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Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman is warning the more than 100 American communities considering moratoriums on new data centers that stopping their construction now could leave the United States paying for the decision for decades.

"In fact, this build out is so important geopolitically that there are widespread reports of various countries intentionally seeding misinformation in the U.S. about data centers to trick us into slowing down," he wrote in a long statement defending the AI infrastructure boom. "If these measures are enacted, the U.S. could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations. As a country, we can’t afford to find ourselves in that position."

Garman argues that data centers have become as strategically important as highways once were. He believes AI leadership is now an economic and national security contest, and countries that build the necessary computing infrastructure fastest will enjoy the benefits for years to come.

It is a dramatic warning, although the scale of what is being built is dramatic enough to match it. A new Brookings report estimates that investment in American data centers and related AI infrastructure could total $10.3 trillion between 2025 and 2032. That works out to an average of 3.63% of U.S. GDP each year and would make the current AI buildout larger relative to the economy than America's canal, railroad, electrification, highway, and telecommunications industries.

Building AI everywhere

(Image credit: AWS)

However, the comparison to the interstate highways leaves out the critical difference of who paid for them. The highways were funded by taxpayers, while Garman stresses that private companies are paying for the AI infrastructure boom. That certainly makes a $10.3 trillion construction spree easier to sell politically, although it does not mean the public is insulated from its consequences, like how much electricity and other resources the data centers consume.

Amazon argues that concerns about data centers raising bills, draining water supplies, or creating pollution are often exaggerated or wrong. Garman wrote that AWS works with utilities and regulators to ensure the prices its data centers pay cover the energy and infrastructure they require. Amazon also says its facilities are increasingly water efficient and that it is moving toward lower-emission backup generators.

More significantly, Amazon appears to recognize that simply telling communities to trust the industry is becoming a losing strategy. The company says it no longer uses nondisclosure agreements with government agencies for data center projects and will publish annual information about energy and water use.

"There are clearly areas in which the technology and energy industries can be doing better (along with their government partners) but just like in the past when the country has banded together to accomplish something that’s critical for our national security and economic prosperity — we should approach this as a long-term mission that the private and public sectors pursue together," Garman wrote.

The backlash grows

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Amazon is certainly putting some money behind the charm offensive. Its new Built Together program will apparently add more than $1 billion over five years to community investments around its U.S. data centers. The company says the money will support free community college programs, workforce training and energy-efficiency improvements for schools, public buildings and homes, with a goal of helping prepare as many as 100,000 workers annually by the end of 2028.

But these commitments are arriving just as opposition is becoming difficult to dismiss as a handful of angry neighbors.

California offers perhaps the clearest example of the shift, as reported in CalMatters. Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed seven data center bills that will, among other things, work to stop electricity customers from having to subsidize data center infrastructure and set environmental reviews for the facilities.

Even Texas' famously permissive regulations are changing a little bit to increase supervision of data centers, albeit with some enormous loopholes.

Garman argues that misinformation and “outright lies” are driving resistance, but Amazon's promises suggest at least some of the backlash is a response to problems worth addressing.

The $10.3 trillion question

(Image credit: Shutterstock/photosince)

The AI industry is effectively making one of the largest infrastructure bets in American history on the assumption that demand and revenue will justify the bill.

That makes the political sales pitch particularly important as AI companies need communities to accept years of construction and enormous new demands on electricity infrastructure before anyone knows exactly how transformative or profitable the technology will be.

Not every AI developer is opting for reassurance either. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Politico that “we believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency.”

He was talking primarily about AI safety and misuse rather than data centers, and that eliminating every possible hack or scam would require restrictions that would deprive people of AI's Still, he may as well have been talking about building the physical data centers, as it amounts to a similar request that Americans accept disruption now because of benefits from AI to come.

Garman and Altman are both making arguments that require an awful lot of confidence that AI's destination justifies a turbulent journey. Communities appear less willing to sign that blank check. Amazon's latest promises suggest it understands that resistance cannot simply be bulldozed away.

Garman may ultimately be right that data centers will become infrastructure as consequential as the Interstate Highway System, but nobody wants to live next to the highway. That fact led to rules about where and what kind of housing can be built along highways.

How much control the people living beside AI infrastructure should have and what protections they deserve remains an open question.

Buying a prebuilt PC usually comes down to deciding how much performance you actually need and how much you're prepared to spend getting it. Two top-end MSI desktops are discounted for Amazon Prime Day, but there's a substantial $870 difference between them.

• Best for: The Codex Z2 is our choice for most buyers, while the Aegis R2 makes more sense if you want the faster graphics card, more memory, and twice the storage.

• The deal: The MSI Codex Z2 is priced at $1399 (was $1599), while the higher-spec MSI Aegis R2 is $2269 (was $2469), both at Amazon.

• Why it matters: The Codex Z2 and Aegis R2 target different budgets, but spending more doesn't necessarily mean you're getting better value. The key question is whether the Aegis R2 offers enough extra to justify the considerable additional expense.

Codex Z2: was $1599 now $1399
This desktop combines a Ryzen 7 8700F processor, RTX 5060 Ti 8GB graphics, 16GB DDR5 memory, 1TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C connectivity, four cooling fans, and Windows 11 Home.View Deal

Aegis R2: was $2469 now $2269
This desktop features a Core Ultra 7 265 processor, RTX 5070 12GB graphics, 32GB DDR5 memory, 2TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C connectivity, four cooling fans, and Windows 11 Home.View Deal

Which one we'd recommend

Of the two MSI beasts, the Aegis R2 is unquestionably the more powerful, but I'd recommend the Codex Z2 for most buyers. Priced at $1,399, it combines an AMD Ryzen 7 8700F processor with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB graphics card. There's 16GB of DDR5-4800 memory and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, providing a well-balanced specification.

At $2,269, the Aegis R2 steps up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and GeForce RTX 5070 with 12GB of GDDR7. It also doubles both the system memory and storage, giving you 32GB of DDR5 and a 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD.

Both systems use air cooling with four case fans — three at the front and one at the rear — and customizable RGB lighting. They also provide USB-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI, and multiple USB connections. MSI includes a keyboard and mouse with both.

Which MSI desktop should you buy?

✅ Buy the MSI Codex Z2 if...

You want the better-value desktop PC of the two. Its Ryzen 7 8700F, RTX 5060 Ti, 16GB of DDR5, and 1TB SSD provide a balanced specification without pushing the price beyond $1,400.

✅ Buy the MSI Aegis R2 instead if...

You're prepared to spend another $870 for the higher-tier RTX 5070, Core Ultra 7 265, 32GB of memory, and 2TB SSD. It's the clear performance winner and gives you more headroom for gaming and demanding creative tasks.

• Shop all desktop PC deals at Amazon

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, October 6 (game #1213).

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - today's words

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MUSICAL
• CINNAMON
• TRIDENT
• HOT DOG
• STICKY
• SQUIRREL
• MONOLOGUE
• PLAY
• BANK
• DICHOTOMY
• HAMBURGER
• STORE
• CHOREOGRAPHY
• STASH
• ORCHESTRATIONS
• TETRACYCLINE

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hide it away for later
• GREEN: Types of bread roll
• BLUE: Ancient numerals
• PURPLE: Stage honors

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 #1214) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1214, are…

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER: BANK, SQUIRREL, STASH, STORE
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS: CINNAMON, HAMBURGER, HOT DOG, STICKY
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES: DICHOTOMY, MONOLOGUE, TETRACYCLINE, TRIDENT
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS: CHOREOGRAPHY, MUSICAL, ORCHESTRATIONS, PLAY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I decided to play this game a little differently from normal and instead of roaring headlong into guessing groups, I took it slowly and made some notes for each tile.

I am not entirely sure it helped me to achieve a better result — for TRIDENT, I wrote “chewing gum, weapon, mythology", which missed the fact that it was one of the four tiles featuring GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES.

I did get close with the four purple tiles; my note was “something to do with stages”, but I lacked the conviction to connect them and claim a Purple First. If only I'd saved the yellow group for later.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, October 6, 2026, game #1213)

• YELLOW: FINANCIAL FIRMS, FOR SHORT: BERKSHIRE, CITI, GOLDMAN, MERRILL
• GREEN: KINDS OF CHAIRS: ADIRONDACK, EAMES, WINDSOR, WINGBACK
• BLUE: INN HOTELS: COMFORT, DAYS, HAMPTON, HOLIDAY
• PURPLE: ENDING IN TALENTS: CATSKILL, KNICKKNACK, PIANOFORTE, STABILITY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, October 6 (game #1213).

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - today's words

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MUSICAL
• CINNAMON
• TRIDENT
• HOT DOG
• STICKY
• SQUIRREL
• MONOLOGUE
• PLAY
• BANK
• DICHOTOMY
• HAMBURGER
• STORE
• CHOREOGRAPHY
• STASH
• ORCHESTRATIONS
• TETRACYCLINE

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hide it away for later
• GREEN: Types of bread roll
• BLUE: Ancient numerals
• PURPLE: Stage honors

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 #1214) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1214, are…

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER: BANK, SQUIRREL, STASH, STORE
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS: CINNAMON, HAMBURGER, HOT DOG, STICKY
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES: DICHOTOMY, MONOLOGUE, TETRACYCLINE, TRIDENT
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS: CHOREOGRAPHY, MUSICAL, ORCHESTRATIONS, PLAY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I decided to play this game a little differently from normal and instead of roaring headlong into guessing groups, I took it slowly and made some notes for each tile.

I am not entirely sure it helped me to achieve a better result — for TRIDENT, I wrote “chewing gum, weapon, mythology", which missed the fact that it was one of the four tiles featuring GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES.

I did get close with the four purple tiles; my note was “something to do with stages”, but I lacked the conviction to connect them and claim a Purple First. If only I'd saved the yellow group for later.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, October 6, 2026, game #1213)

• YELLOW: FINANCIAL FIRMS, FOR SHORT: BERKSHIRE, CITI, GOLDMAN, MERRILL
• GREEN: KINDS OF CHAIRS: ADIRONDACK, EAMES, WINDSOR, WINGBACK
• BLUE: INN HOTELS: COMFORT, DAYS, HAMPTON, HOLIDAY
• PURPLE: ENDING IN TALENTS: CATSKILL, KNICKKNACK, PIANOFORTE, STABILITY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, October 6 (game #1716).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 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 #1717) — hint #1 — VowelsHow 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 #1717) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1717) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1717) — 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 #1717) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• F

• D

• E

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

Quordle today (game #1717) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1717, are…

• PALER
• FROTH
• DOZEN
• ERASE

Two rare occurrences popped up for the second time in the past week — another word beginning and ending in E, and another appearance of a rare letter.

However, despite the rarities, this ended up being an oddly easy game for me, with most of the work done for DOZEN and no other letter working at the beginning for ERASE.

Daily Sequence today (game #1717) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1717, are…

• HANDY
• PUREE
• SHOOK
• SATIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1716, Tuesday, 6 October: FRESH, SKULK, BATCH, ENSUE
• Quordle #1715, Monday, 5 October: SIXTH, SPEAK, SEDAN, HEIST
• Quordle #1714, Sunday, 4 October: INFER, RAINY, THING, ARENA
• Quordle #1713, Saturday, 3 October: CHORE, FLYER, STICK, PURSE
• Quordle #1712, Friday, 2 October: IVORY, SADLY, ANGEL, LLAMA
• Quordle #1711, Thursday, 1 October: NAVEL, SHEER, BIRTH, TACKY
• Quordle #1710, Wednesday, 30 September: CHOKE, BATCH, MOSSY, EAGER
• Quordle #1709, Tuesday, 29 September: BILGE, MEDAL, LODGE, PORCH
• Quordle #1708, Monday, 28 September: BRUNT, TORSO, STONE, HEATH
• Quordle #1707, Sunday, 27 September: VALET, CHEST, VIGIL, PUREE
• Quordle #1706, Saturday, 26 September: SNORT, BIBLE, LAPSE, CRANE
• Quordle #1705, Friday, 25 September: SWEAR, FLOOD, GUPPY, GROAN
• Quordle #1704, Thursday, 24 September: TOPIC, METRO, SCALP, FREED
• Quordle #1703, Wednesday, 23 September: SHEET, BLAND, JOIST, GUAVA
• Quordle #1702, Tuesday, 22 September: COMFY, LOBBY, DRESS, PANEL
• Quordle #1701, Monday, 21 September: WAXEN, HIPPO, PETAL, LEASH
• Quordle #1700, Sunday, 20 September: DERBY, LIMBO, GAWKY, REIGN
• Quordle #1699, Saturday, 19 September: SCOPE, HEIST, PULSE, CHAMP
• Quordle #1698, Friday, 18 September: MUCUS, MIRTH, APPLE, TILDE
• Quordle #1697, Thursday, 17 September: CRIER, CHIRP, NEIGH, FREER

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, October 6 (game #947).

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 #948) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Color for the cure

NYT Strands today (game #948) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• KING
• FLIP
• BARGE
• LINKS
• SOCK
• BULK

NYT Strands today (game #948) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #948) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: right, 8th row

• Last side: left, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #948) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #948, are…

• BUBBLEGUM
• BARBIE
• SHOCKING
• QUARTZ
• FLAMINGO
• SPANGRAM: TICKLEDPINK

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

In case you were unaware, today’s theme celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the “Wear it pink” campaign of global fundraising.

The pink aspect became apparent early on, and I was thinking of the phrase “in the pink” when looking for the spangram. That was wrong, but it did help me to locate today's all important color and score another Spangram First with TICKLEDPINK.

I really enjoy games like this, where they fool around with the standard Strands palette — and I’m impressed by how many shades of pink they created.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, October 6, game #947)

• FLIP
• UNDO
• REVERSED
• OVERTURN
• BACKPEDAL
• SPANGRAM: THEOLDSWITCHEROO

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, October 6 (game #947).

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 #948) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Color for the cure

NYT Strands today (game #948) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• KING
• FLIP
• BARGE
• LINKS
• SOCK
• BULK

NYT Strands today (game #948) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #948) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: right, 8th row

• Last side: left, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #948) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #948, are…

• BUBBLEGUM
• BARBIE
• SHOCKING
• QUARTZ
• FLAMINGO
• SPANGRAM: TICKLEDPINK

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

In case you were unaware, today’s theme celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the “Wear it pink” campaign of global fundraising.

The pink aspect became apparent early on, and I was thinking of the phrase “in the pink” when looking for the spangram. That was wrong, but it did help me to locate today's all important color and score another Spangram First with TICKLEDPINK.

I really enjoy games like this, where they fool around with the standard Strands palette — and I’m impressed by how many shades of pink they created.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, October 6, game #947)

• FLIP
• UNDO
• REVERSED
• OVERTURN
• BACKPEDAL
• SPANGRAM: THEOLDSWITCHEROO

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

Upgrading an SSD is usually straightforward once you get inside your PC, but moving everything from the old drive can make the job more complicated. PNY's CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit addresses that problem by providing the hardware and software needed to transfer your existing data before installing the new drive.

• Best for: Anyone upgrading or replacing an existing laptop/desktop SSD who wants to transfer their files and OS rather than starting over from scratch.

• The deal: The 1TB PNY CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit is now $136 (was $160) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Unlike a bare SSD, the package includes a USB 3.2-to-NVMe transfer adapter and Acronis software, giving you the tools required to clone your existing drive before swapping it out.

Today's best internal SSD deal

1TB PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD: was $159.99 now $135.99
This 1TB M.2 2280 SSD uses PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe, delivering sequential reads up to 5,100MB/s and writes up to 3,200MB/s, with a USB adapter, Acronis software, and five-year warranty.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The CS2241 is a PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD capable of sequential read speeds up to 5,100MB/s and sequential writes up to 3,200MB/s. It's designed for compatible laptops and desktop PCs and can also be used in PCIe Gen3 systems. Actual performance will depend on your computer, configuration, operating system, and applications.

PNY backs the drive with a five-year limited warranty or TBW coverage, along with US-based technical support.

Price context & historical value

Amazon's Prime Day price drops the kit from $159.99 to $135.99, knocking $24 off the usual price.

That's around $0.14 per GB before accounting for the additional value of the adapter and cloning software. Those extras are particularly useful if you plan to replace your computer's current system drive rather than simply installing it as additional storage.

For more options, take a look at our roundups of the best SSDs and fastest SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If you're replacing an existing SSD and want a straightforward way to move your current installation onto the new drive. The included adapter and Acronis software offer everything you'll need for the task.

❌ Skip PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If your computer doesn't have a compatible M.2 NVMe slot, or you already own the equipment and software required to clone a drive. If you're simply adding storage, a bare SSD will make more sense.

Also consider

500GB 2.5" Internal SSD: was $109.99 now $76.49
This 500GB 2.5-inch SATA III SSD delivers sequential read speeds up to 550MB/s and writes up to 500MB/s, with low power consumption and backward compatibility with SATA II systems.View Deal

• Shop all internal SSDS at Amazon

Upgrading an SSD is usually straightforward once you get inside your PC, but moving everything from the old drive can make the job more complicated. PNY's CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit addresses that problem by providing the hardware and software needed to transfer your existing data before installing the new drive.

• Best for: Anyone upgrading or replacing an existing laptop/desktop SSD who wants to transfer their files and OS rather than starting over from scratch.

• The deal: The 1TB PNY CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit is now $136 (was $160) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Unlike a bare SSD, the package includes a USB 3.2-to-NVMe transfer adapter and Acronis software, giving you the tools required to clone your existing drive before swapping it out.

Today's best internal SSD deal

1TB PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD: was $159.99 now $135.99
This 1TB M.2 2280 SSD uses PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe, delivering sequential reads up to 5,100MB/s and writes up to 3,200MB/s, with a USB adapter, Acronis software, and five-year warranty.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The CS2241 is a PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD capable of sequential read speeds up to 5,100MB/s and sequential writes up to 3,200MB/s. It's designed for compatible laptops and desktop PCs and can also be used in PCIe Gen3 systems. Actual performance will depend on your computer, configuration, operating system, and applications.

PNY backs the drive with a five-year limited warranty or TBW coverage, along with US-based technical support.

Price context & historical value

Amazon's Prime Day price drops the kit from $159.99 to $135.99, knocking $24 off the usual price.

That's around $0.14 per GB before accounting for the additional value of the adapter and cloning software. Those extras are particularly useful if you plan to replace your computer's current system drive rather than simply installing it as additional storage.

For more options, take a look at our roundups of the best SSDs and fastest SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If you're replacing an existing SSD and want a straightforward way to move your current installation onto the new drive. The included adapter and Acronis software offer everything you'll need for the task.

❌ Skip PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If your computer doesn't have a compatible M.2 NVMe slot, or you already own the equipment and software required to clone a drive. If you're simply adding storage, a bare SSD will make more sense.

Also consider

500GB 2.5" Internal SSD: was $109.99 now $76.49
This 500GB 2.5-inch SATA III SSD delivers sequential read speeds up to 550MB/s and writes up to 500MB/s, with low power consumption and backward compatibility with SATA II systems.View Deal

• Shop all internal SSDS at Amazon

Epson's EcoTank ET-4950 is our top pick for a home printer - a cartridge-free unit that excelled throughout our tests, from black and white documents to full color photos. Now, it's $130 off at Amazon for Prime Day.

• Best for: Home offices and busy households that print and scan a lot and want to stop paying for ink cartridges.

• The deal: The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 all-in-one is now $370 (was $500) at Amazon.

• Why we like it: This is the best printer you can get right now. We found it loaded with features, loads of free ink in the box, and cheap to run. We awarded it 4.5 stars in our review. Highlights for us include the automatic two-sided printing and scanning, a 30-sheet document feeder, and fast speeds of up to 35ppm black and 23ppm color.

Today's top EcoTank deal

EcoTank ET-4950: was $499.99 now $369.99
A cartridge-free all-in-one that prints, copies, scans and faxes, with a 250-sheet paper tray, Ethernet, USB and Wi-Fi, and a touchscreen control panel.View Deal

Why we recommend it

Our senior printer editor Jim reviewed the ET-4950 and said, "I can't find another mid-price printer so loaded with features and ink."

He found it pleasant to print with, thanks to the responsive touchscreen and prompt print speeds, and it sits at the top of our best home printer guide.

The bottled ink is cheap enough that, in his words, it won't be beaten on cost per page. The ink in the box is rated for around 15,100 black or 5,500 color pages, which is why the upfront price is even easier to justify.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $369.99, this is $130 off the $499.99 list price, a 26 percent saving. It's a good price but not a record low - it matches the price we saw in June. If you need a printer now, there's no strong reason to wait.

For more printer deals, we've tracking all the best Prime Day home office deals - and that definitely includes this top model.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 if...

You print and scan often enough that ink costs add up, you want automatic two-sided printing and scanning from a document feeder, or you want a reliable all-in-one that should only need ink refills every few years.

❌ Skip the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 if...

You only print a few pages a month, you need a USB host port, NFC or Bluetooth, which this model lacks, or you need to scan heavy paper or print from a multi-purpose tray.

• See more printer deals at Amazon.

Epson's EcoTank ET-4950 is our top pick for a home printer - a cartridge-free unit that excelled throughout our tests, from black and white documents to full color photos. Now, it's $130 off at Amazon for Prime Day.

• Best for: Home offices and busy households that print and scan a lot and want to stop paying for ink cartridges.

• The deal: The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 all-in-one is now $370 (was $500) at Amazon.

• Why we like it: This is the best printer you can get right now. We found it loaded with features, loads of free ink in the box, and cheap to run. We awarded it 4.5 stars in our review. Highlights for us include the automatic two-sided printing and scanning, a 30-sheet document feeder, and fast speeds of up to 35ppm black and 23ppm color.

Today's top EcoTank deal

EcoTank ET-4950: was $499.99 now $369.99
A cartridge-free all-in-one that prints, copies, scans and faxes, with a 250-sheet paper tray, Ethernet, USB and Wi-Fi, and a touchscreen control panel.View Deal

Why we recommend it

Our senior printer editor Jim reviewed the ET-4950 and said, "I can't find another mid-price printer so loaded with features and ink."

He found it pleasant to print with, thanks to the responsive touchscreen and prompt print speeds, and it sits at the top of our best home printer guide.

The bottled ink is cheap enough that, in his words, it won't be beaten on cost per page. The ink in the box is rated for around 15,100 black or 5,500 color pages, which is why the upfront price is even easier to justify.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $369.99, this is $130 off the $499.99 list price, a 26 percent saving. It's a good price but not a record low - it matches the price we saw in June. If you need a printer now, there's no strong reason to wait.

For more printer deals, we've tracking all the best Prime Day home office deals - and that definitely includes this top model.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 if...

You print and scan often enough that ink costs add up, you want automatic two-sided printing and scanning from a document feeder, or you want a reliable all-in-one that should only need ink refills every few years.

❌ Skip the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 if...

You only print a few pages a month, you need a USB host port, NFC or Bluetooth, which this model lacks, or you need to scan heavy paper or print from a multi-purpose tray.

• See more printer deals at Amazon.

The Geekom A8 Max remains one of the top mini PCs we've tested, packing a fast eight-core Ryzen processor into a small desktop for office work and light video editing. Now, for Prime Day, it's $80 off at Amazon with our promo code.

• Best for: Creators and power users who want a compact desktop that can handle office work, photo editing and light video work.

• The deal: The Geekom A8 Max mini PC is now $719 (was $799) at Amazon with code TRA8XDFB.

• Why it matters: The A8 Max is an exceptionally good Windows 11 mini PC, scoring 4.5 stars and a TechRadar Pro Highly Recommended badge in our review. We called it "extremely powerful," and found it "ploughs through tasks in Microsoft Office and applications from the Adobe Suite without too much issue." It comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS with Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD that you can expand later.

AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS | 16GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD

In our tests, the A8 Max proved to be ideal for productivity tasks, alongside content creation like editing video, images, and music. Impressive, especially at this price. it's highly suitable suitable for homes, offices, and studios. For the full discount, use code TRA8XDFB at checkout. View Deal

Why we recommend it

This mini PC remains one of our top models - our hardware editor thinks for the cost, it's arguably the best machine out there, especially since you can upgrade the memory and storage to a maximum 128GB / 4TB. We especially like the inclusion of the fast USB4 port, allowing you to hook up an external graphics card. So, there's a lot of future-proofing options here.

The A8 Max scored 4.5 stars in our review, and we found it to be "a stylish machine that will suit any design studio or office where a high-performance mini PC is required."

Price Context & Historical Value

At $719 with the code, this is $80 off the $799 list price, about 10 percent. That's a fair price, but not the cheapest. For comparison, we've seen the 32GB model drop to around $949 at Amazon and $900 at Best Buy (although the Best Buy deal was just as the RAMpocalypse began to bite).

For more mini PC deals, we've included them in our live hub of the best Prime Day home office deals.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Geekom A8 Max if...

You want a compact, fast Windows desktop for office work and creative tasks - especially if you want to upgrade the RAM and SSD for future-proofing.

❌ Skip the Geekom A8 Max if...

You want strong pro-grade video editing or gaming out of the box - you'll want to hook up an eGPU via the USB4 port for more graphics-intensive use.

• See all mini PC deals at Amazon

The Geekom A8 Max remains one of the top mini PCs we've tested, packing a fast eight-core Ryzen processor into a small desktop for office work and light video editing. Now, for Prime Day, it's $80 off at Amazon with our promo code.

• Best for: Creators and power users who want a compact desktop that can handle office work, photo editing and light video work.

• The deal: The Geekom A8 Max mini PC is now $719 (was $799) at Amazon with code TRA8XDFB.

• Why it matters: The A8 Max is an exceptionally good Windows 11 mini PC, scoring 4.5 stars and a TechRadar Pro Highly Recommended badge in our review. We called it "extremely powerful," and found it "ploughs through tasks in Microsoft Office and applications from the Adobe Suite without too much issue." It comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS with Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD that you can expand later.

AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS | 16GB DDR5 | 1TB SSD

In our tests, the A8 Max proved to be ideal for productivity tasks, alongside content creation like editing video, images, and music. Impressive, especially at this price. it's highly suitable suitable for homes, offices, and studios. For the full discount, use code TRA8XDFB at checkout. View Deal

Why we recommend it

This mini PC remains one of our top models - our hardware editor thinks for the cost, it's arguably the best machine out there, especially since you can upgrade the memory and storage to a maximum 128GB / 4TB. We especially like the inclusion of the fast USB4 port, allowing you to hook up an external graphics card. So, there's a lot of future-proofing options here.

The A8 Max scored 4.5 stars in our review, and we found it to be "a stylish machine that will suit any design studio or office where a high-performance mini PC is required."

Price Context & Historical Value

At $719 with the code, this is $80 off the $799 list price, about 10 percent. That's a fair price, but not the cheapest. For comparison, we've seen the 32GB model drop to around $949 at Amazon and $900 at Best Buy (although the Best Buy deal was just as the RAMpocalypse began to bite).

For more mini PC deals, we've included them in our live hub of the best Prime Day home office deals.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Geekom A8 Max if...

You want a compact, fast Windows desktop for office work and creative tasks - especially if you want to upgrade the RAM and SSD for future-proofing.

❌ Skip the Geekom A8 Max if...

You want strong pro-grade video editing or gaming out of the box - you'll want to hook up an eGPU via the USB4 port for more graphics-intensive use.

• See all mini PC deals at Amazon

• Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko says he captures sounds using his iPhone or a field recorder, which he later transforms into harmonies
• He says, "The weirder, the better," but the studio doesn't have an "audio bible" for what it wants
• Alanko adds, "What I’ve noticed in my past: the worse the recording is, the better the outcome"

Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko has explained how he created the eclectic soundtrack for Remedy Entertainment's latest game, revealing that much of what he comes up with is initially captured on a recording device.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Alanko shared that he records "a lot of stuff on a daily basis" using his iPhone or "my tiny, crappy dictaphone," but if he's carrying a bag, he'll have a small field recorder; whatever he records, he explained, he will later manipulate into harmonies that can be used for his professional work.

"Every now and then I go through what I have found, and I start doing the next phase: turning them into something I could use musically, be that rhythm or harmony or melody," Alanko said. "A lot of Control Resonant’s soundtrack is of that origin. The weirder, the better. There’s no 'too weird' for that."

The composer, who also created the soundtrack for the first Control and Alan Wake 2, said since he's been "decorating Remedy’s game universe for ages" he has "a good perspective on what works and what doesn’t," but explained that the studio doesn't have a certain approach.

"We don’t have an exact 'audio bible' for brand usage; it’s just what one might call 'silent knowledge'," he said. "I’d love to create one for Remedy; by the way, I’ve done that for some clients with whom I’ve gone through so-called sonic identity cases, audio branding, in other words. I try to not use that latter expression, as it cheapens the process.

"With Remedy, it’s about philosophy and the emotional layer, and nothing actually is omitted or put aside; everything might work. Emphasis on the word 'might'. It depends, and often one miss would need another miss or two to become an un-miss - and then it works in conjunction with everything else.

"It’s a very meticulous process, actually, but there’s no 'Remedy Game Music And Music Concept For Dummies 1-2-3', really. If it feels right, it is right. I rely on intuition and let it kick my ass with inspiration."

Alanko said that when coming up with Control's atmospheric music fans are familiar with, "sometimes the key to something cool is just slowing down things," or "by stretching or transposing a recorded sound down, a little like slowing the tape," explaining that the slower the sound flows, the lower the pitch, or the higher the frequency, it can reveal "very interesting things."

"Also, what I’ve noticed in my past: the worse the recording is, the better the outcome," he added. "Sometimes I spend ages with iZotope RX to carve out something usable from an intentionally (or unintentionally) flawed recording, then shove that through anything by Zynaptiq and continue from there. Then I gather together some instrument material groups — percussive, tonal, atonal, etc — and assemble something playable through a synth keyboard from them… which is when the first ideas connect with the pictures and the presentation I had seen.

"It’s a very clear 'Hey, NOW I know how things go from here' moment, in other words."

Control Resonant is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko says he captures sounds using his iPhone or a field recorder, which he later transforms into harmonies
• He says, "The weirder, the better," but the studio doesn't have an "audio bible" for what it wants
• Alanko adds, "What I’ve noticed in my past: the worse the recording is, the better the outcome"

Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko has explained how he created the eclectic soundtrack for Remedy Entertainment's latest game, revealing that much of what he comes up with is initially captured on a recording device.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Alanko shared that he records "a lot of stuff on a daily basis" using his iPhone or "my tiny, crappy dictaphone," but if he's carrying a bag, he'll have a small field recorder; whatever he records, he explained, he will later manipulate into harmonies that can be used for his professional work.

"Every now and then I go through what I have found, and I start doing the next phase: turning them into something I could use musically, be that rhythm or harmony or melody," Alanko said. "A lot of Control Resonant’s soundtrack is of that origin. The weirder, the better. There’s no 'too weird' for that."

The composer, who also created the soundtrack for the first Control and Alan Wake 2, said since he's been "decorating Remedy’s game universe for ages" he has "a good perspective on what works and what doesn’t," but explained that the studio doesn't have a certain approach.

"We don’t have an exact 'audio bible' for brand usage; it’s just what one might call 'silent knowledge'," he said. "I’d love to create one for Remedy; by the way, I’ve done that for some clients with whom I’ve gone through so-called sonic identity cases, audio branding, in other words. I try to not use that latter expression, as it cheapens the process.

"With Remedy, it’s about philosophy and the emotional layer, and nothing actually is omitted or put aside; everything might work. Emphasis on the word 'might'. It depends, and often one miss would need another miss or two to become an un-miss - and then it works in conjunction with everything else.

"It’s a very meticulous process, actually, but there’s no 'Remedy Game Music And Music Concept For Dummies 1-2-3', really. If it feels right, it is right. I rely on intuition and let it kick my ass with inspiration."

Alanko said that when coming up with Control's atmospheric music fans are familiar with, "sometimes the key to something cool is just slowing down things," or "by stretching or transposing a recorded sound down, a little like slowing the tape," explaining that the slower the sound flows, the lower the pitch, or the higher the frequency, it can reveal "very interesting things."

"Also, what I’ve noticed in my past: the worse the recording is, the better the outcome," he added. "Sometimes I spend ages with iZotope RX to carve out something usable from an intentionally (or unintentionally) flawed recording, then shove that through anything by Zynaptiq and continue from there. Then I gather together some instrument material groups — percussive, tonal, atonal, etc — and assemble something playable through a synth keyboard from them… which is when the first ideas connect with the pictures and the presentation I had seen.

"It’s a very clear 'Hey, NOW I know how things go from here' moment, in other words."

Control Resonant is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• NordVPN found 196 Roblox phishing addresses active in a single week in July 2026
• Tailor-made scam services sell cloned Roblox pages, disguised links, and even stolen-account checkers
• Some fake logins ask for 2FA codes, backup codes, and PINs to hijack accounts in real time

Roblox scammers no longer need to build their own fake websites, as research from NordVPN's Threat Intelligence team describes an established trade in ready-made Roblox phishing pages.

Buyers get hosting, disguised links, and tools that check whether stolen logins still work, and can pay via untraceable crypto for essentially turnkey solutions to scam children's accounts.

NordVPN counted 196 different Roblox phishing addresses live online over seven days, with some fake login pages asking for more than a password; they also requested the six-digit two-factor authentication code, backup codes, and account PIN.

A scam industry built for beginners and professionals alike

The most striking finding concerns the supply chain, not any single scam. NordVPN found one service openly selling ready-made Roblox phishing pages, backup sites, and disguised links from the same storefront. The one-stop shop for scammers also offered checker tools that test whether stolen account details still work.

That "service" claims to have processed more than six million "logs," underground speak for records of stolen login data, including usernames, passwords, and more. It also displayed a counter showing more than 239,000 registered users on the scam service's website, a significantly high number that suggests how lucrative the market could be.

NordVPN also saw the counter increase by 547 in the 42 hours it tracked, indicating the website has around ~300 new signups a day, even as a rival service grew by 400 during a 4-day tracking period.

It shows how little skill the scam now demands. NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis said in a statement to TechRadar Pro that these scams "can now be created and deployed by almost anybody."

Enhanced Protection

Many fake sites rely on web addresses that start with the right words. NordVPN found addresses resembling roblox[.]com[.]ug, roblox[.]com[.]py, and roblox[.]com[.]kz, which read as "roblox.com" to anyone skimming the address bar without paying any real attention.

They actually sit on entirely different domains, registered under the country codes for Uganda, Paraguay, and Kazakhstan. NordVPN tested just under 4,000 combinations of Roblox misspellings and country codes and found 123 scam addresses, saying they recorded more than 105,000 page visits. A separate family of at least 521 addresses used names such as "login-roblox" and "roblox-verify" to attempt similar scams.

The pages behind those addresses can be hard to tell from the real thing; NordVPN captured cloned login screens, game pages, and player profiles that copied Roblox's navigation, fonts, and layout. When researchers manually re-checked a random sample, a whopping 22 of 24 addresses were live and visually convincing.

The clones target what children are actually playing: copies included Steal a Brainrot and Grow a Garden, the two games that set Roblox's concurrent-player records in 2025, along with Blox Fruits and PLS DONATE. Others impersonated RoVer, a legitimate verification bot that Discord servers use to link members' Roblox accounts.

Roblox has its own protections in place, including 2FA codes and an "Enhanced Protection" setting that requires a hardware security key or a mobile passkey, but the former isn't enough here, and the latter isn't frictionless, adding complexity to an application that overwhelmingly caters to children.

Many of these scams never begin on Roblox at all. NordVPN traced the lures to Discord servers, YouTube and TikTok links, and direct messages, often promising free Robux. That puts much of the risk beyond Roblox's own recent safety work. The company made facial age checks mandatory for chat worldwide in January 2026, but that does nothing to protect against a random link in a YouTube comment.

Roblox's hacked-account guidance says to remove suspicious downloads and browser extensions, reset the password, and enable two-step verification. If a reset fails, Roblox asks owners to contact it from the account's first email address or the billing email used for the first payment.

Roblox says it "is under no obligation to assist users whose accounts have been compromised" unless the law requires it. You can recover lost items or currency only in very limited circumstances, and you must contact Roblox within 30 days of an account being compromised, which means you need strict account-security rules or a hardware passkey to secure your account.

• NordVPN found 196 Roblox phishing addresses active in a single week in July 2026
• Tailor-made scam services sell cloned Roblox pages, disguised links, and even stolen-account checkers
• Some fake logins ask for 2FA codes, backup codes, and PINs to hijack accounts in real time

Roblox scammers no longer need to build their own fake websites, as research from NordVPN's Threat Intelligence team describes an established trade in ready-made Roblox phishing pages.

Buyers get hosting, disguised links, and tools that check whether stolen logins still work, and can pay via untraceable crypto for essentially turnkey solutions to scam children's accounts.

NordVPN counted 196 different Roblox phishing addresses live online over seven days, with some fake login pages asking for more than a password; they also requested the six-digit two-factor authentication code, backup codes, and account PIN.

A scam industry built for beginners and professionals alike

The most striking finding concerns the supply chain, not any single scam. NordVPN found one service openly selling ready-made Roblox phishing pages, backup sites, and disguised links from the same storefront. The one-stop shop for scammers also offered checker tools that test whether stolen account details still work.

That "service" claims to have processed more than six million "logs," underground speak for records of stolen login data, including usernames, passwords, and more. It also displayed a counter showing more than 239,000 registered users on the scam service's website, a significantly high number that suggests how lucrative the market could be.

NordVPN also saw the counter increase by 547 in the 42 hours it tracked, indicating the website has around ~300 new signups a day, even as a rival service grew by 400 during a 4-day tracking period.

It shows how little skill the scam now demands. NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis said in a statement to TechRadar Pro that these scams "can now be created and deployed by almost anybody."

Enhanced Protection

Many fake sites rely on web addresses that start with the right words. NordVPN found addresses resembling roblox[.]com[.]ug, roblox[.]com[.]py, and roblox[.]com[.]kz, which read as "roblox.com" to anyone skimming the address bar without paying any real attention.

They actually sit on entirely different domains, registered under the country codes for Uganda, Paraguay, and Kazakhstan. NordVPN tested just under 4,000 combinations of Roblox misspellings and country codes and found 123 scam addresses, saying they recorded more than 105,000 page visits. A separate family of at least 521 addresses used names such as "login-roblox" and "roblox-verify" to attempt similar scams.

The pages behind those addresses can be hard to tell from the real thing; NordVPN captured cloned login screens, game pages, and player profiles that copied Roblox's navigation, fonts, and layout. When researchers manually re-checked a random sample, a whopping 22 of 24 addresses were live and visually convincing.

The clones target what children are actually playing: copies included Steal a Brainrot and Grow a Garden, the two games that set Roblox's concurrent-player records in 2025, along with Blox Fruits and PLS DONATE. Others impersonated RoVer, a legitimate verification bot that Discord servers use to link members' Roblox accounts.

Roblox has its own protections in place, including 2FA codes and an "Enhanced Protection" setting that requires a hardware security key or a mobile passkey, but the former isn't enough here, and the latter isn't frictionless, adding complexity to an application that overwhelmingly caters to children.

Many of these scams never begin on Roblox at all. NordVPN traced the lures to Discord servers, YouTube and TikTok links, and direct messages, often promising free Robux. That puts much of the risk beyond Roblox's own recent safety work. The company made facial age checks mandatory for chat worldwide in January 2026, but that does nothing to protect against a random link in a YouTube comment.

Roblox's hacked-account guidance says to remove suspicious downloads and browser extensions, reset the password, and enable two-step verification. If a reset fails, Roblox asks owners to contact it from the account's first email address or the billing email used for the first payment.

Roblox says it "is under no obligation to assist users whose accounts have been compromised" unless the law requires it. You can recover lost items or currency only in very limited circumstances, and you must contact Roblox within 30 days of an account being compromised, which means you need strict account-security rules or a hardware passkey to secure your account.

• AI data center growth has accelerated over the past 3 years, with the US alone building 127
• As a result of this push, the US has 10 times more data centers than any other country
• While environmental concerns over AI data centers are strong in the US, it is Chile and Belgium that have the highest water stress

The expansion of data centers over the past three years has revealed that while the US is leading the growth, the environmental impact is actually more widely felt, with water stress being felt in smaller nations, too.

Although the US has built an amazing 127 data centers since 2023 – which is 10 times more than any other country – Russia has built 77 (44% growth) and the UK has expanded by 58 (up 12%). But while the US has 5,427 data centers, Russia’s impact is tiny, with 251 representing just under 5% of the same output.

Water stress is largely impacted on areas where water is already in short supply, but a new study has shown that areas including the famously damp Belgium are impacted.

What is water stress?

Much of the opposition to data centers has concerned the environmental impact, particularly on water stress.

Comparitech’s study refers to the World Resources Institute’s definition of water stress, which tells us that a country using more than 80% of its entire available water supply is under water stress. This is scored in Comparitech’s report, with low water stress rated 1.0, and extremely high rated 4-5.

The results show that Chile (4.5) and Belgium (4.4) have the highest stress on the water supply, with the US on 2.6 and UK on 1.3. However, the damper, temperate zone of Belgium seems to be building itself into data center-shaped water stress problem.

The small European country established 12 new facilities since 2023, which suggests it has gone as far as it can while data centers are demanding up to five million gallons of water a day.

Strategic assets

While the research from Comparitech emphasizes the impact of AI data center growth on the water supply, it also highlights another key consequence of their existence. In March 2026, Iran launched Shahed drone strikes on AWS sites in the United Arab Emirates.

Data centers are now strategic targets, and their positioning in relation to each other (as well as residential areas and other industries) could determine how conflicts unfold in future. The report notes:

“This kind of clustering brings clear efficiency advantages for power and connectivity, but it also concentrates risk: strained local resources, single points of failure, and – as facilities become more central to national economies and AI infrastructure – more attractive targets.

The damage to AWS facilities in the UAE and Bahrain during the 2026 US/Iran conflict, as well as the Russian attacks on a data center in Kyiv, demonstrates how data centers are increasingly treated as strategic assets rather than just commercial ones.”

As data centers continue the trend of clustering into denser digital hubs, this is a risk that will continue to grow.

Last week I got my hands on the Lavazza Tabli — a single-serve coffee maker that gives you the convenience of coffee pods with none of the waste. It's one of the best coffee makers I've tested this year, and right now you can grab it for just $89 at Amazon (was $129.99) in the Amazon Prime Day sale.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The Tabli uses tablets made from 100% compressed, ground coffee rather than metal or plastic capsules, which means they are entirely compostable when you've finished each brew.

Better yet, they taste great — as a trained barista and a self-confessed coffee snob, I was extremely impressed. In fact, halfway through writing this post, I got up and made myself a quick americano using it. It's a world away from artificial-tasting Nespresso capsules, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Today's best Lavazza Tabli deals

One of the best single-serve coffee makers I've ever used, with 100% coffee tablets instead of wasteful pods, the Tabli is great value at full price, and with 31% off for Prime Day it's an absolute steal.View Deal

Tabli With Milk Frother: was $199.99 now $139.99
Love lattes and cappuccinos? The Tabli is also available bundled with a Lavazza MilkEasy milk frother, with a huge $60 Prime Day discount. The frother alone is currently selling for $70 at Amazon, so that's spectacular value.View Deal

Tabli With Milk Frother & 60 Tabs: was $249.99 now $149.99
This bundle is even better value, offering the Tabli machine, MilkEasy frother, and 60 coffee tabs with a huge $100 discount. If I was buying a Tabli myself this Prime Day, this is the offer I'd go for.View Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.36
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $28
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $89
• Smartwatches: up to 36% off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $49

One ring to rule them all? Hardly. Even though the Oura Ring 5 shot to the top of our smart ring recommendations when it arrived earlier this year, I wouldn't recommend you buy it in the Amazon Prime Day, or Big Deal Days, sales. Why? Because it doesn't have any discounts in the US or UK, making it tough to recommend.

Other smart rings on Amazon, although perhaps not quite as technically brilliant, offer better value for money overall than the Oura Ring 5 at full price. I've found a pair of deals — one in the US, one in the UK — that are worth consideration over the Oura Ring 5.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

In the US, the RingConn Gen 2 Air is available for $159.20 (was $199) at Amazon. The RingConn Gen 2 Air is a smart ring with no subscription to speak of (making it even better value compared to the Oura) which was still good enough to be called 'the perfect entry-level smart ring' in our review, netting four stars. It does most of what you want without some of the Oura's smarts, but at less than half the price.

In the UK, we're seeing huge discounts on the Oura Ring 4, with the Oura Ring 4 Black and Silver models discounted to just £199 (was £349) at Amazon. That's a huge 43% off and although it's last year's model, it was good enough to get 4.5 stars in our review and be named our health and fitness device of the year in 2025.

Check out both deals in full below.

Today's best smart ring deals

The RingConn Gen 2 Air was called the 'perfect' smart ring for people new to health tracking in our review, netting four stars. It tracks sleep, heart rate, steps, blood oxygen, workouts and more, and in our reviewer's word, 'you’re not missing out on any essential tracking tools beyond sleep apnea and more sophisticated fitness tracking'.

Read our full RingConn Gen 2 Air reviewView Deal

Save a massive 43% on the Oura Ring 4, our health and fitness device of last year. Although you need a basically mandatory subscription to use it, it is an amazing service and the discount means you could buy a year's subscription to the Oura app and still come out better off than buying a Ring 5.

Read our full Oura Ring 4 reviewView Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.36
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $28
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $89
• Smartwatches: up to 36% off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $49

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 67% off Fire, Ring & Blink
• Amazon Haul: extra 15% off for Prime members
• Appliances: up to 40% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: cleaning & groceries from £2
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: record-low Nintendo Switch 2
• Headphones: up to 50% off Anker & Sony
• Laptops: up to £800 off Microsoft & Asus
• Tablets: up to 50% off Fire tablets
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 50% off Shark & Dyson
• Wearables: Samsung & Oura from £31