Feed aggregator

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 509 for Nov. 1.

Here are some hints, and the answers, for the Nov. 1 Strands puzzle, No. 243.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,231 for Nov. 1.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for Connections: Sports Edition No. 39 for Nov. 1

If nothing happens when you plug in your phone's charging cable, this easy DIY trick could save you money.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #1012) - hint #1 - Vowels How 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 #1012) - 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 2.

Quordle today (game #1012) - 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 #1012) - 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 #1012) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• F

• G

• R

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1012) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1012, are…

• FIFTY
• GULCH
• RECUT
• TWEET

I needed a lucky guess to solve today's Quordle. I'd completed the other three quadrants without too many problems, but was left with the top left. At that stage the answer could have been BITTY, KITTY or FIFTY, so really I should have narrowed it down. But I was impatient, played FIFTY, and got it right.

I then repeated the trick on the Daily Sequence, solving each one on the first guess when I probably didn't deserve to. That kind of attitude will surely come back to haunt me at some point, but sometimes you have to just go for it, eh?

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1012) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1012, are…

• RETRY
• PARTY
• FLANK
• BEGET

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS
• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY
• Quordle #1004, Thursday 24 October: DAIRY, RALLY, CURLY, LABEL
• Quordle #1003, Wednesday 23 October: DROSS, ANNEX, GRAVE, BROKE
• Quordle #1002, Tuesday 22 October: ADORE, SMITH, AFOOT, LUCID
• Quordle #1001, Monday 21 October: TREAD, NINTH, GRIEF, UNSET
• Quordle #1000, Sunday 20 October: CORAL, WHOSE, HEIST, SOAPY
• Quordle #999, Saturday 19 October: GUSTY, BROKE, ENJOY, HAZEL
• Quordle #998, Friday 18 October: PUPIL, MOCHA, EGRET, NATAL
• Quordle #997, Thursday 17 October: BUILD, BIRTH, LURCH, SASSY
• Quordle #996, Wednesday 16 October: EERIE, SMIRK, HUNCH, EMBED
• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
• Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
• Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO

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 clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #509) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DRAG
• DRAFT
• DOODLE
• DOMINO
• BALL
• BUTTERFLY
• CURL
• CRAWL
• PUFF
• INCH
• HALO
• BOTTLE
• TAP
• PLACEBO
• CAN
• CREEP

NYT Connections today (game #509) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: You'll get there in the end
• Green: Thanks, bartender
• Blue: Not a chip, but serves the same purpose
• Purple: Blank [reaction to something]

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 #509) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PROGRESS SLOWLY
• GREEN: WAYS TO ORDER A BEER
• BLUE: CHEESY CORN SNACK UNIT
• PURPLE: ___ EFFECT

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

NYT Connections today (game #509) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #509, are…

• YELLOW: PROGRESS SLOWLY CRAWL, CREEP, DRAG, INCH
• GREEN: WAYS TO ORDER A BEER BOTTLE, CAN, DRAFT, TAP
• BLUE: CHEESY CORN SNACK UNIT BALL, CURL, DOODLE, PUFF
• PURPLE: ___ EFFECT BUTTERFLY, DOMINO, HALO, PLACEBO

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I like beer, I like cheesy corn snacks, I liked this Connections puzzle, which was definitely at the easier end of the spectrum. Admittedly, that spectrum runs from 'Fairly tough' to 'Absolutely impossible', so it's all relative; what I call an 'easy' Connections game still represents one of the best brain workouts I get each day.

Unusually, I solved purple first today, which goes some way to indicating why I didn't find it too tricky. The [blank] variety of answers can be tricky, but once you know to look for them – which I always do, right at the start – they're really not too bad. The trick is to say the word out loud in your head (an oxymoron, yes) and see what naturally feels like it should go before or after. If I say the word BUTTERFLY my mind instantly completes it with EFFECT. Do the same for PLACEBO, DOMINO and HALO and you have your answer. With the hardest one done, the other three were all relatively easy solves.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 31 October, game #508)

• YELLOW: TERMS OF ENDEARMENT DARLING, LOVE, PUMPKIN, TREASURE
• GREEN: THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR EYELIDS BAT, BLINK, FLUTTER, WINK
• BLUE: SPORTS CARS DIABLO, MUSTANG, SPIDER, VIPER
• PURPLE: ___ HUNT EGG, JOB, SCAVENGER, WITCH

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.

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Strategy game

NYT Strands today (game #243) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• COOK
• TIME
• RUNG
• SING
• SHIP
• SHIN

NYT Strands today (game #243) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Grandmaster's move

NYT Strands today (game #243) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 5th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #243) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #243, are…

• QUEEN
• KING
• ROOK
• TIMER
• BISHOP
• PAWN
• KNIGHT
• BOARD
• SPANGRAM: CHECKMATE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I'd love to really get into chess one day, to learn the various openings and strategies to be able to hold my own. Until then, I'll have to content myself with completing this chess-themed Strands game in record-quick time. It really was very easy. As soon as I found QUEEN it was obvious what the others words would be, and I've played chess often enough that I didn't have to wrack my brains to recall KING, ROOK, BISHOP, PAWN and KNIGHT. CHECKMATE indeed.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 31 October, game #242)

• GHOST
• MUMMY
• WITCH
• CLOWN
• PUMPKIN
• PRINCESS
• PIRATE
• SPANGRAM: COSTUME

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.

Ever send a picture of yourself trying on clothes to a friend to see what they think of how you look? Now, imagine doing the same from the perfume and cologne counter. AI could make that happen in the not-too-distant future after a breakthrough in 'Scent Teleportation.' Osmo, which bills itself as a "digital olfaction" company, has succeeded in using AI to analyze a scent in one location and reproduce it elsewhere without human intervention.

Scent teleportation uses sensors to collect and analyze a scent with a Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). The data is then transmitted to a specialized molecular printer, which can synthesize and combine the chemicals necessary to exactly reproduce the scent. Osmo has previously performed scent teleportation, but only with humans helping the process at every step.

That's no longer necessary. Osmo has successfully used AI to map the processed scent onto its Principal Odor Map (POM), a database that predicts how specific combinations of molecules correspond to particular smells. AI models can then communicate the molecular profile of the scent to a robotic system to create and mix a replica of the aroma. The video demonstration by Osmo CEO Alex Wiltschko below shows how it works.

Smells like AI

"Well, we actually did it. We digitized scent. A fresh summer plum was the first fruit and scent to be fully digitized and reprinted with no human intervention. It smells great. Holy moly, I’m still processing the magnitude of what we’ve done. And yet, it feels like as we cross this finish line we are instantly at a new starting line," Wiltschko shared on X. "I don’t know if this is embarrassing, but I carry the plum scent with me a lot of places and smell it constantly. It makes me smile."

AI makes it possible for Osmo to better process huge amounts of data about a scent, making it more accurate and streamlining the process significantly, even when there are very subtle odor components. Osmo claims to have the largest AI-compatible scent data bank, which in turn helps train the AI to understand and reproduce scents. Scent teleportation isn't Osmo's only AI project. The company has also used AI to design entirely new scents, offering them to the fragrance industry.

Inhale the future

While it may seem a bizarre application of AI, scent teleportation could be an enormous boon to multiple industries. Imagine putting on a VR helmet and not only seeing the virtual environment but smelling it, too. Maybe it's not ideal for some games, but watching a VR cooking show would be much more immersive with some olfactory assistance. Osmo also points to the potential health implications of scent recreation in therapy for conditions like anosmia (loss of smell) or as a way of diagnosing conditions where changes in your sense of smell are a symptom.

As for the sharing of perfumes to get a distant friend's opinion, companies might look askance at the idea of you replicating their proprietary scents. But you could certainly enhance a romantic message with a picture of a flower the recipient can actually smell. Then again, the most popular suggestion for how to use AI-assisted scent teleportation might turn you off to the whole idea.

Guys if you keep asking me to use our cutting edge scent teleportation technology to send farts I freaking will and then who’s laughingOctober 30, 2024

You might also like

• AI tastebuds are better at identifying what's in food than you
• Hands-on with Google's Project Astra, the AI that knows where you left your keys
• And that’s how it all started: AI managed to design a robot that walks — from scratch, and in less than 60 seconds

The Windy City offers a lot of incentives to go solar, both state and federal. Here's what you need to know about them and how to pick the right solar installer.

As Israel intensified attacks in the Lebanese city of Baalbek, residents fled to an ancient Roman temple, hoping the site’s UNESCO status might save them.

(Image credit: Nidal Solh)

Thinking about going solar in Las Vegas? Here's what you need to know before putting solar panels on your roof.

It's not the security of the election process that experts are worried about, it's the efforts to discredit that process.

Imagine if ChatGPT and Gemini had a baby.

The US Army has conducted tests in Saudi Arabia featuring an armed and AI-powered robot dog able to shoot down drones.

The Vision 60, developed by Ghost Robotics, is equipped with a range of high-tech features designed to enhance battlefield capabilities.

Primarily aimed at anti-drone operations, the Vision 60 is equipped with a turret and an AR-15/M16 rifle, and is able to detect and engage aerial targets.

Vision 60 testing

The test in Saudi Arabia, reported by Military.com, is part of a broader effort to develop and deploy effective anti-drone systems. As drones become more prevalent in warfare, the need for reliable defense mechanisms has grown.

The footage released by the US Army shows the robot dog in action, targeting drones with precision thanks to its electro-optical targeting system, engraved with the words "Lone Wolf," - the same as that used in recent US Army "Hard Kill" operations.

In military parlance, active defense systems are generally categorized into "hard kill" and "soft kill." Hard kill systems, like the one used by the Vision 60 robot dog, physically destroy incoming threats, such as missiles or drones, by intercepting them mid-air. Soft kill systems, on the other hand, focus on disrupting or disabling an enemy’s equipment through non-destructive means, such as electronic interference.

Ghost Robotics, the company behind Vision 60 Q-UGV, says it is designed to be highly adaptable and capable of operating in various terrains and environments. I

t has already been deployed by several militaries worldwide for different purposes, including surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue missions. While the robot dog has been utilized in combat scenarios, this marks one of the first public demonstrations of a weaponized version being tested for anti-drone purposes.

The United States military is taking major steps in advancing its defense technologies, particularly in the realm of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

The use of weaponized robots, often referred to as "killer robots," remains a controversial subject. However, the US is not alone in its pursuit of armed robotic systems. Other countries, including China, Russia, and the United Kingdom, are also actively developing similar technologies.

While robotic systems have been employed in various military roles, the deployment of fully autonomous, armed machines in combat is rare. Critics argue that the ethical implications of such technologies must be carefully considered, as the introduction of autonomous lethal force raises serious moral and legal questions. Nevertheless, there is an active global race to develop AI-powered, weaponized robots that will reduce human involvement in high-risk combat situations and improve the efficiency of defensive systems.

More from TechRadar Pro

• WowWee Dog-E is a robot pet that's finally completely unique to you
• Amazon unveils its latest warehouse robot
• Mintid Dog-E review – a robot dog that's almost as unique as you

AI might not be able to color or cut your hair, but it could save you money (and many bad hair days) in preventing poor choices.

Google Maps is becoming more of a tour guide thanks to Google’s Gemini AI models. The AI assistant will offer suggestions for places to visit, sum up reviews, and answer your questions about locations from the Maps app on Android and iOS devices in the U.S., based on insights culled from data about millions of locations worldwide. The update shows that Google's infusion of Gemini AI across its services, especially on mobile devices, is accelerating, as Google Maps sees more than 2 billion users a month and is updated 100 million times a day.

The most notable update melds Google Maps with Gemini's flexible conversational interface to provide ideas for places to go based on your queries. You might ask for family-friendly spots to visit on a Saturday or cheap restaurants to eat at that are near a concert you're attending at night. Gemini will sort through data from Google Maps to curate recommendations.

The idea is that Gemini will not only have a list of spots but AI-generated information that goes as deep as you want it to. That's why Gemini will also summarize reviews of locations you're interested in. Instead of scrolling through what people have said, you can see a Gemini-written composite that spotlights elements, good and bad that reviewers have highlighted. Google suggests this will speed up decision-making as it is a more concise snapshot of how people feel about a place.

(Image credit: Google) AI guidance

Should the review summary not be enough, Google Maps is also leveraging Gemini to answer your specific questions about a location. You can ask about any facet of a venue, whether factual, like its opening time, or more opinion-based, like how people feel about the atmosphere. Gemini will dive into the information available from the location and people's reviews to answer. The response will also use Gemini to be conversational, even throwing in extra details you might not have asked for but that are relevant to your initial question. This feature won't be limited to Maps for long, either, according to Google.

"All of these features are made possible thanks to Gemini’s powerful creation, reasoning, and summarization capabilities — grounded in our trusted data about 250 million places around the world and insights from the Maps community," Google wrote in a blog post. "You’ll also see similar experiences in the coming months on Search — including AI-powered review summaries and the option to ask detailed questions about places."

The Gemini AI upgrades complement several other new Google Maps tools now rolling out. You can now use the app to look at route stops before you leave, see detailed visual navigation guides for when an intersection has complex entrances and exits, and even see weather disruptions along your route as they develop. Google Maps is also taking up a more holistic approach to managing your arrival, showing parking spots, and walking directions to the entrance of your destination.

You might also like

• Google wants Gemini AI to be the star of every part of your life
• Google is making Gemini AI part of everything you do with your smartphone – here's how
• Gemini will soon call and text for you, without you needing to unlock your phone

We go to the borders between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan to see the dried up shores of what was once one of the largest lakes in the world, the Aral Sea. Mismanagement of the rivers that fed the sea because of demand for irrigation in the dry region, caused the Aral Sea to slowly disappear. And now an irrigation project being undertaken by the Taliban government in Afghanistan threatens to disrupt the ecological and economic balance of one of the main sources of water in the region.

Best Buy is already dropping some early deals you can take advantage of now. Plus, here's everything you need to know to get ready for Best Buy's official Black Friday sale.

New research has claimed the shift toward carrier-neutral Internet Exchanges (IXs) is revolutionizing data center connectivity, providing geographical diversity, redundancy, and flexibility to meet the increasing demands of AI, cloud services, and data-heavy applications.

Over the past decade, there has been a 600% growth in the deployment of IXs in the US, according to a recent study by Dstream Group, conducted on behalf of DE-CIX, which found 80% of all US Internet Exchanges (IXs) are now data center and carrier-neutral.

Of the top 50 largest IXs in the US, 35 (70%) are neutral, the report found indicating a strong preference for this model among network operators. By being spread across various operators and locations within a metro area, neutral IXs help businesses avoid vendor lock-in and provide the opportunity for redundant connections. This redundancy is essential for resilience.

Why adopt neutral IXs over traditional models?

The study notes now the data centre and carrier model is proving more resilient and adaptable to modern connectivity needs.

In today’s digital world, the demand for robust, flexible, and resilient digital infrastructure is growing rapidly. With the rise of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) - organizations require faster, more reliable connections to meet the expectations of modern digital services.

Low latency, high-performance interconnection, and network resilience have become essential in powering everything from real-time data analytics to online gaming and high-resolution video streaming. In response, data centers and Internet Exchanges (IXs) are evolving to meet these demands.

Unlike IXs operated by single carriers or data center operators, neutral IXs are distributed across multiple data centers and run by independent specialists, allowing them to offer more access points, improving network density and reducing latency.

Since they can connect to multiple data centers, they offer up to four times more facility connections than traditional models and they also offer geographical diversity which is a key factor in ensuring resilient connectivity.

Furthermore, neutral IXs are fostering collaboration within digital ecosystems by connecting a diverse range of data centers and networks, thereby promoting competition and innovation while offering businesses more choices. Rather than fragmenting the market, the introduction of additional neutral IXs often enhances growth, leading to a more robust and interconnected ecosystem.

The demand for data center capacity in the US is at an all-time high, driven by the explosion of AI, cloud services, and other data-heavy applications. Currently, the US has 11,200 MW of installed data center capacity, with an additional 5,500 MW under construction and 12,600 MW in planning. This indicates a potential 160% growth in the near future.

Primary markets like Northern Virginia and Dallas/Fort Worth are leading the way in data centre construction. However, secondary and tertiary markets such as Las Vegas, Reno, and Columbus are also emerging as important players in the data center ecosystem. These regions offer lower costs, tax incentives, and ample space and power availability, making them attractive for future data center development.

As traditional data center hubs like New York and Los Angeles face constraints related to space and power, secondary and tertiary markets are seeing growth.

Regions like Phoenix, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Chicago are emerging as strong competitors, with smaller markets such as Las Vegas and Reno gaining ground due to favorable conditions for data center builds. These secondary markets are well-positioned to support the next wave of growth in the data center industry.

“The past decade has demonstrated the immense value of the neutral and distributed model for driving digital growth in the US market,” said Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX.

“The study shows that these IXs, which follow the European model of neutrality, are not only future-proof, but essential to support the emerging needs of cloud computing, AI, and IoT to enable extremely low latency connectivity for critical current and future use cases."

More from TechRadar Pro

• UK says data centers are critical infrastructure
• Biggest challenges datacenters are facing right now
• Meta has a way to save water in its data centers