A storm system crossing the U.S. threatens to unleash tornadoes Friday in the Mississippi Valley, blizzards in the northern Plains and dry conditions in Texas and Oklahoma that pose a wildfire risk.
(Image credit: AP)
Distraught families from across the country have already started reaching out about clothing items they say they recognize.
(Image credit: AP)
Some 400 to 600 Asian elephants are believed to remain living in the wild in Cambodia. Researchers said the study's findings underscore the potential of a "national stronghold" for the species.
(Image credit: The Flora & Fauna conservation/AP)
Feinstein was comfortable writing fiction and nonfiction, and took on an array of sports, including golf and tennis, but he was known most for his connection to college basketball
(Image credit: CALEB JONES)
The FDA tested 95 products containing benzoyl peroxide, an ingredient widely used to treat acne that can form benzene as a byproduct. It found that six products could have more benzene than usual.
(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)
House Democrats were gathered in Virginia for their annual issues conference when they received the news that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was planning to vote to advance a GOP-spending bill.
(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)
A federal judge in Maryland found the Trump administration acted unlawfully in firing thousands of federal employees by not first notifying states.
(Image credit: Kent Nishimura)
AI art generation has been evolving at a wild pace, and Google just threw another big contender into the mix through its Gemini Flash 2.0. You can play with the new image creation tool in Google's AI Studio.
Gemini Flash is, as the name suggests, very fast, notably faster than DALL-E 3 and other image creators. That speed might mean lower quality images, but that's not the case here, especially because all of the changes and upgrades to the model's image production ability. Still, if you want really good results, you must know how to talk to the AI. After plenty of trial and error, I've put together five tips for getting the absolute best art out of Gemini Flash 2.0. Some of these may seem similar to advice about other AI art creators, because they are, but that doesn't make them less useful in this context.
Tell a story (Image credit: Created with Google Gemini)The most interesting new feature for Gemini Flash's image creation is that it isn’t just good for one-off illustrations, it can actually help you create a visual story by generating a series of related images with consistent style, settings, and moods.
To get started, you just have to ask it to tell you a story and how often you want an illustration to go with the action. The result will include those images accompanying the text.
For my project, I asked the AI to "Generate a story of a heroic baby dragon who protected a fairy queen from an evil wizard in a 3d cartoon animation style. For each scene, generate an image." I saw the above start to appear. And, if there's an issue, you can rewrite any of the bits of the story and the model will regenerate the image accordingly.
Be super specific (Image credit: Created with Google Gemini)If you tell Gemini to make “a dog in a park,” you might get a blurry golden retriever sitting somewhere vaguely green. But if you say, “A fluffy golden retriever sitting on a wooden bench in Central Park during autumn, with red and orange leaves scattered on the ground”—you get exactly what you’re picturing.
AI models thrive on detail. The more you provide, the better your image will be. So for the image above, instead of just asking for a futuristic looking city, I requested "A retro-futuristic cityscape at sunset, with neon signs glowing in pink and blue, flying cars in the sky, and people walking in retro-future style outfits." Seven seconds later, the result came in.
Get conversational (Image credit: Google Gemini Flash 2.0)One of my favorite things about the new Gemini Flash is that you can get conversational with it without losing much of the speed. That means you don’t have to get everything right in one go. After generating an image, you can literally chat with the AI to make edits. Want to change the colors? Add a character? Make the lighting moodier? Just ask.
In the image set above, I started by asking for "A cozy reading nook with a fireplace, bookshelves filled with novels, and a big comfy armchair." I then refined it by asking it to "Make it nighttime with soft, warm lighting," then followed up by asking it to "Add a sleeping cat on the armchair," and finished by requesting the AI "Give the room a vintage, Victorian aesthetic." The final result on the left looks almost exactly like what I imagined, and makes Gemini feel like an art assistant, one capable of adjusting to what I want without starting over from scratch every time.
Gemini Flash matches ChatGPT (Image credit: Created with Google Gemini)Google has boasted that Gemini is full of real-world knowledge, which means you can get historical accuracy, realistic cultural details, and true-to-life imagery if you ask for it. Of course, that requires being specific. For example, if you prompt it for “a Viking warrior,” you might get something that looks more like a Game of Thrones character. But if you say, “A historically accurate Viking warrior from the 9th century, wearing detailed chainmail armor, a round wooden shield, and a traditional Norse helmet”—you’ll get something much more precise.
As a test I asked the AI to make "An ancient Mayan city at sunrise, with towering stone pyramids, lush jungle surroundings, and people dressed in traditional Mayan garments." It's not perfect, but it looks a lot more like the real thing than previous versions, which would sometimes come back with almost an Egyptian pyramid.
Write fast (Image credit: Created with Google Gemini)Most AI image models have long struggled with rendering text, turning words into illegible scribbles. Even the better models today that can do so take a bit to do it and getting it right can take a few tries. But, Gemini Flash is shockingly good at integrating text into images quickly and legibly. Being very specific can help though.
That's how I generated the image above by asking the AI to "Make a vintage-style travel poster that says 'Visit London’ in bold, retro typography, featuring a stylized illustration of the city."
You might also like...High-end gaming and workstation laptop specialist Eurocom has just released a refresh of its flagship mobile supercomputer, the Raptor X18.
It is one of the fastest laptops ever built and will probably earn a well-deserved spot in our best mobile workstation buying guide.
Its base configuration runs on a Core Ultra 9 275HX, the fastest laptop processor from Intel and the top of the range model will set you back more than $15,000.
For that outlay, you get a mobile Nvidia Geforce RTX5090 GPU with 24GB GDDR7, 256GB of DDR5 RAM - the only one I know that can take that much memory - as well as four WD_Black 8TB PCIe Gen4 SSD configured in RAID-0.
As for previous mobile supercomputers, Eurocom has entrusted an ODM - most probably Clevo - with the design and manufacturing of what is, as of now, the most powerful laptop in the world.
The result is a practical, if underwhelming, finish with its true origins betrayed by the presence of an RGB Keyboard with individual key illumination, N-Key Rollover & anti-ghosting.
A mobile supercomputer can also be one of the best gaming laptops.
The 18-inch screen that completes its setup can be specced up to a UHD+ resolution (that's 3240 x 2400 pixels with a 16:10 aspect ratio).
Its 200Hz refresh rate shows that it can also be a decent gaming panel.
Where this laptop will be sorely lacking is battery life; even with a 99Whr battery, I don't expect users to be able to utilize this laptop, under load, for more than 60 minutes; consider the battery as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) instead.
That’s down to the presence of a power-hungry GPU and CPU (that demand up to 175W and 55W respectively) as well as four memory modules, a large screen and four SSDs.
You may also find its weight (7.9 lbs/3.6kg) and its dimensions (400 x 320 x 33mm) to be slightly overwhelming but then again it is more of a desktop replacement rather than a true laptop.
Raptor X18 vs 16-inch MacBook Pro (Image credit: Future)In comparison, the most powerful Apple laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, one of the best laptops ever built, has a maximum selling price of $7,199 when configured with 128GB of RAM and 8TB SSD.
The 1TB SSD version retails for a mere $4,999 or a third of the price of the X18.
The 275HX is the most powerful laptop CPU available right now reaching, on popular benchmark software Passmar, a CPU Mark of just over 61,000.
The 16-core M4 Max, Apple’s most powerful laptop CPU, delivers about 43,700 points, a 40% speed delta.
When compared to desktop counterparts, the 275HX comes ahead of the EPYC 74F3, a 3-year old server CPU from AMD that has the same number of cores but a TDP 4x higher.
Raptor X18 vs Workstation PC A stock picture of the Dell Precision mid-tower workstation (Image credit: Dell)There are other Core 9 Ultra 275HX laptops scheduled for release in the coming weeks but Eurocom’s laptop is the only one with four SODIMM slots.
I configured a popular workstation PC, the Precision 5860 to match the Raptor X18.
With a slower Intel Xeon W7-2495X CPU, a less capable Nvidia RTX 4500 Ada Generation professional GPU and four 4TB SSDs, Dell’s alter-ego came out with a shocking $15,700 price tag, without a 4K monitor.
The only saving grace for the desktop workstation is the 3-year basic onsite service with remote diagnosis Dell provides.
I love the fact that the X18 has not one but two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports, the first time I’ve seen this combination in a laptop, that’s in addition to Wi-Fi 7.
You might also likeOne of Dell’s latest monitors comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s a behemoth of a display.
The Dell Pro 75 Plus is, as the name suggests, a massive 75-inch 4k touchscreen display designed for more professional settings, such as an office space or meeting room. You probably could fit it into a home office space, but that might be overkill.
The new Pro 75 Plus is equipped with 20-point touch technology, and boasts 20W speakers alongside USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, and Ethernet capabilities. Similarly, the display includes exclusive access to Dell’s Screen Drop features and Dell Pro Micro integration, making it the “ultimate solution for enhancing productivity and engagement”, according to the company.
Looking for a cheaper option? We’ve got you coveredThe Pro 75 Plus also comes equipped with Crestron Connect and Crestron XiO Cloud options, Dell revealed, allowing for remote management and greater control via office network systems.
It certainly will be appealing to enterprises overhauling their in-house tech, but the price might be a major stumbling block, coming in at $ 3,999.
The Pro 75 Plus is by no means the priciest touchscreen display we’ve come across in recent years. TechRadarPro was impressed with the ViewSonic IFP9850 4K Ultra HD Display in 2020, for example.
The whopping 98-inch display still retails at $8,490, more than double the Dell monitor.
If you’re in the market for something cheaper, however, the ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP75G1 is a great option. Also measuring in at 75 inches, the interactive display will set you back half the price at $1,999, but this is part of a limited-time promotion.
The 4K UHD display has a few distinct advantages compared to its Dell counterpart, boasting a 40-point touch display, two 10W internal speakers, three HDMI ports, and a whopping nine USB ports.
Notably, the display also gives users the choice of a slot-in PC to really kick things up a notch, with Android and Windows options available.
You might also likeRather than take a look at what Apple is doing, Samsung could draw inspiration from the likes of Huawei and Xiaomi and offer a variable aperture on the main camera of the rumored Galaxy S26 Ultra.
This tip comes from reasonably reliable tipster Ice Universe, who, when posting on Chinese social media site Weibo, claimed that the ability to switch physically between apertures will return on the main rear camera of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Such a feature was last seen on the Galaxy S9, which could switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 to adjust the lens opening depending on lighting conditions.
The idea there was that the wider aperture (f/1/5) was used to let more light hit the camera sensor when the lighting conditions were darker at the expense of sharper photos with a deeper depth of field, while the higher (and smaller) aperture was used in brighter conditions where there was plenty of light hitting the sensor and allowed for sharper pictures with a greater depth of field.
This was a neat feature, but on phones with smaller sensors it was arguably a little moot, as there's generally a rather large depth of field on smartphones given how small a main camera's sensor is in relation to the size of the lens and its wide focal length.
A potentially exciting upgradeNevertheless, it would be one way to upgrade the 200-megapixel main camera found on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. And given recent Ultra models in the Galaxy S-series have larger sensors than a lot of older Galaxy phones, greater aperture control could be more noticeable.
It would also give the camera another physical function to help shape the photos it produces, and mean the next-generation Ultra might not be as reliant on algorithmic image processing.
Ice Universe didn’t note the aperture the Galaxy S26 Ultra could use, and such a feature wouldn’t be unique to the phone, as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has multiple variable apertures on its main camera, and the Huawei Mate 50 Pro also features a main camera with a variable aperture of f/1.4 and f/4. In our Xiaomi 14 Ultra review, tester Paul Hatton waxed lyrical about the quality of the phone’s camera and its apertures, so it would seem like a feature Samsung would be smart to copy.
The flipside is that such a feature could be more of a way to market the phone than yield any transformative results, especially as Samsung already makes one of the best camera phones around.
Time will tell if this rumor bears any fruit, but it’s one that got my attention and could inject a little more creativity in a range of Samsung phones that’s gotten overly iterative, in my opinion.
You might also likeA 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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, March 13 (game #1144).
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 #1145) - 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 #1145) - 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 #1145) - 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 #1145) - 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 #1145) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?• B
• S
• G
• A
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #1145) - the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster)The answers to today's Quordle, game #1145, are…
This was one of those unlucky days where I made all the wrong choices – ABODE instead of ADOBE, BIBLE instead of BELIE and SMEAR instead of SPEAR.
In hindsight, I also made the wrong choice with my start words, but on another day they could have worked perfectly.
You can’t win them all.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Daily Sequence today (game #1145) - the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster)The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1145, are…
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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, March 13 (game #641).
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 #642) - today's words (Image credit: New York Times)Today's NYT Connections words are…
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
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 #642) - hint #2 - group answersWhat are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #642) - the answers (Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Connections, game #642, are…
I wouldn’t say I knew what I was doing with today’s Connections, but I muddled home somehow.
My mistake came when I put CHARGE, LEVY and FINE with SHORT, as I thought it was something to do with buying and selling stocks. Something I know nothing about, despite binge-watching three seasons of Industry.
I’m sure CHECKOUT LINE IMPULSE BUYS will be perplexing for many. I can’t remember ever seeing a CHARGING CABLE by the checkouts, but maybe I’m not going to the right stores. I got it by thinking they were all things you’d put in your bag on a day trip.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 13 March, game #641)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 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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, March 13 (game #375).
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 #376) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Fillin' good!
NYT Strands today (game #376) - hint #2 - clue wordsPlay any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
• Spangram has 11 letters
NYT Strands today (game #376) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?First side: left, 4th row
Last side: right, 4th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #376) - the answers (Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Strands, game #376, are…
If you asked a British person to name some CLASSIC PIES they’d probably say 'chicken and mushroom' or 'steak and kidney', both best eaten with mashed potato. It’s not that we don’t also love pastry covering fruit, it’s just more common.
Such was my obsession with Twin Peaks that I once traveled from Seattle to the town where it was filmed – Snoqualmie in Washington State – so I could go to the Double R Diner and eat a CHERRY pie just like Agent Cooper. Except I couldn’t find the diner (it was in the next town), so I left with my craving unsatisfied.
I did buy a mug, though.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 13 March, game #375)Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.
Taken one photograph too many and run out of cloud storage? It’s happened to us all at some point, and there’s nothing more frustrating.
Faced with the prospect of upgrading your plan and forking out for more capacity, it’s worth exploring all of the available options.
Luckily, there are a broad variety out there, but millions of Americans are still missing out regardless.
Verizon cloud storage dealsVerizon, for example, has little-known perks for customers in this regard, offering unlimited cloud storage at a relatively low monthly cost.
Verizon Cloud gives customers access to unlimited cloud storage for $13.99 per month. Better still, if you’re willing to pay $19.99 per month, this can be expanded to a group plan for up to five users, bringing friends or family into the fold.
Both the individual and group unlimited plans come with some handy perks, including automatic backup capabilities. This allows you to keep copies of photographs, documents, or videos and access them via your smartphone or computer.
The service also boasts a range of security features, including a PIN-protected private folder to safeguard sensitive content such as driver’s licenses, passports, or just your personal photos and videos.
One very handy aspect of the Verizon Cloud service is that your saved contacts, photographs, and videos can be easily transferred to your new mobile device when you upgrade.
AT&T's competitor service has added perksVerizon isn’t alone on this front, either, as AT&T also offers unlimited cloud storage services for customers.
Similar to Verizon Cloud, the AT&T Personal Cloud service comes in at a slightly higher cost, but with additional benefits and features.
Users of this service can access unlimited storage for $19.99 per month, but this is for one individual.
AT&T Personal Cloud offers virtually the same services as the aforementioned Verizon Cloud, including automatic backup capabilities and PIN-protected private folders for sensitive materials.
Some features do differ, though, including in-built AI photo editing tools, which could come in handy for those looking to edit on the go.
The service can also be accessed anywhere, including via your phone, tablet, or desktop computer - and it works on iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows.
There are other options available out there for consumers, but it’s worth noting that a significant portion of these are capped, albeit with most offering several terabytes’ worth of capacity.
You might also likeBlack Mirror season 7 has its first look trailer at Netflix, and it's as bonkers as ever, teasing what's to come across six episodes when they land on April 10. As ever, it's an anthology so each story will be different, and for the very first time, we've got a sequel episode, a follow-up to the outstanding USS Callister from season 4. While this was confirmed a while back, something else also caught my eye, and we could well be getting a second returning story if one star is anything to go by.
Outside of the expected spaceship shots, and clips of Cristin Milioti's game developer character Nanette, I also noticed Will Poulter looking eerily familiar. In 2018, Black Mirror launched their interactive movie Bandersnatch, where Poulter played the role of Colin, a computer engineer whose fate was left up to the player/viewer. We haven't heard anything else about Colin until now when he unexpectedly appears in the trailer!
Well, there is a reason this is one of our best Netflix shows, it continues to outdo itself. Take a look below to see it with your own eyes.
What do we know about Black Mirror season 7 so far? (Image credit: Netflix)As expected, Netflix isn't giving too much away when it comes to Black Mirror season 7 and they're continuing to tease us with bits of information. So far, we do know that there's a huge cast attached which is in line with some of the most recent instalments (we really have come a long way since its Channel 4 days).
The star-studded cast includes Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd, and Issa Rae. We don't know which episodes everyone's appearing in yet, but I can't wait to learn more about this season's line-up.
Black Mirror, like many anthologies, is full of hits and misses but I'm definitely intrigued by season 7. What do you think of the new trailer?
You might also like