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The gothic horror movie stars Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe.

There are options for great internet providers outside Dallas in the Garland, Texas area. We've compared internet providers to find the best in the area.

The Laysan Albatross was first banded (or marked) in Hawaii in 1956. Meaning, she could be even older than the current estimate of 74.

(Image credit: Dan Rapp)

The Eagles pulled out a win over the Kansas City Chiefs this week, but they might opt out of making the traditional visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

(Image credit: Chris Graythen)

President Trump has declared multiple national emergencies since taking office. That's helping him act quickly. There are few checks and balances on the emergency powers he's claiming.

(Image credit: JIM WATSON)

• Netflix has unveiled a trailer for its new romantic western series Ransom Canyon
• It's been described as "Virgin River meets Yellowstone" with its romance and escapist setting
• Ransom Canyon follows the intersecting lives of three ranching families in Texas

If you're missing the romance of Virgin River and the escapist drama of Yellowstone, then Netflix's new western series Ransom Canyon might be exactly what you're looking for.

Much like one of the best Netflix shows Virgin River, Ransom Canyon is a book-to-screen adaptation, in this case based on a series of romance novels by author Jodi Thomas. Described as "a romance-fueled family drama and contemporary Western saga" by Netflix, Ransom Canyon follows the intersecting lives of three ranching families in the rugged Texas Hill Country and will premiere on April 17.

In the trailer (see below) love, loss, and loyalty collide in the sprawling Lone Star State’s countryside, with Josh Duhamel (Transformers) playing Double K Ranch owner Staten Kirkland and Minka Kelly (Euphoria) as Quinn O'Grady, who returns to Ransom Canyon from New York to forge a new career path.

What is Ransom Canyon about?

The official logline for Ransom Canyon reads: “With three ranching family dynasties locked in a contest for control of the land, their lives and legacies are threatened by outside forces intent on destroying their way of life. At the center of it all is stoic rancher Staten Kirkland (Duhamel), who is healing from heartbreaking loss and on a quest for vengeance.

"Staten’s only glimmer of hope rests in the eyes and heart of Quinn O’Grady (Kelly), longtime family friend and owner of the local dancehall. But as the battle to save Ransom wages on, a mysterious cowboy drifts into town, dredging up secrets from the past. Vise tightening, Staten fights to protect the land he calls home, and the only love that can pull him back from the demons that haunt him.”

Ransom Canyon was first mentioned by Netflix's head of drama Jinny Howe in an interview with Deadline, where she likened the series to Virgin River and Paramount Plus' smash hit Yellowstone.

She said: "It’s a multi-generational family show set on a ranch, and we say it’s Virgin River meets Yellowstone. We think that it’s going to deliver on all the romance and again it will be a really beautiful vista and setting, very escapist."

It's no surprise that the best streaming service is trying to replicate the success of Virgin River, with the recent sixth season receiving more than 9 million views worldwide and staying in the streamer's top 10 for two weeks. With Netflix streaming Yellowstone and now its prequel series 1883 in mid-March (excluding the US), the platform is quickly competing with Paramount Plus to become the home of neo-Western dramas.

While Duhamel and Kelly lead the cast, they are joined by James Brolin, Eoin Macken, Lizzy Greene, Marianly Tejada, Jack Schumacher, Garrett Wareing, Andrew Liner and more.

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• A researcher has discovered a worrying YouTube security vulnerability
• The flaw allowed outsiders to gain access to all YouTube account emails
• This has since been patched, so users should update as soon as possible

Experts have warned that any email from a YouTube account could be pulled from Google with a ‘relatively simple exploit’

A researcher who goes by Brutecat managed to leverage several vulnerabilities across Google products to access the email address of any YouTube user, CyberNews reports.

Google has now patched the flaw, but this does represent a serious risk to the privacy of users, and could put them in danger of phishing attacks. Around 1 billion hours of YouTube is watched daily, with almost 2.5 billion users and 51 million channels - so privacy is important, here’s what we know.

Bounty hunters

The vulnerabilities were discovered because the researcher was "digging through the Internal People API (staging)" and noticed "something interesting". They found that by blocking if you block someone on YouTube, you can leak their Google account identifier.

To continue, the researcher discovered that by clicking the three dot context menu, the GAIA ID was included in the server response, so there was no need to block the channel - meaning this could be escalated to every YouTube account - all four billion of them.

Then, by looking into old Google products, they discovered that the Pixel Recorder contained a bug that would allow them to convert the exposed GAIA ID to an email address. At first, when they did this, the victim would receive an email notification - which lowers the impact of the vulnerability quite significantly. However, they discovered a work around;

“That's when we realized - if it's including our recording title in the email subject, perhaps it wouldn't be able to send an email if our recording title was too long.”

This worked - and when the recording title was lengthened to 2.5 million letters, "bingo! No notification email".

For the disclosure of the flaw, the researcher was awarded a $10,633 bounty. There’s a long standing tradition of software service providers offering bug bounties for security researchers, with Google handing out $10 million in bounties in 2023.

The report was sent on September15 2024 - and in November, the first award of $3,133 was given, with the rationale: "Exploitation likelihood is medium. Issue qualified as an abuse-related methodology with high impact."

By December, a further $7,500 was given, this time because "exploitation likelihood is high. Issue qualified as an abuse-related methodology with high impact" - thanks to an updated report from the product team.

The risk to users

Clearly, Google has identified a risk for the abuse of this flaw - but what is the risk for users? Well, since login credentials, passwords, or other personally identifiable information is not a part of this attack - that just leaves social engineering attacks via email.

We say ‘just’, but phishing attacks are a serious concern, and they claim millions of victims each year - and can lead to much more serious crimes like identity theft or fraud.

If a cybercriminal does email you, there are big red flags you can look out for. The first of all, is their email address - if it's G00gle or M1crosoft instead of their legitimate addresses, don’t open it. Or, if you get a completely unexpected email from a ‘friend’ from an account you don’t recognize - especially one that urges action (i.e. asks you to click a link, send over money, buy a gift card, etc) - then be very very suspicious.

If you’re automatically suspicious of the emails you receive, you’ll be in a better position.

To be safe, you should create strong and secure passwords for each account - and make sure to change them as often as you can remember to.

The final thing to look for is attachments - if the account who sent the account is unknown and the email contains images, links, or documents - this is suspicious. QR codes can be malicious, so don’t scan anything you’re not certain is safe.

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The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro is an impressive mesh Wi-Fi system that works in large spaces, can easily connect up to 200 devices, and has some pretty impressive features. As Wi-Fe 6E adoption continues to grow, and some manufacturers are even up to a Wi-Fi 7, mesh systems like the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro offer incredible wireless speeds and stability for users in a very accessible fashion. This system is easy to set up, can stretch to 7,200 sq. feet of coverage without a problem, and boasts a 2.5GbE port.

I've been running this system at my home/home studio/home office for the last few months to get comfortable with how well it operates. I've had a few hiccups, but this Wi-Fi system has been a massive upgrade from my previous Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh Wi-Fi routers (one of the best Wi-Fi mesh systems for everyday use) and has brought some enhancements I now cannot live without.

Like many people post-COVID, I work from home quite a bit. And, when I am not working from home, I still have things like my client server through Synology's BeeStation, my Plex Server, and other processes running on a Mac Mini Server I have in my home office that I need to access. All this and more can run easily in my 1990s house without ethernet cables running through my walls -- but more on this later.

TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Price and Availability

The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro comes in a couple of options: a two-pack and a three-pack offering. The two-pack is rated at 5,500 sq. ft. and usually sells for around $400. My three-pack variant covers up to 7,200 sq. ft. and usually retails for around $600. You can pick this up at Amazon, Best Buy, or through TP-Link's official website by clicking here.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Unboxing and First Impressions

I'm a fan of minimalist tech. I like things to be simple and sleek. I also like things to work well. When I first opened the Deco XE75 Pro box, I was happy to see that the router was a sleep and sharp white dome that did not look bad. I've never been a fan of the black spider-looking routers that were so popular for so long, which is partially why I had stuck with a Google Nest Mesh Wi-Fi system for so long up until now. The units are compact and well-designed, with a beautifully designed point and an easy line of ports on the back, running up the height of the cylindrical design. The nodes, if you will, are all identical, meaning it's super easy to grab one and have it be the central unit -- something I later realized I could also change in the app if I needed to.

In the box comes the nodes, power adapters, and an ethernet cable to connect whichever node you want to be the primary node to your modem. The setup was super easy. I downloaded the companion app and followed the instructions. I had everything operational in a matter of 10 minutes at most.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Design and Build Quality Specs

Wi-Fi Speeds:
6 GHz: 2402 Mbps
5 GHz: 2402 Mbps
2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps

Dimensions (W×D×H):
4.1 × 4.1 × 6.7 in (105 × 105 × 169 mm)

Included:
3 Deco XE75 Pro units
1 RJ45 Ethernet cable
3 Power adapters
1 Quick Installation Guide

The design of the XE75 Pro is simple and aesthetically pleasing. Normally, I hide away my routers, but in two instances in my house, I have left them out in the open. One was on purpose, and the other was because I didn't need to hide it. These nodes stand about 6.7 inches tall and 4.1 inches wide and are cylindrical. They have a matte white finish with a black top, and the ports are all located on one side, running up the node's height. There is a 2.5Gbe WAN port, 2x 1GbE LAN ports, a power jack, and a reset button. One thing to note that's missing is any USB ports; however, this was not a huge loss for my use case. I've had them in the past, and they are helpful, but with my Synology BeeStation and Mac mini server, I didn't miss it in this rendition of my home office setup.

TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: In use

I could get into a spec sheet and talk for a few hundred words about the performance of this router, but that wouldn't be as exciting as talking about my real-life use case. I set this router up several months ago, and it works well. I could connect with all my devices in my home and office as I needed to. The Wi-Fi was solid, I could reach my correct speeds, and the stability was pretty good. Nothing incredible and nothing terrible. That was until I dug into what this router could do, and everything changed for me.

One day, when I was contemplating running CAT 6 through the walls of my 1990s house so I could get both a more stable internet connection for my work and a wired connection to test some PCs that were in the queue that didn't have Wi-Fi antennas built in (shocking, I know), I remembered the ethernet ports on the back of the router that was sitting on my desk looking like a modern art piece. After some basic research, I learned that this could serve not just as ports on the central unit but could be something I plug a device into on the points connected over Mesh and connect as though I was wired to my modem.

When I figured this out, I took things a step further and bought a small network switch that I mounted under my desk (photo below). Now, I had multiple ports that I could connect to and get a stable internet connection, even without having a Wi-Fi antenna or relying on Wi-Fi. This was perfect for my BeeStation, my old Mac Mini Server (that I'm shocked is still kicking it, even without a reliable Wi-Fi antenna), and some smart home access points (Phillips Hue, Flic, etc). Next up, I wanted to make my connection as perfect as possible. At this time, my central unit was behind a Christmas tree and started having some issues. So, I looked it up; sure enough, Christmas trees can cause interference. So, I moved my main router to a different part of my living room and voila, I had a near-perfect connection to my other two access points running full Wi-Fi channels for 6GHz, 5GHz, and 2.4GHz connecting to nearly 80 devices at any given time (yes, my house has a lot of smart technology). The Deco app also has a built-in optimizer to help with this; with one click, I could change the channels to cause less interference, strengthening my network even more.

Having those ethernet ports on the back of my points and being able to act as an extension from the central unit has been something I didn't know I needed, but now, legitimately, I cannot live without it. It has allowed me to connect even dated or limited devices to blazing-fast internet without having to poke holes in my walls and traverse between floorboards to bring a CAT6 Ethernet cable from my main floor down across the footprint of my home to my basement home office/studio. Further, it has helped me speed up my testing process, allowing me to run updates and download testing software without having to take another step to connect to my Wi-Fi manually. I can plug into a " wired " dock to my modem, and I'm automatically connected to the internet.

Another massive win for the Deco XE75 Pro Wi-Fi system is that I can have my own built-in VPN to connect back to my home network without paying some absurd fee or having some crazy tech added to my network. I could set this up with limited knowledge of VPN creation and only a few minutes. Now, anywhere in the world, I can connect to my home network and access printers, local cameras, local storage, computers on my home network, and so on.

Lastly, if I did want to pay, I could get a host of AI-enhanced features that TP-Link has that could give me even more ability through this incredible router.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro: Final verdict

The TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro is an excellent Wi-Fi 6E mesh system for those seeking high-speed, low-latency performance with wide coverage. The AI-driven mesh technology and seamless roaming make it ideal for large spaces with multiple devices, and the extra ethernet ports allow the ability to turn a wireless network into a place to plug in wired devices. While it lacks USB ports and some security features require a paid subscription, its performance, ease of use, and future-proofed design make it one of the best Wi-Fi 6E mesh options available.

For more for home networking, we reviewed the best Wi-Fi routers around.

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, February 14 (game #614).

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 #615) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• POPULAR
• EMOTIONAL
• CHEESE
• DISH
• PAN
• RETURN
• SPILL
• CUP
• TELL
• COMMAND
• ALTERNATIVE
• OPTION
• SHORT
• PROGRESSIVE
• CONTROL
• BLAB

NYT Connections today (game #615) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Gossip
• GREEN: MacBook keys 
• BLUE: Types of music 
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “bake”

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 #615) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DIVULGE 
• GREEN: WORDS ON A MAC KEYBOARD 
• BLUE: WORDS SHORTENED IN ROCK GENRES 
• PURPLE: __CAKE 

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

NYT Connections today (game #615) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #615, are…

• YELLOW: DIVULGE BLAB, DISH, SPILL, TELL
• GREEN: WORDS ON A MAC KEYBOARD COMMAND, CONTROL, OPTION, RETURN
• BLUE: WORDS SHORTENED IN ROCK GENRES ALTERNATIVE, EMOTIONAL, POPULAR, PROGRESSIVE
• PURPLE: __CAKE CHEESE, CUP, PAN, SHORT

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I wonder if I found today’s puzzle so easy because I am a) a former music journalist (WORDS SHORTENED IN ROCK GENRES), b) addicted to CHEESECAKE, c) a lifelong Mac user (WORDS ON A MAC KEYBOARD), and d) used to write a gossip column for a pop magazine (DIVULGE).

My gossip column got me into lots of trouble back in the day. Mainly because I used to make everything up. I didn’t like going out or schmoozing (both of which are fairly essential to the gossip trade) and at this point there was no social media to steal from, so I would just use my imagination.

My theory was that if I made the gossip very tame – Madonna spotted buying peanut butter, Elton John likes to wash his underwear on a Tuesday, etc – then no one would complain. Sadly they did, a lot, not because my gossip was untrue but because it made them seem too boring.

Alas, my career giving the DISH on celebrity eating habits ended before it really began.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 14 February, game #614)

• YELLOW: MOLLYCODDLE BABY, HUMOR, INDULGE, PAMPER
• GREEN: THINGS A RATTLESNAKE DOES HISS, RATTLE, SHED, SLITHER
• BLUE: WORDS SAID TO AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON BOO, GOTCHA, GUESS WHO, SURPRISE
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF BODIES OF WATER BAE, CREAK, SEE, STRAIGHT

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, February 14 (game #1117).

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 #1118) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* 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 #1118) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1118) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1118) - 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 2.

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 #1118) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• C

• G

• F

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

Quordle today (game #1118) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1118, are…

• CREEP
• CONDO
• GRILL
• FANCY

I tried a change of tactics today and included a start word with three letter Es: GEESE. The idea was that without any other vowels in my first word, I was guessing that it must contain a double E, and so it proved.

Having two words beginning with C was also a big help. Sometimes things all just fall into place in this game.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1118) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1118, are…

• SOOTY
• SPOIL
• PHASE
• ROTOR

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1117, Friday 14 February: MEDIA, ELUDE, THUMB, WIDOW
• Quordle #1116, Thursday 13 February: SCALP, DWELL, AMPLE, TRUNK
• Quordle #1115, Wednesday 12 February: SHOOK, GRADE, POLAR, SEEDY
• Quordle #1114, Tuesday 11 February: HEAVY, CIRCA, PESKY, SCION
• Quordle #1113, Monday 10 February: TWIXT, FRESH, GUISE, TABBY
• Quordle #1112, Sunday 9 February: TAPIR, SHAKE, TOKEN, SEVEN
• Quordle #1111, Saturday 8 February: AFOOT, ALIKE, HUMUS, TOWEL
• Quordle #1110, Friday 7 February: PETAL, ABASE, AMONG, CORER
• Quordle #1109, Thursday 6 February: MADAM, SCAMP, FAUNA, TRACK
• Quordle #1108, Wednesday 5 February: SIXTH, VERVE, BLURB, CACTI
• Quordle #1107, Tuesday 4 February: BIRTH, DRAWN, MILKY, JOIST
• Quordle #1106, Monday 3 February: SLEET, TENSE, SEIZE, SCAMP
• Quordle #1105, Sunday 2 February: LOUSY, PENNE, CHUMP, SALVE
• Quordle #1104, Saturday 1 February: FACET, BLISS, FLUFF, FRANK
• Quordle #1103, Friday 31 January: PARER, SYNOD, BRAWN, BANJO
• Quordle #1102, Thursday 30 January: WEEDY, CHIRP, STALE, SUGAR
• Quordle #1101, Wednesday 29 January: CROWN, SCENE, AGILE, CRANK
• Quordle #1100, Tuesday 28 January: TOKEN, DAISY, INANE, PLIED
• Quordle #1099, Monday 27 January: ANGEL, GLOBE, MAYOR, BRAVE
• Quordle #1098, Sunday 26 January: WATER, ORBIT, BRIDE, TOUCH

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, February 14 (game #348).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Ice packs

NYT Strands today (game #349) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• MAIL
• JAIL
• DEAL
• STAND
• TEAL
• VEST

NYT Strands today (game #349) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Best of puck

NYT Strands today (game #349) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 5th column

Last side: top, 2nd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #349) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #349, are…

• SHARKS
• JETS
• DEVILS
• WILD
• AVALANCHE
• LIGHTNING
• SPANGRAM: HOCKEY TEAM

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

I love how some HOCKEY TEAMs have very elemental names. Both of the examples in today’s puzzle – Tampa Bay LIGHTNING and Colorado AVALANCHE – sound very masculine and terrifying, which is very necessary for hockey teams. I wonder if they had to have a focus group to decide, and which options were dismissed. Wind maybe, or Drizzle.

If London ever got a NHL team they could keep with the theme and call themselves London Fog – the fans could call themselves The Fogies, people who’d stuck with the team over many years could call themselves The Old Fogies.

Anyway, I digress. Both of these names at least have some connection to ice, unlike many others including the JETS and the Flames – the latter being particularly concerning, seeing as heat melts ice.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 14 February, game #348)

• DARLING
• ANGEL
• LOVEBUG
• HONEY
• POOKIE
• SNOOKUMS
• SPANGRAM: ENDEARMENT

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Moss Appreciation Week is packed with events both scientific... and also silly. Moss walks, moss talks, moss movies, crafting moss-themed Valentines, and a "gastropod derby" with snails and slugs (for whom moss is a nice moist microclimate).

(Image credit: Nina Johnson)

• Big tech is tired of relying on Nvidia, so they're making their own chips
• OpenAI’s first AI GPU is nearly ready, heading to TSMC for tape-out
• If all goes well, mass-production could begin by 2026

Rising costs and a worrying reliance on AI behemoth Nvidia have led tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, and Meta to look at building their own artificial intelligence chips.

OpenAI, which is involved in the recently-announced $500 billion Stargate initiative, is also reportedly developing its own AI hardware to give it some freedom from Team Green.

A report from Reuters claims the company is in the final stages of producing this first chip - which could have cost OpenAI upwards of $500 million to design - and expects to send it for fabrication at TSMC in the coming months, with mass production likely to begin in 2026.

Deployed on a limited scale

OpenAI’s chip development has been ongoing for a while. We first reported in July 2024 that Sam Altman’s company was in discussions with Broadcom to design and build its own silicon and, more recently, that the AI firm was edging closer to this becoming a reality.

The report claims, “If the initial tape-out goes smoothly, it would enable the ChatGPT maker to mass-produce its first in-house AI chip and potentially test an alternative to Nvidia's chips later this year. OpenAI’s plan to send its design to TSMC this year demonstrates the startup has made speedy progress on its first design, a process that can take other chip designers years longer.”

Led by Richard Ho, who joined OpenAI over a year ago and previously played a key role in developing Google’s own custom AI processors, the team developing the chip is reportedly relatively small, consisting of just 40 engineers.

While the in-house AI chip will be capable of both training and inference tasks, Reuters’ sources say that it will initially be “deployed on a limited scale, and primarily for running AI models.” It will also have a limited role within the company's infrastructure. According to the news outlet, OpenAI views its custom AI chip as a way of improving its negotiating position with existing suppliers, including Nvidia.

The chip is being produced using TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer process and will feature a commonly used systolic array architecture, HBM, and advanced networking capabilities.

OpenAI and TSMC declined to comment on the report.

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The Seagulls host the Blues for a second time in less than a week.

OpenAI has already announced that it will simplify its ChatGPT product roadmap, which has become horribly splintered lately by too many obscure product names for the average consumer to care about. It’s ditching all its latest model names, such as o1 and o3, not to mention o3-high, to get behind a simple ChatGPT-followed-by-version-number branding style.

I think it’s time Google followed suit with Gemini, and if you want to know why, just look at this screenshot I took from the Gemini app on my phone today:

Talk about too many options... (Image credit: Apple/Google)

It’s hard to look at that screenshot and think that anybody at Google planned it to look that way; it’s just how it’s evolved, with little thought given to the person who has to use it.

As part of the Gemini Advanced subscription you get access to all of Google’s different language models, however having to choose between seven different models with very similar names is verging on the ridiculous. Not to mention that I think ‘Google Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps’ could well win an award for the longest product name in history. What does that mean, anyway?

As a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, you also currently get access to an equally baffling number of different LLMs. Some, named things like o1, are deep reasoning models that take a while to really mull over the questions you ask them, while others are smaller and more lightweight, so you get quicker answers but less depth. It’s almost like Google and OpenAI are competing with each other in how confusing they can make their AI tools.

Too much choice

I get it; if you are involved in academic research or need AI to help you write code, you probably need access to a variety of different LLMs for different tasks. But if all you want to do is get AI to help you with your kid’s math homework or plan your next road trip, having access to such a diverse selection of LLMs is overkill.

OpenAI’s proposed solution is to settle down behind the ChatGPT name followed by a version number, so ChatGPT-4, then ChatGPT-5, and so on. The AI will then look at the complexity of what you’re asking and decide if it needs to use a deep reasoning model or a simpler LLM. To torture an analogy, most people don’t care how the sausage is made; they simply want a delicious-tasting hotdog.

Google should do the same with its different versions of Gemini. For example, the ‘2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps’ model has the power to access things like YouTube videos, so it can answer questions about them or extract the key points from them. Why not just call it Gemini 2.0, and then, if you ask a question about a YouTube video, switch to the relevant LLM without having to get the user to choose it first?

Look at Apple

What we want is AI that just works, with simple naming conventions. If you look at the way Apple brands its products, it normally has up to three versions of a product with a simple name indicating the differences. It has two versions of its MacBook – the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro – and its latest iPhone – iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro – that's nice and simple.

We’re still right at the start of the AI revolution, and things are changing rapidly, and the consumer experience is often left as an afterthought. As OpenAI’s decision to simplify its branding shows, that situation is starting to change. I think we can expect the experience of using AI to get a lot slicker this year, let's just hope that Google get the memo, too.

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This is a hands-on review to give you the chance to see what the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI (2025) is all about as soon as possible. Stay tuned as we'll be expanding and upgrading this hands-on review very shortly with more info.

At the Intel Extreme Masters esports tournament in Katowice, Poland, Acer has unveiled a pair of new gaming laptops: the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI and Helios Neo 16 AI. I got to spend some hands-on time with the larger of these two new laptops, and I have to say, I’m impressed.

The Predator Helios Neo 18 AI is, unsurprisingly, a seriously chunky machine. The display is a gorgeous 18-inch QHD+ Mini-LED panel that looks stunning, and the large form factor means that it also packs a full-scale RGB keyboard and a metric ton of ports - something I always like to see on a laptop. It weighs in at a hefty 3.3kg (7.3 lbs) - granted, not the heaviest gaming laptop I’ve ever seen, but comfortably into ‘desktop replacement’ territory.

Meanwhile, the Helios Neo 16 AI is a little more svelte, with an optional OLED configuration available for its 16-inch display and a package weight of 2.7kg (6 lbs), making it a little more portable (though still fairly hefty). Otherwise, it looks like someone hit the 18-inch model with a shrink ray; it’s very similar but a little smaller. There’s also the 16S, which was previously unveiled at CES and offers a slightly slimmer overall design (the ‘S’ stands for ‘slim’).

These 'Neo' models were introduced a little while back, acting as a sort of middle ground between Acer's premium Predator gaming laptop line and the more affordable Nitro series. While they’re not exactly what I’d call affordable (more on that below), they are very fairly priced for the hardware on offer. I'm pleased to say that Acer hasn’t skimped on design quality to reduce the pricing; it’s purely a cap on the internal specs, as these laptops only go up to an RTX 5070 Ti while the ‘non-Neo’ Acer Predator Helios 18 AI can be configured all the way up to an RTX 5090.

The rear edge of the laptop features an RGB light bar behind the display. (Image credit: Future) Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI: Price and availability

While we don't yet have full pricing information for the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI, I can confirm that it will start at $2,199.99 in the US with a launch scheduled for sometime in May. The 16-inch version will start at $1,899.99, and is expected to launch a month earlier in April.

Now, it's important to mention that these are base configuration prices, meaning that you'll only be getting an RTX 5070 GPU, Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU, and a relatively standard 1200p LED display. Other configuration details are still up in the air; we know that both laptops can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM, but not the baseline amount, which is likely 16GB or 32GB. It's likely that opting for the more powerful configurations will jack that price up a fair bit, especially the Mini-LED display option.

However, these are still very reasonable starting prices, especially for an 18-inch laptop. The Helios Neo 18 AI's closest competitor will likely be the ROG Strix G18 from Asus, which already starts at $2,299.99 in the US - and that's for the RTX 4070 model.

A thicker chassis has its downsides, but it also means more ports for better physical connectivity. (Image credit: Future) Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI: Design

The build quality on show here is a notable step up from the first-gen Neo laptop design, which I noted was ‘quite robust’ but not exactly the best-constructed laptop I’d tested in my Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 review last year. The keyboard and trackpad in particular feel a bit more sturdy, which is nice.

The Helios Neo 18 AI (and its 16-inch sibling) both retain the same excellent port selection seen in previous models, however, with basically everything you could possibly ask for: USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even a microSD card slot. Anyone wanting to use this laptop for double duty across gaming and professional creative work should be well-served here (as well as by the respectable internal specs). Some of these ports, including the HDMI out, are located on the rear edge of the chassis, which helps keep some of your cables out of the way.

The keyboard is a fairly straightforward affair; customizable RGB backlighting is par for the course with gaming laptops, and the larger scale of the Neo 18 AI means that Acer has seen fit to go with a full-size key layout that includes a numpad. Key spacing is good and there's a reasonable amount of travel, meaning that typing feels comfortable. You've also got dedicated keys for both the Microsoft Copilot AI assistant in Windows and the Acer PredatorSense system tweaking software (which comes preinstalled), as well as a separate button above the keyboard that activates 'turbo mode' for gaming.

The size difference between the Neo 16 AI and Neo 18 AI is immediately obvious. (Image credit: Future) Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI: Performance

Acer sadly (but unsurprisingly) didn't let me sit and download a ton of benchmarks to run on the Helios Neo 18 AI, but based on the spec sheet, both the Neo 18 AI and Neo 16 AI are powerful without going completely overboard.

The GPU can be either an RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti, with a choice between 2nd-gen Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 HX chips. System RAM is configurable up to 64GB of DDR5, and storage can be up to a 2TB SSD (with an extra M.2 slot for user upgrades).

One notable missing feature is Wi-Fi 7 support, with these Neo laptops instead opting for Wi-Fi 6E - likely a small cost-cutting measure by Acer, and one that personally doesn't bother me. Considering the RJ-45 port and Intel Killer Ethernet E3100G support, combined with the fact that this laptop is an absolute tank that almost certainly needs to remain anchored to a wall outlet for serious gaming, you should probably just be using a wired internet connection for the best experience anyway.

With a large form factor like this, a full-size keyboard with numpad easily fits inside the Neo 18 AI's footprint. (Image credit: Future) Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 AI: Early verdict

I was pretty pleased with the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 (and the Neo 16, too) - it feels like a smart move from Acer to have an option specifically for the midrange, ideal for users who don't want to shell out for an ultra-premium laptop from the likes of Razer or Asus's ROG line, but have enough cash to afford something a bit more heavyweight.

It would be nice to see more of a shift towards thinner form factors in gaming laptops (something that the 16S model does achieve), but that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon; not with Nvidia's GPUs still bringing the same sort of power and cooling requirements to the table. That's a reasonable tradeoff for performance, though - and after all, any 18-inch laptop is going to spend most of its time acting as a desktop replacement system anyway. In short, I'm excited to see more - we'll be doing a full review of this gaming laptop once Acer starts to send out test units, so watch this space.

First reviewed February 2025

How we test

While this is a review, it's important to bear in mind that it's only a hands-on account based on my limited time with the device at IEM Katowice 2025. As such, there aren't any concrete performance figures to speak of, and there's the possibility that there may be specific flaws (or benefits!) that I may have missed. It's also possible that the product may be changed in some way before release, which may render parts of this hands-on review incorrect.

When reviewing laptops and tablets, I spend as much time as possible using the device as if it were my own: I'll browse the web, watch videos, and create content. Ideally, we also run a variety of benchmarking software to stress-test the hardware, and keep track of component temperatures and battery life while doing so. I also pay close attention to the weight, profile, and build quality of the device itself, as well as rigorously testing any moving parts such as keys, buttons, and touchpads.

Read more about how we test

• Apple has published a support document outlining what to do if your Apple Watch speaker isn't working
• It follows a spate of reports about problems with the Series 10's speakers
• Customers can clean, update, or re-pair their Apple Watch, along with other steps

Following a raft of reports that Apple Watch Series 10 users were having problems with their speakers, Apple has published a support document detailing how users can tackle some of the problems reported.

While the company has not officially responded to or acknowledged the speaker issues, the new document was published on February 13 and states:

"If the microphone or speaker isn’t working as expected on your Apple Watch

Try these steps if your Apple Watch microphone or speaker isn't working as expected. You can also use these steps if the sound is crackling, distorted, muffled, or intermittent."

As you might expect, it features the usual slew of troubleshooting, including updates, re-pairing the watch, and cleaning. Here's what you need to know.

How to fix your Apple Watch Series 10 speaker problems

(Image credit: Future)

Apple says that the first thing users should do is update their iPhone and Apple Watch software. If you're having speaker troubles, it's possible your issue has been solved by a software update, so this is a good starting point.

The next step is to clean your Apple Watch. Apple says you should check your Watch's microphone and speaker for obstructions. Because Apple Watches are water-resistant, you can run it under "lightly running, warm, fresh water until it's clean." Apple Watch Series 10 speakers can be cleaned with a soft bristle brush, just don't use cleaning liquids, sprays, or abrasives.

Apple also says you should check your Watch for water and dry it, as this can degrade speaker performance. "To check whether water is in the microphone or speaker port, place your Apple Watch microphone or speaker side down on a lint-free microfiber cloth," the company says.

If there's any present, you can dry it with a lint-free microfiber cloth; just don't use heat, compressed air, or sprays. A top tip: charge your Apple Watch overnight to speed up evaporation.

Apple also offers the classic options of restarting, unpairing, and re-pairing your Apple Watch with your iPhone.

Finally, there are suggestions to check Silent Mode, Do Not Disturb, and your Watch's sound settings in case you haven't inadvertently silenced your Watch.

Since reporting these issues, multiple Series 10 users have confirmed they've been experiencing the issue. While not limited to the Series 10, the problem is more noticeable because 2024's best Apple Watch is the first mainstream model to offer audio playback for media through its speakers.

If you try all these steps and still have issues, it might be time to contact Apple Support or your local Apple Store.

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Trump administration officials say the move was necessary "to build a culture of child safety and accountability." But advocates say they fear the administration will use it for immigration enforcement. 

(Image credit: John Moore)