Robbie Williams couldnt do it, but maybe Taskmaster will? The comedy shows attempts to break America continue with the second US launch event at which a new Taskmaster episode premiered ahead of its UK debut. Following on from 2024s series 17 NYC event, series 19 was unveiled for the first time last night at New Yorks Town Hall. No UK air date has yet been confirmed but its not expected to arrive on Channel 4 until March.Despite huge success in the UK, Taskmaster has so far found America a tough nut to crack. The 2018 Comedy Central US version hosted by Reggie Watts and Alex Horne failed to catch on and was quickly cancelled. In 2020, the CW bought in episodes to fill the lockdown-based content vacuum but only showed a few before low numbers took it off air. Now, a well-known US comedy star, teased in advance as a big-name American, has been cast in series 19.That star is comedian, actor and podcaster Jason Mantzoukas. As announced at the NYC series 19 launch event, hell be joined by actor-writer Mathew Baynton, sketch comedian Stevie Martin, stand-up Fatiha El-Ghorri, and presenter and podcaster Rosie Ramsey. Find out more about them all below.Mathew BayntonNo stranger to Den of Geek readers, Mat Baynton is an actor and writer and of course, one sixth of the Them There production group behind Ghosts, Yonderland and Horrible Histories. Hes recently been giving his Bottom on stage in the Royal Shakespeare Companys recent production of A Midsummer Nights Dream, and before that is known for playing the role of lovelorn Romantic poet Thomas in Ghosts, and historical figures galore in CBBCs OG Horrible Histories line-up. Add to that parts in Wonka, A Good Girls Guide to Murder, The Split, Quacks, the co-creation of The Wrong Mans with James Corden, with whom Baynton also appeared in the role of Deano in Gavin & Stacey.Fatiha El-GhorriStand-up, actor and writer Fatiha El-Ghorri has been broadening her fanbase of late thanks to stints in celebrity and panel shows from The Great British Sewing Bee to Daves David Mitchell-presented Taskmaster-style game Outsiders, to The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, to Big Zuus Big Eats, plus several comedy podcasts. She appeared in and wrote for Channel 4s excellent Muslim punk band comedy We Are Lady Parts, and has delivered stand-up sets on screen and stage from The Comedy Store to Jonathan Ross Comedy Club and The Russell Howard Hour and more.Jason MantzoukasFans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The League, The Good Place and Parks and Recreation will have no trouble placing Jason Mantzoukas, a familiar face on TV and in the movies. Hes also one third of the presenting team on podcast How Did This Get Made?, alongside June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer. A bit of an anglophile, Mantzoukas immersed himself in British pop culture during his time filming on Taskmaster, as explored on his Off Menu podcast episode with Taskmaster podcast host Ed Gamble. Mantzoukas is a rare overseas Taskmaster contestant who filmed his segments on a visit to the UK rather than being based in the United Kingdom like fellow non-Brit Taskmaster alumni Katherine Ryan, Desiree Burch, Rose Matafeo, Sarah Kendall, Mae Martin and Sam Campbell.Rosie RamseySix series after her husband Chris Ramsey appeared on Taskmaster, podcaster and TV presenter Rosie Ramsey will be donning the blue jumpsuit to muck in herself. Rosie is well-known for the Shagged Married Annoyed podcast she presents with her comedian husband, for BBC Ones The Chris and Rosie Ramsey Show, and for appearances on the Christmas special edition of Strictly Come Dancing, Would I Lie to You, The Wheel and more.Stevie MartinThats sketch comedian Stevie Martin of course, not movie star Steve Martin (whose casting on Taskmaster would, with all respect to Stevie, obviously merit bigger billing). Get to know the stand-up through her satirical sketches, appearance with Taskmaster Champion of Champions Richard Herring on his RHLSTP, and read her Guardian interview here.Taskmaster series 19 will air on Channel 4 at an unconfirmed date in 2025 in the UK.

The Indonesian government has said that it expects its iPhone 16 ban to be lifted within one or two weeks, but has not explained the basis for this.The countrys investment minister issued only a rather strangely-worded and somewhat contradictory comment which implied that a deal was close The story so farThe governments of populous countries are getting increasingly savvy about seeking a quid pro quo for giving Apple access to their markets, demanding inward investment in return.Indonesia started out with a relatively modest demand for Apple to invest $109M ina developer academy there, with a further $10M manufacturing spend.However, when this target wasnt quite hit, the government upped the ante dramatically. Itbanned the iPhone 16 from sale, and demanded afarlarger investment.Apple initially offered $100M, but the government said that wasnt enough. It then said it wanteda billion dollar manufacturing spendin the country. We heard last month thatApple had agreed to this, and it was subsequently revealed thatthis would take the formof large-scaleAirTag manufacturing.However, the Indonesian government bizarrely rejected this offer, saying that only the manufacture of iPhone components would count.iPhone 16 ban could end in 1-2 weeksBloomberg today features an interview with Indonesias investment minister Rosan Roeslani saying that the government expects the issue to be resolved very shortly.I strongly believe it will resolve very, very soon, Roeslanisaid in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Davos on Tuesday. Hopefully within one or two weeks this issue can be resolved.However, no explanation was provided as to what drives this optimism. Instead Roeslani made only a very vague statement:The way they calculate it is different I think, Roeslani said, referring to the local content requirement. Now they find a solution on that one, so hopefully they accept the discrepancies so we can have the iPhone 16 sold in Indonesia.Now they find a solution seems to indicate that Apple has made a fresh offer, while hopefully they accept the discrepancies doesnt.Its clear that the matter will be resolved, because both sides need that to happen, but were currently none the wiser about how this will happen.Photo byAmanzonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

As GenAI tools and SaaS platforms become a staple component in the employee toolkit, the risks associated with data exposure, identity vulnerabilities, and unmonitored browsing behavior have skyrocketed. Forward-thinking security teams are looking for security controls and strategies to address these risks, but they do not always know which risks to prioritize. In some cases, they might have blind spots into the existence of risks.To help, a new complimentary risk assessment is now available. The assessment will be customized for each organization's browsing environment, evaluating their risk and providing actionable insights. Security and IT teams can leverage the assessment to strengthen their security posture, inform their decision-making, evangelize across the organization, and plan next steps. The assessment results in a report that includes a high-level overview of key risks, including insecure use of gen AI, sensitive data leakage risks through the browser, SaaS app usage, identity security gaps, browsing threats, and the use of malicious extensions and their permissions. The assessment report then drills down into each finding, providing accurate metrics and mitigation recommendations. You can find an assessment report example here. An example of the Assessment summary pageWhy Assess? Browser Threats and RisksThe browser is the nerve center of the modern workforce. It drives productivity, but also introduces risks. Some of the top risks organizations face include:GenAI Security Threats: Employees may unintentionally share sensitive information, such as source code, customer PII, business plans, or financial data, with ChatGPT and other generative AI tools.Data Leakage Risks: Browsers can serve as attack vectors, enabling attackers to exfiltrate internal files, emails, CRM data, and more. Employees might also upload or paste sensitive information into external websites or SaaS apps.SaaS Security Risks: Shadow SaaS applications, including potentially malicious ones, can be exploited to exfiltrate data or infiltrate corporate networks.Identity Vulnerabilities: Weak credential practicessuch as password reuse, account sharing, compromised or weak passwords, and using personal passwords for workcan lead to identity fraud and account takeovers.Browsing Threats: Social engineering and phishing websites can extract sensitive credentials or internal documents. Attackers could also harvest cookies and store browser data for malicious purposes.Risky Browser Extensions: Malicious browser extensions can track user activity, steal credentials, hijack sessions, harvest cookies, and facilitate attacks.Is Your Organization at Risk?The first step in addressing these challenges is understanding what you are at risk of. To help, LayerX Security provides organizations with a complimentary risk assessment designed to help them uncover and analyze their risk profile across areas of modern web and SaaS security that often go unaddressed. It is tailored to assess and report on their specific environment. This assessment provides detailed and actionable insights that can be implemented immediately.Use this complimentary risk assessment to identify, assess, and address browsing and SaaS risks in your workplace. This assessment is helpful for organizations of any level of maturity, across any industry and for any number of users.Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Jan 22, 2025Ravie LakshmananDark Web / CryptocurrencyU.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted a "full and unconditional pardon" to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the infamous Silk Road drug marketplace, after spending 11 years behind bars."I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social."The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!"Launched in February 2011, Silk Road emerged as a major hub on the dark web for illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services. The marketplace generated over $200 million in revenue in its nearly three years of existence, per authorities.It was taken down in October 2013 coinciding with the arrest of Ulbricht, who then went by the online moniker Dread Pirate Roberts. In 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being found guilty of money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and computer hacking charges.A little over two years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) revealed it confiscated 50,676 Bitcoin in November 2021 that was stolen in the 2012 hack of the now-defunct Silk Road dark web marketplace, making it one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures to date.James Ellingson (aka redandwhite), a Silk Road drug vendor who claimed to have arranged for the murder of five people for Ulbricht, has since been charged with narcotics trafficking and money laundering offenses. However, the DoJ said there is no evidence these murders actually took place.In a letter to the judge seeking leniency prior to his sentencing, Ulbricht said he wasn't seeking financial gain when he started Silk Road and that it was supposed to be "about giving people the freedom to make their own choices, to pursue their own happiness, however they individually saw fit.""I believed at the time that people should have the right to buy and sell whatever they wanted so long as they weren't hurting anyone else," he added. "Silk Road turned out to be a very naive and costly idea that I deeply regret."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Over the past year, weve seen organizations differ in their approaches to AI. Some have taken every opportunity to embed AI in their workflows; others have been more cautious, experimenting with limited proof-of-concept projects before committing to larger investments.But unlike past technology breakthroughs that were only relevant for specific employees, AI is a horizontal skill. Business leaders need to embrace this fact: Every single employee needs to become an AI employee.In 2025 and beyond, we will start to see the difference between companies that treat AI as a feature and those that view it as a transformation. Here's how business and learning leaders should think about AI adoption throughout their organization.Establishing an AI-Ready Skills VisionFor businesses to develop an AI-ready workforce, they need to establish a skills vision that sets out which employees require which level of competency. This vision shouldn't be permanent; instead, it should evolve in response to technological advances and the needs of the business.There are two ways of structuring an AI skills vision. The first is simple: builders and users. A small portion -- roughly 5% -- of an organizations workforce will require the expertise to build AI systems, products, evaluation tools and language models. The remaining 95% simply need to know how to use AI to augment and accelerate their existing workflows.Related:For a more detailed framework, leaders can break down their workforce into four levels:Center of excellence: Synonymous with AI builders. Think about data scientists, machine learning engineers, and software engineers. Their entire role is to design, build, and refine AI tools for internal or external clients.AI + X: These are the subject matter experts whose roles can be reimagined with the addition of AI. Employees at this level could come from a wide range of backgrounds, from mechanical engineers to finance leaders. AI can help these employees build something truly meaningful in their specific area of expertise.Fluency: At the fluency level, you dont need to know how to use AI tools or apply them to your workflows. Instead, fluency is the required level for employees who are interacting with a technical counterpart. For example, a marketer selling a highly technical AI product needs a certain level of understanding to be able to accurately and effectively market that product.Literacy: This is the basic level of AI skills needed for front-line workers and individual contributors. AI literacy could help these employees boost productivity depending on their role and responsibilities. But its equally important for these employees to be part of the broader cultural change. A company is in a better position to innovate when every employee has achieved a standard level of AI literacy.Related:Avoiding Dangerous AmateursFor an organization to make the most out of AI, it needs to know the precise skill levels of its employees and where they need to grow in the future.For example, a companys solutions will only ever be as good as their best contributors. Organizations must do everything they can to maximize the abilities of their Center of Excellence employees, because they set the bar for the rest of the organization. At one software company, I saw leaders transfer an expert in clean coding to a team struggling with code quality; improvements were evident across the organization within weeks, demonstrating the contagious nature of expertise.But, while experts should be placed at the forefront and driven to achieve more, organizations must be careful not to give the same opportunities to those who overstate their abilities. My friend and collaborator Fernando Lucini refers to these employees as dangerous amateurs, and they can slow down an organizations progress with AI. As companies transition from prototyping to productizing an AI solution, they may realize that the experts they were counting on dont have the skills needed to bring the product to market. Meanwhile, competitors with an accurate measure of employee skill levels will race ahead.Related:Create the Foundation for InnovationFor companies to innovate, they need to be able to adapt quickly to changing technologies and skills demands. In 2016, one of my most important tools was TensorFlow, a commonly used programming language. Less than a decade later, TensorFlow has evolved so much that I can no longer use it effectively without retraining and updating my skills. Highly technical skills perish quickly.Employees must establish a strong foundation in durable skills in order to master the perishable, cutting-edge technical skills. OpenAI built ChatGPT using innovative, breakthrough technologies. However, they could only create ChatGPT by drawing on their foundations in durable skills like mathematics, statistics, coding and English. AI-ready companies will need to embrace a T-shaped approach to skills development, combining a broad base of horizontal skills with a narrow set of deep, vertical skills. Innovation breaks through as a result of perishable skills but sustains as a result of durable skills.Every company is becoming an AI company. Every employee will need to use AI. Those who dont embrace the change will inevitably fall behind.

The City of Westminsters planning committee voted to refuse the 20-storey canalside scheme Make's third iteration for the plot on Tuesday evening (21 January), going against the advice of its own planning officers to approve.The 605-bedroom proposal for Unite Students and building merchant Travis Perkins features two linked towers on a plot which sits between the Grand Union Canal and the Westway flyover. It had been set to replace an existing Travis Perkins yard on the site, while providing new facilities for the company at ground floor and mezzanine levels.Make had adapted the design following Westminster City Councils refusal of its previous design, on the advice of planning offices, in early 2022 splitting the mass into two towers and cutting 163 of the proposed bedrooms.AdvertisementBut Westminster councillors insisted the new scheme was still not sufficiently different to warrant their approval and created, they said, more harm than benefit to the borough. They upheld two out of three of the same reasons for refusal namely, the visual impact and residential mass of the development.Several councillors argued that the scheme would have a major negative impact on local residents and amenities, in particular on the residents of two neighbouring apartment blocks, Sheldon house and Dudley House.Speaking at the planning committee, one councillor said the proposal had a lot to be admired in terms of things [the design team] has sought to include and sought to address ... however, the underlying point here is the huge impact [] on surrounding residents.Another councillor said the benefits would not outweigh the acknowledged harm to surrounding heritage assets and amenities, insisting: I just don't think its sufficiently different from the previous scheme, which actually came forward with a recommendation for refusal.And a third councillor agreed: Given that our own housing needs allowances say we dont have a need for student accommodation in Westminster, I dont think we can justify the impact on residents in that area.Advertisement Source:Make Architects/design and access statementMake Architects all-new Baltic Wharf designs, featuring 605 student bedrooms, which was submitted to Westminster City Council in May 2024More than 100 objections had been lodged against the Make proposal, mainly over scale, arguing that it was overbearing and showed little change, height-wise. from the previous design (at a maximum height of 90.2m the latest proposal is just 0.5m lower in height than the previously refused scheme).Objectors also strongly opposed the use of land for student accommodation instead of housing, along with associated concerns over noise and anti-social behaviour.However, Westminster planning officers had argued that, while the latest redesign was still a substantial building, the re-arranged massing with two distinct towers instead of one block had created a more interesting architectural composition, improving the overall visual impact and making it more sympathetic to the views and sunlight benefit to local residents.Regarding objections to the building use for student housing, officers concluded that a desire for an alternative use is not a valid reason for refusal. They insisted that the public benefits of the proposed scheme, including major financial contributions, outweighed any harm caused.As well as 30 per cent affordable bedrooms on site and a 3.1 million payment towards Westminster councils affordable housing fund, public benefits were set to include a 683,000 payment towards employment programmes and 200,000 for cycle hire facilities, secured via a Section 106 agreement.The refused design, submitted for planning in May 2024, was Makes third design proposal for the Baltic Wharf site.The practices initial submission, in 2021, featured a stepped 22-storey block providing 843 beds. Make later amended the scheme to reduce its height, producing a 20-storey design with 768 beds but Westminster Council refused the amended 26,000m2 proposal in early 2022 on the advice of its planning officers, insisting that it would have a significant negative impact on neighbouring buildings.The latest design featured two carefully designed, distinct and separate buildings, connected by a podium level, which would have housed accommodation for students at Westminster-based Kings College London.According to the design and access statement, a brick-built gable end the last remaining original element of canalside architecture at this location was to be retained and celebrated.The scheme included a new canalside path, creating for the first time a continuous link along the canals north bank between Maida Vale and Paddington.A Unite Students spokesperson said the company is 'disappointed' that the application was refused despite the officers recommendation of approval, and will now be 'considering next steps with all parties'.Make Architects has been contacted for comment.

Clockwise from top left: Palais de Danse plans by Adam Khan Architects; Royal High School plans by Richard Murphy Architects; photo of Jumbo Water Tower in Colchester (credit: Shutterstock); Sketch of Evans Vettoris Harmony Works plans; Hall Black Douglas' plans for the Strand Arts Centre in Belfast; Kingsley Hall in Bristol (Credit: Historic England). The National Lottery has named seven heritage projects which it will support with more than 27 million of cash The schemes, which span the UK, include projects by Adam Khan Architects, Purcell, Evans Vettori, Richards Murphy Architects, Childs Sulzmann Architects, Hall Black Douglas and Temple Ford Design.The largest grant, worth 8 million, has been awarded to North Essex Heritage for the Purcell-designed restoration of a Grade II*-listed water tower in Colchester.The Jumbo Water Tower was completed in 1883 and provided water for drinking and firefighting until 1984 but will now now be converted to a visitor, educational and events space.AdvertisementPurcells proposal won a competition for the project in 2022, selected ahead of plans by Nissen Richards and Burrell Foley Fischer. At that time the project was expected to cost just 4 million, with completion in 2025.Elsewhere, Richard Murphy Architects plans to transform the Old Royal High Street on Carlton Hill in Edinburgh have been given 437,000 in initial development funding but could yet be awarded a further 4.56 million once detailed proposals have been drawn up.The Category A-listed Neoclassical landmark has been empty for over 50 years but is set to be fitted with three performance spaces, rehearsal rooms and a recording studio, as well as a caf, bar and conference facilities, under approved plans by the Royal High School Preservation Trust.A project to conserve and repair the Grade II*-listed Kingsley Hall in Bristol has been awarded 4.76 million. The 319-year-old building was a Conservative club in the late 1800s but later became the headquarters of the Independent Labour Party, opened by party founder Keir Hardie in 1911.The scheme by Childs Sulzmann Architects and conservation architect Ashley Davies will see the 319-year-old building turned into a community space for local homelessness charity 1625 Independent People.AdvertisementThe National Lottery has pledged 4.68 million for Evans Vettoris plans to turn the Grade II*-listed Canada House in Sheffield into a new home for the Sheffield Music Academy and Sheffield Music Hub.The 1875 building was originally offices for the Sheffield United Gas Light Company but will now support young musicians and hold public programmes and performances under a new name:Harmony Works.The Tate Gallery has been given 2.85 million to restore the Palais de Danse in St Ives. The Grade II*-listed building was a cinema and dance hall in the early 1900s before becoming Barbara Hepworths second studio between 1961 and 1975.The building was gifted by Hepworths family to the Tate in 2015 and, once refurbished under plans drawn up by Adam Khan Architects, will provide studio and performance spaces, as well as recreation of Hepworths studio and a shop.Chichester Community Development Trust has been given 1.28 million to transform Grade II-listed former stables, known as the Marchwell Studios, into a makers space with affordable commercial floorspace.The derelict stables on the Graylingwell Hospital Estate in Chichester will provide training facilities and community activities aimed at supporting local residents into work, as well as space for creatives such as artists and architects. The scheme is being drawn up by Temple Ford Design.Finally, the National Lottery has given 768,000 towards Belfast City Councils 6.5 million redevelopment of Strand Arts Centre, which will see an Art Deco picture house dating to 1935 restored into a cinema with a caf, learning studios and performance space under plans by Hall Black Douglas.Royal High School Preservation Trust scheme by Richard Murphy Architects (approved 2024)Heritage projects awarded funding by National LotteryRoyal High SchoolLocationEdinburghGrantee Royal High School Preservation TrustAward: Initial development round grant award ofArchitect Richard Murphy ArchitectsCanada House, a home for Harmony WorksLocation SheffieldGrantee Award Architect Jumbo Water TowerLocation ColchesterGrantee Award Architect Reactivating the Palais de DanseLocation St IvesGrantee Award Architect Kingsley HallLocation BristolGrantee Award Architect The Marchwell Studios ProjectLocation Graylingwell, ChichesterGrantee Award Architect Strand Arts CentreLocation BelfastGrantee Award Architect 2025-01-22Will Ingcomment and share

Our Experts Written by Caroline Roberts, Caroline Igo Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider Your reasons for wanting a shower filter The best shower filter for you will depend on your needs and what's coming out of your shower. Some filters may be better at removing chlorine, for example, while others add vitamins to water. Installation Your existing shower setup matters when choosing a shower filter. Make sure you buy a filter that looks both easy to install and works with your particular shower. Price The best shower filter in the world won't help you if it's too pricey to buy. There is a wide price range for shower filters. When comparing models, make sure you don't sacrifice quality for a better deal. Table of Contents Our Picks Best overall shower filter Sonaki Inline Shower Filter View details $75 at Amazon View details Best showerhead filter for removing heavy metals QwenchPure KDF-55 Shower Filter View details $39 at Amazon View details Best showerhead filter for removing chlorine Aqua Earth Vitamin C Shower Filter View details $32 at Amazon View details Best luxury showerhead filter Jolie Filtered Shower Head View details $165 at Amazon View details Best showerhead filter for hard water AquaHomeGroup Luxury Filtered Shower Head View details $42 at Amazon View details Best budget showerhead filter GE Universal Shower Filtration System (Update: Currently Unavailable) View details See at Amazon View details Table of Contents The tap water in your home isnt always the best quality. While most of us already filter our drinking water, many don't realize that our shower water might need filtering, too. If youve been dealing with an itchy scalp, excessive hair fall or dry skin, it might be time to upgrade your showerhead.Showerhead filters are specifically designed to eliminate impurities like chlorine, fluoride and heavy metals, resulting in cleaner, healthier water. The benefits? Smoother skin and shinier, healthier hair. Installation is easy, whether youre swapping out the entire showerhead or just adding a filter to your existing one.When choosing a showerhead filter, keep in mind the frequency and cost of replacement filters. But dont worry -- weve done the research for you. From Jolie to Sonaki, here are CNET's choices for the top showerhead filters to fit every budget.What is the best showerhead filter overall?The Sonaki Inline Shower Filter is the best overall filter because our research found it can filter out bacteria, chlorine, heavy metals, rust and other byproducts from regular showerhead water. The internal filter system is an activated carbon filter, which is one of the most effective. It also doesn't require purchasing an extra showerhead. You can just screw it on your old one.Best showerhead filters of 2025 Photo Gallery 1/1 $75 at Amazon Pros Removes contaminants, chlorine, heavy metals and rust Contains an activated carbon filter Product is made of heavy brass Cons Filter replacements are expensive Might look bulky in your shower $75 at Amazon When it comes to filters, an activated carbon filter is the most effective choice for your showerhead. That's what you get with the Sonaki Inline Shower Filter. The granular activated carbon filter removes bacteria, chlorine, chloramine (another disinfectant that's sometimes used), heavy metals, rust and any other byproducts, so you can shower knowing that you're safe. Plus, it'll soften the filtered shower water so you can get softer hair than ever.The Sonaki Shower Filter is an inline model, which means you won't need to buy a separate showerhead. You simply screw the filter into the wall and the showerhead on the other side.

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January 21, 2025What Happens to the Open Internet without Net Neutrality?A U.S. federal court struck down the FCCs enforcement of net neutrality. What does that mean for Internet users? Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific AmericanSUBSCRIBE TO Science QuicklyApple | Spotify | RSSRachel Feltman: For Scientific Americans Science Quickly, Im Rachel Feltman. Earlier this month net neutrality was back in the news, thanks to a U.S. appeals court ruling. The decision stated that the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, didnt have the power to reinstate net neutrality ruleswhich the agency voted to do in April, with the encouragement of then-president Joe Biden.Net neutrality is one of those issues that Ive never quite fully wrapped my head around. So what is it, and what will happen now that the FCC cant enforce it? Here to explain everything for us is Ben Guarino, an associate technology editor at Scientific American.Ben, thanks for coming on to chat.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Ben Guarino: Thanks for having me.Feltman: This is a question I feel like I should be able to answer by now, but I cant: What is net neutrality?Guarino: So in the simplest terms, net neutrality is this idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. So if I am trying to access YouTube or Netflix or Hulu or really anything, my Internet service provider, my ISP, is going to treat all of those data packets coming from those websites like theyd be coming from any other websiteFeltman: So why are we hearing about net neutrality in the news? Whats been going on with it?Guarino: There has been a huge debate over whether net neutrality should exist in the United States. The Internet service providers, Well, if you put these regulations on us, its going to stifle competition. It is against the American ideals of capitalism.And then you have consumers and Internet advocates and people who cherish the idea of the open Internet that really gets to the founding ideals of what the Internet should beit should be free; it should be for the flow of informationthat say, We should, we should hold ourselves to net neutrality.And so it boils down to who should be regulating it. And the courts recently decided that the Federal Communications Commission cannot treat the Internet with net neutrality principles.Feltman: Interesting. Whats next? What does that mean for people who are pushing for a free and open Internet?Guarino: So if the FCC does not have the ability to regulate ISPs like a telecommunication servicethat means that these services have to act in the public interest, which has higher standards that they have to be held toif the FCC isnt the one that can enforce these net neutrality principles, then its in Congresss hands or its in the states hands.Feltman: Okay, is this good news or bad news for the open Internet?Guarino: Its bad news for the people who advocate for the open Internet. So if theres no federal oversight of net neutrality, what we have now are the state laws that support net neutrality. And these are on the books in lots of placesin Washington state, in Oregon, in Californiaand it had kinda looked like maybe they werent really being enforced because the thinking was, Well, if theres federal oversight of net neutrality, maybe we dont have to worry about our own states. Now that equation changes a little bit.And the thing with the Internet is [laughs] its all connected, right? So you cantthe, the borders of the Internet dont stop in California, so if California has net neutrality laws on the books, there is some thinking there that, Well, if ISPs in California are beholden to these laws, theyll just follow them everywhere. So that could be a silver lining for folks who want to see the principles of the open Internet upheld.Feltman: And from the perspective of the ISPs, whats limiting about net neutrality? What are they trying to do, hoping to do that this sort of free and open Internet wont allow them to do?Guarino: So the theory goes that if I can treat one data packet differently from another data packet, I could slow your traffic to Netflix. Maybe I have a competitor streaming serviceand I should back up a second: we talk about net neutrality a lot in terms of video streaming because its data intensive and, like, something like two thirds of Internet traffic is video streaming, so thats why, thats why net neutrality and video services tend to go hand in hand. But if I am an Internet service provider and maybe I have a competitor website to Netflix or Hulu ...Feltman: Mm-hmm.Guarino: And I want to have more people use my service, then I can slow their connection to Netflix and maybe shunt them towards my competitor. Or I can say, Hey, Netflix, you guys have to pay me a little bit more if you wanna keep this fast connection. And, you know, the concern there is: that bump in price that, that Netflix has to pay, that gets passed on to the consumer.Feltman: Yeah, and whats the, like, worst-case scenario there? I think in a lot of conversations about net neutrality, the implication is that its this, like, slippery slope thats gonna fundamentally change the Internet. Whats the, the radically different Internet that people are worried were gonna find our way into?Guarino: Thats a really good question. What I can say is, having talked to researchers like David Choffnes at Northeastern University, who studies what we would consider net neutrality violationsso hes looked at how traffic that appears to go from my computer, lets say, or my phone to Netflix and how ISPs in the United States treat that, and it turns out that whether or not the FCC had net neutrality policies on the books, whether states had their own net neutrality laws didnt really matter in the United States. This study has been going on when we had FCC oversight, we havent had FCC oversight, we had FCC oversight again, and now we, we dont, soDavid told me hes seen it all, and basically it [laughs], it doesnt really matter.David and his colleagues have seen, studying this since 2017, that your fixed cable Internet, theres no net neutrality violations there in the United Statesthat, that they, they arent blocking or throttling traffic. But what they have found is, for certain users on certain data plans, that wireless providers have throttled some connections. And the thinking there is, historically, the spectrum was limited, connecting to cell towers and things like that, so maybe when everybodys commuting home at 5 oclock that theyre all requesting to watch Netflix on the subway or something, and it made sense to throttle that.Now, if you go into a cell phone store, folks will tout their super-fast ...Feltman: Sure.Guarino: 5G network things, so maybe that spectrum argument no longer holds water. But if theyve done it historically, maybe theyd do it again. So all of that is to say, in the short term I dont know that American consumers will really notice a difference. In the long term maybe the price of your Hulu or Netflix subscription jacks up a little.Feltman: Sure, and with so many giant conglomerates owning so many different types of media and telecommunications companies, its not outside the realm of possibility that an ISP could also own some of the content youre watching versus [laughs] other content, so, yeah, for sure.Guarino: Maybe the only thing to note is: this has been going on for a really long time [laughs] ...Feltman: Yeah.Guarino: The phrase net neutrality was coined by a Columbia legal scholar in 2003. So people have been thinking about this for a really long time, and it justthis debate has gone onyou know, even, even before it was coined, even before we had the term net neutrality, people have been thinking about the principles of the open Internet. So this certainly isnt the end of net neutrality; even though its out of the FCCs hands for the foreseeable future, this doesnt mean that net neutrality is lost.Feltman: Ben, thanks so much for explaining net neutrality to me. I finally understand it, and hopefully the Internet stays relatively free and open for the foreseeable future.Guarino: Sounds great. Thanks for having me.Feltman: [Laughs]Thats all for todays episode. While youre here, do us a favor and leave us a quick rating, review or comment wherever youre listening. We really appreciate it!Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was reported and co-hosted by Ben Guarino. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. See you next time!