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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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Monday, July 14 (game #1267).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

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

Quordle today (game #1268) - 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 #1268) - 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 #1268) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo 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 #1268) - 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 #1268) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• V

• F

• T

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1268) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1268, are…

• VILLA
• FLECK
• TIGER
• CRANE

There’s a thing that occasionally happens sometimes when you play Quordle a lot and you see the words instantly and type out your first thought confidently and without checking.

Today was one of those days for me. Helped massively of course by not even having to stop to think with TIGER. 

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1268) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1268, are…

• ASCOT
• REBUS
• BOSSY
• SPECK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1267, Monday, 14 July: SURGE, PIZZA, PAPER, POPPY
• Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER
• Quordle #1265, Saturday, 12 July: WREAK, NANNY, CLASP, STAIN
• Quordle #1264, Friday, 11 July: LAPEL, DRAIN, FROND, GROSS
• Quordle #1263, Thursday, 10 July: CROSS, WHEEL, UNDID, PENCE
• Quordle #1262, Wednesday, 9 July: SHIRE, SIXTH, SINGE, IMAGE
• Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
• Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
• Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
• Quordle #1258, Saturday, 5 July: HAVEN, SNAKE, DREAM, TORUS
• Quordle #1257, Friday, 4 July: FAVOR, SKUNK, GAWKY, FLUFF
• Quordle #1256, Thursday, 3 July: DANCE, EYING, GLAZE, EGRET
• Quordle #1255, Wednesday, 2 July: INANE, SCOUR, ELITE, ULCER
• Quordle #1254, Tuesday, 1 July: REBAR, YEARN, FORTH, CROWD
• Quordle #1253, Monday, 30 June: INGOT, INFER, TAPIR, CLUED
• Quordle #1252, Sunday, 29 June: MIRTH, APTLY, SCRUB, SMACK
• Quordle #1251, Saturday, 28 June: AWOKE, SMOKY, DEVIL, SWING
• Quordle #1250, Friday, 27 June: SPEAK, EAGLE, AVERT, SUING
• Quordle #1249, Thursday, 26 June: SLUMP, REBUS, GUAVA, MONEY

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, July 14 (game #764).

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 #765) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PEARL
• POWER
• BOOT
• PLAY
• VAULT
• BOUNCE
• SHOE
• BARS
• SMILE
• BEAM
• EJECT
• SCREAM
• RINGS
• FEATHERS
• NOPE
• REMOVE

NYT Connections today (game #765) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Simone Biles’s equipment
• GREEN: Pushed out
• BLUE: Films from three years ago
• PURPLE: Precede with a racing animal

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 #765) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: GYMNASTICS APPARATUS
• GREEN: FORCE TO LEAVE
• BLUE: HORROR MOVIES FROM 2022
• PURPLE: HORSE__ 

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

NYT Connections today (game #765) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #765, are…

• YELLOW: GYMNASTICS APPARATUS BARS, BEAM, RINGS, VAULT
• GREEN: FORCE TO LEAVE BOOT, BOUNCE, EJECT, REMOVE
• BLUE: HORROR MOVIES FROM 2022 NOPE, PEARL, SCREAM, SMILE
• PURPLE: HORSE__ FEATHERS, PLAY, POWER, SHOE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I made both mistakes today trying to put together HORROR MOVIES FROM 2022. 

This was a classic case of knowing three connections but being clueless about the fourth and even though there were only eight words left I still struggled. NOPE, SCREAM, and SMILE were all familiar, but I tried POWER and FEATHERS before finally guessing PEARL.

It had all been going so well too after breezing through the yellow and green groups. Then came the horror show.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, July 14, game #764)

• YELLOW: SHADES OF BLUE BABY, ICE, POWDER, SKY
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR A SPORTS CAR COMPACT, FAST, SLEEK, SPORTY
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE "ROGER/S" GINGER, JOLLY, MISTER, ROY
• PURPLE: DISNEY ANIMATED CHARACTERS PLUS A LETTER ABUT, BELLED, FLOUNDERS, SCARY

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 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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 14 (game #498).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Come one, come all!

NYT Strands today (game #499) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• DRONE
• SEEN
• FUSS
• VOTE
• VOICES
• STUN

NYT Strands today (game #499) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #499) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 3rd column

Last side: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #499) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #499, are…

• GAMES
  MUSIC
• RIDES
• LIVESTOCK
• VENDORS
• PRIZES
• SPANGRAM: COUNTY FAIRS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

The phrase “come one, come all” is not one I am familiar with at all. It sounds like the sort of thing people would whisper to each other in Handmaid’s Tale – but I can see how it would work as a rallying cry for COUNTY FAIRS.

Not knowing what I was looking for and finding only non-game words it took two hints before I started making headway – GAMES and MUSIC didn't narrow things down, but RIDES confirmed that we were looking for some kind of fair.

Getting the top to bottom LIVESTOCK revealed the spangram and from here on I was virtually home. No PRIZES for me today, hope you deserve a rosette at least.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, July 14, game #498)

• TEACHER
• MAYOR
• JANITOR
• LIBRARIAN
• FIREFIGHTER
• SPANGRAM: COMMUNITY

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.

Poor Elmo. The adorable, perpetually 3-year-old Sesame Street character loves us, but someone clearly does not love the furry red guy back. Hackers took over his popular X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday and posted some decidedly un-Elmo-like content. It's surprising for a character and platform that are focused on teaching us likely missed a basic rule of social media: always set up Two-Factor Authentication.

All the deeply offensive posts have since been removed from Elmo's account, which has over 684,000 followers, and while Sesame Street has publicly commented on the hack, Elmo's account has been silent for the last 48 hours.

To think, this probably all could've been avoided if Sesame Workshop, which runs the account, had learned one simple lesson.

T is for Two-Factor Authentication.

If you have a Blue check (or any color official check) on your X account, you're likely a target. Elmo's account is verified, though we think it should be a red check. For a time, it was hard to identify verified accounts because X CEO Elon Musk removed them in 2023, demanding that anyone who wanted one pay $8 a month. He relented a year later, and accounts like Elmo's got their checks back. It was good news, except for the fact that hackers instantly knew again exactly who to target.

Tied up in verification was Two Factor Authentication, or rather, how you could verify. X ended SMS (text-based) verification for non-paying members and instead favors codes and security keys.

But I digress. It helps to explain two-factor authentication (also known as 2-factor-auth and 2FA) in a way that Elmo can understand.

Elmo likes to learn

Elmo. Elmo, look at me. Please stop playing with that puppy and look at me.

Yes, yes, I know, "Elmo loves me." Please, listen.

You know that X account that you love using so much, the one where you offer hugs and ask us all to come outside and play?

I know, right, it used to be called "Twitter." No, I do not know why they changed the name.

Let's focus.

Your X account has your name, and you use it by signing in, right?

Yes, Elmo, you've done a very good job with that. I see you on the account every day, so you clearly know how to sign in. That's very good, Elmo.

But, Elmo, your account is missing something.

No, wait, Elmo, do not go running off to look for it. It's not something you dropped.

You need to make it harder to log in. You need to add something called "Two-factor authentication."

Harder is sometimes a scary word, but not this time, and, yes, "authentication" is a big word. I can help.

The ABCs of security

It's simple, Elmo, when you sign into your account, you will also need your phone with you to generate a code.

Yes, Elmo, I do see your phone. It's very nice. I know you don't use it all the time. You're good about that.

Two-factor authentication simply means, Elmo, that when you sign in, there is a second step (or factor) you need to accomplish before you can use your account again.

First, you should enable Two Factor Authentication on your X account. This does mean you'll need the email you used to create the account. Ask the adults at Sesame Workshop to find it. They will also need to enter the password and then verify the use of a secondary login method.

Now, Elmo, here's where it gets a little complicated. Once this is set up, after you sign in – Elmo, stop playing with Tango for a second and look at me – Twitter will ask you for a code.

I use, and I think you could too, Google's Authenticator
App. Once this is set up, after you try to log in (you or a trusted adult, Elmo), you'll be asked for a code. You simply open the Google Authenticator app and grab the code that is shown for X, and then enter it in X.

After that, Elmo, you're done.

Yes, yes, Elmo, it is exciting. No, I don't think it's fun, but it's fine if you do.

Give 2FA a hug

Okay, I think Elmo gets it.

Hopefully you do. The technology here is simple: a hacker can't sign into your account without that secondary verification system. They need that code, which is only coming to the app and the phone in your hand.

I promise that hackers will try, and you may get emails about their attempts, but they will likely fail because hackers do not have that code and cannot complete the login. Also, 2FA isn't just for X; it's a valuable security tool for any online account, including email, banking, and work accounts.

One more thing for you and, oh, Elmo, come back here for a second. Everyone should change their passwords every six months. This makes it difficult for hackers who have hoovered up your information in a data breach to use old passwords to access your accounts.

I know, Elmo, you love us. We love you, too.

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• Tizen 9.0 is rolling out to 2024 Samsung TVs
• European owners are already receiving the update
• Availability for 2023 TVs is still unknown

One of our favorite things about Samsung's best TVs in 2025 is the upgraded Tizen operating system, which we think is the best version it's offered so far. So Tizen 90's recent arrival on 2024-model TVs is a very welcome upgrade.

My colleague James Davidson went into great detail about Tizen 9.0 here, praising the updated Gaming Hub, the apparently LG-inspired Quick Menu and the redesigned home screen.

It isn't quite the best smart TV platform – we reckon LG's webOS still has the edge, and the update removes the HGiG Game HDR option, which is used for some livestreaming – but it's really good, and will be welcome on older sets.

Which Samsung TVs are getting the Tizen 9.0 upgrade?

According to FlatpanelsHD, owners in Europe started getting the firmware version 2106.0 this month, July 2025. That takes their operating system from Tizen 8.0 to Tizen 9.0.

That's the good news. The bad news is that it's going to be a slow rollout, with Samsung adding additional TVs to the upgrade program fairly gradually – and that means it could be some months before all compatible TVs are upgraded. If your TV isn't one of the flagship models that could mean waiting a bit for the firmware to become available.

There's also uncertainty over 2023-model TVs, as Samsung hasn't yet committed to a timescale for upgrading those models. However, Samsung has promised seven years of updates to all models from 2023 and later, so it's not a question of if those TVs will get the update; it's just a matter of when.

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• Nvidia's Smooth Motion tech is inbound for all RTX 4000 GPUs
• Previously this frame rate-boosting feature was only for RTX 5000 cards
• It's still in beta for RTX 4000 models, but it shouldn't be long before the full release

Nvidia is providing its Smooth Motion tech for boosting frame rates across all PC games to RTX 4000 graphics cards in a new driver.

This is great news for gamers with those GPUs – previously Smooth Motion was only an option for RTX 5000 models – but the catch is that for now, this is still in testing with Nvidia's beta driver.

It shouldn't be too long before the tech makes its way through to a release driver, though.

This development was picked up on X by Huang514613, who pointed to a post on the Guru3D forums, as flagged by VideoCardz (with the tech site verifying that the new beta does indeed carry the feature, and briefly testing it out).

Smooth Motion is essentially the equivalent of frame generation (FG) – adding in extra frames to boost the frames per second count, and make the game run artificially smoother – but it works at the driver level (doubling the frame rate).

What that means is that it can work with any DX11 or DX12 game (in theory) across the board, whereas with frame generation (and DLSS 4), developers must code their game to make use of the tech. That obviously limits the usefulness of the latter considerably.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Analysis: smooth operator – but be patient

Smooth Motion is a big deal because it means that a pile of older PC games, which are never going to be updated for frame generation at this point, can get the benefit of a similar feature.

The catch is that word 'similar', and Smooth Motion won't offer results which are as good as frame generation in terms of image quality (or the frame rate boost). Still, for games that don't have DLSS or FG support, this is clearly a lot better than nothing.

As you may be aware, Smooth Motion is Nvidia's equivalent of AMD's Fluid Motion Frames (which came way before Team Green's take, and was recently improved).

With any luck, Nvidia will bring this feature to RTX GPUs that predate the RTX 4000 lineup in the future.

I'd be wary of trying to get this working on the mentioned beta driver, by the way, as there are reports of crashes or even total PC lock-ups being caused by those experimenting with the tech (which must be enabled via the Nvidia Profile Inspector tool).

If you have an RTX 4000 graphics card, just be happy that Smooth Motion is on the way, and wait for the official release in the finished driver – it shouldn't be too far off at this point.

Early results are (generally) promising for Smooth Motion on RTX 4000 GPUs, by the way, going by reports from the more intrepid gamers who've gone ahead and tested this tech while it was in beta.

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Full spoilers immediately follow for 2025's Superman film.

Superman is doing more than simply making us believe that a man can fly.

With a $200 million+ haul at the global box office on opening weekend, plus the critical and commercial acclaim it's received, James Gunn's Superman movie has made us believe in DC comic book movies again. The DC Universe's (DCU) first film – find out how to watch the DC movies in order while you're here – also gave us a wildly entertaining, eye-popping, and heartfelt story filled with household names and unfamiliar characters alike.

It's also where I think Superman succeeds best. From Mister Terrific and The Engineer, the DCU Chapter One movie spotlights numerous underappreciated DC comic book characters who deserve their time to shine in Gunn and Peter Sarfran's rebooted cinematic franchise. However, it's another metahuman – one who'll be recognizable to some viewers, but not others – that Superman really does right by, even though she's only on camera for 30 seconds or so: Supergirl.

Milly Alcock will play Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in the DCU (Image credit: James Gunn/Twitter)

She only briefly cameos, but Milly Alcock's Supergirl – real name Kara Zor-El – is everything I wanted from a live-action adaptation of Superman's cousin.

I'm not throwing shade at Meg Donnelly, who was one of the final contenders for the role of Supergirl before losing out to Alcock in January 2024, by saying that, either. I'm sure Donnelly would've been a great Supergirl, but there's just something about Alcock's albeit brisk time on the screen that captures the rebellious, reckless side of Clark Kent/Kal-El's relative that we've seen really seen in the comics.

Take her crashing through the wrong part of The Fortress of Solitude because she's drunk (yes, she's slightly inebriated, but she's not an alcoholic or a frat girl, as some have incorrectly disparaged Gunn and company for) and then blaming Supes for moving the door in an apparent redesign of his secret headquarters. Or, how about her lack of concern for how Kal-El is or what he's been up to, and only returning to Earth to collect her disobedient pet Krypto?

Then there's the enjoyment she gets from being thrown about by Krypto – a far cry from how Supes handled similar situations throughout the film. Oh, and let's not forget that she's humorously rude to Clark – she calls him "b***h" after sarcastically thanking him for babysitting Krypto – before she flies off to a whereabouts unknown.

A post shared by SCREEN THRILL| Movies & TV (@screenthrill)

A photo posted by on

Combine the above with her authentic Supergirl costume, plus the beige-colored coat she wears in 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow' – the eight-issue comic series run that her forthcoming solo film is heavily inspired by – and Alcock's Kara could be the most fully-formed version of the character we've seen yet. Indeed, couple the above with the strong sense of justice and caring nature she's displayed in prior big- and small-screen re-imaginings, make me even more confident that those involved in Supergirl will knock it out of the park.

Of course, it's hard to read too much into Alcock's cameo and determine if she can carry a tentpole movie.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, whose title was recently shortened to simply Supergirl, will not only be the Kryptonian's first standalone film in over 40 years, but it's also the first flick Alcock is the lead star of. The pressure is certainly on, then, to ensure Alcock was the right pick for the role, and that Gunn and Safran made the correct call to prioritize a Supergirl movie over a solo Batman or Wonder Woman DCU flick, both of which are in early development.

We got our first look at the DCU's Kara Zor-El, albeit from the back, in March (Image credit: James Gunn/Instagram)

The DCU is off to a good start with Superman, but it'll need other projects like Supergirl, Peacemaker season 2, Lanterns, and Clayface to similarly perform well. If they do, the DCU will be worth investing in. If, for whatever reason, Supergirl struggles, though, we could have a post-Avengers: Endgame situation that's seen Marvel fans have love one project but dislike the next.

Those two slight concerns notwithstanding, I'm confident Supergirl will be a big hit and Alcock's performance will be a big reason why. She's already commanded the screen in season 1 of House of the Dragon, while her natural, unquestionable talent has been on full display in the aforementioned HBO Max show and recently Netflix TV Original Sirens. So, there's no reason why Alcock can't deliver a similarly fantastic display in The Girl of Steel's next cinematic outing. If anything, her solitary scene in Superman confirms she will.

Supergirl flies into theaters worldwide on June 26, 2026. For more on one of next year's most anticipated new movies, read my ultimate guide on Supergirl's next big-screen outing.

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• The RocketGenius website served a malicious variant of the Gravity Forms WordPress add-on for two days
• The variant harvested extensive information and allowed for RCE
• The malware affected only manual downloads and composer installations

Gravity Forms, a popular WordPress add-on with at least a million users, was victim of a supply chain attack in which threat actors tried to deploy malware to its users and take over their websites.

Security researchers from PatchStack discovered someone managed to infiltrate Gravity Forms’ website, and compromise the plug-in installation file hosted there.

On July 10 and 11, users could download Gravity Forms versions 2.9.11.1 and 2.9.12, which came with malicious files that collected extensive site metadata, and malware that allowed for remote code execution (RCE) attacks.

Risky manual downloads

The malware also blocked any attempts to update the add-on, contacted an external server to deploy additional payloads, and created an admin account that granted attackers full control over the compromised website.

Gravity Forms is a premium WordPress plugin enabling users to build different forms using a drag-and-drop interface. It integrates with a wide range of third-party services, making it popular for contact forms, surveys, payment forms, and more.

After being notified about the attack, RocketGenius, the company that develops Gravity Forms, investigated further, and determined that the malware affected only manual downloads and composer installations of the plugin.

"The Gravity API service that handles licensing, automatic updates, and the installation of add-ons initiated from within the Gravity Forms plugin was never compromised. All package updates managed through that service are unaffected,” RocketGenius explained.

Therefore, all users who downloaded Gravity Forms directly from RocketGenius’ website on either July 10 or 11, should delete the plug-in and reinstall it with a clean version. Furthermore, admins should analyze their websites for any signs of compromise.

The first clean version of the add-on is 2.9.13, which is now available for download.

Via BleepingComputer

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It’s good news for those of us binging the hit Netflix documentary series Trainwreck like there’s no tomorrow – new installment Balloon Boy hits screens on July 15. The new unbelievable story made national headlines back in 2009, but has flown under the radar ever since.

Since 2022, Trainwreck has brought multiple disturbing stories back into the public eye, with Woodstock ‘99, The Astroworld Tragedy and The Cult of American Apparel being among them. Of course, we can’t leave the infamous Poop Cruise out, either. Think less serious true crime series and more fly-on-the-wall stuffed with personality here.

Trainwreck documentary The Real Project X is still storming Netflix’s top 10 chart since being released on July 8 but Balloon Boy is a surefire bet to leave you open-mouthed, even if you’re familiar with the case details.

Netflix’s next Trainwreck documentary Balloon Boy has to be seen to be believed

Unlike deranged parties or people having to poop in red biohazard bags on their four-day trip to Mexico, Balloon Boy is a heart-stopping drama from beginning to end. Given the nickname by the press, Balloon Boy actually refers to six-year-old Falcon, who was allegedly trapped in a homemade gas balloon resembling a flying saucer when it was released above Fort Collins, Colorado. Parents Richard and Mayumi Heene told the authorities while the balloon was on its 90-minute flight, reaching heights of 7,000 feet.

By the time anyone could get to the balloon, it had landed a few miles away from Denver International Airport, and there was no Falcon to be seen. When the balloon was being tracked in the air, an object supposedly fell during its flight, prompting everyone watching to think the worst. A search was quickly underway with international media flocking to cover the alleged tragedy.

Here’s the twist – Falcon was never in the balloon at all. Instead, he’d been hiding in the attic of the family’s house the entire time, revealing during a Larry King Live interview that his parents had told him they’d done it “for show”. News of the publicity stunt soon went viral, with local sheriffs confirming the Heenes would face felony charges for the hoax. Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution, with Mayumi Heene sentenced to 20 days of weekend jail.

So why do we need to see the Netflix series if the story was so well reported at the time? For one reason: Balloon Boy is the first time we’re getting an in-depth look at the full story from the family’s point of view. We’re getting sit-down interviews with them all, including the now grown up Falcon, who still seems pleased that he was once at the centre of a national news storm as a little boy.

Was it all an intention ploy, or did a family joke just get way out of hand? Based on the news reports, you could argue both ways, but I can’t wait to get the inside story straight from the source. If you’re wondering what to stream this week, make it this as it has the potential to be one of the best Netflix shows.

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• AI job losses are inevitable, but new innovations will curb the effects, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says
• Huang has been warned by senators before an upcoming trip to China
• US tech should 'set the global standard' Huang argues

It’s long been prophesied AI will lead to mass unemployment, with several CEOs and tech leaders warning AI will wipe out millions of jobs, and firms such as Microsoft laying off thousands of workers whilst bringing in new AI productivity tools.

Now, Jensen Huang, CEO of chip manufacturer and AI firm Nvidia, offered his (slightly stale) perspective. In an interview with CNN, Huang essentially passes job protection responsibilities over to business leaders, claiming; “If the world runs out of ideas, then productivity gains translates to job loss.”

“Everybody’s jobs will be affected. Some jobs will be lost. Many jobs will be created and what I hope is that the productivity gains that we see in all the industries will lift society,” Huang said.

Bipartisan warnings

Huang’s authority on AI is significant too, thanks to Nvidia's power in the market. The company's GPUs remain one of the most influential tech products in the world, and are largely powering AI development across the world - including in China, which is spooking some US politicians.

Huang recently received a warning written by Republican Senator Jim Banks and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, Reuters reports, which advised against meeting with Chinese companies, arguing this could, “legitimize companies that cooperate closely with the Chinese military or involve discussing exploitable gaps in U.S. export controls”.

A Nvidia spokesperson saidUS technology will ‘set the global standard’ and that ‘America wins’ - with China being one of the largest software markets in the world, adding that AI software "should run best on the U.S. technology stack, encouraging nations worldwide to choose America”.

That being said, Huang has recently argued Chinese military branches will avoid using US technology because of the associated risk; “it could be, of course, limited at any time” he argued, “they simply can’t rely on it”.

He added how Chinese military services, which are already developing powerful tools, “don’t need Nvidia’s chips, certainly, or American tech stacks in order to build their military.”

This comes in response to growing concerns that Chinese companies and military agencies will use US tech to enhance capabilities.

Increasingly harsh restrictions have limited China’s access to top AI technologies, aimed at curbing China’s tech and AI advancement - but concerns remain about the threat to US national security should China use US companies to develop its capabilities.

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• China has spent billions of dollars building far too many data centers for AI and compute

• Huawei has won a contract to provide digital storage for the Spanish Government
• The Chinese tech giant will store and classify court-ordered wiretaps
• This contrasts other western states that now largely avoid Huawei, and Chinese tech

Any Spanish government wiretaps carried out by law enforcement agencies will soon be managed by Chinese telecom giant Huawei thanks to a recently-won contract.

The €12.3 million contract was awarded to Huawei after a standard public procurement procedure - and the contract includes digital storage of judicially-ordered wiretaps, reports The Objective.

Huawei will supply its own high performance storage servers, OceanStor 6800 V5 for the project, which will store and classify intercepted communications and data collected through state agencies.

Mixed messages

Sectors of the National Police in Spain have grown uneasy with Huawei’s involvement in sensitive systems, with sources expressing concern over strategic inconsistencies regarding China and the state’s access to data and a potential threat to national security.

Huawei points out that no backdoor has ever been identified within its telecommunications equipment, and the company asserts that it would not answer CCP requests for intelligence, nor would its equipment be used to spy (unless you count government wiretapping contracts).

Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez has been one of the least combative towards Huawei’s presence, with Spain remaining a close partner within the EU for the company - holding several contracts with public administrations.

Interestingly enough though, the recent procurement comes in contrast to Spain’s de facto banishment of the Chinese telecom giant from all critical infrastructure, having reduced Huawei’s presence in the 5G cores of the largest three Spanish operators to 0%, according to Euronews.

European and American governments have been increasingly distancing themselves from Chinese technology firms in recent months, primarily citing national security concerns and the threat of exfiltrated data.

An ongoing trade war between the US and China has seen firms on both sides cut off from the opposing market, with market leaders like chipmaker Nvidia saying US tariffs mean it faces a multi-billion dollar hit.

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• Iran's Information Technology Organization is seeking new cloud computing providers
• Bidders will be evaluated, graded and then tanked for suitability
• Other regions are also modernizing tech stacks

The Iranian government is apparently seeking cloud computing suppliers as it bids to rebuild its tech stack.

The nation has announced plans to evaluate, grade and rank cloud providers to determine which would be the best suit for hosting key government services, with plans to form a panel of at least three qualified cloud operators deemed fit for purpose.

The Information Technology Organization of Iran (ITOI) is now set to assess potential cloud providers based on three different standards – ISO 27017 (cloud security controls), ISO 27018 (protection of personally identifiable information), and NIST SP 900-145, which relates to US cloud computing definition.

Iran is welcoming bids for its next big cloud provider

Iran's adoption of NIST standards might be surprising given the country's ongoing tensions with the US, but its recognition of these well-regarded standards is good news for the security of citizens' data.

ITOI is now inviting providers offering IaaS, PaaS or SaaS, as well as private, public, hybrid or community cloud models.

Services like security, monitoring, support and cloud migration are also being welcomed under the new scheme, with successful candidates to be awarded a cloud service rating certificate, ultimately leading them to be listed as authorized providers that could be in for a chance of major Iranian government contracts.

However, the process might not be so simple for the Iran – many countries have made it illegal to do business with Iran, or have imposed major restrictions.

Nevertheless, Iran's efforts to modernize its tech stack reflects an ongoing trend across the world, with many other regions looking to diversify. European countries are beginning to seek local or open-source alternatives to the likes of Microsoft, while the US government continues to drive forward a scheme designed to save considerable cash on IT contracts via centralized, mass purchasing.

Via The Register

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• Security researchers from University of Toronto warn on Rowhammer flaw
• Older GPUs seem to be vulnerable
• Nvidia urges users to update as soon as possible

Nvidia is urging users to apply mitigations it provided against so-called Rowhammer attacks after new research confirmed their potential to cause serious and stealthy hardware-level compromises.

Rowhammer is an exploit of a vulnerability in dynamic RAM (DRAM), where repeatedly accessing (or "hammering") a row of memory can cause bit flips in adjacent rows. As a result, threat actors could bypass security boundaries, triggering privilege escalations, data tampering, or even denial-of-service states.

Although this is a hardware-level issue, software-based techniques can trigger and weaponize the flaw remotely.

Newer GPUs are safe

Although known for more than a decade, Rowhammer attacks have first been exploited in 2018, and even then - very rarely and in limited capacity - mostly due to their complexity and hardware dependencies.

However security researchers Chris (Shaopeng) Lin, Joyce Qu, and Gururaj Saileshwar, from the University of Toronto recently published new research demonstrating the practical use of the flaw:

"We ran GPUHammer on an NVIDIA RTX A6000 (48 GB GDDR6) across four DRAM banks and observed 8 distinct single-bit flips, and bit-flips across all tested banks," the researchers said. "The minimum activation count (TRH) to induce a flip was ~12K, consistent with prior DDR4 findings."

"Using these flips, we performed the first ML accuracy degradation attack using Rowhammer on a GPU."

The “ML accuracy degradation attack” means Rowhammer was used to degrade machine-learning model accuracy, from the usual 80% down to a depressing 1%, using a single bit flip.

Nvidia has urged users to activate the System Level Error-Correcting Code mitigation, which protects against Rowhammer on GDDR6 devices. The mitigation works by adding redundant bits and correcting single-bit errors, maintaining data reliability and accuracy.

The list of affected GPUs is rather extensive, and besides the RTX A6000, includes multiple Blackwell, Volta, and Turing products.

The full list can be found on this link - but newer GPUs come with built-in protection, Nvidia said.

Via BleepingComputer

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Today’s data and business analysts have a wealth of tools at their fingertips to do their jobs effectively. Behind every analyst team, however, is an IT leader being asked to communicate how such tools offer a Return on Investment (ROI).

Without being able to answer these questions resolutely, IT budgets will be scrutinized and, at worst, put at risk. However, the arrival of AI and IT automation may be about to flip the switch and make it much easier to prove ROI. Let’s explore…

The reporting gap

A lack of answers boils down to reporting gaps. To date, companies that have invested in advanced data analytics and data visualization platforms have fallen into the trap of neglecting the reporting that shows impact. If no one tracks the time saved from that platform or its influence on decision making, its impact goes unnoticed in the wider business.

Take a retail business as an example. Deploying predictive analytics to optimize inventory management counts for nothing without structured reporting on stock reductions, cost savings or sales improvements as outcomes.

Analysts themselves feel the drag when they aren’t given the space to communicate outcomes. A third believe reporting should be a core part of their role but is currently overlooked.

With the introduction of AI into analytics workflows, as well as increased automation, it’s high time for enterprises to turn a page. The improvements that these changes offer (both to working with data and its outcomes) make possible a more systematic approach to reporting.

New possibilities

Our recent research found that 97% of analysts are integrating AI into their workflows, with 87% using analytics automation to streamline routine tasks.

With the right platform, it's possible for analyst teams today to automate data exploration, insight generation and the way that workflow’s function. This leads to faster time-to-value, improved decision-making and, crucially, analysts can report on progress against set KPIs in a reliable manner that doesn’t rely on manual input. Automated collection of performance-based data can track things like time savings in data preparation, cost per project and even the tracing of revenue back to insights generated via analytics.

Automation also makes the output of analytics more accessible. No-code platforms allow users to visualize key findings and insights without technical knowledge. This makes it easier for any business end users to come to, and communicate, data-driven conclusions.

Finally, sophisticated analytics platforms that come with integrated generative AI functionalities allow analysts to spin up presentations, reports and workflow summaries simply through a natural language prompt. The significant relief this provides analysts in terms of time and resources saved is obvious.

A focus on results communication

While AI and automation in analytics offer immense advantages, IT leaders need to shepherd a strategy to streamline and optimize the communication of results.

First and foremost, IT leaders should define success metrics that directly measure the enterprise impact of analytics tools, such as cost savings, revenue growth or operational efficiencies. Aligning these metrics with broader organizational objectives makes reporting coming out of data initiatives much more likely to resonate in ways that other teams care about – rather than heralding technical achievements without context.

Regular and proactive communication of insights is also crucial. Data analysts should go beyond ad-hoc reporting and establish a cadence for sharing comprehensive updates with leadership teams. These reports can highlight key metrics, emerging trends and measurable outcomes, ensuring that executives remain engaged with the impact of AI and analytics automation.

By demonstrating clear ROI through ongoing reporting, organizations can secure buy-in for further investment and scale their analytics capabilities effectively. There’s also no excuse not to do it, given how frictionless automation makes the collation and reporting of such insights.

Finally, fostering a culture of data literacy is an important step toward realizing the ROI of analytics and the tools that enable it. When more business users are working with data, IT teams have greater scope to gather day-to-day feedback from their analytics investments. A wider range or team are empowered to make smarter decisions and create tangible examples of ROI that make the case for continued investment.

Workforces in which the foundations of working with data are understood are more likely to apply new AI technologies in impactful ways. It also stands to improve their own productivity. Put in these terms, the strategic, long-term case for investment in analytics and data stacks becomes easier to articulate to any internal stakeholder.

Settling a debate

Proving the ROI of data analytics tools has long been a tough challenge for IT leaders. Without tracking the impact of their investments, many organizations will have been sitting on high ROI without even knowing it. That’s changing. Advances in AI tools and automation make it easier to track and show the value of analytics with clarity. This is in addition to the democratization of analytics that can unlock all-new levels of operational efficiency.

This shift is helping IT leaders make the case to stay the course with nascent or mature analytics programs, rather than dismantling efforts that were highly viable but difficult to link to business value until now. Enterprises mastering data and analytics will readily demonstrate measurable returns, giving them the most to gain in the upcoming intelligence era of AI disruption.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

In today's data-rich environment, enterprises find themselves custodians of vast, largely untapped repositories of unstructured data. These troves, encompassing documents, emails, videos and more, represent a latent competitive advantage—a wealth of potential insights awaiting activation.

The challenge lies not in the accumulation of data, but in the effective extraction of actionable intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) serves as the transformative tool, capable of converting this “dark data” into tangible business value.

Nearly 90 percent of enterprise data remains unstructured. The most significant opportunity for enterprise growth and innovation in the current landscape is thoughtful AI application. The key is moving beyond mere data collection to strategic data operationalization.

Decision-Making Challenges in the Age of Information

The sheer volume of data does not automatically translate to accelerated or improved decision-making. In fact, teams often struggle to derive relevant insights and take decisive action amid the noise. To address these challenges, enterprises should focus on three critical areas of improvement:

Breaking Down Departmental Data Silos: Siloed data impedes cross-enterprise information sharing, hindering comprehensive analysis and strategic alignment. Establishing seamless data flow between departments unlocks a holistic view of the enterprise, allowing for better and more informed decision-making.

Upgrading Legacy Systems: Legacy systems often cannot fully leverage modern data processing capabilities, limiting the potential for advanced analytics and AI integration. Modernizing infrastructure is essential to unlock the full value of enterprise data.

Transforming Regulatory Compliance: Viewing regulatory compliance as a structured framework, rather than a mere obligation, allows enterprises to proactively leverage compliance data for strategic insights and confident action. This approach transforms compliance from a cost center into a value driver.

To drive this point home, let’s consider the example of a major healthcare provider grappling with fragmented patient data dispersed across 15 disparate systems. By implementing a unified data platform, the provider can empower physicians with comprehensive patient histories during critical situations, reducing treatment delays, minimizing redundant testing and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Enterprises don’t need more data—they need better ways to use the data they already have. When enterprises combine data quality, governance and scalable AI systems, they turn a passive asset into a strategic differentiator.

Navigating the Critical Data-AI Relationship

The symbiotic relationship between data and AI demands careful navigation. Several key considerations are paramount:

The Data Quality Imperative: The performance of AI systems is inextricably linked to the quality of the underlying data. Poor-quality data can severely limit AI's potential, leading to inaccurate outputs and flawed insights. Enterprises must prioritize data excellence as the bedrock of any successful AI initiative.

Preserving Trust in AI: AI-driven decisions are only as reliable as the data upon which they are based. Inaccuracies, biases, or "hallucinations" can erode confidence in AI outputs, hindering adoption and potentially leading to adverse outcomes. Enterprises must implement robust data validation and governance mechanisms to ensure the trustworthiness of AI systems.

Impact Multiplication: The impact of poor data quality on AI performance is not merely additive; it's multiplicative. Failing to address data quality issues can lead to compounded losses in efficiency, accuracy and competitive advantage. Enterprises must recognize the long-term consequences of neglecting data quality.

Industry Reality Check: The Real Cost of Untapped Data

Untapped data represents more than just a missed opportunity; it's a tangible competitive disadvantage. Consider the following industry-specific realities:

Financial Services: Financial institutions often struggle with outdated data systems that are ill-equipped to detect sophisticated modern fraud patterns, leaving them vulnerable to financial losses and reputational damage.

Healthcare: Fragmented patient data within healthcare systems compromises the quality of care, increases costs and hinders the development of personalized treatment plans.

Retail & CPG: Retailers collect vast amounts of consumer data but often fail to translate these insights into the personalized customer experiences now expected, resulting in lost sales and diminished brand loyalty.

The key takeaway is clear: data hoarding is not a viable strategy. Enterprises must prioritize data monetization and operationalization to unlock the full potential of their data assets.

The Data-to-Intelligence Revolution: AI as the Catalyst

A modern data engineering approach must encompass every stage of the data lifecycle, from legacy data migration and real-time ingestion to robust governance and AI-driven analytics. Key components include:

AI-Accelerated Data Migration: AI/ML-powered accelerators streamline the transition from legacy systems to cloud-native environments, minimizing disruption and accelerating time-to-value. Automated workload discovery and dependency mapping provide a structured migration plan, while AI-driven schema conversion, code refactoring and optimization reduce manual effort. Self-learning AI models analyze historical workloads and recommend performance-optimized architectures for modern platforms.

Advanced Data Engineering: Real-time data processing is essential to power AI-driven decision-making. Generative AI enhances ETL/ELT pipelines, automating data transformation and quality checks. Automated, real-time ingestion pipelines leverage AI to detect, clean and process data at scale. Predictive optimization models dynamically allocate computing resources based on workload demand, while event-driven architectures ensure instant data availability for analytics and decision-making.

Knowledge Graphs for Enterprise Data Intelligence: Generative AI-powered knowledge graphs transform fragmented enterprise data into an intelligent, structured and interconnected ecosystem. AI algorithms detect patterns and uncover insights that would otherwise be missed, while enhanced data lineage tracking ensures accuracy, transparency and trust in AI-driven decisions.

Building an AI-Ready Data Foundation: A robust data foundation is essential to support AI initiatives. This includes:

• Robust Infrastructure: Ensuring high-quality, integrated data for AI-driven insights.
• AI-Driven Governance: Automating compliance, preventing mismanagement and securing access to sensitive data.
• Smart Metadata Management: Enabling automated tagging for organization, searchability and auditability.

The data-to-AI revolution isn’t about isolated initiatives—it’s about integrating every layer of enterprise data into a responsive, scalable foundation for innovation.

Transforming Data with AI Agents: From Raw Information to Powerful Insights

We are rapidly moving beyond the era of static business intelligence dashboards and reactive data analysis. The future of enterprise decision-making lies in the hands of AI agents: intelligent, autonomous systems that proactively transform raw information into actionable insights. These aren't just souped-up analytics tools; they represent a fundamental shift in how enterprises interact with and leverage their data assets.

The key to unlocking the full potential of AI agents lies in their ability to:

Contextualize Data: AI agents don't just process data; they understand its context, relevance and implications.

Automate Insights: AI agents automate the process of extracting insights, eliminating the need for manual analysis and freeing up human resources for more strategic tasks.

Enable Proactive Decision-Making: AI agents empower enterprises to anticipate and respond to change in real-time, enabling proactive decision-making and a competitive edge.

For example: imagine a retail enterprise deploying AI agents to continuously monitor customer behavior, social media trends and competitor pricing strategies. Instead of waiting for a weekly report, these agents dynamically adjust stock recommendations, personalize marketing campaigns and optimize pricing in real-time. This level of agility was previously unattainable, but AI agents make it a reality.

This is where dark data turns into an enterprise superpower. It enables every employee—not just data scientists—to make informed decisions, guided by always-on, always-evolving intelligence.

Conclusion: From Data Possession to Data Power

In the modern enterprise, the emphasis must shift from simply possessing data to effectively leveraging it. Enterprises don't need more data; they need better ways to use the data they already have. Failing to operationalize data comes with the risk of falling behind competitors who are actively harnessing the power of AI.

The enterprises that will thrive in the decades to come are those that can successfully unlock and activate their untapped data assets using AI. The question is no longer “How much data do you have?” but “How intelligently are you using it?”

The time to act is now. The future belongs to those who can harness the hidden power of their dark data, transforming it into AI-driven business value.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• MaxSun’s Mini Station fuses dual GPUs and mobile silicon into a compact desktop unit
• With 48GB of VRAM, it’s clearly built for demanding creative and AI inference tasks
• Dual Thunderbolt 5 ports and SlimSAS slots push bandwidth to a theoretical 192Gbps

MaxSun has introduced what it claims is the industry's first compact workstation built around Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285HX processor, a chip based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture.

The MaxSun Mini Station is a compact system intended for professionals handling AI inference, model deployment, or resource-heavy creative work.

The system includes two Arc Pro B60 GPUs from MaxSun, specifically the Milestone 24G model, each equipped with 24GB of video memory - together, they provide a total of 48GB VRAM, designed to support demanding workloads like large language model interactions and long-context scenarios such as Qwen3-32B.

Dual Arc GPUs push VRAM to 48GB

There are some questions over its practical compatibility and whether such GPU arrangements can scale efficiently across different software stacks, especially those outside of AI labs.

On the CPU front, MaxSun opted for the Core Ultra 9 285HX, a 24-core processor with 8 performance cores and 16 efficient cores.

This mobile-class chip, recontextualized for desktop through the MoDT (Mobile on Desktop) strategy, forms the foundation of the Mini Station.

The processor is not removable or upgradable, which imposes a fixed ceiling on long-term flexibility.

Although the hardware choice makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint, it may raise doubts for buyers.

In terms of connectivity, the Mini Station supports one M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4, two M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4, and two SlimSAS SFF-8654 4i PCIe 4.0 x4 interfaces - combined with dual Thunderbolt 5 and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, the system delivers a theoretical throughput of 192Gbps.

These specs suggest real potential for external GPU setups or ultra-fast local storage, important factors for those looking for the best PC for video editing or complex simulations.

The MaxSun GPUs incorporate dual fans, composite heat pipes, and a metal backplate, which should ensure thermal stability.

However, this does not eliminate concerns over performance throttling in such a compact case.

Via ITHome and Videocardz

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• Samsung has been talking about future wearables
• Earrings and necklaces could be developed
• Several companies are working on portable AI devices

Samsung has big plans for more wearables: not just in the form of the newly launched Galaxy Watch 8 and the much anticipated Galaxy Ring 2, but also in more innovative products such as smart earrings and smart necklaces.

Speaking to CNN (via Android Authority), Samsung mobile executive Won-joon Choi offered some thoughts on the next wave of wearable devices we might see – and how these devices could differ from what we have today.

"We believe [these devices] should be wearable, something that you shouldn’t carry, [that] you don’t need to carry," says Choi. "So it could be something that you wear, glasses, earrings, watches, rings and sometimes [a] necklace."

This is a long way from confirmation that a Samsung Galaxy Earring or Necklace is on the way, but it's clear that Samsung is looking into different types of technology, and weighing up what kind of device form factors could be beneficial for users.

Working and exploring

The Galaxy Watch 8 is Samsung's newest wearable (Image credit: Samsung)

Smart glasses are also mentioned there, and Samsung has been rumored to be working on a pair of smart specs for quite some time now – ready to take on the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses – although nothing has been made official as yet.

Watch this space though: "We are actively working on glasses, but some people do not want to wear glasses because they change their look," says Choi in the interview. "So we are also exploring other types of devices."

No doubt some kind of AI processing will be involved in these future devices. We know that ChatGPT developer OpenAI is busy developing a hardware device that would enable you to carry an AI assistant with you, though several similar previous projects haven't worked.

Whatever these devices end up looking like, they're going to need long-lasting batteries, and we know that's something else Samsung is looking into. In the not-too-distant future, we may have a lot more wearable device types to choose from.

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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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 13 (game #497).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Won't you be my neighbor?

NYT Strands today (game #498) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• TORY
• LIAR
• RIFE
• FAIL
• HEAR
• RENT

NYT Strands today (game #498) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #498) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 4th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #498) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #498, are…

• TEACHER
• MAYOR
• JANITOR
• LIBRARIAN
• FIREFIGHTER
• SPANGRAM: COMMUNITY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Although TEACHER was easy to spot – hanging out very visibly in the top left-hand corner – the rest of today's answers posed quite the word search challenge.

With the exception of MAYOR, every word was hard to work out, with JANITOR taking me quite a while – although I can use a cultural differences excuse here, as I am in the UK and we call this profession a caretaker.

That said I am very familiar with the word thanks to the opening titles of the Hanna Barbera cartoon Hong Kong Phooey and its introduction of “Henry the mild mannered janitor”.

Meanwhile, after a run of sensible, straight, and short spangrams we have returned to experimentation with today’s yellow snake ending in the middle of the puzzle. Crazy.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, July 13, game #497)

• LINEN
• WOOL
• SILK
• COTTON
• RAYON
• POLYESTER
• SPANGRAM: TEXTILES

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 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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, July 13 (game #1266).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

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

Quordle today (game #1267) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

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

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1267) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1267) - 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 #1267) - 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 3.

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 #1267) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• P

• P

• P

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

Quordle today (game #1267) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1267, are…

• SURGE
• PIZZA
• PAPER
• POPPY

Phew! I came dangerously close to crashing out today and was only rescued by a hail Mary guess of PIZZA – although, on reflection I’d used up so many letters that there were probably no other possibilities from a word I knew contained a P and an A.

My downfall today was PAPER, but in particular getting the A and the E and R in the correct positions, which rather than narrow things down revealed numerous possibilities.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1267) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1267, are…

• CAUSE
• GOURD
• GUSTO
• GLARE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER
• Quordle #1265, Saturday, 12 July: WREAK, NANNY, CLASP, STAIN
• Quordle #1264, Friday, 11 July: LAPEL, DRAIN, FROND, GROSS
• Quordle #1263, Thursday, 10 July: CROSS, WHEEL, UNDID, PENCE
• Quordle #1262, Wednesday, 9 July: SHIRE, SIXTH, SINGE, IMAGE
• Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
• Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
• Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
• Quordle #1258, Saturday, 5 July: HAVEN, SNAKE, DREAM, TORUS
• Quordle #1257, Friday, 4 July: FAVOR, SKUNK, GAWKY, FLUFF
• Quordle #1256, Thursday, 3 July: DANCE, EYING, GLAZE, EGRET
• Quordle #1255, Wednesday, 2 July: INANE, SCOUR, ELITE, ULCER
• Quordle #1254, Tuesday, 1 July: REBAR, YEARN, FORTH, CROWD
• Quordle #1253, Monday, 30 June: INGOT, INFER, TAPIR, CLUED
• Quordle #1252, Sunday, 29 June: MIRTH, APTLY, SCRUB, SMACK
• Quordle #1251, Saturday, 28 June: AWOKE, SMOKY, DEVIL, SWING
• Quordle #1250, Friday, 27 June: SPEAK, EAGLE, AVERT, SUING
• Quordle #1249, Thursday, 26 June: SLUMP, REBUS, GUAVA, MONEY
• Quordle #1248, Wednesday, 25 June: SOGGY, CLASH, MODEM, SQUAD

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, July 13 (game #763).

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 #764) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SPORTY
• JOLLY
• ICE
• GINGER
• BABY
• POWDER
• COMPACT
• SCARY
• FAST
• FLOUNDERS
• MISTER
• SKY
• BELLED
• SLEEK
• ABUT
• ROY

NYT Connections today (game #764) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hues of a primary color
• GREEN: Ways to describe a fast vehicle
• BLUE: Followed by a name that rhymes with “dodger”
• PURPLE: Names from Walt’s world with one thing added

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 #764) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SHADES OF BLUE 
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR A SPORTS CAR
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE "ROGER/S" 
• PURPLE: DISNEY ANIMATED CHARACTERS PLUS A LETTER 

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

NYT Connections today (game #764) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #764, are…

• YELLOW: SHADES OF BLUE BABY, ICE, POWDER, SKY
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR A SPORTS CAR COMPACT, FAST, SLEEK, SPORTY
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE "ROGER/S" GINGER, JOLLY, MISTER, ROY
• PURPLE: DISNEY ANIMATED CHARACTERS PLUS A LETTER ABUT, BELLED, FLOUNDERS, SCARY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Fail

I fell hook, line and sinker for today’s Spice Girls trap, selecting SPORTY, GINGER, SCARY, and BABY before I’d even stopped to think of any alternatives. This was just the start of my woes.

My next mistake was thinking we were looking for words that described the surfaces in winter sports, so I had ICE, COMPACT, SLEEK, and POWDER.

The only group I got through deduction was WORDS BEFORE “ROGER/S” after seeing the link between GINGER, ROY, JOLLY, and MISTER. The yellow group I had gotten thinking that the word Vanilla was the connection – Vanilla SKY is a movie, Vanilla ICE is a rapper, people buy vanilla-flavored protein powder, there’s a tanning product called Vanilla Baby. All in all, not my greatest of games. I hope it was better for you. 

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, July 13, game #763)

• YELLOW: INSULT BURN, KNOCK, SLIGHT, ZING
• GREEN: CREDIT CARD INFO EXPIRATION, NAME, NUMBER, ZIP
• BLUE: SLANG FOR PRINTED MATTER GLOSSY, MAG, RAG, ZINE
• PURPLE: WINE NICKNAMES BUBBLY, CAB, CHARD, ZIN

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.