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Saturday, July 20, 2024

Technology News and More-Saturday Edition...

 Technology News and More...




Huge Microsoft Outage Linked to CrowdStrike Takes Down Computers Around the World
30KWired / 23h
A software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike appears to have inadvertently disrupted IT systems globally.


NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Saturday, July 20 (game #405)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 18min
It's the weekend! And that means you have another chance to solve a weekend Connections puzzle: they're the same as the weekday Connections puzzles, but on a weekend. Yay! Read on for my hints and commentary on today's game. What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers , Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints



ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories from the major Windows outage to the new Amazon Echo Spot
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 54min
This week was shaping up to be a quieter one thanks to Amazon Prime Day deals taking up most of the airwaves instead of our usual flurry of tech announcements – and then everything went wrong. We saw a chaotic Windows outage seemingly caused by a security software update which caused massive problems all over the globe for all manner of services. As we’re writing this on Friday it’s still not ove



Talk about a downgrade — iconic British private school that has educated world leaders and royalty is forcing pupils to use ancient Nokia phones
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
Eton College, one of the most prestigious private boarding schools in the world, has implemented a new policy requiring incoming students to use basic Nokia devices instead of smartphones. Known for educating world leaders and royalty, Eton's alumni, known as Old Etonians, include Princes William and Harry, novelist George Orwell, actors Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston, and recent prime ministe


Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Saturday, July 20, 2024
LifeHacker / 3h
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 20, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is easier; I got it in three. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 20, Wordle #1,127! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game. How to play Wordle Wordle lives here on the New York Times website . A


Scan and edit PDFs on your phone for life with SwiftScan VIP for £37
Mashable / 3h
TL;DR: For a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription to SwiftScan VIP , an app that turns your phone into a real-life scanner, on sale for only £37.16 (reg. £154.86) when you use the code SAVENOW . Opens in a new window Credit: Maple Media SwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscription £37.16 at The Mashable Shop £154.86 Save £117.70 Gone are the days when your desk looked like an office supply s


Samsung's rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim could be thinner the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
Multiple news outlets from across the globe are collectively claiming that Samsung is still working on a slim version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 , codenamed Q6a. While recent rumors stated that development on the phone was canceled, the appearance of test firmware indicates that work is continuing. Judging from the reports, the Q6a is going to be a tall order. According to The Korea Economic Daily ,


This Device Turns Your Apple Watch Into an Old-School iPod
LifeHacker / 5h
The TinyPod is one of the more ingenious ideas I've seen in a while: It's a little case for a strapless Apple Watch, which essentially turns it into a miniature iPod, complete with an old-school clickwheel. There's a lot you can do with an Apple Watch these days, from playing music to making calls to navigating from A to B with Apple Maps. All of that functionality is kept, but the device moves f


Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for July 20
Mashable / 5h
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle . As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for July 20's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle co


NYT Strands hints, answers for July 20
Mashable / 5h
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands , the New York Times ' elevated word-search game. By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections . SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for July 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today


Bose's best noise-cancelling earbuds are getting the free upgrade we've been waiting for – here's how to get it
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 5h
Bose is delivering some good news for owners of its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds , as its begun to roll out a new firmware update that adds Multipoint support. This Bluetooth feature allows users to connect the earbuds to two different devices simultaneously and hop between them without any issue. Imagine being able to join a Zoom meeting on a laptop or computer, and then when you’re done, you can


CrowdStrike Issue, Not Russia or China, Caused Tech Outage
NYT > Technology / 5h
With each cascade of digital disaster, new vulnerabilities emerge. The latest chaos wasn’t caused by an adversary, but it provided a road map of American vulnerabilities at a critical moment.


Armada to Apophis—scientists recycle old ideas for rare asteroid encounter
Ars Technica - All content / 6h
Enlarge / This artist's concept shows the possible appearance of ESA's RAMSES spacecraft, which will release two small CubeSats for additional observations at Apophis. (credit: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/Introducing_Ramses_ESA_s_mission_to_asteroid_Apophis ) For nearly 20 years, scientists have known an asteroid named Apophis will pass unusually close to Earth on Friday, A


NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for July 20
Mashable / 6h
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the e


What caused the Microsoft outage? Everything we know.
Mashable / 7h
Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage Hospitals, airlines , television networks, banks – you name it, it was likely disrupted, delayed, or canceled due to a massive global tech meltdown that took down many companies' systems on Friday. The worldwide outages began in the very early morning hours in the U.S. and it became


IT outage exposes fragility of tech infrastructure
59BBC News / 7h
Ultimately, when systems wobble, there is little that can be done - except wait for a fix.


US cyber agency CISA says malicious hackers are ‘taking advantage’ of CrowdStrike outage
4 TTPs•
36TechCrunch / 8h
CISA confirmed the CrowdStrike outage was not caused by a cyberattack, but urged caution as malicious hackers exploit the situation. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Why You Should Be Running Hill Repeats (and How to Get Started)
LifeHacker / 8h
Hill repeats are a great training tool if you’re a runner, or if you’re any kind of athlete looking to improve your cardiovascular system. But you can’t do hill workouts without a good hill, so your first question is likely to be okay, where? I’ll briefly answer your next few questions, too: why? How many? And how far? Let’s tackle those first, and then find your perfect hill. What are hill repea


These startups are trying to prevent another CrowdStrike-like outage, according to VCs
21TechCrunch / 8h
The global outage is a perfect reminder how much of the world relies on technological infrastructure. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Saturday, July 20 (game #139)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
Here's a pretty simple Strands puzzle to start the weekend. But as always, that's just my experience – if yours is different, why not use my hints below to give yourself a head start… Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't


NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Saturday, July 20 (game #405)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
It's the weekend! And that means you have another chance to solve a weekend Connections puzzle: they're the same as the weekday Connections puzzles, but on a weekend. Yay! Read on for my hints and commentary on today's game. What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers , Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints


Quordle today – hints and answers for Saturday, July 20 (game #908)
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
Welcome to the weekend, Quordle-style. As is the case during the week, you get nine guesses to solve four Wordle-esque puzzles, so don't expect it to get any easier just because you don't have work today. And for those of you who do have work today, I apologize – you'll have to find time for Quordle too. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and


Google is about to start scrolling through all your pictures for its 'Ask Photos' feature
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 8h
Google's AI-fueled Ask Photos feature, previewed at Google I/O 2024 , has begun initial testing, as first shared by 9to5 Google. Ask Photos employs Google's Gemini AI to search a user's photo library using natural language without first organizing and tagging the image. Google hasn't shared any release date, but it looks like a select group of users are being asked to try it out and offer feedbac


Police arrest a teenage boy in connection with the MGM Resorts ransomware attack
Engadget / 9h
A teenage boy may be responsible for a ransomware attack that shut down MGM Resorts in Las Vegas last year. The West Midlands Police Department in England confirmed that they arrested an unidentified 17-year-old on Thursday from the town of Walsall who allegedly shut down the resort and casino on the Las Vegas strip last year. The teenager was arrested on suspicion of blackmail and violating the


CrowdStrike on outage: 'Bad actors will try to exploit events like this'
Mashable / 9h
Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage. It was a truly awful day for CrowdStrike. There's almost zero chance you missed it, but, in case you did, an issue with a software update from the cybersecurity firm caused a meltdown of the world's IT infrastructure , putting countless Microsoft machines into the Blue Screen of Dea


When You Should (and Shouldn't) Use Coffee Grounds in the Garden
LifeHacker / 9h
Coffee is so steeped in modern culture that humans generate about 15 million tons of spent coffee grounds each year. As such, people have been trying to figure out what to do with those grounds for years. One of the most common uses I read about all the time is that you can toss your used grounds right into your garden. As with much garden advice, there is a lot of nuance to this one: Dumping spe


Don’t Fall for CrowdStrike Outage Scams
5 TTPs•
26Wired / 9h
Swindlers are spinning up bogus websites in an attempt to dupe people with “CrowdStrike support” scams following the security firm's catastrophic software update.


Global services slowly recovering after bug causes IT chaos
200+BBC News / 9h
The incident has sparked concern over the vulnerability of the world's interconnected technologies.


The Global CrowdStrike Outage Triggered a Surprise Return to Cash
200+Wired / 9h
The event caused chaos at airports, grocery stores, and Starbucks outlets.


25 Million Watched Trump’s Speech at the R.N.C. on Thursday
35NYT > Technology / 9h
Viewership peaked on Thursday night starting around the 15-minute mark of Donald Trump’s speech, as he delivered a vivid reconstruction of last weekend’s assassination attempt.


'The Acolyte's Amandla Stenberg talks Oshamir, the violin, and that game-changing finale
22Mashable / 10h
Amandla Stenberg pulls off the ultimate switcheroo in The Acolyte . Throughout The Acolyte 's first season, Stenberg's dual performance as twins Mae and Osha Aniseya walked the line between the Dark Side and the Light. Osha begins the season as a supporter of the Jedi, even though her intense emotions and grief over losing her family led her to be kicked out of the Order. Her sister Mae, on the o


The Dreame L20 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop Is $700 Off
LifeHacker / 10h
Dreame is one of the many newer robot vacuum companies that has been competing for the top spot. One of their flagship vacuums, the Dreame L20 Ultra robot vacuum, is down to its lowest price yet of $699.99 (originally $1,399.99) after a $100 on-page coupon. This is matching the Prime Day deal this vacuum just had, and it is a great one at that. The high-end vacuum comes with many features that wi


What to Do If a 'Zombie Mortgage' Comes Back to Haunt You
LifeHacker / 10h
Home prices are soaring , interest rates are at the highest point in more than a decade , and paying off a mortgage has never been easy. As if the the state of home ownership weren't bleak enough, recent surges in home values across the country has brought an unexpected and unsettling consequence: the rise of "zombie mortgages." These are old, unpaid home loans that many homeowners thought were l


How did one CrowdStrike mistake stop the world? We asked 3 experts.
44Mashable / 10h
Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage . Updating your system is imperative to keeping it safe from cyber attacks and other threats. But sometimes it goes wrong — like it did late this week. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company that protects companies and users from cyberattacks, made a mistake, leading to a global meltdo


Instagram users can add disappearing Notes to Reels and posts now
Mashable / 10h
Instagram is cluttering up our feeds again as the app expands its Notes feature directly to grid posts and Reels . Why? Because apparently commenting on posts isn't enough. SEE ALSO: Microsoft outage updates: Crowdstrike issue still wreaking havoc despite fix Now users can add tiny floating Notes bubbles, which disappear in three days unless deleted, on top of videos and photos. The somewhat hidd


The Global IT Outage Sends Hospitals Reeling
500+Wired / 10h
Doctors find themselves without critical systems and diagnostic tools—and face the daunting reality that a full recovery could take days—after CrowdStrike’s botched deployment of a software update.


Deal alert: Points and miles travel deals for July 2024
200+The Points Guy / 10h
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Some of the below offers may be targeted. Citi is a TPG advertising partner. From lucrative deals for bonus points on hotel stays to generous sales of airline miles , we’re finding plenty of travel deals to help you earn and redeem your points and miles so you can book the vacation of your dreams. For July


Why the Global CrowdStrike Outage Hit Airports So Hard
300+Wired / 10h
The aviation industry is optimized within an inch of its life. A bad software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike took down computers running Microsoft Windows—and a cascade of airports with it.


Robocop vs. Guest: A High-Stakes Chase Through Las Vegas Hotel Parking Lot [Roundup]
View from the Wing / 10h
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips. Continue reading ...


Our Technology Relies Too Much On the Internet
How-To Geek / 10h
Delayed and canceled flights, delayed packages, and missed work hours. You'd think I'm describing a Gen Z horror movie, but it's actually happening in real time. CrowdStrike 's failed cybersecurity update has caused a global outage of Windows systems, exposing the fragility of our modern infrastructure.


Twitch restores former President Trump’s Twitch account
Engadget / 11h
Twitch has confirmed that former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s three-year ban on the gaming stream platform has been reversed. A statement from Twitch confirmed the news about the status of Trump’s ban from the platform. “We reinstated former President Trump’s Twitch channel,” the statement read. “We believe there is value in hearing from Presidential nomine


GPT-4o Mini Is a Cheaper, Almost as Good Version of GPT-4o
LifeHacker / 11h
This week, OpenAI debuted a more lightweight version of its most advanced large language model (LLM), GPT-4o . Called GPT-4o mini, it will replace GPT-3.5 Turbo as the default model used in the free version of ChatGPT, and for developers, it’s meant to act as a more affordable option compared to GPT-4o, which OpenAI released a few months ago. But exactly how different are these two models, and wh


Make the Best Meatloaf of Your Life in an Air Fryer
LifeHacker / 11h
Meatloaf is one of those retro foods that deserves a comeback. It's definitely fallen out of fashion, but it doesn’t have to be the questionable wad of semi-steamed gray meat of your childhood. In fact, it can be a well-browned, juicy, and rather speedy meal if you cook it in your air fryer. Air frying a meatloaf is simply a better experience than baking it in an oven. Using the oven is actually


UPS and FedEx packages might be delayed because of the CrowdStrike outage
Mashable / 11h
Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage . You'll have to bear with FedEX and UPS. It's probably hard to coordinate deliveries when every computer simultaneously crashes because of a CrowdStrike bug. That may not be a literal description of what happened to UPS and FedEx on Friday, but you get the point. Both of the major m


Crowdstrike CEO Visibly Agitated On Camera After Massive Outage
Futurism / 11h
Strike, You're Out! In the aftermath of Microsoft and Crowdstrike's disastrous glitch on Thursday that left Wall Street, airlines, and hospitals without computer services overnight and into Friday, the company's CEO may be making things worse. As footage from his cringe-worth TODAY Show interview shows , Crowdstrike CEO and cofounder George Kurtz seemed nearly as stumped as the rest of us when tr


How to skip long rental car pick-up lines for free
500+The Points Guy / 11h
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information. The last thing you want after your flight is to see a long car rental pick-up line — or worse, to be told there’s no car for you left at all. A while ago, I booked a car with Hertz from the Orlando International Airport (MCO) for a weekend at Disney World . When we went to the airport’s rental car pick-up area, I was immediately grat


Twitch reinstates Trump’s account ahead of the 2024 presidential election
40TechCrunch / 11h
Prior to the ban, Trump's team used his channel to broadcast some of his campaigns. With the ban now lifted, his channel can resume doing so. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Tesla Cybertruck, Megapacks and FSD Sales Can Triple Profits in 2025 for a $1000 Price Target
Next Big Future / 11h
Investors are not properly calculating the profits from increased Tesla Cybertruck sales in 2025. Tesla will be making 200,000 to 300,000 Cybertrucks in 2025 and they will each sell for twice as much as a model Y. They will have three times the profit at $24000 vs $8000 for a model Y. Megapack Energy profits ... Read more


Defective Eartips Put a Pause on Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Shipments
How-To Geek / 11h
We're four and a half days away from the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro launch date. Unfortunately, Samsung now says that it has paused shipments to address a quality control issue. The launch date has shifted to August 28th, though this new date may be tentative.


Its Not Just Streaming Content, Your Smart TV Collects Data on Everything
How-To Geek / 11h
You might think that only the streaming apps, like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, are tracking what you watch. Sadly, your smart TV is capable of seeing much more than that, even from devices like gaming consoles and Blu-ray players. How does this work, and is it possible to disable? We've got you covered.


X users react to the CrowdStrike outage with glee and disappointment
Mashable / 11h
Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage . On Thursday, a Microsoft outage linked to a failed CrowdStrike update affected industry giants across travel and finance, and underscored the risks of our dependence on digital technology. As people flooded into work this morning — and CrowdStrike scrambled to get systems up and ru


OpenAI Demands to See All Notes by New York Times Reporters
Futurism / 12h
Cough It Up OpenAI apparently wasn't satisfied with using the entire internet to train ChatGPT. The Microsoft-backed startup now wants to see all the notes from reporters at the New York Times whose articles were allegedly fed to the chatbot, as part of the discovery process in the newspaper's lawsuit against OpenAI . OpenAI needs to see these notes, its lawyers argue, to assess the newspaper's c


Windows 11 gets pushy with another pop-up – this time for Microsoft’s backup app – and all this is getting tiresome, frankly
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Windows 11 has witnessed the introduction of yet another piece of nagging designed to drive the use of another Microsoft service – but as always, this is in danger of having the opposite effect. Windows Latest flagged up a fresh move regarding Microsoft’s promotional activity: a pop-up to push the Windows Backup app (which was introduced to Windows 11 and 10 last year). Windows Backup does what t


Microsoft Word Can Help You Read Longer Documents


How-To Geek / 12h
Microsoft Word has already received many AI-powered enhancements with Microsofts Copilot assistant. Now, theres one more improvement rolling out for Copilots summarization feature.


Three Subscription-Free Home Security Systems to Consider
LifeHacker / 12h
The moment you have some stuff, you start worrying that someone is going to take it from you. Despite the fact that crime rates have fallen dramatically over the last few decades (including burglary, which is down 75% since 1993 , and only accounts for about 16% of property crimes overall), it’s natural to worry that every time you leave your house, thieves will emerge from the bushes to pry open


These Beats Headphones Are Still the Cheapest They've Ever Been
LifeHacker / 12h
Prime Day was a good time to snag a good deal on a new pair of headphone , but many deals on a variety of products are still available, including Beats headphones. Just keep in mind you need to be a Prime Member to access these prices. Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones - Personalized Spatial Audio, USB-C Lossless Audio. Beats Studio Pro $169.95 at Amazon $349.99 Save $180.04 $169.95


Major: American Flight Attendants Get Tentative Contract
100+One Mile at a Time / 12h
For a long time now, American Airlines management and the union representing flight attendants have been in contentious negotiations over a new contract. There’s now a significant update… American flight attendants reach tentative contract agreement The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) has today announced that it has reached a tentative agreement with American management over


M&A activity heats up with Wiz, Graphcore, etc.
20TechCrunch / 12h
This week, Google is in discussions to pay $23 billion for cloud security startup Wiz, SoftBank acquires Graphcore, and more. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


Quick Points: Earn bonus points and miles by booking group travel
The Points Guy / 12h
Trips with family and friends can be a blast for everyone involved — and a great opportunity for you to even earn extra points and miles. You can easily rack up bonus points or miles when you decide to book part or all of the travel for your entire group . Then, simply have your travel companions reimburse you for their shares. I’ve planned several group outings, from girls weekends to multigener


Beaches Covered in Shards and Debris as Giant Wind Turbine Shatters
100+Futurism / 12h
Broken Wing Over the weekend, a 360-foot blade of a wind turbine off the shore of Nantucket shattered, leading to " large floating debris and fiberglass shards " threatening local beachgoers. On Wednesday, the federal government ordered the responsible Vineyard Wind farm to shut down. Meanwhile, according to CBS News , six local beaches had to be closed. "You can walk on the beaches, however we s


Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella drops statement about CrowdStrike outage
200+Mashable / 12h
Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage . On Friday morning, nearly every Microsoft Windows machine in the world seemed to suffer from outages related to a faulty CrowdStrike software update that rolled out on Thursday . Now, the head of Microsoft has issued a statement — but don't expect too much from it. Microsoft CEO Sa


CrowdStrike’s rivals stand to benefit from its update fail debacle
20TechCrunch / 12h
CrowdStrike competes with a number of vendors, including SentinelOne and Palo Alto Networks but also Microsoft, Trellix, Trend Micro and Sophos, in the endpoint security market. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.


I Love Physical Books, But These 8 Things Made Me Switch to Ebooks
How-To Geek / 12h
Few things satisfy a reader like the smell of a freshly opened book and the feel of pages between their fingers. As much as I also love the experience of reading physical books, I've decided to make the switch to ebooks. Here are