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Motorola Razr 70 Ultra leaks on high-resolution renders for the first time

The Motorola Razr 70 Ultra can be seen for the first time in high-resolution render images. Motorola's next-generation folding flagship combines a 4-inch secondary display with slim bezels with a 7-inch main display and a dual camera.

Mar 26 • 2:26 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

iOS 26.4 has fixes for 35+ security issues on iPhone, details here

iOS 26.4 launched yesterday, and alongside new features, it brings over 35 key security fixes for your iPhone per Apple’s notes.

Mar 25 • 11:24 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com

Dell made its new Pro laptops thinner and tweaked their naming scheme, again

Say goodbye to Plus, Premium, and Max (mostly). And say hello to a series of odd numbers.

Mar 25 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • theverge.com

Amazon Prime Day 'Big Spring Sale' Introduces Major Discounts on AirPods, iPads, AirTag, and Much More

Amazon this week is hosting a "Big Spring Sale," which includes deals and offers on everything from Apple devices to clothes, kitchen electronics, furniture, and much more. The new event is set to run through March 31, so you'll have a few days of discounts to shop, with new markdowns appearing every day. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Mar 25 • 8:47 AM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Has Been Updated To Version 1.2.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Onward and upward!

Mar 25 • 8:30 AM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com

MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE : Patch Notes 1.15.0

Through our maintenance update on March 25, 2026, we made the following changes. New features, System Adjustments, Adjustments to Area Control Battle, Battle Style Adjustments, Bug fixes... We hope you continue enjoying MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE.

Mar 25 • 5:37 AM EDT • Technology • en.bandainamcoent.eu

Some Meta employees told to work remotely for the day as layoffs loom

The note comes as the company gears up for layoffs. Business Insider reported that some managers were tasked with drawing up cost-cutting plans.

Mar 25 • 12:52 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Apple's M5 Pro & M5 Max easily beat the RTX 5090 in PugetBench creator benchmarks

MacBook's are very popular among content creators and the two new SoCs M5 Pro as well as M5 Max manage excellent results in the PugetBench tests for Adobe apps and DaVinci Resolve. They also clearly beat the mobile GeForce RTX 5090.

Mar 24 • 7:07 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Business Notes: Rocco’s Smokehouse Grill to reopen in temporary location

Rocco’s Smokehouse Grill soon plans to operate out of the Shops at High Street in the space formerly occupied by Strangeways.

Mar 24 • 2:35 PM EDT • Business • dailypress.com

Marathon has sold 1.2M copies across Steam, PS5, and Xbox

Alinea Analytics estimates show that Marathon has generated gross revenues of $55M via 1.2M copies sold on Steam, PS5, and Xbox: Looking at the split between Steam, PS5, and Xbox, Steam is clearly the main platform for Marathon, accounting for a little under 70% of the audience (800K copies sold). Meanwhile, PS5 takes about 19% (217K) and Xbox (including console, PC, and cloud) accounts for a bit over 11% or 133K. Marathon is technically a first-party Sony title, so seeing the home console struggle to break 20% of the volume is a notable data point for the ongoing platform-agnostic debate. PlayStation Studios online games will almost certainly continue being multiplatform (despite Sony reportedly pulling back on PC releases). Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe As for Marathon, the consensus among hardcore players who pushed through the awkward onboarding phase – myself included – is that it’s fantastic. The gunplay, aesthetic, and presentation are among the best in the shooter genre. A great game doesn’t always equal an immediate hit, though, as shown by our estimates. Things are looking lukewarm right now. But this might be one of those marathon-not-a-sprint situations. Had to, didn’t I? Why wasn’t Marathon a hit on the same level as Arc Raiders? One topic that came up in a lot of conversations at GDC this year was why Marathon hasn’t hit the same stratosphere as Arc Raiders. On paper, they’re both extraction shooters, and Marathon has the Bungie pedigree – the house that built the gold standard for gunplay in Halo and Destiny. Marathon’s neon-futuristic aesthetic also distinguishes itself from the gritty realism of Tarkov or the post-apocalyptic hope of ARC Raiders. But vibes can only get you so far for first impressions if the onboarding feels like a brick wall. Marathon is a sweaty PvP-focused experience with a first-time user experience and UI that I can only describe as dreadful. Players are dropped into a complex ecosystem where the UI, though visually striking, is functionally uninformative, forcing users to manually hover over nondescript, identical icons just to identify basic gear or weapon mods. This lack of clarity is compounded by punishing mechanics like a severe heat gauge for movement and a scarcity of vital resources, all without a clear tutorial or a low-stakes mode to learn the ropes. Most people – even top streamers and veteran shooter players – have no idea what’s going on in Marathon at first. Arc is on the complete other end of the spectrum. As we covered here and here, Arc Raiders offers a more collaborative, approachable loop where players often work together toward shared goals. And the objectives are instantly clear. To many players, this contrast only emphasised Marathon’s issues, especially during the testing period. Players understand the Arc Raiders loop within 30 minutes, while Marathon acts as a massive filter, chewing up newcomers and spitting them out before they can experience the depth of Bungie’s signature gunplay. What I’m getting at here is that the poor first-time user experience of Marathon’s Server Slam likely stifled launch sales, while the opposite was true for Arc. Let’s look at the pre-launch copies sold for each game during their respective Server Slams (launch-aligned) : Looking at the trajectory: Arc Raiders saw a massive 80% jump in copies sold during its three-day Server Slam (day -13 to -11). Players jumped in, realised the water was fine, and immediately opened their wallets. Marathon, meanwhile, saw a 49% increase in the four days following its Slam (Day -7 to -3). At the time of each game’s respective launch, Arc Raiders had nearly double the Steam footprint of Marathon – and word of mouth only continued to grow. Bungie could have had more time to fix the onboarding process had the beta happened earlier. But Marathon launched three days after the beta finished. These factors limited the launch sales quite a bit, I reckon. Marathon has found a niche audience, though Despite the friction-heavy start, the data suggests that those who survived Marathon’s onboarding are loving life. We’ve been tracking cross-platform DAUs, and while there’s the expected post-launch leakage, many players are sticking with it. After peaking at 478K total DAUs on its first Saturday, Marathon has settled into a respectable rhythm, holding 345K DAUs as of yesterday and averaging 380K DAUs across the weekend. Steam continues to do the heavy lifting here, consistently accounting for the lion’s share of the daily players. Players have been putting in the hours, too: On Steam, Marathon’s average playtime has climbed to 27.8 hours, significantly outpacing the console averages on PS5 (16.5h) and Xbox (17.3h). Even more telling than the averages: 22% of the Steam audience has surged past the 50-hour mark, and nearly 7% have already logged over 100 hours. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe This data suggests that once the Bungie magic clicks, it hooks players deeper than the average extraction shooter. There’s also started to be a shift in the game’s discourse. Marathon launched as one of those games that’s cool to hate. But as Marathon’s 100-hour club grows, we’re seeing conversations around its mechanical merit outweigh the negativity. Several high-profile creators, who were initially vocal critics, have spent the last week coming around on the mechanical depth of the endgame. It’s a subtle but positive signal; the hate train is losing steam, and a new narrative about the game is emerging. Bungie faithfuls unite Another interesting metric in Marathon’s first few weeks is who, exactly, is playing. Bungie leans heavily on its prestige as the “makers of Halo and Destiny,” in its marketing, and that message has clearly hit the mark. On Steam, the gravity (hammer) of Bungie’s previous work is unavoidable. A staggering 78.2% of Marathon players also played Destiny 2. The trend carries across other platforms, with 74.2% of PS5 players and 82.7% of Xbox players also having played Destiny 2. The Halo legacy lives on, it seems. More on that in a bit. While Destiny 2 went free to play, these numbers still represent a high-intent migration of a fanbase that trusts Bungie’s specific brand of kinetic gunplay and cryptic world-building. The Xbox data adds another layer of legacy. About 85.7% of Marathon players on Xbox have played Halo Infinite, while over half of the Steam audience has spent time in Halo Infinite and 36.1% in the Master Chief Collection (a paid collection of the old Bungie-made legacy games). Interestingly, we see a 55.9% overlap with ARC Raiders on Steam. Overlap is even higher there on PlayStation (60.5%) and Xbox (66.5%). And there’s also significant crossover with Helldivers 2 on all platforms, too. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe Bungie has found some of its fans with Marathon, and the challenge now is keeping this engaged in a high-stakes PvP environment when they’ve spent the last decade primarily enjoying the power fantasies of PvE. On that note… Go the full 26 miles? Or cut and run? Time for some could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. These things would have improved Marathon’s performance at launch: A more robust onboarding process, perhaps in the form of a short single-player/PvE campaign. We know Bungie fans love this stuff. A traditional arena-based mode akin to Destiny’s Crucible could have been a bridge for the cautious players who’d have been otherwise deterred by the Server Slam. It’s also a great palate cleanser after getting merked. Introducing a dedicated PvE environment would have similarly diversified the conversation and lowered the barrier for the Bungie faithful who found the pure PvP extraction loop too abrasive. PvE is safer than PvP these days. There’s an argument that a thin PvE mode would have just felt like a budget Destiny, potentially hurting the brand more. But given how dire the FTUE is, I think it would have been a net positive. Any kind of tutorialised loop that demystifies the stakes, really. While there is merit in a studio sticking firmly to a singular creative vision, and going all in on the hardcore extraction loop. Less forgiving is the technical reality is that the user interface and first-time user experience (FTUE) were not at a commercial standard for launch. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe In a landscape where player time is oversaturated and the most contested currency, a flawed FTUE is a critical failure point. But it’s not all doom and gloom, as Marathon has an incredible, unique gameplay loop, suggesting that financial success is still attainable if Bungie can pivot effectively. Bungie and PlayStation now face a difficult strategic crossroads, though – one within a challenging games market. They could: Double down on Marathon with a long-term Rainbow Six Siege- or No Man’s Sky-style recovery plan, which is something I heard Last Stand Media’s Chris Maldonado mention last week. While this could be a sunk-cost fallacy in action, it could eventually yield the audience the game’s mechanical depth deserves. Shift focus toward the inevitable Destiny 3 or another project, mitigating the escalating opportunity cost and cutting their losses, so to speak. Doing both is an expensive proposition, given the high overhead and burn rate of operating out of Bellevue, Washington. With Sony recently demonstrating a lower threshold for underperforming studios and projects, the margin for error has vanished. Whatever happens, the next six months will determine whether Marathon becomes a cornerstone of Sony’s live-service portfolio or a cautionary tale of vision exceeding accessibility. I’m hoping it’s the former, because Marathon rocks. As always, hit subscribe to get updates on Marathon and other relevant games. Subscribe Want to get your hands on our data for yourself – for free? We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply to this email, and we’ll set you up. The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

Mar 24 • 2:06 PM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com

NEA Business Notes: RightFiber expands into North Texas - Talk Business & Politics

Jonesboro-based RightFiber is expanding its 100% fiber optic internet with a more than $50 million investment in north Texas. RightFiber brings speeds up to 5 gigabytes to homes and up...

Mar 24 • 1:00 PM EDT • Business • talkbusiness.net

Personnel note: Natalie Brown departs RSA, heads back to Senate as Danny Burgess Senior Aide

'During her time with us, she added significant value to our clients and brought a level of direction and strategy to our Session approach and appropriations process.'

Mar 24 • 9:02 AM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

Personnel note: Tampa Electric names Ed Narain as Director of Regional Affairs

'Tampa Electric has a long history of supporting the growth and success of the communities it serves, and I look forward to helping strengthen those partnerships.'

Mar 23 • 4:45 AM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

Personnel note: Shutts & Bowen adds veteran trial lawyer Bernie Pastor to Miami office

Shutts & Bowen is expanding its Business Litigation Practice Group with the addition of Bernard “Bernie” Pastor as a Partner in its Miami office.

Mar 23 • 4:15 AM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

Crimson Desert March 23 Update 1.00.03 Released

Pearl Abyss has just released Title Update 1.00.03 for Crimson Desert and shared its full patch notes.

Mar 22 • 9:48 PM EDT • Technology • dsogaming.com

Your Thymus and Your Healthspan

Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.

Mar 22 • 2:18 PM EDT • Health • erictopol.substack.com

The trope of ‘choosing pets over people’ is not new

Letter: The problem isn’t the beaver on the banknote – it’s a politics that no longer recognises what holds value, writes Dr Michael J Richardson

Mar 22 • 12:45 PM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com

Braves News: Rowdy Tellez signing, roster cuts, and more

Atlanta Braves news and notes from Friday.

Mar 21 • 12:11 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Downtown Chico business owner voices concerns over street closures for events

A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Downtown Road Closure Dilemma", "description": "A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO", "thumbnailUrl": "https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/actionnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/47/c47e26d6-03c3-5f35-bf49-37925ab603d7/69bdedc4eb57d.image.jpg", "uploadDate": "2026-03-20T17:45:00-07:00", "contentUrl": "https://cdn.field59.com/KHSL/1774053903-6e1ef36dd09fbebf020833aee86b60da3b3cca3f_fl9-720p.mp4" } CHICO, Calif. - A downtown Chico business owner is voicing concerns about the impact of street closures for events on local shops. Leann Powell, owner of The Peddler’s Closet, expressed concern about events closing down streets downtown and bringing in food trucks and other shops’ products that directly compete with the brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Chico.Powell said an upcoming event held on a Saturday has brought up concerns for her and other business owners downtown, due to it being a busy day for businesses. "We're already struggling, and then to bring in more businesses on top of our businesses and shut our streets down is absolutely devastating," said Powell.Powell noted a decline in business during events like the Thursday Night Market, where street closures allow outside vendors to set up shop. She shared that while organizers for these types of events often offer booths to local businesses, it does not alleviate the burden."I don't really feel like that's a solution because you're bringing in other businesses, you're shutting the streets down. Yes, we can go down and set up a space, but then you've gotta pay somebody to run that space, plus run your own business for the day, and it's really not, it's really not helpful for us," said Powell.Applying for a street closure permit in Chico involves approval from the Public Works Department, the Chief of Police, and the Fire Chief. Permits can be denied only under a handful of circumstances, such as interference with first responders, previously scheduled construction, or existing permits for the same space.Mayor Kasey Reynolds addressed the issue, saying the city council has tasked staff with reviewing the municipal code for street closure permits with the goal of finding ways to minimize negative impacts on local businesses during events.Reynolds mentioned that any recommended changes might require further direction from the city council, depending on the extent of any changes recommended. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1514992'); });

Mar 20 • 8:45 PM EDT • Business • actionnewsnow.com

Microsoft rolls back some of its Copilot AI bloat on Windows

The company is reducing Copilot entry points on Windows, starting with Photos, Widgets, Notepad, and other apps.

Mar 20 • 4:53 PM EDT • Technology • techcrunch.com

Crimson Desert Day One Update Goes Live in Full on PC, in Part on Console — Check Out the Patch Notes

Crimson Desert has launched across all platforms, and with it comes a day one update that makes some significant improvements to the game, some balance changes, and various fixes. Pearl Abyss recommended players download the patch “for the best experience.” Check out the patch notes.

Mar 19 • 6:45 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com

New dispute emerges around Subnautica 2’s early access release

Lawyers for the ousted—and now partially reinstated—leadership team of Unknown Worlds, the studio behind Subnautica 2, are crying foul over news that the game will be released into early access in May. The release announcement earlier this week was made improperly, potentially “damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community,” the lawyers said in a letter sent on Tuesday to Vice Chancellor Lori Will of Delaware’s Court of Chancery. In their letter, the lawyers also floated the idea of asking Will to find Krafton in contempt of the court’s ruling. The letter was sent just one day after Will’s bombshell ruling that publisher Krafton had breached its contract with Unknown Worlds’ executive team, when it fired them last June. The new issue isn’t necessarily the May early access timeframe, but how the news was announced. The letter and Krafton’s response have not been previously reported. A quick recap of prior events: Subnautica 2 is an unreleased, underwater survival adventure and the most-wishlisted game on Steam. Last year, longtime Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, along with studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, were fired by Krafton. They swiftly sued, saying the publisher had terminated them to avoid paying out up to $250 million in potential performance-based bonuses. The studio leaders had hoped to earn that with an early access release of the game, which Krafton had blocked. The publisher argued in court that Subnautica 2 wasn’t ready, which the ousted execs disputed. On Monday, Will ruled that Krafton had violated its contract, firing the execs to avoid the performance payouts, and that it had to reinstate Gill and give him full authority over any early access release for Subnautica 2. On Tuesday, IGN reported on a new memo issued that day to Unknown Worlds staff by Steve Papoutsis, the executive Krafton had put in charge of Unknown Worlds after the 2025 firings. In the note, Papoutsis said that Subnautica 2 had passed a key development milestone “last week” and that he and Krafton had determined the game “is ready for Early Access release in May.” This news appeared to catch the lawyers for Gill, Cleveland and McGuire by surprise. On Tuesday night, they sent a letter to Will expressing “serious concerns” about whether it would be possible to forge an agreement with Krafton consistent with the judge’s order. Papoutsis’ memo was a problem, they wrote. He didn’t have the authority to declare anything about Subnautica 2’s release. As of 9am ET on Monday, March 16, the effective date of Will’s order, Papoutsis wasn’t CEO of Unknown Worlds. Gill was. And, per Will’s order, only Gill could make Subnautica 2 release decisions. They continued: Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community—let alone this Court’s Opinion. Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximize excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr. Gill. However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community. The lawyers speculated that Krafton had “intentionally leaked” Papoutsis’ memo and then issued an official statement to confirm the leak. Game File is a reader-supported publication. My reporting is only possible through support from readers like you. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe On Wednesday, lawyers for Krafton defended their client in their own letter to vice chancellor Will, saying nothing they did violated her order nor showed contempt: Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release. There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent. They added that Gill could still make his own call about Subnautica 2’s release: In his role as CEO, Gill will be able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion. Vice chancellor Will has not responded to the letters and doesn’t necessarily have to. Both parties were previously ordered by Will to confer this week and submit a proposed judgment consistent with her ruling. The letter from Gill’s attorney’s this week doesn’t indicate whether he would or would not support a May release for Subnautica 2. But it could limit his options. And, if Gill’s lawyers are right, the lack of marketing fanfare around the leak of the May date could dull the launch of the game. Any harm to Subnautica 2’s launch is an extra sensitive issue given the context of the legal dispute: millions of dollars of payouts are on the line, tethered to the scale of the game’s initial performance. In her ruling on Monday, Will noted that there was obvious “bad blood” between Gill’s side and Krafton but that the two would need to work together: “They can—and must—act in good faith to navigate their remaining contractual relationship.” Item 2: A new kind of couch co-op game A highlight of GDC each year is the Alt.Ctrl showcase that features games played with extremely experimental controllers. Perusing this year’s offerings last Friday, I found a game controlled with giant scissors, another with big toothbrushes and one that amounted to dumpster diving. My favorite was Pivot, a co-op game about collectively maneuvering a couch. It was developed by students at the University of Utah’s masters of arts and engineering games program. Players lift and tilt the physical couch in order to control the position of a virtual one. That virtual one is moving through an obstacle course on-screen, while being pursued by a giant skull. Developer Nishant Verma told me at GDC that the couch is made of styrofoam (this became more evident as I watched!) and that the name was a riff on an episode of the sitcom Friends. Item 3: In brief… 🚫 Ubisoft is laying off more than 100 workers at its Red Storm studio, as the North Carolina location known for decades for its Tom Clancy games, ceases in-house game development, VGC reports. 👀 On Monday, Nvidia’s revealed its DLSS 5 AI-driven graphics technology that purports to improve game graphics… and it has been roasted about it by the media and the online gaming public for the remainder of the week. The tech changed the faces of characters in footage from Resident Evil Requiem, Hogwarts Legacy and EA Sports FC, drawing accusations of giving carefully art-directed games the generic look of AI “slop.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had said on Monday that “DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics—blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression.” By mid-week, Huang was telling Tom’s Hardware that the new tech’s critics were “completely wrong” because game-makers could still “fine-tune the generative AI” to suit their game’s aesthetics.

Mar 19 • 5:28 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news

Analyst: Foldable iPhone Likely to Ship in December, iPhone 18 Plus is Possible Next Year

In a research note for investment bank Barclays earlier this month, Apple analyst Tim Long said his supply chain sources mentioned the possibility of the iPhone 18 base model being announced in March next year, rather than in September this year. This split launch has been widely rumored by multiple sources in recent months. More interestingly, Long dropped two unique pieces of information.

Mar 19 • 3:27 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Giants Notebook: Roster Cuts, Loss to Dodgers

Mar 19 • 11:41 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Xiaomi releases new lightweight laptop with Intel Panther Lake and 120 Hz OLED display

Xiaomi has released a new 14-inch laptop featuring Intel's Panther Lake platform. Available with up to 32 GB of RAM, the Book Pro 14 combines a 120 Hz OLED display with 72 Wh battery inside a housing that tips the scales at barely over a kilo.

Mar 19 • 10:20 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

New ‘Perseus’ Android malware checks user notes for secrets

A new Android malware called Perseus is checking user-curated notes to steal sensitive information, like passwords, recovery phrases, or financial data.

Mar 19 • 6:13 AM EDT • Technology • bleepingcomputer.com

macOS 26.4 release notes: Apple details six new features for Mac

Alongside the iOS 26.4 RC, Apple released the macOS 26.4 RC to developers and public beta testers today. The update...

Mar 18 • 3:23 PM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update.

Mar 18 • 2:56 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Lenovo brings retro arcade cabinet gaming to high-end Android tablets with new releases

Lenovo has released a new set of accessories for its compact gaming tablets. Compatible with multiple tablet generations, the Legion Y700 Arcade Dock comes in three finishes with dedicated SNK versions too.

Mar 18 • 1:58 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

iOS 26.4 Fixes iPhone Keyboard Accuracy Bug

The iOS 26.4 update that Apple plans to release as soon as next week includes improvements for the built-in iOS keyboard. In its notes for the software, Apple says iOS 26.4 offers "improved keyboard accuracy when typing quickly". There was a bug in iOS that caused some characters to be missed when a user was typing quickly. The character appeared to be tapped in the keyboard, but was ultimately not inserted.

Mar 18 • 1:43 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Peer review at the service of society

Nature Nanotechnology - The peer review system, as we know it now, is a relatively recent achievement. It will still evolve to better fit the needs of science and society in the future.

Mar 17 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • nature.com

New Arc Raiders Patch Finally Takes Aim at the Il Toro to Make it Feel 'More Like a Weapon of Its Rarity'

Embark has published Arc Raiders update 1.20.0, revealing a somewhat short list of patch notes with two noticeable changes: nerfs for the Il Toro shotgun and energy clips.

Mar 17 • 10:50 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com

Dell XPS 16 (2026) review: Return of the king

The XPS 16 has nearly everything you want from a premium 16-inch productivity laptop and it's a worthy flagbearer for one of the most iconic notebook lines of all time.

Mar 17 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • engadget.com

Nintendo Switch App Update Introduces Support For Switch 2's New Friend List Features

Noted

Mar 17 • 6:30 AM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com

Street Fighter 6 Alex and balance update patch notes

The long content drought in Street Fighter 6 that spanned five months is about to be finally over, and there will be quite a bit for players to sink their teeth into.Capcom just released the official patch notes for ...

Mar 16 • 10:07 PM EDT • Technology • eventhubs.com

Nintendo Switch 2 System Update 22.0.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

"Handheld Mode Boost" and Switch update

Mar 16 • 9:35 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com

Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch update 22.0.0 out now, patch notes

Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch just got a new firmware update with version 22.0.0 and here are the patch notes including Friend List notes.

Mar 16 • 9:07 PM EDT • Technology • nintendoeverything.com

When Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Science Meet, Good Things Happen

Tribal leaders and climate coordinators are working together to protect lands and waterways

Mar 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sierraclub.org

Patch Notes 1.20.0

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.

Mar 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Technology • arcraiders.com

Tekken 8 Season 3 patch notes

It's already been more than two years since Tekken 8 released, and the game is getting its second major overhaul now.Bandai Namco has now released the official patch notes for the big Season 3 update coming tonight.

Mar 16 • 7:53 PM EDT • Technology • eventhubs.com

Lenovo Unveils Next-Gen Workstations and Announces the World's First 1,000 Wh/L Silicon-Anode Battery for Notebooks and Workstations

Lenovo introduces the next-generation of AI workstations optimized for on-device AI development, inference and creation, including the ThinkPad P14s i Gen 7, ThinkPad P14s Gen 7 AMD, ThinkPad P16s i Gen 5, ThinkPad P16s Gen 5 AMD, ThinkPad P1 Gen 9 and the powerhouse desktop ThinkStation P5 Gen 2. ...

Mar 16 • 5:55 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com

Going Panther Lake very quickly: Lenovo updates ThinkPad P1 line with the P1 Gen 9 after just six months

An unexpected update: Lenovo is already replacing the ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 with the next gen model, the new ThinkPad P1 Gen 9. This new version is only a small update, focused mainly on internal changes.

Mar 16 • 5:30 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Super powerful Dell Pro Precision 7 14 and Pro Precision 7 16 workstation laptops are now official

The Dell Pro Precision 7 14 and Pro Precision 7 16 workstation laptops are now official with the latest Intel Panther Lake APUs and powerful Nvidia RTX Pro graphics. Both mobile workstations feature clean designs with Dell's new modern keyboards and Thunderbolt 4/5 ports.

Mar 16 • 4:55 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Inklings | HNPW and the politics of pooled funds

Notes on aid: Where US pooled fund cash isn’t going, “reset” hurdles, and what HNPW says about humanitarianism’s crossroads.

Mar 16 • 6:15 AM EDT • Politics • thenewhumanitarian.org

Oppo, OnePlus, and Vivo officially announce smartphone price increase in China

Rising RAM and semiconductor costs are pushing Chinese smartphone brands to adjust their pricing. Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, and iQoo are among the latest to announce price hikes across multiple devices in China.

Mar 16 • 5:44 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Notes: USA in WBC final, Dodger Stadium has new sponsor

In a World Baseball Classic, which by the way does not use the automatic ball-strike challenge system that is now in use in Major League Baseball, Team USA beat The Dominican Republic 2-1 in a thrilling semifinal matchup on Sunday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. The game featured 23 total strikeouts, 15 by Dominican […]

Mar 15 • 11:26 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Apple's M5 Max in the MacBook Pro 16 is around 15 % faster compared to the MacBook Pro 14

Apple's new M5 Max SoC shows its full potential in the larger MacBook Pro 16 and the performance is noticeably better compared to the MacBook Pro 14. The performance is also stable, and the fans are quieter at the same time.

Mar 15 • 8:12 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Scientists discover what really happens during sourdough fermentation

New research shows that sourdough fermentation does more than make bread rise—it transforms wheat fibers in unexpected ways. Scientists found that enzymes already present in wheat, activated by the sourdough’s acidic environment, break down key fibres called arabinoxylans. This process may influence the bread’s texture, digestibility, and flavor. Some microbes even create buttery or subtly sweet notes that give sourdough its distinctive taste.

Mar 15 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

MacBook Neo Components Required A ‘Rethink’ From Apple To Get Down To That $599 Price, New Report Says A Touchscreen In Newer Models Isn’t ‘Plausible’

A touchscreen isn’t making its way to a successive MacBook Neo model, as Apple found it very difficult to bring the notebook down to that low $599 price

Mar 15 • 1:18 PM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com

Apple's 2026 Studio Display Hits New Low Prices on Amazon at Up to $100 Off

Apple just launched the new line of Studio Displays this month, and today Amazon has introduced the first discount on the Standard Glass model with Tilt-Adjustable Stand. You can get this Studio Display for $1,499.00, down from $1,599.00, a new all-time low price. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Mar 15 • 11:50 AM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Colorado Rockies postgame notes

A lot happened — and none of it was televised.

Mar 14 • 7:24 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

The 7430U CPU scandal could spread: Another manufacturer under suspicion, ODM comes into the spotlight

While we recently found Chuwi guilty of CPU fraud twice, there are now indications that another Asia-based brand, Ninkear, could be affected. We also have a sample of this laptop at our disposal and are investigating immediately. Spoiler: The result exonerates the manufacturer, but raises questions about the original design manufacturer (ODM).

Mar 14 • 8:01 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

When AI is taking notes, hospitals charge more

Plus: Docs and hospitals up next in House affordability hearings

Mar 12 • 5:28 PM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com

Misunderstandings about science are as bad as misinformation | Psyche Notes to Self

People’s misunderstanding of terms like ‘heritability’ shows how important it is to communicate science carefully

Mar 12 • 6:00 AM EDT • Science • psyche.co

Kathie Lee Gifford Says She Doesn’t Judge Anyone — But Has A Note About LGBTQ

"They've really got to stop with that," the retired morning TV personality said.

Mar 11 • 8:12 PM EDT • Entertainment • huffpost.com

Hundreds of GPs tell BBC they have never refused a sick note over mental health concerns

The number of fit notes issued has been rising, with more than 11.2m approved in England last year.

Mar 11 • 8:01 PM EDT • Health • bbc.com

Health systems use AI to break down language barriers in patient discharge notes

Translation systems are "trained to understand medication dosages, medical codes and other clinical terminology so the AI model works as it should," an Oracle engineer explained at HIMSS26.

Mar 11 • 5:19 PM EDT • Health • healthcareitnews.com

Project Helix alpha development kits to ship in 2027; Xbox mode coming to Windows 11 in April

Microsoft Gaming shared updates on its newly announced next-generation hardware Project Helix during the Xbox Developer Summit keynote address at Game Developer Conference 2026, including that it p…

Mar 11 • 2:18 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com

Microsoft says you should build next-gen Xbox games by building them for PC.

We’re in line for Microsoft’s keynote, but look what we spotted at its booth at GDC! “Cross-platform is the future of the Xbox ecosystem,” it writes. “Build for Xbox on PC.” Again, the future of Xbox is W. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/20260311_085610.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/slack-upload-1773247555310.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/slack-upload-1773247563110.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all]

Mar 11 • 12:53 PM EDT • Technology • theverge.com

Former Apple engineer raises $5M for a note-taking pendant that only records your voice

Taya is trying to address privacy concerns around note-taking wearables with its device that can be worn as a pendant and records only the user's voice.

Mar 11 • 10:00 AM EDT • Technology • techcrunch.com

Healthcare Uses Specialized Language. It Needs Specialized AI, Too.

The potential generative AI in healthcare is enormous. They can generate patient education materials or clinical notes in seconds, flag incomplete documentation to keep care on track, or even suggest differential diagnoses . But when generalist models encounter the specialized “dialects” used across medical fields, they can miss critical clinical meaning—even when they read every word correctly. The result can be flawed decisions and eroding clinician trust. Healthcare organizations should treat AI like a supervised trainee: adapt models to clinical specialties, require transparent reasoning, and calibrate automation with human oversight.

Mar 11 • 8:25 AM EDT • Health • hbr.org

Samsung wants Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display users to stay cautious

Samsung has released some of the important notes about the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display feature, which you should know before you buy this phone based on its intriguing promos and advertisements. The privacy display feature allows you to hide the on-screen content from other people while using the phone in public or crowded places. […]

Mar 11 • 6:17 AM EDT • Technology • sammyfans.com

M5 Max with inconsistent performance and throttling issues - Apple MacBook Pro 14 Review

Notebookcheck Review of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 M5 Max with 128 GB RAM, 8 TB SSD, Nano texture Mini-LED panel, Wi-Fi 7 and PCIe 5.0.

Mar 10 • 9:57 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Asus releases new 14-inch gaming laptop in the US with AMD Strix Halo

Asus has finally started selling its first AMD Strix Halo gaming laptop in the US. Equipped with a 165 Hz display, the new laptop also features a 73 Wh battery with 100 W charging via USB Type-C. Unfortunately, Asus has decided against offering a 64 GB RAM variant in the US, which would have allowed the TUF Gaming A14 FA401EA to assign up to 48 GB VRAM to its Radeon 8060S iGPU.

Mar 10 • 2:35 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Democrats take note as AI, crypto groups splash cash on primaries

Mar 10 • 1:55 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Nichols’ Notes: Devils Blueline Uncertainty; Explosive Summer Shake-Up?

Mar 10 • 11:39 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Greenway Health unveils AI-enabled EHR-RCM platform

Called Novare, it offers ambient note-taking, voice-activated chart search, agentic task helpers, intelligent coding suggestions, automated prior authorization, real-time benefit checks and more.

Mar 10 • 11:05 AM EDT • Health • healthcareitnews.com

Greenway Health debuts AI-enabled EHR-RCM platform

Called Novare, it offers ambient note-taking, voice-activated chart search, agentic task helpers, intelligent coding suggestions, automated prior authorization, real-time benefit checks and more.

Mar 10 • 10:38 AM EDT • Health • healthcareitnews.com

Mental health solutions for the digital age

Ask the digital natives of Gen Z about the source of their biggest mental health challenges, and most will say social media and AI.Several of the nearly 400 guests at the third annual Gen Z Wellness Summit, presented by the Friends of Semel Teen Advisory Council at UCLA on March 8, explicitly named the endless stream of content on their phones as serious stressors. “Everybody is addicted to (Tik Tok) as if they were addicted to substances,” said Jantin Asmar, 17, a senior at Virtual Academy in Antelope Valley. “We’re always chasing that dopamine. We’re expecting that dopamine rush and it’s really decaying our interactions with others.” High school student Jantin Asmar was among nearly 400 people who attended the third annual Gen Z Wellness Summit. (Photo by Sandy Cohen) Even young teens feel pressure to be on social media constantly, both to consume content and collect “likes,” said 13-year-olds Chloe and Sophia, both students at Brentwood School. “Everyone’s always on, and you miss stuff if you’re not on it,” Chloe said, adding that social media’s emphasis on appearances is leading to eating disorders: “That’s a big thing for our generation.”The incessant influx of images and updates creates expectations that “weigh teenagers down,” said Linda Kou, 16, a junior at San Gabriel High School.Even though digital spaces allow people to connect with others beyond their immediate surroundings, it doesn’t always translate to real-life community, said Kelah Morgan, 17, a senior at Animo South Los Angeles Charter High School. High school students Kelah Morgan, left, and Linda Kou, shared about the challenges presented by social media. (Photo by Sandy Cohen) “Even if you see people saying that they relate to you online, it might be hard to find people in your personal life who you see every day who you feel comfortable enough to say, ‘You see me online, but this is me in real life and what I’m actually going through,’” she said.Solutions for our digital timesThe Gen Z Wellness Summit was intentionally designed as a free, in-person gathering where young people interested in mental health from across the southland could meet in person. “Peer support is the most important element of maintaining our mental health in community,” said Helena Hansen, MD, PhD, director of UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.Keynote speakers at the summit addressed AI, social connection and self-empowerment, while breakout sessions included discussions about eating disorders, dating, substance use, phone detox and breathwork. Here are some of the day’s top takeaways:Beware of FOPO: Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, a psychology professor at Columbia University, said that rather than FOMO, or fear of missing out, we ought to be more aware of FOPO: fear of people’s opinions. “Just think about how much your FOPO might be holding you back in your life,” Dr. Kaufman said. “And just that inner contemplation should be enough for you to change your life, because there’s so many things we don’t go after because we have debilitating FOPO.”We don’t need to feel like we’re the best – or what he called “narcissistic self-esteem” – but it’s helpful to acknowledge our own worth, recognize our good qualities and develop self-belief in the skills and talents we’ve cultivated. When we have that – dignity and self-respect, without needing everyone to like us – FOPO is less of a concern.Self-reflection is most effective in community: “When we try to self-reflect alone, we sometimes ruminate,” said Ira Bedzow, PhD, executive director of the Emory University Purpose Project. “But when we self-reflect with people that we trust … (it) allows us to hold ourselves accountable to different ways of seeing and different ways of hearing and different ways of being.”Opening up about our experiences and listening to others are skills we can develop, Dr. Bedzow said.He invited students to participate in what he called a “fishbowl exercise,” where four students sat in a small circle, surrounded by a dozen or so students forming a larger circle. Those in the inner circle answered such questions as: “What stops you from being you today?” and “What helps you feel most like you?”Within minutes, the group in the small circle (the fishbowl), were sharing intimately about their life challenges as those in the outer circle nodded in understanding.After the exercise, one participant said, “I felt like I wasn’t alone, that it wasn’t just me who feels that way.”Another remarked on how “personal” it felt to share face-to-face with others, even strangers.Don’t let AI crush your creativity: Theoretical neuroscientist Vivienne Ming, PhD, has been studying artificial intelligence for more than 20 years. And while she said “it’s reasonable to be concerned” about the fast-growing technology, it can also help humans become better problem-solvers when used strategically.“The smartest thing on the planet today are humans and machines working together creatively,” Dr. Ming said. “What gets more valuable in humans as machines get smarter? Our ability to explore the unknown.“Your unique voice is literally your value to the world … but most of us for most of our lives have been taught to not be unique,” she continued. “Be your own person. Celebrate being different. It is genuinely, measurably, truly valuable.”In a breakout session called “Phone Detox? IYKYK: Living Your Story IRL” led by Don Grant, PhD, students shared their frustrations with AI compromising academic work, art and creativity.“Art is a translation of human experience,” one participant said. “When people use AI, they diminish their own human experience.”Dr. Grant urged them, as “the last generation to remember a world before AI,” to remember the power of imagination and creativity – and to act on it.Remember that social media distorts perceptions: Stuart B. Murray, PhD, PsyD, who directs the Eating Disorders Program and Translational Research in Eating Disorders Program at UCLA, asked the students in his breakout session to take a spontaneous selfie and edit it to conform with society’s beauty standards. All 20 girls in the room immediately got to work, thickening their hair, slimming their faces, plumping their lips.“The pressure to look like what we present on social media can be crippling,” Dr. Murray said. “We now know that social media use is part of a causal pathway into an eating disorder.”Adolescents and young adults are most at risk of developing an eating disorder, he said, with one in three students on college campuses exhibiting clinically meaningful eating-disorder symptoms. More than 4 million people in California will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.Even for those who don’t develop anorexia or bulimia, the ubiquity of modified images online distorts what we consider normal, making us feel worse about ourselves. Remembering that, he and other speakers said, might inspire us to log off occasionally and spend time in the real world with people who love us as we are.

Mar 10 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • uclahealth.org

Entertainment mogul and Business School donor David Geffen visited Epstein’s island, emails indicate

Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse.

Mar 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • columbiaspectator.com

Patch Notes 1.19.0

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.

Mar 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Technology • arcraiders.com

Why host Kylen Mills is excited to join NBC Sports Bay Area's Giants coverage

New NBC Sports Bay Area host Kylen Mills spoke to Alex Pavlovic about her journey back to the Bay Area and her favorite San Francisco Giants moment.

Mar 9 • 11:34 AM EDT • Sports • nbcsportsbayarea.com

Apple Studio Display Gets First Pre-Order Discounts at Up to $300 Off

Amazon today has introduced the first big pre-order discounts on the brand new Apple Studio Display lineup, with up to $300 off these monitors. The Studio Display deals join pre-order discounts on M4 iPad Air, MacBook Neo, and more on Amazon and other retailers. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Mar 9 • 11:00 AM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Georgia's special congressional election

Voters in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District will elect a replacement for former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in a special election on Tuesday

Mar 9 • 7:41 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

MS Office 2024 for Home & Business is now 60% off

You get lifetime access to the likes of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, and they come with some sweet upgrades.

Mar 9 • 7:00 AM EDT • Business • popsci.com

OnePlus 15T: Official first look at new compact flagship phone revealed

The successor to last year's OnePlus 13T is confirmed to launch soon in China. The OnePlus 15T has been officially revealed in two colorways, with a design language that closely resembles the standard OnePlus 15 and the 13T.

Mar 8 • 11:06 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra shows camera improvements compared to S25 Ultra, can't catch up to Apple iPhone 17 Pro

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has only received a few camera upgrades. An initial comparison by DxOMark now shows that Samsung was able to drastically improve the image quality in certain scenarios, but the camera system of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is not completely free of problems.

Mar 8 • 2:32 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: Case leak points to design change

Months before the expected launch of the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL, an accessory manufacturer lists a protective case for the next-generation flagship smartphone, providing first hints about a design change.

Mar 8 • 1:45 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

MacBook Neo vs M1 MacBook Air: you decide - M4 lite or M1 plus

The new MacBook Neo is in the same performance ballpark as the M1 MacBook Air. Here's how the newest budget notebook compares against the original Apple Silicon MacBook Air.

Mar 8 • 12:36 PM EDT • Technology • appleinsider.com

Ryan Gosling breaks and can't stop laughing over surprise joke changes in hilarious 'SNL' sketch

Ryan Gosling broke and dissolved into giggles cold-reading several surprise jokes — including one poking fun at his 'Barbie' role — in a hilarious 'SNL' sketch about passing notes in class.

Mar 8 • 12:18 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com

Mets Morning News: “He’s healthy, and we can see it now”

Your Sunday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.

Mar 8 • 10:15 AM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com

Apple's entry-level M5 SoC in the MacBook Air 13 only consumes 7-8 Watts in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Baldur's Gate 3

Apple's new MacBook Air with the small M5 SoC is extremely efficient while gaming. During our tests, we recorded a SoC consumption of just 7-8 Watts, which means the gaming performance is also rock solid despite the passive cooling solution.

Mar 7 • 5:49 PM EST • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Where the locals go: Small businesses struggle with relocation on top of a low-snow season

Note to readers: This is the second in an ongoing series on the vitality of Vail (for the first installment click here). As iconic buildings erected in a hurry in the early ’60s boom days require...

Mar 7 • 11:11 AM EST • Business • vaildaily.com

Bungie Responds Quickly to Marathon Microtransactions Backlash, First Patch Will Make the Game Slightly Easier

Bungie has revealed plans to change Marathon in some key ways just a few days after launch, outlining early patch notes for an update due out next week.

Mar 7 • 4:01 AM EST • Technology • ign.com

Insane performance and efficiency without fans - Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 Entry Review

Notebookcheck review of the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 with 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD and Wi-Fi 7.

Mar 6 • 7:57 PM EST • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Phillies notes: Duran's ‘secret,' prospects on mend, Painter ahead

What it means if Jhoan Duran delivers a new pitch, Rob Thomson updates Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Aidan Miller, while Andrew Painter lines up next.

Mar 6 • 1:04 PM EST • Sports • nbcsportsphiladelphia.com

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Announces Commitment Letter With Respect to Refinancing of Its Odeon Notes

LEAWOOD, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC) (the “Company,” or “AMC”), announced today that the…...

Mar 6 • 12:15 PM EST • Entertainment • investor.amctheatres.com