NN#6 Neural Networks Decoded: Concepts Over Code 0 like February 13, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): RSD Studio.ai Originally published on Towards AI. This member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Source: Article by PushkarIn the previous article, we dissected the mechanics of backpropagation, gradient descent, and the pivotal role of the chain rule in training neural networks. While these concepts form the backbone of deep learning, they are merely the starting point. The real challenge lies in optimizing these processes to ensure models converge efficiently, avoid local minima, and generalize well to unseen data.This article dives into the art and science of optimization techniques, focusing on how to refine stochastic gradient descent (SGD), a form of which we studied in previous article, adapt learning rates dynamically and leverage advanced optimizers. By the end, youll understand how algorithms like Adam, RMSprop and Momentum transcend vanilla SGD to accelerate training and improve model performance.Optimization algorithms are the techniques we use to fine-tune the internal parameters of our models, guiding them towards making more accurate predictions. Theyre the mechanisms that allow neural networks to truly learn from their mistakes and improve over time. They are what makes it all make sense at the core level and more!Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) is the workhorse of neural network optimization. Unlike batch gradient descent, which Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock at Amazon at its retail price of $479 shipped. This is the official launch price with zero markup, and it's not bundled with anything you don't want or need. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market (across both AMD and Intel) and a better choice for gamers than the more expensive Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.Highlight: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Desktop ProcessorAMD's X3D series processors are optimized for gaming. In that respect, they bench better than even the most expensive of AMD's standard lineup of CPUs thanks to AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. Although perfectly capable of handling multitasking, rendering, and creation, the limited number of cores means they aren't the ideal processors for those tasks. At its retail price of $479, the 9800X3D is $110 cheaper than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K ($589) and $170 cheaper than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, even though it outperforms both of them in gaming. Unless you're a staunch Intel fan, or you're still on AM4 and don't want to upgrade all of your components, the 9800X3D is the obvious choice for your next gaming rig.New ReleaseAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 Desktop Processor$479.00 at AmazonIn our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review, Jackie Thomas wrote:"The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is extremely powerful in games, which makes it easier to recommend than other recent processors like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or Ryzen 9 9900X. Especially if youre building a rig with a powerful graphics card, the 9800X3D is going to be the best way to get the most performance out of whichever GPU you pair it with."For more big tech news for this month, check out our CES 2025 hub for all of the latest updates.Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Laptops are expensive, and theres no way around that, but you can lessen the financial impact by picking up the best laptop or gaming laptop at the right time. While there are always new laptops coming out, there are several times during the year when buying a laptop is quite a bit more affordable, even if you want the latest and greatest in 2025. With President's Day sales on the horizon, we've broken down some of the best times to buy a new laptop every year.For the Best Time to Buy a Laptop in 2025, Keep in Mind:Big Sales Events: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime DayBack to School TimingNew Hardware ReleasesBlack Friday / Cyber MondayBlack Friday and Cyber Monday DealsBlack Friday and Cyber Monday sales are obviously a good time to buy a laptop, but its more than just the doorbusters. New laptop hardware usually launches either at the beginning of the year or around October, depending on the manufacturer. This means all the laptops that are either one generation old, or are became one generation old after CES (the Consumer Electronics Show), are going to be seeing deep discounts. We've seen this to be true for Macbooks, for example, which recently had new models revealed.This is because retailers like Amazon and Best Buy want to clear their shelves to make room for newer products when they arrive. So, yeah, this might mean youre not getting the fanciest laptop possible, but when you can save a solid 20-30% off the sticker price, does that even matter? Couple this with retailers using huge Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to grab your attention, and you can get an extremely affordable laptop. Ive seen Black Friday deals cut the price of a MacBook Air a couple of weeks after it came out, and Apples laptops are usually the last to see any kind of discount, especially when theyre new. Black Friday will be on November 28 in 2025, but the deals season will likely kick off in late October. If you want to buy a laptop during Black Friday, you can expect to start seeing the deals shortly after Amazon's October Prime Day event.Amazon Prime DayAmazon Prime DayJust like Black Friday, Amazon holds its own deals event each year. In my experience, Prime Day laptop deals are never great, but that doesnt mean they dont exist. As long as youre not too picky, you can find a solid laptop at an affordable price, but it probably wont be a flashy top-end device. Instead, Amazon Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to grab one of the best Chromebooks. These are already super affordable laptops, and Amazon cuts the prices even further on Prime Day. The best part about this is you dont have to worry too much about what hardware youre getting with a Chromebook, as pretty much everything youll be doing on the device is tied to a web browser anyway.We expect Prime Day 2025 to take place around the same time as last year in mid-July.October Prime DayAmazon also started having a Prime Day 2 of sorts in October. The October Prime Day sale is a lot like the summer version, with many similar discounts appearing before the holiday season. You won't find nearly as many laptop deals compared to Black Friday, but it's still worth mentioning if you need to find a laptop for cheap in the fall.Other Sales EventsWhile Black Friday and Prime Day are the big sales events pretty much everyone knows about, retailers will often discount big tech items for holidays as well. Coming up this weekend is President's Day, and Best Buy has already announced a big sale for it. Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July are also a great time to check out laptop deals. If You Want the New HotnessIf youre not necessarily interested in getting a great deal on a laptop, but instead want the best laptop possible at any given moment, youre going to want to wait for Nvidia, Intel or AMD to announce new laptop hardware. This year, a new generation of laptops was announced alongside CES 2025, with a particular emphasis on AI assistants and Mini-LED displays. We've broken down the main gaming laptop trends we noticed at the event, and of course all eyes are on next-generation graphics. We got a particularly good look at Razer's new lineup of RTX 5090 laptops. Intel Announces 13th Gen Raptor Lake Mobile Processors at CES 2023If you're wanting to browse deals right now or want a place to check back periodically, we've got you covered on the best gaming laptop deals year-round.Ultrabooks are always getting upgrades, though Intel's less-powerful U-series processors tend to release at kind of random times of the year. This is where it pays off to keep an eye on tech news and rumors. Laptop hardware has a tendency to just show up out of nowhere, so if you want to grab the new hotness when it comes out, youre going to have to keep an eye out.New Hardware Can Lower Prices, Kind ofOne of the other benefits of waiting for new laptop hardware to come out is that it will immediately cut the prices of last-gen hardware. It might sting a little to spend a thousand bucks on a year-old laptop, but let me assure you that laptop generations are extremely incremental. You dont need to worry too much about a 13th-gen Intel laptop now that 14th-gen Intel laptops have come out, because the 13th-gen chips are only a few percentage points behind the 14th-gen ones. And even then, its not like the difference is going to be noticeable in every day computing tasks. Trust me, one CPU generation isnt going to speed Photoshop up that much.Keeping an eye on new laptop hardware and then snagging an excellent deal on a last-gen laptop is easily one of the best ways to buy a laptop, and this goes for the best MacBooks too. When a new MacBook comes out, you can open any used marketplace and see hundreds of year-old MacBooks at a deep discount because their owners want to buy the new one. If you want to be savvy when buying a new laptop, no matter the time of year, this is the way to do it.Top Affordable Laptops to Choose From Right NowIf you're not wanting to wait for an upcoming sale event or for any new models to be released, here are some top budget laptops to browse from our laptop buying guides:Dell Dell XPS 13If you don't want to splurge on a MacBook, a top MacBook alternative is the Dell XPS 13 laptop.ASUS Asus TUF Dash 15If you need a good gaming laptop under $2,000, this is a great choice on a budget.Microsoft Surface Pro 9One of the best detachable laptops out there. We recommend the model offering up Microsofts ARM-based processor, the SQ 3.Apple Apple MacBook Air M2The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is one of the best laptops for everyday use.Jackie Thomas is IGN's tech and buying guides editor, specializing in hardware reviews and features.

News Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 Confirms Major Timeline ChangeThe Rings of Power season 3 will begin with a time jump. What does this mean for the Lord of the Rings show? We have some thoughts.By John Saavedra | February 13, 2025 | | Photo: Ross Ferguson/Prime VideoThis Lord of the Rings article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power.Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is officially returning for a third season on Prime Video, Amazon confirmed in an announcement. The renewal of the blockbuster epic fantasy series doesnt come as a huge surprise, as season 3 has been in development since at least last year, according to showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Amazon also announced the directors who will be helming the new season, including returning directors Charlotte Brndstrm and Sanaa Hamri, joined by Stefan Schwartz (The Boys). Along with the renewal announcement came a very interesting tidbit about season 3s timeline: the story wont pick up directly after the siege of Eregion and the death of Celebrimbor, but instead will pick up after a lengthy time jump.Jumping forward several years from the events of season 2, season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last, Amazon confirmed in a statement.The time jump makes sense when you consider the thousands of years of history that make up J.R.R. Tolkiens Second Age of Middle-earth, the age in which the show is set. For example, in the book timeline, 100 years pass between the forging of the first 19 rings and the creation of the One Ring in Mordor, and the War of the Elves and Sauron kicks off almost 100 years after that. The fall of Numenor, an event we expect to see at some point on this show, doesnt happen until over a 1,000 years after that war has already ended. The War of the Last Alliance (the big battle featured in the prologue of Peter Jacksons The Fellowship of the Ring) caps off the Second Age over 100 years later.The first two seasons of The Rings of Power compressed quite a bit of that timeline already, on top of remixing the order in which certain events happened in Tolkiens text, so itll be interesting to see what the result of a time jump will be. If we had to speculate, we imagine this will allow for season 3 to deliver new locations such as Rivendell, the founding of which was teased in the season 2 finale, as well as a Mordor more like the one we know from the movies. In the book timeline, the construction of Barad-dur, Saurons fortress, was completed just as the Dark Lord forged the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, an event it sounds like well see by the end of the third season. In other words, it looks like The Rings of Power season 3 wants to move things further along after two seasons that have largely served as setup for the major battles of the Second Age. This is undoubtedly a good thing. There are a few other threads the third season will have to address, of course, including whats going on over in Numenor and in Khazad-dumtwo places we expect will be in even worse shape in season 3as well as who will be the nine Men to receive rings of power from Sauron. Oh, and whatever Gandalf and Nori are up to in the deserts of Rhun ruled by the Dark Wizard. If were lucky, we might even finally learn what the hell happened to Celeborn!The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 will begin shooting this spring in the UK. Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Prime Video.

Jack in and prepare for future warfare as Season 2 Digital Dawn arrives for Call of Duty: Mobile. Deploy to an upgraded and remastered version of the Raid Multiplayer map and participate in new themed events including a special Shiba Feichai crossover event featuring a dynamic Weapon Camo and other rewards.An epic Battle Pass brings new Loadout items like the VLK Rogue Shotgun and the Flash Strike Tactical. In the Challenge Pass, unlock an offroad-themed RC-XD thatll chase down your foes over even the roughest terrain.Season 2 Digital Dawn launches on February 19 at 4 PM PT.Following the remaster of Standoff completed last year, the team have now set their sights on Raid, one of the original launch maps available when Call of Duty: Mobile first released five years ago. The sprawling luxury complex will receive a full touch up inside and out including improved textures and foliage, new paint, new water effects, and many other graphical enhancements.Shiba FeichaiFollowing the remaster of Standoff completed last year, the team have now set their sights on Raid, one of the original launch maps available when Call of Duty: Mobile first released five years ago. The sprawling luxury complex will receive a full touch up inside and out including improved textures and foliage, new paint, new water effects, and many other graphical enhancements.RamadanStarting on February 28, several events will launch in-game to help celebrate Ramadan with login rewards, challenges, and an exchange shop.Throughout the celebration earn rewards like more chances at Secret Caches, the M4 Rainbow Plume Weapon Blueprint, the Zero Azurine Dagger, and the Charly Feather and Plume Operator Skins.Also look out for the Golden Horizon Bundle coming to the Store. This bundle will offer Ramadan themed cosmetics, including the Otter Refraction Operator Skin and the Muscle Car Scared Vehicle Skin for use in Battle Royale.Celebrate this vibrant holiday from March 6 to March 26 with an associated in-game event that has you earning color fragments through daily and weekly tasks that anyone can complete, like playing matches, damaging enemies, and eliminating enemies in Battle Royale or Multiplayer.By completing all these tasks, you can consume these color fragments for a chance to randomly unlock rewards including Secret Caches, numerous Battle Royale related camos, and the Pharo Color Spray.The Digital Dawn Pass features free and premium items including new Operator Skins, Weapon Blueprints, Calling Cards, and additionalCall of DutyPoints to spend on your next Premium Pass or Store purchase.The bolt-action VLK Rogue Shotgun blasts onto the scene in the Season 2 Battle Pass, a highly mobile weapon to help close the distance with a large magazine for unrelenting attacks on the enemy target. Also get the new Flash Strike Grenade, a special Tactical that drills through surfaces before emitting a strong flash effect on the other side, perfect for disorienting enemies behind cover. Other free tier highlights include a variety of Skins, Weapons Blueprints, Vault Coins, and more.Purchase the Premium Pass for the chance to earn all the content in the Digital Dawn stream, including Operator Skins Artery Overwrite, Hudson Shadow Agent, Blackjack Black Hack, and a new Operator, Umar Obi. Win the digital revolution with high-tech Weapon Blueprints like the HVK-30 Malware, SP-R 208 Bot Sector, ICR-1 Spyware, EM2 Macro Virus, and the VLK Rogue Ransomware, based on the new Season 2 weapon.Battle Pass Subscription:Enlist with the Ground Forces by purchasing a Battle Pass Subscription, granting additional monthly rewards along with a 10% boost to Player and Weapon XP, discount coupons, plus limited discounts on 10x crate pulls.Season 2s Ground Forces rewards include the Francis Getaway Operator Skin, the OTs 9 Legions Weapon Blueprint, and the Backpack Dual Plot.Complete Standard, Special, and Elite Missions to progress through the Season 2 Challenge Pass. Use your earned Challenge Tokens to purchase items in the Exchange including an offroad-themed reskin for the RC-XD plus, PP19 Bizon Shiny Cat, and more opportunities to grab Secret Caches.Check the in-game Events tab throughout the season for new Missions and rewards. For a broader glimpse of ongoing seasonal activities, check the Mission Board located in the main menu.New Legendary Draws: Deploy as teched out digital warriors wielding the latest in weapon design at their fingertips with new Legendary Draws providing the chance to unlock new Legendary Weapon Blueprints alongside themed Operator Skins and more.Delete the opposition with Legendary Weapon Blueprints like the menacing MG42 Black Mirror, a weapon that processes eliminations as quickly as data, the elegant and meticulously detailed Man-O-War Doomfire Pulse, the electrifying QQ9 Quantum Flash, and the experimental VLK Rogue Evolutionary, a Weapon Blueprint designed in a secret weapons project thats based on the new Season 2 Shotgun.Shiba Feichai Strongbox: Roam the map and dominate your foes as a sassy Shiba, wielding themed weapons to achieve victory. For new players and seasoned pros, theres something for everyone.Mythic Sophia:The Mythic Operator Skin for Sophia remains available for purchase in Season 2. Dont miss out on the agent of revenge who moves toward redemption as she gains further upgrades.Secret Caches:The new Secret Caches reward system continues in Season 2! Log in daily to unlock rewards and play regularly to earn fragments towards free Mythic and Legendary weapons that take several seasons to unlock. Keep an eye out for several weekend events offering double Secret Cache drops!Battle Pass Vault:Get Operator Skins like Templar Unredeemed and Yegor Needleworked along with Weapon Blueprints like the SVD Black Ironwood and LK24 Vanquished as Battle Pass content from Season 10 Shadows Return arrives in the Vault.Season 2 Digital Dawn launches on Call of Duty: Mobile on February 19 at 4 PM PT.See you online.For the latest Call of Duty Mobile news, visit theCall of Duty: Mobilewebsite, as well asCall of Duty: Mobileon YouTube. Also follow Call of Duty: Mobile onX,Instagram, andFacebook.For the latest Call of Duty intel, visitCall of Duty, as well asCall of Dutyon YouTube. Also follow Call of Duty onX,InstagramandFacebook. 2019-2025 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.For more information on Activision games, visit theActivision Games Blog. Also follow @Activision onX,Instagram, andFacebook.

DIY designer Dodie Vanhooser just proved that small spaces can have big potential. When the owner and principal designer of Indigo House realized she didnt have enough spare rooms to accommodate her guests, she converted her studios closet into a bunk bed roomproblem solved.Ive been dreaming about turning this little closet off my studio into the cutest built-in bunkbeds forever, Vanhooser captioned the first in a series of Instagram videos documenting her efforts, adding, Well, the time has come, and the pressure is ON! In just seven days, Vanhooser (with a little help from family and friends) demoed and redesigned the storage space into a cozy sleep oasis. Followers swarmed to the comment section to sing the bunk nooks praises, calling Vanhoosers work wildly creative, impressive, and inventive, deeming the DIYer a space genius. So how did Vanhooser get from point A to point B in her latest renovation project? Were breaking down the tangible steps that went into transforming the unused space into a statement-making sleep nook in just a week.Related StoriesStep 1: DemolitionDodie VanhooserVanhoosers original closet space.How does one transform a closet into a bedroom of sorts? Demo, demo, demo. First, Dodie and her husband Tom removed the drywall, framing, baseboard, carpet, and wire shelving from the 59-inch-deep, 78-inch-wide closet. Next, she hired an electrician to remove any wiring from the closets original light fixture and rough in the new light switches. Last, the duo removed the studs of the wall, and cut and removed the bottom lumber plate that the studs rested on. In the end, Vanhooser told a commenter the space was perfect for full-size mattresses with a four-inch shelf behind [them]. Step 2: Building and FramingNow that Vanhooser had a blank canvas, it was time to get building. As soon as the lumber for this project was delivered, it was measured, marked, and cut for the structures framing. To ensure the beds were sturdy enough for kids to climb and play on, Vanhooser used four-inch structural screws to anchor the studs in place.I had decided to build these beds as a loft rather than a traditional bed construction for added strength and security, Vanhooser told House Beautiful. I probably overbuilt them, but I could put a baby elephant up there and not be worried. Ha! Related StoryStep 3: Heavy Lifting Once Vanhooser had a sturdy foundation to build off of, it was time to make the bunk beds look more like, well, beds! This involved cutting and wrestling plywood into place, installing plywood decking (these are thin pieces of plywood that have been glued together to make a thicker, sturdier sheet), and situating nickel gap-primed shiplap paneling along the walls. Last, but certainly not leastVanhooser says this step was the trickiest of the dayshe checked that the round cutouts for the light fixtures and switches were perfectly aligned and cut on both levels of the bunks.Pro Tip: Vanhooser tells House Beautiful she used vertical Nickel Gap Shiplap Paneling instead of installing traditional shiplap boards as it was a cost-saving and time-saving decision that once painted, looks the same.Step 4: Trimming and SecuringView full post on InstagramDay five was shiplap day, and Vanhooser had a little help from her son to complete it. The goal was to fit plywood sheets to the bunk beds frame. When the measurements were correct, Vanhooser and her son secured the underside of the top bunk and built shelves behind each mattress so guests could store books, their phones, a glass of water, etc. Step 5: Caulking and PaintingOnce the bunk beds were in place and secureand Vanhoosers patience was thoroughly testedit was time to focus on the spaces aesthetic. The day was mostly made up of Caulking!!! And more Caulking, Vanhooser says. Then she painted the walls with a semi-gloss enamel in a crisp white color. Waiting for the paint to dry would prove to be worth it.Step 6: DecoratingDodie VanhooserVanhooser's decorative touches included Indian block-print bedding and custom wallpaper on the ceiling.Decorating this bunk nook, Vanhooser tells her followers was, where the magic happened. The bunk beds were just big enough to fit two full-size mattresses. The DIY designer dressed the bedding in Indian block-print quilts from her travels in Jaipur, India, and matching pillowcases; each sleep space was allotted a dimmable lamp; and a rope ladder with tassel details completed the sleepytime loft. It was a week of hard work, but we have to say, we're seriously jealous of the lucky guests who get to enjoy this dreamy bunk bed nook.Dodie VanhooserThe finished bunk bed nook!Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

Last weekend, Apple TV+ gave its biggest movie of the year a major platform at the Super Bowl. This weekend, TV+ is celebrating Valentines Day with an actual full-length film premiere. The Gorge, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller, arrives on Apple TV+ this Friday, February 14and early reviews just dropped.The Gorge is the latest big-budget Apple TV+ swingApple TV+ is having a big moment right now thanks to Severance, but its also in the midst of a movie strategy pivot.Until recently, Apple was giving many films wide theatrical releases each year. That changed after last years Argylle and Fly Me to the Moon disappointed at the box office.The first sign of change involved canceling a theatrical launch for Wolfs, the George Clooney-Brad Pitt thriller. That move ultimately turned into a nice win for Apple TV+.Now, the next big Apple TV+ movie is here, and per one review, its the romantic sniper monster movie youve been waiting for.The Gorge, from director Scott Derrickson of Doctor Strange and horror flick fame, brings Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller together for a big budget, genre-defying romp that could be a lot of fun per early reviews.Reviews for The Gorge are largely positiveThe first reviews are still coming in for The Gorge, but early takes sound positive. Here are some quotes from a few critics:Peter Hammond at Deadline:Teller and Taylor-Joy are well matched and make this love story credible against all odds, both also proving to be action stars of the first rank. No doubt this film would have been a natural for theatres, even Imax, but, sadly for AMC, the Skydance production for Apple Original Films is headed straight to streaming.Courtney Howard writes at Variety:Though it often relies on a generic outline, the film excels when it shows its inventive enough to deliver the unexpected. The premise holds more than a modicum of intrigue, blending sci-fi, romance, horror and action in a slow-burning character study.Keith Philips at TV Guide:When The Gorge keeps its focus on charismatic star-crossed lovers falling in love as they fight off a dreadful threat, which is most of the time, its every bit the diversion anyone intrigued by that description would want it to be.Overall, while the movie may not be right for everyone, it sounds like a unique experiment that largely works.Im excited to watch The Gorge, and think its cast, timing, and potentially broad demographic appeal could make it a win for Apple TV+ this weekend.Apple TV+ isavailable for $9.99 per monthand features hit TV shows and movies likeTed Lasso,Severance,The Morning Show,Silo, andShrinking.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 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

Amazon Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming services, and it just got a big update on the Apple TV that offers an improved tvOS experience. Heres everything thats new.New Prime Video update brings more tvOS-native approachAvailable across all Apple TV 4K models and also the Apple TV HD, the newly updated Prime Video app comes with six main improvements.Heres the highlight list per Amazon:Faster Scrolling: Leveraging Siri Remote, customers can now use common gestures to navigate around the app. With a simple swipe in any direction, users can quickly scroll through dozens of shows with a single motion to find the exact title theyre looking for.New Touchpad Gestures: The touchpad gestures make fast forwarding and rewinding content a breeze. Customers can now simply swipe to their desired playback point.Search: The in-app search function will now automatically populate search results as customers type each letter. Users can also leverage dictation to find results quickly with just their voice.Motion and sound effects: For an even more cinematic experience, users can now enjoy sound effects when swiping through content and features like parallax effect for added visual depth.Images: The Prime Video app on Apple TV now uses higher resolution images so customers can fully immerse themselves into their favorite movie or TV show.Accessibility: Apples best-in-class suite of accessibility features, like VoiceOver, Hover Text and Bold Text, are now available to enhance the viewing experience.I havent tested the new app yet, but overall it looks like an excellent update to Prime Videos Apple TV app.Better use of the Siri Remote, more fluid gestures, faster search, and more should provide a much more native-feeling tvOS experience than Amazon has ever had.And hey, while I personally think the Apple TV app provides a better TV+ experience, you can also subscribe to and watch Apple TV+ from directly inside Amazons app.Image Credits: Prime VideoBest Apple TV 4K and home accessoriesAdd 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

Back in 2021, the tech industry was booming. Fueled by generous government subsidies and the pandemic economy, tech companies went on a hiring spree, promising unlimited time off and upward growth opportunities at open offices where kombucha and cold brew flowed from taps.Flash forward to now, and those taps have run dry. A seemingly endless wave of mass layoffs is ravaging the tech industry as startup fails skyrocket and tech giants shovel their operating budgets into the AI furnace.And of all the workers devastated by the carnage, former tech workers in Silicon Valley are having a particularly rough go of it.The region's former software engineers and developers whose jobs were previously thought to be ironclad are now having to contend with a fiercely competitive job market in one of the most expensive housing markets in the world.Many, like former Indeed managing engineer Daelynn Moyer, are considering leaving the industry altogether. The 55 year old life-long tech worker told the Washington Post that she's considering selling her house and retiring early to a farm, after 160 job applications went nowhere."It would be a meager existence, but it would be fulfilling,"Moyer told the paper. "I would no longer feel like a no longer useful commodity."Moyer isn't alone industry events are becoming desperate job fairs full of unemployed tech workerssick of rejection emails.Many have taken to social media to share the misery of the job hunt with the growing mass of erstwhile tech workers. "I'm looking to move on from tech," commented one Reddit account on a thread about layoffs. "I am burned out on the lengthy interview process and then the rejections. It has done some damage to me physiologically."Another posted "lessons learned from my tech layoff," saying "I did not know who I was after I got laid off. I looked at myself in the mirror and I could not introduce myself to me. I regret caring so much about 'shareholder value.'"Unfortunately for American tech workers, the layoff train isn't slowing down.Yesterday, Meta kicked off "thousands of layoffs," amounting to roughly 5 percent of its staff, some of whom CEO Mark Zuckerberg has vowed to replace with AI systems. And last week, Google offered workers severance in exchange for taking a voluntary layoff, signaling its intention to clamp down on its already consolidated hardware department, which had experienced hundreds of layoffs in spring of last year.While layoffs are becoming ubiquitous to all layers of tech, they're particularly insidious coming from the magnificent seven stock-trader parlance for the tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google (Alphabet), Nvidia, Tesla, Amazon, and Meta which together are worth more than the stock markets of the UK, Canada, Germany, and France combined, or more than China's entire stock market, which is the second largest in the history of the world.Put it all together, and an industry that was just recently on top of the world is feeling some serious crunch. And while it's currently the rank-and-file taking the brunt, it remains to be seen how deep the cuts will go especially because the tech sector, for now, seems hell-bent onpouring money into artificial intelligence.More on the economy: Top AI Company Anthropic Pleads With People Seeking Jobs There Not to Use AI for Job ApplicationsShare This Article

Tesla has pursued an unusually aggressive tactic in China to silence its critics.As the Associated Press reports, the company has sued at least six Tesla owners in the country who reported sudden vehicle malfunctions, including unexplained brake failures, over the last four years. It also sued at least six bloggers and two Chinese media outlets who had criticized the Elon Musk-led company.According to the AP, the carmaker won at least eleven of those cases, while two are on appeal and one was settled out of court. In contrast, not a single American Tesla owner has so far been sued by Tesla.It's an unusual and hostile tactic, with the AP suggesting that the EV maker has been leveraging the "patronage of powerful leaders in Chinas ruling Communist Party to silence critics, reap financial rewards and limit its accountability."On an obvious level, the hypocrisy is astounding, with Musk publicly promoting himself as a "free speech absolutist" when it serves his agenda.And it's an even more pertinent topic now that Musk has installed himself as a key figure in the Trump administration, aiming his sights at regulators and the judicial system to clear the path for his carmaker.That government influence appears to have extended to China, with journalists telling the AP that they had been told to avoid "negative coverage." Tesla has also enjoyed cheap loans and tax breaks in the country.Reports of brake failures affecting Tesla vehicles in China took off in 2021, sparking a fierce debate over whether the victims were inventing the mechanical failures to drum up support for the company's competitors. Since then, we've seen several instances of Chinese owners issuing apologies on social media for claiming that their Teslas had faulty brakes, adding fuel to the debate.It's hard not to wonder: were the claims really faked, or did Tesla pull strings with the country's authoritarian ruling party to force the apologies?Tesla also holds control over its driving data, leaving the possibility that it could have changed the data to incriminate its critics.The AP also found that car owners only won nine out of 81 civil judgments in China involving complaints over safety and quality issues or contract disputes."For Tesla to win that percentage of the time is an anomaly," Automobility Ltd. founder Bill Russo told the agency. "The odds are stacked against you. Its like going to the casino and winning every hand."Meanwhile, Musk has repeatedly met with former Communist Party boss and current premier of China Li Qiang, further highlighting the EV maker's close relationship with the Asian nation.Now that the richest man in the world has amassed a staggering degree of influence in the White House, safety advocates warn that any future criticisms against Tesla could similarly be stamped out."Tesla used their legal advantages to bully Chinese car owners and people who speak up for them," Tesla owner Feng Shiming, who was ordered to pay $34,200 after writing about alleged brake failures, told the AP. "Tesla wants to have a chilling effect on society and terrify people so they will be scared to say anything negative about Tesla."Share This Article