Feed aggregator

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has returned home after a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war. The extended deployment drew attention following reports of crew stress and supply shortages.

(Image credit: Gregory Bull)

• Anduril wins a Navy contract worth up to $2.9 billion for submarines
• Palmer Luckey joined Project Meridian days before Anduril received its Navy contract
• Anduril will invest $3.7 billion of its own money in the shipyard

Anduril has secured a US Navy agreement worth as much as $2.9 billion, linking the defense technology company to submarine manufacturing.

The award arrives shortly after co-founder Palmer Luckey joined a Pentagon initiative examining technologies intended for future military operations.

Project Meridian also includes Elon Musk and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, while SpaceX and Anduril both work with the federal government.

New capacity for submarine production

Anduril plans to spend $3.7 billion developing a manufacturing complex at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County, Maryland.

The proposed Arsenal-2 site will cover 187 acres and more than two million square feet when construction and expansion are complete.

Operations are expected to begin in 2030, with the workforce and manufacturing capabilities increasing as additional production systems become operational.

The facility is intended to manufacture Virginia-class submarine components before sending completed sections to established shipbuilders for final assembly.

When the facility reaches full capacity, it could provide approximately 9 million labor hours annually and over 3,000 jobs.

“This is about putting more food on the table and being able to meet the requirements that our country has to produce more submarines,” said Anduril President and Chief Strategy Officer Chris Brose in a press briefing.

General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries currently build the vessels, making Anduril a new supplier within their production network.

Anduril has also begun developing a 160,000-square-foot facility in California for comparatively straightforward components needed by submarine manufacturers.

Those products include torpedo tubes, which officials have described as an important constraint affecting progress on some submarines already under construction.

Project Meridian and possible conflict of interest

There have been questions about Luckey's role in Project Meridian because the project’s work overlaps with technologies that Anduril develops and supplies to the federal government.

However, the Pentagon has rejected concerns that Luckey's government position could create an improper connection with Anduril's Navy award.

“There’s really nothing to see here,” said Emil Michael, chief technology officer at the Pentagon.

Michael said Meridian's combination of academics, military personnel and industry leaders provides the expertise needed to examine future warfare capabilities.

The Navy agreement also expands Anduril's role beyond autonomous aircraft and software into manufacturing components for conventionally crewed submarines.

“Our goal here is to be a critical, and hopefully, over time, much larger and growing part of the supply chain,” said Chris Brose, Anduril president and chief strategy officer.

President Donald Trump visited the planned Maryland facility and discussed autonomous submarines while describing possible future developments in naval warfare.

“I love the idea of the autonomous sub,” Trump said. “It just makes sense because I wouldn’t — I’m not sure that I would have the courage to go into submarines too much...”

The company now faces the practical challenge of developing the facility, recruiting workers, establishing suppliers and meeting submarine construction standards.

Via CNBC

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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, October 8 (game #1718).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 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 #1719) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1719) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1719) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo 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 #1719) — 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 #1719) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• O

• D

• S

• H

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

Quordle today (game #1719) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1719, are…

• OLDEN
• DUNCE
• SWATH
• HILLY

This was the first five-vowel game for a couple of weeks and as always it coincided with a tricky game.

Although I didn’t make any wrong guesses, every word was a head scratcher, including OLDEN, which took me forever even though I had every letter.

Daily Sequence today (game #1719) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1719, are…

• LEANT
• MAUVE
• EQUIP
• STILL

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1718, Thursday, 8 October: MINTY, ROWER, BROOD, RESET
• Quordle #1717, Wednesday, 7 October: PALER, FROTH, DOZEN, ERASE
• Quordle #1716, Tuesday, 6 October: FRESH, SKULK, BATCH, ENSUE
• Quordle #1715, Monday, 5 October: SIXTH, SPEAK, SEDAN, HEIST
• Quordle #1714, Sunday, 4 October: INFER, RAINY, THING, ARENA
• Quordle #1713, Saturday, 3 October: CHORE, FLYER, STICK, PURSE
• Quordle #1712, Friday, 2 October: IVORY, SADLY, ANGEL, LLAMA
• Quordle #1711, Thursday, 1 October: NAVEL, SHEER, BIRTH, TACKY
• Quordle #1710, Wednesday, 30 September: CHOKE, BATCH, MOSSY, EAGER
• Quordle #1709, Tuesday, 29 September: BILGE, MEDAL, LODGE, PORCH
• Quordle #1708, Monday, 28 September: BRUNT, TORSO, STONE, HEATH
• Quordle #1707, Sunday, 27 September: VALET, CHEST, VIGIL, PUREE
• Quordle #1706, Saturday, 26 September: SNORT, BIBLE, LAPSE, CRANE
• Quordle #1705, Friday, 25 September: SWEAR, FLOOD, GUPPY, GROAN
• Quordle #1704, Thursday, 24 September: TOPIC, METRO, SCALP, FREED
• Quordle #1703, Wednesday, 23 September: SHEET, BLAND, JOIST, GUAVA
• Quordle #1702, Tuesday, 22 September: COMFY, LOBBY, DRESS, PANEL
• Quordle #1701, Monday, 21 September: WAXEN, HIPPO, PETAL, LEASH
• Quordle #1700, Sunday, 20 September: DERBY, LIMBO, GAWKY, REIGN
• Quordle #1699, Saturday, 19 September: SCOPE, HEIST, PULSE, CHAMP

The trick is, you have to be in an MRI machine — and it only works with pictures.

Amazon unveils three new Alexa tablets starting at $229.99, with Google Play access, Alexa+ features, and major changes for Fire tablet owners.

The post Amazon’s New Alexa Tablets Start at $229: What’s Changing for Fire Owners appeared first on TechRepublic.

Hark Pro offers free AI task automation on web, iOS and Android. Explore its pricing, proactive features and privacy trade-offs before connecting accounts.

The post Hark Launches Free AI Assistant to Handle Tasks Before You Ask appeared first on TechRepublic.

Xbox already had success with A Minecraft Movie and Fallout.

Common Sense Media flags gaps in ChatGPT’s teen safeguards, while OpenAI disputes the tests. Here’s what the findings mean for parents and educators.

The post ChatGPT Teen Safety Report Finds Gaps in Parental Alerts appeared first on TechRepublic.

Check out the latest on Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5, along with Gemini 4 Argon and Mistral Large 4.

Microsoft’s Execution Containers give Windows developers a “kill switch” and “YOLO mode” in terms of access for AI agents.

Quartz countertops are made through a process that releases crystalline silica, which can lead to numerous health conditions like silicosis.

Five states have sued TP-Link over router security and disclosure claims. Here's how the lawsuits, FCC restrictions, and firmware vulnerabilities affect existing owners.

The post TP-Link Faces 5 State Lawsuits: Are Its Routers Still Legal in the US? appeared first on TechRepublic.

TP-Link's Archer 8 Ultra brings Wi-Fi 8 to select markets, but high prices, limited client support, and unfinished features make Wi-Fi 7 the better buy for most users.

The post Wi-Fi 8 vs Wi-Fi 7: Is TP-Link’s Archer 8 Ultra Worth It? appeared first on TechRepublic.

NPR's Michel Martin hosted a panel conversation about mental health and suicide in the Black community, exploring a difficult subject in deeply personal conversations.

This could be a game changer for AI note-taking and transcription.

Modern laptops have largely abandoned optical drives, which can be frustrating when you need to access an old DVD, install software from a disc, or back up important files. The Asus ZenDrive external DVD burner offers a straightforward solution without requiring you to replace your computer or install additional hardware.

Best for: Anyone with a Windows laptop, Mac, or desktop PC that needs an external DVD drive for reading discs, burning backups, or accessing older software and media.

The deal: The Asus ZenDrive external DVD burner is $38 (was $45) at Amazon.

Why it matters: Many newer computers no longer include optical drives, but this inexpensive accessory lets you continue using your existing CDs and DVDs, and creating brand new backups.

Zendrive Black External DVD Burner: was $44.99 now $37.88
This 13mm external DVD writer supports 8x DVD and 24x CD speeds, M-DISC archival media, USB-A and USB-C connections, Windows and Mac compatibility, Disc Encryption II, and Nero BackItUp software.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The Asus ZenDrive is essential for anyone who still has a collection of physical discs. It supports DVD reading and writing at up to 8x speed, and CDs at up to 24x. It also offers M-DISC support which is designed for long-term data preservation of things like photographs, family videos, and important documents.

It also includes Disc Encryption II, which provides password protection and hidden-file functionality for supported disc-writing tasks.

Both USB 2.0 and USB Type-C cables are included, allowing you to connect the drive to compatible Windows PCs and Macs without the need for a separate adapter.

Price context & historical value

The Asus ZenDrive was listed at $44.99 before Amazon reduced it to $37.88, saving buyers $7.11. It's not an enormous discount in dollar terms, but it brings the cost below $40. That's not the lowest it has been however. Back in 2021 it was $30, but it's unlikely to ever reach that price again. So, a good price for what I'd consider an essential for physical media fans like me.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Asus ZenDrive if...

You have CDs or DVDs that you still want to access, or you need a simple way to create physical backups. Its compact design makes it convenient to keep for occasional use.

❌ Skip the Asus ZenDrive if...

You no longer use physical discs or you need to read Blu-ray media, which this doesn't support. A USB flash drive or external SSD will generally be more practical for everyday file transfers.

• Shop all CD and DVD drives at Amazon

The company is expected to release a new HomePod and Apple TV next week.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a record long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew.

U.S. authorities added new torture charges to their case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, ramping up pressure on the ousted authoritarian leader already fighting drug trafficking allegations.

(Image credit: Ariana Cubillos)

Four people — two NASA astronauts, one from the European Space Agency and a Russian cosmonaut — spent nearly eight months at the space station, conducting spacewalks, science experiments and research.

(Image credit: NASA via Anil Menon)