“The International Energy Agency’s latest outlook signals that oil demand could keep growing through to the middle of the century,” reports CNBC, “reflecting a sharp tonal shift from the world’s energy watchdog and raising further questions about the future of fossil fuels.”

In its flagship World Energy Outlook, the Paris-based agency on Wednesday laid out a scenario in which demand for oil climbs to 113 million barrels per day by 2050, up 13% from 2024 levels. The IEA had previously estimated a peak in global fossil fuel demand before the end of this decade and said that, in order to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, there should be no new investments in coal, oil and gas projects… The IEA’s end-of-decade peak oil forecast kick-started a long-running war of words with OPEC, an influential group of oil exporting countries, which accused the IEA of fearmongering and risking the destabilization of the global economy.

The IEA’s latest forecast of increasing oil demand was outlined in its “Current Policies Scenario” — one of a number of scenarios outlined by the IEA. This one assumes no new policies or regulations beyond those already in place. The CPS was dropped five years ago amid energy market turmoil during the coronavirus pandemic, and its reintroduction follows pressure from the Trump administration… Gregory Brew, an analyst at Eurasia Group’s Energy, Climate and Resources team, said the IEA’s retreat on peak oil demand signified “a major shift” from the group’s position over the last five years. “The justifications offered for the shift include policy changes in the U.S., where slow EV penetration indicates robust oil [consumption], but is also tied to expected increases in petrochemical and aviation fuel in East and Southeast Asia,” Brew told CNBC by email. “It’s unlikely the agency is adjusting based on political pressure — though there has been some of that, with the Trump administration criticizing the group’s supposed bias in favor of renewable energy — and the shift reflects a broader skepticism that oil demand is set to peak any time soon,” he added…

Alongside its CPS, the IEA also laid out projections under its so-called “Stated Policies Scenario” (STEPS), which reflects the prevailing direction of travel for the global energy system. In this assumption, the IEA said it expects oil demand to peak at 102 million barrels per day around 2030, before gradually declining. Global electric car sales are much stronger under this scenario compared to the CPS. The IEA said its multiple scenarios explore a range of consequences from various policy choices and should not be considered forecasts.

Thanks to Slashdot reader magzteel for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

You may now have to scrutinize what you read on the internet (and event on print) more closely to determine if it’s the product of AI. Sam Altman has revealed on X that if you tell ChatGPT not to use em dashes in your custom instructions, the chatbot will now finally listen to you. Previously, ChatGPT would ignore your instruction and continue using em dashes even if you tell it not to.

People are treating the presence of em dashes, especially if they’re used in abundance, as one of the biggest tells if something was written by large language models. Of course, just because a piece of text uses em dashes doesn’t mean it was actually written by AI, but people have become suspicious of any writing that uses the punctuation mark.

It’s not quite clear while generative AI models have the tendency to pepper the text they generate with em dashes. LLMs are trained on a vast number of books and online content, such as scientific papers, posts on public forums and articles like this. It’s possible that punctuation mark appears so often in training materials and isn’t flagged by AI trainers as something that the LLM should avoid using.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-says-chatgpt-will-listen-if-you-tell-it-not-to-use-em-dashes-140000927.html?src=rss

Apple’s Family Sharing feature is designed to make digital life simpler for households that use multiple Apple devices. It links individual Apple IDs under one family group so everyone can share subscriptions, purchases and storage without sacrificing personal privacy. A single organizer manages the group and decides who’s invited, what’s shared and how payments are handled. Once someone joins, they can access shared Apple services like Music, TV+, iCloud+, Fitness+ or Arcade, along with any compatible third-party apps that support Family Sharing.

Setting it up only takes a few minutes, but understanding how it works makes it far easier to manage long-term. Whether you’re adding a new partner, a roommate or creating an Apple ID for a child, the process is similar across iPhone, iPad and Mac, and each person keeps their own private account within the shared ecosystem.

Getting started with Family Sharing

Before adding someone new, make sure you’re the organizer of the family group. The organizer controls invitations and payment preferences, while each member uses their own Apple ID to sign in. You can manage everything from the Settings app on iPhone or System Settings on Mac. It’s worth checking for software updates first, since Family Sharing menus can vary slightly between iOS versions.

When you’re ready, open Settings, tap your name at the top then select Family. From there, you’ll see a summary of your group, any shared subscriptions and the option to add new members. Apple will ask whether you’d like to invite an existing user or create an account for a child who doesn’t yet have an Apple ID. Invitations can be sent through Messages, Mail or AirDrop, and if the person is nearby, you can let them enter their details directly on your device.

On a Mac, the process looks a little different but leads to the same result. Open System Settings, select your name then choose Family. You can then add a member, send an invite or set up a child account with appropriate parental controls. Once the invitation is accepted, the person automatically appears in your group list.

How to manage what’s shared with Family Sharing

When someone joins, they instantly gain access to the subscriptions and features that the organizer has made available. That can include Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+, along with the shared iCloud+ storage plan if you have one. Photos, calendars and location information can also be shared through the Family section of the Settings app, letting everyone see joint reminders, events or device locations through Find My.

If purchase sharing is enabled, everyone in the group can use the organizer’s payment method for App Store and iTunes purchases. Each transaction is still tied to the buyer’s own Apple ID, but it’s billed to the organizer’s payment method. It’s entirely optional, and you can disable it if you’d prefer each person to pay separately. Shared purchases can still be re-downloaded by other members from their purchase history without paying again, so long as the app or media supports Family Sharing.

Parents also gain access to tools like Screen Time and Ask to Buy, which give them oversight of a child’s activity. These options appear automatically when you create a child account and can be fine-tuned later from the organizer’s device. For example, Ask to Buy can send a notification each time a child tries to install a new app or make an in-app purchase, letting the organizer approve or decline it in real time.

Inviting children and setting boundaries

Creating an account for a child works slightly differently from inviting an adult. Apple requires a parent or guardian to set up the account directly from their own device, adding the child’s name, birthday and Apple ID credentials during setup. The age you enter determines what privacy and parental-control features are switched on by default, such as limits on explicit music or app downloads.

Once the child’s account is created, it behaves like any other Apple ID but remains tied to the family group until the child reaches the minimum age to leave or until the organizer removes them. Screen Time reports, purchase requests and content restrictions can all be adjusted as the child gets older. It’s a flexible way to give kids their own Apple ID and access to family-purchased content without sharing login details.

Common issues and how to fix them

Most people can add members without any problems, but sometimes the invitation process can stall. If the person you’re inviting doesn’t see the request, resend it from the Family settings and ask them to check their Messages or Mail. Invitations occasionally end up in spam folders or are filtered by older devices. If they’ve previously joined a different Family Sharing group, they’ll need to leave that one before they can accept your invite.

It’s also possible to hit the group limit. Family Sharing supports one organizer and up to five additional members, for a total of six people in one group. If you try to invite more, you’ll be prompted to remove someone before adding another. And if the Family menu doesn’t show the option to add members at all, double-check that you’re signed in with the organizer’s Apple ID, as members without organizer privileges won’t see those options.

If someone accepts but can’t see shared subscriptions, open the Subscriptions page under your Apple ID in Settings and ensure the toggle for “Share with Family” is switched on. For iCloud+ storage, confirm that the plan you’re sharing is large enough to include everyone’s data.

Why Family Sharing is worth setting up

Once everything is configured, Family Sharing can quietly simplify the way your household uses Apple’s ecosystem. Instead of juggling multiple subscriptions or repeating purchases, the organizer can consolidate everything in one place. Each member keeps their personal messages, photos and preferences, but benefits from shared apps, music and cloud storage. It’s also the easiest way to manage children’s digital habits while still giving them independence.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/how-to-add-someone-to-an-apple-family-account-130033896.html?src=rss

The busiest section of the holiday season is just two weeks away and we’re shoring up our reviews library with some of the products that might be on your list. We’ve got another well-rounded round-up this week, spanning multiple product categories and even taking another look at an older device. Read on for everything you might’ve missed.

Apple Watch SE 3

You don’t have to sacrifice as much as you used to if you want to save money on a current Apple Watch. Managing editor Cherlynn Low makes the case for the Apple Watch SE 3, laying out the specific items she missed from the Apple Watch Series 11. “In the end, it wasn’t the features like blood oxygen readings or hypertension notifications that I wanted back,” she explained. “It boiled down to physical components like a brighter display or bigger battery and more durable case that I wanted around for peace of mind.”

Apple Vision Pro M5

Apple’s M5 refresh for the Vision Pro is an improvement, but the product still very much feels like it’s in the beta phase. The main problem? Price. “Once again, the Vision Pro feels like a proof of concept — a symbol of what Apple can do when it’s not constrained by traditional screens,” senior reporter Devindra Hardawar said. “But the company’s dream of spatial computing won’t go anywhere until it can deliver cheaper devices.”

DJI Neo 2

The biggest problem with the DJI Neo drone was its deafening howl, and on the way to (somewhat) fixing that issue, the company added a host of new features for the Neo 2. The result is a highly capable drone that’s now the best budget option. “It retains everything I liked about the Neo, especially the ease of use and safety features,” contributing reporter Steve Dent wrote. “On top of that, it adds a host of useful functions like obstacle protection and, thank goodness, lower noise levels.”

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI

Gaming laptops are rarely actually portable. According to senior reporter Sam Rutherford, Acer has managed to fix that with the Predator Triton 14 AI. “In a lot of ways, this isn’t just a travel-friendly gaming machine, it’s a true do-everything ultraportable,” he explained.

OnePlus 15

There’s a lot to like about the OnePlus 15, including the processor, display and battery. What you have to contend with is a basic design and subpar cameras. “If you’re okay with a worse camera overall, the OP15 has a lot going for it, and provided OnePlus can successfully navigate an uncertain tariff regime, it will end up not just one of the best phones of 2025 but much of 2026 too,” senior reporter Igor Bonifacic said.

Other reviews you might have missed

Those devices aren’t all we’ve been testing over the last two weeks. I spent some time with Bowers & Wilkins’ luxurious Px8 S2 headphones. Reviews contributor James Trew put the Rodecaster Video S through its paces and deputy editor Nathan Ingraham met Alexa+ via the Echo Dot Max. Senior editor Daniel Cooper is keeping tabs on Framework’s modular, upgradable PCs and he reviewed the 2025 update for the Laptop 16.

Speaking of laptops, senior reporter Amy Skorheim took on the rare feat of reviewing a laptop charger, proclaiming the Anker Laptop Power Bank as an outstanding option for your gear bag. Sony recently gave the PlayStation Portal a big upgrade, so Devindra had a third review stint with the two-year-old gaming handheld.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-apple-watch-se-3-dji-neo-2-playstation-portal-and-more-130000029.html?src=rss

Edmontosaurus annectens, a large herbivore duck-billed dinosaur that lived toward the end of the Cretaceous period, was discovered back in 1908 in east-central Wyoming by C.H. Sternberg, a fossil collector. The skeleton, later housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and nicknamed the “AMNH mummy,” was covered by scaly skin imprinted in the surrounding sediment that gave us the first approximate idea of what the animal looked like.

More than a century later, a team of paleontologists led by Paul C. Sereno, a professor of organismal biology at the University of Chicago, got back to the same exact place where Sternberg dug up the first Edmontosaurus specimen. The researchers found two more Edmontosaurus mummies with all fleshy external anatomy imprinted in a sub-millimeter layer of clay. For the first time, we uncovered an accurate image of what Edmontosaurus really looked like, down to the tiniest details, like the size of its scales and the arrangement of spikes on its tail. And we were in for at least a few surprises.

Evolving images

Our view of Edmontosaurus changed over time, even before Sereno’s study. The initial drawing of Edmontosaurus was made in 1909 by Charles R. Knight, a famous paleoartist, who based his visualization on the first specimen found by Sternberg. “He was accurate in some ways, but he made a mistake in that he drew the crest extending throughout the entire length of the body,” Sereno says. The mummy Knight based his drawing on had no tail, so understandably, the artist used his imagination to fill in the gaps and made the Edmontosaurus look a little bit like a dragon.

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Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game space. As ever, it’s been a busy week of new games arriving and details of upcoming releases emerging. Before we get to some of those though, the nominees for the second annual Indie Game Awards were announced this week.

There’s a nice mix of big hitters and smaller, but equally worthy titles among the Game of the Year contenders. Those are:

• Absolum – Dotemu, Guard Crush Games and Supamonks

• and Roger – TearyHand Studio

• Blue Prince – Dogubomb

• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Jump Over the Age

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive

• Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P and Ken “coda” Snyder

• Hades II – Supergiant Games

• Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry

• Keep Driving – YCJY Games

• Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – Pocket Trap

Consume Me and and Roger are two I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. I’m also yet to hop into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is arguably the frontrunner here — it’s looking like the favorite for top honors at The Game Awards next month as well. 

There are a whole bunch of worthy contenders in other categories, from hits like Discounty and the charmingly bittersweet Time Flies, to solo-developed projects like Spilled! and Vile: Exhumed. The supremely addictive Ball x Pit picked up a nod, but it’s going against the tremendous Öoo (and Absolum, Hades II and Silksong) in the gameplay design category. It’s neat to see Playdate game Taria & Como earn recognition too.

The Indie Game Awards ceremony takes place on December 18 at 6:30PM ET. You can watch it on YouTube and Twitch. 

New releases

The new release I’m most looking forward to trying when I have a chance is Windswept, a precision platformer that’s inspired by similar games from the ’90s like Donkey Kong Country. Marbles the duck and Checkers the turtle each have unique movement abilities, and you’ll need to swap between the pair to best navigate environments. You’ll be trying to help them get back home after a storm whisked them away.

There are lots of secrets to discover across the 40-plus levels, animal buddies to ride and much more. I grew up with games like this one from WeatherFell and publisher Top Hat Studios, which looks completely up my alley. Windswept is out now on Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S for $20.

The Devolver Digital-published Possessor(s) is something a little different from Hyper Light Drifter studio Heart Machine. This is a horror-inflected Metroidvania and the developers drew inspiration from platform fighters for the combat. Here, high school student Luca forms an alliance with a demon in need of a host following “an interdimensional catastrophe.” They team up to stay alive and discover what led to the disaster.

As with Heart Machine’s other games, it looks very pretty, but reviews for Possessor(s) — which is out on PS5 and PC — have been fairly mixed so far. Things haven’t exactly been going great for Heart Machine overall. The studio last month laid off staff and ended development of Hyper Light Breaker, which remains in early access. 

As with its earlier game Before Your Eyes, Nice Dream says its latest project, Goodnight Universe, is best played with a camera. There’s the option to interact with the game using your eye movement and facial expressions. That makes a lot of sense for Goodnight Universe, which casts you in the role of a six-month-old baby with psychic powers. Little Isaac just wants familial love, but a shadowy tech corporation is looking to take custody of him.

Skybound Games is the publisher of Goodnight Universe, which is available on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam for $20. A Switch version is coming on December 18, and an update that will bring camera support to the Switch 2 edition is on the way.

Bonaparte – A Mechanized Revolution is a turn-based strategy game that affords you the chance to shift the outcome of the French Revolution. An opportunity to revolutionize the revolution, as it were. You can defend, depose or even reform the monarchy. 

As the title suggests, you’ll have mechs at your disposal in battle — to that end, this reminds me a bit of the clockpunk soulslike Steelrising, which was also set during the French Revolution. Bonaparte – A Mechanized Revolution, from Studio Imugi and co-publisher 2P Games, left early access on Steam this week. It costs $20.

Upcoming 

I’m very happy to continue this little run of including a dog game in this roundup every week with something new on the beautifully titled Barkour. As part of Steam Animal Fest (which runs until Monday and includes a sale on games like Tunic and Hello Kitty Island Adventure), Varsav Game Studios unleashed a new trailer and an updated Steam demo. 

Here, you play as Agent T.H.U.N.D.E.R., a special agent with gadgets galore and plenty of bite to go with the bark. On missions, you can play the stealthy way, fight your enemies head on or carry out barkour parkour runs. Varsav Game Studios is hoping to release Barkour in 2026.

Next up, we have release dates for a pair of cafe sims, starting with Tailside. As a furry cafe owner, you’ll be looking to perfect the art of coffee making so you can serve delicious concoctions to your patrons. You can even create foam art on lattes for an extra-special touch.

In this game from solo developer Coffee Beans Dev, you can customize your cafe to your liking. There are no timers to worry about, so you can play at your own pace. Tailside is coming to Steam on January 21. A demo is available now.

As revealed during the State of Play Japan showcase this week, the latest entry in the Coffee Talk series is bound for Steam, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on March 5. Chorus Worldwide Games and Toge Productions’ Coffee Talk Tokyo places you in the role of a barista who hears out their clientele.

The drinks you make (which you can enhance with sprinkle stencils for latte art) help shape your conversations with customers and have a bearing on the branching storylines. Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk Episode 2 composer Andrew “AJ” Jeremy returned to craft another lo-fi soundtrack for the latest installment.

A release window for InKonbini: One Store. Many Stories was confirmed during the State of Play Tokyo stream as well. It’s coming to Steam and consoles, including PS5, in April. There’s a Steam demo available now. 

From Nagai Industries, this simulator puts you in the role of a college student and employee of a small-town Japanese convenience store (a konbini) in the early 1990s. You’ll decide which products to sell, and order and restock goods. More importantly, you’ll have to deliver exceptional customer service. That involves having conversations with customers, which will sometimes end up having an impact on their lives. It seems quite lovely.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/old-school-platforming-metroidvania-horror-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120000751.html?src=rss