Timef 04/02/2025

A new security fund aims to help apps in the fediverse — like Mastodon, Threads, and Pixelfed — to pay researchers for disclosing security bugs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mortgage interest rates dropped to historic lows — as low as 2.5%. Fast-forward a few years and rates soared — to highs nearing 8% in 2023, with the national average 30-year fixed mortgage APR as of April 1 still at 6.84%.  The whiplash has left many people seeking to buy homes […]

Anthropic announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a new Claude for Education tier, an answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu plan. The new tier is aimed at higher education, and gives students, faculty, and other staff access to Anthropic’s AI chatbot, Claude, with a few additional capabilities. One piece of Claude for Education is “Learning Mode,” […]

The co-founder of Oracle and friend of President Trump, who was a flamboyant fixture in the 1990s, has returned to the spotlight through — of all things — TikTok.

Nintendo's next-generation handheld is set to launch June 5 alongside a slew of new games and accessories—including one very cool rebooted GameCube controller.

As of April 2, you can snag the Lego Creator 3-in-1 Forest Animals building kit for just $34.99 at Amazon. That's a 30% discount and a $15 price cut.

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders will begin on April 9. The new hybrid console is priced at $449.99 and launches on June 5.

Seth Meyers and Paul Rudd play games, drink awful drinks, and straight-up lose it in the latest "Day Drinking" segment.

Actively AI argues that most AI sales reps have "failed." It just raised $22.5 million.

"Hollow Knight" fans, Nintendo has confirmed the sequel is coming to Switch 2 this year.

According to the FBI, cybercriminals are sending extortion letters, threatening to release victims' sensitive information unless a ransom is paid.

Cloud infrastructure is dominated by several large industry players: AWS, Microsoft’s Azure, and Google Cloud. While to some it may look like AI is headed in a similar direction, the founders of Parasail think AI infrastructure will look very different — and are betting their company’s fate on it. Parasail works with dozens of providers to […]

Patreon, a subscription platform for online creators, is ge has signed podcasting partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment and Amazon’s Wondery, the company announced on Wednesday. Patreon says the partnerships are designed to make the site a home to fan engagement and exclusive perks for shows from major podcast networks, as the company looks to expand […]

Nintendo announced a bunch of new Switch 2 games, but also confirmed some old GameCube games that will be playable, too.

Roblox, the popular gaming platform geared toward preteens, has made substantial updates to its safety policy in the last year following accusations of insufficient safety measures for children, which could expose them to risks like grooming, explicit content, and violent material.  The company announced Wednesday three new parental control features, including the option for them […]

Now through April 5, you can score up to 40% off select makeup, skincare, hair, and fragrance products during Ulta’s Spring Haul Sale.

During its Nintendo Direct Switch 2 event, Nintendo announced new features for "The Legend of Zelda" games.

Michael Waltz used his personal Gmail to share "potentially exploitable" information, per the report.

Michael Waltz used his personal Gmail to share "potentially exploitable" information, per the report.

At the Nintendo Switch 2 livestream event, the iconic gaming company announced GameChat, which brings live chatting to and other live ways for users to interact while playing.

The Wikimedia Foundation, the umbrella organization of Wikipedia and a dozen or so other crowdsourced knowledge projects, said on Wednesday that bandwidth consumption for multimedia downloads from Wikimedia Commons has surged by 50% since January 2024. The reason, the outfit wrote in a blog post Tuesday, isn’t due to growing demand from knowledge-thirsty humans, but […]

Nintendo unveiled new details on Wednesday about its hugely anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 gaming console, which will be the company’s first new console since the Nintendo Switch was introduced in 2017. The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released on June 5. As its name suggests, the Switch 2 is an upgrade on the Nintendo Switch. […]

Nintendo unveiled new details on Wednesday about its hugely anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 gaming console, which will be the company’s first new console since the Nintendo Switch was introduced in 2017. The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released on June 5 and cost $450. At launch, the console will arrive both on its own and […]

The veil has been fully lifted off of Nintendo Switch 2, and now we know when you can get one.

It's a huge day for gamers: Nintendo announced the Switch 2 and "Mario Kart World". The internet was abuzz.

Tesla recorded 336,681 deliveries, its worst quarterly performance in more than two years as the brand suffers a backlash to CEO Elon Musk’s political maneuverings. The dip in sales comes as Musk continues leading DOGE, the “advisory body” that has laid off thousands of federal employees and attempted to eliminate entire agencies and programs. His […]

After months of hype, predictions, and teasers, Nintendo has confirmed that "Mario Kart World" is coming.

Rivian delivered just 8,640 vehicles in the first three months of 2024, the company’s worst quarterly mark since the end of 2022. But the company says the slow start won’t impact its overall guidance for the year — it still expects to deliver between 46,000 and 51,000 EVs by the end of 2025. The company […]

Roblox, a popular social platform for children, announced three new parental controls to help keep young users safe.

Most recent hydrogen startups have been focused on making modular electrolyzers, but Fourier has taken that trend to the extreme.

“Coffee” made with functional mushrooms like lion's mane and chaga is all the rage—we tried the most popular brands to find which were the most palatable.

As of April 2, the iPad Mini (A17 Pro chip, WiFi, 128GB) is on sale at Best Buy for $399. Normally it's listed for $499, so you're saving 20 percent.

The elective medical industry is cashing in on plastic pollution fears, but the evidence of harm from microplastics is still deeply uncertain.

Jack Thorne, who cowrote the hit Netflix show about a 13-year-old accused of murder, told WIRED he understands how easily kids can get lured into incel ideology.

As of April 2, the Sony SRS-XG300 portable speaker is on sale for $142.95 at Amazon for a limited time. Normally it's listed for $349.99, so you're saving 59%.

FireSat is a satellite project designed to detect and track wildfires early, aiming to detect a fire that's the size of a classroom within 20 minutes.

Zelle is shutting down its app, but it will remain available through the apps and websites of banks and financial institutions.

While almost no Chinese EVs are legally sold in the US, these are the workarounds that could allow eager enthusiasts to get them onto American roads—at a price.

Nintendo's biggest livestream in years is almost upon us, and we'll be live-blogging the Switch 2 announcement.

As of April 2, the Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $299.99, 50% off its list price of $599.

This is what cyber criminals can do with the data leaked from the alleged X breach.

Numerous reports online talk about an 18.4 bug that resurrects long-deleted apps.

Nikki Blonsky is raking in Cameo cash in the wake of viral TikTok fame.

Make spring cleaning a breeze with the Farberware Classic Corded Stick Vacuum, now $69.99 (reg. $119) with code SAVE10 now through April 27.

Enjoy peace of mind knowing your PC's data is completely destroyed with the Data Shredder Stick Secure Data Wiping Tool for Windows, on sale for $29.99 (reg. $39).

Charge any Apple Watch with this $15 keychain charger

Live stream Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Pumas UNAM in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream LAFC vs. Inter Miami in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

The Apple Watch mindfulness app helps me focus on my breath behind the wheel — and that's an addictive sensation.

Here are the best comedy movies now streaming on Max — everything from "Barbie" and "Deadpool" to "Singin' in the Rain" and "Mamma Mia!"

Using environmental DNA analysis and traditional fishing techniques, researchers are seeking answers about the current population of axolotls in their natural habitat. The numbers are alarming.

Apple's macOS Sequoia 15.4 is live, bringing updates to Mail, Apple Intelligence, and more. Here are the highlights.

Answers to each clue for the April 2, 2025 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.

As of April 2, Sony PULSE Elite headset for PS5 is available in open-box fair condition at Best Buy for $89.99. That’s $60 off its usual $149.99 price.

As of April 2, the UGREEN Nexode 25000mAh 200W power bank is on sale for $79.99 at Amazon, down from $129.99 — a 38% discount.

As of April 2, Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones are on sale for $36 at Amazon, down from $59.99. That’s a 40% discount.

U.S. security officials including Michael Waltz have reportedly used personal Gmail accounts to conduct government business.

The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

Nintendo is all set to blow the lid off the Switch 2 next week. Here's how you can watch it live.

Connections: Sports Edition is a New York Times word game about finding common sports threads between words. How to solve the puzzle.

Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.

Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1382 on April 2, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Hints and answers to today's Hurdle all in one place.

Leading scientists at the National Institutes of Health, the US’s leading medical research agency, were swept up Tuesday in the Trump administration's latest firing blitz.

It’s the culmination of a weeks-long standoff between Elon Musk’s DOGE team and the United States Institute of Peace.

OpenAI has been accused by many parties of training its AI on copyrighted content sans permission. Now a new paper by an AI watchdog organization makes the serious accusation that the company increasingly relied on non-public books it didn’t license to train more sophisticated AI models. AI models are essentially complex prediction engines. Trained on […]

CaaStle, a startup that launched in 2011 as a plus-sized clothing subscription service and later became an inventory monetization platform for clothing retailers, is facing financial difficulties, the company confirmed to TechCrunch following a report by Axios. Citing a letter from the board, Axios reported that the company is almost out of money, CEO Christine […]

The venture capital firm is reportedly in talks to invest in TikTok as part of a bid led by Oracle and other American investors looking to buy out TikTok from ByteDance, according to the Financial Times.  TikTok is once again slated to be banned in the US on April 5th unless its Chinese-based owner sells […]

Accounting software company Open Ledger has launched a new product in time for tax day.  Meet PokéTax, a game that helps make tax filing quite fun. Instead of tax forms, users take on Tax Trainers — gym leaders — representing different parts of a tax form, such as income, deduction, and credits. Each leader asks […]

Rather than divide people into demographic buckets, Northwind Climate analyzes survey responses for behavioral clues.

Nintendo's been pretty secretive about the Switch 2's early lineup, but here are our educated guesses on the matter.

Zelle is shutting down its standalone app on Tuesday, according to a company blog post. This news might be alarming if you’re one of the over 150 million customers in the U.S. who use Zelle for person-to-person payments. But only about 2% of transactions take place via Zelle’s app, which is why the company is […]

Skylight, a startup taking on TikTok with a more open alternative, is launching its mobile app to the public on Tuesday after just ten weeks of active development. The app, which is backed by Mark Cuban and others, is now one of many to build on top of the AT Protocol — the same technology […]

Meta’s VP of AI research, Joelle Pineau, is planning to leave the company, she announced in a post on Facebook Tuesday. Pineau said she’s leaving in May after more than two years overseeing FAIR, Meta’s internal AI research lab led by Yann LeCun. Pineau’s exit comes as Meta ramps up its AI efforts, with the […]

How to get Peacock for free: score three months by signing up through Target Circle, which is also free.

TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The photo-sharing app launched in testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year. The company is notifying TikTok Notes users of its decision to retire the app and is directing them to ByteDance-owned Lemon8, which isn’t surprising given that the apps are quite […]

The open source repository of genetic data will delete its banks of data on April 30, its co-founder confirms.

Get lifetime licenses for Microsoft Office 2021 Professional and Windows 11 Pro, complete with AI-powered Copilot.

Enjoy Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote with Microsoft Office Home 2024. Get them for life with a one-time purchase for your Mac or PC.

As of April 1, get a Google Pixel 9 Pro for $334.95 off at Target.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has long received bipartisan support. But after years of trying, President Donald Trump has delivered it a crushing blow.

On April 1, shop the Kindle Store and earn double points in the Kindle Rewards program.

Everyone can now use ChatGPT's image generation tool. People are finding unique use cases.

An obscure wannabe hacker's tantalizing (and clearly sketchy) job offer has some security researchers asking, why?

JBL deals are still live after Amazon's Big Spring Sale with deals on headphones and speakers with discounts up to 33%.

From Apple accessories to wireless chargers, some of our favorite Nomad gear is 15 percent off right now.

In a series of posts on X on Monday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the popularity of the company’s new image-generation tool in ChatGPT will cause unspecified product delays. “We are getting things under control, but you should expect new releases from OpenAI to be delayed, stuff to break, and for service to sometimes […]

The JetBlue Spring Into Summer Sale has flights as low as $49 each way for travel between April 22 and July 30.

As of April 1, get $650 off the Samsung Odyssey gaming monitor at Amazon.

The Arlo Video Doorbell is on sale at Amazon for just $59.99, down from the normal price of of $129.99. That's a 54% discount.

The best Amazon deals on April 1 include the Apple iPad 10th gen, Sony SRS-XG300 speaker, Roku wireless soundbar, Kindle Paperwhite Kids, and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

The start of a new month means a refreshed selection of Amazon First Reads. Prime members can get their April First Reads pick now.

The Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G3 Gaming Monitor is still on sale for 36% off the day after the Amazon Big Spring Sale.

This real April Fools' Day deal from Dunkin' gets rewards members a free coffee of their choice when they order with this code on April 1.

Apple iOS 18.4 new emoji: Face with Bags Under Eyes, Fingerprint, Splatter, Root vegetable, Leafless tree, Harp, Shovel, Sark flag

Get 10% off almost everything at Shark and Ninja on April 1 with this discount code.

"Ricky and Morty" Season 8 premieres May 25 on Adult Swim.