Technology

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 465 for Sept. 18.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1187 for Sept. 18.

Here are some hints, and the answers, for the Sept. 18 Strands puzzle, No. 199.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 18.

Electricity prices in New Jersey are on the rise. Here's how you can save money on your energy bills.

Is your latest song on repeat really sung by Blackpink or Justin Bieber? There’s a shockingly high chance that it’s a deepfake voice clone created to trick you, according to a new study from musicMagpie aptly titled Bop or Bot? The study found an astonishing 1.63 million AI covers just on YouTube. Listeners may not always be able to tell the difference, and it could actually have a financial impact on the artists whose voices are being used for the songs. 

The biggest victims of these deepfake tracks are K-pop groups, accounting for 35% of the top twenty most-streamed AI-generated artists. Blackpink is at the top of the list, with more than 17.3 million views of AI-generated content mimicking the group, with an AI cover of ‘Batter Up’ by BabyMonster nabbing 2.5 million views alone. Justin Bieber ranks second on the list at over 13 million views, including his biggest fake hit at 10.1 million views, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You’ by George Benson. Rounding out the top three stolen voices is Kanye West at 3.4 million views for AI-generated tracks, including a cover of ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ with 2.6 million streams.

There’s’ a more literal theft involved, too. The financial implications of AI-generated music are substantial, according to musicMagpie. The company estimated that the surge in AI-generated content could translate to more than $13.5 million in lost revenue for original creators. That’s about $500,000 lost for Blackpink, while Bieber and West lost out on $202,964 and $130,000, respectively.

Voice Tricks

Even being deceased can’t save artists from AI theft, as the AI ghost of Frank Sinatra’s 8.9 million views and Freddie Mercury’s 3.55 million views can attest. As for fictional unlicensed voices, there’s an unexpected appeal to SpongeBob SquarePants performing songs and collecting 10.2 million views of the yellow cartoon character. His biggest hit? Don Maclean’s ‘American Pie.’

Part of the issue is that people aren’t good at telling AI-generated music from music made by humans. In a further study, musicMagpie found that 72% of participants were sure they could tell an AI-produced song from one made by humans, but 49% couldn’t do so. And it’s not an age thing; Gen Z participants were actually the most easily fooled. All of this is fodder for ongoing legal battles facing AI music startups like Suno and Udio overusing unlicensed material to train their AI models. If the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and music labels can successfully argue that there’s a real monetary loss involved, they’ll likely have a stronger case against the AI model developers. 

“These findings highlight a growing challenge in the music industry: as AI technology becomes more sophisticated, music lovers across multiple generations are struggling to discern between what is real and what is artificially created,” the study’s authors point out. “If nearly half of listeners can’t tell the difference between a human artist and an AI, what does this mean for the value of human creativity? How will this affect the way we create, perceive, and appreciate music in the years to come? These are questions that the industry must grapple with as AI continues to evolve.”

You might also like...

• Suno takes a 'What, me worry?' approach to legal troubles and rolls out AI music-generating mobile app
• AI music makers face recording industry legal battle of the bands that could spell trouble for your AI-generated tunes
• YouTube can spot those AI-produced faces and music tracks you're seeing all over

Snapchat is taking its Spectacles game to the next level with a complete reimagining that enables augmented reality, gesture control, experience sharing, gaming, and more.

On Tuesday, September 17, 2024, the social media company unveiled its beefy new 226-gram smartglasses, which look almost nothing like any Snapchat Spectacles that have come before. 

Unlike previous Spectacles that allowed you to capture and quickly share your world with Snapchat friends, Snapchat Spectacles 5th generation alters your world with augmented reality (AR). It does it with a blend of, at least to Snap, all new technologies.

First, there's the display system, which we've seen previously on Lumus Z-Lens glasses. It's based on waveguides, which is the practice of taking projected images and guiding them to the glass lenses in front of your face. 

Like those glasses, which we saw at CES 2023, Spectacles 5th Gen with AR uses Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) micro-projectors and something like mirrors to stretch the projected images and guide them across your field of view. Snap claims that the visual will look like a 100-ft screen as seen from a distance of 10 ft away.

(Image credit: Snap)

There are four cameras used to capture spatial information and let you control the Snapchat Spectacles via gestures. Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel wore the new glasses on stage during the unveiling event and demonstrated the controls, which virtually sit in the palm of your hand. You'll control the Spectacles via pinch and pull gestures with one or both hands. A large screen behind him showed the Spectacles feed, which included menus and other interface graphics. It looks as if the AR imagery did not fill the entire viewport.

Powering the new Spectacles is the new Snap OS and a pair of Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, which Snap says will split the processing tasks. During the demo, Spiegel also used the glasses to take a video of the crowd, so it appears that these spectacles will maintain some of their original utility.

Snap is already lining up developer partners and is promising experiences from ILM for the Star Wars Galaxy, Niantec, and LEGO.

(Image credit: Snap)

Snap says the lenses are built to share your AR experiences with friends who can watch on their smartphones. The lenses even have auto-dimming to adjust in sunlight. In other words, they're AR spectacles and sunglasses.

As for pricing and availability, well, none of that is set. Snap is only opening up its developer program, Lens Studio,  which will allow developers to test, play with, and develop for the new augmented reality platform.

The AR glasses look big (as many that use similar technology do), and there's no word on battery life. However, this form of AR display technology is reportedly brighter and larger while still using less power.

Snap's sudden entry into the AR Smart Glasses space comes as Meta is gearing up for Meta Connect where we expect to get at least a sneak peek at the company's eagerly-anticipated AR glasses project. Will we get as much as Snap just delivered? Time will tell.

You might also like

• The best smart glasses: the top AI and AR glasses you can find ...
• BMW just put AR in a car, and it finally makes perfect sense ...
• Rokid Max AR glasses review: another passable pair of smart specs ...
• I took these ChatGPT smart glasses on a day trip to the beach, and I ...
• I finally tried the Meta AI in my Ray-Ban smart glasses thanks to an ...
• Meta teases its next big hardware release: its first AR glasses, and ...

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 #465) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DROOP
• DEMO
• STOOP
• GOOF
• BLOOPER
• SNOOP
• DOPE
• SCOOP
• DECK
• DISH
• HIGHLIGHT
• LAD
• SIZZLE
• YARD
• INFO
• PORCH

NYT Connections today (game #465) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Outdoor meeting place
• Green: Special knowledge
• Blue: Instagram has them too
• Purple: SCOOB would be another

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 #465) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: GATHERING SPOT OUTSIDE A RESIDENCE
• GREEN: LOWDOWN
• BLUE: KINDS OF REELS
• PURPLE: CARTOON DOGS MINUS “Y”

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

NYT Connections today (game #465) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #465, are…

• YELLOW: GATHERING SPOT OUTSIDE A RESIDENCE DECK, PORCH, STOOP, YARD
• GREEN: LOWDOWN DISH, DOPE, INFO, SCOOP
• BLUE: KINDS OF REELS BLOOPER, DEMO, HIGHLIGHT, SIZZLE
• PURPLE: CARTOON DOGS MINUS “Y” DROOP, GOOF, LAD, SNOOP

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

Something-minus-a-letter is a favorite Connections type for purple, so I always try to spot it. Solving purple isn't always necessary, but these types are generally easier to answer than some other kinds, because you don't need much specialist knowledge – just the ability to add a letter and form some other words. And so it was today, with SNOOP(Y), DROOP(Y), GOOF(Y) and LAD(Y) all being CARTOON DOGS MINUS “Y”.

Completing purple meant that I didn't have to worry so much about the other groups, because I only needed two of the three (supposedly) easier ones. I got them in the form of KINDS OF REELS (blue) and GATHERING SPOT OUTSIDE A RESIDENCE (yellow), meaning I kept my streak for another day.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, 17 September, game #464)

• YELLOW: GET EXCITED, WITH "UP" AMP, FIRE, HYPE, PSYCH
• GREEN: KINDS OF SHOES FLAT, MULE, PUMP, SLIDE
• BLUE: LEGISLATIVE ROLES CHAIR, LEADER, SPEAKER, WHIP
• PURPLE: NAME HOMOPHONES DUG, MATTE, MIC, PEAT

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Handy helpers

NYT Strands today (game #199) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LIVE
• LIVER
• LIVID
• WEAR
• CLOSE
• CLOSET

NYT Strands today (game #199) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Essential DIY collection

NYT Strands today (game #199) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: right, 7th row

Last: left, 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 #199) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #199, are…

• KNIFE
• PLIERS
• HAMMER
• SCREWDRIVER
• WRENCH
• LEVEL
• SPANGRAM: TOOLCHEST

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Deep in my shed, behind assorted boxes, no-longer-working gadgets and unneeded cables, covered in dust and surrounded by oh-so-many spiders there is a box. That box contains my DIY tools. There is a HAMMER, a rusty one admittedly, but it's there all the same. There are many SCREWDRIVERs, some of which I even occasionally use. There is a LEVEL, a KNIFE, a couple of WRENCHes and some PLIERS – the latter of which are entirely rusted up and now useless.

So, solving this Strands puzzle was simply a matter of me thinking about what lurks within my TOOLCHEST. I didn't actually go out there and look – because a) that would be cheating, b) it would be far more effort than I was willing to put in this early in the day and c) those spiders. So. Many. Spiders.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 17 September, game #198)

• SPRING
• TRAMPOLINE
• ECHO
• BASKETBALL
• KANGAROO
• SPANGRAM: LETSBOUNCE

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 nearly 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 #968) - 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 #968) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #968) - 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 #968) - 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 #968) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• V

• M

• M

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

Quordle today (game #968) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #968, are…

• CEDAR
• VENOM
• MIGHT
• MEDIC

In stark contrast to yesterday's Quordle, where I had 19 out of the 20 letters I needed by the end of the third guess, I had to work a lot harder here. My three set start words only gave me 15 – which may not sound like a massive difference, but which in reality left me scrabbling around for 10 minutes in search of those missing letters.

Playing M was ultimately the key, because that gave me the start of MEDIC and MIGHT, and the end of VENOM. The other gaps pretty much filled themselves.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #968) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #968, are…

• SUNNY
• AUDIT
• KNOCK
• LAPSE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #967, Tuesday 17 September: ETHOS, COUNT, PRINT, THREE
• Quordle #966, Monday 16 September: ROUGE, SWAMP, FUGUE, UNDUE
• Quordle #965, Sunday 15 September: VILLA, SMOKE, BULKY, THRUM
• Quordle #964, Saturday 14 September: ESSAY, GENRE, WIMPY, CHUTE
• Quordle #963, Friday 13 September: LEANT, ORGAN, FILLY, PLAIT
• Quordle #962, Thursday 12 September: ARBOR, STARK, LEAVE, GOOFY
• Quordle #961, Wednesday 11 September: ROUGH, CACTI, SAVOY, ODDER
• Quordle #960, Tuesday 10 September: PLUMB, SEIZE, EARLY, ASSET
• Quordle #959, Monday 9 September: CHIRP, BEADY, THETA, MINUS
• Quordle #958, Sunday 8 September: TEASE, AGATE, PRIDE, PLATE
• Quordle #957, Saturday 7 September: LASSO, TILDE, BUNCH, PRONG
• Quordle #956, Friday 6 September: FARCE, WOOLY, LOCAL, NIGHT
• Quordle #955, Thursday 5 September: SNIDE, EGRET, AMONG, SHINY
• Quordle #954, Wednesday 4 September: POINT, WITTY, GAFFE, ABUSE
• Quordle #953, Tuesday 3 September: ATOLL, ANGER, OCEAN, SWEEP
• Quordle #952, Monday 2 September: HABIT, LODGE, PLAIN, DRIFT
• Quordle #951, Sunday 1 September: RABBI, CRAWL, GUPPY, BRAND
• Quordle #950, Saturday 31 August: AWOKE, TIBIA, ITCHY, SNACK
• Quordle #949, Friday 30 August: ARISE, OLDER, ISSUE, ERUPT
• Quordle #948, Thursday 29 August: DECAY, DRUID, AVOID, KNEED

If you try to figure out how OpenAI’s o1 models solve problems, you might get a nastygram.

The future of AI is set to be powered by agents able to provide a customizable and personalized experience like never before, Salesforce's CEO has declared.

"This is the third wave of AI - agents," Marc Benioff said in his opening keynote at the company's Dreamforce 2024 event in San Francisco, championing its new Agentforce platform as the next major leap for the technology.

"This is what AI was meant to be," he declared.

Third wave of AI

This year's Dreamforce keynote was heavily focused towards AI, with Agentforce taking center stage during the event.

Announced a few days before the event, Agentforce is designed to improve productivity and efficiency across sales, marketing, commerce and customer service.

Benioff was keen to emphasize that this was a new era for AI - one that does away with "DIY AI" and doesn't require customers to do the heavy lifting when it comes to implementing AI.

"Agentforce has to be the biggest breakthrough we've ever had on technology, and I think it's the biggest breakthrough I've seen in a long time in artifical intelligence," Benioff declared.

"I don't think you can DIY this - you want a single, professionally managed, secure, reliable, available platform. You want the ability to deploy this Agentforce capability across all of these people that are so important for your company."

(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)

Agentforce bots will be able to carry out tasks independently, reducing the need for human supervision and improving overall business output.

“We are all going to be using agents, but we're going to do it all within our Salesforce platform,” said Benioff. “This platform is the key strategic motion of Salesforce, and now this platform has the best AI in the world," he added, declaring this year's event "the most important Dreamforce ever."

"We have the data and the metadata and the workflow and the business process and the security model and the sharing model, and all those things that we love and have used and are deeply wedded to for 25 years — it turns out those things make a more accurate AI.”

"It's not just what is possible, but what you're going to make possible," Benioff told the thousands of attendees at Dreamforce.

"Our goal is simple, for you to augment your employees, create better experiences, and deliver better business results for your companies."

More from TechRadar Pro

• AI hype is at an all time high, but only a few of us actually use it daily
• These are the best AI writer options around today
• We've also wrapped up the best online collaboration tools around

A spokesperson for Snap says no selfies currently are being used in ads, but you can still opt out.

And look for a movie based on The Sims, though details are sparse.

See which eligible bachelor will win over Joan Vassos for a chance at romance.

Looking to amp up your home fitness routine? Add one of these CNET-tested rowing machines to your home gym for full-body, low-impact workouts.

Bring on the dance competition.

Prime Big Deal Days are officially on the books at Amazon this October, helping Prime members score massive savings ahead of the holidays.

Like Battlefield 3 and 4, the next game in the series will take place in a modern-day setting.

Do you know the difference between white and brown noise? Let's talk about which one you should be playing on your sound machine.