Tuesday, August 26

Life Style

The New M4 MacBook Air Is $150 Off Right Now
Life Style

The New M4 MacBook Air Is $150 Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Credit: Product image courtesy of Amazon. The new 2025 lineup of M4 MacBook Air laptops hit record-low prices last week, but today the prices got even lower. The 13-inch M4 MacBook Air with 16GB Unified Memory and 256GB SSD Storage is currently $849 (originally $999) after a $150 discount. While we don't condone panic buying because of tariffs, there are some sensible tech purchases you can make if you were planning on buying them anyway. Laptops are definitely one of them. Although this is the entry level MacBook Air, it comes with 16GB of RAM, twice what the p...
Oura’s AI Chatbot Really Makes You Think—About Yourself
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Oura’s AI Chatbot Really Makes You Think—About Yourself

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Lots of apps are getting built-in AI features these days, and they’re often disappointing. They’ll summarize (sometimes incorrectly) the same data that’s already available in charts or graphs elsewhere in the app. But the AI advisor that was recently added to the Oura ring's app takes a different strategy, one that I’ve come to appreciate over the past few weeks since its launch. Instead of just reporting data, it asks questions. It asks you to do a little analysis, a little introspection. And I think Oura is really onto something here. Some of the questions the Oura Advisor has asked meI’ll admit that, at first, I was interested in what the Advisor could tell me. Anytime I asked it a question, it would give an ans...
This Cyber Attack Targets Microsoft 365 Accounts
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This Cyber Attack Targets Microsoft 365 Accounts

A new cyberattack is targeting Microsoft 365 users through Signal and WhatsApp messages, with hackers impersonating government officials in order to gain access to accounts. According to reporting from Bleeping Computer, bad actors—who are believed to be Russians pretending to be European political officials or diplomats—are contacting employees of organizations working on issues related to Ukraine and human rights. The end goal is to trick targets into clicking an OAuth phishing link leading them to authenticate their Microsoft 365 credentials. This scam, first discovered by cybersecurity firm Volexity, has focused specifically on organizations related to Ukraine, but a similar approach could be used more widely to steal user data or take over devices. How the Microsoft 365 OAuth attack w...
Reverse Searing a Steak Is Faster in the Air Fryer
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Reverse Searing a Steak Is Faster in the Air Fryer

After years of pan frying steaks to the charming tune of Brooklyn smoke detectors, I was delighted when I finally learned about reverse searing—a cooking method where you slowly bring the steak up to temperature in the conventional oven, and sear it briefly afterward. This method keeps the billowing smoke to a minimum, cooks the protein more evenly, and can prevent overcooking. The trade off: a comparatively long cooking time. Since I’m always interested in trying to make a good thing work better for me, I set out to try and speed up the reverse searing method. I just needed something to bake gently, but faster. Luckily, there is an appliance that does exactly that—the air fryer. Not only can you reverse sear with great success in your air fryer, but you’ll save time too.  ...
Here’s How the Switch 2 Specs Compare to the Original
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Here’s How the Switch 2 Specs Compare to the Original

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders are currently underway (if you can manage to find a store with inventory, that is). As we approach the console's June 5 launch date, it's worth getting a bit reflective: The Switch as a product line is now more than eight years old, and Nintendo has made some significant changes with this latest device. If you have a Switch and are thinking about picking up a Switch 2, you might be wondering how these two generations of consoles compare.Now, Nintendo didn't just release one console during the Switch era: It released three. There's the original Switch, the Switch OLED, and the Switch Lite. I'm taking a look at all three and comparing their specs to the new Switch 2. While we'll need to wait for reviews to directly compare the overall experience of these different...
How to Get Minesweeper and Solitaire Back in Windows 11
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How to Get Minesweeper and Solitaire Back in Windows 11

Spider, Minesweeper, and Hearts—these longtime staples of Windows (plus other familiar titles, from Solitaire to Freecell) have been missing in action since the launch of Windows 8 in 2012. Sure, you can find versions of these games in the Microsoft Store, but they're cluttered with ads and generally don't feel as good to play as the classic iterations so many of us remember. But there's a way to get the OG time-wasters back.It's not even particularly hard to do: An installer built by Winaero—a long running website that offers all kinds of system tweaking tools—makes it easy to get these classic games running on computers operating with Windows 8, 10, or 11. The games are slightly tweaked to look better on higher resolution displays, but are otherwise identical to the originals. The games ...
Why the New GameCube Controller for Switch 2 Might Not Be Such a Good Idea After All
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Why the New GameCube Controller for Switch 2 Might Not Be Such a Good Idea After All

If you're a gamer born in the '80s or '90s, you might have some strong nostalgia for the Nintendo GameCube. It's not just your childhood memories fueling those opinions: It's a great console, with classic library to boot: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; Mario Kart: Double Dash; and Super Smash Bros. Melee, just to name a few.It might be tempting, then, to pick up a new GameCube controller, specifically designed for Nintendo Switch 2, and all the GameCube games Nintendo plans to make available through a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. If you're lucky enough to snag the new console at launch, you'll be able to play Wind Waker, Soulcalibur II, and F-Zero GX, with more titles on the way. Sure, you could use the Joy-Cons or Switch Pro controller to play these games, but why not fully ...
Why It Can Be a Bad Idea to Run iPhone Games and Apps on Mac
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Why It Can Be a Bad Idea to Run iPhone Games and Apps on Mac

Many, but far from all, otherwise mobile-only applications are available on the Mac App Store for Macs with an Apple silicon processor. Such Macs can hypothetically run any iPhone or iPad application, though individual developers can choose whether or not to offer that functionality. There are multiple reasons why a company might not offer their iPhone app on Mac—maybe they don't want to optimize it for a bigger display, maybe it's broken in some way, or maybe they just aren't interested in supporting another platform.You might disagree with that decision, though, and wondering whether it's possible to use those apps on your Mac anyway. And it is, sort of: PlayCover is an app capable of running any iPhone application you can think of, at least in theory. The problem is, there's no straight...
Here’s When (and How) You’ll Need to Start Repaying Your Student Loans
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Here’s When (and How) You’ll Need to Start Repaying Your Student Loans

The Department of Education announced Monday that the FSA will finally restart collections on defaulted student loans beginning May 5, 2025, following a five-year pause that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.This decision affects approximately 5.3 million borrowers who were in default before the pause. For these borrowers, the government can soon begin collecting repayments from tax refunds, withholding Social Security benefits, and even garnishing wages (up to 15% of disposable income). How do you know if you're already in default on your loans, or if you're at risk of defaulting soon? Here's what you need to know about the upcoming changes, and how to prepare for them.What the end of the pause means for youThis change primarily impacts borrowers who were already in default before pandem...
Nine YouTube Music Features You Should Be Using
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Nine YouTube Music Features You Should Be Using

While it may not have the high profile of Spotify or Apple Music, YouTube Music has its own band of loyal users—not least because of the wealth of audio material you can find across YouTube as well as the designated YouTube Music library. The service integrates neatly with other Google services of course, and is available across a multitude of devices.Despite the rather functional and basic appearance of the YouTube Music apps, there's plenty going on behind the scenes, from the option to upload your own MP3s to your library, to the opportunity to collaborate on playlists with other people.Add videos to playlistsYouTube Music gives you something you don't get with any other music streaming service out there, which is access to the whole of YouTube, and all the music videos, rarities, and l...