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Give the illusion of activity in your home while you're away and make thieves think twice about stopping by.

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #1021) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1021) - 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 #1021) - 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 #1021) - 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 #1021) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• F

• F

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1021) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1021, are…

• GROIN
• FAULT
• FERRY
• SUITE

Those of you who follow this column regularly (hi!) will know that I start with the same three words each day, STARE, DOILY and PUNCH. And you may also know that I sometimes play an unofficial fourth word when I'm stuck: BEFOG. This is great, because it features three of the common consonants not found in my starters, and it came up trumps again today.

I solved SUITE easily, because I had all five letters there, then got stumped by ---RY with a yellow E. I could see that BERRY, BEERY and FERRY were all possibles, so rolled out my magic BEFOG… and turned my fortunes in one go. Not only did it give me the F that I needed for FERRY, but it turned the E green there too, gave me the F for FAULT, and the G for GROIN. Easy-peasy.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1021) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1021, are…

• PERIL
• RODEO
• RIPER
• CHAIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER
• Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
• Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
• Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH
• Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY
• Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA
• Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN
• Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST
• Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET
• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS
• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY
• Quordle #1004, Thursday 24 October: DAIRY, RALLY, CURLY, LABEL
• Quordle #1003, Wednesday 23 October: DROSS, ANNEX, GRAVE, BROKE
• Quordle #1002, Tuesday 22 October: ADORE, SMITH, AFOOT, LUCID
• Quordle #1001, Monday 21 October: TREAD, NINTH, GRIEF, UNSET

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 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 Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #518) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• RAVEN
• GOLFER
• PILOT
• PENDULUM
• DRUM
• USHER
• SALOON DOORS
• CASK
• COWBOY
• CYLINDER
• STEER
• JET
• TANK
• RAM
• SWING
• SHEPHERD

NYT Connections today (game #518) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Could hold beer, oil etc
• Green: Show the way
• Blue: Bear is another
• Purple: They make a side-to-side motion

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 #518) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: BARREL-SHAPED CONTAINER
• GREEN: GUIDE
• BLUE: N.F.L. TEAM MEMBER
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT SWING

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

NYT Connections today (game #518) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #518, are…

• YELLOW: BARREL-SHAPED CONTAINER CASK, CYLINDER, DRUM, TANK
• GREEN: GUIDE PILOT, SHEPHERD, STEER, USHER
• BLUE: N.F.L. TEAM MEMBER COWBOY, JET, RAM, RAVEN
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT SWING GOLFER, PENDULUM, SALOON DOORS, SWING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I can't help thinking it's a bit of a cop out for the NYT to include the word SWING in a group where the answer is, um, SWING. I mean come on! This was the purple group, too, so supposedly the hardest of the four.

Admittedly, the others were easier still. Blue – the second toughest – was N.F.L. TEAM MEMBER, and even a UK soccer/cricket fan such as myself could spot that COWBOY, JET, RAM and RAVEN were the answers. Green, meanwhile, was simply four things that were all BARREL-SHAPED CONTAINERs: CASK, CYLINDER, DRUM and TANK. My finger hovered over the submit button with that one, because I thought it couldn't possibly be as easy as that. But it was, and for once I completed this game with no trauma.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 9 November, game #517)

• YELLOW: CONTORTED BENT, GNARLY, TWISTED, WARPED
• GREEN: SMALLEST AMOUNT LICK, OUNCE, SHRED, TRACE
• BLUE: ALGEBRA TERMS EXPONENT, POWER, RADICAL, ROOT
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE “ROOM” TO MEAN LAVATORY BATH, POWDER, REST, THRONE

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 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 today (game #252) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Nice fit

NYT Strands today (game #252) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• TILL
• HILL
• BILL
• DUST
• THERE
• WELL

NYT Strands today (game #252) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Fits the bill

NYT Strands today (game #252) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 4th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #252) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #252, are…

• JUMP
• CIVIL
• STRONG
• BUSINESS
• BIRTHDAY
• LEISURE
• SPANGRAM: WELLSUITED

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

I find myself disagreeing with the NYT's choice of theme hint fairly often. This is possibly unfair, because as I know from experience it can be a very tricky thing to think of a clue that is helpful without giving the game away. But even bearing that in mind, the choice of 'Nice fit' here seems slightly misleading. After all, 'nice fit' works perfectly well for the spangram, WELLSUITED, and for some of today's answers – for instance LEISURE and JUMP. But it doesn't work for CIVIL or BIRTHDAY at all; these are types of suit, yes, but they aren't a 'nice fit' in any way. STRONG can be – if something is your strong suit, it is a good fit for you. But CIVIL in particular… no, it needed a different clue here.

That set me on the wrong path here, and I needed two hints to establish that yes, all of the answers were types of suit. Once I knew that it was pretty easy to find the others. And maybe that's why it's best that the hint did throw me off the scent – because without that I'd have probably had yet another perfect game, and that gets boring after a while…

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 9 November, game #251)

• BLUR
• OASIS
• PAVEMENT
• TOOL
• NIRVANA
• SUBLIME
• SPANGRAM: NINETIESBANDS

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.

Although fiber is scarce in Chesapeake, you do still have high-speed internet options.

I used the Rise Science app to help with my sleep health and productivity. What I discovered is the app isn't for everyone. Here's why.

• New HPE fanless cooler cuts server blade power consumption by 37%
• The system uses direct liquid cooling, perfect for AI technologies
• The architecture is designed to be scalable dependent on business needs

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) recently hosted its AI Day 2024 event, introducing the industry’s first 100% fanless direct liquid cooling architecture.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continue to evolve, power consumption in next-generation accelerators has increased, surpassing the capabilities of traditional air-cooling methods.

Organizations running large-scale AI workloads are now searching for more efficient solutions to manage their infrastructure’s energy demands, and hPE has pioneered direct liquid cooling technology, which has become one of the most effective methods for cooling high-performance AI systems. This approach has allowed HPE to deliver seven of the top 10 most energy-efficient supercomputers on the Green500 list.

100% fanless direct liquid cooling addresses cooling challenges in AI systems

The new cooling system is designed to improve efficiency in several key areas, with HPE saying the fanless architecture reduces cooling power consumption by 90% compared to traditional air-cooling systems and offers significant environmental and financial advantages.

The system is built on four core elements. First, the system uses a comprehensive cooling design featuring an 8-element system that cools the GPU, CPU, server blade, local storage, network fabric, rack, cluster, and coolant distribution unit (CDU).

The second element is that the fanless cooler also offers high-density performance that supports compact configurations backed by rigorous testing, monitoring software, and on-site services to ensure smooth deployment.

Thirdly, for those with a mind for the environment, the new system uses an integrated network fabric that enables large-scale connectivity with reduced costs and power consumption for a more sustainable architecture. Lastly, the architecture runs on an open system design that offers flexibility by supporting various accelerators, allowing organizations to select solutions that best suit their needs.

The fanless architecture reduces cooling power consumption by 37% per server blade compared to hybrid liquid-cooled systems, not only lowering utility costs but also reducing carbon emissions and eliminating data center fan noise. Furthermore, the design allows for higher server cabinet density, helping organizations cut floor space requirements in half.

"As organizations embrace the possibilities created by generative AI, they also must advance sustainability goals, combat escalating power requirements, and lower operational costs,” noted Antonio Neri, President and CEO of HPE.

“The architecture we unveiled today uses only liquid cooling, delivering greater energy and cost-efficiency advantages than the alternative solutions on the market. In fact, this direct liquid cooling architecture yields 90% reduction in cooling power consumption as compared to traditional air-cooled systems."

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• Power-over-Skin developed by researchers at Future Interfaces Group
• Technique transmits power to wearables using the human body
• Paves the way for battery-free devices powered through skin contact

Self-winding watches have existed for a century, but manufacturers are still searching for ways to make modern wearables battery-free. A new research paper from Carnegie Mellon University could have the answer: scientists have developed a technique to power the next generation of wearable tech via skin contact.

Researchers at Future Interfaces Group have found a way to deliver power to wearable devices through the human body. The method is called Power-over-Skin, and it could be the gateway to a future where the best smartwatches no longer need a built-in battery.

In simple terms, the method sends power from a single battery-powered transmitter worn on the body to a range of battery-free devices attached to the skin. Research has found that the human body effectively conducts 40 MHz RF energy, which is what Power-over-Skin relies on to distribute power through the skin.

Researchers Andy Kong, Daehwa Kim, and Chris Harrison found they could deliver power from a single transmitter across the whole body. They also found that the amount of power they could deliver depended on the proximity of the transmitter and receivers. For example, having a transmitter on the forearm with a receiver on the wrist netted higher microwatts.

In their tests, the researchers were able to power an LED earring, a calculator, and a Bluetooth ring with a joystick control. They also experimented with building transmitters into existing objects, including a smartphone, a VR headset, and a shoe. Because the skin connection is capacitive, it can also work through clothing, such as having a transmitter in your pocket.

Skin in the game

The benefits of Power-over-Skin are several. By eliminating built-in batteries, wearable devices could be made much smaller and lighter, unlocking the potential for various versatile applications. One mentioned in the research paper is a slimline medical patch that monitors health metrics. Because there’s no battery to replace, it could, in theory, stay on a patient indefinitely.

Another net gain from Power-over-Skin is that sharing power from a single transmitter source instead of fitting individual wearables with their own batteries reduces the resources required from an environmental perspective.

As the technology develops, refinements should lead to greater efficiency in power delivery. While it’s unlikely that Power-over-Skin will be able to provide enough energy to run high-power devices, it seems reasonable to assume the technology will be leveraged on the likes of smartwatches and fitness trackers in the near future.

In conducting their tests, the researchers proved that Power-over-Skin can run microprocessors, digital displays, and wireless communication modules, albeit ones optimized for the technology. With the right placement of the transmitter and receiver and improvements in component efficiency, there are many possibilities for future wearables.

One concern will be whether using the body as a conduit for RF energy has any negative side effects on a wearer’s health. A factor addressed in the paper is the need to avoid hotspots, where RF energy passes through a small contact area.

According to the research, no participants encountered discomfort or pain during testing. Assuming that there are no complications from long-term exposure, Power-over-Skin could mark a massive shift in how wearables are designed and powered.

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• Samsung to release 400-layer NAND chip for AI data centers
• New BV NAND tech boosts density and minimizes heat buildup
• Plans for 1,000-layer NAND by 2030 to expand capacity

Samsung is working to launch a record-breaking 400-layer vertical NAND flash chip by 2026, reports have claimed.

A report by the Korea Economic Daily says Samsung’s Device Solutions (DS) division aims to advance the NAND flash market with its cutting-edge V10 NAND, designed to meet surging demand in AI data centers.

The company’s memory roadmap, as outlined in the report, shows plans for an advanced 10th-generation NAND that will utilize bonding technology to separately build memory cells and the peripheral circuitry on different wafers, later fusing them into a single chip. Known as bonding vertical NANDFlash (BV NAND), this new approach minimizes heat buildup and maximizes both capacity and performance, creating what Samsung has described as a “dream NAND for AI.”

1,000 layers by 2030

The BV NAND design, boasting a 1.6x increase in bit density per unit area, supports ultra-high-capacity solid-state drives (SSDs) ideal for AI applications.

Samsung’s current 286-layer V9 NAND chips marked a significant milestone, but the 400-layer V10 is expected to redefine capacity limits, potentially breaking the 200TB storage threshold for ultra-large AI hyperscaler SSDs, while improving energy efficiency.

For future releases, world’s largest memory chipmaker plans to introduce 11th-generation V11 NAND in 2027 with a 50% faster data transfer speed, further optimizing performance for high-demand data storage needs.

Samsung’s ambitious NAND roadmap extends even further, with plans for chips exceeding 1,000 layers by 2030, KED reports. This advancement aims to keep Samsung at the forefront of the high-capacity NAND market, where demand is spurred by AI applications that require expansive storage solutions to process vast volumes of data.

In the DRAM sector, Samsung aims to release sixth-generation 1c DRAM and seventh-generation 1d DRAM by the end of 2024, targeting use in high-performance AI chips. According to the Korea Economic Daily report, the company also has plans for sub-10 nm 0a DRAM by 2027, using a vertical channel transistor structure for greater stability and efficiency.

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• The GoPro Max 2 is now expected in 2025
• GoPro execs announced the news in an earnings call
• We were hoping to see it before the end of 2024

We've been waiting a long time for the GoPro Max 2, and it seems we're going to have to wait some more: in the company's latest quarterly earnings call, CEO Nicholas Woodman announced the 360-degree camera would be arriving in 2025.

GoPro originally told us the Max 2 device was "in the works" way back in September 2023, and then in May 2024 we got the estimate of a Q4 2024 launch window – which pointed towards an appearance in October, November, or December.

Now the GoPro Max 2 launch date has slipped again, though we haven't got much information over what's happened. Last time the "development process" was blamed, so presumably it's taking much longer to get this camera finished than GoPro first estimated.

Let's not forget that the first GoPro Max launched in October 2019 – and our GoPro Max review will tell you we were impressed with what it had to offer – and that means it's now been a wait of over five years for a successor.

What to expect

The excellent Insta360 X4 (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

To put this delay in perspective, since the GoPro Max first showed up, Insta360 has launched four iterations of its own 360-degree camera. The most recent is this year's Insta360 X4, and as you can see from our Insta360 X4 review, it's a great camera.

Being able to match Insta360 is going to be a serious challenge for GoPro. We've not heard too much about the GoPro Max 2 so far – apart from its launch date being pushed back and back – but it will apparently come with an upgraded cooling solution.

There should also be some upgrades in terms of video capture quality: the GoPro Max can shoot video at resolutions up to 5.6k. The price should be interesting too, as the first model launched at a cost of $499.99 / £479.99 / AU$799.95.

We're holding on to older comments from Nicholas Woodman that the 360-degree camera is going to be "worth the wait". Perhaps when it eventually does appear, it'll be fantastic enough to make us forget the delays we had along the way.

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