The shooter was the best-selling October game in the U.S. by a country mile
The post <i>Battlefield 6</i> Is Already Toppling Some <i>Call Of Duty</i> Records appeared first on Kotaku.
This is the most affordable laptop on Amazon right now.
The post This Samsung 14-Inch Laptop (ChromeOS, 64GB) Goes for Just $129, Amazon Already Sold Over 1K Units appeared first on Kotaku.
MasterClass is running a limited-time offer that cuts up to 50 percent off all annual subscriptions for Black Friday. The deal gives you access to hundreds of lessons taught by experts and well-known names across nearly every field, from cooking and business to film and design.
MasterClass has built a reputation as one of the best streaming platforms for learning new skills and creative hobbies. The service features courses led by industry leaders who share practical insights drawn from their own careers. Whether you want to cook with Gordon Ramsay, explore storytelling with Neil Gaiman or study filmmaking with Martin Scorsese, the range of topics is broad enough to appeal to almost any interest.
Classes are organized into short, easy-to-follow video lessons, making it simple to fit learning into a busy schedule. Each one comes with supplemental materials like downloadable workbooks, assignments or behind-the-scenes notes that add extra depth. New classes are added regularly, so subscribers have a steady flow of fresh content throughout the year.
Subscriptions are structured around annual plans that unlock the full catalog. You can watch classes on most devices, including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, and your progress syncs across platforms. Offline viewing is supported too, so you can download lessons to study during travel or commutes.
Beyond creative skills, MasterClass has expanded into professional growth and wellness topics, with courses covering leadership, communication and mindfulness. It’s not just about inspiration; the platform’s focus on actionable advice makes it a practical choice for anyone who wants to pick up new skills or refresh existing ones.
Normally, annual plans cost anywhere from $120 to $240 per year, so up to a 50-percent discount represents significant savings for new or returning subscribers. If you’ve been thinking about joining or gifting a membership, this promotion is one of the best times to do it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-streaming-deals-masterclass-subscriptions-are-up-to-50-percent-off-right-now-034509138.html?src=rss
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is almost upon us (well, the first part of it, anyway), which means there are Brand Integrations™ afoot. One of those involves Fortnite and a new map for the fast-paced Blitz mode. Starting on November 21, it seems that you’ll be able to go into the Upside Down for quickfire matches at a creepy version of the Creel House.
The trailer indicates that there will be skins of several of the main characters available, so you should be able to play as Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Will and Vecna. Other Stranger Things cosmetics will be on deck as well, as leaker FireMonkey revealed a backpack styled after the grandfather clock Vecna uses to terrify some of Hawkins’ residents as well as some emotes. I’m hoping that “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush is coming to Fortnite Festival too.
This isn’t the first crossover between Stranger Things and Fortnite. Skins of Jim Hopper, the Demogorgon and Eleven hit the game all the way back in 2019 alongside season three of the show. Portals styled after those in the series popped up in Fortnite too, but it’s neat that there’s a full-on Stranger Things map in one of the core game modes this time.
Collaborations have been an increasingly integral aspect of Fortnite for a years and the current season is hardly an exception. Epic Games turned the island into a cel-shaded version of Springfield for Simpsons-themed chaos.
The next season, which is set to start on November 30, ties into the theatrical release of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, which fuses the two parts of Kill Bill together. The season is slated to feature a version of a Kill Bill scene that Quentin Tarantino never actually shot for the films.
That’s not all on the Fortnite crossover front, of course. Formula 1 cosmetics are hitting the Item Shop today. Meanwhile, it seems the next battle pass will include a skin of The Bride from Kill Bill, as well as Back to the Future cosmetics like a Marty McFly outfit. An entirely new USA-themed island seems to be in store too, as the new season is the first one of Fortnite Chapter 7. Chapters are major annual refreshes for Fortnite Battle Royale.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-stranger-things-map-is-coming-to-fortnites-blitz-mode-on-november-21-154458086.html?src=rss
A set of Linux kernel patches posted back in October for rewriting the kernel’s memory-mapped concurrency ID code for some nice performance wins looks like it will land for Linux 6.19. This is the code that prominent Intel engineer Thomas Gleixner found to yield up to an 18% improvement for the PostgreSQL database. My testing of this “mm/cid” code has also shown some nice performance wins too…
BPF allows programs uploaded from user space to be run, safely, within the
kernel. The io_uring subsystem, too, can be thought of as a way of loading
programs in the kernel, though the programs in question are mostly a
sequence of I/O-related system calls. It has sometimes seemed inevitable
that io_uring would, like many other parts of the kernel, gain BPF
capabilities as a way of providing more flexibility to user space. That
has not yet happened, but there are currently two patches sets under
consideration that take different approaches to the problem.
This Full HD 15.6-inch monitor is perfect for both working and gaming.
The post This Ultra-Slim 15″ 1080p Portable Monitor Goes for Pennies as Amazon Goes All In on Black Friday appeared first on Kotaku.
Whether you actually go back and look at photos, watch videos, or review files from years past, you may someday be disappointed if those memories disappear forever, either because you didn’t back them up or your one backup was destroyed along the way.
I know I have done a poor job of keeping track of media as I have upgraded computers and phones over the years, and I’ve lost my fair share of photos, videos, and documents along the way, whether on misplaced or damaged external drives or from simply forgetting to back up at all.
Here’s how to ensure your data is available for years to come.
One approach to backing up your data is the 3-2-1 strategy, which says you should keep three copies of your data across two different forms of storage, one of which should be offsite (in case a disaster strikes your home).
A simple example: You have your photos and files on your computer, which is backed up regularly to both an external hard drive and a cloud service. That’s three copies of your data on two storage types—an onsite physical device and remote cloud storage—the latter of which satisfies the “offsite” requirement because it is geographically separate from your other two copies.
This approach protects against a single point of failure, such as a primary device dying, losing an external hard drive, or getting locked out of a cloud account. When it comes to backing up your data, redundancy matters.
As Reddit users note, there are different interpretations of how to apply the 3-2-1 rule, such as whether your working copy on your primary device counts as one of three and whether the one offsite copy is included in the two forms of storage. And while a strict 3-2-1 strategy, or variations of it, may be more commonly employed at the enterprise level rather than by the average consumer, you could think about it as a general guideline for improving your backup system, especially if you don’t have one at all.
You never know when a device might fail, so it’s a good idea to plan frequent backups, whether your data is syncing regularly to the cloud or you set reminders to manually push updates to your external hard drive.
Many users sync their devices automatically to a service like iCloud or Google Drive, but relying on this as your sole backup doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to access all of your files in the future.
As HowtoGeek points out, these backups are typically mirroring what’s currently on your device rather than historical versions—so once you delete a photo, file, or folder from your computer or phone, it’s also deleted from the cloud backup. This is useful for quick access as well as restoring to a new or factory-reset device, but it doesn’t do much for the scores of media collected over the years that you don’t use daily.
You could use a dedicated cloud backup service like IDrive or Backblaze, which come with a lot of storage space for automatic, full device backups. This may be best for users who have large files or a lot of media that is essential to their jobs as well as those who prioritize data privacy. (However, Wirecutter notes that most online backup services leave a lot to be desired.) Others may be fine to manually move files and media to free or low-cost cloud storage, including iCloud, OneDrive, and Google.
At a minimum, another backup should live on an external hard drive—and if you’re not going to do cloud backups, consider two external drives stored in separate locations. Hardware can obviously be lost, stolen, damaged, or simply degraded over time, so again, you shouldn’t rely on a single drive for all of your storage. Apple’s Time Machine and Windows File History make it easy to save backups to an external drive.
Immich 2.3, a self-hosted photo and video management platform, adds multilingual OCR models and introduces maintenance mode.
Bring the party home for under $100.
The post JBL Flip 5 Bluetooth Speaker Hits Its Deepest Price Cut Ever the Moment Amazon Black Friday Begins appeared first on Kotaku.
An anonymous reader writes: U.S. wireless carrier Verizon said Thursday it will cut more than 13,000 jobs in its largest single layoff as it works to shrink costs and restructure operations. Verizon also said it plans to convert 179 corporate-owned retail stores into franchised operations and close one store.
Verizon’s new CEO, Dan Schulman, said in a note to employees the company would reduce its workforce by more than 13,000 employees across the organization, and significantly reduce outsourced and other outside labor expenses.
Related: Delayed September report shows U.S. added 119,000 jobs, more than expected; unemployment rate at 4.4%
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Memory prices and shortages are causing havoc
The post AMD Is Powering Every Next-Gen Console And Its GPUs Are About To Get Even More Expensive appeared first on Kotaku.
Mega Zeraora’s reveal has a fair bit of baggage to carry
The post Damn, <em>Pokémon</em> Fans Really Don’t Like This <em>Digimon</em>-Ass Mega Evolution appeared first on Kotaku.
Two and a half years of encrypted browsing for coffee money.
The post NordVPN Is Almost Free on Black Friday, Now Selling at 77% Off for US Customers Only appeared first on Kotaku.
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Black Friday deals used to be relegated to the day after Thanksgiving. These days, however, they start much earlier—so why not take advantage? If you’re shopping for gifts for your favorite DIY enthusiast, or you just want to take advantage of deals for your own tool set, now is a good time to start looking. I usually take the opportunity to expand my tool battery collection if there isn’t an exciting new cordless tool I haven’t tried yet around this time of year, and that’s how I have kept a rotating collection of batteries to power all of my carpentry and DIY adventures.
A good-quality drill and driver are the foundation for any DIY home tool set because they allow you to drive screws, nuts, and bolts as well as drilling holes. I use my drill and driver set every day at work, and frequently on my own personal projects at home, and having one that’s reliable, comfortable to use, and has a good battery life is key to getting things done efficiently.
The Milwaukee 18-volt cordless drill set in on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag, and it’s a good tool for building a new cordless kit or to replace an existing Milwaukee drill. Since batteries are often the most expensive part of a cordless tool set, a quality set that comes with a battery and charger for under $100 is a good deal.
The Milwaukee 18-volt cordless quarter-inch impact driver set is also on sale for $99, 50% off its typical price. This set comes with a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good companion to a Milwaukee drill, and a good addition to a tool set that uses 18-volt Milwaukee batteries—it can drive fasteners with more force than a regular drill, and can help you get through tougher materials like 2x4s more easily.
A Ryobi 18-volt cordless drill set with three batteries is on sale for $148.97, 44% off its usual price. This set is an excellent starter set because it comes with a 1.5-amp-hour battery, 1 2-amp-hour battery, and a 4-amp-hour battery as well as a charger. It’s helpful to start a cordless tool set with extra batteries so you can expand your tool kit as you develop your skills and interest without needing to buy new batteries as you go.
Saws are my favorite part of my tool collection, and having the right one can make any DIY project that much simpler and more fun to work on. Cordless saws have improved as batteries have gotten smaller and lighter as well as developing a longer battery life, so they’re a practical addition to a DIY tool kit—in addition to being fun to use.
The Ryobi 18-volt cordless reciprocating saw set is on sale for $99, 65% off its regular price. A reciprocating saw can be used for making rough cuts and trimming trees and shrubs. This set comes with a reciprocating saw, a two-amp-hour battery, a 4-amp-hour battery, and a charger. This is a good tool for someone who already uses Ryobi 18-volt tools, or for someone who likes doing outdoor projects like trimming hedges.
The Milwaukee 18-volt reciprocating saw is on sale for $199, 68% off its usual price. This is a good tool to add to an 18-volt Milwaukee set, or to begin a yard care and landscaping set. It comes with the saw, two 5-amp-hour batteries, and a charger.
The Milwaukee 18-volt, 6 ½-inch cordless circular saw is on sale for $199, 62% off its regular price. This saw comes with two 5-amp-hour batteries and a charger. The larger capacity batteries allow you to use your saw for hours while always having a fresh battery on the charger.
The Ryobi 18-volt cordless 7 ¼-inch compound miter saw is on sale for $159, 52% off its regular price. This saw can cut compound angles for trim and woodworking projects without needing to be plugged into an outlet. It comes with a 4-amp-hour battery and charger, which makes it a good addition to a Ryobi cordless tool set, as it can make up to 900 cuts per charge on the battery. Although this saw says it can cut up to 900 times a charge, if you’re working with material thicker than about a quarter of an inch, you’ll want to get a second battery so you can swap them out—in my experience, it can draw more power cutting denser or thicker wood.
The Milwaukee 18-volt oscillating multitool set is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a 1.5-amp-hour battery and a charger. This is the tool that saved my sanity when I was replacing the trap on the sink in my 115-year-old craftsman house. I used it to cut the old pipe, shape the pipe coming out from the wall, trim the new PVC to the correct length, trim out the damaged plaster around the leaking drain, trim out the lath to allow the new trap through, and then I even used it to sand the joints in the plaster repair I made. It’s the hardest-working tool in my home DIY set, and $99 is a great price for it.
Cordless tool sets can be a good way to start a new tool set because they usually come with all the basics as well as a few interesting extras. I started my personal tool kit with an 18-volt Milwaukee set over a decade ago and I also use tools from a DeWalt set at work daily.
The Milwaukee 18-volt seven-tool combo set is on sale for $500, 50% off its regular price. It comes with a drill, an impact driver, a circular saw, a one-handed compact reciprocating saw, an oscillating multitoo, an angle-grinder, a work light, two 3-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a comprehensive set that will allow you to tackle most home DIY projects and even some professional level ones as well.
The DeWalt three-tool combo set is on sale for $399, 33% off its regular price. This set comes with a drill, a driver, an oscillating multitool, two 6-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a solid set for most home maintenance projects and the batteries will last a long time and stand up to abuse. I use this set at work, these tools are going strong after years of use.
We all know bananas are a cyclist’s best friend. They’re packed with energy and nutrients, pocket-friendly and come ready-wrapped in biodegradable packaging.
But if your love of bananas goes beyond the edible, why not swap out your stem to Stayer’s Banana Banana? It has 100mm of reach and, thanks to its banana shape, 100mm of rise.
Stayer says the stem has been used to satisfy the appetite of a 6ft 4in rider for a stem that made his cargo bike more comfortable and easier to ride.
The original bunch of three Banana Banana stems were made in 2021 so that the Wizard Works luggage brand could fit a front basket to a drop-bar bike without it getting in the way of the handlebar, so it wasn’t just a novelty piece.
If you don’t want a 100mm Banana, you can choose to pre-purchase a 60mm length/rise small Banana. And if you don’t like yellow, you can have a Banana Banana stem in any colour you want – maybe an unripe green one – for an extra £20.
Stayer says the Banana Banana stem will ship at the end of January 2026. With a price of £220, we calculate you could buy almost 250kg of the real thing at Tesco, though, which would be a lot more tasty and make good use of your cargo bike’s carrying capacity.
