AMD Exec Says Demand For Radeon RX 9070 Series Is Unprecedented

AMD Exec Says Demand For Radeon RX 9070 Series Is Unprecedented
The last few weeks for AMD have been pretty remarkable. The chipmaker is firing on all cylinders: the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D have arrived to universal praise, the Ryzen AI Max “Strix Halo” processors finally launched to wide acclaim, and the Radeon RX 9070 series graphics cards brought the RDNA 4 architecture and a much-needed injection

SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission is on its way to the ISS

SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission has successfully launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:03PM Eastern on March 14. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are onboard and will join the ISS crew after the spacecraft docks with the orbiting lab at 11:30PM Eastern time on March 15. The new crew’s arrival will allow NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to fly back home after their supposed week-long stay on the ISS had turned into a nine-month stint. 

Williams and Wilmore flew to the ISS aboard the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed flight meant to prove its readiness to ferry astronauts to orbit. On the way to the station, however, the Starliner started leaking helium, and some of its thrusters had malfunctioned. While the astronauts and ground engineers tried to solve the issue, NASA had ultimately decided to have the Starliner fly back home uncrewed. The spacecraft returned back to Earth in September, leaving Williams and Wilmore aboard the ISS. 

Before Boeing’s Starliner flew back, NASA had already decided that Williams and Wilmore will be coming home with the SpaceX Crew-9 personnel. The mission headed to the station with only two astronauts onboard to leave two seats open for its return. They were originally scheduled to fly back in February, but Crew-10’s launch was ultimately delayed to give SpaceX enough time to process a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission. Williams and Wilmore are now expected to fly back to Earth with Crew-9’s Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov as soon as March 19.

Watch Falcon 9 launch Dragon and Crew-10 to the @Space_Station → https://t.co/VPdhVwQFNJ https://t.co/ZeAFaKzKD0

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 14, 2025

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacexs-crew-10-mission-is-on-its-way-to-the-iss-133045695.html?src=rss

M4 MacBook Air Teardown: Painful DIY Repairs But A Surprising Bright Spot

M4 MacBook Air Teardown: Painful DIY Repairs But A Surprising Bright Spot
It’s fair to say that Apple’s products are not known for being super-friendly to DIY (do-it-yourself) repairs, though not without the occasional surprise, such as the iPhone 16 that scored 7/10 by the folks at iFixIt. What about Apple’s newly minted M4 MacBook Air? A fresh teardown reveals it’s largely more of the same, though there is a “surprising

A “biohybrid” robotic hand built using real human muscle cells

Biohybrid robots work by combining biological components like muscles, plant material, and even fungi with non-biological materials. While we are pretty good at making the non-biological parts work, we’ve always had a problem with keeping the organic components alive and well. This is why machines driven by biological muscles have always been rather small and simple—up to a couple centimeters long and typically with only a single actuating joint.

“Scaling up biohybrid robots has been difficult due to the weak contractile force of lab-grown muscles, the risk of necrosis in thick muscle tissues, and the challenge of integrating biological actuators with artificial structures,” says Shoji Takeuchi, a professor at the Tokyo University, Japan. Takeuchi led a research team that built a full-size, 18 centimeter-long biohybrid human-like hand with all five fingers driven by lab-grown human muscles.

Keeping the muscles alive

Out of all the roadblocks that keep us from building large-scale biohybrid robots, necrosis has probably been the most difficult to overcome. Growing muscles in a lab usually means a liquid medium to supply nutrients and oxygen to muscle cells seeded on petri dishes or applied to gel scaffoldings. Since these cultured muscles are small and ideally flat, nutrients and oxygen from the medium can easily reach every cell in the growing culture.

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NAB Calls For End of ATSC 1.0

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Broadband TV News: The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the agency to establish a clear, industry-wide transition plan for the full deployment of Next Gen TV (ATSC 3.0). The proposal outlines a two-phased transition while modernizing regulatory requirements to support consumer access and innovation. […] Under the plan, stations in the top 55 markets, covering 70% of the US population, would transition by February 2028, with all remaining full-power and Class A stations following in or before February 2030. The petition also calls for updates to FCC rules to ensure television reception devices support Next Gen TV, maintain existing MVPD carriage obligations and eliminate regulatory hurdles that could slow adoption. To clarify, ATSC 1.0 is the current standard for free over-the-air (OTA) TV. While ATSC 3.0 (also called NextGen TV) is its intended replacement, it’s not backward-compatible, meaning consumers need new equipment to receive it. NAB’s petition is to allow a complete shutdown of ATSC 1.0 to accelerate the transition to ATSC 3.0, meaning older TV setups relying on free OTA signals would stop working unless consumers upgrade their equipment. Their argument is that ATSC 3.0 adoption has been slow, and networks would benefit more from shifting away from OTA broadcasting entirely.

Reddit user bshensky argues that shutting down OTA TV would benefit large media corporations and harm independent stations. It’s also worth noting that OTA TV operates on valuable spectrum, which could be repurposed for mobile broadband (this has happened before), benefiting cellular providers.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Engadget review recap: MacBook Air, Mac Studio, Ninja Creami and Technics AZ100

Reviews season is in full swing, and we’ve been busy at Engadget HQ. Laptops, desktops, earbuds, gaming handhelds and even an ice cream machine are among our slate of recent reviews. The great thing about this time of year is there’s really something for everyone among the in-depth testing our team undertakes. So sit back, relax and catch up on all the reviews you might’ve missed. 

Apple MacBook Air M4 13-inch and 15-inch

The M4-equipped MacBook Air is now available, and so is Devindra’s detailed review of the new Apple laptop. “The M4-equipped MacBook Air is a nearly flawless ultraportable,” he declared. “Even better, it now starts at $999, which is $100 less than before. While I’d still like to see more ports and a faster screen refresh rate, the MacBook Air still remains heads and shoulders above the competition.” 

Apple Mac Studio M4 Max

While the M3 Ultra configuration may be the absolute fastest Mac Studio, Steve argued that the powerful M4 Max version is the better and more affordable option for most power users. But, do you actually need one? Well, that depends. “If you regularly edit 4K (or higher) videos or render 3D graphics (or play games), you’d be better off with the Mac Studio,” he wrote. “For less demanding jobs, a Mac mini will likely suffice.” 

Ninja Swirl by Creami

Soft serve ice cream at home is no longer a fantasy thanks to Ninja’s Creami machine. Sam was impressed by its versatility, but he noted that the ability to make larger batches would make the gadget even better. “Not only can it create delicious concoctions that rival what you can buy from a store (and for way cheaper), it can handle pretty much any other frozen treat you can think of — all in one gadget,” he explained. “My biggest gripe is that the Swirl isn’t available in a deluxe size like you can get with its predecessor.”

Technics AZ100

Technics’ latest earbuds impressed me during a brief introduction at CES and they continued to do so during my full review. New drivers deliver big sound upgrades and three-device multipoint is only available on this company’s earbuds. “Technics thought it could make its well-reviewed AZ80 even better by borrowing tech from another entry in its portfolio and the gamble has definitively paid off,” I wrote. “Sure, you can find better noise-canceling performance with Bose and more modern features with Sony, but Technics has formulated excellent sound quality that few can challenge.”

MSI Claw 8 AI+

MSI may have stumbled with its first gaming handheld, but Sam argues that the Claw 8 AI+ is the company’s redemption. “After the original bombed, a lot of companies would have simply called it quits,” he said. “But with the Claw 8 AI+, MSI came back and totally redeemed itself. Not only is it a very competent gaming handheld, this cat offers a solid design, great performance and above-average battery life.”

Other notable reviews: M3 iPad Air, Sorry We’re Closed and more GPUs

Apple also debuted a new iPad Air recently, and while it isn’t a huge update, Nate wrote that the M3 upgrade still makes it easy to recommend. Jess took Sorry We’re Closed for a ride on PS5, specifically calling out the “epic storyline” with “heartbroken club kids and horny demons,” along with a killer soundtrack. Devindra’s work reviewing GPUs is seemingly never done, and in the last two weeks he reviewed AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070. He also put the ASUS Zenbook 14 through its paces. 

If you’re in the market for a Wi-Fi 7 setup, you’ll want to check out Dan’s review of the Eero Pro 7 where basic features are locked behind an additional purchase. Amy re-reviewed the Apple Watch SE and she has a long list of requests for Apple to include — whenever it finally decides to update its “budget” wearable. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-macbook-air-mac-studio-ninja-creami-and-technics-az100-123020577.html?src=rss

Woman Racer Spotlight: Alison Kerr

Name: Alison Kerr

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

How did you get into cycling? I used to run marathons and a friend said they thought I’d also be good on a bike, so when my ancient commuting bike needed replaced I bought a road bike in September 2019. But the traffic on the Glasgow roads I commuted on scared me, so the bike never got much use.

Fast forward to empty lockdown roads in April 2020 and I loved the freedom to escape the daily grind of lockdown/homeschooling/still working full time that the bike brought. I gained confidence on the bike and when traffic reappeared I held my road position and felt safe enough to ride IRL.

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? Since October 2020. I was concerned that lockdown would become a total lockdown/no leaving the house situation. So I bought a smart turbo in September 2020, discovered Zwift, and then the Zwift Riders Scotland team. I got utterly hooked on the social aspect, the ability to meet new people and make friends. Feeling like I was leaving the house mentally if not physically was a huge thing.

I saw a post about ZRL season 2 and took part with Zwift Riders Scotland January 2021 and loved racing as part of a team. It was perfect for childcare whilst my son was younger. I could still ride for several hours but be in the house, even helping him with homework and dictating spelling words at him to write down!

Are you part of a Virtual team? I’m in several and do different things with each. I now mainly ride WTRL TTT with Zwift Riders Scotland, I mainly race ZRL and some TTTs with Wahoo Esports ladies A, and love taking part in ladies team events, ZRL recons and mixed ladder with Level Velo.

What do you love most about racing? Racing in a team event. Especially cross category events where all categories add points. Knowing you are contributing to a team really makes me work harder. Hearing teammates’ voices as we ride makes me smile… although what the DS is telling me to do does not always make me smile! The friendly chat and banter in races is also great. Even in ladies A races, the riders can post jokes and have a laugh during it. Overall the Zwift racing world is an awesome, supportive community to be part of. 

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I adore TTTs, knowing each pull you do helps, or even when you have given your all and just have to sit in and be part of the momentum. I think it is because I’m calmer, knowing none of my teammates are actively trying to drop me, not like in a standard race where competitors are. I can simply focus on my rotations and pulls. 

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Current active series has to be Tour de Boudicca, Karla and the Warrior Games do so much to encourage all categories of ladies to try their hardest and push themselves to discover just what they can achieve whilst being in a super supportive setting. When Zwift Riders Scotland had no other A cat ladies able to take part, Karla helped find me a team for 2 years in a row. That’s how I first met Mim and some of the Level Velo ladies.

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? In a Herd ladies series from back in 2021 I was dropped on the Legsnapper alongside one other rider I did not know. We gave each other a thumbs up and 2-up TT’d it to the finish line. We commented on each other’s activities in the app and that was the start of a hugely supportive friendship with my wonderful friend Bella (of the inspiring SeekTravelRide podcast) whom I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice in the Pyrenees and ride IRL.

She introduced me to other brilliant female riders Kirsty and Brandi, and for 4 years we’ve been a wonderful virtual and IRL support to each other despite us at times being in Oregon, Australia and UK. All from working with an unknown rider after getting dropped in a race. I don’t have a memorable outside race experience… yet. My 2025 resolution was to try an IRL race and I’ve just signed up to a hilly irl iTT in Scotland in March.

What is your favourite food to eat post race? Tuesday night is burger night in our house, so post ZRL it is usually a burger.

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Message to say hi/good luck in the pen and I bet others reply to you and just that wee act will make you feel part of a community. Don’t be nervous, it is just 1 race, there are plenty of different styles of them on plenty of different types of routes. I’m sure you’ll find one that you enjoy. 

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? The Rhino team have a really interesting mixed gender 2-up TT race starting in March. And I really, really hope that Herd do their “no spring chicken” race series March/April again. They held it last year with a ladies category and I adored the fact that my added years gave me some sort of bonus/payback.