Advanced Voice Mode is coming to ChatGPT free, and Deep Research is coming to ChatGPT Plus

OpenWrt One is designed for security-conscious users and hackers, featuring Wi-Fi 6 and open-source firmware.

Small business owners felt more uncertain about the future in January, as they continue to deal with labor challenges and lingering inflation.According to a monthly poll of small business owners from the National Federation of Independent Business, the uncertainty index in January rose 14 points to 100 the third highest recorded reading, after two months of decline. The NFIB said small business owners are feeling less confident about investing in their business due to uncertain business conditions in the coming months.The response mirrors overall consumer confidence,which plummeted in February, the biggest monthly decline in more than four years, with inflation seemingly stuck and a trade war under President Donald Trump seen by a growing number of Americans as inevitable.In the NFIB poll, optimism fell by 2.3 points in January to 102.8, but remained high.Optimism surged after the presidential election, and the index still topped the the 51-year average of 98 for the third month in a row.Overall, small business owners remain optimistic regarding future business conditions, but uncertainty is on the rise, said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. Hiring challenges continue to frustrate Main Street owners as they struggle to find qualified workers to fill their many open positions. Meanwhile, fewer plan capital investments as they prepare for the months ahead.Eighteen percent of owners reported that inflation was their single most important problem in operating their business, down two points from December and matching labor quality as the top issue.Labor remains a top headache. A seasonally adjusted 35% of all small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in January, unchanged from December. Of the 52% of owners hiring or trying to hire in January, 90% reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill.And fewer small businesses are planning capital investments to expand their business. Twenty percent plan capital outlays in the next six months, down seven percentage points from December.Mae Anderson, AP business writer

Dennysis the latest restaurant chain to add a temporary egg surcharge due to the rising cost of eggs caused by a nationwide shortage and the current bird flu outbreak.Last month, Waffle House added an upcharge of 50 cents per egg. Meanwhile, many supermarket chains, including Trader Joes, Market Basket, and big-box retailers including Walmart, Costco, and Sams Club, have raised prices and limited the number of cartons shoppers can buy.This pricing decision is market-by-market, and restaurant-by-restaurant due to the regional impacts of the egg shortage, Dennys told Fast Company in astatement. We will continue to look for ways to provide options on our menu, including our $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu.The restaurant said it would not specify which of its 1,500 locations would see the surcharge as the situation is fluid.Once an inexpensive food staple, eggs have soared in price in recent months. As of last week, a dozen white eggs was $8.07, according to CNBC. Bird flu, or avian influenza, has had a crippling effect on the nations egg supply, resulting in the death of 18.9 million birds in just the past 30 days, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).This is a double whammy for Dennys, which announced more store closings earlier this month as part of the restaurant chainsplan to jumpstart its waning growth. Like many fast-food and casual-dining chains, it has been struggling in recent years due to inflation, changing customer habits, and skyrocketing food prices.We have taken a close look at every restaurant in our domestic portfolio; and as a result, at the end of last year, we announced the decision to close approximately 150 restaurants by the end of 2025, Dennys previously told Fast Company. We began the closing process last year, and we are continuing to work through our plan. More than half of these locations have already closed.Dennys said the closures will enable its franchises to open upwards of 20 new locations in 2025 . . . and remodel some current locations.

Our smartphones have become so powerful and so capable of a multitude of tasks that we have become too dependent on them. Their limitations, however, become glaringly obvious when we venture into the wilderness. Picture this: Youre hiking through remote terrain, and suddenly your trusted digital companion dies or loses signal. Thats when a traditional compass proves its worth. But what if you could carry four essential outdoor tools in one compact device?Meet the Loki-Nav, your new adventure ally. This isnt your grandfathers compass. The Loki-Nav packs a punch with its ingenious multi-tool design that transforms your outdoor experience. Beyond pointing true north, it doubles as a magnifying glass for detailed map reading, converts into an emergency signal mirror, and includes a wood chip maker for fire starting. Whether youre scaling mountains or exploring hidden trails, this pocket-sized powerhouse keeps essential survival tools at your fingertips.Designer: EckDesignClick Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (43% off). Hurry, only a few left!Smartphones might have impressive navigation features, but when youre out of coverage area, out of battery, or stranded in a downpour, your hi-tech device becomes nothing more than a sophisticated and expensive brick. While your smartphone cowers from rain, cold, and dust, the Loki-Nav thrives in extreme conditions. Its IPX8-rated compass, filled with premium white oil, delivers precise navigation in temperatures that would freeze your phone solid. The eco-friendly, non-toxic construction respects nature while conquering it. Plus, you can swap between three stylish compass designs to match your adventure aesthetic and for nighttime adventures, you can opt for the Luminous Compass Core upgrade, ensuring visibility even in complete darkness.Spin the protective cap around and you will behold a loupe that puts smartphone cameras to shame. The Loki-Navis 12x magnification offers crystal-clear views of map details and those all-important fine print in labels. It also doubles as a handy and fuel-free fire starter when the wind is too strong for a lighter. Its universal joint rotates fully in any direction, letting you harness the suns power with precision and without having to tire your hand while holding the compass. Simply put it at an angle and let the sunlight work its magic.The scratch-resistant cap protects the loupes glass as well as the compass inside, ensuring that the only accidents youll come across will be happy discoveries. Its unique appearance isnt just for show either, as the textured surface creates the perfect tinder from wood. Hidden beneath this cap is a mirror that handles both emergency signals and quick appearance checks. You can even use it to quietly observe your surroundings, adding a sense of security in the wild.Crafted from aircraft-grade titanium, the Loki-Nav represents the perfect fusion of durability and versatility. Its a reliable companion that wont freeze, crash, or run out of battery when you need it most. Whether youre an occasional hiker or a seasoned adventurer, this multi-tool proves that sometimes the best technology doesnt need charging it just needs your trust and a spirit of adventure.Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (43% off). Hurry, only a few left!The post Loki-Nav: The Revolutionary Compass and 3-in-1 Cap Thats Redefining Outdoor Adventures first appeared on Yanko Design.

For all the talk about artificial intelligence upending the world, its economic effects remain uncertain. But Institute Professor and 2024 Nobel winner Daron Acemoglu has some insights.Despite some predictions that AI will double US GDP growth, Acemoglu expects it to increase GDP by 1.1% to 1.6% over the next 10 years, with a roughly 0.05% annual gain in productivity. This assessment is based on recent estimates of how many jobs are affectedbut his view is that the effect will be targeted.Were still going to have journalists, were still going to have financial analysts, were still going to have HR employees, he says. Its going to impact a bunch of office jobs that are about data summary, visual matching, pattern recognition, etc. And those are essentially about 5% of the economy.He does think the technology has more potential, but hes concerned that AI companies so far have focused on innovations that could replace human workers at the expense of those that could make them more productive. My argument is that we currently have the wrong direction for AI, Acemoglu says. Were using it too much for automation and not enough for providing expertise and information to workers.Innovations that keep people employed should sustain growth better, he believes. But I dont think complementary uses of AI will miraculously appear by themselves unless the industry devotes significant energy and time to them, he says. And even then, whether the advances benefit workers themselves is far from guaranteed.Given this mix of benefits and drawbacks, Acemoglu and his colleagues think it may be best to adopt AI more slowly than market fundamentalists might like. While government regulation is one way to promote that measured pace, he also thinks that if the cycle of hype around AI diminishes, then the rush to use it will naturally slow down.I think that hype is making us invest badly in terms of the technology, he says.The faster you go, and the more hype you have, that course correction becomes less likely. Its very difficult, if youre driving 200 miles an hour, to make a 180-degree turn.

Wearable devices like smart watches and fitness trackers help us measure and learn from physical functions such as heart rates and sleep stages. Now MIT researchers have developed a tiny equivalent for individual brain cells.These soft, battery-free wireless devices, actuated with light, are designed to wrap around different parts of neurons, such as axons and dendrites, without damaging them. They could be used to measure or modulate a neurons electrical and metabolic activity. They could also serve as synthetic myelin for axons that have lost this insulation, helping to address neuronal degradation in diseases like multiple sclerosis.The devices are made from thin sheets of a soft polymer called azobenzene, which roll when exposed to light. Researchers can precisely control the direction of the rolling and the size and shape of the tubes by varying the intensity and polarization of the light. This enables the devices to snugly, but gently, wrap around curved axons and dendrites.To have intimate interfaces with these cells, the devices must be soft and able to conform to these complex structures. That is the challenge we solved in this work, says Deblina Sarkar, an assistant professor in the Media Lab and the senior author of a paper on the research. We were the first to show that azobenzene could even wrap around living cells.The researchers, who developed a scalable fabrication technique that doesnt require the use of a cleanroom, have demonstrated that the devices can be combined with optoelectrical materials that can stimulate cells. Moreover, atomically thin materials can be patterned on top of the tubes, offering opportunities to integrate sensors and circuits.In addition, because they make such a tight connection with cells, they could make it possible to stimulate subcellular regions with very little energy. This could enable a researcher or clinician to treat brain diseases by modulating neurons electrical activity.

A bug in some versions of macOS Sequoia may cause repeated notifications that an app is accessing your screen. Here's how to fix it.The flaw can show up in Zoom or other similar apps. Image: Apple user forumsIf you are a frequent user of Zoom or other third-party video-conferencing apps on macOS Sequoia, you may run into an annoying but minor issue: a notification repeatedly popping up to let you know that your program has accessed your screen.The problem is due to a bug in a security feature that appears to begun happening in macOS Sequoia 15.2. Users are supposed to see this notification once when a new app is accessing your screen for the first time, or when it has been more than 30 days since it last accessed your screen. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The Steam Deck has been quite a success for Valve- but how big exactly? Valve hasnt exactly released fresh sales figures for the device at a regular clip, though thankfully, we have a bit of a window into how well it has done thus far.Reported by The Verge, market research analyst firm IDC estimates that the Steam Deck has sold over 3.7 million units worldwide as of the end of 2024 (potentially implying that it may have crossed the 4 million mark by this point).As per industry analyst Lewis Ward, the Steam Deck account for more than 50 percent of all handheld gaming PC hardware sales in 2023, and 48 percent in 2024. To date, over 6 million total units of handheld gaming PCs have been sold, as per IDC estimates.The Steam Deck released in February 2022, and by October that year, Valve announced that it had sold over a million units. Over a year later, the company stated that the device had sold multiple million units.Valve has stated in the past that it intends to work on future iterations of the Steam Deck. That said, the company also says it wont release a Steam Deck 2 unless its a generational leap, which means we might be waiting a while.

Microsoft and Playground Games have announced thatFableis now set for launch in 2026, with its delay announcement not really coming as a huge shock. Interestingly enough, however, the delay could mean some interesting things for how the games launch is handled.Prominent leaker NateTheHate has claimed in posts on ResetEra that thatFablecould release for PS5 daye and date alongside Xbox Series X/S and PC when it releases next year. Allegedly, the original plan was to release the action RPG for PS5 in 2026, a year after its Xbox and PC release. Now that the game has been delayed into next year, however, the leaker speculates Microsoft could choose to do a simultaneous multiplatform release.Previous reports have also claimed thatFableis planned for both PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Whether we can expect a day one release for the latter as well remains to be seen.FollowingFablesdelay, Microsoft still has several more first-party releases lined up for 2025, includingSouth of Midnight, DOOM: The Dark Ages,andThe Outer Worlds 2.