Lego has a strong history with adapting popular IP into build kits, with sets ranging from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Dungeons & Dragons to The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, and well, you get the idea. But it doesnt have all of the good franchises. Some of the biggest anime series, including Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, have landed at BLDR, a new contender in the Lego-like construction space. Sanrios beloved Hello Kitty is now a BLDR franchise as well.BLDR sets are designed by Jazwares, the company that took the world by storm with Squishmallows plushies (which also star in their own BLDR sets). Notably, the bricks included in its sets are compatible with all major construction brands, including Lego. So all BLDR sets can be complemented by Lego bricks you might already have at home.At launch, the company has a handful of sets available at Amazon and directly from the BLDR site. There are the cute yet surprisingly deep and customizable dioramas from the Hello Kitty and Friends universe, featuring characters as you remember them looking, without blocky legs. Also, Squishmallows are showing up with dioramas, too, with soft-bellied, cuddly SquishBrik characters.The initial batch of Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man products are more like action figures than like the static sets associated with brick-based builder sets. Each 9-inch figure is posable, with 19 points of articulation, thanks to their QuikBrik design, which Jazwares says will give them extra sturdiness and flexibility. Jazwares ongoing collaboration with Crunchyroll will yield a new Jujutsu Kaisen figure soon, featuring Ryomen Sukuna. Hopefully, characters from many other anime series will follow.

If youre as excited as we are for the impending launch of Sid Meiers Civilization 7, you wont want to miss this deal on the PC version of the latest installment of the historic 4X title. Right up to launch day on Feb. 11, you can save 12% on Civilization 7 if you pre-order at Fanatical. The Standard Edition of the game is currently discounted to $61.59 (was $69.99), but you can also save on the Deluxe and Founders Editions, which weve detailed below.The latest installment in the Civilization franchise makes some substantial changes to the established 4X formula. Leaders are no longer exclusive to a single civilization, builders are no longer a thing, diplomacy is tied to its own currency, and progression through the ages feels more distinct. Naturally, there are a myriad of smaller updates to combat and other systems, but if you want to experience them yourself, youll just have to play the game when it launches on Feb. 11.The Deluxe Edition of Civilization 7 gives you access to a substantial number of extra leaders and civilizations at launch, along with a handful of cosmetic items to customize your profile and units in-game. But one of the most exciting benefits of the Deluxe Edition is the ability to play the game starting on Feb. 6, up to five days ahead of launch. The Deluxe Edition is currently discounted to $87.99 on Fanatical (was $99.99) and below, youll find a bulleted list of all of the in-game extras.Leaders: Tecumseh, Ada Lovelace, Simn Bolvar, Xerxes (Achaemenid persona), Friedrich (Baroque persona)Civilizations: Shawnee, Great Britain, Carthage, Bulgaria, NepalNatural Wonders: Machapuchare, Mount Fuji, Vihren, VinicuncaFour profile customizationsUnique badge cosmeticAlternate scout skinThe Founders Edition of Civilization 7 features everything found in the Deluxe Edition of the game, including early access, but also gives you access to the Founders Content Pack, unlocking even more leader personas and in-game cosmetics. You can reserve a copy of the Founders Edition from Fanatical for $114.39 (was $129.99), and below, weve outlined the bonus items you get on top of the Deluxe Edition content.Leaders: Ashoka (World Conqueror persona), Himiko (High Shaman persona)Four additional profile customizationsUnique fog of war tile setUnique Founders palace skin

Im at the age where I have a pre-written packing list for whenever I travel, and the very last item on the list, though certainly not the least, is entertainment. I almost see it as a reward for myself. When Ive got all my clothes and medications packed away, I get to sit down with my iPad and download my favorite shows to watch on the plane. The problem is that, after awhile of manually downloading episode by episode, it stops being fun.Thats where Netflixs newest feature for iPhone and iPad comes into play. Now, after updating your app, the display pages for your favorite shows will show a Download Season button next to the share icon. Android users already had this button, but now Apple users can take advantage of it, too.It looks like a downward-pointing arrow with two curved lines underneath it, and tapping it will immediately start downloading an entire season at once, complete with a progress indicator. In addition to saving you from multiple taps, this also lets you get up and go do something else while your show downloads, rather than having to wait for one episode to finish downloading before you start downloading the next.Its worth pointing out that while you technically already could download multiple episodes at once by simply tapping the download button next to each episode in quick succession, Ive found that this tends to create errors. Luckily, I got no such errors while downloading season 2 of Squid Game using the new button, and it even seemed to download faster, probably due to the efficiency of sending Netflixs servers one request as opposed to seven.Netflix didnt make any mention of what happens if downloading a whole season would put you over your download limit, but after testing, I found that you can still press the Download Season button, but it will only download as many episodes as you have remaining while refusing to download the rest.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Two years ago, I discovered that clean smarties around the Internet were using their handheld steamers to clean their homes and I thought that was brilliant, so I started doing it right away, too. Professional steam cleaners are awesome because they heat up so much that they can even disinfect surfacesand while I've never been totally convinced my little garment steamer from Amazon is quite as powerful as all that, I've still found a lot of ways to use it around the house. Here is the steamer I have, which retails for about $26 and comes with a brush you can stick on the front. I try to avoid using the brush when I'm cleaning, just so I don't accidentally transfer any messy gunk onto my clothes when I use the steamer for its intended purpose, but in a pinch, it does come in handy. Handheld Garment Steamer $26.99 at Amazon $29.99 Save $3.00 Shop Now Shop Now $26.99 at Amazon $29.99 Save $3.00 I steam any stain of dubious originFirst up, if I find a stain anywhere and I don't know exactly what it is, I steam it. Granted, you can steam any kind of stain, since the heat loosens it and the little bit of moisture helps draw it out, but I especially like this technique for messes that I can't quite explain, since I feel better knowing my first line of attack against them is germ-killing heat. Today, I moved a bunch of stuff near my sink and discovered some marks underneath it all. I couldn't be sure what caused the streaks, but I could be sure that I was attacking them with heat and power. Besides its potential for germ-destroying, steam is fantastic for quickly loosening any stuck-on grime. I've used my steamer to get baked-on food off of oven racks, for instance. Of course, you can use oven cleaner or hot, soapy water, but that takes a lot longer. Blasting caked-on goo with steam loosens it fast and lets you move on to the soapy, more serious disinfecting quicker. The steamer blasting through some streaks by my sink. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Just a few seconds into the steaming of the streaks by my sink, they disappeared. Of course, I went back in with cleaning solution after that, but I was feeling pretty smug by that point. They came right up and off without me having to do so much as scrub (plus I never had to touch anything gross). I steam my dirty dishesIf you do your dishes right away, food doesn't have time to get stuck on them. Blah, blah, I know. But sometimes I'm busy. Sometimes I'm lazy. What I'm saying is that food gets stuck on my dishes and I hate scrubbing it off with a sponge, but not enough to ever learn a lesson about washing them in a speedier fashion. This is where my steamer comes in. I don't have a dishwasher because I live in a small apartment, so I can't toss them in there and let the heat do its job. What I can do is blast those bad boys with the steamer for a second or two, which makes the task of cleaning them off so much faster than if I let them sit in hot water or, God forbid, just got to work scrubbing. Stuck-on food besmirching my spoon before getting annihilated by the steamer. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson I like making quick work of the dishes and, of course, that the heat tackles some germs even before I get at them with the dish soap. Today, there was a spoon in the sink that had a very stuck-on line of food in its bowl (likely from a cheap microwavable soup, I'm sorry to say) but the steamer dislodged it like it was nothing. I did try a little with my fingernail and a sponge before blasting it, just to see how bad it was, and neither made any impactbut the steamer sure did. From there, I soaped the whole thing up, dried it, and went on with my day. I steam my mirrors, tooWhile on my steam-cleaning mission today, I did not need to clean my mirrors (humble brag) because I already did that recently. What I can't provide in photographic evidence I'll make up for in testimony: I love steaming my mirrors because it works so fast and leaves them streak-free. Windex is fine and all, but you have to really wipe to clear out those streaks. Steam is much easier to wipe off and leaves behind no chemicals. I also really like it because one of the main mirrors in my apartment is backlit and relies on electricity. I try to avoid getting it wet, to the extent possible, so the minimal amount of moisture provided by the steam machine is far preferable to the direct wetness of a spritz of window cleaner. The steam quickly destroys water stains and other splotches, although I caution that you may need to go two or three rounds with hairspray that's stuck to your glass. It takes me a few passes to break all the way through setting spray, hair spray, and other sticky chemicals the likes of which you use in front of the mirror. Other than that, this technique works great on shower glass, tile, ceramic, or any other smooth surface where you have water stains or other buildups. You don't need chemicals or a bunch of tools as long as you have your steamer and a rag to wipe everything down with.

As Los Angeles reels from the loss of lives and homes to the Easton and Palisades fires, scientists are asking why the events of this January have been so catastrophic. Climate change very likely played a part in setting the stage that caused multiple fires to sweep through the region, according to analysis from the World Weather Attribution, an international research initiative."Eight of the eleven models examined also show an increase in extreme January [Fire Weather Index], increasing our confidence that climate change is driving this trend," the group said of their investigation.Earth is currently 1.3C hotter than it was before the industrial era began. The WWA found that extreme Fire Weather Index conditions are 35 percent more likely to occur in the LA area at this temperature. If the planet increases 2.6C from its pre-industrial temperature, extreme conditions become another 35 percent more likely. Based on current policies, a 2.6C higher temperature is the minimum increase the Earth is projected to reach by the year 2100.The researchers noted, however, that the growing odds of those peak conditions is not a linear progression. Other factors also contributed to the widespread devastation across the Los Angeles area, including lack of rain; the region had not received significant rainfall since May 2024. This type of drought condition is 2.4 times more likely at the Earth's current temperature than at its pre-industrial level. Santa Ana winds also caused the rapid spread and difficulties containing the blazes. The team said that the impact of wind is not always reflected well in climate models.The World Weather Attribution conducts rapid studies into extreme weather events to analyze whether climate change was a factor. The international team of researchers aim to address the impact of climate in natural disasters "while the impacts of the extreme weather event are still fresh in the minds of the public and policymakers, and decisions about rebuilding are being made."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/climate-change-increased-the-odds-of-los-angeles-devastating-fires-researchers-say-211652200.html?src=rss

A day after the plight of Garmin users whose devices have been stuck in a boot error gained media attention, the company says it has found a solution. We have resolved the underlying issue causing some devices to be stuck on the start up screen, a Garmin spokesperson told Engadget, pointing us to a support page the company recently updated. Unfortunately, if your wearable or cycling computer is displaying a blue triangle of death, the potential fix may involve losing some data in the process.Depending on the device, Garmin says a factory reset is required. In other cases, you may only need to reset the power on your wearable and sync it with either the Garmin Connect app on your phone or via Garmin Express on a PC. Garmin has provided additional troubleshooting information for those with devices that are still malfunctioning after a power reset, with the required steps varying by product line.For instance, in the case of the companys popular Forerunner family of running watches, youll need to power off your device, then press down and hold the Start/Stop and Back buttons until you hear a beep. At that point, release the Start/Stop button, but continue holding the Back button until you hear a second beep. Your watch will then display Garmin's language selection screen. If it was previously paired with your phone, youll need to remove the device from your Bluetooth settings before you can continue the reset process.If its been a while since youve synced your watch, Garmin warns a factory reset will result in the loss of some data, including information relating to Garmin Wallet, Connect IQ content such as watch faces and, most notably, Body Battery insights. However, once you sync your device with Garmin Connect, most (if not all) of that data should be restored.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/garmin-says-it-has-fixed-the-blue-triangle-boot-error-that-was-bricking-some-devices-204919328.html?src=rss

We round up the key upgrades and bug fixes in iOS 18.3.

This 2TB Patriot Transporter SSD stands out for its affordability and impressive read/write speeds of up to 1GB/s.

In a statement, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the company has recorded $5 billion in bookings for its generative AI business.

Meta's Reality Labs unit recorded an operating loss of $4.97 billion while generating $1.1 billion in sales during the fourth quarter.