Saturday, December 23, 2023

Technolgy News and More-Saturday Edition...

Technology News and More...


Empowering New Year’s resolutions: Last-minute gifts to elevate creativity and productivity with Wondershare
200+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 18h
Holiday shipping deadlines are zipping by, leaving those of us who are last-minute shoppers to scramble to find gifts for our loved ones that can be delivered before the holidays are on our doorsteps. Thankfully, digital products exist, and a bit of that procrastination may even be rewarded when you get to take advantage of a good sale like the one Wondershare is currently hosting. Between now an


Buy LifeMiles With A Mystery Bonus (Up To 175%)
3KOne Mile at a Time / 13h
Buying miles & points strategically can represent a great value , especially for first & business class travel. The Avianca LifeMiles program is currently offering a promotion on purchased miles. LifeMiles is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for redeeming miles, thanks to the ability to redeem for long haul premium cabin Star Alliance awards. I first wrote about this promotion last


For All Mankind Is the Best Show You Aren't Watching, But Why?
400+Gizmodo / 15h
That For All Mankind isn’t one of the biggest shows in the world might make sense, if not for other shows like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, or Severance. All of them are originals released through Apple TV+ , one of those streamers maybe you subscribe to while a show is on and then cancel, or mess around with for a… Read more...


Apple is reportedly looking to team up with news publishers to train its AI
Engadget / 31min
Apple has been noticeably missing in the list of companies with their own generative AI product , but based on a new report by The New York Times , it's looking to change that real soon. In recent weeks, Apple has reportedly started negotiating with major publishers and news organizations to ask for permission to use their content to train the generative AI system it's developing. The company doe



Bluesky finally lets users look at posts without logging in


24TechCrunch / 1h
Decentralized social network and Twitter rival Bluesky is finally letting users look at posts on its platform without logging in. People still need an invite to create an account and start posting but can read posts through a link. This move will also let publishers link to or embed Bluesky posts in blogs. Plus, users […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office for under £25
Mashable / 3h
TL;DR: Get Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac or Microsoft Professional Plus for Windows for £23.93 each. Whether you’re a student or professional, reliable productivity apps may come in handy. You might already have Microsoft 365 installed on your computer, but paying for a subscription isn't the only way to get apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Instead, you could get a lifetime lic


Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for December 23
Mashable / 4h
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle . As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for Dec. 23's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle co


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Saturday, December 23, 2023
LifeHacker / 5h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for December 23, 2023 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium-ish difficulty; I got it on my third guess. Beware, there are spoilers below for December 23, Wordle #917! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game. How to play Wordle Wordle lives here on


Today's NYT Connections Hints (and Answer) for Saturday, December 23, 2023
LifeHacker / 5h
If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Saturday, December 23, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for December 23, NYT Connections #195! Read on if you want some hints (and t


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for December 23
Mashable / 5h
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the e


SpaceX Starlink Orbital Capacity and Usable Capacity
Next Big Future / 6h
Microsoft Director and Kymeta board member, Tren Griffin, asked about my estimation of active SpaceX Starlink capacity. Here is my clarification of my process and analysis using an estimation of theoretical orbital communication capacity as a metric for snapshot analysis of the Starlink network and global user capacity. There are 5147 work Starlink Satellites in ... Read more


A first look at nine new IndieBio NY companies that will present to VCs next month
24TechCrunch / 6h
It was pure coincidence, but months before the pandemic took hold around the world, IndieBio — a startup accelerator devoted to startups using biology to solve large problems — expanded its remit, adding a New York arm to the operations it was already running out of San Francisco. Of course, it’s because of what the […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Read These Safety Tips Before Riding Your New E-bike
LifeHacker / 7h
It’s estimated that a million e-bikes were sold in the United States in 2023 , and the holidays have no doubt brought an army of excited new riders to the fold. If that’s you, congratulations on your new ride and hobby! But please read this before you ride off into the sunset. E-bikes are faster and heavier than normal bikes, making them more dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. The fol


Quordle today - hints and answers for Saturday, December 23 (game #698)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's fun, but also difficult. What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keep


'We want to let people know before floods hit them'
BBC News - Technology / 8h
How artificial intelligence is being used to predict when and where flooding will happen.


Substack Says It Will Not Ban Nazis or Extremist Speech
300+NYT > Technology / 9h
Responding to criticism of its hands-off approach to content moderation, the company said it would not ban Nazi symbols or extremist rhetoric so long as newsletter writers do not incite violence.


Biggest Japan Defense Budget Grows by 16.5%
Next Big Future / 9h
Japan approved a record 7.95 trillion yen or $55.9 billion defense budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins on April 1 next year. This is a 16.5 percent increase from FY2023’s budget of 6.8 trillion yen or $47.7 billon. The plan is to increase until it reaches 8.9 trillion yen or $62.5 billion in FY2027. ... Read more


American Airlines Distances Themselves From Spicy Flight Attendant: ‘No Longer A Team Member’
View from the Wing / 9h
The lesson here is that contract airlines reflect on the carrier whose brand they fly under. She wasn't an 'American Airlines' employee, but American still has to answer for her. And that means the quality of that airline and its staff matter. It isn't enough to say "not us, different airline." Continue reading ...


China outlines new rules banning log in rewards, loot boxes and other in-game spending
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
New rules have been laid out by regulators in China that aim to reduce the amount of money gamers spend within video games. As reported by Reuters , the rules were announced today (December 22), and will make changes to how games can reward their players for logging in and making purchases, on top of limiting how much players are able to top up their digital wallets. For example, online games wil


Use ‘Household’ Automations to Make Your Google Home Even Smarter
LifeHacker / 9h
Automations are really the best part of smart home hubs, and Google Home has one of the best automation engines out there. In the simplest terms, these automations allow you to set a trigger and a resulting action, like, "At 10 p.m., turn off the speakers,” or, “When I say, 'let there be light,' turn on all the household lights.” If you’ve only set up personal routines, you probably thought the o


Why You Should Consider a Death Doula
20LifeHacker / 9h
We’re all going to die, and before that, we will probably navigate the deaths of several people we love along the way. Too dark? Discomfort with the idea of death may be the reason that people rarely talk about it, plan for it, or teach each other how to cope with it. “Many people in our society are death phobic and do not want to talk about it,” said Marady Duran, a social worker, doula, and edu


Apple may be working on a way to let LLMs run on-device and change your iPhones forever
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Apple researchers have apparently discovered a method that’ll allow iPhones to host and run their own large language models (LLMs). With this tech, future iPhone models may finally have the generative AI features people have been eagerly waiting for. This information comes from a pair of papers published on arXiv , a research-sharing platform owned by Cornell University. The documents are pretty


How to Design the Best Home Environment for Someone With Dementia
LifeHacker / 10h
Aging in place , or staying in one’s own familiar home environment during the later years of life, is often beneficial to people with dementia. However, as dementia progresses, their home may not be perfectly suited to your loved one’s needs. Healthcare designer Barbara J. Huelat shared some solutions for modifying a home environment to improve safety and comfort for a loved one with dementia. Hu


How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Self-Conscious About Their Appearance
LifeHacker / 10h
Nearly two-thirds of parents report that their child is insecure about some element of their appearance, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan Health . To add to that, one in five parents say their teens dislike being in photos because they’re too self-conscious. “Children begin forming opinions about their bodies and looks


Google's Nearby Share tool appears to adopt Samsung's similar utility name and we wonder what's going on
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Google has suddenly changed the name of its file-sharing tool from Nearby Share to Quick Share which is what Samsung calls its own tool. It’s a random move that has people scratching their heads wondering what it could mean for Android in the future. This update appears to have been discovered by industry insider Kamila Wojiciechowska who displayed her findings on X (the platform formerly known a


The Hyperloop Is Dead. Long Live the Hyperloop.
400+Futurism / 10h
Hyperloop Done After raising almost half a billion dollars in funding since being founded in 2014, Hyperloop One is shutting down. As Bloomberg reports , the once hyped-up transportation startup — which planned to revolutionize travel from city to city by blasting us through vacuum tubes at breakneck speeds — has laid off most of its staff. The company is also trying to sell off the test track it


Firefly’s Alpha rocket reaches orbit for the fourth time
30TechCrunch / 10h
Firefly Aerospace sent its Alpha rocket to orbit this morning, with the company carrying a payload from Lockheed Martin to space. However, the company has yet to update the public on whether it successfully deployed the satellite to its destination orbit – which could suggest an issue with the rocket’s second stage. Today’s launch marks […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use


Nvidia RTX 5090 launch might hinge on AMD's RDNA 4 success
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Gamers and creators waiting to see Nvidia's next-gen RTX 5090 in 2024 should keep a close eye on what AMD does next year, since Nvidia may be timing the RTX 5090 launch based on what AMD does with its own next-gen GPUs. In a recent video, tech channel Moore's Law is Dead delved into the potential release date of the Nvidia RTX 5090, and the launch of the company's next-gen cards in 2024 largely h


4 reasons why this AI Godfather thinks we shouldn't be afraid
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Don't you hate it when the godfathers disagree? On one side, we have former Google scientist Dr. Geoffrey Hinton warning that we're going too fast and AIs could ruin everything from jobs to truth. On the other side, we find Meta's Yann LeCun. Both scientists once worked together on Deep Learning advancements that would change the world of AI and triggered the flurry of advancements in AI algorith


17 best cruise ship bars
33The Points Guy / 10h
The best bars on cruise ships are more than just places to drink. They’re destinations with atmosphere and attitude — plus creative approaches to sipping. You might have your drink prepared by a robot or by a human in a chamber kept at 17 degrees Fahrenheit, or in a bar that levitates while you “travel” through hyperspace. Whether you’re a fan of the perfect martini or craft beer, or you’re looki


Meet the 'cursed family' behind pro-wrestling biopic 'The Iron Claw'
Mashable / 10h
Mashable Supervising Producer Mark Stetson sits down with the cast of The Iron Claw to discuss what it was like playing one of the most notorious and tragic dynasties in pro-wrestling history, the Von Erich family. The Iron Claw is in theaters starting Dec. 22.


Should Passengers Sitting In The Exit Row Be Allowed to Drink Inflight?
View from the Wing / 11h
Passengers in the exit row have to be willing to assist in an emergency . But if they're drinking they may be impaired in their ability to assist . Continue reading ...


Theme Park News From Disney, Universal Studios, and More Fan-tastical Destinations
Gizmodo / 11h
Here’s what’s going on at major tourist destinations in Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, and abroad. Disney Parks just opened Zootopia at the Shanghai Disney resort and we have a look at its wild animatronics and cute in-universe food. Las Vegas is lifting spirits with immersive showings of The… Read more...


Volkswagen Bringing Back Buttons, Knob After Touchscreen Complaints
62Futurism / 11h
Throw Back In the rush to modernize and electrify vehicles, many automakers followed the lead of big tech companies and turned old-school interior knobs, switches, and buttons into touchscreens. The only problem? Basically, lots of drivers hate them with a passion . Apparently, enough customers in Europe complained to Volkswagen that the German car company is bringing back physical buttons and co


Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a Ninja CREAMi
LifeHacker / 11h
There is a rift between fancy food professionals and home cooks that never fails to annoy me, and it comes to a head whenever a new appliance gains an inordinate amount of popularity. We saw it with the air fryer and Instant Pot, when seasoned food personalities and chefs recoiled from both appliances, pronouncing them both “unnecessary,” without considering the benefits to home cooks, particular


How to Recognize the Signs of Childhood OCD (and Get Help)
LifeHacker / 11h
Maybe you’ve noticed your child doing repetitive behaviors or being overly concerned with safety—and wondered if it’s more than a personality quirk. Because obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can start in childhood, it’s important to be aware of the signs. Experts estimate that about 1 in 200 children have OCD. OCD can show up at any age, but symptoms will generally start to arise between the ag


You Should Add a Raw Egg to Your Grits
LifeHacker / 11h
I am a well-documented maker and eater of grits, and have run the gamut of preparations, from the lowest of low-brow to truly homemade. I’ve made silly grits from Smartfood popcorn , and I’ve gone as DIY as you can without growing the corn myself, including transforming corn into hominy through a process known as “ nixtamalization .” You can trust my opinion on the hot, corn-based porridge, and i


The Best Ways to Teach Your Kid to Tell Time
LifeHacker / 11h
Anyone who’s tried to get anyone under eight years old ready for school knows that children have no concept of time. That might have to do with the fact that many kids, even my second grader, still struggle with reading an analog clock. When I attempt to teach my son, I realize the mathematical ideas behind telling time with a little and a big hand are actually complex. It makes me wonder how I e


Deal alert: Score Meta Quest 2 VR headsets at Cyber Monday prices
Mashable / 11h
SAVE $50: As of Dec. 22, you can score a Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset for $50 off. Opens in a new window Credit: Meta Our pick: Meta Quest 2 (128GB) $249.99 at Best Buy (save $50) The holidays are in full swing, and if you're still scrambling to find a gift, retailers are making it easier than ever to score a deal on everything from home goods to gaming accessories and consoles, and that


Apple Explores A.I. Deals With News Publishers
300+NYT > Technology / 11h
The company has discussed multiyear deals worth at least $50 million to train its generative A.I. systems on publishers’ news articles.


Playing Santa on a budget? Here are 13 toys you can snag for under $20
Mashable / 12h
TOYS UNDER $20: Looking for last-minute gifts for the kiddos? Here are 13 toys under $20 at Amazon, the last stop for all holiday procrastinators. Our top picks for the best toys under $20: Best STEM toy deal Kinetic Sand Treasure Hunt play set $11.99 at Amazon (save $13) Best action figure deal Batman vs The Joker action figure set $14.99 at Amazon (save $17) Best board game deal Clue: Ghost of


Deal alert: Book flights to Paris from $449 round trip
26The Points Guy / 12h
Not that anyone needs an excuse to visit Paris , but an airfare sale that saves you big money is certainly as good a reason as any to pack your bags to one of the world’s most alluring destinations. There is an excellent deal happening right now where you can score tickets to the French capital in early 2024 for less than $500 round trip — almost half the price of what this fare would typically c


Airport and rail meltdowns: Tips if you’re headed to Europe this Christmas
500+The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Well, we got close, folks. However, it looks like a trouble-free year with only minor cancellations and delays for Christmas travel in Europe won’t be happening after all. As years in travel go, 2023 has been a tumultuous one. Not quite as unpredictable as the pandemic years, or perhaps as raucous as last


Proposed new rule: All AI output must rhyme
22TechCrunch / 12h
Welcome to Startups Weekly. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. I know I usually lead Startups Weekly with my own column (and I did write one this week, so if you are somehow a fan of everything I write, go ham), but Devin’s piece taking a stand against the pseudanthropy […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


We Are Completely Mystified by This AI-Generated Image of Jack and Rose Taking a Selfie in "Titanic"
100+Futurism / 12h
Icy Dip What if the Titanic never sank — and Rose and Jack decided to go for a frosty dip in the Atlantic to take a selfie? A new AI-generated image that's making its rounds on social media has us completely mystified. The almost-photorealistic image shows the pair as they were portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in James Cameron's 1997 epic "Titanic," having an intimate photo opp. Th


The cast of 'American Fiction' on the importance of telling diverse stories in Hollywood
Mashable / 12h
Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown and Erika Alexander discuss their new film American Fiction and the importance of telling diverse stories. American Fiction is in select theaters December 15 and expanding December 22.


People exaggerate the consequences of saying no to invites
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge / The invitation might be nice, but you can feel free to say no. (credit: Maryna Terletska ) The holidays can be a time of parties, events, dinners, outings, get-togethers, impromptu meetups—and stress . Is it really an obligation to say yes to every single invite? Is not showing up to Aunt Tillie’s annual ugly sweater party this once going to mean a permanent ban? Turning down some of th


Once again, Etsy’s layoffs come as no surprise
TechCrunch / 12h
More than quantitative, Etsy's challenge is qualitative. A viral tweet summed it up in one word: junkification. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Jedi Survivor Was the Best of Star Wars We Got This Year
Gizmodo / 12h
This year has been jam-packed with new Star Wars, with three new seasons of TV in Bad Batch , The Mandalorian , and Ahsoka , and oodles of books and comics that saw us revisit legends or the High Republic . Even as we await its return to the big screen, Star Wars remains ever-present—but one new story in particular… Read more...


Hyperloop’s loss is high-speed rail’s gain
100+TechCrunch / 12h
In 2013, Elon Musk published a white paper that teased the idea of zipping from Los Angeles to San Francisco in just 35 minutes through a vacuum-sealed tube — a system he called hyperloop. The idea “originated out of his hatred for California’s proposed high-speed rail system,” according to his biographer Ashlee Vance. Ten years […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Forget cloud services, this blisteringly fast NAS device keeps all your files to hand, and supports up to 164TB of storage – enough for over 33 million standard resolution photos
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
IceWhale Technology, the creator of the ZimaBoard , has just successfully concluded its latest Kickstarter campaign for new personal cloud storage device. Available in standard and Pro versions, the ZimaCube is a compact,