Microsoft Is Opening Windows Update To Third-Party Apps

Microsoft is previewing a new Windows Update orchestration platform that lets third-party apps schedule and manage updates alongside system updates, “aiming to centralize update scheduling across Windows 11 devices,” reports The Register. From the report: On Tuesday, Redmond announced it’s allowing a select group of developers and product teams to hook into the Windows 11 update framework. The system doesn’t push updates itself but allows apps to register their own update logic via WinRT APIs and PowerShell, enabling centralized scheduling, logging, and policy enforcement. “Updates across the Windows ecosystem can feel like a fragmented experience,” wrote Angie Chen, a product manager at the Borg, in a blog post. “To solve this, we’re building a vision for a unified, intelligent update orchestration platform capable of supporting any update (apps, drivers, etc.) to be orchestrated alongside Windows updates.”

As with other Windows updates, the end user or admin will be able to benefit from intelligent scheduling, with updates deferred based on user activity, system performance, AC power status, and other environmental factors. For example, updates may install when the device is idle or plugged in, to minimize disruption. All update actions will be logged and surfaced through a unified diagnostic system, helping streamline troubleshooting. Microsoft says the platform will support MSIX/APPX apps, as well as Win32 apps that include custom installation logic, provided developers integrate with the offered Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs and PowerShell commands. At the moment, the orchestration platform is available only as a private preview. Developers must contact unifiedorchestrator@service.microsoft.com to request access. Redmond is taking a cautious approach, given the risk of update conflicts, but may broaden availability depending on how the preview performs.

Meanwhile, Windows Backup for Organizations, first unveiled at Microsoft Ignite in November 2024, has entered limited public preview. Redmond touts the service as a way to back up Windows 10 and 11 devices and restore them with the same settings in place. It’s saying it’ll be a big help in migrating systems to the more recent operating systems after Windows 10 goes end of life in October. “With Windows Backup for Organizations, get your users up and running as quickly as possible with their familiar Windows settings already in place,” Redmond wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. “It doesn’t matter if they’re experiencing a device reimage or reset.”


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EA Cancels Black Panther Game, Closes Cliffhanger Games

Electronic Arts has canceled its in-development Black Panther game and shut down Cliffhanger Games, marking its third round of layoffs this year. IGN reports: In an email sent to staff from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, Miele said that these changes, alongside other recent cancellations and layoffs, are being done to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.” In addition to closing Cliffhanger and canceling Black Panther, EA is also laying off some individuals on both its mobile and central teams. […] As with past rounds of layoffs, EA is endeavoring to place affected individuals in other roles across the company. […]

To that end, Miele’s email continues, the company is focusing on a small handful of franchises going forward: Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. Miele also reassures EA will continue to invest in its Iron Man game at Motive and the third Star Wars: Jedi game, as well as it maintain its mobile business despite today’s cuts, while Bioware works on the next Mass Effect. Additionally, last year, CEO Andrew Wilson announced the company would be “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.” The email doesn’t mention EA Sports, but this is due to Miele running EA Entertainment, while EA Sports is a separate division. IGN understands that the sports division is unaffected by these changes for now.

Notably, Marvel and EA’s agreement for Black Panther was part of a three-game deal that included Iron Man and a third, unannounced title. IGN understands this partnership will continue, with Motive Studios leading future Marvel titles. EA provided the following statement regarding the deal with Marvel to IGN, attributed to Miele: “Our partnership with Marvel remains strong and our multi-title, long-term collaboration continues.”


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Meta Reportedly Plans To Open More Physical Stores

Meta plans to open more retail stores, Business Insider reports.

Currently there is only one physical Meta Store, in Burlingame, California beside one of the company’s campuses. Opened in 2022, Meta uses it to demo and sell its Quest headsets and the Ray-Ban smart glasses. For Quest, the Meta Store features a demo area with a massive wall display that shows a third-person view of the gameplay with the headset wearer’s body superimposed via a camera behind them.

Meta has also experimented with temporary pop-up retail experiences on several occasions in the past, for example for Oculus Go, but Business Insider’s report suggests the new stores will be permanent like the Burlingame location.

The report doesn’t say how many new stores Meta plans to open, nor what the timeline for doing so is.

Meta Opens First Store To Sell Quests, Portals, And Glasses
Meta’s campus in Burlingame, California is home to its first physical retail space where you can check out Quest 2 and its accessories as well as Ray-Ban Stories sunglasses and Portal video-calling devices. The store is officially open as of May 9 with interactive demos for “Beat Saber, GOLF+
UploadVRIan Hamilton

A significant problem for the consumer VR industry since its emergence in the middle of the previous decade has been that it is a technology that needs to be tried to be understood – and most people still haven’t tried good VR yet.

Further, factors like head shape, eyesight, and sensitivity to weight against sinuses can affect how comfortable a given person finds a head-mounted device, meaning there’s often a need for a physical demo before purchase.

Apple’s 500 physical stores are arguably one of its greatest advantages. The company offers demos of Apple Vision Pro at most of its stores in countries where it’s sold, wherein a staff member scans your head to pick the right strap and face pad size, alongside providing appropriate lens inserts for your prescription if you normally wear glasses. And since last year new and revamped Apple Stores even include a dedicated side room for these demos.

Apple’s New Stores Have A Dedicated Vision Pro Side Room
Contrary to the public perception of Apple’s sentiment on Vision Pro, the company’s new stores include a dedicated side room for the headset.
UploadVRDavid Heaney

In a memo to staff in November, Meta’s CTO stressed the need to “drive sales, retention, and engagement” of its Quest headsets. Physical retail stores could be a vital part of achieving this goal.

Discord’s New Currency Pays Users To Interact With Ads

Discord is testing “Discord Orbs,” a new in-app currency that rewards users for engaging with interactive ads and promotional Quests. The Verge reports: In addition to spending Orbs on regular items on the Discord Shop, users can exchange the digital tokens for Orb exclusives like special badges or 3-day passes to try out Discord’s subscription service, Discord Nitro. Discord says Orbs are rolling out globally to a “small number” of its users to start before a wider rollout. If you’re part of the beta test for Orbs, you will get a notification like the one below.

Before this, publishers or brands that offered Quests had to provide their own rewards — things like avatar decorations or in-game bonuses. They can still do that if they want, Discord spokesperson Bradley Sheets tells The Verge in an email; awarding Orbs is simply an alternative option.


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QuickDraw Add-On Weights Can Make Your Dumbbells Heavier, But They Scare Me

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Purchasing a full set of individual dumbbell pairs between five and 60 pounds can cost well over $1,500, not to mention how much space you’d have to dedicate to storing them. That’s why I’m a huge fan of adjustable dumbbells like the REP QuickDraws or Nüobells, which I reviewed here and here, respectively.

If you know you want to be able to up to 60 pounds at five-pound increments, effectively combining 30 weights into one compact set, then adjustables like the REP QuickDraws are how you can save significant money and space in your home gym equipment setup.

But let’s say your strength progresses beyond your adjustable dumbbells’ capacity. First of all: Nice work. Secondly: What do you do now?

I’ve seen users on Reddit directly asking “what’s stopping me from adding more plates to keep going heavier?” Adding extra weight plates seems like a logical solution, as opposed to spending all that money on an entirely new set for just a few pounds beyond the recommended capacity.

So, let’s take a look at what is stopping you—and what’s not. Here’s what you should know about using add-on weights to your adjustable dumbbells, from what is officially considered unsafe to why it gets impractical even aside from that.

How to add weight to your adjustable dumbbells

First off, not all adjustable dumbbells allow for this type of modification. Selector pin systems (like PowerBlocks) generally don’t allow for unofficial weight additions due to their enclosed design. Dial systems (like my favorite, the Nüobells) have security features specifically preventing modifications outside the cradle. Then you have spin-lock dumbbells, like the QuickDraws, which allow for customization and additional weight outside the cradle. For this reason, I’ll be speaking to the REP QuickDraws specifically, as opposed to Nüobells or Powerblocks.

Still, adding weight beyond the manufacturer’s specifications will almost certainly void your warranty. REP Fitness designed these dumbbells for specific weight ranges and cannot guarantee safety beyond those limits. I spoke with a REP representative (REP-resentative?) who informed me, “internal testing was not conducted beyond the 60 pound maximum, so REP cannot guarantee the safety of additional weight beyond that.”

Outside of your warranty, there are safety concerns. The handles, locking mechanisms, and materials are engineered for specific maximum loads. Exceeding these limits risks equipment failure and potential injury. Even if the dumbbells can technically handle the additional plates, the result might be bulky and awkward, affecting your form and increasing injury risk.

All that being said, it still is entirely feasible to bend the rules and take your 60-pound dumbbells up to 70 pounds. Assuming you play it safe and only add a few plates to each side, here’s what you should know:

  1. Only add compatible plates: The QuickDraw system uses standard plate dimensions that can be supplemented with additional compatible plates.

  2. Manual addition required: You’ll need to add these plates manually outside the cradle system, as the selection mechanism only works within the advertised weight range. This pretty much negates the whole “quick draw” appeal.

  3. Secure them properly: Ensure the additional plates are secured with the locking mechanism to prevent dangerous slippage during exercises.

  4. Manual tracking required: The dial indicator becomes inaccurate once you exceed the designed range. You’ll need to manually calculate and track the added weight.

Can you (and should you) add more weight to REP QuickDraw Dumbbells?

The short answer: Yes, technically you can add additional weight plates to REP QuickDraw dumbbells beyond their advertised maximum.

The long answer: Just because something is possible doesn’t mean you should make a habit of it. Sure, it’s fully above-board to order add-on weights in five-pound increments (which, side-note, I love so much more than a 10-pound jump). However, going beyond 60 pounds isn’t sanctioned by REP.

For this reason, I naturally had my boyfriend test my DIY super-QuickDraws creation. In the image below, you can see how I manually added weights outside of the cradle. With the spin-locks, you can keep adding weights outside the cradle without any resistance. Just slide the weights on and flip the lock switch.

I snapped a picture of it in its lopsided form, so you can see just how far outside the cradle the five-pound add-ons will go—and how precarious it starts to look right off the bat.

REP QuickDraw Dumbbells
Behold, my DIY super-QuickDraws creation.
Credit: Meredith Dietz

As we steadily increased the weight from 65, to 70, to 85 pounds, he noted growing concerns with how much the dumbbells could handle while still feeling safe. The all-steel design gives these guys a premium feel during standard use. But when you go beyond the sanctioned weight capacity, there’s a sense that the dumbbells wouldn’t bend or snag, but simply snap.

And again, you’ll need to manually keep track of how much weight you’re adding, since the individual plates are not labeled, and you’re exceeding the labels of the cradle. That mental math might not be a deterrent for you, but it’s something to note.

The bottom line

In most cases, the hassle and safety concerns outweigh the benefits. The primary advantage of the QuickDraws—quick, convenient weight changes—is totally undermined when manually adding plates.

Investing in a higher-capacity adjustable dumbbell set (like 80- to 90-pound models) or supplementing with specific heavier fixed dumbbells for certain exercises might be safer and more practical. For serious lifters approaching the upper limits of their adjustable dumbbells, I’d recommend supplementing with individual heavier dumbbells.

How to use Authselect to configure PAM in Fedora Linux

Authselect is a utility tool that manages PAM configurations using profiles. Starting with Fedora 36, Authselect became a hard requirement for configuring PAM. In this article, you will learn how to configure PAM using Authselect. Introduction. Unauthorized access is a critical risk factor in computer security. Cybercriminals engage in data theft, cyber-jacking, crypto-jacking, phishing, and […]

Mysterious Database of 184 Million Records Exposes Vast Array of Login Credentials

A security researcher has discovered an exposed database containing 184 million login credentials for major services including Apple, Facebook, and Google accounts, along with credentials linked to government agencies across 29 countries. Jeremiah Fowler found the 47-gigabyte trove in early May, but the database contained no identifying information about its owner or origins.

The records included plaintext passwords and usernames for accounts spanning Netflix, PayPal, Discord, and other major platforms. A sample analysis revealed 220 email addresses with government domains from countries including the United States, China, and Israel. Fowler told Wired he suspects the data was compiled by cybercriminals using infostealer malware. World Host Group, which hosted the database, shut down access after Fowler’s report and described it as content uploaded by a “fraudulent user.” The company said it would cooperate with law enforcement authorities.


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David Lynch auction offers a glimpse of his personal and creative life

The innovative director David Lynch, who left indelible marks on film and television, passed away in January of this year. Now, Julien’s Auctions is hosting the sale of The David Lynch Collection. More than 450 of the late director’s possessions will be auctioned off online and at the company’s auction house in Gardena, CA. For devotees of Lynch’s work and worldview, just the experience of browsing the collection is pretty fascinating.

The auction showcases plenty of items closely related to his career in film, such as a personalized director’s chair, multiple cameras, lighting kits and memorabilia from his many iconic works. Other pieces more broadly reflect his passion for creativity, like audio equipment, musical instruments, painting supplies and a whole lot of literature and vinyl records. The collection also has furniture, like the couch from his 1997 classic Lost Highway, kitchen wares and many personal items from his life. You can even bid on his LaserDisc player and disc collection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/david-lynch-auction-offers-a-glimpse-of-his-personal-and-creative-life-223501136.html?src=rss

CD Projekt Red is Moving Forward With Cyberpunk 2

CD Projekt Red’s (CDPR) sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, which the studio is now calling Cyberpunk 2, has moved from a “conceptual phase” into preproduction, according to an earnings report released on Wednesday. The Verge: Cyberpunk 2 isn’t the official title, CDPR senior PR manager Ola Sondej tells The Verge. “‘Cyberpunk 2’ just means it’s another game in the Cyberpunk universe.” The game has had the codename of “Project Orion” since it was announced in 2022.

CDPR hasn’t shared many details about the game, but did describe it on Wednesday as “the next big game set in the Cyberpunk universe.” There are 96 developers working on the title as of April 30th, according to a slide deck. There’s no official release date, either, though on an investor call, joint chief executive officer Michal Nowakowski said that the company would deliver the game “in due time.”


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Thousands of Asus routers are being hit with stealthy, persistent backdoors

Thousands of home and small office routers manufactured by Asus are being infected with a stealthy backdoor that can survive reboots and firmware updates in an attack by a nation-state or another well-resourced threat actor, researchers said.

The unknown attackers gain access to the devices by exploiting now-patched vulnerabilities, some of which have never been tracked through the internationally recognized CVE system. After gaining unauthorized administrative control of the devices, the threat actor installs a public encryption key for access to the device through SSH. From then on, anyone with the private key can automatically log in to the device with administrative system rights.

Durable control

“‍The attacker’s access survives both reboots and firmware updates, giving them durable control over affected devices,” researchers from security firm GreyNoise reported Wednesday. “The attacker maintains long-term access without dropping malware or leaving obvious traces by chaining authentication bypasses, exploiting a known vulnerability, and abusing legitimate configuration features.”

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X is ‘pausing’ encrypted DMs

X users can no longer send encrypted messages on the platform. The company said in an update that it’s “pausing” the feature “while we work on making some improvements.” Users will still be able to view previously-sent encrypted chats, but won’t be able to send any new ones.

Up to now, encrypted DMs have been available only on messages between verified users who are mutual or who have previously accepted DMs from each other. Screenshots of the feature from X’s help center labeled it as “early access.” (Notably, there were a number of other important caveats to X’s encryption, even when it was working, including the fact that encryption was never available for group chats, multimedia messages or metadata .)

It’s unclear when the feature will be available again or if the “pause” has anything to do with “XChat,” the company’s yet-to-be-launched chat platform. X employees have been dropping hints about XChat, which will reportedly feature encrypted direct messages, for some time. Screenshots from leakers suggest XChat could have additional security features like PIN-protected chats.

Officially, though, X hasn’t revealed much about XChat or what’s going on with the current version of encrypted DMs. X’s in-app inbox was one of the features that experienced numerous issues last week after a site-wide outage — possibly due to a fire at an Oregon facility used by the company — caused days of technical problems for the service. Updates on the company’s developer platform page indicate some of those issues have yet to be resolved.

X didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-pausing-encrypted-dms-215750222.html?src=rss

Healthy man goes camping—lands in ICU for 40 days with respiratory failure

An otherwise-healthy 52-year-old office worker showed up to a hospital emergency department in Buenos Aires with an unshakable fever he developed the week before. Besides the high temperature, he seemed fine. So, after testing negative for COVID-19, doctors sent him home with supportive care. But the fever didn’t go away.

In the week that followed, things got worse. He developed nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea. He also started having trouble breathing. He then went back to the hospital.

This time, doctors found he needed supplemental oxygen. And an X-ray of his chest was worrisome—there were diffuse ground-glass opacities in his lungs. Doctors wondered if he had an unusual case of pneumonia. The man kept getting worse; in fact, he seemed to deteriorate before their eyes. Initially, he received supplemental oxygen through a simple face mask; subsequently, doctors switched to a mask that delivers continuous oxygen. However, his blood oxygen saturation continued to fall.

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US Will Ban Foreign Officials To Punish Countries For Social Media Rules

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that the U.S. would restrict visas for “foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States.” He called it “unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil” and “for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.”

It’s not yet clear how or against whom the policy will be enforced, but seems to implicate Europe’s Digital Services Act, a law that came into effect in 2023 with the goal of making online platforms safer by imposing requirements on the largest platforms around removing illegal content and providing transparency about their content moderation. Though it’s not mentioned directly in the press release about the visa restrictions, the Trump administration has slammed the law on multiple occasions, including in remarks earlier this year by Vice President JD Vance.

The State Department’s homepage currently links to an article on its official Substack, where senior advisor for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Samuel Samson critiques the DSA as a tool to “silence dissident voices through Orwellian content moderation.” He adds, “Independent regulators now police social media companies, including prominent American platforms like X, and threaten immense fines for non-compliance with their strict speech regulations.” “We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty,” Rubio says in the announcement, “especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.”


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EA cancels Black Panther game and closes studio developing it

EA is cancelling its Black Panther game and closing the studio creating it, Cliffhanger Games, as part of a larger round of layoffs at the company, IGN reports. The third-person action-adventure game was originally announced in July 2023 as one of several Marvel projects being developed at EA studios.

IGN writes that a smaller number of people are being laid off than the previous round of cuts that impacted Titanfall developer Respawn, but EA is still eliminating roles outside of Cliffhanger, including people on the publisher’s “mobile and central teams.” EA is reportedly telling staff that the layoffs are a way to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.”

As of right now, those “opportunities” include an Iron Man game in development at EA Motive, the next Star Wars Jedi game from Respawn, and new entries in a few key franchises, like The Sims, Battlefield, Skate and Apex Legends. Beyond that, the company has EA Sports and the next Mass Effect game, though Bioware has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs since 2023, so there’s uncertainty there, too. In a similar way to how it approached Bioware’s restructuring, IGN reports that EA is trying to find roles for at least some Cliffhanger Games staff in other parts of the company.

Engadget has contacted EA for comment and will update this article if we hear back.

EA growing disinterest in licensed games as been public since at least February 2024, when CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company was “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.” The company recently announced a new strategy game using the Star Wars license — Star Wars Zero Company — but that seems more like an outlier than the norm.

EA’s Black Panther game wasn’t the only project featuring the character — Amy Hennig’s Marvel 19943: Rise of Hydra hasn’t been cancelled yet — but it does seems strange the company gave up so easily. Black Panther made over $1.3 billion during its original run in theaters. It seems entirely possible the same audience that enjoyed the movie would show up for a new game featuring their favorite Marvel character.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-cancels-black-panther-game-and-closes-studio-developing-it-213258110.html?src=rss

All the Produce in Season in June (and the Best Ways to Use It)

Even as children, we in the U.S. learn that June brings good things—warmer weather, ice cream trucks, and most significantly, summer break from school. As an adult, all of those things still matter to me (substitute summer break for outdoorsy weekends), but the arrival of summer produce has crept up to the top of my June list of good things. In this monthly article, I take a look at the fruits and veggies coming into season and some incredible ways you can use them. Let’s dive into June’s offerings. 

Why seasonal and local produce is great

Long distance shipping for out-of-season produce is convenient, but there is usually a price to pay with literal higher prices or lesser quality (or both). Using seasonal produce is a step toward supporting smaller farms situated somewhere closer to where you live rather than a monoculture farm somewhere far away. A big, healthy harvest with shorter shipping distances likely means a cheaper price tag for you. And hopefully the produce exhibits the best possible flavor profile since it doesn’t have to travel great distances to arrive at your market. 

Buying local and in season means you’ll possibly see a greater variety of tender greens and delicate fruits that don’t travel out of state well. Those little strawberries that pop up at the farmers market are so juicy and delicate you’d never see them packed up and shipped out across the country—they’d be turned into jam before they got a chance to leave. Go to those summer farmers markets downtown and reap the benefits of the juiciest summer fruit.  

What’s in season right now

You’re probably seeing it already, but everywhere from tiny produce markets to big box grocery stores are growing fuller with the very beginnings of summer produce glut, and the prices are dropping. Personally, I’m celebrating the low berry prices with morning smoothies. (If you’re a fruit smoothie-enthusiast like I am, here are a couple great blenders that might interest you.) For those who are growing their own food, keep up with our Home and Garden section for tips.

The new produce coming in for June:

  • Apricots

  • Sweet Cherries (not quite yet for tart cherries)

  • Strawberries

  • Blueberries

  • Raspberries

  • Blackberries

  • Beets

  • Broccoli 

  • Cabbage 

  • Garlic scapes

  • Green peas

  • Mustard greens

  • Zucchini & summer squash

Say, “au revoir” to:

  • Asparagus

  • Arugula

  • Ramps

  • Parsnips

Produce in peak season:

  • Beet greens

  • Lettuce

  • Radishes and their greens

  • Rhubarb

  • Spinach

  • Turnips

  • Chard

  • Snap peas

  • Snow peas

Note that your specific region may be warmer or cooler, or farther away—so don’t worry if floods of strawberries haven’t arrived yet, or if you still have loads of wild ramps growing in the yard. Nature will do its thing, and we’ll continue trying to keep up.

What to cook with your spring bounty

Fruits

June is the beginning of having all the fun you want to have when it comes to recipes. Let’s start with fruit. We’re looking at loads of berries for the next few months and the beginnings of stone fruits, so I recommend warming up those ovens. I know that sounds too hot, but think of the pies! Cherry pies, Strawberry-rhubarb, apricot and blackberry, blueberry-goat-cheese tarts—you simply must make some. To help you along, here’s my fail-proof way to lattice pie crust, and my best advice on preventing soggy fruit pies. They’re well worth a read if you’ve had trouble in the past.

If you’d rather be stuck in a room with a pack of wild 7-year-olds than make a pie, OK fine. Make a fruit trifle with leftover cake, stuff delicious biscuits with summer fruit and whipped cream, and why not take a crack at your own homemade berry ice cream. I made vanilla bean ice cream with a swirl of fresh raspberry compote and I felt pretty damn pleased with myself. If you’re shopping for affordable ice cream machines, I just tested and reviewed this Cuisinart.

As I mentioned, fruit smoothies always welcome a handful of frozen berries. I should mention (and I’ll say this again at the end of the season): Freezing your berries is the best way to reduce waste. (Here’s the best way to freeze fruit.) If you’re using berries to top yogurt or granola, there’s no need to freeze it, but if you’re baking with fruit, making jams, or blending smoothies, freezing is extremely helpful. Pop the fruit in the freezer in the container it came in (hull strawberries first, and halve the big ones). After a few hours, they’ll be solid and you can dump them into a zip-top freezer bag for easier freezer storage.

Vegetables 

All the cruciferous veggies are going strong right now, so go ahead and get that fiber. Use shaved broccoli and cabbage in a salad. Wilt spinach, chard, or mustard greens down in a hearty soup. My absolute favorite thing to do with summer zucchini is to make Thai kai jiao. You can use different vegetables in this dish, but zucchini is my all-time favorite. You also can’t go wrong with grilling big, fat planks of summer squash and drizzling them with a light vinaigrette. 

Got lots of crisp lettuce? Well, you can always bulk up your warm salads or do what I do and add it to every sandwich. Bacon, egg, cheese, and lettuce. Meatball parm sub and lettuce. Peanut butter and—OK, maybe not that one. 

Pay special attention to the fleeting produce like rhubarb, ramps, and scapes. They’re around for just a blink so grab them up. Try roasting your rhubarb with strawberries for a sweet, tart, and caramelized treat. Enjoy the best of June produce, and hopefully we’ll get a peek at tomatoes at the end of the month. 

Firefox’s New Link Previews Are Actually a Good Example of AI Search

If it seems like every tech company is trying shove AI into all of their products and services, that’s because they are. And as someone who rarely (if ever) uses AI, it’s a lot: I don’t need AI to write my emails, nor do I want it to generate realistic videos that might trick viewers into thinking they’re human-made. I certainly don’t need it to serve up incorrect information when I try to search the internet.

But Firefox’s latest AI feature seems genuinely useful, likely because it isn’t “making” anything for me. Instead its new AI-powered link previews simply show a small summary of the content on a webpage hidden behind a URL, so you’ll have a better idea whether or not it’s worth clicking on.

Mozilla first announced these AI-generated link previews last month, before rolling them out as part of Firefox 139. The feature is currently in the “experimental” phase, and Mozilla is open to user feedback on how to adjust it. Here’s how it works in its current iteration: When you hover your cursor over a URL and hit the corresponding keyboard shortcut, Firefox retrieves and analyzes the webpage’s HTML without actually loading the page. It then looks for metadata that can help inform the page’s title, description, and cover image. Once it has the data it needs, it displays whatever it has pulled up in a pop-out window.

Like what you see? Go ahead and click through to see the full page. Not what you’re looking for? Move on to the next link. Assuming the summaries are accurate, I can actually see this being something I rely on to give me an idea of whether or not a particular link is relevant to my current query—especially once Mozilla irons out some of the bugs.

How to test out Firefox’s AI-generated link previews

In order to try AI link previews for yourself, you need to be running Firefox 139 (or newer). (If you’re not sure which version you’re on, open Firefox, head to Settings > General, then scroll to Firefox Updates. If there’s a new update, install it, then relaunch the browser.)

That accomplished, head back to Settings, then select Firefox Labs. Under “Customize your browsing,” click the checkmark next to “Link previews.”

link preview settings page

Credit: Lifehacker

Now, open any website, hover over any link on your screen, and hit Shift + Alt (Windows) or Shift + Option (Mac). A small pop-up window should open immediately, along with the webpage’s title and a brief description. Soon, you should also see the cover image for the page, then, after a few moments, Firefox will generate the page’s “Key points.”

link preview on mashable site

Credit: Lifehacker

Are Firefox’s AI link previews worth using?

So far, the feature has been a bit hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes the key points it offers up are three well-summarized takeaways from the article. Other times, they are quotes lifted straight out of the article. Plagiarism aside, it’s tough to get a sense of the scope of an article if the “key points” are just listing the first few ideas in the text.

I suspect part of the problem is that what the AI sees as most important will vary based on how each site is configured: I found the previews frequently copied the text on Lifehacker articles verbatim, for example, while summarizing articles found on other sites. Again, this feature is in development, so Mozilla may need to figure out how to accommodate the variations in in websites design to make it uniformly useful. But as AI features go, I don’t hate it, and in 2025, that’s saying something.