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• Phison X200Z writes entire drive every 24 minutes nonstop
• Delivers record-breaking endurance and performance with 60 DWPD capability
• TweakTown calls it the most powerful flash-based SSD ever tested

TweakTown has delivered its first hands-on look at the Phison Pascari X200Z 3.2TB Enterprise SSD, and – spoiler alert – it was blown away.

Built with SLC flash and running over a PCIe Gen5 x4 interface, the X200Z boasts a write endurance rating of 60 drive writes per day (DWPD), translating to an astounding full-drive write every 24 minutes.

As Jon Coulter of TweakTown puts it, “Phison's Pascari X200Z 3.2TB SLC caching SSD is simultaneously the highest capacity, lowest latency, and most endurant flash-based SSD of its kind we've ever encountered.”

The best ever seen

The X200Z is built for extreme durability in demanding caching roles, especially in front of QLC arrays.

It buffers random write workloads, reshapes them into sequential data, and directs them to slower, more fragile QLC layers, enhancing speed, reliability, and overall lifespan of the storage system.

Coulter notes, “The 3.2TB model we have in hand is rated at 60 DWPD or a mind-bending 350 Petabytes of endurance. Incredible.”

The drive also shines on performance. In testing, it surpassed its factory specs across the board. Sequential read throughput hit 15,026MB/s - breaking TweakTown lab records - while write performance came in over 10,200MB/s.

In random workloads, the X200Z hit up to 2800K IOPS and showed strong consistency across all queue depths.

Coulter was impressed by the performance curve: “Its low queue depth performance here is stunning.”

He adds, “We knew it would be good, but we didn't anticipate the drive's mixed workload performance would be this fantastic. By far the best we've ever seen.”

Phison positions its Pascari line as enterprise-grade, offering flexibility in U.2 and E3.S form factors and support for dual-port configurations. The Pascari X200 Series already has design wins across data centers, video platforms, and HPC workloads.

Coulter concludes: “Phison's Pascari X200Z 3.2TB SSD is easily the most powerful flash-based SSD we've ever tested.”

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• Twelve South's PowerCord is so simple, with a wall plug on one end and a USB-C on the other
• It's a one-stop solution for charging small to medium-sized devices
• With the cord, you can effectively ditch the power brick as it's integrated

When it comes to charging our devices right now, you generally need a wall plug that goes into an outlet and a cable. For phones – iPhone or Android – that means, say, at least a 20-watt wall plug and then a USB-C to USB-C cable. It doesn’t need to be like this, especially for those who travel.

Twelve South, known for excellent accessories that especially complement Apple devices, just dropped the ‘PowerCord.’ Yes, that’s a product name, not something that comes with the product in the box. It’s a USB-C port cable that ends not with a replica of that port but rather a power adapter.

Thus, it eliminates the need for a wall brick, and if you’re charging a Pixel 9, an iPhone 16 Pro, a Nintendo Switch, an iPad or Galaxy Tab, or even a MacBook Air, you just plug it in to get the charge going.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

It’s fairly genius, right? The 30-watt power supply is integrated into the wall plug, and it comes in two lengths – 4-foot or 10-foot. The cable itself is braided and looks fairly heavy-duty from shared images and comes in a slate black or dune white.

The wall plug is also non-removable. In fact, the whole design is a closed circle on purpose. That way, you can’t leave one part of the equation at home or behind, so when you need to recharge something, it’s all there, whenever you need it.

As of right now, it’s priced at $39.99 for the 4-foot model and $49.99 for the 10-foot model in either color. However, it can only be purchased with a Type-A wall plug. That means it works best in North America, specifically in the United States or Canada. It's up for order now at Amazon or from the brand directly here.

TwelveSouth has said that an EU and UK version is on the horizon and will likely drop in mid to late June. That's excellent news, since for frequent travelers, this is a really nice charger, and I like that you can’t leave any part of it at home.

If it proves to be a success, Twelve South may need to figure out how to put in a larger power supply so it can also handle recharging more power-hungry devices.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

Even so, as it stands, PowerCord can charge phones, tablets, a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, earbuds and headphones, Bluetooth speakers, smart glasses, headsets, and countless other devices. The product page notes that it’s best for small to medium-sized devices but can trickle-charge other products like laptops.

If you’re sold and are in North America, or planning a trip, the PowerCord is up for order and shipping now directly from Twelve South here and on Amazon here.

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For community groups to allege violations of environmental rules, a state law says groups have to use federally-approved testing equipment, and it sets restrictions for analyzing and sharing the data.

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Recent critiques of judges from the Trump administration have prompted fears the Marshals could be caught in the middle of a power struggle and forced to yank security for judges.

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• The faulty CrowdStrike update disrupted operations at Delta
• The airline sued the cybersecurity outfit, which then filed a motion to dismiss
• The judge denied the motion and gave the lawsuit the go-ahead

Delta’s lawsuit against cybersecurity outfit CrowdStrike got the judge’s green light and will proceed. Earlier this May, Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe filed their decision with the Fulton County Superior Court, denying CrowdStrike’s motion to dismiss and allowing most of Delta’s claims to move forward.

Here is a little context: Last year, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike pushed a faulty update to users on Windows devices, causing widespread disruption. Banks, airlines, TV broadcasters, and many other companies, were unable to operate nominally due to the dreaded Blue Screen of Death popping up across their IT infrastructure.

US airline Delta was hit particularly hard. According to The Register, it took five days to recover, significantly more than rivals American Airlines and United Airlines. What’s more, the same source claims Delta was forced to ground a lot more airplanes compared to other organizations.

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Motion to dismiss

This prompted Delta to sue CrowdStrike claiming the company deployed the update without permission, bypassed Microsoft’s certification process, and failed to properly test the update before release. CrowdStrike admitted the update was flawed but claims Delta’s delayed recovery was due to its own decisions. The lawsuit included multiple claims, such as breach of contract, trespass, negligence, and fraud.

CrowdStrike filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Delta’s claims were invalid. The argument here is that the claims should be limited by the contract under Georgia’s economic loss rule, which generally prevents tort claims for purely financial losses arising from a contract. Delta says CrowdStrike violated independent duties, such as obligations under trespass laws and cybersecurity standards.

Now, the judge has partially denied CrowdStrike’s motion to dismiss. Namely, trespass and negligence claims are valid, while fraud claims were upheld in part.

The Register spoke to CrowdStrike’s outside counsel, Michael Carlinsky of law firm Quinn Emanuel, who says that the worst-case scenario is the company having to pay “single-digit millions” to Delta. The airline, on the other hand, is “pleased by the ruling”.

Via The Register

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If you're in need of something to binge this week, Sirens has arrived and it's definitely worthy of a spot on our best Netflix shows round up.

The dark comedy-drama, which arrived today (May 22), already has – at the time of this article's publication – an 86% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Clearly, it's gone down well with plenty of professional writers.

For the uninitiated: Sirens is, according to Netflix's own Tudum fan-led website, an "incisive, sexy, and darkly funny exploration of women, power, and class".

The show's story is told over the course of one very explosive weekend, and sees Meghan Fahy play Devon, the concerned older sibling of Milly Alcock's Simone, who has a very creepy relationship with her new boss Michaela (Julianne Moore). Clearly worried about her younger sister, Devon heads to Michaela's country retreat with the view to holding an intervention for Simone.

Why I'm recommending Sirens on Netflix

Kevin Bacon is among Sirens' starry supporting cast (Image credit: Netflix)

There are plenty of great reasons why I'm recommending Sirens this week. With only five episodes, you can easily binge watch it in one or two sittings.

Molly Smith Metzler, the playwright behind the highly-enjoyable Maid, which starred Margaret Qualley, created this Netflix show, which is based on Metzler's own 2011 play Elemano Pea. So, you know this series is in good hands

Smith Metzler told Tudum: “This story has a lot of teeth. There are real moments of drama, and it’s going to make people uncomfortable. Operatic is a word I like to use to describe it. It’s a true dark comedy – and it’s got a Greek mythology vibe.”

The cast is also excellent. Alongside Moore, Fahy, and Alcock, the likes of beloved actor Kevin Bacon. Considering Prime Video canceled The Bondsman, it's nice to see Bacon popping up in a different project, even if I'm still very disappointed to see one of the best Prime Video shows suddenly come to an abrupt end. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton also plays a supporting role, so you really can't get much more star-studded than that.

If you loved Netflix's The Four Seasons, this is another picturesque series to gape at, too. Expect great on-location scenes, glamorous wardrobes, and plenty of luxury. It's also full to the brim of mystery and has a sinister undertone, as all is not as it seems on this island enclave.

I was sucked in from the get-go and soon realized that I'd streamed three episodes back to back. You'll find yourself desperate to know what's going on, and what's up with Moore's rich philanthropist and animal activist.

I'm keen to see more from Sirens, but we'll have to see if Netflix decides to renew it.

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• Konami has confirmed that Silent Hill f is a standalone game in the series
• The studio says the upcoming game is "a completely new work independent of the series"
• It also adds that players who have never played Silent Hill can experience Silent Hill f without worry

Konami has offered some insight into where Silent Hill f stands in the overall Silent Hill series.

In a new post shared on the Japanese Silent Hill X / Twitter account, Konami clarified that the upcoming horror game is a standalone title in the Silent Hill timeline, suggesting it won't have any connection to any previous games in the series (via IGN).

The studio also confirmed that players will need no prior knowledge of the franchise and that even newcomers to the series can experience Silent Hill f.

"This is a completely new work independent of the series," Konami said (translated via X / Twitter). "Even those who have never played the 'SILENT HILL' series can enjoy this game."

Only a few games in the series, like Silent Hill, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill Origins, have a connection, and Silent Hill 2 does offer some links to the first game, but both plots are not directly related.

While only some games take place in the titular town, Silent Hill f will notably take place away from America entirely, in the rural Japanese town of Ebisugaoka in the 1960s.

『SILENT HILL f』＜シリーズ最新作登場＞本作はシリーズから独立した完全新作です。「SILENT HILL」シリーズを一度もプレイしたことのない方も遊んでいただくことができます。▼ウィッシュリストはこちらhttps://t.co/N9lsQPDLiM#SILENTHILL #サイレントヒルf #サイレントヒル pic.twitter.com/9rCeDSfV2SMay 20, 2025

Konami revealed new details about the game in March, alongside a creepy new trailer. The story will follow teenager Shimizu Hinako, whose secluded hometown of Ebisugaoka is engulfed in a sudden fog, transforming her home into a haunting nightmare.

"As the town falls silent and the fog thickens, Hinako must navigate the twisted paths of Ebisugaoka, solving complex puzzles and confronting grotesque monsters to survive," the game description reads.

There's no release date for Silent Hill f just yet, but we know that the horror game will be released for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. And with Summer Game Fest right around the corner in June, there's every chance we get more details at the annual gaming event.

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AI-lationships is the gag-inducing term Joi AI cooked up to support its recent eye-opening survey on human-to-AI relationships. In it, eight out of 10 Gen Z respondents said they would consider marrying an AI partner.

Before we delve too much into this mind-bending stat, let's look at the source. Joi AI, formerly EVA AI, is a premium online AI companion service that offers a wide range of AI companion personalities, complete with AI-generated imagery that can be, depending on settings and what you pay, NSFW.

It's kind of a cheesy service that caters mostly, I think, to lonely men. Now, don't get me wrong; I know there's a growing epidemic of loneliness. A recent Harvard study found that 21% of US adults report some level of loneliness (some studies suggest the number is far higher).

Disconnection

Remote work, screen time, and other things that take us away from direct human connection are probably not helping this trend, but AI has increasingly stepped into the connection void with a growing army of voice chatbots that can carry on surprisingly realistic and even empathetic-sounding conversations.

And this is by design. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company is building powerful AI models, suggested we should all have AI friends.

Marriage, then, is perhaps, the next logical extension.

The concept of deep, personal relationships between humans and artificial intelligence traces back to well before we had Gemini Live, ChatGPT, Copilot, and others ready and willing to converse with us at length. The 2013 movie Her was built around the idea of a deeply personal (and concerning) relationship between Joaquin Phoenix's character and Scarlett Johansson's disembodied AI voice long before we could talk to a single AI in real life.

I've had my share of AI conversations, and I find them entertaining and, often, illuminating. I don't see them as personal, though. Perhaps that's because I'm not lonely. The more desperate you are for human connection, the more AI companionship might seem like a reasonable substitute.

But marriage?

Meet-cute in the cloud

At least Joi AI adds static imagery to the playful banter you'll find through its AI partners, but that's the exception and not the rule. Most generative AI chatbots are just voices and undulating screens. You need images and, ultimately, touch to make a genuine connection... don't you?

As I write this, I'm reminded that I met my wife through a phone call and that I was enchanted, initially, by nothing but her voice and wit. But to build our relationship and eventual union, we did date in person. Being with her sealed the deal and made me want to marry her.

I don't understand why Joi AI's respondents, even Generation Z, who are much more deeply immersed in technology, social media, and AI than any generation before it, would accept an AI as a life mate. In the survey, though, they do sound primed for AI connection, with 83% saying they "could build a deep emotional bond with an AI partner."

One expert I spoke to via email, Dr. Sue Varma, a board-certified psychiatrist and author of Practical Optimism, put it in perspective for me. "At our core, we all want the same things: to be seen, to be heard, and to feel valued – not judged or criticized. For Gen Z, that longing is especially strong, and the loneliness they’re experiencing is very real. What they want, what we all want, is meaningful, mutual human connection."

Would you consider marrying an AI?May 22, 2025

Unconvinced that Joi AI's data points to a real trend (I did ask them for survey details and have yet to receive a response), I ran a couple of anecdotal surveys on X (formerly Twitter) and Threads. Across both, less than 10% said yes, they would consider marrying an AI, roughly a third said no on Threads, and the vast majority wondered if I was okay.

As preposterous as I find the whole idea of AI relationships and eventual marriage, I also understand that we're at the start of a revolution. AI's ability to mimic human language and even emotions is growing exponentially, and there's already growing concern about human-to-AI relationships.

"Technology—and AI in particular—isn’t going away. It’s going to keep evolving, and yes, it may offer relationships that seem easy, even comforting. Think of the always-affirming AI: the hype person, the yes-person, the one that never challenges us and always tells us what we want to hear. It’s seductive. But it’s not real," said Dr. Varma, and added, "What we really need to be doing is using AI to support our humanity, not replace it."

The latest Gemini and ChatGPT models provide incredibly human- and expressive-sounding conversations. Some believe AIs have already beat the Turing test (basically when a computer's response is indistinguishable from a human's, at least as perceived by another human).

We will, in this decade, see humanoid robots equipped with these AIs, and that's when things will get really weird. How long before some dude is marrying his AI bot in Vegas?

Joi AI's self-serving survey is ridiculous on the face of it, even if it is also a harbinger of AI relationships to come – and I hope Gen Z swipes left on the whole idea.

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In the great iOS vs Android debate, you’ll often hear Apple fans bringing up Airdrop as one of the iPhone’s key advantages. However, it seems OnePlus is hoping to bring AirDrop-style sharing and drag-and-drop file transfers to its Android phones.

O+ Connect, which comprises a feature built into OnePlus' OxygenOS Android wrapper and an app for compatible third-party devices, brings these features to OnePlus devices, starting with the OnePlus 13R.

As for the flagship OnePlus 13, the company has confirmed O+ Connect support is on the way, but we don't know exactly when yet. Additionally, the feature is only available for UK and EU users at the moment.

This enables users to view and transfer files between their OnePlus phone and iPhone, iPad, or Mac wirelessly, which is usually impossible without using an intermediary like Google Drive or WeTransfer.

The corresponding O+ Connect app can be found on an official OnePlus website or on the iOS App Store.

Curiously, the O+ Connect app supports macOS all the way back to version 10.4, released in 2005 as macOS X Tiger – this means that any Mac released in the last 20 years should be supported; talk about backwards compatibility.

It’s worth mentioning that the O+ Connect app was originally released under the same name for Oppo phones. Oppo and OnePlus are both owned by parent company BBK Electronics, and while the two companies often share designs and features, they are distinct. It’s something to keep in mind if you use both OnePlus and Oppo devices.

Building bridges

O+ Connect is coming to the OnePlus 13, but we don't know exactly when yet. (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

According to OnePlus, the integration of the O+ Connect app marks the start of an ecosystem that will aim to connect OnePlus users with devices from multiple other brands – not just Apple.

Personally speaking, I’ve experienced the sheer horror of trying to move a large video from an Android phone to my MacBook, or from an iPhone to an Android device, one too many times.

Though third-party solutions like LocalSend are very effective, I welcome OnePlus’ addition of O+ Connect – it’s great to see phone makers tackling this issue with first-party solutions.

I think phone makers have some right to protect and encircle their own ecosystems, but making file sharing easier really has no downside from a consumer perspective. I'm glad to see OnePlus leading the way on this.

O+ Connect is on its way to the OnePlus 13, but I’m hoping it’ll come to more of the best OnePlus phones soon. Let us know if you’ll be using this new feature in the comments below.

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In a cost-cutting move, the Treasury Department will soon stop minting new pennies. The one-cent coins will still be legal tender. There are more than 100 billion pennies in circulation but many are gathering dust in change jars and forgotten pockets.

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The federal judge also told the administration to reinstate department employees who lost their jobs during the reduction-in-force announced in March.

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• Coinbase filed a new form with the Maine Attorney General
• It confirmed when the attack happened and how many people were affected
• The company confirmed offering a bounty

We now know exactly how many people are affected by the recent Coinbase data breach - 69,461. The company confirmed the news in a new filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General. In the filing, the company said that the attack took place in late December, 2024, and that it was spotted months later, in mid-May 2025.

It also shared a data breach notification letter it is sending out to affected people, in which it detailed what happened.

Apparently, threat actors bribed “a small number of individuals performing services for Coinbase” to have them exfiltrate sensitive customer data.

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Extortions and bounties

These individuals, which were allegedly fired afterwards, stole identity information (names, dates of birth, last four digits of their social security numbers), masked bank account numbers and “some bank account identifiers”, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, images of IDs, driver’s licenses, and passports, and different account information (transaction history, balance, transfers, and more).

The attackers then tried to extort Coinbase for $20 million, in exchange for deleting the data. Coinbase not only denied the offer, but also doubled-down on it, offering the exact same sum - $20 million, to whoever comes forward with actionable information about the identities or whereabouts of the attackers.

Earlier reports on Reuters claimed the attack might cost Coinbase between $180 million and $400 million, citing a regulatory filing the company submitted recently.

Besides offering a $20 million bounty, Coinbase also promised to “make customers whole” - by reimbursing anyone who can prove that they lost money after a social engineering attack made possible by the data stolen from the crypto exchange.

Coinbase also said it was working with law enforcement, and urged users to stay vigilant, create strong passwords, set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), and never share their login credentials with anyone.

Via TechCrunch

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I've never seen my dad perform with his band, but AI changed that for me.