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As if the Windows 11 experience wasn't commodified enough, Microsoft has begun testing ads within the Start menu of Windows 11, a change rolling out to users within its Beta Channel in the US. SEE ALSO:Windows 11 update fixes record number 147 flaws. This is why I switched to macOS.
Specifically, these ads will promote apps available in the Microsoft Store and appear in the Start menu's "Recommended" section. According to Microsoft's blog post, these targeted ads are only available to Windows In

The twinkling sounds of Hollywood won't be replaced by AI just yet. SAG-AFTRA and major record labels Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Disney Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment have reached a tentative agreement on the use of AI to create imitations, or clones, of Hollywood artists. The deal is a successor to the previous SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Sound Recordings.SEE ALSO:Humane Ai Pin reviews: Top 5 common complaints about the 'smartphone killer'
According t

Image: Bluesky Bluesky is apparently ready for a bigger challenge. It says it’s allowing heads of state to sign up now, a little over two months after it opened for general signups. In May last year, the site asked its users not to give invitation codes to “recent/prominent heads of state,” stating that it was its policy not to accommodate them.
When Bluesky instituted its heads-of-state policy, the site was still in its showing-everyone’s-ass phase, and its moderation ap

Elon Musk's AI chatbot can now "understand" images, including information-riddled diagrams and charts. Sorry, doesn't everyone use the platform once known as Twitter for multi-disciplinary research and optimizing their work flows??Introduced as Grok-1.5V — Or Grok 1.5 "Vision," the company's "first-generation multimodal model" — the bot will be able to not only respond to your uploaded pictures and screenshots but also reason through complex documents, science diagrams, charts, scree

This week saw some fun trailers tapping into heady science fiction, comic book movies, and taboo horror, each with a fun mixed genre twist. Joker: Folie à Deux is a comic book movie about the love affair of The Joker and Harley Quinn that’s also a musical, and Apple TV Plus’ new Dark Matter series is a kidnapping thriller with an interesting alternate reality twist. Then there’s Maxxxine, a horror slasher that looks to also be a whodunit crime mystery.Joker: Folie &agra

The Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro is an excellent Android TV projector with Chromecast built-in. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Let’s face it, a big TV isn’t always an option, especially if you live in a tiny apartment or prefer a more nomadic lifestyle. In those instances, it might be wiser to buy the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro, a portable Android TV projector that’s small enough to toss in your backpack before heading out the door. Thankfully, Xgimi’s 1080p smart projector is currently

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 &mdas

Next year, NASA will blast astronauts back to the moon. This is their 21st-century ride.The European Space Agency — which helped build the Orion spacecraft that will carry four passengers — just posted an image of the tall vehicle before it was transferred to a test chamber for exposure to extreme, space-like environs. "At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, the Orion vehicle that will be used for Artemis II is getting ready for this first mission to bring humans aroun

Many people associate NASA with exploring new worlds in space, but few know it's also finding new microscopic ecosystems right here. Years ago, Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a scientist who decontaminates spacecraft bound for Mars, found a curious microorganism on the end of his swab. The bacteria, which he named bacillus pumilus, was so resilient, the usual cleaning solutions — ultraviolet light and peroxide — wouldn't kill it.That discovery led to sending a specimen to the International

I'll be the first person to tell someone to just grow up and buy a Dyson rather than settle for a cheaper cordless vacuum. Yes, the Dyson purchase probably requires extra saving up, and yes, I acknowledge that a vacuum costing the same or more than a month's rent puts it in the "overpriced" category. But if you can swing it, I think a Dyson stick vacuum is worth it.And this is simply because my Dyson does such a good job that it makes me prefer doing the chore manually. If a robot vacuum does a

UPDATE: Apr. 13, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT Roborock, Ecovacs, Eufy, and Samsung debuted new mopping robot vacuums at CES 2024. We're in the process of getting our hands on them for testing and will update our top picks in this story accordingly.Despite the enthusiasm of actors in Swiffer commercials, few people are smiling at the workout that is manually mopping their floors. If you experience similar dread when faced with vacuuming, the best robot vacuum and mop combos will cross those two chores of

Until 2024, our lunar neighbor didn't offer much in the way of reading material. Just four sentences were etched on old NASA landers, two on Apollo 11 and two on Apollo 17, both with Richard Nixon's signature. Other visible words include a memorial to fallen astronauts and logos on equipment (including Alan Sheperd's golf balls). One visitor donated a book — astronaut David Scott says he left his Bible atop a lunar rover in the Sea of Showers — but 53 years' worth of sunlight an

The bisexual community has an inside joke that describes what it's like to date as a bi person: People think it means double the options and double the fun, but it really just means double the rejection (sad trombone sound effect).You have to be able to laugh at self-deprecating jokes like this if you're part of the "Single People Club," regardless of whether you're diving into the straight or gay dating scene, but bisexual people do face extra roadblocks in the dating world.Online dating absolu

TL;DR: Through April 16, save on Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 along with courses on Python, C++, and ChatGPT, all for $51.99 with code ENJOY20. There's more to learning to code than picking a language and running with it. You may also have to find an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that helps you work on your projects. It's the place where you actually write your code, and some of them have tools built in to streamline the process. Beginner programmers can get lif

TL;DR: Through April 16, a lifetime subscription to 1TB of cloud storage with Koofr is on sale for $127.99 (reg. $810) with code ENJOY20.Nowadays, it seems we never have quite enough storage for all of our data. Through April 16, this lifetime subscription to Koofr Cloud Storage with 1TB of space is just $127.99 with code ENJOY20, so you can store documents, photos, media, etc.  Koofr is designed to be user-friendly and can be accessed from multiple devices. It allows you to pull files from

TL;DR: Through April 16, make spring cleaning manageable with the JASHEN V18 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for only $135.99 with code ENJOY20. Spring cleaning isn't just a single day where you suddenly make your home feel fresh and clean. It's a process that keeps going because spring is messy. Between tracked-in dirt, lunchtime spills, pet messes, and kitchen catastrophes, there's a lot of cleaning to do, but you might only need one tool to do it. The JASHEN V18 Vacuum Cleaner is a powerful

TL;DR: The InCharge® X Max 100W 6-in-1 Charging Cable has adaptive connectors that work with USB-C, USB-A, Micro, and Lightning — get two of them for $31.99 with code ENJOY20 until April 16. The InCharge X Max is compact, portable, and can work with different devices without frustrating (and easy-to-lose) adapters. This six-in-one cable could be a great gift for a student or professional who keeps a lot of different devices on hand, and you can actually still get it on sale. Inste

Valentine's Day just isn't enough. When you're in love, you'll take any excuse you can to show your significant other that you're obsessed with them. Well, get your calendars out. National Boyfriend Day is your chance to shine. When is National Boyfriend Day? National Boyfriend Day is celebrated each year on October 3. Mean Girls fans will know that this coincides with Mean Girls Day. "On October 3rd he asked me what day it was." What is National Boyfriend Day? The origins of this day are unknow

If you want to get in sync with your partner or belong to a highly organized friend group, and wondering how to share your Google Calendar, you've come to the right place. Sharing your Google Calendar with someone means they can see your schedule without any tedious back-and-forth, which is a lifesaver for busy people. Before you enter into this intimate step in a relationship, make sure you know the different levels of access. If you give someone full access to your calendar, they can respond t

TL;DR: Through April 16, upgrade your laptop’s OS with Microsoft Windows 11 Pro, price-dropped to $31.99 with code ENJOY20.If your current laptop is starting to lag or underperform, it may be time to update your OS. Microsoft Windows 11 Pro was designed to help you increase productivity and provide advanced management tools for remote work.With multi-factor authentication and support for certificate-based authentication, Windows Hello for Business has your back for all professional tasks.

The Fallout games are synonymous with a few things: a crumbling, retro-futurist American aesthetic; brutal combat with rusty, makeshift weapons; and the old-fashioned, often deeply harmonised sounds of popular American music from the '30s, '40s, and '50s. Think Cole Porter, The Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra.By the time you've finished the Fallout TV series, you might not want to hear big band music again in your life, but perhaps you found comfort

Eagle-eyed Fallout fans will be glued to the screen of the new Prime Video adaptation, and they should be — the series is bursting with Easter eggs from the beloved Bethesda game franchise. And there's one neat reference to the game's loading screen hidden right at the very beginning.In episode 1 of the TV series, from Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the subterranean residents of Vault 33 have their seemingly happy lives disrupted by a band of raiders, violently infiltratin

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons is on sale for £94.57 with the code ENJOY20.Dreaming of tickling the ivories? Whether you want to learn to play the piano to master some classical tunes or you're thinking about playing pop tunes on a keyboard instead, it's a fun hobby to pick up at any age that can help you flex your brain. If you've ever wanted to be proficient on the piano, but always put off looking for an instructor or a music school, there's never been a

TL;DR: Stream Leinster vs. La Rochelle in the Champions Cup for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming service from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.The Investec Champions Cup quarter finals have thrown together some of the biggest club rugby sides in the world, which is great news for fans. Everyone wants to see the best players in the best teams go head to head, and that's exactly what's on offer as Leinster take on La Rochelle.If you want to watch Leinster vs. La Rochelle

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 13's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Samsung is planning to bring select Galaxy AI features to several older flagship phones and tablets next month via the One UI 6.1 update, according to 9to5Google and Android Central, both of which referred to a post from a Samsung representative who posted on the company’s community forum in Korea. The Verge has reached out to Samsung for further comment.
A slightly trimmed-down version of Galaxy AI (sans Instant Slow-Mo) will be coming to Samsung’s

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Samsung is planning to bring select Galaxy AI features to several older flagship phones and tablets next month via the One UI 6.1 update, according to 9to5Google and Android Central, both of which referred to a post from a Samsung representative who posted on the company’s community forum in Korea. The Verge has reached out to Samsung for further comment.
A slightly trimmed-down version of Galaxy AI (sans Instant Slow-Mo) will be coming to Samsung’s

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 13's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, ke

Elon Musk has long warned of the dangers of AI. However, it doesn't seem that he's all that concerned over X's own flawed AI chatbot, Grok, which recently created and promoted dangerous fake stories.Musk is reportedly so unconcerned with Grok's issues that he is now apparently looking to further push it throughout X by tasking the social media platform's engineers with integrating the AI chatbot right into its tweet composer.SEE ALSO:Elon Musk's X pushed a fake headline about Iran attacking Isra