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Sam Altman has appeared in the first episode of OpenAI’s brand new podcast, called simply the OpenAI Podcast, which is available to watch now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

The podcast is hosted by Andrew Mayne and in the first episode, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joins the host to talk about the future of AI: from GPT-5 and AGI to Project Stargate, new research workflows, and AI-powered parenting.

While Altman's thoughts on AGI are always worth paying attention to, it was his advice on AI-powered parenting that caught my ear this time.

You have to wonder if Altman’s PR advisors have taken the day off, because after being asked the softball question, “You’ve recently become a new parent, how is ChatGPT helping you with that?”, Altman somehow draws us into a nightmare scenario of a generation of AI-reared kids who have lost the ability to communicate with regular humans in favor of their parasocial relationships with ChatGPT.

“My kids will never be smarter than AI.”, says Altman in a matter-of-fact way. “But also they will grow up vastly more capable than we were when we grew up. They will be able to do things that we cannot imagine and they’ll be really good at using AI. And obviously, I think about that a lot, but I think much more about what they will have that we didn’t…. I don’t think my kids will ever be bothered by the fact that they’re not smarter than AI. “

That all sounds great, but then later in the conversation he says: “Again, I suspect this is not all going to be good, there will be problems and people will develop these problematic, or somewhat problematic, parasocial relationships.“

In case you’re wondering what "parasocial relationships" are, they develop when we start to consider media personalities or famous people as friends, despite having no real interactions with them; the way we all think we know George Clooney because he’s that friendly doctor from ER, or from his movies or the Nespresso advert, when, in fact, we have never met him, and most likely never will.

Mitigating the downsides

Altman is characterizing a child’s interactions with ChatGPT in the same way, but interestingly he doesn’t offer any solutions for a generation weaned on ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode rather than human interaction. Instead he sees it as a problem for society to figure out.

“The upsides will be tremendous and society in general is good at figuring out how to mitigate the downsides”, Altman assures the viewer.

Now I’ll admit to being of a more cynical bent, but this does seem awfully like he’s washing his hands of a problem that OpenAI is creating. Any potential problems that a generation of kids brought up interacting with ChatGPT are going to experience are, apparently, not OpenAI’s concern.

In fact, earlier when the podcast host brought up the example story of a parent using ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode to talk to their child about Thomas the Tank Engine, instead of doing it themselves, because they are bored of talking about it endlessly, Altman simply nods and says ,“Kids love Voice Mode in ChatGPT”.

Indeed they do Sam, but is it wise to let your child loose on ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode without supervision? As a parent myself (although of much older children now) I’m uncomfortable with hearing of young kids being given what sounds like unsupervised access to ChatGPT.

AI comes with all sorts of warnings for a reason. It can make mistakes, it can give bad advice, and it can hallucinate things that aren’t true. Not to mention that “ChatGPT is not meant for children under 13” according to OpenAI’s own guidelines, and I can’t imagine there are many kids older than 13 who are interested in talking about Thomas the Tank Engine!

I have no problem using ChatGPT with my kids, but when ChatGPT was available they were both older than 13. If I was using it with younger children I’d always make sure that they weren’t using it on their own.

I'm not suggesting that Altman is in any way a bad parent, and I appreciate his enthusiasm for AI, but I think he should leave the parenting advice to the experts for now.

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• Windows 365 Reserve is a new web-based Cloud PC backup for your physical laptop
• Users get to access the service for 10 days in any year
• Pricing unconfirmed, preview upcoming

Microsoft has unveiled a new service designed to provide temporary, pre-configured Cloud PCs to customers when a primary physical device is out of order – be it lost, broken or delayed.

Windows 365 Reserve gives users instant access to Cloud PCs from any device via the Windows App or browser, and they come ready to go, loaded with Microsoft 365 apps, corporate settings and the relevant security policies.

Managed through Microsoft Intune (like physical PCs), Windows 365 Reserve is designed for temporary use only, with a 10-day annual usage allowance (that can be split up or used all at once).

Windows 365 Reserve

Microsoft says the new service is designed to ensure business continuity during events like device theft, loss, delivery days or system outages. With the temporary access, workers can continue as normal or admins can choose to test new configurations away from their own, primary device.

The company describes Windows 365 Reserve as a "modern, secured and scalable offering designed for any type of worker across the entire organization to stay uninterrupted and productive, without the hassle or cost of managing cumbersome loaner PCs, temporary backup PC solutions or legacy VDI access."

Microsoft Modern Work VP Stefan Kinnestrand said 76% of customers have reported having been impacted by incidents of device theft in the last two years, citing third-party research.

No pricing details have been confirmed yet, and it's unclear whether the service will operate on a subscription-based model. Windows 365 Reserve is available in preview "soon," with an online application process for customers to gain early access.

At the same time, Kinnestrand lifted the wraps off other minor improvements to Windows 365 while introducing a 20% discount for first-time customers.

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You could be forgiven for thinking the vacuum cleaner market isn't particularly innovative. That's not the case though: in just over a year of testing and writing about vacuums I've seen vacuums with lasers, vacuums that are powered by AI, and vacuums that can tell you exactly what they're sucking up as they do so. And that's ignoring the more hum-drum but still impressive improvements to suction and battery life.

In all my testing, there's one feature that impressed me most... and it's even more notable because to start with, I was not sold on the idea at all: auto-emptying docks.

These are essentially a base that the vacuum slots into. Like any dock, it charges the vacuum up and provides somewhere for it to live when you're not using it, but it goes one step further than that by also emptying the onboard dust cup.

Pop the vacuum onto its perch and all the dust and debris accumulated on the previous cleaning session will whoosh out, via a closed system, into a larger bin in the base. You can see it in action in the video clip below.

I first saw one of these bases in action last year at a Shark press event. Auto-empty docks are an option on both the Shark PowerDetect Cordless and Detect Pro Cordless, and the Shark representative explained to me that this was going to be a big focus for the brand going forward. I was not sold at the time. Who would want one of these bulky docks in their home? And how hard is it to empty a cordless vacuum yourself, anyway?

(Image credit: Future)

A few months later I was sent a Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra, which has an auto-empty dock as standard. As I set about testing it, I was struck by just how easy the emptying process was. Literally nothing was required of me – I simply put the vacuum into its dock and it did everything for me.

But what really drove home the benefits was when I started doing testing to compare the Samsung Bespoke and Dyson Gen5detect, which lacks a self-empty base. Suddenly, even with Dyson's ultra-smooth engineering, manually emptying a dust cup felt like something from the dark ages. There was dust getting down the side of the bin liner, and more floating in clouds around me. I had to stick my fingers in and dislodge a clump of hair.

It occurred to me at this point that the self-empty system would be great for allergy-sufferers. Everything is being sucked out via a closed system, so there's no opportunity for dust and allergens to escape back into the air. You then only need to empty the dock dustbin once in a blue moon.

(Image credit: Future)

Another benefit is that it means the manufacturer can get away with shrinking the onboard bin. That, in turn makes the vacuum lighter and more streamlined – both useful traits for a cordless stick vacuum.

The self-empty approach is very common amongst today's best robot vacuums. These have even smaller onboard bins, and are designed to be hands-off solutions, so it makes a ton of sense to offer self-emptying functionality there.

Shark is very much embracing the auto-empty dock approach with its manual cordless vacuums already. Provided you have space for the dock, I think they're a solid investment, and something we'll be seeing a lot more of in the future.

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• Nvidia could have a new spin on its RTX 5090 graphics card
• This is rumored to be a new version of the RTX 5090 D for China
• A leaker says it'll pack a 'surprise', but the truth could be more mundane

Nvidia is rumored to be planning a new variant on its Blackwell flagship graphics card, potentially an RTX 5090 DD model – and it could come with a 'surprise' according to one leaker.

Tom's Hardware flagged up two separate mentions of this potential GPU (add seasoning with all this) on X, the first of which came from MEGAsizeGPU, who mentioned the RTX 5090 DD and how it will be for China only.

5090 DDGB202-240PG145 SKU 40*for China market onlyJune 18, 2025

So, the theory is that this is a follow-up to the RTX 5090 D (single D, not double D) for China, a different spin on the standard Blackwell flagship which was produced for that country to get around US export regulations.

Except the goalposts on those restrictions have been moved, and now rule out the RTX 5090 D itself as too powerful (for AI usage) to be shipped to China. It looks like the idea now is to further cut down the graphics card to again make it feasible to supply to Asia, and call it the RTX 5090 DD.

The purported cut-down specs were supplied by another regular on the GPU leaking scene on X, Kopite7kimi, as you can see below.

RTX 5090 DD?PG145-SKU40GB202-240-K*-A121760FP32384-bit GDDR7 24G 28Gbps575Wand there's a surprise.June 18, 2025

The key changes are a slightly lower-tier GPU chip (GB202-240, rather than GB202-250 as seen in the original 5090 D), and the video RAM has been dropped to 24GB with a narrower 384-bit memory bus.

That means a 25% hit on the memory bandwidth compared to the RTX 5090 D, but the core count and TDP remain the same (the latter is interesting, and I'll return to why shortly).

Tom's Hardware takes it as read that these two rumors are fully aligned – and they are from what we can see spec-wise – but note that Kopite7kimi has a question mark heading up their post on X, which begins: 'RTX 5090 DD?'

However, this is likely referring to questioning the name, and whether this will really be called the RTX 5090 DD, rather than doubting whether this is actually a new spin on a China-only graphics card. Although we should never take anything for granted from the rumor mill, and maybe the latter could be the case.

At any rate, the most intriguing bit here is Kopite7kimi's mention of a "surprise" from Nvidia with this GPU.

Analysis: Let the guessing games begin

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

When it comes to the name, yes, making it 'DD' sounds rather implausible, but remember – this is the company that brought you the RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics cards (and similarly clunky bouts of unimaginativeness in the past besides).

As mentioned, the surprise is what we really want to know about, and Kopite7kimi doesn't elaborate on what that might be with any kind of a vague hint, even. So, we're left to guess on that score.

Tom's Hardware theorizes that the surprise could be further cut-backs to the AI powers of the graphics card delivered via the firmware, and that sounds entirely possible. But equally it sounds entirely dull, and the way the leaker teases that "there's a surprise" feels like it's phrased to stoke a bit of excitement here. A minor chop to AI capabilities hardly qualifies in that respect, but what else could Nvidia possibly have up its sleeve here?

For me, this hints that Nvidia is planning a move like cutting the price of the RTX 5090 DD. Or perhaps, most excitingly, offering it outside of China, too? Yeah, okay, that seems unlikely (although as noted, with that question mark, it could be that Kopite7kimi isn't fully sure this is the mentioned Chinese variant). Perhaps more realistically, we could be looking at a fair old bump in clock speeds (hence the TDP staying the same, with the spec being cut down in some key areas).

Hopefully, we'll find out soon enough what Nvidia might be up to here, if anything, as this could all turn out to be so much smoke from the rumor mill (or plans from Team Green that never come to fruition).

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The UK’s Legal Aid Agency is among the latest high profile examples of a cyber-attack resulting in a significant data breach. The incident is all the more worrying because of the sensitive nature of the data accessed in the attack.

The Ministry of Justice reported in May 2025 that a “significant amount of personal data” of people who applied online to the Legal Aid Agency since 2010, including criminal records, was accessed and downloaded in a cyber-attack in April 2025.

Media reports on the incident suggest that more than two million pieces of information were taken, including details of domestic abuse victims, people involved in family cases and those facing criminal prosecution.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed that the data may have included addresses of applicants, dates of birth, national ID numbers, criminal history, employment and financial data such as debts and payments.

The recurring problem with data beaches of highly sensitive and special category data is not just the immediate exposure and vulnerabilities caused, it is the unknown future illicit uses of the stolen data, which can be surprising and very harmful to all involved.

Evolving cyber security threat landscape

The cybersecurity threat landscape is rapidly evolving, shaped by technological innovation, global instability and sometimes opportunism by cybercriminals.

The proliferation of AI, including Generative AI, AI bots, and co-pilots, is expanding the potential for digital attacks. The acceleration of AI adoption has outpaced governance frameworks, widening knowledge, solutions, and resilience gaps. In addition, cybercriminals are leveraging Generative AI to enhance social engineering attacks, making them more effective and harder to detect.

Geopolitical instability is also a rising threat. State-linked Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are actively engaging in cyberwarfare, targeting critical national infrastructure with sophisticated campaigns.

These groups exploit supply chain vulnerabilities to maximize impact, often driven by political and economic motivations. For organizations operating globally, real-time threat intelligence and geopolitical awareness are essential, especially when working with unfamiliar partners or entering new markets.

Cloud infrastructure is under growing pressure as threat actors refine their tactics. CrowdStrike reported a 75% year-on-year rise in cloud intrusions, with attackers increasingly using stealthy, staged operations to establish footholds and move laterally across hybrid IT environments.

Supply chain insecurity remains a persistent concern. The 2024 Microsoft–CrowdStrike incident, which triggered one of the largest global IT outages to date, demonstrated the systemic risk of over-reliance on a few key technology providers. The fallout, which impacted a range of sectors from aviation to healthcare, underscored the urgent need to audit, monitor, and diversify supply chains, as well as share breach intelligence more effectively.

On a more promising note, AI is also proving to be a valuable defense tool. It enhances anomaly detection, vulnerability classification, automated patching, and configuration management. Large Language Models (LLMs) are augmenting the threat intelligence lifecycle, from analyzing attacker behavior to powering deception technologies like honeypots. As AI becomes more embedded in cyber defense strategies, it offers the potential for faster, smarter, and more adaptive responses to emerging threats.

Managing cyber risks

Cyberattacks of all kinds are rising. Any type of organization can be a victim. The cyberattack on the Legal Aid Agency serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for a holistic and proactive approach to cyber security.

When high profile cyberattacks occur, leaders often seek reassurance. They often request information about what can be done first or quickly. The urgent response is to go back to basics: check key data protection practices, review GDPR compliance, strengthen basic information security safeguards and encourage important suppliers to be on high alert. From a legal and operational standpoint, organizations, particularly those handling sensitive information and special category data, should prioritize the following measures:

1. Engagement at board level: Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It is a board-level responsibility. Effective resilience depends on cross-functional collaboration among leadership, cybersecurity specialists, legal advisors, internal auditors, HR, digital forensics experts, and crisis communication teams. A multi-disciplinary response capability is essential to manage both the technical, legal and reputational dimensions of a breach.
2. Continuous preparedness: To ensure a robust security architecture, organizations must look beyond having the right tools in place. It is vital to implement vulnerability management on a continuous basis, with timely patching protocols and a focus on regular training of employees.
3. Data Breach Practice and Preparedness: Practice makes perfect, and simulated incident response exercises, including table-top scenarios, are critical in ensuring readiness for data breaches. It is also advisable for organizations to have a learning and development mindset and extract lessons from near-misses and close calls, rather than seeking to brush these under the carpet and quickly move on.
4. Due diligence for AI integration: Generative AI is evolving apace, and it can be tempting for organizations to rush in to deploy it. However, innovation should work in partnership with security. Due diligence is vital. Before integrating new AI platforms or other emerging technologies, organizations should conduct comprehensive assessments of their security credentials and weigh up any additional cyber security risk exposure these systems might introduce.
5. Third-party risk management: Cyber resilience does not end at the network perimeter. Organizations must map, monitor, and regularly audit their supply chains to identify vulnerabilities. Where high-risk vendors are identified, mitigation actions should be taken swiftly. Mitigation may include stopping working with a supplier or limiting the amount of work with them. Every business should have a strong third-party risk management framework as a cornerstone in their cybersecurity environment.

Critical National Infrastructure cyberattacks like those affecting The Legal Aid Agency reminds us that cyber resilience requires ongoing commitment. Cybersecurity must be embedded across all levels of an organization, including boards, leadership teams, mission critical data sets to supply chain management.

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

There’s a shift happening in global outsourcing. It’s no longer just about reducing costs, it’s about how businesses access talent and deliver specialist services at scale. That’s where Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) comes in. While BPO is already well established across sectors like customer service and finance, KPO is quickly gaining ground by applying the same industrialized approach to professional expertise.

Think legal research, fraud investigations, graphic design or medical diagnoses – processes that rely not just on execution, but on judgment. This is where KPO stands apart. From process to judgment

BPO is built on repeatability. Contact centers, finance operations, procurement and IT support all thrive when standardization is possible. These services are typically delivered by a well-trained, entry-level workforce supported by workflow tools and quality assurance mechanisms. KPO, by contrast, starts with expertise.

Rather than training staff into a process, it leverages qualified professionals from day one (engineers, lawyers, doctors, designers) and industrializes their output. But this shift introduces new challenges: how do you create a repeatable model for work that depends on professional judgement?

How do you ensure consistency when the answer isn't always clear-cut? This is the critical leap KPO must make: turning judgment-based work into a reliable, scalable service that can deliver consistent results at pace. And it requires a different approach to quality control, onboarding and process design.

Business sense

The benefits of getting it right are significant. KPO allows organizations to access hard-to-find skills at a global level, often at a price point far below what would be possible locally. It offers the ability to scale operations predictably, tapping into a talent base that includes highly educated, underemployed professionals in emerging markets like South Africa.

Just as BPO unlocked growth by handling routine tasks more efficiently, KPO enables businesses to scale specialist services without growing internal headcount. From claims processing to legal support, creative work to technical analysis, KPO brings scarce skills into a structured, cost-effective model. More importantly, it also supports business agility. By industrializing knowledge tasks, companies can respond faster to changing demands, launch new services more quickly and maintain quality across geographies.

The role of AI

While automation has disrupted many areas of BPO, KPO is less susceptible to replacement by machines. Why? Because it relies on human judgment. That said, AI still plays an important role. From document summarization to workflow optimization and quality control, AI enhances the KPO model rather than displacing it. It can support professionals by surfacing insights, flagging inconsistencies and helping scale oversight processes that would otherwise be manual and inconsistent. Used wisely, AI becomes a co-pilot for knowledge workers – not a substitute.

Industries experiencing the most growth in KPO include legal, medical, insurance and financial services. Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) now handles vast amounts of documentation, reviewed offshore and signed off by local attorneys. In healthcare, digital providers are leaning on offshore professionals for diagnostics, exception handling and patient queries.

Insurance and fraud management also benefit, where complex workflows combine documentation, analysis, and customer interaction. These aren’t pure back-office functions. They often straddle voice and non-voice roles, requiring hybrid capabilities and end-to-end ownership of a case, rather than a single transaction.

The future of outsourcing

The global outsourcing landscape has undergone a significant transformation. What once revolved around basic contact center functions and collections has evolved into a model of full-case ownership. Today’s agents are not just answering calls - they are processing, consulting, resolving, and managing customer journeys from start to finish.

In collections, this shift has fostered long-term client relationships, with cases managed over extended periods using workflow tools, CRM systems, and deep domain expertise. This model is now being applied to areas such as fraud support and customer retention, driven by the same foundational infrastructure.

As KPO matures, South Africa has a real opportunity to become a leader in this space. Its strong education system, English fluency, and growing BPO sector makes it an ideal launchpad for specialized global services.

As digital services become more standardized, the demand for specialist human expertise will only continue to grow. By applying structured processes to complex judgment-based tasks, it’s possible to scale without compromising on skill - unlocking opportunities for professionals worldwide to engage in meaningful, high-impact work. The next era of outsourcing is already here - and it’s more intelligent, nuanced, and human than ever before.

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

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT 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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, June 19 (game #739).

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 #740) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ROCK
• FILM
• SEAL
• SCISSORS
• POETIC
• PAPER
• BUTTON
• MUSEUM
• SNAKE
• SHOOT
• THREAD
• HITMAN
• RECORD
• NEEDLE
• UNDERTAKER
• TAPE

NYT Connections today (game #740) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Sew good
• GREEN: Commit to physical or digital media
• BLUE: Ring stars
• PURPLE: [Melting substance] blank

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 #740) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: ITEMS IN A SEWING KIT
• GREEN: CAPTURE ON VIDEO
• BLUE: PRO WRESTLING ICONS, WITH “THE”
• PURPLE: WAX ___

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

NYT Connections today (game #740) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #740, are…

• YELLOW: ITEMS IN A SEWING KIT BUTTON, NEEDLE, SCISSORS, THREAD
• GREEN: CAPTURE ON VIDEO FILM, RECORD, SHOOT, TAPE
• BLUE: PRO WRESTLING ICONS, WITH “THE” HITMAN, ROCK, SNAKE, UNDERTAKER
• PURPLE: WAX ___ MUSEUM, PAPER, POETIC, SEAL

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Look, I'll be honest here, even though it may upset some people, but I do not get pro wrestling. I simply don't understand it at all – what's the point? It's all staged!

Anyway, that didn't stop me solving the blue PRO WRESTLING ICONS, WITH "THE" group first, because UNDERTAKER, HITMAN and ROCK were all obvious and SNAKE seemed a far more likely fourth inclusion than 'The Museum' or 'The Button'. Sorry, Mr Snake, but I had not heard of you.

Green was an easy one, made easier still by the fact that FILM, RECORD, SHOOT and TAPE had lined themselves up on one line and therefore made them jump straight off the board and into my brain. Yellow was even simpler, to the extent that I can't believe I didn't spot it sooner, and though I didn't need to solve purple I think I might have done if I'd had to.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, June 19, game #739)

• YELLOW: COMPONENTS OF ONE’S GRADE ATTENDANCE, FINAL, HOMEWORK, PAPERS
• GREEN: MAP APP OPTIONS DESTINATION, ROUTE, STARTING POINT, STOPS
• BLUE: CLASSIC TOYS BALL, BLOCKS, JACKS, TRAIN
• PURPLE: FENCING GEAR FOILS, GLOVES, JACKETS, MASKS

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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, June 19 (game #473).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Just a dusting

NYT Strands today (game #474) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• BABE
• BOAT
• MOAT
• CHIN
• CLING
• SING

NYT Strands today (game #474) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #474) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 5th row

Last side: left, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #474) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #474, are…

• BABY
• COCOA
• BLASTING
• BAKING
• CHILI
• TALCUM
• ITCHING
• SPANGRAM: POWDERS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

ITCHING powder was a constant threat throughout my childhood. Along with quicksand and killer bees it was one of those things that comics, films and TV shows suggested would be far more widespread than it actually was – which, of course, was not widespread at all. To the extent that I do not know anyone who was actually dosed with it.

I have far more direct experience with all of the other POWDERS in today's Strands, apart from BLASTING. I don't actually know what that is, but I suspect that unlike COCOA, BAKING or CHILI it is not something you'd want to put on food (and unlike TALCUM or BABY, definitely not on a body!)

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, June 19, game #473)

• SCENERY
• GAMES
• PLAYLIST
• MOTEL
• PHOTOS
• AUDIOBOOK
• SPANGRAM: ROAD TRIP

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new 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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, June 19 (game #1242).

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

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

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

Quordle today (game #1243) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* 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 #1243) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1243) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1243) - 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 #1243) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• D

• H

• L

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

Quordle today (game #1243) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1243, are…

• BRAID
• DULLY
• HASTE
• LURID

My three start words again came up trumps today, giving me all five letters for what became HASTE and LURID, and four each for DULLY and BRAID.

DULLY was the only mildly difficult one on account of having a repeated L, but it wasn't really tough for me because nothing else would have fit at that point. A real cinch of a Quordle.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1243) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1243, are…

• THROW
• SHAKY
• OWING
• LOAMY  

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1242, Thursday, 19 June: BRUSH, ISLET, FRUIT, PRIVY
• Quordle #1241, Wednesday, 18 June: MEDIA, SHARK, GUPPY, MOURN
• Quordle #1240, Tuesday, 17 June: LEAPT, PRISM, ADMIN, WHINE
• Quordle #1239, Monday, 16 June: RETRY, SCALD, DINGO, FEIGN
• Quordle #1238, Sunday, 15 June: SHOCK, STEIN, BROIL, COVEN
• Quordle #1237, Saturday, 14 June: STICK, FERRY, THESE, IONIC
• Quordle #1236, Friday, 13 June: REPEL, LARGE, SNIDE, CARRY
• Quordle #1235, Thursday, 12 June: SCANT, BATCH, UNDER, PARSE
• Quordle #1234, Wednesday, 11 June: CRAVE, ROOST, ANGLE, FLOOD
• Quordle #1233, Tuesday, 10 June: DECRY, CHEEK, FILET, EASEL
• Quordle #1232, Monday, 9 June: DERBY, LEMON, WRITE, HOVEL
• Quordle #1231, Sunday, 8 June: REBAR, ALERT, PAYEE, FLUME
• Quordle #1230, Saturday, 7 June: FLUNK, ESTER, SPITE, CHEAP
• Quordle #1229, Friday, 6 June: ELUDE, KHAKI, VISTA, SMOKY
• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST
• Quordle #1225, Monday, 2 June: THINK, BELLE, CRONE, BOULE
• Quordle #1224, Sunday, 1 June: POINT, MERIT, WHOOP, APHID
• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE

You might be surprised by what your trips to the bathroom can say about your health, as gastroenterologists explain.

• Nintendo has provided instructions for how to fix the Switch 2 battery charge indicator issue
• This solution is for "for when the battery amount displayed and the actual remaining battery use don't match"
• Nintendo adds that if following these steps didn't resolve the issue, then the console will need to be sent in for a service repair

Nintendo has shared a solution for the common Switch 2 battery charge indicator issue.

The Switch 2 officially launched earlier this month, and if you're one of the users who have been experiencing a problem where your console is incorrectly displaying your battery percentage, thankfully, there's now a fix.

On the support page, Nintendo has provided simple step-by-step instructions "for when the battery amount displayed and the actual remaining battery use don't match."

All you'll need is your Switch 2 console, the Switch 2 AC adapter, and access to the internet. You can read the guide below.

1. Confirm that you're using an adequately powerful AC adapter to charge your console. The Nintendo Switch AC adapter (Model HAC-002) can be used to charge the Nintendo Switch 2 when plugged into the console directly. Due to power output differences, it cannot be used to charge the Nintendo Switch 2 when docked.
2. Confirm that your console has the latest system update.
3. Power off the console.
4. Press and hold down the volume up (+) and volume down (-) buttons, press the POWER Button once to turn the system on. 
5. Keep holding down the volume buttons until the menu for Recovery Mode appears. Navigating to this menu should reset the battery level meter.
6. Power off the console again by pressing and holding the POWER Button until it turns off.
7. Power the console back on and monitor the situation.

Nintendo noted that navigating to the Recovery Mode menu should be enough to reset the battery level meter, but if following these steps still didn't resolve the battery charge indicator issue, then the console will need to be sent in for a service repair.

If you're hoping to get your hands on the new console, you can check out our live coverage of Nintendo Switch 2 restocks for the US and UK.

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• Episource confirms cyberattack with patient data stolen
• The theft happened in late January 2025, and includes policy and MedicAid information
• Customers are urged to remain vigilant

American healthcare data giant Episource has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive data on more than five million people.

In a data breach notification published on the company’s website, it said the intrusion was spotted on February 6, 2025, and after shutting down the IT network, bringing in third-party forensics experts, and notifying law enforcement, the company learned the miscreants took “copies of some data” between January 27 and February 6, 2025.

The data includes health plans/policies, insurance companies, member/group ID numbers, and Medicaid-Medicare-government payor ID numbers. It also includes health data such as medical record numbers, doctors, diagnoses, medicines, test results, images, care, and treatment, as well as other personal data such as dates of birth or Social Security numbers (SSN).

Increasing credibility

Cybercriminals often target healthcare organizations for their data, since it can be abused in phishing, identity theft, and other forms of scams.

Crooks can use the data to craft personalized, convincing emails, which can trick the victims into downloading malware or sharing login credentials.

At the same time, Episource filed a new report with the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights’ breach portal, confirming exactly 5,418,866 people were affected by this attack.

The company began notifying them on April 23, 2025, it was said. It did not state which providers it’s notifying, but stressed that not everyone was impacted by the attack.

Episource is a healthcare data and technology company that helps health plans manage risk adjustment, quality measurement, and clinical data through analytics, coding, and technology solutions.

It is urging impacted individuals to stay vigilant, and watch out for potential impersonation and scam attempts.

Via BleepingComputer

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Eye-opening accounts make for compelling TV.

Sorry, Vision Pro, but I wore the new Xreal One Pro glasses to cover Apple's show live this year. And yeah, they passed the test.

18 months have passed since Max (soon to be rebranded to HBO Max) became the exclusive streaming home for A24 movies – well, in nations where one of the world's best streaming services has launched, anyway. Since that multi-year deal was signed in December 2023, over 100 A24-developed films have joined Max's back catalog.

You'll be able to add more to that growing list next month, too. July 2025 marks the official streaming debut for three more new movies from the acclaimed indie studio, including two that only arrived in theaters earlier this year.

However, based on their Rotten Tomatoes (RT) critics scores, there's only one that'll deserve a spot on our best Max movies list. To help you decide which film(s) are worth your time, I've ranked the forthcoming trio from worst to best. That way, you'll have a better idea of determining if some of July's new Max movies should be added to your watchlist.

3. Opus

HBO Max release date: July 11
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Age rating: R
Main cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Melissa Chambers, Tony Hale, Young Mazino, and Amber Midthunder
Director: Mark Anthony Green
RT critics score: 40%

With a starry cast including the ever-excellent John Malkovich, The Bear's Ayo Edebiri, The Last of Us' Young Mazino, and Prey's Amber Midthunder, you might have expected Opus to be a must-watch.

Assembling a cast of talented actors will only get you so far, though, and Opus proves it. A cult-based thriller that's not dissimilar to another A24 flick in Midsommar, Opus struggles to match the psychological intensity, narrative mystery, and lashings of horror that of its 2016 genre cousin. Malkovich chews the scenery with a delightfully unhinged performance but, that aside, Opus is a largely forgettable movie.

2. Death of a Unicorn

HBO Max release date: July 25
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Age rating: R
Main cast: Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Tea Leoni, and Richard E Grant
Director: Alex Scharfman
RT critics score: 54%

Another horror-fuelled A24 offering that, based on its own A-list cast, should have been better received than it was.

Like Opus, though, the messy nature of this satirical creature feature's plot drags it down. The never-aging Marvel actor Paul Rudd and Wednesday superstar Jenny Ortega ground proceedings with their convincing father-daughter dynamic, while Poulter and Grant bring classic British flair to their villainous roles. Those highlights aside, Death of a Unicorn is a tonal misfire that disappointingly skewers its potentially great narrative and thematic ideas.

1. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

HBO Max release date: July 4
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
Age rating: PG-13
Main cast: Susan Chardy, Elisbath Chisela, Henry B.J. Phiri, Roy Chisha, Blessings Bhamjee, Chunju Bwalya, and Maggie Mulubwa
Director: Rungano Nyoni
RT critics score: 100%

Of the three new A24 films that'll join Max's movie library in July, I suspect that this hidden gem was the one that most readers wouldn't have expected to come out on top.

With its perfect RT critical rating, though, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is an unmissable dark comedy-drama that's not only Nyoni's first feature in eight years, but also cements the Zambian-Welsh filmmaker as one of the most talented of her generation. A universally appealing, beautifully shot, witty, and at-times uncomfortable movie whose exploration of death, self-deception, and communal misgivings is incredibly impactful.

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• Amazon workers in Seattle, Arlington and Washington DC workers could have to move closer to the office
• Amazon has been relocating workers for months, citing boosted productivity
• The company's office-working policy now stands at five days

Amazon is requiring some corporate workers to relocate closer to their managers and teams, targeting cities like Seattle, Arlington and Washington DC (via Bloomberg).

Unlike other similar moves, which have been communicated via email, the ecommerce giant is believed to be sharing the message via one-on-one meetings and town halls with those likely to be affected.

The report notes thousands of employees could be forced to move from across various teams, however the company's famously vocal workers are understandably frustrated with the decision.

Amazon is asking workers to relocate

Although relocating isn't always a problem for new starters, many mid-career workers are hesitant to move due to personal and financial challenges – a move would mean uprooting families, children switching schools and partners seeking other jobs.

Affected workers are said to have 30 days to decide, followed by a 60-day period to relocate or resign. It's also believed that those who refuse to relocate will not be receiving severance packages.

A company spokesperson said that Amazon's relocation trend has already been ongoing for more than a year, with CEO Andy Jassy previously claiming that in-person working boost ad-hoc interactions and, therefore, productivity.

Amazon now requires workers to come to the office five days per week, but that policy got delayed at the end of 2024 due to a lack of readiness – there simply weren't enough desks.

"We hear from the majority of our teammates that they love the energy from being located together, and whenever someone chooses to or is asked to relocate, we work with them to offer support based on their individual circumstances," a company spokesperson stated.

Some workers worry that the policy shift could be an effort to push workers away from the company – although thousands lost their jobs in 2022 and 2023, Amazon's layoffs in the years that followed have been relatively small (compared with other giants in the industry).

TechRadar Pro has reached out to Amazon for a comment, but we did not receive an immediate response.

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Apple TV+ is known for some blockbuster-worthy original films, but so far in 2025 none of its new movies have managed to reach the same heights as its TV show releases.

We've only seen three new Apple TV+ original films released this year, none of which would be considered to be among the best Apple TV+ movies, as they all have low-scoring reviews from critics and audiences alike.

The worst-rated movie is adventure-action flick Fountain of Youth, which currently has a Rotten Tomatoes critical score of just 36%. The mystery drama Echo Valley fares better with a 52% rating, while romantic thriller The Gorge scores an only slightly better 63%.

Granted, audiences appear to give slightly more positive reviews than the critics (aside from Echo Valley; it seems we're all in agreement that it's a middle-of-the-road type movie), but none of the trio can hold a candle to the best Apple TV+ shows that have been released this year.

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

Just to name a few, we've had the biggest Apple TV+ returning series of 2025 so far, Severance season 2, rack up an almost flawless 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, while The Studio, Mythic Quest, Carême, Dope Thief and Your Friends and Neighbors have all received scores of above 80% from the critics on the review aggregate site.

Is this a sign that Apple TV+ can't quite make movies that match the success of its TV shows? Definitely not (and I'll get into why below). Instead, I think it's more of an indication that Apple Studios is better suited to making TV shows. After all, it's a young studio that's still finding its way among the established names of Hollywood.

What sets Apple TV+ shows apart from their movie counterparts?

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

I'm not alone in naming Severance season 2 as one of my top TV shows of 2025. It's got intrigue, mystery, excellent pacing, satisfying reveals, phenomenal acting, stylish cinematography, and mesmerizing dance scenes (Milchick's boogie numbers are a highlight).

Since signing up for a rare Apple TV+ deal in April, I've continued to be hooked by new shows on the platform, from the satirical comedy series The Studio, which has a timely, smartly written script, to Jon Hamm's return to TV in the drama Your Friends and Neighbors.

Apple TV+ has a weighty TV catalog of gems that it's been adding to in 2025. Can I say the same for Apple TV+ Original movies? Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned three have come anywhere close to the series I've watched in terms of quality, and that's not because I've personally not been interested in the stories they tell.

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

As a big National Treasure fan, I'd been looking forward to Guy Ricthie's treasure-hunting film Fountain of Youth – but like many others, I felt the story became too predictable, which took away much of the excitement. Not even the star power of Natalie Portman (Leon; V for Vendetta) or Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina; About Time) could help rescue it.

As for The Gorge, I will say that it had some playful scenes – like the one where Anya Taylor Joy (Queen's Gambit) and Miles Teller (Whiplash) act out their most popular characters – but the payoff was not at all what it should have been. Funnily enough, it was essentially the opposite with Echo Valley; the mystery thriller had an intriguing plot twist, but the film was let down by Sydney Sweeney's exaggerated performance.

Apple TV+ movies walked so its TV shows could run

(Image credit: Apple TV)

It wasn't always like this. When Apple Studios and Apple TV+ launched in 2019, they made a splash in the film industry by picking up the distribution rights of CODA: the first movie by a streaming service to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Of course, an Oscar win can be taken with a pinch of salt, especially considering that the Academy has only recently started to insist that judges actually watch the nominations before casting a vote, but the coveted prize is still a good barometer of what's successful.

The win was a shock to the industry in 2022, mostly because rival streaming services that had been producing content for a lot longer had only ever received nominations. But it sent out a big signal to everyone that Apple TV+ had an eye for good stories, and crucially a big purse to get them.

It reportedly spent $22 million at the Sundance Film Festival to acquire CODA, and looked to replicate its success by pursuing similar projects that fit the bill for big theatrical runs, such as Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon and Argylle. Variety reports that those three films combined cost the company at least $700 million to make, but a source told the publication that only Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon were profitable.

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus/Paramount Pictures)

Apple has similarly splurged on its TV productions, which undoubtedly helped them to win critical acclaim. Bloomberg reported that the first two seasons of The Morning Show cost an eye-watering $300 million to make, making them among the most expensive TV shows ever made – and Apple has its name behind a lot of those, including See, Foundation, Pachinko and most recently Severance season 2, each episode of which cost $20 million to make.

Apple's TV bets have paid off much more than its film projects, looking at the number of positive reviews each has received, and it seems that those movie misses have made big holes in the company's pockets that are starting to take their toll, because Apple has decided to pull back massively on its budgets.

According to anonymous claims reported in The New York Times earlier this year, Apple Studios will, going forward, only make one or two "event-size films a year, with big budgets and expansive theatrical releases".

The report added that Apple would set a limit of $80 million or less for the budgets of its films, which indicates to me that it's focusing on prestige TV over the box office – and that doesn't necessarily mean it's spending less, considering that some series rival the costs of big box office productions already.

Upcoming Apple TV+ movies to be excited about

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Apple)

Apple TV+ still has a chance to turn its losing movie streak around with the upcoming release of the new F1 movie, though. It's arguably one of its biggest releases of 2025 and with it coming out in the summer (for those in the northern hemisphere at least), a lot is riding on this being a big pull for audiences.

With Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) in the director's chair, I don't doubt that this is going to be spectacle, especially considering the way it's been filmed. A lot of the scenes involving the fictional F1 team that includes Brad Pitt and co-star Damson Idris have been shot on real-life F1 racetracks, so the big-screen action is set to be thrilling.

I've also got my money on Spike Lee's new crime movie Highest 2 Lowest being a surefire hit on Apple TV+. Denzel Washington (Training Day) sounds like he's been perfectly cast in the lead role of a music mogul targeted by a ransom – anyone else getting Man on Fire vibes?

Both F1 and Highest 2 Lowest are getting theatrical releases before eventually streaming on Apple TV+, which is another sign that the studio is backing these two titles as its potential "event-sized" blockbuster winners of the year.

I wouldn't write off Apple TV+ movies just yet, then. Indeed, I'm hopeful that both films will be the redeeming movie releases I've been waiting for.

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The free version of ChatGPT offers a lot, but for those using it on a daily basis, it's probably worth upgrading to a paid subscription.

If your texts are falling back to SMS, try these steps to ensure that Apple's Messages app is properly functioning.