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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 24.

Filling out CAPTCHA puzzles is tedious, but using them as (imperfect) shields against malicious bots made sense, at least until now. Artificial intelligence can now defeat those puzzles every time, according to new research from ETH Zurich. CAPTCHA, an acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart," is employed across an enormous range of websites. 

However, the tool may need renaming based on how well the AI model created by the Swiss researchers solved the security measure's word and object identification puzzles.

The AI puzzle solver is built on a widely used AI model for processing pictures called You Only Look Once (YOLO). The scientists adjusted YOLO to take on Google's popular reCAPTCHAv2 version of CAPTCHA. You'll immediately recognize reCAPTCAv2 from every time you've had to click on a car, bicycle, bridge, or traffic light to prove your humanity. 

With 14,000 labeled photos of streets as training data and a little time, however, the scientists could teach YOLO to recognize the objects as well as any human. Exactly as well as a human, in fact, since the AI didn't solve every puzzle perfectly the first time. But, you may recall how you get more than one chance, assuming you don't totally mess up the puzzle. YOLO was able to perform well enough that even if it made an error in one puzzle, it would make up for it and succeed with another CAPTCHA puzzle. 

Narrowing down the scope of objects users need to identify – often just 13 categories, such as traffic lights, buses, and bicycles – allowed for easier integration across websites.

However, this same focus on a narrow set of object types is what made it easier for the YOLO-based AI model to defeat the system. According to the ETH Zurich team, the system’s simplicity worked to the AI’s advantage, allowing it to master the image-based challenges without much difficulty. Despite attempts to make CAPTCHA more sophisticated by incorporating factors like mouse movement and browser history (known as device fingerprinting), the AI's success rate remained intact.

The Rise of CAPTCHA-Solving AI

The fact that an AI system can now bypass CAPTCHA systems with a perfect success rate is a wake-up call for the cybersecurity community. CAPTCHA systems are a critical component of web security, designed to prevent bots from engaging in activities like spamming, creating fake accounts, or launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. If these systems are compromised, websites could become more vulnerable to automated attacks and other malicious activities.

The success of the YOLO model in cracking CAPTCHA systems is not an isolated case. In recent years, AI models have demonstrated increasing proficiency in tasks once thought to be exclusive to humans. Solving CAPTCHA puzzles is just the latest milestone in AI advancements that have reshaped expectations around machine learning and automated systems.

Implications for Everyday Users

For the average person, CAPTCHA puzzles are an everyday encounter, whether logging into an online account, submitting a form, or making an online purchase. The security of these interactions hinges on CAPTCHA’s ability to keep bots out. With this latest AI breakthrough, there’s a real risk that CAPTCHA may no longer serve its intended purpose as an effective gatekeeper.

One immediate concern is that if CAPTCHA systems become obsolete or easy for bots to bypass, it could result in an uptick in automated activities such as spam or malicious bot-driven campaigns. For instance, CAPTCHA systems are often employed to prevent bots from creating thousands of fake accounts or automatically posting spammy content across social media platforms. If bots can easily bypass CAPTCHA, it could lead to increased fraudulent activity across websites.

Additionally, as CAPTCHA technology is defeated, websites and service providers will be forced to explore more robust security mechanisms. Some alternatives being discussed include more sophisticated behavioral analysis techniques, such as tracking user interaction patterns, and biometric-based verification systems that rely on fingerprints or facial recognition.

Am I AI?

Proving that you're not a robot isn't as easy as it used to be, but that doesn't mean you have to panic about being replaced any time soon. It's simply evidence that cybersecurity needs to account for the rapidly evolving capabilities of AI models. CAPTCHA might end up phased out in favor of different puzzles to prove your humanity. 

It would have to be more intensive than simply picking the right image. A security setup might have to monitor your behavior in solving a puzzle, like how fast and well you type and scroll. Or it might take a combination of multiple tests and verifications. In other words, cybersecurity will need to be stricter, though hopefully without slowing down web browsing too much. If things get really tough, perhaps we'll all have to submit a tear after watching Mufasa die in The Lion King.

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Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. '/>

In the 1990s, the Menendez brothers were put on trial for their parents' murder, becoming a media sensation that sharply divided public opinion on the brothers' motives.

(Image credit: Netflix)

A new leak on X.com seems to confirm that a select group of ChatGPT Plus users will be getting access to Advanced Voice mode today, Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

Advanced Voice mode, which OpenAI demoed back in May this year, allows you to talk to ChatGPT on your smartphone and have a human-like conversation, complete with the ability to interrupt the chatbot if its answers are going on too long. You can also ask it complex questions with the expectation of getting a detailed answer.

The leak appears to be an email from the ChatGPT team telling a user that Advanced Voice mode is “being rolled out in a limited alpha to a select group of users”. Access to the advanced mode alpha on September 24, 2024, it says, “will depend on a variety of factors including but not limited to participation invitations and the specific criteria set for the alpha testing phase.” All of which sounds like a very convoluted way of saying that not everybody can expect to get it.

Advanced Voice mode alpha

Open AI originally stated that "all Plus users will have access by the end of fall," so we’re not expecting a full rollout of the technology just yet. However, if more Plus users are going to get access to the alpha version, then that’s an encouraging sign that we can expect the full release to happen on schedule.

Being a Plus user of ChatGPT requires a monthly subscription of $20 (£16, AU$30), but gives you access to a range of LLMs, including the new version 01-preview, which launched recently and proved to be much better at solving math problems and reasoning than previous versions of the chatbot.

While OpenAI was initially ahead of its competition when it demoed its Advanced Voice mode for realistic conversations, it has started to lag behind its rivals. Google has already beaten it to launch with Gemini Live, Google’s version of a conversational AI. While Apple has yet to launch Siri 2.0, its enhanced AI assistant, we’ve seen demos and have a time frame for its release , which means we might get it sooner than we think.

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Republicans have sought to have the state switch to a winner-take-all system. The change would block one of Vice President Harris' main paths to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke highly of AI's impact on the world, but only if the tech was equally available.

The sale to Oyo, a travel business, will include the Studio 6 motel brand, which caters to customers seeking extended stays. The all-cash transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

(Image credit: Elaine Thompson)

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 #471) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BALLOON
• BOOK
• MODEL
• BANNER
• NOVEL
• AMBASSADOR
• CONFETTI
• STREAMER
• SECURE
• CREATIVE
• RESERVE
• FRESH
• ORIGINAL
• GARLAND
• INFLUENCER
• CHARTER

NYT Connections today (game #471) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Innovative
• Green: Lay claim to something beforehand
• Blue: Put them up and celebrate
• Purple: Instagrammers?

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 #471) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: INSPIRED
• GREEN: PROCURE IN ADVANCE
• BLUE: BIT OF PARTY DECORATION
• PURPLE: ONLINE PERSONALITY

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

NYT Connections today (game #471) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #471, are…

• YELLOW: INSPIRED CREATIVE, FRESH, NOVEL, ORIGINAL
• GREEN: PROCURE IN ADVANCE BOOK, CHARTER, RESERVE, SECURE
• BLUE: BIT OF PARTY DECORATION BALLOON, BANNER, CONFETTI, GARLAND
• PURPLE: ONLINE PERSONALITY AMBASSADOR, INFLUENCER, MODEL, STREAMER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

Though I did make one mistake today, I'm not beating myself up about it – because really there was no way I could have known which answer was the genuine one. This is a common theme in Connections: the inclusion of answers that act as red herrings due to their possible inclusion in multiple categories. Today I assembled three-quarters of the ONLINE PERSONALITY group, which ended up being the purple one, in the form of INFLUENCER, MODEL and STREAMER. I added in CREATIVE – because that very much is another type of online personality – but it turned out the final one was the slightly more tenuous AMBASSADOR. CREATIVE instead went in the INSPIRED yellow group, which also made sense.

None of this unduly troubled me, because this was another relatively easy Connections game, and I ticked off the others with no real problems.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 23 September, game #470)

• YELLOW: NOT SMOOTH, AS TERRAIN BUMPY, ROUGH, RUGGED, UNEVEN
• GREEN: BIT OF LAND FOR GROWING BED, PARCEL, PATCH, PLOT
• BLUE: MEMBER OF A CARTOON DUO CHIP, ROCKY, SCRATCHY, STITCH
• PURPLE: ___ PARK AMUSEMENT, NATIONAL, PARALLEL, SOUTH

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Spacing out

NYT Strands today (game #205) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• TRAM
• RAIN
• SNORE
• BORE
• BONE
• CUMIN

NYT Strands today (game #205) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Time and space

NYT Strands today (game #205) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 4th column

Last: bottom, 6th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #205) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #205, are…

• MARTIAN
• CYBORG
• DROID
• MUTANT
• ROBOT
• ALIEN
• SPANGRAM: SCIENCEFICTION

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I probably found this Strands game to be even easier than most given that I've been reading SCIENCEFICTION, as the spangram would have it, for about four decades. But even if I hadn't I doubt I would have struggled too much here. Some of the words are slightly, well, basic for the topic – as I said, I read a lot of sci-fi and MUTANTS and MARTIANS really don't crop up that much compared to plenty of other themes, such as time-travel, space flight, AI and the cyberverse. But as a child's guide to the genre, it just about works.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday 23 September, game #204)

• HAMSTER
• MUSKRAT
• SQUIRREL
• CHINCHILLA
• PORCUPINE
• SPANGRAM: RODENTS

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 #974) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #974) - 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 #974) - 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 #974) - 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 #974) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• I

• S

• B

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

Quordle today (game #974) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #974, are…

• SPACE
• INNER
• SPAWN
• BEGAT

No uncommon letters today, but a couple of tricky words. BEGAT, in particular, caused me a lot of mental anguish; I stared at the board for about 10 minutes, unable to find anything that fit, until finally I got it. Neither INNER or SPAWN were that easy either, so I again struggled a little, while escaping with my streak intact.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #974) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #974, are…

• CREAK
• MUNCH
• CRASS
• TWICE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #967, Tuesday 17 September: ETHOS, COUNT, PRINT, THREE
• Quordle #966, Monday 16 September: ROUGE, SWAMP, FUGUE, UNDUE
• Quordle #965, Sunday 15 September: VILLA, SMOKE, BULKY, THRUM
• Quordle #964, Saturday 14 September: ESSAY, GENRE, WIMPY, CHUTE
• Quordle #963, Friday 13 September: LEANT, ORGAN, FILLY, PLAIT
• Quordle #962, Thursday 12 September: ARBOR, STARK, LEAVE, GOOFY
• Quordle #961, Wednesday 11 September: ROUGH, CACTI, SAVOY, ODDER
• Quordle #960, Tuesday 10 September: PLUMB, SEIZE, EARLY, ASSET
• Quordle #959, Monday 9 September: CHIRP, BEADY, THETA, MINUS
• Quordle #958, Sunday 8 September: TEASE, AGATE, PRIDE, PLATE
• Quordle #957, Saturday 7 September: LASSO, TILDE, BUNCH, PRONG
• Quordle #956, Friday 6 September: FARCE, WOOLY, LOCAL, NIGHT
• Quordle #955, Thursday 5 September: SNIDE, EGRET, AMONG, SHINY
• Quordle #954, Wednesday 4 September: POINT, WITTY, GAFFE, ABUSE

The cutting-edge technology makes it easier for Russia as well as Iran to quickly and more convincingly tailor polarizing content aimed at swaying American voters, intelligence officials said.

(Image credit: Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

While we’re all awaiting an eventual unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2, the company seems to be working on yet another device. A new wireless device made by Nintendo has been spotted making its way through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. 

And no, it’s not the Nintendo Switch 2, seeing that the device is tagged simply as a “wireless device,” and the word console is not mentioned. It does carry a similar ID – CLO-001 –, though, ending in 001, which is similar to the Nintendo Switch (HAC-001), Switch OLED (HEG-001), and Switch Lite (HDH-001). 

Thanks to a diagram showing where the model number and FCC label will appear, we know this gadget will take the form of a rounded square with a divot containing this information on the back. Inside, it lacks a battery and a boatload of connectivity as it only features a 24GHz mmWave sensor and a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi antenna. It also doesn’t feature a battery, meaning it needs to be plugged in via the USB-C port.

(Image credit: FCC)

However, we're left with more questions than answers aside from a diagram showing where the FCC identifying will be affixed – as a divot in the plastic on a square-shaped gadget. TheVerge notes that the onboard mmWAve sensor “could be a radar sensor to track movement,” meaning it might be more of a companion peripheral.

Their guess, like ours, is as good as yours at this point for what this mysterious Nintendo device could be. It could be a new accessory for a game, maybe a move into health or fitness like Wii Fit from many years ago, or something for more internal purposes.

After all, Nintendo partners with Universal for Super Mario World in Japan and California, and another version is set to open in 2025 in Florida. If you’re still waiting for Nintendo’s next-generation Switch, check out our guide for everything we know about the rumored console here.

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Looking for a new case to protect your new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro? These are the best cases, according to our experts.

The US wants to ban any Chinese or Russian software installed in cars, purportedly over security concerns. If the proposed rule is finalized, don’t expect to see a China-made EV stateside any time soon.

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Glass is smooth, shiny, and beautiful, the perfect surface to transfer your touch and intention to your iPhone 16 Pro Max's brilliant mind. However, it's also not indestructible and sometimes does glassy things like shatter into countless pieces when dropped. That's the finding of a recent AllState drop test with Apple's latest series of iPhones.

The US-based insurance company has been dropping iPhones for 13 years and reports that the iPhone 16 Pro Max did not survive its 'Breakability' test this year. No iPhone has survived the Allstate Protection Plan's drop test in more than a dozen years.

When the company put the iPhone 16 Pro Max in a special rig, a.k.a 'Dropbot,' and dropped it from a height of 6 feet onto a concrete sidewalk surface face down, the screen shattered, the display flickered, and then went dark (See the test for yourself in the video below).

Since haptic responses could still be felt when touching the screen, there is a chance that only the display would have to be replaced. When they performed the same test with the back facing down, the glass around the camera array cracked, but the phone remained otherwise completely functional. This is a better result than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which last year became inoperable after a drop on its back.

Obviously, AllState, which sells additional mobile device protection, has some skin in the game here. Potentially proving that the iPhone is not concrete proof might make people more open to considering a protection plan from their company for their new iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The results, though, are a bit dispiriting. During the launch, Apple said that its second-generation Ceramic Sheild, a custom glass blend co-developed with Corning (they make the Gorilla Glass on most top-tier smartphones), is not only 50% stronger than the first generation but also tougher than the glass found on most other smartphones.

I've been testing both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro, which are excellent Apple Intelligence-infused smartphones with slightly updated and larger designs. I don't purposely conduct drop tests, though I did accidentally drop the iPhone 16 Pro Max from a height of 3 feet onto a rugged floor.

It was, as you would expect, fine. I also put cases on both phones. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is currently in a lovely Speck case. They're hugely durable and protect the back, sides, and edges, and since edges and corners are stress points for these edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays, they help protect the glass on them, too.

The iPhone 16 Pro is in a silicon case, which provides good protection. However, when I looked at the screen a couple of days ago, I noticed a scratch running almost the length of the phone. I can promise you I was not carrying around the phone with a diamond or key in my pocket. I am so careful, and yet there's the scratch.

My point, and perhaps Allstate's, is that this is glass, and there is only so much you can do to protect it. As I wrote last month, "It's still far too easy to damage our precious phones." In that instance, I was writing about the new Google Pixel 9, a Gorilla glass Victus 2-covered handset that also quickly ended up with an uncountable scratch.

These tests are simply not conclusive. Allstate used two different phones to run the front and back drop tests. When the results with DropBot yielded virtually the same results as last year, Allstate opted to not run them again. There is a chance that further tests would've yielded different results. I've seen people drop their phones on the pavement from four or five feet, with the devices hitting, tumbling, and somehow surviving without a scratch.

While it's true the iPhone 16 Pro Max didn't fare well on these tests, we'll never know what hundreds of similar drops would've yielded. As far as I'm concerned, the breakability of these devices is not down to some build deficit, but I do think there is an element of luck. That's why cases are so popular – they're the one way of stacking the odds in your favor.

I did ask Apple for comment and will update this post with their response.

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Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon kill over 350 and injure more than 1,000. The attacks were mostly in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah militants have been trading fire across the border with Israel since the war in Gaza began. Our correspondent is there in the south of Lebanon where civilians are fleeing the attacks any way they can.

(Image credit: Kawnat Haju)

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