Our Experts Written by David Watsky 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.Table of Contents Our Picks Chefman 3.7-quart air fryer View details $57 at Amazon View details Lodge 10.5-inch cast iron grill pan View details $20 at Amazon View details BruMate insulated can coolers View details $30 at BruMate View details Double-walled beer mugs View details $30 at Zwilling View details Table of Contents The biggest gridiron clash of the year is right around the corner, which can only mean one thing: snack time. After all, attending a lively watch party can build up an appetite. Whether you're rooting for your favorite team to take home the Lombardi or hoping to clinch out the fantasy season, you'll want to bring your "A" game with a tasty spread of delicious eats. Want to bump your hosting status from amateur to legendary? The right kitchen appliance or gadget can definitely do the trick.If your goal is to make cheesy dips and hearty chilis orcrispy wings and fries without breaking a sweat, we've got an array of small kitchen appliances that will make the world of difference when it comes time tocook and servethe marquee game-day classics. And don't forget, there are also drinks to consider. Sincebeer is the tipple du jour, we found some cool glassware and sturdy insulated can coolers that'll help keep everything extrachill. While we're on the subject, don't forget that you can have your game-day booze deliveredalong with most of yourfood staples, saving you lots of time, trouble and trips to the store.Feeling better? Like you might just pull this off after all? If you're playing host for the big game this year, don't go it alone. Check out these great gadgets and kitchen gear for making your 2025 Super Bowl watch party the best -- and easiest -- one ever. You could mess with a deep fryer to make wings, fries, poppers and other classic game-day snacks, but with air fryers in the mix, why would you? Save yourself a whole lot of mess -- and calories -- and get freakishly similar results to deep frying with an air fryer. The super convection cooking zaps the outside of foods for a crispy crust without burning or overcooking. You're talking to a full air fryer convert and, honestly, these things couldn't be easier to use. Plus, your home won't smell like a carnival food truck afterward.You can pay a lot more than $47 for an air fryer if you want loads of fancy settings and features, but this nearly 4-quart Chefman analog fryer has great reviews and enough cooking capacity to air-fry up batches for the gang. $20 at Amazon If you're going the burger or steak route for your watch party, a cast-iron grill pan is essential. Cast iron gets screaming hot and holds that heat evenly for a perfect sear and char on the outside of your meats. Lodge is a trusted, legacy cast-iron producer and 10.5 inches should be good to hold four or five burgers or a couple of big steaks at once. $30 at BruMate These sleek can coolers do exactly what they say they promise to. You can find them in any shape and size to fit beer bottles, large cans or even slim cans for hard seltzer. $30 at Zwilling For a more classic approach to cold beer, these J.A. Henckels double-walled beer mugs will keep your brews chilled without freezing your fingers. They're freezer- and dishwasher-safe and condensation-free so you won't even need coasters. More for the big game Show more

Paint can often have a reputation for serving as a bold, unapologetic vehicle for self-expression, but with its 2025 Colours collection Farrow & Ball argues that you dont need to pick something loud or shocking to fit who you are or where youre at. This grouping of new (and returning!) colors isn't about casting a net of new and next, but rather doubling-down on the tried-and-true.[Theyre] about finding joy in things which are really familiar, Joa Studholme, the storied brands color curator, tells AD PRO of the nine new and three archival colors that make up the latest collection, which will be available to purchase beginning February 27. I like to think of them as ordinary treasures. Theyre things that are right under our noses. Lets indulge in them.Though Studholme and Farrow & Ball never set out to intentionally create well-ordered collections, she nonetheless admits that the nine colors debuting in 2025 just feel so coherent together, because they manage to be quite expressive without being shouty. However subconsciously they might have emerged, these new colors are united in their power to invoke a sense of nostalgia, whether they harken back to the warmth of a hearth, the possibilities of a spring garden, or even familiar sensations of taste or touch.Duster (No. 319)Naperon (No. 315)Marmelo (No. 316)Douter (No. 318)Scallop (No. 311)Kakelugn (No. 317)That celebration of the ordinary is articulated with Duster, an aged, golden-mustardy yellow that, to Studholme, evokes childhood memories of the utilitarian cleaning cloth, whose humble work allows the rest of the home to shine and sparkle. Along similar lines, Naperon is a comfortingly familiar take on clay terracotta that one might find on a kitchen apron. As its name suggests, Marmelo is a warm and comforting brown that takes its name from quince jam, conjuring images of spreading marmalade on toast around a lively breakfast table.Douter is a consciously-crafted mix of Green Smoke and Inchara Blue envisioned by Studholme to fill a gap in Farrow & Balls collection. Nonetheless, it draws inspiration from the mixture of soot and tarnished brass one sees on a well-loved and oft-used candle snuffer, tying the pigment to the feeling of satisfaction at the end of a night at home spent relaxing or entertaining guests. A dinner party is exactly where one might encounter Scallops namesake, a pigment whose soft, neutral hue presents a lighter take on Farrow & Balls Dead Salmon, capturing this indulgent seafood just at the moment it starts to sear in a sizzling pan.Dibber (No. 312)Reduced Green (No. 313)Sizing (No. 314)This years new crop of greens suggests humble, almost pre-floral connections to the earth. Dibber, a slightly muddied green, takes its name from the gardening implement used to dig holes in the earth from which seeds grow and bulbs sprout. Blurring the line between soil and grass, Reduced Green is a dark, super chic neutral whose muted pigmentation, which Studholme says some see as far more brown than green, lives up to its billing.Though most of todays trending blues feel tethered to sea or sky, Farrow & Balls 2025 selections harken back to homebound rituals. Inspired by its namesake starch, Sizings crisp, cool blue undertones make for a neutral that Studholme says one can practically smell, citing in particular its fitness for laundry rooms. While its name scans as warm and cozy to those familiar with the aesthetics of Scandinavian hearths, Kakelugn is a cleaner, cooler version of Farrow & Balls Light Blue, suggesting that this elevation of homey, everyday colors is still compatible with a playful subversion of expectations.Broccoli Brown (No. 198)Etruscan Red (No. 56)Sap Green (No. 199)In a first for Farrow & Ball, three archival colors have made it into the mix for 2025: the quietly natural Broccoli Brown, the on-trend terracotta richness of Etruscan Red, and the springtime verdance of Sap Green. To Studholme, these excerpts shouldn't be viewed as restored relics meant to exude vintage vibes. Instead, theyre a reminder that as trends come and go, sometimes theres simply no need to fix what isnt broken.

Tech EXCLUSIVE: Woke furry hijacks social channels for right-wing group that published government DEI Watch List Federal employees are listed for offenses such as using pronouns in their bios. (Licensed)The old X account for the conservative non-profit known as the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), the group behind the controversial DEI Watch List, was hijacked by a self-described woke furry.Featured VideoThe effort began after the launch of DEI Watch List, a website that names and shames civil servants for promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), posting pictures and job titles. The page inadvertently listed the AAFs retired X handle, @exposingbiden, as opposed to its current one, @Theswampmonitor, on its homepage.On Tuesday, a social media user, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of harassment, told the Daily Dot they noticed that the @exposingbiden handle was up for grabs after seeing it listed on the DEI Watch List website.AdvertisementUsing the name WokeFurry69, the prankster registered the AAFs previous handle and quickly updated the picture and bio.Gay Furry | they/them | proud supporter of #DarkWoke, the bio states.A pinned post on the profile showcases the music video for Rick Astleys Never Gonna Give You Up.AdvertisementIn remarks to the Daily Dot, WokeFurry69 stated they were just a regular person living life.I just figured I would claim the handle lmao, they said.The DEI Watch List website stirred controversy in recent days for targeting federal workers. A section titled dossiers lists information on 57 separate government employees. Each dossier lists a name, salary, and job position, as well as other data such as perceived offenses. The vast majority of those named by the DEI Watch List are either Black or women.AdvertisementAmong the offenses listed, the civil servants are targeted for things such as donating to Democratic politicians or using pronouns in their online bios.The service even includes a Tip Line where visitors can provide additional information on individuals profiled on this site, or suggestions for additional dossiers.Prior to the launch of the watch list, the Associated Press reported in June 2024 that AAF, thanks in part to a $100,000 grant from the Heritage Foundation, was quietly working to gather information on civil servants ahead of a second term for President Donald Trump.AdvertisementThe AAFs leader, a seasoned political operative named Tom Jones, spent the run-up to the 2024 election digging into the backgrounds, social media posts, and commentary of key high-ranking government employees.The DEI Watch List is already causing concern among federal workers, given its large focus on the Department of Health and Human Services.One individual listed on the site, who spoke on the condition of anonymity with NBC News, described the watch list as unnerving.My name and my picture is there, and in 2025, its very simple to Google and look up someones home address and all kinds of things that potentially put me at risk, the individual said. I dont know what the intention of the list is for. Its just kind of a scary place to be.AdvertisementInternet culture is chaoticbut well break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dots web_crawlr newsletterhere. Youll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Featuring Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, and more!Last week saw the arrival of Hello Kitty Island Adventure on the Nintendo Switch. Apart from featuring an all-star cast of Sanrio characters, the game takes a fair bit of inspiration from the Animal Crossing series while also freshening up the genre.As more reviews have been published, we've now got a round up. Starting with ours here on Nintendo Life, we thought this was a "great" experience on the Switch - awarding it 8/10:Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Try before you buy.Well, here's something we weren't exactly expecting - Nintendo has today released a Switch eShop demo for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.This is the third time this game has been released, with the original version starting life on the Wii in 2010 before being ported across to the 3DS in 2013. You can grab the demo, which gives you access to three levels in the first world, right now. Game progress in this demo won't be transferred across to the full game.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Boston Dynamics Wednesday announced a partnership designed to bring improved reinforcement learning to its electric Atlas humanoid robot. The tie-up is with the Robotics & AI Institute (RAI Institute), earlier known as The Boston Dynamics AI Institute.Both organizations were founded by Marc Raibert, a former MIT professor who served as Boston Dynamics CEO for 30 years. The Institute, founded in 2022, allows Raibert to continue the research that served as the foundation for Boston Dynamics.Both have ties to Hyundai. The Korean carmaker acquired Boston Dynamics back in 2021; Hyundai also funds the Institute, giving Raibert free rein to explore more experimental and bleeding-edge technologies than is possible in a commercial company. The Institute mirrors Toyotas creation of TRI, or Toyota Research Institute, which announced its own partnership with Boston Dynamics in October, focused on the use of large behavior models. (LBMs).The twin partnerships are designed to improve the way Boston Dynamics electric Atlas humanoid learns new tasks. The Robotics & AI Institute deal is specifically focused on reinforcement learning, a method that operates through trial and error, similar to the way both humans and animals learn. Reinforcement learning has traditionally been extremely time-intensive, though the creation of effective simulation has allowed many processes to be carried out at once in a virtual setting.The Boston Dynamics/RAI Institute union kicked off earlier this month in Massachusetts. Its the latest in a number of collaborations between the pair, including a joint effort to develop a reinforcement learning research kit for the quadrupedal Spot robot by Boston Dynamics (which is its familiar robot dog). The new work focuses on both transferring simulation-based learning to real-world settings and improving how the companys humanoid Atlas moves through and interacts with physical environments.Pertaining to the latter, Boston Dynamics points to dynamic running and full-body manipulation of heavy objects. Both are examples of actions that require synchronization of the legs and arms. The humanoids bipedal form factor presents a number of unique challenges and opportunities when compared with Spot. Every activity is also subject to a broad range of forces, including balance, force, resistance, and motion.Bigger picture, Raibert notes in a statement, Our aim at RAI is to develop technology that enables future generations of intelligent machines. Working on Atlas with Boston Dynamics enables us to make advances in reinforcement learning on arguably the most sophisticated humanoid robot available. This work will play a crucial role in advancing the capabilities of humanoids not only by expanding its skillset, but also streamlining the process to achieve new skills.News of the partnership arrives a day after Figure AI founder and CEO Brett Adcock announced that the Bay Area company is abandoning a partnership with OpenAI in favor of developing its own in-house models.We found that to solve embodied AI at scale in the real world, you have to vertically integrate robot AI, the executive told TechCrunch. We cant outsource AI for the same reason we cant outsource our hardware.Figure determined that the best AI models for its humanoid are those that are developed specifically for its robots, in-house. OpenAIs approach to embodied intelligence meaning AI in a physical form has understandably been less focused given the ChatGPT makers size and scope. That news also arrived on the heels of rumors that OpenAI has been exploring the creation of its own humanoid robots.Most companies involved in humanoid space are working on their own bespoke AI models. That certainly applies to Boston Dynamics, which has decades of experience developing software to run on its own unique robotics systems. While the RAI Institute is technically a separate organization, both share a parent company, founder, and, presumably, common goals.

AI researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington were able to train an AI reasoning model for under $50 in cloud compute credits, according to a new research paper released last Friday.The model, known as s1, performs similarly to cutting-edge reasoning models, such as OpenAIs o1 and DeepSeeks R1, on tests measuring math and coding abilities. The s1 model is available on GitHub, along with the data and code used to train it.The team behind s1 said they started with an off-the-shelf base model, then fine-tuned it through distillation, a process to extract the reasoning capabilities from another AI model by training on its answers. The researchers said s1 is distilled from one of Googles reasoning models, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental. Distillation is the same approach Berkeley researchers used to create an AI reasoning model for around $450 last month.To some, the idea that a few researchers without millions of dollars behind them can still innovate in the AI space is exciting. But s1 raises real questions about the commoditization of AI models. Wheres the moat if someone can closely replicate a multi-million-dollar model with relative pocket change?Unsurprisingly, big AI labs arent happy. OpenAI has accused DeepSeek of improperly harvesting data from its API for the purposes of model distillation.The researchers behind s1 were looking to find the simplest approach to achieve strong reasoning performance and test-time scaling, or allowing an AI model to think more before it answers a question. These were a few of thebreakthroughsin OpenAIs o1, which DeepSeek and other AI labs have tried to replicate through various techniques.The s1 paper suggests that reasoning models can be distilled with a relatively small dataset using a process called supervised fine-tuning (SFT), in which an AI model is explicitly instructed to mimic certain behaviors in a dataset. SFT tends to be cheaper than the large-scale reinforcement learning method that DeepSeek employed to train its competitor to OpenAIs o1 model, R1.Google offers free access to Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, albeit with daily rate limits, via its Google AI Studio platform. Googles terms forbid reverse-engineering its models to develop services that compete with the companys own AI offerings, however. Weve reached out to Google for comment.S1 is based on a small, off-the-shelf AI model from Alibaba-owned Chinese AI lab Qwen, which is available to download for free. To train s1, the researchers created a dataset of just 1,000 carefully curated questions, paired with answers to those questions, as well as the thinking process behind each answer from Googles Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental.After training s1, which took less than 30 minutes using 16 Nvidia H100 GPUs, s1 achieved strong performance on certain AI benchmarks, according to the researchers. Niklas Muennighoff, a Stanford researcher who worked on the project, told TechCrunch he could rent the necessary compute today for about $20.The researchers used a nifty trick to get s1 to double-check its work and extend its thinking time: They told it to wait. Adding the word wait during s1s reasoning helped the model arrive at slightly more accurate answers, per the paper.In 2025, Meta, Google, and Microsoft plan to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure, which will partially go toward training next-generation AI models.That level of investment may still be necessary to push the envelope of AI innovation. Distillation has shown to be a good method for cheaply re-creating an AI models capabilities, but it doesnt create new AI models vastly better than whats available today.

Story Development & Creative Workflow with Tiago SousaLearn how to create an entire world foundation using a straightforward creative process. In this two-hour workshop by Tiago Sousa, he presents his entire workflow, from the conception of a simple story through to the final environment. The idea is that youll end up with not just one final scene but, most importantly, a strong base you can continue developing. The world you create will be a course of never-ending inspiration, even when you feel less inspired.Throughout the workshop, Tiago provides tips on writing down the main elements of a story, as well as how to find and organize essential references. He then moves on to sketching and demonstrates how to test the initial ideas using basic tools in Blender. He discusses the importance of camera angles and lighting and how to generate several renders to envision your world as it comes to life. For the final steps, Tiago moves into Photoshop, where he shares his techniques for painting, photo-bashing, and polishing a chosen scene.This workshop is recommended for junior and intermediate-level artists. By completing this workshop, youll have developed a world base with enough material to produce several renders that will give a rich, cohesive look to your portfolio and show your ability to think creatively.Tiago shares his Blender file with all assets and cameras created and the layered Photoshop file with adjustments included for subscribers to examine.WATCH NOW

Atomik AM, a University of Liverpool spin-out based in the School of Engineering, has secured a 125k investment from LYVA Labs. The funding will accelerate the companys binder jetting technology and facilitate its transition from research to commercial applications. Launched in 2023, Atomik AM develops new binder formulations and processing techniques aimed at improving the efficiency and material compatibility of binder jet 3D printing.The investment will support Atomik AMs efforts to convert pipeline opportunities into commercial contracts and expand its intellectual property portfolio. The funding will enable the company to file a new patent, create eight jobs, and establish the role of chief operating officer. The company has already secured multiple collaborations with large manufacturing firms, filed several patents, and is building a portfolio of proprietary technology designed to optimize industrial 3D printing processes.Professor Kate Black, Founder and CEO of Atomik AM, described the investment as a critical step in advancing the companys additive manufacturing research. This investment is a testament to the groundbreaking work our team is doing to advance additive manufacturing processes. It allows us to expand our capabilities, accelerate innovation, and bring sustainable, cutting-edge solutions to the industry.Professor Kate Black in the lab. Photo via Atomik AM. Akshay Bhatnagar, Head of Investments at LYVA Labs, emphasized Atomik AMs role in regional manufacturing research, stating, We hope this will be the first of many investments alongside the University of Liverpool. Atomik AM exemplifies the excellence found in advanced manufacturing R&D across Liverpool City Region, and we are pleased to be part of this business exciting innovation journey.Emma Nolan, Head of the University of Liverpools Enterprise Team, pointed to Atomik AM as an example of how research-driven enterprises contribute to economic development. Atomik AM is a prime example of how university research excellence can be translated into commercial applications with economic impact. We are proud to have supported this University spin-out as one of its first investors, early in its journey. This is an example of our commitment to help create a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and a cluster of high-growth companies across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.Atomik AMs next phase involves scaling up its binder jet 3D printing process and aligning research breakthroughs with industry needs. The technical improvements, combined with the new patent filings, are expected to help the company mature into a full-scale production partner for various sectors. Management plans to use the investment to broaden the teams expertise, accelerate commercialization, and pursue additional collaborative ventures.Atomik AM Team. Photo via Atomik AM.Universities Expand 3D Printing HorizonsThe role of universities in advancing additive manufacturing is increasingly evident across different research domains. At the University of Melbourne, the Collins BioMicrosystems Laboratory has developed a bioprinting technique known as Dynamic Interface Printing (DIP), which significantly accelerates the fabrication of complex tissue structures. Unlike traditional bioprinters that rely on slow, layer-by-layer deposition, DIP employs acoustic waves to manipulate microscopic bubbles, guiding cells into position at a rate approximately 350 times faster than conventional methods. This innovation reduces mechanical stress on cells, improves structural accuracy, and allows direct printing onto lab plates, eliminating the need for complex post-processing. The process is being explored for applications in regenerative medicine, including the rapid production of patient-specific tissue models.Elsewhere, the University of Cyprus is leading a European Union-funded initiative to develop aluminum metal matrix composites (Al-MMCs) for aerospace applications. The Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials Competence Centre (AM2C3) project brings together institutions from Norway, Switzerland, and Spain to refine processing and characterization techniques for these high-strength, lightweight materials. The research team is focused on optimizing Al-MMC properties for demanding aerospace conditions, with efforts including staff exchanges and shared access to advanced R&D equipment. The project also aims to establish a long-term intellectual property framework to ensure the continued development and adoption of advanced additive manufacturing materials in the aerospace sector.AM2C3 brings global expertise to Cyprus, advancing additive manufacturing and Al-MMC innovation for aerospace applications. Image via IMDEA Materials.Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards?What will the future of 3D printing look like?Which recent trends are driving the 3D printing industry, as highlighted by experts?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights.Stay connected with the latest in 3D printing by following us on Twitter and Facebook, and dont forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry YouTube channel for more exclusive content.Featured image shows Atomik AM Team. Photo via Atomik AM.

Mini CrosswordNYTIn case you missed Wednesdays NYT Mini, you can find the answers here:The NYT Mini is a quick and dirty version of the newspaper's larger and long-running crossword. Most days, there are between three and five clues in each direction on a five by five grid, but the puzzles are sometimes larger, especially on Saturdays.Unlike its larger sibling, the NYT Mini crossword is free to play on the New York Times website or NYT Games app. However, youll need an NYT Games subscription to access previous puzzles in the archives.The NYT Mini is a fun daily distraction that usually takes no time at all. I try to beat the standard weekday grid in less than a minute. But sometimes I can't quite figure out one or two clues and need to reveal the answer.To help you avoid doing that, here are the NYT Mini Crossword answers (spoilers lie ahead, of course):MORE FOR YOUNYT Mini Crossword Clues And AnswersACROSS1) Chief Norse god - ODIN 5) Required number - QUOTA 6) Open, as a sleeping bag - UNZIP 7) Puts a cold pack on - ICES 8) Scrabble value of the circled letters - TENDOWN1) Unit of weight whose symbol includes a "z" - OUNCES 2) Bakers ___ - DOZEN 3) "Thats correct" - IT IS 4) Hit the hay during the day - NAP 5) Give up - QUITMiniNYTWell thats certainly a different puzzle today. In all my time doing this I cannot remember a circled letter concept, though perhaps I missed one some where along the way. I didnt actually know the scrabble value but I can spell ten. The best clue I thought was the unit of measurement with a Z in it, as that was really clever with ounce/oz.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and