Technology

The old saying, “if you wait long enough, everything comes back into style eventually,” is usually attributed to the fashion industry, but it seems to apply to pretty much anything, especially mobile phone interface design.

So, while my younger colleagues are getting all hot and bothered about Apple’s new Liquid Glass design for its operating systems, like iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, forgive me if I can’t help but be a little less enthusiastic, because I’ve seen all this before.

The crux of the new Liquid Glass design is that the “material” (an odd choice of words from Apple to describe something that’s purely digital) used for the background to menus, and out of which icons are “crafted”, behaves like glass would in the real world, if it also flowed like a liquid.

That obviously means you can see through it, which is what people are getting very excited about.

Those of us who have been using tech for a while now will realize that we’ve been here before. Back in 2007, Microsoft introduced the Aero design in Windows Vista, which contained menu borders that had a level of transparency to them and icons with rounded edges.

This transparent look and feel persisted into Windows 7, which had a transparent taskbar, but it was eventually dropped in favour of the more 2D and square-looking Windows 8 interface.

Microsoft has recently brought back transparency in Windows 11.

Windows Vista introduced transparency to the borders of its windows. The fundamentals of design

It all comes back to the fundamentals of design and what companies are trying to achieve with a mobile phone interface.

When iOS first came out in 2007, skeuomorphism was the order of the day, which means the icons and interface elements tried to resemble real-world objects as much as possible.

This had the advantage of making them look accessible, but it also felt unnecessarily fussy, especially since we were dealing with digital images, which didn’t need to conform to the same laws as physical objects.

And so a conflict was born. A kind of design war broke out between those who thought that interface design should reflect the real world as closely as possible and those who preferred to think of design as functional first: interface design should be legible, easily accessible, and practical before all else.

Eventually, the latter group won out, but it took a long time and required the death of one of skeuomorphism's strongest advocates.

The old skeuomorphic design of iOS. (Image credit: OldOS - Zane Kleinberg)Farewell Steve Jobs

Apple’s then CEO, Steve Jobs, was a huge fan of the skeuomorphic approach to design. That’s why the icon for the Notes app in iOS looked like actual note paper, for instance. It's also why the Calculator looked like a real calculator, and the Calendar app looked like a real calendar.

On the iPhone, there were rounded, glossy edges to all the icons, with shadowing and a slight 3D effect thrown in.

Sadly, Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, and Apple’s other leading design light, Jony Ive, was given free rein to come up with something different for iOS 7 in 2013. What Ive produced perhaps was a little too far in the other direction. It was best described as very, very flat in comparison to what had come before.

In iOS 7, the 3D skeuomorphic elements were banished in favour of, well, not quite 2D, but a very flat-looking design with very bright, colorful icons that stood out a mile from the phone.

Ive, who was responsible for Apple’s increasingly minimalist approach to product design, had a very strong design aesthetic, and it showed.

iOS 7 introduced brave new visual design elements. All clear on the Apple front

You can view Apple's new digital Glass as the final rejection of Ive’s iOS 7 vision for the iPhone.

Being able to see through everything is very futuristic, and I’m sure it works great in sci-fi movies, TV shows, and in AR headsets like Apple Vision Pro, but on a small device in my hand, it doesn’t increase legibility at all. In fact, it makes text harder to read.

As somebody who already has to put on reading glasses to do most things on my iPhone, this isn’t going to help. And what about all the people who have other kinds of visual impairment?

At WWDC 2025, Apple was very keen to show off how the buttons that cover video playback in the new Liquid Glass design are now transparent, so they don’t distract from the video you’re watching. Well, that’s great, but what if you want to actually read the text that’s written on or next to the buttons?

Even worse, the new “all clear” style (shown below), which drains all color from your icons so they all look like they’re made from glass, is very stylish, but is it functional?

Will it make it easier to find the app you’re looking for or just harder? I’ll have to reserve my final judgement until I’ve tried the finished version of iOS 26, but I think I already know my answer - no, it won’t.

Apple's new "all clear" style in Liquid Glass drains the color from all your icons. (Image credit: Apple)Give it another 15 years

Jony Ive, the designer’s designer, knew what he was doing with iOS 7 when he introduced such a bold, confident new look. Perhaps it was a bit too much of a shock to the system for some people, but the fact that Google instantly copied it in Android is a tribute to how it changed mobile phone interface design for the better.

Since then, Apple has been picking away at Ive’s original vision, which has been easier to do since he left the company, and watering it down with each new iOS release, but now it has really thrown it in the trash with the new Liquid Glass.

So, in 2026, we’re back to transparency, darker tints, rounded corners, and 3D effects.

Remember, these things run in cycles. Give it another 15 years and I think we’ll be back to bold, bright colors and flatter icons. Mark my words.

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The upcoming horror game was the most disgusting thing I played at Summer Game Fest.

• Resident Evil Requiem will feature both a first-person and third-person camera
• Players will likely be able to switch between the two
• This was confirmed by a behind-closed-doors demo

TechRadar Gaming can confirm that the upcoming horror game Resident Evil Requiem will feature both first-person and third-person viewpoints.

This information comes from a behind-closed-doors Resident Evil Requiem demo shown to the press at Summer Game Fest 2025, which ended with footage of the player entering the menus and showing a toggle button that changes the perspective between first and third-person gameplay, followed by a glimpse of the latter. As a result, it seems as though players will be able to readily choose which to use via an option in the settings menu.

The main entries in the Resident Evil series have traditionally been played from a third-person perspective, though the recent Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village switched up the formula by introducing a more intimate first-person camera.

A third-person option was eventually added to Resident Evil Village as part of the post-launch Winters' Expansion, and it can be toggled via a new 'View Mode' option in the camera settings menu. It looks like it will be similarly implemented in Resident Evil Requiem, though I expect that more information on how it works will be revealed in the build-up to launch.

Resident Evil Requiem was first revealed as part of the Summer Game Fest 2025 main show, with a gripping trailer that introduced us to protagonist Grace Ashcroft. An FBI agent, Ashcroft will investigate a series of strange killings connected to a sinister hotel where her mother was murdered eight years ago.

The game is set to release on February 27, 2026, for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

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• Passthrough audio option is coming to tvOS 26
• It's in the audio framework, but developers need to use it
• tvOS 26 is expected later this year

Apple's tvOS doesn't get quite as much attention during WWDC as the bigger-selling products such as the iPhone, and that means it usually takes a few days for some of the most interesting Apple TV news to emerge even beyond the top five tvOS 26 feature you need to know about. And that's the case this year, because an important audio change is coming in tvOS that wasn't mentioned during the event.

AppleInsider reports that there's a new reference on the Apple Developer documentation for AVFAudio that has a "passthrough" setting. AVFAudio is Apple's framework for playing, recording and processing audio on tvOS as well as iOS, macOS and watchOS.

AppleInsider has apparently checked in with Apple, and Apple has confirmed that yes, there will be passthrough in the tvOS upgrade. And that's a big change for serious audio equipment.

It doesn't matter what's at the other end of your HDMI: Apple TV processes the audio from apps. (Image credit: Apple)Why passthrough was wanted by hardcore home theater fans

When you use a streaming app on Apple TV, whether it's Apple's own Apple TV+, Netflix, Prime Video or any one of the best streaming services, the audio decoding and initial processing is handled by your Apple TV before being output to your system – so even if you have really high-end home theater hardware at the end of your HDMI, you're stuck with Apple's processed audio as your input.

Apple TV's audio processing is really good: I often burst into a grin when there's a particularly impressive bit of Atmos action. But higher-spec hardware is likely to be even better, so it's good to have the option to let that hardware handle 100% of the sound processing rather than leave it to Apple.

This isn't limited to Apple TV; the same framework handles the audio on iPhones, Macs and even Apple Watches. But of course it's on the Apple TV where it's likely to matter most, so you can pass the raw audio data to a beefy AV receiver.

For now, though, passthrough is only a possibility: it may be in the framework, but it's up to developers to implement it in their apps, or for Apple to make it selectable in the Apple TV settings; so far at least, the latter option isn't in the developer beta of tvOS 26, but would maybe be the ideal end result.

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You’re no doubt familiar with shadow IT — the practice of employees using software, applications and other tech tools that aren’t sanctioned by IT. And if IT doesn’t know about something, they can’t regulate it or defend against it. Clearly, this creates a massive security risk and headaches for both IT and security.

Now, with generative AI tools flooding the workplace, that headache is turning into a full-blown migraine.

The rush to adopt AI productivity tools has opened a Pandora's box of security vulnerabilities that most organizations are completely unprepared for. These tools are expanding existing visibility gaps while simultaneously creating a constant stream of new ones.

Invisibility — in plain sight

“Patchy” (pun very much intended) visibility is only part of the problem. There’s a widespread awareness of the threat posed by unregulated tools, but there’s a startling gap in translating that awareness into concrete readiness. According to Ivanti’s 2025 State of Cybersecurity Report, 52% of IT and security professionals view API-related and software vulnerabilities as high- or critical-level threats. So, why do only 31% and 33%, respectively, consider themselves very prepared to address these risks? It’s the difference between theory and practice.

Making that shift to readiness is easier said than done, given the widespread and elusive nature of shadow IT practices. Software that employees use, including shadow IT, ranks as the number one area where IT and security leaders report insufficient data to make informed security decisions — a problem affecting 45% of organizations.

Let that sink in: nearly half of security teams are operating without visibility into the applications running within their own networks. Not good. At all.

The Gen AI multiplier effect

Generative AI has created a perfect storm for the proliferation of shadow IT. Employees eager to boost productivity are installing AI tools with little thought to security implications, while security teams struggle to keep pace.

The ubiquity and ease of access to these tools mean they can appear in your environment faster than traditional software ever could. A text summarization tool here, a code generation platform there — each creating new pathways for data leakage and potential breaches.

What makes this particularly dangerous is how these tools operate. Unlike traditional shadow IT applications, which often store data locally, generative AI solutions typically send corporate data to external cloud environments for processing. Once your sensitive information leaves your controlled environment, all bets are off.

The root of the shadow IT problem…

This isn’t a manifesto on regulating employee behavior. It’s genuinely understandable, at least to me, why employees would seek out tools that help them do their work more efficiently. That is to say, shadow IT isn’t always done out of malice, but rather because something is lacking in the organizational structure.

Specifically, data silos between security and IT teams create perfect conditions for shadow IT to flourish.

These divisions manifest in a few different ways, for example:

• Security data and IT data are walled off from each other in 55% of organizations
• 62% report that siloed data slows security response times
• 53% claim these silos actively weaken their organization's security posture

When IT lacks visibility into security threats and security lacks visibility into IT operations, shadow IT thrives in the gaps between.

…and how to solve it

Addressing the shadow IT challenge, particularly in this AI-centric era, requires a totally different approach from what IT and security teams might have tried in the past. Instead of attempting to eliminate shadow IT entirely — a likely futile effort — organizations need to build frameworks that provide visibility and control.

Breaking down those data silos that separate IT and security teams is a critical first step. This means implementing unified platforms that provide comprehensive visibility across the entire attack surface, including shadow IT and the vulnerabilities it creates.

With proper integration between security and IT data, organizations can move from reactive firefighting to proactive defense. They can identify unsanctioned AI tools as they appear, assess their risk levels and implement appropriate controls — all without hampering the productivity gains these tools offer.

Of course, dismantling silos is an oversimplified directive. There needs to be an ongoing culture shift where employees no longer feel the need to engage in shadow IT practices covertly. Employers should listen to employees about what tech-related barriers they face. Employee-preferred tools should be evaluated for potential inclusion. Employees must be trained on risks and understand how their choices directly impact business outcomes.

Micromanagement is certainly not the solution, nor is AI itself the problem. AI is a reality of our current workplace, and a lot of good stems from many of the new AI tools. The problem comes when employers fail to dismantle silos, tackle visibility gaps, bring shadow IT into the open and proactively prepare for the attack vectors that come with these tools.

Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. As generative AI continues to gain prevalence and capability, the problem will only worsen.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Xreal detailed Project Aura at AWE 2025
• It will have a massive 70-degree field of view
• It will also be tethered to a spatial computing puck running Android XR

While we'd suspected that Android XR would be a key component of Google I/O 2025, we couldn’t have predicted some of the partners Google announced that it would be working with, which include the gadget makers at the top of our best smart glasses list: Xreal.

As promised by Xreal at I/O, it has taken to the Augmented World Expo 2025 stage in Long Beach California to provide us with new details on its Project Aura glasses, and it’s shaping up to be one impressive device.

For me, the most important detail is that the device will apparently boast a 70-degree field of view, which is absolutely huge.

The 50-degree field of view of the Xreal One already felt large, and the 57-degree Xreal One Pro is a noticeable step up size-wise (you’ll need to wait a little longer for our full review). 70-degrees will be massive.

The field-of-view upgrade suggests – Xreal hasn’t confirmed this yet – that the Aura specs will borrow the Xreal One Pro’s new optic engine (and perhaps even upgrade it further) including its flat-prism lenses, as one of its key advantages is that it enables a greater FOV .

This optic system comes with other upgrades as well, which could help to make the Android XR glasses much easier to use all day as you walk around.

(Image credit: Google)

Another interesting tidbit is that these specs – like Xreal’s other glasses – are tethered, meaning they’re powered by an external device which they’re connected to via a cable.

We already knew Aura wouldn’t be standalone, but Xreal has revealed that the new compute device shipping with Aura won’t just be your standard phone, or the Xreal Beam Pro.

It’s something all-new, running Android XR, and powered by a Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm – which seems to be making all of the Android XR processors.

Xreal isn’t abandoning its own chipset however. Aura itself will sport an upgraded X1S chip that’s a “modified version of X1 with even more power under the hood.” The X1 chipset is what’s inside the Xreal One and Xreal One Pro specs.

A new X1 chipset is coming (Image credit: Future)

Xreal has yet to confirm if it will sell the puck and glasses separately, but if it does then I'll be interested to see what that decision means for its approach to the upgradability of its tech going forward.

At the moment you can pick up a pair of Xreal glasses and a Beam spatial computer as a bundle, and then upgrade either or both over time. Newer glasses offer better visuals and audio if that’s your main concern, while the new Beam Pro offers improved processing and spatial features.

This is a less wasteful and generally more affordable design philosophy, as you only need to replace the one component that’s holding you back. However, as I mentioned, Xreal has yet to confirm if it will sell the puck and glasses separately. Its current wording calls Project Aura “one solution made up of the wired XR glasses and a dedicated compute device” suggesting they might also be one complete, non-upgradable package.

As for a launch date, Xreal is still keeping us mostly in the dark, though it has said Project Aura is coming in 2026, so we hopefully won’t be waiting for too long.

Xreal One Pro dead on arrival?

The Xreal One Pro (Image credit: Future)

Following this announcement some fans are starting to wonder if their Xreal One Pro purchase was a good idea – if they'd waited a year or so longer and they could have snagged an Xreal Android XR setup instead.

I’ll concede that for some Xreal One Pro purchasers waiting may indeed have been the better approach, but I think others can rest easier, as while the Aura and One Pro will likely share similarities I suspect they’ll be very different devices.

For a start, while Xreal’s glasses are often at their best with the Beam Pro add-on, it isn’t required. You can use the specs with a range of USB-C compatible devices, and even many HDMI devices with the right cables.

Based on Xreal’s descriptions so far Project Aura isn’t just a wearable display for entertainment; it’s a complete spatial computing package with all the nifty Android XR features we’ve been shown.

This won’t just mean that Aura’s purpose is different from Xreal’s other glasses; I expect its price will be very different too.

Right now an Xreal Beam Pro and Xreal One Pro would cost you $848 / £768 (before factoring in any bundle or limited-time discounts). For what sounds like it will be greatly improved hardware I imagine Project Aura will cost closer to $1,000 / £1,000, if not more.

The Xreal Beam Pro (Image credit: Xreal)

And remember, you can buy the Xreal One Pro separately for just $649 / £579.

Better tech is always on the horizon at any given time, but this (for now) doesn’t look set to be a repeat of the Meta Quest Pro / Meta Quest 3 fiasco, which saw the latter, far superior product launch at less than half the price of the former.

Instead Project Aura looks set to be more of a diagonal shift, with new hardware boasting better specs and a different purpose.

If you want to wait for Project Aura you absolutely should, as you might also be tempted by any of the various Android XR, Meta smart glasses, and new Snap spectacles set to be launching in the next year or so. But choosing not to wait won't a bad option either – the Xreal One Pro certainly isn’t going to turn out to be dead on arrival as some might fear.

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The pace of change in AI has felt bewilderingly fast over the past 12 months, with new technologies emerging and seemingly being usurped on a weekly basis. For decision-makers, this can be a daunting challenge. However, the encouraging news is that AI development is largely iterative, each new tool builds on the foundations laid by its predecessors.

This has brought us to the next phase of the AI revolution, Agentic AI. This latest development describes the development and implementation of autonomous software agents, grounded in Generative AI, that can make decisions and take action independently of human input. According to Gartner, by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will include AI agents, and 15% of work decisions will be made autonomously. Forward-thinking organizations are already using AI agents to uncover business value and achieve goals such as accelerating software development.

Yet, just as Generative AI needs training data to be truly effective, AI agents need a clear understanding of business context. How can leaders ensure that AI agents comprehend how their businesses operate? The answer lies in Process Intelligence (PI). PI takes data from systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to track how events progress within an organization. It creates a dynamic, living digital twin of business operations, offering a holistic view of how work gets done. This makes it a foundational tool for implementing AI in ways that actually deliver value.

Why AI agents?

Agentic AI refers to autonomous ‘agents’ that can handle complex tasks independently. Many agents are armed with access to Large Language Models (LLMs), along with access to business-specific data (for instance, knowledge base articles or the order information). Employees can interact with many of them using natural language, asking them to then rapidly analyze business data to work out what the next step of a process should be, and even take follow on actions automatically.

AI agents are not, however, a one-size-fits-all technology panacea that can solve every business problem right out of the box. For AI agents to succeed, they must be built to solve specific problems and they need insight into how the business really functions.

This is where PI plays a critical role. It gathers together fragmented data from across dozens or hundreds of business processes, offering AI agents a ‘common language’ to understand events such as invoicing and shipping, and offering high-quality, timely data which can enable AI agents to make better decisions.

With a ‘digital twin’ of business operations in hand, AI agents can analyze how processes truly impact each other across the whole business, and uncover opportunities to drive efficiency.

Putting AI agents to work

Businesses are already creating AI agents built to harness the power of PI and seeing tangible results. One customer has worked with Celonis to develop an AI-driven inventory to track parts and materials. Within two months the AI tools had identified that many purchase orders were raised for spare parts that were already in stock as well as highlighting that a significant portion of spare parts were over eight years old.

An additional AI Agent uses the inventory to optimize spare part availability for plant engineers, with users able to describe the parts they need using technical descriptions or common industry terms, eliminating the need for exact part numbers.

In another case, PI and Agentic AI helped a company double the speed of software delivery by improving predictability and cutting stage waiting times by 30–40%. AI-driven tools pinpointed bottlenecks, offered predictive alerts, and suggested mitigations ranked by potential impact. Leaders could ask simple, natural-language questions to uncover delays and risks, using an AI copilot that translated complex data into clear, actionable insights.

Why AI needs PI

Agentic AI holds the potential to revolutionize enterprise operations, but its effectiveness depends on the quality of data agents have access to. PI ‘bridges the gap’ to provide AI with the input it needs, offering oversight of the totality of the business’s processes. PI is thus a vital tool for optimizing enterprise processes.

Enterprise customers who try to improve their processes using AI without the vital insights from PI all too often fail. In fact 89% of business leaders globally we surveyed recently said that giving AI the context of how their business runs is crucial if it is going to deliver meaningful results.

That is why we believe there can be no effective enterprise AI without PI. Process intelligence is integrated into live systems, so even when systems change, it offers AI agents real time access to the current state of processes. Think of it like the mapping data for a GPS.

Without a map, you’re just following a line on a blank screen. You won’t know why you were turning left and it would be all too easy to take a wrong turn. Similarly, Process Intelligence gives AI agents the essential context to navigate business complexity reliably.

A smarter future

Agentic AI is set to become increasingly central to enterprise success. But its impact depends on access to timely, accurate, and contextual data. Process Intelligence provides this foundation—enabling AI agents to drive meaningful change across business functions, from software development to finance.

The message is clear: Agentic AI needs the right data, and the right context. That’s exactly what Process Intelligence delivers.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• The Texas Department of Transportation confirmed suffering a cyberattack
• A threat actor used compromised credentials to access the system
• Hundreds of thousands of names, addresses, and PII, were exposed

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a government agency responsible for overseeing the construction, maintenance, and operation of the state's transportation system, suffered a cyberattack and lost sensitive personal records.

The agency confirmed the news in a brief notification published on its website earlier this week.

According to the announcement, a threat actor used a compromised government account to access TxDOT’s systems. After spotting “unusual activity” in the Crash Records Information System (CRIS), the agency investigated further, and found that the attacker accessed, and downloaded, nearly 300,000 crash reports.

The data stolen in the breach includes full names, postal addresses, driver’s license numbers, license plate numbers, car insurance policy numbers, and other information (such as sustained injuries or crash description).

GTA, Minecraft, CoD, Sims all hit

TxDOT said it immediately disabled access from the compromised account, and notified affected individuals. They have been warned to be wary of potential phishing and social engineering attacks, themed around car crashes. It also said it was implementing “additional security measures for accounts” to prevent similar incidents in the future, but did not detail what these measures are.

This type of information is quite useful for cybercriminals. They can use it to send personalized phishing emails, themed around something the victim is familiar with and has interacted with in the past. Such phishing attacks are more successful than random, generic ones, and can lead to identity theft, wire fraud, malware attacks, or even ransomware.

Government agencies are a popular target, mostly since they often hold sensitive citizen information. In early April 2025, Florida Department of State suffered a data breach that may have exposed information of 500,000 people, and in August 2024, National Public Data confirmed it was hit by data breach — and that millions of users were at risk.

At press time, no threat actors claimed responsibility for this attack.

Via BleepingComputer

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, June 11 (game #465).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #466) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Gone fishing

NYT Strands today (game #466) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• WISE
• CLONE
• BEEN
• SCENE
• BONES
• KERB

NYT Strands today (game #466) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #466) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #466) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #466, are…

• HOOK
• REEL
• LURE
• SWIVEL
• SCALE
• SINKER
• BOBBER
• SPANGRAM: TACKLE BOX

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I love the use of the phrase “gone fishing” instead of just saying I’m unavailable. It harks back to the golden days when absent people really had packed up shop and gone fishing. I use it on my office email when I go on vacation and people always ask me how my fishing trip was. 

There was no second guessing with today’s search, which was very much “it is what it says on the tin”, complete with every angling word you’d expect. My search for words began by finding "box" and then "tackle", which I put together to become today's spangram TACKLE BOX. 

And from there? Well, it was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel – which is not technically fishing. Or advisable. Where’s Bob today? Oh he’s gone shooting fish. 

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, June 11, game #465)

• REVIVAL
• DECO
• BAROQUE
• BRUTALIST
• CLASSICAL
• SPANGRAM: ARCHITECTURE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• Apple has unveiled the official trailer for Foundation season 3
• The show's latest teaser puts its new, incredibly dangerous villain front and center
• His arrival in the Apple TV+ sci-fi series will cause two former foes to join forces

Foundation season 3's official trailer has made its debut online – and it not only reveals the show's new villain in all his terrifying glory, but also indicates that two former foes are about to form an unexpected alliance.

The Apple TV Original returns to our screens on Friday, July 11, and with exactly one month to go (at the time of publication) until it does so, a new teaser for one of its best Apple TV+ sci-fi shows around has certainly raised my excitement levels for its next installment.

So, what does the latest trailer for Foundation's third season tell us about its story? It tells us that The Mule, one of the most famous antagonists in Isaac Asimov's book series namesake, will be the primary villain of this season's 10-episode arc.

That won't come as a shock to fans of the critically-acclaimed program. Indeed, The Mule's arrival was teased in last season's finale – read my Foundation season 2 ending explained article for more details. He's also a hugely significant character in Foundation & Empire and Second Foundation, i.e., the second and third Foundation novels penned by Asimov, which have inspired the plot for seasons 2 and 3. So, The Mule needed to show up in one of the best Apple TV+ shows sooner rather than later.

Regardless, his live-action debut is set to put the proverbial cat among the pigeons. As this trailer and Foundation season 3's first teaser suggest, the threat posed by The Mule is so great that it'll force The Foundation and The Empire to form an uneasy alliance.

The Empire's Cleonic dynasty will need to ally themselves with The Foundation (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Given that the series' two main factions have been at each other's throats throughout the show, it's clear that it would have taken something (or, rather, someone) especially alarming to make them do the unthinkable and join forces. Expect these frenemies to set aside their differences – albeit temporarily – to tackle a common foe in The Mule.

For more story-based details, check out the official blurb for this season: "Set 152 years after the events of season 2, The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire has dwindled.

"As both of these galactic powers forge an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy appears in the fearsome form of a warlord known as The Mule, whose sights are set on ruling the universe by use of physical and military force, as well as mind control. It’s anyone’s guess who will win, who will lose, who will live and who will die as Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, the Cleons and Demerzel play a potentially deadly game of intergalactic chess."

Gaal Dornick will be integral to the story that plays out in season 3 (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Season 3 will see the return of key cast members in Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Laura Birn, Cassian Bilton, and Terrence Mann. Joining them on the main cast roster is Game of Thrones alumnus Pilou Asbaek, who replaced Mikael Persbrandt as The Mule last March as part of a Foundation season 3 cast shake-up.

That's not the only major adjustment to the show's cast and crew. In February 2024, Foundation showrunner David S. Goyer apparently stepped back from its production amid reported concerns about the Apple TV+ show's budget and filming schedule. Bill Bost is said to have replaced Goyer as its temporary showrunner to complete work on season 3.

Foundation's third season will launch with a one-episode premiere on Apple TV+, aka one of the world's best streaming services. New episodes will air weekly every Friday until its finale is released on September 12.

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, June 11 (game #1234).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1235) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1235) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1235) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1235) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1235) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• B

• U

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1235) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1235, are…

• SCANT
• BATCH
• UNDER
• PARSE

Phew! I only just completed today’s puzzle after getting stuck on a word that I knew ended A-T-C-H, wasting two guesses before finally getting BATCH. 

This left me no margin for error with the remaining guesses, but I completed the mission thanks to a healthy smattering of letters in incorrect positions.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1235) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1235, are…

• SIREN
• FRISK
• DUMPY
• SLOSH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1234, Wednesday, 11 June: CRAVE, ROOST, ANGLE, FLOOD
• Quordle #1233, Tuesday, 10 June: DECRY, CHEEK, FILET, EASEL
• Quordle #1232, Monday, 9 June: DERBY, LEMON, WRITE, HOVEL
• Quordle #1231, Sunday, 8 June: REBAR, ALERT, PAYEE, FLUME
• Quordle #1230, Saturday, 7 June: FLUNK, ESTER, SPITE, CHEAP
• Quordle #1229, Friday, 6 June: ELUDE, KHAKI, VISTA, SMOKY
• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST
• Quordle #1225, Monday, 2 June: THINK, BELLE, CRONE, BOULE
• Quordle #1224, Sunday, 1 June: POINT, MERIT, WHOOP, APHID
• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, June 11 (game #731).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #732) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BOWLING
• WRESTLING
• MISSING
• DISHING
• SPOONING
• SIRING
• BUZZING
• SEWING
• LORDING
• SPILLING
• HUGGING
• DOCTORING
• SNUGGLING
• ACUPUNCTURING
• WHISPERING
• CUDDLING

NYT Connections today (game #732) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Two become one
• GREEN: Tittle tattling 
• BLUE: Think words that rhyme with weedle and sin
• PURPLE: Begin with honorifics

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #732) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: GETTING COZY 
• GREEN: GOSSIPING 
• BLUE: ENGAGING IN AN ACTIVITY WITH PINS OR NEEDLES 
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH TITLES 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #732) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #732, are…

• YELLOW: GETTING COZY CUDDLING, HUGGING, SNUGGLING, SPOONING
• GREEN: GOSSIPING BUZZING, DISHING, SPILLING, WHISPERING
• BLUE: ENGAGING IN AN ACTIVITY WITH PINS OR NEEDLES ACUPUNCTURING, BOWLING, SEWING, WRESTLING
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH TITLES DOCTORING, LORDING, MISSING, SIRING

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

All of the _ING words in the grid made for a very baffling game today, but a couple of the groups were also designed to confuse.

GETTING COZY was elementary enough, but I struggled to put together the green group.

Correctly thinking it was about GOSSIPING, I included DOCTORING as I think of this as a phrase about making things up, which is what most gossip is (invented by PRs to benefit their client or by journalists to benefit their numbers).

On my second go at it I included BUZZING only because of the vaguely gossipy Buzzfeed website, not because I’d ever heard of the term buzzing. Every day’s a school day.

Next, I knew that ACUPUNCTURING and SEWING were linked and saw the connection with BOWLING pins, but it wasn’t until the game was long over that I realized why WRESTLING was part of the group, thanks to the many different types of pin moves from the Gannosuke Clutch to the Oklahoma Roll (yes, I am looking at Wikipedia).

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, June 11, game #731)

• YELLOW: BOAST BLUSTER, CROW, SHOW OFF, STRUT
• GREEN: ARC-SHAPED THINGS BANANA, EYEBROW, FLIGHT PATH, RAINBOW
• BLUE: CEREAL MASCOTS COUNT, ELVES, LEPRECHAUN, ROOSTER
• PURPLE: WAYS TO DENOTE A CITATION ASTERISK, DAGGER, NUMBER, PARENS

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

• US IT unemployment rates now stand at 5.5%, report claims
• Bosses could soon have to manage AI agents as well as humans
• Roles involving LLMs, blockchain and omnichannel models are most secure

Driven by widespread economic uncertainty and influenced by rapid AI adoption, new research has claimed the US IT job market could be declining.

Figures Janco highlighted a 5.5% unemployment rate among IT professionals in May 2025, compared with 4.6%, bringing unemployment within the sector above the national average for the fifth month in a row.

The report also highlights both regional shifts and the modernization of the IT sector, with legacy skill holders in smaller markets more likely to be affected than forward-thinking workers in major tech hubs.

IT jobs market is still seeing higher-than-average unemployment

Janco found many losses were concentrated in telecommunications, and other roles relating to reporting, monitoring and support. On the flip side, roles involve large language models, blockchain and omnichannel commerce looked to be the most secure.

"There continues to be uncertainty in the outlook for new IT job creation. For five consecutive months, the IT Unemployment rate has been greater than the national unemployment rate," Janco CEO M. Victor Janulaitis said.

Although roles relating to AI development are among the most secure, the figures suggest that AI could be replacing many entry-level IT jobs, particularly within the telecommunications sector.

The trend suggests a shift, rather than total worker displacement, however workers who fail to adapt to higher-skilled roles could risk being left behind.

Many businesses now report using AI agents to handle workflow tasks traditionally done by humans, including decision-making.

Looking ahead, Janco forecasts a continued IT job market decline for the third year in a row, with future roles potentially looking significantly different to traditional IT sector roles.

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• Dacora is the first female-founded and led automotive brand
• The debut model has been designed with Pininfarina Group
• Swappable upholstery is just one of many unique traits

Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Mercedes-Maybach… soon you’ll be able to add another, albeit far less recognizable, name to that list of the world’s most luxurious car makers. US start-up Dacora is here and wants a piece of the ultra-high-net-worth pie.

Founded in New York’s Hudson Valley by MIT-trained engineers Kristie and Eric D’Ambrosio-Correll, the fledgling brand is the first of its kind to be founded and led by a female CEO, as well as the first to have the confidence to command $500,000 (around £370,000 / AU$770,000) for a highly-personalized electric vehicle without hundreds of years worth of history to back it up.

The price point is set as such because Dacora claims each vehicle is “meticulously handmade” using American-sourced components and materials.

The 1930s-inspired design, produced in collaboration with Italy’s renowned Pininfarina Group, pays homage to the glamorous streamliners of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Long hoods, shapely fenders and the option to specify real metal and hardwood inlays on the exterior are just a few of the stylistic talking points.

Inside, you won’t find any nasty plastics or cheap scratchy surfaces, as Dacora is only turning to natural wood, leather and woven wool for its interiors.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Dacora)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Dacora)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Dacora)

In fact, the company says there will be twice-yearly ‘drops’ that will allow customers to completely swap out the interior fabrics with the changing seasons – wool for winter, linen for summer, for example.

The currently unnamed debut model will be available with anything from three- to seven-seat configurations, with each seat including its own independent lighting and climate controls.

Money No Object

We’re all about offering practical buying advice at TechRadar, giving our readers expert tips and insights on how to choose the right gadgets. But every so often, we also like to celebrate some of the more ridiculous tech on the market – the luxurious, high-end products that are simply fun to dream about buying. That’s the kind of kit we cover in our regular Money No Object column, which you can read more of here.

Dacora wants to take us back to a time when driving was a sensory experience, so has ditched today's screen-dominated cockpit, relying on just one, non-touchscreen display to take care of infotainment duties.

When not in use, this screen apparently disappears behind a semi-transparent wooden panel, while all controls are mechanical. Quite the analog move for two MIT-trained engineers.

As for performance, Dacora is yet to announce exact EV powertrain details, but says it is aiming for over 800hp and a projected 400-mile all-electric range. There will also be the option of a hybrid powertrain on request.

Analysis: keeping up with classy competition Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Dacora)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Dacora)

Co-founder and CEO Kristie D’Ambrosio-Correll was the former CTO of Mirror, a smart fitness product that proved a popular lifestyle product with the very wealthy.

Building on this blueprint, Dacora will open its 100-acre Hudson Valley Garage next year, complete with on-site production, design atelier and rooms for guests to stay. Every car will be a bespoke, personal commission, with the brand’s designer on-hand to guide them through the process.

Customers will also get to enjoy curated events, “immersive experiences” and all of the other lovely things rich people like to fill their spare time with.

Dacora will have to nail this side of things, because early images of the vehicle reveal divisive styling and half a million US dollars buys a lot of Rolls-Royce, which remains the final word in automotive opulence and the ultimate show of wealth.

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• The UK government is developing a new tech procurement platform
• The National Digital Exchange will connect public agencies with suppliers
• This hopes to save £1.2 billion per year

The Department for Science, Information, and Technology has announced a ‘first-of-it’s kind’ new platform for public sector procurement, which it claims will unlock £1.2 billion per year in savings, and modernise the public sector’s tech investments.

The National Digital Exchange will be a platform in which public sector agencies can rate and review tech products, service, and software, which will help schools, hospitals, and other departments choose the most reliable and appropriate tech - and also help let them know which to avoid.

By helping the public sector make faster and better informed procurement decisions, the platform will open up the market to more UK tech firms, and to boost small business involvement in government tech contracts by 40% within three years.

Faster, fairer, and focused

This platform is currently in development, and will be created under the Procurement Regulations, and is being developed alongside a "digital playbook” that will guide procurement officials towards responsible tech purchases.

The British Government has been pushing for tech development all round, with the introduction of the AI action plan, which is aimed at turbocharging the British AI sector.

This is a 50 point plan that includes initiatives like handing over public data to researchers, including anonymised NHS data, to train AI models, as well as introducing “AI Growth Zones” that speed up AI infrastructure - such as data centre building and access to the energy grid.

“We’ve all heard the stories — months of red tape, tech that doesn’t deliver, and money wasted. That’s not good enough for the people we serve,” said Feryal Clark, Minister for AI and Digital Government.

“The National Digital Exchange aims to change that. It will make it faster, fairer, and focused on what works — with real reviews, upfront pricing and smart AI to match buyers with the right suppliers in hours. It’s a clear example of our Plan for Change in action: cutting waste, boosting innovation, and backing British tech to deliver better public services.”

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• Researchers were able to access a now removed GitHub site plan
• The site showed plans for an AI website for the US Government
• It will also apparently contain a chatbot and implementation tools

An apparently leaked GitHub page has revealed the Trump administration is working on a website called ai.gov, set to launch on July 4 with the aim of trying to, “accelerate government innovation with AI”

The site was uncovered by 404Media researchers after an early version of the website was posted on GitHub by the General Services Administration (GSA), The Register reports.

Now taken down, the page was aimed at serving as a hub for government agencies to enable AI integration into their processes.

Tech spending

The GSA department responsible for the website looks to be the Technology Transformation Service (TTS).

Headed up by Thomas Shedd, a close associate of Elon Musk, the TTS will seemingly launch the AI website with three key components; a chatbot, an “all-in-one” API that enables connections between existing systems and AI models from Anthropic, Google, or OpenAI, and ‘CONSOLE’ - a "groundbreaking tool to analyze agency-wide implementation," according to the page.

The initial staging site suggests that the ai.gov site will serve AI models through Amazon Bedrock, and most of the models listed in the API documentation on the GitHub page are FedRAMP certified for government usage, the researchers confirmed.

However, they note that one model identified and listed from AI firm Cohere is not FedRamp certified.

The fact the US government is planning to leverage AI or increase its connections with AI companies probably won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone - with the Trump administration pushing hard for widespread government adoption.

Earlier in 2025 it was announced that the IRS could use AI to replace fired workers following mass layoffs at the hands of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Other departments like the SEC and VA are reportedly bracing for ‘restructuring’ as the department investigated whether AI can be used to replace human workers across a range of government departments.

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