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Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Jan. 10 Strands puzzle, No. 313.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 579 for Friday, Jan. 10.

With wind speeds falling, firefighting reinforcements arriving from out of state, and more water sources online, authorities now have a critical window to take control of the situation.

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 #579) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SUGAR
• GOAT
• RELAX
• ORANGE
• HOST
• REST
• DOOR
• HINGE
• EASY
• RYE
• DEPEND
• CAR
• RELY
• CHILL
• ENOUGH
• BITTERS

NYT Connections today (game #579) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Stand by me
• GREEN: Take the pressure off 
• BLUE: Classic cocktail
• PURPLE: Game show brain teaser

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 #579) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: BE CONTINGENT (ON) 
• GREEN: "CALM DOWN" 
• BLUE: INGREDIENTS IN AN OLD FASHIONED 
• PURPLE: FEATURED IN THE MONTY HALL PROBLEM

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

NYT Connections today (game #579) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #579, are…

• YELLOW: BE CONTINGENT (ON) DEPEND, HINGE, RELY, REST
• GREEN: "CALM DOWN" CHILL, EASY, ENOUGH, RELAX
• BLUE: INGREDIENTS IN AN OLD FASHIONED BITTERS, ORANGE, RYE, SUGAR
• PURPLE: FEATURED IN THE MONTY HALL PROBLEM CAR, DOOR, GOAT, HOST

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I was completely unaware of the “Monty Hall problem” and even after reading its Wikipedia page (views of which will reach a record high today) – much like Schrödinger's cat – I still don’t get it. I’d stick with my initial guess, or pick the GOAT. Thankfully, my job here is revealing the answers to Connections, not explaining Connections categories.

The other colors were much easier, especially INGREDIENTS IN AN OLD FASHIONED, as BITTERS are not used for much else. I did waste a mistake on “CALM DOWN”, picking REST instead of ENOUGH before switching focus to the list of dependables.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 9 January, game #578)

• YELLOW: VENDOR'S SPOT AT A MARKET BOOTH, STALL, STAND, TABLE
• GREEN: DOG COMMANDS COME, HEEL, SIT, STAY
• BLUE: CORPORATE DEPARTMENTS FINANCE, IT, LEGAL, SALES
• PURPLE: LAST WORDS IN "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL" FROM, SEA, SHINING, TO

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.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… They're inseparable

NYT Strands today (game #313) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• STORY
• CLEAR
• BEAR
• HEAL
• RULE
• BLUR

NYT Strands today (game #313) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Words with friends

NYT Strands today (game #313) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #313) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #313, are…

• ARTS
• CRAFTS
• MILK
• CEREAL
• SOAP
• WATER
• RHYTHM
• BLUES
• SPANGRAM: TOGETHER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

My first thoughts after seeing today’s theme was famous married couples or double acts, but Strands is rarely that straightforward.

Instead, we were given some words that enjoy hanging out together – MILK and CEREAL, SOAP and WATER, ARTS and CRAFTS, and big mates RHYTHM and BLUES. Rhythm is a word I always struggle to spell correctly, so it took me a while to connect the letters even though I knew what I was looking for. It just looks weird, the R, the H, the Y, the M at the end.

There were lots of “TOGETHER” words missing, of course, including a few that are never heard unless alongside their companions – Kith and Kin for example, great '80s synth band (not really) Flotsam and Jetsam, To and Fro, or my favourite Kit and Caboodle. I think we should set “caboodle” free from ”kit” and get it some limelight of its own. It’s a great word that deserves to be more than a dog food brand. My pals might think I’m mad but I’m going to get it into a conversation – I’m going to be selling a caboodle of clothes on eBay and I’m going to be having caboodles of fun at the roller disco on Saturday. 2025 word of the year, caboodle, I can see it now.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 9 January, game #312)

• BIGEYE
• BLUEFIN
• SKIPJACK
• ALBACORE
• YELLOWFIN
• SPANGRAM: TUNA FAMILY

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.

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 #1082) - 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 #1082) - 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 1.

Quordle today (game #1082) - 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 #1082) - 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 #1082) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• I

• L

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1082) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1082, are…

• BIGOT
• INLET
• LEECH
• TUNIC

I’m on a two-day streak of clearing Quordle in seven lines, thanks to some super-lucky guesswork today – the C in TUNIC helping me get LEECH.

Again, I came close to finishing on my sixth go, but chose the wrong word ending in OT.

Sticking to the same two start words is also helping me get more consistent, but I’m not sure if using a double E word is useful or a waste of a letter.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1082) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1082, are…

• TENET
• ROOST
• OLIVE
• SERVE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC
• Quordle #1072, Tuesday 31 December: PLUMP, TUBER, IRATE, ICILY
• Quordle #1071, Monday 30 December: TODDY, GROIN, GROWN, VERVE
• Quordle #1070, Sunday 29 December: PURER, SPLAT, RABID, EMCEE
• Quordle #1069, Saturday 28 December: BUNCH, LABOR, TRIPE, BUNNY
• Quordle #1068, Friday 27 December: BRAWL, LYING, ORGAN, CRONY
• Quordle #1067, Thursday 26 December: TATTY, OVERT, FLOUR, SWEPT
• Quordle #1066, Wednesday 25 December: LIVER, CRIER, SHORE, MURKY
• Quordle #1065, Tuesday 24 December: TIPSY, SCALE, FLYER, VALVE
• Quordle #1064, Monday 23 December: SNAKE, SAVVY, ELBOW, TWEED
• Quordle #1063, Sunday 22 December: DOUBT, SLURP, PAPER, CIVIL
• Quordle #1062, Saturday 21 December: STRIP, BUDGE, SAPPY, SHELF

New information about the handheld seems to spring up every day, but it’s unclear when the Switch successor will make its appearance. It also doesn’t matter.

Vacuuming and mopping in one device is great, but at CES 2025, Narwal wowed us with some of its capabilities.

What if you never had to do any chores? If you buy all of Ecovacs' new robotic lineup at CES 2025, you may never need to.

Residents in the Los Angeles area and elsewhere are living under boil water advisories. What exactly does that mean?

• The BRIX GB-BRU7-255H crams up to 96GB of DDR5 memory in a 0.5L chassis.
• It also offers two PCIe slots that can accommodate up to 16TB SSD storage
• Because of the open nature of the platform, one can expect it to be cheaper than Apple's storage upgrades

Gigabyte has announced its latest mini PC, the BRIX GB-BRU7-255H, which measures 119.4 x 112.6 x 34.4 mm with a total volume of 0.5L, making it smaller than Apple’s Mac Mini M4.

It supports up to 96GB of DDR5 memory and offers dual PCIe Gen 4×4 slots, allowing up to 16TB of NVME SSD storage.

By comparison, the Mac Mini M4 offers a maximum of 32GB of RAM, plus less storage capacity at a higher price point.

Cutting-edge performance

The BRIX GB-BRU7-255H is powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 7 255H processor, a 16-core, 28-watt chip based on the Arrow Lake architecture, offering clock speeds of up to 5.1 GHz plus integrated Intel Arc graphics with up to 8 Xe cores as part of the the Intel Xe LPG+ iGPU architecture.

The open nature of Gigabyte’s platform gives users more choice as to where they source their memory upgrades versus Apple's own ecosystem.

The BRIX GB-BRU7-255H connectivity options include a 4 x 4K Display output, Thunderbolt 4 port, 4 USB 3.2 Gen2, 2 HDMI 2.1, dual SODIMM slots and a 2.5G LAN + WiFi 6E support.

The company also revealed that this energy-saving device supports low-noise operation.

Pricing details for the BRIX GB-BRU7-255H are yet to be announced.

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Cartilage cells that contain fat explain why some skeletal tissues are less rigid than others, and could one day be grown in labs to produce better materials for performing reconstructive surgeries and rhinoplasties.

The auto industry gets real at CES 2025, evolving concepts and technologies and setting realistic production goals. That may not sound exciting, but it means you could hit the road with all of these cars and tech as early as next year.

Some robots look like Swedish supermodels, some resemble metallic movie characters, and some look like snuggly toys.

• The bHaptics vest and sleeves let you feel VR
• Compatible with Meta Quest 3, PC VR and PSVR 2
• I've tried them, and I love them

I adore VR and the incredibly immersive experiences it can facilitate through headsets such as the Meta Quest 3. But despite everything VR headsets do well, they’re limited to just sight and sound – with basic haptic rumblings in the controllers (and, in some cases, headset rumble) only doing a little to immerse you via touch. These simple haptics are not properly feeling a VR world, but with bHaptics’ accessories – which I’ve tested at CES – you can unlock a superior experience.

For my demo I was outfitted with three accessories: the TactSuit Pro haptic vest on my chest, a pair of TactSleeve haptic arm guards, and my Meta Quest 3 headset was equipped with the haptic Tact Visor to provide head haptics.

I was then dropped into a custom XR sandbox outfitted with various weapons and items which showcased the bHaptics tech’s capabilities.

Picking up a virtual shotgun, I could feel the kickback in my arm and shoulder, while the electro rifle sent a tingly ripple down my arm and side. I could feel healing drinks in my stomach and gentle waves through my body to signify I was back at max health.

(Image credit: bHaptics)

To help showcase the differences, the demo also featured non-haptic versions of every object so I could directly compare them with the haptics – and the haptic versions are huge leap ahead for immersion. I’ll admit that they weren’t perfect all the time in terms of feeling like real life, but I’d score them at an 8 or 9 out of 10, while the non-haptic-accessory controller rumbles are maybe a 2 or 3.

The experience took another step up when feeling the same weapons I fired before being fired at me. Thankfully it wasn’t painful, but I could shoot electro blasts and lasers at a model representing me and feel the attacks – with my actions sending realistic signals through the vest, arm and headset haptics.

It was surprisingly accurate – tracing the laser across my back I could feel differently placed haptic sensors activating as it moved – and gave VR attacks a more tactile oomph than they usually would.

(Image credit: bHaptics)

What was perhaps best of all is that these haptic gadgets aren’t some prosumer accessory that only businesses or folks with a lot of cash to splash can enjoy. The vest is priced at $499, the sleeve at $199, and the visor at $149 – which aren’t cheap, but aren’t prohibitively expensive either. Plus they’re compatible with Quest, PSVR 2, and PC experiences across games like Beat Saber, Dungeons of Eternity and Arizona Sunshine 2 to name a few.

The team was also explaining that community members can create their own custom haptic mapping mods for currently unsupported titles on PC – or to augment the haptics in supported titles, so you won’t always have to wait for a developer to incorporate haptics themselves.

I’d love to test them out more, but from my brief demo I was very impressed with what bHaptics has created. If you’re looking to upgrade your VR headset setup, I’d suggest not just looking at a headset strap or carry case, but one of these haptic vests too.

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

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One of the most important AI copyright legal battles just took a major turn.

• Sony's new XR headset is all about creating content
• The new Xyn sub-brand covers 3D scanning and creation
• It's similar to other headsets, with one major design difference

Even without unveiling its next-generation Bravia TV lineup, Sony still has a pretty packed CES 2025. Case in point is Xyn, a new sub-brand within Sony focused on capturing, creating, and playing within spatial worlds, and I got to go hands-on with the Xyn Headset Prototype as well as a new solution for capturing in 3D.

The entire lineup is about spatial creation, so unlike PlayStation VR 2 or Meta Quest 3 or 3S, Xyn’s Headset is all about people and brands – big or small – who want to create content.

The Xyn Headset is pretty lightweight and takes a familiar form; I was right at home demoing the prototype, which easily rested on my head and, like countless other headsets, could be tightened or loosened via a dial at the back. The real stars here are the fact that it can be self-powered (meaning it doesn’t need to be plugged into any other device) and the 4K screens.

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar

In my hands-on, which you can see a video of below, I was viewing a digital environment on 4K micro-OLED displays – one for each eye. The space around me consisted of some ground, various building elements, and even skeletons. The main event, so to speak, was a bunch of crystal rock formations of varying shapes and designs; I was tasked with placing them in and around the environment.

And these elements weren’t just drawn up in a creative app, but rather scanned in using another piece of the Xyn portfolio. With the controller in hand, I could resize the crystals and place them anywhere, all fairly easily. It all felt pretty fluid even for an early prototype. While the graphics were good, the real difference here is that the screen can easily flip up, putting you back in the real world.

Considering these elements were scanned in using a station with a traditional Sony Alpha camera that had a phone running a prototype Xyn app connected to it, it makes the case that a flippable screen to potentially see the items you’re creating 3D images of can be pretty handy.

And that process of scanning items, be it crystals, shoes, or even fancy china, was pretty simple. I watched as a Sony rep snapped several photos of the object and saw the app on the phone show a heat map that glowed blue in the area that was captured.

Scanning an object in using a Sony camera and a beta Xyn app to create a 3D object. (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

From there, it gets processed in the cloud, and I could view those 3D models back on a custom glasses-free 3D monitor that has a camera for eye tracking to make the effect really pop. I could see this being handy for folks who want to get started with 3D production, building or creating these elements for virtual world, and even for larger productions.

What’s really neat is the accessibility, because you don’t need a degree in 3D modeling or design, as the app makes the experience quite seamless… at least in this early stage.

(Image credit: Future)

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

It could potentially help to open up creating spatial content to more folks, so while the Xyn Headset itself is still a prototype and might not be sold directly to consumers for content consumption, the worlds, objects, and environments potentially created with Xyn Capture and tweaked to perfection on the headset could be seen on more mainstream VR platforms in the future.

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• Verizon has secured a major US Air Force contract, despite recent security issues
• The contract will see Verizon delivering 5G network upgrades to bases across the US
• The win comes despite recent network breach by foreign hacker

Verizon has announced it will be providing the US Air Force with 5G network upgrades at 35 installations across the United States.

Through the agency’s Offer to Lease program, Verizon will provide network enhancements like new macro builds, small cells, and C-band carrier adds, hopefully offering higher speeds, increased bandwidth and lower latency for base personnel and community.

However some may raise eyebrows at the news, which comes little more than a week after Verizon and AT&T confirmed their networks were free of Chinese state-sponsored attackers Salt Typhoon.

Verizon military contratcs

The wide-ranging attack saw nine major firms breached, and over 100,000 routers compromised in one network alone, and the attackers were able to ‘geolocate millions of individuals, to record phone calls at will’, according to Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology.

It’s unclear whether the deal was made before the breach was announced, but the intrusion is considered one of the worst of its kind in telecommunications breaches, and the consequences of the breach are still being understood.

Verizon already holds contracts with the Armed Forces in supporting flight line testing equipment, animated simulation and training, full-motion, high-definition video to support telemedicine for its airmen, and ultra-fast artificial intelligence for biometric identification.

“This is Verizon’s 7th OTL win out of 8 attempts, which serves as a testament to the trust the U.S. Air Force has in the strength and speed of our network, as well as the quality of the professional and managed services expertise they gain from our people,” said Maggie Hallbach, senior vice president, Verizon Public Sector.

“We are honored to have Verizon Business serve as one of their most trusted partners.”

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