Technology

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 145 for Feb. 15

Here are some hints — and the answers — for today's Strands puzzle, No. 349, for Feb. 15.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 615 for Feb. 15.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,337 for Feb. 15.

Yellowjackets is back, and the third season looks set to descend deeper into the supernatural and give fans some answers.

But first, a recap. For the uninitiated, Yellowjackets is split across two timelines: the first follows the lives of a girl's high-school football team back in 1996 and their battle to survive in the Canadian wilderness after their plane goes down on the way to a football tournament. The second tracks the survivors of the ordeal in the present day and the traumas and mysteries they carry with them.

Season one was a roaring success with hints of Lord of the Flies and some sprinkling of supernatural in the vein of Lost. Season two looked to continue that momentum but arguably fell a little flat. The season picked up towards the end, with a serious event closing it out and leaving a lot of room for speculation.

And so we arrive at season three, which makes its debut today (February 14 at the time of writing) and could be the perfect foil to a sickly sweet Valentine’s Day.

I got a preview look at the first four episodes of season three, and I’m chomping at the bit for more.

(Image credit: Paramount)

While there’s a lot of bouncing around between the past and the present, Yellowjackets feels like it’s back on form so far. In the wilderness, there’s a deeper sense that there could be a supernatural element involved, and that bleeds into the present day with a greater effect.

Previously more sidelined characters Callie and Jeff get more screen time, with the former diving deeper into the Yellowjacket’s wilderness story. At the same time, Jeff is both slightly goofy yet a good guy at the center of chaos. Christina Ricci is in superb form as the somewhat unstable Misty. However, I feel the relationship between her and Elijah Wood’s Warren seems less substantial, which is a shame as I do like seeing Wood playing a strange and obsessive person.

The rest of the cast is also on point, with the younger cast in the wilderness neatly threading the line between a need to survive and high-school dynamics.

There’s a lot to like here. The building of the supernatural element keeps the mind wondering what’s real and what’s not, while there are some darkly comic moments that act as a palate cleanser.

Expect answers and some big moments

One of the prevailing questions that’s been itching away at me over the past two seasons of Yellowjackets is whether we’ll get some answers to the mystery of if there’s indeed an entirety in the wilderness that’s exerting power over the past and present-day characters, or if it’s all imagined. After all, Lost went from a survival show to one that fully embraced a supernatural element.

While I don't mind the room to guess and ponder, I do feel this season will need to give at least some answers to the bigger mysteries of the wilderness to keep Yellowjackets feeling fresh.

I got a chance to attend roundtable interviews with four of the cast members – Sarah Desjardins, who plays Callie Sadeki, Warren Kole, who plays Jeff Sadeki, Courtney Eaton, who plays the teenage version of Lottie, and Kevin Alves, who plays the teenage Travis Martin – and get some more insight into where season three is heading.

For Callie, Desjardins noted she's going on a journey. “I think Callie is in a very different place,” Desjardins said. “But there’s a complete spectrum of emotions for all of us. There’s high jinks, there’s emotional moments; I really can’t wait for everybody to see it.” So that’s left me intrigued to see where her story goes, given it feels like she’s getting a bigger focus this season.

I asked Kole where he sees Jeff going, given the patriarch of the Sadeki can seem a tad bumbling and out of the loop.

“Jeff is a lot of fun. He is gullible, he is naive, he’s provincial or insulated in how he thinks. But there’s a lot of potential in an empty vessel; you can kind of fill that with anything.” said Kole. “And he is loyal and he’s really pure in a lot of his values. So to have those challenges and to have problems that need to be solved, he has to, you would imagine, grow a little bit and mature and evolve, or he’s just gonna get run over by the women in his family.”

I rather like Jeff and feel he’s a bit of an unsung hero in the present day setting of Yellowjackets, so to see him evolve gives me another reason to press on with the series.

(Image credit: Paramount Plus)

But onto the bigger mystery, and Eaton told me: “I will say we get answers this season regarding the wilderness; whether some people decide to take that information on is another story. I think this season does a really good job of riding the line until you learn something very specific as the season goes on.”

What those specifics are, I’ve yet to glean, as the first four episodes of season three still kept me guessing. Alves added that the show still wants you to figure out for yourself what’s in a similar vein to the first two seasons: “Even though it’ll give you answers, it’ll keep you questioning where you stand with it.”

While I angled for hints on whether there’ll be a season four for Yellowjackets, the cast didn’t let that information slip out. But I inferred that season three will leave some mysteries to be solved and next steps for characters, which makes me think there’s at least another season in the future of Yellowjackets.

So, with that all in mind, it feels that this season of Yellowjackets could go places, and there’s at least one big moment in the early episodes that commanded my attention and saw some excellent performances, all of which would be well worth a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription

I hope this season can stick the landing and give me a taste of the theory crafting I enjoyed in the early 2000s with Lost; a series I think is still worth your time today.

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• Netflix has unveiled a trailer for its new romantic western series Ransom Canyon
• It's been described as "Virgin River meets Yellowstone" with its romance and escapist setting
• Ransom Canyon follows the intersecting lives of three ranching families in Texas

If you're missing the romance of Virgin River and the escapist drama of Yellowstone, then Netflix's new western series Ransom Canyon might be exactly what you're looking for.

Much like one of the best Netflix shows Virgin River, Ransom Canyon is a book-to-screen adaptation, in this case based on a series of romance novels by author Jodi Thomas. Described as "a romance-fueled family drama and contemporary Western saga" by Netflix, Ransom Canyon follows the intersecting lives of three ranching families in the rugged Texas Hill Country and will premiere on April 17.

In the trailer (see below) love, loss, and loyalty collide in the sprawling Lone Star State’s countryside, with Josh Duhamel (Transformers) playing Double K Ranch owner Staten Kirkland and Minka Kelly (Euphoria) as Quinn O'Grady, who returns to Ransom Canyon from New York to forge a new career path.

What is Ransom Canyon about?

The official logline for Ransom Canyon reads: “With three ranching family dynasties locked in a contest for control of the land, their lives and legacies are threatened by outside forces intent on destroying their way of life. At the center of it all is stoic rancher Staten Kirkland (Duhamel), who is healing from heartbreaking loss and on a quest for vengeance.

"Staten’s only glimmer of hope rests in the eyes and heart of Quinn O’Grady (Kelly), longtime family friend and owner of the local dancehall. But as the battle to save Ransom wages on, a mysterious cowboy drifts into town, dredging up secrets from the past. Vise tightening, Staten fights to protect the land he calls home, and the only love that can pull him back from the demons that haunt him.”

Ransom Canyon was first mentioned by Netflix's head of drama Jinny Howe in an interview with Deadline, where she likened the series to Virgin River and Paramount Plus' smash hit Yellowstone.

She said: "It’s a multi-generational family show set on a ranch, and we say it’s Virgin River meets Yellowstone. We think that it’s going to deliver on all the romance and again it will be a really beautiful vista and setting, very escapist."

It's no surprise that the best streaming service is trying to replicate the success of Virgin River, with the recent sixth season receiving more than 9 million views worldwide and staying in the streamer's top 10 for two weeks. With Netflix streaming Yellowstone and now its prequel series 1883 in mid-March (excluding the US), the platform is quickly competing with Paramount Plus to become the home of neo-Western dramas.

While Duhamel and Kelly lead the cast, they are joined by James Brolin, Eoin Macken, Lizzy Greene, Marianly Tejada, Jack Schumacher, Garrett Wareing, Andrew Liner and more.

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• A researcher has discovered a worrying YouTube security vulnerability
• The flaw allowed outsiders to gain access to all YouTube account emails
• This has since been patched, so users should update as soon as possible

Experts have warned that any email from a YouTube account could be pulled from Google with a ‘relatively simple exploit’

A researcher who goes by Brutecat managed to leverage several vulnerabilities across Google products to access the email address of any YouTube user, CyberNews reports.

Google has now patched the flaw, but this does represent a serious risk to the privacy of users, and could put them in danger of phishing attacks. Around 1 billion hours of YouTube is watched daily, with almost 2.5 billion users and 51 million channels - so privacy is important, here’s what we know.

Bounty hunters

The vulnerabilities were discovered because the researcher was "digging through the Internal People API (staging)" and noticed "something interesting". They found that by blocking if you block someone on YouTube, you can leak their Google account identifier.

To continue, the researcher discovered that by clicking the three dot context menu, the GAIA ID was included in the server response, so there was no need to block the channel - meaning this could be escalated to every YouTube account - all four billion of them.

Then, by looking into old Google products, they discovered that the Pixel Recorder contained a bug that would allow them to convert the exposed GAIA ID to an email address. At first, when they did this, the victim would receive an email notification - which lowers the impact of the vulnerability quite significantly. However, they discovered a work around;

“That's when we realized - if it's including our recording title in the email subject, perhaps it wouldn't be able to send an email if our recording title was too long.”

This worked - and when the recording title was lengthened to 2.5 million letters, "bingo! No notification email".

For the disclosure of the flaw, the researcher was awarded a $10,633 bounty. There’s a long standing tradition of software service providers offering bug bounties for security researchers, with Google handing out $10 million in bounties in 2023.

The report was sent on September15 2024 - and in November, the first award of $3,133 was given, with the rationale: "Exploitation likelihood is medium. Issue qualified as an abuse-related methodology with high impact."

By December, a further $7,500 was given, this time because "exploitation likelihood is high. Issue qualified as an abuse-related methodology with high impact" - thanks to an updated report from the product team.

The risk to users

Clearly, Google has identified a risk for the abuse of this flaw - but what is the risk for users? Well, since login credentials, passwords, or other personally identifiable information is not a part of this attack - that just leaves social engineering attacks via email.

We say ‘just’, but phishing attacks are a serious concern, and they claim millions of victims each year - and can lead to much more serious crimes like identity theft or fraud.

If a cybercriminal does email you, there are big red flags you can look out for. The first of all, is their email address - if it's G00gle or M1crosoft instead of their legitimate addresses, don’t open it. Or, if you get a completely unexpected email from a ‘friend’ from an account you don’t recognize - especially one that urges action (i.e. asks you to click a link, send over money, buy a gift card, etc) - then be very very suspicious.

If you’re automatically suspicious of the emails you receive, you’ll be in a better position.

To be safe, you should create strong and secure passwords for each account - and make sure to change them as often as you can remember to.

The final thing to look for is attachments - if the account who sent the account is unknown and the email contains images, links, or documents - this is suspicious. QR codes can be malicious, so don’t scan anything you’re not certain is safe.

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, February 14 (game #614).

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 Connections hints.

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 #615) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• POPULAR
• EMOTIONAL
• CHEESE
• DISH
• PAN
• RETURN
• SPILL
• CUP
• TELL
• COMMAND
• ALTERNATIVE
• OPTION
• SHORT
• PROGRESSIVE
• CONTROL
• BLAB

NYT Connections today (game #615) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Gossip
• GREEN: MacBook keys 
• BLUE: Types of music 
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “bake”

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 #615) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DIVULGE 
• GREEN: WORDS ON A MAC KEYBOARD 
• BLUE: WORDS SHORTENED IN ROCK GENRES 
• PURPLE: __CAKE 

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

NYT Connections today (game #615) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #615, are…

• YELLOW: DIVULGE BLAB, DISH, SPILL, TELL
• GREEN: WORDS ON A MAC KEYBOARD COMMAND, CONTROL, OPTION, RETURN
• BLUE: WORDS SHORTENED IN ROCK GENRES ALTERNATIVE, EMOTIONAL, POPULAR, PROGRESSIVE
• PURPLE: __CAKE CHEESE, CUP, PAN, SHORT

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I wonder if I found today’s puzzle so easy because I am a) a former music journalist (WORDS SHORTENED IN ROCK GENRES), b) addicted to CHEESECAKE, c) a lifelong Mac user (WORDS ON A MAC KEYBOARD), and d) used to write a gossip column for a pop magazine (DIVULGE).

My gossip column got me into lots of trouble back in the day. Mainly because I used to make everything up. I didn’t like going out or schmoozing (both of which are fairly essential to the gossip trade) and at this point there was no social media to steal from, so I would just use my imagination.

My theory was that if I made the gossip very tame – Madonna spotted buying peanut butter, Elton John likes to wash his underwear on a Tuesday, etc – then no one would complain. Sadly they did, a lot, not because my gossip was untrue but because it made them seem too boring.

Alas, my career giving the DISH on celebrity eating habits ended before it really began.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 14 February, game #614)

• YELLOW: MOLLYCODDLE BABY, HUMOR, INDULGE, PAMPER
• GREEN: THINGS A RATTLESNAKE DOES HISS, RATTLE, SHED, SLITHER
• BLUE: WORDS SAID TO AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON BOO, GOTCHA, GUESS WHO, SURPRISE
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF BODIES OF WATER BAE, CREAK, SEE, STRAIGHT

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.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, February 14 (game #1117).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1118) - 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 #1118) - 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 3.

Quordle today (game #1118) - 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 #1118) - 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 2.

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 #1118) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• C

• G

• F

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

Quordle today (game #1118) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1118, are…

• CREEP
• CONDO
• GRILL
• FANCY

I tried a change of tactics today and included a start word with three letter Es: GEESE. The idea was that without any other vowels in my first word, I was guessing that it must contain a double E, and so it proved.

Having two words beginning with C was also a big help. Sometimes things all just fall into place in this game.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1118) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1118, are…

• SOOTY
• SPOIL
• PHASE
• ROTOR

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1117, Friday 14 February: MEDIA, ELUDE, THUMB, WIDOW
• Quordle #1116, Thursday 13 February: SCALP, DWELL, AMPLE, TRUNK
• Quordle #1115, Wednesday 12 February: SHOOK, GRADE, POLAR, SEEDY
• Quordle #1114, Tuesday 11 February: HEAVY, CIRCA, PESKY, SCION
• Quordle #1113, Monday 10 February: TWIXT, FRESH, GUISE, TABBY
• Quordle #1112, Sunday 9 February: TAPIR, SHAKE, TOKEN, SEVEN
• Quordle #1111, Saturday 8 February: AFOOT, ALIKE, HUMUS, TOWEL
• Quordle #1110, Friday 7 February: PETAL, ABASE, AMONG, CORER
• Quordle #1109, Thursday 6 February: MADAM, SCAMP, FAUNA, TRACK
• Quordle #1108, Wednesday 5 February: SIXTH, VERVE, BLURB, CACTI
• Quordle #1107, Tuesday 4 February: BIRTH, DRAWN, MILKY, JOIST
• Quordle #1106, Monday 3 February: SLEET, TENSE, SEIZE, SCAMP
• Quordle #1105, Sunday 2 February: LOUSY, PENNE, CHUMP, SALVE
• Quordle #1104, Saturday 1 February: FACET, BLISS, FLUFF, FRANK
• Quordle #1103, Friday 31 January: PARER, SYNOD, BRAWN, BANJO
• Quordle #1102, Thursday 30 January: WEEDY, CHIRP, STALE, SUGAR
• Quordle #1101, Wednesday 29 January: CROWN, SCENE, AGILE, CRANK
• Quordle #1100, Tuesday 28 January: TOKEN, DAISY, INANE, PLIED
• Quordle #1099, Monday 27 January: ANGEL, GLOBE, MAYOR, BRAVE
• Quordle #1098, Sunday 26 January: WATER, ORBIT, BRIDE, TOUCH

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, February 14 (game #348).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Ice packs

NYT Strands today (game #349) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• MAIL
• JAIL
• DEAL
• STAND
• TEAL
• VEST

NYT Strands today (game #349) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Best of puck

NYT Strands today (game #349) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 5th column

Last side: top, 2nd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #349) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #349, are…

• SHARKS
• JETS
• DEVILS
• WILD
• AVALANCHE
• LIGHTNING
• SPANGRAM: HOCKEY TEAM

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

I love how some HOCKEY TEAMs have very elemental names. Both of the examples in today’s puzzle – Tampa Bay LIGHTNING and Colorado AVALANCHE – sound very masculine and terrifying, which is very necessary for hockey teams. I wonder if they had to have a focus group to decide, and which options were dismissed. Wind maybe, or Drizzle.

If London ever got a NHL team they could keep with the theme and call themselves London Fog – the fans could call themselves The Fogies, people who’d stuck with the team over many years could call themselves The Old Fogies.

Anyway, I digress. Both of these names at least have some connection to ice, unlike many others including the JETS and the Flames – the latter being particularly concerning, seeing as heat melts ice.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 14 February, game #348)

• DARLING
• ANGEL
• LOVEBUG
• HONEY
• POOKIE
• SNOOKUMS
• SPANGRAM: ENDEARMENT

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.

• Big tech is tired of relying on Nvidia, so they're making their own chips
• OpenAI’s first AI GPU is nearly ready, heading to TSMC for tape-out
• If all goes well, mass-production could begin by 2026

Rising costs and a worrying reliance on AI behemoth Nvidia have led tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, and Meta to look at building their own artificial intelligence chips.

OpenAI, which is involved in the recently-announced $500 billion Stargate initiative, is also reportedly developing its own AI hardware to give it some freedom from Team Green.

A report from Reuters claims the company is in the final stages of producing this first chip - which could have cost OpenAI upwards of $500 million to design - and expects to send it for fabrication at TSMC in the coming months, with mass production likely to begin in 2026.

Deployed on a limited scale

OpenAI’s chip development has been ongoing for a while. We first reported in July 2024 that Sam Altman’s company was in discussions with Broadcom to design and build its own silicon and, more recently, that the AI firm was edging closer to this becoming a reality.

The report claims, “If the initial tape-out goes smoothly, it would enable the ChatGPT maker to mass-produce its first in-house AI chip and potentially test an alternative to Nvidia's chips later this year. OpenAI’s plan to send its design to TSMC this year demonstrates the startup has made speedy progress on its first design, a process that can take other chip designers years longer.”

Led by Richard Ho, who joined OpenAI over a year ago and previously played a key role in developing Google’s own custom AI processors, the team developing the chip is reportedly relatively small, consisting of just 40 engineers.

While the in-house AI chip will be capable of both training and inference tasks, Reuters’ sources say that it will initially be “deployed on a limited scale, and primarily for running AI models.” It will also have a limited role within the company's infrastructure. According to the news outlet, OpenAI views its custom AI chip as a way of improving its negotiating position with existing suppliers, including Nvidia.

The chip is being produced using TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer process and will feature a commonly used systolic array architecture, HBM, and advanced networking capabilities.

OpenAI and TSMC declined to comment on the report.

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OpenAI has already announced that it will simplify its ChatGPT product roadmap, which has become horribly splintered lately by too many obscure product names for the average consumer to care about. It’s ditching all its latest model names, such as o1 and o3, not to mention o3-high, to get behind a simple ChatGPT-followed-by-version-number branding style.

I think it’s time Google followed suit with Gemini, and if you want to know why, just look at this screenshot I took from the Gemini app on my phone today:

Talk about too many options... (Image credit: Apple/Google)

It’s hard to look at that screenshot and think that anybody at Google planned it to look that way; it’s just how it’s evolved, with little thought given to the person who has to use it.

As part of the Gemini Advanced subscription you get access to all of Google’s different language models, however having to choose between seven different models with very similar names is verging on the ridiculous. Not to mention that I think ‘Google Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps’ could well win an award for the longest product name in history. What does that mean, anyway?

As a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, you also currently get access to an equally baffling number of different LLMs. Some, named things like o1, are deep reasoning models that take a while to really mull over the questions you ask them, while others are smaller and more lightweight, so you get quicker answers but less depth. It’s almost like Google and OpenAI are competing with each other in how confusing they can make their AI tools.

Too much choice

I get it; if you are involved in academic research or need AI to help you write code, you probably need access to a variety of different LLMs for different tasks. But if all you want to do is get AI to help you with your kid’s math homework or plan your next road trip, having access to such a diverse selection of LLMs is overkill.

OpenAI’s proposed solution is to settle down behind the ChatGPT name followed by a version number, so ChatGPT-4, then ChatGPT-5, and so on. The AI will then look at the complexity of what you’re asking and decide if it needs to use a deep reasoning model or a simpler LLM. To torture an analogy, most people don’t care how the sausage is made; they simply want a delicious-tasting hotdog.

Google should do the same with its different versions of Gemini. For example, the ‘2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps’ model has the power to access things like YouTube videos, so it can answer questions about them or extract the key points from them. Why not just call it Gemini 2.0, and then, if you ask a question about a YouTube video, switch to the relevant LLM without having to get the user to choose it first?

Look at Apple

What we want is AI that just works, with simple naming conventions. If you look at the way Apple brands its products, it normally has up to three versions of a product with a simple name indicating the differences. It has two versions of its MacBook – the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro – and its latest iPhone – iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro – that's nice and simple.

We’re still right at the start of the AI revolution, and things are changing rapidly, and the consumer experience is often left as an afterthought. As OpenAI’s decision to simplify its branding shows, that situation is starting to change. I think we can expect the experience of using AI to get a lot slicker this year, let's just hope that Google get the memo, too.

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• Apple has published a support document outlining what to do if your Apple Watch speaker isn't working
• It follows a spate of reports about problems with the Series 10's speakers
• Customers can clean, update, or re-pair their Apple Watch, along with other steps

Following a raft of reports that Apple Watch Series 10 users were having problems with their speakers, Apple has published a support document detailing how users can tackle some of the problems reported.

While the company has not officially responded to or acknowledged the speaker issues, the new document was published on February 13 and states:

"If the microphone or speaker isn’t working as expected on your Apple Watch

Try these steps if your Apple Watch microphone or speaker isn't working as expected. You can also use these steps if the sound is crackling, distorted, muffled, or intermittent."

As you might expect, it features the usual slew of troubleshooting, including updates, re-pairing the watch, and cleaning. Here's what you need to know.

How to fix your Apple Watch Series 10 speaker problems

(Image credit: Future)

Apple says that the first thing users should do is update their iPhone and Apple Watch software. If you're having speaker troubles, it's possible your issue has been solved by a software update, so this is a good starting point.

The next step is to clean your Apple Watch. Apple says you should check your Watch's microphone and speaker for obstructions. Because Apple Watches are water-resistant, you can run it under "lightly running, warm, fresh water until it's clean." Apple Watch Series 10 speakers can be cleaned with a soft bristle brush, just don't use cleaning liquids, sprays, or abrasives.

Apple also says you should check your Watch for water and dry it, as this can degrade speaker performance. "To check whether water is in the microphone or speaker port, place your Apple Watch microphone or speaker side down on a lint-free microfiber cloth," the company says.

If there's any present, you can dry it with a lint-free microfiber cloth; just don't use heat, compressed air, or sprays. A top tip: charge your Apple Watch overnight to speed up evaporation.

Apple also offers the classic options of restarting, unpairing, and re-pairing your Apple Watch with your iPhone.

Finally, there are suggestions to check Silent Mode, Do Not Disturb, and your Watch's sound settings in case you haven't inadvertently silenced your Watch.

Since reporting these issues, multiple Series 10 users have confirmed they've been experiencing the issue. While not limited to the Series 10, the problem is more noticeable because 2024's best Apple Watch is the first mainstream model to offer audio playback for media through its speakers.

If you try all these steps and still have issues, it might be time to contact Apple Support or your local Apple Store.

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• Valve is warning users to check for malware or reset their PC
• PirateFi was taken off Steam just days after it launched
• Other games are also being infected with malware

Valve has started to contact suspected victims that they may have been the subject of a cyberattack just days after removing PirateFi from Steam after discovering it contained suspected malware files.

The game, which was released on February 6, was taken down by Valve within a week because they suspected that the game’s developer “uploaded builds that contained suspected malware.”

Although the number of affected users is believed to be very small, Valve is still recommending that anybody who installed the game perform a full PC reset, just in case.

Some Steam users might have to perform a full system reset

Valve has emailed users who played the game, advising them to run a full system scan and check for unexpected software and downloads.

The email, shared by SteamDB on X, reads: “The builds containing the suspected malware have been removed from Steam, but we strongly encourage you to run a full-system scan using an anti-virus product that you trust or use regularly… You may also consider fully reformatting your operating system to ensure that no malicious software remains on your machine.”

Valve specifically targeted users who played PirateFi (3476470) on Steam “while these builds were active,” stating that it’s “likely” that malicious files launched on victims’ computers.

The game’s community page also reveals suspicions around the game, with some suers stating that it wouldn’t launch or that there were too many bugs.

It’s unclear whether the malware was present at the time of launch or whether it was introduced in an update after the game was approved, but it marks an ongoing trend of increasing instances of malware attacks in games, with Cities: Skylines 2 recently being targeted, too.

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Apple's leaning on companies, including Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu, to adapt its AI system to meet regulatory requirements, Bloomberg reports.

Being single on Valentine's Day can be depressing, but finding solace in conversations with an AI assistant is no less so. Not only do they lack a personality, but their one true desire is your personal data.

Privacy experts at Surfshark found that four of the five most popular AI companion apps on the Apple App Store may track your personal data utilization for profit.

"Instead of being there for us, they can feel more like surveillance tools," said Surfshark's cybersecurity expert, Miguel Fornés, pointing out how AI companions' tracking can shake users' trust while invading their privacy.

AI companions: which are the most data-hungry?

The team at Surfshark carefully inspected the data collection practices of the five AI companion services. These details were sourced from the Apple App Store and include the number, type, and handling of the data types collected by each app.

Among the apps analyzed – Kindroid, Nomi, Replika, EVA, and Character AI – 80% "may use data to track their users."

Tracking, experts explain, refers to linking user or device data collected from the app with user or device data collected from other apps and websites for targeted advertising purposes. Tracking also involves the sharing of user or device data with data brokers.

"This detailed data can lead to companies influencing your choices, which can have negative effects, like overwhelming ads, financial risks, or other unexpected issues," said Surfshark's cybersecurity expert.

Character AI was the service most in love with users' data. While the average was 9 unique types of data collected out of 35. Character AI rises above its competitors by collecting up to 15 of these. EVA was the second most data-hungry of the lot, gathering 11 types of data. Worse still, both of these applications collect users' approximate location info to deliver targeted ads.

Nomi was the only application to stand apart by claiming to not collect data for tracking purposes.

Not only the data collected by the service seems to be problematic, though. App developers, Surfshark explains, could access the data you willingly share during your conversation with the AI chatbot, too.

The danger here is that AI companion apps are designed to simulate human-like interactions such as friendship and love. You may be more willing to disclose even more sensitive information than you'd do with ChatGPT-like chatbots.

"This may lead to unprecedented consequences, particularly as AI regulations are just emerging," experts note.

This is why Surfshark strongly advises taking some precautions when using AI companion services to keep your personal data safe and minimize misuse.

Fornés said: "Make sure you are frequently checking what permissions these apps have and be mindful of what information you are sharing."