Technology

• You can try the Grok AI chatbot on X for free
• The free tier is limited to 10 messages an hour and 3 images a day
• Using Grok more than that still requires an X Premium subscription of at least $7 a month

XAI's AI chatbot Grok is now free to chat with on X (formerly Twitter), at least to a limited extent. Grok has been available only to people paying for an X Premium subscription until now, but after a few tests over the last few weeks, the free tier is now rolling out globally.

The free version of Grok employs the Grok-2 AI model, just like the Premium option. It includes a feature for producing images and Grok's signature "Fun Mode," which is supposed to make Grok's responses edgier, more provocative, and wittier than usual.

I'd recommend carefully watching your interactions with Grok if you don't want to pay for the subscription, though. The usage restrictions on the free tier may somewhat slow any rush of people switching from ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.

You can send up to 10 messages to the chatbot every two hours without paying, and you can only ask the AI to make three images a day. That's enough for a taste, but clearly, X and xAI are hoping it's enough to entice people into signing up to pay at least $7 a month to engage with the chatbot more.

Grok and go

Even with these issues, X likely sees value in opening up access to Grok to those reluctant to pay for it. At the very least, it puts the chatbot in a better position to compete with ChatGPT and its rivals. It also fits with other moves by xAI, such as an expected mobile app launch in the near future.

Whether these moves will be enough is unclear, but with 12 Days of OpenAI keeping people interested in the technology focused on the ChatGPT creator, xAI may see value just in drawing any attention at all this month.

And there's the matter of the Flux AI image creator fueling Grok's feature. The tool has a somewhat laid-back approach to copyright and trademark rules, leading to lawyers issuing notes telling people to take down AI images they post of Mario and other characters owned by corporations.

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Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #544) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SUN
• FLY
• HORN
• WINGS
• ASSOCIATE
• LEGS
• FELLOW
• BOW
• STORM
• CHUM
• RELATE
• LIBERTY
• BAIT
• EQUATE
• LURE
• AFFILIATE

NYT Connections today (game #545) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Collected thoughts
• Green: Angling essentials
• Blue: Female ballers
• Purple: Extended words

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #545) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: THINK OF TOGETHER
• GREEN: WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH
• BLUE: W.N.B.A. TEAMS
• PURPLE: LONG___ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #545) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #545, are…

• YELLOW: THINK OF TOGETHER AFFILIATE, ASSOCIATE, EQUATE, RELATE
• GREEN: WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH BAIT, CHUM, FLY, LURE
• BLUE: W.N.B.A. TEAMS LIBERTY, STORM, SUN, WINGS
• PURPLE: LONG___ BOW, FELLOW, HORN, LEGS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

In the UK, if someone is being friendly – or, indeed, unfriendly (it’s a fine line) – to a stranger in a bar they’ll most likely call them "mate". But what jumped out at me from today’s grid was some nicer ways to address someone you don’t know. Were you working for some fancy legal establishment I’m sure you’d be calling every other person your ASSOCIATE, AFFILIATE or FELLOW but where’s the fourth word for this formal group?

Casting my net not very far from home, it was easy to net FLY, CHUM, BAIT, and LURE into a bucket (see what I did there?). but the fact that it was the GREEN group meant there must be an easier catch on the grid.

Connections really does have a way of keeping you humble, and I went into a Shuffle frenzy trying to see the other sets. Thinking it must be describing an animal, I selected HORN, WINGS, LEGS, and BOW but was one away.

Scrubbing the “mate” idea completely, guesswork got me the YELLOW, and it was luck rather than knowledge of the WNBA that got me home. But it was hardly a slam dunk.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 6 December, game #544)

• YELLOW: BAFFLE PERPLEX, PUZZLE, STUMP, VEX
• GREEN: CURSE HEX, JINX, POX, SPELL
• BLUE: “TOY STORY” CHARACTERS, FAMILIARLY BUZZ, HAMM, REX, SLINKY
• PURPLE: COLLOQUIAL SUFFIXES CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1048) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1048) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1048) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1048) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1048) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• C

• V

• G

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1048) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1048, are…

• SHAKY
• CROOK
• GHOUL
• VERSE

OK, Quordle, the gloves are off.

Having been nearly defeated yesterday I decided to have a proper go at the four-headed beast today and treat it like letter Battleships. First I hit it with that Wordle classic starter ADIEU – not a word many of us employ in regular life, but pretty useful for weeding out vowels in 5-letter word puzzle games. Next up, with just three strikes, I went O hunting and figuring that there’d be plenty on the board what with the lack of take up for A, E, I, and U guessed ‘boost” and hit double-O-heaven.

From here the remaining letters helped everything fall into place seamlessly. Take that Quordle!

I bid you adieu, gentle people.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1048) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1048, are…

• DULLY
• SNOOP
• PRAWN
• ATONE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
• Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
• Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
• Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
• Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
• Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST
• Quordle #1034, Saturday 23 November: AVOID, PLANT, FILET, TWIRL
• Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY
• Quordle #1032, Thursday 21 November: RABBI, EAGER, COUGH, BRASH
• Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPEL
• Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST
• Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMER
• Quordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBAN

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

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 today (game #279) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Prepare to be eaten

NYT Strands today (game #279) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• STOP
• STAMP
• HEAT
• MATCH
• CHOP
• TOAST

NYT Strands today (game #279) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Spuds up

NYT Strands today (game #279) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: bottom, 4th column

Last: top, 6th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #279) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #279, are…

• FRIED
• BAKED
• MASHED
• ROASTED
• FONDANT
• SCALLOPED
• SPANGRAM: HOT POTATO

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Having spent far too long watching The Walking Dead, zombies – or “walkers” – was my first thought about today’s clue “Prepare to be eaten". I used to love that show, but then it turned into a zombie itself and self-replicated into other weaker versions of itself. Then those weaker versions self-replicated into even weaker more boring versions, so you could hardly recognize the old Walking Dead anymore.

Anyway, I digress because today’s Strands was actually about the greatest vegetable of them all – the beloved HOT POTATO – and some of the multiple ways in which it can be cooked. My favorite is smashed potatoes – boiled whole, then squished, then drizzled, then BAKED – it works, my friends.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 6 December, game #278)

• CLUB
• BUNCH
• GROUP
• CROWD
• CIRCLE
• CLIQUE
• SOCIETY
• SPANGRAM: FELLOWSHIP

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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Stop your dancing, lip-syncing, how-tos, restorations, commiserations, and online shops; TikTok just took another big step closer to the sharp blade of a US ban's guillotine. The massively popular app could disappear from US phones as early as next month, and while it's an outcome few want, it's the one we're most likely to get.

On Friday, a US federal court dismissed TikTok's counterclaim that the US government-ordered ban was unconstitutional in that it infringed on the platform's First Amendment free speech rights. The US Court of Appeals wasn't buying that argument and denied TikTok's petition. TikTok's owner, ByteDance, is fully expected to appeal at its last stop: the US Supreme Court.

No one, including me, expects them to win. The last best hope for TikTok is that exiting President Joe Biden decides to grant a last-minute extension. It's an option actually outlined in the ban and also unlikely, considering Biden fully backs this action.

Now, I know most of you know what TikTok is, and if the numbers are right and roughly more than half the country is using it, you understand how the social media platform works and why you're probably addicted to it. What you might not know is the source of the US government's near universal discomfort with TikTok: company owner ByteDance, a Chinese operation. All Chinese companies operate under the ever-watchful eye of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and, if asked, have to let them closely examine everything they do; this includes algorithms, programming, and data.

Right, you get where this is going.

An existential threat

When US lawmakers raised these concerns and started questioning TikTok directly, including CEO Shou Chew, the company responded with a detailed plan, Project Texas, to create a separate US arm that included all US-based executives and employees and the relocation of any US data that had been China to Oracle servers in California. TikTok in the US operated for all intents and purposes as a separate company from ByteDance's Chinese operations (the TikTok app doesn't even have the same name in China).

This was never enough for lawmakers or President Joe Biden, who signed the law that included the ban.

These efforts, however, do not have widespread support outside of Washington, D.C. TikTok users are almost apoplectic over the possible ban and have posted news reports and sometimes pleas to keep it alive in the US. In the past, TikTok enlisted major platform influencers to post on its behalf. None of it matters.

The issue here is the existential threat posed by China and its potential access to data regarding millions of Americans. Yes, the data is shielded from them, but there is not much clarity on whether Chinese officials can see or influence the algorithm that decides what you see next in your TikTok feed.

For TikTok fans, though, none of that matters. I recall seeing a TikTok where one young user told China to have her data. She did not care and was only interested in keeping TikTok.

That's a widely shared attitude among users. They're unsure what valuable secrets China gets from seeing their TikTok data. If the US Govt' says it's their personal details like name, home address, birth date, email, and phone number, the reality is that data is already out there and likely on the dark web. We've already been through the biggest data breaches, and often not at the hands of foreign adversaries.

At the same time, TikTokers understand that perhaps government officials shouldn't be on the platform because they're dealing with sensitive information relating to things like our infrastructure, water supply, and the grid.

Nothing better to do?

It's a bit galling that the US Government can somehow figure out how to ban an almost universally loved platform but cannot seem to agree on how to address any of our other larger problems.

There's always a chance that ByteDance will cave and sell because there is no other option. Still, I have trouble seeing China give up a crown jewel like TikTok to its greatest global rival (I contend it will be China and not ByrteDance, who decides if a sale happens).

The x factor here may be a change at the top. Incoming President Trump, who initially used an executive order in 2020 to address "the threat posed by one mobile app in particular, TikTok," joined Tiktok during the campaign but has offered little clarity on his ban stance. At one point, he claimed that banning Tiktok would strengthen Meta, an American company that Trump doesn't particularly like.

Trump's decision will hinge not just on his personal feelings but also on those around him. As one commentator noted, sitting right next to Trump will be Elon Musk, a key advisor and owner of X (formerly Twitter).

TikTok is doomed, isn't it?

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The second day of OpenAI's 12 Days of OpenAI shifted to less spectacular, more enterprise interests compared to the general rollout of the OpenAI o1 model to ChatGPT on day one.

Instead, OpenAI announced plans to release Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT), a way to customize its AI models for developers who want to adapt OpenAI's algorithms for specific kinds of tasks, especially more complex ones. This release marks a clear shift toward enterprise applications compared to day one’s consumer-focused updates. You can think of RFT as a method for improving how AI models work through their reasoning for responses. Using a dataset and evaluation rubric from a developer lets OpenAI’s platform train their specialized AI without lots of expensive reinforcement from later experiences.

RFT could be a boon for AI tools employed in law and science. OpenAI highlighted in its live stream the CoCounsel AI assistant built with RFT by Thompson Reuters and how RFT helps researchers studying rare genetic diseases at Berkeley Lab. However, the business partnerships aren't going to make much difference in the short term for average users of ChatGPT or other OpenAI products.

today we are announcing reinforcement finetuning, which makes it really easy to create expert models in specific domains with very little training data.livestream going now: https://t.co/ABHFV8NiKcalpha program starting now, launching publicly in q1December 6, 2024

Enterprise or consumer

If you're more keen on the consumer side of things, don't give up just yet. While the enterprise tilt contrasts with day one, it's easy to imagine OpenAI wanting to have as broad a range of news during the 12 days as possible. There will almost certainly be plenty more consumer news to come. Perhaps alternating days or some other pattern.

Still, at least the ending joke from OpenAI was a little funnier than yesterday. The AI described how self-driving vehicles are popular in San Fransisco, and Santa is keen to make a self-driving sleigh as part of the trend. The problem is that it keeps hitting trees. What's the problem? He didn't pine-tune his models. Maybe the image ChatGPT made for TechRadar's Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff will sell the humor better.

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• Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W is a $7 wireless microcontroller
• Designed for IoT projects; aimed at hobbyists and professionals
• Unofficial MicroPython build available now; official support coming soon

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched the Pico 2 W, a wireless successor to the $5 Pico 2 which came out just a couple of months ago. Priced at $2 more, the Pico 2 W is built around the RP2350 microcontroller and includes the same wireless modem featured in the original Pico W.

The RP2350 microcontroller builds upon the legacy of the RP2040, first introduced in 2021. It offers faster cores, more memory, floating-point support, optimized power consumption, and improved security through Arm’s TrustZone for Cortex-M.

For wireless functionality, the Pico 2 W is equipped with the CYW43439 modem, providing 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. The microcontroller supports programming through C and MicroPython libraries, offering flexibility for enthusiasts and engineers alike.

More to come

Eben Upton, co-founder of Raspberry Pi, said, “Many of the projects and products that people build on top of our platforms - whether that’s our Linux-capable Raspberry Pi computers, our microcontroller boards, or our silicon products - answer to the general description “Internet of Things”. They combine local compute, storage, and interfacing to the real world with connectivity back to the cloud.”

Raspberry Pi’s Pico 2 W, with its low price point and solid capabilities, is an appealing choice for hobbyists and professionals working on IoT projects like smart home hubs, environmental monitoring systems, and wireless weather stations, but Upton hints that this is just the beginning.

“We’re very pleased with how Pico 2 W has turned out. And, where the Pico 1 series ended with Pico W, we have a few more ideas in mind for the Pico 2 series. Keep an eye out for more news in early 2025,” he said.

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It all comes down to this for the MLS faithful: the 2024 season champions will be decided tomorrow, December 7, 2024. The New York Red Bulls will face off against LA Galaxy for the 2024 MLS Cup and will be the epic conclusion to a post-season that has been nothing if not historic.

The final game of the 2024 MLS Season is set to start at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT / 9 PM GMT / 8 AM AEDT on December 7, 2024, and here’s the best news: Whether or not you subscribe to Apple TV Plus’ MLS Season Plus or typically tune into the MLS action on Fubo TV or Fox, you can watch it for free on the Apple TV app. That’s right, you can watch the entire 2024 MLS Cup plus pre- and post-game commentary in over 100 countries and locales courtesy of Apple TV.

So whether your fandom runs deep for LA Galaxy or the New York Red Bulls, you can watch and might just fall in love – or deeper in love – with Major League Soccer.

How to watch the 2024 MLS Cup (LA Galaxy vs New York Red Bulls)

(Image credit: Apple)

Now, the 2024 MLS Cup will be a heated match by the two best teams in the league, at least for the 2024 Season. For the New York Red Bulls, this will be a long-awaited return to the championship of Major League Soccer after the team's last appearance in 2008, but the LA Galaxy might be a bit more at home as it's their 10th appearance in the MLS Cup.

Further, the LA Galaxy is the home team, and hosting it from the Dignity Health Sports Park in California is certainly an advantage. You don't need to be in California or the United States to watch the action, though.

While every game, including specials, is available streaming on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV Plus, Apple is streaming the 2024 MLS Cup for free in over 100 countries and regions. You'll open the Apple TV app on your iPhone, Mac, iPad, or even Apple TV, visit the service on the web, or use the streaming app on another connected device like a smart TV, streaming box, or even a game console.

The 2024 MLS Cup will kick off at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT / 9 PM GMT / 8AM AEDT, the actual coverage kicks off at 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT / 7:30 PM GMT / 6:30 AM AEDT. There will be two lengthy pre-game shows, MLS Countdown and MLS La Previa, broadcast live from the stadium and offer commentary in both English and Spanish.

Once the game wraps with either the LA Galaxy or New York Red Bulls declared as winners, there will be postgame commentary in English and Spanish on MLS Wrap-Up and MLS El Resumen.

If you want to feel like you're in the stadium, maybe on a massive screen, you can watch the 2024 MLS Cup on an Apple Vision Pro. I'd recommend watching with AirPods Pro as the broadcast is mixed in Dolby Atmos audio, which makes for a great immersive, Spatial Audio mix.

Still, if you want to be amongst a crowd, Apple's set up a few options. Several stores in the United States, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico will livestream the MLS Cup, but if you're in New York City, you'll want to visit Times Square to watch it on a screen the size of a city block. In fact, it's on Silvercast Media’s high-definition Mega-Zilla, and you can even see a replica of the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, which will be awarded to the winning team.

And if you care about reading the play-by-play, or might be on the move during the game, the free Apple Sports app for the iPhone is ideal and available in the US, UK, and Canada. I'd turn on the Live Activity as well to see it on your lock screen and at the top of your iPhone.

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