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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 #485) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CANE
• BLOCK
• ACCIDENTAL
• SPIDER
• BAR
• STAFF
• APPLE
• NOTE
• BAT
• BAN
• PUMPKIN
• CORN
• FORBID
• WITCH
• REST
• DENY

NYT Connections today (game #485) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: October holiday favorites
• Green: Not allowed
• Blue: Members of an orchestra will recognize them
• Purple: [sweet thing] blank

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 #485) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: HALLOWEEN SYMBOLS
• GREEN: PROHIBIT
• BLUE: FOUND ON SHEET MUSIC
• PURPLE: CANDY ___

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

NYT Connections today (game #485) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #485, are…

• YELLOW: HALLOWEEN SYMBOLS BAT, PUMPKIN, SPIDER, WITCH
• GREEN: PROHIBIT BAN, BLOCK, DENY, FORBID
• BLUE: FOUND ON SHEET MUSIC ACCIDENTAL, NOTE, REST, STAFF
• PURPLE: CANDY ___ APPLE, BAR, CANE, CORN

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

A much easier one today than yesterday's near-impossible Connections. I solved all four without making any mistakes, and I suspect many of you will have done too.

Yellow, HALLOWEEN SYMBOLS, was particularly easy – with the task of finding BAT, PUMPKIN, SPIDER and WITCH only mildly complicated by the presence of APPLE, which also has some Halloween connotations (apple bobbing, anyone?). APPLE was instead part of the CANDY ___ group, together with BAR, CANE and CORN. This was the purple connection, and it was actually the first one I got. That's always an advantage when it comes to completing this game, because with that out of the way there's rarely any truly difficult groups. That said, I don't think I'd have completed blue today – I've never played a musical instrument, so FOUND ON SHEET MUSIC might well have remained out of my mental reach. Fortunately, it didn't matter today.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 7 October, game #484)

• YELLOW: KNUCKLEHEAD DING-DONG, DODO, YAHOO, YO-YO
• GREEN: CAR ONOMATOPOEIA BEEP BEEP, PURR, SKRRT, VROOM
• BLUE SOUNDS OF LAUGHTER HAR-HAR, HOOT, WHOOP, YUK
• PURPLE: FAMOUS PRIMATES BUBBLES, GEORGE, KING KONG, KOKO

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Protective measures

NYT Strands today (game #219) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• WALL
• TELL
• RENT
• SCAB
• BACK
• WRECK

NYT Strands today (game #219) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Keep it tight

NYT Strands today (game #219) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 4th row

Last: right, 6th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #219) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #219, are…

• LOCK
• PASSWORD
• SAFE
• BACKUP
• FIREWALL
• ENCRYPTION
• SPANGRAM: SECURITY

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

The trouble here was that even once I realized the theme was SECURITY, as the spangram would have it, I was thinking physical and not digital. That's maybe not surprising as my first hint had given me LOCK, and combined with the theme clue of 'Protective measures' that got me thinking of ways you protective yourself in the world, rather specifically online. And indeed, they weren't all online – SAFE was also in there. But thinking of the likes of ENCRYPTION and FIREWALL was harder, so I needed another hint to get me to the finish line, safe and sound.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday 7 October, game #218)

• CHOICE
• GROOVY
• SWELL
• DANDY
• BOSS
• RIGHTEOUS
• HYPE
• SPANGRAM: THATSCOOL

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.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 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 #988) - 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 #988) - 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 #988) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #988) - 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 #988) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• H

• B

• D

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

Quordle today (game #988) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #988, are…

• TROUT
• HATER
• BARGE
• DOZEN

Dealing with an uncommon letter like Z is always a tricky matter in Quordle; the chance that it appears in more than one word is unlikely, so you need to be pretty sure it's needed before playing it. Fortunately that was the situation I was in today: I effectively had DO-EN to solve, and nothing other than Z worked there by that stage. Given the presence of an ER word (HATER) and a repeated letter in TROUT, it was a difficult enough day without that Z cropping up too.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #988) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #988, are…

• BINGE
• OVERT
• UNMET
• SHOOK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
• Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
• Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
• Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
• Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
• Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
• Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
• Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH
• Quordle #975, Wednesday 25 September: UMBRA, DADDY, GLAZE, PRANK
• Quordle #974, Tuesday 24 September: SPACE, INNER, SPAWN, BEGAT
• Quordle #973, Monday 23 September: GUILT, STERN, ANNEX, FIELD
• Quordle #972, Sunday 22 September: ZESTY, MEATY, ALIVE, DRAWN
• Quordle #971, Saturday 21 September: VITAL, FRAIL, SPEAR, EERIE
• Quordle #970, Friday 20 September: ELIDE, DITTO, SHAWL, BONUS
• Quordle #969, Thursday 19 September: MARRY, OWING, DICEY, LUCKY
• Quordle #968, Wednesday 18 September: CEDAR, VENOM, MIGHT, MEDIC

It’s been a tumultuous few months for Sonos, all dating back to the redesigned Sonos app, which wasn’t ready for primetime. Ultimately, it overshadowed the launch of the anticipated Ace headphones, and the company has spent plenty of time apologizing, reorganizing priorities, and regaining customers' trust.

While the result was that hardware was going to be delayed and some launches pushed back, it seems that Sonos might still be readying at least one new product. Sonos’ Arc has been around for four years and is the brand's flagship soundbar, complete with 11 speakers inside.

Four years is a long time for any piece of kit, and we’ve heard rumors of the Sonos Arc Ultra, which would succeed the Arc. And now, thanks to a few quick screengrabs from Matthew Bolton, TechRadar’s Managing Editor, Entertainment, it seems that Best Buy might have created an Arc Ultra landing page a bit too early.

(Image credit: Future/Matthew Bolton)

As shown above, we found the listing and corresponding descriptions from a seemingly crawled webpage for the Sonos Arc Ultra in Black and White via Best Buy. It reads, “Premium design worthy of your home. With its distinctive curved shape, low-profile design, and matte finish, Arc Ultra is thoughtfully crafted to look great in …”. The linked web pages have since been pulled, though.

Maybe more importantly, though, Best Buy also might have revealed the price at $999.00 USD, putting it $100 above the cost of the current Arc. Of course, we’ll need final confirmation from Sonos on the cost, but this squarely matches previous rumors, also pointing to just shy of a $1,000 USD price tag.

(Image credit: Future/Matthew Bolton)

Further, via results on the desktop, we can also see some of the promised features, including Bluetooth connectivity alongside Wi-Fi and, like the original, a voice assistant built-in. The addition of Bluetooth has been rumored and lines up as the connectivity is found on the Sonos Ace, Move 2, and Roam 2. We even saw a preview image depicting two colors and a similar build. The Arc Ultra is expected to keep controls up-top and physical ports on the back as well.

(Image credit: Future/Matthew Bolton)

The Dolby Atmos-capable soundbar is also expected to use a new speaker technology. Sonos acquired Mayht in 2022, and the technology brand created a speaker that can be smaller than most competitors but still deliver strong sound as it pushes sound out from both sides. Pulling and pushing at the same time could reduce vibrations, similar to Apple’s force-canceling speaker design in laptops, but also greatly increase the sound quality and overall loudness thanks to a reduction in size. The Arc was no slouch with 11 speakers inside, but the Arc Ultra could add plenty more.

Considering Best Buy already had these listings up and has since pulled them, it could be a sign that Sonos is getting ready to drop the successor to the Arc soundbar soon. Of course, this could also be a mistake on Best Buy’s part, but considering the previous looks, there’s a pretty good chance it shows that retail availability is incoming.

We’ve reached out to Sonos to ask about the apparent listings and we’ll update this post if and when the audio brand responds. In the meantime, check out everything we know about the rumored Sonos Arc Ultra here.

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Designed for parents to invest in their kids' future, this card has a tiered rewards system that can earn you up to 3% back on all purchases.

See better and look good while doing it with our top picks of places to get the best reading glasses.

A NASA spacecraft knocked into an asteroid two years ago to test planetary defense. Now, a new mission will inspect the damage, with the goal of helping future asteroid deflection.

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Vice President Harris remembered the victims of the attack by planting a memorial tree at her residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., while former President Trump visited a sacred site for Hasidic Jews in Queens, N.Y.

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The ESP32-S3 is a powerful microcontroller developed by Espressif Systems, designed primarily for embedded applications that require Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

As spotted by CNX Software, Waveshare has introduced the ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 (to give it its full, catchy name), a compact USB dongle based on Espressif’s microcontroller. The device integrates wireless connectivity with high-capacity Flash and PSRAM, making it a suitable solution for a wide range of embedded applications, including IoT devices, smart home products, and wearables.

At the core of the device is Espressif's ESP32-S3R8, a dual-core Tensilica LX7 processor clocked at up to 240 MHz. It also includes 512KB of RAM, 8MB of PSRAM, and 16MB of Flash memory, along with a 1.47-inch TFT LCD screen, offering a resolution of 320×172 pixels. The display is driven by the ST7789 controller, making it well-suited for running small GUI applications like those built with the LVGL open-source library.

Advanced power management

Connectivity options on the ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 include 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0, which support mesh networking and long-range communication. It also offers expansion capabilities through two 9-pin headers, enabling GPIO, UART, and power pin connections for added versatility in development projects. The device also includes a microSD card slot, providing external storage for files and images.

One of the standout features of the ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 is its power management. The microcontroller supports multiple low-power modes, such as light and deep sleep, which allows developers to create energy-efficient applications. It can be programmed using the ESP-IDF framework or Arduino IDE, so it's accessible to both professionals and hobbyists.

While similar ESP32-S3 boards like the LILYGO T-HMI exist, the compact USB-dongle form factor of the ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 makes it an interesting option for those seeking a development board with an integrated display.

ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 is available for purchase through Waveshare's official store for $12.99 plus shipping. Additional information and a setup guide can be found on the Waveshare Wiki page.

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Imagining what you'll be like in the future is a common game for kids, full of the sometimes unlikely hopes and fears we all feel when contemplating what's yet to come. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have leveraged AI to make that concept a little more realistic through the new Future You project. The AI-powered chatbot simulates your older self, specifically a version from 30 years in the future. 

MIT's Media Lab built Future You with the of idea encouraging thoughtful introspection about who you are, who you want to be, and how to develop and pursue long-range goals. With some digital aging technology, you can even see how you (potentially) will look decades from now.

"Our system allows users to chat with a relatable yet AI-powered virtual version of their future selves that is tuned to their future goals and persona qualities," the scientists explain in the abstract for their research paper on Future You. "The "Future You" character also adopts the persona of an age-progressed image of the user's present self."

To try out Future You, you just run through the initial setup, answering questions about your current life. That includes relationships, professional situations, goals, and your history up to now. It might seem personal, but the more information the AI has about who you are now, the better it can project who you might become. Once the survey is done, the AI builds a profile of your future self and links it to a customized version of OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 AI model. You also have the option of uploading a current photo of yourself that the AI will then make look 30 years older.

When you talk to that persona, you'll find it has a synthetic memory of the last 30 years. That way, it can talk to you about what led it to become the (projected, fictional) version of yourself. That might mean reaching the career goals you've mentioned or your dreams of family life. The AI won't just say that those goals have been achieved, but will have a whole timeline explaining how it reached that point. The result should be far from generic, and the AI should be able to perform as a convincing potential version of your future self.

Future AI Self

The idea of interacting with a digital doppelganger from the future at first seems like nothing more than a game of what if, and one without any real value beyond entertainment. However, those who have tried out Future You have reported feeling like they have new insight into their lives and more motivation to pursue current goals. In fact, even a short interaction with their 'future' self has users saying they feel less anxiety about the future as a whole.

The point is to make the future seem more real. The MIT researchers believe that even though the AI simulation is very clearly not predicting anyone's real future, it can make the future seem more real, shortening the psychological distance you might feel toward that future self and encouraging better decision-making because you can now envision how your choices now affect who you will become. 

Future You is still experimental, but its effect on people is encouraging. Making the future real with deliberately synthetic versions of someone is not the most obvious deployment of AI models, but, according to my own future self, it's a great start toward better choices and will make sure I never go bald. 

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For Palestinian civilians caught in the middle of the ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and the Hamas militant group, the consequences have been unremittingly difficult, and deadly.

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The 4-gallon pail contains 106 servings of nourishment and is shelf-stable for up to 10 years.

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Renowned soul and gospel singer Cissy Houston has died. She was part of a extraordinary musical family that included Dionne Warwick and her superstar daughter, Whitney Houston.

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A US judge has authorized a plan for fallen crypto exchange FTX to return money to former customers, as the drawn-out bankruptcy process approaches its end.

Swedish firm ZeroPoint Technologies, a spin-off from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, was founded by Professor Per Stenström and Dr. Angelos Arelakis with the goal of delivering efficient real-time memory compression across the entire memory system. The company seeks to maximize server efficiency by addressing memory bottlenecks, potentially saving hyperscalers like Microsoft, Meta, and Google, as well as large enterprises, substantial costs.

ZeroPoint claims its technology eliminates up to 70% of unnecessary data in microchip memory through a combination of ultra-fast compression, real-time data compaction, and efficient memory management. This approach maximizes performance per watt and tackles the long-standing challenge of memory bottlenecks that have hindered performance scaling for decades.

With 38 patents already secured, ZeroPoint offers a hardware IP block for data compression and compaction, accompanied by custom memory management software for integration into CPUs or SoCs. Evaluation typically involves analyzing compression ratios, emulating memory management, and running architectural simulations, all of which can be completed in a matter of weeks.

Reducing server costs by up to a quarter

ZeroPoint says its compression technology is 1,000 times faster than traditional solutions and can increase memory capacity by 2-4x while boosting performance per watt by up to 50%, potentially reducing data center server costs by up to 25%.

CEO Klas Moreau stated, "Our memory optimization technologies can increase the efficiency, performance, and capacity of enterprise and hyperscale computing applications across a wide variety of use cases. As an organization, we are driven by the ambitious mission to make this technology the industry standard."

Blocks & Files reports ZeroPoint projects $110 million in sales by 2029, aiming to become a major player in the multibillion-dollar memory market. The site quotes CEO Klas Moreau, saying, "Hyperscalers are paying an absolute fortune for their GPUs and can only use half of them for their AI workloads. We meet them, and they tell us that."

While this technology could offer significant benefits to hyperscalers and large enterprises, companies like Nvidia may be less enthused, as it could reduce the demand for high-memory GPUs.

ZeroPoint isn’t the only company aiming to reduce memory usage in servers. Back in 2022, Meta detailed how a clever memory optimization technique was saving the company millions of dollars.

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