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A new report estimates electricity demand for artificial intelligence could quadruple in the next five years.

The rationale was to address "mismanagement, fraud, and misaligned priorities." Former USAID official Jeremy Konyndyk said reversals and inconsistences in the cancellations created "total whiplash."

(Image credit: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

OpenAI just rolled out a major memory upgrade for ChatGPT. Though subtle in a way, I think it could mark a significant shift in how people engage with AI, certainly in the long term.

Before now, ChatGPT's memory was limited to the current session unless ChatGPT decided some bit of it should be added to long-term memory or if you manually did so. Otherwise, every new conversation was a clean slate.

Now, ChatGPT can pull from your entire chat history across every session to respond to your latest query. It knows your vibe and can track your projects. It will remember things from your discussions even if you might have forgotten.

It still has the user-saved memory that you deliberately ask it to store, but now, every little comment and question will also be part of how ChatGPT processes conversations with you, like a polite robot intern who’s secretly keeping a journal. If you want to find out what ChatGPT's image of you is, you can just ask it to "Describe me based on all our chats."

You might not think this is such a big change, but as someone who's become a regular user of ChatGPT, I can easily imagine how it will benefit me. When I ask for a recipe idea, ChatGPT will now pull up previous recipes it's provided and ask if I liked the result, coming up with new meal ideas based on my opinion of the earlier one.

The same goes for brainstorming bedtime story ideas. I almost never want to write one entirely, but I do get some inspiration from the premises ChatGPT suggests, and now it will be better at riffing on suggestions I've said before.

While new features and improvements to AI chatbots can sometimes feel like a lot of noise for something that isn't that big a deal, persistent memory feels like real progress just by being a feature built for the long term. Maintaining context across interactions makes it easier for the overall 'relationship' to feel more meaningful.

It also opens the door to new use cases. Imagine tutoring that adapts to your learning style across weeks. Or therapy journaling with an AI that remembers what you said three sessions ago. Or productivity planning that doesn’t need to be re-explained every Monday morning. You don’t need the AI to be sentient as long as it's consistent.

Memorable moves

ChatGPT's memory improvement isn't without complications, though. Having an AI remember you across time inevitably raises questions about privacy, autonomy, and, frankly, how much information you want your AI companion to have.

Yes, it’s helpful that it remembers you’re kosher and like a bit of spice in your dishes, but you don't want it to assume too much.

This is pretty specific to just me, but I do a lot of tests of ChatGPT and its features, and not every test is built around my real life. I'm not traveling to Japan next week; I just wanted to see how ChatGPT would do at devising an itinerary. I then have to either delete that session or explain to the AI that it shouldn't use that question when formulating answers to other questions.

There’s also a philosophical element. The more AI mimics memory, the easier it becomes to anthropomorphize. If it remembers your favorite sports team, your pet’s name, or your dislike of semicolons, it starts to feel like a person, and it's vital to not ascribe self-awareness to an algorithm that is far from attaining it. It’s easy to trust a tool that remembers you. Maybe too easy in this case.

Nonetheless, for good or ill, I maintain that ChatGPT's comprehensive memory is one of the most consequential AI upgrades this year so far and will likely still be so when 2025 is over.

Memory is a potent trick, even if it doesn't let you make a Ghibli Studio version of yourself. Memory is the thing that turns an inert tool into a long-term assistant. Even if your assistant is just a digital emulation of a brain floating in a cloud, it's nice that it will remember the little things.

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Music icon Katy Perry and an all-female crew are set to launch on a Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft on April 14.

During his second Presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to carry out the largest deportation program the U.S. has ever seen.

And true to his word – Trump's administration is arresting, detaining and deporting immigrants without legal status.

But as part of the crackdown on illegal immigration, legal immigrants are getting caught up in the mix.

And then there's people like Amir Makled – a U.S. Citizen and lawyer. Makled was detained by Border agents at a Detroit airport as he returned from a family vacation in the Caribbean.

How is the Trump administration's immigration policy changing who is getting arrested and detained?

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.

Kia is bringing a new electric pickup truck to North America.

AI tools are changing the nature of work for a lot of jobs. The results, and the opinions about the change, are mixed.

The new performance setting lets you spend less time compiling shaders and more time bringing the beatdown on some baddies in Marvel's hero shooter.

Mental health therapists at Veterans Affairs should begin sessions with patients saying they are in a shared office space, a memo obtained by NPR says. Trump's back-to-office orders start Monday for VA.

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The agency forecasts weather, manages fisheries, and researches the world's oceans, atmosphere, and climate. The proposed budget cuts would slash the climate work entirely.

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From the Apple Watch Series 10 to models from Google and Garmin, we’ve tested the best smartwatches for every wrist, phone and budget. Here are our top picks.

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 201, for Saturday, April 12.

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The judge gave Khalil until April 23 to request a stay of his deportation and said that if his attorneys miss the deadline, she will order him deported either to Syria or to Algeria

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Many communities have thrived for years on the peninsula and islands in the lagoon around Nigeria's crowded commercial capital Lagos. But the last decade has seen a violent shift, as thousands of people have been evicted by the Nigerian Navy and the government in an apparent effort to make way for luxury developments. We go to the communities and meet the people affected.

In puzzle roguelike game Blue Prince, you play as a young boy named Simon who has inherited his great uncle’s estate. However, Simon’s inheritance is predicated on the notion that he’ll discover the fabled Room 46 – the very existence of which is doubted by others. What follows is a surreal adventure like no other, one that’s filled with mystery not just because of how the environments are designed, but also due to all the cryptic notes and hidden secrets that you discover along the way.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: April 10, 2025

The gargantuan manor that you find yourself in has a 9x5 grid-like layout – nine rows and five columns – and you have to place rooms in each slot. You might think that the best way to do this is to just plop down hallways with straightforward connections to the Antechamber to the north, but that’s not the case.

That’s because Blue Prince uses concepts similar to deck-building games except, instead of cards, you draw from a set of three rooms, each with its own pathways and unique effects. Some have items or documents lying around, while others cause debilitating penalties or lead to dead ends. Because draws are randomized, you’ll never know what you’ll get. You could have a decent run where you make it halfway through the mansion, only for the next set to contain rooms with no exits. That, or the rooms themselves are locked or they require you to find gem resources first.

Instead of health, you have steps in Blue Prince, which can be replenished by entering bedrooms or eating food lying around. If you run out of steps, the day ends. You’ll have to start back at the Entrance Hall as room slots and items are reset.

(Image credit: Dogubomb) The architect of rogues

Within the first few hours of playing Blue Prince, I was already engrossed. While it’s a game in which I can feel like an architect, placing down rooms wherever I want, there’s also a deep strategic layer to it. Numerous thoughts crossed my mind each time I ventured into the manor.

For instance, before placing a Walk-In Closet, I debated if this dead-end room was worth it – sure, it had four items, but I’d block off that section rather than having an open pathway. Conversely, whenever I drew a Hallway – which has three exits – I wondered if I should be using it so soon or if I should save it for later when I really needed it.

This strategic layer also coincides with the aforementioned steps mechanic. If my placement of rooms isn’t optimal, I could end up backtracking so often that I’d waste dozens of steps just to get from Point A to Point B.

There was even one moment when I debated where I should place the Foundation, a room that has an elevator that leads to the underground section of the manor. Unlike most other options, the Foundation’s placement does not reset each day/run. Since I needed it to progress further, I decided to plop it down next to the Entrance Hall for easy access. Had I drafted it closer to the end, that would’ve meant relying heavily on randomness (and the RNG gods) just so I could make a path to it.

Randomness is even more impactful in the game – at one point, I was so close to Room 46, only to draw room cards that didn’t have connections to the only open doorway. In another attempt, I was planning to open a locked deposit box in the Vault, but the key never appeared in any of the areas I checked. These instances were frustrating, of course, but it’s par for the course in roguelite titles. The challenge itself makes achieving the goal even more rewarding.

(Image credit: Dogubomb) Perplexing puzzle perfection

Blue Prince encourages you to plan your attempts carefully and, while you’re at it, you’re bound to stumble upon puzzles that are meant to stymie you. Some even gradually become more difficult the more you complete them in successive runs.

For example, a math-based Darts Puzzle involves looking at the colors on the board and performing algebraic operations – i.e. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Little did I know that dozens of successful completions would cause migraine-inducing equations that involved exponents, fractions, negative numbers, and symbols that I’d never seen in my life. Thankfully, I found a means of upgrading rooms with perks, and I was able to revert the Darts Puzzle to simple addition. I’m terrible at math anyway.

Best bit

(Image credit: Dogubomb)

Several hours after I started playing Blue Prince, I finally figured out why each room had an odd pairing of paintings. I then deciphered the hidden message, a 44-character phrase representing 44 rooms I placed around the mansion, and I exclaimed out loud. No, I didn’t receive a material reward. My reward was a subtle hint that helped me solve another puzzle. I felt like a genius.

There are also puzzles that go hand-in-hand with exploration, such as the Chess Puzzle. You see, there are certain rooms that have chess pieces, like the pawn, rook, queen, and king. To solve the Chess Puzzle, I had to remember where I placed those rooms on the manor’s grid-like layout, and then I had to move the corresponding pieces on the chessboard based on their locations. Oh, and the chess board itself was in a distant section of the estate, too, which meant I had to carefully retrace my steps just to arrive at the correct chamber.

Other brain teasers are equally perplexing. For those who’ve read Maze: Solve the World’s Most Challenging Puzzle – a book that helped inspire Blue Prince – you’ll be glad to know that the author, Christopher Manson, actually designed the Gallery Puzzle. It has four abstract paintings, and you have to choose one word that best represents each illustration. Speaking of illustrations, there are pairs of paintings in every room. At first glance, you might think they’re just there for design purposes until you realize that they’re part of an elaborate puzzle, too.

All in all, the puzzles in Blue Prince are nothing short of outstanding. That unique spark of creativity is showcased, as what starts out as little hints and clues transform into bigger arcs and intricately woven threads that I was eager to follow. Even the unremarkable tidbits might be part of a broader and stranger enigma. No pattern, item, or fixture is there by accident; everything has a purpose.

(Image credit: Dogubomb) C’mon gang, we’ve got a mystery to solve

Blue Prince astonishingly goes beyond traditional puzzle rooms and objectives-based tasks as the story slowly unfolds. Simon is the only person in the estate, but the rest of the narrative, including background information on other characters, is all told by way of documents, notes, books, and, in some cases, emails.

There’s an arc about someone being blackmailed, which then led me to several red envelopes stashed within safes (and, of course, I had to figure out the passcodes). There’s another about a missing author, with hints that are found in plain sight, albeit inconspicuous at first glance. At one point, I even had to browse several books to find a visual cue, piecing together a hidden message, which then allowed me to find an item in a specific spot even though there was no icon telling me that something was there.

It’s this facet that truly sunk its claws into me, pulling me further down the rabbit hole well past my arrival in Room 46. The story developed and unraveled organically the more hints I came across. There were riddles upon riddles and secrets within secrets, that I was finding new things hours later in areas that I’ve frequented numerous times.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the game does not have an in-game journal. Even if you’ve already read a letter, there’s no system that keeps track of the information in-game. You have no other choice but to take a screenshot, jot down notes, or hope that you can draft the room again in the future. In fact, as of the time of this writing, my Blue Prince screenshots folder has well over 3,000 images already, all organized per room and theme. This was hard to manage even for me – and I write guides for a living – and I’m sure it will be problematic for those who don’t commit too many details to memory.

Even with this qualm, Blue Prince still remains a spectacular offering from developer Dogubomb. What I said before about the Antechamber and Room 46 are just your initial goals. The biggest surprise in this game is the fact that traditional progression is just the tip of a continent-sized iceberg.

Fair warning: Blue Prince will occupy every waking moment of your life just like it did mine. You won’t be saying good night to this sweet prince anytime soon. It’s that damn good.

Should you play Blue Prince? Play it if...

You enjoy puzzle games and roguelike elements
Blue Prince has countless puzzles that are meant to confuse you, though you’ll feel like a genius once you’ve solved them. Roguelike elements also enhance the strategic depth.

You love taking down notes and looking for secrets
There are numerous notes and documents, many of which are part of the secrets that you should discover.

Don't play it if...

You’re looking for a lot of hand-holding
Outside of a few documents explaining basic mechanics, you’re left to your own devices and you have to figure out what you need to do next.

You dislike roguelike mechanics and randomization
A lot of facets of the game are randomized, especially item placements and room selection pools. Things can get frustrating if you run out of steps or you don’t get the items or rooms that you need.

Accessibility

Sadly, Blue Prince features no accessibility features whatsoever. Let alone specific features like colorblind modes, the game doesn't even allow you to alter subtitles in any way or even customize controls. A disappointing element of such an otherwise fantastic game.

(Image credit: Dogubomb) How I reviewed Blue Prince

I played Blue Prince on a TCL P755 TV at 4K resolution and maximum settings. My gaming PC has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, Intel Core i9-10900K CPU, and 32GB of RAM. I used a Razer Viper Mini mouse and a locally-made keyboard, as well as a Logitech F710 wireless controller.

My progress as of the time of publishing this review is around 70 hours across a week or so of playing. I was able to reach Room 46 several times, as well as explore various locations in, out, and under the manor, all to discover numerous secrets along the way.

First reviewed April 2025

It's not just tariffs. The White House is rethinking the central role of the dollar in the global economy.

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Specs

Type: mono laser printer

Functions: Print only

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: none

Max print speed: 29ppm

Max paper size: Letter/A4

Print quality: 600 x 600 dpi

Memory: 64 MB

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: Black cartridge (700 pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 355 x 279 x 205 mm (WxDxH)/12.3lb/5.6kg

The HP LaserJet M209dw is an affordable and remarkably compact mono laser printer aimed at small business and the micro office. It’s a simple print-only device, but it comes with key features such as auto-duplex printing, dual-band Wi-Fi, Wolf Security and fax functionality that add up to something that would do well in shared office.

HP reckons it can handle a duty cycle of up to 2,000 pages per month. Being a LaserJet, rather than an inkjet, I already know it’ll always be ready to print without fear of blocked nozzles, and the total cost of ownership looks very competitive.

However, I was curious how it would compare to the best home printers and the best small business printers I've reviewed. After all, with only one paper input, however, and not much inbox toner, it still needs to justify its $149 price tag, so let’s delve deeper.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Design and build

(Image credit: HP)

HP often leads the way when it comes to printer design and innovation and the LaserJet M209dw is a good example. It’s significantly smaller than the similarly priced Brother HL-L2865DW in every dimension and with its paper tray folded away, it fits into my desk drawer. In operation, though, you’ll need to keep the paper cassette in place so it takes up a bit more desk space than those dimensions suggest.

There’s no scanner, no touchscreen display and just one paper input, so it’s a minimal and clean aesthetic. The buttons are on top while a stripe of vivid LED light across the front panel lets you know when the printer is on and connected to the Wi-Fi. It changes from violet to blue when it’s online.

The paper input tray feels rather insubstantial and comes unclipped a bit too easily. On the plus side, this forward-facing flap makes it easy to load 150 sheets of paper and switch paper stock quickly. It’ll take any paper size from 4x6 photo paper to A4 or legal. With no additional multi-purpose input tray it’s something I had to do a lot during the test.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Features & specifications

(Image credit: HP)

Being a budget print-only device, the HP LaserJet M209dw isn't likely to top my round-up of best HP printers any time soon. It has few features to mention. You do have, what I consider the essentials for a business printer; auto-duplex, dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB ports and some security software to prevent attacks over the network. But it also has Bluetooth to make the setup procedure easier, and if you use the HP Smart software, you add a fax facility and the ability to print remotely via the cloud.

It’s a pity there’s no multi-purpose tray for those one-off jobs such as printing on headed paper and a display of some sort would have been nice. For such a small printer that’s regularly discounted to below the one hundred dollar price point, I can’t complain too much.

The quoted maximum print speed of 29ppm (pages per minute) in simplex draft mode is not too shabby, and there’s room for 150 sheets of paper in the input tray. The output tray can hold 100 sheets. There’s no USB Host port at the front, but you do have Ethernet and USB ports at the rear. Print quality is given as the standard 600x600dpi and there’s 64GB of inbuilt memory, which is less than most new printers, but it didn’t prove to be a problem during the test.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Setup and operation

(Image credit: HP)

With Bluetooth built in and a good companion app called HP Smart, the HP LaserJet M209dw is especially easy to set up. The starter cartridge is already installed, so all you need to do is load some plain paper, turn on and follow the instructions on your smartphone. You’ll see your new printer appear on the app because it can make a Bluetooth connection right away and then help you to join your local Wi-Fi network.

OK, so it didn’t actually work first time for me, but after turning things off and on again, I managed to get the printer online eventually. I’m sure this had more to do with the capricious nature of Wi-Fi than HP’s streamlined setup procedure.

A touchscreen interface would have made the HP LaserJet M209dw easier to operate, but a simple print-only device like this doesn’t really need one. The forward-facing paper tray is conveniently located for switching media and the button controls are intuitive enough.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Performance

(Image credit: HP)

The HP LaserJet M209dw printed clearly and reliably throughout the test, with no misprints or paper jams. It did especially well with black text on plain paper, which appeared consistently crisp and legible down to the smallest point size. Printing in draft mode produced only slightly paler print that would be fine for most circumstances.

This isn’t the fastest laser printer on the block. Its top speed of 29ppm is slower than that of the Brother HL-L2865DW, but it’ll still beat any inkjet and it flips the paper in auto-duplex mode quite quickly. The first page out time is given as 7.6 seconds, but this depends on so many factors as to make it a not very useful parameter. More significant is the 30-second warm up time, which is rather slow.

The HP LaserJet M209dw is not so good at printing graphics and photos. Both appear too dark and with poor contrast, as you can see in the photo comparison where a Xerox printer shows how the lion should look.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Consumables

(Image credit: HP)

The HP LaserJet M209dw will take a high yield black toner cartridge (135X) costing around US$130 (£83), which gives a reasonable page rate, that’s just a little higher than the aforementioned Brother HL-L2460DW.

It’s significantly more expensive to run than an ink tank inkjet like the Epson EcoTank ET-M2140, but much cheaper than any cartridge inkjet. I should warn you that there’s not much toner in the starter cartridge that comes with this printer. Barely enough for 700 pages.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Maintenance

(Image credit: HP)

Usually, the only component of any of the best laser printers that you need to replace is the imaging drum, but in this case the drum is integrated into the cartridge, so you’re replacing it every time you change cartridges. Unlike inkjets, which need to run a maintenance cycle every so often, the only thing to think about here is stopping an excess of dust from penetrating the printer.

HP LaserJet M209dw: Final verdict

(Image credit: HP)

The HP LaserJet M209dw is so small and effective and reasonably priced that it’s hard not to like.

Home users will appreciate the prompt and precise pages of text that this black and white printer can turn out and the Bluetooth-enabled setup procedure, while business users in a small shared office will welcome HP’s Wolf Security protection and dual-band Wi-Fi.

I would like to have seen an additional multi-purpose input tray, as the solitary 150-sheet input is limiting. And while text looks sharp, graphics generally appear too dark and lacking in contrast. The amount of toner in the setup cartridge (enough for 700 pages) is also a bit stingy, but those niggles are all explained by the low price and conveniently compact size of this neat laser printer.

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(Image credit: HP)

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