Enlarge / These are piles of lithium harvested in Bolivia; Exxon’s site in Arkansas will look almost entirely unlike this as it will use direct lithium extraction, not evaporation, to harvest the mineral. (credit: Getty Images)

Earlier this year, new electric vehicle tax incentive rules went into effect. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, an EV’s tax credit is now linked to the amount of domestic content in its battery pack, an amount that needs to increase year on year.

Automakers had an inkling that would happen, so we’ve seen a flurry of announcements for new battery plants in the United States that will make the cells and assemble the packs for future EVs, but we’ve heard slightly less about new local sources of lithium. But today, Exxon revealed it is about to extract the stuff from a rich deposit in Arkansas.

At one point, California’s Salton Sea looked like a promising source of lithium, but working with the corrosive brine has proven extremely challenging to industrial equipment.

Enlarge / Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (credit: Getty | NIH/NIAID)

In a press release, DCHD said the exposures occurred at a daycare at the Westview YMCA, which provides “drop-in” care, allowing members to drop off their kids as they use the facility. The exposures occurred between May 21, 2023, and October 30, 2023.

Children’s Nebraska pediatric hospital quickly set up a clinic this weekend to test children ages 4 and under who were potentially exposed in the last 10 weeks. Children in this age group need “window prophylaxis” treatment to prevent the development of tuberculosis as testing is underway. Later this week, DCHD will set up a clinic to test children ages 5 and up who were potentially exposed.

Enlarge / On the left, LiqudPiston’s High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle engine, on the right, a 25 hp Kohler KDW1003 diesel engine. (credit: LiquidPiston)

Rotary engines have an aura of cool. In games of Top Trumps, the V12 might have been king, but a rotary was a joker, a wild card. A lack of mainstream success no doubt contributes; there are reasons they were never commonplace, including their oil-burning apex seals, which created emissions and fuel-consumption headaches.

LiquidPiston thinks it has those problems solved, however, and in the process, it created a new internal combustion engine that’s small and efficient. It has demonstrated its tech on the bench and in a go-kart, but also in uncrewed aerial vehicles for the US military.

While little about the rotary engine merits the word, in a “traditional” Wankel rotary, a triangle-shaped rotor turns within a chamber during its combustion cycle. Apex seals are fitted at the apices of the rotor, but they need constant lubrication with oil, plenty of which burns during combustion. So, a Wankel engine needs constant oil top-ups while dealing with the products of that burnt oil. And those apex seals wear down.

Enlarge / Wegovy an injectable prescription weight loss medicine that has helped people with obesity. (credit: Getty | Michael Siluk)

The study, which was previewed in an August press release by the drug’s maker and trial-runner Novo Nordisk, was published in full Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine, timed to a presentation of the findings at the American Heart Association conference in Philadelphia.

Enlarge / This panchromatic view of galaxy cluster MACS0416 was created by combining infrared observations from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope with visible-light data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Welcome to the Daily Telescope. There is a little too much darkness in this world and not enough light; a little too much pseudoscience and not enough science. We’ll let other publications offer you a daily horoscope. At Ars Technica, we’re going to take a different route, finding inspiration from very real images of a universe that is filled with stars and wonder.

Hubble, of course, brought “deep field” astronomy alive by publishing images with thousands of galaxies. Now, by combining Hubble observations with the new James Webb Space Telescope, NASA and its partners have produced an even deeper field image. The resulting panchromatic image, which combines visible and infrared light, gives us one of the most comprehensive views of the Universe ever obtained.

Enlarge (credit: KTSDESIGN)

The takeaway of Robert Sapolsky’s Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will is basically the same as that espoused by those Snickers commercials: You’re not you when you’re hungry. Except according to Sapolsky, there is no “you”—the hunger is what dictates your behavior, along with your stress level, whether or not you were born with fetal alcohol syndrome or grew up in a culture that valorizes individual freedoms versus one that prioritizes communal responsibility or in one that believes in an omniscient, omnipotent, vengeful deity.

Hormones, neurotransmitters, and how they are affected by your current and historical circumstances—these are the only things that determine how you will act and what decisions you will make at those inflection points when you’re called upon to make impactful choices. And all of them are things you did not choose and cannot control.

Sapolsky, a neurobiologist at Stanford University, is not averse to the notion of our having free will; it’s just that he can’t find it. And he’s looked everywhere. He has studied—intensely—not only neurobiology but also endocrinology, behavioral science, philosophy, primatology, criminology, psychiatry, sociology, anthropology, evolution, and history. Not a single one of these disciplines precludes free will, but all of them together do. All there is to us is biology and the way that biology is affected by our environment. That’s it. We are not, as Yoda suggested, luminous beings; we are only crude matter.

Enlarge / Drawing of a trade expedition to Punt during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. Note the presence of baboons on board the lower ship. (credit: Nastasic)

Now, according to a recent paper published in the journal eLife, Punt may have been the same as another legendary port city in modern-day Eritrea, known as Adulis by the Romans. The conclusion comes from a genetic analysis of a baboon that was mummified during ancient Egypt’s Late Period (around 800 and 500 BCE). The genetics indicate the animal originated close to where Adulis would be known to come into existence centuries later.

Enlarge / A child getting a vaccination on February 19, 2021, in Bonn, Germany. (credit: Getty | Ute Grabowsky)

For the third consecutive year, kindergartners across the US have fallen short of reaching the protective threshold of 95 percent vaccination coverage, and vaccine exemptions have reached an all-time high of 3 percent, according to a new study led by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 10 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination coverage among US kindergartners hovered around the target of 95 percent. But amid the health crises, vaccination rates slipped to 94 percent in the 2020–2021 school year, then to 93 percent in the 2021–2022 school year. For the 2022–2023 school year, overall coverage remained around 93 percent, but exemptions rose to 3 percent, up from 2.6 percent in the previous year. The current exemption rate is the highest ever recorded for the country.

The study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, included reported data from 49 states and the District of Columbia. Montana did not report vaccination data to the CDC.

Enlarge / The first Amazon Echo speaker. (credit: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Wednesday’s judgment [PDF], initially reported by Reuters, orders Amazon to pay the sum via running royalty rather than a lump sum. The ruling follows a jury verdict [PDF] finding that Amazon infringed upon four of VoiceBox’s patents. The patents relate to providing network-coordinated conversational services, a conversational voice user interface, and tying advertisements to natural language processing of voice-based input. VB Assets originally accused Amazon of infringing on six of its patents.

Amazon still has time to appeal the judgment, and VoiceBox has time to seek reimbursement for related costs.

Enlarge / The Apple Watch Ultra using the Backtrack breadcrumb feature within the compass. (credit: Corey Gaskin)

• Apple Watch Ultra (GPS + Cellular) 49mm Titanium Case with Midnight Ocean Band for $679 (was $799) at Best Buy
• Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds for $248 (was $300) at Amazon
• Bose Smart Soundbar 900 With Dolby Atmos and Voice Assistant for $600 (was $750) at Best Buy
• Samsung Q-series 11.1.4 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar Q990C for $1,400 (was $1,900) at Best Buy
• Sony 55-inch Class Bravia XR A95K 4K HDR OLED Google TV for $1,700 (was $2,800) at Best Buy
• iRobot Roomba Combo i5+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum & Mop for $349 (was $500) at Amazon
• Netgear Nighthawk WiFi 6 Router for $250 (was $298) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) for $200 (was $249) at Best Buy | Amazon
• Dell 32-inch 4K Monitor, UHD (3840×2160), 60Hz, Dual HDMI 2.0 for $250 (was $365) at Amazon
• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop, M2 chip,16GB Memory, 1TB SSD for $1,649 (was $1,899) at Best Buy

Apple gear

• Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case for $220 (was $249) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Ultra (GPS + Cellular) 49mm Titanium Case with Midnight Ocean Band for $679 (was $799) at Best Buy
• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop, M2 chip,16GB Memory, 1TB SSD for $1,649 (was $1,899) at Best Buy
• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop, M2 chip,16GB Memory, 512GB SSD for $1,499 (was $1,699) at Best Buy
• Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch Laptop, Apple M2 chip, 8GB Memory, 512GB SSD for $1,299 (was $1,499) at Best Buy
• Apple AirTag 4-pack for $87 (was $99) at Amazon
• Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 chip, 13-inch for $950 (was $999) at Amazon
• Apple 2023 MacBook Air Laptop M2 chip, 15-inch for $1,049 (was $1,299) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation) for $400 (was $499) at Amazon
• Apple iPad (9th Generation) for $249 (was $329) at Amazon
• Apple iPad (10th Generation) for $399 (was $449) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) with USB-C charging for $200 (was $249) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) for $150 (was $169) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones for $480 (was $549) at Amazon

Headphones and hearing aids

• Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) for $200 (was $249) at Best Buy | Amazon
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Noise Canceling Earbuds for $199 (was $279) at Amazon
• Bose Headphones 700 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones for $259 (was $379) at Best Buy
• Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds for $248 (was $300) at Amazon
• Sony WHCH720N Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones for $100 (was $150) at Best Buy
• Shokz OpenRun Pro Premium Bone Conduction Open-Ear Sport Headphones for $125 (was $180) at Best Buy
• Shure AONIC 40 Premium Wireless Headphones for $100 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Adaptive Noise-Canceling Over-The-Ear Headphones for $300 (was $350) at Best Buy
• Sennheiser HD 458BT Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones for $120 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Sennheiser Sport True Wireless Earbuds for $100 (was $150) at Best Buy
• Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds for $130 (was $180) at Best Buy
• Sennheiser  IE 200 In-Ear Wired Headphones for $120 (was $150) at Best Buy
• Sennheiser HD 560S Wired Open Aire Over-the-Ear Audiophile Headphones for $180 (was $230) at Best Buy
• Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless Noise Canceling In-Ear Headphones for $115 (was $180) at Best Buy
• Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless Noise Canceling In-Ear Headphones for $130 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Over-Ear Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones for $571 (was $699) at Best Buy
• Marshall Major IV Bluetooth Headphone with wireless charging for $111 (was $150) at Best Buy
• Sony WF-C700N Truly Wireless Noise Canceling In-Ear Headphones for $90 (was $120) at Best Buy
• JBL Tune 660NC On-Ear Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones for $50 (was $100) at Best Buy
• JLab Studio Pro ANC Over-Ear Headphones for $60 (was $100) at Best Buy
• Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones for $480 (was $549) at Amazon
• Beats Studio Buds Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds for $100 (was $150) at Best Buy
• Beats Studio Buds Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds for $100 (was $150) at Best Buy
• Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones for $300 (was $350) at Best Buy
• Beats Fit Pro True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds for $180 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones for $130 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Soundpeats Air4 Wireless Earbuds with Snapdragon Sound AptX Adaptive Lossless Audio for $72 (was $90) from Amazon
• JBL Tune 760NC – Foldable Over-Ear Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation for $65 (was $100) at Amazon
• JBL Tune 510BT: Wireless On-Ear Headphones for $25 (was $50) at Amazon
• JBL Tune 230NC Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds for $50 (was $60) at Amazon
• JBL Live 660NC Wireless Over-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones for $100 (was $200) at Amazon
• JBL Live 460NC – Wireless On-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones for $65 (was $130) at Amazon
• JBL Live Free 2 True Wireless earbuds with adaptive noise canceling for $75 (was $150) at Amazon
• Poly – formerly Plantronics – Voyager 4320 for $158 (was $170) at Best Buy
• Soundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds for $20 (was $40) at Amazon
• Soundcore by Anker Life P3i Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Earbuds for $50 (was $60) at Amazon
• Lexie Lumen self-fitting hearing aids for $649 (was $799) at Best Buy
• Lexie B2 Hearing Aids Powered by Bose for $899 (was $999) at Best Buy
• Lexie B1 Hearing Aids for $699 (was $849) at Best Buy

Tech essentials

• Netgear Nighthawk WiFi 6 Router for $250 (was $298) at Amazon
• Netgear Cable Modem WiFi Router Combo C6300 for $144 (was $200) at Amazon
• TP-Link Deco AX7800 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System (Deco X95) 2-pack for $350 (was $450) at Amazon
• TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System(Deco XE75) 2-pack for $230 (was $300) at Amazon
• TP-Link WiFi Extender with Ethernet Port for $30 (was $50) at Amazon
• TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System (Deco S4) 3-pack for $110 (was $150) at Amazon
• TP-Link AC1900 WiFi Extender (RE550) for $70 (was $80) at Amazon
• Amazon eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi System 2-pack for $280 (was $400) at Amazon
• Amazon eero 6+ mesh Wi-Fi router for $90 (was $140) at Amazon
• Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) for $70 (was $130) at Amazon
• Seagate IronWolf 8Tb NAS Internal Hard Drive for $160 (was $170) at Amazon

Soundbars and home audio

• Bose Smart Soundbar 900 With Dolby Atmos and Voice Assistant for $600 (was $750) at Best Buy
• Samsung HW-S50B/ZA 3.0ch All-in-One Soundbar for $148 (was $248) at Amazon
• Klipsch Cinema 600 Sound Bar 3.1 Home Theater System for $380 (was $549) at Amazon
• LG 5.1.2 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer for $300 (was $449) at Best Buy
• JBL Cinema SB170 2.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer for $170 (was $250) at Best Buy
• LG Eclair 3.0 Channel Soundbar with Dolby Atmos for $300 (was $450) at Best Buy
• Yamaha SR-C20 2.1-Channel Soundbar with Built-in Subwoofer for $130 (was $180) at Best Buy
• LG 4.1 ch Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer and Rear Speakers for $200 (was $400) at Best Buy
• Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar for $998 (was $1,398) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-S2000 soundbar for $348 (was $498) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-A3000 soundbar for $498 (was $698) at Crutchfield
• Sennheiser AMBEO Dolby Atmos Soundbar | Max for $2,000 (was $2,500) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-A5000 Dolby Atmos soundbar for $698 (was $998) at Crutchfield
• Samsung – Q-series 3.1.2 ch Dolby Atmos Soundbar w/Q-Symphony Q600C for $330 (was $600) at Best Buy
• Samsung S-series 3.0 ch. Soundbar S50B for $150 (was $250) at Samsung
• Samsung Sound Tower Party Audio ST40B for $230 (was $500) at Samsung
• Samsung Q-series 3.1.2 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar Q700C for $400 (was $700) at Samsung
• Samsung Q-series 5.1.2 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar Q800C for $690 (was $1,000) at Samsung
• Samsung Q-series 7.1.2 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar Q900C for $990 (was $1,400) at Samsung
• Samsung Q-series 9.1.2 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar Q910C for $990 (was $1,400) at Samsung
• Samsung Q-series 11.1.4 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar Q990C for $1,400 (was $1,900) at Best Buy

TVs

• Sony 55-inch Class Bravia XR A95K 4K HDR OLED Google TV for $1,700 (was $2,800) at Best Buy
• Sony 55 Inch 4K Ultra HD TV X90K Series: BRAVIA XR Full Array LED Smart Google TV for $899 (was $1,300) at Amazon
• Sony 65 Inch Mini LED 4K Ultra HD TV X93L Series: BRAVIA XR Smart Google TV for $1,598 (was $1,798) at Amazon
• Amazon Fire TV 65-inch Omni Series 4K UHD smart TV with Dolby Vision for $600 (was $760) at Amazon
• Sony 65 Inch 4K Ultra HD TV X80K Series: LED Smart Google TV for $698 (was $900) at Amazon
• Hisense 65-inch Class U8 Series Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD TV for $1,048 (was $1,400) at Amazon
• TCL 55-inch Q7 QLED 4K Smart TV with Google TV for $498 (was $750) at Amazon
• TCL 55-inch Q6 QLED 4K Smart TV with Google TV for $348 (was $500) at Amazon
• Samsung 75-inch Class The Frame QLED 4K LS03B for $2,000 (was $3,000) at Samsung
• Samsung 85-inch Class The Frame QLED 4K LS03B for $3,300 (was $4,300) at Samsung
• Sony 65-inch Class Bravia XR A80L OLED 4K smart Google TV for $1,700 (was $2,600) at Best Buy
• Sony 55-inch Class Bravia XR A80L OLED 4K smart Google TV for $1,400 (was $1,900) at Best Buy
• Sony 83-inch Class Bravia XR A80L OLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV for $4,500 (was $5,300) at Best Buy
• Samsung 55-inch Class OLED S90C for $1,300 (was $1,900) at Samsung
• Samsung 65-inch Class OLED S90C for $1,600 (was $2,600) at Samsung
• Samsung 83-inch Class OLED S90C for $3,500 (was $5,400) at Samsung
• Samsung 65-inch Class OLED S95C for $2,400 (was $3,300) at Samsung
• Samsung 55-inch Class OLED S95C for $1,900 (was $2,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 77-inch Class OLED S95C for $3,600 (was $4,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 55-inch Class TU690T Crystal UHD 4K for $300 (was $380) at Samsung
• Samsung 65-inch Class QLED 4K QN90C for $1,700 (was $2,800) at Samsung
• Samsung 98-inch Class QLED 4K Q80C for $5,000 (was $8,000) at Samsung
• Samsung 65-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN800C for $2,600 (was $3,500) at Samsung
• LG 65-inch Class G3 Series OLED 4K UHD for $2,300 (was $3,000) at Best Buy
• LG 77-inch Class G3 Series OLED 4K UHD for $3,500 (was $4,300) at Best Buy
• LG 83-inch Class G3 Series OLED 4K UHD TV for $5,000 (was $6,000) at Best Buy
• LG 77-inch Class B3 series OLED 4K UHD for $2,019 (was $3,300) at LG
• Samsung 120-inch Class The Premiere LSP7T 4K Smart Laser Projector for $3,000 (was $3,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 120-inch Class The Premiere LSP7T 4K Smart Laser Projector for $6,000 (was $6,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 70-inch Class QLED 4K QE1C for $880 (was $1,800) at Samsung
• Samsung 70-inch Class QLED 4K QE1C for $1,500 (was $2,800) at Samsung
• Samsung 75-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900C for $4,500 (was $6,300) at Samsung
• Samsung 65-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN800C for $2,600 (was $3,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 43-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 4K QN90C for $1,000 (was $1,200) at Samsung
• Samsung 85-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 4K QN90C for $2,800 (was $4,800) at Samsung
• Samsung 55-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 4K QN85C for $1,000 (was $1,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 55-inch Class QLED 4K Q70C for $850 (was $1,000) at Samsung
• Samsung 86-inch Class Crystal UHD TU9010 (2021) for $1,600 (was $1,700) at Samsung

Robo vacuums

• iRobot Roomba Combo i5+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum & Mop for $349 (was $500) at Amazon
• Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop for $840 (was $1,100) at Amazon
• iRobot Roomba j9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum for $599 (was $899) at Amazon
• Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo, 2 in 1 Mopping Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Schedule for $180 (was $730) at Amazon
• Lefant Robot Vacuum Cleaner with 2200Pa Powerful Suction, Tangle-Free, Wi-Fi/App/Alexa for $100 (was $200) at Amazon
• roborock Q7 Max+ Robot Vacuum and Mop with Auto-Empty Dock Pure for $500 (was $870) with coupon at Amazon
• roborock Q8 Max+ Robot Vacuum and Mop, Self-Emptying for $698 (was $820) with coupon at Amazon

Herman Miller office and gaming chairs

• Herman Miller Aeron Chair for $1,354 (was $1,805) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Embody Chair for $1,703 (was $2,270) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chair for $1,384 (was $1,845) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Sayl Chair for $588 (was $735) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Sayl Chair, Special Gaming Edition for $816 (was $1,020) at DWR
• Herman Miller Cosm Chair, Low Back for $1,048 (was $1,310) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Cosm Chair, Mid Back for $1,256 (was $1,570) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Cosm Chair, High Back for $1,680 (was $2,100) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller x Logitech G Vantum Gaming Chair for $636 (was $795) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller x Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair for $1,384 (was $1,845) at DWR
• Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Chair, Executive for $2,040 (was $2,550) at DWR
• Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Chair, Management for $2,296 (was $2,870) at DWR
• Herman Miller Eames Soft Pad Chair, Executive Height for $3,516 (was $4,395) at DWR
• Herman Miller Mirra 2 Chair for $1,128 (was $1,410) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Setu Chair, With Arms for $668 (was $835) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Aeron Chair, Special Gaming Edition for $1,354 (was $1,805) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Aeron Stool for $1,391 (was $1,855) at Herman Miller
• Herman Miller Lino Chair for $684 (was $855) at Herman Miller

Lenovo deals

• Lenovo Yoga 7i (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $836 (was $1,100) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i9-13900HX and RTX 4090) for $2,385 (was $2,850) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1335U) for $1,319 (was $2,399) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500HX and RTX 4050) for $1,070 (was $1,480) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS and RTX 4050) for $950 (was $1,300) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (15-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX 4050) for $1,030 (was $1,400) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and RTX 4050) for $911 (was $1,260) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX) for $1,330 (was $1,770) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500HX and RTX) for $1,070 (was $1,480) at Lenovo
• ThinkPhone by Motorola for $450 (was $700) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 3 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 5675U) for $629 (was $2,688) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 5i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500H and RTX 4050) for $1,000 (was $1,350) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1250P) for $945 (was $3,049) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (15-inch, Intel Core i5-13500H and RTX 3050) for $697 (was $1,020) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Coire i5-1235U) for $632 (was $1,404) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700HX and RTX A1000) for $1,749 (was $3,899) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500H and RTX 4050) $781 (was $1,200) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (15-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) for $475 (was $700) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook Plus (14-inch, Intel Core i3-N305) for $495 (was $550) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7645HX and RTX 4050) for $1,026 (was $1,430) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX and RTX 4070) for $1,400 (was $1,960) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U) for $894 (was $1,719) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX A2000) for $1,979 (was $4,389) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 5 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) for $610 (was $1,219) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1365U) for $1,143 (was $2,859) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1355U) for $725 (was $1,449) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16s Gen 2 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P and RTX A500) for $1,629 (was $3,629) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P and RTX A500) for $1,529 (was $3,389) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U) for $1,099 (was $2,199) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 7 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and RTX 4060) for $1,300 (was $1,680) at Lenovo
• Lenovo X1 Carbon Gen 10 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1260P) for $1,238 (was $3,439) at Lenovo

Monitors and displays

• Dell 32-inch 4K Monitor, UHD (3840 x 2160), 60Hz, Dual HDMI 2.0 for $250 (was $365) at Amazon
• Dell S2421HS Full HD 1920 x 1080, 24-Inch 1080p LED for $140 (was $180) at Amazon
• Acer 23.8-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS Zero Frame Home Office Computer Monitor for $100 (was $150) at Amazon
• Acer KB272 EBI 27-inch IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080) Zero-Frame Gaming Office Monitor for $110 (was $160) at Amazon
• Samsung 22-inch T350 Series FHD 1080p Computer Monitor for $110 (was $150) at Amazon
• Samsung 34-inch G85SB OLED Ultra WQHD for $900 (was $1,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 34-inch ViewFinity S50GC Ultra-WQHD for $280 (was $380) at Samsung
• Samsung 27-inch Viewfinity S80TB 4K UHD for $500 (was $580) at Samsung
• Samsung 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K UHD for $1,800 (was $2,700) at Samsung
• Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 DQHD for $1,200 (was $1,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 49-inch Odyssey CRG9 DQHD for $950 (was $1,200) at Samsung
• Samsung 28-inch Odyssey G70B 4K UHD for $600 (was $800) at Samsung
• Samsung 43-inch Odyssey Neo G7 4K UHD for $800 (was $1,000) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD for $1,000 (was $1,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G32A FHD for $220 (was $330) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G50A QHD for $400 (was $450) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G70B 4K UHD IPS for $650 (was $1,000) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G65B QHD for $550 (was $800) at Samsung
• LG 34-inch 34WN80C-B UltraWide WQHD IPS for $400 (was $550) at LG
• LG 27-inch UltraFine 4K OLED pro for $1,800 (was $1,900) at LG
• LG 43-inch 4K UHD IPS Smart Monitor for $500 (was $600) at LG
• LG 22-inch Class Full HD IPS for $80 (was $120) at LG
• LG 27-inch FHD IPS 3-Side Borderless for $130 (was $180) at LG

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Not since Magic Leap has a “next-generation” hardware company been so hyped while showing so little. Everyone in the tech world has been freaking out about this new pocket protector thing that wants to “replace your smartphone.” It’s called the “Humane AI Pin.” As far as we can tell, it’s a $700 screenless voice assistant box and, like all smartphone-ish devices released in the last 10 years, it has some AI in it. It’s as if Google Glass had a baby with a pager from the 1990s.

It’s a voice assistant box, so that means it has a microphone and speaker. There’s no hot word, and it’s not always listening, so you’ll be pressing a button to speak to it, and you’ll get a response back. There’s also a camera, and because you’re expected to mount this on your clothing at chest level via a magnetic back piece, you’ll be creepily pointing a camera at everyone the whole time you’re using it. It claims to be “screenless,” but it has a pretty cool 720p laser projection system that seems to function as a fine monochrome screen that projects a smartwatch-like UI onto your hand. It shows some super basic UI elements, like a circular media player or a scrolling wall of text. A few hand gestures, like tapping your fingers together, will let you interact with it.

Despite claiming to be able to replace a smartphone, the Humane AI Pin is going back to the Dark Ages and not supporting any apps. We’ve seen so many devices live and die by their app ecosystems, and the matter-of-fact quote from the presentation was, “We don’t do apps.” You’ll be locked into whatever features and services Humane has built into the Android-based “Cosmos” OS. So if you want to play music, it needs to be from Tidal, a service with 0–2 percent market share, because that’s who the Humane people have partnered with. It’s unclear if there is any other third-party functionality other than that. Humane’s “Cosmos” page shows logos for Slack and then logos from Microsoft and Google, which could mean anything.

Enlarge / Apple Store at Garden State Plaza mall on November 4, 2023, in Paramus, New Jersey. (credit: Getty Images | Gary Hershorn )

Apple illegally discriminated against US citizens and other US residents in its hiring and recruitment practices for certain types of positions that went to foreign workers, the US Department of Justice said yesterday. Apple agreed to pay up to $25 million in back pay and civil penalties to settle the DOJ allegations.

Apple discriminated “against US citizens and certain non-US citizens whose permission to live in and work in the United States does not expire,” the agency said. The $25 million payment was called the largest ever collected by the Justice Department under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Apple is required to pay $6.75 million in civil penalties and create an $18.25 million fund to provide back pay to those harmed by its hiring practices. Apple did not admit guilt in the settlement. But the company acknowledged in a statement that it had “unintentionally not been following the DOJ standard,” according to Reuters.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images / What Hi-Fi Magazine)

Amazon has been working on an in-house replacement for its Android-based Fire OS, codenamed “Vega” and built for easier app development, according to reporting from Janko Roettgers at Lowpass.

Based on job listings, multiple sources, forum posts, and unguarded LinkedIn boasts, Roettgers writes that Amazon has been working on Vega since at least 2019, is mostly done with the core development, and is now focused on an SDK and developer outreach. Vega would replace the Fire OS that is installed on Fire TV sticks and televisions, Kindle Fire tablets, and other Amazon devices. Vega, based on “a flavor of Linux,” uses the popular JavaScript-based React Native as an application framework. This could simplify development for Fire devices alongside other React-ready platforms, including smartphones, desktops, and other smart TVs.

Fire OS is a fork of Android based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), but it’s far from the same thing. The Fire Max 11, a 2023 device, is running Fire OS 8, which is based on Android 11, released in 2020. As Roettgers points out, Fire TVs sold in 2023 are based on Android 9, from 2018. While an Android base provides a relatively familiar entry for developers that already have Android apps, rebuilding the AOSP project—meant to support a wealth of different devices and carrying years of technical debt—seemingly became frustrating enough for Amazon to push toward an in-house solution.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | SOPA Images )

One Ars reader who got the account-reset email contacted us about the problem, and many others are complaining in Reddit threads. Starlink’s account-recovery page that allows users to request password resets with an email address or phone number hasn’t been working for them.

“When I try to reset my password via the email option, I get the error ‘User not found,'” we were told by Adam, a Starlink customer in Alabama who preferred that we not publish his last name. When Adam tried to reset his password by entering his phone number, he received a text message with a password-reset link. But that didn’t work, either. “After I type in a new password, I get the error message ‘User disabled,'” Adam told us.

Enlarge / Microsoft briefly tested a drop-down survey that you would need to fill out before you could quit the OneDrive app. (credit: NeoWin)

Modern versions of Windows have become more annoying as time has gone on, pushing additional Microsoft products and services on users who are just trying to turn on their computers and get something done. Often, as we’ve covered, these notifications and reminders ignore or actively push back against user intent—prompting you to sign up for Microsoft 365 if you already said no, or trying to make you use Edge or Bing after you’ve already installed Chrome.

Microsoft took another step down this path this week when it began testing a new addition to the Windows OneDrive app that would force users to explain themselves when quitting the app. Initially spotted by NeoWin, the survey took the form of a drop-down menu, not unlike the ones you sometimes see when you try to unsubscribe from marketing or fundraising mailing lists.

Until you chose an answer from the drop-down, the “quit” button would be grayed out, preventing you from actually closing OneDrive.

Enlarge / Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak attends the Digital X 2022 event by Deutsche Telekom on September 13, 2022, in Cologne, Germany. (credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak suffered a minor stroke while attending a conference in Mexico City, reports ABC News and The New York Times.

The 73-year-old was scheduled to speak at the World Business Forum event on the subject of the “Digital Future.” Wednesday morning while typing at his computer, he suffered a dizzy spell and reported difficulty walking. His wife convinced him to go to the hospital, where he received an MRI. The doctors determined that he suffered a “small capillary leak,” according to the NYT.

Wozniak flew home to Los Gatos, California, on Thursday, and he told The Times, “I’m back home and feeling good.” He related discomfort in the hospital with having to stay on a gurney for 24 hours without being allowed to roll on his side.