A recent interview with Jim Arroyo, a leader in the Oath Keepers militia group, reveals concerns about potential civil unrest and violence surrounding the 2024 presidential election. Arroyo claims that his organization is training members for various scenarios, including economic collapse, attacks on the electrical grid, and civil war. He also believes that if Trump loses, "the right wing, the Republican Party, some nut cases, are going to get together and start a shooting war." However, experts point out that far-right attacks continue to significantly outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/oath-keeper-civil-war-election-day/
A mother reflects on her experiences with her premature baby, Henry, who passed away shortly after birth. She shares her concerns about social media and the desire to control how people perceive her child's image. The article also touches on the family's journey with ECMO machines and their decision to donate Henry's cord blood for research. The mother notes that the results of the research revealed a single gene mutation that caused Henry's condition, which is unlikely to repeat in future pregnancies.
Source: https://www.clunyjournal.com/p/machines-of-loving-grace
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, bringing exciting deals on storage solutions. ZDNET recommends exploring these options to find the best value for your needs. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or simply looking to upgrade your digital life, understanding what's available can help you make informed decisions. With options ranging from external hard drives to SSDs, there's something for everyone.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-black-friday-storage-and-ssd-deals-2024/
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr sparks controversy by threatening to revoke NBC's broadcast license over a recent Saturday Night Live episode featuring Kamala Harris. The issue stems from the FCC's equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to provide comparable airtime for opposing candidates. While Carr argues that NBC failed to comply with this rule, critics claim his actions are an attempt to intimidate and censor the media.
Apple has announced a new feature for its Find My app that allows users to temporarily share the location of their lost AirTag with an airline or trusted person. This feature aims to make it easier for airport staff to locate missing luggage. With the "Share Item Location" option, users can create a link that can be sent to anyone, allowing them to view the location of the AirTagged item on Apple devices or access a web page with a map on non-Apple devices.
The link will automatically expire after one week or when the missing item is returned. Users can also track how many people have accessed the link and choose to share their phone number and email address for follow-up contact. This update expands on previous functionality that allowed users to continually share the location of an AirTag with up to five additional people.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24288045/apple-ios-find-my-airtag-airline-luggage-temporary
Did you know that leaving apps running in the background can consume precious system resources and pose potential security risks? ZDNet reveals three ways to stop Android apps from running in the background, ensuring a smoother phone experience. Learn how to close apps using the app overview, Settings app, or Android 15's new feature.
Black Friday Monitor Deals Are Here! Get Ready for Discounts Galore!
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-black-friday-monitor-deals-2024/
Black Friday is just around the corner, and Roborock fans are in for a treat! The popular robot vacuum brand has announced early sales on some of its top models. According to ZDNET, the Roborock Q7 Max+ is available at a 57% discount for $380, while the Roborock S8 Max Ultra can be purchased for $1,400. For those looking for a more affordable option, the Roborock Flexi Lite cordless vacuum and mop is also on sale.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-black-friday-roborock-deals-2024/
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Deal: Get Three Months for 28% Off!
ZDNET is offering a deal on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, allowing users to play over 100 games across PC and Xbox consoles. The usual price of $51 has been discounted to $36 for three months, saving you 28%. This promotion is stackable, allowing you to purchase up to five codes for a total of 15 months at a discount.
New games are added regularly, including titles from Xbox Game Studios the day they release. The catch is that if you don't want to continue as a regular subscriber and pay $17 per month after the initial three-month period, you'll need to cancel your subscription within your Microsoft account before it auto-renews.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/get-3-months-of-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-for-28-off-with-this-deal/
Microsoft has launched a new AI-powered Xbox chatbot for Xbox Insiders in the US. The "Xbox Support Virtual Agent" is designed to help gamers more efficiently solve support-related issues with their Xbox consoles and games. The chatbot, which can be accessed at support.xbox.com, uses AI technology to answer questions and provide assistance. Microsoft has been testing this new feature and values feedback from Xbox Insiders to improve the chatbot's performance.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24288066/microsoft-xbox-chatbot-ai-support
Tips for Effective Blog Writing for Developers
A recent blog post by Richard MacManus provides valuable insights and practical advice on writing engaging blogs for developers. The article emphasizes the importance of starting with a clear idea, breaking down complex topics into manageable sections, and using Pomodoro timers to stay focused. It also highlights the significance of iteration, refining ideas through multiple drafts, and seeking input from good copyeditors and reviewers.
The post suggests that finding inspiration in online communities, such as StackOverflow or Twitter, can be a great way to generate ideas. Additionally, it advises writers to focus on topics that are interesting and valuable to their readers, rather than solely pursuing personal interests.
Source: https://rmoff.net/2023/07/19/blog-writing-for-developers/
Get a head start on holiday shopping with Best Buy's early Black Friday deals! The retailer has already started offering discounts on popular items like laptops, smartphones, and appliances. Whether you're looking for gifts or want to upgrade your own tech, you can find substantial savings now. Check out ZDNET's recommendations for the top Best Buy deals, which are based on extensive research, testing, and customer reviews.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-black-friday-best-buy-deals-2024/
ZDNET readers have spoken! The tech and product review website has released a list of the top 25 most popular products purchased by its readers in October. According to ZDNET, these products were selected based on hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping, as well as customer reviews from various sources. The list includes popular items such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and smart home devices, among others. For more information, readers can check out the best Amazon deals currently available.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-25-most-popular-products-zdnet-readers-bought-this-month-october/
A high-ranking adviser in JD Vance's Senate office, Aaron Kofsky, has been fired after a WIRED investigation revealed his extensive posting history on Reddit about drug use. Kofsky had written about using various drugs, including cocaine and opiates, over a decade ago. He also called Vance a "Trump boot licker" in one of the posts. The adviser claimed he was suspended on October 16 and subsequently fired due to the revelations.
Introducing Diagrams, a tool that lets you draw cloud system architecture in Python code. This innovative solution allows for prototyping and visualizing existing systems without requiring design tools. Diagram as Code supports major cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, GCP, and more. It also tracks changes to architecture diagrams in version control systems.
Source: https://diagrams.mingrammer.com/
iOS Update May Affect iPhone Battery Health, But Don't Panic!
According to recent reports, the iOS 18.1 update may cause a drop in iPhone battery health, but there's more to it than meets the eye. The Maximum Capacity number displayed on your device is not a measure of overall wear and tear, but rather how much power the battery can hold relative to its new state.
Google's recent focus on AI integration in their Pixel phones has raised questions about its necessity. A hardware Android user shares their perspective, stating that they haven't used AI features extensively and instead value phone functionality, security, and affordability. They argue that AI is not a requirement for most users and that the secret cost of adding AI to smartphones is yet to be fully understood.
Meta AI, an open-source model, is now available for use by US government agencies and contractors for national security applications. The company has partnered with several tech giants, including Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, and others, to make the Llama 3 model accessible to the government. While Meta's acceptable use policy prohibits the use of its AI model for military or warfare purposes, it can be used for tasks such as streamlining logistics and planning, tracking terrorist financing, or strengthening cyber defenses.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24287951/meta-ai-llama-war-us-government-national-security
Apple's latest iOS update, version 18.2, is set to bring a new feature that allows users to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus from the Settings menu. The paid version of OpenAI's popular AI model offers more messages with its GPT-4o model for $19.99 per month. Users will be able to track their daily free limit of ChatGPT's capabilities and decide whether to upgrade. Apple has not confirmed if it will take a cut of these subscriptions.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24288015/apple-ios-18-2-upgrade-to-chatgpt-plus-settings
FFmpeg developers have achieved a significant performance boost by implementing handwritten AVX-512 assembly code. The optimized code path, which has rarely been done before in the video industry, resulted in a speedup of up to 94 times compared to standard implementations. This development is particularly valuable for users running on high-performance, AVX-512-capable hardware, enabling them to process media content more efficiently.
However, it's worth noting that Intel disabled AVX-512 for its Core 12th, 13th, and 14th Generations of Core processors, leaving owners of these CPUs without access to this optimization. On the other hand, AMD's Ryzen 9000-series CPUs feature a fully-enabled AVX-512 FPU.