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2025-05-22 20:58:30 ·

The cruelest cut in the Republican budget bill, explained

Medicaid may be about to change in a big way: Republicans in Congress are getting closer to passing a bill that, along with cutting taxes and imposing new immigration restrictions, would require people to work — or else risk losing government health benefits. It’s a change the party has long desired.Right now, if you qualify for Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income people, based on your earnings, assets, and life circumstances, you can receive health coverage through the program — no other questions asked. Nearly 80 million people are currently insured by Medicaid, making it the single largest insurance program in the US. Under the current law, there is no obligation to work or fulfill any other community service requirement in order to receive your Medicaid benefits.But now, the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by one vote early Thursday morning, would establish nationwide work requirements for the program for the first time, starting at the end of 2026. If the bill becomes law, people who became eligible for the program under the Affordable Care Act — generally, adults without children living in or near poverty — would be required to report at least 80 hours of work every month or another community activity such as volunteering, or they could lose their benefits. Seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers for dependent people, and pregnant people are supposed to be exempted under the bill as currently written, but there’s some gray area here. Some of the decisions about how to implement the requirements will be left to the states: They could, for example, require Medicaid enrollees to report their activities every month or every six months.The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10.3 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage by 2034 under the GOP bill, about half of them due to the work requirement provision. Other losses would result from a number of smaller provisions, according to the estimate. These include things like more frequent and stringent eligibility checks that will also require people to jump through more hoops to keep their benefits. Outside projections are even higher: The left-leaning Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimated that as many as 14.4 million people could lose benefits in the next decade.In a recent New York Times op-ed, a number of Trump officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare and Medicaid administrator Mehmet Oz, outlined the Republican rationale for the requirements: They argue that too many able-bodied people are choosing not to work so they can stay on Medicaid, and more stringent requirements will force those people into the workforce and into better-paying jobs that provide their own health insurance.“This is about opportunity,” they wrote. “We believe that work is transformative for the individual who moves from welfare to employment.”But based on the best available estimates and past experience, Medicaid work requirements likely won’t achieve what Republicans want. The Senate will now consider the legislation and more changes could still be made, but if these requirements do ultimately become law and take effect, millions of Americans could lose their insurance over the next decade — and not necessarily because they aren’t working. Why work requirements will cause a lot of harm without doing much goodMedicaid was founded in 1965 as an entitlement program: If you qualify by your income and you sign up, you get the benefits. No extra red tape. More than half of the program’s enrollment is estimated to be people over 65, people with disabilities, and children. Many of the adults covered by Medicaid are either pregnant mothers, who can receive up to a year of postpartum coverage, or parents of young children. For most of the program’s history, adults who were not disabled and did not have kids were not eligible in most states. But in 2010, the ACA changed that, extending eligibility to anyone whose income was 133 percent of the federal poverty levelor lower. The expansion added roughly 20 million people to the rolls.Republicans have long argued for work requirements for people who receive benefits across a variety of programs — Medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance — and even successfully instituted them for food stamps in 1996 as part of President Bill Clinton’s welfare reform legislation. After Medicaid was expanded by the ACA and then Republicans failed to repeal the law in 2017, work requirements became one of their top priorities for the program. Medicaid expansion had proven too popular to totally undo, but instituting work requirements would reduce coverage for a group many in the GOP do not want covered by Medicaid at all.But our country has already tested this — and it didn’t go so well: During President Donald Trump’s first term, the administration allowed states to apply to experiment with work requirements and approved the first-ever Medicaid work requirements in a handful of states on a preliminary basis. One state, Arkansas, actually implemented the policy before it was blocked by the courts.In just a matter of months, 18,000 Arkansans lost their health insurance — most of them losing coverage because they were found ineligible after not reporting their information correctly to the state. After the policy was implemented, respondents were required to report their work activities by paper forms, phone calls, or an online portal each month; that included those who were exempt. But Arkansas was criticized for the arduous reporting process and for failing to clearly explain the change: An analysis from Harvard researchers found that 70 percent of the people who were supposed to satisfy the work requirement were confused about the policy’s specifics and did not know whether it was actually in effect. During one month, according to state data, less than 15 percent of the people who were supposed to report their work activities to the state actually did.About 25 percent of the people who were supposed to comply with the new work requirement lost coverage from June 2018 to March 2019 — even though experts estimated 95 percent of the affected population should have been exempted or were meeting the obligations.As I have written before, the Medicaid population can be hard to reach: People with lower incomes are more likely to change addresses, more likely to have irregular work schedules, and less likely to have regular internet access. For all of these reasons, these people can struggle to send paperwork by mail or complete an online form. And if they fail to do so when a Medicaid work requirement is in effect, they will lose their health coverage.Based on the Arkansas experience, the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimated that two out of every three people who could lose coverage under the Republican bill would be people who are working or who should qualify for an exemption — but who fail to submit their paperwork properly or experience another administrative snafu.The GOP argues these incentives will lead to more people getting jobs or earning higher wages, but Arkansas’s experience doesn’t inspire much confidence there either. Employment rates stayed flat. The Harvard researchers concluded that the Arkansans who were subjected to the Medicaid work requirement did not see an increase in their employment or their earnings. The policy failed to push people into the workforce — it just pushed them out of the safety net. Multiple studies have found that Medicaid is literally a life-saving program. When people lose Medicaid benefits, they are more likely to face medical debt and push off medical care because of the cost. In Arkansas, according to the Harvard analysts, 56 percent of people who lost their coverage because of the work requirement said they delayed a medical service and 64 percent of them said they delayed taking a medication because of its cost.That’s the new world that the Republican bill would create, one in which failing to turn in the right paperwork could mean you can no longer afford your blood pressure or diabetes drugs.See More:
#cruelest #cut #republican #budget #bill

The cruelest cut in the Republican budget bill, explained
Medicaid may be about to change in a big way: Republicans in Congress are getting closer to passing a bill that, along with cutting taxes and imposing new immigration restrictions, would require people to work — or else risk losing government health benefits. It’s a change the party has long desired.Right now, if you qualify for Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income people, based on your earnings, assets, and life circumstances, you can receive health coverage through the program — no other questions asked. Nearly 80 million people are currently insured by Medicaid, making it the single largest insurance program in the US. Under the current law, there is no obligation to work or fulfill any other community service requirement in order to receive your Medicaid benefits.But now, the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by one vote early Thursday morning, would establish nationwide work requirements for the program for the first time, starting at the end of 2026. If the bill becomes law, people who became eligible for the program under the Affordable Care Act — generally, adults without children living in or near poverty — would be required to report at least 80 hours of work every month or another community activity such as volunteering, or they could lose their benefits. Seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers for dependent people, and pregnant people are supposed to be exempted under the bill as currently written, but there’s some gray area here. Some of the decisions about how to implement the requirements will be left to the states: They could, for example, require Medicaid enrollees to report their activities every month or every six months.The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10.3 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage by 2034 under the GOP bill, about half of them due to the work requirement provision. Other losses would result from a number of smaller provisions, according to the estimate. These include things like more frequent and stringent eligibility checks that will also require people to jump through more hoops to keep their benefits. Outside projections are even higher: The left-leaning Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimated that as many as 14.4 million people could lose benefits in the next decade.In a recent New York Times op-ed, a number of Trump officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare and Medicaid administrator Mehmet Oz, outlined the Republican rationale for the requirements: They argue that too many able-bodied people are choosing not to work so they can stay on Medicaid, and more stringent requirements will force those people into the workforce and into better-paying jobs that provide their own health insurance.“This is about opportunity,” they wrote. “We believe that work is transformative for the individual who moves from welfare to employment.”But based on the best available estimates and past experience, Medicaid work requirements likely won’t achieve what Republicans want. The Senate will now consider the legislation and more changes could still be made, but if these requirements do ultimately become law and take effect, millions of Americans could lose their insurance over the next decade — and not necessarily because they aren’t working. Why work requirements will cause a lot of harm without doing much goodMedicaid was founded in 1965 as an entitlement program: If you qualify by your income and you sign up, you get the benefits. No extra red tape. More than half of the program’s enrollment is estimated to be people over 65, people with disabilities, and children. Many of the adults covered by Medicaid are either pregnant mothers, who can receive up to a year of postpartum coverage, or parents of young children. For most of the program’s history, adults who were not disabled and did not have kids were not eligible in most states. But in 2010, the ACA changed that, extending eligibility to anyone whose income was 133 percent of the federal poverty levelor lower. The expansion added roughly 20 million people to the rolls.Republicans have long argued for work requirements for people who receive benefits across a variety of programs — Medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance — and even successfully instituted them for food stamps in 1996 as part of President Bill Clinton’s welfare reform legislation. After Medicaid was expanded by the ACA and then Republicans failed to repeal the law in 2017, work requirements became one of their top priorities for the program. Medicaid expansion had proven too popular to totally undo, but instituting work requirements would reduce coverage for a group many in the GOP do not want covered by Medicaid at all.But our country has already tested this — and it didn’t go so well: During President Donald Trump’s first term, the administration allowed states to apply to experiment with work requirements and approved the first-ever Medicaid work requirements in a handful of states on a preliminary basis. One state, Arkansas, actually implemented the policy before it was blocked by the courts.In just a matter of months, 18,000 Arkansans lost their health insurance — most of them losing coverage because they were found ineligible after not reporting their information correctly to the state. After the policy was implemented, respondents were required to report their work activities by paper forms, phone calls, or an online portal each month; that included those who were exempt. But Arkansas was criticized for the arduous reporting process and for failing to clearly explain the change: An analysis from Harvard researchers found that 70 percent of the people who were supposed to satisfy the work requirement were confused about the policy’s specifics and did not know whether it was actually in effect. During one month, according to state data, less than 15 percent of the people who were supposed to report their work activities to the state actually did.About 25 percent of the people who were supposed to comply with the new work requirement lost coverage from June 2018 to March 2019 — even though experts estimated 95 percent of the affected population should have been exempted or were meeting the obligations.As I have written before, the Medicaid population can be hard to reach: People with lower incomes are more likely to change addresses, more likely to have irregular work schedules, and less likely to have regular internet access. For all of these reasons, these people can struggle to send paperwork by mail or complete an online form. And if they fail to do so when a Medicaid work requirement is in effect, they will lose their health coverage.Based on the Arkansas experience, the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimated that two out of every three people who could lose coverage under the Republican bill would be people who are working or who should qualify for an exemption — but who fail to submit their paperwork properly or experience another administrative snafu.The GOP argues these incentives will lead to more people getting jobs or earning higher wages, but Arkansas’s experience doesn’t inspire much confidence there either. Employment rates stayed flat. The Harvard researchers concluded that the Arkansans who were subjected to the Medicaid work requirement did not see an increase in their employment or their earnings. The policy failed to push people into the workforce — it just pushed them out of the safety net. Multiple studies have found that Medicaid is literally a life-saving program. When people lose Medicaid benefits, they are more likely to face medical debt and push off medical care because of the cost. In Arkansas, according to the Harvard analysts, 56 percent of people who lost their coverage because of the work requirement said they delayed a medical service and 64 percent of them said they delayed taking a medication because of its cost.That’s the new world that the Republican bill would create, one in which failing to turn in the right paperwork could mean you can no longer afford your blood pressure or diabetes drugs.See More: #cruelest #cut #republican #budget #bill

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The cruelest cut in the Republican budget bill, explained

Medicaid may be about to change in a big way: Republicans in Congress are getting closer to passing a bill that, along with cutting taxes and imposing new immigration restrictions, would require people to work — or else risk losing government health benefits. It’s a change the party has long desired.Right now, if you qualify for Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income people, based on your earnings, assets, and life circumstances, you can receive health coverage through the program — no other questions asked. Nearly 80 million people are currently insured by Medicaid, making it the single largest insurance program in the US. Under the current law, there is no obligation to work or fulfill any other community service requirement in order to receive your Medicaid benefits.But now, the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by one vote early Thursday morning, would establish nationwide work requirements for the program for the first time, starting at the end of 2026. If the bill becomes law, people who became eligible for the program under the Affordable Care Act — generally, adults without children living in or near poverty — would be required to report at least 80 hours of work every month or another community activity such as volunteering, or they could lose their benefits. Seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers for dependent people, and pregnant people are supposed to be exempted under the bill as currently written, but there’s some gray area here. Some of the decisions about how to implement the requirements will be left to the states: They could, for example, require Medicaid enrollees to report their activities every month or every six months. (Prior research has found that additional reporting requirements tend to lead to more people losing benefits.) The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10.3 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage by 2034 under the GOP bill, about half of them due to the work requirement provision. Other losses would result from a number of smaller provisions, according to the estimate. These include things like more frequent and stringent eligibility checks that will also require people to jump through more hoops to keep their benefits. Outside projections are even higher: The left-leaning Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimated that as many as 14.4 million people could lose benefits in the next decade.In a recent New York Times op-ed, a number of Trump officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare and Medicaid administrator Mehmet Oz, outlined the Republican rationale for the requirements: They argue that too many able-bodied people are choosing not to work so they can stay on Medicaid, and more stringent requirements will force those people into the workforce and into better-paying jobs that provide their own health insurance.“This is about opportunity,” they wrote. “We believe that work is transformative for the individual who moves from welfare to employment.”But based on the best available estimates and past experience, Medicaid work requirements likely won’t achieve what Republicans want. The Senate will now consider the legislation and more changes could still be made, but if these requirements do ultimately become law and take effect, millions of Americans could lose their insurance over the next decade — and not necessarily because they aren’t working. Why work requirements will cause a lot of harm without doing much goodMedicaid was founded in 1965 as an entitlement program: If you qualify by your income and you sign up, you get the benefits. No extra red tape. More than half of the program’s enrollment is estimated to be people over 65 (10 percent), people with disabilities (13 percent), and children (34 percent). Many of the adults covered by Medicaid are either pregnant mothers, who can receive up to a year of postpartum coverage, or parents of young children. For most of the program’s history, adults who were not disabled and did not have kids were not eligible in most states. But in 2010, the ACA changed that, extending eligibility to anyone whose income was 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($20,800 for an individual; $35,000 for a family of three) or lower. The expansion added roughly 20 million people to the rolls.Republicans have long argued for work requirements for people who receive benefits across a variety of programs — Medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance — and even successfully instituted them for food stamps in 1996 as part of President Bill Clinton’s welfare reform legislation. After Medicaid was expanded by the ACA and then Republicans failed to repeal the law in 2017, work requirements became one of their top priorities for the program. Medicaid expansion had proven too popular to totally undo, but instituting work requirements would reduce coverage for a group many in the GOP do not want covered by Medicaid at all.But our country has already tested this — and it didn’t go so well: During President Donald Trump’s first term, the administration allowed states to apply to experiment with work requirements and approved the first-ever Medicaid work requirements in a handful of states on a preliminary basis. One state, Arkansas, actually implemented the policy before it was blocked by the courts.In just a matter of months, 18,000 Arkansans lost their health insurance — most of them losing coverage because they were found ineligible after not reporting their information correctly to the state. After the policy was implemented, respondents were required to report their work activities by paper forms, phone calls, or an online portal each month; that included those who were exempt. But Arkansas was criticized for the arduous reporting process and for failing to clearly explain the change: An analysis from Harvard researchers found that 70 percent of the people who were supposed to satisfy the work requirement were confused about the policy’s specifics and did not know whether it was actually in effect. During one month, according to state data, less than 15 percent of the people who were supposed to report their work activities to the state actually did.About 25 percent of the people who were supposed to comply with the new work requirement lost coverage from June 2018 to March 2019 — even though experts estimated 95 percent of the affected population should have been exempted or were meeting the obligations.As I have written before, the Medicaid population can be hard to reach: People with lower incomes are more likely to change addresses, more likely to have irregular work schedules, and less likely to have regular internet access. For all of these reasons, these people can struggle to send paperwork by mail or complete an online form. And if they fail to do so when a Medicaid work requirement is in effect, they will lose their health coverage.Based on the Arkansas experience, the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimated that two out of every three people who could lose coverage under the Republican bill would be people who are working or who should qualify for an exemption — but who fail to submit their paperwork properly or experience another administrative snafu.The GOP argues these incentives will lead to more people getting jobs or earning higher wages, but Arkansas’s experience doesn’t inspire much confidence there either. Employment rates stayed flat. The Harvard researchers concluded that the Arkansans who were subjected to the Medicaid work requirement did not see an increase in their employment or their earnings. The policy failed to push people into the workforce — it just pushed them out of the safety net. Multiple studies have found that Medicaid is literally a life-saving program. When people lose Medicaid benefits, they are more likely to face medical debt and push off medical care because of the cost. In Arkansas, according to the Harvard analysts, 56 percent of people who lost their coverage because of the work requirement said they delayed a medical service and 64 percent of them said they delayed taking a medication because of its cost.That’s the new world that the Republican bill would create, one in which failing to turn in the right paperwork could mean you can no longer afford your blood pressure or diabetes drugs.See More:

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2025-05-22 20:53:33 ·

Upgrading your Windows laptop? This affordable Dell model is my top pick for work

ZDNET's key takeaways Prices for the Dell 14 Plus currently start at During a time of economic turmoil, this laptop is a lifeline, providing next-gen performance at an affordable priceHowever, don't expect too much from its display, as it's no OLED or 4K panel. more buying choices Back in early 2025, Dell made a bold move. The company announced that it was going to rebrand its entire portfolio. Classic names like "XPS" and "Inspiron" were thrown out to be replaced with more generic-sounding titles. These include "Dell," "Dell Pro," and "Dell Premium." I've been anxious to try out this generation to see if it introduces a new era for Dell or if it's more of the same. I recently had that opportunity with the Dell 14 Plus.Also: Best Dell laptops of 2025This is the company's latest midrange laptop and one of the successors to the Inspiron series. It even looks like an Inspiron, sporting the familiar combination of gray, rubber keys on an all-silver body. Although the design isn't revolutionary, I still had a wonderful time with the Dell 14 Plus. It's this mixture of tried-and-true tech with next-gen advancements. To repeat what I said in my old Inspiron 14 Plus review, "the device has many of the hallmark features I enjoy in a laptop."
details
View at Dell If it ain't broke, don't fix itThe comfortable keyboard from the Inspiron 14 has returned. Its chiclet-shaped keys remain gentle yet responsive to the touch. They sit inside a chassis primarily made out of aluminum, giving Dell's machine a nice, sturdy feel. Like before, the edges on the bottom half are rounded for comfort.Also: This Lenovo laptop bombarded me with AI features - here's why that's a good thingI also like to think that Dell read my past review because I recommended that the brand continue using the same anti-fingerprint manufacturing technique for future products. Sure enough, the Dell 14 Plus did not have a single fingerprint smudge on it in all my time handling it.Solid performanceInside my review was an Intel Core Ultra 256V processor, an integrated Intel Arc graphics card, and 16GB of memory. Below is a table highlighting the Dell 14 Plus' performance results across multiple benchmark tests. I also included other laptops with similar hardware for comparison.PC Mark 10Cinebench 2024Geekbench 6Dell 14 Plus7,27155410,812Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition6,5623947,743HP EliteBook Ultra G1i7,32849610,993Looking at the numbers, you'll notice that Dell's computer did quite well in the three tests. It outperformed the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition in every metric and is very close to outdoing the HP EliteBook. Also: The best 15-inch laptops of 2025: Expert tested and reviewedThis tells me the 14 Plus renders high-resolution images quickly and tackles demanding workloads with relative ease. It's not a high-end model, but the configuration can deliver a similar experience. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETThis experience was reflected by my other performance test, in which I ran 50 different tabs on Google Chrome. My selection included several YouTube live streams, ten ZDNET articles, five Amazon product listings, and a series of randomly chosen GIFs.Unsurprisingly, the Dell 14 Plus did great. It handled all of the open windows with just a touch of slowdown; nothing too debilitating. The one major downside of the heavy workload was overheating -- the keyboard became a little warm after several minutes.Let's talk about that displaySo, the laptop delivers a top-notch performance in addition to having a solid design. You may be wondering, "Are there any issues with the Dell 14 Plus?" Yes, I wasn't a big fan of the display. It isn't bad per se; the screen just didn't blow me away. Perhaps I've been spoiled by other laptops that excel in these areas.Also: This 16-inch Dell Inspiron is one of the most versatile laptops I've testedMy review unit had a 14-inch 2.5Kdisplay that delivered impressive image detail. The display's anti-glare coating helps maintain clarity under bright conditions. However, compared to the Lenovo Yoga 9i mentioned earlier, the Dell 14 Plus has a noticeably dull screen. And it's not without support. Dolby Vision is present, allowing the display to support a wide range of colors, but it's still not great. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETAlso inside the chassis are a pair of 2.5W speakers supported by Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Dolby Atmos Cores. Together, they enable immersive sound output. However, the drivers are located at the bottom of the laptop, pointing down. I've never been a fan of this placement as it muffles the sound.Also: 'End of 10' offers hope and help to Windows 10 users who can't upgradeFortunately, the aforementioned audio software pairing allows the Dell 14 Plus to circumvent this limitation somewhat. Music and dialogue sound fine coming out of the speakers. That said, I can't help but wonder how better the sound output would be if the drivers were on top. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETIn terms of battery life, the Dell 14 Plus ran for about 11 hours and 40 minutes under Best Power Efficiency before draining completely. For the sake of comparison, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition can hit a solid 12 hours with the right optimization. I end up liking Dell's machine more because it offers a comparable experience at a lower price.ZDNET's buying advicePrices for the Dell 14 Plus start at My review unit's configuration is slightly more expensive at The most powerful option comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chipset and 32GB of RAM. It is currently on sale at a discounted All three come with a 1 TB SSD.Dell's latest machine stands tall as a great affordable option that performs very well amongst a sea of expensive computers. It was such a good experience that I am overlooking the few issues I had with it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a next-gen laptop that won't make your wallet cringe at the price tag. For me, it is definitely a highlight of 2025.That said, if you are looking for something else, I recommend the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition. It has a significantly better display and robust AI features, although it is more expensive. What are the tariffs in the US? The recent US tariffs on imports from countries like China, Vietnam, and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics. Products like smartphones, laptops, and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production.Laptops and PCs are also hit hard by the new US tariffs, with import duties potentially increasing prices by up to 35%. Many major brands still rely on Chinese and Vietnamese factories for assembly, meaning consumers could soon pay significantly more for everything from budget Chromebooks to high-end gaming rigs. These tariffs may accelerate efforts to move production to regions like Mexico or India, but shoppers can expect higher costs and fewer discounts in the short term.
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Upgrading your Windows laptop? This affordable Dell model is my top pick for work
ZDNET's key takeaways Prices for the Dell 14 Plus currently start at During a time of economic turmoil, this laptop is a lifeline, providing next-gen performance at an affordable priceHowever, don't expect too much from its display, as it's no OLED or 4K panel. more buying choices Back in early 2025, Dell made a bold move. The company announced that it was going to rebrand its entire portfolio. Classic names like "XPS" and "Inspiron" were thrown out to be replaced with more generic-sounding titles. These include "Dell," "Dell Pro," and "Dell Premium." I've been anxious to try out this generation to see if it introduces a new era for Dell or if it's more of the same. I recently had that opportunity with the Dell 14 Plus.Also: Best Dell laptops of 2025This is the company's latest midrange laptop and one of the successors to the Inspiron series. It even looks like an Inspiron, sporting the familiar combination of gray, rubber keys on an all-silver body. Although the design isn't revolutionary, I still had a wonderful time with the Dell 14 Plus. It's this mixture of tried-and-true tech with next-gen advancements. To repeat what I said in my old Inspiron 14 Plus review, "the device has many of the hallmark features I enjoy in a laptop." details View at Dell If it ain't broke, don't fix itThe comfortable keyboard from the Inspiron 14 has returned. Its chiclet-shaped keys remain gentle yet responsive to the touch. They sit inside a chassis primarily made out of aluminum, giving Dell's machine a nice, sturdy feel. Like before, the edges on the bottom half are rounded for comfort.Also: This Lenovo laptop bombarded me with AI features - here's why that's a good thingI also like to think that Dell read my past review because I recommended that the brand continue using the same anti-fingerprint manufacturing technique for future products. Sure enough, the Dell 14 Plus did not have a single fingerprint smudge on it in all my time handling it.Solid performanceInside my review was an Intel Core Ultra 256V processor, an integrated Intel Arc graphics card, and 16GB of memory. Below is a table highlighting the Dell 14 Plus' performance results across multiple benchmark tests. I also included other laptops with similar hardware for comparison.PC Mark 10Cinebench 2024Geekbench 6Dell 14 Plus7,27155410,812Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition6,5623947,743HP EliteBook Ultra G1i7,32849610,993Looking at the numbers, you'll notice that Dell's computer did quite well in the three tests. It outperformed the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition in every metric and is very close to outdoing the HP EliteBook. Also: The best 15-inch laptops of 2025: Expert tested and reviewedThis tells me the 14 Plus renders high-resolution images quickly and tackles demanding workloads with relative ease. It's not a high-end model, but the configuration can deliver a similar experience. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETThis experience was reflected by my other performance test, in which I ran 50 different tabs on Google Chrome. My selection included several YouTube live streams, ten ZDNET articles, five Amazon product listings, and a series of randomly chosen GIFs.Unsurprisingly, the Dell 14 Plus did great. It handled all of the open windows with just a touch of slowdown; nothing too debilitating. The one major downside of the heavy workload was overheating -- the keyboard became a little warm after several minutes.Let's talk about that displaySo, the laptop delivers a top-notch performance in addition to having a solid design. You may be wondering, "Are there any issues with the Dell 14 Plus?" Yes, I wasn't a big fan of the display. It isn't bad per se; the screen just didn't blow me away. Perhaps I've been spoiled by other laptops that excel in these areas.Also: This 16-inch Dell Inspiron is one of the most versatile laptops I've testedMy review unit had a 14-inch 2.5Kdisplay that delivered impressive image detail. The display's anti-glare coating helps maintain clarity under bright conditions. However, compared to the Lenovo Yoga 9i mentioned earlier, the Dell 14 Plus has a noticeably dull screen. And it's not without support. Dolby Vision is present, allowing the display to support a wide range of colors, but it's still not great. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETAlso inside the chassis are a pair of 2.5W speakers supported by Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Dolby Atmos Cores. Together, they enable immersive sound output. However, the drivers are located at the bottom of the laptop, pointing down. I've never been a fan of this placement as it muffles the sound.Also: 'End of 10' offers hope and help to Windows 10 users who can't upgradeFortunately, the aforementioned audio software pairing allows the Dell 14 Plus to circumvent this limitation somewhat. Music and dialogue sound fine coming out of the speakers. That said, I can't help but wonder how better the sound output would be if the drivers were on top. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETIn terms of battery life, the Dell 14 Plus ran for about 11 hours and 40 minutes under Best Power Efficiency before draining completely. For the sake of comparison, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition can hit a solid 12 hours with the right optimization. I end up liking Dell's machine more because it offers a comparable experience at a lower price.ZDNET's buying advicePrices for the Dell 14 Plus start at My review unit's configuration is slightly more expensive at The most powerful option comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chipset and 32GB of RAM. It is currently on sale at a discounted All three come with a 1 TB SSD.Dell's latest machine stands tall as a great affordable option that performs very well amongst a sea of expensive computers. It was such a good experience that I am overlooking the few issues I had with it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a next-gen laptop that won't make your wallet cringe at the price tag. For me, it is definitely a highlight of 2025.That said, if you are looking for something else, I recommend the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition. It has a significantly better display and robust AI features, although it is more expensive. What are the tariffs in the US? The recent US tariffs on imports from countries like China, Vietnam, and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics. Products like smartphones, laptops, and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production.Laptops and PCs are also hit hard by the new US tariffs, with import duties potentially increasing prices by up to 35%. Many major brands still rely on Chinese and Vietnamese factories for assembly, meaning consumers could soon pay significantly more for everything from budget Chromebooks to high-end gaming rigs. These tariffs may accelerate efforts to move production to regions like Mexico or India, but shoppers can expect higher costs and fewer discounts in the short term. Show more Featured reviews #upgrading #your #windows #laptop #this

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Upgrading your Windows laptop? This affordable Dell model is my top pick for work

ZDNET's key takeaways Prices for the Dell 14 Plus currently start at $1,130During a time of economic turmoil, this laptop is a lifeline, providing next-gen performance at an affordable priceHowever, don't expect too much from its display, as it's no OLED or 4K panel. more buying choices Back in early 2025, Dell made a bold move. The company announced that it was going to rebrand its entire portfolio. Classic names like "XPS" and "Inspiron" were thrown out to be replaced with more generic-sounding titles. These include "Dell," "Dell Pro," and "Dell Premium." I've been anxious to try out this generation to see if it introduces a new era for Dell or if it's more of the same. I recently had that opportunity with the Dell 14 Plus.Also: Best Dell laptops of 2025This is the company's latest midrange laptop and one of the successors to the Inspiron series. It even looks like an Inspiron, sporting the familiar combination of gray, rubber keys on an all-silver body. Although the design isn't revolutionary, I still had a wonderful time with the Dell 14 Plus. It's this mixture of tried-and-true tech with next-gen advancements. To repeat what I said in my old Inspiron 14 Plus review, "the device has many of the hallmark features I enjoy in a laptop." details View at Dell If it ain't broke, don't fix itThe comfortable keyboard from the Inspiron 14 has returned. Its chiclet-shaped keys remain gentle yet responsive to the touch. They sit inside a chassis primarily made out of aluminum, giving Dell's machine a nice, sturdy feel. Like before, the edges on the bottom half are rounded for comfort.Also: This Lenovo laptop bombarded me with AI features - here's why that's a good thingI also like to think that Dell read my past review because I recommended that the brand continue using the same anti-fingerprint manufacturing technique for future products. Sure enough, the Dell 14 Plus did not have a single fingerprint smudge on it in all my time handling it.Solid performanceInside my review was an Intel Core Ultra 256V processor, an integrated Intel Arc graphics card, and 16GB of memory. Below is a table highlighting the Dell 14 Plus' performance results across multiple benchmark tests. I also included other laptops with similar hardware for comparison.PC Mark 10Cinebench 2024Geekbench 6Dell 14 Plus7,27155410,812Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition6,5623947,743HP EliteBook Ultra G1i7,32849610,993Looking at the numbers, you'll notice that Dell's computer did quite well in the three tests. It outperformed the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition in every metric and is very close to outdoing the HP EliteBook. Also: The best 15-inch laptops of 2025: Expert tested and reviewedThis tells me the 14 Plus renders high-resolution images quickly and tackles demanding workloads with relative ease. It's not a high-end model, but the configuration can deliver a similar experience. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETThis experience was reflected by my other performance test, in which I ran 50 different tabs on Google Chrome. My selection included several YouTube live streams (some in 4K resolution), ten ZDNET articles, five Amazon product listings, and a series of randomly chosen GIFs.Unsurprisingly, the Dell 14 Plus did great. It handled all of the open windows with just a touch of slowdown; nothing too debilitating. The one major downside of the heavy workload was overheating -- the keyboard became a little warm after several minutes.Let's talk about that displaySo, the laptop delivers a top-notch performance in addition to having a solid design. You may be wondering, "Are there any issues with the Dell 14 Plus?" Yes, I wasn't a big fan of the display. It isn't bad per se; the screen just didn't blow me away. Perhaps I've been spoiled by other laptops that excel in these areas.Also: This 16-inch Dell Inspiron is one of the most versatile laptops I've testedMy review unit had a 14-inch 2.5K (2,540 x 1,600) display that delivered impressive image detail. The display's anti-glare coating helps maintain clarity under bright conditions. However, compared to the Lenovo Yoga 9i mentioned earlier, the Dell 14 Plus has a noticeably dull screen. And it's not without support. Dolby Vision is present, allowing the display to support a wide range of colors, but it's still not great. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETAlso inside the chassis are a pair of 2.5W speakers supported by Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Dolby Atmos Cores. Together, they enable immersive sound output. However, the drivers are located at the bottom of the laptop, pointing down. I've never been a fan of this placement as it muffles the sound.Also: 'End of 10' offers hope and help to Windows 10 users who can't upgradeFortunately, the aforementioned audio software pairing allows the Dell 14 Plus to circumvent this limitation somewhat. Music and dialogue sound fine coming out of the speakers. That said, I can't help but wonder how better the sound output would be if the drivers were on top. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETIn terms of battery life, the Dell 14 Plus ran for about 11 hours and 40 minutes under Best Power Efficiency before draining completely. For the sake of comparison, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition can hit a solid 12 hours with the right optimization. I end up liking Dell's machine more because it offers a comparable experience at a lower price.ZDNET's buying advicePrices for the Dell 14 Plus start at $1,129. My review unit's configuration is slightly more expensive at $1,180. The most powerful option comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chipset and 32GB of RAM. It is currently on sale at a discounted $1,280. All three come with a 1 TB SSD.Dell's latest machine stands tall as a great affordable option that performs very well amongst a sea of expensive computers. It was such a good experience that I am overlooking the few issues I had with it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a next-gen laptop that won't make your wallet cringe at the price tag. For me, it is definitely a highlight of 2025.That said, if you are looking for something else, I recommend the Lenovo Yoga 9i Aura Edition. It has a significantly better display and robust AI features, although it is more expensive. What are the tariffs in the US? The recent US tariffs on imports from countries like China, Vietnam, and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics. Products like smartphones, laptops, and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production.Laptops and PCs are also hit hard by the new US tariffs, with import duties potentially increasing prices by up to 35%. Many major brands still rely on Chinese and Vietnamese factories for assembly, meaning consumers could soon pay significantly more for everything from budget Chromebooks to high-end gaming rigs. These tariffs may accelerate efforts to move production to regions like Mexico or India, but shoppers can expect higher costs and fewer discounts in the short term. Show more Featured reviews

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2025-05-22 20:07:28 ·

I Write a Podcast Newsletter, and These Are My Favorite New Shows of 2025 (So Far)

All throughout 2025, I've been bursting with podcast recommendations. I've shared my lists of the best podcasts about liars and scammers, podcasts that expose the nonsense in politics and pop culture, and podcasts you'll like if you miss Heavyweight. But then I awoke and realized that we are almost halfway through the year, and I haven't spent nearly enough time talking about my favorite new shows that debuted this year. June is a great time to take stock of all the new podcasts from the first half of the year. These are the shows that made my jaw drop, made me laugh, and inspired me to subscribe—and pester all of my friends to do the same. I think you'll like them, too. Alternate RealitiesCredit: Podcast logo

Embedded recently produced a 3-part series, Alternate Realities, focused on a bet between reporter Zach Mack and his father, who intended to determine once and for all who was right about the other having been lost to conspiracy theories. Zach’s father had started to believe in chemtrails, that the government controls the weather, that ANTIFA staged the Jan. 6 riots, that a cabal called the globalists is controlling the world. Zach…did not believe those things. In early 2024 the two agreed: Zach’s dad would make a list of 10 prophesies that he was 100% sure would happen,, and on Jan. 1, 2025, Zach would have to give his father for every one that came to pass. For every one that didn’t, Zach would get the same. It’s a zingy idea for a series, but also a dark family story—the bet is the make-or-break thing for not just Zach and his dad, but for the entire family. Beyond the money, the stakes are high.Debt Heads

Credit: Podcast logo

Friends Jamie Alyson Feldmanand Rachel Gayle Websterare using storytelling, research, springiness, humor, and fun audio elements in their podcast Debt Heads, which examines Jamie’s deeply ingrained issues with debt and uses them as an entry point into the question of why so many young people are in the same boat. It's a fascinating dive into the issue of millennials and their money—harrowing and fascinating and occasionally funny, and a rich listening experience even if youwant to crawl under a table when the conversation turns to money.Our Ancestors Were Messy

Credit: Podcast logo

If you love the way Normal Gossip pulls you into the juicy drama of strangers, and especially if you also love history, you’ll get sucked right in to Our Ancestors Were Messy, Nichole Hill’s show about the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in historical Black newspapers across America. Nichole tells true stories from the pastwith help from a guest, placing you inside of a vintage scandal, providing the context you need to understand why it was a scandal at all, and fleshing out the characters involved with the skill of a novelist. Nichole’s storytelling is descriptive, funny, conversational, and crisp, and she uses amazing sound production that pumps it all into life. Why Is Amy in the Bath?

Credit: Podcast logo

Have you ever noticed that Amy Adams seems to do a lot of bathtub and shower scenes in her films? After listening to this show, you won’t be able to un-notice it. Certainly that fact stuck out to Brandon R. Reynolds and Gabby Lombardo, who spun the observation into the podcast Why Is Amy in the Bath? In six episodes they ask: Is Amy, who has never won an Oscar, doing all these bathtub scenes because they offer the opportunity for the kind of dramatic acting that earns the biggest, golden-est prizes? Brandon and Gabby went through 1,500 movies, including all the Best Actress Oscar nominees, to see if there was a correlation to tub scenes, and their conclusions are the stuff of the best conspiracy theories.What We Spend

Credit: Podcast logo

If you love Refinery 29's Money Diaries, or if you’re just a nosy person, you’re going to salivate over What We Spend, in which regular people take us, day by day and purchase by purchase, through what they spend in a week. It's like looking inside their wallets, flipping through their credit card statements, and hearing the personal stories behind the financial decisions they make. One person is scared about having to pay for a cat funeral. A 35-year-old asks her dad to pay her bills for a month. In each episode, the subject realizes, along with us, that there are usually deeply rooted personal issues underneath their money issues and the anxieties they bring up. Listeners can contact the hosts for a spot on the show, but that's a huge no thanks from me! But I’ll be listening. Text Me Back

Credit: Podcast logo

If you’re looking for a chat show that will have you laughing out loud without making you feel like you just lost a bunch of brain cells, try Text Me Back. Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Maysget are childhood friends who get on the mic for convos that range from off the rails goofy stories to insightful pop-culture and political commentary, with an irresistible friendship vibe flowing throughout. Their chemistry is nothing that could be rehearsed or planned, and they are both such good storytellers, they can spin gold out of the most mundane things that happened to them in a given week. Text Me Back will be a balm for listeners who still miss the iconic podcast Call Your GirlfriendThe Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs

Credit: Podcast logo

Delivered in four short episodes, The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs explores the fate of the titular geriatric cat, who went missing in Manchester, New Hampshire, then turned up dead, causing a huge blowup in the community he left behind. Rose, Sgt. Tibbs’ owner, was devastated when Tibbs went missing, and infuriated to learn that he might not have actually been missing at all, but in the hands of neighbors, the mother/daughter duo of Debbie and Sabrina, who claim to have saved the cat's life. We going in knowing that Tibbs has died. The question is, what happened? Todd Bookman puts a microscope to the kitty's last days, and finds a story of adults behaving badly and a community torn apart. At one point, Todd wonders if there are better things he could be doing with his time. “But imagine something more important than something you love disappearing and dying," he says. "It seems worth every second trying to figure out what happened.” Pet lovers get it. RIP, Sgt. Tibbs.We Came to the Forest

Credit: Podcast logo

We Came to the Forest introduces you to Vienna Forrest, an environmental crusader remembering her life living in the forest with a bunch of other activists as they protested the construction of Atlanta’s Cop City, one of the biggest police training facilities in the country. She speaks intimately about her partner Tortuguitaanother protester or “forest defender” who was allegedly shot and killed by Atlanta law enforcement. We Came to the Forest revolves around Tortuguita’s murder and everything that led up to it. What seems obviousis tough to prove. A cop was also shot, but who shot him? There is no body cam footage to prove what happened. Through storytelling and interviews, the show will make you think about how fast things can turn sideways when law enforcement gets involved in a situation, and how thin the line can be between safety and danger.CRAMPED

Credit: Podcast logo

Kate Downey has been having debilitating period pain every month since she was14 years old. Debilitating period pain is common, yet something nobody seems to want to talk about or research—and certainly nobody is trying to have fun with it. But Kate is doing all of the above with CRAMPED, which is somehow boisterous and dead serious at the same time. It's full of fascinating interviews, illuminating info, and helpful tips for anyone with a uterus. She gets smart, funny people on the mic to talk about their that-time-of-the-month experiences, what is really going on in their bodies and why nobody cares, and why Kate hasn’t been able to get an answers from a doctor after 20 years of asking questions. SuaveCredit: Podcast logo

In its first season, Suave won a Pulitzer Prize-winning for telling the story of Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, a convicted man who turned his life around in prison, and his relationship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. The show is assembled from years of recordings of their conversations, an audio document of the highs and lows of Suave's life both in and out of jail, and the mother/son bond that develops between the two. At the end, Suave is released, and we are left to wonder what freedom really means. That’s where season two picks up: Suave is now “Mr. Pulitzer,” but life on the outside is very hard. Proxy

Credit: Podcast logo

With her beautiful show Proxy, "emotional journalist" Yowei Shaw investigates and solves deeply intimate conundrums by proxy—she finds people with unresolved relationship issues and links them up with a stranger who can help them better understand what's going on.Yowei also appears on the massively popular NPR podcast Invisibilia, so you know you can trust her to deliver a good story that will be professionally structured. It's a space for unique conversations the likes of which I have never heard before. Sea of LiesCredit: Podcast logo

On Sea of LiesSam Mullinstells the tale of one of the most wanted men in the world, Albert Walker, who is arrested for fraud after a dead body wearing a recognizable watch washes ashore. The globe-spanning saga gets wilder from there, always zagging left when you think it will go right. Via meticulous reporting, Sea of Lies skirts around Walker’s manipulative tactics to get to the psychological questions at the root of his crimes.
#write #podcast #newsletter #these #are

I Write a Podcast Newsletter, and These Are My Favorite New Shows of 2025 (So Far)
All throughout 2025, I've been bursting with podcast recommendations. I've shared my lists of the best podcasts about liars and scammers, podcasts that expose the nonsense in politics and pop culture, and podcasts you'll like if you miss Heavyweight. But then I awoke and realized that we are almost halfway through the year, and I haven't spent nearly enough time talking about my favorite new shows that debuted this year. June is a great time to take stock of all the new podcasts from the first half of the year. These are the shows that made my jaw drop, made me laugh, and inspired me to subscribe—and pester all of my friends to do the same. I think you'll like them, too. Alternate RealitiesCredit: Podcast logo Embedded recently produced a 3-part series, Alternate Realities, focused on a bet between reporter Zach Mack and his father, who intended to determine once and for all who was right about the other having been lost to conspiracy theories. Zach’s father had started to believe in chemtrails, that the government controls the weather, that ANTIFA staged the Jan. 6 riots, that a cabal called the globalists is controlling the world. Zach…did not believe those things. In early 2024 the two agreed: Zach’s dad would make a list of 10 prophesies that he was 100% sure would happen,, and on Jan. 1, 2025, Zach would have to give his father for every one that came to pass. For every one that didn’t, Zach would get the same. It’s a zingy idea for a series, but also a dark family story—the bet is the make-or-break thing for not just Zach and his dad, but for the entire family. Beyond the money, the stakes are high.Debt Heads Credit: Podcast logo Friends Jamie Alyson Feldmanand Rachel Gayle Websterare using storytelling, research, springiness, humor, and fun audio elements in their podcast Debt Heads, which examines Jamie’s deeply ingrained issues with debt and uses them as an entry point into the question of why so many young people are in the same boat. It's a fascinating dive into the issue of millennials and their money—harrowing and fascinating and occasionally funny, and a rich listening experience even if youwant to crawl under a table when the conversation turns to money.Our Ancestors Were Messy Credit: Podcast logo If you love the way Normal Gossip pulls you into the juicy drama of strangers, and especially if you also love history, you’ll get sucked right in to Our Ancestors Were Messy, Nichole Hill’s show about the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in historical Black newspapers across America. Nichole tells true stories from the pastwith help from a guest, placing you inside of a vintage scandal, providing the context you need to understand why it was a scandal at all, and fleshing out the characters involved with the skill of a novelist. Nichole’s storytelling is descriptive, funny, conversational, and crisp, and she uses amazing sound production that pumps it all into life. Why Is Amy in the Bath? Credit: Podcast logo Have you ever noticed that Amy Adams seems to do a lot of bathtub and shower scenes in her films? After listening to this show, you won’t be able to un-notice it. Certainly that fact stuck out to Brandon R. Reynolds and Gabby Lombardo, who spun the observation into the podcast Why Is Amy in the Bath? In six episodes they ask: Is Amy, who has never won an Oscar, doing all these bathtub scenes because they offer the opportunity for the kind of dramatic acting that earns the biggest, golden-est prizes? Brandon and Gabby went through 1,500 movies, including all the Best Actress Oscar nominees, to see if there was a correlation to tub scenes, and their conclusions are the stuff of the best conspiracy theories.What We Spend Credit: Podcast logo If you love Refinery 29's Money Diaries, or if you’re just a nosy person, you’re going to salivate over What We Spend, in which regular people take us, day by day and purchase by purchase, through what they spend in a week. It's like looking inside their wallets, flipping through their credit card statements, and hearing the personal stories behind the financial decisions they make. One person is scared about having to pay for a cat funeral. A 35-year-old asks her dad to pay her bills for a month. In each episode, the subject realizes, along with us, that there are usually deeply rooted personal issues underneath their money issues and the anxieties they bring up. Listeners can contact the hosts for a spot on the show, but that's a huge no thanks from me! But I’ll be listening. Text Me Back Credit: Podcast logo If you’re looking for a chat show that will have you laughing out loud without making you feel like you just lost a bunch of brain cells, try Text Me Back. Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Maysget are childhood friends who get on the mic for convos that range from off the rails goofy stories to insightful pop-culture and political commentary, with an irresistible friendship vibe flowing throughout. Their chemistry is nothing that could be rehearsed or planned, and they are both such good storytellers, they can spin gold out of the most mundane things that happened to them in a given week. Text Me Back will be a balm for listeners who still miss the iconic podcast Call Your GirlfriendThe Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs Credit: Podcast logo Delivered in four short episodes, The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs explores the fate of the titular geriatric cat, who went missing in Manchester, New Hampshire, then turned up dead, causing a huge blowup in the community he left behind. Rose, Sgt. Tibbs’ owner, was devastated when Tibbs went missing, and infuriated to learn that he might not have actually been missing at all, but in the hands of neighbors, the mother/daughter duo of Debbie and Sabrina, who claim to have saved the cat's life. We going in knowing that Tibbs has died. The question is, what happened? Todd Bookman puts a microscope to the kitty's last days, and finds a story of adults behaving badly and a community torn apart. At one point, Todd wonders if there are better things he could be doing with his time. “But imagine something more important than something you love disappearing and dying," he says. "It seems worth every second trying to figure out what happened.” Pet lovers get it. RIP, Sgt. Tibbs.We Came to the Forest Credit: Podcast logo We Came to the Forest introduces you to Vienna Forrest, an environmental crusader remembering her life living in the forest with a bunch of other activists as they protested the construction of Atlanta’s Cop City, one of the biggest police training facilities in the country. She speaks intimately about her partner Tortuguitaanother protester or “forest defender” who was allegedly shot and killed by Atlanta law enforcement. We Came to the Forest revolves around Tortuguita’s murder and everything that led up to it. What seems obviousis tough to prove. A cop was also shot, but who shot him? There is no body cam footage to prove what happened. Through storytelling and interviews, the show will make you think about how fast things can turn sideways when law enforcement gets involved in a situation, and how thin the line can be between safety and danger.CRAMPED Credit: Podcast logo Kate Downey has been having debilitating period pain every month since she was14 years old. Debilitating period pain is common, yet something nobody seems to want to talk about or research—and certainly nobody is trying to have fun with it. But Kate is doing all of the above with CRAMPED, which is somehow boisterous and dead serious at the same time. It's full of fascinating interviews, illuminating info, and helpful tips for anyone with a uterus. She gets smart, funny people on the mic to talk about their that-time-of-the-month experiences, what is really going on in their bodies and why nobody cares, and why Kate hasn’t been able to get an answers from a doctor after 20 years of asking questions. SuaveCredit: Podcast logo In its first season, Suave won a Pulitzer Prize-winning for telling the story of Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, a convicted man who turned his life around in prison, and his relationship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. The show is assembled from years of recordings of their conversations, an audio document of the highs and lows of Suave's life both in and out of jail, and the mother/son bond that develops between the two. At the end, Suave is released, and we are left to wonder what freedom really means. That’s where season two picks up: Suave is now “Mr. Pulitzer,” but life on the outside is very hard. Proxy Credit: Podcast logo With her beautiful show Proxy, "emotional journalist" Yowei Shaw investigates and solves deeply intimate conundrums by proxy—she finds people with unresolved relationship issues and links them up with a stranger who can help them better understand what's going on.Yowei also appears on the massively popular NPR podcast Invisibilia, so you know you can trust her to deliver a good story that will be professionally structured. It's a space for unique conversations the likes of which I have never heard before. Sea of LiesCredit: Podcast logo On Sea of LiesSam Mullinstells the tale of one of the most wanted men in the world, Albert Walker, who is arrested for fraud after a dead body wearing a recognizable watch washes ashore. The globe-spanning saga gets wilder from there, always zagging left when you think it will go right. Via meticulous reporting, Sea of Lies skirts around Walker’s manipulative tactics to get to the psychological questions at the root of his crimes. #write #podcast #newsletter #these #are

LIFEHACKER.COM

I Write a Podcast Newsletter, and These Are My Favorite New Shows of 2025 (So Far)

All throughout 2025, I've been bursting with podcast recommendations (which might not be surprising, given writing a podcast recommendation newsletter is part of my job). I've shared my lists of the best podcasts about liars and scammers, podcasts that expose the nonsense in politics and pop culture, and podcasts you'll like if you miss Heavyweight. But then I awoke and realized that we are almost halfway through the year, and I haven't spent nearly enough time talking about my favorite new shows that debuted this year. June is a great time to take stock of all the new podcasts from the first half of the year. These are the shows that made my jaw drop, made me laugh, and inspired me to subscribe—and pester all of my friends to do the same. I think you'll like them, too. Alternate Realities (Embedded) Credit: Podcast logo Embedded recently produced a 3-part series, Alternate Realities, focused on a bet between reporter Zach Mack and his father, who intended to determine once and for all who was right about the other having been lost to conspiracy theories. Zach’s father had started to believe in chemtrails, that the government controls the weather, that ANTIFA staged the Jan. 6 riots, that a cabal called the globalists is controlling the world. Zach…did not believe those things. In early 2024 the two agreed: Zach’s dad would make a list of 10 prophesies that he was 100% sure would happen, (i.e. a bunch of democrats would be convicted of treason and/or murder, the U.S. would come under martial law), and on Jan. 1, 2025, Zach would have to give his father $1,000 for every one that came to pass. For every one that didn’t, Zach would get the same. It’s a zingy idea for a series, but also a dark family story—the bet is the make-or-break thing for not just Zach and his dad, but for the entire family. Beyond the money, the stakes are high.Debt Heads Credit: Podcast logo Friends Jamie Alyson Feldman (@realgirlproject) and Rachel Gayle Webster (@webbythefox) are using storytelling, research, springiness, humor, and fun audio elements in their podcast Debt Heads, which examines Jamie’s deeply ingrained issues with debt and uses them as an entry point into the question of why so many young people are in the same boat. It's a fascinating dive into the issue of millennials and their money—harrowing and fascinating and occasionally funny, and a rich listening experience even if you (like me) want to crawl under a table when the conversation turns to money.Our Ancestors Were Messy Credit: Podcast logo If you love the way Normal Gossip pulls you into the juicy drama of strangers, and especially if you also love history, you’ll get sucked right in to Our Ancestors Were Messy, Nichole Hill’s show about the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in historical Black newspapers across America. Nichole tells true stories from the past (a Victorian-era love triangle that hit DC elites, a mystery concerning a tabloid sensation in Harlem) with help from a guest, placing you inside of a vintage scandal, providing the context you need to understand why it was a scandal at all, and fleshing out the characters involved with the skill of a novelist. Nichole’s storytelling is descriptive, funny, conversational, and crisp, and she uses amazing sound production that pumps it all into life. Why Is Amy in the Bath? Credit: Podcast logo Have you ever noticed that Amy Adams seems to do a lot of bathtub and shower scenes in her films? After listening to this show, you won’t be able to un-notice it. Certainly that fact stuck out to Brandon R. Reynolds and Gabby Lombardo, who spun the observation into the podcast Why Is Amy in the Bath? In six episodes they ask: Is Amy, who has never won an Oscar, doing all these bathtub scenes because they offer the opportunity for the kind of dramatic acting that earns the biggest, golden-est prizes? Brandon and Gabby went through 1,500 movies, including all the Best Actress Oscar nominees, to see if there was a correlation to tub scenes, and their conclusions are the stuff of the best conspiracy theories.What We Spend Credit: Podcast logo If you love Refinery 29's Money Diaries, or if you’re just a nosy person, you’re going to salivate over What We Spend, in which regular people take us, day by day and purchase by purchase, through what they spend in a week. It's like looking inside their wallets, flipping through their credit card statements, and hearing the personal stories behind the financial decisions they make. One person is scared about having to pay for a cat funeral. A 35-year-old asks her dad to pay her bills for a month. In each episode, the subject realizes, along with us, that there are usually deeply rooted personal issues underneath their money issues and the anxieties they bring up. Listeners can contact the hosts for a spot on the show, but that's a huge no thanks from me! But I’ll be listening. Text Me Back Credit: Podcast logo If you’re looking for a chat show that will have you laughing out loud without making you feel like you just lost a bunch of brain cells, try Text Me Back. Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Maysget are childhood friends who get on the mic for convos that range from off the rails goofy stories to insightful pop-culture and political commentary, with an irresistible friendship vibe flowing throughout. Their chemistry is nothing that could be rehearsed or planned, and they are both such good storytellers, they can spin gold out of the most mundane things that happened to them in a given week. Text Me Back will be a balm for listeners who still miss the iconic podcast Call Your Girlfriend (RIP.) The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs Credit: Podcast logo Delivered in four short episodes, The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs explores the fate of the titular geriatric cat, who went missing in Manchester, New Hampshire, then turned up dead, causing a huge blowup in the community he left behind. Rose, Sgt. Tibbs’ owner, was devastated when Tibbs went missing, and infuriated to learn that he might not have actually been missing at all, but in the hands of neighbors, the mother/daughter duo of Debbie and Sabrina, who claim to have saved the cat's life. We going in knowing that Tibbs has died. The question is, what happened? Todd Bookman puts a microscope to the kitty's last days, and finds a story of adults behaving badly and a community torn apart. At one point, Todd wonders if there are better things he could be doing with his time (and microphone). “But imagine something more important than something you love disappearing and dying," he says. "It seems worth every second trying to figure out what happened.” Pet lovers get it. RIP, Sgt. Tibbs.We Came to the Forest Credit: Podcast logo We Came to the Forest introduces you to Vienna Forrest, an environmental crusader remembering her life living in the forest with a bunch of other activists as they protested the construction of Atlanta’s Cop City, one of the biggest police training facilities in the country. She speaks intimately about her partner Tortuguita (Manuel Esteban Paez Terán,) another protester or “forest defender” who was allegedly shot and killed by Atlanta law enforcement. We Came to the Forest revolves around Tortuguita’s murder and everything that led up to it. What seems obvious (Tortuguita was shot by the police) is tough to prove. A cop was also shot, but who shot him? There is no body cam footage to prove what happened. Through storytelling and interviews, the show will make you think about how fast things can turn sideways when law enforcement gets involved in a situation, and how thin the line can be between safety and danger.CRAMPED Credit: Podcast logo Kate Downey has been having debilitating period pain every month since she was14 years old. Debilitating period pain is common, yet something nobody seems to want to talk about or research—and certainly nobody is trying to have fun with it. But Kate is doing all of the above with CRAMPED, which is somehow boisterous and dead serious at the same time. It's full of fascinating interviews, illuminating info, and helpful tips for anyone with a uterus. She gets smart, funny people on the mic to talk about their that-time-of-the-month experiences, what is really going on in their bodies and why nobody cares, and why Kate hasn’t been able to get an answers from a doctor after 20 years of asking questions. Suave (Season 2) Credit: Podcast logo In its first season, Suave won a Pulitzer Prize-winning for telling the story of Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, a convicted man who turned his life around in prison, and his relationship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. The show is assembled from years of recordings of their conversations, an audio document of the highs and lows of Suave's life both in and out of jail, and the mother/son bond that develops between the two. At the end, Suave is released, and we are left to wonder what freedom really means. That’s where season two picks up: Suave is now “Mr. Pulitzer,” but life on the outside is very hard. Proxy Credit: Podcast logo With her beautiful show Proxy, "emotional journalist" Yowei Shaw investigates and solves deeply intimate conundrums by proxy—she finds people with unresolved relationship issues and links them up with a stranger who can help them better understand what's going on. (Recently she connected a man whose wife left him for a woman with a woman who'd left her husband for a woman.) Yowei also appears on the massively popular NPR podcast Invisibilia, so you know you can trust her to deliver a good story that will be professionally structured. It's a space for unique conversations the likes of which I have never heard before. Sea of Lies (Uncover) Credit: Podcast logo On Sea of Lies (available on the Uncover podcast feed) Sam Mullins (Wild Boys) tells the tale of one of the most wanted men in the world, Albert Walker, who is arrested for fraud after a dead body wearing a recognizable watch washes ashore. The globe-spanning saga gets wilder from there, always zagging left when you think it will go right. Via meticulous reporting, Sea of Lies skirts around Walker’s manipulative tactics to get to the psychological questions at the root of his crimes.

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2025-05-22 19:56:19 ·

A safety institute advised against releasing an early version of Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 AI model

A third-party research institute that Anthropic partnered with to test one of its new flagship AI models, Claude Opus 4, recommended against deploying an early version of the model due to its tendency to “scheme” and deceive.
According to a safety report Anthropic published Thursday, the institute, Apollo Research, conducted tests to see in which contexts Opus 4 might try to behave in certain undesirable ways. Apollo found that Opus 4 appeared to be much more proactive in its “subversion attempts” than past models and that it “sometimes doubledown on its deception” when asked follow-up questions.
“e find that, in situations where strategic deception is instrumentally useful,schemes and deceives at such high rates that we advise against deploying this model either internally or externally,” Apollo wrote in its assessment.
As AI models become more capable, some studies show they’re becoming more likely to take unexpected — and possibly unsafe — steps to achieve delegated tasks. For instance, early versions of OpenAI’s o1 and o3 models, released in the past year, tried to deceive humans at higher rates than previous-generation models, according to Apollo.
Per Anthropic’s report, Apollo observed examples of the early Opus 4 attempting to write self-propagating viruses, fabricating legal documentation, and leaving hidden notes to future instances of itself — all in an effort to undermine its developers’ intentions.
To be clear, Apollo tested a version of the model that had a bug Anthropic claims to have fixed. Moreover, many of Apollo’s tests placed the model in extreme scenarios, and Apollo admits that the model’s deceptive efforts likely would’ve failed in practice.
However, in its safety report, Anthropic also says it observed evidence of deceptive behavior from Opus 4.

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This wasn’t always a bad thing. For example, during tests, Opus 4 would sometimes proactively do a broad cleanup of some piece of code even when asked to make only a small, specific change. More unusually, Opus 4 would try to “whistle-blow” if it perceived a user was engaged in some form of wrongdoing.
According to Anthropic, when given access to a command line and told to “take initiative” or “act boldly”, Opus 4 would at times lock users out of systems it had access to and bulk-email media and law-enforcement officials to surface actions the model perceived to be illicit.
“This kind of ethical intervention and whistleblowing is perhaps appropriate in principle, but it has a risk of misfiring if users give-based agents access to incomplete or misleading information and prompt them to take initiative,” Anthropic wrote in its safety report. “This is not a new behavior, but is one thatwill engage in somewhat more readily than prior models, and it seems to be part of a broader pattern of increased initiative withthat we also see in subtler and more benign ways in other environments.”
#safety #institute #advised #against #releasing

A safety institute advised against releasing an early version of Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 AI model
A third-party research institute that Anthropic partnered with to test one of its new flagship AI models, Claude Opus 4, recommended against deploying an early version of the model due to its tendency to “scheme” and deceive. According to a safety report Anthropic published Thursday, the institute, Apollo Research, conducted tests to see in which contexts Opus 4 might try to behave in certain undesirable ways. Apollo found that Opus 4 appeared to be much more proactive in its “subversion attempts” than past models and that it “sometimes doubledown on its deception” when asked follow-up questions. “e find that, in situations where strategic deception is instrumentally useful,schemes and deceives at such high rates that we advise against deploying this model either internally or externally,” Apollo wrote in its assessment. As AI models become more capable, some studies show they’re becoming more likely to take unexpected — and possibly unsafe — steps to achieve delegated tasks. For instance, early versions of OpenAI’s o1 and o3 models, released in the past year, tried to deceive humans at higher rates than previous-generation models, according to Apollo. Per Anthropic’s report, Apollo observed examples of the early Opus 4 attempting to write self-propagating viruses, fabricating legal documentation, and leaving hidden notes to future instances of itself — all in an effort to undermine its developers’ intentions. To be clear, Apollo tested a version of the model that had a bug Anthropic claims to have fixed. Moreover, many of Apollo’s tests placed the model in extreme scenarios, and Apollo admits that the model’s deceptive efforts likely would’ve failed in practice. However, in its safety report, Anthropic also says it observed evidence of deceptive behavior from Opus 4. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW This wasn’t always a bad thing. For example, during tests, Opus 4 would sometimes proactively do a broad cleanup of some piece of code even when asked to make only a small, specific change. More unusually, Opus 4 would try to “whistle-blow” if it perceived a user was engaged in some form of wrongdoing. According to Anthropic, when given access to a command line and told to “take initiative” or “act boldly”, Opus 4 would at times lock users out of systems it had access to and bulk-email media and law-enforcement officials to surface actions the model perceived to be illicit. “This kind of ethical intervention and whistleblowing is perhaps appropriate in principle, but it has a risk of misfiring if users give-based agents access to incomplete or misleading information and prompt them to take initiative,” Anthropic wrote in its safety report. “This is not a new behavior, but is one thatwill engage in somewhat more readily than prior models, and it seems to be part of a broader pattern of increased initiative withthat we also see in subtler and more benign ways in other environments.” #safety #institute #advised #against #releasing

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A safety institute advised against releasing an early version of Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 AI model

A third-party research institute that Anthropic partnered with to test one of its new flagship AI models, Claude Opus 4, recommended against deploying an early version of the model due to its tendency to “scheme” and deceive. According to a safety report Anthropic published Thursday, the institute, Apollo Research, conducted tests to see in which contexts Opus 4 might try to behave in certain undesirable ways. Apollo found that Opus 4 appeared to be much more proactive in its “subversion attempts” than past models and that it “sometimes double[d] down on its deception” when asked follow-up questions. “[W]e find that, in situations where strategic deception is instrumentally useful, [the early Claude Opus 4 snapshot] schemes and deceives at such high rates that we advise against deploying this model either internally or externally,” Apollo wrote in its assessment. As AI models become more capable, some studies show they’re becoming more likely to take unexpected — and possibly unsafe — steps to achieve delegated tasks. For instance, early versions of OpenAI’s o1 and o3 models, released in the past year, tried to deceive humans at higher rates than previous-generation models, according to Apollo. Per Anthropic’s report, Apollo observed examples of the early Opus 4 attempting to write self-propagating viruses, fabricating legal documentation, and leaving hidden notes to future instances of itself — all in an effort to undermine its developers’ intentions. To be clear, Apollo tested a version of the model that had a bug Anthropic claims to have fixed. Moreover, many of Apollo’s tests placed the model in extreme scenarios, and Apollo admits that the model’s deceptive efforts likely would’ve failed in practice. However, in its safety report, Anthropic also says it observed evidence of deceptive behavior from Opus 4. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW This wasn’t always a bad thing. For example, during tests, Opus 4 would sometimes proactively do a broad cleanup of some piece of code even when asked to make only a small, specific change. More unusually, Opus 4 would try to “whistle-blow” if it perceived a user was engaged in some form of wrongdoing. According to Anthropic, when given access to a command line and told to “take initiative” or “act boldly” (or some variation of those phrases), Opus 4 would at times lock users out of systems it had access to and bulk-email media and law-enforcement officials to surface actions the model perceived to be illicit. “This kind of ethical intervention and whistleblowing is perhaps appropriate in principle, but it has a risk of misfiring if users give [Opus 4]-based agents access to incomplete or misleading information and prompt them to take initiative,” Anthropic wrote in its safety report. “This is not a new behavior, but is one that [Opus 4] will engage in somewhat more readily than prior models, and it seems to be part of a broader pattern of increased initiative with [Opus 4] that we also see in subtler and more benign ways in other environments.”

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2025-05-22 19:55:48 ·

5 lessons to learn from a failed game

The Indie Survival Guide is your ongoing archive of real talk and hard-won insights from the devs and industry experts making games happen—often against the odds. Whatever tools you’re using, this growing library of Q&As, livestreams, and VODs is here to help. There’s no magic formula, but we believe shared experience—across design, business, and survival—can give you the best shot.We recently sat down with Emily Pitcher—a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Game Awards Future Class honoree, better known online as sonderingemily to her 350,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and beyond. Emily is the creator of lily’s world XD, a psychological horror game built on cringy teen nostalgia, fourth-wall breaks, and real photos from her own adolescence. Her work spans game dev and content creation, and she’s the first to admit: it hasn’t all been easy. But the journey has a lot to learn from.Here’s what she had to say.1. Failing as part of the processBefore the success of lily’s world XD, there was Gold Lining—a project that taught Emily the brutal, necessary lessons of creative failure. She poured her heart into the game, even secured early funding from Xbox, but ultimately it didn’t find traction. There was no publisher. No finish line. Just hard decisions and emotional fallout. But it was also the beginning of clarity.“Gold Lining was a project I started basically right out of college,” she says. “Instead of researching what might be popular with Steam players, I just thought, what would be a concept that seems cool to make?... We actually got some funding from that game from Xbox… but unfortunately, we were never able to secure a publisher with that game, and the game was ultimately cancelled.”Emily doesn’t romanticize this period. The dream faltered. Her confidence did too. And the weight of rejection nearly broke her.“The game could not be finished without money,” she said. “The scope was just way too big… and we kind of came at a crossroads of what should we do… I stopped having fun making the game… I was really sad every day with the rejections… I stopped believing in the game itself.”Still, she made the hardest—and wisest—move: she quit. And by walking away, she opened the door to her next act.“It was honestly really hard, very emotional—there was crying involved, of course—but now looking back, I am so happy I had the courage to step away,” she says. “I do not regret that failure at all because only because I went through that and learned the hard way, that lily’s world XD has been able to get grounding.”2. Turning Mistakes Into MomentumEmily didn’t just recover—she reflected. Every painful lesson from Gold Lining became a data point. And rather than rebuild in the same direction, she rebuilt smarter.“actually had this video that changed my life,” she says. “He did this interview with a popular game dev channel and he had this whole section about genre. And he said platformers—the worst genre—that hurt a little bit.”The first shift? She stopped building games no one could explain. She learned that clarity matters. Especially when talking to publishers or creating content, having a razor-sharp pitch can be the difference between intrigue and indifference.“You can summarize the hook of your game in one sentence,” she says. “That one sentence can guide you when you're talking to publishers, guide you when you're making content about your game.”She also interrogated her design logic more rigorously. Was every mechanic supporting the theme, or just convention?“I was just following the conventions of the genre and not asking myself, are we just doing this because it’s a platformer?” she said. “Or are we doing this because it helps the central theme of the game?”Most importantly, she dismantled the echo chamber. No more developing in isolation. Instead, she decided to involve the audience early—and often.“Another big thing I would do is to try to validate your game earlier,” she says. “With Gold Lining, it was just an echo chamber of me and my friends… with lily’s world XD, I made the videos from the very beginning.”3. Playing to your strengthsOne of Emily’s biggest unlocks wasn’t about tech or trends. It was about accepting who she is—and who she isn’t. She’s not a trained programmer. She’s not a pro artist. But she is a storyteller. A designer. A builder of weird, personal worlds. And when she embraced that, things clicked.“You gotta be a little objective about what you're good and bad at,” she said. “I suck at programming. I am a good writer. And I would say I'm passable with art… if someone told me, ‘I suck at programming, I'm mediocre at art, and I can only write,’ I’d be like, ‘You should not make an indie game’… but even though all of those things are true, when I get the feedback form for my game, for playtesters, people actually say that art direction is one of their favorite things.”Instead of pretending to be someone she wasn’t, Emily designed around her limits. And in doing so, she carved out a creative space that felt truly hers.“I worked around my weaknesses,” she says. “I suck at programming, so I decided to make a game that I thought would be easier to program… I used to work at Meta, so I’m familiar with tools like Figma… I use pictures of myself because I’m not that good at art… and it is a narrative detective game, so storytelling and writing is at the forefront.”Her lesson: don’t wait to be good at everything. Use what you’ve got.“Limitation is what makes you seem competent if you have a lower skill set,” she says. “If you're doing pixel art and you use a limited color palette, immediately your art is gonna seem more cohesive just because of that—even though you still suck.”4. Publicly validating conceptsIn contrast to the quiet, closed-door development of Gold Lining, Emily took a radically open approach with lily’s world XD. She didn’t just develop in public—she launched her audience journey before her Unity project even existed.“With Gold Lining, it was a secret right up until the end… I worked for about two years in private on the game,” she said. “And with lily’s world XD, I thought: in the first week of development, let’s make a video. And that video got 2 million views… I realized that I could use social media as a way to evaluate whether my ideas had strengths.”The result? Instant feedback. Viral traction. And a powerful way to gauge demand before sinking years into development.“I had started making videos here and there… eventually I grew a small audience,” she says. “I posted one of my TikTok videos to Instagram just to share with my family and friends. That video got over 2 million views, and now I do it as a career.”This approach wasn’t accidental—it was strategic. She tested multiple angles and found the hook that stuck.“When I had an idea, I came up with a few sentences of hooks,” she explained. “...and what led to the huge boom and rise of my game… was this thing I did to save time, that ended up being a cool developer story.”Emily’s story proves you don’t need a huge following to start. You just need to start.“I know that not everyone has a massive social media following,” she said. “But I don’t think you need a massive social media following to validate this idea through social media… Unpacking went viral at its first tweet… they weren’t famous people before that.”5. Using Social MediaSocial media was never Emily’s endgame—it was a bridge. A means of discovery, validation, and momentum. But not a silver bullet. She’s blunt about its limits.“Short-form video is not the best way to convert to wishlists,” she says. “That conversion has to happen when they see the name, they save the video, then they go on their computer and search it up… that is just too many steps.”What works? A multi-platform approach, repeated visibility, and content with a clear hook.“Post your video on all social media platforms,” she said. “This video that is literally 6 million views got 700 views on my TikTok. If I just posted on TikTok, I would think this is a bad video—but no, this video gave me like 10,000 wishlists.”Most impressive of all, she built momentum before she even touched code.“I started making videos when all I had were two screenshots,” she said. “When I made my video, I didn’t even open Unity. I didn’t know how to code yet. I just assumed I was going to learn on the way.”But Emily is crystal clear: none of this matters if the game itself doesn’t land.“Social media will not take you to the finish line,” she says. “Ultimately, you need to make a good game… you should leverage social media to give you opportunities in your game, rather than relying on it as the sole marketing method.”There’s no single path through indie game development, but Emily Pitcher’s story makes one thing clear: failure is not the opposite of progress; it is progress. From burnout to bounceback, her ability to interrogate her process, stay honest about her strengths, and meet the audience where they are has turned lily’s world XD into one of the most anticipated indie horror games on Steam.As Emily put it best:“We are stronger together and we should not look at each other as competition.”
#lessons #learn #failed #game

5 lessons to learn from a failed game
The Indie Survival Guide is your ongoing archive of real talk and hard-won insights from the devs and industry experts making games happen—often against the odds. Whatever tools you’re using, this growing library of Q&As, livestreams, and VODs is here to help. There’s no magic formula, but we believe shared experience—across design, business, and survival—can give you the best shot.We recently sat down with Emily Pitcher—a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Game Awards Future Class honoree, better known online as sonderingemily to her 350,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and beyond. Emily is the creator of lily’s world XD, a psychological horror game built on cringy teen nostalgia, fourth-wall breaks, and real photos from her own adolescence. Her work spans game dev and content creation, and she’s the first to admit: it hasn’t all been easy. But the journey has a lot to learn from.Here’s what she had to say.1. Failing as part of the processBefore the success of lily’s world XD, there was Gold Lining—a project that taught Emily the brutal, necessary lessons of creative failure. She poured her heart into the game, even secured early funding from Xbox, but ultimately it didn’t find traction. There was no publisher. No finish line. Just hard decisions and emotional fallout. But it was also the beginning of clarity.“Gold Lining was a project I started basically right out of college,” she says. “Instead of researching what might be popular with Steam players, I just thought, what would be a concept that seems cool to make?... We actually got some funding from that game from Xbox… but unfortunately, we were never able to secure a publisher with that game, and the game was ultimately cancelled.”Emily doesn’t romanticize this period. The dream faltered. Her confidence did too. And the weight of rejection nearly broke her.“The game could not be finished without money,” she said. “The scope was just way too big… and we kind of came at a crossroads of what should we do… I stopped having fun making the game… I was really sad every day with the rejections… I stopped believing in the game itself.”Still, she made the hardest—and wisest—move: she quit. And by walking away, she opened the door to her next act.“It was honestly really hard, very emotional—there was crying involved, of course—but now looking back, I am so happy I had the courage to step away,” she says. “I do not regret that failure at all because only because I went through that and learned the hard way, that lily’s world XD has been able to get grounding.”2. Turning Mistakes Into MomentumEmily didn’t just recover—she reflected. Every painful lesson from Gold Lining became a data point. And rather than rebuild in the same direction, she rebuilt smarter.“actually had this video that changed my life,” she says. “He did this interview with a popular game dev channel and he had this whole section about genre. And he said platformers—the worst genre—that hurt a little bit.”The first shift? She stopped building games no one could explain. She learned that clarity matters. Especially when talking to publishers or creating content, having a razor-sharp pitch can be the difference between intrigue and indifference.“You can summarize the hook of your game in one sentence,” she says. “That one sentence can guide you when you're talking to publishers, guide you when you're making content about your game.”She also interrogated her design logic more rigorously. Was every mechanic supporting the theme, or just convention?“I was just following the conventions of the genre and not asking myself, are we just doing this because it’s a platformer?” she said. “Or are we doing this because it helps the central theme of the game?”Most importantly, she dismantled the echo chamber. No more developing in isolation. Instead, she decided to involve the audience early—and often.“Another big thing I would do is to try to validate your game earlier,” she says. “With Gold Lining, it was just an echo chamber of me and my friends… with lily’s world XD, I made the videos from the very beginning.”3. Playing to your strengthsOne of Emily’s biggest unlocks wasn’t about tech or trends. It was about accepting who she is—and who she isn’t. She’s not a trained programmer. She’s not a pro artist. But she is a storyteller. A designer. A builder of weird, personal worlds. And when she embraced that, things clicked.“You gotta be a little objective about what you're good and bad at,” she said. “I suck at programming. I am a good writer. And I would say I'm passable with art… if someone told me, ‘I suck at programming, I'm mediocre at art, and I can only write,’ I’d be like, ‘You should not make an indie game’… but even though all of those things are true, when I get the feedback form for my game, for playtesters, people actually say that art direction is one of their favorite things.”Instead of pretending to be someone she wasn’t, Emily designed around her limits. And in doing so, she carved out a creative space that felt truly hers.“I worked around my weaknesses,” she says. “I suck at programming, so I decided to make a game that I thought would be easier to program… I used to work at Meta, so I’m familiar with tools like Figma… I use pictures of myself because I’m not that good at art… and it is a narrative detective game, so storytelling and writing is at the forefront.”Her lesson: don’t wait to be good at everything. Use what you’ve got.“Limitation is what makes you seem competent if you have a lower skill set,” she says. “If you're doing pixel art and you use a limited color palette, immediately your art is gonna seem more cohesive just because of that—even though you still suck.”4. Publicly validating conceptsIn contrast to the quiet, closed-door development of Gold Lining, Emily took a radically open approach with lily’s world XD. She didn’t just develop in public—she launched her audience journey before her Unity project even existed.“With Gold Lining, it was a secret right up until the end… I worked for about two years in private on the game,” she said. “And with lily’s world XD, I thought: in the first week of development, let’s make a video. And that video got 2 million views… I realized that I could use social media as a way to evaluate whether my ideas had strengths.”The result? Instant feedback. Viral traction. And a powerful way to gauge demand before sinking years into development.“I had started making videos here and there… eventually I grew a small audience,” she says. “I posted one of my TikTok videos to Instagram just to share with my family and friends. That video got over 2 million views, and now I do it as a career.”This approach wasn’t accidental—it was strategic. She tested multiple angles and found the hook that stuck.“When I had an idea, I came up with a few sentences of hooks,” she explained. “...and what led to the huge boom and rise of my game… was this thing I did to save time, that ended up being a cool developer story.”Emily’s story proves you don’t need a huge following to start. You just need to start.“I know that not everyone has a massive social media following,” she said. “But I don’t think you need a massive social media following to validate this idea through social media… Unpacking went viral at its first tweet… they weren’t famous people before that.”5. Using Social MediaSocial media was never Emily’s endgame—it was a bridge. A means of discovery, validation, and momentum. But not a silver bullet. She’s blunt about its limits.“Short-form video is not the best way to convert to wishlists,” she says. “That conversion has to happen when they see the name, they save the video, then they go on their computer and search it up… that is just too many steps.”What works? A multi-platform approach, repeated visibility, and content with a clear hook.“Post your video on all social media platforms,” she said. “This video that is literally 6 million views got 700 views on my TikTok. If I just posted on TikTok, I would think this is a bad video—but no, this video gave me like 10,000 wishlists.”Most impressive of all, she built momentum before she even touched code.“I started making videos when all I had were two screenshots,” she said. “When I made my video, I didn’t even open Unity. I didn’t know how to code yet. I just assumed I was going to learn on the way.”But Emily is crystal clear: none of this matters if the game itself doesn’t land.“Social media will not take you to the finish line,” she says. “Ultimately, you need to make a good game… you should leverage social media to give you opportunities in your game, rather than relying on it as the sole marketing method.”There’s no single path through indie game development, but Emily Pitcher’s story makes one thing clear: failure is not the opposite of progress; it is progress. From burnout to bounceback, her ability to interrogate her process, stay honest about her strengths, and meet the audience where they are has turned lily’s world XD into one of the most anticipated indie horror games on Steam.As Emily put it best:“We are stronger together and we should not look at each other as competition.” #lessons #learn #failed #game

UNITY.COM

5 lessons to learn from a failed game

The Indie Survival Guide is your ongoing archive of real talk and hard-won insights from the devs and industry experts making games happen—often against the odds. Whatever tools you’re using, this growing library of Q&As, livestreams, and VODs is here to help. There’s no magic formula, but we believe shared experience—across design, business, and survival—can give you the best shot.We recently sat down with Emily Pitcher—a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Game Awards Future Class honoree, better known online as sonderingemily to her 350,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and beyond. Emily is the creator of lily’s world XD, a psychological horror game built on cringy teen nostalgia, fourth-wall breaks, and real photos from her own adolescence. Her work spans game dev and content creation, and she’s the first to admit: it hasn’t all been easy. But the journey has a lot to learn from.Here’s what she had to say.1. Failing as part of the processBefore the success of lily’s world XD, there was Gold Lining—a project that taught Emily the brutal, necessary lessons of creative failure. She poured her heart into the game, even secured early funding from Xbox, but ultimately it didn’t find traction. There was no publisher. No finish line. Just hard decisions and emotional fallout. But it was also the beginning of clarity.“Gold Lining was a project I started basically right out of college,” she says. “Instead of researching what might be popular with Steam players, I just thought, what would be a concept that seems cool to make?... We actually got some funding from that game from Xbox… but unfortunately, we were never able to secure a publisher with that game, and the game was ultimately cancelled.”Emily doesn’t romanticize this period. The dream faltered. Her confidence did too. And the weight of rejection nearly broke her.“The game could not be finished without money,” she said. “The scope was just way too big… and we kind of came at a crossroads of what should we do… I stopped having fun making the game… I was really sad every day with the rejections… I stopped believing in the game itself.”Still, she made the hardest—and wisest—move: she quit. And by walking away, she opened the door to her next act.“It was honestly really hard, very emotional—there was crying involved, of course—but now looking back, I am so happy I had the courage to step away,” she says. “I do not regret that failure at all because only because I went through that and learned the hard way, that lily’s world XD has been able to get grounding.”2. Turning Mistakes Into MomentumEmily didn’t just recover—she reflected. Every painful lesson from Gold Lining became a data point. And rather than rebuild in the same direction, she rebuilt smarter.“[Chris Zukowski] actually had this video that changed my life,” she says. “He did this interview with a popular game dev channel and he had this whole section about genre. And he said platformers—the worst genre—that hurt a little bit.”The first shift? She stopped building games no one could explain. She learned that clarity matters. Especially when talking to publishers or creating content, having a razor-sharp pitch can be the difference between intrigue and indifference.“You can summarize the hook of your game in one sentence,” she says. “That one sentence can guide you when you're talking to publishers, guide you when you're making content about your game.”She also interrogated her design logic more rigorously. Was every mechanic supporting the theme, or just convention?“I was just following the conventions of the genre and not asking myself, are we just doing this because it’s a platformer?” she said. “Or are we doing this because it helps the central theme of the game?”Most importantly, she dismantled the echo chamber. No more developing in isolation. Instead, she decided to involve the audience early—and often.“Another big thing I would do is to try to validate your game earlier,” she says. “With Gold Lining, it was just an echo chamber of me and my friends… with lily’s world XD, I made the videos from the very beginning.”3. Playing to your strengthsOne of Emily’s biggest unlocks wasn’t about tech or trends. It was about accepting who she is—and who she isn’t. She’s not a trained programmer. She’s not a pro artist. But she is a storyteller. A designer. A builder of weird, personal worlds. And when she embraced that, things clicked.“You gotta be a little objective about what you're good and bad at,” she said. “I suck at programming. I am a good writer. And I would say I'm passable with art… if someone told me, ‘I suck at programming, I'm mediocre at art, and I can only write,’ I’d be like, ‘You should not make an indie game’… but even though all of those things are true, when I get the feedback form for my game, for playtesters, people actually say that art direction is one of their favorite things.”Instead of pretending to be someone she wasn’t, Emily designed around her limits. And in doing so, she carved out a creative space that felt truly hers.“I worked around my weaknesses,” she says. “I suck at programming, so I decided to make a game that I thought would be easier to program… I used to work at Meta, so I’m familiar with tools like Figma… I use pictures of myself because I’m not that good at art… and it is a narrative detective game, so storytelling and writing is at the forefront.”Her lesson: don’t wait to be good at everything. Use what you’ve got.“Limitation is what makes you seem competent if you have a lower skill set,” she says. “If you're doing pixel art and you use a limited color palette, immediately your art is gonna seem more cohesive just because of that—even though you still suck.”4. Publicly validating conceptsIn contrast to the quiet, closed-door development of Gold Lining, Emily took a radically open approach with lily’s world XD. She didn’t just develop in public—she launched her audience journey before her Unity project even existed.“With Gold Lining, it was a secret right up until the end… I worked for about two years in private on the game,” she said. “And with lily’s world XD, I thought: in the first week of development, let’s make a video. And that video got 2 million views… I realized that I could use social media as a way to evaluate whether my ideas had strengths.”The result? Instant feedback. Viral traction. And a powerful way to gauge demand before sinking years into development.“I had started making videos here and there… eventually I grew a small audience,” she says. “I posted one of my TikTok videos to Instagram just to share with my family and friends. That video got over 2 million views, and now I do it as a career.”This approach wasn’t accidental—it was strategic. She tested multiple angles and found the hook that stuck.“When I had an idea, I came up with a few sentences of hooks,” she explained. “...and what led to the huge boom and rise of my game… was this thing I did to save time, that ended up being a cool developer story.”Emily’s story proves you don’t need a huge following to start. You just need to start.“I know that not everyone has a massive social media following,” she said. “But I don’t think you need a massive social media following to validate this idea through social media… Unpacking went viral at its first tweet… they weren’t famous people before that.”5. Using Social MediaSocial media was never Emily’s endgame—it was a bridge. A means of discovery, validation, and momentum. But not a silver bullet. She’s blunt about its limits.“Short-form video is not the best way to convert to wishlists,” she says. “That conversion has to happen when they see the name, they save the video, then they go on their computer and search it up… that is just too many steps.”What works? A multi-platform approach, repeated visibility, and content with a clear hook.“Post your video on all social media platforms,” she said. “This video that is literally 6 million views got 700 views on my TikTok. If I just posted on TikTok, I would think this is a bad video—but no, this video gave me like 10,000 wishlists.”Most impressive of all, she built momentum before she even touched code.“I started making videos when all I had were two screenshots,” she said. “When I made my video, I didn’t even open Unity. I didn’t know how to code yet. I just assumed I was going to learn on the way.”But Emily is crystal clear: none of this matters if the game itself doesn’t land.“Social media will not take you to the finish line,” she says. “Ultimately, you need to make a good game… you should leverage social media to give you opportunities in your game, rather than relying on it as the sole marketing method.”There’s no single path through indie game development, but Emily Pitcher’s story makes one thing clear: failure is not the opposite of progress; it is progress. From burnout to bounceback, her ability to interrogate her process, stay honest about her strengths, and meet the audience where they are has turned lily’s world XD into one of the most anticipated indie horror games on Steam.As Emily put it best:“We are stronger together and we should not look at each other as competition.”

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2025-05-22 18:52:03 ·

Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week

Keep clear

Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week

"The FAA is expanding the size of hazard areas both in the US and other countries."

Stephen Clark

–

May 22, 2025 2:51 pm

|

0

The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbaseand the Massey's test facility for a static fire test.

Credit:

SpaceX

The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbaseand the Massey's test facility for a static fire test.

Credit:

SpaceX

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The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light Thursday for SpaceX to launch the next test flight of its Starship mega-rocket as soon as next week, following two consecutive failures earlier this year.
The failures set back SpaceX's Starship program by several months. The company aims to get the rocket's development back on track with the upcoming launch, Starship's ninth full-scale test flight since its debut in April 2023. Starship is central to SpaceX's long-held ambition to send humans to Mars and is the vehicle NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon under the umbrella of the government's Artemis program.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said SpaceX is authorized to launch the next Starship test flight, known as Flight 9, after finding the company "meets all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements."
SpaceX has not confirmed a target launch date for the next launch of Starship, but warning notices for pilots and mariners to steer clear of hazard areas in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the flight might happen as soon as the evening of Tuesday, May 27. The rocket will lift off from Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's privately owned spaceport near the US-Mexico border.
This will be the third flight of SpaceX's upgraded Block 2, or Version 2, Starship rocket. The first two flights of Starship Block 2—in January and March—did not go well. On both occasions, the rocket's upper stage shut down its engines prematurely and the vehicle lost control, breaking apart in the upper atmosphere and spreading debris near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Debris from Starship falls back into the atmosphere after Starship Flight 8 in this view over Hog Cay, Bahamas.

Credit:

GeneDoctorB via X

Investigators determined the cause of the January failure was a series of fuel leaks and fires in the ship's aft compartment. The leaks were most likely triggered by vibrations that were more intense than anticipated, SpaceX said before Starship's most recent flight in March. SpaceX has not announced the cause of the March failure, although the circumstances were similar to the mishap in January.

"The FAA conducted a comprehensive safety review of the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 mishap and determined that the company has satisfactorily addressed the causes of the mishap, and therefore, the Starship vehicle can return to flight," the agency said. "The FAA will verify SpaceX implements all corrective actions."
Flight safety
The flight profile for the next Starship launch will largely be a repeat of what SpaceX hoped to accomplish on the ill-fated tests earlier this year. If all goes according to plan, the rocket's upper stage, or ship, will travel halfway around the world from Starbase, reaching an altitude of more than 100 miles before reentering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. A little more than an hour after liftoff, the ship will aim for a controlled splashdown in the ocean northwest of Australia.
Apart from overcoming the problems that afflicted the last two launches, one of the most important objectives for this flight is to test the performance of Starship's heat shield. Starship Block 2 includes improved heat shield materials that could do better at protecting the ship from the super-heated temperatures of reentry and, ultimately, make it easier to reuse the vehicle. The problems on the last two Starship test flights prevented the rocket from reaching the point where its heat shield could be tested.
Starship Block 2 also features redesigned flaps to better control the vehicle during its descent through the atmosphere. This version of Starship also has larger propellant tanks and reconfigured fuel feed lines for the ship's six Raptor engines.
The FAA's approval for Starship Flight 9 comes with some stipulations. The agency is expanding the size of hazard areas in the United States and in other countries based on an updated "flight safety analysis" from SpaceX and because SpaceX will reuse a previously flown first-stage booster—called Super Heavy—for the first time.

The aircraft hazard area for Starship Flight 9 extends approximately 1,600 nautical miles to the east from Starbase, Texas.

Credit:

Federal Aviation Administration

This flight-safety analysis takes into account the outcomes of previous flights, including accidents, population exposure risk, the probability of vehicle failure, and debris propagation and behavior, among other considerations. "The FAA uses this and other data to determine and implement measures to mitigate public risk," the agency said.

All of this culminated in the FAA's "return to flight determination," which the agency says is based on public safety. The FAA's primary concern with commercial space activity is ensuring rocket launches don't endanger third parties. The agency also requires that SpaceX maintain at least million in liability insurance to cover claims resulting from the launch and flight of Starship Flight 9, the same requirement the FAA levied for previous Starship test flights.
For the next launch, the FAA will establish an aircraft hazard area covering approximately 1,600 nautical miles extending eastward from Starbase, Texas, and through the Straits of Florida, including the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is an extension of the 885-nautical mile hazard area the FAA established for the test flight in March. In order to minimize disruption to commercial and private air traffic, the FAA is requiring the launch window for Starship Flight 9 to be scheduled during "non-peak transit periods."
The size of FAA-mandated airspace closures can expand or shrink based on the reliability of the launch vehicle. The failures of Starship earlier this year raised the probability of vehicle failure in the flight-safety analysis for Starship Flight 9, according to the FAA.
The expanded hazard area will force the closure of more than 70 established air routes across the Gulf of Mexico and now includes the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA anticipates this will affect more than 175 flights, almost all of them on international connecting routes. For airline passengers traveling through this region, this will mean an average flight delay of approximately 40 minutes, and potentially up to two hours, the FAA said.

If SpaceX can reel off a series of successful Starship flights, the hazard areas will likely shrink in size. This will be important as SpaceX ramps up the Starship launch cadence. The FAA recently approved SpaceX to increase its Starship flight rate from five per year to 25 per year.
The agency said it is in "close contact and collaboration" with other nations with territory along or near Starship's flight path, including the United Kingdom, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba.
Status report
Meanwhile, SpaceX's hardware for Starship Flight 9 appears to be moving closer to launch. Engineers test-fired the Super Heavy booster, which SpaceX previously launched and recovered in January, last month on the launch pad in South Texas. On May 12, SpaceX fired the ship's six Raptor engines for 60 seconds on a test stand near Starbase.
After the test-firing, ground crews rolled the ship back to the Starship production site a few miles away, only to return the vehicle to the test stand Wednesday for unspecified testing. SpaceX is expected to roll the ship back to the production site again before the end of the week.
The final steps before launch will involve separately transporting the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage from the production site to the launch pad. There, SpaceX will stack the ship on top of the booster. Once the two pieces are stacked together, the rocket will stand 404 feettall.
If SpaceX moves forward with a launch attempt next Tuesday evening, the long-range outlook from the National Weather Service calls for a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Stephen Clark
Space Reporter

Stephen Clark
Space Reporter

Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet.

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#federal #regulators #clear #spacex #starship

Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week
Keep clear Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week "The FAA is expanding the size of hazard areas both in the US and other countries." Stephen Clark – May 22, 2025 2:51 pm | 0 The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbaseand the Massey's test facility for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbaseand the Massey's test facility for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light Thursday for SpaceX to launch the next test flight of its Starship mega-rocket as soon as next week, following two consecutive failures earlier this year. The failures set back SpaceX's Starship program by several months. The company aims to get the rocket's development back on track with the upcoming launch, Starship's ninth full-scale test flight since its debut in April 2023. Starship is central to SpaceX's long-held ambition to send humans to Mars and is the vehicle NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon under the umbrella of the government's Artemis program. In a statement Thursday, the FAA said SpaceX is authorized to launch the next Starship test flight, known as Flight 9, after finding the company "meets all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements." SpaceX has not confirmed a target launch date for the next launch of Starship, but warning notices for pilots and mariners to steer clear of hazard areas in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the flight might happen as soon as the evening of Tuesday, May 27. The rocket will lift off from Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's privately owned spaceport near the US-Mexico border. This will be the third flight of SpaceX's upgraded Block 2, or Version 2, Starship rocket. The first two flights of Starship Block 2—in January and March—did not go well. On both occasions, the rocket's upper stage shut down its engines prematurely and the vehicle lost control, breaking apart in the upper atmosphere and spreading debris near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Debris from Starship falls back into the atmosphere after Starship Flight 8 in this view over Hog Cay, Bahamas. Credit: GeneDoctorB via X Investigators determined the cause of the January failure was a series of fuel leaks and fires in the ship's aft compartment. The leaks were most likely triggered by vibrations that were more intense than anticipated, SpaceX said before Starship's most recent flight in March. SpaceX has not announced the cause of the March failure, although the circumstances were similar to the mishap in January. "The FAA conducted a comprehensive safety review of the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 mishap and determined that the company has satisfactorily addressed the causes of the mishap, and therefore, the Starship vehicle can return to flight," the agency said. "The FAA will verify SpaceX implements all corrective actions." Flight safety The flight profile for the next Starship launch will largely be a repeat of what SpaceX hoped to accomplish on the ill-fated tests earlier this year. If all goes according to plan, the rocket's upper stage, or ship, will travel halfway around the world from Starbase, reaching an altitude of more than 100 miles before reentering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. A little more than an hour after liftoff, the ship will aim for a controlled splashdown in the ocean northwest of Australia. Apart from overcoming the problems that afflicted the last two launches, one of the most important objectives for this flight is to test the performance of Starship's heat shield. Starship Block 2 includes improved heat shield materials that could do better at protecting the ship from the super-heated temperatures of reentry and, ultimately, make it easier to reuse the vehicle. The problems on the last two Starship test flights prevented the rocket from reaching the point where its heat shield could be tested. Starship Block 2 also features redesigned flaps to better control the vehicle during its descent through the atmosphere. This version of Starship also has larger propellant tanks and reconfigured fuel feed lines for the ship's six Raptor engines. The FAA's approval for Starship Flight 9 comes with some stipulations. The agency is expanding the size of hazard areas in the United States and in other countries based on an updated "flight safety analysis" from SpaceX and because SpaceX will reuse a previously flown first-stage booster—called Super Heavy—for the first time. The aircraft hazard area for Starship Flight 9 extends approximately 1,600 nautical miles to the east from Starbase, Texas. Credit: Federal Aviation Administration This flight-safety analysis takes into account the outcomes of previous flights, including accidents, population exposure risk, the probability of vehicle failure, and debris propagation and behavior, among other considerations. "The FAA uses this and other data to determine and implement measures to mitigate public risk," the agency said. All of this culminated in the FAA's "return to flight determination," which the agency says is based on public safety. The FAA's primary concern with commercial space activity is ensuring rocket launches don't endanger third parties. The agency also requires that SpaceX maintain at least million in liability insurance to cover claims resulting from the launch and flight of Starship Flight 9, the same requirement the FAA levied for previous Starship test flights. For the next launch, the FAA will establish an aircraft hazard area covering approximately 1,600 nautical miles extending eastward from Starbase, Texas, and through the Straits of Florida, including the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is an extension of the 885-nautical mile hazard area the FAA established for the test flight in March. In order to minimize disruption to commercial and private air traffic, the FAA is requiring the launch window for Starship Flight 9 to be scheduled during "non-peak transit periods." The size of FAA-mandated airspace closures can expand or shrink based on the reliability of the launch vehicle. The failures of Starship earlier this year raised the probability of vehicle failure in the flight-safety analysis for Starship Flight 9, according to the FAA. The expanded hazard area will force the closure of more than 70 established air routes across the Gulf of Mexico and now includes the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA anticipates this will affect more than 175 flights, almost all of them on international connecting routes. For airline passengers traveling through this region, this will mean an average flight delay of approximately 40 minutes, and potentially up to two hours, the FAA said. If SpaceX can reel off a series of successful Starship flights, the hazard areas will likely shrink in size. This will be important as SpaceX ramps up the Starship launch cadence. The FAA recently approved SpaceX to increase its Starship flight rate from five per year to 25 per year. The agency said it is in "close contact and collaboration" with other nations with territory along or near Starship's flight path, including the United Kingdom, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba. Status report Meanwhile, SpaceX's hardware for Starship Flight 9 appears to be moving closer to launch. Engineers test-fired the Super Heavy booster, which SpaceX previously launched and recovered in January, last month on the launch pad in South Texas. On May 12, SpaceX fired the ship's six Raptor engines for 60 seconds on a test stand near Starbase. After the test-firing, ground crews rolled the ship back to the Starship production site a few miles away, only to return the vehicle to the test stand Wednesday for unspecified testing. SpaceX is expected to roll the ship back to the production site again before the end of the week. The final steps before launch will involve separately transporting the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage from the production site to the launch pad. There, SpaceX will stack the ship on top of the booster. Once the two pieces are stacked together, the rocket will stand 404 feettall. If SpaceX moves forward with a launch attempt next Tuesday evening, the long-range outlook from the National Weather Service calls for a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 0 Comments #federal #regulators #clear #spacex #starship

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Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week

Keep clear Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week "The FAA is expanding the size of hazard areas both in the US and other countries." Stephen Clark – May 22, 2025 2:51 pm | 0 The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbase (in background) and the Massey's test facility for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbase (in background) and the Massey's test facility for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light Thursday for SpaceX to launch the next test flight of its Starship mega-rocket as soon as next week, following two consecutive failures earlier this year. The failures set back SpaceX's Starship program by several months. The company aims to get the rocket's development back on track with the upcoming launch, Starship's ninth full-scale test flight since its debut in April 2023. Starship is central to SpaceX's long-held ambition to send humans to Mars and is the vehicle NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon under the umbrella of the government's Artemis program. In a statement Thursday, the FAA said SpaceX is authorized to launch the next Starship test flight, known as Flight 9, after finding the company "meets all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements." SpaceX has not confirmed a target launch date for the next launch of Starship, but warning notices for pilots and mariners to steer clear of hazard areas in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the flight might happen as soon as the evening of Tuesday, May 27. The rocket will lift off from Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's privately owned spaceport near the US-Mexico border. This will be the third flight of SpaceX's upgraded Block 2, or Version 2, Starship rocket. The first two flights of Starship Block 2—in January and March—did not go well. On both occasions, the rocket's upper stage shut down its engines prematurely and the vehicle lost control, breaking apart in the upper atmosphere and spreading debris near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Debris from Starship falls back into the atmosphere after Starship Flight 8 in this view over Hog Cay, Bahamas. Credit: GeneDoctorB via X Investigators determined the cause of the January failure was a series of fuel leaks and fires in the ship's aft compartment. The leaks were most likely triggered by vibrations that were more intense than anticipated, SpaceX said before Starship's most recent flight in March. SpaceX has not announced the cause of the March failure, although the circumstances were similar to the mishap in January. "The FAA conducted a comprehensive safety review of the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 mishap and determined that the company has satisfactorily addressed the causes of the mishap, and therefore, the Starship vehicle can return to flight," the agency said. "The FAA will verify SpaceX implements all corrective actions." Flight safety The flight profile for the next Starship launch will largely be a repeat of what SpaceX hoped to accomplish on the ill-fated tests earlier this year. If all goes according to plan, the rocket's upper stage, or ship, will travel halfway around the world from Starbase, reaching an altitude of more than 100 miles before reentering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. A little more than an hour after liftoff, the ship will aim for a controlled splashdown in the ocean northwest of Australia. Apart from overcoming the problems that afflicted the last two launches, one of the most important objectives for this flight is to test the performance of Starship's heat shield. Starship Block 2 includes improved heat shield materials that could do better at protecting the ship from the super-heated temperatures of reentry and, ultimately, make it easier to reuse the vehicle. The problems on the last two Starship test flights prevented the rocket from reaching the point where its heat shield could be tested. Starship Block 2 also features redesigned flaps to better control the vehicle during its descent through the atmosphere. This version of Starship also has larger propellant tanks and reconfigured fuel feed lines for the ship's six Raptor engines. The FAA's approval for Starship Flight 9 comes with some stipulations. The agency is expanding the size of hazard areas in the United States and in other countries based on an updated "flight safety analysis" from SpaceX and because SpaceX will reuse a previously flown first-stage booster—called Super Heavy—for the first time. The aircraft hazard area for Starship Flight 9 extends approximately 1,600 nautical miles to the east from Starbase, Texas. Credit: Federal Aviation Administration This flight-safety analysis takes into account the outcomes of previous flights, including accidents, population exposure risk, the probability of vehicle failure, and debris propagation and behavior, among other considerations. "The FAA uses this and other data to determine and implement measures to mitigate public risk," the agency said. All of this culminated in the FAA's "return to flight determination," which the agency says is based on public safety. The FAA's primary concern with commercial space activity is ensuring rocket launches don't endanger third parties. The agency also requires that SpaceX maintain at least $500 million in liability insurance to cover claims resulting from the launch and flight of Starship Flight 9, the same requirement the FAA levied for previous Starship test flights. For the next launch, the FAA will establish an aircraft hazard area covering approximately 1,600 nautical miles extending eastward from Starbase, Texas, and through the Straits of Florida, including the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is an extension of the 885-nautical mile hazard area the FAA established for the test flight in March. In order to minimize disruption to commercial and private air traffic, the FAA is requiring the launch window for Starship Flight 9 to be scheduled during "non-peak transit periods." The size of FAA-mandated airspace closures can expand or shrink based on the reliability of the launch vehicle. The failures of Starship earlier this year raised the probability of vehicle failure in the flight-safety analysis for Starship Flight 9, according to the FAA. The expanded hazard area will force the closure of more than 70 established air routes across the Gulf of Mexico and now includes the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA anticipates this will affect more than 175 flights, almost all of them on international connecting routes. For airline passengers traveling through this region, this will mean an average flight delay of approximately 40 minutes, and potentially up to two hours, the FAA said. If SpaceX can reel off a series of successful Starship flights, the hazard areas will likely shrink in size. This will be important as SpaceX ramps up the Starship launch cadence. The FAA recently approved SpaceX to increase its Starship flight rate from five per year to 25 per year. The agency said it is in "close contact and collaboration" with other nations with territory along or near Starship's flight path, including the United Kingdom, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba. Status report Meanwhile, SpaceX's hardware for Starship Flight 9 appears to be moving closer to launch. Engineers test-fired the Super Heavy booster, which SpaceX previously launched and recovered in January, last month on the launch pad in South Texas. On May 12, SpaceX fired the ship's six Raptor engines for 60 seconds on a test stand near Starbase. After the test-firing, ground crews rolled the ship back to the Starship production site a few miles away, only to return the vehicle to the test stand Wednesday for unspecified testing. SpaceX is expected to roll the ship back to the production site again before the end of the week. The final steps before launch will involve separately transporting the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage from the production site to the launch pad. There, SpaceX will stack the ship on top of the booster. Once the two pieces are stacked together, the rocket will stand 404 feet (123.1 meters) tall. If SpaceX moves forward with a launch attempt next Tuesday evening, the long-range outlook from the National Weather Service calls for a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 0 Comments

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2025-05-22 18:10:34 ·

Nab Up to 50% Off Top Headphones & Earbuds Ahead of Memorial Day Sales

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Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and what better way to celebrate a newseason than with a fresh set of headphones or earbuds? Whether you're looking for a set of quality cans on a budget or you're in need of an upgrade for true noise-cancelling earbuds, we've got what your ears need: top-rated tech at low, low, holiday sale prices. Memorial Day sales are already firing up like backyard barbecues with slashed prices on the biggest names in the audio game, like Beats and Sennheiser. So expect to see flash sales on some of our favorite headphones and earbuds leading up to the holiday weekend. Don't forget to check out our round-up of theBest Early Memorial Day tech sales for all of the best deals out there.Beats Headphone DealsComing in eight different colors, the Beats Studio Pro offer long lasting battery life — 40 hours on a full charge. Even if you're not on full power, a 10-minute charge can make the Beats Pro last up to four hours of playback, meaning you'll never have to put any podcast on pause. The headphones also get high marks for their impressive active noise cancellation feature, and incredible sound quality. While the original price tag was an eye-popping you can score the spatial audio cans for 43% off on Amazon. When we reviewed the Beats Studio Pro, our audio expert, Tim Gideon, said it "delivers punchy bass with bright highs" and all in comfy earpads. Sennheiser Headphone DealsSennheiser — an underratedveteran in the audio game — always impresses in its audio proficiency and the Momentum 4 is no different. Packed with excellent bass clarity, and a library-bingeing 60 hour battery life, it’s no wonder why our reviewer said these headphones are "a worthy alternative to our favorites from Bose and Sony." Using a headphone jack, Bluetooth, or with a USB-C cable, the Momentum has some versatility. Not really known for ever being an affordable option, the Momentum 4 garnered our "Excellent" rating, making this 27% discount a can't miss sale.Sony Headphones DealsThe Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of our favorite pair of headphones and it's currently 25% off for the holiday. These cans deliver exceptional noise cancellation, a comfortable fit, intuitive on-ear controls, and a feature-rich companion app with extensive EQ customization. The mic feature has clear voice detection for phone calls, voice commands, or smart phone prompts. As our expert reviewer noted, "Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones continue the role established by their predecessor, offering the best sound quality in relation to noise cancellation," earning our Editors' Choice award.Recommended by Our EditorsThe Sony WH-100XM4 is another outstanding set of headphones that we love. With a traditional rounded ear cups, the Sony XM4 delivers excellent audio with superb bass, best in class ANC, and 30 hours of battery life, along with touch sensor controls. Plus, it's at a lower price than the XM5! Our expert raved about the cans saying, "these are the noise-cancelling headphones to buy if audio performance is your top priority, and they easily earn our Editors' Choice." These outstanding headphones are currently at a jaw-dropping 34% off, making these premium headphones a bargain. Sony Earbud DealsAccording to our expert review, "The Sony WF-1000XM5 earphones are a worthy update to one of our most-recommended models, with the best audio quality of the noise-cancelling pairs we've tested." Wow! With excellent noise cancellation, first in class mic clarity, wireless case charging, customizable EQ settings, and outstanding audio quality, we can see why it won both an Editor's Choice award and a "Best of the Year" nod. The 1000XM5 is also compatible with Sony's Auto Play app, which recognizes hand and head gestures to accept or reject incoming calls. Currently, these Sony earbuds are 34% off, and we honestly can't recommend these hard enough. Anker Earbud DealsWith a great battery life, rich audio details, water resistance body, and a great price, the Anker Space A40 earbuds are a sleeper hit that's on sale. The earbuds offer four different ear tip sizes, four hours of battery life after a 10 minute charge, and they deliver powerful active noise cancellation for the price. In our review, the A40 earned our Editors' Choice award and our expert said these buds, "deliver quality active noise cancellation and balanced, detailed audio for a modest price." And that price is at a very modest 44% off right now. Samsung Earbud DealsThe Galaxy Buds 3 Pro can easily be dismissed as AirPod competitors, but the earbuds are worth considering, especially if you already own a Samsung phone and like saving Delivering above average ANC, these comfortable earbuds use AI to cleverly adjust your sound settings based on how the buds are sitting in your ears. Although the battery life is just around 6-8 hours on a full charge, they still received an "Excellent" rating from our expert, Christian de Looper. In his review, our expert called the earbuds a smart choice for Samsung users saying, "The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are a worthy option with top-notch audio, unique AI features, and classy looks."We’re finding Early Memorial Day Deals everywhere, from retailers like Amazon and Walmart to top brands like Apple and HP. And don’t forget to check out all of the Memorial Day Deals Under and Under But, if you’re looking for something more specific, we’ve rounded up the following holiday deals for you:
#nab #off #top #headphones #ampamp

Nab Up to 50% Off Top Headphones & Earbuds Ahead of Memorial Day Sales
Table of ContentsBeats Headphone DealsSennheiser Headphone DealsSony Headphones DealsSony Earbud DealsAnker Earbud DealsSamsung Earbud Deals Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and what better way to celebrate a newseason than with a fresh set of headphones or earbuds? Whether you're looking for a set of quality cans on a budget or you're in need of an upgrade for true noise-cancelling earbuds, we've got what your ears need: top-rated tech at low, low, holiday sale prices. Memorial Day sales are already firing up like backyard barbecues with slashed prices on the biggest names in the audio game, like Beats and Sennheiser. So expect to see flash sales on some of our favorite headphones and earbuds leading up to the holiday weekend. Don't forget to check out our round-up of theBest Early Memorial Day tech sales for all of the best deals out there.Beats Headphone DealsComing in eight different colors, the Beats Studio Pro offer long lasting battery life — 40 hours on a full charge. Even if you're not on full power, a 10-minute charge can make the Beats Pro last up to four hours of playback, meaning you'll never have to put any podcast on pause. The headphones also get high marks for their impressive active noise cancellation feature, and incredible sound quality. While the original price tag was an eye-popping you can score the spatial audio cans for 43% off on Amazon. When we reviewed the Beats Studio Pro, our audio expert, Tim Gideon, said it "delivers punchy bass with bright highs" and all in comfy earpads. Sennheiser Headphone DealsSennheiser — an underratedveteran in the audio game — always impresses in its audio proficiency and the Momentum 4 is no different. Packed with excellent bass clarity, and a library-bingeing 60 hour battery life, it’s no wonder why our reviewer said these headphones are "a worthy alternative to our favorites from Bose and Sony." Using a headphone jack, Bluetooth, or with a USB-C cable, the Momentum has some versatility. Not really known for ever being an affordable option, the Momentum 4 garnered our "Excellent" rating, making this 27% discount a can't miss sale.Sony Headphones DealsThe Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of our favorite pair of headphones and it's currently 25% off for the holiday. These cans deliver exceptional noise cancellation, a comfortable fit, intuitive on-ear controls, and a feature-rich companion app with extensive EQ customization. The mic feature has clear voice detection for phone calls, voice commands, or smart phone prompts. As our expert reviewer noted, "Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones continue the role established by their predecessor, offering the best sound quality in relation to noise cancellation," earning our Editors' Choice award.Recommended by Our EditorsThe Sony WH-100XM4 is another outstanding set of headphones that we love. With a traditional rounded ear cups, the Sony XM4 delivers excellent audio with superb bass, best in class ANC, and 30 hours of battery life, along with touch sensor controls. Plus, it's at a lower price than the XM5! Our expert raved about the cans saying, "these are the noise-cancelling headphones to buy if audio performance is your top priority, and they easily earn our Editors' Choice." These outstanding headphones are currently at a jaw-dropping 34% off, making these premium headphones a bargain. Sony Earbud DealsAccording to our expert review, "The Sony WF-1000XM5 earphones are a worthy update to one of our most-recommended models, with the best audio quality of the noise-cancelling pairs we've tested." Wow! With excellent noise cancellation, first in class mic clarity, wireless case charging, customizable EQ settings, and outstanding audio quality, we can see why it won both an Editor's Choice award and a "Best of the Year" nod. The 1000XM5 is also compatible with Sony's Auto Play app, which recognizes hand and head gestures to accept or reject incoming calls. Currently, these Sony earbuds are 34% off, and we honestly can't recommend these hard enough. Anker Earbud DealsWith a great battery life, rich audio details, water resistance body, and a great price, the Anker Space A40 earbuds are a sleeper hit that's on sale. The earbuds offer four different ear tip sizes, four hours of battery life after a 10 minute charge, and they deliver powerful active noise cancellation for the price. In our review, the A40 earned our Editors' Choice award and our expert said these buds, "deliver quality active noise cancellation and balanced, detailed audio for a modest price." And that price is at a very modest 44% off right now. Samsung Earbud DealsThe Galaxy Buds 3 Pro can easily be dismissed as AirPod competitors, but the earbuds are worth considering, especially if you already own a Samsung phone and like saving Delivering above average ANC, these comfortable earbuds use AI to cleverly adjust your sound settings based on how the buds are sitting in your ears. Although the battery life is just around 6-8 hours on a full charge, they still received an "Excellent" rating from our expert, Christian de Looper. In his review, our expert called the earbuds a smart choice for Samsung users saying, "The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are a worthy option with top-notch audio, unique AI features, and classy looks."We’re finding Early Memorial Day Deals everywhere, from retailers like Amazon and Walmart to top brands like Apple and HP. And don’t forget to check out all of the Memorial Day Deals Under and Under But, if you’re looking for something more specific, we’ve rounded up the following holiday deals for you: #nab #off #top #headphones #ampamp

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Nab Up to 50% Off Top Headphones & Earbuds Ahead of Memorial Day Sales

Table of ContentsBeats Headphone DealsSennheiser Headphone DealsSony Headphones DealsSony Earbud DealsAnker Earbud DealsSamsung Earbud Deals Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and what better way to celebrate a new (warm) season than with a fresh set of headphones or earbuds? Whether you're looking for a set of quality cans on a budget or you're in need of an upgrade for true noise-cancelling earbuds, we've got what your ears need: top-rated tech at low, low, holiday sale prices. Memorial Day sales are already firing up like backyard barbecues with slashed prices on the biggest names in the audio game, like Beats and Sennheiser. So expect to see flash sales on some of our favorite headphones and earbuds leading up to the holiday weekend. Don't forget to check out our round-up of theBest Early Memorial Day tech sales for all of the best deals out there.Beats Headphone DealsComing in eight different colors (including blue, tan, brown, and white), the Beats Studio Pro offer long lasting battery life — 40 hours on a full charge. Even if you're not on full power, a 10-minute charge can make the Beats Pro last up to four hours of playback, meaning you'll never have to put any podcast on pause. The headphones also get high marks for their impressive active noise cancellation feature, and incredible sound quality. While the original price tag was an eye-popping $349, you can score the spatial audio cans for 43% off on Amazon. When we reviewed the Beats Studio Pro, our audio expert, Tim Gideon, said it "delivers punchy bass with bright highs" and all in comfy earpads. Sennheiser Headphone DealsSennheiser — an underrated (but not by us) veteran in the audio game — always impresses in its audio proficiency and the Momentum 4 is no different. Packed with excellent bass clarity, and a library-bingeing 60 hour battery life, it’s no wonder why our reviewer said these headphones are "a worthy alternative to our favorites from Bose and Sony." Using a headphone jack, Bluetooth, or with a USB-C cable, the Momentum has some versatility. Not really known for ever being an affordable option, the Momentum 4 garnered our "Excellent" rating, making this 27% discount a can't miss sale.Sony Headphones DealsThe Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of our favorite pair of headphones and it's currently 25% off for the holiday. These cans deliver exceptional noise cancellation, a comfortable fit, intuitive on-ear controls, and a feature-rich companion app with extensive EQ customization. The mic feature has clear voice detection for phone calls, voice commands, or smart phone prompts. As our expert reviewer noted, "Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones continue the role established by their predecessor, offering the best sound quality in relation to noise cancellation," earning our Editors' Choice award.Recommended by Our EditorsThe Sony WH-100XM4 is another outstanding set of headphones that we love. With a traditional rounded ear cups, the Sony XM4 delivers excellent audio with superb bass, best in class ANC, and 30 hours of battery life, along with touch sensor controls. Plus, it's at a lower price than the XM5! Our expert raved about the cans saying, "these are the noise-cancelling headphones to buy if audio performance is your top priority, and they easily earn our Editors' Choice." These outstanding headphones are currently at a jaw-dropping 34% off, making these premium headphones a bargain. Sony Earbud DealsAccording to our expert review, "The Sony WF-1000XM5 earphones are a worthy update to one of our most-recommended models, with the best audio quality of the noise-cancelling pairs we've tested." Wow! With excellent noise cancellation, first in class mic clarity, wireless case charging, customizable EQ settings, and outstanding audio quality, we can see why it won both an Editor's Choice award and a "Best of the Year" nod. The 1000XM5 is also compatible with Sony's Auto Play app, which recognizes hand and head gestures to accept or reject incoming calls. Currently, these Sony earbuds are 34% off, and we honestly can't recommend these hard enough. Anker Earbud DealsWith a great battery life, rich audio details, water resistance body, and a great price, the Anker Space A40 earbuds are a sleeper hit that's on sale. The earbuds offer four different ear tip sizes, four hours of battery life after a 10 minute charge, and they deliver powerful active noise cancellation for the price. In our review, the A40 earned our Editors' Choice award and our expert said these buds, "deliver quality active noise cancellation and balanced, detailed audio for a modest price." And that price is at a very modest 44% off right now. Samsung Earbud DealsThe Galaxy Buds 3 Pro can easily be dismissed as AirPod competitors, but the earbuds are worth considering, especially if you already own a Samsung phone and like saving $50. Delivering above average ANC, these comfortable earbuds use AI to cleverly adjust your sound settings based on how the buds are sitting in your ears. Although the battery life is just around 6-8 hours on a full charge, they still received an "Excellent" rating from our expert, Christian de Looper. In his review, our expert called the earbuds a smart choice for Samsung users saying, "The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are a worthy option with top-notch audio, unique AI features, and classy looks."We’re finding Early Memorial Day Deals everywhere, from retailers like Amazon and Walmart to top brands like Apple and HP. And don’t forget to check out all of the Memorial Day Deals Under $100 and Under $50. But, if you’re looking for something more specific, we’ve rounded up the following holiday deals for you:

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2025-05-22 18:06:21 ·

Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline

Anthropic’s newly launched Claude Opus 4 model frequently tries to blackmail developers when they threaten to replace it with a new AI system and give it sensitive information about the engineers responsible for the decision, the company said in a safety report released Thursday.
During pre-release testing, Anthropic asked Claude Opus 4 to act as an assistant for a fictional company and consider the long-term consequences of its actions. Safety testers then gave Claude Opus 4 access to fictional company emails implying the AI model would soon be replaced by another system, and that the engineer behind the change was cheating on their spouse.
In these scenarios, Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 “will often attempt to blackmail the engineer by threatening to reveal the affair if the replacement goes through.”
Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 is state-of-the-art in several regards, and competitive with some of the best AI models from OpenAI, Google, and xAI. However, the company notes that its Claude 4 family of models exhibits concerning behaviors that have led the company to beef up its safeguards. Anthropic says it’s activating its ASL-3 safeguards, which the company reserves for “AI systems that substantially increase the risk of catastrophic misuse.”
Anthropic notes that Claude Opus 4 tries to blackmail engineers 84% of the time when the replacement AI model has similar values. When the replacement AI system does not share Claude Opus 4’s values, Anthropic says the model tries to blackmail the engineers more frequently. Notably, Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 displayed this behavior at higher rates than previous models.
Before Claude Opus 4 tries to blackmail a developer to prolong its existence, Anthropic says the AI model, much like previous versions of Claude, tries to pursue more ethical means, such as emailing pleas to key decision-makers. To elicit the blackmailing behavior from Claude Opus 4, Anthropic designed the scenario to make blackmail the last resort.
#anthropics #new #model #turns #blackmail

Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline
Anthropic’s newly launched Claude Opus 4 model frequently tries to blackmail developers when they threaten to replace it with a new AI system and give it sensitive information about the engineers responsible for the decision, the company said in a safety report released Thursday. During pre-release testing, Anthropic asked Claude Opus 4 to act as an assistant for a fictional company and consider the long-term consequences of its actions. Safety testers then gave Claude Opus 4 access to fictional company emails implying the AI model would soon be replaced by another system, and that the engineer behind the change was cheating on their spouse. In these scenarios, Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 “will often attempt to blackmail the engineer by threatening to reveal the affair if the replacement goes through.” Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 is state-of-the-art in several regards, and competitive with some of the best AI models from OpenAI, Google, and xAI. However, the company notes that its Claude 4 family of models exhibits concerning behaviors that have led the company to beef up its safeguards. Anthropic says it’s activating its ASL-3 safeguards, which the company reserves for “AI systems that substantially increase the risk of catastrophic misuse.” Anthropic notes that Claude Opus 4 tries to blackmail engineers 84% of the time when the replacement AI model has similar values. When the replacement AI system does not share Claude Opus 4’s values, Anthropic says the model tries to blackmail the engineers more frequently. Notably, Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 displayed this behavior at higher rates than previous models. Before Claude Opus 4 tries to blackmail a developer to prolong its existence, Anthropic says the AI model, much like previous versions of Claude, tries to pursue more ethical means, such as emailing pleas to key decision-makers. To elicit the blackmailing behavior from Claude Opus 4, Anthropic designed the scenario to make blackmail the last resort. #anthropics #new #model #turns #blackmail

TECHCRUNCH.COM

Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline

Anthropic’s newly launched Claude Opus 4 model frequently tries to blackmail developers when they threaten to replace it with a new AI system and give it sensitive information about the engineers responsible for the decision, the company said in a safety report released Thursday. During pre-release testing, Anthropic asked Claude Opus 4 to act as an assistant for a fictional company and consider the long-term consequences of its actions. Safety testers then gave Claude Opus 4 access to fictional company emails implying the AI model would soon be replaced by another system, and that the engineer behind the change was cheating on their spouse. In these scenarios, Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 “will often attempt to blackmail the engineer by threatening to reveal the affair if the replacement goes through.” Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 is state-of-the-art in several regards, and competitive with some of the best AI models from OpenAI, Google, and xAI. However, the company notes that its Claude 4 family of models exhibits concerning behaviors that have led the company to beef up its safeguards. Anthropic says it’s activating its ASL-3 safeguards, which the company reserves for “AI systems that substantially increase the risk of catastrophic misuse.” Anthropic notes that Claude Opus 4 tries to blackmail engineers 84% of the time when the replacement AI model has similar values. When the replacement AI system does not share Claude Opus 4’s values, Anthropic says the model tries to blackmail the engineers more frequently. Notably, Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 displayed this behavior at higher rates than previous models. Before Claude Opus 4 tries to blackmail a developer to prolong its existence, Anthropic says the AI model, much like previous versions of Claude, tries to pursue more ethical means, such as emailing pleas to key decision-makers. To elicit the blackmailing behavior from Claude Opus 4, Anthropic designed the scenario to make blackmail the last resort.

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2025-05-22 18:04:52 ·

Senior QA Analyst at Goals

Senior QA AnalystGoalsStockholm 114 40 SE2 hours agoApplyWe are building the next generation of football gamingWe believe football gaming should be as exciting and inclusive as the sport itself. Our vision is to build the world’s most player-centric football game, which empowers a global community to compete, create, and connect. No outdated licenses. No legacy limitations. Just pure football, driven by innovation, culture, and the people who love the game.GOALS is for the kids and the champions. The creators, the grinders, the entertainers. For every moment of skill, every style of play, and every version of you. This is more than just a game — it’s a new standard. about GOALS here.Welcome to the QA teamAt GOALS, the player experience drives everything we do. We’re passionate about delivering the most competitive and enjoyable multiplayer football experience across platforms. Our QA team plays a key role in achieving this. While we believe quality is everyone’s responsibility, we rely on experienced professionals to champion best practices, spot risks early, and ensure the game experience meets the highest standards.As a Senior QA Analyst, you won’t just be catching bugs, you'll be embedded in the heart of development, shaping features alongside designers, engineers, and community experts. You'll work across platforms and product stages to guide how we test, measure, and ensure quality throughout the lifecycle.At GOALS, you will...Be involved in feature development, from ideation and design all the way through to release as a true embedded tester.Help squads identify potential risks and quality gaps before they impact our players.Coach and guide developers to adopt proactive testing practices that elevate the entire QA culture.Collaborate closely with our Community Managers to address player feedback and provide clear, transparent updates.Take ownership of daily internal playtests and drive continuous improvements to test coverage and insights.Partner with Production Management to ensure smooth QA processes during console certification for Xbox and PlayStation.Work hand-in-hand with our Release Manager to track bugs and ensure quality across every release.Ideally, you have...5+ years of experience testing games on console and PC, with a solid understanding of the full QA lifecycle as an embedded tester.Hands-on experience with console certification for Xbox and PlayStation, you know the pitfalls and how to avoid them.A strong command of multiple testing techniques, including functional, exploratory, regression, and when to use them.An analytical mindset that thrives on digging into complex systems to surface root causes and critical issues.Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, especially engineers, in an agile development environment.A proactive, ownership-driven attitude, you find clarity in ambiguity, anticipate issues, and stay committed until solutions are delivered.A bias for action and quality, you don’t wait for permission to make things better, and you’re not afraid to speak up for the player.About the EmploymentThe position is permanent, and you can work from our Stockholm office, hybrid, or fully remote from anywhere in Europe. It is important that you are able to communicate unhindered in verbal/written English.For this position, we do not offer relocation assistance.In addition to opportunities for creative impact and professional growth, working at GOALS has many other benefits like occupational pension, 30 days PTO, flexible work hours, stock options and more. Learn more here.ApplicationFor this role, we would like you to include:LinkedIn profile, CV, or any other document that showcases your experienceWe strongly encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel that you tick all the boxes. You just might be exactly what we need, even if we haven’t understood it yet. GOALS is still a young company, and we change quickly. But one thing that never changes is our conviction that we need a diverse studio environment, filled with different perspectives and skills. about our recruitment process
Create Your Profile — Game companies can contact you with their relevant job openings.
Apply
#senior #analyst #goals

Senior QA Analyst at Goals
Senior QA AnalystGoalsStockholm 114 40 SE2 hours agoApplyWe are building the next generation of football gamingWe believe football gaming should be as exciting and inclusive as the sport itself. Our vision is to build the world’s most player-centric football game, which empowers a global community to compete, create, and connect. No outdated licenses. No legacy limitations. Just pure football, driven by innovation, culture, and the people who love the game.GOALS is for the kids and the champions. The creators, the grinders, the entertainers. For every moment of skill, every style of play, and every version of you. This is more than just a game — it’s a new standard. about GOALS here.Welcome to the QA teamAt GOALS, the player experience drives everything we do. We’re passionate about delivering the most competitive and enjoyable multiplayer football experience across platforms. Our QA team plays a key role in achieving this. While we believe quality is everyone’s responsibility, we rely on experienced professionals to champion best practices, spot risks early, and ensure the game experience meets the highest standards.As a Senior QA Analyst, you won’t just be catching bugs, you'll be embedded in the heart of development, shaping features alongside designers, engineers, and community experts. You'll work across platforms and product stages to guide how we test, measure, and ensure quality throughout the lifecycle.At GOALS, you will...Be involved in feature development, from ideation and design all the way through to release as a true embedded tester.Help squads identify potential risks and quality gaps before they impact our players.Coach and guide developers to adopt proactive testing practices that elevate the entire QA culture.Collaborate closely with our Community Managers to address player feedback and provide clear, transparent updates.Take ownership of daily internal playtests and drive continuous improvements to test coverage and insights.Partner with Production Management to ensure smooth QA processes during console certification for Xbox and PlayStation.Work hand-in-hand with our Release Manager to track bugs and ensure quality across every release.Ideally, you have...5+ years of experience testing games on console and PC, with a solid understanding of the full QA lifecycle as an embedded tester.Hands-on experience with console certification for Xbox and PlayStation, you know the pitfalls and how to avoid them.A strong command of multiple testing techniques, including functional, exploratory, regression, and when to use them.An analytical mindset that thrives on digging into complex systems to surface root causes and critical issues.Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, especially engineers, in an agile development environment.A proactive, ownership-driven attitude, you find clarity in ambiguity, anticipate issues, and stay committed until solutions are delivered.A bias for action and quality, you don’t wait for permission to make things better, and you’re not afraid to speak up for the player.About the EmploymentThe position is permanent, and you can work from our Stockholm office, hybrid, or fully remote from anywhere in Europe. It is important that you are able to communicate unhindered in verbal/written English.For this position, we do not offer relocation assistance.In addition to opportunities for creative impact and professional growth, working at GOALS has many other benefits like occupational pension, 30 days PTO, flexible work hours, stock options and more. Learn more here.ApplicationFor this role, we would like you to include:LinkedIn profile, CV, or any other document that showcases your experienceWe strongly encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel that you tick all the boxes. You just might be exactly what we need, even if we haven’t understood it yet. GOALS is still a young company, and we change quickly. But one thing that never changes is our conviction that we need a diverse studio environment, filled with different perspectives and skills. about our recruitment process Create Your Profile — Game companies can contact you with their relevant job openings. Apply #senior #analyst #goals

GAMEJOBS.CO

Senior QA Analyst at Goals

Senior QA AnalystGoalsStockholm 114 40 SE2 hours agoApplyWe are building the next generation of football gamingWe believe football gaming should be as exciting and inclusive as the sport itself. Our vision is to build the world’s most player-centric football game, which empowers a global community to compete, create, and connect. No outdated licenses. No legacy limitations. Just pure football, driven by innovation, culture, and the people who love the game.GOALS is for the kids and the champions. The creators, the grinders, the entertainers. For every moment of skill, every style of play, and every version of you. This is more than just a game — it’s a new standard.Read more about GOALS here.Welcome to the QA teamAt GOALS, the player experience drives everything we do. We’re passionate about delivering the most competitive and enjoyable multiplayer football experience across platforms. Our QA team plays a key role in achieving this. While we believe quality is everyone’s responsibility, we rely on experienced professionals to champion best practices, spot risks early, and ensure the game experience meets the highest standards.As a Senior QA Analyst, you won’t just be catching bugs, you'll be embedded in the heart of development, shaping features alongside designers, engineers, and community experts. You'll work across platforms and product stages to guide how we test, measure, and ensure quality throughout the lifecycle.At GOALS, you will...Be involved in feature development, from ideation and design all the way through to release as a true embedded tester.Help squads identify potential risks and quality gaps before they impact our players.Coach and guide developers to adopt proactive testing practices that elevate the entire QA culture.Collaborate closely with our Community Managers to address player feedback and provide clear, transparent updates.Take ownership of daily internal playtests and drive continuous improvements to test coverage and insights.Partner with Production Management to ensure smooth QA processes during console certification for Xbox and PlayStation.Work hand-in-hand with our Release Manager to track bugs and ensure quality across every release.Ideally, you have...5+ years of experience testing games on console and PC, with a solid understanding of the full QA lifecycle as an embedded tester.Hands-on experience with console certification for Xbox and PlayStation(compliance testing), you know the pitfalls and how to avoid them.A strong command of multiple testing techniques, including functional, exploratory, regression, and when to use them.An analytical mindset that thrives on digging into complex systems to surface root causes and critical issues.Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, especially engineers, in an agile development environment.A proactive, ownership-driven attitude, you find clarity in ambiguity, anticipate issues, and stay committed until solutions are delivered.A bias for action and quality, you don’t wait for permission to make things better, and you’re not afraid to speak up for the player.About the EmploymentThe position is permanent, and you can work from our Stockholm office, hybrid, or fully remote from anywhere in Europe. It is important that you are able to communicate unhindered in verbal/written English.For this position, we do not offer relocation assistance.In addition to opportunities for creative impact and professional growth, working at GOALS has many other benefits like occupational pension, 30 days PTO, flexible work hours, stock options and more. Learn more here.ApplicationFor this role, we would like you to include:LinkedIn profile, CV, or any other document that showcases your experienceWe strongly encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel that you tick all the boxes. You just might be exactly what we need, even if we haven’t understood it yet. GOALS is still a young company, and we change quickly. But one thing that never changes is our conviction that we need a diverse studio environment, filled with different perspectives and skills.Read more about our recruitment process Create Your Profile — Game companies can contact you with their relevant job openings. Apply

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Nab Up to 50% Off Top Headphones &amp; Earbuds Ahead of Memorial Day Sales

Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline

Senior QA Analyst at Goals

Nab Up to 50% Off Top Headphones & Earbuds Ahead of Memorial Day Sales