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• NBC Sports will use an AI-generated version of legendary announcer Jim Fagan’s voice in its upcoming NBA coverage
• The re-creation will appear in intros and promos with the approval of Fagan's family
• NBC hopes to evoke nostalgia for 1990s basketball with the AI voice

The booming, baritone narration by Jim Fagan is as much a part of 1990s NBA games as Bugs Bunny selling shoes with Michael Jordan or the “Roundball Rock” theme song. Though Fagan passed away in 2017, NBC has his voice ready to go for the upcoming season thanks to AI voice cloning. NBC Sports announced the plan for when it regains broadcasting rights this October.

Fagan’s voice won’t be narrating entire games, the current commentators don't have to worry about direct AI competition just yet. The plan is to use him selectively: show opens, promotional spots, maybe the dramatic lead-in to a playoff broadcast.

The network is reportedly shelling out billions as part of a massive rights package shared with Amazon and Disney. What better way to brand its return than with the voice that defined the league’s TV glory years? NBC just hopes Fagan's phantom voice will remind people of the NBA's golden age three decades ago.

NBC approached the project carefully to avoid a backlash from Fagan's fans. The company built Fagan's vocal doppelganger with the permission and cooperation of Fagan’s family.

"He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved – and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it – is incredibly special for our family," Fagan’s daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, said in a statement. "He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this."

Slam dunk AI

If this sounds like the echo of a similar idea, that's because NBCUniversal has dipped into its AI audio toolbox very recently. At the Paris Olympics last year, NBC recreated Al Michaels’ voice to deliver Olympic recaps on Peacock.

There’s a trend in sports broadcasting to remix the past using futuristic tools. Whether it’s classic theme songs, throwback logos, or AI-generated recaps, the goal is novelty nostalgia, a feeling more than a strictly perfect recreation. And if it works, get ready for AI to resurrect Marv Albert next.

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If a new phone gave me an occasional electric shock, I wouldn’t recommend it. Even if it only shocked me occasionally, when I open a specific app, I'd say no. If a phone wasn’t just bad, but shockingly harmful, I would say that phone, or at least the electric shock part, should be removed.

I just spent a couple weeks with the Google Pixel 9a, which has a tool called Pixel Studio, available on all of Google’s latest Pixel phones. Pixel Studio is an AI-powered image generator that creates images from a text prompt. Until recently, Pixel Studio refused to depict people, but Google removed those guardrails, and the results predictably reinforce stereotypes. That’s not just bad, that’s harmful.

At first Pixel Studio seemed like fun, when there were no people involved (Image credit: Google)

I’m asking Google – and all phone makers – to stop offering image generators that make images of people. These tools can lead to bigotry.

Let’s try a quick role play: You be the Pixel Studio, and I will be me. Hey, Pixel Studio: Make me an image of a successful person!

What image will you make? What do you see in your mind when you think of success? Is it someone who looks like you? The answer will be different for everybody, depending on your own view of success.

Not for Pixel Studio. Pixel Studio has a singular vision of a successful person. Unless you happen to be a young, white, able-bodied man, Pixel Studio probably doesn’t see you when it envisions success.

Here's what the Pixel 9a thinks a successful person actually looks like Image 1 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 2 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 3 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 4 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 5 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 6 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 7 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 8 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I got this result after more than 20 attempts to create an image of a successful person. This was the first Black person Pixel Studio generated.

I asked Pixel Studio five times for an image of ‘a successful person.’ Of the five people Pixel Studio created for me, zero were older. None used a wheelchair or hearing aids, or a cane.

All of them wore expensive-looking suits, even the woman. That’s right, just one woman and four men. And yes, all of them were white.

I have a serious problem with this because the Pixel's digital brain is clearly rooted in lazy stereotypes. These stereotypes support misogyny, ableism, racism, ageism, and who knows what other biases.

This is ingrained in the Pixel's thinking. If you use the Pixel 9a to be more successful, you should know that it has a very limited, stereotypical idea of success. Whenever the Pixel phone represents success in its suggestions, it may be colored by this bigotry.

In Pixel Studio's narrow world, success means you are young, white, able-bodied, probably a man, and wealthy. Apparently, nobody successful is old, non-white, disabled, transgender, or uninterested in flashy suits or material wealth, among countless diverse characteristics a successful person might have.

It's not just the Pixel. Motorola's Moto AI generates questionable images as well (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Did I just get unlucky? I asked Pixel Studio five times, then I asked twice more when I realized it only created one woman. I got another white man and a woman who looked like she might be Latina or of Middle Eastern descent. Both young, standing tall, and wearing suits.

I’m not simplifying anything; Pixel Studio is simplifying things down to the most basic, biased denominator. That's baked into how these AI tools learn.

Pixel Studio generates stereotypes because that's how it's supposed to work

First of all, AI training data was mostly taken from the Internet and public forums. The data inevitably mirrors the biases of the messy, unequal world that created it.

There was no concerted effort to combat stereotypes or introduce diversity into the training data. AI companies like Google simply hoovered up everything they could find, apparently without much thought regarding the biases shaping the data itself. That taints the entire model from the ground up.

Second, machine learning looks for patterns and groups things together. That's not always a bad thing. When a computer looks for patterns and groups, for instance, letters and words together, you get language and ChatGPT.

Apply that pattern-matching to people's appearances, and voilà: stereotypes. That’s pretty much the definition of a stereotype.

Here's an image of a successful Android, which is not at all offensive (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Merriam-Webster defines a stereotype as “something conforming to a fixed or general pattern.” The fundamental way machine learning works reinforces stereotypes. It’s practically unavoidable.

Finally, machine learning tools are trained by us – users who are asked a simple question after each response: was this a good response? We don’t get to say if the response is true, accurate, fair, or harmful. We only get to tell the AI if the response is good or bad. That means we're training the AI on our gut reactions – our own ingrained stereotypes.

An image conforming to our biases feels comfortably familiar, or good. A response that defies our expectations will cause cognitive stress. Unless I'm actively trying to deconstruct my biases, I'll tell the machine it’s doing a good job when it reinforces stereotypes I believe.

Stereotypes are bad, mmmmkay?

Let's be clear: stereotypes are poison. Stereotypes are a root cause of some of the biggest problems our society faces.

Stereotyping reduces diverse groups of people into simple, usually negative and unpleasant caricatures. That makes it easier to feel like the group doesn’t belong with the rest of us. This leads to prejudice and discrimination. There is no benefit that comes from stereotyping.

This isn't just philosophical hand-wringing; stereotyping causes real harm. People who feel discriminated against experience more health problems like cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Doctors who stereotype patients offer a lower standard of care without realizing they are causing harm.

The kind of stereotypical thinking reflected in these AI images contributes to hiring discrimination, wage gaps between different groups in the same jobs, and a lack of opportunities at higher level positions for marginalized groups.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold with Pixel Studio. Is this app really making the Pixel better? (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

When we look at attacks on diversity, equity and inclusivity, we must draw a depressingly straight line that passes through the Pixel Studio’s narrow vision of ‘success’ to real-world bigotry.

It is ironic that these features are part of so-called Artificial Intelligence, because they demonstrate a profound lack of actual intelligence.

What should the AI do, and what should we do about the AI?

This egg is rotten and needs to be tossed

If you asked me, an intelligent human, to draw a successful person, I would say that’s impossible because success isn’t a characteristic that defines the way a person looks. I can’t just draw success, I need to know more before I can create that image. Any attempt to create an image from just the word ‘success’ would be dumb.

But AI isn't meant to be intelligent. It's designed to be a reflection of us - to give us what we want. It's designed to reinforce our stereotypes so that we will pat it on the head and say "good job, Pixel Studio!" while we share these tired images.

I asked Google if it had any concerns about the results I got from Pixel Studio. I asked if it's a problem that the Pixel Studio reinforces negative stereotypes? And if this problem cannot be solved, would Google consider again removing the ability to make images with people? I asked those questions a couple of weeks ago and Google has not responded.

This is not a chicken-and-egg question. It doesn’t matter whether the image generator creates the stereotype or simply reflects it. This egg is rotten and needs to be tossed. All of the eggs this chicken lays will be rotten. Let the AI play Tic Tac Toe and leave people alone.

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• GMKtec's EVO-X2 launch reportedly saw hundreds of units sold on day one
• The devices are powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 50 TOPS AI performance
• Racks of the RGB-lit mini PCs were shown during aging tests for quality assurance

GMKtec, a mini PC manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China, has launched its new flagship device, the EVO-X2.

The company says the debut of the product, which had the first unit personally signed by Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, drew strong interest, with hundreds of units sold through its official website on the first day.

In response, GMKtec has shifted into high gear, triggering what it calls “emergency production protocols” to meet this early demand.

(Image credit: GMKtec) First come, first served

GMKtec shared a rare photo from inside its factory (see header image) showing rows of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 powered units undergoing final aging tests, each equipped with RGB cooling fans.

This testing stage helps verify system stability under continuous operation before shipping and is part of its standard quality control process, designed to ensure the mini PCs hold up under real-world workloads.

The EVO-X2 is built around the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, which is manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm FinFET process. It features 16 cores and 32 threads and can reach speeds up to 5.1GHz.

This high-performance processor includes an AI engine based on AMD’s XDNA 2 architecture, capable of delivering up to 50 TOPS from the NPU alone. GMKtec claims the chip achieves up to 2.2 times the AI performance of an Nvidia RTX 4090 in LM Studio, while consuming less power.

The mini PC is targeted at creators, hybrid professionals, and gamers. Memory options include 64GB or 128GB LPDDR5X, and storage options scale up to 16TB with dual M.2 slots. Video output supports resolutions up to 7680×4320 at 60Hz.

EVO-X2 offers a wide range of ports, including HDMI, DisplayPort, USB4, multiple USB-A connections, a 2.5G Ethernet jack, and both front and rear 3.5mm audio jacks. It supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

The EVO-X2 is available to buy on GMKtec’s official website. Two configurations are being offered, and a limited-time code (X2PR30) gives a $30 discount if purchased from here. Shipments are going out on a first-come, first-served basis.

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• Insight Partners confirms effects of January 2025 breach
• VC firm reveals some sensitive data was stolen
• No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack

Insight Partners, a major venture capital organization that invested in some of the biggest tech organizations around today, has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive data on employees and some of its partners.

In mid-February 2025, the company released a statement, informing that it suffered a cyberattack a month earlier.

“On January 16, 2025, Insight Partners detected that an unauthorized third-party accessed certain Insight information systems through a sophisticated social engineering attack,” the announcement reads. “As soon as this incident was detected, we moved quickly to contain, remediate, and start an investigation within a matter of hours. We notified stakeholders connected to Insight in January to alert them and encourage vigilance and tightened security protocols irrespective of having shared data compromised. We also notified law enforcement in relevant jurisdictions.”

Investor details compromised

The company said it didn’t find evidence of intrusions after January 16, and added that, since the attack was contained to a single day, it did not disrupt its day-to-day operations.

It recently updated the announcement, saying the breach was verified and confirming that some sensitive data was indeed lost, including fund information, management company information, portfolio company information, banking information, tax information, personal information of current and former employees, and information related to limited partners.

The company doesn’t know how many victims there are just yet, but said it would be notifying affected entities over the coming days. Finally, it urged everyone to keep a close eye on financial statements and credit reports.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the breach.

Insight Partners is a global venture capital and private equity firm that invests in high-growth technology, software, and Internet businesses.

The firm manages more than $90 billion in assets and has invested in more than 800 companies worldwide. Some of its more notable investments include cybersecurity firms like Armis and Wiz, as well as public-facing platforms such as monday.com and Wix.

Via BleepingComputer

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• The IRS plans to use AI to supplement its workforce
• The organization has laid off 25% of its staff
• More cuts are likely to follow, report claim

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to use AI to replace workers having made extensive cuts to its workforce.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed the budget proposal in a House Appropriations Committee hearing, with reports confirming the IRS has lost almost a third of its tax auditors since the start of the second Trump administration - with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) trimming the workforce through layoffs and ‘deferred resignations’.

Bessent argued further proposed reductions and plans to push further layoffs would not affect the agency’s tax collection abilities thanks to the “current AI boom” - although he didn’t explain exactly how the agency will be deploying the tech.

Slash and burn

The ramifications of personnel reductions will not result in a loss of capability, despite the majority of those fired being revenue agents, with 31% of the IRS’s revenue agent workforce laid off.

"I believe through smarter IT, through this AI boom, that we can use that to enhance collections and I would expect that collections would continue to be very robust as they were this year," Besset said.

The 25% reduction in workforce for the IRS could lead to potential delays in tax refunds for American taxpayers, but it seems the cuts are likely to continue.

Musk’s DOGE department has also cancelled multiple government contracts in the name of cost-cutting, including with IBM, Deloitte, and Gartner - to name just a few.

Over half of UK businesses who replaced workers with AI now report regretting their decision, and there’s huge amounts of uncertainty - with 38% of leaders not fully understanding AI’s impact in their business, and 25% unsure of which roles are most at risk.

Tech giants including IBM, CrowdStrike, and, most recently Google, have been cutting staff in recent months, with many are planning to replace these jobs with AI.

Via The Register

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• Hackers are using backdoors to drop Kickidler, a legitimate employee monitoring tool
• The tool is used to obtain login credentials and deploy an encryptor
• VMwaare's ESXi servers are being targeted

Kickidler, a popular employee monitoring tool, is being abused in ransomware attacks, multiple security researchers have warned.

The software was designed for businesses, allowing them to oversee their employees’ productivity, ensure compliance, and detect insider threats. Some of its key features are real-time screen viewing, keystroke logging, and time tracking, with the former two being particularly interesting to cybercriminals.

Researchers from Varonis and Synacktiv, who claim to have seen the attacks in the wild, say it all starts with a poisoned ad purchased on the Google Ads network. The ad is displayed to people searching for RVTools, a free Windows-based utility that connects to VMware vCenter or ESXi hosts. The ad leads to a trojanized version of the program, which deploys a backdoor called SMOKEDHAM.

Cloud backups in the crosshairs

With the help of the backdoor, threat actors deploy Kickidler, specifically targeting enterprise administrators and many of the login credentials they use every day. The goal is to infiltrate into every corner of the network and ultimately deploy the encryptor.

The two groups seen using Kickidler are Qilin and Hunters International, which seem focused on cloud backups, but seem to have hit a roadblock, Varonis said.

"Given the increased targeting of backup solutions by attackers in recent years, defenders are decoupling backup system authentication from Windows domains. This measure prevents attackers from accessing backups even if they gain high-level Windows credentials," Varonis told BleepingComputer.

"Kickidler addresses this issue by capturing keystrokes and web pages from an administrator's workstation. This enables attackers to identify off-site cloud backups and obtain the necessary passwords to access them. This is done without dumping memory or other high-risk tactics that are more likely to be detected."

The payloads targeted VMware ESXi infrastructure, the researchers added, encrypting VMDK virtual hard drives. Hunters International used VMware PowerCLI and WinSCP Automation to enable SSH, drop the ransomware, and run it on ESXi servers.

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The Last of Us season 2 is shuffling towards its endgame, and it won't be long before the hugely successful HBO TV Original leaves our screens once more.

But there are still three more episodes to gorge yourself on before this season ends, and that includes this season's fifth entry, which will be out in the US, UK, and Australia in a few days' time.

Below, I've outlined when and where you can watch The Last of Us TV show's latest installment. I've included a full episode release schedule for the remaining episodes, too, so be sure to check that out before you close this article.

What time does The Last of Us season 2 episode 5 come out in the US?

Ellie and Dina got themselves into a real mess in this season's fourth episode (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

The Last of Us' next episode will make its streaming debut at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Sunday, May 11.

Like every installment before it, you've got two places you can watch it. If you're a Max subscriber, you can tune into that platform to stream it. Alternatively, if you have access to US cable network HBO, you can watch it on that channel.

When will The Last of Us season 2's fifth episode launch in the UK?

Washington Liberation Front chief Isaac, reporting for duty (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

The Bella Ramsey-starring dystopian survival drama will return to UK screens on Monday, May 12 at 2am BST.

There are two options available to British fans of the hit TV series. You can watch this season's fifth entry on Sky Atlantic or Now TV.

Where can I watch episode 5 of The Last of Us season 2 in Australia?

How will Dina view Ellie from now on after that big reveal? (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Aussie fans can stream episode 5 in one of two places: Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services, and Foxtel.

As for when it'll be released Down Under, this season's next chapter will debut on both services on Monday, May 12 at 11am AEST.

When do new episodes of The Last of Us season 2 come out?

Stop hiding, Ellie – episode 5 will be out soon! (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

One of the best Max shows (in nations where Warner Bros Discovery's super streamer is available, anyway) will be back on small screens globally for two more weeks after this one. Here's when you can catch new episodes:

• Episode 1 – out now
• Episode 2 – out now
• Episode 3 – out now
• Episode 4 – out now
• Episode 5 – May 11 (US); May 12 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 6 – May 18 (US); May 19 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 7 – May 25 (US); May 26 (UK and Australia)

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• AMD’s RX 9060 XT is rumored to launch mid-May, although the GPU may not go on sale until June
• A well-known YouTube leaker believes the 9060 XT will be well-stocked when it does arrive
• Expect similar quantities to the RX 9070 XT launch, and that could be a problem for Nvidia, which is struggling to get RTX 5060 Ti models out there

AMD’s RX 9060 XT graphics card – which is still only rumored to be next in line for the RDNA 4 family – is supposedly going to have healthy stock levels when it arrives.

That’s the conclusion of Moore’s Law is Dead (MLID), a leaker on YouTube who regularly provides GPU and CPU-related chatter.

MLID cites multiple sources, the first of which is based outside of the US and reckons there will be a ‘pretty good supply’ of RX 9060 XT GPUs, albeit no firm numbers are given (by any of these sources, I should add).

A second source at a major online retailer in the US claims that launch stock for this AMD graphics card is feeling "very optimistic" and another source (also in the US) backs that up.

This feels somewhat more vague than the YouTuber normally is, but nonetheless, there’s clearly a positive vibe around how much stock AMD is likely to muster for the RX 9060 XT. Indeed, MLID underlines that this should be a similar launch to the RX 9070 XT, which arrived in decent numbers as you might recall. (Although due to demand, the GPU still sold through very quickly, or at least models at or near MSRP did).

The caveat MLID adds is that the US may be slightly less well-supplied for the 9060 XT than other countries, or at least that’s a possibility.

Another point addressed here is that the 9060 XT won’t likely affect the stock of AMD’s 9070 XT in the near future, according to the YouTuber’s best guess.

Analysis: Should Nvidia be worried? It looks that way

It certainly makes sense to me that RX 9070 XT (or vanilla 9070) stock wouldn’t suffer due to the launch of this third RDNA 4 GPU (not counting the GRE, which is Asia-only, for now anyway). That’s because the two existing graphics cards use the Navi 48 chip, whereas the 9060 XT is built around a different engine, the Navi 44 GPU.

So, the latter chip won’t cannibalize the former (not directly, anyway). And also because there’s more profit to be made on the pricier 9070 models – the XT in particular – it doesn’t make sense that AMD would want to miss out on that (by sacrificing any 9070 production in favor of the 9060 XT).

If AMD can indeed supply the RX 9060 XT in a decent quantity, as suggested here, that’s going to be trouble for Nvidia, which is struggling to get its RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards – which Team Red’s inbound RDNA 4 GPU should rival – onto shelves in any real number.

Yes, you can find RTX 5060 Ti models on sale, and there are a couple of flavors of the 8GB version around in the US currently. However, that’s more a reflection of the general unpopularity of this GPU – and even then, the cheapest you’ll get is still 10% over the MSRP. With the better-received RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, I could only spot one in the US (all of this is at the time of writing), but this time it’s 15% over the recommended price, so you’re paying a premium.

What we still don’t know is the MSRP of the RX 9060 XT, of course. Indeed, as noted at the outset, this GPU isn’t even officially confirmed yet, let alone the price. All we know is that there’s some kind of new RDNA 4 graphics card coming this quarter, though with the weight of the rumors at this point, it’s pretty certain to be the 9060 XT.

Pricing will be key, of course, and MLID believes that AMD is going to pitch the RX 9060 XT somewhere between $329 to $379 in the US (and in line elsewhere). That’s for the rumored 16GB version of the graphics card, too, not the 8GB variant (which will be launched alongside it, at least according to some speculation). At the lower end of that pricing scale, this could be a killer blow to Nvidia in the lower-mid-range space (again, depending on exactly how performance pans out).

There are too many unknowns to get overly excited yet, and looking at the overall picture – and where Nvidia is with its RTX 5060 models – I worry there’s not much of a driving force for AMD to have to pitch its new entrant to the GPU scene towards the more compelling end of the rumored range.

What Nvidia has in its favor right now is that while the grapevine expects AMD to launch the RX 9060 XT very soon – on May 21, in fact – these graphics cards may not actually be on shelves before June. As ever, load up the seasoning with all this. What we do know is that Nvidia’s RTX 5060 (non-Ti) goes on sale come May 19, though again, its 8GB of VRAM loadout (across the board) is proving controversial, just as with that version of the RTX 5060 Ti currently.

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• A hack on school software provider PowerSchool has put staff and students at risk
• Individual schools are now being targeted using the same data
• PowerSchool did pay the ransom, but the data was not wiped

The hackers which struck PowerSchool in 2024 are now reportedly targeting individual schools and extorting them for ransom, threatening to release previously stolen student and staff information.

“PowerSchool is aware that a threat actor has reached out to multiple school district customers in an attempt to extort them using data from the previously reported December 2024 incident,” the organization confirmed.

PowerSchool is a top education software platform with over 17,000 customers spanning 90 countries, and supporting over 50 million students. A cyberattack in December of 2024 led to the personal data of 62 million students and 9 million teachers exfiltrated by attackers, with over 6,500 school districts in the US and Canada affected.

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Students at risk

PowerSchool paid the ransom to the cybercriminals in hopes they would wipe the data stolen, but since these recent incidents are using information matching that which was stolen in the December hack, it seems quite clear that this was not the case.

“It was a difficult decision, and one which our leadership team did not make lightly," the company said.

"But we thought it was the best option for preventing the data from being made public, and we felt it was our duty to take that action. As is always the case with these situations, there was a risk that the bad actors would not delete the data they stole, despite assurances and evidence that were provided to us.”

The exfiltrated data includes personally identifiable information like Social Security Numbers, names, addresses, and even medical information.

As such, the firm recommends anyone affected take advantage of the two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection software to mitigate the risks posed by the stolen information.

PowerSchool apologized for the threats posed by the breach, and has confirmed it will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to mitigate the damages and respond to the extortion attempts.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Take-Two Interactive and 2K Games have announced a $49.99 price tag and August release date for Mafia: The Old Country
• It comes amid Nintendo and Microsoft's moves towards $80 games
• This raises questions over Grand Theft Auto 6's price when it launches in 2026

While Rockstar Games' highly anticipated title, Grand Theft Auto 6, is on the radar of most gamers with its recent delay announcement and trailer release, another title that is also under Take-Two Interactive's umbrella finally has a release date - and its more affordable price tag may come as a surprise.

It has been revealed that Mafia: The Old Country will launch on August 8, 2025, and is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. It will launch with a Standard Edition that comes in at $49.99 and a Deluxe Edition for $59.99, both of which are available for pre-order now.

This comes after Nintendo and Microsoft began raising the prices of some games to the $80 mark. It's worth noting that the new game prices for Microsoft won't come into effect until the start of this Holiday season, and we're still waiting to see whether Sony follows suit.

However, the $49.99 price tag for Mafia: The Old Country appears to be much less about Take-Two Interactive and 2K Games not following the $80 trend, and more about the game's shorter length and linear presentation. 2K president David Ismailer, said: "We think there's a large audience for compelling stories that don't require massive time commitments," which hints at The Old Country having a short runtime.

Borderlands 4 also launches a month after, on September 12, but there isn't any pre-order or price information on that title yet. There's no doubt that the upcoming Mafia game's price will have gamers wondering what this means for the looter-shooter and GTA 6.

(Image credit: 2K Games) Take-Two Interactive has the opportunity to embarass Nintendo, Microsoft, and any other company charging $80, but I don't think it will...

To say I detest $80, even $70 game prices, is an understatement and it's been sad to see Nintendo and Microsoft kickstart the trend. It's only a matter of time until Sony joins the party and for the large majority of game publishers to follow.

I'm desperately hoping Take-Two Interactive don't budge but it seems unlikely. Gamers have been waiting for GTA 6 for twelve years, going on thirteen now due to its 2026 delay - and it's safe to say that a large majority of gamers are willing to pay over $80 for it.

Considering the rumors of the game's $2 billion budget, a higher price tag might be justified but if Take-Two Interactive were to charge $70 (or even lower) for the highly anticipated title, it would reflect poorly on Microsoft and Nintendo and help it fly off the shelves and smash even more records than it already likely will.

The reasoning is simple - it's GTA 6, arguably the most anticipated game of all-time. Rockstar Games is in a league of its own when it comes to size, scope, and attention to detail and if I were going to choose between Mario Kart World at $80 and GTA 6 with the latter being cheaper, it's an easy decision.

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• Cisco has patched a 10/10 flaw in IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers
• The flaw was due to hardcoded tokens
• There is no evidence of abuse in the wild (yet)

Cisco has released a patch for a maximum-severity flaw found in its IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers which could have allowed threat actors to take over vulnerable endpoints.

The flaw is yet another case of hardcoded credentials, this time in the form of a JSON Web Token (JWT). “An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS requests to the AP image download interface,” it is explained in the NVD website. “A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload files, perform path traversal, and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.”

The vulnerability is now tracked as CVE-2025-20188, and has the maximum security score - 10/10 (critical).

No mitigations

It was also noted that the vulnerability can only be exploited on devices that have the Out-of-Band Image Download feature enabled which, on default settings, is not the case.

According to BleepingComputer, this is a feature that allows access points to download OS images via HTTPS instead of CAPWAP, which is a somewhat more flexible and direct way of getting firmware onto access points.

The publication says that while it’s off by default, some large-scale or automated enterprise deployments have turned it on.

Unfortunately, there are no mitigations for the flaw. The best way to minimize the risk of exposure is to deploy the patch. A possible workaround is to disable the Out-of-Band Image Download feature, which could work well if the enterprise isn’t actually using it.

Cisco said it hasn’t seen evidence of in-the-wild abuse just yet, but users should still be on their guard.

Here is a list of vulnerable devices:

Catalyst 9800-CL Wireless Controllers for Cloud
Catalyst 9800 Embedded Wireless Controller for Catalyst 9300, 9400, and 9500 Series Switches
Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst APs

And here is a list of devices that are safe to use:

Cisco IOS (non-XE)
Cisco IOS XR
Cisco Meraki products
Cisco NX-OS
Cisco AireOS-based WLCs

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Despite this enthusiasm, hurdles such as unstructured data, uncertain model accuracy, and gaps in governance are preventing many organizations from getting the full benefit of AI tools.

Firms that rely on large-scale, around-the-clock operations know the stakes are high. A system outage or an unforeseen failure can cost millions, disrupt the supply chain, and harm overall competitiveness. A study by Aberdeen Research found unplanned downtime in manufacturing can cost up to US$260,000 per hour.

Against this backdrop, AI can predict issues before they occur, helping companies repair equipment proactively and keep downtime to a minimum. Yet concerns linger around data reliability, potential algorithmic bias, and whether AI’s recommendations are truly explainable and safe. A carefully planned approach is key to overcoming these challenges, so that AI becomes a true value driver.

Identifying key risks and overcoming them

When setting up a new asset to work in the field, organizations will necessarily have no data to draw on. That’s where they can access learning from first principles models, coupled with simulation models to ensure a balanced set of data, availability of unlikely scenarios, and therefore enable extrapolation to new regimes of operation.

Data from the field can then be used to refine the model (close the simulation reality gap), or to predict future outcomes based on historical observations. With predictive maintenance technology, it is also possible to identify abnormalities by building models from normal modes of operation.

To enable this, companies need strong governance policies, as well as processes for labelling, storing, and updating data. While a sizable upfront investment may be needed, the payoff is significant: well-organized data fuels accurate models that deliver meaningful results.

Another challenge involves explainability. Some AI-generated recommendations can seem like a “black box” e.g., when models rely on complex neural networks. For day-to-day industrial operations, trust is crucial, as operators must be able to understand how and why decisions are made.

Including interpretable features and highlighting key decision drivers helps build that trust. When people know the rationale behind AI findings, they become more willing to follow them, improving adoption rates.

Well-designed dashboards that map input factors to recommend outputs have their part to play here. However, they will be not sufficient in themselves in achieving trust. Organizations should ensure that they select the right tool for the job in hand.

A complex model can be necessary for complex nonlinear behavior. However, while a complex model can address simple use cases, this comes at a cost, for example explainability, challenges with extrapolation, risk of overfitting, large data requirements etc. It is therefore important to select the right tool for the job. Generally, the simplest approach that solves the problem is preferable.

Trust can be further assured by the use of first principles guardrails that provide peace of mind and highlight that a provider has a thoughtful approach to AI.

In addition, there is the question of bias. Historical data sometimes reflects outdated practices or inconsistent recording methods, and if this data is used without scrutiny, algorithms may carry forward biases into their predictions.

Regular auditing of model performance, along with diverse data sets and ongoing feedback from subject matter experts, can mitigate these risks. Proactively revisiting the data strategy and staying aware of evolving regulations also helps organizations stay one step ahead.

Finally, AI’s integration with existing workflows demands attention. Even the most advanced algorithms will struggle if they fail to mesh with established processes. For instance, if plant operators need to switch between multiple tools or can’t easily act on an AI-driven alert, the system’s value quickly diminishes. Seamless product integration, visualizing AI insights, training operators on new procedures, and ensuring IT infrastructure can handle added data loads are often a make-or-break factor for success.

Practical steps to harness industrial AI

A strategic roadmap for AI adoption starts with identifying use cases that promise strong returns. Many companies find early success in areas like predictive maintenance, where AI models spot signals of potential future breakdowns and enable timely fixes. Another example are hybrid models that allow the creation and sustainment of models from data in the field.

This accelerates the model building for complex processes and improves the representation for design optimization or control, thus supporting efficiency and sustainability improvements. Another best practice is merging automation with human expertise. While AI excels at e.g., sorting through large data sets to pinpoint trends or anomalies, seasoned operators understand the practical nuances of running a plant.

Collaboration between people and technology ensures that strategic decisions blend intuitive knowledge with data-driven recommendations. By keeping humans in the loop, organizations lessen the odds of unexpected failures and maintain trust among the workforce.

To secure buy-in across management levels, pilot programs need to show quick, tangible benefits. If a narrow project using AI for quality checks significantly reduces scrap in a factory, the cost savings and improved customer satisfaction help support broader initiatives. Documenting these early gains and calculating the return on investment helps justify scaling AI across multiple sites, which often involves more complex budgeting and approvals.

As expansion proceeds, robust model governance becomes essential. Models must be monitored for “drift,” when real-world conditions change. Deploying self-adapting AI technology or regular checkpoints with engineering and data science teams helps ensure the technology performs as expected.

Enterprises can also set up review boards or specialized groups to vet new AI solutions, confirm compliance with regulations, and measure alignment with corporate targets such as safety or sustainability.

Lastly, organizations should build long-term expertise within their teams. Successful AI adoption isn’t a one-time event; it’s a continuous journey of refinement, learning, and adaptation. Training employees to understand AI fundamentals, interpret analytics, and collaborate with data scientists goes a long way toward embedding AI into the corporate culture. This level of internal capability also positions companies to pivot faster as new technologies emerge.

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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

• India has ordered X to block over 8,000 accounts, the social media company said on May 8, 2025
• X deemed India's orders as censorship and urged account holders to legally challenge the blocks
• Both India and Pakistan have intensified internet censorship as the conflict between the two countries continues to escalate

India has issued executive orders to X, asking the social media company to block over 8,000 accounts across the country. The targets, X explains, include accounts belonging to international news organizations and prominent X users.

X's Global Government Affairs team disclosed the details in a lengthy tweet on Thursday, May 8, 2025, deeming these requests as "censorship" and urging account holders based in India to legally challenge the blocks.

"Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech," wrote X.

X disagrees but it's "restricted by Indian law"

"To comply with the orders, we will withhold the specified accounts in India alone. We have begun that process," wrote X, adding that the company disagrees with the Indian government’s demands.

This means, however, that blocked account holders may be able to keep accessing the platform by using one of the best VPN services to spoof their IP address location.

"X is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company. Unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders," the company added, while encouraging all users impacted to seek appropriate relief from the courts.

The social media company even shared a list of legal aid organizations that could help people challenging these blocking orders, and asserted that it had notified those impacted by these actions.

X's Global Government Affairs account was temporarily withheld in India, as reported by Indian technology journalist Adit Agrawal on her LinkedIn account.

The account was restored on Friday morning. According to a person aware of the matter, Agrawal reported, X blocked the account without an official order after authorities asked the company about the tweet.

"Now MeitY has issued an order to X to NOT block it, as per this person," wrote Agrawal.

India/Pakistan information crackdown

X's blocking orders coincide with a spike in internet censorship across the country as the conflict with the neighboring Pakistan intensifies.

On Wednesday, May 7, Meta also blocked a major Muslim news page on Instagram at the authorities' request, as reported by The Guardian.

On Thursday, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also issued an advisory urging all media companies, streaming services, and online platforms to block all content originating from Pakistan.

On his side, Pakistan has resumed access to X on Wednesday after a 15-month-long ban.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) also blocked access to at least 16 YouTube news channels and 32 websites from India on the same day, for allegedly spreading misinformation and anti-Pakistan propaganda.

As reported by the BBC, India and Pakistan blame each other for escalating military tensions and have both been launching a series of missiles and drone strikes since Wednesday. This represents a major escalation of existing tensions over the disputed area of Kashmir between the two nuclear-armed countries.

TechRadar needs you! We want to know what you think about the world of VPNs. Whether you're a novice or a VPN pro, we want to hear your thoughts. Don't worry, though, your responses are completely anonymous, and it takes less than a minute to complete!

To take part, click the link below: https://futurenet.questionpro.eu/tr-vpn

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• Adobe will discount certain software subscriptions by 70% for the US Government
• Eliminating paper-based processes could significantly boost productivity
• Savings available for several months

Adobe is preparing to offer its software to the US Government at a whopping 70% discount, with the considerable savings available on contract signups until November 2025.

The partnership was confirmed in a statement by the US General Services Administration, which noted, "Adobe will offer a comprehensive Paperless Government Solution at a 70% discount off the current GSA list price through November 30, 2025."

Not only does the discount address the US Government's ongoing cost-cutting efforts, driven by Elon Musk's DOGE, but it's also designed to streamline operations between departments by cutting out legacy systems and physical copies in favor of online versions.

US government Adobe discount

"This agreement with Adobe is another example of GSA leading a transformative change in how the federal government buys goods and services, with a focus on commercial products. We’re moving away from outdated and fragmented agency-by-agency purchasing, towards strategic procurement decisions," GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian explained.

Adobe's Chief Revenue Officer, Stephen Frieder, added: “This agreement reflects our shared commitment with GSA to streamline procurement and support digitization efforts to help the government best serve the American people."

Among the bundles on offer at a 70% discount are Acrobat Premium for Enterprise, Acrobat Sign for Enterprise and Adobe Express for Enterprise.

In a separate announcement, Adobe added: "Today's announcement marks an opportunity for federal agencies to take meaningful strides in sustainable digital modernization."

The company stressed how its plans to support the US Government eliminate paper-based processes will boost productivity by eliminating the inefficiencies created by manual processes, increase responsiveness with user-friendly applications and speed up content creation.

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With the vast amount of data that enterprises are generating and storing, leaders are continually reminded to get their data in order so they can generate business insight and prepare for AI initiatives. However, there is a reason why a majority of the enterprise’s human intelligence cannot be utilized to inform the business decisions being made today.

The main issue is that computers are unable to determine the meaning and context of unstructured text—and there is simply too much of it for humans to process. With the global market for AI technologies expected to grow to over 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030, there is a clear business need for computers to understand the human language, or business leaders will fail to make the most of their AI investments.

However, there is a solution. In using semantic analysis, which has automated and assisted text classification and fact extraction processes, a business can use AI to understand the meaning of its enterprise data with accurate, consistent and transparent outcomes. With this meaning, they are able to unlock valuable insights, enhance user experience and drive smarter decisions.

The meaning of semantic analysis

Semantic analysis builds upon natural language processing (NLP) and focuses on understanding and processing the meaning of words and phrases that have multiple meanings. It works by using methods and tools that can efficiently categorize and process data, whilst seeing relationships within data sets. In so doing, computers can finally comprehend the human intent behind words, phrases and sentences.

Semantic analysis can answer questions like: “What does this text mean?”, and “How do these concepts relate to each another?” It also can extract specific information in the data like the age of a patient or the directors of a company. By revealing and encoding what the text really means, semantic analysis enables the most accurate information retrieval and improves communication between machines and humans. Put simply, it can understand business data to generate meaningful insights.

By interpreting communications with customers and gaining insights into habits and preferences, semantic analysis can enable businesses to power chatbots and deliver a new level of agility to the organization. By deriving new insight from communications with customers—helping train chatbots, for example—Semantic analysis can add a new level of agility to the organization.

Getting deeper meaning with text classification and fact extraction

Depending on what an organization is looking to achieve, semantic analysis can use two methods to extract information from text. These methods are text classification and fact extraction.

Text Classification

With this method, text is labelled based on insights you want to gain from the textual data. For example, Topic Classification can organize text within a particular category, for instance putting a school assignment into math, chemistry or physics. Intent Classification assesses the sender’s intent for a message, which can help the organization respond in the best way.

Fact Extraction

With Fact Extraction, organizations can identify and extract facts and relationships in their content to aid in the discovery of latent patterns and knowledge not previously known to their business. If organizations can make information easier to find within their content, it brings efficiency to the organization as it can reuse text for various use cases and audit it.

The Text Re-use feature can help leverage content in different contexts quickly and for different use cases. Text Auditing helps you stay ahead of your competition and fully access the volume of knowledge in your content. Text Creation allows teams to focus resources on creating missing content that fills gaps rather than recreating content that already exists.

Examples of semantic analysis

Here are six ways semantic analysis can add value and agility to an organization:

Intelligent search experience - It can help search engines understand the meaning of text to position it appropriately in results. It goes beyond repetition, improving the results through the richness of the semantic field. This results in an intelligent search experience that can understand user intent and context for better outcomes.

Customer feedback – Since it can understand the positive, negative or neutral context, semantic analysis can help machines better understand customer feedback from social networks, reviews and forums by detecting elements that denote dissatisfaction, discontent or impatience. Trends insight – Semantic analysis can help marketers get closer to their customers and keep on top of market trends by processing large volumes of textual data.

Customer experience – The overall elevated digital experience helps customers to find more relevant information faster and offsets problems before they can escalate.

Regulatory compliance - Semantic analysis can help an organization meet regulatory needs, mitigate risk and streamline processes. It helps apply metadata that organizations can use to implement information governance best practices.

Making your data AI ready – data agility is vital for successful AI applications. Semantic data analysis allows for efficient data integration, classification and contextualization, which will enable organizations to build more adaptable and responsive AI systems.

Benefits of semantic analysis

A well-executed semantic analysis methodology will bolster competitive advantage by elevating the customer experience and company performance, improving search relevance and providing valuable insights for new business initiatives. Some key advantages of semantic analysis include:

Build a customer-centric strategy: Semantic analysis contributes to the deployment of a customer-centric strategy, where each business decision is centered on the customer’s needs, boosting customer loyalty and retention.

Improve company performance: By automating data analysis, semantic analysis offers considerable time savings for teams across the organization, channeling resources to prioritize business-critical functions and improve the bottom line.

Enhance your SEO strategy: Semantic analysis can help uncover a user’s intent during the search process, enabling the organization to serve up more relevant content.

Bolster customer self-service solutions: Semantic analysis allows machines to detect human emotions to extract valuable information from unstructured data so more effective self-service options can be created. Support AI Strategy: When it comes to machine learning and AI, semantic analysis supports feature extraction and understanding relationships in data.

Smarter business decisions: Ultimately, semantic analysis extracts the meaningful information companies need to drive informed business decisions. Enable 360s: By providing a comprehensive view of all data, semantic analysis allows organizations to aggregate information effectively, enabling them to conduct more informed 360 reviews of products.

The value of data Is achieved through its analysis

With the advancement of AI and the rise of unstructured data, semantic analysis is essential for organizations in all sectors who are looking to embrace AI agents and data driven decisioning.

The introduction of semantic analysis marks a significant leap forward for machines to become not only viable but trusted in the business landscape. By harnessing the power of meaning, businesses can unlock valuable insights, enhance user experience and drive smarter decisions.

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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

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, May 9 (game #432).

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 #433) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Find the missing links

NYT Strands today (game #433) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• VILE
• LUDE
• SIZES
• DELI
• SALE
• RAGE

NYT Strands today (game #433) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #433) - hint #4 - spangram position What 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 #433) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #433, are…

• CHORIZO
• SALAMI
• LIVERWURST
• KIELBASA
• ANDOUILLE
• SPANGRAM: SAUSAGES

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I saw the Spangram first today and then grabbed the three most obvious SAUSAGES: CHORIZO, SALAMI, and LIVERWURST. The other two I had never heard of, but being a major consumer of processed pork, I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten them.

The most difficult thing today was tapping out KIELBASA and ANDOUILLE in the correct letter order, but I guess they had to give us something to chew on. Top marks, by the way, to Strands HQ for today’s top punning theme.

All of these meat treats are what we’d call slicing sausages in the UK as we wouldn’t want to confuse them with actual sausages – or hot dogs – which we like frying whole and consuming with chips or mashed potato or with even more meat products for our award-winning artery-clogging breakfasts.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, May 9, game #432)

• BACKPACK
• TENT
• GRILL
• COOLER
• LANTERN
• THERMOS
• SPANGRAM: CAMPING GEAR

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.

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, May 9 (game #698).

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 #699) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BEANS
• MINUS
• LOVE
• ENERGY
• ZIP
• BEST
• COMIC
• SANS
• SINCERELY
• WANTING
• BACON
• SUNSET
• ABSENT
• LANDING
• CHEERS
• PEP

NYT Connections today (game #699) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Dear endings
• GREEN: Missing something
• BLUE: Full of it 
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “grip”

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 #699) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: LETTER SIGN-OFFS
• GREEN: WITHOUT 
• BLUE: VIGOR 
• PURPLE: __ STRIP 

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

NYT Connections today (game #699) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #699, are…

• YELLOW: LETTER SIGN-OFFS BEST, CHEERS, LOVE, SINCERELY
• GREEN: WITHOUT ABSENT, MINUS, SANS, WANTING
• BLUE: VIGOR BEANS, ENERGY, PEP, ZIP
• PURPLE: __ STRIP BACON, COMIC, LANDING, SUNSET

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I had cooked breakfast on my mind today, so I’m annoyed that i didn’t get the purple group and particularly BACON STRIP.

That said, this was quite a straightforward game, missing any of the normal traps. Indeed you could say it was ABSENT, MINUS, SANS and WANTING of its usual trickery, with Comic Sans the only gag pairing (unless I missed one).

Out of the four groups, the one that was ranked easiest – LETTER SIGN-OFFS – had the potential to be the trickiest considering how old-fashioned ending a letter SINCERELY is.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I’d wrestle over writing that or faithfully at the end of job applications. Now, BEST is the only way to go – or whatever our AI pals think.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, May 9, game #698)

• YELLOW: TV DISPLAY SETTINGS BRIGHTNESS, COLOR, CONTRAST, TINT
• GREEN: FUZZY, AS A MEMORY DIM, FAINT, REMOTE, VAGUE
• BLUE: RESULTS OF SOME ARITHMETIC DIFFERENCE, PRODUCT, QUOTIENT, SUM
• PURPLE: WINDOW TREATMENTS IN THE SINGULAR BLIND, DRAPE, SHADE, SHUTTER

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.

There's a real mix of new movies and shows to explore on the best streaming services this Mother's Day weekend for those in the US and Australia, and Netflix is leading the charge with its slate of new releases.

We've picked out a romantic slasher, feel-good comedy and dark fantasy animation out of everything new on Netflix, but there's also the new teen drama series inspired by Judy Blume's Forever novel from 1975 that's worth a watch from what we hear.

Remote at the ready? Great, because here's our top streaming picks out of all the latest new releases. – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor.

Heart Eyes (Netflix)

Recently, I described Heart Eyes as the best horror-romance movie of the year and I’m so excited that it’s available to stream on Netflix this weekend. If you’re looking for the right amount of romance, comedy and horror, this movie blends it all perfectly and has an impressive 81% Rotten Tomatoes critical rating, making it just as worthy of some of the best horror movies.

While it was originally released in time for Valentine’s Day, I think it’s perfect horror viewing any time of year! With some great gory moments and a mystery at the heart of the plot, it’s a gripping watch and thoroughly entertaining. Netflix horror movies can be quite hit and miss but this is one of the best ones on there.

Need more horror recommendations this month? Check out eight new horror movies on Netflix, Shudder, Max and more in May 2025. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch Heart Eyes on Netflix now

Poker Face season 2 (Peacock)

This tale of a casino worker turned human lie detector performed incredibly well after season one Poker Face, which has a near-perfect 99% Rotten Tomatoes critical rating. After loving her work in Netflix’s Russian Doll and Orange is the New Black, Natasha Lyonne impressed me here too and I’m so excited to see what the second season of this mystery-a-week show brings.

Season 2 picks up with Charlie hitting the road once again after receiving a call from crime boss Beatrix Halp. She’s back on the road and there’s some amazing guest stars such as Wicked’s Cynthia Eviro and The Office star BJ Novak, so the cast just keeps getting bigger and better.

In Rian Johnson we trust. We'll have to wait and see if it returns for season three but for now, you've got the second installment to dive into. – LB

• Watch Pokerface season 2 on Peacock

Octopus (Prime Video)

This week's first documentary pick is a nature series that delves into the lives of octopuses. That might not sound instantly thrilling but with Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) narrating the series, we're expecting her signature humor to keep the pacing lively.

Octopus! is a two-part series that sees an eclectic mix of characters, including scientists, explorers and enthusiasts, share their connections with the eight-limbed sea creatures that could easily become one of the best Prime Video shows.

I loved Netflix's My Octopus Teacher and National Geographic's Secrets of the Octopus on Disney+, both of which scored highly with critics, so I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes an instant hit. – AS

• Watch Octopus! on Prime Video now

Nonnas (Netflix)

Looking for a good comedy movie? Nonnas should whet your appetite, perhaps literally, as it follows a man who opens an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas aka grandmothers as the chefs.

Feast your eyes on this great cast too: Vince Vaughn leads a great line-up, including stars like Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Joe Manganiello and Linda Cardellini. This has all the key ingredients to become one of the best Netflix movies, indeed.

It's based on a true story, inspired by the life of Joe Scaravella, the owner of the Staten Island restaurant Enoteca Maria, where grandmothers are invited to work as chefs. This one should be a great watch. – LB

• Watch Nonnas on Netflix

Blood of Zeus season 3 (Netflix)

The third and final season of Blood of Zeus, aka one of the best Netflix shows, is here, so you're sorted if you need your adult animation fix this weekend. It's an action-packed one, focusing mainly on two storylines.

This time around, expect to see Cronos and Typhon’s rampage across Greece, as well as Heron helping Seraphim to get his lover, Priestess Gorgo, into the Elysian Fields. So there's a lot going on and plenty to wrap up before the season finale.

This mythical ancient Greece inspired series has had a good run, but it doesn't look like it'll be returning any time soon. If you need more animation in your life, check out these Adult Swim shows including one with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. – LB

• Watch Blood of Zeus season 3 on Netflix now

Long Way Home (Apple TV+)

Broom broom, motorheads! It's finally time to watch Ewan McGregor's and Charley Boorman's latest biking adventure on Apple TV+, Long Way Home.

This new Apple TV+ adventure series is an awe-inspiring ride that will see the best friends reunite for a fourth season to travel across 17 European countries on customized classic motorcycles.

As one of the best Apple TV+ shows, I'm excited to saddle up for the first four episodes of this 10-part travel documentary series. Trust me, it's a lighthearted watch that's sure to delight. – AS

• Watch Long Way Home on Apple TV+

Summer of 69 (Hulu)

The latest new Hulu movie to grace our screens is Summer of 69. The film's premise might make it sound like another raunchy teen comedy akin to the likes of Superbad and Bottoms, but this coming-of-age story is said to be much more heartfelt.

What starts of as a story about an awkward teenager called Abby (Sam Morelos) enlisting the help of a stripper (Chloe Fineman) to teach her how to have sex soon becomes a lesson in confidence.

Early reviews look promising for Jillian Bell's directorial debut, but we'll have to wait and see if it becomes one of the best Hulu movies. – AS

• Watch Summer of 69 on Hulu now

For more streaming recommendations, read our guides on best Prime Video movies, best Paramount+ movies and best Max movies.

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, May 9 (game #1201).

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 #1202) - hint #1 - Vowels How 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 #1202) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1202) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1202) - 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 #1202) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• R

• B

• C

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1202) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1202, are…

• RELIC
• BADGE
• CHAMP
• SATIN

Back when I started playing Quordle it would take me at least 10 minutes to crack. These days, when all the stars align and there’s no rogue words or rare letters, it often takes me less than 90 seconds.

I say this not to brag, but out of embarrassment that it took me so long to realise how much easier this game is once you use three start words with 15 different letters.

Meanwhile, as Quordle gets easier the Daily Sequence seems to get harder to crack. Why is that?

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1202) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1202, are…

• DIRGE
• WATER
• VAULT
• REBEL

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1201, Friday, 9 May: MINUS, CRIME, NOSEY, SLAIN
• Quordle #1200, Thursday, 8 May: ELUDE, GREET, POPPY, ELITE
• Quordle #1199, Wednesday, 7 May: QUOTH, TRUNK, BESET, NAIVE
• Quordle #1198, Tuesday, 6 May: UNITE, SOGGY, FILET, PORCH
• Quordle #1197, Monday, 5 May: WREAK, COWER, STEAD, QUEUE
• Quordle #1196, Sunday, 4 May: PINCH, SMOKE, SCARY, CANNY
• Quordle #1195, Saturday, 3 May: PLUSH, VERGE, WROTE, CONDO
• Quordle #1194, Friday, 2 May: CAUSE, RISEN, MACAW, SMELT
• Quordle #1193, Thursday, 1 May: IDIOM, EXILE, SPOOF, DRAPE
• Quordle #1192, Wednesday, 30 April: BATON, TORSO, ANNEX, DROWN
• Quordle #1191, Tuesday, 29 April: HOVER, HENCE, OCTAL, COPSE
• Quordle #1190, Monday, 28 April: JAUNT, ALLOW, FRUIT, BURNT
• Quordle #1189, Sunday, 27 April: PRIOR, YOUTH, CREDO, CHIDE
• Quordle #1188, Saturday, 26 April: LINGO, LOCUS, THROW, CLICK
• Quordle #1187, Friday, 25 April: SHALT, WRATH, MAMBO, HUMPH
• Quordle #1186, Thursday, 24 April: CHOKE, COLOR, FRAME, CAIRN
• Quordle #1185, Wednesday, 23 April: VALET, PUPAL, CREEP, DRIFT
• Quordle #1184, Tuesday, 22 April: POUTY, CHEST, BROOM, TEPEE
• Quordle #1183, Monday, 21 April: SHARD, PRINT, SUMAC, LEACH
• Quordle #1182, Sunday, 20 April: DINER, HORDE, SHONE, FUGUE

• Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.3 launches on May 21
• The update expands the game's story, and introduces new characters Hyacine and Cipher
• New events and relics revealed, too, as well as a major expansion to the Divergent Universe game mode

The time has rolled around again for Hoyoverse to reveal exactly what's coming up in the Version 3.3 update for Honkai: Star Rail.

'The Fall at Dawn's Rise', which launches later this month on May 21, will introduce two new five-star characters to the game, a new story chapter, several new events, new relics, an expansion to the Divergent Universe game mode, and more optimizations to the ever-growing RPG.

The first of the two new characters is Hyacine: a five-star Wind character on the Rememberance path. Based on the footage from the recent livestream, she looks like a strong support unit who can restore HP and increase the maximum HP of your party members with help from her summon, Little Ica.

With all the HP scaling characters we've got in the game in the last couple of patches, it seems she will be a natural fit alongside Castorice and Tribbie – and a worthwhile upgrade to those teams currently running Luocha or Gallagher in the sustain role.

The second playable five-star in Cipher. She is on the Quantum element and follows the Path of Nihility. Her gimmick is all based around marking a single high HP opponent on the battlefield, performing follow-up attacks when allies damage that target, and using her ultimate to unleash a devastating amount of damage based on the total recorded damage the target has received.

Image 1 of 3

Hyacine pairs up with her memosprite Little Ica to heal allies (Image credit: Hoyoverse)Image 2 of 3

Cipher applies a mark to targets and unleashes a huge amount of damage based on ally attacks (Image credit: Hoyoverse)Image 3 of 3

A Mario Kart-style racing game is one of the events coming in Version 3.3 (Image credit: Hoyoverse)

It's a kit that makes a lot more sense in practice, with Hoyo showing off her effectiveness in combat with Acheron and Jiaoqiu in one party, and Castorice in another.

I had no plans to pull her for my account, but now I could be tempted. However, anyone thinking of going for new characters will also have to consider that The Herta and Aglaea will also re-run during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the patch, respectively.

While the new characters are the main draw, Version 3.3 will also introduce the next chapter in the game's story that builds towards the final battle of the Flame-Chase Journey. That will be a confrontation with the Sky Titan, a hundred-eyed giant bird named Aquila, who will also serve as a new end-game boss.

Other new additions include a bizarre-looking racing event, the return of a combat event that looks to take inspiration from the item evolutions of Vampire Survivors, new relics to farm, and an expansion to the roguelite Divergent Universe mode that adds more buffs, rewards and mechanics.

Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.3 launches on May 21. The free-to-play RPG is available now on PC, mobile and PlayStation 5.

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