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Despite slower speeds and pricier plans than in other US cities, Juneau has a few reliable internet providers.

Pamela Hemphill, who pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge and spent 60 days behind bars for her role in the Capitol riots, says she no longer believes the lies President Trump promoted.

(Image credit: Matt Kelley)

From Xfinity to Verizon, these are the best internet service plans in Lancaster.

• Perplexity AI has released a mobile app for Android
• The Perplexity Assistant offers voice, text, and camera-based interactions for tasks such as booking rides and identifying objects
• The assistant integrates with apps and leverages real-time information and task automation

AI conversational search engine Perplexity is going mobile on the Google Play Store with a new Android app. Peeplexity's app pitches itself as a kind of digital Swiss Army knife that can manage tasks for you, including making reservations and identifying objects through your phone’s camera. Best of all, the app is free and speaks 15 languages.

By leveraging Perplexity’s own search engine, the assistant can also tap into real-time web information, so it’s not just regurgitating pre-programmed answers. This should, in theory, make it smarter and more versatile than many of its competitors. To juggle all of those abilities, Perplexity can maintain context across multiple tasks. That means it won't double-book you and will remember what you like and don't like.

"You can do many cool things like booking an Uber, finding dinner tables, playing an old YouTube video, playing songs, getting directions, and translating Shakespeare, all with voice and a simple action button or gesture," Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas explained on X. "Cool thing about this is everything stays in context. You can start with a conversation about some question you have and follow up to set an action related to it, e.g., getting an alert ahead of a basketball game."

Say you want Perplexity to help with your dinner plans. The AI will look for restaurants, check reviews, suggest dishes for you, and book the table on OpenTable, all in one conversation. Srinivas admitted that the restaurant booking "doesn't always work" but promised it would be sorted out soon.

Introducing Perplexity Assistant.Assistant uses reasoning, search, and apps to help with daily tasks ranging from simple questions to multi-app actions. You can book dinner, find a forgotten song, call a ride, draft emails, set reminders, and more.Available on Play Store. pic.twitter.com/UHdUIiDOzDJanuary 23, 2025

Here are a few more examples of what Perplexity Assistant can do. We can’t wait to see how you use it.Get it here: https://t.co/H4J9cr68So pic.twitter.com/F7ibSFfrgqJanuary 23, 2025

Perplexity resolved

This launch comes on the heels of Perplexity’s broader expansion efforts, including rolling out Sonar, an API that lets businesses integrate Perplexity’s search tech into their own apps. It’s part of a growth strategy that also includes acquiring the professional social media platform Read.cv. Clearly, Perplexity is trying to build an ecosystem where its AI doesn’t just answer your questions but also becomes an indispensable part of your daily workflow. Whether it’ll succeed in creating a full-blown AI assistant that people can’t live without remains to be seen

Perplexity is facing a crowded market, so anything to stand out will be useful. To beat ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Apple's latest enhancement of Siri through Apple Intelligence will require a lot of creativity from Perplexity. Still, if Perplexity's app can deliver consistently with its multimodal capabilities and app integrations, it stands a real chance of muscling aside those rivals, at least partly.

People love novelty, but they hate frustration. If Perplexity can avoid or quickly squash any bugs, you might see a lot of people becoming far less perplexed about AI apps as a concept.

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Costco's shareholders voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal from a conservative think tank aimed at getting the company to roll back its diversity hiring practices.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

What do Babygirl, Singing in the Rain and Apocalypse Now have in common? They've all been overlooked by Oscar voters.

Some Oscar blunders fall into the category of snubs - others show a failure to recognize films that will endure.

Now sometimes, these critiques are a matter of movie taste. Sometimes, they're a broader matter of representation – raising questions about who the movie industry chooses to celebrate or ignore.

The Academy Awards have made some truly epic misses over their long history.

Two of NPR's film regulars dig into those times when the Oscars got things very wrong, and what that tells us about the art, culture and business of the movies.

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

Find out about the top internet service options available in Wichita, as recommended by our experts here at CNET.

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 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 #1096) - 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 #1096) - 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 1.

Quordle today (game #1096) - 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 #1096) - 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 #1096) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• S

• S

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1096) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1096, are…

• GRIND
• STOCK
• SERVE
• TOUCH

Despite a very good start getting STOCK and TOUCH in the first four turns I labored to finish today’s Quordle.

I’m struggling with a head cold at the moment and I think it showed with my guesses for SERVE, where I tried SEVER even though I already knew the word couldn’t end in ER. 

Sometimes it’s such a struggle to extract a guess from my brain that I rush to type it before thinking. This is not, frankly, very helpful for Quordle…

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1096) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1096, are…

• MADAM
• SPAWN
• LOVER
• SIGHT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1095, Thursday 23 January: RUGBY, SASSY, WORRY, BANAL
• Quordle #1094, Wednesday 22 January: SLANT, TRUNK, WOOZY, EATEN
• Quordle #1093, Tuesday 21 January: CHART, VIGOR, PRINT, SPAWN
• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN
• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Get smart

NYT Strands today (game #327) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• THIN
• SUCK
• SELL
• BUCK
• TEEN
• HILL

NYT Strands today (game #327) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Next level

NYT Strands today (game #327) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 5th column

Last side: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #327) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #327, are…

• QUICK
• BRILLIANT
• BRIGHT
• CLEVER
• INTELLIGENT
• SPANGRAM: THATS GENIUS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Spotting a Q in a Strands puzzle is always a great headstart and after a QUICK opener the rest fell into place quite easily today.

The only real sticking point was the Spangram, which was made up of two words and which jarred a little thanks to the absence of an apostrophe in THATS GENIUS – not that this is possible in Strands, it’s just sad to see their disappearance from the world.

As an English teacher might put it: people only write “Thats” instead of “That’s” because they’re lazy. And that’s the truth.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 23 January, game #326)

• MILK
• BUTTER
• CHEESE
• GELATO
• CUSTARD
• YOGURT
• SPANGRAM: DAIRY PRODUCTS

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.

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 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 #593) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• LITTER
• NICOTINE
• ROUGH
• TRADE
• CABBAGE
• BROOD
• LINE
• POINT
• REFLECT
• STARE
• INTERRUPT
• WORK
• CRAFT
• MUSE
• SOUL
• PONDER

NYT Connections today (game #593) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Weighing things up
• GREEN: Mean energy
• BLUE: Profession
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “catch”

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 #593) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CONTEMPLATE 
• GREEN: RUDE THINGS TO DO
• BLUE: VOCATION 
• PURPLE: -_PATCH 

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

NYT Connections today (game #593) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #593, are…

• YELLOW: CONTEMPLATE BROOD, MUSE, PONDER, REFLECT
• GREEN: RUDE THINGS TO DO INTERRUPT, LITTER, POINT, STARE
• BLUE: VOCATION CRAFT, LINE, TRADE, WORK
• PURPLE: -_PATCH CABBAGE, NICOTINE, ROUGH, SOUL

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 3 mistakes

I saw the Yellow and Purple groups very quickly today, but really struggled with two theoretically easy connections – RUDE THINGS TO DO and VOCATION.

There must be a technique where, after you make one guess and get the “one away…” alert, you then solve it on the next – but I’m uncertain of what it is. I guess it helps if you have three answers locked in and are just looking for the fourth, but too often I'm not entirely sure of which ones are right and which wrong. I spend far too long randomly trying things than stopping to think logically.

Still, I got there in the end today, solving the Green group on the last chance and not needing to worry about Blue.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 23 January, game #592)

• GREEN: RESULTS OF SOME DIGGING DITCH, HOLE, PIT, TRENCH
• YELLOW:  TYPES OF ACADEMIC COURSES DISCUSSION, LAB, LECTURE, SEMINAR
• BLUE: ONES WEARING ROBES BOXER, JUDGE, MONK, WIZARD
• PURPLE: ___ UP BATTER, BOTTOMS, CHIN, LAWYER

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.

A large study of 30,000 adults diagnosed with ADHD in the U.K. found women with ADHD died roughly nine years younger than women without a diagnosis. Men had about a seven-year shorter lifespan.

(Image credit: Chris Winsor)

The investigation will look for "potential exploitative conduct" by the tech companies, which dominate the mobile market.

US President Donald Trump has wasted no time in demonstrating his fealty to the cryptocurrency industry that backed his 2024 election ambitions. The alliance could herald a golden dawn for crypto, industry figures believe.

A manufacturing defect in the vehicles' 12-volt batteries can cause them to stall at low speeds, or not restart after stopping. The automaker will fix the flaw for free.

(Image credit: Scott Olson)

Pocketpair, creators of the game fans dubbed “Pokémon with guns,” is partnering with the studio behind Tales of Kenzera: Zau as it aims to publish more indie games.

• Phishing campaign mimics CAPTCHA to deliver hidden malware commands
• PowerShell command hidden in verification leads to Lumma Stealer attack
• Educating users on phishing tactics is key to preventing such attacks

CloudSek has uncovered a sophisticated method for distributing the Lumma Stealer malware which poses a serious threat to Windows users.

This technique relies on deceptive human verification pages that trick users into unwittingly executing harmful commands.

While the campaign primarily focuses on spreading the Lumma Stealer malware, its methodology could potentially be adapted to deliver a wide variety of other malicious software.

How the phishing campaign works

The campaign employs trusted platforms such as Amazon S3 and various Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to host phishing sites, utilizing modular malware delivery where the initial executable downloads additional components or modules, thereby complicating detection and analysis efforts.

The infection chain in this phishing campaign begins with threat actors luring victims to phishing websites that mimic legitimate Google CAPTCHA verification pages. These pages are presented as a necessary identity verification step, tricking users into believing they are completing a standard security check.

The attack takes a more deceptive turn once the user clicks the "Verify" button. Behind the scenes, a hidden JavaScript function activates, copying a base64-encoded PowerShell command onto the user’s clipboard without their knowledge. The phishing page then instructs the user to perform an unusual series of steps, such as opening the Run dialog box (Win+R) and pasting the copied command. These instructions, once followed, cause the PowerShell command to be executed in a hidden window, which is invisible to the user, making detection by the victim almost impossible.

The hidden PowerShell command is the crux of the attack. It connects to a remote server to download additional content such as a text file (a.txt) containing instructions for retrieving and executing the Lumma Stealer malware. Once this malware is installed on the system, it establishes connections with attacker-controlled domains. This allows attackers to compromise the system, steal sensitive data, and potentially launch further malicious activities.

To guard against this phishing campaign, both users and organizations must prioritize security awareness and implement proactive defences. A critical first step is user education.

The deceptive nature of these attacks - disguised as legitimate verification processes - shows the importance of informing users about the dangers of following suspicious prompts, especially when asked to copy and paste unknown commands. Users need to be trained to recognize phishing tactics and question unexpected CAPTCHA verifications or unfamiliar instructions that involve running system commands.

In addition to education, deploying robust endpoint protection is essential for defending against PowerShell-based attacks. Since attackers in this campaign rely heavily on PowerShell to execute malicious code, organizations should ensure that their security solutions are capable of detecting and blocking these activities. Advanced endpoint protection tools with behavioural analysis and real-time monitoring can detect unusual command executions, helping to prevent the malware from being downloaded and installed.

Organizations should also take a proactive approach by monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity. Security teams need to pay close attention to connections with newly registered or uncommon domains, which are often used by attackers to distribute malware or steal sensitive data.

Finally, keeping systems updated with the latest patches is a crucial defense mechanism. Regular updates ensure that known vulnerabilities are addressed, limiting the opportunity for attackers to exploit outdated software in their efforts to distribute malware like Lumma Stealer.

"This new tactic is particularly dangerous because it plays on users' trust in widely recognized CAPTCHA verifications, which they encounter regularly online. By disguising malicious activity behind what seems like a routine security check, attackers can easily trick users into executing harmful commands on their systems. What’s more concerning is that this technique, currently distributing the Lumma Stealer, could be adapted to spread other types of malware, making it a highly versatile and evolving threat,” said Anshuman Das, Security Researcher at CloudSEK.

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Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Jan. 24 Strands puzzle, No. 327.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 593 for Friday, Jan. 24.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,315 for Friday, Jan. 24.

The original incarnation of Quicken personal finance software has been around for many years, but it was joined a while ago by this, Quick Simplifi. With so many people using apps to get their personal finances in order on the go, Quicken Simplifi is a great option. This is an affordable package, which works really well on mobile devices meaning that it’s also super convenient to use.

There are personal finance app rivals, of course, especially from the likes of Rocket Money and YNAB, both of which offer a similar array of features and functions while staying reasonably affordable into the bargain. However, Quicken Simplifi is still one of the cheapest ways to get those personal finances into better shape and keep them that way.

The great thing about Quicken Simplifi, aside from its competitive price point, is the way that it lets users control all aspects of the personal finance landscape and can help manage money much more effectively. And, just like the best budgeting apps, there are tools and user options that will allow you to keep on top of personal finances and help plan for the future too. It’s one of the handiest personal finance apps you can have on a mobile device.

• Want to try Quicken Simplifi? Check out the website here

Quicken Simplifi is one of the most affordable of all the personal finance apps (Image credit: Quicken Simplifi) Quicken Simplifi: Pricing

One very appealing aspect of Quicken Simplifi is its price point. Quicken is often available by way of an offer and currently the same applies to Quicken Simplifi thanks to a 50 percent off deal, which takes the monthly cost from $5.99 down to a hugely affordable $2.99 a month, billed annually. This was correct at the time of writing, but could obviously always be subject to change. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee too, which is handy if you’re not sure quite how well Quicken Simplifi will suit your needs.

Quicken Simplifi: Features

If you’ve ever experienced the original incarnation of Quicken you’ll know that it comes packed with features. Quicken Simplifi takes the usability feel of its bigger brother and presents a wealth of features in a much more mobile-friendly environment, which makes it ideal if you like to organise personal finances on the move. There is a desktop edition but Quicken Simplifi works really well when you’re dipping into those features and functions on your phone.

Although there are fewer power tools than the standard issue Quicken, this is a great app especially for anyone with more of a casual interest in staying financially organises. Getting your money into an organized state is central, but there’s also the option to get alerts, create reports and plan for the future too using Spending Watchlists. The great thing about all this is the way that the graphic-drive interface presents the figures.

The Quicken Simplifi interface is slick but features a powerful feature set (Image credit: Quicken Simplifi)

Quicken Simplifi also boasts tools for projected cash flows and investments. There’s a credit score tracker and detailed reporting whenever it’s needed. Better still, the management of all this data can be done very easily, with all manner of options for sorting and organising accounts, payees, bills and transactions. Again, the impressive graphics help drive the experience and make it much less stressful than some more sober personal finance packages.

Quicken Simplifi is great for getting a handle on how your finances are doing (Image credit: Quicken Simplifi) Quicken Simplifi: Performance

Quicken Simplifi speeds along very efficiently in mobile guise, although the iOS  edition does feel slightly more nimble for some reason. Considering the software can be hooked up to over 14,000 financial institutions, it always performs admirably and a lot of that seems to be down to the carefully honed interface. Using Quicken Simplifi in the desktop environment is just as rewarding, plus there’s the added benefit of more screen real estate to get the most from its many features and functions.

Quicken Simplifi has a powerful set of tools that work great in the app (Image credit: Quicken Simplifi) Quicken Simplifi: Ease of use

Much like the rest of Quicken Simplifi, the setup process is wonderfully straightforward. The app can be downloaded for both iOS and Android, with the Apple-focused edition feeling just that little slicker, and that has to be followed by an account setup procedure. Once that’s in place, the app can be connected to your financial accounts, which allows the software to paint a full picture of your financial situation within the software. The more accounts connected, the clearer the overview.

Quicken Simplifi has a very user-friendly interface (Image credit: Quicken Simplifi) Quicken Simplifi: Support

Quicken has been around a long time, so it comes as no surprise to find that the levels of help and support found within Quicken Simplifi are as good as ever. The software is very intuitive and simple to get your head around anyway, but should a question or issue arise there’s a chatbot to get started. If that doesn’t solve a quandary, live help can take its place. However, there are also lots of resources and articles within the setup that tackle pretty much everything contained in Quicken Simplifi.

Quicken Simplifi benefits from comprehensive support if it is needed (Image credit: Quicken Simplifi) Quicken Simplifi: Final verdict

If you’re really not keen on paying anything to keep your personal finances organised then Rocket Money’s free edition might do the trick. However, Quick Simplifi is hard to resist for the small monthly outlay (even less if you can bag one of the frequent Quicken deals) and for that you get a whole bunch of great power tools. Quicken Simplifi is super easy to use too, with a mobile interface that is second to none while the desktop edition isn’t bad either.

• We've also highlighted the best budgeting software