TechRadar News

• Mike Flanagan has written a script for a DC movie about Clayface, and a director has not yet been named
• Filming on the project is expected to begin in early 2025
• Flanagan revealed he is keen to do a standalone Clayface movie as a "horror/thriller/tragedy"

Following the monumental success of one of the best Max shows The Penguin, there's news that a standalone Clayface movie is in the works, with a screenplay written by one of the most exciting filmmakers out there, Mike Flanagan. Filming on the movie is expected to commence in early 2025, according to reports by Variety.

As someone who loves the darker side of DC, I am very keen to see Flanagan's take on Clayface. He's already terrified me with his Stephen King adaptation Doctor Sleep as well as some of the best Netflix shows like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass.

Flanagan has really made a name for himself in the horror genre, but as he's busy doing a Carrie TV series for Prime Video, he won't be in the director's chair for this one. So it'll be interesting to see who takes the reins for the recently greenlit DC project.

What do we know about the Clayface movie?

At the time of writing, we don't have much to go off just yet. But Flanagan has teased that he was keen to make it a "horror/thriller/tragedy", so it seems he's keen to keep up his reputation as a writer with a keen eye for the macabre.

The Batman and The Penguin creator Matt Reeves will be producing the movie, and that's about all we know right now. Casting remains a mystery too so we'll need to wait and see who takes on the role of this iconic and underrated Batman villain.

The shapeshifting Clayface has previously been played by Ron Perlman in Batman: The Animated Series and by Brian McManamon in the TV series Gotham, but this movie will mark the first time he's really taken center stage and I'm keen to see who the role is given to next.

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• Byte Federal filed a new notice with the Maine Attorney General's office, confirming a cyberattack
• Attackers tried to access sensitive data on 58,000 people, but it is unclear if they succeeded
• Targeted data included names, postal addresses, email addresses, Social Security numbers, transaction activity, and more

Byte Federal, a US company operating thousands of Bitcoin ATM machines, suffered a data breach in which customer data may (or may not) have been compromised.

In a new filing with the Maine Office of the Attorney General, the company said that on September 30 2024, an unidentified threat actor accessed its servers through a bug in third-party software.

The company spotted the intrusion on November 18, when it shut down the platform, isolated the bad actor, and secured the compromised server. The bug was in GitLab, which its developers used for project management and collaboration.

No evidence of abuse

Subsequent investigation determined that the crooks tried to access users’ sensitive information, including their names, birthdates, postal addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, government-issued ID cards, Social Security numbers, transaction activity, and photos. More than enough to engage in all sorts of malicious activity, from phishing, to wire fraud, identity theft, and more.

Whether or not the crooks succeeded in accessing these files is not yet confirmed. “We have no evidence at this time that any of your personal information was actually compromised or misused in any manner,” the company said in the filing. “No user funds or assets were compromised,” the announcement added.

In total, 58,000 people could be affected by the incident.

To address the attack, Byte Federal performed a hard reset on all customer accounts, notified the affected individuals, and did a full rotation on all system passwords, tokens, and keys.

“With the assistance of an independent cybersecurity team, we are conducting a forensic investigation to determine the cause and the scope of the incident,” Byte Federal concluded. “This investigation is ongoing, and we continue to cooperate with law enforcement in this regard.”

The company is one of the largest Bitcoin ATM operators in the United States, servicing some 1,200 machines, according to TechCrunch.

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• Microsoft has announced Xbox Insiders with Game Pass Ultimate can now test the "Stream your own game" feature on console
• Testers can now preview the feature on Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, and Xbox One
• The feature will be released to all players next year

Xbox Insiders with Game Pass Ultimate can now stream select games on console.

Last month, Microsoft announced that members subscribed to the Ultimate tier were able to stream select games through TVs and other supported devices like smartphones, PCs, and tablets.

The "Stream your own game" feature, which allows users to play "select" games they own via the cloud, was also announced to be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S next year.

However, starting today, Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings can preview this feature as long as they have an Ultimate subscription, and stream select games they own beyond the Game Pass catalog on their consoles.

It's now available in 28 countries where Cloud Gaming is available and Microsoft confirmed that testers won't need to install these games, saving time and hard drive space.

To start streaming, Insiders will need to navigate to My Games & Apps > Full Library > Owned Games.

If the player owns a cloud playable game, they'll see a cloud badge next to it, and to find a game quickly they can Choose Filter > Ready to play > Cloud Gaming.

The company has previously released a list of 50 games that are available to stream, which includes some of the biggest releases, like Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Balatro, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and more.

The list is also expected to grow as Microsoft works with more studios, it confirmed.

Players eager to take part in the testing can join the Xbox Insider Program and download the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox consoles and Windows PC.

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• Sony confirms its intention to acquire FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa, but one analyst says the publisher could 'lose its independence' if the deal goes through
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• The great Google Maps Timeline switch deadline has been extended
• It keeps Timeline data exclusively on your smartphone
• Google gives you control over how long your data is saved for

Earlier this year Google announced that its Google Maps Timeline feature – which tracks where you go, over time – would be only available on phones in the future, with the web portal scheduled to be shut down near the end of 2024. Now it seems you've got a bit longer to switch over, if you want to keep your data.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Android Police, and others, a significant number of users are getting emails and on-screen alerts mentioning a deadline of June 9, 2025. If you want to keep the Timeline data you've got stored in the cloud after that date, you need to move it to your Android or iOS phone before the deadline.

However, that revised date may not be the same for everyone: on my phone, I'm getting a message that sets a deadline of April 6, 2025. Previously, Google has said that users get "approximately six months" from their first notification about this to move over, so it may depend on if you've already been warned.

To be sure, load up Google Maps on your phone, tap your account picture (top right), then choose Your Timeline. If you do want to keep your data on your phone going forward, you'll be taken step-by-step through the process. At the same time, you can select how long Timeline data is saved for.

What's going on?

Look out for an alert like this on your phone (Image credit: Future)

For years, Google has offered an optional Location History feature that tracks your comings and goings via your phone. The Timeline – available via the Google Maps apps and website – has been the user-facing part of Location History, letting you go back in time to see visited places and trips taken for any specific day, week, or month.

While some users are understandably reticent to let Google keep that much information, Timeline appears to be pretty popular: people use it to relive vacations and road trips, find that coffee shop they really liked that they visited two years ago, and to make sure their travel expenses are in order, for example.

The changes now underway mean Timeline data won't be stored in the cloud or available on the web any more – it'll just be on your phone. Google hasn't said too much about the reasons why, but presumably privacy and data security are the main ones. In addition, Location History (including settings for deleting older data) is fully folding into Timeline.

While encrypted backups will still enable users to move Timeline data between devices in the future (for new phone upgrades, for example), the shift will be inconvenient for those who liked to explore their travel history through Google Maps on the web, or who had several different devices contributing to it.

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If the Yellowstone prequel series 1883 and 1923 weren't enough, then you're in luck as the Paramount Plus hit show is getting another spin-off.

Ahead of the Yellowstone season 5 finale on December 15 (which airs on the Paramount Network and Peacock in the US, Paramount Plus in the UK and Stan in Australia), Deadline has reported that a deal has been closed for another new spin-off series, with fan-favorites Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, who will lead the new show.

Taylor Sheridan, the creative mastermind behind the epic Western series and other gritty dramas like Landman and Tulsa King, is reportedly "working on the creative" for the upcoming spin-off. It's also believed to feature other cast members from the original series.

Thanks to Sheridan, Paramount Plus has become the home of neo-Western dramas and its extensive library is set to expand with another Yellowstone spin-off called The Madison, which is set to air sometime in 2025, led by Michelle Pfeiffer. That's not all as other spin-offs that have been greenlit include the limited series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, 6666 and 1944 - I'm struggling to keep up!

What do we know about the Yellowstone spin-off so far?

Right now, there is currently very limited information regarding the spin-off. According to Deadline, all we know is that the spin-off will be set in the same present-day time frame and will be the most similar to its original predecessor, with Yellowstone featuring in the title.

Yellowstone producers had been in talks with Reilly and Hauser for months after being eyed for a spin-off. It came out over the summer that the pair would potentially come back as leads of Yellowstone season 6 following the death of the series' lead character John Dutton as Kevin Costner decided not to return to the best Paramount Plus show's final part of season 5.

This news comes just before the season 5 finale, which left many fans wondering what happens next for the characters who are still alive at the end of the upcoming episode. But, now fans can rest easy with the announcement of a new spin-off, which means that this isn't the end for their favorite characters.

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• Sony doesn't see a "major risk" of PS5 users moving over to PC
• The company has found that players are purchasing more software after moving from PS4 to PS5
• The transition of players from PS4 to PS5 is "trending well"

Sony has said it doesn't see a "major risk" of its PlayStation players moving over to PC.

The comment was made in a shareholder's Q&A that took place earlier this month (via GamesRadar), where Sony discussed the current console cycle and the successful transition from PS4 to PS5.

"We are in the latter half of the console cycle for the PS5, and the number of PS5 titles has been increasing," Sony said. "We have also confirmed internally that the transition of users from the PS4 to the PS5 is trending well."

The PlayStation company also revealed that players are purchasing more games after switching to PS5, "which we see as a positive". However, despite increasing the price of the console in Japan and releasing the more pricey PS5 Pro in November, Sony said there's no current concern with users moving from PS5 to PC.

"In terms of losing users to PCs, we have neither confirmed that any such trend is underway, nor do we see it as a major risk, so far," it said.

Sony revised the retail price of the PS5 and related peripherals in September, citing "the recent challenging external environment, including the current fluctuations in the global economic situation" that will impact the business.

Now, the PS5 is priced at 79,980 yen ($552.39 / £417.98) while the PS5 Digital Edition costs 72,980 yen ($504.05 / £381.39), an additional 13,000 yen (around $90) since its last price hike.

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• LG discontinues all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray players
• It last released Blu-ray players (the UBK80 and UBK90) in 2018
• 2024 has been a wild year for 4K Blu-ray fans

LG has officially discontinued its range of 4K Blu-ray players and Blu-ray players, with units only available as stocks last going forward, according to FlatpanelsHD.

LG's most recent 4K Blu-ray players, the UBK80 and UBK90, were released back in 2018, coincidentally the same year that Panasonic released one of the best 4K Blu-ray players, the Parnasonic DP-UB820, and the same year Oppo stopped production of its wildly popular 4K Blu-ray players.

In FlatpanelsHD's report, LG Korea didn't fully confirm its exit from the optical player market, leaving the door open for a return to making the devices if the demand was there but for now, only LG players already in stock will be the last remaining units available.

In what has been a rollercoaster year for 4K Blu-ray, with reports of 4K Blu-ray sales rising according to one major UK retailer, but Best Buy and Disney's decision to stop selling 4K Blu-ray also impacting availability, LG's announcement to stop production is another blow to physical media fans as its another major brand that has pulled out of the Blu-ray player market.

2024 has been a tumultuous year for 4K Blu-ray

(Image credit: Future)

As a 4k Blu-ray fan, it's been a year of ups and downs. While I believed earlier this year that home theater fans were being starved of the releases they want, with acclaimed movies or other classics only made available through smaller distributors such as Criterion Collection and Arrow Video, 4K Blu-ray always seemed to be in a state of flux.

Every time there has been some bad news, such as Disney's decision to move away from home physical media, there has been som better news to follow, like when Sony came in and saved the day by agreeing to distribute Disney and its associated properties – Marvel, Star Wars, Fox – physical media releases. Indeed, there always seems to be another piece of worrying news waiting in the wings.

With LG leaving the Blu-ray player market, it's another major name that has exited after Oppo in 2018 and Samsung in 2019. Only Panasonic and Sony remain in the broader market (with more premium brands such as Reavon and Magnetar still around but a much higher price) and it's a worry for 4K Blu-ray fans as more brands seem to be severing ties with the physical media world.

This follows on from another worrying sign where gaming consoles, which some people use as their Blu-ray player, are now having cheaper models offered without the disc drive such as the new Xbox Series X which could lead people away from discs, including 4K Blu-ray, in favor of saving money.

While there have been signs that physical media sales are slowly on the rise, once again in retaliation to ad-riddled streaming services raising their prices, having a big name like LG leads to more vulnerabilities in an already tumultuous market. I'm just hoping as a 4K Blu-ray fanatic that brands like Panasonic and Sony continue to fly the flag for 4K Blu-ray and all other physical media.

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• Final's flagship D8000 headphones have been dramatically re-engineered
• Two models: one for laid-back listening and one for listening loud
• From £3,999 / $4,299 / around AU$7,959

Let's get this out of the way first: the new Final D8000 DC and DC Pro headphones cost four grand at least in the currency of your choice. So if you're looking for the best budget headphones, you might want to skip the rest of this bulletin.

However, if you have the funds to drop between $4,299 and $4,799 on a set of headphones without blinking – and if you are, are you single and looking? Did anyone ever tell you how clever and funny and hot you are? – then these audiophile over-ears promise to deliver astonishing audio.

Final D8000 DC and DC Pro headphones: key features and pricing

(Image credit: Final)

The two models of D8000 headphones are very similar, but they're tuned differently. The D8000 DC "has tuning that is intended to be enjoyed" for relaxed music listening, while the DC Pro model is aimed more at audio professionals and those of us who like to listen loud. That means it has been tuned to deliver more prominent bass as the listening volume increases.

The original D8000 planar-magnetic headphones were launched seven years ago, and the DC and DC Pro are the latest evolution of that winning formula. The DC, Final says, stands for "Da Capo – symbolizing a return to the beginning, a complete reconstruction of Final's flagship headphones with a fresh, innovative approach."

There's a new version of Final's proprietary Air Film Damping System, which was developed to regulate the movement of the diaphragm and deliver richer, distortion-free bass. Final says it overcomes the magnetic constraints of other planar headphones for superior accuracy and a "deep, balanced soundstage".

In the new DC models the AFDS has been re-engineered: every bit of the metal mesh around the diaphragm has been redesigned. The diaphragm they surround is ultra-light etched aluminum which reduces the weight of the vibration system by roughly one-third, delivering faster response and improved high frequency clarity.

Both models are available from selected UK retailers now; US customers can pre-order for mid-December shipping. The prices are $4,299 / €4,299 / £3,999 for the DC model and $4,799 / €4,799 / £4,499 for the DC Pro.

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• Managers want decision-makers to trust AI even when human judgement is better
• Report claims we need to remember human expertise is essential in navigating complexities
• Workers should have more freedom to share concerns and experiences about AI

A report from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and ESMT Berlin has revealed workers are now being penalized for ignoring AI recommendations, even when they know better.

The study specifically highlights how organizations can implement AI-based systems to streamline their work processes, weighing up those benefits against unintended consequences of excessive dependence on these tools.

In a controlled experiment, the researchers found that managers wanted decision-makers to follow AI advice even if the advice is sub-par.

Managers want us to follow AI’s advice

In this particular study, decision-makers who deviated from artificial intelligence-driven advice and instead used their own human knowledge and judgement were given lower bonus payments, even though they put in more effort and critical thinking, leading to a better decision and outcome.

“This behaviour from managers causes employees to overly rely on the AI's recommendations and ignore their own expertise and intuition, even when these are superior to the AI, out of fear of being punished," the report concludes.

Professor Dr Mirko Kremer, Professor of Supply Chain Management at the Frankfurt School, summarized: “It is important to remember that human expertise remains essential to navigate complexities, make nuanced judgments, and adapt to unexpected situations that AI might miss – especially in in sectors like healthcare, aviation or autonomous vehicles, where the implications of blindly following AI advice can have huge implications.”

The researchers acknowledge artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool, however they call for greater transparency from managers and greater trust in human expertise.

Indicative of the fear surrounding AI and its potential effect on the human workforce, the study also calls for clearer communication structures for employees to express concerns and experiences with AI systems.

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• Natural Language Search is now available in HomePods
• Enhanced Dialog is here for Apple TV and HomePods 2 only
• The software should install automatically

iPhones aren't the only Apple devices to get an important software update this week. Your HomePods just got a new feature that'll enable them to ignore and/or disappoint you in new and exciting ways.

There are two new features in the HomePods Software Version 18.2, which is available now for your HomePod, HomePod 2 and HomePod mini.

The first is exclusive to HomePod 2 and gives you the new Enhance Dialog feature, which does exactly what you'd expect from its name when you use your HomePods as Apple TV speakers. And the second is Siri integration with natural language search in Apple Music. And that's potentially much more fun.

What can you do with natural language search in Apple Music?

Natural language search is designed to make your music app more useful by responding to natural queries – so for example you might ask for "songs like Espresso", or "big hits from the 80s".

According to Apple, the feature enables you to use "any combination of categories like genre, mood, decade or activity". So you can ask for upbeat dance tracks, songs about cats, moany-faced emo for rotting in your bedroom, or anything else you fancy. We haven't tested that latter one so we can't confirm if it works.

It's a clever feature but, for me at least, it's a slightly annoying one, because Siri on my HomePods and HomePods mini is still really bad at paying attention and understanding what I'm saying: asking something simple like "play new music by X artist" often produces a sullen silence or music by a completely different artist.

I don't have a particularly strong accent and I'm not mumbling to Siri while using a power drill, vacuuming the living room and poking a baby in the ribs to make it cry, but I still often find myself repeating things increasingly loudly like Siri's an old-time grandmother with an ear trumpet. Hopefully your experiences with the new natural language search are more delightful.

The new software should install automatically, but if you've disabled auto-updates for whatever reason you can manually update individual HomePods and HomePods mini via the Home app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

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• Many IT leaders have to just believe vendors on security claims, report claims
• However security remains a top priority for leaders
• Not being able to properly clean devices is leading to waste

New research from HP Wolf Security has revealed many IT decision makers (ITDMs) feel at the mercy of vendors, with 45% admitting they don’t have the means to validate firmware and hardware security claims, so must trust supplier’s claims without question.

The study looks into the attitudes of ITDMs in regards to firmware and hardware, and the implications for cybersecurity concerns. The research shows that platform security is increasingly concerning leaders, with 81% of ITDMs agreeing hardware security must be a priority going forward in order to protect devices from exploitation.

Over half of ITDMs (52%) say they rarely collaborate with security and IT professionals to verify the claims of suppliers, and 48% say their procurement teams are like ‘lambs to the slaughter’, as they must believe vendors' security claims.

An E-waste epidemic

Security was found to be a significant concern for all respondents, which is perhaps no surprise, since more businesses are being hit with security threats than ever, but data security worries are also spurring an ‘e-waste epidemic’, 60% of leaders admit.

Almost a third (68%) say they have a ‘significant number of devices’ which could be donated or repurposed if they could sanitize them, but 59% admit it is too hard to give devices a second life, as data security concerns prevent them from reuse, with many devices destroyed.

“IT teams are hoarding end-of-life devices because they lack the assurance that all sensitive company or personal data has been fully wiped - which in itself can pose data security risks and negatively impact ESG goals.” said Grant Hoffman, SVP Operations and Portfolio, HP Solutions.

“Finding a reputable IT asset disposition vendor that uses the latest industry-standard erasure or media-destruction processes and provides a data sanitization certificate so you can meet compliance requirements, is key.”

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Creating smarter and better-looking documents on Google Docs is set to get a whole lot easier thanks to a host of new upgrades heading to the service.

The word processor tool has introduced new implementations with Google Gemini which look to make creating stand-out work simpler than ever.

But the Google Workspace tool has also revealed a collection of 40 new high-quality, visually modern designs in Google Docs, giving users a selection of new options to make your documents really shine.

Google Docs and Gemini

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

The introduction of Gemini's "help me create" tool follows similar launches in Gmail, and will give Google Docs users the opportunity to craft an entire document with a single prompt.

The tool will then pull the necessary information from a user's Google Drive files, creating, "a long-form document with cover images, in-line images, stylized text, tables, content from your Drive files, and more", the company said in a blog post announcing the news.

Users can click to create at the top of a new document, or go to File > New > Help me create, to start describing the document they want to create. You can also choose from a number of pre-set start prompts to make things quicker, with examples such as creating a meeting template for a daily catch-up, a checklist for planning an event, or a roadmap for a product launch.

"Help me create" in Google Docs is available for Google Workspace customers with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium, and Google One AI Premium add-ons, and only in English for the moment.

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

To make your documents look even better, Google Docs has also launched 40 new templates which include a number of useful new features to ensure your work stands out.

This includes document tabs to keep your documents organized, placeholder chips to make it easy for users and collaborators to add data, and building blocks, pre-set layouts and styles give your document a premium look and feel.

"Docs templates help users save time since they don’t have to build documents from scratch, create more uniform, high-quality, visually-appealing documents, and enable them to be more productive with the latest Docs features in their daily processes," the company noted in a blog post announcing the news.

The new templates are available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

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• OpenAI demo ChatGPT integration in Apple Intelligence for day five of 12 Days of OpenAI
• The ChatGPT service then goes down, but it's back up now
• ChatGPT is ready to play a central role in Apple tech

OpenAI's 12 Days of OpenAI day five involved a demo of ChatGPT working with Apple Intelligence. The demo invoked the holiday season by sharing gifts with Apple and wearing holiday sweaters on the live stream. The announcement twined with Apple's release of iOS 18.2 and served to remind everyone that ChatGPT and Apple Intelligence have several deep links. OpenAI's models are making Siri smarter while powering several of the new features introduced by Apple on the same day.

Unfortunately, while OpenAI was celebrating its Apple integration, the fifth day was a bit marred as the ChatGPT service had a sizable outage. This meant that if you've been trying to use ChatGPT, Sora, APIs, or even Dall-E, right after the OpenAI announcement then you were hit with a currently unavailable screen or encountered errors when trying to do anything. The service is back up and running now.

Complex questions

Apple pitches Apple Intelligence as a way of making its devices more creative and intuitive to use. That includes many apps and tools on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Most notably, ChatGPT integration with Siri changes the voice assistant in remarkable ways.

The AI helps answer complex questions for Siri to match its more natural, fluid conversations. Instead of getting short, robotic answers, you can ask detailed questions and get thoughtful, context-aware responses.

The demonstration by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, product team member Miqdad Jaffer, and engineering manager Dave Cummings showcased how Siri could use ChatGPT to review documents and answer questions about it, with the answers coming from Apple's assistant.

They also showed how you can send information right to ChatGPT to dive deeper and how Siri can now open different ChatGPT tools like Canvas and DALL-E. The presenters then had Siri review the most recent ChatGPT model card, asking the voice assistant about the model's coding abilities, and then had Siri send the response to the ChatGPT app to code a program visualizing those abilities.

(Image credit: Apple) OpenAI x Apple

For OpenAI, this collaboration is a reminder that ChatGPT is ready to play a central role in mainstream tech. Apple Intelligence is making ChatGPT part of the daily experience for Apple users. And in return, Apple also gets a better shot at keeping pace with competitors like Google Gemini and other rivals.

The festive sweaters worn by the presenters served an additional demonstration purpose, too. Using Apple Visual Intelligence, they had Siri process a photo of them in their sweaters, then had ChatGPT, via Apple Visual Intelligence, award one of them with the best sweater. Altman won.

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• Creature Commandos episode 3 contains the fledgling DCU's first big death
• The character's voice actor can't say if their demise is permanent or not
• DCU co-chief James Gunn previously said that characters can appear in animated and live-action projects

Well, that didn't take long. Creature Commandos, the first project released as part of the new-look DC Cinematic Universe (DCU), has already killed off one of its main characters, and I'm not sure if I'll emotionally recover from this devastating moment.

The animated Max show's third episode, which is titled 'Cheers to the Tin Man' and aired earlier today (December 11), proved that nobody will be safe in James Gunn and Peter Safran's cinematic franchise reset. Full spoilers for episode 3 immediately follow, so go and watch it before you continue.

RIP, G.I. Robot (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

Pore out a glass of oil, because everyone's favorite Nazi-killing android, aka G.I. Robot, is seemingly no more. The character – one of two voiced by Sean Gunn, the brother of DC Studios' co-head – was eviscerated by Circe, Creature Commandos' apparent Big Bad who's also one of three big ties to Wonder Woman ahead of her eventual DCU debut.

Frankly, G.I. Robot's death shouldn't have come as such a huge shock. For one, episode 3's title is a clear reference to the decades-old automaton, who was originally built to murder German soldiers during World War II. One of the best Max shows' latest chapter also explores G.I. Robot's tragic backstory – after the global conflict, he becomes a relic that serves little to no function in modern day society – too. Okay, that's not necessarily an indication that he'll meet his end in episode 3. But, with G.I. Robot finally being allowed to "kill Nazis" (really, he's murdered the Sons of Themyscira who attack Pokolistan, but that's not important) by Rick Flag Sr, and knowing how James Gunn likes to rip out our hearts after finally allowing a character in one of his projects to experience any form of joy, G.I's death was always on the cards.

Is G.I. Robot really dead in Creature Commandos?

Is there any way for Nina to be reunited with her bestie? (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

That's the big question on everyone's minds. Nobody stays dead for too long in comic books and, while characters have been permanently bumped off in live-action and/or animated franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DCU's predecessor, aka the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), G.I. Robot isn't human. In short: he could be repaired and be given a new lease of life in another DCU Chapter One film or TV show, or even before Creature Commandos ends.

There's previous form for this happening, too. In DC Comics, there have been no fewer than six versions of G.I. Robot – those being Joe, Mac, J.A.K.E 1, J.A.K.E 2, J.A.K.E 6 (don't ask where versions 3 to 5 are), and Lord Job. As Daft Punk famously observed, he can be made "harder, better, faster, stronger".

I really hope this isn't the last we've seen of G.I. Robot (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

So, what are the chances of G.I. Robot making a miraculous recovery after his death at Circe's hands? Whether he's reborn or not, Sean Gunn is giving nothing away. Indeed, speaking exclusively to TechRadar ahead of Creature Commandos' launch, the former Guardians of the Galaxy star stayed tight-lipped on such a prospect.

"No, I am not", he told me with a smile when I asked if he was allowed to say whether G.I. would return. "I don't mind you asking. I always say [to journalists] that they can ask me anything they like, but I might not be able to answer everything, including that."

I guess we'll have to hang tight and hope that G.I. is alive and well in a few weeks' time, then! For now, get some clues about whether the R-rated series will go next in my spoiler-light Creature Commandos review, or read more exclusive coverage on the DCU TV show below.

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• Google partnering with energy companies to power future data centers
• The next series of Google data centers would use solar and wind farms
• Move is part of a $20 billion total investment

A new partnership between Google, energy firm Intersect Power, and climate solutions organization TPG Rise Climate, will look to to provide clean power for the company's future data centers.

As the demand for AI grows rapidly, tech companies are expanding their capabilities - but Google is making a positive step towards a sustainable future with on-site renewable energy sources for its data centers.

Data centers are notoriously causing energy consumptions to skyrocket, and at the current rate, are soon set to use more energy than we currently produce. This means that firms are having to weigh up the accelerated consumption and their sustainability goals.

A ‘power first’ approach

To help tackle this issue, Google is hoping to connect its data centers directly to solar and wind farms, instead of the existing power grid which overwhelmingly uses fossil fuels. This would also ease the burden on the already weakened power grid, and would improve reliability for energy customers.

The first phase of this infrastructure development is expected to be operational by 2026, and amounts to a $20 billion investment in all. In future, where possible, Google will build data centers on campuses equipped with their own clean power, in ‘co-located industrial parks’.

Google hopes this will be a ‘blueprint for the future’, and allow the firm to expand its digital infrastructure in a sustainable way. It looks unlikely that AI will be any less power-intensive for the foreseeable future, so creating sustainable solutions will be key.

“To realize AI’s potential, the growth in electricity demand must be met with new, clean power sources.” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy at Google.

”The scale of AI presents an opportunity to completely rethink data center development — by co-locating them where possible with the grid-connected carbon-free energy that keeps them up and running,”

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• New Chinese mini PC debuts with enhanced connectivity options
• GEM12 Pro Max can drive four 8K monitors; offers OCuLink port
• Powered by Ryzen 7 8845HS, supports upto 64GB DDR5 RAM

Chinese mini PC manufacturer Aoostar has launched its latest device, the GEM12 Pro Max.

Building on the Pro variant introduced earlier in 2024, the new device sports a couple of noteworthy improvements including a DC power port, which provides an alternative to USB-C-based power delivery used in previous models. While the Pro featured a single front-facing USB4 port, the upgraded Pro Max adds another at the rear, a welcome addition.

Like its predecessor, the Pro Max is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, offering a base clock speed of 3.8GHz, a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz, and 16MB of L3 cache. This is backed by the integrated Radeon 780M GPU. Users can adjust the TDP to a maximum of 75W, tailoring performance to specific needs.

Drives up to four 8K screens

The GEM12 Pro Max supports up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory in a single slot and features two M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 slots for high-speed storage. For users needing more hardcore graphics performance, the GEM12 Pro Max retains the OCuLink port from the Pro model, located on the front panel. This allows connection to an external GPU, like the DEG1 eGpu, for tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering without using the M.2 slots reserved for storage.

As with its predecessor, the GEM12 Pro Max features a built-in screen and fingerprint reader. Connectivity includes WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and dual 2.5G Ethernet ports located on the back. The rear panel also houses two USB2.0 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4. On the front, there are two USB3.2 Gen2 ports, an audio jack, and the power button. The system can drive up to four 8K monitors simultaneously.

The compact device measures 13cm x 13cm x 6cm and weighs 0.66kg. It uses the Glacier 3.0 cooling system with a vapor chamber to maintain stable performance during intensive workloads.

The barebones GEM12 Pro Max is priced from CNY 2299 (approximately $317) and is currently available only in China. Given Aoostar’s history, a global release seems unlikely for now, which is a shame.

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #550) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• See picture for clues! But if you want a description…
• Ice cream
• Bed
• Saw
• Tee-shirt
• Music notes
• Gear
• Rodents of some kind
• Triangle
• Zipper
• Nuts
• Hot drink in a cup
• Multiple letter Gs
• Mouth
• Golf tee
• Comb
• Building with dollar sign

NYT Connections today (game #550) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: The A-Team's 'Mr'
• Green: They're not all for eating
• Blue: How rude!
• Purple: Watercourse elements

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 #550) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT SOUND LIKE "T"
• GREEN: OBJECTS WITH TEETH
• BLUE: MILD OATHS
• PURPLE: PARTS OF A RIVER

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

NYT Connections today (game #550) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #550, are…

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT SOUND LIKE "T" TEA, TEE (GOLF), TEE (SHIRT), TI (MUSICAL NOTE)
• GREEN: OBJECTS WITH TEETH COMB, GEAR, SAW, ZIPPER
• BLUE: MILD OATHS FUDGE, GEEZ, NUTS, RATS
• PURPLE: PARTS OF A RIVER BANK, BED, DELTA, MOUTH

• My rating: Impossible
• My score: Fail

Oh come on, NYT! Seriously? This is just too hard to even remotely count as fun. Will anyone solve this today? Am I just stupid? Pictograms are fine as a concept, and yeah it's a welcome change from the normal Connections routine, shaking things up a bit – but if you're going to do this at least make it a little easier!

Or maybe I just got unlucky, because I was on the right path with a couple of today's groups. It's just that there were so many options that might have worked, I was left scrabbling around in the dark.

For instance, I spotted right away that SAW, ZIPPER, GEAR and COMB were all OBJECTS WITH TEETH, but so is a MOUTH, so I included that twice and lost a couple of guesses there. Ditto MILD OATHS; I had GEEZ (Gs), RATS and NUTS, but thought the fourth was D'OH as in Homer Simpson, based on the picture of a musical score with the word DO written on it. Trouble was, the arrow was pointing to a different note, and I don't read music so never realized that was actually a TI and instead went with a different group; the real final answer was FUDGE.

So actually yeah, let's talk about some of these pictures, because how was anyone supposed to know that bit near the top of the ice cream was FUDGE? It could be anything! It could be chocolate or strawberry sauce, it's not like this is a high-resolution photo. And as for DELTA… I mean that's a triangle.

I'm never playing this game again (until tomorrow).

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 11 December, game #549)

• YELLOW: UTOPIA PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, SHANGRI-LA, XANADU
• GREEN: THINGS YOU SHAKE HAIRSPRAY, MAGIC 8 BALL, SALAD DRESSING, SNOWGLOBE
• BLUE: PROPER NOUN PORTMANTEAUX JAZZERCISE, PARALYMPICS, POKÉMON, WIKIPEDIA
• PURPLE: ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "FRIEND" KETCHUM, PAYPAL, PRIMATE, ROSEBUD

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Shape and bake

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• STEEL
• STEER
• REST
• BELT
• MOAN
• DINT

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Kitchen template

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: 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 #284) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #284, are…

• BUNNY
• BELL
• STAR
• DIAMOND
• HEART
• ANGEL
• SPANGRAM: COOKIECUTTER

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

It's a long, long time since I've baked cookies. Actually, no, I have baked cookies in the past couple of years, but they were just splodges of gooey chocolatey goodness, not perfectly shaped BELLs, STARs, DIAMONDs or HEARTs as you would get if you used a COOKIE CUTTER.

Maybe that's a failing on my part, but they all taste the same, right – so why risk losing some mixture by creating shapes? Then again, I'm not five years old, and my kids are older teens, so pretty shapes are not going to be appreciated in the same way as they would be by a pre-schooler.

My unfamiliarity with the form definitely hurt my Strands game today; I needed a couple of hints to get going, and it was only once I spotted the spangram that things got easier. Maybe I'll bake myself a cookie to cheer myself up.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 11 December, game #283)

• VISE
• DRILL
• LATHE
• PLANE
• CHISEL
• JIGSAW
• SANDER
• SPANGRAM: WOODWORKING

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 #1053) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1053) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1053) - 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 #1053) - 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 #1053) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• M

• C

• S

• D

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

Quordle today (game #1053) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1053, are…

• MILKY
• CRIER
• STORK
• DRIER

Still no real strategy for me, but I got lucky with the Quordle gods today, who helpfully provided two words with the same letters except the first one, CRIER and DRIER. Solve one, get one almost free!

They were probably the two toughest words here, but overall it was a pretty easy one today. Makes a change, eh?

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1053) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1053, are…

• TRITE
• PLANK
• FORGE
• CLAMP

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
• Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
• Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
• Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
• Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
• Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST
• Quordle #1034, Saturday 23 November: AVOID, PLANT, FILET, TWIRL
• Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY

• University researchers find way to trick AMD's secure VM tech into sharing sensitive information
• AMD released a security advisory with recommended mitigations
• The bug requires physical access, but in some scenarios could be abused through software alone

AMD Virtual Machine (VM) security tools can be bypassed, allowing cybercriminals to infiltrate devices and steal sensitive data, experts have warned.

Security researchers from multiple universities in the EU and the UK outlined how AMD chips come with Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV), a security feature designed to encrypt virtual machine (VM) memory to protect it from unauthorized access, including by the hypervisor or other VMs. SEV uses hardware-based encryption keys unique to each VM, ensuring data remains confidential and tamper-proof even in shared environments.

Recently, AMD upgraded SEV with Secure Nested Paging (SNP), an enhancement that should guarantee the integrity of a virtual machine's memory by validating memory page tables and preventing unauthorized modifications by the hypervisor. However, the researchers claim SNP can be bypassed, if the attacker has physical access to the target device. They used a Raspberry Pi Pico to “fake” additional RAM, and exfiltrated secrets from it. They call the attack BadRAM.

Attacks with and without hardware

By abusing the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) chip on the memory’s module, they created aliases for physical memory, which they could later access.

"In our attacks, we double the apparent size of the Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) installed in the system to trick the CPU's memory controller into using additional 'ghost' addressing bits," the researchers said in a research paper titled “BadRAM: Practical Memory Aliasing Attacks on Trusted Execution Environments”.

"These addressing bits will be unused within the virtually enlarged DIMM, creating an interesting aliasing effect where two different physical addresses now refer to the same DRAM location."

The technique works on DDR4 and DDR5 memory, and there’s even a possibility to use it without hardware, if the SPD chip is left unlocked (which, according to The Register, is sometimes the case).

In response, AMD released a security advisory, and is now tracking the flaw as CVE-2024-21944. It has gotten a severity score of 5.4 (medium). It recommends utilizing memory modules that lock SPD, as well as following physical security best practices. “In addition, the AGESA and SEV FW versions listed below have been released to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to mitigate this issue. Please refer to your OEM for the BIOS update specific to your product.”

Further details can be found here.

Via The Register

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