Blogroll

We tested the Dune 2 Sandworm Popcorn Bucket. It was uncomfortable.

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 18:36

We blindfolded 5 Mashable employees and asked for their honest reactions to Dune: Part 2 sandworm popcorn bucket. They did not disappoint. Dune: Part 2 premieres in theaters March 1st, 2024.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Taylor Swift drops 'The Tortured Poets Department' tracklist and Swifties are theorizing

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 18:26

Before Monday night, phrases like "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" were just that — phrases. Now, they're seemingly the keys to understanding Taylor Swift's breakup with actor Joe Alwyn. That is to say, Swift released the tracklist for her forthcoming album The Tortured Poets Department, and Swifties immediately started looking for clues.

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' already has everybody talking

The pop star posted the backside of the physical album to Instagram. It shows Swift in black and white with her hand on her head in anguish, but more importantly, the tracklist is written in tiny gray print, oriented vertically. It's so hard to see that it's already a puzzle for her devoted fan base.

The tracklist is divvied up into four sides and reads:

Side A
Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
The Tortured Poets Department
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
Down Bad

Side B
So Long, London
But Daddy I Love Him
Fresh Out the Slammer
Florida!!! (Florence + the Machine)

Side C
Guilty as Sin?
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
loml

Side D
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
The Alchemy
Clara Bow
Bonus Track: The Manuscript

The 17 titles set X / Twitter ablaze with fan theories, with some tracks generating more discourse than others. "So Long, London" jumped out at fans as the anti "London Boy," a tongue-in-cheek song on Lover associated with Alwyn. It's the album's coveted Track 5, which in Swiftland is traditionally the most devastating song on the album.

Some even speculated that the two will be paired as surprise songs at her London show.

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Others noted the similarity between the image on the back of Lover and The Tortured Poets Department. In response to that observation, one Swiftie wrote, "I just heard a canon go off like in the hunger games and Joe Alywn’s picture should be in the sky shortly."

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

Fans immediately began discussing "But Daddy I Love Him," presuming that it's a reference to The Little Mermaid. One fan wrote, "but daddy i love him being an exact reference to the little mermaid because of ariel giving up her voice to be with the love of her life….." Dozens of posts echo the same theory.

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Another title that caught Swifties' attention is "Clara Bow." Fans put their historian caps on and began reading about the life of the silent film star of the same name. They pointed out that, like Swift, she went through a period of seclusion, followed by marriage rumors, and was subjected to endless scrutiny and gossip about her personal life (which Swift's fans participate in).

At least one fan is so invested in understanding the title that she began to read Bow's biography in preparation.

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"Fresh Out the Slammer" is another song that is generating endless discourse online. Fans are speculating that it's a reference to her time spent out of the spotlight — which once again coincides with her relationship with Alwyn — and a callback to the lyric "he can be my jailor" in "...Ready For It?" on Reputation.

Swifties are having a field day comparing the title with her Time Person of the Year interview where she said, "Life is short. Have adventures. Me locking myself away in my house for lots of years — I'll never get that time back."

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There's plenty of time before April 19 for Swifties to go through the entire tracklist with a fine-toothed comb.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Send sweet Valentine's Day gifts for less with these flower delivery service deals

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 18:04

Looking for a sweet Valentine's Day gift for that special someone in your life? How about a beautiful bouquet of flowers? You can save big on flower delivery from services like 1-800-Flowers and Edible Arrangements ahead of the big day this year.

Flower Delivery Deals Best Overall Flower Delivery Deal 1-800-Flowers Up to 30% Off Valentine's Day Gifts (Up to 30% Off) Get Deal Best Same Day Flower Delivery Deal FromYouFlowers Up to 20% Off Valentine's Day Gifts (Up to 20% Off) Get Deal Best Edible Arrangements Flower Delivery Deal Edible Arrangements Up to 25% Off Valentine's Day Gifts (Up to 25% Off) Get Deal

We're only a couple of weeks away from the most romantic day of the year. If you're planning on celebrating Valentine's Day, you're probably looking for the perfect way to tell the loved ones in your life that you care. For those of you planning on going the more traditional route with flowers and candy, you can send a bouquet and other flower-centric gifts with some of the biggest names in flower delivery out there: 1-800-Flowers, FromYouFlowers, and more.

But sending a flower gift and some of the goodies that come with it, whether that's a teddy bear or a box of sweets, can get downright expensive. That's why we've pulled together some of the best deals you can find right now on flower delivery services. Whether your loved one appreciates a bouquet of roses or delicious strawberries dipped in chocolate, send them what they want the most and save on your end.

Below, find our picks for some of the best flower delivery deals you can still get ahead of Valentine's Day, and in some cases, same-day.

Best overall flower delivery deal Opens in a new window Credit: 1-800-Flowers Our pick: 1-800-Flowers Up to 30% Off Valentine's Day Gifts Get Deal Why we like it

Save up to 30% off a variety of different Valentine's Day gifts when you shop at 1-800-Flowers. Choose from a variety of select products, including a a dozen red roses with a teddy bear and chocolates, a selection of curated snacks in red wrappings, beautiful lilies in a gorgeous vase and much more, all up to 30% off. This sale is going for the next 12 hours or so, and you can still get delivery by Valentine's Day if you act quickly, with plenty of different options and add-ons to choose from. No discount code needed.

Best same day flower delivery deal Opens in a new window Credit: From You Flowers Our pick: FromYouFlowers Up to 30% Off Valentine's Day Gifts Get Deal Why we like it

Head over to FromYouFlowers and get up to 20% off sitewide, whether you want Valentine's Day gifts or need to send flowers for a different reason. Just use promo code 11G when you check out. There's a wide range of gifts to choose from here, including breathtaking sunflowers, daisies, and lilies on offer. Best of all, many are still available for same-day delivery, so if you happen to want to go ahead and buy some flowers today, your loved one will get them hours later.

Best Edible Arrangements flower delivery deal Opens in a new window Credit: Edible Arrangements Our pick: Edible Arrangements Up to 25% Off Valentine's Day Gifts Get Deal Why we like it

Would your loved one rather have something sweet to snack on this year for Valentine's Day? Edible Arrangements has you covered. Right now, you can save up to 25% off select Valentine's Day gifts, from delectable cheesecake platters to dessert boards and more. Of course, if you don't want to go with something they can eat, there are still some very pretty flower arrangements available as well. No discount code needed.

Hospital-friendly flower options

If you have loved ones in the hospital during Valentine's Day and want some fun options to send that'll put a smile on their face, you don't have to rely on actual blooms to send greetings. There are some interesting alternatives that you might want to send to your loved ones instead, from some super cheeky bouquets based on TV and movie favorites to other funny options that still say" romance" without all the cleanup and wilted blooms. Some of these options are available only at full price for now, but could still go on sale ahead of the holiday.

Other flower delivery deals:
  • Save 5% sitewide on flower delivery and other arrangements — Teleflora

  • Save 10% on all items – FTD

  • Save 25% sitewide with promo code BOUQSDAY – The Bouqs Co.

  • Save 25% on Valentine's Day vase arrangement with code GIMMETHEVASEFarm Girl Flowers

  • Get free shipping on orders over $199 – Venus et Fleur

  • Get a free vase with Valentine's Day flower purchase – BloomsyBox

  • Get 15% off your order with promo code WINTERBLOOMSUrbanStems

  • Get 20% off of Valentine's Day flowers – Bloomscape

Other flower delivery services:
Categories: IT General, Technology

jQuery 4.0.0 BETA!

Jquery Blog - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 17:43

jQuery 4.0.0 has been in the works for a long time, but it is now ready for a beta release! There’s a lot to cover, and the team is excited to see it released. We’ve got bug fixes, performance improvements, and some breaking changes. We removed support for IE<11 after all! Still, we expect disruption to be minimal.

Many of the breaking changes are ones the team has wanted to make for years, but couldn’t in a patch or minor release. We’ve trimmed legacy code, removed some previously-deprecated APIs, removed some internal-only parameters to public functions that were never documented, and dropped support for some “magic” behaviors that were overly complicated.

We will publish a comprehensive upgrade guide before final release, to outline the removed code and how to migrate. The jQuery Migrate plugin will also be ready to assist. For now, please try out the beta release and let us know if you encounter any issues.

As usual, the release is available on our CDN and the npm package manager. Third party CDNs will not be hosting this beta release, but will host the 4.0.0 final release later. Here are some highlights for jQuery 4.0.0 beta.

Goodbye IE<11

jQuery 4.0 drops support for IE 10 and older. Some may be asking why we didn’t remove support for IE 11. We plan to remove support in stages, and the next step will be released in jQuery 5.0. For now, we’ll start by removing code specifically supporting IE versions older than 11, giving us a size reduction of -867 gzipped bytes in one PR!

We also dropped support for other very old browsers, including Edge Legacy, iOS <11, Firefox <65, and Android Browser. No changes should be required on your end. If you need to support any of these browsers, simply stick with jQuery 3.x.

Deprecated APIs removed

These functions have been deprecated for several versions. It’s time to remove them now that we’ve reached a major release. These functions were either always meant to be internal or ones that now have native equivalents in all supported browsers. The removed functions are:

push, sort, and splice removed

The jQuery prototype has long had Array methods that did not behave like any other jQuery methods and were always meant for internal-use only. These methods are push, sort, and splice. We switched our uses of these methods to Array functions instead of the jQuery prototype. For example, $elems.push( elem ) became [].push.call( $elems, elem ). We’re mentioning it here in case there are any plugins out there that may have relied on these methods.

focusin and focosout event order

For a long time, browsers did not agree on the order of focus and blur events, which includes focusin, focusout, focus, and blur. Finally, the latest versions of all browsers that jQuery 4.0 supports have converged on a common event order. Unfortunately, it differs from the consistent order that jQuery had chosen years ago, which makes this a breaking change. At least everyone is the on the same page now!

jQuery’s order for all four events in previous versions was:

1. focusout 2. blur 3. focusin 4. focus

Starting with jQuery 4.0, we no longer override native behavior. This means that all browsers except IE will follow the current W3C specification, which is:

1. blur 2. focusout 3. focus 4. focusin

For those that are curious, the W3C specification previously defined a different order:

1. focusout 2. focusin 3. blur 4. focus

But, few thought that intuitive and the spec was changed in 2023 to match what browsers have already implemented. Ironically, the only browser to ever follow the old spec was Internet Explorer.

FormData support

jQuery.ajax has added support for binary data, including FormData. Previously, binary data was not a known data type and was converted to a string. That behavior could be disabled by disabling data conversion and handling the data manually, but we decided to make this work automatically. This is technically a breaking change, but should be closer to expected behavior.

Automatic JSONP promotion removed

Previously, jQuery.ajax with dataType: "json" with a provided callback would be converted to a JSONP request. Today, the preferred way to interact with a cross-domain backend is with CORS, which works in all browsers that jQuery 4.0 supports. This should help avoid unexpected behavior in case a developer is unaware that code can be executed from a remote domain with JSONP.

jQuery source migrated to ES modules

It was a special day when the jQuery source on the main branch was migrated from AMD to ES modules. The jQuery source has always been published with jQuery releases on npm and GitHub, but could not be imported directly as modules without RequireJS, which was jQuery’s build tool of choice. We have since switched to Rollup for packaging jQuery and we do run all tests on the ES modules separately.

Trusted Types and CSP

jQuery 4.0 adds support for Trusted Types, ensuring that HTML wrapped in TrustedHTML can be used as input to jQuery manipulation methods in a way that doesn’t violate the require-trusted-types-for Content Security Policy directive.

Along with this, while some AJAX requests were already using <script> tags to maintain attributes such as crossdomain, we have since switched most asynchronous script requests to use <script> tags to avoid any CSP errors caused by using inline scripts. There are still a few cases where XHR is used for asynchronous script requests, such as when the "headers" option is passed (use scriptAttrs instead!), but we now use a <script> tag whenever possible.

Updated slim build

The slim build has gotten even smaller in jQuery 4.0.0 with the removal of Deferreds and Callbacks (now below 20k bytes gzipped!). Deferreds have long-supported the Promises A+ standard, so native Promises can be used instead in most cases and they are available in all of jQuery’s supported browsers except IE11. Deferreds do have some extra features that native Promises do not support, but most usage can be migrated to Promise methods. If you need to support IE11, it’s best to use the main build or add a polyfill for native Promises.

Download

You can get the files from the jQuery CDN, or link to them directly:

https://code.jquery.com/jquery-4.0.0-beta.js

https://code.jquery.com/jquery-4.0.0-beta.min.js

You can also get this release from npm:

npm install jquery@4.0.0-beta

Slim build

Sometimes you don’t need ajax, or you prefer to use one of the many standalone libraries that focus on ajax requests. And often it is simpler to use a combination of CSS and class manipulation for web animations. Finally, all of jQuery’s supported browsers (except for IE11) now have support for native Promises across the board, so Deferreds and Callbacks are no longer needed in most cases. Along with the regular version of jQuery that includes everything, we’ve released a “slim” version that excludes these modules. The size of jQuery is very rarely a load performance concern these days, but the slim build is about 8k gzipped bytes smaller than the regular version. These files are also available in the npm package and on the CDN:

https://code.jquery.com/jquery-4.0.0-beta.slim.js

https://code.jquery.com/jquery-4.0.0-beta.slim.min.js

These updates are already available as the current versions on npm and Bower. Information on all the ways to get jQuery is available at https://jquery.com/download/. Public CDNs receive their copies today, please give them a few days to post the files. If you’re anxious to get a quick start, use the files on our CDN until they have a chance to update.

Thanks

Thank you to all of you who participated in this release by submitting patches, reporting bugs, or testing, including Alex, Ahmed S. El-Afifi, fecore1, Dallas Fraser, Richard Gibson, Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek, Pierre Grimaud, Gabriela Gutierrez, Jonathan, Necmettin Karakaya, Anders Kaseorg, Wonseop Kim, Simon Legner, Shashanka Nataraj, Pat O’Callaghan, Christian Oliff, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Wonhyoung Park, Bruno PIERRE, Baoshuo Ren, Beatriz Rezener, Sean Robinson, Ed Sanders, Timo Tijhof, Tom, Christian Wenz, ygj6 and the whole jQuery team.

We’re on Mastodon!

jQuery now has its very own Mastodon account. We will be cross posting to both Twitter and Mastodon from now on. Also, you may be interested in following some of our team members that have Mastodon accounts.

jQuery: https://social.lfx.dev/@jquery

mgol: https://hachyderm.io/@mgol

timmywil: https://hachyderm.io/@timmywil

Changelog

Full changelog: 4.0.0-beta

    Ajax
    • Don’t treat array data as binary (992a1911)
    • Allow `processData: true` even for binary data (ce264e07)
    • Support binary data (including FormData) (a7ed9a7b)
    • Support `headers` for script transport even when cross-domain (#5142, 6d136443)
    • Support `null` as success functions in `jQuery.get` (#4989, 74978b7e)
    • Don’t auto-execute scripts unless dataType provided (#4822, 025da4dd)
    • Make responseJSON work for erroneous same-domain JSONP requests (68b4ec59)
    • Execute JSONP error script responses (#4771, a1e619b0)
    • Avoid CSP errors in the script transport for async requests (#3969, 07a8e4a1)
    • Drop the json to jsonp auto-promotion logic (#1799, #3376, e7b3bc48)
    • Overwrite s.contentType with content-type header value, if any (#4119, 7fb90a6b)
    • Deprecate AJAX event aliases, inline event/alias into deprecated (23d53928)
    • Do not execute scripts for unsuccessful HTTP responses (#4250, 50871a5a)
    • Simplify jQuery.ajaxSettings.xhr (#1967, abdc89ac)
    Attributes
    • Shave off a couple of bytes (b40a4807)
    • Don’t stringify attributes in the setter (#4948, 4250b628)
    • Drop the `toggleClass(boolean|undefined)` signature (#3388, a4421101)
    • Refactor val(): don’t strip carriage return, isolate IE workarounds (ff281991)
    • Don’t set the type attr hook at all outside of IE (9e66fe9a)
    build
    • set up periodic code scanning analysis (39c5778c)
    Build
    • migrate grunt authors to a custom script (af79c999)
    • Bump follow-redirects from 1.15.1 to 1.15.4 (56139394)
    • Bump actions/setup-node and github/codeql-action (99151d7a)
    • Reformat GitHub workflow Yaml files (c98597ea)
    • Bump @babel/traverse & multiple actions (fb0cc272)
    • Don’t run CI push workflows for dependabot branches (635cb152)
    • Update ESLint-related packages, fix linting errors (f47c6a83)
    • Run pretest before test:* npm scripts (1ad66aeb)
    • sort branches in compare_size; last run last (a7fa303f)
    • run pretest in jenkins script (cb763072)
    • fix inconsistent builds in Node 20 (7ef9099d)
    • add commit SHAs and last runs to comparisons (09972bcc)
    • add new factory files to dist eslint (79223841)
    • Bump qs, socket.io-parser, socket.io & json5 (b923047d)
    • migrate most grunt tasks off of grunt (2bdecf8b)
    • Bump actions/checkout, actions/setup-node & github/codeql-action (42e50f8c)
    • Update mailmap entry for Krinkle (699bcd39)
    • replace CRLF with LF during minify (48cc402a)
    • Add `exports` to package.json, export slim & esm builds (#4592, 8be4c0e4)
    • Switch form Terser to SWC for JS minification (#5286) (#5285, e2421875)
    • Make sure `*.cjs` & `*.mjs` files use UNIX line endings as well (198b41c8)
    • switch preferred email for timmywil (2b6b5e0a)
    • Bump github/codeql-action & actions/checkout (4a13266e)
    • Drop individual AMD modules (5701957b)
    • Reference GitHub Actions by commit SHAs (#5266, 784b9ba6)
    • Switch the minifier from UglifyJS to Terser (27303c6b)
    • Make the `eslint:dev` task not lint the `dist/` folder (44906a83)
    • Test on Node.js 20, stop testing on Node.js 14 & 19 (6616acff)
    • Only install Playwright dependencies when needed (e77bd9d6)
    • Bump actions/setup-node from 3.5.1 to 3.6.0 (7e7bd062)
    • Run GitHub Action browser tests on Playwright WebKit (b02a257f)
    • Migrate middleware-mockserver to modern JS (ce90a484)
    • remove stale Insight package from custom builds (c66d4700)
    • Limit permissions for GitHub workflows (c909d6b1)
    • Test on Node.js 18 & 19, stop testing on Node 12 (f62d8e21)
    • Bump actions/setup-node from 3.5.0 to 3.5.1 (0208224b)
    • Update Grunt from 1.4.1 to 1.5.3 (aa231cd2)
    • Bump actions/setup-node from 3.4.1 to 3.5.0 (25400750)
    • Update GitHub Actions (52f452b2)
    • Add dependabot.yml config (GitHub Actions) (3f8bb2a4)
    • Test on Node 17, update Grunt & `karma-*` packages (2525cffc)
    • Separate the install step from running tests in GitHub Actions (eef97250)
    • remove travis.yml and travis mentions from core (#4983) (5f4d449a)
    • Migrate CI to GitHub Actions (e23190e6)
    • Update ESLint & eslint-plugin-import, fixing the build (9735edd5)
    • Test on Node.js 16 instead of 15 (0f623fdc)
    • Take core-js-bundle from the external directory as well (345cd22e)
    • Restore the external directory (a684e6ba)
    • Rename master to main across the repository (8ae477a4)
    • Test on Node.js 15 (6984d174)
    • Explicitly exclude the queue module from the slim build (a503c691)
    • Make the import/no-unused-modules ESLint rule work in WebStorm (8612018d)
    • Append .eslintignore paths to grunt eslint paths (a22b43ba)
    • Use the US spelling of “favor” (fa0058af)
    • Fix commitplease husky config (#4735, 3a1b338a)
    • Update dependencies (b5028669)
    • Event: Make sure all source modules’ exports are used (#4648) (40c3abd0)
    • Update eslint-config-jquery, fix linting violations (ef4d6ca6)
    • Followups after introducing ES modules compiled via Rollup (55cd3a44)
    • Correct code indentations based on jQuery Style Guide (3d62d570)
    • Reduce the slim build header comment & jQuery.fn.jquery (812b4a1a)
    • Move ESLint max-len disable-directive to dist/.eslintrc.json (34296ec5)
    • Test on Node.js 14, stop testing on Node.js 8 & 13 (88eb22e0)
    • Enable reportUnusedDisableDirectives in ESLint (46f9810b)
    • Resolve Travis config warnings (5b94a4f8)
    • Enable ESLint one-var rule for var declarations in browser code (4a7fc854)
    • Add Christian Oliff to .mailmap & AUTHORS.txt (721744a9)
    • Lint the minified jQuery file as well – a Gruntfile fix (#3075, 338f1fc7)
    • Lint the minified jQuery file as well (#3075, 89a18de6)
    • Add intuitive names to Travis jobs (e1fab109)
    • Make dev mode work in Karma again, serve source files from disk (437f389a)
    • Tests: Fix custom build tests, verify on Travis (0f780ba7)
    • Create a `grunt custom:slim` alias for the Slim build (#4578) (9b9ed469)
    • Make Karma work in ES modules mode (341c6d1b)
    • Auto-convert sources to AMD (f37c2e51)
    • Fix the Windows build (#4548, 9fd2fa53)
    • Require extensions for ES6 imports, prevent import cycles (44ac8c85)
    • Fix the import path to serialize.js from ajax.js (07532014)
    • Run tests on Travis only on browsers defined in the config (bcbcdd2b)
    • Run tests on Firefox ESR as well (2d5ad6d2)
    • Run tests on Node.js 13 in addition to 8, 10 & 12 (830976e6)
    • Run tests on Travis on FirefoxHeadless as well (584835e6)
    • Require strict mode in Node.js scripts via ESLint (bbad821c)
    • Support jquery-release –dry-run flag (d7d0b52b)
    • Stop copying src/core.js to dist on release (#4489, 9a4d9806)
    • Remove the external directory, read from node_modules directly (d7e64190)
    • ESLint: forbid unused function parameters (438b1a3e)
    • Fix the regex parsing AMD var-modules (#4389) (9ec09c3b)
    • Fix AMD dependencies in curCSS (b220f6df)
    • Test on Node.js 12, stop testing on Node.js 6 & 11 (b8d47128)
    • Fix unresolved jQuery reference in finalPropName (#4358, 87403058)
    • Update Sizzle from 2.3.3 to 2.3.4 (#1756, #4170, #4249, 0b2c36ad)
    • Update the master version to 4.0.0-pre (c4f2fa2f)
    • Update Sinon from 2.3.7 to 7.3.1, other updates (fea7a2a3)
    Core
    • Add more info about named exports (5f869590)
    • Simplify code post browser support reduction (93ca49e6)
    • Move the factory to separate exports (46f6e3da)
    • Use named exports in `src/` (#5262, f75daab0)
    • Fix regression in jQuery.text() on HTMLDocument objects (#5264, a75d6b52)
    • Selector: Move jQuery.contains from the selector to the core module (024d8719)
    • Drop the root parameter of jQuery.fn.init (d2436df3)
    • Don’t rely on splice being present on input (9c6f64c7)
    • Manipulation: Add basic TrustedHTML support (#4409, de5398a6)
    • Report browser errors in parseXML (#4784, 89697325)
    • Make jQuery.isXMLDoc accept falsy input (#4782, fd421097)
    • Drop support for Edge Legacy (i.e. non-Chromium Microsoft Edge) (#4568, e35fb62d)
    • Fire iframe script in its context, add doc param in globalEval (#4518, 4592595b)
    • Exclude callbacks & deferred modules in the slim build as well (fbc44f52)
    • Migrate from AMD to ES modules
Categories: Development

'Elden Ring' is reportedly coming to your phone. Here’s what we know.

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 17:01

From Software's critically acclaimed Elden Ring will be a free-to-play mobile title, according to a report from Reuters on Monday. Chinese tech giant Tencent reportedly acquired the rights to develop the game for smartphones, which will include in-app purchases.

SEE ALSO: You can now play 'Death Stranding' on iPhone. Here’s how to get it.

Elden Ring, a 2022 Game of the Year winner, will be the latest AAA game to be ported to phones. Tencent has invested a considerable amount of money into the space, along with other titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. The company also owns a 16 percent stake in From Software, so this deal was inevitable.

This doesn't mean things are smooth sailing for Tencent, which faces a tough battle in the mobile/free-to-play space against developers like miHoYo (Genshin Impact) and NetEase (Egg Party). Tencent shelved its Apex Legends mobile game last year, which it developed in collaboration with EA. It also shuttered a game based on the Nier franchise, too. On top of that, the royalty fees taken by Apple can fall anywhere between 15 and 20 percent, alongside a 30 percent commission.

According to Reuters, Tencent plans on introducing in-app purchases into its Elden Ring port "similar to" Genshin Impact. It's an interesting choice since Elden Ring is largely lauded for its masterful and dense single-player experience that may not translate well to the mobile space.

Death Stranding, another critically acclaimed, single-player game with pseudo-multiplayer mechanics, recently launched on iOS devices to mixed reviews due to some significant performance issues.

There's no rumored release date for this port yet.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Gen Z should embrace being cringe to find love, Hinge says

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 16:31

With Valentine's Day dangerously close, singles may be reexamining their dating habits. Gen Z daters especially — given that Hinge reports that a vast majority, 90 percent, want to find love. In Hinge's new report of the top Gen Z dating trends, it sheds light on how young daters currently feel, while Hinge's experts give advice on how to actually find love.

Compared to millennials, Gen Z singles are 47 percent more likely to say the pandemic made them nervous to talk to new people, and 25 percent more likely to say the pandemic made them less confident on a first date. What's more is that 44 percent of Gen Z daters have little-to-no-dating experience (no doubt partly a result of lockdown during their formative years), but nearly all — 95 percent — worry about rejection. Over half, 56 percent, said that worrying about rejection has held them back from pursuing a potential relationship; all these stats come from surveys conducted in August 2023 of over 15,000 global Hinge users.

SEE ALSO: The best dating sites for finding serious, long-term relationships

Still, this cohort is perhaps more lovey-dovey than millennials: Gen Z daters are 30 percent more likely than millennial ones to believe there's one soulmate for each person, and 39 percent more likely to consider themselves "romantically idealistic."

So one piece of advice for these inexperienced hopeless romantics? Embrace being cringe, Hinge says. The app's love and connection expert Moe Ari Brown said that we may experience "cringe" — embarrassment or awkwardness — when going outside our comfort zones, doing something that requires vulnerability, or risking rejection. Dating comprises all of these things, so cringey feelings are understandable.

Brown said you don't need to be rid of cringe to date successfully. Instead, acknowledge the feeling and accept it. "I encourage you to shift your focus away from the fear and focus on the potential rewards like making a powerful connection," Brown said in the report.

No one likes being rejected, Hinge's director of relationship science Logan Ury said in the report, but many worthwhile things in life require opening yourself up to it — like applying to your ideal college or job. And, yes, finding a partner too.

Other than rejection and cringe sensitivity, Hinge also identified "Digital Body Language," or DBL, which the app defines as "a type of communication in which the style of digital interaction is used to express or convey information," as a Gen Z dating trend. Considering Gen Z is made up of "digital natives," it's no surprise that they're fluent in this non-verbal cues like emojis and message length.

"Digital body language" cues daters look for to see if a match is interested. Credit: Hinge

Gen Z daters are 33 percent more likely than millennial daters to say they're more comfortable chatting online than IRL, for one thing. They're also 50 percent more likely to delay responding to someone they're interested in in order to "play it cool."

The majority of daters on Hinge, 69 percent, rely on DBL to decide if they want to commit going out with someone. The top three DBL signs folks look for to gauge interest are the conversation initiator, message consistency, and message timing. Hinge advises to initiate and be consistent to exhibit "good" DBL — and also to keep the tone of your messages relaxed yet action-oriented.

Check out Hinge's full Gen Z dating report for more insights into how the youngest adults are dating.

Categories: IT General, Technology

6 things teens say they really need for their mental health

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 15:00

It's not often that the world gets to hear from teens about what boosts their mental health.

A new report from Crisis Text Line and Common Good Labs aims to provide exactly that insight at a time when people, including lawmakers, are scrambling for solutions to the youth mental health crisis.

Some of the answers may be found in Crisis Text Line data. The crisis intervention service partnered with Common Good Labs, a research organization, to analyze common themes in 87,000 anonymized conversations between Crisis Text Line's volunteer crisis counselors and youth texters that took place from 2019 through 2022.

"There is a lot of discussion about this issue," Lili Török, principal research scientist at Crisis Text Line, told Mashable, referring to the increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among youth. "One of the things we haven't seen as much of is listening to young people and what they want."

The top resource that one in five texters resoundingly said improved their well-being was social connection. Versions of that, like connecting with a mentor or coach, helped them navigate turmoil and crisis. Secondly, they said that music, writing, and visual and performing arts helped them through difficult moments.

SEE ALSO: Your kid saw something totally inappropriate online. Here's what to do next.

Mental health services were the third most commonly mentioned resource among texters, followed by exercise and sports programs, then books and audiobooks, and finally, outdoor spaces and nature. The report notes that independent research demonstrates how each type of resource has been linked to improved mental health.

Common Good Labs performed different types of analysis on the data generated by the 87,000 conversations with youth texters. Ultimately, its researchers used natural language processing to classify the anonymized notes taken by crisis counselors. They identified and grouped certain key words and phrases into the six larger thematic categories.

The data came from texters who opted into Crisis Text Line's voluntary post-conversation survey. When texters use the service, they must agree to its privacy policy (and terms of service), which includes the disclosure that Crisis Text Line may use certain types of data for research purposes. For this survey, the texter was asked again to permit Crisis Text Line's use of their anonymized answers.

Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer of the American Psychological Association, said the report provides unique insight into how teens are coping with mental health challenges. Prinstein, who studies youth psychological development and was not involved in the research, said the findings underscore the vital importance of in-person social connection for teens.

The results may surprise those with a singular focus on remedies like restricting screen time and social media use. They may also serve as a rejoinder to lawmakers who've aggressively attacked social media and tech companies for their role in creating the mental health crisis but who haven't answered for budget cuts that have decimated funding for parks, libraries, art and music education, and extracurricular programming.

The report notes, for example, how local governments cut parks funding by more than $2.5 billion between 2010 and 2021. Per capita spending on local libraries in 2021 decreased by 5 percent over the same time period.

At the same time, teen participation in meaningful in-person activities has also plummeted. In 2020, 1.5 million fewer children were in clubs, compared to 2009, according to the report. In 2021, 1.8 million fewer high school students played sports than in 2009.

While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly affected sports participation and in-person socializing, these rates have been trending downward for years, said Courtney Hunter, vice president of public policy and advocacy at Crisis Text Line.

Hunter noted that other factors contributing to the decreases could include the advent of social media and a gravitation toward connecting over phones and digital devices, along with persistent nationwide absenteeism from school and reduced funding for some types of extracurricular programming.

Additionally, teachers often take on leading these extracurricular activities for students. Given the burden of teaching during a pandemic, burnout partly related to social media in the classroom, and stagnating pay, exhausted teachers may no longer be willing or able to lead after-school programming for students.

Prinstein noted that all of the activities cited by youth as helpful often involve peers and friends.

"[W]hen we take away the opportunity for voice-to-voice, face-to-face context, whether it's because we've cut the funding, or [because of] social media, or a combination of all of that, this is what we're seeing," Prinstein said. He added that the findings highlight how urgently youth need access to high-quality mental health information and services.

Hunter said that solutions based on the report might look like lawmakers funneling more money toward efforts like increasing after-school programming, spending more on libraries and parks, and ensuring that students have access to music and arts education.

She also warned against diminishing the role of social media use and screen time as policymakers and advocates consider solutions to the mental health crisis that come from within communities themselves.

"It's all part of the problem," Hunter said, referencing the potential harm of social media use and excessive screen time as well as cuts to vital programs, all trends that developed over the same decade-long time period.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 things you shouldn't do while wearing Apple Vision Pro

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 14:03

Yes, Apple's Vision Pro headset is the cool new gadget on the block, and people want to use it in all sorts of different scenarios, including public ones, both to show off, and see what it can do. We've already seen people driving cars or crossing the street while wearing the Vision Pro.

And even though the Vision Pro has passthrough video, meaning you can see what's going on around you while wearing it, it's still a device that should exclusively be used in safe environments, where there's little chance of endangering yourself or others.

Apple has several documents explaining how to safely use their Apple Vision Pro, but it appears some users haven't really read any of that. We've put together a (non-exhaustive) list of the stuff you definitely should not do while wearing the headset.

SEE ALSO: Apple Vision Pro has an app that can help manage anxiety Do not: Wear the Vision Pro while driving a car

This one should be quite obvious: Not only is wearing a headset while driving a massive distraction, but Apple's passthrough video does have a small delay, meaning you'll see things later than they happen in real life.

And yes, this applies even if you're driving a car with some autonomous driving capabilities, like a Tesla.

Tweet may have been deleted

If you need any more convincing, here's what Apple officially says on the matter:

"Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety."

We hope that's settled.

Additionally, wearing the Vision Pro can cause motion sickness; we're not sure how often it happens, but Apple has a separate help document regarding this particular scenario. If this happens, you should wait while the condition wears off before you start driving.

"Wait until symptoms have subsided before doing anything—such as walking or driving a car—that requires balance, coordination, or attention to safety," says one of Apple's support documents.

Featured Video For You Apple Vision Pro Tech & Specs Do not: Wear the Vision Pro while running

Moving fast while wearing the Vision Pro is generally not a good idea, especially if you're the one doing the moving. This is why Apple doesn't recommend running with the headset on.

"Be aware that the risk of collision may be increased when you’re moving at higher speeds. Don’t run while wearing Apple Vision Pro," says Apple in a support document.

And while we haven't found explicit mentions of it, based on Apple's recommendations on running, driving, and riding a bicycle, we reckon that it's probably not safe to wear the Vision Pro while riding a motorbike, a golf cart, or simply operating any vehicle that's moving faster than walking speed, either.

Do not: Use the Vision Pro in unsafe locations

A certain degree of common sense will be required here, but if you're in a place where you could easily fall or hit something, using any sort of eye-covering headset is not the best idea.

There's a reason why Apple's promo materials always show people using the Vision Pro in very safe locations. Credit: Apple

"Always remain aware of your environment and body posture during use. Apple Vision Pro is designed for use in controlled areas that are safe, on a level surface. Do not use it around stairs, balconies, railings, glass, mirrors, sharp objects, sources of excessive heat, windows, or other hazards."

Do not: Wear the Vision Pro while intoxicated

Wait, this is one that you should probably avoid even when not wearing the headset — everything in moderation, folks. But if it so happens that you're high or inebriated with alcohol, you should definitely not use the Vision Pro. Per Apple's guidelines:

"Don't (...) use it while intoxicated or otherwise impaired."

Do not: Use the Vision Pro while having a medical condition

Certain preexisting medical conditions, as well as medical devices, don't play nice with the Vision Pro. Per Apple's guidelines:

"Avoid using Apple Vision Pro if you feel unwell. If you are pregnant or have a preexisting medical condition, such as migraine headaches, an eye or vision condition, an inner ear condition, or a psychological condition, be aware that using Apple Vision Pro or certain experiences may aggravate your symptoms, or increase the risk of injury or discomfort."

Furthermore, there's a possibility that the Vision Pro or its battery could interfere with your medical device.

In both cases, if you're unsure, you should consult your physician before you continue using the headset.

Apple has a detailed support page on using the Vision Pro with certain medical conditions; check it out here.

Do not: Give the Vision Pro to children under 13 to use

Apple is pretty clear on this one. "Apple Vision Pro is designed to fit and be used by individuals 13 years of age and older, and should not be used by children under the age of 13."

Apple adds that "children ages 13 years and older should be supervised by an adult while using Apple Vision Pro."

Do not: Use the Vision Pro for too long Apple says you should take regular breaks. Do it. Credit: Apple

Yes, it's your cool, new toy. But you should really consider taking a break from the Vision Pro every now and then, especially if you're experiencing fatigue.

Here's Apple's say on the matter: "Extended periods of use may increase your risk of discomfort or injury. Take regular breaks, even if you don’t think you need them, to give yourself time to adjust to Apple Vision Pro and new experiences. Stop using it immediately if you feel unwell or experience discomfort, such as nausea, dizziness, headache, numbness, eyestrain, eye pain, or a change in vision such as blurred or double vision. After using Apple Vision Pro, make sure you are feeling reoriented to your environment before engaging in activities that require balance, coordination, or spatial awareness. If any symptoms persist, consult your physician before resuming wear."

Categories: IT General, Technology

How TikTok became Gen-Z's travel advisor

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 13:58

Planning a summer getaway? Chances are you're turning to TikTok to plan your itinerary, whether it comes to selecting a destination or cherry-picking the tourist hotspots you'll be visiting.

TikTok is awash with lifestyle recommendations, encompassing everything from skincare to fashion. When it comes to travel, this is no different. For young people, TikTok has become the ultimate travel guide.

New research can back this up. Tripit conducted a survey of 1,000 Americans, finding that the vast majority of young travelers scour TikTok and Instagram for this purpose: 69 percent of Gen-Z and millennial respondents said they find travel inspiration on social media. Of this, 44 percent said they use TikTok specifically.

The survey revealed that Americans are now twice as likely to plan their travels around pop culture destinations, with 40 percent of respondents saying they are likely to do so in the next year. Gen-Z respondents and millennial travelers make up the bulk of this: in fact, 2 in 5 Gen-Z's have taken a pop-culture based trip in the past year.

Travel planning in the influencer age

For better or worse, social media tourism has reigned over the last decade. Preceding TikTok's influence, Reddit has long been used for practical traveling tips in lieu of guidebooks. YouTube travel influencers now take trips with their fans. Instagram has played an undeniable role in trip planning — with the age of Instagram travel encouraging the hunt for picturesque locations made "for the gram" and hidden gems. TripIt found that 49 percent of Gen-Z's who use social media for inspiration still turn to Instagram for travel ideas.

SEE ALSO: Why are cafes, restaurants, and even towns banning influencers?

Over the last decade, and especially following the rise of Instagram and TikTok, many have pointed out that social media-fuelled travel has affected destinations negatively, with a rise in over-tourism and oftentimes, selfish travel habits. Research from University of Surrey in 2019 found that "egocentric photographic and social networking behaviors" have plagued travel destinations. More recently, influencers have been banned from highly-documented restaurants and cafes, for reasons changing from affecting public peace to "out of control" photoshoots. For businesses, communities, and even countries, these platforms can build or break tourism.

TikTok loves a pop culture trip

Now, TikTok has fed into the evolving nature of travel. TikTok, like Instagram, has specifically fueled a rise in pop culture trips. The app is full of creators venturing to places found in TV shows, movies, and other forms of entertainment. There are some hitting all the Parisian locations found in Netflix's Emily In Paris, or others exploring Dubrovnik, Croatia based on where Game of Thrones was filmed (the latter being popularized on Instagram back when the show was actually airing).

"Emily In Paris" itineraries abound on TikTok. Credit: Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix

Propelled by TikTokkers, travel trends have become both specialized and extremely popular. Last year, beauty enthusiasts became obsessed with French pharmacies, known for their extensive and affordable range of products, after they started trending on TikTok. Traveling for Taylor Swift is a major topic of conversation, too: her songs have provided travel inspiration and her global Eras Tour turned into a chance to travel. The same goes for Beyoncé, whose Renaissance Tour had people jumping on flights and vlogging their way through it all. Meanwhile, hashtags for cities like Dubai, New York, and Miami have garnered billions of views on the app, each featuring beachside restaurants, rooftop views, and sushi spots.

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These numbers shouldn't be surprising. TikTok's massive influence has embedded itself into countless industries, speaking to over one billion users worldwide. The app has transformed into a search engine for younger users in particular: some 40 percent of young people turn to the likes of TikTok and Instagram to answer their queries, eclipsing more traditional platforms like Google.

Serena, age 26, tells me that she has used TikTok over Google for her travel needs in the last couple of years.

"You can use it as a search engine with all your criteria and narrow down your destinations. It's given me two-day itineraries and niche content that's been tried and tested," she says. "On the other hand, if you search for these things on Google, it'll give you a web page of like 25 results."

Tweet may have been deleted

Several Gen-Z travellers affirmed TikTok's wider influence on their travel habits. Adam, age 25, says that his friend group plans frequent day trips around the UK based off of TikTok travel content and influencers. In this case, TikTok serves as the inspiration to book a certain holiday. Serena says she uses the app for both ideating trips and planning what to do on them: "TikTok is super useful when you're overwhelmed and you don't know where to go."

"People are definitely turning to TikTok for their travel research," adds Rohan, age 24. "Using TikTok is really good for restaurants, hotels, hotels, and bar recommendations."

The travel age gap

Older generations, however, are not totally sold on TikTok as a travel agent. TripIt's research shows that nearly 9 in 10 Gen-X and Boomer travellers would rather hop on a flight to a place that's been personally recommended by family and friends. 83 percent of travellers older than Gen-Z surveyed also said they prefer planning their holidays with the help of user review sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp, rather than with the help of a social media platform.

But younger generations are happy to endeavor to the places that have gone viral. Nearly a third of Millennial and Gen Z travelers (29 percent) would rather travel somewhere that they discovered on apps like TikTok and Instagram. Airlines, airports and travel companies are aware of this, consistently fostering their own presence on social media. Look no further than budget airline Ryanair and its skyrocketing popularity on TikTok, or the fact that some of the world's largest airports, like Singapore's Changi and London's Heathrow, now create TikTok content.

If they weren't on TikTok, they'd be missing out. After all, the phrase "I found it on TikTok" has become nothing short of ubiquitous. This newfound approach to travel will likely be here to stay – and grow.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 6

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 12:08

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for February 6 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for February 6

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024:

AcrossIt shares the same consonants with "beer," fittingly
  • The answer is bar.

Thing
  • The answer is item.

"Oppenheimer" director
  • The answer is Nolan.

Opposite of mini-
  • The answer is maxi.

Winning tic-tac-toe line
  • The answer is XXX.

DownStorage container
  • The answer is bar.

Something split by Oppenheimer
  • The answer is atom.

Calm down
  • The answer is relax.

T.J. ___ (department store chain)
  • The answer is Maxx.

Cancel
  • The answer is nix.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Brie Larson gently mocks Jimmy Kimmel's egg cooking technique

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:55

With Brie Larson playing a chemist-turned-cook on Lessons in Chemistry, and Jimmy Kimmel being an obsessive amateur chef, the conversation above was always likely to turn to food.

But then Kimmel starts talking about eggs, and things take a turn. "I want to know, when I make scrambled eggs, what is the exact best way to make the scrambled eggs," Kimmel starts. "And I do it very specifically: I will crack the eggs, I will put milk in there, I put salt in there, I blend it, then it has to be 20 minutes at least before I put it into the pan with the butter. And then I don't touch it; I just barely move it in the frying pan."

Larson's reaction? "Oh...um...that sounds nice? I thought we were in a bit and now I'm not sure if we are."

Later Kimmel returns to the eggs, asking Larson to "think about my eggs method" as he's saying goodbye to her.

"I will, I will — maybe not in the ways you want me to, but I will," Larson replies. "Next time I leave my eggs sitting for 20 minutes I'll think of you."

If you are still thinking about eggs, though, we've ranked the best cooking methods here. Just make sure you don't air fry them.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Did Craig Wright invent Bitcoin? This court is deciding.

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:53

A UK court could finally decide whether Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is the real name of Satoshi Nakamoto — the anonymous inventor of Bitcoin.

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) filed the case in the UK's High Court of Justice in April 2021, with the first day of oral arguments taking place this Monday. A non-profit organisation of cryptocurrency advocates, COPA aims to protect the technology against patents while encouraging its adoption and growth.

As such, COPA's filing asked the court to declare that Wright did not author the Bitcoin white paper and has no copyright over it. It also requested that the court prohibit Wright from claiming he did.

SEE ALSO: Bitcoin's self-proclaimed creator accused of using obscure font to steal billions

Bitcoin's origins can be traced back to a 2008 white paper published under the name "Satoshi Nakamoto," which has been widely accepted to be a pseudonym. Eight years later, Wright stepped forward to claim he was the author of the paper, and has since stood by this assertion despite widespread scepticism and lack of conclusive proof.

If Wright is indeed Nakamoto, it would mean he has intellectual property rights over Bitcoin, which would have significant implications for the cryptocurrency's future.

COPA v Wright: The battle for Bitcoin

Though Wright made a public settlement offer late last month, COPA responded with a "hard pass," stating that its terms would "force us to accept that he is Satoshi." 

COPA alleges that Wright has failed to provide definitive proof that he is the inventor of Bitcoin, and has in fact forged multiple documents to support his claim. For example, COPA stated that while Wright asserts that he wrote the pivotal 2008 white paper in typesetting software LaTeX, experts for both sides agree that it was actually written in OpenOffice. 

"Dr Wright's claim to be Satoshi is a lie, founded on an elaborate false narrative and backed by forgery of documents on an industrial scale," COPA's lawyer Jonathan Hough said in his opening statement.

In response, Wright's lawyer Anthony Grabiner stated that the entrepreneur has supplied "clear evidence" that he is the creator of Bitcoin, an assertion that will no doubt be elaborated upon over the next five weeks of the hearing. Grabiner also considered it "striking" that nobody else has claimed to be Nakamoto, though the weight of this argument is debatable. Interestingly, the court reportedly stated that it received an email from someone claiming to have originated the 2008 white paper, and which included apparent cryptographic evidence.

Wright's lawyers also requested to submit new documents to support his case, including an alleged early draft of the 2008 white paper — a request that the court approved. Though given COPA's allegations of forgery, it's likely this document will be heavily scrutinised. Wright himself is scheduled to give evidence from Tuesday.

"COPA will point to elements of Dr Wright’s conduct which stray into the realm of farce — including that he used Chat GPT to forge documents, submitted handwritten notes that purport to predate the whitepaper by referring to technologies that didn’t exist at that time, and electronic documents that show extensive meddling with metadata all the way up until the months before trial," a COPA spokesperson said in a statement to Mashable. 

Wright declined to comment.

Did Craig Wright invent Bitcoin?

Wright publicly declared that he is Nakamoto in 2016, providing multiple publications with evidence to support his claim. However, doubts quickly arose after examination and analysis of said evidence caused many to determine it inconclusive. This scepticism was only strengthened when Wright backtracked on his announcement that he would provide "extraordinary proof" of his identity as Nakamoto.

Wright stated that his sudden backflip was because he was unable to handle the public attention, scrutiny, and attacks which had followed his claim. He's provided no conclusive proof to satisfy crypto experts that he is Nakamoto in the eight years since.

What Wright has done, however, is file several defamation suits against people who have accused him of falsely claiming to be Bitcoin's inventor. Such suits have been largely unsuccessful thus far. A UK court in one such case awarded Wright only £1 in damages after finding that he "advanced a deliberately false case and put forward deliberately false evidence." His appeal was denied.

These cases didn't conclusively determine whether or not Wright created Bitcoin. Even a finding for Wright in the current hearing wouldn't be clear confirmation, although it would be a blow to COPA. A finding that he didn't author the Bitcoin white paper, though, might finally be enough to put his claims to rest.

UPDATE: Feb. 7, 2024, 10:03 a.m. AEDT This article has been updated with comment from COPA and Wright.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why mental health was an important theme to explore in Genius: MLK/X

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:30

Mashable reporter Ty Cole takes a deep dive into the mental health aspect of Genius: MLK/X with the series' cast and crew.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Everything we know about Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:15

Taylor Swift not only made history at the Grammys and took Album of the Year, she announced a brand-new one.

Accepting one of her four awards at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Swift took the opportunity to reveal the name and release date for her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department — the longest title yet for the artist, whose albums are historically one word only (Lover, Red, 1989 etc., maximum two for Speak Now.)

And of course, it's set the internet ablaze.

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' already has everybody talking

"I want to say thank you to the members of the Recording Academy for voting this way, but I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans," Swift said onstage accepting Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights.

"So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years," Swift said before announcing the title and release date. "I’m going to go and post the cover right now backstage. Thank you, I love you!"

When is the album out? What can we expect? Who are these tortured poets and what happens in their department? Here's everything we know about Swift's next album, which we'll be adding to and updating as the Swifties hit the yarn wall and do their characteristically epic code-cracking on this one.

What's the name of Taylor Swift's next album?

Announced during her speech at the Grammys, Swift's next album is titled The Tortured Poets Department. This lengthy title is giving campus emo and I'm into it. And with a title like that, if there are no boygenius cameos I'll eat my scarf.

What does that lengthy, Tumblrcore title mean? As Mashable's Elena Cavendar writes, "With just four words, a photo, and a verse, the speculation is underway. Fans clocked that the title might be a reference to Swift's ex-boyfriend actor Joe Alwyn. In an interview with Paul Mescal, the pair revealed that they are in a group chat with Andrew Scott titled, "The Tortured Man Club."

When is Taylor Swift's next album coming out?

The Tortured Poets Department will be released April 19. Swift's worldwide Eras Tour continues this year, but the album will notably launch between two dates — Singapore on March 9, and Paris on May 9.

You'd better believe Swift might preview some of The Tortured Poets Department onstage before its release and after, so global tour ticket-holders, be ready to speed-learn some new lyrics.

What do we know about Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department?

In a post on Instagram published (as promised) instantly after her Grammys win, Swift revealed The Tortured Poets Department album art, showing a black and white photo of the artist reclining on a bed, with the caption, "All’s fair in love and poetry..."

The cover was photographed by Swift's constant collaborator Beth Garrabrant, who shot Swift's folklore cover.

View this post on Instagram

The second image in the post is a photograph of a handwritten note that reads:

And so I enter into evidence

My tarnished coat of arms

My muses, acquired like bruises

My talismans and charms

The tick, tick, tick of love bombs

My veins of pitch black ink

All’s fair in love and poetry…

These emotionally charged words, which are probably lyrics, are signed off: "Sincerely, The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department." Who is this Chairman?

Oooo "ghosted white" vinyl. Credit: Taylor Swift

The Tortured Poets Department vinyl is up for preorder for $34.99 on Swift's official website, and it will feature 16 tracks as well as a bonus track called "The Manuscript" — the full tracklist is below. It's a "ghosted white" vinyl with a "24-page book-bound jacket with three handwritten lyrics unique to this vinyl and never-before-seen photos". There's also a cassette, deluxe CD, and digital album on there too.

What's the tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department?

The day after the Grammys, Swift posted another Instagram announcement, showing the back cover of the album and the tracklist. The post also revealed featured artists Florence and the Machine (on a track called "Florida!!!") and Post Malone (on "Fortnight").

View this post on Instagram

Here's the tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department:

Side A

"Fortnight" (feat. Post Malone)

"The Tortured Poets Department"

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"

"Down Bad"

Side B

"So Long, London"

"But Daddy I Love Him"

"Fresh Out the Slammer"

"Florida!!!" (feat. Florence and the Machine)

Side C

"Guilty as Sin?"

"Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?"

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"

"loml"

Side D

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"

"The Alchemy"

"Clara Bow"

Bonus Track: "The Manuscript"

But what about Reputation (Taylor's Version)?

ICYMI (how?), Swift has been on an ambitious quest to release re-recorded versions of her catalogue to take back ownership of her work and flip the damn bird to former manager Scooter Braun. The last chapter, 1989 (Taylor's Version) was released in October 2023, following re-releases of Fearless, Red, and Speak Now. Now, the only albums left for Swift to re-record are her self-titled debut and her her sixth studio album, 2017's Reputation.

Fans expected Swift to announce Reputation (Taylor's Version) at the Grammys on Sunday, but instead were gifted the announcement for The Tortured Poets Department.

Expect more cryptic drops from Swift on this one, as is custom. But as to some of the finer details that have people talking about the title specifically, Mashable has you covered.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NASA rover finds damaged helicopter in the middle of Mars desert

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:00

After a recent rough landing, the damaged Ingenuity helicopter can't fly again. Now, NASA's Perseverance rover has spotted the grounded extraterrestrial chopper sitting alone in a valley on Mars.

The NASA imagery below, processed and enhanced by the geovisual designer Simeon Schmauß, underscores the desolation of profoundly arid Mars, a desert planet that's largely lost its insulating atmosphere and is 1,000 times drier than the driest desert on Earth.

Both the Perseverance rover and its former aerial scout, Ingenuity, had been searching for the best places to look for past evidence of Martian life — should any ever have existed. Now the car-sized rover will hunt alone.

SEE ALSO: NASA craft snaps extraordinarily close images of volcano-covered world

Before its recent accident, the Ingenuity craft made history. The experimental robot was the first craft to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. And then, it kept flying. Ingenuity flew on Mars a whopping 72 times — engineers initially hoped it might fly five times, if at all. It flew distances as far as 2,315 feet.

And it overcame a daunting flight challenge. The Martian atmosphere is quite thin, with a volume about one percent of Earth's. This makes it difficult to generate the lift needed for flight. To take to the air, Ingenuity spun its four-foot rotor blades at a blazing 2,400 revolutions every minute.

Yet a hard landing on Jan. 18 resulted in broken rotors. The helicopter can no longer generate the lift needed for flight.

The images below show Ingenuity's "final resting place among the sand ripples in Neretva Vallis," Schmauß wrote on his Flickr page.

The Ingenuity helicopter is visible just below the center of this image. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / Simeon Schmauß A farther-out view of Ingenuity among sandy desert terrain. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / Simeon Schmauß Tweet may have been deleted

This smooth, sandy terrain was ultimately Ingenuity's demise. The helicopter navigated by using software to track the movement of objects, like rocks, below. But the sandy terrain was largely "featureless," NASA explained.

"The more featureless the terrain is, the harder it is for Ingenuity to successfully navigate across it," the space agency said in a statement. "The team believes that the relatively featureless terrain in this region was likely the root cause of the anomalous landing."

The ripples of Martian time will now shape around, and upon, Ingenuity. Perhaps a dust storm, or a common, though potent, Mars dust devil will knock the robot over. But its legacy is certain. Ingenuity proved that flight on Mars isn't just possible — but aerial exploration may loom large in Mars' future. In the coming decades, a Martian plane may even swoop over the desert world.

Featured Video For You NASA's Curiosity rover finds ancient waves on Mars
Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch the new season of 'Abbott Elementary' with or without cable

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:00
The best ways to watch 'Abbott Elementary' Season 3: BEST OVERALL Hulu (with ads) annual subscription Free one-month trial, then $79.99/year (save 16%) Get Deal BEST BUNDLE DEAL Hulu + Disney+ (with ads) $9.99/month (save $5.99/month) Get Deal BEST FOR T-MOBILE CUSTOMERS Hulu Basic (with ads) Free for one year on Go5G Next T-Mobile plans (save $7.99/month) Get Deal BEST FOR STUDENTS Spotify Premium for Students with Hulu Free one-month trial, then $4.99/month (save up to $12.99/month) Get Deal BEST CABLE REPLACEMENT YouTube TV free 7-day trial, then $62.99/month for 3 months (save $30) Get Deal

Class is back in session at Abbott Elementary. This week, everyone's favorite teachers finally return for Abbott Elementary Season 3 in an hour-long premiere on ABC. This season promises more laughs, more poignant insights into the U.S. public school system, more guest stars, and more slow-burning romance between Janine and Gregory. Plus, some exciting changes and surprises are on the horizon.

To find out how to watch Abbot Elementary Season 3, read on.

First, here's a sneak peek:

When does Abbott Elementary Season 3 come out?

The third season of the laugh-out-loud mockumentary premieres on ABC on Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. ET with two back-to-back episodes. Subsequent episodes will air weekly on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Can I watch Abbott Elementary Season 3 without cable?

Good news: if you don't have access to cable or local broadcast stations to watch Abbot Elementary on ABC, you can stream the episodes the following day. You'll just need a Hulu subscription. Want to watch the episodes live? You'd be better off signing up for a cable replacement service like YouTube TV, Fubo, or Hulu + Live TV. It'll cost you a whole lot more than a basic Hulu subscription, but you'll get access to more than 100 live channels—no cable company required.

We've broken down all the best streaming options for watching the new season below, as well as the best ways to save some money on your Hulu subscription.

How to watch Abbott Elementary Season 3: the best streaming dealsBest for new subscribers: Hulu 30-day free trial Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu (with ads) Free one-month trial, then $79.99/year (save 16%) Get Deal

If you're completely new to Hulu or returning after some time away, you can sign up for a 30-day trial and watch a good chunk of Abbott Elementary Season 3 for free. You could even plan your free trial around the second half of the season in order to catch every episode in that time frame (but we'll leave the planning up to you). Once your trial is up, you can either choose to pay monthly for $7.99 or $17.99 (with or without ads). Or you can sign up for an annual plan with ads for only $79.99 and save about 16% (or $6.67 per month).

Best for T-Mobile customers: Hulu (with ads) included for one year Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile / Hulu Hulu Basic (with ads) Free for Go5G Next customers Get Deal

T-Mobile users on the Go5G Next plan now get Hulu (with ads) included for free. Just navigate to the promotion page, enter your T-Mobile number, and continue to login with your ID. Check out the terms and conditions, enter your personal details, and click submit to be directed to Hulu to redeem your offer. After the initial 12-month promotional period, action will be required to continue your complimentary Hulu subscription — so keep an eye out.

Best for students: Spotify Premium for Students with Hulu Opens in a new window Credit: Spotify / Hulu Spotify Premium for Students with Hulu Free one-month trial, then $5.99/month Get Deal

Students hoping to catch their favorite teachers on Abbott Elementary Season 3 have a couple great options. Our personal favorite is Spotify Premium for Students, which not only gives you access to Spotify Premium, but also Hulu (with ads) for no extra charge. You'll get a free one-month trial to test the waters, then it'll only cost you $5.99 per month for both services. The only requirement is that you can prove you're a student through SheerID.

Already have a music streaming service? No problem. Another great option is to sign up for a Hulu student account for only $1.99 per month. There's currently no free trial, but at $1.99 per month, we're willing to forgive that fact.

Best bundle deal: Hulu + Disney+ (with ads) Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu / Disney+ Hulu + Disney+ (with ads) $9.99/month Get Deal

It may not be the best option for someone looking to watch Abbott Elementary and then move on, but the Disney bundle remains one of the best streaming deals. If you're all about getting the most bang for your buck, this is the move. You can get both Hulu and Disney+ (the Disney Bundle: Duo) for only $9.99 per month — just $2 more than paying for Hulu on its own. You can also throw ESPN+ into the mix with the Disney Bundle: Trio for only $12.99 per month. That's three streaming services for one low price. You'll have to watch some ads, but it's worth it for the savings of up to 49%.

Best cable-replacement option: YouTube TV Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV YouTube TV free 7-day trial, then $62.99/month for your first three months (save $30) Get Deal

YouTube TV is the best cable alternative due to its epic scope and affordable introductory offer. Its base plan includes access to more than 100 live TV channels — including your local networks (ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC) and other entertainment, sports, and news favorites such as FX, AMC, ESPN, FS1, and TNT. Of course, in order to watch Abbott Elementary, you just need access to ABC. YouTube TV currently offers a free seven-day trial to test the waters, then an introductory offer of $62.99 per month for your first three months. After that, it jumps back up to full price ($72.99 per month).

Note: There are other great live TV cable replacements like Hulu + Live TV or FuboTV, but they're a bit more expensive.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Here's how to get Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office for life for $49.97

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: As of February 6, get Microsoft Office 2019 plus Windows 11 Pro together for $49.97.

If you're looking for a way to upgrade your PC, the operating system is a great place to start, and Windows 11 Pro gives you a whole lot to work with. That includes comprehensive upgrades to security, hardware compatibility, and ease of use, among many others.

And if you want to cut back on your monthly software budget without cutting down on what your computer can do, try replacing Microsoft 365 with Microsoft Office 2019. This lifetime license for one computer comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many other apps you might use every day, but you only pay once. You can get Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office on sale for just $49.97 through February 11.

A brand-new OS and a classic software bundle

Whether you're a business owner, remote worker, or even a gamer, Windows 11 Pro could be the smart upgrade to look out for. Security upgrades include features like wake and lock, Bitlocker device encryption, support for biometric login, and smart app control

Gamers can also take advantage of DirectX 12 Ultimate for improved hardware optimization while you're playing the latest games. And any user that needs to run demanding apps could enjoy the improved hardware compatibility. Windows 11 Pro can use up to 2TB RAM and 128 cores across two CPUs. 

Get Windows 11 Pro and save

Upgrade your OS and save money on software subscriptions with this awesome double deal. 

Until February 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT, get Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office 2019 for life for $49.97. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office 2019 for life $49.97 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

Let this $45.99 bundle be your introduction to cybersecurity

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: As of February 6, get the 2023 Masters in Cyber Security Certification Bundle for only $45.99 — reg. $135

There's a ton of material to help you learn IT concepts online, but knowing the material and knowing how to actually land a job may be pretty different things. If you're just starting out, you can study cybersecurity in practice with the 2023 Masters in Cyber Security Certification Bundle. 

This e-learning course pack has lessons on concepts like ethical hacking and penetration testing, but it also covers practical concerns like training for IT interviews and what skills like pen testing could look like in practice. Normally, this bundle would cost $135, but you can get it for $45.99. 

Prepare for real IT jobs

Study at your own pace. This course pack includes 66 hours of material, but once it's yours, it's yours for life. If you're preparing to start applying for jobs. You could hop straight into the IT Interview Training course and learn what goes into a technical interview. 

If you're excited to learn about ethical hacking The Certified Ethical Hacking Mega Course has 237 different lessons on everything from security policies, IT myths, data security, and more. Other ethical hacking courses focus on a more specific area of the field, with courses on Metasploit and network scanning. 

Keep in mind that the only certification from these courses is a certificate of completion. It's up to you to apply what you learn to your future career. (And, obviously, while this course bundle packs a ton of information, that certificate isn't comparable to a Master's degree.)

Study IT at home on your own time

Start your IT education on your own time with a cybersecurity bundle that's with you for life. 

Get the 2023 Masters in Cybersecurity Certification Bundle on sale for $45.99. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Joe Parys 2023 Masters in Cybersecurity Certification Bundle $45.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

This $39.99 portable wireless charger can power 3 devices

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: As of February 6, get this Multi-Device Wireless Charger for only $39.99 — a 66% discount.

Smart devices may make some things easier, but every one of them adds another battery to manage, and often that means another cable to cart around. Whether you're just going about your day or traveling, all those cables may be a hassle to manage. 

A more streamlined solution is to use one charger for multiple devices, especially if it's sleek wireless like this Multi-Device Wireless Charger. This sleek portable charger has a huge battery you can use to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, as well as some Samsung devices. And instead of paying $119, you can get this compact cable replacement for $39.99. 

Keep your batteries full all day

This portable charger packs a huge 5,000mAh capacity into a sleek package. Whether you're powering through a long work day, traveling without time to recharge, or even camping, this portable wireless charger could be a simple way to keep all your batteries full.

Charge up to three devices at the same time using multiple wireless charging spots or the USB-C port. The built-in intelligent chip helps keep your devices safe by preventing overcharge, over-discharge, excessive currents, short circuits, or overheating.

Check if your daily carry devices are compatible. This charger works with any Qi-compatible phones, and you can stick your Apple Watch onto the magnetic surface. Other supported devices include iPhones from the 12 on, Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, and 10E, Apple Airpods, and some Huawei devices. 

Charge 3 devices at once 

No more cable knots stealing all your pocket space. 

Get the Multi-Device Wireless Charger while it's on sale for just $39.99. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Electronic Avenue Multi-Device Wireless Charger $39.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

This $35 3-in-1 wireless charger folds into a phone stand

Mashable - Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: As of February 6, get this 3-in-1-magnetic wireless charging pad for just $34.99 — you'll save 50%.

Apple users juggle charging cables and adapters, enjoy the magic of wireless charging, and could probably use a new trick up their sleeve. Enter, the 3-in-1 magnetic wireless charging pad, designed to juice up your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch with a single cord and at the same time for $34.99 (reg. $69.99).

Charge and organize your circus of Apple devices

Setting up your new and improved charging station is as simple as waving a magic wand — just plug the included USB-C cable into a PD18W wall adapter (not included) and lay the pad on your desk or nightstand. Then, add your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch when they need some extra juice. Be sure to verify your tech is compatible with wireless charging before purchasing.

Beyond the obvious organizational factor, this 3-in-1 charging pad might also offer more convenience. With a maximum output of 15W for phone charging, 5W for Airpods charging, and 2.5W for Apple Watch charging, you might notice that your devices charge faster than usual. This is an excellent feature to top off your gadgets before leaving for work or a night out.

Crafted for the modern Apple wizard’s lifestyle

That’s not all that makes this 3-in-1 charging pad so magical; it also folds, both into a triangle to work as a stand for Mag-Safe compatible iPhones or into a three-by-three-inch stack for easy storage or transport. This sorcery makes the gadget a versatile on-the-go tool for those who often need an impromptu phone stand or frequent travelers needing a more compact solution.

A mystical charging experience awaits with this 3-in-1 wireless charging pad for your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, now $34.99 (reg. $69.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: RochasDivineMart 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Pad $34.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology
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