Friday, August 16, 2024

Technology News and More-Friday Edition...

Technology News and More...


Marvel dispute with Beau DeMayo threatens to boil over as X-Men 97 creator claims he won't be credited for season 2 work
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8min
A new row between Marvel and former X-Men 97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has erupted after the latter accused his former employers of removing his writing credits on the hit show's forthcoming second season. Five months after DeMayo was axed by Marvel just days before X-Men 97 's Disney Plus debut , the series' former head writer has ignited a bitter war of words with the comic giant amid claims his w


The best laptops under $500 that we'd actually buy


Mashable / 8min
When you're on the hunt for the best laptop under $500, there are two important words to keep in mind: "Buyer beware." Many popular gadgets have wildly inflated prices, but in the highly competitive laptop market , you get what you pay for. That means it can be very dangerous to buy a "cheap" laptop. Choose wrongly, and you'll be stuck with a slow, outdated computer that causes more problems than


Best cheap laptops of 2024, tested by Mashable staff
Mashable / 8min
When it comes to shopping for the best cheap laptops, you can do a lot with $1,000. (Heck, even $500 cuts some mustard nowadays.) But you'll probably have to make some compromises along the way to stay below that price point. That doesn't mean you have to settle for a total clunker that doesn't tick any of the boxes on your must-have specs list. It just means you have to shop a little smarter tha



The Sonos Ray brings into question why soundbars have to be so large and unwieldy
Mashable / 8min
Soundbars are a sleek, impressive (optional) addition to your entertainment setup — sometimes at the expense of making a dent in your budget and decor. They can rescue you from tinny, underwhelming TV speakers and give you a way to play your favorite music. On the other hand, some soundbars don't necessarily deliver quality sound, cost a pretty penny, and can kill the vibe of a perfectly curated


'Daughters' review: Emotional documentary offers an honest look at how incarceration affects families
Mashable / 8min
If you were lucky enough to have a good dad growing up, imagine if they were suddenly taken away for reasons you don't quite understand. Would you wonder why he was no longer around to sing you songs or talk with you? Would you be angry at his absence? That's the starting point for Angela Patton and Natalie Rae's moving documentary Daughters , which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and is


M4 MacBook Pro: Everything we know about the next-gen Apple laptop
Mashable / 8min
The first batch of M4 MacBooks are reportedly on the horizon, according to some juicy gossip from Bloomberg's respected Apple leaker Mark Gurman. We already saw a glimpse of the M4 chip's capabilities when Apple debuted it on the iPad Pro . Interestingly, this is the first time that Apple has ever rolled out an M-series chip on an iPad before a Mac. The first Apple device to receive an M4 chip is


Discover the secrets of smart investing with Tykr for an extra $30 off
Mashable / 8min
TL;DR: Pay just once for Tykr's lifetime subscription for an extra $30 off with promo code SAVENOW through September 3, and gain confidence in your stock investments . Opens in a new window Credit: Tykr Tykr Stock Screener: Premium Plan Lifetime Subscription $119.99 at The Mashable Shop $900.00 Save $780.01 Use promo code SAVENOW for an extra $30 off Navigating the stock market can be daunting, b


Simplify project management with Microsoft Project 2021 Pro for just $20
Mashable / 8min
TL;DR: Buy a lifetime license for Microsoft Project 2021 Professional for just $19.97 through September 3 and manage your projects with ease. Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Project 2021 Professional: Lifetime License for Windows $19.97 at The Mashable Shop $249.99 Save $230.02 Keeping track of project details can be overwhelming, especially when managing multiple tasks, deadl


Get lifetime access to 10TB of secure cloud space and say goodbye to storage limits
Mashable / 8min
TL;DR: Get lifetime access to 10TB of secure cloud storage from Internxt on sale for $349.99. Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB Plan $349.99 at The Mashable Shop $2,999.00 Save $2,649.01 Tired of running out of space on free cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox? Even if you pay to upgrade, you still won't have nearly enough to last f


Speeding space object triggered a warning. It wasn't an asteroid.
Mashable / 8min
It's good to know that our planetary defense systems work. The European Space Agency revealed that on July 6 the automated systems that sleuth the skies for potentially hazardous objects like asteroids sent out a warning. "The object, estimated at around 50 m [164 feet] in diameter, was spotted hurtling towards Earth on a path that would take it uncomfortably close to the moon and our planet," ES


Never run out of power with a 100W charging beast on sale for 37% off
Mashable / 8min
TL;DR: Grab the Flash Pro Plus 100W power bank on sale for $199.97 (reg. $319) through September 3 and never run out of battery again. Opens in a new window Credit: Chargeasap Flash Pro Plus 100W USB-C 25000mAh Graphene Power Bank w/ Magsafe Compatibility $199.97 at The Mashable Shop $319.00 Save $119.03 Nothing disrupts a busy day like a dead battery. Whether you're in the middle of a crucial wo


Can Musk Get Trump Elected? + Steve Ballmer’s Quest for the Facts + This Week in A.I.
NYT > Technology / 28min
This is totally unprecedented for a tech C.E.O.


NYT's The Mini crossword answers for August 16
Mashable / 30min
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times ' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe. With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it. So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustr


NYT Strands hints, answers for August 16
Mashable / 30min
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands , the New York Times ' elevated word-search game. By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections . SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 16 SEE ALSO: Wordle today


What’s next for drones
MIT Technology Review / 30min
MIT Technology Review ’s What’s Next series looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them here . Drones have been a mainstay technology among militaries, hobbyists, and first responders alike for more than a decade, and in that time the range available has skyrocketed. No longer limited to small quadcopters with insufficien


In San Francisco, Local News Is Seeing a Resurgence
NYT > Technology / 33min
The city has become a hothouse for experimentation in local news. Could it serve as a model for the rest of the country?


Today's NYT Connections Hints and Answer for August 16 (#431)
How-To Geek / 41min
Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn'tConnections categories can be almost anything, and they're usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we've got you covered.


M&A Success: Why unpacking the tech dynamics is mission critical
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 59min
In recent years, the corporate world has shown resilience to pandemics, geopolitical conflict and economic shocks. The appetite for growth is recovering, and in the first quarter of 2024, Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity increased by 58% in Europe compared to the same period last year. M&As tend to bring together diverse product portfolios, operating models, and critical resources such as IT


This researcher wants to replace your brain, little by little
MIT Technology Review / 59min
A US agency pursuing moonshot health breakthroughs has hired a researcher advocating an extremely radical plan for defeating death. His idea? Replace your body parts. All of them. Even your brain. Jean Hébert, a new hire with the US Advanced Projects Agency for Health ( ARPA-H ), is expected to lead a major new initiative around “functional brain tissue replacement,” the idea of adding youthful t


The Value Of Hotel Breakfast: What’s It Really Worth?
27One Mile at a Time / 1h
I wanted to dedicate a post to talking about hotel breakfast. Breakfast is a thing that some hotel guests don’t think about at all, while for others, it’s top of mind when deciding on a hotel. Heck, one of the reasons that many people choose to pursue elite status with major hotel groups is for a breakfast benefit. In this post I wanted to talk about hotel breakfast big picture. What’s a “free” h
Yesterday



Why MFA alone isn’t enough: The crucial role of security awareness training
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
The evolving and sophisticated nature of phishing campaigns has allowed cybersecurity threats via email to penetrate organizations more effectively than ever before. Credential phishing was the threat of choice in 2023, accounting for 91% of active threat reports published. This represented a 67% increase in volume compared to 2022, which can be attributed to the increased effectiveness of cybera


Score a lifetime license to Microsoft Project Professional for only £15.54
Mashable / 4h
TL;DR: Through Sept 3., organise any project with ease with a lifetime license to Microsoft Project Professional 2021 , on sale for a one-time fee of £15.54 (reg. £194.50). Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Project 2021 Professional (Windows PC) £15.54 at the Mashable Shop £194.50 Save £178.96 Project managers are professional task jugglers. They have to see to it that a project


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Friday, August 16, 2024
LifeHacker / 4h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for August 16, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is medium difficult; I got it in five. Beware, there are spoilers below for August 16, Wordle #1,154! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game. How to play Wordle Wordle lives here on the New York Time


Ben Horowitz Declares War on Michael Moritz
TechCrunch / 5h
A social media spat between billionaire tech investors is raising questions about the journalistic independence of three-year-old news outfit SF Standard, after a reporter representing the outlet reached out to sources for a story about VC Ben Horowitz and his wife Felicia. The Standard’s sole backer is another longtime VC, Michael Moritz, and on Thursday […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserve


Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for August 16
Mashable / 7h
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 August 16'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


Grok-2 arrives on X with AI image creation, precious few guardrails, and lots of questions
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
X users can now play around with the new Grok-2 AI model developed by fellow Elon Musk-owned xAI. The new model is integrated into the Grok AI chatbot on X for Premium or Premium+ subscribers and comes with new features like an integrated AI image generator fueled by the open-source and recently debuted FLUX.1 model . Flux was built by former Stability AI developers who left to form Black Forest


Respected gaming magazine praised after sudden closure
21BBC News / 7h
Industry professionals say Game Informer will be "much-missed" after 33 years of gaming coverage.


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 16
Mashable / 8h
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


Millions of Pixel phones could be vulnerable to a new cyberattack – here's what you need to know
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
Cybersecurity firm iVerify recently discovered a serious vulnerability affecting millions of Pixel smartphones worldwide and published their findings in a new report. According to the document , the offending software in question is called Showcase.apk. It was originally developed by third-party company Smith Micro Software for demo devices inside Verizon stores . Employees at these locations wou


Use TikTok's ‘Doom Boxes’ As a Last-Ditch Effort to Organize Your Home
LifeHacker / 10h
Some TikTok tidying hacks make it seem like cleaning the house is sooo easy , but that's not true for everyone. Sometimes, the task of decluttering, organizing, and cleaning is downright daunting . Luckily, not every CleanTok influencer is in the business of pretending not being able to clean is a character flaw, and if you've spent any time on the cleaning side of social media, you may have seen


Steam User Reviews Might Actually Be Useful Now
LifeHacker / 10h
“Good.” “I found a team and a fortress too.” And one review that’s just a full transcript of Valve’s Meet the Heavy video. These were the top user reviews Steam showed me for the popular game Team Fortress 2 , at least until I turned on the “Use new helpfulness system” filter. Steam, the popular PC games storefront, has a bit of a meme problem. Users love to leave jokey reviews on games, so much


California A.I. Bill Is Tweaked
NYT > Technology / 10h
Silicon Valley companies still worry that state lawmakers are jumping the gun on regulating a still-unproven technology.


'Nothing stopping' child abuse image sharing on WhatsApp, group warns
38BBC News / 10h
The Internet Watch Foundation is calling for more mechanisms to be put in place to protect children.


Is this the end for the magnetic stripe?
35BBC News / 10h
Once common on tickets and cardkeys the magnetic stripe is being phased out.


Your Meta headset can now display the output of any HDMI or DisplayPort device
Engadget / 10h
Our lives are full of screens in this digital age but sometimes you can’t access them or you need a bigger one for your tired eyes. Meta announced a new app called Meta Quest HDMI Link for its Quest 2, Quest 3 and Quest Pro headsets that can connect any of your devices with HDMI or DisplayPort and send their output to your VR. The HDMI Link app is available to download to your headset now from Me


NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Friday, August 16 (game #432)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Here's your final Connections hints page of the week – complete with the answers if you need them and my commentary on the game. What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers , Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Conn


Quordle today – hints and answers for Friday, August 16 (game #935)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Friday's Quordle is a tricky one – so you may well need some hints to help you out. Read on if that's the case. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. S POILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. Quordle today


NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Friday, August 16 (game #166)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Today's Strands is a really fun one – but not necessarily the easiest. If you get a little stuck scroll down for my hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. NYT Strands t


HoverAir's X1 Pro and Pro Max drones will soon take flight as a new preview pops up online
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
HoverAir has quietly unveiled two new follow-ups to its great X1 drone : the aptly named X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max. From what we can observe in this preview , the two devices offer multiple software updates and design improvements. However the extent of their upgrades differ between them. Their appearance comes at an interesting time because a recent leak revealed rival DJI is set to launch its new N


Your Pixel Has a Dangerous Security Vulnerability Baked Into Its Firmware
LifeHacker / 11h
Less than 48 hours after Google unveiled the Pixel 9 line to the world , news broke that might put a pause to the company's celebrations: Since 2017, Pixels have been shipping with a major security vulnerability baked into their firmware, and it can't be removed or fixed by the user. The news comes from iVerify, a self-described "mobile treat hunting" company, and Palantir Technologies, a softwar


Turn Small Amounts of Leftover Fruit Into Mini Galettes
LifeHacker / 11h
As the summer wanes, you might find yourself buying as much fruit as possible while simultaneously trying to get rid of your surplus fruit. It’s a fruit paradox, and I, too, suffer from it. I’ve found myself relying on classic fruit bakes , and getting creative with some other favorites to use up my less-than-perky berries and stone fruit. It turns out, baking a small batch of mini fruit galettes


Will You Dare To ‘Rawdog’ A Flight? Outrageous New Game Challenges You To Stare Into Space For Hours—Only The Fearless Survive!
View from the Wing / 11h
It’s the right stupid game for this stupid timeline we live in. Rawdog Simulator. This summer ‘raw dogging’ has been the rage, because someone decided that it means sitting on a plane staring into space with nothing to do – nothing to read, no inflight entertainment – and the phrase itself sounds vaguely transgressive. Continue reading ...


Doom meets Dredd in Defect, a squad-based shooter with a Mick Gordon soundtrack
27Engadget / 11h
Dystopian shooters with strong echoes of Doom are a dime a dozen. But when the people behind the recent entries for that hellishly good franchise are the ones making a new game , it's worth taking a look. Today the trailer dropped for a new game called Defect from a new studio called Emptyvessel. Think multiplayer Doom gameplay with a heavy layer of Dredd . The game is set in a city governed by a


California weakens bill to prevent AI disasters before final vote, taking advice from Anthropic
25TechCrunch / 11h
California’s bill to prevent AI disasters, SB 1047, has faced significant opposition from many parties in Silicon Valley. Today, California lawmakers bent slightly to that pressure, adding in several amendments suggested by AI firm Anthropic and other opponents. On Thursday the bill passed through California’s Appropriations Committee, a major step toward becoming law, with several […] © 2024 Tec


Deal: Singapore Airlines business class between New York and Frankfurt for just 56,700 miles, or 36,400 miles in premium economy
1KThe Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. While Singapore Airlines has a reputation for offering an exceptional product, booking long-haul, premium-cabin awards with the airline isn’t easy. You can sometimes find award availability using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan or Air Canada Aeroplan , but you’ll usually find more availability through Singapo


Massive Social Security number data breach — here’s why you need to ‘freeze’ your credit
The Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. If you’re taking inventory of the security measures in all areas of your life, don’t leave out your credit. With a recent alleged hack, potentially every American could have had their Social Security number and physical address stolen . It’s alleged that 2.9 billion records were stolen from National Public


This Mpox Outbreak Isn't Like the Last One
55Wired / 11h
The strain of mpox behind the current global health emergency is believed to be up to 10 times deadlier than the one that swept the globe in 2022.


Medicare drug price negotiations: 10 list prices drop between 38% to 79%
Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / Prescription drugs are displayed at NYC Discount Pharmacy in Manhattan on July 23, 2024. (credit: Getty | Spencer Platt ) In the first round of direct price negotiations between Medicare and drug manufacturers, prices for 10 expensive and commonly used drugs saw price cuts between 38 percent to 79 percent compared to their 2023 list prices, the White House and the US Department of Healt


Behold, Diablo is fully playable in your browser
35Ars Technica - All content / 11h
Enlarge / Diablo running in Firefox on macOS. (credit: Samuel Axon) You can now play the original Diablo (and its expansion, Hellfire ) in virtually any web browser on any computer with generally excellent performance and operating-as-expected controls. It's all thanks to an open source project published on GitHub called Diabloweb that's now being circulated by game developers on X. In the README


Two action movie simulators Action Hero and Vendetta Forever are headed to VR
Engadget / 11h
The first VR Games Showcase has delivered a deluge of new VR titles like the Arizona Sunshine Remake and Trombone Champ: Unflattened , but two new (and very similar) titles caught my eye: Action Hero and Vendetta Forever. They both appear to be slow motion action games like the brilliant Superhot VR that will let you live out your John Wick firefight fantasies without risking serious bodily injur


Google Gemini is Going Conversational On Your Phone
How-To Geek / 12h
With generative AI being part of our lives now, the next step is to make it capable of holding a more natural conversation. As unveiled during the company's Made by Google event, Google's Gemini chatbot has finally reached that stage.


The Uncertain Path Forward for Psychedelic Medicine
Wired / 12h
After the FDA rejected its proposed MDMA treatment, Lykos Therapeutics is laying off 75 percent of its staff and its founder has left the company.


New Windows Vulnerability Impacts PCs With IPv6
How-To Geek / 12h
Security updates are an important way to keep your devices safe, and if you have a Windows PC, you'll definitely want to install any available updates. Microsoft is now patching a significant vulnerability caused by the IPv6 stack in Windows.


The IRS has loads of legacy IT — but it's not equipped to replace it
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
A report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), has criticized the IRS’s decision to close its ‘Technical Retirement Office’. Tasked with "identifying, prioritizing, and executing the updating, replacing, or retiring of legacy systems, the office was retired in order to ‘strategically reduce the information technology footprint across the enterprise’ in 2021, and has


Scandinavia deal alert: SAS sale has flights to Europe from $398 round-trip
30The Points Guy / 12h
Scandinavian Airlines just unveiled a new European travel sale with some great fares on flights from the U.S. to destinations like Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. There are some itineraries priced as low as $398 round-trip. Departure cities are sprinkled throughout North America, including Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York City and Toronto. The travel window is from November through t


How I get this monthly credit on my Delta Amex without even trying
The Points Guy / 12h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. When I learned the annual fee for my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card was increasing a full $100 (from $550 to $650; see rates and fees ), I faced a tough decision — was this premium travel card still worth keeping? New cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in eligible


Groundbreaking Brain Chip Allows Man With ALS to "Speak" Again
200+Futurism / 12h
Using an amazing new brain-computer interface (BCI), a man who'd lost the ability to speak is now able to communicate his thoughts out loud using his own voice. Scientists at the University of California, Davis have developed a brain chip that can interpret brain signals and have them be "read" aloud by a computer in real time. Using this chip, 45-year-old Casey Harrell, whose speech is slurred f


Phish Festival Outrage: Hotels Canceling Bookings Last-Minute To Cash In, Re-Sell Rooms For More
View from the Wing / 12h
A year ago rumors began that Phish was launching a festival in Dover, Delaware. People booked hotel rooms for August 15 - 18 in advance of 45,000 fans swarming the town. That got them regular rates on rooms. These aren't mistake rates. They paid what a hotel normally cost. Continue reading ...


Mysterious “Black Mesa” website says it’s “not secretly working on Half Life 3”
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Half-Life Enlarge / Kind of a weird image to post if you're trying to convince people you're not involved in a Half-Life ARG... Here at Ars, we're always on the lookout for hints and actions that suggest the long , long wait for Half-Life 3 may eventually come to an end. So when users across the Internet started making note of the mysterious and intriguingly named BlackMesa.com recently, our ears


AT&T and Verizon ask FCC to throw a wrench into Starlink’s mobile plan
Ars Technica - All content / 12h
Enlarge (credit: T-Mobile) AT&T and Verizon are urging telecom regulators to reject a key part of SpaceX's plan to offer cellular service with T-Mobile, claiming the satellite system will interfere with and degrade service for terrestrial mobile broadband networks. Filings urging the Federal Communications Commission to deny SpaceX's request for a waiver were submitted by AT&T and Verizon this we


You Can Benchmark Your Devices With Geekbenchs New Test
How-To Geek / 12h
Geekbench is one of the best tools for comparing one computer, phone, or tablet against another in raw performance. Theres now a new test you can try out: Geekbench AI.


Rivian launches smaller $1,400 camp kitchen, 5 years after initial demo
22TechCrunch / 12h
The Rivian camp kitchen attracted buzz from almost the moment it appeared as a prototype in 2019 at Overland Expo West. Despite interest in the accessory, Rivian never actually sold the camp kitchen, which was kind of