Our Tax Software Picks Don't stress about tax season. CNET Money editors have tested the top online tax software options to make your tax return easier so you can get your refund faster. See at TurboTax Best tax filing service for most filers TurboTax See at TurboTaxSee at H&R Block Best free tax filing service H&R Block See at H&R BlockSee at FreeTaxUSA A great free or low-cost filing option FreeTaxUSA See at FreeTaxUSASee at Cash App A free option that's great for confident filers Cash App Taxes See at Cash AppSee at TaxSlayer Best tax filing service for freelancers, gig workers and sole proprietors TaxSlayer See at TaxSlayerSee at TaxAct Best accuracy guarantee TaxAct See at TaxActSee at Jackson Hewitt Best for filing multiple state tax returns Jackson Hewitt See at Jackson HewittThis year, some gig workers, freelancers and small business owners received an unfamiliar IRS tax form: a 1099-K. If you're one of them, how you report this form on your tax return could accidentally trigger anoverpayment to the IRS.You'll receive a 1099-K form if you use a third-party payment service, such asPayPal, Venmo or CashApp, to receive freelance income and you earned $5,000 or more via these platforms in 2024. The problem is that you might also receive other 1099s for this same income. TAX SOFTWARE DEALS OF THE WEEK H&R Block Free Simple Tax Returns eFile: $0 (save $0) TurboTax Deluxe 2024 (Federal and State, PC/Mac Download): $56 (save $24) TurboTax Premier 2024 (Federal and State, PC/Mac Download): $83 (save $32) TaxSlayer Classic Plan: $28 (save $10) Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article. This story is part of Taxes 2025, CNET's coverage of the best tax software, tax tips and everything else you need to file your return and track your refund. As an IRS-enrolled agent and tax expert, I know that receiving two tax forms for the same income can make it easier to accidentally report your income twice. Here's what you should do if you receive a 1099-K to avoid this expensive mistake.Read more: Best Self-Employment Tax SoftwareWhy am I receiving a 1099-K?A 1099-K form is a relatively new IRS income tax form that freelancers and business owners who earned more than $5,000 through third-party payment platforms in 2024 may receive.TheHousing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, passed after the great financial crisis, included a new reporting provision for banks and payment processors to help the IRS combat tax evasion byself-employed individuals. The IRS estimated that the government lost almost half a trillion dollars in tax revenue because self-employed filers were underreporting their income.This change led to the creation of tax form 1099-K, which rolled out in 2012 and required banks, credit card processors and intermediary payment service providers to send it to any self-employed individual or business that received more than 200 transactions or more than $20,000 worth of transactions through the payment processor.In 2022, the IRS announced it would lower this reporting threshold. After two years of delays, the agency started requiring third-party payment platforms to issue a 1099-K to anybody receiving more than $5,000 per year in earnings through a payment processor. This threshold is set to go down to $2,500 next year and $600 in 2026.Read more:When Your Tax Professional Makes a Mistake, Here's Who Takes ResponsibilityWhy did I get multiple tax forms for the same income?As a freelancer or gig worker, you may also be used to receiving either a form 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC for the work that you do. Companies are required to issue these forms for any work over $600 that you perform in a year.If you're paid via a third-party payment processor like PayPal or Venmo, you could now end up with multiple tax forms for the same income: a 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC from the company you worked for and a 1099-K from the payment platform.This can be confusing to navigate, especially if you're earning freelance income for the first time. Even some professional tax preparers may accidentally enter both income sources and accidentally double-report your income. This could severely impact your refund, how much you owe or your eligibility for various tax credits.It's up to you to report the correct amount of income -- don't expect the IRS to catch an overpayment mistake. If you're hiring a tax professional to prepare your return, I recommend providing them with a total of all your income for the year separate from your 1099 forms to avoid double-reporting income. If you use online tax software yourself, double-check your return to see how it's adding up your income from the various sources.If the tax software you're using doesn't support corrections to the 1099-K, 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC entries to avoid reporting overlapping income, then consider not entering data from these forms into the tax software at all. Instead, you can enter only your total revenue for the year and skip the entry of the 1099 forms.Ready to file your taxes? Check out CNET's tax partners.Risks of misreporting 1099-K incomeMultiple issues could arise from more people receiving 1099-Ks this year.You could end up with a higher tax billIf you accidentally double-report your income, you might pay more than you actually owe in self-employment taxes.Because of how IRS computer systems are configured, the IRS computerswill notdetect an over-reporting of income and send you a refund for the difference. If you report too much income, the IRS simply assumes that you were paid for some work in some other way, such as by cash or check, rather than an electronic payment processor.You might miss out on tax credits, reducing your refundIf the income on your tax return is higher than it actually was, it can impact your eligibility for various tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. You could end up having to pay back an excess tax credit you received orreceivea lower refund than you're legally entitled to.How to file a 1099-KMost freelancers, gig workers and independent contractors report their income and expenses on IRS Schedule C, which is then attached to their 1040 return. To correctly report your income from all sources, first compare all your 1099-K, 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms against your own bookkeeping records to ensure you included all of your income for the year.Then, enter this total revenue number into Schedule C, Line 1 or the "gross receipts or sales" box on the screen in your tax software. Entering your revenue this way is the best way to avoid any double-reporting issues.Schedule C is also where you deduct all of your eligible business expenses. Your tax software will guide you throughcommon business deductions for self-employed individuals.Since you received a 1099-K, be sure to deduct any fees and expenses that the third-party payment processor charged you. The dollar amount that they report on the 1099-K is the gross total. On your Schedule C, you can deduct any fees charged by PayPal, Venmo or another payment app for using their platform. These fees can be significant, so be sure to log in to your web or app account and total up all those fees for the year, as this is a massive tax deduction you don't want to miss out on.What if I receive a 1099-K by mistake?Some payment processors may issue an erroneous 1099-K. For example, if your friends frequently reimburse you through Venmo for dinners out, Venmo may mistakenly flag your account as a business account and issue a 1099-K.If this occurs, contact the payment processor and request a corrected 1099-K. If a correction isn't possible, the IRS recommends reporting the 1099-K income under Other Income on your 1040 (Part I -- Line 8z) and then adjusting it out under Other Adjustments (Part IILine 24z) to cancel it out.Keep records of your transactions and what they were for in case the IRS asks questions.Help, I accidentally reported a 1099-K. What should I do?If you've already filed your taxes and think you misreported income from a 1099-K, you should immediately file anamended tax return, IRS Form 1040-X. Your tax return software should also be able to generate this form for you.On Schedule C of the amended return, adjust the income downward to what it should be, and then include a note on the amended return in the comment section, something such as, "1099-K income was included via 1099-NEC." File the 1040-X electronically for the fastest processing.Even after filing the amended return, be sure to retain copies of all your payment records and income records just so that you can prove to the IRS that the income was, in fact, double-counted.Always double-check your tax returnThe new 1099-K rollout could cause confusion when filing your taxes. Make sure you don't accidentally double-report income detailed on two different tax forms. Whether you're filing independently, working with an accountant or using tax software, always double-check your tax return to look for income discrepancies.The IRS will contact you if you underpay them, but they won't be able to flag if you've overpaid them. It's on you to catch any mistakes to ensureyou don't accidentally pay the IRS too much. More tax filing advice: Ready to file your taxes? Check out CNET's tax partners.

March 6, 20253 min readWhy This Years Flu Season Is the Worst in More Than a DecadeOutpatient flu visits and hospitalizations are higher than at any time in the past 15 yearsBy Tanya Lewis edited by Dean Visser Amanda Montaez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)Its been a brutal flu season. Rates of hospitalizations and outpatient visits for influenza are at a 15-year high, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The season got off to a typical, relatively late start, but the CDC has now classified it as high severity. And as measured by outpatient visits for flulike symptoms, the level of illness in the U.S. has been comparable to that of the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.Kids have been hit especially hard: as of February 22, 98 childrenmost of them unvaccinatedhave died from flu in the U.S. this season. There has also been an increase in severe neurological complications in kids, including seizures, hallucinations and other symptoms.And amid these high rates of illness, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently canceled an advisory committee meeting to determine the flu vaccine strain to be used later this year, ahead of the next influenza season. (The Food and Drug Administration was allowed to participate in a World Health Organization meeting to determine the vaccines composition despite President Donald Trumps ban on government employees working with the agency.)On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Amanda Montaez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)Flu season typically lasts from October through April in the Northern Hemisphere each year, peaking between December and February. But from 20202022, the first two years of the COVID pandemic, flu all but disappeared. This was likely a result of COVID-related social distancing measuresand possibly also because of viral interference from the COVID-causing virus itself. By 20222023, flu season returned to more of a prepandemic pattern (although it peaked a bit earlier than usual, in late November 2022). The 20232024 season appeared to signal a return to a more typical pattern.The 20242025 season started quite normally, reaching an initial peak of just more than 10 weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the first week of January. At the beginning of February, however, hospitalizations peaked again with close to 14 weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 people. There may be delays in reporting, but hospitalizations now appear to be on the decline once more.Why Has This Flu Season Been So Severe?Its not totally clear why flu is hitting so hard this year. One possibility is that it got off to a late start, so the winter holidays arriving and kids going back to school may have fueled a second peak. This years flu vaccine provides a similar level of protection as that of recent years, but that protection wanes as the season goes on.Other factors could be that the flu strains that are fueling illness this season (primarily the influenza A strains H3N2 and H1N1) cause more severe disease and that fewer people have been vaccinated against them. Flu vaccination rates have declined since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, as antivaccination sentiment has gained a stronghold.Finally, its possible that people have less immunity against flu after several years of COVID-related social distancing.In the U.S., there have also been a few dozen human cases of H5N1 bird flu and one known human fatality from the virus. But cases among people have been rare, appearing mostly in poultry or dairy workers. The current outbreak of H5N1 bird flu has been circulating in wild birds in the U.S. since at least 2022. It was detected in dairy cattle in March 2024 and has caused sporadic human infections since then.If you get sick with seasonal flu, experts recommend rest, hydration and staying home if you can. People at risk of severe disease may also opt for antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu. The CDC recommends such treatment for pregnant people, as well as those with asthma or chronic lung disease, diabetes or heart disease. Antivirals work best when they are started within one to two days of symptoms (but starting them later can still be beneficial, according to CDC). And if youre not already vaccinated against flu, its not too late to protect yourself.

OpinionMarch 6, 20254 min readKilling a Nuclear Watchdogs Independence Threatens DisasterA Trump administration plan would end the independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where similar oversight muzzling has led to nuclear disasters overseasPrypiat classroom with books lying on the floor, Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukraine. Jean-Baptiste Toussaint/Getty ImagesA Trump administration executive order is setting the U.S. on the fastest path to a nuclear accident.Announced on February 18, the Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies executive order aims to bring independent regulatory agencies under the supervision and control of the president. Among them, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is the watchdog that Americans rely on to hold nuclear energy companies accountable for avoiding reactor accidents and releases of radioactive material into the environment.By demanding that the NRC cease to issue regulations and guidance without written permission from the president or the attorney general, the order effectively demands that nuclear safety take a back seat to politics.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.As nuclear engineers, as well as former government and industry officials, we foresee that this proposed regulatory capture by the Executive Office of the Presidentwhere decisions are made for political reasons and not for the benefit of people servedwill severely increase the risk of expensive, unexpected nuclear accidents in the U.S.This is neither hypothetical nor hyperbole.History provides too much frightening evidence to ignore. When Soviet leadership and its captured regulator prioritized national pride over safety, a known flaw in nuclear reactor control rods (which slow the rate of atomic fission in a reactor) went unchecked, safety protocols at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant went unheeded, and in 1986 the worst nuclear power accident in history resulted.So too when regulation was entrusted to the same government bureaucracy responsible for its promotion, the operators of Japans Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant failed to deploy countermeasures demanded by known seismic risks; they failed to plan appropriately for evacuation; and in 2011, they failed to avoid the second worst nuclear power accident in human history.In 1974 Congress recognized the importance of independent nuclear oversight, reorganizing the Atomic Energy Commission into two distinct agencies: the Department of Energy, responsible for research, development and promotion of nuclear energy; and the NRC, to regulate and oversee the then-booming nuclear energy industry. Five NRC commissioners, each appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, work together to formulate policies and regulations governing nuclear reactor and materials safety, issue orders to licensees, and adjudicate legal matters brought before [them]. The president has the authority to designate one of these commissioners as the chair, acting as the chief executive officer of the agency.International consensus is clear about what works and what doesnt in nuclear safety regulation. Most fundamentally, the regulators ability to ensure safe nuclear power operation requires independence, especially from entities with a conflict of interest. The International Atomic Energy Agency, humanitys foremost authority on nuclear energy safety and security, is clear that governments must ensure that the regulatory body is not influenced by entities having responsibilities or interests that could unduly influence its decision making. Failure to maintain regulatory independence from commercial, political and ideological influence is not accountability. It is instead regulatory capture.Both President Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, by virtue of their offices, have responsibilities and interests that demand efforts to expand nuclear power. The countrys continued prosperity relies heavily on secure access to reliable energy, and nuclear energy has a unique role in meeting our energy demands. Nuclear energy is one of the nine pillars of Wrights secretarial order calling for action to unleash American Energy. In a recent CNBC interview, when describing his optimism for growth in nuclear energy, Wright recently declared, Do we need some government out of the way to make it work economically? Absolutely, but thats what America is about.Thats true only if industrial accidents are also what America is about. In reality an independent regulator plays a fundamental role in generating public confidence in the safe and secure deployment of nuclear technology. While discussions about the effectiveness of the agency are appropriate, such discussions never question the importance of its continued independence. Even for officials in the Office of Nuclear Energy at DOE, the independence of the NRC is a red line no one would ever consider crossing, precisely because DOEs role involves the enthusiastic promotion of nuclear energy.Nuclear energy relies on precision technology and an unwavering dedication to safety, so regulating it is a serious technical undertaking meant to shield us from unwanted radiological consequences. The U.S. has historically been a global leader in nuclear regulatory practices and principles that uphold the highest standards of safety globally. A critical component of their operation is independence from conflicting motives. Nuclear safety is too important to undermine through uninformed political actions. Regulatory capture by industry, politics or the whims of an individual is not merely dangerousit is the primary cause of the two worst nuclear reactor accidents the world has known. We cannot allow this to occur in the U.S.The NRC must remain independent to provide the public confidence in the safe implementation of this important technology.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Monster Hunter Wilds has had the biggest physical launch of any PS5 game released in Japan so far. Read more

Split Fiction is simply brilliant: PS5, PS5 Pro, PC and Xbox Series X/S testedInventive co-op gameplay with slick visuals and great performance on all platforms.Image credit: EA Face-off by John Linneman Senior Staff Writer, Digital Foundry Additional contributions byOliver Mackenzie, and Will JuddPublished on March 6, 2025 Split Fiction is one of the best co-op games we've played recently, offering sharp split-screen gameplay across a wide range of platforms, including PS5, PS5 Pro, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Perhaps that's no surprise, given that this is the latest title from the team at Hazelight Studios known for It Takes Two, A Way Out and, under Starbreeze, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. But on what platform does it play best - and is this a rare example of a perfect Unreal Engine 5 release? Before we get into the technical minutiae, it's important to underline that Split Fiction benefits from a rightly generous philosophy. Not only can you play together with a friend on one console, but you can also do so online and on different platforms. Moreover, there's even a pass system that lets you play the game with a friend even if they don't own it - very cool stuff. The game is also one of the most polished releases we've experienced on console for quite some time, which is surprising as it's an Unreal Engine 5 release - which allows for some striking visual features, but also typically opens the door to some familiar issues, vis a vis compromised image quality and traversal and/or shader compilation stutter. John and Oliver split screens to discuss why Split Fiction feels so special - and what it gets right and wrong technically. Watch on YouTubeThe reason is perhaps that the game doesn't look to use any of the headline UE5 features, such as Lumen global illumination, Nanite geometry, MetaHuman NPCs or virtual shadow maps (VSMs). Instead, Hazelight has opted for more established techniques that work well within the game's design goals. Characters look good and are animated effectively, while lighting is handled via baked global illumination and environments are on the smaller side. That allows for nice visuals that don't push any boundaries, but also don't exhibit any of the aforementioned UE5 issues or more widespread limitations like visual pop-in. Going for these more traditional techniques allows Split Fiction to hit some impressive levels of image quality, with a noticeably sharper image on most platforms than your typical UE5 Lumen and Nanite release. For example, PS5 Pro runs at a native 4K with TAA, PS5 and Series X hit 1800p internally, and Series S brings up the back of the pack at 1080p, all at a perfectly stable 60fps. We couldn't find even a single deviation from the 60fps line on consoles, a rarity indeed. It's also worth noting that Series S doesn't lose any visual features versus the other consoles, which is something that's become a little less common in an age when games are pushing hard on RT features. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The game also performs well on PC, though we only had time to test on one high-end system and we therefore can't speak to how well it scales to lower-end machines. However, on a top-end PC with a 12900K processor and RTX 5090 graphics card, the game ran at max settings, at 4K with 150 percent resolution scaling, at a locked 120fps. (That's without the need for frame generation too, which isn't available anyway, and might not suit split-screen titles.) There's a shader precompilation step on first launch that seems effective, with only a few instances of small frame-time drops on camera cuts during the intro sequence. That smoothness made for a pleasant experience, and we also appreciated the option to play co-op with a mouse and keyboard for one player and a gamepad for another, or two gamepads if you prefer. The takeaway then is pretty simple: there's nothing to complain about here on a technical level, Split Fiction looks good, runs smoothly and plays great. It's full of crazy experiences and very imaginative setpieces, with a range of both sci-fi and fantasy inspired sequences with their own material choices that keep things interesting and visually distinct. Overall, we can't recommend it enough.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereSaber Interactives Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 launched to spectacular reviews and even more spectacular sales. While the team works on more masochistic difficulty modes and continues to plan new events that wont leave players with massive FOMO, the games developers are also toiling away at its Horde Mode. While few details are known about the games Horde Mode, it is planned to come to the awesome Warhammer game later this year. As for what players can expect, Saber is teasing well be getting something very different from the games decade-old predecessor.Space Marine 2 Horde Mode wont be the sameIn the recent Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 community update, Saber teased that the games Horde Mode is still in the works and will be extremely different compared to the version found in 2010s Space Marine.Youre very eager to get more info on the Horde Mode, its one of our top priorities right now, Saber teased fans. One thing we can say is that it will be very different from the Space Marine 1 Horde Mode, and that there are surprises we cant wait for you to find out about.The original Space Marine games Horde Mode was very simple. Players could be an Imperial Space Marine fighting Orks, Daemons and Heretics or, via a DLC scenario, play as a Chaos Space Marine fighting Orks and Imperial Guards/Space Marines. However, it was a very simple mode that simply tasked with killing as many foes as possible to get high scores.With Space Marine 2 Horde Mode, we could see the equivalent of Gears of War 3s Horde 2.0, a massive expansion over the original that adds brand-new mechanics. For example, Gears 2.0 take on Gears 2s Horde Mode allowed players to earn currency and build defenses to assist them against enemies.While unconfirmed by Saber, this would make a lot of sense. After all, this is the exact type of Horde Mode the studio created for World War Z where players earned currency for killing zombies and could then buy better weapons, traps and turrets to eliminate enemies. It seems like the obvious path forward for Space Marine 2.Nevertheless, we will have to wait until the game mode actually releases to see whether or not this is what the team has in mind. Whatever we get, itll be downright awesome and full of enemies to destroy in the name of the God Emperor. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):ActionRelated TopicsSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereSeason 2 of Marvel Rivals is slowly approaching, as NetEase is preparing new content for it. The season is expected to come out in early April and will bring many new changes. The game developer will likely come out with a new map and more balance changes. On top of this, we expect a new hero to be released during the seasons launch.According to a new leak, Galactas Cosmic Adventure event will likely feature a teaser for a new hero. The event will begin on Friday, March 7, but the teaser should be revealed at the end of it.New Marvel Rivals hero will be teased in a new eventGalactas Cosmic Adventure will begin on Friday and end on April 11. This is probably the start date of Season 2, although NetEase hasnt confirmed it yet. According to X0XLeak, one of the most reputable Marvel Rivals leakers, the end of this event will likely feature a teaser for a new hero. The leaker also revealed that the hero is internally referred to as Easter Egg NPC.The data miner also found two strings related to this character:Easter egg claiming conditions not metEaster egg reward claimedBlade will most likely be the next hero in Marvel Rivals. Image by VideoGamerWhile NetEase hasnt confirmed it yet, Blade will most likely be a new Marvel Rivals hero in Season 2. This character is already in the game, as he can be seen on the new Central Park map, so releasing him as a playable hero makes sense. The vampire hunter will be another Duelist added to the impressive lineup of heroes.The game developer has included references to several other characters, with some leakers strongly hinting that Emma Frost will be introduced in the next season. However, well only have to wait a few more weeks to see what NetEase has in store for us.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Austin Carrier and Alex Mutter-Rottmayer, the couple behind AD PRO Directory studio Hommeboys Interiors, share a love of nature that permeates their new appointment-only flagship showroom. Located next to the firms Sonoma office space, the showroom melds marble from Carmel Stone Imports and wood veneers from GL Veneer with natural Armadillo rugs and organic textures. Against a backdrop of arches and rich burgundy Zia tiles, pieces from the inaugural Haus of Hommeboys furniture collection are intertwined with art, lighting, objects, and rare vintage finds curated for a layered, salon-like feel.ExhibitionIn Columbus, Ohio, a JB Blunk and Toshiko Takaezu retrospective nods to the Mingei Folk Art MovementThrown Pierced Bowl by JB Blunk.Photo: Daniel DentBefore their celebrated, unconventional careers took off, both JB Blunk and Toshiko Takaezu apprenticed with Japanese masters of ceramics in the postwar years. These early connections to the Mingei folk art movement are the focus of Wild Earth: JB Blunk and Toshiko Takaezu, opening Friday, March 7, at the Columbus Museum of Art (on view through August 3). More than 200 works, including an amorphous redwood stool crafted by Blunk in 1975 and Takaezus delicate stoneware from the same period, capture the artists reverence for materiality and the handmade. Bolstering the show are pieces from influential Japanese ceramicists Kitaji Rosanjin, Hamada Shji, and Kaneshige Ty, as well as Blunks one-off jewelry creations now produced by Tess Young.AD PRO HearsParisian Galerie Scene Ouverte has launched Young Scene Ouverte, an annual program dedicated to promoting the work of emerging talents implementing novel materials. The inaugural exhibition, on view at the gallerys 6th arrondissement outpost from March 722, features glassblower Rinke Joosten and ceramicist Studio Biskt among the six participating creatives.Frank Frances is a jack of artistic trades. Fresh off of photographing ADs February cover story, the creatives first solo exhibition of paintings is currently on display at KGP Monolith in Long Island City. Fittingly titled Space-Aid, the show is a collection of his ongoing visual project wherein Kool-Aid acts as a medium for multidimensional galaxies.Project SpotlightAt this Copenhagen eatery, Wierciski Studio designs for socializingAt Amator, a quaint, homey restaurant in Copenhagens sterbro neighborhood, diners revel in fluffy omelets, lustrous citrus tarts, and the sounds of vinyl records. For the warm space situated at the bottom of a townhouse, owner Mati Pichci, a former intern at Noma, called upon his friend Adam Wierciski of Pozna, Polandbased Wiercinski Studio to design an interior that encouraged communal socializing. The directive led to elements like the restaurants striking communal table, topped with a subtly undulating surface and paired with oak stools. Stainless steel sconces and floating shelves complement the centerpiece seating, which is backdropped by crumpled Polish linen.

ATTACK OF THE BOTS Massive botnet that appeared overnight is delivering record-size DDoSes Eleven11bot infects video recorders, with the largest concentration of them in the US. Dan Goodin Mar 6, 2025 8:21 am | 9 Credit: Aurich Lawson / Ars Technica Credit: Aurich Lawson / Ars Technica Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreA newly discovered network botnet comprisingan estimated 30,000 webcams and video recorderswith the largest concentration in the UShas been delivering what is likely to be the biggest denial-of-service attack ever seen, a security researcher inside Nokia said.The botnet, tracked under the name Eleven11bot, first came to light in late February when researchers inside Nokias Deepfield Emergency Response Team observed large numbers of geographically dispersed IP addresses delivering hyper-volumetric attacks. Eleven11bot has been delivering large-scale attacks ever since.Volumetric DDoSes shut down services by consuming all available bandwidth either inside the targeted network or its connection to the Internet. This approach works differently than exhaustion DDoSes, which over-exert the computing resources of a server. Hypervolumetric attacks are volumetric DDoses that deliver staggering amounts of data, typically measured in the terabits per second.Johnny-come-lately botnet sets a new recordAt 30,000 devices, the Eleven11bot was already exceptionally large (although some botnets exceed well over 100,000 devices). Most of the IP addresses participating, Nokia researcher Jrme Meyer told me, had never been seen engaging in DDoS attacks.Besides a 30,000-node botnet seeming to appear overnight, another salient feature of Eleven11bot is the record-size volume of data it sends its targets. The largest one Nokia has seen from Eleven11bot so far occurred on February 27 and peaked at about 6.5 terabits per second. The previous record for a volumetric attack was reported in January at 5.6 Tbps."Eleven11bot has targeted diverse sectors, including communications service providers and gaming hosting infrastructure, leveraging a variety of attack vectors," Meyer wrote. While in some cases the attacks are based on the volume of data, others focus on flooding a connection with more data packets than a connection can handle, with numbers ranging from a "few hundred thousand to several hundred million packets per second." Service degradation caused in some attacks have lasted multiple days, with some remaining ongoing as of the time this post went live. A graph showing times on the x axis and Tbps sizes on the y access. Between 6:00 and 6:45 (date unclear) the y axis records sizes ranging from less than 1 Tbps to a peak of 6.5 Tbps, which occurs between 6:38 and 6:45. Credit: Nokia A breakdown showed that the largest concentration of IP addresses, at 24.4 percent, was located in the US. Taiwan was next at 17.7 percent, and the UK at 6.5 percent. Pie chart showing percentages of IP addresses by country. Credit: Nokia In an online interview, Meyer made the following points:this botnet is much larger than what we're used to seeing in DDoS attacks (the only precedent I have in mind is an attack from 2022 right after the Ukraine invasion, at ~60k bots, but not public)the vast majority of its IPs were not involved in DDoS attacks prior to last weekmost of the IPs are security cameras (Censys thinks Hisilicon, I saw multiple sources talk to a Hikvision NVR too so that is a possibility but not my area of expertise)partly because the botnet is larger than average, the attack size is also larger than averageAccording to a post updated on Wednesday from security firm Greynoise, Eleven11bot is most likely a variant of Mirai, a family of malware for infecting webcams and other Internet-of-things devices. Mirai debuted in 2016, when tens of thousands of IoT devices infected by it delivered what at the time were record-setting DDoSes of about 1 Tbps and took down security news site KrebsOnSecurity for almost a week. Shortly after that, Mirai developers published their source code in a move that made it easy for copycats everywhere to deliver the same massive attacks. Greynoise said that the variant driving Eleven11bot is using a single new exploit to infect TVT-NVMS 9000 digital video recorders that run on HiSilicon chips.There have been conflicting reports on the number of devices comprising Eleven11bot. Following Nokia's report last Saturday of roughly 30,000 devices, the non-profit Shadowserver Foundation said Tuesday that the true size was more than 86,000. Then in Wednesday's update, Greynoise said that based on data from fellow security firm Censys, both numbers were inflated and the true number was likely fewer than 5,000.The upward revision from Shadowserver was likely the result of the belief that all infected devices displayed unique device information. That suspicion now appears to be incorrect. Instead, Meyer believes the information seen on infected devices is displayed on all such hardware, whether infected or not. Researchers from Greynoise and Censys weren't immediately available to explain how they arrived at the much lower estimate of fewer than 5,000.Meyer said that he has consistently observed as many as 20,000 to 30,000 IP addresses participating in follow-on attacks, although many attacks come from much smaller subsets. He said that he has since sent a list of all 30,000 or so IP addresses he has observed to Censys and plans to also send them to Shadowserver soon in hopes of getting consensus on the true size."I am still confident on the estimated count as this is what we keep seeing in attacks and after human review of the source IPs," he wrote.Mirai-based botnets employ various methods for infecting their targets. One common method is to attempt to log in to device administrator accounts using username/password pairs commonly set as defaults by manufacturers. Mirai botnets have also been known to exploit vulnerabilities that bypass security settings.In any case, anyone running any sort of IoT devices should position them behind a router or other form of firewall so they're not visible from outside a local network. Remote administration from outside the Internet should be enabled only when needed. Users should also ensure each device is protected by a strong unique password. Last, devices should be updated as soon as security patches become available.Dan GoodinSenior Security EditorDan GoodinSenior Security Editor Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and following the independent music scene. Dan is based in San Francisco. Follow him at here on Mastodon and here on Bluesky. Contact him on Signal at DanArs.82. 9 Comments

Valid Date ActionDate Everything isn't just a dating sim that lets you court your own existential dread, it's also a great example of how to deal with sensitive topics - previewDate Everything lets you get to know all of your household objects on a very personal level.Image credit: Team17 Article by Kelsey Raynor Guides Writer Published on March 6, 2025 Lets say that youre an eligible bachelor with a house full of things, but nobody to share those things with. It must get lonely, right? Nobody to watch that new movie on the telly with, or to eat your leftovers in the fridge. Nobody to remind you that the trash needs taking out, or to curl up in front of the fire with. Its an alright life, maybe - peaceful, for sure, but something is missing.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Now, what if I told you that you could date everything in your house? Lonely no longer thanks to the ability to become romantically entwined with your bed, rizz up your fireplace, or practice swooning your fridge.Well, Date Everything toys with that exact concept, giving you the player, and eligible bachelor a pair of magical sunglasses (known as Dateviators, obviously) that make this a reality. Far from your ordinary pair of aviators, putting them on grants you the ability to see the mostly-human forms of all these things that you have in your home. What happens when things take on human forms? Its human nature to try and f*ck them, I guess...Who needs the likes of dating apps when the Dateviators have been dropped off at your doorstep? In Date Everything, you need not even leave the house for a date, and can go about dating approximately 102 different household items and concepts including hate itself from the comfort of your home. Who - or what - is your type, then? | Image credit: Team17Developed by SassyChap Games, co-founded by Robbie Daymond and Ray Chase of voice-acting fame, it comes as no surprise that this wacky cast of datable household objects happen to be voiced by a bunch of excuse the pun household names.Laura Bailey, Matt Mercer, Felicia Day, and Neil Newbon are just a few voices you can look forward to hearing alongside Robbie and Rays tones, breathing life, quite literally, into these household objects and their 80+ hours of dialogue.During a brief demo of the game at Team17s Showcase in February, we were introduced to a handful of the characters that players will get to meet once the game launches during June 2025. Theres a wide range of different relationships to form. Some objects will desire and require intense relationships, while other objects will only reveal themselves to you depending on your actions in existing relationships. Just like real life, I guess.Others are less than interested in you romantically, but youll still find yourself forming meaningful friendships with them. In some instances, you may even grow to hate some of the things around your home. You gonna want to play chicken with this one? | Image credit: Team17After all, with 102+ datable objects to try and bone, it would become old, fast, if every relationship played out the same way. SassyChap Games wants to offer players variation, replayability, and surprises above all else. Though, as much as it wants people to have a fun, cosy time playing Date Everything, there are some deeper topics for players to consider too as they get to know this cast of things from around their home.Fortunately, for those of us wanting to focus on that cosy, fun part above all else, there is a setting available that warns the player of any potentially triggering topics a characters story may delve into before fully engaging with that character, which was great to see included in a game like this.Relationships can be unpredictable, after all. Dating your floorboards, empty coat hangers, or games consoles is no doubt even more unpredictable, but one thing that Date Everything looks to guarantee is that itll be relaxing, wacky (and replayable!) fun akin to the goofiness of Hatoful Boyfriend and Monster Prom. What good company it keeps, which I think is very fitting for a game with this theme.Date Everything is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in June 2025.