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Stigmergy is a mechanism of indirect coordination, in which individuals can influence their peers by changing their environment. For example, some ant species lay pheromone trails to navigate between food sources and nests. Researchers used these robots to conduct a study to see if stigmergy-based behavior can be produced via automatic design. The results show collective behaviors designed automatically can be just as good, if not better than those produced manually.

Here's a very 2024 sentence: Jake Paul, the controversial and popular YouTuber, is going to fight former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on Netflix. The violent publicity stunt will take place in AT&T stadium — aka Jerry World, the home of the Dallas Cowboys — in Arlington, Texas on July 20.

The fight will certainly be a huge spectacle. Paul is wildly popular, especially with the younger generation. Tyson, despite being 57 years old, remains a household name and, during his prime decades ago, was the most electric and dominant fighter of a generation. Before "YouTuber" was a well-known profession, the site was littered with grainy compilation videos of his terrifying knockouts.

The announcement of the fight on Thursday quickly drew lots of attention. In fact, "he's 57" started trending on X, with lots of folks pointing out that Tyson isn't your typical 57-year-old.

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Paul, 27, pivoted hard to boxing and, to his credit, has done a solid job becoming a fighter. As ESPN noted last week, Paul — who has a record of 9-1 — has even moved to fighting actual boxers with low name-recognition rather than celebrities. In other words, he really seems to be working toward becoming a better fighter.

Tweet may have been deleted

"He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a 'kid' can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT," Tyson said in a statement. "It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him."

Paul was the undercard to a Tyson exhibition in 2020, during which the YouTuber knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson. A few years later and he can credibly say he's the most popular name in boxing, even if he isn't a serious competitor for the real pros.

The clocks on our smartphones do something bizarre twice a year: One day in the spring, they jump ahead an hour, and our alarms go off an hour sooner. We wake up bleary-eyed and confused until we remember what just happened.

Afterward, "Daylight Saving Time" becomes the norm for about eight months (And yes, it's called "Daylight Saving" not "Daylight Savings." I don't make the rules). Then, in the fall, the opposite happens. Our clocks set themselves back an hour, and we wake up refreshed, if a little uneasy. 

Mild chaos ensues at both annual clock changes. What feels like an abrupt and drastic lengthening or shortening of the day causes time itself to seem fictional. Babies and dogs demand that their old sleep and feeding habits remain unchanged. And more consequential effects — for better or worse — may be involved as well (more on which in a minute).

Changing our clocks is an all-out attack on our perception of time as an immutable law of nature. It interrupts our lives in ways that are somewhat obscure precisely because those disruptions, and the accompanying confusion and malaise, are the norm. It’s reasonable to have questions though: Why is something so weird considered normal? How does it work? Do we really have to do it? Will it ever stop?

And here are the answers.

Why do we do Daylight Saving Time? What does it mean?

The popular idea that Benjamin Franklin invented Daylight Saving Time is half-true. He wrote a humorous letter to the editor of The Journal of Paris in 1784 about accidentally waking up at 6 a.m. and discovering that — Surprise! — the sun had been shining early in the morning all along, and he’d been missing it by snoozing until noon. In the letter, Franklin crunches some numbers, and concludes that governments should use tax incentives to try and induce their people to be awake whenever the sun is shining, largely in order to save money on candles. In spirit, this is similar to the goals of Daylight Saving Time, but Franklin did not propose that everyone should change their clocks twice a year.

SEE ALSO: Daylight saving time could become permanent in the U.S. Here's what that means.

If you need a single name, British residential real estate developer William Willett who wrote the 1907 pamphlet "The Waste of Daylight," was probably the inventor of DST — or as he called it "British Summer Time."

A New Zealand entomologist named George Hudson had quietly proposed a similar idea a few years earlier in 1895, but Willett was a wealthy businessman who was eventually able to have his idea transformed into a formal parliamentary proposal in the UK, so I’ll grant him the credit over Hudson because his plan got results, but feel free to disagree with me.

Willett was an early riser and avid golfer, and so he had a fixation on what time the sun rose and set. With that in mind, he proposed two yearly time changing phases — one in April, and one in September. Willett’s more elaborate time change phase idea would have meant a series of four time changes in increments of 20 minutes each, stretched out over a four-week period. It was mind-bendingly complicated, but it would have lessened the abrupt impact. 

All that complexity probably makes Willett’s plan sound a little deranged, but keep in mind, this was meant to fix a problem that modern, clock-changing humans are only vaguely aware of: dusk comes annoyingly early in the warmer months in standard time. It's warm, and there’s plenty of daylight in the day for extra golfing if you’re Willett, or extra bug-catching if you’re Hudson. And yet, all that bonus daylight is front-loaded into the morning when everyone is barely even awake yet. What a waste!

Willett never saw his proposal adopted in his lifetime. The year after Willett died, however, amid the resource constraints of World War I the United Kingdom put the one-hour-at-a-time clock-changing plan, not Willett's more gradual, monthlong plan, into effect, calling it the Summer Time Act of 1916. But Britain only adopted DST after its wartime enemy, the German Empire, adopted it first. Initially, the purpose was to conserve coal for the war effort, but slowly, in fits and starts over the rest of the 20th century, most of Europe, much of the English-speaking world, some of Latin America, and a few other places formally implemented time changes. 

That brings us pretty much to the present. It’s estimated that about a billion people, or roughly an eighth of the global population, now have to deal with two annual time changes: One as the warmer months are coming on, to make the daylight hours in the longer days more usable, and once when winter is coming, because there’s no extra light to be juiced out of those hellish winter nights. 

Where does Daylight Saving Time happen, and when?

Without getting too detailed, here are most of the places where clocks get changed:

• The United States, minus most of Arizona and Hawaii

• Most of Canada

• Most of Mexico

• Cuba

• Most of Europe

• Parts of Australia

• New Zealand

• Israel/Palestine

• Syria

• Lebanon

• Jordan

• Iran

• And more!

When the clocks change for the start of Daylight Saving Time 2024

For most of us, the time change just kinda happens at night. If you want to witness it, here's how:

If you’re in the U.S., and your clocks aren't self-changing, in the wee hours of March 10, wait until 2:00 a.m. and turn your clock ahead to 3:00 a.m. That missing hour simply disappears into a wormhole.  

This fall, you’ll need to set your clocks back an hour on the morning of November 3 if they aren’t self-changing. If you want to see the time change in action, you can stay up the night of November 2, and wait until 2 a.m. November 3. At that time, turn your clock back an hour and, yep, repeat the hour that just happened.

Is Daylight Saving Time good?

There simply is no objectively correct opinion on Daylight Saving Time.

The economic benefits of the wartime clock adjustment were real and immediate, according to the book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time by David S. Perau. The adoption of DST led to "increased overtime work," along with, "reductions in power for electric lighting [that] averaged about 20 percent." That 20 percent power use reduction corresponded to "a cutback of about 1 percent of the total coal used for all purposes in a year." A one percent savings is huge.

Arguments against daylight saving, which robs light from the morning to give it to the evening, often revolve around concerns over school kids, who are forced to wait for their morning buses in the dark, potentially exposing them to crime and an increase in car accidents. Contrast that concern with a 2015 study by Brookings showing that DST reduces crime by pushing the cover of nighttime darkness back an hour, resulting in $59 million in savings per year in reduced robberies.

SEE ALSO: Pets have no idea it's daylight savings time, and it's going to be a rough week

But the clock changes and their accompanying chaos appear to bring about real, and sometimes fatal, problems. A study on the autumn time change from DST back to standard time strongly suggests that the event triggers an 11 percent rise in acute depression among susceptible people. That same time change was also once associated with a sudden 24 percent rise in reports of heart attacks. Another study linked the other time change — the one in spring — to a 6 percent increase in fatal car crashes.

Which brings us to the rising movement aimed at locking in Daylight Saving Time, and ceasing the clock changes altogether.

Is Daylight Saving Time permanent yet?

No.

59 percent of Americans favor a permanent change to DST, and 62 percent favor the elimination of the time change by some means. Permanent DST would nudge time over an hour forever. The sun would be overhead not at 12:00 p.m. but at 1:00 p.m. This would result in more evening sun year-round, but also more morning darkness, which is why some experts who want to abolish the time change would prefer permanent standard time.

But here in the U.S., permanent Daylight Saving Time really might happen.

On March 15 of 2022, the U.S. Senate unexpectedly passed a bill called "The Sunshine Protection Act," which may make it seem like Daylight Saving Time is on the verge of being permanent. Not so fast.

The bill was an interesting case study in American democracy. It was introduced on March 9, 2022, and abruptly passed six days later via something called unanimous consent. This means when it was brought up for a cursory initial vote, no one voiced any objections, so it passed without further deliberation. In the normally glacial United States Senate, this sort of thing almost never happens, according to Paul McLeod of Buzzfeed News. McLeod’s report on the passage of the bill notes that Senators Tom Cotton and Roger Wicker were among those whose stated beliefs were in opposition to ending the time change. Either of their votes should have rendered unanimous consent impossible, but they simply weren’t there to object. 

That bill died in the House, though, and the process had to start again. Senator Marco Rubio reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act in 2023, but it doesn't look like a repeat of the 2022 Senate miracle is coming.

Will Daylight Saving Time ever be permanent?

If you're desperate to see the time change abolished in your lifetime, it might be wise to limit your activism to your state government. Nearly all states have either passed or entertained laws that would abolish the time change. But of course those are complicated by the federal law requiring all use of Daylight Saving Time be uniform across the whole country.

Perhaps the best thing for us all, then, is to stop trying to control this vast, Kafkaesque machine, and surrender to the twice-yearly reminder of our collective political impotence, and of time's fakeness.

Note: This article originally ran ahead of the switch to standard time in late 2022. It has been edited and republished for the spring of 2024.

SAVE $119.88: Amazon Prime members are eligible for a year of free Grubhub+ membership, which typically costs $9.99 per month, for a total savings of $119.88 over the 12 months.

Opens in a new window Credit: Grubhub Grubhub+ yearly membership
free for Amazon Prime members Get Deal

An Amazon Prime membership comes with plenty of perks. From having some items delivered to your doorstep in just hours to streaming the hits on Prime Video, it's packed with attractive features that make it well worth the membership fee. But there's one perk some might not know about.

All Amazon Prime members are eligible for one free year of Grubhub+, which typically costs $9.99 per month. Over the course of the year, you'll be saving $119.88 in total. An Amazon Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 for a year.

Grubhub+ is packed with perks for those who like the convenience of having some of life's essentials delivered to your doorstep. For starters, you'll pay exactly $0 for delivery fees when ordering food. You'll also see lower service fees added to your order's total. If you prefer to pickup an order instead of getting it delivered, you'll see a 5% credit applied to future eligible pickup orders. The membership also comes with exclusive offers.

If you often find yourself ordering pizza, Mexican, or any other type of delivery meal, a membership to Grubhub+ could save you tons of dough on delivery fees. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can sign up for a year of Grubhub+ for free, saving you the typical $9.99 monthly fee. Pair your delivery dinner with the latest show on Prime Video, and you'll be having the perfect Amazon night in.

Wake up and smell the roses – and a clean home! It's time to dive into your yearly spring cleaning session. Tidy up your home with deals on must-have vacuums, cleaning supplies, and more with the top deals on spring cleaning goodies, all on sale today.

Spring Cleaning Deals Best upright vacuum deal Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra $399.99 (save $100) Get Deal Best robot vacuum deal iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ $998.98 at Amazon (save $400.02) Get Deal Best cleaning supplies deal Buy $60 of household items, get $15 credit Get a $15 Amazon credit when you spend $60 with promo code STOCKUPSAVE Get Deal

Shake out those rugs and empty those dustbins because it's officially time to start this year's spring cleaning run. That means you've got to be well-equipped with everything you need to make your home look (and smell) brand new again. Whether you need a vacuum with better suction power or some new cleaning products to tackle what might be a massive cleaning session, you'll need to do some shopping to prepare.

Luckily, you can save some serious coin on spring cleaning essentials on your list as of March 7. Our top spring cleaning deals today include a great upright vacuum, our favorite robot vacuum, deals on cleaning supplies, and more miscellaneous discounts to help you get everything as clean as possible.

Below, find our favorite spring cleaning deals that you can shop right now.

Best upright vacuum deal Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra $399.99 at Best Buy
$499.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is a tireless cleaner that you absolutely need in your arsenal of spring cleaning tools. Whether you have a pet or not, this upright vacuum can help deep clean your carpet by removing everything from ground-in pet hair to dead skin cells and more gross debris like it's nothing. It even uses special detangling technology to make sure any errant hairs are removed from its rolling brush. It also comes with five accessories to help you deep clean those hard-to-reach areas. If you're going to vacuum manually, this is the one to do it with.

Best robot vacuum deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ $998.98
$1,399.00 Save $400.02 Get Deal Why we like it

The iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ is our favorite robot vacuum and mop combo, and it's the most powerful one you can get. It's more than capable of handling all the vacuuming tasks you assign it, whether that means cutting through pet hair and dirt in thick carpet or mopping up sticky, gross messes on hard floors. It can even handle dried stains with tough scrubbing motions. This is the robot vacuum for users with households that need deep cleaning on the regular, and it can handle it all with ease. It even has a massive water tank that can power the mop for up to 30 days at a time. True, you'll be paying a premium to bring it home, but it's well worth the money, especially at this price.

Best cleaning supplies deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Buy $60 of household items, get $15 credit Get a $15 Amazon credit when you spend $60 with promo code STOCKUPSAVE Get Deal Why we like it

If you need to stock up on cleaning supplies before tackling the big job, you might plan on going to Walmart or another big box store. But if you shop at Amazon, you'll be rewarded by getting some money back. Spend $60 on qualifying household items like trash bags, Windex, Clorox wipes, laundry detergent and more and get $15 back in Amazon credit. Add qualifying items to your cart and use promo code STOCKUPSAVE. Then turn around and use the same credit to buy all the other stuff you need! Easy-peasy.

More spring cleaning deals

• Dyson V8 Origin+ Cordless Vacuum – $299.99 $419.99 at Walmart (save $120)

• Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner – $98 $419.99 at Amazon (save $25.59)

• Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner – $99.99 $109.99 at Amazon (save $10.99)

• Shark Steam & Scrub All-in-One Steam Mop – $139 $179.99 at Walmart (save $40.99)

• Bissell SpinWave Cordless Hard Floor Spin Mop – $154.59 $175.09 at Amazon (save $20.60)

• Shark IZ163H Pet Plus Cordless Stick Vacuum – $229.99 $299.99 at Amazon (save $70)

• Shark S5003D Genius Pocket Steam Mop – $109.99 $129.99 at Amazon (save $20)

• Roborock Q5+ – $399.99 $699.99 at Amazon (save $300)

• iRobot Roomba 692 – $244.48 $269.99 at Amazon (save $25.51)

• Eureka E10s Robot Vacuum with Bagless Self-Emptying Station – $399.99 $599.99 at Amazon (save $200 with coupon)

• iRobot Braava Jet M6 – $299.99 $449.99 at Amazon (save $150)

• Simple Green AllPurpose Cleaner (Pack of 3) – $13.86 $19.99 at Amazon (save $6.13)

If you're looking to trade in an older Apple device, there's a good chance you'll get more for it today than you would've yesterday. The first week of March has seen the trade-in values for Apple's Mac lineup, as well as its iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch lineups rise and fall. The MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and Apple Watch SE 1 trade-in values climbed, for example, while trade-in values slightly dropped for the entry-level iPad, Apple Watch Ultra, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro.

What are the new trade-in values?

These trade-in value adjustments aren't massive — more like $10 here or there — but they'll still help bring down the price of your brand-new gadget. Here are the new price changes:

• iPhone 14 Pro Max — Up to $630 (increased from $620)

• iPhone SE 2 — Up to $90 (increased from $70)

• iPad — Up to $250 (decreased from $260)

• Apple Watch Ultra — Up to $365 (decreased from $390)

• Apple Watch Series 7 — Up to $145 (decreased from $155)

• Apple Watch Series 4 — Up to $70 (increased from $60)

• Apple Watch SE 2 — Up to $120 (decreased from $125)

• Apple Watch SE 1 — Up to $95 (increased from $90)

• MacBook Pro - Up to $1000 (increased from $990)

• MacBook Air - Up to $550 (No change)

• MacBook - Up to $160 (increased from $150)

• iMac - Up to $440 (No change)

• iMac Pro - Up to $500 (No change)

• Mac mini - Up to $400 (decreased from $410)

• Mac Studio - Up to $1315 (increased from $1070)

• Mac Pro - Up to $800 (decreased from $900)

Why did trade-in values change?

The trade-in value changes are likely due to the recent release of the M3 MacBook Air (and subsequent price drop on the M2 MacBook Air), as well as the upcoming rumored releases of new iPad Pro and iPad Air devices. As far as iPhones go, we're still about six months away from the new iPhone 16 drop. However, the new iOS 17.4 update could render older iPhones obsolete. With slightly higher trade-in values on certain devices, Apple could potentially be tempting those with older devices to make the switch to something new and improved. Though Apple didn't explicitly explain the reasoning, there's a pretty good chance it's related to boosting sales. Though, it's not uncommon for these values to fluctuate at the Apple Store.

How does Apple Trade In work?

Apple's trade-in program is one of the best ways to save money on a new device. Not to mention, it's environmentally responsible. With Apple Trade In, you recycle your old device and put it towards credit for a brand-new one. If you're not in the market for a new device quite yet, you can also put the credit on an Apple gift card for later use. Values vary depending on a number of factors – how old your device is, what condition it's in, carrier information, and more. Apple's trade-in page offers more information on device eligibility, trade-in values, and other FAQs.

In her 1993 speech at the Oscars, just before she presented the Academy Award for Best Director, Barbara Streisand envisioned a future in which women are so often in the leading filmmaking roles, that no special focus on their gender is necessary. Three decades later, we look at the history of the Best Director category to see how close, if at all, we have gotten to living in the future Streisand spoke about.

UPDATE: March 7, 2024, 11:05 a.m. EST The Xbox Series X Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Special Edition Bundle ($699.99), which included a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed console, sold out in under two minutes after it went live on the Best Buy app. Chances of a restock are virtually nil, but we'll keep you posted if that changes. Our original story follows.

Quick links: The drop Xbox Series X 'Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2' Special Edition Bundle $699.99 on the Best Buy app Sold Out The download Best Buy app Available for iOS and Android Download Now

Two words, SpongeBob: X. Box.

Microsoft has partnered with Best Buy and Paramount on a new limited-edition console bundle that includes a goofy custom Xbox Series X that looks like SpongeBob SquarePants, complete with "his iconic smile, Krusty Krab uniform, and ecstatic arms," per an Xbox Wire post. It comes with an Xbox Wireless Controller featuring a collage of different SpongeBob SquarePants characters plus a digital copy of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, a 2023 crossover fighting game starring The Sponge and other Nick personalities.

Oh, and it's priced at an eye-watering $699.99 (or $200 more than a standard, standalone Series X system). I'll remember you in therapy, Phil Spencer.

Absolutely stunning. Credit: Best Buy The entire glorious bundle. Credit: Microsoft

Unlike other custom Xbox consoles, which have historically been reserved for X/Twitter giveaways, the Xbox Series X Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Special Edition Bundle will soon be available for purchase — albeit in limited quantities. You'll find it exclusively on the Best Buy mobile app starting at 11 a.m. ET today (March 7) as part of the tech store's Best Buy Drops program.

For the uninitiated, Best Buy introduced Drops last fall as a new way for shoppers to snag limited-time deals and hard-to-buy products during the holidays, though it seems to have been extended indefinitely. Featured items are available in short supply through the Best Buy app from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET on the day of their Drop, though they often sell out long before then. A Drop that brought the Shark FlexStyle down to $200 lasted less than 20 minutes, for example.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy Drops this week: Here are the upcoming products dropping through Best Buy's app hack

While its stupid-high price tag will be a big deterrent for some, we're expecting the SpongeBox bundle to sell out fast — possibly within the hour — as this is shoppers' one and only chance to purchase it. As previously mentioned, it's also a very rare opportunity to snag a custom Xbox outside of Microsoft's usual X sweepstakes. (The company actually gave away a similar SpongeBob-themed console back in 2021.) That probably explains the markup.

Heed the advice Xbox doled out in its Wire post: "[Make] sure you set a notification and act fast." Signing into a Best Buy account and confirming your location for shipping or pickup ahead of time will also nudge the odds in your favor.

For more details and a close-up look at the SpongeBob Xbox Series X console, head to the Best Buy blog.

Microsoft announced that it is hosting a late March event that will delve into new developments with Copilot, Windows, and the Surface laptop family.

Zooming in on consumer laptops, Microsoft is reportedly planning on unleashing two models: the Surface Pro 10 and the Surface Laptop 6.

When is the Microsoft March Surface event?

Microsoft's March Surface event is on March 21.

As mentioned, Microsoft is expected to drop new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 models. According to Windows Central, the former will have a new OLED display. The latter will feature a new design, including slimmer bezels, a haptic trackpad, and more USB-C ports.

The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will reportedly come in two chip flavors: Intel and ARM. The Intel-packed Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 configurations will hit store shelves in April. However, their ARM-based variants will arrive in June, according to Windows Central.

Windows and Copilot

On top of new hardware, Microsoft is also planning to unveil new software features, particularly for Windows and Copilot users.

With Microsoft's big AI push this year, expect new AI experiences to make their way over to Windows 11 and Copilot, adding a new layer of convenience and seamlessness to users' workflow.

Windows Central reported that Microsoft is working on a new "AI Explorer experience," which records everything you do on your PC, allowing you to search chronologically on a timeline — all while using natural language.

When the Microsoft event launches on March 21, you'll have the ability to watch it from home (likely via the Microsoft Youtube channel and its official website). Stay tuned for Mashable's coverage of the springtime event.

SAVE $80: Buy two Amazon Echo (4th gen) speakers and save $80 with promo code ECHO2PK. Each Echo speaker individually sells for $99.99, but buying two Echos with the promo code will cost just $119.98, which is a 40% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo (4th gen, two speakers) $119.98 at Amazon
$199.98 Save $80.00 use code ECHO2PK Get Deal

Want premium speaker sound in more than just one room of your house? Want to blast your favorite music and have it playing in several rooms so the music doesn't fade away if you decide to head to the kitchen? If this sounds ideal, Amazon has just the deal for you today.

As of March 7, buy two Amazon Echo (4th gen) speakers for just $119.98, an $80 savings compared to buying two Echo speakers separately. Use code ECHO2PK between now and 8:55 p.m. PT on March 31 to score this bundled savings.

The 4th gen of the Amazon Echo is the brand's latest iteration of a speaker that also serves as a smart home hub. With the Echo, you'll be able to stream your favorite songs, podcasts, or audiobooks from places like Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Spotify. With two, you can ask Alexa to stream the same song, pod, or book on both speakers. Alternatively, you and a partner or your kids could be enjoying your own sounds individually.

SEE ALSO: Echo vs. Echo Dot: Which Amazon device should you buy?

Like many Amazon devices, the Echo comes with AI assistant Alexa, who's always available to help. Ask her to set a timer for the bread you just popped in the oven, check on the weather before taking the dog out, or add milk to the grocery list. Plus, more smart speakers make it even easier to control your Alexa-compatible smart home tech — just ask Alexa to dim the lights or lower the thermostat.

In terms of sound quality, the Echo speaker has an upward-firing woofer and dual tweeters to give off better sound.

If you have more than one room that could use an upgraded speaker, this deal on two Amazon Echo devices will save you $80 compared to buying the two separately. Since one is the loneliest number, opt for two instead and double the enjoyment.

Reddit has introduced an AI-powered safety filter that will help sift out posts that contain harassing or other objectionable content.

The "harassment filter" — quietly added to the platform's support page last week and detected by Android Authority — uses a Large Language Model (LLM) "trained on moderator actions and content removed by Reddit’s internal tools and enforcement teams," Reddit explains. The tool intends to support the already tenuous work of reddit moderators tasked with supervising the online communities they're a part of.

Just last month, Bloomberg reported that Reddit had signed a content licensing deal to a major "AI player," which would offer site and user data to train potential AI tech.

SEE ALSO: New reports link Meta and 'momfluencers' in perpetuating child exploitation online

When a community and its moderators turn on the filter, a new flag will appear in the site's mod queue indicating content (posts and comments) that has been flagged as “potential harassment." Moderators can then approve or remove the content, and report back to Reddit if it was accurately detected.

The platform has introduced a slew of new features and updated experiences in recent months, ahead of its stock market debut this month. Last year, Reddit announced the Modmail Harassment Filter, which acts like a "spam" folder for moderator messages containing potentially abusive content.

How to set up Reddit's harassment filter

1. For desktop, go to the About Community tab on the right sidebar and select Mod Tools. For iOS and Android, click on the Mod Tools button below your community's banner.

2. Go to Moderation. Click on Safety.

3. Select the Harassment filter option, and toggle on.

4. Choose between the Low or High filter options. Low filtering blocks the least amount of content, but is more accurate in spotting harassment. High filter does a broader sweep of posts, and thus will block more posts. Reddit recommends using the High option if your community encounters a "significant amount of harassing content."

While Reddit says administrators will continue to automatically remove posts that directly violate Reddit’s Content Policy, the harassment filter provides communities oversight on objectionable but still "policy-complying" content that might slip through the cracks.

The final trailer for 3 Body Problem, Netflix's anticipated adaptation of Liu Cixin's novel is here, and it's filled with intense conversations about consciousness expanding across worlds and the very real possibility of war — but with whom? And from where?

In the trailer, Benedict Wong's detective Da Shi speaks to his boss, Wade (Liam Cunningham), of a sequence detected in 1977 called "the wow signal." Meanwhile, an ominous moment has physicist Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) telling her friend and colleague Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), "They are coming." And it's all sent to an unsettling, fitting version of "This Bitter Earth" by Dinah Washington.

With Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and True Blood writer Alexander Woo running the show, it's best to expect the epic. The series tracks a global mystery across time, with scientists mysteriously dying and a foreboding countdown showing up for others, and the discovery of something in 1960s China having universal repercussions.

3 Body Problem is streaming on Netflix from March 21.

Zip up your jumpsuits and chug some Nuka-Cola, because a new trailer for Prime Video's Fallout series has just dropped.

Adapted from Bethesda's best-selling video games, and produced by Westworld's Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, Fallout launches us into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. 200 years before the show, a nuclear war wiped out civilization. Some survivors were able to hunker down in luxury underground vaults. Among these Vault-dwellers is Lucy (Yellowjackets' Ella Purnell), an optimist on a mission to the surface to save her father (Twin Peaks' Kyle MacLachlan). But the world she'll find outside the vault is stranger than she could ever have expected.

The trailer introduces us to some of the allies and adversaries Lucy will cross paths with. There's a very polite organ-harvesting robot, a new dog companion (named CX404 instead of Dogmeat for the show), and a hostile mutant bear, aka a Yao guai. On the human side, we have Maximus (Emancipation's Aaron Moten), a determined member of the militaristic Brotherhood of Steel, and the Ghoul (The Righteous Gemstones' Walton Goggins), a bounty hunter who appears to have been alive at the start of the Great War. In the face of an often unforgiving wasteland, will Lucy be able to maintain her can-do spirit and save her father? Or will her trials disillusion her and turn her into a killer? The trailer's foreboding final beats certainly point towards the latter.

All episodes of Fallout premiere Apr. 11 on Prime Video.

SAVE $250: The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition (45mm) is on sale for just $199.99 at Amazon, down from the normal price of $449.99. That's a 56% discount and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition (45mm) $199.99 at Amazon
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Smartwatches have a way of looking like...smartwatches. Not many have the classic look and feel that were common back in the day. If you've been avoiding a smartwatch because you don't love the look, the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition could be your best bet for a style you'll love. And thanks to today's sale price, you'll save a bunch of money.

As of March 7, the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition (45mm) is just $199.99, marked down from the original price of $449.99. That's a savings of $250 or a 56% discount. This sale price marks the lowest we've ever seen — a whole $100 less than its previous all-time-low last month.

SEE ALSO: Galaxy AI is coming soon to other Samsung devices

The Bespoke Edition of the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro uses sapphire crystal glass and a titanium frame. Samsung says the sapphire crystal glass face is 1.6 times stronger than the Galaxy Watch4. There's also an improvement in battery life, so you won't have to charge up as often.

When it comes to features, the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro comes with advanced sleep coaching that displays sleep pattern results for better insights into how well you're resting each night. Conveniently, the watch also has auto-tracking capabilities while you're working out, so instead of telling the watch you're heading out on a run, it'll start tracking for you. If swimming is your preferred workout, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro is water-resistant in up to five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Just be sure to rinse off any residue and dry the watch after your swim.

If a new smartwatch is on your spring wish list, the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is at its lowest price ever on Amazon. Combining features with durability, you'll be in good hands with this smartwatch.

Have you ever noticed the little disc on the bottom right of a TikTok video?

That function informs users which sound is played in the video (sometimes if it's a song, it can also appear with a musical note icon, but you may have noticed it's a been little quieter on your FYP of late). Because of the way TikTok works, users can use audio from other TikTok videos on their own videos, so that little section actually provides a lot of useful information.

SEE ALSO: Why is TikTok obsessed with 'Linger' by The Cranberries?

TikTok sounds can trend and go viral just like challenges, effects, and filters. And with music being pulled from the platform by major labels like UMG, original sound clips and DIY audio could be the way to go — and no, do not upload copyrighted music as an original sound, it will be taken down.

While there are plenty of sounds out there for you to choose from on TikTok, you can also make your own. Let's check out how.

Total Time

• 5 min

What You Need

• Smartphone
• TikTok app

Step 1: Start off by tapping the create button on the bottom of the screen to make a new video.

Step 2: Record a video with your sound on (the audio from the video will end up being your custom sound.)

Maybe record your own cover of a song you like. Play a tune on an instrument. Record yourself talking. Make a weird voice. Whatever your heart desires.

Step 3: Use the bottom and right-side panels on the next screen to edit your audio.

Use voice effects, add voiceover, or adjust the speed of your clip.

Step 4: Tap the big check mark and post your completed video.

Step 5: Find your video on your profile and select it to watch it.

At the bottom, you'll notice the video is playing your original sound.

Step 6: Want to use your original sound in another video? Tap the disc on the bottom right.

Step 7: Tap "Use this sound" at the bottom of the screen.

Step 8: Create a video using your original TikTok audio!

The audio title will be displayed at the top of the screen.

You're all set! Enjoy using and creating original audio. Who knows? Maybe yours could be the next viral TikTok sound.

Yearning for foldable products from Apple? A new report claims that at least one such product is coming, but it will be a long wait until it does.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on a foldable, 20.3-inch MacBook, but it's expected to enter mass production in 2027.

While this may sound like good news – we're certainly interested in a portable Apple laptop with tons of screen real estate – there's actually quite a bit to unpack from Kuo's short tweet on the subject.

Tweet may have been deleted

"Recently, I've received many inquiries about whether Apple plans to mass-produce the foldable iPhone or iPad in 2025 or 2026. My latest survey indicates that currently, Apple's only foldable product with a clear development schedule is the 20.3-inch MacBook, expected to enter mass production in 2027," Kuo wrote.

This indicates that the oft-rumored foldable iPhone and iPad are very, very far from mass production, despite recent rumors about these products being in development.

As for the foldable MacBook, we've been hearing rumors about such a product for years, but nothing has materialized yet. Despite the "clear development schedule" claim by Kuo, a lot can happen between now and 2027, including Apple changing its plans or abandoning the product altogether.

SEE ALSO: iOS 17.4 can automatically add Apple Card purchases to iPhone budgeting apps

At least other manufacturers are experimenting with foldables and odd form factors. If you're looking for a non-Apple laptop that provides lots of screen real estate, check out Asus' new Zenbook Duo. As for foldable phones, most major Android manufacturers now have at least one in their lineup; most recently, Honor's super-thin, Magic V2 phone made its way to Europe.

The Thing gets amplified to apocalyptic levels in the teaser for Netflix's Parasyte: The Grey, a Korean sci-fi series about slug-like creatures taking over humanity.

Drawing inspiration from Hitoshi Iwaaki's massively popular Parasyte manga, the show follows Su-in (Jeon So-nee) as she struggles to survive among people who may or may not be under the control of an alien race. The show has been created by Train to Busan, JUNG_E and Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho.

How to watch: Parasyte: The Grey is streaming on Netflix from April 5.

The cast of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender got some good news yesterday: the live action adaptation, years in the making, has been renewed for two more seasons.

Star Daniel Dae Kim (who plays Fire Lord Ozai) got the show's leads — Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and Elizabeth Yu — together on a call, keeping them visibly on their toes. But the big reveal, that Seasons 2 and 3 have been greenlit by Netflix, got the most heartwarming reaction from all the actors.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' covers a heap of episodes. Here's a guide to them all.

Netflix posted the video on YouTube on Wednesday, and you can watch it above.

The live-action series got big numbers for Netflix, reaching the Top 10 list in over 92 countries. Reactions from critics and fans have varied, with many appreciating the cast's performances, the show's attention to aesthetics, and the conscious nods to its animated predecessor, but others being wary of some choices — like jamming in too many storylines and not allowing certain characters to remain true to their original selves.

Now the cast has two more runs at the iconic show. Netflix said that details about episode count and material will be announced at a later date, though it looks clear that the main cast will be returning for their roles. And it's almost certain that fans can't wait to see what's in store.

Haven't seen the first season? Here's how to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Travelling requires a lot of planning. You need to be prepared with a checklist of essentials, and then pack everything in such a way that you're not left with a crumpled mess of belongings on the other side.

Something you don't need to pack is a VPN, but it should still be at the top of your list. Why? These security services protect your data and personal information when you're travelling, as well as providing access to top streaming sites from around the world. So whether you're dreaming of getting away, planning your next big trip, or in the departure lounge, you need a VPN by your side.

What is a VPN?

VPNs provide protection for your data and identity when you're online by creating an encrypted tunnel for your online traffic. This protects your personal information by hiding your IP address, and allowing you to safely use public WiFi hotspots.

This means that your internet traffic can't be tracked and recorded by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other third party, wherever you are in the world.

Do you need a VPN for travelling?

A VPN is an essential when you're travelling for two key reasons: encryption of your web traffic and access to the websites and apps you use when you're at home.

Any sort of activity on an unsecured WiFi network leaves your private information and browsing habits exposed to the world, unless you're using a VPN. The likelihood of using an unsecured network is increased when you're away from home, so the need for a VPN is great.

The need to access content when travelling is also significant. There will be plenty of moments when you need to access a particular site or app when you're on the road, but you're blocked due to your location. VPNs can bypass these blockades by hiding your real IP address and connecting you to a server in the UK. This process can trick your favourite services into thinking that you're back home, meaning that you can continue to access the content you love.

What are the most important VPN features for travelling?

The best VPNs for travelling will have certain features in common. To help you make sense of everything, we have highlighted a selection of the most important things to think about before committing to a service. You should consider connection speed, server network, number of simultaneous connections, and more:

• Bandwidth — There are VPNs that place monthly caps on network bandwidth. You should avoid these services, unless you're on a free trial. If you're paying for a VPN, you need to be able to download and upload as much as you want.

• Connection speed — You shouldn't accept a significant drop in connection speed with a VPN, because this is going to result in buffering when you're streaming. If you're planning on watching a film or downloading a file when travelling, you should opt for something with decent connection speeds.

• Encryption — You are likely to come across terms like "military-grade" and "enterprise-grade" encryption. There are clearly different levels of encryption, and whilst it's important to take note of the grade provided by your VPN, the best options will all offer powerful protection for your data.

• Number of simultaneous connections — The best VPNs let you connect a large (or unlimited) number of devices with the same account. A service that offers multiple simultaneous connections lets you protect all of your devices with the same plan.

• Privacy policy — You should be aware of the data-handling, storage, and usage practices of a VPN, and these practices should be clearly laid out in a privacy policy. Most VPNs require access to your IP address, online transactions, and browsing history, plus your personal details when you sign up, so it's absolutely vital that your VPN is not going to store these details.

• Server network — The very best VPNs provide access to thousands of geographically diverse servers. It's useful if a VPN has a lot of servers in key locations, because you should always be able to find a stable and speedy connection for streaming, shopping, or browsing anonymously when you're travelling around.

You should also think about things like price and subscription options, but these features represent are a good place to start.

Do you need to pay for the best VPNs?

There are a lot of free versions of top VPNs, plus free trials of VPNs with full access to everything you get with a premium plan. With this in mind, why would you ever pay for a VPN?

The fact is you get what you pay for with VPNs. There are always catches with free versions, and it's normally in the form of limited data usage. These plans will work fine for some people, but if you're going to be streaming or downloading on the move, it isn't going to work. Free trials work differently: they come without limitations, but don't tend to last very long. Trials give you the opportunity to test out a service before committing, but this isn't a long-term solution if you're travelling.

To gain access to advanced security features without limitations on usage, you need to pay up. The best VPNs are generally the most expensive, but there are plenty of cheap plans out there, especially if you're willing to commit to a lengthy contract.

What is the best VPN for travelling?

There are a lot of VPNs out there all offering different sets of features, with different pricing plans. Finding the best service for you is not easy, so we recommend taking some time to carefully access your options and decide on what you really need from a provider. Once you have established your priorities, you can check out this roundup of the best VPNs for travel.

We have tracked down everything on offer and lined up a selection of the very best VPNs for travelling. We have tried to find something for everyone and every budget, and you can find popular services like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost VPN in this roundup.

These are the best VPNs for travelling in 2024.

There is no such thing as too many streaming sites. Sure, you might already be subscribed to Netflix and Prime Video, but there might be hit shows and newly-releases movies still out of reach. We're not suggesting you subscribe to everything out there, but one more subscription couldn't hurt.

If you're looking to expand your content options, you might have considered Max. This popular streaming platform offers TV favourites, blockbuster movies, and new Max originals. So what's stopping you? Well, despite Max expanding into Europe in 2021, the UK is still not on the list. Try and visit the platform from the UK, and you'll be greeted with "Sorry, Max isn’t available in your region yet."

We know this is tough news to take, but you still have the ability to stream on Max in the UK. All you need is a VPN.

What is a VPN?

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide protection for your data and identity when you're online. They create a private network that hides your real IP address, which boosts your online privacy and anonymity, and makes sure that your activity is untraceable and secure.

It's not the easiest concept to grasp, so it can be helpful to think about a VPN like an encrypted tunnel. All of your online traffic passes through this tunnel, and nobody can see inside. Everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like viruses, hackers, and malware.

Why should you consider investing in a VPN?

VPNs are designed to provide protection for your sensitive information, which is obviously a major reason to consider investing in a service. Cybersecurity is an absolutely vital part of existing online these days, and VPNs offer the features needed to secure your online world against the worst of the web. It's not all about online security and privacy though, because an increasing number of subscribers are looking to boost their content options.

VPNs can be also be used to watch content that is normally blocked in your location. By hiding your real IP address and connecting you to a server in another country, you can watch all your favourite content from that location. VPNs can bypass the geo-restrictions of the most popular streaming sites, including Max.

How do you access Max with a VPN?

The process of accessing Max with a VPN is not exactly simple. First you need to do is open up your preferred VPN, select an American server in order to spoof your IP to a U.S. address, and then head to Max. This makes Max think you're in the U.S. when you're actually in the UK. The next step is to add your payment information.

Max only lets you sign up if you have a payment card that’s tied to the U.S. If you don't have this, you'll need to follow these steps:

• Open up your preferred VPN on your iOS/Android device and connect to a server in the U.S.

• Create an Apple ID/Google Play account

• Register your account on the app store

• Download and install the Max app

• Create a new account in the Max app with your email address and password

• Pay with your UK PayPal account

We know this is a little laborious, but it's worth it.

What should you consider before investing in a VPN?

Rather than listing off every feature offered by the best VPNs, we have highlighted a selection of the most important things to think about if you're planning on streaming with a VPN. You should look out for connection speed, server network, number of simultaneous logins, and other important features:

• Connection speed — Using a VPN is likely to produce a drop in your connection speed, but you shouldn't accept anything significant. This will result in buffering, which is going to make it difficult to stream without frustration.

• Number of simultaneous connections — The best VPNs let you connect an unlimited number of devices with the same account. You should seek out services that offers multiple simultaneous connections, so you can stream on all your devices at the same time.

• Privacy policy — It's worth paying attention to the data-handling, storage, and usage practices of the VPN you are planning on using to stream, because access to extra content shouldn't come at the expense of your online privacy and anonymity.

• Security — We know you're here to find a VPN for streaming, but you shouldn't forget about security. The best services will let you unblock top streaming sites whilst offering powerful protection for your data.

• Server network — Some VPNs provide access to literally thousands of geographically diverse servers. The best services offer access to a lot of servers in key locations, so you should always be able to find a stable and speedy connection for streaming.

There are other things to consider, like price and subscription plans, but these features are a good place to start.

What is the best VPN for Max?

We've lined up a selection of the very best streaming-friendly VPNs for unlocking Max, including popular services like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN. You just need to consider all of these options, and pick out the service that best suits you and your lifestyle.

These are the best VPNs for Max in 2024.