that makes us, us.Incogni works on your behalf to seek out sources of your data, from people search sites to data banks that include everything from your personal interests to your job history, and remove them. From handling requests to following up and, eventually, sending that second notice outjust in case your information has trickled back into the system, Incogni makes getting to the bottom of the problem easy. And the best part? Right now you can get Incognis annual plan for 55% less than use. Just tap the button below and use codeDIGITALDEAL upon checkout to get started.Editors Recommendations

Netflix is ringing in the new year with two big pieces of news. First, in the fourth quarter of 2024, subscriber count crossed the 300 million mark and revenue growth wildly exceeded expectations. Second, despite this apparent success, the wildly popular streaming video service is looking for even more money and will be bumping up prices across all of its subscription tiers, including its first-ever price hike on its ad-supported plan. These increases, which will affect the U.S., Canada, Portugal, and Argentina, according to The Verge, run anywhere from an additional $1 to $2.50 per month go into effect during your next billing cycle.You can expect to pay $2.50 more for the standard, ad-free tier, which goes from $15.50 to $18 per month. The premium tier sees a slightly smaller hike from $23 to to $25 per month. And even the ad-supported tier, which had so far been spared from any increases, is going up from 12.5% from $7 to $8 per month.Recommended VideosIn its letter to investors, the company didnt even try to explain the increases with the usual rationale of increasing costs, simply saying, As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix. To that end, we are adjusting prices today across most plans in the US, Canada, Portugal and Argentina.Please enable Javascript to view this contentNetflix has few real competitors when it comes to breadth of content and the amount of original programming youll find on the service. Nonetheless, you may want to check out how it compares to Amazon Prime Video or to Hulu, two of the most popular alternatives.Should one of these services prove more enticing now that Netflix costs more, heres a handy guide to canceling your Netflix subscription.Editors Recommendations

OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank are among companies involved in an effort to build artificial-intelligence infrastructure.