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President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon to lead the Labor Department. She was one of a few Republicans who support the pro-union PRO Act.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)

It’s still routine practice to christen a ship by cracking a bottle of the finest champagne along the bow, but for Disney’s latest cruise ship – the Treasure – a regular old bottle wouldn’t be enough.

Instead, the Disney team anchored the Treasure in the Hudson River and did the christening very on-point by kicking things off with a 65-foot-tall bottle of champagne. No, it wasn’t a feat of wine-bottle engineering, but one created by 1,000 drones high up in the night sky. Simply, it was eye-popping…but those drones weren’t just programmed to rock a bottle of champagne.

Those 1,000 drones were spinning above the Hudson River in New York City, creating iconic Disney scenes and icons, including a magic lamp and a genie – yes, that one – and various moments from Coco and Moana. The latter is likely a nod to the forthcoming Moana 2 film that opens in theaters later in November.

But for Disney fans, what stood out the most was a floating head and three hitch-hiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction. But did you know the Treasure also boasts a bar themed around that very attraction?

(Image credit: Disney)

All in all, it was an eye-catching experience and one that caught the attention of unsuspecting New Yorkers, as evidenced by TikToks posted. You can also catch the entire christening ceremony and drone show below. This isn’t Disney’s first drone show either; the company routinely uses drones and fireworks during nighttime spectacles, most notably with the ‘Nighttime Electrical Parade’ at Disneyland Paris, and earlier this year, it offered a drone show at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida.

Might Disney add a drone show as a regular treat for customers onboard its cruises? That remains to be seen, but the Treasure’s first voyage is set for December 21, 2024.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 61 for Saturday, Nov. 23.

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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 #531) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BALL-IN-CUP
• BALANCE SHEET
• LATEX
• LOLLIPOP
• ACCOUNT
• CHECKERS
• COTTON SWAB
• LICORICE
• GUM
• CORN DOG
• STORY
• SAP
• CHRONICLE
• RESIN
• ROULETTE
• DESCRIPTION

NYT Connections today (game #531) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: That's how it went
• Green: Plant juices?
• Blue: Candy apple could be another
• Purple: Two-color things

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 #531) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: TELLING OF EVENTS
• GREEN: SECRETED BY TREES
• BLUE: THINGS ON STICKS
• PURPLE: BLACK OR RED

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

NYT Connections today (game #531) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #531, are…

• YELLOW: TELLING OF EVENTS ACCOUNT, CHRONICLE, DESCRIPTION, STORY
• GREEN: SECRETED BY TREES GUM, LATEX, RESIN, SAP
• BLUE: THINGS ON STICKS BALL-IN-CUP, CORN DOG, COTTON SWAB, LOLLIPOP
• PURPLE: BLACK OR RED BALANCE SHEET, CHECKERS, LICORICE, ROULETTE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

This was a surprisingly easy Connections game, given that when I first looked at it I was completely nonplussed. None of the words seemed remotely related, although in hindsight I should have spotted yellow – TELLING OF EVENTS – right away, given that it's a simple collection of synonyms. As it was, that was the group I solved by default without even needing to think about it, although frankly I would have got it myself by that stage anyway.

The key here was in getting blue, THINGS ON STICKS, first. Blue is supposedly the second most difficult of the four, and on the days when I get that early I tend to fly through the puzzle without too many issues. And so it was here, with BALL-IN-CUP, CORN DOG, COTTON SWAB and LOLLIPOP relatively obvious examples of stick-based things once I thought about it a little.

I did make one mistake on green, SECRETED BY TREES, because I was tripped up by LICORICE. This is of course a root of some kind (I'm no expert), so sort of tree-related, but not secreted by them. The one I needed was LATEX, which I thought was a human-made thing but which is (I presume) based on rubber. The others were GUM, RESIN and SAP, which were more obvious. LICORICE instead went with the rather fun purple group, BLACK OR RED, although I don't know if it strictly belongs there, given that you can get licorice in all kinds of colors, right? And what about the ones that have a kind of multicolored sandwich with pink and yellow? Anyway, it was obvious enough by that stage, so I notched my streak up to the heady heights of two. Hurrah!

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 22 November, game #530)

• YELLOW: PUBLICITY ATTENTION, COVERAGE, EXPOSURE, PRESS
• GREEN: POINT OF VIEW ANGLE, LENS, PERSPECTIVE, POSITION
• BLUE: WORK COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS MEET, SLACK, TEAMS, ZOOM
• PURPLE: “___ ISLAND” FANTASY, LOVE, SHUTTER, TREASURE

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Did you hear that?

NYT Strands today (game #265) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SHUN
• SOUND
• PALE
• SHARE
• FEED
• ZINC

NYT Strands today (game #265) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Heard but not seen

NYT Strands today (game #265) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 4th row

Last: 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 #265) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #265, are…

• BANG
• HONK
• SIZZLE
• CRASH
• CRUNCH
• JINGLE
• KAPOW
• SPANGRAM: SOUNDEFFECTS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I always thought it would be fun to be a SOUNDEFFECTS engineer. Imagine working on Batman in the 1960s and coming up with all of the noises made during the fight scenes – it would have been hilarious. Or maybe that's just me. And now I'm wondering if on my next call with the TechRadar team I should introduce the odd CRASH or HONK when someone says something particularly interesting/stupid.

Anyway, this was a reasonably good Strands game, as they go, and certainly a lot more worthy of your time (and mine) than yesterday's pointless exercise. It's still pretty simple, though; will there ever be a Strands game that I'll need to use my brain for? Will I ever lose one? Time will tell, but my suspicion is that no, the NYT likes Strands to be the simple counterpart to the far more difficult likes of Connections, Spelling Bee and indeed Wordle.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 22 November, game #264)

• BEND
• MOBILE
• BUFFALO
• RIVERSIDE
• PHOENIX
• BOULDER
• SPANGRAM: CITYNAME

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 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 #1034) - 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 #1034) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #1034) - 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 #1034) - 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 #1034) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• P

• F

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1034) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1034, are…

• AVOID
• PLANT
• FILET
• TWIRL

This was a remarkably straightforward Quordle game, and one that probably took me all of 60 seconds to solve. I was, admittedly, helped out greatly by my three set start words, STARE, DOILY and PUNCH, which between them gave me all five letters for the top-right answer, and four for the other three. I therefore only needed to add in three more letters to complete the set.

None of the words are particularly tricky even if you didn't get lucky with your strategy (or indeed if you don't have one at all). For instance, FILET doesn't have any obvious alternatives that are similarly spelled apart from maybe GILET, but that's a foreign word (or is it?) The TW at the start of TWIRL is relatively uncommon as these things go, but we're hardly in UVULA territory here. Nothing much to see, move along please.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1034) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1034, are…

• VALVE
• GONER
• RESIN
• BEFIT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY
• Quordle #1032, Thursday 21 November: RABBI, EAGER, COUGH, BRASH
• Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPEL
• Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST
• Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMER
• Quordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBAN
• Quordle #1027, Saturday 16 November: NOTCH, BENCH, BUSED, FOUND
• Quordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUM
• Quordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUT
• Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY
• Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT
• Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY
• Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE
• Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER
• Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
• Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
• Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH
• Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY
• Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA
• Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN

• This real-time animated NBA game is set for Christmas Day
• Sony's Beyond Sports tech will animate the players and the action in real-time
• Mickey, Minnie, and more will sit on the side of a court on 'Main Street USA'

Holidays and sports have gone together for ages, and come Christmas Day, you might be more interested than ever before in the annual NBA game. Sure, the matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks will be fun, but the NBA is teaming up with Disney and ESPN for something even more fun.

How does a basketball on Main Street USA in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with Cinderella's Castle in view and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and even Goofy cheering on the sideline sound? Oh, and the players at the NBA game will be animated in real-time to appear as animated players mimicking every move, thanks to Sony’s Beyond Sports technology.

Enter ‘Dunk the Halls.’ It’s the first ever real-time animated NBA game, a feat that the NFL has done a few times, including tossing in some slime-zones for a Spongebob-themed game and a Toy Story-themed one that streamed on Disney Plus and used the Beyond Sports tech. This will be the first time for the NBA and basketball, though.

Disney is clearly very excited about the match and the technology itself – and Sony Beyond Sports is all about the data ingestion and visualization to create the experience of this game without noticeable latency. Beyond Sports will work in conjunction with Sony’s Hawk-eye technology for tacking the players on the courts, something that other sports leagues, including the NFL, use.

Disney fans, specifically fans of the Fab Five, will be treated to a pre-show, in-game commentary, and a special half-time show from the characters, with Mickey and Minnie leading the pack. As far as full, professional game commentary, that honor will go to Drew Carter, ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt, and Daisy Duck. Since it’s Christmas, Santa will be operating ESPN’s Sky-Cam for a unique view of the animated camera, and if the teaser for the “Dunk the Halls” game is to be believed, Disney World might see snow.

The action starts at noon ET on December 25th, 2024, streaming on Disney Plus and ESPN Plus and broadcasting on ESPN 2. It’s certainly a neat collaboration between three major brands – Disney, Sony, and the NBA – with the tech being a critical point here, and it’s clearly a trend that all the sports leagues want to get on. Remember, an upcoming Simpsons NFL game on Disney+ arrives on December 9th, 2024.

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Keychron Q6 Max: Two-minute review

(Image credit: Future)

The Keychron Q6 Max is a premium mechanical keyboard that doesn’t come cheap. But nor should it, considering how many high-quality features Keychron has managed to cram into it. You’ll pay a pretty penny, but this is a board that will give you years of typing satisfaction.

From the rock-solid aluminum construction and ear-pleasing acoustics to the superb typing feel and hot-swappable switches, this is a keyboard made for those who want the best. Its large size isn’t for everyone, but chances are you’ll love it.

While there are a few drawbacks – aside from the price, its software quirks and phenomenal weight are worth considering – they’re not enough to do any serious damage to our final assessment. This is one of the best mechanical keyboards you can buy right now.

Keychron Q6 Max: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $219 / £193 / $349 AUD
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available globally

The Keychron Q6 Max costs $219 (£193 or $349 AUD). It’s undoubtedly expensive, but this is an unashamedly premium board. You can buy it from Keychron’s website, Amazon, and other third-party retailers.

Keychron Q6 Max: Design

(Image credit: Future)

Let’s get straight into the first thing you’ll notice about the Keychron Q6 Max upon unboxing it: this thing is built like an absolute tank. Its chassis is made from heavy, dense aluminum, weighing in at 4.85lbs (2.2kg) on my scales. It’s far too heavy to sling around in a backpack, and I’m honestly not sure if it would be more accurate to characterize it as a keyboard or an offensive weapon. All that weight isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though, as it feels incredibly well made and is a far cry from the cheap plastic builds of more affordable keyboards.

Its quality is felt in other ways. The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT plastic, which gives them a subtle texture and means that the legends will never rub off. They come in an absolutely gorgeous off-white and navy blue “Carbon Black” design with teal highlights on the Esc and Enter keys (there’s a creamy gray alternative color scheme, but I only have eyes for Carbon Black). It looks even better with the south-facing RGB enabled, which comes with 22 different lighting styles.

This is a full-size keyboard, which means there’s a numpad and four macro keys on the right-hand side. This is ideal if you work with data or just like having the numbers close to your mouse hand, but it can get in the way, especially during gaming.

(Image credit: Future)

Nestled at the end of the function key row is a control knob. By default, turning it adjusts your computer’s volume and pressing it in mutes or unmutes your sound. Its function can be adjusted using Keychron’s Launcher web app, which I’ll come back to in the Performance section.

Around the back are two switches: one to flip between Bluetooth, wired or 2.4GHz connectivity, and another to change from Windows to macOS keyboard layouts (there are also Windows and macOS-specific keycaps in the box). These switches are quite stiff, and the former is particularly problematic because it’s very difficult to find the middle (wired) position. They would also be easier to access if they were on the side of the keyboard, as is the case with some of Keychron’s other products.

There aren’t many other things to criticize about the design, but a wrist rest would be a welcome addition (you can purchase a Keychron wrist rest separately, but none come included with the Q6 Max). You also can’t adjust the height of the board, and I had to wedge a thin book underneath to get it to the height I’m used to. With its current weight, perhaps it’s no surprise that the Q6 Max lacks height-adjustable feet or stands.

Keychron Q6 Max: Performance Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

One of the most important aspects of any keyboard is the way it feels to type on, and the Q6 Max is excellent in this regard. My review unit shipped with Gateron Jupiter Brown switches, which provide a tactile bump without being loud and clicky. They feel brilliant to type on all day long. I also didn’t find any issues with key ghosting in my testing.

As for gaming, the Q6 Max performs pretty well here too. The Jupiter Brown switches are fast enough in FPS games for all but the most hardcore of pro gamers, while remaining comfortable during long sessions. The main issue, though, is the numpad, which can get in the way of your mouse from time to time.

The Q6 Max has hot-swappable switches that can be quickly and easily replaced thanks to the included keycap/switch puller. My review unit came with a set of tactile Gateron Jupiter Banana switches as well as the Browns, and they feel firmer to the touch and require a little more force to press. They also produce a very slightly deeper, more “thocky” sound. Keychron says the Q6 Max will work with almost any 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches on the market, giving you a great deal of flexibility and customization.

(Image credit: Future)

Aside from feel, how does the keyboard perform acoustically? Well, the good news is that the Q6 Max sounds fantastic in use. Keychron has built in a double-gasket mount and stuffed the board with acoustic foam, and the result is a soft, clacky acoustic profile that is satisfying to the ear without driving your coworkers mad.

Keychron has a Launcher web app that taps into the board’s QMK compatibility and is used to adjust backlighting, create macros, change key bindings, and more. It requires the keyboard to be in wired mode and only works in Chromium based browsers like Chrome and Edge, which is less than ideal. You can also use the VIA web app to perform many of the same tasks. While these web apps are powerful and straightforward, they feel like a half-baked solution compared to a dedicated desktop app.

For instance, these web apps can’t display the keyboard’s battery life, so you have to look elsewhere for that. You’ll find it on the system Bluetooth settings page in Windows and macOS, or by pressing Fn+B, which lights up the numbers one to zero to indicate battery level (each key represents 10%). Having to open a different app to find out your battery status feels sub-optimal, although the keyboard shortcut is a neat trick.

Should you buy the Keychron Q6 Max? Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future) Buy the Keychron Q6 Max if…

Quality is all-important to you

Everything from the keycaps to the internal structure screams premium quality, and you’re rewarded with a brilliant all-round package.View Deal

You’re a fan of customizable keyboards

With QMK/VIA compatibility and hot-swappable switches, there’s a lot of room to make this device your own.View Deal

You appreciate keyboard acoustics

Keychron has worked hard to ensure that using this keyboard doesn’t just feel great – it sounds excellent too.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You travel a lot

This keyboard is big, heavy, and simply isn’t built for travel.View Deal

You need height adjustment

With no height-adjustable feet or stands, you’ll be relying on DIY solutions to raise the keyboard’s typing angle.View Deal

You frequently switch connectivity methods and operating systems

The switches on the back of the Keychron Q6 Max are very stiff and a little awkward to reach.View Deal

Keychron Q6 Max: Also consider

Razer Pro Type Ultra

Razer is best known for its gaming peripherals, but this keyboard is aimed squarely at typists. There’s a lot to love about it, from its responsive switches to its long-lived battery. It offers plenty of value for the price, too.
Read our full Razer Pro Type Ultra reviewView Deal

Das Keyboard 6 Professional

With a supreme typing experience and premium touches everywhere you look, this board is tailor made for professional users. It’s wired only, but that just means you don’t have to worry about the backlighting draining your battery.
Read our full Das Keyboard 6 Professional reviewView Deal

How I tested the Keychron Q6 Max

I spent a week with the Q6 Max, using it as my daily driver for everything from writing articles to playing games. I changed out its switches to see how easy the process was, and tested Keychron’s web app and QMK/VIA functionality.

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