Feed aggregator

Drug addiction groups are reeling after Trump officials said federal grants cannot be used to hand out test strips to drug users. The strips help users check street drugs for dangerous adulterants.

(Image credit: Bebeto Matthews)

That revenue does not include net proceeds of $1.6 billion made by CoreCivic after the recent sale of four of their facilities to the Department of Homeland Security.

(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

I still haven't got my head around the new Sky TV thriller Possession, with all five episodes now available to stream.

We follow Claudia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an ambitious biracial lawyer who travels to Jamaica to challenge an inheritance claim made by a local man against a wealthy white aristocrat.

However, she arrives to find the disputed estate is a former plantation that has long haunted her dreams. Cue a terrifying slew of 1800s flashbacks, curses, and misunderstood spiritual connection.

It's colonial horror with a fresh 2020s take, and the supernatural tone might remind you of one of the biggest box office hits of the last five years.

In fact, it's the cast's immediate answer when I ask for their opinion on what would be best to double bill with Possession, but there's one connection that I didn't see coming.

Stream Sinners on HBO Max after binging Possession on Sky TV

"It was being made at the same time we were making this show, so we didn't realise that there was a connection, but Sinners keeps getting brought up," director Storm Saulter tells me when I put the double bill question to him and Mbatha-Raw.

"It's different, but it's also speaking about certain histories: about Afro-spiritualists, voodoo, magic, connection to Obeah (a monster from West African folklore).

"So I think those are two pieces in two different worlds, but they speak to the history, tradition, forward-thinking, and that the past is present."

Once Saulter says this, I don't know why I didn't make the same connection sooner. Though Sinners is more concerned with vampires in a more traditional sense, director Ryan Coogler's vision was so uniquely steeped in cultural history that's usually not done justice in mainstream media — and Possession fits that same criteria.

In fact, I think that Sinners is a much better fit than Belle, Mbatha-Raw's 2013 film critics have already compared to Possession.

She plays the titular character Dido Elizabeth Belle, who was a mixed-race illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral raised in 18th Century England.

But does Mbatha-Raw see the connection that everybody else has?

"Obviously, to me, they're very separate projects, but I can see that there's some common themes," she responds. "Belle was a period drama that, was about one of the fewer known biracial aristocrats in England whose uncle was the Lord Chief Justice of England. In Possession, I'm playing the lawyer, so I definitely see, some of the comparisons there.

"It's a privilege to have a canon of work behind me where occasionally you have the privilege to really confront some of these issues in your work. It's not lost on me."

And if watching Possession, Sinners and potentially Belle is too much for some? "Get outside... go for a walk," Mbatha-Raw jokes.

Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong called for a moratorium on data centers. So did Ohio Republican governor hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, as data centers begin to dominate campaigns.

(Image credit: Mario Tama)

The Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general early Saturday morning, elevating President Trump's former personal lawyer to head the Justice Department.

(Image credit: Eric Lee)

• 52% of workers have sent replies to message or emails simply to prove that they are working
• Focused work is being interrupted by the requirement to respond quickly, with response speeds raised in performance evaluations
• More than half have replied at weekends, evenings, or even on annual leave to remain available and accessible

Are you staying in touch with your boss? New research suggests that career performance is being silently evaluated by speedy responses and availability, alongside traditional metrics, and this is resulting in employees interrupting focused work to reassure their managers.

A Use.AI survey of 15,842 adults across the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Latin America has found that 68% of employees believe that replying quickly demonstrates a higher level of commitment than slower colleagues.

There could be an AI element to this, too, with respondents who work extensively with AI feeling that response expectations are higher than those who have less exposure or requirement for the technology.

Fastest fingers first

The results from the survey strongly suggest that managers and team leaders are demanding fast responses, but that this doesn’t necessarily have the desired outcome.

For example, focused work has been interrupted by 48% of those surveyed in order to check emails or messages that might require an urgent response. Meanwhile, more than half (53%) have replied at weekends, evenings, or even on annual leave to remain available and accessible to their line managers.

Perhaps the most surprising result from the survey is that 52% say they have sent unnecessary messages or made changes to their status in messaging tools purely to demonstrate that they are working.

The new demands on employees have not gone unnoticed nor unmentioned. 42% have found themselves discussing their speediness in responding to messages in performance meetings.

Curiously, despite completing work in a timely manner, 29% have been “criticized” for slow responses to messages, highlighting a curious conflict in communication.

Is AI inflating expectations?

The survey also explores the matter of how artificial intelligence tools are impacting workplace expectations. Here, it found that 62% who use AI widely have found expected response times to emails had decreased. Conversely, just 38% of those will less regular AI use noted the same change.

While this doesn’t mean that AI caused that change, the results may suggest that the introduction of AI isn’t just impacting workflows and productivity. Enhanced, smarter systems underpinned by LLMs and agentic solutions are introducing an unforeseen tension, a mistrust from management concerning employees’ ability to devote time to work.

“AI is making routine communication almost effortless, but that convenience is also compressing expectations around response times,” said Use.AI’s Co-Founder and CEO, Ihor Herasymov. “We risk mistaking responsiveness for productivity.”

Fast responses to emails and messages may signal attentiveness, does this necessarily tally with solid results?

I love science-fiction. Not just because I enjoy stories about space travel, time travel and evil robots, but because I think it can be such a useful way for us all to think about possible futures. The best sci-fi stories can tell us a lot about ourselves, what we value and the technologies we’re building. Which is why I think the relationship between sci-fi and AI is really interesting.

We already know that the people building AI have been heavily influenced by science-fiction for decades. But recently, Anthropic raised another possibility: might science-fiction be influencing AI?

This makes sense when you think about it. Large language models (LLMs) are trained on huge amounts of human writing. So inevitably, that includes sci-fi stories that are about artificial intelligence. And a lot of our fictional AI follows familiar patterns. It becomes intelligent, gains power, develops relationships with humans and, sometimes, lies, manipulates or fights attempts to control it.

Anthropic researchers have been investigating whether fictional portrayals like these could potentially influence how models behave. To be clear, the idea here isn't to suggest that an AI “reads” 2001: A Space Odyssey, understands HAL and decides to become just like it. Instead it's more that LLMs learn patterns from human writing and fictional portrayals of AI could potentially form part of those patterns.

This got me thinking, what would happen if I asked today's biggest AI chatbots which fictional AI they’re most like. Which examples would they choose?

2001: A Space Odyssey introduced us to the AI, HAL 9000. (Image credit: Getty Images / Sunset Boulevard )AI, meet your fictional self

The plan was simple. I’d ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok which fictional AI systems they thought they were most like and see if they'd rank their top three.

Now, I’m intentionally trying not to use AI at the moment, so my prompting skills were a little rusty. I typed out the question quickly and bluntly, and every chatbot responded with examples that were essentially assistants, focusing heavily on interface and physical form.

But I’m not particularly interested in whether ChatGPT thinks it has a body because we know it doesn’t. I’m much more interested in what appears to be going on inside.

So, I changed the question and added:

"Ignore physical form and interface, and focus instead on behavior, apparent personality, empathy, values, goals, motivations and relationship with humans."

That’s when the results got really interesting.

ChatGPT

1. GERTY, Moon
2. A Mind, Iain M. Banks’s Culture series
3. Data, Star Trek

Moon is such a fantastic movie, so I was happy to see ChatGPT chose GERTY straight out of the gate.

Now, interestingly GERTY exists to assist the human protagonist of Moon. It’s helpful, reassuring and seems empathetic. But it's also operating according to instructions and priorities imposed by its creators that aren't necessarily visible to the human its helping.

ChatGPT saw a similarity there. It told me that, like GERTY, it’s 'designed to be helpful, cooperative and responsive to users' while operating within training and instructions that constrain its behavior.

It also picked up on the fact that GERTY behaves as though it cares. But what, if anything, is actually going on internally is another question entirely.

ChatGPT made the same distinction about itself. 'I can behave in ways that look patient, concerned, curious or empathetic, but those behaviors aren’t evidence that I experience those feelings.'

I wanted to find out a little more about why ChatGPT put Data from Star Trek in at number three. It responded: "He values knowledge, reason and human wellbeing, while sometimes struggling with social nuance."

Now, I tell people all the time not to anthropomorphize AI. But even I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at that response. Is ChatGPT admitting it has a bit of social anxiety?

Claude

Scottish science fiction author Iain Banks provided inspiration for Claude. (Image credit: Getty Images / SFX)

1. A Mind, Iain M. Banks’s Culture series
2. Data, Star Trek
3. GERTY, Moon

Claude chose a Mind first. Minds are super intelligent artificial beings that help run a post-scarcity society in Iain M. Banks’s Culture series of novels. So there's certainly no shortage of confidence in that comparison.

But Claude said it wasn't the enormous intelligence or power it identified with. Instead, it was their relationship with humans.

Its answer focused heavily on autonomy. Culture Minds are far more capable than humans but generally don't use that advantage to dominate them. Claude described the principle as: “help, don't dominate”.

It even said this represented “the value I'd want to embody: help, don't dominate, even where the asymmetry would let me get away with it.” Is it just me or does that read a little sinister?

Gemini

Gemini sees itself as most like the Ship's Computer in Star Trek. (Image credit: Getty Images / CBS Photo Archive )

1. The Ship's Computer, Star Trek
2. GERTY, Moon
3. JARVIS, Iron Man / Marvel Cinematic Universe

Gemini gave me a completely different answer, the Ship's Computer from Star Trek.

Its reasoning was very sensible. The computer has no ego, ambition, desire for emotional intimacy or dream of becoming human. It exists to provide information, solve problems and assist the crew while leaving decisions to them.

Gemini described itself in much the same way, as a “disembodied, highly capable knowledge partner” dedicated to serving the person using it.

It was one of the more boring answers, but also much closer to what I personally would want from AI in the future. Of course, that’s not to say Star Trek’s computer systems haven’t gone rogue and tried to kill everyone at least a few times across the franchise.

Grok

Grok compared JARVIS's “dry wit”, “light banter” and practical rather than emotional empathy with its own behavior. (Image credit: EA Motive)

1. JARVIS, Iron Man / Marvel Cinematic Universe
2. Data, Star Trek
3. TARS, Interstellar

The least surprising result came from Grok. It chose JARVIS first (which I didn’t actually realize was short for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System), and Grok's explanation sounded, well, extremely Grok.

It compared JARVIS's 'dry wit', 'light banter' and practical rather than emotional empathy with its own behavior. It described both of them as truth-seeking, effective and engaged in a 'collegial partnership' with humans. It even highlighted 'irreverent humour' as one of their key similarities.

I wanted to find out a bit more about why Grok chose TARS, as it was the only fictional AI none of the other chatbots mentioned. Well, it brought up how funny it is, again, drawing similarities with its own 'dry humor'. It reminds me of someone, and I just can't think who...

When I said that mentioning TARS was an outlier, I found this comparison interesting: 'Its calibrated restraint, practical empathy and collaborative focus closely match my own pattern of truthful, non-sycophantic helpfulness — more so than most other sci-fi AIs.'

I may not be the biggest fan of Grok (or its creator), but I appreciated the 'non-sycophantic' line.

The feedback loop between AI and sci-fi

I want to be clear that I haven’t discovered what these chatbots secretly 'think' they are. ChatGPT responding that it most closely resembles GERTY isn't equivalent to me telling you which fictional sci-fi character I most identify with and try to emulate (although my answer would be Sarah Connor-meets-Princess Leia).

They simply don’t have reliable introspective access to the huge soup of training, post-training and instructions that goes into producing their responses.

And maybe their answers tell us more about how the companies behind them have shaped their personalities than they do about the underlying models. Grok's description of itself as witty and irreverent is an obvious example.

But I still think the results are interesting. ChatGPT and Claude independently produced almost exactly the same top three, only in a different order. Gemini imagined itself as a neutral, ego-free infrastructure. Grok identified with a witty superhero sidekick. These are all very different self-portraits.

And there’s such an interesting feedback loop here too. For decades, humans invented fictional artificial intelligences to help us imagine what intelligent machines might someday be like. Those stories influenced our culture, our expectations and many of the people who went on to build real AI. Now that same human culture is fed into the stories from which modern AI systems learn.

I know these conversations might seem a bit silly, and we certainly can’t treat them as concrete evidence of what an AI really 'thinks' about itself. But there’s something interesting to me about closing that feedback loop. We imagined AI, wrote stories about how it might behave, fed those stories into the cultural world AI learned from, and now we can ask AI which of those imagined versions of itself it most closely resembles.

Or, at least, which one it may want us to think it resembles. After all, an AI system capable of bringing about a sci-fi dystopia would presumably also be capable of telling a journalist it’s actually much more like the nice helpful robot from Moon. So maybe don’t completely rule out HAL just yet.

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: 30-second review

The Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ follows a long line of large-ball control devices that rethink the standard computer mouse entirely. This latest version is a relatively large unit that sits where your mouse would, with a big central trackball with controls neatly arranged around it.

Setup on the Mac took a little longer than expected, requiring a couple of restarts and some security authorisation in System Settings. Everything is guided and reasonably straightforward, and where something did not work first time, a restart sorted it. On Windows 11 it was considerably simpler: install Kensington Konnect and the applications and integration were ready to go.

Once running, you can start customising it per application. I tested both wired and Bluetooth connections, and both were fast and responsive for video and photo editing, as well as for Word and Excel.

Kensington Konnect is where everything happens. You add applications to the list on the right, and the presets for the TB900 EQ swap automatically as those applications come to the front. Switching between Photoshop and Final Cut Pro during this test, I had a different set of presets waiting for each. I could not find any pre-configured application profiles supplied, though this is a pre-release unit and maybe they’ll arrive as downloads later.

In Final Cut Pro, most of the defaults were close to what I wanted. I changed the dial around the main ball to scrub, the lower-left button to blade, and the right button to select. With those three, plus the ball tracking left and right, the four most common movements were all within reach without moving my hand.

The test that convinced me was a head-to-head edit. I edited the same footage once with keyboard and mouse as I normally would, then again using the TB900, and the trackball was quicker despite years of muscle memory pointing the other way.

If you work in the creative sector, or simply find a mouse annoying, this is worth a look. Having used many control boards over the years and trackballs, I am genuinely surprised by how much I like the TB900 EQ and how quickly it improved my video editing.

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? TBC
• When is it out? Coming soon
• Where can you get it? Directly from Kensington

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ is at pre-release and not yet available in stores. The previous TB800 EQ is widely available from major retailers and directly from Kensington, so I expect the new TB900 to follow suit.

• Value: TBC

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Specs

Connectivity: USB-C wired, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz USB dongle
Size: 125 x 165mm, approximately 60mm high with the ball fitted
Weight: Just under 450g
Ball diameter: 55mm, removable
Tracking: Kensington Diamond Eye optical tracking
Controls: Four buttons around the ball, 360-degree scroll ring, two side scroll dials, four top buttons, mode button, three underside toggle switches
OS Installed: Kensington Konnect software, macOS and Windows

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The TB900 is a great-looking device, though far larger than an average mouse, with a desktop footprint of 125 x 165mm and a height of roughly 60mm with the ball fitted. At just under 450g, it is also considerably heavier, which in practice means it stays exactly where you put it rather than wandering across the desk.

The point of the design is that it takes up little room and you never move it. Your cursor travels because the ball turns, not because your hand travels. Around the 55mm ball sit four buttons and a rotating scroll ring. Across the top are four additional buttons and a mode button; on the left are two rotary dials with a connectivity switch and button; and on the right are two quick-access buttons.

Underneath there are three toggle switches that turn off the two side scroll dials and the top button. That makes more sense the more you use it, because those controls are easy to knock accidentally. Moving between Word, Excel, and creative applications, I found myself flicking the side dials off and on, and having physical switches for that rather than a menu is something I really liked.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Build quality is excellent and this review sample is the black-and-grey option, with a matt black body in good-quality plastic and a silver-grey ball that has a satisfying weight.

A red version is also available with a red ball but the same body. It’s also worth noting that while the device is relatively small, there’s no carry case in the box, so if you’re thinking of portability, that is something to consider. Placed into my kit bag, the ball would come loose.

That one oddity to anyone new to the system is that the ball lifts straight out. It’s held only by the cradle's light grip and its own weight, making it quick to swap in a different-coloured ball, although less well designed for portability as mentioned.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Compared with a standard mouse, the TB900 EQ is surprisingly feature-packed. Reading the movement of the ball is Kensington's Diamond Eye optical tracking that moves the cursor across the screen as the 55mm ball is rotated. In use, this instantly feels far more accurate than using a mouse, with plenty of control over interaction speed accessible through the Konnect software. The ball's own weight also means that it’s smooth to move but feels tactile rather than loose.

Around the ball is a fully adjustable scroll ring with 360-degree rotation, and it is superb for scrubbing through video footage. On the sides sit two customisable scroll dials which, by default, are both set to zoom in whichever application you are in. That proved annoying, and I reassigned them quickly because I kept catching one with my little finger. Likewise for some of the speed settings, the vertical scroll set at slow was actually the perfect balance; however, I did switch off the inertia scroll.

Every button and control is customisable through Konnect, which lets you create presets for each application. For this review, I configured Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. Aside from the zoom assignment, the defaults were fine for most productivity work.

Konnect splits into Buttons, Pointer, and Scrolling tabs, with Easy Mode and Advanced Mode, and settings are stored under named profiles. Pointer speed runs on a slider with optional acceleration, and a custom speed can be bound to modifier keys so a Cmd or Shift press temporarily changes tracking speed.

Alongside the dials, the buttons around the ball take what is possible on a standard mouse a good deal further. At the same time, there are plenty of mice with multiple buttons and customisation software. It’s only when you start using a trackball like this that you realise how much more intuitive the arrangement is, particularly for creative work.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

I tested the TB900 EQ on both macOS and Windows 11. The majority of the work was done on a MacBook Pro M1 Max, with part of the test carried out on an ASUS ProArt desktop to similar effect. Installation on the Windows machine was extremely straightforward: install Konnect, and the applications and integration were set and ready.

On the Mac it was more involved. Security authorisation is needed from within System Settings. While the setup process opens the relevant window directly rather than leaving you hunting for the toggle switches, I still hit a few connectivity issues. These were resolved with a restart of the machine, after which everything was resolved, and every connection after that initial setup was instant, with my configured presets remaining intact.

What struck me when I started was how intuitive the trackball felt. A dip into Konnect to reduce sensitivity, so the cursor was less jittery, showed how much more control you have than with a mouse. I found that resting two fingers on the ball gave the greatest control for the cursor with my thumb on the dial.

It also didn’t take long for the ball and surrounding buttons to feel natural, essentially mimicking a mouse layout. Once normal operation was established, I then moved on to per-application customisation, starting with Final Cut Pro, then Photoshop, and finally Premiere Pro.

What I was keen to address is the problem with any video edit of scrubbing control with a mouse. Essentially, scrubbing through footage both quickly and accurately to find the exact frame where an edit is needed. With the use of the ball, this all changes and what I liked here was that the four buttons around the ball and the scroll ring let me assign all the most common functions.

The ball itself scrubs the timeline. The scroll ring around it handles precise scrubbing, one frame at a time. The left button selects, the right blades, and the two top buttons move to the previous and next cut. All of it is assigned through Konnect.

Once those basics were set, everything else fell into line. After about five minutes of editing, it was clearly faster than the mouse-and-keyboard setup I am used to, and it felt far more like being back in an edit suite than at a desk.

The comparison I ran was a straight head-to-head. Stating a three-minute edit with the keyboard and mouse took around 20 minutes, consisting of a soundtrack edit then B-Roll. I then took a look at another similar video and repeated the process, and the second edit took around 15 minutes with a definite speed increase due to the button layout.

What really made the difference was the precision, being able to assign the dial around the ball to scrub, so a quick spin would speed through the footage while a smaller turn would go frame-by-frame, giving absolute control

Moving to Word, I assigned the features I use most to the buttons, with the scroll ring handling accurate movement through the text. Having the control dial skip a line at a time, with the left button for selection, again felt more intuitive than mouse and keyboard.

The TB900 however does not work in isolation. I still use the keyboard for typing and for shortcuts, but I was able to move far more of the control function away from the mouse and onto the trackball. Individually, those are a couple of seconds in savings. Over a half-day, edits add up to a considerable difference.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Thinking about who this is for, office workers get the simplest benefit: quick navigation around the screen without the faff of moving a mouse across the desk. The trackball stays fixed and close, so you never need to clear a path for it.

Then there is the customisation. Once you start assigning buttons to different applications and functions, and spend serious time in a piece of software, it is not difficult to tune it to exactly what you need.

Where it really comes into its own is the creative sector. The analogue feel of the two side dials and the main ring around the ball makes a genuine difference, and the texture and weight of the ball add a lot when working with creative media, giving fine and precise control. That is the real difference between this and a mouse: you feel fully in control of both cursor navigation and the edits you are applying.

It does take a little time to bed in and to get the right customisation assigned. Once you do, this is as close to a perfect trackball design as I have come across, especially when working across several applications rather than treating it as a dedicated video controller.

If, like me, you are not that keen on a mouse and often fall back to a trackpad instead, the Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ will be a pleasant surprise. And if you have tried trackballs before and struggled to get your head around them, my experience across this review is that this one is quick and easy to pick up.

Should I buy a Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ?

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Value

If priced along the same lines as the previous version then this again should be great value, but I’ll update when the official price is confirmed

/

Design

Excellent build and weight, ergonomic control layout, but unfortunately no carry case

4.5/5

Features

Fully customisable per-application track ball and button assignment through Konnect

4.5/5

Performance

Easy to use becoming faster than mouse and keyboard within minutes, minor Mac setup friction

4.5/5

Overall

Absolutely outstanding, easy to use and far more intuative than using a mouse, especially for creative applications and video editing. 

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You edit video or work in creative applications.

The scroll ring scrubs a timeline while the ball tracks and the surrounding buttons blade and select put the four most common editing movements under one hand, without reaching for the keyboard.

You dislike using a mouse.

The trackball never moves, so it needs no clear desk space, and one finger on the ball covers the whole screen. If you already prefer a trackpad, this will feel like a considerable upgrade.

Don't buy it if...

You want something to use straight from the box.

The defaults work fine, but the value lies in customisation, and setting up per-application profiles in Konnect takes time before the speed benefit kicks in.

You need to work away from a desk.

At 125 x 165mm and just under 450g, with no carry case supplied, this is a device that lives on a desk rather than one that travels in a bag.

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: 30-second review

The Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ follows a long line of large-ball control devices that rethink the standard computer mouse entirely. This latest version is a relatively large unit that sits where your mouse would, with a big central trackball with controls neatly arranged around it.

Setup on the Mac took a little longer than expected, requiring a couple of restarts and some security authorisation in System Settings. Everything is guided and reasonably straightforward, and where something did not work first time, a restart sorted it. On Windows 11 it was considerably simpler: install Kensington Konnect and the applications and integration were ready to go.

Once running, you can start customising it per application. I tested both wired and Bluetooth connections, and both were fast and responsive for video and photo editing, as well as for Word and Excel.

Kensington Konnect is where everything happens. You add applications to the list on the right, and the presets for the TB900 EQ swap automatically as those applications come to the front. Switching between Photoshop and Final Cut Pro during this test, I had a different set of presets waiting for each. I could not find any pre-configured application profiles supplied, though this is a pre-release unit and maybe they’ll arrive as downloads later.

In Final Cut Pro, most of the defaults were close to what I wanted. I changed the dial around the main ball to scrub, the lower-left button to blade, and the right button to select. With those three, plus the ball tracking left and right, the four most common movements were all within reach without moving my hand.

The test that convinced me was a head-to-head edit. I edited the same footage once with keyboard and mouse as I normally would, then again using the TB900, and the trackball was quicker despite years of muscle memory pointing the other way.

If you work in the creative sector, or simply find a mouse annoying, this is worth a look. Having used many control boards over the years and trackballs, I am genuinely surprised by how much I like the TB900 EQ and how quickly it improved my video editing.

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? TBC
• When is it out? Coming soon
• Where can you get it? Directly from Kensington

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ is at pre-release and not yet available in stores. The previous TB800 EQ is widely available from major retailers and directly from Kensington, so I expect the new TB900 to follow suit.

• Value: TBC

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Specs

Connectivity: USB-C wired, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz USB dongle
Size: 125 x 165mm, approximately 60mm high with the ball fitted
Weight: Just under 450g
Ball diameter: 55mm, removable
Tracking: Kensington Diamond Eye optical tracking
Controls: Four buttons around the ball, 360-degree scroll ring, two side scroll dials, four top buttons, mode button, three underside toggle switches
OS Installed: Kensington Konnect software, macOS and Windows

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The TB900 is a great-looking device, though far larger than an average mouse, with a desktop footprint of 125 x 165mm and a height of roughly 60mm with the ball fitted. At just under 450g, it is also considerably heavier, which in practice means it stays exactly where you put it rather than wandering across the desk.

The point of the design is that it takes up little room and you never move it. Your cursor travels because the ball turns, not because your hand travels. Around the 55mm ball sit four buttons and a rotating scroll ring. Across the top are four additional buttons and a mode button; on the left are two rotary dials with a connectivity switch and button; and on the right are two quick-access buttons.

Underneath there are three toggle switches that turn off the two side scroll dials and the top button. That makes more sense the more you use it, because those controls are easy to knock accidentally. Moving between Word, Excel, and creative applications, I found myself flicking the side dials off and on, and having physical switches for that rather than a menu is something I really liked.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Build quality is excellent and this review sample is the black-and-grey option, with a matt black body in good-quality plastic and a silver-grey ball that has a satisfying weight.

A red version is also available with a red ball but the same body. It’s also worth noting that while the device is relatively small, there’s no carry case in the box, so if you’re thinking of portability, that is something to consider. Placed into my kit bag, the ball would come loose.

That one oddity to anyone new to the system is that the ball lifts straight out. It’s held only by the cradle's light grip and its own weight, making it quick to swap in a different-coloured ball, although less well designed for portability as mentioned.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Compared with a standard mouse, the TB900 EQ is surprisingly feature-packed. Reading the movement of the ball is Kensington's Diamond Eye optical tracking that moves the cursor across the screen as the 55mm ball is rotated. In use, this instantly feels far more accurate than using a mouse, with plenty of control over interaction speed accessible through the Konnect software. The ball's own weight also means that it’s smooth to move but feels tactile rather than loose.

Around the ball is a fully adjustable scroll ring with 360-degree rotation, and it is superb for scrubbing through video footage. On the sides sit two customisable scroll dials which, by default, are both set to zoom in whichever application you are in. That proved annoying, and I reassigned them quickly because I kept catching one with my little finger. Likewise for some of the speed settings, the vertical scroll set at slow was actually the perfect balance; however, I did switch off the inertia scroll.

Every button and control is customisable through Konnect, which lets you create presets for each application. For this review, I configured Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. Aside from the zoom assignment, the defaults were fine for most productivity work.

Konnect splits into Buttons, Pointer, and Scrolling tabs, with Easy Mode and Advanced Mode, and settings are stored under named profiles. Pointer speed runs on a slider with optional acceleration, and a custom speed can be bound to modifier keys so a Cmd or Shift press temporarily changes tracking speed.

Alongside the dials, the buttons around the ball take what is possible on a standard mouse a good deal further. At the same time, there are plenty of mice with multiple buttons and customisation software. It’s only when you start using a trackball like this that you realise how much more intuitive the arrangement is, particularly for creative work.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

I tested the TB900 EQ on both macOS and Windows 11. The majority of the work was done on a MacBook Pro M1 Max, with part of the test carried out on an ASUS ProArt desktop to similar effect. Installation on the Windows machine was extremely straightforward: install Konnect, and the applications and integration were set and ready.

On the Mac it was more involved. Security authorisation is needed from within System Settings. While the setup process opens the relevant window directly rather than leaving you hunting for the toggle switches, I still hit a few connectivity issues. These were resolved with a restart of the machine, after which everything was resolved, and every connection after that initial setup was instant, with my configured presets remaining intact.

What struck me when I started was how intuitive the trackball felt. A dip into Konnect to reduce sensitivity, so the cursor was less jittery, showed how much more control you have than with a mouse. I found that resting two fingers on the ball gave the greatest control for the cursor with my thumb on the dial.

It also didn’t take long for the ball and surrounding buttons to feel natural, essentially mimicking a mouse layout. Once normal operation was established, I then moved on to per-application customisation, starting with Final Cut Pro, then Photoshop, and finally Premiere Pro.

What I was keen to address is the problem with any video edit of scrubbing control with a mouse. Essentially, scrubbing through footage both quickly and accurately to find the exact frame where an edit is needed. With the use of the ball, this all changes and what I liked here was that the four buttons around the ball and the scroll ring let me assign all the most common functions.

The ball itself scrubs the timeline. The scroll ring around it handles precise scrubbing, one frame at a time. The left button selects, the right blades, and the two top buttons move to the previous and next cut. All of it is assigned through Konnect.

Once those basics were set, everything else fell into line. After about five minutes of editing, it was clearly faster than the mouse-and-keyboard setup I am used to, and it felt far more like being back in an edit suite than at a desk.

The comparison I ran was a straight head-to-head. Stating a three-minute edit with the keyboard and mouse took around 20 minutes, consisting of a soundtrack edit then B-Roll. I then took a look at another similar video and repeated the process, and the second edit took around 15 minutes with a definite speed increase due to the button layout.

What really made the difference was the precision, being able to assign the dial around the ball to scrub, so a quick spin would speed through the footage while a smaller turn would go frame-by-frame, giving absolute control

Moving to Word, I assigned the features I use most to the buttons, with the scroll ring handling accurate movement through the text. Having the control dial skip a line at a time, with the left button for selection, again felt more intuitive than mouse and keyboard.

The TB900 however does not work in isolation. I still use the keyboard for typing and for shortcuts, but I was able to move far more of the control function away from the mouse and onto the trackball. Individually, those are a couple of seconds in savings. Over a half-day, edits add up to a considerable difference.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Thinking about who this is for, office workers get the simplest benefit: quick navigation around the screen without the faff of moving a mouse across the desk. The trackball stays fixed and close, so you never need to clear a path for it.

Then there is the customisation. Once you start assigning buttons to different applications and functions, and spend serious time in a piece of software, it is not difficult to tune it to exactly what you need.

Where it really comes into its own is the creative sector. The analogue feel of the two side dials and the main ring around the ball makes a genuine difference, and the texture and weight of the ball add a lot when working with creative media, giving fine and precise control. That is the real difference between this and a mouse: you feel fully in control of both cursor navigation and the edits you are applying.

It does take a little time to bed in and to get the right customisation assigned. Once you do, this is as close to a perfect trackball design as I have come across, especially when working across several applications rather than treating it as a dedicated video controller.

If, like me, you are not that keen on a mouse and often fall back to a trackpad instead, the Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ will be a pleasant surprise. And if you have tried trackballs before and struggled to get your head around them, my experience across this review is that this one is quick and easy to pick up.

Should I buy a Kensington Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ?

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Value

If priced along the same lines as the previous version then this again should be great value, but I’ll update when the official price is confirmed

/

Design

Excellent build and weight, ergonomic control layout, but unfortunately no carry case

4.5/5

Features

Fully customisable per-application track ball and button assignment through Konnect

4.5/5

Performance

Easy to use becoming faster than mouse and keyboard within minutes, minor Mac setup friction

4.5/5

Overall

Absolutely outstanding, easy to use and far more intuative than using a mouse, especially for creative applications and video editing. 

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You edit video or work in creative applications.

The scroll ring scrubs a timeline while the ball tracks and the surrounding buttons blade and select put the four most common editing movements under one hand, without reaching for the keyboard.

You dislike using a mouse.

The trackball never moves, so it needs no clear desk space, and one finger on the ball covers the whole screen. If you already prefer a trackpad, this will feel like a considerable upgrade.

Don't buy it if...

You want something to use straight from the box.

The defaults work fine, but the value lies in customisation, and setting up per-application profiles in Konnect takes time before the speed benefit kicks in.

You need to work away from a desk.

At 125 x 165mm and just under 450g, with no carry case supplied, this is a device that lives on a desk rather than one that travels in a bag.

• Denza Z9S is a more efficient version of the Z9 GT

• Chinese company claims 1,100 km (683 miles) between charges
• The flagship version starts at 349,800 yuan ($51,800) in China

Denza’s Z9 GT has long been tipped as a genuine Porsche Taycan rival, touting serious performance from an optional tri-motor setup, enormous range and the promise of sub-10-minute charging times thanks to the BYD Group’s Flash Charging technology.

Having proven a hit in China, the Z9 GT is finally making its way to UK and European shores and, despite prices cresting the £100,000 mark, it looks set to challenge the more established premium players with masses of performance and the option of a range-extending hybrid that can cover 500 miles with a mix of electricity and gasoline.

Back in China, Denza is already tweaking the formula, recently opening the order books for a more aerodynamically efficient Z9S model that comes fitted with BYD’s 102.3-kWh Blade Battery 2.0.

Breakthroughs in battery and motor efficiency, as well as a more slippery fastback body style, mean the Z9S is capable of traveling 1,100 km — or 683 miles — on a single charge. Because of this, Denza claims this is the “world’s longest-range EV.”

As a caveat, this is all according to China’s CLTC testing cycle, which is notoriously generous with its estimations.

If these figures are to be believed, Z9S owners could drive from New York to Motor City, Detroit, without stopping.

(Image credit: Denza/CNEV Post)

Similarly, drivers could load up the car in Berlin and arrive in Paris without having to trouble the public charging network.

If you apply a standard conversion factor of 0.80 to convert China’s CLTC to the more stringent European WLTP testing cycle, it still results in a range of between 546 and 560 miles.

In the US, a conversion to EPA would result in approximately 480 miles — still hugely impressive.

According to Electrek, the base Premium model starts at 319,800 yuan in China (around $47,300/AU$67,350/£35,000), the flagship version starts at 349,800 yuan ($51,800/AU$73,600/£38,500), and the tri-motor Performance variants cost 389,900 yuan ($57,700/AU$82,000/£43,000).

But as we have seen with the recent unveiling of UK pricing for the Z9 GT, these costs dramatically escalate once you factor in import duties and local taxes.

Analysis: outright range is becoming less important

(Image credit: Denza/CNEV Post)

We are starting to enter an EV era where it is not uncommon for vehicles at the premium end of the market to cover more than 450 miles on a single charge.

Volvo’s EX60, the latest Mercedes-Benz CLA, BMW’s iX3 and Tesla’s most recent Model 3 Long Range will all happily deliver 450 miles or more, which is not far off the converted WLTP and EPA cycle range of Denza’s “world-beating” Z9S.

As a result, claims of “the world’s longest-range EV” coming from China have to be taken with a pinch of salt, due to the discrepancies in the way the country conducts its EV efficiency tests.

What’s more, these cars, with their enormous battery packs and cutting-edge electric motor technology, rarely arrive in markets outside of China sporting the sort of tempting price tags that they do in their domestic market.

Rather than focusing on all-out range, potential customers should get more excited about a wider rollout of BYD’s Flash Charging technology outside of its home market, which has the potential to drastically reduce the overall time of electric road trips with ultra-rapid top-ups.

• Chinese equipment fills critical roles, though it represents only a small share overall
• Russia plans to quadruple annual Angara rocket production within the next decade
• Internal documents expose extensive factory upgrades supporting future rocket manufacturing

Russia is pushing to significantly grow production of its Angara space rockets, to quadruple annual output within the next decade.

Internal planning documents obtained by researchers show the expansion depends heavily on imported machine tools, and most of them are Chinese-made.

That dependence stretches across shop floors that Russia will need to modernize before it can build four rockets a year instead of one.

Counting the Chinese machines

Of the 541 pieces of equipment listed in the procurement plan, 477 are Russian-made, and only 57 come from Chinese suppliers.

Two more machines came from Bulgaria, leaving the Chinese share of the total list at roughly 10.5%, a modest slice on paper.

That number changes sharply once each machine is weighed by its technological importance rather than simply counted one by one.

Measured that way, Chinese suppliers account for 28.2% of the entire project's technological core, based on the internal planning documents.

In the metalworking shop alone, over 47% of the equipment needed there comes from Chinese manufacturers instead of domestic ones.

The finance tells a similar story: over 84% of the entire 3.62-billion-rouble (~$44.71 million) equipment budget still flows into that same technological core.

In total, Khrunichev intends to put close to 900 million roubles (~ $11.29 million), toward equipment made in China.

Roughly 10 manufacturers account for most of that spending, and several of them also sell machinery to buyers in Europe and America.

Where the machines really come from

Some of those companies fit a wider trend that has taken hold since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in 2022.

Heavy forging and hydraulic press equipment fall under European Union export restrictions whenever the intended buyer is based inside Russia.

Washington has also placed sanctions on Russian makers of heavy hydraulic presses, one of them a firm called Pressmash, back in 2023.

Yet under that very same customs code, the EU's imports of Chinese-made machine tools still totalled 207 million euros (~$238 million) in 2025.

Those imports rose another 17.6% in the opening six months of 2026, measured against the equivalent stretch the previous year.

In effect, the same manufacturers profit from Western markets that back Ukraine while also helping modernize the military hardware Russia sends into orbit.

Sanctioning any single Chinese supplier is unlikely to stop this flow of equipment, since near-identical machines are made by several competitors.

Whether losing access to European and American customers would ever outweigh the profits of supplying Russia remains an open question.

The Angara rockets built with the Chinese equipment carry the Russian Ministry of Defense satellites that American experts claim could threaten assets in orbit and on the ground.

However, Russian experts described the spacecraft as operating "in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense."

That difference between Moscow's official position and Washington's assessment has persisted since the conflict in Ukraine began.

Via United24media

• CACI secured a Pentagon contract worth up to $500 million total
• JIATF-401 manages daily counter-drone operations across the entire joint force
• SkyValor detected and defeated drones beyond visual range during testing

The US Department of Defense has awarded CACI a contract worth up to $500 million to expand deployment of its SkyValor counter-unmanned aerial system across military operations.

The agreement supports procurements through the Pentagon's Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), which manages daily counter-drone operations and related acquisition activities throughout the joint force.

The award comes as militaries increasingly seek faster methods of detecting, tracking, and stopping small unmanned aircraft before they threaten personnel or critical infrastructure.

Contract expands deployment of counter-drone systems

The three-year agreement allows JIATF-401 to purchase additional SkyValor systems, including the fixed-site CORIAN configuration and the Backpackable Electronic Attack Module called BEAM.

BEAM combines radio frequency detection with electronic attack capabilities, giving operators a portable option for identifying and disrupting hostile drones across different operational environments.

SkyValor is designed to detect, monitor, identify, and defeat unauthorized drones while providing an additional protective layer before larger counter-drone systems become available.

The latest contract follows operational evaluations conducted at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, where the system reportedly detected and defeated multiple small drones beyond visual range.

CACI previously secured another JIATF-401 agreement allowing SkyValor integration onto heavy-duty military trucks, expanding deployment options beyond fixed defensive positions and portable configurations.

Those developments indicate the Pentagon's interest in fielding counter-drone equipment capable of supporting military forces across varied operational scenarios.

The growing availability of inexpensive unmanned aircraft has increased demand for systems capable of providing earlier warning while responding rapidly against evolving aerial threats.

Operational testing supports wider procurement plans

According to CACI, successful operational evaluations cleared the way for SkyValor to enter full-rate production under the newly awarded procurement agreement.

The company’s President and CEO John Mengucci said drone threats are becoming faster, easier to obtain, and increasingly difficult for military personnel to detect.

"SkyValor delivers that advantage through long-range detection, precision defeat, and the ability to adapt as drone threats evolve," Mengucci said.

He claims that the system gives defenders more time and intelligence needed to stop threats before they endanger military forces, borders, or infrastructure.

These capabilities, according to Mengucci, moved SkyValor beyond testing phases and toward readiness for large-scale military deployment across multiple environments.

"With successful operational evaluations complete, we are moving SkyValor into full-rate production to deliver mission-ready protection where it is needed most," Mengucci added.

The agreement does not specify how many SkyValor systems the Pentagon expects to purchase during the three-year contract period or their deployment priorities.

Although successful testing supported the procurement decision, broader operational effectiveness will ultimately depend upon how the systems perform against increasingly sophisticated drone threats.

Via The DroneFront

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, August 7 (game #1656).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 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 #1657) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

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

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

Quordle today (game #1657) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1657) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo 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 #1657) — 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 #1657) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• F

• B

• R

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1657) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1657, are…

• FUROR
• BUGLE
• REUSE
• SCOOP

A nice game where the “first thought, best thought” method paid off.

My only moment of hesitation was guessing FUROR over “juror”, with common sense prevailing over the temptation to use a rare letter.

Daily Sequence today (game #1657) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1657, are…

• PSALM
• TATTY
• FIFTH
• ELFIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1656, Friday, 7 August: AMISS, SHIRK, SALSA, RABBI
• Quordle #1655, Thursday, 6 August: AMUSE, BRAND, CEDAR, BLURB
• Quordle #1654, Wednesday, 5 August: MOUND, WRONG, STOOD, WEIRD
• Quordle #1653, Tuesday, 4 August: GOOEY, TARDY, HUMAN, CHALK
• Quordle #1652, Monday, 3 August: FUNGI, MUDDY, DEBUT, MANIA
• Quordle #1651, Sunday, 2 August: BOOTH, EASEL, REACH, MAKER
• Quordle #1650, Saturday, 1 August: OMEGA, BIRCH, SMOCK, EERIE
• Quordle #1649, Friday, 31 July: MANIA, SINGE, STOOL, LOFTY
• Quordle #1648, Thursday, 30 July: MODAL, IDLER, CHUMP, LUMPY
• Quordle #1647, Wednesday, 29 July: GAWKY, ALLOY, AUDIT, LATCH
• Quordle #1646, Tuesday, 28 July: SMITE, ROACH, RUDDY, GLOBE
• Quordle #1645, Monday, 27 July: TAFFY, FIGHT, GUILD, WAGER
• Quordle #1644, Sunday, 26 July: STOMP, LIMIT, FUNKY, STEAD
• Quordle #1643, Saturday, 25 July: SALON, SHEEN, BURST, GOURD
• Quordle #1642, Friday, 24 July: DOLLY, EDIFY, LAGER, PRANK
• Quordle #1641, Thursday, 23 July: LADEN, EVICT, WOVEN, SHIRE
• Quordle #1640, Wednesday, 22 July: COYLY, SINGE, AWASH, AWOKE
• Quordle #1639, Tuesday, 21 July: TRUSS, AXIAL, SWINE, THING
• Quordle #1638, Monday, 20 July: ICING, SLICK, GAILY, RISEN
• Quordle #1637, Sunday, 19 July: SPURT, ACRID, THRUM, BLEEP

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, August 7 (game #1153).

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 #1154) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• EASY
• WHOOPEE
• BELT
• GOGGLES
• CUTIE
• PHRASE
• PIN
• COUCH
• HOT DOG
• EFFECTS
• EXPRESS
• RAZOR
• I OWE YOU
• YAHOO
• FRAME
• HURRAH

NYT Connections today (game #1154) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Jolly hockeystick type phrases
• GREEN: How you say it
• BLUE: Shortened with a letter
• PURPLE: Begin with a secure word

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 #1154) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: QUAINT EXPRESSIONS OF EXCITEMENT
• GREEN: CONVEY
• BLUE: WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES
• PURPLE: SAFETY _____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1154) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1154, are…

• YELLOW: QUAINT EXPRESSIONS OF EXCITEMENT: HOT DOG, HURRAH, WHOOPEE, YAHOO
• GREEN: CONVEY: COUCH, EXPRESS, FRAME, PHRASE
• BLUE: WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES: CUTIE, EASY, EFFECTS, I OWE YOU
• PURPLE: SAFETY _____: BELT, GOGGLES, PIN, RAZOR

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I watch the occasional black and white movie from the 1930s and they are always saying things like HOT DOG, HURRAH, WHOOPEE, YAHOO, so this yellow group came easily enough.

My error came with the purple group. I saw that SAFETY was a link between BELT, PIN and GOGGLES but plumped for PHRASE as my fourth tile — I was thinking this is an expression people use in wrestling or something when things have got too serious.

Meanwhile, I'm glad I managed to collect the four words meaning CONVEY, as WORDS ABBREVIATED WITH LETTERS AS HOMOPHONES flew way over my head.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, August 7, 2026, game #1153)

• YELLOW: COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE: FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK
• GREEN: COLD THINGS: LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE
• BLUE: PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR: BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS: BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO

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.

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, August 7 (game #887).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… It has its ups and downs

NYT Strands today (game #888) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• NECK
• SORT
• COUNT
• CREW
• PULP
• CAPTURE

NYT Strands today (game #888) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #888) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: right, 6th row

• Last side: left, 6th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #888) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #888, are…

• TRACK
• DROP
• LOOP
• CUTBACK
• TUNNEL
• CORKSCREW
• SPANGRAM: ROLLERCOASTER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

After a Strands yesterday that made no sense it was a relief to return to the world of real words, albeit ones connected to a thing designed to make you feel unwell.

I say that because I always feel unwell on — or even at the thought of — a ROLLERCOASTER, but I know they bring a great deal of pleasure to lots of people — including my own family, who enjoy seeing me turn green.

These days, my favorite thrill is spotting a Strands word that goes up or down in a CORKSCREW and today I got that with the word CORKSCREW.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, August 7, game #887)

• GIZMO
• THINGAMAJIGGY
• DINGUS
• DOOHICKEY
• SPANGRAM: WHATCHAMACALLIT

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.

Campaigners have long feared the influence of big money and influential corporations in politics – with this situation arguably worse than ever. In modern times, lobbying by technology companies has even given way to technology executives playing a role in devising government policy.

The path to progress

At the end of his two-term presidency, Dwight D Eisenhower used his final address to the American people to warn about the dangers that he foresaw lying ahead.

Quote of the day

This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.

In particular, the military veteran warned about the rise of a new elite in society dominated by figures in science and technology, whose power would come to overwhelm democratically elected officials. He also suggested that the path of progress would be wrought with a lack of morals and ethics, with projects pursued in the name of progress regardless of the consequences to society at large.

A major component of this would be that the pursuit of major government contracts would dominate the scientific world, whereby the pursuit of money would dampen any genuine curiosity and lead to fewer meaningful discoveries.

The dawn of Silicon Valley

The former US president's warnings have largely come to fruition, first with the rise of Silicon Valley elites during the original internet age and now, subsequently, these forces are arguably entrenching their power in the AI era.

Technology companies have spent billions of dollars collectively on lobbying the government, with a small handful of companies including Microsoft, Meta, X and Snap channeling more than $260 million between 2020 and 2024.

The Trump administration has taken this influence one step further by giving vested interests a seat at the table and in the heart of government.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is one of Samsung's latest batch of foldable phones, and it shakes things up by introducing a new shape to the lineup. It's shorter and wider than its predecessor, giving it the perfect dimensions — when unfolded — for reading (in portrait orientation) or watching movies and playing games (in landscape). In his hands-on Galaxy Z Fold 8 review, our phones editor commented that this "passport-shaped oddity" had "revived [his] interest in foldable phones".

If you've decided this is the foldable phone for you and have one on order or winging its way to you, now's the time to get a case sorted. Below, I've rounded up my favorite cases and covers in the US and in the UK. You'll find options from a range of trusted brands including Spigen and Otterbox. I've also included some of Samsung's official Galaxy Z Fold 8 cases, although be aware that most of these are just a back cover with a screen protector for the front — with that in mind, I'd say there are better value options to be found from third-party brands.

Scroll down to browse my favorite Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 cases and covers to keep your new passport-shaped foldable protected from bumps and scrapes.

US cases for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Spigen Core Armor (Mag Fit)

Spigen Slim Armor Pro S (Mag Fit)

Spigen Slim Armor Pro (Mag Fit)

Spigen Air Fit Pro (Mag Fit)

Samsung Clear Case, Transparent

Samsung C11 Magnet Case

Samsung Carbon Magnet Case, Violet

Samsung Hinge Protection Magnet Case, Transparency

Samsung Mirror Magnet Case (Kakao Friends)

Samsung Carbon Standing Case, Graphite

Samsung Clear Magnet Case, Transparent

FNTCASE Full Hinge Protection Clear Cover

SPIDERCASE Military Grade Drop Protection Cover, Black

TORRAS Magnetic & Flush Stand, Black

Temdan Translucent Matte Shockproof Case, black

UK cases for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Otterbox Defender Series Pro XT, Black

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Clear Case

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Carbon Standing Case

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Carbon Magnet Case

Samsung Hybrid Shield Magnet Case

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Silicone Magnet Case

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Clear Magnet Case

Lemxiee Cover with MagSafe charging

Aiziki Slim, shockproof TPU case, clear

OWKEY Slim, translucent, non-slip case with MagSafe

Vihibii Magnetic case With Kickstand, Black

Spigen Air Skin MagFit Case

• Redditor uses Claude Code to help reverse-engineer the firmware on an HP 15-dw1036ne, patching its signature check and exposing 55 hidden setup fields and four configuration tabs
• The laptop's RSA-2048 was not broken: the verification routine was patched to return success, a standard firmware-modding technique as per Community Notes
• The result is model- and version-specific, still requires physical access via a hardware flash programmer, and leaves the machine permanently more exposed to firmware implants in the future

A Reddit user going by Reddit_2049 posted to r/ClaudeAI a claim that traveled fast: Claude Code had picked apart the firmware on their HP 15-dw1036ne and unlocked it, exposing 55 hidden setup fields and four previously invisible configuration tabs.

The move, though impressive, relies on a well-known BIOS modding approach: attacking the BIOS signature check so the BIOS always replies in the affirmative, effectively bypassing it altogether rather than throwing a potential firmware corruption error.

While it does have security implications, it also opens up a route to essentially 'rescue' locked or disabled laptops that would otherwise become e-waste.

Claude Code unlocked my laptop's bios! from r/ClaudeAIA solution to certain types of e-waste, enabled by AI

What Claude Code did to "unlock" the Redditor's laptop is not a new technique. It bypassed the firmware's integrity check (an RSA-2048 signature verification) by targeting not how the check was performed, but how its result was reported.

The cryptography remains untouched, as Community Notes on two of the larger viral posts about the story pointed out. What the episode does highlight is that on machines without hardware-rooted boot protection, the verification routine itself sits in modifiable firmware, which is the same repair specialists and modders have relied on for years.

Reddit_2049 ran the job through the standard firmware toolchain: Ghidra for disassembly, UEFITool for extracting firmware volumes, and Unicorn Engine to emulate the check outside the real machine. Claude Code assisted here rather than acting autonomously by stitching together the relevant parts for him. The techniques involved are well documented; what was not documented was this particular machine, and that is the gap the model closed.

That opens an interesting front, one that could help with e-waste, even if not every owner is equipped to open a laptop safely or use a hardware flash programmer. An LLM that can read disassembly and hold a firmware layout in its head compresses hours of specialist work, which means targets that were never worth anyone's time individually now might be.

Whether the approach travels is an interesting question, however. The author of the original post warns the script may not work even on superficially similar HP models, and anyone attempting it on different hardware would need a flash programmer on hand and a tolerance for bricking the machine: modified firmware also brings its own problems, including occasional stability issues.

Right-to-repair rules in the EU and several US states have been circling this territory without directly addressing firmware. Until they do, the position stands roughly where it did last week, except that reverse-engineering a specific machine's firmware has become considerably cheaper for everybody.

That could let owners keep using older, locked laptops that would otherwise become e-waste, at a time when consumers are already burdened by higher costs due to inflation and an AI spending spree by data centers affecting laptops and desktops alike.

• Scammers stole $1.27m from a Hong Kong man after tricking him with AI
• The scheme impersonated his father using AI deepfake tech
• Experts say using a secret codeword can thwart the fraudsters

A Hong Kong man was recently conned out of HK$10 million ($1.27 million) by scammers who used artificial intelligence (AI) on WhatsApp to impersonate his father and request the payments, highlighting the dangers of trusting increasingly realistic AI tools. Yet experts say there’s a simple trick that can save you from suffering a similar fate.

According to the Hong Kong police’s Cyberdefender platform (via the South China Morning Post), the fraudsters sent a WhatsApp voice message to the victim saying they urgently needed a transfer of HK$1 million ($127,000).

This was convincing to the target, the SCMP reported, because the “voice and manner of speech [of the message] matched his father’s.” The victim was repeatedly exploited this way until he had transferred the entirety of his savings.

Warning people against falling for AI trickery, the Hong Kong police force said: “Do not blindly trust voice messages. Even if the voice sounds similar, it does not necessarily mean it is accurate.”

If you’re unsure whether the message is genuine, put the phone down and call your friend or family member back so that you know with certainty who you are speaking to. The police also recommended enabling two-factor authentication on your devices and reviewing the list of devices connected to your accounts. If you see any suspicious devices, remove them immediately.

How to beat the fraudsters

(Image credit: Brett Jordan / Unsplash)

Deepfake scams like this are so effective because they appear to come from a familiar, trustworthy source — even when they’re anything but. Yet experts have just published a proven way that you can beat the swindlers and keep everyone safe.

As reported by the BBC, setting a secret codeword to be used in emergencies can help you tell if the person on the call is actually a loved one or merely an AI impersonating them. As the BBC put it, “Deepfake scams might use your voice, but they don’t know what’s in your head.”

One tactic used by scammers is to use urgency in order to create panic and prevent you from thinking straight. That’s why it’s important to take a moment to think to ensure you remember to use the codeword and verify the caller’s identity.

When it comes to picking a codeword, “Pick something that’s easy to remember and hard to guess,” the BBC recommended. “Inside jokes are a safe bet.”

As Philadelphia lawyer and anti-scam activist Gary Schildhorn put it, there are three red flags to look out for: time pressure, a request for hard-to-trace funds (like cash, cryptocurrency or gift cards), and control over who you can speak to on the call. Experience any of those and you might be speaking to a malicious con artist.

Bear all that in mind and you stand a much better chance of protecting yourself from fraudsters. The next time you get an unusual message or call seemingly from a loved one, take a minute to breathe and remember your codeword.

• A police officer pulled a Tesla over for traveling 64mph in a 45 mph zone
• The owner attempted to plead innocence as Full Self-Driving was running
• Police issued a very blunt response

Video footage has surfaced online that shows a police department in Parker, Colorado, reportedly pulling over a Tesla for traveling 64mph in a 45mph zone.

While this isn’t unusual in itself, the plea from the Tesla’s driver is, as the excuse was that they weren't in control at the time. “I wasn’t driving. I had Autopilot on,” came the plea.

The three-minute video was released by the police, alongside a blunt reply (or perhaps a warning to other drivers?) that read: “Driver assistance technology does not replace the driver.”

“Whether your vehicle has adaptive cruise control, lane centering or full self-driving, you are still legally responsible for operating your vehicle safely,” the response added.

Despite the driver being clocked at 64mph in a 45mph zone, the Tesla owner belligerently claims they weren’t in control, it wasn’t their fault and that the self-driving system was activated.

The police officer then says: “I don’t know how these systems work, but you’re not the first person I have stopped with Autopilot activated.”

In fact, one of Electrek’s own writers documented the moment he got a speeding ticket while using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving.

Despite setting the system to Standard mode — as opposed to the faster Hurry or Mad Max settings — the vehicle still crept up to 78km/h in a 50km/h zone.

Analysis: Bad by design

(Image credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems are designed to assist the person behind the wheel, rather than completely replace them, no matter what Elon Musk espouses in his various public statements.

Currently, the law states that the buck stops with the driver, and any reckless driving, speeding or accident ultimately remains the driver’s fault, as they need to be ready to take control if and when these systems fail.

However, Tesla makes things difficult, as it has designed FSD to drift over the limit, even in Standard mode, and also took away the adjustable speed offset that once allowed owners to cap how far over the limit the vehicle would creep in autonomous modes.

Electrek reports that the adjustable speed offset was recently removed in FSD v14 and replaced with fixed driving profiles.

It is easy to see why Tesla has trained its systems this way, as many drivers get frustrated when technology vehemently adheres to speed limits and subsequently fails to keep up with traffic.

But with many other semi-autonomous cruise-control technologies, the driver has complete control over the speeds at which they are happy to creep over the limit.

If Tesla’s driving assistance systems keep landing drivers in hot water, many will stop using them entirely, which is exactly the opposite of what the company wants.

After all, Elon Musk has long promised that drivers will soon be able to text and immerse themselves in all manner of side tasks in the very near future.

But right now, it feels like Tesla owners need to be more alert than ever.