Streaming is overtaking broadcast, cable, and satellite. But amid all the cord cutting lies a much smaller, yet intriguing, practice: going back to cable.
Cord reviving is when cord cutters, or people who previously abandoned traditional TV services in favor of streaming, decide to go back to traditional pay-TV services, like cable.
There’s no doubt that this happens far less frequently than cord cutting. But TiVo’s Q2 2025 Video Trends Report: North America released today points to growth in cord reviving. It reads:
It’s not officially called October Prime Day, and it doesn’t technically start until next Tuesday, but Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days 2025 sale is already offering up quite a few deals on kitchen tech. And we’re finding a good number of deals on the air fryers, multicookers, soda makers and more that we’ve tested and recommend. The Engadget team has tested plenty of excellent kitchen tech, as seen in our reviews and buying guides. so if you want to read up before you buy, you can. We’ll be adding more deals to this list as we get closer to Tuesday, and expect to add a lot more once the sale officially starts. For now, here are the best Prime Day kitchen deals we could find.
Ninja Creami ice cream maker with extra pints $200 ($55 off with Prime): Here’s a bundle that includes two additional pint jars for the ice cream maker. It’s one of our favorite pieces of kitchen tech and we called it a frozen fantasy-maker in our review. Note that the unit itself dipped down to $160 last Black Friday and the extra pints have gone as low as $16.
Instant Pot Vortex Plus with Clear Cook for $80 ($20 off with Prime): This Vortex air fryer model is similar to our top airfryer pick, but is missing the Odor Ease feature. It still has the Clear Cook window that lets you keep an eye on your food as it crisps and the Vortex cooking tech heats up remarkably fast, with almost no pre-heating time.
Instant Pot Vortex 2-QT Mini for $38 ($22 off with Prime): The budget model from our air fryer guide may not be large but its two-quart basket is enough to reheat leftovers for two or cook up a batch of frozen appetizers. And, because of its small size, it doesn’t take up a ton of space on your countertops — ideal for a small kitchen.
Breville InFizz Fusion beverage maker for $200 ($50 off): We called this fizz-maker the bubble master in our review. True, it’s pricier than rivals in the same space, but the upscale design — that actually looks good on a countertop — somewhat makes up for the price premium. We also appreciate the Fusion Cap that helps prevent messy eruptions when you’re bubbling up your drinks.
Cosori Air Fryer Pro Compact for $85 ($15 off with Prime): One of our concerns with the Cosori 9-in-1 was that it was a little on the wide side, taking up extra countertop space. The Pro Compact has a more space-saving design while still packing a five-quart basket.
Instant Pot 4QT Vortex mini air fryer for $55 ($35 off with Prime): This model’s four-quart capacity falls between our top Instant Pot air fryer pick and the budget model. It has the Clear Cook window feature, six presets and it comes in pink in addition to the standard white and black.
Instant Pot Duo Plus for $90 ($50 off): We named this the best multicooker in our guide to the best kitchen tech we’ve tested. It can cook a dizzying array of foods from basic beans and rice to homemade yogurt. We like this one because it’s simple to use, and has quick-cooking modes for soup, eggs and grains. There’s even a sous vide cooking function.
Breville Bambino Plus for $400 ($100 off): In our gift guide for coffee lovers, this espresso machine earned our respect for its compact size and the fact that it doesn’t cost a grand, like some machines do. Plus the controls are easy for beginners to learn but makes silky milkfoam for pro-level latte artists.
Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $130 ($20 off): This went as low as $110 back in January, but it’s still a decent discount on a high-powered juice extractor. We were won over by its impressive juicing abilities and despite how it looks, it’s surprisingly easy to clean — as long as you do it right away.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-early-october-prime-day-kitchen-deals-include-up-to-39-percent-off-our-favorite-air-fryers-193009170.html?src=rss
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I’ve written a lot of e-bike reviews for Lifehacker, and almost all of the bikes have come from established companies like Canyon, Aventon, and Specialized. Though they came from big brands, you generally can’t buy these bikes from large retailers like Amazon or Best Buy; you gotta buy ’em direct or through a bike shop. That means you have to put in a little more legwork to get one, but it’s worth it. I always recommend test riding as many bikes as you can, and since those big box retailers tend to sell lower-priced e-bikes, the quality can vary wildly.
To demonstrate this (and provide a general guide of red flags to look for in an e-bike), I’m comparing a fat-tire e-bike you can get at Walmart, The Magicyle Ocelot Pro, against a comparable, straight-to-consumer ride, The Aventon Aventure 3. At first glance, they seems similar—both are fat-tire trail bikes designed to be ridden on both local bike paths and a gravel roads—but there’s a world of difference between them.
E-bikes are not cheap. For a reliable-but-not-flashy ride, you’ll probably spend at least $1,500. You can buy e-bikes on Amazon for ridiculously low prices, like this e-mountain bike for $355, but I wouldn’t ride this particular bike anywhere, let alone down a mountain. I’m a big fan of semi-disposable consumer goods in most cases, but not when it comes to safety; a powered vehicle that can reach speeds of nearly 30mph is not where you want to skimp.
The Magicycle Ocelot Pro isn’t one of these dirt-cheap bikes. They seem like they’re somewhere between a no-name-special and a bike from a more established company. Unlike most bicycle companies, you can get Magicycles through larger retailers. The company lists the Ocelot Pro at $2,399 with a markdown to $1,499, but Walmart says the list price is $1,699. An Aventon Aventure 3 costs $1999, and can only be purchased through the company and partnered bike shops.
Many people might think that because the Magicycle is cheaper and easier to purchase, the choice is obvious—but that $500 or so is the difference between one of the best e-bikes I’ve tested and one of the worst.
Manufacturers who sell through retail chains have a much larger base of potential buyers, but the downside is, generally, whippet-skinny profit margins. While I obviously don’t know what Magicycle’s profit-margins are like, my first impression of the Ocelot Pro was “corners were cut.”
Before I even gave it a test drive, I spun the front wheel. It’s not aligned properly, which I noticed immediately:
Getting a wheel sorted costs about $20 at your local bike shop, but many bike shops flat-out won’t work on bicycles with parts that aren’t from established companies. The Ocelot Pro is a mishmash of lower end components from brands like Shimano and parts with no manufacturer listed, so you could run into problems with repairs down the road.
Speaking of non-name-brand parts, both WalMart’s site and Magicycle’s picture an Ocelot Pro with 20X4″ tires from Kenda, a reputable tire company, but the tires on the actual bike have no name. Look:
These anonymous tires might be fine, but how could you know? As promised, Aventon’s bike has 26×4″ Inova tires.
Speaking of parts, the Aventure’s suspension fork was made by Zoom. While not a top-of-the-line component, Zoom forks are a solid, lower-end component. Like its tires, the Ocelot’s fork was made by no one, so who knows how it will perform? For casual riding, it would likely never make a difference, but these are both ostensibly all-terrain bikes that you can ride on gravel, which suggests a level of ruggedness that I wouldn’t feel comfortable trusting to a mystery suspension fork.
Both the Aventure 3 and the the Ocelot Pro are legally classified as “class 3” e-bikes. That means the motor assistance should stop at 28 mph from pedaling, and the throttle-only assistance is supposed to top out at 20 mph. But on my first ride on the Ocelot, I twisted the throttle and the thing accelerated to nearly 23 mph. For comparison, the Aventure 3 tops out at 20 mph. Check it out:
That makes the Ocelot Pro the fastest throttled e-bike I’ve ever tested for Lifehacker. “It goes faster” might be a selling point for some, but it makes this bike technically illegal to ride on the streets of California. Cops aren’t likely to be radar-checking to make sure your e-bike never breaks 20 mph, but going over the limit by anything suggests a lack of quality control, a corner that has been cut. Another point of comparison in the video above: while both bikes output around the same amount of power, the Ocelot Pro’s motor is a lot louder than the Aventon’s.
And then there’s the battery gauge. For technical reasons involving voltage and amperages, the “fuel gauges” on e-bikes are never that accurate, but the Ocelot’s is among the worst I’ve experienced. It’s all over the place: when I left to take the above video, the gauge read 67%. It was 32% half a mile later, then down to 22% after a mile ride. I turned the thing on and off, and it was at 56%:
Beyond parts and performance, there are the intangibles that separate a budget e-bike from a premium one, and they matter, particularly when you’re playing between $1,500 and $2,000 for a product.
Overall, the Aventure 3 looks and rides like a premium e-bike: the welds are clean and the paint is sharp. The Ocelot Pro feels thrown together. It’s not something you can measure on a spec sheet, but I’ve tested many e-bikes for Lifehacker, and I can feel the difference between a janky bike and a solid one. The Aventon feels like a bike you could trust on a long ride; the Ocelot feels like a bike you’d be nervous to take too far from home.
The Aventure 3 comes with an app that connects to the bike via Bluetooth, letting you track rides, tweak settings (including getting granular with the pedal assist levels), and update firmware. It also features a suite of built-in anti-theft features—like disabling the motor if the bike is stolen and GPS tracking—for extra peace of mind. There’s even a mini social media feature to check out what other Aventon riders are up to. The Magicycle has none of that. You’re buying a single product, not something that feels supported or maintained over time.
On paper, the Aventon Aventure 3 and the Magicycle Ocelot Pro look like they’re playing in the same league, but they just ain’t. The Aventure delivers reliable performance, thoughtful features, and long-term support, while the Ocelot cuts corners in ways you might not notice, especially if you haven’t ridden a ton of e-bikes. If you’re spending $1,500 or more on a bike, it’s worth spending a little extra for a brand with a reputation for producing worthwhile products. So my advice remains the same: test ride as many bikes as you can, and before you buy an e-bike from Target (or Walmart, or Amazon), make very sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing home-search website Zillow, alleging that it paid rival Redfin $100 million to eliminate competition in the online listing business. The suit refers to a deal inked back in February between the two companies in which Redfin allegedly agreed to become “an exclusive syndicator of Zillow listings.”
The allegations suggest that Redfin began copying over listings from Zillow instead of creating its own listings, which gave Zillow much more control over the space. The suit also accuses Redfin of agreeing to end contracts with advertising customers in an alleged attempt to cede more ground to Zillow.
The FTC went on to suggest that this anti-competitive practice would lead to higher prices and worsening terms for both renters and advertisers. “This agreement is nothing more than an end run around competition that insulates Zillow from head-to-head competition on the merits with Redfin for customers advertising multifamily buildings,” the lawsuit said.
Zillow released a statement on the suit, which was published by CNN. The statement called the previous deal with Redfin “pro-competitive and pro-consumer” and noted that “our listing syndication with Redfin benefits both renters and property managers and has expanded renters’ access to multifamily listings across multiple platforms.”
Redfin also disagrees with the allegations from the FTC, saying that “by the end of 2024, it was clear that the existing number of Redfin advertising customers couldn’t justify the cost of maintaining our rentals sales force.” The company went on to suggest that “partnering with Zillow cut those costs and enabled us to invest more in rental-search innovations on Redfin, directly benefiting apartment seekers.”
The FTC further alleges that Redfin laid off hundreds of workers as part of the deal, going on to help Zillow hire some of these employees. Basically, the agency is accusing Zillow of acquiring a large part of Redfin’s business, all while hiding behind the idea of a partnership to avoid scrutiny. The FTC has asked the court to end the agreement and consider a divestiture of assets.
This isn’t the only current legal dispute that Zillow finds itself in. A real estate brokerage company called Compass issued its own lawsuit back in June, accusing Zillow of engaging in anticompetitive practices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftc-sues-zillow-and-accuses-it-of-buying-off-rival-redfin-184539492.html?src=rss
A high court in India has ruled that legible medical prescriptions are a fundamental right after a judge found a government doctor’s report completely incomprehensible. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri of the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued the order while reviewing a bail petition in an unrelated criminal case. The medico-legal report examining an alleged assault victim was written in handwriting that the judge said left not even a single word or letter legible.
The court directed India’s government to add handwriting instruction to medical school curriculum and mandated a two-year timeline for rolling out digital prescriptions nationwide. Until electronic systems are implemented, all doctors must write prescriptions in capital letters. The Indian Medical Association, representing over 330,000 physicians, told BBC it would help address the issue. Association president Dr Dilip Bhanushali said doctors in Indian cities have largely adopted digital prescriptions but practitioners in rural areas and small towns continue using handwritten notes.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Federal Communications Commission yesterday voted to end funding for two programs designed to help schoolchildren and library patrons access the Internet.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr claims that Biden-era orders to establish the programs exceeded the FCC’s authority. The FCC voted 2-1 to kill the programs, with Republican Olivia Trusty voting with Carr and Democrat Anna Gomez dissenting.
In the previous administration, the FCC expanded the Universal Service Fund’s E-Rate program in 2024 to let schools and libraries lend out Wi-Fi hotspots and services that could be used off-premises. The FCC separately decided in 2023 to let the E-Rate program pay for Wi-Fi service on school buses.
Yoshua Bengio called for a pause on AI model development two years ago to focus on safety standards. Companies instead invested hundreds of billions of dollars into building more advanced models capable of executing long chains of reasoning and taking autonomous action. The A.M. Turing Award winner and Universite de Montreal professor told the Wall Street Journal that his concerns about existential risk have not diminished.
Bengio founded the nonprofit research organization LawZero earlier this year to explore how to build truly safe AI models. Recent experiments demonstrate AI systems in some circumstances choose actions that cause human death over abandoning their assigned goals. OpenAI recently insisted that current frontier model frameworks will not eliminate hallucinations. Bengio, however, said even a 1% chance of catastrophic events like extinction or the destruction of democracies is unacceptable. He estimates advanced AI capable of posing such risks could arrive in five to ten years but urged treating three years as the relevant timeframe. The race condition between competing AI companies focused on weekly version releases remains the biggest barrier to adequate safety work, he said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Can you remember the last time you had a totally pain-free back? I know I’m on a never-ending search for relief. Percussive massage guns, non-percussive massage guns, regular foam rollers, even percussive foam rollers—I’m determined to try it all. Now, my search has brought me to decompression devices.
These devices promise personalized, premium massages and decompression right in your own home. It’s the closest thing you can get to replicating an actual masseuse. You lay on your back and let the rollers in the device do the work for you. And from personal experience, I can share that they do provide immediate comfort and relief.
The thing is, compared to a standard massage gun, a full decompression massage table is pretty expensive. Products like the Chirp Contour might feel amazing, but with a price tag of $600, I have to wonder if they’re truly worth every penny. Do these devices deliver real results or just Instagram-worthy self-care moments?
The massage professionals I spoke with shared a consistent perspective: These devices aren’t worthless, but they’re far from essential for most people. Here’s what you need to know before you drop hundreds of dollars in your righteous pursuit of muscle relief.
To be clear, these tables do provide real sensations of relief. “Of course this device is going to feel good. It’s going to provide massage and heat, which is going to help to relax the muscle tension,” explains W. Zach Smith, founder and doctor of physical therapy at HIDEF Physical Therapy. Plus, “devices like this are getting better and better, and if you have the disposable income, it can be of some benefit to you.” I know I adore my Chirp Contour, which specifically offers considerable customization. But Smith quickly adds an important caveat: “For most people, what I see with these types of devices is they purchase some, use them for a few weeks and then they end up just sitting at their home not getting used.”
That pattern—initial enthusiasm followed by the device becoming expensive furniture—is perhaps the most damning criticism. Smith notes he personally hasn’t “found one of these devices that is just an absolute game changer” for his patients that leads to consistent long-term use.
Amanda Grimm, a sports and remedial massage therapist at Knead Massage, points out another often-overlooked benefit: “At-home massage/decompression tables can help with relaxation, if nothing else, for the fact that they make the person stop rushing around and take some time for themselves.” That forced pause can help relieve tension, though it “may not be the targeted muscle relief that the individual requires.”
Here’s where things get sobering for anyone hoping a $600 purchase will solve their chronic pain. Smith is blunt: “At the end of the day, massage and heat is not going to resolve 90% of low back pain. You need the additional mobility, stretching, and the most important, a re-strengthening program in order to truly solve low back pain.”
Jennifer Brandon, rehabilitation manager at HOAG Orthopedic Institute, echoes this concern: “I think that at home decompression tables can be helpful in finding some relief, even to loosen your tight muscles. I would just note that at home gadgets should never replace structured rehabilitation, nor should they really be substituted for strength training to build up weak muscles.”
From a sports recovery perspective, Grimm notes these devices “may aid general self-care, but without the assessment, additional full movement and personalized treatment provided by a professional therapist, they are more superficial than impactful.”
Still, I get a lot of relief with my Chirp Contour, so let’s do the math to see when these devices are worth their cost. If you typically pay $100 for an hour-long professional massage, a $600 device would theoretically pay for itself after just six uses. Sounds great, right?
But here’s the reality check: These aren’t equivalent experiences. A professional massage involves assessment, targeted technique, adjustment based on your body’s response, and often addresses issues you didn’t even know you had. Your at-home device delivers the same experience every time—no expert eyes evaluating your problem, no hands adapting pressure to what your muscles need.
If you were getting weekly massages at $100 each, you’d spend $5,200 annually. In that scenario, a $600 device seems like a no-brainer investment. But most people aren’t getting weekly professional massages. They’re considering whether to buy this device instead of occasional professional treatment—and that’s where the comparison falls apart.
Brandon sums it up well: “These items can be more of a wellness nice-to-have, than a must-have. Especially with such a steep price range. If you find yourself dealing with an ongoing issue, you might be better off investing that money into a professional that can help you get to the actual root of your problem.”
Grimm offers a practical middle ground: “For $600, it may be more beneficial to invest that in a series of remedial sports massages for injury relief—but that said, if you have the disposable cash to spend, then it can work as a cool-down tool after a workout or just a bit of pampering!”
Expensive decompression and massage tables aren’t scams—they do provide relaxation and temporary relief. But they’re not the miracle solution their marketing suggests. I would tell you if I thought something was worth every penny, but $600 is a whole lot of pennies. If you’re dealing with chronic pain or sports injuries, that $600 is almost certainly better spent on professional assessment and treatment that addresses the underlying problem.
However, if you already have a solid strength and mobility routine, see professionals when needed, and simply want a luxurious recovery tool for your home gym? And crucially, if you’re the type of person who’ll actually use it consistently rather than letting it collect dust? Then it might be worth considering. Just go in with realistic expectations about what it can and cannot do.
Think of it like buying a fancy espresso machine. It’s not going to replace your favorite coffee shop’s expertise, but it’s a nice convenience if you’ll genuinely use it regularly and can comfortably afford it. The key question isn’t whether it works; it’s whether you’ll still be using it six months from now.
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The fourth and final race of Zwift Racing League 2025/26 Round 1 happens Tuesday, October 7, and we’ll be in Watopia for a points race on the brand-new Jarvis Seaside Sprint route.
This course presents particular challenges as a points race, which we’ll unpack below. As always, there’s much to discuss, so let’s dive in!
Each lap of Watopia’s Jarvis Seaside Sprint route is 12.5km long with 95m of elevation gain, and we begin with a 2.8km lead-in with 36m of climbing. So for this, the final race of Round 1, the A and B categories will race 40.3km (3 laps), while the C and D categories will race 27.8km (2 laps).
Here are the key sections of the route from a points race perspective:
Aero Boost (helmet) at Downtown Watopia Start/Finish arch: makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.) Use your first aero to nab sprint points on the JWB Sprint Reverse.
Lead-In (0-2.6km): the start will always be a bit spicy, but this lead-in, in particular, will tax the legs with its short climb up from downtown Watopia, then the undulating road of The Esses, and finally the kicker climb taking you into the descent that launches the JWB Sprint Reverse.
JWB Sprint Reverse @2.6km (200 meters, 0%) (FAL+FTS): our first points segment of the day may also prove to be the fastest, since the pack will be at its largest and aero powerups will be burning holes in our jersey pockets. The JWB Sprint is fast and rather technical. If you need pointers on maximizing your performance on this segment, read this post.
(The JWB Sprint Reverse arch is the start/finish banner for the Jarvis Seaside Sprint course, so A and B riders will contest this segment a total of four times: once at the end of your lead-in, then three more times at the end of each lap.)
Draft Boost (van) at JWB Sprint arch: increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) Use this to boost your speed when contesting the Jarvis Sprint Reverse.
Jarvis Sprint Reverse @5.7km (200 meters, 0.2%) (FAL+FTS): our next points segment of the day is the same length as the JWB Sprint, but it will feel much longer since we aren’t entering it off of a descent! On top of that, the pack may be cagey, since every has to decide just how hard they’re willing to go, given that the Jarvis KOM Reverse starts just a few hundred meters up the road. (Is it worth grabbing big sprint points if you get dropped from the front group?)
Lightweight (feather) at Jarvis Sprint arch: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds.
Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. Ideally you’d use it on the second, steeper section of the KOM so you’re as light as possible when weight matters most.
Jarvis KOM Reverse @7.5km (1.3km, 3.1%) (FAL+FTS): the only true climb of the race, the Jarvis KOM Reverse is really two steep, short punches, separated by flat bits at the start and in the middle. This will be the key inflection point of the race, as strong puncheurs will be pushing hard because 1) intermediate points and 2) this is their best chance of dropping other riders. Save your feather for this section!
Burrito at the Jarvis KOM arch: turns off the draft effect for riders in a cone-shaped window behind you for 20 seconds. Use when attacking off the front so opponents have to work harder to follow you, or in the peloton to make others work harder. Use this wherever you’d like, but try not to burrito your teammates.
Aero Boost (helmet) at Jarvis Lap arch: makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.) Save this for use on the JWB Sprint up the road. You simply won’t be able to finish near the front without it, unless you manage to stick a breakaway off the front!
Climb into the Volcano @11.1km: riders always push hard up this short climb (200-300 meters long), so don’t get caught out. The aero boost you just picked up can be helpful for chasing back onto the wheels here as you near the Volcano Lap arch, but you’ll really want to save it for the sprint up the road.
Cloaking (ghost) at Volcano Lap arch: makes you invisible to other riders for 15 seconds. Use when you want to get away from one or more riders. Deploy then hammer, in hopes that you will create enough of a gap that your opponents can’t grab your wheel. Important: the ghost is disabled within 400m of the finish line, so don’t plan to hold this until the final sprint! Many riders will just throw this powerup away or not even get it because they’re still holding an aero powerup. But you can use it to help you get away off the front if you’re going for a long breakaway.
Finish: after completing the lead-in plus 3 full laps (2 laps for C & D categories), it will be time for the final sprint to the line. Again, the JWB Sprint is fast and rather technical. If you need pointers on maximizing your performance on this segment, read this post.
Read more about the Jarvis Seaside Sprint route >
This route features two flat sprint segments (including the finish), and one short KOM segment that is more like two short uphill sprints.
So do you optimize for climbing (lightweight) or speed (aero)? With so many points up for grabs on the sprints, you’ll want to be careful about sacrificing aero for weight. But with the KOM being the key selection point in the race, you don’t want your heavier aero setup to send you out the back of the pack when the going gets steep.
We ran tests up the Jarvis KOM Reverse at 5 w/kg using the S-Works Tarmac SL8 and a variety of top-performing wheels: the DT Swiss 85 Disc, the DT Swiss 65, ENVE 4.5 Pro, and ENVE 8.9. We ran the same test using the Tron bike. In the end, the DT Swiss 65s turned in the best time (2:25.17), but every setup was within a half-second of that time.
So if you’re confident in your ability to hang onto the pack over the KOM with disc wheels, use ’em. Because they’ll give you an advantage in the sprints. If you want to hedge your bets a bit, go with the lighter DT Swiss 65s, which will be just a bit slower on the sprints but may be the difference between hanging with the front and getting dropped.
See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers (Scatter Plot) for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance, and check out Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to determine the fastest setup available to you.
Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
These charts show the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. In the charts above, we’ve added the FAL points for the final JWB Sprint Reverse to the FIN points, since that’s effectively how they will operate. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.
Here are some predictions of strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
Mars isn’t our only neighbor that may harbor life. The odds have risen that Saturn’s moon Enceladus may, too. On Wednesday, scientists published a paper outlining the increasing complexity of molecules emitted from beneath the moon’s surface. “We now have all elements required for Enceladus to harbour life,” the ESA’s Dr Jörn Helbert told The Guardian.
Enceladus gives researchers a unique window into its subsurface world. The Cassini mission already taught us that plumes of water ice shoot 6,000 miles into space from Enceladus. The source of those icy jets is believed to be a subsurface saltwater ocean, around 30 miles deep, that envelops the entire moon. The space geysers shoot out from its South Pole.
Previous analysis of the moon’s icy particles already revealed the chemical building blocks for life as we know it. But before, the organics were inferred from studying Saturn’s E ring, which is composed mostly of material from the icy jet. In contrast, this study looked at data from the Cassini mission’s flyby of the plumes themselves. What’s different today is the variety of organic signatures and the freshness of the samples. “These grains were just minutes old,” lead author Dr. Nozair Khawaja told The Guardian.
“The detection of organics directly in the plume rules out space weathering as the sole production pathway,” the paper’s authors wrote. Space weathering refers to radiation and other processes that potentially alter or spoil the samples. “The grains are fresh, unaltered and proof of survival through ocean transit and plume emission” for the compounds.
“These grains were just minutes old,” Khawaja said. “It means that what we are capturing here is actually the pure sample from the subsurface.” He said the results also increased the known complexity of Enceladus’ sub-surface organic chemistry. “When there is complexity happening, that means that the habitable potential of Enceladus is increasing right now,” he said.
The results still don’t prove that there’s life on Saturn’s moon. However, they do suggest a chemically rich subsurface ocean that could seed the building blocks of life. Your move, Mars.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/saturns-ocean-moon-looks-more-hospitable-to-subsurface-life-than-we-thought-174149814.html?src=rss
Britain’s net public debt has climbed from 35% of GDP in 2005 to 95% today. The government is borrowing over 4% of GDP annually despite no emergency comparable to the financial crisis or pandemic that drove much of the earlier increase. The belt-tightening needed to stabilize debt levels amounts to about 2% of GDP. The Labour government holds a 157-seat majority in Parliament and has four years until the next election.
Britain spends about 6% of GDP supporting pensioners, an increase of over a third this century. Some 15% of the working-age population now claims jobless allowances following a surge in disability claims since the pandemic. Labour attempted to reduce spending on pensioners and welfare this year but reversed both reform plans after political outcry from within the party.
Tax revenue is already on course to reach 38% of GDP, a historical high for Britain. Labour promised before the election not to raise broad-based taxes on income and consumption. Four in five Britons say the government is mismanaging the economy. Yields on long-term government debt exceed those in any other major rich economy. The economy grew faster than any other G7 country in the first half of 2025, but the fiscal adjustment that would bring Britain to a primary surplus of less than 0.5% remains politically elusive.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Xbox owners got a bit of a nasty surprise thanks to Microsoft’s sudden announcement today that the monthly cost of a Game Pass Ultimate subscription is getting a 50 percent increase. The new $30 monthly price, up from $20, is going to really sting for a lot of people, especially with no cheaper annual or quarterly options offered.
Fortunately, the rough price hike isn’t all that Microsoft talked about today — there are a lot of games being added to the service, particularly for the two most expensive plans. In case you aren’t up to date, Game Pass is now split into three slightly revamped tiers: Essential, Premium and Ultimate, two of which are confusingly also names Sony uses for its cheapest and most expensive PS Plus offerings. You can read a full breakdown of each tier and what they cost here.
More than 45 new games have joined the Ultimate library, with certain Ultimate games trickling down into the Premium and Essential tiers. If that sounds confusing, that’s probably because it is, but the main headlines are that Hogwarts Legacy is now part of Game Pass Ultimate and Premium, while the priciest Ultimate lineup has ballooned in size thanks to the introduction of Ubisoft Classics+. This curated catalogue of Ubisoft’s extensive back catalogue joins EA Play, which was already part of Ultimate, and is a pretty significant addition to the service. Especially if you like old-school Assassin’s Creed.
Here is the full list of games joining each Game Pass tier today.
Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed II (PC)
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag: Freedom Cry (PC)
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PC)
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (PC)
Assassin’s Creed Revelations (PC)
Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection (Cloud and Console)
Assassin’s Creed Unity (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Child of Light (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Far Cry 3 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Far Cry Primal (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Hungry Shark World (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Monopoly Madness (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Monopoly 2024 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
OddBallers (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (Cloud and Console)
Rabbids: Party of Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Rayman Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Risk Urban Assault (Cloud and Console)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Skull and Bones (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S)
South Park: The Stick of Truth (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Steep (Cloud, PC, and Console)
The Crew 2 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
The Settlers: New Allies (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Tom Clancy’s The Division (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Trackmania Turbo (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Transference (Cloud and Console)
Trials Fusion (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Trials of the Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Trials Rising (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Uno (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Watch Dogs (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Wheel of Fortune (Cloud and Console)
Zombi (Cloud, PC, and Console)
9 Kings (Game Preview) (PC)
Abiotic Factor (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Against the Storm (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC)
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (PC)
Age of Mythology: Retold (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Ara: History Untold (PC)
Arx Fatalis (PC)
Back to the Dawn (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Battletech (PC)
Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) (PC)
Cataclismo (PC)
Cities: Skylines II (PC)
Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Diablo (PC)
Diablo IV (PC and Console)
An Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire (PC)
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC)
Fallout (PC)
Fallout 2 (PC)
Fallout: Tactics (PC)
Football Manager 2024 (PC)
Frostpunk 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Halo: Spartan Strike (PC)
Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Manor Lords (Game Preview) (PC)
Minami Lane (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Minecraft: Java Edition (PC)
Mullet Madjack (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, PC, and Console)
One Lonely Outpost (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Quake 4 (PC)
Quake III Arena (PC)
Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (PC)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Sworn (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/|S)
Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC)
Volcano Princess (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Warcraft I: Remastered (PC)
Warcraft II: Remastered (PC)
Warcraft III: Reforged (PC)
Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
Cities: Skylines Remastered (Cloud and Xbox Series X/|S)
Disney Dreamlight Valley (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Hades (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (Cloud, PC, and Console)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/here-are-all-the-games-microsoft-added-to-game-pass-today-including-a-whole-lot-of-assassins-creed-171525929.html?src=rss
A portable storage device can make a world of difference to intensive processing tasks, from running massive video games — which feels like all of them these days — to core operating system functions. A solid-state drive (SSD) gives your hard drive more bandwidth than it comes with by default, making huge chunks of data easier to digest and keeping your device from running too hot. This October Prime Day, we’ve rounded up the best deals on SSDs, portable SSDs and microSD cards. Not only are these some of the best products in the field, but their prices are lower than they’re likely to be for some time thanks to Amazon Prime Day.
Crucial T500 1TB for $89 (38 percent off): We named the Crucial T500 one of the best SSDs for PS5 and still stand by that rating. This 1TB model can hit read speeds of 7,300MB/s, more than enough for optimal performance per Sony’s specs. You can even install it at home with no tools more complicated than a screwdriver.
Crucial X10 4TB Portable SSD for $240 (39 percent off): The Crucial X9 is our current favorite portable SSD, but the X10 is a step beyond. Based on USB 3.2, it’s compatible with a wide range of devices, and reaches reading speeds of 2,100MB/s — all in an extremely portable pocket-sized case.
Samsung 990 Evo Plus 1TB for $70 (33 percent off): This is an incredible deal on an internal SSD from a reliable brand. All capacities of the Samsung 990 Evo Plus are currently on sale, but even the 1TB option can visibly boost your performance with top read speeds of 7,250MB/s. There’s no heatsink, but nickel plating on the controller reduces both heat output and energy use.
Samsung Fit Plus 256GB for $23 (30 percent off): The Samsung Fit Plus isn’t just the best thumb drive on the market right now — it’s one of the best SSDs, period. This deal gets you 256GB of storage and read speeds of 400MB/s for almost unfathomably cheap. It’s also built to resist water, extreme temperatures, magnets and even radiation.
Kingston SX1000 1TB High Performance for $89 (23 percent off): If you can’t swing a Crucial X9 or X10 right now, Kingston offers a much more affordable alternative. The SX1000 can handle both PC backups and gaming storage with ease, nearly matching the X9 in our speed tests. It’s also easy to carry around, though keep a tight grip as it’s not officially rated for any drop height.
SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD for $148 (29 percent off): The SanDisk Extreme line of portable SSDs provides a great middle ground in both price and performance. Read speeds of 1,050MB/s are enough for transferring most files you’ll encounter day-to-day. Its external design holds up too, with a large carabiner loop, IP65 waterproofing and dustproofing and drop protection as high as three meters.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card 2TB for $220 (39 percent off): This SeaGate SSD is specifically for expanding storage on the Xbox Series X and S, and it’s designed to meet Xbox specs exactly. You’ll get exactly the same performance booting a game from this card as you would from internal Xbox storage, which makes data management infinitely easier.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-october-prime-day-ssd-deals-discounts-on-gear-from-crucial-samsung-and-more-170039440.html?src=rss
During the month of September on Phoronix were 271 original Linux/open-source news articles and another 19 featured Linux hardware reviews and benchmark articles, all written by your’s truly. Here is a look back at what excited Linux enthusiasts the most on Phoronix during September…
T-Mobile just announced that its T-Satellite with Starlink service now integrates with several apps. These include AllTrails, AccuWeather, X, WhatsApp and several others. Certain native apps also now integrate with the service, like Google Messages, Apple Music and Samsung’s weather app.
It’s important to note that users won’t always have access to the full app experience here, as satellite connectivity is limited. Some features may be limited and everything is likely to be noticeably slower. Still, being able to look at a map on AllTrails while actually on a trail in the middle of nowhere will be incredibly useful. It’ll be less useful to read some random screed on X while sitting next to the campfire, but whatever gets you through the night.
T-Mobile promises that WhatsApp will allow for “sending voice notes, sharing photos or even calling your entire group chat.” This is a potential game-changer but it really depends on how slow everything is, which we won’t know until some explorers get out there to put the app through its paces.
The company has also integrated a number of business-focused apps into T-Satellite for those subscribed to the SuperMobile or T-Priority plans. These apps include the communications platform MultiLine and the AI-powered messaging service Dialpad.
T-Satellite uses Starlink satellites to provide coverage in remote parts of the world. It became broadly available back in July after months of testing. The service is available for both Android and iOS devices. It’s free for T-Mobile customers but everyone else can sign up for $10 a month.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/t-mobiles-starlink-satellite-service-now-works-with-a-handful-of-apps-165732659.html?src=rss
Over the last few months, many AI boosters have been increasingly interested in generative video models and their seeming ability to show at least limited emergent knowledge of the physical properties of the real world. That kind of learning could underpin a robust version of a so-called “world model” that would represent a major breakthrough in generative AI’s actual operant real-world capabilities.
Recently, Google’s DeepMind Research tried to add some scientific rigor to how well video models can actually learn about the real world from their training data. In the bluntly titled paper “Video Models are Zero-shot Learners and Reasoners,” the researchers used Google’s Veo 3 model to generate thousands of videos designed to test its abilities across dozens of tasks related to perceiving, modeling, manipulating, and reasoning about the real world.
In the paper, the researchers boldly claim that Veo 3 “can solve a broad variety of tasks it wasn’t explicitly trained for” (that’s the “zero-shot” part of the title) and that video models “are on a path to becoming unified, generalist vision foundation models.” But digging into the actual results of those experiments, the researchers seem to be grading today’s video models on a bit of a curve and assuming future progress will smooth out many of today’s highly inconsistent results.
Microsoft has announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will cost $29.99 per month, up from $19.99. The company restructured its subscription service into three tiers ahead of the October 16 launch of two Xbox ROG Ally handheld consoles. The new Essential tier offers 50-plus games for $9.99 monthly. Premium includes 200-plus games for $14.99. Ultimate subscribers gain access to more than 400 games, day-one releases, improved cloud streaming quality, and services including EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew.
Game Pass generated nearly $5 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue with 34 million subscribers in 2024. Console hardware prices are also increasing, with the Xbox Series X rising $50 to $649.99 starting October 3.
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