The dust is still settling at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a mass layoff on Friday, which former employees at the beleaguered agency are describing as a massacre.
In separate press briefings on Tuesday, a network of terminated CDC staff that goes by the name the National Public Health Coalition, and the union representing employees at the agency discussed what the wide-scale cuts mean for the American people, as well as the trauma, despair, and damage they have wreaked on the workers of the once-premier public health agency.
In a normal federal layoff—called a reduction in force, or RIF—the agency would be given a full outline of the roles and branches or divisions affected, as well as some explanation for the cuts, such as alleged fraud, abuse, or redundancy. However, the Trump administration has provided no such information or explanation, leaving current and former employees to essentially crowdsource what has been lost and only guess at the possible reasons.
The UK should be prepared to cope with weather extremes as a result of at least 2C of global warming by 2050, independent climate advisers have said. BBC: The country was “not yet adapted” to worsening weather extremes already occurring at current levels of warming, “let alone” what was expected to come, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) wrote in a letter addressed to the government.
The committee said they would advise that the UK prepare for climate change beyond the long-term temperature goal set out in the Paris Agreement. The letter came as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 had seen a record rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. CO2 is the gas mainly responsible for human-caused climate change and is released when fossil fuels are burnt, as well as other activities.
It’s that time of year when trick-or-treaters are finalizing their costumes and horror movie streaming service Shudder surely sees an uptick in usage. Yes, spooky season is upon us and Sony is getting in on the fun with its PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for October.
Starting on October 21, Extra and Premium subscribers will be able to play the remakes of Silent Hill 2 and Until Dawnon PS5 at no extra cost. Both games were released last October, so it hasn’t taken too long for them to hit PS Plus. For extra spookiness, 2023’s Alan Wake 2 is one of the games that all PS Plus members can claim this month, alongside Cocoon and Goat Simulator 3.
The other Game Catalog additions this time around are Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS4 and PS5), As Dusk Falls(PS4, PS5), Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 (PS4, PS5), Wizard with a Gun (PS5) and V Rising (PS5). Premium subscribers will also get a blast from the past in the shape of Tekken 3 (PS4, PS5), which debuted on the original PlayStation.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-silent-hill-2-and-until-dawn-remakes-will-hit-ps-plus-in-time-for-halloween-191333113.html?src=rss
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X: $999.99 at Best Buy ASUS and Microsoft’s new machine is a revised version of the original Ally X sporting a new Ryzen Z2 Extreme SoC, a new Windows gaming frontend, and even-more-premium pricing. Excellent Handheld Performance Impressive Full Screen Experience Gains Amazing Video Battery Life Phenomenal Handheld…
On Wednesday, Anthropic released Claude Haiku 4.5, a small AI language model that reportedly delivers performance similar to what its frontier model Claude Sonnet 4 achieved five months ago but at one-third the cost and more than twice the speed. The new model is available now to all Claude app, web, and API users.
If the benchmarks for Haiku 4.5 reported by Anthropic hold up to independent testing, the fact that the company can match some capabilities of its cutting-edge coding model from only five months ago (and GPT-5 in coding) while providing a dramatic speed increase and cost cut is notable.
As a recap, Anthropic ships the Claude family in three model sizes: Haiku (small), Sonnet (medium), and Opus (large). The larger models are based on larger neural networks and typically include deeper contextual knowledge but are slower and more expensive to run. Due to a technique called distillation, companies like Anthropic have been able to craft smaller-sized AI models that match the capability of larger, older models at functional tasks like coding, although it typically comes at the cost of omitting stored knowledge.
First of all, the pre-existing voice search feature is getting “AI smarts.” This means that users will be able to ask contextual questions about movies, actors and shows. It’s worth noting that the bot will deliver the answers on-screen and not via a digital voice. This can be used to help find something to watch, as Roku gives examples of people asking how scary a movie is or if something is safe for children to watch.
Roku
A search bar is being added to the live TV page and it will scour all of the platform’s free live channels to find a match. The search tool will also now give more accurate information as to which streaming platform to choose based on active subscriptions and what people are looking for.
The dedicated Roku Sports page will be able to track live scores and will let viewers keep tabs on multiple games at once, thanks to matchup tiles. This can be shut off to keep things spoiler-free.
Roku
The company’s pre-existing Bluetooth Headphone Mode is rolling out to more devices, including the Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus. This lets people connect headphones directly without having to use the dedicated app. Both of those made our list of the best streaming devices, so more functionality is always appreciated.
Roku
The app is getting an overhaul, with new shortcuts and the ability to rate shows and movies directly within the app. The company has also revealed that Philips Ambilight technology is now available on Roku TVs in the US. This tech automatically changes the ambient lighting based on what’s being shown on-screen. All of these software updates will be available to Roku devices in the coming months.
The company also recently refreshed many of its midrange TVs with pro-level features. New Roku Plus Series TVs now allow for hands-free voice control and a feature that automatically adjusts the picture on a scene-by-scene basis.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/the-latest-roku-update-adds-ai-powered-voice-control-and-better-search-184513277.html?src=rss
Battlefield 6 is tearing though the Steam sales charts, with the storied franchise once again duking it out for the title of best shooter with the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The success of BF6 has compelled the game’s lead and industry veteran, Vince Zampella, to reminisce about what it took to get to this point.
Almost 70% of adults in the US would be deemed to have obesity based on a new definition, research suggests. From a report: The traditional definition of obesity, typically based on having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, has long been contentious, not least as it does not differentiate between fat and muscle.
In an effort to tackle the issue, in January medical experts from around the world called for a new definition to be adopted. This would encompass people either with a BMI greater than 40; or those with a high BMI and at least one raised figure for measures such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or waist-to-height ratio; or those with two such raised figures regardless of BMI; or those with direct measures of excess body fat based on scans.
In addition, they said obesity should be split into two categories: clinical obesity — where there are signs of illness — and pre-clinical obesity, where there are not. Now research suggests the revamped definition could result in a dramatic rise in the prevalence of obesity among adults in the US.
Rejecting opposition from the cable and real estate industries, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that aims to increase broadband competition in apartment buildings.
The new law taking effect on January 1 says landlords must let tenants “opt out of paying for any subscription from a third-party Internet service provider, such as through a bulk-billing arrangement, to provide service for wired Internet, cellular, or satellite service that is offered in connection with the tenancy.” It was approved by the state Assembly in a 75–0 vote in April, and by the Senate in a 30–7 vote last month.
“This is kind of like a first step in trying to give this industry an opportunity to just treat people fairly,” Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, a Democratic lawmaker who authored the bill, told Ars last month. “It’s not super restrictive. We are not banning bulk billing. We’re not even limiting how much money the people can make. What we’re saying here with this bill is that if a tenant wants to opt out of the arrangement, they should be allowed to opt out.”
The Logitech Muse spatial stylus for Apple Vision Pro headsets is now available to preorder.
Logitech’s Vision Pro accessory was first announced at WWDC25 back in June, and support for it was added in visionOS 26, which entered beta after the conference and saw a stable release last month.
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Logitech Muse launch trailer.
While Logitech describes Muse as the “very first spatial accessory of its kind”, it looks extremely similar to the existing Logitech MX Ink spatial stylus for Meta’s Quest headsets that went on sale just over a year ago.
Both MX Ink and Muse are 6DoF positionally tracked by the headset’s cameras, via infrared LEDs under the plastic, have a pressure-sensitive tip and internal haptic feedback actuator, and charge via USB-C.
The only differences visible externally are the buttons and pogo pins. MX Ink for Quest has three protruding buttons on the main body, while Muse for Vision Pro has two flush buttons. On both styluses, the larger button is force-sensitive. And MX Ink has pogo pins for the MX Inkwell Dock, which Muse lacks an equivalent of.
Logitech Muse for Apple Vision Pro headsets.
The pressure-sensitive tip allows the styluses to be used for 2D creation on a physical surface, while the force-sensitive button enables adjusting the strength or width of brushes in open-air for 3D creation.
Apple and Logitech say that the visionOS apps Crayon, doppl by Interaptix, Sketch Pro and Spatial Analogue will add support for Muse “over the coming weeks”.
The news comes as Apple announced and opened preorders for the new M5 Vision Pro, with faster loading, higher resolution rendering, a 120Hz mode, longer battery life, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band.
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Logitech Muse in Spatial Analogue.
Logitech Muse can be preordered on the Apple Store online for $130, and will start arriving next Wednesday, alongside the new Vision Pro headset.
The assortment of Nintendo DS-inspired handhelds has a new contender, and the entry-level is now cheaper than ever, with the sub-$100 Anbernic RG DS. For reference, other new DS handhelds sell for approximately $249 to as high as $1,759 depending on the make and model. Of course, this also means that compared to those systems, like the AYN
Right now, you can get a like-new, factory-reconditioned 77-inch Samsung S95D OLED 4K TV (2024) from Woot for $1,969.99. If you’re in the market for a large-screen TV with dazzling color, OLED brightness, and tons of features, this is a smart option to upgrade to. Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship.
Low brightness is a common issue with OLED TVs, but Samsung has mastered this, making the S95D one of the best OLEDs available. It combines impressive, fantastic color, contrast, and deep, detailed shadows with the light output that high-end LED models are known for. This puts it at the top of its class and earned it an Editors’ Choice award from PCMag. The TV has an anti-glare coating and an elegant, ultra-thin design that gives it a minimalist look while helping to maximize space.
It has 1090 nits of brightness, a 144 HZ refresh rate, four HDMI ports, and sub-millisecond input lag in Game Mode, making it a great choice for both fast gaming and watching movies. Plus, 4K AI upscaling upgrades sharpens content, improving picture quality. The S95D supports HDR, and while the speaker system is compatible with Dolby Atmos audio, it still doesn’t have Dolby Vision. It also uses Wi-Fi 5 instead of Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, so you may not get the best streaming experience possible. The PCMag reviewer also noted that the interface can be clunky, with minor frustrations when adjusting picture settings or switching inputs.
Still, this stunning OLED TV, with its AI-powered processor, standout brightness level, low input lag, and excellent color accuracy, is worth the investment. Given that it comes with a 90 Day Samsung Warranty, this 77-inch Samsung S95D OLED 4K TV is a strong pick for a large-screen TV, especially for those who want to watch in bright rooms without compromising quality.
Math teachers across American schools are contending with a classroom disruption that has proven impossible to contain. The numbers six and seven now trigger instant pandemonium among students. They scream the phrase and perform a palms-up seesaw hand gesture whenever the numbers appear in equations or instructions.
Teachers have begun avoiding breaking students into groups of six or seven or asking them to turn to page 67. The meme has no meaning, reports WSJ. That absence of meaning is the point. The phenomenon traces back to late last year when Philadelphia rapper Skrilla released “Doot Doot (6 7),” a song referencing 67th street where his friends grew up. The phrase spiraled into youth culture in March through a viral video of a boy with forward-swept hair lurching toward a camera to deliver an animated “six seven.” Skrilla is now touring venues where audiences wait for the six-seven line. Some teachers have attempted to neutralize the meme by saying it themselves.
I’m a sucker for fresh cycling kit, and being an avid Zwifter, I’ve owned every kit Zwift has released! Along with short-term kits for special tours like Tour of Watopia, Zwift has almost always had a general “Zwift kit” for sale. There was the “skinny Z” kit (OG Zwifters only), the high-end Giordana FR-C kit (pricy but so nice), the Expression kit (affordable yet unbreathable), and now, released just last month, the Watopia Essentials collection.
Designed by Zwift and produced by Pedal Mafia, the Watopia Essentials kit is understated and indoor-friendly, with multiple color options. Based on Pedal Mafia’s workhorse “Core” line, this kit is well-made without breaking the bank. Read on for my full review…
Note: sizing can be tricky with cycling kit. For reference, I’m 5′-10″ tall (179cm) and around 190 lbs (86 kg). I put my actual measurements in the text below where appropriate.
Watopia Essentials Bib Shorts
Priced at $168USD, the Watopia Essentials bib is from Pedal Mafia’s Core collection. (This is the more affordable “do everything” collection vs the more expensive “Pro” line.) The most distinctive thing about these shorts is the metallic printing of the Zwift logo, Scotty emblem, and Pedal Mafia logo on the small of the back. These metallic accents carry over to the jersey and base layer as well, as you’ll see below.
I have a 34.5″ waist and 39.5″ hips, so I went with the medium bib as recommended by the sizing chart.
The Watopia Essentials bibs aren’t indoor-specific, so they don’t include some of the extra-breathable features indoor kits often have, like mesh panels, minimal chamois, or super lightweight strapping. That said, the brace paneling on the back and lower front is nicely perforated, even though the straps themselves are not, and the main short fabric (75% recycled warp knit lycra) is just the right thickness to allow sweat to evaporate indoors while still working well outside in most conditions.
While I haven’t had time to run the Watopia Essentials bibs through the wringer across many rides (since they were just released), I do own multiple pairs of Pedal Mafia’s core bibs, so I know what kind of durability to expect. I’d say these shorts hold up as well as other mid-range bibs, with the first point of failure for me being some frayed stitching in the inner leg area due to saddle rub. (This hasn’t affected the feel or wearability of the bibs, but it’s something worth noting.)
Chamois fit is a very personal thing, but I prefer thinner pads, especially for indoor riding. I’d say the Watopia Essentials’ chamois is on the thin side as chamois go, while still having plenty of thickness for all-day/outdoor wear.
Leg length on Pedal Mafia bibs tends to be on the longer side, as this “pro look” is the trend in today’s kits. I don’t particularly love super-long legs, as they aren’t helpful for indoor riding. That said, I ordered the medium bibs, which fit great on my frame.
If you look closely, you’ll see some nice finishing touches on these bibs. The metallic logos are fun, but you’ve also got a little pocket on the back brace to hold a gel or even your phone, Pedal Mafia-branded extra-wide leg grippers, a logo on the chamois, plus the feel-good factor of 75% recycled lycra composition… these aren’t just basic bibs.
Watopia Essentials Jersey
The Watopia Essentials jersey, like the bibs, is based on Pedal Mafia’s “core” line. Priced at $128USD, this is a well-made, indoor-friendly jersey with lots of finishing touches. Based on my chest measurement of 38″ (and my experience with wearing other PM Core kits) I went with a medium jersey, as I prefer a tighter fit.
A note regarding color: I chose the “frost” color, and what you see in the pictures below is, to my eyes, a fairly accurate presentation of the actual color of the jersey. What I see on Zwift’s website for this color looks significantly bluer than it really is.
While the sizing chart would have placed me in a large jersey (just barely), I went with a medium because I prefer a tighter fit, and because I got a few medium Pedal Mafia core jerseys in my closet already. These jerseys fit nicely, with plenty of length in the arms and rear torso without being too long in the front. (I hate it when jerseys bunch up in front when you’re hunched over the bike.)
While this isn’t an indoor-specific jersey, it is a very breathable top that works well outdoors in summer heat as well as indoors on the trainer. I’ve complained to ZHQ in the past that the kits they’ve sold aren’t indoor-friendly, particularly their previous Expression Jersey, which is one of the least breathable jerseys I own. So it’s nice to see Zwift selling a top that works well indoors. The arms and side panels use a 3D mesh material that keeps you dry and cool without being so fragile that it breaks down in the wash, while the front and back use a denser but still lightweight perforated fabric that provides more coverage but still wicks sweat and allows airflow for drying.
In my experience, it takes a lot of riding to wear out a jersey, unless it’s a super-light one made specifically for indoor riding or hot weather. All of my Pedal Mafia Core jerseys have held up well with no tears from washing or frayed stitching, so I expect the Watopia Essentials jersey to do the same.
Even though the design is far from flashy, there are lots of small finishing touches on this jersey. These include a PM-branded waist gripper, a tag with spaces to write your emergency details, a zippered side pocket, and a pizza slice in the back-left pocket. The inside of the collar (shown above) even lists all the Watopia expansions, in chronological order. A super-nerdy Zwifty touch! (And while I’m being nerdy, the back-left pocket includes “Four Horseman” in the list of routes… but it should be “Four Horsemen“.)
Watopia Essentials Base Layer
The Watopia Essentials base layer is priced at $50USD. I chose the frost color to match the jersey, and went with the Medium size as well.
While many riders don’t wear a base layer, especially indoors, they do help keep things, as Zwift says, “cool, dry, and breathable.” Adding a layer to increase breathability and cooling doesn’t seem intuitive, but that 3D mesh wicks the sweat from your skin then increases the surface area for air to contact that sweat and cause it to evaporate.
It all works quite nicely, and it also means you can unzip your jersey without showing too much skin. You can also wear it in place of a jersey, at least indoors.
My medium base layer fit tightly, as it should. Not so tight that it restricted breathing, but tight enough that it stayed in contact with my skin and didn’t feel “baggy” beneath my jersey.
The entire base layer is made of the same 3D mesh, which is an even lighter/more open mesh than the arms and sides of the jersey. It’s about as breathable a fabric as you’ll find, if you want something that also wicks sweat (and you do).
Super lightweight 3D mesh fabrics can suffer small tears in the wash if they snag on something sharp like the pointy half of velcro glove straps. Some people will wash their more fragile fabrics in a laundry bag to avoid this, but that’s too much hassle for me. I just keep my gloves velcroed together and it (usually) works!
With a base layer that will generally be covered by a jersey, I don’t want to pay for lots of fancy visual touches. The Watopia Essentials base layer keeps things pretty simple, with a Zwift logo across the chest, a metallic Scotty logo on the front-bottom-right corner, and a Watopia logo on the top back, just like the jersey.
Watopia Essentials Socks
Like most cyclists, I love a good pair of socks. Aero socks, colorful socks, merino wool socks… I’ve got more than I can fit in one drawer, for sure. Because it’s always fun to get a new pair in the mail and take them for a spin!
Keeping with the theme, Watopia Essentials socks are from Pedal Mafia’s Core collection. I got the Small/Medium size because I’ve found Pedal Mafia’s socks run quite tall. And I went with the “frost” color to match the top.
If you’re looking for “pro-length”, these are your socks. Like I said, I went S/M. But if I had gone for the L/XL, they would have been gone up over part of my calf. Size-for-size, Pedal Mafia’s Core socks quite a bit higher up the leg than most of the socks in my drawer. This isn’t good or bad – it’s a question of what look and feel you prefer.
These are lightweight, which is to be expected for cycling socks. I’d describe them as “medium-thick” when compared to the current crop of cycling socks. They aren’t super-thin like some, but they aren’t as thick as others. They make a good all-around sock suitable for riding in most conditions, although I may prefer something thinner for indoor riding.
Final Notes
Overall, I’d say the Watopia Essentials kit does a very good job of walking the line between quality and price. It performs where you want kit to perform, without soaring into the upper price ranges. I like the design, too: distinctively Zwifty, but not garish. And there are three color options to choose from, which is a first for Zwift.
I should also note that there’s a t-shirt, bottles, and sweatshirts included in the Watopia Essentials line. Along with a women’s jersey and bibs, of course!
Apple is releasing its new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip in European markets without a charger. Customers in the U.S., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and other European countries must supply their own power adapter. Buyers in the U.S. and other regions will receive Apple’s 70-watt USB-C adapter. Apple attributed the decision to environmental goals as the European Union implements regulations on electronic waste. A USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable remains included. The adapter costs 59 pounds in the United Kingdom.
Tails 7.1 has been released today as the first minor update in the Tails 7.x series of this portable Linux OS based on the Debian GNU/Linux operating system that protects users against surveillance and censorship.
In the high-stakes, hyper-competitive arena of artificial intelligence, the narrative is often dominated by the raw horsepower of GPUs. While the battle for teraflops is crucial, a far more fundamental war is being waged in the background—a war over the very fabric that connects these silicon brains together. This week, a stealthy startup named Upscale AI unveiled its SkyHammer architecture, and in doing so, gave us a clear look at how AMD is masterfully positioning itself to win the future of AI not just with brute force, but with brilliant strategy.
The AI Superhighway Nobody is Talking About
Imagine an entire city filled with the fastest supercars on Earth. Now, imagine they all have to navigate a maze of narrow, winding, centuries-old cobblestone streets. It doesn’t matter how powerful their engines are; the infrastructure itself becomes the bottleneck. This is the exact problem facing massive AI data centers today. You can have tens of thousands of the most advanced GPUs, but if the network connecting them—the “scale-up interconnect”—is slow, inefficient, or not designed for the unique demands of AI, performance grinds to a halt.
Traditional networking was built for servers and storage, where data requests are sporadic. AI workloads, however, are a synchronized symphony of collective computation. Trillion-parameter models require every GPU to communicate constantly and predictably. Upscale AI’s SkyHammer architecture addresses this by starting from a clean slate, designing a network fabric built exclusively for this new world. It’s not about retrofitting old roads; it’s about engineering a brand-new, multi-lane superhighway where data flows at nanosecond latency, allowing an entire cluster to operate as one massive, coherent computer.
AMD’s Masterclass in Open Collaboration
While the technology is impressive, the most telling detail in the announcement is the enthusiastic endorsement from AMD. Robert Hormuth, a Corporate Vice President at AMD, praised SkyHammer as a step toward the “open, scalable, and cost-efficient solutions” the industry urgently needs. This isn’t just a casual quote; it’s a flashing signpost pointing directly to AMD’s core strategic advantage: collaboration.
For years, under the visionary leadership of Dr. Lisa Su, AMD has cultivated a reputation as the industry’s great collaborator. While competitors focus on building proprietary, walled-garden ecosystems that lock customers in, AMD has consistently championed open standards and partnerships. We see this in their ROCm software platform, an open-source alternative to NVIDIA’s dominant CUDA, and in their support for emerging open interconnect standards like UALink (Ultra Accelerator Link).
By backing an open, ground-up architecture like SkyHammer, AMD is making a powerful statement. They are betting that the future of AI will be built on choice and interoperability, not on a single company’s proprietary stack. This approach is wildly attractive to the hyperscalers and enterprises building these massive AI factories, as it prevents vendor lock-in, reduces costs, and accelerates innovation across the entire ecosystem.
Why Openness is AMD’s Superpower in the AI Wars
The “Open by design” philosophy of SkyHammer is a direct reflection of AMD’s winning strategy. In the AI wars, openness isn’t just a feature; it’s a formidable competitive weapon. When a technology is built on open standards, it invites the entire industry to build upon it, improve it, and integrate it. This creates a flywheel of innovation that a single company, no matter how large, can never replicate on its own.
SkyHammer is engineered to support a multitude of open standards, making it adaptable and future-proof. This flexibility ensures that as AI models and workloads evolve, the underlying fabric can evolve with them without requiring a complete overhaul. For customers, this means their massive investments are protected. For AMD, it means their GPUs and accelerators can plug into a best-in-class ecosystem that isn’t dependent on a single vendor’s roadmap. It’s a strategic masterstroke that positions AMD not merely as a component supplier, but as a foundational partner in building the next generation of AI infrastructure. This is why analysts from respected firms like the 650 Group and Dell’Oro Group are highlighting the critical need for the very open, purpose-built approach that Upscale AI and AMD are championing.
Wrapping Up
The unveiling of Upscale AI’s SkyHammer architecture is far more than a product announcement; it’s a profound validation of AMD’s long-term vision for the AI industry. It underscores that true leadership in this new era will be defined not just by the fastest chip, but by the most open and collaborative ecosystem. By championing groundbreaking, open-standard technologies like SkyHammer, AMD is demonstrating a deep understanding of what the industry truly needs: a future that is not locked down, but opened up. This strategic patience and commitment to partnership is precisely why AMD has seen such a remarkable resurgence and why it is so formidably positioned to power the next decade of artificial intelligence.
A recent Discord data breach, which included users’ government issued IDs, has taken taken another twist after the hackers disputed the accuracy of the company’s disclosure. This time, 5CA, the contracting company Discord pinned the blame on for the breach says that its systems were never compromised.
architecture