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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 19.

Much anticipated trilogy clash sees "The Diamond" looking to go out in style.

An unfortunate couple excitedly traveled for hours for a chance to take a mountaintop cable car called the Kuak Skyride. They’d seen it online, complete with smiling tourists gliding along and a TV journalist narrating the whole video.

However, when the couple arrived, there was nothing but a small town and confused locals unaware of what they were talking about. Turns out it was all an AI-generated video that they had believed was real. That story, detailed in a report by Fast Company, sounds like it would be unique, but I suspect it's something everyone will have to consider when perusing the internet for ideas of things to buy or places to visit.

A small logo in the corner of the video indicates the video was made with Veo 3, Google’s newest AI video engine, and it's hardly the only indicator that the video is made with AI. The appearance of the people and the structures all has that AI sheen of unreality to it. However, if you're not well-versed in deepfakes or looking for the signs, you might not have noticed, as it would seem silly to be suspicious of a well-made tourist video.

However, our new reality is that AI can now sell you not just a product, but a place – and that place might never have existed before. Slightly wrong spelling and suspicious URLs are practically quaint in comparison. It wasn’t even clear whether the video was malicious or just someone’s misguided attempt at content creation. It’s easy to roll your eyes and say, it would never happen to you. But we all have blind spots. And AI is getting really good at aiming for them.

This is obviously a much more problematic use of AI video than showing cats as Olympic divers. Still, the necessity of really paying attention to spot the clues of an AI creation is universal.

AI travel tricks

We’re past the visual age of trust. In the AI era, even seeing is just the beginning of the vetting process. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should abandon all travel plans. However, it does mean that the average person now needs a new kind of consumer savvy, calibrated not just for Nigerian princes and surprise crypto pitches, but for video illusions and AI travel influencers who can go places no human can follow.

And that's before considering real places with review sections flooded by AI-written, fake testimonials extolling places, almost certainly with AI-generated exaggerations of things to do that don't exist outside of their own hallucinations.

Dealing with it might mean having to be suspicious of things that look too good to be true. You might need to cross-check multiple sources to see if they all agree that something is real. Maybe a reverse image search or public social media post search would be necessary. And when it comes to images and videos, make sure they aren't too perfect. If no one is frowning or sneezing in a crowd shot, I'd be wary about its reality.

It's unfortunate. I don't like the idea of seeing a beautiful location in a video and doubting its reality instead of planning a trip there. But maybe that’s the price of living in a world where anyone can make realistic illusions of almost-real worlds. But you'll need to do more to ensure you're headed somewhere with a foundation that's more than just pixels and algorithms.

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YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV and Sling TV let you watch live sports, news and primetime TV, but can they save you money?

• You can celebrate Disneyland's 70th at home via Disney+
• The streaming service has released 16 new Park POVs
• You can ride Radiator Spring Racers, Rise of the Resistance, and countless other attractions in exceptional quality

Disney Parks around the world are a whole host of fun, but what if I told you that you could experience and ‘ride’ some of the best attractions at Disneyland right from the comfort of your home? Well, that’s a possibility now for a handful of the best attractions, including classics and more modern debuts, as there are full ride POVs on Disney+.

These pro-shot, excellently edited ride-alongs for some of the most popular attractions at the original Disney park dropped this week in honor of the 70th anniversary of Disneyland, the same day the Walt Disney animatronic made its official debut. It’s also a massive expansion as Disney dropped a ride-along for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for May the 4th, just a few weeks back.

This is a much bigger drop, though, providing anyone with a Disney+ account a taste of Disneyland. 16 more ‘Parks POVs’ as the streamer puts it, have arrived, covering classics like Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain to Radiator Springs Racers and a walk-through of Cars land. The total of Park POVs is now at 17.

(Image credit: Disneyland)

Whether you’re someone who frequents the parks, doesn’t go that often, or are in the lead-up to a visit, these are all pretty great. And the quality also bests what we’ve had on YouTube for years – you have the best seat with a camera in a rig (likely) right in the front row, and it’s all edited well, even turning to view something as you might on the ride.

Disney shot all of these with either a Sony FX6, RED Raptor, or a Ronin 4D, and the decision was made based on the attraction or land that was captured. The Sony FX6 was great in low-light scenarios, likely Rise of the Resistance and Cars Land. Regardless of the camera, these were mixed and mastered at UHD quality with HDR and SDR, with audio either in 5.1 or 2.0.

Even though it’s not particularly brand new this drop, I’d start with Rise of the Resistance, whether or not you're a Star Wars fan. It’s a tour-de-force of an attraction that combines multiple ride systems and, let’s be clear, join the resistance. After that, you can roam around Galaxy’s Edge West – aka Batuu – and might just encounter a Stormtrooper or two.

(Image credit: Disney+)

All of these Parks POV are captured when the parks are empty as well, so you really get the feeling of a front row seat to the experience. After a trip into far, far away, I’d take a ride on Route 66 and check out Radiator Spring Racers – this is one of my favorite rides in all of Disney’s California Adventure.

You can see just how good the environment that Walt Disney Imagineering made, as the course really puts you into the film Cars – you can also stream that on one of the best streaming services, Disney+ – and after that, you can even mosey down the main boulevard of Radiator Springs and see the whole place come to life.

(Image credit: Disney+)

Also captured here with this drop of 16 Disneyland Park POVs are Pirates of the Caribbean – complete with an extra drop that Disney World doesn’t have – Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise with a skipper just for yourself, Indiana Jones Adventure, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and even a walk down Main Street U.S.A.

Here’s a full list of the Park POVs dropped for Disneyland’s 70th on Disney+:

• 70th Celebration Nighttime Spectaculars
• Avengers Campus
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Cars Land
• Haunted Mansion
• Hollywood Land
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Incredicoaster
• Jungle Cruise
• Main Street, U.S.A.
• Mickey's ToonTown
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pixar Pal-A-Round
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Soarin' Around the World
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure

I watched a good few of these already, and can share that they were a hit with my nieces as well. So, definitely fun for the whole family, and I especially like that it brings a bit of the Disney Parks into your home with excellent quality.

The super-cut of the new nighttime spectaculars, including 'Paint the Night' and 'It's Wondrous', is a really nice touch. You can read more about those and other elements of the 70th celebration for Disneyland here.

Let’s just hope there are more of these coming. I, for one, would love to see Guardians of the Galaxy, Tower of Terror, or Kilimanjaro Safaris from Disney World.

You can read more about Walt Disney - A Magical Life and our first thoughts on the new animatronic here. And if you're anything like me, here are eight new shows to watch soon on Hulu and Disney+.

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NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Tom Michael, general manager of Boise State Public Radio, about what the cuts to federal public media funding mean for his station.

One of the narratives at the heart of President Trump's political movement is this: American society is dominated by a shadowy group of elites, and those elites are deeply corrupt.

Nothing represented that theory more than the case of Jeffrey Epstein.

He was a man most people had never heard of initially, with a private plane and a private island. Acquainted with the world's most powerful people: British royalty, U.S. presidents.

A man who ultimately died in jail...by suicide, according to authorities... before the case against him went to trial. Epstein's case and his death bred skepticism and conspiracy theories – especially among supporters of Donald Trump.

Now, some of Trump's most ardent supporters are attacking his Justice Department's decision not to release all of the files related to the Epstein case.

Trump says nobody cares about Epstein. But his base won't let it go.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Davidoff Studios Photography)

President Trump and his administration have been studying new sectoral tariffs that could cover a broad part of the American economy.

(Image credit: Nelson Almeida)

Authorities in Brazil, worried that the former far right president is a flight risk, are imposing new restrictions on his movements. The tough surveillance moves come as President Trump continues to voice strong support for the ex-leader who is facing charges of plotting a coup to stay in power.

(Image credit: MATEUS BONOMI)

Get ready for fall with our recommendations for the best back-to-school tech including laptops, keyboards, headphones and more.

• Mounting SSDs on a GPU limits your ability to upgrade graphics and storage independently
• Shared PCIe bandwidth creates more complications than benefits for most desktop system builders
• Colorful iGame Ultra mid-range GPU is trying to do too much with too little justification

Colorful has revealed a curious hybrid product at Bilibili World 2025: a graphics card from its iGame Ultra series which features two M.2 SSD slots mounted directly onto the PCB.

The integration of storage and graphics processing may appear efficient for compact systems, but it raises questions about practicality and long-term value.

Colorful has not confirmed the GPU’s architecture, although observers believe it is based on Nvidia’s GB206 or GB207 silicon, possibly aligning with the RTX 5050 or 5060.

An integrated approach to graphics and storage

This configuration positions the card firmly in the mid-range category, far from what most would consider the best GPU tier.

The standout feature of this card is the presence of dual M.2 SSD slots on its backside, near the I/O bracket, allowing users to install drives without separate cabling.

These slots are supported by mounting points for heatsinks and are cooled by the same dual-fan system that manages the GPU itself.

By using PCIe bifurcation, the card splits a single x16 slot into eight lanes for graphics and four lanes each for the SSDs.

This setup aims to preserve bandwidth for both functions while reducing the need for additional expansion cards.

For builders working with limited motherboard M.2 slots or compact ITX cases, this could seem like a space-saving solution.

The cooling arrangement also suggests that SSD thermals will be actively managed under load - however, the benefits of this layout may not justify the compromises.

Attaching storage directly to a GPU introduces additional layers of complexity in system configuration, including BIOS support, lane sharing, and upgrade constraints.

Storage and graphics are typically upgraded on separate timelines, and combining them on a single board limits that flexibility.

Visually, the card adopts a clean, matte-white aesthetic that stands apart from the more common darker GPU designs.

While this may appeal to custom PC builders who prioritize appearance, the core performance considerations remain unchanged.

The SSD slots are unlikely to support the largest SSD capacities or deliver the best SSD speeds on the market, and the GPU itself, based on its probable architecture, is not aimed at top-tier performance.

This puts the product in a narrow use case, offering integration without delivering leadership in either category.

As of now, the company has not provided detailed specifications or pricing, and without this information, the card appears more experimental than practical.

This device is technically interesting, but it is not yet clear why such a product needs to exist beyond novelty.

For users who care about maximizing storage capacity, pursuing the best GPU performance, or building for future flexibility, this design may offer more limitations than advantages.

Via Guru3d

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Postmaster General David Steiner told USPS workers he doesn't believe in privatizing the agency. President Trump has expressed support for such a move, which would likely hurt services in rural areas.

(Image credit: Sean Rayford)

Venezuela has freed 10 Americans in exchange for Venezuelans whom the United States had sent to a prison in El Salvador.

(Image credit: Alex Peña)

The most affordable foldable phones you can buy in the US have good specs and features for the price.

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 19, No. 299.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 19, #769.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for July 19, No. 1,491.

China has nearly cornered the market in rare earth minerals, which are a necessary component to much of our technology today. But China sources some of those rare earths and other heavy metals from neighboring Myanmar. And the ramped up in production there is causing downstream environmental concerns in Thailand. We go to Thailand to understand the issue.

• ThinkPad X9 “White Moonlight” Edition’s Lunar Lake chips bring raw power, yet discrete GPU lovers are left in the cold
• Lenovo also removes red TrackPoint and physical buttons, erasing decades of ThinkPad identity
• Four ports on a premium laptop also feels like a design choice made without real users in mind

Lenovo has unveiled a new variant of its flagship ThinkPad business laptop range but has deviated from the black, boxy, and functional design principles which have sustained it for over three decades.

The new Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura “White Moonlight” Edition eliminates the iconic red TrackPoint and the physical touchpad buttons - in their place, this device offers a sleek white slab with only four ports.

The lack of a discrete GPU and premium price tag, starting around $1810, also make it a niche option rather than a broadly recommended pick.

Design and portability trade-offs

At just 1.4 kg and a svelte 6.8mm thick, the 14-inch model targets users who value extreme portability, and is one of the lightest laptop options Lenovo has ever produced.

It comes with Intel’s new Core Ultra chips based on the Lunar Lake platform (Core Ultra 7258V and Core Ultra 9 288V processors) and integrated Arc Xe2 graphics.

Combined with 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe-NVMe SSD storage, it can easily handle demanding business or creative tasks.

On paper, it checks off many of the features expected of a top business-focused device, as its 2.8K OLED display with HDR, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time should appeal to professionals who need clarity and speed.

Its on-device AI acceleration, up to 48 TOPS, is another nod toward the engineering and creative crowd, making it a contender for the best laptop for engineering students' needs as well.

Yet, practicality suffers because the drastic slimming down comes at a cost. With only two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, users who rely on multiple external devices like USB-A devices, SD cards, and Ethernet may find the connectivity underwhelming.

At least it supports the latest wireless connectivity options, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

The biggest sticking point, however, remains the design’s ideological shift - this machine feels less like a continuation of the ThinkPad ethos and more like a clean break.

The white finish and minimalist profile may attract new users, but long-time fans will wonder whether the brand has abandoned the very features that once made it iconic.

Via Videocardz

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