Ethan Hunt will do anything for half-price Blu-rays.Barnes & Noble is currently throwing a Paramount Pictures party, offering half-price discounts on discs of all kinds hundreds of movies are on sale across 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD, including films from beloved franchises such as Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, and The Godfather. Unlike Barnes & Nobles semi-regular sales on the entire Criterion Collection library, these Paramount deals are only available for certain titles and even then, for certain versions of them. You have to be careful about making sure that the movie youre looking to buy is actually on sale for 50% off in the format you want.For instance, the box sets for The Godfather Trilogy and Indiana Jones: 4-Movie Collection are both part of the half-price sale, but only on Blu-ray; the 4K Blu-ray versions arent discounted at all. Speaking of Indy, the only 4K discs that are included in the 50% off sale are the ones for the middle three movies Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is only 20% off ($23.19, down from $28.99), and the most recent one, 2023s Dial of Destiny, isnt on sale. Meanwhile, 4K Steelbook releases of all seven Mission: Impossible movies to date are discounted here.Weve selected several highlights from the sale below, including a normally pricey 4K Blu-ray box set with an interesting collection of seemingly unrelated horror movies. Paramount Scares: Volume 1 comes with five films: Rosemarys Baby (1968), Pet Sematary (1989), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Crawl (2019), and Smile (2022). Its usually $78.99, but is available for $39.49 in this sale.

Speaking to Variety ahead of The Last of Us season 2s April 13 debut on Max, co-showrunner Neil Druckmann was rather negative about the possibility of a third installment in the original video game series he wrote and directed at Naughty Dog.I was waiting for this question, Druckmann said, apparently sighing at the mere mention of a hypothetical The Last of Us Part 3. I guess the only thing I would say is dont bet on there being more of The Last of Us. This could be it.The Last of Us Part 2 was both a critical and commercial darling following its PlayStation 4 launch in 2020 (A remastered version launched on PlayStation 5 in early 2024, and its coming to Windows PC on April 3). Yet, it also drew disapproval due to its bleak depiction of human nature and what some saw as taking an amoral position towards Israels brutal apartheid against Palestinians. Unlike the first games storyline translating into a single season of the television show, Part 2 will be adapted into at least two.Druckmann previously told Buzzfeed in 2023 that The Last of Us Part 3 becoming reality was predicated on his team coming up with a story they feel is worth telling.Its up to us whether we want to continue it or not, Druckmann said, citing Sonys hands-off approach to Naughty Dog sequels. Our process is the same thing we did when we did Part 2, which is if we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love just like the first and second game did then we will tell that story. If we cant come up with something, we have a very strong ending with Part 2and that will be the end.Naughty Dog is knee-deep in development on a new property in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which was revealed at The Game Awards 2024. Druckmann, who is again writing and directing, said the PlayStation 5 game concerns what happens when you put your faith in different institutions.

So, you want to buy a MacBook? You have no shortage of options. If you go directly through Apple, you can pick between the Air or the Pro, in two different sizes, across a seemingly endless number of configurations. If you're shopping from a third party retailer, the issue only compounds. There are a lot of MacBooks out there.Which machine you should purchase is entirely up to you and your unique needs. However, unless you have demanding or specialized work to do, there is one model that makes more sense than most. Before today, I recommended the M2 MacBook Air to most people. Its combination of price, portability, and power made it not just the best MacBook for most people, but the best laptop overall. (Sorry, PCs.) There were and are cheaper options out there, but that M2 MacBook Air was simply, in my opinion, the best overall value on the market. I no longer think this, because Apple just dropped a new MacBook Air, and it's my new pick for the best MacBook for most customers. Here's why.The price is rightLet's kick things off with what makes the MacBook Air great: the price. The MacBook Air has been Apple's entry-level machine for a long time, presenting a very clear tradeyou spend $999, you get a solid Mac. You could pay more to acquire additional features and a power boost, but you didn't have to. A cool grand was all you needed. Apple changed that deal a bit starting with the launch of the M2 MacBook Air. Rather than offer it as the $999 entry-level model, it kept the previous generation M1 in that spot, and priced the newer model a few hundred dollars higher. Now, the "old" MacBook Air was your entry into the Mac line, and if you wanted the latest MacBook Air, you needed to spend more. Lucky for consumers, the M1 MacBook Air was great. It's still pretty great, in fact. Despite Apple continuing to release new Macs with new chips, I argued the M1 MacBook Air was the best MacBook for most people up until early 2024. It was only when Apple replaced the M1 with the now "old" M2 MacBook Air, pricing it at $999, that I proclaimed that to be the best option.The M4 MacBook Air only continues that tradition, but with a bit of a twist. The M4 is brand new, and yet it's also the entry-level machine in Apple's lineup. That $999 doesn't get you the model from last year, or the year before that: This is the freshest MacBook Air you can buy. It doesn't feel like any kind of compromise, and that makes it easy to recommend to just about anyone looking for a great MacBook for a reasonable price.The M4 chipIf the argument was just about money, it wouldn't hold water. Now that Apple has dropped both the M2 and M3 MacBook Airs from its lineup, those machines are likely going to be on sale from other retailers. If the M2 MacBook Air was the best Mac for most people yesterday for $999, shouldn't it definitely be the best Mac for most people if they can pick it up for? That's part of my argument against buying the latest iPad Air after allit's a great tablet, but so are the older Airs that are now likely going to be less expensive than ever. Yes, a discounted M2 MacBook Air is a fantastic value, and I wouldn't stop anyone from buying it. But I feel that $999 is an even better value for the M4 MacBook Air. For that price, you get Apple's latest chipthe M4which represents the highest performing chip in Apple's laptop lineup. The M4 in the MacBook Air has 10 CPU cores, compared to eight in the M2, and its NPU (the chip responsible for running AI tasks) has a 120GB/s memory bandwidth, versus 100GB/s on the M2. The M2 is still a very capable chip, and you won't notice as big of a difference between the two as you would between the M1 and M4 (Apple says the M4 Air is up to twice as fast as an M1 Air) but there will be gains, as evidenced by independent benchmarking of other M4 chips. We won't know exactly how well the M4 Air performs until reviewers put it through its paces, but it will undoubtedly run better than a chip that came out in 2022.Beyond performance, Apple will almost assuredly support the M4 chip longer than the M2. I have no doubts that M2 still has many years of support ahead of it, but when the time does come for Apple to eventually stop issuing updates for these machines, the M4 will likely receive them for at least an extra year or twoif not longer. Apple is also continuing the trend of starting each MacBook off with at least 16GB of RAM. Previously, Apple's base MacBooks included 8GB of RAM, which, while enough for simple tasks, wasn't always enough for more intensive applicationsand didn't bode well for their longevity. You needed to spend an extra $200 to upgrade to 16GB, which completely erased the value aspect of the MacBook Air. Last year, Apple made the decision to bump all Macs up to 16GB of RAM to start, without raising the price. Maybe $999 for a laptop with 8GB of RAM is a tough pill to swallow, but for one with 16GB? It's an excellent value. The perks you expect from a MacBook AirApple hasn't broken the mold with the M4 MacBook Air, and that's a good thing. This design is functionally identical to both the M2 and M3 MacBook Airswhich is to say, it's excellent. The base M4 MacBook Air still comes with a 13.6-inch "Liquid Retina" display, with a resolution of 2560x1664, a P3 wide color gamut, and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. It weighs the same 2.7 pounds, comes with the same great speakers and microphones, and ships with an excellent backlit keyboard with Touch ID. (The days of the butterfly keyboard are long gone.) Like the M3 MacBook Air, this M4 comes with Wi-Fi 6E support (one generation newer than the M2's Wi-Fi 6 support).You also get MagSafe charging, which is among the best MacBook features. Why Apple ever rid itself of magnetic chargers, I'll never understand, but at least it has corrected itself in recent years. Various smaller advantagesWhat the company did change from previous MacBooks are minor, but notable. First up, the camera. The M4 sports a 12MP camera, which should improve the quality of video calls. However, the bigger perk with this higher megapixel count is the addition of Center Stage. This feature, introduced on iPad and found on the M4 MacBook Pro, follows your face as you move around the frame during calls. That lets you walk and talk in front of your MacBook Air, while still remaining in focus.The M4 MacBook Air still comes with two USB-C ports, but they're different than the two found on previous MacBook Airs. These ports are Thunderbolt 4, not USB-4, which means there are higher minimum speed requirements here. That enables the M4 MacBook Air to extend to up to two 6K external monitors. The colors have shifted a bit this go around, too. Gone is the iconic Space Gray option that many know and love, which isn't necessarily a "small advantage." However, the new Sky Blue color looks great. Ever since Apple revamped the iMac line with fun new colors back in 2021, I've wanted them to adopt the same with their laptops. This is the closest we've come yet, and I hope they keep it up with future models.Older MacBooks are still an excellent value (with a caveat)Apple will let you preorder an M4 MacBook Air today, and the machine will go on sale on Wednesday, March 12. But if you have any interest in an older Mac, I'd recommend waiting to buy it if you can: Once this new MacBook is out, the discounts on older machines should follow. M3 MacBook Air, 16GB RAM (2024) $1,099.00 at Amazon $1,299.00 Save $200.00 Shop Now Shop Now $1,099.00 at Amazon $1,299.00 Save $200.00 M2 MacBook Air, 16GB Ram (2022) $799.00 at Amazon $999.00 Save $200.00 Shop Now Shop Now $799.00 at Amazon $999.00 Save $200.00 SEE -1 MORE Apple won't be selling new M2 and M3 MacBook Airs, but outlets like Amazon and Best Buy certainly will. If you're looking to pick up a new MacBook Air for under $999, that's the way to do it. I imagine these companies will take $100 or $200 off these models at least, if not more. If Apple is selling new M4s for $999, these stores can't justify keeping older models at the same price. Apple will likely sell used M2 and M3 models in its refurbished store, too, so keep an eye out there. Like I said above, the M2 and M3 chips are still excellent, and Apple will likely support them for years. No matter which of these three machines you buy, they'll feel functionality the same, since the design hasn't changed, so you'll snag a modern MacBook experience for a great price. Check your RAMMy one caveat is to watch out for the RAM: You will likely find deals on MacBooks with 8GB of RAM, which I can't recommend in 2025. These Macs will generally work well, and may run the tasks you need to run, but you will hit limitations with that amount of memory sooner rather than later. Your Mac won't work as well as machine with 16GB of RAM, and, in all likelihood, Apple will drop support for it sooner than the models with more memory. These machines aren't worthless by any means (Apple currently fully supports all M-series Macs with 8GB of RAM) but if you're looking to buy a new MacBook this year, it's important to prioritize that 16GB of RAM.

Some accurate medical information was removed from the CDCs website last month, and we gave you some tips on where to look for archived versions and for sources of similar information. Now, theres a nearly complete mirror of the CDC website being hosted in Europe, so you can look up information on HIV, health for trans people, and other topics that really shouldnt be controversial, but for some reason are.Some of the removed information has been reinstated by court order, but it comes with a disclaimer at the top of the page that somehow manages to be insulting, incorrect, sensationalist, and inflammatory. Just what you need when you want to know, say, who is most vulnerable to HIV. Credit: CDC As 404 Media reports, the archives creators say it is being hosted in Europe, and the pages were downloaded with the help of the DataHoarder community on Reddit. Unlike many of the other goverment data archiving projects, this one aims to build a fully functional version of the CDC website, including the links between pages, and interactive elements.They havent entirely accomplished that goal; a note at the top of the page says that they are working on getting videos added to the archive. Notably, the search function sends you back to www.cdc.gov instead of keeping you on the restoredcdc.org site, so if you want to find a specific page, youre best off finding an old link, and then typing in https://restoredcdc.gov/ just before the URL. For example, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/data-research/facts-stats/transgender-people.html becomes https://restoredcdc.org/www.cdc.gov/hiv/data-research/facts-stats/transgender-people.html .But for most information, the website is still present and functional. Trans health information is still there, without the insulting disclaimer. The page on health equity guiding principles for inclusive communication is up at the archive, even though its still missing from cdc.gov.There is still one major gap, though: current information on outbreaks and other developing situations. The CDC is not updating information at restoredcdc.org. It's a static archive of what was available in January. So if you want to check the numbers on the current measles outbreak, or see what's going on with bird flu, the regular CDC website is still the place where that stuff is getting updated. For now, anyway.

We already knew that the aerospace company Firefly successfully maneuvered its Blue Ghost lander onto the surface of the Moon, but now we have some gorgeous video proof. The lander captured footage throughout the touchdown, complete with a cinematic finale. Check it out below.The POV footage shows the lander descending toward the Moon and the subsequent landing. It ends with a striking view of Blue Ghost emerging from a cloud of dust as its shadow stretches across the lunar surface. Its pretty darn cool, with surprisingly-crisp HD visuals.The touchdown happened Sunday at 3:30 AM ET and Blue Ghost made its home in a region known as Mare Crisium. This isnt the first commercial lander to make its way to the Moon, but was the first one to land properly. The mission was a joint effort between Firefly and NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, an organization that hopes to pave the way for an increased commercial presence on good ole Luna.Since landing, Blue Ghost has begun its surface operations. These include deploying payloads, sampling local regolith and capturing a bevy of images. The stationary lander will spend around two weeks on the lunar surface as it conducts various tests. Its packed with ten NASA instruments designed to probe the ground and to test subsurface drilling methods.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/aerospace-company-firefly-released-fantastic-pov-footage-of-blue-ghost-landing-on-the-moon-195821368.html?src=rss

In an effort to make movies and TV shows more accessible on Prime Video, Amazon announced that it's testing an AI dubbing system that will translate select content on the company's streaming service into other languages.Amazon says that "AI-aided dubbing" will be available in English and Latin American Spanish on 12 licensed movies and series available through Prime Video, including "El Cid: La Leyenda, Mi Mam Lora and Long Lost." That the company describes it as "AI-aided dubbing" rather than just AI dubbing appears to be key here. Amazon says it's taking a hybrid approach where "localization professionals collaborate with AI." A safe guess would be that Amazon's AI system takes a first pass at generating dubs and then professionals edit them for accuracy and fit.Creating captions, subtitles and dubs is a fairly big business, especially now that streaming has increased the number of films and series that are made every year and licensed to be viewed around the world. It makes sense that streamlining the process of making content more accessible would be of interest to Amazon. The possible problem is, at least for film and television, dubbing is done by professional actors. AI-generated voices have gotten more lifelike over the years, but it remains to be seen whether the average person will be okay with a large portion of their media diet being delivered by something human-adjacent rather than the real deal.Of course, maybe we'll be trained to accept it because it will be all over social media first. Amazon isn't alone in leveraging AI to squeeze more out of the videos on its platform. YouTube released a tool in 2024 that lets creators automatically dub their videos in other languages when they upload them, and more recently, Meta announced plans to automatically dub and lip-sync Reels on Instagram into other languages.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/prime-video-is-beginning-an-ai-dubbing-pilot-program-for-select-movies-and-series-190252188.html?src=rss

VW has lifted the lid on what will become its most affordable EV yet... and it looks good!

Eurocom Raptor X17 pushes mobile workstation limits with 24TB storage, RTX 4090 power, and extreme performance capabilities.

Content aggregator Digg is making a comeback thanks to a partnership with rival and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

On Tuesday, conservative pundit Ben Shapiro launched a campaign for President Trump to pardon Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in the death of George Floyd. Shortly after, Elon Musk, who has been one of Trumps closest advisors during his first six weeks in office, reshared the campaign on X (formerly Twitter) to his 219 million followers along with his own commentary: Something to think about.Shapiro posted a call for Chauvins pardon along with a petitionfor supporters to sign on the conservative media site he founded, The Daily Wire.We write to urge you to immediately issue a pardon for Officer Derek Chauvin, who was unjustly convicted and is currently serving a 22-and-a-half-year sentence for the murder of George Floyd and associated federal charges, Shapiro wrote in the online petition called Pardon Derek.He continued, As you know, this was the inciting event for the BLM riots that caused $2 billion in property damage in cities across the United States and set Americas race relations on their worst footing in recent memory. Yet, the evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd.Shapiro claims that immense pressure from the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, rather than just the facts of the case, caused the jury to find the former officer guilty. He also says that Floyd was high on fentanyl and had a preexisting heart condition.Though a flurry of false information about Floyds death has gone viral since Chavins conviction, the victims death was ruled a homicide. Expert witnesses concluded that Floyd did not die of an overdose due to drug use, but as a result of cardiopulmonary arrest. The jury took only 10 hours to deliberate on the matter and return to the courtroom with a guilty verdict.Trump himself hasnt publicly weighed in on a pardon for Chauvin, but it wouldnt be the first time he pardoned a violent criminal since taking office. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants, including some who violently attacked police officers defending the Capitol. It would be very, very cumbersome to go and lookyou know how many people were talking about? 1,500 people, Trump told Fox News while defending the pardons. These people have served, horribly, a long time, he said.An NPR report found that dozens of the pardoned January 6 defendants had prior convictions or pending charges for violent crimes ranging from domestic violence and sexual abuse of a minor to rape and manslaughter. Just days after Trumps order, one of the pardoned rioters, Matthew Tuttle, who prosecutors said had an extensive criminal history including abuse of his child, was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop.