Though it started life on computers and mobile, YouTube is also among the most-used apps on TVs and gaming consoles. People use the service to watch gaming livestreams, video walkthroughs, and even YouTube Shorts on their much bigger screens—and the experience is about to get better. As part of its Q2 2025 update, Google has added a bunch of new features to YouTube for TVs, which should appear once you update the app.

New features in YouTube’s app for smart TVs

In keeping with its push for more YouTube Shorts everywhere, Google is now making short-form videos more prominent on TVs as well. The company has added a new row for Shorts in your “Watch Next” feed, and on the “Shorts Shelf” in the subscriptions tab. This gives Shorts greater prominence and has the added advantage of separating these videos from long-form content.

Meanwhile, YouTube for TVs now lets you loop any video. This option has been added to playback settings. Previously, you could only loop playlists via the mobile app. There’s also a new tab for podcasts, which lets you find and play those videos a lot quicker. 

Sort by “shelves”

In this update, a big part of Google’s focus has been to create shelves that make it easier to locate different types of videos. This includes “Continue your search,” which lets you see your top three searches and find the video you were after. (This feature could also be useful to find creators you watch often, but don’t want to subscribe to just yet.) Another shelf is called “From your top channels,” and shows videos from the creators you watch the most. 

There are a couple of new shelves dedicated to music, including “Listen again,” for music you frequently play, and “Live performances, remixes, and covers,” that helps you find alternative versions of your favorite music. The last new shelf is called “Primetime Channels,” steering you toward content from the channels you’ve purchased on YouTube.

The video streaming service said it has also completed rolling out Immersive Channel Previews, which allow creators to add a personal touch to their channels by putting up fullscreen background previews in their channel headers. Creators will also be able to see TVs as a device type in channel analytics, allowing them to more effectively track where people are watching their videos.

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

In the wake of a high-profile court decision that upended the state of Montana’s climate policy, Republican lawmakers in the state are pushing a suite of bills that could gut the state’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The full-court legislative press targets the state’s environmental analysis, air quality regulation, and judicial system. It stems from the Held v. Montana case in which 16 young people sued the state over its contributions to climate change, claiming its fossil fuel-centric approach to energy violated the state constitution’s guarantee of a “clean and healthful environment.” The plaintiffs won, and in December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court upheld their victory.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 won’t be in our hands for over a month yet (sigh), but a speedrunner has already reached the credits of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

As reported by VGC, the Japanese speedrunner known as Ikaboze posted a video of his handiwork on his YouTube channel after attending a Switch 2 preview event in Tokyo. Attendees were able to play a 10-minute demo of the souped-up original Switch launch game, but Ikaboze only needed seven minutes of the allotted time to dispose of Ganon in the game’s epic final battle.

To be clear, this was not an any% run of the entire game, where the current top times all clock in around 23 minutes. The speedrunner loaded an autosave that spawned him outside Hyrule Castle, where he immediately dropped all of Link’s equipment and made a beeline for his longtime nemesis. Ikaboze was able to take down Ganon before the demo’s time was up, to the delight of a crowd of onlookers, who applauded as the credits started to roll. The speedrunner was reportedly told by Nintendo staff at the event that they were the first person to have completed the Breath of the Wild demo.

The updated versions of both Breath of the Wild and its 2023 sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, will be available to play on Switch 2 on launch day, which remains June 5 worldwide despite the pre-order holdup in the US. According to Nintendo, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games improve performance and resolution, as well as adding HDR support. There’s also a new Zelda companion app that will let you track down missing Koroks and shrines on your save file.

Those who already own the base game can upgrade for $10, and if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member you’ll be able to play the Switch 2 versions of both BotW and TotK as part of your subscription. Good luck trying to beat Ikaboze, though.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/speedrunner-reaches-breath-of-the-wild-credits-on-switch-2-a-console-which-isnt-even-out-yet-173004158.html?src=rss

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed India’s government to block Switzerland-based email service Proton Mail, citing national security concerns and law enforcement challenges. Justice M Nagaprasanna ordered authorities to initiate proceedings under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act to ban the service, while mandating immediate blocking of “offending URLs” until final decisions are made.

The ruling followed a petition from M Moser Design Associates India, which claimed its female employees were targeted with obscene emails containing “AI-generated deepfake images” sent via Proton Mail. Petitioners argued Proton Mail operates servers outside India, making it inaccessible to law enforcement. The court noted several bomb threats to Indian schools were sent using the service, which has already been banned in Russia and Saudi Arabia. Additional Solicitor General Aravind Kamath, representing the government, said authorities would comply with the court’s direction.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

By default, Google Photos now uses Gemini AI to search through your photo library. This is thanks to a new feature called Ask Photos that rolled out late last year. While this feature is great for locating specific photos, it’s not as fast as the older search option, so it’s not ideal for every search, especially more general ones. If you’re tired of using Gemini’s slower search in Google Photos for Android, there’s a shortcut that helps you return to the classic search functionality.

As spotted by 9to5Google, you can long-press the search button (which is labelled Ask and is located in the bottom-right corner) to use the classic, faster and AI-free search method instead. Alternatively, you can double-tap the Ask button to do the same thing. And don’t worry about having to change how your format your search—the old method also supports natural language search terms. You can ask it to show “forest photos from 2023” or similar queries, and it will still generally return accurate results.

Until Google improves the speed and accuracy of AI search results, the older version of search may be better for most people. There’s also the question of how much energy AI tools use, which can be alarmingly high for relatively simple tasks. Google has been experimenting with the UI for Ask Photos, as some people have spotted an updated UI that reduces the screen space dedicated to AI search. However, most people in the US are still seeing a full-screen AI search page, with a small button that lets you switch to classic search being the most noticeable way to avoid it, so being aware of the shortcut to use the AI-free search is a lifesaver.

That said, there are instances where Ask Photos can still be useful, such as when you’re looking at old Halloween photos and need to find one where someone is wearing a Fall Guys costume. Luckily, it’s easy to choose which tool to use on a case-by-case basis. Tapping the Ask button once lets you use AI search, but long-pressing or double-tapping the button will take you to the faster, AI-free alternative. Presently, this shortcut is exclusive to the Android version of Google Photos.

Meta is releasing a new tool it hopes will encourage developers to use its family of Llama models for their next project. At its inaugural LlamaCon event in Menlo Park on Tuesday, the company announced the Llama API. Available as a limited free preview starting today, the tool gives developers a place to experiment with Meta’s AI models, including the recently released Llama 4 Scout and Maverick systems. It also makes it easy to create new API keys, which devs can use for authentication purposes.     

“We want to make it even easier for you to quickly start building with Llama, while also giving you complete control over your models and weights without being locked to an API,” the company said in a blog post published during the event. To that end, the initial release of the Llama API includes tools devs can use to fine-tune and evaluate their apps.  

Additionally, Meta notes it won’t use user prompts and model responses to train its own models. “When you’re ready, the models you build on the Llama API are yours to take with you wherever you want to host them, and we don’t keep them locked on our servers,” the company said. Meta expects to roll out the tool to more users in coming weeks and months.  

Despite the fact Meta’s Llama models have been downloaded more than one billion times, the company typically isn’t viewed as a leader in the AI space in quite the same way as OpenAI and Anthropic. It doesn’t help push against that perception that the company was caught gaming LMArena to make its Llama 4 models look better than they actually were.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-making-it-easier-to-use-llama-models-for-app-development-171514630.html?src=rss

Last year was big for zero-day exploits, security threats that appear in the wild before vendors have a chance to develop patches. Through its sprawling network of services and research initiatives, Google is the first to spot many of these threats. In a new report from the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), the company reveals it detected 75 zero-day exploits in 2024, which is a bit lower than the previous year. Unsurprisingly, a sizable chunk of them was the work of state-sponsored hackers.

According to Google, zero-day exploits are becoming increasingly easy for threat actors to develop and procure, which has led to more sophisticated attacks. While end-user devices are still regularly targeted, GTIG notes that the trend over the past few years has been for these vulnerabilities to target enterprise systems and security infrastructure. There were 98 zero-days detected in 2023 versus 75 in 2024, but Google says the overall trend in enterprise threats is increasing.

That’s not to say the products you use every day are safe from sneaky hacks—a slim majority of GTIG’s 2024 zero-day threats still targeted users. In fact, Google says hackers were even more interested in certain platforms last year compared to the year before.

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Meta didn’t wait for Tuesday’s LlamaCon keynote to unveil its first big AI announcement of the week. The company launched a standalone app that competes with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and other multimodal AI chatbots. Sticking to the company’s roots, the app also includes a social feed and the ability to draw on info from your profile and posts you’ve shared.

The Meta AI app offers similar features to rival chatbots, including text and voice chats, live web access and the ability to generate and edit images. But it also includes a Discover feed that (for better or worse) adds a social element to your AI queries. The company describes it as “a place to share and explore how others are using AI.” It highlights the prompts that others share and lets you “remix them to make them your own.”

Meta stresses that none of your private chats will post to others’ feeds unless you explicitly choose to share them.

Meta

For users in the US and Canada, Meta AI can personalize its answers based on data you’ve shared with Meta products. This includes info like your social profile and content you like or engage with. The company says linking your Facebook and Instagram accounts to the same Meta AI account will provide “an even stronger personalized experience.” If you don’t want that, this might be a good time to check your privacy settings.

The app has a live conversation mode for users in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Much like a similar feature in ChatGPT and Gemini, Meta’s version lets you and the AI assistant listen and speak simultaneously, with a natural flow that should feel more like a real conversation. However, Meta only describes it as a demo that provides “a glimpse into the future,” suggesting it’s still in an early stage. This mode also doesn’t offer live web access.

Meta

The Meta AI web version includes the app’s new features, including voice interactions and the Discover feed. This version has a few differences, including enhanced image generation (more presets and new editing modes for style, mood, lighting and colors). The web version also lets you test a rich document editor (in some countries) that can spit out text- and image-rich docs to export as PDFs.

The app has merged with the Meta View companion app for the company’s Ray-Ban glasses collab. The company says it will include a handoff feature that lets you start a conversation on the glasses and then access it in your history tab on the app or web. After installing the update, you can manage your glasses in the Meta AI app’s Devices tab.

You can download the new Meta AI app from the App Store and Google Play.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-chatgpt-competitor-includes-conversational-voice-chat-and-a-social-feed-164735307.html?src=rss

If you want to upgrade your video call setup without buying an external webcam, your iPhone can help. With macOS Ventura or later, Apple’s Continuity Camera feature allows users to turn their iPhone into a high-quality, wireless webcam for Mac. Whether you’re joining a meeting on Zoom, recording a presentation or creating content for YouTube, using your iPhone as a webcam can provide a sharper image, better low-light performance and useful extras like Center Stage and Desk View. Here’s how to set up and use your iPhone as a webcam with your Mac, along with additional tips for microphone-only use, Desk View, Studio Light and more. It works natively in macOS, so it’s easy to set up. All you need to do is mount your phone and start your call.

What you’ll need to use Continuity Camera

You’ll need the following things to use this feature properly:

• An iPhone XR or newer running iOS 16 or later

• A Mac running macOS Ventura or later

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled on both devices

• Both devices signed into the same Apple ID with two-factor authentication enabled

• A way to mount your iPhone (Apple sells a MagSafe-compatible Belkin mount, but any secure mount or tripod will work)

Continuity Camera works wirelessly by default, though you can connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB if you prefer a more stable connection.

How to enable Continuity Camera

Continuity Camera is automatically enabled on supported iPhones and Macs. However, it’s worth confirming that the feature is active in your iPhone’s settings:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone

2. Tap General

3. Select AirPlay & Handoff

4. Make sure Continuity Camera is toggled on

On your Mac, no additional setup is required, but you’ll want to ensure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled and that both devices are nearby and awake.

How to use your iPhone as a webcam in macOS apps

Once Continuity Camera is active, your Mac should automatically detect your iPhone as a webcam source in any compatible app. That includes FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, QuickTime, Safari and most other video and streaming applications.

To use your iPhone as the camera in a specific app:

1. Open the app you want to use (e.g., Zoom or FaceTime)

2. Go to the app’s video settings or preferences menu

3. Select your iPhone from the list of available camera sources (it may appear as “iPhone Camera”)

Your iPhone will automatically activate its rear camera and stream a live video feed to your Mac. Continuity Camera uses the iPhone’s higher-quality rear camera, but you can leverage the front camera using third-party apps such as EpocCam, iVCam or DroidCam.

If nothing happens, make sure:

• Both devices are unlocked and on the same Wi-Fi network

• Continuity Camera is enabled on your iPhone

• You’re signed into the same Apple ID on both devices

How to use microphone-only mode

In addition to camera input, Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone as a high-quality microphone source. This is handy if you prefer to use your Mac’s built-in camera or another webcam but still want the clarity of the iPhone’s microphone.

To use your iPhone as a mic:

1. Open System Settings on your Mac

2. Go to Sound > Input

3. Select your iPhone from the list of available input devices

You can also choose the iPhone microphone directly from within most video apps under their audio settings or microphone input menus.

How to use Desk View

Desk View is a unique feature of Continuity Camera that uses the iPhone’s ultrawide lens to simulate a top-down camera angle. It creates a second video feed showing your desk or workspace, which is useful for demos, unboxings, or sketching on paper.

It’s worth mentioning that Desk View is only available on Macs with the 12MP Center Stage camera, and with iPhone 11 or later (excluding iPhone 16e and iPhone SE, as these models do not meet the hardware requirements for this feature).

To use Desk View:

1. Position your iPhone horizontally in a mount at the top of your display

2. Open the Desk View app on your Mac (found in Applications or Launchpad)

3. The app will generate a simulated overhead view of your desk

4. You can share this view in apps like Zoom by selecting Desk View as the video source

Some third-party apps (such as FaceTime and Camo) also support displaying both your face and the Desk View simultaneously using picture-in-picture.

How to adjust Continuity Camera effects

MacOS allows you to enable various video effects in the Control Center when using your iPhone as a webcam. These features enhance your appearance and help you stay centered on screen, though you need to be on a video call to use them.

To access these effects:

1. While using a video conferencing app (such as FaceTime) on your Mac, click the Control Center icon in the top-right of your Mac’s menu bar

2. Select Video Effects

3. Choose from the following options:

• Center Stage: Uses the iPhone’s ultrawide lens to keep you centered as you move

• Portrait: Adds a soft background blur similar to Portrait Mode in the Camera app

• Studio Light: Brightens your face and dims the background to mimic professional lighting

• Desk View: Activates the Desk View camera feed

You can toggle these effects on or off at any time during a call or recording session, or even when you’re outside of a video call.

Tips for mounting and positioning your iPhone

To get the best results, use a secure mount that keeps your iPhone stable and aligned with your face. Apple recommends positioning the iPhone horizontally with the rear camera facing you and the screen facing away.

If you’re using a MacBook, the Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe is designed to clip directly onto your Mac’s display. For desktop Macs, any tripod or adjustable mount that aligns the phone at eye level will work.

Avoid placing the iPhone too close to your face and ensure the camera lens is unobstructed. You will be able to see yourself during the call, so you can adjust to your preference. The rear camera is used for higher video quality (though like I mentioned you can use the front camera with compatible third-party apps). Make sure the iPhone is not in low-power mode, as it may affect performance.

Using Continuity Camera with third-party apps

Most popular video conferencing and streaming apps on macOS support Continuity Camera without any extra setup. However, some apps may require manual input selection.

Here’s how to change the camera on a few commonly used platforms:

• Zoom: Go to Preferences > Video and select “iPhone Camera.”

• Google Meet (in Safari or Chrome): Click the gear icon before joining a call and select your iPhone under Camera

• OBS Studio: Add a new video capture device source and select your iPhone as the input

• QuickTime: Open QuickTime Player, choose New Movie Recording, click the arrow next to the record button, and select your iPhone

Continuity Camera works with most macOS-native and browser-based platforms as long as permissions for camera and microphone access are enabled.

How to switch between camera modes or devices

If you want to return to using your Mac’s built-in webcam or switch to another device, simply change the input source in your app’s settings. Continuity Camera only takes over as the default when an iPhone is detected and selected.

To switch back:

1. Open the video or audio settings in your app

2. Select a different camera or microphone input

3. Your Mac will revert to using the built-in hardware or another connected device

You can also disconnect your iPhone from the mount or place it out of range to stop Continuity Camera from activating. You’ll have to do this for every app you’ve used. If you want a systemwide change or if you’d rather not dismount or unplug your iPhone, you can switch off Continuity Camera by doing the following on your phone:

1. Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity (or AirPlay & Handoff)

2. Turn off Continuity Camera.

Troubleshooting Continuity Camera issues

If your iPhone is not showing up as an available webcam, try the following:

• Ensure both devices are running the latest versions of iOS and macOS

• Confirm that both devices are signed into the same Apple ID

• Restart both the Mac and iPhone

• Toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off and on again on both devices

• Make sure no other app is already using the iPhone camera

• Try using a wired USB connection instead

For persistent issues, resetting your Mac’s privacy permissions for camera and microphone access may help. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and Microphone, and verify that the apps you’re using have access.

Battery use and privacy

Using your iPhone as a webcam over an extended period can guzzle its battery quickly, especially with effects like Studio Light or Center Stage enabled. To avoid interruptions during longer calls or recordings, consider connecting the iPhone to power while it’s in use.

Apple includes privacy protections when using Continuity Camera. A green LED will appear next to your iPhone’s camera lens to indicate it’s active, and the screen will show a message confirming that the camera is in use. No video or audio is transmitted unless you have explicitly selected the iPhone as a source in your Mac app.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-use-your-iphone-as-a-webcam-with-your-mac-164248242.html?src=rss

Bitcoin mining has crossed a critical economic threshold, with costs now exceeding market value for most operators. According to data cited by CoinShares, large public mining companies spend over $82,000 to produce a single Bitcoin — nearly double last quarter’s figure — while smaller operations face even steeper costs of approximately $137,000 per coin.

With Bitcoin currently trading around $94,703, the math no longer works for most miners. The economics become particularly challenging in high-electricity-cost regions like Germany, where mining a single coin requires approximately $200,000. Industry analysts suggest larger mining operations are adapting by optimizing energy consumption and positioning their computational infrastructure for alternative uses. These companies can potentially lease their mining setups for other computational tasks during unprofitable mining periods, then resume mining when market conditions improve.

For individual miners, however, the era of profitable home operations appears effectively over, as industrial-scale facilities with strategic positioning and optimized technology have fundamentally altered the mining landscape.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

President Donald Trump is set to ease up slightly on the automotive industry this week. After being warned that his trade war will result in hiked prices and fewer vehicles being built, government officials over the past two days have signaled that Trump will sign an executive order today that will mitigate some of the pain the 25 percent import tariffs will inflict.

Trump’s approach to tariffs has been nothing if not inconsistent. In this case, the White House is not dropping the 25 percent tariff on all imported vehicles, but the other tariffs imposed by the Trump administration—like the 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum that went into effect in February—won’t stack up on top.

The potential for multiple tariffs to have an additive effect on prices could have seen new car prices soar in the coming weeks; now, they are likely to just rise a lot instead. According to The Wall Street Journal, the move will be retroactive, and automakers who have (for example) paid aluminum or steel tariffs on top of the car import tariff can seek a refund for the former.

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This is a video of pianist Lord Vinheteiro (previously) performing a medley of Johann Sebastian Bach chronologically from 1707 – 1750 to hear his musical evolution from age 22 – 65. Now I’ll be the first to admit I’m tone-deaf and have absolutely zero musical inclinations, but I wasn’t able to hear any clear evolution. There was no point when I thought, “Yes, here — this is when the music grew a tail!” But let me reiterate I know very little about music beyond passing out at the tailgate at a Jimmy Buffet concert. I slept on the roof of a car through the whole thing, I still have my unripped ticket.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Reddit’s top lawyer, Ben Lee, said the company is considering legal action against researchers from the University of Zurich who ran what he called an “improper and highly unethical experiment” by surreptitiously deploying AI chatbots in a popular debate subreddit. The University of Zurich told 404 Media that the experiment results will not be published and said the university is investigating how the research was conducted.

As we reported Monday, researchers at the University of Zurich ran an “unauthorized” and secret experiment on Reddit users in the r/changemyview subreddit in which dozens of AI bots engaged in debates with users about controversial issues. In some cases, the bots generated responses which claimed they were rape survivors, worked with trauma patients, or were Black people who were opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement. The researchers used a separate AI to mine the posting history of the people they were responding to in an attempt to determine personal details about them that they believed would make their bots more effective, such as their age, race, gender, location, and political beliefs.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon and the White House are not getting along at the moment.

A report from Punchbowl News claims that Amazon had plans to disclose how tariffs are raising the price of products across the site. It seems that when you clicked on a product, you would not only see the current cost, but also the northward effect Trump’s tariffs had on that price tag. The move directly contradicts the notion, oft-repeated by the administration, that the costs of tariffs are paid by the countries the tariffs are levied against. Amazon showing a tariff-related price increase would make it plain as day to consumers that they are, in fact, the ones making up the difference.

The White House was not pleased when news of this plan became public. In fact, the White House was furious. During a Tuesday morning press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lambasted Amazon solely based on Punchbowl’s reporting, callin the proposition a “hostile and political act” by the company. She wondered why Amazon didn’t do the same with, in her view, price increases due to the Biden administration’s impact on inflation. Leavitt also asserted, “This is another reason why Americans should buy American.”

The plan was only to affect Amazon Haul, not the main Amazon site

As it turns out, Punchbowl’s sources didn’t have the whole story—that, or the story changed in the wake of the White House’s ire. According to Jeff Stein, chief economics reporter for The Washington Post, an Amazon spokesperson is now saying that the company never planned for the tariff price label to be included on the company’s main site; rather, Amazon Haul had considered listing import price duties on some products.

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Amazon Haul is the “ultra-low cost” section of Amazon’s marketplace. Rather than display all of the products the company sells, Amazon Haul solely focuses on products that are $20 or less. (Amazon says that most products are actually $10 or less.)

If Amazon is really only considering these tariffs labels on Amazon Haul products, that would suggest a far smaller scope for the rollout than Punchbowl or the White House made the situation out to be. The Trump administration likely would reject any assertion that consumers were paying more for products due to tariffs, but Amazon Haul is pretty tucked away, and is currently in beta. (I had personally never heard of the service until this report.)

Of course, it isn’t clear if this was the plan all along, or if Amazon is doing damage control. The company might be trying to placate the White House without claiming that Punchbowl misreported the entire story by shifting the blame to a niche section of its marketplace—but all the while had been considering including this tariff transparency on the main site. It’s all speculation, and we’ll need to see how the company responds going forward.

How would these tariff labels work?

Punchbowl’s report said that Amazon will, “display how much of an item’s cost is derived from tariffs—right next to the product’s total listed price.”

That would be the simplest way to go about it: You could see the total cost of the product, the amount that price went up due to tariffs, and then do the calculation yourself to determine what that product would have cost had the Trump administration not imposed these tariffs in the first place.

You can see why the White House is unhappy.

How to track tariff-related price increases

You don’t need to wait for Amazon to add these labels to see any effects from tariffs, however. If you use a price tracking tool, you’ll be able to track how prices have fluctuated over time on the site. The tool won’t be able to confirm for you without doubt that a price increase was due to tariffs, but if something unexpectedly jumps in price this spring with no other clear explanation, it won’t be much of a leap to believe tariffs had something to do with it.

The ground has just shifted for anyone trying to figure out the exact release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 as 2K has altered plans for another game in its stable, Borderlands 4. The latest entry in Gearbox’s series will arrive 11 days earlier than previously announced as it will debut on September 12.

After teasing a delay, Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford said “the team has been working very hard. Everything’s going great, actually. In fact, everything’s going kind of the best case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking.” As such, Gearbox and 2K are bringing the release date forward. Gearbox said the decision was made after “a lot of meetings, playtesting and incredible development work.”

Sony is hosting a dedicated State of Play for Borderlands 4 on April 30 (which is tomorrow, fact fans). The stream will run for around 20 minutes or so and you can watch it on the PlayStation’s Twitch and YouTube channels at 5PM ET.

Meanwhile, that sound you just heard was countless game developers and publishers scrambling to deduce what the revised Borderlands 4 date means for GTA 6. The latter is still scheduled to arrive this fall and 2K is likely to want to have a buffer of at least a few weeks to avoid cannibalizing Borderlands 4 sales. If the fall release window still holds for GTA 6, that means it should arrive sometime in October or November (2K will certainly want to have the game out before Black Friday in that scenario).

It’s been widely reported that publishers and studios are holding off on revealing release dates for any games they have coming out this fall to see when GTA 6 lands, so they can give that guaranteed juggernaut as wide a berth as possible. As it happens, Sony is one of the few companies that’s locked in fall dates for major games. Marathon will drop on Borderlands 4‘s old date of September 23 while Ghost of Yōtei is slated to hit PS5 on October 2. Perhaps Sony, which is working with 2K on promoting Borderlands 4, knows more about the GTA 6 release date than it’s letting on.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/borderlands-4-release-date-moves-up-to-september-12-154958162.html?src=rss

Nobody does pasta quite like the Italians, as anyone who has tasted an authentic “pasta alla cacio e pepe” can attest. It’s a simple dish: just tonnarelli pasta, pecorino cheese, and pepper. But its simplicity is deceptive. Cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper”) is notoriously challenging to make because it’s so easy for the sauce to form unappetizing clumps with a texture more akin to stringy mozzarella rather than being smooth and creamy.

A team of Italian physicists has come to the rescue with a foolproof recipe based on their many scientific experiments, according to a new paper published in the journal Physics of Fluids. The trick: using corn starch for the cheese and pepper sauce instead of relying on however much starch leaches into the boiling water as the pasta is cooked.

“A true Italian grandmother or a skilled home chef from Rome would never need a scientific recipe for cacio e pepe, relying instead on instinct and years of experience,” the authors wrote. “For everyone else, this guide offers a practical way to master the dish. Preparing cacio e pepe successfully depends on getting the balance just right, particularly the ratio of starch to cheese. The concentration of starch plays a crucial role in keeping the sauce creamy and smooth, without clumps or separation.”

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As part of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, Congress mandated that every four years, the government must produce a National Climate Assessment. This document is intended to provide an overview of the changing state of our knowledge about the process itself and its impact on our environment. Past versions have been comprehensive and involved the work of hundreds of scientists, all coordinated by the US’s Global Change Research Program.

It’s not clear what the next report will look like. Two weeks after cutting funding for the organization that coordinates the report’s production, the Trump administration has apparently informed all the authors working on it that their services are no longer needed.

The National Climate Assessment has typically been like a somewhat smaller-scale version of the IPCC reports, with a greater focus on impacts in the US. It is a very detailed look at the state of climate science, the impacts warming is having on the US, and our efforts to limit warming and deal with those impacts. Various agencies and local governments have used it to help plan for the expected impacts of our warming climate.

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