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Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 3, No. 314

Dropping on The Hallmark Channel and Hallmark+ from August 2, 2025, Providence Falls is a new three-part film series following Cora (Katie Stevens) and Liam (Lachlan Quarmby), two cops paired up to try and solve a theft case. As theft becomes much more sinister, Cora doesn’t know Liam isn’t a cop at all, but a lover from a past life sent forward in time to try and get her to fall in love with her “destiny” in co-worker Finn (Evan Roderick).

Sound familiar? Well, the time-travel element should at least. While the core romance could be plucked straight from any one of Hallmark’s hall of fames, there’s another series on the platform that can instantly transport you to another historical timeline: The Way Home. Starring Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh, the show tells the story of the Landry family, who find they can travel back in time to different points in their shared history by jumping in the pond at the end of their garden (as you do). Season 4 is expected to air in early 2026, and boy do we have some questions that need answering.

Ponderers (who are the fanbase of the show, obviously), will know a key feature of The Way Home time travel involves emerging from a body of water sopping wet, having to go and deal with whatever historical disasters await you while completely drenched. Blink and you’ll miss it, but there’s a very similar circumstance in one installment of Providence Falls, and the cast admits that the coincidental Easter egg was the most “challenging” scene of the bunch.

Providence Falls’ most ‘challenging’ scene is an accidental The Way Home Easter egg, and I’m living for it

Spoilers for Providence Falls ahead.

“There's a scene that had an involvement with a lake in and we were shooting in Vancouver, and it was February, so you can imagine how freezing the water was, and there were some stunts to go along with it,” Stevens tells me about the scene. “So, that was really, really challenging. Although we had the wet suit and things under our costume, it was still freezing. So that was probably the most difficult, just for that. The scene is actually one of my favorite scenes in the whole series, but it was definitely not as glamorous to film.”

You’ll find the scene in question at the end of part 2 of Providence Falls, as Cora tries to get away from Marcus once she realises he’s really working with the wrong side. Marcus gives chase and pulls a gun on Cora, leading to a waterside fight that ends with Cora falling into the lake. Luckily, Finn and Liam arrive just in time, with Liam heroically diving in to save Cora as she loses consciousness.

If this was an episode of The Way Home, Cora would have surfaced from the water back in her Irish 1800s timeline, aware that she is time-traveling between two points in history. Instead, Providence Falls chooses to overlap both timelines in a montage, with Cora convinced she is dreaming when she thinks of herself in the past. The act of travelling through time might be snappier in the new miniseries, but I can’t help but draw obvious parallels from how fantasy is blended with reality.

There’s another similarity between Providence Falls and The Way Home

This isn’t the only Easter egg from The Way Home that I’ve seen in Providence Falls, though. The opening scene looks almost identical to the woodland where the Landry pond is set, with 1800s Cora and Liam even venturing briefly into the water as Kat and Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) might in The Way Home. However, this one is merely a coincidence, with all of Providence Falls’ Irish scenes being filmed in… well, Ireland.

“We filmed the first film, and then we went to Ireland, shot all of the Irish footage for all three films together, and then went and did movies two and three,” Stevens adds. “So, Ireland almost felt like its own movie.I think the benefit of how we shot is that our characters are trying to kind of figure each other out, and Cora is having these dreams, but can't really make sense of them yet. In real life, we got to look back on our time in Ireland, so we know now what our characters are thinking of the things that they're remembering, and we actually shot those things so they were real memories for us.

“We shot in Dublin and Kilruddery Castle, which is where Cora's house is. And then we shot at the castle where the Beckhams got married, which was really cool.”

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Lebanon has lost one of its most beloved artists, the playwright and musician Ziad Rahbani.

NPR's Sarah McCammon talks to Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute, about her recent piece in Foreign Affairs, Dispensable Nation: America in a Post-American World.

NPR's David Folkenflik shares what it's been like covering President Trump's contentious relationship with the media, including public media and NPR itself.

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• Researchers recreated the Equifax hack and watched AI do everything without direct control
• The AI model successfully carried out a major breach with zero human input
• Shell commands weren’t needed, the AI acted as the planner and delegated everything else

Large language models (LLMs) have long been considered useful tools in areas like data analysis, content generation, and code assistance.

However, a new study from Carnegie Mellon University, conducted in collaboration with Anthropic, has raised difficult questions about their role in cybersecurity.

The study showed that under the right conditions, LLMs can plan and carry out complex cyberattacks without human guidance, suggesting a shift from mere assistance to full autonomy in digital intrusion.

From puzzles to enterprise environments

Earlier experiments with AI in cybersecurity were mostly limited to “capture-the-flag” scenarios, simplified challenges used for training.

The Carnegie Mellon team, led by PhD candidate Brian Singer, went further by giving LLMs structured guidance and integrating them into a hierarchy of agents.

With these settings, they were able to test the models in more realistic network setups.

In one case, they recreated the same conditions that led to the 2017 Equifax breach, including the vulnerabilities and layout documented in official reports.

The AI not only planned the attack but also deployed malware and extracted data, all without direct human commands.

What makes this research striking is how little raw coding the LLM had to perform. Traditional approaches often fail because models struggle to execute shell commands or parse detailed logs.

Instead, this system relied on a higher-level structure where the LLM acted as a planner while delegating lower-level actions to sub-agents.

This abstraction gave the AI enough context to “understand” and adapt to its environment.

Although these results were achieved in a controlled lab setting, they raise questions about how far this autonomy could go.

The risks here are not just hypothetical. If LLMs can carry out network breaches on their own, then malicious actors could potentially use them to scale attacks far beyond what’s feasible with human teams.

Even tools such as endpoint protection and the best antivirus software may be tested by such adaptive and responsive agents.

Nevertheless, there are potential benefits to this capability. An LLM capable of mimicking realistic attacks might be used to improve system testing and expose flaws that would otherwise go unnoticed.

“It only works under specific conditions, and we do not have something that could just autonomously attack the internet… But it’s a critical first step,” said Singer in explaining that this work remains a prototype.

Still, the ability of an AI to replicate a major breach with minimal input should not be dismissed.

Follow-up research is now exploring how these same techniques can be applied in defense, potentially even enabling AI agents to detect or block attacks in real-time.

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Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for Aug. 3, No. 1,506.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Aug. 3 No. 518.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed, many while waiting for food aid, amid a deepening starvation crisis and despite Israeli assurances of a humanitarian pause in some areas of the territory.

(Image credit: Eyad Baba)

Here are the best places to buy and own digital music from stores such as iTunes, Bandcamp and more.

• LG UltraFine 40-inch monitor delivers 5K2K resolution and strong color specs for creative workflows
• Thunderbolt 5 brings high-speed data up to 120Gbps and 96W charging
• Nano IPS Black panel doubles contrast over regular IPS monitors

LG has released its latest 5K monitor as it looks to encourage the hardware into territory once reserved for niche creative professionals.

The LG 40U990A-W UltraFine 40-inch monitor features a 39.7-inch curved ultrawide screen with a 5120 x 2160 resolution, and it is the world’s first display to support Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.

It arrives with a steep price of approximately $2,246, raising questions about how much functionality users genuinely need and what justifies the cost.

Targeting creative precision with premium display specs

The UltraFine Nano IPS Black panel boasts a 2000:1 contrast ratio, which doubles that of traditional IPS monitors.

Combined with 99% DCI-P3 coverage and VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, LG is targeting professionals in video production and photo editing, where color fidelity and shadow detail matter.

Its wide 21:9 aspect ratio and 2500R curvature add a layer of immersion that some professionals may appreciate, making the 40U990A-W a capable business monitor.

For those who rely on pixel accuracy, this monitor could appeal as the best monitor for video editing, although its impact will depend on how well these specifications translate into real-world consistency and performance.

From a hardware perspective, the presence of Thunderbolt 5 brings speed improvements for data transfer up to 120 Gbps and enables up to 96W of laptop charging.

The port also supports daisy chaining of 5K2K monitors, allowing complex, multi-display setups without clutter.

While this might suggest future-forward convenience, the real-world benefits of Thunderbolt 5 remain largely untested at scale.

Early buyers of this device may encounter compatibility issues or diminishing returns compared to more mature standards.

This 5K monitor also features a 3-sided narrow bezel, with adjustable height, swivel, and tilt options that are now standard on premium displays.

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• Want to host an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and up to 4PB of SSD storage on one single PCIe slot?

Authorities were scouring a mountainous area of western Montana for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar in the small town of Anaconda, killing four people.

(Image credit: Joseph Scheller)

Super Showdown is the next Fortnite live event happening in the main battle royale mode. It airs later today (August 2), and will involve Superman leading players in a climactic fight against a gigantic foe.

Fortnite Super Showdown event - key info on the Superman live battle

Fortnite Super Showdown live event start time
How to join the Fortnite live event
What to expect from Fortnite Super Showdown
Live coverage as it happens

So far, we know relatively little about Fortnite Super Showdown. It'll take place in Demon's Domain, one of the major POIs (points of interest) in the current season. The next Season of Fortnite arrives next week, so hopefully today's event will give us some idea as to what'll be involved in the next major update. It's regular changes like these that consistently keep Fortnite ranked highly in our best PC games list.

I've now played hundreds of hours of Fortnite Chapter 6, from the month-long Star Wars mini-season, and into the superhero shenanigans of Fortnite Super. I'm excited to be covering the Fortnite Super Showdown event live, and will be leading you through the build up, before it all kicks off.

Here's everything you need to know about Fortnite Super Showdown including the start time, and what to expect. Once the show starts, I'll be providing my impressions of the live event as I play. Then, I'll be giving my thoughts on what worked, and what could have been better. Let's get started.

Fortnite Super Showdown live event start time

(Image credit: Epic Games)

The Fortnite Super Showdown live event starts August 2 at 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 7:30pm BST. Players can load in once doors open at the times below:

• East Coast (US): 2PM ET
• West Coast (US): 11AM PT
• United Kingdom: 7PM BST
• Central Europe: 8PM CEST
• Sydney (Australia): 4AM AEST, August 3
• Tokyo (Japan): 3AM JST, August 3

I seriously recommend getting in as soon as the doors open, as servers will fill up very quickly indeed. You'll be able to jump into a match, and there will likely be a safe zone around Demon's Domian. This will mean players won't be able to damage each other, and you can sit and wait in peace for the show to begin.

How to join the Fortnite live event

You'll need to jump into the main Fortnite playlist at the times specified above if you'd like to join Super Showdown live. Alternatively, you could follow along with your streamer of choice, as many will no doubt be covering the event.

I'll be jumping into the event to live blog it as it unfolds, so be sure to check back in with this page if you can't jump into the game when the event is actually happening. Unfortunately, Epic Games doesn't stream Fortnite events on its official channels.

What to expect from Fortnite Super Showdown

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Epic Games has only released one short teaser trailer for Super Showdown. It shows Demon's Domain being destroyed by pink and red electricity, and red energy fields that look suspiciously like those we saw at the end of the recent Fortnite OG rocket launch event. Then, we see a huge eye attached to what looks to be a giant tentacle.

We do know that Superman will return to fight whatever this huge tentacled foe is, and that players will head to Demon's Domain to provide support. To me, that certainly looks to be a kraken-like creature, so it could be that Superman is set for quite the battle during the event.

Live coverage as it happensHello and welcome

(Image credit: Epic Games)

We’re now just two hours away from the start of Fortnite Super Showdown. I’ll be covering the build up live, providing all of the info you need on the upcoming superpowered event. Once doors open, I’ll be jumping in, and then you can follow along as the main show plays out.

When does the Super Showdown start?

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite Super Showdown kicks off at 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT / 7:30PM BST. It’s recommended that you jump online and into Fortnite when doors open 15 minutes prior. Servers will fill up fast, so be sure to secure your spot.

Where we dropping?

(Image credit: Epic Games)

You’ll want to drop into Demon’s Domain to witness Fortnite Super Showdown. It’s likely that there will be a safe zone in effect, meaning damage will be switched off. This means you’ll be able to stay safe, secure your view, and get ready for the action to start.

Look up!

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Superman will be the main star of Super Showdown, though we don’t have the full details just yet. Seeing as there’s a gigantic tentacled enemy to take down, I’m definitely happy to have Supes on the team.

Just 90 minutes until doors open

Grab your cape, put those hero skills to the test! The Super Showdown Story Event takes place in Battle Royale on August 2 @ 2:30 PM ET on the dot. Be sure to jump in early and prepare to fight! pic.twitter.com/8hNvbH50iSJuly 27, 2025

Doors for Fortnite Super Showdown open at 2PM ET / 11AM PT / 7PM BST. Make sure to load in, make sure your game is updated, and secure your spot in the matchmaking queue. It’s likely to be a busy one.

Is that a kraken?

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Epic Games released a short teaser trailer for Fortnite Super Showdown earlier this week. It ends with a look at a gigantic enemy with eyes fixed to big purple tentacles. Could this be a kraken? We’ll have to wait and see.

Demon’s Domain will be taking a hit

You can check out the Super Showdown teaser trailer embedded above. Looks like a big purple laser is going to hit Demon’s Domain, destroying one of the main buildings. This is likely related to the arrival of the giant enemy we’ll be fighting, and could give a hint as to what’s to follow next season.

Just one hour until Fortnite Super Showdown

(Image credit: Epic Games)

There’s just one hour to go before Fortnite Super Showdown begins! You’ll be able to jump in fifteen minutes prior, when servers go live. We don’t yet know how long the event will be, but generally they’re around ten minutes.

My hopes and predictions

(Image credit: Epic Games)

It’s clear to me that Super Showdown is primarily going to be a Superman story event. We’ll likely see Superman fighting a large enemy, as players battle smaller creatures, and shoot weak points on the large tentacles shown in the teaser. I’m hoping to see Demon’s Domain change in some way after the battle, perhaps setting the scene for the arrival of Chapter 6 Season 4.

You’ll be able to load into the Fortnite live event in 15 minutes

(Image credit: Epic Games)

We’re just 15 minutes away from the Fortnite Super Showdown doors opening. Make sure you’ve downloaded the latest update, and keep an eye on the main Battle Royale channels for when things switch over.

Doors are open!

(Image credit: Epic Games)

You can now join the Fortnite live event. Just head to the main homepage and look for your main battle royale mode of choice. Jump into the lobby and load in. You’ll be aiming for Demon’s Domain to enjoy the show.

Respawns are active around Demon's Domain

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Head to the pink barriers around Demon's Domain, and you'll find floating red orbs that drop loot. There's a safe zone of sorts, though I've found that I can damage some players. Don't worry though, respawns are in effect, so you won't get eliminated if you're killed.

Five minutes until Super Showdown

It's just five minutes until the start of the event. Make sure to load in now and get to Demon's Domain if you want to join live.

And we're off!

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Super Showdown has started, and it's all kicking off at Demon's Domain. There's a ton of loot to pick up, so make sure to get yourself well stocked for the battle ahead. Daigo has arrived, and has triggered a huge portal.

A comic book strip

A comic book strip is now playing out in a cutscene, as we all fight a huge tentacle.

It's gonna take everyone working together to take down the monster

(Image credit: Epic Games)

The enemy has a huge life bar, even with everyone shooting at it, it's gonna be tough to take down.

That's the first tentacle down

We've taken down the first tentacle, and all is now quiet in Demon's Domain. Looks like the rest of the monster is about to appear any second.

A popular women's dating advice app suffered a major data breach, revealing users' drivers' licenses, messages and other sensitive information. The hack put a spotlight on the flaws in "whisper networks."

(Image credit: SOPA Images)

• High-end Radeon AI Pro R9700 cards from five major brands now confirmed
• The products are designed for professional AI, rendering, simulation and multi-GPU use
• Further cards from MSI, XFX, Biostar, Acer and others are expected soon

The Radeon AI Pro R9700, AMD's fastest GPU to date, has gone on sale, with Asus, ASRock, Sapphire, PowerColor, and Gigabyte all unveiling their versions.

First shown at Computex 2025, the Pro R9700 is built on the RDNA 4 architecture and powered by the Navi 48 chip.

It features 32GB of GDDR6 memory, which is double the amount found in the gamer-focused Radeon RX 9070 XT that uses the same core, along with 128 AI accelerators and 4096 stream processors.

Built for professionals

The GPU is tailored for professional workloads including AI training, scientific modeling, and advanced rendering.

Asus’ version, the Turbo Radeon AI Pro R9700, has a 12V–2x6 power connector, die-cast metal shroud, and phase change thermal interface material. This configuration helps manage power and thermal load for continuous-use.

The card’s design focuses on reliability, which is crucial for enterprise systems that need to run under full load for long periods.

Gigabyte’s model also has an industrial layout, sporting all-copper cooling, composite metal thermal paste, and a blower-style turbo fan.

This card’s cooling design promotes airflow in dense workstation builds, where multiple cards are installed side by side.

Sapphire’s take is fairly close to AMD’s reference, offering the same performance and layout with four DisplayPort 2.1a outputs.

PowerColor also sticks to the blower design and has confirmed the card’s 300W TDP, Game Clock of 2350MHz, and Boost Clock up to 2920MHz.

ASRock’s version, the R9700 Creator, offers a metal shroud and vapor chamber cooling for durability and thermal control, while using the same 12V–2x6 connector as Asus, the company it was originally spun off from.

Although pricing varies slightly by vendor, most cards should cost around $1,200.

The AI Pro R9700 supports multi-GPU setups, thanks to its dual-slot blower design and PCIe 5.0 connectivity, which helps deliver faster inter-card communication.

Cards from other manufacturers, including MSI, XFX, Biostar, Acer, and Yeston should be appearing soon.

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Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal: two-minute review

If you enjoy drip coffee, this machine should be right at the top of your list. Sold under the brand name Sage in the UK, and Breville elsewhere in the world, the Luxe Brewer Thermal is a compact machine that does the basics extremely well, while also offering a set of carefully curated customization options, yet never making things unnecessarily complicated.

As the name suggests, one of the Luxe Brewer Thermal's standout features is its insulated carafe, which is the best I've ever used. All companies claim that their double-walled carafes will keep your freshly brewed drinks hot for hours on end, but this one actually does. Even four hours after brewing, the outside of the jug was cold to the touch and the coffee within remained the optimal temperature for drinking, despite having prepared a half quantity (larger volumes hold their heat even better).

Want to wake up to freshly brewed coffee? There's a delayed start timer, too, which can be easily set in a couple of seconds.

The Luxe Brewer Thermal offers hot and cold brewing, with customizable brew settings (Image credit: Future)

The removable water tank is another great feature, and is easy to lift away for refilling at the sink. No more struggling to pour water into your machine when it's on the kitchen counter. The only downside is that the tank's handle is quite small and not particularly ergonomic, although that's quite a minor quibble.

The handles on the carafe and basket assembly are far more robust, and the machine is supplied with flat-bottomed and cone-shaped filters so you can make your choice depending on how large a batch you're planning to prepare. A handy printed guide will help you pick the appropriate shape, as well as measure out the optimum quantities of ground coffee and water.

You can tweak hot brewing options (including brew time and temperature) or try cold-brewing your coffee over 24 hours for a more sweet and mellow flavor.

There's nothing excessively complicated here – just the fundamentals executed extremely well. If you're a filter fan, you won't be disappointed.

Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal: price and availability

The Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal (known as the Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal outside the UK) launched in June 2025 with a list price of $349.95 / £249.95. It isn't sold in Australia at the time of writing, but will soon be available for AU$579. You'll find today's best deals listed below.

In the US, the Luxe Brewer Thermal launched alongside the Luxe Brewer Glass, which (as its name suggests) comes with a glass jug rather than an insulated carafe. The Luxe Brewer Glass is slightly cheaper, at $319.95.

For American coffee-drinkers, this is about the same price as the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker, which costs $365. The Aiden has some advanced features such as automatic water temperature adjustment and bloom time, which the Luxe Brewer Thermal lacks. However, in my experience, the Aiden doesn't have such a well-insulated carafe. During tests, coffee brewed with the Aiden began to go noticeably cold within an hour.

In the UK, the Aiden is considerably more expensive than the Luxe Brewer Thermal, with a list price of £365.

Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal: specifications

Dimensions (H x W x D)

16 x 14.7 x 7 inches / 40.77 x 37.24 x 17.7cm

Weight

10.3lbs / 4.68kg

Water tank capacity

60floz / 1.7 liters

Filter baskets

Two (cone and flat-bottomed)

Brewing modes

Two (hot and cold)

Timer

Yes

Insulated carafe

Yes

Hotplate

No

Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal: design

The Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal is a smart, modern-looking drip coffee machine with a brushed metallic finish and a surprisingly small footprint (just 14.7 x 7 inches / 37.24 x 17.7cm), which makes it a good option for compact kitchens. If you like the idea of having a drip machine alongside your espresso maker, but had been wondering how to fit it in, it could be the perfect solution.

One of its best features is its removeable water tank, which you can easily carry to the sink to refill. Its wide opening makes it easy to fill without spills and splashes. The tank has a small handle on the side that's just large enough to loop a finger through. It helps with removing the tank from the machine, but isn't enough to support its weight once full, so you'll need to support the tank with your other hand.

Image 1 of 2

The Luxe Brewer Thermal has a removable water tank, which is very convenient, although its handle is quite small (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

The machine is supplied with a filter, and replacements are available to buy direct from Sage (Image credit: Future)

For users with mobility issues, it might have been nice if the tank had a larger, more ergonomic handle like those on the basket and carafe, which are both robust and easy to carry (even when the carafe is full).

The Luxe Brewer Thermal is supplied with a water hardness testing strip (the results of which are used for the machine's initial configuration) and a water filter that connects to an adapter and pushes into the bottom of the tank. Most filter machines I've tested don't come with a filter, so this is an added boon.

The machine cones with a reusable mesh flat-bottomed filter, plus filter papers if you want easier cleanup and finer filtering (Image credit: Future)

The machine comes with two filter baskets – one cone and one flat-bottomed – plus a set of flat-bottomed filter papers, and a reusable mesh cone filter. The instructions warn you to use either paper filters or the mesh one, but not both together. Cone filter papers are readily available from supermarkets, so I don't think it's a problem that these aren't supplied.

The Luxe Brewer Thermal is available in several different colors, although your options will vary depending on where you buy it. In the UK, it's only available in Stainless Steel; but coffee fans in the US can also choose Black Truffle, Sea Salt (white), Damson Blue, and Olive Tapenade. When it launches in Australia, it will be available in Stainless Steel and Black Truffle.

Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal: performance

The Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal is super simple to set up and use. You start by using the water testing strip to determine the hardness of your tap water; then soak the water filter in water for five minutes, fit its adapter, and twist it into place at the bottom of the water tank. You'll then be able to set the water hardness on the machine, along with the time, which will be used for the delayed start function. Allow it to run a quick rinse cycle, and you're ready to brew.

The printed instructions supplied with the machine are quite basic, with Ikea-style illustrations, but there are much more detailed directions available online, which will cover anything you're uncertain about.

Using the Luxe Brewer Thermal is pretty self-explanatory, particularly thanks to a chart that lists how much water and ground coffee to use when brewing a particular number of cups, and whether to use the cone or flat-bottomed basket.

Image 1 of 2

The lid of the carafe can be locked to prevent accidental pouring (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

The carafe is extremely well insulated, keeping freshly brewed coffee hot for hours (Image credit: Future)

Once you've hit "brew", the machine will quickly and quietly get to work; the only particularly noticeable noise comes at the end of the brewing cycle, when the pump is draining the last few dregs of water from the tank. Once complete, the Luxe Brewer Thermal will beep to let you know your coffee is ready.

The thermal carafe is particularly impressive. The more coffee you brew, the better it will hold its heat. Having said that, even when I prepared only half a carafe, the contents were still at 149ºC / 65ºF after four hours. That's slightly hotter than you'd want for drinking immediately without a splash of cold milk. In fact, the first time I used the Luxe Brewer Thermal, I wasn't sure it had actually finished because even though it was full of piping-hot coffee, the outside of the jug was cold to the touch.

Once you've brewed a pot, the machine’s display will show how long ago it was made, which is handy for households with multiple coffee-drinkers.

Brew settings are adjustable if you want to tweak the flavor of your coffee, with options including bloom time and brew temperature (Image credit: Future)

I also like its large, ergonomically designed handle, which matches that of the brew basket assembly, and makes it easy to carry and pour even when full.

The default settings worked very well with my freshly bought and ground beans, but if you find the flavor isn't quite to your taste, selecting the "custom" option will let you tweak the bloom volume (the amount of hot water dispensed onto the ground coffee for pre-infusion), bloom time (how long the coffee is allowed to pre-infuse), brew temperature, and flow rate (how rapidly the water is dispensed onto the coffee).

The Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal is also capable of cold-brewing, but you might not be able to see this option on the screen at first. That's because the coffee needs to steep in the basket for 24 hours, and the basket has a maximum capacity of four cups. If there's too much water in the machine's tank, it won't be offered.

The Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal has a dedicated button for delayed start. Just tap it, use the dial to set the timer, and it's ready to go (Image credit: Future)

Before cold-brewing, you'll be prompted to remove the lid from the carafe so the water remains in the brew basket, and the timer will begin counting down. Once the 24 hours are up, you can position the lidded carafe to release your brew. As you would expect from cold-brew made the conventional way, the flavor is pleasingly rounded and rich, with a sweeter profile than coffee prepared hot.

It's simple, but very well executed, like all of this machine's features. Although there’s a selection of customization options, there are no unnecessary frills. Drip coffee shouldn’t be complicated, and with the Luxe Brewer Thermal, it isn’t.

Should you buy the Sage Luxe Brewer ThermalBuy it if

You really enjoy drip coffee

The Luxe Brewer Thermal will do your beans justice, and keep your batch brew hot for hours without stewing it on a hotplate. You can fine-tune brew settings if you want; but, ultimately, it keeps things simple and does them very well.

You enjoy authentic cold-brew

There's no shortage of coffee makers that claim to make authentic-tasting cold-brewed coffee, but the Luxe Brewer Thermal does it the traditional way by steeping the grounds for 24 hours. It's easy, convenient, and makes virtually no mess.

Don't buy it if

You want a traditional-looking batch brewer

The Luxe Brewer Thermal has a distinctly modern look with its brushed metal finish and clean lines. If you want a more conventional-looking brewer, take a look at the Moccamaster KBGV Select instead (see below).

You want the cheapest option

The Luxe Brewer Thermal carries a mid-range price tag, and there are definitely cheaper options available, although they don't offer the same performance.

Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal: also consider

If you're not sure whether the Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal is the right coffee maker for you, here are two other options to consider:

Moccamaster KBGV Select

The Moccamaster comes highly recommended if you want a more striking machine, although it relies on a hotplate rather than an insulated carafe to keep your drink hot, and stewing for 100 minutes can have a detrimental effect on the taste of your drink.

Read our full Moccamaster KBGV Select review

Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker

I really wanted to love the super-smart Aiden, which automatically calculates the optimum brew settings for your beans, but it's let down by an insulated carafe that just doesn't hold the heat like the Luxe Brewer Thermal's pitcher.

Read our full Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker review

How I tested the Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal

I used the Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal with tap water and the supplied water filter, with the machine set to the recommended water hardness setting. I used freshly bought coffee from a local roaster (a blend of Brazilian and Columbian beans), ground at home immediately before using.

I used the machine on its default hot brewing settings, then experimented with adjusting options including bloom temperature, bloom time, and brew temperatures. I also used the delayed start function to start brewing first thing in the morning, and used the cold-brew function several times, comparing the taste of coffee brewed this way to prepared hot.

After brewing a batch of hot coffee, I tested the temperature every hour with a chef's thermometer to see how well the carafe retained heat.

For more details, see how TechRadar tests, rates, and reviews products.

First reviewed July 2025

• GMK K12 uses OCuLink and USB4 to make eGPU support completely plug-and-play
• Ryzen 7 H 255 pushes 70W under load, rare in palm-sized budget mini PCs
• Triple M.2 SSD slots make the K12 unusually capable of handling massive storage arrays

GMK has launched the K12, a mini PC priced at 2,099 yuan (approximately $292), designed for users seeking a compact yet expandable system.

Unlike typical budget systems, the K12 supports both OCuLink and USB4, making external GPU connectivity a practical reality without modifying internal components.

Powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 H 255, the GMK K12 features an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 4 processor with clock speeds ranging from 3.8GHz to 4.9GHz.

A small form factor with surprising thermal headroom

GMK (originally in Chinese) says the chip can maintain a 70W power envelope under sustained load, which places it well above what’s usually expected from small form factor devices.

The integrated Radeon 780M GPU handles lighter gaming and creative workloads, although its real strength lies in supporting external GPU docks over OCuLink or USB4.

One of the core selling points of this device is its unusually broad storage and memory capacity, as it features three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, each supporting up to 8TB SSDs, bringing total storage to a theoretical 24TB, and also comes with two DDR5 slots, which support up to 128GB of RAM at 5600MHz.

While such specs are far beyond what most mini PC users require, they give the K12 flexibility to operate as a lightweight workstation or an experimental business PC for data-heavy tasks.

With this much power comes heating problems, and the K12 handles this with a dual-fan system backed by a vapor chamber heat spreader.

GMK’s chassis includes dual air intakes and user-selectable cooling profiles: silent (45W), balanced (54W), and performance (65W).

This approach may not match traditional workstation cooling, but it provides more control than most systems in its size class.

On the connectivity side, the K12 supports up to four 4K displays via HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB4, with data transfer managed through dual 2.5G Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi 6E.

Notably, the OCuLink port on the front panel allows lossless eGPU support, and the USB4 port supports 40Gbps data rates and 120W power delivery.

That said, GMK K12 isn’t aiming to replace high-end desktops or gaming towers; it introduces a mix of affordability, expandability, and performance control not often seen at this price point.

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New Rangers boss Russell Martin takes charge of his first SPL match at Fir Park.

• Spider-Man's new costume for Brand New Day has been fully unveiled
• Marvel and Sony released a new video showing the costume in all of its glory
• Its lead star Tom Holland is shown wearing the superhero suit

Tom Holland has officially unveiled the first full look at the new costume he'll wear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day – and I've immediately fallen in love with it.

Just 24 hours after an all-too-brief Brand New Day video teased Spider-Man's new attire, a new teaser, which was released by Sony Pictures, shows off the super-suit in all of its glory.

The 22 second-long video, which was uploaded to Sony's YouTube channel today (August 2), begins with the somewhat melancholy Spider-Man piano-based theme we heard in yesterday's footage. As some hanger bay doors open and light rushes in from outside, we see the silhouette of Holland, who has his back to the camera, jogging on the spot as he prepares for what could be his first day on the Brand New Day set in Glasgow, Scotland.

Around the 0:10 mark, Holland suddenly pivots and walks towards the camera. Approaching it, he smiles as he reveals the webslinger's new costume in full. Holland then looks across to someone off-screen, asks "We ready?", looks back into the lens, smiles again, and heads off, presumably to start shooting his next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film.

The first thing to note about Spidey's new garb is it appears to be an updated version of the suit he's seen wearing in the final scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Indeed, apart from the raised webbing on the outside of the suit and the black logo adoring the chest area, it appears to be an exact match to the aforementioned ensemble.

A post shared by Spider-Man (@spidermanmovie)

A photo posted by on

What's even more interesting, though, is that Spidey's new gear looks like it's paying homage to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's live-action iterations of the character. The raised webbing is a clear tribute to Maguire's costume, while the black, slim logo is an obvious nod to the emblem that adorned Garfield's suit.

Considering Holland, Maguire, and Garfield's wallcrawlers teamed up in No Way Home via some multiverse shenanigans, it's evident these more experienced Peter Parkers left a lasting impression on Holland's version. It's unsurprising, then, that he'd honor the pair by incorporating aspects of their costumes into his own. What a nice guy!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently slated to be released on July 31, 2026. And, with filming finally underway on Spidey's next big-screen adventure, we're sure to learn even more about the Marvel Phase 6 movie as principal photography continues in the weeks and months to come.

Admittedly, we already know some things about Spider-Man 4 – for more details on what's been confirmed thus far, check out my dedicated guide on Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But, whether it's who Sadie Sink is playing in Brand New Day, what Frank Castle/The Punisher's role will be in Spider-Man 4, and more besides, I'm confident there'll be more for me to write about one of my favorite superhero's next film very soon.

What do you think of Spidey's new costume? Let me know in the comments. Once you have, read on for more Spider-Man: Brand New Day coverage.

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